Baby might come this week??

Just had my weekly doctor's appointment. They decided to check my cervix - I'm 100% effaced and 3cm dilated! Wow! At my last check on 9/4 I was only 20% effaced and 1cm dilated. Looks like I've made some progress. :) I guess those sharp pelvic pains I've been getting are kind of a good thing?

The doctor thinks that the baby will be here sometime this week. He had me make another appointment for Friday, but he thinks I'll most likely have to cancel it. I hope so. I'm excited but I'm also scared. I've been getting worried lately and asking myself "Can I do this??" or "Am I really ready for this?" I'm sure I wouldn't be the first new-mom to feel that way. I just pray that things go well and we have a healthy baby boy with no complications for him or myself!

38 weeks today!

Officially 38 weeks today! 2 weeks to go until our baby's due date. This has really flown by! This whole year has. I can't believe we're so close already. Baby could come anytime. I've been feeling a bit anxious lately mainly because I have no idea when baby is coming and I've never done this before. I guess it's more like a fear of the unknown. I'm afraid to go out anywhere by myself because I'm worried that something might happen. (ex: "what if my water breaks at the grocery store??") lol I also don't think I should be out shopping by myself mainly because I don't want to hurt myself lifting heavy-ish things, etc..

I had a dream last night that we were at home with the baby and I was changing his diaper. It's just kind of surreal to me that we'll soon be a family of 3. I kind of feel like once the baby is born I'll be like "ok...what do I do now??". I know my hubby & parents will be here to help me but it is a bit scary when you've never done this before and now you're responsible for the life of a little helpless human being. <3 I guess that's when motherly instinct kicks in?

According to babycenter.com:
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she is over 19 1/2 inches long (about the size of a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Baby is the size of a pumpkin :) Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.

How far along?     38 weeks
Total weight gain:   ~41 lbs

Maternity clothes?   maternity pants and tops.
Sleep:     waking up 2-4 times per night
Miss Anything?      being able to get off the couch or out of bed without feeling like a turtle stuck on its back.
Movement:    All the time. It hurts sometimes when baby pokes me in the ribs & pelvis.
Food cravings: I always want sweets.. don't know if I'd call it a craving, though.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope!
Labor Signs:   no "real" labor signs yet, but I'm having frequent Braxton Hicks contractions
Symptoms:    acid reflux, some ankle swelling, low back pain, sharp pelvic pains when baby presses down, headaches
Belly Button in or out?   in...but it's getting smaller!
Wedding rings on or off?   on.. my wedding ring is too big for me anyway. I have a plastic sizer thing on it but it's leaving a little dent in my finger
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Kind of moody lately
Looking forward to:     finishing the nursery, meeting our little boy!

37 weeks. Full term!!

Well, I'm officially full-term! My last appointment was 9/4/13. The doctor said I was 20% effaced and 1cm dilated. Having a lot of back pain and menstrual-like cramps lately. 

According to babycenter.com: 
Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (about the size of a bunch of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Per the bump.com, baby is the size of a winter melon. (Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.)

How far along?     37 weeks
Total weight gain:   ~40 lbs

Maternity clothes?   maternity pants and tops.
Sleep:     waking up 2-4 times per night
Miss Anything?      just being able to do things I used to be able to do without struggling! Can't really bend over anymore... and I literally have to "roll" out of bed in the morning.
Movement:    All the time. It hurts sometimes when baby pokes me in the ribs & pelvis.
Food cravings: I always want sweets.. don't know if I'd call it a craving, though.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope!
Labor Signs:   no "real" labor signs yet, but I'm having frequent Braxton Hicks contractions
Symptoms:    heartburn, ankle swelling, exhaustion, back pain, occasional round ligament pain, right knee numbness/nerve problems, sharp pains in my pelvis
Belly Button in or out?   in...but it's getting smaller!
Wedding rings on or off?   on.. my wedding ring is too big for me anyway. I have a plastic sizer thing on it but it's leaving a little dent in my finger
Happy or Moody most of the time:   tired!
Looking forward to:     finishing the nursery, starting my maternity leave, and meeting our little boy!

36 weeks! 4 weeks to go!

Well, I'm 36 weeks today. 1 more week until baby is full term. I'm getting frequent Braxton Hicks contractions.. so maybe baby will come sooner than the 27th. My ultrasound last week said that the gestational age (based on ultrasound) was close to 37 weeks (and I was almost 35 weeks at the time).. so maybe he will come soon! I really hope so.

I'm just so tired and cranky lately. I'm ready to have this baby!!

According to babycenter.com:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his 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 his first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

Baby is as big as a honeydew melon!

How far along?     36 weeks
Total weight gain:   ~39 lbs

Maternity clothes?   maternity pants and tops.
Sleep:     getting worse lately.. waking up 2-4 times per night.. just overheated!
Miss Anything?      just being able to do things I used to be able to do without struggling! Can't really bend over anymore... and I literally have to "roll" out of bed in the morning.
Movement:    All the time. It hurts sometimes when baby pokes me in the ribs & pelvis.
Food cravings: I always want sweets.. don't know if I'd call it a craving, though.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope!
Labor Signs:   no "real" labor signs yet, but I'm having frequent Braxton Hicks contractions
Symptoms:    heartburn, ankle swelling, exhaustion, backache, occasional round ligament pain, right knee numbness/nerve problems, sharp pains in my pelvis (baby is pressing his head on my cervix?)
Belly Button in or out?   in...but it's getting smaller!
Wedding rings on or off?   on.. my wedding ring is too big for me anyway. I have a plastic sizer thing on it but it's leaving a little dent in my finger
Happy or Moody most of the time:   a bit irritable
Looking forward to:     finishing the nursery, starting my maternity leave! (that can't come soon enough) oh.. and having this baby!!
 

35 weeks today! (only 5 weeks / 35 days to go!)

I had an ultrasound yesterday. Baby is measuring around 6lbs 10 oz. He had his hands over his face so they couldn't get a good profile shot. They said he has a lot of hair so I guess that explains all the heartburn!
I can't believe I only have 5 weeks to go! I can't wait to have this baby. I'm scared to death of labor and I know it's only temporary......but it's just a fear of the unknown. I've never done this before. I just hope I can make it through this. I already have my "hospital bag" mostly packed. I want to be prepared as much as I can.

I ordered a couple baby things on Amazon yesterday (crib mattress, changing pad cover). We still have quite a few things that we need to get (baby monitor, etc..)

Anyway, according to babycenter.com:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (about the size of a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

According to thebump.com, baby is the size of a coconut:

Average size: 17.2-18.7 inches, 4.2-5.8 lb.

How far along?     35 weeks
Total weight gain:   ~37 lbs (I'm actually down .2 lbs from last week)

Maternity clothes?   maternity pants and tops.
Sleep:     getting worse lately.. waking up 2-4 times per night.. just overheated!
Miss Anything?      just being able to do things I used to be able to do without struggling! Can't really bend over anymore... and I literally have to "roll" out of bed in the morning.
Movement:    All the time. It hurts sometimes when baby pokes me in the ribs & pelvis.
Food cravings: I always want sweets.. don't know if I'd call it a craving, though.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope!
Labor Signs:   no.. but I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions.
Symptoms:    heartburn, some ankle swelling, exhaustion, backache, occasional round ligament pain, right knee numbness/nerve problems, sharp pains in my pelvis (baby is pressing his head on my cervix?)
Belly Button in or out?   in...but it's getting smaller!
Wedding rings on or off?   on.. my wedding ring is too big for me anyway. I have a plastic sizer thing on it but it's leaving a little dent in my finger
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Lately, happy.. occasionally irritable, though.
Looking forward to:     finishing the nursery, starting my maternity leave! (that can't come soon enough) oh.. and having this baby!!
 

34 weeks

Well, as of today I'm 34 weeks + 2 days. Not feeling too bad today. I had my maternity photo session yesterday so that was fun :) I can't wait to see the photos!! I hope they turned out good.
We finally put up the crib & changing table. We just need to get a couple things (dresser, bookcase, etc..) before the nursery is complete!

Well, 6 weeks to go until we meet our baby boy. We're still 99% sure that we're naming him Lucas. I really like the alternate spelling "Lukas" much better but after thinking things through.... Lucas is better, I guess (easier to write in cursive, easier to find items with his name on it, etc...) But seriously, so many things nowadays can be customized.. I guess that isn't a big issue.  As far as writing in cursive, if he goes by his nickname (Luke) he'll be writing the "k" anyway.... We really need to figure this out!

Which one??
Lukas Edward Menzel  
OR
Lucas Edward Menzel

We're pretty sure we're going with the middle name Edward because both of our dads have the middle name Edward.

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. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his 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.

Baby is the size of a butternut squash (thebump.com)

How far along?     34 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain:   ~37 lbs

Maternity clothes?   maternity pants and tops.
Sleep:     getting worse lately.. waking up 2-4 times per night.. just overheated.
Miss Anything?      just being able to do things I used to be able to do without struggling! Can't really bend over anymore... and I literally have to "roll" out of bed in the morning. lol
Movement:    All the time. It hurts sometimes when baby pokes me in the ribs & pelvis.
Food cravings: I always want sweets.. don't know if I'd call it a craving, though.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope!
Labor Signs:   no
Symptoms:    heartburn,some ankle swelling, exhaustion, backache, occasional round ligament pain, right knee numbness/nerve problems, sharp pains in my pelvis (baby is pressing his head on my cervix?)
Belly Button in or out?   in...but it's getting smaller!
Wedding rings on or off?   on.. my wedding ring is too big for me anyway (I have a plastic sizer thing on it) but it's leaving a little dent in my finger
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Angry...I can't help it! I've just been getting frustrated so easily. I'm sure it's a combination of things (hormones, lack of sleep, etc..)
Looking forward to:     finishing the nursery, having my ultrasound on 8/22, starting my maternity leave! (that can't come soon enough)

33 weeks! 7 weeks to go!

I'm officially 33 weeks today. 7 weeks (49 days) to go! My next ultrasound appointment is on 8/22 and I can't wait! The nursery is almost done! The painting is finished and the moldings are installed. We just have to steam clean the carpet. I can't wait to put the crib up and start decorating the room. I want to get a dresser and a bookcase and we still need to buy curtains, etc.. How exciting. :)

I found out that a girl I work with, who was also pregnant, just had her baby (she was due 1 week before me). She & the baby are doing well. But now I'm the only one left! lol I just wonder if I'll go early, on time, or late!

Per Babycenter.com: 
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark (about the size of a pineapple). He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Baby is the size of a durian fruit (or pineapple):

 I've never actually seen a durian fruit... and I don't think I'd ever want to try one after reading up on it!

How far along?     33 weeks
Total weight gain:   34 lbs

Maternity clothes?   maternity pants and tops.
Sleep:     getting worse lately.. waking up 2-4 times per night.. just overheated.
Miss Anything?      just being able to do things I used to be able to do without struggling! Can't really bend over anymore.
Movement:    All the time. It hurts sometimes when baby pokes me in the ribs & pelvis.
Food cravings: I always want sweets.. don't know if I'd call it a craving, though.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope!
Labor Signs:   no
Symptoms:    acid reflux everyday, some ankle swelling, exhaustion, headache, backache, occasional round ligament pain, right knee numbness/nerve problems
Belly Button in or out?   in...but it's getting smaller!
Wedding rings on or off?   on.. my wedding ring is too big for me anyway, so I don't think I'll ever have to take it off!
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy! :D
Looking forward to:     finishing the nursery, setting up the crib & changing table, my ultrasound on 8/22, & booking my maternity photo session! :D

 

Baby has the hiccups right now. :) Kinda funny.