37 weeks and counting.

How far along?: 37 Weeks
How big is baby?: 19.25 Inches, 6.3 lbs
Food cravings?: cereal, dr pepper
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my little girl.
Milestone: We are officially full term right now. So we are good to go anytime she decides to make an appearance.
Sleep?: Not good. I didn't have trouble sleeping with Sam really, but I am having a really hard time sleeping right now. My pelvis aches and I have round ligament pain time every time I move, I have to pee all the time and my hips feel like they are coming apart!
Best moment this week?: Really not much happening this week. Sam is talking a lot more now and I love to try and have conversations with him. His vocabulary just amazes me sometimes. We have started a new game, whenever I pick him up for the day on the drive home we work on his words. I will say a word and have him repeat it. He does a pretty good job too!
Feelings this week?: Lately I have this fantasy that I will stand up and my water will break and it will be go time, pretty much every time I stand up this goes through my mind. As anyone who knows me knows, I am so done being pregnant... this is the worst part of pregnancy, these last few weeks... I'm ready to have my body back and feel like a normal human being again. I know having two babies isn't going to be a picnic, and it will be hard at first. But I'm ready to start on this new adventure... (And I'm also ready to get over being in so much pain all the time too.) We've started the whole braxton hicks contractions let me fool you into thinking we're going into labor then not be thing... but at least this time around I know better than to think I'm in labor... When they tell me to call if I've had more than 4 contractions in an hour, I just laugh. I typically have between 2 and 6 in a hour regularly. But they don't hurt and my water hasn't broken or anything so I know I'm not in labor yet... no need to get myself all hyped up for nothing. At least it will be easier this time around knowing what real labor feels like versus false labor.

36 weeks

How far along?: 36 Weeks
How big is baby?: 18.75 inches, 5.75 lbs
Food cravings?: Nothing in particular
What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to having her already. I love the little booger, but she is really hurting my pelvis right now, my hips and back are killing me too... I'm actually pretty positive she dropped. 
Milestone: We're just gaining weight at this point. 
Best moment this week?: I had a wonderful birthday! 
Feelings this week?: Tired... I'm ready to have her. I wasn't even close to being this achy when I was pregnant with Sam. I'm hoping that she makes her appearance in the next week or two at the latest... If not I at least hope I get some good news at my next dr appointment. 

The real countdown has begun! Only 30 days left!

We are 30 days out from my due date! Yes ladies and gentlemen, 30 days. We have been prepping like crazy for the arrival of this little one all the last few weeks. We got all the clothes washed, all the carpets cleaned and vacuumed, some last minute things for her room. Bags are packed and in the car, we are ready. Now is just going to be the waiting game, probably the frustration of constant braxton hicks contractions and pelvic pain and the not knowing when this baby will be born. I'm hoping she comes early and I feel like she will come in May, but we will find out when the day comes. (Must be so easy for those of you who get to be induced since you know when Baby is coming!)

I've been freaking out a little bit about what we're going to do with two babies, I'm worried that Sam will be sad or frustrated when I can't get up and do everything he needs right away because I'm feeding Ella... I'm thankful that AJ will be home for that first week so he can help me with Sam while I handle Ella (or vice versa.) I try and at least talk to Sam about it every day, how there's going to be a little sister soon. He kind of understands, he knows that Ella is in my tummy at least, lol.

My next Dr's appointment isn't till I'm 37.5 weeks. I was a little concerned that it was so far out, but they couldn't reschedule it. My Dr is going to be on vacation my regular office visit week and they are completely booked that week so they couldn't get me in with someone else. I'm mostly concerned that they haven't ran the group b strep test, but when I called and asked about what if I go into labor before that appointment, they told me that if I do go into labor, let the L&D triage department know I haven't been tested and they will run the test right then. If my water has broken they may just give me antibiotics right away in case I do have it until they get the test results. I don't think I will go that early though. So I'm not too worried, plus I'm hoping that since I will be farther along that there will be some good news at my appointment about dilation, etc.

We'll have to see, it's all a bunch of waiting now!

35 Weeks--only 35 days left!

How far along?: 35 Weeks
How big is baby?: 18 inches, 5.25 lbs
Food cravings?: Chocolate milk---but it has to be the kind that I make, store bought chocolate milk has waaay too much chocolate in it! I like just enough to make it sweet. 
What I'm looking forward to: At this point, I'm just looking forward to having her! We're in the home stretch and this is the part where it's super uncomfortable. 'I'll probably give it one more week, and then we'll start walking and doing other stuff to try and induce labor, eating spicy food and such. (If the weather keeps up it is super nice outside anyway!) I had Sam a week early, but I have a feeling Ella is going to be my May baby. Maybe even a memorial day baby... AJ is sticking with June 7th, but I'm praying that he's wrong this time. I thought I was uncomfortable with Sam at the end, but I'm way more uncomfortable this time, I feel the braxton hicks contractions a ton more, and all the uncomfortableness that didn't come until the very end with Sam has hit me already! 
Milestone: All of Ella's major organs are nearly complete; her kidneys are completely developed and her liver is functional. 
Best moment this week?: The baby shower! I got so many lovely things for her and a lot of the necessities too!!  
Feelings this week?: I feel like a blimp this week. I had forgotten that this is the point where you start to feel huge and everything starts to swell and you are just super uncomfortable. I had to shave my legs last night (thanks Aunt Vicki! (-:) and I had the HARDEST time doing it. Luckily I was able to get it done, but I'll probably have to have AJ help next time, ha ha. 


I packed most of the stuff in my hospital bag, just gotta get some last minute items... I ordered a set of maternity PJ's for the hospital that I should get in the next few days, got all my toiletries packed (I remembered shampoo and conditioner this time!) We also got Ella's bag all packed and ready to go, and Sam's too. 


Other than that not much else going on, just enjoying our time in the sun! 

34 weeks (almost)

How far along?: Almost 34 Weeks
How big is baby?: 17.75 Inches, 4.75 lbs
Food cravings?: Still peanut butter a lot. But it's giving me heartburn a lot too, so not as much as I used to want it. Right now I'm having a weird craving for the smell of wet dirt, kind of like the smell right after it rains. I never had weird cravings with Sam. No, I don't want to eat dirt or anything like that so don't think I'm super weird, just when the sprinklers come on in the garden or when I'm watering the flowers outside, that smell is just wonderful to me. I've always loved the smell, but I find myself going out and watering the flowers more often just so I can smell that. Apparently it's common in pregnancy (especially the dirt thing) and more common in those with an iron deficiency, which I have. Could be worse, at least I'm not like those other pregnant people that like the smell of white-out or markers, smelling wet dirt isn't going to harm me or Ella. 
What I'm looking forward to: Baby shower is this Sunday!! I'm so excited, getting things ready for that right now, I'm starting to think about pulling up stuff from the basement and getting things set up for her... Only sixish more weeks till my due date. 
Milestone: Not much going on still. She's maturing her lungs and just getting fat for delivery day. (Though we're going to hope not too fat and that she doesn't have her Daddy or Brother's fat head, that was hard enough on me with Sam, ha ha.) 
Best moment this week?: Playing outside with Sam. He is my little outdoors man! He's already getting a tan.  
Feelings this week?: This week has been better than last in terms of work. It is overwhelming sometimes when you have a billion things to focus on and your next shift depends on the way you manage those things. I am trying to focus on one thing at a time right now and hoping that everything else falls into place along the way. I really only have this month and next month to get things straightened out before I go on leave so it is hard not to stress about that since these last months are going to count as more than one month. The center is hopefully going to start opening even earlier than it was so as much as I don't want to have to wake up and work at 3am, if that's what's available, that's what I'll do. Same thing about working nights, as much as I don't want to have to do it, if I have to do it, I will. I'm not giving up on the hope that I can get a decent shift when bid times come around, I am just mentally preparing myself for the possibility of not getting the shift I want, and hoping my daycare situation isn't affected too much by it. 


As much as work stresses me out, I am happy that I have a job and a well paying one at that. I'm happy that I get to spend as much time with my family as I do. It could be much worse, which is why going back to days isn't something that I want to do, either nights or early mornings is better for all of us in the long run. (Though I really wish I could work like 8am to 2pm, that'd be pretty sweet.) 


Other than work stresses, things are going great at home. Sam is just wonderful, he's so smart and picks up on things so quickly. I can't believe how much he knows now. He's also a monkey and can climb up the big slide in the backyard, so we have to watch him like a hawk when he's out there. He loves spending time outside and can sit in the sandbox for at least an hour playing in the dirt.... all in all home life is pretty amazing! 

32 Weeks

How far along?: 32 Weeks
How big is baby?: 16.7 Inches, 3.75 lbs!!
Food cravings?: Peanut butter, we have literally gone through a double jar of peanut butter in 3 weeks. That's how much of it I am eating!
What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower is coming up soon, only a few more weeks!
Milestone: Pretty much from now till she's born it's mostly fattening up! She's starting to lose the fur that's covering her whole body. 
Sleep?: Well in between bathroom trips I'm sleeping pretty good. I've almost been late to work a few days this week cause I'm so knocked out. 
Best moment this week?: This has been a rough week to say the least. My Facebook post reflect how stressful it was. The best part of this last week was putting up Sam's swing set and watching him play on it for the first time... He's getting so big now, I can't believe that he's going to be two soon!! It's crazy. 
Feelings this week?: My son is so smart. He is at this wonderful stage right now where he is my little parrot. (Which mean's I really have to watch what I say, lol.) If I ask him to say a word, he will try pretty much any word I give him. He is starting to say a lot of animal sounds, and we have a lot of first word books, he can recognize about 90% of the pictures in those books. He's also a little smarty pants too and his favorite phrase right now is: "I don't want to," he likes to say this pretty much to anything we ask of him. 


I am also feeling very pregnant lately too. Kind of apprehensive about the fact that we are only a few weeks out from delivery. (I'll technically be full term in only a month.) I'm also a lot more emotional with her than when I was pregnant with Sam. She's got me crying at the drop of a hat. I don't remember being weepy with Sam... I know I was quick to get mad, but I was never weepy. 


Other than that, just a stressful week all around. Mostly with work, but it's going to be my weekend soon so I'll get to breathe a sigh of relief when that day comes around, lol. 

31 Weeks

How far along?: 31Weeks
How big is baby?: 16.25 Inches, 3.3 lbs!!
Food cravings?: Ice Cream Sandwhiches
What I'm looking forward to: Putting the finishing touches on Ella's Room, my baby shower is coming up soon!
Milestone: Pretty much from now till she's born it's mostly fattening up!
Sleep?: Well in between bathroom trips I'm sleeping pretty good. Though I am still extremely tired all the time.
Best moment this week?: Yesterday was a pretty good day, watching my boys play outside the kitchen window while I cooked, love them so much. That and sitting in AJ's lap last night while we watched TV that was nice too... basically just being together with my beautiful family makes me really happy!
Feelings this week?: A few things I've realized this week:

#1 I am more scared of the delivery this time than I was with Sam. I think this is partly due to the fact that I was in SO MUCH pain, and it really hasn't been long enough since Sam was born for me to forget what that pain felt like. But mainly it is because I had to experience the terror of something being wrong with my baby and not being able to do anything about it, not being able to see him or hear about how he was doing for hours after he was born. I had a dream the other night that Ella was born and they kept me from her and it brought back all those terrible emotions, and the anxiety of it all. I am terrified of that happening again, the more I think about Sam's birth the more thankful I am that AJ was there with him the whole time, I honestly don't think I realized how scared I was about Sam until we had come home from the hospital. It's like I couldn't let myself feel it or it would've been too much for me to handle after giving birth. (I was also drugged up so that could have been part of it.) I'm just praying that everything goes right this time, but I am definitly more scared and nervous about it this time.

#2 I am anxious about having a second baby when my first is so young. I am confident that it will be fine and we will all get used to one another, but I am nervous about how Sam is going to do. I remember when I was pregnant with sam how anxious I was to have him and with this one, I am not even close to ready to have her yet!