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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Due Date

Well, here we are! We made it to my due date!


We are not expecting much action today, but I promise to keep everyone posted!

Love,

l&m

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Packing for the Hospital

Our bags are packed and waiting by the door in anticipation of Baby Girl's arrival, which will hopefully be very soon. My goal in packing for the hospital was to keep things pretty simple, since our hospital provides a lot of what we'll need. Here's what's on my packing list:


1. Nursing tanks

2. File of insurance / doctor records: When we were at the hospital for our tour, they let us preregister, so I won't have to fill out any paperwork once I get there. Still, it's good to have all this information available just in case.

3. Nursing pads: Not very glamorous, but necessary.

4. Lanolin Cream: Don't ask.

5. An outfit for Baby Girl to wear home from the hospital

6. A baby blanket

7. Bathrobe (not pictured): It will be nice to have a comfy robe to wear over my hospital gown, so I won't feel so exposed!

8. Husband snacks (not pictured): The hospital provides snacks for me, but M will probably need some man food for energy.

9. Cell phone and charger (not pictured)

10. Toiletries (not pictured)

Luckily, we live very close to the hospital - only about a mile away. If we get there, and I find that I forgot something important, I can always send M back to the house to get it.


Somehow, I managed to catch a cold. Probably due to all the snow and cold weather lately. Thanks, Colorado. I managed not to get sick my entire pregnancy, and now - the day before my due date - I am like a walking plague. I think my body is worn out. Still, Baby Girl is perfectly healthy! That is really all that matters anyway.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Baby Girl, We're Ready for You...

It's snowing here again! Fortunately, the weather is supposed to warm up by the end of the week... just in time for Baby Girl's arrival? We'll see :)

All of Baby Girl's things are already washed, folded, and put away in her nursery...


I still can't believe she is going to be here soon, wearing all those adorable little outfits!


My due date is Wednesday. So far, I haven't felt a single labor symptom. I have a theory that Baby Girl is waiting for warm weather to make her debut. But it's just a theory!

Friday, April 19, 2013

39 Weeks

As of Wednesday, I am 39 weeks! I seriously can't believe it.

 See all the snow still on the ground? We're supposed to get even more next week!

Yesterday at my doctor's appointment, my doctor told me she thought it would be a good idea to have my membranes swept, which can sometimes start labor contractions. We tried it, and then I came home and took a loooooooooong walk with M and the dogs. I was hoping to start feeling contractions shortly thereafter, but nothing happened. Not even Braxton Hicks. 

Last night, we decided to go out for dinner to a local Italian place called Canino's. There is a dessert at Canino's that is known for sending women late in their pregnancy into labor. It's called "spumoni", and it is basically an Italian ice cream made of chocolate, cherry, and pistachio. I'm not sure what it is about this dessert that earned such a reputation, but the Italian women supposedly swear by it. One of my friends actually went into labor after eating it.

I wasn't crazy about the taste... I'm not a huge fan of pistachio.

Obviously, the spumoni did not work its legendary magic on me! I am beginning to think that these old wives' tales were just invented to give pregnant women something to do in the last couple weeks of their pregnancy. 

Happy Weekend!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

More Snow

As I mentioned in my last post, we have been getting tons of snow over the past couple of days...


{M literally had to dig my Jeep out of the snow this morning... it was buried! This is obviously after he dug it out... wish I had a "before" picture!}

The snow is beautiful, but it belongs in January or February... not in April! I just looked at the weather forecast, and there doesn't seem to be any chance of warm weather any time soon. It reminds me of our first "spring" in Fort Collins, which was cold and snowy until mid-May. 

I think I'll move someplace warmer! 


Monday, April 15, 2013

38 Weeks

I was hoping that I would not even have to take a 38 week photo, but Baby Girl seems to be taking her sweet time. Of course, we are happy that she is still growing in the womb where she belongs. We're just anxious to meet her!


This past week, I began experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. They started off very irregular and not too uncomfortable, but last night they came on much stronger. I actually had M timing them to see if I was going into labor. Unfortunately, the contractions went away after half an hour. Oh well!

We got another blizzard last night, and the snow is still coming down! I don't blame Baby Girl for wanting to stay inside where it is warm :)

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Two Weeks Away

Yesterday, as I was at the grocery store, I picked up a gallon of milk. When I looked at the expiration date, I almost did a double-take...

{4/24/13... Baby Girl's due date!}

I realized that Baby Girl's due date is only two weeks away! Of course I knew that, but I don't think I actually believed that, after all this time, she will actually be here soon. I feel like I've been waiting for ages, and not very patiently. But when I saw the expiration date on the milk, I realized that we will not have to wait much longer.

I think that I've been looking at our baby's arrival as something far away, so distant that it almost feels like it will never happen. It's surreal to think that there is actually an end to all this waiting, and that end is soon! Which is good, because I don't think I can hold out much longer :)


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

I Spoke Too Soon...

Looks like last week's "springtime" was just a tease! This morning, we woke up to find that it was snowing, and it has been snowing ever since...


I am hoping that this will be the last snow of the season, but I don't want to get my hopes up! 


Thursday, April 4, 2013

37 Weeks


We made it to 37 weeks! Hooray! At this point, I am doing everything I can think of to encourage labor. Raspberry leaf tea, long walks... We'll see if the old wives' tales are true :) 

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Springtime

Finally, after what feels like the longest winter ever, spring has arrived here in Colorado. It's probably the hardest time of year for me, waiting for the weather to change, for all the snow to melt, and for everything to turn green. This year, waiting for spring has been especially difficult because this is the season when our little girl will be born. I have been trying to wait patiently, but patience does not always come easily to me :)

{flowers spotted on our walk yesterday}

I'm hoping we've seen the last of snow, but around here, you just never know! 




Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Birthday Weekend

This past weekend, we celebrated M's 25th birthday...


Friday night, we went out to dinner with friends at our favorite Fort Collins spot, Restaurant 415...




Over the weekend, the weather was warm and sunny... finally! We took Georgia and Sadie on long walks, and I wore sandals for the first time in months... my pale feet were begging to see the sunlight.


For M's birthday cake, he requested double-chocolate fudge. It was so rich and delicious! We are still devouring the leftovers :)


Between Easter and the birthday festivities, it was a pretty busy weekend at our house. We were not very productive at all! And there is still a lot to do before Baby Girl arrives. The next few weeks, we'll be working on our massive to-do list. It's a little intimidating, I have to admit. I'm not sure how we're going to get everything done. But I'm thankful for the busyness, because it means that the time will pass more quickly! 

Monday, April 1, 2013

36 Weeks & Happy Easter

Hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend! We celebrated M's birthday (more on that in another post) and spent a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather. It's about time, Colorado! 


This past week was Week 36! On Wednesday, I will officially be 37 weeks, or "term". Baby Girl is currently the size of a watermelon!!! Obviously. She weighs about 6 1/2 pounds. My cervix is already dilated (1 cm) and is about 75% effaced. (Sorry if this cervix talk grosses you out... nothing grosses me out anymore, so I have lost my ability to filter.) According to my doctor, this doesn't necessarily mean that she is coming sooner than her due date... it just means that my body is getting ready to birth a baby! 

Having this little baby moving inside me is an amazing reminder of Easter and new life. I was sitting this morning, listening to the birds singing and feeling Baby Girl, and I was just struck by these miracles that point to the Resurrection. It's pretty amazing :) 

Happy Easter!
He is risen!

Love, 
l&m