36 Weeks...Happy New Year! 9 Months Prego!

Joe and I woke up Christmas morning at our house.  It was pretty quiet just the two of us.  I can't wait for next year when we will have Baby L running (or hopefully still just crawling) around for Christmas.  It is so exciting to imagine the fun Christmas mornings and family traditions we will enjoy for years to come.  Joe and I had agreed we weren't going to buy each other gifts.  I followed our agreement and got Joe a card with a special note inside. I think it might have pulled at his heart strings a little bit.  Joe also got me a very sweet card (teasing about both of us having prego brain which is very true...he was the one that locked his keys in his car last week!), but broke the rules a little bit and got me a gift certificate for one more prenatal massage.  He always goes above and beyond, it was very thoughtful.  Although now I know not to believe him about not buying gifts!  My only instructions were to go get the massage soon so my water doesn't break on the table, haha!

Christmas marks our last road trip before Baby L, and for that we are very grateful.  Long trips in the car are getting harder.  It is going to be comforting staying closer to home, my OB, and OSUMC as our due date quickly approaches.  We spent Christmas day at Aunt Debbie's house with the aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was also our last time seeing Megan pregnant as Baby Zane made his arrival this week.  We can't wait to meet him! (Guess this also means it is our turn next?!).  We celebrated Christmas with Joe's Mom and siblings on Saturday.  The Lude family likes to open gifts in a rotation from youngest to oldest, so Baby L got the first gift this year.  It was a great weekend with family, but we were both exhausted and ready to be home sweet home by Sunday.  It has been a very busy month!

Christmas at Aunt Debbie's House

Christmas at Mama Lude's House

Tuesday night Joe and I went to Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo with Laura and Andy.  After a couple busy days at work I was pretty impressed I made it walking around the zoo for a few hours.  I was very sore afterwards and was definitely starting to slow down the longer we were there.   It's rough carrying around all this extra weight, plus I can really feel it in my now stretchy joints!  We enjoyed the lights and checking out the zoo animals they keep out in the winter.  We are lucky to have the zoo so close to our house.  I am sure Baby L will be a regular!  After the zoo we tried out a new restaurant, Kraft House No. 5.   It was yummy!

 My weekly checkup with the OB showed no evidence of progress.  My cervix is still closed and the baby hasn't really started to drop yet.  We did the Group B Strep test, which if it comes back positive just means I will need antibiotics during delivery.  The good news is that Baby L is still head down so no change of plan in terms of delivery.  My OB said we'll talk at the 40 week appointment (if I haven't already went into labor) about setting up an induction the following week (Feb 3rd-ish).  She won't let me wait too much longer than that because of the higher risk of meconium aspiration and an "old" placenta.  Otherwise right now it is just a waiting game.  I am supposed to call if my water breaks or my contractions are 5-1-1 (5 minutes apart, lasting 1 min, for 1 hour).  I unfortunately have also picked up a cold, so we both agreed to trying some natural remedies first.  Otherwise she let me know a couple things I can take if things aren't better within a few days (I really hate taking medicine anyway, and even more so with Baby L on board).

This is why kick counting is kind of a joke.  Let's just say Baby L makes his/her presence very obvious.  It may be getting more crowded in there but he/she is definitely still finding room to move around a lot!

Buddy and Izzy have mysteriously both been limping around the house the last couple days.  It's either from playing too hard in our muddy mess of a backyard after all this rain, or they are making fun of my pregnancy waddle.  Maybe they are just being sympathetic?! :)

The nursery is ready to go.  All we want to find is a little table to put beside the glider but that is no big deal.  We are so happy with how everything turned out.  We also set up the baby monitor.  We love that we can talk over the monitor and scan/zoom the camera.  Now I just hope Mommy and Daddy can get some sleep instead of constantly watching Baby L!

So here we are 4ish weeks away from meeting Baby L and it is New Years Eve! 2015 was a year full of many big changes.  I have a feeling 2016 is going to be our best year yet!

Baby is the Size of a Honeydew Melon

9 Month Prego.  Hope this cold goes away fast!

New for baby this week? Weighs about 6 lbs. and is 20 in. long, shedding the hair (lanugo) and wax (vernix caseosa) that has been protecting the skin. Apparently baby swallows this resulting in meconium (baby's first bowel movement).

Total weight gain/loss? 33 lbs.  Guess the weight gain isn't slowing down yet! haha
Stretch marks? No :)
Sleep? I get sore if I lay on one side or the other for too long.  My need to flip over usually matches up with when I have to pee anyway.
Best moment this week? Spending time with family.  Sitting down after a busy day working/going to the zoo and enjoying a movement show from Baby L. Trying to take advantage of this as much as possible.
Miss Anything? Walking around as much as I want without hip and pelvic pain.
Movement? Baby L has been moving in huge shifts where my entire belly ends up lopsided.
Gender? Joe called me out when I called Baby L a "him" the other day while we were in the nursery.
Labor Signs? It's been a quiet week for any signs of contractions.
Belly Button in or out? Can see my "button" through all of my shirts.
Wedding rings on or off? On but snug.
How is mama feeling? Worn out.  Being sick and prego is rough. Taking advantage of some extra naps.
Looking forward to? OSU vs. ND Bowl Game

35 Weeks...Twas The Night Before Christmas

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Baby Lude soon would be there!"

Merry Christmas Eve!  Can't believe Baby Lude will be here in just 5(ish) weeks.  Even harder to believe that this time next year we will have an 11 month old with us celebrating Christmas.  We couldn't be more excited! We are loving all of the Christmas cards filling our cupboards.  And I also bought my first clothing items for Baby L for Christmas (Can you believe I resisted 35 weeks?! It is much easier when you don't know what you are having!)

Mama's first outfit bought for Baby L

Some of our Christmas cards.

Last weekend Joe and I took the dogs up to Elyria to celebrate Christmas with my family.  We visited my Grandpa at work on Saturday and watched OSU basketball beat number 4 ranked Kentucky.  That evening Joe and I went to Wolfey's for dinner with my Mom.  Afterwards we watched some football and Christmas Vacation, one of my favorite Christmas movies! Joe and I also stopped by Finwood Estate to see the awesome Christmas lights.

Brr...one of the few cold nights we have had this winter.

We made a quick visit to our boss Jim's lake house Sunday morning while we were up there since it is only 20 minutes from my parents' house.  I think we are going to need to get Baby L a little life jacket so we can go play at the lake next summer!   My sisters and their families all came over to my parents' house on Sunday afternoon for family Christmas.  We enjoyed a yummy meal and then exchanged gifts.  Sometimes I can't believe how old my nieces and nephews are getting!  Claire thinks I am having a baby girl (which would be good for her since Cameron and Jaden are older and too "cool", so I am sure she would love a little girl to play with).  But Claire was really not sure what to think of my belly and she kind of stared at it with a horrified look if I wasn't sitting down on the floor playing with her.  She barely touched it one time, and when we went to hug to say goodbye she stayed as far away and to the side of me as possible so that it didn't touch her. It was hilarious!  Baby L and the fur babies received nice gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.  Joe and I got an awesome new coffee maker (something tells me we'll really be appreciating that here soon!).

Grandpa Jeff picked out the outfit for Baby L!

Laura and I met up on Monday afternoon for manicures and lunch.  It was nice to have a girls day since those will be few and far between here soon (unless I bring Baby L along of course).  Afterwards we walked around the mall for a bit, and by the time I got home I was exhausted!

I had a checkup on Tuesday with the last OB I had not met.  It was a very low key appointment.  Baby L is still being cooperative and staying head down, and all of my numbers are right on target.  This OB was curious how our families and friends felt about us keeping the gender a surprise.  And after listening to the heartbeat she laughed and said well a HR in the 140's sure doesn't even give you a hint at the sex of the baby based on the old wives tales.  What can I say Baby L enjoys the secret as much as we do! So now I am officially on weekly appointments from here on out and will be back with my regular OB.

As for Christmas Eve, we are spending it here in Columbus.  It is our first Christmas in our new home!  Looking forward to a quiet evening with Joe and the fur babies, and maybe checking out some Christmas lights.

Baby is the Size of a Coconut

I wore this same shirt last Christmas (lets just say its a little snug).  I think I did a better job of fattening Santa up this year :)

New for baby this week? Starting to max out on height but will continue to pack on about an ounce per day. Basic physical development is mostly complete.  Weighs about 5.5 lbs.

Total weight gain/loss? 31 lbs.  I am reading that weight gain can slow or even decrease the last month...I'd be okay with that!
Sleep? I had a dream I went into labor while we were in Elyria and was frantically telling Joe in the dream we needed to get up and hurry back to Columbus.  I guess I was a little paranoid being out of town as my due date gets closer (even though there are no real signs of me going into labor anytime soon).  I have gotten much more efficient at getting in and out of bed, and off of the couch.  Or maybe I am just used to it? :)
Best moment this week? Christmas with family.
Miss Anything? Being able to tie my shoes easily.
Movement? Still lots of big movements.  Kick counting is pretty much a joke since I can get 10 kicks so fast.  I often see arms and legs pushing out in different directions from my belly. 
Food cravings? Chocolate milk.
Labor Signs? On Sunday night I had some pretty strong Braxton Hicks contractions that woke me up in the middle of the night and lasted about 15 minutes.  I felt them a lot in my back and had to get up and walk around to relieve them.
How is mama feeling? Very happily much better all around this week! 
Looking forward to? Christmas with the Lude Family.  Our last road trip before Baby L!

34 Weeks...Maternity Photos/Feeling Prego

On Saturday we had a chance to go out and dress up for our work Christmas Party.  It was our first Christmas party since starting at OSUMC.  It is hard to believe we have been at our new jobs for almost a year.  Of course we were too busy socializing and completely forget to take any pictures at the party!  I got lots of compliments on my growing baby belly (it's much more obvious in normal clothes than scrubs).  The best part was it was such a warm night I was able to wear a dress, cowboy boots, and no jacket!  We have been so spoiled with great weather this can only mean the blizzard is coming for Baby L's arrival, or we will be stuck in the house with a late cold/snowy winter after delivery.

We met Laura for dinner at Winking Lizard on Wednesday and dropped off some Christmas gifts for a family we had adopted for the holidays through her school.  We have been so blessed this year and we really wanted to give back.  I am hoping this will be a tradition we can continue with Baby L each year at Christmas.  We also sent out our Christmas cards this week!

The realtor that helped us buy our house in Columbus did a photo session with us this fall and gave us a print on canvas as a gift.  We got some great family pictures that included my baby bump and the fur babies (who play such a big part in our family).  Speaking of the dogs, Buddy and Izzy are getting increasingly needy and clingy each week.  They definitely know something is going on.  I caught Buddy sleeping outside of the nursery again the other night while I was reading in bed.  And they both constantly want to be sitting with me or laying on me and the baby bump (especially if Joe isn't around).  They are very interested in all of the new baby stuff in the house.  We also realized that Sophie the Giraffe squeaks, which makes me a lil nervous for Sophie! (Izzy LOVES squeaky toys). Big changes are coming but hopefully it's a good transition for all of us. 

Our family :)

Izzy and Buddy can't wait to meet their lil brother or sister.

We also had maternity photos taken a couple weeks ago with Brittany of Joyful Moments Photography (she donates all of her profits to help orphans at Tupelo Children's Mansion, how awesome is that?!).  We were so happy we took the time to do a maternity session.  She so perfectly captured such a special time in our lives, and a pregnancy we have really grown to love and cherish.  Can't wait for her to take our newborn pics after Baby L arrives! Here's a few of our favorites from the photo shoot.

Baby is the Size of a Butternut Squash or Cantaloupe

Post work pajamas are a must!

New for baby this week? About 4.75 lbs and 19 inches.  All about continuing to develop and mature.  99% of babies born now can survive outside the womb, yay! Fingernails have reached the end of the finger.

Stretch marks? Still none...so thankful!
Sleep? Getting much harder to get comfortable, flip over, and get out of bed (especially for middle of the night potty breaks).  Catching naps whenever I can!
Best moment this week? Getting our maternity photos back.  Flipping through bump pictures (Joe was amused at how tiny I was when we found out we were pregnant with Baby L...funny how quickly the growing bump becomes the new normal).
Miss Anything? Walking without waddling (my pregnancy swag) and getting winded just from walking
Movement? I haven't been very good at remembering to do my kick counting.  But it is probably because baby is so frequently moving around, so I am not too worried.  Some kicks/jabs are starting to feel a lil sharper, but I wouldn't call them painful.
Labor Signs? TMI...but I thought I peed my pants or my water broke at work today!  Turned out upon further investigation it was just normal pregnancy discharge.  Sure I will be having many more of these moments over the next 6 weeks.
Belly Button in or out? Oh my poor belly button piercing hole got really stretched out this week!  I have had it out for a couple years, and thought it was well healed.  But it actually got stretched to the point it re-opened and I had to clean it out. Gross!!  Thankfully looking better now.
Wedding rings on or off? On...but barely got them on the other morning!  This was a first.  Although my hands don't look it, they must be starting to swell a little bit.
How is mama feeling?  I would say week 34 is the week I really started to feel PREGNANT! Third trimester is no joke.  I am sure I will be ready to meet Baby L in 6 weeks (but seriously Baby L...stay in there cooking as long as you need to!)
Looking forward to? Christmas with family in Elyria.

33 Weeks...Fetal Growth Ultrasound/Twinkle Twinkle Little Shower

I was back with my normal OB for a checkup this week.  I realized just how much I LOVE her approach to prenatal care, she always puts me so at ease and is very laid back.  My blood pressure was back to normal 102/60, making my little bit higher BP from a couple weeks ago negligible.  Joe came with me to the appointment because we got to have a little peek at Baby L during the fetal growth ultrasound.  My OB said these ultrasound measurements are much more accurate than the anatomy scan at 20 weeks since everything is larger/easier to measure and are therefore not as easily skewed.  I am now officially carrying a completely average sized baby in the 45-50th percentile.  My belly is measuring right at 33 weeks.  She is estimating Baby L's weight to be somewhere in the range of 4 lb. 6 oz. to 4 lb. 14 oz.  The HR is 153 BPM.  My amniotic fluid levels are normal and baby is head down.  Everything is checking out completely normal so unless something changes there will be no reason to do another ultrasound or induce me before my due date.  This was all GREAT news since I want things to be as natural as possible, and especially since I had my first real pregnancy scare over the weekend.  I started experiencing some light bleeding Friday evening that didn't go away until Monday.  I called the OB office on Saturday morning and was so thankful when my own OB was the one on call.  After she asked lots of questions she assured me over the phone everything was fine, and left me with the simple instructions to try to kick my feet up a lil bit more.  Anyone who knows me knows I do not like to sit still.  I earned myself a bonus cervical exam at this checkup because of the bleeding.  The good news is everything looked completely fine and my cervix is still closed.  This was a huge relief.  I want baby to stay in mama's belly cooking awhile longer, the last thing I want to do is put myself into early labor.  I was apparently one of 3 women that called with bleeding over the weekend, all of which had been putting up Christmas decorations/cleaning/overdoing it.  So from here on out everything in moderation, no lifting heavy objects, and I need to be kick counting twice a day.  The OB was having fun with the ultrasound because Baby L was kicking/moving like crazy as she was moving the wand around.  She also asked us one more time if we wanted to know the sex of the baby.  But after waiting 33 weeks, there is no way we would want to ruin the surprise.  And even if we had wanted to know Baby L was all curled up in the fetal position not willing to share the secret anyway!

Baby L's face is to the left of the image.  The nose is the bright spot in the middle, and the lil hands are both curled up in a ball underneath the chin (one top right, the other bottom right).

HR 153 BPM.  Heart looks great!

Our friends Laura and Callie planned a baby shower for us in Columbus!  We actually decided to have the shower at our house, which worked out perfectly so we had more time to visit with friends and family from out of town and we didn't even need to transport gifts (Huge help with the whole kicking my feet up thing, not to mention my friends left the house spotless!).  Joe was also excited because everyone was able to see all of his hard work in the nursery.  The theme for the shower was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How I Wonder What You Are..."

Callie's brother designed the invitations, they were so cute!

The ladies all did such a great job decorating/planning (my Mom and sisters helped), and everything nicely matched my Christmas decor (it is that time of the year!).  We also had quite the spread of food. 

The Favors

All of the guests had to guess whether Baby L is a boy or girl, and the response was overwhelmingly BOY.  Callie also made a list of old wives tales which I had to answer.  The old wives tales pointed in favor of GIRL 10-5.  Everyone also filled out cards with guesses and advice which will be so much fun to look back on when Baby L arrives.  My sister Nicole guessed the largest baby, but I have no plans to steal the big baby award from her if I can help it!

Baby L received so many wonderful gifts.  We are so blessed.  We had a great day celebrating with all of our friends and family, and even got spoiled with another gorgeous Ohio winter day!  It was especially fun having all of the little ones around.  Our stairs and swing set (oh and doggy tennis balls) were a big hit with the kiddos, and I can't wait for Baby L to join in the mix!

The Grandmas loving on Scarlet's baby, Jordyn.  I guess they are ready for another lil one!

I love this onesie, thanks Krista!  My friends know me too well :)

Callie, Laura, and I.  Thanks for all of your hard work ladies!

Joe, Linda (Grandma Lude!), and I

Sarah and I.  Thanks for taking so many pictures at my baby showers!  Baby L, don't worry Auntie Sarah will make sure you are always well photographed :)

Nicole, Callie, and I

Sisters!  Auntie Nicole and Auntie Renee are so excited to meet Baby L!

College girlfriends.  Oh how life has changed!

Hubbies joined in for a pic. (All the guys grabbed lunch and drinks during the shower).

My family.

Lude Family

Mommy and Daddy To Be being silly.

Joe (a.k.a. Clark Griswold) finished hanging Christmas lights outside.  I told him to take it easy this year but I guess he just couldn't help himself.  We are so excited to start our own family Christmas traditions with Baby L next year.

I spent a little time in the nursery organizing some of our baby shower gifts this week.  It is still a work in progress, but I did get all of the books on the bookshelf.  What a great collection I got at the baby shower!!  The dogs and I took a break to read a couple books to Baby L together.  I have a feeling we'll be doing a lot of this in the future.  The fur babies have gotten extra clingy with me over the last few weeks, they barely leave my side.  I think they know something very big is going on!

We wrapped up the week with a Labor and Delivery Tour at OSUMC.  To be honest since we work at OSU we could have probably skipped this, but I guess it was still good to see the rooms.  We also got to see a really cute baby in the nursery which made us really excited to hold our own little one.  What I do know is the beds and pillows look extremely uncomfortable.  I need to bring a pillow! I am sure we will appreciate all of the help in the hospital but will be ready to get home after we have Baby L.

Baby is the Size of a Durian (or Pineapple)

 

New for baby this week? Eyes are open while awake, bones are hardening, major brain developments, antibodies being passed to baby as their immune system continues to develops
Total weight gain/loss? About 29 lbs
Best moment this week? Baby Shower
Movement? Baby likes to jump on Mama's bladder.  Still very large movements.  I often feel the butt right under my ribs.
Food cravings? Sweets.  Laura's chocolate chip cookies.
Labor Signs? I had probably a few too many Braxton Hicks over the weekend but that has slowed down
How is mama feeling? Back to normal and relieved now that I know everything is on on track.  Still a lil harder to breath with baby smashing my diaphragm.
Looking forward to? A 65 degree weekend (in Mid December?!).  Work Christmas Party.