38 Weeks! WOW!

About 14 days to go! I don't even have words to describe how freakishly excited I am right now. Adam and I cannot wait to meet our baby boy. I had a wonderful appointment at the doctor's office today. I have progressed well and am now 3 cm dilated and still 50% effaced. There is really no way of telling when the baby will arrive, but there is a chance he could be here any day with that kind of progress. Then again, he could also be late. Gotta love the guessing game! The midwife I saw today measured my fundal height and was a little concerned I was measuring on the small side so she ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound came back perfect. Baby D's head is just lodged down so far in my pelvis that it was causing the measurement to be off. It was great to "see" him again and a nice surprise for the morning. He looks very healthy and happy! He was being shy and I didn't get to see his face, but I did see one full head of hair! His weight is estimated right now at about 7 pounds, so if I go full term looks like Adam and I might have an 8 pounder on our hands. I already know he's going to have some very squeezable and kissable cheeks. :) 

Nothing else to report. Adam and I hope our little dude makes his appearance soon. We are totally ready for him. I even have my hospital bags packed and practiced using Sykpe with my mom for the first time this week so my parents will have a way to "meet" their grandson right away since they won't show up until 5-7 days after his arrival (stupid living in Florida).

And now for my weekly picture. I had to put a comparison from 36 weeks since I am wearing the same shirt. I was really flabbergasted by the difference in the photos when I looked this morning. It's unreal. What's even stranger is that my weight is the EXACT same as it was two weeks ago. I guess Baby D is just making his way out and is finding new ways to adjust himself in there.... 

36 weeks

38 weeks! What happened!?

Full-term!

An old friend of mine just had a precious baby boy about a month ago. She also kept a baby blog that I followed religiously throughout her pregnancy. She had a really neat style that she blogged in, so I'm going to shamelessly steal the format for this week's post. :)
How far along? I am officially considered full-term this week, even though it'll probably be about 3 more weeks until Baby D makes his appearance. I honestly cannot believe I'm already 37 weeks pregnant! 

Baby is the size of: Baby is about 6 1/2 lbs and probably around 19 inches. How the heck am I supposed to make room for more baby in the coming weeks!?!

Maternity Clothes? Yup...unless you count Adam's t-shirts that I sport around the house. :) 

Stretch Marks? I am still stretch-mark free. Crossing fingers and toes my skin holds out a few more weeks. I'd like to thank my stretch-mark free skin to good lotion and good genes! Thanks mom! 

Sleep? I really haven't had any complaints about much during this pregnancy. I've been very, very fortunate. But sleep really has become my worst nightmare. I'm up using the bathroom every 60-90 minutes, I'm so tired at night but get such restless/uncomfortable legs it takes forever to fall asleep, and I'm regularly waking up around 3:30 and just not going back to sleep. A friend of mine said it's just Mother Nature's way of getting me ready for no sleep when Baby D arrives. 

Movement? Little guy is snug in my belly, but he's rolling around a lot. He likes to lodge his butt right up in my ribs and I get a huge lump there. It's pretty funny looking. 

Cravings? Not so much. I've had a sweet tooth for the majority of this pregnancy. Eating my soy ice cream right now is not so much of a craving as it is my right as a pregnant lady. :) 

Gender? It's still a boy....I hope! In just a few weeks we will finally reveal the name of our little dude!

Belly Button In or Out? This thing is in and I can still stick some finger in it! I think I'm going to make it!

What I miss: I really don't miss too much. I've had such an easy pregnancy that I feel silly complaining. I guess what I miss the most is hard, good work-outs. I miss the burn. 45 minutes just going along on the elliptical is not the most fun in the world. I cannot wait to hit the gym hard again post baby. Oh yeah, and I would be remiss not to mention wine. I miss wine. Mmmmm....wine. 

Symptoms: Besides a big belly? None really. I had one night so far of mild cankles, but that's about it.   I definitely am noticing a increase in my Braxton Hicks contractions. I don't mind them, though. It's just my body showing me it is gearing up for go time. 

Best moment of the week? Another successful doctor's appointment this morning! Same dilation and effacement as last week, baby is still snug and head down, and I got to hear our little guy's heartbeat again. We also got all of our final baby "stuff" in the mail this week. It's so amazing to see all the stuff we have for our son. He is one lucky little baby! I realized as I was doing laundry yesterday that I may have gone overboard in the amount of receiving blankets/swaddles I've purchased. Oh well! :) 

What I am looking forward to: I'm totally looking forward to my labor and delivery. It's going to be such a special experience and I cannot wait for Adam and I to meet the newest addition to our family. 

37 Weeks!! 

Less than 30 Days!!!

I had a great appointment today at the doctor's office. I saw one of the office midwives and she is my favorite person to have an appointment with. She spent about 25 minutes with me which is practically unheard of in the OB world. She did an internal exam and she was surprised to feel that our little guy is lodged head down real far into my pelvis. She said he is nice and comfy there and won't be moving out of position at this point! My chances for a vaginal delivery are looking stellar. What was even more of a surprise this morning was that at 36 weeks I am already 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. The dilation part doesn't mean too, too much yet, but the effacement is really great. The midwife said I'm ahead of the game and there is a chance this little guy could come before his due date, but there is still really no telling (he'll ultimately decide when he's ready to come into the world). It's a great sign my body is progressing like this on its own, though. I would be thrilled if he showed up a week or so early. It's still likely that he will come on his due date or later, but as of now she's really happy with my progress. Next week I'm considered "full term," so pretty much anytime after that we'd be happy with. Probably now that I'm thinking he'll come early, he'll be the baby that shows up 10 days late. :) Regardless of when he shows up, I've come to the conclusion that I'm a lean, mean, baby baking machine! 


We also talked about my vegan diet at my appointment this morning which hasn't been brought up much during my pregnancy. She told me that at my last ultrasound he measured in the 53 percentile in terms of weight/size. He is right where he needs to be size-wise, which means I've been getting plenty of protein for him. I'm so thankful that I have had such a supportive OB practice during my pregnancy. I was very worried in the beginning that doctors/midwives would not agree with my diet and try and get me to chance it. I feel proud of myself that I have been able to prove to myself and others that being a vegan during pregnancy is healthy and safe. I still like to attribute having such a happy and healthy pregnancy to my activity level and my diet. Don't know how true it is, but I'm going with it anyway. 

Definitely nothing to complain about today! Happy and healthy! We are so ready to meet our little man. 

36 Weeks

Lots of Things Baby!

I didn't have the chance to do my normal weekly post last week because life has been quite the whirlwind since Thursday. On Thursday, I celebrated my 35th week of pregnancy and it was BABY SHOWER weekend! My mother and grandmother flew in on Thursday evening for the weekend. During the day on Friday, the three of us went on a tour of downtown DC and had a lovely lunch in the city at one of my favorite restaurants. That afternoon I went back to the airport to pick up one of my dearest friends, Jesse. I haven't seen Jesse in about 1 1/2 years (she lives in Vermont), but she flew down for the baby shower. It was so amazing to see her again and have her here to share such a special day.

Saturday was the big day! Two of my best friends, Jen and Christine, threw my baby shower. They both went above and beyond and put together the most beautiful shower ever. All the decorations were homemade, there was an amazing spread of vegan food, and the main shower activity was so much fun! Everyone at the shower was given a plain white onesie, and everyone decorated one for Baby D. The final products were fantastic. The time and love that Jen and Christine put into my shower was completely overwhelming to me. I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life. Also, to have so many of my family and friends around from near and far to celebrate was truly the greatest thing ever. It warms my heart to see how excited everyone is for Adam and me. I cannot thank everyone enough for such a special day.

On Sunday, my mom took a few maternity style photos for Adam and me. A lot of people get professional photos done during pregnancy. Adam and I opted not to, so it was nice of my mom to take a few pictures so we can document such a special time in our lives.

It truly was a great weekend and after our shower Baby D has pretty much everything he needs! Adam and I only have a couple last minute things to get. All I know is that this is going to be one spoiled rotten baby!

Will post again Thursday. In the meantime, here are some picture of the special weekend! 

Amazing diaper cake made by Christine

Some of the finished onesies

More onesies! 

Jen made Baby D the most amazing blanket in the world! 

Some of the most amazing women I know! 

Soon-to-be Great Grandma and Soon-to-be Oma! 

Yup, I'm pregnant. No denying it. 

Adam is already glowing as a father! 

35 week photo taken Thursday morning

There's a baby in there!!! 

Great Baby Week!

Another week down, means another week closer to our little guy's arrival! I cannot believe he will be here NEXT MONTH! Adam and I will be parents NEXT MONTH! AHHHH!!! We are just so incredibly excited to meet him.

Last night we had the second half of our Lamaze/natural birthing class with a local doula. Another great session! We continued to work on breathing techniques, labor positions, how long to stay at home before we go to the hospital to help avoid any medical interventions,  and we even practiced different delivery positions. Everything feels so much more real now, but I truly feel confident in my ability to have a positive, natural birthing experience. Adam is a great coach too! He and I have been working on my breathing every day for the past week, and this week we'll start working on breathing in the different laboring positions. We have a birthing ball (just a basic exercise ball) coming in the mail this week which we will try to use through a lot of my labor. Our goal when I begin to go into labor will be to stay at home until my contractions are about 3-4 minutes apart. I hope our little guy cooperates (because you never know what could happen) and that Adam and I have the strength and mindset to get through this labor without any medicine/intervention. At the end of the day, though, the most important thing is that our son is safe and healthy, so we will do whatever is in his best interest.

This week Adam and I also picked our pediatrician, so that is another thing to check off the list. We found a great practice through a referral and we our happy with the doctor. We had a 30 minute meeting with him this week. He's given us our vaccination and appointment schedule for the next three years! I LOVE a planner! His practice is also affiliated with the hospital I'll be delivering at, so one of the doctors will come to the hospital the morning after our son is born for his first check-up which is super awesome. Adam and I have a tour scheduled on Sunday of our hospital's Maternity Center. It has recently been renovated and it supposedly one of the top maternity centers in the DC metro area.

This morning I had my 34 week check-up and everything still looks fantastic. Baby D had a nice strong heartbeat and appears to be head down still. Good boy! My weight gain and blood pressure are great. I go back at 36 weeks and then weekly until Baby D's birth.

I can tell Baby D is starting to run out of room in my belly. The movements really make it look like an alien is going to pop out of my stomach at any minute. No matter how much it keeps me awake or how uncomfortable it can be at times, I wouldn't change anything for the world. I already know I'll miss having him in my belly...NEXT MONTH!!!

34 Weeks!
Seems like there's more baby than mommy these days! :)