Tag: Pregnancy

Tomorrow is exactly 2 weeks before my due date. Zoinks!!

i’m laughing at D in these pics, who was trying her hardest to photo bomb me. you’ll see in a minute…

• How far along?  37 weeks, 6 days
• Total weight gain:  31.5 lbs. as of Wednesday morning. Up exactly 1 lb. since last week.
• Maternity clothes?  Bottoms – definitely, now with the exception of some yoga and cooler weather pj pants (much to my surprise!). Tops – some, but I find I can still wear most of my regular shirts too, which is nice. And dresses and skirts are quite comfortable but are making less frequent appearances as the weather cools off.
• Stretch marks?  Thankfully, no. I didn’t get any from D, so hopefully Dv2.0 doesn’t give me any either.
• Sleep:  Terrible, plain and simple. I’ve now gotten to the point where I dread bedtime because I know it’s just not going to happen. Rolling over is a huge process, and I’m always sore all over when I wake up. Getting up to pee is still a nightly thing, and it has now progressed to multiple times a night. But mainly it’s because of the stupid carpal tunnel syndrome I’ve developed this past month. Not a night goes by now where I don’t wake up to the stabbing pain.
• Best moment this week:  As dumb as it sounds, I might have to say getting the entire house cleaned, including mopping all the floors. I just want it all done before Dv2.0 arrives, and knowing that it’s at least finished for this week before we head out of town for the weekend is a good feeling. Also, hearing that there has been little progression in the dilation department at my doctor’s appointment on Wednesday – another good sign for traveling this weekend.
• Miss anything?  Beer and wine. And a good, solid night’s sleep.
• Movement:  Yes, since about week 16 I believe. Kicks have become all over – I can feel what I now think are feet kicking under my right ribs while simultaneously getting bumped by probably the head on the lower left/back side. Must be a long kid in there.
• Cravings:  In general, no, but when I get really hungry I want protein – meat, cheese, etc.
• Aversions:  Food, no. Smells, not nearly as bad as last time, fortunately. I just get sick of scents quickly and have to get rid of them completely.
• Gender:  Not finding out.
• Labor signs:  No. Wait, are Braxton Hicks contractions considered a labor sign? If so, then yes, I’ve started having those (see below).
• Symptoms:  Daily heartburn (yes, it switched to daily from nightly. awesome. and sometimes i can feel it come on as soon as i take a bite of something. hooray), SI pain (which, thankfully, has eased up on me a little these past few weeks), my hair isn’t shedding much when I wash/brush it, and I have some serious pregnancy brain. The Braxton Hicks also arrived in the past couple months. I started feeling my lower abdomen tighten (painlessly) every once in a while, and my doctor confirmed those are the BH again. Oh and let’s not forget the newest jerk to join the party – carpal tunnel syndrome. As much as I want this kid to stay in there a little while longer, I can’t WAIT for this particular pain to go away.
• Belly button in or out?  Almost out, but not quite. Never went fully out with D, just a little crooked.
• Wedding rings on or off?  On.
• Looking forward to:  Making it down to Peoria and back this weekend without giving birth (hopefully!!!). It will be great to see family and some old grade school friends, and to eat Monical’s pizza and Avanti’s sandwiches. But just in case, the infant seat is installed in the car, the hospital bag is packed and in with our stuff for the weekend, and I even got my prenatal records and labs printed out from my doctor this week when I was in, just in case. I figured if I didn’t have any of that stuff with us when we go, I was sure to go into labor somewhere other than at home. Wish me luck!! (side note – i noticed on my chart for this week that my fundal height is only 36, which would put me measuring a week behind. might i get some extra time before baby comes??)

Now even I’m kind of baffled by this week’s comparison. I think I look much bigger in my shot from D than my shot from this one. Left is me 37w1d pregnant with D; right is me 37w exactly with Dv2.0. Maybe it’s just the angle or something. I think I look smaller overall now than with D, too – face, butt, arms (even though you can’t see them under my sweatshirt).

And just because she’s cute and was trying to wear my glasses upside down, here’s D in full photo bomb mode. And a different angle for your viewing enjoyment.

 

 

 

Tomorrow is full term, and we all know what that means, right? This baby could now come AT ANY TIME! Oh dear lord.

• How far along?  36 weeks, 6 days
• Total weight gain:  30.5 lbs. as of yesterday morning. I think I may end up spot on the same 33 lb. weight gain I had with D after all.
• Maternity clothes?  Bottoms – definitely, now with the exception of some yoga and cooler weather pj pants (much to my surprise!). Tops – some, but I find I can still wear most of my regular shirts too, which is nice. And dresses and skirts are quite comfortable but are making less frequent appearances as the weather cools off.
• Stretch marks?  Thankfully, no. I didn’t get any from D, so hopefully Dv2.0 doesn’t give me any either.
• Sleep:  Downright shitty. Rolling over is a huge process, and I’m always just sore all over when I wake up. Getting up to pee is still a nightly thing, and it has now progressed to multiple times a night. Remember that arm pain I mentioned last week too? Well it’s still there, and I finally figured out what it is. See below in my symptoms…
• Best moment this week:  Spending last weekend down at my mom’s house with D was definitely wonderful. It was fun, relaxing, and filled with delicious food. It’s so hard for me to believe, though, that it was the last time D will be there as the only grandchild. Crazy. And another high point of this week was…are you ready for this? My pre-baby checklist is DONE!!! You have no idea how good it feels to look at that thing and see all 20 items crossed off. However, Dv2.0 (yes, i’m talking to you in there, oh ye who keeps nailing me in the ribs), that does NOT give you permission to come out now! I respectfully request (or order you as your mother, whichever you prefer) that you stay put until at least October 15. Anytime after October 20 would be much more ideal, but I’ll settle for anytime after the 15th as well.
• Miss anything?  Beer and wine. And a good, solid night’s sleep.
• Movement:  Yes, since about week 16 I believe. Kicks have become all over – I can feel what I now think are feet kicking under my right ribs while simultaneously getting bumped by probably the head on the lower left/back side. Must be a long kid in there.
• Cravings:  In general, no, but when I get really hungry I want protein – meat, cheese, etc.
• Aversions:  Food, no. Smells, not nearly as bad as last time, fortunately. I just get sick of scents quickly and have to get rid of them completely.
• Gender:  Not finding out.
• Labor signs:  No. Wait, are Braxton Hicks contractions considered a labor sign? If so, then yes, I’ve started having those (see below).
• Symptoms:  Daily heartburn (yes, it switched to daily from nightly. awesome. and sometimes i can feel it come on as soon as i take a bite of something. hooray), SI pain (which, thankfully, has eased up on me a little these past few weeks), my hair isn’t shedding much when I wash/brush it, and I have some serious pregnancy brain. My stomach muscles have stopped tweaking as much, though, when I try to use my abs, so I’m just assuming that means they’ve gotten totally worn out. And the Braxton Hicks have arrived. I started feeling my lower abdomen tighten (painlessly) every once in a while within the past month or two, and my doctor confirmed those are the BH again. Let’s not forget the butt cheek cramps, either. They still come and go as they please. As for that weird arm thing I mentioned above, it’s pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome. Ta-da! And it’s worse at night because all of the water and fluid I’m retaining right now is able to spread out when I lie down, putting pressure on that nerve in there. I read, too, that whichever nerve it is that runs through the carpal tunnel affects your thumb, index, middle, and the thumb side of your ring fingers, plus the middle of your hand and up to your elbow in severe cases, and that is exactly what I have. Excellent. Just what I always wanted! To not be able to use my dominant hand when I wake up every day, hooray!! Fortunately it’s supposed to go away shortly after delivery, which it better. I have found that sleeping with my wrist and hand propped up on a pillow does help keep the pain away, but that’s so awkward and it rarely stays put.
• Belly button in or out?  Definitely starting to bulge on the right side, but still not fully out. Never went fully out with D, just a little crooked, but it’s already farther out than how it went with her. Weird.
• Wedding rings on or off?  On.
• Looking forward to:  Well let’s see… This upcoming week is actually pretty busy. This afternoon we’re heading up to Parnell Tower outside Sheboygan to check out the beauty of the changing leaves. Tomorrow I’ll be watching the Badgers play in the afternoon (at home, not in Madison unfortunately). Sunday I’m having lunch with girlfriends, for which I can’t wait! Tuesday I have my last hair cut/color pre-baby, and Wednesday is my next doctor’s appointment. I am PRAYING that there is no further dilation by then, because next weekend is when we’re supposed to be going to Peoria for my high school Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony, one PHS event I definitely don’t want to miss. So if you were wondering why I chose October 15 as the mandatory stay-in-there-until date for Dv2.0, that’s why. That is the date a week from Monday, which would put us home from Peoria without a newborn in tow.

And yes, another week of side-by-sides. Left is me 36w1d pregnant with D; right is me 36w2d pregnant with Dv2.0. Let’s start taking bets – what do you guys think, boy or girl this time?

 

 

 

Sorry, these pictures are terrible this week. I really need to remember to stand farther back from that wall so I don’t look all squished against it.

• How far along?  34 weeks, 6 days
• Total weight gain:  29.5 lbs. as of yesterday morning. Why is that down half a pound from last week, you ask? I have no clue. I know the weight gain tends to level off at some point toward the end of the 3rd trimester, but I didn’t think I was at that point yet. Now watch – next week I’ll be up like 5 lbs. just for fun.
• Maternity clothes?  Bottoms – definitely. Tops – some, but I find I can still wear most of my regular shirts too, which is nice. And dresses and skirts are quite comfortable but are making less frequent appearances as the weather cools off.
• Stretch marks?  Thankfully, no. I didn’t get any from D, so hopefully Dv2.0 doesn’t give me any either.
• Sleep:  Pretty shitty. Rolling over is now a process, and I’m always just sore all over when I wake up. Getting up to pee is basically a nightly thing now too, so that’s always an interruption.
• Best moment this week:  Getting to have both Ryan and my mom along for our zoo trip this week. D was in heaven. My mom was up for a few days while my stepdad was out of town, and Ryan was able to do his Monday morning work from home then play hooky for a few hours. So we got to show them all of D’s favorite animals, ride the choo-choo train (a must!), and she even went on the carousel for the 1st time. Of course then she had to ride it twice and cried when we made her get off the 2nd time. Boog.
• Miss anything?  Beer, especially this summer. And a good, solid night’s sleep.
• Movement:  Yes, since about week 16 I believe. Kicks have become all over – I can feel what I now think are feet kicking under my right ribs while simultaneously getting bumped by probably the head on the lower left/back side. Must be a long kid in there.
• Cravings:  In general, no, but when I get really hungry I want protein – meat, cheese, etc.
• Aversions:  Food, no. Smells, not nearly as bad as last time, fortunately. I just get sick of scents quickly and have to get rid of them completely.
• Gender:  Not finding out.
• Labor signs:  No. Wait, are Braxton Hicks contractions considered a labor sign? If so, then yes, I’ve started having those (see below).
• Symptoms:  Daily heartburn (yes, it switched to daily from nightly. awesome. and sometimes i can feel it come on as soon as i take a bite of something. hooray), SI pain (constant now, which is oh-so pleasant), my hair isn’t shedding much when I wash/brush it, and I have some serious pregnancy brain. My stomach muscles have stopped tweaking as much, though, when I try to use my abs, so I’m just assuming that means they’ve gotten totally worn out. And the Braxton Hicks have arrived. I started feeling my lower abdomen tighten (painlessly) every once in a while within the past month or so, and my doctor confirmed those are the BH again. Oh and here’s a new one – butt cheek cramps. Yes, that’s correct. Last weekend and earlier this week my left butt cheek was plagued by a deep, middle-of-the-glute muscle cramp. Why? Because I’m almost 9 months pregnant, that’s why.
• Belly button in or out?  Definitely starting to bulge on the right side, but still not fully out. Never went fully out with D, just a little crooked, but it’s already farther out than how it went with her. Weird.
• Wedding rings on or off?  On.
• Looking forward to:  Getting more stuff done around here so I can cross things off my million-and-one pre-baby to-do list. I know this is the same as last week’s “looking forward to” entry, but I’m still working on that list. Fortunately this week I did get a ton of stuff crossed off it, like getting D moved into her new bed and the crib set up in our room as you can see in the pictures, but I still have a fair amount left. Once that thing is done I will feel much better. But then it’ll be time to get the hospital bag ready – WHAT?!?!

And now this week’s comparison shot. I was 34w1d pregnant with D on the left, and I’m 34w4d pregnant with Dv2.0 on the right. For some strange reason I just can’t get myself to take these pictures on the actual weeks lately. Ah well.

 

 

 

All right seriously, time really needs to slow down right about now. I have WAY too much to do before this kid arrives, and I’ve realized I’m very quickly running out of time.

• How far along?  33 weeks, 6 days
• Total weight gain:  30 lbs. as of Tuesday morning. Finally hit that big 3-0 mark. Only 3 lbs. left until I catch up to my total weight gain with D.
• Maternity clothes?  Bottoms – definitely. Tops – some, but I find I can still wear most of my regular shirts too, which is nice. And dresses and skirts are quite comfortable.
• Stretch marks?  Thankfully, no. I didn’t get any from D, so hopefully Dv2.0 doesn’t give me any either.
• Sleep:  Pretty shitty. Rolling over is now a process, and I’m always just sore all over when I wake up. Getting up to pee is basically a nightly thing now too, so that’s always an interruption.
• Best moment this week:  Hearing the doctor say she’s pretty sure the baby is already head down on Tuesday. She’ll check for sure at my next appointment in 2 weeks, but that’s a good sign right now.
• Miss anything?  Beer, especially this summer. And a good, solid night’s sleep.
• Movement:  Yes, since about week 16 I believe. Kicks have become all over – I can feel what I now think are feet kicking under my right ribs while simultaneously getting bumped by probably the head on the lower left/back side. Must be a long kid in there.
• Cravings:  In general, no, but when I get really hungry I want protein – meat, cheese, etc.
• Aversions:  Food, no. Smells, not nearly as bad as last time, fortunately. I just get sick of scents quickly and have to get rid of them completely.
• Gender:  Not finding out.
• Labor signs:  No. Wait, are Braxton Hicks contractions considered a labor sign? If so, then yes, I’ve started having those (see below).
• Symptoms:  Daily heartburn (yes, it switched to daily from nightly. awesome. and sometimes i can feel it come on as soon as i take a bite of something. hooray), SI pain (constant now, which sucks), my hair isn’t shedding much when I wash/brush it, and I have some serious pregnancy brain. My stomach muscles have stopped tweaking as much, though, when I try to use my abs, so I’m just assuming that means they’ve gotten totally worn out. And the Braxton Hicks have arrived. I started feeling my lower abdomen tighten (painlessly) every once in a while within the past couple weeks, and my doctor confirmed those are the BH again.
• Belly button in or out?  Definitely starting to bulge on the right side, but still not fully out. Never went fully out with D, just a little crooked.
• Wedding rings on or off?  On.
• Looking forward to:  Getting more stuff done around here so I can cross things off my million-and-one pre-baby to-do list.

For your viewing enjoyment, the comparison shots are back. I know you were saddened by the lack of them these past couple weeks. On the left I was 33w pregnant with D; on the right I’m 33w4d pregnant with Dv2.0. Yep, same shorts.

 

 

Seriously, this whole being past 30 weeks thing is really freaking me out. We have done NOTHING to get ready for Dv2.0 yet. I foresee lots of loads of little tiny laundry in my future…

• How far along?  31 weeks, 6 days
• Total weight gain:  28 lbs. as of Tuesday morning. I had my next doctor appointment that day and wanted to compare my scale to theirs, even though I know they’re always very different. Again, I’ll stick with my scale. But that’s up half a pound since last week. I’m only 5 lbs. away from my total gain with Della, so we’ll see how far I go past it with this one.
• Maternity clothes?  Bottoms – definitely. Tops – some, but I find I can still wear most of my regular shirts too, which is nice. And lots of dresses and skirts.
• Stretch marks?  Thankfully, no. I didn’t get any from D, so hopefully Dv2.0 doesn’t give me any either.
• Sleep:  Pretty shitty. Rolling over is getting to be a process, and I’m always just sore all over when I wake up. Getting up to pee is basically a nightly thing now too, so that’s always an interruption. Plus D’s been waking up in the night now, so there’s that to contend with as well.
• Best moment this week:  Hmm… Buffett concert was awesome, and so was hearing Dv2.0’s heartbeat again. So we’ll go with those.
• Miss anything?  Beer, especially this summer. And a good, solid night’s sleep.
• Movement:  Yes, since about week 16 I believe. Kicks are pretty low, which I’ve heard signals there’s a boy in there. They are, however, starting to move higher – I’ve noticed the top of my belly getting kicked now too. Must be a long kid in there. I think they’re getting stronger as well.
• Cravings:  In general, no, but when I get really hungry I want protein – meat, cheese, etc.
• Aversions:  Food, no. Smells, not nearly as bad as last time, fortunately. I just get sick of scents quickly and have to get rid of them completely.
• Gender:  Not finding out.
• Labor signs:  No. Wait, are Braxton Hicks contractions considered a labor sign? If so, then yes, I’ve started having those (see below).
• Symptoms:  Daily heartburn (yes, it switched to daily from nightly. awesome. and sometimes i can feel it come on as soon as i take a bite of something. hooray), SI pain (constant now, which sucks), my hair isn’t shedding much when I wash/brush it, and I have some serious pregnancy brain. My stomach muscles have stopped tweaking as much, though, when I try to use my abs, so I’m just assuming that means they’ve gotten totally worn out. And the Braxton Hicks have arrived. I started feeling my lower abdomen tighten (painlessly) every once in a while within the past couple weeks, and my doctor confirmed those are the BH again.
• Belly button in or out?  Starting to bulge a little, but not out. Never went fully out with D, just a little crooked.
• Wedding rings on or off?  On.
• Looking forward to:  VACATION!!!! That’s right, we’re off again this afternoon for a good solid week, coming home next Saturday. We’re going to a remote wilderness area in Canada, so I won’t be around here for awhile. Miss me you will, but I’ll be back with some good pictures, as usual.

Sorry, no comparison again this week. Don’t worry, though, they’ll come back when I do – after vacation!! Have a great week next week. Hasta luego.