Final Look and Thoughts

I had my last appointment with the perinatologist today. I asked Tony to accompany me so that we could both hear the same things and see the same things--always nice to have a back-up:) The tech did the sono and she was able to get a few decent pictures of him--she tried hard since it was our last appointment:) I've posted one at the bottom of this post for everyone to see....will be interesting to see how accurate the 3D sono pics are! She also again did a quick weight estimate (unofficially since it hadn't been 3 weeks since my last one) and she was estimating him at 7lbs 7ozs......now take that with a grain of salt since she told us it could be +/- a pound! The doctor told me to take my last dose of Baby Aspirin on Wednesday morning and my last dose of Lovenox on Wednesday night in preparation for induction on Friday. I will double check all of that with Dr. B on Wednesday afternoon at my hopefully last appointment with her before we meet again in the hospital for delivery:) The doctor said that I had done wonderfully and he was happy with how everything had turned out....he asked for a picture once he's born.

As "D" day is fast approaching, I've begun to really reflect on how we made it to this point. Being pregnant and having our baby has been a long time dream for me. Honestly, the pregnancy has been very enjoyable for me. I really can't complain--never really had morning sickness or any of the other nasty side-effects that pregnancy can sometimes bring. I had a little bit of a back issue, but all in all things have gone well with everything considered. I've also determined that I will miss having him "with" me at all times. He has been my constant companion for the last 37 weeks! It is hard for me to remember what my life--and my body--was like before he joined me in my belly! I love being able to feel him moving around throughout the day. On one hand I can't wait to meet and hold him and on the other it has been a joy to have him growing inside of me all of these weeks. I couldn't have asked for a better experience!

Enjoy the picture!--of course he has his hand covering up 1/2 his face...what else is new!

Burnin', Burnin', Burnin'

Wow has the heartburn really been kicking in these past few days! Tums have definitely become one of my best friends lately....especially in the middle of the night! Even the 2nd pillow propping me up does not seem to be doing the trick anymore! I hardly ever get heartburn, so this is definitely a change for me:) If the old wives tale holds true, it should mean that this baby is going to be born with hair......and I'm pretty sure that it is going to be true. The last couple of sonos that we have had, both the tech and the doctor have pointed out hair on the back of his head! The question now is, how much and what color?

37 Weeks

Congratulations-Your baby is full-term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still 3 weeks away.

Your baby weights 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your babies hair is not the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blondes or red-heads, or fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Thankful

I didn't get a chance to get on yesterday and post, but I wanted to make sure that I did today. It is amazing how far we have come in this process and how we were never sure that we would get to this point. I am SO thankful for all of our supportive friends and family who have been with us since the beginning. You were a part of our failures and heartaches, as well as a part of our celebration and soon to be even bigger celebration that looms on the horizon.

I am especially thankful for my wonderful husband....without him I'm not sure that I would still be sane! He was such a rock for me to hold onto while going through all of our failures, always reminding me that we would get there or even if we didn't we would still have each other. He has been a wonderful support since making it to our dream of becoming pregnant.....doing so many things that I can't even begin to list them in a post. I can't wait to see his face as we both realize our dream of becoming parents in just a few short days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

36 Week Belly Pic

Well, here I am in all my glory:) I've been feeling pretty large and in charge lately! I've had a few comments from people that they think that I have dropped. I'll have to go back and compare from my last set of pictures to see if I agree. Overall I am still feeling well. I do have a swollen right ankle at the moment.....had to skip out on a party this evening so I could stay home with my feet up.....guess I better get back to the chair:)

36 Weeks

Your baby is still packing on the pounds-at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his 9-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term (Full-term is 37-42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are considered pre-term and babies born after 42 are post-term). Most likely he's in a head down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may consider scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax the baby into a head down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

Updates

It has been a while since I have been able to get on and update. It is crazy how busy things get towards the end of the pregnancy!

Peri Appt: He was measured again on Monday at my appt. with the perinatologist. The US tech did it this time and he came out at 5lbs 13ozs-which put him in the 58%tile this time. I asked the doctor when he came in if I should be worried because he had seemed to slow down in his growth-he said no that he was still a good weight. He also attributed it to the difference in who performed the US and it was in a different room on a different machine. He said that he was still measuring in a good range, so there were no worries. He also joked that I was becoming a short timer:) Only 2 more appts left there--hard to believe that!

OB Appt: Had another NST and check today at the OB office. He passed his NST with flying colors. Had to get my group B strep tests today--not the most pleasant experience! She also decided to go ahead and do an internal check of things. So far I am still "closed up tight" and she said that is fine with her. She doesn't like to see any effacing and dilating until closer to 37 weeks, so we shall see next week:) I go on Wednesday next week because of the holiday. She stated on the way out that things are just going perfect with this pregnancy--all of my trouble came with getting pregnant, but no problems with staying that way:)

Other stuff: My mom came over on Monday and helped me go through items in the nursery. We began sorting through what we needed and didn't need and then we started washing things. Never knew a little guy could require so much stuff that needed to be washed:) Seemed like the loads weren't that big when we put them in, but with all of the tiny little clothes in there--it was a lot of folding when it came out:) We also made a list of things that were still essential to get before our little guy arrives. Tony and I spent last night going to a few stores and making some returns and trying to get some of those items off of our list of essentials. We plan to spend Saturday doing the rest of the returns and purchasing of items--then we really will be ready for him! We've also finished up most of the Christmas shopping-only a few items left to buy--so that is a relief as well. Finally we did pack the diaper bag for the hospital trip--can't wait to open it and dress him to bring him home! My bag is up this weekend--have a few more items to purchase (of course) and then it will be ready to pack!

Think that is all of the updates for now!

Shower #3

I had shower #3 over the weekend and it was another wonderful event! It was given by Tony's Aunt Mindy, Aunt Jill, & Alyssa (cousin). There was also help from from Sherry and Carrie-more cousins:) It was a great time with many wonderful friends and family there. There was excellent food as well--that is always nice when you're growing a baby! Alyssa made the cutest monkey blanket and diaper cake--full of newborn diapers:) that were on the head table. The centerpieces consisted of toys and books that are already in his basket and awaiting his arrival. The best part was--when they played a game and someone won a prize--I got one too and I didn't even have to win:)

It was nice to see some people that I hadn't been able to connect with in a while--even had a few college roommates stop by beforehand so we had some time to chit-chat and catch up with each other. We were again showered with wonderful gifts from everyone. This little guy is going to be dressed to the "T" with all of the great clothes he received--we were also thankful to get some bigger sized items as well:) Tony was very excited to get some more sports apparel from all of his favorite teams (Bills, U of Michigan, and The Cubs)--and the baby even got his first baseball glove--another one of Tony's favorites! He got lots of new toys and books too. We keep saying all we need now is for him to get here!! and really that is all we are waiting for:) Overall it was a wonderful time and we are so thankful for our wonderful friends and family!

Tony wanted me to add an extra paragraph at the end to thank everyone for all of their help and support during the pregnancy. From helping to get the basement finished, carpets cleaned, walls painted, baby showers, and overall emotional support we definitely could not be where we are without you! We will never be able to put into words how much we appreciate each and every one of you and everything that you have done for us and for this little guy whose arrival is fast approaching! We can't wait for him to get here so everyone can finally meet this miracle baby that we have been waiting for!

35 Weeks

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete-he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Pediatrician-Check!

Tony and I met with our potential pediatrician on Monday afternoon. She was very nice and now she is not just our potential pediatrician:) She just moved to a new office, which is decorated very cute and kid-friendly. She has 2 large purple couches in her waiting room, along with a little play area and TV with the Disney channel dialed in. There were large murals painted on the walls as well. Her staff seemed really nice as we checked in also.

The doctor came and got us from the waiting room and then gave us a tour of the office. Each of the rooms is decorated with a theme and all have an area within the room of things that the kids can touch and play with while they wait. They have a "sick" side and a "well" side, so that is nice that you don't have to mix with germs when going in for a check-up. She also didn't want the kids to be afraid of the doctor, so once they are older (1 year and up) they go to a "procedure" room in order to get shots, blood draws, etc. That way kids don't get scared just waiting in the exam room-thought that was really cool as well:)

After the tour, we went into one of the "well" rooms and sat down with her and asked our questions and she took a lot of time to answer them. We didn't feel rushed at all, which was nice to see when dealing with a doctor--often times they are in and out of rooms to get on with different patients, so it was nice to feel like we had her undivided attention. She also said that she would be fine on working with me and the immunization schedule, so that was a huge plus as well. She also grew up in the area, so we think that she is planning on sticking around for a while and isn't just passing through town and then moving onto bigger and better things. We left feeling pretty confident in our choice of her as our pediatrician. So that is one thing checked off our list of things to do before he arrives! Did I mention that is just a little over 3 weeks away!

34 Week Belly Pic

Well-here it is:) There is definitely a big baby in there! Tony thought I looked pretty big when he took the picture tonight:) My shirts are getting to the point where they begin to ride up and not meet the top of my pants, so I am constantly checking to make sure the bottom of my belly isn't hanging out! Not sure what I am going to do about that with 4 more weeks of growth to go....:)

34 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers-which he'll need to help regulate his body temperature once he's born-are filling him out, making him more rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about pre-term labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems, generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

From 1 to 5

1-that is the number of pillows I used to sleep with. Slowly as the pregnancy has progressed, that number has slowly increased to 5! Who knew it could take so many pillows to feel comfortable when you slept, but apparently that is what I am requiring these days. So lets run them down:
1-The regular old pillow that everyone probably sleeps on--the only one that was used when I went to bed at night before getting pregnant:)
2. This pillow entered when my belly started getting a little bigger. It is a wedge pillow that I stick under my belly when I lay on my side to help from it hanging over and making it a little more comfortable when sleeping on that side.
3. This pillow entered about the same time as the wedge-belly pillow, but this one goes between my knees. I guess the more pregnant you get, the more your hips widen. This can leave your hips a little achy at night, so the pillow between the knees helps to lessen that.

Now--I was at 3 pillows for a long while and was sleeping pretty good. Then a couple of weeks ago I had a terrible couple of nights sleeping on the weekend. Was up several times and actually ended up in the living room on the couch just so I wouldn't wake Tony up. So there needed to be a reassessment of the pillow situation--thus ending up with pillows 4 and 5:)

4. I was having some heartburn, so I added another pillow under the regular old head pillow to help prop me up a little more and reduce the acid back-up. This helped with the heartburn, but I still was just not totally comfortable.......
5. This pillow was just a little add on try--it is one of those soft squishy pillows, and I basically just hug it. Who would of thought that this little addition would be the final ticket to comfortability, but it was.

So, there it is....from 1 pillow to 5 pillows--all to aid in the act of sleeping, who would of thought it! I do have to say that Tony has been great with all of the additions to the bed at night--cause when I need to flip, it is often times an ordeal:)

Shower #2

This afternoon I had my second shower. Two of my co-workers, Emily and Cathy, put it together. I know they were worried because it turned out a little smaller than they had hoped, but I had a wonderful time. I felt like I actually got to sit and converse with the people who attended instead of doing "fly-bys" like I did at my first shower. It was very relaxed and I didn't feel rushed to get through anything so everyone could get home:)

We got several more very cute outfits that I can't wait to see our little man in. It was also nice to receive some larger size clothing--with the way this little one seems to be growing he won't be in anything "little" for very long:) We also got some more toys to add to his basket that we have been filling since the first shower. Tony is always excited when I get home and he has a chance to look through everything. He joked with my mom that she could leave her present at the house since he never gets to open anything.....she told him nice try, but he could see it when we got home:)

Overall it was a wonderful time-hopefully I will have some pictures to post soon--but I still haven't gotten ones up from the first shower!!--but I promise to try and get them up. Thanks again Emily and Cathy for a great time!!:)