38 Weeks!

Well hello there! My 38 week appointment is tomorrow but I can share details from my 37 weeker- nothing new.  Not surprising.  I'll be sure to keep updating as long as I can :) If I suddenly go missing, it's probably for a good reason!

Friday we took the dogs to the vet for their annual check ups and to make sure they are up to date on all their shots before we bring a baby into the mix.  Everyone got a clean bill of health, even our 13-pounder... Our 7.5-pounder (Doc) got some anxiety meds because he's been having a hard time coping with all the changes that have been happening.  I need to go fill that prescription this week.  Also, fun game- will the baby weigh more or less than Doc?!

Saturday and Sunday we ran errands, spent time with family, and stocked up on necessary items such as 3 bottles of wine from my favorite winery (for celebrating!) and some breastmilk alcohol test strips (for after celebrating...). 

I'm sure this is not surprising, but sitting around waiting to go into labor really sucks.  Not that I'm actually sitting around waiting but it's just plain nerve wracking.  I'm trying to keep myself occupied but, as I knew would happen, I've been so good about getting everything done ahead of time that I'm running out of things to do.  I'm actually starting to browse birth announcements.... it's sad.

Last thing- we took some maternity photos at 35 weeks and our awesome photographer just posted our blog! Check us out- http://www.heatheradamsphotography.com/blog/sarah-and-joey-maternity-session

Date: July 29, 2014

How far along? 38 Weeks, 1 day. She's officially as big as a watermelon.  It is really cool to think that she started out smaller than a poppy seed. It really is a miracle.

How is Mama doing?  Hanging in there!

Movement:  She is SO active.  I thought movement was supposed to slow down as they run out of room/as labor approaches....

Maternity Clothes? I forgot to mention above that I officially started working from home this week and will do so until I have the baby.  So, work clothes are no longer an issue.  I can wear comfortable clothing (and shoes!) which is a HUGE deal at 38+ weeks.

Pregnancy Fitness: I got the dogs out for a walk once last week but that's it.  I realize this makes me sound like I'm sitting on the couch eating bon bons, but the reality is I'm all over the place.  Running errands, running up and down the stairs doing loads of laundry, cleaning, etc.  I might not be doing "workouts" but I'm not totally slacking either.

Symptoms:  Hip pain, sucky sleep, anxiety/nervousness/feeling excited.  She's almost here!

Belly Button:  So so sad looking.  Also, rando, my linea nigra does not line up with my belly button piercing hole.  Does that mean that my piercing was off center?

Nutrition/Cravings?  The one thing I am DEFINITELY ready to be done with is constantly worrying that something I eat is going to harm my baby.  After the peach recall last week and a hotdog scare this week (I realized the hotdogs I had been eating-which hotdogs are kind of a nono as it is- expired a full week before I bought them) I am about ready to give up on food all together.  It is stressful having to consider every single thing I am eating!!! 

Sleep:  I'm actually sleeping pretty well in between the bathroom trips.  I'll wake up from time to time and be stuck awake for a while but I'm able to fall asleep eventually.  I'm trying to stock up on sleep.  I really wish it worked like that.  I'd have a TON in the bank.

Looking Forward To:  I tend to look forward to my appointments because I have this secret hope that they will admit me directly from an appointment and I won't have to worry anymore about "when".

What I miss:  Not worrying about everything I'm eating and whether it's going to hurt my baby.

Doc/Chloe:  AKA my new coworkers.  They are VERY confused about why I am staying home all day and not going to work.  Yesterday was our first day and they were very tired by bedtime.  They are also confused as to why I am suddenly spending time in the dining room (my "office").  There was also an incident with Chloe barking at some balloons and also at a large branch that fell down in the backyard. 

Co-workers in my "office"

38 Week Pic:
Took this yesterday. I look like a whale but I'm all about keeping it real on the internet. 

37 Weeks

I had my 36 week appointment on Friday. I'm back to measuring right on, and my blood pressure is still low.  My total weight gain at this point is about 18 pounds. Although I managed to gain 5 pounds in 2 weeks so I'm thinking I should step up the workout routines and step down the chocolate eating but hey... whatever.  I also was swabbed for Group B Strep which is a fun thing that nobody really tells you about.  The doctor said she doesn't really start doing cervical exams until 37 weeks but she said she would do it if I was curious. Which obviously I was!! Another thing nobody really tells you... those exams hurt :(  But, good news!  As of Friday I'm already 75% effaced and 1cm dilated.  Which really means nothing... as I can stay that way for weeks... but it's exciting nonetheless.   This week's appointment is tomorrow, and they'll be on Wednesdays from now on (or at least until August 13th).  Not sure if I'll have any more progress to report but I've been feeling a little crampy so we will see.

Now that I've talked about all that awkward stuff that doesn't really mean anything unless you are pregnant or have been pregnant, I'll also mention that we had a fabulous baby shower thrown by our co-workers last week.  It was Lion King themed and we even played the candy bar-melted-in-the-diaper game.  It was hilarious watching my older/wiser supervisors smelling melted chocolate in a diaper!! We also got a ton of awesome gifts including many Disney outfits for baby's first Disney trip, a little rocking chair, two beautiful knitted quilts, and some plush Minnies to add to her collection.

My 30th birthday also came and went without much celebration. Except for Joey surprised me with some MAJOR bling to enhance my solitaire diamond.  So that was extremely exciting and unexpected.  The only bad thing about that is I'm not wearing my wedding rings (it finally happened) because my fingers feel a little swollen and I'm worried I wouldn't be able to get them off.  But hopefully this is temporary. (It better be!)

Finally, since every pregnant friend has been talking about this, I too ate the "potentially contaminated" fruit from the nationwide recall.  In my case, it was nectarines and I bought them at Walmart. Listeria is very scary when you are pregnant so I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed both for myself and for all of my pregnant friends (there seem to be more and more of them lately). Hopefully we are so close to D-day that baby girl won't be affected.

Moving along into your regularly scheduled update:

Date: July 22, 2014

How far along? 37 Weeks, 1 day. She's a winter melon.

How is Mama doing?  Same old.  Tired/sore, but we are in the home stretch!

Movement:  Right on cue, a little leg stretched into my rib cage.  Joey felt her move the other day after it had been a while, and he was very surprised at how strong she is now.  She's still head down and she's punching/kicking/butt-ing me all day every day.

Maternity Clothes? As I get bigger, I find I'm "growing out of" some of my clothes.  This is partially because they are a variety of sizes (hand-me-downs), as well as the fact that I'm just getting bigger.  I'm OK with getting bigger though because it means baby is getting nice and plump and ready for her big debut.

Pregnancy Fitness: I plugged in and did one strength workout last week. And... this is embarrassing... I was actually SORE.  The next day I was wondering why my quads were sore and then I realized... mini-squats. Also I find it amusing that every time I lay down on the yoga mat to do the floor exercises, Chloe takes this as a cue to come over and make herself comfortable next to me. Sigh...

Symptoms:   Same stuff. Hip pain. A little heart burn. New this week- a bit of a crampy feeling that could have been caused by the exam orrr means that my body is preparing for labor.  Fine with me either way!

Belly Button: Super stretched.  That little quadrant I mentioned a few weeks back is definitely poking out.

Nutrition/Cravings?  Not exactly cravings but I am the worst impulse buyer and definitely the person that advertisers are targeting with their strategic placement in grocery stores.  Case in point- walking through the store with Joey, he stops to get dog food and suddenly I appear with a little bear shaped tub full of animal crackers, because "it was cute and they looked tasty".

Sleep:  Same deal- pillows, Min Pins, bathroom trips, etc.

Looking Forward To:  I'm officially working from home starting next week.  I'm looking forward to NOT sitting in the car in terrible traffic with a baby on my bladder, wearing clothes/shoes that are comfortable, and happy that I'm able to work right up until it's time!

What I miss:  It's too bad I couldn't throw one last huge birthday bash this year for my 30th.  However we have timed this perfectly because I will be busy planning for my child's birthday every year around this time :) Children's parties tend to be cheaper because they don't involve spending $500 on booze to drink 'around the world', for example.

Doc/Chloe: Are going to the vet this week.  They are going to be thrilled.

37 Week Pic:
Definitely feeling huge now.

Nursery Update

It's not done, but it's pretty close to being done so I'm going to share some pictures since it's been a really long time and the last you saw, I believe I had just painted the walls purple.

Remember, the theme was loosely based on Tangled....

So we're starting in the doorway and then turning counter-clockwise around the room.  Let's start by saying that the swing is not going to live permanently in that location and we will probably add a storage somethingorother to that wallspace.  Additionally, you'll notice there is no crib skirt.  Yet.

 

Turning to the left, you'll see a better picture of the crib and painting above it.  Note that I plan to remove all stuffed animals before placing a baby in this crib. Please don't panic.  The purple bin next to the crib is the disassembled diaper cake from my friend Steph, which has been since moved into the closet since they are size 2s.

Continuing to the left, you'll find the changing table.  Notably missing is the diaper pail, which is set up in our room next to the Pack n Play.  It'll return here next to the mountain of diaper boxes once baby moves into this room permanently.

 

 

Here's a view of the door we walked in, some mirrors, and a really cool castle nightlight:

 

Looking over to the last corner, the glider and artwork.  Our original plan was to put a sun-shaped mirror there, but we couldn't find one we liked.  So instead, some artwork that reads "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine." Close enough, right?

 

The current toybox is actually the pirate treasure chest in the above picture.  Doesn't exactly go with the theme but whatev.

 

Also, I took this picture of the inside of the closet just in case you potential moms-to-be were thinking of registering for clothes.  Just don't do it.  I didn't:

 

So what else is missing from this room besides a baby?  The lantern/mobile/artwork that Joey wanted to make is still on the table.  We need to order the lanterns in various sizes and figure out how to get them to float from the picture into the corner.  I promise it will look cool.

 

Finally, if you are observant, you may have noticed a few things with baby's initials on them here and there.  Feel free to speculate as the grand announcement is (hopefully) only a few weeks away.

 

Soon the dogs will have to deal with the unfortunate reality that this glider is not, in fact, situated for their convenience and comfort.

 

 

 

~SG

36 Weeks

Date: July 15, 2014

How far along? 36 Weeks, 1 day. She's a "large cantaloupe".

How is Mama doing?  Much better this week than I was last week when I filled out this survey! Still tired and sore, but hanging in there just fine.  We're mostly ready.  We still need to install the carseat and I need to drop the thank you notes in the mail.  But the Pack n Play is set up on my side of the bed, the nursery is about finished (pics coming soon I promise!) and I'm watching videos like "how to bathe your infant" in my spare time.  Because of this, my prediction is that little miss will arrive fashionably late.  Let's hope I'm wrong ;)

Movement:  Rockin and rollin.  And sitting. On my bladder.

Maternity Clothes? Wishing I had more options for work that were more summery.  But I'm not buying anything else so I'm just making do with what I have.

Pregnancy Fitness: What is this, 3rd week in a row without any Denise Austin? Well I'll definitely be hitting up the neighborhood pavement this week with the dogs who CLEARLY need to burn off some energy...  Doc and Chloe got into my hospital bag last night because they were bored.  I wonder how many times the L&D nurses have heard "my dog ate my birth plan"??

Symptoms:  The beach ball under my shirt has been getting bigger, which makes it a little more difficult/slow to get around.  Heartburn is there but completely manageable. I'm starting to have some anxiety about the birth.  People who have been pregnant with me are starting to have their babies! I've been doing a TON of reading on anything from labor and delivery to what to do with a newborn.  My nesting is out of control- maybe sometime I'll tell you about my meltdown that led Joey to completely hand-scrub and re-finish the entire kitchen floor over the weekend. And then I went to Target and bought 5 rugs. 

Husband of the freaking year right there. He even wore my purple gloves.
Our kitchen tile looks brand new.  After 3 years, it's finally finished!  I need to snap some pics.

Belly Button: At this point I just feel sorry for it.  I'm still oiling up like crazy and I'm watching my skin stretch and grow and just cringeing.  Baby has a LOT more growing to do!!

Nutrition/Cravings?  I'm off the bandwagon. That doesn't mean I'm not eating fruits and veggies, but I'm also feeling less bad about eating donuts at breakfast time and having a slurpee at 2 in the afternoon and fudge after dinner.  My sweet tooth is a little out of control...

Sleep:  I'm managing!  I'm at the point where I have to put a pillow wedged under my belly to support it while laying on my side.  So it's kind of hard to get situated.  Plus I'm getting up 4 times a night to go to the bathroom.  AND because I am not ashamed, we have those little dog steps up onto our bed, except we had to move them to the other side of the bed to fit the Pack n Play on my side.  One of the dogs was able to figure out the new location of the steps really quickly.  The other, fat, dumb one just stands there next to me, confused, and boofs repeatedly as if asking for a written invitation. 

Looking Forward To:  A few things this week! My last prenatal massage is tonight, our work is throwing us a shower on Thursday, our 36 week appointment is Friday annnd also on Friday....I'm turning......gulp..... 30!!!

What I miss: I know I already said this one, but being able to bend over and pick things up off the floor is something you don't notice until you can't anymore.  I never realized how many times a day I drop things. 

Doc/Chloe:  Like I said, they have been feeling neglected/bored lately and I blame that partially on the weather, because it's been either too hot or too rainy to let them outside for extended periods of time.  But I also blame it on us because we are just preoccupied getting ready for the baby.  I know when they are bored because they get into stuff in the middle of the night.  We had a really long streak of underwear-free eating, but that was broken on Saturday.  Then last night Chloe helped herself to the contents of my hospital/labor bag, including the afore mentioned gigantic bite she took out of my birth plan.  This dog eats paper. I'm not even kidding!!  We're trying to show both of them love, but this new reality is something they are going to have to get used to and so are we.  Luckily the weather is supposed to cool off a bit this week so I plan to take advantage of that and get them outside for some exercise.

Stuck in MinPin jail over the weekend.  Sorry guys, grout remover is poisonus :(

36 Week Pic:

Haven't taken one in the hall bathroom for a while.  Also, it was not even 6am yet. Don't judge the tired eyes.

35 Weeks

Quick update this week because I am tired and busy :(

Date: July 8, 2014

How far along? 35 Weeks, 1 day. She's a coconut.

How is Mama doing?  Tired and sore.  We took maternity pics on Sunday (which the previews look awesomeee but I did a lot of walking around and I didn't realize how sore I was until last night. Miz.)

Movement:  I'm honestly afraid one of her limbs is going to poke through the skin one of these days.

Maternity Clothes? Wearing them. Except for in this week's pic- not a maternity top. I take some sort of sick pride in that.

Pregnancy Fitness: More of a fail, but plenty of walking and being up and about getting ready for baby.

Symptoms:  Tired, moving more slowly, feeling more sore. Small bits of heartburn and hip pain here and there. Other than that, chillin.

Belly Button: I found a freckle in there that I never knew I had!

Nutrition/Cravings?  I feel like I've slipped a bit now that I've seen the scale and I know I have 5 (ish) weeks left... but eating ice cream every day is not going to help me either.

Sleep:  Last night was so terrible. It's just very uncomfortable.  Hoping for a better night tonight.  Remaining positive because I don't have much to complain about.

Looking Forward To:  The weekend. 

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

Doc/Chloe:  Are also being prepared for life with a baby because every time I wake up, they do too. Chloe was quite unhappy with me this morning.

35 Week Pic:

Smuggling a beach ball.

 

Also, btw, the Dr. says she doesn't think the baby has dropped yet. So I guess she has just gotten bigger.  Dr. also said she's somewhere around 5 pounds and she guessed we're looking at a 7-7.5 pound-er. Let's hope she's right.  Say it with me now, "Doc sized. Not Chloe sized."

 

More later on our maternity shoot, packing the hospital bag(s), and finishing up the nursery! (Or at least as finished as it's going to get for now!)

 

~SG

VA Baby Shower

Hellooo! As promised, here is a quick write-up about my baby shower thrown last weekend by my MIL with assistance from my BFF Amanda.  I wish I had a picture of the invitation- it was so cute. The shower was Alphabet themed and they did an amazing job!!

 

Welcome sign on the door

 

G is for Gifts

 

Alphabet signs for everything!

The food was awesome.  There was way too much... Clearly I had 2 plates.

 

 

We played games (that's my Mom's hand holding that wine glass!)

 

We were entertained by a special fairy bow princess, Gigi ;)

 

There were gifts.  So many gifts.  So many overwhelmingly awesome gifts.  Between both showers, we have everything we need for our little girl!!

 

 

Of course there was cake- the cutest and most delicious cake EVERRR.

 

And there were friends....

 

Some of the girls!

And family!

 

Me and the Grandmothers ;)

A Love did an AWESOME job with the theme, decorations, and getting us that delissh cake.  She also got us the super stalker mom baby monitor that I reeallly wanted.  AND she got us baby sunglasses. For the win.

Bonus Pin Pic. It's been a while.

We are so blessed to have such generous family and friends. This little girl is so loved and we're counting down the days until we get to meet her.

 

<3

34 Weeks

I was prepared to be exhausted after my VA baby shower, but I didn't realize it would take me a couple of days to bounce back! I'm still recovering.  I had a GREAT shower, and I will absolutely do a separate write up about it.  I thought we were well prepared after the PA shower... now I KNOW we are well prepared!!!

In other news, I'm 99% sure the baby has dropped.  This happened overnight from Sunday to Monday. I'm slightly freaked out, but I have read that in first timers, it's common for the baby to drop as early as 32 weeks.  I'm going to ask at my appointment on Thursday!

This past weekend was also our childbirth preparation class at the hospital.  I feel confident because I knew most of what we were learning about, but appreciated going into more depth.  We learned about all the different scenarios for birth and the risks/benefits for all the different types of pain management.  We worked on relaxation techniques and I got a lot of free massages at Joey's expense ;)  We did another hospital tour and overall I feel less worried and more prepared.

I still need to formulate and write out our "birth plan", but our birth plan is basically this: show up, see how it goes, remain flexible, manage pain, have a baby.   I've learned that it's important to be flexible because you don't know how it's going to go.  I also know I'm naive and I'm sure I'll have all kinds of wisdom to share afterwards!

Date: July 1, 2014 (She will be here next month! Or this month..... AHHH!)

How far along? 34 Weeks, 1 day. She's a cantaloupe.

How is Mama doing?  Feeling tired! Otherwise still doing great with 6 weeks to go.  Or less. Or more.

Movement:  The dance party has not stopped, it has only gotten more violent :(

Maternity Clothes? Still rockin' em.

Pregnancy Fitness: Last week was a fail, but I was on my feet quite a bit doing housework getting ready for my Mom to visit, etc.  I didn't do any specific workouts though.  I'm nervous about going for walks in the heat/humidity when there is an air quality warning.

Symptoms:  Giant beachball under my shirt.  Some heartburn, some exhaustion, some emotional-ness (which could be caused by the exhaustion).  Continuing to feel very lucky.

Belly Button: Still there. Still stretched.  Still oiling a ton! Also have started to put lanolin on my nips to get them ready for the beating they are about to take :(

Nutrition/Cravings?  I've done OK with nutrition and haven't had any weird cravings to date.  I love eating breakfast and dessert food but is that really new? No.  Still drinking a ton of water to try to avoid swelling. I've been successful so far.  Still wearing my wedding rings at 34 weeks! I'm impressed with myself.  We'll see what next week brings, though.

Sleep:  Ugh. Lots of flopping (gently) from side to side, pillow in the legs, Min Pins everywhere.  I've been getting up earlier for work, but I don't mind because I'm usually awake from the hip pain anyway.

Looking Forward To:  Maternity photos this coming weekend.  We've waited a bit long to take them but it's how scheduling shook out. Plus, my belly took forever to look pregnant. I need to figure out outfits and all that jazz.

What I miss: Being able to bend over and pick things up off the floor.

Doc/Chloe:  Doc was totally traumatized by all the presents.  He was upset because he wasn't allowed to play with anything and it gave him anxiety. Chloe, on the other hand, was totally unaffected and after giving everything a good sniff, had some kibble and called it a night.

34 Week Pic: