I started this post a couple weeks ago, when I had realized it was APRIL when I last posted ANYTHING. Good grief.
When I started writing the post I was in my 38th week of pregnancy. Just a couple weeks away from meeting our newest little love.
Well...fast forward a couple weeks...and a couple days. I am now 40 weeks, 2 days, and in completely uncharted (for me) territory.
My sweet Linnea girl was right on time, textbook, and honestly the best labor and delivery I could ever imagine or ask for. You can read her birth story
here.
Anyways...with the exception of these last couple days, I've really been enjoying these last weeks of pregnancy. I feel like everyone asks very tentatively, "How are you feeling?" expecting the worst, but (again, with the exception of the last couple days) I've been feeling really well. I remember feeling like this with my pregnancy with Linnea. I felt so crummy for such a long time with both pregnancies, that it's such a relief to not feel that way! Yeah, I'm a little hot, sore, and have limited range of motion. But other than that - pretty good energy, sleeping fairly well, etc.
I reached the point a couple weeks ago where I just felt "done." When it hit July...and then when we were in single digits until my due date, I'm just ready. And now...2 days late...forget about it....it's SO hard to focus/be effective at much more than waiting for Baby Sister to arrive.
Work has been particularly hard. In my role, I support a specific group of students (anywhere from around 400-500 people at a given time). As I've talked to people this most recent quarter, I've told anyone I've connected with about my maternity leave. That's a lot of people. And while most people are really nice, and share kind words of congratulations, it does get quite old.
This week has been a totally different ballgame, and a million times more annoying. If I would have been done on Friday (as I had expected/hoped), it would have been AWESOME. It was our "quarter end" (our new quarter started on Monday), and my work load was finished up - wrapped up in a nice little bow.
But now...a weird place. The quarter has started. I had told all my student I wouldn't be here...but yet I am. My colleague who is taking over my workload while I'm gone has reached out to most of them...but yet I need to find something to stay busy. I'm (obviously) super distracted. That, and my very kind co-workers are swinging by to say hi, check on me, wish me well, etc. This is very kind, but I have a big team. Needless to say, not much is getting done.
I'm tempted to just say I'm done...but when I don't know how long it could be before baby comes, I don't want to start my maternity leave without a baby, as it would just cause me to lose time on the back end. So I continue to work.
Okay, enough complaining. It's really not so bad. I'm only 2 days past. People have been very nice, and I'm SO blessed to have a healthy pregnancy, a stable job with supportive co-workers, and an amazing group of family and friends who are supporting us.
Here's a more formal update, as I've been doing...let's hope that I've got a baby post soon!!!
Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. I am measuring bigger than I did with Linnea, so it's definitely mostly maternity clothes. Although I had mentioned in several posts on here that I hoped to buy a few more pieces, I never did. So now, I'm pretty limited in what I'm wearing.
I actually have a good handful of non-maternity shirts I can still wear. I'm quite short-waisted, and wear things a bit baggier usually, so it's nice to have those I can still wear.
Additionally, my work place does "casual summer," meaning we can wear jeans, and knee-length shorts all days of the week. This works quite nicely for summer pregnancies!!
Sleep: Sleep is touch and go. I've gotten through a lot of the really bad pregnancy insomnia that I mentioned last time. I'm still up generally about once a night - usually to go to the bathroom, sometimes just awake. But those are generally more short lived.
In these last few days I find it harder to make myself go to sleep - that's sort of silly...I guess it's kind of like a kid on Christmas Eve...just excited, and hard to settle down.
Rolling over is a bit ridiculous these days - it's crazy how much energy it takes me! Sometimes I'm a bit winded after getting situated. Uff.
Best Moment of the Week: Ha! This post is SO overdue, I'm needing to cover the best moments of the last couple months!
I have enjoyed continuing to feel better (for the most part). Especially since this may be my last pregnancy, I'm savoring all the kicks and movement from Baby Sister. Being pregnant is SUCH a unique, odd, amazing gift. I'm really trying to fully embrace and enjoy that (even in these last few days, which is much harder).
I've also enjoyed seeing Linnea's excitement grow. She talks/yells/sings to my belly quite regularly. Recently, she's been trying (quite hard) to convince her sister to come out - she makes up songs, talks kindly, and in one instance yelled, "Baby Sister, get out! You are SO big!!"
It will be SO fun to watch her become a big sister.
I've also enjoyed finally getting stuff "ready." We were so slow to get the rooms painted, furniture set up, clothes washed, etc. All of that is done now, and it makes me feel a lot more ready and relaxed (again...not so much in the last few days...but whatever.).
Movement: Overall, lots of movement. As I've said before, this babe is quite a mover. Big movement. Still sort of shy, in that it's hard to get her to move for other people. Jeromy has felt her a decent amount of times...usually as we're going to bed and are laying quietly for a bit.
In the last week or so, it seems like she's been moving less. It has made me a bit paranoid. I actually called the triage line earlier this week because I was a little nervous. They said everything sounded good, but just to be sure had me check kick counts. The nurse I talked to said I should feel 10 kicks in an hour or two at minimum. Well...I got 10 kicks in about 15 minutes. So I think we're good. I'm getting a little bit crazier each day that I go over...
Food Cravings: As I said last post, these have definitely leveled off. I've actually noticed that I have less of an appetite. I assume that's because I have less space in there for food. :-P
I'm still loving summery drinks - lemonade, iced tea/lemonade, etc.
Food Aversions: Nada, really. I've been eating pretty normally...just eating a little less.
Morning Sickness: Thank goodness this is far behind me! No sickness. If anything, I just need to be sure that I don't eat too much...because that can make my stomach hurt a bit.
Gender: Girl! So excited to have sisters! She's definitely been referred to almost exclusively as Baby Sister, though I'm pretty sure we've decided on a name for her. I can't wait to call her by her name!!
Symptoms: Do crabbiness and irritability count?? Physically, I actually continue to be okay. I feel big, of course, and a little sore/awkward, but nothing awful.
I've had bad swelling in my feet and ankles on and off. Usually my ankles and feet are awkwardly slender, but they have (at times) tripled their size...no joke. It comes and goes, but when it's bad, it's bad enough to cause me to get tingly/start to lose feeling.
I've had a little bit of acid reflux/heartburn, but not anything too offensive.
Thankfully, Baby Sister has dropped enough that I'm not dealing with the numbness under my boobs anymore.
What I miss: Ease of mobility, plain and simple. Especially with the heat this week, everything is harder...walking, stairs, taking care of Linnea, etc.
Also, the things mentioned previously..running/being active, a summery adult beverage, sleeping on my stomach, having clothes fit.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting this baby!!!! Hopefully very, very soon!
And now, some random bump shots...
38 weeks...
39ish weeks...how did she grow so much in just over a week??!
At a 4th of July parade...8 days away from due date
Approaching 40 weeks...
40 weeks, 1 day. SO READY!!!
