37-38 Week Update!

In case you haven't seen it, I posted photos of the nursery last night! Check them out below or click here.  

Also, I saw my doctor this morning for my weekly check-up. All is well in babyland. I am fully expecting this baby to go past her due date, since I haven't been having any contractions (real or false). Brad is going on a business trip to Nebraska at the end of next week (only four days before baby's earliest due date), so I asked Dr. N what my chances of going into labor before or during that time were. He pressed on my belly and had me do the same, showing me how HIGH the baby's head is. I could float the head up almost to my belly button when I pushed it upward! As Dr. Norwood put it, Brad could go to Antarctica next week and he still wouldn't risk missing the baby's birth. Ha! I would be discouraged if I weren't already so convinced that the baby is not coming early. It's just been a part of my mentality all along. I told Dr. N that I want an Easter baby, and he told me he is on call that weekend, even though he doesn't normally work weekends. So that may be a good thing, assuming he lets my labor go as long as it needs to and doesn't insist on a C-section at any point (unless there's a legitimate medical necessity). I also shared with him that I am starting to get nervous about labor the second time around, since I was one push away from C-section last time. He assured me that second births are much, much easier, which I have heard, but I figure I am very likely the exception to the rule. (Okay, I know I'm being negative, but my theory is that I'm good at pregnancy and bad at birth. And yes, I base this on one birth.) I asked if there was any way to find out if this baby is OP/sunny-side up like Ford was, and he said all babies start out transverse and rotate during labor. I don't know if that's true... not to act like I'm smarter than him (I'm not!!!), but I know there are a ton of resources on how to spin a transverse baby before labor... blah blah blah. If anyone knows more about this than me, please weigh in. 

Now on to the weekly update!

How big is baby? Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.5 - 7 pounds and almost 20 inches long! Ford was 7 lbs, 7 oz and 20 inches when he was born about a week after his due date. I'm thinking this baby will be about that size, depending on when she decides to grace us with her presence.

Weight gain/loss: As of this morning, I have gained 22 pounds.

Sleep: It's okay! I had a week or 10 days when I didn't take any Benadryl before bed but slept through the whole night without waking. But I've had three rough nights in a row, waking up to use the restroom or just waking up with insatiable thirst! I think tonight I'm going to cave and take a Benadryl. Worth it.

Movement: I can tell it's cramped in there. Lots of rolls and jabs, but limited in their range of motion. I love feeling her move though, and I know I'll miss it when she's here (even though I'll be happy to have her here!).

Symptoms: Nothing new! I actually feel pretty good. I still have what I call my "Horsehead Nebula tattoo" on my right calf, the gnarly spider vein that appeared during this pregnancy, but it doesn't seem to hurt anymore, so I guess there's not much pressure anymore on whatever vein is supplying blood to that area.

Belly button: Top part is still out!And I'm not even trying to tape it down anymore. Haha.

Food cravings: I have noticed I am eating a ton of carbs! Probably not good. I've never really craved carbs, like breadsticks or donuts or whatever. I don't even eat cereal for breakfast. But now I want cereal for breakfast, a bagel for lunch, and garlic bread for dinner. Weird! Maybe it's because I'm sort of low-energy but not napping, so I feel like I need to fuel myself with carbs... :-/ I also really am wanting seafood. Brad and I tried out a new seafood place close to our neighborhood (relatively speaking), and I got fish & chips. It was okay but didn't live up to expectations. Still need to scratch that itch!

Gender: Sweet Baby Girl! I think we finally have a name. Not 100 percent sure, but sure enough that I bought two infant caps and got one of them monogrammed. I'm saving the other one in case we change our minds. :)
What I miss? This may sound terrible, but I have actually been thinking about what I will miss when baby girl is here. I have it pretty good. I can get a lot done while Ford naps (projects for work, stuff around the house, baking/cooking/crafting, even just sitting and reading and eating a Honey Bun, ha), and I have a feeling those leisurely naptimes are coming to an end, once there are two kids on different schedules. That probably sounds a hundred different shades of selfish, but it's really been on my mind, thinking of how I'll deal with the change. I know our lives will be so much richer with another child, but the reality of newborn craziness is coming back to me. I had such a hard time when Ford was new. He was a tough, tough baby. So cute but OH so hungry all the time, not a great sleeper, not a happy boy. Nothing anyone could have said would have prepared me for how much he cried, and nothing I did seemed to help. I think Ford just had a spunky, determined personality from the start; he still gets easily frustrated, though I love how determined he is. I'm praying that baby girl has a peaceful, gentle demeanor from the start to help me transition into being a mom two times over. But to answer the question more directly, I do miss having more than a few outfits that fit and make me feel good!

What I'm looking forward to? Lots! For all of my anxiety that I mentioned above, I really am looking forward to having a tiny baby. It will be nice to have family up here, and I'm also excited for Ford to do an Easter egg hunt where he actually knows what's going on. Here's a video of his first "hunt" for puffs-filled Easter eggs. He was about eight months old and a fairly new crawler. The smiles at the beginning just melt me! And watch around 4 min, 15 sec for a "mama bear attack."

Big Brother: At 19 months, such a mama's boy right now! We are fortunate that Brad gets to be home a lot during the day when he's not out visiting customers, but if I disappear for even 30 seconds, even if Brad is right next to him, it's "Mama? Mama? MAMA!" He has also started calling me "mom" some of the time, which I'm not a big fan of, but it's kind of funny. He walks around the house chanting rhythmically, "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom..." He is obsessed with "Finding Nemo" and asks for it several times a day (we let him watch it maybe once a week, tops). He also likes to entertain us by "speaking whale," like Dory does in the movie. His favorite activity is swinging in the backyard, and he takes great pride and doing things on his own. If he climbs on the couch by himself or finishes his entire dinner or puts his toys away without assistance, I'll hear a cheer of "DID IT!" from Ford. He has been calling animals by their sounds since he was about a year old (dog was "woof woof," cat was "meow," monkey was "oooh oooh ah ah"), but now he says the animal names. Monkey is a favorite, but it comes out munt-nee. He also tells me when he thinks things are delicious by saying "nishuss." So much cuteness, I can hardly stand it. He'll start mother's day out in June one day a week, then two days a week in September. Hard to believe how fast he's growing! 

As you may remember from my last post, I've had some nervousness over how Ford will adapt to sharing the stage with a baby and having less of my focused attention. Brad's cousin Shelly, who is a kindred spirit and SUCH a blessing to me, told me that with her four kids, she has always tried to project what she expects, meaning that she just expects them to love their new brother or sister because that baby is a gift, and their lives will be full of so much more joy because of that sibling. That resonates with me. I'm trying to have a really positive, hopeful attitude about how Ford will adjust. I know some days will be very hard, but in the grand scheme of life, it's a good thing.