38 weeks!

Someone seems to have another cold; boo. In positive news this week Miss Lu Lu...

She will NOT lay flat on her back for longer than two seconds.

• Is a SQUIRMER. Baby hardly sits/stays still and is very curious about everything.
• Has been giving us lots of "mama"s and "dada"s, but I'm not sure she realizes what she's saying.
• Is trying so hard to stand on her own; she stands up any chance she can get but can't do much without holding on though that changes a bit more each day. She cruises all over the place so as soon as she's strong enough and figures it out she'll be trying to put the two together; taking steps and not holding on to anything - yikes!
• Enjoyed watching soccer on TV with her dad this past weekend...we're trying hard to avoid screens for her but sometimes TV happens.
• She is very intrigued by our phones. Since we do facetime with our families she knows and loves the phone which is not something that makes me happy so we try to keep them out of her sight when not doing facetime.
• Will give slobbery open mouthed kisses if she's not too distracted by everything else around her. Ditto to "high-fives".
• Has had some crummy sleep due to this cold so hopefully things get better soon.
• One week and a half until our big trip...little bit has no idea what's in store for her!!!

xoxo, natty ♥

32 weeks!

Only 20 more of these updates to go! Tonight we're pretending there's not a nerve-wracking World Series game on right now and focus on this little girl! This was a fun week! Hanna Lu is...

A serious one because our Giants cause us consternation.

• Hopefully feeling much better after getting over her first cold. She sidestepped a high fever which one of her little peers got {I work with the moms of two of Hanna's "classmates"}.
• But is maybe teething again? We see/feel nothing up top {which is supposed to be where the next ones come in} but there's the drool like before and she's majorly into chewing on things like before too, not to mentioned some disturbed sleep and fussiness...
• Is eating a bit less...womp womp. I was thinking maybe she wasn't super hungry after her cold but who ever knows with this baby and her eating. I do know that milk comes home with her each day. But, she is still enjoying eating actual food; sweet potatoes are the favorite though this week she's been really into bell pepper and cucumber. We'll have some more chicken later this week hopefully as well as some toast and perhaps a bit of yogurt. The "puffs" I give her are very appreciated as well.
• Is now a tummy bather -who does that??- she starts sitting and then I put her on her back to get her cleaned up a bit more. This lasts for less than a minute before she turns right over to splash and crawl around. we're not a fan of this since it's too slippery for her to stay steady but goodness gracious she's not happy to be put back on her back. The other big problem of this whole "on the tummy" thing is that she'll open her mouth and dip down, letting the water get in and she laps it up. 
• Isn't moving quite as quickly with her crawling because she's trying too hard to get up on her feet {which creates a bit of a downward facing dog pose} or bending one leg and kinda trying to sit.
• Skipped her late afternoon nap tonight and was a WRECK at bedtime...it's kind of a rush to pick her up and get home so she can rest a bit {in bed by 5-ish}; she'll sleep for about an hour and then we do the whole bedtime routine. Apparently this nap helps!
• LOVED cheering on her daddy while he ran his marathon on Sunday.

Thank you auntie Becs for these pictures!!!

         Hanna Lu really liked watching the runners zoom past her.

          And giving daddy some love. 

• Went to the pumpkin patch for the first time and also really enjoyed it; this kid is pretty observant and likes looking around at everything and everyone. 

"

"Lemme at that llama."

         The "farm" animals were a high point of the afternoon for her. I say "farm"    
         because are llamas really farm animals?

• Got to meet her loving auntie Becs; this was so special.
• Is a crazy handful, especially if she's tired, but we're so enamored of this kid. 

xoxo, natty ♥

31 weeks!

Somehow I got sicker than the baby did and I'm jotting this down before heading to urgent care for, hopefully, some antibiotics. In other and lighter news...

• Is getting over her first full-blown cold; there were/are some rough nights but she's been pretty happy during the day. Just snotty.
• Hates getting her snot cleared out. We have this sucker thing and she cringes when she sees me coming towards her with it and is maybe eying me a bit suspiciously while daddy hasn't done any of it so he's the good guy. 
• Is babbling; we hear lots of "dadada" and I heard a "y" tacked onto the end of it the other day, there are some "la"s and "ba"s in there too, as well as "ghee"s.
• Is crawling everywhere, most specifically to our bookshelf. It's still an army crawl though her legs are kind of doing the crawling motion now. She also does this thing where she moves herself with her arms/hands and kind of pops up her back half. She has also taken to getting up on her feet while her hands are holding her up; kind of a downward facing dog yoga pose and it looks almost like she's trying to stand up.
• Is enjoying more and more food; sweet potatoes are still the favorite, broccoli is not a favorite, she tried peas tonight {I mashed up each one a bit to avoid the choking fear}, and she still loves her oatmeal. We may try water in a sippy cup in the next week.
• Is a handful; she figured out rolling over and trying to crawl in the bath yesterday...another bath time activity the baby discovered? We're practicing sitting in the bath and last night she was leaning forward, holding herself up with her hands and getting her face close to the water...and I realized she was lapping it up like a dog.
• Finds Guinness the dog hilarious; if I can get him to put his front paws up on her stroller while she's in it we get a nice belly laugh.
• Loves playing with board books; that's a good start, right?!!
• Is very observant and watches everything and everyone...I think she picks up on emotions pretty well for her little age, but I could be imagining it; she might not smile as much if we're talking in a more serious tone.
• We're loving this kid and can't wait for aunt Rebecca to meet her later this week!!!

xoxo, natty ♥

28 weeks!

We've got a fun and busy few days ahead of us so let's see what this kid's up to this week!

Notice that paw?

• Making tons of "scheeeeeeee" sounds; almost like a hiss...Hanna seems to do this when she's happy!
• Crawling and crawling and crawling; she's up on her hands and knees now and rocking back and forth but the actual movement comes from her army crawling.
• She had banana, avocado, and some bread; she was really into the process but didn't quite swallow very much and that's OK.
• Still loving her oatmeal mixed with milk.
• Is starting to exhibit some separation anxiety; it's almost annoying...HL will cry if I walk away when she doesn't want me to. She doesn't cry when I leave her at daycare in the morning but when I get there in the afternoon if she sees me before I have a chance to pick her up and I try to gather her things the babe gets fussy.
• Is having her last day at the current daycare; they have to close for not a bad reason but that means that Hanna Lu will go to a new daycare, also in a home, a bit closer to where I work, and with one of her friends from the current place.
• Will stand up quite strongly when we hold her.
• Can sit ever so nicely but I still won't leave her alone like this because after a bit she topples over. 
• Had a weird night on Sunday; cried when I put her down which she doesn't do anymore so we got her up and fed her a bit. The baby seemed sniffly so we got out the congestion which did not go over well and we decided that maybe she was catching a real cold (the last incident didn't really happen). I put her down again and she cried even more. When we picked her up she was SO snot faced and we felt horrible. After some more congestion-relief and calming, we decided to try again. The funny thing is that she was totally cool after we picked her up and we were hanging out - smiling and laughing and happy. When we finally put her down, it was two hours past her bedtime which is not bad considering it was 8:30 - she slept almost instantly - but we both freaked out a bit until Monday night's bedtime because we didn't want to think that our baby was settling into a new and loud habit.
• Is cracking us up on the daily!

xoxo, natty ♥

25 weeks.

September keeps chugging along and let's see what else is up...

• Hand waving...she's doing this funny thing, usually when she eats but sometimes if she's just laying there, where she's actually noticing her hands...like "woah, these fingers are aawwwwweesome".
• Lots of squawking and shrieking and creaking and wonderful sounds.
• Loving her "solid" food...we do this multigrain oatmeal/barley thing that I mix with milk and it's quite the hit...even if she's DONE with any milk, this baby will go to town on the oatmeal. She also loves her spoons.
• We are scooting more and more each day...what an inch worm!! She often gets her arm stuck under her for a second as she's moving forward and then she swoops down to the side where her arm is stuck...when she's on her play mat it's fine because it's a soft landing but she's now reaching the hardwood floor and that's definitely not a soft landing.
• Baby got to meet Aunt Maeve {& got gifted a glorious pink tutu and Chicago skyscraper onesie}...what a joy to introduce our daughter to another dear friend.
• The see me ROLLING - this kid will stay on her back for a fraction of a second after being placed down. This:

Red knees from all that scootching/crawling/inching around.

    is how our weekly photo shoot has started out for a while now...then it quickly        

    turns to this: 

      and I"ll finally get her to notice the camera and all is well for mom's picture    

      taking.

• Still a finicky milk drinker...that's alright because she gets in enough but it's a process; good thing day care gets to enjoy this part of Hanna rearing. Her new thing to do whilest not really taking her bottle very well is blow bubbles in-between sips and back into the bottle; the child is blowing bubbles into her milk at an early age, in my opinion.
• She LOVES soft toys; stuffed animals and blankies and anything she can grab onto - baby still goes for Sophie the Giraffe but she loves the softies.
• We, on the other hand, love this baby...stuffies, softies, and Sophie are great but Hanna Lu is totally the bees' knees to us!  

xoxo, natty ♥

23 weeks.

It was a big week for our little girl...let's look at the deets:

• An impromptu visit with Grandma and Zaide! They got to do the bedtime routine for two nights and Hanna Lu was very happy in their company; very vocal too with lots of shrieking!
• The baby experienced her first Maryland crab feed, though vicariously, obviously.
• Baby tried rice cereal for the first time; though not all of it stayed in our daughter seemed QUITE the fan. I made it thicker yesterday than the day before and thicker tonight than yesterday. Tonight Ms. Lu even ate way more than the first two times.
• Our child kind of crawled; she pulled herself forward on her tummy and it was ever-so-deliberate. This was yesterday and the little stinker would not perform for us today but my goodness what a thrill! Her poor little knees get red when this happens and I guess I could put her in pants every day or start using those cute baby leg warmers we got. Today's activity was that HL would roll over to one side instead of inching forward and then not roll back. 
• Has shown a renewed interest in her feet...especially while in the bath!
• Hanna Lu had a new babysitter, a friend of ours, while we were out and about.
• We're still going to daycare each day. She hasn't gotten sick yet but I feel a tickle in my throat and imagine there's something around the corner for either or both of us.
• I have a work obligation one night this week so Daddy will do bedtime on his own for the first time and we're also looking forward to a weekend with friends.

22 weeks.

I made a lot of updates in yesterday's post but let's still think about being 22 weeks old, after all, it only happens once.

Kiddo tucks in her chin making it look like she has no neck; Uncle Fester Baby Hanna! {Any Addams Family fans out there?!} Also...I think it's safe to say that baby Lu will not have long dancer's legs? Maybe shorter soccer player legs? Long or short, I love every inch of them.

• Making wonderful screeching, gooing, cooing sounds.
• Goes to daycare from about 7 to 4 each day; I'm trying to remain positive about this but I miss her SO much during the day.
• Is still into her binkies.
• Still loves her playmat friends.
• Is a rolling over MACHINE...she usually sleeps on her tummy {rolls over almost immediately after being placed on her back}.
• Was taking mostly bottles during the day last week...now that's all she has during the day and gets to nurse right before bed some days and always in the middle of the night.
• Is exploring with some new sounds, especially this hilarious hissing sort of sound. There's a bit of a consonant in there {"g"?}. I love it.
• Thinks her "brother" is hilarious and loves the feel of his scratchy fur.

         She really does enjoy looking at this pooch and even laughs at him.

         He loves to lick her face and she winces now even if he just walks towards her...

That whorl of hair kills me.

         and though the hound is quite fond of the little one, he's still is own man and
         can walk away if and when he wants.

• Took some GREAT naps last week; I'm not sure how well that's going at daycare now but she gets a little "report" card each day and yesterday {her first day} said she took a couple of good ones.
• Got to lick a piece of a cucumber {thank you daddy} and really showed no reaction.
• Sits happily in her little highchair; it clips on to the edge of our island counter {which we use as our "table"}.
• Is more and more interested in what we're drinking or eating.
• Really enjoys the little crab toy on her exersaucer; she sucks on his ribbon legs.
• Adores Dolly Baby.
• Likes to scratch/feel things. I always think she might want something to hold onto because her hand opens and shuts but she never holds onto something for very long, I think she just likes the feeling of things.
• Is getting pretty good at sitting up for a few seconds on her own...as seen below:

         right before I let her topple over and hit her head on the hard floor. Baby and I
         cried together; it was awful.

• Is our light and joy - we LOVE this kid so much.

10 weeks.

It's been such a lovely few days with family and we're happy to have a few more...and let's see what Ms. Hanna Lu is up to...

• Tons of wonderful smiles, coos, squawks, and giggly sounds...we are loving this!!

• Thumb sucking! She usually gets just her fits in there but every other time or so manages just the thumb...she isn't aware that she can bring her hand to her mouth, it's just by chance or the few times we bring it up there for her.

• Has a hard time falling asleep.

• Has a hard time staying asleep for very long unless being held.

• Is happiest in the mornings.

• Hanny Lu is enjoying her first vacation with her dad's side of the family...we're in Shenandoah, Virginia, and the little girl loves all the attention and the beautiful green trees around us.

• Is doing well with taking a bottle.

• Did really well with the several-hour car-ride down here, though a bottle seemed to be the only way to calm her down at certain points; even if the car is moving well, little girl doesn't love to be stuck in the car and I think it's because she doesn't like to be strapped down and that's precisely the purpose of a car seat!

• Visited her first national park {Shenandoah} and slept her way through her first hike {daddy "wore" her}.

• Is being loved on by so much family this week; thank you so so much to them all for a fabulous time together! 

xoxo, natty ♥

Nine weeks.

We're almost into double digit weeks here; what a growing girl! Let's see what else is going on.

• The night after her shots was a rough one but things were better the next day
• She's rolled over from her tummy to her back several times and looks like she's trying to go in the other direction too
• Hanna Lu enjoys sucking on her hand (the right one, mainly) and seems to be going for the thumb at times
• She's about to meet some more family this week
• This is her last week in DC; next week we'll be in Shenandoah and after that we'll be in California and Arizona for about six weeks and then we're moving to Silver Spring, Maryland
• Lots of good smiles, coos, and beautiful sounds coming from this baby; we just love her! 

xoxo, natty ♥

42 weeks and a setback.

So we had our baby! But then I got really sick and had to spend some more time in the hospital; I had meant to post this last Friday when I would've been 42 weeks pregnant so please forgive the tardiness. I'm probably not going to be posting as often as before but who knows?! Having been sick and also being a newborn's mother, it might be kind of nice to feel even somewhat connected to the world, even if it's just me plastering something on the internet.

Anyway, let's update!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now there’s a baby! It was a reeeaaallly long week between the last update and this one and the last post but the happiest byproduct of is our beautiful daughter, Hanna Lucille. We’re recovering at home and looking forward to feeling more and more human as the days progress, though sleeplessness does not a thing to help with that. Let’s look at some stats.

How far along: today I would be 42 weeks – I had Hanna Lucy at 41 weeks and 4 days pregnant.

Symptoms:

·      We have a daughter, a real live baby that we’ve been entrusted {by whom?!} to care for.

·      It was a long and hard labor that ended up taking place in the hospital. Though not a C-section and I’m not recovering from surgery, it was actually a really difficult labor and I’m going to be recovering pretty gingerly these first few days.

·      Baby is very healthy {& large…see below} and has a wonderful clean bill of health; we are so grateful.

Wait gain: I actually haven’t looked at mine yet but she clocked in at 9 pounds 13 ounces on her birthday. And 22 inches long, just for the record.

Size of baby: see above.

Exercise: we are sequestered at home, besides appointments, for the next few weeks.

Milestones: Hanna Lou is nursing every several hours.

She hasn’t been sleeping for long stretches of time but hopefully now that there’s milk coming in that will change, though she sleeps best in our arms and it would be ever-so-nice for her to sleep somewhere else for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

Despite her size she still fits well enough in the newborn clothes we’ve tried on and is also filling out those newborn diapers.

What I miss: well, I loved being pregnant but labor/delivery was the hardest thing I had ever done {two marathons seem easy in comparison} so I’m going to say that I do miss feeling the babe move around inside of me as well as lots and lots of sleep if I wanted it, but I am so glad to be on the better side of delivering a baby.

Sex: Hanna Lucy.

Movement: she’s a squirmer out here and swaddling her is a must for helping her calm down.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: hmmm...are we even capable of parenting?

Sleep: not much…let’s leave it at that!

Goals: get some milk coming in and hopefully have her sleep a bit more.

Random: It’s still such a surreal situation; we have a beautiful baby and we are so in love.

 xoxo, natty ♥

41 weeks.

We’re still pregnant and hoping not to be one week from today {that’s when they would medically induce labor}. Michael’s patient parents have been in town since Tuesday just putzing around with me during the day and we’re all feeling ready for something to happen.

It was a great last weekend we had {way back, almost a week ago}, friends in town and some warm weather, so we’d be OK with that being the last weekend…aka, having the baby tonight would be alright. So let’s get this update started.

How far along: 41 weeks – I was wrong last week; “post term” pregnant is for 42 weeks and beyond {yikes}. I’m just pregnant, albeit beyond my due date.

Symptoms:

·      I forgot to mention this last week but in a cruel twist of timing, the final weeks of my pregnancy have brought me some stretch marks on my tummy, kind of around my belly button. Dear Stretch Mark Fairy, way to wait until the end.

·      I’ve noticed Braxton Hicks contractions, it feels like my whole belly tenses up and tingles and they don’t hurt.

·      I believe I’ve even had some real contractions; they feel almost gassy in and around my lower back and belly.

·      I’m still hungry all the time.

·      My carpal tunnel is very crummy.

·      I’m kind of tired, but for a few days I was out and about quite a bit so I think that was it. After an appointment this morning I was supposed to come home and rest {thank you midwife Dorothy} but I haven’t felt like it, despite having a hard time waking up this morning.

Wait gain: 169 to 173…I saw it all this week; this morning was 169.

Size of baby: there are no more produce comparisons! So sad! I guess that baby is the size of a baby?

Exercise: some good walks in the neighborhood and then when temperatures plummeted yesterday {& the winds were howling – thanks a lot Old Man Winter, you’ve really given us a special season} we mosied around one of the museums for a bit {Natural History}.

Milestones: we had a Non-Stress Test this morning which measures baby’s heart rate for 20 minutes; as an active human outside of the womb, her heart rate should’ve been going slightly up and down according to her movements and any possible contractions I was having – and it did!

My membranes got swept twice. I won’t explain this beyond it’s meant to kick start labor.

If I make it to Monday, we’ll have a Bio-Physical Profile, which is a detailed ultrasound to check on baby and amniotic fluid levels as well as another Non-Stress Test. If that goes well then we see the midwife each day to attempt some more non-medical induction techniques before the looming deadline of Friday March 21^st – Medical Induction Day {something I’d like to avoid}.

What I miss: nothing really. I miss not waiting for a Momentous Occasion to occur at any moment, actually.

Sex: it’s s girl!

Movement: she’s still at it, which is good and what we want.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: let’s have this baby!

Sleep: it’s been the same as before, I’m up each two to three hours for the bathroom and some water.

Goals: not be medically induced.

Random: Is this our final Friday night without a baby? I keep wondering “is this our last ___________?”  

And…might we have an Ides of March baby? A March 16^th baby? A St. Patrick’s Day baby? I think a March 14^th baby isn’t in the works but I’m hoping in the next few days…

40 weeks.

We made it to 40 weeks pregnant. And we’re still pregnant! It’s been SUCH a low-key week at home, which has been wonderful, especially after the hectic work pace I had been keeping since AUGUST. Michael was with me almost every day since he was pretty sick and there were snow days. I got things done in the apartment and lazed around a lot.

We didn’t go for very many walks {two, to be precise} but it was so snowy then slushy/icy then frigid. Excuses, excuses, but it might have been a good idea to try and get things going in the “let’s have this baby” department. As of yesterday, according to the midwife, there’s no progress. She cannot {nor can anyone, for that matter} predict when the baby will come but she tactfully told us that many first time mothers will go a bit over a week late. I’m completely OK with our daughter taking her time, though I’m actually feeling impatient – so maybe I’m not completely OK with it then? It’s just that we have some very special grandparents coming to visit very soon who would like to meet their first grandchild and we would like for that too…so let’s get this show on the road baby girl!

I am grateful for the week off, though. It was so nice to finally have mental space and energy to think about having a baby and being a parent – a luxury I had a hard time making time for when teaching and commuting was taking up so much of me. Thank goodness we’ll be living somewhere closer to work when the new school year begins AND that I won’t be adjusting to a new textbook/curriculum {read: basically starting from scratch}. So if we get another week still pregnant, I’ll be just as grateful, albeit a bit more impatient.

On to the details.

Shadowville still.

How far along: 40 weeks – I’m now officially post-term

Symptoms:

·      Pregnancy.

·      The carpal tunnel in my right hand hasn’t gotten worse but it hasn’t gotten much better; I’m hoping this is a miraculous “will disappear as soon as I’m no longer pregnant” sort of story.

·      I’ve had maybe a few “light” contractions, so the midwife told me, according to the crampiness I described, but she seemed to think more that it’s an irritable uterus instead; I think this is hilarious because I can envision an angry body organ shaking its fist. This irritability is just considering how huge a uterus gets at the end of pregnancy as well as all of the weight it’s schlepping around {at least seven pounds of baby plus several more pounds of other stuff}…this isn’t a painful condition, rather, I just notice it.

·      I’m still ravenous throughout the day and night. I even had several dreams in which I remarked that I was “starving” and could feel being hungry. Needless to say, I had a snack as soon as I got up the next morning.

Wait gain: 167; still losing a bit.

Size of baby: a pumpkin or a jack fruit.

Exercise: two neighborhood walks and then I walked an entire mall today {both levels}, at a decent clip today.

Milestones: we reached the “end” of a full-term pregnancy; it was great to hit weeks 36/37 and think that my baby was more likely than not completely OK and could go home right away after birth, but obviously 40 was the goal all along. It’s been a wonderful pregnancy; I’ve truly loved almost every aspect of it. I’m assuming labor/birth might not be so enjoyable but, naively perhaps, I’m so grateful for this whole experience. I realize that any subsequent pregnancies could be extremely different from this one so I’m especially thankful for it.

We also got our strollers assembled, all the cloth diapers laundered and stuffed, and bags mostly packed. Tomorrow morning the much-delayed car seat will be installed and inspected {thanks Metropolitan PD!}…we are as ready as we can be.

What I miss: not much right now! With the light at the end of the tunnel I’m feeling energized and excited.

Sex: still a girl.

Movement: it’s good and roly-poly. I’m feeling some movement way in the bottom towards my hipbones almost, which is an odd sensation.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: I have until 41 weeks and six days to be able to give birth at the birthing center vs. the hospital and to not be medically induced. I’m not worried about this timeline rather, like I mentioned, I’m feeling a tad impatient. I’d like to have our daughter here before her grandparents arrive. So, we’ve tried a few things: spicy food, walking, red raspberry leaf tea, and evening of primrose oil. Only time can tell if any of them will work so look out for an update! One thing I am able to say, though, is that I won’t try taking Castor Oil like some women do; it sounds gross gross gross.

Sleep: I’m still up every two to three hours, but I’m so used to it. Plus, I figure that my sleep will be just as broken up {if not more} soon enough, at least now it’s only needing to use the bathroom and I can go right back to sleep.

Goals: have a baby!

Random: will this be our last weekend together as two? Three, actually; I’d be remiss if I didn’t count Guinness. Again, I really am so glad I had this week. There might be a few random things I’d like to tie up around here, cleaning-wise, but baby preparation is at a good place right now as are we mentally. I’m so excited to see what this next phase of life has to bring us but I am definitely very much so continuing to enjoy my still-pregnant state.

39 weeks.

I’m still running off adrenaline from my last few hours of work today but hopefully I’ll calm down soon enough because WOAH, today was my last day of work. It’s very surreal to me. I’ve never passed on my classes before; when the school year is over, my classes are done and it’s summer but now, those classes that I’ve put so {SO} much effort into since August are just someone else’s. Even though it’s weird, though, I’m beyond grateful for many things; for the ability to take off this time from work, for the substitute who is coming in to take my classes, for my supportive husband at home…and many other things. On a very basic level, I really hope that this baby of ours comes on or very near her due date so that I can get at least two or three weekdays to sleep in next week!

Let’s update!

I hate these horrible shadows but we have two lights out in our apartment that are hard to replace because we have recessed lighting and we need to scrounge up a ladder to change them. Plus only Mikey can do this, he doesn't think I should be climbing things at this point.

How far along: 39 weeks

Symptoms:

·      Horrible pain {carpal tunnel?} in my right thumb. I mentioned this last week too and it feels worse this week. I can’t grip things very well and it is so stiff when I get up in the morning.

·      A bit of feet swelling this week. Or more than a bit? Well, my shoes are tight. My tootsies don’t look huge so it could just be widening. I seriously hope I don’t go up too much in actual foot size because I really don’t want to get mostly new shoes.

·      I’ve still been ravenous, dinner sometimes isn’t enough.

·      I get some restless legs when I sit on the couch; laying down seems ok and sitting in a chair is fine but the couch seems to aggravate them.

·      I’ve felt some pushing on something internal {my cervix?} and it is not the most enjoyable sensation.

·      I hadn’t known it at all but I think I’ve been having some Braxtin Hicks contractions. I only “found out” as I was laying down for the midwife to measure my belly she said “Oh, you’re having a contraction!”; I think it’s only when/if I lay down on my back and it felt like nothing except that my tummy got very firm/tight. The midwife told me that many women assume their actual contractions/labor won’t be that bad if/when they have these painless B-H contractions, which she thinks is hilarious because it’s not true. I thanked her kindly for her assurance.

·      I’m also very thirsty; water water water please!

·      My back and hips get sore when I’m laying down for too long.

·      The midwife gave me a weight estimate of about 7.5 pounds; these are very pretty subjective guesses but I’m hoping that little girl is around there – though actually birthing the child will be a challenge, I’m very happy with a bigger baby {I can’t wait for those chunky-monkey roly-poly thighs!}.

Wait gain: 167 to 171…what a range; it was about 170 the night before my appointment, then 171 at the midwife yesterday, then about 168 late last night.

Size of baby: a mini-watermelon or a watermelon; one website said one and the other said the other.

Exercise: walking at work; not very good.

Milestones: I wrapped up work. This is huge for me. As I mentioned earlier in the post, I’m having a hard time realizing that I won’t go into work on Monday; I’m officially on maternity leave – eek!

Our daughter is now at “full-term”, 37 to 38 weeks is “early term” I think. If I were to have needed a scheduled C-section for whatever reason, now’s when it could happen.

What I miss: sleeping for more than two to three hours and not having back/hip pain. And not having this weird hand/thumb pain!

Sex: daughter.

Movement: good moves, lots of “rolling” around, though she isn’t rolling anymore, I think it’s more like arching her back and moving her arms and legs.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: now I get to have a baby!!! I want to have some days to mentally wrap my mind around labor and birth. I’ve been so focused on work that those two big events have been swept aside a bit and I’m really excited to get myself into a mentally prepared {or as prepared as I can be} state of mind.

And, yes, I’m nervous. But I’ve heard that nerves are a good thing in this process.

Sleep: I said it earlier; I’m up every two to three hours and I get sore/achy, but those few hours are good sleep.

Goals: make it to 40 weeks!

Random: Like last week, I thought of a few more things I’d like to get before I feel totally ready for this child of ours; some more newborn diapers {to use before we jump over to cloth [yikes!]}, a dishwasher container for her bottle accouterments, some lanolin, and hair bows {totally necessary}.

I’d also like to get our apartment un-cluttered; there’s baby stuff stashed in boxes in our living room and I want to get it organized/put away. My biggest challenge right now is baby clothes. There’s only so much space I can find. Even if I only put her current size in the drawers I have dedicated to our daughter, then I still need to find a place to put those extra clothes and because our apartment’s lack of storage, that’s a challenge. At the same time, I don’t want to shove all of her things into her few drawers because then it’s hard to see what she has. These are definitely “first world” problems and honestly I’m just so grateful for this impending arrival and we’ll figure out where to put her clothes soon enough. 

All in all, I’m just SO excited for this next phase of our lives; is it really time?!?!