Week 35: My thoughts on delivery, my doc appointment, working and more!

Wahoo! 35 weeks! I definitely feel like I am in the home stretch now and am feeling fabulous!

Because I am due on Memorial Day, I asked my doctor about getting induced early. I have a couple close friends who have gotten induced and had great experiences. I love the idea of having some "control" of the situation and knowing "today I am going in to the hospital to have my baby". My doctor told me she wouldn't induce earlier than 39 weeks and only if my cervix is ready. I respect that decision, and just hope I am "ready" by my 39 week appointment. I'd love little Miss Macy Jane to be out before the holiday weekend and be able to visit with family and friends that will be in town. I will obviously do whatever is best for her, and if she is not ready by then -then we will just have to wait! I will not push the issue but I am definitely all for induction! I am also a weird one that would totally be fine with a C-section too. (which is a risk for induction). As I nurse I am very familiar with what a C-section entails, the recovery time, etc.. and none of that scares me. I am not an OB nurse, so of course there is a lot I don't know, but I know enough that a C-section sometimes seems more appealing than a vaginal birth! There are SO many things that can go wrong with a vaginal birth, and the unknown scares the crap out of me. I like to have control over things (a DUH for those who know me well), and there is no sense of control during a vaginal birth. What if the baby's heart rate drops? the umbilical cord gets wrapped around her neck? she doesn't fit right? she rips the crap out of me? breaks my tail bone? --I could go on. At the end of the day what matters the most to me is that she comes out healthy and mommy and baby get to meet for the first time! So pumped for that!

I learned today at my appointment that MJ is right where she is supposed be. Head down, pressing against my cervix. I am starting to thin out, but am not dilated yet. Right on track, according to my doctor. I start going every week now, which is fun :) Thank goodness I only work 3 days a week, I don't know how people who work 5 days a week could fit in all of these appointments!

Speaking of work.. new this week: I actually had to get  a doctor's note that said I am only allowed to work 40 hours per week. Crazy right? Full time for nurses is three 12 hour shifts per week. At my job we are required to do that PLUS take call at night and on weekends. Because so many people have left recently the amount of call has increased tremendously -meaning that this almost 9 month pregnant woman would have to work full time plus an additional 20ish hours of call every week. YUCK! So I called my doctor and she said, um no you should not do that, and I totally agreed :) Thank goodness.. I don't know how I would have done that! I will work my full time schedule up until sweet baby girl decides to make her appearance though. Working 3 days a week... awesome... working 12+ hour shifts... sucks. My back hurts, my legs are swollen and I usually want to cry by the end of the day. But hey, like I said,  it's only 3 days a week!

In other news...this weekend we had our maternity pics taken and I can't wait to see how they turned out! I wasn't sure if we would get them done, but we got such a great deal (it was kind of included in the newborn pics) that I thought -why the heck not! Not something we will do again, but I think it will be nice to have a professional pic to remember this time of our lives. I am already picturing a collage of engagement pics, wedding pics, and maternity pics =) Here is a sneak peek of one of the pics:

Seeing this picture really makes me wonder... what will she look like?! Dark or light hair? I can't wait to find out!

xoxo

The Nursery!

The nursery has been put together and I couldn't be happier with the results! It is still pretty bare, we are looking for a bookshelf, we don't have curtains yet, and we also still have a couple things to hang on the walls. After those things are done I will reevaluate what we still need to do. I am not a huge fan of nurseries looking too kiddish, but I think she still needs a little "something" in her room. I have been browsing Pinterest (obviously, like every other woman in the U.S.) and stalking fellow Facebook friends with little girl nurseries, but I am not quite sure what else to do for her nursery. Ideas are welcome!

First we will start with her crib: Love it! So happy with the crib and her awesome Pottery Barn bedding. It is exactly what I wanted! Next is her changing table: above is my mom's painting, which I adore dearly and I am so happy it has found the perfect home!

A look closer shows her changing pad cover... pink zebra -of course!

Here is her dresser and hamper, nothing too exciting:

And our awesome rocking/gliding recliner that we love! We find ourselves sitting in it constantly

Next to the recliner is where I want to put a bookshelf/lamp.

A view from the bathroom:

And a view from the wall her crib is on:

So as you can see it is very simple, but sweet :) Once curtains are up I know it will add a little more color, but I am really not sure what else to do it, if anything at all. What I do know is I am super excited to have a sweet baby girl in that room!

32 Weeks

32 weeks has come (and almost gone). Crazy to think that the countdown can being soon. I must say, it is getting harder and harder to forget that I've got a little person growing inside of me.

Stats thus far:

-Feeling (physically): good! But tired. I really have to think if doing certain things are "worth it" anymore. For example, when I drop something, I usually look at it on the floor for a minute and think to myself, "Hmmm is it really worth bending over and picking that up?" Or when we go to the gas station and Kyle asks me if I want to go in with him to get a drink... I think, "Hmmm is it really worth getting out of the car, and back in for such a short period of time." -the answer is usually no. I also get this weird sharp shooting pain right below my chest, and get out of breath doing minimal things, like talking for too long. Sounds fun, right?

-Working out: which brings me to this lovely topic, working out. I was doing so good during my second trimester when I was feeling great. But I have to admit, I have rarely found the motivation to get up and bust a move. We put the treadmill up when family came to stay (3 weeks ago) and have yet to put it back :-/ Kyle and I have been taking advantage of the nice weather recently though and going for long walks around downtown. I always feel so much better after them, so that has been my new form of "working out".

-Sleeping: Ok. I got a new pillow to help me sleep, not a huge body pillow, but a more reasonably sized pillow. Looks like this:

It is kind of annoying though, having to keep up with it during the night. I am always "aware" of where it is and when I want to turn it over I have to heave it over to the other side of the bed with me. Laying on my back is out of the question so I turn over about every 2 hours (like a good nurse should do) =)

-Dreams: Weird crazy pregnancy dreams! Most recently last night, I dreamt that baby Regal stuck her hand out of my belly so I could hold it. So I was just walking around, holding her teeny tiny hand. Also, in the same dream, she kept laughing and I could hear it. Like a cute little baby laugh. It made me happy.

-Clothes: Definitely all maternity, with a few pieces of my original wardrobe here and there. I am at that point now though that I don't want to buy any more maternity clothes though. 1-They are so expensive! 2-They aren't very cute :( Every time I go somewhere I see a dress or shirt that is super cute and want to stop and look at it. Then I suddenly think, what the heck am I doing, I can't wear this! It is all the more motivation to get my booty back in shape after baby girl comes though, so I can wear all of these cute clothes I see!

-Feeling (emotionally): I can tell my body is preparing me more and more for the baby not only physically, but emotionally too. I find myself just laying there feeling her move and become overwhelmed with a sense of excitement to meet her. My hormones are naturally releasing a "mommy sense" I think. For the first time, I feel ready emotionally for this baby to come. I obviously want her to stay in as long as possible so she can as healthy as possible, but my heart is ready for her to be here.

-Checklists: getting done! We have the nursery (almost) put together... that post is coming soon! We have picked out our pediatrician and we have childcare lined up! It feels good to have those bigger items on the list checked off. I still need get all of her stuff organized, and see what we need still. Wash her clothes, get more diapers. That kind of stuff. I am counting on that "nesting bug" to bite me soon and give the motivation to knock that stuff out of the way asap.

Last but not least, here is a pic of what 32 weeks is looking like: