Progress is A Loaded Word

how far along: 38 Weeks, 3 Days

due date: 8/7. 11 days until the due date and 18 until my induction date (if it comes to that)

size of the baby: a spaghetti squash, or around 6.5-9 pounds (probably 7.5 at this point) and 19-22 inches long. definitely big.

baby is: 50% effaced! i went to the doctor this morning and even though i am not dilated at all (boo), she is making progress. i texted my sister in law and told her it really felt like nothing and she said, "you know what nothing is? zero dilation and zero effacement and being induced". She was induced at 38 weeks 4 days due to preeclampsia and hadn't progressed at all.

movement: still pretty good. she's been doing this thing at night that feels like wiggling in my pelvis. it's funny feeling.

gender: baby girl Nina? Jesse and I tentatively chose Nina Lynn for her name. Nina was my great grandmother's name who passed 7 years ago and Lynn was the name of Jesse's mother who passed 9 years ago. It is also my middle name and my mother's middle name. So technically that is her name. Though it may change when she pops out! Nothing is official until it is written on that birth certificate!

total weight gain: still 25. I was 175.8 at the doctor's this morning.

stretch marks: do i even care anymore? nope.

symptoms: contractions and back pains, but nothing regular or constant. also i pulled something in my neck on Saturday night and it's been aching ever since.

wedding rings on or off: maybe we'll reunite in August.

belly button in or out: still flush.

maternity clothes: always. i wear the same 5 outfits to work every week because of the dang weather being in the upper 90's with humidity every day.

  

sleep: friday night I slept for 11 hours. 11 whole hours. it was glorious. it's been downhill ever since though.

missing: i don't even know. i can't remember not being pregnant. so i guess i'm not missing anything? sleep maybe.

cravings/aversions: chocolate milk and cold chocolate ice cream. anything super cold.

cries: nah not really. i haven't cried due to impatience or anything. at this point, my induction is scheduled for 8/14. i at least have an end date in sight. if i go before then, great! if i make it to the 14th, at least we'll have a baby girl on the other side of this whole ordeal.

nursery: the bookshelves came in yesterday. Jesse has a pretty full work week so I don't expect them to be hung before Saturday, but still, she isn't going to care whether or not she has shelves!

Jesse is: so fed up with work. His boss is trying to get him to work even though he has tons of leave time and is taking 3 weeks off after I give birth. I can't wait to just be a family of three, hanging out at home.  

best moments: last night was a good night. Jesse and I ate dinner, watched our show (Better Call Saul, so good!) took a long walk with Lucy and then we were able to squeeze in some intimate time. I was hoping it would jump start labor, but no such luck. I can't wait to be able to look at him or call him and say "i think my water broke" 

not so best moments: working. my boss is back this week (yay!) so i don't feel as much stress and pressure, but i'm looking at the calendar and thinking, I can't have the baby this week, I still have to train the new guy. Then he goes on vacation, of course, next week, so I can't have her then! When can I have her?!

looking forward to: meeting my baby girl.

next appointment: Tuesday 8/2. That is my last scheduled appointment right now. I have a feeling they will want me to schedule another one then, for the 40 week check up. Hopefully I've dilated at the next one!

Any Day Now?

how far along: 37 Weeks, 5 Days

due date: August 7th. 16 days left and 9.5 months pregnant at this point. Any day now baby girl, you feel free to make your appearance.

size of the baby: a large melon, or probably between 6-7 pounds. at my doctor's appointment this week, the nurse practitioner said by looking at me, she thinks she will be around 8 pounds.

baby is: building her nerve connections, which will help her learn in the future.

movement: yes. it's slowed down this week, and mostly it is due to the fact that she is simply out of room, and hopefully moving down into position. i will be checked at my next appointment and i can't wait to see what they say. even if i have no real progress at that point, it will be a good reference.

gender: baby girl.

total weight gain: unofficially, 25 pouinds. i was 177 at the doctors on Wednesday, but still 174 on my home scale in the mornings. so i'm saying 25 pounds.

stretch marks: eh, just the few on the tops of my thighs, not concerning. i do rub the cream though after my showers and i notice my belly gets itchy by the end of the day.

symptoms: just basically being uncomfortable and in pain. i have had contractions every day, but i believe them to be braxton hicks. they happen 10-15 times, but nothing in a pattern that is easily tracked.

wedding rings on or off: off for good.

belly button in or out: still flush with the rest of my stomach. i don't expect it to pop.

maternity clothes: today at work I am in yoga pants and a t-shirt. I literally have 4-5 outfits I can wear that still fit. 

  

sleep: last night wasn't the worst for the first time in weeks.

missing: a pain free life! have you ever watched a show about overweight and obese people that say that extra weight physically hurts? it does.

cravings/aversions: chocolate milk always

cries: mm i almost cried the other day. work has been really stressful this week because my boss is on vacation so i am picking up the slack. i just want to be relaxing!

nursery: pretty much done. i ordered some shelves for her books and things, they should arrive monday and jesse will hang them. i might take another crack at those canvases, we will see.

Jesse is: planning! last night we talked about what we would do when i go into labor, who he would contact, and where to meet when i call him.

best moments: i suppose the good reports i've gotten at the doctors. i am so very lucky to have had such an uneventful pregnancy so far.

not so best moments: physical pain. and still working honestly. when you're this pregnant, you just kind of want to go home and pretend nothing exists but you and your baby.

looking forward to: her being here! i will be 38 weeks on Sunday and i'm just counting down the days until I hit 40. If I hit 40!

next appointment: Tuesday 7/26. they are going to check me at this appointment! 

Waddling Along with Good News

how far along: 36 Weeks, 4 Days (9 MONTHS OFFICIALLYYYYY!!!)

due date: August 7th. Only 24 days until my due date. It seems like much shorter and yet much longer. I can't explain it. I look at the weeks on my work calendar and think, it will be here before I know it and can I really get everything done? Then I think, 24 days is such a long time!

Courtesy of The Bump app

size of the baby: the size of a papaya, or 18.7 inches/5.73 pounds. Some apps say she is longer, some say she is heavier. we won't know for a couple of weeks her exact weight of course, but I think she will be in the high 7's or even over 8 pounds!

baby is: finalizing her growing. her digestive system will continue to perfect itself while she is outside the womb and eating breast milk.

movement: yes and it has gotten painful. i believe the pelvic pain she is causing is because she is moving further down. which is a good thing!

gender: girl! I was showing my mom the 90% completed nursery last night and I didn't realize how much pink stuff we have.

total weight gain: still hovering around the 173. i didn't gain any weight from last week to this week. though i have been eating ice cream daily and really feel like i look big.

stretch marks: i'm getting concerned about what's happening under my belly where i can't see...

symptoms: omgosh i am hot. sooo hot. it's easily 100 degrees here with the humidity every single day. i am unbearably hot almost every night so i sleep with no covers.

wedding rings on or off: still off. i wear my wedding band on my necklace, but no rings will grace these fingers for weeks to come.

belly button in or out: still flush with the rest of my stomach. i don't expect it to pop.

maternity clothes: obvi. sometimes if i'm just around the house i wear cropped yoga pants and an old t-shirt, but they no longer cover my belly.

  

sleep: still not good. i can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!

missing: all the regular things. feeling comfortable. being able to get off the couch easily. rolling over in bed easily.

cravings/aversions: still chocolate milk and ice cream. cookie dough specifically.

cries: on sunday jesse and i were lying in bed and he was saying how he missed going to the beach as a kid and i reminded him that we will have her to take to the beach now and won't that be so much fun. and it made me tear up thinking about her in a cute little bathing suit and hat and playing in the sand.

nursery: like i said, about 90% completed. i've sort of given up on my canvas experiment. i am NOT creative or artistic. but the other things in her nursery are completed and can be hung.

Jesse is: into buying things. he wants to buy a mamaroo, which if you aren't familiar, is basically a $300 swing. i was totally against it at first but he was like what if she loves it. he wants to buy her a new high chair, anything she needs, he wants to buy her.

best moments: my daily bowl of ice cream hah.

not so best moments: just the physical pain this last month has brought. sciatic nerve pain, tailbone pain, just moving around doesn't feel good. plus the pelvic pain of her descending.

looking forward to: getting Lucy groomed this weekend! she is going to get the full spa treatment and our house won't be so covered in dog hair 24/7.

next appointment: we scheduled all my appointments up until my due date! all Tuesdays. so next is 7/19. My last appointment went really well, hence the blog title good news. My blood pressure looks good, her heartbeat is good, i'm measuring right on track, PLUS i didn't test positive for the Group B Strep. Which means no antibiotics while I give birth! Even though it hasn't been the easiest pregnancy for me, it has been for our baby girl and that's what matters in the end. 

32 Days!

how far along: 35 Weeks, 3 Days

due date: August 7th, 4 weeks and 4 days to go! Though tomorrow is July 7 and that is one month away from August 7th!

size of the baby: Approximately 19-22 inches (hopefully she doesn't grow any longer!) and 5.5 lbs. Though I think she might weigh a tad more than that since 3 weeks ago she weighed 4.8lbs.

baby is: hiccuping due to her intake of the amniotic fluid to help her learn to breathe on her own outside of the womb.

movement: yep! she butt bumps me and pushes all the way out at the top of my stomach sometimes. 

gender: girl

total weight gain: welp, yesterday at the doctors i was 173.4. i'm OK with it.

stretch marks: nah. any that i can see are very faded. i'm not super worried about this either!

symptoms: reflux still, overall being very warm. it's in the 90's here this week and incredibly humid. on my way to work it was 81 degrees (at 8:45am). i sleep without any covers or sheets in my nightgown and still sweat.

wedding rings on or off: off. i wore just my band yesterday and the rash came back. so no rings for the rest of the pregnancy probably.

belly button in or out: sort of in? sort of just flat with the rest of my stomach.

maternity clothes: duh. also, new bras have now been pushed to the last clasp they can. if i grow anymore, i'll have to buy a bra extender.

  

sleep: not great. up and down constantly, hot, can't get comfortable, back aches.

missing: feeling comfortable when i lay down at night. i used to long for the comfort of my bed, now i just sort of dread going to sleep.

cravings/aversions: chocolate milk and ice cream.

cries: we went to a wedding on Saturday and I cried at the father/daughter dance. it's always the relationship of the father/daughter at weddings that gets me.

nursery: almost done! Jesse just has to hang things on walls and then we are good to go!

Jesse is: working a lot. whether at work, or at home, he is always cleaning something or buying things for the house or making money. i know maternity leave isn't a vacation. i know that. but part of me just looks forward to being able to hang out with him and our new baby.

best moments: probably hanging out at my mom's house on Sunday night. we had dinner and played games and generally just lounged. it felt nice and normal.

not so best moments: being hot and irritated. when you're this pregnant, you don't want to do anything but get your house ready and things like work and being places at certain times become a hassle.

looking forward to: the weekend of course. no work, jesse is off which will be nice, and we are getting together with friends we haven't seen in a long time.

next appointment: next tuesday. i'm every week now and i will find out if i have the group b strep or not.