Thursday, September 24, 2009

35 Week Fun Facts

How far along? 35 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 42lb.
Stretch marks? None yet. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: Acid reflux. I wake up nightly to it and end up taking a Zantac. You may wonder why I don't just take one to prevent it, but it's because my goal is to take as little as possible so I wait to see if it comes and then relieve it. Sad, but true.
Best moment this week: Almost done with the baby mural! Should be finished by Friday night. Yay!
Movement: All the time. Love it. :)
Food cravings: Patty Melts (with ground turkey, of course).
Gender: Absolutely a BOY!
Labor Signs: Hopefully not for another 2+ weeks!
Belly Button in or out? Partially out and partially in. Weird.
What I miss: Being 100%.
What I am looking forward to: Baby shower on Saturday being hosted by Mel and Kate.
Weekly Wisdom: Be honest with others as well as yourself.
Milestone: I think 35/35 is fairly cool.

35/35

Well, Tuesday marked my 35th week of pregnancy and 35 days left til my due date. I'm truly hoping this lil' guy chooses to either come a wee bit early or at least on his due date. I can't imagine having to go any longer! It's a fact, folks....I'm uncomfortable!

My hands, feet, acid reflux, back...you name it, it hurts. And it's slightly frustrating to have a large to-do list that you can't really tackle. Mike and I are getting through it slowly, so I guess I should be happy about it. We're actually quite close to being done with the house itself (crossing fingers that we're done by Saturday afternoon), and then we'll just have baby stuff to take care of (packing my hospital bag, installing the car seat bases, putting together the stroller, etc).

I don't want to seem too negative. Despite all the aches and pains, I am actually cherishing every minute of this pregnancy. I love feeling Xander moving around in my belly and know that I'm going to miss having him all to myself in just a few short weeks. Every time I feel him, it makes me wonder who he is going to be, what he's going to look like, etc. I pray that he's happy and healthy. He will absolutely be well loved. And all that being said, I actually can't wait to share him with Mike in ways other than his hand on my belly feeling the kicks or hearing my complaints when Xander has choosen to stick a foot under my rib. I can't wait to watch Mike with his son -- I know he's going to be a wonderful father.

Well, 35 weeks...

This week the final touches are being added to your mini-masterpiece and most of his development is going to packing on the pounds. While baby's movements may be becoming less jerky, he may do his final somersault in the womb soon—to put himself into the head-down position for birth. Other fascinating facts:

Your little Karate Kid can't quite pack the punch he used to due to the limited space inside the womb these days. You're likely to feel more wiggles, stretches and rolls than kicks and jabs. The extra layer of fat your baby is adding will create those cute dimples on your baby's elbows and knees. His liver has begun processing his waste products, so you know which organ to thank when he has his first blowout up the back of his onesie.

Baby's nails are growing so long they may curl over the tips of his tiny fingers and toes before he sees a pair of clippers. He'll be in serious need of a mani-pedi once he's born (as will you).

Your baby is now about 5½ pounds and over 18 inches long—about the size of one of those price-club sheet cakes.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Locked & Loaded

My fears have been relieved and the babe is head down! Confirmed by midwife at my appt yesterday. I guess he still has a week or so where he still has room to flip again, but she said by 33 weeks (I'll be 34 on Tues) they usually get comfy and in position. His movements had seemed so erratic and all over the place, I was a bit worried. I briefly thought he'd decided to get his head stuck in my rib, but I guess it's just a foot or his butt. Nice!

Doc appt went well. They provided us with their sample "birth plan" that they would normally follow without any other requests from patient, and I have to tell you...it's 99% of what I want. Limited intervention unless necessary, ability to move around, no IV unless necessary, eating and drinking small amts through active labor, mirror, birthing balls, any position for actual labor (I'm thinking of squatting), babe right on the chest and boob after birth, holding off on clamping the cord until it stops pulsating, etc. I'm a happy girl.

Things are coming together around the house too -- sort of. Lots to do, but everything is "in progress". I did my first load of baby laundry yesterday. I was so nervous of ruining something, but it all turned out. :) Lots more to do though.

I'll update later wity my 33 week info. Just wanted to share the news.

xoxo-
V

Sunday, September 6, 2009

32 week Fun Facts

How far along? 32 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 38lb. This is according to my home scale as of this morning. I believe it more than the doc since I am always there after lunch and when I've already started to swell for the day and they make me get weighed with my clothes on. :)
Stretch marks? None yet. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: I have been going back and forth between sleeping through the night and total insomnia. That being said, I'm tired! I did totally sleep through the night last night though. So nice! :)
Best moment this week: I'm guessing it's going to be the prenatal massage that I am getting today. :) I've had so much fun going through all the baby stuff and organizing though, that there have been a lot of great moments. We got our cloth diapers -- so CUTE! I need to take a pic.
Movement: All the time. Love it. :) Except when it stops me from sleeping or is so strong it hurts.
Food cravings: Fruit.
Gender: Absolutely a BOY!
Labor Signs: Hopefully not for another 5+ weeks!
Belly Button in or out? Out. Or maybe flat with just a portion that's out. No matter how I describe it -- it's just weird. And dark! I need to remember to take a pic of my linea negra before the end of this pregnancy because the linea negra is freaky.
What I miss: Not being tired and sore.
What I am looking forward to: This is not Xander-related, but I'm looking forward to this deal I'm working on right now closing on Wed. because I think that means more time to me and not working nights and weekends. I need that time right now to just relax and organize.
Weekly Wisdom: Sometimes you have to just admit to being exhausted and slow down for a bit in order for things to start feeling better.
Milestone: I don't know. I'm a lot bigger and he's definitely moving a lot, but milestone!?! Hmm...maybe getting more of the work done around the house?

Saturday, September 5, 2009

32 Weeks


I feel like time is flying. Work has been ridiculously crazy, and I am perpetually uncomfortable and have suffered everything from super sore hands (think rheumatoid arthritis) and feet (plantar facitis), acid reflux (horrible!), my first bout of "morning sickness" at 32 weeks, 2 days and a generally inability to breathe deeply because it feels like Xander has taken up residence in my diaphram. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining...it's just been a bit exhausting.

Exhaustion has not been helped at all since we've been working really hard to get everything done prior to Xander's arrival -- his room is almost complete -- we just need to do a "paint by numbers" mural of safari animals and trees next weekend. Don't worry, it's all going to be white on the blue background, so I imagine it's going to be very simple. When it's all said and done, pictures will be taken. :)

We also have been working on the guest room to get that ready generally and for my mom's arrival next month. She should be here by the 1st week in October, and we can't wait. Should be a lot of fun, and we absolutley know how helpful she's going to be keeping me sane after X is with us. We bought a new desk yesterday for the guest room/study and a new closet organizer. We also have had some electrical work done both in the guest room (so the printer can be in the closet and the wires for the flatscreen in the wall) and outside (so that we can hang christmas lights outside this year). Everything looks good.

We also are having a storage shed (6x10) put on the side of the house. That starts this coming week and should take a few days, but I will be thrilled to have all the lawn and gardening items out of my laundry/utility closet. Yay! We figured this would provide more room for stroller, etc in the utility closet. Mike's convinced we need a deep freezer in there too (I'm not convinced), so we'll see. He's trying to convince me a deep freezer is better for frozen breast milk. Um, okay. ;)

Mike starts grad school this week. Wish him luck! It's a 2-3 year program and in the end his masters will be in national security. Also going on with Mike -- he received an OIC billet (Officer in Charge) last week. Unfortunately, he turned it down because the unit is being deployed to the UAE in March. He could have opted out of going to the UAE (since he just got back from Afghanistan) and still taken the OIC position, but he didn't think it would be fair to the guys in his unit. Tough decision. I have to believe that it just wasn't in God's plan right now. We're so busy with work, Xander on the way and his grad school. Maybe next year? Yes, he has to wait til next year's cycle now to try and get another OIC position.

So...yep, lots going on around here, and as I mentioned earlier in the post, EXHAUSTING! But I have a 90 minute prenatal message scheduled for today, so no complaints. :) Xander has been busy too in my belly. So much flipping and turning. Here's what is supposedly going on in week 32:

"Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. About this time your baby will settle into the head-down position in preparation for birth. Other fascinating facts:

Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He'll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks.

Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he'll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.

Your baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now. If she's a baldy, don't worry. You can always buy a Baby Toupee or some adhesive barrettes.

By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik?"

*3D Pregnancy

31 weeks Baby Bump...


I'm so behind in posts that I've decided to just post the 31 week baby bump photo and then cover everything from the last couple of weeks in the 32 week post. :)

So, here's me at 31 weeks exactly. Yes, I look tired. I'd just gotten home from work.

El Paso Baby Shower -- August 15, 2009

I had such a wonderful time in El Paso for my baby shower that I wanted to make sure it had its own post. I enjoyed spending time with the girls and with family, and I can't thank Leslie and Libby enough for hosting the shower for me. It was above and beyond and makes me truly thankful for having such wonderful women in my life.

We received many wonderful gifts for Xander. Lots of clothes, blankets, Swaddlemes, toys, books....more than we could ask for. So to everyone...thank you!

Just a few pics from the festivities:

Me, Libby and Leslie (wonderful friends and hostesses)

Yummy favors!

Me and Momma

Me, Libby, Leslie and Christian