Pregnant: Week 39

Doctor Appt Info
Well, good news is I got in to the doctor very quickly.. like 5 minutes after my appt was scheduled (a miracle!) My urine came back positive for protein, my blood pressure was high, and I had lost 3 lbs since last Tuesday. Not so good. They ran a few more tests and the tests all came back that the levels were low and retook my blood pressure and it was lower so my doctor just said to come back next week like normal but if I have any signs to come back immediately. Signs to look for: headache(s), lightheaded, double vision, high blood pressure, or any cold or flu symptoms. Pretty much if I feel like crap, come back ASAP! They're worried that I might have pre-eclampsia but as of now I don't. I told her when Jeff will be back and asked her not to strip my membranes again. From what I have read if it doesn't work the first time (last week) then it will be very effective on the 2nd or 3rd time but I want to keep Oliver in there as long as possible so hopefully Jeff will be able to be there with me in the delivery room. She agreed saying she has no problem with skipping the normal checking and membrane stripping this week as long as I feel fine, which I do. So as far as I know, I'm still sitting at 1cm dilated and 60% effaced-- which was last weeks numbers. I may have her check next week and just not strip the membranes if that's possible because my pelvis and hips are KILLING me and I'm thinking I'm definitely more dilated than last week.. but no contractions so who knows!!!

Baby Facts
One uncomfortable complaint of late pregnancy is frequent hiccups. No, not you, your baby. Because there is no air around your baby, when she practices breathing, it can cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe, resulting in those regularly spaced thumps that make you think you're carrying a jumping bean in your belly.  The lanugo (an exotic word for soft, downy hair) that used to cover your baby's body has mostly disappeared, but you may find a bit leftover on the shoulders, forehead and neck. Don't freak and think you've given birth to a monkey: It'll fall out soon. The color of baby's skin is changing from a red-pink hue to a white or blue-pink color (even in babes with dark skin). These changes are due to the amount of fat your little pudger is putting on. The circumference of your baby's head and abdomen are about the same size now (though you may not be able to tell if your baby's born with the common cone-shaped head!). The placenta is lending your Mini antibodies that'll keep him strong and healthy after birth. That said, it's still a good idea to invest in that mega-size bottle of hand sanitizer.

At this point your little critter is about 19 to 20 inches long and weights about 7 pounds. That's just around the size of a large rabbit. What's up Doc?


Life Happens (it's a little longer than normal this week)
Thanksgiving was good for the most part. Stressful and tiring but good. My mom drove us over to Oklahoma on Thursday morning and we got back late Sunday night. I learned that I hate being dependent on people to drive me places but mostly just not having my car available whenever I please. I know if I would have drove myself to Oklahoma I would have been miserable so it was for the better but I just wanted to be able to leave the house whenever I please and that didn't happen.

Jeff's flight is booked for him to come home but I'm not telling you when! He's mine, all mine! (Kidding, of course!) I'm pretty sure it's classified information as to when he's coming home and leaving so I can't give out exact times and dates on here but he will be home fairly soon and leave shortly after Christmas! woohoo :) Oh and I just realized that Jeff will be able to take Oliver to get his first pictures with Santa and maybe even get our first family Christmas pictures taken (all depending on how I'm looking by then and when Oliver decides to arrive, of course!) I'm thinking Christmas pictures with Santa at Utica Square and then go see the lights at Rhema.. not a bad idea!!

I just want to let the world (or at least my blog followers) know that I have found the most comfortable and cute lounge pants that are long enough for me!! Not special order long pants like I normally have to buy but just regular off the rack pants.. I know, I'm in shock too. They are "sweater pants" from Target of all places and they're about a 35" inseam. I'm guessing they will shrink up a little bit but even if they do they will still be plenty long enough. Tonight I went to Target to get some longer tank tops and some panties for after labor & delivery and I felt of them just wandering through the isles and fell in love. So of course I had to see if they were long enough by chance and just my luck they were so I took 2 pairs to the fitting room to see which size fit better and to my disbelief they were almost too long but with shoes they're perfect! I'm just glad to have some pants to make it through the rest of this pregnancy and the first couple weeks after birth ( or more likely the first month..) I only bought 1 pair but I'm sure I'll be wearing them every other day for the next few weeks since I'm ruling out my jeans for the most part and I only have a few pair of pants that are comfy and long enough. Anyway.. I love these pants and I thought I'd share my joy with you. (I attempted to look them up on the Target website to share with you but I couldn't find them. Sorry!)

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do the blog once Oliver is here. I'm about to start stalking other mothers to see how they do it because of the ones I follow none of them do it how I'd like to. I'm going to for sure make a column on the side to keep up with his stats (weight, length, etc) but I'm not sure how I want to lay it out.. maybe I will just stick with how I've done it throughout the pregnancy? Any tips or ideas? Comment on here or email me if you have any!!! :) They're much appreciated!

For those that don't follow my Facebook account, here is the belly picture for this week. ;) My Daddy says he's due first and is having twins! haha

Me and my Daddy comparing bellies at Thanksgiving dinner at Granny & Pa's house.

Pregnant: Week 38

Doctor Appt Info
Cervix is still high but strangely enough I'm starting to dilate. Nothing major yet but she went ahead and did a membrane sweep to hopefully get things started up. Now I know most of you haven't had babies before and you're not doctors so here's what a membrane sweep is:

"Membrane sweep, also known as membrane stripping, or "stretch and sweep" in Australia and the UK - during an internal examination, the midwife moves her finger around the cervix to stimulate and/or separate the membranes (the "bag of water") around the baby from the cervix. This causes a release of prostaglandins which can help to kick-start labor. A membrane sweep increases the likelihood that labor will start within 48 hours."

Now don't get your hopes up. She's already expecting me to be back next Tuesday at my regular check up and not expecting this to actually start my labor. It is in hopes that the cervix will move and get things moving slightly quicker. Either way, no baby yet. :)

Baby Facts
Your baby's intestines have accumulated a considerable amount of meconium (the code name for black, tar-like baby poop), which is usually eliminated shortly after birth and gives you your first experience with the 100-wipe diaper change. Here's what else is up: Your baby might just scratch himself in the womb as the fingernails have grown over the fingertips now. Baby's lungs continue to mature and his brain and nerve function are working better every day. The latter two will continue to mature until Junior is a teenager, at which point she'll know it all (or at least she'll think she does).

Life Happens
This week has flown by. I'm guessing with the combination of the pregnancy coming to an end and the holidays getting so close that I don't just count the days on the calendar anymore. I'm pretty sure I have the majority of things ready for the little man. Today I went and got my oil changed so the car is finished now -they were supposed to when I got my alignment and brake job recently but I guess they managed to forget to. I also have his gear all ready for the most part. I'm sure there will be things that I realize I need once he is here but that will hopefully give me a reason to get out of the house. Now it's just time to wait for Oliver to make his appearance and to wait to find out if Jeff will be able to come home for the holidays and to meet Oliver.

Scatter-brained

I'm irritable- VERY irritable. I'm pretty sure the combination of being sore and achey all of the time, not sleeping well, and dealing with grouchy people is getting to me. I have now become the cranky pregnant woman. I really am trying to keep my composure and not blow up on anybody but it takes all that I've got in me not to sometimes. I'm just sorry for the poor soul that it happens to if/when it happens.

...Like the ToysRUs people I almost went off on today when returning my beautiful stroller. If you don't already know, when folded down for transporting it wouldnt fit in my trunk. The front tire was too large and didnt swivel so I couldnt close the trunk and when I put it in the back seat it took up the entire back-- it would sit on the carseat base. I'm not going in to why the ToysRUs employees made me mad but let's just say I won't be going back to that location again unless it's an emergency. The ones in Tulsa are so much more friendly and knowledgeable. I sadly knew more about their procedures and products than they did. Oh well.. 

RIP my beautiful stroller.. (don't judge me on how messy Oliver's stuff is right now, I'm trying to find room for everything! -which is on my to do list for tomorrow..)

In other news, I've been trying to keep things semi-orderly around the house and life in general but it's causing me to hurt more than normal. I'm thinking it's just my body preparing for this baby but either way it hurts. I'm starting to get more cramp-type feelings but they feel more like Oliver is just out of space and having problems moving more than contractions. I have been doing more walking than normal.. not much but when I go window shopping/mini-shopping at the mall or go get groceries or something that requires me to walk any measurable distance I get really achey. I guess we will see at my appointment on Tuesday what the deal is. From everything I have read and been told when it's a contraction, I will know it. Sadly my pain tolerance is quite a bit higher than most so I'm not sure that it will be THAT obvious to me. For instance, I never have had period cramps that keep me in bed and double over. At most I will just take a couple Aleve or Midol and be good to go. I guess I just focus it out.. Hopefully this isnt the case with contractions and I will know when they're starting up and be able to have ample time to get to the hospital.

My Mom is in Kansas for the night and tomorrow to go to the OSU game and so I'm home all alone-SAD! But that means I'm doggy sitting and they're being cuddle monsters. :) I attempted to get a picture of them and when Oscar looked cute the girls weren't looking so I settled for the one with the girls looking and Oscar being a goober with crazy eyes.

Sophie, Oscar, and Lexie.

So, Jeff was invited to a Fijian ceremony earlier as a way to thank the US soldiers for helping them. He was so excited and was just so excited that he got to hang out with these guys and how cool they were. They even offered them a special tea/drink that was ground up root and tasted terrible but Jeff said it made his tongue go numb- HA! The Fiji guys gave them several things, one was a traditional dress... I just want to say I'm glad my hubby can even look good in a skirt (but I'd rather him wear pants/shorts.) He got a long weekend this weekend Thursday-Saturday because of some holiday they celebrate over there that I forgot. I think he was pretty stoked about that but even more so next weekend he will finally be free to go vacation and explore on the weekends and have a beer! He is one of the few that will get to do this- the others in his unit will have to wait another week or 10 days or something because they came over later. I'm sure he will rub it in Josh's face that he gets beer HA. Ok, enough.. enjoy the picture of the guys!

a Fiji guy, Calvert, Barnett, Croft, the hubby, and Hester.

Ok, well I'm done posting, sorry that I was so scatter-brained and unorganized. I'm making a mental to do list for tomorrow and contemplating doing some of it now while I have the energy and it's getting me sidetracked. Plus I'm staring at Oliver's carseat and super soft blanket sitting by his crib and trying to imagine what this little guy is going to look like.. AH! Ok, I'm done. Goodnight!

Pregnant: Week 37

Doctor Appt Info
So according to my Dec9th due date I'm 2 days early to be checked for the dilation and all of that good stuff so that won't happen until next week. But no contractions, cramping, spotting, etc so no worries. No big news.. but no news is good news for now!

Baby Facts


You made it! Your baby is considered full term at the end of this week. So kick your swollen feet up and swig back a glass of milk. All that hard work has finally paid off! At your checkup this week, your doctor or midwife may do an internal exam to see how things are progressing. We're not gonna lie to you, an "internal" can hurt like hooey. But hey, it ain't labor! While she's in there, your practitioner will check three things:
1) dilation (how open your cervix is),
2) ripeness (how soft your cervix is) and
3) effacement (how thin your cervix is).
For baby to come on out, the cervix must be open to 10 centimeters, as soft as the skin on the inside of your mouth and 100 percent effaced.

Huge news this week: If you were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go. Woohoo! Even though you can't wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear his head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven. Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:

Baby's growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. His bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after he's born. More great news for your birth canal. So if he's all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is he still doing in there?! He's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on his breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. The only thing he can't practice yet is his ability to scream at the top of his lungs when he's hungry—but he'll do plenty of that in a few weeks. At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds.

Life Happens
Saturday was my baby shower in Oklahoma. I'm the goober that forgot to take pictures AGAIN but it went over really well and that's what matters. My grandmas, aunts, and other relatives all came and a few family friends. We ate enough for 3 days and Oliver was completely spoiled! I got home on Sunday and unpacked everything- took me almost a full 3 hours (including assembling the bouncy seat) but was totally worth it. The only bad thing I have discovered so far is that the really cool stroller that we got is too big to use regularly. The front tire is too big and doesn't turn so it wont fit in the trunk and it is too long to go in the backseat. I'm keeping it because it's an amazing jogging stroller (and has a really cool iphone/ipod connector with speakers.. SO cool!) and I'm just going to get a small lightweight umbrella style stroller for everyday use, shopping, etc.

Oh one other slight problem I have come across is that I don't have enough room for all of his stuff!! I'm going to do away with Oscar's crate and just have him sleep at the foot of my bed (which he seems to prefer) and that will free up enough room for Oliver's swing but we still have to figure out where to put his bouncy seat, humidifier, and the huge jogging stroller! Who knew a teeny tiny baby could have so much stuff???

Oh and tomorrow I'm going to get the world's biggest honey-do list finished. I'm going to have to get up really early and probably go all day until I go to work but I need to get it all done and off my shoulders. I felt terrible today when Jeff asked me if I had sent his box of toiletries and they were sitting on the desk. :( Anyway.. the huge list will be done tomorrow.. no worries! 

Happy Veterans Day!

FYI The holiday is commonly printed as Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day in calendars and advertisements. While these spellings are grammatically acceptable, the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling.

Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Poppy Day... No matter what you call it make sure you thank our military for all that they do and have done.

I'm sure I could go on for days listing all of my friends and relatives that are Vets but here are my favorite 3 :)

I started on this post early not because I'm dumb and think that Veterans Day is on November 10th but because it will soon be Veterans Day in Egypt where my hubby is deployed right now.

He makes it easy to find him in pictures like this because he has the transition glasses that turn to sunglasses in the sun. 

Jeff and I at dinner this summer. --Please ignore the baby bump that just looks like whale-blub.

My grandpas are Vets too so I have to include them in on this!!

This was at Papa Jack's birthday last year. If I remember correctly he was on the USS Franklin/Big Ben (which was the most heavily damaged United States carrier to survive the war.) The only reason I remember that is because his license plate says Big Ben.. plus he told me all of his stories about war when I was really young so I don't remember much.. :(

This picture of Poppy and Meme is from our wedding rehearsal dinner earlier this year. I can't remember what Poppy did to save my life but he's still a Vet! I def need to brush up on my knowledge about my grandparents!!!

Anyway.. Thank a soldier! If it wasn't for them you could be living in a totally different world.

Pregnant: Week 36

I just want to say first and foremost that I'm glad I'm not super huge like some pregnant women. I went to get groceries earlier and saw a lady that looked like she was 13 months pregnant and absolutely miserable! I thought I was getting big, uncomfortable and had a waddle that competed with the cute little ducks at the park but NO! This lady put me to shame! I really hope that she was carrying twins because if not that may be a big ole baby!! Anyway..

Doctor Appt Info
No appointment this week. I'm actually slightly disappointed that my doctor wanted to go 2 weeks before the next appointment but I'm going to trust her judgment. If I have any major contractions or anything before the next appointment on the 16th I sure will be calling her though!

Baby Facts
Oliver is now approximately measuring 18.5 inches long and weighing 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox!

Your baby continues to put on weight at about ½ pound each week. This layer of fat will help your baby regulate his body temperature after leaving your climate-controlled womb. In fact, your baby will be 15 percent fat at birth. Even in the womb, your baby can listen, feel, touch and see. The only thing separating him from living in the outside world is a little thing called the birth canal. Other highlights this week: His gums are firm with ridges that look somewhat like teeth, though his actual pearly whites won't start breaking through until he's between three months and a year old. Your baby has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening his eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. Your baby will become alert and turn his head toward light and sound just as a newborn would. 

Life Happens
Can I just say how weird it is that I'm having a baby any day now? It seems like yesterday I just found out I was pregnant and kept taking test after test to make sure it wasn't wrong. I guess a lot has happened since then and kept me busy so time has just flown by.

I know that I have a darn good excuse to slack off for Christmas this year but I really don't want to. Jeff and I already figured out what we are getting/got from each other already so that is pretty much done (I got the Coach purse that I have wanted and he's getting some really cool running shoes and a new watch- his rusted on the inside somehow on our honeymoon..it was so sad.) I'm sure I will get creative and send him a care package with some Christmas-ey goodness but that won't be too hard. And then I'm going to make my bosses small little gift baskets but that just leave my parents that I need to find something for. If I find something along the way for my siblings or grandparents that is great but I'm not stressing over it. I just don't see myself having much more free time before Oliver gets here to do that much more shopping, wrapping, shipping, etc so don't get mad! :) Maybe I will bake a couple of tins of goodies again this year.. but that is only if I have a TON of extra energy and patience.

So this week is a big deal. It's my  first work week since I have worked at the church (a little over 2 years) that I have only worked a 5 day work week. I love working at the church more than anything but it takes away from my weekend sometimes so I think it will be good for me to be able to rest a little bit before Oliver comes.. even if my Sundays are already filled with other activities until Christmas anyway-- like the baby shower this weekend at my Dad's house! :)

OH and just in case you don't already know.. Jeff is very angry that the box I sent with his mattress topper and his PS3 controllers is somewhere between here and Egypt.. LOST! The box with the PS3 made it The box with his games and all of his goodies made it.  The envelope (that was sent a week later) with our bank checks and Netflicks CD made it. OH and to make it even better.. the box that was sent last week with goodies in it made it.. but not the 2 things he's really wanting. And since I didn't get delivery confirmation they can't find the box.. ugh! So it looks like I'm going to be going to get him new controllers, a mattress topper and sending it to him again. --completely sucks that he's sleeping on a crappy mattress and can't do much in his down time in BFE but I will get it to him ASAP and hopefully he will be a happy camper....errr soldier!

Pregnant: Week 35 or is it 37??

Sorry that I'm a day late but I ended up working extra late last night for the family I'm a nanny for because the oldest had their championship football game and it was too cold and too late for the younger child to be out so I stayed home with her and got her in bed. Sadly the team lost.. again. Same team, Same score as last year BUT I told him that it's just an accomplishment in itself to make it to the championship game so that made him feel better! By the time I got home I literally crawled in bed and went to sleep. Oliver was destroying my insides while I was at work and so I was trying to walk around and change positions- nothing worked. However, I finally slept fairly well and feel better this morning so oh well!

Doctor Appt Info
The doctor is seeing eye-to-eye with me now and I couldn't be happier!! When they did my ultrasound about 3 or 4 months ago my amniotic fluids were low and when they did all of the measurements of Oliver and he was showing 20 days behind. Because of this they moved my due date back to December 9th.. almost a full 3 weeks-ugh! So then I had several other ultrasounds and they all showed that he was on course size-wise for November 21st and my fluids were back up to normal on all of the others. My theory was that because of the low fluids in 1st ultrasound that they either a)couldnt get a good reading/measurement or b)he was small because of the low fluids but my doctor kept my due date at December 9th and was going to let me go until mid-December if he didn't come on his own before then.. OMG talk about a huge baby! So yesterday she looked over the ultrasound results from 2 weeks ago and I asked her about my theory and she agreed!!!! She said he's still on track for November 21st and that she isnt going to change my due date again but keep it in the back of her head about November 21st instead. Since I'm not showing any signs of labor or anything yet I'm going back in 2 weeks and from then on she will be checking if I'm dilated and all of the good stuff. If all goes as planned we will have a baby sometime in the next month! :) I'm going to post the info on week 35 just in case he does make it to December but who knows with this boy!!

Baby Facts --I'm going to post the info on week 35 just in case he does make it to December but who knows with this boy!!
Oliver is now approximately measuring 18 inches long and weighing 5.5 pounds... according to the website.

This week the final touches are being added to your mini-masterpiece and most of his development is going to packing on the pounds. Your little Karate Kid can't quite pack the punch he used to due to the limited space inside the womb these days. You're likely to feel more wiggles, stretches and rolls than kicks and jabs. The extra layer of fat your baby is adding will create those cute dimples on your baby's elbows and knees. His liver has begun processing his waste products, so you know which organ to thank when he has his first blowout up the back of his onesie. Baby's nails are growing so long they may curl over the tips of his tiny fingers and toes before he sees a pair of clippers. He'll be in serious need of a mani-pedi once he's born (as will you).

Life Happens
Well the good news is Jeff is all settled into Egypt for the most part. He says the food is funky but I'm still thinking he will get used to it or find something he likes. They are keeping him pretty busy but I'm sure that makes the days go by quicker for them! Everyone keeps asking "Where is he?" and "What is he doing?" and to make it easier just go to their website. It's not like he's on a top secret mission.. they have a website explaining what they do. The easy way for me to explain it is.. he is in Egypt close to the Israel border and he's working with the MFO (Multinational Force & Observers) with his unit of medics. Look at their website if you want more info.. http://www.mfo.org/

35 weeks belly picture- he's getting BIG! :)