thirty-seven

How far along? 37 WEEKS!!!
Sleep: sleep? what’s that again??  
Best moment this week: getting the basement ready for paint so the boys can move down there, getting the boys-room-turned-nursery ready for paint!
Movement: he has definite *sleep* and *full throttle* times… when he’s *active* it really hurts!!
Food cravings: food right now is simply for sustenance. it’s not enjoyable and most things cause either nausea or heartburn. yum.
Gender: boy, but I’m still a little nervous to trust the ultrasound 100% so I’m packing a *girl bag* to leave in the car :)
What I miss: a lot… being able to shop, walk without waddling, eat without heartburn, a nice roomy bladder… the list could go on!
What I am looking forward to: that moment when they hand us our baby… a brand new little person that no one but us has ever seen or held… taking in his sweet baby smell and softness…

As far as what I’ve done to get ready? Everything! The bags are packed, the nursery corner of our bedroom is stocked with diapers, wipes, blankets, onesies, socks, sleepers, etc. And I’ve been on a cleaning spree… spring cleaning the whole house top to bottom. Feels so good even though my joints ache & pop and my muscles scream at me… This baby’s coming home to a clean house!

From Baby-Gaga on week 37:

It’s the calm before the storm. Changes in your baby's weight have leveled off with only a few ounces of fat added this week. At this point your baby should weigh in at around 7 lbs and 20 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). Happily, as far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth. With a large boost of antibodies provided by breast milk when nursing begins. Fighting infection and staying healthy should be well within their physical capacity when your little fighter is born.

what’s your guess (giveaway!)

We’re down to the final stretch and I thought it would be fun to hear what you guys think this baby’s birth details will be…

Name?

Weight?

Time of Birth?

Just to help you along…

Name: As most of you know, we’re expecting a boy (although ultrasounds have been wrong too!) and a few of the names we like include surnames, such as Hudson, Carter, Emerson, Porter, etc. We like names that are not too common but definitely not way out there!

Weight: Buster was born 6 days early, weighing 7 lbs 5 oz and Noodle was 9 days early, weighing 7 lbs 10 oz. This one will be 4 days early. 

Time: The C-section is booked for 8 am on April 15. The actual birth can happen anytime in the next few hours, depending on whether there are other emergencies that may come up first.

The best part? Whoever guesses the closest with all 3 questions will get to pick out a free organic receiving blanket in your choice of color (sand, sky, blush, melon, spring, periwinkle or bark) from gogoBabyGear.com, a modern shopping site for all things baby and it totally rocks!

So tell me… what’s your guess?

stress, strain & surliness

I’ve been MIA. I get it. But honestly the last couple of weeks have been less than stellar, temperament-wise, and you were all better off not hearing from me. Cross my heart. Between hip pain, heartburn, random contractions, surging hormones & sprained ankle issues, let’s just say I wasn’t the sweetest mom on the block!

Today was a good day; I was upbeat & didn’t yell at the kids or my hubby all day. I took Noodle to a baby shower at our church & he was happy to play with the other kids. I came home and found a baby quilt and muffins (from a friend who runs an Etsy shop) which totally made my already awesome day!

Yesterday Tech Guy came home from New York City, where he spent 4 days without me. Sniff. So that was cause for a little hormonal rage… my dream has been to go to NYC together with him for awhile… He really wants to take me back though so that’s cool! :)

Today is exactly 3 weeks until my scheduled C-section. It is creeping up… and yet taking forEVER!!

winner!

The winner of the ednamae giveaway is Stonefox! Congratulations!! Kobie will be in touch with you directly and she’ll send you your prize. Good luck!

thirty-five

How far along? 35 WEEKS!!!
Sleep: patchy at best  
Best moment this week: getting a *nursery* corner set up in our bedroom 
Movement: no concerns there! he has definite *sleep* and *awake* times; hopefully that means he’s a good napper!!
Food cravings: for the times I can actually eat more than 5 bites at a time you mean? sorry, food is not a priority… I eat solely to survive and avoid more nausea…
Gender: boy!
What I miss: a lot… being able to shop, walk without waddling, eat without heartburn, a nice roomy bladder… the list could go on!
What I am looking forward to: that moment when they hand us our baby… a brand new little person that no one but us has ever seen or held… taking in his sweet baby smell and softness…

From Baby-Gaga on week 35:

Congratulations! You’re now carrying nearly 6 lbs of baby not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. We’re impressed because that’s a LOT of work non-stop. Are you feeling proud of yourself yet? Well, get to it—you’ve done an amazing job! At this point, your little grower is almost busting out of the womb size-wise, which make their restricted attempts to move much challenging. Of course, your stubborn little sucker is still trying to move around as if they weren’t in a cramped space. And the accumulating baby fat deposits are starting to level off so your little butter ball will be padded and warm when they head out of their super snug little home.

ready

The basement is not done and the nursery certainly isn’t ready but look what’s taking over our master bedroom:

gearing up… and a giveaway!

Today was a teeny bit hard… it started at 5:00 am when Tech Guy’s sister phoned from the hospital that they’d had their baby! Which is actually awesome news and I’m extremely psyched for them. But it just makes the next 6 weeks look longer! We were in this together the whole pregnancy and now she’s done!! All day just felt long & achy and I can definitely tell little signs that my body is gearing up for the end. 6 weeks from right now I will be the happy mama holding my 12-hour-old baby in my own arms… and really in the whole scheme of things, 6 weeks is not at all long!

In my weakness for shopping, I’ve spent a LOT of time on Etsy. I really really love Etsy - and honestly could shop all day there instead of going to the city… but I digress…

I found my dream baby book in my searching and received it in the mail a little while back. It is not only modern and gorgeous, but has just the right amount of pages for just the right things! I stumbled upon ednamae and I’m so glad I did, since this is what I got in the mail:

 

But the best news I’m saving for last… Kobie of ednamae has generously agreed to give away a 1-12 month photo page pack from her collection to one of my lucky readers! Just leave a comment on this post, telling me how you kept your sanity through those last long weeks of pregnancy and you’ll automatically be entered! Good luck!!

Note: giveaway ends Friday, March 12 at midnight.

thirty three

How far along? 33 WEEKS!!!
Sleep: not good :( last night Tylenol w codeine made all the difference! 
Best moment this week: Today we booked the C-section for April 15 – 4 days early!!! 
Movement: very sporadic; he’s either sleeping or doing gymnastics, nothing in between!
Food cravings: not a lot anymore… nausea & heartburn have returned :(
Gender: boy!
What I miss: a lot… being able to shop more than 30 minutes without pain & exhaustion…
What I am looking forward to: having this whole thing over with, holding my baby in my arms…

From Baby-Gaga on week 31:

For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ should weigh much more than a mere 5 lbs and measly 17 inches in height, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its thirty-third week. In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute as they pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling their movements even during labor?