Stages of milk drunk

Step 1. Enjoy skin to skin. 

Step 2: look cute so Mom will feed you all the time.

Step 3: Nursing success and milk drunk baby. 

There's someone I would like for you all to meet.

Remember that last post where I said Hey look I'm still pregnant?! That lasted about 24 more hours after that post went live. 

There's some I would like for you guise to meet. 

Say hello to Jordan Samuel. He arrived at 4:47 pm on Saturday, April 19. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 18 inches long. 

His birth story is 25 hours long so that will be another post ... eventually. For now, he and I are doing great. He is an old pro at breastfeeding and is currently latched on and I am in hog heaven. 

More to come later, but DH and I have never been happier or more proud and I wanted to share this little bundle of happiness with you all. 

You will be happy to know that I am still pregnant. 38w,4d.

So it seems like I have missed a couple of the weekly updates. I didn't realize that I haven't posted weeks 35 through now, so we will just do a brief update overall. Mmmmkay??

 

My mornings: I still hate mornings. Add in some snoring and I am finding DH on the couch more often than not. The snoring usually wakes me up too and I can't figure out a sleeping position that I don't snore in.

My nights: Snoring is becoming a problem. See above. Ear plugs are my friends.

How far along: 38w, 4d. 11 days until my EDD. SQUUUUEEEE!

How big is baby: Baby He-Man is over 7 pounds and could be anywhere from 19 inches and up. DH is pretty tall and judging by the size of his feet in our last US, it looks like he may be taking after his daddy in the height department and after mommy in the big feet department.

Weight:

Starting weight: 130

Total weight gain: 44

This week: 174

How I’m changing: Still growing. All over.

 

Weight is a sensitive subject for women, whether they are pregnant or not. It really irks me when someone makes insensitive comments that they think are benign but are really kinda hurtful for the mother. My coworker has the ability to make little comments that really hurt, like "Look how big you're getting," "Aren't you ready to pop yet? You look like it," "Your feet and face look puffy."

None of those comments are in any way helpful or conversation starters. Several times I have looked at her with the death stare and just ignored her, but I've also said things like, "Yes, I know I am getting bigger. That's a sign that the baby is also getting bigger, which is kinda the goal." This is also the same stupid coworker that put her hand on my belly without asking, rubbed all around and said, "Does it bother you when people rub your belly?" Ummmmm Yes, it does. Then she was stupid enough to call me rude for telling her to stop. I said, if you didn't put it here, then stop touching it.

 

What I miss: Feeling comfortable. Don't get me wrong. I am trying to cherish every moment of the pregnancy, especially the last few weeks...or days. But, let me preach some truth...third trimester is a whole new beast and that beast hurts. The majority of the day is more pain and uncomfortable feeling than easy, free to move around. Getting up off the couch is truly an issue. I used to look at pregnant women who needed an extra hand to get up from laying down position as "weak" or just "lazy." HAHAHAHAHA. There have been moments where I've said, "Eff it. I'm just going to lay here until DH comes back in the room."

Don't even get me started on rolling over in bed. I don't know how women who are pregnant with multiples can even function near the end. It has to be so hard.

Symptoms: A little more heartburn. I hope the wives tale is true and that he has lots of hair.

Cravings: I want fruit or sweet things. Lately, I've been into pineapples and watermelons have started creeping back into stores so that's exciting!

Food Aversions: Nothing. I've been lucky that nothing has made me sick.

Highlights this week: I installed the car seat in my car. DH put together the stroller, which is still sitting in the kitchen. His car is in the shop so we will install that base soon, but since we will be taking my car to the hospital there really is no rush.

Last week, during week 37, I took a tour of the hospital, birthing suites and finished my pre-registration. Whoboy did that little visit make things seem real.

Maternity clothes: Yep. Couldn't live without them.

Stretch marks: I have them on both butt cheeks but none on my belly.

Sleep: I wish. That's all.

Movement: Always! But it is slowing down some with more of it being him twisting and turning some. It's not like jabs but I can see his feet or butt move across my upper belly. He is settling in head down so I don't get a whole lot of movement down low.

Gender: We're Team He-Man!

Labor signs: I've had some days of cramps and contractions that gets me a little excited that things may be getting close to labor day but then they go away. 

 

During my 36 week visit, my OB checked my cervix and I was 1 cm dilated. That didn't change between the checks from 36 weeks to 38 weeks but each time I get checked I end up spotting and cramping a lot.  

Belly button: I thought I would have an outie by now, but the innie is still holding on.

What I am looking forward to: LABOR. No seriously. At this point, there's not much else to do except wait. And waiting is getting exciting.

Milestones: Major nesting going on. Even though I think we're pretty prepared now, I am still trying to organize. I go into the nursery every day and piddle around. DH is also getting more curious about all the stuff, like asking me about the sound machine, how swaddlers work, etc. I sometimes forget that I have spent so many years researching and reading about babies that it's not like that for him.  I kinda need to teach him some of the basic things that he may not know, but that I have come across through research or from babysitting.

I'm getting bigger by the minute!

Less than 2.5 weeks

I declined the cervical check today. It can increase the risk of infection, plus it makes no difference to me if I am dilating or not. My OB wants to do one next week if my contractions continue, so I'm good with that. 

I'm up another 2 pounds and the belly is measuring a week behind, but that's not an issue as long as I'm measuring within two weeks either way. 

I've spent yesterday and today trying to organize the nursery and do more laundry. How can one kid have this many socks? 

Throw Back Thursday

From the days of when the bump was more of a blump ... 

37 weeks, 4 days and I'm about to go to the OB for another weekly NST and cervical check. 

Last week I was 1cm, high and tight. I've had contractions in the evenings for a week or more and they're starting to feel more crampy instead of like Braxton hicks. 

The dresser is done!!!

It's been a thorn in my foot for weeks now as I have waited, not very patiently, to get the dresser so I can organize the nursery. 

Without the dresser, I couldn't put away washed clothes, blankets, or diapers. My kitchen table looks like Babies R Us exploded on it. 

But NOW, we finally have a dresser! I can't really blame Dad and DH for taking longer than my initial deadline of March, seeing as how DH had some work issues that wouldn't allow him to make the hour trip to work on it for several weeks. And then Dad had unexpected shoulder surgery. But don't these guys realize how crazy a nesting 8-month pregnant lady is!?!? 

They both are under the male mental mindset that a due date is exactly when the birth will be. Ha! Poppycock I say. 

Sure. I get that I could easily go past my EDD but I would rather be prepared for an earlier arrival than not prepared at all until the due date. 

I can't thank them enough for they hardwork in handcrafting this dresser. We got to custom design it with type of wood, layout, drawer sizes, finish, and drawer pulls. It's simple and exactly the way I love handmade pieces. I want something that will look timeless and will look beautiful for years to come. Since I know it will last for decades, I know it's designed to be an awesome focal piece in any room. 

I'm not even going to show you the other side of the room. You would die if you saw how much stuff is piled upon other piles of stuff. It would make a great setting for a baby hoarders TV show episode. 

This post is brought to you flat on my back...

Flat on my back with my tootsies in the air, I am thinking about how far I've come. 

Someone in the interwebs read my BFP post from August 2013 and that one little view made me click on it and relive the sweet and overwhelming feelings from that time. 

Even in just the few minutes it took me to read the BFP post, I got the same sick feeling in my stomach. It's like that butterfly-in-my-belly-excited-feeling but also the I'm-so-scared-and-going-to-vomit-feeling. All it takes is a few written words on a blog to bring back all those memories. 

So as I lay here trying to get my feet to reverse the swelling, I'm reminded of how blessed I am. My ankles are non existant and I can't bend my toes, but it took a lot of money and time and prayers to get to this point. I'm lucky that I don't have any serious complications and the pregnancy is progressing as normal as can be. 

And now, it's hard to believe that I only have about 25 days to go until my EDD. In a month, I will be holding a baby in my arms. Insane. 

Also, I am in desperate need of a pedicure.