39 Weeks

39 Weeks

How far along: 39 Weeks

How big is baby: The size of a watermelon! My favorite.

 

Weight gain: I weighed 161.3 or something at my 38 week appointment last Friday.

Maternity clothes: My birthday was this Friday (August 29th) and literally all I could get to fit me to go to dinner were a pair of Adam's giant sweatpants - my own sweatpants don't even fit me - and a tank top that barely covered my belly so I wore a belly band under it. I feel like Regina George...

Best moment of the week: I had a great birthday with all the people I love! I went to lunch with my Mom and Granny on Thursday as a pre-birthday thing then lunch on my birthday with Mary Anne & Ella and they got me some essential oils that help with labor & delivery and afterwards for baby etc. And we topped that off with a delicious strawberry margarita (virgin). I went home and got to just relax then Adam had set up a family dinner at 4 Noses (I chose the place because I wanted to be able to bring our dogs). But that didn't work out with how crowded it was there, I ended up getting so stressed out for whatever possibly high maintenance reason and my hormones kicked in and got me to tear up so I had to step outside with Adam so I could calm the hormones down, so embarrassing. But I guess that's what happens when you're this close to due date! With everything combined - the tight space, the dogs being a little unmanageable, the sun constantly in my eyes, being so ridiculously uncomfortable, the fact that the only food there was a pizza truck when I was definitely expecting comfort food, or that since it's a brewery they only serve beer so I couldn't get a my one glass of red wine - I just quietly lost it :/ ha. So we ended up moving the party to Lucky Pie in Louisville which was the original plan and that worked out so much better! It was a perfect dinner and a perfect night. Adam even surprised me with all I wanted for my birthday - an ice cream cake :) He is the sweetest husband ever.

Food Cravings: Fruit!  I also randomly bought cake batter ice cream and coffee frozen yogurt this week which are things I never usually crave. Of course Adam got me all the fruit I could ask for this week :) And flowers!

Symptoms: Same old same old, throw in some extra crazy hormones. 

Belly Button: outtie

Swelling: My fingers are starting to look noticeably swollen - you can see where the blood is causing them to swell leaving my knuckles all white. Definitely still not wearing my wedding ring. :(

Happy or Moody: all of the above 

Movement: Some little kicks here and there and sometimes I swear it feels like she is digging really down low but her feet will be in my ribs.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting Harper!!! Then taking her to South Dakota for a mini vacation with Adam's family.

What I miss: Being comfortable 24/7 and able to maneuver more. My pelvis hurts so bad.

Next Appointment: My 40 week appointment is scheduled for September 8th but hopefully Harper is already here by then! We talked to the Dr. this past Monday and she gave us pretty much everything we needed to know about induction vs c-section. She highly recommended that was stay away from c-section unless this was going to be our only baby because of the complications it could possibly cause. I read that when you are given pitocin - the drug that is used to induce you and cause contractions - that you can ask for an epidural beforehand. Soo, if Harper is late, they would induce me at 41 weeks, no sooner unless I convince them I'm too uncomfortable to wait until 41. September 13th would be 41 weeks and that's 1 day before our wedding anniversary so I'm really hoping to avoid that.

This week we also had to exchange our cute stroller with the bassinet attachment because some of the pieces were breaking and we haven't even used it yet so that was pretty sad. We ended up buying the stroller that matches the new carseat and some stroller accessories to go with it. It will be much easier to travel with for tournaments too. 

38 Weeks

38 Weeks

How far along: 38 Weeks

How big is baby: The size of a pumpkin! Just in time for Fall!! I am soo beyond excited for Fall and pumpkin spice lattes and all the fall scented candles me and Adam stocked up on. 

Weight gain: 161 so I gained 2lbs since my 36 week checkup which I think is right on track, 1 lb a week.

Maternity clothes: Still raiding Adam's closet and keeping an eye out for loose v-necks and comfy tees that I'll be able to wear even after pregnancy :)

Best moment of the week: I went antiquing today to try to find some type of small end table or something to go next to the rocking chair in Harper's nursery and absolutely loved seeing all of the things in the stores I went to! I would love to take all those treasures home but I don't know where I'd put them! Look how cool this 1961 German stroller is that I sent a picture of to Adam: 

Also...not necessarily the best but the most bittersweet moment of this week was that Adam sold his Audi s4 that he practically built and made his own buuut he bought himself a new project car - a 1988 BMW e30 which he has already transformed the hood of into a chalkboard! 

Food Cravings: Strawberries and Nutella! Literally every single night. I also needed some type if comfort food the other night so I made Tomato Tortellini soup from scratch the other night and now have a new favorite meal. 

Symptoms: pregnancy brain. Oh.my.godddd. And tremendous back pain. Not to mention after my 38 week appointment on Friday having to get a cervical exam (my second one) I had bleeding and cramping - the doctor said that's normal though. I was hoping it would kick start labor...wishful thinking. On a more positive note, I have been having those crazy vivid dreams everyone talks about! Adam is enjoying hearing all about them.

Belly Button: outie

Swelling: no ring still but the swelling isn't obvious or noticeable! 

Happy or Moody: all of the above 

Movement: less movement but she still makes sure to let me (and Adam) know that she's doing just fine in there even with running out of room.

What I'm looking forward to: the next 3 weeks hopefully flying by.

What I miss: Being comfortable 24/7 and able to maneuver more. 

Next Appointment: Actually, we made an impromptu appointment for tomorrow (Monday) morning to get the complete low down from a doctor's point of view on induction and c-sections since my nurse practitioner just mentioned at my last appointment that there's a possibly I'll have to be induced based on family history with my mom's first born (brother Mitch) being a week (or more?) later than her due date...stay tuned for the details in what we choose to do after talking with out doctor! That is, depending on whether Harper makes her debut on time or not.

Here's a belly picture from earlier this week. 

Pool day with my favorite 2 year old ❤️

She's hilarious.

37 Weeks

How far along: 37 Weeks

How big is baby: The size of a winter melon!

Weight gain: 159 (I started at 125)

Maternity clothes: Same as always! I started stocking up leggings and loose T-shirts now so I'll have something that fits me when leaving the hospital. 

Best moment of the week: Welllll we had the 36 week appointment which I thought was a big deal but it turns out my pregnancy is pretty uneventful so there was nothing new or different about this checkup. No dilation or effacement and she is still really high up so I'll be starting to do a lot of walking and bouncing on the exercise ball and drinking my raspberry leaf tea religiously. 

Adam's birthday was also this weekend! At midnight when Adam was getting home from working an event, I surprised him with balloons, wine, and a homemade lemon frosted strawberry cake and a little gift. Since we have Harper on the way we've both been taking things easy so we had a really mellow celebration by making breakfast together then he relaxed all day and my family invited him out for dinner in Louisville at the Waterloo where he fell in love with their burgers. :) it wasn't the happiest birthday for a few bizarre reasons/events that took place during the day but I did my best to make sure he knows how important his birthday is to me!

Food Cravings: cereal, salmon and avocados, zucchini and squash, some other random things. 

Symptoms: Braxton hicks, less sleeping, back ache, throbbing achey feet! 

Belly Button: outie

Swelling: My ring is officially off now but I don't feel like I look swollen at all anywhere. <-- still the same from last week. 

Happy or Moody: Happy, anxious, excited, getting nervous. 

Movement: she moves a little less now with minimal room but I still feel her feet/legs whatever it is in my ribs since she refuses to drop!

What I'm looking forward to: the next 3 weeks hopefully flying by.

What I miss: being able to squeeze and hug Adam really close! Haha

Next Appointment: August 22 for 38 week checkup

36 Weeks

How far along: 36 Weeks

How big is baby: The size of a honeydew

Weight gain: stay tuned.

Maternity clothes: Same as always!

Best moment of the week: Just hitting 36 weeks, technically full term, is exciting enough! Adam and I have continued to push ourselves to get out of the house more, take the dogs on walks each night, and spend as much time as we possibly can enjoying each other's company as just the two of us together before Harper gets here. I took him on a surprise picnic date this week too!

Food Cravings: ice cream, sweets, and fruits and veggies. Adam's gramma gave us a family recipe book for Christmas and I fell in loooove with her Glazed Grapes recipe. It's grapes in a creamy mixture with almonds - it tastes like snickers to me! Perfect craving satisfaction. 

Symptoms: Braxton hicks but not as crazy as a few nights ago! I'm drinking Raspberry leaf tea on some days which is said to help with labor and delivery preparation so I'm hoping it does for me! I have crazy back ache and throbbing feet. I'm also sooo exhausted and having trouble sleeping now since it's hard to get comfortable, or she kicks too much to let me sleep, or I have to get up to go to the bathroom. 

Belly Button: outie

Swelling: My ring is officially off now but I don't feel like I look swollen at all anywhere.

Happy or Moody: Happy, anxious, excited, a little nervous. 

Movement: Harper's little feet or knees glide all around my ribs and right side. She loves moving around breakfast time and again like crazy at night, usually around 8-10 when Adam and I are unwinding from our days. - The doctors say not to worry if movement decreases or slows, but this little girl is SO active still. I don't think she sleeps ever...

What I'm looking forward to: Getting through the next couple of weeks! My big checkup is tomorrow  where we get to find out where I stand with dilation and all of that.

What I miss: Not sharing my body anymore! But I know that once I say this I'm going to take it back after having her and miss feeling her in there hah

Next Appointment: August 11th for 36 week checkup. Coming this Monday

35 Weeks

How far along: 35 Weeks

How big is baby: according to these baby apps she is the size of a coconut and also the size of a large cantelope 

Weight gain: I don't even want to know...we never unpacked our scale when we moved into this house before when I was just barely pregnant and to confess, it's been by choice that it hasn't come out still. 

Maternity clothes: Let's just count Adam's clothes as my go-to maternity wear from here on out.

Hence the basketball shorts in this picture. I'm so classy. Exhaustion really does a number on my getting ready routine, like diminishes it actually.

You can probably tell when you put pictures from the last couple weeks next to this picture that she has dropped down lower, which means she is getting ready to come out! I can't remember if I already wrote about her positioning or not from the ultrasound at 32 weeks but she is already head down and staying that way until her birthday.

Best moment of the week: Adam and I went on some cute dates together and we also bought a new patio set for our backyard so now we can enjoy our meals/wine/coffee/tea together outside with our little mountain view and the sunsets. He is such a good husband I don't know how I got so lucky, he's constantly uplifting me and telling me how beautiful I look and how much he loves me just because. He especially manages to catch me on those off days when I'm not feeling all that pretty or refreshed. Adam is definitely perfect.

Food Cravings: ice cream, sweets, and fruits and veggies. 

Symptoms: some major calf cramps at night, crazy back ache and to add to that I now have really achey feet too like they are wanting to give out from the weight gain. My stretch marks are about the same as when I first got them and you can actually see them in the picture above. Adam thinks they will disappear really soon after she's born. 

I'm also having frequent braxton hicks but half the time I don't really notice them because I've gotten so used to them. I read somewhere that you should call your doctor if you have more than four in an hour so last night Adam and I timed them; they were 3-5 minutes apart but without any pain or other symptoms so we called the nurse hotline just to be sure. They said that I'm fine and to drink more water and walk around to relieve them.

Belly Button: outie

Swelling: I think I've somewhat started to swell on and off in my feet. Just to be safe I took my ring off and I feel so naked without it :( I might put it on a jewelry chain and wear it as a necklace until I can actually put it back on.

Happy or Moody: Happy, anxious, excited, a little nervous. 

Movement: Harper's little feet or knees glide all around my ribs and right side. She loves moving around breakfast time and again like crazy at night, usually around 8-10 when Adam and I are unwinding from our days.

What I'm looking forward to: meeting our mini-me! We are pretty much all ready just minor details to finish! 

This week I had an amazing photographer take some maternity pictures of me and my belly so I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome. The first picture of me above is just a little sneak peek from the shoot that we did at her father-in-law's gorgeous 14,000 square foot home in Boulder. I'm a little bummed that I haven't had a real maternity session with Adam so I'm hoping he and I can try to get a bunch of pictures of us together before she gets here! 

What I miss: Nothing.

Next Appointment: August 11th for 36 week checkup.

Here are just a few pictures I fell back in love with this week: