Labor Watch: Happy Due Date to Us

Today is Baby L's due date! It's the date we've been waiting on since we found out that I was pregnant back in September. It's hard to believe that it's finally here...and Baby Lamont is still cooking!

In celebration of this milestone, I got a manicure/pedicure and we had a delicious dinner of mac n cheese and ground beef (enjoying my last few days of eating whatever I want) and broccoli (see, I got my veggies). Tomorrow we have an ultrasound to check fluid levels and a Dr's appointment. Ironically, I had to call today and find out what time the appointment was because I didn't listen last week- I thought there was no way I'd be making it to that appointment.

I realize many of these questions have been answered in the other posts this week, but here's the 40 week summary...

**How Big is Baby?: To be updated tomorrow, post-ultrasound

**Maternity clothes? Please, no more!

**Total weight gain: Up 26lbs. But who cares at this point?

**Stretch marks? One, but Baby L is pushing out so I'm afraid there will be more.

**Sleep: Fine. Sadly not being awoken by contractions. Just a few pee breaks.

**Movement: Lots of movement most days.

**Food cravings: Things that I won't be able to have or want to have post-baby...Chocolate, lots of carbs and cheese, etc.

**Feeling: Pretty good. I'm a little frustrated that the baby isn't here but kind of excited to answer the "When are you due?" question with "today" or "yesterday"...but hopefully never "last week"...

**Emotions: Mostly I'm pretty happy, but I've had my teary moments. Better than last week! And definitely better since I accepted the fact that the baby will come on his or her own time.

**Health/Exercise: Walking, but running as much as I feel up to it. Trying to shake my body into labor. It clearly has not worked.

**Labor Signs: More false labor pains on Saturday and last night. Actually, I'm still carrying the baby pretty high and he/she is kicking my ribs so I haven't had the pre-labor "drop". But I don't think that means much because my mom said that none of us ever dropped. For those of you who care, I have not lost my MP (and if you don't know what that is, you don't want to).

**Next Doctor's Appointment: Tomorrow.

**Best moment this week: Mother's Day brunch at CoCo Sala. Have I mentioned that I have the best husband???

Labor Watch: STILL preg

Not much to report- some contractions Saturday that weren't terrible and went away. Sunday I was sad for a bit about not being a mom for Mother's Day, but Stephen cheered me up AND took me for a lovely brunch at a delicious chocolate-themed restaurant that I had been dying to try (CoCo Sala- I highly recommend it). How could I be sad when I have such a great husband and a baby coming any day (and with a chocolate dessert buffet!)?

Last night we found a lost dog- a sweet little male Yorkie mix. We spent about an hour looking for his owners (who we thought would be out looking for him). We brought him in and he drank and ate ravenously so perhaps he was missing for a while. He slept in our bathroom and didn't make a peep. Stephen brought him to the animal shelter today :-( Hopefully his owners will turn up there and claim him because we certainly can't have another dog (and this emotional mother-to-be can't think about him being left at the shelter...or worse).

Today jogged some (like 12 minutes total), walked, and went to work. Overall I feel great. We'll keep you posted about Baby L being in the 5% of babies who come on their due date.

Labor Watch: Still Preg

Despite eggplant parm, tons of walking, and gardening/weeding this morning, all I've got is a backache. We're going to enjoy a beautiful day and hopefully find an outdoor bar to watch the Yanks/Sox game (GO YANKEES).

Progress...but no baby yet

Yesterday we had our 39 week Dr's appointment and I am...4.5CM DILATED!!!! That's a change of 1.5cm in a week- even the doctor was kind of shocked. Turns out those contractions I had been having were doing something, although not enough to get real labor rolling. It's really "any day now." He told us to get to the hospital as soon as the contractions are consistently less than 7 mins apart or if my water breaks. He also gave us a quick primer on what to do if things happen too fast and we have to deliver the baby ourselves (step 1: call 911). I've never seen Stephen's face so ashen.

But nothing new since then. I feel great. I would have run a bit this morning but I felt like the baby was going to fall out (that was mostly in my head).

Time to really try the Old Wives' Tales. Chinese food doesn't seem to be working so I'm going to get some pineapple, take another long walk, and maybe wash the kitchen floor.

Stay tuned...

39 weeks- any day now?

We've had a few labor scares, but here I stand at 39 weeks and Baby Lamont is still an inside baby.

(Better bump picture- no shadow)


**How Big is Baby?: Hopefully about 7lbs. I'm doing my best to fatten him/her up.

**Maternity clothes? I'm starting to outgrow some and in this heat my wardrobe is stretched pretty thin, but I refuse to buy anything else.

**Total weight gain: Up 25lbs

**Stretch marks? Still just that one

**Sleep: The heat, needing to pee, and contractions are making sleep more difficult, but not impossible. I would rate my sleep a 7/10 (compared to a 9/10 the rest of the pregnancy)

**Movement: Some days tons of movement, some days not as much.

**Food cravings: Nothing special. Trying to eat spicy foods (Chinese, Mexican) but I really don't have an appetite for them.

**Feeling: Like I'll be pregnant forever.

**Emotions: Running high. Let's put it this way- I found a dead baby bird in our yard on Sunday and I started crying and made Stephen bury it (complete with prayers). Later that day while I was picking up our anniversary cake, I started bawling over how happy I am and how great our wedding was. I can't even watch the news because in any story where there's a victim, all I can think about is their parents and how that could be our baby...and that makes me cry. Stephen is loving this pregnancy symptom. NOT.

**Health/Exercise: Mostly walking, although this morning I ran at least a mile (remember when I used to run 10 in a day?). The heat is not helping, but at least I'm still out there.

**Labor Signs: A few cases of false labor pains. Once we were able to attribute it to gas. Sunday the contractions went away after a nap. Last night and this morning I had stronger contractions and I even made sure I ran so that it would move things along. But they were irregular and didn't strengthen. I went to work just in case it was a false alarm. And the pain/contractions stopped after lunch- so it WAS a false alarm.

**Next Doctor's Appointment: Tomorrow. Let's hope there's been some progress from all these fake labors.

**Best moment this week: Celebrating our 1st anniversary. Flowers from grandma & grandpa:

And we went out for(gourmet) Chinese food and a re-make of our cake topper.

38 weeks!

I know, this post is a day late. But we had a Dr's appointment today and there is progress!
First, some 38 week self-portraits-


In other news, I got a haircut and color that I'll be able to maintain after the baby is born. Yeah, it's a mom-cut: Shorter and darker, but still cute. I'm sure I'll be blonde again by July...



Enough about me- back to this baby:

**How Big is Baby?: Hopefully about 6.5lbs

**Maternity clothes? I keep hoping that every time I wear a maternity outfit, it'll be the last time I have to wear that one.

**Total weight gain: Up 24lbs

**Stretch marks? Still just that one

**Sleep: Still sleeping, although the past two nights I haven't been able to go back to sleep after pee breaks because my mind was racing. Very frustrating.

**Movement: Lots and lots of movement

**Food cravings: Parmesan cous cous. DELICIOUS. It's like upscale mac and cheese.

**Feeling: Ready. And super-excited.

**Health/Exercise: Walking more than running, but Monday I was able to run for more than 30 mins (so probably about 3 miles)! I don't know how much more running I'll be doing, but I'm still trying to do something aerobic everyday.

**Labor Signs: At today's appointment my cervix was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced. The doctor said that it's good progress, but some people walk around at 5cm for weeks before going into labor. So he said it's equally likely that I go into labor this week as it is that I'll be at next week's appointment.


**Next Appointment: Cinco de Mayo!

Pregnancy in Pictures from Holland

I've had the great opportunity to see Holland quite a bit throughout this pregnancy. She's great about taking pictures, so here's a look back at my preg through her camera lens...
Holland & Ian visit DC: ~13 weeks



For the big pregnancy "reveal" I had to stuff my shirt...

Then in late January I went down to Charlotte to see Holls and Bow. Even though it snowed, we were able to go out in style


And then the baby shower--Holland captured more of the details and pics of the lovely ladies than I got on my camera.







Hopefully we'll be able to see Holland again soon after Baby L is born!

37 week Dr's appointment

Today we had an ultrasound and our 37 week Dr's appointment. Unbeknownst to us, the note the Dr put in the file said it was a growth ultrasound to see if the baby was small. Luckily he did NOT mention that during our last appointment because I probably would have spent 2 weeks worrying. And it's still not clear to me whether that was just the billing code he wanted them to use for the insurance. Regardless...

Baby L is measuring about 5lbs 14oz, in the 21st percentile. That is a bit small, but not considered "too small" by the Drs unless it's below the 10th percentile. Considering I'm not that big, it's not surprising that I would be having a small baby. The Dr said I didn't need to eat any extra food to help the baby put on weight (sad). Baby L should continue to put on about a half pound per week, so if she/he stays in until the due date, we're talking a 7lb-ish baby which is pretty average. Plus all the newborn clothes we have will fit!

My fluid levels, blood pressure, weight, and urine samples were all good. The Dr said to call if I have contractions that are less than 10 mins apart. Otherwise, we'll see him next week.

And of course the best part was getting to see our little one on the ultrasound. Here are some pics from the tech:

Profile (that is not a Zayac nose angle)


Big Yawn (who knew babies yawned in utero????)


And a smooshed head with a little hand in front of the left eye.


Decoder



Can't wait to see Baby Lamont in person when he/she has put on some weight in a couple of weeks!

37 weeks- FULL TERM!

We've got an ultrasound and Dr's appointment tomorrow, but I couldn't resist the urge to celebrate this occasion-- Baby L is now considered full-term and could come at any time!

Of course we have almost everything ready:

pick names (check)
get on daycare waitlists (check)
get pediatrician (check)
preregister at hospital (check)
decorate nursery (check)
wash clothes & bedding (check)
backup work files (check)
install car seat (this weekend)

I even have extra cash in my wallet to pay for a cab to the hospital should my water break when I'm not home (or not with Stephen). Which probably means that Baby L won't be here until late May...


37 week update:
**How Big is Baby?: The size of a watermelon...More accurate measurement tomorrow.

**Maternity clothes? Ugh. When do I get to go back to normal clothes????

**Total weight gain: Up ~22lbs stil

**Stretch marks? One on my belly that I can see.

**Sleep: Still sleeping a lot, but now getting exhausted. Saturday night I *only* got 8 hours and after church and a few errands on Sunday I needed a nap! Then I was still tired that night. This is not boding well for my tiredness when I'm a new mom...

**Movement: I don't know that the baby is running out of room because she/he has been pretty active every day. Yesterday she/he was particularly squirmy, but not so much last night or today. I wonder if they can wear themselves out in utero...

**Food cravings: Oatmeal moon pies. mmmmmmmmmm

**Health/Exercise: Keeping up the exercise-- still out there every day either walking or jogging and then walking.

**Labor Signs: Some lower back and lower abdominal cramping, but I can't tell if that's from the pressure of carrying a large belly or gas or upcoming labor. Maybe the Dr will clarify tomorrow.

**Aches & Pains: My discomfort comes and goes. My back hurts and I've been getting some shooting pains that I'm 90% sure are gas, but are still very uncomfortable. I can't lean too far forward anymore because it puts pressure on my ribs. And being tired makes me grumpy.

**What I am looking forward to: Dr's appointment tomorrow...seeing Kristin Weed (see link on the rigt)this weekend...Meeting our baby soon...and some postpartum SUSHI and wine

4 weeks to go...

Belly Comparison Pics:

16 weeks, ~26 weeks, 36 weeks
I remember thinking how "huge" I was at 16 weeks. Ha! But I'm not complaining. People are always commenting on how small I am for 36 weeks and actually I felt small compared to the women at Buy Buy Baby this weekend. But the only opinion that matters is the Dr's and he said everything is good. The nurse actually laughed and promised that "No matter what anyone tells you, getting huge when you're pregnant does not make you a better mom...And that weight does NOT come off."

**How Big is Baby?: approximately 6 to 6.5lbs- The size of a honeydew melon.

**Maternity clothes? Yes, but I'm still able to pull off some regular tops. A few regular tops were starting to get inappropriately short so that I have under-belly cleavage. Not cute, people. Not cute.

**Total weight gain: Up ~22lbs

**Stretch marks? Not that I can tell. Then again, if my skin is stretched, would I even be able to see them? So maybe...

**Sleep: Still pretty good- I get up a few times a night to pee, and have to sleep with a pillow between my legs to support my hips, but I'm still sleeping a lot.

**Best moment this week: Finishing up the nursery! See previous post.

**Movement: The past two days, it's been almost constant which is funny because I was doing so much this weekend that I didn't feel the baby too much. I guess when Monday morning rolled around and I was sitting at my desk, the baby was like "wtf, ma? I want to move!"

**Food cravings: Bland food. Ooh, and chocolate-covered frozen bananas. Plus I went to Target on Saturday and bought some fruit snacks (like the ones you had in your lunch as a kid). I probably haven't eaten those since the 1990s.

**Health/Exercise: I'm finally cutting back on my running. On a good day I can make it 15-20 mins and then mostly walk. On more restful days, I just walk for 45 mins. But good days are getting fewer and farther between so most days are in between those two. Today I was tired so I slept in and I'll do a prenatal exercise video tonight, which will help me stretch my hips and back. I'm very proud of what I'm able to do, but I still feel a teensy bit guilty for not running every day. I'm getting over that.

**Labor Signs: Ha. Friday night we went out for Thai food for the first time in months (I prefer bland foods but I was indifferent and poor Stephen misses Thai food) and had a delicious dinner. We came home and while Stephen watched some basketball game, I promptly fell asleep on the sofa. An hour later I woke up and had a ton of lower back pain. Plus my belly was as hard as a rock. We closed up the house and went up to bed but I was still uncomfortable. I had some gas, but that didn't seem to account for the pain. We checked the baby's heartrate and it was elevated and my stomach was STILL hard so I figured I was having a contraction, but since my my lower back hurt I didn't think it was a Braxton Hicks contraction. I soon became CONVINCED that I was in labor. While I never said it, apparently it was pretty clear to Stephen, who was not so convinced. We laid down and he rubbed my belly and he fell asleep! Clearly he was not worried. And it turned out he was right-- A few minutes later I fell asleep and everything was fine in the morning. So it WAS just gas. Phew!

**Belly Button in or out? The top part is out a bit so it looks funny under tight shirts. But it's still an innie!

**What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little baby...and Dr's appointment next Wednesday... and wearing normal clothes

Nursery Reveal

We finally got our nursery furniture AND had our old furniture picked up by Salvation Army. With the help of a quick trip to Buy Buy Baby and Pottery Barn Kids, and some aggressive nesting, the nursery came together. Here are some pics...







Details:











And the inspiration for it all...



Even in the absence of Baby L, Mueller is keeping watch. That or depressed about the upcoming changes.


Here's a shot of our bassinet, although my ironing was not successful. I'm obviously going to iron it again before the baby comes. Thanks to Billy for knitting the awesome blanket!


Here's a teaser of the sitting area which is coming together but still has some clutter. I promise a better picture in a few weeks.

While we were baby showering...

...the boys (men?) were golfing. Here are some great pics from Bromley!


And some action shots...

Complaints

I hope this blog has portrayed how happy I am being pregnant 98 percent of the time. But it would be wrong of me to give you all the impression that it's great 100% of the time. Here are some of my pregnancy pet peeves.

1. Rude people on the Metro. People on our line hardly ever get up to give me their seat. Today I had a guy give me a dirty look because I asked him to move his feet off the THIRD seat he was taking up so I could sit down. I couldn't believe how rude he was. So I said "sorry" and rubbed my belly.

2. The Metro escalators are almost always out. This is nothing new. The Washington Post even ran a story about it. And most of the time, I walk up the escalators anyway (If I still exercise, I can walk up the escalator)...but those times I just want to ride or want to be able to stop if I get tired, that's always when the stupid escalator is out.

3. When I got to be about 3 months pregnant, they put up a sign next to the security at our building that said to notify guards if you were pregnant or had a medical device. This annoyed me because I hadn't known about possible radiation effects during the time that the baby's brain was developing. So I decided not to walk through the scanner anymore. Generally they let me walk around and didn't care. But recently almost all of the guards (they rotate daily) have started wanding me, INCLUDING MY BUMP. Hello! This completely defeats the purpose. So now I'm basically running through the big scanner, figuring that has less radiation than the wand against my bump. UGH.


4. All of my clothes are black. So many maternity clothes are black...or dark brown. THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING TIME OF MY LIFE, I DON'T WANT TO WEAR BLACK. How about some hot pink and red and yellow??? Sure, I'll probably look like a big piece of fruit (literally), but I'm not depressed so I should not be wearing black. For the record, Baby L will not be dressed in black for as long as I can hold out (hopefully age 5).

5. 99% of the store emails I get are for clothes I don't fit into. This is a minor complaint and something I knew would happen, but it's still sad. Plus I don't know what size I'll be after the baby's born so I can't pre-buy anything. Guess I'll miss out on this season...Luckily I'm not a huge fan of skinny jeans and oversized tops so I'm really not missing much.

Okay, vent over! After looking at this list, I realize that these are complaints I would normally have, they're just magnified by the fact that I'm preg. Back to the 98% great!

Baby Shower!

This past weekend was our Baby Shower, hosted by Grammy (Debbie). Debbie and Alex, Holland, Kim & Matt, my parents, my grandmother, and Stephen's aunt and uncle all made the trip to be here and celebrate with us. The theme was duckies and Kim made a super-cute clothes line "decoration" with the outfits for Baby L.


The cake was DELICIOUS as was all the food.





Holland, Norma, Debbie, & Meg:













Here are some of the wonderful (and very generous) gifts we got from friends and family who couldn't be there. We missed you all:

An adorable outfit from Holland and Lauren:


Boppy and 2 covers from Kristin Weed (I'm mid-sentence, not unhappy):














Onesies from Aunt Sandra:






Super Rattle from Nancy:












Farm Animal Mobile from Jen:














We got two of the baby essential (and it matches the nursery theme!) Sleep Sheep. One from Ashlee and one from Carolyn. This way we'll have one for home and one for travel:











Our high chair from Lisa (also a trans-atlantic gift):












Bathtub from Carrie & Amy (among other wonderful gifts- But I am making ridiculous faces in those pics):







Thank you to Debbie for a wonderful shower. And thank you to everyone who was there in person or in spirit for your love and generosity. Baby Lamont is going to be surrounded by so much love (and will very fashionable).




(Special thanks to V for the great photos. If any of our guests have more pictures, please send so I can post them!)