Week 37 / 38

Hi Babycakes ~

Our creatures Ruby, Pearl and Booger. They never leave my side these days.

Well, this turned out to be a pretty eventful week. Monday we visited Dr. Bob to have one last good imaging check-up - BTW you weigh ~6lbs 6oz !! Based on the symptoms I shared with her, combined with my high blood pressure, high protein levels in my pee and swollen legs and hands, she sent us off to Labor and Delivery to get monitored for a while. She stayed pretty calm and kept me calm too - but of course once I called your Dad (who was at football practice) I kind of freaked out. But he came and met me pretty quickly and we hung out there for about 4 hours. They showed me that I am having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions - I thought it was just you getting feisty - and we watched your heartbeat for a long time. Eventually we were sent home with directions to see Dr. J right away.

I did the next day after school (Tuesday) and things were still high and I was still swollen. She wanted me to have my bp checked by our school nurse the next day at school (Wednesday) and if it was still high then I had directions to go home and stay home. Well, it was still high all day. So I made plans to stay home Thursday, Friday, and Monday. Then at our next apt that afternoon she gave the final cut off to make me stay at home for the remainder of this journey. Honestly, I had mixed feelings. I was disappointed because I didn't have a very have a smooth transition with my students and on the other hand I was so uncomfortable at school that I was very relived to have permission to chill out a little.

flowers from kara

I have since realized that I now that I have really been able to re-focus on you and me and our experience together - I am much happier and joyful about your impending arrival. Not that I wasn't before - it was just hard to focus on doing a good job at work and at the same time focus on all the critical components of these last few weeks.....but now here we are, chillin out at home together, waiting to meet each other.

You and me watching football. :)

We have had several nice visitors this week: Kara and Micah, Mary and Joe, Pat and Shara, Amanda, Cindy, Lindsey, Sara, Meg, Ang. I am certainly feeling the love. I am having a tough time just lounging around, there always seems like there is a chore to get done.....but I'm trying to relax and enjoy the quiet time.

OH - AND Your room is ready!! Check it out:

Here's a little more about YOU:

By the way - our bag is packed and the car seat is installed!

Get excited. At 37 weeks, your baby has reached full term. That means he’s developed his most crucial functions. Of course, he’ll get even healthier and stronger over the next few weeks, so don’t get too impatient. Around week 37, many moms-to-be find themselves organizing cupboards and scrubbing their floors. That’s the nesting instinct kicking in as your body senses baby will be here shortly. It also might be your brain’s way of making sure you’re prepared for just about anything, so you can feel like you have an extra edge on this whole new parent thing. He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day. 

38 weeks:

Yow! If you feel a sort of lightening bolt running up and down your legs (and in your crotch), don’t freak out. At 38 weeks, baby’s probably sitting pretty low in your pelvis, which means he’s bumping into all kinds of nerves down there -- including some pretty sensitive ones you might not know you had. Be on the lookout for signs of labor, including contractions that come on stronger, at more regular intervals. It could happen any day now -- or it might not be for a few weeks. Until then, try to relax.

Update: Based your measurements two weeks ago - you probably weigh 7+ lbs by now (9/29/13). A whopper!


Love you oodles baby, Momma

Week 36

Hi Baby!

Well, its seems like everything kicked up a notch this week as far being PrEgGo. I have very swollen fingers and ankles and toes, my arms fall asleep at nighttime, there is a strong pressing feeling down low, my belly is getting super tight, and you seem to be growing so much that you are running out of room! You are giving me LOTS of strong kicking and rolling. It is increasingly difficult to move around and teaching all day is getting pretty tough. 

Your Grandma Mary came to this weeks doc visit. It was nice to have someone there with me and I think she was glad to be invited along. She was able to see you on the sonogram and you had your eyes open!! You blinked at us - it was really cool. It seems Dr. J thinks all of the above mentioned symptoms are completely normal and that everything is progressing along fine.

Wednesday was your Dad's 33rd birthday. The Gordon's came over with a whole bunch of Chinese food and we had a feast. It was nice to visit with everyone. I gave your Dad a book of the pictures that he took on his Alaska trip this summer. I think he really liked it ;)

Sunrise at Hillside Friday morning.

On Friday was the Hillside Baby Shower for us. Honestly, I was so tired and grumpy by Friday afternoon  that all I wanted to do was go to bed - but once I walked into the library and saw pretty decorations and yummy snacks and nice people and TONS of presents......I had an attitude change. It was a really nice time, we were totally spoiled and I feel so fortunate to work at such an awesome place. I left with a heart full of love.

On Saturday we spent some time with Micah downtown at the 10 Barrel IPA Brew Fest. Your Dad and Micah had a very good time blind taste testing all sorts of different brews from around the Northwest and making observations about them. Eventually voting for their favorite.....

On another note, I just thought this was cute
and I thought of you when I saw it:

 

Here is a little more about you:

Your due date is just four weeks away. Hasn’t time flown? Your once-poppy seed would probably be able to breathe on his own if he was born right now. (If not, he’d probably need some TLC, but he’d likely be okay.) Most of his systems are in working order at 36 weeks. Since baby really could decide to make his arrival any day now, try to put in a little prep work. For example, if you took a child birth class a few months ago, you might want to reread any materials you were given and practice some of the breathing techniques you learned with your partner. Go over your plan for getting to the hospital, and all the what-ifs (like, if you go into labor while you’re at work, will you go home first or straight there?). You might also want to remind your boss and colleagues of the status of all your work projects, so they know exactly where to take over if you’re suddenly out of the office. Week 36 is also a good time to enjoy a date with your partner. We’re guessing you won’t be up for dancing, but a nice dinner might be just what you two could use. Your baby's the size of a honeydew! She's still in the 17.2- to 18.7-inch and 4.2- to 5.8-pound range and continues to beef up.

Love you Baby, Momz

Week 35

Hey Baby~

The best thing about week 2 of back to school?? It was only four days long because of Labor Day! we spent last weekend up at the cabin with Josh and Sam and Cole and Jackson. We all had a nice time. Your Dad and Josh even got a little golfing in.......check out how handsome they are:

This is us watching the first BSU football game of the season.......they lost miserably, but hey, can't win 'em all!

Here's a little more about me and you...yes I have been getting a little panicky about packing our bags and getting the car seat ready....

Growing, growing, growing. Yup, baby and you. You’ve reached 35 weeks, and your uterus has grown about 1,000 times its original size, a number that might sound exaggerated to everyone else -- but to you it probably feels more like a million. You can expect to gain about a half-pound a week before birth, and baby’s beefing up, too. At 35 weeks, some moms-to-be feel like they have a ton of stuff left to do before baby’s arrival. Others can barely wait for baby to make his debut. Either way, try not to stress. Baby will show up when he’s ready, and he won’t care if you haven’t checked every little detail off your list.

This is from our friend over at the pregnant chicken.....probably wise advice given the experience we had last weekend.......

Okay, throughout this whole pregnancy you’ve probably been thinking about how you’re going to raise your child (at least I hope you have). Well, here’s my advice: if you can, try to keep it to yourself.

The reason I say that is two fold:

One, people will disagree with you and the dumber they are, the more you’ll hear from them. The same people that tell you that they don’t like the baby name you’ve chosen are the same people that will tell you that breastfeeding is ridiculous and that “crying it out”  or co-sleeping is child abuse.

Two, and more importantly, you will change your mind. I remember before I had kids I swore that I would and wouldn’t do certain things – some vocally some not – and not only did I not do what I said I would, I did the exact opposite.

What I failed to account for was the constant grey areas that come with parenthood – rarely are things black and white. Sure I said I would never let my baby sleep with us because it’s a bad habit and I love my sleep. What I didn’t account for was how tired I would be, or how much my baby’s crying would break my heart (like really break my heart), or how good it make me feel to know he was right there, or how much easier it would be to breastfeed.

I told everyone that would listen before I had my baby that “the one thing he’s going to do is sleep in his crib, dammit” and he slept in it once. Once. I had to back pedal and I’m sure people thought, “Oh ho, how did that sleeping in your crib work out for you, dummy?” but were too kind to say anything or I was too tired to hear.

Absolutely, try to figure out how you’re going to do things, but be totally prepared to toss them out the window and go with flow and just say, “We’re going to try X but we’ll play it by ear.”

Love you to pieces baby ~ MOM
 

Week 34

Hey Baby ~

This first week back at school was much harder than I imagined.......overall it was nice to back at school, the kids were great, teaching went fine, people were happy to see each other, but holy cow was I tired. The way I teach does NOT work well with being 8 1/2 months preggo. I will have to slow things waaayyy down next week and really start to learn how to teach from a chair. It will be tough for me mentally, but I want to take good care of you and not wear myself out too much......I get a little cranky when I am too tired.......I guess there will be a lot more of that once you arrive anyway. I had better just start working on it now :)

At least your Dad and I looked goooooood on our first day back  ~ check us out!

 Our doc apt this week was cancelled last minute, but I know you are growing like crazy inside ma belleh! (your should be about 5 lbs now - like a bag of sugar!) And all in all things seem to be fine.......We watch you move around and talk to you all the time. Being pregnant really isn't very fun at this point ~ but I am happy to be the container for keeping you safe and happy. We love you baby.

~ MOMMA