38 weeks

38 weeks brought about little Williams' first birthday!  We had so much fun at his birthday party and felt honored to be a part of it.  It has been such fun watching him grow up this past year, especially knowing for most of it that our little one will be almost exactly one year behind him.  So seeing what kind of developmental stage he was at for all the year's big events has been really fun for us.  We can't wait for our little guy to meet him and his dads.  Such a blessing.

I felt pretty good for the week!  Over the weekend I was having some headaches and decided to call my dr Monday morning about them.  I knew it could be a sign of pre-eclampsia and though I've had no hint of high blood pressure in the past, it's better to be safe than sorry.  So Monday morning they had me come in just to run a few tests and all was great.  I even got to hear the baby's heart beat again - which is always a treat!  I had my regularaly scheduled appointment on Wednesday and the doctor said though I was showing more progress than a lot of first time mom's (meaning I'm showing any progress at all) she expected that I would be in for my 40 week appointment.  So we wait. :)  Other than the headaches, I'd say my other symptoms are on track for nearing my due date.  I don't sleep so great, have lots of Braxton Hicks, and general pressure/uncomfortableness.  Really nothing I can complain about though - I feel pretty fortunate to still be up and about and enjoying these last few weeks just me and Bryan.

One really nice thing that started at 38 weeks was I am now officially working from home.  Not having to get up and find something to wear to work every morning that still fits is such a treat!  I don't have a whole lot going on at work right now, which is especially nice because I can get stuff done around the house and go on some long walks during the day.

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Nursery!!

We've been working diligently for the last few months on turning the nursery from a guest room into a cozy little nursery.  We're very happy with how it turned out!!  We wanted something with a bit of a vintage feel - not overly kiddy and typical for a nursery.  We definitely learned why people normally go with the standard stuff for nurseries b/c boy did it make it more difficult to find everything we wanted.  At the end of the day though, it was totally worth it!  Here's our vintage travel themed nursery!

BEFORE:
We didn't think fast enough to get pics before we moved out all the guest room furniture, but you get the idea. :)

AFTER: 

This was a gift from our couple's baby shower.  Everyone made clouds with their fingerprints and wrote notes to the baby.  We absolutely loved it and I love that I can look at it everyday now! ;)

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37 weeks - FULL TERM!

What a huge relief it is to be full term!!!!!  I don't think I realized how much anxiety I had over him coming too early.  It's hard to avoid when you have at least 5 strangers telling you on a daily basis that the baby is going to come early!  Now I know that he can come anytime and be healthy - what a great feeling! :)  We spent this past weekend enjoying each other.  We've had this weekend blocked off on the calendar for quite a while now.  We wanted to have no plans - just be spontaneous and spend time together.  So we did just that.  Saturday we ran some errands, went on a very long walk and ended up at a friend's house who was having a porch party, then had a spontaneous dinner at one of our favorite Atlanta restaurants, JCT Kitchen.  We had a little table up on the roof - it was perfect!  Sunday we did a lot of work in the yard.  I even helped and planted some flowers!  Bryan did the rest....so pretty much everything!  I so appreciated everything he did in the yard - it looks really great now.

We also finished a few things in the nursery, and I hope to share pictures soon.  It's very close to being completely ready, and we are so happy with every detail in it!  

So now we wait.  We happily wait for his arrival.  We'll be patient until he's ready, but we'll be so thrilled whenever he decides to make his debut. :)

Let's see how far we've come, shall we? 

 

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35 & 36 weeks

Let the sleepless nights begin!  Sunday morning (at 35 weeks) I woke up at 3am and couldn't go back to sleep.  I had too much running through my mind.  So I laid in bed for an hour hoping it would pass, and then at 4 decided to just get up and get some things done.  So I cleaned the kitchen and then started marking some other things off the baby to-do list. Bryan woke up around 6 and came looking for me - pretty sure he thought I'd lost my mind.  He's probably right. :)

36 weeks was good! We headed to Athens with the Whitworths and some other friends to see the big Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan concert at Sanford Stadium.  We bought the tickets months ago, and to be honest, at the time I wasn't sure if we'd make it or not.  I certainly envisioned that I would be feeling pretty crummy at 36 weeks, but we figured we'd give it a shot and could sell the tickets if we needed to.  I felt especially fortunate that I was feeling great enough to not only go to the concert, but we also tailgated beforehand.  Granted, I had to sit down a lot more during the concert than I would have preferred, but it was really fun to be there and we had a great time!!!

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33 & 34 weeks

I seriously feel like the baby gets bigger over night now.  Though I certainly wouldn't say my discomfort has reached any kind of terrible proportions just yet, it is getting more difficult by the day.  I discussed some of my aches and pains with the Dr. at my 34 week appointment, and she suggested wearing a maternity support belt.  Doesn't that sound glamorous?  Thankfully, one of my friends had one from a previous pregnancy and is letting me borrow hers.  I wear it when we go on long walks and it really makes quite the difference.  My back still tends to hurt, but my lower abdominal pains are significantly better.

Everything is still right on track with the pregnancy.  The baby is measuring perfectly and his heartbeat is always steady around 150.  Here are some pics from 33 and 34 weeks!

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31 and 32 weeks

31 weeks -  Two weeks of sitting in training was EXHAUSTING.  Meeting new people (which I could care less about), listening to speakers, and having to sit in a chair all.  day.  long.  was annoying.  I also feel a little guilty for not being more passionate about meeting new people.  I'm normally excited about things like that.  I guess I just feel like I have other things in my life to focus on, and it's hard to get excited about meeting someone from China that I know I'm only going to work with on special projects.  I realize this will pass, and next year I'll be my normal self again.  So for now I just figured I'd go with it and do my best.

32 weeks - As the 32nd week progressed, I began to feel slower and much bigger.  I keep anticipating that when my doctor measures me she'll say I'm measuring large - surely, right?!?  Nope - right on track.  Hahah!  I guess I better get used to the simultaneous punch to the bladder and kick to the ribs! We did have a small "scare" (really, that's too harsh of a word) at 32 weeks.  One evening when I got home from work I noticed I was having significantly more Braxton Hicks contractions than normal.  We were heading to dinner with some friends that night so I decided that focusing on them was just making it worse and that surely after being distracted by dinner they would go away.  Not the case.  I was still having them during dinner, and when we got home I decided to text a friend that had gone into preterm labor previously and ask her about how she knew.  Unfortunately, she confirmed that it was b/c her BH were becoming more frequent and closer together.  After chatting with her I decided to call my doctor.  She said that as long as I wasn't having more than 6 in an hour (I was at 5 at this point) that I was okay and to take a bath, drink lots of water and try to go to sleep (it was 10pm at this point).  So I did just as she said and the next morning they slowed down to a more normal pace.  Morale of the story - even though I was drinking more water than I thought necessary, I needed to up the water intake even more! So I pretty much drink water nonstop now.

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General thoughts on pregnancy

As we enter the home stretch of this pregnancy, I wanted to share a few thoughts on pregnancy.  Things I don't really want to forget about.

*Pregnancy brain does not always last through the whole pregnancy.  I was feeling incredibly forgetful near the end of my first trimester.  I won't say it's totally gone away, but it has gotten significantly better as time has gone by.

*I may actually go off on the next person I have the following conversation with:
Stranger: "So when are you due?"
Me: "May 9th!"
Stranger: "Oh, how exciting - that's coming up."
Me: "Yes, it is!"
Stranger: "Do you know what you're having?"
Me: "Yes - a little boy."  (With a big smile on my face, might I add)
Stranger: "I'm sure your husband is so excited"  Sometimes they even say "I'm sure you're husband is so relieved"
Okay, first of all - my husband is not the only one who is excited about having a little boy.  I am THRILLED to be having a little boy.  Please do not assume that just because I am a woman that I only want a little girl.  What I "wanted" was a happy, healthy baby.  There are things that I'm more excited about with a boy than I would have been with a girl.  I cannot wait to see the little man that our baby grows into.  I am married to one of the greatest men I've ever known after-all   No pressure little guy. :)   Second of all, do not assume that my husband didn't want a little girl.  One day, God willing, we would love to have a second child, and we would love for it be a girl (or a boy - not ruling that out at all.  Having little brothers would be great!!!).  So please do not assign to either one of us what our gender preferences are.

Sorry for the rant - this conversation happens ALL. THE. TIME.  I almost lost it on a lady in the elevator today.  Thankfully I held back - I was at work after-all   But seriously people - I am just as excited about this little boy as his father is.

*Most common questions asked:
"When are you due?"
"Are you past your due date?"  (Yes, this one has been popping up a good bit now)
"Do you know what you're having?" (See above)
"Do you have a name yet?"
"Are you craving anything?"
These questions are typically asked by just about everyone.  Sometimes I just want to blurt out all the answers to save time. :)

*Things I miss about not being pregnant:
-Sleeping well.  I won't say I sleep terribly, but getting up multiple times a night is tiring.  Clearly this complaint won't be going away for quite a while though. :) At least once he gets here I'll have a better reason for getting up than having to go to the bathroom or just needing to move around.
-Deli meat & Coke.  Specifically Jimmy John's #5 Vito.  Bryan has already been instructed that I will need this after delivery.
-My regular clothes.  The same rotation of maternity clothes is getting old.  And I am starting to feel as big as a house no matter what everyone says.  I would like to be able to wear some of my old t-shirts without my  belly showing.  Not a cute look.
-Exercising.  I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I really miss being able to get a really intense workout.  I actually miss Crossfit.  I know, shocking, right? Since about the beginning of my 3rd trimester I really haven't gone to the gym at all.  For a month or so before that I really didn't want to go, but made myself a few times.  I LOVE walking, and try to do as much as I can, but getting that really intense workout is no longer an option.  My lung capacity is so limited that I get winded walking up a hill.  Seriously, true story - ask Bryan.

*Things I will miss about pregnancy
-Feeling him move.  These last few months of him being super active have been awesome.  It does get a little annoying on occasion.  Like when I'm trying to have a serious conversation with a co-worker and he starts rolling around and I get distracted.  More often though, I love it.  It's reassuring to feel him moving around, and being distracted by him is generally a very good thing.
-How incredibly nice everyone is.  People won't let you carry anything or even open a door on your own when you're pregnant.  At first, I'll admit, I found this a bit annoying b/c I'm very much a do it myself kind of person, but the more pregnant I get, the more I appreciate it.  It is genuinely difficult for me to bend over and pick something up now, so I don't try and stop people anymore when they help me.
-Being able to eat whatever I want.  I've been fortunate in my pregnancy.  For the most part, I've eaten what I want.  Granted, I've wanted a lot of salad and fruit, but I've also wanted chocolate chip cookies, sweets (I told you, he's his father's son) and pizza.  Only now, at 33 weeks, have I really started to feel large.  My weight is still on track for how much I should gain, but I'm just feeling it a lot more now. I feel like that's much later than most women, and for that I'm thankful.

Overall, I have to say that I have loved and am still loving pregnancy.  It's truly a miracle, and that is one thing I try not to take for granted.

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