Week 37

 

Liam is the size of: a winter melon

 

 

At 37 weeks our baby boy:

-is full term!!! This means he has developed his most crucial functions.

-he's busy practicing skills for life outside the womb.  He is practicing inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping, and blinking.

-he is even starting on his first bowel movement this week

 

 

Sleep:

Same as usual.  I still hate it. The contractions (don't worry they are fake) come at night, which makes me extremely uncomfortable.  At night I lay on my left side and drink lots and lots of water.

 

 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Braxton Hicks contractions, nesting, urge to pee, and lightening (this is when the baby drops and it sure brings on a lot of sudden/sharp pain!).

 

 

Movement:

He doesn't move as much, but he is definitely still very active and strong. My stomach will rock and roll when he is awake.  In the middle of the week it was around 1PM and I realized I hadn't felt him all day. This concerned me.  I started counting my kicks.  When I do this I lay on my left side, and I'm looking for 10 kicks in 2 hours. Well after 30 minutes I felt nothing and fell asleep. (Ooops!) Once I woke up I decided it was time to drink water and see if that would wake him up, nothing. We had cupcakes in the house from Greg's birthday so I took a big spoonful of icing. This did the trick! I felt 10 kicks within 15 minutes.  I'm pretty sure he will be a kid that can't ever have sugar.

 

 

How I'm Feeling:

I'm checked out! It's time for him to come.

 

 

Best Moments of the Week:

-We celebrated Greg's 33rd birthday!!! Yikes, he is old. :)

-Nesting took a whole new meaning this week.  My house has never been so organized or clean.  I usually clean right before we go on vacation.  This drives Greg nuts! I consider having a baby like a very LONG vacation.  My house won't be clean/organized again for at least 7 years.

-We had our 37th week doctor's appointment.  Unfortunately, there was no progress in our dilation.  The doctor estimated he is weighing in at around 7 pounds.

-We settled in on a daycare.  Well actually, two! Long story short, our nanny quit on us a week or two ago.  Since then I have been busy calling daycare centers and in-home daycares and going on tours.  We really liked two daycares near us.  He is on the waiting list at one, and signed up to start in October at another. We feel really good about our decision.  We will go on a final tour of both places before he begins in October. If you are a person who hates daycare, please don't tell us about it.  Babies survive daycare everyday. I survived 11ish years of it!





Maternity Photos

We haven't officially been given our maternity photos yet, but here are some that she featured on her blog.  I can't wait to see them all.

Personally, I think KC could become a model! :)

 

We took her off her leash for the family photo on the bridge and she of course ran away.  I'm pretty sure she was trying to find a way into the water.  Our photographer, Stephanie, brought a squeaky toy to get her to look. All KC wanted to do was attack her.  Then, I told Stephanie about her favorite word (ball) and it worked like a charm. 



Week 35 and Week 36

So I may have forgotten about week 35.  At this point in my pregnancy I decided I'm done and it's time for him to come out. To bad, so sad. I still have 5 weeks of this belly AND heat! UGH!!!

Someone is excited to meet her little brother.  Or someone is excited for this huge belly to go away so she can cuddle with her mom again!

 

 

Liam is the size of: a coconut and then a honeydew

 

 

 

At 35 weeks our baby boy:

-has fully developed hearing.  He responds best to high pitch noises

-at this point his testes have descended (too much information for the world, sorry Liam)

 

 

 

At 35 weeks our baby boy:

-is getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on his own

-his skin is becoming smooth and soft

-his liver and kidneys are in working order

-immune system is pretty much good to go

 

 

Sleep:

I can honestly say I would rather do anything BUT sleep. I hate sleeping.  Once I'm asleep I'm fine.  But getting in bed is the worst thing in the world.  As soon as I get situated I have the sudden urge to pee. So then Greg literally has to push me out of bed while I grab on to the bed post to pull myself up.  I have ZERO stomach muscles and sleep is just awful.  Luckily I sleep with about 6 pillows that surround my body, oh and a 70 pound dog! :)

 

 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

I would say my number one symptom would be nesting and the sudden urge to pee at all times of the day. During my 36th week I started having contractions.  They lasted for a day and were so far apart that I knew they wouldn't result in a baby.

 

 

Movement:

I'm feeling strong movements. I can tell he has no room to go anywhere.  I feel feet pushing out the side of my stomach, at least I think they are feet.  Some of the movements will literally take my breath away. He always moves after I eat and is the first thing I feel when I wake up in the morning. 

 

 

How I'm Feeling:

I'm feeling great! I'm excited to meet this little guy.  I can't wait to see what/who he looks like. A part of me wishes me would have paid extra money to get the 3D ultrasounds, but I'm thinking the wait will totally be worth it.

 

 

Best Moments of the Week:

- We are officially ready for his arrival.  Bags are packed, room is ready, clothes/blankets are washed, car seat is installed.  Now we just need a baby! KC even has a hospital bag packed.  Our wonderful neighbors said they would keep her for as long as we needed them to.  She loves it there and will have a great time on "vacation!"

-We had our maternity photos taken at the beginning of week 36.  We had to reschedule them FOUR times due to rain. At the end of our session it started down pouring, we made it just in time.

-We had our 36 week doctor appointment.  Liam has officially flipped. I still don't 100% believe it but I will take their word on it. He is now clear to come on his own, no planned C-section.

-At our 36 week doctor appointment I was checked and I have officially started the labor process. I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They said he is bigger than the average baby, but not alarmingly big.  If he makes it the full 40 weeks the doctor estimates he will be well over 8 pounds. She doesn't think he will make it the full 40 weeks. We are now on weekly appointments!

 



Officially 9 months pregnant

 

 

My belly button could literally have it's own zip code.

 

2 months vs. 9 months

 



Nursery - sneak peek

For the past year the nursery has been the junk room. I wish I had a before picture, because I'm pretty impressed we cleared it out and found a home for all our "junk." It now looks like a nursery.

We were really lucky to have a crib and changing table donated to us.  Not only did it save us lots of money, but they were the inspiration of Liam's room. I love the color lime green.  It is randomly throughout our house so it's just perfect that the crib is also lime green.

I may not have had Pinterest for my wedding, but it sure came in handy for decorating the nursery.  I got so many ideas and I was pinning away for months. Here are some of the ideas I had for our nursery.

 

The colors for Liam's room are line green, gray, white, and touches of blue.

 

I will do the full reveal once we hang up curtains and picture frames on the wall.  We are getting there.  Unfortunately, this is the part that I hate the most.

 

 





Week 34

 

 

 

Liam is the size of: a butternut squash.

 

At 34 weeks our baby boy:

-is recognizing and reacting to songs

-he is urinating a pint a day

 

 

Sleep:

Still sleeping fine. The same couple who gave us their crib also gave us a bunch of other things.  One item was this:

 

I had no idea what it was for the longest time.  Turns out it's not for the baby and is actually for me! A pregnancy wedge, genius! I love sleeping with this thing, it helps support my growing belly.

 

 

 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

nesting, swelling (I had to take off my wedding rings this week), hands/feet falling asleep, crazy pains in my left leg while sleeping, braxton hicks contractions, charlie horses in the middle of the night, etc. etc. etc. Nothing too crazy or painful.

 

 

Movement:

I would think he is growing out of room, but he is still moving strong. He also still loves hanging out on the right side.  If I had to guess I bet he is going to be a righty.

 

 

How I'm Feeling:

Excited! Nervous! I love having the summer off and being able to do stuff when I have energy, and relax when I need to.

 

 

Best Moments of the Week:

-brought the pack and play in our bedroom (where he will sleep for awhile)

-set up the swing

-picked up the rocker for his nursery, LOVE it!

-finished up the nursery, except for curtains and artwork on the wall

-had our 34 week doctor appointment. The doctor seems to think he has flipped but I'm not buying it.  I see him stretching across my stomach.  If I had to guess I would say he is laying across my stomach.  We will find out for sure at 36 weeks.

-celebrated the 4th of July with a Durham Bulls baseball game and fireworks

-didn't go into labor. We had a scare on Wednesday (7/3) of this week.  I was cramping really bad.  The cramps were low and growing more and more painful.  They were so strong I couldn't even stand up.  I called the doctor and they said I needed to chug water and lay on my left side.  If this didn't help my next option was the hospital. The water didn't make them go away but I was able to stand and feel some relief.  Since then I have been drinking 100+ ounces of water a day.  This has kept the cramping to a minimum and I feel so much better. **We are excited to meet him, but not at 34 weeks!**



Virtually Amazing...

In June, Greg and I were given a virtual shower by Aunt Erin and Cousin Becky! We weren't able to come up to New York so they invited a bunch of family and friends over to celebrate Liam.  We were sad we couldn't be there, but luckily technology is amazing these days.  We face timed them and were able to say hi and talk with everyone at the party. Pretty neat, huh?

 

The lovely hosts!

 

 

 

 

 

 



It was so nice of them to throw a shower.  What a thoughtful and creative thing for them to do.  Erin and Becky are the ultimate party planners in the family.  It's always a good time when they put something together, even if you are states away. Thank you!! We love you both! (all three of us)


They did a great job decorating and had lots of yummy food.  Greg and I were a little jealous of all the yummy things they were enjoying.

 

 

A piggy bank that everyone signed.  Love that idea!

I died laughing when I saw this. What a fun favor.

 

They even decorated onesies for him to wear. 

 

 



Liam is so loved already.  We can't wait for him to meet everyone.



Week 33

 

8 months?? Yikes!!!

Technically we are 8 months 1 week.

 

 

Liam is the size of: a durian....uhhh say what???

 

 

At 33 weeks our baby boy:

-has his eyes open when he is awake

-may grow up to a full inch this week

-has bones that are hardening

-is starting to coordinate breathing, sucking, and swallowing. Sounds like a genius to me! 

 

 

 

Sleep:

I have overtaken Greg's pillow this week, sorry babe! I use his pillow for my belly, my legs, and just to squeeze in the middle of the night. I'm sleeping fine, but I just needed some extra comfort.

 

 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Tired, hands and feet are constantly falling asleep, nesting, small bladder (this is no joke!)

 

 

Movement:

Still moving strong! I have some big movements.  My favorite is when I can feel arms and/or legs moving across my stomach.  Not sure what they are but I can't wait to see this squirmy guy.

 

 

How I'm Feeling:

Great! I wasn't sure if I was lucky or unlucky being due in August.  I'm now certain this is the perfect time to have a baby.  I can't imagine going to work and then coming home and getting things ready for him.  I would be so tired. I'm enjoying my last summer of freedom! I have a feeling that next summer will be even better!

 

 

Best Moments of the Week:

-Finally finished our birth classes.  We are ready to have a son?? Sure!