Weekly Status: Week 37

How far along? 37 weeks, 4 days
How big is baby? Large enough to be simultaneously pushing on every one of my organs and my ribs.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: No gain since last week
Next Appointment: Our last appointment was on Wednesday. We started with a non-stress test which showed his heartbeat is great and I'd only had a couple of small contractions in 25 minutes. An internal exam showed that I'm not dilated at all. So, my doctor continues to be shocked that he's still hanging out in there, believes it could be any day, and we see her again on Tuesday. Sigh. At least on Tuesday we'll get to see him :) They will do an ultrasound to check on where my placenta is located now, how big the baby is, and fluid levels to make sure they are not any new concerns or risks at this point. I'm worried about all these possibilities, but hopefully he'll be here before Tuesday!
Maternity Clothes: Now that I'm on high alert for impending labor, I'm actually getting dressed properly most days. I can't show up at the hospital looking ridiculous in pajamas.
Sleep: Hahahahah
Best Moment This Week: Date night with husby. We went to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner last night (where we also had our first date and where we found out we were having a boy after our 20wk appt).
Movement: He's all over the place, so maybe he's getting antsy for more room to stretch out?
Planning/Preparation: I spent some time making meals to keep in the freezer, created a spreadsheet with addresses for birth announcements, rewashed some bedding that I'd convinced myself had collected dust in the last few weeks that it has been on the crib....I'm about as prepared as you can be. ::tapping foot::
Belly Button In/Out: My belly button HURTS. It's like it wants to pop out, but there isn't any skin there to pop.
Gender: Yep, still a boy.
What I Miss: Lately I miss working out a lot. I feel like I have no core strength at all anymore and I'm worried I have diatasis recti (where your abdominal muscles completely split), which will make recovery really difficult and likely worsen my lower back issues. We shall see.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Finally meeting him!
Contractions: All day and night on Tuesday, but nothing consistent enough to call the Dr.
Milestones? My stomach in 43". I think that rivals most Biggest Loser contestants, and my regular size bath towels don't close over my belly anymore.

Growing Baby Weeks 5 -34

I've tried to keep up with taking belly pictures from first finding out we were pregnant. I figured that as unflattering as bathroom light can be, and as silly as I'd look in my pajamas half the time, I'd appreciate having them one day. It's already amazing to look back at the early pictures, when I thought at the time "wow, I'm getting huge already" and realize that no one could possibly tell I'm even pregnant in the picture.

I have the same top on in the 24 and 34 week photos, and it's incredible to see what a difference there is in that time span! Even more incredible to think that I still have growing to do....well, if he decides to stay put for a bit.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Weekly Survey: Weeks 33 & 34

How far along? 34 weeks, 3 days (photo above taken today)
How big is baby? We'll find out exactly next week, but a week ago he was 4lbs 14oz
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Steadily gaining as he gets bigger and bedrest continues, but still a few pounds away from my "scary weight"
Next Appointment: We have an appt and ultrasound next Thursday. Since my last post, we've been the to the doc twice. There was some concern about my platelet count, but it turns out that's fine and my anemia is back...more iron pills for me. We talked about when to call the doc, when to head to the hospital, finalized our birth plan, and got the news that our OB will be "shocked if we get past 36 weeks". Yep, that's in a week and a half!
Maternity Clothes: About all that's comfy now is sundresses and skirts, which seems a bit much for bedrest, right? So, I alternate between being a total slob in my pjs and being completely overdressed for a day of Internet surfing and tv watching.
Sleep: It varies. The hardest thing now is actually hoisting myself out of bed to use the bathroom. I sometimes need to wake up husby to push me out of bed.
Best Moment This Week: Seeing the nursery in a more complete state yesterday. My parents were over and hung curtains, rearranged furniture, and helped me put some things away. There's still work to do, but it feels more like a nursery now, and even Lucy is behaving in there.
Movement: He doesn't seem to be such a night owl anymore (fingers crossed that holds true when he's on the outside). There are periods of 30-60 min during the day that he just rolls around and kicks like crazy. Since he's running out of room, his movement is a little more uncomfortable for me, but I'm so happy I have an active baby who lets me know he's doing ok while we're on bedrest.
Planning/Preparation: We have a pediatrician now, only one more prenatal class to go, fancy new camera coming in the mail any day now, hospital bag packed, Lucy's bag packed, iPod, Flip, and old camera all charged and ready to go, baby clothes/blankets/burp clothes washed, all infant care items purchased and in the right place (thanks Mom).... how do I still have a TO DO list that runs two pages?? I need a haircut so terribly; I'm trying to figure out when I can get Andrew to take me somewhere. I'm still in the midst of reading two books on vaccines and breastfeeding and would like to finish those asap.
Belly Button In/Out: Flat, not popped out.
Gender: Yep, still a boy.
What I Miss: Being able to eat without heartburn. It's been terrible for a few weeks now.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting our son and hoping he looks like one of the 2 names we've chosen.
Contractions: Nada.
Milestones? Hitting 34 weeks and knocking out an entire page on the TO DO list.

We Made It!! 32 Weeks

First, this is what he looks like at 32 weeks- thankfully, still an inside baby!

My fabulous friend Katie Ryan came over to take some maternity photos for us over the weekend, and this is one of the teasers she posted on her blog for us. I'm thrilled that we'll have these photos to look back at years from now, and I think we'll frame a couple for Baby S's nursery.


Today is the big day- 32 weeks. When I ended up in the hospital 20 days ago, they told me as soon as things took a turn for the worse that if I delivered then (at 29 weeks) there would be some issues but that they were very hopeful the baby would be okay. From that point on, they stressed over and over how important it was to get to 32 weeks. The message has been the same at each Dr. appt since. Well, here we are, and I've been in a great mood all day. Just knowing that I reached the goal they set for me puts a smile on my face- all this bedrest is not in vain. The next goal is 36 weeks, but we have two more Dr. appts this week to see where things stand, measure everything via ultrasound, and find out whether or not they are willing to lift any of my restrictions.

As of this week, Baby S has reached the following milestones:

• at least a pound heavier than when I was admitted to the hospital and adding more body fat everyday
• lungs have nearly fully developed (with the help of steroids)
• all five senses are developed
• organs are functioning on their own
• bones are fully developed and hardening

Basically, there's a good chance that he would be able to breathe and function on his own if I ended up going into labor today. He'd still be in the NICU for some time at this point, but there are far lesser concerns than a few weeks ago. I think we'll keep him in there for awhile though :)

Ahhhhhhhh-ruba

Babymoon in Aruba? Best.Idea.Ever.

We've only been home a few days, and I miss it already. For sure the best part was spending an uninterrupted week alone with the hubster, but that fact that it was spent in powdery sand, in crystal clear blue waters, in a lounge chair where people were bringing me virgin mango dacquiris? Yeah, that was the best part.

Some amazing things happened on this trip, too: the deafening sound of my heart beating in my ear stopped while we were there! Cohmpletely. I actually didn't notice it at first, since I'd grown so accustomed to tuning it out. I also managed to go a full week without a single nosebleed after having one on a nightly basis for over a month. Of course, now that I'm home, both have started again. Booo. Perhaps they are more stress related than I realized?

A not-so-amazing new thing: heartburn. I now consume Mixed Berry Tums with a fervor once reserved for Peanut M & Ms (which, coincidentally also give me heartburn now).

One of the most fun things about the trip was how nice everyone is to a pregnant lady on vacation! Holding elevators for me, letting go in front of them in line in the bathroomm, strangers telling me "congratulations", a man who said "I think it's a boy" when I walked past him, a lady on the beach who said "I love your baby bump" when we walked past her, and even the woman in the pool who was at her wit's end with kids around her turning to me and saying "are you sure this is what you want?!"....all brought a smile to my face.

Baby S got a little tan, too (and about doubled in size):

The Incredible Expanding Woman: Weeks 24 and 26

24 weeks, 4 days


Just as we were leaving for Palm Beach, Florida.








26 weeks, 2 days

Taken during our trip to Aruba. Don't mind my being in PJs :)

Yep. There's a Baby in There, Not Just a Big Dinner.

Ok, so this picture is now 2 weeks old (and I'm much bigger now), but I'm behind a bit and thought you might want to see when I really "popped".

This was just after I hit 22 weeks, and it was the first time that I think other people actually noticed I was pregnant. At least I felt like I no longer looked like the girl who spent a few too many late nights hitting Taco Bell.

In the two weeks since? WOW. I'll need another photo to really get the idea across, but I'm E N O R M O U S. There are maternity clothes I no longer fit in. I've become that person who puts her hand on her stomach when she's sitting (which, by the way, used to kind of annoy me except that now I realize there is no where else for it to go as your lap disappears). I even purchased and wore a top I would classify as matronly. In public. I know, I know. Listen- I have a whole new understanding of comfort that I can't apologize for and will not deny.

So, yeah, I'll get on that Week 24 picture soon.

Weekly Survey: 19 weeks

Supposedly that's what Baby S looks like right now. Yeah, that. Up there. Creeptastic, right? I mean, am I growing a contortionist or what?! Since I saw him/her a few days ago, I can tell you with total confidence that I've created a home for Baby S that currently allows for a lot more lounging and stretching than what you see there. You're welcome, Baby S.

How far along? 19 weeks, 2 days
How big is baby? 6" long
Total Weight Gain/Loss: More. More than I want to tell you.
Next Appointment: One week from today!! It's the big day :)
Maternity Clothes: I'm officially on a buying freeze after things got a tad out of control since my last post.
Sleep: Better the last few days!
Best Moment This Week: My surprise ultrasound! They didn't have a Doppler available at my last appt, so I got a free ultrasound and saw all kinds of rolling and kicking. Amazing.
Movement: Finally! I've felt the baby moving a few times and kicking once.
Food Cravings: Still potatoes, still sweets, still corned beef.
Planning/Preparation: Shower planning has started, names have been narrowed, and we've started looking at our local parishes for Baptism/CCD/preschool, etc.
Belly Button In/Out: In, but kinda shallow.
Gender: The Dr knows already (she saw last Thurs), and we'll find out on Tuesday.
What I Miss: Some of my cute clothes.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Finding out if we'll have a son or a daughter (I still say son)
Contractions: Nope
Milestones? First real kick!

19 wks, 3 days. Just for you, Andrea!

15 Wk Belly Shot

15 weeks
Definitely popping out, but it's still far more obvious with a bare belly or in a tight shirt.



Way back in the beginning (aka 8 cans of Beefaroni, 3 quarts of ice cream, and a couple of McChicken sandwiches ago):

All That Beefaroni I've Been Craving?

Yeah, this is what is does to you. To be fair, I'm certain there's a subtantial amount of ice cream and Cheetos in there, as well as a smidge of baby. I think the last time was this soft was in the late college days of pounding down a large Papa John's with pepperoni (extra garlic butter sauce, please) at 3am. Three times a week. For an entire year. Ah, the good old days.

12 weeks

Roses: I can still button my skinny jeans!

Thorns: They are a new pair I just bought in a size up from the pair I bought 4 short months ago.







13 Weeks

Aaaand this will be the last time you get to see me with my shirt up, unless I end up being one of those ginormo pregasaurs who is still cute at the end, and I can't resist showing you the belly.*

*This will not happen if I have an outie or one of those lines...what are they called? (note to self: check Mayo book on that again...linea negra? That sounds wrong....)

Oh, and I'm getting love handles. No one told me about that. Thanks a lot.

Weeks 5-10 Recap

November 25, 2009:
On the three year anniversary of the Mr. proposing, we had a positive pregnancy test! What a great day-before-Thanksgiving surprise!

November 27, 2009:
On my 35th birthday, a blood test confirms that we are, in fact, having a baby- due date August 2, 2010. Two hours later I bought "What to Expect While You're Expecting" at Target and read it over lunch....not at all excited, right?



I figure that I'll be positively ginormous in a few short months and might like to look back at what used to be me. So, this is it, my "before" shot.







The next time I remembered to snap a pic was at 8 wks, and I'm clearly more bloated already!


There are cuter pics I could post, from the early ultrasounds, but I'm sure that it would just look like a blob to anyone but me- we were "lucky" that since I'm old and ended up being pretty sick a couple of times early on in the pregnancy we've had more ultrasounds already than most people get in 40 weeks. By week 10 we'd seen the baby's heartbeat 3 times!




I'm nearly out of the first trimester, and so far the hardest thing has been keeping this from everyone we love. We'll share with family at 11-12 weeks and then with friends thereafter, but I'm a blabbermouth, so it has been tough. Let's be honest, I'm no strange to a glass (read: bottle) of wine, so pretending to drink or coming up with excuses for not drinking has been a part time job.

Otherwise, I've been getting stir-crazy with my Dr's orders not to work out in the first trimester (this is the longest I've EVER gone without exercise), eating more and more (though the Mr will tell you I'm still not eating enough), and peeing pretty much constantly. Oh, and I'm TIRED. Maybe since I'm getting up to pee all night, but I cannot keep my eyes open most of the afternoon, and I'm ready for bed at about 8pm.

All worth it though :)