38 weeks
dear baby,
well, you're not here yet.
after two different false alarms we have stopped getting our hopes up.
it seems that my progress has halted as well, still 1 cm and 50% effaced,
despite having pressure waves constantly.
everything is ready for you,
the house is clean, your car seat it waiting, all your clothes and blankets clean and folded.
a little bassinet next to my side of the bed.
there really isn't much for me to do other than wait for you and at this point it's getting difficult.
last night i sat in the bath tub and tried to relax, your daddy was playing the mandolin in the living room and owen was working on a bone next to the tub,
i just tried to soak in that moment, knowing that it will all change once you're here.
i know you're due date is less than two weeks away but i feel like i will be pregnant forever,
so please...
come soon!
xo
37 weeks
dear baby,
well, you're almost done cookin soooo come on out.
we're ready for you.
love you.
xo
36 weeks
dear baby,
well, you are well on your way to us!
you dropped this week, which has brought on a whole bunch of new physical feelings and sensations that i'm trying to get used to.
and i found out i'm 1cm dilated and 50% effaced,
which can't guarantee anything but at least i wont be starting from 0 come labor.
i'm now going to see the midwife once a week until you arrive and our doula says she thinks you'll show up in a week or two...
but we'll see.
the midwife said she doesn't think you will be late but then again,
most first babies are.
so we really are preparing for any situation here.
your daddy is done traveling until after you arrive and now it's just time for us to relax and wait.
it's funny, a lot of other people are getting impatient for your impending arrival...
if anything, i'm getting nervous about it.
xo
35 weeks
dear baby,
this week has been better.
you're not trying to push your way out too early anymore and are just chilling out.
so thanks.
we also still like a new name for you,
but i think we just need to see your sweet face in person to make a final decision.
we've picked up some final items for your arrival and have everything packed and ready.
we're so ready to meet you.
xo
34 weeks
again, we are late posting a weekly photo.
but here is last week's maternity series post.
i wasn't feeling good or looking good and obviously we forgot to take the photo until late at night so the whole thing was kind of a bust...
but here is 34 weeks...
technically 34 weeks and 3 days.
dear baby,
please stay in there a little longer,
i know i say i want you out but just don't listen to me.
i know we're both anxious for your womb eviction but you need a little more cooking time.
so listen to mama and stay there for a few more weeks.
everything is so uncomfortable now,
and i'm getting little tastes of what labor will be like.
the other night i woke up to a series of contractions that were only a few minutes apart.
and they were not fun.
i'm super exhausted, i can't sit or stand or walk for long periods,
but i know it will all soon pass and i'll be holding the most perfect child in my arms.
owen has been wonderful,
he just naps with me all day and listens to me and loves on me.
it's really been a blessing.
he'll be a good first dog for you.
xo
33 weeks
dear baby,
we are really getting close now.
every night i have a dream about meeting you,
some scary and some perfect - and the best part is, is that i'm always doing my self-hypnosis in them!
guess that stuff really works.
i had a midwife appointment this week and you are perfect,
still head down and growing normally.
i'm having a lot more aches and pains in my belly but apparently those are all normal at how far along i am and i shouldn't really be too concerned unless they exceed 6 in an hour.
your daddy and i decided it is about time that i pull back from working and babysitting, as we see a lot of those pains and cramps come at the ends of those days and we want you to come when you will be perfectly healthy and no sooner than that.
your nursery is coming together and really getting character now,
and we have your carseat and stroller ready for you.
we both really can't believe how quickly you will be here.
and i think we're both getting a little nervous,
your daddy hides it well but i can get realllllly nervous when i think about the actual birth.
i'm still doing all of my hypnosis maintenance and i know that i will be calm and fully prepared when that time comes but it's still nerve racking to think that the most defining moment of my life is quickly approaching.
time has never gone by so fast,
every time i turn around it's friday again and i'm another week closer to holding you.
see you soon my dear.
xo
32 weeks
dear baby,
we're getting so close, it's hard to even believe it.
you aren't as much as a wiggle worm as before and it's because you have run out of room,
now i mostly feel your little butt stick out and your tiny hands, and of course your hiccups that you have about 5 times a day.
you now really react to us,
whenever your daddy and are talking you'll wake up and move around until we stop,
or if he is playing the mandolin or i'm singing and messing around with the guitar, you'll just dance all around.
you have also gotten picky about what i eat,
making me feel miserable after some meals and fine with others and it's hard to predict just what you might not like.
it's really hard for me to think that this pregnancy is so close to being over and that i'll soon have you in my arms.
you are such a miracle.
xo
31 weeks
dear baby,
this week has been a rough one.
i have been battling a bad cold for the last few days and i'm guessing you have been too.
you haven't been as active but neither have i.
you're moving around more than enough though so i don't have to worry too much.
we picked up a couple last things we need for you and finished our last hypnobabies class.
we have been talking about the zoo and other activities we can't wait to enjoy with you a lot lately.
we went on a hospital tour and saw the place that you will be born at.
i just can't believe how soon you will be here,
even though it still feels like a while.
but please, take your time, don't come too early.
i want you to be healthy and happy so you can come home with us instead of staying at the hospital.
see you soon.
xo
30 weeks
sorry this post is like, oh i don't know 4 days late,
our internet modem is shot so we have been stealing internet from a neighbor.
hopefully it's getting fixed today!
dear baby,
we have entered our final countdown with you,
you could come in 10 weeks, or 9 or 8 or even 7...
or 12.
it's crazy to think you will be here with us so soon.
i'm now constantly imagining you with us when it's just your daddy and myself driving, or walking or sitting at a coffee shop.
how we will forever have a new little human.
we have gotten into gear getting everything ready for you {and for me} for your birth and what comes after.
we are making travel plans for your family members,
making sure we have enough blankets for you,
and getting everything in place so the three of us can be as calm and comfortable as possible when you arrive.
some fun things you have been doing to me lately:
extreme lower back pain that makes me limp,
constant heartburn (so you must be a hairy little babe)
charlie horses in the middle of the night
pushing down into my pelvis like you are ready to come out.
xo
29 weeks
my dearest baby,
you are moving and growing so much, it really amazes me.
this week a lot of friends showed their love for you at my baby shower.
it really warms my heart to see a support system of wonderful women surround me and you.
they wrote sweet notes to you about what they wished for your life,
some funny and others so sweet.
it's wonderful to know that you are already so loved and cherished by the community around us.
we are slowly getting ready for your arrival.
your room is almost done, and we are starting on the smaller details concerning the hospital and first coming home.
we're booking travel for your grandparents and working out schedules with friends.
you will be here so soon and i am so excited.
i need to be more patient, i want you NOW, but i know you aren't quite ready to be out in the world yet.
i'm just so anxious to start your life.
xo
28 weeks
dear baby,
we are in the final stretch and are so excited.
we are getting everything prepared for your arrival.
your nursery, my body, our hospital stay.
it is crazy to think that this pregnancy is so close to being over and that we are so close to seeing your sweet face.
we love you.
xo
27 weeks
dear baby,
time is now going by so slowly.
all i want to do is hold you and kiss you and love on you.
we have been taking our hypnobabies birthing classes and it's definitely getting me ready for the journey i will go on to meet you for the first time.
last night we held our friends' new baby girl and every time i held her, you kicked her in the butt.
it just made me that much more excited to see your sweet face and tiny hands.
you are growing a lot too,
well...i'm eating a lot of good foods for you to grow.
i think you're around 2 pounds now and about 14 1/2 inches long.
insane!
i remember when you just the size of a "sweet pea".
nashville is cold this week, so enjoy your little warm bubble.
because soon you will be enjoying the ridiculous humidity and temperature changes here.
xo
25 & 26 weeks
25 weeks:
you my darling had been pretty easy this week,
traveling was so much easier than it was in december.
your daddy and i got to spend some quality time alone together which was a nice change for us.
i took you swimming again, which always feels so weird.
you were definitely well fed and then got a bunch of cute little gifts from people who will love you at a baby shower.
except they all tried to convince me that you are really a girl.
but i still trust and know you are a baby boy.
xo
26 weeks:
you have been extra active my darling,
keeping me up at night and all night, it's been rough.
but we started our hypnobabies classes which have helped me rest and relax {though you like to kick through those ones too} but in general i'm seeing a definitely change in my attitude, self-esteem and ability to shut off what's going on around me and just relax.
the sun has finally come out in nashville and i can tell that we are both a lot happier with that extra vitamin d.
i can't wait to have you on that blanket with me sitting in the sun in our backyard.
xo
24 weeks
dear baby,
my oh my are you growing,
every day this week i felt like i might just explode.
you have been putting sooo much pressure against my stomach and my bladder that it's getting hard to do just about anything, especially sleep through the entire night.
we had a check up today and everything is a-okay.
my midwife said you really are taking up all your space in there and that i'm measuring a week ahead,
so maybe that means you'll be here a week early :)
i have also gained 20 pounds and i really can't believe it!
i guess you are making me eat more than i realize but hey i'm only going to gain more.
we now have most all of the furniture for your nursery set up in the room next to us, even though you wont be sleeping in there at first.
and i love the feeling of having a space for just you.
you are going to portland and tahoe again with me and your daddy next week for my last little getaway before you arrive.
hopefully you wont give me too much trouble on our 11 hour travel day to get there.
xo
