Sea Monkey Stats 39 Weeks

How far along? 39 weeks, almost time!

Weight? 146

Symptoms? Pelvic pain, gassy, loose stools, hemmies

Maternity clothes? Whatever is comfortable at this point

Stretch marks? Yes, and I'm not liking them

Sleep? Sleep this week has been a little rough, but nothing a half a unisom couldn't take care of.

Best moment this week? Finally getting some progress towards labor

Movement? Still strong movements, but not as much. Starting to have much more frequent Braxton Hicks contraction, and sometimes can time them regularly

Food cravings? none

What I miss? Sleeping on my back

What I'm looking forward to? Last day of work on Thursday

Emotions? I've started feeling like labor is imminent. I had planned to work up until I went into labor, but now realizing that I should try take some time off before the birth if I can, just to take care of myself. I've started having some contractions and I have a feeling that I will go into labor earlier than I thought. I was hoping for Feb. 6th, which is my father's birthday.

What's Left To Do? Get car seat inspected at the fire department, interview and work on birth announcements

Welcome to 40 Weeks

January Goal Recap

Recap of general 2011 goals:

• debt-free
• focus on photography
• BF for 6 months at least
• be near my pre-pregnancy shape by the end of the year

January Goals Update:
Budgeting/Debt-free
Budgeting is going well despite the unknowns. We are looking into a few small projects we want to undertake in the next year before completing the budget. Some ideas include installing a privacy fence, maximizing investments, and overpaying on the car loan.

After a few rounds with Chase and my own research, I have determined that we can get our MIP (mortgage insurance premium AKA PMI for non-FHA mortgages) waived in a few months by meeting the required 78% loan ratio. Feel free to skip this part if you're not interested in finances...basically one of the advantages of an FHA loan is not needing the usual 15-20% down payment on a mortgage. To counter the risk, banks require "insurance", which is added on to the mortgage payment. The major risk to them is if the value of the house goes down and you default on the loan, they lose money. It is roughly 6-8% of a portion of the loan in addition to the interest the loan already charges. Part of the federal regulation on the loan requires the bank to waive this fee when requested after the loan ratio reaches 78%; once 22% of the loan is paid. We've been overpaying our mortgage, so we will be reaching that point in a few months. Yay!

Photography
The photography goal is coming along. I've decided to use Picasa as my general photo storage/online backup and use Flickr to display more of my artistic work. Hopefully I'll have everything converted in the next few months. There are a LOT of pictures on Flickr and I'm not sure how I want to remedy removing the clutter just yet.

I refreshed my laptop to fix some issues I have been having and I'm in the process of reinstalling software. Eye-fi SD card is pretty cool. If you recall from the January Goals post, DH bought this for me for Christmas. It allows me to keep my camera and card in my studio and have the images automatically sent to my laptop or even online. All it needs is a wifi connection! Pretty cool!

Breastfeeding
BFing goals are lagging. I am only half way through my book and haven't decided on a Pediatrician yet. Bad Randi! I really need to stop dragging my feet on this! I still have a few days left in January and I'm going on leave soon, so I still have a chance, lol.

Pre-pregnancy Shape/Nutrition
I'm trying and somewhat failing/succeeding in the nutrition lately. Too many sweets around! My hunger seems much more out of control lately and I am wondering if it related to the increase in sugar consumption. The past week we have been pretty good about staying home instead of going out to eat. That helps both the financial and nutrition goals. I gained 3 pounds in 1 week and I'm afraid to see what the scale says at this week's appointment. I just hope I don't cross the 150 threshold, or I might just cry.

Sea Monkey Stats 38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks, almost time!

Weight? 146

Symptoms? Pelvic pain, itchy skin, constipation, hemmies

Maternity clothes? Getting limited on what I can wear. Clothes are either too uncomfortable or no longer fit right.

Stretch marks? Yes, and I'm not liking them

Sleep? Sleep this week has been a little rough, but nothing a half a unisom couldn't take care of.

Best moment this week? Hearing sea monkey again. Up to weekly visits to the midwife now.

Movement? Strong movements lately, makes me think the baby's telling me they aren't ready to come out and play yet. I don't feel them so much at night, and thankfully they don't keep me up, or wake me up. But during the day, man my tummy really gets to rocking. Midwife saw it and was quite surprised. Now she understands why I was feeling so tired this week.

Food cravings? Occasional sweets, and Coca-Cola

What I miss? Sleeping on my back

What I'm looking forward to? Prenatal massage!

Emotions? I find myself getting frustrated a lot more, mostly from my lack of mobility. I get into a crowd and I start feeling overwhelmed a lot quicker than before.

What's Left To Do? Get car seat inspected at the fire department, interview and pick a pediatrician, work on birth announcements

Welcome to 39 Weeks

Sea Monkey Stats Week 37

How far along? 37 weeks, full term now!

Weight? 142.5

Symptoms? Pelvic pain, itchy skin, constipation

Maternity clothes? Loving dresses and leggings still. No new purchases

Stretch marks? Yup, belly button and a few on the underside of my belly.

Sleep? Sleep is fine. Some days I seem to need more sleep than others.

Best moment this week? Getting to hear sea monkey again. Heart rate was at 144 at this week's appointment

Movement? Baby keeps switching sides. One day they will be on the right side, the next it could be on the left. I don't think either side really matters as long as head stays down.

Food cravings? Sweets, anything chocolate. Trying really hard to fight these cravings but usually I can't.

What I miss? Eating/drinking whatever I want, lol. I've been craving Starbucks the past week.

What I'm looking forward to? Meeting Sea Monkey

Emotions? I'm still having mixed emotions going on. Many people have commented about how few complaints I've had for as far along as I am. I get a lot of, "I bet you're ready to get that thing out of you" type comments. Honestly, I feel like pregnancy has been pretty darn kind to me. Some days are harder than others, but in general, I am ready when ever baby decides they are ready. I know that no amount of wishing or praying is going to make this baby arrive any sooner...and they seem pretty snug in there right now.

Sure, it hurts to get up sometimes and the heartburn can be unbareable, but it's nothing compared to the miracle of the reason for the few moments of discomfort. Maybe give me a few more weeks and see if my tune changes ;)

What's Left To Do? Installing the carseat and getting it inspected at the fire department, interview and pick a pediatrician, and finalize birth plan with midwife practice. There's also the minor task of finishing the nursery. SOOOO many people ask if this is done. Nope, and I'm not stressing. It gets done when it gets done, but it's not getting used for a little while so what's the big deal?

Welcome to 38 Weeks

Sea Monkey Stats Week 36

How far along? 36 weeks

Weight? 143

Symptoms? Swelling, pelvic pain, itchy skin

Maternity clothes? Loving dresses and leggings

Nursery Purchases? None

Stretch marks? Yup

Sleep? Sleep is good. I'm still getting up about twice a night but I'm not tossing and turning as much, mostly because it's too tiring, lol.

Best moment this week? Feeling back to normal after having the flu

Movement? Movement is really strong and sometimes painful depending on where sea monkey is stretching.

Food cravings? Sweets

What I miss? Being able to roll around more easily in bed.

What I'm looking forward to? Meeting Sea Monkey

Emotions? I'm scared but anxious at the same time. Some times I feel ready, sometimes I don't feel ready to be a mom.

Welcome to 37 Weeks

January Goals

Recap of general 2011 goals:

• debt-free
• focus on photography
• BF for 6 months at least
• be near my pre-pregnancy shape by the end of the year

The Colts made it to the playoffs! We decided to save some money and opt out of purchasing playoff tickets. Plus, we never know when sea monkey might arrive! Instead, I am looking to find some place fun/exciting/loud but smoke free to enjoy some football!

We have a surplus from our utility budget for 2010 so the money for January's utility bill will be directed to what's left of our debt. I'll have a better hold on the status of all things financial when I've had a chance to feel more prepared for baby and have a chance to figure out the 2011 budget. Like 2011 resolutions, it'll be rather loose since there's a lot of unknowns. Doubtful if we undergo any major projects this year.

For photography, I'm working on getting my computer better set up to process pictures. DH gifted me an Eye-Fi card that I've been getting acquainted with this week. By the end of January want to decide on the status of Picasa and Flickr and getting a handle on automating the upload process and which site to use for my more professional front.

As for breastfeeding goals, I have 2, to finish The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and to nail down a Pediatrician that is going to be supportive. Other than preparing myself, I don't feel like there is much I can do on this front.

This is the same for my last goal. I am continuing to be mindful of my diet and not indulge too much in empty calories, in order to keep away from bad habits. It is hard considering the amount of candy around the house because of the holidays.

To be honest, it is bit frustrating to keep myself from planning out every change I want to make for 2011. The Type A in me is struggling to get out. So many times I wanted to plan a 365 photo project but I know I cannot commit myself to such goals when I know more important things are around the bend! Maybe one of my goals is it force the Type A part of my personality to relax and have more patience ;)

Packin

I'm planning to deliver at a birth center, which is quite a bit different than a stay in the hospital. Barring any complications, I would head back home 4 hours after delivery. My needs will be a bit different than the usual hospital bag. I'm a minimalist, but I like to be prepared so I have my bag for the birth center, bag of food/snacks, and a separate hospital bag (just in case). We are 30 miles from the birth center, so I feel its important to have everything ready in the car because it wouldn't be easy to just run home and grab something we've forgotten.

Birth Bag
Pillow
Laptop
Phone charger
Camera
Bamboo candles
Waterproof pad for the car
Dark colored pants
robe
nursing tank
nursing bra
Sleeping bra
undies
Change of clothes for DH
Swim trunks for DH
Eye mask
Mints/gum
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Face cleanser
Chapstick
Massage Oil
Lotion
Lanolin
Shampoo/conditioner/soap
Comb
hairbands
Overnight pads
Meds for DH
Boppy
Outfit for baby
Hat
socks
blankets
baby legs
diapers
wipes
Jacket

Food Bag
Gatorade (3 bottles in place of orange juice)
Bottled water (2 gallons)
Fruit Punch (real, not fruit drink)
Luna Bars (2-3)
Almonds
Cheese
Fruit (cuties tangerines, applesauce, etc)
Peanut butter
Wheat bread
Granola bars
Frozen meals for DH

Hospital Bag
3 pair of undies
3 pair of socks
2 pair of pajama/lounge pants
2 nursing tops
Jeans for DH
2 shirts for DH
2 pair of undies for DH
Razors
Shaving cream