Week 36

It's here. The week by which I should have already packed my bug out bag is upon us and guess what? I only have socks and nipple cream in my bag. Yes, I just shared probably a little too much but at this point in the pregnancy, I really don't care. I figured I've already lost the readers that have "boundaries".

Poor quality picture tonight. We had the camera but B turned it on and noticed it was it was dead. Neither of us wanted to go get the full battery. We're going to make such awesome parents.

This week Baby B is the size of a honeydew. Weight and length haven't made many improvements over the last week but that's ok because I'm running out of room. The baby is starting to make his way "down the shoot" as B likes to phrase it. What he means is the baby is starting to descend further into my pelvis in preparation for delivery.

I went to my OB yesterday for my first weekly appointment and they did my GBS test. I'll get those results back on Friday so I'll update you next week. He asked me all the normal questions but, again, added a new shocking on in just to make sure I was paying attention. He asked if I would like to plan to have my membranes stripped to help speed up the end of my pregnancy. Stripping membranes is when a physician uses a finger to basically separate the water bag from the cervix which releases prostaglandins to help induce labor. This method is definitely not a sure way to start labor but if everything is progressing well, it shouldn't harm a pregnancy either. But either way, I freaked out. I'm totally not ready for this baby to show up any earlier than we have planned.

Then he gave me the fantastic (sarcasm) news that I'm 1 centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. Effacement is when the cervix is thinning out top to bottom. When the cervix is 100% effaced, labor is right around the corner. *Barf*

After all this excitement, we headed downtown and ate at a great burger joint and headed to Ikea for some retail therapy which consisted of a dresser for the baby's room. Have you ever bought a dresser from Ikea? Yeah, it's like doing a 1,000 piece puzzle without the picture. Great fun.

The good: Baby is starting to drop so I can now breathe a little bit easier. I don't feel myself getting out of breath as easy anymore. I'm beginning to feel the nesting urges, which I'm sure makes B ultra happy, so I want to get everything ready for baby's arrival.

The bad: Seeing how the baby has dropped a bit, it now feels like someone takes a taser to my lady bits every hour or so. More often when the baby active. Not fun at all. I'm also having painful contractions. They aren't too bad right now. I'm usually able to make the pain go away so I know it isn't true labor just yet. Keyword, "yet". Oh and I still sleep horribly. Poor B calls his extra blanket on the bed his "survival blanket". I, however, sleep in a t-shirt and sometimes pull the sheet up. The a/c is still on 72 and I'll leave the fan on as long as he doesn't come home with divorce papers. I stand my ground.

That's all the excitement I have for now. I have another appointment next week but I'll try to post before that one. I'm also still trying to talk B into posting a little something but I'm not having any luck. He claims to better things to do like install carseat bases, look up child safety gates and pack bug out bags. Buzz kill.

-W

Week 35 *barf*

Week 35 is upon us and I'm not sure what to think. For some reason I look at this week as being the "baby could come at any time" mark. It isn't too far from the truth. Our hospital policy is that babies born after 36 weeks are just considered low birth weight and, if healthy enough, can stay on postpartum with the moms. Which basically means, next Monday, I'm pretty safe for delivery.

I also went to the OB for my last bi-weekly appointment and the physician said the baby is measuring about a week ahead of schedule and if I were to go into labor right now, I'd be safe and he wouldn't stop me. Of course, that was at the 34 week appointment.

I have another appointment this Tuesday and this will begin my weekly appointments. This week he is going to do a swab for my GBS status. GBS stands for Group Beta Strep and is a bacteria that lives in a woman's vaginal and rectal areas. If passed to the baby during delivery, the baby can become sick and need antibiotics. Fingers crossed for a GBS negative status!!

This week, Baby B is about the size of a coconut. She weighs in now at 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measuring 17.2 to 18.7 inches long. Her hearing is fully developed now and responds best to higher pitched noises. That's a good thing because her eye sight will not be fully developed at birth so she'll at least be able to hear me. She's also beginning to beef up a little more in preparation for her big arrival.

The Good: We installed our car seat bases this week which was pretty exciting. Now no matter what vehicle I waddle to when I go into labor, we'll have a base installed for the baby's first ride home. The OB also told me the weight from the previous week probably wasn't accurate and even though it looks like I've lost weight this week, I'm actually right on track.

We had a baby shower with work friends last week as well which was amazing. After the shower was over, I took B on a tour of our labor and delivery unit and the postpartum unit so he could feel a little more comfortable when we arrive. Of course, he asked tons of questions, which I'm so excited about, and got a grasp of what is to come. At the end, we turned in our preregistration form so when we get there, all we have to do is check in and get an arm band.

I also ordered about 6 more cloth diapers this week and they came in the mail. My favorite is definitely the red, black and white plaid ones. Now the baby has panties for the Dawg games!

The Bad: I'm really beginning to get uncomfortable. My Braxton Hicks contractions have started to become more frequent which makes me feel like I have to sit up straight all the time. I'm also starting to have the "real deal" contractions which aren't all that fun at all. Of course, I'm only having one or two a day so I'm still a long way away from delivery.

And of course, the very possible worst happened. I saw my first stretch mark while getting in the shower one night. Ok, so maybe it isn't the worst that could happen but it still made me sad. B doesn't understand why I'm not just embracing the stretch marks as a small side effect of the much more important human that I'm growing. While I'm incredibly impressed at what my body has been able to endure during the last 8 months, it's also a little sad knowing that I now have "tattoos" that are going to be staring me back in the face every day.

The next day, B sent me this link. Check it out. I'm pretty amazed.

Until next time!

-W

Week 34

Expectations need to, once again, be lowered. I feel so horrible about not posting last week that I'm not worried about making this week's picture all pretty and fancy. I worked today and I work again tomorrow so this is all you're getting. Take it or leave it.... but please don't leave. K? Love you!

 Oh jeez. What a horrible picture. Thanks, B. Week 34 is upon us and I'm really feeling the pressure. Pressure in my bladder, lungs and in life as I try and make sure things are ready for Baby B. This week, that sweet thang is about the size of a butternut squash. A lot of the stuff I've been reading says the baby can be up to 5 pounds by now. That's a little larger than I had expected at this point. The baby can also recognize songs that I sing. The ones that are sang more often may actually grab her attention when she's here. Maybe I should start filtering what I'm singing. I catch myself singing and/or humming You Are My Sunshine a lot.

The Good: We're almost to the end!! YAY! I can't believe we're in week 34. I see the OB this week and then one more bi-weekly appointment and we'll be going weekly.

The Bad: Sleep is a thing of the past. Seriously, I'm not sure when the last time was that I slept through the night. I pee at least twice and it takes forever to actually get out of bed not to mention getting back in bed and settled. I'm also getting really stiff all over. I'm sure it has a lot to do with where the baby is laying which causes certain nerves to be pinched and other areas to swell. Who knows, I just don't like it.

As you can tell from the picture, me and B have been working on another project. I'm kind of getting tired of constantly working on a room in our house. It doesn't feel like things have been settled since we moved in. This time it was pretty simple. All we did was slap a little paint on the walls and bought an actual bedroom suit, thanks to all the Labor Day sales. I must say, it was hard to convince B a king size bed was much needed but it was well worth all the hard work.

Here's where we started.

The way the room looked before wasn't horrible but It just didn't feel warm and cozy. Here's where we are now. *Note: The room still isn't finished*

We definitely need a new bedspread. Matching lamps would be nice. Nightstands that are the height of the new bed would be great as well. Pictures on the walls. We still have a ways to go but we'll get there.

My parents came over on Saturday to watch the UGA game with us. They brought along their amazing and totally cute lab, Charlie. I LOVE HER!

Charlie gets interested in cameras.

And then she invades your personal space.

And on that bombshell... Goodnight!!

-W

Week 32

Oy! Week 32. Things just keep moving right along and leaving me in the dust. But something exciting is on the horizon.... UGA FOOTBALL!!!!! That's right! The Dawgs will kick off their season this Saturday night against Clemson. Football is a religion in our family and this Saturday is our Holy Day. I surprised B with two tickets to one of the games so we will be making the trek to Athens to watch our beloved Dawgs play before our Redcoat product makes his or her big arrival. But let me break it down.. Football= fall= October= BABY TIME! Oy.

Clearly I spent a lot of time on this particular picture. More importantly, what the heck is a jicama? Baby B is weighing up to 3.6 pounds now and is around 16.7 inches long. My belly is getting a little tight these days. I'm sure baby is running out of room.

At this point, the baby is beginning to settle into position for delivery meaning, the baby is (hopefully) rotating to a head down position. As I get a little further along, that position will make me extremely uncomfortable. I also read that my..... nipples..... may be getting a little darker. This is in case the baby is delivered early, he or she will be able to find where to breastfeed. Pretty awesome, right?

The final masterpieces are being put on the baby as well. At this point, we would be able to see the baby's toenails. Baby B's hair is also developing all of its color so it will look more uniform. The baby has also been developing this layer of hair on its body called lanugo. This fine layer of hair on the baby's skin is believed to help with temperature regulation.

Now on to some old business. The baby shower.

I made that banner! So proud!

Banana Cheesecakes for Curious George

Green eggs and ham.... which were all eaten before the picture.

Grandma to be!

Great aunt to be!

Me and J! B's cousin's wife.

We had a great time! The shower was book themed so all the food was based off of a book. The pictures were taken after the fact but I think you get the idea. I have to send a big shout out to my bff K for putting it all together and bff chef R for cooking everything. Seriously, they worked until 2 am the night before getting things together. They're the best friends a preggo lady needs.

Now some new news. The nursery! This week was pretty big for us. We found a crib on Craigslist (do you know how much those things are new?!) and B finished the closet before he headed off to Houston. Last business trip before the baby comes!

The only part left on the closet is the toy chest that will be built in on the bottom right. I'm so proud of B and all the progress he has made on the room. I think this is it for the nursery. Now all we have to do is get the final touches in place for Baby B to come home. Oy.

The good: We've finished the nursery and now have a crib even though the baby will be sleeping in our room for the first few weeks. My plan is to let the baby nap in the crib once a day to help transition him over to his own room.

The bad: I had an appointment this week and to my surprise, I gained a ton of weight in the last two weeks. The doctor also noticed this and said I need to watch my portions, sweets and make sure I'm exercising. Poop. I don't think my portions have been that bad but I've never craved sweets as much as I have in this pregnancy. At least the weather is cooling off a touch so walking in the evenings will be comfortable. I stepped on the scale this morning so I'll keep a closer track of my weight at home.

-W

Week 31

For this week's update, you will need to lower your standards. I'm not sleeping very well these days and I desperately need to take myself and the little one to bed. I will be giving a more detailed update tomorrow along with some pictures from the baby shower Saturday and some pictures of all the cute baby things I've been collecting/buying/begging for.

But for tonight...

Thought I'd change it up a little and put the fruit/vegetable in the carseat so you have something to scale the size to. Not sure if the baby is the size of just the yellow part or the yellow and green combined. At 31 weeks, I would think the yellow part. 

I better get a head start on that bed thing. It now takes me 1238464.5 days to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. 

When will science take a note from the sea horses and let men carry the baby?

Enjoy!

-W

Week 30 (!!)

Esh! Week 30 is upon us and that means only 10 weeks until the baby gets here. Panic, anxiety and excitement are all beginning to set in. I can't believe we are on the down hill slope of this little person making their big entrance. I'm going to miss being pregnant. Things have gone so well up until now and there really isn't anything I can complain about. Like I said last week, I start going to the OB every two weeks now and that appointment is Wednesday. My first shower is also coming up for this weekend. I'm super excited about that as well. I feel like we're so unprepared for the baby but things will really begin to pick up at this point and I'm sure our family and friends will supply us with all the necessities.

The website I refer to for the vegetable comparisons says the baby is the size of a cucumber this week..... Not sure about that one. I couldn't find one big enough to fit the size that the baby should be. For this week, just look at the belly. That's how big baby is.
Our little one's brain is getting all wrinkly now to make room for more brain matter. I hope the baby has  B's smarts. The baby also now has enough strength to grasp our fingers! The thought makes my heart melt. The baby has also developed distinct sleep and wake patterns. Too bad they don't match up to mine.

Now on to the nursery. Friday afternoon I taped up the walls and began painting the base board. I got a little tape happy and B informed me that I didn't need to try and prevent painting the white walls with white paint. Oh well. I wanted to make sure I didn't mess up. I took me a little longer than normal because I was watching Scandal on Hulu and sometimes that show requires your attention.

Saturday night, B went to a baseball game for a buddy's birthday party. Before he left, we started putting down the shoe mold. If you look in the lower left hand corner, you will see a little bit of it. It's pretty basic so I didn't feel the need to focus on it. At the end of the night, I had one wall painted.

At this point, I was a little worried that the color wasn't what I truly wanted. But I walked out of the room, closed the door and returned around an hour later to look at it again. I realized that I actually loved the color and just needed to look at something different for a while.

Sunday I had to work so B finished up the room. How pretty is this?! Today I was able to see the wall color in different types of light and now I'm 100% positive we chose the right color. Now we're on to picking out furniture. B originally wanted to build the crib but I think he may be drifting from that idea a little due to the time and tools it would take. I think he did a great job on the nursery so there's no need to impress me.

The good: We're 10 weeks away from meeting sweet Baby B. I've also had to add another pillow to my sleep regime. Sometimes I feel like I need the added support. B is also getting more interested in this whole baby thing. Let's face it, there isn't much he could have done up until now. But now he has taken on the very important task of packing the hospital bag, or "bug out" bag as he calls it. I find it really sweet that he's getting excited about things too.

The bad: As you probably have already figured out, sleep is becoming more difficult these days. Between peeing and not being able to find a comfortable position, I find myself awake all night. Which brings me to my second problem. Laying on my back. The baby and my uterus now sit on the major vein that runs into my heart and basically cuts off the circulation. Sooooo, when I lay on my back, the blood pulses in my face as if I'm hanging upside down. The second pillow in bed gives me a little support so I can lean back without rolling over to my back. Complicated, I know. B isn't sure what to think about the new intruder in our bed but he's being super supportive anyway.

That's all for this week. Next time I'll have some exciting pictures of our baby shower! I'm also trying to talk B into writing a post of his own. Wish me luck!

-W

The Weekly, An Expo and The Nursery

Week 29 and I haven't blogged in two weeks. So sorry for that. My photographer was in Houston, Texas last week and I pulled not one but two 14 hour shifts at work as well. The only thing on my mind was sleep at the end of the day. Last week I also had my regular doctor appointment and had my glucose challenge along with a blood draw to test for anemia. I'm happy to report all of the lab values are normal and I am progressing along quite nicely. There use to be a time when I would get anxious about my next appointment because hearing the heartbeat was the only way I knew there was a little person growing in there but now the kicks are so frequent, the appointments have lost their luster. The kicks are actually starting to make me uncomfortable. The baby kicks when I'm trying to sleep, while I'm talking to my patients, when I'm driving.... all the time! But with every kick, I fall in love with him/her a little more.

This week baby is the size of an acorn squash. Seriously, what am I supposed to cook with that?! Baby B weighs in between 2.5-3.8 pounds and is measuring 15.2-16.7 inches long. Can you believe he will almost triple in size before delivery?! Look at how big I am! There's no room left to grow!! Baby B is also putting on some weight (like some other people I know in the B house) and because of that, he has a little more energy. That explains why I feel him kick a lot more each week. He's also beginning to run out of space in there and that explains the foot in my rib for a good portion of the day.

I've also been busy making my registries this week. I am only doing two and have both of them completed. That was crazy fun. If you ever want to get a good laugh at B, take him to a baby store and set him loose with a scanner in his hand.

My mom, cousin, aunt, sister-in-law, best friend and I headed to Athens for a free baby expo. It was my first and was a lot of fun. While we were there, one of the booths had a little photo area set up.

That's my cousin and I. Our moms are sisters and we are only about 6 months in age apart from each other so we grew up pretty close. Two years ago she had her first daughter.... 13 weeks early. She never got to enjoy registries, showers, and expos so I've tried to include her in everything that I've been doing in my pregnancy. We're even having a joint shower in September. She's due about 6 weeks after me so our little ones will grow up together as well.

Next order of business, the nursery. I'm so proud of all the progress B has made on the baby's room. Here's where we started Friday.

I should have taken a better before picture because, at this point, we had already ripped up the base board and cleaned up the mess.

Here is where he got to on Saturday afternoon while I was at the expo.

I think he gets more work done when I'm not home. Not sure how to take that.

He worked on it some more Sunday but I forgot to take an update picture but this is where he was Monday night when I got home.

Pretty! The room definitely isn't finished. It needs shoe mold and paint. The bottom half will be all white and the top will be grey. I've already started buying small things to hang on the wall and my aunt is going to make my curtains and bedding. Yay for a nursery!!

Also, here's a close up of the bead board we used.

The good: I passed my test which means so gestational diabetes for me! I haven't started developing any stretch marks... yet. I'm sure they're coming but for now I'm enjoying my skin being nice and clear. I also invested in a belly support band last week. That thing is amazing! Sometimes you feel like you need that extra help holding up your ever growing abdomen.

The bad: Sleep is getting a little more difficult. I feel like I wake up more often now but I don't pee each time which is nice. I can't seem to cool off. Poor B sleeps with the sheet, comforter and an extra blanket on the bed. I feel bad but I feel like I sweat all the time. I know I said my belly band is nice but between that, my compression hose and maternity bra, getting my uniform on for work each morning takes a little more time than usual. But on the flip side, I stay comfortable for the entire 12 hours that I'm on my feet.

That's all you're getting this week. I now start going to the OB every 2 weeks so my next appointment is next Wednesday! How exciting!

See you next week. Don't forget, IT'S SHARK WEEK!!!!

-W