37 weeks - THREE!!

How far along: 37 weeks (and 1 day) 

Countdown to EDD: 3 weeks/20 days

Baby is the size of a: Winter melon. Baby E is considered early-term now! He's still practicing sucking, breathing, swallowing and things like that. He's probably between 6 and 7.5 lbs now (based on my last growth scan).

Physical symptoms:  Very tired, often irritable and usually uncomfortable  

Mood: Fine - I'm just really excited!   

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  No change since last week

Maternity clothes: What a pain in the ass. It's so hot here, but none of my warm weather maternity clothes fit anymore. I'm too lazy and too cheap to buy new clothes at this point, so I'm mostly wearing yoga pants and PJs. Oh! Nursing bras are totally amazing though.   

Sleep: Not too bad. I think I only peed twice - TWICE - the other night! Sometimes I wake up and having trouble shutting my mind off and getting back to sleep though.

Best moment of the week: I'm supposed to say Christmas, but honestly the best moment was waking up to an empty house (meaning just me, Seth and the pups) this morning.

Movement: Still wild, still trying to spin around but I think it's been unsuccessful.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing new

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Prelabor signs: As of last Wednesday, I was 80% effaced and dilated 2 cm. Our families are convinced that I'll have the baby early, but I don't feel anything yet. It's a little frustrating that everyone thinks that because...I don't know it just feels like a lot of pressure having everyone waiting like this.

What I miss: Beer and a cold turkey hoagie - this will be my "first meal". Okay, maybe the beer will have to wait until after we leave the hospital. That's fine. I can have as many hoagies as I want that week.

What I am looking forward to: I'm still looking forward to labor. I'm sure my feelings will change rapidly when labor actually starts, but for now I'm excited. I think I feel cheated out of the surprise pregnancy and surprising Seth with a positive test business. I can't wait until something happens and I get to tell Seth that it's time to go, that it's time to meet our son. 

Milestones: 37 weeks!! Baby E is no longer considered pre-term. His lungs could still do some maturing and he may or may not be ready to eat on his own, but otherwise he should be good to go at this point!

Showing yet: Duh. You know, everyone always talks about how you can't see your feet at the end. That's bullshit - you can, you just have to lean forward a little bit. You know what you can't see? Your crotch. It's impossible. I mean, I don't really need to see it but being unable to is a strange feeling. Just in case you were wondering about that, now you know. 

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Love,

Binks, Bear, Baby E, Ana and Seth

Binks and Bear

36 weeks - FOUR!!

How far along: 36 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: 4 weeks/28 days

Baby is the size of a: Honeydew. Baby is getting very close to being able to breathe on his own (or maybe he can already). Most organs are fully functional now.

Physical symptoms: Not too many, just very uncomfortable. My chest/upper bump is still sore and there's a lot more pressure on my crotch and butt.   

Mood: Good. Anxious.   

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Forgot to check. I would guess somewhere between +20-25 lbs, so perfectly "normal".

Maternity clothes: Duh. Plus my yoga pants.    

Sleep: Still pretty good. Every now and then the baby gets into a position where it feels like he sinks to one side and that hurts, but otherwise I'm comfortable and sleeping well.

Best moment of the week: Every moment. I'm pregnant and Seth is off and we're getting so close to meeting our son. Even if it wasn't literally the week before Christmas, I think it would feel that way. I'm so happy and excited.

Movement: Still wild. He's really stretchy today.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing new.

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: I have some pre-labor signs - at my appointment on Thursday, I was 60% effaced and dilated 1.5 cm. My doctor thought this looked good for where I am. I'm excited that I'm making progress but, of course, I hope he hangs out in there for a few more weeks.

What I miss: Being in control of my own body. Or maybe I mean being selfish with my own body. I just want to eat what I want and sit how I want for a little bit.

What I am looking forward to: Everything: time off with Seth, Christmas and our baby's arrival. Also, we're having maternity/family pictures taken today!

Milestones: 37 weeks - in one week, baby will be considered early-term instead of pre-term so that sounds important.

Showing yet: I can't go anywhere without people commenting on my bump and asking questions. I got my first "you look ready to pop" comment this weekend but I don't really care because I feel like I'm ready to pop. 

35 weeks - FIVE!!

How far along: 35 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: FIVE weeks until my EDD!! Only 35 days! 

Baby is the size of a: Coconut! At our growth scan, they estimated that the baby was about 5 lbs, 6 oz (+ or - 13 oz). I think he's on the bigger side of that range. He feels giant to me, but I guess I don't really have anything to judge that against.

Physical symptoms:  The pressure on my bladder has really increased and I have to pee all the time. More heartburn. 

Mood: Great!   

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Still +20, doctor said it was perfect though.

Maternity clothes: Yes, except my pants. My yoga pants are still glorious.     

Sleep: Still good. I'm waking up to pee more often but when I'm sleeping, I'm sleeping well. I hit the third tri sleep jackpot I think. Second tri was so much worse for me.

Best moment of the week: Seeing Baby at the growth scan on Monday! 

Movement: He's wild and completely taking up all of the available space.

Food cravings/aversions: French fries.

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Not really. BH were a bit more common again.

What I miss: Feeling like I can breathe normally.

What I am looking forward to: NBR: Baking Christmas cookies this week. 

Milestones:  Not a milestone but people seem to love the 35/35 point (35 weeks with 35 days to go) so -yay!!

Showing yet: Yep. I'm lazy and just re-sharing my HDBD picture from this past Wednesday (34w3d). Also, I got measured for nursing bras this week. I am skeptical, but the woman said I was a 34D. A "D"! Those are adult boobs. 

34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: 6 weeks (ahh!!!)/42 days

Baby is the size of a: Butternut squash. He feels giant.

Physical symptoms: Super uncomfortable. Either baby is getting so big that he's taking up my whole torso or he's wedged up towards my chest. Sitting down is painful.   

Mood: Mostly good, but I'm getting easily frustrated when I can't do things I normally do.   

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  About +20 lbs. Though according to the stranger that did a full inspection of my body the other day, it looks like I only gained 10. Thanks?

Maternity clothes: Tops yes, but I've been living in my new non-maternity yoga pants. I have four pairs now.     

Sleep: Still pretty good so I guess that's a fair trade for being so uncomfortable during the day. I'll take it.

Best moment of the week: We picked a name! I'm not going to share it on here because I don't use our real names here. I don't want this blog to show up if someone Googles us. Because people are totally Googling us all the time.

Movement: OMFG. The alien belly was out of control last night. Seth and I were half screaming, half laughing at it. Then laughing made the baby move more. I absolutely love seeing and feeling him move because I was afraid I'd never experience this...but it does freak me out a bit.

Food cravings/aversions: Still french fries. If I could eat french fries for every meal, I would.

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Nope. I don't even notice BH that often, but maybe I'm just getting used to them.

What I miss: Sitting and bending over without pain.

What I am looking forward to: We have another growth scan on Tuesday and it turns out Seth will be able to go after all!

Milestones: 34 weeks today! Baby could arrive at any time. If I go into labor, they're not going to stop me! Hopefully he hangs out in there for a few more weeks though.

Showing yet: Yes. I noticed that I've gained most of my non-belly weight on my lower body. I don't recognize my legs. My ass looks big(ger) too, but to be honest I wouldn't mind if that hangs around after baby is born. 

33 weeks

How far along: 33 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: 7 weeks/49 days - less than 50!

Baby is the size of a: Durian fruit. Oh right, one of those. Baby is keeping his eyes open now and continuing to practice breathing and swallowing. And still getting hiccups all the time!

Physical symptoms: General discomfort and heartburn/reflux. Is that the same thing? I thought I've had heartburn before but that doesn't even compare to what I've been getting lately. Time to give up the buffalo chicken :(

Mood: Fine   

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Did you really think I would check my weight the weekend after Thanksgiving? All I know is that my meal was delicious and I ate leftovers for days. There might have been a bacon cheeseburger the night before Thanksgiving too. Oops.

Maternity clothes: Mostly, except for my new favorite yoga pants which are regular.      

Sleep: Not too bad except for last night's reflux incident. I think I'm going to try sleeping in a sitting position to avoid that.

Best moment of the week: Thanksgiving was great! It was so nice to spend time alone with Seth and my pups.

Movement: It feels like he's trying to find an escape route. He's moving in every possible direction at once which is fun.

Food cravings/aversions: French fries. Why are carbs so fucking delicious??

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Nope

What I miss: Beer looked really good this week.

What I am looking forward to: Reaching 34 weeks, growth scan next week and my parents visiting in two weeks!

Milestones: Next one is 34 weeks, according to me.

Showing yet: Yes. 

Cloth Diapers - Newborn Stash

***Warning: Long and boring if you don't give a shit about cloth diapers ***

Seth and I decided that we want to use (or at least try) cloth diapering. I've had a few friends do it and thought it seemed like a great idea, so as soon as Seth starting asking questions about it I started taking the idea more seriously. After spending butt loads of time researching and reading reviews, we decided it was worth a shot. I guess our main reason is that it can save us a lot of money especially if we use CDs for more than one child. The environmental benefits are a nice bonus too.

I wanted to share our plans in case anyone else is or is planning to use cloth diapers (I know you're out there Packer!). For the newborn stage, we're going to be using mostly cotton prefolds and fitted diapers. Prefolds are just the classic old-fashioned diaper that people often use for burp cloths. There are a bunch of ways you can fold them, they're easy to care for and they're one of the most affordable options. Fitteds are just like prefolds, except they're already folded and sewn into the shape of a diaper so they're less work. Those are a little more expensive (but still a great deal, depending on brand and material) so I have less of those. I figured they would be good for middle of the night changes. Both prefolds and fitteds need a waterproof cover so we have a bunch of those in a range of sizes.

After the baby is large enough to fit in the one-size (adjustable to fit from infant to toddler) diapers, I'm hoping to use the all-in-two (AI2) Best Bottoms system. These diapers seem so awesome to me - you just snap the absorbent insert into the waterproof cover. When it's time to change the diaper, you just change the insert as long as the cover isn't soiled. I like this option because it's more affordable (you get several changes for the price of an all-in-one single-use diaper) and I think it will be convenient for when we're out of the house since the inserts fold up nice and small and we won't need to bring a new cover for every change.

So here's what I have for now (left to right, top to bottom):

18 Newborn Prefolds (orange edge - Nicki's Diapers)
12 Small Prefolds (yellow edge - Green Mountain Diapers)
~45 cloth wipes
6 Small Hemp inserts for Best Bottoms covers
2 All-in-ones (white and elephant - Imagine)
4 Best Bottoms one-size covers with snaps
12 Newborn Fitteds (orange - GMD)
6 Small Fitteds (yellow - GMD)
3 Thirsties Newborn covers with aplix/velcro
3 Thirsties Size 1 covers with snaps (up to 17 lbs. I think)

(Not pictured: Two hanging wet bags, two small wet bags for diaper bag, fleece liners for stay-dry feeling, CJ's Butter samples...I forget what else)

If we like the Best Bottoms system, we'll stock up on the large size inserts once Baby grows out of everything else. I bought those two AIOs just to see if we like them, but I have a feeling we won't. They're super cute, but super bulky. I imagine they'll take a long ass time to dry too. I also think I'd like to invest in a few more fitted diapers in a larger or adjustable size for when the baby is sleeping for longer periods of time overnight. The prefolds can be used inside a fitted for extra absorbency at night which is nice.

So I'm pretty pumped about our plans for now. I think we have a lot of great options and I'm really hoping that it's not that challenging. The biggest issues that I anticipate are 1) finding diapers that fit our baby well and 2) making sure I figure out a good wash plan with our washer and water type. Hopefully it doesn't take me too long to get the hang of this!

If you are cloth diapering or if you plan, I'd love to hear your ideas and/or advice!

32 weeks

How far along: 32 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: 8 weeks/56 more days (we're in the 50's?!?)

Baby is the size of a: Squash. He's pretty well-developed at this point and will start putting on more and more weight as the weeks go by.

Physical symptoms: Nothing too crazy. I'm still having lower back pain and I expect that will continue from here on out.   

Mood: Not as bad as last week, but I still had some moments.  

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Forgot to check.

Maternity clothes: Yep     

Sleep: Pretty good this week! The only problem is that Binks and Bear don't understand weekends. Seth gets up early to walk them before work during the week, so they think they're supposed to wake up early every day.

Best moment of the week: Seth's lab is officially closed for the holidays! Also, his family has agreed to fly to the US to spend Christmas here with us. It will be the first time his whole family is together in over 5 years so that's nice.

Movement: No changes except that it sometimes feels like he's trying to escape out of my left side or bust through my crotch. Not yet, Bud.

Food cravings/aversions: I'm craving soda and french fries again. I don't think I would mind having a bacon cheeseburger for every meal either.

Sex: Still a boy

Labor signs: Nope

What I miss: Cold hoagies and taking my pants off without pain (I got stuck last night while Seth was out getting dinner. Tip - if you lay on your side in bed, it's easier to reach down and pull them off.)

What I am looking forward to: 34 weeks

Milestones: I read that babies born after 32 weeks have a 95% chance of surviving, typically without any long-term health problems so that's comforting.

Showing yet: Yes. 

Snow Bunnies Update

Our second/successful IVF cycle was in April. When we filled out all of the paperwork regarding frozen embryos, we choose to have them stored at the clinic for 6 months and then transfer them to a long-term storage facility. It's November now. I knew that their transfer was going to be happening soon but I didn't know when and it was making me so anxious.

So I called the clinic. And I called, and I called and I called. For two or three weeks. And left a bunch of messages. And never heard anything. Eventually, about a week ago, we got an email saying that we paid for our last month of storage at the clinic so I knew the transfer happened. I called again and I left a message with the receptionist rather than the embryologist and she offered to walk my information over to the lab herself to get me some answers.

They finally called me last night! Despite the three week wait, I was still impressed that they called me so late at night. I am easily pleased, especially when the call brings good news.

The woman I spoke to was able to read me the full report regarding our frozen snow bunnies. We've known since April that we had six embryos and we knew that some were ready on day 5 but that they were continuing to watch a few others until day 6. What we actually have is 5 day 5 embryos and 1 day 6 embryo. The grades for the day 5ers are 3AB (x2), 4AB, 4BB and 2BB. The day 6er is a 4BB. This baby was a 4BB embryo too.

Lab lady said that we are in great shape! She said that the lab gives them a rank of good, fair and poor. We have 4 goods and 2 fairs (I'm guessing that's the 2BB and 4BB day 6er). She also explained to me how they choose an embryo for a transfer and things like that (ours are all frozen individually, which I'm happy about). I'm sure it sounds crazy to be thinking about it now, but I am crazy so I'm happy to have all of this information.

We have no idea how we'll feel or what we'll do after this baby is born. We do know that we don't ever plan to try to conceive on our own again. Before we decided to go forward with IVF, we agreed that we would transfer any frozen embryos before we tried on our own and we still feel like that's the best decision for us. I think I would feel that way even if I didn't have a strong suspicion that my tubes are too fucked up to function.

Anyway, the tentative plan is to go on the mini-pill after baby boy is born in order to keep my endo under control. Depending on if and how long I am able to breastfeed, we'll consider going in for a FET consultation when this little guy is 9 months old. I probably wouldn't want to do a transfer before one year, but I imagine it could take time for my cycle to regulate and for any repeat testing to be done.

I am beyond thrilled and ridiculously grateful that we have these little snow bunnies. Even though we are painfully aware that there are never any guarantees, it is nice to know that we have a chance at having a sibling (or six) for our son.

31 weeks

How far along: 31 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: 9 weeks (woohoo single digits)/62 days

Baby is the size of a: Pineapple!  All five of his senses are working and his brain is becoming more developed.

Physical symptoms:  A little bit of heartburn, RLP and lower back pain. Nothing terrible. Oh yeah and blood in my pee without a UTI. And tired. So so tired. 

Mood: Completely unstable. This was not my week. On Monday, I cried (a lot) when I had to leave my dogs home alone for the first time after we had a fire hazard at the house. Then I cried when I raced home to check on them and realized that my roommate was staying home. Then I cried just because. On Wednesday, I started peeing blood again. Friday I found out that I didn't have a UTI so I'll need to see a specialist to figure that shit out. Saturday I cried because the sandwich place wouldn't put my ham on the side so I could heat it up even though they did it last time. At least pregnancy hormones don't make me ragey. Well, I was a lit bit ragey at the sandwich place. Just cut the ham, pretend you're putting it on the roll and then move it to the side a little bit. Why is that not allowed?

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  +17 lbs

Maternity clothes: Yep. I bought the cutest thermals for the holiday season.      

Sleep: Same, good. Still peeing all night, but sleeping okay in between.

Best moment of the week: Since last week was not my week, I'm stealing a moment from this week. It looks like Seth might have off for 3-4 weeks around the holidays! He has an education-based job, but the university is only closed for four days. However, he found out today that his lab will be closed from 12/15 to 1/5. So it's unconfirmed, but there's a good chance he can spend more time at home! I'm really happy. Obviously, I'm thrilled that we're having a baby but I'm getting a little emotional about the fact that we only have two months of "just us" time left. I believe that it will be better with three of us, but it will still be different.

Movement: Yep. Baby tried to break out of my left side last night.

Food cravings/aversions: There are 8 boxes of cereal in the pantry right now.

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Nope

What I miss: I miss when my boobs didn't sit on my belly and squish my lungs.

What I am looking forward to: Thanksgiving and the 34 week growth scan

Milestones: 34 weeks. My doctor (all doctors?) will not try to stop labor starting at 34 weeks so that feels like a big deal.

Showing yet: Yes. I usually sleep in a t-shirt and none of my regular t-shirts fit anymore.

30 weeks!!

I can't believe we're at the three-quarter mark. 75% sounds so close to finished. But then, 25% still sounds like a lot of time left. It still seems like we have plenty of time to finish getting ready. It sounds like I still have a lot of time to expand and get very uncomfortable. Assuming we go at least the full 40 weeks, of course.


How far along: 30 weeks 

Countdown to EDD: 10 weeks/70 days

Baby is the size of a: Cucumber. Baby is still practicing his breathing skills. I felt hiccups for the first time this week!

Physical symptoms: Heartburn (my own fault, thanks buffalo chicken), pretty intense RLP and lower back pain on my right side. I realized I stand with all of my weight on my right foot and I need to stop. My belly is getting too heavy for that.   

Mood: Mostly good

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Enough

Maternity clothes: Nothing new. I did buy some new non-maternity yoga pants though. My old ones were OLD. I think I'll pack them in my hospital bag since they've been on their way out for years.     

Sleep: Not bad. I don't sleep through the night, but I sleep without terrible pain.

Best moment of the week: We finished ordering our cloth diaper stash! I'm so pumped for them to get here.

Movement: It's different all of a sudden. I still get kicks and pokes, but now I really feel his whole body moving. Sometimes he'll lean up against the outside and I can see him and feel him sitting there. It makes my stomach look misshapen.

Food cravings/aversions: French fries and Boston creme donuts, not necessarily together but I probably wouldn't say no.

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Tons of BH contractions, thankfully nothing else

What I miss: Beer and cold turkey hoagies

What I am looking forward to: Getting our cloth diapers, finishing up the nursery, Thanksgiving, the end of the semester...

Milestones: Today! 30 weeks sounds like a big deal. The next big number will be our EDD!

Showing yet: I squeezed myself into a non-maternity tank to make another comparison photo. I'm pretty sure that I felt "puffy" at 10 weeks. L.O.L. Check out my boobs too. Go on, have a look - you don't even need a magnifying glass anymore. They're just still just a B, but that's a B for "Biggest they've ever been".

29 weeks

First, I need to show off my babies. They were crayons for Halloween - Binks was green and Bear was red. Bear doesn't mind dressing up, especially if he's rewarded with treats. Binks was not into his hat at all. As soon as I put his costume on he just froze, so I didn't make him wear it. We had so much fun sitting on the porch waiting for kids to come by though. I really do think my boys will love having a baby in the house.

How far along: 29 weeks

Countdown to EDD: 11 weeks/77 days 

Baby is the size of an: acorn squash. That's festive. Baby boy is about 3 lbs and growing quickly! No shit.

Physical symptoms: Some new stuff - lower back pain, inability to eat a full meal (and chest pain if I try), headaches - plus the usual soreness and fatigue.

Mood: Fine I guess, but I've been weirdly needy. I keep crying when Seth tries to leave the house. I think I'm just lonely during the week and so worried about being really lonely in January.    

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don't really want to know. It feels like I gained a good amount this week.

Maternity clothes: Mostly yes but I went shopping for some maternity sweaters the other day and they are too big or just ridiculously unflattering. Non-maternity tunics are better.     

Sleep: Not too bad.

Best moment of the week: We toured the hospital this week. Seth and I had a great time and the hospital is awesome. They have separate birthing and recovery rooms, but they're all private. The standard birthing rooms are ugly (floral wallpaper) but have all of the same amenities of the VIP room (minus the refrigerator and big ass TV). However, the recovery rooms are all fully updated. Even the standard rooms have the "luxury shower" area and double beds. I don't think we'll bother upgrading to the VIP room (though they did drop the price to $200/night) because the only extra is a seating area for guests and we don't expect many/any guests.

Movement: Yep. I started kick counting this week. I highly recommend the Baby Bump Pro app. It's $2.99 (unless you have free Amazon credits - woohoo!) but it would be worth it, IMO. It's better than any of the free ones I tried and good for lazies who don't want to keep paper records.

Food cravings/aversions: I want all of the food, but it doesn't fit in my stomach anymore.

Sex: Boy

Labor signs: Still having lots of BH contractions, but water and rest really helps.

What I miss: I'm going to echo Jaytee and say that I miss being able to pull off shoes/socks/leggings by myself. It's such a difficult task these days.

What I am looking forward to: 30 weeks feels like a big deal. After that we'll be in single digit weeks!

Milestones: Same as above I guess.

Showing yet: Yes. This morning Seth said, "Wow look at you! It's starting to get real!". Starting? Really? I was unimpressed. Anyway - check me out in my men's department Christmas pajamas. It's "freezing" here in Florida.