Week 38 Check-up

Nothing too new to report.

I am at a 1+ and my cervix is effaced to 70%, where are last week I was at a 1 and 50% effaced. Dr. F. says it could be anytime, but still plans on seeing me next week.

I know....kind of a boring update. Maybe next week I will go in and they will admit me because I am so far along. Here is to dreaming.

Week 38

I am just large from every angle. It seems my morning sickness has returned. I forgot how unpleasant it is. At least it is not all day like it was in the beginning. This has been such an easy pregnancy, but the last week has been rough. With my stomach being upset, the leg cramps, and constantly being uncomfortable I am getting glad to be near the end. Sometimes I still can not believe that we are having a baby. It is almost surreal. Charlotte's room is ready for her, and both our bags are packed for the hospital. So, I suppose and I am as ready as I am going to get.

Cramping

Over the weekend I had the worst leg cramps. The cramps started early Saturday morning, lasting all day and night into Sunday. I thought I had avoided them all together, but I guess I was wrong. My legs are still sore today. I am already uncomfortable today as it is. The sore legs and leg cramps are just the icing on the cake.

Love

Being that I have just under 3 weeks left, I really need to stop to relish these moments a bit more. This pregnancy has just flown by. There's so much I love about being pregnant: I love feeling her kicks, her consistent hiccuping, my ever-expanding belly. The way she responds when I talk to her while rubbing my belly.I love that I get to have my baby with me 24-7, watching my stomach ripple as she moves. The anticipation of having her here and being able to hold, and smell her. This has been a great experience, it is hard to believe that it is almost over. Soon she will be here and I will have a entire new list of things I love.

Week 37

WAITING
There is nothing new to report this week. I am still sitting at a 1. He did say my cervix is soft enough and the right size to have the baby. So ....it could be 3 days, or I could be pregnant for another 3 weeks. Charlotte is still growing which is good for her but what about me? I expressed my concern about having a large baby and he asked me how much I weighed. Well I asked my mother this morning and I was about 8.5 lbs. Steve was just over 6 lbs so lets hope she weighs somewhere in the middle. As long as she is healthy.
For the last week I have had some stomach discomforts, and it is getting old.I am going on day 6 now. At first I thought it was something I ate over the weekend, but Steve did not get sick. I mentioned this to Dr.F and I seems I am not the only pregnant patient of his who have this same problem. He said that he had about half a dozen patients tell him the same thing. I am making sure to drink a lot of water so I do not get dehydrated.

That is the latest.

All in All

I have loved being pregnant. You always hear such horror stories of how terrible pregnancy is. Some people just have it bad. I have been very lucky to have had no complications.

Some Perks:

I was able to wear a lot of my pre-pregnancy tops till about 8 months.
My stomach did not get huge until 8 months. It was out there, but not like it is now.
No strangers have come up to me and touched my stomach.
I pretty much eat what I want, but I still watch what I eat. I do splurge here and there, but make sure I drink a lot of water, and eat a good amount of fruit and vegetables.
No trying to mask my belly. I can just let it all hang out.
Buying and decorating the Baby room has been a lot of fun. I probably spend too much time in there now. I am in there every night.
Some say I have not gained any weight in my face (that is a great thing)

Some not so great things:

Heartburn - I have it all the time now
Frequent trips to the rest room. It seems like I spend half of my day there.
My hips hurt after lying on one side too long. I try to lie on my left side most the time to maximize blood flow, but I can not do it all the time.
Fat feet
Limited Clothing. I have 4 pair of pants the fit right now.
Trying to get up off the sofa is a task, and getting in and out of the car.
Being exhausted after going to the store.
Becoming out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs. It makes me feel so out of shape.

This has been a wonderful experience, and I hope that I can do it one or two more times. This pregnancy has gone by so quickly, and I am a little sad to think that it is almost over. The pregnancy may be almost over, but the journey is about to begin. Being that this is our first child, we are excited and nervous about the unknown. We are lucky to have a lot of family and friends who have offered great advise, and have offered to help out any way they can.Charlotte is already loved by so many.
We are both so excited that Charlotte will be here soon, and we can hold her in our arms.

Rocker

Steve got home a little early this evening and guess what was int eh back of that car. A ROCKER. I fianally have a rocker. He picked it out himself. I had no idea that I was getting this. I was planning on using a rocking chair that my mother has. This will be much better. The wood matches the baby room perfectly.
This is steves baby shower gift to me. He was hoping to have all put together and in the room for when I got home from the first baby shower, but....the chair was a little late in arriving. I love it and it is very comfortable. My body totally takes over the hair, but in time I hope to slim down.

I LOVE IT !!!

Do these 2 things go together?

Last night I walked into the TV room and Steve was watching James Bond and reading American Baby. I thought it was cute.

Week 36 check-up

The check-up went great. Dr. F. did a quick ultrasound to check on the fluids around Charlotte and to make sure she was not breach any longer. She has turned and is now head down. He showed me a close up of her face and she looks like a keeper. She has a little button nose, and pouty lips. Her eyes were closed, and we were hoping for a yawn, but she was sound asleep. I am right on track, and am dialated to a 1.

Week 36

I do not like this picture. Can you say HUGE? I may need to take a new photo.

Weekly Shots

Here is a little collage of all my belly shots from week 4 through current. This journey has gone by so quickly. I am so glad I took a picture of my growing belly every week. It is fun to look back over them.

Just 4 more weeks and Charlotte will be here. Crazy!

It's here

Baby Shower # 2

 

Baby Shower # 1

On Saturday January 31st I had my first baby and it ended up being a lot of fun. I did not enjoy being the center of attention, but I managed to make it. There was a pretty good turnout. I was so afraid I would be the only one who showed up to my shower. Our afternoon started of with a light lunch of a variety of delicious salads and orange rolls.(I had a second helping after everyone had left). Next were the gifts. My family and friends were too generous. Char got a lot of adorable clothes. Some were so adorable, I got 4 of one dress and 2 of another. All I know is she will be the best dressed gal in town.
Susan had brought some blank, non patterned quilt squares for everyone to write a comment on. She then is going to incorporate those squares in a baby quilt she is making for Charlotte. Susan makes the best quilts. I an excited to see the finished product.
I was a great day, and I felt very loved.

I am lucky enough to have another shower coming up on February 7th thrown by my dear friends. This will be one for the books. My guess is they are going to share horror stories and try to scare me.

Thank you Shannon for all the pictures you took. Without you I probably would have none to remember the day.

Snail Mail

It is in the mail.
My parents bought Charlotte her stroller, and I can not wait for it to come in the mail. It shold be on my door step any day now.

Week 35

Ouch!
For the last week I have had Braxton Hicks, but these last few days they have grown somewhat intense. Some of them take my breath away. They are the most painful during the night, but I have them all day long. My stomach gets so hard, and it becomes uncomfortable.
Charlotte's movements have stayed pretty constant, although I can tell she is running out of room. Some of her movements are pretty suttle, but other times it is like she is going crazy, and my stomach jiggles all over the place. She continues to press on my bladder all the time. I think she getting anxious to come into the world. I am pretty sure that she has finally turned, and is now head down, but we will find out for sure on February 11th.
Day by day my maternity pants become more snug and uncomfortable. I am constantly fidgeting with them. I wore my fist pair of full panel pants the other day, and I think it was my last time. They were itchy, and my stomach would sweat some. I felt like I was wearing my underwear all the way up to my chest. They were awful. With only 5 weeks left there is no point in going out and buying more maternity clothes. If I could wear lounge pants to work that would be the best.
My week in a nutshell...My stomach is getting bigger everyday. My co-worker told me I had fat feet, and my neighbor finally said that I am looking pregnant and not just fat.