Almost time!

Dear Baby Girl,

It's almost time to meet you! One week to go! My doctor offered to induce me a week early, on February 16th, so providing you don't come before then, that will be the date of your arrival. I'm very excited to hold you and see who you look like. I'm excited for your brothers to meet you (especially Oliver, since he's been wanting a sister for quite some time). I've been working on your nursery a little at a time and I'm excited for it all to come together (hopefully by this coming Saturday). We're all pretty excited around here and can't wait for you to join us.

Love, Mom

37 weeks...and so ready to be done!

How far along: 37 Weeks (36.5 Weeks in these photos) 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 40 lbs. (Yikes!) 

Maternity clothes: I am so sick of them! I only have one pair of maternity jeans that fit (pictured here), a few shirts and a skirt or two. I feel extremely unattractive at this point. 

Stretch marks: So many.

Sleep: Sleeping a little better than I was but I still wake up once or twice to pee and I don't get nearly the amount of sleep my body needs (I usually get around 6 hours). Josh and Oliver get up around 6:00-6:30, which is way too early. 

Best moment last week: Two: 1. I had an ultra sound and was able to see your ribs moving up and down as you're practicing breathing. Pretty cool to see. 2. Your dad put together the bench part of the window seat for your room and drilled the top to it. I'm excited to put it in place and decorate it with pillows and things (as soon as the curtains are up). 

Movement: You move a lot.

Food cravings: Chocolate. Sweets. Sometimes bread. (The 40 lb. weight gain should come as no surprise.) 

Baby Stats: You are doing great. What started out as a long list of risks (Downs Syndrome, Preeclampsia, low fluids in the placenta, low birth weight, low pap-a...all due to my age and some my age combined with blood results) have now all been eliminated. I'm grateful for that. I still have to have two Non-Stress Tests a week since I was so high risk - just to make sure you're doing okay. This entails being monitored so the doctor can see how often you're moving. If you fall asleep during this process, we have to wait until you wake up to continue. It can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as an hour. They aren't my favorite, especially if I have to take Josh with me, but I am grateful you're being monitored and that you're doing well.

Symptoms: Ugh. Everything hurts - bending, walking up the stairs, carrying Josh, my tailbone when I walk, turning over in bed, strain on my legs / varicose veins, I get out of breath easily, I feel light-headed and dizzy often, I have Braxton Hicks contractions almost daily, I have to pee a lot, my back hurts, my hips fall asleep when I lay on them (so I wake up in the night a lot, to turn over) I have heartburn a lot (several times a day), I'm incredibly exhausted...I cope by taking a warm shower in the morning to relieve the back aches, a warm bath a night to do the same, I take TUMS for the heartburn, I try to sit down and rest for a few minutes at least once during the day (not easy with two active little boys) and lots of self-talk to get through each day. 

Labor signs: None that indicate true labor...just lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and lightning crotch (a casual term that refers to shooting/sharp pains in the area of the vagina/cervix/groin that come and go and hurt like heck, but only for a few seconds.) I only had BH contractions once with Josh and not at all with Oliver and didn't have lightning crotch with either of them but have had both very frequently with you. 

Belly button - in or out? Definitely out.

What I miss: My pre-pregnancy body. 

What I am looking forward to: Meeting you soon! (Hopefully sooner than later.)