7...more...days...til...due...date...

39 weeks today. Sigh. One more week until my due date, but I have a feeling Elijah's not coming out to meet us any time soon. I'm a big, whiny baby.

Had another normal doctor's appointment this week. Had to see the male doctor I saw in the beginning of my pregnancy (who I wasn't too keen on...), but he was nice. Wouldn't tell me anything, though, and sent me up to Labor & Delivery because I mentioned I wasn't feeling Elijah move that morning as much as I usually do. I was never worried about it, because we had just woken up and it usually takes him a little to get going. After being monitored for 20 minutes, and giving me a yummy popsicle, they let me go and said baby is perfect (which I knew all along...). It was weird being up in that area, but the nurses were SO nice, and now they have me in their system so when I DO finally go in to labor (you know, in like a month...) I won't have to answer many questions or worry about giving them any paperwork. Oh, and my feet started swelling last weekend. NOT A FAN. I prop them up when I'm sleeping and it goes down by morning, but even when they don't look swollen, the tops of them still hurt. While I am grateful that they didn't start swelling until this close to the end, I could have done without it all together. :(

How big is baby?: As big as a watermelon still!! Or around 20 inches and over 7 lbs.
Stretch marks?: Still ridiculous. I should win an award.
Maternity clothes?: Barely. Not much fits over this bellehhh still. But I have stopped caring as much.
Sleep: Sleep hasn't been too terrible this past week. J has to be up way early, so we're usually in bed early and it takes me a bit to fall asleep...but otherwise, sleep is okay.
Best moment this week: Hmmm...I've gotten to spend a fair amount of time with J this week. Which makes me happy. :) We went out to dinner Monday night, and I could barely eat anything and came home and passed out. Then we went out to dinner last night, and again, I barely ate anything and come home and was very sleepy...my stomach has no room anymore since this giant baby is taking up all the room in there!
Movement: Same as always. VERY active baby.
Food cravings: Hmmm Coldstone cupcakes have been good to me this week. :) I've been craving watermelon today, but not sure if that's good for my super-swelling feet...
Gender: Still my little man, as far as I know.
Labor Signs: Still just the contractions. The pain in my back sucks, but it's to be expected. I've been getting nauseous pretty often, which I've heard can be a labor sign, but alas, still pregnant.
Belly Button in or out?: I think it's popped as much as it ever will. When there aren't clothes covering it, you can see a little poking out.
What I miss: feeling normal.
What I am looking forward to: Our stroller is being delivered Monday!!!! AND J let me order this SUPER adorable hat for little man...can't WAIT to take pictures and blast them everywhere! And...baby. If he ever comes out...wah wah wahhhhh

me beautiful 39 week bellehhhh:

Still Pregnant...38 Weeks.

In the words of just about everyone I work with, "You're STILL pregnant???" Yup. I have a feeling we're in this for the long run. Everyone (but my doctor) has told me I'll probably go early. So, alas, I'm starting to accept that I'm probably not going to meet Elijah for at least another 2 weeks. At least he should be healthy, and hopefully it'll be an easy delivery and hospital stay! As cranky as I seem on Facebook, I'm trying to stay positive. :)

This week has been okay. These contractions are killing me, and every once in a while I'll get a pretty painful one, whether it's a pain in my stomach, or this new pain in my back that has just started creeping up. It's all for you, little man...


Had a check-up on Tuesday. Still boring and normal! Cervix is closed and high still. I start weekly appointments now, but my doctor was already all booked for next week so I have to see the male doctor that I saw in the beginning of my pregnancy and didn't care for. :-/ And J starts his "Academy" on Monday, so he won't be able to go to any more appointments with me. Sad face. Needless to say, I'm hoping my appointment will be another good, boring one, and I don't plan on getting "checked" because I want to get out of there as soon as possible. I can't believe the next time I have a scheduled appointment with MY doctor, I'll be 39 1/2 weeks pregnant!! This road has been long, but I still remember the morning I saw that word "pregnant" on my test. Crazy how so much has changed!! And it blows my mind how my body went from "tiny" (obviously I have NEVER been "tiny", but in comparison...), to the watermelon in my front I carry around daily now. God is one crafty Man!

J and I both have the day off today, and it was payday for both of us, so we get to run around town running errands and stocking up on everything we may need in the next month. This could be my last paycheck before baby! :) Poor guy worked until 6am, though, then came home, I made breakfast, and he had to go to the dentist for a deep cleaning. Then when he got home, he said he was gonna nap while I got ready for us to start our day, and he looked SO peaceful sleeping that I haven't woken him up yet (it's been a couple hours). It shouldn't take us that long to get everything done that we need to, and I want him to be rested. Luckily he has the rest of the weekend off, so he should be able to relax a lot this weekend! My job is still semi-kicking my butt, but I'm hanging in there! I won the "All-Star" award for June (a manager is nominated for their hard work/dedication to WOWing guests each summer month) and am super happy about that. :) Next week we have a Supervisor that's transferring from Baltimore starting, and my boss put him on just about every shift of mine, so it'll be nice to not have to do so much, and to make sure he gets trained in how to do things the Norfolk way. :)


Pic from this week:

J surprised me on Tuesday with a finished guest bathroom! It has needed to be painted, and has had paint cans/house stuff in the bathtub since we moved in at the end of April. Now it's a fun yellow color, and I could set up little man's bathtub in the big tub and hang a couple of his towels!! :) Now to just figure out what to put on the walls.....but that may wait.

How big is baby?: As big as a watermelon!! Or a leak. Whatever that is. Or around 19.75 inches and 6.8 lbs.
Stretch marks?: Still ridiculous. I should win an award.
Maternity clothes?: Barely. Not much fits over this bellehhh nowadays. I'm getting tired of wearing the same clothes over and over, but in the end I say to myself "Whatever. I'm pregnant. No one cares." I bought Crocs a month or so ago because my work shoes were hurting (not the clogs. eew.), and they only had these loafer-looking ones with a blue trim (I wanted some more like ballet flats). The blue doesn't match everything I wear, but again, I'm (verrry) pregnant. No one cares.
Sleep: Sleep still SUCKS. I have a hard time falling asleep, and have had to sleep on the couch a couple times in the last week. Not sure why I sleep better out there, but our chaise is uber comfortable! I'm on dinner shifts next week, so I'll at least get to sleep in a little more. :)
Best moment this week: Our carseat came in on Monday while I was at work!! As did the Rock-n-Play and Moby wrap. :) I was *so* excited to get home, and immediately started setting everything up. As soon as I got the carseat out of the box (okay, J took it out...it was too heavy for me!), J went and put on his shoes. I asked him why, and he said "Because I know what's coming next. We're going to have to go outside and install it right away..." Love that man :) So we got the infant seat installed in my car, and the convertible one in his car. We're ready!! :)
Movement: Still lots! It's not as frequent, or as fast, as they have been in the past. He's running out of room! But I get LOTS of feet in my ribs/hips. It's uncomfortable, but adorable and I love pushing it out of there and feeling the tiny foot. :) I can't wait to see what it looks/feels like in person!
Food cravings: Today? Coke. And that new fruit salad from Wendy's. And chocolate milkshakes. Always chocolate milkshakes.
Gender: Still my little man, as far as I know. I keep wondering what if he comes out with girl parts...that'd be so crazy and I'd feel bad for calling her/him the wrong name these past five months!
Labor Signs: Still just the contractions. The pain in my back sucks, but it's to be expected. I tried doing jumping jacks the other night, and stopped at 20 because I was laughing at myself.
Belly Button in or out?: Just starting to poke out a little! I don't think it'll ever get completely popped though.
What I miss: Not having these back pains. And being able to do things for myself. And not bumping in to EVERY.THING with my bellehh.
What I am looking forward to: BABY. Can I please meet you soon, little man? I'm ready to have 3 weeks off of work to play with him everyday (i.e. watch him sleep...haha). And I'm looking forward to J starting the Academy Monday! He's gonna have actual stuff to do at work, and will get to learn cool stuff like how to shoot, and they do role-plays and stuff! He was showing me pictures of past Academies online the other night; it looks so cool! I'm so excited for him. :) It's a 12-ish week thing, and after that he'll be certified and can carry his gun anywhere and will get a badge and a new uniform! MMMMM he's gonna be so sexy!! :P

37 Weeks = Full Term!

How big is baby?: As big as a "swiss chard". no comprende. Or around 19.25 inches and 6.3 lbs.
Stretch marks?: Still ridiculous. I should win an award.
Maternity clothes?: Barely. Not much fits over this bellehhh nowadays.
Sleep: Sleep still SUCKS. Been worse lately. My calves feel super tight, and my whole legs are just super restless. Doesn't help that J works 6p-6a now. At least it's just for another week...
Best moment this week: Every moment with J :) He makes me laugh...we don't see too much of each other because of our schedules, so the times we do see each other are very special!
Movement: Still lots! He has found my ribs and loves to cozy up into them. I always push his feet/hands out of them, which makes me giggle.
Food cravings: Today it's been grape kool-aid. The last week it's been Somen noodles.
Gender: Still my little man, as far as I know.
Labor Signs: Been having contractions the last week or so. SUPER uncomfortable. Nothing too too painful, and I don't really know how to time them, but hopefully they're doing something down there.
Belly Button in or out?: Half and Half. It's about even with my belly now.
What I miss: Not having restless legs and back pains!!!! And being able to sleep easily. And I miss people not doing a double-take whenever they see me because of how large my bellehh is.
What I am looking forward to: BABY. Can I please meet you soon, little man?  I'm also very much looking forward to my amazon orders coming in the next week :) My sister ordered us the carseat I've been dreaming of since I first became pregnant and did a ton of research! :)

Pic from last week:

 Pic from this week (excuse the zero makeup):

 Comparison Pic (looks like baby may have dropped a little?):

I've been slacking...!

I didn't realize how long it's been since I had posted! Not like anyone cares, but I don't like feeling like a slacker. :)

Life has been SO busy! I am 36 weeks and 4 days today. Friday is 37 weeks, which means FULL TERM BABY!! And I'm officially 9 months pregnant. Only 24 days til my due date! I can't believe Elijah is almost on the outside...I still have my moments of freaking out, but I've been mostly calm and happy these last couple of days. We are MORE than ready for his arrival now, and every day I wake up wondering if this is going to be the day he decides to make his appearance. :) They say the pregnancy flies by...but mine feels like it's taking FOREVER. One of my servers told me the other day that they think I have the gestational period of an elephant (22 months). Guess that's what happens when you over-share with people. :P

Last Monday I started having contractions. I've been having them ever since, but there's no pattern to them. They're definitely worse than the Braxton Hicks ones I had earlier in the third trimester! At my doctor's appt last week, she checked me and said there is absolutely nothing going on "down there". Boooooo. I have another appointment next Tuesday, so hopefully there will be some progress! Next Tuesday's appt is the last one J will be able to go with me to. :( He starts his "Academy" on the 16th, which is a M-F commitment, from 5a-5p. If Elijah doesn't make his appearance before the 16th, I'm crossing my fingers that he comes on a weekend so J can actually be there!! He can't exactly leave the academy while it's going on, so if he comes on a week day, J won't be able to be there until after 5pm...all of these unknowns are stressful!!

Little man's room is all set up and waiting for him now :) We got this bedding set last week from a friend of J's family. :)

And we scored a ton of free stuff from another one of J's family friends! This is just some of it. :)

And we now have a convertible car seat for John's car, and my sister told me last night she's buying our infant car seat for my car. :) I also have a good friend who has an almost-8-week-old who just grew out of her newborn diapers, so she gave me all of the ones she had left! I have 3 big boxes of newborn diapers from my brother and his girlfriend, but if I can not open them and return them for size 1's, it'll help a ton! Little man isn't going to be tiny, either...so we shouldn't need many newborn anything. Haha :)

My wonderful coworkers threw me a surprise shower at work yesterday! I have no idea how I didn't catch on...but they're sneaky people!! We got a Diaper Genie, 25 outfits (I had to count..haha) mostly 0-3months, a safety kit, a monitor set, and a gift card that I used to buy a Moby wrap and Fisher Price Rock-n-Play! We have been SO blessed with everything that has been given to us. :)

Here's the SUPER yummy, and adorable, cake! :)

And some of the items. The socks you can see are Converse ones!! And the "It's a Boy!" sign we can put in our yard after he gets here. :)

While I am well aware that baby will get here when he's ready, and that I need to be patient (a skill I have NEVER had...), I am SO ready to meet Elijah!! So many moms on my "July Mom's Board" have had their babies already, and they just make me want mine even more! I'm ready to be a mom. I'm ready for this new adventure. I'm READY to kiss those cheeks!!!!

Please keep the opinions to yourself. 

New Collage!

This is just the last 8 weeks that we've been in our new house! Crrrazy!

34 Weeks ♥

Only 42 days left until little man arrives. I can't stop thinking about how little time that is! Part of me (a HUGE part) feels like I've been pregnant for YEARS. I'm more than ready to not be pregnant anymore. But the other part of me is scared to death. I don't know what to do with a baby! What if I mess up his entire life??? I don't want him to grow up to be a wuss. Or a macho man who is derogative to women. I want him to be smart, witty, strong and brave. How can I make sure he's on the right path?? How can I keep him safe? HOW DO PARENTS DO THIS?!

I get stressed out a lot when I think about what's to come. I am such a planner, so it's hard for me to be just "going with the flow" right now; having no idea when Elijah wants to come out and meet me and his daddy. We still aren't ready. We do have his PnP now, where he will sleep at in our room, and, thanks to J's mom and a couple of her friends, we have a car seat! But I walk around daily with lists of things I need to get done before he arrives. I haven't packed a bag for the hospital. The house needs to get cleaned up. I need to finish his nursery. None of these things really matter in the end, but it would sure help with my anxiety if I could get the push I need to finally get things done. In 2 weeks, I'll be 9 months pregnant. In 3 weeks, Elijah will be considered full-term. THREE WEEKS. We still need the infant car seat for my car, the stroller, a monitor, and a few other things, but none of those are super-necessities at this point.

Had a doctor's appt Tuesday (my birfday). Everything was boring business as usual. I actually wrote down my questions (well, I put them in my phone...who writes things down nowadays??), so it was good to finally get answers to things I usually forget about once I'm in there. Good news--she said I should be able to ride roller coasters 6 weeks after delivery! (Yes, that was a question I asked.) She also said there's no need for a birth plan, because things don't usually go that way. Which I'm very okay with! As long as E comes out, and is healthy, and I get drugs, I don't care. I was measuring a week and a half ahead, which is typical and really makes me want to think that he'll be here sooner rather than later (not TOO soon...just a week or two). She also felt around and could tell that he is head down already! She pointed out where his body is laying inside of me, so now I know what I'm touching when he starts poking things out :) His butt is on my left side of my stomach, and he sure loves to poke that thing out! Like, almost all the time. It still makes me giggle. Hopefully his butt doesn't come out as big as his mama's! The little things I feel sticking out on the right side of my stomach are his knees and feet. :) So cool! He has also been hiccuping a lot more frequently, which is just adorable. As scared as I am to meet him, he is going to be one super cute baby. Just look at us! :) Oh, and I've only gained 10 lbs so far. I'm very okay with that.

34 Week Picture

I am wanting to put less and less effort into my appearance lately. If I felt professional wearing a ponytail every day, I totally would. My hair is at that "in-between" stage. I want it long, but it's not quite long yet and is getting on my nerves. J won't let me cut it because he knows I want it long, and doesn't want to have to listen to me whine about it. Smart man. :)

How big is baby?: As big as a butternut squash. Or 17-19 inches and 4-6 lbs. He's getting SO big!!! I'm feeling it.

Stretch marks?: They are ridiculous. I should win an award.

Maternity clothes?: Of course.

Sleep: Sleep still SUCKS. I have a super hard time falling asleep, and can't ever sleep in. Hence why I am writing this at 8am on my day off.

Best moment this week: Last night was pretty awesome. My parents had us down for my birthday dinner, and they grilled steaks and squash and potatoes, and my mom made the yummiest chocolate cupcakes with vanilla cream filling! I love hanging out with my family. My brothers are starting high school in August (tear...), and I absolutely love being around them. They're such cool little people, and have the weirdest sense of humor! And they think I'm awesome, which always helps the situation. :) It's easy when you've been around since they were born and have been able to brain wash them! Still to this day, if I say anything close to "I'm so fat", they quickly shoot back that I am not, and that I am the skinniest person ever. Haha! Well, now it's more "You're the skinniest pregnant person ever"...but still.

Movement: It's been off and on lately. He's definitely running out of room. His movements aren't as quick anymore, but they're definitely strong. I always poke him back, and push his limbs/butt back in, and I wonder if he's going to come out all bruised because of this...hmmmm.

Food cravings: Honeynut Cheerios with milk. Super weird, since I hardly ever eat cereal, and usually when I do it's usually only dry and never with milk. I've had it every day for breakfast this week! I also ate an entire bag of Doritos in 2 sittings. I don't think I've eaten those since I was little! Not sure what it was about them, but I had bought them for J and could.not.stop eating them!

Gender: Still my little man! Guests at work ask me all the time what i'm having. Sometimes they guess before asking, and when they guess girl, and I tell them boy, they tell me that I'm wrong, and I'm definitely having a girl. Okayyy, silly old lady.

Labor Signs: Nothing yet. My stomach gets tight pretty much any time I'm standing up, but everything else is super normal.

Belly Button in or out?: SO. Close. To. Popping!

What I miss: Not having heartburn and back pains. And being able to do my job 100%. My boss told me this week that I'm just a "body" to him, and he doesn't expect me to be like I used to, so to stop trying to overdo it. But that's just who I am! I've been taking it easier, but still feel responsible for what's going on on my cruises, so it's hard to find a balance. I still run around to get stuff done at work, but now I'm breathing harder and people are usually making fun of me for being so winded all the time. Jerks. :P

What I am looking forward to: Today!!! J and I are both off today and tomorrow. :) Today we're going to pick up a glider for the nursery (the same people who we bought the PnP from are selling us their super cute glider for cheap!). Then we're going to take a mini-trip to Williamsburg and visit the Outlets and hopefully find some comfy shoes for me to work in for the next 6 weeks. My feet and hands have started swelling this week, so all of my shoes, except flip flops, are uncomfortable. And they won't let me work in flip flops. Boooooo. OH, annnnd we get to go to Zaxby's for lunch or dinner!!!!! That's probably my favorite thing about Williamsburg :)). One of these days we wanna open one here. Then tomorrow is J's brother's graduation party, so we get to spend the day at his parent's :) And it's not supposed to be too hot tomorrow, so hopefully I can "hang" without super-swelling or being super uncomfortable!

50 Days Left!!!

I can't believe Elijah will be here in around 50 days! That's around 7 weeks. 7!! J was figuring out our bills for the next month and a half, and we both only have 3 paychecks left until he's here!!! Craziness. We still need a lot of things before he gets here, which adds to my already-stressful-nature. BUT luckily I've been scouring craigslist, and we found a super cute Pack-n-Play (portable crib) that we're picking up tonight :) So at least baby will have somewhere to sleep! I am pretty sure little man won't be here until right up to, or after, he's supposed to, but you never know with these things! He comes when HE'S ready, not when mom and dad have bought all the necessary things for him. haha :) Lots of other ladies who were due in July have already had their babies, so it definitely happens! Woo-saaaaaaaaaa.

Still super duper uncomfortable, but I'm managing. Work gets harder every day, and some days I feel like I'm not going to make it much longer. But I'm a strong lady, and come from a VERY strong lady, so for now I'm just sucking it up and dealing with it. Thank goodness my boss is the best EVER, and totally understands when I need to take things easy. And he wants me working up until I go into labor, too, because he needs me. :) Lately he's been saying he's going to be emailing me my office stuff, so I can still get that done and he won't have to do it. I totally don't mind, as long as they pay me! :)

I am not sure what position E is in...I kind of think he's diagonal, based on his movements, but that's not super normal. He has found my hips. Mostly my left one, because his butt (or whatever it is) is always poking out of the top right of my belly, right under my ribs. It makes me giggle to watch him poke it in and out. And he does these "tremors" or "crazy dance moves" (as I like to call them) often, and it's so strange! I wish I could see what he's up to...I realllllly hope we get another look at him before he comes out, but my doctor is pretty laid back and not concerned with anything going wrong in here, so I'm not sure if it'll happen..

Since I missed last week, here are two pictures for you!

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

Even though I'm not feeling 100%, at least I look good! :P I get tons of compliments on how good I look, and that I'm all belly. :) I live for these moments!

How big is baby?: As big as a Ukelele or a Durian fruit! (whatever that is) or 17-19 inches and 4-6 lbs. He's getting SO big!!! I'm feeling it.

Stretch marks?: they are ridiculous.

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes. I need some new ones because I'm bored with the old ones, but it seems silly to waste the money at this point..

Sleep: Sleep SUCKS. My back hurts all.the.time now, so it makes it really hard to fall asleep. I always wake up once or twice in the middle of the night, and have a hard time falling back asleep. It's ridiculous. I felt E hiccup in the last week, which was cute. But it was 3:30AM! And it's impossible to fall asleep when there's a fetus hiccuping inside of you.

Best moment this week: Hmm...the other night J and I were watching TV, and J put his hand on my belly and just kept it there. When E first started kicking on the outside, J wouldn't touch my belly much and he seemed a little freaked out by it. So I LOVED that he voluntarily put his hand there, and E was very active for him. :) I absolutely love my husband, and often sit back and just think about how great my life is, because of him. :) I'm a little nervous about how much this little man is going to change our dynamic, but since we're both super clingy to each other, I have a feeling it'll make me fall in love with him even more. :)) OH! And my sister came down for a day last weekend, and finally felt baby move! I love seeing someone else get so excited over my little creation :P

Movement: Frequent and STRONG still. Monday I didn't feel a whole lot of movement, but Elijah made up for it on Tuesday! I feel his kicks most when I'm sitting still, so when I feel a kick or jab while I'm standing or walking, it really takes me by surprise!

Food cravings: ICE CREAM. and Cake. I would REALLY love some. Right now.

Gender: still my little man!

Labor Signs: Just the "practice contractions"...they don't hurt so much as they're just uncomfortable.

Belly Button in or out?: still in, but barely! i hope it pops soon..

What I miss: There are too many to mention. Mostly having energy to do things. And my back not hurting. And being able to drink and eat anything I want to. And carrying things.

What I am looking forward to: My birthday is on Tuesday!!! I think this is the least excited I've ever been for a birthday. I guess once you're past 25, there are too many other things to worry about! All I want is some cake and ice cream. or ice cream cake. :P Also have a doctor appt on Tuesday. And work. BUT I do have next Friday and Saturday off! Can't remember the last time I got a Saturday off....VERY excited! :) J's little brother graduates next week, so we'll actually be able to make it to his graduation party on Saturday :) SUPER SCARY how fast time is flying!! <3