Week 36

Wow, 36 weeks! I can't believe how close I'm getting to the end. I had my 36 week checkup and all was good. I got my group B strep swab done, so here's hoping it comes back negative. I really don't want to have to get hooked up to an IV and get antibiotics when I get to the hospital. I now see my doctor once a week and I start getting internal exams at my next appointment. :/

We met with and hired a doula this week. I started getting a little nervous about wanting a med-free birth and how I didn't know if Jack and I could accomplish it on our own. I thought Jack would dismiss the idea right away, but he was surprisingly on board with it. I think he's nervous too and this helps take some of the pressure off of him being the only person to help me through labor. I feel really good about the whole thing. I meet with her again on Monday to go over my birth plan. We'll probably meet with her one more time after that just so we can get to know each other before I go into labor. She will also come to my house 3-7 days after I give birth for a postpartum meeting. She'll be available to help me with breastfeeding which I find comforting. I'm really excited about it!

How far along? 36 weeks!

Total weight gain: Around 34 lbs. :/

Maternity clothes: All the time. I surprisingly have a couple of non-maternity shirts that still fit ok.

Sleep: Been pretty good still. Just getting up to go the bathroom 4 times a night is annoying, but I fall back to sleep pretty fast.

Miss anything? Pre-pregnancy body. I was looking at pictures and couldn't believe how skinny I looked. I'm trying to remind myself that I won't go back to looking like that right away.

Cravings: Nothing really. This is one thing that has surprised me about pregnancy. I always imagined having these crazy cravings and making Jack run to the store because I had to have it. I thought my appetite would be different too. But I feel like I eat the same amount as I did before I was pregnant. Maybe just a little more.

Symptoms: The same as last week: heartburn, right rib pain, some back pain, swollen ankles. Oh and I've noticed my digestion isn't moving like it used to, if you get what I mean. I've really increased my fruit and veggie intake and that's helping. I also started making smoothies every morning and taking it to work with me.

Movement: Still feeling him all the time. I feel definite little nubs that poke here and there. Sometimes I feel like a foot slides across my belly. He gets the hiccups multiple times a day.

The bump: Feeling big, but it's not too bad.

Belly button in or out? Still in.

Mood: Anxious, nervous

Best moment of this week? Finishing up the nursery and hiring a doula. Oh and the surprise shower my work threw me!

What are you looking forward to? Meeting with our doula again on Monday.

I have some talented in laws

My father in law, mother in law and sister in law have all got the artistic gene. My husband not so much. I received some wonderful handmade gifts from them at my shower.

My father-in-law built this wood treasure box and burned the animals into it. I LOVE it! I think our little man will like it too. :)

Treasure boxes are my husband's family's "thing". They are always giving little wood boxes filled with change or dollar coins. 

This one was filled with change and some money to start baby's savings. They also put in a gold coin.

Jack's sister is really into reading and creative writing. She wrote this poem for him on the inside of the box.

It reads:

"Here is a treasure box to keep in your room

an enduring gift that will wait til you bloom

to unlock its secrets of faith and success.

For your family knows that you will progress

and one day require a treasure chest.

So place all your tender objects inside

this secret space that will always provide

a loyal haven for your future quest.

The path you will walk will forever by blessed

for the chest will always stow happiness."

Aw, it's just so sweet. Jack's mom painted this for the little guy. Isn't it beautiful? I just have to find a place in the nursery for it. 

I feel so lucky to have such wonderful in-laws. They must be pretty excited to be getting their first grandchild!

Week 35

I'm 35 weeks, which means 35 days until my due date! Holy crap. Only 2 more weeks and this little guy is considered full term and could come at any time. I'd be really happy if he can stay in there until 39 weeks though. He can come anytime after 39 weeks.

I'm definitely feeling the push to get all the last minute things done. I still have a few baby items I want to purchase. I need to buy some postpartum things for myself. Big things we need to do include installing the car seat & packing the hospital bag. Hope to get that done in the next couple of weeks. I'd love to get everything done in the next 2-3 weeks and then just relax and wait for baby.

Here are some photos from last weekend when I was washing all his clothes. I <3 tiny clothes.

Some bump photos from a couple of days ago. What my bump looks like from my view.

I can still see my toes if I lean forward.

And a side view of the ever growing belly. My preggo app says he's pretty much all developed and will just put on weight until delivery. I'm happy to know that if he came early, he'd most likely be just fine. 

Gender: Boy!

How far along? 35 weeks!

Total weight gain: about 32 lbs. That number is getting really close 35 lbs which I thought would be the max I would gain. :/ My feet and ankles are swelling like crazy everyday. :(  Hopefully a lot of this weight is just water weight.

Maternity clothes: Yep! I couldn't get by with out them. I'm happy with the amount I have right now. Definitely not going to buy anymore.

Sleep: Good except getting up 2-3 times a night to pee. I'm having a bit of trouble falling asleep. My mind is just racing with all the things I want to do before the baby arrives. I'm definitely in nesting mode.

Miss anything? Mostly my old body. I love being pregnant, but I'm tired of the rib & back pain.

Cravings: Not really craving anything lately. I always want dessert though.

Symptoms: Some heartburn, right rib pain, some back pain, swollen ankles. I feel pretty lucky with how good I feel most of the time. My biggest annoyance is the rib pain. Sitting at a desk all day makes it worse and especially my 45 minute drive home everyday sucks. Sometimes I'm on the verge of tears driving home, because it just hurts so bad. I feel like such a wuss. New this week is the carpal tunnel in my right hand. Doesn't help that I sit at a computer all day. Oh and I think my hips are widening or loosening in preparation for labor. The ligaments feel sore sometimes and when I roll over in bed my hips crack.

Movement: Lots of movement still! I mostly feel it at the top where his butt and legs & feet are. I feel his butt shifting around, sometimes pressing on my rib. Ouch! I feel, what I think are, little feet on my right side. They push against me. He gets the hiccups a lot too.

The bump: I feel huge now. I know I'm not that big, but the big belly is really starting to get uncomfortable.

Belly button in or out? Still in.

Mood: Happy, anxious, nervous

Best moment of this week? I would have to say last weekend when I washed all the little clothes and put them away.

What are you looking forward to? The weekend so I can get more stuff done.

Nursery Update

The nursery is pretty much done. It's just a bit of a mess right now, so I can't take any final photos yet. But I did want to show you a couple of projects my husband worked on over the summer for the nursery.

The first one was building the changing table. He used this Ana White plan to build it. Here are some in progress photos.

He did such an awesome job. He worked so hard during his summer break on the nursery. I gave him a monster of a list, and he finished every last thing on it.

Here it is all finished! I love the way it turned out. I got the baskets at Target. I made the basket liners and the elephant tags. The elephant tags are little wood craft elephants from Michael's, spray painted yellow. I then just hot glued some yellow ribbon to the back of them.

I hope to show better photos later on when I do my final reveal. This is the best I could do with my iphone.

The next project Jack completed was refinishing my old childhood dresser. Here is the lovely before photo. It definitely needed some TLC.

And the after! Definitely an improvement. :) He basically just sanded it down and painted it white using Behr's Swiss Coffee in Semi-gloss. Then just added some new hardware.

Again, sorry for the crappy iphone photos. I plan to do a whole nursery reveal post with better photos. Hope to get that done soon!

33 Weeks

So I took my weekly photo on time last week, but got busy and forgot to write up my update. Se here is my 33 week (almost 34 weeks) update. Just 5 days late. oops.

Gender: Boy!

How far along? 33 weeks & 5 days

Total weight gain: about 28 lbs now. Gaining about 1 lb/week right now.

Maternity clothes: All the time. I can still squeeze the bump into some non-maternity tops.

Sleep: Still pretty good. Just frequent bathroom trips are kind of annoying. Where does all that liquid come from in the middle of the night?!

Miss anything? My flat stomach. This bump gets in the way too much.

Cravings: This week I've been wanting a lot of chocolate.

Symptoms: The usual heartburn, rib pain, back pain. Ankles seem to be swelling more.

Movement: All the time. The kicks to the rib hurt.

The bump: I feel like my belly really hasn't grown much in the last couple of weeks. I wonder how big I'll end up.

Belly button in or out? Still in. I'm not sure it will ever pop out completely. It's definitely really shallow.

Mood: Happy!

Best moment of this week? Definitely my baby shower last Saturday. So much fun celebrating our upcoming arrival with friends and family. This little guy was definitely showered with lots of love.

What are you looking forward to? My 34 week appointment on Friday. I can't believe I'm going every two weeks and soon once a week! This little guy will be here before I know it.