37 Weeks - Full Term!!!

How far along? 37 weeks and 2 days

Total weight gain: 38 lbs and holding.  Haven’t gained anything this week, despite the overabundance of cheese, chocolate Cheerios, and frozen yogurt in my diet.

How big is baby? Well, according to our ultrasound Wednesday, Baby Tuna weighs somewhere between 6lbs 15 oz and 7lbs 5 oz, which means I will definitely NOT be giving birth to a giant whale baby. Hallelujah! No clue as to how long this little peanut is, but judging from the fact that her feet were in her face throughout the ultrasound (the reason why we couldn’t get a good picture from it), she’s probably 9 feet long.

Maternity clothes? You betcha! Wearing my leggings and maxi dresses a lot lately.  Since the belly dropped, pants of all kinds are no longer my friends.  

Stretch marks? None so far. . . I LOVE my Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter! 

Sleep? Meh. It’s good when I’m asleep and when I don’t’ have that Will I Am song stuck in my head all night (. . . you are now rocking with, Will I Am and Britney bitch!).  And rolling over from one side to the other makes it abundantly clear that I have almost 40 lbs of baby and whatever else crushing my insides.  

Best moment this week? Obviously seeing the little one (yes, LITTLE one!) at our ultrasound. Her little heart is beating strong, we got to see her little mouth “drinking”, and she is definitely still a girl. So, no surprises there on delivery day!

How are you feeling? Other than feeling uncomfortable, like, 22 hours a day. . . I feel pretty good. Things could always be worse.  

Miss anything? Comfort and hands, feet, and ankles that actually look like they belong to my body.

Movement? YES!  

Food cravings? Still with the strawberries and sweet tarts, but not at the same time. Strawberry toaster strudels are another one.  The Hubs also made these A-MAZ-ING mozzarella grilled cheese Panini sandwiches on sour dough. . . I could probably eat them every night for dinner with tater tots.

Aversions? Nothing new.    

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not this week.

Gender: IT’S A GIRL!!!

Any names picked out? We have a first and middle name ready for debut upon baby girl’s arrival. 

Labor signs? None. Is that normal?   

Belly button in or out? It kinda sticks out a little around the edges, but is still classified as an inny.

Wedding rings on or off? I think my wedding band still fits, but I don’t bother putting it on anymore since my fingers just feel swollen all the time.

Mood? Totally freaking out. Baby Tuna could arrive any. minute. So excited to meet her and see who she will look like, but totally anxious about the big fat question mark that is labor and delivery.

Looking forward to: Meeting Baby Tuna. . . but not for at least two more weeks! 

The Baby Shower

During the MLK holiday weekend, my mom's lovely friend Carolyn opened her home to friends and family for our baby shower. We had a delicious lunch followed by CAKE!! and more gifts than I could have ever expected. I feel so blessed to have so many kind and generous women in my life.

Since we haven't lived in Melbourne for almost two years, I was seriously not expecting so many of my girls to be there. But I am soooo happy that they were!!! I knew I missed them all, and why wouldn't I? They are all awesome! I can't wait to bring Baby Tuna back to Melbourne in a couple of months so they can all meet her!

I have more than just the next two pictures of the day, but have been so busy, I haven't had a second to edit them all. But here are two of my favorite things from that wonderful day: 

Publix cake!! I'm pretty sure that I ate at least half of this cake and most of the icing flowers along the side!!

How seriously cute is this diaper motorcycle?! It broke my heart when I had to finally dismantle it. 

36 Weeks

36 weeks! The official start of the ninth month. Holy. Crap. I'm already on my once-a-week doctor visits, and everything is checking out right on track. Baby girl is head down, but looks like she is happy to stay right where she is for the next couple of weeks. This according to my internal exam, but I'll spare you all the details. 

We still have so much to do around here (does it ever feel done?!), but after this week, we should be in pretty good shape. We drove up to Port St. Lucie to Babies R Us to grab what we could from the last of the registry items, and my mom will be here this weekend with her sewing machine to help out with the nursery curtains. And the last of the DIY projects should be done by the end of the week, including the elephant mobile, crib skirt, and some digital typography that I am making. I can't wait to have it all done so I can take some pictures to show you guys! It's looking so cute!! A posting of the baby shower will also happen this week (I've just been such a slacker!). 

How far along? 36 weeks and 2 days

Total weight gain: According to the doctor’s scale yesterday morning, 38 lbs – 30 in the belly and the rest in my face.

How big is baby? About as big as a watermelon. (“I carried a watermelon,” suddenly comes into my mind . . . yes, a Dirty Dancing reference!)  It certainly feels like there is a watermelon in there!  

Maternity clothes? According to everyone who sees me, I am all belly. Only a few things still cover it, so I probably won’t be leaving the house much for fear of looking a little too white trashy.

Stretch marks? None so far. . . I LOVE my Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter! 

Sleep? Sleeping well, when the windows are open. Thank God for this cool weather!

Best moment this week? Finally washing, organizing, and putting away a zillion baby clothes and blankets. And yet, I'm still tempted to buy more clothes!! Gotta have something for St. Pat's Day, Easter, and my cousin's wedding in April! 

How are you feeling? Feeling ok. Apparently the belly has begun the drop, but no one told my lungs. Not only do I now have horrible discomfort in my hip joints and pelvis, but I still can’t breathe!  And thanks to the hip issues, heavy watermelon belly, and swollen feet, I am in full waddle mode.  “Lightening”, my ass! Everything just feels heavier.  I get lots of stares as Scout and I waddle our way around the neighborhood.

Miss anything? Thanks to the Publix deli guy, I am now jonesing for spicy tuna rolls again. He told us about a great local sushi joint that we will be trying as soon as humanly possible following Baby Tuna’s birth.  I wonder if they do take out?

Movement? All the time! We can even feel her stick out her little toushie from time to time.

Food cravings? Fresh strawberries, either with vanilla frozen yogurt and magic shell topping, or in a parfait with vanilla yogurt, granola, and agave. Looking forward to our neighborhood green market this Sunday so I can visit the strawberry lady. She always has the best berries!! I could also go for a bag of Sweet Tart Hearts. Or two.

Aversions? Nothing new.    

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not this week.

Gender: IT’S A GIRL!!!

Any names picked out? We have a first and middle name ready for debut upon baby girl’s arrival. 

Labor signs? I may or may not have had my first Braxton Hicks contraction the other night. I’m just not sure since it didn’t really feel the way it was described it would. 

Belly button in or out? Mostly an inny, but definitely looking weird.

Wedding rings on or off? Most days, the wedding band is still on, but I’ve had to retire the engagement ring.

Mood? Happy, nervous . . .February used to feel like it was soooo far in the future. Holy crap!!!

Looking forward to: Our last ultrasound next week!! And finishing the nursery (for real this time!). And we still have to pack our bags for the hospital (thanks for all the suggestions!). 

35 Weeks and So Much To Do!

How far along? 35 weeks and 2 days

Total weight gain: According to the doctor’s scale, 36 lbs, which is surprising given how much cake I ate this past weekend.     

How big is baby? Dr. H. estimates close to 6 lbs (and that she will most likely weigh in the 8lb range at birth, which is a HUGE relief, and should quiet my fears of giving birth to a 20lb baby!).  The website compares her to a coconut. I’m guessing that’s a weight thing, cuz she’s also around 19-20 inches long.  That’s one big-ass coconut!

Maternity clothes? Um . . . ya. Though I’m down to the same 2 or 3 outfits cuz most of my stuff no longer fits.

Stretch marks? None so far. . . I LOVE my Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter! 

Sleep? Sleep continues to be ok. Hip pain makes it difficult to fall asleep, but once I do, I’m usually ok

(not counting the 95 times I get up to visit the bathroom or grab some honey nut cheerios).

Best moment this week? My baby shower! If I can get my hands on some of the pictures, I’ll do a post. A HUGE thank you to my mom’s friend Carolyn for arranging such a lovely afternoon. And another HUGE thank you to my mom for making sure there was a Publix cake!! So good! (And Kelly, I ate more than enough cake to cover your share!) And another HUGE thank you to Volkswagen for designing my car to work like Mary Poppins’ carpetbag. We were given so many wonderful gifts, and almost all of them fit in the back of my VW Rabbit. It was so amazing to see so many of my friends. As much as we love where we live right now, I miss those girls in the worst way! I just wish I had been able to spend more time with each of them.

How are you feeling? Well, my usually skinny feet and bony ankles are looking a little foreign to me these days, as are my hands and fingers. If you can overlook that and this awful hip pain I’ve been feeling the last couple of days, I still feel pretty good. I’m still able to waddle my way around the neighborhood, and Scout is getting better about not pulling so much. She was so used to the two of us running together, it’s been hard for her to slow it down.   

Miss anything? Laying down, sitting, getting out of the car, getting off the couch, getting off the bed and walking like a normal person.   

Movement? This little girl is such a squirm!!

Food cravings? Strawberries and vanilla frozen yogurt are big this week (topped with Magic Shell – yum-o) . . . and of course, peppermint.  

Aversions? Nothing new.    

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not this week.

Gender: IT’S A GIRL!!!

Any names picked out? We have a first and middle name ready for debut upon baby girl’s arrival. 

Labor signs? No

Belly button in or out? Still an inny…but not sure for how much longer.

Wedding rings on or off? The wedding band is still on, but I’ve had to retire the engagement ring (although today I was able to wear both thanks to the cooler weather.)

Looking forward to: Our last ultrasound in two weeks (when the doctor heard how big my brother was at birth – about 10 and a half lbs!!! – she scheduled one just to double check that Baby Tuna was not headed for a similar weight), finishing with the nursery, and the Hubs’ birthday tomorrow (we’re keeping it low key, but it’s another excuse for Publix cake!!!)

With only a month left in this phase of the adventure, it’s becoming massively overwhelming to think about how much is left to do. This could be why I can’t take a nap to save my life.

Still To Do List

 + Find a pediatrician

+ Thank you cards 

(of course they need to be purchased first)

+ Purchase items left on our registries 

(Thank God for gift cards!!)

+ Make and hang curtains in nursery 

(just waiting for the fabric to arrive)

+ Finish making the mobile and name letters

+ Put away and organize a butt-load of baby clothes 

(they’re all washed, but somehow I don’t think leaving them in a pile on the back of a chair in the living room is acceptable.)

+ DIY some maternity photos 

(This is an easy one, we just have to find the time during daylight hours)

+ Get a pedicure 

(maybe when my mom comes down in a couple of weeks)

+ Write out our birth plan

+ Get a baby book that isn’t pink 

(Why are they all either pink or blue?!)

+ Pick an outfit for Baby Tuna to come home in

+ Pack our “Go” bags

+ Get some last minute things to go in our "Go" bags

And speaking of "Go" bags, to my mommy friends out there, was there something that you brought with you to the hospital that you could never have lived without? AND . . . was there anything that you wished you had brought, but didn’t?