32 Weeks and Counting!
7/23/13 - Today we are 31w2d and last night I received 5 of the packages of e-bay orders of clothing I'd ordered (told you I over did it - there are many more coming!) I had such a good time going through each package, and making sure everything matched the order, rating the seller, looking for the few stains that needed treating, and then taking everything down to be washed. I spent a little while scrubbing out any of the small stains I did find - and most were from one particular lot; I could tell they hadn't been treated or cared for quite as well as the other items I received, but pretty much all of the stains came out without any issue so that was good! I ran 1 large load and 1 medium sized load of clothes - everything from size newborn through 18 months. I ended up mostly with size 0-3 and 3-6 months out of those clothing lots. I've noticed, for some reason, size 9 months is mysteriously missing from almost all of the lots of clothing I've bought that are supposed to cover 3-12 months, or somewhere in that range. I'm wondering if there is a reason, or it's just a weird coincidence! Do babies seem to skip over that size?! I know some of what I bought will definitely not be the right season (although I can always layer with long sleeve onesies if I really want to use something that is otherwise summery), and there are a few pieces I probably won't use just because I have so many items to pick from, I can be choosey - so I might go ahead and sort through everything once the rest of the packages arrive and pick out the pieces I don't think I will need to reduce the amount that needs to be put away into the drawers and boxes! The stack of 6 month sized clothing is very full! I left a few things to line dry last night, and I have another package that should be arriving today to go through. This one has a lot of the "little stuff" - socks, hats, shoes, hairbands, etc. I'll have to give all the hairbands I've received a wash too - I hadn't really thought about that before! It was amazing to me, pulling each little piece of clothing out of the dryer and imagining that these items are going to be on a tiny human being in the next couple of months...! Some of them look so much like doll clothes to me! I probably have enough to sell about half of what I have and still have plenty of clothing to work with... It's like Christmas, opening up each package, seeing what great pieces are mixed in, and sorting through them all - I would be a happy camper working at Goodwill and sorting clothes all day! :) I got some REALLY cute dresses in the clothes from yesterday. I can't wait to get the chance to use them! I've noticed there are a couple themes too with the baby clothes - aside from "daddy's girl" type themes, and "little sister" themes, there are a lot of pink and grey leopard print, and monkeys!
Miss Lindsey is very wiggly again this morning - bumping around and making my belly dance and change shape. I imagine she's starting to feel rather constricted in there, and just hope she stays put in the head down position for the remainder of the pregnancy which may only be about 7 weeks more at the most - since we have a Single Uterine Artery they may very well decide to induce by 39 weeks if I'm still pregnant at that point. I asked about that briefly at my last OB appointment and she confirmed that is fairly standard, but it all depends on how things are going, and how baby looks. Those last few weeks are going to be a bit nerve wracking for me - SUA babies have a slightly increased risk of stillbirth and I'm not going to feel at ease until I can see her in my arms and know she's ok... As of 32 weeks only FIVE more until full-term! I can't wait to reach that point!! Once we hit full term, and as long as everything has been looking good at her growth scans, I am going to start sitting on a birthing ball and hitting the treadmill, trying to help prep my body for labor, whenever that may be. I am hoping for another smooth and easy singleton delivery similar to my last singleton delivery - which was honestly the best delivery experience I've had of all of them. So fingers are crossed! :) My next OB appointment is scheduled for Friday, August 9th at 3:30pm. After that it will probably be one more 2 weeks after, and then weekly until she comes!! YIKES! My dad is throwing our "cyber-shower" on August 11th, and after that we'll pick up whatever we still need (which is probably the stroller and crib combo, and we still need to pick out a crib) and then we should be pretty much set - just have to get the rest of the clothes sorted and put away and finish the décor in the nursery. I have to clear out a cabinet for bottles and pump "extras" in the kitchen, and make room for baby bath tub and soaps, lotions, etc. in the bathroom. I think they can all just be stored inside the bathtub and pulled out when needed. At least that's my plan - I could probably find some space in my walk-in closet if needed too.
I'm counting down until Friday - I can't wait! My friend is driving from Alabama and picking me up mid-day and we're driving to North Carolina for 2 nights and a surrogacy get together. I am so excited to see some friends I haven't seen in AGES and hang out with others in the surrogacy community. I haven't had a chance to do that in way too long. :)
7/24/13 - 31w3d today! Only one more day or working this week and then off to North Carolina! I am super excited! There were two more big boxes of clothes for me to sort through and wash when I got home last night, so that kept me busy while I watched an episode of Hell's Kitchen. I had my first load all set, ran it, and then went down to swap clothes and found blue stains on almost half of the items in the load! I was so mad! I had to sit there and spray stain remover on everything and throw it all back in the wash again... I rubbed a few of my knuckles pretty raw trying to scrub out the stains. I still don't know for sure what bled in the load of laundry - but anything even remotely blue in color was pulled out to line dry and will go in my "get rid of pile". I don't need that happening again, thank you very much! At least it all came out when it was washed again. The boxes of clothes have taken over the nursery at the moment, and I'm looking forward to getting the dowel rod hung in the armoire which will give me some more hanging space, and getting the rest of the clothes I've ordered in so I can finish sorting everything and put the larger sizes away in the attic or basement after they've been washed. I am definitely going to have to purge at least some of it in the smaller sizes, there's just no way I'll need all of it! I have a few things I need to get listed on craigslist sometime in the next week or so anyway to try to continue the attempts at cleaning out some of the things that have been laying around the house unused for too long - just taking up space.
I'll be gone this weekend, so no crib hunting probably until the next weekend. That will be just after Kent's started back to school! I can't believe school starts so soon... I am feeling rather unprepared for it. I still don't know when his open house is, and we haven't heard back from his school counselor to make sure he has a schedule set up. I know they can take care of schedules on the first day if necessary, but it would be nice for him to have that in place and have an idea of what's happening on his first day. It will be enough of an adjustment to be in high school and at a completely new building. Hopefully he'll run into a few friends he knows from middle school.
I had ordered a couple nursing tops and nightgowns and those just arrived too, so I will probably throw a few of the hospital items I need into a bag in the next couple weeks as well. I know I don't need that much, but I wanted to have my own comfy clothes for after delivery and wanted a good nursing top and nightgown to choose from. I like having my own socks and slippers too, and my own shampoo and "beauty items". Other than a cell phone charger, some snacks, and some vending machine change, that's usually about all I need to have so it won't take much space or take long to assemble. I've debated on whether or not to bother bringing a diaper bag to the hospital. It's rather unlikely that we'll need to stop on the way home, and all baby should need is car seat, going home outfit, and a blanket to cover her up in the car... but I may very well bring the whole thing anyway... this is me we're talking about after all.
July is really flying by - it is going to be August in no time at all and we'll be into a whole new routine with school and soccer starting back up. I think I'm in denial. I can't even really think about the fact that Kent will be in high school in a matter of DAYS at this point... how is that even possible?! Especially after having him homeschooled the past year, it's going to be a big adjustment all around.
7/29/13 - We made it to 32 weeks (32w1d today!) and I had a really good time in North Carolina over the weekend with friends. I had a couple big contractions while we were there - it was pretty hot and we did a fair amount of walking and the combination resulted in at least a couple contractions that had me pausing to take a breath. Water and taking a break was enough to get them to stop though, so that was a relief!! I am hoping for 6 more weeks with this little one, though I wouldn't be super surprised to go longer - 38 weeks is just my mental "goal" at the moment. 36 weeks is the next milestone week to get to - so just 4 more to get to that point! By then we'll be almost all the way through August!! I'm trying not to wish away the days, they just seem to fly by whether I am thinking about it or not. Summer is just a busy time of year. Kent comes home tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait to see him! Then we have Lindsey's first growth ultrasound on Wednesday and I'm excited to see her again, and anxious to hear how everything looks at this point and what the plan will be for additional follow up appointments. I'm going to be a little bit on pins and needles until she's here safe and sound. So far (knock on something) everything has gone really well, but that "slightly increased risk of stillbirth" with 2-vessel cords is constantly looming in the background of my mind...
I have a few more packages of baby clothes to go through when I get home tonight - I got home around 8:30pm last night and after unpacking it was pretty much time for bed; Kenneth looked pretty much exhausted, like he hadn't slept that well while I was gone. I didn't sleep that great either, but I sure did love those big soft covers on the beds at the Marriott! :)
According to Baby Center:
Miss Lindsey is very wiggly again this morning - bumping around and making my belly dance and change shape. I imagine she's starting to feel rather constricted in there, and just hope she stays put in the head down position for the remainder of the pregnancy which may only be about 7 weeks more at the most - since we have a Single Uterine Artery they may very well decide to induce by 39 weeks if I'm still pregnant at that point. I asked about that briefly at my last OB appointment and she confirmed that is fairly standard, but it all depends on how things are going, and how baby looks. Those last few weeks are going to be a bit nerve wracking for me - SUA babies have a slightly increased risk of stillbirth and I'm not going to feel at ease until I can see her in my arms and know she's ok... As of 32 weeks only FIVE more until full-term! I can't wait to reach that point!! Once we hit full term, and as long as everything has been looking good at her growth scans, I am going to start sitting on a birthing ball and hitting the treadmill, trying to help prep my body for labor, whenever that may be. I am hoping for another smooth and easy singleton delivery similar to my last singleton delivery - which was honestly the best delivery experience I've had of all of them. So fingers are crossed! :) My next OB appointment is scheduled for Friday, August 9th at 3:30pm. After that it will probably be one more 2 weeks after, and then weekly until she comes!! YIKES! My dad is throwing our "cyber-shower" on August 11th, and after that we'll pick up whatever we still need (which is probably the stroller and crib combo, and we still need to pick out a crib) and then we should be pretty much set - just have to get the rest of the clothes sorted and put away and finish the décor in the nursery. I have to clear out a cabinet for bottles and pump "extras" in the kitchen, and make room for baby bath tub and soaps, lotions, etc. in the bathroom. I think they can all just be stored inside the bathtub and pulled out when needed. At least that's my plan - I could probably find some space in my walk-in closet if needed too.
I'm counting down until Friday - I can't wait! My friend is driving from Alabama and picking me up mid-day and we're driving to North Carolina for 2 nights and a surrogacy get together. I am so excited to see some friends I haven't seen in AGES and hang out with others in the surrogacy community. I haven't had a chance to do that in way too long. :)
7/24/13 - 31w3d today! Only one more day or working this week and then off to North Carolina! I am super excited! There were two more big boxes of clothes for me to sort through and wash when I got home last night, so that kept me busy while I watched an episode of Hell's Kitchen. I had my first load all set, ran it, and then went down to swap clothes and found blue stains on almost half of the items in the load! I was so mad! I had to sit there and spray stain remover on everything and throw it all back in the wash again... I rubbed a few of my knuckles pretty raw trying to scrub out the stains. I still don't know for sure what bled in the load of laundry - but anything even remotely blue in color was pulled out to line dry and will go in my "get rid of pile". I don't need that happening again, thank you very much! At least it all came out when it was washed again. The boxes of clothes have taken over the nursery at the moment, and I'm looking forward to getting the dowel rod hung in the armoire which will give me some more hanging space, and getting the rest of the clothes I've ordered in so I can finish sorting everything and put the larger sizes away in the attic or basement after they've been washed. I am definitely going to have to purge at least some of it in the smaller sizes, there's just no way I'll need all of it! I have a few things I need to get listed on craigslist sometime in the next week or so anyway to try to continue the attempts at cleaning out some of the things that have been laying around the house unused for too long - just taking up space.
I'll be gone this weekend, so no crib hunting probably until the next weekend. That will be just after Kent's started back to school! I can't believe school starts so soon... I am feeling rather unprepared for it. I still don't know when his open house is, and we haven't heard back from his school counselor to make sure he has a schedule set up. I know they can take care of schedules on the first day if necessary, but it would be nice for him to have that in place and have an idea of what's happening on his first day. It will be enough of an adjustment to be in high school and at a completely new building. Hopefully he'll run into a few friends he knows from middle school.
I had ordered a couple nursing tops and nightgowns and those just arrived too, so I will probably throw a few of the hospital items I need into a bag in the next couple weeks as well. I know I don't need that much, but I wanted to have my own comfy clothes for after delivery and wanted a good nursing top and nightgown to choose from. I like having my own socks and slippers too, and my own shampoo and "beauty items". Other than a cell phone charger, some snacks, and some vending machine change, that's usually about all I need to have so it won't take much space or take long to assemble. I've debated on whether or not to bother bringing a diaper bag to the hospital. It's rather unlikely that we'll need to stop on the way home, and all baby should need is car seat, going home outfit, and a blanket to cover her up in the car... but I may very well bring the whole thing anyway... this is me we're talking about after all.
July is really flying by - it is going to be August in no time at all and we'll be into a whole new routine with school and soccer starting back up. I think I'm in denial. I can't even really think about the fact that Kent will be in high school in a matter of DAYS at this point... how is that even possible?! Especially after having him homeschooled the past year, it's going to be a big adjustment all around.
7/29/13 - We made it to 32 weeks (32w1d today!) and I had a really good time in North Carolina over the weekend with friends. I had a couple big contractions while we were there - it was pretty hot and we did a fair amount of walking and the combination resulted in at least a couple contractions that had me pausing to take a breath. Water and taking a break was enough to get them to stop though, so that was a relief!! I am hoping for 6 more weeks with this little one, though I wouldn't be super surprised to go longer - 38 weeks is just my mental "goal" at the moment. 36 weeks is the next milestone week to get to - so just 4 more to get to that point! By then we'll be almost all the way through August!! I'm trying not to wish away the days, they just seem to fly by whether I am thinking about it or not. Summer is just a busy time of year. Kent comes home tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait to see him! Then we have Lindsey's first growth ultrasound on Wednesday and I'm excited to see her again, and anxious to hear how everything looks at this point and what the plan will be for additional follow up appointments. I'm going to be a little bit on pins and needles until she's here safe and sound. So far (knock on something) everything has gone really well, but that "slightly increased risk of stillbirth" with 2-vessel cords is constantly looming in the background of my mind...
I have a few more packages of baby clothes to go through when I get home tonight - I got home around 8:30pm last night and after unpacking it was pretty much time for bed; Kenneth looked pretty much exhausted, like he hadn't slept that well while I was gone. I didn't sleep that great either, but I sure did love those big soft covers on the beds at the Marriott! :)
According to Baby Center:
How your baby's growing:
By now, your baby weighs 3 3/4 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
Paws khrossed for your human puppy!
ReplyDeleteWe are looking forward to meeting her 'here' -
She has one furry special mom waiting for her!
Aww thanks Khyra and Hooman Mom! :)
ReplyDelete