39 Weeks and OMG Get This Baby Outta Me

So here we are. 39 weeks, 5 days, a giant belly, and no signs of baby-to-be making his grand entrance anytime soon. Let's just say that I. AM. OVER. THIS.  So over this that my OB has decided that I qualify for an induction next week. And by qualify, I mean she wasn't going to let me go more than 41 weeks anyway. So at 40 weeks and 4 days, we'll be heading to the hospital for some good old Pitocin and water breaking. That is, if I don't chicken out and cancel the procedure. I really planned to wait it out until he came on his own. That was before I hit the third trimester. Or got pregnant and spent most of a year in pain or at the very least, extremely uncomfortable.

I'm secretly hoping he decides to come on his own before that so I don't have as high of a risk to end up with a cesarean, but we'll see.

So here's the last set of updates before we get to meet our sweet boy!

How Far Along:

Too far. Ha, only 2 days away from D-Day!

Baby's Size:

According to the apps, we're having a small watermelon until we hit 40 weeks on Friday and he's going to turn into a small pumpkin. Who knows how big he actually is, though. Judging by the rate of my ice cream and Girl Scout cookie consumption, he's probably going to be the size of a small butterball turkey...

Symptoms:

Lots of false labor contractions, still plenty of kicks and squirms, and lots of swelling. And I am STARVING again for some reason.

Movement:

Still pretty active in there, which is one of the reasons I doubt he's making any moves towards the other side anytime soon. He definitely loves (or hates?) my evening bath time ritual and prefers The Postal Service over my renditions of Toto's Africa. 

Sleep:

Ha. Let's just move on, please.

Nursery:

Finished! One of these days, I'll take some pictures with my real camera and do a full post. I love it, and sometimes just find myself sitting in there wishing for our little guy to be in my arms.

The Name Game:

Still Jude :)

Looking Forward To:

Meeting my little indie rock loving wiggle worm. 

Best Thing From This Week:

So this is actually from last week, but it was so dang sweet that I want to share it and preserve it in internet history. On the way home from school last week, Silas and I were talking about how I ended up working in construction and that led to the question "Will Jude work for you like you work for your dad?" My response was something along the lines of, well, maybe. He might want to be a biologist like his dad, or something totally different. And he piped up from the backseat with a very hopeful tone of voice and said "Or maybe an engineer with me?" Good God, just lay me down right there because I about died and pretty much burst into tears driving down the road. It was by far the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I hope he does want to be an engineer with his big brother too, Silas. I really do.

Rings:

Super off. I don't think I could get them past the first knuckle at this point. It's so incredibly uncomfortable to be this swollen. 

Missing Most:

The ability to move around without being in agony. Sleeping without waking up every hour. Oh wait, that's not going to get any better anytime soon. And red wine.

Left to Do:

Have a baby.

Week 37 Bumpdate

No, I haven't gone into labor early. I'm just too huge to post anything.  That's a lame excuse, but dang y'all, I am feeling more and more like a beached whale and less and less like a human every day. Luckily, the end is sooooo close and we're only a few weeks (or less? Please???) from meeting our sweet boy! {No picture this week because I'm too tired and giant to get up and take one. #sorrynotsorry} So here's the stats as of today! How far along?
37 weeks and three days. As of last Monday, I'm 80% effaced and 1 cm dilated. Keep on coming, little one! It's officially safe to come out! Baby's Size:
Around 6 pounds, and about the size of a winter melon. But if you ask me (and my rib cage) he has to be at least 8 feet long... Symptoms:
I don't know if I'm having contractions or Braxton Hicks, but things are definitely happening. Lots of shooting pains, called "lightening" as he drops. And oh so very swollen feet and hands. But no worries, blood pressure and protein is normal, so no eclampsia.  Movement:
He's still moving around a good bit, and getting daily kick counts is a breeze, so I know we're still a bit away from his debut. He's definitely run out of room and his movements are a bit more uncomfortable each day. But I know that means he's growing, so I'll quit complaining. Sleep:
Let's just put it this way, waking up every couple hours to feed/soothe/change a baby won't be as much a shock to the system as I previously thought. Nursery:
I'm currently reorganizing his drawers. Because I have bought way too many clothes. I don't even care, he's going to be well dressed and possibly the subject of way too many fashion shows.  We also had the overhead light installed last week, so all work in the nursery is complete! Until I decide to rearrange his closet. Can you say nesting??? The Name Game:
It's still Jude (secret middle name) Last Name! Looking Forward To:
Wearing non maternity clothes again. I know this is silly, but I am having major issues with my wardrobe. I am soooo tired of my maternity clothes and just want to wear a cute sundress again. The warm temps last week didn't help my itch to spring shop either.  Some Great Things from the Week:
We finished all the house updates (minus the landscaping) and I'm happy with the way everything turned out. New light fixtures in the foyer, kitchen, and nursery. New paint in our bedroom and pretty new bed linens to match. New fridge installed in the kitchen and we're starting to fill our old fridge which is in the basement storage room with freezer crock pot meals. And we finally are finished with the repairs from our foundation work. The only thing left to do is stain the patio to match the driveway this summer. We'll tackle that after we get the landscaping redone. Rings:
Still on a necklace. God, I hope they fit after he's born...right now, my fingers resemble polish sausages. Yuck. Missing Most:
Being able to walk up a flight of stairs without panting. Left to Do:
Tie up a few loose ends at work, download all my iPhone pics to a hard drive so I have room for baby pictures, and get a pedicure. Oh, and have the car seat inspected. It's installed, but I want someone to take a look at it that isn't me. THE COUNTDOWN IS ON, Y'ALL!!! 20 DAYS UNTIL DUE DATE!

Week 34 Bumpdate

If we ever consider having another baby, the chances of me ever doing a single bump-date are pretty slim. I just looked over my past posts and there aren't a whole lot of these weekly bump-dates. I feel kinda bad for not being more on top of documenting the pregnancy of my first born child, and hopefully I don't regret that. I probably will, though. C'est la vie. BUT! I did (sorta) get it together to take a picture, albeit grainy and dark, this morning after I got dressed. Don't worry, I'm not too on top of it today, my hair is still in a towel.

{So very charming and pretty. Snort.}

How Far Along: 34 weeks Baby's Size: A pineapple, or a cantaloupe, depending which app you use. Weight should be around 4-5 pounds. Length is, uhh, debatable. He's still short. Let's say 16-17 inches. The average is around 18 for most babies. Symptoms: So tired. So uncomfortable. Super moody again. Ready to meet my little ninja. Movement: He's still quite the active little guy, but he's running out of room. The movements have gone from the sweet flutters of the second trimester to more startling and slow movements with a bit more force up towards my ribs. It's still by far my favorite part of pregnancy. Even if it hurts, it's the one thing I don't mind. Sleep: It's been really bad this week, as in I'm up from 4 am until I get out of bed. Not to mention still up every couple hours to "relieve" myself.  I've also been having some CRAZY dreams again. I did sleep from 1:30 am until 6 last night, though, so that was awesome! Nursery: Drew was so sweet and hung the drapes for me a few weekends ago when I was out running errands. We got the rocker/glider chair back from the upholstery shop. And promptly ruined it (see post from earlier this week.) Now I'm just waiting on a few final details to get back from the monogram shop. I'll post pics at some point soon.   The (Middle) Name Game: We picked one! And to make everyone crazy, we decided to keep it a secret. It's kind of nice to have something to ourselves, even if it's only for a little while. Looking Forward To: My best gals in Lexington are throwing me a shower this Saturday and I CANNOT wait to see them! I miss the days when we all lived within a few minutes walk of each other and got together on the reg. But these days are good too, just for different reasons. Some of the best reasons, in fact! Love our growing families. :) Some Great Things From the Week: We hired a painter to fix a few cracks from our settled foundation, and I'm getting our bedroom painted!!!! Can you say nesting?  Rings: Both are on the necklace now. I'm having quite a bit of trouble with carpal tunnel and swelling in my fingers and hands. Most mornings, I wake up with absolutely aching and awful soreness in both hands and wrists. I can't even image trying to put rings on my sausage fingers. Missing Most: Sleep. I'm not expecting this to change anytime in the next six months. Ho hum. Left to do: Make a bunch of those freezer crock pot meals, stock up on frozen stuff, oh, and buy a new fridge and freezer to house all these goodies. I'd like to throw in a romantic date night before our boy arrives, but most nights I'm so tired that romance is when Drew is ready to go to bed at 9:30. Luckily, he's not much of a night owl to begin with. Love that man. :)

30 Week Bumpdate!

Well, we are completely in the third trimester and I can see the end of this journey in the horizon. No one remind me that the end of this journey has less sleep than I'm getting now. Please and thanks. But seriously, as much as I have complained, it really does seem like time is flying by and we'll be meeting this sweet, teeny boy soon. Someone please remind me of that when I'm ten days past my due date and ready to perform my own in home C-section. So without further ado, here's what's cooking in week 3-0!

{Another quality bump photo, courtesy of the fluorescent lights in the work bathroom.} How Far Along: 30 weeks exactly! How's that for posting on time! Baby's Size: A Butternut Squash, around 3.1 pounds. No telling how long, let's just assume he's still short like his mama. Symptoms: Getting more tired again, but still not as bad as the first trimester. The hormones are back in a major way. Not that they ever really left, but I feel like I'm more weepy than normal the past week or two. Other than that, everything that's been a symptom the past few updates is still one now. I'm just glad that the heartburn isn't awful today and I haven't had a migraine in awile! Woohoo! Movement: Little guy is super active in the morning before I get out of bed and night when I'm trying to sleep. I hear this trend continues after birth as well. Hmph. Sleep: What's that? I use the night time as my personal quiet time to spend in the bathroom. Seriously, all I do is pee. So. Incredibly. Over. It. Nursery: Change out the dang drapes, lady! Still haven't done that yet. And if I'm ever going to recover the rocker, I need to get it to the upholstery shop pronto. The (Middle) Name Game: I don't know yet. Leave me alone. Looking Forward To: Pizza night tonight with the in laws! And next week's ultrasound, even if I am a nervous wreck. It's always fun to his sweet face and hear the heartbeat. Some Great Things From the Week: First snow day? No, wait, it's cold and I don't like winter. Umm, I made lasagna and it was delicious. Not a very momentous week here a la Sass in the Bluegrass. Rings: One on, one off and on a necklace. I had a bit of a panic attack in the middle of the night on NYE when I couldn't get them off. Obviously, I eventually removed them (not without the help of some lotion and super cold water) but I'm not risking that again. So my engagement ring is on a necklace with the diamond my mom gave me from my parent's marriage. I'm still wearing my wedding band since it's a bit loose. I'm not looking forward to that not fitting. I feel weird and naked without it. Missing Most: I really wanted sushi the other day, but that craving has since passed. I'm doing okay with everything else for now. Try me again in a week when I have a girl's night. I bet I'm missing red wine that night. Left to do: I don't know, I'm tired and I don't want to think about it. But if we're being honest, I have been slacking on finding a pediatrician. Guess I need to figure that out fairly soon. And everything else on my list from two weeks ago. Have I mentioned I've been tired and lazy?

Week 28 Bump Date!

{I am the queen of poorly lit bump photos, I tell you what!}
How Far Along: 28 weeks, hello third trimester!!!
Baby's Size: 2.25 pounds and almost 15 inches long, or the size of a large eggplant.  We'll see if he's actually that long. We have an ultrasound Wednesday to check his growth since he was measuring a bit short at 21 weeks. Luckily the doctor isn't worried and is just being cautious. And let's be honest, this kid is going to be short. His mama is 4'11" and his dad isn't breaking any growth charts and 5'10" or so.
Symptoms: Swollen feet and legs, super uncomfortable after small amounts of activity, Braxton Hicks contractions in the evenings, lots of cravings for milkshakes, lots of trips to the bathroom, breathlessness from simple activities, inability to reach my feet...the list goes on and on. Let's just say, I'm lucky this baby is healthy and the only thing I have to worry about is how uncomfortable I am these days.
Movement: Still tons in the evenings and after I eat. Baby L loves him some chocolate, too. I swear he does karate in there after I eat something sweet. It's pretty funny!
Sleep: It has improved since we got a new mattress a month or so ago, but the bathroom trips have certainly not decreased in frequency. I am so relieved to be having less hip pain from pressure points and an old mattress. Round ligament pains are a whole other story, but I'll take my victories where I can these days.
Nursery: Oh-mah-gosh is it so stinking cute. We got the dresser put together a couple weeks ago, and well, let's just say that IKEA and I are no longer BFF. The Hemnes dresser is such a b****h to put together!!!! Do not undertake this task over 5 months pregnant. Consider yourself warned.
The Name Game: Nothing new to report here. Still undecided on that middle name and no signs of that changing.
Looking Forward To: Organizing the dresser drawers!!! Even though putting the dresser together almost killed me, I cannot get enough of the teeny baby accessories that I get to put in it! Squee!!!
Some Great Things From Week 28: Another ultrasound, the upcoming Christmas holiday, and ordering new leggings on super duper sale! Despite all the discomfort, things are pretty peachy around these parts!
Rings: Getting more and more snug as the days pass. I bet by week 32 they'll be on a necklace. This water retention is no joke...
Missing Most: Brie. So much brie...  Oh, and also being able to wear any of my boots or shoes.
Left to Do: Baby shower number 2, pack hospital bags, and a few things around the nursery. Ooh, and schedule a carpet cleaning for February. Hooray for nesting!!!!

Week 22 Bumpdate!

Well, it's been 5 weeks since I remembered to post a pregnancy update. But I'm sure that comes as no surprise to anyone.  So here's what's been going on in pregnancy land!
How far along: 22 weeks and 4 days
Baby's size: Spaghetti squash! 8 inches, 1 pound
Symptoms: For the love of god, please let our new mattress alleviate some of my back and round ligament pain. Lots of pressure in the nether regions. And it's getting very difficult to get up with any sort of grace. I can tell that shoe tying and toe touching are soon to be fond memories. Hell-o belly! Might have more to do with the sweet cravings and not necessarily the baby. It's debatable.
Movement: Oh my gosh, so, so much! It really does make some of the discomfort so worth it to feel our little nugget bopping around in there. He gets especially feisty right after I eat chocolate. Or that's my excuse for eating so much leftover Halloween candy. And cookies. And brownies.
Sleep: Not so great. Between getting up every few hours to go to the bathroom and having to switch sides to remedy hip pain, I don't remember the last time I slept for more than 4 hours at a time. I know that I should not be complaining and it's going to be soooo much worse here in a few months. But it's really a bit cruel that right before you have a baby that's going to keep you from normal sleep for months you sleep like crap while pregnant with said nocturnal feeding creature.
Nursery: We hung the curtains and pictures FINALLY!!! Let's not discuss how I'm going to be adding an extra foot and a half of fabric to the curtains because I forgot to account for the curtain rod above the window frame. Whatever, the curtain rod is at least hung.   The Name Game: Still nothing definite on the middle name. And I kind of wish people would quit asking. 
Looking forward to: Dinner with my friend Kate this week. It's been too long since we had a night of catching up and wine. Oh wait...
Something great from week 22: I think this has been my favorite part of the pregnancy so far. This morning, before we got up and going, Drew was able to put his hand on my belly and feel the baby kick or head butt me (not quite sure which!) for the first time!!! It might be one of my favorite moments of all time, actually. And I might be teary eyed just typing this. :)
Rings: Still on, but not nearly as loose.
Missing most: BRIE. Seriously, I'm sure I could eat a few wedges and not have a thing to worry about. But being the first time preggo that I am, I'm not risking it. 
Left to do: Wait. Really, that's about it. I've pretty much done it all. This is what pregnancy looks like for Type A over planners. Everything that can be done up to this point has long been done, and then some. I can't quite pack a hospital bag for me or the baby yet. And I'm afraid to take the tags off of any of the clothes past 6 months size to wash. You better believe I busted out the Dreft weeks ago for the newborn through 3-6 month stuff!
Only a few weeks until the first baby shower to celebrate our baby boy, so I'll have plenty of nesting goodness after that too! Man, do I love any excuse to nest!!!

So this is technically a week 22 and 4 days. But whatever. A historian I am not.

We got a new mirror in the bathroom downstairs too. Woo hoo Pottery Barn Clearance Event!

Week 17 Bumpdate

I'm going to be brutally honest when I tell you all this, I'm not really enjoying being pregnant. It's uncomfortable, I have no control over my emotions, and I'm tired of feeling like the Goodyear blimp. Not to mention tired. And while I'm over most of that awful first trimester nonsense, I'm still not feeling that wonderful glow of the second trimester yet, I'm holding out hope that it's just around the corner and tomorrow I'll wake up a new woman. Or at the very least without round ligament pain and a migraine. So without further complaining, here are the week 17 stats. How Far Along: 17 weeks and 6 days Baby's size: Turnip (5 inches, 5 ounces) Symptoms: Does cranky as heck count as a symptom? But mostly just back and hip soreness, tender belly, fatigue, constant headaches, and constipation (sorry, this blog is not for the faint at heart.) Lots of random little cramps and muscle spasms from a growing uterus. Fun stuff. Movement: I don't know...I keep having these weird twitches and flutter feelings in my abdomen that I'm not sure if it's gas, muscle spasms, or the baby moving. According to my doctor, I'll know when it's the real thing. So I guess no? Sleep: Ha. If I'm not waking up at least once or twice to pee, it's to shift positions to alleviate some hip pain. Or because a certain 6 year old thinks it's necessary to visit us every night at 11:30 and sometimes 2:30. I'm also not used to sleeping on my sides, so the Snoogle has kind of helped with that. Mostly, I just fight with my dog over it in the middle of the night. It kind of gives me a neck cramp anyway. Anyone have any luck with the wedges? Nursery: Same as the last couple of weeks. I'm waiting until our first shower to really do anything else. Does anyone have any experience buying a crib skirt for a Babyletto crib? Ours has a 12" drop and I'm having a hard time finding a reasonable priced 100% cotton skirt that isn't going to be 6" too long. The Name Game: Still no definite middle name, but Jude is here to stay. Silas told his mom that the baby's name is going to be Ty. So funny how kids come up with these things on their own.  Looking Forward To: Is it too early to say not being pregnant? Yeah, okay.  Umm, how about booking our flights and AirBnB to San Francisco in December?!?! We decided we really did want to book a babymoon and go visit Drew's brother and girlfriend in California while we still could. I don't think we're going to be booking too many cross country trips after March, so December it is! Something Great From Week 17: So these posts aren't a total bummer or complaint filled, I'm adding this category.  We had some maternity photos taken this past Sunday by our wedding photographer, Susan Stewart-Jordan. It's a little early, bump wise, to be taking pics, but I wanted some fall pictures with my belly. Plus a maternity photo shoot in January just sounds cold. And let's be honest, I may not feel all that pretty (read: I'm afraid I'm going to blow up like a balloon) by then. So we did them now. And I can't wait to see them!  Susan does fantastic work, and is so sweet and fun to work with. Drew and I both were sooo incredibly pleased with our wedding and engagement photos, that I don't know if we will ever let anyone take family pictures of us from now on. Another great part of the photo shoot was that I decided to splurge and book an appointment at Dry Bar. I am not great at fixing my own hair, so I wanted it to look nice and hold up for our photos. I think it turned out great! Rings: Very much still on, and still pretty loose. I could probably have gotten them sized down one more size before the wedding, but decided to leave them as they are. I'm sure this will come in handy around months 7-9 when I'm retaining water and swollen. I think I'll appreciate being able to look down at my hand and see my wedding band and engagement ring, especially when I need a reminder of the love that made this baby. Missing Most: Let's say sushi and brie. Because saying booze and cigarettes is so gauche. Left to Do: Alllll the things! Except buy a crib and paint the nursery. That's done.

{ Drew's iPhone version of the professional shot :) }

Bump Date

This week marks the 15th week of pregnancy, and of course, the "golden" second trimester. Hopefully all the hype is true and I'll start to feel wonderful and energized any day now. Currently, I'm just feeling fat and hungry. But that's a nice change from nauseous and exhausted, so if that burst of energy doesn't fully make it my way, I'll take what I've got for now.
I've been taking bump pics since we found out we were expecting, although for awhile it seemed silly. And true to myself form, I forgot a few weeks too. I'm definitely showing now, although some days more than others. today it looks like I'm already 6 months along, so that's fun (SENSE THE TONE.)
I've actually been having a fairly hard time to all the wild changes my body is going through, and getting a bump a bit too early is just one more thing that's making me nervous. But I keep trying to remind myself that a lot of that initial weight gain was due to quitting smoking immediately by replacing cigarettes with mini Reese's cups. 
{Disclaimer: If any person reading this is ever thinking about taking up smoking, just take my advice and save yourself the stress and just flush $20-30 down the toilet a week instead. Stupidest thing I ever did as a teen and I would give my left arm to have never started. Okay, end rant. But seriously. Don't.}
Anywho....I've started back on the treadmill and doing some Pilates work at home. At the very least, it makes me feel better that I want to eat all the food in our house all the time. Seriously, 200 extra calories a day doesn't seem like enough to satiate my hungry belly. 
And just as a sidenote, that stupid What to Expect book can kiss my ever growing butt with all the new mom guilt about calories and working out. No wonder our country has body image issues. Ugh. (End other rant. Can you tell the hormones have made an appearance? Ha!)
Since self preservation and privacy seem to go way out the window with pregnancy, here's my not so weekly bumps!

 

 Week 4                                    Week 5                                                 Week 6

  

                  Week 8                                    Week 9                                  Week 9 + 4 days

  

                  Week 11 + 2 days                   Week 14 + 3 days                  Week 15

Man, I miss fitting in to my old clothes too...That little black tee shirt dress from week 4 hits a bit higher on my legs and doesn't seem to cover my backside nearly as well. What's up with that?!? Ha ha ha! 

Until next time!