39 Weeks

Feeling: Ready to meet our sweet baby boy!!! But also patient for him to take his time and come when he is ready:) I still feel a little in disbelief that he is coming any day now…so surreal!! I can’t wait to finally meet this little bear cub who has kept mama company the past nine months:) Will his eyes be blue like his sister, brown like mama’s, or green like dada’s? Will he look more like a Horvath or an Allsup, or somewhere in between? Will he have dark hair, light hair, or no hair at all? It is so crazy and so exciting that I get to find out in just a few days😍

Body:

• At my chiropractic appointment this week, my doctor said my sacrum doesn’t feel “mushy” and her guess is I still have another week at least to go. What’s interesting is I saw her last 11 days before Scarlett was born and it was 11 days before the day I’m guessing he’ll be born, April 10th, so we’ll see! (P.s. At my last appt before Scarlett, she had said she didn’t think I would make it through the rest of the week because that time my sacrum did feel mushy–but obviously I made it 11 more days lol)
• I actually felt pretty good overall this week. I would say my biggest discomforts are the constant feeling that I have to pee and feeling uncomfortable/short of breath when sitting at times 
• My energy level was higher this week and I opted to get stuff done during Scarlett’s nap instead of reading/doing my Hypnobabies session/relaxing. I suppose it’s my nesting instinct officially kicking into high gear:)
• I slept better this week which might be because I switched to doing my hypnosis sessions before bed which might help relax me, or because of our new mattress, or it could be because I’ve been turning the fan on high to drown out Justin’s snoring;) It’s most likely a combination of these things, either way I’ll take it!
• In addition to the subtle linea negra below my bellybutton, I think the line now extends above my belly button. I also have a sort of ring around my bellybutton which I remember having with Scarlett.
• Ribs continue to expand and my jackets/blazers now fit awkwardly 
• My boobs have been pretty sore and have grown more 
• Stuffy nose
• Lots of pre-birthing waves
• Lots of pulling/stretching sensations in upper inner thighs, and cervix area 
• Weight gain: 33 lbs

Cravings: Ted Drewes Oreo concrete–sadly this craving has gone unfulfilled. We went to dinner at a nearby restaurant (strategically picked) this past weekend, but didn’t have time to stop at ted drewes because we were showing our house that evening:(

Aversions: Nothing really

Exercise: Still doing Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project about 3x per week, cycling workouts 2-3x per week, and usually 1 Jillian Michaels workout. I didn’t do any prenatal yoga this week, so I’m going to try to fit it in next week.

Baby Prep: I think we mostly have the essentials ready to go. Left on my baby to-do list: groom Buddy, get postpartum supplies ready since we plan on leaving the hospital early if possible, pack hospital bag (yes I know I’m cutting it close but I’m overly optimistic that baby isn’t coming early:), and bake cookies to bring for the midwives and nurses.

Only 4 days left until my “guess date”!!! 💙💙💙

38 Weeks

Feeling: Nervous/excited/happy/a little sad. The nerves are mostly about balancing a newborn and a toddler. The excitement/happiness is pretty obvious–I can’t wait to meet our little bear cubby! The little bit of sadness is just the bittersweetness of Scarlett not being my only baby anymore, and most likely from haywire hormones. I had a few weepy moments this week, and I think I remember that happening around this time during my first pregnancy too. As for feeling sad about Scarlett, for almost 2 years it has been “Scarlett and Mama” and all that’s about to change–it’s a wonderful change, but also a huge change for all of us. I just know Scarlett will be an amazing big sissy:)

Body:

• My left eye has been twitching for the past 4 days, not sure if related to pregnancy 
• Stronger Braxton-Hicks waves
• Much stronger, sharper pulling/stretching sensation in upper inner thighs that comes on suddenly and intensely that I have to stop moving for a few seconds. Also has been happening a lot more frequently.
• Feel a little less huge this week–maybe my weight gain has finally slowed down? I’ve read that it’s supposed to during the last month.
• Despite feeling big, I still get comments that I’m “small” or “tiny” and I just have to laugh at that.
• Even though I’ve gained about the same as my last pregnancy (a little more actually) I feel like it’s more concentrated in my belly than with my first (i.e. my thighs/arms don’t seem to have added as much extra fat this time, but I could be wrong)
• Still no stretch marks on my belly, but do have some on the back of my hips/butt, although I already had some previous to pregnancy so not sure if they’re just more noticeable now.
• I finally have somewhat of a linea nigra–I had a more noticeable one with Scarlett that appeared about halfway through I think, but this time it’s barely noticeable and just appeared during the last month of pregnancy
• Breathing is still difficult at times, especially when sitting for prolonged periods and seems to be worse in the evenings

Sleep: Most nights of the week I wake up around 4 in the morning and it takes a few hours of tossing and turning to fall back asleep. I often use this time to visualize my birth (helpful) and think of all the things I need to do before baby boy’s arrival (not helpful;)

Cravings: Nothing really

Aversions: Same as previous weeks–nothing in particular just don’t enjoy a lot of the things I used to (particularly Asian, much to J’s dismay;)

Exercise: I definitely feel better when I’m able to get outside for a walk, especially when the weather is nice since sunshine = vitamin D. I’ve still been doing mostly Tracy Anderson pregnancy project and cycling workouts, and I’ll throw in a Jillian Michaels and prenatal yoga workout about once a week as well.

Baby Prep: This weekend I will be busy washing all the baby things! I’m pretty sure we have most of what we need for those first few weeks, but if not there’s always Amazon prime😀 In the next few days I also plan on getting my car cleaned and installing the infant car seat, getting all the baby stuff organized and set up in our bedroom, packing hospital bags and overnight bag for Scarlett just in case, grooming Buddy, and making sure I have postpartum recovery items ready to go at home (something I didn’t have the first time around).