Pregnancy: week 40

Week 40
1 baby who doesn't seem to want to come out into this cold Philadelphia weather!
3 days of work for this momma-to-be. Officially on maternity leave now, kids!
7.5 pounds of baby in there (Our midwife's estimate. We shall see.)
1.5 cinnamon rolls consumed
1.5 pounds gained since last week (hmmm... directly related to those cinnamon rolls....?)
4 long walks
5 bright, cheerful cloth diaper covers washed and hung to dry
0 days wearing maternity jeans. They accidentally got dried in the dryer and are too uncomfortable to consider wearing for any extended length of time. So it's leggings and sweats for the indefinite future :)

In other prenatal appointment news:
Baby is no longer posterior (eyes looking up), but apparently her eyes are facing sideways (to the left) when ideally they should face my butt. That's a nice visual, eh? This is called OT position and isn't the absolute best position, but there doesn't seem to be much we can do at this point besides moving around and being active during labor. As of Tuesday afternoon I was 1cm dilated and still not very effaced (she guessed 25%, as opposed to last week's guess of 50%). That number was slightly discouraging, but it's progress from the week before, so we'll take it! Our midwife reassured me that I am doing everything right... first babies just tend to take their time. :)

There is no reason for concern because baby is moving and her heartbeat is strong, but standard procedure is to schedule a non-stress test and ultrasound at 41 weeks to check on heartbeat, placenta, amniotic fluid, and baby size. We have that appointment set for Monday, February 3rd.

Here's to hoping labor starts before then!

all this free time

Okay, baby, in case you are a genius and can already read (not to mention see through layers of skin & organs!), here's a little note from me to you:

COME ON OUT! WE ARE DYING TO MEET YOU!

Today marks 40 weeks of pregnancy, aka: the official due date. I had no idea how annoying and frustrating it would be to wait beyond the day we've been holding onto in our minds. I even said multiple times, "I don't really expect her to come by then," whenever Joel announced our due date.

But apparently I did expect her to come by now.

Because I'm getting increasingly tired of being pregnant and increasingly antsy for labor to just.start.already. Yesterday was a bit of a tease because my contractions increased in frequency and strength and both of us got excited that maybe she was on her way.

Anyway, I leave work each day with nothing undone, just in case I go into labor and the sub has to start the next morning. I don't even bring home papers to grade, just in case. So, I have all this free time on my hands. And just in case you're all dying of curiosity, here's a quick list of things I'm doing with all this free time:

1. wrapping my parents' birthday presents. for their birthday which is at the end of February. ha.
2. making two birth playlists- one upbeat and one quiet
3. looking at newborn & labor/delivery photos on Pinterest
4. looking at recipes I have no intention of making on Pinterest
5. walking the mall. walking Target. walking the freezing cold streets. walking up the stairs in my house.
6. looking through the baby clothes. for the millionth time.
7. eating most of the Lindt dark chocolate truffles I bought two weeks ago and put into our "birth center bag"
8. re-organizing my Pinterest boards
9. making a meal for the freezer, to eat once we come home from the birth center
10. looking through my birth center bag to make sure I have everything
11. using the bathroom. like constantly.
12. finishing reading "Mockingjay" for the second time, even though it'll be a million years before the movie(s) come out!
13. snuggling with Joel
14. watching shows on Netflix
15. bouncing on my labor ball
16. hanging out in the nursery
17. daydreaming about meeting this little one. hopefully it's SOON!

pregnancy: week 39

week 39
2 snow days
1 treacherous drive home from work that took 2 hours instead of 50 minutes!
2 babies shown off on Facebook who were supposed to be born AFTER our baby, not before! :)
11 hours of sleep one night!
1 darling baby hat arriving in the mail
15 minutes walking around town on perhaps the coldest night this month

Some pre-natal appointment stats:
0 pounds gained this week (as opposed to 3.5 pounds last week!)
0 centimeters dilated but 50% effaced (as of Wednesday morning)

5 nights of rocking on all fours, sitting on my birth ball, and leaning forward in hopes of turning our girl anterior. It worked! At Wednesday's appointment, the baby's head was way down and her back was along my left side! Hooray!

Joel and I are both so ready to meet this little one! We talk regularly about how she'll look, what she'll be like, how it will be to have a new person in our home... I'm getting more and more uncomfortable and we're both just trying to keep our minds occupied while we wait.

pregnancy: week 38

Week 38
35 minutes with the midwife who gave us lots of information about being in labor and encouraged us to soak up these moments together, just the two of us

2 hours on a field trip so my kids could learn to ice skate (NO, I didn't join them!)
3 loads of laundry folded in the nursery, just because I like hanging out in there
1 little worm who is hanging out posterior (aka: face up, along my back, NOT the ideal position for labor!)
2 parents-to-be who are praying for this girl to flip herself around and be anterior before she makes her grand entrance, thank you very much.
10 minutes at a time, three nights in a row, spent rocking on all fours in a small attempt to help baby wiggle around (Joel came in and said, "Are you okay?!" Ha!)
1 care package from a sweet, sweet friend for little 'Berts, including a sushi onesie that says, "This is how I roll" :)

sushi image here

pregnancy: week 37

Lookit me, posting all early this week.

We're 37 weeks and 5 days in here, folks. So basically 38 weeks. And totally full-term. This little lady can come anytime, in my opinion!

Week 37
0 comfortable positions for standing, sitting, or laying
5 days back to school
20 kiddos who are DYING to know this little one's name
3 nights of heartburn... it doesn't stop
1 negative test for group B strep. WAHOOOOOOO-- no antibiotics during labor!
4 nights when I woke up thinking my water had broken. Only to realize I was sweating and the crib mattress pad I'm now sleeping on had absorbed the sweat so it didn't soak into our mattress. Ha. Gross.

5 new cloth diapers purchased!!! (our total is now 9)
10-15 irregular but still uncomfortable contractions per day

pregnancy: week 36

Would you just look at this bump?!

I can't believe I thought my belly was big last month. AND the month before that. Holy smokes, we are growing! I'm super curious how much this little worm weighs and how tall she's going to be!

Week 36
35 minutes with the midwife who said the heartbeat is strong and my fundal height is 36 centimeters- perfect!
6 inches of snow in less than 24 hours
0 days of school
1 package arriving from Target which contained our humidifier and washable changing pads!! 
2 parents-to-be who managed to stay up till midnight on New Years Eve!
9 hours of sleep per night, average (vacation is awesome!)
3 pounds gained since our last midwife appointment two weeks ago
1 blood sample taken & 1 mini bruise that lasted about a week
3 nights eating pizza for dinner

third trimester favs

I know, I know, we still have potentially 5.5 weeks left to go before baby A makes her appearance. The third trimester definitely isn't over, but I've had enough weeks in it to be confident in listing a few favorites that have made the last couple months manageable/slightly more comfortable.

1. An exercise ball. This big blue guy has really helped my aches and pains because I can sit in a variety of positions and can use it watching TV, working at my desk, etc. I'll use it during labor, too, so this is a win-win purchase.

2. Cranberry ginger ale. Pretty sure this is a Christmas season drink, so maybe I should stock up before it's all gone. I could drink this all.day.long. Yum!

3. Extra pillows. I used to sleep with two- one under my head and another between my knees. Nowadays I need an extra pillow so I can have one between my knees whatever side I'm sleeping on. I don't have the energy or mental fortitude to switch the pillow from one side to the next every time I wake up. Plus, the extra support behind my back makes me more comfortable.

4. Clementines. OH my goodness, I eat clementines like candy. They are so easy, quick, and delicious. Baby may just turn out to be a citrus freak.

5. Walking. This has been a recurring theme  throughout my pregnancy. Even though the days are shorter and it's tough to squeeze in a walk during the busy weeks of school, walking always helps me feel better at the end of the day. My joints are happy; my digestive system is happy; my mental state is much more stable.

6. Chocolate. This is hit or miss. Some evenings chocolate contributes to my already brutal heartburn, but other times chocolate is just the pick-me-up I need when I'm feeling grouchy or tired. My favorites have been Lindt dark chocolate truffles and some peppermint bark chocolates Joel got from a student. Pretty sure he hasn't eaten any of them... oops.

What about you, friends? Any pregnancy life-savers that got you through the last trimester?

image here.

one month out: to-do list

In less than 6 weeks, Joel and I will be parents.

I hope it's a little sooner than that, because our due date is actually 25 days from now, but we have to acknowledge that little 'Berts could take her sweet time leaving her cozy, watery home in my belly. So, 6 weeks= max!

Things are really coming together and I think both of us are pretty ready to get this show on the road.

Today Joel assembled the cradle someone let us borrow and I typed out some notes about birth that we'll take with us on delivery day. I also added a few diapers in the next size up to her bag, just in case this girl is somehow really big. Joel also put together the bag he's taking to the birth center- complete with some clothes he doesn't mind throwing away because the midwife told him yesterday that things could get messy :)

Because I love lists, here are a few things still to do:

1. Go to the local breastfeeding resource center. My friend (hi, Andrea!) gave me her breast pump, but it needs some replacement parts that they sell at the center. Plus, I'll be able to get a few more supplies and also just say hello to the lactation consultants there.
2. Cross our fingers that the final shipment from Target arrives soon. We ordered a humidifier for the nursery as well as some washable waterproof pads for changing diapers on.... they are still not here, over a week after ordering. Ick.
3. Buy a few post-partum supplies for me to use in recovering from labor/delivery.
4. Wash the 2 spare crib sheets and the cradle mattress pad/sheet. Those and the tiny pair of leggings I couldn't resist buying for $2 on the GAP clearance rack...
5. Get the rest of our cloth diapers. I'm heading to the local cloth diaper store on Friday to stock up. We won't use them for a month or so, but it'll be good to have them here, washed and ready at that point.
6. Sleep. Relax. Go on dates. Hang out with friends.

Basically, that's it. We're as ready as we can be.

Our life right now

The timing of Christmas break is amazingly perfect. Two whole weeks to relax and nest and get ahead on school work, just before baby's arrives!

I'm trying to truly savor these lazy mornings with Joel. Our life together is so precious. I'm thrilled to parent alongside him, but it's bittersweet to know that we won't be just US again for a while. We have a beautiful life right now and the change to come is scary sometimes.

Our house is also showing subtle signs of baby's impending arrival.

Bottles sterilized and waiting to be used.
An exercise ball in the living room to be used during early labor at home.
Crib sheets in their packages waiting to be washed in fragrance-free detergent.
A few more pink clothes laying around.
Some Christmas decor still up as we finish the holiday season.
Pacifiers. Diapers. Bibs.

Oh, I love our life right now. And I bet our life six weeks from now will be darn awesome, too.

pregnancy: week 35

Well, the heartburn is back with a vengeance this week. It seems like when I was sick a few weeks ago, the heartburn took a backseat and didn't bother me as much. Now that I'm healthy, though, it's a very frequent visitor. And all my Christmas overeating doesn't help the situation.

Another symptom of the past few weeks: constant tiredness and discomfort. On Christmas night I was ready to crash by 7:30pm. I couldn't find any comfortable position to sit/stand and I wanted to hang out but just didn't feel great. 

This Tuesday we have our 36 week midwife appointment and we'll start going every week after that. I'm so curious how the baby's measuring and what her position is. I've been feeling tons of heavy pounding movements so I know she's running out of room in there. Plus, I look large and in charge. So there's that.

Week 36 is when they check for Group B Strep, which influences whether we'll need antibiotics during delivery. Hopefully we test negative for that and can do the whole process without an IV! Also at week 36 they'll give us a "packing list" for our visit to the birth center on delivery day. My favorite part- packing! :)

Week 35 stats
4 immediate family members came to visit& celebrate Christmas here in our house (first time ever!)
5 evenings with constant back, hip, and ligament pain
1 baby the size of a coconut (so cute!) wiggling around inside
12+ girly, sweet outfits for the little worm to wear some day
2 loads of baby clothes washed, folded and ready
1 birth center bag packed for baby
0 hours of school work done by this pregnant lady
1.5 giant recycling bins filled with paper and cardboard leftovers from Christmas

pregnancy: week 34

Did anyone notice the 33 week post was written yesterday (when in actuality we're now in week 35?!)? Oh, you didn't? Well, good. I don't like advertising the reality that my life has been crazy busy lately. But now that Christmas break is here (halleluiah!), I may become a blogging fiend.

I don't think either of these photos accurately showcases the size of our little girl. She is growing week by week and I love having these photos as evidence. Though I'm not really thrilled about the quality of pictures OR the quality of my face at 6:20am...

Okay, so week 34
2 car seat bases checked and installed correctly. [Local friends, here's a great resource for getting your infant seat checked. The technician was so helpful and informative. When we move to the next size seat, we'll likely use them again to help make sure it's in safely.]
155 beats per minute of little tiny heart
3 pounds lost (?!) since my last appointment. So strange.
45 minutes at the mall for Christmas shopping where we had to park a million miles away in order to find a spot!
65 degree weather on Saturday, December 21st
1.5 hours spent watching my students perform their Christmas concert with Grandmom & Granddad Nelson
29 average bumps and stabs and jabs to the ribs per day
1 time Joel said, "Hey, little worm" to our baby. I call her that multiple times a day, so it was precious to hear him say it, too. She is a seriously wiggly worm in there!

pregnancy: week 33

 

I took these photos against our newly painted dining room wall. I tried multiple times to put my body in a place that would block the thermostat. To no avail.

Week 33
5 hours spent in a south Philly row home learning about all things birth
3 million sharp, pointy movements from little girl
1 extra car seat base arrived in the mail
2 items to make our nursery almost complete: crib mattress & waterproof pad!
5 days of congestion, sore throat, and runny nose
1 trip to the doctor on snowy roads
0 positive strep tests (yay for post-nasal drip & NOT strep throat!)

Who am I?!

Pregnancy has done weird things to me. Sometimes I don't recognize myself. It's strange and occasionally alarming. Here are a few examples.

I have to literally tell myself aloud to do things: "Kelly, step out of the shower." "Okay, turn off the oven now." "Stop. Stand up."

Sometimes I drink hot coffee (decaf) just because it sounds good.

I finished shopping for my family's Christmas gifts less than 24 hours before I went to visit them. This is not normal.

My lists are frenzied and disorganized and I can't seem to get things done on them. (So I just do what anybody would do- throw out the list and start a new one. Right.)

Meal planning is no longer fun. My Pinterest board isn't providing any inspiration and nothing sounds exciting when I write it down on my weekly meal planning paper.

I have had a pile of stuff for the thrift store sitting on the living room floor for over a week. I finally moved it. To my backseat. Where it's been sitting for three days.

Sometimes I forget what week of pregnancy we are in. How embarrassing.

I also get weeks behind in blog posts. I haven't put up a 33 week picture but we are over halfway through week 34 already. Holy smokes!

pregnancy: week 32

Week 32
1 very poor, shadowy photo of this growing bump
8 hours of painting by daddy-to-be (not the nursery; the main room(s) of our house) 
136 beats per minute of our little girl's heart on the doppler
7 hours of travel home from RI (should have taken 5... stupid post-Thanksgiving traffic!)
6 nights of heartburn- hello, third trimester problems
3 times average waking up at night to use the bathroom and adjust my aching body
1 second grade hand on my belly... "Your baby is growing!"
2 items arriving via mail for our girl- crib mattress and extra car seat base!
4 pounds gained since our lats midwife appointment two weeks ago
19 pounds gained total this pregnancy (!!)
8,467+ kicks, jabs, and wiggles felt on average per day; this kid can move!

Baby likes. And dislikes

Okay, this is an attempt to semi-seriously take note of our daughter's preferences. At about 32 weeks gestation.

It will be interesting to do this again in 6 months. Then again in a year. I hope Mom and Dad are still on the list then. :)

So far baby likes: music, warm showers, water, her dad's voice, her dad's hands holding her, loose clothing, loud places, sparkling lemonade.

Baby dislikes: the iPad resting on her, her dad's hands poking her, long car rides, tight pants, her mom eating too much at one meal, Qdoba burritos with chicken, little friends sharing her mom's lap, being squished on the right side at night.

What a high maintenance girl!

Pregnancy: week 31

Greetings from all three of us in Rhode Island! And Happy Thanksgiving, a day late.

We are spending Black Friday snuggled in my parents' house. Today we will go see Despicable Me 2 at a local cheap theater. Then we will exchange Christmas gifts together tonight.

Here's the baby bump and here are some stats from this past week:
5.5 hours in the car to Rhode Island
2 stops in said car trip for bathroom breaks
1 cozy winter hat purchased for baby to wear home on her first day of life
8+ outfits received as gifts from family and friends
1 Chewbeads necklace won from an online giveaway (this baby must be good luck!)
2 pairs of tiny leggings purchased on clearance at the Gap
Wayyyyy too much food consumed on Turkey Day
10 hours of sleep last night. Woohoo vacation!

pregnancy: week 30

Our little one is really growing! At this week's midwife appointment, I measured 31 centimeters when I was only just barely 30 weeks along. That's great news, in my opinion. I hope she keeps getting bigger at a nice, steady rate.

Week 30
3 years of marriage under our belt (as of 11/20)!
1 night away in Princeton celebrating our third anniversary
2.5 hours spent reading "The Birth Partner" at a Princeton coffee shop
15+ times I interrupted Joel's reading to share something I'd found completely fascinating about labor, birth, or post-partum recovery
25 Christmas cards arriving in the mail from Tiny Prints
1 maternity dress returned because, sadly, it didn't quite fit
30+ minutes with our midwife, who told us things are progressing perfectly and baby's heartbeat is strong!
5 thank-you notes sent. Only about 30+ still to go.

shower power!

Last weekend we had TWO baby showers in less than 24 hours! That was good planning, dontcha think? ;)

Our house is suddenly overflowing with baby things when it seemed like they'd just been accumulating slowly up until now...

Anyway, Joel and I were humbled and blessed beyond belief by the generosity we experienced. Our little one has gotten so many sweet outfits, many hand-made with love by friends or family members. We've also received countless items from our baby registries that will make our transition into parenthood smoother/ probably more fun.

Item #1: This AMAZING jogging stroller that we are both thrilled to try out. (Actually, it's sitting in our dining room right now and we've both already tried it out by pushing it around the house and into the kitchen...)

maternity clothing, 2

What better time than week 30 of this pregnancy to chat a little about maternity clothing? Am I right?

I wrote a post a while back, when I'd only purchased a couple items and had received a few as gifts. So far it's still been working for me to wear a mix of "maternity" clothes, things I already had, and some new stuff purchased in larger sizes.

Here's the official maternity stuff I now own:
GAP cords, GAP skinny jeans, 3 Target maternity tanks, black maternity leggings, 2 shirts from ASOS, a winter coat from ASOS, 3 shirts from Motherhood maternity.

Some things I wear more now than I ever did pre-pregnancy:
Navy cords from TJMaxx (Tommy Hilfiger brand),  Merrel hiking shoes/sneakers I got on clearance at DSW at least 18 months ago, 2 v-neck Ts from Madewell, long sleeved tissue Ts from Target.

Items that are working great with this bump that I totally didn't expect:
Gray Xhilaration leggings in size large (WAY more comfortable than maternity leggings!), pink hoodie from the men's section at Target, accessories (scarves, hats, necklaces, big earrings, etc. etc. etc.), new black boots I bought with some b-day money, high brown boots Joel got me over a year ago. and my old/raggedy skinny jeans that are not going to fit much longer and actually have multiple holes in the knees. Darn.

And now for some favorite outfit shots:

pregnancy: week 29

Week 29
45 minutes at a local arboretum posing for Christmas card photos
At least 25 outtakes from said Christmas card photo shoot
3 + hours being showered with love and support for Baby Berts
20-ish white onesies in various sizes and sleeve lengths
10+ books received for bedtime stories and endless entertainment
50 minutes spent assembling our new crib (which looks AWESOME!)
20 parent-teacher conferences
1 baby who seems to have changed positions and now has her head bumping into my belly button at all hours of the day (or night!)


This week Joel and I were blown away by the generosity of our family and friends. So many gifts have been given that will help keep little 'Berts more comfortable and ease our transition into parenthood. I can't even find the words to express our gratitude and appreciation. This is one loved little baby.