Baby Elliott: One Week Old!

Baby Elliott is here! The Saturday I was 40 weeks pregnant, I had intentions of posting an update on the blog. But then I was going between super tired and napping, and these short bursts of energy where I suddenly felt compelled to clean out the fridge and deep clean the bathroom! Nesting was in full swing, and it makes sense that the next morning we were on our way to the hospital in labor, excited to meet our little man! I'll post my labor & delivery story another time, since quite a few friends have asked. I will say: all in all, it was a great experience and I am so grateful for the incredible nurses at Los Robles Hospital for their care and encouragement! So many friends and family were praying for us during those hours I was in labor, and I know that those prayers made a huge difference as well, so thank you everyone for caring for us in that way!

Elliott is now one week old, and I can't get enough of him! Every noise he makes, every facial expression, every nuzzle when he's curled up on my chest is all so adorable and Martin and I are both completely enamored with him. Even the night time feedings aren't so terrible, once I'm up, since it's a sweet time of just he and I, snuggling in the quiet while everyone else is asleep. He's sleeping in 2-3 hour stretches between feedings now, which is great. Martin likes to get up with him after his early morning feeding (typically between 6-7 AM) and just hang out with him in the living room. Martin says it's guy time ;)
We have been so blessed by friends and family and how they have cared for us and loved on us during this time of transitioning. From gifts arriving at our doorstep, to meals being brought to our home, we are so thankful for the kindness of you all! Life with our baby boy is beyond what we could have imagined, and we couldn't be happier! Here are a couple pictures from his first week home :)

Elliott's first bath! He was pretty much calm the entire time. No fussing! Which was a surprise since most newborns hate bath time. He must be like his mommy and just love being in the water. 

So fresh and so clean! 

My snuggly little man. I never want to put him down once he's asleep, he's so cuddly!

39 weeks

I pretty much feel like I've hit a wall this weekend. All I wanted to do Friday and Saturday is sleep, and then Saturday night I had low back pain that kept me up and now it's 7:45 PM and I am about to fall asleep at my computer. I'll probably go straight to bed after I post this. I just wanted to update the blog since it may be my last update, according to my mom ;) She's convinced the baby is coming this week. In fact, more specifically, she thinks he's coming in the next couple of days. We'll see what happens! Either way, I definitely feel like I am ready for him to get here since I'm pretty uncomfortable and exhausted as of late! I'm going to eat some raspberries now and go to bed.

This is the face of me being sleep deprived from back pain all night. I guess that's prep for parenthood, right? 

How far along: 39 weeks and 1 day

Fruit/Vegetable comparison: A watermelon: 18.9 to 20.9 inches in length, and anywhere from 6.5-9.2 pounds. Doctor said he thinks the baby is anywhere from 7-8 lbs right now. I guess we'll find out soon enough!

Total weight gain: 35 pounds

Baby's new developments: Baby is likely able to flex his limbs now, and is still continuing to develop lots of important brain function.

Sleep: I have officially hit the point in my pregnancy where sleep does not come easily to me. I wake up multiple times in the middle of the night, can't get comfortable, and can't sleep for too long of  a stretch. Naps are great at this point, when I can fit them in. Recently (as in just last night) I had some pretty bad low back pain, and woke Martin up to get me an ice pack. I think it's the way baby is pushing against my spine while I lay down. But I don't really know. All I know is it hurts! 

Best moment of the week: My two glorious naps on friday and saturday, haha! They were both a couple hours long and I loved the extra rest. All I want to do lately is sleep! 

Miss anything?: Pre-pregnancy sleep. All I can think about lately is how much I miss sleep. I guess that won't change anytime soon, haha!

Movement: He's still an active little guy, as always. He likes to squirm a lot. Which is always good to be reminded he's doing well. 

Food cravings: Raspberries. I think I ate three different small cartons of them this week! 

Symptoms: Fatigue, braxton hicks, swollen feet, low back pain . . . I'm just exhausted and over being pregnant at this point. 

Looking forward to: Maybe having a baby this week?! We shall see! 

38 Weeks

It's weird to think that any day now I could go into labor. I don't think that I will but the thought is so surreal. All this time I've been pregnant, I've been thinking of how far away June seemed. Now it's here, and we know that even if I'm overdue, we'll be having a baby this month. I still can't wrap my mind around that fact. Our son will finally be here. I'll be able to hold him, and sing to him, and read to him. Of course I will also be exhausted, hormonal, healing from labor, and all kinds of post-partum goodness. But he will actually be here! :)
I've been getting braxton hicks occasionally, but still nothing painful or what would seem like labor contractions. Everyone says I'll know when it's real labor contractions, but honestly I'm a little nervous I won't realize they are real labor contractions and end up delaying going to the hospital! Of course, I keep being reassured with "trust me, you'll know!", and I believe you all when you tell me these things, it's just hard to imagine what that will feel like since I have yet to experience it.
We had a doctor's appointment on Friday and everything is looking good! Baby's head is down, and I'm about 1 cm dilated. So within the next few weeks . . . we'll get to meet our little man!
Also, this song always makes me cry happy tears.

If I look like I just woke up, it's cause I had ;) 

How far along: 38 weeks and 3 days

Fruit/Vegetable comparison: A pumpkin: 18.9 to 20.9 inches in length, and anywhere from 6.5-9.2 pounds. 

Total weight gain: 34 pounds

Baby's new developments: Baby has hair on his head (he already did at our 30 week ultrasound!) and is slowly losing the vernix on his skin. 

Sleep: I start getting uncomfortable every couple of hours and end up flipping over pretty often. And the flipping over takes me about 5 minutes, haha! 

Best moment of the week: Just relaxing this weekend. The week is so busy at work (not in a bad way - don't worry!) so being able to relax and just hang out over the weekend is always nice. 

Miss anything?: Pre-pregnancy sleep. It's hard to get comfortable when you have a pumpkin sized baby in your belly!

Movement: He's still an active little guy, as always. 

Food cravings: Still summer fruit, and quesadillas with LOTS of salsa! 

Symptoms: Fatigue, braxton hicks, swollen feet & hands at the end of the day.  

Looking forward to: With each passing day, we're that much closer to seeing our baby boy!! 

37 Weeks - full term!

This weekend has been a very eventful one, so I haven't had a chance to sit down and update the blog til just now. It's exciting to know that since I am now considered full term at 37 weeks, baby could come any day now! I don't think he will for awhile still, but it's surreal to know that it could technically be any day now and he wouldn't be pre-term. I've started experiencing braxton hicks and I am certain this time they really are contractions! My stomach will get very tight all of a sudden, and I'll feel a little bit crampy. I think the couple of times it's happened I've been so surprised at actually feeling a contraction, I just kind of look around to see if anyone would know I'm having a contraction, haha. I don't do any counting or anything! Which is fine, considering we're at the point where I just need to pay attention for the 5-1-1 (5 minutes apart/for an hour/one minute in length) contractions, and those are definitely not happening yet.
We had a great weekend, between getting a new car and hanging out with good friends, and we'll be going to a BBQ today with my mother-in-law. I'm trying to stay active and keep from sitting still too often. I know there are all kinds of suggestions for jump-starting labor, but from all the stories I've heard, it seems no matter what the baby is going to come when he is ready. So, in the meantime, I'll just keep busy and try not to be too surprised when I go into labor!

How far along: 37 weeks 

Fruit/Vegetable comparison: A winter melon: About 6.2-9.2 pounds (I REALLY hope he is not at 9 pounds right now!) and 18.9-20.9 inches in length. 

Total weight gain: 32 pounds

Baby's new developments: Baby's practicing a lot of basic skills in utero right now: exhaling, inhaling, sucking, blinking, and gripping. 

Sleep: Not too bad. I typically go to bed at a decent hour, get up once or twice for a bathroom trip, then wake up about 7 or 8, no matter what day of the week it is. I wake up in the middle of the night on my back sometimes, and I just roll over to my side as soon as I notice it. 

Best moment of the week: We got to visit with our friends the Daniels while they were in town yesterday! We met them at Missions Assessment and already feel a close connection with them, and are so excited for their faithfulness in pursuing ministry in Japan. It was great having them over for dinner and a game night. Matt and Martin once again are ridiculously similar and both have a game strategy of just sabotaging everyone haha!

Miss anything?: Not yet. But I know I am reaaally going to miss sleep once our little guy is here! We talked in birthing class about how often you will be feeding during the first weeks, and it dawned on me that I basically won't be sleeping more than 1 hour stretches during those first weeks. Lord help me. 

Movement: Thankfully he's still, as always, very active. He rolls around more than kicks, and I think he's getting tired of being cramped in there from some of the ways he jostles about! 

Food cravings: Nectarines, raspberries, peaches . . . summer fruit is the best right now! 

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, feeling really hot (I heard my temperature runs 10 degrees warmer being pregnant. Not sure if that's just a saying, but I believe it!) occasional fatigue. 

Looking forward to: Seeing our little guy in just a matter of WEEKS!! Or days, but I think he'll still be closer to my due date ;) 

36 weeks - one more month til d-day!

Yesterday marked 36 weeks, which means we are now one month away from my due date! I can't believe how close we are, and there is still so much going on! I still need to work on baby boy's quilt (yeah . . . I'm not as motivated as I was when I started it, so it's been a project I keep putting off haha), and we still have baby stuff all over the house that needs to get organized and put away. I sort of have a hospital bag packed . . . so I need to add to that in the coming weeks. In our birthing class they said ideally you want your bag packed by 36 weeks, so I'll start working on that soon. There are a few baby items I still need to purchase, and then we need to install the car seat base so we're ready to go once I go into labor. I still don't think I've had any braxton hicks so far, so it's hard to imagine what it will be like when I do start experiencing contractions. This past thursday in birthing class, to practice relaxing & breathing through pain, the teacher had us hold ice in our hands for the length of a contraction. I didn't really like it, and I told Martin that contractions are going to be in a totally different area, so I thought it was just mean to torture pregnant ladies, haha. However it was distracting to have to focus on my breathing and focus on a single object in the room while holding the ice. I still knew that I was holding ice and that it hurt, but it wasn't thinking "OW WHY AM I DOING THIS!?". ;)
I'm wanting to research ways to alleviate pain in labor. I'm bringing a birthing ball to the hospital since I've heard good things about that, and have been thinking about getting lavender oil or some other oil that would be soothing to rub on my belly during contractions. Did anyone have any good distraction/pain relief techniques they liked during labor? I'm curious to hear about them!

How far along: 36 weeks 

Fruit/Vegetable comparison: A honeydew melon! About 5-5.8 pounds, and 17.2-18.7 inches in length. 

Total weight gain: 31 pounds

Baby's new developments: Baby's liver and kidneys are now fully functioning, and baby's born at 36 weeks typically are able to breathe on their own. 

Sleep: Bathroom breaks are common, but I think I'm still sleeping well over all. I go to bed pretty early, since I'm pretty fatigued right now. Sometimes I wake up because the baby starts moving around, or I'm uncomfortable in the position I'm sleeping in, but I fall back asleep pretty quickly. 

Best moment of the week: I still love going to the pool and swimming around. The heat was not fun this week, being upwards of 99 and 100 degrees a couple of days, so the pool was my favorite place to go after work! 

Miss anything?: Not really this week. Sometimes I think about how I'll never sleep in again, and that's a little depressing, haha! But then again, I'm not doing much sleeping in these days anyways. 

Movement: He's still an active little guy, but he doesn't kick around so much as roll and stretch. He's running out of room! 

Food cravings: Jersey Mike's sandwiches (this has probably been my most consistent craving, I've wanted a sandwich there pretty much once a week since the beginning), and nectarines! There are FINALLY nectarines at the grocery store!!  

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, hot flashes, occasional nausea, occasional back aches, fatigue, minor aches and cramps when the baby moves into an uncomfortable position. Those symptoms aren't constant, though. Just come and go throughout the day. 

Looking forward to: My friend Sam had her baby this weekend, and I'm looking forward to hearing how she's doing! Her husband sent a text after Carson was born saying that mom and baby were doing great, so I'm glad to hear she had a good labor and delivery. 

35 Weeks

We've got about 5 weeks left until we meet our little guy, and I can't believe how soon that is! We've been taking birthing class at Los Robles hospital, and it's been fun to meet other soon-to-be parents and learn about what we can expect to experience in the different stages of labor. This last thursday we got to watch the birth video, and everyone in the room had such different reactions, it was pretty entertaining. Martin handled it just fine, since he's actually seen the video of his own birth (yes, you read that right. According to him, it's like Inception), and I teared up because it still amazes me to see babies being born. There were other people in the class, however, who were not as prepared for seeing how babies come into the world. My favorite was the shocked "OH MY GOSH" from one of the moms in the class when they showed the birth.
Maybe I'm naive, but I'm looking forward to labor and delivery. At the end of each birthing class, I feel more informed and better prepared for what to expect. I feel confident in the staff at the hospital, and trust that the nurses really do want to help us have the best experience possible. I know that labor will be painful, but we've been learning relaxation techniques in class, and I know that I always have the option of the epidural if I want it. At the end of it all, I know we will get to finally meet our sweet little man, and that's what makes me the most excited when I think about my upcoming labor and delivery. He will finally be here! I keep wondering what he will look like, what it will feel like to finally hold him, to kiss his little face. I can't wait!

How far along: 35 weeks 

Fruit/Vegetable comparison: A coconut! About 5-5.8 pounds, and 17.2-18.7 inches in length. 

Total weight gain: 29 pounds

Baby's new developments: Baby's hearing is fully developed, which Martin and I have been testing his response to different music! Currently we're listening to the Beatles and he seems to be enjoying the Blue Album. :)

Sleep: Pretty much getting up every night to use the restroom. Other than that I'm falling asleep pretty quickly still. It's just hard to get in and out of bed. 

Best moment of the week: I've been enjoying time at the pool in our condo complex. It's my favorite form of exercise now. Plus, no one uses the pool, so I have the place all to myself to swim, float, and just hang out. 

Miss anything?: I miss my pre-pregnancy self: as in, not feeling nauseous and over-heated, and getting tired and feeling winded over basic activities. 

Movement: I keep trying to get his movement on video, because you can see my belly move so often when he does it! But baby doesn't like to perform. I'm pretty sure he knows whenever I get my camera out. 

Food cravings: Jersey Mike's sandwiches, Izze sparkling juice, and berries. Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries. All delicious. 

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, hot flashes, occasional nausea, occasional back aches, fatigue, minor aches and cramps when the baby moves into an uncomfortable position. I was talking to my friend Caitlin and she shared with me her last trimester she just felt sick and tired the majority of the time. I can sympathize! 

Looking forward to: We have two more sessions in birthing class, and then it's the final countdown to meeting our little man! 

34 Weeks

With 6 weeks left to go (give or take) I'm really starting to feel like I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over. I still don't want him to come early by any means, but I am getting to the point where I just can't seem to get comfortable these days. My maternity clothes feel tight, breathing is difficult, and no matter what I'm doing -sitting, standing, or laying down- I need to move again shortly after because I just don't feel comfortable for long. The heat the last week has been especially rough. Quite often throughout the week I would just suddenly feel SO hot and overheated, bringing with it a wave of nausea and wooziness. I imagine menopause feels something like this, haha! My sea-bands and I are once again becoming well acquainted, as a result. All I want to do when it hits me is sit in a freezer. I settled for the pool a couple of times, which was refreshing in more than just bringing my body temperature down. Being in the pool feels so nice! I almost forget that I'm pregnant and swim around and float, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness for the moment. The pool is my new favorite place, and no one uses the pool in our condo complex, so I pretty much have it to myself when I go swimming.

How far along: 34 Weeks

Fruit/Vegetable comparison: A butternut squash: He probably weighs about 5 pounds, and measures around 17.2-18.5 inches in length.  

Total weight gain: 28.5 pounds

Baby's new developments: Baby can recognize songs now! I need to start testing this out and see if he moves around to some more than others. 

Sleep: Rolling over is pretty much a thing of the past; it's too much effort and not really worth it when I finally make it over to the other side. I'm usually waking up once or twice a night to use the restroom. Other than that, not too bad. 

Best moment of the week: We started birthing class on Thursday and it was a great class! We talked about relaxation techniques, early labor and signs of pre-term labor, and discussed how birth partners will support moms during labor. Martin said the class was very helpful for him, so I'm glad we will be taking it for the next few weeks! 

Miss anything?: Normal breathing . . . and probably still sangria, haha. 

Movement: Sometimes I don't enjoy how much he moves, because his sudden movements can be painful, but it's good to remember all of that movement is important and I really should be thankful he's so active. If he wasn't, that could be concerning. So I'll take his crazy, quick movements for the next couple of weeks!

Food cravings: I could still eat Jersey Mike's sandwiches every day. I don't . . . but if I did, I don't think I'd get sick of them. Also, probably the weird pregnancy craving I've had recently is oatmeal. Normally I really do NOT like oatmeal. But this week it was the only thing I wanted in the mornings! 

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, hot flashes, nausea, occasional back aches, fatigue, minor aches and cramps when the baby moves into an uncomfortable position. At least this will only be going on for a few more weeks, right?

Looking forward to: Birthing class for the next few weeks, and the reality that with each passing week, we are that much closer to the arrival of our baby boy!