Bumpdate: 40 Weeks

I never imagined I'd be writing this blog post...I just assumed our sweet baby boy would be here by now. Guess we all know what happens when you assume...

Dear Baby Huston,

Today's the day we've been anxiously awaiting and preparing for: your due date! The day you are supposed to make your entrance into this world. Your daddy and I are so ready to meet you, so feel free to come at any time. No, seriously...the sooner, the better!

Love,

Your Momma

Due Date: August 5, 2015

How far along?: 40 Weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!

Name: Huston Robert  {more details here}

Total weight gain:  Up another pound over the past week...so much for the promise that you're supposed to lose weight at the end of pregnancy! {It must have bypassed me kinda like the long, thick, beautiful hair you're supposed to have during pregnancy!} All in all, I'm up about 37-38 pounds.

Stretch marks?: None that I can see. I've really been lathering on the Bio-Oil and St. Ives lotion here at the end in hopes that it will prevent the stretch marks from appearing after delivery.

Symptoms: Nothing new...which is disappointing to me. I was soooo hoping to be partially dilated at Monday's OB appointment, but my cervix is still fully closed. I guess the little guy is cozy in there and not quite ready to make his entrance into this big, scary world.

Maternity clothes?:  I rotate among a very small selection of clothes over and over and over again. A couple of dresses, maternity yoga capri pants/tank tops, Ryan's shorts/t-shirts.

Sleep:  Everyone tells me that I need to be sleeping as much as I possibly can before he arrives...but apparently they've forgotten {or have never experienced} how impossible it is to sleep when your belly is the size of a LARGE watermelon {or 2!}...AND that watermelon feels like it is sitting directly on your bladder!

Cravings:  Just the same 'ole, same 'ole: watermelon and snow cones. I've found a new flavor mix of snow cones though...clearly strawberry and wedding cake. They're both clear, so I don't have to worry about my lips/teeth turning some crazy color!

Workouts: I'm starting to consider just getting dressed in the mornings as a workout in itself. A friend suggested I bounce on an exercise ball to help spur the labor process, so I'm now using a big green exercise ball in place of my office chair! That has to count for something, right???

Exercise ball has replaced my desk chair.
P.S. How cute is my office assistant? She's the best in town!

Mood: I cried after we left the doctor's office on Monday because I was so disappointed that my body hadn't made any progress toward labor/delivery. I'm going to blame part of that on just being overly-tired though because I came home, took a short nap, and felt MUCH better after a little rest. I totally believe that he'll come when he's ready, and I'm trying very hard to let go of trying to plan/control the situation. I'm pretty sure he already knows his momma might be a bit high-strung, so he's already trying out his skills at testing my patience. 

Movement: I can usually count on him moving if I'm lying still on my left side {that's been the case for as long as I've been able to feel him move}. He tends to move the most in the evenings when I've got my feet up...or maybe that's just when I've slowed down enough to truly notice all the movements. He's still the most responsive to his daddy's voice.

Next Steps: If he hasn't made his debut by next Tuesday {August 11}, we'll have a sonogram to check the amniotic fluid and to measure his size. At that point, we'll decide if we need to schedule an induction or continue to wait for him to arrive naturally. This momma is hoping we won't need that appointment!

Wedding Rings:  Off. I've had them off for the past couple of weeks just because I was worried they "might" get stuck...but my fingers are now swollen to the point that I can't even get them over my knuckles. :(

Belly Button: In.

Looking Forward To: I absolutely, positively cannot wait to meet our baby boy!

40 Week Bumpdate

More of "Our Baby Story":

• Pregnancy Announcement
• A few details/back-story

13 Weeks           //           14 Weeks           //           15 Weeks

16 Weeks           //           17 Weeks           //           18 Weeks

19 Weeks               //               20 Weeks               //               21 Weeks

22 Weeks            //            23 Weeks            //            24 Weeks

25 Weeks            //            26 Weeks            //            27 Weeks

28 Weeks            //            29 Weeks            //            30 Weeks

31 Weeks            //            32 Weeks            //            33 Weeks

34 Weeks            //            35 Weeks            //            36 Weeks

37 Weeks            //            38 Weeks            //            39 Weeks

Bumpdate: 39 Weeks

Due Date: August 5, 2015

How far along?: 39 weeks, 4 days

Gender: It's a BOY!

Name: Huston Robert  {more details here}

Total weight gain:  Holding steady at a total of 36 pounds gained.

Stretch marks?: None that I can see.

Symptoms: I am beyond happy to report that the pain in my right heel that I mentioned last week has subsided! I can put full weight on it and walk without limping...although I'm sure there's still some type of waddle in my walk these days. I think I may have had a few Braxton Hicks contractions this past weekend. They were pretty much painless {just felt like my belly was tightening} and only last a couple of hours. 

Maternity clothes?:  Only the stretchiest maternity clothes...and Ryan's clothes...these days. As of today, I'm working from home until this little guy makes his debut {so grateful for the flexibility of my job and my amazing bosses!}, so let's just say my clothing choices have become a lot more casual {COMFY!} since I no longer have to get ready to go into the office.

Sleep:  I take what I can get. I go to bed early and get up multiple times to go to the bathroom throughout the night, but I've gotten used to that by now. I woke up early this past Saturday morning and it hit me that it was likely the last Saturday for the rest of my life a loooooooooong time that I'll be able to sleep in, so instead of getting up to tackle the to-do list, I just lounged in bed all morning.

Cravings:  Nothing new here...still eating watermelon like it's going out of style. I've managed to curb the snow cone runs down to just a few times per week.

Workouts: Does floating in the pool...on a raft...count?!!?

Mood: I'm kinda all over the place: anxious, nervous, scared, excited {really excited!!!}...and the tears can {and will} fall at any given moment. Mostly just happy, emotional tears. Anything mommy or baby related seems to bring on the waterworks! I mentioned in a post last week that I've been reading way too many "birth story" blog posts and every.single.time I get to the part where they place the baby on the mom's chest, I get all teary-eyed. If you were to ask Ryan about my recent moods, I think he'd just say not to let me get overly hungry...that's not really a pretty scene!

Movement: I'm pretty certain he's outgrowing his space because his movements don't seem to be as frequent...but when he does move, it's like it jolts my entire body.  Almost all of the movements I feel are focused on the top or left side of my belly. I'm assuming the hard little ball that seems to float up and down the left side of my belly is one of his feet just kicking about...or maybe a knee???

Best Moment of the Week: Rachael convinced me a little pre-baby pampering was needed, so we treated ourselves to manicures and pedicures on Sunday. Gotta have pretty nails and toes for our little guy's arrival!

Wedding Rings:  Off. I've had them off for the past couple of weeks just because I was worried they "might" get stuck...but my fingers are now swollen to the point that I can't even get them over my knuckles. :(

Belly Button: In.

Looking Forward To: Holding our sweet baby boy in my arms for the first time. CANNOT.WAIT!

39 Week Bumpdate

More of "Our Baby Story":

• Pregnancy Announcement
• A few details/back-story

13 Weeks           //           14 Weeks           //           15 Weeks

16 Weeks           //           17 Weeks           //           18 Weeks

19 Weeks               //               20 Weeks               //               21 Weeks

22 Weeks            //            23 Weeks            //            24 Weeks

25 Weeks            //            26 Weeks            //            27 Weeks

28 Weeks            //            29 Weeks            //            30 Weeks

31 Weeks            //            32 Weeks            //            33 Weeks

34 Weeks            //            35 Weeks            //            36 Weeks

37 Weeks            //            38 Weeks

Bumpdate: 38 Weeks

Due Date: August 5, 2015

How far along?: 38 weeks, 3 days

Gender: It's a BOY!

Name: Huston Robert  {more details here}

Total weight gain:  No change in the scale this past week...still up a total of 36 pounds. It seems like it's an every-other-week thing with weight gain, so I guess we'll see if I've gained more at this week's OB appointment. I'm still holding out for that "you lose weight at the very end" promise...

Stretch marks?: None that I can see.

Symptoms: Swelling.Swelling.More Swelling. My poor hands and feet are so swollen! I'm fairly confident the summer heat/humidity aren't helping the swelling situation. Oh, and my heel on my right foot was hurting so badly last week {Ryan and I self-diagnosed it as plantar fasciitis, which is apparently very common late in pregnancy}...like too painful to put any weight on it and throbbing when I'd elevate it. I alternated heat and ice all night one night {I may have gotten a total of 2 hours of sleep that night}, and that seemed to help a bit. It's still sore, but now it just feels like there's a deep bruise on my heel...maybe I'm just getting used to it??? Either way, my poor foot doesn't like carrying around all this extra weight.

Maternity clothes?:  If I'm not wearing maternity clothes, you'll find me in Ryan's clothes {gym shorts/t-shirts}.

Sleep:  It seems like I can't get enough sleep! I go to bed early, but I can't sleep longer than 1.5 hours at a time...and I'm finding it harder and harder to fall back asleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. Naps are still my saving grace...even just 15-20 minutes at lunch time can make a HUGE difference!

Cravings:  Still obsessed with watermelon and snow cones. CAN'T.GET.ENOUGH!

Daily {seriously} trip to snow cone shop!

Workouts: Zip.Zero.Zilch. I'm moving pretty slowly these days just to get from Point A to Point B...I think the walking waddle has even set in. Not pretty.

Mood: Mostly anxious...and a little nervous. I want so badly to know exactly when our baby boy is going to make his appearance, but I know he's just going to come on his own terms...when he's ready. When I think about holding him in my arms, I already get ridiculously emotional and find myself wiping tears from my eyes.  And then on the other hand...I'm incredibly nervous. I realize it's mostly just the fear of the unknown, but continuously telling myself that doesn't really do much to calm my nerves. 

Movement: We were a little concerned that he wasn't moving around as much as he had been, so we had an unexpected sonogram at last week's OB appointment.  Turns out, the placenta was toward the front {posterior???}, so that was cushioning a lot of his movements to the point where I wasn't feeling him unless it was a pretty strong kick. Apparently the placenta has shifted back to being behind him because I'm feeling him move pretty regularly now {thank goodness...that was such a scary feeling!}. It's pretty obvious that he's running out of room because when he shifts around my belly tends to look a little lop-sided for a bit.

Best Moment of the Week: Although it was scary at the time because we were worried about the frequency of his moments, it was such an unexpected {and welcome!} surprise to get to see our little guy on the sonogram screen. He's big enough now that it was pretty easy to pick out his little hand and foot...at one point it looked like he was grabbing his toes. His little heartbeat was the best sound on the planet at 138 beats per minute.  They estimated that he weighed about 6 pounds, 9 ounces. It was just incredibly reassuring to see him wiggling and to hear the doctor tell us that everything looked great.

Worst Moment of the Week: I parked my car between two other cars last week to run in to get some lunch...but when I attempted to get out, I realized there was no way my big belly was fitting through the space I had to get out. Completely frustrated {and on the verge of tears}, I just sat back down in my seat, started the car and moved to another parking space. Looking back now, it's kind of hilarious...but at the time it totally hurt my feelings. 

Wedding Rings:  Off...and it makes me so sad. This swelling stuff is for real though...I'm not about to force my rings on and risk having to cut them off.

Belly Button: In.

Looking Forward To: Meeting our little man!

38 Week Bumpdate

More of "Our Baby Story":

• Pregnancy Announcement
• A few details/back-story

13 Weeks           //           14 Weeks           //           15 Weeks

16 Weeks           //           17 Weeks           //           18 Weeks

19 Weeks               //               20 Weeks               //               21 Weeks

22 Weeks            //            23 Weeks            //            24 Weeks

25 Weeks            //            26 Weeks            //            27 Weeks

28 Weeks            //            29 Weeks            //            30 Weeks

31 Weeks            //            32 Weeks            //            33 Weeks

34 Weeks            //            35 Weeks            //            36 Weeks

37 Weeks

Bumpdate: 37 Weeks

Lily loves to be in the bump pics!

Due Date: August 5, 2015

How far along?: 37 weeks, 4 days

Gender: It's a BOY!

Name: Huston Robert  {more details here}

Total weight gain:  I'm now over the "recommended weight gain" range of 25-35 pounds. Based on the "official scale" at the doctor's office, I'm currently up 36 pounds in total.

Stretch marks?: None that I can see.

Symptoms: Swelling. I feel like I've really just blown up like a balloon, but everyone around me tells me it's not nearly as bad as I think {by the way, people are so nice and full of compliments when you're a million months pregnant!}. Sooo...although the swelling might not be as extreme as I feel like it is, it is still worse than it previously has been. I know this is very common for the end of pregnancy...plus, I'm pretty certain the 100+ degree days aren't helping matters! My treatment of choice: soaking in an Epsom salt bath. I don't know how or why, but it seriously helps reduce the swelling.

Maternity clothes?:  What else? All maternity, all the time.

Sleep:  I'm soooooo tired ALL.THE.TIME, but my sleep patterns are very sporadic. Naps are my best friend. I'm so grateful that we live so close to my office so that I can squeeze in a 15-20 minute nap over my lunch hour. On most days I find that is seriously the best rest I get. I also found myself waking up from an "accidental nap" after work a couple of times last week. I unintentionally fell asleep when I laid down to play with Lily...and woke up 30 minutes or an hour later. Oh well...that was some good rest too!  :)  As far as sleeping at night, welllll....that hasn't been the best.  Between my multiple trips to the bathroom and switching locations {bed, couch, guest room} because I'm hot, I'm pretty much just wandering around the house all night.

Cravings:  Snow cones {fruity flavors mixed with wedding cake flavor} are my newest obsession...and by obsession, I mean I've had three snow cones in the past four days. Yesterday was "National Ice Cream Day," so my normal ice cream/snow cone shop literally had a line around the block. The temperature was approximately 162 degrees, so I wasn't really up for standing in line. My {very patient} husband willingly drove around as I led him on a wild-goose chase to find a snow cone. I think this may have been the first intense pregnancy craving that I wasn't giving up on until I had a snow cone in my hands! Anyway, Google's first suggestion didn't exist, the second suggestion was closed {Sunday}...but we continued our search. Third time's a charm {I guess it was technically the fourth option if you count our "regular" ice cream shop as the first attempt}! Even though it was located in a sketchy strip mall all the way in Garland, it was a HUGE SUCCESS in my book because it resulted in a delicious snow cone that totally satisfied my craving...until next time!

Best Moment of the Week:  My mom came down this past weekend to help with "last minute" stuff that needed to be done before our little guy arrives...and, as always, we're so very grateful for her help. We returned some duplicate gifts and purchased the remaining "essentials" {and a few non-essentials} that we'll need to have when he comes home. She did about a million loads of laundry {she's a laundry Nazi, I tell ya!}, so all of Baby Huston's stuff is ready for him to wear and use...and all of Mom-and-Dad-to-be's clothes are clean too!  :) We checked quite a few things off the "to do" list this weekend, and I just feel so much more prepared to bring our sweet baby boy home.

Worst Moment of the Week: Our upstairs air conditioning unit stopped working last week. I worked from home last Thursday afternoon so the AC repairman could come fix it. My home office is upstairs...so I was stuck in the sauna if I wanted to get any work done. The thermostat said it was 88 degrees in the house...which doesn't bode well for anyone, let alone a VERY PREGNANT girl. Don't worry, the AC is fixed now...and I'm back to being comfortable {while poor Ryan nearly freezes to death!}.

Workouts: I should probably just remove this section...

Mood: I feel like my mood has stabilized a bit since last week...at least I haven't found myself laughing and crying at the same time in the last few days. However, if something is even a little bit funny to make me start laughing, then there is no stopping the laughter. I mean like big belly laughs! I'll take that though...after all, laughter is the best medicine, right?

Nursery: We made major progress on his room this weekend! It's actually starting to look like a nursery! We Ryan hung some art/accessories on the walls, which really started to pull it all together. We still need curtains {in progress} and a lamp {still searching}, but I'm happy with the way it's coming together. Photos to come soon!

Movement: His most active time of day is between 3:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. It's not like he's kicking and poking during that time, but it feels like his whole little body is shifting around. It's pretty cool {and a little weird} to see my entire belly shift as he moves from one side to the other. He's still most responsive to his daddy's voice.

Wedding Rings:  My fingers seem to be the most swollen in the mornings, so I haven't been wearing my rings just because I fear they'll get stuck. By lunch the swelling has usually subsided enough that I can comfortably wear my rings...but then the swelling comes back in the evenings.

Belly Button: In.

Looking Forward To: Meeting our little man!

37 Week Bumpdate

More of "Our Baby Story":

• Pregnancy Announcement
• A few details/back-story

13 Weeks           //           14 Weeks           //           15 Weeks

16 Weeks           //           17 Weeks           //           18 Weeks

19 Weeks               //               20 Weeks               //               21 Weeks

22 Weeks            //            23 Weeks            //            24 Weeks

25 Weeks            //            26 Weeks            //            27 Weeks

28 Weeks            //            29 Weeks            //            30 Weeks

31 Weeks            //            32 Weeks            //            33 Weeks

34 Weeks            //            35 Weeks            //            36 Weeks