35 weeks...and progressing!

so baby, we had a doctors appointment today - and in my opinion, it was a good one!  the downside was, we gained 5lbs in the last two weeks (but im set on the idea that it was only because we were at the other office, on a different scale!)  the good news is, we are 1cm dialated!  and that makes your momma a very happy woman!  that means all these braxton hicks contractions we have been experiencing are starting to do something beneficial for us, instead of just increasing my back pain and leaving me with severe headaches!

you are measuring (from the outside) exactly where you should be at 35 weeks, although i must admit that i am super curious about your actual weight - only because your twin brothers were born the morning of their 35th week and they weighed 5lb 14oz and 6lbs 9oz!

we stopped at nonna's office after our appointment today - debbie is still insisting you are a girl and aunt sandy did the needle and thread test on me - first: a boy, second: a boy, third: a boy, fourth: a girl, fifth: nothing - the needle stood as still as could be!!  nonna and i looked at each other, pretty shocked!  apparently its a test that an older member of our family used to do without fail.  she was always dead on, and in aunt sandy's family it has stood true so far!  so i guess within the next few weeks we will see if peoples predictions are right about you!  either way baby, you must know that i will love you millions.  no matter what you are the final piece to our puzzle, you are what will complete us as a family and we are just so excited to meet you!

hang tight little baby - just a few more weeks until your grand arrival!!  im getting so excited - you have no idea!! 

millions,

  ~ mommy

waist = 43.5 inches

weight = 163lbs

34 weeks...nearing the end!

baby, as we head into our last few weeks together in this first adventure of life there are a few things i need you to know.  first, i am so sorry that i did not remain consistent with this journaling throughout the whole pregnancy.  i truly hoped to document every detail of our journey for our first 9 months together and i really have no excuse, so please don't hold it against me for to long!  the important thing is, i was doing what needed to be done in order to take care of us! 

also, i want you to know that as we get nearer to your birth date, we are all becoming more and more anxious to meet you!  keeping your identity a surprise was such a great decision and your dad and i are so glad we stuck through until the end!  you cannot even begin to imagine how excited we are for the big day to arrive, not only will we be meeting you face to face for the first time, but we will be receiving one of the only true surprises left in life, and what a blessing you will be!!

the last eight and a half months have truly been an experience for me.  our pregnancy has been so very different from either of my pregnancies with your brothers.  you name a pregnancy symptom and we have likely experienced it together...the good and the bad!  nothing about this pregnancy has compared to my past two, which only adds to my unending curiosity about who you are, growing inside there!

your dad and i have come up with two names, one for a boy and one for a girl...and recently we have played around with a variation of the girl name, introduced to us by your brothers.  so when the big day comes, i guess we will just have to see which of the names fits you the best!

recently you have been making me quite nervous. braxton hicks contractions are something new to me this pregnancy, and we have been having a LOT of them!  according to my doctor visit 4 weeks ago we weren't dialating yet, but I'm interested to see what the verdict is this coming week!  thankfully, we have worked together as a good team in keeping my weight down while making you a good size baby!  up till now, i have only gained about 25lbs and I'm hoping for sonogram within the next week to get an estimate as to how big you may be (because you sure do feel "healthy"!)

working is becoming quite the challenge, my legs are swelling and you are just getting heavy!  4 hours is about my max these days, anything beyond that and i pretty much cant move for the remainder of the day!

napping is almost an every afternoon experience for us, it would be nice if your sleep schedule could continue once you are on the outside of my belly :)  and i must say, im sorry you dont have more room to move around in there. i've noticed recently that your movements seem much stiffer and less frequent. to some degree im grateful, because your kicks are becoming a bit more painful with our reduced space, but even more so it makes me concerned. i dont like realizing that i cant remember the last time i felt you moving.  it worries me like you wouldnt believe!  imagine that, you are not even here yet and i worry about you so often!

i have recently washed some of your laundry, loaded the diaper basket, made my "to pack" list for the hospital, set the pack-n-play up to air out and gotten pretty stocked up on diapers and some "just incase" formula.  but i still feel like there is so much i could get done, so hopefully you won't be here to much sooner than we are expecting!  although we fully trust in God's plan and know that He will bring you into our life when you both are good and ready!  i've put dibs on Friday, May 13th...with the way our journey has been, you just strike me as a friday the 13th sort of baby!!  and your twin brothers have a field trip to the zoo that day, so it would be just my luck!!  i did warn your dad and told him to plan his work schedule accordingly, better to be safe than sorry!  but i know its (mostly) out of my control...

so until the big day, stay safe in there little baby, keep growing, stay healthy and know that we anxiously await your surprising arrival!  we love you more than words can say and we dont even know who you are yet!

millions,

 ~ mommy

weight (at 33 week dr. appt) = 156lbs

waist = 42 inches