Full Term!!!

I am so excited that I am now considered "full term." My doctor doesn't believe that 37 weeks is full term though, he says that a pregnancy is full term once I reach 40 weeks, but at 37 weeks, if baby G were to be born, her lungs would be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. So, I am now in the "safe zone." Woo hoo!

Here's my 37 week update:

How far along:  37 weeks and 1 day 

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good! My legs are sore when I stand up for too long and I have some mild lower back pain and hip pain, but nothing too bad. Finally started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions where I feel my stomach tightening up, but it's not bad at all. 

Weight gain: 34 pounds! 

Sleep: It's harder for me to sleep at night now. I think a part of it is because Caleb isn't here, but I also have some insomnia so I don't feel sleepy til about 12-1am. 

Wedding Rings: Still OFF. I can't wait to wear it again. Hopefully all my swelling goes away right after birth and I can start wearing my ring!

Cravings: Nothing really. It's actually been hard for me to eat anything these days just because nothing really sounds good to me. My staples are yogurt, apples, chicken, and cereal =) 

Movement: Definitely can feel every inch of her now. It is actually kind of painful when she stretches and digs her heels into my ribs! But, I love feeling her moving inside of me and I know that it's going to be something that I will miss. 

Belly Button: I am an OUTIE! It looks really weird to me...I think it looks like a flower right now and you can definitely see it poking out when I wear my tank tops! 

Excited for: Baby girl to come! I am counting down the days til my "due date" and hopefully she doesn't make me wait too long after! 20 more days! I am also super excited that my In-Laws are coming to visit me for several weeks to help me and be there for the labor and birth of baby G. She will definitely feel loved by so many people! =)

Missing: Being able to tie my shoes, getting out of bed easily, my pre-pregnancy clothes and shoes (I can't even wear my fall boots!), and ice cream & sushi & coffee! She still doesn't like ice cream (makes me want to throw up), and I can't wait to eat sushi and drink some coffee in the morning! 

Exercise: Still doing Zumba 2 times a week and walking about 1.5 miles a day. 

Stretch Marks: None! Cocoa butter is still doing its job! 

How big is baby girl: I went to get an ultrasound at the hospital last week because one of the doctors thought my stomach looked kind of "small." They took some measurements of baby G and today at my appointment, they said that they predict her to be 6 lbs right now! Which means that they are predicting that she will be a 7.5 lbs baby! Let's see if they are right =)

Feeling: Excited and anxious. So many of my friends just had babies this past week and I can't wait to meet mine and hold her in my arms. Anxious about the labor and birth, but talking to my doula and meeting with her often has been helping me prepare for the big event. Missing Caleb and wishing that he could be here, but happy to know that he will be coming back once our baby is born! 

Here's a picture of a stomach comparison of me at 7, 27, and 37 weeks! Holy moly! 

Still have to finish packing my hospital bag. I have the diaper bag pretty much packed and ready to go. I have my first small group/bible study tomorrow morning at 10am so I'm excited about that and hopefully, I'll be able to meet some more people and connect with them from the church. Tomorrow evening, Angel will have her first playdate with a couple that I met at the dog park last Sunday, so I know that she will be happy to play with a friend and not just 'mom.' 

I pretty much talk to Caleb every day, but the time difference sucks. I will call him to wake him up at 5am his time (1pm my time), and he will call me when he gets off work which is about 4-5am my time (8-9pm his time). One of us is always sleepy, but I'm happy to always hear his voice. 

Hope everyone is having a good week and happy hump day today!

XOXO,
Nancy

Deployment #3

I can't believe how fast this deployment has come. This will be our 3rd deployment and I'm starting to feel like quite the veteran, but no matter how many times he leaves, it is always so hard to say good-bye. We went on base last night to say our good-byes, and here are some pictures I'd like to share:

All the stuff that needed to be packed! Took us a several hours to do it but we finally managed to fit it all in his two sea bags! 

Finished! 

Yesterday was actually pretty cool outside, so we took advantage of it and cuddled by our fireplace. It also rained (surprisingly hard), and we enjoyed a quick date at Starbucks drinking some pumpkin spiced lattes! 

He surprised me with a bouquet of flowers...

...and made me another worship CD that I will be listening to in the car.

Saying good-bye to daddy... =( 

Saying our final good-byes. 

I'm praying and hoping that nothing will prevent him from coming back for a couple weeks after baby G is born. So far, it doesn't look like there should be anything in the way, so I'm hoping for the best! It would mean so much to me for us to have a little family time together once baby G makes her debut! 

As far as baby G goes, I am 35 weeks and will have another doctor's appointment on Monday for my 36 week check-up. The doctor that I saw last Monday was a little concerned that my bump looked kind of "small," so she has referred me to get an ultrasound at the hospital so they can do some measurements of the baby and see how big she is. Baby G is still head down, and her heart beat is strong, and she told me that there are lots of fluids around her, which means it's good! She is moving a lot, and stretching, and I just can't wait to meet her. My to-do list this week is to finish packing my hospital and diaper bag and getting ready for our little princess =) 

I'll definitely try to blog more often now that I have some time on my hands! Other than that, I will be working on stretches that my doula has recommended me to do to help with my labor, my pre-natal Yoga, Zumba, and lots of walking (even though I can't walk more than 5 minutes without having to use the bathroom!).

Love you all,

Nancy