38 Weeks = 9.5 Months Pregnant

So, I've been sharing an analogy with people lately about being ready to not be pregnant anymore.  It's not that it is too hard, physically, difficult and tiring--yes, but my body is not screaming out in agony all the time, "GET THIS KID OUT!"

No, it's more like the thinking that there are two types of people in this world:  those who when going swimming and entering the water for the first time creep in, inch by inch, so they can get acclimated to the cold water temperature gradually and there are those that run past that person and scream, "CANNONBALL!" just to get it over with.

I feel like I've combined the two with pregnancy--that I'm currently in about up to my belly button and am ready to just plunge my upper body below the water, face first, to emerge and adjust to life as it is when I stand back up.

I am ready to stop expecting a change and ready to experience it.  I am ready to explore what it is like to be a mom and to discover what our new family's new normal will be.  To end this holding pattern; like I'm flying in a plane and we're circling the airport waiting for a runway to open up--I can't control when one opens up, I just know that it will happen before the plane runs out of fuel but I'm anxious to get to my destination.

I am ready to take on new challenges, climb new mountains, claw my way out of new valleys, and work together with Ryan to "figure out" this whole parenting thing, a new chapter in our lives (maybe a whole new book!).

~~~

As I reflect on 2012; there have been many changes and ups and downs.  Just like everyone else.  I have learned much about myself, my husband, my family relationships--all have been strained by events and circumstances beyond our control and influenced by our own choices.  I feel like I've grown up a bit more, in ways that were probably overdue, that I can look at life with a slightly different perspective.  I am glad that I have not ended 2012 the same as when I started it and I thank my God for working that in me, as it is not of me.  I cannot effect that kind of change in my own life that will stay.

~~~

Ok, enough of the "deep thoughts".  ;)  I had another doctor appointment that ended in disappointment on Friday:  no progress.  So, all those BH contractions on Sunday didn't accomplish a whole lot, at least not according to the doctor.

Speaking of the doctor, has anyone else ever gotten strange "compliments" from a doctor?  One time I was told that I have BEA-U-Tiful veins (for a blood draw) and Friday it was: "You have a great baby-birthing pelvis."  Encouraging, kinda, and also kind of awkward.  At least, for me it was.  I think the doc was mainly trying to encourage me because I hadn't made any progress, really, and then repeated what was said earlier: "You could come in in labor tomorrow."

Doc was wrong, I didn't.  Apparently, could have but didn't.  Hmm, wonder what the difference is.  I just breathe and remind myself that Declan will come at the appointed time and it will be perfectly right.  I tried to convince God that New Year's Eve was the correct time, as we didn't have any plans...yes, I am stooping to try and convince God.  At least I think he has a sense of humor about it...

My back is sore and I get stiff if I sit for too long, I can't stand through the whole worship singing time at church--had to sit down part way through, and had a hard time getting comfortable after that.  I feel lots of pressure on my lower abdomen when I stand or walk around.  Still slight swelling in the legs/ankles, nothing too major.  I haven't noticed a "burst of energy" called "nesting" at all, but Ryan did point out that since I {actually} got some decent sleep on Saturday night I got up and made breakfast Sunday morning...apparently, he thinks THAT is nesting.  I don't know if I agree.  I am tired pretty much all the time and sometimes find it hard to focus and think.

And, lastly, I am pretty sure if this kid doesn't come out soon, that I will "meet" the inside of my belly button.  I wonder if it happens like those things in turkeys at Thanksgiving...

~~~

Below are more lame pics that I just couldn't decide between...better than none at all!

38 Weeks!

~~~

Well, not much left for Declan to do, but here's the update anyway!  He is already over 6.8 pounds (another comment from the doc on Friday: "Well, it looks like you're not going to have a 5 or 6 pound baby..." I'm just praying he's not 9 pounds or more!) and 19.5 inches long (apparently, like a leek!).  He has a firm grasp (which I hope to test out soon!) and all his internal organs have matured and are ready for life outside the mama!  Now all we're waiting on is for him to make his grand entrance!

~~~

That's about all I can think of right now (or remember!).  Thanks for stopping by to catch up with us, from my "new" family to yours, we wish you a Happy New Year!

~N~

37 Weeks...Sheesh!

So, I hit the 37 week mark......and now I'm ready to be done being pregnant--see explanation below.

~~~

I thought I was going into labor on Sunday, waking up at 3:30 am with pretty steady, mild intensity, contractions that lasted throughout the day.  They didn't get any stronger or regularly time-able--the interval between contractions was variable anywhere from a minute or so to an hour.  When I checked my handout from my doctor, it called them "warm up contractions" that can be an early sign of labor.  I guess I missed the words "can be" and thought they were different (because of their steadiness and the length of time they spanned) than the Braxton Hicks contractions I had previously experienced.

I am a {little} disappointed, because I got excited and then the big event didn't happen.  Boo.  They were pretty tiring too, after each contraction it seemed that Declan would get mad at being squeezed and would "thrash about" for a while, sometimes until the next one, or he would push with his feet/butt against the top of my uterus, creating uncomfortable pressure.  I just tried to relax and "roll with it."  What I guess I really hope my body accomplished is that I'll be more effaced or dilated at my next check up on Friday.  Also, I suppose I should be careful what I pray for, as I asked God for more BH contractions to accomplish more "progress" before going into labor...

It also seems that my baby belly is "sliding or slipping" off of my body--dramatic change in the position of my belly to the point where my mom and aunt noticed a change overnight!  I would assume this means Declan has dropped further, though it doesn't feel like his head is that much further into my pelvis.  I do notice that it is even more difficult to walk and to stand for more than a few minutes.  It is more difficult to get comfortable at night and to motivate myself to get up and move around during the day.  I pretty much just want to sit like a bump on a pickle.

It is a little more difficult now that I'm so close and don't have Christmas to focus on anymore--Declan's arrival is the next BIG event (aside from Ryan's birthday, which I've already finished my shopping for--thank you Amazon.com's Prime account!).  So, that is what I suppose I'm focusing on more.  I have noticed I am more emotional {insert random crying breakdown here} and fighting irritation and restlessness--I don't want to just sit around but it's too tiring to do anything, especially anything that requires a lot of brain power or is outside our home.  I'm tired of expecting this big, scary life change and am ready to tackle it head-on--the anxiety increases in the "waiting".  Waiting has never been my strong suit...

~~~

Just about everything that can be ready for Declan is ready...his room is as ready as it is going to be--if the violin and a sign don't get on the wall RIGHT NOW, he won't notice it and I'm sure it won't make a difference to me for a loooooooong time.  I think I have everything I need for him (again, thank you Amazon.com!).  I have my hospital bag pretty much ready--I organized it yesterday and so feel better about it than when I was just randomly stuffing items into it when I would remember that I wanted to take that item with me.  I finished copying some Bible verses that I want to take with me to the hospital for encouragement, Ryan made a playlist of soothing music to play for me...

I made/modified four nursing tanks on Christmas, which was SUPER easy, by the way.  Now I probably should try them on with my nursing bras to make sure they really do function properly.  Total cost for four of them was about $15...I have another two to convert as well that were $4 each...making the total cost about $25 (including materials that I already had--needle & thread) for 6 nursing tanks.  I was having trouble finding them in my size for a reasonable amount of money and when I searched the internet for "DIY nursing tank" several websites came up with reasonable instructions.  It made me feel uber accomplished!

~~~

Back to Declan:  he is considered to be full term now (even though a full pregnancy is 40 weeks as discussed in a previous post), which means if he came now his lungs would likely be ready to adjust to breathe air.  He weighs at least 6 1/3 pounds (I suspect more) and is about 19 inches long.


~~~

37 Weeks...take 1!

We are having more technical difficulties, so all I have for you this week is a couple of lame-o iPod pictures for an update, I'm sorry for the quality and that I didn't do a 36 week picture...the laptop went out again on us before we could take the picture.  :(

37 Weeks... take 2! I couldn't figure out which pic
was better...so I posted both!

I think I look like I'm holding a BIG balloon under my shirt!  Hahaha!  Or Declan is reclining in an upside-down "L"!  Not too much of a problem with swelling either, just a bit at the end of the day that is pretty easily taken care of by keeping my feet elevated.  My brain works in random ways nowadays.

Well, that's about all I can think of to update you on for this past week...thanks for stopping by to check in on us!  Have a Happy New Year!

~N~

36 Weeks :: FINALLY A PHOTO UPDATE!

It's official.  I've reached 36 weeks and we have our technical difficulties fixed.  I have a full FOUR weeks of pictures to share, and I'm eager to do so!  Without further ado...

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks

35 Weeks

Whew!  I feel like I just slow-motion watched myself grow!  It's wonderful!  No new changes this week that I'm aware of except that I have such a bad cold!  It kept me down all weekend when I needed to be preparing for Christmas weekend where we'll have Ryan's family here Friday/Saturday and my family here Sunday/Monday!  Yay for family time, not so yay for Nicole not having gifts ready!  Actually, I think I'm mostly finished.  Just a few finishing touches on a few things and I'm ready to go, I'll be able to check that off my Six Week Bucket List!

To update you on THAT progress, I've gotten just about everything I think I'll need for Declan, Ryan and I took time to in-depth organize his room, we still need to set up the bassinet, buy nursing gear, finish packing that pesky hospital bag and finish the curtains for the room and then I'll be ready!  Though, I somehow think that I'll find something else to put on a "to-do list" when I've finished these!

I also, in between hacking up a lung, sewed three blankets for Declan that I'm SUPREMELY proud of!  You know those people that couldn't do ___________ (fill in the blank) to get out of a paper bag?  Well, I couldn't sew a straight line to get out of a paper bag!  Which is fine by me, these are not gifts that I'm making for someone else, just for me.  So, if they're not perfect, I don't really care--they're done and I made them while pregnant.  End of story.  Below are some low quality pictures of them.

"I love my family" "One big crazy family" "Happy Together" This one definitely rivals the "I love Mommy, I love Daddy" design below for my favorite!

In other news...Declan is gaining about an ounce per day and weighs about 6 pounds!  He's more than 18 1/2 inches long too!  He's losing the downy hair that covered his body as well as the waxy vernix stuff that protected his skin from the amniotic fluid.  Next week he'll be considered full term!  That's this coming Saturday!  I'm too excited for words, he could come any time, truly!  And all my waiting (rather patiently, I must add!) will have paid off!

I hope you all have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by to catch up with us!

TTFN!

~N~

35 Weeks :: The Unexpected Progress

AHHHH!  Already 35 weeks!  ONLY 5-ish more weeks to wait to meet my sweet little Declan!  I am nervously excited.  Luckily, I have other things to focus on for the next few weeks to keep me occupied.

Christmas gifts are coming along slowly but surely--this is one of my favorite things to do each year.  To research and decide what gifts would be best for my family members and to figure out how to do it on the cheap!  I have a few gifts that I'm very proud of this year, even if they are simple and inexpensive.  I am trying to use up crafting supplies I already have so I can make more room for all the "stuff" that comes with a baby.

Maybe in the coming week(s) Ryan will help me organize Declan's room and "stuff" so that I don't have to strain my brain too much.  I will have to pitch that to him in the next day or so.  We are still working on picking up the last few things that we need for him--sheets for the bassinet, a swing, and a few other miscellaneous items.

Now for a Declan update--he is roughly 5 1/4 pounds (think the weight of a honeydew melon!) and probably more than 18 inches long!  What a big boy he's becoming!  Apparently his kidneys are fully developed, his liver can do its job,  and since just about everything else is finished, he'll be "concentrating" on gaining weight.  :)  And, since there is less room in my womb because of how big he's getting (oh, I can attest to the less-room!) he is unlikely to do any more somersaults, which is ok because it feels kind of creepy when he does that.

As for me, I'm doing ok.  It is definitely getting more difficult.  My pelvis makes a "snapping" sound at night sometimes when I get up to use the bathroom--which is more frequently.  I still do not sleep awesomely, but according to all my friends this will not go away until Declan is 17...I notice I feel more achey and get tired easily.  Standing in my kitchen for a couple of hours on Friday really wore me out.  My desire to go out and do things has begun to wane, I mostly just want to stay home and relax and prepare mentally for Declan's birth.

I am making some progress on my "Birth Bucket List" that I posted two weeks ago.  Christmas stuff is almost finished.  I started packing my hospital bag, continued organizing (and opening!) Declan's stuff, Ryan is washing all the clothing and accessories, I have some baby clothes hung in the closet and have picked out the "outfit" I want him to come home in, I am continuing to buy the "stuff" that we need for him, and a few necessities for myself.


~~~

I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday and was shocked to hear that Declan has dropped, I am 50% effaced and dilated less than a centimeter!  I'm still four-and-a-half weeks from my due date, so I was not expecting anything.  It's great, because the more work my body does before labor the better!  Then, maybe, labor will be shorter?  I am not sure about that one.  And, no, my doc did not move up the due date and said, "It's unlikely he'll come the week of Christmas."  So, I have until then at least.

Since he's dropped, it's been a bit more difficult to be pregnant than it was before.  My lower back hurts more, occasionally I feel pressure on the bottom of my stomach or my pelvis.  And every time I stand up I need to pee.  Quite annoying right now.  Also, I have to fight the urge to waddle because walking normally hurts more than it used to.

I, strangely and sadly, think I am better adjusting to getting up every two-ish hours to use the bathroom.  Hopefully that will serve me well in the near future...with this being more difficult and uncomfortable, I am starting to get to the point where I'm ready to not be pregnant any more.  I feel like I've waited a really long time and am ready to meet my little guy!  To hold him and stare into his sweet little face, tracing the lines and figuring out who he most looks like.  :)  To get to know him and who God has created him to be.  So excited.

My next "project" after I finish up Christmas stuff is to make a few baby blankets for Declan, since I didn't receive many as gifts as I predicted I would.  I ordered and received some really cute flannel fabrics that I am excited to work with...and I think that sewing mostly straight lines is within my capabilities.  I will have to post some pictures when I finish them...then everyone can laugh at, ahem, enjoy my lack of skill!

~~~

I was trying to delay posting this until I could get my photos from the past few weeks uploaded, but no dice!  However, maybe over the weekend...Ryan's computer will be back to us and fixed and after he's done dorking around with it maybe he will upload the photos for me...I think it will be fun to see the change all in a row!  I'm excited now.

Anyway, those are all the updates for now...thanks for stopping by to catch up with us!

Cheers,

~N~

34 Weeks and Declan's New Favorite Pastime

Another week goes by quickly.  

Every so often I think that it would be impossible for my body to stretch more to accommodate Declan, that I can't believe my belly could get any bigger--and then I try on a shirt I haven't worn in two weeks and am proven wrong!  What an amazing thing God did in creating our bodies!  I am in awe.

I had a productive weekend--even if my inattentiveness to detail did kick me in the butt a few times.  I finished one Christmas present, and "wrapped it" and put it under the tree.  That was an accomplishment if ever there were one.  I got reacquainted with my sewing machine (I am a beginner, level ZERO sewist, sewer, sewing-person, whatever you want to call it) so, to have successfully completed or partially completed several sewing-related projects, I felt very good...even if I still can't sew a straight line...even when I have a line to guide me...


I digress.  Back to the stuff you're reading the blog to catch up on!

I've had some more Braxton-Hicks pains.  Yuck.  And I am having this strange loss-of-sensation around my belly button as well as farther up on my protruding belly--which is very weird and creeping me out.  I've never heard of that as a pregnancy-related-effect before.  It almost feels like when you are sitting on your foot and it is about to fall asleep--you can still feel it but not like you used to be able to...it is so strange.  I will ask my doc about it on Friday.  It makes it REALLY annoying when I can't feel that I've knocked something over with my belly!

And since I was so productive last week, I've gotten tired again.  Not like a zombie like the first trimester, but still tired.  I know Declan is in the midst of putting on all the baby-fat he'll need and apparently that makes me tired.  I am also at the point over the past few days of wanting to eat everything that comes into sight.  Everything sounds good, just about.  But I still crave mashed potatoes (but am too tired to make them by the time I get home!) and, strangely, Chinese food.  ???   But not Chinese over mashed potatoes.  That would be disgusting!

Moving right along, I have also made some progress toward finishing Declan's Nursery and organizing his stuff and thinking through things (which is challenging to say the least at this point).  So, I am on track with less than three weeks until he's due.

Today is my birthday and at some point last night in my in-and-out-of-sleep states I dreamed that I went in for a doctor's appointment and had Declan there (on my birthday) and came home the same day to announce to my sister that I had Declan.  I got to stare into his little face and blue eyes and snuggle him on my chest...it was a very sweet dream.  I woke up happy and wondering where my newborn was...then I realized it was a dream.  Just a sweet dream--and I should have known it was a dream, since the labor didn't hurt!

~~~

I also had a realization this past week about just how much fear I've been carrying around about labor and delivery--it is something I've never experienced that I can never be completely prepared for that, if I were being completely honest, terrifies me.  Sometimes, knowledge is power and sometimes it just scares the crap out of you...my experience with this has been the latter.  Also, knowing that I am the only one who can do this--feels like a huge responsibility.  

I know the platitudes that it will be ok, I will be fine, other women do this every day, God created my body to do this--but none of that truly prepares me and makes me believe that I will be ok.  So, after realizing the level of anxiety I was carrying around, I knew I needed to give it to God and choose to trust in Him.  To surrender and remember that He is walking this path with me and to bask in that truth, not to hide from it.  He will enable me to walk through it and where I am weak, He is strong.  Here's the Bible verse He gave me today:  "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." (Psalm 18:29, NIV)  I think I will use this verse in my encouragement cards--filling my head with truth instead of the fear-tinged lies I had been allowing free-range inside my head.  

Am I still scared?  At times, yes.  But do I now feel confident and able to "scale that wall" with my God?  Absolutely.  Absolutely.

~~~

Now, for an amusing story that I'd forgotten to share before...so a week or so ago I brought in my big jug of water that I truck in from home because I don't like how the water at work tastes and as I was about to put it into the mini-fridge at work it slipped out of my hand and crashed onto the hard-plastic lip of the mini-fridge, exploding water everywhere--all over the inside of the mini-fridge, on the carpet, on my pants!  

And, as is my pregnancy-hazed brain pattern, I stood there for a minute-ish wondering if that had really just happened and wondering what I was going to do about it; how I was going to clean it up.  At that point, Pastor Aaron comes in and what do I tell him in the other room?   Here's how that conversation went:  

Me:   "Pastor Aaron, I've had an accident!"

{My brain:  He's going to think you peed your pants, quick, say something else!}

Pastor Aaron:  "Uh-oh, what happened?"

Me:  "My water bottle broke!"

Pastor Aaron: "Whoa.  Do you want me to get some towels for you?"

{My brain:  did you just tell him your WATER BOTTLE broke?  That sounds like WATER BROKE! Quick, say something else!}

Me:  "Yes.  My water bottle just slipped out of my hands and exploded all over the floor and my pants and the fridge.  I'm sorry."

{My brain:  FINALLY, you explained what happened!}

Pastor Aaron left to get the towels and when he returned:  "At least it's just water!"

Me:  "Yeah, I'm glad it happened when I was alone, I was afraid someone would think my water had broken!"

Then he laughed and told me that he hadn't even thought about that!  So, all my brain's freaking out was over nothing.

~~~

Now it's time for the Declan update!  As of last Saturday, he was about 4 3/4 pounds (like an average cantaloupe) and is about 18 inches long!  He's continuing to add fat and his lungs are still developing, getting stronger to prepare for breathing air!  He kicks and jostles and repositions a lot--his new favorite game is to scrunch himself up in different places and see how strange he can make my belly look--instead of it being completely and wonderfully round, it is more often poking out more in one spot than another or is flat here and round there.  So I say it's his new favorite pastime.  I know he's getting cramped in there and I'm coming to the point where I'm ready to be done being pregnant, so I'm sure he's getting anxious to get out and explore as well.


Well, I guess that this update has been long enough!  I'd love for you to comment and let me know your most encouraging verse given to you by God lately!  Thanks for catching up with us this week and hopefully by next week our "technical difficulties" will be solved and I can do picture updates!  I'm told that I've changed A LOT in the past three weeks...


Cheers!

~N~