37 Weeks

Another uneventful appointment... everything sounded great, going great etc.  A few notes:

• I have a "tentative" induction date for the 25th, which is exactly 39 weeks.  She will check me next Friday at my 38 week appointment and we'll schedule then.   Obviously, if she comes earlier I won't be induced.
• She said she expects the baby will be in the 7lb range.  I told her I was concerned she was going to be huge because everyone comments on how ginormous I am.  She said I am carrying a lot of extra fluid (I'm assuming she noted that as she squished the baby around my belly), and also because of the way I'm carrying her- completely out front and high.  GAH.  So, that was relieving to not know I'd be delivering a 17lb baby.  HAHA!
• I've been having a lot of pain in my right wrist lately, and first thought it was because I was sleeping on it wrong.  However, I always sleep on my right arm, and its never bothered me until the past week or so.  She said it likely is carpal tunnel, from the fluid retention and swelling, and I could use a brace if that helped.  
• Sleeping has been terrible.  I'm only able to sleep on my side and that ends up pinching a nerve in my hip, and combined with my wrist hurting (and having nowhere else to put my arm/wrist while I'm on my side), I'm not all that comfortable.  I've also had really bad heartburn the past few nights, which I haven't had much this pregnancy.  Most nights I lie in bed until 2 or 3am and wish I could fall asleep.    Thank goodness I'm working half days and have been able to nap with Hudson in the afternoons.
• Yesterday I was sick all day... flu-stomach bug type symptoms.  I was hoping it was a sign of labor soon but no such luck. 
• This afternoon/evening I had quite a few crampy contractions, and I went grocery shopping and had contractions the entire time.  Nothing regular or very strong and once I got home and laid down for a bit they've gone away.   Uncomfortable, but I welcome them... all the more closer to labor I'm getting! YAY!!

Here I am... in all my additional 52#'s of glory.  EEEK.   That's 12lbs more than I gained with each of the boys.... and combine that with the fact that I started this pregnancy 12lbs heavier than normal.... disgusting.  Oh well.  

And the swelling feet.  The other day it was pretty cold out so I had to wear shoes to work (not flip flops).  First off, most of my shoes are too tight (uh... ya think... look at those sausages!!), and then by the evening I had Hudson pull off my socks and I about died looking at my fat ankles!  EWW.  

36 Weeks

Another uneventful appointment.  I am glad to be able to say that, though.  My bp was back to more of my normal rate this week, and I was measuring at 37 weeks.  I asked about induction at 38 weeks if I was dilated (as it went with Hudson's pregnancy), but she said "the rules have changed and we can't induce until 39 weeks."  Rules schmules.   She said she'd check me at 38 weeks and strip my membranes and hopefully, if I was dilated, it would kick start things.  Well I'm going to spend the next couple weeks gathering any sort of home induction method I can find online LOL!

Luckily I'm not THAT terribly uncomfortable most days, YET, but I know I'm just entering Hell Zone and the next few weeks are going to be rotten.  I'm trying to keep my spirits up but I hate feeling so tired, achy, out of breath and just... fat.  Ugh.  I don't think it'd be so bad if I was the type of person who actually enjoyed being a couch potato and liked to sit and do nothing all day, but I'm too much of a busy body to just sit.  And right now I feel so immobile and uncomfortable and tired that I can't keep up with my motivation.  I have so many things I want to be doing in the yard, or around the house, but I'm just physically not up to it.  Its frustrating.

The boys are getting more and more anxious for sissy's arrival as well.  They ask all the time when she will be here, and each doctor's appointment they get their hopes up that I'm heading there to "get the baby out"  HAHA!  I am ridiculously excited to watch them meet her for the first time!

I'm down to pretty much nothing to wear.  Luckily I wear a lot of skirts normally, and have been able to wear a lot of my flowy, peasanty skirts on warmer days.  Spring break has been nice since I can sit around in my jammies or Ryan's basketball shorts and t-shirts.  I'm dreading the next few weeks of work because I have hardly any work clothes left that cover my belly or fit my thighs/butt/waist.  UGH.

This past week I've been a crafting fool.  I've made tons of baby bibs (and gifted a few to a friend expecting her first little girl this fall!) with lots of my scrappy pieces of fabric.  They're easy and fun to make so I think I might just keep on making them and sell some on Etsy.  I also picked out some of my favorite outfits for baby girl, up to like 12 months, and made matching headbands for the outfits.  I was on a roll with felt and jersey knit materials.  I will have to take pictures to share.  And of course, once she fits into all the outfits I'll definitely be taking pictures!   (because I'm pretty sure that's about how long a headband will stay on a baby LOL!)

So to sum up this week, uneventful.  My next appointment is on Friday.

35 Weeks: Appointment

I am now on weekly doctor's visits.  This is it... this is THE homestretch!  There is LIGHT at the end of the tunnel!

Everything checked out okay... BP was higher than normal (134/80) so they're keeping an eye on that (as well as the "sparkling lights" I have seen randomly in the past couple months).   Sis' heart rate was in the 140's and everything sounded great... no wonky noises.  I'm measuring right on track (35 weeks) and she is head down.  He squished her around to guesstimate her weight- he said she's probably right around 6lbs, and that I am carrying a lot of fluids in there (more than "typical") so combined with the fact that she hasn't dropped yet it is why I'm appearing so large and "out there".  WHEW!  I was worried I was already carrying a 10lb baby!  

Baby girl has been KILLING me with her stretching and kicking.  OH my.  There are times I'm so glad I'm not in public because I can't move while she is moving- it feels like she is literally ripping at my insides.  OUUUUCH.  

I *think* we're pretty close on a name.  Well, Ry and the boys are so dead set on one name and while I do love the name as well, there are a few others I really love too.  And so before officially settling on a name I really want to see her and make sure it is perfect for her.  We are still not telling anyone the name choices, or the name the boys in this house have been determined to have.  Its kind of neat being all secretive LOL!   I could not have done this with the boys- for some reason I always felt like it was nuts to not have a name officially chosen before the baby was here.  I didn't want to be anxious at the hospital and feel pressured and possibly choose the wrong name.   However, I feel pretty good about the short list we have, and I'm positive one of the names will be just perfect for her.  Its kind of foreign territory for me to go into this without knowing the baby's name!

I am getting SO SO excited to meet her.  I keep envisioning what she will look like, smell like, how I will react when I first see her.  What it will be like to hold and snuggle another newborn again. My newborn.  My newborn daughter.  And the boys... I so so cannot wait to see the boys with her.  I can't wait to introduce them.  It is getting so exciting to finally be at the end.  5 more doctor's appointments is all there is left!

33 Week Appointment

48lbs total gained. Eeek!

Routine appointment sent me to L&D for a non stress test. I noticed on my was to work that sis hadn't moved anything noticeable. I did finally feel her move at lunchtime but once I got to my appointment I still hadn't really felt any movement. Then of course the nurse mentions the kick counts and 10 kicks per hour and knots in cords blah blah and I started to get nervous.

Dr P found her heartbeat easily and it was in the 140's and everything sounded fine.   Pretty quick appointment and I went right up to L&D for a NST.  Hudson did great- he stayed occupied with spelling games on my phone and was even brave enough to go with a nurse to get a popsicle (such great nurses on L&D floor! Well... most of them HAHA!). If you know Hudson, you know he's super chatty and such a goof ball at home with people he knows.  BUT... get him out in public and have a stranger ask him something as simple as his name and he hides his face and clams up.  He didn't speak to the nurse at all but the mention of a popsicle gave him enough bravery to go with her.

Anyhow... back to the test.  Sis still wasn't moving much and they weren't getting a very good reading from her after almost an hour of monitoring.  They decided to send me to ultrasound to have a BPP (bio physical profile).  She scored 8 out of 8 and after checking back in with L&D, once they saw the BPP results the sent us home.

And, of course, all night she has been her typical maniac belly ninja.  Of course.

20 Weeks

• Halfway there!  WOOO HOO!  It feels like its flown by but the road ahead seems soooooo long.
  
• I'm already feeling stuffed and stretched.  I am wondering how my body possibly did this two other times, and if I'm this uncomfortable already at 20 weeks what is another 20 going to feel like?  Hell, quite possibly.
  
• In all of my pregnancies I haven't really felt a huge "craving" desire... like "OMG I HAVE TO HAVE IT NOW!" type of craving.  Except... lately I'm seriously craving oranges.  I bought a bag on a whim and they are so effing good.  One morning I forgot to pack one in my lunch and I swear to goodness I could SMELL oranges in my car.  I contemplated stopping at the grocery store, thus being late to work, to buy an orange.  I resisted.  I got to school and couldn't stop thinking about oranges so I went to the cafeteria and asked if they had any and of course it was apple day... the day before was orange day.  I went to Subway for lunch that day and even peeked next door to the gas station to see if just maybe they had oranges.  Nope.   Tonight... well, I devoured 3 oranges.  I have none left for tomorrow (it was a serious debate whether or not to eat that last orange....) but I decided I'd leave a little early for work and stop at the store to buy another bag.  This is so wrong.
  
• For the past 2 weeks or so I've been having these weird "kicking/tightening/pinching" feeling in my left side of my abdomen.  It happens when I tighten my stomach muscles (oh hello... muscles... I haven't used you in forever....) and it hurts just for a second but enough to make me jump and take my breath away.  Midwife said it was round ligament pain... well that's a new one for me.  Weird.
  
• I've been seeing the chiropractor weekly, and it is much needed.  I don't think I could survive pregnancy without the chiropractor.  My sacrum (upper hip/lower back/joint or whatever) is always out of alignment, which knocks everything else off and turns into upper back tightness and neck aches and headaches.  Fun stuff... nothing new though... went through this with both boys.
  
• I've gained 24lbs so far.  WOWZAS!  I'm 4-5lbs ahead of what I'd gained at this point with the boys... so I guess not too terrible.  However, the number on the scale is a scary one seeing I started this pregnancy out 15lbs ahead of where I was when I got pregnant with the boys.  Do the math... I'm almost at my "delivery weight" when I had the boys.  Sick.
  
• I'm getting so so so anxious to meet this little girl.  I can't even begin to picture what she's going to look like since the boys both look SO different.  When I was pregnant with Hudson I assumed he'd have brown hair and hazel or brown eyes like Porter.  However, we were thrown some far fetched genes in the gene pool and got our little blonde haired blue eyed boy.  So... I keep thinking... will she have brown hair like Porter or blonde like Hudson?  Or dark dark brownish black like Ryan?  Will she have freckles and hazel eyes like Porter and I?  Will she have blue eyes like Hudson or brown like Ryan? Will she have a round little face like Ryan and Hudson did or more of an oval like Porter and I?  Will her hair be wavy-ish like Porter and mine or stick straight like Ryan and Hudson?  (notice the trend... Ryan and Hudson share so many simliar traits, aside from hair/eye coloring... and Porter and I are so similar in traits.  Where will this little one fall?)
  
• We still are undecided on a name... although we both feel like we have a favorite but are having a hard time settling.  Or maybe its just me that's having a hard time settling.  We have discussed keeping her name a secret until she's born... you know, have some anticipation to look forward to HAHA!

• This week the baby is about the size of a banana....

15/16 weeks

I'm a few days away from 16 weeks so I figure I'll do a multi-post.  On Thursday night (errr... early early Friday morning) I snuck in to see LeeAnn at work so she could do an ultrasound.  I had originally planned not to find out the gender but of course I'm too nosy.  She was about 90% sure on her gender call.  I went back this evening to have her scan me again to see if there was any change and she said she'd be 99% sure she is right.  I'm going back in a week or so to see if there are any changes.  So... if you haven't voted in the ExpectNet Poll (in the sidebar)... go do so now!  You get points (gender is worth 400!) and the person with the LEAST points wins.  So, if you guess the wrong gender you are smacked with 400pts.  Birth Date, Weight etc... all that are points as well.  Fun stuff!   I'm not sure when I'll reveal the gender but we shall see.   Ryan and I did spend the weekend discussing names and envisioning #3 as a specific gender in our family.  Fun stuff!

I did have a doctor's appointment on Friday and have gained a disgusting amount of weight.  ICK.  Heard the heartbeat and that sounded great.  My blood pressure, however, is of concern.  It was 130/90 (which I thought seemed normal for me but she said my last few appointments were 106/68 or around there).  So, they're keeping an eye on it and I go back the 2nd week in December for "the Big Ultrasound" and another appointment.  The blood pressure thing makes me a little nervous as my co-worker (who is pregnant) was taken off work for her blood pressure being too high.  Would be nice, if I got paid time off... but I don't.  So... I can't afford to be taken off work.  Hopefully it won't cause any problems.  

Right now, Baby Barczak #3 is somewhere around the size of an apple or avocado.     

11 Week Appointment

Baby this week is the size of a fig.  

This has been a rough, rough week for me.
Monday night: started coughing for 2 hours straight until I threw up.  Went to bed and slept 12 hours.
Tuesday I only made it through half a day of work and made a doctor's appointment because I was achy, feeling sick, coughing a ton etc.  I was told it was just a virus.

After that appointment I had my OB appointment.  Gained another 5lbs (for a total of 10 EEEK!).  Everything checked out okay, had an internal exam and the midwife noted "Nice size baby."  Mmmkay.

Wednesday I went back to my regular doctor because I was feeling sicker.  Head was hurting and so was my ear.  I was put on an antibiotic for a sinus infection.  The nurse (Dr. Mike) I saw said the acid reflux I thought I was having was most likely sinus drainage that has turned into a sinus infection.  Weighed in 3lbs lighter than the day before.  The entire week I pretty much lived on toast, cereal and chicken noodle soup.  Any amount of coughing sent me to the bathroom throwing up.

Finally by Saturday I was feeling better and was able to eat some "real" food... ARBY'S!  YUM.