Bad dog

It's hard to imagine that this face could do any wrong...

But it seems the closer we get to Baby Coble making it's debut, the more Gunnar is expressing his dissatisfaction over adding a new addition to the family. 
To say my fur baby is not excited about the person baby coming would be an understatement.
For those of you who don't know, Gunnar has a voice.  We're pretty sure this is what he's been saying lately:

"What have you done!  I hate you both, but mostly you mom."

Two days ago there was the eaten baby DVD incident. 

This morning I came out of the shower and this greeted me outside the bathroom door

What is it you might ask, well it's my packing list for my hospital bag.  He ate nothing else, just my list. 
He also slept next to my hospital bag pile last night...

He has a nice cozy bed on the other side of the room

Perhaps we have spoiled this dog just a tad too much the past 3 years...

I'm confident that once he realizes we're not replacing  him and that the baby is part of his "pack", that he'll be just fine.  Unfortunately, in the mean time, all you hear is a lot of "BAD DOG" around our house lately. 
If nothing else, he'll teach the baby about sharing...considering he's already helped himself to half the toys in his/her toy basket! 

*SIGH*

37 Weeks - Full Term!!!

We made it, week 37, which means we are technically considered full term today! 

Wooooo hoooo!

It's a good thing too because things are continuing to progress!  I had my weekly doctors check up yesterday and it seems as though we're up to 2cm dilated now and 80% effaced!

There are no guarantees in pregnancy, but it is all good signs that this baby is wanting to come sooner than later!  

Bryan and I spent all last weekend organizing the house, putting away winter clothes, getting rid of the last cardboard boxes and finishing up the nursery!  I feel MUCH better about bringing a baby home this week than I did last week!  I have quite a few pictures to share this week so I'll just get to the good stuff...

Size of baby: 6 1/3 lbs and a bit over 19 inches!  Head to heel like a stalk of Swiss chard.

What I miss:  I would say sleeping, but I know that's not coming back any time soon, so I'm just going to say "Summer in a glass".  This is terminology for a delicious summer time cocktail, and with all the warm weather we've been having lately I'm ready to start enjoying those delectable treats again!  I have an arsenal of new recipes to try out just waiting on my Pinterest board!

Best Moment this week: Getting the house better organized and putting the baby's room together! 

 

What baby likes AKA cravings: A cheese burger and french fries.  That's what I wanted last night at least.  I didn't get it :(

Movement:  MUCH less!  I get a little activity here and there, but nowhere near what it used to be.  No room left for the baby to move around!

Sleep:  It sucks.  I usually fall into a good sleep around 4am...and then my alarm goes off. 

Looking Forward to:Oh man, I guess the baby coming!  I feel like it's any day now (even though I know it could still technically be longer).  I just have this feeling it's coming soon.  Terrifying and exciting all at the same time!

 

Picture:Here are lots of pictures from this past week!

We had our priorities straight during our Costco run and picked up the essentials first!  Just stocking up for post baby ;)

Car seat in place...CHECK!

 

 I had ordered a DVD I heard great things about called "Happiest Baby on the Block", and Bryan, Gunnar and I watched it the other night.  Here is the scene I came home to the next day.  Apparently Gunnar did not like the DVD. 

Some Belly Pics

 

We couldn't resist this corniness...

Ha!

Here are some baby room pics!

Going home outfits...which one will we use??

The two creepy dolls were actually made by my great grandmother and the little bear in between them was "Bed Bear", my favorite stuffed animal as a child.

Just a little disclaimer: I do realize this room is more masculine than feminine...I have plans of incorporating pink if "it's" a "she".  Girls like navy and white though also!

36 Weeks!!!

Hellooooo final month!!  

Now in my mind this is the 10th month, although others (my mother) have tried relentlessly to point out that it really is 9 months.  She got all technical on me saying things like "there are 7 days in a week and 7 x 4 =28 but there's more than 28 days in a month...yadda yadda yadda".  

Whatever!!  It certainly feels like 10 months some days!  

(Love ya mom!)

This week also marked the start of my weekly doctors appointments where they start checking to see if there are any signs of labor progressing yet and guess what...I'm already starting to dilate!!!! 

Here's what happened in my mind after the doctor said this to me:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Now technically you can stay this way for weeks and still even deliver after your due date.  I'm not planning for that though.  This news has definitely increased our sense of urgency to finish getting ready for baby to arrive!  We have no weekend plans except to finish getting Baby Coble's room ready, get the car seat installed, get a little better organized in closets etc. upstairs, make a costco run and anything else we feel like needs to be done to make life easier once baby comes.  OH right, packing a hospital bag is on that list too!

So holy guacamole, that's where we're at today.

Size of baby: 18.5 inches and about pushing 6lbs!  About the size of a crenshaw melon (a what?)

What I miss:  Not breathing like an 80 year old chain smoker

Best Moment this week: I'm going to do a best/worst because they kind of go together.  Remember how I mentioned we were going to a birthing class...well it was a complete fail!  We were there all freaking day on Saturday and it was not what we were expecting.  Let's just say Bryan and I were the only two laughing at inappropriate moments (like during birthing videos) and we had a conversation about what we might do for dinner when we were supposed to be "meditating and breathing through contractions".  It was not a class for us.  We may have skipped the second day...

We also took a breastfeeding class this week, sounds strange I know!  But, it was actually very informative and helpful.  It was also only 2 1/2  hours on one night which we liked!!  Now we  feel a little more prepared and competent to at least feed our child when he/she arrives!

 

What baby likes AKA cravings: Nothing out of the norm, but baby has been wanting ice cream lately.  Primarily cook out shakes.  I may or may not also be indulging my sweet tooth a little more than normal since I plan to nip it in the bud once the baby comes!  I'm really just hoping it goes away on it's own!

Movement:  It is becoming a little less jabby and a little more rolly.  Baby seems to be running out of room so the kicks aren't as swift as they used to be.  

Sleep:  Not good.  I'm up constantly at night, and now that I'm starting to feel strange cramping and awkward twinges I wake up thinking I might be in labor at least once a night. 

Looking Forward to: Getting ourselves organized so we feel more prepared if Baby were to come soon.

 

Picture: Here's two...Gunnar wanted to say hello. 

35 Weeks

Things have gotten interesting the last two days.  I had an appointment with my Dr. Wednesday and upon listening to the heart beat he blurted out "Well, sounds like a boy!"  He then looked at my chart and realized we're not finding out the sex and quickly said "Eh, I'm right 50% of the time."  Sooo, I guess the question is did my Dr. just reveal what we're having or does he just like to try his hand at guessing the sex of the baby...we'll know in a few weeks. 

Another wonderful thing is that the weather has been BEAUTIFUL and has even got up into the 80's the last two days!!  I was so excited to wear a comfy skirt and put some flip flops on...and then I looked down and saw my feet!  Holy Hell, let the swelling begin!  It's no joke!  And the thing is, not only do your feet swell, but so do your calves, and it's not comfortable, even in flippy flops!  So I bought 10lbs of lemons at the store yesterday and I'm hoping a little lemon water daily will help ease the puffiness!  I think it only appropriate that I treat myself to a pedicure later today.  If I'm going to have fat swollen feet, they might as well be pretty fat swollen feet!!

Size of baby: over 18 inches and 5 1/4lbs - about the weight of a honeydew melon!   

What I miss:  Sleeping on my stomach! 

Best Moment this week: Hmm, I made some progress decorating the nursery and our new rocker gets delivered this week so I'll share some pics soon!

 

What baby likes AKA cravings:  I killed another box of mac n cheese this week.  Man that stuff is good!  I've also just wanted a ton of fresh fruit lately!!

Movement:  Oh yes, I just sit and watch my belly dance now.   

Sleep:  Could be better.  Rolling over has become a new kind of work out...

Looking Forward to:We have our baby orientation class this weekend at the hospital and I'm actually looking forward to it.  It will be nice to get a tour of where we'll be delivering and learn a few things in the process hopefully

 

Picture: This was early in the morning, I'm still half asleep...but hey, you can still see my ankle bone in the morning!!

Quote time

I came across this quote today and it struck a cord with me.  Although I'm not quite a mother yet, I'm well aware that motherhood can be a challenging journey at times.  I know that Bryan and I are about to embark on one of the greatest adventures of our lives and with that comes excitement, anticipation, fear, anxiety and a whole other slew of emotions.  

I think it's good to have reminders to keep you grounded when things get tough.  

I'm not sure why this quote spoke to me, but I thought it would be a good one to keep on file.

Lately I feel my excitement growing louder than my worries which makes me happy.  My mother always told me that worry and stress is just wasted energy and I repeat that to myself often.  

The little things I've let myself worry about the past few months are just that, little things.  

Yes, labor is painful, but modern medicine is a wonderful thing.  Plus the pain is only temporary and the gift you get at the end is the real prize.  And yes, there will be long sleepless nights in my near future, but yet again it's temporary.  I'm trying my best to focus on the exciting things now like is it a boy or a girl?!?  What will he or she look like?  Are we going to have a baby with a funny nose? (a serious concern of ours, we have two very very different noses) Will it have hair?  Can we make a final decision on names?!?  And will I ever find a coming home outfit for the baby!!

These are the things I'm letting occupy my thoughts now.  Sure those little worries creep in every now and then, but I do my best to push them out of my head.  I know deep down everything will be just fine and I can't wait to start our new adventure!!

Sorry for the long rant.  I think it was more for me than anything else.  This is becoming very real very quick (even though I've had the past 9 months to prep).  So I guess I'll file away that little quote there and pull it out in the future when it's needed. 

34 Weeks

Ok, we really are at 34 weeks this time, and feeling every bit of it!

We ventured out to Buy Buy Baby this past weekend and boy did Bryan enjoy himself.  He was like a kid in a candy store.  We picked up a few odds and ends including a copy of "Goodnight North Carolina" to go right next to "Goodnight NJ" on the bookshelf.  (I have a feeling this child is going to have a lot of NJ/NC gear) But most importantly we picked up our car seat and stroller!!  Wooo!  I have a car detailing scheduled in two weeks to have my beast sparkling clean for the new bambino and then we'll look into installing the car seat.  As for the stroller, we were able to roll right out of the store with it!  They offered us the brand new floor model at an extra 10% off so we jumped on it!  We went with the Baby Jogger City Elite model and can't wait to use it!! 

Stats of the Week 

Size of baby: 4 3/4 lbs and about 18 inches, roughly the size of a cantaloupe.  yum again.  

What I miss:  Being able to walk more than 30 ft. without having to catch my breathe!

Best Moment this week: Picking up the stroller and car seat and also a super cute new dresser that we're going to use as a changing table in the baby's room

 

What baby likes AKA cravings:  The usual.  sweet things and carbs.  Yesterday though I had a very strange, yet very strong craving for blueberry beer!  I know it sounds weird, but it's good.  And I would like to have one.  It's on the list of must haves for after baby comes!

Movement:  Still lots of it, I just wish I could tell which body part was jabbing me or sticking out of my belly! 

Sleep:  I asked the doctor last week if I could take melatonin and he said YES!  That was very exciting!  I haven't had to go there yet, but I'm expecting to need a "sleep aide" the closer I get towards the end, and since wine is out...I'll have to settle

Looking Forward to: That thing they call nesting is starting to kick in I think.  I'm starting to feel a strong desire to want to get things organized.  Also the rocker for the nursery should be coming soon and I'm excited about that!

 

Picture:  

 That bump is starting to stick out far!

Testing Baby Coble's new gear with the dolls my great grandmother made for me!

I had to share this adorable bib one of our friends got for Baby C.  It's a Grey Dog!!!

 

33 weeks

For some reason I keep thinking it's week 34...but no, we're at 33.  I'm getting ahead of myself.

I had an unexpected visit to the doctor this morning due to some very uncomfortable cramping yesterday and last night.  I actually was going to ignore it and Bryan insisted I call the doctor.  (It's funny to see him getting a little more nervous, just don't tell him I said that)  Anywho, the doctor had me come in to get checked and we're all doing just fine.  She did say however that the baby is definitely head down and low.  That surprised me a bit considering I've felt like the baby has been living in my rib cage lately, but maybe he/she has long legs!!  That would be nice, I would rather little nugget have dad's legs than mom's legs! 

So, do we think this positioning means baby might be coming a little early??  That might be wishful thinking on my part, but I'm still going to get to work this weekend on the nursery!  It's time to get organized!

Let the nesting begin!!

Stats of the Week 

Size of baby: A little over 4lbs and past the 17 inch mark!!  It's resembling a pineapple these days...delsih!!

What I miss:  Sleeping and not struggling to get dressed. 

Best Moment this week: Seeing friends and family in NJ for the baby shower!  It dawned on me as we were leaving that was the last time I'll see my family before I have the baby...scary! 

 

What baby likes AKA cravings: I still want sweets, but I'm trying to keep it in check.  I wasn't thrilled with what the scale said at the doctor this week...or how my rear end seems to be growing in sync with my stomach!

Movement:  So much!!  It's almost painful at times now.  We can just stare at my stomach now and watch the little nugget move all around!  It's crazy!

Sleep:  It is what it is.  I get up a lot to use the bathroom, and although they (the books) tell you to sleep on your left side, I find my right side MUCH more comfortable!!  Therefore, I sleep mostly on my right side.  Baby doesn't seem to mind.  

Looking Forward to: Going through all our wonderful gifts and getting the nursery organized!  It's time to get prepared!

Picture:  Here are some from the shower this past weekend

Mom and I

 Mel and I

The yummy table I didn't spend much time at unfortunately

Caitlin (AKA the muff) and I

SO many special gifts for Baby Coble

Some of my favorite girlies

Baby's first Bruce Springsteen paraphernalia 

I liked trying on the clothes too

Yes!