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My non-stress tests were great this week.  Very active baby, and strong heartbeat.  More Braxton Hicks contractions.  Everything is good.

Now that I’m 36 weeks, they want to check my cervix every week for any dilation that could be happening which will indicate how close I could be to the beginning of labor.  This week the doctor said I’m about a half centimeter dilated.  Not very much at all, but she did say my cervix is very soft which is really good.  She said the baby’s head is very low which is what’s softening my cervix so much.  She said, “I’ve seen women with soft cervixes dilate to 4 or 5 centimeters really quick.”  So that’s a good sign I may go into labor before I have to be induced at 39 weeks!

I also got an ultrasound done this week to get a better indication of the weight and size of the baby and everything is around the 50th percentile for 36 weeks pregnant!  Right now the weight estimate is 5 lbs and 15 oz… so almost 6 pounds right now.  Not bad at all!  Her head size, shoulder size and abdomen size is also right on target so right now the doctors have no concern about the baby being too big for a normal vaginal delivery!  Yay!  Oh, and they even saw on the ultrasound that Josephine has really long hair!  She said it’s actually touching the back of her neck.  She said, “It’s at least an inch or longer!”  I have to get the hair bows ready! :)

My blood pressure again was low.  108/60 I think she said.  Still not much swelling in my feet or hands.  I am a touch under 151 pounds so I’ve lost a teeny tiny bit more weight.  It’s amazing to me that with this pregnancy I haven’t gained a pound, and I’m 4 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.  I think cutting the carbs and weighing all my meals to prevent blood sugar spikes has really helped keep my weight in check as well.  It feels good to know that I’m only 18 days away from my due date and my weight and health are under control.

36 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 36 weeks…

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She’s shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.  At the end of this week, your baby will be considered “early term.” (Full-term is 39 to 40 weeks. Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term, 41 weeks is late term, and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely your baby is already head-down.

We have begun looking at homes finally.  My house is only 1008 sq ft and it is jam packed with stuff.  Faith’s closet is already packed with her own things, and I have no room for Josephine’s things.  The garage is already filled with Faith’s extra toys that don’t fit in her room (and I have given away as much of her stuff as I possibly could.)  There’s just no more room to grow in this house.  I HATE the thought of moving out of this home.  I fixed it up myself and the whole experience was a life changing journey for me.  I really wish I didn’t have to sell it, but there’s just no more room.  I have the urge to nest so bad right now with baby only a few weeks away from being born!  I want to clean and organize but I simply can’t. It’s like an itch that I can’t scratch!  There’s no room to put things away.  All the closets are packed.  I have no basement for storage.  It’s making me miserable.  I have a clutter-filled home and all I want is organization and SPACE!

I feel like crying every time I think about leaving my neighbors.  I love love love my neighbors.  I want to keep them.  I want them next to me.  They are my friends and they have made me feel like my house and this neighborhood are truly my home.  Even though we are looking for another house right here in town, and will probably be only minutes away from them, it won’t be the same :(  I know wherever I move, I’ll never be so lucky again to have such awesome neighbors in all the homes that surround me.  It will definitely be a very bitter-sweet move.  Who knows how long it may take to find the right home though… I still may be here for a long time :)  And I’ll be thanking God each day for the time I have left here in my first home and in the best neighborhood anyone could ever ask for.  Ok, I feel like locking myself in the bathroom and having a good cry now.

Well, this week has been a fairly bad week :(   I just got back from my baby checkup, and although my non-stress tests are fine, and my blood pressure and blood sugar is good … my belly is measuring at 38 weeks :(  Not at 37 weeks like it should.  So it makes me worry that Josephine is packing on more weight than she should.  The dr is not worried at all.  As for myself, I’m confused, because I lost another pound.  I weigh almost 150 now.  How can I be losing weight, yet my belly is bigger, measuring a full week ahead of time?  So… next week we will be discussing induction.  I may be induced now at 38 weeks instead of at 39 weeks.

The dr also checked my cervix and I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced with a -2 station.  She said this is good.  But I wish I could be further along.  A -2 station means the baby is low, but not fully engaged.  If the baby is fully engaged, I would be at a 0 station and that means that labor is right around the corner.  I’m sad because I just know I won’t be going into labor naturally.  I’m again going to have to be induced just like I was with Faith.  I know it will be a long a painful labor, and I’m now age 40.  Can I take it?  Induction is always harder and increases the risk of complications or needing a c-section.  My body just doesn’t want to go into labor.  I know right now I’m only 37 weeks,  and still have plenty of time for labor to start… but I just don’t think it will happen during my 38th week.  The dr said I could wait to be induced at almost 40 weeks, but they just don’t suggest it.  If they don’t suggest that, than I don’t want that either.  I’ll never forgive myself if something goes wrong, or if the baby gets too big that she gets stuck during delivery and ends up injured.

37 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 37 weeks…

Your due date is very close now, but doctors don’t consider your baby “full term” until 39 weeks. Spending the next two weeks in the womb allows your baby’s brain and lungs to fully mature.  Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don’t be surprised if your baby’s hair isn’t the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes.  At this point your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (about the size of a bunch of Swiss chard).

 

More bad news,  Aaron hit a deer this morning on his way to work.

He’s fine thank God.  My poor Geo Metro is all banged up.  I have to call our auto insurance and see what they can do.  They will probably consider it totaled.  It is an old beat up car. 1997 with over 210,000 miles on it.  We won’t get enough money for it to get another used car.  Aaron can’t drive that car to work anymore because the windshield and headlight is broke. We have no money for another used car… and Aaron just got laid off today :(

So… an induction and hospital bills are in our near future, we lost a car, and Aaron won’t be working for a couple weeks.  We just paid our home and auto insurance, and our property taxes, so our checking account is low because of that.  When it rains it pours.  Not sure what we will do, but trust that God is in control.

Lots and lots of changes taking place all at once.  New baby just around the corner, my final semester is coming to an end.  My graduation date has been set for May 13th.  We are house-hunting and may move soon if we find the right home for us.   This summer will be a challenge but also an adventure.  We just have to stay positive and allow God to lead the way!

Stay tuned!

I just got back from my baby checkup.  Non-stress test was great.  Heartbeat strong and baby girl is very active.  My blood pressure is normal – 122/75.  I lost 2 more pounds. I weigh 149 now. I haven’t been eating that much because my stomach is too full of baby lol.  I really don’t have much swelling at all in my ankles, feet or hands.  My belly is still measuring at 38 weeks, so my belly measurement is right on track!  I know it’s just an estimate about baby’s size, but I’m glad that Josephine isn’t likely to be a big baby.

After the examination, the doctor said nothing has really changed.  He said I’m about 30 to 50% effaced, and only about 1 to 1 1/2 centimeters dilated.  I’m no where near the beginning of labor.  So we then discussed induction.  The doctor didn’t think it was necessary to induce me this week at 38 weeks gestation because baby is measuring good, and my blood pressure and blood sugars are perfectly normal.  So, next week, at 39 weeks we will schedule induction if I haven’t gone into labor naturally.  (I really don’t think I’ll go into labor on my own.)

So right now the plan of action is … Tuesday the 19th go in for a non-stress test.  Friday the 22nd go in for another non-stress test then have a follow-up with the doctor to check my cervix and see if there has been any progress with dilatation and effacement.  Then, if I’m still not close to labor,  we will schedule an induction for Tuesday April 26th!  On that date I will be 39 weeks and 5 days gestation.  Close to 40 weeks!  Yay!  If they’re ok with that, then I’m ok with that, too.  So, April 26th or 27th could be when Josephine makes her appearance depending on how long labor will last for me.  Still praying God will have me go into labor on my own before that, but whatever happens, happens.  Trusting in God, and praying that God gives my doctors the wisdom they need to keep me and baby girl safe.

38 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 38 weeks…

 

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she is over 19 1/2 inches long (about the size of a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you’ll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby’s eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she’s born with brown eyes, they’ll likely stay brown. If she’s born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she’s 9 months old. That’s because a child’s irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she’s born, but they usually won’t get “lighter” or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

 

So many things going on in my life right now.  Just a few days ago we listed our home for sale :(

 

For my long-time blog readers, you may remember when I won a prize minivan in 2003.  I sold it and used the money for a fixer-upper home.  This home is so special to me.  I met my husband because of this home.  I learned just how strong and capable I am while fixing up much of this home on my own.  It took lots of blood, sweat and tears and strengthened my faith in God immensely.  I have grown so extremely fond of my neighbors and love them so much.  It has been heartbreaking to think I’ll be leaving this beautiful neighborhood.  We just need more space.  We have outgrown this home :(

I remember a video slideshow I made of before and after photos of my home after it was all finished.  I was watching this the other day and reminiscing about the journey I went through.  It will be so hard to let this home go.

 

This is Faith’s closet.  It is jammed packed with her things… and no room for Josephine’s things.  They will have to share the bedroom and it is tiny.

 

Currently this is what our garage looks like.  It is filled with toys that don’t fit in Faith’s room, and filled with pantry items that don’t fit in the kitchen, and many other miscellaneous items that just have no place to put anywhere else.  We can’t even walk in the garage.

 

Our home is only 1008 sq ft and now with a new baby on the way, we just need more room for another family member!  Now, there is a for sale sign in the front yard.  I’m looking at it right now while I sit here typing, and it hurts to look at it.  However, I know the Lord has something bigger planned for us!

Yes, lots of changes happening all at once.  Our home was officially listed today.  Here is the listing!

http://irmls.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=503d336f-7f14-4552-9e02-85ca2dc994f1&Report=Yes

I also made a new video slideshow of what our home looks like now.  Hopefully this will impress potential buyers to come take a look at it!

 

In the next week or two, I imagine several people will be coming to look at it… right around the same time I will be giving birth to our second daughter.  In a few weeks I’ll be walking on stage to get my degree in Early Childhood Education.  Life is a roller coaster right now.  I’m excited.  I’m a little scared.  Most importantly, I’m counting my blessings.