39 weeks: officially on maternity leave

Well here we are.

39 weeks and no baby yet.

I am now officially on maternity leave. It's only been about 30 minutes but it is so surreal. I think this whole "I will have a baby soon" thing is really hitting me now.

tic tock ...

tic tock ...

Dancing baby

She's definitely making herself at home in there!

35 weeks down, 35 days to go

No, I didn't give up blogging for lent ...
Although it probably seems that way!

Yikes.

I'm going to play the pregnancy card and say that I've been tired ... and busy. It's really sinking in that we're going to have a baby in about a month. A BABY! Whoa!

Not that we're not ready – we totally are – but wow. A BABY! A eating, crying, pooping, adorable, cuddly, brand new baby.

About this baby ...

- She has had the hiccups at least once a day for the past three days. It's usually after she's very active. I think she gets herself too excited.

- She (and my belly) arrive places before I do.

- She wants you to vote on her arrival date (if you haven't already). The deadline is this Monday.

I have a doctor's appointment next Friday and then I will have an appointment every week. The nurses already know me by name - which I think is hilarious. Time for our birth center tour and birth plan and packing ... and waiting.

33 weeks

Our little honeydew! This week the baby is about 18 inches long and about 4.75 pounds (roughly the size of a honeydew melon).

We've been nesting and getting ready, just in case our little gal decides to make an early arrival. The car seat is installed (thanks to the car seat safety check), her clothes are washed, and we've started stocking up on diapers (Sam's club is great!). On the to do list this week: choose a pediatrician.

If you're like me and have completely forgotten what I looked like back about ... oh eight months ago ... this might refresh your memory.

Week 31: the final stretch

Well we've already passed the 31 week mark (last Thursday). It's hard to believe our due date is less then nine week away!

I've started getting more achey and uncomfortable – it was bound to happen hauling around this big belly!

29 weeks: I'm smuggling a beach ball

Here is my latest belly photo. Week 29!

I'm almost positive that she's head-down. Her bottom on is the left side of my belly (the side you see in the photo), just to the left of my belly button – which is now starting to stick out. Her feet wrap around the top of my belly, resting on my upper right side. She still kicks me a lot during the day, and even more during the night.

According to all my baby books, she is between two-and-a-half and three pounds and about 15 inches long.

No wonder I have heartburn!

Wow! This digital graphic from the Museum of Science and Industry shows the changes that a pregnant woman's internal body goes through. It's fascinating.

It certainly explains my recent bouts with heartburn.

What an amazing nine months!

Click here.

27 weeks

I think I might need to find a larger window.

My tummy is certainly getting large! It looks like I'm trying to shoplift a beach ball under my shirt. Oy.

Here is the week 23 photo. I hit week 25 while we were in Mexico and ever-so-conveniently forgot to take a photo, so if it looks like I made some major changes, this was a FOUR week span – not TWO!

Just so I've made that clear :)

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The nursery is really coming together quickly. I'm just waiting for the dresser knobs (should be installed tonight) and then I'll be taking and sharing photos. So stay tuned. I happen to think the room is super cute!

23 weeks

The bump has definitely moved "up and out" the past few weeks.

Her latest tricks include giving me some wicked heartburn, kicking at all hours of the night (I think this is cute), and dancing to music.

Over the hump

Hard to believe there are just 19 weeks until my due date. It seems like we have so much to do between now and then. How distant it seems that we'll have a new person in our house in about 19 weeks!

Her movements are getting stronger. This week she seems to enjoy rap music and the church organ. She has quite a wide array of music tastes.

The nursery: part 1

My nesting urges have been fulfilled, at least for now ...

Our crib arrived last week – many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Hager (Corey's parents)!

Corey spent a few hours assembling it this afternoon. I had so much fun watching. He was really cute making the crib :) It took him a bit longer than it should have because he ran into a glitch getting everything lined up, but in the end, it turned out great!

For those that might be crib shopping - this is the DaVinci Emily Crib in white.

The rocking horse was made for my sister and I by my Great Grandpa Lowitz, and refurbished by my dad. The adorable little chair (with the pillow on it) was Corey's when he was a little boy. It is in need of some serious TLC, so my dad and Corey will work their magic on it later this winter. The nursery will also have a twin bed in it.

The nursery is located in our former upstairs guest room. The guest room relocated to the next room, and is now an office/guest room.

It's so exciting to see the room come together!

I can't wait to continue "fluffing" our nest.

19 weeks

As of today, we're officially half way to the due date. It's amazing how slowly ... and quickly ... and amazing ... this journey has been. I can feel the baby kick almost every hour (wonderful!). And when the baby is really kicking, Corey can feel it too. I'm so excited that he can finally connect to the baby this way.

We have the "big ultrasound" the day after tomorrow - Tuesday, Nov. 10. So if you haven't guessed if we're having a boy or girl, be sure to soon! The big reveal coming Tuesday!!!

As for my expanding tummy - it appears that the bump is not leaps and bounds bigger than week 17, but it's definitely moving up. I can feel when the baby is resting on one side now too - some days the bump is kind of lopsided.

Last week I started twice-weekly water aerobics with some ladies at work. I've heard it's a great pregnancy exercise and I have to say, it was perfect. The water really felt nice and the exercise was the ideal pace/intensity. As an added bonus - we use the pool at school, so it's free and convenient! Let's see if I can keep up the habit all winter.

Happy 13 weeks to us!

Today we're 13 weeks pregnant and so happy to (finally) be entering the second trimester.

If you read my last post, I should update that I think I found the source of my evening sick episodes - my prenatal vitamin. I called my doctor's office and I'm temporarily taking a trusty ol' Flintstone chewable vitamin until I'm brave enough to try my prenatal again. I'm also happy to report that I'm on day three of keeping all my food down!

Here's a week five photo for comparison ... I'll periodically post them all but I don;t have any more time because Corey I are about to leave for a walk. enjoy!

Advice needed: pregnancy sickness

Weak stomach warning!

I'm dangerously close to starting the second trimester of pregnancy - the oasis that brings most pregnant women out of the land of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and acne, and into the land of energy, "the pregnancy glow," joy, and settled hormones (or at least that's what I've heard).

Well, I can't wait that long! The past week (I'm in week 12 of pregnancy) has been the worst for my nausea and vomiting and I'd very much like to cure myself. My nice little reminder of pregnancy has turned into a mean old nag. Here's how it works ... morning and noon I feel "ok," I make sure to eat lots of small meals and get plenty of fluids. Although I feel crummy, I keep it down. Dinner is another story - I usually feel surprisingly well, and I eat a small-ish meal (like a bowl of mac and cheese, or soup and bread, etc) about 30 minutes after eating, it all comes back up.

Any advice?

Our toilet is starting to cower when it sees me coming.

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The photo above is my view on the way to work on a typical autumn day.