Induction day!

How far along?:  40 weeks, 2 days!  The last pregnancy post.  This kid is DONE!  I'm gonna keep this post short since I was so late with last week's.

Total weight gain:  Ugh, I was up ANOTHER FREAKING pound at today's appt.  

Maternity Clothes?:  I am so happy to say that my days of mat clothes are numbered.

Weekly belly pic:

40w2d, the very last maternity picture.  I don't know whether to be happy or sad.

Stretch Marks?:  Just that one little red mark on my left hip.  I think I can live with that :)

Sleep:  Has actually been pretty good for the past few days.  I took an Ambien last night to ensure that I had a great night's sleep before heading to L&D tonight and it was glorious.  

Best moment this week:  Scheduling the eviction date!  

Movement:  Constant right up to the end!  Can't wait to see if this kid's as squirmy on the outside as s/he is on the inside.

Cravings:  Nothing in particular.

Aversions:  Nada.  

Other Symptoms:  This hasn't changed since my last post... OMG the tingling/numbness in my hands HAS.GOT.TO.STOP.  Apparently this is pregnancy induced carpal tunnel.  FUN!  It's gotten so bad lately that if my right hand is above my heart for any length of time (I'm talking seconds here), it falls asleep.  This is seriously annoying since, you know, I'm right handed.

Missing anything?:  Being able to move freely.

Belly Button:  Outie!  But I'm proud to say that I managed to keep my belly button ring in throughout the pregnancy.  Now to see if they make me remove it at the hospital tonight...

Gender Prediction:  The past couple of days I've been thinking boy.  No reasoning behind it, however.

Mood/Feeling:  Excited to meet this kid, but a little bittersweet that my pregnancy has come to an end. Even though I didn't really love being pregnant, I can't complain... it wasn't so bad that I wouldn't do it again and I honestly think I'm going to miss feeling him/her be with me all the time.

Purchases:  Nothing since the last post.

Labor Signs:  None, unfortunately.  Other than feeling like I'm carrying this kid between my knees.  Say a prayer that the induction process works to send me into labor to avoid a c-section.

Milestones:  I made it!

39 weeks

How far along?:  39 weeks! Plus 7 days.  So technically 40 weeks.  Oops.  I'll try to get my 40 week post up within the next day or so.  This had been a very hectic week and I haven't had computer access so I'm attempting to blog from my phone.

Total weight gain:  OMG, people, this is a scary topic. Between 38 and 39 weeks I only gained a pound and a half, so I was happy. This week, however has been another story. Pretty much the day I hit 39 weeks, shit hit the fan and my body really started to become affected by the pregnancy. I can't believe I'm actually admitting this for the world to see... I gained 7lbs in ONE FREAKING WEEK. It's honestly ALL water weight though. My feet, ankles, calves, knees and hands have swollen to about twice their normal size. And it hurts. I'm so stiff and can't wait til I can fit in shoes and bend my toes again. I'll spare you the picture.  

Maternity Clothes?:  I've been rotating between my one pair of mat jeans and leggings all week. And squeezing myself into the few tops I have left that cover my belly fully. 

Weekly belly pic:

Taken at 39w1d at my in-laws' house, since we were kicked out of ours by the contractors.

Stretch Marks?:  It finally happened. I have one angry little red stretch mark on my left hip. 

Sleep:  I seem to sleep well about once every 3-4 nights. Ambien is still my friend. 

Best moment this week:  High five to Baby P for staying put long enough for my mom's arrival. So glad that she's here to be with us for the delivery. My mom has been here for 4 days now and has been such a tremendous help. Our house is a serious disaster and she's been working her butt off to get it clean. And she's currently cooking homemade mac and cheese for me while I sit my ass on the couch with my feet up watching her. No complaints here :)

Another great moment this week: after being displaced for a week due to the construction (THANK GOD we have my in-laws close by and they don't mind us and the dogs rooming with them) we were able to move back home and into our new master suite! Granted, we don't have electricity, nor is the bathroom done but we're in! And it's fabulous :)

Movement:  This kid likes to mess with my head... the other day, s/he was so quiet that I was doing kick counts all day long. The past few days, however, s/he hasn't stopped moving. And due to his/her size, it's getting quite uncomfortable. 

Cravings:  Miso soup.

Aversions:  Nada.  

Other Symptoms:  As mentioned above, week 39 has been pretty much unbearable... my right hand goes numb every time I lift it or attempt do anything with it.  Do you know how hard it is to do your hair and makeup and when you can't feel your fingers?  The heartburn has also gotten exponentially worse.  And the swelling.  Oh, the swelling.  I can't even put into words how ridiculously bad it is.

Missing anything?:  Feeling like a normal human being.

Belly Button:  It's officially a full-on outie.

Gender Prediction:  I personally still have no idea but Nick did a baby pool at the restaurant and at first the overwhelming majority were going with girl but over the past day or so we've evened out.  At last count it was 11 for girl, 10 for boy.

Mood/Feeling:  My anxiety level has seriously dropped since my mom's been here and things are coming along nicely with the house so I've been in a pretty good mood lately.

Purchases:  Nothing new.  Mom and I went through all the baby clothes and bottles and stuff and determined that we have enough to get by for the first few weeks.

Labor Signs:  Still dealing with Braxton Hicks pretty regularly and I *might* have had some real contractions last night after spending an hour bent over the toilet but that also might have been because hurling for that long makes your stomach muscles a bit unhappy.

Milestones:  This kid is officially fully baked.

In Other News:  At my 38w4d OB appointment, the nurse practitioner who I saw felt that baby was getting a bit big and my stomach was measuring on the large side for the first time the entire pregnancy so she scheduled me for an ultrasound for the following week.  I had that appt last Friday at 39w4d and got to see our little (big) nugget again... the picture we got of his/her face is seriously adorable.  After taking measurements, the OB determined that baby was already over 8lbs so we started talking induction.  He scheduled me for another appt today (40 weeks) and after an exam found that I'm not dilated at all but my cervix is soft, anterior and about 60% thinned so I'm making progress.  Since I've been so severely swollen and BB is on the large side, he had no problem getting me scheduled for induction this week.  I picked Wednesday in hopes that my body will decide to go into labor on it's over the next 48 hours.  Fingers crossed, people!

38 weeks

How far along?:  38 weeks!  We're down to the home stretch.  Thankfully I haven't been too bombarded with the "haven't you had that kid yet?" comments.  I've also been finding it pretty fun to mess with complete strangers... when they ask me when I'm due, I tell them "any day now!" and they look at me in horror as if the kid's going to just drop out of me right then and there.  Gotta find something entertaining about this, right?

Total weight gain:  According to my OB's scale, I'm up another pound since the week before.  Although I don't really agree (do I ever?)... it got cold here last week so I had jeans and a heavy sweater on.  I usually show up to appts in leggings and a tank or light shirt to be as light as possible on the scale.  I'm blaming the 1lb weight gain on the jeans.  We'll see what the scale says this Friday...

Maternity Clothes?:  I'm so tired of ugly maternity clothes and CANNOT wait to shop for and wear regular clothing again.  Although I'm probably setting myself up for disappointment as I'm sure nothing in my closet will fit again for ages.

Weekly belly pic:

BIG BELLY!  When I'm in actual clothes, I don't feel as if I look this large... it amazes me that I'm able to walk around without falling over ;)

Stretch Marks?:  Still none.  Fingers crossed, people!  

Sleep:  Still sucks.  That is all.

Best moment this week:  Keeping with the theme of the past couple of weeks, I'm gonna go with the house.  We've seen some pretty big changes this week.  The old exterior wall of our living room was taken down, opening the house to the new section of living room.  It literally doubled the size of it.  It's a complete freaking disaster right now but looks pretty awesome.

Here's a really blurry picture but it shows the state of upheaval that my house is in... drop cloths covering everything, the unfinished living room addition, dust everywhere... ugh.

Movement:  This kid is still pretty active.  The movement are getting more and more uncomfortable by the day though.  I think s/he dropped a bit more this week because the pressure on my bladder has been INTENSE.  TMI?  Apologies.  

Cravings:  Still going strong with the PB&J sandwiches and asiago cheese bagels from Panera.

Aversions:  Nada.  

Other Symptoms:  Nothing new, just dealing with the constant tingling in my hands and fingertips and incessant heartburn.  If the old wives tales hold true, this is going to be one hairy child.  The foot swelling is quite comical lately too... one day last week, my left foot was literally twice the size of my right and last night I had a slice of pepperoni pizza for dinner and within minutes my feet looked like puffy little pillows.  Thankfully the swelling doesn't last too long.

Missing anything?:  Not feeling heavy.  Moving is just so damn difficult.  I'm dying to remember what it was like to get out of a chair or lie down without feeling like I just ran a marathon.

Belly Button:  Oh, my belly button.  It's been a source of entertainment for us lately.  Take this morning for example.  I was lying on the couch when I felt BB move and settle right in the middle of my belly, then noticed that by doing so, s/he popped my belly button right out.  At least I'm still easily entertained ;)

Gender Prediction:  We started a baby pool at the restaurant yesterday and so far the majority of guesses have been boy.  I'm still thinking girl lately but I think it's because of the dreams I've had over the past couple of weeks.  

Mood/Feeling:  STRESSED.  Blame the house renovations.  

Purchases:  Nothing baby-related.

Labor Signs:  The Braxton Hicks contractions have been pretty intense over the past few days.  I notice them after doing any sort of activity or if I let myself get too dehydrated.  Even a leisurely stroll through Target last night brought them on.  Annoying.

Milestones:  This kid is definitely full term :)

In Other News:  This is my last week of work!  Yay!!  And with the frequency of the Braxton Hicks, I'm taking it day by day.  Thursday is definitely my last day but if I'm not feeling up to coming in tomorrow, today might be it.  Although I'm a little afraid of being bored out of my mind until the kid makes his/her appearance, I'm seriously looking forward to not working 'til the New Year.  At the very least :)

You found me how?

I'm very amateur at stat tracking on my blog.  I have a little ticker thing that you've probably noticed on the right-hand sidebar but I really don't pay much attention to it.  I also attempt to make sense of the stat tracker tied to blogger but all it does it confuse the hell out of me.  One thing I love checking periodically though, is the Traffic Source page.  I'm always curious as to how people stumble across my little blog and I find it hilarious to see what they've typed into search engines to find themselves here.

Most common are:

• Carolyn Purnomo blog
• seriously yes blog (and similar)

And since this blog has more or less turned into a pregnancy blog lately, I've seen quite a few pregnancy-related searches:

• 19 weeks and cannot bend over
• blog v-day baby
• twins belly
• 14 weeks and showing a lot
• outie (I can only assume this is referring to belly buttons)
• how to make teacup diaper cake (shower related, I assume)
• maternity clothes office
• I could've sworn I saw the faintest blue line in the pregnancy window but it's way too early (seriously, who types THAT much into a search engine??)
• 25 weeks boobs
• pants unbuttoned (I obviously talked about unbuttoning my pants a bit too much)
• how far along would I be if my fetus is 6.2cm (who asks this stuff?)

And my personal favorite pregnancy-related search:

• belly booty party business pic pregnant (Am I the only one confused?  And I seriously wish I knew how to see which page of my blog that took them to.)

Home decor-related searches:

• best taupe paint
• black and white striped bathroom
• images of lime green dresser

Apparently I talk about alcohol too much:

• bar party glassware
• steamer bar cabinet
• Cristal bubbly
• celebrity bottle champagne posing (another baffling one)

Completely random:

• Dirty Dancing Lake George (has to be referring to my Sagamore posts)
• pouring half moon concrete foundation (what?)
• pulled a muscle blowing nose (yes, yes I did this... if you recall, I wrote an entire post about it)

And drumroll please, for the absolute best, that just appeared within the last week.  I can only imagine how this brought someone to my blog:

• can't get enough jalapenos and I keep peeing every two hours (this right here, folks, is my life in a nutshell.  haha!)

37 weeks

How far along?:  37 weeks!  Plus 2 days.  Couldn't get my act together to post on time this week.  I don't know how (well, I do) the hell we got here.  I feel like yesterday I was 30 weeks and still anticipating my next ultrasound and baby shower.  Now we're so close it's scary.  And chances are good that if baby were to come now (please stay put for another 3-4 weeks, though, BB) s/he would be perfectly fine.  Kinda scary to think that I have a fully formed child inside of me.  Still seems alien to me.  Sorry, kid ;)

Total weight gain:  As of my last appt on Friday, I'm up another couple of pounds for a grand total of 45.  Ugh.  I'm starting to get annoyed with myself for overeating so much in the first trimester.  This belly is HEAVY.  Rolling over is seriously difficult when you have to hoist your midsection up with one arm while bracing yourself with the other.

Maternity Clothes?:  I've been living in under-belly leggings lately.  I have a feeling that's not going to change for oh, several months.

Weekly belly pic:

Along with the increased belly size, I'm starting to look gross in general.  I look tired all the time.  Probably because I am.

36w4d on the left, before heading out for a charity event.  Gotta say, the people there were great for my ego.  I got a TON of compliments that night.  And I managed to rock 4" stiletto boots :)  37w2d (today) on the right, trying a smile on for size before I left my office for a luncheon.  Wanted to make sure my exhausted appearance wouldn't scare anybody, haha.

Stretch Marks?:  Still none.  Shall we start taking bets on how much longer I'll be able to say this?

Sleep:  Is a thing of the past.  Unless it's Ambien-induced ;)  I can't even tell you how many times I wake up each night.  And having to wake each morning at 6:45 before the contractors show up around 7 is starting to get really old.

Best moment this week:  Making more progress on the house!  I'm gonna stick with last week's response.  HUGE progress this week... the entire addition is sheet rocked and the stone work on the front of the house is finally finished.  Looks AMAZING.  

Movement:  S/he definitely seems to be running out of room in there.  I don't get too many kicks anymore but s/he rolls from side to side all the time, which is not at all comfortable.  A few minutes ago I literally watched the shape of my stomach completely change with a giant roll.  S/he also likes to attempt to stretch all the way across my belly.  Too bad s/he doesn't realize s/he can't come out through my ribcage.

Cravings:  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on potato bread.  I've had one for lunch almost everyday for the past couple of weeks.  Also?  Vanilla Frosties from Wendy's.  I bring them home and add caramel sauce to make them even more healthy.

Aversions:  Nada.  

Other Symptoms:  OMG the tingling/numbness in my hands HAS.GOT.TO.STOP.  Apparently this is pregnancy induced carpal tunnel.  FUN!  It's gotten so bad lately that if my right hand is above my heart for any length of time (I'm talking seconds here), it falls asleep.  This is seriously annoying since, you know, I'm right handed.

Missing anything?:  Beer?  This is unlike me as I usually go for wine but I had a sip of Nick's pumpkin beer the other night and almost died.  So delicious.

Belly Button:  I think it's still there.  I can't tell for sure anymore unless I feel for it.  Since I've apparently "dropped" a bit, I can no longer see it when I look down.  Nor can I see my feet, which makes walking a bit problematic, but that's another story altogether ;)

Gender Prediction:  I don't know... Boy?  Girl?  Puppy?  You pick.

Mood/Feeling:  Pretty good to the public at large but inside I'm DONE.  I'd been really comfortable for the past three weeks or so but all of sudden this week it hit me.  I'm large, uncomfortable and can't wait to feel like myself again.  I just feel so heavy and move so slow.  I have to keep reminding myself that I'm SO close.

Purchases:  We finally did our registry completion the other day and spent so much money that the cashier thought it would be nice to tell us that it was the highest total she'd ever seen.  Luckily though, between returns, gift cards and coupons we actually didn't spend a penny out of our pockets.  Score.

Labor Signs:  I've finally concluded that what I've been feeling for that past week and a half are definitely Braxton Hicks contractions.  They've been getting progressively worse.  Not painful at all, just super annoying.  Luckily they stop the second I sit down.  I've noticed that I get them with regularity while doing anything strenuous... house cleaning, laundry, walking the dogs or just overdoing it in general.  Because of this, I've been trying to relax as much as possible.  I don't want to do ANYTHING that could possibly me cause me to go into early labor.

Milestones:  I thought the beginning of week 37 marked full term but I read something the other day that said it's at the end of 37 weeks.  Either way, I'd say I'm there :)

In Other News:

Baby made his/her second appearance in a local publication this week.  We made the Social Scene of the Times Union on Friday.  Picture quality is terrible (which was probably a good thing) but it was taken at a charity dinner we attended a week and a half ago.

Also, I finally packed the majority of my hospital bag this week.  Nick had been on me to do so, so I went shopping for a few essentials (ahem, pads the size of my foot) and packed away.  I also put both my and Nick's diaper bags together last night.  That was kinda fun :)  So I guess if I do go into labor soon, we're ready.  Well, our bags are ;)