37 weeks: Full Term!

D-day ( as in due-date day ;) is fast approaching and the anticipation is slaying me. I simply can not wait for the day this tiny love will slip from my body and enter our world. He has long conquered our hearts and his soul has intwertwined with ours so profusely- it is impossible to imagine that we could fall in love with him any more…

but love has no depth.. and I know that with every day of our lives our love and adoration for him will grow

How far along? 38 weeks and 2 days….yup, STILL behind on updates. This post recaps week 37.. if I keep going at this rate, he will be here before I am up to date! I would really hate to miss the last picture.

Baby's size and development? 37 weeks marked full term!! Hooray, we made it. If he were to come at any point from now on, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb! He is approximately 6.5 lbs and 19 in. head to toe! Our friends made a list of bets on his birthdate, weight, and size… I wonder who will “win” ;)

Changes in me? Still not much happening these days. Physically that is… yes, the belly is still growing and I actually developed my first real strech mark! It goes right through my belly button piercing scar… it’s rather strange looking. But other than that, not much is happening.. more on “symptoms” below though!

Sleep? Sleep has been the one thing in this pregnancy that has resembled a roller coaster ride the most. One week I sleep heavenly, the next week I don’t sleep at all. This past week has been one of the latter. My bed-time has been bumped back to about 11pm since a few weeks now, and I have consistently woken up at around 8am… I call that a nice, restful night. Well, as of late I wake up at 5am! No kidding. I guess my body refuses to sleep longer than 5-6 hrs, and is definitely getting ready for what’s to come. I honestly don’t mind much. It’s just that I hate the dark and quiet that comes with such an early hour…. I can not get myself to leave the comfort of a warm bed filled with sleeping puppies and a snoring (but rather cute) husband. So,at those times, I resort to the trusty ol’ internet… and immerse myself in the world of “pinterest” until the sun rises and the birds begin to chirp. Soon I will have my own little piece of heaven to stare at, and will welcome early, quiet and dark mornings where it’s –again- just me and my little man.. the way it’s been for the past 9 months. I will, then, surely relish those hours.

Best moment this past week? Oh, the AMAZING “mommy shower” Vania had for me definitely takes the cake! Words truly fail me, the beauty she created can only be described in pictures…. Here is a tiny sneak peek.

And can I just say how much I adore my girlfriends? They are seriously the very best -and prettiest may I add :)

This week also marked the end of all of our classes. It does feel like an accomplishment, and definitely gives us a feeling of prepared- and readyness. The last of the childbirth classes was a tour of the labor and delivery as well as the mother and baby floors at the hospital. While sitting in that empty and quiet delivery room, it truly hit me…. It felt weird standing in a foreign and sterile room that will soon change my entire world, the room I will welcome my baby in, see him, touch him, kiss him, tell him I love him for the very first time. Surreal.

Parenting and Breastfeeding classes are completed as well… and we are “officially trusted” with bringing a tiny new human into our home ;)

My check-up was rather uneventful this week. NST was perfectly normal.. and I actually had no contractions this time. Also, he checked me and eventhough I am not dilated, my cervix is slowly but surely thinning out. He didn’t give me a percentage on efacement.. I assume it was so minute it was not worth mentioning. Let’s hope for more progress this week! I am optimistic… it’s my birthday on my next check up date! I deserve good news, right?

Movement? Kicks in the ribs are the norm these days, and eventhough I huff when he gets me good, I still have to smile. The little punches down yonder are hwoever, less enjoyable….. when he gets a good punch “down there” it truly feels like someone is stabbing me with a knive. I asked my Dr. what that awful sensation was, hoping for a more exciting scientific reasoning… like “that’s your cervix dilating”… but no.. it’s just my kid punching me in my lady bits………….

Symptoms? I got ahead of myself above and listed most of the interesting stuff already. What else?

We still have the occasional BH contractions, mostly in the evening. They are definitely getting more intense, but don’t hurt!

Oh, and here is a big one!!! My boops finally got the pregnancy memo and are leaking colostrum! Hehe. I was rather proud when I discovered this… pregnancy makes you odd, very odd indeed…

What I miss? Let’s be honest. I have not written about this little subject at all, but with the end of this pregnancy approaching I will just throw it out there. TMI alert: Sex. I miss sex. I will not go into detail..as the though of my son, one day, reading about my sex life is rather uncanny .. But just so I can remember… I.miss.sex! ;)

What I'm looking forward to? It’s so funny how every week I have some sort of big event to look forward to! I think this fact really aided in the time passing so “quickly” and helped take the intense anticipation off of Lennon’s birthdate. I truly think if I did not have these little “stepping stones” each week, I would go crazy with anticipation. This next week is filled with my birthday, with Seth’s mom arriving, and then my mama’s arrival in 8 days! If little bit can hold out that long, next weeks “What I’m looking forward to” section will be completely and 100% dedicated to his arrival! (not that it isn’t already… I simply can not wait for him, but as I said, these little events in between really help take my mind of meeting my sweet boy)

36 weeks: On cherishing these last few weeks.

*Happy Spring, everyone. I am ecstatic about the season change.. it means my baby is about to arrive.

While lazily laying here on the couch on a sunny and utterly relaxing Tuesday afternoon , I can’t help but to think: This is it. Today I am well into my 38^th week of pregnancy; I will only have -at the very most- 3 more Tuesdays before my baby is here. I have only 3 more weekends before my miracle is due to arrive, 3 more weeks of semi peace and quiet, 3 more weeks of empty arms, 3 more weeks of my old life before my baby, my sweet boy that I would do anything for, my boy that I have longed for, my 6-8 lbs of joy that will forever change my life, 3 more weeks until the meaning of my entire existence will enter our world.

I have loved every single second of this pregnancy, of growing my son. And truthfully? I am not quite ready to be done with it. Oh, how I will miss this… I sit here with all these thoughts of “this is it”running through my head. No matter if I have 10 more children (please someone club me over the head ), or if I stop with this pregnancy right here, this will forever be the last time I am 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant with this baby. This will be the last weeks in this pregnancy that I will feel him move inside of me, feel his kicks, his punches, his hiccups, his little bum balled up inside of me. This is the last time that I will ever be 37 weeks pregnant with my Lennon, the last time I will be THIS close to meeting him for the very first time. Right now, I am the only one that can feel his every move, I am the only one that knows when he sleeps and wakes, I am the only one with this amazing bond, and in 3 weeks or less, I will have to share all these most intimate and special things with every person around me. I will have to share those little kicks, those little moves, those little foot nudges, with everyone. He will no longer be just mine.

So, I am going to dedicate these last ever so quickly fading weeks to being completely selfish and will relish every second. I will secretly smile when he has hickups, absentmindedly rub my belly when he kicks, I will softly hum and sing to him and sway to the sound of music (he loves music so much, it is erie how much he is already like his daddy)

These are the last few weeks where he is “just mine”. My son and I are sharing a sacret bond, a bond that only an expectant mother can have with her child. I am his only food source, his home, his interpreter, I am his mom and for the next 3 weeks I am his only link to the outside world, and I intend on holding this little secret world we share as close as I can.. until it is time for him to meet all the ones that love him as dearly as I do.…and then…. in 3 short weeks; he will be for me to share with those I love.

How far along? 37 weeks and 2 days. I am still a week behind on my posts, and hope to be caught up by mid week! This post will recap week 36.

Baby's size and development? I finally have an estimate on his size and weight not from a pregnancy book/site but from my Dr. We had our final ultrasound this past week (exactly a week ago) and little man weighted approximately 5lbs 12oz and was about 19 inches long. He also appeared to have a ton of hair, which made me giddy with excitement. I wonder what color it will be :)

Changes in me? Not much, truthfully. I am trekking along wonderfully and am not noticing many changes lately. My belly measures 44 inches around and is oviously still growing. I did notice that it has gotten tremedously tight and is definitely stretched to its very limit. There are still days where I wonder where my belly went though, days where I feel "tiny". But then there are the days where I feel like I swallowed an entire planet… Emotionally I am definitely ready to meet this little guy! Every day my anticipation and giddiness grows. Seth and I were just talking about this yesterday: What a strange feeling, anticipating a day that will chang your life forever, yet you do not know what this day will be.

Sleep? I am definitely getting ample of sleep, comfortable or not ;) Is it silly though that I am looking forward to sleepless nights spent sitting awake feeding, bonding, staring at my perfect baby?

Best moment this past 2 weeks? Getting a last glimpse of our baby before we see him face to face. I really enjoyed this last ultrasound, the tech was so very sweet and even switched to the 3D/4D. As last time, Lennon was absolutely not cooperating though. I think he is definitely one for surprises and traditions, and will not let mama and daddy see his perfect sweet face in its entirety until the big day. I like him already ;) He was so very active though, kicking at the ultrasound wand and moving around like a madman. He IS laying head down, locked and ready to fire. What a relief. The placenta has nicely moved out of the way of the cervix and a vaginal delivery is a go! Now to get through the natural birthing part and we are golden ;)

Movement? He is still moving all right ;) I caught him on video yesterday doing master acrobatics. It is unclear to me how he finds the room to maneuveur around, but apparently he is quite agile and has a mind of his own. He seems to be fully enjoying his snug quarters, and I am guessing the day he will evict the premisses is when he is 100% uncapable of moving.

Symptoms? I am defintiely having a ton of contractions. When I was having my last NST this past Tuesday, the chart revealed regular contractions every 7-10 minutes. They are not painful, but are doing their job I assume. I have never been so excited about a cervical exam as I am today. Thursday I will know if I am progressing at all (oh, I better be, because these contractions are getting pesky ;) I have also been much more tired than I have ever been in this pregnancy… even considering my rought first trimester. I find myself napping at least an hour or so every afternoon. I seriously relish these quite moments.. the weather has been utterly divine. I leave all the windows wide open, taking in the gentle spring breeze while being lulled to sleep by birds chirping their happy songs. I am getting sleepy just tiping this ;)

What I miss? Mobility. I have never felt so awkward, so clumsy, so incapacitated before. Only in that aspect am I ready to be done with being pregnant, I can not wait to get back to being comfortably active, getting back in shape…. I have never been so determined and anxious to hit the gym in my entire life!

What I'm looking forward to? I have a few more things to look forward to this week! For one, as mentioned previously, I am really looking forward to this weeks check up… I am probably the only woman on earth that welcomes going to her OBGYN. Haha. I never minded it, on the contrary, I am always excited and feel like I am accomplishing something in a way. Super weird……

Then we will finally finish up shopping and aquiring all the essentials for little man, and attend our very last childbirth class where we will tour the maternity ward (and finally pre-register and get all the paper work done for the big day). Hopefully we will be able to sneak a car seat inspection in as well. It will be a busy day.

Saturday we have the last one of our parenting class (we had the first part last Saturday, and it was super informative, we learned a ton and even got a “take home baby” (well, it’s a blow up/ CPR baby doll.. but still, I felt special and somewhat inaugurated. Hehe)

And Sunday will be extra special. I am so very much looking forward to seeing what V has conjured up for the “baby party". I know that she has been working hard on it, putting so much love and effort into making it extra special. I truly have the best friend ever!

Monday is the Breastfeeding class, and then? Then we are technically ready for little Mr. Sunshine to make his big debut …. I would like for him to be tucked away until my Mama gets here on the 6^th, though.

So little man, how does an April 7th birthday sound to you??

35 weeks: 35 days left

i had a silent moment of awe and true disbelief today......

this little person is so wild, so very active in there -when i watch my stomach these days it moves, warps, reshapes with such ferocity its truly alarming.

watching (and feeling!) this little human inside of me made me ponder, really truly ponder the miracle of life. This little guy, who is almost ready to meet the world in all his perfection started out as the tiniest of all seeds - invisible to the eye. He grew, matured, and evolved into this perfect human being, all while cozily and safely tucked away inside of ME. He is almost ready to expand his living environment, and.... eventually he has to exit this perfect habitat –all he has known for the past 9 months-. This is the part where disbelief set it... this amazing, perfect... big.... human being will exit my body sooner than later, and wow..... can you say CRAZY!?

By this I don't refer to his exit route, nor the labor it will involve... no, I am referring to the sheer amazing, unimaginable task of having a life the size of a watermelon exit.your.body. -one way or another.

it is an honor. a miracle. something my mind only now fully grasps..... and i am finally ready to fully experience this miracle of life first hand.

Lennon, my baby: i.simply. can. not. wait. to . meet. you!

How far along? I have been absolutely awful at keeping this updated. I completely missed taking my 34 week picture. Boo. Not to mention my 34 week update, so I will combine week 34 and 35 in this post. Not that big of a deal though, because not much has changed as far as symptoms, growth etc. in these past two weeks.

Baby's size and development ? He doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5.5 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon, stick it under your shirt and you get the idea ;). Because it's so snug in there, he isn't doing any of his crazy somersaults anymore. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the last few weeks putting on weight.

Changes in me? The swelling I mentioned 2 weeks ago? I think –hope- it was just a fluke and that I will be spared from at least this pregnancy annoyance. I really belive it was the fault of my traveling! I have not had any major swelling since.. *knocking on wood*. I am really watching my salt intake though, and I am sure it is helping keeping the elephant feet and hands away!

My uterus now reaches all the way up under my rib cage and I am getting some hefty jabs into my ribs ever so often, he seems to favor my right side…. This is probably the strangest sensation yet; getting jabbed in the ribs from the inside that is. It does take your breath away, literally ;) My ballooning uterus is definitely crowding all my internal organs, which is probably why I have to pee every 10 minutes and oh.. the dreaded heartburn. I truly have to say, the one thing I truly look forward to once this pregnancy is over, is the vanishing of the latter evil. This constant heartburn is by far the one constant symptom that has plagued me. I still have to truthfully say though, that pregnancy is divine, and I will miss it once it’s over!!

Sleep? Still “great”.. or as great as sleep can be, being 9 months pregnant. The thing is, I barely remember what a restful “normal” night feels like. This is my normal now and it is truly not bad at all. I have nothing to complain about.

Best moment this past 2 weeks? Let’s see if I can remember these past 2 weeks… haha. My memory has vanished, and I pretty much live in the moment, daydreaming about meeting my baby in less than 4 weeks. Some memorable moments, baby related, are definitely the birthing classes. I truly enjoy them, they are so very informative, have taken away any fears I may have had and definitely bonded Seth and I. I have been going rather crazy about finishing up shopping for little bit as well. I thought that I was mellow about “preparing for baby” but man, the closer my due date inches the more crazy I get. We have most of the large items, but truthfully, if he made an early appearance, I really don’t think we would be prepared as far as baby essentials. He has a swing, a bouncer, a bassinet and all sorts of neat contraptions… but no essentials like sheets, blankets, creams, powders, diapers and wipes (we probably have enough to get us through a week!) bottles, bibs, nursing bras and pads (and boob essentials for me ;) a pediatrician!!, not to mention I still need to pack the hospital bags and install the car seat, finish decorating his nursery, clean the house from head to toe, bathe the dogs, organize my closet (really?)… remembering to BREATHE….

Movement? I can not tell if he is locked into the head down position yet… I believe so, because I constantly feel little legs/ feet under my right ribcage. All movement is pretty much centered in the top of my uterus, which makes me believe he is head down. We will find out tomorrow, I will have my last ultrasound checking his position and weight J

Symptoms? I am finally over that cold of wrath. What strikes me as rather weird though, I still wake up with a sore throat in the middle of the night. And the soreness is only on my right side of the throat and is usually alleviated by drinking a ton of water… which then results in 5 additional bathroom trips…

I have weekly dr. appointments now, and this last one was rather eventfull compared to the usual: getting weighted, peeing in a cup, checking blood pressure, listening to littlies hearbeat, shaking the dr’s hand and leaving. No, in addition to the latter, they performed a NST (non-stress-test) on littly. No particular reason, besides my chronic high blood pressure which is kept under control by meds. The dr just wanted to see how he is doing in there.. and he is doing great J

Two belts were strapped all over my stomach and I then got to listen to his little wooshing heart for over 20 minutes, watching it climb hills on a rather mathematic looking sheet that even had a slot for contractions (thankfully non thus far!) When I first sent Seth a picture of me strapped to the apparatus without any explanation, his reply was: “Oh, I thought you were abducted by aliens!” haha.

What I miss? Being able to bend over, climbing stairs without having to stop halfway to catch my breath, putting on shoes (I am only wearing flats these days), eating a full meal without feeling like I am about to explode, and regular clothes shopping ;)

What I'm looking forward to? Tomorrows Ultrasound, and the first of two parenting classes this weekend, which should be fun. And I really want to finish up the above mentioned list of things… I look forward to having everything checked off and to truly feel ready for my little miracle of love!