Here we are... 40 weeks!

Yep, you read that right... 40 weeks pregnant TODAY!

As happy as I am and as good as I feel, I can't have too many complaints at this point except I AM SO READY TO MEET HAILEY I can hardly stand it! Figures she would be taking her time =) My due date was Monday, October 18... that came and went!

I have a doctor's appointment this morning. I am hoping that the doctor is going to tell me I am still progressing and maybe he can do something to "help me along" a little!

Your pregnancy: 40 weeks

How your baby's growing:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

How your life's changing:

After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you're relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.

You still have a couple of weeks before you'll be considered "post-term." But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.

You may have a biophysical profile (BPP), which consists of an ultrasound to look at your baby's overall movements, breathing movements (movement of her chest muscles and diaphragm), and muscle tone (whether she opens and closes her hand or extends and then flexes her limbs), as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her (important because it's a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting your baby).

Fetal heart rate monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what's known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.

If the fetal testing isn't reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you'll be induced. If there's a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.

Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see if it's "ripening." Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don't go into labor on your own, you'll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42 weeks.

I know I shouldn't wish away my quiet, mellow, relaxing mornings BUT both daddy and I are so full of anticipation! We have waited to meet our baby girl for so long! We are READY! (We think!)

I will post a little update if anything new or exciting happens at my appointment... until then, here's a my last (hopefully) bump pic for you!

Enjoying the last few weeks of pregnancy

Good morning!

Well here I am, blogging at... well it's not even 5 am yet, but by the time I finish this post it will be =)

WHY would I be up this early, you ask? No idea. Sometimes I wake up around 4am STARVING and I have to eat breakfast and can't go right back to sleep. Thank you Miss Hailey =) This is probably the 4th or 5th time this has happened since I got pregnant!

Sooooo I am writing this post to sum up my last few weeks of pregnancy. I have been really bad about posting anything but my weekly updates, but Craig and I have actually had just a little fun here or there rather than just waiting for Hailey to make her appearance.

As you may know, I have been off work since September 21 and it's been AMAZING! The first week or two Craig and I worked on getting the house ready and some little projects. Since then, I have been living the life of leasure (LOL) waking up when I want (normally around 7am), eating breakfast, working out, etc. but all on my own time. I LOVE not having a schedule to keep to. The only thing I have really HAD to do is make it to my weekly doctor's appointments.

I have been feeling really good... sometimes I think TOO good and the baby is NEVER going to come out =) I thought that if I worked a couple weeks longer the baby was sure to make an early arrival, but since I took off 4 weeks before she was due, she's taking her sweet time. I am starting to get anxious for her to hurry and get here but I am enjoying my time waiting!

Craig and I haven't been up to much. Honestly, we hang out around the house watching reality TV, listening to music, he's nesting, .etc.

In my free time, I packed a couple of bags for Hailey and I...

Can never be too prepared =)

My bag isn't completely packed yet but the things I don't need right now are ready to go!

We went to dinner at Mongolian BBQ (like 30 times since I have been prego! LOL). I always get these weird fortunes in my fortune cookies that seem pretty meaningless, but one night I got this one... which I LOVED and kept for Hailey's baby book!

I'd say so! =)

Oh... here's some proof I can still see my toes!

BARELY!

Note - I have a lot of free time on my hands LOL

Aside from that, we have had just a little bit of FUN here and there!

Our friends Keith and Alicia welcomed baby Kaleb Vincent into the world August 15th. We finally got around to going to meet him two weeks ago! He's a DOLL! Holding him was totally surreal because not only was that a part of Keith and Alicia and now he was here and precious as ever, but it reminded me that in a couple of short weeks we too would have our little bundle of joy in our arms!

I hope Keith and Alicia don't mind that I "stole" this cute little newborn pic =)

Isn't he precious????

Last weekend we were talking to our friend Jon and he mentioned he and his wife were heading to the pumpkin patch that weekend and asked if we wanted to go. I told Craig that I would L O V E to go... I haven't been in years and Craig had never been to the one closest to our town. We had to go check it out and make sure it's ok for Hailey to visit next year ; )

We decided to go and had a great time! Here are a few pics...

Perfect! Now we know where to go when the BIG DAY arrives!

BABIES!

We found a corn maze and decided to take our chances! Didn't take us long... about 15 minutes.

After the corn maze, we took a little hay ride to find Hailey's 1st pumpkin! She's not here yet, but it will bve here waiting for her =)

The candy is for her too ; )

There you have it... the little bit of fun we have had while waiting for our baby girl!

Won't be long now... stay tuned!



39 Weeks... The home stretch!

Today marks my 39th week of pregnancy! I can't believe it. Seriously...

Craig is still working on building Miss Hailey's changing table/dresser, but that's about all that we need to have done before she gets here. Even if it's not done before she arrives, it's not a big deal. I think we have everything else we need. Keyword "THINK" =) I am sure that after she comes I will be reminded of a lot of things I need that I don't have. I am ready for that.

Craig is TOTALLY nesting! It's so cute! He's got the bug. At least one of us does... it sure isn't me! I feel so lazy lately. Right now I am currently trying to talk myself into going to the gym this morning (stalling by blogging first!) before my doctor's appointment where they will probably tell me I am still not dialated and there is no progress being made. Hailey's probably going to be a late arrival.

On one hand I want her out NOW so I can see her beautiful little face but on the other hand I should be ok with waiting and getting all the rest I can now! It's so hard to be patient... we have waited so long to meet our baby girl and now the time is here... any day now!


Your pregnancy: 39 weeks

How your baby's growing:


Your baby's 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, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

How your life's changing:

At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

My doctor says that if I don't go into labor on or before my due date, he will let me go 1 week to 10 days over before inducing me. I would rather not be induced, but we have to do what we have to do! You know I will keep you posted =)

38 Weeks

38 weeks down and (approximately) 2 to go! '

I think it's safe to say we are in the "home stretch"!

We are pretty much in WAIT mode. We are finishing up some little last minute things but are pretty much ready for Hailey's arrival! As ready as we will ever be anyway =)

I have Hailey's diaper bag all packed up and I have started a hospital bag for myself with a couple of things in it for Craig since we never know what time or how long we will be in the hospital. Better safe than sorry!

I can't stop thinking aboutholdingd her for the first time and seeing what she looks like! I can't believe that day is almost here. I am always thinking "she could literally come ANY day"! Seems so crazy. We have waited so long.

It seems like we just found out we were "expecting". I remember the day I told Craig, still half asleep, that we were going to be parents! It seems like yesterday... seriously! Our lives were about to change forever! Our lives have already changed so much. Hailey is already our priority and she's not even out of the "oven" yet.

Your pregnancy: 38 weeks:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.


Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)


How your life's changing:


For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can.


Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks, but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain. Also let her know immediately if have severe or persistent headaches; visual changes (such as double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or a temporary loss of vision), intense upper abdominal pain or tenderness, or nausea and vomiting. These are symptoms of a serious condition called preeclampsia.

The past 9 months I have been "warning" my doctor that my baby will be abnormally huge! LOL He still doesn't believe me and to be honest, I am second guessing myself. I have always thought at least 10lbs but lately I am thinking 9-ish. The doctor went out on a limb and told us he thinks the baby will weigh "8lbs 9oz". We shall see! The time isn't too far off at this point!

I still can't complain about how I am feeling. I have felt great this entire pregnancy. The last couple of weeks I have felt a lot more fatigue, but I finally have some time to rest.

I am taking FULL advantage of not working. We were pretty busy the first week or so I was off but the last week I have had some time to rest and enjoy some "ME" time =)

I can't wait for Hailey to get here so I can hold her in my arms, but I am relaxing as much as I can until that time comes. From here on out I'm checked out! LOL