by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

I've always been a bargain hunter. But during this pregnancy with Nova Skye, I've become a master at getting baby items that are useful for FREE or very cheap. Here's a recent mini haul from our local Dollar Tree in Aurora, Colorado.

This is Dollar Tree, so obviously, since there are ten items pictured here, this trip was ten bucks plus tax.

Babies like to look at interesting things, especially colorful ones that move. The top two items pictured are solar powered figurines that have a moving character at the top. Obviously, a baby cannot play with these. Therefore, they should sit safely in a sunny spot (like a window sill) that your baby can see, but not reach.

Next up, you'll see two brand name (Sesame Street) baby books. They are the soft squishy plastic ones that babies love to squeeze and turn the pages on. This is an excellent find, as baby board books are usually around five bucks or more each.

Next to the books is a teether and rattle, again Sesame Street themed. Babies love to play with these and we needed a few more toys for Nova when we found this. Directly underneath, is a different teether and rattler that the baby can shake and chew on, also made by the Sesame Street brand.

The blue thingy in the middle is a knee pad for the parents, so that no one gets sore while bending over the tub to bathe the baby. With my weird leg issues, I really needed this and at only a dollar, how could I say no?

On the bottom left is a cold pack, which is very useful for those times when baby whacks herself with a toy or does something else baby-like, resulting in injury that just needs a quick cold compress. Hopefully, we won't need it, but parents can never over-prepare. This is not my first rodeo and I know the drill well.

The last item in the middle at the bottom is a square-shaped container. It's supposed to be for snacks. However, since newborns don't snack and we needed a good, sanitary binky container for the diaper bag, we thought this was a good fit.

By the way, in case you're wondering, anything the baby might play with, chew, eat out of, and so on was clearly marked as BPA-free, which is pretty awesome for a dollar store.

*What have you discovered at the Dollar Tree (or other dollar stores) lately? Please share below!

I posted this on Facebook earlier. But I decided this actually belongs here, since it's related to the baby and pregnancy. It also may help some people who are having rough pregnancies.

WARNING: Long rambly, personal post about pain, life, and people that may eventually contain something valuable lol

I'm extremely pained, worn out, and sick and honestly not sure how I'm going to make it another week feeling like this. People keep saying to rest for me and the baby, but I'm not sure that's the best thing for either of us. Being in bed makes the pain and morning sickness worse, no matter how many pillows or positions or suggestions I try.

Of course, too much movement does the same. I'm more inclined to believe that an equal balance of everything is better. But what do I know? I'm just listening to the doctor's advice because he's never failed me in the past with all the other kids of mine he's delivered. However, the internet has failed many. LOL

Can I just fast forward to delivery time? That's the part of the pain I actually want to feel. I'm not getting an epidural or other pain relief, by choice. Some pains in life are meant to be felt, so that we can grow stronger. Everything in life is not always rosy and there's nothing wrong with being truthful. In fact, its healthier than holding it inside.

So, if you're among the few who don't want to hear my "complaining", you probably need to do some serious reexamining of life. It's about going through things and coming out stronger for everyone, not just yourself. I share what I do on the off chance that someone else with similar experiences can relate and/or be helped and I'll never apologize for doing so.

Anyhow, labor and delivery pain results in a baby: the best result ever. I suppose in a way this pain does too. But it's getting more difficult to go through this every second that goes by. Just posting this has helped, if only for the reason that it might resonate with someone else who needs to see it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to keep feeling painful contractions, like always. Perhaps eventually, they will result in a baby. LOL

*P.S. The good news is that if she isn't here yet 7 days from now, the doctor can safely induce.

by Richard Rowell and Lyn Lomasi

Coming to you live (not really) from McWilliams Park in Denver is an update about the status of Nova Skye. We're 38 weeks and 2 days, and she will definitely be here in a week. The only question now is when. See our video for more.

I'll be straight up honest with you. I'm not handling this pregnancy as gracefully as I would like to. While Lyn and I don't argue, we have had a lot of stressful situations lately. Because she's been on bed rest, a lot has fallen on my shoulders. Also, I'm becoming extremely impatient, because I really just want to meet my daughter, dammit!

On the flip side, Lyn is handling what's been a very rough pregnancy about as gracefully as humanly possible. She still wants to do everything and I have to constantly stop her and just do things. She's still beautiful and wonderful just like the day I met her. We really just need to have Nova here, on the outside, so Lyn can really return to being herself. It's been very painful for most of the pregnancy, but after the 32-week preterm labor scare, it's only gotten worse each day. The stress that it's putting on me has almost broken me on some days.

Guys, those who have been through this late part of the pregnancy, I salute you. But Lyn has been about as good as she can possibly be. Part of it is that she's already had four. But this one is different. She went 11 years between pregnancies. I just want her to feel good again. She's still so beautiful, but I want her to actually feel like that again.

We're just human and of course, we'll have bad days. But if we're miserable, so is Nova. So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers these next couple of weeks. We really are just aiming for 37 weeks. We just have to survive until then.

I'm going to make it a point to write more updates going forward, as Nova deserves it.

I know it's been quite a while since we've posted any updates. There isn't a 32 or 33 week post and that's due large in part to my health in the pregnancy, as of late. So, here's what's going on, as well as fetal development info for 32 weeks, 33 weeks, and 34 weeks. We're 34 weeks pregnant with Nova Skye Rowell, as of April 23, 2016.

What’s Nova Been Doing During 32, 33, and 34 Weeks?

Nova’s been doing excellent. She still moves around very actively and all of her ultrasounds, including a high definition one have shown us excellent things. She’s small, but perfect. I mean, Rich and I are only 5’2” and 5’3”, respectively. So, she probably isn’t going to be too huge, no matter how long she stays in there. Haha

We had a preterm labor scare at 32 weeks that is being controlled under careful medical supervision, which is a huge part of why I haven’t been able to get much written. At the high definition ultrasound, received during that visit, Nova weighed in at around 3 pounds and 9 ounces. Her length was 17 inches. That’s relatively small for that gestational age. However, again, both of her parents are small.

The key info from that ultrasound, other than the small size, is that she is doing extremely well and is fully developed. As with most babies at this stage, lung (and other respiratory) function after birth is the main concern if she were to be born early. There’s no way to know how that will go until they are born, so it’s always best they stay in as long as possible until the due date, or at least until term, which is 37 weeks.

The follow up appointment on 4/21 went well. Nova’s heartbeat is still super strong and all of my measurements are as they should be. I may not be doing that great, but despite that, she certainly is thriving and that’s the goal. As my mother-in-law Deb pointed out, she’s definitely a fighter.

When’s the Next Doctor Visit?

The next prenatal visit is May 6th. But of course, if anything happens that requires further evaluation before then, my OB will see me and in an emergency, the ER is obviously available. Hopefully, all will be as uneventful as possible and that appointment date will remain as it is.

How’s the Momtrepreneur and Daddy-To-Be This Week?

In short, we’re both very stressed and I’m very sick, but we’re making the best of it and know that Nova will be well worth it all. Yesterday (4/23/2016), I was vomiting severely, some containing a small amount of blood after a while. The severe pain increased. So, I called my OB to ask what I should do.

He increased the dosage times of my medication and told me to lay only on my left side and eat the BRAT diet and drink water, chew ice, or drink ginger ale and not move at all. He said the blood was likely due to my insides getting irritation from so much vomiting. That makes sense since it was a small amount and only occurred after that was going on for a bit.

He said if I were to go to the hospital like that, they'd likely admit me to bed rest there and he'd rather have me be comfortable at home if possible. We agree. But if it gets worse or certain other things happen (such as more labor signs), he wants me to call him and have things reevaluated. Obviously, if it's an emergency, we'd head straight to the hospital and call him on the way.

His recommendations have helped so far. The medicine is quelling the contractions to a point where I don't have to go in and the vomiting has stopped. I'm still in massive pain, however. So, if I'm not as responsive as usual, that's why. Don't worry, I'm resting as I post this and I'm stable enough to be at home, rather than the hospital.

Rich has taken over everything I do, on top of what he does. Plus, he is there to comfort me and take care of me. So, if he's also less responsive and less active at posting, that's why.

Thanks for all the love and support, everyone. It really means a great deal to us.

Accomplishments During Week 32 , 33, & 34 of the Pregnancy

We actually accomplished quite a bit, considering all that's happened. In fact, making it to 34 weeks has been a huge accomplishment, in itself. I would say that’s the biggest accomplishment so far, in light of all the issues I’ve been having. If we can get to at least 37 weeks, that’s even better. So far, so good.

We got some low odor paint that doesn’t seem to be bothering my allergies at all, so that’s good. The kids are helping get that done, since I am pretty useless at this point, as far as doing the things I usually do (home improvement, normal household duties, work, etc). We wanted to finish up the walls before the baby comes, as that is really the main issue in our area of the house.

We also got some great bargains on baby items, as well as some items for Aja and Nathan. Our local thrift store saved us once more and we were able to get 160 clothing items for only $16. No kidding. We don’t really care too much about brands. However, most all of them happened to be brand name items.

Guess what?! We aren't selling our vehicle anymore. Not that we don't need the money, but all we kept getting were scam offers anyhow and we really do need the vehicle with such a large family. So, instead, we put it back on the road. We had already fixed the alternator previously. So, all it took was a battery and registration. Yay! It's an older model ('97 Toyota 4Runner Ltd), so it's not like we were going to make a huge enough amount to be able to move and maintain rent and bills anyway. We just thought it would help.

Let's see, I also cut my hair because, unlike the other pregnancies (which made my hair awesome), this one has done some serious damage to it. I'm not exactly happy about having short hair because I prefer it long and my hair takes FOREVER to grow. But it was super unhealthy. It ended up getting straight and full of split ends and my hair is normally curly and shiny. I'm not well enough to spend the time it would take to revive it. So, I opted for cutting it. There's still some more work to be done on the style I actually want. But, for now, it's manageable and healthier.

The animals have been awesome helping everyone else take care of me. I also managed to get some more cloth diapers done and fix up the page I'll be selling them on here once I'm done making enough for Nova. I have to make hers first and then I can focus on making more to sell. We desperately need the money, so hopefully I'll be able to get that done soon.

Also, we’ve been receiving even more generosity than ever, between people reaching out with love and emotional support to a couple people helping once again with the baby registry. If you’d like to help, the main thing we need on the registry is fragrance free baby wipes. If you can’t afford to help, it helps us a ton when our links from this site and the others we own are shared via social media. And, last but not least, Love, Love, & More Love is hugely appreciated.

For fetal development info in relation to 32, 33, and 34 weeks, continue below the galleries.

Because I haven't been doing so well during this pregnancy, especially with the latest scare, people have been asking how they can help. The simple answer is love, love, and then more love. Here's why.

Love is the strongest force on this planet. So, if anything can help Nova, Rich, and I get through this, it has to be love. While things are getting pretty risky from here on out, we feel that putting lots of love and positive energy surrounding Nova out in the universe will greatly outweigh the bad.

Regardless of when little Nova decides to arrive, we are putting only good energy into her arrival. This is why it may seem at times that we're overly positive about her possible early arrival. It's not that we want her to be here early. Who would purposefully want those risks? But we also want (and need) to look at the positive side, in case it happens.

So, if you want to help, send lots of love and happy healthy energy Nova's way, whether she listens to our insistence to stay put longer or not.

Thanks! We love you all!
(The best thing about love is that when you give it, it comes back.)

At only 32 weeks gestation, Nova decided to give us a scare that landed me in the hospital with preterm labor. Here's more on that, how she and I are doing now, and why she needs to stay in longer.

Those who are friends with me on Facebook or are in the Online Baby Shower may have already heard this news. But for those who haven't here's the gist.

On April 11th, I woke up in horrendous pain that felt like contractions, so I went into the hospital where my OB delivers to get it checked out. It felt like contractions, even though at 32 weeks gestation, that should not be happening. 

I did test positive for fetal fibronectin, which indicates a preterm risk. Also, the pains I've been having, while not birth contractions, did show up on monitors. So they are a problem. Because of that, I've been prescribed a medication that stops contractions and I'll be taking it at least until my next appointment with my OB, but possibly until Nova is born.

As much as we want to see her, she should not be trying to come right now. She needs to wait until at at least 36 or 37 weeks, ideally.

She's doing very well but is also very small at 3 lbs and 9oz. She's 17 inches long. We got an extensive ultrasound to find out that and other information. She would likely survive if born now. However, there could also be medical problems, such as respiratory issues. So, everything possible to prevent that is good.

I also got both steroid treatments (one on the 11th and one on the 12th) to help the baby if she does come early. But please send happy vibes, light a candle, meditate, pray (whatever you believe in that might help) that it does not happen. She really needs to cook longer!!!!

I've been ordered to rest even more, even though Rich basically does everything right now. But we're going to attempt to figure out where we could be lacking in that.

What all of this means is that I basically need to focus only on Nova and avoid stress and too much activity and I'm going to need a lot of support. This is going to greatly hurt us financially, even more than it already has, as there will be times when I can't complete the writing work (honestly, probably most of the time, I can't). So, we really appreciate hugs, love, encouragement, reads and shares of our work (costs you nothing but makes us money), or anything you can think of that might help.

All of our sites with our writing are here: http://www.writewavemedia.com/our-sites.html
(Even if you read and share content by our contributors, it helps us. Simply read and share what you like.)

Thanks for the support and stay tuned for the next update. Due to being so in need of rest, sometimes I won't get them out on time and I will go back and put them in on the date intended. Sometimes, Rich may write some things instead of me, as well. Please be patient with us as we do our best to get through this rough time and keep you all updated as best as we can.

Aaaaand OMG! We saved one of the best things for last (besides the super free swing)! Our super awesome friend San over at Informed Sharing sent us a ton of stuff! Some of it we can use right away and some will be for later, which is perfect. The right-away items are things we can now take off our needs list and the later items will fill some of the holes we had for when she gets bigger.

^^^^^^^^ Above is all the super awesome stuff San sent us ^^^^^^^^