A Lesson in Patience.

So I am officially overdue today.

When I got up this morning I had this awesome comment in my blog from my amazing Doula, Andrea (she is also a massage therapist.) It was just what I needed to hear today! So here is what she wrote:

Let me know if you need a massage Saturday afternoon - one o'clock is open ;) A lot of moms go into labor once they finally get mad and let go of deadlines and timetables. At this stage of the game we give it to God and take it back for awhile. Back and forth. It's almost torture. Once you surrender, you're there. God's lesson in parenting. Complete surrender to Him so that you can experience his love and comfort and compassion and be so grateful when this baby comes, giving glory to the proper place. You can do all things through Him who strengthens you, Anne!

It sort of made me want to cry, because she is right! I am trying to just control this whole situation. Really what it comes down to is that I am just anxious and want to meet our baby, but I have no control, God has a plan, and he will come when he is supposed to come.

So anyways....that is that!

And the wait continues.

Just a little more patiently now, that is all. :)

40 Week Pics

Bare belly pic comparison from last week: I def. think I look bigger this week!



I also think it is funny how my ticker from The Bump says Congratulations on it, and how my other ticker says that "my baby is 1 day old." hahaha.....
It is sort of sad though.
Come out baby!!!!

40 Week Survey

How far along? 40 Weeks. Holy. Moly.
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 lbs. this weeks. 41 lbs. total.
How big is baby? According to Baby Center, 7.5 lbs. and 20 in. long. My doctor guess 7 3/4 lbs. last night.
Maternity clothes? Yes please.
Sleep: Pretty good, just wake up to use the bathroom and whatnot.
Best moment this week: Well, I guess I am still hoping that that will still happen. But nothing exciting has happened this week yet unfortunately!
Movement: Yeah actually, and I do not think he is slowing down. His movements are really hurting me lately. Especially when he is punching me in the bladder repeatedly. Time to come out little man!!!
Food cravings: Water, juice, apples
Gender: Little man
Labor Signs: **Ok, this is from last week**: According to my OB from my appt. on Monday, I am 2 cm. dilated, 70% effaced and ever since then I am pretty sure I have slowly but surely been losing my mucus plug.

**Now for this week**
So I go in last night and when she checks me she goes Uhhh I'm going to say about 1.5 cm. and 40.....and then she was like Wait, what did I tell you last week? And glances down at my chart.... Oh, 2 and 70...ummm...ok, well there isn't any further progress. Sorry, I know that is not what you wanted to hear!! Uhhh....you think?

Ummm ok?? So which is it? I doubt my cervix "un-effaced" lol. Seriously though, they check you SO fast....so I think maybe last week she was just guessing? Who knows. But I was honestly expecting to be more dilated at least, so this was a huge disappointment to me. Nothing I can do about it though, so oh well.
OH and not to mention that afterward, I felt nothing. No cramping, no discharge, nothing. Last week I thought maybe she had put me into labor!! Anyways, I guess that just surprised me a little. Obviously my body just is not ready yet.
Belly Button in or out? Definitely an outtie
Stretchmarks? Yep, I keep getting more of them. And they are all in the same spot, right around my belly button where his butt always sticks out. Go figure.
How are you feeling? I am feeling Ok. Ready to have this baby, that is for sure but trying to be content about the situation. My feet, ankles and lower shins are really swollen. I cannot believe how much water I am retaining.
What I am looking forward to: Going into labor. For realz.
What I miss: The usual. Sleeping on my back and stomach, and not being all swollen.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't get any sort of "date" in your head about when you "think" you will have the baby, and don't listen to people when everyone tells you they think you are going to have the baby early...haha.
Milestones: Reaching complete full term. I still cannot believe it!!

My doctor also made me schedule an appt. for next week. It is on Wednesday morning at 9:30. They will want to do an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid and then do the NST test to make sure the babe isn't stressing out. I am seriously praying that something happens before then so I can cancel that appointment. I would hate for something to be up, and then have them try to force me to go in to be induced. :( She also pretty much told me that once I hit 42 weeks they will want to induce me as well.
Please Lord let me have this baby soon!!!

*I will post pictures later. Hopefully I have dropped a little bit more?

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

Are we there yet???

Ok, so I am 40 weeks tomorrow.
Honestly, I did not think I would make it this far. EVERYONE ...seriously, everyone, kept telling me that they thought I would "go early." This really really annoyed me, because I really really did NOT want to have him any earlier than like 38 weeks. I want him to be as healthy as possibly, ya know? But after a while, that got in my head, and I started to believe it. So once I passed 38 weeks...and then got to 39...and now I am approaching 40...I'm like whoa whoa....what is going on here??
So only like 50% of women have their babies before their due date and the rest go over, so I should have expected this.
But let me tell you what, I am ready now!! Everyone else around me, friends, family, etc. have all had their babies and I am soooooo excited for them. It makes me even more excited to meet our son. I can't wait to hold him, and see what he looks like, and take in that "baby scent." Despite the fact that we STILL have not decided on a name...I hope he comes soon!
Come out Baby O, Mommy and Daddy want to meet you!!!
I have another appt. tonight at 5, so I am hoping that I have progressed a little since last week.
Saturday I started having some contractions randomly but nothing too time-able yet. I am thinking that maybe my doctor might strip my membranes? I do not know. It doesn't seem to be that huge of a risk to get that done and it might help move some things along. I just feel like the baby hasn't really dropped too much yet. Last night I bounced and did some other stuff on the exercise ball for like almost two hours.
I have also been taking Evening Primrose Oil supplements and drinking Red Raspberry Leaf too. Not to mention the most obvious of obvious things we could be doing. What will get you in the situation will get you out right?!! :)
Anyways.....I am hoping something gets started up here soon! It would be cool to have him right on my due date. Hopefully labor will start up tonight!!!!! Come on Baby!!

Blog

Check this out...
http://domestikatiemakesababy.blogspot.com/

You know when you meet someone and they are just instantly like-able and you want to know everything about them and be there best friend all at once in that very second? Well that is my friend Katie. Her and her DH have been TTCing for a little while now and she decided to start blogging about their journey which I am super excited about because I love her writing. So, if you get a chance, give her a chance, and check out her blog! I promise, you will most likely love her too. :)

Amelia Rose!

Congratulations to Megan and Patrick!!
Their precious beautiful little girl was born last Tuesday, September 21st at 4:21 pm. She was 6 lbs. 15 oz. 20 1/2 inches long!



I love the name they chose for her and she is so cute!!!!







Unfortunately I have not gotten to meet her yet or hold her. :( Hopefully I will get to see them soon! Pictures just are not the same and do not suffice!

39 Week Pictures

And then here is last weeks view for comparison at 38 weeks. I do not think I have really dropped yet? Any opinions anyone?

39 Week Survey

How far along? 39 Weeks! Hoping he comes sooner than later.
Total weight gain/loss: +2 lbs. this weeks. 40.5 lbs. total.
How big is baby? Supposed to be over 7 lbs, and around 20 inches long
Maternity clothes? Yes please.
Sleep: Pretty good, just wake up to use the bathroom and whatnot.
Best moment this week: Well, there has been A LOT going on, let me tell you what. Another good weekend of getting stuff done, not to mention the awesome win by MSU Saturday night. Good friend Kendyl had her baby on Monday and then Megan had her baby yesterday!! That was not expected this week, but it just goes to show that God is in control and things will happen how they are supposed to. I cannot wait to meet their precious baby girl.
Movement: Yes but slowing down.
Food cravings: Water, juice, cider, pie, apples...anything to do with Fall I swear... :)
Gender: Sweet, baby boy.
Labor Signs: According to my OB from my appt. on Monday, I am 2 cm. dilated, 70% effaced and ever since then I am pretty sure I have slowly but surely been losing my mucus plug.
Belly Button in or out? Definitely an outtie
Stretchmarks? Still just the one above my belly button.
How are you feeling? I am so stinkin tired today, I do not know what the deal is. All I can think about is how I cannot wait to get home and take a nap. Which stinks because I have a lot of stuff I wanted to do tonight!!! Also my feet are killing me. I can't wait to not be swollen anymore.
What I am looking forward to: Having this baby!!!!!!!!!! And meeting Megan and Pat's baby.
What I miss: The usual. Sleeping on my back and stomach, and not being all swollen.
Weekly Wisdom: I am too tired to think of anything!
Milestones: Showing some signs that my body is preparing for labor. Oh, and I am pretty much mentally checked out at work. It is super hard. I have no desire to be there, I am cranky when I am there, and I can't focus. Hopefully I do not have to go back next week!

I will post some pics later. :)

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

More Nursery Progress!

We finally got the blinds and curtains up in the nursery! I wasn't sure if I would like how it looked or not but we are very happy with it!



Also got the mobile up on the crib. You can also take the blue thing off and it will play something up on the ceiling, it is cute!
The baby bag is all packed and ready to go too.


Let's talk about cloth diapers shall we? This is our stash so far. I think we have got a fair amount! On top of the dresser we have our little set-up. Right now I have some newborn diapers in there, along with cloth wipes and some inserts/burp clothes and our one newborn sized cloth diaper that I won. I still need to figure out "a solution" that I want to use for when we use the cloth wipes and put it in a spray bottle up there. We just have SO many wipes right now that we received from people I am not sure when we will start using the cloth.
In the drawer we have a bunch of Flip covers w/ inserts, some BG 3.0's and 4.0's, some Rumparooz, Fuzzibunz, Happy Heinys, GroBabys...I think that is most of them. Might be missing a random one here or there.




And this drawer is full of more prefold inserts and other inserts...and I have a whole other bin in the closet full of them. I think we are good to go!


Now we just need some wall art for the walls! I have a couple of frames that I am planning on getting from Babys R Us, one with some ultrasound pics in it, and another that will have a picture of him in the middle and feet and hand prints on each side. I also have a tree decal that I want to put up somewhere, but cannot decide where since I would like to put a mirror in there as well, but haven't found one I like yet. Decisions decisions!

38 Week Survey

This is a weee bit late!! Oopsy!



How far along? 38 Weeks! I cannot believe this baby could make an entrance at any moment now. I am so excited/nervous!
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 lbs. this weeks. 38.5 lbs. total.
How big is baby? Supposed to be around 6.8lbs, and about 19.5 inches long.
Maternity clothes? Yes please.
Sleep: Decent, but waking up every couple hours to use the bathroom and reposition. Same ol same ol.
Best moment this week: We had a REALLY great weekend. Chris had the weekend off, so that was nice. Friday night we went and saw Inception with a gift card from his birthday. Saturday morning I cleaned up the house a little and he worked on a paper for school while I went shopping and returned stuff, and went to see Eclipse. All by myself. It was kinda nice actually. That afternoon I think we both feel asleep at some point and took naps, then had dinner a little later (thank you Entertainment book coupon) and went grocery shopping. Sunday we had to miss church, but we got our Maternity photos taken. Afterward we went to a local orchard called Robinettes. They have wine tasting there, and you can take hay rides, pick apples, get fresh cider and donuts, it is awesome. I love it there! We bought a bag of apples and had some pumpkin spice donuts and fresh cider. I have been craving more ever since! That afternoon I intended on cleaning more but at that point my feet and cankles were huge and killing me. I ended up taking a nap, Chris took the dogs to the park for a while and later on our small group came over to hang out. It was such a fun weekend, but it flew by as always!
Movement: Slowing down a little I think. I swear he likes to punch me in the bladder. It hurts.
Food cravings: Juice, more pumpkin spice donuts and cider. :)
Gender: Sweet, baby boy.
Labor Signs: Just Braxton Hicks. I hope to be feeling something more very soon!
Belly Button in or out? Outtie now
Stretchmarks? Still just the one above my belly button. Except the other morning when I was doing my hair I accidentally burnt my belly with my curling iron and I am afraid that the scar from that might turn into one. Who knows.
How are you feeling? I am feeling really good this week actually! We have gotten a lot done and my back hasn't been hurting me too much (which makes me think maybe he has moved down a little?) I am tired here and there but I think that is a given at this point. I hope I get this huge "burst of energy" soon that everyone keeps telling me about and then I can have the babe. :)
What I am looking forward to: Getting the house cleaned some more, and having the baby! Also, getting the final coupon for Babies R Us in the mail. There are a few more things we need to purchase and I would like to get that done asap, but want to wait for the coupon. I wish it would come in the mail already! Every day I have been eagerly checking for it, haha.
What I miss: The usual. Sleeping on my back and stomach, and not being all swollen.
Weekly Wisdom: Stay hydrated!!
Milestones: Got maternity pics done. Rug is in the nursery, and the blinds and curtains are up. We just need some wall art in there and we will be good to go.



You can see my curling iron burn in this one...my left, your right, right about my belly button like an inch or two. Hopefully it doesn't leave a scar!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Maternity Pics

So back when I first got pregnant I always thought that I would do these, but then realized that I did not want to spend the money and would rather save up for newborn photos. So I basically had no intention of doing these, but then my friend/coworker Robin offered to do them for us for free, because she likes to take pictures on the side for fun! I thought what the heck, why not? Then we can just have a few good ones at least for some memories. Well they ended up turning out really great and I love them! I feel really lucky that she offered to do something like this for us, and we are so extremely grateful! Here are some of my favorites.















I guess I have a lot of favorites! Not sure what we will do with them yet, but I know I would like to put one somewhere in the nursery I think. I am so lucky to have an awesome husband and blessed to be bringing our little boy into this world!
*edit*
I just remembered this and wanted to add it in. I was adamant about putting my wedding rings on for these pics. And I got them on.....but getting them off last night...yeah. Not so fun. :)

37 Weeks!

How far along? 37 Weeks! Time is flying by.
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 lbs. this weeks. 37 lbs. total.
How big is baby? Supposed to be a little over 6 lbs, and about 19 inches long.
Maternity clothes? Yes please.
Sleep: The last couple nights I have only been waking up once during the night. It is SO hard to roll over and/or get out of bed, I cannot believe it.
Best moment this week: Pretty much getting the nursery all put together.
Movement: Slowing down a little I think. I swear he likes to punch me in the bladder. It hurts.
Food cravings: Just depends I guess but nothing in particular. Every time I eat now I usually do not feel good afterward.
Gender: Sweet, baby boy.
Labor Signs: Just Braxton Hicks.
Belly Button in or out? Outtie now
Stretchmarks? Only one little one that developed from a previous scar. Oh well, still no other ones so woo hoo!! I am still using Organic Palmer's Cocoa Butter cream in the morning and this "Beautiful Belly Balm" at night that I got at our local health food store. I honestly think that using a little something to keep it moisturized mixed with staying super hydrated helps.
How are you feeling? Hormonal and emotional. If I start to cry I am screwed because then I cannot stop! It's hard if I am at work, because I cannot escape my desk. For the most part I am not too tired, which has been nice, but my back is still killing me. I would like to get past this weekend and then he can come any time!!!!
What I am looking forward to: Getting some more stuff done this weekend and hopefully finishing up cleaning the house. Maybe seeing a movie or two since we have some gift cards. I would like to go and pick apples at an orchard here on Saturday but it is supposed to rain.
What I miss: Not being able to sleep on my back and stomach, and my hands feeling normal. My feet not being swollen, and my back and hips not hurting. Not pretty much having an accident every time I am running to the bathroom, lol.
Weekly Wisdom: Stay hydrated!!
Milestones: I am officially considered Full Term! The nursery is pretty much ready, which feels great! I will have to post some pictures soon. We are just waiting on the blinds and rug to come in the mail, and there are just a couple other few items I need to purchase yet.

Ohhh!! I do not know how I almost forgot about this. I had an appt. yesterday and got the results from my Group Strep B test back and it was NEGATIVE!! Praise the Lord!! I was very very very happy about this. I do not want to by hooked up to an IV if I do not have to be. I feel very adamant about this....I just want to be as mobile as possible and love the thought that I don't have to have that in my hand. We will see what happens though!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

36 Week Survey!

Here is a little sneak peak of the nursery! Still a lot to do in there, but it is coming along. Nothing else is in there yet except for the furniture, as I am STILL sorting through things. I love it so far though!!

How far along? 36 Weeks! We are moving right along.
Total weight gain/loss: +2.5 lbs. in the past two weeks. 36.5 lbs. total. At my appt. yesterday the nurse told me that I had lost weight since the previous week. I think she is crazy, haha.
How big is baby? About 6 lbs, and over 18 inches long. And I am feeling the extra weight too...
Maternity clothes? Yes please.
Sleep: Well, I pretty much wake up consistently now every 2-3 hours. Every time I get out of bed I have a BH. I cannot believe how hard it has become to get in and out of bed. I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!
Best moment this week: Getting all of the furniture put together and the bedding on the crib, I love it! Also Megan's shower on Saturday which I want to do another post about!
Movement: He is a crazy baby and I am convinced he is trying to escape.
Food cravings: Not really craving anything. Mostly after I eat it feels like it can't go down and is going to come back up. Fun fun!
Gender: Sweet, baby boy.
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks when I get out of bed at night!
Belly Button in or out? It's out now. And people can see it through my shirt which makes for extra comments.
Stretchmarks? Only one little one that developed from a previous scar. Oh well, still no other ones so woo hoo!! I am still using Organic Palmer's Cocoa Butter cream in the morning and this "Beautiful Belly Balm" at night that I got at our local health food store. I honestly think that using a little something to keep it moisturized mixed with staying super hydrated helps.
How are you feeling? Better about getting stuff done. He could come and we would be fine. Entirely and completely sore though, it's hard to walk. I feel like I am limping. My chiro. has me putting an ice pack on my lower back/right hip area, he says it's all inflamed and I totally feel it. :(
What I am looking forward to: 3 day weekend for Labor Day coming up! The weather is supposed to be cooler which will be awesome. I would like to turn off our central air now and just be able to have the doors and windows open again! We should be getting a lot more done with the house as well.
What I miss: Not being able to sleep on my back and stomach, and my hands feeling normal. My feet not being swollen, and my back and hips not hurting.
Weekly Wisdom: Well this week I'd have to say that if you wake up to use the restroom, don't lay there for too long, otherwise you start to lose it by the time you are trying to get down the stairs...no fun, haha.
Milestones: We are finished with our classes with our Doula, Andrea. I feel pretty prepared I guess. There is no stopping what is going to happen so no point in being stressed about it! I just pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy. I can't believe he could come any time now. This pregnancy just flew by!

Overall I have been very happy with my "pregnant body."


Niles in the bathroom giving me "that look" while I was taking my picture. Please give me some attention Mom!!!


Siggy peaking through some of the baby stuff! He is hilarious.

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-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 her first bowel movement.

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