37 week appointment / maternity pictures

We took some maternity pictures this past Saturday! It was FREEZING, but luckily we got some nice weather and sun before the snow hit like crazy on Sunday and Monday. Now it's actually freezing . . . like in the 30s outside and snow on the ground. It's the first time all winter and of course it's right around the time I'd like to be having my baby!?!?! Oh well.

I hit 37 weeks this Tuesday, the 20th! And to me, 37 weeks feels like, okay the baby should be here any day now... In reality I know it's not like that but a girl can dream! I went to my appointment today and the new midwife, Renee, is awesome! I love her. We went over my birth preferences and she made me feel really comfortable and I even felt some relief that a lot of the things I want to happen will be able to happen, assuming everything is going well with the baby. She also mentioned that they won't ask about induction until 42 weeks!! (Oh my lanta I BETTER NOT make it that far. Please hahaha.

Stats from the appointment -

• i've gained 34 lbs. and I weight about as much as Jake did after he got hit with dengue fever really bad ... holy moly.
• my blood pressure is great. it was 110/62.
• Baby's heartbeat was 144 and sounding strong!!! 
• Fundal height is still measuring a week and a half ahead, at about 38.5 weeks, almost 39. 
• And they checked my cervix for the first time! I am about half a fingertip length dilated (lol) and my cervix is soft. We are going to start doing 2 EPO pills a night though so hopefully that softness will help the cervix dilate a little more! 

I can tell my family is starting to get excited, especially because my Grandma has started texting me for appointment updates. Pretty funny. I was joking with Lisette that I'll probably have the baby and THEN text my family and say, "Hey guys, had the baby last night. What are you up to?" Hahahaha, they would kill me, but it might be worth it.

Things are going well and I'm feeling good! Our goal this week is to just walk more, be as active as we can even with the snow and cold weather. We also need to be practicing relaxation more often this week too, but we're excited and ready for my body to start transitioning and getting ready for labor!!! 

36 weeks, Second baby shower!

This past weekend, we had my Utah baby shower which was super fun! It was at Amanda's house, hosted by Samantha and her family and we had the best food ever. Lots of Jake's family came and a few friends and it was a fun way to spend the Saturday. We got some of the CUTEST outfits ever for the baby. I am so excited for the baby to be here so we can dress him / her in them! We also got lots of diapers, wipes, and BABY BOOKS! The cutest baby books of all time. I am so excited, they are already looking so cute on our bookshelf!

One of the games we played was Jake and I both had a white board and Sam asked us questions and we were seeing the difference in our answers. One of the first questions was, "What's one word to describe Lynnette during this pregnancy?" I wrote, "Hungry". He wrote, "Happy". Sweet guy haha.

Another surprise was Hailey showed up! She's Jake's cousin and we went camping with her and her husband, Kaden, earlier last year. That trip was so fun and we are looking forward to another one. But she walked in so casually and I was like, "What the heck?! You're here from Idaho!?!?!" It was so fun to see her and catch up!

When we went home later that afternoon, we organized ALL the baby stuff we have. I think Jake is feeling the "nesting" more than I am. We sorted out all the baby's clothes by age, figuring out what we want to wash and then store away to wash later. We took off all the tags off the baby clothes, blankets, and towels. We set up one of the shelves in the bathroom with diapers and wipes, and then one of the baskets on the shelves has all the baby shampoos and hygiene care. We are definitely getting excited.

I also had my 36 week appointment today:

• I've gained 32 lbs. That just sounds so much better to me than saying the actual amount I weigh right now?! Haha
• My BP was 118/72, even though I was nervous!! So that's great.
• Baby's heartbeat was 140 and sounded great!!
• BABY WAS HEAD DOWN :) Thank goodness! They did a little handheld ultrasound and just showed me the cute little head. He/she is face down, AKA ready to come out and we are ready too.
• Did the group B strep swab thing. It wasn't that bad. Hopefully I test negative though so I don't need an IV! 
• Still measuring a week and a half ahead.
• Bought some evening primrose oil right after and can't wait to start using it!
• Met the new midwife. I believe her name is Leanne? And she's from Fort Jones, AKA where Five Marys Farm is! So I was pretty excited about that since Five Marys is our favorite Instagram of all time! She's also been a midwife for 18+ years and just seems amazing which I'm really grateful for!

35 Weeks Pregnant!!

Holy cow how am I already 35 weeks along?! It's been a really great pregnancy . . . and for that, this week has started to KICK. MY. TRASH. Seriously, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable the majority of the day, but especially when I walk. It's definitely manageable, but it has made me want the baby to come out RIGHT THIS SECOND!

I was talking to my friend Carly today and she said, "If the baby came now, would you guys be ready?" In my opinion... Yes! Haha, we have a crib, clothes, car seat, stroller, wraps, and I have boobs . . . What else do you need?! Haha of course I want this baby to cook for a couple more weeks but I would be totally fine if he/she decided to come right at 38 weeks or something.

As for pregnancy stats:

• I've gained 28 lbs so far
• My blood pressure has been good so far! At my last appointment, it was 120/60.
• Baby's heartbeat has been consistent and strong at 130-140 bpm.
• Belly is measuring 1 1/2 weeks ahead consistently (has been since I was about 28 weeks)
• I still sleep pretty good, even though I generally wake up a few times in the night and at least once to go to the bathroom. Jake told me to stop drinking water past 7 pm . . . Not an option?!!
• My iron is low. Thanks, Mom, for passing that down to me. I have to take slow release iron tablets on TOP OF my prenatal vitamins (roll my eyes). 
• All of my pants are uncomfortable to wear at this point. I've been wearing dresses this week because squishing my belly in is just not cutting it. People may think I'm dressing up . . . I'm really just trying to hang free underneath.

We still don't have any names decided yet. We have names that we like and that we both agree on, but we're just not sure if they would fit our baby. So I've made the goal to name the baby before we leave the hospital.

The other night we went to dinner with 3 other couples at Makan Makan which is a Malay restaurant just a little north in Sandy. It's so good (especially their egg rolls) but we did family style and I ate way too many different kinds of food . . . all fried. And on top of that, 4 egg rolls! Needless to say that night I did NOT feel good and had a sprite open by my bed while I listened to rainbow relaxation. 

Also, I have to walk down the RB stairs a couple times a week. Yesterday morning, I was walking down and was going kind of slow because at this point, I'm having trouble seeing my feet and the last thing I want to do is fall down the stairs (and apparently pregnant women have their balance / center of gravity a little off). Anyway, I hold on to the railing as I go but I'm not going TOO slow. There were these two girls who were riding my tail and talking so loud right in my ear! I just stopped on the stairs so they could pass me and I heard them comment about how sassy it was that I did that. I just laughed because when they looked back up at me, they could see the reason for my slowness. Just protecting the goods, ladies.

Aside from all of that, I'm feeling really happy with how this pregnancy has been so far! I've been feeling good, sleeping good, and I haven't been as emotional as everyone says they are during pregnancy. These last few weeks, I hope to be in a really good, excited place for natural birth and I'm getting excited for my sisters and mom to be here! These next 5 weeks can FLY BY!