Well, I Finally Broke Down...

Thus far I have stayed out of Aaron's closet. I thought for sure that his XL and 2XL shirts would be too big and the few men's L shirts that I bought would fit me through the end. They almost did, but alas, today I threw one of my "big" t-shirts on only to realize that it didn't take much for it to start inching up and for my belly to start showing. Bummer. I pulled out one of his XL shirts and put it on and I have to admit, it felt like heaven. Even my maternity shirts that still fit are a bit tight, but his t-shirt fit perfectly. At least now I have a slightly larger wardrobe, even if it isn't too pretty.

39 Week Appointment

Today I had another doctor's appointment. Aaron wasn't able to come to the visit because he had a work meeting to attend.
I'm now measuring right on for 39 weeks, so either she or I has been making up for lost ground for measuring small the last few visits! After being extremely active last week when he was trying to measure her heart rate, she was calm as a clam this time. I think she wore herself out wiggling around after I had lunch and she was asleep. Her heart rate was 135 bpm.
I am now 50% effaced, but still not dilated. He seemed really happy to see that I had started to make some progress and said I just need to keep having contractions. I've been getting a few everyday and last Friday I had them all afternoon and evening. Only a couple have been what I'd guess are medium-level contractions, most are just uncomfortable. Since my energy level seems fine, I'm going to try to do some more walking, which seems to always make me have at least a couple contractions.
He talked to me a bit about inducing. He suggested 11/24. It was a little shocking think about her having a birthday! At this point, I don't think that we'll induce unless medically necessary, but I told him that I'd like to talk again at my visit next Tuesday. I may feel differently about it by then! Besides, who knows, as Mom keeps reminding me, tomorrow is a full moon... a girl can hope, can't she? :)

Weekend Update

While I don't have my hopes up that it means anything and I hope you won't either, I did find myself doing a bit of nesting this weekend.

Saturday we met with Jason and Kim for lunch, then she and I went to have our nails done. We've decided that it is going to be a tradition for us. We did the same thing a week before her daughter Jocelyn was due. We were to go exactly a week before my due date, but she and Jason are going to Vegas that day, so we decided to do it the weekend before. I got a pinkish-red (I believe it was called "Strawberry") on my fingernails and I did a french pedicure on my toes. She put some rhinestone hearts on my big toes - I think they look really cute. Hopefully they'll still look good by the time the baby is born!

Aaron and I had an idea for a nursery decoration (we have a huge empty wall that I've been trying to figure out how to decorate), so I made the wall decoration on Sunday. I wanted to get it put up, but we ended up spending a bunch of time moving things into the office so we could have the carpets cleaned today and we didn't make the time to get everything hung in the nursery. I'm hoping we can do it tonight because once it is up, I think that the nursery will be 99% complete and I can take some pictures to post on the blog!

DA Update

We had another doctor's appointment today. I didn't expect much since we were just there on Thursday and I was right -- still no progress at all. The good thing about that news this time is that I'm feeling A LOT better this week than I was last week and the thought of being pregnant for 4 more weeks is a lot more bearable. Of course I would take her now though, no complaints!

I am now measuring a bit closer to 38 weeks, so she had a bit of a growth spurt this week. The doctor said that he'd guess she'll be an averaged size baby. I know that everyone who has tried to feel her move will be dissapointed to hear this, but she would not stop moving when he was trying to listen to her heartrate. He asked if she's always that active and I said that as long as she's awake and no one is trying to feel her move, she is! He said that it is a really great sign and that he thinks she's going to be very healthy.

While I have been feeling better, I am looking terrible! My right foot started swelling on Friday and has probably tripled in size since then. It is very bothersome to look at! Since my blood pressure and urine looked good, he is not concerned and said that it is because the baby is sitting more on my right side and is probably pinching off some veins and the blood isn't pumping back as well as it should. He followed that up by saying that I just need to not be pregnant any more and that it will be fine. I have also developed some sort of skin condition where my skin looks extra pink. Once again he said that it is just because of pregnancy and nothing to worry about.

Lots of Updates From the Last Week

The last week has been so hectic that I haven't had a chance to make an update! It started a week ago when Aaron's co-workers Glenda, Shana, and Shelley hosted a shower for us. It was so much fun. I admit that I was a little nervous because I don't know many of Aaron's co-workers and I am not a huge fan of being the center of attention, especially around people I don't know, but everyone was so nice that I felt very comfortable. We had such a great time and we got a lot of very neat gifts. It was also really nice to meet some of the people I've heard Aaron talk about, but that I've never seen.

Then, last Friday we had a surprise birthday party for my mom. I took Friday off to decorate and get everything ready. Aaron, Dad, and I took her to dinner and then I told her that I wanted to stop by the community center to check out some baby items at a craft sale. Aaron sent Brad a text when we were on the way and everyone hid to tell her surprise when she walked in the door. I think she was pretty surprised! We had a great time visiting with everyone and doing something nice for Mom. I have to admit that I was quite jealous of the margaritas though! By the end of the night I was exhausted and I ended up sitting on the couch all day Saturday, barely moving a muscle!

Luckily the resting rejuvenated me for Sunday because we headed to Osage to go to a shower that my aunts were throwing. Once again, it was fantastic! I cannot believe how blessed we are to have so many great friends and family members. It is a little overwhelming to think about how much other people have done for us. We played a few games -- I have to say the first was pretty gross and was all Jennie's doing. We had to figure out what kind of candy bars were squished in diapers. Eww! Then we guessed how big my belly was. Mom had the closest guess, she was almost right on! It was great to see some of my relatives that I don't see very often (and great to see those we do see often!).

Oh, the last bit of exciting news is that I was finally approved for part time work after my maternity leave! Who hoo! I brought up the subject to my boss when I was early in my pregnancy and he had been working to get approval for months and months. It was so nice to finally get confirmation! I will be working Mondays and Tuesdays and a half day on Wednesday. The rest of the week I'll be a domestic goddess (never thought I'd say that!).

37 Week Appointment Update

Today we went in for the 37 week appointment. The first thing the doctor said was to not expect her anytime soon. Then he did an exam and said that I'm not dilated or effaced at all. Bummer. He did say she's dropped a little bit, which I could tell from where she's been sitting. The rest of the visit went well, my BP was a little higher than usual, but the nurse said it is fine for this point of pregnancy. The baby was moving around a lot when he listened for her heartbeat and it was around 155, which is higher than it has been the last few months. She slowed down while he was measuring it and her heartrate also dropped a bit, closer to what it had been previously.

I also had a chiropractor appointment today and I was ready for it. My lower back and hips have been so painful, especially getting into and out of bed. He worked on me a lot and when I left, I felt so much better. He said that my muscles are tight. I'm hoping that the adjustment will last a few days!

More Shower Fun!

Saturday Aaron's mom's best friend Sharon and her daughters Allison and Hayley threw a baby shower for us. It was a great shower and we had a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures from the afternoon.

This one is of Aaron's mom Cindy, stepdad Mark, brother Evan, and grandparents Bill and Barb.

And here are the fantastic shower hosts, Allison, Hayley, Sharon and Aaron's mom Cindy