37 weeks, 1 day

Yup.  37 weeks.

 

A couple random thoughts that went through my head when I saw this picture: 

1- it really does look like I have a small soccer ball under my shirt

2- my tummy is a lot smaller than I anticipated it being at this point (and have gotten tons of remarks about how small I look for being so close to being due..I'm guessing it's my height?)

3- I am wearing a long-sleeved shirt, indicating it's not 95ºF+ today..actually it's not even supposed to hit 70ºF, and I am ecstatic.

4- a year ago today I was in AZ working on finishing up my college career..so glad that's done!

This last week had me doing some pretty good prep work for Lily's arrival.  

I made and froze several meals for the week or so after she decides to enter the world.  

I packed a diaper bag to take to the hospital with us.  

I started to pack a hospital bag for Jesse and me (Mom friends: what were a few things you were so glad you took with you/what were you missing?  I have no idea what to put in it!) and made a list of things to grab last minute (like toothbrushes).  

I made baby wipes!  Kind of weird and random, I realize that..but I mean, why should I buy wipes when I can make them at home with things I already have?  I was weirdly excited about this, but hey, they're a necessity, and who knows when Lily will ACTUALLY arrive, so why not make them to have on hand?  [ed. note for the curious: a roll of paper towels, water, baby oil and baby wash.  Homemade wipes that I know all of the ingredients and can change easily if I note an allergy]

I also officially decided on when I think Lily will arrive: 9/23.  I'd be fine with sooner than that, but I think that's my guess.  This was decided after a conversation with a friend who just had her baby at the end of August, during a full moon.  I looked when the next full moon would be: 9/23, thus, my decision.  I'm definitely not superstitious, but I've talked to several people who've noted the weird moon/baby timing, and my midwife actually said when she worked in the labor/delivery of a hospital, they always were a ton more busy with births when there was a full moon.

I'm still feeling fine..I was a bit more uncomfortable this last week, but I'm blaming it on the heat because I'm feeling great today.  And I've continued to sleep like a rock.  Zeke and I have been taking daily walks of 1.5-2 miles, which makes me excited for when I can start jogging again, especially with this cooler weather!  And a new session of aerobic classes are starting at the Y next week, and there are some I definitely want to take, so come on Lily, let's get this show on the road!  AND I want to be able to touch my toes again.  While I haven't had any balance issues, I have had to modify the way I pick things up off the floor.

That's it I guess..not a ton of excitement this post.  But I thought I'd share a picture and some random thoughts :) and since it's my blog, I can.  Next midwife appointment is Wednesday, so yay!

36 weeks, 4 days

Well.  I think this week I have begun to see my lack of motivation make a re-appearance from the first trimester.  Awesome.  I just haven't felt like doing anything.  I get more stuff done now than I did then, but I really just am not feeling it.  Fortunately, I'm still not uncomfortable, unless I need to bend over for something like tying shoes (a pointless task, let's always wear flip flops!) or it's really hot out (which it has been.  Lovely). 

Jesse and I met with Betsy yesterday- who will be in the delivery room with us helping out, offering moral support and acting as an advocate/go between kind of person- and it was kind of fun to talk about different options and how Jesse and I see the birthing process going.  Honestly, when she asked how we saw it going we looked at each other and responded with a "uhm..sucessfully?" because we don't have a clue what to anticipate, except to expect the unexpected.  Just because you have the fine and dandy birthing plan doesn't mean that's what's going to be happening (or so we hear, we've never done this before).  So Betsy explained some different options, found out some of our opinions on things and what some of our wishes are and just had a fun time chatting baby things.  Since she's a labor/delivery champ with 3 children and number 4 on the way,  I'm going to assume she knows what she's talking about ;) We're going to meet again next week hopefully to come up with an actual game day plan so Jesse and I will know more what we're supposed to do when I do decide to go into labor.  We're hoping to get this baby out as naturally as possible, but if there is a need, we're both fine with the idea of a c-section/drugs..but not if it's just because the midwife has dinner plans.  That is not an acceptable reason to tell me that the baby needs to come out now.

Speaking of midwives, we had another appointment today, and we're onto the fun weekly visits!  Can't believe we're already there..I need everyone to think positive thoughts and pray earnestly that A) Lily comes out on time or even earlier and B) that midwife Jan is on call when I go into labor: she is our favorite and apparently whichever one is on call is the one that delivers, so think Jan and early thoughts!
Everything is looking good though :) We got to meet with Jan today, and she took plenty of time to answer all kinds of questions Jesse and I had, and even tell us some wonderfully funny/shocking stories.  For example, about the girl who was rushed into the labor and delivery of a hospital (when she was a nurse, before a midwife) by her husband.  They barely got her into the delivery room and the baby comes out.  Jan and the other nurse asked why they waited so long to get the girl to the hospital, and she responded with "I was waiting for the contractions to come every 5 minutes..but then I couldn't wait any longer, the pain was too much!"  So the nurses asked her how far apart the contractions were, and the girl replied "every 2 minutes..I couldn't wait until they got to 5!"  ...oh dear.  [note:: for those of you who haven't had any children- the closer the contractions, the closer you are to the baby being present!!]

Anyway..Jesse and I are feeling pretty ready for Lily to arrive.  I mean, I'm still pretty nervous at the idea of being a parent and having this huge responsibility, but overall, I think we're ready.  Jesse's going to be an awesome dad, I have no doubt about that.  While I haven't been uncomfortable, I AM to the point where I'm feeling like "hey, this has been fun, but we've already done it for 9 months, let's get onto the  next part."  Jesse  has told me he's ready for me to go into labor because he's looking forward to the week he will be taking off of work to stay home with Lily and me after she is born haha and I'm looking forward to my mom coming and spending the next week (right, Mom?) when Jesse has to go back to work with us.  I keep thinking of all these fun things I want to do while she's here, and all these places I want to show her.  But then I remember that hey, I'll have a 2 week old baby, I might not feel like doing anything but sleeping!

I guess that's it for now!  I have my midwife appointments scheduled from now until the 9/23 (Lily is due the 25th).  They asked me if I wanted to schedule one for the following week "just in case" and I told them that doing that isn't thinking positively and we want this baby out sooner rather than later.  So think 25th or sooner, people! 

35 weeks, 3 days

Less than 35 days until Lily is here!

Jesse and I had (hopefully) our last busy weekend until we have a baby. We traveled to Zanesville on Friday evening to hang out with his parentals, Matt and Erin before heading to Springfield for the family gathering/baby/wedding shower/birthday parties. It was a lot of fun to see all of Jesse's mom's side of the family since I haven't seen any of them since New Years.

Grandpa Brennan turned 85 in July, so we celebrated his birthday..
Aunt Patty turned 25 (or a number close to that) the day of the party, so we celebrated with her..
Nikki and Rick are getting married in November (YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!), wedding shower for them..
And then baby shower for Jesse and me :)
It was really a great weekend :) Jesse and I both feel very fortunate that both sides of our family get along so well that we can have these huge get-togethers with no fighting and everyone leaves smiling. After the parties, we went back to Zanesville to spend some QT with the Hildebrand parentals, Matt and Erin and just relaxed and had some fun with them before coming home yesterday.

Since I'm closing in on the end of the pregnancy, I've been putting some thought into the experience as a whole. I really feel that (at least to this point) I have had what must be the easiest pregnancy on the books.

I have had:
- a touch of nausea and a serious lack of motivation in the first trimester
- plenty of exhaustion (also first trimester), which is trying to come back in this last one..
- a handful of mood swings (Jesse might argue "handful")
- about 3 meltdowns over trivial matters
- easily the biggest change, a strange attachment/clingy-ness to my dog..I didn't notice this until Jesse pointed it out, but it's incredibly true. I have guilt about leaving Zeke. Period. When I'm heading to work is one thing, as long as I know that Jesse will be home soon to let him out of his kennel, but my goodness. I think I'm going to blame part of this on the fact that he has this look of utter sadness sometimes when I put him in his kennel to leave. He kind of lays down with his head between his paws and looks at me like "*sigh* if you HAVE to leave, ok, I'll behave..but don't be gone long.." and it just melts my heart. And if you have met my dog, you know that unless he's happily playing, he does look sad with all his little forehead wrinkles! Dropping him off at the doggie boarding place for the weekends we've been gone leave me a pathetic mess. Fortunately, I don't cry, but only because I convince myself it's ridiculous of me to do so. Anyway..
- lost my Wolverine healing powers..if I get a cut or re-open a scab, I bleed and bleed and bleed. It's ridiculous! Even the tiniest of nicks will need a Band-Aid.

I have not:
- had cravings.
- been kept awake at night by a baby moving all over the place. I apparently can just ignore this? I don't even know if she moves at all after I fall asleep.
- had heart burn.
- eaten weird things.
- had morning sickness. I feel awful for the poor women who do/did.
- been uncomfortable (yet, I guess) unless I get overheated. Which I avoid.
- been able to stay as hydrated as I want! SERIOUS frustration..I feel like I drink water all day, and am always thirsty. Super annoying.
- noticed any changes in my hair or fingernails from prenatal vitamins. I guess my skin seems clearer though.

I'm sure there is more to my list, but these are the ones off the top of my head, and let's be honest, this is already a long blog..To end, nothing exciting going on this week. Midwife appointment next Tuesday (where we will start going weekly!), and we're also meeting with our doula on Monday (go to this site for information on what that is). We're pretty excited to have met Betsy, and both think that she will be able to help us while we're emotional wrecks during labor/delivery.

That's it for now :)

35 weeks

Funniest situation of my entire pregnancy happened yesterday.

When I worked at a restaurant, I liked trying to make my customers smile or laugh by interacting with them. As a customer, I rarely have come across an employee of a store or restaurant that has a sense of humor that he/she is willing to show. I think that's the reason I was completely caught off guard yesterday when the cashier at a local grocery store said:

cashier: Excuse me miss, but I see you trying to shoplift that watermelon under your tshirt..
me: *stunned silence, then recovery* oh no, I've been caught.
Cashier and I both laughed. As I was leaving, I thanked him for not making a big scene and turning me in. To which he said, "oh, it's alright, I'll let it slide this one time.."

Jesse and I are going to a his-side-of-the-family-get-together today..it's a baby/bridal shower + birthday celebrations. So that means looooooooooooots of cake. Pictures and stories later I'm sure :)

34 weeks, 3 days

34 weeks and counting..we're getting there! And slowly but surely, Jesse and I are getting the things we need/want for Lily's arrival. Just a couple odds and ends away from hopefully being ready-ish? I mean, I definitely feel like I keep saying that.."just need this or that and we're set" but how can I know what we need? And it's not like somebody KNOWS with certainty what we'll need/want: every baby is different and every parent has a different style, so just because it worked for so and so doesn't mean that it'll work for us. And chances are, knowing how Jesse and I work, what worked for everyone else will NOT work for us.

The midwife appointment went well today..Jesse and I both kind of feel that most of these have been a waste of time, oops. We realize that it's important that they listen to her heart to make sure that everything is going well, and besides ultrasounds, that's all they have to check in on her..but it's an hour drive each way to these appointments, which gets kind of old/annoying. Oh well, live and learn. We now know there are midwives much closer than Morgantown..go figure.

Found out today that I am "not allowed" to run in these last few weeks of pregnancy. Bummer. I can do a "brisk walk" but I shouldn't start jogging again. hmph. There goes that plan. Jesse was supportive and told me we'd just go on some walks, just below a jog, and I told him that my fast walk normally turns into a jog, so we'll see how it goes.

In other news, Jesse was practicing using the boppy..of course, this was before he got mauled by the dog who thought it would be a great time to play.

And, as you can tell by one of Jesse's recent purchases, he's ready for Lily to arrive :)

33 weeks, 3 days

Well goodness, things have been kind of busy around here! Not super busy, just enough that I feel we are always on the go.

First, last week I continued with my crafty fun and made some burp cloths from a super simple pattern Mama Wayman sent me.














I can't decide which I like better, but I'm leaning towards the giraffe print. Obviously, I would have picked a hippo pattern, but I thought giraffe was a more fun print then a plain grey piece of fabric ;)


Second, this past weekend was Paganofest '10. It was incredible fun. Basically a Pagano family reunion, but it was so good to see everyone. I haven't seen some of my aunts/uncles/cousins since Jesse and I got married, and living in AZ wasn't really super helpful in getting to see some of the other ones.
The Pagano clan now consists of lots of people, 23 of whom were able to come to the weekend. I got to see all 7 of my dad's siblings, all but one of my aunts, all but four of my cousins, and Jess and Richard were unable to make it. One of my dad's sisters is fighting a battle against cancer and we all were able to troop to her house to see and love on her and her family throughout the weekend. I can't really sum up how great of a weekend it was in a blog post, but to be a part of a family with so much love is truly a blessing.
Next time my family gets a picture together, there will be 9 people in it :) this was just the practice run for that, and clearly, Joel and Jesse are ridiculous. We are only missing Jess, Richard, Kimmy and Lily from this one.
And as you can see in this picture, Lily is still growing! 7 weeks to go, and she's been rolling around and letting me know that she's running out of room. I was able to go see Jesse and my family practice doctor this morning, and she is very excited for our little girl to be arriving. While I was there, I discussed pediatric-type things with her. Jesse and I decided that we are comfortable enough with her to make her our baby doc, so I tentatively scheduled an appointment for Lily in 8 weeks. I just made a doctor appointment for our baby..weird. But exciting :)

32 weeks, 3 days

Jesse and I got the crib over the weekend!!! YAAAAY!! The drive to and from Amish country in Ohio in one day was NOT fun. Whatsoever- it just made for a ridiculously long day- but getting the crib was, and I'm really glad we have it all set up now :)
ta da :) I finally have a place out of Zeke's reach where I can put a few precious stuffed animals and blankets for Lily, at least until she needs the crib. Dog has never had stuffed animals as chew toys, but he certainly loves them..

My midwife appointment went well today..Rhonda (who we met with today) said my weight was good, my belly measurement was good and the baby's heartbeat sounds good so yay! And I found out during the week that my TSH levels (for my thyroid) are within the normal range still, so everything is looking normal. We didn't stick around too long at this appointment- we didn't really have questions and at this point we're just kind of waiting around.

Jesse got a little nervous when we were talking earlier when I told him the current countdown of 8 weeks left..not that there were only 8 weeks, because he's very excited to get to hold and cuddle our little girl, but more because I reminded him of probably 5-6 people off the top of my head who had either been born 5-7 weeks early, and that technically, Lily could come anytime. I am certain she won't, but still, the fact of the matter stands it could happen. Lily and I have had some talks, and we have an understanding that I wouldn't mind a little early, but we don't need to be hasty.

That's about it for now! Paganofest '10 is happening this weekend, YAY. So excited to see my dad's side of the family, at least those who are attending. I haven't seen too many of my aunts and uncles since getting married, so it'll be a good time to have everyone in one place :) I'll post pictures hopefully when we get back..