36 Weeks

On Saturday my baby will be considered full term.. Finally getting there! According to some charts I've looked at my little melon baby should be just under 6lbs, well two weeks ago he was 6lbs so I'm going to assume he's at least 7lbs by now. My belly is getting pretty huge and in the past two weeks I've gone from not having any stretch marks at all to having my belly pretty much covered in them.. not fun at all and really depressing because nothing will get rid of them and they are only going to look worse after I have the baby because I'll also have flabby skin. Oh well, I may not ever be able to wear a two piece bathing suit ever again but I will have a precious baby boy. I'll just have to workout hard core and eat really healthy.. highly doubt it will be easy but we will see. Gives me a good idea for a new blog post when I'm able to start working out again, I'll have to document the adventures of trying to be a hot mom.. or at least a healthy one. Hey, a girl can dream! lol. I'm gonna try my best to get in good shape before my husband comes home from deployment, I will only have a couple of months to do it so I know I will have to work really hard. One thing at a time though, first I have to give birth and make sure my son is healthy and learn to take care of him on my own before looking good can even be an issue.

 I am so nervous about how big he is already, I was told that if I go to 40 weeks he could easily weigh 10 lbs! Sorry but that is just too large, especially for my first. I can't even imagine having a baby that big! But there are women out there who are tiny and have given birth to babies bigger than that, so I know it's possible. I've heard giving birth is comparable to squeezing a Buick through a cheerio. lol.. funny but also scary! Last week I had some maternity pictures done by Stephanie Ker from Blush Artistic Photography.. so far I am really loving how they are turning out and can't wait to see them all. She really captured everything nicely. It's great because Adam can get a better idea of what I actually look like with this huge belly, the last time he saw me in person I weighed 30lbs less than I do now and there is only so much he can see over Skype and in pictures I've taken of myself so it was really nice to have some professional pictures done. He has really enjoyed looking at them so far and can't wait to see the rest of them. There are two of my favorites at the bottom of the page :)

So yesterday my dad took me grocery shopping, yes I'm to the point that I need help getting groceries lol.. Well I'm not a doctor but it's safe to say baby boy has dropped or is very close to dropping into position. I can barely walk and can feel his head really low plus there is a TON of pressure down low with some pain, there was a point while getting groceries I seriously thought I was going to have him right there.. of course my dad asked if I was ok and I said yes, so then he started making jokes about me having a baby in Meijer and then when we were pulling up to my apartment told me to get out of his truck before my water broke lol.. of course he was kidding, I think ;) I've been having contractions since I was only 18 weeks but so far they haven't been in a pattern or anything, the closest they've been was 10 minutes apart and that was about a week ago however they stopped within an hour so I didn't bother going to the hospital. This past week and a half though I've started getting contractions in my lower back, a very odd feeling but I think it's a hint that I will be going into real labor very soon. I'm predicting in the next two or three weeks..

How far along? 36 Weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: 30lbs.. I'm pretty sure I outweigh my husband now, kinda scary! lol

Maternity clothes? Everything except for sweatpants, which are stretchy enough anyway ;)

Stretch marks? Yes, way more than I thought I would get.. Hoping they don't get worse!!

Sleep: I either sleep for only 2hrs or 12hrs, my body can't seem to find a balance.

Best moment this week: Getting a really sweet email from my husband about how excited he is to be a dad and how much he loves and misses me and how happy he will be when he's finally home :)  

Miss Anything? More than anything right now, I really miss my husband.. other than that I miss what it feels like to actually feel good and healthy.

Movement: Of course, especially just after I eat or when I'm trying to sleep. He can get pretty violent sometimes!

Food cravings: Any kind of dessert.. which isn't helping my weight at all lol.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: Contractions but so far they're not too close together or in a pattern.

Symptoms: Lots of pressure in the pelvic area, very bad sciatica on both sides, heartburn of course, Braxton-Hicks as well as contractions in my lower back.

Belly Button in or out? Definitely out!

Wedding ring on or off? Always on! (which is more than I can say for Adam, lol long story but he has lost his wedding ring for the 3rd time since being deployed.. sorry honey but I had to call you out on this. kisses!)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Usually happy, a little sad here and there but rarely ever moody. Very anxious too! 

Looking forward to: My doctor appointment on Friday, maybe they will be able to tell me for sure he has dropped down and give me a good estimate as to how much he weighs now and hopefully we can discuss getting induced before my due date because he's so big.

 

Thanks to Stephanie Ker from Blush Artistic Photography! By the way, this picture totally made me realize I seriously need to get my hair touched up LOL no worries people, I have an appointment this weekend to fix those roots ;) Also those tiny little shoes are from Adams mom, how cute are they?!

Here is another gorgeous picture by Stephanie Ker. She does excellent work! Love this one of course, it was taken on the Tridge the day before Thanksgiving, I was surprised at how gorgeous the weather turned out to be.. sunny and warm at the end of November?? Yup :)

Well now that you've seen the pretty pictures, here is one I took this morning. You can see my stretch marks or as many mamas like to call them "tiger stripes" I just wanted people to get an idea of just how big my belly is right now and you may be able to notice the bottom of my belly is looking much bigger than it has in the previous weeks. I feel like I am stretched to my limit, I've said that every week for the past two months lol yet somehow I just keep getting bigger and bigger!

 

 

 

 

35 weeks

So it's been about a month since my last post.. sorry, been super busy! Last weekend I had my baby showers, one with Adam's side of the family and the other with my side. I was exhausted the whole time but was super happy to get a bunch of great things for the baby. Been in a nesting phase so it was nice to have things to put together and really start getting the apartment ready for my little munchkin! Still have a few things to finish up but I feel like I'm finally making some progress and won't be totally unprepared if baby boy decides to come a little early. At my last appointment I was told he is in the correct position to be born.. I prefer it if he stays in a few more weeks though! I feel like it could be very soon, there is just so much pressure lately and my hips have been extra sore. It's crazy to think that at some time in the next few weeks I will officially be a mama, sometimes it doesn't seem real at all and other times it's overwhelming. I'm nervous and scared but also excited!

Now that my pregnancy is almost over, I've realized just how much time has passed since my husband has been deployed. He has pretty much missed out on the whole experience, afterall he left when I was just a few weeks along and was never able to go to any doctors appointments or see any ultrasounds except for the pictures I sent him. I tried to keep him as involved as possible, I just hope it has been enough. I know his mind is busy with the things he's doing over there and doesn't always have the time to be focused on what's going on back home so I do have a little bit of a fear that they might not have a very good bond and obviously I want them to be close. Of course Adam will love our son, I do not doubt that for a minute. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out once Adam gets to finally hold him for the first time.. I can't even count how many times I've smiled just thinking about that moment and how happy we will be when it finally happens. Seeing them together will totally melt my heart! Hoping that he will be able to come home to see our son when he is born, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It would be so wonderful to have him here for this precious/ life altering event.. not to mention I'd get to squeeze his hand really hard during labor and make him give me a back massage ;)

Since my last blog post I've had several doctor appointments. Well, two appointments ago my doctor was concerned because I was measuring several weeks ahead so she wanted me to get an ultrasound done just to double check everything. Turns out everything looks fine for now, I'm just going to have a really big baby! I'm glad things are looking healthy but at the same time totally scared of having a huge baby.. giving birth will be painful enough, having a larger baby isn't going to help with that either. LOL.. didn't think I wanted an epidural but with that information I will probably want one now ;) Last week he weighed approximately 6lbs already and is in the 75th percentile, meaning out of 100 babies he is bigger than 74 of them! I shouldn't be surprised though because his daddy was almost 9lbs and was several weeks early, and I was 5lbs 6oz and I was premature and also am a twin so we were both bigger babies. I have an appointment next week and then begins the weekly appointments, which really tells me I'm super close to meeting my son. Like I said earlier, totally nervous and scared but so excited as well.. There were so many times that it felt like my pregnancy was never going to end but looking back now I can't believe I'm about to be in my 9th month, it really has gone by faster than I thought. Not much longer now...

How far along? 35 Weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: 25lbs, crazy that I've gained most of that just in the last 2 months.. thankfully I'm carrying it mostly in my belly ;)

Maternity clothes? Pretty much everything I wear right now is maternity or at least super stretchy 

Stretch marks? Sadly yes, just started getting them a little over a week ago.. it's ok as much as I don't like them I know they will eventually fade and at least it's for a good reason

Sleep: My sleeping pattern is so outta whack. Can't seem to sleep more than a couple hours at a time.

Best moment this week: My baby showers, they turned out great. Yummy food and lot's of wonderful things for my baby boy, was glad to see family I haven't seen in awhile too 

Miss Anything? Being able to breathe easily, not having heartburn 24/7, being able to walk without extreme pain.. ya know the usual lol.. also, my husband as always!

Movement: Oh yes, especially when I eat or try to sleep.. this boy is a wild one!

Food cravings: Really been loving the mocha frappes from McDonalds

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing in particular, though I have been more nauseated lately than usual, not as bad as the first trimester though- thank God!

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: Started getting a few contractions in my back but it's not true labor yet

Symptoms: Lots of pressure in the pelvic area, very bad sciatica on both sides, heartburn of course, just started getting some lower back pain recently and am still getting Braxton-Hicks

Belly Button in or out? Totally out, kinda gross lol

Wedding ring on or off? Always on!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, the only time I'm grumpy is if I'm having contractions but usually I'm feeling too exhausted to really be moody 

 

 

Looking forward to: Hopefully getting some maternity pics taken today and Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I get to eat some great food and visit with family, who doesn't love that?!

 

 

 

 

profile of our son, and yes he is still very much a boy- the doc double checked lol

getting ready for my first baby shower, looking pretty dang big

 

at my other baby shower, not only looking big but feeling it too! lol