33 Weeks

This week's post is almost a week late (sorry!) but here it is....

I'm 33 weeks (+5 days) and what a week it has been.  Last week Logan was sick (with a fever and a cough) Monday through Wednesday and he was still in a bit of a funk on Thursday.  He felt better Friday but then he kept throwing up on Saturday afternoon (in his carseat, on me, on the couch, etc.).  Thankfully he was back to his normal self on Sunday.  However, when he was sick, all he wanted was to be held by his mommy.  At one point, I carried him over to our coat closet to find a blanket that didn't have puke on it.  I didn't notice one of his toys on the floor and slipped on it with my right foot.  I didn't fall but I did a bit of pregnant "splits" (which wasn't really close to the splits at all) and I felt a strain in the lower part of my belly/pelvis.  I was still holding Logan and was in a LOT of pain.  Ever since then, when I try to get up and walk after sitting for a while, I have to move very slowly and deliberately because of the pain it causes.  When I got to work this morning, I called my doctor to see if he wanted me to come in earlier than Friday (my currently scheduled appointment) and they told me to go to Labor & Delivery at the hospital to get checked out "just in case".  I showed up around noon, dressed down in the hospital gown and they fitted my belly with the fetal heart monitor and some other monitor (I think for contractions?).  After monitoring me for about 30 minutes, the doctor told them to keep me there for observation for 2 hours and if everything was ok to send me home.  Everything turned out to be ok but I quickly learned that those beds are extremely uncomfortable!  I'm glad I get to move around while I'm in active labor, which reminds me that I need to work on my birth plan before my Friday appointment...

Last Friday at work, my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower.  I was SO surprised and had absolutely no idea that they had been planning it for weeks, right under my nose.  I'm even more impressed that my boss was able to do it without me finding out.  I've been worried about buying all the stuff we'll need for the little gal, especially with our medical bills piling up, so this was a huge blessing.  One of the women from work found my registry and printed it out for all the men to do their shopping.  As a result, I got probably 90% of the items I really wanted/needed, which is a huge burden off of my shoulders :).  I still can't believe they pulled it off.  My coworkers are great :).

After the baby shower, I got all of her clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. together and washed everything.  They're now all neatly organized in piles on our couch and I neglected to think of where we're going to put it all.  We haven't yet gotten a dresser for her room so I guess they will stay on the couch until I find a place for them.... oops :).  I do feel a little better now that everything is washed and ready to go, though.  And now I know what to shop for when I get my 10% off coupon from Target.

And now on to the weekly updates:
Contractions: Still having Braxton Hicks contractions that are more "spotty".  They aren't full-on contractions, so I'm not concerned.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight:  My total is up to 20 lbs... I'll find out on Friday what the new number is :P
Swelling:  The swelling has settled down a little bit this week, which is think is mainly due to the weather being cooler.
Things to do: Still need to buy furniture and other items from my registry (Target), pre-make meals, write out my birth plan, pack the hospital bag, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: I've continued using oil twice a day on my belly but the stretching is getting worse.  My stretch marks are stretching more and yesterday I noticed that I have a heat rash (or what looks like one) on my belly, which makes the itching even worse.  Gah... getting closer to being done!

I do need to note that everyone at work has been very supportive and has been looking out for my best interests.  I've started parking in the visitor's section right in front of the building and today my boss asked if I'd like my computer to be moved to an office downstairs so that I don't have to walk up as many stairs.  Sometimes I feel like they're a bit too concerned but I guess it's better this way than for them to completely disregard my safety :).

Anyway, I think this is long enough.  Don't forget to enter the ExpectNet contest with your guesses.  There are only 6-ish weeks left until my due date!

39 Weeks

Less than a week to go until my due date :).  Everyone seems to be really excited and we are too!  The car seat is in my car, the nursery is done, the bags are packed and we're just waiting for Logan to give us the "go ahead" :).

I had a checkup on Tuesday and it went pretty well.  My blood pressure was a bit high again so the doctor told me to take it easy and keep an eye on it.  I've been trying to rest and put my feet up when I can, especially since my feet and ankles have been really swollen.  Also, my right index finger swells up a little bit every once in a while so I'm hoping that's not anything to be concerned about.  I'll ask the doctor when I go back in on Wednesday.  Anyway, she checked my cervix and said I'm 1cm dilated and 50% effaced.  She said that Logan is at -2 station, which means he was still a little high in my pelvis.  It feels like he has dropped a little bit each day, though, so I'm hoping I'll have a different number this week (if I haven't already gone into labor beforehand).  I'm just excited that there has been some progress.  I definitely feel more pressure in my pelvis, so I know something's going on in there :).

Also this week, I lost my mucus plug (eew), but that's not something I wanted to publicly announce on facebook.  Even though it's a normal part of pregnancy, it's not something that you hear about until you're pregnant.  I guess it's just another one of those pleasant things that pregnant women don't talk about... just like the gas, bloating, round ligament pain, all-day sickness, headaches, dry sinuses, changed eyesight, forgetfulness, bloody show, etc.  Sounds fun, right? ;)  It's funny how guys react to different pregnancy-related things.  As soon as a woman becomes pregnant, she starts reading about everything that will happen to her body and the baby as it grows so that she has a pretty good understanding of things including the mucus plug.  However, men pretty much stay oblivious to these things and might pay attention maybe 30% of the time that we complain.  I think it helps that we have menstrual cycles every month of our life starting somewhere in our teens, so we're used to "gross" things happening with our body.  Anyway, I yelled downstairs to tell Jason about the plug on Wednesday morning.  I said "something gross happened" and he said "I don't want to know" and I said "I lost something" and he said "that's gross but good for you", ha.  And that was that.

Anyway, on to less awkward topics.  Some of my new coworkers threw a surprise baby shower for me on Thursday.  It was definitely a surprise!  I had no idea what was going on so when they all yelled "surprise" I felt pretty stupid, ha :).  It was so thoughtful of them.  They ordered food from Chili's along with a Publix cake and ice cream.  They also all chipped in and bought about $200 worth of presents from our registry.  I was very grateful and touched that they did all that after knowing me for just a mere 4 weeks :).

I've been getting small contractions, but they're very irregular and not very intense.  My parents think Logan's going to be a Mother's Day baby, so I guess we'll see :).

I think that's all I have for this week, so here are details from a different weekly newsletter (planningfamily has had the same info for the past couple weeks):

• Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
• Are you counting down the days? Ready or not, at 39 weeks pregnant, there's a baby coming to a birth canal near you.  And these last few days (or last couple of weeks, if your baby's tardy) may speed by or drag out.  You're probably feeling increasingly uncomfortable by now, as you drag around your ever-heavier uterus and its contents, achier and achier in the pelvis as your baby bears down.  Braxton Hicks contractions are likely increasing in strength and frequency, and that's a good thing, since it means your body's gearing up for the big event.  

Sounds fun, huh? :)  My next appointment is on Wednesday and I also have an ultrasound immediately following.  My parents fly in on Thursday and my official due date is Friday :).  It's going to be a pretty eventful week... and hopefully Logan will come soon after my parents get here.