40 Weeks, 1 Day Pregnant! (Last pregnancy post!)

40 week belly

How far along: 40 weeks, 1 day

One of the apps I've used this pregnancy has put together a time-lapse of all my belly photos! Check it out here! (Don't be fooled that it says baby is 7.6 lbs...)

Total weight gain: +37 lbs

Stretch marks: It's a miracle people. I only have stretch marks above my belly button. Well, it's where my belly button used to be before it got stretched out. Very interested to see how this turns out post-baby.

Sleep: Great. I cannot believe I made it through 40 weeks of pregnancy with less than 5 sleepless nights. The "pregnancy insomnia" was something that terrified me (note: I am a nightmare when sleep deprived... get ready Jon), so it was an incredible blessing not to struggle with that.

How could you not sleep great with this little cuddle bug?!

Best moment this week: Getting a deadline for baby! The hardest part of being pregnant this late in the game is not knowing when it will end. I'm so thrilled that things will get moving, and I'm truly not super nervous (yet). I feel so good about being 4 cm dilated (that was as of March 1st, so maybe even further now!), and am incredibly hopeful that will speed up labor. Our doc said the longest part of labor is getting to 5 cm, so cross your fingers for me! I'm also really excited because March 11 was my grandma's birthday, so I can't imagine a more meaningful date to (hopefully) bring little one into the world. Although if he/she decides to show up early, I wouldn't be too upset :)

We had our final doctor's appointment on Tuesday and saw baby one more time. The ultrasound was pretty rough because baby is totally squished in there, but we saw the baby BLINKING at us. Jon was pretty impressed and weirded out ("What is it looking at?!"). I would post a picture of the ultrasound, but I seriously can't even make out what it is and I was there.

Worst moment this week: Jon was very sick this week, which was a bit stressful with not knowing baby's timeline. He had a fever and incredibly runny nose, and we were worried he wouldn't be allowed to touch baby if he wasn't better! Luckily he's on the mend, and feeling a lot better.

Food cravings: Not so much this week. I've been feeling nauseous lately, but that hasn't stopped me from indulging in some sweets. Iced coffee is probably the thing I have needed/craved the most this pregnancy. I was never a "coffee-a-day" kind of girl, but this pregnancy I was! Luckily, they know now that one coffee a day is okay for pregnant mothers, or else I would have been very sad. I thought my baking kick was over, but Jon and I made our famous angel food cake with berries and homemade whipped cream. Deeeelish! One really exciting thing was that our doctor said he doesn't mind if I eat intermittently during labor. He did say the nurses don't like it, so we'll have to sneak it, but that was encouraging to hear.

Contrary to what Jon thought, and you are probably thinking, this is an acceptable single serving.

Movement: Still going strong. Especially when it's bedtime now, baby is going nuts! It's very easy to see now that baby is, well, the size of a baby, and my stomach is at capacity.

Labor signs: My hips feel like jello, which means they are loosening for labor. I also have a lot of cramping, but no real contractions. I'm taking Happy on our first long walk since Sunday (it has been below freezing here the last few days), and am wondering if that will spur something on. As of yesterday, baby was measuring 8 lbs 3 oz, so I'm excited to see how accurate that was. I was 8 lbs 11 oz and my mom said I FLEW out (after two big (like, larger) brothers), so I'm hopefully a smaller babe will be no problem at all. 

Wedding rings on or off: Still on, and not coming off. They don't hurt and aren't squeezing my finger, but they are not going anywhere until some swelling goes down!

Happy or moody: Happy! Now that we have a definite end day, if not sooner, I'm getting so excited and feel I can really knock out these last few days with less complaining and more grace. I'm not even sure we'll make it to Saturday. I feel like baby has dropped even further, and walking can be difficult. Maybe our walk today will do something...

Miss anything: Not being pregnant! I know I will strangely miss the belly and feeling little kicks all day, but I cannot wait to regain my balance and sleep however I'd like (when baby allows us to sleep). I wake up with a lot of abdominal pain because baby has been squished to one side all night. That will be great not to deal with. I know my body will go through many changes in the next few days, weeks, and months, but I'm so done with having a human live inside me.

Looking forward to: If we make it to Saturday, Jon and I will drop Happy off at Joe's on Friday night and do a last HURRAH in the city! We don't have any plans yet, but it will be fun to have a "final date night" before little one arrives. Also, last weekend we bought my favorite beer, so that's been taunting me in the fridge. I cannot wait to sip on that! And of course, baby coming. I can't wait to see if we'll have son or daughter and finally see his/her face. We've seriously NEVER gotten a good look at the face or even profile, so I'm just praying baby has one!

Induction: IF I make it to Saturday (my personal estimated due date is still March 10th!), here's our plan. We'll go to the doctor Saturday at 7:30am. They will check my cervix, get me all hooked up to IVs and then break my water. Our doctor said they'll let me walk around for a few hours in the hopes that contractions will start on their own. He seemed very confident things would move along since I am so dilated already. If contractions don't start, they will give me pitocin. As I've mentioned, I'm terrified of pitocin and the way it speeds up and makes labor harder on the woman, so please say endless prayers this isn't needed! Hopefully we will have a sweet little babe in our arms before the 11th is over. We will certainly let all you know once things settle, but don't expect a text the minute baby arrives. I will do an hour of skin-to-skin, they will monitor baby, and then we will get moved to a recovery room where we will spread the joyous news!

I don't think it needs to be said, but we would really appreciate keeping the news, and especially photos, off of social media until we're able to disclose it in our own time. We are in no rush to "let the world know," and appreciate the privacy and intimacy of this time when we will first be a family of four (don't forget Happy!).

He just can't wait to be a big brother!

I do intend to keep up the blog after baby comes to keep family and friends in the loop. It may not be as consistent, but it will be a good way to document baby's days and have you all be a part of his/her life :)