39 Weeks 5 Days

How Far Along: 39 Weeks 5 Days (2 days until due date)

Size of baby:  over 20 inches long and weighs 7 pounds (a mini watermelon)

Gender: Girl - Emma

Maternity Clothes: Yes, I like to switch to pajamas or "casual wear" as soon as I get home, though, since it's much more comfortable.
Weight gain: + 20 pounds (No weight gain or loss this week.)

Movement: Emma is slowly moving around; she's running out of room!
Symptoms: less cramping. tired then bursts of energy. appetite.
Sleep: sleeping much better.
 What I miss: not too much. the end of the pregnancy quickly approaches.
Cravings: not much. increased appetite, so eating whatever's in front of me.
Best moment this week:  Good doctor's visit. Lazy weekend.
What I am looking forward to: Emma's arrival - when is it going to happen?
Doctor's appointment recap: Blood pressure: good (didn't get numbers). Urine: good. No weight gain. The cervical check was uncomfortable but found out that I am 2 cms dilated, 50 % effaced, and - 2 station. Emma still has a ways to go, and she hasn't dropped yet. The doctor did ask if I wanted to be induced, and I told him no - he mentioned the chances of c-section increases and I'm feeling pretty goodso I figured that I could wait it out another week. I did say that we can discuss induction if she hasn't arrived by this Friday's appt on 2/10. I also am having a NST, which is a fetal non-stress test, to see how well Emma is coping in utero.

The Balloon

This balloon has been around since our baby shower in early December; Greg and I have joked about it, saying that Emma's not going to arrive until it deflates. Let's hope that's not true because, while it has deflated a little, it's still floating and this Mama has about run out of patience, waiting on Emma's arrival. I'm about to encourage the deflation process along by sticking a straight pin through it ...

Greg and I have had the house prepared for weeks, waiting on our bundle of joy to arrive. Here are some pictures from around the house that has Emma's presence already in it:

Our office/workout room has turned into a play/workout room: we have the treadmill and rowing machine to the left of the door and Emma's half is on the right. The playpen, bouncer, and activity mat are in here for easy access. (The desk has now moved upstairs to a guest bedroom.) I love this set up; Greg and I are still looking for a cute toy chest, but it's not a top priority.

The living room has Emma's swing in it:

Emma's room with a few additions:

38 Weeks 6 Days

How Far Along: 38 Weeks 6 Days (1 week 1 day until due date)

Size of baby:  over 20 inches long and weighs 7 pounds (a mini watermelon)

Gender: Girl - Emma

Maternity Clothes: I've packed my hospital bag so my clothes are even more limited!
Weight gain: + 20 pounds (Yes, I lost a pound last week; must have worn lighter clothing at the weigh in.)

Movement: Emma is still constantly moving around; she's a bundle of energy.
Symptoms: more cramping (false labor per doctor), going to the restroom constantly, appetite, tired.
Sleep: sleeping okay; there are a few nights that I haven't slept well and that makes the next day miserable!
 What I miss: bending over without hurting.
Cravings: hot chocolate - it's been a bit too hot for that.
Best moment this week:  Good doctor's visit. Enjoyed being outside and doing some yardwork, although I did pay the price of picking weeks - my legs are so sore!
What I am looking forward to: A cervical check on Friday, going to Provino's this weekend to eat the eggplant parmesan, which is supposed to help jumpstart labor ... we shall see!
Doctor's appointment recap: Blood pressure: good (didn't get numbers). Urine: good. Weight gain: - 1 pounds (yay!) No cervical check this visit but the doctor said that they will do one this friday (39 weeks 2 days). The doctor that I will see this Friday is my regular OB doctor; we haven't seen him since my first appointment in June.  

37 Weeks 3 Days

How Far Along: 37 Weeks 3 Days (2 weeks 4 days until due date)

Size of baby:  over 19 inches long and weighs 6 1/3 pounds (a stalk of a Swiss chard)

Gender: Girl - Emma

Maternity Clothes: Yes; I'm looking forward to wearing normal clothes again.
Weight gain: + 21 pounds (Emma must have had a growth spurt - 3 lbs in one week! I'm cutting down on calories this week.)

Movement: Emma has been making slower movements down south; I feel her playing with some of my nerves down there and it feels like she is LOW.
Symptoms: some cramping and back pain, bursts of energy then laziness, uncomfortable when sitting/standing for extended periods, increased appetite.
Sleep: still sleeping well; I usually pass out with no dreams during the night. Maybe up once in the early A.M.
 What I miss: wearing winter sweaters, although it's been a mild winter.
Cravings: hungry all the time. I'm craving anything & everything it seems.
Best moment this week:  Good doctor's visit, except for the weight gain. Walked around the neighborhood on Saturday, including hills - I've become slow. Emma moved further south, away from my ribs, which allowed me to breath more easily.
What I am looking forward to: Enjoying the last few days/weeks of being a family of two. Greg and I are excited about finally meeting Emma shortly!
Doctor's appointment recap: Blood pressure: 116/54. Urine: good. Weight gain: 3 pounds. I told the doc that I think Emma had dropped since I felt less pressure in my ribcage; she measured and said that the fundal height was same measurement as last week (37) so that could mean that she dropped and had growth spurt. No cervical check this week and it seems like not much has happened so Emma will probably be here through this week. My next doctor's appointment is this Friday.

36 Weeks 5 Days

Didn't realize that I'm wearing the same outfit from last week ... oh well!

How Far Along: 36 Weeks 5 Days (3 weeks 2 days until due date)

Size of baby:  over 18.5 inches long and weighs almost 6 pounds (a crenshaw melon)

Gender: Girl - Emma

Maternity Clothes: Yes, all maternity but I'm running out of options!

Weight gain: + 18 pounds (official measurement from Thursday's visit with the doctor)
Movement: Emma has been very active this week; I can feel her movement (stretching, mostly) almost every hour.
Symptoms: minimal cramping (braxton hicks?). tired in the afternoons. uncomfortable if I sit or stand for an extended period. increased appetite.
Sleep: Sleeping great! Greg has his ear plugs in so he's been sleeping better too. I'm up maybe once a night, around 3:30 to use the restroom.
 What I miss: Being able to bend over. medium-cooked steak.
Cravings: random cravings but still enjoy chocolate and citrus. I want to eat constantly; it reminds me of the first trimester.
Best moment this week:  Good visit with the doctor. 

What I am looking forward to: Packing the hospital bag for myself and Emma.
Doctor's appointment recap: No weight gain from last week. Urine was good. Blood pressure: 116/64. I'm negative for the Group B Strep test which means no antibiotics during labor. Emma's measuring right on track. Next appointment is Friday, January 20. The doctor mentioned maybe doing a cervical check; this is a different doctor than last week who said no cervical checks so we shall see.

35 Weeks 4 Days

How Far Along: 35 Weeks 4 Days (4 weeks 3 days until due date)

Size of baby:  over 18 inches long and weighs 5.25 pounds (honeydew melon)

Gender: Girl - Emma

Maternity Clothes: Yes, all maternity.

Weight gain: + 18 pounds (official measurement from Thursday's visit with the doctor)

Movement: Emma's still very active. She tends to move on a 3 - 4 hour cycle. I thought that she had flipped earlier this week, with her head up, but she was heads down at the appointment.

Symptoms: uncomfortable. energy level goes up & down. some back pain.
Sleep: Sleeping well. Maybe have to get up once a night. I'm so tired when I get to bed, that I tend to pass out.

 What I miss: All the sweaters that I could be wearing this winter, a small prices to pay!

Cravings: chocolate and citrus.

Best moment this week:  Good visit with the doctor. 

What I am looking forward to: The excitement of not knowing when labor's going to start.

Doctor's appointment recap: Gained two pounds from last visit two weeks ago. Urine was good. Blood pressure: 98/60. Group B Strep test went well; results will come in this week. Emma's measuring right on track. (I did develop a common ailment this week; I'm one of the lucky one's and it's not painful ... yet. Nothing to be done for it and it should go away after birth.) I can't believe that I'm going to the doctor weekly now. Next appointment is Friday, January 13. I did find out that they won't be doing a weekly cervical check like I thought, which is fine.

34 Weeks 5 Days

How Far Along: 34 Weeks 5 Days (5 weeks 2 days until due date)

Size of baby: 18 inches long and weighs 4.75 pounds (like the size of a cantaloupe)

Gender: Girl - Emma

Maternity Clothes:Yes.

Weight gain: + 17 pounds

Movement: Emma is very active throughout the day. Since Greg and I were both off for a week, he was able to feel her move constantly throughout the day. Emma likes to kick my ribs and mess with the pelvic bone. One of her feet normally rests right above my belly button. I've felt hiccups a few times this week, but not on a daily basis.
Sleep: I'm waking up a few times at night, mostly because of being uncomfortable. I start out sleeping on my left side, then end up rolling to my back. (Snoring during pregnancy is out of control.)

Symptoms: Slow to get up. Acid reflux. Increased appetite. 

 What I miss: It's been hard not to help Greg move furniture around the house as we prepare for Emma but walking up the stairs at this point is starting to wear me out!

Cravings: Sweets. Loaded baked potato.

Best moment this week:Christmas time with family. Spending more than a week at home with Greg, like a mini-vacation! Purchasing the last items needed for Emma and prepping the house for Emma. (I'll post pictures later but the biggest change, besides the baby items around the house, is the office being moved to a guest bedroom upstairs. Now the office/workout room is now playroom/workout room.

What I am looking forward to: Doctor's visit on Thursday. I think that we are ready for Emma but she still needs to stay inside for at least a few more weeks.