39 Weeks

I can't upload my picture from the computer I'm using, so I will add that later! :)

Weeks: 39
Baby: The only thing left for Owen's little body to do is to decide he's tired of living inside of me! 

Total weight gain: Pushing 30 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Nothing visible 

Sleep: Sleeping really well, especially for this stage I think.
Favorite moment of the week: We unexpectedly got to see Owen on the ultrasound Friday! We had only seen him once at 8 weeks and once at 21 weeks. I almost didn't want to look because I don't want to ruin my own surprise, but you really can't tell that much on a regular ultrasound anyway. :-) He looks so chunky and squishy, and my heart is a big puddle just thinking about him. I mentioned my anxiety to my doctor by just saying "I worry so much when I don't feel him move a whole lot, and then I worry about whether there are enough fluids..." and my doctor immediately responded, "then we will check all of that!" I got to hear his heartbeat for 30-40 minutes, followed by the ultrasound. I've had a lot more peace since then. By comparing his movements on the ultrasound to how much movement I was feeling, she determined that I'm feeling about 30% of his movements, possibly due to the way he's positioned. 

Miss anything? I want to say "not being pregnant," but that's strictly out of my desire to hold my baby! I'm really not missing anything.

Movement: I pretty much covered this already, but I will add that I have been feeling tons and tons of movements these past two days.

Cravings? Nothing consistent.

Anything make you queasy or sick? I actually haven't been feeling too bad!

Gender: BOY! 

Labor signs: At my appointment Friday, I was dilated to about a 2. 

Symptoms: Stiiiill pregnant. My main complaint lately has been this crazy leg pain. I hadn't mentioned anything to my doctor about it, but when she was doing the ultrasound she said, "you're probably having a lot of leg pain, aren't you?!" I was glad she said something about it!

Belly button in or out? Out. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Good

Looking forward to: Go time!

Freak-out moment of the week: Ok--this isn't even close to being a new thing. I used to panic about this exact thing any time we even thought about our future or mentioned having kids, and I often stated it as a reason for possibly not even wanting to have kids: social/familial obligations. I've done a decent job of putting it out of my mind during this pregnancy, but the closer I get to my due date, the more I am reminded of some of the more invasive changes that might be coming along with it. I'm not ready for it. At all. It's a strong enough feeling that I have even thought, "oh my gosh. I forgot I couldn't have kids because of this! Owen is coming soon! What do I do?!" ha.
^ That's actually not at all what I'd like to say about it, but that little bit will be sufficient to jog my memory when I look back at this later. :) I will say that a lot of it is simply rooted in my personality. I don't like plans, commitments, etc. They make me feel super trapped. 

Thankful for: Healthy, healthy pregnancy and baby. Couldn't ask for more.

38 Weeks

Weeks: 38
Baby: Owen should be well-developed and ready to make his appearance! 

Total weight gain: Pushing 30 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep, although I've made a few non-maternity tops work in an effort to change things up a bit. ha. 

Stretch marks? Nothing visible 

Sleep: Sleeping well, mostly. Owen has been a crazy mover, which makes things interesting, and I have to pee constantly. Constantly.
Favorite moment of the week: Kelsey had her baby boy, Archer, on Thursday! Ryan and I went up to Fayetteville to see them on Friday. It was so special to hold him! He is seriously so cute! Also, as many times as I've gone to Fayetteville during this pregnancy, it'll be a miracle if I have Owen in Branson. ha! I now have Owen's bag packed, too, and am twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to come. I'm dying to meet him, but I do hope it's closer to my due date... I guess. :-)

Miss anything? Not really

Movement: Oh my lands. Painful, painful movements. I am not complaining, just stating the facts! I love it because it gives me peace of mind that he's doing ok, but I feel like I am getting beaten up from the inside out! He's still somehow accessing a nerve that sends pain throughout my thighs, and that keeps things interesting. I was able to capture some of his movements on video last Tuesday! He has moved crazier than this before, but I've never been able to catch it! You can at least get the idea here. :-) I love it.

Cravings? Nothing consistent.

Anything make you queasy or sick? I actually haven't been feeling too bad!

Gender: BOY! 

Labor signs: I had contractions for an hour or so Wednesday night. They were all across my back, and I didn't like that too much. Thursday morning I was dilated 1 cm. I have had contractions a couple of times since then, but not too many! When my doctor "checks" me, it includes her finding/touching Owen's head. Terrible, I know. He's a lot lower than he has been my entire pregnancy. I can actually breathe and eat, and it's much easier to bend these days. 

Symptoms: Heartburn, although it has gotten better since he's moved down. I want to say "I'm 38 weeks pregnant; I have all the symptoms!" but honestly, this part of pregnancy is immeasurably more pleasant than my late first trimester to mid second trimester. 

Belly button in or out? Out. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Good

Looking forward to: Meeting Owen!! I can't wait! Even if he waits til his due date, it's still only two weeks away! :) 

Freak-out moment of the week: I freaked out Wednesday night after an hour of contractions because I got stressed about our home not being ready for Owen. The funny thing is that it is ready, but I was trying to cook dinner and became completely delusional about my surroundings. Ha. I keep saying "I need to go finish the nursery," but then I'll walk in there and realize there is nothing else to do. Ryan told me to stop going in there. haha

Thankful for: I'm thankful and in disbelief that I have had such a great pregnancy. I don't mean that I've felt great--if you've read much of my blog, you know that--but I have had no complications, no scares, etc. I really can't believe it. 

36 & 37 Weeks: Full Term!!

We are officially "full term" today!! :) These past few days I have been reflecting on my pregnancy, thinking about the parts of it that haven't been what I expected, laughing at my twelve week "bump," etc. I have had some serious anxiety the past few nights after hearing several stories about women losing their babies this far into their pregnancies, specifically due to cords around the neck. I panic when I don't think I'm feeling Owen move as much as I should. Twice now (in two days) I've said "ok, if I don't feel him a lot in the next few minutes, we're going to the hospital." He always comes through. :-) I had this type of anxiety at the very beginning, before my 8 week appointment; I had it again around 21-22 weeks, and now again at the end. Needless to say, my mantra has become "I just want him out of me and in my arms!!" basically every day and night. I'm definitely a fan of letting babies stay in the womb for 40 weeks, so for me to be saying that really shows the weight of this anxiety. Nevertheless, I trust the Lord. I do.

I have yet to have any weird or consistent cravings, except maybe lemonade those first several weeks. I haven't eaten any strange food combinations. I haven't worn my husband's t-shirts. I am still painting my toenails. I'm still shaving my legs every day (other than a healthy baby, this is most important to me)! I haven't had "pizza face" like I always feared I would. I haven't been hot-natured. I haven't been particularly moody or emotional, except a few notable times. ;) I am extremely thankful that I haven't bled at all, nor have I had any other type of scare beyond what I've created in my head this week. Those are all things I expected to go differently. Every single one of them. What has gone just as I expected? The puking. Oh, the puking. It's been a while since I have gotten sick, but I think I am scarred forever. The reflux (which seems to get worse each night) has been about what I expected. Really, that's about it. Ha. I have to have water constantly. I freak out if I leave the house without it. I can't even give an estimate of how much water I drink every day. It's insane! My belly is super wide. I'm not "carrying a basketball" up front; instead, I'm noticeably carrying this babe spread across my abdomen. I've felt Owen kicking on the side-seam of my shirt, almost on my back. It's the craziest thing. My doctor said that's just how I carry my babies, and that's why the casual onlooker wouldn't know how big Owen supposedly is.

Weeks: 36-37! 

Baby: He could be around 6.5 lbs now. We shall see! I got "checked" for the first time on Thursday, and he is in position, ready to go!

Total weight gain: 29 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes! The weather is warming up around here, which is a slight problem because all of my maternity clothes are winter clothes. 

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: I am sleeping great!
Favorite moment of the (past 2) week(s): I got the nursery 98% finished when I decided that I did, in fact, want to paint. Down came the curtains, floating shelves, everything. My mom came over and helped me paint last Thursday and Saturday, and I've almost gotten it all put back together. I'll post some pictures at some point! Another favorite moment was getting "checked" for the first time on Thursday. While it was unpleasant, it's a huge pregnancy milestone. I can't believe we're to this point! In addition, the sweet girls in our class at church threw me a baby shower yesterday afternoon. I had such a great time with them, and I left feeling extremely blessed! I've also packed my hospital bag, which I oddly enjoyed quite a bit!

Miss anything? Not anything that pregnancy has anything to do with

Movement: See first paragraph of this post. :) I'll add to it by saying he has managed to hurt me multiple times with his movements, but I wouldn't trade it for anything (besides his arrival). 

Cravings? Nothing consistent.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Yes. Pregnancy. 

Gender: BOY! 

Labor signs: Nope. I've felt crampy off and on, but that's pretty much it. 

Symptoms: Back pain, nausea, reflux. Oh, and we think Owen is somehow sitting on a nerve because I have almost fallen down twice with horrible, sharp pain shooting through my thighs. It only lasts a few seconds, but it's impossible to ignore. I feel that pain several times a day. Sometimes it's that intense, and other times it isn't so bad. That's been interesting!

Belly button in or out? Out. 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but this week is the first week that it's been a problem. I struggle to even get them on. Getting them off is just comical. 

Mood: Good

Looking forward to: LABOR AND DELIVERY! I am ready to hold my babe. {Aaaand that is the understatement of the century.}

Freak-out moment of the week: See paragraph #1. I've also been having "oh my gosh, are we going to be able to handle this?" moments. Every night. One night I asked Ryan if he thought it would be best if we gave Owen up for adoption. Ha!  (Owen, if you are reading this, 1) it means you are 18 years old and finally allowed to use the internet, and 2) I'm sorry; I never meant it. We love you!)  :-)

Thankful for: My doctor, Ryan, my mom's help, and having made it this far with absolutely no problems. I can't believe it.