38 Weeks

How far along? 38 Weeks

Total weight gain: Enough, only, maybe, slightly too much. Considering the size of my child, I count this as a win!

Maternity clothes? Yup, and looking forward to being out of them... eventually.

Stretch marks? Yes, lots and lots. My belly still looks like a brain.

Sleep: I get up multiple times a night, now. Add this to the fact that I wake up every time I need to roll over, and I get up a lot. However, the sleep I do get is pretty decent. I hope this is a good sign for the coming weeks!

Best moment this week: The best moment this week will come at approximately 1:30PM on 12/24- when I get to see my little human (and his face!!), on the outside, for the first time!

Miss Anything? Everything you can't have while you're pregnant. Chris suggested I ask a friend of mine to bring me sushi in the hospital. I think she would do it, too, she did just bring me two bags of peanut butter m&m's (my favorite) for no reason. She's the best.

Movement: This kid kicks my bladder, and anything else he can reach, all day long. I know this is the part I will miss most, and I am relishing these last few days watching him roll around and feeling his little hiccups. I like to think I will look back on these times with a lot of fondness, and block out the parts where he has made me grunt and cringe from some of his especially strong kicks.

Food cravings: Not a craving, but I wouldn't mind a big, juicy, medium/medium rare steak. Another thing for which I have to wait.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sometimes the idea of doctors cutting through multiple layers of skin and muscle makes me a little queasy, but I am trying to keep a more "the ends justify the means" kind of attitude about it.

Gender: Boy!

Symptoms: Hip pain. Lots of hip pain. I finally did my Christmas shopping, which involved standing in some really long lines and a lot of stops, and it really took a toll on my hips, especially my right one. I think my right one got the brunt of it because I got in and out of the car a lot, and it takes a little bit to get the other leg into the car. Add this to the fact that my ab muscles are pretty much no good right now, and I was pretty much using only my hip muscles to get my other leg in the car. Man, does that sound pathetic, haha!

Belly Button in or out? Mostly just flat, sometimes a little bit of an outtie.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. I miss them. I really miss them. I have had my engagement ring for almost 4 years now. Even though I have had my other rings for less time, my finger looks/feels pretty strange without them.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty irritable still. I think it comes with the territory of being 9 and a half months pregnant. The whole 9 month thing is a lie. A LIE. It's 10 months, and nobody tells you, you only find out when you do the math after you find out you're pregnant.

Looking forward to: Seeing my little boy! Only 3 days to go. SO surreal.

I am going to try to remember to take a picture on Tuesday and do a 39 week update, but if I don't, the next time you hear from me I will be announcing the arrival of our little babe, and you will finally learn his name!

Maternity Photo Shoot/Baby Update

I haven't really shared any news about little Baby Stocking in a while, but we were really waiting for our 36 week appointment before we could really get any solid details and make any sort of plans. I had an ultrasound at 36 weeks that was the last step in helping us determine our delivery plan. This ultrasound was where we found out exactly how big he was going to be. And by exactly, I mean the doctors could be off by as much as 1.5 pounds.

The ultrasound determined that our little baby was 10 pounds. At 36 weeks.

What did that mean for us?

Well, it meant that unless I went into labor on my own in the next week or so (I didn't), then I would be having this baby via cesarean. If I were to try to deliver vaginally after that point, it would not be good for myself or the baby due to his size. Even if his head were able to fit, his shoulders would likely get stuck, and all of the pressure pushing down on his shoulders during the delivery could result in permanent nerve damage. And nobody wants that.

So, since he didn't come, we scheduled a c-section. This is the part where I was a little sad for a while. NYS will not let a c-section be scheduled earlier than 39 weeks. If anyone remembers my due date, it was December 30th. You know when a week before that is? 12/23. Christmas eve eve. That means that I will be spending Christmas/my birthday in the hospital, which is really the one thing I wanted to avoid.

Since no doctors were available from my practice to perform c-sections on the 23rd, mine is scheduled for the 24th. Although I had a bit of a selfish reaction to start, I feel much better about it now. Sure, I will be spending my birthday with an IV in my arm and nowhere near my Christmas tree or a yule log (even one from YouTube streamed on my TV), but I will by spending it with my baby. My little boy. The tiny human who my favorite person in the world and I made. And that is a great gift.

In one more week, I will have that little guy in my arms!


IN OTHER NEWS:


If you were paying attention to my last post, you will know that Chris's step-dad, Jim, took some maternity photos for us when we were visiting for Thanksgiving! I really love them, I think they turned out great! One of my favorites is when we re-created one of our favorite engagement photos. Take a look:

This one is a side by side of a photo we got taken in the fall of 2011 (right) and the left is fall of 2014! I think I look younger in the newer photo, but Chris looks so much older! (Hunkier, too! ;) )

36 Weeks

http://jimdanvers.blogspot.com/ 

How far along? 36 Weeks (This is a little late, I was 38 weeks yesterday...)

Total weight gain: Enough

Maternity clothes? Of course

Stretch marks? Yes, lots and lots. My belly looks like a brain.

Sleep: Having a harder time getting to sleep some nights, but it could be much worse.

Best moment this week: Turkey sandwiches from Thanksgiving Dinner leftovers! And, although it happened last week, Chris's step-dad took some awesome maternity photos for us! (That's what I am using in lieu of one of my usual pictures, since I forgot to take one of those. Sorry!)

Miss Anything? Everything you can't have while you're pregnant.

Movement: He kicks me A LOT. And now that he is so big, his movements get really uncomfortable because he really can't move without squishing my internal organs...which are not for squishing.

Food cravings: Christmas Cookies! But I think that is just a hazard of the season.

Anything making you queasy or sick: This is the one thing during my pregnancy that has stayed the same and really worked out in my favor. I really have not been sick at all.

Gender: Boy!

Symptoms: Sneezes. It was like as soon as I got pregnant, I started sneezing. It doesn't matter what the weather or pollen count is, I just sneeze a lot. More in the last 9 months than in my entire life before I got pregnant.

Belly Button in or out? It still alternates between slightly-stuck-out and flat, depending on the baby's position.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. I miss them.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Lately I have been getting really irritable. I am at that point where I am uncomfortable nearly all the time and the baby's kicks can hurt and I pant when I walk 10 feet. 

Looking forward to: Knowing what my baby boy's little face looks like!