37 weeks...almost 38

I just realized this morning that I never did a 37 week survey and update. Helloooo FULL TERM! It's quite surreal to be at this point already. My mom made the comment last night that 3 weeks seems like far away and I said "not in comparison to the 9 months I've been waiting!"
My doc told me a few weeks ago that she didn't think I'd make it to my due date and now it's seeming more like he's never gonna come out!!! I am getting so anxious to meet him- we all are.

I haven't had internet access since last Friday which is partly the reason for the late update. Our bathroom is being remodeled. Currently we rent our house from my parents and the toilet needed to be replaced...which turned into the floor and cabinet also needing to be replaced. We were planning on staying a night at their place since we only have the one bathroom but it quickly turned into three nights. While it's not much of an incovenience other than the fact that they live 30 minutes outside of the city that we live in, I'm very excited to go home tonight and also glad that baby wasn't born without a home to go to!

I would be quite happy if he decided to make his grand entrance into the world today though. The main reason (and a trivial one really) is that our insurance changes tomorrow and the deductible goes up by $2,000. Our out of pocket expenses would be far less if he chose to be born today rather than tomorrow or thereafter. However, God's plan is way bigger than these expenses and I'm doing my best to be patient and trust his timing.

How far along? 37 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: I was down 8 ounces at my last OB appointment!
Maternity clothes? I'm so sick of trying to get dressed. I am not the type to leave the house in sweats and a t-shirt but the effort it takes to look/feel cute each day at this point is getting to be a bit much.
Stretch marks?another one on my belly button piercing- I feel like the skin is getting so thing there that it's going to tear. Which FREAKS ME OUT!
Sleep: some nights are better than others. I'm trying not to rely on Tylenol PM...but always wake up at 5am without it.
Best moment this week: I'm thinking it will be today when we get to go back home!
Movement: I'm amazed at how much he still moves with how little room he has left. It's starting to get pretty uncomfortable.
Food cravings: hot dogs- which I normally hate.
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: contractions are getting more intense but are still irregular.
Belly Button in or out?barely out.
What I miss: not waddling when I walk.
What I am looking forward to: completing our registry with the discount at Target.
Weekly Wisdom: take the awkward comments in stride and just learn from others' mistakes when talking to other pregnant women.
Milestones: Making it to full term when we thought just a few weeks ago that we'd have an early delivery.

Stay-at-Home Wife

Today is day three since my last day of work and my stay-at-home status began. I didn't stay home today though. I tossed and turned all night and at 5am gave up and got out of bed. I then came to work with Ben. He manages a cafe so it's easy to just hang out with him while he works...the ironic part is the cafe is on the campus where I used to work so I basically came back to work only three days after I left. Only I don't have to sit in an office or do any work...but I do feel sort of weird being back after just having a goodbye party on Friday.

My first day at home on Monday was super productive. I did 4 loads of laundry, scheduled myself for a prenatal massage (I've had a giftcard since December), walked for 20 minutes, and scrubbed down the bathroom. I over did it though and my back was killing me by the end of the day.

Yesterday I was actually able to "sleep in" til 7am and then ran some errands before my massage at 10am. It was so great to get a massage and take time to relax. I went home and showered and took a long nap afterwards. It was a much needed lazy day. Ben and I went grocery shopping when he got home- we hadn't been for weeks. It's so nice to have fresh food in the house again!

The in-laws are coming over tonight and bringing dinner with them! I'll be cleaning the house up this afternoon and hopefully taking a nap to catch up on the sleep I missed last night.

Growth Ultrasound

We had our growth ultrasound last Friday at noon. It was so fun to see our little guy (although he's not looking so little) and we finally got a video! Once Ben gets it off the VHS...yes, VHS, and onto the computer, I'll post it.
The tech was very sweet and explained everything to us. Baby looks great and is measuring at 6lbs. 4oz. which is right on for 36 weeks. His tummy is measuring big- which didn't seem to be a problem. You can see in the profile picture that he has a sweet little fat roll. He's also sucking on his hand.
This other picture is his ear and you can see some hair by it. It was much more clear in the video, but I had no idea that you could see hair on a regular ultrasound. He has lots of it! yay!
It was a great appointment, no worries. I also haven't heard about the strep test so I'm assuming no news, is good news and that we're in the clear. Our next appointment is this Thursday.

36 WEEKS!

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 33 pounds.
Maternity clothes? bought a pair of denim shorts on Tuesday for $30! I can't believe I spent that much but I had ZERO maternity shorts for this summer and will probably still need them postpartum.
Stretch marks?the tiny one on my navel piercing and the old ones on my left hip have expanded.
Sleep: a bit better with tylenol pm, but then I'm too groggy to get up in the morning.
Best moment this week: today is my last day of work and then I'm officially a stay at home mom!!!
Movement: hiccups at least twice a day. Right now he's doing the big slow movements that make my belly "roll"
Food cravings: mostly ice cream.
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: still having contractions daily, close to 2cm dilated as of 6.17
Belly Button in or out?slightly out, but still mostly flat.
What I miss: my figure, and my wardrobe
What I am looking forward to:our ultrasound this afternoon.
Weekly Wisdom:zantac for heartburn prevention. I take one every morning and sometimes again at night.
Milestones: We have a growth u/s this afternoon.

36 week appointment

Technically I'm 35 weeks and 5 days...but close enough.

I had the Group B strep test done today. I'm praying really hard that it's negative. Ben and I found out at our birthing class that the hospital's policy is not to do any routine IV's during labor. I'm thrilled about this and being negative for strep B REALLY means no IV!!! I love that they promote natural hydration during labor. Since we are planning on a natural (med free) birth, I'd like to not have to worry about any needles or tubes at all. Anyone know how long the results take in general? I forgot to ask...

Doc also checked for dilation since I was 1cm 2 weeks ago and have been contracting daily since then. She said I'm between 1cm and 2cm. I asked if this could indicate that I'd go into labor sooner rather than later. I knew her answer would be "it's hard to tell" but she did also say that she's pretty certain I won't make it to my due date. That would be great, since her vacation is the week after my due date! There is no longer any concern with my going into labor now that I've passed the 35 week mark, although going to 37 would be ideal.

I have swelling in all the most lovely and comfortable places (sarcasm,sarcasm). My OB is so sweet and when she noticed she said "aw, you must be so uncomfortable." I adore her! Most docs and nurses I've encountered are so detached and don't show much compassion for the little things.

My belly is measuring small (nice to hear in terms of how I look, hehe), so she wants us to have a growth u/s done this week. Our appointment is on Friday. She's guessing that I'm measuring small from the outside because his head is most likely down and ready at this point, but she'd like to confirm with the u/s. I'm not too concerned, although I did just remember a friend of mine who had an early emergency c/s at 36 weeks because her baby wasn't growing any more. I'm really hoping that's not the case here! Pray for happy and healthy and normal delivery if you please :)

I'm now at home with my feet up waiting for Ben to finish mowing the lawn so he can make dinner. An extravagant meal of Stouffer's mac n' cheese bake...I'll update on Friday with the usual survey and our ultra sound results.

35 weeks along, 35 days to go til our EDD

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 30 pounds.
Maternity clothes? same ol' same ol'
Stretch marks? a new teeny one where my belly button piercing is
Sleep: nada
Best moment this week:clearing out and putting away the gifts in the nursery.
Movement: lots of flips and somersaults. I'm hoping he's still head down!
Food cravings: I've gone from being up for anything to nothing sounding good. I've been nauseated and plagued by heartburn/indigestion
Gender: little guy
Labor Signs:contractions every day for the past two weeks, going on three
Belly Button in or out?slightly out, but still mostly flat
What I miss: balanced hormones
What I am looking forward to:our next appointment on 6/17 to see if I've made any progress and what doc thinks about when this baby is going to arrive.
Weekly Wisdom:careful how much you "nest"...the pain from all that work catches up to you when you're done.
Milestones: closer to being done with the nursery.

nursery progress pt. 2- pics

Nursery Progress

So, last night, despite the contractions I cleaned up the nursery. Meanwhile, Ben swept and mopped the entire house. I felt bossy asking him to do it, but once it was finished we were both happy to have dust free floors!
The nursery was being taken over by gift bags and boxes full of gifts from two showers. I knew that it would be impossible to navigate if we let it stay that way when the third shower came around. It's on June 20th. Three showers seems like a lot, but one was just for co-workers, one was just family (too many people to invite gal friends too) and this one a friend offered to throw for all my girls to come to. We don't really need any more baby stuff, I'm just excited that so many of my girlfriends are coming into town at once!!!
Anyway- we got a new bookshelf that is 7 feet tall (with our 8 ft ceiling!) and a matching end table that are a few shades lighter than the deep espresso crib and changer, but compliment them well. Plus- they were free!
I went through all the gifts and sorted them into piles of clothing, bath stuff/lotions, bottles/binkies, bedding, and diapering. Then I put everything away. The last thing I did was sit and take the tags off of all the 0-3 clothes so that we can get them washed. We already had one set of onsies washed in preparation for an early arriving bebe...but this weekend I'll be taking care of the rest.
I thought with all the activity that I would sleep better. I managed to sleep worse. I didn't have many contractions while I was working so I think they caught up with me that night. I had some really painful ones with cramping every hour or two that woke me up.
I also noticed last night that I think baby has dropped. Ben sees the difference as well, and I got a comment from a friend/co-worker about it this week too. We'll see what doc says at our next appointment in a week.
Anyway, I plan to take pictures when we get home tonight (after a work BBQ) to show off how much better it looks from my previous "after shower" post.
Now if I could stop thinking about the things hiding in the closet...

contractions update

So I called my OB's office on Monday and chatted with a nurse who was going to consult with my doc. I get a call back saying they don't need to see me because the protein test is "good" for two weeks, so my regular appointment on the 17th would be just fine.
It was reassuring and frustrating at the same time.
I asked the nurse if I shouldn't call in between now and my appointment if I have 6 or more contractions in an hour since the doc doesn't want to check me out and she said I still should call and they would evaluate it each time. I don't get it...
Anyway, the past couple of days I've had 5 max in an hour's span. So I haven't called. If I have more, I'll call and request to stay home from work since at and just after work is when they are the most frequent/painful.
Today started of with less than the past two days and they hadn't been as painful. But I probably celebrated too soon because I'm already up to 5 in the past 2 hours. I just want to be able to walk at a normal speed and go up and down the stairs in my office building to get water and go to the bathroom like a normal human being!

In other news, Ben and I packed the official hospital bag last night. We just did clothes and toilettries and a baby outfit. Other stuff like our camera wouldn't be able to hang out in a suitcase in our trunk until the happy day- so we'll have another bag to pack when things get started if we're at home.

I'm pretty hormonal and grumpy today. For no reason really. I snapped at Ben when he dropped me off at work. I immediately felt like a jerk, especially because I walked away angry- which we never do. Good thing I have the most loving and forgiving/understanding husband on the planet.

awkward comments...

I forgot to mention the awkward comments I got at church today.
First one happened when I was walking out of the bathroom and the lady that was passing me on her way in giggled and said "Oh, you need to go in there." Yes, those were her exact words. What the crap does that even mean?
Second, during worship a girl squeezes past me in the isle with a bump about half the size of mine and pats hers and nods at mine and says "We have the same thing!" WOW...we HAVE the same THING? I mean...what is going on with people today? Weirdos.

34 week survey and long update (contractions & dilation)

Lately I've been dealing with "Braxton-Hicks" contractions and they've made life a little more complicated and a lot more uncomfortable. I mentioned them to my OB at our last appointment on Thursday and she decided to do an internal check just for good measure.
I was already dilated to 1cm! I was shocked. She then did a swab to test for a certain type of protein that if present could indicate that I could go into labor within the next two weeks. If positive, they would call me back in that day and give me a shot of a specific steroid that matures baby's lungs in preparation for an early delivery. I waited to hear back ALL day and after I called and left two messages I got a call at 4:45 pm from the nurse that the test was negative- which was a relief.
However- later that night I started having contractions every 9 minutes or so for about an hour. They told us to call in if there was more that 6 in an hour and we got well beyond that. Ben talked to the on call Doc who had us go in to Labor & Delivery. I had a bit of a breakdown, scared that he could be coming too soon. We packed a bag, just in case, and headed there.
By the time we got checked in they were coming around every 15 minutes and then slowed to just one in the half hour they had me on the monitor. I was just glad that I had one while being monitored so there was some sort of affirmation that I was actually experiencing them! Baby looked great, and I had my second internal exam of the day. Was still at 1cm and they sent me home with orders to take it easy.
They seemed to come on more whenever I moved. Not like, I'm going on jogs or even long walks, but simply when I stood up and walked across the room or went to the bathroom. So I stayed at home and on the couch all day on Friday- hoping to keep the contractions at bay. I still had some, but nothing frequent.
I tried doing some simple chores on Saturday but got too tired and my body was aching from the contractions and just from being in the late weeks of pregnancy. We managed to go out to eat with some friends and picked up a changer pad for the changer chest at Target...the one thing we didn't have ready for baby that is essential for his arrival into our home.
This morning I woke up at 4am to go to the bathroom for the hundredth time but couldn't and didn't fall asleep after getting back in bed. I tossed and turned until Ben's alarm went of at 5:45am and I dropped him off at church for worship practice.
When I got back home and was getting ready I started to feel REALLY nauseated and twice I waddled as fast as I could to the bathroom thinking I was about to throw up but then nothing by the time I got there. Very reminiscent of my first trimester...
I wen to church anyway and started to feel better- but at about 11:30am, during the sermon I started having painful contractions that were about every 3 minutes. Ben timed them using contraction master on our ipod and after service I called the OB's office.
While I waited for the on call doc to return my call they started to slow back down. I missed her calls because my phone was still on silent from church (danged pg brain!) and she left a message saying I'd have to go to the hospital to be evaluated since she couldn't reach me. REALLY? Why she just didn't leave a call back number, I'll never know.
I didn't want to go back to L&D and the contractions had slowed back down so I decided to take a much needed nap and slept for about 30 minutes...I had a couple contractions during my nap but was able to fall back asleep. I knew if I went back to the hospital, they'd just hook me up to the monitors again see next to nothing and send me home.
I plan on calling my OB's office tomorrow to see if they can get me in (my next scheduled appointment isn't until the 17th) to check and make sure that this recent bout of contractions hasn't caused me to dilate any more.
I have two weeks of work left and feel like I'm going to end up being totally miserable and useless if this doesn't stop. The nurse at L&D on Thursday said that if by my next exam I'm any more dilated that she would guarantee that I won't carry to my due date. My family is now guessing this will be a June baby instead of July. I'm just praying that he waits 2 more weeks to pass the 36 week mark when it's safer for him to arrive.

How far along?34 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss:30 lbs!
Maternity clothes? I am getting so sick of trying to get dressed every day and having next to nothing that fits!
Stretch marks? some on my hips that I had from my teenage growth spurt have extended a little more, but not much else.
Sleep: pretty much non-existent. I dread going to bed every evening.
Best moment this week: How calming and supportive my husband has been, even when he was scared for both myself and our little boy.
Movement: he has been getting the hiccups at least once a day, sometimes more.
Food cravings: chocolate ice cream...until today. Now I'm nauseated.
Gender: boy. It's weird to answer this question every week...it ain't changin'!
Labor Signs:1 cm dilated, 0% effaced, constant contractions for the past week.
Belly Button in or out? still a little bit of both, out on the top and flat on the bottom.
What I miss: having a bigger wardrobe to choose from.
What I am looking forward to:finding out what the heck is going on with my body and all these contractions.
Weekly Wisdom:Pack your suitcase early and have it in the car- you never know what will happen!
Milestones: being dilated already is both exciting and scary.

Here's my 34 week picture- taken today.