Preparing herself.

36 weeks and looks like Kenley is getting ready for her debut. Friday's appointment went well, the doctor was really nice -- I have never seen her before but wouldn't mind seeing her again in the future. She did an ultrasound to check out Kenley's position, just to be sure. It was really nice that Andrew got one last chance to see her inside before he left the next morning.

It makes perfect sense that I have been feeling more pressure and more miserable in the past week, little Miss Peanut has finally turned her way around. I have definitely noticed an increase in sciatic pain on my left side, heaviness in my pelvis (like how they say you have a bowling ball between your legs) , peeing every 45 minutes because someone is sitting on my bladder, and not being able to find a comfortable position to sleep anymore. I sleep for about an hour at a time then have to wake up to either use the bathroom, walk around or try to change positions.

Her forehead is now in my pelvis, so I guess she has "dropped" and the doctor said she is facing towards my back which is a good position for birth. The doctor also noted that the heart looked nice and strong, her lungs looked like they were working really well and everything else seemed normal. She said she looks like a "normal" size, which I was worried she would be huge. I think I am huge right now which is why I was worried she would be huge. Nope, looks good. She checked for dilation and effacement -- nope and nope. "Long and closed" she said. Damn. So no actual progress yet besides the fact that Kenley is in the right position. This is said to happen earlier with your first baby anyways so I just have to try to be patient. Here is a good visual of the position she is in right now --- making her mom super uncomfortable and ready to get her out!

She did ask if my mom had trouble giving birth to me and my sister... Not that I know of AND we were big babies. She asked because she said she though my pelvis was small which may lead to trouble during labor, meaning I could try to go natural and then end up having a c section.

Anywho, Andrew is now in San Diego... he arrived safely and now we just need to worry about him staying away from Tijuana and swine flu! Eesh. His class starts today, I will bug him with questions about it later on. Still trying to get used to the fact that he is now 3 hours behind. It's also super depressing being able to talk to him but not having him around. Usually I can handle deployments but these first couple days have been exceptionally hard. I am starting to really think about how he will have to miss one of the biggest days of our lives. I feel terrible that he will not be here and I wish I could change it. Maybe I will be in labor long enough for a flight back from SD... good lord, did I just say I am wishing for a long labor? I have officially lost it.

Big day today...

I am about to leave work to head home and pick up Andrew for my 36 week appt, well technically 35 weeks and 5 days. Today we will find out if Ms. Kenley has decided to turn around and get in position to come out.

As much as I am hoping she has done so, I am also hoping that she has not. If she is still sitting with her head in my ribs the doctor and I will discuss a c-section. The only reason I would want this is because it would be easier for Andrew to make it back home from Cali if he knew exactly what date to come home on.

I am not really sure what I want at this point, I feel a little indifferent. Wishy-washy. Mainly, I just want her out. Next week would be nice.

Also, today is the last day that Andrew will see me pregnant--- next time we see each other I will be able to hand him his baby. Haha. Scary. :) He leaves tomorrow at 5:30am from ORF (norfolk int'l) headed to sunny Cali. So jealous. It will be odd for him to return to the base where he started his naval career, 5 years ago. He said he may even end up staying in the same building. CrAzY. I am already getting sad about him being gone... I have 31 more days till my due date and each day I ask him to help me more and more with little things. Like picking up something I dropped or reaching up to get something in the cabinets. This will be an adjustment when he leaves. Hopefully, I won't go too long being SO pregnant without his help.

I will update on what the news is when we find out today.

32 days until my due date... I hope I don't make it that long. Maybe 25? Would be nice.

Someone is growing...

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

My weekly email update had this to say: 

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!

Baby can recognize and react to simple songs...time to start practicing your lullabies! In fact, baby will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Get the diapers ready!

ew.  

Kenley's future...

I hope she is this musically inclined...

Kenley's room

Well the room is almost finished. Just a few more things to hang, which I received over the weekend.  Thanks Erika! ;)  Here are some pictures I took this afternoon while putting away laundry.  The wall color looks a little off, I think it was because it was getting dark out and the flash made it look different.  

I dont know how this happened but this picture looks like the letters are lights... weird.

And I thought I was tired...

After the shower and returning home this past weekend, I felt exhausted. It may not help that I am neurotic and needed to have everything put away that we got from the shower. I was definitely looking forward to sleeping in my bed again... Looks like I wasn't the only one!

Baby Shower fun

FatBelly video

A short progression of Kenley getting bigger...

Tomorrow is my shower! Yay!

I am so excited! Lauren is coming in town tonight... lots of food will be eaten tomorrow... and there will a fun gathering with lots of people! Yipppeeeeee!!!

Here is what the invitation looked like... they were printed by a lovely Etsy shop, check out that shop here.

Making my daily rounds on Babble.com, I saw this fun slide show of how peeps are made. I don't even like peeps, but the pictures drew me in... Check it out here.

I will karate chop the next person who says...

Apparently when you are pregnant it means the world has an open invitation to comment on your weight. Regardless of your own feelings, people find it to be their business to tell you how big you look or tell you how you are going to have this baby any day now. I have been struggling with my weight gain recently, officially starting to eat only healthy foods this week to try to slow down the gain...

Imagine you are having a day when you feel huge, like a whale, and soooo unattractive. You come to work trying to just make it through the day without crying about it and instead are consistently greeted with comments like:
"Girl, you aren't gonna make it. I give you 5 weeks." (Keep in mind I have about 8 weeks to go)
"You look like you are ready to pop."
-or-
"Are you sure there aren't twins in there?"

I guess people forget that when you get pregnant, your BELLY grows, duh. Idiots.

I am having a rough day with people and their ignorant comments. I realize I have gained enough weight for my entire pregnancy but come on, most of these comments come from people that I don't even know their names! Everyone is just compelled to tell me how fat I am. Would this be true if I was not pregnant? I think not.

Next time someone wants to comment on my weight or how HUGE I look, I will be sure to have this little chart of weight breakdown. I will give it to them to read and then follow that up with a gigantic karate chop. To the face.



Where Does the Extra Weight Go During Pregnancy?

Baby
8 pounds

Placenta
2-3 pounds

Amniotic fluid
2-3 pounds

Breast tissue
2-3 pounds

Blood supply
4 pounds

Fat stores for delivery and breastfeeding
5-9 pounds

Uterus increase
2-5 pounds

Total
25 to 35 pounds

It's about time...

May 8th. My life will change.


No, I am not having a scheduled c-section. The Trader Joe's in VB will officially be open. Hoooooraaaaaaay! I have been making the long trip to Newport News, which is over 45 minutes away, for far too long. We will finally have our own and I can pop in and out as I please instead of making Saturday morning trips with Anne while we drop the guys off at Bass Pro Shops.



The store is finally listed on the site's "coming soon" stores. Oh my goodness, I could pass out I am so excited.

Peanut's going to the beach!

Looks like I need to get prepared to take a baby to the beach! yea!!!

My fantastic cousin, Erika, has asked us if we want to join her in the OBX for a week in the middle of July. The timing of this beach trip could not be better... my maternity leave will be winding down -- if all goes as planned and my 8 weeks starts at the end of May/early June, Andrew will be returning from San Diego and hopefully be on 10 days paternity leave and Peanut will be about 2 months old.

Someone get this baby some bathing suits! Gives me a reason to start looking at baby beach attire, how exciting! Wooot!

These are so much cooler than the usual stick figure families you see on the back of peoples cars now. I am still on the fence on whether or not to advertise who is in my family... but if I decide to buy some, it will definitely be these.

a little march madness never hurt.

This is so not baby related but it's my favorite time of year. An endless supply of basketball games, each filled with the tension of a division championship. This year, I am especially excited... Radford, yes it's true, RADFORD is going to the NCAA tournament. Granted we are set to play UNC, who has a 99% favored chance of winning this game but does that upset me? Not a bit. It is nice to see Radford get recognized for something other than Quadfest, our kilt wearing mascot or the slew of drunken/drugged up students.

USAtoday has a nice article on their center, a junior from Belarus.

a quick size update from Babycenter... nothing else is really going on here (I mean in regards to being pregnant).

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

29 and counting down.

I am about 29 1/2 weeks now... anxious to get over the 30 week mark. I keep fooling myself that once I get to "x" weeks I will feel like it is so close to being over. Now, I tell myself, once I get to 30 I will only have 10 more to go MAX and then it will be over. But 10 weeks is still a LONG time. And who knows, I could even go to 41 weeks. I may die if that happens. Yesterday, the doctor told me that if I go over 41 weeks I will be inducded which is good news. If I somehow ended up at 42 weeks and no baby, I would have been pregnant for almost an entire year! That is crazy town.

Kenley, please come out soon (when you are ready, of course). I would like to meet you and am kind of sick of the following:
- getting fatter and having to buy new clothes that are ugly
- not being able to tie my shoes or put socks on very easily
- using the bathroom every hour, if not more
- heartburn like I have never known before
- finding every position uncomfortable: sitting at my desk, laying in bed, standing...
- walking slowly
- sleeping for 7 hours and feeling like I didn't even lay down


Ok, so 29 weeks... What do I win??? ....a new size comparison from theBump! Boo-urns. That's it? And in case you are wondering, I am just entering my 8th month this week. Depending on how you calculate it out, it is different. Technically speaking, pregnancy lasts 40 weeks which is 10 months. Anywhoo, theBump wants to tell me I am 7 months because they don't count the first four weeks. Jerks.



Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

how may days left you ask?

A slow progression...

Andrew and I spent the weekend painting, organizing, arranging things in the guest room since our roommate moved out last Friday. He may have been a little annoyed that when he called on Friday night to tell Andrew how far he had made it on his drive, that we were already painting his room... 6 hours after he left. Can you tell we were anxious to get it started? It felt good though to finish this room on Saturday night, since we were able to get everything that didn't belong in the nursery into the guest room.
Yesterday, I took some updated pictures of the nursery to show my sister the progress that has been made... the last few things I need to do: switch the roman shade with the one in the guest room (which is lighter than the one currently in the nursery), hang the shelves (that I have to wait to arrive), hang my art, get a rug... and most importantly, have my baby. Here is what it looks like right now.