Week 40

Here we are!
40 weeks, full term!

     Pretty crazy!
     Abigail's dad is so very anxious for her arrival!
     He was hoping it would be on her due date, Saturday, but no luck.

     Everyone else is hoping it will be on their birthday.... we'll see who wins out!

     G and I have all these plans for this coming week, which is part of the reason he's anxious for her arrival, so that we can still do all the things we want to do this weekend. Which pretty much boils down to a few weddings he's doing on Saturday (yes, a few, not just one), and the rehearsals on Friday. We are really excited about these weddings, and we really don't want to miss them. We've been praying that God brings Abby at the right time so that we can still be a part of all the other things we want to do! G has also been talking to Abby a lot lately coaxing her to come quickly! We really want to have our cake and eat it too... it's so much fun that way! So, we're hoping that she comes sometime this week, but not Friday or Saturday, but then she's free to come again on Sunday. Oh the big dreams we have!
     I guess it would be nice if she waited until I finished getting the hospital bag ready. I did a bit more this weekend with it, but it's still not complete. I don't think I'll ever feel like it's complete... I'll probably always feel like I'm missing something. But I know that I still need to get a change of clothes for G, and an outfit or two for Abby. And for the most part it will be done at that point.

     I did have a really fun time going out with the girls this week! My mom, MIL and SsIL and Sister's sister-in-law, all went out to dinner at Mama Roomba's (yum!), then back to mom's house for a little Zumba, of which I refused to participate, and then off for some ice cream! YUM!

My view of them Zumba-ing their hearts out while I elevate my gigantic feet!

Nursery Update:
     While I didn't get too much done this week regarding Abby's room (everyone's been asking); I was able to get my butt out there and start working on the dresser drawers. I used the wood putty to start filling in the giant holes. But, b/c the holes are so dang big, it's going to take a few times to get them completely filled. I am hoping that I am able to get out there today sometime to attack them again. Once the holes are completely filled, I'll be able to spray paint the primer on them, and then paint them. Then, I'll just need to drill holes for the new super cute pullies I bought for it. And then shove them into the dresser! The bottom drawer will probably take some extra time though. It's pretty much completely in shambles. We're planning on taking it apart and attaching the front of the drawer to the dresser using some hinges. Hope that works. Otherwise, we'll have to rebuild the drawer, what a pain.
     I also completed another hoop of her mobile! I'm really excited about that. Now all I have to do is figure out the best way to attach the two hoops to each other, then add extra string to hang it. Then hang it! I'm really excited with how it turned out. Although, part of me is thinking about cutting out a few more circles and adding those in. The circles are spaced out a little farther apart that I'd like... but it might be too much if I add more... I'm not sure what I want to do.

What the Doctor had to say:
     My nurse was out this week as well as my assigned doctor, whom I've seen one time; so I saw a new doctor. This puts me at meeting a total of 4 of the 10 doctors. I really liked this new doctor. He seemed to be patient and not at all worried about my progress, which is pretty slim. He said that for most first-timers, they usually don't begin to dilate until they actually go into labor. He did ask if I would like him to strip my membranes and I said very quickly "no thank you!" and he said, "ah, you've heard of that before have you?" I said, "Yes I have, and I would NOT like to do that. I'd prefer to just let her come when she comes." He seemed perfectly fine with this. He said there's no reason to rush anything.
     I gained 2 more pounds, putting me at 19 I think. He said I was measuring at 37, which is slightly more than what the nurse measured me at last time, but I'm pretty sure he was measuring a different spot, so it's just the difference between two people measuring you, no worries. He said her heartbeat sounded great. My urine and blood pressure are still looking good. He noticed my feet were VERY swollen, but he didn't seem worried at all. He said if it were coupled with other things such as high blood pressure, etc, then it would be something to worry about, but on it's own, it's not a problem. He said it's not really a hydration issue, but that I should just make sure to keep my feet up while at home (as I type this, I am feeling guilty that I am currently NOT putting my feet up). I told him I was not worried about the swelling, but that everyone else in my life seemed to be worried about it. He said, "well, they're wrong, you're right." ahahahh!
     He also examined me, worst part, but he was much more gentle than the nurse usually is, so I was able to relax this time and he was actually able to find my cervix! Happy day! He said my cervix is still posterior (he drew me a picture so I would understand, b/c when the nurse was explaining to me that she could feel the head, but couldn't find the cervix, I was seriously confused, considering the cervix is around the baby's head), and that I am dilated maybe a half cm. He did say that the due date is just a guess and could be off by a week or two, and that the effacement and dilation won't really tell us when the baby will come, so nothing to worry about. I continued to assure him that I am not worried about anything, she'll come when she comes. At the end of the appt. he said that he was very pleased with my whole attitude and positivity regarding everything. He also said I will be a very good mom! How cute!
     All in all, a great appt with the new doctor; I really liked him!

ME:

• I'm noticing that I'm getting skin tags on my body. Thankfully I read a few months ago that this is normal for pregnant women, so I'm not really concerned at all. I just think it's really weird.
• Feet are still really swollen. I figure it's just part of the last few weeks of pregnancy, and besides putting my feet up, there's not much to worry about. 
• Mild heartburn. Nothing too bad. I was even able to sleep for a bit last night before taking a Pepcid. I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to take one. But many weeks ago I tried doing that, and it kept me up all night until I took one. Progress.
• Many people are telling me that I look like I've dropped even more. I guess she's getting ready by dropping... but nothing else.
• Still no other pre-labor symptoms.... no braxton hicks, not many cramps this week, not much else.
• Ultimately, I'm feeling pretty good! I've been sleeping through the night still! Getting up once to pee. I have sufficient energy to last through the day. I've been getting some household things done like laundry, cleaning, dishes, etc. Just trying to make sure that no matter when she comes, things won't be disasterous when we bring her home. 

Progress:

Week 34 and 35

     Things have been super crazy busy around here the last few weeks. I apologize in advance for the longer post, as the two weeks are combined.

     According to TheBump.com for Week 34, we are still at the size of a honeydew, and is 17.2 - 18.7 inches long and 4.2 - 5.8 pounds. She is beginning to recognize simple songs and tunes. I better start singing my lullaby to her now so she is accustomed and soothed by it once she comes. My lullaby to her is the same one my mom sang to me every night before bed, the lullaby from The Lady and the Tramp. I got the song and have already begun practicing. I actually fell asleep last night to it while trying to sing it and remember the words. That's a lullaby that works! I just hope I don't fall asleep myself while singing it to her... that would be no good! Also, TheBump says that she's urinating a pint a day now. No wonder I'm running to the potty every hour or less now. geez! It also says that my vision could be getting blurry now, and my eyes itchy, but I haven't had any of those symptoms yet.

     For Week 35, TheBump.com says, that baby is the same size as last week, and that most of the growing from now on will be in plumping up (she won't really grow much longer, but that she'll gain up to a pound or more of fat between now and birth). Also, her hearing is totally developed now, and responds best to high-pitched noises. She is now pretty much sitting on my bladder now, basically explaining why the bathroom visits have increased this last week. Yesterday, while subbing, I went to the bathroom in between one of the classes (which were all 35 minutes long b/c of the early out schedule, and right after class I had to desperately go again. I thought it be one of those fake outs, where you go, and you piddle nothing, and get frustrated that you even went through the whole routine of going to the restroom; but no, I had to really go again, full bladder... man this is no joke!)

What have I been up to:
     Last weekend my mother came up and helped me with a few things... which was a tremendous help! Just when I'm feeling overwhelmed and unsure about being able to get all this stuff done, she shows up with some energy and helps me get a lot accomplished! She brought up the rest of the things from the shower and helped me organize it all and put it away (it was lying on the bed, and we were able to get it all cleared off and put into baskets and into the closet so she had a place to sleep). Then she helped me paint the dresser! Happy day! It went so quickly with her help! We were thinking it would take a couple hours, or an hour at least, but together we got it done in 30 minutes or less. And Sunday afternoon, we went back for a second coat before she went home. It felt so good to get that done. One less thing to worry about. Now all I need to do is put a coat of sealant on it and it's good to go!

     The drawers for the dresser are still not done. I need to get some wood putty and fill in all the holes from the old nails, and then sand them down, prime 'em, and then paint 'em. Who knows when that will happen. But at least, there will be a dresser in her room to set the changing pad on. And b/c of some poor amateur woodwork done previously, G is having to take the bottom drawer apart completely, and we are going to attach it to the dresser with hinges, and just put some baskets or a long plastic bin in there that I can pull in and out. Eventually I'll be able to put the cute pullies I purchased on the drawers and the dresser will be complete.... one day... hopefully one day soon.... But I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that it will likely not be done by the time Abby arrives, which is fine. I can't do it all.

     We also took the tape off the stripes that G and I painted the previous week. It doesn't look too bad actually. There are a few spots that need a little touch up, which I am hoping to fix this coming week. Then I'll be able to begin hanging the collage of frames and put the dresser in place underneath it.

     While we were painting the dresser, I asked G to work on the crib. I was going to spray paint over the few scratches on the crib, but mom and G said that it probably wouldn't work and we'd end up having to do the whole thing instead of just spots b/c the finish of the spray paint is different from the crib. Whatever, it's just a few. I can't complain, it was freely given to us by a generous couple in our church. I'm so grateful to have a wonderful crib, I can take a few scratches that come along with it. So I asked that he begin setting it up instead, but I guess there some screws that went missing in the garage. Rather than spend a ridiculous time searching for the unfindable, we just ordered new parts. They finally came in today and G spent the afternoon of his day off putting it together for me while I lay down stripped of sweaty clothes with every fan possible pointed at me trying to cool off and rest; good man that husband!

     Man, that crib is ginormous. I guess I've never been in a nursery before and seen how huge the cribs actually are. They're huge! wow! Now we just need to get the twin bed out of the room, and I can position the crib exactly where I want it and put the sheet on. It's beginning to slowly come together!

Some things I've noticed the past two weeks:
     My feet are still swelling. I'm still trying to guzzle the water, and raise my feet at some point throughout the day, but they're pretty much swollen. The right foot more so than the left, which is weird. However, as several people have pointed out, my wedding ring is still fitting, knock on wood! It gets tight at times, but that was normal even before pregnancy. Being able to still wear my wedding ring is awesome! I remember a friend that was unable to wear hers for most of her pregnancy because of how much weight she gained and swelled. I remember it being frustrating for her not to be able to wear her ring. My belly is getting seriously itchy more and more. I should be putting more lotion on it, I know, but I just forget. I am underestimating how spacious my belly has become and am bumping into things all the time. Or finding that I can't bend over the counter to get to the sink like I used to.

Doctor's Update:
     I went to the doctor's yesterday for my checkup. I met with an actual doctor this time. Since the doctor I requested was on vacation for a super long period of time and I needed to get it, I just chose to see another doctor. This ended up working out great for me. The more I thought about it, I'm really glad it worked out this way. Having Kaiser means that I have no clue who will be on call whenever I go into labor. Any one of the doctors could be there. I think there are eight or nine. Therefore, the more I meet the merrier. I've met the doctor I originally chose once; he was nice. I also met with another doctor for an appt when my nurse had to take the day off unexpectedly, and he was able to fit me in; he was interesting. And then yesterday, I met with another doctor, this time a female; and I super super liked her! I sorta hope she's the one on call when I give birth. She was super easy to talk to and we got along well. She spent time talking to me and answering any questions I had, not that the others didn't do this, but I just really like her a lot.

     Anyway, she checked me out and said that she's really pleased with how everything looks! I gained another two pounds, I've lost track at what that puts me at now, blerg. It's over the amount they wanted me to gain, and I still have 5 weeks to go. But still, it's significantly lower than what I thought I was going to have to gain originally, which is good. My urine looks good; my belly is measuring at 33 inches, which she said is normal; Abby's kick counts are around 10-20 minutes still (honestly, I haven't been as up on it as I should be just b/c she's always kicking me); she's happy with my weight, etc etc. The only thing she mentioned was the anemia, but I told her that my nurse had me begin taking the iron pills last time, which was only two weeks ago, so she said it wasn't sufficient time to take another test to check it, but that I should continue taking it so as to make sure that.... something about a blood transfusion.

     I also asked her about attending the Pastor's Wives Retreat that I'm signed up for next weekend (I'll have 4 weeks left at that point). She said that as long as I don't begin contractions or anything else major happens, then she is fine with me going since everything looks so great. I just have to make sure that I get out and walk around every 90 minutes to ensure that a blood clot doesn't form... since ya know, that could be deadly and all! I'm really excited about going next weekend. I really hope that everything continues to progress well so that I can attend!

Progress:

Week 33

Baby is now the size of a Honeydew!
The Bump says that baby Abby's bones are growing stronger, and she will be able to keep her eyes open when awake. Abby's brain is developing rapidly and she could grow up to an inch this week alone!


7 more weeks to go now!
My cousin J says that these last two months go by really slowly... which for me, at this point, is good to hear.
The weeks have been rushing by and I've barely been able to take a breath it seems.
Hearing that things begin to seem very long at this point is welcome news!
Especially since I have SO many things to get done still.

• Due to certain circumstances, I've had to put off finishing up the strips in Abby's room. Therefore, who knows when I'll be able to get that finished. Hopefully I'll be able to get it done at least a week or more before Abby gets here so the smell is not still lingering when she does arrive home.
• I need to finish up the mobile that will go above her crib. I was able to get my fishing line finally, so I now have all the materials, and I just need to assemble it! Hopefully that will get done this week!
• The crib needs to be touched up. There are a few minor scratches on it, nothing big. My plan is to spray paint right over those few spots, and it should be good as new! That also needs to happen asap, which shouldn't be a big deal, b/c it shouldn't take longer than a few minutes to do.
• The dresser could not be giving me more problems at this point. I went to the store during Easter break to get all the materials and whip the dresser out! However, the lady at the store suggested I do a test run first before doing the whole dresser. This put me back a day, whatever. The trial run seemed to work so the next day I set out to sand the whole dresser and prime it. Which would have been great, except that I realized that there are huge holes in the drawers due to the old pullies that I took out; duh Meghan! I'll need to get some kind of wood putty to fill those in and then re-sand the drawers and prime them. Also I found that the bottom piece of wood of one of the drawers is so thin that it is not staying nailed together, and you can tell that previous owners found this problem, and tried to fix it by just sticking more nails into it. However, b/c the piece of wood is SO thin, it's not holding the nails, and therefore, the wood is falling off, leaving exposed nails all over the drawer! I just don't see this being a good idea in a child's room. G is in charge of taking all the old nails out and replacing the bottom slab of wood. At which point, I can then finish the dresser in it's entirety. Until then, I'm going to just finish up the frame of the dresser so there will be something for the changing pad to sit on. 

     On Saturday, my MIL, Sisters-in-law, and GMIL all went down to cousin J's family shower to shower her with love and gifts, and greet baby A! We had such a wonderful time. J gave me and sister S all sorts of wonderful advice and tips for when our children come. It was great. J's mother planned such a wonderful afternoon full of games, food, and plenty of time for talking and laughter. Also, I held baby A for a little while, and totally did NOT freak out! I really enjoyed my time with them.

Cousin J's shower!

Things I've noticed this week:
     The heartburn is more and more throughout the day. It's every night still, without fail. The second I lay down, the heartburn comes. But I've noticed that a very mild case of it likes to rear it's ugly head throughout the day as well. I've been pounding the water, and the swelling seems to be slightly better. The feet are still swollen, but it's not a ghastly sight anymore... well, it is, but just not as ghastly. I am having lovely side effects from the extra zinc the nurse is having me take. My back began aching this week. That can go away! My skin is still as dry as ever. And the peeling that is starting to occur this week from baby Hez' birthday party several weeks ago, mixed with the Hooligan race the same day, it not exactly helping the dry skin.

     I had another nurse appt. this Friday. I gained another 2 pounds, which puts me at a total of 13. My nurse is very please with this, even though she told me she wanted me to gain anywhere from 11-15, and at this rate I will exceed the 15. But still, I won't be gaining much more than that at least, which is why she's still pleased I guess. Abby's heart rate was 148ish, which is normal (120-160 is good). My nurse has been very pleased with my pregnancy so far. Next time I see her she will do the next ultrasound to determine Abby's position. She said that usually around week 36 is when they begin dropping and stop flip flopping. Can't wait to see where Abby is; hopefully all will be well.

Progress:

Painting Abigail's Room

     This week has been great!
     A lot has been accomplished, thanks to our wonderful family!
     Last week was our last birthing class; I'm kinda bummed, but it also meant that our Saturday's will be freed up to get some things done around the house that need to be done in preparation for Abigail's arrival.
     For example, G's parents and sister, C, came up Friday night and we all went to sister S's play at the high school, The Bride of Brackenloch, which was wonderful, the students did such a great job! And then, early Saturday morning, they all came over for breakfast, and the girls helped me paint Abigail's room while the guys had a nice morning out on the town together.

     We were able to get three walls painted and the fourth wall mostly taped off and ready to paint stripes.
There were just a few dark spots on the wall that needed to be touched up with some white before we taped it and painted over it. And the fourth wall slants up, so there was no way we could reach the very top in order to tape the last stripe. Hopefully this week G will be able to help me reach the top and finish taping that off, and then I can get to painting the strips, and then the room will be fully painted!

     I am so happy with the gray that I ended up picking out! I was really nervous about the shade. I spent an hour in Ace hardware store on Thursday going through the stacks of papers looking for the perfect gray. How on earth is one supposed to tell what an entire room will look like from one tiny little 1x1 square on paper that is surrounded by other shades?! geez! Thankfully I just went with my gut, and picked out one, and it looks fabulous! It looks good with the lights on and off, which was a concern as well.

These were the shades it came down to. San Antonio Gray won!

Before: View from door

Before: View from closet

Here is Mama C and sister C getting started!

C taking care of cutting in around the door.

(We forgot to take off the vent, so we ended up getting a little paint on it, thankfully sister S came to the rescue and took it off and cleaned it for us!)

Sister S working the roller, while sister C cuts in from the floor.
Mama C busting out that wall!

These are the stripes that are taped off and almost ready to go. The post-its are to denote what stripes will be white, so that we would know where to put the tape, and then it will make it easier to paint the opposite stripes gray.

  

                

 Mama C touching up the small wall by the closet.
And the wall with the door is shown completely done. You can see the spot behind the door that needed to have a little touch up of white before we taped it off. That will be my job this week. Finish taping that wall off.

     Things went really well, and we took everyone out for the best pizza ever at Pizza Barn in Kernville afterwards to celebrate and say thank you! I am so grateful to them for helping! And yes, even though I'm not in the pictures, I promise I didn't make them do all the work, I helped out. I just needed to take pictures along the way for my mom who was at her Women's Retreat and was unable to make it up to help paint.

     Thank you family for all your help, I am truly indebted to you!

Nursery Update

     I haven't really had the opportunity to begin cleaning out the spare room, which will be Baby Girl's room here pretty soon. And it just hit me this morning how SOON soon really is! The long-term sub job I took in January pretty much exhausted me, and pretty much labeled me good-for-nothing in every other area. Thankfully, The Husband, has been gracious enough to slowly pick away at it. Every weekend he takes one of the numerous boxes we have lying around (The Husband is addicted to Amazon and buying EV-E-RY-THING through them, so needless to say, the box pile gets huge pretty quickly), and begins to pack little parts of the room away.

     He hasn't said anything about me NOT helping yet, I'm sure it's b/c he's super thrilled that I've been subbing like crazy the last two months. And while I have been enjoying subbing, and hope it continues, since I won't be able to sub like this next year, I do hope that every once in a while I get a couple days off so I can start really making some headway in that room.

     The responsibilities of being the Worship Leader at our church, and of just being a pastor's wife in general, means that many weekends and weeknights are full of practices, church events, visitation, etc. With Baby Girl coming at the end of June-ish, this means that I also am trying to fit in shopping days (in which I must drive to Bako b/c let's be real, this town ain't got much in the way of stores, ie: Target, Walmart, Michael's, etc), to get things for the shower and nursery, time to make any of the DIY projects I've decided I really want to do, the actual shower, I want to make an Ikea trip to get some little things for the nursery, repainting the crib, refinishing the dresser, and somehow I need to find time to clean up and haul everything currently in the room and find some place for it that does not exist, and then paint, and decorate Baby Girl's room... all in time for June. And ideally, it would be mostly done by the beginning of June b/c who knows when Baby Girl could come, and if she comes early for some reason, I def won't be spending a lot of time finishing her nursery.

     Holy cow, I don't think even I realized how much there really is to do to get everything ready for Baby Girl's arrival. Now that I am more aware, I better get on the ball here! I am not a really crafty person by any means, so I'm really excited to try to use this time to expand my own abilities and craftiness and make a little room for my girl that she will love. Not that she'll even know what's going on for a very long time, but hey, I gotta spend a lot of time in there, so I want to like it until she can appreciate it herself!

     The Husband and I have been given many items so far for Baby Girl, and we've purchased a couple as well. Check in later to see what we have so generously been given or lent when I post pictures of everything.

     On a lighter note:
     Here is an adorable nursery. I am doing gray and yellow as well, so I was really drawn to how this mom used the gray and yellow in her son's nursery. I really want to find that cover for the changing table pad, it's so cute! The pop of color from the one yellow wall really mixes things up! Enjoy!

Click here to see more of Baby Cragg's nursery.

Have a great week!
Much love, Meg

Nursery Finds

     I've been spending a lot of time on different websites this week, and the past few months really, trying to find nursery ideas. I pretty much have set exactly what I want to do, but since I haven't purchased anything yet, I'm still enjoying looking around for any new ideas that I just HAVE to incorporate into Baby Girl's room. Plus, if anything, it's helping me to really narrow down exactly what I want to do with her room. I'm getting really excited, b/c after a full month of long-term subbing, my paycheck will be here this week and I can start purchasing items for Baby Girl's room!

     I thought I'd post some pictures and links to some really cute nurseries and fun craft ideas that I've come across this week that I want to try adding to the nursery.

Blue Nurseries for Girls:

Lay Baby Lay

     This is one of the most adorable little girl nurseries I have seen! I LOVE the light blue. And of course, I'm in love with the gray accents she added. I love the antique touches. I love the collage of pictures. I am also in love with the really bold rug! I wish I had hard floors so that I could do a really bold rug like that.

ArtsyFarstyShopaholic

     I really like the light blue in this little girl's room as well. I find the bird mobile too adorable! And I've seen that Ikea light fixture in many a nursery lately, I'm thinking it would look really cute, but then we'd have no fan, and it can get pretty hot up here in the summer! You'd think living in the mountains would keep things pretty cool, but it's mountains smack dab in the middle of the desert, and it gets just as awful as Bakersfield!


Mobile Ideas:
     I really like this bird mobile, and I think it would look really cute with some of the extra scrapbooking paper I got for Baby Girl's shower invitations, however, I think it is a bit more intensive that what I have time or am capable of. I don't think I even have all the items necessary.
     I think what I'll do instead, b/c I think it would be fun to make something (I really am interested in making her nursery as personal as possible with hand made things from friends and family members), is to make this mobile. If you zoom in, you can see that all the pieces are actually different shapes, which is even cuter. Here is a picture of one very similar that my friend H made for her son. It's so cute, and she makes it seem so doable!


Misc:

Omar the Owl and Barn Owl

Elephannie's Etsy Store

Artocrat's Etsy Store

Zeppi Prints Etsy Store

     I absolutely LOVE these DIY Pom Poms. The top one is made out of T-Shirts, and the bottom of Fabric. Many nursery pics I've looked at have had similar pom poms hung above the crib as a mobile, or above the changing table, in a corner of the room above the rocking chair, etc. I think I might attempt the bottom one b/c I really like the fabric I'm getting for Baby Girl's room, and I have been trying to figure out a unique way to incorporate it. I was going to frame the fabric, but I have found some cute paper and way too many prints that I want. I need to make sure the room doesn't look like a collage barfed all over it.

What do you think? Anything catch your eye?