1 week old today!

My little man is 1 week old today! I can't believe it!

I have to say, our weigh in on Friday didn't go as well as I'd have liked (he was down 2 oz from Tuesday), but we're going for a re-weigh tomorrow, and I have confidence that will be better. My boobs have to be proof of that, because they've gone from as hard as rocks to normal and softer again (and then hard 2 hours later, then soft, then hard, etc.).

My parents came up today to meet their grandson, which was nice. We mostly just sat around and my mother cooed at him. As a nice bonus, my little guy decided to have one of his rare (but increasingly more frequent!) quiet awake moments this morning. My mother loved it.

My doula also came over yesterday to do her postpartum check and ask my feelings on the birth. I have to say, I am very happy with the way things went, and I think my doula was instrumental in the process. Hopefully, I'll get around to posting the whole birth story soon. Also, she just had a little boy 8 months ago, so she brought us over tons of clothes!

And now for everyone's favorite part: pictures!

My doula took this one on the way to the hospital. I can realy say I look awful, lol.

And taken today. I am down 23 of the 34 pounds that I'd gained already!

And, of course, the star of the show with his 4-foot elephant.

36 weeks!

36 weeks! OK, Baby Rhody. You can come at any time now. Whenever you are ready of course, but the hospital will not mind a 36 week baby. Just letting you know.

So people at work today started telling me that I had dropped. I don't know. I felt like Baby Rhody was out of my ribs 2 weeks ago, but I don't feel any differently between last week and this week. What do you think?

This weekend was great. As I posted yesterday, I had my shower on Saturday. I then spent all day yesterday sorting through and washing baby clothes. It's great. I need to get everything else put away so I can take pictures.

I did tell Mr. Rhody that the scary part now is that the shower is over, I feel like we're close to meeting Baby Rhody. That alternately freaks me out and excites me. I also packed my hospital bag this weekend, so we are good to go!

I've been more and more sleepy recently, and my back has been sore. I was cramping most of last week, but it seems to have stopped again today. I hope all of this cramping means some sort of progress!

6 weeks or less until we meet Baby Rhody!

35 weeks!!

There's something about this dress where my camera doesn't want to focus. Oh well, lol. Nothing else was clean. Well, nothing else out of the 3 outfits that still fit.

I had an awesome day yesterday. I had wanted to make sure the car seat we got fit in our cars (it does!), and now I have it installed in my car, which is really hammering home the idea that Baby Rhody will be here soon. My doula also came over yesterday to watch a video with us and practice a bunch of laboring positions.

After she left, it all started to sink in. Mr. Rhody admitted that he's getting a little nervous about all of the changes coming our way, and all that we have left to do! For my part, I'm just sort of in awe of the whole thing. It's just hitting me that we're not going to just have a baby--but a person that we are entirely responsible for. A person that Mr. Rhody and I created together and who will grow up to be independent of us one day. It's pretty amazing.

I'm still feeling ok, but feeling more and more tired. I have been trying to stay active. My doula did stress the importance of keeping up with my exercises and doing a few more--pelvic tilts, circles and eights on the ball, squats, lunges, and, of course, walking.

My shower is this Saturday, and, in 7 weeks or less, Baby Rhody will be here!!

34 weeks!

These self portraits are getting more and more difficult. Can you believe my size "large" tank top doesn't even cover my belly any more? I feel like such a slob!

Someone at work asked today when I was due, and I said, "3 - 8 weeks." I think I confused her, lol. But that's how I have been thinking about it. Baby Rhody could be here in as little as 3 or as many as 8 weeks. Eep!

The weather was nice today, so I walked the parking lot to get some exercise. Afterwards, I had a bunch of cramping. It was nothing timeable and it went away a bit after, but it's just another reminder how close Baby Rhody's arrival is! And a reassuring bit that my body just might know what to do when the time comes.

As for how I've been feeling, I am really okay most of the time. If I sit on the couch too long, my back will start to hurt. If I stand for too long, my pelvis will start to hurt. And if I lay down too close to eating, I get to taste my dinner again. Overall, it isn't the worst though. I am conscious of these things but, most days, they don't bother me that much.

I was at a college alumni party yesterday where I got a lot of attention and unsolicited advice. Pretty much every person told me that I am "so small" for only having 6 weeks left. That was nice of them, but I don't believe it one bit!

I have a growth ultrasound tomorrow. I am excited to see Baby Rhody again!

33 weeks!

OK, the pic is not the best lighting-wise, but you get the point, and I'm too lazy and tired to retake it.

So I had a midwife appointment last Thursday. My fundal height is still measuring 3 weeks ahead. My midwife didn't seem too concerned, but she does really want me to get an ultrasound, so I have one scheduled for next week. Everything else is still looking great. As of last Thursday, I am up 22 lbs.

This weekend, my in-laws were here for Easter. I cooked and cooked a 4-course meal pretty much from scratch. Mr. Rhody did help quite a bit, but, still, I was on my feet for hours. This morning, I woke up and, for the first time ever, my shoes did not fit. So I wore a dress and flip flops to work today. I can get away with it, since I'm pregnant! Thank goodness the weather is finally warm enough to pull this off!

I am getting my prenatal massage this Thursday. I cannot wait, especially after the beating my body has taken this weekend. Hopefully, the swelling has gone away by then.

Otherwise, I am doing my best to keep moving, even though my body is starting to be more and more sore--and, as you can see above, my belly keeps growing. I really haven't gained much weight other than in my belly, so I'm happy about that. Hopefully, I don't ruin that now with all of these tasty Easter leftovers we have!

32 weeks!

32 weeks and I've officially gotten to the uncomfortable part of this pregnancy. I thought I'd have another month or so before this point, but, well, Baby Rhody's going to do what Baby Rhody wants to do.

People at work have been telling me that I've popped. Again. How many times can a woman pop? I honestly think they are crazy, but, hey, that's just me.

As for the how I'm feeling? Well, sleep is pretty awful, but I can handle that. The worst is the pain that's developed in my pelvis over the past week. If I stand or walk too much these days, I get shooting pains through my pelvic bone. And then I feel swollen down there on and off. Yeah, I'll be sure to mention this to my midwife this week, but I'm not sure she can do much about it. I was afraid for a moment that the pain was because Baby Rhody had dropped, but I can tell from this picture this is definitely not the case!

I have been meaning to do a few more updates, but I've just been too tired. How's that for a lame excuse? I don't know if this week will be much better. The in-laws are coming for Easter, and we have tons of preparations to be done!

31 weeks!

31 weeks! Look at Baby Rhody go! And look at how awesome my new camera is, lol. You can tell my walls are olive and not gray.

I am really starting to feel like a whale, and I'm worried what the next 9 (or 11!) weeks will bring! I do love it. People are stopping me to ask me all the time when I'm due!

Sleep is starting to get harder and harder. I have started to take showers at night just to get my body relaxed for bed. I do find that it helps somewhat, but I'm getting tired enough where I don't even realize how often I'm waking up at night--just that I'm still tired in the mornings.

I did buy a new bra this week, but it doesn't fit exactly, so I might return it. I got 2 nursing bras from target (XXL!) and I think I might just rely on those until my milk comes in. My belly is coming up so high that I can't even figure out what my band size will be, so there's no sense in spending a lot of money for bras that won't fit in 2-3 months.

30 weeks!!!

30 weeks! This is another one of those milestones I never thought I'd make it to. I can't believe this pregnancy is 75% over, and that we'll get to meet Baby Rhody in 10 weeks (give or take)!

As yesterday's post demonstrated, Mr. Rhody and I were busy this weekend. We're starting to get really into the baby prep now, though I'm trying to not get too ahead of ourselves. I still haven't put anything away in the nursery. Maybe next weekend I'll start, but I want to wait a few more weeks to start washing everything. I think I'll do that right before Easter, so that when Mr. Rhody's parents come and visit, I can show off what we've got so far!

In other exciting news, I finally gave in and ordered us a new camera. We ended up getting a Panasonic Lumix, which will double as a video camera. That's very important for when Baby Rhody gets here!

In how I'm feeling, sleep is a struggle, though I am tired. I just toss and turn a lot. I also get up to pee several times per night. My back pain is continuing. I have promised myself that I can finally start ordering new bras in 2 more weeks, at 32 weeks. I am very much looking forward to that, and I hope it will help with the back pain.

I am mostly just excited that the end is in sight!

29 weeks!

29 weeks! I realized this morning when I was getting dressed that I was wearing the same outfit as I wore last Monday. Oh, well, it makes for better comparison pics, right? I think this might be the last day for the black shirt, as it's not really doing much for me anymore. I am planning to hit Kohl's this weekend to buy another shirt or two to carry me to the end.

So, 29 weeks. Some days I feel like I'm so far along and we really need to hurry to get the rest of the baby things. Other days, I feel like we are never going to get to meet Baby Rhody!

As of this weekend, the "construction phase" of the nursery is finally done! Mr. Rhody called today and scheduled delivery of the furniture for Sunday! I'm so excited! We also went shopping this weekend and picked out a rug and curtains for the nursery. I can't wait to see how it all looks together--and part of me is a little afraid it's not going to match!

On the "how I'm feeling" front, Baby Rhody seems to have moved so that my back pain is not as bad as it was before, thank goodness. Instead, I have little feet that are in my ribs that make bending over near impossible. I'll take the feet in ribs over the back pain though. Other than that, my appetite seems to be waning. All I have wanted to eat over the past few days is ice cream, fruit, and juice. Sometimes cereal is appealing

Other items of note: my belly button has not completely popped, though it seems to be getting shallower and shallower. It was really deep to start with, so even being able to see the bottom is weird. Sleep is becoming more and more difficult. I did manage to bathe both of the dogs yesterday, but I think it may have led to my sore tailbone and gluteals all day today. Still trying to stay active, but it's becoming harder and harder.

28 weeks!

Look at me! 28 weeks! And look at that belly! Thank goodness for all of my Old Navy tank tops, which are allowing me to stretch the life of my shirts.

So this past week was very busy at work, which is great because it meant the week went very quickly. Unfortunately, it also has me very tired, and now I'm starting to wonder if this fatigue is going to stick around as that third trimester fatigue or if I just need more sleep. I suppose only time will tell!

Otherwise, my back has been killing me by the end of most days. I think this means I need to get on buying new bras, though I was hoping to wait another month until I was closer and could buy just one more set of bras. Really, the only thing that seems to help is my going to bed. I love our Tempurpedic mattress.

In wonderful news, things are moving forward on the other people front. I have written shortly before about how unenthusiastic my family and Mr. Rhody's family seem to be, though I've tried not to dwell on it. Well, Mr. Rhody and I debated long and hard and finally decided to ask our neighbors to be Baby Rhody's Godparents over my brother and sister. We asked this weekend and they were so honored! They told us they had never been Godparents before, and they are very excited. So my mother and brother and SIL might be upset, but I'm glad we've chosen people that will be great role models and will really take an active interest in our child's life.

Also, in similar news, my best friend emailed me today to ask if I'd mind if she threw a little shower for me in RI. She knows about my drama with my mother over this and she was the MOH in my wedding, so she knows how crazy my mother can get. I'm so excited and so honored. Even if it's just 5 local people, I will know that they are there because they are excited for Baby Rhody's arrival, not because they feel obligated to be there (like the extended family my mother would have invited). I'm so excited!

27 weeks! Officially third trimester!

OK, I'll say it. WOW, I'm getting big! I was comparing this picture to my other circles!shirt picture from only 3 weeks ago, and I've grown so much! Really, sometimes I feel normal and other times I feel huge.

In the how I'm feeling department, after my anxiety-induced sickness that I talked about in my last post, it did take my stomach a few days to recover. Luckily, after a weekend of great sleep, I am eating normally again. And, in related news, I found out today that I passed the 1-hour glucose test! Yay for not having to take the 3-hour!

Also, I didn't get to mention it in my last post, but recently I've been able to feel Baby Rhody's parts more and more. The midwife that I saw last week confirmed that Baby Rhody is head down with his/her back to my left, as I thought. I know he/she still has some time to turn, but I was just so happy that I could tell!

This weekend, DH and I took a mini vacation to NYC, where we walked a few miles from place to place. I have to say, I'm not in the shape I used to be, but walking all that way with this big bump gave me quite the sore tailbone and hips! It was great to get out and get some exercise though, and I know walking is great for pregnancy!

Also, my friend had a party while we were down in NYC, and everyone kept telling me how much I "glowed" and how great I looked! I loved it! It's the first I've really been out with the bump, and I loved the attention.

26 weeks!

26 weeks, and Baby Rhody has definitely been doing a lot of growing! The most exciting thing is that I'm now under 100 days to go (98 days today)! That makes it seem a whole lot sooner, and which also makes me feel like we have SO MUCH more to do!

This weekend, I made my last planned visit to NJ until the baby comes, as I don't want to do any long car rides in the third trimester. The last I'd seen my family was right after Christmas, so my belly has definitely grown since then!

The coolest part of the visit was when I was showing my belly off to my little sister. I even got her to feel a few of the baby's kicks, which she described as "weird". Then the baby decided to show off and stick his/her butt up on my left side! I've heard of this happening before, but this is the first time I've noticed Baby Rhody do it! It was so cool.

In other news, I know I'm totally early to be worrying about baby positioning, but I've been reading a little more on the Spinning Babies website. It's been interesting because I hadn't before noticed the differences between kicks and punches. It's interesting getting to know Baby Rhody's parts more and more as he/she grows.

25 weeks!

Regarding the above picture:

1. Wow, I'm really starting to look "big"!
2. I swear I am not grabbing my crotch
3. This is what I wore today! It's a non-maternity shirt, and it's getting a bit short already

25 weeks! I feel like time has been creeping by this past month, but I'm expecting it to pick up again since we have a few busy weeks ahead of us! Of course, that means more blog updates, too!

I'm starting to really get the third trimester soreness. The one area that's been sore for about a week now was just under my breasts. I thought this was because my bras are becoming too tight (which they are), but after picking up some bra extenders, I realized this wasn't the only factor. In fact, I think the soreness is coming from my ribs spreading and everything shifting. How odd. I can't wait--2 more months until I will let myself invest in new bras!

My other big complaint recently is that I can't sleep. We have a Tempurpedic mattress, which has been a help until now, but I'm starting to find it hard to get comfortable. I have a body pillow, which helps my hips to feel better, but then I feel like the bed is too crowded between Mr. Rhody, the pillow, and me! Mr. Rhody has offered to sleep in the spare room, but I feel bad kicking him out of bed already. Sheesh!

For the most part, though, I am still really enjoying pregnancy. Everytime baby kicks or, even more so, does a cartwheel, I smile. I also LOVE the attention. It's great when someone from church or at the supermarket notices. After hiding my first 2 pregnancies and the first half of this one, pretty much, it just feels good to have it out there!

24 weeks - Viability!

24 weeks! I usually change into something more "plain" when I get home so that you can see the bump better, but I didn't feel like it today, so you get my circles!shirt, lol.

So 24 weeks is the big "viability" milestone, meaning that if Baby Rhody were born today, he/she would have a 50% chance of survival. I hadn't given much thought to this milestone. First of all, because of my miscarriages and subsequent clotting diagnosis, I feel like it's more possible for my LO to pass away without any signs than to be born early. Secondly, 50% of babies born at this stage survive ... but I would rather my baby do more than survive, so I want Baby Rhody to wait until he/she is fully cooked.

However, yesterday, I was watching the Duggars TV show on the birth of their 19th child, who was born at 25 weeks. Looking at that tiny baby in the incubator, it finally hit me. A baby of that size is inside ME. There's an actual baby in there. Sometimes, I feel like my mind still hasn't fully made that connection.

As to how I'm feeling these days, I still say I'm feeling pretty good. Heartburn is my constant companion these days. (The newest culprit? CARROTS. Yes, I didn't believe it either.) I had some pretty severe back pain over the past week until it got bad enough to get me off of my duff and do my yoga exercises yesterday morning. Since then, my back has felt great. I still need to get bra extenders, as my ribcage has started to expand, which is contributing to the back pain.

Baby Rhody's movements these days seem to have slowed down somewhat. I think he/she may have had a growth spurt last week--I was ravenously hungry for days--and now is feeling a bit crowded. Baby Rhody is usually good enough to give me a kick every time I start to seriously worry, or at least poke back if I give him/her a good poke!

23 weeks!

23 weeks! I was just downloading this picture off of my camera, and, when I went to name it, "16 weeks" popped into my head. Um, no. We are way past that now!

OK, so it's not the best picture. This is under what I wore to work today. I looked cute, I swear. And there was no bra showing at work.

I am definitely getting bigger! And Baby Rhody is kicking up a storm! After lunch today, while Baby Rhody was just going wild, I started to wonder what he/she was doing in there. I have decided that mixed martial arts is the only reasonable answer.

I had a great weekend. Saturday, I went swimming, which felt GREAT. Remind me not to skip any more Saturday morning swimming sessions, please! And then on Sunday, I met up with a girl, Amy, from the bump, and we went to the mall. It was really fun to hang out with another expectant mom and go clothes shopping and having someone else to "squee" with me!

Anyway, Mr. Rhody and I are off to dinner at some alumni event. He begged me to come with him, and I don't really feel like cooking ... so away we go! Also, expect another ton of updates this week. I've got lots to say!

22 weeks!

22 weeks! I switched to a "large" sized maternity shirt and then I realized that I couldn't get enough definition between my boobs and my belly, so I had to start with the hand thing. I'm definitely growing, but still not huge or anything. I'm expecting to start growing faster as I wrap up the second trimester and move into the third.

I am still feeling great. I really don't want the second trimester to end. I still have my energy, appetite, and I'm trying to get as much as possible done before that ends!

Emotionally, I had a bit of a rocky week. Once Christmas and New Year's were over, all of a sudden, it seemed like everyone was talking about baby showers except for the people around me. I should say that my mother started talking about a shower for me around 12w with my first pregnancy, and I told her not to bother when I heard her plans--in NJ (4 hours away) at my brother's and with just family that I never see or talk to anyway. When I told her what I really wanted was just a small thing in RI (you know, where I've lived for 4 years) with just close friends, she scoffed and told me that wasn't right because, "I bought gifts for all of their kids." Between her attitude and all of the drama surrounding my wedding shower (constant updates on my "surprise" shower about how much trouble it was causing her, who wasn't coming, etc.), I told her not to bother. Even though it was sort of my decision (and combined with the fact that my family declined to come for Easter because "it's too far"), I still was getting a bit sad about it this past week, but I think I've worked through it.

I have realized that I am so bad at updating this blog. Part of it is that most of the interesting things happen on weekends, so I end up postponing my updated until Monday. By Monday, I have so much to say that it all gets lost! So starting this week, I'm going to try to have a schedule. Here are the posts I'm commiting to for this coming week!

• Monday - weekly milestones, physical changes, emotional state of mind
• Tuesday - Special topics - this week, Doula update!
• Wednesday - Nursery update - expect weekly pictures
• Thursday - Gear update - this will normally happen on Fridays, but I have an appointment this Friday that will need it's own update!
• Friday - OB medicine appointment update

There's a lot going on, and I want to make sure I'm recording it for future reference.

14 weeks!

What do you think? I think I look about the same this week, maybe a little bigger. I am feeling pretty good, though I managed to catch a cold and had a pretty miserable weekend. Of course, I was just well enough today that it didn't make sense to stay home from work.

Remember how we all looked at the 13w picture and laughed that everyone at work MUST already know? Well, someone today admitted to me that she thought I looked pregnant last Thursday (the day before the announcement), but was hesitant to say anything in case she was wrong. Maybe I wasn't hiding it as well as I thought. Ha.

A few people at work have been joking about starting a betting pool for the birth. I already have one vote for girl and one for boy. I am really getting a kick out of this all. I love being able to talk about it.

Other than that, nothing much new to report. I am excited to see my family for Thanksgiving so that I can show off my growing belly! I still can't believe that I've made it this far, but I am loving every day of it.