FULL-TERM

37 weeks and officially full term!

So, basically, ready or not, here we go! Eliana can grace us with her presence anytime now and it would be considered completely acceptable and she'd be a regular-term baby, as opposed to pre-term if she were to come before 37 weeks. At our appointment with Dr. Reuss last week, he said to be prepared because she could honestly come anytime within the next four weeks. Well, the obvious thought is duh. Of course she'll be here within the next 4 weeks, give or take. However, when he said it, it became more real. Well, now we're down to 3 weeks. Even MORE real.

I still think she'll be early. We shall see. Dr. Reuss will check to see if I'm dilated on Thursday.

I've started to have more consistent contractions. While not near enough to be in labor, it's definitely made things settle in for JP. Christmas night I had quite a few. He panicked in the cutest and most excitedterrifiednervousanxiousbutadorable way as humanly possible. His response to the frequent contractions? We're selecting a pediatrician and packing our hospital bags tomorrow.

What did I do the next day?

Selected a pediatrician and packed our hospital bags.

Anyway, onto our sweet girl. She is of course full-term and therefore her itty bitty body is ready for the outside world. Her immune system will still be weak for the first couple of years. Meaning, I will ask every single person that wants to hold her to wash their hands first. I'm excited for everyone to meet our little bean, but I may or may not be a completely neurotic first time mom at first. Actually, who am I kidding?! I will definitely be crazy, let's be honest.

The books say she should weigh 6 1/3 pounds. At our anatomy scan on Thursday they estimated 6 pounds 6 ounces. She also has a complete head full of hair. This is exciting, obvi. They didn't estimate her length, but she should be at least 19 inches or so head to toe. They were able to catch a glimpse of her itty bitty rolls by her knees. Omg. So cute. Melt my heart!
 

How far along? 37 weeks - FULL TERM!

Baby's size? a winter melon

Total weight gain:  28 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep: Not working has provided me with more time to sleep, which has of course been amazing. Quality sleep, eh. I'm still working on this one.

Best moment(s) this past week: Christmas was amazing, but exhausting. We'll definitely be changing up our routine next year with a nearly one-year old in tow. While Ellie's kidneys aren't 100% perfect, knowing that she will be fine and won't have any issues upon birth is a huge relief and certainly qualifies as a best moment this past week. You can read about this update here.

Miss Anything?  The days when people didn't ask if I were having twins. While I certainly have quite the baby bump, I don't think it qualifies as that of a mama with twins.

Movement: All the time!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new.

Cravings: Nothing new. I gave into a whole lot of cravings this week. I fully expected to gain several pounds, but apparently not. I only gained .5 this week.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are definitely becoming more frequent, which is equivalent to JP's moments of excitement (read: panic).

Gender: GIRL!

Symptoms:  The heartburn and leg cramps/Charlie horses have somewhat subsided (knock on wood!). I'm just uncomfortable, particularly in the afternoons and at night when she's so active. She decides to curl up into a little ball on the ENTIRE right side of my stomach. It's fun. Especially when I'm trying to sleep.

Belly Button in or out? It's out and just enough so that people decide to make it their topic of conversation. Fun.

Wedding rings on or off? on :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to:  Spending New Years with friends - even if I am back home and sleeping by 1:00. :) Life has been so, so great and I can honestly say I've never been happier. At this rate, 2013 is guaranteed to be amazing! I'm of course looking forward to Baby Girl's big debut as well. I'm becoming more and more okay with the idea that she'll be here so soon (well, any day now really). I still think I'm really going to miss having her to myself and being pregnant, but the excitement of her joining our little family definitely outweighs the selfish, anxious, and nervous feelings.

the nursery is done

bags are packed

car seats have been installed

our pediatrician has been selected

birth plan is ready to go

books have been read

classes have been taken

Now...we play the waiting game.

37  weeks: Mama

37 weeks: Ellie

Ellie's Kidney Update

Last Thursday we went to our 3rd and final anatomy scan to monitor Ellie's kidneys. If you didn't catch part 1 of this story, you can find it here. Some of you may remember, but both kidneys have been measuring a little big, although technically still in the "normal range" for a baby. Regardless, we decided it was best to continue to monitor them.

Her right kidney no longer has any extra fluid - great news!

 

The left one got a tiny bit bigger again. On average, a baby's kidneys are around 4.5mm. Ellie's left kidney is measuring 6.9mm. While the last thing we wanted to hear was that it got a little bigger, the doctor isn't at all worried. In fact, since she's gotten so much bigger in the last 6 weeks, he said that he's not surprised. He also said the extra fluid is in the main part of her kidney, which is actually a good thing. I forget the technical term, but this means that there isn't any blockage! HALLELUJAH! Her kidney is simply on the larger end of normal. He doesn't become concerned until they reach 10mm. Although I know our OB, Dr. Reuss, prefers they stay under 8mm. We have an appointment with him on Thursday. I look forward to hearing what he has to say.

 

 The fact that it's now only one kidney is also great news. He said it's a good idea to let our pediatrician know about the kidney, but that's about it. We had already ruled out Down Syndrome, but we can rule it out even further since it's only the one kidney. 

 

There won't be any issues at birth. This was by far my biggest fear! I was SO worried that she'd need some sort of surgery in her first few days of life, which absolutely terrified me. However, that's certainly not the case. She'll be perfectly fine. He said that we'll most likely never have an issue with her kidney. Absolute worst case scenario is she could be prone to UTI's in the first year or two, however, he said even this is highly unlikely.

 

While we would have preferred both kidneys to have cleared up, this is the next best thing.

Thank you for keeping her in your prayers and please continue to do so.

 

We can't wait to meet this sweet, adorable, and healthy little girl! :)

 

Ta-Da!



It's one of those days.

 

Yep. That's about right.

36 weeks

36 weeks (and 1 day).

27 days to go.

Holy freaking Batman!

 

Ellie is close to 6 pounds if she isn't already and at least 18.5 inches long. The downy hair and vernix caseosa (cheesy like substance protecting her skin) is starting to disappear. Well, it's not technically disappearing. She swallows it and it will make its appearance in her first diaper surprise, known as meconium (think black sticky tar like poo). Most of the bones in her skull have hardened. She's just about ready folks. I'll be full term next weekend!

 

How far along? 36 weeks, 1 day (I spent yesterday lounging around, catching up on sleep, and wrapping presents. Therefore, I didn't dare change out of my pajamas or put on makeup. Hence, the day late post/photo.)

Baby's size? a honeydew

Total weight gain:  27.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep: This past week was by far the worst. I've pretty much given up. Luckily, I'm now on winter break. So, if I'm able to sleep in or take naps, you better believe I will take advantage of every second I can.

Best moment(s) this past week: Mhmm. I think the last couple of days at work have been extra great. I seriously love, love, love my school, my team, and my kids. While I'm so excited to take time off to be home with our little girl, I've finally reached a point in my career where I truly LOVE everything about my job. Each of the past 5 years have had their ups and downs - not always bad, but not always good either. It's officially just about always good now. I take that back, there was a "best moment!" We finally hired my long-term and I absolutely love her!! That was such a BIG weight lifted off my shoulders!

Miss Anything?  I've gone from sleeping on my belly, to simply sleeping. I know that's long gone for quite a while, but I certainly do miss it.

Movement:  She's still my crazy energizer bunny. I swear this girl keeps going..and going..and going. In fact, her being wide awake in the middle of the night is the main reason sleeping has been so awful this week. I just want a tiny liiiittle bit more time to enjoy my sleep. Come on, Baby Girl!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new.

Cravings: Nothing new.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions come and go. I get them once a day or so, usually at night.

Gender: GIRL!

Symptoms:  Several charlie horses every single night, no sleep, and daily heartburn. I'm 36 weeks. Sounds about right. 

Belly Button in or out? It's out and still stretching.

Wedding rings on or off? on :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to:  So many things. Life is good, friends. In no particular order:

Christmas Eve celebrations tonight
Christmas Day with family

Ultrasound on Thursday (to monitor/check on E's kidneys)

Two week winter break

Finishing up the last minute details for Baby Girl -- 3 things left to do, hallelujah!

(install carseats, pack hospital bag, and interview/select a pediatrician)



 

36  weeks: Mama

36 weeks: Ellie

The Pregnancy Stages

Throughout my pregnancy, I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Pregnant Chicken. The author is seriously hilarious. She once wrote this post about the stages of pregnancy. I wish I could take credit because it's pretty freaking accurate. However, she was the genius behind this post:

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The Stages of Pregnancy 



Stage 1: You just found out you're pregnant. You're excited (or horrified) and you can't believe you're going to be a mother. You may be scared to give birth and wonder how you're going to do it. Everywhere you look you see pregnant women. You're tired. Like really tired. Every pain and twinge you wonder if it's because you're pregnant. You wonder if people can tell that you're pregnant – sort of like when you wonder if people can tell if you're drunk (hopefully, you aren't wondering this at the same time).

Stage 2: You look fat but not pregnant. You can see people kind of looking at you wondering but it seems weird to blurt out "I'm pregnant!" You may or may not have told people by now. The people you've told ask you how you're feeling all the time. You may have bought a couple of maternity things that you think you can wear after the baby comes. You may be tired, sick, have sore boobs and have to pee constantly. It's a delicious luck of the draw.

Stage 3: You're really cute and could be an ad for a maternity store. Everyone can see that you're pregnant and congratulate you and tell you how wonderful you look. You feel great. Nothing hurts and you don't feel sick anymore. This stage usually lasts for about 27 minutes.

Stage 4: You're starting to find it hard to breathe and things are starting to swell. You're sick of people asking you if you know what you're having, when you're due and if you've decided on a name. You're tired of wearing the same maternity clothes but you don't want to buy new stuff because you're almost done. Shaving your legs, putting shoes and tending to your lady bits is becoming difficult.

Stage 5: You feel enormous and none of your maternity clothes fit. You want to crash through walls and shout "oh yeah!" like the KoolAid man. People keep saying "Haven't you had that baby yet?" You have a new appreciation for how difficult it is for the elderly and morbidly obese to get around and swear you're going to become an advocate for their rights once you catch your breath. You're no longer scared of birth you just want this kid out of you and if that means pulling it through your right nostril, so be it.

Stage 6: The baby is here. You want to burn your maternity clothes on the front lawn. You're no longer pregnant and you're looking forward to getting your body back, a full night's sleep and eating a nice, hot meal. Wait. What?

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All my pregnant momma friends, genius, right?

 

I'd say I'm smack dab in the middle of Stage 5. Although I haven't quite gotten to the "you're no longer scared of birth you just want the kid out of you" phase. I'm pretty sure I'm going to skip right over that one and onto stage 6, hopefully not anytime soon. Although I only have 29 days until her estimated due date! 

I have this HUGE fear that our sweet girl is going to arrive early. Technically, we're just about 100% physically ready for her. I'm just not quite ready for her to be my outside baby mentally.

THIRTY-FIVE

 35 weeks down. 35 days to go.

 

Our sweet Ellie Bean weighs over 5 1/4 pounds and is at least 18 inches long. She's big enough now (aka: has completely taken over my belly) that she isn't rolling around and doing somersaults anymore. Although I do see her body parts moving across my belly quite frequently.
Her kidneys are now fully developed. This is great, great news. While we hope this has enabled her to rid her kidneys of the extra fluid, it would also be okay for them to remain their current size. We just don't want them increasing. Her liver can process waste (read: poo). She's pretty much done developing physically, other than continuing to fill out in the weight department. Grow Baby, grow! :)
 

How far along? 35 weeks

Baby's size? a coconut

Total weight gain: 27 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep: Eh. I still wake up a lot. I toss and turn. I pee way more often than any human being should. However, it is what it is. It's not AWFUL. Speaking of sleeping, we have rearranged our room to accommodate Ellie's sleeping quarters. She'll sleep in a Rock n' Play next to our bed for the first couple of months.

Best moment(s) this past week: This weekend was the best! I celebrated my best friend's birthday Friday night. We looked at a couple of houses. I completely finished Christmas shopping. We went to two Christmas parties. It was an all around amazing weekend.

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my belly. Oh, and WINE, especially during the holiday season!

Movement: ALL the time. At dinner on Friday my friends were so fascinated by Ellie's hiccups. It was super cute. That was about all we were able to get our of her though. I swear, she gets shy for everyone other than mama and daddy. It's impossible to explain to someone that has never been pregnant. I can't wait for all these girls to have babies so they can feel what I feel - my little alien baby!

Cutest story ever.

Ellie is typically wide awake from 5-10pm. While she may take little power naps, it seems like she literally doesn't sleep during this time. On Tuesday my kids had their winter program performance during her prime time - 7pm. Not only was she freaking out during all the singing, she put on her own little performance on the way home. I had my hand on my belly as I was driving. She kicked my hand, nothing new. I moved it to another part of my belly. A few seconds later, she kicked it again! At first I thought it was coincidence. Nope. We continued to play this game back and forth for a few minutes. Everywhere I placed my hand, she'd kick it. It was soo cute. I couldn't stop laughing and crying at the same time. It couldn't have possibly been coincidence with the frequency.
 I really wish JP had been in the car with me to witness our sweet girl's game.

Yep. I played patty-cake with my daughter's feet while in the womb. A-mazing.

 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new.

Cravings: Nothing in particular. I've been back on my cereal kick though.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions come and go. I feel like I get them a little bit more frequently now.

Gender: GIRL!

Symptoms: Leg cramps, peeing, and my new favorite - heart burn. I've gotten it occasionally over the past month or two. However, I feel like I get it almost daily now. It's really annoying. Honestly though, I still love being pregnant, annoying symptoms and all. A lot of women start struggling around this time and I'm perfectly content with my little bean staying inside. Yes, I can't wait to meet her, snuggle, and kiss her all over. However, I'm not ready for her to make her big debut.

Belly Button in or out? It's streeeetching big time. It's beginning to look more and more nonexistent in my opinion.

Wedding rings on or off? on :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and emotional. Things make me cry. Happy things, sad things, you name it. I'm just emotional.

Looking forward to: Lots of things. It's going to be a great week at work (celebrations, field trip, Secret Santa, early release Friday...). The two week winter break that begins at approximately 12:15 Friday afternoon. Yes, definitely looking forward to this and Christmas of course! :)
 

35 weeks: Mama

 Definitely not my favorite picture ever. Bipolar AZ weather = yoga pants and sweaters.
I feel like I officially have the large and in-charge look going on. Fabulous.
 

35 weeks: Ellie

34 weeks

Our sweet girl is 34 weeks!

6 more weeks to go.

42 days.
(Actually, I'm late on this post. So, less than 6 weeks OR 41 days to go.)

Craazy.

According to the books, Ellie weighs close to 5 pounds and is approximately 18 inches long. She's becoming rounder and more plump (read: fat - good baby fat :). Her skin is super smooth. I don't know about you, but I looove me some soft yummy smelling baby skin!

Her nervous system and lungs continue to develop and they're becoming more and more ready for the outside world. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks typically do a short stay in the NICU, but are generally fine without any health issues. Good to know, although we definitely expect this little bean to stay put for at least 3 more weeks. Holy Batman! I only have 3 more weeks to go until I'm full-term! Finally, she will likely "drop" soon. I'm not sure that I'll notice the difference. They say you can feel it and some may even be able to tell by looking at me. We shall see!
 

How far along? 34 weeks (and 1 day)

Baby's size? a butternut squash (or large cantaloupe)

Total weight gain: 26 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep: I miss this so-called sleep thing. I get at least 7 hours each night, but it doesn't feel like quality sleep. I lose count of how many times I wake up throughout the night. Getting in and out of bed gets harder and harder each night. It takes more energy and consciousness. So, by the time I'm back in bed, it takes me twice as long to fall back asleep.

Best moment(s) this past week: This last week may have been the busiest I've had in I don't even know how long. Busy, but great! My favorite part was spending Saturday with my mom. We spent the entire day shopping AND I finished buying just about every last thing we need for Ellie. If she were to come tonight (and with any potential preterm complications aside), we'd technically be ready. My husband also brought home a beautiful bouquet of white roses tonight. Points! :) 

Miss Anything? Coach House during the Christmas season. We stopped by Saturday night after dinner with friends, hoping it wouldn't be too busy before 9:00. We were wrong. Next year I suppose. :)

Movement: ALL the time. I can't help but wonder how big this girl is now. I know the books say close to 5 pounds. I'm thinking more like at least 5. The movements are just SO intense and visible. I've captured some good video footage that I can't wait to show her someday. We have another detailed scan on the 27th just to follow up on her kidneys. I'm excited to see how much she's grown!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really. Still not fond of meat for the most part. Although I have noticed that I get full rather quickly. My stomach is apparently running out of room.

Cravings: My drink-a-coke-to-cure-a-headache trend has turned into a craving I think. We go out to dinner and I find myself ordering a coke - sans the headache. I don't do this often for the simple caffeine factor. However, it's definitely super strange. I've never been a soda drinker, other than with a little Jack. :) Even then, I always drank diet. Now, I want REAL Coke?! Strange.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions come and go.

Gender: GIRL!

Symptoms: The leg cramping and peeing are out. of. control. folks. Lower back/upper butt cramps are also lame sauce. 

Belly Button in or out? It's out on the inside, but stretching. I still think it's going to completely disappear.

Wedding rings on or off? on :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, especially now that the nursery is almost complete!

Looking forward to: Although it's basically done, I can't wait for the nursery to be 100% complete (minus the paint of course - we're waiting until we move for that step). We're still waiting for the glider that we special ordered from Buy Buy Baby. I believe it should be here by the end of December. I need to order a pink rug and a few prints for the wall frames from Etsy stat. I'm also excited to see all my little kiddos perform in their winter show tomorrow night. :)
 

34 weeks: Mama

 

34 weeks: Ellie

 

33 Weeks! Guess what!

I get to have a baby NEXT month.
How crazy is that?!

Baby Girl is 33 weeks and feeling the LOVE.

 

My mom and mother-in-law hosted my baby shower today and oh. my. gosh. I feel SO blessed. There are so many people that love this sweet girl so much already. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such a wonderful family and group of friends. More details and pictures to come!

 

Eliana definitely weighs more than 4 pounds and she's more than 17 inches long from head to toe. As she continues to gain lb.'s, her skin becomes less and less wrinkled and red. The bones in her body continue to harden. However, the bones in her skull still aren't completely formed together. No, it's not because she's supposed to look like an alien. This will allow her bones to overlap as they squeeze through the birth canal. In fact, most babies are born with a cone like head that goes away after a few days for this exact reason. That's about it folks. Ellie continues to gain adorable little ounces of baby fat. The final countdown is going real, real fast. She's going to be here before we know it!

Really quick - I learned a couple of fascinating facts today. Babies are born with 300 bones. While our bodies have 206, since there are so many bones that aren't fused together while in the womb, a baby is technically born with 300. They're also born without knee caps. Interesting, huh?

How far along? 33 weeks!

Baby's size? a durian fruit - don't ask me what this is!

Total weight gain: 25 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep: Sleep. What's that? My dreams have also been out of this world. JP has been the witness to this craziness!

Best moment(s) this past week: The NESTING phase has not only hit me like a ton of bricks, but my sweet, sweet husband has definitely entered his own little nesting phase. He's cleaned out, donated, and organized so many closets, drawers, and shelves this past week, it's cuh-razy! He's been so helpful and I absolutely love him for it. All of these instances definitely qualify as a "best moment." However, my baby shower today tops the list hands down.

Miss Anything? There honestly isn't anything new. Sushi. Being comfy. My wardrobe. Laying on my stomach. Wine. I'm definitely not complaining, but I have no need to add new things to the list. These are the things I've been more than willing to give up for the health of our little babe, but I will certainly be glad when they're all once again present in my life. :)

Movement: All the time. :) The movement has really started to change over the past week. While I've been feeling jabs, pokes, and kicks for well over 10 weeks, they've become much more intense. She's running out of room in there, so instead of a swift kick, I feel her entire body parts moving across my belly. It's an indescribable feeling and even crazier to see. My stomach almost flips upside down - very butterfly like feeling. It's very evident that I have a large little human in there.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really. Still not fond of meat for the most part.

Cravings: I've been on a banana kick lately, but I'm not sure I'd call it a craving.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions come and go.

Gender: GIRL!

Symptoms: Waking up frequently and early each morning. My body is definitely preparing for the sleepless nights to come! I've been getting more and more leg and foot cramps. They wake me up in the middle of the night and I have to walk around to make them go away.

Belly Button in or out? It's definitely out, but I think it's stretching. I'm pretty sure it's going to somewhat disappear in the next week or two.

Wedding rings on or off? on :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Super happy!

Looking forward to: This week! It may or may not be the busiest week of my life, I look forward to each day. I'm excited to pick up the last of the items we need and to also finish the nursery next weekend as well. Ohh...and winter break in 3 weeks!!!
 

33 weeks: Mama

 

33 weeks: Ellie