38 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

February 12, 2015

I remember being 38 weeks pregnant like it was yesterday.  Of course there was my biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig belly.  We were nervous, but soooooooo excited to meet our little one.

Of course it wasn't yesterday, it was months ago!  And now at 38 weeks young, Emily is such a cuddly cutie pie!!

Where the heck does the time go????

Emily had a rough week leading up to her 38 week birthday..... sick again.  :(  The official diagnosis was bronchiolitis which is basically a really bad chest cold.  She also had a DOUBLE ear infection!! My poor sweet baby....

Luckily, she's feeling all better now!  I hate to jinx myself, but I reallllllly hope she stays that way for at least a little while longer this time!

Despite feeling under the weather, her sparkly personality never wavered.  Even with a stuffy, runny nose and sore ears, this kid was still her happy self for the most part.  She's a real pip, and doesn't let a little cold get in the way of her playtime, or standing time!  Or "helping" Mommy with the laundry {by taking each item out of her hamper one by one and dropping it on the floor}...

Emily tried pureed rutabaga for the first time, and wasn't a big fan.  Though I have to say, she hasn't really been interested in solids much at all while she's been feeling sick, so we can't rule it out yet.  ;)
Emily took one of her longest naps ever -- 1 hour and 40 minutes -- in her Daddy's lap last weekend.  Such a cozy lap that she didn't want to wake up!  I am sure she needed the rest though to help her get better, so am thankful that her Daddy cuddled her for so long.  :)  Those two are so adorable together, I swear it melts my heart.

It's crazy to me to think that at this point Emily's almost been "out in the world" longer than she was in the womb!  That day is coming up so fast, it's scary!  It's nearly impossible to remember life B.E.  Before Emily was not as fun {or exhausting!} as with Emily.  ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, from someone sweeter than candy and more beautiful than all the flowers in the world... our little sweetheart!!!

xoxo, Emily

38 Weeks!

Hello, pumkpin!

Source: The Bump

Symptoms:

In terms of symptoms, I still have a bit of swelling in my right foot, but I've noticed it's actually not as bad if I walk around outside for a bit or keep my foot elevated while sitting.  I'm also still having that PMS-achy feeling in my abdomen, mostly at night.  The doctor said last week that this might be my version of Braxton Hicks contractions.  I was surprised by this diagnosis because it doesn't actually feel like a tightening or contracting of my uterus though so much as a light ache, but this does make sense given that the body naturally releases more oxytocin at night, and that's when I typically feel it.  Though I'm thankfully down to about 3 potty breaks a night on average these days {from 6, phew!}, I'm still having a bit of difficulty sleeping because I can't get or stay comfortable for long thanks to these lovely aches.  I've been alternating between laying on my side and propping myself up against the wall using a husband pillow, trying my best not to wake hubby too much as I toss and turn around, since he's still got to get up for work every morning!  It helps a lot that I'm able to sleep late in the morning; I find this is when I get most of my sleep so I actually don't feel as exhausted as I was feeling a couple weeks ago.

Shockingly, baby is still very active and moving around a lot, despite the fact that it must be cramped quarters in there!  I'm glad this little one is still having a jolly good time in my belly; I just hope s/he keeps its head down!  I'm really curious to see how squirmy and squigly this baby is outside of the womb, and whether the "real world" activity level will be the same or totally different than in utero!

So far, no signs of labor that I can determine.  We'll see what the doc says tomorrow though!  I'm certainly not in a hurry; practically though I'm not sure how much longer I can walk waddle around carrying this pumpkin before I tip forward!  I'm huge!

Bump Watch Alert!

To-Do List:

In other news, we have made some EXCELLENT progress on our to-do list over the past several days.  Here's where things currently stand:

Baby Prep To-Do List:

• Finish baby shower thank-you notes
• Type out birth preferences sheet & put in hospital bag
• Print out calming photos to use as focal points
• Pack my hospital bag
• Pack Shep's hospital bag
• Install baby's car seat
• Get postpartum supplies for me
• Finish washing and putting away baby's clothes & linens
• Assemble glider & ottoman
• Assemble baby swing
• Assemble baby stroller
• Buy small bookshelf for baby's new library {it still needs to be painted but that can wait!}
• Review childbirth class materials & practice breathing/relaxation techniques {in progress}
• Prepare short list of baby names {in progress}
• Create song play list for delivery room {in progress}

P.S. -- If anyone reading has yet to fill out your hunch about baby's gender and arrival information, time is ticking!  :)