39 Weeks

Today I am 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant!  

I have apparently gained 60 pounds at this point but who is counting, right?  This week my (pregnancy-induced) carpal tunnel has really gotten crazy and I am having trouble sleeping and doing daily tasks.  Basically, my fingertips are completely numb and the rest of my hand up through my elbow feels like it is burning with throbbing pain.  Super fun ;)  It usually takes about six weeks after giving birth for my hands and arms to go back to normal!

Speaking of giving birth...tomorrow is the day!  I am going in for induction early tomorrow and hope to have a baby by evening!  I'm not dilated (at all) which is completely normal for me.  Because of my history of never dilating (at all) on my own my doctor decided Tuesday that we'd just "go for it" tomorrow.  My blood pressure has been rising slowly, I'm uncomfortable and I have a history of infant macrosomia (large babies - Amelia was over ten pounds!) so all of those things were factors in her just saying, "let's do this." 

I still have to pack for myself and baby, change the crib sheets and, of course, rest somehow!  I dropped the kids off with my sister (who drove home from Indiana this morning!) a bit ago so once I publish this I will get to it - goodnight!

Last photo with only two kids in my arms!

Doctor on Call

Amelia absolutely loves the doctor.  She is thrilled to go and she especially likes our family practitioner, Dr. Dahl.  She helps out at my OB appointments by squeezing the goop onto my tummy for the doppler and she always makes sure we all get stickers on the way out.  

Over the weekend she was asking to wear her (too small) doctor costume and I finally just got it out for her and helped her into it.  

 

Next thing I knew "Dr. Dahl" was at my side and I was in the chair for a "check-up" for our baby.  She listened to my tummy with her stethoscope, took my blood pressure and checked my ankles.  

 

The best part was when she was feeling around for baby and he kicked.  

 

 It was her first time feeling him move and she thought it was the best thing ever!  

She has turned into such a good big sister after the rocky start we had bringing Joe home.  She can't wait for her new baby and she tells me all the time it is really hard to wait for my tummy to pop so he can come out.  Yes, she thinks my stomach will explode, at the belly button, and her new baby will come out!

27 Weeks

This is the final week of the second trimester for baby and I.  Where did the time go?

Aside from fatigue things are great!  I've been particularly crabby and irritable the past week or so (Jason informed me and, truthfully, I was starting to notice myself.)  I'm really hoping it is just because of the summer heat and humidity finally arriving.  Heat, humidity and Shelley just don't go well together - especially pregnant Shelley.

#3 moves around a lot more than Amelia or Joe ever did.  When I felt Amelia it was rolling or hiccups and I knew Joe was ok in there because he always had a foot in my ribcage and he stretched a lot.  #3?  Kicking and wiggling all day long.  It's kind of nice to not have to lay there at night trying to count kicks to make sure everything is ok.

According to the doctor I'm on track to gain 40 pounds again which is more than what I was aiming for this time around but still less than the 55 I gained with Amelia!  I also passed my glucose test the first time this time which thrilled me because that three-hour test with Joe was brutal.

And just for fun - a little comparison:

It's still a little hard to believe that next week I am starting the third trimester!  It will be September before we know it!

#3's Ultrasound

Early last week I had my routine ultrasound!  Everything is looking great!

We decided early on that we wouldn't find out the gender of this baby but Amelia led us to reconsider.  She had been very adamant that she already has a brother so now she would be getting a sister.  We couldn't get her to grasp the fact that you do not get to choose what kind of baby you get.  After much consideration we decided to go ahead and find out the gender - to make it easier on all of us!

Well, I am sooooo glad we found out...

...because it's another brother!  I had brought Amelia to the ultrasound with me and told the doctor to make a big deal if it was a girl for her and if it was a boy to just signal to me and I'd deal with it later.  No signal was needed - baby was folded in half and his gender was prominently on display.  I knew what I was looking at before I even had a reference point on what I was looking at, if that makes sense.

On our way out I told Amelia baby was a boy and she told me over and over, "no mom, I already have a brother now I will get a sister."  Finally I just stopped her, looked her in the eye and said, "baby is a boy.  We are getting another brother and we can't change that."  She made an angry face, stomped her foot down (hard) and said, "oh fiiiinnnnneeee, we'll have another brother."  

Overall she is taking it better than we expected but I am still glad we found out before delivery.  We have all summer to pump her up over another brother and I plan to do some "girls only" type stuff with her so she realizes it's okay to be the only girl!