Week 38

I had my 38 Week appointment yesterday.

I gained two pounds, putting me at a grand total of 27 pounds!

My BP was 120/67.

I measure right on schedule at 38cm.

I am also just about 1cm dilated and 70% effaced.

Lots of progress from last week...sort of.

Fern always checks my ankles for swelling and yesterday commented that I'm starting to look like I'm really getting ready to have this baby. I'm still not quite sure what that means other than the fact that my socks make a stripe on my ankles and my face is getting fatter. She said that we should plan on two more weeks til it comes, but that it could happen at any time.

I woke up at 4:00 this morning and my feet and hands were so swollen that they were tingly and ithy and didn't even want to bend. Rich helped me wedge pillows under my back and butt so that I would HAVE to sleep on my left side. By 7, the swelling had gone down significantly.

At this point, baby weighs about 7lbs, and has a very firm grip. Its organs are now "fully developed" and ready for life outside the womb.

DesvousJunior keeps getting the hiccups like crazy! Fern says that means he or she will be a good nurser! Here's hoping!

Stupid Bassinet!

Last night when I discovered that the heat was turned down to SIXTY-THREE DEGREES, I chastised Richard. We had a good giggle about it and forgot about it immediately.
I went into the bedroom, then, barefoot and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and SLAMMED my foot into the bassinet at the foot of our bed. I gashed open the top of my toe which immediately started throbbing.
I looked down, expecting blood, but only saw a pink mark.
Richard said, "I bet it would be bleeding if it wasn't so cold in here."
Har, har.

Reality Check

I was telling one of my fellow pregnant co-workers how excited I am to meet this baby and that the last two weeks of pregnancy seem longer than the first 38.
She laughed and said, "Well...no matter what, it's going to happen eventually, right?!"
I managed to wait til she walked away and then I threw up a little.
This is actually happening.

Survival

OK, if yesterday was a bad day, last night was ...worse.
I tossed and turned (read: flopped and groaned) all night long.
I couldn't lay all the way down because I had such terrible heartburn that I was gagging (no more Greek for me), and when I tried to sleep in the recliner I woke up an hour later with a stiff neck.
I finally fell asleep in the nursery, curled up in my bathrobe with my Tums in my hands.
Surprisingly, though, today is a much better day than yesterday. I am in a much better mood, for the first time in a week (poor Richard!!) and have even managed to get some things accomplished this morning.
So...it looks like I'll survive today.

All that is holy...

I s.w.e.a.r., if one more person tells me how TINY I am or how TIRED I look, I'm going to lose my FREAKING mind.

I look tired and cranky?

Weird.

Week 37

I had my 37 Week appointment on Wednesday.

My blood pressure was high enough that I didn't "pass" until the third time she took it. Couldn't POSSIBLY have had anything to do with the flight of stairs I walked up immediately prior! Over the course of 15 minutes, my BP went from 138/96 to 106/72. Nice, huh? I focused on relaxing (a tactic that might come in handy later...), which made a huge difference!

I am still measuring right on track (37cm), and I have a "nice, soft" cervix and am not quite dilated to 1cm. I also gained two more pounds since my 35 week appointment, which brings me to a nice, even 25 pound total so far. YESSS.

So...we're moving in the right direction!

I admit, I was hoping she would tell me that I was dilated to 4cm and I would probably have my baby that night. I even fantasized about my water breaking on the way into the examining room.

Let me be clear--I'm not SO uncomfortable that I want to be done or anything like that. I'm sick of my job. I checked out last week. I packed up all my personal belongings to take home with me tonight. Hopefully I won't have to come back. Haha. Wishful thinking, I know.

I've been having quite a lot of cramping lately, and the BH contractions are getting more uncomfortable, but that's about it.

It amuses me that Richard is starting to get nervous. I'm enjoying it, to be honest. : )

This week, baby weighs about 6.5lbs and probably measures about 19 inches long. At this point, some babies have long locks of hair and others don't!

How I Told...

The girls.

It occurs to me that I never told anyone how I told my three closest friends that I was pregnant.

As you'll recall from Cara's post ages ago, I was the only one in our group that WASN'T pregnant.

I wouldn't say that I was heartbroken at being the only one without child, but I was disappointed and felt quite left out--even though I have wonderful friends and they would never make me feel that way! You know how it is.

Well, imagine my surprise when the very next week (literally, like four days later), my pregnancy test came back positive.

I stewed and stewed about a fantastic way to tell my friends that I was one of them now. I mean, think of it. What are the odds that all four of us would get pregnant at the same time? It needed to be fabulous.

So...I created a necklace for each of us. For Naomi, I made it with sapphires for September, for Sarah and Cara, amethysts for February and for myself aquamarines for March.

On the next day of our girls night (at the Sorenson's), I made sure to pick an outfit that would go with my necklace and wore it all day (and received many complements!). On my way to Sarah's house that evening she and I chatted on the phone. I told her I hadn't slept well that night and didn't feel very good. She said, "Are you pregnant?" I felt SO bad lying to her, but I lied. I didn't want to ruin my surprise.

As we all gathered in the living room with our cheesecake, I handed out envelopes to the girls, saying, "These are for all my PREGNANT friends."

Inside with each necklace was a card that read:

"A necklace to represent your little one (or something like that--I can't remember):

September 25--Sapphire

February 20--Amethyst

February 25--Amethyst

March 12--Aquamarine."

I waited nervously, playing with my necklace and watched my friend's brains twisting and turning. They were totally silent...until Sarah TOTALLY. FLIPPED.

I remember lots of screaming and crying and being called a liar by Sarah. Haha!! I SO deserved it, but it was totally worth it.

Until Sophia was born, we were all pregnant together. And then for ONE WEEK until Natalie was born, we were all pregnant together again (though, of course, we didn't know it!). I just can't imagine what God has in store for the four of us and our children that He would have orchestrated something so very special.

Lesson Learned

It's REALLY not that big of a deal if your husband doesn't care about "going home" outfits for baby.

Nesting or Nutso?

Strange things are happening.
I told Cara that I might actually be off my nut.
I spent the entire weekend doing laundry. I even loaded up all the doormats and took them to the laundrymat. I also scrubbed the tub, scoured the bathroom, swiffered the kitchen floor (twice), changed all the sheets in the house, and started doing all the baby laundry.
Once I bring up the stuff waiting for me in the dryer, my bags will officially be packed to go to the hospital, and I'm not too proud to admit that I nagged Richard until he installed the carseat in the car. It took the poor guy about a half hour and I came down and "fixed" it in under four minutes. Shhh...
The weird thing is the stuff that DOESN'T bother me. Like the sink full of dirty dishes, or the dust on every surface, or the fact that every room needs vacuuming. Nosiree! Those doormats take priority.
Other weird stuff: I was able to get my rings on this morning, but by 10am couldn't get them off without soap and water. They are currently residing on a chain around my neck. AND, I can hardly read my preggo books or emails anymore. They make me sick to my stomach.
I'm officially full term, as of yesterday.

June

In the bathroom today, one of the women I worked with said,
"So how far along are you? Like, five months?"
I said, "Yep. I'm due in June."
I just couldn't help myself.

I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. Director.

How nice!

Today the girls at work threw me a shower.

I think they must have invited everyone in the company because it felt like there were millions of people there! Even more than people at the party, millions of people must have donated to my gift card, because, believe you me, I couldn't believe how generous everyone was. I opened the card and immediately started sweating.

It was that big.

No matter what, it was a really nice shower that I will remember for a long time.

I am very thankful for the blessings God is already pouring on my baby!

Week 35

I am so far behind!!

I'm actually 36 weeks along (just starting my 9th month, for those of you who are counting...or dividing, I guess), but I haven't had the chance, or the energy or the ...inertia... to post about my 35th week.

In the 35th week,

DesvousJunior

weighed approximately 5 and a half pounds and measured just over 20 inches.

At my 35 week check up, Fern said that my cervix had started to efface and that I had a "dimple" of dilation. Her choice of words made me gag, but made me feel very excited! We are almost done! She said she can feel its head, too, which I think is weird and very cool. Baby's kidneys are fully functional now and its liver can process some waste products.

I have been having some Braxton-Hicks contractions lately, but nothing to write home about. It's a strange sensation to feel your entire abdomen harden and there's nothing you can do about it.

Things left to do before baby arrives:

-Put carseat in car.

-Pack hospital bag.

-Finish baby quilt.

-Wash baby clothes (someone tell me--is this ACTUALLY necessary?)

This week has been a LOT harder for me to get around. I'm not waddling, per se, but I am taking my time walking back and forth to the bathroom. Who says you can't get exercise this late in the game?? I have found that I can breathe a lot easier lately (Which is all relative, really. I still huff and puff going up the stairs but am usually recovered in about 10 feet as opposed to 100 like last week), and my bladder is smashed like a balloon under a car tire, hence the constant trips to the ladies room, which makes me think that Baby is starting to move down. Also, Richard has helped me put my socks on for the last 3 days. I envy girls like Naomi who could wear flip flops through their entire pregnancy!

I think it's finished...

Mandi came over tonight to hang out and we ended up putting all the finishing touches on the nursery. It looks SO good!! I think it's the most charming room!
The tiles above the changing table were a Christmas gift from Mandi, and everything else on the walls came from eBay (thanks, Mom!)
Also, the Teddy Bear really will never be the same.
Now I just have some laundry to do, pack my suitcase and put the carseat in the car and then we're ready. What will I do with myself when everything is checked off my list?

Menu

My lunch menu for today:

-Fish sticks

-Cheetos

-Two sugared donuts

-Coke

My dirty deed for the day? I let the cafeteria cashier believe there was only one donut in the bag instead of two. I didn't want her to think I was weird.

What?

Irrational

(but possibly rational?) Fears that I have about my child that will be here next month:

1. My baby will be stupid from my sleeping on my back.

2. I will have back labor from sleeping on my back.

3. My baby will be born with teeth.

4. My baby will be one of those wolf-children that is covered with hair.

5. My baby will have either one or three eyeballs due to my caffeine consumption (though minimal) during pregnancy.

6. I will forget to feed my baby the same way that I (frequently) forget to feed the dog.

Last night, I spent HOURS in the nursery putting together the Pack n Play, the carseat and stroller, and organizing things (again).

This Teddy Bear will never be the same. A statement made worse by the grainy nature of these photos. I apologize--they were taken with my phone.

p.s. T. Bear was napping while I put together the PNP, hence his absence from the photos. You know what they say--never wake a sleeping bear.

p.p.s. I only broke six nails while putting together the PNP. Victory!

True Statement

I just heard someone say (jokingly?), "We'd have more money in our budgets if we didn't have to pay for maternity leave."
I can't blame the guy. It's a true statement.
Especially in this new day and age.
You know, 1948.