False Alarm?

It has been almost a year since my last post so obviously that means my baby gummy bear is here! She is very much keeping me busy, which is partly why the posts have been lacking. I have been documenting the past 11 1/2 months in pictures though so hopefully I can play a little catch up now and be back on the blog more regularly. I have missed it and don't want to forget any of my time with my mini so the best way to remember is to blog, right?!

After the last post when I was 39 weeks, we then had a little false alarm. Because I had never been pregnant before, I didn't know what contractions felt like so we ended up at the hospital in the early morning hours, 3AM-ish on Saturday July 28th, two days before my due date. We spent a couple of hours there and I was monitored for contractions. I was still at 1 cm dilated and even though I felt like I was having contractions, nope! My nurse was so amazing, helpful, FRIENDLY and made us feel so much more comfortable with the whole process, the hospital and what to expect when I actually did go into labor. I was actually glad we did go in to be checked because I knew I wouldn't be so nervous about going back for the real thing! After a few hours on the monitor, I checked out and we went home to patiently wait for our baby girl.

39 Weeks

Baby girl now matches up to a mini watermelon.
(20in, 7lbs)
She continues to develop a layer of fat to help
control her body temp after birth.
She is flexing her limbs and her brain is rapidly developing,
getting smarter by the week. :)

How far along? 39 weeks. I think I'm dreaming. I can't still be pregnant.
Maternity clothes? Dresses, yoga pants, tanks, chucks and flip flops. My new fave? Chucks with dresses. Yep.   
Stretch marks? Nope. :) Thankful. But I'm out of Bio Oil and don't want to buy another bottle. Maybe if I do, I'll immediately go into labor and won't even need it. Usually the way it works.
Sleep: ahhhhhh Up every hour. Up early even on weekends. Nap when I can, usually early morning. Zoey is my little snooze buddy.
Energy: Depends... One day I'm scrubbing the bathroom, the next I don't even want to make my own lunch.
Best moment this week: Being told by the doc that once I go into labor, it shouldn't be long. She is thinking my labor should go pretty smoothly. Let's hope she's right!

Have you told family and friends: Of course!
Miss Anything? Running, sleeping on my stomach and back. Just around the corner!
Movement: She's constantly doing the wave like she's at a baseball game. Sometimes it's painful. Swear I can almost grab her foot when she kung fu kicks me.

Food cravings: Bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Craving satisfied this week. Mmm.

Food aversions: Want nothing to do with salt, pasta or meat.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Cigarette smoke. Barf.  

Have you started to show yet: Yes, and this would be a fine stopping point for belly growth. ;) 
Gender prediction: Little Princess.

Labor Signs: Still at 1cm dilated. Doc said cervix is paper thin so labor will be easy. Woke up today at 2AM with sharp lower back pain...

Symptoms: Lower back pain. ouch. Braxton Hicks and minor cramping over last two days. And I'm sooooo front heavy I feel like I could face plant at any moment. Hopefully someone has a camera when this happens.
Belly Button in or out? In with a nub.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: A last date night with my babe and of course meeting baby girl! Keep telling her anytime she's ready, let's do this!

38 Weeks

Baby girl is now the weight of a pumpkin and the length of a leek
(one of those giant onion looking things).
(19.5in, 6.8lbs)
She has a firm grasp and her organs have matured
and are ready for life outside the womb.
She may even have up to an inch of hair!

How far along? 38 weeks. Really??? I honestly didn't think I'd get this far!
Maternity clothes? Dresses, yoga pants and tanks. This won't change due to heat and humidity.   
Stretch marks? Nope. :) Thankful.
Sleep: No longer sleeping through the night. The belly won't let me get comfy even with four pillows.
Energy: I wake up feeling like I weigh 800 lbs and I ache. Pretty difficult to get up. But once I get going, energy is normal.
Best moment this week: FINALLY deciding on a coming home outfit. :) And just talking about how we can't wait to meet her, see what her personality is like and what she looks like is fun to do. Pretty anxious. ;)

Have you told family and friends: Of course!
Miss Anything? Nope! Well, maybe sleeping on my stomach and back but those days are right around the corner.
Movement: She's a little kung fu panda. Sometimes her movement is painful.

Food cravings: OMG KIX.

Food aversions: Want nothing to do with salt.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Cigarette smoke. Barf.  

Have you started to show yet: Yes, and this would be a fine stopping point for belly growth. ;) 
Gender prediction: Mini princess.

Labor Signs: Still at 1cm dilated and Braxton Hicks are on fire!

Symptoms: Lower back pain. Seems to be a more serious issue for daddy though. Sympathy pains. :P
Belly Button in or out? In with a nub.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Seeing who made the closest prediction of baby girl's birthday. I predicted today...

37 Weeks

Baby gummy bear is now the size of a winter melon.  
(18.9 in, 6.5 lbs). 
(What is a winter melon???)
She's practicing inhaling, exhaling, sucking and 
blinking and is now considered full term. 

How far along? 37 weeks. And I don't think I'll ever feel the same about produce again.
Maternity clothes? Dresses, yoga pants and tanks.  
Stretch marks? Proud to still say no although I just read that new marks can show up starting now and continue to show up until baby girl is born. This is definitely not ok. I'm tripling up on the Bio Oil.
Sleep: Sleeping through the night minus the three to six potty trips.
Energy: Energy is so so. Depends on the day really and how much I do that day. Still have had ZERO caffeine and I'm proud of myself for that so I'm not going to change it now. But I am ready for bed pretty early. Blue hair status.
Best moment this week: The OB appointment today, Mikey was there and able to see baby girl via ultrasound for the first time. :) 

Have you told family and friends: Yep. And I'm sure the ones who I didn't tell know via this blog. :P
Miss Anything? Nope! 
Movement: Almost looks alien like sometimes. Her hiccups make my entire belly move. I have fun just watching and wondering if anyone can see my belly move besides me. hehe.

Food cravings: Cereal. Honeydew. And oh! I just remembered I have more mango in the back of the freezer. I'll be consuming that bag once this post is complete!

Food aversions: Seems to be changing a little. Pretty hungry the past few days. And cooking more often so certain food hasn't really sounded as bad as normal.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Cigarette smoke I literally choke on. And I thought I was going to throw up last night at Fenway when I smelled the sausage cooking. It smelled good at first! Lasted about thirty seconds.  

Have you started to show yet: OMG I really would like to STOP getting any bigger. Seriously. 
Gender prediction: Mini princess.

Labor Signs: Still at 1cm dilated and Braxton Hicks have made a few visits.
Belly Button in or out? In with a nub.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Looking forward to: Continuing to get the room ready, unpacking and repacking the hospital bag and shopping for the last few things we still need. :)

36 Weeks

Baby gummy bear is now the size of a honeydew melon. 
(18 1/2 in, 5.5 lbs). 
She's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own
(which I can tell by the frequency of her hiccups).
Her liver and her kidneys are in working order.

How far along? 36 weeks. 
Maternity clothes? Dresses and yoga pants. Period.  
Stretch marks? Proud to still say no. :)
Sleep: Sleeping through the night finally now that I'm back in Boston.
Energy: Energy is good! Except I tucker out around 6pm like a blue hair. ;)
Best moment this week: My first OB appointment with the new doc! I'm 1cm dilated and baby girl is expected to arrive early, within the next two weeks. Doc predicts 5-6 lbs. We are sooooooooooooo excited! I can barely sit still to type this post.

Have you told family and friends: I'm pretty sure they are as anxious as I am.
Miss Anything? Nope! Whatever I miss at this point will soon be a possibility again.
Movement: She already knows how to do the "wave" like she's at a sporting event. Feels like a tight squeeze in there and she has the hiccups 3-5 times a day.

Food cravings: Kix. Seriously going through a box every three days. Wow. Now that I type it, it is a lot huh? hehe. Least it's not the big box. :P

Food aversions: Eww to meat, pasta and peanut butter.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing that wouldn't make me sick normally. Cigarette smoke I literally choke on now though. Literally. And I might let the smoker know, too. 

Have you started to show yet: umm. I should have probably deleted this question long ago. :P
Gender prediction: Love my princess.

Labor Signs: Besides being at 1cm dilated, no other signs and I feel great!
Belly Button in or out? In with a nub.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy happy joy joy.

Looking forward to: Next appointment on Monday. Daddy will be there to get his first (live) peek of baby girl during the ultrasound. :) 

35 Weeks

Baby gummy bear is now the size of a coconut. 
(18in, 5 1/4 lbs). 
Her hearing is fully developed and she responds best to high-pitched sounds.

How far along? 35 weeks (last week). 
Maternity clothes? Dresses and flippy floppies.  
Stretch marks? Negative!
Sleep: = two hour naps off and on.
Energy: Energy is up. Noticed it's taking a little while longer than usual to finish my daily walks though.
Best moment this week: The baby shower was Saturday June 23rd and Mikey flying in from Boston to celebrate was definitely the best moment I've had in a while. :)

Have you told family and friends: How could I not?!
Miss Anything? Don't think so. Too close to the end to worry about things to miss. 
Movement: All. The. Time. Counting kicks has become an actual detailed task. Like three per minute sometimes. So I think it's safe to say she is doing well in there. 

Food cravings: Cereal, fruit, yogurt, cereal and cereal.

Food aversions: No to meat. No to pasta. Anything not cold or frozen, I'll pass.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing out of the norm. Reading more about labor and delivery and pretty safe to say I will be vomiting in the delivery room. Again, I admit I'm a pansy.

Have you started to show yet: No. ;) haha actually I look as though I've dropped a little since last post.
Gender prediction: Mini me. Look out!

Labor Signs: Nope. Baby is still brewing.
Belly Button in or out? In and Out. Kinda. You'd have to see it to understand. And that will never happen. :P But now I want a burger. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Finishing the road trip we are currently on and getting (re) settled in the apartment in Boston.

Gummy Bear Baby Shower

The Baby Shower was a great success! It was held it Saturday, June 23rd at Rusch Park and everything came out soooo cute. Big thank you to my gals for helping pull it all together... Jen O, Kelley W, Brittany S, Erin A, and Jen L of Cupcake Crazy Sacramento. Also in attendance was little dog Zoey and baby girl's daddy flew in that morning to celebrate! :)

It was a perfect day. Here are just a few of the photos to share with you...

34 Weeks

Baby girl is now the size of a butternut squash. 
(measures 17.5 in, 4.75 lbs). 
She can recognize and react to simple songs
and her skin is now smoother than ever!

How far along? 34 weeks. 

Maternity clothes? Dresses & flip flops. Occasional bikini. That's it! 
Stretch marks? Love me some Bio-Oil!
Sleep: I'll sleep in 18 years.
Energy: Pretty perky. Usually at night. 
Best moment this week: Starting to pack the hospital and diaper bag in preparation! :) 
Have you told family and friends: Oh yes. :) Baby shower this weekend!

Miss Anything? Running.
Movement: Seems she has the hiccups more than she kicks lately. Also I can see her moving through my clothes. Like she's rolling, not kicking. Looks so neat. 

Food cravings: Cereal, frozen mango and strawberry yogurt. This question boring yet? My answer hasn't really changed. Although Mexican food is on the menu for this weekend.  

Food aversions: Still the same. Eww to meat, pasta and peanut butter.   

Anything making you queasy or sick: Cigarette smoke. BARF!

Have you started to show yet: nah! ;)
Gender prediction: Baby girl is already so beautiful.

Labor Signs: No more Braxton Hicks, that I can feel anyway.
Belly Button in or out? Don't ask.  
Happy or Moody most of the time: Smiling! Is this real life?

Looking forward to: Seeing baby girl's daddy and him being able to feel her move. :) :) :) 

33 Weeks

Baby girl is now the size of a pineapple.
(measures 17.2 in, 4.2 lbs).
She's keeping her eyes open
while awake and is also starting to coordinate
breathing with sucking and swallowing. 

How far along? 33 weeks. 
Maternity clothes? Pretty much all dresses at this point. Most comfy and the heat has not been messing around. 
Stretch marks? Nope! Swear by Bio-Oil!
Sleep: haha.
Energy: Burning anxiety into energy so I'd say it's moderate. 
Best moment this week: Had another 3D/4D ultrasound this past Thursday. Baby girl cooperated for the second half. She is soooooooooooooo adorable! Not much room left in there though and she is in the correct position so looks like the option of a C Section is probably out. 
Have you told family and friends: Oh yes. :) Baby shower right around the corner.

Miss Anything? Running. And lately I've been so excited and happy about things I want to jump up and down but feel like I can't.   
Movement: Daily kick counting has become more difficult but I'm probably doing it at the wrong time. She's still pretty active and has the hiccups at least twice a day.

Food cravings: Cereal, honeydew and strawberry yogurt. All I want. Funny I haven't had any major weird cravings. Feeling the need for some fro yo soon though. There's a new place I want to try out so I think I'll wait for that. ;) 

Food aversions: Still the same. Eww to meat, pasta and peanut butter.  As far as salt is concerned, string cheese is the furthest I'll go. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! I feel pretty lucky. Have a feeling labor will make up for it though.

Have you started to show yet: umm duh.
Gender prediction: Little girl.

Labor Signs: Too early! Braxton Hicks are happening again though.
Belly Button in or out? In-ish and weird looking. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Joy. Joy.

Looking forward to: The baby shower!

Maternity Photos

Thought I'd share a few of my favorite maternity photos. They all turned out sooooo great which makes it difficult to post just a few. Photographer Jonelle DeMarco did an exceptional job and I was able to include Zoey, who was on her best behavior (as always).