38 Weeks

How far along? 38 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 27 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes.The black leggings that I have been living in have started getting a little bit tight and bothersome around the belly.  My mom had recently bought me some pajama pants from Pea in the Pod and they are sooooooo soft.  I also love that they don't come all of the way up my belly like the leggings.  I have recently started wearing them to work.  Yes, I wear pajamas to work.  I have worn them so much in the last few weeks that I bought another pair to make sure that they do not get too worn out so that I can wear them at the hospital and after Leland arrives. 

Stretch marks? No. Keeping my fingers crossed!  Still love using my Mama Belly Oil.  I have also packed this in my "labor" bag to bring to the hospital.  In this bag I have a heating pad, some lotion, Mama Belly Oil, a massage tool, hair ties, some LUNA bars, and a carton of Coconut Water from Whole Foods! 

Sleep: Sleeping great!  I go to sleep about 8:30pm every night and wake up around midnight and 5:00am to go to the bathroom.  I always fall back asleep quickly at midnight but if Leland is moving about, which he sometimes is, around 5:00am I often stay awake until my alarm goes off. 
 Other symptoms: These past 2 weeks my cheeks have been getting very flushed.  Nate asked me if I had been sunbathing because I looked sunburned.  On Monday I was a little short of breath, not anything out of the ordinary but I had not been doing anything to make this occur.  I went to Publix to take my BP and it was about 140/90 which for me is SUPER high.  Normally I am about 110/60.  I called the midwives and they said that those machines are often not calibrated and wrong more times than not.  She said to relax and if I had any other symptoms then to call back.  I have felt fine.  We had an appointment on Friday, 38 weeks, and they took my BP like they always do and it was 141/96...super high for me.  There was no protein in my urine so that is positive and I do not have any other symptoms.  This weekend I get to pee in a brown folded up milk carton looking device for 24 hours and then I go back on Monday morning to deliver my urine and get checked again.  Hopefully it will be lower!  

Best moment this week:  We had our 38 week appointment and the midwife said he was measuring about 6 and a half pounds and predicted he would be about 7 pounds 1 ounce.  It was so surreal to hear that because I have been imagining a 9-10 pound baby coming out!  She assured me that i would NOT be having that big of a baby unless I was hiding him somewhere.  His heartbeat was great and he is still moving around in there.  Lately it feels as though he is holding onto my right hip bone.  Very weird. 

Movement: Yes! Even though he is getting way bigger in there he is moving a lot.

Food cravings:  not too many "cravings" but I have been STARVING!!  I eat all of the time and can still pack away a TON of food! COCONUT WATER!!!  I have also LOVED having this tea that my lil' sis got me.  It's called Get Maternal by Republic of Tea.  It's so delicious and I don't need to add anything to it because it is the perfect amount of sweet! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope! 

Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah!!

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming more frequent and intense but not painful.  Leland has definitely dropped a significant amount.  I often wondered if the pregnant mom could feel her baby sitting lower and the answer is YES.  One of my friends said that towards the end if felt like she had a watermelon between her knees.  I am not there yet.  I compared it to a cantaloupe between my thighs! Also, my new favorite pregnancy term that I have learned is "lightning crotch".  The shooting pain sensation you feel in your pubic bone because baby is pressing his head onto a nerve.  It stops in me in my tracks and is a sensation I have never felt before!!  Haha.  Weird but normal!

Belly Button in or out?  Still IN but totally FLAT!  Sometimes when I am having a braxton hicks contraction It gets a little concave cause my belly torpedoes out.  Crazy. 

Wedding rings on or off? Wedding ring is on, engagement ring is off. 

Happy or Moody: Happy!

  Looking forward to: I am looking forward to having this baby and seeing when he will look like and act like!!  I have been a little anxious this past week or so about the actual birth but I think that is normal! 

35 Weeks

How far along? 35 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 22 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Stretch marks? No. Keeping my fingers crossed!  Still love using my Mama Belly Oil.

Sleep: Sleeping great!
 Other symptoms: Varicose veins are not my friend.  However, they have not gotten any worse in the last 4 weeks so that is a blessing. Week 35 has started off with a bang!  It is like my body is trying to tell me: YOU ARE PREGNANT SO START ACTING LIKE IT!  I have backaches, pregnancy brain (lil' story on that later), heartburn, swollen hands and feet, numb fingertips, exhaustion (I'm waiting for this "nesting stage" to kick in), fits of hunger, not able to eat full meals, not able to eat while sitting down which is pretty awkward, and a full bladder ALL of the time!  I am doing all of the things that I have read to help these symptoms.  I drink almost 120 ounces of water a day, I eat raw almonds and milk to help with heartburn (and have the occasional TUMS), I walk everyday for about 30-45 minutes with the Puppy Baby, and try to sit down a lot to help with the varicose veins.  I am pretty thankful though that all of these symptoms have not caught up with me until now, at 35 weeks.  I know that some people have things much worse than me all throughout their pregnancy, and for that I am thankful. 

Best moment this week:  We had an appointment with the midwives on Thursday.  He is still head down, fingers crossed he stays that way for the next 5-7 weeks!  His heartbeat was 147 and it was so fun hearing it again!  When she measured me (from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) I was measuring anywhere from 35-37.5cm because Leland was putting on some sort of show in my stomach and did not want to stay still! They say you should measure in centimeters the same number of weeks you are, in my case that would be 35cm.  He was kicking and shaking his bottom like no ones business in there! 
Jill finished the curtains for the nursery and Nate hung them last night!  They look so great.  When we peeked in the nursery this morning it was pretty dark so the black out fabric was a good purchase!

Movement: Yes! Lots.  He is going to be a lil' soccer player I'm sure.....and ice hockey player! 

Food cravings:  Sweets. Rootbeer floats!

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing right now! 

Have you started to show yet: Yes.  Nate and I think that my stomach is getting larger and larger each day!  It is definitely becoming more torpedo-like.

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming more frequent and intense but not painful.

Belly Button in or out?  Still IN but totally FLAT!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody: Happy!

  Looking forward to:.....having a baby!  I am ready to have a baby - or as ready as I'll ever be, I think?!  The more I try to plan and prepare, the more nervous I become.  I think that I just need to relax and know that things are out of my hands.  We are still doing our Hypnobabies sessions each Sunday night and have started doing our "stretches" since we are 6 weeks out from our "guess date."  I am still doing all of the recommended "exercises" (not as often as I should but I guess anything is better than nothing).  I also can't WAIT to see all of the edited maternity pictures that my sister took this past weekend!  

I took down the bunting over the crib and hung this adorable paper airplane and cloud backdrop that Jill made for the baby shower.  It was so cute, I had to use it in the nursery!

34 Weeks

My belly is starting to look more torpedo like, especially during the Braxton Hicks contractions!

We added some stuffed animals to the "reading buddies" basket because I have had a lot of questions about what that thing was for!

How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 21.2 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Stretch marks? No. Keeping my fingers crossed!  Still love using my Mama Belly Oil.

Sleep: Sleeping great!
 Other symptoms: Varicose veins are not my friend.  However, they have not gotten any worse in the last 4 weeks so that is a blessing. 

Best moment this week:  I had a baby shower on Saturday and it was sensational!  I knew that my mom was coming up for the baby shower on Thursday and I was hoping that my big sister was going to be with her, but I didn't know for sure.  I got home from school and they were both in the van.  I was so excited!  Kristen told me she brought me something special in the van and to come over by the car and MY AUNT JUDY WAS IN THE CAR!!!!!  I had NO idea that she was coming.  She kept messaging me each week when I would send her a weekly chalkboard picture how sad she was about not being able to see me pregnant.  TRICKSTER!!!! It was so much fun having so many people at my house.  My little sister, Lindsay, came up on Friday night so she could baby at the baby shower too!  My older sister, Kristen, also took some maternity photos of me and being one of the most impatient people in the world I am dying to see some of them edited!   The baby shower was sensational.  As promised in my week 33 post, I will do a whole blog post on baby showers!  They have been so wonderful that they need their own personal post!  Also, my mom bought me the most comfortable pajamas on the planet from Pea in the Pod.  I got a nursing tank top and black pajama pants, a beautiful and comfortable robe that I will wear forever, a sexy lil' nursing nightgown, and a "Let Me Out" shirt to wear to the hospital as well!!  Getting items of clothing that you feel good in when you're pregnant is such a wonderful feeling!

 (If it looks like I am holding myself in the pic to the left, you're right!  I peed in my pants and started crying when I saw Aunt Judy!)

(These are just pics from my iPhone with an Instagram filter added to them - I can not WAIT for the real pics to be edited and sent to me!)

Movement: Yes! Lots. 

Food cravings:  Sweets. Rootbeer floats!

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing right now! 

Have you started to show yet: Yes.Nate and I think that my stomach is getting larger and larger each day!  It is definitely becoming more torpedo-like.

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming more frequent and intense (not painful) and I often do the pregnancy waddle!

Belly Button in or out?  Still IN but totally FLAT!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody: Happy!

  Looking forward to: We have our 35 week appointment with the midwife on Thursday, February 7th at 3:00pm.  I'm so excited.  I love hearing his heartbeat (it sounds a lot more "normal" than it did early on which I like) and having the midwife tell us what position he is in so I can visualize what he is doing in there when he is moving! Our primary midwife moved to Arkansas so we get to have a new midwife, and I am hoping to meet a new one at each of our future appointments.  Whoever is on call when we go into labor will be the one who helps with delivery so we want to meet all 5 of the midwives.    

33 Weeks

getting bigger and bigger!

frontal views are my new favorite.  my stomach looks so crazy to me.  i love it! plus, i am often caught standing or sitting holding my stomach just like this in all sorts of places - both public and private!

when my shirt is down, my stomach looks a little more torpedo like than when you see it bare in all it's glory!

How far along? 33 Weeks I can not believe we are in single digit weeks now!  Just 7-9 more weeks to go depending on when Leland decides to make his presence!

Total weight gain/loss: 20.3 pounds gained. 

Maternity clothes? Yes.  I live in my black maternity leggings!  This last week I have been pulling on my Old Navy Rockstar (that are cheap and very stretchy) jeans so I can feel a little less pregnant and a little more normal when I go out places.  It really does work.  I no longer wear the Belly Band - it was SO tight for me that I think I only wore it 3 times.  I used to do the rubber-band trick through the button hole, but now I just leave them totally unbuttoned and unzipped and wear a long tank top! Perfection. 

Stretch marks? No. Keeping my fingers crossed!  A friend of mine gave me this bottle of Mama Belly Oil (lavender, camomile, and red mandarin oil) that I have been rubbing all over my body!  It smells sensational and by sensational, I mean I smell like a fancy spa which I am okay with!  

Sleep: I am still sleeping a lot at night.  Gravity is kicking in, and my pregnant belly is finally starting to pull on my back when I lay on my side.  I used to be able to just have a pillow in between my legs, but now I need one under my stomach for some additional support!
 Other symptoms: Varicose veins have not been as swollen this past week which is great.  I do sit down a lot at work which has been helping. 

Best moment this week:  I found out that a dear friend is having a BOY!!  So exciting!  Nate and I went through our first Hypnobabies "class" this past Sunday night which was a fun first step in our birthing process.  Also, I bought NEW MAKEUP yesterday!  How fun is that.  I used Christmas money from my students and bought new eyeshadow, eyebrow pencils, my first makeup brush, and this primer for my eyelids that I am supposed to put on before eyeshadow - who knew!  I am going to a makeup class next Friday afternoon and they are going to teach me how to apply makeup and I am going to buy new blush, a blush brush, and mascara!  How fun.  MAC is my all time favorite makeup!
Hypnobabies & Birthing Preparation Update:  We decided to do the home study of Hypnobabies for our birthing preparation.  My friend gave us all of her materials from when she did the group study for her first birth and highly recommended the program.  It has also saved us about $350 by using her materials and studying at home.  There are scripts and cd's and all sorts of things that I am supposed to be practicing each week.  It is pretty intense.  We have our second "class" tonight!  I will update on Hypnobabies next week too and give a little bit of background on why we decided to use this method for our birth prep! Sweet sweet husband is reading, The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin.  This book was recommended to us by the doulas at 9 Months and Beyond.  Several of the doulas said that they bring this book with them to each birth they attend.  When Nate finishes the book he is passing it off to my mom and she is going to read it as well. 

Movement: Yes! Lots. 

Food cravings:  Sweets. Rootbeer floats!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing right now.    

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: BOY!  Leland Henning Kivett!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks Contractions!  These are getting more serious which is pretty crazy and making this all the more real.  I have to stop and breathe through them almost every time I get these now.  I bet that people think that I am a little crazy when I am mid stride through the Green Hills Mall and suddenly stop.  Before it just felt like my stomach was getting tight and now it feels as though Leland is going to burst right through my belly button!

Belly Button in or out?  It is still IN.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody: Happy!

  Looking forward to: I am so looking forward to my third baby shower this coming weekend.  How lucky am I that I get three baby showers (and another one to come from the sweet sweet Moms of the kids in my class)!  People are so so sweet wanting to celebrate baby Leland!  It will be at my sister in law's house and I can't wait!!  (I will be doing a whole post on Baby Showers at a later date to show off all of the precious details and hard work that everyone put in to make them so special!)