40 weeks: come out Baby Bear!!!

Happy 40 weeks to me!!  I am excited that I’m  here and ready to meet my kid.  I expected that I would go past my due date, and I’m not uncomfortable, I’m just excited to meet him. How do I get him to come out?! haha.

I’ve been incredibly emotional these past couple of days. I’m excited to meet the baby, I’m tired, I am sick of people asking how I’m feeling and “if I’m still here”…um yes, do you see me?  I just so happy and excited. Ben said to me the other day he couldn’t wait for Bear to arrive because he wanted to hold him and didn’t plan on ever putting him down.  I don’t think he has any idea what he’s in for but I do know he’s going to be an awesome dad and I can’t wait to see that. I cry thinking about it.

Please forgive my outfit. This is what I came out of my closet with today after I tried on about a million other options. Its hot and humid here and the options for outfits are slim at this point.

 

 

· How far along are you? 40 weeks. I have an appointment tomorrow to see if I’ve progressed at all and if we might meet this kid soon.

· Total weight gain: still 33lbs. I didn’t gain any weight at my last appt. and  they say that’s very normal toward the end.

· How big is baby? Somewhere between 7-8lbs still….getting bigger though. Its time he come out and play.

· Maternity Clothes? Yes, but I’m at the point where I can’t even wear a lot of my maternity clothes anymore. The weather has changed and so I’ve got some clothes that work for spring but nothing for summer really except some tank tops and I can’t wear those to work.

·Sleep? Oh I’m sleeping. I want more and more sleep every day. On the weekends I wake up, eat breakfast, go back to sleep, do some stuff, take a nap, do some stuff, and go to bed….doesn’t sound terrible eh?!

·Best moment this week? Putting my ass in a bathing suit and enjoying the water!

·Movement? He’s still moving. I love it in the mornings because Ben will put his hand on my belly and tap and the baby boy pokes him back. I told Ben that he knows that it’s his dad playing with him and that if he could kindly ask him to come out and play I would appreciate it….and I think he would listen!

·Food Cravings? Today I’m not hungry at all. But I did buy a hot air popcorn popper and I’ve been munching on that.

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Cramping. Baby boy is as low as he could possibly get without dropping out of me.

·Belly Button in or out? in.

·What I miss? Being able to get off the sofa without some help from Ben:)

·What I’m looking forward to? Same as last week, meeting this kid!!

·Milestone? I’ve officially met  my due date…so I’d say that’s a milestone.

· Stretch Marks? I’m sure. I’m proud. I can’t wait to meet my boy.

39 weeks:)

I am officially one week away from my due date. I’m so excited to meet this little guy I cannot even explain it.   this has been so long in the making that I honestly am a little shocked that its finally here.  It feels like so long ago that Ben and I were in New Zealand and having sex with the intent to expand our family.  I mean it was a long time ago, it was 2011, but we’re finally at the end, eeerr beginning of this journey we’ve wanted for so long.  

I’m very emotional at this point. the thought of holding my son in my arms brings tears to my eyes. I know that everyday isn’t going to be amazing, and its going to be a transition bringing a child into the home, but I’m so excited to be given the opportunity.

So here is my belly today! I’m giving you a comparison of 37 and 39 weeks and also a shot of my belly next to the door knob so I can try and watch the belly move….although maybe I should have done that a couple of weeks ago.

 

· How far along are you? 39 weeks. Another week down, another week closer to meeting our baby boy!

· Total weight gain: uh 33lbs…I’m packing it on now! these last couple of weeks haven’t been nice to my body.

· How big is baby? Around 7-8lbs. we’ll see how big he is when he arrives! He should be somewhere between 19-21” long. For real people this baby is a baby now! I’m not going to tell you what size fruit/veggie he compares to. It’s a human being!

· Maternity Clothes? Yes, lots of them!! And pj’s the second I walk in the door from work.

·Sleep? I’ve been sleeping like a rock this past week. Amazing. Except when I do wake up needing to go to the bathroom I am so worried I’m going to pee my pants before getting to the toilet because my need to pee isn’t waking me up!!

·Best moment this week? Finishing the hall bathroom renovation!! Its done which means this baby can come at any time now:)

·Movement? Every day is a little different, but he’s still squirming in there.

·Food Cravings? I’ll eat anything. I’ve been trying to eat any and everything spicy to get this labor moving.

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Cramping. And baby boy has definitely dropped at this point. I can feel him lower, he looks lower, and I think my need to pee a million times a night is a direct result of him dropping.

·Belly Button in or out? in. I can’t believe it didn’t pop out!

·What I miss? Walking like a normal person

·What I’m looking forward to? Meeting my Bear!!!!

·Milestone? At this point the kid is ready to come out and is just packing on the pounds, so hopefully we get to meet him soon.

· Stretch Marks? I’m sure.  I’m proud. I can’t wait to meet my boy.

Hello 38 weeks

I’m coming in hot for my last couple of weeks here!!! So excited to meet this little guy.  This past weekend we celebrated mother’s day which was sooo sweet. My husband and I did a lot of stuff around the house but we also took the time to go for a hike

 

And we went out to dinner, he bought me flowers and a hammock…..what more could a girl ask for?!

Now we’re just impatiently waiting for this guy to arrive. Every day I want it to be the day.  When I talk to my sister she repeatedly tells me that I won’t have this baby on time and that he’ll come late. So of course I appreciate that:/ she seems to think that because I want to go as natural as possible with my birth all will go wrong and I’ll end up getting induced and then maybe having a c-section. I for real, really appreciate her vote of confidence.

Anyways, enough about me, I’m not sure if you remember but this is about me and Bear.

 

 

 

· How far along are you? 38 weeks. I won’t be pregnant for more than 3 weeks longer at this point.

· Total weight gain: uh 29lbs total. We’ll see what tomorrow’s appt. brings

 

· How big is baby? About 6.5lbs maybe 7. About the size of a large cabbage. The placenta alone at this point weighs about 1lb.

· Maternity Clothes? Yes, and I’ve been wearing my maternity dresses lately because they’re so much more comfortable than pants.

·Sleep? I’m sleeping. Still exhausted. I can’t wait to go home and lay in bed. But a lot of today’s exhaustion has to do with me meeting friends Monday and Tuesday night. That takes its toll on a pregnant person

·Best moment this week? I don’t know. I think its seeing H get more and more freaked out about the baby coming. Not because that’s good, but because he’s motivated to get everything done.  And he loves seeing the little guy move.

·Movement? Not moving as much as he was previously, but he’s still wiggling around in there.

·Food Cravings? Last week I wasn’t hungry, this week I’m starving!!

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Cramping. I’m feeling it more often and not just at night anymore.  On Saturday I felt it big time contractions so I’m thinking I’ll have the midwife check me tomorrow to see if I’ve made any more progress or if I’m still dilated to 1cm. I’m continuing with the evening primrose oil.

·Belly Button in or out? in. you can’t know how excited this makes me.

·What I miss? Being able to wake up and throw on any random piece of clothing. I swear something can fit me one day and the next its impossible.

·What I’m looking forward to? Meeting my Bear!!!!

·Milestone? Baby is ready to come out!! full term, so make your appearance

· Stretch Marks? So definitely on my butt and hips. My stomach we can’t tell yet. One on my left boob. You’re welcome for the specifics:)

Bonus: Saturday morning selfie!

37 weeks!

Happy Wednesday! My favorite day of the week because it means I’m just that much closer to meeting my little boy.  Ben and I were talking about it last night and he said he’s getting really anxious and excited and just wishes I’d go into labor already! 

I’m so unbelievably excited that we’re this close. I’m trying my best to finish stuff around the house but I’m so tired at the end of the day.  We’re so close though to wrapping up a lot of stuff.

Here is the37 week belly!!

 

· How far along are you? 37 weeks, crazy just crazy.

· Total weight gain: uh 28lbs. I was doing so well and in the past 2 months have really packed it on

· How big is baby? So he’s should be about 6lbs now. although at my u/s last week she said he was about 6.5 lbs but that he was in a bad position when she was measuring him and she could be up to a lb off.

· Maternity Clothes? Yes! I went shopping this past weekend and bought nursing tanks and some nursing pj’s

·Sleep? I’m sleeping. I actually am exhausted. I took a 2 hour nap last night when I got home from work and then still slept a full nights sleep.

·Best moment this week? I saw the baby boy last Friday, which of course was amazing:)

·Movement? He’s starting to slow down. Boy doesn’t have much room left in there to wiggle.

·Food Cravings? I’m not super hungry

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Still some cramping. Totally normal. I did lose part of my mucus plug over the weekend, which hopefully means my cervix is opening up more.  When I was at the doctors last week they checked me and I was 1cm dilated and still really high. I’ve started taking Evening Primrose Oil 2 by mouth in the morning and 2 vaginally at night to soften my cervix.

·Belly Button in or out? in!! I think I might get away without this thing turning inside out!!

·What I miss? Being able to sit for more than 5 minutes without my upper right belly going numb. I think it must be where he’s sitting or kicking but I’m constantly numb under my right boob.

·What I’m looking forward to? Nothing specific.  Oh I am getting a bikini wax on Thursday. Wish me luck. I’m currently a hair monster:)

·Milestone? Baby is basically fully developed at this point. I could have him now and everything would most likely be perfectly fine!! That makes me really happy.

· Stretch Marks? I think I’ll really be able to tell you this after the baby comes. I can’t tell if I have any on my butt/lower back. My belly looks fine, and I think there is 1 on my boob

36 weeks -- It’s the final countdown.

I was singing this in bed this morning and Ben looked at me and just said, oh God please stop. And he walked away.

But really, this baby is coming like soon. Like it could happen any day. Eeekkk!!! Sooo sooo exciting.  I am shopping with a friend this weekend and the next week I’ve got a HH date with a bunch of other friends so I’m hoping all these fun things going on will keep me occupied and the time will fly even quicker.  Ben is working up a storm at work and around the house and yard in anticipation for Bear’s arrival. Working 80 hour weeks and coming home and mulching the flower beds. Poor guy. I’m so thankful for him and all his hard work.

Here is my 36 week picture.  My Midwife said she thinks the baby boy has dropped a bit, but I think I’ve been carrying him kind of low the entire pregnancy. I don’t know, the bumps on my body so it’s hard to say.

 

· How far along are you? 36 weeks today. Eeekk!

· Total weight gain: 24lbs last week. I’m packing em on now!

· How big is baby? About 6lbs and 20” long. But I should get a more accurate measurement on Friday. He was measuring a bit small at last week’s appointment so I’m getting an u/s this Friday.

· Maternity Clothes? Yes, yes I am. And I actually bought a new pair of pants over the weekend and they are amazing!!

·Sleep? Its getting worse again. I’m just so off and on with sleep.

·Best moment this week? Laying in bed the other morning and H reaching over and just rubbing my belly. It’s totally becoming more real to him. It makes my heart so happy. Also putting the bassinet together and in our room and installing the car seat base! Baby boy will be here soon!!!

·Movement? So so much movement.

·Food Cravings? Anything!

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Nothing. Maybe some Braxton hicks contractions but I don’t really know.

·Belly Button in or out? in, shallow, and starting to itch which I’m afraid means stretch marks are possibly on their way

·What I miss? Sleeping and I’m well aware this isn’t going to change anytime soon.

·What I’m looking forward to? Doctors appt. on Friday. I’m getting an u/s to see how big Bear is and so I’m super duper excited for that

·Milestone? We’re in the final countdown people!!

· Stretch Marks? I’m going back and forth on this! I do think there is one on my boob.  I should just take a picture and show you but so sorry no boob pictures for you today:(

 

35 weeks 35 days left until my due date

This week I blew up. My ass is as big as a house.  You can’t really tell in the photo below, but my goodness I’m glad it’s not something up staring at everyday like my face!  All is well here. I am getting more and more uncomfortable but only because my son likes to kick me in the ribs all day long:) like father like son, Ben kicks me while he sleeps…

Here I am. Sorry for the terrible picture I was in a rush this morning and didn’t notice.

 

· How far along are you? 35 weeks 35 days left!

· Total weight gain: 22 lbs

· How big is baby? about the size of a pineapple 19-22” long and 5 lbs

· Maternity Clothes? Yes, this ass wouldn’t fit in non maternity pants!

·Sleep? I slept like a rock last night.

·Best moment this week? Taking pictures with just Ben and I to document this time of our lives

·Movement? Lots and lots of movement. Mostly earlier in the day, by the evening I think Bear is tired.

·Food Cravings? I’ll eat anything you give me.

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Nothing. They’re checking me for dilation tomorrow at the doctor’s office.

·Belly Button in or out? in and shallow still

·What I miss? Being able to do something without people worrying I’m going to hurt myself!

·What I’m looking forward to? Doctors appt tomorrow. Yoga on Friday

·Milestone? 35 days left till my due date!!

· Stretch Marks? I don’t think so

 

 

wowza - 34 weeks!

Friends I am alive!  Work is busier than ever because my co-worker had his knee replaced on Monday so that means I’m running the show.  Which is fine, but I’m tired by the end of the day. Doing the work of two people isn’t fun. Oh and of course training my replacement. I think tonight instead of going to family dinner I’m going to go home and crawl into bed. I have a couple books I’m reading and that sounds better than dealing with all the family today.

I’ve also started skipping workouts.  Not because I don’t want to workout but because my instructor is on vacation and I’m not trying to workout with a substitute instructor. So I slept in on Saturday and enjoyed a long walk with the husband and dogs after work on Monday.

 

 

· How far along are you? 34 weeks. 6 weeks left!

· Total weight gain: 22 lbs

· How big is baby? Huge! Haha oh no, that’s me:) about the size of a pineapple 19-22” long and 4.9lbs

· Maternity Clothes? Yeppers. Rockin them hardcore!

·Sleep? I have been sleeping. My nightly bathroom breaks have increased significantly though.

·Best moment this week? Watching Frozen and eating pizza with a girlfriend!

·Movement? Crazy amounts of movement all day long! I love it!

·Food Cravings? I’m not craving anything, I’m not super hungry, but I love the taste of food. I want food in my mouth all the time. My mouth is watering just thinking about food now

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Still some cramping. Totally normal.

·Belly Button in or out? in and not as scary looking as I described it apparently.

·What I miss? Not getting up to pee a million times a night

·What I’m looking forward to? My doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and a friends baby shower this weekend.

·Milestone? Just getting closer!!

· Stretch Marks? Again, maybe on my boob but I don’t know.  Nothing on the tummy yet (knocks on wood).

33 weeks and less than 50 days (hopefully) until we meet our boy!

I’m officially huge.  You’ll see below.  The belly grows by the minute, I swear!  I’m feeling so good though. It’s werid how the second you get pregnant people ask you a million times a day how you’re feeling.  I feel good, and even if I didn’t I probably wouldn’t complain to you about it. how are YOU feeling? How obnoxious would it be if everytime we saw a person we said, how are you feeling?  Anyways, just a rant.  I had a work event on Saturday and I think every person I saw, none of whom I knew, asked me how I was feeling…..weird right. maybe they just could have said congrats, when are you do? Maybe I should start telling people I’m starting to feel a lot of pressure in the vagina region and its uncomfortable. What would they say back?

Anyways I’m not in a bad mood today, no idea where that rant came from??  Wanna see my belly? I’m going to do a comparison today because I think they’re fun! 

27 weeks –

33 weeks -

 

· How far along are you? 33 weeks. 49 days left to go!!!

· Total weight gain: I don’t really know….14lbs at my last appointment  ß same as last week

· How big is baby? About the size of a honeydew, 19” long and 4.5lbs

· Maternity Clothes? Yes! lots of them…but still some non maternity here and there.

·Sleep? I really like it when my husband falls asleep on the sofa.  I sleep so well in a bed all by myself.  That sounds terrible, but its true.

·Best moment this week? Washing diapers!! I loved it. I can’t wait until the nursery is actually complete

·Movement? Still lots of movement, its not decreasing at all yet. Actually I think I’m feeling more now than I ever have

·Food Cravings? I don’t know how I missed this but I’ve been eating cereal this entire pregnancy and I never eat cereal! Its yummy.

·Food aversions? nada

·Labor Signs? Still some cramping, but nothing painful.

·Belly Button in or out? in but flat.

·What I miss? I’m being able to breathe after eating:)

·What I’m looking forward to? Getting the window treatments up in the nursery! I’m getting there,  just trying to make up my mind on what I really want.

·Milestone? I don’t know!

· Stretch Marks? I don’t think so. I’m still obsessing over the one I think I might have on my boob, but I’m still not convinced its not just a vein.

32 weeks - 8 months!!

Why am I so busy? How the heck am I going to be prepared when this baby arrives. Answer, I won’t be prepared and I don’t really care. Work will deal, and my house is more than ready to have a baby in it even though our construction isn’t finished. Some days though I feel like all hell has hit the fan!

I’m busy so I can’t chat long today, but I wanted to get you a picture. As I sit here the Bear is wiggling around in my belly.  I think I felt hiccups for the first time the other day too. I love feeling him move, and I know I’ll miss it once he’s arrived.

 

 

· How far along are you? 32 weeks

· Total weight gain: I don’t really know….14lbs at my last appointment

· How big is baby? Big! Haha about the size of a cantelope apparently and somewhere between 3.5-3.9lbs.  at my last appointment though they said I was measuring a little small

· Maternity Clothes? Yes! today, all maternity clothes

·Sleep? It was good last night! That’s all I can ask for, a good night every once in a while

·Best moment this week? You can actually see my belly move now when Bear is dancing around. I took a video of it but I have no idea how to post here.

·Movement? Lots of movement, although I think the bigger he gets it will start decreasing.

·Food Cravings? I’m still happy to eat anything:)

·Food aversions? Nothing

·Labor Signs? Nothing new. Some cramping, but again the midwife said that is normal

·Belly Button in or out? I’m legit starting to get worried about my belly button. I would show you a picture but you’d be grossed out by it. its like flat. I’m worried I’ll have an outie before long. Ben saw it last night I think was beyond disgusted.  I say he saw it like he doesn’t see my bare belly daily, I think he just noticed it…

·What I miss? I’m pretty content, I like being pregnant.

·What I’m looking forward to? Nothing specific. The house is getting closer, the nursery is getting closer. We have a toilet again in the hall bathroom.

·Milestone? I don’t know! What are these milestones you people speak of?

· Stretch Marks? I might have a stretch mark on one of my boobs. It’s a new purple line, but you can’t feel it. my boobs are so veiny right now it’s hard to know if it’s just a vein or an actual stretch mark. It doesn’t hurt or itch….so I don’t know.

31 weeks

Hi all another week has passed so quickly.  Its Wednesday again and I feel like I’ve barely blinked since the last time I updated you on baby Bear.  This past week has been hectic, between house stuff and the baby shower I haven’t had a second to sit down and really relax.  This coming weekend seems like it’s going to be fairly quiet though, so I’m happy about that.   

I’m also well on my way to getting my bathroom back to myself! My husband’s shower and toilet are up and running in the hall bathroom and we’re waiting on the granite people to get our countertop hooked up so we can have a working vanity again.  That will be a couple weeks out though. He can at least go to the bathroom in there and wash his hands in the shower or at the kitchen sink…although I would prefer the shower. 

Enough about our renovations, here is my ever growing belly!

 

· How far along are you? 31 weeks

· Total weight gain: I was weighed yesterday at my doctors appt. they said I lost 2 lbs which would mean I’ve only gained 14lbs. I was at a different office though and my guess is the weight difference just had to do with scales.  I certainly wasn’t dieting!

· How big is baby? Baby boy is as big as a head of lettuce. Crazy! 18” long and about 3.2lbs. from here on out baby boy’s length won’t really change but he will double in size.

· Maternity Clothes? Absolutely! Eerr well, the shirt I’m wearing today isn’t a maternity shirt. But it’s certainly the last time I’ll be able to wear it!

·Sleep? It’s spotty:(

·Best moment this week? Baby shower!! Post about that to come soon!

·Movement? So much movement. I’m loving every second of it. when I was at my appt. on Tuesday the baby kept kicking the Doppler every time my midwife went to find his hb.

·Food Cravings? I’ll eat whatever you put in front of me, but nothing specific.

·Food aversions? Nothing

·Labor Signs? Nope. I talked to the midwife about those cramps that I was feeling and she said its normal. They could be Braxton hicks contractors or I could just need to drink a little more water.

·Belly Button in or out? It’s still in! or flat.

·What I miss? Nothing people!

·What I’m looking forward to? Still trying to finish stuff up around the house.

·Milestone? We’re down to single number weeks left.

· Stretch Marks? I did notice stretch marks on my lower back, but I’ve always had some there so I’m not sure if I have new stretch marks or I was just noticing the old ones. They’re not red or anything, so I think they’re the old ones

30 weeks!!

I’m 30 years old and I’m 30 weeks today with Bear!! I cannot believe he’ll be here in 10ish weeks. Where did the time go people. Maybe I should look back at all these posts to see how many times I asked this question, because I’m sure it’s almost weekly.  I’m beyond amazed daily at what my body is doing and how its changing.  I can say that while pregnancy hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine, I’m loving it.  I might not be singing the same tune in a couple of weeks when my body is tired and the stretch marks are finally making an appearance, but today I’m still feeling really blessed.

I was just thinking about this time last year.  We’d had our second failed IUI and were so emotionally exhausted from TTC that we planned a trip to Mexico and skipped town.  What a difference a year makes, we’re spending our money on house renovations and the baby and I don’t think I’d want to be rolling around the beach in a bikini!! 

So here I am at 30 weeks. Are you missing the bare belly posts? I can start that up again if you’re really missing them:)

 

· How far along are you? 30 weeks. People how are there only 10 weeks left until Bear arrives!? It feels like a minute ago that I was praying for the 1^st trimester to be over so that I could tell the world I was pregnant!

· Total weight gain: I don’t know. But I don’t feel like I’m gaining the way I did the past 2 months. We’ll see on Monday what my new weight is.

· How big is baby? Baby boy should be about 3.1 lbs and 17” long. He’s now close to the length he’ll be when he arrives. At this point he’ll start gaining about ½ lb a week.

· Maternity Clothes? Absolutely!

·Sleep? I’ve been sleeping a bit better, but I think that’s because I’ve been keeping so busy working on the house

·Best moment this week? The crib is up!! Here is a picture.  We still need to actually decorate the room, but I figured you’d like to see a quick snap of the room:)

·Movement? I’ve been trying to catch all the movement on video for you, but every time I point the camera in the direction of my belly, Bear stops moving.

·Food Cravings? Nothing really. I’m full as soon as I take a bite of something so that’s hindering my ability to really chow down.

·Food aversions? Nothing

·Labor Signs? Nope, but I think I am experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. It just feels like period cramps.  I’m going to mention it to my midwife on Tuesday when I see her.

·Belly Button in or out? It’s still in!

·What I miss? Nothing people!

·What I’m looking forward to? Finishing up stuff around the house.  We’re getting closer, really! If only Ben wouldn’t have decided to tear the hall bathroom apart….

·Milestone? I don’t know. We’re 10 weeks ish away from meeting the Bear!

· Stretch Marks? My skin looks weird, but I don’t think I have any stretch marks yet.  And by wear I mean stretched out?!

I hope everyone have a good evening. I’m headed to do a guest bartender gig for the local Junior League, which I’m not super excited about. I’d rather be working on the house or sleeping!