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.