4 weeks & 6 days to go!!!

I can't hardly believe that we have less than 5 weeks to go until we meet our sweet baby girl! and...if my dr is right then it really could only be 3 weeks away...I really shouldn't count on that but I do think about it all the time--what if she comes early and is here in less than 3 weeks?!?!? I think I'm going to pack my bag this weekend actually, JUST IN CASE something crazy happens and she wants out early early.

She should be weighing in at right around 5.5 lb & 20.25 inches long, according to the i-am-pregnant website. and supposedly her fingernails are getting pretty long. I can feel her boney limbs more and more now, trying to stretch their way out of me.

I took this picture about a week ago and contemplated not posting it, but, I decided to anyway...looks so alienish...

One of my friends threw a shower for me last weekend and it was very much fun! Her nursery is coming together so nicely and is just so lovely. My brother is a phenomenal painter of murals come to find out and her room will be one of a kind, no doubt! once it is all complete I will post plenty of pictures so I can brag on him, because he's not one to toot his own horn too much.

My husband and I both took the day off of work today just to relax together and get ready for how our lives are about to drastically change. I know we still have several weeks, but we figured what the heck.

On our agenda today, first and foremost: breakfast @ the big biscuit! It also happens to be our puppy dog's 2nd birthday {or so we think} so we're going to take him to the pet store to pick out the biggest bone we can find for him. and this afternoon we plan on seeing the well-raved about movie "Fireproof". After that we may just relax, we may go to dinner, who knows. but I'm so looking forward to just spending the day with my best friend.

Sam

I realized that I don't talk that much about my wonderful husband, but here he is!This is from our trip to the Bahamas. As we're preparing for our daughter to get here, I just can't stop thinking how blessed my life is. and I couldn't have asked for a better companion to go thru this life with. I love you Sam.

Hayden

This is Hayden.

Hayden is one of our good friends and neighbor.

Hayden will probably also be one of Ava's very good buddies all growing up.

Hayden thinks Ava is big enough to come out now.

Hayden also thinks she can come out thru my throat.

Hayden has a lot to learn.

34 weeks (6 to go...)

I now know exactly what the pregnant woman waddle is. It is when you get to a certain point in your pregnancy where you can physically feel your hip bones spreading apart and it's much more comfortable to walk with them wider {where they are headed anyway} rather than fight it. It's not attractive. But boy is it more comfortable.

I also think I noticed my first Braxton-Hicks contractions this week. And maybe it's happened before and I haven't noticed it, but I'm fairly certain that is what I felt yesterday. I started to feel my belly tighten, and I thought it was originally just Ava pushing outward, or moving awkwardly. but then I felt the sides of my belly sort of pull towards the front of my whole belly. very bizarre and alien-ish.

Ava is getting bigger and bigger, and now apparently is resting on my uterus and no longer is floating in me. According to the "average", she should be about 19.8 inches long & nearly 5lb! So there is a light at the end of the tunnel...I know I'll at least lose a few pounds once she comes out... :) I'll have plenty of work to do once I recover and can start exercising again.

another new friend for Ava Mae

Our friends Jackie & Chuck had their baby, Benjamin, 5lb 15oz & 19 inches long! They had to deliver via c-section, but he and mommy Jackie are both doing well. He was born yesterday, 10/16/08. Happy {belated} birthday Ben! Welcome to the world!

33w + 1d (48 days to go...)

33 week appointment was today and it went really well. My mom went with me because Sam had a work meeting that he couldn't get out of. So that was a lot of fun to have my mom there, she got to hear Ava's heartbeat (144), and she got to meet our doctor.

GOOD NEWS! At this point, she said she does not think that Ava is breech. she felt around and felt her head down and all her limbs up more towards the top. so that made me happy, even though I know anything can happen and still a chance she can move out of whack, but hopefully she'll get comfortable how she is and stay put.

We have been seeing the doctor every two weeks now, and we have one more two week check-up, then it's every week that we go! It's getting so close now!!!

My mom also started painting our nursery so we can get it all set up and ready for Ava's arrival. pictures will come soon...

33 weeks = 7 to go!

yesterday was an exciting day for a couple of friends of ours...
Mike & Stacy Scott had their beautiful baby girl and named her Keira Scott! {see their beautiful bundle of joy below}

6lb 11oz and I think they said 18 inches long. She has the most gorgeous eyelashes ever!

and, while I was walking into the hospital to visit them I saw my friends Jackie & Chuck checking in so she could be induced either last night or this morning, one of the two. so hopefully they will have their bundle of joy, also known as Ben, today!!!

Ava needs to wait a little longer to meet her new friends, but it won't be too long!

She should be about 4 1/2 lbs & 19 or so inches long, obviously give or take. Apparently, with the exception of crying, she can do everything that a newborn can do! {she's so advanced for her age...} :)

Sam & I are starting to get to know her and her routine better, and she is quite the night owl still! Every night around 9:30pm she just starts dancing or sprinting or whatever you may call it, but she just goes nuts!! I will be laying in our chair {my bed for the next few weeks for comfort needs} and Sam can see my belly move all over the place from across the room! Occasionally he will put his hand on her while she's movin and grovin and his jaw just drops at how active she is. It doesn't really keep me awake, it's more of an internal massage feeling so I like it. but she sure is goofy!!

10 things I will do...

My sister-in-law sent me the below information from this link of a mom who said basically 'shoulda, woulda, coulda'...and it seems to make sense. so, if any of you offer any of the below, since I'm getting advice in advance, don't be surprised if I take you up on it :)

here's the link

I have two kids. They are 12 and 5 now. But you would think by the time the second one arrived I would know what to do, well I was wrong. Here is my list of the things I should have done…
1) When people came to my door I should have accepted the food. I should have pretended my stitches hurt really bad so I could have got cupcakes.
2) When people offered to clean my house, I should have accepted. I never liked cleaning the bathroom anyways.
3) When people offered to babysit so I could sleep, I should have accepted. There’s nothing like sleeping the afternoon away.
4) When my husband offered to feed the baby during the night, I should have accepted. Then he could hear me snoring while he’s up with the baby.
5) When people offered to change the baby for me, I should have accepted. Why not, that will be one less poopy diaper on my grand total of the million I would have changed in the years ahead.
6) I should have never used the change table. They are useless. You can’t keep them unsupervised for one second. That’s what they made floors for…and they are free.
7) I should have let my baby use the pacifier. There is nothing like waiting in a Boxing Day line only to have to leave it because your baby will only nurse.
8 ) I should have bought more than one bouncy chair. Those chairs are multi-purpose. If the baby is fussy you can throw him in it. If he’s hungry, throw him in there and feed him. If you want to watch Ellen, throw him in there and let him watch too.
9) I should have taught my dog to babysit. There’s nothing like making your dog watch the baby. Teach him to bark when he thinks something wrong. That way you will be able to get in that time to email your friend.
10) The thing that I should have listened to is…”Sleep when your baby sleeps.” They say this for a reason. Mom’s aren’t supposed to be awake for 24 hours. We are not doctors. We need sleep. I need sleep. I should have relaxed more and did that. The housework will be there tomorrow, but will your sanity be?

thanks for the info Katie!!!

32w + 5d

Below is a link of pictures from the great baby shower that my sisters-in-law threw for me last saturday, 10/4. Thank you to everyone who was there, and to everyone who even though they couldn't make it still sent a sweet something for Ava Mae. We truly appreciate it!

here are the photos from the fun day!
and here is a better photo of the Pooh Quilt that my mom made for Ava. It gives a much clearer picture of the detail and work that went into making this. thanks mom!

Also--this photo of my mom and I where she is holding a green yarn -- we played ONE game {thank you guys for limiting it to one :)} where each person cut a piece of yarn to guess how big around my belly is. My mom was the closest, only over-shooting the size by a few inches! Becky came in a close second. and I think about everyone else thinks I'm a house :) but that's okay. no hard feelings -- I'm big and I'll own it! I do officially out-weigh my husband now...

32w + 4d (52 days in counting...)

Though the walls are not painted yet...use your imagination. And hopefully this coming Thursday/Friday I will have updated photos of the nursery with the walls in color: something similar to this color specifically.

The bumper pads & quilt (not seen too clearly but OH SO COOL) were made by my mom for Ava and given to us at the last shower. The stuffed animals in the corner Sam & I bought for her when the Disney store @ the Center went out of business, so we got a great deal on them! We got Pooh, Piglet, Tigger & Eeyore. And the mobile is from my cousins Karen & Dave. I love our nursery :)

Here is a wider view of the crib, swing, rug, etc. You can't see it, but to the left of the crib is a sweet night stand. I will get a picture of that as well because it is too cute. and the crib mess...we originally got our crib a week and 1/2 ago but the headboard was busted. We got the run-around from Babies R Us but finally got it taken care of on Sunday and they had one in stock that we could exchange it for, thankfully!

Baby Ava update: she should weigh nearly 4lb and be 18-19 inches long. This picture amazes me. And though this is a picture of a boy, not our sweet Ava, it just shows how scrunched up they get inside their mommies!We got to the dr again on Friday for our 33 week check-up. I know babies move so much, but I really want to know if she is still breech or not. A long time ago (@ 19 weeks) she was, but she's moved so much, and I've heard that babies continue to move & flip even up until delivery. So I guess it doesn't really matter. But I'm still curious to find out which parts of her body are where.

31w + 1d...less than 9w to go!

{I don't know what's wrong with me but I can't even seem to keep this thing updated on a weekly basis!}

Ava, according to my trusty website for her weekly updates, should be about 3.5 lb & 18" long from head to toe. The dr measured my belly in centimeters on Wednesday and she said the # of centimeters should match the # of weeks along I am in my pregnancy. My belly is
32 centimeters. The dr thinks I am 31 weeks pregnant. so we're thinking one of two things here: I am really 32 weeks along...or...the more plausable answer is that I'm a little bigger than I'm supposed to be...either way I'm not too upset by it. I can own it that I'm big.
My mom has been doing such an awesome job painting our house...but I don't have any updated pictures yet. I will though. Soon.

WE FINALLY GOT OUR CRIB & MATTRESS! Our baby girl WILL have a place to sleep after all!!! Here is what the crib looks like, but we will have different bedding, Winnie the Pooh to be exact.

I love the white color, the wide panels, and the arched back. I just love it. It wasn't the original one we registered for, but those were sold out {for good reason: they were adorable also!}.

Sunday, 9/28 marked a sad day for me. My fingers are officially too swolen to wear my wedding ring. Lucky for us Sam has a spare {thanks to our cat who hid the first from us for about 6 months...we got impatient & bought him a new one...} so that's my wedding ring until my fingers slim back down again. hopefully that day will come...