36 weeks

One month to go, and not much to say really! Last week Frank was flying nights so we didn't really see too much of eachother since he was getting home so late. This past weekend was pretty laid back, we just hung around the house mostly, had a childbirth class, got a few things done here and there. I'm still feeling good considering we only have 4-ish weeks left. We are feeling as prepared as you can be, I suppose! I have 2 weeks left working (this week and next week). The belly is still growing and it's getting a little more difficult to move around and roll over in bed, ha! I still managed to deep clean the master bathroom yesterday including scrubbing the shower and bathtub, this was a major victory for me. I was a little sore afterwards, but it needed it BADLY. I figured if I waited a day longer I would probably never get around to it before the baby gets here. Still feeling a few braxton hicks here and there, but nothing too crazy. That's about all there is to say, we are anxious, but really loving these last few weeks hanging out, just the two of us :)

36 weeks. Please excuse the massive economy size TP in the background (no one likes to run out of TP!), we had just gotten home from a Costco trip!

35 weeks and counting...

I really feel like we are in the final countdown now...exciting! A little sad too, in a way. I kind of like being pregnant, and I have a feeling I'm going to miss the belly and all that goes with it. But, I know that having the baby in our arms will definitely make up for all of that.

This last week was pretty uneventful. Frank was in Tampa all week for work, and went to S. Florida for the weekend to hang out with a friend. He just got back late last night. I had the whole week to myself and it was actually pretty relaxing. I know these days are definitely limited, so I was pretty lazy and didn't do much except lounge around the house (I know, what a loser!). On Saturday I went out with a friend and got a pedicure/lunch, did some shopping, etc...so that was nice!

Starting this weekend I've noticed that I'm feeling a lot more achey...I can hardly stand up from the couch or roll over in bed without looking like a old granny, ha! I'm resisting the waddle, though. Trying to at least...we'll see how long that lasts. I found that sitting on an excercise ball is super comfortable and I replaced my chair at the dining room table with the ball. I almost want to bring it to work with me for my desk! Almost. I know I say it every time, but this baby is moving A LOT. He/she seems ready to be outta there! Definitely running out of room...the baby is supposed to be between 18-20 inches long and about 5.5-6 pounds.

I guess it's time to start thinking about packing a hospital bag. I'm pretty relaxed about this, but I know some people really plan it out and have it packed months before the due date. Frank is actually the one that keeps telling me I should pack one (maybe because he thinks I look like I'm about to bust)! I'll probably start getting some stuff together in the next week or two, but seriously doubt I'll need it anytime soon! The hospital is literally 3-4 miles down the road from our apartment on the same street, so it's not like it would be a big deal for Frank to run home and grab something.

Some of you may know, but I am quitting my job. February 8th is my tenative last day...it will be sad to leave but I am really excited for the next chapter of life as a stay at home mommy and wife. Maybe eventually I'll start doing some freelance work from home like I have done in the past. I'd like to get back into it if I can! I'll also be managing our 2 rental houses, but I've been doing that for a few years now anyway. Either way, I'm going to try and stay busy :)



Bouncy ball!

 

35 weeks..

 I had a Dr. appointment yesterday and everything looks great! My next appointment is in 2 weeks, and then I'll be starting the weekly appointments.

34 weeks!

I am being bad...really bad. Frank is working in Tampa this week so I ordered myself a large pizza and have been sitting here eating that along with some chocolate that was left over from Christmas/New Year that I have been rationing myself. Bad Olivia! It really does feel pretty much impossible to be super healthy at this point. I just want to eat...a lot...and I really don't care what it is! I'm really trying to be good, though. I think overall I have done okay this pregnancy, so I'm not going to beat myself up over having an unhealthy pizza/chocolate night.

But anyway- back to Frank being in Tampa. I was thinking to myself that this might be the last full week of me being HOME ALONE (no babies) in a really, really long time. I'm used to these little stints of a week or two, maybe once a month, where it's just me. As much as I miss him while he's gone, I actually enjoy the alone time once in a while. Frank probably won't be leaving for this long again until after the baby...so on that note, I'm going to go all out and watch girl movies and eat pizza!

34 weeks is treating me well. I can't believe I could be holding a newborn in about 6 weeks...maybe even 5 if the baby comes a little early, although I doubt I'm that lucky. Holy crap. We are so excited. I'm not to the miserable point of pregnancy yet, maybe I'll just skip all that...right now I am honestly content with waiting as long as it takes for this little one to make an appearance. I am in no hurry! I'm actually enjoying it :). I'm looking forward to labor & delivery too, as weird as that sounds. I'm hoping my body does what it's supposed to do and everything goes smoothly, we shall see. I've been having some braxton hicks contractions, or at least that's what I think they are, for the past 2 weeks or so. It doesn't hurt at all, but my whole stomach gets really, really tight for about a minute or so, and it feels a little weird. I'm hoping this is a good sign, meaning that my body is getting ready for what's about to happen. I've also been drinking red raspberry leaf tea (I plan on drinking a little more each week until I'm full term), which is supposed to also help tone all the muscles you use during labor. I've heard good things, so even if it just helps a little bit...it will be worth it.

The baby is definitely growing and I can tell he/she is getting a little squished. He/she is really starting to push those little body parts out as hard as he/she can, stretching? The baby's booty is on the top of my belly, usually a little to the left and he (I'm just going to say "he" for now, makes it easier) will push his little bum & back out suuuupppperrr hard to the point where my belly looks totally deformed and you can see this big round ball sticking out. It's pretty funny. Here's a pic of it, you can sort of see what I'm talking about:

34 weeks and slightly deformed

That's about all for 34 weeks. We are so blessed and I am so extremely thankful that everything has been going so well :)

34 weeks!

Just in case you missed it on Facebook, here is a little preview of our chunky monkey :)

33 weeks

Yesterday marked the end of 33 weeks and the begining of week 34. I had an appointment with the Dr. yesterday, and 4D ultrasound! The baby was in hiding, so we didn't get a whole lot of good peeks, but we did get a few photos & a DVD :). They went ahead and did another anatomy scan to make sure everything was measuring correctly, which it was. They esimtated the weight to be around 5 pounds and he/she already has some chunky little cheeks going on....and a little hair! I was bald until I was over a year old, so I think it'd be pretty neat if our baby has some hair. The baby was also head down, bottom up...and no, we didn't find out the gender! The tech didn't even check this time, so it's still a complete surprise. He/she is pretty much the cutest baby ever, but of course I would say that about our own child!

This past weekend Frank & I FINALLY cleaned out the spare bedroom to organize and make room for all the baby stuff. We aren't buying nursery furniture or decorating a baby room until after the baby gets here. Part of me wants to do it now because I'm getting into the nest mode...but I know that the baby won't really be using that room much for the first few months anyway. Also, if we end up getting a call about a job for Frank I would hate to have put all that time and effort into a nursery only to have to take it all down and move it. I will just wait a few months and see what happens. If it looks like we will be here a while after the baby is born I'll go ahead and start on the nursery. For now, the baby will be sleeping in a bassinet in our room and we will just store all the baby stuff in the spare bedroom.

We are pretty much set with all the essential baby things. I can't think of anything that we couldn't do without if the baby came tomorrow, so that's good. Although, we still are clueless on names....

It's crazy seeing my belly grow so fast now. I feel bigger every week! Sleep is still getting more difficult, but I'm surviving. If that is my biggest complaint right now, I think I am doing just fine. I guess the only other complaint I have is this stupid cold that I can't get rid of! I was feeling better around Christmas and now it's back. This time it's more of a sore throat/cough/headache and it's been lingering since New Years and has been a little worse the past few days. The Dr. said a lot of people have it around here, and it has been known to linger for a month or more...ughh. I'm managing it okay, it's just more of an annoyance than anything. It's no fun when you are already having trouble sleeping and you are feeling sick too :(.

I really shouldn't complain, though. I have a super sweet, supportive husband who has been taking excellent care of me, he is doing such a good job. Especially with helping out around the house/chores/cooking when I come home from work and pass out on the couch and/or go to bed super early...We also have a little miracle who is planning on a big debut here in the next 6-7 weeks (unless we have a stubborn baby)! We are so ready to meet this little babe and start our journey as new parents, I just hope we know what we are doing! Good thing babies don't have any recollection of the first few years of their life. I knew there must be a reason for that!



33 weeks & growing



31 & 32 weeks

Well, I can now say that we have a baby due NEXT MONTH. We are less than 8 weeks from the due date now and really looking forward to meeting baby P. I'm feeling much better now that I got over the nasty sickness I had around 30 weeks. Now I'm just feeling a little sluggish and sometimes I don't sleep so well at night, but that's to be expected. Other than that things seem to be going well.

For Christmas we traveled to Texas to visit with my family. We had a pretty relaxed Christmas and spent most of it indoors because of the weather. It snowed! We don't get too many white Christmas's in Texas, so that was a nice surprise. It wasn't too much fun driving back to Alabama the day after Christmas, but once we got to Dallas or so most of the ice and snow was gone. While we were in Texas we met up with Cathy & Ricky, who are also expecting baby #1 (a boy)! They finally told everyone so I guess it's safe for me to put it on here, ha. Here is a photo of us (I'm 31 weeks and she is 17 weeks in this one)...yay for pregnant BFF's!

Cathy and I - Christmas 2012

My sister gave me this cute knitted aviator hat for our future little pilot baby

This was after we got home from Christmas Mass, it obviously wasn't very smart of me to wear a knee length dress (and you can't see them, but also stilettos....NOT recommended at 31 weeks pregnant in icy weather!).

I don't have any photos of Frank and I on Christmas, they are all on my parents/sisters camera. I pretty much stink at taking photos....I don't have any photos of us on Christmas or New Years :(

On the way home to Alabama we stopped in Dallas for Chipotle...Frank can't pass up one of those if he's hungry! After we got our food I had to make a potty break, so Frank went out to the car and pulled it up to the front door to pick me up so I wouldn't have to walk through the icy parking lot....Well, as soon as I stepped foot outside I slipped and fell right on my booty. Luckily I caught myself so I didn't fall too hard, it was more funny than anything. It's a good thing we don't live somewhere where there is a lot of ice because I am a pretty clumsy pregnant person!

For New Years we drove to Meridian, MS to see Frank's younger sister, Angela, our brother-in-law Jason, and their baby, Samantha. They live around DC, but Jason's family is in Mississippi and they were there for the holidays. We saw them over Thanksgiving in Michigan and Samantha was about 2 months old, it's only been a little over a month and it's crazy how fast they grow! She is getting so big already, and soooo cute. I was glad we made it over there to visit with them for a day or two because it could be a while before we see them again.

I finally switched Dr's and had my first appointment with the new Dr. today. He seems super nice and I think it was a good decision to switch. He felt around and said the baby is turned sort of sideways...the head is (I think) on the top left side of my belly and the bottom is at the bottom right. So, somewhere in between breech and sideways...His office offers a free 4D ultrasound and he said this would be the perfect time to do it, so we have one scheduled for next Monday! We weren't going to do one, but since it is free...we figured why not. I can't wait to see what this little one looks like...I guess it's sort of taking away from some of the "surprise" of it all, but we still won't know the gender :). Anyway, that's about it... here are the 31 & 32 week photos:

31 weeks

32 weeks