35w0d

How far along? 35w0d or 87.5% or 9 months pregnant.

Total weight gain/loss: +26 pounds...seriously, where is this weight going, it sure is not all pumpkin seed, UGH! I'll just continue tell myself that my scale is broken and pray a good chunk of it will be gone shortly after he's born :o/

Size: Honeydew. He's over 18 inches long and weighs about 5.25 pounds now.

Baby Development: His kidneys are fully developed now and his liver can process some waste. Most of his basic physical development is now complete, he will spend the next few weeks just putting on weight. His hearing is also fully developed.

Movement: YES! Both movements and kicks happen regularly throughout the day and night. I think he is starting to run out of room too, I can feel him pushing out against my belly and it's starting to hurt a bit now.

Food cravings: Nothing new lately.

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Jimmy John's, alcohol, my jeans.

How I'm feeling: For the most part I'm feeling good, I have the normal pregnancy aches and pains...but I manage to waddle myself around :)

Milestones/Best moment this week: I'm officially 9 months today! Where does the time go?!?

And just a reminder, get your vote in the baby pool, see right side of page for the link...there will be a prize for the winner!

dear...

Dear Pumpkin Seed,

Here is the first of many letters I plan to write to you...I hope you come across these someday when you are older and will know how much we love you and how you’ve changed our lives for the better...and that it started well before you even were born...

It’s hard to believe you will be here in just a few weeks...it feels like yesterday, we were finding out you existed and would be blessing our lives with your arrival this fall. This year sure has gone by way too fast!

You have been quite kind to Mommy, she really didn’t have horrible morning sickness like most mommies have. Although she did have a few rough weeks, it could have been so much worse. Your mommy has also craved pizza just about every day...but it just told us that you are definitely your mommy and daddy’s child. She also hasn’t had the heartburn and other typical symptoms other moms have and while she has felt you kick and move for weeks now, you’ve managed to stay away from her organs most of the time...and she thanks you for taking it easy on her so far!

You love to move and kick whenever Daddy talks to you...she knows you two are going to have so much fun once you get here. Your Daddy already has golf clubs ready for you and has been itching to buy you a baseball mitt and fishing pole. Mommy keeps reminding him you are a still few years away from that yet...but he can’t wait to introduce you to all these things. We hope you can enjoy them as much as Daddy does, he has big plans for you buddy! But if you don’t, that’s okay too...Daddy likes many different things and you’ll find something you both love to do together.

We think you might be a football player someday...Daddy has asked you a few times now what sport you want to play when you get older...you react some to baseball, nothing for basketball but you go nuts whenever he says football. You’ll soon find out that football is a big deal in our house...Mommy is a diehard Packer fan, while your Daddy loves their biggest rival, the Vikings. We will try not to make you pick sides...but she's really hoping you bleed green and gold like your Mom! We need more Packer Backers in MN!

You also have a puppy dog that is anxious to meet you. She likes to sniff around your nursery and pull your clothes off the dresser...although she hasn’t quite figured out what all the new stuff is for yet. We know she is going to love you to pieces and protect you. She loves to give kisses and cuddle, so please be gentle with her and try not to pull her tail too much...she will be so patient and loving with you...and we know you two will be the best of friends.

Mommy is sorry she's indulged in diet cokes or made Daddy give raspberries on her tummy while you were fast asleep...Mommy just needed reassurance everything was okay in there. And it never took long after hearing Daddy to get you moving. And she apologizes for not eating as well as she should have while you were growing in her tummy. Mommy did try to eat more vegetables but she just plain despises them and hopes somehow you will still love them when you start eating solid food, they are so good for you!

We have such big hopes and dreams for you buddy. We may not always be able to provide you with everything you want...but we can promise you that you’ll never go without...you will always have a roof over your head, food on the table, and more hugs and kisses than you’ll know what to do with...please know your Mommy and Daddy will move heaven and earth to make sure you have everything you need.

We are very busy now, getting all the last minute things ready for you and we can’t wait to meet you in just a few short weeks! We love you Punkin!

Love, Mommy

 

34w0d

How far along? 34w0d or 85% or 8.75 months pregnant.

Total weight gain/loss: +24 pounds...and I'm guessing I gained 10 more pounds at the state fair yesterday, LOL.

Size: Cantaloupe or Honeydew. He's nearly 18 inches long and weighs about 4.75 pounds now.

Baby Development: His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. He continues to gain fat layers and filling out his tiny little body.

Movement: YES! Both movements and kicks happen regularly throughout the day and night. I think he is starting to run out of room too, I can feel him pushing out against my belly and it's starting to hurt a bit now.

Food cravings: Nothing new lately.

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Jimmy John's, alcohol, my jeans.

How I'm feeling: For the most part I'm feeling good, I have the normal pregnancy aches and pains...but I manage to waddle myself around :) Swelling is back under control but my feet/ankles are puffy by the end of the day (which my doctor says is completely normal) and my fingers look puffy too...hopefully they go down a bit once it cools down next month.

Milestones/Best moment this week: Hearing his heartbeat and knowing I'm still measuring on track. Although I kinda dread the bi-weekly appointments because of the stepping on the scale...hearing his little heart and knowing everything is still progressing makes it worth it :)

We had a VERY long Friday and the reason this post is a day late. We got up early and headed to the state fair...we had a lot of fun and hit all our usual food and vendor stands. We had cheese curds, pronto pups, caramel corn (that was gross and ended up throwing away), sweet martha's cookies and french fries. We shared most of these and Joe tried a breakfast lollipop, which was sausage deep fried in pancake batter and dipped in syrup. It was really good, we will definitely add this to our usual routine next year. We also stopped by the Star Tribune stand and they were handing out ketchup and mustard chap sticks...I guess they really taste like it too, YUCK! I will take their word for it...I won't be trying it!

After we got home, I noticed some unusual changes with me and thought I might be leaking amniotic fluid. After a few hours of stewing and using Dr Google (always a blessing and a curse!)...I finally freaked myself out enough that I called the hospital and talked to a L&D nurse. She told me the only way to know for sure was to come in and they would test to find out....so at 8:30 on a Friday night, we headed to our hospital. I think that was the longest 20 minutes of my life...we both didn't know what to expect and both kept thinking "we aren't ready to be parents yet"...and "this can't be happening yet." I wasn't having contractions but I also didn't know what they would do if I was indeed leaking amniotic fluid.

They hooked me up to the ultrasound machine, where they measured for contractions and the baby's heartbeat. We had to wait a while for the nurse to come in, she was busy with another patient but once she came in, she administered the test. After about 10 minutes, the results were in and I was NOT leaking amniotic fluid, thank goodness! However, before I could be released, I needed to be on the ultrasound machine for 20 more minutes and I had to have my doctor's approval. Well, my doctor is out of town this weekend but the nurse didn't read far enough in the notes to see that...so after trying to page her twice, she then went to paging her backup doctor. Finally, they got ahold of that doctor and he wanted me to give a urine sample to check for a UTI (another issue I had yesterday was I was in the bathroom every 10-15 minutes and never felt empty). So we waited again for those results to come back from the lab...once they were in, they had to get ahold of the doctor again before they would release me. The results were negative for a UTI as well and finally at 11:30, we were walking out the front door. It was a long 2.5 hours but I'm glad I went in...it's better to be safe than sorry...and with Joe out of town this weekend, I didn't want risk something bad happening while I was by myself. At least there was a positive of the night, we listened to our sweet baby boy's heart for almost the entire time we were there...and it was all over the place, ranging from 125-173...it was crazy to feel him move or kick and then see his heartbeat rise.

We also realized how unprepared we are and how fast time is going...so the car seat will be installed and the hospital bags will be finished this weekend, except for the last minute items we'll need to pack like changes of clothes, computer, my glasses or contacts, etc. It was an awful feeling...having nothing that we needed with us, especially since we didn't know if we'd be rushed into delivery or not. I guess it was a good practice round and hopefully the next trip we make will be the real deal! At least we'll be more prepared next time.

Then as we were driving home on 610, all of a sudden, we had a cop car chasing us with his lights and sirens on...seriously?!? After the last 2.5 hours in a hospital, this was the last thing we wanted to deal with...what else could go wrong. I was already stressing about what this hospital visit was going to cost us...and then to top it of with a ticket?!? UGH! And to make it worse, Joe's old speeding ticket is finally dropping off in January too, so I was hoping for a drop in our rates. So the officer came to the window, took Joe's license and insurance card, then told us he was pulling us over for not using a turn signal. WTF, are you kidding me?!? He went and checked Joe's record, then came back and luckily just gave us a warning. After we pulled away, I told Joe I bet we got pulled over because he was looking for DWI's. It is a holiday weekend and they always bump up patrols...so when he didn't use his blinker one time, it gave him enough reason to pull us over. 

So we walked in the front door well after midnight....to find Shiloh had eaten the zucchini bread wrapped in foil that was on the counter. I was concerned about the amount of tin foil she had consumed, so we called the ER vet, thinking we would be making another hospital visit in the same night. The vet Joe talked to wasn't concerned enough to bring her in, due to her size and amount she ate (had it been a entire roll, it would have been a different story) and thought it should pass through ok...but I need to watch her carefully this weekend and make sure it passes (can't wait to inspect that, ugh!), otherwise we will need to go in.

And then Joe was out the door this morning by 7am...it was a very LONG night but thankfully everyone is healthy and no major problems to be concerned with as of yet (assuming Shiloh passes everything)...just a stressful evening and not the way I wanted to start my 4 day holiday weekend.

This morning I had some serious cuddle time on the couch with my sweet girl...something I know I won't get much of anymore once pumpkin seed arrives but every 15-20 minutes or so, she would sit up and look out the window for her Dad...it was pretty darn cute!

baby pool...

Well friends, it's getting to be about that time...I'm entering the home stretch now, just 6 short weeks away! So why not have some fun and get a baby pool going...I'll come up with some sort of prize for the winner too (personalized to whoever wins), so make sure to include your name/email with your guess :) One entry per person!

To enter, click here:

Baby Peterson Pool

Good luck everyone!