35-39 Weeks

**Bad mom alert. This post took months in the making. Things at the time were so hectic and stressful that this blog fell by the wayside! So I'm finally catching up!**



The last four weeks of my pregnancy took me from this.....

to this...

The final weeks were psychologically brutal. I tried everything I could to get my stubborn Henry to flip into the proper position. But by 36 weeks, he was NOT budging from his breech position that he seemingly had been in since conception. So after my 36 week appointment and ultrasound, it was decided that Henry would be a c-section baby. It wasn't what I wanted, but I adjusted to the idea and started making arrangements. There was something to be said for having a date and time for baby's arrival. Henry would be here on Monday, February 16th at 39 weeks and 2 days at 4pm! I told my work. I told my long term sub. I started nesting like a madwoman to get things done. I re-packed my go-bag with more c-section friendly things. 

And then at my 37 week appointment, my doctor said, "he may have flipped. This could be his head."

WHAT?

I sobbed in her office. I had wanted him to flip for so long, and he DIDN'T, and I had made peace with the c-section. Adding this now unknown element was just too much. She scheduled another ultrasound for me the next week, but I was left in limbo. WAS Henry in position to come on his own? Or was he instead just freaking out his mother who was already getting anxious waiting for him to show up?

The ultrasound at 38 weeks took forever to come. Of course in that time my c-section date (which was not cancelled in case I still needed it) moved from Monday afternoon to Thursday morning. And then Thursday afternoon. Because why make things simple? 

Finally on Thursday February 12th I had my final ultrasound. 

My boy was there, chubby cheeked and button nosed, and still frank breech with his feet snuggled up by his face. I walked into my doctor's office and she said, "well . . . do you want to have a baby on Monday?" An opening in her schedule had freed up, and so we were rescheduled YET AGAIN for President's Day, at 9:30am. We were just three short days away from meeting our little man.

It was a roller coaster, those few weeks. I cried more during that time than I think I cried any other time in my pregnancy. But knowing, finally, when it would come to an end really made me savor those last days. Yes, I was in horrible hip pain, was sleeping poorly, and was nervous. But I paid extra special attention to the kicking that you could see if you watched my belly. I rested in his nursery more, thinking about holding him in there soon. I wore my favorite maternity clothes one last time.

And I waited for the scariest, most exciting day of my whole life. 

33 Weeks

How far along:  33 Weeks
Maternity Clothes: Yes. I am also now giving in to leggings as pants.
Stretch marks: Just gorgeous.
Sleep: Achy hips, hot as hell, lots of pee breaks. Not so great.
Best moment of the Week: Losing Aunt Trudy made this week especially difficult. The shining light during this horrible week was the 3D ultrasound we had scheduled to get a sneak peek at Henry. We were able to bring my cousin Amanda, which was really nice because it gave her something positive to do instead of just thinking of her grief. We confirmed WITHOUT question he is still ALL boy, in glorious 3D. I won't share that pic with you, ha! Here are some of my favorite shots:

Cheeks! And nose! And look at that pouty lip!

Frank breech - CANNONBALL. Also kicking himself in the face....

Hugging his legs

Sucking his thumb

Miss Anything? Still not school. Monday returns. Ugh.
Movement: He is definitely wiggling all over the place.
Food Cravings: Eh. Not really. Milk, I suppose? I drink way more than I used to.
Queasy or Sick? Nope! 
Have you started to show?  Very much so. I am starting to waddle hardcore under the weight of this belly.
Gender: Henry.No question.
Labor signs: No. BUT at my last appointment my doctor was like, "yeah if you have contractions five minutes apart come in and have a baby!" WHAT? When did we hit the point where it became "yeah let's do this" and not "OH NO too early slow it down?" This is real. REAL.
Belly button in, or out? Still in. This is a valiant effort, belly button.
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy but scared. So much is changing so very soon.

Henry George

We have had an exciting 24 hours! We've chosen your name, confirmed you're a boy, AND confirmed that you are a healthy little squirming baby!

Last night, your dad and I talked through our top two name choices. You were definitely going to be either Nathan James or Henry George. They were the clear favorites, but your dad and I had different preferences. After talking it through, and seeing how much your dad loved the name Henry, and imagined playing with you and loving you, it was a clear decision. Your dad talking about you was positively heart-melting, and made it VERY clear - you're our little Henry! And it's made even more special that your middle name is George, since you're the new "heir" of the family name and you're sharing a name with your dad's grandfather! We are excited to give him a call and let him know you'll help carry on his name and memory.

I made this for you today, and I think we'll hang it in your nursery (aka your captain's quarters)!

Then today we had your anatomy scan! This is a big important ultrasound where the doctor makes sure you measure healthy and on track. Everything looked perfect! Once again, you were a little wiggle worm in there are made the tech's job difficult. Your dad had to work, so Gram came and got to watch your little heart beat and you sucking your thumb and making fists. You did quite a few somersaults in there while we watched, but thankfully we got all of the information we needed. You are healthy, and the tech from a few weeks ago was right . . . you are 100% BOY!

18 weeks, 6 days

So now we really know exactly who you are. Our little Henry. And it's so very nice to see you again <3

Baby BOY!

Yes, that's right, Baby C is no longer an "it," but a "HE!"

Our appointment this morning ran longer than we anticipated, because as A said, "this baby is willfully disobedient!" When the ultrasound began, baby boy flashed the goods and the tech immediately knew we had a little man on our hands, but after that brief moment, he got really difficult.

Baby was really hopping in there, and loved sitting ankles crossed while his feet trapped the umbilical cord RIGHT over his pelvis. Of course. No matter how he moved (and oh, did he MOVE) the cord wouldn't budge. The tech was positive he was a boy, but wanted to be sure we left with the "money shot" as proof. After an hour of poking and pushing, she finally had me lie on my side, and that's when he finally cooperated, and we got a VERY clear shot:

Little Man's butt, two extended legs, and *cough* junk in the middle. PROOF.

We are so thrilled to know this is our boy. We would have been excited to have a little girl, but having a boy is pretty special for us since A is the last male of his family name. We know that his family is really happy to see the line carry on through our son!

As for me, I'm really looking forward to the mother-son relationship. My sister's bond with her oldest, a boy, is incredibly strong, and my SIL loves her little guy SO much. I think it will be really special. Plus now the really exciting stuff starts - naming and nursery planning!

Names will be harder on us for a boy than a girl would be. Girl names we loved were a pretty short list. I love SO MANY boy names, so narrowing it down could be hard. But now we get to do it, and I am so ready!

Pinterest awaits :)

16 Weeks - Our Boy

Hi, Mom and Dad!

Yesterday we had our Nuchal Translucency scan which is used to check on baby's progress and look for early markers of genetic issues. While we are low risk for these things, we wanted the scan anyway since it's totally non-invasive (an ultrasound and a blood test for me), informative, AND gave us an extra look at baby as we head into second trimester this FRIDAY!

Baby is right on track, if not ahead a few days. And s/he is NOT cooperative. First baby was napping upside down, which wouldn't let the tech get the measurements she needed. So I had to use the bathroom, walk around, and cough a bunch to wake that kid up. Then when s/he DID wake up, they were less than pleased at being disturbed! S/he wiggled around and looked pretty agitated, and still was a little bugger avoiding the right measurement positions. It was so funny to watch, and it was hard not to laugh. Our kid is already stubborn. Uh oh! It did give us about a half hour to watch and enjoy the ultrasound, though, so I can't complain.

Finally, baby cooperated and they saw what they needed to see. All measurements were perfect and show no genetic issues. Baby has two arms, two legs, a nasal bone, a stomach, a bladder, a BRAIN and a million other things the tech pointed out to us during our appointment. We still have to wait until Friday or Monday for the bloodwork results, but I am pretty confident that those should come back with no issue. Of course you never know, but I'm not as nervous about the bloodwork as I was about seeing the baby had grown and had a good heartbeat (177). As long as our bloodwork comes back okay, we'll be going fully public about the pregnancy since I'll be in second trimester with an awesome report! I am so excited to not hide this from people anymore.

And without further ado . . .

12w4d - Look at that actual BABY profile!

Baby C's First Pictures!

We just got back from my ultrasound, and it was AMAZING!

First of all, Baby C is right on track, maybe even measuring a day EARLY size wise. S/He has a heartbeat of 181 beats per minute, on the strong side of normal (155-195 are considered good), and is MOVING like crazy!

We watched our little parasite wiggle around and even roll over. The kid is doing flips!

My favorite part of the whole experience, besides the relief of hearing "everything looks great," was hearing the heartbeat. It sounded like a train chugging along. We MADE that. It is so crazy. The tech knew I was really nervous and on the verge of tears (hormones, what can ya do?) so the very first thing she did was play us the heartbeat. I felt tears well up even more, and I laughed and clapped my hands.

I am so grateful things are okay.

Here S/He is . . . Baby C!

Baby! 9 Weeks 2 Days

Now in 3D! S/He looks like a gummy bear!