39 Week Update

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 39 Weeks.....down to the wire

Baby Stats:  

Cole is waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds (probably more!) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

**info. from www.babycenter.com**

Movement: movement has decreased a little because he has little room to move in there

Sleep: the worst it has been :(

Symptoms: swelling has gone down significantly now that I'm working half days! My tummy does get sore and tight when he shifts from side to side though.

What I Miss: Wearing my Fall/Winter shoes! I look at them every morning and think my feet will squeeze in but no such luck! I know most people hate the big chunky crocs but I was at least looking forward to wearing those b/c they are comfortable and I don't even fit into those!!!!!!!!!!! I really hope my feet haven't changed FOREVER!!!

Best Moment of the Week: Dave has been working a side job some nights and most weekends so I haven't had a lot of down time to spend with him :(. The nasty weather on Saturday put a wrench in his plans but at least he got to spend the day at home with me! I just kept thinking how it could be the LAST weekend we have alone together! That is just wild! I've had 39 weeks to let it sink in but sometimes it still amazes me that this baby will actually be out in the real world VERY soon!!!!!

38 Week Update Continued

Went to the doctor today and he was pleased that my swelling had gotten better however, still wants me to work half days from now on. I am happy with this decision because it won't eat into my sick time as much, and it will be a great transition period for my long-term substitute, students, and I with me teaching in the morning and her taking over in the afternoon!

When doc was feeling my tummy before taking Cole's heartbeat he said "my, you definitely have a big one in here" I believe he even used the word chunky!!! While he was taking the heartbeat Cole was trying his hardest to get away from him but there is no where to go, it was quite interesting to watch him moving around!

I am one cm dialated and he said baby is VERY low and in -2 station, which means he is engaged but not fully engaged in the pelvis (that would be 0 station, I believe)


Dave asked how much longer he thinks we have and he said he would guess about a week! I am perfectly fine with that! I'd love to make it to the first week of November!!

38 Week Update

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 38 weeks (only TWO WEEKS until my due date!!! Wow!)

Baby Stats:  

Cole has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds (probably larger according to doctor) and he's over 19 1/2 inches long. He has a firm grasp, which I'll soon be able to test when I hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

**info. from www.babycenter.com**

Movement: Still lots of movement, I've noticed a lopsided tummy more often this week.

Sleep: not getting any better

Symptoms: have had a few contractions but nothing alarming; the swelling in my feet/ankles has gone down because I sat with my feet elevated for about 3 days straight! Today I was back at work for a full day and they are a little swollen again but nothing compared to last week! I hope to stay off them the rest of the night so they look better before the doctor's tomorrow!

What I Miss: My Mom and Mimi! They came down for my school baby shower on Thursday afternoon and stayed until Saturday afternoon. It was a great visit and we certainly accomplished a lot! My house has NEVER been this clean! I can't thank them enough for all they did! I always hate seeing my family leave but this time when they return I will be in LABOR!!!!!!

Best Moment of the Week: I had a great baby shower at school last Thursday! I am blessed to work with such caring people. We received a lot of gift cards which will come in handy and I finally got my Vera Bradley diaper bag thanks to Mom, Mimi, and Joan! I LOVE it! Mimi also knitted Cole a precious blue blanket. It is so special and is already in the car seat awaiting the ride home from the hospital! :) A dear friend, Ria, also made an AMAZING diaper cake that I can't even THINK about taking apart. It is currently on display in Cole's room and will probably be for a LONG time! I find something new on it every time I look at it! She is amazing!

Seriously, how cute is this????

Some decals we added and the curtain!

Now I can carry diapers and wipes in style :)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's update after my doctor's appointment!!! I need to get a recent belly pic up here too, hopefully I won't be taking one in a hospital gown tomorrow evening!!!

37 Week Update

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 37 weeks

Baby Stats:  

Cole is now considered "full term," even though my due date is three weeks away. If I go into labor now, Cole's lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.
Cole weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. (My belly is measuring a week ahead so he's probably a bit bigger than this!)

At the doctor today, he said that Cole's head is very low, which is good. He also said Cole has a strong heartbeat and moves around a lot (I already knew that!) However, he was very concerned about my swollen feet/ankles/legs. He suggested that I don't work after this Friday. After begging him to let me go longer (because I don't want to use a lot of sick leave BEFORE Cole arrives), he agreed to wait until my appointment next Tuesday. He said if I'm still swollen or my blood pressure is high, he will be admitting me to the hospital :( So, I'm really hoping I can take it easy for the next week and prop my feet up every night. I also need to pump up the water intake! Dave has been very helpful, bringing me what I need and propping pillows under my tree trunk legs!

**info. from www.babycenter.com**

Movement: Still lots of movement in the evenings, at times can be pretty uncomfortable.

Sleep: not getting any better

Symptoms: swollen feet and ankles obviously, also some hand and wrist pain and numbness which can be a sign of carpal tunnel brought on by pregnancy(so weird)

What I Miss: knowing what the next day will bring...I'm getting very anxious about WHEN I will go into labor, HOW LONG labor will last... I don't like the unknown, and this part of labor is all about not knowing what to expect!

Best Moment of the Week: Well, I don't know that it was the "best" but it was significant. We had our hospital tour on Monday night. It was nice to see where we will be delivering Cole and now we finally know where to go and kind of what to expect. However, it made me more nervous than ever before! Just seeing the hospital beds made me sweat! I've always been a little nervous about the "labor and delivery" part of pregnancy but the last few weeks my anxiousness has REALLY set in! Especially since it seems he is coming sooner rather than later! I talked to my doctor today about some of my concerns (epidural or no epidural, etc.) and he assured me that everything would be fine and encouraged me to go into the process with an open-mind because I won't know how I feel until I'm in that moment. I just continue to pray that Cole will be healthy and I will not have any complications. And, I will continue to....wait....not knowing what is to come next...... :/

Cole's Nursery :)

Finally took some pictures of Cole's nursery now that it is pretty much complete. The only thing we have to do is put up a few wall decals, if we find room!

Cole's Swing and Bouncy Seat :)

Cole's Bassinet and Stroller/Car Seat Combo :)

Our Baby Shower!

Saturday, October 1st, was our baby shower. We had so many friends and family members travel near and far to visit and shower us with gifts! It was absolutely WONDERFUL to see everyone who cares so much about us! I know Cole is going to be very blessed, maybe even a bit spoiled ;). A special thanks goes out to Gigi (my mom), Crystal, Grammie (Dave's mom), and Mimi (my grandmother) for planning everything and putting it all together. The day was absolutely perfect, the hall was adorably decorated, and the food was delicious!
We were lucky that my very talented cousin, Blonnie, brought her camera with her and was able to capture some great memories.  I also gathered a few photos from some other friends as well. I hope to get copies of others soon! Here are just a few for you to enjoy:

Could the decorations have been any cuter?!

A few family shots...

A FEW of the MANY, MANY gifts we were blessed with! :)

So happy....and exhausted! :)

36 Week Update

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 36 weeks

Baby Stats:  

Cole is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Cole swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, Cole will be considered full-term!!! The doctor actually said I was measuring a week ahead, which means Cole will be in the 8 pound range when he is born! I knew this would be the case considering I was 8 lb 12 oz and Dave was 9lb 3 oz! The doctor also checked me today and said I'm 80% thinned, which means I only have about 20% more before I start dilating! This put me in a bit of a panic because the doctor estimated about 2 MAYBE 3 weeks until Cole's arrival, I thought I had 4 weeks left!

**info. from www.babycenter.com**

Movement: Lots of moving in the evenings, last night in particular. He was going CRAZY! It was actually pretty painful and I had to lay down so he had some more room to groove.

Sleep: still strugglin'

Symptoms: swollen feet and ankles still, they used to get better overnight but they are pretty much staying huge now!

What I Miss: fitting into normal shoes. I think I have two pairs of flip flops that fit!

Best Moment of the Week: Setting up all the baby "gear". I promise I will post pictures as soon as I can. I am waiting on hubs to hang a few things up in the nursery before I start taking pictures!

35 Week Update

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 35 weeks

Baby Stats:  

Cole doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds.  Because it's so snug in my womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight!

**info. from www.babycenter.com**

Movement: Not feeling as much rolling around but definitely feeling him throughout my whole belly!!!

Sleep: still strugglin' but I've been really exhausted lately so that helps me to sleep through the night!

Symptoms: swollen feet and ankles, it's not pretty folks! One of my students said "I hope that doesn't happen to me when I'm older" haha! It is also just getting harder for me to move around in general at any sort of quick pace!

What I Miss: sleeping in while I was on summer break! I didn't need much sleep this summer but could really use a couple extra hours now!

Best Moment of the Week: My baby shower, hands down! Everything was just perfect and I was so thankful to see all of our family and friends there from near and far! I will make a separate post about the shower this weekend when I have more time!

I also had a doctor's appointment Tuesday and doc said I'm measuring exactly 35 weeks, not too big, even though I was worried about that! He also said Cole was a very "busy baby" and definitely head down! :)

Sneak Peek of Baby Shower...how cute is this?!?