TENTH APPOINTMENT: 38 Weeks

Friday, February 24th @ 11:00am

This was definitely one of the more rewarding appointments I've been to! We started off with the much anticipated ultrasound. I still wasn't sure what we were looking for/why we were having the ultrasound... but the ultrasound tech was the NICEST guy and said we were doing a growth check to see how baby boy was measuring.

Here are the results (LOL):
- 90th percentile for Head
- 93rd percentile for Tummy
- Average for Femur length (he didn't actually say the percentile on this one)

Apparently the measurements for head, tummy and femur bone are how the babies weight is calculated. And according to the calculations:

This not-so-little guy is already weighing in at 8 lbs and 3 oz.

Which he said means I'm measuring 8 days ahead of my due date to March 2nd! However, they do NOT move your due date (good news because I'm not ready!)

And Dan had the ultrasound check again, just to make sure we were still having a boy... and we are :)

SO MY THOUGHTS...

I've heard people say that they calculate the babies weight during the ultrasounds and then once their born, most of the time they are off a pound in either direction. The ultrasound tech did also say that the farther along you are, the less accurate the calculation is (which doesn't make any sense to me). So honestly, I'm not that worried. I think he and I will be just fine, I'm sure he'll be a healthy baby, and I trust my body to handle what it's created. So I'm not sweating it.

Our doctor is so funny. When he went over the ultrasound results with us, he was like "Well you certainly seem like you've got a big baby in there and you are measuring big"... Wait! What?! He hasn't said anything about me measuring big in MONTHS. I think he worries a lot about unnecessary worrying for first time moms, so he is very vague and just always says I'm doing great!

I'm still dilated to 1cm, but am now 70-80% effaced which the doctor was really happy about. Progression is progression! I was happy with it too.

So anyways, he said I can't have the baby next week because he'll be out of town at a conference, but anytime after March 6th he'll be here. FINE BY ME!

So I have one appointment next week... and then we scheduled an ultrasound on my due date if baby boy hasn't come by then to check and see how he's growing. Just thinking about potentially only having ONE appointment left was a little bit of a wake-up call! But I felt good about the plan and our doctor is really supportive of letting me try to have him come as naturally as possible. I'm very thankful for that!

Seeing Baby Boy on the ultrasound was so fun! It definitely gave me the surge of energy I needed finish off these final weeks in high spirits. We got to see 3D of his little face and he has got some cheeks and lips! So freaking cute!!! He also already has the pouty lip down... melt my heart...

Today was a great day in the pregnancy chapter of my life.

Week 37: It Takes A Village

Sleep: This was weird week. I'd have a solid night of sleep, then 2 TERRIBLE nights of sleep, then repeat. I'm really hoping now that my sinus infection is gone, I can stock up on sleep as much as possible. If not, I've no shame in caving into benadryll anymore!

Symptoms: This week was the most overwhelmed I've felt so far this pregnancy. Probably due to sickness, lack of sleep, and my to-do list that I need to tackle. I was able to get a priesthood blessing from Dan and my brother-in-law Kyle this week and I just felt that I needed to relax, and let things work out, how they work out. I was ever so grateful for that and have been doing my best to chill... haha

Food Cravings: Meh, none. I just want to sleep more than eat!

Food Aversions: Meh, none. I've just been taking heartburn pills pretty regularly so I don't have to worry too much about if something will trigger that joyous feeling. 

How Big the Little Guy is: 6 1/3 pounds, and just over 19 inches! About the size of a bunch of swiss chard... whatever that means...

The Size of My Belly: Watermelon status from my perspective. I've officially mourned the loss of my belly button... I can't look at it because first of all there is almost nothing left to look at, and second, it freaks me out that my deep innie is started to stick out slightly...

What I Miss: Dan told me this week that he was going to miss my belly when it was gone! I was really surprised that he felt that way, but after thinking about it- I'm going to miss it a little too! It'll be really weird not have this little boy rolling around inside me! Also, maternity pants! What is an acceptable amount of time to keep wearing them after you have a baby? Because I can't imagine my life without them...

What I'm Loving: Modern medicine. Oh my heavens I'm so thankful that the antibiotics for my sinus infection had me feeling a night/day difference within 48 hours. I have to give a shout out to Dan this last week for waking him up countless times a night as I blew my nose, asked for my back to be rubbed, and other ridiculous things. He's been SO patient and SO great. I would say I owe him big time, but I am having his child... so I think we're even :)

What I'm Looking Forward To: This coming weekend is the first time in like 4 weeks where we haven't had our entire weekend booked solid, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be home and get ready for baby! I want to be a hermit and enjoy my final days in peace... haha.

Best Moment this Week: My sister-in-laws threw me a DARLING shower over the weekend and that was so nice! I again just can't say enough how much it takes a village to join the parenting club-- especially for your first kid. I told Dan that the first kid has got to be the hardest and once we have gone through this all once, it can't be that bad the second time. He said, "I can't even think about another kid right now..." haha! But seriously, we could never have done this without our village of family and friends!

Words of Wisdom: Also, with all the overwhelming things we've been trying to finish up-- getting a maternity massage this week was probably the best thing I've done this pregnancy! It was also probably the most painful massage I've had, thanks to my sciatic nerve :) She literally used elbow grease to work on my sciatic nerve, and it was great practice to use my relaxation/breathing techniques for labor haha!

And I'm really glad that I've kept a week by week journal so to say of this pregnancy-- I already feel like I've forgotten things and hopefully it'll give me a good insight for my next pregnancy as to what to expect, or a great way to tell how different they are!

The Belly Shoot

For the record, I NEVER thought I'd be the kind of person who would get maternity pictures. But I kept feeling this urge that I'd regret it if I didn't. What if for some reason this is the only baby we can have, what if I die in childbirth, what if, after what if crossed my mind. So we did it! And I'm SO happy we did. I would highly recommend our sweet friend KC Yorgason if you are in Cache Valley. She was fast, the right price, totally accommodated my last minute decision to get these pictures, and kept me from feeling like a complete idiot while trying to look pretty at 36 weeks pregnant!

Here are a few of my favorites!

NINTH APPOINTMENT: 37 WEEKS

Friday- February 17, 2017 @ 10:30am

This appointment definitely went better than last time! I was much less anxious about the invasive nature of our appointments and that caused me to have next to no pain when being checked. The Dr. said I was still dilated to a 1 and will most likely go to my due date! A-OK with me :)

I've had a HORRIBLE cold/sinus infection this week, and have literally been getting like 4 hours of sleep a night. I really didn't want to go wait at the Instacare, so I held out till my appointment hoping my OB would be kind enough to write me a prescription for my sinus infection. He didn't even hesitate for a second and I WAS SO GRATEFUL!

We asked him his opinion on circumcision and had a nice chat about that haha. We also found out that at our next appointment we get to have an ultrasound!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! I kept wondering how they are going to know if he is healthy, if the cord is wrapped around is neck, etc. Last time we talked to the Dr. he said we wouldn't have need for another ultrasound, and now we're back to having one! It will be 19 weeks since we last saw him and I really think one last peek at this little stud will give me motivation to keep pushing through working full time and focusing on the end goal.

Hopefully we'll get some ultrasound pictures too!

Week 36: Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing!

Sleep: Well thanks to a rotten cold, I've been waking up for about an hour every night because I can't breath... which leads me to being awake so long I feel hungry... which leads to consuming a Costco muffin :) 

Symptoms: Pressure... bulging belly... belly dancing. I feel like the whole "baby dropping" thing is making more sense because I'm feeling that! Which is exciting!

Food Cravings: Hmm... I don't think I've had any this week! I've just been drinking more water than I ever have in my life!

Food Aversions: Meh I can't taste and smell with this dang nose all plugged up, so I've been more bored with food this week. 

How Big the Little Guy is: Almost 6 pounds and more than 18 1/2 inches! About the size of a head of romaine lettuce... that sounds really big!

The Size of My Belly: Ginormous. 43 inches now.

What I Miss: Not being sick! I started feeling crummy at the end of week 35, and it really hit on Sunday. I'm glad I've just had the strength and energy to keep going to work even with not feeling great.

What I'm Loving: Kindness. I have been so emotional and overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people. This last week has reminded me that this baby is going to not only have what he needs, but be so loved and supported by so many. And that is a huge burden and relief off my shoulders!

What I'm Looking Forward To: The Wouden Family baby shower is this Saturday which will be a grand old time! Also, I HAVE MONDAY OFF WORK! WAHOO! I have a mile long list of all the things I want/need to do to keep getting ready for this baby! Like packing a hospital bag would probably be a good idea at this point...

Best Moment this Week: BABY SHOWER! VALENTINE'S DAY! 

These ladies all played a monumental part in throwing me the cutest freaking "Wild Thing" shower I could have ever imagined! I'm so thankful for all they did!

My friend Kylie is have a baby in July! She and her mother Brenda were SO KIND and hosted the shower and I can never repay them for all they did!

Dan and I spent Valentine's Night sipping down a Cold Buster from Jamba Juice and watching "The Arrival"

Words of Wisdom: I know this isn't for every husband, but I LOVED having Dan at my baby shower this week! It was so fun having him there talking to all these ladies and joining in on the celebration! I feel like sometimes too much emphasis is put on the mom and baby, and I felt like this was another way to involve Dan in the whole process of bringing this little guy in the family!

Also, we went and had a meet and greet with our pediatrician this last week and I'd highly recommend it! It was a quick appointment, but long enough that we got to know his personality and ask him a list of questions we had. It was just one less unknown factor for me in this whole process and I feel at ease knowing who will be taking care of our little guy!

Week 35: & 35 days!

Sleep: Good! Can't complain as long as Dan doesn't mind me sleeping on his side of the bed. It really is the weirdest thing that it's the only way I can sleep...

Symptoms: I saw a picture of myself not pregnant the other day, and I realized I can't remember what that really feels like... which is so weird! This has been my body for 9 months and even though it's gone so fast, I think it's going to be weird to adjust to a not pregnant body. 

Food Cravings: Chocolate chip pancakes, all day every day. 

Food Aversions: Still can't really handle eggs... sad day.

How Big the Little Guy is: 5 1/4 pounds and over 18 inches long, or the size of a honeydew melon!

The Size of My Belly: Didn't measure this week, but I have never felt my stomach so tight! This kid is YUGE! There's no room left it feels!

What I Miss: Dan brought home some sushi from Smith's and ate it in front of me the other night... little punk! I'm ready to be able to eat what I want!

What I'm Loving: Quiet time after I get home from work. I am realizing more and more that I'm an ambivert, a combination of introvert + extrovert. Work is great and fun! I am one of ten women that work in our building, and there is about 400 people that work for Facilities. So all the guys at work are getting excited for me and like to tease me about all kinds of things about labor, parenthood, having a boy, etc. It's really fun and I'm really grateful everyone is so supportive! But when I get home at 4:30 after 8 hours at work, I am so ready for some quiet, me time where I get to work on things I want to, or just relax. 

What I'm Looking Forward To: I've got a baby shower this Saturday which will be fun! Also, Dan and I got some maternity pics this week. I was always the person that never thought I'd get those, but I started thinking of more reasons to get them, than not to. So we got some! It'll be interesting to see if I'm happy I decided to get them. Also, I'm finally starting to get curious about what are little guy is going to look like! I have been pretty content with him being in my tummy, but I'm starting to feel more excited to meet him.

Best Moment this Week: We are done with our baby classes at the hospital! We spent NINE hours his past weekend doing our crash course. Overall, I'm happy we took the classes, and I learned something in every class we took. However, I feel like they could definitely use a revamping, I don't think we watched a video clip newer than 1980... but I did get this picture of Dan wearing the empathy bell which was pretty great :)

Words of Wisdom: I think working has actually been really great for me! It's helped the time pass, and as much as I want to only be working 20 hours a week instead of 40, it keeps me up and moving and being productive! I hope I still feel this way in a few weeks, but for now, I'm just so grateful I've felt well enough to work!

EIGHTH APPOINTMENT: 35.5 WEEKS

Wednesday, February 8th @ 1:30pm

Well this is the appointment I've been dreading! Where the quick and friendly appointments are over, and we get down to business and quite invasive.

Can I just first say how great nurses and/or medical assistants make the biggest difference? Our normal MA is super friendly and I love her! We had a different one today and I was so bummed. She was all business and no dilly dally. Oh well.

I got my strep B swab today which was just lovely... not. I also had my cervix checked and can I just say OUCH! I was so glad that Dan was at this appointment to help me try and relax a bit during the invasive checks. PS- shout out to Dan the Man for not missing a single appointment! I am so grateful he's been by my side through this whole process and so involved with our little guy already.

So anyways, the Doctor said I was "almost dilated to a 1, that he couldn't quite feel the head". I about died when I realized just how freaking far up he was checking up there if he was trying to find baby boys head. I mean for goodness sake! I was happy to hear my body was starting the process and that I was already about 10% through dilating without much pain or effort on my end! Every bit counts. I am definitely in NO rush to have this baby.

Can't wait for another 3-4 times of this! haha. Hopefully it won't be as painful and awkward as it becomes our weekly routine.

Week 34: Stuck on You

Sleep: I've been sleeping the best I have my whole pregnancy, and I don't know how/why that is, but I'm so thankful! One morning I woke up and Dan said I was snoring super bad the night before. He even recorded it because he knew I wouldn't believe him, I NEVER snore! But sure enough, loud and clear, I was snoring. Sure sign of excellent sleep I guess...

Symptoms: Apparently baby boy and I both have restless legs, because I just get kicked all day long. Again, not really a complaint, I love feeling him move. But it's definitely not a "flutter" kick, it's a "kicking your organs like punching bags kick". Dan has been really great at helping me with doing stretches and back exercises which I think has been helpful.  

Food Cravings: Well I bought 3 bottles of juice and have gone through 2 by myself in a week... so yeah. Also, Dan made me pancakes for dinner three times this week-- HEAVEN. I can't get enough of them.

Food Aversions: I don't know why, but the sound of eggs has been grossing me out lately! And I love eggs!

How Big the Little Guy is: 4 3/4 pounds and almost 18 inches long, or the size of a cantaloupe!

The Size of My Belly: About 42.5 inches and my poor belly button is so stretched it's almost closed!

What I Miss: I had a dream about eating a Jimmy John's turkey sandwich this week, so I'm really missing cold cut sandwiches!

What I'm Loving: Dan. Pancakes. And this Nike baby football outfit I found out Ross!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I looked over our ultrasound pictures again, for the first time in probably a couple months and it sort of hit me all over again that WE ARE HAVING A BABY! It's been 4 months almost since we've seen him, and that just seems WAY too long! I've just been watching my belly move like crazy and feeling him, but seeing his little profile and everything made me excited. We are also going to our last class at the hospital this weekend, Friday night + Saturday. So hopefully I'll be all sorts of prepared and come home with a list of things I'm supposed to pack in a hospital bag...

Best Moment this Week: Well we went to our breastfeeding class and that was enlightening! Over the weekend we drove up to Porcupine Dam just to see if the lake was frozen over and take a nice drive out in the country. It's one of my favorite drives. I told Dan he was in charge of planning a date, and this is what he picked. On our way up, we saw a GIANT bull elk on side of the road, I've never seen an elk that huge, it was so cool! We saw wild turkeys, and it was a nice sunny day so all the snow was sparkling. It was kind of magical. 

Of course, we're in Old Blue and Dan wants to drive up this super deep snowy road to see the reservoir. I was not in favor of this idea, knowing if we got stuck there was no cell phone service, and not much I could do to help get us out. Dan had all confidence in Old Blue and we made it up the hill to the top! BUT, as sort of a reflex, he pulled off the trail to park and look over... and we were STUCK. Luckily it was only like 3:00pm, so we would have a few hours of sunlight to figure out how in the heck we were getting out of there. It was CHILLY with the wind blowing, and I didn't bring gloves or anything. (me pretending I'm not cold, and that this is fun... haha!)

Luckily it only took us about 30 minutes to get out. But after about 25 minutes we were both starting to panic a little! Old Blue was overheating, and we had made no progress. But Dan is a genius and after lots of digging and using the floor mats to give the tires traction, we got out! 

Words of Wisdom: The best thing I've done this pregnancy is wear fake eyelashes every day. It makes me feel/look like I get way more ready than I do, and when I get home, I can just peel them off and I'm done taking my make up off! My sister-in-law gave me a bajillion boxes of eyelashes and the glue was like 3 dollars... you can't even get mascara that cheap, well that's decent anyway. I've loved it. I tried wearing mascara after Christmas and hated it. I think I've spoiled myself with this new habit... 

Also, I have started sitting on a ball at work to help strengthen my back/core and hopefully use during labor too... I'll have to report back in a few weeks on if it seems to help or not!