Bumpdate || 39 Weeks

39w0d

How far along: 39 weeks and this is officially my last bumpdate!! I am going into the hospital tomorrow night to get induced, so we should have a baby by Friday! I can't tell you how excited and anxious I am to finally have my baby in my arms. I seriously can't wait!! 

Due Date: November 7, 2015 

Baby is the size of: a watermelon. She's weighing anywhere from 7 to 9 pounds. I haven't had an ultrasound since 20 weeks, so we really have no idea how much she is weighing in at right now. I was a huge baby and Steven was crazy long, so I'm expecting to push out a big girl. 

Symptoms: Lots of pressure in my lower back and abdomen, but I really don't have any complaints. I've been incredibly blessed to have experienced such an easy pregnancy.

Gender: Our sweet baby GIRL!

Name: Charlie Elizabeth

Movement: She gave us a little scare last Thursday evening. I hadn't felt her move in a while, so I began bribing her with juice, sweets, and lots of poking. None of it was working, so after about four hours of no movement I called the doctor and went to labor and delivery for monitoring. She looked great on the monitor and was just having a lazy day. After about 30 minutes hooked up to the machine she gave me a few rolls and stretches. I've determined that she is just out of room in there! 

Nursery: DONE and it's my most favorite room! You can see her nursery reveal here.

Labor Signs: I've been having lots of contractions, but they don't seem to be doing much. My NST on Monday showed that I was contracting every 6-7 minutes. I was really hoping the contractions would be the start of labor, but they seemed to die out Monday afternoon. I was still only 1 cm dilated on Monday, so I don't foresee her making an appearance before my scheduled induction on Thursday night.

Sleep: As good as one can expect at 39+ weeks pregnant. I'm up tossing and turning throughout the night, but it's not terrible. I guess my body is just preparing me for the midnight feeding sessions! 

Best moment this week: Scheduling our induction for the end of this week! It feels so good to have a plan and know that the end is in sight! I can't wait to snuggle our girl in my arms!! 

Missing anything: Nothing that can't wait 2 more days!

Cravings/Aversions: Sweets, as usual. I've noticed a decrease in my appetite over the last couple of weeks, so I'm trying to pay extra attention to my food choices to ensure I'm getting enough nutrients.

Mood: So excited and anxious! This has been the slowest week ever!! I can't wait to start this induction process tomorrow night and have my baby girl in my arms in just a couple of days!! 

Looking forward to: Do I even have to say it? Meeting our girl at the end of the week!! 

Husband is: Just as excited as I am to meet his baby girl!! 

New mommy question: Nothing new this week.

Bumpdate || Week 38

38w0d

How far along: 38 weeks - 10 days to go until her due date! 

Due Date: November 7, 2015

Baby is the size of: a pumpkin! She's anywhere from 18-21 inches long and weighing somewhere between 6.2 and 9.2 pounds. My family usually produces big babies, so I'm predicting at least an 8 pounder when she's born. Yikes! 

Symptoms: Lots of pressure in my back, hips, and lower abdomen and your other typical 9+ month pregnancy aches and pains. I really can't complain. I've been so blessed with such an easy pregnancy.

Gender: Our sweet baby GIRL!

Name: Charlie Elizabeth

Movement: She is officially out of room. She's always been a "lazy baby," but her movements have slowed down over the past week. Every night around 7:00 she gets a burst of energy and goes wild for about 30 minutes. Otherwise, she's pretty quiet in there. She looked great on the NST at my appointment on Monday, so that was comforting. 

Nursery: DONE and it's my most favorite room ever! You can see her nursery reveal here.

Labor Signs: Contractions have started, but unfortunately they remain inconsistent. They usually start up in the evenings and stay anywhere from 7-10 minutes apart until I fall asleep and then they taper off sometime in the middle of the night. I found out at my appointment on Monday that I am 1 cm dilated. It's not much, but it's progress from last week!

Sleep: I'm usually up every couple of hours attempting to roll over, but I'm actually sleeping pretty good considering this big ole' belly I'm carrying around.

Best moment this week: Starting my "new job" at home. It's been nice to have a few days at home to rest and relax before little miss arrives.

Missing anything: Nothing that can't wait a another week or two.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing to note. I've noticed that my appetite is decreasing and nothing ever sounds good. I am, however, still a sucker for anything sweet!

Mood: Anxious, excited, and ready to meet our baby!

Looking forward to: BABY! 

Husband is: Anxious, excited, and ready to meet our baby!

New mommy question: Nothing new this week.

Bumpdate || Week 37

37w3d

How far along: 37 weeks! I can't believe I only have (hopefully!!!) no more than three more of these bumpdates to write before little miss makes her arrival.

Due Date: November 7, 2015

Baby is the size of: a winter melon. She's anywhere from 19-22 inches long and weighing around 6.5 pounds or so. I asked my doctor at my appointment yesterday if she could tell by feeling around how big baby girl was, and the doctor told me from my measurements she would say about 6.5 pounds, but take that with a grain of salt because shorter women like me are notorious for hiding big babies. I was nearly 9 pounds at birth and Steven was 23 inches long, so I'm predicting a big baby! 

Symptoms: I can tell that baby girl is starting to drop because of all the pressure I'm feeling. Other than that, I'm just having your typical symptoms for being nine months pregnant - aches, swelling (although I was able to slip my wedding rings back on and am still wearing them during the day!), heartburn, and SPD that bothers me mainly at night. Also, my belly button has officially popped!

Gender: Our sweet baby GIRL!

Name: Charlie Elizabeth

Movement: She is definitely running out of room in there! I'm still feeling her moving around, but instead of getting the usual kicks and punches I've been getting rolls and body parts stretching. I keep trying to tell her that if she would just come out there is much more room for her to stretch and move as she please. She doesn't seem to be listening to me though...

Nursery: DONE and it's my most favorite room ever! I have already spent so much time in this little room, and I can't wait to bring our daughter home to it. You can see her nursery reveal here.

Labor Signs: As of yesterday at my doctor's appointment I wasn't dilated at all. Boo!! The NST did, however, show that I was having a few contractions. Hopefully those start to pick up soon so we can get this show on the road! I can also tell that she has started to drop. My bump is definitely lower and the pressure down low is much more intense these days.

I've also reached the point in pregnancy where anytime I call someone they think I've gone into labor. I called my mom one morning last week to tell her I was dropping something off at her house on my way to work and she answered the phone in a very concerned tone. The same thing happened last week when we called Steven's grandmother to thank her for a sweet baby outfit she made and sent to us.

Sleep: Not great, but not terrible either. I wake up every couple of hours to switch from one side to the other because of the hip and leg pain, but I usually fall back asleep pretty easily. Surprisingly enough, I can still make it through most nights without getting up for a potty break! 

Best moment this week: This year for my birthday I asked my parents to send a cleaning service out to my house to give it a good deep clean before the baby came. The cleaning crew came out Monday and cleaned our house from top to bottom. We live in a really old house, so no matter how often I clean I still find dust. The dust combined with the endless amount of dog hair leads to one messy home! The crew was there for several hours on Monday, and I was so pleased with the way my house looked when they left. Hopefully everything stays this sparkling clean until after baby is born so we can bring her home to a clean house! Thanks again mom and dad for the awesome birthday gift!! 

Missing anything: Fitting into normal clothes. At this point, even my maternity clothes are starting to get too small. I have maybe three or four things that still fit, so I'm pretty much rocking the same outfit everyday. If I could get away with wearing Steven's tshirts to work for these last few days, I totally would.

Cravings/Aversions: The sweet tooth is still at an all time high. I'm using the excuse that I only have a couple more weeks to indulge before getting this baby weight off.

Mood: Anxious and ready to meet my girl!! Her due date is 17 days away, and I am counting down every minute! How in the world am I going to keep myself occupied for the next two and a half (or so) weeks?! 

Looking forward to: My last day of work is on Friday (more on that tomorrow) and then we are officially on baby watch! 

Husband is: Ready for this nesting phase of mine to be over and done with! I know I'm driving him crazy with my endless "honey do list," but he is taking it like a champ! He's also more than ready to meet his baby girl. Thinking about him holding her for the first time seriously brings me to tears. I can't wait to witness that moment!

New mommy question: What are your favorite freezer meals and crockpot recipes? I want to go ahead and stock up next week since I'll be off work and looking for ways to keep myself occupied while waiting on this little girl to make her arrival.

Bumpdate || Week 36

36w1d

How far along: 36 weeks and officially nine months pregnant! 

Due Date: November 7, 2015

Baby is the size of: a large cantaloupe. She's somewhere between 19 and 22 inches long and weighing around 6 to 6.5 pounds. Her liver, kidneys, circulation and immune system are all good to go by this point! 

Symptoms: Just your typical nine month pregnant aches and pains. I'm definitely starting to get uncomfortable, and even the most simple tasks wear me out.

Gender: Our sweet baby GIRL!

Name: Charlie Elizabeth

Movement: She is definitely starting to run out of room in there! She looked great on my weekly non-stress test yesterday though.

Nursery: It is DONE! I'm so happy with the way this little space turned out. I absolutely love and adore every part of her nursery. I'm planning to do full nursery reveal tomorrow, so be sure to check back then! You can see her nursery inspiration here. 

Labor Signs: I've been having pretty consistent braxton hicks contractions since last week. It's nothing painful, but I can definitely feel the tightening and release. I had a NST at my doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and a few contractions were showing up on there. I was looking forward to getting checked again at my appointment yesterday, so I was disappointed when the doctor came in and told me she wasn't going to check me until next week. Boo!

Sleep: Sleep is about as good as you could expect at nine months pregnant. 

Best moment this week: Celebrating my birthday over the weekend! It was a low key birthday full of organizing the house for baby and relaxing with my husband. It was the perfect birthday for this nesting mama! 

Missing anything: I missed celebrating my birthday with a glass of wine (or two!), but I made up for it with lots of birthday cake!

Cravings/Aversions: I'm still all about the sweets, but I still don't have much of an appetite for anything of real substance. This makes deciding on meals nearly impossible!

Mood: Anxious! I'm analyzing every little twinge and pain hoping that it means my body is prepping for labor. 

Looking forward to: Having a cleaning service come out and do a deep clean of my house next week. I can't tell you how excited this makes me! Thanks mom and dad for the awesome birthday gift!! 

Husband is: Getting more anxious by the day to meet his little girl. She's already wrapped around his finger, and I can't wait to see their daddy and daughter relationship blossom. 

New mommy question: What are some things you did to keep yourself (and your mind!) occupied while waiting for baby? I have a feeling these next three and a half weeks are going to draggggg by.

Bumpdate || Week 35

35w3d

How far along: 35 weeks! Her due date is exactly one month from today!

Due Date: November 7, 2015

Baby is the size of: a Canary Melon. She's anywhere from 19 to 22 inches long and weighing around 5.5 to 6 pounds. She has probably already reached birth length, but she will continue to pack on the pounds right up until delivery day! Another fun fact? My uterus has grown about 1,000 times it's original size. Crazy! 

Symptoms: SPD accompanied by the infamous pregnancy waddle. I can tell that baby girl has started to drop because everything from my hips to my thighs are aching. I was able to slide my wedding rings back on last week, and I'm still able to wear them during the day. I think the cooler fall weather has helped with tremendously with my swelling.

Gender: Our sweet baby GIRL!

Name: Charlie Elizabeth

Movement: She definitely still has her lazy days. Thursday was a particular lazy day for my little lady. None of my usual tricks and bribes would get her moving. I was starting to get nervous and was really close to calling my doctor, but she eventually perked up for a bit and wiggled around enough so that I knew she was just fine in there. Because she is so lazy, I have been getting weekly non-stress tests during my doctor's appointment. She passed yesterday with flying colors!

Nursery: It's by far my most favorite room in the house! It's so close to being finished! I still have a couple more things to hang on the wall, and then I will do a full nursery reveal. Hopefully that will be coming next week. You can see her nursery inspiration here. Steven also put together her stroller and the swing over the weekend. I love sitting in the living room and seeing her sweet baby swing across the room! 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions seem to be coming a little more frequently, but they are still very inconsistent. Yesterday my doctor checked my for the first time and although I'm not dilated yet, baby girl is head down and in proper position. Steven and I also took a hospital tour yesterday, so we now know where to go and what to do when the time comes. In addition to our hospital tour, we sat down with a nurse and developed a birth plan. I love that my hospital offers this service! The nurse asked us a bunch of questions that I wouldn't have even thought to bring up, and when we left we had a little packet detailing our hopes and wishes for the birth and hospital stay. The hospital also has all that information in our file, so they will know our expectations when we arrive for delivery.

Sleep: As good as can be expected at nearly nine months pregnant. Rolling from side to side in the middle of the night is pretty painful, but I'm lucky that I can still make it through most nights without getting up for a potty break.

Best moment this week: Celebrating my dad's birthday at the lake with my family over the weekend and getting the final few baby items assembled! 

Missing anything: Wine.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm still all about the sweets.

Mood: Ready. I know I still have another four and a half weeks before her due date, but I'm so ready to meet my girl!! 

Looking forward to: Celebrating my birthday on Sunday! This year's celebration will definitely be much more relaxed than in year's past, but I'm excited about celebrating my last birthday before baby! 

Husband is: Putting up with his crazy, hormonal, and nesting wife. I know I'm driving him crazy with all my "to-dos," but he is taking it like a champ! 

New mommy question: Nothing new to add this week.