37 Week Update!

Woo Hoo, we've reached full term.  My doctor said to do lots of squats and walk around to get things moving because we're all ready for her now.  3 more weeks till the due date though!

At 37 weeks Baby Girl is the size of a wintermelon  (yes a wIntermelon, not a wAtermelon, although it does look like I have a watermelon stuffed under my shirt) at 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds.  For my sake let's hope that the 6 pounds is more accurate than 9 pounds!!!

 

 Not much new is going on with Baby Girl.  She's gaining about half an ounce a day (all the more reason I'd love to welcome her into the world sooner rather than later), practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking, and getting her first sticky poop ready for her first diaper, fun, fun, fun!

I am as ready as I can possibly be for Baby Girl to get here.  I've had all of the material things ready for a while and I feel like I'm mentally ready for delivery (as ready as anyone who has never experienced it before can be) but now I'm also physically ready.  I have had a pretty easy pregnancy.  Aside from some first trimester complications and a limit on my exercise abilities I really don't have a lot to complain about.  My cravings weren't too insane and I felt as healthy as a pregnant lady can.  But now I'm done.  I am sick of carrying around this extra weight and the random aches and pains and now the absolute lack of sleep.  I just want my body back.  And I don't mean that looks wise, I know it will take awhile to get back to where I was before pregnancy, but I want control of my body back!

Newest lovely pregnancy symptom is hot flashes.  I mean, feeling like I'm in a furnace, hot flashes.  I even resort to sleeping with my windows open when it's below freezing outside and taking breaks at work to go stand out in the 40 degree weather to cool off.

I realize that this all makes it seem like I'm miserable.  I'm really not.  I'm still in super high spirits about having a baby and am so happy, I'm just ready for her to be here and so very very very very very tired.

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 19 lbs overall.  1 lb gain since last week.

Maternity clothes?  Even maternity clothes are uncomfortable now.  I want to wear pajamas all of the time.

Stretch marks? Nope! 

Sleep:  would be absolutely divine.

Best moment this week:  Hearing Baby Girl’s heart beat at the doctor’s, it was so loud and strong this week.  It was the loudest and clearest it has ever been on the Doppler.  I don’t even remember what she told me the rate was because I was only listening to the heart beat.

Miss Anything?  SLEEP.

Movement:  Mostly at night, while I’m trying to sleep. 

Food cravings:  I haven’t been hungry at all lately.  I generally have to force myself to eat something for breakfast.  Doctor confirmed that Baby Girl hasn’t dropped yet so I’m assuming it’s just because I have a full grown baby squashing my stomach.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still all the same culprits but we can now add crab to the list which is odd since it was an early craving.

Belly Button in or out? Neither but it’s really looking like it wants to pop out!

Wedding rings on or off? On which I am really glad about! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Labor signs?  Nope.  All along I had been happy putting a “Nope” there, but  now I really wish I had something to say! 

Looking forward to:  Not having to sleep on my side!

Belly Pics and Randomness.

Here are some well over due belly pictures!  I feel gigantic, luckily she doesn't do much more growing in the next few weeks!

Did you know that over the 40 week pregnancy journey the uterus goes from the size of a fist to being larger than a watermelon?  And then just 6 weeks after birth it should be back to the size of a fist again!  I find this to be crazy, not that it grows that much, it has to for baby, but that it shrinks again that quickly!  It has pushed all of my other organs out of the way in order to grow that big and I just picture them all falling down as the uterus rapidly shrinks.  Eeeeessshhhhh, poor organs.

Earlier in the pregnancy I talked about the hormone relaxin which, like its name implies, relaxes all of my joints.  This will certainly come in handy during labor but not so much in every day life.  It gave me a nice laugh the other day so now I'll share with you, here's a nice laugh at my expense.  I bent over to pick a sock up off the floor while balancing the full laundry basket on my hip.  I ended up on my butt on the floor, hitting the ironing board on the way down, which proceeded to land on my head.  Needless to say I did not carry the laundry basket up the stairs and will not be for awhile!

It's November!

Things I've realized today:

It's November, my baby is due in November.

If she comes on her due date I have 15 days of work left, I should probably be finishing things up.

IT'S NOVEMBER!!!!

I still think she's nice and cozy in there and won't make an appearance till December though! :-)  We shall see!

36 Week Update!

Just 4 more weeks to go!  Not much growing is going on any more.  This week Baby Girl is still in the 17 to 19 inch range and 4 to 6 pounds.  According to thebump.com this is the size of a honeydew melon (I challenge you to find a honeydew that big!)

Baby Girl's immune system has matured enough to protect her from infections outside the womb and most of her other systems are about ready for go time a well.  The only exception will be her digestive system.  While she's been hanging out inside of me, she gets her nutrition through the umbilical cord, so she hasn't really needed a digestive system yet so this won't mature until some time after birth.  This is her last week of being pre-term, 37 weeks is considered full-term!  I had a doctor's appointment today and everything went well, Baby Girl's heart rate was 137.  She once again gave the nurse a hard time and would not sit still for the doppler reading, she's quite active.

Nothing much has changed for me.  Still feeling the same, back ache and getting tired easily are the two biggest issues.  My new complaints are bad skin and bad hair days.  My hair has taken on a mind of its own.  It can't decide if it wants to be straight, curly, or wavy so glued back pony tails with random pieces of straight, curly, and wavy hair is my new look, lovely.

Here's a "too much information" moment, but hey, I'm putting it all out there for you.  The doctor informed me that I am 1 cm dilated.  Apparently it's normal to walk around dilated for weeks before baby comes.  Something I didn't know.  Yes I am aware that it's weird that I shared that with all of you, but I'm pregnant, you knew it was going to happen eventually!
 

How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 18 lbs overall.  No gain since last week.

Maternity clothes?  I think I may need to break down and buy a couple cold weather items…my summer maternity clothes are not cutting it in the 40 degree weather.

Stretch marks? Nope! 

Sleep:  An hour at a time.

Best moment this week:  Hearing Baby Girl’s heart beat at the doctor’s.

Miss Anything?  Hubby.

Movement:  Lots of it!

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular although my favorite meal has been chicken tortellini and broccoli with just butter and salt, I think I’ve had it for lunch and dinner for the past 4 days.  I’m really hoping we get enough trick or treater’s to make a dent in the pile of candy I bought…

 Anything making you queasy or sick: Still all the same culprits but we can now add crab to the list which is odd since it was an early craving.

Belly Button in or out? Neither but it’s really looking like it wants to pop out!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Labor signs?  Nope. 

Looking forward to:  Buying a baby Halloween costume next year!

Nursery!

I love how the nursery has come out! Everything is finished except for the light which has not come in yet and some closet organization but that can be said for every closet in my house. I'm dying to show you all the pictures but I can't just yet since her name is quite prominently displayed above the crib. So, I'll have to keep you in suspense. But here's what I can show you!

We are set to change diapers, play with toys, and read lots of books! I'm so excited!

35 Week Update!

5 weeks left!  This week Baby Girl is the size of, well, a baby!  She actually won't grow much more length wise, she just has some plumping up to do.  But we'll stick to the drill and say she's the size of a coconut at 17 - 19 inches long and 4 - 6 lbs! 

At this point Baby Girl's hearing is fully developed and she probably responds best to high pitched noises, she must love my voice! Her kidneys are also fully developed at this point too.  Most of her physical development is now complete and she gets to just focus on putting on the pounds!

I am doing well this week. Dan has been home so that makes my life easier.  It's amazing the difference it makes to have someone else to carry groceries, pull the clothes out of the bottom of the washer and back of the dryer, unload the dishes on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, and just be there for emotional support!  He leaves again for his last trip before Baby Girl comes so I just need to last 8 more days on my own!

The strangest of my pregnancy symptoms has come today.  I noticed lots of curls as my normally stick straight hair air dried after the shower this morning.  I decided to take advantage, spray a little hair spray and let it finish air drying on its own.  Well the longer layers are all nice curls, actual ringlets, but the top shorter layer is still stick straight.  It's a very odd look.  I'm hoping the curls are around to stay and that the top layer decides to join in!  Maybe this means that Baby Girl has been graced with curly hair??  On that topic, another new symptom over the past two weeks has been heart burn.  The old wive's tale is that this means she's got hair on her head already!  I've bought her lots of headbands and with all the pink things she's been gifted I doubt we'll get too many people mistake her for a boy even if she is bald, but I can't help but hope for some hair at birth for her sake! We'll find out soon enough!

I had a moment of panic this week.  We've done so much preparation for a girl that I started to worry "what if the doctor is wrong and I have a boy?"  We only had one gender ultrasound at 20 weeks and none since.  But they technician was very detailed while pointing out her girl parts that I don't think she made a mistake.  I am still contemplating throwing one gender neutral outfit in the hospital bag just in case!

I haven't checked much off my to-do list this week, mostly because there isn't much left on it.  I did clean out the freezer to make room for easy to prepare foods for after labor.  We got the glider and ottoman in the nursery (a little too big for the space, but comfy enough to make it worth it!) Things we still need to do:

• Install car seat.
• Hang nursery art and name letters.
• Organize the couple baskets of miscellaneous baby stuff on her dresser.
• Organize the diaper changing area.
• One more load of baby laundry.
• Shower thank you notes!  (I really need to get on this one, but it did make me realize that writing our return address over and over again in the corner of the little envelopes is really annoying so I have ordered return address labels to make future efforts easier!  I also ordered some in Baby Girl's name to put on the baby announcements!)
• Sterilize bottles and pacifiers.
• Christmas shopping.
• Install light in the nursery (it's been ordered, patiently waiting for it to come in.)

 I have the first two things on Dan's to-do list for today and I have no plans this weekend so I think I'll be able to finish the rest (aside from the Christmas shopping and the nursery light!  I think I'll be doing a lot of online shopping this year!)

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 18 lbs overall.  1 lb gain since last week.

Maternity clothes?  Dan’s shirts are my favorite thing.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep:  A distant memory.

Best moment this week:  Having Hubby come home again!

Miss Anything?  Real coffee.

Movement:  Lots!

Food cravings:  Mint and chocolate together and milk shakes.

 Anything making you queasy or sick: More of the same; bananas, sweet potatoes, and the trash can.  I feel kind of queasy most of the time now though.

Belly Button in or out? Neither but it’s looking ready to pop! 

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Labor signs?  Nope. 

Looking forward to:  Staying in pj’s or sweats all weekend!

Nursery Progress and Decisions

I've gotten the curtain, the sheets, the crib skirt, and the rug.  Notice the theme??  PINK!  Okay, I may have gone over board on the pink, but hey, every little girl needs pink ruffles and a pink shag rug right?  Sorry for the blurry picture, the lighting isn't so good in there right now.

I have one letter left to decorate and then her name will be hung up over the crib.  The letters are yellow, green, blue, and let's see...PINK.  I am also picking up some pictures I saw at an art festival that will go above her dresser. 

The glider takes 10 - 12 weeks to come in so that isn't expected until Baby Girl is expected!  That will go to the left of the window in the corner.  The only thing left is a light!  We have a horrible floor lamp in there now that doesn't produce nearly enough light.  The attic is not set up for us to install a ceiling light so our options are a wall sconce or a swag and plug in chandelier.  What do you think?

Option 1

 

Option 2

 

 Option 3

Option 4

Option 5