38 weeks And only one week until our little man arrives!

Yesterday I had my 38 week ob appointment. They did an ultrasound because they suspected that he was going to be a big baby, and boy is he ever! At 38 weeks he measured in at 8.15 lbs! That's right, practically 9 lbs!!!!! They also mentioned I have a lot of fluid and am getting some calcium deposits on my placenta. They assured me everything was fine, but it was definitely time for him to make his appearance. I have to admit being a little worried about him. I read online that having excess fluid could indicate that there is a problem. But I the doctor told me Sam is fine and I have to assume that if they thought for a second there was a problem that the section would have been scheduled before next week!

Soooo, our little Samuel will arrive on January 23, 2009! I am to get to the hospital at 10:30 am and my surgery is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. . I am really excited and nervous. I can't believe he is soooooo close to being here! In one week I'll be a mommy!!


Work hasn't been bad. It's hard for me to get up and get around, but other than that it has really done me good to be here. I won't even make it back for two weeks before I am off again! I am going to work Monday and Tuesday and take off Wednesday and Thursday to get everything ready. Everything is pretty much ready now, but I guess to try to mentally prepare (if you can do that). Oh, and the ladies at work gave me a shower on Wednesday. It was very sweet and we got some really cute stuff. This baby has had a total of 4 showers. People are definitely excited about his arrival!



I'll post my last belly pics later this week. I am HUGE. But I guess that's what happens when you grow a 9 lb baby! I am just so happy and feel so blessed that everything looks good with him. Please keep my sweet little guy in your prayers.

37 weeks!

Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side. Meanwhile, your body is going through its own preparations as your practitioner starts looking for signs of labor. On the checklist: the baby's position in relation to your pelvis (engagement) and whether effacement (thinning of the cervix) and dilation (opening of the cervix) have begun. Your practitioner may also determine whether your cervix has begun to soften and move to the front of the vagina, another indication that labor is getting closer. Keep in mind that these processes can occur gradually, over a period of weeks or even a month or more in some women — and overnight in others. So while they're clues that you're indeed progressing, they're far from sure bets when it comes to pinpointing the actual start of labor.

36 week OB appointment

Today was my first cervical exam. Um, can I say "OUCH"! I assumed it would be like a pap smear; uncomfortable but not painful. Nope, not like a pap.

Anyway my OB confirmed that I am very much still pregnant. No dilation and no effacement. No surprise though.

I told him I was concerned because I thought the baby was sideways. He said he believed that the baby was in fact head down and what I was feeling was his little bottom. He said that we should have an ultrasound next week though to be sure of the baby's position and size. Yay! So next Thursday we get to see our little guy once more before he is born. Next Thursday I will be 37 weeks and 6 days!

I go back to work tomorrow. Not looking forward to it at all. But with some luck maybe I'll only be there a couple of weeks!

Can you believe next week is mid-January? Time truly flies.

36 weeks!

Hi! Happy New Year!!

I can't believe the Holiday season is over already! It went so fast. And since I couldn't go home for the holidays like I normally would, it really didn't feel the same this year. But my mom was able to come see me for Thanksgiving and Christmas so it worked out.

Gosh. 36 weeks! Yaaaayyyy! I can finally say I am due "This month"! Yikes!

I have been feeling okay. I have been off work since 11/7 because I was having a hard time and minor issues with my blood pressure, but everything seems to have worked itself out so the doc gave me the okay to go back to work on th 7th. I have been off for 2 months and honestly I am not looking forward to going back. For one I am huge and nothing looks even half way decent on me. Two, I am going to be a freak about keeping my house spotless so that when we come home from the hospital the house is super-duper clean. I am always sort of a clean freak, but the closer it gets to having this little guy, the more intense it has gotten. Anyway, after a 9 hour day at work I just hope I have energy to come home and do laundry and sweep and dust and all that fun stuff. I know that Rich will think I am crazy for cleaning a clean apartment, but he is a good sport and will humor me by helping. Most people start their maternity leave 3 weeks before they deliver. Not me, nope that is when I decide to return to work. Oh well. I am sure it will make time fly.

We have everything pretty much ready for the baby. All of his little things have been washed and put away. His room is organized and oh so cute :) We have a few things still to pick up for him and we are making those shopping trips tomorrow. The only big thing we still need is his stroller. Other than that we just need lotions and washes, shampoo, petroleum jelly, bottle drying rack, a dishwasher rack, etc. So pretty much small stuff.

So I plan on breast feeding and per usual I am stressing myself out about it. But it seems like every new mom I talk to had every intention of breast feeding but found it to be so hard. I am not going back to work so I have the time. I just pray I have the patience because I know it will be so worth it.

So from what I have read, it seems like babies should have turned head down and dropped well before the 36th week. Not my little monkey. I have carried him so, so high this whole pregnancy and it doesn't seem he has budged at all. After a lot of discussion and watching him move and distort my belly in to all kinds of funny shapes, Rich and I have decided he is also still breach. I know we still have time and he could turn any day now, but I am worried that at this point he is so big what if there just isn't room for him to flip? Actually it kind of feels like at times that he is laying sideways in my belly. I wish I could see inside my belly at times and see how he is laying and exactly what is it he is doing when he moves around so much! Oh, and that brings up just one more thing I worry about. What if he gets the cord wrapped around his neck? I mean it does happen! How horrible!

I worry way to much. I really should work on that because once Samuel is born I know there are 1,452,125 things I could find to worry about every day. I really need to loosen up and live more in the moment.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2009. Ours will be filled with so much change. A new baby and Richard graduating! It's going to be a great year for our family. I wish the same for everyone else!