38 Weeks

38 weeks...and still no Baby! That's OK, he/she is just finishing the growing process - but it's so hard to wait!! As of this week, Baby is 6 1/2-7lbs and is about 19-20inches long (or the length of the leek pictured above). Also as of this week, every single organ system is completely developed (or should be) and is ready to function outside of the uterus...what are you waiting on, Baby?! This is very exciting news!!! Baby also has developed the ability to make a tight grasp by now - can't wait to hold those sweet little hands :) Basically, everything is a go - we're just waiting on my body, Baby, and God to decide it's time!

I had my 37 week appointment last Friday and there was no change in my cervical dilation or effacement, and Baby's head remained nice and low. The only "glitch" was that my BP (blood pressure) was slightly elevated and they wanted me to keep any eye on it; because of this they moved my 38 week appointment up to Tuesday (yesterday) instead of Friday. We were disappointed that nothing had changed since we had such awesome news at our last appointment (and because I'd had a night of approximately 60 contractions that seemed to do absolutely nothing...awesome! NOT). But, only time will tell and Baby will come out when he/she is ready.

Come out!! It's a great BIG world out here; lots of space!

So...you'd think I'd be prepared to hear the same old story at yesterday's appointment. But of course not! I had all of my bags completely packed and zipped shut, the house cleaned, convinced I would be coming home in a few days with Baby...nope! No changes, again :( But, my BP is fine - still slightly elevated but not too concerning; they do still want me to keep an eye on it, but they didn't feel the need to draw lab work or keep me overnight for monitoring. So, praise God for that - as much as I want this Baby, I don't want to be induced or be put on bed rest for my BP! I've also had some more intense Braxton-Hicks contractions, so maybe we're headed in the right direction?!

Needless to say, Tyler and I are getting very restless and anxious for our Baby to get here! I'm ashamed to say that I was pouting and had a mini melt-down yesterday when things didn't go my way...ha! And all this time I'd been praying to carry Baby to term, that he/she would be healthy, etc and here I am trying to rush it out! God knows when is best for Baby to come...I need to just trust Him and His timing :) And enjoy the little stretches and rolls I'm still feeling inside :)

So ready to meet our special little someone!

Please continue to pray for my comfort - it's getting pretty uncomfortable carrying a 7lb baby around that is practically always sitting on my tailbone :( Also pray for our patience as we wait on God's timing for Baby; I want to be enjoying the last few weeks, days, minutes? of our time together as a twosome instead of rushing past it onto the next exciting thing :) Lastly, as always, I just ask that you continue to pray for a healthy Baby (and Mommy!) as we near the end and approach delivery. Thanks so much for all of your love, support and prayers - can't wait to show you all a picture of our sweet little son or daughter when they finally arrive!!

37 Weeks

37 weeks...officially FULL TERM!!! YAY! This week, Baby weighs in around 6-6.5lbs and measures about 19 inches from head to heel (or the length of the lovely Swiss Chard above). Until today, I have never heard of Swiss Chard - maybe I need to get out more :) Anyways, Baby is fully developed now and is simply practicing for life outside Mommy - breathing, swallowing, crying (yep, they have the cry reflex going on already!), sleeping. Sleep cycles are established, however thankfully they are NOT specific to days/nights yet so the fact that Baby is moving around like crazy at 4am doesn't (necessarily) mean he/she's a night owl. Phew! What a relief that is! Still lots of rolling and stretching going on in there - definitely still enjoying watching my belly move around :) BUT anytime he/she wants to come out, we are more than ready :)

Feeling a little cramped in there? Come on out! The world is HUGE out here ... and we're all waiting for you :)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I'm officially 2cm dilated and 80% effaced, plus Baby is in "0" station. What does all of that mean, you ask? Check out the pictures below :) Basically, at my appointment last Friday the midwife checked my cervix and was pleasantly surprised to find just how LOW Baby's head was (oh, so all of that pressure IS valid!). Explained the most recent pain and discomfort I'd been having :) As expected, this got our hopes up that maybe Baby would be here sooner than we were planning; however, no "new" signs of labor and I could be this way for weeks. Boo hoo :( We're still keeping our fingers crossed that Baby gets fed up with his/her tight quarters and decides to come out soon! In any case, even if we HAVE to wait...3 more weeks isn't bad!!

Effacement - the thinning out/stretching upward of the cervix  (allows for proper dilation); Dilation - the opening of the cervix to allow for Baby to come out. Basically, I'm the top right picture (a little less effaced, a little more dilated). Baby's head is resting on the opening of the cervix, just have to wait for the cervix to open fully so Baby can come out. Bottom right picture is what it should look like when it's time to deliver.

Stations - position of Baby's head in the pelvis. Negative numbers - Baby's head is still above pelvic opening and kind of floating around. Zero (0) station - Baby's head is engaged (or locked) in the pelvis and is headed down where it needs to go. Positive numbers - Baby is headed out! So, Baby is at 0 - locked in the pelvis but hasn't started descending down too far yet - don't really want the descent any farther until it's time to deliver, so Baby's in a good spot!

That being said, I'm definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore! Don't get me wrong, I love feeling the Baby move and all, but the discomforts and pains and swelling and constant bathroom trips can cease ANY day now! Because Baby is so low and sitting directly on my cervix (pretty much), it is VERY uncomfortable to walk, sit, or lay in almost any position. Therefore, not sleeping a whole lot anymore and definitely feeling tired and almost ill most of the time...super fun! 3 more weeks, 3 more weeks.... :)

My wonderful friend and co-worker, Jamie, threw me an AWESOME baby shower last Thursday - I can't believe how blessed I am! We now officially have over 700 diapers (easily) and plenty of wipes, along with a completely stocked nursery! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! It was such a good feeling to have the love and support of so many friends here; I am so grateful for all of you :)

That's pretty much all of the updates for this week; please pray for our patience as we wait on God (and Baby's) timing for this birth. We are so excited and so ready but we have to keep waiting! Also please continue to pray for comfort (ha!) as this pregnancy draws to a close...I would like to get some sleep every once in a while ;) Lastly, as birth could happen any day now (today? please?!), please be praying for a safe, complication-free delivery with a healthy Baby and mom at the end of it. We have everything all ready; all we're waiting on is the "go ahead" from Baby and (hopefully) my body will do what it needs to :) Thank you for all of your prayers and excitement for the 3 of us, we will (try to) keep you posted as things progress!

36 Weeks

Yep, we're still melon sized...anyone know what this type of melon is? It's a crenshaw melon - never heard of it before! But, the important thing is that our Baby is about the size of this melon, which is about 6lbs and over 18.5inches long...that's a big baby! Basically at this point in the pregnancy, Baby is shedding the fine hair and protective coating that's been on his/her skin through the pregnncy, and inevitably swallowing it (yummy!), which will be the main components of it's first bowel movement. Bet you're glad you know that - you can now sleep better at night knowing what baby poop (aka meconium) is made of. Moving on! The other main activity: putting on the pounds (literally!) at a rate of about an ounce per day. Which, by the way...WE ONLY HAVE 26 DAYS LEFT!!! Woah! And....by the end of this week, Baby is considered full-term! SO EXCITING!!! We are totally ready if Baby decides to come October 14th or any day after - yay!! Baby continues to be very active but definitely has a favorite position - at least one leg straight out into my side :) Also, Baby is definitely head down; let's just hope he/she stays that way!

As for me, my back pain is definitely getting worse (as can be expected) and my heartburn is a constant daily presence...no fun. Work is definitely starting to take it's toll; let's just hope that I'm able to keep working all the way up to my due date! Also new - I no longer have defined ankles and officially have fatter fingers and plumper lips...the swelling has started! Not to fear, my blood pressure seem to be stable for now and doesn't seem to be causing any concern. I will definitely mention it to the midwife on Friday and make sure everything is OK. As I mentioned last week, my appointment of Friday is a big one - first cervical check and first of the weekly appointments! Definitely a sign we're nearing the end :) Also at this appointment will be my screening for GBS (group beta strep), mentioned in last week's post. Please pray with us that I'm negative and that everything looks good - and maybe even some dilation and effacement (for those of you who don't know what that is - dilation is the opening/expanding of the opening of the cervix, effacement is the thinning out of the opening of the cervix; both of these things need to happen for Baby to be born)!

Not a whole lot to say this week - just maintaining status quo, waiting for Baby to get here! Baby shower is on Thursday (so excited!) and Dr. appointment on Friday - exciting end of the week ahead! Can't wait to fill you all in on how both go :) Have a great week!

35 Weeks

Apparently Baby is still melon-sized, just a different melon this week! I'm now carrying a honeydew melon - which means our dear, sweet Baby is about 5 - 5 1/4 lbs this week, measuring over 18 inches long! I can't believe how big Baby is getting - it's really almost here! At this point, Baby is completely developed and therefore considered to be "term" by some websites. However, according to the March of Dimes and most medical authorities, babies born at 35-36 weeks are considered late pre-term babies and are therefore not considered to be full term until 37 weeks...but we're almost there! The websites say that Baby doesn't have much room to move around so we may not feel him/her moving as much...I don't know what they're talking about! Our baby is SUPER active still - maybe he/she is a tad smaller than they're predicting on these websites and Baby is taking full advantage of whatever room he/she has left :) As long as Baby remains inside, he/she is adding fat to the body and allowing the lungs to continue maturing, making sure Baby is fully prepared to take on the challenges of human life when he/she comes out!

Wow...not much space left! Also, notice where this lady's hands are...on her back...I feel her pain :(

We've really been able to notice Baby moving around by watching my stomach lately; Tyler was so amused with it that he decided to video-tape Baby's movements yesterday. Most of it is pretty boring but we were able to catch some pretty intense leg movements across my belly...it was so fun to push it back and watch Baby kick again! Such an interactive, persistent little Baby :) I've also attached pictures from the nursery - I know you've all been waiting!! This is about as "finished" as it's gonna get until Baby is born and we know how to better decorate. But we have some empty picture frames up, just waiting to be filled with adorable pictures of our sweet little child, and all of the basics are there just waiting to be used! I've also put up pictures of the bassinet that was loaned to us by one of my sweet friends here, Deanna. And, funny enough, it matches our bedroom PERFECTLY! Tyler just finished painting our room grey and yellow, like the rest of the condo...it looks great! Now all it needs is our little Baby to sleep in it :) Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Pictures of the bassinet - very gender-neutral and also matches our bedroom well :)

Picture of the nursery from the doorway

Picture into the nursery from the hallway

Just inside the doorway...looks so cozy! Can't wait to sit in that chair!

Wall #1 - picture frames, shelving, and furniture with our awesome Noah's Ark snow globe on it! Also, the swing - probably won't stay in here, but no use in cluttering up the living room just yet :)

Wall #2 - changing area: changing table/dresser with picture frames and shelving to look at - planning on putting a family picture of the 3 of us in that big frame in the middle, whenever we get one :)

I realize that it looks a little "bare" still - but we're not really able to decorate with all of the cutesy things just yet - promise it will be cuter once we get all of the finishing touches added :)

We have our 36 week appointment next Friday - this will be the first "cervical" check and also the test for GBS (group beta-strep). GBS is common in about 25% of pregnant women, and it's not too terribly dangerous if they know it's present and are able to treat it with antibiotics immediately before delivery. If they aren't able to catch it, it can be very VERY dangerous (even fatal) to healthy newborns. So, in order to avoid any additional stress at delivery, please pray that my test comes back negative and that we don't have to worry about GBS :) Also, please continue to pray for the health of our baby and myself as we get closer and closer to D-day. Lastly, just be praying for our final preparations to become a family of 3 - still not completely sure what this will look like but we're definitely feeling excited and a little apprehensive about it all :) Thank you all so much for your love, support, and prayers through this whole journey - it has been so wonderful to experience it all with you (as much as we can!)!