I'll try to start with some positives. I hit 15K blog views last night so that's fun. We had a delicious meal with good friends, and a wonderful weekend in the sun, and I got Starbucks this morning. Um ... yeah. That's about it for now. I'm sure I'll think of something else. Or I might not today, whatever.
Before I get any more negative, let's get to the update, shall we?
- How far along? 37 weeks 1 day - officially full term.
- How big is baby? According to What to Expect, she's still the size of a watermelon, she's still anywhere from 19-22 inches long, and she's still about 6.5 lbs. She's measuring at 36 weeks, instead of 37, but she's been measuring a little bit behind for several weeks now and the doctors aren't worried. It may mean she's going to be late or that she's going to be small or that she's in a weird position. Or it may mean nothing, because that's pretty much the gist of their "guesses" these days.
This is exactly what I needed to see right now
Nobody puts London in a corner - Weight gain? 19 lbs. I'm not excited to have gained 3lbs in two weeks but, let's be honest, I'm not going to change anything about my eating habits either.
- Stretch marks? None. I did, however, notice a slight "linea negra" for the first time this wknd when I *gasp* put on a bikini. It's not that noticeable and it's mostly under my belly so other people probably didn't even really see it. And really, I just don't care at this point.
- Maternity Clothes? Today, wearing my regular leggings (from Express - they have a wide waist band, which is a Godsend in pregnancy!, and have been my staple throughout the whole thing) and a tunic-style blouse from H&M that I bought several months ago. It's getting questionably short in the front to be worn with leggings but - again - I just don't care (are you noticing a theme yet?).
- Sleep? I have finally entered the phase of waking up every night / morning to pee. I can no longer avoid it no matter how hard I try. And sometimes I get up so suddenly that it startles Ben into thinking something is wrong / has happened, which of course it hasn't. Luckily, he can fall right back asleep. I am not so lucky. I'm alternating between sleeping sitting straight up and sleeping like a normal person, depending on how bad the heartburn is.
- Best moment of last week? This weekend was pretty nice and relaxing, honestly. We did a lot - not in a sense of getting things done, but in a sense of just going and doing what sounded fun. The highlight for me was going to the zoo Sunday, just the two of us. The NC Zoo is pretty awesome, if you haven't checked it out.
Baby chimpanzees at the zoo - so cute! - Food cravings? Finally indulged my Indian food craving last night - it was spicy deliciousness and it absolutely hit the spot. Unfortunately it did nothing to progress the labor process, as the old wives tales say, but it was delightful and I imagine it will be for lunch today as well.
- Symptoms? Everything has been happening for so long at this point, I can't remember what's normal and what's because of the pregnancy. But I have a bacterial infection that I learned about this morning, which I'll be taking antibiotics for, so that's really fun.
- Exercise? In addition to my weekly yoga, I walked five miles on Sunday. FIVE. Without resting. Yeah, I was impressed, too. And then I was too tired to be impressed, because HELLO I'm a full-term pregnant woman who just walked five miles in the heat. Also spent some time in the pool this weekend but I don't know if that's really exercise so much as it was just waddling around.
Jesse's pregnant, too! - Movement? No changes here. We know now that she is, in fact, head down and the doctor is not at all concerned about her flipping breech so that's a good sign. Still lots of pressure in the ribs, and her body parts are becoming more difficult to identify. Heart rate has slowed to 140 and may go as low as 120 by the time she's ready to come out!
- Belly button? Ben is somewhat preoccupied with it. I just hate it. I also have giant blue veins along either side of my stomach (and my boobs) that I'm sure were a bit scary to those that had to witness what 9 months pregnant in a bikini looks like this weekend. I'll blame all the stares I got on those veins, and not on the fact that I'm huge and disgusting.
If you look closely, you can see the external belly button - What I miss? Today, being in check with my emotions. In general, everything.
- Labor signs? No sense in mentioning anything I've had to this point because it obviously means nothing. I am not even remotely dilated and my cervix is still very posterior, so if I'm having anything that I think is a contraction, it's pointless as of yet. And she's certainly not dropping.
- What I'm looking forward to? One less week until we meet her. Five weeks at the very most that I have to be pregnant.
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| My eyes look sleepier and sleepier each week Might as well get used to it, I guess |
And then, amid my self-pity and disappointment in my current circumstances, my anxiety about the impending birth of my first born and my impatient desire to meet her, a dear friend sends a devotional that is chock-full of wonderful verses and advice, but especially this:
2 Corinthians 3:4-5, "Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."
Praise God that He's getting me through this, His will is greater than my own, He knows the desires of my heart. Praise Him that He has given us this child, that He has chosen her and chosen us. I pray some variation of these things approximately 40 times a day but it's never enough. Praise Him for gentle reminders, just when we need them most.
Ugh, I had one of these negative weeks last week (as you probably saw from my post). I'm having a hard time seeing the negative here though: healthy baby, you seem very prepared and ready for her, you've only gained 19 lbs and you look amazing! Oh but wait. The anxiety? I SO get that. And can only imagine what it'll be like in 10 more weeks. And the emotions? I totally broke down sobbing in a Piggly Wiggly last weekend. Talk about embarrassing. Seriously though, you're going to be amazing and she's going to be amazing, whenever she decides to get here :-)
ReplyDeleteBoo! Those emotions will really get you - especially late in pregnancy. A) You look FANTASTIC! I know that when people told me that, my first thought was "Eff you, you dirty liar!" but you really do! B) The last few weeks DRAG and then all of a sudden your water breaks and it's like.. holy cow. I AM IN LABOR! It will happen before you know it. There is no relaxing really until then because you're a ticking time bomb of baby, but it really is a magnificent time in your life. In hindsight, I wish I'd enjoyed the final steps before because now I know I won't really be able to savor any other pregnancies like that first one.
ReplyDeleteI will say that the one advice I give soon-to-be new moms that I wish someone had told me even though I never would've listened to them.... all that nesting instinct and the "must get things done" urges? Toss em and just enjoy at least one Aubrey day. Then maybe an Aubrey and hubs day. Forget how clean your house is and all that because soon Miss London will be here and your house will be a wreck and you won't care at all. :)
Soon you'll have your little girl in your arms. I'm sending non-late delivery vibes your way! :)
I hope she decides to do the sooner rather than later route! Either way, it will be here soon. And then you can stuff your face with lots of sushi!
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