6 Weeks Old!

How old: 6 weeks, 1 day

Hart's weight: 10.8 lbs

Sleep: Hart is still doing great with sleep! He's transitioned to 5 hours stretches at night. He sleeps from 10-3, and then eats and goes back to sleep until it's time to take Jon to work. We normally have to wake him up to leave. This weekend, he slept in 5.5 hour stretches!

Highs: The best part of the week was when Dustin, Lauren, and Genevieve babysat Hart for us to go out for dinner (Modern Market) and dessert/drinks (Breckenridge Brewery). We were gone for 3 hours, and it was the perfect stretch of time to be gone for. We did look at videos and pictures of Hart while we were eating dessert, but it was so fun to be out just us two! 

And then this morning, Logan and Linda babysat so we could go to the Alamo Drafthouse and see Beauty and the Beast. It was great, and we got delicious food and a boozy milkshake. 

Lows: I went out with Grace and Stephanie for dinner on Thursday while Jon watched Hart, and Hart had an extremely fussy night :( He has those occasionally, and it's nice to have two people so you can pass him off for a few minutes. Poor Jon had to deal with it the whole time I was gone. He was a trooper about it though.

Visitors: We had tons of visitors these past few weeks, and did a lot of fun things!

My family: My whole family came out for Easter and to meet/see Hart and it was great! It was really fun seeing Lauren, Dustin, and Genevieve meet Hart for the first time. My favorite day was Easter! We slept through church unfortunately, but met up with my family at Seasons 52 for brunch. It was delicious with bottomless mimosas and dessert and all! After, everyone came over to our apartment and we watched Moana and relaxed all day. Logan and Linda picked up pizzas from Whole Foods that were great, and we all drank beer and hung out. It was very relaxed, which I love.

Stephanie: My dear friend Stephanie visited for the weekend, and it was so great to see her in person. We chat often, but there's just nothing like face-to-face chit chat for hours on end. Stephanie spent the whole day Thursday with Hart and me and then we got some dinner with Grace. I'm so thankful she spent her time visiting us. Next stop, Houston! :)

Eating: Hart is still eating great! He eats 3 hours at a time, and we'll soon transition to 3.5 hours as he eats more at each feeding. He takes a 4 ounce bottle at night to help the feeding process speed up a bit!

Milestones: We've got a smiler! I was asking Jon why babies don't come out knowing how to smile because it makes you bond with them instantly! Hart smiles at funny noises, faces, Happy, and even blank walls. Nothing is too good for a Hart smile. 

Looking forward to: I'm contemplating chopping off my hair! Every time I cut my hair, I regret it and this is the longest my hair has ever been. However, it's hard to manage and Hart has recently taken to grabbing fistfuls of it. I have an image in my head of having long beautiful curly hair, but mine usually just looks like it needs a trim. It might be time to give up the dream and embrace the mom bob!

Hart LOVES walks. He likes to look around the whole time. 

He does not, on the other hand, like baths :(

Brothers & Besties

ONE MONTH | 4-11-17

Hart Barnett Heeter

ONE MONTH | 4-11-17

Likes:

watching Happy roam around

snuggles before naps

looking out the apartment and car windows

bright lights to stare at

being worn by mom and dad

pacifier

getting a fresh diaper

eating

grunting as loudly as possible

listening to music

Dislikes:

drying off from the bath

when pacifier falls out of mouth

having a wet diaper

going down peacefully for a nap

sleeping for too long

pooping quietly

being lotioned before bed

Milestones:

tracking things with his eyes

sleeping 4 hour stretches (some nights)

cooing

eating 4 ounces each feeding

different cries for different concerns

Things we can't live without:

Dock-a-Tot

Ring Sling / Baby K'Tan

Cold weather carseat cover

Pacifier clips

Muslin swaddle cloths

Bottle warmer

Looking forward to:

Smiling!

4 Weeks Old!

Technically 3.5 weeks old here, but look at that face!

How old: 4 weeks

Hart's weight: 9.4 lbs 

Sleep: Hart's doing pretty good with sleep! He's napping great during the day (1-1.5 hours at a time) and starting to go an average of 3.5-4 hours during the night. That means we've moved from 3 feedings a night to 1! It makes a lot of difference, and we're getting into the swing of things so he's not up as long between sleep times. We're really trying to teach him to self-soothe so he can fall asleep by himself. We have yet to let him "cry it out" since he's so young, but we do lay him in his crib for naps when he is awake. He's figuring out how to fall asleep on his own. And if he doesn't fall asleep, we've found him just happily looking around for 15 minutes without making a sound up until he was 3 weeks. He is starting to be a little whiny when we lay him down, leading to him getting overtired, so we're trying to figure out how to fight through that. Suggestions are welcome!

Highlights of the week: Having my parents here was great! It was so fun to see them with Hart and to do some fun things while they were here. We got to show off some of our favorite places to eat - namely Lowry Beer Garden. Linda came with us and she seemed to like it, too, so I'm wondering if we'll need to go back there once Logan comes to town. We went to the city for lunch and walked around 16th Street Mall, went to Daniel's Park, ate a lot of good food, and had a blast spending time together.

Olive and Finch

The weekends have been spectacular. On Hart's 3 week birthday, we stayed home all day! It was great. We got to hang out as a family of 4, and it gave Jon and I a lot of alone time when Hart slept. It was great to catch up and relax after having visitors for the past few weeks. Hart seemed to enjoy not going anywhere for the first time in about two weeks! It's also been fun to do our typical weekly routines with Hart in tow. We did grocery shopping for the first time last weekend, and Hart was a champ. He was in the sling and everyone mentioned how 1) little he was, and 2) how peaceful he was. He's really content as long as you're nearby!

Still not sure what to make of baths

The BEST part of last weekend was we had mimosas Saturday and Sunday! The Heeters made us this beautiful snack/survival basket when they visited, which included a bottle of delicious champagne. I've never been a mimosa person, but it was so good and fun to sip on during the day. Thanks Nana, Poppy, and Uncle Ryan <3
Hart and I also visited Denver on Thursday for lunch with dad! We went to Snooze (duh) in Union Station, which was really cool. Hart did great, as usual. He did poop and we couldn't find a bathroom with a changing station, so I conquered my fears and changed him on the floor of a public restroom (he never once touched the ground, I promise). It was fun to see Jon's face as he showed off Hart at his work. Hart was awake this time, and people really ate it up.
Another big event of the week was that Hart and I went to SkyView and taught yesterday! I was pretty apprehensive about bringing him to a germ infested school, but it went awesome, and no children touched him. I wore Hart in my sling as I taught the 5th grade girls about puberty, male and female anatomy, and how babies grow. Hart slept through it all, and then we did a Q&A with the girls while Hart ate a bottle and farted so everyone could hear. It was awesome to see the kids, a few girls broke into tears, and let them meet Hart. I'm planning to go back, probably not to be a guest teacher, but just to hang out :)

We've been taking Happy on very short walks each day. I'm hoping these get longer as head control improves. Nothing like bending to pick up a poop while you're holding your child's head up.

Worst moment this week: Hart has officially grown out of some of his newborn clothes :( Hart's sweet Nana and Poppy bought him a few newborn sleepers while they were here, and he's already outgrown them! While it's exciting because we did not have a lot of newborn clothes, it's also sad to realize he'll never be that tiny again. I swear he's a little heavier each time I pick him up! I just removed all newborn outfits from his top drawer and replaced with 0-3 month. I'm excited because we have a lot of cute things, but it made me realize we are in desperate need of pants! He has about 5 long sleeve onesies and 6 short sleeve onesies and 1 pair of sweatpants! We're going to Target today to stock up on some pants for the kid.

Favorite outing: I have a few! The first was the Breckenridge Brew tour. I suggested this to Jon, and then kind of changed my mind about going, but he had already bought tickets. I'm glad he did because it forced us to go, and it went great! First of all, it's $3 for a pint and four tastings (which end up being 2 additional beers), so once we got our pint at the start, I said we could leave then and it would still be a deal (we didn't). We took a walking tour of their facility, and it was so neat. They built the buildings specifically to be a brewery, so it's very well done. It's also the cleanest brewery I have ever been to. Seriously spotless. I wore Hart the whole time, and he was incredible. By the way, I think the children outnumbered the adults on this tour, so we were not the only nutters bringing their kids on a brew tour!

Will someone wear me in a sling on a brew tour? What a lucky guy.

The second fun outing was hanging with Grace and Ophelia on Monday. (Ophelia was born the day before Hart!) It was both babies' nap time, so we got to cuddle our little ones and chat peacefully. Not a bad way to spend a Monday morning.
Last was our outing to SkyView. Again, just really heartwarming to see my kids and remind them I'm still thinking of them. It was really awesome to get to teach a lesson again! I didn't realize how much I missed it. I think it was the first time a few of my teammates got to see me teach, so that was pretty cool too. It was also a very unique experience teaching while wearing Hart in the sling. If someone would hire both of us, I think I could easily do it all day ;)

Eating: Hart is still eating great! He eats every 3 hours, and then goes for 4-4.5 hours at night. Hopefully that night stretch will only continue to lengthen as he gets older. Once his night stretches are a bit longer (4-5 hours), he'll move to the nursery! He's now eating around 3.5 and 4 ounces and we're noticing some delicious rolls appearing on his arms! He still has dad's skinny legs, so we'll see what we can do about thickening those up.

Looking forward to: My WHOLE family will be visiting in April (parents, brothers/sister, niece!) and I could not be more excited. I don't know the last time we were all together, so that will make it all the more special. I cannot wait for my niece, Genevieve, to meet Hart, not to mention Uncle Dustin and Aunt Lauren! Genevieve will most likely be unimpressed since Hart doesn't do much, but it will make my heart melt to see them together. 

Suggestions? 
Nap without too much crying: Like I said earlier, I would love some suggestions on how to get him to go down for a nap without needing to be rocked until he's asleep or continually popping the pacifier back in. I didn't realize until the other night how truly hard it is to hear your baby cry because we let him cry for 5 minutes before going in and it was devastating! We did get a pacifier with one of those stuffed animals attached because it helps hold the pacifier within reach - dropping the pacifier is the main reason he cries.
Stains on clothes: I'd also love some suggestions on how to get poop stains out of clothes/sheets. We had our first blow out incident while I was feeding him in bed, and our only pair of white sheets now has yellow poop stains. He also seems to spring a leak whenever I put him in his cutest outfits, and I'm hoping to avoid getting permanent stains out of his adorable 0-3 month clothes.

It's really interesting seeing their relationship develop. Happy really likes giving Hart kisses when he's crying - because that's really helpful. And Hart is beginning to watch Happy as he moves around the room. I swear Hart gave his first intention smile to Happy yesterday, but it could've been farts too.

Poop face

2 Weeks Old!

HBH | born 3/11 @ 7:06pm | 7 lbs 11 oz | 21 inches long

Definitely my favorite picture of him so far

Name: Hart Barnett Heeter

Hart - We found Hart on my dad's family tree. It is our little Hart's great-great-great-great Uncle on my grandpa's side. We thought Hart Heeter had a great ring to it. It's a unique name, but also classic. The whole pregnancy, we steered toward surnames as first names, and this one was always top of the list.

Barnett - My mom's maiden name! My mom has one brother who had all daughters, so we wanted to keep the Barnett line going! Jon thought "Hart Barnett" sounded like a movie star, so what could be better?

How old: 2 weeks tomorrow :)

Hart's weight: 8 lbs 0.5 oz! He was 7 lbs 1 oz last week, and the doctor was really happy that he's been gaining about 2 oz a day rather than the typical 1 oz a day. What a champ!

Sleep: Hart is getting on a schedule already at 2 weeks! He eats every 3 hours, and naps 1.5 hours after each feeding. He's very active and alert right after he eats, and prefers a pacifier after he's been awake for 1.5 hours to soothe himself into a nap. At night, he has longer stretches anywhere from 2-3.5 hours. He's currently sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed because he never really cries, only whines. We weren't sure we would be able to hear him from the nursery, but have plans of moving him over around 1-2 months. I'm laying him in his crib for naps during the day to get him used to sleeping in the nursery. 

Hart usually wakes up and babbles/grunts to himself for 10-30 minutes before really wanting to be picked up or fed. He's already a self-sufficient little guy! 

Best moment this week: I think the weekend was the best. Since Jon was off work, we got to sleep in and hang out in bed until late morning as a family of four. Jon's family was here this weekend and part of this past week, and we did a lot! Hart went out for dinner in the city with a stop at Little Man after, a fancy dinner at Seasons 52, visited Jon at work, the Breckenridge Brewery in Littleton, Snooze for breakfast, and to Daniel's Park. 

We were here when I was 7 weeks pregnant, 36 weeks pregnant, and when Hart was 9 days old! Definitely one of our favorite look out spots :)

We are so thrilled that he is doing well when we go out and about! That was a huge thing for us, getting him out and acclimated to noise and being in different environments. 

Reading Harry Potter with dad

Happy is OBSESSED with his baby. These two are going to be best buddies.

Worst moment this week: I may have cried on our way home from the city Sunday night because Jon had to go back to work. Hart is a super easy and relaxed baby, so I'm not very overwhelmed during the day, but I just love having Jon around. Luckily, he worked from home Tuesday (while Hart, Happy, and I took an afternoon siesta) and a half day Wednesday so that was awesome.

Eating: Hart is eating like a champ! He's not shy about latching on, and even takes a bottle already. Anything for that milk! He is VERY hard to wake up when he's sleeping, so sometimes he'll go a little long between feedings. I usually pump and then feed him a bottle when that happens, which is probably every other day at most. The doctor encouraged us to do one bottle a day to make sure he's able to take a bottle and nurse. I'm hoping to transition to bottles for night feeds in the next few weeks. He eats a bottle so much faster than he nurses. He likes to eat a little, snooze a little, chomp a little, so I'm excited at the idea that night feedings might go a little quicker.

Looking forward to: My parents come to meet Hart on Sunday night! I'm very excited for them to meet him, and be able to do some fun stuff while they're in town. We don't have any solid plans, but it's nice knowing Hart is able to go out and just hang easily. I think we'll meet up with Jon in the city for lunch one day, maybe go to Daniel's Park again or Lookout Mountain, and I'm even entertaining the idea of a Breckenridge trip (we'll see in grandpa is up for the higher altitude)!

Our relationship: Everyone told me that after baby Jon and I would fight and be at each other throats and that I would love Hart more than Jon. While I DO love Hart, the love I have for him doesn't surpass what I feel for Jon. It definitely helps that Jon is the best. He's always changing diapers (I probably change 1 to every 4 he changes), asking if I need anything, and offering to hold a fussy HBH while I shut my eyes for a few minutes or shower. We were talking before bed how we both are sharing the duties that go with taking care of a newborn, so there's no feeling jealous that he's sleeping all night while I do it all, or feeling frustrated that he won't help more. Jon's mom asked if we've ever loved anything more than Hart, and I said Jon. And it's true. Without him, Hart wouldn't even be here. Seeing how loving he is as a husband and father makes my heart swell. I guess all this to say, don't expect your relationship to struggle after the baby. Talk about what might make your relationship harder BEFORE little one arrives, and hold yourself to changing those things after he/she shows up. Marriage first.

Labor & Delivery: I had probably the easiest first time labor and delivery ever. This was very exciting because my whole pregnancy was spent with people telling me their delivery horror stories. I was totally mentally prepared to be rushed into an emergency c-section just in case something dramatic happened. 

I'm not entirely surprised Hart is so chill, because delivery was too! We thought I would be induced right when we got there, but they needed me to be on 2-3 hours of medicine (for Strep B) before inducing. Luckily that meant some room service before getting things going!

They started me on Pitocin around 11:30, and I was very vocal about my reservations of being on the drug, so they started me at the lowest dose and contractions started right away. They only upped the dose twice (from 2-6, usually women don't start contractions until a 20), and then turned it down once. I was never on a lot of it, just enough to give my body the signal that it was time for a baby.

Unfortunately, I didn't progress much further from just the Pitocin and my doctor broke my water around 2:00. This was probably the most painful part of the whole labor process, which is funny because everyone told me they didn't feel a thing when the doctor broke their water. It was miserable, and I was crying a lot after that. However, that got things moving FAST. I tried a few contractions with nitrous oxide, but I think at that point I was already at the worst of the contractions, and it just made me nauseous. 

At 4:00, I shamelessly asked for an epidural. The hardest part was staying still during the worst contractions while they inserted the needle. I was nervous about getting an epidural until I felt the pain. I probably would have done anything to get rid of it!

45 minutes later, I was 6cm dilated and 90% effaced - active labor! I felt pretty good because of the epidural, minus my right leg going completely numb. I could still feel mild contractions, but I could breathe through them.

Our nurse joked that she got off work at 7, so we had to have the baby before then, so I asked to be checked again at 6:30, and I was 10cm dilated and 100% effaced (along with my nurse saying "OH! There's the baby!")! Our nurse had me push once, and immediately told me to stop so they could call the doctor. 

Our doctor showed up around 6:50, they got the room ready, and three pushes later, Hart Barnett was born at 7:06pm!

One thing I loved about delivery was that our doctor never announced the gender, he just held up our baby so we could see ourselves. Another thing I loved was that while I was in active labor and pushing, it was just Jon, our doctor, and the nurse who started the day with us. The delivery nurses came in after, and they said they had a list of all the women who were in labor and I was at the bottom of the list. They said this would be a delivery to remember :) 

Jon and I peeked at the list of names we had brought with us to the hospital, but I think we both were pretty set on Hart Barnett once meeting him.

Just a few hours old

About a week old <3

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 :)

39 Weeks, 4 Days Pregnant!

How far along: 39 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: +36 lbs

Stretch marks: No new ones!

Sleep: Even better now that I'm on maternity leave! I still wake up to take Jon to the train, but I can skip all the getting ready hassle. Averaging 9 hours this week!

Best moment this week: Sunday was fun because I was extremely tired and took a midday nap with Happy. Jon did all the grocery shopping and carting his buyings up three flights of stairs (plus a surprise Starbucks run) all by himself because he's just the best. We also got desserts from Eddie Merlot's and watched the Oscars!

Jon snapped this right before he left for grocery shopping

Peanut Butter Cup. Also, please note Happy's hopeful sniffing.

Wednesday was probably my favorite. We had a morning appointment, which we never have, so I picked up Jon from work around 9:30 and we went to the doctor. The doctor went well, and then Jon picked out this little sandwich place, Olive & Finch and it was not only delicious, but healthy and adorable too! It was fun to have a lunch with him midday before dropping him back at work. Since being off work, I've gotten a lot done and a lot of resting, which is really great.

The Ankara. Turkey, brie, apples, and arugula. YUM!

Worst moment this week: Um... not having baby? Everyone has said they'd be shocked if I go any longer based on how dilated and effaced I am, yet here I stand! It's not awful though. I'm not in any discomfort, it's just hard to wait.

Food cravings: Sweets! I got some macaroons, meringues, chocolate covered bananas, and have been chowing down on pineapple like it's never growing back. That's more because I heard it can spur on labor, but it's still delicious.

I didn't save any for Jon. Not. Even. One. 

Movement: Still pounding away in there. Not as violent or harsh, but baby is still moving a lot!

Labor signs: Some very inconsistent and minor contractions (I can talk, walk, and move around easily through them). I am now officially 4 cm dilated and 70% effaced. I read that being 4 cm dilated means you're in active labor, but I can tell you there is nothing active about the labor I'm having over here. I've been walking over a mile daily with Happ, and we went on a nice long walk today, so I'm hoping that spurs on something!

There are a ton of walking trails right outside our apartment, so it's been nice exploring them. Plus they all go in little loops, so I'm never far from home just in case something happens!

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Happy or moody: Mostly happy, with some moodiness sprinkled in for good measure. Like I said, I'm feeling totally fine. This waiting game is rough though. Especially when ladies who were due weeks after me are welcoming their little ones now! Luckily for me, and unfortunately for her, Grace still hasn't had her sweet one, so we're in the same boat there.

Miss anything: Getting real excited at the prospect of beer! Really looking forward to my first Breckinridge Vanilla Porter after baby shows :)

Looking forward to: Baby's arrival! If baby doesn't show, we'll have another appointment Tuesday with a definite ultrasound to check on little one and fluid levels. That'll be really fun to see him/her one last time before it's in real life! Plus if I make it to then, we get another date in the city! Pros and cons of having to wait.

9 weeks ~ 19 weeks ~ 29 weeks ~ 39 weeks

38 Weeks, 4 Days Pregnant!

How far along: 38 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: +35 lbs. I'm not even stressed over this any more.

Stretch marks: Just the ones above my belly button. Still waiting on ones on the side to pop up!

Sleep: Good! Averaging 8 hours this week, but still feeling exhausted. I plan to take advantage of maternity leave (if I make it to then) by resting and snoozing as much as possible.

Best moment this week: Last weekend was actually great because Jon cleaned the tub for me and I took two baths! I'm not typically a bath person, but I set up candles, used a bath bomb (which I am officially obsessed with) and listened to my audiobook. It made all my back pain go away. It really made me think I'll be taking advantage of the tub in my birthing suite.

Tuesday was fun because we had another doctor's appointment and it was a BEAUTIFUL day - like 72 out! We went to Lowry Beer Garden after and indulged in the most delicious burgers we haven't had since this fall. It was the best, and it really hit me that this won't happen much more. We can certainly go out with baby, but random day dates in the city just the two of us will soon be things of the past.

Jon got a burger with sugared bacon, cheddar, and BBQ and I got a garden burger with avocado and swiss. AND I got a $2 chocolate soft serve cone! 

Worst moment this week: Today. It was both the worst and best. I spent over 6 hours at school getting ready for my leave - writing out detailed plans for March 1-17 for all four of my classes, getting all necessary copies and documents, and cleaning my classroom - and then about 2 more hours here at home working. It was exhausting and terrible, but it feels so good to know everything is set. While I was working today, my principal popped in and said they're interviewing for my sub Monday, and then want to see the person sample teach, and then want to get the person in my room for a few days to observe me... and I had to remind her that my last day is Tuesday (not the first reminder). So that's a bit stressful, but it's out of my hands.

Food cravings: Still mostly sweets, but I'm really craving a good salad/veggie sub right now. 

Movement: I can tell babe is definitely restricted in there, but still a steady amount of movement. I had a dream that we could see baby's fingers and handprint because they were pushing so hard! Luckily that's not a reality. Mostly, I'm just lopsided. I think it's because I have a narrow waist, so my stomach is just protruding straight out rather than to the sides. I can tell baby has dropped because the kicks are now bellow my belly button!

This is the norm. Even when I walk around, baby's poking out to my left.

Symptoms: Back ache has been a killer, especially since I was bending over and standing a lot today in my classroom. Pressure in my pelvis, too, because baby is gradually moving lower.

Labor signs: I'm 3cm dilated and 60% effaced! The doctor said that means I could have the baby any day, or in two weeks (so it means nothing). I had some contractions on Wednesday that sent me home a little early, but the doctor warned that can happen after they check your cervix for the first time. They weren't terrible, and I haven't had any since. Now that work is all settled (in terms of plans at least), I feel more ready. I also feel good about potentially waiting!

Doctor said they will look at inducing if baby hasn't come by March 14, but will try to induce by natural methods rather than drugs like Pitocin. Say a prayer now, because I've heard Pitocin makes labor a thousand times harder - it forces your body to have contraction after contraction, rather than your body naturally resting between contractions. 

Wedding rings on or off: Still on!

Happy or moody: Definitely back to happy this week. I have TWO more days of work (what!), and everything at our apartment is ready for baby. I feel really good physically, mentally, and am ready for baby to show any day, or when he/she is ready. I'm glad I'm not incredibly uncomfortable and am able to enjoy this fleeting part of life. I'm also excited to spend more time with Happy. He's been pretty obsessed with me and will follow me around when I get up to pee in the middle of the night. He can tell something is happening, and is being the best as usual.

Miss anything: This is so petty to complain about, especially since I've been sleeping so well, but it takes me forever to fall asleep. Like 1-2 hours. Once I'm out, I'm out though.

Looking forward to: Tuesday being over! I will officially be on maternity leave, and this will probably be the most peaceful few days of life. We have our next appointment on Wednesday morning, and I'm excited to see if I've dilated any more, or if baby's still doing their thing.

Poor thing got his teeth cleaned on Thursday. He was zombie-pup after and was staring into space, sleeping in his food bowl, and groaning non-stop. He's doing a lot better now and his teeth look GREAT!