39 Weeks

I am now 39 weeks pregnant.  Home stretch!  Several people have guessed that I'll have the baby sooner, but I'm still predicting this baby won't arrive till mid June.  We'll see.

The baby center post for this week states that baby's around seven pounds, like a small watermelon.  He feels rather more like a medium or large sized watermelon, let me tell you!  He certainly feels long as well, stretching his legs out (or trying to) and causing discomfort both near my belly button/ribs and way down in my hips.  I think he's getting restless and running out of room in there!

No real signs of labor yet, though contractions (some with some minor pain sensations) have begun to happen each day, in no particular pattern.  They aren't typically very intense and most of the time don't even require my attention, though once in a while I do need to focus and just breathe easy.  I notice them much more when I'm on my feet walking (or playing choo choo train with Conductor Bradley), and they settle if I get off my feet - typical description of Braxton Hicks, aka "practice," contractions.

We are pretty much as ready as we'll ever be.  The car seat's installed, the room is ready, everything is washed and dried and put away (and sometimes twice - thanks to Lily cat exploring the nursery and leaving traces of cat hair on things), the freezer is stocked... pretty much down to "now we wait!"

Here are some pictures from this week (not the most flattering shorts, but they are comfy!):

38 Weeks

I am now 38 weeks pregnant.  In the home stretch, or as my Great Aunt Althea says, I'm "a short-timer now."  Ha.

The baby center post for this week states that baby is nearly 7 lbs and that his organs are matured and ready for life on the outside (maybe... I've always read that boys in particular need extra time for their lungs, and the March of Dimes has been leading a campaign to alter thinking on "full term" so that folks realize even babies born at 37 or 38 or 39 weeks may have signs of prematurity).

The post also discusses baby's eye color.  We've been talking about that at home lately; Bradley knows his eyes are green and so are Daddy's but that they both change color.  I've been wondering if baby-to-be's eyes will also be green, or if they might be blue or brown (mine are brown but as my father's are blue, I have two different alleles, hence why Bradley was born with light colored eyes), or maybe just a slightly different shade of this green-blue-honey brown mix that Bradley inherited from Daddy, who inherited them from B's Grandma Sarah.  Time will tell!  For those who don't know, a baby's eyes can change up until they are around three years old, and by six or nine months you generally know what color they'll stay even if the shade hasn't settled completely yet.

We are still debating baby's middle name, though we've finally firmly settled on a first name: Sean.  Bradley's been calling his brother Sean for a few weeks now, so hey, I guess it's going to stick!  It is the Irish spelling of the name John (Pat's father, and also a name that shows up on my family tree) and sounds a lot like the "Shea" portion of O'Shea (Pat's mother's maiden name), which is why we chose it.  I went out and bought the letters for his name sign in his room and painted them, so that settles that, haha.  Some middle name contenders: Reed, Caleb, Joseph, James, Charles, and Lee (my father's name, which he doesn't love).  Bradley says his little brother's middle name will be Sean, so therefore his name will be Sean Sean.  That's helpful, heehee.

Here are some pictures from this week:

Kitchen Art

Bradley began examining the ends of an onion and asking about it last night after dinner, so we decided to explore a bit.  We divided the layers up and ended up with what he deemed a little onion family (Bradley, the baby, Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Alison, and Uncle Mark).  We then pulled out the ketchup and mustard and made some artwork by stamping with the onion pieces.  It was pretty fun, kinda smelly, and (B decided) actually fairly tasty!

36 & 37 Weeks

I am now 37 weeks pregnant.  I have been busy wrapping things up around the house, so I haven't had much down time lately.  I missed making a separate write-up for 36 weeks so this is a combo post.

The 36 week baby center post states that baby is about six pounds and growing steadily.  It discusses the baby beginning to drop, and I do feel that's starting to happen.  I have been feeling more pressure lower down, though not enjoying any lessening of heartburn or shortness of breath as the article suggests.  Darn!  It mentions not traveling too far from home, and that's definitely something I agree with.  We have tickets to the aquarium in Mystic, CT but I'm not even sure I am up for it right now, so it'll have to be a post-baby excursion I guess.

For the 37 week baby center post, it of course declares happily that I've reached "full term" status.  If Bradley is any indication (induction at 42 weeks), this baby has some cooking left to do.  It discusses sleep being even harder than before, and that has certainly rung true.  I am still getting a nice, deep sleep until I first wake in the night, but getting comfortable in general is harder, I'm back to waking quite frequently, and sometimes I find myself awake for the day around 3 AM.  It's frustrating, to say the least; it makes my whole day more difficult.  They go on to list some signs of labor.  I'm not really having any yet, other than feeling baby a bit lower (midwife says he's not yet fully down and engaged, but he is staying head-down so GOOD BOY!) and I do notice the Braxton-Hicks contractions more than last time around, but I think that's probably just because I know what they feel like after having had a baby before.  So in conclusion... I think we have a while yet to wait.

We are pretty much ready for baby at this point.  I finished most of the diaper sewing repairs (and broke my machine in two different ways... hoping my mother or mother-in-law can bail me out when they visit after the baby's born!) and got them laundered and stuffed and into the changing table drawer, which felt amazing.  Pat and I have some things we would like to get done before the baby's here (mulching the garden beds, washing the windows, stuff like that) but they're not MUST DO things so really, I guess we're ready.  Now we just wait.  :)

My last run took place on May 1st, when I was 35 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  On Friday My 3rd I went to BJs to pick up some groceries and household items and (stupidly) hauled a 40 lb box of kitty litter without any help.  I wound up feeling VERY sore for the next two days, and unable to run all weekend.  I felt much better upon waking on Sunday May 5th, and when running didn't feel comfortable that day I walked instead. This still gave me a decent workout and I was able to break a sweat walking at between 2.5 and 3 MPH, so at least I felt like I got a good workout in.  I'm really sad that running is over for me, because I anticipate bubs won't be born for another 6 weeks and then I may need 6 more weeks postpartum before I am cleared to run again, which means about 3 months off of running altogether.  I've never taken a break since I started in October of 2011... so this is new for me.  I already miss it.

Whether I'm done with yoga or not remains to be seen.  I skipped it this past week because I slept poorly the night before and was still a bit sore.  I'm hoping to go next week, but we'll see how I feel.

My co-workers signed a beautiful card with lots of lovely well wishes for us, threw a great little party at work, and gave us a few quite generous gifts, including some cash.  I'm debating using it to buy the few things I want or saving it to establish the baby-to-be's savings account... we'll see.

I'm going out for dinner with my good friend, Gwen, as one last hurrah.  I'm also penciling in the MOMS Club activities this month because they may be my last chance to get out of the house at night for a while (Moms' Night Out is a planned screening of The Great Gatsby, and there's a Coffee Talk meetup later too).

Here are some pictures from the week:

35 Weeks

I am 35 weeks pregnant - 5 or so weeks to go!  The baby center post for this week states that baby doesn't have much room left to maneuver now that he's about 18 inches long and 5.25 lbs (and who knows how big our little man actually is!)... well, baby sure doesn't give up trying easily!  He rolls around, turns from side to side, and kicks - and seems he's trying to do hand-stands quite regularly, much to my and my bellybutton's chagrin.  The rolls and undulations across my belly when he moves are quite strong and visible.  It's amusing and an odd sensation at the same time.  Sometimes his slight head movements are actually strong enough to make my back audibly crack.  Sort of creepy!  I think he's going to be a strong one.

I think his development is pretty much there at this point, other than some finishing touches.  I read once that boys in particular need some extra time for their lungs to mature.  But it's neat to think he's pretty much whole and formed and just hanging out, maturing!

The linea nigra appeared recently and has darkened a bit further this week.  I was wondering when that happened from last time, and thought maybe this time it wouldn't.

Sleeping's been getting both better and worse.  I've been doing some exercises that are helping me relax before bed and so I'm getting a nice solid block of restful sleep before I have to wake up for the restroom, AND I'm waking less frequently for those potty breaks too.  That has been nice.  What is getting worse is the stress on my joints (shoulders, hips, ankles) from always sleeping on my side, and the logistics of flipping over to the other side in the middle of the night are more complicated with a bigger belly.  That has been not so nice.

Yoga and running continue... I think!  My neighbor, Deb, has been going to yoga with me and I have told her and my instructor that I'll just keep going, because even if I can't do a think everyone else is doing I can still get into child's pose and practice some relaxed breathing!  My yoga teacher, Lisa, has been so kind as to play my favorite song (Nature Spirits - it just relaxes me and reminds me of sitting alone in the forest... ahhhhh!) and is very willing to modify poses for me, etc.  Running on the other hand... I have been continuing with mixed results lately.  I've had to back off of my 5.0 mph pace down to 4.5 or even lower some days (or parts of some runs) because my belly is experiencing a muscle soreness at times.  After I run, my back is pretty tight for a good day or so.  Pat suggested it's not really worth it anymore, but for now I'm toughing it out.  Not sure how much longer though!

I am feeling NEARLY ready to meet him.  I have my paperwork in order (other than his birth date, social security number, and OH YEAH name), the cloth diapers are nearly finished with the rehabbing I've been doing, his room is set up... we're getting there.  I need a little more time to finish machine sewing the Velcro closures onto the diapers, wash and put away his clothes and bedding, maybe make some freeze-able snacks that I can grab easily for after the birth (muffins, oatmeal cookies, etc.).  Then I think we're pretty much set!  If he's anything like his older brother, he'll keep us waiting another 7 weeks or so.  Two months.  Yikes!

Here are some pictures from this week: