Week 40/ Made it to the Due Date!

Greetings all!

Well, we made it to Week 40!  Wow, how the time has gone by.  Feels like it was just July 3, 2012 when we first found out we were going to become parents.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again now, I have enjoyed my pregnancy.  Feeling little Dean grow and become stronger has been one of the greatest feelings I've ever experienced.  He's already a blessing, and John and I are so grateful for the experience we've had.

All that being said, it's about time for him to get moving.

John made an observation this morning that Dean seems to be on Martin-time.  In other words, he's taking his time getting here.  Bless him :)  I'm as ready for him to be here as I can be.  If I may ask, please send your positive thoughts and prayers to Dean to encourage him to come out into the world.  Dean, so many people, your mommy and daddy especially, who want to meet you!  And I promise, there's so much more room out here for you to move and squirm around!  Imagine what all you can do being outside the confines of mommy's belly, lol!

Let's get on to the update:

Size: Small pumpkin!  It's hard to say for sure how big Dean will be by the time he's born.  At last week's appointment, the doctor estimated his weight at around 7.5 pounds, and that he could gain roughly a half pound a week (another factor to encourage him to come on out!)

Physical Features:  His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor.  So, he could have a little conehead after birth, but it's normal and temporary.

How I'm Feeling:  Still having the Braxton-Hicks.  I'm ready for them to be real contractions.  Not that I'm looking forward to the pain, just ready to have him here.  Still feeling great overall, tired as per usual.  I'm not working now, so I've got time to do my exercises and rest when I need to.  Emotionally, I want so much to hold my little boy for the first time.  So again, come on out Dean!

What I'm Thankful For:  Overall I'm grateful for a wonderful pregnancy.  I've stayed as fit as I could (even stayed within the weight gain window!), as healthy as I could (granted all the milkshakes I've had), and I think I did well emotionally as well, but you'd have to ask John about that.  I'm very thankful to have had John and his support throughout the last 40 weeks.  Love him just so much!

Appointments and Upcoming Events:  No more appointments (unless something comes up), and my visit today was uneventful.   So really, the next event will be Dean's birth!

Let's see the last bump pic!

I appreciate all of you following my blog these last few months!  I plan to continue writing as to chronicle our lives with Dean, although it may not be as frequent as the lead-up :)  Thank you all for your encouragement, support, thoughts, and prayers.

Stay tuned for Dean's birth!

Have a great week!

Week 39/ One Week/ Drop It Low!

Yes, I just referenced 2 songs in one title.  I'm cool like that ;)

One week to go before Dean's arrival!  That's give or take, of course.  Although I'd prefer he be born next Monday.  Then his birth date will be 31113!  Over the last few days, Dean has been doing some dropping.  I confirmed this at last week's doctor's appointment.  I felt a little lighter on top, noticed it was a bit easier to breathe, and my mid-back was hurting again.  For me, that's always a sign of his re-positioning :)  Had a minor little emotional freak-out last week, just stressing about everything, but got over it fairly quickly.  Thankful for that!

So...my poor little husband hurt his back this weekend :(  He'll survive, I promise :)  Since he was out for the count, my family stepped in to help with the tasks we wanted (read: I wanted) to accomplish this weekend.  Mom came over to help clean again, and Nick came over to put together our new glider.  Love our new glider :)  Thanks mom and Nick for all your help! (and to April and Eli for their patience!)

In honor of Dean's upcoming birth, I've decided to be clever, so I came up with a Top Ten list about my pregnancy.  Well, two Top Five lists, but when added together, equals Ten :)  Here we go!

What I Loved about Being Pregnant:

5. How nice people can be.  Many times people have gotten up from their seats to let me sit, or let me go first in line for the bathroom.  Such sweet folks :)

4. My awesome hair/nails/skin!  Other than my first trimester, my skin has never looked or felt better!  I'd break a nail and think, so big deal, it'll be back in a week.  And it would be!  Oh, and my hair.  Secret's coming out, I'd sometimes go 2...maybe even 3 days without washing it.  Yeah that may sound gross, but no one ever knew!  

3. While I was tired (a lot), I loved how I felt overall during my pregnancy.  It's difficult to explain.  Those who have children may know what I'm referring to.

2. Getting to experience this with John.  He's been absolutely fantastic during the whole pregnancy and being as involved as he can be.  So excited for our little family!

1. Feeling and watching my little man move around.  I would just watch with utter amazement as I'd see limbs shift or feel little nudges into my ribs.  Absolutely priceless!

What I'm Looking Forward To about Not Being Pregnant:

5. No more aches and pains (pregnancy-related)!

4. Being able to get comfy!

3. I'll have some energy back!

2. I'll be able to shave my legs like a normal person again!

1. My little man will be here!!!!! :D

On to the update!

Size: Mini-watermelon!  Dean is waiting to greet the world, measuring about 20 inches and weighing around 7 pounds (although boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls).

Physical Features: Dean's continuing to build a layer of baby fat to help control his body temperature after birth.  The outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin is forming underneath.

How I'm Feeling: Tired, experiencing some pain all around as well as infrequent contractions.  Otherwise very blessed and very excited to meet Dean!

Who I'm Thankful For:  Jason at the Johnson City Fire Department!  He showed John and I how to install Dean's car seat.  John and I are very much visual learners, so sitting down with instructions isn't the best for us.  So glad that Jason took the time to explain everything carefully and show us how it's done.  We'll be ready to install the second car seat base (but will still take it by to him to check our work :) 

Appointments and Upcoming Events: Next doctor's appointment is tomorrow.  We'll see how far along he's progressed!

Bump Pic!

Keep close to FB for any developments on Dean's arrival!

Have a great week!