No one told me about...

these sharp shooting pains in the lady part area!  They come fast and without warning... OUCH!  Seriously, I can be walking across the room one minute and crossing my legs the next because of what feels like a needle jab down there.  Hoping someone can tell me this means baby is coming sooner than later!

We are pretty much in waiting mode around here.  The bags are packed, the car seat is installed and the names are (at least) narrowed down!  At 38 weeks, the birth stories keep rolling in.  I want to hear them and I don't want to hear them at the same time.  The only certainty is that every birth experience is unique! 

I'm also getting the "how to bring on labor" suggestions.  The most popular one is good 'ol fashioned.... bet you're thinking sex right now... nope, walking.  One of my co-workers said to spend a day at the mall this weekend and she assures me that will speed up the arrival time!  I'll consider any suggestions except for castor oil, no thank you!    

The next ob/gyn visit is Thursday.  Hoping he'll tell me things are continuing to progress.  I want this little boy to come on his terms but I'm so ready to move from the belly to birth to the baby... can't wait for that day to get here! 

The Nursery Tour!

A tour of the nursery for our little one! 

I think you can click on one of the pictures and the captions are easier to read.  My favorite parts are the white shelf made with love (and blood/sweat/tears) by PC and the mural.  We still have a few little things to do, like put his initials on the wall hangings (when we know the name!) and putting the monitor/mobile in the crib, but essentially we're just waiting to put this room to use!  It suits our lifestyle and we hope that this baby boy loves it too!

So Thankful

I'm thankful for so many things this holiday but especially for this little miracle baby on the way who is letting me know he is wide awake right now and ready for some turkey:] 
Last ob/gyn update- dialated to 1 cm!  I realize that could hold true for days but it's progress!  I have a friend IRL who reads our blog and thinks it would be very appropriate for a little Mac and PC baby to make an appearance on Cyber Monday, lol.  We'll take him anytime he's ready!  

I'm also thankful for the support that this blog community provides and for receiving the Liebster Blog Award from my friend Baby Hopes.  She is an incredibly talented writer and everything she's passionate about shines through as she shares her (very busy) life and journey to get to her babies in the months ahead.  Then, being the statistical analyzer she is, she defies IF statistics recently and conceives naturally... we still love her, lol:]  So many of us are thrilled about what the year ahead holds for her and can't think of anyone more deserving, so happy for you Baby Hopes! 

Spreading some Liebster Love on this holiday to some ladies who I'm very thankful for sharing their journey... they are in different places on the IF rollercoaster ride and they are strong, precious women who deserve nothing less than the best, which includes a baby (or two)!  :]

1.  China Doll     
2.  Foxy
3.  Marilyn
4.  Jen
5.  A Miracle 4 Us


Here's how to spread the Liebster Love:  

• Copy and paste the award on your blog
• Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you
• Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers

Third Trimester (or 36 1/2 weeks) Recap

Since I skipped the weekly updates... this is my improvising with the third trimester recap!  Even though I still have 2-3 weeks to go this is one of those things to get done while I can!  Latest ob/gyn update since we now go each week- negative on the strep B test (yay) and "softening, but baby still high and no dilation yet."  So glad the little guy turned back around into the right position!    

How far along: Weeks 28- 36 1/2- WOO-HOO! 

Symptoms:  Lower back pain, especially if I'm in the same position or sitting too long.  Stuffy nose at night and experiencing a little tightening or crampiness here and there.  Iron supplements= constipation=  hemorrhoids= :[ 

Baby Related Purchases:  We have been so blessed with all things baby through two showers from family/friends and one from my co-workers.  The majority of my co-workers gave money towards our travel system.  It is this one and we love it!  We have already been practicing, lol.

Maternity clothes:  I used to look at all of those medium maternity tops and think, will those really be snug in the coming weeks?  Snug... how about I've had to go buy more size large tops and I'm down to about 3-4 that actually fit!!!   

Sleep: Clockwork bathroom trips at 11:30 p.m., 12:30 a.m., 1:30 a.m., 2:30 a.m., and 4:30 a.m., any sleep revolves around those trips... thanks goodness for night lights and a hubby who always puts the seat down!

Best Moment of the Trimester:  The baby showers and feeling the love and support from friends and family who are almost as excited as we are to meet this little one!     

Strangest Moment:  Just looking in the mirror is strange and puts me in awe at the same time.  There is a little person in there and it's almost time for him to make his appearance to the world, so amazing.

Movement:  There are no longer kicks but all of a sudden a little foot will push out the left side of my belly or a little bottom will root up at the top of my belly, strange and so comforting at the same time.
  
Cravings:  Ice, Ice, Baby:]  I don't know if it's associated with the low iron, but I want ice chips all day long.  I had to go buy a bag of ice to put in our freezer at work and thank goodness our fridge has the built-in ice crusher.  Eating has slowed down to regular meals and normal portions but I do crave something sweet off and on through the day, unlike the first and second trimester. 

Gender:  BOY and we are running out of time to come up with a name! 

What I miss:  Things that used to be easy to do and having to rely on people so much.  I know they are happy to help but I'm so stubborn and independent that it's a little hard to accept sometimes.  I wish I would have taken pictures of me painting my toenails recently, what a sight!  Tried to use some yoga poses but that still didn't help with getting my hand and foot to meet around this baby belly!

What I am looking forward to:  The arrival of this baby as soon as he's ready... we're ready! 

Weekly (or Third Trimester) Wisdom:  This is wisdom that I'm saying to myself right now-- time to figure out how a breast pump works, read instructions on the car seat/base system and finish packing!

Milestones: Five days from full-term, truly a reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving holiday!

Sticky Bun is the size of: Guessing he is around 5 1/2- 6 lbs since the last ultrasound! 

Maternity pics & some randomness

A good friend helped PC and I remember this special time by taking some really sweet maternity pics and I wanted to share a few here.  I also need to share pics of the nursery and do a third trimester update soon... I need a blog "to do" list too:]  I have a cold that's turned pretty nasty and have had to take my first OTC medicine in this pregnancy.  Just thought I would share the dr.'s advice that zyr.tec, muc.inex, s.udafed and tyl.enol cold are all safe but if I had to take two of them, not to take two in the "d" form. I'm taking just the muc.inex d, but PC decided to take the dr.'s advice for his sinus issues as well and has had some great relief... he said "maybe it has finally taken an ob/gyn to help me" and we've been getting a good laugh from that.   

We went to the ob/gyn on Friday and will now be going each week until the birth!  I had the group B strep test (not painful, but not pleasant) and he did my first check down there and the report was "softening but nothing else going on and the baby is still high."  Dr. B said he would try to slow any labor down until full term but that he wouldn't be worried if we had to deliver at this point.  We are 10 days away from full term... so blessed and thankful to God to be at this point right now.  So ready to meet this little guy we've been waiting on for so long!   

OK, enough rambling.  Here are some 34 1/2 weeks maternity shots!

Nesting vs Resting

I asked a good friend why I didn't have the nesting instinct and she told me she had nesting mixed up with resting and gave me some encouragement to hang in there and that if I had to gain 30 lbs I looked good doing it!  True friend, thanks LP!

I think my problem is wanting to accomplish too many things before baby gets here and then it becomes overwhelming... so I don't get anything done.

My "before baby" wish list would include things like...

• all Christmas shopping done
• all Christmas decorating done
• house clean
• make some frozen meals
• stock up on "stuff"
• finish filling out "before baby" parts in the baby book
• put the ultrasound pictures and other keepsakes in a photo album
• organizing all things baby
• getting the car seat/base together (of course this is not an option)  PC got this done as I was typing this post!  Yay! 

That's what comes to mind quickly... it's a longer list than that.  Really, does it matter?  Those things would be nice but at this point I just want to focus on getting this baby boy here safely.  My anxiety level is increasing daily and it's not about the actual birth, it's about being so close to something so precious and wanting it so badly.  Everyone says I will miss the kicks and movement and maybe so, but right now I can't think of anything better than seeing those kicks and movements with a little person in my arms.
5 weeks... until the best Christmas present ever and I'm having a hard time waiting!  I'm on an emotional rollercoaster right now and I appreciate y'all "listening" out in blogland.  So close...