37 weeks...

what's happening this week...

baby is the size of winter melon - 18.9-20.9 inches and 6.2-9.2 lbs (UMMMM...9.2 pounds!?!?! this baby better not be that big yet)

i'm in a semi-nesting mode these days...trying to get baby's room and this house ready for a little monster in only 21 days. the nursery is coming along and i think we are even ready to start hanging a few things on the walls. we have a mirror and some shelves that need to go up and todd is going to make an arrow decoration (out of wood) to go on the wall above the crib. it's starting to look pretty cute in there. i'll post some pics once it's more "finished"

my mom is also going to come visit in a little over a week to help me wash clothes, blankets and things and help with any last minute baby errands we have left to do so that we'll be all set!! 

still waiting for this baby to "drop"...not sure if that is something i am going to notice/feel/see or what? but i'm pretty sure it hasn't happened yet

i've had a few pretty good contractions this past week...nothing labor-like i'm sure...but definitely still uncomfortable...one night it even woke me from my sleep!

we had another baby shower this past weekend and it was a blast! we got to hang out and spend some quality time with a bunch of friends. we stayed up late and talked and sat around the bonfire and the guys played basketball. the theme of the party was "milk & cookies" and "books & babies". here are some photos of the adorable decorations and yummy treats! we have the best friends!!

a sweet friend of mine who is due 7 days after me...

stats from doctor's visit today: weight 170 lbs, BP 114/68, baby's heart rate 129, group B strep test came back negative, no changes in cervix/dilation but doctor did say baby's head is down low - which is good! and i can definitely already feel that :)

i'm about to go into four nights straight of working...which i am not particularly looking forward to. so sleeping, eating and working are on the agenda for the next few days...let's hope the hospital just isn't terribly crazy the next few nights...

36 weeks...

what's happening this week...

baby is the size of a honeydew - 17.2-18.7 inches long, 4.2-5.8 lbs

although i officially figured out what these were last week...i've been enjoying baby hiccups lately - along with less "kicks and punches" and more slow pushing movements! sometimes baby pushes pretty dang hard on my bladder - & kind of hurts!!

i've been suffering from swollen feet and ankles lately too.  usually its pretty bad after a night of work or from sitting too long.  i've figured out how to elevate my feet while i sleep so that seems to help some.  just looks funny mostly - and i am just happy that it's summer and i can wear flip flops most of the time ;) i'm slower to move around these days and sometimes even have a pretty good "waddle" going on

had my 36 week appointment at the doctor yesterday.  todd wasn't able to come with me because he had a work meeting. but i checked in at 173 lbs, 114/72 BP, got my belly measured but doc didn't say how many cms and i forgot to ask again!, heart rate was 134 beats/min, got my group b strep test taken (results will be given next week), and i got my cervix checked for the first time too! a little uncomfortable (now i know how my patients feel!!) but doc says i am not quite a centimeter dilated and thinning out. so i guess we're on the right track...we'll see what kind of changes we have next week

oh - and i've been suffering from pretty nasty heartburn. tums don't quite seem to cut it anymore and i just started taking prilosec for a more longer lasting option. i also drink milk for a little bit of instant relief. 

it's officially starting to feel like summer around here now - hot and humid - still lovin it though!

we are on glider hunt these days - although at this point i doubt we'll get it in time for baby's arrival - we would still like one for the nursery. we've been to a few spots and just now need to make a final decision and make the purchase

we have another baby shower this weekend that our friends are throwing for us on saturday! should be a fun time - it's a couples shower and we'll be celebrating with many of our local friends at another friend's house.

barefoot and pregnant ;)

35 weeks...

what's happening this week...

baby is as big as a coconut - 17.2-18.7 inches and 4.2-5.8 lbs

i'm starting to have more and more difficulty breathing even when i'm not exerting myself - this baby is crowding up my insides :) looking forward to that baby "drop" so that i can take a deep breath again

i think we are narrowing in on our final baby name ideas...todd did admit to commitment issues tonight though...so we'll see where that takes us

the most exciting news this week is that i got a new baby nephew! my sis-in-law had a baby boy on monday afternoon - and they named him greyson!! he's such a sweetie and i'm already in love.  so excited that my baby has ANOTHER cousin - we've already got 9 - and it's the best!

next week starts my weekly doctor's visits - so this was my last week off - eeks! the time is really almost here!

todd took our guest bed out of the spare room - so our little nursery is a little less crowded now. we just need to rearrange the furniture and hang a few things on the wall - and drag the dresser up from the basement. wish i had some more free time to get a little more prepared for baby's arrival. but school has been cramping my style (and summer) and i feel like i will be doing MANY things last minute around here. oh well...hopefully i do really get 5 more weeks - but who knows!?!?

34 weeks...

what's happening this week...

baby is the size of a butternut squash - 17.2-18.7 in long and 4.2-5.8 lbs

feeling quite a bit of fatigue lately - sometimes so bad that i can't keep my eyes open and i just have to take a nap. i guess i should get all the sleep in that i can these days :)

our stroller arrived in the mail tuesday - i used some buy buy baby gift cards from my shower to purchase it. we put it all together and walked around the house with it! it was kind of fun! crazy to think there will be a little baby in there very soon! next chore is to install the car seat base in my car - otherwise we are ready to go!

i also purchased a baby gate for the top of our stairs from a facebook garage sale site - it is brand new and much cheaper than the one we registered for. so we went ahead and got it. of course, that won't need to be installed for a while ;)

work and school are going to be pretty crazy the next few weeks - so that is going to make time go by quickly i am sure. although i would rather it slow down just a smidge so that i can enjoy these last few weeks as much as possible! i think i am going to miss being pregnant (except for those pesky first 15 weeks - ha)

went to the doctor today - baby's heart rate was right at 130, i weighed in at 167 (officially gained 30 pounds!), BP was 112/64, and belly is measuring 33-34 cm long - right on track!

33 weeks...

what's happening this week...

baby is the size of a durian (??) - 17.2-18.7 inches long and 4.2-5.8 lbs...so i'm a getting little skeptical of these measurements from the bump.com because when i look back over the past few weeks they just don't seem to make much sense. so take 'em with a grain of salt....if anything, they are fun to read

we've had some pretty crazy storms around here the past week or so. mostly just thunderstorms but a few have been severe too. it's been fun to watch them roll in (and to nap to sometimes too) and even more exciting to watch the sky. look how beautiful this sunset was the other night after a big storm came through ankeny earlier in the evening...just gorgeous

i'm still feeling pretty good overall - and i'm really enjoying the summer weather we are having. i feel like it's been just perfect. i like being pregnant in the summer...

we headed to the lake for the 4th of july holiday with some friends and to spend time with todd's parents at the cabin. again...it was just perfect! we couldn't have asked for better weather and it was sooooooo relaxing. we took the boat out a few times, hung out on the dock while the guys caught fish and i enjoyed my first NA beers. didn't seem right to be on the lake without a beer in my hand...so i improvised ;)

wearing todd's sweatshirt

weekly bump shot at exactly 33 weeks