PREGNANCY WEEK 39
**Don’t forget! If you haven’t had a chance to submit your guess on our baby pool, there is still time! Click here (https://babylute2013.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/baby-pool-make-your-predictions/) for directions on how to play!**
My age: 27
How far along: 39 weeks
How big is baby: the size of a small pumpkin. She is approximately 19-21 inches long and weighs 7.2 pounds.
Check out this photo I found online of what baby/body look like at 39 weeks! I think it’s really cool:
Now, be aware….Eric took several photos of me proudly showing off my 39 week bare belly. If you don’t need to see a whole bunch of baby belly shots, just skip right past this part! Can you tell how proud I am of this baby belly?!? I will definitely miss it once it’s gone. I’m cherishing every last second of carrying this baby girl inside of me.
Here come a few 39 week bare belly shots:
See, that wasn’t so bad! I know some people just hate seeing bare belly photos. Not me. I just LOVE this belly!
What have you been up to: This past week had so many commitments on the calendar. I honestly felt overwhelmed by all of the appointments and other commitments. Thankfully this week’s calendar has barely ANYTHING on it, yay! Between several get together’s with friends, a birthday party, O.B. appointment, several pediatrician appointments, dentist appointments, MOPS group, church, weekly Bible study….it was just A LOT for this 9-months-pregnant gal. But as I mentioned, this week is looking much more low-key, so I’m grateful for that.
After meeting several pediatricians, we did settle on one we liked the most. I’m really excited about his practice because he runs his entire business on solid healthy principles that also line up with our values. He is a Christian doctor who has done mission work in the past!! How cool. My family has always been a missions family (I even lived in Nicaragua and Costa Rica as a missionary kid growing up). Not only do his faith values line up, his philosophy in practice is great: trying to focus on wellness-care instead of waiting for sick-care to kick in. He is highly encouraging of parents to lead healthy lifestyles (via exercise and healthy foods) and instill these practices in their growing kids.
Eric and I are cherishing every last moment as a childless couple. Ever since returning home to Colorado, we have made it a weekly practice to go on dates. I absolutely love spending time together, just the two of us. That is something that we somewhat neglected before due to our overly social lifestyles. I am really enjoying all of our one-on-one quality time that we have been spending together. I know our relationship dynamic is about to change as we add a baby into the mix. Our family will go from two to three, and will the focus heavily on the third party for a while. We both want to be adamant to remain strong in our relationship, but we also aren’t naïve enough to believe that a baby isn’t going to change many things. So we are taking advantage of these last opportunities to do things together alone, baby-less.
This week’s date we went out and painted pottery! It was a lot of fun.
Eric painted a teddy bear & I painted a tea-light candle holder. After these are fired in the kiln, I can’t wait to see how they turn out!
This week I got a pedicure. Many friends have recommended that I get a pedicure before giving birth, as it gives you something pretty to look at during labor. I figured it was close enough to time now, so my friend and I met up and had a pedicure lunch date late last week. I’m somewhat of a cheapskate, so I never indulge myself on things like manicures or pedicures, so this was a treat for me! I even got blinged out with flowers on my toes!
Eric and I dropped by Once Upon a Child the other day and practically stole from them! They had a sale where you could get 10 onesies for $10. Though we have a lot of baby clothes that we have received as gifts, we figured it wouldn’t hurt to have 10 cute onesies in newborn size since she will probably go through multiple outfits per day. Here is what we walked out of the store with for only $10:
10 cute onesies…my favorite is the navy polka-dot one with the pink flowers on it.
Every year as September turns into October, we try to take a drive up to the high country to see the leaves changing. Down here in Denver we are just starting to see glimpses of the trees turning into fall colors, but it happens sooner in the mountains. Over the weekend we took a drive up to see the pretty colors. Here are a few pictures we got from the drive:
Exercise/Activity Level: Still consistently working out 6 days this past week. 3 runs and 3 gym days. On Sunday morning’s run, I told Eric that this might be his last run with my during pregnancy. He is not a runner and doesn’t really enjoy it, but throughout the pregnancy, anytime I’ve asked him to join me, he has gladly come along. He is SO SWEET that he runs with me, despite hating running! Usually because of his work, the only times I ask him to join me are on the weekends….so that is why it could be his last run with me while pregnant! There is a chance by next weekend the baby MIGHT BE HERE!
Maternity clothes: I am still loving my maternity clothes, but starting to get excited to bring back some of my normal clothes in the next few weeks/months. Over the weekend I decided to just “see” if I could still fit my most favorite pair of red skinny jeans….and guess what?!? They actually fit (no, they didn’t zip or button though)! So I proudly threw a belly band to disguise the un-zipped/unbuttoned waistband and wore them out!
Stretch marks: Still none.
Belly Button: Outie. Although some people don’t think I technically have an outie…. To me, it’s an outie because a portion of my belly button has been sticking out further than the rest of my belly for a good 10 weeks.
Sleep: I’ve really been sleeping great. My drink-10-waters-a-day rule works best when I cut off my last fluid intake by 9pm. I usually only am up 1-2 times per night for the bathroom. Some nights I go the entire stretch without once getting up! I’m trying to soak in all the sleep I can get right now….I know once baby is here, that is going to be a real change.
Newest baby milestones this week: Baby is gaining more weight inside the womb. It will be interesting to see what her birth weight is once she makes her debut. My guess is somewhere between 7-7.5 pounds at birth weight. Her brain continues to grow and develop. Baby is dropping further into the pelvis and getting engaged for birth. Will we make it to a 40 week BUMP REPORT?!? I guess time will tell.
Best Moment of the Week: Finding out that my sister Maggie and my 3-month-old nephew Silas booked a trip to come see Baby Lute at the end of October! I also forgot to mention that one of my other sisters, Melody booked a trip out here too!!! I am so excited because I wasn’t expecting them to visit. I have yet to meet my nephew Silas, so I’m way excited to finally meet him too:) So now from my side of the family, I’m so excited to welcome these visitors: my mom and dad, my sisters Melody and Maggie & baby Silas! I am SO THRILLED and honored that they are flying out to come see the baby. Now I’m also very excited for the Lute-side to visit as well! Of course Eric and I are really excited to see his mom and dad. They are about to become first-time grandparents…and they just can’t wait to meet this little one.
Worst Moment of the Week: Same story as last week: my worst moments have been my emotional breakdowns. Some days I am great, and other days I cannot hold it together. I meltdown over the silliest things.
Food cravings: Still apples with peanut butter.
Food aversions: None.
Symptoms: My Braxton hicks contractions are getting WAY more regular/frequent and stronger. The other day I was about to start timing them!! I also feel like the baby is dropping further into my pelvis because my belly looks lower to me and feels lower. I have more pressure on my bladder and feel like I need to pee every 10 minutes. I’ve begun getting cramping in my uterus (almost like menstrual cramps). I think this baby and this body are getting ready for birth! I’m not sure if we will make it to 40 weeks….we will see soon. I could be totally wrong.
Movement: She is just as active as ever. Sometimes I think her randomly stronger kicks are out of frustration that she just wants to get OUT! I’ve also noticed her “playing on my hip bones” in the past week. I think this is because she is dropping lower, so I feel more movements on my hips.
Gender: Girl
What I’m looking forward to: Looking forward to meeting our baby in person! Eric and I are feeling more and more ready every day to finally get this baby here in the world with us!
What I’m nervous about/praying for: Praying for a safe delivery for baby. My nerves are strangely calming down about with whole labor & delivery process. Somehow I’m feeling more at peace and know that I’m strong enough to do this. Bring it on!
What I miss: Sleeping on my back and stomach. That will be so nice to be able to do that again! I hate side sleeping.
Next appointment: Wednesday, October 2nd @ 11AM. Will be interesting to see if there is anymore cervical change.
To-do list before baby’s arrival: THINGS I WANT TO GET DONE THIS WEEK:
-Still need to get out all the parts to the breast pump & sterilize them (didn’t get to that yet)
-Go on a major shopping trip to stock up on things like: toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc
-Have the baby 🙂 (I guess I can’t control this one–but I’d be happy if it happened this week)
Well….happy 39 weeks. Baby, you can come anytime if you like! For all of my friends/readers/followers: perhaps a 40 week BUMP REPORT will be in order, but who knows? Please send up some prayers for us this week:)
Baby Lute x3 