36 Weeks

Pregnancy Update October 29, 2012

How far along: 36 weeks! 28 days left... 

Size of baby: 18.75 inches, 5.75 lbs. - A "Crenshaw Melon"

What developed this past week: Still packing on the pounds at the rate of about an ounce a day! He's shedding the soft hair that has covered his body the past 8 months, and is also losing the waxy covering (vernix) on his skin that has protected him while he's been floating in fluid. He is currently head down and ready to go!

Weight Gain: 34.6 lbs. Seems I capitalized on that food-obsessed feeling I talked about last week... Yikes! :) 

Maternity clothes: All maternity or Caleb's shirts/hoodies.

Gender: HE'S ALL BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"
(Bryson means "smart", Nicholas means "winner" or "victory of the people")

Movement: Haven't noticed a decrease in movement yet, as they say happens when he gets bigger. Still feeling him move all day long, but especially in the evenings. Crazy to see the entire shape of my belly change as he pushes out both sides at the same time!

Sleep: I've been seriously capitalizing on my ability to sleep in on the weekends - getting 9-10 hours a night both Friday and Saturday nights! I feel a little guilty because I know I still have so much I need to be doing to get the nursery/house ready... but then I realize that I only have (potentially) 2-4 weekends left of this, and I decide to be happy living it up by getting tons of sleep while I can!

What I miss: Not feeling like my ribs are being SQUEEZED by my bra or shirts that have a tight empire waist... Sometimes I feel like there's an elephant on my chest and I can't breathe because I am so uncomfortable. As usual, this mostly happens when I'm sitting. Which means that all day long at work, I want to claw off a rib or two! I dread going to work and sitting in the car because of this discomfort.

Cravings: I've been a total drunk the past couple weeks - drinking whole bottles of sparkling cider :) I love the stuff! Both before and during pregnancy! My husband was even so kind as to surprise me with a bottle last night when he picked up a few groceries :) 

Best moment this week: Celebrating my golden birthday! :) I turned 27 on the 27th. I started the day off with a bowl of strawberry frosted mini-wheats and a 1 hour pregnancy massage (from my SILs at Mother's Day)! So great!

Caleb is very thoughtful and got me gifts that I didn't even remember talking about wanting! And he took me to my favorite restaurant (Firebird's) for fillet mignon - melt in your mouth goodness!  It's funny how when I was younger, I wanted to have a party and spend the day with every person I've ever known. And now that I'm older, I just want to spend the day with my honey - I don't even care what we are doing... just watching tv together is good enough for me! Another way to live up our time together before we have a baby taking so much of our attention.

We had our 4th and final Newborn Care Class on Thursday. We learned about taking care of children in the toddler years. I'd say some of it was useful, the rest of it is pretty much open to your own discipline techniques. All in all, I thought the first 2 weeks of the class were the most beneficial, but it was worth going to all of it. There's always more to learn!

I had my 36 week doctor appointment on Monday, the 29th, with Dr. Wise (my favorite dr). Heartbeat sounded good - in the 150s, BP was good, and I measured right on track! The nurse gave me a quick lesson in what to do when I [think I] go into labor or if I notice any abnormality in how much the baby is moving (basically if anything happens - call the office and they'll advise. 5th floor of the hospital if I'm sent in!). She also described the difference between false labor and real contractions, which feel like they encompass your hips and back as well as belly.
Dr. Wise said that their office will be on holiday from Thanksgiving through until Monday... so basically if I go into labor anytime in the 4-5 days leading up to my due date, I will not know the doctor who delivers my son :( AND there's a chance I'd have a man doctor... which I don't love the idea of, though I'm assuming when I am in the pain of labor, I won't care who does what to me! :)
As we get closer, we can talk about inducing as of 39 weeks, especially if I'm already starting to dilate/efface - that way I can have my doctor deliver him before the holiday. We'll see - I'd rather not induce if I can let my body do what it wants, when it wants to do it... But if we get to 40 weeks, they'll do an ultrasound to check his size. If he's "too big", they'll want to do a c-section. As of the last u/s, he was measuring average, so I'm hoping the chances of a c-section are slim, though all the boys in mine and my husband's families were 9+ lbs. Yikes! 
SO I think I'm down to just praying Bryson comes of his own accord sometime around 38 or 39 weeks! Feel free to join the prayer team :)

Caleb's brothers had a diaper party for him this weekend and we were ABUNDANTLY blessed with diapers! I can't even believe how many! Thank you so much to everyone who came and to those who took the time to plan, prepare, and throw the party! We love you and appreciate all the hard work!

Random info:
-I have one little stretch mark - from my old belly button ring :( 
-I've started getting acid reflux, randomly. No heartburn. It just feels like acid is in the back of my throat - gross, but not too painful.
-The doctor said I do have Strep B - which apparently is very common. Just means I'll get antibiotics through my IV when I go into labor. That will keep any infection from getting in my uterus or bladder or hurting the baby.  When she said I have it, I laughed and told her I guess I deserve it, since I haven't had MOST of the problems other women deal with in pregnancy! This is an easy one - just get a medication at the end - I can handle that! :)
-Caleb helps me put on/take off my tall boots. He helps me get up from the couch/bean bag a lot. And he often tells the baby he loves him and can't wait to hold him.

What I am looking forward to: Finishing my final week or being "pre-term". After this week, the doctor won't stop me if I go into labor because the baby [should] be healthy!!
I did get a bunch of things crossed off my baby to-do list last week, but there's plenty more to do! Hoping to get a ton more done this weekend. We also have a guy coming to do some work in the bathrooms and other odd-jobs this weekend - SO excited for everything to be completed!

35 Weeks

Pregnancy Update October 22, 2012

How far along: 35 weeks! 35 days left... 

Size of baby: 18 inches, 5.25 lbs. - A "Honeydew Melon"

What developed this past week: At this point, all B's major organs should be nearly complete, including his kidneys and liver, which are now capable of processing waste products. His main job for the next 5 weeks is just to put on weight. Um, wouldn't we all love this to be our full time job/main goal?! SUCCESS! lol :).

Weight Gain: 31.4 lbs. This past week or so, I've felt like I did the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy - I want food all the time. Despite whether or not I'm hungry, I often can't get my mind to stop thinking about food! It's ridiculous...

Maternity clothes: All maternity. Even my big tshirts now show the bottom of my belly - very attractive. lol

Gender: HE'S ALL BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"
(Bryson means "smart", Nicholas means "winner" or "victory of the people")

Movement: Same schedule he's been on for weeks now - moves some during the day, but definitely busts a move or two in the evenings! He's more often been shoving his little feet or hands out my sides, or down into my legs, or up into my ribs! He must be getting tight in there! Such a strange sensation to have something sticking out your side! lol Also feeling him push more on my bladder and colon - it feels like he punches me. What the heck is he doing?? haha Bizarre...

Sleep: I sleep well - still don't get up to use the restroom, and no pregnancy insomnia, praise the Lord! Hoping this lasts the next 5 weeks! I don't know how women go into childbirth, new parent-hood when they are already exhausted!

What I miss: Sitting comfortably in the car. I have no idea how shorter people do this! Sometimes I feel like he's pushing my stomach up into my lungs and I can't get a good breath... and I'm almost 6 ft! How do 5 ft tall people ever sit?! 

Cravings: Had 3 bowls of mini-wheats over the weekend - found a new kind I like (as well as strawberry) - Maple and Brown Sugar... even as I type this, it sounds good! I want a bowl any time I think about cereal. Weird. :) Actually, I think Caleb won't be home for dinner tonight - it's sad that that makes me excited - I GET A BOWL OF CEREAL FOR DINNER! lol

Best moment this week: Getting more maternity pictures taken! I'm so excited to see/share them! These were done by my SIL, Kristen. On Saturday, we went to a train station and took some pics on a big red train! And we also took a few on the railroad tracks, and in front of some pretty fall colored trees/vines!

Kristen also got to come over on Sunday afternoon to help me fold more baby clothes and put them away. We're getting there!  Caleb put the art above the crib on Saturday, but we still haven't gotten around to hanging the rest of the wall stuff...

We had our 3rd Newborn Care Class on Thursday. We learned about safety (ie carseat, etc). One more class next week, then we're done.

On Saturday, after pictures, Caleb and I ran some errands, then met up with my brother and Laci for dinner at Moe's. Then we came back to our house to watch a movie and Laci got to feel Bryson moving around TONS during his crazy time... So fun! She and Eston also gave us their baby shower gifts - an adorable giraffe print romper with matching hat and bib! And a picture frame and baby record book that is so cool! Will be great to have all Baby B's info in one place! Thanks!!!

My friend Sarah came over on Sunday and we made 5 crockpot meal recipes! I'm excited to be filling my freezer with meals that are already prepared for me to bake/cook! This link says it takes 1 hour... not true. Took more like 3 hours... and we helped eachother, so we should've even had a little more efficiency. Still fun! And my hands still smell like garlic! lol

I had an interesting doctor appointment on Monday, the 15th. I've never met one of the doctors in our practice, Dr. V., so I made my appt with her - I want to at least know who she is if she happens to be on call when I go into labor... I thought I was just going in for a normal appt where they ask if I have any questions, take my urine sample and weight, and I go home. But when I got back in the room, the nurse told me that Dr. V. would be doing my strep B test.  After the doctor finished the strep test, she said she was going to check me - I was not dilated, and the baby was posterior and his head was down in a good position! When I asked if I was effacing at all, she said, "No you're posterior - you're not effaced"... ok... I had no idea what being posterior means! lol (still doesn't make sense to me - maybe I should google it!) Anyway, then she measures me and says, "Good! You're 36 weeks!"  This is where it gets funny - I looked at her and said something about only being 34 weeks, so it's funny that I'm now measuring big, when last time I measured too small - which is why I had an u/s at 32 weeks...  She responded with, "You're not 34 weeks, you're 35 and a half." Um what? No I'm not... I'm 34. No you're 35. No, I'm 34...  After a little back and forth, she says, "You're due November 15th, that makes you 35 and a half". To which I responded, I'm not due November 15th, I'm due November 25th.
There was a little more questioning about if I've always been due the 25th, and how that was calculated (off an u/s or from my LMP - BOTH!). Then she finally says, "I believe you, but why do I have written on my chart that you're due the 15th?!" hahha Well thanks for believing me! I think I know my due date, but have no idea why it's wrong on your chart.
Turns out, whomever wrote the chart for the day, messed up my LMP by 10 days... supposed to be 2/19, she had 2/9 written. Funniest part to me was that after Dr. V. figured this out, she gets out her little wheel of due dates/progression, and lines up my LMP and my due date and says, "Ok you are 34 weeks, 1 day today!"... YES! THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU! LOL Finally, we're on the same page... haha
Only thing is that I don't think I would've had the strep b test or been checked yet if she knew I was only 34 weeks... Oh well! No harm, no foul! Next appt is Monday 10/29 at 36 weeks. Then I'll be going weekly!

What I am looking forward to: This week I'm hoping to get a bunch of baby stuff done - call jcp about full-size bed rails, call the daycare about rates, finish getting all the things we need off the registry, wash everything and put it away, etc...
Also, I'm FINALLY cashing in my 1 hour pregnancy massage that my 3 SILs got me for Mother's Day. I'm going on Saturday, which also happens to be my birthday! Great treat for sure!
Sunday is Caleb's diaper party - we currently have all of 1 pack of diapers, so it will feel good to know we've got a few more than that ready and waiting for all of the messy diapers in our future! :)

Work Baby Shower

On Wednesday, August 15th, the lovely people at my work threw me my first baby shower!

We had it during the lunch hour and everyone in the office was invited - boys and girls!

The 2 girls who were "hosting" it, Joyce & Lynn, decided to try something none of us had had before - KFC Catering. It was very good! 2 different kinds of chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, mac n' cheese, biscuits, etc!

Here's a look at the spread:

Funny story with the cake - According to Lynn, who was ordering the cake, Giant Eagle was supposed to put actual baby blocks on the cake and decorate it in blue. The morning of the shower, she got a phone call at 7am. A bakery clerk said that they had a meeting that morning to discuss the cake because it goes against a copyright... WHAT?! There is copyright on cake decorating??? So weird... Apparently, they would need to frost the cake with purple in order to use the blocks... to which Lynn of course replied, "We can't have purple! She's having a boy!" hahha
So we got what you see below - frosted-on baby blocks! Just as cute to me - and edible! :)
White cake with real strawberry (even had chunks of berries) filling! MMM!

Everyone enjoying their meals and cake in a conference room:

My two lovely hostesses, Lynn & Joyce (L to R)!! They did all the work in planning, shopping & setting up - couldn't have asked for more! They did a great job!

On to the gifts! I was AMAZED at the gifts they got us! I could not believe the generosity - so much more than I could've expected.
First up - the pack 'n play! Caleb picked this out - it's blue, gray & black. Very cute! And manly... according to him ;)

Secondly - An exersaucer! I was VERY excited about this gift because it has 3 stages. So, though it's expensive, it can be used for a year+! Play mat for baby, seat with toys for when baby can sit by himself, and you can take it apart and have it so that a 1-yr-old can walk around and play with the toys! (see box). Love it!

Lastly, the Bumbo seat! In blue! :) Ironically, this was the same day that Bumbo came out with a recall, saying children were falling out of the seats and needed to be belted in. So I need to send in for a belt. (*Note - I think the big problem is parents not watching their kids - not that the seat does not work appropriately, so I'm definitely keeping the Bumbo).

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the gifts and came to the shower! I had a wonderful time and felt VERY blessed to have you all as friends who want to celebrate Bryson with us!

34 Weeks

Pregnancy Update October 15, 2012

How far along: 34 weeks! 42 days left... 

Size of baby: 17.75 inches, 4.75 lbs. - An "Average Cantaloupe" (Actually, Bryson weighed in at about 4.25lbs a week and a half ago, so potentially he could be up to 5lbs by now?)

What developed this past week: The waxy protective coating, called vernix, is becoming much thicker this week as the lanugo (fine hair covering his body) continues to shed and may be almost gone by now. His central nervous system and lungs are maturing enough that if he was born, he would likely be fine (with a risk for a short stay in the NICU).

Weight Gain: 29.6 lbs. Somehow I managed to stay about the same as last week. They say you only need about 30 pounds (depending on your starting weight), so I'm hoping to not gain too much more in the coming 6 weeks.

Maternity clothes: All maternity. Got a few new shirts from my sister for my birthday! :) Including the one I'm wearing in the above pics! 

Gender: HE'S ALL BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"
(Bryson means "smart", Nicholas means "winner" or "victory of the people")

Movement: Friday night at dinner, I was telling Caleb how I now picture Bryson's little fully-formed body parts when I feel them moving in me... makes me smile to think about his precious little feet, knees, hands, and squishy tooshy :)...  a couple hours later, we're watching tv together when I feel a JAB in my ribs! Made me nearly jump out of my skin! Then, Bryson had the audacity to do it over and over again! lol Sometimes he'd be moving around already, and other times, the kick came with no forewarning! I started laughing and told Bryson that I was going to take back what I said about his little feet being so precious! :) I ended up keeping my hand over my right ribs in an attempt to guard them from the pain! A few times, he kicked and then slid his foot down my ribs, so the ENTIRE right side of my ribs, from the middle to my side, got to feel that lovely sensation. What a stinker!

Sleep: I did my best to make sure I got enough sleep while in NYC. I didn't do too badly! It's easy to turn down the offer to go out for a drink when you can't drink anyway! :) While others stayed out until midnight or later, I'd be back in my room by 10:30-11. Funny part was that I didn't even miss it because I was so happy to get 7-8 hours of sleep! :) Priorities, people! lol

What I miss: My back not hurting when I sit for long periods of time - especially noticeable this week when I was stuck sitting in conferences and meetings. At work, my back definitely hurts, but I can get up and walk around a lot more often to keep my muscles loose and my rib cage expanded.

Cravings: Nothing.

Best moment this week: Getting our maternity pictures taken! I'm so excited to see how they come out! Hoping a few weeks from now to have at least some samples to share!

Also, My SILs came over for the afternoon on Sunday to help organize and clean our nursery and all the baby clothes & stuff! What a blessing to have family around to help out! I would not have half as much done yet without them! Thank you girls!!

Once the nursery is done, I'll have to take pics and show off every one's hard work!

What I am looking forward to: This week we have another Newborn Care Class about safety. And this weekend, I have a few things to look forward to:
- More maternity pics - done by my aspiring photographer SIL, Kristen! Sure to be FANTASTIC!
- More work done in the nursery.
- And seeing my brother's girlfriend, Laci, whom I haven't seen in TOO long!

33 Weeks

Pregnancy Update October 8, 2012

How far along: 33 weeks! 49 days left... 

Size of baby: 17 inches, 4.25 lbs. - A "Pineapple"

What developed this past week: Baby is gaining half a pound a week and his bones are hardening, except his skull which will need to stay soft for delivery. His skull plates don't entirely fuse until early adulthood so they can grow with his brain and other tissues.

Weight Gain: 29.8 lbs.

Maternity clothes: All maternity. I even have to wear Caleb's hoodies in order to fully cover this belly!

Gender: HE'S ALL BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"
(Bryson means "smart", Nicholas means "winner" or "victory of the people")

Movement: Still moving often -especially when I'm still - i.e. at night. During the day when I'm moving a lot, he seems to be rocked to sleep. 

Sleep: Very busy this week with something going on every single night, including a friend's wedding events (bachelorette party, rehearsal & dinner, & wedding) and my baby shower - which had both of my sisters in town, so I tried to stay up to see them as much as possible. Exhausting, but worth it! :)

What I miss: The ability to bend over to paint my nails, open gifts, reach something that fell on the floor, etc, without feeling like I'm squishing Bryson up into my ribs/lungs! OUCH!

Cravings: Nothing.

Best moment this week: We had another ultrasound! For those keeping track, yes, this is my 6th! lol 

2 of them were planned tests - 12 week genetic abnormality & 18 week gender, while the other 4 were because of "scares" or "precautions" - spotting, falling, measuring small, and because it was too early to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. 

This one was because baby measured 26 weeks when he should have been 30. Turns out he must've been laying transverse or something, because the sono measurements were all fine! At 32w3d, he measured: 33w4d head circumference (seriously?!), 31w4d abdomen circumference (skinny boy?!), and 32w2d femur length (maybe not as tall as we thought after the 18 week scan where his femur measured a few days ahead!). Overall average was at 33w2d. Seems a little big (66.1%), but with the weight coming in at 4lbs 4oz (1915 grams), he was actually a little smaller than average at the 31.9 percentile.

His pictures this time are not my favorite - he kept putting his hand in front of his face so we had a hard time seeing him, and he looks kinda globby... Here he is, nonetheless! :)

 

As I said last week, we had a one-on-one newborn care class right after our dr. appt on Wednesday. It was fun watching Caleb learn to change diapers, give baths, swaddle, dress, and calm a baby. He cracked me up - at one point, I look over and he's holding the baby doll in a sitting position on his lap and is clapping it's little feet together... I look at the teacher and laugh and say, "What is he doing?". She replies, "He's playing with him!" haha So cute. He's gonna be such a cute dad - though the kid may freeze while Caleb keeps him naked to play with his squishy feet! :) JK! There isn't a week that goes by that Caleb doesn't tell me (and Bryson) how excited he is for Bryson to be here! Love it.

The other WONDERFUL thing that happened this week - the Winn side baby shower! It was SO much fun! Everyone said how great a time they had. Again, I will eventually get to writing a post solely about the shower, complete with pictures! Suffice it to say that we were SO incredibly blessed, I can't even put it into words!

What I am looking forward to: Going to NYC for 3 days and seeing all the people I work with (via phone/email)! Always a fun conference - with lots of meetings and wining & dining - hoping not to gain 10 lbs in the process! When I get back, it will be fun to go through all the baby shower gifts with Caleb. Opening presents goes by in such a blur (even as slowly as I tried to go), it will be great to remember each gift from each person! 

Also - we're having maternity pictures done on Monday, the 8th!! So excited to see what our fabulous photographer, Rachel, can do with us! :)

32 Weeks

Pregnancy Update October 1, 2012

How far along: 32 weeks! 56 days left... 

Size of baby: 16.7 inches, 3.75 lbs. - A "Large Jicama"

What developed this past week: Still getting more baby fat! He's likely going to double his weight between now and birth! And let me tell you - there have been plenty of days this past week where I FEEL like he's doubling his weight and stretching out my belly! Ouch!

He now has toe nails and finger nails and he's shedding the soft lanugo hair that covers his body and his real hair and skin is becoming soft and smooth.

Weight Gain: 27.8. Went back down a little - I'd say the weight check from last week wasn't quite accurate - it definitely didn't seem to me like I had gained almost 5 lbs in one week! I guess the doctor's scale on Wednesday will help solve this mystery.

Maternity clothes: All maternity. Getting out my fall clothes now! Love these comfy sweaters and long sleeve shirts.

Gender: HE'S ALL BOY! "Bryson Nicholas"
(Bryson means "smart", Nicholas means "winner" or "victory of the people")

Movement: He's a mover and a shaker! It's cool now because I can "rub his back" or use my hands to slide him back and forth and he responds to my touch! It's also funny to feel him fall subject to gravity when I lay down on my sides at night - he feels like he's about to fall out my side! When I turn over onto my other side, I feel him slide down the other way and rest on the bed as well! I even had Caleb put his hand on him while I turned over the other night so he could feel his little body slip down.

Sleep: After being exhausted all last week, over the weekend I got a few nights of some GOOD sleep - 9-11 hours a night! I couldn't BELIEVE that I did that 3 nights in a row. Usually if I sleep that long one night, the next night I'm awake in the middle of the night. Must've needed the rest! Since then, I haven't felt so exhausted and it's been great! Feeling like your head is going to drop on the keyboard at work is miserable - hope I can stay rested enough that I don't get to that stage again (until after birth!).

What I miss: Talking (for extended periods of time) without feeling like I'm winded! I swear I've never smoked a day in my life, but I feel like I'm a chain smoker sometimes! lol

Cravings: Nothing.

Best moment this week: We had our last Childbirth Class this week. We talked about what to expect during delivery, making a birth plan, breastfeeding, etc... all the finishing touches! I'm definitely glad we took this class - I feel a lot more prepared and I think Caleb does too. Now he doesn't have to just watch me go through labor and have no clue what is happening or how to help. I feel assured that we CAN do this! (Regardless, we have to at this point! But it's good to feel prepared.)

I also thoroughly enjoyed going to the chiropractor a few times! Highlight #1 - relieving some of the rib pain in my upper back/stretching out my back and hip muscles. Highlight #2 - LAYING ON MY STOMACH! :) Love the drop table - wonder if he'd let me take a little nap when he's between patients ;) lol

Another thing I'm VERY happy I did this week was make some freezer meals!! My friend, Sarah, came over and we made 6 recipes each (at least 10 meals and leftovers) in about 4 hours! It feels good to have healthy/homemade food in the freezer ready to eat! We're going to try to do it every once in awhile so that we can keep the meals coming and I'll be prepared with ready-to-cook food when Bryson comes and I have no motivation/energy to cook good meals! 

This is what I used to get started on my first freezer cooking experience. She lists 10 recipes, but I started with just 6 of them... don't want to bite off more than I can chew in my first try! :) Wish we would have taken a picture of our finished products! It was awesome!

What I am looking forward to: Our doctor appt this week!! Bring on the ultrasound! Can't wait to see my little man's face again! And we get to find out how big he is, what position he's in, etc. My MIL and husband are coming to the appt on Wednesday at 4.

Right after our doctor appointment on Wednesday, Caleb and I are going to our first Newborn Care class! It will actually be a private class where the teacher will go over the first 2 weeks worth of material, since we will not be able to attend the class on Thursday nights for 2/4 weeks! I'm pretty excited that we'll get one-on-one, to our level, lessons!

This coming Sunday is our final baby shower! My mom and sisters are throwing it for us and it will be for my friends and friends of our family to come and celebrate Baby Bryson! Can't wait!