Full-term!

36 Weeks (Nine months)

I know it doesn't really mean much, since most babies (especially first babies) will hold off until 40+ weeks anyway, but it's really exciting to know that if she were born right now, she would be just fine. Also, I can start hoping that she comes soon without feeling bad about it. Hehe...

I had my 36 week appointment last week and I was 2cm dilated and 60% effaced, which was great news, because it means that my body is doing something! Of course, I know I might still go over due, but I'm hoping that there will be more progress at my 37 week appointment this Wednesday. As for me, I'm still feeling pretty good, but I'm definately more tired lately. I can easily sleep 10-12 hours a night (and not even feel like I've over-slept). Also, my Braxton Hicks contractions have started to feel a little more uncomfortable, sometimes giving me a dull ache in my lower back. All in all, I'd just rather hold our little girl in my arms rather than my stomach at this point!

We've Moved!

Our unit is the on the top left (if you're facing the building)

Well, I figured it was time for an update! Trevor and I recently bought a four-plex (we're living in one of the units, and renting out the other three). By doing so, we've eliminated our house payment/rent, which makes it possible for me to stay home with the baby when she gets here. So the last few weeks have been SUPER busy with all the packing, moving, and unpacking, not to mention that fact that we had to buy and assemble a dresser (Ikea all the way, baby), install some blinds, get a new toilet, have the dryer vents cleaned for the whole building, etc. But Trevor is such a champ, and a great handyman. He has been so on top of things, and is always telling me to stop lifting things, and take it easy (which is hard at times, because nesting is setting in, and I go through periods when I just can't stop cleaning and organizing). But slowly, but surely, our home is coming together.

Yesterday was also my last day of work. My kids went off track yesterday, and won't come back on until February 27th, at which point I would already be 37 weeks pregnant (which is considered full-term). So I figured that quitting my job right now would be the smartest decision, but it was hard to say goodbye to those kiddos. Two of my sixth grade girls were bawling, and it was soooo hard to keep myself from crying. My sixth graders all brought in money and the teacher used it to buy me some baby gifts, which they surprised me with on Friday. It was so sweet of them! They all wrote me little cards as well, which they had hanging from the presents. The fifth graders all wrote me notes as well, and some of them were pretty funny, actually. A few of them told me to "have fun on my trip"....huh? Wasn't aware I was going on one! And one student even said, "I hope your baby is a boy." Well, I hope not, seeing as pretty much all my baby stuff is pink! I got some pictures of me with the classes (a normal one, and a goofy one, but I like the goofy ones the best, because it really shows their silly personalities).

My sixth graders

My fifth graders

32 Weeks (Eight months)

 As for me and little Alia, all is going just fine. I'm almost 34 weeks right now, but I'll go ahead and post my 32 week picture, since I kind of got behind in my blogging. Trevor and I just started our child birthing classes up at the hospital, and during our first class they had us watch a video about the stages of labor, and they showed a few women giving birth, including the birthing of the placenta. It was so funny, because the next morning, Trevor said, "I've seen a placenta being birthed...I'll just never be the same now." I have to agree, it was pretty gross, so needless to say, I don't think I'll be one of the women who wants a mirror so she can watch the whole thing happening, at least not with my first delivery.

It's interesting, at the beginning of my pregnancy, everyone kept telling me that I was showing so early, and that I was probably going to be huge at the end, but now I all get are "small" comments, like, "You're due next month? Wow, you just look so small," or "Aww, it's like a cute little basketball." I just think it's funny how everyone has different ideas of what's big and small. But let me tell you, I don't feel small, especially when I'm leaning over to tie my shoes, or bumping my stomach into things, or having to bend over to pick stuff up because I drop EVERYTHING these days. But hey, I only have, like three more weeks until I'm full term! Woohoo!

Our First Christmas Together

Even though we were engaged last Christmas, we weren't able to spend it together because I was in Arizona visiting family, so this Christmas was our first real one together. On Christmas Eve, we went to the big Koch family Christmas party at Trevor's grandparent's house. It was a lot of fun! We had a delicious dinner, had a nice little Christmas program put on by one of Trevor's aunts, and then we all got to open up our presents, which were the shirts for next year's family reunion. The shirts were awesome, especially because we got a little one for Alia (and by little, I mean she'll be able to fit into it for the next two years, but it was the smallest size they came in). After the Koch party, we went over to my dad's house and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" which has been a Christmas Eve tradition in my family since before I was born. My aunt and two cousins were there too, so it was great to see them.

On Christmas morning, Trevor and I got up and opened up our gifts to each other. I got Trevor a digital photo frame so that he could have it at work, and also a computer-controllable Nerf dart launcher so that he can shoot his unsuspecting co-workers. Trevor got me a baby onsie and a matching shirt for me. The onsie says, "I love my Mommy" and the shirt says, "I love my little girl." He also made me an elaborate origami flower in an origami bottle, which was beautiful! After we had finished opening our gifts, we headed over to Trevor's parent's house, where we opened more wonderful presents, and had a delicious Christmas breakfast. After going to church with Trevor's family, we headed over to my dad's house, where we opened even more presents (I was feeling a little spoiled with three Christmases!). We had Christmas dinner with my family, which featured a tasty rib-eye roast that my dad cooked to perfection. We then played a game of Balderdash, and headed home so that we could enjoy was was left of the evening by ourselves. All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas! It's strange to think that next year we'll have a little girl to share it with!

Trevor, all bundled up on Christmas

Me, bundled up in my coat that doesn't really close anymore

The matching onsie and shirt that Trevor gave me

The beautiful origami flower in a bottle that Trevor made me.

28 Weeks (Seven months)

Also, as of this week, I am 28 weeks into my pregnancy, or about seven months. Everything is still going really well, although I've had a cold for the past two weeks, which hasn't been very fun. I just had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and everything is looking great. From now on, I'll be seeing my doctor every two weeks. Alia is still wiggling away inside my tummy, but I can tell that things are starting to get a bit cramped for her, because there are less definite kicks, and more pushing and poking with knees and elbows.

Only 2 months, 20 days, and 21 hours left to go!

24 Weeks

24 Weeks (Six months)

Well, I've made it to 24 weeks! This is a pregnancy milestone, because starting at 24 weeks, the baby is considered viable outside the womb, and doctors are required to do everything they can to save the baby's life. Of course, I would never WANT to have my baby born that premature, but it's comforting to know that I'm past the point where there is no hope of saving the baby if the worst should happen.

Yesterday I had my 24 week appointment with my doctor, which was no big deal, but I also had to do a glucose tolerance test to make sure that I don't have gestational diabetes. The test required me to drink a nasty sugar drink and then have my blood drawn to see how well my body was processing the sugar. Well, for those of you who know me well, you know that I don't do well with blood, needles, and especially any combination of the two. Last time I had to have my blood drawn, I nearly passed out, so this time I made sure that Trevor was there with me. He and the nurses did their best to try and distract me, but I'm a hopeless case. I started getting that weird "tightening" feeling throughout my body, then my face started sweating, and then my vision started getting dark. They kept asking me how I was doing, but it seemed to take a lot of energy to answer them. I guess I looked pretty bad, because the nurses had me go lay down on the floor and put my feet up on a chair, and then they put a wet paper towel on my forehead because they said my skin was really hot. I felt pretty goofy laying on the floor of the waiting area, but it sure helped. Soon I felt much better, and Trevor and I went to Red Lobster with a gift card to celebrate my last blood draw (at least until delivery...and assuming I passed the glucose test).

So glad to have that over with! So...mommy's a wimp, but baby is doing just fine!
3 months, 17 days, and 23 hours left to go!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was great! Trevor and I went down to Arizona to spend time with my extended family, so we left Tuesday morning and stayed until Sunday morning. Everyone spoiled us so much! My Aunt Mandy took us shopping and got us several cute outfits for Alia, including the requisite duck-hooded towel. My friend Courtney gave me a lot of clothes too, including several outfits that her daughter never used, because she was out of newborn clothes as soon as she was born. My grandma also let me take some of the children's books that she had at her house for her grandchildren when we were all young, plus sent us home with some Christmas presents, so we'll have something to put under our tree (when we get one).

Thanksgiving was a blast. The food was delicious and after we ate we all took a walk around the golf course behind my grandparent's house to let our food digest. We also played the game Scategories, and some Wii sports games together, which was fun. But the best thing about Thanksgiving actually happened that night when Trevor and I were watching a movie together. Alia was kicking at me pretty consistently, so I put my hand over her to see if she would stop, and she didn't. Now, normally every time I've put Trevor's hand on my stomach, she's stopped moving, so I didn't hold out a lot of hope this time. But she surprised me by giving one final kick before stopping, and Trevor actually got to feel it! He gasped and smiled at me, and asked, "Was that her?" It was such a cute moment!

On our way back home, we stopped at the Grand Canyon because Trevor had never been there, and that was a lot of fun. We just went for a little hike through the woods until we hit the rim, and then took a few pictures, but by the time we got back to our car, I was exhausted. It might be because I'm in bad shape...but I'm going to blame it on the pregnancy.

Alia is now kicking me up in my ribs, thanks to my short torso, and sometimes it can be a little uncomfortable. In fact, the other day I was actually trying to nudge her back down, because it hurt, but she's a stubborn baby. I also felt her kicking the other day with my hand over my stomach and could actually feel a distinct body part pushing against me, rather than just a random thump, so that was really neat! I have my glucose test at my appointment this week, which involves a blood draw, so I'm really not looking forward to that, but it will be nice to have the test over and no whether I have gestational diabetes or not. The funny thing is, I'm so bad at getting my blood drawn that I actually scheduled the appointment so that Trevor can be there with me, in case I pass out (since I came pretty close last time!).

Well, only 3 months, 20 days, and 23 hours left to go! ;)

Halfway There!

Well, I've finally reached the halfway point in this pregnancy. Trevor and I had an ultrasound last Friday and it was confirmed that our baby is definitely a little girl. All her measurements looked great and she was VERY active during the ultrasound! The tech even remarked, "You might have a soccer player on your hands!" Then, at my 20 week appointment with my doctor, she was listening for the heartbeat and said, "You have a very active baby." So who knows...we may have a little spaz on our hands. Haha!

The pregnancy has been going great. I occasionally get acid reflux, but usually a Tums can solve that problem, and I still feel more tired than normal, but extra sleep takes care of that (the problem is trying to work that extra sleep in!). Trevor and I are pretty set on the name "Alia" and we're thinking about using the name "Yvonne" for her middle name, because it was my mother's middle name (as well as my dad's sister's middle name, and her daughter's middle name). So her name will most likely be: Alia Yvonne Koch. :)

Her profile (The ultrasound tech said that she had a pretty little face, which is what they said at my last ultrasound too!)

Her arms lifted up to her head

Touching her toes together :)

In this picture she has her hand over her nose

This was a nice "action shot" of her kicking at me

For Halloween this year, Trevor and I dressed up as pirates. I wore my costume to the school on Monday because everyone was dressing up, and my kids kept asking me what Alia's costume was. So I told them that she was a "baby pirate". Not very creative, I know. I should have said something random, like, "She's a kangaroo." My students love to touch my stomach and say hello to Alia, and they're always asking me, "How old is your baby now?" even if they just asked me yesterday. They're going to be so excited when I bring Alia in to meet them after she's born, although I'm going to have to tell one of my students that she can no longer scream, "Wake up, Alia!!!"

I guess I should also mention our trip to California a week ago. Trevor's cousin McKay had his homecoming from his mission, his cousin Katie had just had her baby, and his cousins Taylor and Colby had birthdays, and since they all live in California, it was the perfect excuse for a quick trip. We left Friday morning, drove all day, and got there for Taylor's birthday party in the evening. It was good to see everyone again, since we don't see the California clan very often. On Saturday we went and saw Katie's adorable little boy, hit the beach, and then Trevor and I went to Medieval Times for dinner because I had never been there. They came around towards the end and asked if I would need a to-go box, and I just laughed. Sure, it might have been enough food for a king, but I'm a pregnant woman, gosh dang it! So that was a lot of fun. On Sunday we went to McKay's homecoming and then celebrated Colby's birthday before hitting the road again! So it was a short trip but it was fun.

Landon borrowed his wet suit from the Hollands. At first he put it on inside out, and then later we found out it was also on backwards.

It was a cold and windy day, but that phase Trevor and Landon. They were pretty determined to go boogie boarding!

I bought this hat in anticipation of a sunny day at the beach, but instead of protecting me from the sun, it ended up keep a lot of the wind from hitting my face.

Trevor and Landon after catching some waves. They must have been freezing, but they were loving it!

Trevor and I at Medieval Times. It was dark in there and I didn't account for the longer exposure time, hence the horrific blurriness of the picture.

Well, that's all for now, so I'll finish off this post with my 20 week belly shot. It's exciting now that people can look at me and guess "Pregnant?" rather than "Two many french fries?" In fact, one lady the other day pointed at my stomach and said, "Oh, I almost didn't notice that. It's a girl?" So not only are people assuming I'm pregnant, they're now assuming the gender as well! Haha!

17 Weeks

16 Weeks (Four months)

As the title says, I am now 17 weeks pregnant, or just a little over four months. Our baby is the size of an onion! I had an appointment this past week and our little one has a nice strong heartbeat. More exciting, I now get to set up my 20 week (halfway!) appointment, where they will do an in-depth ultrasound to check our baby's anatomy and make sure everything looks right. I'm so excited to see our baby again!

Also, I felt my first movement this weekend! We were driving home from Logan and I felt a funny little feeling from the inside, like our baby was shifting position and her body was rubbing against my tummy. Then, later that night, I felt a series of distinct little pokes, always in sets of two, like one foot, then the other. On Sunday I felt the same pokes in the same part of my tummy, which just confirmed it for me. It's so exciting to have this tangible proof of our little girl!