Week 38

How far along? 38 weeks 6 days (holy crap)

How big is baby? The size of a small pumpkin!

Total weight gain/loss: Still in the 30ish lb range

Maternity clothes? Still getting a pretty good mix of both. Rocking non maternity dresses for work and tanks at home. I've still been trying to find a bra that fits. Fail. This just isn't happening. Ever. So frustrating. I know they're just going to keep getting bigger too! If they fit in the cup area, I'm busting out of the back (back fat is so hot right now - literally.) If the back fits, the cups don't. Can't I just get one that fits!?

Sleep: Rocky this week. I've been soaking up the snuggles I can get from Kyle and Macy, but still getting up at LEAST 10 times a night to go to the bathroom. I'm excited for that to end, but I'll still be up every 2ish hours. YAY! At least now I get to go back to sleep as soon as I go to the bathroom. Those days are close to an end. 

Best moment this week: Finishing the nursery! 100% done! And it is glorious and exactly what I had envisioned.

Movement: Not so much. But it makes my heart happy when she does wiggle around in there :)

Food cravings: Back to loving spaghetti every morning! And definitely Fazoli's. I would eat there every day if we had one close to use. It's probably up there with Popeyes right now (which no one saw coming!)

Food aversions: As of right now, Mexican food. No thank you.

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Surprisingly no, not this week. There's not a whole lot going on!! 

Pregnancy symptoms: So dang tired and sore 90% of the time! And every time I wake up at night (every. single. time) my fingers are tingly - like they're swollen - but they don't look swollen. SO random. And now they hurt ALL of t the time. Joint pain is fun. I also have a pretty wicked rash on the top of my left thigh. Random, right? Both things will be brought up at my next appointment! And I have pretty severe nerve sensitivity in my legs. 

Belly button in or out? A little piece of the corner is sticking out. Gross.

What I miss: Energy. Not having tingly hands. On the rare occasions my hands have swollen a little bit, I always get a little claustrophobic. That feeling makes me so nervous. I have no idea why! 

What I am looking forward to: Massage, manicure, and pedicure coming up this weekend to get me nice and relaxed for Emerson's debut! Hopefully my nails and toes don't chip before then! Because clearly that's what is important ;)

Upcoming appointments/events: Friday.

Milestones: I haven't gone into labor yet! That's a big step ;) And definitely the nursery! I couldn't be happier with it.

Week 37

How far along? 37 weeks 6 days

How big is baby? The size of a winter melon? I've never heard of such vegetable. I stand corrected. It's actually a fruit until it's mature, but then it is eaten as a vegetable. Um, what!? I don't even know what that means. 

Total weight gain/loss: 38lbs ish I believe. 

Maternity clothes? Same as last week! I still fit into some of my pre-pregnancy shirts and dresses, but I pretty much live in tank tops and shorts. 

Sleep: Meh. Could be better, could be worse. I'm certainly getting tired more easily these days. That's no surprise though!! I wish I could sleep through the night (but I hear that that'll never happen again as long as I'm alive. YAY)

Best moment this week: Getting SUPER close to being finished with her nursery which is an awesome feeling. YES PLEASE! I also spent several hours at labor and delivery this week being monitored and knowing that she's okay is pretty awesome! And spending some time with my sister making pom poms. My amniotic fluid going up!

Movement: Not as crazy as it has been in the past. Kind of a bummer, but I know she's just getting too big in there to move like before. We know she's okay and that's what matters. 

Food cravings: Grapes and club crackers! This has been my dinner of choice for several evenings. I shall take it. 

Food aversions: Not really anti-anything. 

Gender: Still a girl (as my 3 ultrasounds in the past 2 weeks have confirmed). Now watch her turn out to be a he. That would be hilarious, and by hilarious I mean not funny at all. Don't do that Emerson. Not cool.

Labor Signs: YEP! I thought my water was leaking over the weekend (picture walking around Hobby Lobby and all of a sudden thinking you peed your pants). Hilarious. My sister thought the same thing and kept saying "you will NOT go into labor here. Okay?! Not here. HOLD IT IN." Okay. Got it. Apparently her words of wisdom worked because we still aren't holding a baby. Typical.

Pregnancy symptoms: I'm getting rather large, I have stretch marks (although honestly, they could be much worse), my arms have gotten bigger, I get exhausted trying to do pretty much anything, and I'm always ready for a nap!

Belly button in or out? Still in, but a corner is kind of protruding - but it doesn't show through my clothes. Weird, eh? 

What I miss: Sleeping through the night. Not wanting to die of thirst at 10pm. Having the energy to clean (nesting is so not a thing in this household apparently. I went through this freak out phase for the nursery, but now that it's mostly done I'm pretty mellow about everything which means NOTHING gets done.)

What I am looking forward to: Delivering this child! 

Upcoming appointments/events: I've had two appointments this week and a trip to L&D so I'm covered until week 39's appointment. I can't believe it's going so quickly!! I swear EVERYONE said that it would creep by - and it's NOT! Liars!

Milestones: I survived week 37! And Kyle still loves me. I'll consider that as a win!

Truth

Kyle bought me a "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" daily calendar for Christmas. Now that I'm playing catch up (from June 18th) I came across one that struck a chord: " If our homes aren't perfectly clean, we can feel defeated and worthless, or we can remember how fortunate we are to have a shelter to live in." Ugh. Truth. I get SO flustered when things aren't in perfect order that I normally end up flipping out on someone (usually Kyle) until things are less 'busy.'

Definitely something I need to work on. Life isn't always tidy and not everything will always have a home - but thankfully I DO and I need to remember to not sweat the small stuff. In the grand scheme of things, how important is it?

Week 36

How far along? 36 weeks 6 days

How big is baby? The size of a honey dew!

Total weight gain/loss: up 2lbs from my last appointment - but I think I already included that in last weeks post... Soo roughly 30 some odd pounds. 

Maternity clothes? Since I'm living in my non maternity tank tops, I get this band of skin that hangs out when my tank rides up and my shorts ride down. It's an interesting look for sure! Keeping it classy. I have also extended this look for when I go outside of the house - like to Target or to the grocery store. I am confident that Kyle finds this super annoying, but he's a gentleman and doesn't complain about it. :) 

Sleep: Kind of iffy. I'm getting much better at falling asleep, but my back and hips get so uncomfortable at night. I have this method of every time I get up to pee, I'll lay back down on the opposite side I woke up on. That seems to have a good effect on efficient sleeping. I was looking at the "recommended" breastfeeding schedule and holy hell, I have no idea how I'm going to make it through that. Literally every 2 hours for a feeding. I would definitely say I've been more stressed about breastfeeding than labor. My logic is that she's going to enter the world one way or another but I want to be able to feed her what's best! Thankfully I Kyle who is SO supportive and is constantly reminding me that he will be there to help and he will be just as sleep deprived as I am. I think I'll keep him. 

Last night was the worst sleep night EVER! I was having intense Braxton Hicks contractions (which I was told were not a thing because BH's are NOT supposed to hurt) so I laid in bed all night mostly whimpering in pain. Not cool. That means I am SUPER tired today.

Best moment this week: My good friend Meredith had her baby!! I couldn't be happier for her (and her family!) She's been my pregnancy buddy through this entire thing - I couldn't have done it without her!! We've spend countless hours emailing/texting/facebooking "uh, do you think this is normal?" or "has this happened to you yet...?" and it's been fun! I can't wait to meet her little one.

The other 'best moment' of the week has definitely been spending some more quality time with Kyle. I'm relishing in the time we have left together in the house with just the two of us (plus our fur babies). I am so excited for this journey that we are embarking on and I want to make sure that our relationship is as solid as it can be before Emerson gets here. I hear that sometimes babies 'rock the boat' so to speak.

Movement: She's pretty active, but again, during very specific times of the day. I still get nervous occasionally when it's been a while since she's had a kick, but

Food cravings: Grapes. I've been cooking meals on specific days so I have 3-4 options for lunch/dinner on any given day. Best decision ever! I used to do this on the regular, but got too lazy. I need to get my butt in gear! Kyle and I went on a lunch date on Sunday to Margaritas (in Liberty - because that matters) and I LOVE LOVE LOVED my enchilada. It was SO good. I even splurged and had a Dr. Pepper. Naughty, I know. Worth every calorie. 

Food aversions: Meh. Nothing really. 

Gender: She's a she!

Labor Signs: UH MY GUUUUUUU! Yes! BH'ing all over the place! It's so annoying and unproductive. 

Pregnancy symptoms: I am SO tired. Like, physically exhausted all of the time now. ALL. Of. the. TIME!

Belly button in or out? Still in! My best friend Danielle came over last night and looked at it - she doesn't think it's going to pop out! There's a reason I keep her around and it's totally for comments like that! :)

What I miss: Not having Braxton Hicks every two seconds.

What I am looking forward to: Thursday, Thursday, Thursday! and also leaving early on Friday. 

Upcoming appointments/events: Thursday for a fluid check ultrasound. 

Milestones: I have come to the realization that I only have 16 more work days until I go on maternity leave (I'm going on the 7th, even if she doesn't get here by then!) Well, maybe. I'm not sure. If she's not here, I might as well finish out the week, right? That will give me an extra two days to stay at home with her in October!! 

Week 35

How far along? 35 weeks 6 days

Yikes!! Maybe it's just the dress? (Probably not...) 

How big is baby? Coconut sized!! (but she's actually 6lb 1oz!! and in the 50% percentile)

Total weight gain/loss: 2lbs at my last appointment! (not bad since it had been two weeks!)

Maternity clothes? YEP! Although when I'm home, I live in non maternity tank tops (Old Navy is my preferred tank because the arm pits are lower and Targets rub me the wrong way) and maternity shorts - which is kind of funny (and gross?) because I own one pair. And the ONE day I have to live without them because they're in the washer is miserable for all parties involved. 

Sleep: Meh. Still up 7-8 times a night to pee.

Best moment this week: I got to see little miss on an ultrasound! I'm not a huge fan of these things since there's been research that they aren't good for little ears, BUT we discovered that this kid has HAIR! WHAT!? This is foreign to me since I spent the first solid 4 years of my life without hair, but Kyle had hair so I guess she's taking after him. She is also "weighing" in at 6lbs 1oz! That's crazy to me since we still have a month to go. I was 6.5 and Ky was 6.14. When I told my midwife how big Kyle was (and that he was a twin) she was amazed! Apparently that doesn't happen very often! Big guy! :) The weight estimates can be off by about 2lbs, so we're looking at a 6-10lb baby if she goes until her due date. I secretly hope she's 10 lbs just so I can say she's I gave birth to a 10lb baby, BUT I also hope she's on the littler side since she has so many newborn clothing (thank you baby showers and mom!) 

Movement: Extremely predictable. She moves at the same time every day for the most part. Occasionally she'll throw me for a loop, but for the most part, she's consistent. She was NOT a fan of the fireworks on the 4th of July. She jumped (literally was startled) at every big boom. HILARIOUS! But I'm sure she was terrified in there. Just wait until next year my love - we'll have you lighting them off! (at 11ish months). Go ahead and judge us on our parenting ;) 

Food cravings: Not really craving anything this week, but I've eaten my weight in rice. It's always been a favorite of mine, but I've been off it for about 8 months. Now I remember how much I love it! DELICIOUS!! 

Food aversions: Nada surprisingly enough!

Gender: It was confirmed that she's still a girl!! 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks like CRAZY for the past two weeks. I had Kyle feel my stomach for the first time during one and he was surprised at how hard it got. He said "it was already hard because there's no more room left in there! I didn't know it could get harder!" Surprise! It's getting real!! 

Pregnancy symptoms: Paranoia that I'm going to die during labor! And I'm having hardcore, intense dreams. I've woken up in sheer panic three nights in a row, and then I don't want to go back to sleep. Thankfully I get up to pee and then snuggle up next to Kyle, tell him I had a bad dream, and welcome the snuggles as I fall back asleep. I've also had this wonderful symptom of lightning crotch! She is giving my sciatic nerve a noogie and it makes my legs SUPER sensitive. Macy will bring me a toy to play with her and she'll put it on my leg and I'll scream. I do NOT like it. Obviously. Other than that, that's my only complaint about pregnancy this week! I've been beyond blessed with an amazing pregnancy, but I'm sure labor will be a shit show. (Ha, ha, ha?)

Belly button in or out? IN! I'm not sure it's going to stay in though (but we only have 4 weeksish left!). Hopefully the residual shingles pain isn't as bad as the nerve sensitivity I'm having in my legs. If it is... then... well, ouch. There's nothing I can do either way

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. Having energy to do things around the house. Not needing to snack every 30 seconds! 

Upcoming appointments/events: I have another ultrasound appointment next Thursday (so the results from said appointment will show up in week 37's post) because my fluid was measuring low (which is scary, but I'm sure it's fine because it's constantly changing.) Soo I have that to obsess over for the next week. My midwife told me to take it easy and rest more. She clearly is not aware of the condition of my baseboards. ;)

What I am looking forward to: Having my fluid checked again. I'm ready to not be such a worry wart about it. 

Milestones: We officially have 4 weeks to go! That's insane. And even if we go past our due date, she will absolutely be here in less than 6 weeks. 

Week 34

Let me preface this by saying that I clearly am not on my A game since this is coming 4 days late. MY BAD! What's even worse is that I didn't update it periodically throughout the week, so my memories might be a tad hazy... My apologies. Emmy, I still love you even though this weeks post will be questionable. You have been warned!

How far along? 34 weeks and 5 days! 

How big is baby? The size of a butternut squash.

Total weight gain/loss: 1lb since my last visit! You bet your bottom I celebrated with Popeyes and it was GLORIOUS!!

Maternity clothes? Duh.

Sleep: ROUGH! I miss sleep. I miss being comfortable. I just want to be able to sleep on my stomach! MY nights are so rough that I end up passing out for a nap almost the minute I get home EVERY SINGLE DAY! And I wake up when Kyle walks through the door, which is okay when he gets home around 430 - not okay when he gets home at 6. Huge night time sleep issues! It's a vicious cycle. 

Best moment this week: My baby shower!! 

Movement: Still not as frequent as before, but she's still in there (I would remember if she came out already... right!?) Sometimes I'll get a little nervous because I haven't felt her in a while, but then she'll start swinging in full force to let me know she's okay in there. 

Food cravings: Popeyes. Bananas and grapes. Pretty much it!

Food aversions: Nada. 

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Nothing this week!

Pregnancy symptoms: I need EVERYTHING to be clean. EVERYTHING

Belly button in or out? Still in :)

What I miss: Sleeping at night, being able to be a passenger in a car without hating the driver, having energy, not being so tired all of the time, my to do list not being so long... 

What I am looking forward to: Ultrasound appointment this week! They say it's to check to make sure everything is on track yada, yada, yada, but I think it's just a good excuse to get a good peak at Miss Emmy Kate. We didn't do the 4D ultrasound because that's just creepy to us. We can wait until she gets here to bask in the glory of her (eventual) adorableness. :) Newborns are weird looking. Even though I love her more than anything (Sorry Coop and Blankey) she's proooobably going to look weird. Just saying. 

Upcoming appointments/events: the 8th! Ultrasound. Please see above comments.

Milestones: Kyle survived another week, and I completed two seasons of Desperate Housewives. Ain't no thang. :) And I've officially started on Emerson's nursery - like the decorating pieces. I'm in LOVE!