36-38 weeks

Here's a little recap of my visits the last few weeks: At 36 weeks I started seeing Dr. Deprez weekly. At 36 & 37 weeks I was 1 cm dilated with no effacement. At 38 weeks I was 1.5cm with minimal effacement. I have been gaining 1-2 pounds a week. Urine testing has been normal and for the most part my BP has been stable too. At 37 weeks we are in a terrible heat wave with temps in the high 90's and high humidity. It was awful!! During that visit my BP was 126/86 which was a little higher than my norm but still ok.

The heat this summer and especially in the last few weeks has been killer but I am surviving. I've spent a lot of time in the pool which has been great. I've had much more swelling in my ankles and feet than I did with Maddie, no doubt because of the weather. Just prior to 38 weeks I started having a LOT of lower pelvic and groin pain and pressure. It is making it difficult (or at least painful) to even walk at times.

Everything is ready for baby Ella to join us. Bags are packed. House has had a thorough cleaning by Aunt Linda. Pedicure is done. The crib has finally arrived, after waiting 17 long weeks for it! The wall decal is up and the room looks great! We worried about moving the glider into the baby's room and also about Maddie's reaction to seeing Ella's crib and furniture. Just like just about everything else we worry about, Maddie surprised us. We decided to transition Maddie to the toddler bed around the time Ella's crib and room were coming together. We also let her pick out a new bean bag and somehow we made it seem like her idea to move the glider so the beanbag could fit- genius! Maddie is very excited about Ella's room. She loves to go play in there and of course gets into everything, headbands, stuffed animals, socks etc. She likes to show the room to everyone who comes over. This morning the first thing Maddie asked me when she woke up is "is baby Ella here yet?" Then she proceeded to ask if "Ella's mommy" would feed her baby milk from a bottle. Thankfully later in the evening when Grammy asked Maddie who Ella's mommy is Maddie pointed to me and said "mama!" Thank goodness.

As I type this (7/24/13), I am timing some contractions that feel more like Braxton Hicks than real contractions. At the very least, it seems things are moving along! We hope to meet baby Ella very soon!!

35 Weeks

My 34 week appointment went well, starting next week I will see Dr. Deprez weekly. At my last appointment my blood pressure and urine were good. Weight was up 2 lbs since the last visit and my fundus was still measuring on target.

The summer heat is getting to me, my biggest complaint is that my feet and ankles are swelling on these hot and humid days....more than they did with Maddie. I get uncharacteristically hot at night but thank God for A.C. One night I woke up Paul because I was still hot despite the A.C being on, he turned up the cool setting. In the morning I asked him if he thought it was as hot as I did and he said he was comfortable, in fact he was a bit cold after we turned up the A.C. This is most definitely the opposite of how things usually go when it comes to our perception of temperature! Heartburn continues to rear its ugly head, not every day but it's pretty unpleasant when it comes. I've been noticing my appetite is quite what it used to be either, I get full quickly. I tend to get mentally exhausted during the work week but, the weekends seem to be harder on my body. I usually end up quite sore, tired and swollen. I am sure that it's because I am trying to do too much between our usual "chores," running errands, playing with Maddie and recently doing more work in Ella's room. Now that Paul is out of school the painting has been completed. We are still awaiting the crb, changing table and wall decorations but just about everything else is organized and ready to go. Ella's coming home outfit has been purchased along with a matching outfit for big sister Maddie, of course. Nana bought Maddie new bedding too as we plan on switching her to a toddler bed in the near future. We figure it will be a good time to do it before the baby comes and we can emphasize the fact that Maddie is getting something new for her room too. I hope it goes as smoothly.

The reality that a new baby will be joining us is starting to hit me. Although I am well aware of pains of labor and delivery that await me, the anticipation of the sheer joy and love we will feel when we meet Ella surpasses everything else.