39 Weeks!

How far along: 39 weeks!

Size of Baby: Watermelon!

Neat facts about baby: Her brain is still developing rapidly, and her skin has taken on a paler shade thanks to a thicker layer of fat around the blood vessels. She's now able to flex her limbs, and her nails might extend past his fingertips.

Total weight gain: I have hit 35 pounds gained, oh dear. But I don't feel enormous, so I'm not worried about it.

What I miss: Red, red wine, it makes me feel so fine!

Sleep: I have actually been sleeping slightly better, oddly enough. Two labradors who somehow sneak up on the bed throughout the night don't really help, but they do keep me warm :)

Symptoms: I feel great, yet awkward! Sitting up has become super hard; apparently abdominal muscles just give up this late in pregnancy and I have to think of creative ways to go from laying down to sitting up to standing up. Getting out of the car is also a challenge, especially now that I'm driving Josh's super-low-to-the-ground car. Sooo, I'm just awkward, but I feel awesome :)

Cravings/Aversions: None really, just white hot chocolate because it is amazing.

Movement: She's still wiggling and one of her feet keeps poking out of the side of my belly. During our appointment on Friday, as they were checking everything out and my belly was up in the air, she was wiggling like crazy and you could see where her little foot kept poking out. It was hilarious!

Maternity clothes: None! :)

Best moments this week: Knowing that my body is preparing itself for labor and that I'm right on track - that was pretty darn awesome. And we checked the final items off of our to-do list this weekend - we are ready!!!

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting her!!!! :)

The Final Countdown!

One week before my due date: HOLY CRAP. The possibility of this being my last Monday at work for a while is quite realistic. I plan to keep working as long as I can, though. No, not because I love my job (that's hilarious). I am using 12 weeks of maternity leave, and I'd rather use it at home with a pretty baby than at home waiting for the pretty baby to show up. So, I will be here until the very last minute. Gotta make that money :)

Friday, I had a doctor's appointment. It was the first appointment where they checked to see if I'm dilated. Without going into any horrific details, it was one of the most horrific feelings ever getting checked for that. I don't know what in the world was going on down there, but it was terrible. The doctor said that on Friday I was: 1 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and the baby is super low. When asked what all that means, he said it means we're right on track to have a baby around my due date. Could be before, could be after, but the time frame is right!

After the doctor's appointment, we headed to get my Jeep from the shop... once again. They keep not fixing everything, ugh. We still have to bring it back at some other point to get the ball joints replaced, but that will be free since it was a recall. Josh is driving the Jeep around for the time being in case it somehow catches fire again, ugh. So, I get to ride around in the Altima with the heated seats and XM radio, muhahahaha!!! Josh grilled us some steaks for dinner and it was magnificent!

Saturday, we set off to get some baby stuff done. We had a non-exciting cereal breakfast and I got some baby stuff done around the house. We then went to Newk's for lunch (home of my favorite steak salad). Then we were off to Best Buy to buy a case for my fancy pants iPad :) It ended up with a cute, blue, leather case, which I should have take a photo of but forgot. I love it! We then headed home to watch the FSU football game only to discover it wasn't on TV, whomp whomp. We checked things off the "to-do before baby" list for the afternoon and just relaxed. We watched "Magic Mike" together, bwhahahaha!! I don't think Josh was a fan of all the male nudity, but I didn't mind it so much. Except I think I saw more of Matthew McConaughey at the end than I ever, ever wanted to see. We ended up being lazy and having grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner, and it was wonderful :)

Sunday, we had cereal again and then hung out around the house getting more baby stuff done. We did a quick Target run to get a trashcan for the guest bathroom (our bathrooms are so itty bitty it's hard to find trash cans that fit, ugh) and lunch. We had buffalo chicken bites and potato skins for lunch and then I headed out for some errands. I got a pack n' play for her at Babies R' Us (with a giftcard and coupon it only cost me $10, yay!), got some coffee at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and got diapers, wipes, etc. at the grocery store - that felt crazy! We then relaxed around the house for a while (most of my "relaxing around the house" this weekend was watching Freaks and Geeks on Netfix; I love that show) and once again had lazy grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner - it's just so tasty! We watched some bad TV and some of the American Music Awards, which were so boring I went to bed early and it was wonderful :)

Who knows what next Monday's blog will bring; I could have a baby, I could be in labor, or I could still be waiting around - Only time will tell! :)

38 Weeks!

How far along: 38 weeks!

Size of Baby: Pumpkin. (I do not understand this size because pumpkins don't have a set size... silliness I tell you)

Neat facts about baby: Her organs are ready for life outside the womb! She's pretty much just hanging out in there now; she's a fully developed little baby :)

Total weight gain: Let's just say I have definitely made it past 30 pounds gained. I don't feel enormous, though, so I'm not too worried about it. The doctor says it's mostly fluid. Although the number on the scale at my doctor's appointment was a wee bit shocking (I blame the shoes I was wearing).

What I miss: I cannot wait to have my first glass of wine... I miss it!

Sleep: Oh, it is still terrible. Josh even offered to sleep with the dogs in the office on an air mattress so I could get the bed to myself to help me sleep better, but I passed (the dogs would destroy the air mattress and I would feel bad kicking my husband off the bed, haha).

Symptoms: I feel great and I'm not really having any symptons - no signs of labor yet or anything. I just have this big belly I'm carrying around with me. It keeps running into things and I can't lean over the table to eat so I spill everywhere, but I did paint my own toenails last night and I feel like that's quite the accomplishment for a 38 week pregnant lady. I would pat myself on the back if I wasn't so awkward at the moment.

Cravings/Aversions: Sweets, as usual.... again!

Movement: She is still wiggling around in there and I think she keeps poking her butt out. She's practicing her dance moves, I'm sure.

Maternity clothes: None! :)

Best moments this week: Nesting, nesting, nesting! Having a good doctor's appointment. Getting an iPad for my birthday! Crossing lots of things off my "to do" or "to get" lists!

What I'm looking forward to: Getting everything else done and being completely ready for her arrival! Too bad I'm stuck at the office where I can get absolutely nothing accomplished - gotta keep making that money before my 12 week vacation, though!

Getting so, so close...

Happy Monday, everyone! My Monday is sad because I am at work and Josh is not. I'd say this is unfair, but the fact is I'm about to have a 12 week "vacation" so I cannot whine too much. And he is taking me to lunch like a good husband. He was a great husband this week as he bought me a beautiful iPad for my birthday... good Joshua.

Beautiful.

So, let's see what I did this weekend!

Friday night, we had lazy dinner (AKA budget dinner). Josh ate leftover pizza and I ate some spinach/artichoke thingies from Target. It was wonderful. We then watched "Not Another Teen Movie" on Netflix (I will use any excuse to watch Chris Evans). All and all, it was a very uneventful Friday night, which was amazing!

Saturday, we started off our morning with waffles, yum yum yum!!! We then set out on an air mattress mission. We're about to have a lot of guests, and they need to have somewhere to sleep. Considering our guest room is itty bitty, and also doubles as an office and TV room, the idea of a futon or a bed kind of lost its appeal. We ended up getting a queen sized air mattress that sits almost two feet off the ground from Academy Sports - should be great! After this mission we were soooooo hungry (waffles don't really keep us full for very long) so it was time for some Chikfila! nom nom nom. We then headed back home. Joshua relaxed while I headed back out for a random shopping mission. I ended up coming back with a small pillow from Hobby Lobby (for the sham that matches the crib set) and two pairs of comfy pants from Target (for the hospital and also for my 12 weeks of lazing around the house and walks around the block). I also packed Miss Caroline's bag for the hospital. I bought her an adorable coming home outfit on Friday that I loveeeeee. It feels so comfy and has Roses, since she is a Rose girl :)

I LOVE IT!

Baby stuff packed and ready to go!

It's crazy to think the little lady currently wiggling around in my belly (she has the hiccups as I'm typing this) is big enough for that newborn outfit... whoa!!! Moving on, I kind of just straightened up around the house for the rest of the day. Getting everything ready for her arrival!! We had lazy leftover dinner again (pizza for Josh and Carabba's lasagna for me!). I "made" us some cookies (stuck premade dough in the oven) and watched Sons of Anarchy with Josh until bed time. Every night this weekend I went to bed around 10pm (don't judge, I'm getting all my sleep in before the baby arrives!) and Josh watched his show until about 12:30am. This has been amaziiiiing because he keeps the dogs in the office with him and I get two and a half hours of wonderful, uninterrupted sleep. Josh offered to sleep on the new air mattress with the dogs so I could get some good nights of sleep (something I haven't experienced in a while) butttt, I don't want the dogs with their claws anywhere near that mattress, haha!

Sunday, we settled for cereal for breakfast. Not very exciting, nope, but tasty! I nested some more all morning and then we headed out for more nesting adventures! Walmart first for the tools to hang some more stuff on the walls. Then, we were hungry (we are always hungry) so we went to Newk's where I got my steak and bleu salad and Josh got pimiento grilled cheese and tomato soup, nom nom nom!! We then had our final movie date before the baby's arrival. We saw Skyfall (the new James Bond movie) and it was awesome!! I got super uncomfortable considering it was two and a half hours long, but I made it the entire movie without getting up or having to use the bathroom - pretty impressive for a nearly 38 week pregnant chick, if I do say so myself! We then headed home where we hung everything up and then relaxed. We had some deeelicious crock pot pork chops and potatoes for dinner. I then watched Once Upon a Time and Revenge, and slept :D

Now, I'm at work, awaiting Josh's arrival for our lunch date. I'm hoping we get the call that my Jeep is ready to be picked up today - I miss my beep beep jeep jeep :(

37 Weeks!

How far along: 37 weeks! (FULL TERM!)

Size of Baby: Winter Melon.

Neat facts about baby: She's full term, meaning she has developed her most crucial functions and basically she can come at any freaking time now! She's practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.And she's getting her first sticky poop ready for the diaper (ew, Caroline, that's gross).

Total weight gain: I didn't weigh myself, oops. Doctor's appointment on Thursday for a new official weight.

What I miss: Same old, same old. I also miss being "graceful" when getting in and out of cars, seats, bed, etc. (graceful in quotation marks because, let's face it, I'm never graceful). Especially driving Josh's car so much this week, which is very low to the ground, it's awful getting in and out of there.

Sleep: Same as the past few weeks, and I have been having weird dreams. Last night I had a dream where Caroline was born and was already a toddler (please note, she had brown hair and brown eyes, uh oh) when she was born. I gave birth and she was talking to me and we were discussing how much she liked the car seat. Josh also had a dream last night where I gave birth. I know what's on our minds!

Symptoms: None, really! I'm feeling really awesome.

Cravings/Aversions: Sweets, as usual.

Movement: She's still wiggling and I'm trying to pay close attention, because if she slows down it could mean labor time... keep wiggling a bit longer, please!!

Maternity clothes: Still none!!! I'm going to make it!

Best moments this week: Installing the car seat, getting her stocking in the mail, packing her hospital bag, and I'm sure more things that my mind is blanking on right now!

What I'm looking forward to: My next doctor's visit (hopefully the husband can join me; his work keeps getting in the way)!

My Jeep-less weekend :(

Well, hello! I am blogging late today, because I have actually been very busy. Monday has sucked, as always, but at least it has gone by quickly.

So, Friday was an interesting day in the life of the Brians. We got word that my Jeep was ready to be picked up at the shop (Jeep dealership) after getting my starter replaced. I went to get Josh at his office, we go to pick up the Jeep, pay them the $400, leave, go to Chipotle, and run into Best Buy to take a quick peak at the iPad Mini's and then kiss goodbye. Josh takes the Jeep to listen to the engine, and I take the Altima back to my office. I'm nearly back when I get a call from Josh frantic that the Jeep's engine caught on fire, the fire department was there, and I the dealership ruined my car. Here's Josh's account of what happened:

"Yesterday was an interesting day. I had the starter replaced in the Jeep at the Jeep Dealership. I picked up the Jeep, went to Chipotle, and then started driving back to my office. While crossing Monroe Street, the Jeep's engine and electrical shut down. I maneuvered the Jeep into a valet parking area for a hotel. I noticed smoke and immediately opened up the hood only to find that half of the engine was on fire. I ran into the hotel and found a fire extinguisher. As I ran back to the Jeep, the fuel line melts and gas catches fire. The Jeep started spraying flames like a flamethrower at least five feet into the air. Luckily, I was able to use a full fire extinguisher to put the engine fire out. Towed the Jeep back to the Jeep Dealership and they admitted they wired the starter wrong and the only thing that kept the entire Jeep from going up in flames was the aLoft Hotel fire extinguisher. Ridiculous."

We are just thankful that he was driving the Jeep and not me, because not only was I not conveniently downtown like him, but I am eight months pregnant, cannot exactly jump out of cars like I usually do, and stress like that could have easily jump-started labor. SCARY. Anyway, it's all figured out now. The dealership took the blame, although the a-holes are still charging us $400 (rude), and will be fixing the Jeep "free of charge" (give me back my $400!). We are going to pick up a rental car for me after work - can't wait to see what I get to drive!

After all of this drama on Friday, Josh went back to work and I went straight home and just relaxed the best way possible without the aide of wine (so. soon.). This included a hot shower and a nap. I then had to go get Josh from the office and we ate chick-fil-a for lazy dinner.

Saturday, I had cereal for breakfast (oh my gosh, no waffles and sausage!). Josh and I cleaned the house like crazies all morning - we need to have it straightened out and clean before the baby gets here and the moms visit! We then got some Five Guys for lunch and headed back to the Jeep dealership to look at cars, just in case the Jeep was unfixable (thankfully, we know now that we won't have to get a new car). We test drove a four door Wrangler and it was super fun, and then looked around at other places. We ran some random errands, went to the grocery store, and then collapsed at home. I got the crockpot ready with some buffalo chicken dip for the VT v. FSU game only to discover the game isn't until Thursday. Oh well, the dip was still delicious! We ate, watched Dogma, and were lazy bums for the rest of the night. I fell asleep early while he stayed up until 1:30am watching Sons of Anarchy (he is addicted).

Sunday, I woke up super early thanks to the time change confusing my internal alarm clock. I had some chocolate chip waffles (chosen by Josh at the grocery store due to my new love of chocolate everything). He also had chocolate chip waffles when he woke up and covered (I mean covered them) in chocolate syrup... who's the pregnant one, again? :) He then had to leave to visit kids at the detention center, leaving me at home without a car for three hours. I was soooo bored. I did laundry and played in the nursery. When he got back, we had lunch and then I headed out to do some shopping. I got nothing but coffee; totally unsuccessful. We then installed the car seat in his car (we are officially grownups), lazed around on the couch, and had some steaks for dinner. I watched Once Upon a Time (I swear it's getting cheesier) and Revenge and then went to bed!

All in all it was a good weekend, although I just want my Jeep back!

PS: My birthday is on Wednesday, yaaaaaaay!