A Whole New Experience.....

Tuesday started my weekly doctors appointments, I keep thinking that means I am going to be going to the doctor alot but I guess technically if she comes on or around December 1st like she is supposed to that is really only 4 more visits to the doctor. CRAZY!!

Here is my update for this week...

Your pregnancy: 35 weeks

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Things haven't changed to much for us yet. The one thing that is strange is I have absolutly nothing planned, normally we have weekends booked up, but not this year. Other than a Colts game on Sunday and work Monday through Friday I am home. I plan on cleaning and hopefully relaxing until our little girl arrives.

So I am over 34 weeks pregnant, my little ticker says we have 40 days left until this little girl is supposed to arrive. Very hard to believe. I am actually feeling really good, large but good. Trying to get things done after work around the house is proving to be a little more difficult but other then that I still feel like I have been very lucky and have had a very easy pregnancy!

The update for this week
Your pregnancy: 34 weeks
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Other news....I chopped my hair!! You can see it in my 34 week picture to the right...I have had the appointment to do it for about 3 months now and I am very happy to finally have it done. My mom says she can't remember me ever having hair this short. I only trusted Kim (someone I have been going to since junior high) to do it. I needed 8 inches cut off so I could donate it to BeautifuLengths. Not going to lie I thought it was really creepy when she handed me this pony tail and I had to walk out of the salon with it in a plastic zip lock bag, but hopefully BeautifuLengths will be able to use it and make someone a beautiful hairpiece!

This past weekend was the last weekend for me to do any traveling, I am staying here in Indy on the weekends until this little girl arrives. Probably a good thing cause all I feel like doing these days is getting things ready and set up for her!

So after my fun filled weekend of little girl shopping sprees and working on nursery stuff I get an email reminder that I am 33 weeks pregnant. Now when I tell people how far along I am instead of saying that I have plenty of time they say "she will be here before you know it!!"

So here is what my update said...

Your pregnancy: 33 weeks
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

All of that being said I am starting to get so excited to meet our little girl. I want to see her and put all the soft, pretty clothes that I bought on her and after my productive weekend I actually feel like we are ready for her (well as soon as we at least get a pack n play) for her to sleep in!
Tonight we head to our second child preparation class, the first one was a couple weeks ago and that was infant CPR, tonights is "Childbirth Express". I am assuming after tonights class we will have some idea of the adventure we are about to have. I'll let you know how it goes.....

Since Chuck and I found out I was pregnant we have been trying to be very conservative in what we do and in what we spend. Which is very difficult because not only is there a lot of fun baby stuff to buy but it is also the time for Chuck and I to do things together the two of us that we might not be able to do as easily once our little girl arrives. So besides baby furniture I have not really bought our little girl anything!
Well, Babies R Us (BRU) was having a big sale this weekend on clothes! I couldn't resist. Mom's really good friend Donna sent us a very nice BRU gift card that has been burning a whole in my wallet for 2 weeks now. Of course there are tons of things that we need (not clothing) but I wanted to pick out some items for our little girl. It was so much fun and everything is so adorable, my question now is, did I buy items that I will actually use?? I mean I will love putting her in all these things and I know she needs clothes to wear but did I buy the right stuff???
Well, below is a pic of all the fun stuff I bought, even if I am confused if these items are actually useful or not it was still a ton of fun!!

I was a blogging slacker last week so I've got a few things to share...
Last weekend we went up to Notre Dame. We had a great weekend, the weather was fantastic, the game was great and we got to see a lot of the Dodge/MacCourtney family that we don't ever get to see, ha and they got to see me nice and large!
Here are some pics...





The other exciting thing that has happened recently is we got our glider!! Our nursery is actually starting to come together. We don't have a crib, and we won't have a crib apparently until at least the first week in November but that is a whole other story. Everyone told me to get a comfy glider, that I would use it a ton, I was also concerned about it being comfortable for Chuck. Well, I found one that was perfect for the room, but also very comfy for both Chuck and I and Mom got it for us!! When I got home from work yesterday we had a call from Babies R Us yesterday that it was ready to be picked up! It is such a wonderful gift and I love it, its so comfy, which is good because I have a feeling I will be spending many long nights in this. Thanks Mom!! I am posting some pics of what the room looks like so far!

Wow, every time I get my weekly update from babycenter.com I am just amazed at how time has flown by. 8 more weeks left, give or take until we get to meet our little girl!

I did get my update today, this is what it says...
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

I went to the doctor on Friday and everything is looking just perfect, I am the "model pregnant patient" which is good to hear, I am just really crossing my fingers that I stay that way. I am still feeling really pretty good, just everything that has gotten a little more difficult during this pregnancy has seem to just get REALLY difficult, like flipping over in bed!

Today is October 1st, that means if our little girl decides to come on her due date of December 1st she will be here in exactly 2 months!!! In 2 months Chuck and I could be parents, now that is a scary thought!

A lot has happened in the last week. Chuck and I spent two nights last week putting together a dresser for the nursery. HUGE pain in the butt, regardless, it is done and I love it (so does my mom's cat!). Now all we need is a glider, crib and baby and the nursery could be complete!
My mom came on Thursday, she worked so hard and made our house look awesome, inside and out! Then on Saturday she hosted an amazing baby shower where I got to wear a fun hat and we received tons of awesome gifts including lots of fun little pink clothes!! It was so great that so many of our friends and family could actually make it!

With the calendar already reading October and after having the baby shower we now realize that it is beginning to be cruch time on getting everything prepared. Monday night Chuck and I took our first baby class, it was infant CPR, both of us left the hospital hoping we never have to use it but very glad that we took the time to take the course. Our goal is to have the nursery complete and everything we need by November 1st!

I am posting more fun baby shower pics! Enjoy!