36 weeks

 

 

How Far Along? 36 weeks and 1 day

Baby Size:  Apparently a mess of collard greens? Or maybe a watermelon? Either way, this little chica has definitely done some growing. 

Total Weight Gain: Judging by my eating habits the last couple of weeks, I would say that we have definitely passed the 35lb mark.

Maternity Clothes: Even some of those don't fit any more.

Stretch Marks: I'm still finding them. My $42 dollar cream lied to me. Blessedly, they're still small and light... and to be honest, they bother me, but not as much any more. (Now that I've said that, I'm sure I'll wake up with a huge one right down the middle of my stomach tomorrow morning and cry my eyes out.)

Best moment this week: Realizing how close we really are. I would also classify this as the worst moment too... because the last minute panic has really started to set in.

Miss Anything? Range of movement. Ache-less body parts. My sanity is still a big thing. Cold deli meat. (Subway Ham Sandwiches), Oysters, Medium-Well Steaks, Wearing my rings.

Movement: She's a lot slower now-a-days. I think my child is all elbows and knees. You know when you were little and you and your sister would take your elbows and slowly dig them into each other's ribs? (But then again, that could have just been me and Katie...) Well, occasionally it feels like that... except from the inside... from a very weak, very tiny person.

Food Cravings: Kemps Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt. I went to two different BI-LO's to find it - and then bought two of those suckers. Chocolate chip cookies and milk aren't a bad combination either. Ben surprised me on Thursday night with a pack of Chips Ahoy. By 6:30AM Friday morning, I had 5 cookies left.

Anything making you queasy or sick: All of the things I have left to do.

Started to show yet?  Comments come on a regular basis. People can't decide if I look like she could come any day or if I'm super tiny for how far along I am.

Gender: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out.

Wedding Rings on or off? Off. I try to change this daily, but I fear I'm fighting a losing battle. I just really hope they fit again after she's born.

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? 

- Those giant bouncy-balls are my friend. (In fact, I'm sitting, rocking, and rolling as I type this.) It really does help with some of the back/hip pain. Plus, I hear it will help her to drop. She's still piled up under my ribs... which apparently I haven't been helping with much since I keep my legs crossed all of the time.

- The big thing this week came Thursday. I guess I've been living in a fantasy land where unicorns, butterflies, and time abound. While I hadn't felt 100% all day, I just figured I had over-done it on Wednesday. (I had felt really good and gotten a lot accomplished at work.) When I got back to work from lunch I started having noticeable Braxton Hicks. But these made me start timing them. They were coming at 10 minute intervals and they did NOT feel like my normal contractions. Normally, my belly will get hard and I'll be crampy in my lower belly. These started with some bad back pain, made my whole belly hard, made my whole belly hurt, and there was some weird pressure going on... like she was trying to stick her feet out of certain places that normally people only threaten to put feet up. This kept up for over 3 hours. I'm supposed to call my doc once I start having 4-5 regular contractions an hour. I didn't call the doc. I knew they would tell me to come in and I was afraid that if I went in, it would be real labor and I wasn't ready! I didn't have her bags packed, the house was a mess, and nothing was put together at work! So, I started downing water and kept working. (I know, great logic... ignore it and it'll go away.) Thank Jesus, they started easing off once I got home. But now I'm freaking out... and realizing how stupid I was because "I thought I had time." She may be in there till November, but heck, even that will come quickly!

- MAH CHILD KEEPS GETTIN' ON MY NERVES. Like, literally. She's found this one nerve... and apparently it's REALLY comfortable to lay on. Unfortunately, it shoots pain straight down my left butt-cheek and leg, and it's followed by a strange numbing sensation. I tried to push her over this morning and she totally punched me.

- She apparently likes music. (She seems to enjoy Garth Brooks.) I will turn my music on and she'll move over closer to the speakers. If I move the speakers, she follows them.

- I really want Ben to give me a foot massage. I'm afraid though, because apparently there are a lot of pressure points in your feet that will send you into labor - which I absolutely do not need to start until after Thursday.

- I'm hungry almost all of the time.

- I'm super weepy and all kinds of things make me cry.

- I get tired easily.

Looking forward to:  A clean house. Getting my stuff at work finished and organized. My doctors appointment Wednesday! Holding my little baby!! 

Birth Date Guess? Okay, so this is new but Ben and I decided we would put in our official guesses.

My guess: The weekend of October 12th weighing in at 6lbs 8oz.

Ben's guess: October 28th weighing in at 7lbs 5oz.

Feel free to throw your guesses into the pot!

 

 

Okay, so this morning, I had a mom friend send me a link to this blog. I cannot tell you how much I needed to read it.

I absolutely had to pass it along! I can't help but think that maybe there is someone else who needs it as much as I did. :)

 

 

The day we found out about you.

Okay, little girl...

I have wanted to write this story down for a long time. I just knew that I wouldn't be able to do it justice no matter how hard I tried. But, since tomorrow is exactly one month until your due date - I figured there would be no better time!

(Disclaimer for everyone else: Please excuse my frequent referral and use of the word "Pee.")

First, I would like to tell you that your Daddy and I have been wanting and dreaming about you for a very long time! We have been talking about kids practically since our first date! But we had agreed that we would need to wait a little while. Once we got married, we knew that we would need some time alone - to enjoy being just us and work out all the kinks of learning how the whole "being married" thing works. We also had a list that we had made of things that we wanted to do/needed to take care of before we could bring any little baby C's into the world.

Towards the end of last year, that list was getting shorter and shorter... and you were coming up in our thoughts and conversations more and more...

Fast Forward:

It was February, and I was struggling through what seemed to be the longest two weeks of my life.
Your Daddy seemed to be handling it much more patiently than I was.

I was distracted. (Ever heard of Google? It was my friend. I knew every pregnancy symptom out there - even the weird, rare ones.)
I was weepy. (I think your Daddy knew I was pregnant the night that I started crying while cooking dinner because I just KNEW that we weren't pregnant and we were going to have to wait FOREVER to try again! He was a wonderful man and just laughed, hugged me, and told me that it would all be alright.)
I had heartburn and I was burping all of the time. (I burped on a customer when I answered the phone at work. I forgot that I wasn't alone and burped REALLY loud one afternoon... only to remember that one of the guys was working in his office. He was a champ. Told me he didn't hear anything. Guessing by the way he was laughing that he was lying, though.)
AND I was fighting a cold that I just couldn't shake.

Friday, February 15th, I went to the NC Cattleman's Meeting.

I had a lot of fun. It was a great distraction.

Only time my mind wandered to crazy-am-I-pregnant-or-not land, was when I got a little dizzy after I had stood up for a while talking to one of our customers.

... and maybe the fact that I made myself "hold it" for about 7 hours just so that I might be able to take a test when I got home.

Which, by the way, totally happened.

I got home and showed your Daddy all of the cool stuff and knowledge that I had acquired. I then told him that while I knew that it was still a couple of days early, and I knew that I was just probably wasting a test, I REALLY thought that I should go pee on a stick.
So I did.
And...

 

I was disappointed. I still made your Daddy look too, but he agreed that he didn't see anything. He told me that it was still early, and that if we weren't pregnant that it would be okay and we could try again in a couple of months.

Your Dad is always so logical and patient.

Sometimes it's annoying.

I didn't like that answer.

I went back in the bathroom to sit on the edge of the tub by that stupid pee-stick and sulk.

Maybe it was defective.

Maybe it was slow.

Stupid pee-stick.

Maybe I should look again... you know, just in case.

 

That's when I saw it.

 

Granted, Ben did NOT believe me. He said that he didn't see anything. I mean, dang, I had to angle it just right in the light, but I still saw a line!

 

So I took a picture and photo-edited the crap out of that thing. He HAD to admit that he saw a line now.

 

 

He STILL said he didn't see anything!

Besides, he wasn't going to get his hopes up... and he wasn't going to believe anything until he had some SOLID evidence.

 

Fine. Solid evidence, you say?

 

I'll find you some solid evidence. We'll go to Wal-Mart and buy those expensive, fancy-schmancy pee-sticks that actually say "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant." (I hated those kind. Nothing scarier or more hope crushing than those.)

 

We even bought the five pack.

 

Unfortunately, I was all peed out and I was going to have to wait until morning.

 

4AM:

I stumble to the bathroom in the dark. (I wasn't loosing a prime opportunity!)

I manage to use the stick.

I wait.

Nothing.

No "Pregnant."

No "Not Pregnant."

No little hour-glass.

Not even an "Error."

 

Fine. It's early anyway. I'll wait until I'm more awake.

 

6:30AM

I get up.

I use my test.

Same deal.

Nothing.

By this time, I am MAD.

I paid $18 for a defective box!! I wanted to know early! By the time I go through all of these, I could have found out by those cheap sticks!

 

8AM

Your Daddy wakes up. I'm still pouting, so I tell him about it. He agrees that it's total booty. I ask him what I should do. It is agreed that I should call the company. Unfortunately, it's 8AM on a Saturday - and the company is some place like Switzerland. AKA: I got a recording.

 

I was even madder. I told your Daddy that I was going to use a stinking cup and do this the long way - and if it STILL didn't work, I was going to take all of those tests - peed on or not - back to Wal-Mart and demanding a refund!

 

This was made awkward by the fact that the only plastic or paper cups that we had were these giant 32oz cups your Daddy had gotten from his old job. But I was mad, so it was GOING to work.

I followed the directions exactly as they read

 

... and the test started blinking.

 

Suddenly, I was scared.

I wasn't sure what I wanted it to say.

I realized that this was a really big moment.

I closed my eyes.

I prayed.

I knew if it said "Pregnant" then our whole lives would change - and change can be scary.

But I was more scared of it saying "Not Pregnant."

 

Ready for the "Not," I opened one eye...

 

 



 

I was shocked.

All I could manage to say:

 

"Beeeeeeeeeeennnnnn!!!!"

 

Your Daddy told me he knew as soon as he heard my voice. He came running into the bathroom. I showed him. I have never seen anyone as happy and excited as he was right then. He hugged me and swung me around in a circle. (We only tried that once since our bathroom was too messy and we might trip - and we couldn't be having the pregnant lady face-planting.)

We had to go shopping that day, and your Daddy was the one that suggested that we go to Babies R Us and look around. He was so funny. He told strangers, cashiers, etc. But he always started it by looking around to make sure no one else heard...
I told him he scared the poor little girl at Babies R Us. Poor girl couldn't have been much older than 16. She asked if we needed any help. I told her: "No thank you, we're just looking." Your Daddy looks around both ways, leans in and says very seriously: "Hey, you can't tell anyone - but we just found out we're going to have a baby."
Her eyes got HUGE - and all she said was "Oh Dang." and she just turned around and walked away rather quickly...
He is such a nut. I couldn't help but laugh. But we laughed a lot that day.

That day, it snowed.

The month before, I had kinda hoped that just maybe...

Well, I was praying and I told God that I would know that I was pregnant if it snowed.

(I kind of cheated, because they were calling for snow.)

The next morning, it didn't snow. It didn't even rain. Wasn't cloudy. Above average temperatures.

The morning we found out, they weren't calling for snow. But when we opened the door that morning, the world was covered... and it was falling in the biggest, fattest, white flakes I had ever seen.

And that's part of the reason why I occasionally refer to you as my snow baby.

Love,
Mommy.

35 weeks

 

How Far Along? 35 weeks and 1 day

Baby Size:  Supposedly, she's now pretty much the length she will be at birth. (Feels like a shorty.) And somewhere around 5 - 6lbs

Total Weight Gain: Around 34+lbs

Maternity Clothes: I don't like them. I really don't like clothes. I hate getting dressed every day. I swear I think that wearing pants makes my Braxton Hicks worse. Plus, it hurts to lift my legs. I have been making good use of dresses.

Stretch Marks: I'm finding more daily. BUT they are little and not very noticeable... although, I will say that they have popped up in some unexpected places. Everyone within a 2 mile radius should be able to tell every time I find another one... The random "WHAT THE HECK?!"'s coming from the bathroom are a giveaway.

Best moment this week: Getting things accomplished yesterday.

Miss Anything? Sleep. My Sanity. I was in Babies R Us last night picking out her diaper bag, and I set my phone and other purchases down and just walked off.

Movement: I totally got to see her move in the mirror! I mean, I see her move all of the time, but it's more from a looking down angle. It's totally different seeing her move around in there from at straight on perspective. It's also weird because now I can very much tell what's butt/back/head from feet and hands. Her feet crack me up.

Food Cravings:  Still loving the cold and sweet stuff!

Anything making you queasy or sick: The headache I have right now! :( 

Started to show yet? Yep!

Gender: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out.

Wedding Rings on or off? Off. I got my rings back from the jeweler and they were so pretty and shiny! Tight or not, I was determined to shove them on my finger. I got them on, but within 20 minutes they were back off. :(

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? 

- I think I've got her pediatrician picked out. It was super awkward being the only adult in the waiting room without a child, but the doctor was so nice! He reminded me of my pediatrician, Dr. Shelley, he just wasn't too tall to fit in the doorway. Plus, he explained how everything would go in the hospital too... which made me feel so much more at ease.

- While I was picking out my diaper bag last night, I was stopped by a random lady who gave me advice about diaper bags. She was super nice - but it was kind of awkward.

- I'm slightly in panic mode. I am running out of time and I have so much to do. I want my house to be perfect for her! I want to make sure that everything at work is in order and well taken care of while I'm gone. I hope I don't loose it too badly within the next couple of weeks.

- I have found that I "rock" her. That's right. I find myself holding my belly and swaying side to side at the most random times. Usually in public. At first I was a little embarrassed, but now I just don't care. People can think I'm crazy if they want to do so - whatev.

- The Braxton Hicks are kicking it up a notch. Some of these legitimately hurt! I mean, it's still nothing I would call my doctor about, but it's definitely something I've noticed.

- By afternoon, I'm not worth a crap. I get so tired now. Plus my feet and legs swell. I feel like I have tree trunks for legs and boulders for feet. haha.

- I keep getting super excited when I open my pregnancy apps. I know have buttons to push so that my apps can change as soon as I have my baby!

- I bought one of those maternity support belts. It looks crazy and it makes a crunchy noise at times, but I feel so much better! I'm sad that I didn't buy one sooner.

- This afternoon I'll be packing her diaper bag and our hospital bag. I'm a little excited.

- We set up our co-sleeper yesterday. It's super nice and its so strange to walk in there and see it. It's all getting so real!

Looking forward to: My next doctors appointment - it sounds like it's going to be a biggie! :) Working on her room this afternoon. Holding my baby. The day the doctor tells me to seriously get ready because she's coming soooon!

Birth Date Guess? Okay, so this is new but Ben and I decided we would put in our official guesses.

My guess: The weekend of October 12th weighing in at 6lbs 8oz.

Ben's guess: October 28th weighing in at 7lbs 5oz.

Feel free to throw your guesses into the pot!

 

 

OH! and just for fun:

 

The picture on the left is from 5 weeks along... and the right is this weeks' picture. Same dress.

 

 

Super Fast Doctors Appointment Update

Okay, so... this will be really fast!

Went to the doctors office.
They weighed me. (I gained 4lbs in 2 weeks! According to all of the books, apps, etc. the suggested max that I should gain is 35 lbs. Well, I've got 5 weeks left and 1lb to go. ): )
They took my blood pressure. (It was good. Apparently I was just REALLY ticked off the last couple of weeks.)
I peed in a cup.
I met with the doc.
She felt the baby, and then used the little Doppler thingy to get her heartbeat. (Baby was sleepy, but woke up and totally ran away when that cold thing touched my belly. Heartbeat was in the 130's)
She told me that all of the symptoms that I'm currently having are totally normal and nothing to worry about. She also said that I'm pretty much only going to feel like poo-poo from here on out... but that's because we're in the home stretch... and just to take it easy and day by day.

But baby is doing awesome!

AND

....Drum Roll....

Dearest husband asked when we would be in the "safe zone" AKA where she would be okay if I were to go into labor. She reassured us that while they would like to see me make it at least a couple more weeks, they would not stop her from coming if she decided to make her appearance from here on out!


WHOA.

That'll blow your mind, won't it?

34 weeks

 

 

How Far Along? 34 weeks and 3 days

Baby Size:  Supposedly, she's now pretty much the length she will be at birth. (Feels like a shorty.) And somewhere around 5lbs

Total Weight Gain: Okay, so I totally lied by accident last week... I don't think I changed this and I'm like 30+ lbs up.

Maternity Clothes: I don't like them. I really don't like clothes. I hate getting dressed every day. I swear I think that wearing pants makes my Braxton Hicks worse. Plus, it hurts to lift my legs. I have been making good use of dresses.

Stretch Marks: I'm finding more daily. BUT they are little and not very noticeable. I also went and did the unthinkable - I bought the $42 bottle of Mustella. I totally get why ladies love this stuff! It feels awesome and makes my skin feel silky.

Best moment this week: Getting to spend some time with my sister this weekend.

Miss Anything? Sleep. (Please don't tell me that I should enjoy what I'm getting now. It really doesn't help.) My hips hurt so bad that it wakes me from a dead-to-the-world type sleep... it makes me want to cry and yell. :(

Movement: Her movements are definitely different. There isn't a lot of quick jabs... more like slow rolls.

Food Cravings:  Still loving the cold and sweet stuff!

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of the chicken Ben cooked over the weekend.

Started to show yet? It's rather undeniable at this point!

Gender: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out.

Wedding Rings on or off? I'm sad to say this, but they are now off. Last week I was wearing them on a necklace and now they're off getting cleaned.

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? 

- My hips hurt.

- My face can't decide if it's going to break out or not...

- I get overheated.

- I'm thirsty.

- My fingers, legs, and feet swell.

- My blood pressure apparently can't decide what it's doing.

- Braxton Hicks are getting stronger... and I'm getting these familiar cramps. Kinda feels like my old friend's calling card... but not?

- Backaches

- Tired and pre-occupied. I'm seriously not worth a toot at work. It's a constant fight to stay on track with anything that I need/am trying to do.

- My emotions, fears, excitement, worries, etc... they are ALL over the map.

Looking forward to: My doctors appointment tomorrow. Sleeping in this weekend. Holding my baby. The day the doctor tells me to seriously get ready because she's coming soooon!

Birth Date Guess? Okay, so this is new but Ben and I decided we would put in our official guesses.

My guess: The weekend of October 12th weighing in at 6lbs 8oz.

Ben's guess: October 28th weighing in at 7lbs 5oz.

Feel free to throw your guesses into the pot!

Dear Future Me:

I just wanted to take a moment and fill you in. (I wanted to make sure that I could have a nice  memory so that when I look back through these I wont always be like "Oh my gosh... ALL I DID WAS WHINE.")
TODAY has been a great day.
My pain has been manageable. (Though my blood pressure is still iffy. Maybe it's my blood pressure reading abilities that are iffy, though...)
I have been crazy productive. (I HAD ALMOST EVERYTHING ON MY MASSIVE TO-DO LIST CROSSED OFF!)
My child is wiggling around in my womb the way that young puppies do when you try to contain them in a box.
I have stalked all of those child bearing women that have gone before me and I have drooled over their babies. (I'm so STINKING EXCITED RIGHT NOW - I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY CHUB TO ARRIVE! I will hug her and kiss her and call her "George." ... Well, maybe not George...)
While for a few moments I felt like the little 98 year old man who used to be in charge, still wants to help, but really just gets in the way (FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE - I KNOW HOW THE MAN FEELS - LET HIM HELP!) - for the most part, I felt needed again today!
People wanted to talk to ME. (About other things than my belly or my impending labor. It was so nice to have ONE day where I did not hear "Just wait..." or "You must be miserable." or "What is it?" etc, etc.)
There were things that I needed to do.
I may be slow. I may be forgetful. I may waddle like a duck. I may be cranky, grumpy, and aggravating... BUT I WAS NEEDED AND WANTED. I felt USEFUL. I felt IMPORTANT again. It's amazing what those feelings can do for you.
I also got more free stuff in the mail. It's really cool that these companies send you free stuff for your baby. It's a surprise every time I open the mailbox!

All I was missing was some up-beat 1980's getting-crap-done music.

See? I'm not always a Negative Nancy.


Love,

Me.

33 weeks

 

 

How Far Along? 33 weeks and 1 day. Forgive the above picture... it was early, we were in a hurry, her nursery is in the middle of being moved around, and I was in a lot of pain. :(

Baby Size: Somewhere around 16-19 inches long and according to the ultrasound we had on Wednesday, she's approximately 4.4lbs. 

Total Weight Gain: 23-25lbs. I was a little disappointed in the scale at the doctors... I thought that it would be nicer to me. We're supposed to be gaining about a pound a week... I had packed on 3 in 2 weeks. They haven't said anything to me about it going too fast or too slow though...

Maternity Clothes: Can I just live in PJ's? Or better yet... how about joining a nudist colony?

Stretch Marks: A few small ones on the side of my hips and on my baby feeders. Still nothing on my belly. I know they're nothing to be ashamed of, but I really, really don't want to have them... :(

Best moment this week: Putting her crib up!

Miss Anything? Not feeling like a 94 year old lady/Pirate when I walk...

Movement: She's still going at it. At least we know she's head down now. She's in (or at least on Wednesday she was) in prime position! Still hasn't dropped though, but we've still got a few weeks yet. (It's okay for me to say it - but I really want to strangle people who remind me that I still have a ways to go.)

Food Cravings:  Ice Water, Iced Sweet Tea, Ice Cream (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt is currently the fav.), Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not eating, being stressed, not enough sleep, and over-doing the whole physical activity thing.

Started to show yet? Yep.

Gender: Girl!!! The ultrasound tech double checked!

Belly Button in or out? Out. I don't even pay it any attention any more.

Wedding Rings on or off? On, but they come off frequently. I've having a fair amount of swelling going on lately.

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? 

- This HORRIBLE Hip/Joint Pain! It's like my hips have completely separated from any and every way they could separate. From what I've googled, (which you're never, ever supposed to do...) it sounds like my body may have gone a little overboard with the relaxin stuff. Either way, I walk like a pirate and moving makes me want to cry. I took a warm shower this morning  - and it helped a little, but Ben had to help me put my clothes on. My hips hurt so badly that I started crying when I tried to put my underpants on. (TMI? Probably. Sorry about that...)

- I'm exhausted.

- I made Ben move his plate last night at dinner. The ketchup that he put on his hashbrowns was the stinkiest ketchup I have ever smelled in my LIFE.

- I'm extra emotional.

- Some days, I feel like I belong in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I feel as if I swell up as big as Garfield.

- Ben and I went to our five hour birth class on Saturday. Stupidiest thing I could have EVER done. (Especially since I'm the queasy girl that passed at on the blood mobile while filling out the beginning paperwork.) I was well aware of what happens but not one time had I been scared at the thought of labor and delivery... until now. They showed us these videos that were like from the 80s. The people in them were not exactly movie star quality. (I'll spare you my husband's comments.) And that midwife was creepy... and there were so many naked people... and random body parts... and blood... and needles... and all of those ladies made the weirdest moan-y delirious-fever noises... And just because that lady wanted a mirror so that she could see her baby come out, DID NOT MEAN THAT I WANTED TO SEE HER BABY COME OUT. YOU CANNOT UN-SEE THIS STUFF PEOPLE! Around hour #4, I started feeling strange... I was hot, and my head started hurting. Then I realized what was wrong: I was about to toss my cookies and I was speeding along on a one-way train to pass-out town. I told Ben I didn't feel well and I booked it out of the room. (I apparently had good timing though, they talked about episiotomies while I was down the hall.) Then I got to see the labor and delivery rooms... which are really nice - but still very hospital-ly. When we left, I didn't say much till the parking garage and then I started crying. (And when I say crying, I mean sobbing uncontrollably... to the point where I was having trouble breathing.) I have a wonderful husband. He told me that class was stupid and those people were dramatic and ours was going to be much better than all of that - all while he hugged me and rubbed my hair.

- Saturday evening, I had a baby shower! I had lots of wonderful people there and Baby got lots of wonderful presents!

Looking forward to: Going to bed tonight. Holding my baby. ...and I'm kind of anxious to get this whole deliver the baby thing out of the way now for so many more reasons than one.

Birth Date Guess? Okay, so this is new but Ben and I decided we would put in our official guesses.

My guess: The weekend of October 12th weighing in at 6lbs 8oz.

Ben's guess: October 28th weighing in at 7lbs 5oz.

Feel free to throw your guesses into the pot!

 

Doctor's Appointment update

Last ultrasound before baby comes!


Note to anyone who finds ultrasounds creepy:  Due to an overwhelming amount of inquiries, pictures are attached. So... don't scroll too far down.

Also note to anyone who dares to look and feels the need to say something negative about my baby: Keep it to yourself. If I hear it - or hear about it, I WILL beat the poop out of you. My baby is beautiful even if you are too blind to see it.

I can honestly not fully describe this appointment... so many things came into play today. But I'm going to keep this strictly focused on Baby C

Appointment went as follows:

- Sign in.
- Watch a little bit of Dr. Phil.
- Talk Ben's ears off.
- Pee in a cup.
- Pricked my finger to check my iron
- Take my blood pressure. (I can't remember exactly but it was like 145-8-ish over 85-ish.)
- Stand on the scale (after I take my shoes off, of course.) I now weigh 28 pounds heavier than I did the beginning on January.
- Check out my pre-registration packet for the hospital (Super cool btw...)
- Talk Ben's ears off.
- Realize how blessed we are... and pray for those who we're having a much worse Wednesday than I can explain.
- Start the ultrasound.
- The child has not yet had an ultrasound where she didn't start out with her hands in her face.
- The Ultrasound Technician confirmed that we are having a GIRL. (No boy parts in sight! I can wash her things and finish setting up the nursery!)
- Watched baby moving her mouth and sucking in amniotic fluid. (Weirdest thing ever! Looked like she was trying to talk to us! She's very efficient at the whole thing. I can also see why she always has hiccups.)
- Due to an emergency, (not on our part - everything is okay for the little Cabiness family.) my usual doctor (normally they do rotation for pregnant patients - and I got to see her last time.) came in and met with us in the ultrasound room.
- Double checked my blood pressure. (It had lowered.)
- Talked about swelling and such (Ben was better at paying attention than I was - I kept getting distracted by the baby.)
- Baby still looks good.
- Found out Baby does have a decent amount of hair! (Maybe there is something to the whole heartburn thing...)
- Found out that baby is currently locked and loaded in the head down position. (So that lump that's always up in my ribcage/squishing my lungs is totally her buttocks.)
- Baby would NOT cooperate to let us get any fantastic pictures of her face. (But I'm thinking she has her Daddy's nose and mouth. She also has very pretty shaped eyes... and what appears to be a "big ol' head.")
- Baby is weighing in at approximately 4lbs and 4oz! They expect her to gain up to 1/2 lb a week the last four weeks and we have about 4 weeks on top of that...
- Everything looked great so we checked out. Next visit is in two weeks!!

Profile view (She had her face smooshed up against the top of my uterus.)

Front view (It's not really clear but she turned just enough you can make out her little eyes and nose.)

The hardest part of pregnancy

Warning: this is kind of ramble-y and may only make sense to me... but I'm kind of using my blog as my pregnancy diary, so bear with me.

I have read article after article about how pregnancy makes these celebrity women (and some normal women) feel extremely feminine, strong, empowered, etc. Some women find enjoyment in "milking it" and having help... and some women become the kind, motherly type to everyone.

I do not, and have not, felt this way at all.

Don't get me wrong, pregnancy has it's perks. I love my little baby more than I could ever express. I love watching her roll and squirm around. I love just sitting in her room and dreaming of what it will be like in just a few short weeks. I stare at her ultrasound pictures and wonder what she'll look like. I cannot express how crazy in love I am with this little girl... and I pray that I am blessed to have more children down the road.
But at no point in my life have I ever felt more weak, more fearful, more vulnerable, and more insecure. I'm always second guessing... always thinking twice.

Before, if I couldn't find help, I'd just do it myself.
50lb bags of feed or a 40lb box that needs to be moved?
Before: So what?
Now: What if I hurt myself or my baby? What if I do something and have to be put on bed rest? I need to work - not only for the money but for my own sanity!

Dangerous Medicines?
Before: No problem.
Now: Just one drop of this touching me could kill her... and I would never forgive myself... better call and wait for help.

The chance that someone could hit me?
Before: Go ahead. I'll hit you back.
Now: What if they hit my baby?

Petting a cat?
Before: What's wrong with that?
Now: I don't know where this cat has been... what if it's covered in poop? (Aka, cat poo can carry a toxin that can cause deformities or miscarriages.)

Drinking this or eating that?
Before: No second thoughts in mind.
Now: Is this safe to eat? Would it hurt her? Would I be willing to trade my child's life for a sandwich?!?!

Leading a couple of horses through the pasture?
Before: IF I get kicked or stepped on, it'll hurt but it'll heal. No biggie.
Now: Protective amniotic fluid vs a 1500lb animal... you do the math.


The "Now" thoughts started kicking in at about 7 weeks into pregnancy, and I started having trouble living out all of the things that Jesus and Momma taught me so patiently through the years. (You know... patience, kindness, gentleness, etc.)
I realized that I wouldn't be able to do many of the things I did before... that I needed people. I needed help. I couldn't do it all on my own even if I wanted to do so. I realized my body was no longer my own and that what wouldn't necessarily hurt me, could hurt her.

My doctor warned me that pregnancy could make me tad more aggressive. I didn't understand at the time, but now I do. The best way that I can explain it is like this:
They say that having a baby is like wearing your heart on the outside. Well, currently, my heart is a visible bulge right around my belly button... and it's one of the scariest things I have ever experienced. It's like wearing your weak spot where everyone can see. (Believe me, people become scarier when you have to trust that no one will use that to their advantage. I don't know about you, but I've studied my history, and I've learned enough to know that there is a reason Jesus came to save us... we aren't naturally good. We're naturally selfish, butt-headed, meanie-pants.)

Teddy Roosevelt said to speak softly and carry a big stick. Before, I figured if I needed to, I could beat the dookie out of someone. (Or at the very least get enough licks in so that they could see that I meant business.) But, once pregnant, my "Big Stick" became my husband. When he is around, he takes the lead and I am not ashamed to say that I hide behind him more often than not. (You have no idea how much I thank Jesus daily for that man.) I can cry on him, I can have trouble getting up, I can ask him for help, and I know that he isn't going to take poop off of anyone. (Heck, even in my dreams I tell people that if they don't leave me alone I will call my husband on them... and they will regret it!)
BUT I'm not always around my husband. I cannot tote him around like a security blanket/security guard. So, without realizing it, I turned to my old defense mechanism.  I became the lady from the Crabby Road comics. Some days I hear my Papa (Daddy's Daddy.) in my head... and my Grandma (Momma's Mom.) come out of my mouth. (There are some of you who understood that better than others.) (Don't get me wrong, I love my family.) I have perfected the scowl... and I can be down-right mean. (One of the reason's I originally thought I was carrying a male child in my womb... the aggressiveness can be kind of scary some times.)  It's like being 15 again... It takes a lot more prayer to use my filter. I have to be aware of what is about to come out of my mouth, I have to control my breathing to help control my blood pressure, I have to use a rational thought process throughout the day, and I have to choose to see people as Jesus sees them... and how He sees me. (Believe me, I don't see how He puts up with us sometimes... we really can be a bunch of moron's.) It's become a very conscious process.

I thought I was doing so good... but Jesus has used pregnancy to show me just how far I have left to go. I thank Jesus that He is a forgiving God... because Lord knows I'm far from perfect. Bright side: (You know, I've discovered that I say that a lot...) Not a single time in my life have I not learned and grown from stuff like this. And though I don't enjoy it at the time, and I don't always see where it's helping, I understand and appreciate it later. I just hope and pray that what He is trying to teach me sinks in my bull-head.

32 weeks

 

 

How Far Along? 32 weeks and 1 day.

Baby Size: Somewhere around 16-19 inches long and around 4lbs! (Okay, I have my own idea of how big she currently is. I believe she's about the size of the kitten we found at work. About 16-17 inches long and weighs about 3 - 3.5 lbs.

Total Weight Gain: Somewhere around 23lbs. (We'll find out the new numbers on Wednesday.)

Maternity Clothes: As you can tell from the above picture, I recycle a lot of my clothes. Not much fits... or at least fits well.

Stretch Marks: The hip area and my belly are still stretch mark free.  But since I've gotten tired of the smell of the other lotion, and I managed to acquire a few stretch marks on the last... we've decided to switch up and we're back to the Bio-Oil. Twice a day... we're not giving up the battle now!

Best moment this week: Uhm... I guess it would be getting a lot of things accomplished this week...

Miss Anything? Sleep, and not being sore all of the time. It's getting really, really hard to get up from a sitting/laying position.

Movement: We're rocking and rolling. She definitely belongs to me and Ben though - the girl likes her sleep. Her rolls are much bigger. This morning, Ben came in the bedroom to wake me up and run his Sunday School lesson by me. He started laughing when he rubbed my belly because she was curled up on my left side and had my entire belly lop-sided.

Food Cravings:  Ice Water, Iced Sweet Tea, Ice Cream (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt is currently the fav.), Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not eating, being stressed, not enough sleep, and over-doing the whole physical activity thing.

Started to show yet? Yes, people keep asking me when I'm due! The best part is that now when I tell them they don't say "Oh, you've got a while." they say "You don't have long at all!" My favorite was Friday when I was helping unload a shipment and one of my customers asked that - and then said: "What the heck are you doing lifting those boxes?!" I told him I was working and he said: "Working?! Make somebody else do it. I'd tell them to kiss my butt." LOL

Gender: Girl! (We're going to double check this Wednesday - just in case! lol. I can't make myself open or wash any of her things from the last baby shower until I hear again. I know I have very clear ultrasound pictures that show she is a girl, but I told Ben that the moment I pop off a tag or wash any of it, that that will be the EXACT moment that she grows boy parts.

Belly Button in or out? Out. Ben thinks it's funny. I think it's slightly strange and sad. I had such a nice belly button... plus it's really weird seeing the inside of my belly button. Bright side: I know for sure that it's the cleanest and most moisturized that it's ever been!

Wedding Rings on or off? On, but they come off frequently. I've having a fair amount of swelling going on lately.

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? 

- Varicose and spider veins. I hate wearing shorts or skirts. It's bad enough with the swelling and super white legs. Luckily, I'm not one for wearing shorts/skirts.

- I eat about a spoonful of honey every night before bed. I heard that it helps regulate your blood sugar, helps with sleep, and leg cramps.

- My butt bone hurts. It feels like all of those joints swell and make moving quite difficult. It really makes me want to cry every time I realize I have to get up... especially from a laying down position. It should probably be embarrassing to admit that Ben has to help me up so much.

- The reflux is back!!!

- My brain lapses are getting worse. I just keep reminding myself that research says that it's a normal pregnancy thing - AND that it's worse for women carrying girls. Hopefully, she's getting all of the brain power she's taking from me... because Mommy's stupid now.

- Still waiting on this nesting thing to kick in. I'm doing stuff, but it's only because I know I need to do so.

- The acne on my back and chest is slightly clearing up.

- I believe that I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy some new undergarments soon.

- Even though I've always been freaked out by sleeping on top of the covers... (You never know what could get your or be crawling on you!) I spend most of my nights sleeping on top of the covers. I'm always hot... day or night. I'm freezing my co-workers to death. Luckily, my husband isn't complaining too much.... though I did sort-of accidentally kick all of his covers because I was hot. He said he would remind me of all of this come November and I started griping about it being cold all of the time.

- The Braxton hicks are getting a little stronger - but still not bad - just uncomfortable since it gets so hard up under/around my ribs.

Looking forward to: The rest of this weekend. My next baby shower. My next doctors visit/ultrasound (Which is WEDNESDAY!!) Holding my baby.

Birth Date Guess? Okay, so this is new but Ben and I decided we would put in our official guesses.

My guess: The weekend of October 12th weighing in at 6lbs 8oz.

Ben's guess: October 28th weighing in at 7lbs 5oz.

Feel free to throw your guesses into the pot!

 

 

Now, if you'll excuse me... I believe I'm going to finish off my tub of Ice Cream. :)