37 Weeks

Once again, I'm posting a few days late so I have more than usual to talk about.  Last weekend I made 2 casseroles plus a lasagna and they're in the freezer waiting for the baby to arrive.  Since that is off of my list, I've been working on knocking out some of the other items.  I ordered a dresser for her room today and I'm excited for it to arrive so that we can get the room in order.  I also ordered some wall decals from Etsy and am waiting for those to arrive as well.  Etsy says it should be shipped by tomorrow... I hope they're right!  Here's a little preview of what it will look like (with a different name, of course).

I think I posted a while back that her room will be pink and teal/turquoise with chevron accents and birds, so this decal fit everything perfectly.  The colors will be slightly different (and I ordered another one to go along with it) but it's pretty close to this.  I'm excited to put them up!

I still have a blanket and a few pillow covers to sew for her as well as another boppy cover but I should be able to finish them within the next week, especially since I get Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving.

I actually made notes of what to blog about this week, so bear with me... this might be a long one :).

For the past month or so, I haven't worn any flowy tops.  They've all pretty much been fitted because my belly is so big that the flowy ones make me look like a circus tent.  Thanks to my hernia surgery last year, I don't have an outie belly button this time, so I'm not quite so self-conscious about wearing the fitted shirts.  I'm hoping I can also avoid some of the turkey comments this Thanksgiving since my belly button isn't popping out ;).

I received my Group B Strep result and it was positive this time, grrr.  That just means I'll have to get an IV antibiotic while I'm in labor, which is a bummer because I want to be up and moving around as much as possible.  I guess I'll just have to deal with an IV pole following me around everywhere.

Baby is sitting very very low now.  Saturday seems to be the magic 'drop day' because I keep waking up on Sunday with her feeling even lower.  People at work have been making comments about how low she's sitting.  While it does help me to breathe a bit easier, it makes walking up stairs harder and it means my wardrobe has been cut in half because my shirts don't go down low enough to cover my entire belly.  It has made things a bit more interesting :).

And now for the normal weekly updates:

Contractions: I've been feeling them multiple times each day but nothing close together or consistent.
Cravings: After thinking about this a bit, I realized the one thing I've been drinking a lot of this pregnancy is tea mixed with lemonade... also known as an Arnold Palmer.  I don't drink them daily but close enough.  I guess that has been my craving :).
Weight:  My total is up to 31 lbs
Swelling:  My feet are puffy all the time and my right hand (moreso than the left) has been swollen.  I've actually contracted what's referred to as "pregnancy induced carpal tunnel" so my right hand/forearm goes numb randomly.  My hand went numb while putting my makeup on the other day and sometimes it's numb when I wake up. 
Things to do: Buy a couple of final items from my registry (Target), pack the hospital bag, pack a small bag for Logan, reinstall the infant car seat, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: Minimal stretching beyond what I have from Logan.

That pretty much covers things for the week.  The baby should be around 7 lbs and 20" long but it can vary from here on.  She's still very active and enjoys sticking her behind out near my ribs, just like Logan did.  The doctor said I will probably be pregnant for a couple more weeks, but we'll see!  Logan seems to really enjoy using my belly as a pillow so I'm sure he'll miss it when it's gone ;). 

I'll end this post with a couple more pictures from the week.  Enjoy and don't forget to enter your guess in my baby pool!  I was going to close it tomorrow (my birthday, yay!) but think I'll wait until I hit 38 weeks on Wednesday.  Just use the link in the upper right area of the blog :).

36 Weeks

I'm sooooooo tiiiiiiired.  Right now it's 9:55pm and I can hardly keep my eyes open.  Working full-time, helping to take care of Logan, and all the other things I do (laundry, grocery shopping, etc.) is starting to wear on me.  I've been having trouble getting comfortable in bed at night too, which has kept me from sleeping very well. 

*I just fell asleep on the couch*

Back to my post... I had my 36 week checkup today and it went well.  My blood pressure was great, I only gained another pound, and he was happy with everything.  Baby is head-down and her heart sounded good.  He had to do the Group B Strep swab, which was anything but pleasant but it's over with now and I'm just waiting for the results.

Contractions: I've been feeling some little ones throughout the week.  Nothing consistent, though.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight:  My total is up to 28 lbs
Swelling:  My feet are still puffy, especially in the evening.
Things to do: Buy furniture and other items from my registry (Target), pre-make meals, pack the hospital bag, pack a small bag for Logan, reinstall the infant car seat, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: The top of my stretch marks (from Logan) are stretching a bit, but nothing other than that.  I'm just trying to figure what to put on the rest of my super dry skin.  It hurts :(.

Baby has been very active, as usual, and now I know that it's really her butt and feet sticking out the side of my belly ;).

*I just fell asleep on the couch again*

This is out of control :).  Anyway, I might only have a couple weeks left before she arrives so I'm feeling more of a sense of urgency.  With that being said, I'll be closing my ExpectNet baby pool on my birthday, November 25th.  If you still want to enter a guess, you'll have until then... so guess!

Well, I've fallen asleep about 5 times (or more) in the 30 minutes I've been trying to write this post.  I think that's a clear sign that I need to go to bed.  Well played, baby.

Doctor appointments are now weekly, so I'll update after my appointment next week.

35 Weeks

Once again, I'm posting a bit late.  The main thing I've noticed this week is that I'm exhausted, almost to the same level as I was in the first trimester.  At night I have been trying to put my feet up to alleviate some of the swelling and if I don't go upstairs by 10:00, I usually fall asleep on the couch.  It makes sense, though... the baby is getting bigger and my body is preparing for a pretty big job :).

To answer a few questions I've been asked this week:  No, I'm not due sooner.  No, it's only 1 baby.  Yes, I'm ready for her to be born ;).  Baby is about 18" long right now and somewhere around 6lbs.  Her main job for the duration of the pregnancy is to put on weight and let her lungs develop a bit more.  She has been having hiccups quite a bit lately so I think she's in the loop on the lung development thing.

Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, I noticed that she had dropped again.  She seems to be settling into my pelvis now, which hopefully means she is head-down.  I told Jason it feels like she's a gopher trying to burrow her way out.  Even though she has dropped, I'm still not able to breathe very well.  This is due to a combination of her feet being in my lungs and me fighting a chest cold.  Hopefully the latter will pass soon, though.  She seems to be more comfortable because she has been moving around even more than usual the past couple days.  I've been seeing/feeling her poking her feet, knees, and butt out in different spots of my belly.  She appears to be taking after her big brother by sticking her behind out on the right side of my belly.  That was one of Logan's favorite things to do.

Here's the weekly summary:

Contractions: I've been feeling some little ones throughout the week.  Nothing consistent, though.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight:  My total is up to 27 lbs - we'll see how that has changed on Thursday
Swelling:  My feet are still puffy, especially in the evening.
Things to do: Buy furniture and other items from my registry (Target), pre-make meals, pack the hospital bag, pack a small bag for Logan, reinstall the infant car seat, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: I haven't noticed too much more stretching, but the itching is another story.  Yowza.

My next appointment is on Thursday and I have to be checked for Group B Strep (wahoo).  I'll leave out the details but those of you who have been through it before will know what that means.

If you read this, please keep us in your prayers.  Even though I'm covered by 2 insurances, the medical bills keep rolling in and it doesn't look like I'm going to be eligible for Short Term Disability through my work until January, so I might be without a paycheck at all for a few weeks, depending on when she makes her appearance.  I know everything will work out but it has added a bit of stress that we could really do without :).

Thanks and don't forget to enter your guess in our birth pool.  Time is running out!