Any guesses?

So as we near the end of this whole pregnancy thing... does anyone want to venture a guess? I am 39 weeks and 3 days. My due date is Saturday September 22nd.

So... boy or girl?
Weight? - Doc says it's gonna be a big baby, 8 pounds plus...
Length?

When will Baby L arrive?

38 Weeks

I've made it to 38 weeks! 14 days left till my due date. I had my doctor's appointment on Friday when the doctor mentioned to me that not all women will go before their due date, and many first time moms are actually later than their due date. I really wanted to say, bite your tongue! But instead I nodded and said that I understand. Secretly hoping that wasn't the case for me.

I am feeling a lot more pelvic pressure and stretching, I am hoping that is all good things and it means that my body is transitioning into what will eventually be labor.

I am super excited to find out what we are having. I am not really nervous, just excited about everything. The only thing I am nervous about is that I do not want to deliver on 9/11. For obvious reasons, but if it happens, I'll deal with it.

Baby L has been head down now for several weeks, so that is great. Still feeling lots of movement. In fact I was over my best friends house and Baby L had a solid 10-15 minutes of movement so she actually got to feel some of the movements which she was absolutely thrilled about.

Another friend had come over to help me put away baby stuff and set up some other things. I really have some awesome friends and family who are all helping Ben and I bring a beautiful baby into this world.

According to my scale at my house, I am up 40 pounds. This seems like a lot to me, everyone tells me, but you're pregnant which I know, but it's the heaviest I've been ever... And I really do not want to do this again at this weight. I plan on focusing on losing some weight in between pregnancies.

So that's about it. Most of my updates have been on twitter. It just seems easier for me to quickly update there rather than do a formal blog post. So what's your guess.... boy or girl?

Friday's appointment

So I had my weekly appointment on Friday. I had gained 4 pounds in a week, the doctor had noted that not only were my feet/lower legs swollen, but that it had migrated into my hands and face. The verdict... All done with work. The doctor really didn't like the long hours that my job has, and the fact that I couldn't put my feet up and still do my job also were factors.

I asked the doctor if that meant bed rest or some form of it. She said that she still wants me moving around, no blood clots. But that when I am sitting down to as much as possible have my feet up. Limit my outings. When I do go out, no more than an hour in the car, try to have someone else drive, if possible, and when out shopping/running errands, limit trips to about an hour.

At first I was terrorized. I mean, I am a workaholic. I like the routine/schedule that work provides. And now not to have it, I just didn't know what I was going to do. But I want to keep this baby healthy and in for as long as the baby needs.

I also realized that it'll give me time to work on getting the house ready to bring baby home. I can work on projects here and there and then rest in between as necessary. So maybe it won't be so bad.

I will say, even after 2 days, the swelling has gone down and I have already dropped some of that weight.

They had to reschedule the ultrasound portion of my visit. Which is tomorrow. They want to see how big baby L is, since I am still measuring ahead.

So all in all, I was shocked at the news from my visit. I wasn't planning on that news, but at least it could have been a lot worse. I will take this in stride. I have a lot of support from family and friends, I am really blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

Morning Ramblings

Looking back on some of my posts, it's hard to believe that a little more than 2 months ago we went on a road trip to North Carolina to visit my brother and my sister in law for my brother's college graduation. And that the other night Ben said that his best friend in Rhode Island wanted us to come for a visit. I couldn't even begin to fathom spending more than an hour in the car right now. I think my brother's graduation was a the right time for us. I was glad I was able to travel to see him, but so glad I don't have to do that now!

I am excited for my brother and sister in law to come back to New Hampshire in a few weeks! They have a wedding, but will be here for a week(ish). Not sure if they will be here for the baby or not, that depends on when the baby wants to come out! But it'll be nice having them here.

So from my last post, Ben worked diligently through the weekend to get our nursery set up. He transformed the bedroom from a guest bedroom into a nursery. Granted more would have been done if he didn't have to work through his vacation, but I am happy with the progress he made in the short time he did have. It enabled my friend and I to go through all the baby shower gifts and get a better organized. Now we have a shopping list of what we need to go buy. I am grateful to have such kind friends who are willing to be put to work. As I had a difficult time with all the bending over and lifting. I guess the one pitfall about trying to set things up this far along.

Later on this morning I have my weekly doctor's appointment. Where I am expecting my weight to be up. Having been at the fire academy 3 days this week for classes and having worked last night, there hasn't been much time for me to chill and elevate my feet. I just hope the doctor isn't too mad at me. I am excited to see baby L, we are doing a growth scan to see how large Baby L is, at my last appt, I was measuring 42 weeks! that's a bit ahead! I am hoping that Baby L isn't that large! Though there was a huge discrepancy from my last scan. I measured 4 weeks ahead but baby L was only a week ahead. So I take those measurements a little lightly, knowing that I have a big uterus and what not.

I've been having more Braxton-Hicks contractions lately. I just assume that it's my body getting ready for the big day! But there have been some really strong and intense ones lately, I always ask, are these real? But until they are timeable and consistent, I don't worry too much about them. 

Other symptoms have been headaches, heartburn, complete bitchiness and SWELLING.... I feel like I am never NOT swelling. I hate all the pictures that are taken of me, I can see all the swelling in my face, not like earth shattering/medical condition swelling, but more like puffiness. I also am getting used to functioning on little to no sleep. Although the baby is sleeping through the night (not many/no movements through the night) I am having to get up to pee or readjust due to leg cramps at least every hour or two. So even when I go to bed early, I am still waking up all the time. I hate to say it, but it's getting easier to function on less and less sleep. I think this time really prepares you for being up all night with a child.

I am getting so excited for this baby to make it's entrance!  Although I still have to finish the nursery and pack my hospital bag at least... so hold off for a few more kid!

35/35!!

I am 35 weeks and 35 days left! Holy cow!

So yesterday I went to my doctor's appointment, Ben was on "vacation" so he got to come with me. I use the term vacation loosely, since the poor man had to work during his vacation. But at least he got to enjoy one day of vacation. And by enjoy I mean run around with me while I was doing my errands.

Anyways, at my appointment my due date was changed. First is was 9/21, then 9/22 then at my 9 week u/s it was 9/25 which is what stuck. NOW the doc is saying that no, it's been 9/22 all along (based on LMP) and that the girls in the front office got it wrong. Ugh. tough trying to juggle 3 different systems of keeping track that's for sure!

So I am 35 weeks as of today! Doc says that if I were to start labor any time, that they wouldn't stop it. But every day baby keeps cooking is better. I said I wouldn't do any jumping jacks.

My BP was perfect, but I have been getting headaches with some black floaters in my vision and I've had some pitting edema, so they ran a pre-e lab panel. I didn't hear anything back, so I am hoping that I am good. Thankfully working in a fire station, the guys can take my BP when necessary AND transport me to the hospital if necessary. I feel pretty safe there.

I didn't gain any weight from my last appt, 2 weeks ago, where I gained 8 pounds in 2 weeks. So she was happy with that (that I didn't gain). However,  I am measuring at 42 weeks!! yikes!

So next week I start my weekly appt checks. I get a growth u/s to check baby's size. We are getting close!

Ben has been working on our nursery. He spent the better part of yesterday cleaning out the guest/2nd bedroom. Here is a picture of most of the gifts we've received!

Ben the comedian...

Yesterday we also managed to pick up the baby furniture. Right now it's living in boxes in our living room.

Ben is making great progress on the nursery, despite the vacation week hiccups. I am hoping to get in the room either tomorrow or Monday to start getting things set up.We bought our furniture at a local / family owned business called Baby Go Round. Very knowledgeable and super friendly staff! Made the whole process very easy for us first timers! We will most definitely be back! Our crib is the "legendary" by Baby's Dream and I hope that it looks as good in their promo picture as it will once we unbox it! We opted for their cinnamon color, but here is their promo picture in their espresso color.

Image source

I still need to finish my thank you's for my baby shower gifts. I've only made it about a third of the way through. It seems as though when I start making some progress, I get more gifts in, I don't want to miss anyone! My stepmom, Louise had an idea, as gifts come in write the thank you's then, and work my way back, since all the ones from the shower are written down. That way I'd be less likely to miss anyone. She's brilliant!

After finishing the nursery, next up is to pack my hospital bag, I've got a list started, and most items won't be able to be packed until day of, but at least I can start gathering things and the list will be ever so helpful.

33 Weeks

I've been getting increasingly more uncomfortable as the summer and this pregnancy goes on. But I keep reminding myself that there is a great reward at the end. And that every week that goes by gets me one step closer to seeing my baby!

I've been battling leg cramps at night, they at times force me to get up and walk around, other times I can massage my calves while still in bed till they go away. I've been told this is usually due to fluid retention. Not sure if it's the weather (it's been hot and humid all week) or just pregnancy, but I've been very thirsty, and 90% of the time I crave water. Which is always a good thing. That is one thing that I am grateful for is that I've never been afraid to drink water. I am now just drinking so much more of it.

I am hopeful that Ben will get to work on the baby's nursery next week. Most of the questions I get now are "is the nursery finished?" Finished? It's not even started! We are using our 2nd bedroom/Ben's office as our nursery, so we need to remove the bedroom furniture that's in there in order to get the baby furniture in there. Ben is on vacation next week (hopefully) and will be attempting to get it all done then. I am excited about getting things wrapped up so that I can get in there and get things set up how I want them.

I owe a post on my baby shower, but needless to say it was amazing, and I don't really have much left that I need. Although my friends/family did say that many of them were holding off on buying clothes until I deliver so they know what gender to buy for. I think we are really throwing people off by not knowing the gender.

We met with our daycare provider last night. Since we don't have much need for full time, we ended up going with a private provider. She's a stay at home mom who watches other people's children on the side for extra income. She is familiar with the fire service and the rotating schedule that I have. So our baby will be in daycare 2 days a week. She only lives about 15 minutes from us, so it's very convenient for us. And she comes highly recommended from a friend of ours. We are very blessed to have found a great situation that will work for everyone.

I've been getting out on some more walks as of late. I walked a lot in the first trimester, but the second trimester I was really tired and just ended up slacking big time on my walks. Now in my third, I am still tired, but I want to be more active and get my stamina up to better prepare myself for delivery. Ben has been awesome and walks with me. It's great that he and I can spend time together.

I can no longer take deep breaths. I am simply out of room. I feel there are times the baby is stretched all the way out, as I can feel the baby deep in my pelvic cradle and all the way up into my ribs. I have a feeling we are in for a tall baby! However, baby is still head down so I am excited about that. Fingers crossed that baby stays that way.

31 weeks!

So I am 31 weeks and 1 day along! I can't believe I only have 9 weeks to go in this adventure. And then it's a whole new chapter in life for me!

I think I am most excited to see what we will have! Boy or girl! Most of the people in my daily life says a girl (something about where the baby carries on me), but there are a few boy comments as well. I honestly don't care, so long as baby L is happy and healthy!

Ben and I completed our birthing and newborn classes, Ben still has the "daddy boot camp" class this Saturday, then we are all done! I have to admit, going through the classes, is probably one of the better things I have done. I feel a bit more prepared for what's going to happen, but as with most things in life, you can only plan and prepare so much. A lot of things in life just happen. Especially when it comes to birth and having children. Learning to go with the flow has been tough for me, but Ben is really great at it and I've learned lots from being with him.

Our baby shower is this weekend! I am excited to see my family and friends and help me celebrate this new chapter in my life. I am so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family around me.

Overall, health wise, I seem to be doing ok, everything seems to be tracking very normal. Well, in my case, in the baby's case, Baby L is going to be a big baby. I have been measuring ahead for the last month. I am measuring  4 weeks ahead, so my doctor wanted to do an ultrasound to check the baby to see if it's a big baby or a big uterus. Well, Baby L is looking like a big baby! Thankfully not 4 weeks ahead, more so like 8 days. Given how much my due date has shifted around, I guess it's likely to happen. Also I was a big baby (9 pounds) and so was my brother (10 pounds 15 ounces). So the doctor seems to think that I just may be built to have big babies. Let's just hope its more on my end of the spectrum and not my brother's end.

Again the doctor's didn't seem too concerned with the size of the baby and said that everything that I want as of now, can still happen. Which is reassuring news to me. They commented that they'd probably like to do another ultrasound at 36 or 38 weeks just to check in again, but that as of now, things look fine.

According to my scale at home I am up 26 pounds overall, I am ok with this number, I've gotten better about gaining so much weight, knowing that things are ok with Baby L and I am handling things ok, I am good. This has also given me incentive to lose the weight after baby is born so that a) I can keep up with baby L and b) when we want to try for baby #2, I won't be as uncomfortable with weight and what not.

Baby L is moving a lot. It's been reassuring to me, more movements, mean healthy baby. Ben has been able to see more than he can feel. Something about his hand whether it's the heat or the pressure in his hands, the baby doesn't like and usually stops moving when he places a hand on my stomach.

I also feel like this summer has been the hottest and most humid summer ever, of course I know that's not true, but that's what I feel like it's been. I have been very thankful for the A/C that I have access to.

Baby Class!

On Tuesday I hit 27 weeks and in most books/references that means third trimester! (in some references, 28 weeks is the beginning of the 3rd trimester).

There is no denying the fact that there is a baby in there. I am feeling movements all the time, as well as a lot of pelvic pain/pressure. As mentioned in my previous post, I am just chalking it up being pregnant. My gait has definitely changed, I've become more of a slow and deliberate mover. I try not to sit for too long as when I do move it's painful. As well as when I get up from bed, it's painful right at first.

Tonight Ben and I started our birth class, this is a four part series over the next month that will give us some information and tools to help with the birth. There are 5 other couples in the class with us, we seem to be due the latest out of all of them. Some are due in the middle of August. I don't know, when I heard that it just seemed so close. The instructor had us go around and introduce ourselves, she wanted us all to say one positive thing about this pregnancy. Most of the "students" laughed. I made eye contact with a woman next to us and her and I were just eye rolling all the time. It was quite hilarious.

Over the series we'll learn about labor and delivery and get a tour of the family center at the hospital. We also have separate classes planned on other topics which will hopefully get us started on being prepared for our little one! It's hard to believe that in 3 months we'll be having a baby! (And by we, I really mean me... let's get real about one thing, I am the one who's got to deliver this!)

Tuesday is 28 weeks for me and my dreaded glucose test. I have received a lot of feedback from my readers, thank you. It's just one of those things, and if I have gestational diabetes, well then I do. But I am going to do whatever I can to make sure that my baby and I stay happy and healthy.

Weight a minute and birthday

So I stepped on the scale today, for being 25 weeks pregnant I am up 16 pounds overall. I am coming to the harsh realization that I will be over 350 pounds soon. This I admit, is very hard for me. I know that I am pregnant and that it happens, that I shouldn't get hung up on a number, but I am. My baby is happy and healthy and letting my know that he/she is in there.

I think my weight number complex is more so because I am concerned with gestational diabetes and I have my glucose testing looming. My doc says that there isn't much one can do to prevent it, but I have read that overweight/obese women are more prone to it.

Also looming over my head is my upcoming birthday, and my 30's (29 plus 1 if you as me...). As we get older it's more difficult to loose and keep off the weight. I know that I am going to have to work really hard post baby to not only loose the pregnancy weight, but also shed some of the weight previously. I am sure that breastfeeding and taking care of a newborn will greatly increase my activity level.

Although this is the heaviest I've ever been, I know there are people out there who are heavier. I feel like this is something that I have a good handle on, just occasionally have the minor freak out about.

On a more positive note, I will say that being pregnant has made my cravings for water increase, there are days that it's all I drink. Some days I prefer room temp water, other days I want it ice cold. Kind of odd, but in a good way. I am not going to fight THOSE cravings! I don't feel like I get enough in sometimes.