38 weeks

As I looked at my side-tummy picture this morning I thought "Sheesh I LOOK huge...but I don't feel THAT big." Yikes!

I started off week 37 with my weekly visit to the doctor. Again, all of my numbers are right on track and she is happy with how things are progressing. I have another appointment today where she said she will not only check my bp, how my belly is measuring and my weight, but also if I am dilated at all. It may seem weird but I am SUPER excited to see if she thinks I am dilating. I haven't had any of the "classic signs" of impending labor, so I am guessing she will say things are still...shut.

Saturday evening I met my parents and brother for weekend mass, and then we went out to dinner at Jack Stack to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom! It was a tasty meal and I enjoyed spending time with the fam. Bruce was out at the FIRST night race at the Kansas Speedway. I knew there was no way I could handle all of that walking in "my condition" so he took a buddy with him and everything worked out!

Sunday was a relaxing day. I spent most of the day up in my scrapbooking room sewing this little number together! I found the directions on Pinterest and figured I would give it a shot. I had always wondered why I would need a carseat cover for my child in the middle of summer (I thought it was primarily used in the winter to help protect from the cold) but then I read a blog post from a friend about how she didn't have a cover, and was caught in a torrential downpour with just a muslin swaddle blanket. Long story short, she lost hold of the blanket covering the carseat so it went flying across the parking lot while she had a screaming baby in the carseat trying to keep him dry. Ugh. It sounded TERRIBLE! With that said, I made the executive decision to make this cover so I could hopefully avoid that myself...

It's reversible!! And velcros to the handle! I am pretty proud of myself...just dont look too closely at the seams. Those are probably a quilters worst nightmare...but it will get the job done!

This is the last academic week of school and it could not come soon enough! I have been so impatient with wanting to meet this little man, that I have wanted the end of school to come quickly so I can wrap up the year without having the headache of preparing lesson plans...I would say that I am close enough, that lesson plans would not be necessary. Whew! We did fetal pig dissection in 8th grade and we have been watching The Lion King in the 7th grade because it goes so well with Ecology, food webs, consumers/producers, etc. 

Last night, Bruce and I went to the Royal's game. I was worried that I might not be up for it because of all the walking, but Bruce got a parking pass with the tickets from work, so we parked one row away from the entrance of the stadium! And our seats were on the first base side close to where we parked, so I hardly had to walk too much. I dont mind the walking and my body can handle it fairly well, but I just dont want to overdo it and I really overdid it at the last Sporting game...so I wanted to be cautious this time. I certainly didnt want to send myself into labor too soon! Here is a picture of where our seats were! They were very close (8 rows back) and we were in prime foul ball territory. Luckily, no foul balls headed our way.

This weekend will be full of excitement with my birthday on Friday, my Masters graduation on Saturday and my last baby shower on Sunday! Let the fun begin! Here is my week 38 bump pic!

Until next week!

MB

37 weeks!! Full term!

Everyone says that 37 weeks is full term, so technically this baby could come at anytime and be totally healthy...although I am not ready for him to come just yet! ;)

This last week has been an interesting one. I have definitely noticed this little guy growing...lots of kicking, rolling over, and some punches here and there. Some times they are so intense that I find myself saying "ouch!" outloud and then Bruce says, "Are you ok?!" It is always some snide comment like, "Your son just keeps kicking me a little harder than normal!"

I began my one week appointments last week. I was tested for Group B Strep and had a negative result come back! Basically, that means I wont need to start antibiotics the second I step into the hospital to give birth. I had to meet with a midwife for my last visit because my normal MD was out delivering a baby! It is all very exciting stuff! My numbers are still on point with where they should be, so I am feeling good about that. My biggest concern as we got closer to the due date was that my blood pressure would skyrocket, but luckily it is holding steady. A little higher than normal but nothing too out of control.

On Saturday, Bruce and I got up to head out to Gardner for some garage sales! I was super excited, but I could tell he wasn't THAT thrilled. We stayed out for about an hour and got around 30 pieces of clothing for Baby K. It was good to have Bruce there with me because he was my voice of reason telling me "no clothes smaller than 9 months!" We got some larger pieces which is truly what we needed. We even got a coat! It is the perfect size for when the winter rolls around.

Saturday night we went out to Bristol for a nice dinner. Most people who are expecting go on trips called a "Babymoon" which is similar to a honeymoon, but just before the arrival of a baby. I didn't want to spend that kind of money on a vacation right before the baby came, but I did tell Bruce I would like one more nice dinner out before he comes. Bristol is a nice restaurant in town that we have only been to a few times, and they are a fish based restaurant...so you know I was in heaven! We had some tasty crab cakes and I had mahi mahi while Bruce at scallops. Of course, we swung by the Cheesecake Factory following dinner, to grab a slice of cheesecake for later that evening!

Sunday we met up with some friends of ours, Erin and Justin, and their little boy, Easton! He is about 8 months old and so CUTE!! We went to lunch together at the Yard House in the Legends then went to the Sporting KC game. It was a great game! They won 2-0 and the weather was near perfect for a soccer game! I will be honest though, when I got home that night (Bruce went to the casino to watch a buddy play in a tournament) I was FEELING IT from the day. All that walking and such...I was NOT comfortable. I changed into some stretchy shorts and tried laying down but just couldn't get comfy. Needless to say, it was an early night to bed for me. I was still feeling rather uncomfortable on Monday during school. Good thing I planned group projects work time for Monday. I spent a lot of the day in my chair...which was very needed! After feeling the way I felt on Monday, I started to hit a little bit of panic mode and created a list of items to pack in my hospital bag. I have also spent a little time in the baby's room to ensure things are starting to be put in their place. Yikes! It is almost time!

I feel like the baby is dropping a little more each day in my stomach. I mainly feel this way because I am feeling increased pressure in the pelvic region. This kind of makes me a little nervous because I wonder if he will try to make his debut a little early...but I am hopeful his descent is slow and steady...and he doesn't drop real fast one day in the next few weeks. I received my graduation cap and gown in the mail yesterday so now I just need to make it another week and a half and I will feel good!

Below is a picture of me and Bruce at the Sporting KC game.

Here is the picture I took this morning at the start of week 37!!! 

Getting close!

MB

36 weeks

I am starting to get a little nervous because the baby could literally come any day now! I am hoping he stays in there to cook a little while longer, but I know people can have their babies up to one month early and that still be considered "normal" time. Yikes!

This last week has been full of some very exciting events! Thursday evening, Bruce and I went to a consignment sale out at the Trade Center in Overland Park. The huge room was full of gently used baby supplies and Bruce and I were anxious to get some good deals! We got some clothes, a Pack-N-Play and a vibrating swing! The P-n-P and swing were about 60% off of retail price! Talk about a deal! The clothes we got were pretty darn cute! Here is a KU onsie that Bruce found in the racks. LOVE it!!

Friday was a day off of school for me due to our school auction. I woke up nice and early, cleaned the house in preparation for our guests (Bruce's mom, sister and niece were coming in town) and then headed out the door to hit up some neighborhood garage sales. I was really looking for some clothes for the little man to wear, because while we might still receive some outfits, I want to have TOO many...instead of not enough. I got some GREAT deals on outfits ranging from 0-3 all the way up to 1 year. I plan on doing some more shopping in the upcoming weekends if I can find some garage sales while I am out and about. We could really use more 3-6 month clothes and 6-9 months clothes. Again, I would rather have too many than not enough.

On Saturday, my friend Emily hosted a shower for my close friends and friends of my mom. It was a beautiful day and we got some amazing gifts! I went home feeling like we could truly have this baby and not have to freak out about missing necessities! We got all kinds of good stuff. Below are a few pictures from the shower.

This is a picture of the food table with some fun decorations in the background!

Me and Emily at the shower! She was a GREAT hostess!!

This is the dessert table! Kinsley made tasty cakepops and cupcakes!!! I ate way too many cake pops...

Bruce's mom, sister and niece came in town for the baby shower so we had a fun time hanging out with them all weekend! Below is a picture of me, Bruce and Simone by one of the fountains on the Plaza after our Sunday lunch at PF Changs. 

Tuesday at school was a fun day. I have some GREAT room mothers and they offered to throw me a baby shower with all of the students! They collected money and purchased some super cute onsies, little toys and put the rest of the money on giftcards! We got a giftcard with a large value on it and it will be so helpful when picking up those last minute items before baby arrives! Below is a picture of a "milk chugging" game the students played! They really had a good time.

Here is my 36 week picture. I have officially hit the one week visits to the doctor! I have a check up tomorrow so I am anxious to see what she thinks of my weight gain and how my stats are looking. I am hoping to still measure "on time."

MB

35 weeks

5 weeks left. FIVE. WEEKS.

I have started feeling more uncomfortable throughout this last week. Sitting on the couch has become more of a chore than anything else. Last Thursday I had the 34 week check up and the doctor said all of my numbers were right on target. I had gained 4 pounds since my last appointment, but the doctor said I am still under the desired weight gain. Whew. I am feeling like a whale but if the doc says I am good...then I will take it! My belly is measuring on schedule and the heartbeat still sounds good and strong.

Bruce and I took the dogs to the vet on Saturday to get their shots updated. I have already called Woofs (the doggie play place) to ask them if I am free to drop the dogs off "unannounced" while we are on the way to the hospital. Assuming everything is going smooth enough, that will be our game plan. Either way, their shots needed to be updated so that is taken care of!

Easter was very nice and relaxing. Bruce and I went over to my parents house, and enjoyed some brats with cold pasta salads. We stayed for about two hours, then headed home and laid on the couch all afternoon.

We have another baby shower this weekend so I am excited for that! We are slowly but surely getting the baby's room together!!

Bump picture below! The start of 35 weeks.

34 Weeks

Only 6 more weeks left to go! I keep having "feelings" that this baby is not going to make his debut by the close of the month of May...and I am guessing he will have a June birthday. We will see how it all plays out, but that is just the feeling I am getting. 

This last week has come with some new struggles. Nothing too terribly bad but I am definitely noticing some more intense kicking, as well as a little more trouble breathing. Right now, I feel like this baby is pushing all the way up to my neck, and I wish he would drop JUST A LITTLE...I don't know if I am ready for the lower pelvic pressure everyone says comes with "dropping" but I sure could use a little more room around my lungs. Standing seems to be the most comfortable but then of course I get tired from standing for too long. 

Bruce and I went to the hospital last week Thursday to complete our Maternity Navigator visit. During this visit, they got my medical history information, and made notes of my expectations of labor and delivery. I didn't request too much. I think the lady was expecting me to roll out a large scroll of Birth Plan requirements but I simply told her "I am hoping to go medicine free, but am open to an epidural, I would like to be in a room with a tub to labor in, and do whatever you can in your power to make sure I have a healthy baby!" She smiled at the last one and said they always do their best! I also wanted to know what I could drink or chew on during labor and delivery. She said clear liquids and ice chips...so I have told Bruce to make sure he knows where the ice machine is...because chewing on ice will hopefully help keep my mind off of the impending pain...

I have been sleeping really well at night, although I do sleep very lightly. Any small noise tends to wake me up, but I fall back asleep pretty quick. My body feels very well rested after a nights sleep so I am thankful I am not one of those pregnant ladies who struggles to sleep. 

Below is my 34 week picture! 

33 weeks

It is just so crazy to believe that we are in week 33! Back when I was in the teens and early 20's, I felt like the weeks are flying by, but now that we are getting so close to the end, the weeks seem to be dragging on!

Last weekend was the first baby shower!! My Aunt Traci held a family shower for me in Jeff City with other aunts, cousins and grandma all involved. I felt super blessed and we got some GREAT items to add to the baby room. Bruce and I are both so thankful for the generosity of people as we go through this time in our lives.

Below is a picture of the super sweet diaper cake that Aunt Traci made! The bases are made of diapers, and there were little spoons, pacifiers, and mini shampoos stuck throughout it. The monkey on top is a noise maker that plays a little song when you pull the back string. Super cute and SUPER soft!!

This next picture is right before I started opening all of the wonderful gifts!!

Finally, here is the 33 week bump pic. I have been getting a lot of compliments lately from people saying "Oh my gosh...you're THAT far along! You don't look like it at all!" I like to think that my height has helped Baby K spread out a little and not make my stomach look so huge!

Bruce and I have our Maternity Navigator visit on Thursday. We will go to Shawnee Mission Medical Center and talk with the check in lady to make sure everything is set up and ready to go when we show up later in labor! From what I have heard, we will tell her our hopes and plans for the labor and delivery process and then do some insurance stuff. Nothing too exciting but it just means that we are getting closer and closer!!

32 Weeks

I am a few days late...but I DID remember to at least take a picture...so that is good. Whew! I feel like the belly is growing daily so the pic from Wednesday would look different than the one from today!

I had my 32 week check up yesterday (Thursday) and the doctor said everything is looking good. I am measuring right on target, my blood pressure is good (shocking since I teach 8th graders...ugh!) and my weight gain is good. Excessive weight gain has been a big concern of mine so I am glad to hear she is happy with where I am.

Last Saturday Bruce and I attended a child birthing class. I could tell Bruce wasn't ALL that excited about it but he was a very good sport! I learned quite a bit and better yet, this class helped answer some BIG questions I had about labor.

This weekend Carol (my mom) and I are headed to Jeff City for my family baby shower! I am very excited to see the family and get these showers under way! What an exciting time!!

Here is the bump pic!