39 Weeks

How far along? 39 weeks...only 3 more days until due date! 

Size and growth of Baby Hannah? The little miss is about 20 inches long and weighs about 7.25 pounds. She is about the size of a mini watermelon! A mini watermelon! That's crazy to me....Anyways, she is still putting on layers of fat and her body is getting rid of all the little hairs that protected her from her 9 month long amniotic bath. 

Maternity Clothes? Yup, yup! My daily wear is pre-pregnancy yoga pants or cropped pants, with a maternity t-shirt or tank top. Then at night its Noah's basketball shorts and baggy t-shirts. :) 

Weight Gain? I gained 3 pounds, according to my doctor appointment yesterday...so I'm at a total of 33 pounds weight gain. I was really hoping to stay at or under 30 pounds...but I'm so close to the end that it doesn't really matter. I've also been SO bloated and puffy...so those 3 pounds might be extra water weight. I guess at this point, all that matters is how fast this weight comes off in the next few weeks. :)
Stretch Marks? Nope! I know I still have 1-2 more weeks to go (if she comes late)...but I am thanking my lucky stars that I haven't gotten stretch marks yet. I heard it was inevitable if your mother had them...and unfortunately both my mom and my grandma had them so I am actually shocked that I didn't get them. (Knock on wood that they don't pop up on my last day, eek!) 
Gender? All girly girl. 
Movement? Oh yes...in fact her movements have become almost unbearably painful. Her head is nestled REALLY low...and she is SO active at night after I've had a busy day...basically after 7pm, I'm curled in a ball in bed cringing from every bump.  
Sleep? Just the usual...bathroom breaks every few hours, flipping from side to side...not too bad though! 
Food Cravings/Aversions?  Chocolate milk as usual...seriously I can't get enough of this stuff, M&M Mcflurry's, Dairy Queen hot fudge sundae's....hmmmm maybe this is why I gained 3 pounds last week. ;) 
What I Miss? Nothing that I miss...I am just getting so excited and ready to meet this baby...and not be pregnant anymore. ;) I've gotten so use to waddling around and having this giant hard belly that I really can't even remember that it was like to NOT be pregnant. I'm pretty excited!

Symptoms? Heartburn and puffiness. I've had my ring off for about a week and a half now....and there is only one pair of flip flops that currently fit over my puffy feet (yuck...I hate talking about feet).  I've been having some pretty regular cramping, which my doctor said is a great sign. 

Warning!! This next part might be TMI for some people...so scroll through if you don't want to read! 

I had a doctors appointment yesterday (MAYBE MY LAST!!) and he did my first cervix check....I am what they call a "fingertip" dilated and 75% effaced. A fingertip isn't very much...less than 1 cm...so if I were to go into labor...that just means that my labor would be very long because my cervix has a lot of work to do. But...this doesn't exactly mean anything of WHEN I will go into labor because someone can go from a "fingertip" to 4 cm in less than an hour....while some other women might stay at a "fingertip" for a week! But having a cervix that is 75% effaced is great! So she is definitely getting ready to make her debut! 

Best Moment of the Week? I went over to my friend Kortney's, house on Monday to watch the Bachelorette. Unless something comes up, we usually meet up on Monday nights to watch whatever Bachleor or Bachelorette season they are on...anyways...it was so fun to chat and catch up. Kortney is almost halfway through her pregnancy, so its fun to swap pregnancy stories and see how similar or different our pregnancies are! In a couple weeks I might be bringing a little munchkin along to our Monday night fun! 

Worst Moment of the Week? On Tuesday morning I had a fall...I ended up having to go to Labor and Delivery where they checked me in to be monitored. I ended up having to be there all day long...just making sure the baby was okay and nothing got jolted or detached in there. Everything turned out okay...but it was definitely a stressful day! 

Other Thoughts? I know I said this last week...but I absolutely can't believe that the end of my pregnancy is here! In a matter of days I am going to be a mom! I am getting anxious to know when I will go into labor though! I've heard that for first time babies, it's normal to go about 8 days past your due date....yesterday my doctor and I scheduled an appointment for next Thursday...so if I haven't had her by then, that will be my last appointment....which means that they'll induce me soon after! So no matter what...I could have my baby by the end of next weekend! That is so crazy! 

What's in our bag?

We are officially packed and ready to go for the big day! I thought it might be fun to do a post showing what exactly we have decided to bring along with us. Now, obviously this is my first go and I don't actually know for sure what I will need...but I've done some research and have compiled a pretty good list.

First up, Hannah's bag...

 1. Receiving blankets and blanket

 2. Nursing cover, burp cloths, pacifier

 3. Stuffed animals and Boppy pillow

 4. Outfits with socks, mittens, caps, and headbands

 5. Going home outfit

So I've been told that you don't really need to bring ANYTHING to the hospital for the baby because the hospital will provide pretty much everything for you. Anything you decide to bring is up to your discretion and based on if you want the baby in her own clothes/blankets, etc for pictures. If any of you have ever seen my purse, you know I am a bit of an over-packer; so obviously I decided to err on the side of caution and stocked her diaper bag. Plus it will be her big debut; I want her in cute outfits for all the pictures and not in some paper thin, grey colored hospital onsie. 

1. Receiving blankets and blanket: I packed 3 receiving blankets (one for each possible day at the hospital) plus one blanket. These are what she will be swaddled in during her stay and the blanket is just for extra warmth and/or comfort in the hospital bassinet. 

2. Nursing cover, burp cloths, and pacifier: I will be breastfeeding the baby, so I decided to bring along my nursing cover for privacy. I'm sure that when I am in the full swing of baby mode, I will get use to having my boobs exposed (in the privacy of my own home, of course---not that there is anything wrong with breastfeeding in public, by any means...I just prefer to have myself covered) but I thought it would be a good idea to bring my cover while I am learning to breastfeed so that I don't get too overwhelmed and anxious with all the onlookers. 

The burp cloths are probably unnecessary...but they are cute and like I said, I'm an over-packer. On the up-side, they will be a staple in her diaper bag so if they don't get used at the hospital, they will just stay in the bag and get used during a different outing. 

I packed two pacifiers...I'm not sure if we will actually use these at first or not. I've heard that it is very important to establish breastfeeding before you introduce the pacifier, so the baby does not get confused by the different nipple types. You aren't actually supposed to give the baby a pacifier until about 4 weeks after breastfeeding has started. However, pacifiers also reduce the risk of SIDS when given to babies to suck on as they sleep...and I've heard of several babies who had no problem deciphering between nipples....so they are packed and we'll play it by ear. :) 

3. Stuffed animals and Boppy pillow: Noah and I each picked out a little stuffed animal to bring with us. Noah picked out the monkey and I picked out the monkey lovey (animal head attached to small blanket = lovey....don't ask me why). These obviously can't go in the actual bassinet with her, but we wanted to bring them for pictures. I still have the little bear that was in my bassinet when I was born, and I would love for Hannah to be able to look back in pictures and see her little monkey and monkey lovey that were there with her on the day she was born. 

The Boppy pillow is coming along because apparently it is wonders for breastfeeding...especially if you had to have a C-Section. You can easily prop the baby up on the pillow without adding pressure to your stomach. 

4. Outfits with socks, mittens, caps and headbands: I picked out two complete outfits to bring with us. The blue monkey outfit is newborn sized, and just in case she is on the chubby side, the gown is 0-3 months. I picked out matching mittens, socks, caps and headbands for each outfit...just for options. :) 

5. Going home outfit: My mom picked out this gown and gave it to Noah and I as a present on the day we found out that our little pumpkin was a girl. It is beautiful...the picture doesn't do it justice...and has been designated as the "going home" outfit for several months. I have also paired it with a headband for cute baby pictures. My mom is currently knitting a white sweater for her to wear over, in case the weather is a little too chilly for our little lady. 

Now onto mine and Noah's bag...

Our bag is way less fun...but we have the essentials.

1. Clothes and pajamas for Noah: He'll be spending the night at the hospital with me (obviously) so we've packed a pair of jeans, a few tops and some sweatpants to ensure that he is comfortable. 

2. Clothes for me: I'll be in a hospital gown for the first day, so I've packed two pairs of baggy/comfy cropped pants, two nursing tank tops, and a loose fitting zip up in case it's chilly. 

3. Robe: I also packed a robe to wear over my hospital gown on the first day. I figured it would be more comfortable to wear over my open-backed hospital gown while I'm pacing the hallways during labor. 

4. Underwear and Nursing bras: I think these are a given. :)

5. Bathing suit for both Noah and I: Our birthing suite has a Jacuzzi in it for use during labor. So far, I've loved to sit in our home Jacuzzi during my small bouts of contractions for pain relief...but who knows if I will be up for it when the REAL pain starts. Either way, bathing suits are packed in case we want to get in there. 

6. Slippers: I opted for slippers over socks because I hate sleeping in socks....and I hate to say this, but lately my feet and legs have been getting so swollen that my socks actually cut off circulation slightly at my ankles. These slippers are soft enough to wear while laying in bed, but also have rubber bottoms so that I can wear them walking around the hospital without fear of slipping. 

7. Giant water bottle: Once I am officially admitted into the hospital I will not be allowed to eat or drink anything (besides ice chips and Popsicle's) so this will mostly come into use after Hannah arrives. This way I can stay hydrated without making several trips to fill up the water. 

8. Snacks: I've heard that this is super important. Like I mentioned above, once you are officially admitted into the hospital (meaning you are a certain centimeter dilated and percentage effaced) you can't eat or drink anything. In most instances, labor takes hours and hours....then comes the pushing, which can also take hours. By the time you are done, you are most likely exhausted and starving...it will be nice to have something to snack on while I'm waiting for my first meal...or to hold me off until morning if she is born after cafeteria hours. 

9. Toiletries: We've packed the typical toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, lotion, brush and deodorant. I've also packed travel-size shampoo and conditioner since I usually hate the shampoo and conditioners available in hotels and hospitals. I've also packed Chapstick...which is also a recommended item, since your lips can get very chapped during labor while you can't drink anything. In my toiletry bag I've also packed facial wipes (for quick cleaning when I am exhausted) and Lanolin nipple cream. 

10. Important documents: We are pre-registered at the hospital, so we don't need to bring any of that information, but we are making sure to bring insurance cards and photo I.D.'s anyways. We are also bringing our birth plan and labor techniques that we liked during our baby class. 

11. Pain management: We are also bringing a bean bag thing (I don't know what it is called) and a small massage ball. The bean bag can be heated up and placed on my stomach for relief between contractions, and the massage ball is for Noah to use on my lower back during contractions. These are pain management techniques we learned during our baby class that I really liked...so I made sure to pack these in our bag. 

12. Electronics: Lastly, we are bringing our camera, kindle, phone, and laptop...all with chargers. 

So that's about it! I might have over-packed a little, but I'd rather be safe than sorry! And on the off-chance that I have forgotten anything, we are only about 20 minutes away from the hospital so it would be very easy for a family member to run home. 

Car seat, our bag, Hannah's diaper bag and Boppy pillow all ready to go! 

38 Weeks!

Yikes! Sorry this is so late...this week definitely got away from me. I swear it was only Tuesday yesterday! Anyways...here is our 38 week update for this past week (we are 39 weeks tomorrow and officially one week away from due date!!!)

How far along? 38 Weeks...only 9 more days to go...woah, down to the single digits!! 

Size and growth of Baby Hannah? The munchkin is about 19.75 inches long and weighs around 6.8 pounds. She is being compared to a leek this week.  Although she is full term, she will spend these next weeks (or days) plumping up and preparing for life outside of my tummy. 

Maternity Clothes? Of course. Anything I can stuff myself into! 

Weight Gain? I'm back up 2 pounds and a total weight gain of 30 pounds. 
Stretch Marks? Nope! One more week to go....let's hope it lasts!  
Gender? All girly girl. 
Movement? Yes...she's still head butting my pelvic bones a lot and kicking up into my ribs...so she's one stretched out little baby! Apparently she has flipped since my last doctor's appointment and is now facing the other way around...still head down though, which is the important part!  
Sleep? Still waking up throughout the night for bathroom breaks...which seems to be increasing slightly. I also have started waking up around 3am every morning this week...I think this is due to a mixture of heartburn and allergies. My doctor okay-ed me to take Benadryl for my allergies, so I usually just pop one pill and fall back asleep for a few hours. 
Food Cravings/Aversions?  Chocolate milk, watermelon, ice cream, chocolate....anything sweet. I think I've subconsciously realized that I only have a week or so longer of being able to eat whatever I want (since the second this munchkin comes out I am on a strict "wedding diet/workout" plan) so I've really gone a little overboard with my sweets this week. 
What I Miss? This week the only thing I miss is being able to take allergy medicine that doesn't make me fall asleep! I'm only allowed to take Benadryl, which makes me sleep like a zombie....so if I have stuff to do during the day I have to just suffer through my sniffles and sneezes. I'm probably the only person in Seattle that is disliking this gorgeous weather and hoping for some rain for a little bit of relief from whatever is floating around out there!  

Symptoms? Contractions! I woke up at 3am on Friday morning with some slight cramping...by about 6:45am the cramping turned to the WORST cramps in the world. I MIGHT have had a minor freak out moment, thinking that I was going into labor and realizing that I couldn't turn back now (as if that is even an option, anyways ;) and cried a little bit. I spent the next couple hours pacing the hallways and sitting in the jacuzzi. Eventually the pains went away and even though I was freaking out...I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the real thing. It was my brother's 24th Birthday that day...so my mom and I thought it was pretty funny that just 24 years ago that day, she was going through the same thing. :) 

Other symptoms this week include: Heartburn galore! This is no joke, yo. Heartburn hurts! Also, leg cramps and some minor ligament pain. 

Best Moment of the Week? We celebrated my first 'almost a mother' mothers day on Sunday! Noah was so sweet and went out and got me flowers, chocolates and an adorable card signed by both him and Hudson. It was pretty adorable. 

Worst Moment of the Week? Nothing comes to mind...this week went by so fast, I feel like I fell asleep on Monday night and woke up and it was Saturday afternoon!

Other Thoughts? I absolutely cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I remember taking my pregnancy test back on that fateful Wednesday, October 12th and finding out that my life would be forever changed. Sometimes I am still in total disbelief that in a few short days I will be a mother! It's so crazy to think back a year ago to what I was doing Memorial Weekend, and then realize how different this year (and every year from here on out!) will be. Different in a good way, of course. :) 

 I do realize that I wear this shirt a lot...however, it's one of the few shirts that still fit my growing belly this late in the game. Also....excuse everything about the picture...I probably had just rolled out of a Benadryl coma.

Flowers and cards for Mother's Day. :) 

37 Weeks=Full Term!

How far along? 37 weeks...only 17 days to go! 

Size and growth of Baby Hannah? The little miss is about 19.25 inches long and weighs around 6.3 pounds. She is being compared to a swiss chard...or a leek. I don't know what either of those are...Anyways, she is full term which means that all of her organs should be fully developed and ready for the outside world. 

Maternity Clothes? Oh yes. Mostly just hanging out in my maternity tank tops and cropped yoga pants. I've actually been able to get away with wearing all my non-maternity yoga pants throughout my pregnancy...which has been nice. 

Weight Gain? Apparently I have lost another pound and am now at a total weight gain of 28 pounds....Hannah is still growing just fine so I don't really know where this weight loss is occurring. 
Stretch Marks? Nope!! Crossing my fingers still!  
Gender? All girly girl. 
Movement? All the time...we found out her exact positioning, so its pretty fun to know exactly what body part of hers is sticking out or poking me. She is head down and laying on her side facing my right side. So her bottom and back is on my left side and her little legs kick up into my right ribs. Her hands and head are ALWAYS hitting my hip and pelvic bones (those are fun). 
Sleep? Nothing new here...sleeping just fine for the most part...however, still waking up every so often throughout the night for bathroom breaks. I'm pretty use to it now though and I just look at it as training for the times I will have to wake up for feedings. :) 
Food Cravings/Aversions?  Chocolate milk, chocolate milk, chocolate milk. Also...I've been getting a little excited to have my first glass of wine or beer. The smell of alcohol made me sick throughout my whole pregnancy...but these past few weeks I always ask Noah if I can just take a little sniff of his beer and it smells strangely delicious.  
What I Miss? Nothing! I'm ready to be done being pregnant...but mostly because I am just SO excited to meet this little pumpkin that I have been growing! Otherwise, I've been pretty content and taking full advantage of resting up and relaxing.  

Symptoms? Cramps....I've been told these are contractions, eeek! I've been having lots of menstrual like cramping with some back pain. They come and go at irregular intervals (for now) but I am dying for when they start coming in a pattern! I've also been exhausted lately. The other night I fell asleep around 8pm...still in my clothes from the day (which I will admit could pass for pajamas anyways...) hadn't brushed my teeth, or washed my face and the light was on! I didn't wake up for the day until around 10am! That is one LONG sleep! 

Best Moment of the Week? We completed our baby classes on Sunday and they made me SO excited for Hannah to get here. If any of my pregnant friends, or future pregnant friends, are debating about taking baby classes, I HIGHLY recommend them. I did my fair share of individual reading and research but I felt like these classes really touched on some things that I didn't know. We did the condensed weekend class...which meant 5 hours of class on Saturday and another 5 hours on Sunday. The Saturday class went over labor and birth and we were able to practice different pain management techniques. This actually calmed my anxieties about labor and while I know it is going to hurt like nothing I have ever felt before...I feel really prepared to deal with the pain. The Sunday class was focused all on our newborn baby and we got to practice bathing, changing, and clothing baby dolls. We even got to bring in our car seats to learn how to install them properly and how to seat a baby in them appropriately. Noah took the class very seriously and was an amazing help throughout it. He kept reminding me to take notes on pain management techniques that I liked so that we would remember them on the big day. He also practiced his baby skills several times until he could bath, clothe and swaddle our doll perfectly in less than a minute! He's going to be one great dad. :) 

 Working on his diaper changing skills.

 Perfectly swaddled baby.

 All the dad's learning how to give the 'newborn sponge bath.' This will be the first bath that Hannah gets...Noah will be the one to give it to her (with the help of a nurse) while I am going through recovery...whatever that entails. 

So serious.

Worst Moment of the Week? I've had a pretty emotional week, this week. Nothing a warm shower and some chocolate milk can't fix though! 

Other Thoughts? I can't believe we are full term this week! I want Hannah to be healthy, but I won't lie that I wouldn't mind her deciding to come early. Hudson and I have been taking some pretty long walks in the meantime...just hoping to speed up the process a little bit. :) 

Photo Update

I have been meaning to share my baby shower with everyone...but I have been so busy and tired that every time I sat down to write the post I got overwhelmed. Anyways, here I am and its several updates at once! 

1) Our new car! We bought a brand new Kia Sorento. We wanted a bigger SUV that would be safe to cart around both Hannah and Hudson. I've had very good luck with my previous Kia's (I loved how they held up in my car accidents), so I knew I wanted to stay in the Kia family. We absolutely LOVE the new car and have been so happy with our decision. 

2) Last dinner club. I mentioned a little while ago that Noah and I were going to our last dinner club and that we had a special (secret) theme...well, I can officially announce that our theme was "baby"! It was a secret because one of my best friends was newly pregnant (yay, Kort!!!!) and not announcing it to the public yet. One of the couples in dinner club had just had their baby boy a week before, so they brought him over and passed him around the group and the three of us preggo's got our baby fix in (and got even more excited to have our own!). It was crazy to reminisce about how just last September we were all drinking in a hot tub in Ocean Shores talking about when we wanted to start having babies....little did we know that all of us would be pregnant in the following 9 months! 

 Anyways, dinner club was so much fun and we celebrated all of our pregnancies (and new baby) with "babies in a blanket," "baby back ribs," and ice-cream sundaes (that was baby themed mostly just because we've all be craving ice-cream. :) I am SO excited for Kortney and Russ and am counting down the day's until we can share Momma stories over a glass of wine while our baby's play. 

It was the best way to end our dinner club. 

 Future Momma's (and new Momma)

Baby Daddies (as they like to call themselves)

3) Baby Shower. My baby shower was absolutely amazing. I seriously could not have asked for a better shower. My mom, future mother-in-law and sisters put SO much work into the shower and it definitely showed in all the little details. Hannah and I were both so spoiled and I may have cried at some point because I was overwhelmed with all the love and generosity from everyone in the room. I really can't thank my family enough for going above and beyond to throw me an unforgettable shower; and also a huge thank you to all my friends and family that came over to celebrate Hannah. It was one of the most amazing day's of my life. 

 Beautiful cake.

 Walking in and surprised by all the beautiful details! 

Okay...all updated! Hopefully the picture overload made up for the long delay. :) 

Noah and I are right in the middle of our big baby class weekend, so it's off to bed for me! 

36 Week Update

How far along? 36 weeks, 24 more days to go! 

Size and growth of Baby Hannah? Pumpkin is about 5.75 pounds and 18.75 inches long...much like a crenshaw melon. She is shedding all of the hair that covered and protected her skin throughout the pregnancy. Much of the amniotic fluid is being absorbed into my body...or Hannah is swallowing it which will come out in her first diaper. She is preparing to enter the world! 

Maternity Clothes? Of course. Pretty much anything comfortable at this point. 

Weight Gain? According to my doctor appointment today, I've lost a few pounds and am down to a total weight gain of 29 pounds. 
Stretch Marks? Not yet! I've read a lot of things that say not to get your hopes up because you can go this far without them and then wake up on Week 39 Day 3 with them all over your tummy! Yikes! I'm crossing my fingers this doesn't happen to me! 
Gender? All girly girl. 
Movement? All the time...she's quite active. We have noticed that she favors the left side; I always look like I'm about to tip over! She's pretty low...so she head-butts my pelvic area A LOT...which is actually really painful. I think I'm in for a treat with labor if I cringe in pain every time a tiny 5.5 pound human slightly head-butts me...oh boy. 
Sleep? Oh its iffy. Still waking up all the time for bathroom breaks...which is getting increasingly harder since I can't seem to shove my big ol' belly out of bed by myself! I've had really bad allergies the past week or so, and my doctor okay-ed Benadryl....so I've been falling asleep VERY easily. I was hoping the medication would prevent me from waking up through the night...but no such luck. 
Food Cravings/Aversions?  Chocolate milk, caramel apples, and yogurt. I've actually kind of lost my appetite this past week. I don't have aversions per se....I just don't seem to be hungry anymore and I fill up really fast. I'm thinking the growing babe taking up space in my body has something to do with that. ;) 
What I Miss? Hmm...I don't really miss anything...I'm pretty content. However, I am getting anxious to not be pregnant anymore. I'm starting to think about what it will feel like to not be pregnant and feel so "heavy" all the time. It's crazy that I have actually forgotten what it feels like to not be pregnant. 

Symptoms? Still dealing with mega heartburn...not fun. I've been having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions and my hips are killing me. On top of that I went to go get my Tdap vaccination to protect the little miss from Pertussis and my arm has been killing me for the past couple days. :(

Best Moment of the Week? I spoke with my directors at school and we have figured out a schedule to finish everything up next year. The new schedule is MUCH more accommodating to my new lifestyle and I am already less stressed out by what is to come! 

Worst Moment of the Week? There haven't been any bad moments this week. I did have to miss work on Monday and Tuesday because of contractions/cramps...but I would hardly consider laying in bed watching re-runs of Friends a "worst moment of the week." :)

Other Thoughts? I'm considered full term (37 weeks) on Monday and while I obviously want Hannah to be a perfectly healthy baby, I'm really hoping she decides to come early. I'm planning on starting loooong walks and spicy food come Monday!