Ready or Not!

So I am officially 37 weeks by all calculations. All cleared to have my lil man at any time now. I have spend the past 37 weeks knowing that I am by no means ready for him to show up. But with a nice visit from family and a few last purchases I'm feeling like ready or not he can show up any time now.

I've also come to the conclusion that I will never feel prepared for him to be here. There is no way for me to prepare for labor. Or sleepless nights. Or for how much our lives are going to change. And finally I have come to the conclusion that it is completely fine that I am not prepared. And I will never feel prepared for this.

On the plus side, I feel like we have bought every possibly baby item that we need and probably could want. So while I may have no idea of what is to come, I have all the necessary items to take care of Hyatt!

So, lil man, any time you are ready we will be waiting for you. So anytime in the next 4 weeks, we will be seeing you! Ready or not, you will be here!

Love,
L

37 Weeks

How far along?:  37 Weeks...Home stretch! Strange that I will have a lil man in my arms in less that 1 months.

Total weight gain:   38 pounds...And counting! =)

How big is Baby?:  The size of a watermelon. 19-22 inches and 6.5 pounds. But my doctor says that my uterus is measuring "slightly" small so hopefully he is less than this. And if not, oh well. He will be perfectly sized when he comes out!

Maternity clothes? Love maternity clothes!

Stretch marks?: Same old, same old!

Sleep?: Up about twice a night. And SOOO thirsty when I get up to pee. So I keep at least 2 glasses of water by the bed. 

Movement?:  Lil ninja! I did a kick count today, and I've counted 10 kicks in 10 minutes at least 4 times already. Yep. I've got a mover in here!

Food cravings?:  No cravings. But I love me some salt and sugar. And this explains my swollen fingers and toes =)

Labor Signs:  A few painless braxton hicks. But nothing major. Baby is starting to move south though!

Milestone: In-laws, and Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law are on their way up here as we speak! Can't wait for some family time. Got the house (mostly) in order. Can't wait for them to get here so we can catch up and enjoy our weekend together!

How's Mom?: Really good. I only seldom feel crappy pregnant. I really am enjoying every moment. I'm going on lots of walks with a friend (4 miles today and a total of 5 miles last week) and that is super fun. We have plans to go on lots of walks after the baby is born. Yeah! And I am really just looking forward to spending some time with family. I know this weekend will be filled with laughs and fun. Love it!

Love,

L

36 Weeks

How far along?:  36 Weeks. Month 9. Less than 6 weeks to see my lil man!

Total weight gain:  Bahahah! 35 pounds. Yep...And let me tell you, I am not having a 35lb baby... Oh well, I'm not worried about losing it. 

How big is Baby?:  Larger than 5 lbs. Probably. Who knows because they didn't give me an estimate at my last appointment. 

Maternity clothes? Yep. And starting to grow out of them. AWESOME!

Stretch marks?: Nothing new. I'm sure they will show up sometime though.

Sleep?: Same as usual. Pretty darn good!

Movement?: Holy ninja in my belly. Today I couldn't tell if I was having really short contractions or if my baby was spreading out thru my entire uterus and pressing agains my belly. Surprisingly painful and unexpected!

Food cravings?:  Nothing new. No real cravings in the 3rd trimester for me. Just eating a lit. But loving that time change. I've walked most days this week and am excited to continue to walk. So far, 5 miles walked hopefully a mile or two tomorrow and then at least 4 this weekend. LOVE IT!

Labor Signs:  Pretty sure I wasn't having contractions, just a ninja baby. But braxton hicks about once a day. 

Milestone: 9 months. Holy cow, where did the time go? Also, get to have my WA baby shower this weekend. Exciting! Also, Mom did my maternity pictures which came out GREAT! So happy she could take them. And I love them. Most were done with in a "boob tube" with my belly hanging out. I really like them. I felt more comfortable this way. All the pictures in regular clothes made me feel like Shamu, which is not fun. So boob tube it is!

How's Mom?: Great this week! Less hormonal and not so many mood swings. Hopefully this lasts the weekend also. Got a little ticked off at work because they wanted me to only take 6 weeks of (um no thanks. I have 3 months paid, I'm not going back in 6 weeks.) but finally came to a compromise of July 1st. Which is about 11 weeks from my due date. I can live with that!

I'm way less productive now. It's all I can do to clean my house (pick up) every day, and make dinner. All the things I want to do like deep clean anything, finish the baby room, or anything extra is not happening. I pretty much come home from work, make dinner, and lay down on the couch. Mornings I have a little more energy, so the house gets picked up. But I'm waiting for the weekends to do anything terribly productive. Don't think this is gonna go away anytime soon. 

That's all she wrote!

Love,

L

Semi Disapointed

So...my appointment this morning was not what I was expecting. I was expecting an ultrasound, get to see my lil man. Get him measured. See if I'm starting to dialate. You know. The exciting stuff that happens before the baby comes.

Nope. My doctor just answered all my questions. Felt to see the baby's position (still head down). And had J measure the heart beat. Then see ya next week.

WHAT? No ultrasound? No measurement? No baby pictures?

Dang.

Oh well. There's always next week!

Here's a few maternity pictures my mom took.

Love,
L

Appointment Day!

Sooooo excited to go to my 36 Week appointment! I know that some not so fun things are gonna happen, but I just feel good going to my doctor today. I haven't been since 32 weeks and it feels like too long. Some weird things have been happening starting yesterday and I am glad for the perfect timing of seeing my doctor today.

I hope we get to see our lil man today! And I am hoping to get an estimate on his weight and how things are going for me. I have still been feeling great for the most part (minus the mood swings...poor husband!) and so I am hoping that my baby boy is not quite as comfy and will come out in a timely fashion in a few weeks. I am also hoping to not go several weeks over my due date....No thanks!


Can't wait for 11, when I get to go in. YAY!

Love,
L

35 Weeks

How far along?:  35 Weeks (8.75 months)

Total weight gain:  Somewhere around 30 lbs. 

How big is Baby?:  Probably 5 lbs. He is about the size of a large cantaloupe. 

Maternity clothes? Um, yeah. 

Stretch marks?: Still the same. My tummy is pristine for the moment =)

Sleep?: Some days are better than others. Generally I only wake up once. But this week, my back has been aching when I wake up for the day (no fun) and I work up 3 times in one night (at least that was only once)

Movement?: Like a ninja!

Food cravings?: No cravings. But we have eaten soooo horribly this week! Not a lot of home made good foods. Lots of fatty foods and some take out. Bad bad bad!!!

Labor Signs:  Nope. Few braxton hicks. Maybe one per day. 

Milestone: Getting Hyatt's room together!

How's Mom?: Today has been horrible. Not pregnancy wise but just being frustrated and mad and hormonal. So I guess that is pregnancy related. Work was okay....crazy but alright. On my way home, I get a message from the hubs that says he is playing frisbee golf and will be home late. I am instantly annoyed because I put dinner in the croc pot and was really excited to have dinner with him. So I call him back, no answer. And Ms. Preggo hormones over here is extra pissed off over this for some reason. So I get home, and the lovely dinner that I started preparing last night and then put in the croc pot this morning is burned. And I am soooooo overly mad and upset over this. This is the second dinner that has been ruined in the croc pot. On warm! So I have no husband home, and a burnt dinner. And that was all I could take today. I march my hiney back to my car, head to Wal-Mart and buy myself a different croc pot. One that I've used before and never has burned my meals. And on the way home, I start crying. Yep. I cried over my burnt dinner. And then the husband doesn't show up for another hour after that. And that makes me cry again. Because he missed what would have been our dinner. Even though it was burnt. And then I yell at him. Awesome. I am a lovely preggo wife tonight. Thankfully all is forgiven in our house, and I even got breakfast for dinner made by my lovely hubs. 

I'm hoping Friday goes better than Thursday! And that by the weekend, this strange hormonal lady who has taken over my body is GONE!

Love, 

L

P.S Don't buy a Rival croc pot!!! Apparently I am not the only one who has burned things in it. The crappy thing burned dinner on warm!. 

I am guilty too

I was so excited to get to spend some time with a new friend tonight. Her husband (lets call him D) and mine work together.  And it was nice to get to know another military wife. They have been in the military a few years longer and have a little bit more experience with this lifestyle that we are just getting used to. One great thing about this friendship is that D is really trying to advance his career and he loves being apart of the Navy. He is good for J to look up to as a friend and also as a co-worker.

And the wife, R, is great too. They have an almost three year old little girl. R is a stay at home mommy and is a genuinely nice person. It was great to spend time with her tonight. While we were chatting tonight and getting to know each other, R mentioned that she just bought all new furniture. New couches, dining room set, and entertainment center. The couch that we were sitting on is less than 6 months old and she is trying to sell it on Craigslist. And in the two years that they have been her this is their 6th couch that they have bought. Plus they have bought many entertainment centers and dining sets that "just don't work out." And then somehow we get to the topic of wedding rings. And they have upgraded her ring 3 times to finally get the one she really wanted.

And the whole time we are talking about this, I find myself wishing that we have the cash money to buy everything we want. Would I like new couches? Yes! Preferably ones that you can actually wipe off without leaving water stains. Would I like a sweet hard wood entertainment center that wasn't bought from Wally World for $90 because that's all we can afford? Yep! Sure would! Or a dining room table that fits more 4 people comfortably? Heck yeah. Another wedding ring? You get the picture...

But, brand new furniture just isn't in the budget for us. Do we have room on the credit card to put it there? Yes ma'm we do. But we have not worked (and are still working!) our tails of to try to get out of debt just to rack up some more. And while the hubs and I may disagree over being debt free, it's still a goal that I have for us. I think that it is something that is achievable for our little family (or anyone) but it's all about delayed gratification. It's about waiting for the things that you want, and paying cash for them.

And I sure am guilty of buying things that I want and can't afford. Hello 3 of the 10 cars that we have owned over the last 8 years. Hello townhouse that we bought and no longer live in. Hello living beyond our means!

But I am happy to say that times have changed. J being laid off had a lot to do with it. And now, Navy pay is great! But we still have bills to pay. We have past mistakes that we are still in the process of fixing. But I am proud of the progress we have made. We have a budget. We have paid off credit cards. We've sold a car and bought one that will be paid off *hopefully* as soon as I go back to work from maternity leave. And that will leave a credit card, a car loan, and a mortgage. Thank you baby Jesus... we are on our way!!!

So tonight I was reminded of the person I used to be, or the person that I could have been. I was able to reflect on all the progress we have made in our financial lives. Am I a little jealous of this friend with her new rings and new furniture? Yeah, but that's okay cause I know the grass isn't any greener over on her side of the fence.

And can I just say that I am so thankful that God reminded me that we are only stewards of the money he provides for us. It is given and it can be taken away. It is never guaranteed. And all we can do is use it as wisely.

Love,
L

34 Weeks

How far along?:  34 Weeks (8 1/2 Months)

Total weight gain:  30 lbs exactly. Even with all the yummy food I ate over the weekend! (My in-laws have a scale, I don't)

How big is Baby?:  As big as a pineapple... 19-22 inches and 4.9 lbs. (From what to expect.com

Maternity clothes?: Bahaha.... Like I fit in regular clothes right now!!

Stretch marks?: Still the same

Sleep?: Mostly still the same. Up once a night, maybe twice (that's rare!). But I've started getting back aches when I wake up. 

Movement?: Again, I still don't do kick counts. He kicks more than 10 times, like ten times a day. But, I have started to feel hiccups! So cute. And very light. 

Food cravings?: No real cravings.... I really like my cold water. And of course I love sweets. But nothing I've had to have!

Labor Signs:  Not so many Braxton Hicks this week. Probably one per day. 

Milestone:  Baby shower was this last weekend! So much fun! And I am feeling more and more ready for my lil man to come out. Well at least we have all the gear to take care of him!!

How's Mom?: Good! Feeling so blessed. Blessed with this awesome pregnancy (how can I complain? I really have had it pretty easy) blessed with amazing family and friends. Blessed with an amazing husband. 

I had so much fun going home. I got to see everyone that I have been missing so much. I didn't get to spend enough  time with everyone though. That's the hard part about these short trips. But the roads were clear, weather was great, and we were so glad to take the 4Runner so we could hall all the amazing gifts back home with us. 

Other than all the amazing stuff going on, I'm have been super tired this week. Like 1st Trimester tired. I go to sleep at 9pm, and when I wake up at 5:45 I am still really tired. I am hoping that relaxing a little this weekend will help. But I work again on Saturday, so Sunday will probably be spend relaxing. And hopefully I will actually do it and not clean my house like crazy!

Love,

L