38 weeks survey

How far along? 37 and 5 days
Total weight gain: 20~~probably alot more on thursday I feel huge
Maternity clothes? yes
Sleep: This weekend I slept for 3 hours in a row~it was amazing...other than that I've been sick and up most the night and pee when I'm not blowing my nose
Best moment this week: watching Jack smile and stick his tongue out
Movement: this boy is SO active, sometimes I feel like he may break out of my belly!
Gender: boy!
Labor Signs: nothing consistent...braxton hicks are coming more often and definitely stronger
Belly Button in or out? out!
What I miss: Sleeping
What I am looking forward to: Can't wait to hold this little guy, he's such a little character already!
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy every night and prepare, bc he could come any day now!
Milestones: making it to week 38!

Things I need to remember for next pregnancy...

I'm not sure if many pregos read this blog but in case you are wondering what to get/not get for yourself while your pregnant or for a friend maybe this will help. It's also for me to remember what I loved to use and what didn't work so much!

I HATED Palmer's body butter the kind in the "wax like" container, not the lotion, actually it made my whole belly break out in a rash and also my coworkers I threw it away after one week.

I LOVE using Aquaphor as chapstick, it works ten times better and doesn't dry lips out as much as any other chapstick (and believe me I've tried them all)

I LOVE my Jobst compression hose. My coworker told me about this brand and they may be a little pricey for hose ($30) but they actually work! They are really hard to find and you can get them at the walgreens/tucker pharmacy off raymond near 65. Basically in the ghetto but SOO WORTH IT!

I LOVE LOVE UGGS...slippers and shoes I don't know what I'd do without them this winter. If you have a preggo friend definitely get some for her! They are honestly the only shoes that my ankles will fit in after a long week on my feet.

I'm currently using Biooil for stretchmarks and it's pretty greasy, but pricey so I'm continuing to use it bc I'm that cheap :)

I LOVE drawer organizers, we got ours at target and it's perfect for the tiny little onesies to be separated in such big bulky drawers.

I LOVE Buybuybaby...the people at this store are so much more informative and helpful than any other baby store. Even the men that work there know 10 times more than I ever would. They will also tell you the good and the bad which I think is great! They take multiple coupons in a transaction and you can use bed bath and beyond coupons there....and they are great with returns

I HATE searching for the right size of bassinett sheet...make sure you take dimensions...I thought they were all the same but realized that they weren't after I had washed them.

I HATE putting together walmart's cord-free blinds, but LOVE the way they look in the nursery and they don't let much light in at all!

Wow this list got long quickly...

One of our last lazy weekends :)

Well I'm 37 1/2 weeks! I'm still fighting this horrible cold, but I can definitely say that I don't feel worse and I'm feeling better. This weekend I actually got some sleep! Pat has been getting some of the finishing touches done and I've been organizing like crazy.

Friday night I was exhausted and tired from work, so me and Pat went out to eat by ourselves for a nice relaxing dinner and watched movies and at ice cream :) The awesome thing about Mr. Rooney is that he is usually up for whatever craving I'm up to. We went to Red Lobster and later we had snickers ice cream haha.

Last night we went out with the Rooney's to eat some yummy mexican food and hang out at their house for some drinks afterwards. It's always great to catch up and we haven't really seen them much since Christmas. Also they gave me an AWESOME "Push Present" it's a blue coach diaper bag! If you know me I LOVE LOVE coach and always really wanted a coach diaper bag but could never talk myself into splurging. We just have the most giving families and really couldn't be more thankful!

Here's a pic of my bag!

We are full term!!

I never thought I'd say this but little man is now FULL-TERM! We made it to 37 weeks! Things are going good! Unfortunately I'm still super sick with this horrible cold...it's almost been a full 2 weeks....they think it's just a bad virus, so they don't really want to put me on antibiotics this late in the pregnancy game. So that means poor Pat has had to put up with me peeing 24/7 throughout the night but also blowing my nose and coughing constantly. I'm hoping maybe the coughing/sneezing will help my cervix open?? haha not really sure if that's possible.

I had my Dr. appointment yesterday and met with Dr. Debikey it was interesting meeting her because she is a doctor that orders ALOT of exams at St. Francis so it's nice to put a face to the name. They said my weight and blood pressure look great, she also said I tested negative for the group b strep test which is great. I was worried about testing positive for the group b, not bc it's a big ordeal or anything, but bc I'm allergic to penicillin. If you test positive they give you antibiotics during the delivery so that it doesn't hurt the baby. If your allergive to penicillin they have to use a lot stronger drugs for such a small problem so it's great that I don't even have to worry about it!

Then, she checked my cervix and I'm not dilated or effaced. She did say that my cervix is definitely lower and softer so things are moving along. She measured my uterus 3 weeks small, so needed to have the ultrasound tech take a peek bc it's common to leak fluid and not know it. Baby Jack was measuring a week ahead as usual and 7lbs 4oz. he's head down. The fluid looks great also! They said it's just my build and now that his head is getting lower I may measure smaller.

Last night was a full moon and they say many women go into labor those nights. It was weird because I was having alot more braxton hicks that usual. Every position I laid in I would get one. They say it's just your body practicing and slowly preparing for delivery!

We are definitely getting closer and closer and couldn't be more thankful to make it safely to this point!!

36 weeks!

Met with Dr. Boyce today for my 36 week appt. Can't believe I'm 9 months!! I really liked her alot, she told me everything I should be expecting/feeling in the next week. I was worried bc I have a horrible cold this week and I was worried if he came early I would be hacking all over him and get him sick and she calmed me down that he probably has antibodies already against this cold from being inside me (crazy what a miracle all this is). She also measured me small and she is about my size and said not to worry, and she told me she was in my exact same shoes with her boy, she always measured small and he always measured about a week ahead. She said her little one was 9 lbs 2 oz! She said I should *hope* for Jack to come around week 38 so he doesn't get too big :). Today was the first time they checked my cervix and I was super anxious. It was alot of pressure bc my cervix tilts back, but was OK, and my cervix right now is completely closed. From here on out I go to the Dr. once a week to check on him and check progress. I guess you can be completely closed one morning and dilated to 10 that night so it's not a very good predicament of labor, but if I would start having contractions and go to labor and delivery they would atleast have a benchmark to compare to and see if they are "real" contractions. I had no idea that you could walk around dilated to 4 for weeks!

She also told me that alot of illnesses are going around so we need to be careful once Jack makes his appearance. She said that with it being flu season she wouldn't have any children come to visit in the hospital or atleast any children under 10. Also to tell family/friends if they are feeling sick to hold off visiting until they are feeling better. It was nice to hear this advice because I was already worried about germs and colds with it being January/February.

I can't wait to meet this little guy!!!

35/35!!

Today's my 35/35. 35 weeks down and 35 days to go!!! Last night I had a dream that Jack came out talking (imagine that) and bossing the nurses around and had LILA'S hair on his back! He was a mix between me, Pat, and Lila. WOW these pregnancy dreams could not get weirder!!!

35 weeks!!

How far along? almost 35 weeks
Total weight gain: not sure total but gained 3 last appt! I'd say 15-20 total so far!
Maternity clothes? some..depends on my mood...but definitely have to wear maternity jeans...somehow I still fit into my regular scrub bottoms though?
Sleep: not sleeping very well, I feel like a fat swollen rotisserie chicken that must rotate throughout the night because my hips start to hurt. Also I pee about every 2 hours...Jack's head is right on my bladder!
Best moment this week: Watching Jack stick out his tongue and put his big toe in his mouth in 3d. He is a little wild child! We also had our maternity pictures and it was a blast and Sarah did a wonderful job.
Movement: yes...they are turning into jabs and giant movements
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: None, every day I usually have a few braxton hicks where my uterus tightens but it doesn't hurt and it goes away. Next appointment at 36 weeks I think they'll check my cervix
Belly Button in or out? out...well out sometimes and just even with the skin sometimes..depends on the day
What I miss: sleeping comfortably for over 3 hours in a row
What I am looking forward to: Can't wait to see my little man!!! He's such a character in the womb I can't wait to meet his personality in the outside world :)
Weekly Wisdom: If only you could read my descriptive text messages my poor friends put up with and answer for me
Milestones: Making it to week 35 & melinda talking me into Maternity pictures

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We made it through the holidays!!! It's been a great year and the past week has been FILLED with lots of events :). Christmas was amazing and we got to see all of our family and friends. My 34 week appointment went well. I was actually measuring 3 weeks behind :( but did gain 3 lbs and they did an ultrasound to check and make sure I wasn't leaking fluid and make sure Jack was still growing and my fluid is great and Jack is a little Heifer weighing in a 5 lbs 14 oz.

Monday, the 27th was Pat's 30th bday! I rounded up all his friends and we went out to celebrate with dinner and drinks and Fireside. I was so shocked at all the people that made it on a Monday night. It just goes to show that we are surrounded by SO many great people! They actually had to move us to a bigger room. It was also Nigel's bday so we sang Happy Bday and the Bday boys got to eat their ice cream cake~~it was delicious!!!

This Friday was New Year's Eve!! This is the tamest New Year's me and Pat have ever had. Especially considering last year we rang it in with some close friends in KEY WEST :). I actually ended up taking my coworkers call since I'd obviously be sober and not doing too much~~but never got called in. I drank some yummy Sparkling Grape Juice and Pat had some wine and we finished up some things on the nursery bc our Maternity/Nursery pics were this weekend.

This Sunday, the 2nd we had Sarah Hill come over to take some maternity pictures. Melinda uses her for their family shoots and they always turn out great and our priced great too! We started off just taking some in the nursery and then went down to Mass Ave and took some outdoor shots. She is great and I can't wait to see the pics!!

New Year's Resolutions for us! Pat's New Year's resolution is to quit smoking :) and mine is to try to do "One frame a day" http://thecreativemama.com/one-frame-a-day/ ...it's such a great idea to take a picture a day of anything funny, sad, happy moments and at the end of the year make a book that collects a picture and description of that day and photo. I'll be making another blog for those pictures and hopefully can keep up with it! I think it would be so neat to look back and laugh at the CRAZINESS of preparing this household and once Jack get's here and how fast time flies.

Hope you have a Happy New Year!!!!