37 weeks... the End is SO CLOSE!

   

 

     The end is in sight and I really can’t believe it.  At 37 weeks, we are technically full-term.  Though it would be nice to keep this baby in a couple weeks longer, I, along with my doctor, feel like she is coming early.  Now I know at this point most pregnant women are ready for their babies to be here, but truthfully, I just like our little princess needs to “bake” a bit longer.  And, as many of you know, my brother in law is getting married on October 5 and my sister is getting married on October 18.  I would like to hold off on this baby making her appearance until after the 5^th but before 18^th, but, since I am not in control, we will just have to wait and see.

     A couple of interesting things did happen this week.  My co-workers held a surprise baby shower for me which was really fun.  They bought a lot of nice things for Baby (girl) Guy and let’s be honest, who doesn’t like shopping for a baby?  

We also had our weekly OB appointment on Friday where the doctor told us that I am 3cm dilated and 80% effaced.  This about 1 cm further than we were at 36 weeks, so at least we are making progress.  But what does this all mean?   Pretty much, Baby Girl can come anytime!  So let’s do a quick 37-week update.

Week 37 Pregnancy Updates

Baby Guy's Size: I guess we will find out how big Baby Guy is when she chooses to make her appearance.  According to The Bump, she should be somewhere between 6.5 to 9 pounds and be about 19 to 21 inches long.  Truthfully, I don’t think we are going to have a big baby, but I feel like she may be on the taller side.

My belly: Have I told you lately I LOVE fall!  What does this have to with my belly?  Well… I can wear scarves to cover up the belly! Haha!  In actuality, the belly has gotten much bigger, but it sure has dropped.  Baby Guy is LOW!

  

My Size: Doctor says weight gain is looking good.  If Baby Guy comes soon, my total weight gain would be right at 20 pounds and I am totally ok with that.

Movement:  Movements have become less punch and kick-like and more like rolls.  What I find most interesting is that we know that Baby Guy is head down and yet I can still feel her feet up in my ribs sometimes.  Its one reason why I feel like our kid may come out on the taller side.

Most exciting thing: Knowing that our princess will be here practically any time.  I know that by this time most pregnant women are over being pregnant, but I really would like her to delay making her appearance for a bit, but she comes when she comes, and we couldn’t be more excited to meet her!

Most annoying thing:  Can you say PRESSURE?!  I mean, seriously!  There is so much pressure so very low.  I know that this is part of it, but sometimes there is so much pressure it’s hard to even walk.

Cravings:  Food just doesn’t sound good.  I eat because I know I have to.  Really, I just get so full that the pressure in my stomach just isn’t fun.

Sickness: I feel really good, which is surprising me as everyone says the last month is the most miserable.  I know I can make it another week but we will definitely have to see what Baby Girl has in mind.

Next appointment: We go on Wednesday to see if any further progress has been made.  If you are a praying person, keep Billy, Baby Girl and I in your thoughts and say an extra little something that she waits to come until AFTER October 5.  J

Quick Little Update

Just a quick little update.  Went to the OB yesterday for our 36 week check up.  According to the doctor, everything looks great.  We did get a bit of a surprise... I am 2cm dilated!  Looks like our princess **could** make an early appearance. 
I am not going to get my hopes up though, as I know lots of women who have dilated to 2cm, even further, and then had to be induced past their due dates.  And in all honesty, I would like our little baby girls to stay safe and sound for another three weeks or so.  However, just to be on the safe side, I think I will make sure that I have our bags packed and ready, just in case. 

This is obviously not my stuff since I haven't packed.
And I am a SERIOUS overpacker, so there will
probably be more than this!

Keep checking in for more updates, especially as we transition to our once-a-week appointments! 

36 Weeks... Almost There!!

    
     Seriously, how did we get to 36 weeks? The time has literally flown by! In 4 weeks (maybe less) our little princess will be here! I just can't believe it! Everyone always asks me if we are ready and the answer is... well... more or less. Are we prepared in terms of having her room done? Eh, not really? She has everything she needs, we just need to buckle down and finish it! Truthfully, I keep hoping those "nesting" instincts everyone always talks about finally kick in. Are we prepared in terms of how having a baby is going to irreversibly change our lives forever.... probably not! Are we ready to finally meet our baby girl?! UNDOUBTEDLY! Every night before bed as Billy is having his nightly "chat" with our princess he ends it by saying "I love you and I can't wait to meet you!"

     The past four weeks have flown by because boy have we been busy. A few weeks ago my cousin and a good friend of the family hosted a baby shower for Billy and I. We received so many wonderful gifts for our little princess that we are still trying to find a place for it all.  Shortly after I celebrated my 27th birthday and Billy and I also had our maternity pictures done.  This past weekend my mother and I along with my sister's two bridesmaids hosted Erika's Bridal shower. Throw in prep work for these events, a cloth diapering class, and purchasing the last few things we need before Baby (girl) Guy arrives and there just hasn't been enough time to think about blogging, let alone do it.

     So.... that's how we got here. 36 weeks... and counting. Truthfully, this last month is the one I have been dreading. Everyone says it’s the most miserable, but I actually feel pretty great! Starting at about 32 weeks our princess decided to move head down and sit on my sciatic nerve which caused for some serious issues walking. At 34 weeks, when it hadn't gotten any better, my OB ordered me to Physical Therapy. I REALLY didn't want to go, but now that I am 2 weeks in to my 3 week session, I am SO VERY GRATEFUL I did.  Like I said, I feel great.  Don’t get me wrong, I have the normal aches and pains, especially when Baby Guy decides to move into my ribcage, but I just expected to be more miserable.  Am I over being pregnant?  OF COURSE!  I am tired of talking about being pregnant and just want to talk about my baby.  I want to meet her, hold her, see who she looks like, and just generally love all over her.  But I know these last few weeks are so very important to her development so I guess Billy and I will just have to suck it up!

     Let’s go ahead and do a quick, 36 week update.  We do go to the doctor tomorrow where they will start checking to see if I am effaced and dilated any, so hopefully I will be able to update again soon.

Week 36 Pregnancy Updates

 

Baby Guy's Size: Still not quite sure how big Baby (girl) Guy is.  I haven’t had a real ultrasound since our 20 week appointment.  If my weight gain is any indication, she is probably NOT going to be a 10 pound baby, but I guess you never know.  I do know that she is head down, which is good, and I have been having some signs that she is getting ready.  I have had multiple people tell me that I look like I have dropped.  YAY!

My belly: Oh… it’s there.  I know that my bump is relatively small in comparison to how far along I am because I have someone tell me at least once a day!  This picture below actually surprised me as I have a weird connection to my bump.  Some days I wake up and think how small my bump looks in comparison to what I expected it to be and then days like yesterday (when this picture was taken), I think… BOY I AM HUGE!  As I mentioned above, though, I can tell its dropped.

My Size: This is an interesting one.  I have never been shy to talk about how much weight I have gained, but between my 32 week and 34 week appointment, I didn’t gain any weight.  Now, my 32 week appointment was in the afternoon and my 34 week appointment was in the morning, so that could have something to do with it, but over the past couple of weeks, I have been really trying to monitor not only what I eat, but how much and how often.  As of today, I still haven’t gained any weight.  I am anxious to see what the Doctor has to say about this.  With four weeks to go, my total weight gain, thus far, has been 17.5 pounds.

 

Movement:  We have reached that place where movement is, sometimes, painful.  We have one very active child on our hands.  On one hand, I love it because I know she is still alive and well, on the other, boy does it hurt sometimes.  Our child also already has a strong attachment to her father.  As soon as she hears his voice, she moves to be closer to it.  Billy has made this into some kind of game, watching my belly go all nuts as he moves around.  I have to remind him, often, that while it looks amazing on the outside, on the inside, it’s no walk in the park.

 

Most exciting thing: Really, watching her nursery come together has been really fun.  As non-pink and purple people, we have had to really be creative in finding the pieces for our nursery.  I thought it would be difficult to find pieces in the black houndstooth and red damask patterns that I picked, however, I must really be on trend as I have been able to find changing pad covers, a rug, and storage bins all to match the room.  I can’t wait to get it finished and post pictures for everyone to see!

Most annoying thing:  Heartburn and acid reflux are a beast but lately, the most annoying thing, is my swollen foot.  That’s right, foot.  For some reason my right foot has decided that it wants to live in a constantly swollen state.  I have no ankle.  If you see it, please tell it to come home as I miss seeing an ankle bone.


Cravings:  Still no serious cravings.  Though I did kill a bag of Halloween Oreos in record time.  I allow myself 4 Oreos a day, but they just don’t seem to last very long.  And of course, I have to have milk.  I use the need for calcium as my excuse. 

Sickness: Still feel good.  I did have some butt pain a few weeks ago, but physical therapy has really done wonders for that!

 

Next appointment: TOMORROW!  Billy and I go to the doctor tomorrow and every week thereafter until she arrives.  Tomorrow they will start checking to see if I have made any progress so I will make sure to update (hopefully!).