35/35

This week not only marks the milestone of hitting my 35th week, but it also means I only have 35 days left to go!! This day is known as 35/35 and since I advance a week every Sunday (today is Thursday) I only have 31 days left to go!!!! With each passing day I get more excited to meet our little girl, but I also get more nervous. The nervousness comes more from the fear of the unknown: not knowing when she will decide to come, how difficult it will be to get her out, and how Chad and I will manage once she is here. My biggest fear is labor and delivery because that is the one thing I cannot prepare for. I keep hoping I will be one of those women who has an easy labor and pushes 3 times to get her out, but realistically, I doubt that is going to happen.

Luckily, there are a lot of other things Chad and I can prepare for and we have been busy doing a lot this past week. Tuesday we had our first labor and delivery class. We learned all about what we should pack for the hospital, which I need to do this weekend. Two of my biggest questions were also answered in the class. I found out we will have a private room for our entire stay and I will have Internet access in the hospital!!! I am very excited that we will be able to get pictures of our little girl out to our friends and family quickly. Wednesday we had our second babycare class which covered illnesses, medicine, vaccines, and clearing an airway. Thursday was our one and only breastfeeding class. This is probably the one area I had the most questions about and I definitely asked many of them at the class. The teacher was very good and covered a lot of important information, but she seemed to be in a rush to leave. Luckily, I will have lactation consultants at the hospital I can talk to about any of my remaining concerns.

I also scheduled Baby H's newborn photos this week. They are tentatively scheduled for 4 days after my due date, which may have to be switched depending on her punctuality :O) As part of the photo package I signed up for, Baby H will have a year of memories done. This means she will have photos taken at birth, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Chad thinks it is a bit of overkill, but it is my first baby and I want to do it!

We also started to prepare Nutmeg for the baby this week. We had a dog trainer come to the house to evaluate and work with her. To no surprise he said she has a lot of energy, excitement, and curiosity, but essentially no attention span. Our biggest goal is to calm her down and decrease her curiosity, especially when it come to the baby. He worked with her a lot as soon as he came in because she was jumping all over him and licking the air, which we found out is not good because it shows she is over excited. His goal was to get her calmed down by touching her pressure points. Well each time he got her to lie down she was right back up (no attention span). His biggest suggestion is to get the energy out of her so I have been walking her for 30 minutes a day (yeah at 9 months pregnant) and we sent her to doggy daycare on Tuesday. Having her run around at daycare definitely helped. She was so tired and less distracted that she was better at listening and easier to work with. We plan to continue to send her, but we have a lot of work ahead of us still. Just today on our walk she jetted out and grabbed a rock in her mouth. She often does this when I walk with her and will not give it up no matter how hard I try to get it out. For the next 15 minutes she walked with the rock in her mouth and only dropped it right before coming into the house. It is her little way of saying she still has control of me. Well, like our trainer suggested I put her in a time out. She sat and eventually laid down and was calm, but we will see next time we go for a walk if it actually helped:O)

How far along? 35 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 25 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Yes, although I prefer to spend my days in sweats.

Sleep: Yes, but my daughter is already interrupting my sleep by forcing frequent trips to the bathroom and stretching into my ribs at night.

Best moment this week: Our dinner at Table. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food. I only wish we had gone sooner since now we will need to find a babysitter to go out.

Movement: She is still going strong despite everyone saying babies sometimes slow down at this point.

Food cravings: Chocolate Milkshake this week

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Is flat a choice?

What I miss? NJ :O(

What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Tuesday. I am so excited to see our little girl again.

Milestones: The car seat is installed in the car.

34 Weeks

I had my 34 week check up with my new doctor on Tuesday. I waited a little over an hour to see her, which I was warned about when I decided to switch to her. Apparently she always runs behind, but they said it is because she really spends time with her patients, which was true with me. Most OB's spend 5-10 minutes with you if you are lucky, but my doctor spent about 25 minutes with me. She really took the time to get to know me and talk to me about my pregnancy thus far and what to expect in the next few weeks. I talked to her about the cramping I have been experiencing and she said it is probably my body getting ready for labor. She said due to my body size and structure I am more likely to feel every bite of my labor.....joy!!!

When she examined me she felt I was measuring small for 34 weeks. She actually only measured me to be 31 weeks, which was odd because at my 32 week appointment and all weeks prior to that I was measuring right on track. My doctor said her measurement could be off for two reasons. One reason being every doctor measures their patients differently and since this was the first time she was measuring me herself she said not to be nervous. The second reason she felt it could be off is because Baby H's head is very low. She is pretty sure the baby has probably dropped since my last doctor examined me, which would throw off the measurement. The good news is between the baby's head dropping and all the cramping I am having it means we are getting closer to meeting our little girl. The doctor did schedule me for a growth ultrasound to check the babies size. I am so excited to get to see our little girl again. We have not seen her since our anatomy ultrasound at 19 weeks. They schedule the ultrasound right before our next appointment which is Tuesday, February 23rd. During the ultrasound they will check the babies weight, position and my cervix to see if my body is making any progress.

On Wednesday night Chad and I had our first class at the hospital, Babycare 101. The whole class is focused on what we will need to know once our little girl is here. We learned all about diaper changing, bathing and dressing our little girl. We even got a doll to practice on. Chad practiced putting on the diaper, onesie and sleeper since I already have experience. I was very inpressed as Chad did an awesome job. Chad was also extremely proud of himself, but I had to remind him our baby will not be as cooperative as the doll :O) Next week we have three nights of classes. We have our first labor and delivery class, Babycare 102 and a breastfeeding class.

How far along? 34 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 25 pounds.
Maternity clothes? Yes, although I prefer to spend my days in sweats.
Sleep: I have been having a hard time falling a sleep and no matter how much I sleep I always feel exhausted.

Best moment this week: I bought tickets for the Yankees White Sox game in Chicago. It will be Baby H's first Yankee game!!!

Movement: She is still going strong despite everyone saying babies sometimes slow down at this point.

Food cravings: None really

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Cramping
Belly Button in or out? In but very shallow
What I miss? NJ :O(

What I am looking forward to: Our Valentines dinner at Table. It is supposed to be the best restaurant in Midland..... we will see what that really means.

Milestones: I went and got my Michigan license.

33 Weeks.....8 Months!!!

Baby H and I have now hit the 8 month mark. At 33 weeks, Baby H is weighing a little over four pounds and is just over 17 inches long. Luckily, I was right and I got the good news at my appointment last week that Baby H is head down. The nurse practitioner was able to tell that our little girl is positioned with her back and butt running along the left side of my body and her arms and legs extended toward my right side, kind of in a half moon shape. This explains why I feel like the right side of my body is a punching bag!

As for what is going on with my doctor fiasco.....I was able to get an appointment last Tuesday with a nurse practitioner in the practice. Prior to going in, Chad and I decided I would just stay with my current practice because the hospital is really good and all of the other doctors have very good reviews. When I met with the nurse practitioner she was very nice and told me they were counseling all of old doctor's patients regarding their options. I explained that I did research on my own and if possible I would like to switch to another doctor in the practice. Luckily the doctor I requested is available and I have my first appointment with her on Tuesday. The rest of the appointment went very well. I am measuring right on track and my blood preasure and the baby's heartbeat are all good.

How far along? 33 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 24 pounds.
Maternity clothes? Yes, although I prefer to spend my days in sweats.
Sleep: Still pretty good, but I am waking up to pee a lot again.

Best moment this week: Nothing to really report.... the excitement in my life has died down now that I am back in Michigan.

Movement: Oh yes....we were watching my belly move while we were out to dinner last night.

Food cravings: Blooming Onion.... yeah I know gross!!

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: None, but I have had a lot of cramping this week, which I will be asking the doctor about on Tuesday
Belly Button in or out? In but very shallow
What I miss? NJ :O(

What I am looking forward to: We start our baby classes next week. First up is Babycare 101

Milestones: I finally changed my name with social security. Now I need to get a new license.

32 Weeks

Chad, Nutmeg, Baby H and I made our drive back to Michigan from NJ. On Saturday, we woke up at 5:00 am to start the 12 hour drive. The drive started a little shaky as Nutmeg was very anxious in the car. We had to stop three times in the first 2 hours to calm her down. Luckily after 2 hours of standing in the back and breathing heavily she tired herself out and calmed down. Unfortunately, from lifting her in and out of the car so many times Chad suffered an allergic reaction with his right eye swelling up. We had to stop again so he could take out his contacts and get some medicine. Being 32 weeks pregnant, I surprisingly was the only one in the car doing well!!! Luckily the remaining ten hours were less dramatic and we arrived in Midland at 6:00pm.

This is a picture of the back of our car with all of our goodies.

When we got settled, I quickly looked through the mail and saw I had a letter from my OB. I quickly opened it and immediately wanted to cry. My OB is leaving the practice!!! I could not believe it. Not only that, but she is due to have a baby in early March, meaning she was never going to be able to deliver me anyway. I had thought she might be pregnant, but with the big white coat it was hard to tell. The letter said I have two choices; stay with the current practice and see one of the other doctors or move with her to her new practice, which would require me to deliver at a new hospital. If she was not pregnant I might follow her because I am really comfortable with her, but if she is giving birth in early March there is no way she will be able to deliver me in mid-March. I had an appointment scheduled for tomorrow so I figured I would talk to her about it then. That was until I checked our voicemail. I had a message from the office saying that my doctor would not be in on Monday and I needed to reschedule. UGHHHHHHH! It has been 5 weeks since I have seen my doctor and I was really looking forward to this appointment. Not to mention that I had to wait until Monday to call and make another appointment. Needless to say, I was not happy to be back in Michigan!!! We will see what happens when I call the office tomorrow.

As for Baby H, week 32 is all about growth...again!!! According to babycenter, she is now about 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair. Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she continues to plump up in preparation for birth. Hopefully at this point baby H is head down. Based on the location of her kicks I have thought she might be, but I was hoping to confirm this at my doctors appointment.

How far along? 32 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 22 pounds. I got back on the scale this morning and it was not as bad as I thought it would be considering I ate a lot of jelly donuts and bagels in NJ!!
Maternity clothes? Does it look like I can fit in anything else.... ha ha!!
Sleep: Still good.... It was nice to sleep in my big comfy bed last night!

Best moment this week: Seeing Chad after 3 weeks apart.

Movement: My rib cage has become a practice soccer net.

Food cravings: Steak!!!

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In but very shallow
What I miss? NJ :O(

What I am looking forward to: Well it was my doctors appointment, hopefully it will be rescheduled for this week.

Milestones: I think the baby's head is down.

Baby Shower

This past weekend was my baby shower and I had a great time! My mom did a beautiful job putting everything together, the food was delicious and the decorations were adorable. It was so wonderful to see all of our friends and family together in one place and thanks to everyone's generosity, Chad, and I are well-prepared for our little girl (well, at least as prepared as you can be). Here are some pictures from the festivities!

I got so many creative gifts. This sub made of all baby products was just one of them. It is so amazing I still cannot bring myself to open it. The sub is made of blankets, onesies, washcloths, towels and bibs.

My Aunt Anne made this basket for me. The lollipops are washcloths and the tin is filled with onesies she made into cupcakes!! The blanket she made is so beautiful. The mouse stuffed animal is holding a bouquet of roses which were made from socks.

I am so in love with this little mouse!!

One baby clothes line from Aunt Donna.

And one from Grandma Donna

A special gift from big sister Nutmeg

All of my special helpers

Our cupcake cake. People just could not wait to dig in.

Ella enjoying a cupcake!!

Natalie and I

Frankie and Hailey were instantly in love :O)

30 Weeks!!

So last weeks update was no joke. All the talk about Baby H being cramped and going through another growth spurt has made this week very uncomfortable. I thought the growing would happen gradually over the next few weeks, but it seemed to start as soon as I hit the publish post button for last weeks blog. I think another part of the problem is Baby girl H seems to think she is staying in a fancy suite at the Four Season and can stretch out everywhere. Little does she know that unless she plans to break one of my ribs there is really no where else for her to move!! I really can't complain though because besides 5 weeks of morning sickness in the beginning, I have had a great pregnancy. After this week though I have concerns for the next 9 weeks! As Chad said, hopefully they will go by fast.

According to babycenter.com this week baby H's eyesight is continuing to develop, but is not very keen; even after she is born she will keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she will respond to changes in light, but she will only have 20/400 vision - which means she will only be able to see objects a few inches from her face.

How far along? 30 weeks... 10 to go!!
Total weight gain/loss: No clue....I don't have a scale in NJ
Maternity clothes? Does it look like I can fit in anything else.... ha ha!!
Sleep: Still good.... fingers crosssed

Best moment this week: Getting the babies car seat. It makes everything feel so real!!

Movement: My rib cage has become a practice soccer net.

Food cravings: Jelly Donuts

Gender: Girl
Belly Button in or out? In but very shallow
What I miss? Chad :O(

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower!!

Milestones: I am pretty sure baby H is now head down. I am just guessing based on the fact that he feet are in my ribs. Hopefully we can confirm this at our appointment on the 25th!!

29 Weeks!!

According to babycenter.com things are getting a little cramped for Baby H. Perhaps that is why I feel like her foot is constantly pressing up against my abdomen at times. Baby H is once again getting ready for a growth spurt. She is currently about 2.5 lbs and 15 inches long. Over the next 10 weeks baby H (and I) will put on at least another 4.5 lbs. I can't believe she will grow more in the next 10 weeks then she did in the first 29 weeks. Luckily Chad was a lightweight at birth (6.5 lbs) so I am hoping our little girl takes after him in that respect.

Nutmeg and I are still in NJ, while Chad returned to Midland last Saturday. Over the next three weeks Chad will be visiting Toronto, NJ, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago and Atlanta for work. I am sure he will be exhausted once all his traveling is done, but I already cannot wait to see him when he returns to NJ on the 22nd.

To pass the time I have been doing a lot of shopping for Baby H. Luckily Baby Gap was offering an additional 25% off of all their sale items plus I had a coupon for an additional 20% off. I got so many cute things for $5 each. Pottery Barn kids also had 20% off all their storage items so I got some baskets for the closet and our changing table.

I also got an awesome belated birthday gift from my mom. She bought me the diaper bag I had been eyeing for a while. The Storksak Emily bag!!! I cannot wait to use it!!!

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: No clue....I don't have a scale in NJ
Maternity clothes? Haven't bought anything new...I have been spending all my money on clothes for Baby H
Sleep: Great....thanks to the full body pillow Chad got me.

Best moment this week: Seeing Dick Clark on New Years. I know many people think he should not be on TV anymore, but I love seeing him.

Movement: I have been getting less jabs and more feet constantly pushing my tummy for more room.

Food cravings: Nothing really. I have had a hard time eating because nothing seems appetizing to me

Gender: Girl
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss? Chad :O(

What I am looking forward to: Getting all the stuff the baby got for X-mas back to Michigan and setting everything up.

Milestones: I can't think of anything for this week.