38 Weeks

My dear grandfather Koos passed away on Monday morning. He was at peace and resting comfortably. I really thought he might make it to meet Chloe... but it was not in God's timing. One life ends and another begins... it really is that way. I know he and my grandma are looking down on me. The funeral home is tomorrow from 3-8 at Duskas by church and then the funeral is thursday morning. I don't think it has really hit any of us or will until all that formality starts tomorrow and then is over next week, especially for his dear children (my mother, uncle, and aunt) who have been tirelessly caring for him for the last 10 months, and for my grandmother for the last year or two before that. Papa I will miss you so much. I wish I had had more conversations with you and we had known each other even better. You were incredible! You and grandma touched SO many lives its unbelievable! Give grandma hugs and kisses for me in heaven. I miss her so much.

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38 Weeks

Your baby has really plumped up, weighing close to seven pounds and measuring 20 inches long. (like 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. Fetal development is nearly complete as your baby tends to a few last-minute details like shedding the skin-protecting vernix and lanugo. He's also producing more surfactant, a substance that prevents the air sacs in his lungs from sticking to one another once he starts to breathe.

Meanwhile, your body is tending to its own final touches before the big day, one of which is getting that milk machine up and running. For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can.

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wait wait wait. that is where my mind is. patience. enjoy it. take every day to the fullest. spend time in quiet rest now. pay attention to chloe and her movements. she is with you now. these are all things I tell myself.

Here is me, Chloe & my belly at 38 weeks. I kind of hope this is the last stomach shot I take! The big bump where my stomach really juts out at the top of the bump above the doorknob is her butt and feet. They are often shifting, coming out at weird angles and pushing. It is such an odd sensation and looks craaazy from up above. She is very strong and her body does things I don't understand! I am just along for the ride it seems :)

37.5 Week Appt & Sonogram... + Papa

We had an exciting appointment yesterday, got to see an ultrasound of Chloe where they 1) confirmed yes she is a girl! said 2) everything looked great and she passed with flying colors 3) estimated her weight around 7 lbs!!! That is so hard to believe, I have a full size infant inside me. She is right on track for almost 38 weeks at that weight. We then did a non stress test where we got to listen to around 30 solid minutes of her heart rate, and that was exciting and fun, especially when it would speed up and get louder when I would laugh, move around, etc. My mom got to come too and meet one of my midwives which I know was really great for her. We got to see just a small glimpse of Chloe's face which was just a heavenly moment for me. It was hard to make out but what I saw was so beautiful.

While doing the non stress test, we called over to my Papa's house, and they put the phone up to his ear so he could hear Chloe's heart beat... I got to tell him I loved him over the phone, and we were all crying. It was a precious moment, and unfortunately the most contact he might get to have with his great grand child. Things have turned on a dime so fast, they are already to the "we are just trying to keep him pain free and comfortable"-stage. They moved him into his hospital bed in his room for the duration of his days... not sure how much longer that will be, but we aren't sure if he'll make it through the weekend. This is all so crazy... the timing of it, the emotion of it, the sadness and joy all at the same time. I seriously am all over the place. I feel good, then numb, then freaked out and panicky, then I just cry and cry while bouncing on an exercise ball trying to prepare for my first child's birth.

I'm sorry for all the emotions in this post. It is an intense intense month. That's all I can say!

At this stage, it's pretty tough to make out really what is going on via sonogram pics because the baby is big, but this is Chloe's face though, sort of turned towards you - can see her nose, mouth and forehead. And by her mouth is her hand.

Here is her body, ribcage, heart, and head.

37 Weeks

This - is crazy - to see.... I've been watching this little chart since the beginning. I can't believe I'm already so close to the end of it. And yet it seems so far away too....


Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard(SWISS WHAT???). 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.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Crazy crazy times.

Yes, I'm very uncomfortable... yes I'm still in pain, and yes I'm getting giddy and excited, and yes I'm terrified at the same time. And all this is happening, preparing for this new life... and my grandpa is declining pretty quickly. We thought he might have more time then he does. We are just waiting on the Lord, trying to spend time with him - he is encouraged when his family is near him. Chloe was conceived the week after my grandmother died. If this all goes together like it looks like it might with Papa... I seriously will not know what to think. Pray for him and my family. It is looking to be an insane month!

anxious

It's probably not good that I'm already so anxious for Chloe's arrival. I'm SURE it will be at least 2 if not 3 more full weeks as she will most likely be born right around or after her actual due date of March 9. One of the girls from my birthing class had her baby yesterday and I am so jealous!!! I just am so scared but so excited at the same time. I want to meet her! Yet I want her to remain safe and cozy and healthy as long as she needs to. I need to start praying daily for her safety and for her delivery. I think I get so wrapped up in other things that I forget about this sometimes. I must must must put my faith and trust in the Lord at this point.

36 weeks & appt

36 Weeks!
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her 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 her 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 she's in a head-down position.
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Had an appt with my midwife today. They did the strep b swab and I'll find out about that. I had a sonogram of my upper abdominal organs last week - a few things were slightly enlarged but they thought it was pregnancy-related and nothing to worry about. My blood pressure was just a TINY bit high at the beginning of this appt, but by the end it was totally fine. Chloe was head down curled around with her back to my left and her feet somewhere in the right of my abdomen. So cute... I love how professionals can tell where the baby is and can feel the different portions!

I also got some awesome news - my midwives want to do a sonogram/biophysical profile and non-stress-test on me at my next appt becuase of my asthma. They aren't worried, they just want to make sure things are on track. And Peggy said "I just am curious about how much this little girl weighs!" SO AM I! And the thing is I didn't even ask. So, I'm kind of glad I had asthma cuz I get an extra sono. is that terrible to say? probably. I'm literally giddy right now at the thought of seeing any of my baby again - even if it's just a foot. It's been so long!!!

Symptom wise, pain is the same in my abdomen/ribs - pretty rough at times, still have avoided taking the pain medication. I feel like a whale and I almost fell over at the doctor's today getting off the scale (which I for ONCE didn't GAIN any weight in a week which was good cuz I've been packing on the pounds). I am having some slightly painful twinges in my pelvis which is normal, bladder is crazy crazy as usual, joints are loosening and I still think I'm getting some Braxton Hicks contractions, occasionally. Brian couldn't make it to this appt but I think it was a-ok. My mom wasnts to come to the next one to meet my midwives. haha.

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE SO CLOSE!!!

chloe's nursery so far

I put these on facebook already but wanted to get them here.

Here is the orange wall with cute new lightswitch cover we were given (love it) and her abundance of stuffed animals (all presents!). The drawer is filled with onesies, and these are only from basically 0-3 months, some 3-6 but they still look super tiny to me. I have been very blessed with clothes... as you'll see in next pictures.

This is the shelf in the closet with hooded towels, wash cloths and receiving blankets. I know it won't stay this neat, but I can dream :-)

Here is the beautiful closet! We love it!!! I am so happy, it is like the epitomy of nesting if I ever saw it. Preparing, washing and folding all this has been therapeutic/exhausting for me at the same time.

Here is the wall mural my father and I painted today. It is based off the crib bedding, JJ Cole, PInk Craze. I wanted something big, graphic and fun but still girly and lighthearted. So I just took the flowers on the bedding and worked with them, creating a design in ILlustrator an d projecting on the wall. It was not easy to paint, took at least 3 coats on each of the flowers to get them thick, perfect enough.

Another view of the mural on the wall and her crib/changing table!

I will be 36 weeks on Tuesday. Things are so crazy in my head right now. I feel so ready and so not ready at the same time - but mostly I just can't wait to meet my child!!! It's just around the corner... the pregnant girls from my shower are starting to tick off the list, 2 out of 5 have had their babies, one more then I'm next. Crazy crazy crazy life!

I'm still in pain, no change there - stopped doing chiropractic because it wasn't helping me. Since I stopped I will say my pelvic/groin pain has actually improved. Not sure if the adjustments might have actually been irritating my sensitive bones/muscles instead of helping. I've been working in bed a lot during the day. I really need to get my taxes done and some business things sorted out in the next 2 weeks so I can put it behind me and focus on the baby when she is born. They gave me a sonogram of my upper abdominal organs to see if there was anything weird going on there, but I don't think they will find anything. I didn't get to see the baby in that sono though, so I was thoroughly disappointed. I know in a few weeks it will be a moot point since I"ll be looking at her in person, but still... it's such a mystery!!!

Also, I feel like a whale. Seriously. And people are starting to say "you look like you're going to pop" to me, which is both exciting and insulting at the same time. Oh I also got "she's never going to make it to March 9 with how she's carrying that baby and how she's walking" -- it's so weird... I don't see myself as waddling, etc, but I guess I am...lol.... but people need to understand we as pregnant ladies don't really have much control over how we carry the baby and how big we get (aside from how much we're eating). I seem to be a bit torpedo-ish... and I can't help it! And I still have a month to go till my due date, and she could put on 2 more lbs during that time. hhhollly crap!!!

aaaaah