37, 38...Any time now...

38 weeks today!

Most current craving...chocolate almondy ice cream. It's good. Thank you BYU creamery for having your yumminess in the Deseret Book Stores. 

Adventures of the last 2 weeks...

- First trip into Triage: Wednesday of last week, I woke up feeling particularly swollen and felt like it had happened literally over night. That day I spent as much time off my feet as I could, tried to drink plenty of water and eat food, etc. But by the end of the day, I was still feeling unusually swollen and on top of that, had been having intermittent headaches that Tylenol didn't seem to alleviate at all. Called into the doctor on call at the hospital and was told to come in to have my blood pressure checked and verify that baby was doing well. (I was describing symptoms of mild preeclampsia). So into the hospital we went. Danny was extremely calm during the whole thing. I on the other hand was feeling like a nervous wreck inside. I was anxious and worried, and slightly hopeful that if I did have signs of preeclampsia, that they would end up making a call to induce labor...but mostly worried and anxious, flustered--feeling quite like I wasn't exactly ready for this baby to be here yet, but thinking that if he was coming, or they said we needed to induce labor, then I'd have to be ready. It was kind of a roller coaster of emotions.

37 week picture from last week

Everything turned out fine of course. We got in by 8:30PM and were discharged around 10:30PM. Longest 2 hours of my life lol.

I just had the pleasure of sitting completely unclothed in a hospital gown with all the fun, itchy monitors strapped around my tummy. The baby kept moving around and making these load wooshing and thumping noises in the monitor, which was neat to hear. But overall, the tiny triage room was too hot and the bed was super uncomfortable and it made me realize just WHY labor and delivery classes tell you to stay at home as long as you can when you're actually in labor. Hospitals are just not that comfortable of environments! Now, the staff was great, and the wait wasn't obnoxiously long, but still: lesson learned--I don't want to be in triage any longer than I have to be.
I'm definitely glad Danny was super relaxed though. It would have made me really uptight if he had been super worried too. Let's just hope things don't completely swap when we're actually in labor...

- Officially a full centimeter dialated as of last Thursday, and 50% effaced (just a slight increase from 36 weeks). As of today, still about the same, though maybe a little bit more dialated and effaced (just not significant enough to put a number to it).

38 week picture from today--belly shots are fun!
(Plus then you don't have to see the awkward faces
I make when I take pics of myself...)

- This baby has DROPPED! I finally have some relief from the rib kicking and the constant ache through my rib cage! AND, even better--I can eat normal sized meals again instead of just the mini-snacks I've had to have for the last few weeks because I just didn't have room in my tummy for more. Tuesday night and last night, I actually ate ALL of my dinner (I didn't have to shove half my food onto Danny's plate cuz I was too full :P) He's still quite the little mover and seems to get hiccups 3 or 4 times every day (always right before bed as well). Today he had the hiccups while the doctor checked his heart rate. Funniest noise ever!

Like the awkward face in this one....

Overall, I'm feeling pretty darn good for 38 weeks pregnant. The last few days I've been SUPER tired, but that's what naps are for! :D  My doctor asked how I was feeling today and I told him that I'd like to say I felt extremely uncomfortable or something so he'd maybe take pity on my, but realistically, I feel great. I can still walk around quickly if I need to; I have plenty of energy to do the few things I feel I would like to do; I've got more of an appetite; pregnancy is feeling pretty nice.

Of course, I would LOVE it if our baby would arrive this weekend. Labor Day weekend would be extremely cliche` but nice all the same. I'm just going to have to be patient though...no matter how hard it feels some times.

*This weekend both mine and Danny's moms will be out of town...we'll have to see if they jinx things into happening. Muuuuahahahahaha! *

Progress... :D

Today I am 36 weeks. It's THAT much closer! 

At my doctor's appointment today, I had my first pelvic exam, and the doc checked for dilation and effacement. Lovely, let me tell you. 

The good news: 

- I'm 40% effaced and about 1 centimeter dilated

- Baby is head down and no longer causing me lower back pain (I just have the urge to pee every 2 minutes)

- Danny now has a #1 Daddy navy shirt that I made today along with an "Oh Boy!" shirt for me (thanks Ashley and Susan for helping me!) 

- Baby shower was super fun and I now feel pretty much ready for our baby to arrive

- I've started making the baby book using my project life kit (if you haven't heard of project life, you should check it out at beckyhiggins.com) 

- I've made dinner every night this week! Hurray!

- There are now 3 meals that would probably serve 6 (so 2-3 days of dinner for me and Danny) in the freezer and I'll be making at least 1-2 more each week before the baby comes

- The doctor told me today that he's fine with the baby coming anytime from this point on, based on measurements and his heartbeat and everything. 

- We got a carseat/stroller! Hurray! Now we just need to install the base in the car...my goal is that we'll do that this weekend and have it checked at the fire department.

The bad news...

- I was reminded that I don't like scary thunder. At all. Last night, when the thunder crashed down over our house, I was basically jolted rudely awake, only to lie awake on edge for a good hour, occasionally jumping more at the thunder that would rumble and crack. I was so startled I rolled (yes rolled) a good 2 feet on the bed to be closer to Danny. He woke up and then we were both up, but despite the loud thunder and rain, he fell back asleep. I couldn't. It wasn't fun. 

- other than that...there isn't any bad news. :)

Overall, I'm feeling great! I'm a little anxious about labor still, and I certainly don't get the best nights' sleep even on nights where the thunder is absent, but those things are out of my control. I'm grateful to have Danny to take care of me, and help with dinner. He's excited for tonight cuz I'm making fish and that's his favorite. :D

A little doseof the 5 week perspective

35 weeks today!

This baby boy is approximately 18 or more inches long, and weighs upwards of 5-5.5 or so pounds already, and he's just gonna get BIGGER! I decided that today I'm going to just write, instead of listing everything out.

Danny and I are getting more impatient (well, I'M getting more impatient) for this boy to make his official debut. I can hardly wait to be done with the uncomfortable part of pregnancy; the whole feeling like a whale thing and whatnot. My ribs ache and I don't sleep well. I watch the inevitable stretch marks with a helplessness you can't understand until you have them and they just keep appearing...I've gotten to the point that people who haven't seen me for a while ask me how much longer I have and I say 5 weeks and they reply, "Oh, I thought it was less than that." Hahaha! I wish! All in all, yesterday, I was having quite the dose of the pregnancy blues...

But then I get a dose of what I'm going to call the 5 week perspective, and I realize I'm extremely blessed.

I say this because I talked recently with a friend who is due about a month after me and I realize I do NOT wish he would come early. Because he could be too early, and have potential health problems. Or I could have the added trial of having been in the hospital 4-5 times in my 2nd/3rd trimester for preterm labor contractions, 2-3 times in the last 2 days alone. I could be 8-10 weeks away from my due date and be told by doctors that I wasn't going to be able to sustain the pregnancy more than a week or 2. If that. I could be on bedrest instead of moving about and keeping busy to help things go by faster.

Yes. I am very fortunate indeed.

I've been blessed to have been able to go through this entire pregnancy feeling, overall, quite fantastic. I've been able to do a lot this summer, between teaching swimming lessons, decorating the baby room, and general house cleaning.

I haven't had difficulty gaining weight, and I've been able to gain weight healthily. Until a week or so ago, I was feeling pretty itty bitty as far as pregnant tummies go, and by all accounts, I still am a pretty small pregnant gal.

I feel this baby move constantly, and he and I are both doing wonderfully well since last weeks' appointment.

I have a beautiful home to live in, and the luxury of a husband with a job sufficient that I won't have to return to work after the baby is born. I have wonderful family and friends who take care of me, and who help me in so many ways, and will continue to help me after the baby is born.

My life is pretty amazing, and it's extremely selfish of me to think I have such a hard time of it, when it could be so much harder. Yes pregnancy is difficult at times, and labor still scares the heck out of me. But I'm healthy, the baby is healthy, Danny is healthy, and our due date is just getting closer. Time to jump off my own pity-train and find someone else who needs help and support more than I do. Because I can still help others, and do things for them that they can't do for themselves.

The 6 week conundrum...

How far along? 34 weeks today. only 6 more to go. (crossing fingers)

Baby:  Our little guy is roughly the size of a cantaloupe, and he is active, and strong, and a very good kicker.

Stretch marks? Yes yes, and a few more now. Apparently he doesn't have enough room lol.

Weight gain? Depressing. I think I've hit the 33 mark, and I have 6 weeks left...he's only gonna get bigger. On the plus side, I don't feel like a whale quite yet.

Sleep: Not so much fun still. I wake up at least 3 times during the night, usually to pee, but sometimes just to wake up. My comfort level while I'm sleeping is minimal it seems.

Movement: Lots of it! He's one active little bugger. He's made my tummy jiggle with his little wriggles quite often. I like watching him move, I just wish it didn't hurt as much lol. 

Cravings: Chocolate is good, but mostly I'm just content to find something to eat that sounds appetizing. Food doesn't exactly have much room to fit anymore.

Symptoms: Lower back ache--probably sciatica. Today, the doc said he thinks the baby is currently sunny side up, which isn't ideal for delivery and definitely makes my life much more painful in the lower back region. Hoping he moves and twists around before he's due to come cuz I really don't want back labor.
                      

Wedding ring on or off? :( Off. I was getting too scared of it not coming off and now I can't get it back on without feeling like it'll just stay there. I have a fake one, but my ring size is officially a bit bigger. I'll survive, but I miss my wedding ring...

Happy or moody most of the time? I'm feeling a bit more moody right now, but I think it's just the back pain talking.

Looking forward to: Seeing him and officially deciding on a name. We have one, but we wanna see him first to decide it fits. Baby shower is in a week and a half, so I can finally go crazy getting the rest of the baby supplies (aka carseat, clothes, diapers, etc.)          

Things to Stress About: Learning to be a mom. It's tough to be pregnant and take care of friends babies. I can hardly fathom doing it with my own. It's kind of scary that Danny and I will be responsible for caring for a tiny little baby.

How is the Husband Doing? He's very patient and willing to help me when I need help. He's definitely excited to finally have our baby here. I am too--who wouldn't be after this long! I can hardly wait to see him hold the baby! Please someone, hit the fast forward button on our lives so we can get to the end faster!