38 weeks and counting....

So I am now 38 weeks along. Only a couple more to go and our whole lives will change. Our little family of 2 will become 3. We will no longer be able to just up and leave for the weekend, or just stay out all night. We will need sitters in order to see our friends, we will always need to put someone ahead of ourselves.

I don't think this will be a problem for us. Kevin and I have so much love for him already that we're ready to do all of those things. We're ready to miss the gatherings with our friends because Nate is sick. We're ready to do without for ourselves (truly, I don't need to purchase any more bedding and Kev could do without another car part) in order for Nate to have everything he needs (and money saving for College). And to be honest, we will give him lots of things he wants too. Whether he needs it or not. He will be spoiled. Hopefully just not spoiled rotten. He will be spoiled with love and affection from so many people involved in our lives. Kevin's parents, my parents, our grandparents, our siblings, our family, our friends and relatives of friends as well. This child will have so much love pouring at him he won't know what to do with it all. I'm perfectly OK with that. I just hope one day he'll recognize all of that love and be able to give it away just as easily and without restraint.

Anywho.... here's my bump pic for the week. Certainly unglamorous but I forget about taking my picture a lot!

He's still a Watermelon and shouldn't become any larger "fruit" wise.

I have my last week of work next week before taking my Maternity Leave until the end of April. I can't believe we're getting down to the wire!

All of my "checklist" is done and I feel very ready for him. Now it's just a waiting game.....

35/35!

On TheBump, everyone gets so excited to get to 35/35. That is 35 weeks pregnant and only 35 days to go. It's a big milestone apparently! Well I have to say I am excited to get here. I'm excited that he could be here soon because I just can't wait to hold him.


No bump pic this week. I look the same as last since I just took the pic a couple of days ago.

Today I have a doctor's appointment. We're getting another ultrasound which makes me REALLY happy. Kev and I just can't wait to see him again.

On Sunday, my mom hosted another baby shower for me. It was a nice little quiet time with my family. We got a lot more clothes and onesies for him as well as a Travel Swing! He's pretty much all set!

This past week we've:

Set up the Den to become the playroom (see previous blog post)
Purchased a few more crib mattress pads, sheet savers, and waterproof mats.
Frozen 2 more meals.
Washed some bottles and toys.
Received a HUGE bin of toys and other baby stuff from G. Thanks!!!!!


I think that's about it but we're definitely almost done. I just need to return a few things and purchase a single stroller (which I won't need until about September anyways) and that's about it.

Now it's just a waiting game....

34 Weeks!

 **I wrote this post on Thursday 2/10 but was waiting on my picture to post it!**

Yesterday I turned 34 weeks and it really hit home that we will be having him shortly. I feel huge, he's definitely dropped, and my stomach is hideous due to stretch marks :(
He's running out of room in there that's for sure. When he moves at all I can feel it. When I bend over, I am squishing him and I feel him move his hand and what not. I read that it would be normal for me to not feel him as  much since he's running out of space to move around but not this little guy, he is CONSTANTLY moving!! Luckily he's still quiet while I sleep. Must be all the jolting around all day chasing M and J, and tap dancing ;)

This past week, we got quite a bit done. I'm sure you're wondering, "What on Earth does she have left to do??" but there were/are a few things. We:

*Took our hospital tour.
*Took a Newborn Care Class
* Hung the rest of the pictures in the nursery.
*Rearranged some things in there and set up the fan, CD player, and monitors.
*Started filling out his baby book ~ This is funny because I remembered that a long time ago (wayyyyy before getting our BFP) I had purchased a Classic Pooh baby book from The Christmas Tree Shop for $3.99. Well I found it and it's perfect to use for Nate!
*Got his bedding and changing pad cover back on and covered with aluminum foil so the cats don't want to be anywhere near it. It's working too!
*Washed his bumper pad and put it away.
* Made and froze 3 meals.
*Pre-registered at the Hospital

It seems all I have left to do really is to get any items we didn't receive or purchase yet. I'm waiting until my 2nd shower on Sunday before doing that. The only things we **need** are another changing pad cover and some sheet savers. Other than that, we're pretty set. We certainly have all of the absolutely necessary stuff but we have lots of other helpful things too!

It says that at 34 weeks, the baby recognizes songs he hears over and over again and will enjoy hearing these songs once he's out of the womb. My question is, do I really play these songs more for him once he comes out? I am a dance teacher and listen to the same 13 songs each week at least 3 times each. Does he really want to hear "The Mummy" or "Passage" by Vienna Teng (both are not appropriate for an infant that's for sure. One is from the movie "The Mummy" and the other is about dying in a car crash...) or do I stick to my lullaby CD's that were purchased for him?  I think I'll go with the latter.

And here's a bump pic, see how low he is!

This picture was taken at 34w, 3d

This week we're going to be turning our beautifully renovated den into the playroom. I was waiting on the last table to arrive so I could take a few pre-baby stuff pictures. Then it's time to bust out the stuff that has been in storage since December or earlier. We'll be setting up the swing, pack and play, bouncer, tummy time mat, and a few other toys. Luckily, it seems we'll use most of this stuff in stages so it shouldn't take over the whole room. Wishful thinking though right?

33 Weeks!

So I skipped 32 weeks. I was busy and it didn't seem much different than 31. Anyways, our house projects have been really helpful with getting my/our minds off of the fact that the baby could be here very very soon. (For example, my boss at the dance studio had her baby at 34.5 weeks, ahhhh!!) Now the projects are done and we've gotten so much accomplished, it feels like it's ok for him to come whenever (although I hope he doesn't come until at least 37 weeks!)

In the past 2 weeks we've done/finished:

Our birthing class
Washed all of his stuff
Organized his room (even more than normal)
Cooked and frozen 2 meals
Finished the den, hallway/stairwell, upstairs bathroom, and bedroom.
Thought about what needs to go in the hospital bag.

Our hospital tour and another class is Sunday which will knock off a couple other things on our list. 

This week I plan to start getting the hospital bag together and set up the pack and play etc for the Den. In 2 weeks we'll put the car seat in the car so I can get used to having to juggle all of the kids and the lack of trunk space I'll have. Luckily J is really excited to sit in the back from now on!

And here's a bump pic. I'm feeling very very large lately. Oh well, I suppose it comes with the territory.

This picture either made me realize I'm bigger than I thought or it is making me look bigger....sigh

 Your Pregnancy: Week 33

 

How Big is Baby?

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!

Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

New Symptoms: My hips have loosened up. It's a very strange feeling.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don't want to know anymore :( Probably around 30lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity pants all the time now. I can still wear some regular shirts. I mix it up. 

Stretch Marks: Yes and I cried when I saw them. They just came the other day. There are 2.

Sleep: It varies. I have some nights I sleep great and through the whole night and there are some I wake up around 2 until 5 or so. 

Movement:Yes he's moving still a ton. His jabs are much stronger now. I can feel him kick my hips. So strange.

Food Cravings/Aversions:Still oranges.

Belly Button In or Out: Still 1/2 and 1/2.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

What I am Looking Forward To: Our next ultrasound on Feb 16. I can't wait to see him.

Best Moment This Week: Not sure yet. I have an appointment Friday so I'm excited to hear his heartbeat!

Labor Signs: n/a

 

Today Kev asked if I was ready for him to be here. He mainly was asking because he thinks I'm constantly uncomfortable. I said no, I'm ok with the discomfort, because I feel like I'm not ready quite yet for his arrival. Technically I am. Our house is ready, our car is ready, our finances are ready, but I'm not ready to be in charge of such a precious little thing. I know he is going to turn our world upside down and that still terrifies me. Luckily, both of us have so much support from friends and family that I know we'll get through it!

31 Weeks!

Well I haven't posted in a while because our regular computer is down due to the Den renovations. They're still in progress (see next post) but I decided I couldn't wait any longer to post 31 weeks since I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow!

So during the 31st week I had a doctors appointment and she said everything is great. His heartbeat is fast (as usual), he's moving around a ton (as usual) and he's head down facing the back (like a good little boy already!) During our childbirth class the Monday prior to my appointment, we were talking about Birth Plans. Naturally I had to ask Dr. C about this because I was unsure whether or not I needed one. I mean, really? Can you really make a plan about your baby's birth? If I had to make one, I can presume it would look something like this:

Tonia's birth plan:
Do whatever you need to do to be sure he comes out safely and that we're both ok.

(end birth plan)

So, I decided it's unnecessary to type that out and hand to the nurses and doctors. I think they'll do that either way.
I'm sure these birth plans are helpful to some women but in my opinion, it's really like setting up for failure. I mean, how can you truly determine every aspect of the way your labor will go prior unless it's a planned C-Section? Considering you can't determine the exact day the labor will take place, I think the rest of the plan becomes shot from that point.

Anyways, on to the bump pic:

The baby is around the same size as last week. Mainly just gaining some weight. He seems to be doing really well. He responds when I tap my stomach for the most part and he especially loves Kevin's voice. Whenever Kevin starts talking in the morning, he starts kicking away. Granted, part of it could be because it's morning, but I like to think it's because he loves his daddy already!

Realizing I only have a few weeks to go, I have to start getting some stuff done! Things I need to do include:
Wash baby stuff
Pack Hospital bag
Take tour of hospital
Install car seat
Purchase any other needed items (I don't think there's much right now)

So far I think we're pretty ahead of the game. We're ready when he is but I'd rather him stay in for a little while longer :)