37 Weeks and Fun News

I am 37 weeks! At my 36-week appointment, they measured and estimated him at 7 pounds already….I know those things can be off by a full pound either way, but still pretty large! I was also 1 cm dilated. None of this really means anything labor-wise, mainly just that I got a big boy in there and things are starting to get uncomfortable!

As far as symptoms and comfort, I am still able to sleep really well, although getting into a good position is a little trickier. Depending on the weather, my ankles are definitely getting swollen, and I’ve officially removed my wedding rings…just in case! Also my face is all fat and round. yayyyy. Sitting at my desk is not particularly comfortable, but luckily I only have 2-3 weeks of work left. Getting all of my stuff at work organized for when I leave has been going well, although at this point I’m pretty much out-to-lunch and ready to just be like BYE.

IN OTHER NEWS……

 

My sister Erin is having a BEBE!  Baby Powers is going to have a lil Baby Carroll Cousin!!!! YAY!

We are so so so thrilled and excited for Erin & Paul…..It is so cool to be able to have cousins so close in age, as well as the fact that my older sister and I get to be preggo together! I have tried to impart my best advice the last few months, and it appears she also is having an amazing “Bay Pregnancy” too!

So much fun on the horizon!!!

4 Weeks Left!

Only 4 weeks left, and Patrick and I are super excited & ready to rock n’ roll!

We started off the weekend at the local Oktoberfest, and Patrick enjoyed some beers and we both enjoyed sausage, kraut, and a crepe. Patrick is excited to boast that we’ve been to every single Panther Island Oktoberfest (there have been 2).

We then went to a friend’s wedding — We had a great time and caught up with mannnyyy of Pat’s classmates from K-12! It will make his 10-year HS reunion less awkward now that we’ve had a nice little mini-reunion at the wedding.

Auntie Kylie sent Baby P a darling little surprise — this will be so cute in the chilly months!

We also hung 2 more things in the nursery, and did some more organizing. The needlepoint Fox done by Marsha went up:

& the Alphabet Animals print from Aunt Sam and Uncle Michael:

Taking a break after some tough picture-hanging.

IT’S FALL

Week 35:

We have installed the car seat bases and started packing a hospital bag! …. I know first-time moms frequently go to 40 weeks or later, but I figured I might as well get it ready to go just in case….I think if Baby P decided to come early, we would be in really good shape- we even have diapers now!

Things that made me laugh this week:

And here’s the 35 week bump:

We have a big 36-week appointment next week, so that may give us a better idea of his measurements and any other notable things.

34 Weeks!

I thought I’d do this little pregnancy questionnaire today:

How far along?  34 Weeks

Maternity clothes: Um Yes. I have been wearing/needing maternity pants since about 11 weeks!

Stretch marks: Yes, unfortunately….they are not on my belly…. 😉 But I still don’t have a linea nigra so there’s that!

Sleep: I am somehow managing to still sleep great! Getting comfortable initially takes a bit of maneuvering, but other than that, I am sleeping soundly and only getting up once to pee!

Best moment this week: Reaching 34 weeks! Actually, this week is kinda meh as Patrick is out of town, but I had a really great evaluation at work so that is always a nice mood booster.

Miss anything? Throughout the summer, an ice cold beer would have been deeelightful. I also miss being able to tie my shoes without struggle.

Movement: Oh yes, all the time! It’s less like kicking, and more major rolling movement that makes my belly look really freaky.

Food cravings: Nah, most food sounds good, but I think my appetite has finally slowed.

Gender: Boy!

Labor signs: Nope, but that is a good thing at only 34 weeks. Stay cookin’ lil man!

Symptoms: HEARTBURN, sometimes shortness of breath, giant belly, etc.

Belly button in or out? Out fo sho.

Wedding rings on or off? Shockingly, they are still on. They are getting a bit snug, so I think I’ll transition another larger ring so that they don’t get stuck!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy all the time

Looking forward to: Getting some new/accurate measurements of the little guy at my 36 week appointment. Also picking Baby P’s name!

34 week “artsy” bump pics:

 

Silhouette Progression:

PS:

 

Small Animals and Crafts

We had our Fort Worth baby shower over the holiday weekend- It was wonderful, and I’ll get a post together soon with all the pics! But for now……..

We are 33 weeks along & here’s the ferret-sized baby bump:

I did some crafting with Baby cards we’ve received. I just punched them out in circles, glued em on some paper, and stuck it in a cheapo frame. Voilà! #marthastewart #blessed

Baby Shower balloons were so cute in the nursery before they died.

Patrick is going to be in Wisconsin for a work thing all next week. Apparently he and Baby P have an agreement that he will remain snug in my belly until he gets back, and will be rewarded with a car on his 16th birthday. That car will probably be the Element.

The Small Brown Fox….

Couple of quick updates…

Patrick’s mom, Marsha, finished this cute fox needlepoint for Baby P! We took it to Michael’s to get framed and look forward to seeing the final product!

We’ve also hung 2 more photos in the nursery – we on a roll!

And here are the 32 week pics:

This weekend will be super fun— It’s our Fort Worth baby shower! Lots of family and friends will be in town and it is going to be so great to see everyone and celebrate! woot!

Last Weekend of the Summer

Woot Woot it is September tomorrow! This makes me super excited, as it hopefully means slightly cooler weather, as well as the fact that we have barely 8 weeks left to go!

On Saturday we picked up our glider and ottoman from Buy Buy Baby! After being pumped that it all fit in Patrick’s Element, we were even more stoked to see that it fits in our bedroom nicely and the fabric we chose is just perfect for our room and what we wanted! The chair is on a swivel glider rail, and the ottoman rocks back and forth as well!

I included several shots so that you can see how the fabric has a sheen to it in different lighting. It fits in great with the colors I like to use in our bedroom — I’m all about dat brushed champagne color.

*please ignore strange rust stain on carpet.

On Sunday, we got up early for a 7 AM maternity shoot with Arden Prucha! She was so easy to work with and was excellent at posing us through the whole thing. As you probably know, Patrick and I are not naturals or elegant in front of the camera or in life : )

At any rate, we are using her for our newborn shoot come October, and the maternity session was an easy add-on so we figured, why not!?

Here is a sneaky peeky:

Rockabye Baby, 31 weeks!

Let’s start this post off with how I feel most mornings at work. This isn’t really a pregnancy thing, but basically I need chipper morning people to not speak to me until about 9 AM. This is probably why my teaching career didn’t work out.

Here are my 31 week bump pics!

Baby P has been moving a ton lately – It’s almost a bit unnerving to watch the bizarre movements of the belly! I can’t believe I still have 9 weeks to go… I’m a little scared of how much bigger the belly is going to get.

Also, I’m probably out of the loop, but I discovered these fun little albums by Rockabye Baby! They are classic rock & contemporary songs transformed into baby lullabies. I got a kick out of listening to many of these.

& HOW does anyone practice swaddling and or baby-wearing without a baby? I am puzzle-challenged, so these kinds of things are really difficult for me to figure out, especially when i’m using this:

as my “baby”. HALP!