Welcome to the world

Johanna Mary 

Born 17 January 2013 at 8:31 pm

8 lbs 2 oz 20 in 

 ^"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights"

- James 1:17

Still Pregnant...

This photo was taken yesterday. 

And nothing has changed. 

I'm still pregnant.

I did have a doctor's appointment yesterday though. I sat strapped to a monitor for at least an hour as they monitored Baby Girl's heartbeat and how she was responded to contractions - if I had any. I ended up falling asleep while they were monitored me. Oops. I couldn't help myself. This whole being pregnant thing is exhausting. And Baby Girl was being difficult as well. She didn't want to stay still and have her heartbeat listened to. She kept moving. Anyway, turns out I am having contractions (I knew that) and the baby is doing great (I hoped that was true). They finally checked me and I'm at 2 centimeters and they stripped my membranes. Ever since then, I've been cramping and contracting...as long as I'm moving. I don't feel a thing when I'm sleeping. Is that normal? 

The doctors said they'll induce me if she doesn't come by Sunday on her own. I, of course, said that was fine as long as it was after the football game (GO FALCONS!). They also scheduled me for an ultrasound and stress test tomorrow. I'm hoping to not make it to the appointment. But who knows what'll happen. I'm still contracting. But nothing I can't handle right now. I'm going by the rule that if I can't talk through or walk through then I'll go to the hospital. So far I've been able to walk and talk through every one.

As of right now, I'm having contractions and Baby Girl has hiccups. An interesting combination.

Oh! And doctor said yesterday that she's predicting a big baby...How big you ask? She could be 9 pounds or over. Of course I take that with a grain of salt, but I guess we'll see tomorrow how big she really is at the ultrasound tomorrow.

Here's hoping that the next time you hear from me, I'll be announcing the birth of my beautiful baby girl!

Also! My bump pictures were featured over on Spearmint Baby! Go check them out here!

Happy Due Date To Me!

Today I am 40 weeks pregnant.

I can't believe today is Baby Girl's due date! Now if only she'd listen and come on out. I'm so ready to see her and hold her and love on her! 

Pregnancy Woes

I would wait until I'm 9 months pregnant (just 3 days until my due date) to get sick. Spending the day tomorrow in pajamas watching hulu. 

I have a cold. And a cough. Sometimes I cough so hard it hurts my belly. I will definitely be making a call to the doctor tomorrow to find something I can take. Oi. I made it so far without getting sick! Oh well. Hopefully it won't last too terribly long. I'm staying hydrated with water. In fact, ice water is the only thing that feels good on my throat. I think ice cream would be good too. Yay for pregnancy cravings.

Any tips for a quicker recovery? I would hate to be sick when I go into labor.

39 Weeks!!

I am 39 weeks pregnant. That means just one more week until d-day. Well, her predicted d-day. I personally think she'll be here later next week. We'll see though. Whatever day she decides to come will be the perfect day. (Hopefully I'll get a 39 week picture up asap)

These past two weeks, the hubs and I have had off work. It was so nice to be able to just spend the time with each other. One last holiday season before our little one gets here. It was bittersweet. I am just so incredibly thankful that we got this time together. We've spent three Christmas holidays together as a family of two, and two of those holidays in our own house. We're ready to move to the next step. Next holiday season we will be a family of three, and we are both so incredibly excited!

Today I went back to work after the holiday break. Everyone seemed shocked to see me there. It just made me laugh. I felt like I needed a sign around my neck saying "Yes, I'm back. Don't worry though, I'm fine." Then they'd ask me what my due date was again. It felt weird saying "Monday." That's less than a week away. Um. What?! Less than a week until my due date. Of course, I still stand by the fact that I think she'll be late. But people still think I'll pop at any second. It goes along with how I feel...I feel like a ticking time bomb, liable to go off at any minute. 

Anyway, work. I made it through the day. I only had to walk up the steps twice, so that worked in my favor. I tried to balance my walking around with time with my feet up. I never realized how hard it is to sit in those chairs with a large pregnant belly. I thought it was difficult to sit down before Christmas, who knew it was only going to get harder...Oh wait, everyone told me that it would. 

I go to the doctor tomorrow. My one questions: how long will they let me go past my due date without inducing me? I'm all for letting her go as long as she needs to go, as long as she's healthy and doing just fine. Of course I say that now, I'm sure next week I'll be singing a different tune. We'll see though. She might come before. As long as when she comes doesn't interfere with my football watching on Sunday (GO FALCONS!)(just kidding...or am I?). What can I say? I'm a southern girl who loves her football. I'm secretly hoping she'll come before the game so her first football game will be the Falcons stomping the Seahawks. Just saying...

After work today, the hubs's school through us a baby shower. Our baby girl is so incredibly loved and blessed already! I can't wait for her to get here so we can just shower her with kisses and hugs and love. It'll be sooner than later! That's at least what I'm telling myself.

For your viewing pleasure

Here's something that will hopefully help start your week off with a laugh...

You're welcome.

38 Weeks and a birthday!

Sorry this is late. It's been a crazy week with birthday and holidays and I'm taking as much time as I can to relax before Baby Girl gets here.

This picture was taken on my birthday :)

How far along: 38 weeks!

Trimester: Third and final trimester!!!!! 

Baby size: Watermelon - somewhere between 19 and 22 inches and somewhere around 7.5 lbs

Toes: What toes? I have toes?!

Gender: BABY GIRL!

Movement: Her movement is beginning to shift. I can tell there's not much room for her in there and it's reflected in the way she's moving.

Cravings: Anything sweet and peppermint, but I guess it has to do with the season

Aversions: I tried chicken again...I nearly threw up. It was horrible. No thank you.

Nausea/Morning sickness: Still no nausea or morning sickness, now just massive back pain (yay pre-labor symptoms) and Braxton Hicks. 

Maternity clothes: I live in sweats and the hubs's pajama pants and shirts. Nothing fits me anymore. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I have to go back to work next week.

Best moment of the week: My birthday was on Tuesday and so we just had a relaxing day watching football (GO DAWGS!) and hanging out with family.

What I'm looking forward to: This girl getting here! I'm ready to meet her and have some quality snuggle time with her!!

Can I just say that I love my doctors? I really do. I had my 38 week appointment yesterday and they talked about checking me to see if I had progressed any. My doctor started off by asking me, "What's your plan?" and my instant response was "To have a baby." She just laughed and told me it was a good plan. I went in depth and told her I really just wanted to go with the flow and see what happens. I wasn't concerned about knowing if I was in fact dilating or if I was still just hanging. In fact, I think I would be more anxious knowing how far along I actually was than I am not knowing how I've progressed. She agreed with me and told me that we'll just let nature run it's course and not bother checking. I love that! I love that I can just let my body do what it needs to do without the added pressure from the doctors. They seemed real easy with just letting it happen too. I've had a "go-with-the-flow" attitude this entire pregnancy. As long as baby and I are healthy, I'm not worried, and I'm thankful to see that my doctors are of the same mindset as me.