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. 

34 Weeks!

How far along:  34 Weeks, 2 days
Maternity Clothes: Yes. Why do we wear real waistbands seriously?
Stretch marks: Yes. I just realized I have some UNDER the belly too I hadn't noticed before. Boo.
Sleep: Spotty at best.
Best moment of the Week: Meeting with some of my pregnant online friends for Sunday Brunch! I've gotten to know these girls online since June, and it was amazing to see them in person after all the laughter, tears, and support we've shared. It's also exciting to have some local new mom friends. I will say that The Cheescake Factory seemed a little confused as to how there were THAT many super pregnant ladies all together at once! 

February 2015 Moms

Also one of my students gave me this: 

High Five! You got out of bed and are prego! Way to go! Keep it Up! 

He understands the struggle. 

Miss Anything? Break. Actually I just miss moving slowly like I did over break. I am definitely more worn down than before.
Movement:I think he is still breech because of the head in ribs thing. He likes to wiggle most in the evening, or when I rest the ipad on my belly and it's playing music.
Food Cravings: Nope.
Queasy or Sick? Nope. 
Have you started to show?  Is there a question? I need to do an updated bump pic though. I haven't bothered since Christmas and I am sure I've grown.
Gender: Henry.
Labor signs: No. Today I am planning to organize his clothes in the nursery and pick some going home outfit options, though! Eeek!
Belly button in, or out? Still in. HOW? I love you, belly button.
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy! 

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.

32 Weeks!

How far along:  32 Weeks
Maternity Clothes: Yes, and I love them and even some of THOSE shirts are getting a little short over the belly.
Stretch marks: Yes. Linea negra getting worse too.
Sleep: I've become a true furnace. I'm so hot I'm sleeping in cotton shorts, a tank top, and no covers. And I still wake up hot.
Best moment of the Week: Spending Christmas with my family. We are loved and very lucky. I can't wait for Henry's first Christmas next year - we already got his matching "H" stocking to go with ours. It will be really fun, too, since he'll be a 10 month old and able to at least enjoy ripping paper even though he won't know what else is going on! 
Miss Anything? Not school. Winter break is a godsend. Every day gets a little tougher on the body front, so this break is a welcome relief.
Movement: Lots. He particularly likes to shove his head (I think?) up in to my ribs on the right side.
Food Cravings: Not so much.
Queasy or Sick? Nope! PLEASE let me avoid this flu outbreak....
Have you started to show?  Yes. More and more people are getting surprised I have "so long to go."
Gender: Henry.
Labor signs: No. Hospital bag almost totally packed, though, and car seats probably getting installed next month. Oy.
Belly button in, or out? In! Shallower, but IN.
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy! This kid is nearly here.

31 Weeks

How far along:  31 Weeks, 5 Days (I continue to slack. I blame holidays and being wiped out.)
Maternity Clothes: Yes, and I love them.
Stretch marks: Indeed.
Sleep: Ugh. My hips are destroying my sleep right now. No matter what side or what pillow, I wake up all the time with horrible hip pain. I guess they're really "making room" for baby.
Best moment of the Week: All of the lovely gifts from my students for Henry. I normally get Christmas gifts from my kids, but this year there was a clear baby theme! We got some adorable onesies, shoes, pacifiers, and toys for the little guy. The kids are so excited, and it is genuinely so sweet.
Miss Anything? Still my shoes. DO YOU KNOW how bad I want to wear my boots? Ugh. It's not worth buying new because I am HOPING that my ankles/feet go back down to normal post-baby, though I know there is a chance they won't.
Movement: He is a mover and shaker!
Food Cravings: Not really! I've been having too much fun with holiday food :)
Queasy or Sick? Nope! So lucky.
Have you started to show?  Oh goodness, yes! And only going to get bigger...

Christmas Bump - 31 Weeks!

Gender: My boy.
Labor signs: No. But I am using my break to prep hospital bags. HOSPITAL BAGS. WHAT THE WHAT?
Belly button in, or out? In! How long can this hold?
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy! A little overwhelmed at how little time we have to go and how much we have to do, but it's all exciting!

30 Weeks!

How far along: 30 Weeks 4 Days (I am seriously slacking these days - and also WHAT how am I down to LESS THAN TEN WEEKS?!)
Maternity Clothes: Yes. No way around it now, and I'm starting to really "fill out" the shirts.
Stretch marks: Yup. But they're holding steady for now.
Sleep: Quality comes and goes. Some nights I am SO ridiculously wiped out that I sleep great. Other nights I'm up all hours due to pain or potty breaks.
Best moment of the Week: Definitely a low key week here on the baby front. So I guess the best "moment" is really just every opportunity we have to check off things from the "baby to-do list." My breast pump came, my FMLA paperwork is in and approved, we got a new chest freezer to store freezer meals (need to start working on those over break!) and breast milk. It's not too exciting but it is all stuff that needed done. Now to finish the other million things on the list. Oy.
Miss Anything? All of my shoes fitting. I want to wear my cute boots. My ankles do NOT want me to wear my cute boots :(
Movement: Indeed. Today while listening to student presentations I actually laughed out loud because he kicked my hand so hard it startled me.
Food Cravings: Mashed potatoes. Having them tonight. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees. 
Queasy or Sick? Nope! 
Have you started to show?  For sure. In fact I've "popped" again which has led to DELIGHTFUL commentary by some that I am sure to go early or must be having twins because I am "so big." Yeah, no. Measuring right on time, thanks.

30 Weeks, 1 Day

Gender: Henry :)
Labor signs: No. And the fact that now we are in the part of this pregnancy where that is a real possibility and I need to start thinking about a freaking labor bag is INSANE and TERRIFYING.
Belly button in, or out? In! And not super flat or anything. Do I have an extreme innie?
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy, and also kind of stressed. So much to do before this kiddo gets here. Can we really be "ready" on time?

29 Weeks!

How far along: 29 Weeks 4 Days (so much going on, sorry to be so LATE on this one!)
Maternity Clothes: Yes! And I just scored two FREE sweaters using Kohl's cash. Woo!
Stretch marks: Yup.
Sleep: Well, I have been so entirely exhausted that I've actually been sleeping with only ONE middle of the night bathroom break. It's a miracle. And also indicates the intensity of my sleepiness.
Best moment of the Week: Baby Shower! A follow up post is coming on this, so I will gush there!  We did have a WORST moment this week, also. Thankfully all is well. Saturday night after decorating for Christmas, I noticed I had a small amount of spotting. I called the doc line as instructed for anything out of the ordinary thinking I'd be told to rest and call back if it got worse. Nope. I was told to come STRAIGHT to Labor and Delivery for evaluation. What? So off we went in the middle of the night to the hospital. We got there and were relieved to learn all looked well and that there was just some superficial irritation going on . . . but apparently I was a little dehydrated so they wanted to monitor me to ensure I wasn't having contractions. Spoiler alert: I wasn't having contractions. Five hours later we were released (that's 5am at this point) with a clean bill of health for both Henry and me. I am so grateful things are good, and I'm also certainly happier to be safe than sorry, but it was a really stressful thing. Even though it was all precautionary, being hooked up to the monitors and being told it's not safe to go home was super scary and anxiety inducing. It certainly threw me off for a few days, but I'm feeling back to normal today and chipper! Hey, at least we had a "dry run" for actual Delivery-Day.
Miss Anything? Reaching things. I have short arms anyway, so put me FURTHER from stuff because of a big ol' bump and I become a t-rex struggling to reach ANYTHING.
Movement: Lots! I've also had a ton of hiccups from little man today, right under my ribs.
Food Cravings: Nothing in particular this week.
Queasy or Sick? Nope! 
Have you started to show?  Oh, yes. O, Henry!

Mom and Dad at the baby shower - 29 Weeks, 1 Day!

Gender: Little Man
Labor signs: No, thankfully. And CONFIRMED by the hospital! 
Belly button in, or out? In! 
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy, and also in disbelief. I will be THIRTY WEEKS on Friday. HOW?

28 Weeks!

How far along: 28 Weeks!
Maternity Clothes: Yes. Looking forward to trotting out one of my new dresses for tomorrow's baby shower!
Stretch marks: Since super early on. No worse as far as I can tell, though.
Sleep: Okay. Up a lot in the night for bathroom visits. And now I kind of have to roll out of bed, which is weird.
Best moment of the Week: Hard to say! Best moment number one was all the work on your nursery! It is now painted AND has a crib and dresser in it, mostly thanks to A busting butt in there. I did help, and I also made the crib skirt. Hard to see, but the crib skirt is a light denim fabric with red embroidered anchors!  

Henry goes here. Ah!

So many little clothes can fit in this thing!

AND I also ordered navy blue blackout curtains with white sheer accent curtains and hardware, plus this ADORABLE rug! Thanks, Black Friday online deals! I got the curtains, hardware, and rug for all under $300 which is a steal, I think.

Ocean waves for a Nautical Nursery!

The other best moment of the week would be Thanksgiving with the family yesterday! It was so nice to have all of us together in one place to enjoy each other's company! 

Miss Anything? Moving around better. Sometimes I was more a hinderance than a help trying to assist A with the furniture putting together.
Movement: Yes! Mostly in the mornings or at night. He is much quieter when I'm active and running around.
Food Cravings: Not much. Still eating tons of cereal, which is fairly abnormal.
Queasy or Sick? Nope! Can I say I seriously am so grateful for the easiness of this pregnancy? I see so many ladies suffer
Have you started to show?  Yes! Definitely pregnant to all who see me.

Thanksgiving - I swear I didn't eat the whole turkey.

Gender: Sweet boy.
Labor signs: No, thank goodness.
Belly button in, or out? In! Though I did have some pulling pain right at my belly button the other day. A sign of things to come? 
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy! And excited! And very, very thankful.

27 Weeks!

How far along: 27 Weeks, 2 Days - WHAT? THIRD TRIMESTER!
Maternity Clothes: Yes! Do you know how pumped I am for Thanksgiving in elastic pants?
Stretch marks: Yes. And a very very faint linea negra, also.
Sleep: SO MUCH BETTER since I started seeing a chiropractor this past week! I had no idea what magic that would be. I am still up a lot for bathroom visits, but I go right back to sleep instead of tossing and turning in pain.
Best moment of the Week: Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jason and the cousins are in town for the holiday and the baby shower!!! Ah! So exciting to see them yesterday, and sweet to see how excited they are to see the bump. They haven't seen me at all since I started showing, so I guess it was a pretty big difference from a few months ago! Plus it's awesome to see the kids excited about baby cousin. It's adorable. Hopefully Miss Lilah doesn't mind some new baby stealing any of her February thunder, not that I think ANYONE could take the spotlight off of her when she wants it :)
Miss Anything? My shoes. Oh, this has been a tough one for me. Most of my shoes . . . my BEAUTIFUL SHOES, are painfully tight. I can't tell if it's my feet growing/widening from ligament stretching or just from swelling, but they seriously are so uncomfortable right now. I literally have two pairs of shoes that are comfortable right now. And they're both boring and basic. COME BACK TO ME, GORGEOUS HIGH HEELS - not that I'm too sure I could rock them now if I wanted to.
Movement: So often! I think I have also had "hiccups" though I didn't realize it at the time. Also, Gaius has taken to snuggling up to my belly and purring up a storm. Yesterday when he started purring Henry started kicking! He already loves his kitty!

Big brother Gaius says, "Henry is an awesome pillow!"

Food Cravings: Not really. More aversions. Still not loving most red meat most of the time.
Queasy or Sick? Nope! Can I say I seriously am so grateful for the easiness of this pregnancy? I see so many ladies suffering through and mine has honestly been a breeze. I think I will really MISS pregnancy since I didn't deal with much awfulness (yet, anyway).
Have you started to show?  Yes! I don't think you could miss it, now. PSA, by the way: When you work for a high school and wear spirit gear with the high school's name all over it and a big cheerleading bow in your hair out in public after work whilst being almost seven months pregnant, you get an odd mixture of looks, ranging from sympathy to disdain. I just smile and resist the urge to yell "I AM 28 YEARS OLD I AM JUST APPARENTLY YOUTHFUL IN APPEARANCE AND SPIRITED ABOUT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT," but what can ya do?
Gender: Henry George
Labor signs: Nope!
Belly button in, or out? In! Maybe I can skip this part...
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy! And lucky.

26 Weeks!

Uh, this is getting REALLY big, right???

How far along: 26 Weeks, 2 Days - Sorry to be late, Henry! We have had a crazy few days around here! 
Maternity Clothes: Yes! Including some cute new dresses and shirts for celebrations! 
Stretch marks: Yes.
Sleep: Quality of sleep comes and goes. Some nights it's fine, some nights it's terrible.
Best moment of the Week: Quite a busy week and weekend! So here are the very, very good highlights! Poppop (That will be BIG Poppop to you, Henry) had a successful pacemaker surgery Friday night. A and I celebrated our 10 years dating/4 years married anniversary on Thursday, and we went out to a very fancy celebration dinner last night at Volt! Oh, and I realized that THIS COMING FRIDAY we are rounding the final corner and hitting the third trimester. 

Miss Anything? Fancy cocktails! My mock-tail at last night's dinner was good, but it's just not the same thing.
Movement: Indeed! On Friday I even got some kicks up high which is unusual. Looks like maybe he is starting to stretch out in there.
Food Cravings: Not so much. I could inhale another venison dish from Volt, though. YUM.
Queasy or Sick? Nope! 
Have you started to show?  Yes! 

26 Weeks, and a new shirt!

Gender: Henry :)
Labor signs: Nope!
Belly button in, or out? In! Though my linea negra seems to have started.
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody? Happy! How can we really be almost in third tri, baby? I have had a lovely pregnancy, and I've enjoyed it so much. I am excited for the holidays coming up as a mama-to-be!