Week 37

Fruit/Veggie

Swiss chard (weight)

Size

Over 19 inches, about 6 1/3 lbs

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

He is now full term & his lungs are likely now able to fully adjust to life outside the womb!

Best Moment this Week

Honestly, this past week was rough! Elliot had some kind of virus that left me doing a LOT of diaper & clothes laundry, then I'm not sure if I got what he had, but I had almost a week of feeling really cruddy (just now starting to feel a little better) & food running completely through me. Kind of concerning when what you eat is supposed to nourish two people! So it hasn't been great around here.

Gender

BOY! Jack Wesley.

Movement

Jack seems to have slowed down a lot in the moving. I'm guessing he's running out of room. I think he wants more room, since he tends to stick his limbs straight out my side, which hurts! We'll see if he likes to spread out once he's out here in the real world.

Food Craving

Yuck. Food & I have NOT gotten along this week.

Sleep

I'm actually sleeping decently - better than I did at this point with Elliot. Maybe because I'm not able to relax as much during the day so I'm more tired at night. I do still have trouble falling back to sleep if I wake up around 4-5ish, but I eventually do before my alarm goes off at 6 (though I usually don't get up until closer to 6:30).

What I am looking forward to

I'm ready to have this little fellow! (Though I do feel like I'm in a bit of denial that I actually WILL go into labor & birth this little guy & do the whole newborn thing again - having a toddler is so distracting!) We do have a couple of fun things planned for this weekend - yay for Labor Day!

Symptoms

Fatigue, Braxton Hicks/contractions/cramps, upset stomach. Going to the chiropractor has fixed my sciatic pain (the pain that went down my right leg to my foot) & has almost completely removed my lower back pain - it still hurts every now & then but not near as bad. I'm sold on chiropractic care!

To Do - NOTHING! We are ready for you, little man!

-Finish Elliot's room (buy bookcase, buy lamp, make up top bunk, move in his clothes/books/toys)
-Move Elliot to new room - he's done great!

-Get out baby clothes, burp rags, etc. & wash
-Wash newborn diapers
-Raise crib & attach mobile
-Fill out hospital pre-admittance paperwork

-Print birth plan & get signed by midwives
-Pack hospital bag including getting postpartum supplies ready
-Put together pack-n-play in bedroom
-Put together swing & bouncer
-Install infant carseat
-Check/replace necessary newborn supplies: pacis, bottles/nipples, pump parts

-Buy Elliot a big brother gift from Jack to give him at the hospital

Week 36

Fruit/Veggie

Crenshaw melon (weight) - I don't know what that is

Size

Over 18.5 inches, about 6 lbs

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

He's shedding most of the downy hair that covered his body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. He will be full term next week!

Best Moment this Week

Hmm, it's been a pretty average week with good moments & bad moments. Nothing specific. :)

Gender

BOY! Jack Wesley.

Movement

Jack has been fairly active this week (compared to usual, anyways). I believe he moved a little lower in the past couple of days, too.

Food Craving

No cravings I can think of. Food still kind of grosses me out a lot of the time.

Sleep

Sleep is continuing to get more uncomfortable. I wake up a lot, & have a hard time getting back to sleep. If I'm up a while, I start to get hungry/nauseous so I have to get up & drink some apple juice in order to get back to sleep.

What I am looking forward to

We are looking to take Elliot to the circus, so that will be fun! I also have some fun dates planned with friends over the next couple of weeks.

Symptoms

My hip/back/foot pain has been off & on; I think the chiropractor is helping. My stomach is upset easily, not sleeping well, Braxton Hicks/cramping.

-Finish Elliot's room (buy bookcase, buy lamp, make up top bunk, move in his clothes/books/toys)
-Move Elliot to new room - he's done great!

-Get out baby clothes, burp rags, etc. & wash
-Wash newborn diapers
-Raise crib & attach mobile
-Fill out hospital pre-admittance paperwork

-Print birth plan & get signed by midwives
-Pack hospital bag including getting postpartum supplies ready - I only have a couple of items left to get together; almost done!
-Put together pack-n-play in bedroom
-Put together swing (together, but needs to be put in our room) & bouncer
-Install infant carseat
-Check/replace necessary newborn supplies: pacis, bottles/nipples, pump parts (need to be sterilized)

-Buy Elliot a big brother gift from Jack to give him at the hospital

Elliot

Elliot is at such a fun age (22 months), & I wanted to write down some of the things he does so I can remember them.

-He does not like messes. He wipes his hands on his napkin during meals, doesn't like the sandbox, & lets me know if he spills something or finds something on the ground, like a leaf, that doesn't belong. He likes to throw things in the trash, too.

-His communication has really taken off in the past couple of months. He was pretty slow to start out with talking, but now he picks up on new words all the time & is learning how to string them together. It's a challenge sometimes to figure out what he's saying, & funny to hear him really enunciating something - like right now, "reach" sounds like "rea-chuh."

-He loves Sage (he says Sagie, which happens to sound a lot like Daddy when he says it). He likes to play with her & tries to get her to follow him around (which only works if he has food). She's really good with him. For the most part, he ignores Toby, probably because Toby has batted him in the head a few times for touching him.

-He loves his cars, including his ambulance ("anse") & his tractor ("tactor"). He likes to look at trucks in books & asks if they are "big" (hand gestures included).

-He is pretty orderly, which I'm a fan of. He knows where things belong & is good at putting them back, & is good at observing on his own how things should go. He likes to line up his toys in different places - edge of the tub, window sill, any straight surface will do.

-He is really into coloring right now. We are working on colors & although it's hit & miss, he's starting to get them down. He loves to watch us color & has figured out how we hold the crayon so he holds it that way too.

-He LOVES to watch Sesame Street. I'll let him watch an episode in the late afternoon, usually when I'm cooking or doing things around the house. He is a big fan of Elmo & Grover ("Ro-rer").

-He is really a pretty content kid, & always smiles for strangers & doesn't shy away. I do see bits of rebellion throughout the day, & we try to be really consistent with discipline. It's probably the toughest part of parenting.

-He always wants us to kiss ("diss") something if he hurts it. He really has a tough skin when it comes to hurting himself, but I've noticed him getting more upset these days, then he'll ask for a kiss, & after we do, he's completely better. So funny.

-We try to tell Elliot about Jack, & have pointed out that the green frog in the nursery is Jack's, & the infant carseat next to him is his brother's, so he'll repeat those things back to us which will hopefully help in a few weeks when we actually introduce him to Jack. I'm sure we'll have some moments of jealousy, but I imagine he'll take to him pretty well.

I forgot one...
-Elliot always, ALWAYS whispers the word "yeah." I have never heard him say it at a normal volume. I'm not sure why; we certainly didn't teach him to do that. He says "no" just fine. It's funny!

Week 35

Fruit/Veggie

Honeydew melon (weight)

Size

Over 18 inches, about 5.25 lbs

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

His kidneys are fully developed now, & his liver can process some waste products.

Best Moment this Week

Josh & I got to go to a wedding this weekend of a friend from Midland, & got to catch up with some of the parents of our friends from our high school church days (& my friend Kristin was there too!). It was great to spend time with them all. Also great - our house is being cleaned right now! Josh wonderfully hired a woman to deep clean our house (we've never had anyone else clean our house before), which is GREAT for my desire for things to be clean, but also my intense exhaustion & back pain. I am very thankful & glad that all that nitty-gritty stuff will be clean as we start off our family of four.

Gender

BOY! Jack Wesley.

Movement

I think Jack is starting to get more into position for labor - his bottom is sticking out more & I rarely feel his feet poking out on the sides of my stomach, which means he is hanging out with his back facing forward, which is good for labor.

Food Craving

I had an unhealthy craving this week - pop tarts! Oh golly. I gave in. I'm so ashamed!

Sleep

Same trend as the past few weeks - between my shoulders, lower back, hips, & stomach, it's hard to get comfortable. I'm SO tired when I wake up in the mornings.

What I am looking forward to

I'm enjoying not having much on our schedule these days. Our weekends are open for the most part so we are able to have a good mix of fun family time as well as productive time. I think we'll try to do a few more fun things with Elliot before Jack is born - indoors, of course. :)

Symptoms

Fatigue, Braxton Hicks/cramping, back/shoulder/hip pain, slight swelling, & my foot pain is now occasionally entire-right-leg pain. I went to a chiropractor tomorrow & got adjusted - my hips were out of alignment - so I'm hoping that helps. I go back Friday.

To Do List

-Finish Elliot's room (buy bookcase, buy lamp, make up top bunk, move in his clothes/books/toys)
-Move Elliot to new room - he's done great!

-Get out baby clothes, burp rags, etc. & wash
-Wash newborn diapers
-Raise crib & attach mobile
-Fill out hospital pre-admittance paperwork

-Print birth plan & get signed by midwives
-Pack hospital bag (around 36 weeks) including getting postpartum supplies ready
-Put together pack-n-play in bedroom
-Put together swing & bouncer
-Install infant carseat
-Check/replace necessary newborn supplies: pacis, bottles/nipples, pump parts

-Buy Elliot a big brother gift from Jack to give him at the hospital

Week 34

Fruit/Veggie

Cantaloupe (weight)

Size

Almost 18 inches, about 4.75 lbs

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

His fat layers - which he'll need to regulate his body temperature once he's born - are filling out, making him rounder. His central nervous system is maturing & his lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Best Moment this Week

We had a great weekend with Zac & Cara. They loved on Elliot (& he loved them just as much) which was so great to see, since they mean so much to us but haven't been able to see Elliot in person since he was 2 months old. I have also gotten a lot done this week which is nice!

Gender

BOY! Jack Wesley.

Movement

Same old thing! This little guy is very consistent.

Food Craving

I have been eating a lot of grapes & white peaches recently (it's been a great grape season! nice & crispy). Besides that, blech, not a big fan of food still. Which is frustrating when I feel like I'm constantly hungry.

Sleep

Going down the drain that's for sure! I'm really uncomfortable so it takes a while to get to sleep. I sleep pretty hard still, minus potty breaks, unless I wake in the early morning (after 3ish) & then I have a hard time getting back to sleep.

What I am looking forward to

One day... I will wear jeans & a t-shirt again. That is very exciting to me!

Symptoms

Fatigue, back pain, shoulder pain when sleeping, Braxton Hicks, & a new one: foot pain. My metatarsal has been hurting for two weeks now & it's gotten a lot worse this week. Exercise is painful now, & I'm limping a lot. I'm hoping it's something that will go away after Jack is born... I'll be talking to my midwives about it this week.

To Do List

-Finish Elliot's room (buy bookcase, buy lamp, make up top bunk, move in his clothes/books/toys)
-Move Elliot to new room - he's done great!

-Get out baby clothes, burp rags, etc. & wash
-Wash newborn diapers
-Raise crib & attach mobile
-Fill out hospital pre-admittance paperwork (will finish up after my appointment Thurs, hopefully)

-Print birth plan & get signed by midwives
-Pack hospital bag (around 36 weeks) including getting postpartum supplies ready
-Put together pack-n-play in bedroom
-Put together swing & bouncer
-Install infant carseat
-Check/replace necessary newborn supplies: pacis, bottles/nipples, pump parts

-Buy Elliot a big brother gift from Jack to give him at the hospital

Week 33

Fruit/Veggie

Pineapple (weight)

Size

Over 17 inches, over 4 lbs

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

He's rapidly losing that wrinkled alien look & his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move & slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (Hopefully they will do some overlapping, unlike Elliot who came out with a perfectly round head - though it looks nice, it hurts!)

Best Moment this Week

I got my massage Saturday which was nice - especially after Elliot's first puking episode Friday night. I do NOT do throw up y'all. I cannot emphasize that enough. Fortunately Mommy-mode kicked in so I was able to deal with it all (including cleaning the carseat - EW). Let's hope it's a LONG time before that happens again!

Gender

BOY! Jack Wesley.

Movement

Jack moved a little further down this week, which caused a LOT of uncomfortableness (not a word, but whatever) for me Monday. Besides that, it's been the same ole thing.

Food Craving

No cravings. I do drink a lot of water though; I'm always so thirsty & have to have water available at all times.

Sleep

I hit a new degree of uncomfortable with my lower back & hip pain, so I had to bust out the dumb pregnancy pillow. I don't like it at all because it's so big & hard to work around when I turn over, but it does help me sleep at this point so I'll deal with it for the next few weeks.

What I am looking forward to

Our good friends Zac & Cara will be here this weekend - we haven't seen them since their wedding over 1.5 years ago since they live overseas now. It will be fun!

Symptoms

Fatigue, lower back/shoulder/hip pain (the back pain is a lot worse now), occasional joint pain, Braxton Hicks & cramping. I get quite uncomfortable by the evening & just can't do as much as I could before.

To Do List

-Finish Elliot's room (buy bookcase, buy lamp, make up top bunk, move in his clothes/books/toys)
-Move Elliot to new room - next week!

-Get out baby clothes, burp rags, etc. & wash
-Wash newborn diapers
-Raise crib & attach mobile
-Fill out hospital pre-admittance paperwork (done online, but need to sign some stuff at the hospital next week)

-Print birth plan & get signed by midwives (got it printed & ready for my appointments)
-Pack hospital bag (around 36 weeks) including getting postpartum supplies ready
-Put together pack-n-play in bedroom
-Put together swing & bouncer
-Install infant carseat
-Check/replace necessary newborn supplies: pacis, bottles/nipples, pump parts

-Buy Elliot a big brother gift from Jack to give him at the hospital