37 weeks + 2 days

It's odd what you read or hear about what you should or should not be doing while pregnant.  Don't shovel, don't lift heavy things, don't strain yourself too much...yadda, yadda, yadda.  Sure, all of these are fine recommendations as long as you know your limits and are smart about it but isn't that the same advice for everyone?  And really, as the pregnant one, you are the best gauge of your own abilities while pregnant and should be your own judge of what you can and can not do.

Honestly, I could have been way more active during the last 37 weeks and I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't.  So, when it snows (which has been an EPIC year here in what we now call Minnesnowta), I want to get out there and shovel. And, I have - for the most part - because it's good exercise.  I don't want to be the lazy partner and watch my manfriend work for twice as long to shovel our driveway. That's just not fair especially since we have 45+ days/night of below zero weather.  Side note: the only other time the weather was this horrific was the year Grant was born in 1979 (Popeye just wanted to be like her daddy).  With the recent 10.5" snowfall last Thursday that cancelled Parent-Teacher Conferences and school the following day, I came home to shovel the first 1-2" of heavy, wet snow. Grant wasn't home yet so I knew I could sneak in a quick shovel.  I took my time and was careful about lifting the shovel.  I didn't have any contractions, Popeye didn't seem to mind.  I was just tired after I was done...not surprising because that snow was heavy.

Needless to say, with winter being as long as it has been, I'm excited to put Popeye's new ride to use after I'm cleared to do so with the doctor post-delivery.  Dad & Linda were kind enough to buy us a great stroller for running!!!  Meet Popeye's new ride - the BOB revolution SE stroller.  Of course, it's Bombshell orange!

You are probably less interested in my exercise plan and would prefer to hear about Popeye's progress in the womb.  I had the 37 week check-in appointment today and not surprisingly, things looked good! The Strep B test came back negative last week and this week Popeye's eager anticipation is beginning to show.  She's still facing downward, her back facing the left side of my abdomen and her legs and arms pointing to my right abdomen.  This would explain how much more bulky and active the right side of my stomach is on a regular basis.  She must be practicing her kicks and punches.  The doctor estimated (let's be honest, this is not an exact science) that she weighs about 6 pounds.  I was happy to hear she wasn't 2 feet tall and 12 pounds considering Grant's height!  

According to thebump.com - 

Your baby's the size of a winter melon!

Yay! Baby has reached full term. He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.

Again, not the most exact science but he also estimated that I'm 40% or so effaced, dilated about 1 cm (a finger tip), and the cervix has softened.  If you are reading this and have no clue what that means, here is a picture for you:

So, she's progressing.  He didn't seem to think she was going to pop out early or anything but she's preparing for her big day.  Again, none of this is an exact science.  I could have a baby tomorrow if she decided she was ready.

Until then, we wait patiently....and install our car seat bases so that in the off chance she arrives a little early, we can actually bring her home in our cars!

You're the size of a {head of romaine lettuce] - 36 weeks+!

Being 36+ week pregnant...

Where has the time gone? I'm going to assume that it only gets worse from here; time lapsing before my very eyes and months pass by when has felt like only a week.  Popeye will be born in just a few weeks and before we know it, she'll be walking and talking like a little adult!  These past 36 1/2 (nearly 37 as I've writing this) weeks have been filled with many activities.


I'm not at the stage where I want to be "unpregnant" nor am I really uncomfortable yet.  I do look forward to bending over again to more easily put on my socks or pick up something off the floor.  The only soreness I have are my adductor muscles.  Not sure what those are? Take a look at the most amusing pic I could find on the web!  Adductor muscles and the ligaments in the area are essential for birthing (as you may assume when looking at the picture).  Not sure if the lady pictured above is weight lifting or preparing to push out her child in her 6-pack belly.  Either way, you get my point of where my body is sore.  I've been very fortunate to have the experience I have had.



We had Popeye's 36 week check-in appointment on Tuesday.  Like the other appointment, everything checked out great.  I lost a pound (we'll get to this in the next section), the baby's heart rate was in the 120's, I got the Group B Strep test (negative!) and the first internal exam.  We learned that Popeye is in the right position, facing down - but still is hiding far away from the cervix.  She isn't done baking yet - which is a good thing!  We really need to make it until March 16th (her due date) mostly because that will make exactly 12 weeks until the end of the school year and we are starting the cake decorating unit which wraps up the Friday before she is due.  Yes, I realize that I have no say in the matter but I'll be crossing my legs as long as I can to hold her in!

According to babycenter.com "Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.  Most likely your baby is already head-down."  

I didn't write a post last week because, well....many of us came down with flu-like symptoms after our baby shower.  Nearly 1/3 of the guest list came down with Influenza A or a very serious viral infection. And, it didn't seem to matter whether or not you got the flu shot.  This super bug was awful and there are still a couple of people who are dealing with the aftermath.  G and I lucked out.  I had gotten the flu-shot but Grant didn't.  I started feeling bad on Monday after I worked a 13 hour day.  In fact, I felt icky all day on Monday but we had a mandatory work night until 8 pm so I had to stay.  By Tuesday morning, the illness was in full effect.  I was coughing up phlegm, had a slight fever, sore throat, night sweats.....it wasn't pretty.  Since the students were in the kitchens baking everyday this week, I went to work only to teach the 2 hours in the afternoon.  It was rough.  I spent the rest of my time sleeping from 5 pm until 10 am the next day....waking to eat a little but mostly just slept because I couldn't do much else.  G started seeing symptoms the day after me but had more stiffness in his neck and night chills.  We went on a hot date to Urgent Care together and then picked up some pre-made soup from the grocery store because the thought of even spending 15 minutes on my feet prepping an easy meal, was not something I could do mentally or physically at that time.  The next day on my way home from work, I picked up more soup....again, because working just 2 hours wiped me out.  And, as I describe this, please know that G and I got off this illness easy.  There are others who had WAY worse symptoms :/

So, G and I decided no more life event parties because we have a tendency to get people sick when we are in a large group together.  Take, for instance, our wedding.  We say that we made everyone love sick...but another flu bug went around and got numerous people ill. :/

Aside from passing around the Super Bug and people getting sick, the baby shower was phenomenal! The theme was winter-inspired "Baby It's Cold Outside".  So many of our close friends and family came to celebrate with us and it was great to spend a little bit of time with everyone.  Holly made a winter-inspired Diaper Cake of a Snowman....too adorable and something you'd find in a craft magazine!

Holly's Diaper Cake

Maggie's Hot Cocoa Bar

The food was fantastic - Nina had a friend make these amazing cupcakes and cookies that were to die for.  Holly picked up some of my very favorite cheese, Queso Fundido, from Chino Latino and made this MAGICAL punch - one for us pregnant people (non-alcoholic) and one called "baby maker" (spiked).  While Maggie couldn't be there, she crafted up this awesome hot cocoa bar that looked like it was straight from a page in a magazine.  There were other delicious snacks that I devoured of course but those were the top highlights.

The beautiful, creative cupcakes

The Adorable Cookies

Since the planning crew knew I wasn't into playing shower games, there was a wish tree, decorate-a-onesie station, and a baby daddy quiz.   I'd like to say that I tied with my mom and Deb on the highest score!  :)  

Here are some of the creative onesies people made:

 

Ok, time to go finish up baking that banana bread!

You're the size of a {Cantaloupe} - 34 weeks!

The past two weeks have absolutely insane.  Last year, prior to becoming pregnant, I became the VP of Programs with my professional organization.  This meant, I oversaw the planning of our annual state conference.  I had help from a couple of other people but my job was to find all presenters, keynotes, do PR for the conference, and organize all the other details.  Plus, I took on the job of creating a new website for the organization.  Whew.  Well, that great news is that the conference ended on Saturday and now I can make some time for relaxation and enjoying this pregnancy thing.  It's not that I haven't enjoyed being pregnant but I've been running around so much, I'm a little surprised we only have 6 weeks left until we meet Popeye, if she decides to come on time.  I'm still hoping for a week late but I know I have no control over that.

Popeye has been doing a great job of putting up with all of my shenanigans and non-stop work.  She's still moving a lot and when I tell Grant she's moving, he puts his hand on my stomach and she calms down.  I think she knows her daddy has a calming presence.  Maybe he'll be the one who rocks her to sleep in the middle of the night!

According to babycenter.com "Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."

So, in a nutshell - she is getting fat and I mean that in the very best way possible.  Because who wants to hold a scrawny baby?  Since I worked making subs and pizza growing up, I think of length in the size of submarine sandwiches.  She's the size of a Subway footlong plus a six-incher put together.  I've been wondering just how tall she'll end up being....will she inherit Grant's gift of height or my mediocre vertical length?  

A lot of people have asked if I'm sick of being pregnant yet.  Not yet but maybe I'll feel that way in a few weeks.  I do look forward to bending over to put on socks and shoes more easily.  I look forward to turning over in bed a little more easily, without as much effort (this is probably more due to my lower back being tweaked and less about being pregnant).  I look forward to wearing all of my clothes again and putting together more creative outfits.  It'll be awhile until my body is back to fitting into my normal clothes but I'm excited about the prospect.

We've got our 34 week appointment on Tuesday.  In two more weeks, we'll go in for the 36 week appointment and then go in every week for check-ups.  So weird this whole experience is coming to an end in 6 weeks.