Another Baby Weekend

Saturday - took the three-hour class "Newborn Basics" - I went into this thinking, okay, even if I don't learn anything, it was worth it, so that I know that I knew all of this. I did learn a few things, so it was worth it! We also got pictures taken at JC Penney's to memorialize the pregnancy :) Kinda cheesy, I know - but that's okay.

Sunday - after joining our church and going to lunch with my family, we hit Babies R Us and Target pretty hard, and now are fully equipped for BabyW! (well, as fully equipped as we're going to be until we bring BabyW home; then I'm sure we'll think of the other 85 things we need!)

Still no contractions - but we see the doctor on Tuesday, so I'll keep you posted on my progress!!

I can see how this starts getting uncomfortable....

I think I might be to the point where I'm ready to get this baby out -er - I mean - welcome this baby into the world. Yesterday and today I have gotten more uncomfortable. Yet, it's been a good couple of days. Yesterday, Jeff's coworkers threw a baby shower for us over lunch (a surprise to him, but I was in on it); today, my coworkers had one for me over lunch (where, of course, Chipotle was served). We are both lucky to work with such a great group of people!

I have talked to the doctor's office three times in the last 24 hours or so. I still don't think I'm getting too close - NO contractions that I'm aware of - but I definitely am starting to feel different. We will definitely keep you posted - but don't hold your breath just yet :)

Doctor update - no update

Doc didn't check dilation or effacement this time around, I guess because I am not having any contractions. Everything still looked good, though; and he was glad to see my blood pressure was back down after being a little elevated the last two visits. He said I've dropped a little more, and I only gained one pound this week (despite the cake overload on Friday). I tested a little high on protein, but doc wasn't concerned because blood pressure and swelling wasn't an issue; they'll continue monitoring it.

What BabyW is doing at Week 37, according to babycenter.com
Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

How awesome are my friends?

I had a mini-meltdown on Sunday night. Mainly about feeding the baby. Between breastfeeding, formula feeding, pumping, doing all at the same time.... I had too many things to think about, decide, and understand. I sent an email on Monday night to several of my girlfriends, and within about an hour, had heard back from many of them! I'm starting to feel a little bit better now, and I know that when I have additional melt-downs, which I'm sure I will, I have a lot of people I can call!! Lucky them!

I'm off to my doctor's appointment, I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm guessing I'm not any further along than I was last week, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway!!

60%, 1 cm!

I know this can last for weeks and weeks, but I'm still shocked that I'm measuring anything at this point - the doctor confirmed today that I'm 60% effaced and 1cm dilated! For those of you who don't know what that means (as I recently did not) - I need to get to 100% and 10cm. Wow - this is becoming more and more real!

I only gained two pounds this time - which isn't something to brag about, but considering I gained SIX at the last appointment, I'm feeling okay about it! Now, the appointments are every week - every Tuesday from here on out, to be specific.

Doc still says March 7 as the official due date (I'm not sure I've shared this with everyone - I made up my own due date this whole time. He has said March 7 the whole time). However, he did give me his CELL phone number, and told me to forgo calling the on-call service and just call him directly once I am ready.

I'm still not even packed for the hospital - mostly because it's stressing Jeff out that I'm not. It's a fun little game to play.

Hope you're all staying warm!

Big weekend!

When I was little, any time I stayed the night at my Grandma Doan's, she'd tuck me in at night by saying "Big day tomorrow!" This was even if we had no plans at all. Well, it was definitely a "big weekend" this past weekend :)
Friday night, Kate, Nick, Janie, and Elise arrived to town with their 85 pounds of accompanying gear (what happens when you travel with an almost-three-year-old and a six-month-old)! They stayed through Sunday, and we had a great time getting all caught up with the Boscherts. Janie is so proud of her "baby sister," and Elise is just all smiles all the time.

Saturday was a baby shower in Frankfort; as I told others, it's so much fun to have so many different parts of my life sitting in one room at the same time! Many stories to tell - luckily some of them got silenced before they were told :) I was very blessed to not only get lots of great baby gear, but also lots of great baby advice from many experienced moms!! The picture above wasn't even posed, these crazy girls were honestly just feeling BabyW move around, when we realized it would make for a good photo.

Saturday night we went to Kokomo to visit Shelly & Rick's new house and watch four little girls aged 3 and under play! Wow, lots of energy! I'm very glad Shelly has moved back to Indiana - she's lived out of state since college, and followed in my footsteps in moving back :)

Sunday, we watched the Super Bowl at Brandon & Ali's, who were nice enough to have a party at my request so we could watch the Giants win on the big screen!

I have now washed all of the baby's laundry, sorted through all the supplies, and feel like if this baby came home tomorrow, we are in pretty good shape! I've definitely gotten into the "nesting" mode, as much time as I've been organizing up there! I'm just ready to get all of the maternity clothes returned and put away, so it will clear up some space in my closets that could be used for diapers! I have been very lucky that I've had so many generous maternity donations - Kate, Carolyn, Michelle, and Jeff's coworker Sarah have kept me well-dressed!!

So, for an eight-month-pregnant woman with not a ton of energy, this was indeed a "big weekend!" It was great to be with so many friends who are anxious to meet BabyW :) Unfortunately, the weather threw a wrench in some of the guests' travel plans, and so there were some people who were missed at the shower. We're just very thankful that everyone is safe and sound and didn't have to brave the elements!

35 weeks today!

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development