38 Weeks - A Pumpkin

December 4, 2014

Photo Thoughts: I JUST put my fall decorations away, so I just couldn't justify going out and buying another pumpkin. So, a bag and a half of Cuties/Mandarins will have to do.  

How I'm Feeling: I'm starting to feel some nerves about my fast-approaching due date. It's pretty scary to know that you are  in "any day now" territory.  Also, I think I have also officially entered that period where people start to view you like a ticking time bomb.  If you don't respond to a text message or return a phone call, you just know people are wondering if you're in labor. 

Baby: The weight range for baby this week is a little shocking- 6-9 pounds? Lord help me if I have a nine pound baby already! Supposedly baby can also have up to an inch of hair already.  I'm really interested to see if our little guy is born with a full head of hair... I kind of think he might be.

Belly: This belly of mine is definitely rapidly expanding. Duh, right?  It's just that it was so slow-going and gradual for such a long time, that now it just feels like it's a little out of control.  David has said to me several times this week, as he catches a side view of me, things like "Whoa, you're like really pregnant" or "Now THAT'S a belly!" 

Symptoms: Still with the back pain, the shortness of breath, and the heaviness/tightness of the belly toward the end of the day.  Nothing too crazy to report though. 

Weight: +0.0. Still plateauing at +27.0 total. Even AFTER Thanksgiving!  I guess I should have had more pie after all! :-)  

What I'm Anticipating: Like I said above, I'm starting to get nervous about my fast-approaching due date. I'm excited, of course, but it also somehow seems so abstract to me still.  I can't wrap my head around the reality of how close it could be, and I just can't imagine myself in the whole labor/delivery process.  

Sleep: I am so glad that sleep hasn't yet been an issue for me.  And I only have to get up once per night to go to the bathroom, which is totally manageable. I'll take the sleep while I can get it!

Exercise: This week was the last class of my Pre-Natal Pilates/Barre class. The instructor grew up in Australia and is going back to visit family for the month. I SO wish I could keep going to this class for my last few weeks. It has been something I look forward to each week, and I always feel so good after going. The instructor plans on starting up a Post-Natal class (that she will let us bring our babies to!), so I am already looking forward to that.  Here's a group shot of the girls in the class on our last day all lined up in order of our due dates!

Movement: SO much movement!  And sometimes, it can be really uncomfortable... and painful even.  BUT, I've already started to get a little nostalgic about not feeling this baby boy move inside me anymore.  I know I will miss it so much, so I'm trying not to get too annoyed when he's ninja chopping and karate kicking my insides.  

Milestones/Progress: For the third week in a row, I'm still holding steady at 1cm dilated, 50% effaced, and -2 position. I'm totally fine with not making progress at this point, because I feel SO not ready, but in the back of my head, I can't help but wonder, "what happens if I just never make it any further than this on my own?"  It's a head game...

Highlights of the Week: This was a good week!

-Mission: Baby Gear Assembly - After our lovely Thanksgiving, we spent the weekend focused on getting things ready for baby. I deep cleaned the nursery (officially the cleanest room in the house), got the new rug we ordered all laid out, and then the next day we were baby gear assembly fools (and yes, we ARE major procrastinators and should have done this weeks ago- whatever).  We assembled: the crib, stroller, co-sleeper, car seat, and the play yard/downstairs sleep/changing station.  There's still a lot of work to be done (organizing the baby closet, taking inventory of what we have/need, baby laundry, etc.), but I feel much better about life now.  

-Maternity Photos: We also  took maternity photos to really make our post-Thanksgiving weekend a baby-dominated few days. I'm so excited to see how they turned out! We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for our mostly outdoor photo shoot.

-MamaRoo: Ok, I have to admit that besides the baby (obviously), one of the things I have been most excited about this pregnancy is this silly baby chair/swing called the MamaRoo. I've been DYING to have one, but since we weren't gifted one, I just really was having a hard time justifying this expensive (and ok fine, probably unnecessary) baby item. I had been hoping to find a Black Friday or a Cyber Monday deal, but had no luck. So I scoured Craigslist and found THREE that looked nearly brand new. And now I can say that I am the proud owner of a MamaRoo... at almost HALF the cost!  It's a little ridiculous how excited I am about this!

I hope they make these for adults some day! 

-David's Nightly Ritual: Now that we actually have some things assembled in the nursery, and it is starting to look a little closer to a real life room for a baby, I think David and I both enjoy just going in there and looking around in disbelief. One night right before getting into bed, he said he had to go do something, and that I couldn't come. So of course I dragged my pregnant self out of bed and followed along. It was so cute when I realized that all he was doing was going down the hallway to have one last peak of the nursery before he went to bed. He's done it a few times this week.  It's adorable... especially because he's not usually sentimental about things like that. Awwwww....