Due Date!

Today is my due date! I made it! Back around 36-37 weeks I was having so much cramping that I never thought I'd make it to my due date. I thought I'd deliver sometime in the 39th week easily. But here I am!

Today I woke up the most uncomfortable I've been yet. My joints hurt, and all of them! Even my fingers hurt to bend them! I feel like I have a pinched nerve in my right leg, in the upper thigh where the inside would meet the pelvic area. I'm wondering if the baby moved again. Quite possibly.

Other than the physical pains that are setting in, I'm doing just fine. Hanging in there. I'm waiting and anxiously wondering when this baby is going to make an arrival.

We got our emergency plumbing issues taken care of yesterday, the house is clean, so we just have to be patient. I'm doing just fine waiting. I've actually been enjoying my time off work and being around home. I've been cleaning periodically, getting a lot of reading done, making sure to rest my body since sleep at night is not happening these days. I'm guessing my hormones are keeping me up, along with my hourly trips to the loo, because I'm certainly not sleeping from lack of tiredness. My body is ready to rid itself of this extra person! I'm so fortunate that I didn't start having problems getting up and moving around or have pain until the last week or two. Up until then, it was all smooth sailing. Lucky me.

The Husband and I went out to a nice dinner tonight at the Thornapple Grill. We thought this could very well be our last dinner out before the baby. I also keep trying to tell the cats that pretty soon a baby is going to be joining them here. I'm not sure they get it. They still seem confused when they jump up in my lap when they can't curl up on my stomach like they used to. Soon enough, my fury friends. Soon enough. Although they may be competing for space with the baby, who is going to be getting tons of snuggle time with mama.

So here I sit. Baby Watch continues. It looks like I just may be getting an August baby after all!

39 Weeks, 5 Days, 13 Hours....

I really don't know if it's 13-hours, but it's definitely 39 weeks and five days of pregnancy for me. I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I am now at zero station. This baby's head is low. The drop must have just happened too, because I was feeling OK yesterday, but today, not so much. I feel like an 80-year old woman with arthritis. I'm waddling around, moving in complete slow motion. There is so much pressure. Wowie.



The doctor was unable to tell me how dilated or effaced I am, because the baby's head is in the way! She can't even get in there and get around the little bugger! The upside: She thinks my labor will be much shorter. Heck, this baby is practically out! I'm hoping I make it to the hospital in time!

The bad news for today. I found out my doctor is going to be out of town from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon. That's not all that good for a lady who is about to deliver. Luckily, her back-up is someone I've met with a couple of times, and both the Husband and I liked him. I guess at the point of delivery, does it really matter who catches the baby? It would be nice to have someone there who knows all my history and knows me though. Oh well. I can't dwell on things I cannot control.

More bad news for today. Last night the Husband found a leak in our basement. Our sewage pipe is evidently all backed up, and it cracked. Whenever someone would use our half bath, it would leak liquid sewage into our closet where all of my Christmas stuff is stored. I lost a couple of Christmas trees, and some decor, but all in all, at least we found the leak early. It had only been going on for a couple of a days. Really, with how often we use this closet, I'm thankful we didn't find a month's worth of leaking or have the pipe burst on us. How awful would that be? But still, not the stress I needed day(s) before delivery. Someone is looking at it today, and hopefully the problem will be solved very soon!

The baby watch continues.

Maternity Pictures

My friend, Christina, from Closer to the Heart Photography took maternity pictures for me at 32-weeks. Here are some of my favorites!

The Nursery

Before pictures when the nursery was our office. I probably shouldn't have waited until we had the room near empty before taking photos, but this is the gist of it.




AFTER:
Looking in from the hallway.



From inside the nursery:





After the baby is born, I have wooden letters from Hobby Lobby to hang above the crib to spell out the baby's name, along with some wall art for either a boy or girl from Babies R Us.


I found ribbon at Joann Fabric that matched the damask fabric in the crib bedding perfectly. It worked great as tiebacks for the sheers.


We were going for a gender neutral nursery since we don't know the sex of the baby. Hopefully I hit the target on that one. I started doing an owl and bird theme with the artwork. Birds are so hot right now. Kinda like Hansel.

Crib: Baby Mod by Million Dollar Baby from walmart.com
Dresser and Night Stand: Canopy from walmart.com
Mirror: Hobby Lobby
Window Sheers: Meijer
Flokati Rug: Overstock.com
Glider and Ottoman: Storkcraft from walmart.com
Paint: Sherwin Williams "Functional Gray"
Crib Bedding: Custom order from etsy seller fingers and toes
Alpha Birdies and Counting Birdies Artwork: From etsy seller Blue Finch Studios
Tree and Bird Decal: From etsy seller Janey Mac Press
Floating Shelves: homedepot.com
Ceiling Fan: Home Depot

Once I knew the furniture and decor I wanted to purchase, I kept my eye on the websites and stores for deals. Almost everything I purchased was on sale. It's a little tougher to score deals on custom orders and etsy purchases, but the rest you can definitely find sales, coupon codes and the like. If you have any questions about my nursery, please let me know!

Baby Shower

The Husband and I were thrown a beautiful baby shower at the Meijer Gardens on June 13. We were joined by our loving and generous family and friends. It was a top notch venue, and the service was wonderful. The hard part was finding a place to put all of the gifts we received! Baby gear takes up so much room!

The Existing Babies

These could be some of the last photos taken of the kitties before the baby arrives. I wanted to practice with a newer lens that we got before taking it to the hospital. These guys have always been the babies in the house. Things are about to change for everyone. Any day now...

36 Weeks

Car Seat Installation

Today we met with two representatives of Safe Kids, an affiliate of Helen DeVos Children's Hospital for assistance with our infant car seat. We got help from Jennifer and Amy who were absolutely wonderful. We got a ton of useful information, and had both car seat bases installed in two vehicles in less than an hour. We were shown how to use the LATCH system, and how to install a base using the seat belt. I'm really glad we went.

We learned things like keeping the harness straps at or below shoulder level, putting the harness clip at armpit level and using the pinch test to ensure that shoulder straps are snug.

I would highly recommend a visit to Safe Kids if you need any assistance with any type of car seat. The staff is incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable!

Our car seat is a Graco Snugride in Platinum. So far it seems quite easy to use. It's one of the top rated infant seats. It's also on the lighter side weight wise, which is a huge bonus for me. The seat has front adjusting straps - so anyone in the market for a new seat might want to consider that. We scored an awesome deal at diapers.com.

My Timeline and Milestones

Month One (Weeks 1-4)

Week 1: October 30, 2009
Week 2: November 6, 2009
Week 3: November 13, 2009
Week 4: November 20, 2009
*Found out we were having a baby on Thursday, November 26, 2009.

Month Two (Weeks 5-8)

Week 5: November 27, 2009
Week 6: December 4, 2009
Week 7: December 11, 2009
Week 8: December 18, 2009

Month Three (Weeks 9-13)

Week 9: December 25, 2009
Week 10: January 1, 2010
Week 11: January 8, 2010
Week 12: January 15, 2010
Week 13: January 22, 2010
*January 8, 2010 heard baby's heartbeat for the first time by Doppler. Afterwards we told the world we were having a baby!

*January 19, 2010 had our first ultrasound and got to see a picture of the baby.

Month Four (Weeks 14-17)
Week 14: January 14, 2010
Week 15: February 5, 2010
Week 16: February 12, 2010
Week 17: February 19, 2010

Month Five (Weeks 18-22)
Week 18: February 26, 2010
Week 19: March 5, 2010
Week 20: March 12, 2010
Week 21: March 19, 2010
Week 22: March 26, 2010
*Had our halfway point ultrasound, and decided not to find out the sex of the baby on March 10, 2010.

Month Six (Weeks 23-27)
Week 23: April 2, 2010

Week 24: April 9, 2010
Week 25: April 25, 2010
Week 26: April 23, 2010
Week 27: April 30, 2010
*Started taking birthing classes on May 3, 2010.

Month Seven (Weeks 28-31)
Week 28: May 7, 2010
Week 29: Mary 14, 2010
Week 30: May 21, 2010
Week 31: May 28, 2010
*Failed my glucose screening and found out I have gestational diabetes on May 14, 2010. :-(
*Took a breastfeeding class on May 18, 2010.
*Took our Babymoon in Toronto over Memorial Day weekend.

Month Eight (Weeks 32-35)
Week 32: June 4, 2010
Week 33: June 11, 2010
Week 34: June 18, 2010
Week 35: June 25, 2010
*Maternity pictures on June 6, 2010.
*Family and friends shower at the Meijer Gardens on June 13, 2010.
*Growth ultrasound on June 15, 2010. Baby weighs approximately 5 lbs and has hair!
*Work shower on June 23, 2010.

Month Nine (Weeks 36-40)
Week 36: July 2, 2010
Week 37: July 9, 2010
Week 38: July 16, 2010
Week 39: July 23, 2010
Week 40: July 30, 2010
*Last day of work on July 8, 2010 - maternity leave begins!

____________

Weight gain to date: 21 pounds

Stretch marks: None

Feelings: Nervous! Excited! Unprepared. Uncertain. Delighted. Apprehensive. Joyful......emotional.
Words of wisdom: Never turn down a cupcake or a bathroom break.

Toronto

The Husband and I went to Toronto for our Baby Moon over Memorial Day. This was my second trip there; his first. I had gone once when I was a kid with my family. I didn't remember it at all though. We drove there from Grand Rapids, and took a few breaks along the way for restroom breaks and to stretch our legs. It's a pretty easy drive actually.

We stayed at the Westin Harbour Castle right on the water. We were able to secure a great nightly rate through Priceline, and on a U.S. holiday weekend too! I would recommend this hotel.

Here is a photo of us walking along the boardwalk on the harbor with the CN Tower in the background.


A shot from the hotel pool. They had an indoor pool which was really nice. Every afternoon after we'd walk around and site see all morning, we'd come back to the hotel and hang out at the pool for a bit to relax and cool off. It was in the 80's temperature wise and sunny. Does that ever happen on Memorial Weekend in our parts???

A picture from our table at Ki, which is modern Japanese sushi + bar. One of the most expensive meals we've had since our trip to Paris, and one of us wasn't even drinking. It was delicious though!

On Sunday of our trip we went to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Husband seemed to have a fabulous time. I thought it was neat too. Well worth seeing, since the Stanley Cup is there!

One last night shot of the city.

On the bridge back to Michigan!

I found Toronto a great city to visit. We were so impressed with how clean the city was. It was easy to get around too. We walked everywhere we wanted to go. Overall we spent the majority of our time just tooling around the city checking out sites, grabbing some great meals, and relaxing at the hotel. It was the perfect little getaway from the baby arrives!