40 Weeks

I'm writing up this post early, not knowing if I will even be able to publish it on Friday or not. So I think I will update this post a day at a time, and we'll just see how far it goes!

(Actually, I work on all my posts throughout the week, or else pregnancy brain would cause me to forget all the new things that happened!)

I'm not sure if I will be posting too often after Ava's birth. One, because I will obviously be busy/tired/exhausted/unavailable. And two, because I don't know how I feel about plastering photos of her on the internet where anybody can access my posts. I get a ton of spam comments (fortunately Blogger is able to block them from ever being posted) and a lot of random spikes in traffic on my site and traffic trends that make me think weird things are going on. I want to keep it a public blog, so I'm thinking that I may not post too much more about my private life on here. I wanted to have my fertility and pregnancy stories on here to help other women in similar situations. This day in age, it's just hard to know what can happen with what you write and the photos you post online.

Anyway, here are my daily updates for the week!

Over the weekend:

I think I may have lost my mucus plug? I didn't really know what I was looking for, and I read that most women don't even know when they've lost it. I had a bit of spotting after my check at the doctor last week for a few days, and it happened in the midst of that.

I've started googling all these labor things. It must be interesting to be the person who tracks/analyzes the things that people google!

We tried to stay busy! We are both antsy and excited and had a hard time just staying in the house. 

We went for a walk. It makes my back hurt, so we didn't go too far. Just meandered through the neighborhood.

Monday:

Hard to believe, but I started packing up the maternity clothes I borrowed! I can't believe that this pregnancy is just about over! Even though I am counting down the minutes until she's here (if only I knew how long I had to count!), I am trying to remind myself of what a special time this has been, and to enjoy it down to the last day. All her movements and squirms still bring a smile to my face, even when she stretches out into my ribs and bladder! I am trying to cherish every moment I have left with her in my belly. 

I will miss using her as a table. I've gotten quite used to it when I am eating! :)

Tuesday:

With each morning that passes, when I wake up and manage to get myself out of bed, I feel like I'm 5 pounds heavier. I have to hobble to the bathroom carefully as I am unsteady on my feet until I readjust to being vertical! I'm having tons of Braxton Hicks contractions. They are getting a little old since I've been having them for weeks and weeks now. I am waiting for the contractions that makes me think it's labor!

I spent a lot of time today doing the "hurry up and wait" thing for my appointment in the afternoon. At the appointment, we learned that I am almost 2 centimeters dilated (yay!) and still at 50% effaced. My cervix is still pretty high, so she has not "dropped" yet. My next appointment isn't until the 8th and at that point I'm sure we will be discussing an induction date.

I saw yet another doctor for this appointment, and she was asking about how things have been going during this pregnancy because of my bicornuate uterus. She was using it as a teaching opportunity because she had another lady with her who I can only assume was shadowing. She commented that my baby seems to have defied the odds of what a a bicornuate uterus pregnancy usually looks like!

I have not gone into early labor (how ironic it would be if this kid was late!).

Based on her growth scans, it appears that she will not have low birth weight (although we still have to wait until birth to find out for sure) and is in fact, right on track for her growth.

She was presenting breech until the doctor was able to flip her. And now she has remained head down!

We were bracing ourselves for troubles with this pregnancy, and it has turned out to be quite the opposite!

And above all, I did not....I can't even say the word...have a "starts with an M"....if you know what I am referring to. I refuse to think that way until I am holding her in my arms.

Ava is one determined baby!

We are keeping our fingers crossed that the continued inflammation in her kidney will not be problematic to her after birth. There's still time for it to resolve on its own!

Wednesday:

I kept myself busy today by going to the splash park with the MOPS group here on post. I thought it was funny that almost every mom had one of those Thirty-One totes! Like, every. Single. One. I have one that I keep in the back of my car for hauling in groceries, so I guess I'm off to a good start! I came home and filled our kiddie pool for Mr. Duke. We played in the shade of the patio for a bit. He had a pretty good time and learned a lesson about holding his nose under the water for too long!

I was very excited to get my shipment from Babies R Us. I ordered a few random things off our registry that I knew I still wanted (including a PUR water filter for the faucet for only $17!). It's obvious that I am a preschool teacher because I was dying for Ava to have these:

Sensory Shapes!!!

I'm sure I will be more excited for her to play with these than she actually will!

Somehow those Discount School Supply catalogs mysteriously found my address here and I still get them several times a year. And while they usually go right to the recycling bin, I have been finding all sorts of things that I want to get for Miss Froggie lately! But unfortunately, a lot of it comes in bulk for a classroom setting. She doesn't need a mega pack of wooden puzzles!

Thursday:

If you would have told me that at the beginning of July, I'd be almost a jillion and one months pregnant, sitting inside my house with the windows open, I would have called you crazy! I keep the house at 70 degrees, and I'm still usually warm, so I thought having a day that the weather was nice enough to have the windows open was long gone! But I'll take it! The high was only 79 degrees today, so it was a nice break from this hot, humid weather we've had lately.

Annnnnnd......

Photos of Ava's room!

Finally!!!

View from the doorway!

Love this little corner!

Her daddy made the shelves on the wall. 

Our friends made the growth chart ruler. My sister made the wreath.

Her daddy also refinished this dresser. Remember it was a vivid teal color?!

Where all the "belly shots" take place.

I love this little corner, too. The shelf brackets were like $5 at Hobby Lobby, by the way!

Her toys and sippy cups and shoes and books and bibs and stuff I don't know what to do with yet are all in here!

Ava at 10 weeks. Before we knew she was an Ava. :)

She has a few bows. They have their own basket/shelf.

I am obsessed with this quilt that our friend made for her! Can't wait to rock with her here!!

Ok Ava...your room is officially finished...it took all 40 weeks, but we did it...I vacuumed and everything...

I'm gonna go make some more pecan pie cheesecake for this weekend. If she's not gonna show up, then I guess I'll just eat, haha!

Friday:

I spent the morning cooking and exhausted myself. I had some contractions overnight, but then they stopped this morning. What a tease! But, it's all progress!

We had plans to go to the Carnival on post today, but I was too tired. 

And I have a feeling we will just watch the fireworks on post from our backyard. It would be even better if we could be watching them from the hospital room!!!

Alright, miss Ava...let's make this our last belly shot!

On the right is how I really feel today. :)