Week 37 Checkup- May 29

My appointment took as long as my drive today. Not b/c of me or baby, but b/c the lady just before me had A LOT of questions and the muffles through the wall I could hear, she was a slow learner. :-/

So... here is what I know.

23 1/2 lbs so far
Baby's head is very down and ready to go
1cm dilated
1/2 effaced
Fully expects to see me in his office next week and not on the OB floor. :-)
I told him that was a good thing b/c I have a lot to accomplish before this one arrives. I'm also not miserable so why go any earlier than needed. :)

Tuesday, June 5, at 11:00am is my next appointment. I'll probably post my next blog entry all at the same time, unless I get time to do the "typical" weekly one before hand.

So here are the details of the last week...  
How far along:  37 weeks (considered full term) :-) 
Total weight gain: up to 21 total so far (as of May 11).
Maternity clothes: yes, waistbands are NOT a girl's best friend. 
Sleep:  Sleep is getting more and more uncomfortable. I wake up a few times a night to find a new position. 
Best moment this week: 
spending some family time "back home" for the weekend. Probably the last time we'll be a "Family of 3" for a long weekend like this. Appreciating right now how "Little" we have to pack when we come back. :-) 
Food cravings: raspberry or strawberry smoothies... just fruit and ice... sometimes a little honey to sweeten it. YUM! 
Gender: ??? (hoping for a girl)
Labor signs: MORE Braxton Hicks this week. Doesn't really matter what I'm doing these days, they show up.   
Movement: not always a ton of movement each day, depends on what I'm doing... running around from building to building or sitting around at my desk or chilling outside in a lawn chair. Still not a fan of me leaning forward very often. Jill thinks "there is more landscape between my belly and my boobs." :-) 
What I miss: the ease of moving around.... Joshua thinks I'm waddling now. 
What I am looking forward to: the last few days to be "the three of us"  
Milestones: more than 19 inches long- about 6 1/3 lbs, a stalk of swiss chard??, Baby Center Page  Reportedly getting plump and has hair... Jonah didn't, so I think that's a lie. 
Next Appt: May 29 at 11:40am - After this next appt. I start going every week. 

Braxton Hicks & Nesting

Lots of Braxton Hicks today. Some were lasting as long as a full minute.

Good movement still. I'm definitely having to pee a lot more often.

I've apparently started nesting (according to my husband). I've vacuumed the whole house, dusted everything. Cleaned out the return vents in the living room, had Josh swap out the rockers (which Jonah was okay with thank goodness), and steam cleaned my hardwood and tile floors. :-)
Plus the multiple times I've picked up the toys that keep getting scattered around the house.

I keep hearing about all these "early" babies.... Hoping this isn't some sort of sign!

Week 36

This week has been a very busy and yet very relaxing weekend. I have an amazing husband who allowed me to skip out of town for 3 days and take my "last personal vacation" in Des Moines to watch the State Track Meet. I was fortunate enough to watch both my new teams (Vinton-Shellsburg) and my old teams (Grundy Center) compete and compete well.

It was a HOT weekend at the stadium, but I had many "moms" watching out for me, always asking if I was drinking enough, wanted anything to drink, or asking if I was "moving enough." :-) I also got some good "2nd child" advice. My favorite advice came from a GREAT MOM, Pam Delegardelle. She said to not expect life to be good and happy until at least week two. It will take at least that long for child 1 to get used to the idea of a newbie in the house and the "honeymooning" period to wear off. Though I know all children are different, I'm going to hold her advice close to not get my hopes up to high about it happening any sooner. :-)

So here are the details of the last week... 
How far along:  36 weeks
Total weight gain: up to 21 total so far (as of May 11).
Maternity clothes: yes, waistbands are NOT a girl's best friend.
Sleep:  Sleep is getting more and more uncomfortable. I wake up a few times a night to find a new position.
Best moment this week: spending time with Jonah at the Prairie Meadow races on Friday night of State Track. They came down to watch and I took advantage to see my fellas. :-)
*Another moment this week was Jonah snuggling with me on the couch before I left for State Track. What a sweetie!
*I got a pedi and mani this weekend... my feet needed A LOT of attention. She spent at least 30 min on my feet alone. I left a ton of skin cells in DSM!
Food cravings: ??? nothing that I "have to have" right now
Gender: ??? (hoping for a girl)
Labor signs: more Braxton Hicks this week, mostly after I've been really active or walked a longer distance. Not so much of my stomach tightening, but more cramps down my inner thigh.
Movement: lots of big movements, my belly literally shakes or moves left or right when child 2 decides to move. Funny to see people's faces when they notice. :-)
What I miss: the ease of moving around.... Joshua thinks I'm waddling now.
What I am looking forward to: the last few days of school! (4 more!)
Milestones: more than 18 inches long- about 6+ lbs, a crenshaw melon, Baby Center Page  Reportedly getting plump.
Next Appt: May 29 at 11:40am - After this next appt. I start going every week. 

Week 35

How far along:  35 weeks
Total weight gain: up to 21 total so far (as of May 11).
Maternity clothes: oh yeah! Skirts are starting to be more comfy than pants.
Sleep:  Sleep is getting more and more uncomfortable. I'm still very tired all the time. Baby is starting to "find a nerve" to lay on when I lay down, takes awhile to find a position that my legs don't get all tingly in.
Best moment this week: Being apart of the District Track meet here in VS and following my GC girls.
Food cravings: chocolate milk :-)
Gender: ??? (hoping for a girl)
Labor signs: none
Movement: lots of movement all the time, mostly on the R side, someone is wishing he/she had more room.
What I miss: being able to cross my legs at my desk or when I'm sitting. :-) (the small things)
What I am looking forward to: the weeks ahead to spend with Jonah
Milestones: 18  inches long- about 5 1/4lbs honeydew melon, Baby Center Page  Reportedly getting plump.
Next Appt: May 29 at 11:40am - After the next appt. they go to every week.
Heart Rate: 32 Weeks- 138, 34 Weeks- 128

My BP was pretty typical this time again. 114/70. :-) 

Compared to Last Pregnancy?  
Last time I looked like this: (35 weeks)

This time I look like this: (35 weeks)  I Purposely wore the same shirt...

**Reminder that these are taken at 2 different angles and distances from the camera.**

I've gained less weight at this point than with Jonah, it sure doesn't look it though. I'm much rounder this time (I think).

Week 34

How far along:  34 weeks
Total weight gain: up to 19 total so far (as of April 9)- he didn't tell me what I gained last time.
Maternity clothes: oh yeah! Skirts are starting to be more comfy than pants.
Sleep: I'm way more tired during the day now than I was before. I've had to get up a few more times to pee or roll over. Sleep is getting more and more uncomfortable.
Best moment this week: spending time with GC friends at the Hershey's Meet and getting to see Jonah have a great time as well. He's so proud of his participation ribbon. (see below).
Food cravings: chocolate milk :-)
Gender: ??? (hoping for a girl)
Labor signs: child is getting "Low" have that "full" feeling the last few days in my lower abs.
Movement: lots of movement all the time
What I miss: being able to cross my legs at my desk or when I'm sitting. :-) (the small things)
What I am looking forward to: the weeks ahead to spend with Jonah
Milestones: 18  inches long- about 4 3/4lbs large cantaloupe, Baby Center Page  Reportedly getting plump.
Next Appt: May 11 at 3:30pm - we are to every 2wk appts now. :-) 
Heart rate: 1st time in 32 weeks he shared the HR- 138.... go ahead and start guessing. :-)  


Jonah Update: 

 He always has something new to share, something funny to say, or something crazy to do. He's still very obsessed with horses, Chuckwagon Racing, and just being outside to play. 


He likes to run. He got to run at the Grundy Center Hershey's Track and Field Day on May 6. He got a ribbon for his efforts and is totally infatuated with it. 


He knows his manners, says please and thank you. Sometimes he needs a prompt, but he's starting to just say it, which makes me proud. :-) 


 He loves to read, he even got Papa P to read to him at Easter.

He can count from 1-10, starting to get some teens. 


Colors are still harder than I like, but he's at least not saying everything is "blue."

He's got most of his letters down, but not when they are "out of order." He likes to watch Super Why on PBS and play the app on his iPad. He can usually pick out the right letter which shows promise. 

Since he's a late summer birthday boy we've decided to do 3 years of PK. This next fall he'll do the 3yr old program at TLC here in town (two afternoons a week) and then next year he can do the 3s and 4s at Tiny Vikes at the Elementary in town. When he's 5 he can do 4s and AK (Alternative Kindergarten) which gets them involved into Kindergarten specials, but not main level Kindergarten academics. We'll see where time takes us, maybe he won't have to do 3 years, maybe he'll blow us out of the water and be "ready" at 5 to do K. 

 He loves to play with friends, especially Graham, our neighbor's grandson. They love to play ball, swing, and just run around and pester Jewel.

As I write this, he's out on the deck with his horses and "guys" (cowboys) on the small table out there.

I'm sure he'll be rubbing his eyes and sneezing like crazy tonight and tomorrow. We've seemed to kick the coughing gunk with some meds from Dr. Maggie, but those allergy symptoms are always around.

He's excited for the baby to come. Says he's willing to share everything, but we'll see. :-D


Until next time......