41 WEEKS!

41 weeks at the Spa!

NO BABY FACE PICTURES YET!

41 weeks...Yes I feel like I've been pregnant forever at this point.  But, I've enjoyed every bit of it.  I'm 2 days away from being induced and meeting our little one.  It's actually hitting me that I'm going to be a mommy and my goofy husband is going to be daddee!  I'm not nervous, just SO excited and SO ready to experience this life changing journey!  I'm really not excited to be induced...I was hoping to expereince my water breaking naturally and me rushing to the hospital from excitement. But, life is not always like the movies!!!!!!

My belly is bigger than a basketball...we measured. I haven't gotten ahold of a watermellon yet but I'm going to say it's about the size of a LARGE watermelon.

I'm getting email updates and iPhone app alerts on my phone congratulating me to celebrate my 1 week old baby.  I'm also getting updates on how to bathe my baby, and information about jaundice.  Basically, these things are telling me that my baby should be here by now.  It's kind of frustrating considering that full term is still full term until 42 weeks.  And, I'm not "overdue" quite yet.  I'm just "post dates" (after 40 weeks of pregnancy).  Which who knows, estimated due date (10/5) could be wrong.  The only thing that tells me that my EDD is close is that this baby is measuring "big"...at 8lbs 9oz from my first ultrasound this during this week (10/11).  But again, that is also an estimate.  The ultrasound technician said that she could be off a pound either way, which made me think that the baby could be 9lbs 9oz....WHAT!?  There's no way My 125lb, 5ft 3" pre-pregnancy body can carry an almost 10lb baby!!!!!!   I asked if I could be induced that day...but my midwife declined.  She told me that our hospital won't induce until 10 days after your EDD.  I used part of my massage that Daddee got me for my birthday after the ultrasound. It was wonderful. The massage therapist focused on all of the pressure points that could help a woman go into labor. Normally for a pre-natal massage these are the points she avoids! It didn't trigger labor for me unfortunately (obviously).    Our first non-stress test went well on 10/9, baby passed and my blood pressure was good. Tuesday 10/15 was our next appointment and second non-stress test which also went well.  Prior to this appointment I did a lot of reading up on induction (maybe too much reading...). Basically what I was learning was it's not a good idea to induce prior to 42 weeks if mom and baby are healthy, because it could lead to complications such as your body not being ready for labor. And, when you start the induction process, you have to follow through. So, if being induced doesn't work (start labor) then a c-section is the next option.  Induction also puts your body into labor harder and gives the baby more stress than a normal labor, which could also result in a c-section due to stress on baby.  I also read that "big" babies really isn't a medical reason to induce.  At our 10/15 appointment, baby passed the non-stress test  again and my blood pressure was good. My midwife asked if I wanted to be induced, because it was an option at this point for me (10 days after due date)...I ended up declining and asking if we could wait until 42 weeks. This has given me peace of mind that I'm not pre-maturely inducing and giving my body a chance to do this labor thing on it's own. As I write this, I'm 2 days away from being induced, and it could happen, but by the way my body is acting...it's not so promising! I've said this for weeks and weeks and I'll say it again. I feel way to good to be almost 42 weeks pregnant. I've had an amazing pregnancy. My belly is just way too comfy for baby, I guess ;) We had another non-stress test. Baby passed the test, but wasn't preforming as well as the last test so my midwife ordered another ultrasound to check for amniotic fluid levels, measure the baby's breathing, and other details to measure the baby's composure. Everything looked good so she scheduled us for a third non-stress test 10/17. Again, everything looks good!

Appointment 1:
Non-Stress Test number 1 of 3.
 Baby passed all three tests, which made this mama able to relax a bit. :)



Appointment 2:
@ Ultrasound appointment 1 of 2 during week 41

We celebrated our 1 yr wedding anniversary! (10/13/12)

Daddee and I were able to celebrate our first wedding anniversary on 10/13. We had a pretty low key day but I woke up to a touching card and a letter from my husband, with a single rose. We went out to breakfast. In the evening we busted open some slices of our wedding cake and groom's cake! I was so impressed how yummy it was after being in the freezer for a whole year! 

Another point of significance this week: Daddee made a sacrafice, he sold his big bad 2013 Chevy Truck this week, to get rid of the hefty payment and save more for growing family.  He has his "old blue" Chevy that he's had forever. We went on our first date (to Capri Drive-In, Coldwater, MI) in this blue truck <3.  He's gonna drive that for a bit and possibly get a small car that is good on mileage. 



This popped up on my phone this week...
10/1/13 due date is programed into it.
It made made me laugh. 



Walked 6 miles with my friend Emily and her almost 2mo old baby,
Hudson.  Can you believe he slept the whole time? We walked for 2.5 hrs!

Baby Project!  DIY Fall inspired leg warmers!
No sewing machine involved...hand stitch all the way
We'll see how they hold up and how cute they will be
on baby B's little legs!

Baby nursery project... initials wrapped with teal yarn!
In progress (still need to wrap the B)
 Which initials combo will it be???

Daddee got the urge to decorate for Halloween this week!
I'd say he did a good job...and made me laugh while I watched him decorate.
Baby is gonna have lots of orange lights to look at!

40 weeks!

Officially past my due date and in my 40th week of pregnancy.  I can say now that I'm in my 10th month!  UGH!  It's true what they say about being over it when you get into your last couple of weeks...  Just knowing that 37 weeks is considered "full  term" is horrible to know if you're going to end up delivering somewhere after 40 weeks. 

Sleeping is really tough...I've tried sleeping in every position except standing up.  If there was a way to sleep standing up, I would, just like a horse.  My back really hurts with this extra non evenly distributed weight :(  And, my hands go numb for hours (until I wake up and shake them out) which make it extremely difficult to wash my hair in the shower, blow-dry it, and brush my teeth in the morning!  My hands don't start feeling better until mid-day.

My maternity leave started today, 10/9.  I really thought it would be an unplanned leave (work until the day I go into labor), but I figured since I haven't been sleeping well I thought I'd start it.  I actually thought I'd be off with a newborn by now, so, it all works out.  It's late enough in October now that I'll be able to return to work after the New Year (after the Holidays) which is what I was hoping for rather than during the week of Christmas.  12 wks from 10/9 is 1/1/14 (New Year's Day, which is a holiday), so I'll go back on 1/2/14.  This will also give me some time to "relax" like everyone has been bugging me about!  I'll do my best, but it's hard when you like to be busy!  I woke up today at 7:30, not a minute past.  And, started my day...Minus cleaning the house (again), I guess I've been relaxing, working on some projects for the baby (I might actually get to finish now that I'm off work...TBA). 

We had an appointment for a non-stress test yesterday, 10/8.  The baby did well, and I'm happy to know baby is not stressing in mama's belly! ;)  My blood pressure was great.  I am up a couple more lbs (total of 32 lbs now!)  I am only 1.5cm dilated...BARELY dilated, but dilated nonetheless... it's something I guess. So now the plan is to have an ultrasound done this Friday 10/11 and then another non-stress test next week Tuesday 10/15.  If the baby hasn't greeted us by our Tuesday appointment next week, we will discuss an induction date for next week.  My midwife says it's quite common for first time mom's to need a little extra help getting labor started.  And, since a due date is just an estimate, I'm finding comfort in knowing that baby is healthy and so am I.  I just really thought the baby would be here by now, I actually thought the baby would be here end of September.  So, thinking that it will be mid to late October before baby greets us is crazy.  Baby is already testing mommy and daddy with our patience ;)

I took last Friday 10/4 off for my birthday and woke up to a yummy cinnamon roll with candles in it in bed, walked down stairs and saw a beautiful fall bouquet on the counter with a card and some non-alcoholic wine!  And, later received a gift card for a massage from Will!   I planned on relaxing on my day off for my birthday, but I got into a cleaning funk (nesting??) and cleaned the house top to bottom all day.  At least the house is clean... lol   But, I did take a mid day break to get a hair cut :).   My sister stopped by before her work shift on Friday afternoon and brought over a thoughtful gift, a "Mommy's Sippy Cup" wine glass and two charms for my Pandora bracelet..including my first baby charm!  It's great to have her close by now!  Then two of our good friends, Joe & Melissa, came over for the evening...they brought food to grill some shish- cabobs, a salad and asparagus!! YUMM!   They also brought me two fall inspired mugs and a beautiful hydrangea plant!  Will made me a dirt cake with gummy worms in it (it was a special request by this chocolate craving mama to be!). He did a great job of course..not one drop was left after the weekend was over!  Glad we had some friends over to help us eat it though, or I'd be feeling extra plump today!  Auntie Tes spoiled me on Sunday for my birthday with some spicy food from Don Pablos and a pedi!  It was Amazing!  So, I tried some more old wives tales about inducing labor and still NOTHING! 



Happy Birthday to me!

Daddy has been trying to hunt here and there...no deer yet!  He asked me to accompany him when he went to hunt on his grandpa's farm this weekend.  He was worried I'd go into labor and thought having me with him would be better.  It was cute, and that's why I love him!  Anyway, so of course I agreed to go.  I sat in the truck and brought some stuff to keep me busy.  I was on my phone most of the time.  My phone had a low battery so I plugged it into the truck to charge it.  Well, a good hour goes by and I thought maybe I should make sure the battery isn't run down.  Well, sure enough it was.  Of course!!  My poor husband had to run about a mile back to the house in the dark/light sprinkling to get a vehicle so he could jump his truck. He came back with one of his grandpa's tractors... but after a good 45 min of trying to jump his truck, no luck.  So, he said, come on I'll let you drive the tractor back!  So, I got a bumpy ride in...thought that would trigger some labor for sure...NOPE!  We took the tractor back and grabbed one of his grandpa's work trucks this time and another set of jumper cables his grandpa had in the garage.  That was a success!  I felt like a child, but Will didn't get mad at me, but, he usually doesn't when I do goofy things like that!  His patience is a little better than mine.


warm cozy fires are more frequent in the Burns' household!
Pretty rainbow, ...you don't see them very often!
Baby Burns' very own tree, a shower gift from the Irish's!
Daddeeeee on his way to hunt on his Grandpa's farm before I drained the truck battery!

Received a package in the mail from a good friend of Will's family, Carla. She made a baby blanket for baby B, made with tons of love :)

Will baby get to sport a flower hair bow or a bow tie?
We shall see, very soon!
These were made by a friend who owns Darling Delilah.
https://www.etsy.com/.../honeybelle-rosette-headband-mustard



Until next time! 

It's very possible that my next post could have a cute little Burns baby face introduction!!!

week 39!

How far along? almost 40 weeks!  My first due date was 10/1 (estimated by me really...but we weren't really exactly sure) and then I had an ultrasound and my due date moved to 10/5 based on the ultrasound tech's estimate. SO, I'll be 40 weeks this weekend according to the DR office.  

Total weight gain/loss: up 29 total lbs per my last DR visit on 9/30.  It was weird to see the scale say the same number as the week prior, usually it jumps everytime! 

Maternity clothes? same old.  If i have to wear the same thing everyday I'm fine by that... there are only weeks to go until I'll be able to wear almost any of my pre-pregnancy clothes again! WOO HOO!

Stretch marks?  Actually, yes, I found some stretch marks!  That actually were in front of my face for probally weeks or months and I just never really noticed.  I have stretch marks just above my belly button and a little just below.  I'm not complaining really at all.  I'm just interested to see if they will stay or go away after the baby is born.

Highlights:
Daddy finished the trim in the baby's room!  And it really looks GREAT!  It really pulls the finishing touches together in the room. 

It's finally October!  MY FAV month!  My favorite season, my birthday, our wedding anniversary, AND baby's birthday!!! YAY, baby, you're gonna be an October baby just like mommy! <3  Will is excited to deer hunt!  He didn't get to go out 10/1 - opening day for bow season due to work obligations but I'm hoping he can get out there a couple times before baby is born!

Baby Hunches!  I put together a link to a baby poll website and threw it on Facebook for people to cast their hunches on Baby Burns' stats.

Here are the latest hunch stats:
Gender: BOY (70%)
Hair color: BROWN (35%)
Eye color:  BLUE (82%)

I'm past my due date (my first due date... and approaching my second due date this Saturday...3 days)  next week I have a regualr appointment, if we make it that far, and a stress test for the baby. If everything i looking good on my end and on baby's end, my choice would be to wait a little longer to see if I can go into labor naturally, rather than being induced.  But we will see when next week arrives if I feel the same!

FALSE ALARM!

Saturday 9.28.13 was any normal Saturday.  Will and I went to breakfast at the local resturant in our small town of Hickory Corners.  Will left for a bit to try and hang some tree stands.  I stayed home did some chores and crocheted for a bit.  I noticed my braxton hicks pretty strong, but nothing to take my breath away or "hurt" or anything like that.  I also noticed that I was leaking clear fluid (looked just like water)...but not much. It just happend enough times where I thought it might be best to call Labor & Delivery, just to be safe.  The nurse told me that sometimes you get a pinhole leak and they wanted me to come in to get it checked out.  She told me to take my time, but also to come prepared incase I do go into active labor.  So, I called Will and told him what the plan was.  He was on his way home at that point anyway.  I took a shower and we packed for an overnight-baby delivering- hospital visit!  I was pretty excited at this point...just to know that this really could be the day that I might be able to meet this little one!  But also knowing that this really could be my first false alarm.

I checked into Labor & Delivery, they had me suit up and put my belly on the monitor.   The montor was telling the nurses and midwife on call that my contractions were regular, but by my composition it wasn't convincing enough that I was in labor.  I wasn't in labor, there's no way, it was way too easy.  lol.  They tested the fluid that I was "leaking" and determined that it wasn't amniotic fluid, so, my water didn't break and I shouldn't be concerned with any infection or anything like that. Cool.  The midwife determined that I was dialated to 1cm and about 50-60% effaced.  Which could mean anything really...could mean that mabye in 2 weeks I'd kick into labor, or, mabye tonight!  The midwife told me to walk to see if my contractions would become more active.  So, Will and I walked around a total of a 800 yard circle like a HUNDRED times... for an hour.  I was walking way too fast to be in labor.  I even did some squats on a handful of laps.  I was lapping another lady in the hallway doing laps.  My contractions were becoming noticably stronger, but really nothing to make me slow down or take my breath away.  They put me on the monitor again and while I relaxed the contractions became less.  So that told the midwife that this wasn't labor quite yet.  She said it could be pre-term labor, but we won't know until tonight if it is labor.  She told us to go home and be comfortable until labor happens, tonight, or weeks from now.  We told the midwife that we had plans to go to the Capri Drive in Theatre in Coldwater (about an hour from where we live) for the 1st date & proposal anniversary.   She was oohing and ahhing about how cute it was but instructed us not to travel that far just incase. So, we didn't get to uphold our tradition this year, but concidering that a kid's movie was playing, we weren't too disappointed ;)  Plus our first false alarm expereince was a little exciting and exhausting. We were there for about 3 hours.



39 Weeks: False Alarm! 9.28.13...good practice ;)

Notice how regular my contractions are!
3 min apart, just not active enough for labor!

New Baby items? This week we recieved a pretty unique item from a friend!  We were sent an email with information on how a Wildlife Fund Adoption (www.worldwildlife.org) has been made in Baby Burns' name!  Here is the personalized adoption certificate!  Pretty Neat!

On behalf of Baby Burns a Polar Bear has been adopted through World Wildlife Fund www.worldwildlife.org

Movement? still a ton!  I'm feeling more movement in my pelvic area  and my lower belly actually this week too.

Miss anything? sleep!  I wake up so much to use the bathroom or try and get comfortable.  Good practice for baby, right??

Food cravings?  chocolate and....water!   yes, been very much increasingly thirsty this week.

Gender: per the gender poll hunches, baby is a boy!  

Belly button in or out? Still slightly popped out

Wedding rings on or off? off :(

Mood/How are you feeling?  Great! A little sleepy but I really can't complain, this has been an amazing experience.  And, I know it will soon only be a memory.

Looking forward to: the first sign that tells me, yep, it's baby time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  My birthday is this weekend! :)  This is the first time I could care less what I do for my birthday, I'm so excited for BABY!  My mom stopped by this week and brought me some early birthdy presents.  I've been wanting a Heather Shrub and she brought me one!!  :)   She also brought me a bunch of photo albums that I can fill will all these pictures I've been printing lately  (wedding & baby shower/bump pics)! ...and soon there will be more pictures to print of the little one! 

Fitness Report: still being active but relaxing a bit more than I usually do.  I'm not convinced that walking will help put me into labor, just keep me sane.  I think the baby will come when I'm most relaxed...  just my gut opinion.

What I’ve learned: what to expect in Labor & Delivery!  Now, I'm not nervous about what to bring, and I'm familar with the the rooms now and the belly monitor, and how the staff interacts.  It was a good practice run ;)