Week 38

Doctor's Appointment: Well, I am less than a centimeter dilated which is... annoying. The doctor actually said "Wow... where is your cervix?" if that gives you any idea how high I am! She woke up right before the appointment so her heart rate was in the 150s and she's measuring right on track. This little lady still doesn't look like she's dropped. I gained one pound... which didn't surprise me, I've been so hungry!

What is Baby Up to This Week?:

• Your baby has probably reached his birth weight by now. Most babies weigh somewhere between six to eight pounds when they are born
• All of her internal organs are ready to support him in the outside world
• She has also developed healthy amounts of baby fat over the past week, and her immune system is developing, and will continue to develop after she is born. 
• Her fingernails and toenails have reached the end of her fingers and toes, and might even need a trim after she is born
• She may have about an inch or so of hair already (MAYBE! I think she'll be bald!)
• She's slowly shedding that white goo on her skin (called vernix caseosa) but you might see some of it at birth.

Weight Gain: +21 total (+1 last week)

Gender: Well, after two ultrasounds and all of this pink stuff... I hope she's a girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:

• I'm usually awake at midnight, 2am, and 4am to use the bathroom. Usually at 4am I'm awake for an hour or two. I check my Facebook, Pinterest, and text my night owl mama friends
• Feeling heavy. It's tough to roll over in bed at night. I have a pillow fortress to prop me up and I use Bryan as leverage to roll over.
• Heartburn has been killer, but I've been trying to stay on top of it with Zantac and Tums
• Swelling (of course)
• Exhausted. I don't sleep much, but I always need to rest

Swelling: The doctor commented on my swollen calves and feet. I've been trying to drink my water, but there isn't much room in my belly these days

Sleep: I don't do much of that lately! If I have a day to myself, I try to catch a nap but I rarely nap

Movement: The rolls and kicks and punches are strong and frequent. My favorite line is "The beast has awoken!" because she goes crazy! I keep telling her... "Well, if you want out so bad, you make that happen!" She doesn't listen to me.

Food Cravings: I REALLY had a bad craving for onion rings last week. Holy cow I ate them and Nora went nuts. Other than that, I've been attempting to eat healthy, but right now it's a game of "How to keep Mama happy"

Food Aversions: Nothing in particular. The nausea in the morning has let up, thankfully

Rings On or Off?: Rings are definitely off at night and sometimes during the day

What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting her!

What I Miss: People looking at me like I'm a normal person instead of someone to be pitied. I've had so many people look at me with a face of pain and just shake their heads at me. Sometimes they don't even say anything! I mean come on... yes, I'm huge... but I'm okay! It makes me much more happy for someone to come at me smiling and asking how much longer! I just want to punch people who look at me like I'm a puppy with cancer. I'm almost done growing a human.... don't pity me! I'm happy!

What I'm Loving: Not working, catching up on tv shows, spending time with Bryan and my family, finishing her room, and feeling her move :)

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks... and not much else!

Belly Button: In! It's getting shallow, but I don't think it will ever pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: Friday July 5th

Best Moment of the Week: Spending time with my family all week and having Ashley and Andrew over last night. It was nice to hang out with friends before this baby comes. We also got to show off our new house and our 99% completed nursery!

I can't wait to wear real clothes again

Dear Lenora

Dear Lenora,

You will be making your way into this world in a couple of weeks and I cannot even express how anxious we are to meet you. You are growing bigger by the day and stretching my body to it's max, but it is all worth it. I don't sleep much at night anymore. Between the anxiety, the frequent trips to the bathroom, and this big heavy body, it's become pretty hard to get rest! We've been working so hard to fix this house up in time for your arrival. We knew we wanted you to be born into a house that you can grow up in. I wanted you to have a childhood home that you will always look back on. Your room is almost done and I hope you love it. I can just imagine your little eyes wandering around looking at all of your amazing things. I hope you feel safe, comfortable, and most of all... loved.

Your daddy talks to you every single night and peeks over to see you wiggling around. He is so nervous that he won't be the best daddy, but I know all of those anxious feelings will disappear when he sees your little face for the first time. Your daddy is a good person, inside and out. He is patient when I don't deserve it, he has a kind heart, and he loves with everything he has. I'm sure he will be the one you run to when you fall and scrape your knee or when a boy breaks your heart... and that's okay. He can always be your rock... he's pretty good at being mine!

I hope you have:
Your daddy's patience, kindness and intelligence
Your mommy's independence, drive, and ambition

We will be welcoming you into this world soon, little girl. I cannot wait to hear the sweet sound of your first cry, and I cannot wait to see the look on your daddy's face when he meets you. I am counting down the days and so is your family! Everyone is so excited for you to come into this world. I just hope you will be safe and healthy... that's all I want.

I love you, little girl,
Mommy

This is the most naked my belly will ever be for picture purposes! This belly has become so big and has accumulated so many stretch marks... but this is her home.. and as long as I can provide her with a safe place to grow, she can change my body however she wants.

House is Finished! (Pretty Much!)

We closed on the house and got it almost completely done in 7 weeks! With both Bryan and I working 40 hours a week, me being in my third trimester, moving from our apartment, fitting the work around my Dad's 60 hour a week schedule, and all kinds of family events in between... this has been one of the most exhausting projects I have ever accomplished. I'm so proud of myself, of Bryan, and so grateful for my family. I'll do before and after pictures so we can see just how much progress we made!

View of the Living Room Before

View from the Front Door Now! (Don't mind me... I'm addicted to Pretty Little Liars)

View of Living Room 2. We have a light to replace that old fan, but we ran into a little problem. The fan isn't hooked up to a switch so we need to get an electrician here to get the light attached to a switch! The vinyl says, "The Love of a Family Makes Life Beautiful"

Hallway Before

Hallway Now! We still need to paint the closet doors before they go up!

Small Room Before

Part of the Small Room Now. We just have leftover pieces of carpet on the floor in here until we get real carpet in. It's good enough now for us to use this room for an office and extra storage for clothes!

Well, I guess this is the only "Before" picture I have of the kitchen!

Our little kitchen now!
We spent some time painting the kitchen together and hung our valance. A little bit of paint makes a big difference!

There was kind of a "Before" picture in the living room picture, but this is the "Dining Room" now! We don't have a kitchen table so we decided it was a perfect place to put all the big baby stuff. The pack n play will go in our room for a couple weeks and the car seat will go in the car soon!

Our Room Before

Our room now. Still needs picture frames and I have a vinyl that says "Happily Ever After. Grow Old With Me, The Best Is Yet To Be"

Plain and simple. Ashley's exercise ball and my hospital bag in sight!

Nora's Room Before

And I'll do Nora's "After" picture will come soon! Her room is almost done, but I have some finishing touches to add! I found some beautiful quotes on Etsy that I want to frame and hang above her crib. I'm also going to Hobby Lobby tomorrow to buy some wooden letters, paint them, and hot glue ribbon the the back so we can hang her name.

This weekend we painted two coats in the kitchen, hung the valances in the dining room and kitchen, hung up pictures, put in door stoppers, organized our office area, set up the DVDs in the living room, put all the big baby stuff in the dining room, washed the big furnace vent with the hose and put a fresh coat of paint on it, and we organized the back room that we are using for storage. Oh and we cleaned! All of that work makes for one exhausted and swollen momma... let me tell you! It feels so nice to almost be done though!

We have a few things left to do, but we're pretty much done! We still need to finish the wall art in Nora's room, paint and hang the hall closet doors, put door guides on all the closet doors, get one spot in the living room mudded, sanded, and painted, get carpet in the office, get the electrical worked out so we can get a light in the living room, get some shelves up in the laundry room for storage, and get the transitions done by the front door so we can get the trim put on those two walls.

We got our plumbing fixed at the end of last week which is SUCH a big deal. We were straining noodles in the bathtub :( The kitchen sink was so stopped up we couldn't even use it so we called a plumber and it's all good now! We even have a working dishwasher (which I have been using a ton now!)

We went swimming yesterday and the water was so nice. My hips, back, and legs instantly feel better when I'm floating around in the pool. I did get pretty sunburnt despite the loads of sunscreen I had on. That's the price I pay for being so pasty!

I went in the bank today to deposit some money and get a couple misplaced credit cards replaced and all the ladies in there were like "Ohhhh my gosh! We haven't seen you in so long, we thought you would have had the baby by now!" Nah... 19 more days! I used to talk with them all the time when I worked at McDonald's because I liked taking the deposits in to get a break from that crazy place. They're all excited for me!

Nora has been a crazy kid today. She's been pretty active all day, but I'm not complaining too much. I only have a couple more weeks to enjoy this. She got the hiccups earlier and good lord she was an angry kid! Her whole little body was twitching with each hiccup and then squirming around like she had somewhere to go. Her little body parts were jabbing out like nobody's business!

Well, I'm off to start cooking some tacos! We're going to eat some tacos, chips and salsa, and corn on the cob tonight. Haha the corn isn't really related, but good lord that stuff is so good. I can't wait to eat! My next doctor's appointment is Thursday and I'm sure I'll have a couple pounds to add to the scale!

Week 37

Weird!

I had my appointment yesterday and it was so boring! She did a Strep B test (that I'll get back next week), heartbeat (in the 130s... but she was sleeping!), fundal height (37 weeks), and a cervical check. Well, Nora isn't ready to make her appearance yet. I was closed up. Dang those checks hurt though. I felt like she was trying to reach for my lungs. Anyway... barely a weight gain, good blood pressure, and everything else looks great!

What is Baby Up to This Week?:

• She's practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.
• She's getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready for her first diaper
• She's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.
• Your baby is now considered term. 
• Most babies weigh 7 pounds by week 37, and measure around 20 inches. Remember, by this point in a pregnancy, there tends to be variability between babies, some weighing more than others
• If born this week, all of your baby’s internal organs would be developed enough to function outside of your body.

Weight Gain: +20 total (I gained a fraction of a pound, bumping me up to the next one)

Gender: Well, after two ultrasounds and all of this pink stuff... I hope she's a girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:

• Some pretty rough heartburn that makes me pretty miserable
• Achey hips, crotch, and back
• Exhausted... wow I'm so tired all the time
• Insomnia at night.  I was awake from 2am- 5:30am this morning. It sucked.
• Swelling

Swelling: I'm swollen most of the time... in most places

Sleep: I'm always so tired, but when I go to lay down, I don't sleep. I just rest and it never really energizes me. Then at night I'm awake.

Movement: All the time! She really hurts when she gets movin!

Food Cravings: I've been eating a ton of ice cream sandwiches!

Food Aversions: Nothing in particular

Rings On or Off?: Rings are definitely off at night and sometimes during the day

What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting Miss Nora! I can't wait to see Bryan's face when he holds her for the first time. He's going to be such a good dad.

What I Miss: Energy, but honestly, I'm not feeling too bad. I only have 3 weeks left (4 maximum!)

What I'm Loving: Finishing up her bedroom! It has been so fun getting it all ready for her arrival

Labor Signs: Just Braxton Hicks

Belly Button: In! It's getting shallow, but I don't think it will ever pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: Next Thursday June 27th

Best Moment of the Week: Bryan and I went to the farmer's market last night. It was hot and my hips ached, but it was really nice to get out of the house and do something fun together. We got some popcorn and walked around the lakefront and over the bridge, got dinner, and went to bed early! The little things like that really make a difference when all the alone time we get together is working on the house.

3 more weeks, little girl!

Aaaaannnnd if you made it this far, I will reward you with pictures of Nora's room!! I'm so excited because we are finished with two big parts! Ladies, I present to you... the tree!

This is the beginning of our project. It was nerve wracking putting the tree up because it's about 6 feet tall! 

Annnnd after we got finished :D I am in love with it.

Another view :)

Bryan's dad's gift to Nora was this closet organizer! Those two totes are full of clothes. I just planned on switching the clothes out when she grows out of them and keeping the closet open for more things on the shelves. We need one more coat of paint on the closet doors and then we're done

Bryan putting the stroller together

Our swing! This thing is so cool. It plugs in (which is so nice), it's small, and it's a 2 in 1 bouncer/swing combo. It's pretty cool!

36 Weeks (Middle of the Week)!

This week has been full of little projects that have to be done... but during the day I usually stay in bed relaxing. I've been having contractions, swollen feet, and achey hips... so it's nice that I can just lay in bed and watch hours of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix.

Laying in bed and struggling to breathe with this giant baby in me!

Uhm holy big baby! Getting ready to go swimming and I'm surprised the suit fit!

Lonely Bella keeping me company!

We worked on the room a little more this week and it's actually starting to look like a nursery! Bryan put the swing and pack-n-play together. Who knew baby equipment came in SO MANY parts!? It definitely took longer than I thought it would, but that stuff was a bit complicated. Our next project is putting the stroller together and getting the car seat ready to go! Tomorrow Julie is coming over to put the tree up, we'll get a closet organizer installed by his dad, we'll put the closet doors up tonight, and we'll get some shelves put up to decorate the walls. The pack-n-play will go in our room so she can sleep in the napper for the first few weeks so we'll have to re-organize the room! We're almost ready for you, Bubs!

Daddy putting the swing together

We're making progress on the room!

I LOVE how the organizer turned out!

Our little projects all week have finally paid off. My Uncle Pete has been here a lot this week working on various projects. He finished the drywall mud for some holes that were left open, worked on putting the trim on the walls, and changed our locks. 

He also looked at our kitchen sink situation... ever since we moved in, the sink fills unless you turn the garbage disposal on and then the dishwasher does not drain. He pulled the garbage disposal out, and then the pipe fell apart -_- The pipes going into the wall are so corroded and rusted, you can barely fit a pinky finger through the pipe. That's the reason nothing has been draining. Now we need to call someone to replace the pipes and get all of that stuff out of there. It's a huge pain in the butt, but I'm glad we found out now. Knowing I was drinking that water grosses me out, but thinking about cleaning Nora's bottles with that water makes me cringe. We'll see how much my dad can do before we have to call someone. It will be worth it though.

My dad came last night to help Bryan put the appliances back so now we have a functional house! We have a small army coming tomorrow to help us finish some of our last projects. Bryan and his dad will be changing all the outlets and putting new covers on, putting door stoppers on behind the doors, and helping us install some shelves in the laundry room. My mom and grandma are going to help paint the kitchen (and then we can put our valances up!) and the newly mudded white areas in various parts of the house. Then Julie and I will be putting up Nora's tree!

Well, this is our little porch! We took the gates off of the sides, spray painted the rust, and then I scrubbed the lattice, the side of the house, and the concrete with dish soap and a scrub brush! I never took a "before" picture, but it looks a lot better!

Our living room FINALLY put together! We're still working on what to put on the walls and where to put the baby stuff

Almost done!

The laundry room looks MUCH better now! Hopefully we can get some shelves in there for some storage

 So we're working on getting Nora's doors painted white, the hall closet doors painted brown, pictures put up on the wall, and making the 3rd bedroom into an office.



We're so close!

Another House Update

I tried to go back and fix some of the pictures from my previous posts. It's so annoying that all of my pictures disappeared!

Our Amazon box full of bottles!

The organizer we bought for Nora's clothes and small things. We still need one more canvas bin

Before the flooring

The gross laundry room without cabinets or flooring

Our flooring!

Laundry room still in progress

The hardwood floor!

Tomorrow my uncle will be over to put up the trim and fill in the remaining holes in the wall. My dad and Bryan are going to put the drywall up in the laundry room so we can get the appliances back to where they need to go and then we can set up our living room! Once the living room is set up, then Nora's room can be set up and I can relax. We're really pushing it with the timing, but hopefully we will be done by the time she gets here!

Still left to do:

• Paint Nora's closet doors
• Paint kitchen and laundry room
• Move all appliances back
• Get living room set up
• Get Nora's tree up and her things put away

Week 36

Week 35 doctor's appointment update! Nora's heart rate is in the 140s and she's still head down. I didn't gain any weight since my last appointment two weeks ago (woo hoo!) and the doctor answered a few questions for me.

1. Just in case I need to know, they won't let me go longer than one week overdue before inducing me.
2. I also asked about the stretch marks on the backs of my knees. She said my skin is getting stretched because of the swelling :( That's not what I wanted to hear!
3. I asked about the pain in my back last week and she said after I used the bathroom, Nora probably settled into a bad spot and was sitting on a nerve. When I got on the exercise ball, she rotated off of it. Well, that was awful pain but I'm glad it wasn't anything to be concerned about

What is Baby Up to This Week?:

• The Bump says, "Your once-poppy seed would probably be able to breathe on his own if she was born right now. (If not, she’d probably need some TLC, but she’d likely be okay.) Most of her systems are in working order at 36 weeks. Since baby really could decide to make her arrival any day now, try to put in a little prep work.
• Her skin is getting smooth and soft and her gums are rigid
• Her liver and kidneys are in working order
• Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.
• She's about 19 inches long, and weighing about 6 ½ lbs

Weight Gain: +19 total

Gender: Well, after two ultrasounds and all of this pink stuff... I hope she's a girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:

• Heartburn that radiates up through my chest and up my throat
• Contractions that sometimes stop me in my tracks
• Swelling in my fingers, feet, and calves
• Lower back pain
• Achey hips (hurts to put my pants on)
• Tough time sleeping (Benedryl doesn't have anything on this kid!)
• Running to the bathroom just to barely go

Swelling: All over! It kind of freaks me out that my legs are swelling so bad that my skin is stretched, but now that I know, I'm trying to keep my feet up even if I don't feel like they're swollen.

Sleep: Well, even the Benedryl can't keep me asleep some nights. I woke up this morning for about two hours with some contractions and back pain. I fell back asleep though so I wasn't too concerned.

Movement: She gets the hiccups about 4 or 5 times a day (poor girl!) so I usually feel those waaaaaay down low. Haha it's a weird feeling. The rolls and movements hurt now. They sometimes take my breath away.

Food Cravings: CANDY! I can eat two king sized candy bars in one sitting... but I usually try to only eat one a night. I keep a stash in my nightstand! I don't seem to have a problem with a small stomach though... I can eat and eat and eat. Sometimes I'm just so hungry I can't stand it!

Food Aversions: Nothing in particular

Rings On or Off?: Rings are definitely off at night and sometimes during the day

What I'm Looking Forward To: Getting this house finished!! We are putting Nora's tree up next week, painting her closet doors asap, and then we will be ready for her!

What I Miss: Not much right now. I'm so excited to hold her and see the look on Bryan's face when he meets her.

What I'm Loving: BEING OFF WORK! Haha I love it! I have been going to garage sales, hanging out with my family, spending time with Bryan, and working on the house... oh and resting! It's so nice to be able to lay in bed and relax when I feel like my body is telling me to rest. I started Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and it's addicting. If it warms up a little bit, I want to go out and swim!

Labor Signs: Lots of BH that make me stop and sit down. None have been time-able but they still suck

Belly Button: In! It's getting shallow, but I don't think it will ever pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: Next Thursday

Best Moment of the Week: Spending Bryan's two days off with him. We went and saw The Great Gatsby, got lunch, and went shopping! Yesterday we cleaned and worked on the house :)

Getting bigger!

Week 35

We hit 35/35 yesterday and it seems so crazy. 35 weeks down, and 35 days left to go. Where has the time gone? I have a feeling Miss Nora will be at least a week late... just because 1. She's probably stubborn like her mother and 2. I need all the extra time I can get!

I feel like this kiddo is bigger than a coconut.. .but hey, whatever

What is Baby Up to This Week?:

• She is about 19 inches and 6 pounds now
• By week 35, your baby's kidneys are completely developed. 
• Her liver is also beginning to produce waste. 
• In fact, a majority of her growth is already done. However, you should expect her to put on some more weight over the next few weeks
• Now, her hearing is fully developed, and she responds best to high-pitched noises

Weight Gain: +19 total (I lied last week... haha I forgot how much I weighed at my last appointment, but I'm good with the +1lb a week)

Gender: Well, after two ultrasounds and all of this pink stuff... I hope she's a girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:

• You’ve reached 35 weeks, and your uterus has grown about 1,000 times its original size
• Increased pelvic pressure
• Back pain
• Very tired
• Very hungry
• Killer heartburn
• More nausea
• Swelling in my hands and feet
• It doesn't look like Nora has dropped yet, but I've been able to eat a lot more food lately and the pelvic pressure has been intense. I tell Bryan sometimes it feels like either shes going to fall right out or like a foot is shoved up my crotch. It's so uncomfortable.
• I woke up earlier this week in a panic. Around 1am I got up, used the bathroom, came back to lay down, and then was crippled by INTENSE pain in my back. I was cramping and it felt like someone hit me with a sledgehammer in my lower back. I was crying and woke up Bryan. I sat on my exercise ball and it was gone in about 3 minutes. I have no idea what happened, but it never came back

Swelling: My swelling has been pretty decent lately because it's been cooler out. I'm still pretty swollen after a long day on my feet or if I get overheated

Sleep: I don't sleep unless I take Benedryl. I thought I was tired enough to sleep without it one night... big mistake. I was up all night!

Movement: Sometimes I feel like she gets stuck in there. Like I'll feel a pounding/scraping in one spot for an hour of so like she can't get her arm free haha.

Food Cravings: I haven't had many cravings except for chocolate, but I've been so hungry! I can shovel a great deal of food in my mouth haha.

Food Aversions: I have been so sick lately, especially in the mornings. I've been back to gagging every morning! This makes drinking water very hard.

Rings On or Off?: Rings are definitely off at night and sometimes during the day

What I'm Looking Forward To: Having this house done! This week we will be staining and putting on the trim, painting the kitchen, getting our vinyl installed in our kitchen, dining room, and laundry room, painting and putting on the closet doors, getting some curtains up, a whole lot of cleaning, and getting Miss Nora's room closer to being finished.... all this week!

What I Miss: Not struggling to put my underwear on -_- yes... I've hit that point. It's so frustrating to struggle to get yourself dressed! I also miss having energy.

What I'm Loving: Knowing this baby will be here very soon! I still love talking to her and feeling her move. I've tried to catch her on camera, but she always stops!

Labor Signs: I've been getting more contractions lately whether I'm drinking water or not, whether I'm resting or not. They're still not extremely frequent and they're not time-able so I'm not too concerned. My hospital bag is packed and ready to go!

Belly Button: In! It's getting shallow, but I don't think it will ever pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: Wednesday June 12th at 10:30am with a different doctor than I'm used to! My doctor's office has 4 doctors in the practice that all work together. My doctor wants me to see all 4 of them just in case she won't be available when I go into labor. That's all good and all, but I'm meeting this new doctor just in time for my Strep B test... haha. Oh well, I should get used to strangers getting a view of my goods.

Best Moment of the Week: My last day of work! I was so happy to be done. We also shopped at a lot of garage sales this weekend which was fun! I got some serving dishes and a couple small things for Nora. It's fun to shop around through other people's junk :)

Week 35

Looking tired and trying to clean up our house a little bit!

More House Updates!

Now that our internet is working, I thought I would do some house updates! I've been working on Nora's room all week and slowly it's all coming together. The flooring in the living room will be done Saturday and then the kitchen should be done next week!

Nora's room from the doorway. Things are organized, but they aren't put away yet!

Her BEAUTIFUL bedding set and mobile!

Clothes to go in the dresser (once we get it put in the room)

The changing table with all kinds of stuff on it for now

I can't wait to get this stuff put away!

Her closet without the doors or the closet organizer. Those are just Newborn, 0-3, and 3-6 months. The 6-9 months and up are in those purple bins!

Our bedroom for now. We still need closet doors, things on the walls, etc. It's a nice place to sleep though!

Bryan getting sleepy!