9 MONTHS!

Holy moly I am actually 9 whole months pregnant. That statement is amazing to me!

This week I've been given my "tiger stripes". I have to laugh a little about this because up until now I've gone 35-36 weeks without a single mark, and then within a matter of days they've appeared around my belly. I'm happy with them though because Daddy calls them "Emily marks" :).

Last Thursday was my very last progesterone shot, and then Friday I was given the official date for my c-section. October 16th bright and early at 7:30am. That puts me at about 39 weeks and 4 days, but 39+2 in my medical records, so further along than I would like but like I've said before I will be very well monitored all the way up until then. I won't even hold my breath on that date being the actual day either, because I know that anything can happen and she can come at any time, but if she does come right on target it's a bit crazy to me that I will know her exact birth day and birth time.

In just 3 days my cerclage will be coming out, now THAT is going to be a big deal! Once it's gone, it's completely up to my body and Emily what happens next. Just about 3 weeks at most until our sweet girl is here <3.

Quick Update -- Practice Breathing!!

I've been watching Emily practice "breathing" (which is pretty much just pulling her fluid in and out of her lungs) on ultrasounds for the last few visits. A few days ago I was curious if anyone could actually see their babies "breathing" in their belly, so I looked around online and found that some women, usually petite, can actually see it. I wasn't even thinking about it, but just now as I was sitting I looked down and I caught my belly moving! I gently held my breath and actually caught on video her practicing!

She is doing all of the movements on my belly and I'm just keeping my breath very low. I'm pretty shocked that I was able to see it :)!! Oh, and the still shot of my belly looks VERY creepy and weird but it looks normal when you play it haha.

35 Weeks -- T-minus 30 days!

I'm completely amazed that I've come this far. As of now there are less than 30 days until I should be having my c-section, and realistically she could try to come on her own at any time between now and then. I'm so nervous and excited, wow, this really is the "home stretch"!

This week I've been feeling VERY, very tired. It is getting harder each day to find the strength to get off the couch or out of bed. That's probably due to her growing so fast and my weight gain going up more than ever. I've put on now 34 pounds and most of that has been in the last 4-8 weeks or so. My heartburn lately has been at an all time high, too. Throughout the night I'm being woken up even more frequently by not only her BIG stretching movements and having to use the bathroom every 2 hours, but also my dinner/bed time snack wreaking havoc on my chest. That is one symptom I will not miss!

She was great during my non-stress test today aside from being too active to get a good baseline heartbeat, which we eventually got after some extra time on the monitor. On the ultrasound she was very awake, opening both of her eyes WIDE and looking around, we could clearly see her pupils moving up and down and side to side :)! She also practically had her whole hand in her mouth and we could see her sucking on her fingers. And that hair, oh boy it looks longer every time they catch it!

Next week, 9 months!!

Last Growth Ultrasound and Estimated Weight

Yesterday was the very last ultrasound I'll be having to check on her growth. She is as cute as ever, with little to no room in Mommy to spare hehe, and very, VERY active. During the scan I got to see her stick her tongue out a few times, yawn, and suck on her bottom lip. It was the sweetest sight!

She is estimated to weigh 5 pounds and 5 ounces right now! My husband and I had a little bet on the weight, whoever was closest would win $5. He guessed 6 pounds (over-reaching there!) and I guessed 5 pounds 4 ounces, so I won! But, silly him, we have a jar that we put our extra money in that has a sealed top and he put my winnings in there! Oh well, next time I should specify whoever wins gets the money in-hand ;).

My specialist is very happy with how she is growing and how well-managed my blood sugar numbers are right now. Both of them have been right on target and at this point I'm back down to 1.5 pills before lunch and dinner, which is great because I would rather not need much medication. And even though he recommended me to be delivered at 37 weeks, I am going to be monitored so much at this point that we both feel much more safe as I get closer to delivering. If anything starts to feel out of the ordinary though I will be sent right in to have my c-section at this point.

My next big milestone is two weeks from now I will be having my cerclage stitch removed! I'm a little nervous about it being painful, but he assured me that it will be a little uncomfortable but it won't be as bad as I work it up to be in my head. He really understands my level of anxiety for every little thing we've had to do and I'm very grateful that he knows how to defuse my worries. The removal will also coincide with my monitoring so I will be looked after for a little bit after it's done, just in case I start to dilate or have any contractions (which I shouldn't, but you never know).

I'm so excited and nervous all at the same time! If I'm delivered on the 14th that is only 32 days away, wow!! Where has all of the time gone?

34 Weeks

Trying to see my feet while standing up has been a lost cause lately!

I'm closer than ever yet it all feels so far away. 34 weeks this week and I'm beginning to feel uncomfortable. 

It's nothing to really complain about, but I can barely breathe now (depending on how I'm sitting/laying) and I'm very slow and sluggish. All of this weight gain has started to take it's toll on me, and even though it's only 31.5 pounds (as of today) it is very hard to find the energy to get around. Aside from all of that I've discovered the world of heartburn hiccups, and even more sciatica. At least the finish line is near!

On Monday I had another ultrasound with my non-stress test, and to my surprise the tech was able to catch a BEAUTIFUL little face on a 3D ultrasound!

It was in "color" on the screen and we got to see her squiggle and move, but I was so fascinated by seeing her perfect little face that I almost cried. This is the first time I've ever really seen what she looked like, aside from profile shots and quick glimpses through the shadows of the 2D ultrasounds, and I'm so happy we got to see this. She definitely has her Daddy's nose and lips. We'll see very soon what other characteristics she's stolen from us :).

My OB told me last Thursday that he is aiming to have me delivered around October 14th or 15th, which would put me at technically 39 weeks and 2 or 3 days (but on their paperwork it would be 39 weeks and 0 or 1 days), so I'm a little worried about getting that far along. I'm happy, though, that my specialist is having me do these non-stress tests twice a week and on top of that I will be seeing my OB every week soon, so I know that if any signs of labor start to show I will be very well monitored. I won't hold my breath on that date either because I know it's really all up to her when she decides to arrive, all we can do is just try and get to her before she does hehe.

In just a few days I'll have another growth ultrasound and I'll get to see how much weight she's gained in the last 5 weeks. I'm so excited to know!

33 Weeks

Another week closer!

I've started to have heartburn again and it's been one of the things keeping me up all night now, the others being Emily kicking and stretching like crazy (especially the inside of my hip bones and ribs), having to get up every hour or so to use the bathroom, and then there are the achy hips when I lay on one side too long from the weight gain. It's not too bad though :). I did have a very rough bout of low blood sugar yesterday and it took me three separate snacks to get it back up again, it was pretty scary feeling so shaky and unusual, but I'll be talking with my dietitian this week to see if maybe I need to change the dose of my medicine.

Last night before bed my husband felt the need to snuggle my belly. He dedicated a song to her, so he pulled it up on his phone and played it against my belly and sang the words. The song is "Too Late to Turn Back Now" by Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. It brought a few tears to my eyes hearing the words and seeing the love he has for our baby <3.

"My Mama told me

She said, Son, please beware

There's this thing called love

And it's everywhere

She told me, It can break your heart

And leave you in misery

Since I met this little woman

I feel it's happened to me

And I'm tellin' you

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

Oh, it's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

I found myself wanting her

At least ten times a day

You know, it's so unusual for me

To carry on this way

I'm tellin' you

I can't sleep at night

Wanting to hold her tight

I've tried so hard to convince myself

That this feeling just can't be right

And I'm tellin' you

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late to turn back now

Ooooh, baby

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late, baby (to turn back now)

I tell ya

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

I wouldn't mind it

If I knew she really loved me too

But I hate to think that I'm in love alone

And nothing that I can do

Whoa, oh

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

It's too late, baby (to turn back now)

I tell ya

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

Oooooh, baby

I tell ya

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love"

Non-stress Tests

A few weeks ago I was told that I wouldn't need to do the twice a week monitoring (non-stress tests) until around 35 weeks, but now that my medication has been increasing my specialist decided to put me on them now and they will continue all the way until I'm delivered. I'm happy to go because twice a week I will get to hear Emily's heartbeat and watch for any contractions for 30 minutes, and then I'll get to see her on ultrasound while they check her fluid levels, heart, practice breathing and movements :). If for any reason I'm having real contractions they will catch them on the monitor and send me right away to the hospital for either further monitoring, stopping the labor, or delivery depending on how far along I am. They've seen a few contractions already but they are just Braxton Hicks (practice) and watching myself on the monitor helped me tell the difference between her "balled-up" movements and the contractions, so now I'm not as confused between the two.

This first one was taken on Monday. She definitely has her Daddy's lips!

And this one was taken yesterday, we caught a huge yawn! She must be so comfortable in there.

During my last ultrasound I also got to see that our girl already has hair! It's hard to tell on the picture that I was given, but you could see teeny tiny white lines coming off of her head on the screen. I wonder how much she'll have after she's born?