PREGNANCY WEEK 37
It’s hard to believe that the time has come: we are now FULL TERM! Pregnancy has felt like a very LONG time, yet so quick at the same time. At the end of January when I first got a positive pregnancy test, I never knew how exciting, exhausting, taxing, yet so fulfilling this pregnancy was going to be over the next 9 months. There are so many types of pregnant women I know: some absolutely LOVE pregnancy and would do it a million times, others HATED their pregnancies with a passion and yet others have fallen somewhere in the middle. I tend fall somewhere in the middle but leaning on the side of loving pregnancy. I really have enjoyed my part in creating, growing and carrying this little girl. I will feel somewhat sad when pregnancy is over, yet will be so exhilarated and excited to finally meet my baby in person. But, it would also be a lie if I said I wasn’t looking forward to taking back control of my body again! No matter the case, it is truly a blessing from our Heavenly Father to be weeks away from holding our precious daughter in our arms. Lord willing, she could make her grand appearance any day now.
Here is just a glimpse at what 17 weeks, 27 weeks and 37 weeks looked like for my pregnancy:
And now for a CLOSE UP shot of that belly! It’s so amazing what the human body is capable of!
My age: 27
How far along: 37 weeks….full term baby!
How big is baby: the size of a winter melon. She is approximately 19-20 inches long and weighs 6.3 pounds.
What have you been up to: We have been going non-stop this past week. What a change from the slow-moving lifestyle of Florida! This past week was filled with doctors appointments, maternity photography photo shoot, a scheduled class/hospital tour of the labor & delivery wing at our hospital, getting together with friends, buying all the remaining items off our baby registry and finishing the nursery. Yes, I did say we finished the nursery!! In fact, as you keep reading this blog post, you will see the full nursery reveal. I am so excited to finally share it! But be patient:)
Last week I mentioned that I had to go in for an ultrasound to check baby’s size because of a lack of fundal height growth and lack of my weight gain. The ultrasound on Wednesday went great! Baby is growing just fine!! She had grow a full pound since the previous ultrasound we had less than 3 weeks prior. She measured just slightly small, but she has always measured slightly small every time we had ever had an ultrasound, so no concerns. The doctors were very pleased with her growth! So this is great news!
Our hospital class/tour was a really great experience. There were quite a few other couples who will also be delivering soon and it was fun to talk with them. It was also really cool to walk around the hospital, looking at the rooms and letting myself envision the birth of my child in just a few short weeks. The labor and delivery rooms are just gorgeous! They are all recently renovated. Some of the rooms have tubs, others do not. The nurse said to request a room with a tub upon admittance to the hospital when I am in labor, and hopefully they will have some available. I have heard that laboring in a tub is a wonderful experience, though I do not plan to actually GIVE BIRTH in the tub.
A really cool/random thing that happened during our hospital tour was a celebrity sighting!! I am a diehard fan of the ABC show Extreme Weight Loss. A trainer, Chris Powell, works one-on-one with morbidly obese clients for an entire year, and they usually end up losing 200+ pounds with his help. It’s an incredibly inspiring TV show, and I have religiously never missed a single episode in the 3 seasons it has aired so far. Well, I knew from following Chris Powell (and also his expectant wife, Heidi Powell) on Instagram that they were currently working with a client in Denver. I always thought it’d be pretty neat if one day I bumped into him. Little did I know, that it would ACTUALLY HAPPEN! I got to meet both Chris and Heidi in the maternity wing at the hospital! Apparently someone on the season they are filming was in labor (maybe his client’s wife), and they were at the hospital awaiting the birth. Both Chris and Heidi were as NICE as they are on TV. Heidi even asked me about my baby and when I was due. I was way too shy to ask for a photo with them (plus, I was on a hospital tour and the group was leaving me!)….so that is my biggest regret, no photo. After I got home, I did comment on Heidi’s Instagram, and she commented back. Here is a photo of Chris Powell and his wife Heidi:
Celebrity trainer Chris Powell and his wife Heidi. I met them last week!
After meeting them, I commented on Heidi’s instagram, and she messaged me back!! How cool!
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IT’S NURSERY REVEAL TIME!!!
Remember my pinspiration here:
Baby Lute’s Nursery. Remember my Pinterest inspiration (featured above) for the nursery???? Well, I think my nursery is even better:) The nursery is finally complete! It turned out even more beautiful than I originally envisioned. My dream nursery was a purple & gray room with white furniture and pops of teal. I didn’t want the room to be equal parts purple and teal, but simply a purple room with occasional “pops” of teal accessories. I think it is just PERFECT! This project has been such a long process because most every single piece in the room is custom, repurposed, home made or call it what you like it. The crib was purchased second hand and my husband went through the work of sanding it down, stripping it, priming it, repainting it, sealing it, and putting it together. The two dressers were old wooden dressers that Eric had in his room growing up, so he went through the same process to re-do those as the crib. The curtains are sewed by me (and my best friend who helped me with any/all of my sewing projects!). The crib skirt was also made by me. One of my fellow bloggers (A Curious Katie) posted a link to the tutorial she used to make this “no sew crib skirt” (link to Katie’s skirt and the tutorial she linked found here: http://acuriouskatie.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/baby-holl-37-weeks/) and I figured I could try to attempt to make one myself! It turned out lovely! I also sewed decorative pillows for the room with left over fabric from the crib skirt. With leftover fabric, I also framed the fabric and used it as art. Are you ready to see???
Here is what Baby Lute’s nursery looks like:
And here is a close up of the “No Sew Crib Skirt” that I made! It was so easy and it looks fab!
Now for a few more….
The canopy over the crib gives the room a princess feel. I love the mobile we found at Babies R Us.
The crib and dressers were 100% re-done by my amazing husband! He worked SO HARD on these, and I think the end result looks flawless!
I bought these teal & white frames and used scrap fabric as art. I love how it turned out!
The white and purple globes are from Hobby Lobby. I love the fun they add to the space. And I LOVE this little teal lamp!
This shelf holds so many odds and ends. It’s perfect for the space.
We purchased this glider & ottoman from Babies R Us. The white fabric makes me a bit nervous (note the plastic cover is STILL on the ottoman, haha!), but I can’t wait to rock baby girl here!
The curtains were sewed by me (I have no sewing machine, so my best friend helped me with these). We also sewed matching decorative pillows & I made a no-sew crib skirt.
The space has plenty of natural light coming in, but only one window. I bought this window-looking mirror and think it fits well — almost giving the appearance of a second window.
This accessory is probably one of my favorite pieces in the room. My best friend made this headband holder! She filled it with about 10 or more headbands that she made for my baby girl. It’s a lovely way to display a few of the headbands too.
Even the light switch is an accessory!
Sewing pillows was an after thought. I had left over fabric from making the crib skirt, and figured making pillows wouldn’t be too difficult. My best friend also had some other fabric that was perfect for making more decorative pillows, so we went nuts! (Because of SIDS risk, the pillows will NOT BE IN THE CRIB WITH MY BABY!)
Here is the long pillow roll I made. It almost looks like I purchased a matching set — but it’s all custom made (BY ME!!)
Changing table.
Exercise/Activity Level: Exercising is still going great! This week in my 6 workouts, I ran 3 days and did 3 gym cardio/weight workouts. The weather has been a monsoon here in Denver (you may have seen the extreme flooding all across Denver metro on the national news), so I got to run in the rain all week. Two of my runs were in the rain, and by my third run of the week, I opted for a indoor/dry treadmill run at the gym. I tell ya, the looks I get when I am running on the treadmill in the gym are hysterical! I swear they think I’m a lunatic! I am just so thrilled to still be running at FULL TERM!
Maternity clothes: It’s fun wearing my maternity clothes! With the cooler/rainy weather I even wore some leggings with boots…embracing the fall look!
Stretch marks: None. Still. Hoping I make it through!
Belly Button: Outie.
Sleep: My sleep is hit or miss. Gone are the days of wonderful sleep. Some nights I sleep through the night, and other nights I am up multiple times. A few nights this week I woke up at 2am like clockwork – starving! So downstairs I went to get a snack!
Newest baby milestones this week: Baby is now full term! If I were to go into labor from this point forward, the doctors would do little to prevent me from giving birth. Baby is all ready to go. From here on out, she will just continue to grow and put on more fat.
Best Moment of the Week: Two best moments: 1. finding out at the ultrasound that there is NOTHING to worry about since baby girl is growing like a weed, and 2. meeting Chris Powell – I’m a huge fan!
Worst Moment of the Week: The rain. It’s devastating to see all of the people in our area who have lost homes (and even a few lives have been lost) because of flooding. Some parts of Colorado have gotten more rain in one WEEK than the regular average rainfall for one YEAR.
Food cravings: Lots of healthy foods. Bring on the apples with peanut butter like usual. I’ve started getting really full now before I even finish a meal…I think the baby is taking up too much room for me to comfortably eat.
Food aversions: Nothing currently.
Symptoms: More of the same: Braxton hicks, feeling like my belly is huge, trouble getting up, etc.
Movement: Lots of rolling and twisting. She still favors the right side. Sometimes I feel her kick her foot/knee/elbow SO HARD into my right side that it hurts!
Gender: Girl
What I’m looking forward to: I’m looking forward to meeting our baby soon. I just cannot believe how close it’s getting now. I have been doing a lot of day dreaming lately. I am so ready, yet so not at the same time!
What I’m nervous about/praying for: We are always praying for our daughter. Now we are starting to focus those prayers on momma and baby experiencing a safe delivery soon.
What I miss: I’m super content right now and can’t think of a single thing I want to change.
Next appointment: Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 9:30 a.m.
To-do list before baby’s arrival: THINGS I WANT TO GET DONE THIS WEEK:
-Find a pediatrician & meet several of them before choosing
-Pack hospital bag
-Make a phone-tree for announcing baby’s arrival
-Install the car seat
-Buy a baby book
-Figure out plans for pet-care while in the hospital
Baby Lute x3 