39 Weeks...Emotional & Excited!

Today is the one year anniversary of our move to Columbus.  It is so hard to believe it has already been a year since we got the keys to our new home.  After living in Asheville for seven years, it marked the end of a very important chapter in our lives.  Asheville is where Joe and I built our relationship, bought our first home, got engaged, and married.  We worked at our first perfusion jobs.  We adopted our fur babies. We traveled and got involved in running and triathlons.  Living 7-9 hours away from family (and close friends) had its challenges but I think it is one of the reasons our relationship became so strong. When jobs opened up and we had the opportunity to make the move to Columbus it was not an easy decision.  We knew starting a family was our next step, and a big part of us had imagined raising a family in the mountains of Asheville.  But at the end of the day we had to follow our hearts and made the decision to move back to Columbus (where it all started) for better job opportunities, and to be closer to our Ohio friends and family.  Now here we are exactly a year later getting ready to start yet another chapter in our lives.  Maybe it is the pregnancy hormones but I have been a little emotional lately thinking about all of the big changes coming our way.  Of course there is a small part of me that is nervous for the change.  I know there will be times I will miss the care free days of it just being Joe and I.  But mostly I am so excited to meet Baby L, and fall in love with my husband all over again.  Each passing day brings us a little closer to meeting our son or daughter. It feels so real now and we talk about it all the time.  We already love this baby so much.  I can only imagine how much that feeling will be multiplied when we meet Baby L for the first time.

The day we got the keys to our family home.  We had no idea at the time what an exciting year we had ahead.  In just a few short months we'd find out we were expecting Baby L!

Signing contracts and getting ready to start our new jobs at OSUMC.  (Look, no prego belly!)

I feel a bit like a ticking time bomb because I could go into labor any day now.  But we have been keeping busy so the days/weeks just keep flying by.  I thought last Friday would be my last day at work but after some renewed energy this week I ended up picking up a few days.  Tomorrow may be my last day before I go on maternity leave.  It is a weird feeling knowing I won't be pumping cases again until the end of May.  I can't imagine having this kind of time away from work, but something tells me I will be keeping busy.

On Saturday the Igoes gave us some tickets to the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game (his friend had a suite a bunch of us were able to enjoy).  Before the game we grabbed pizza at Bostons.  It was packed and made my belly feel huge!  I was happy to finally get seated,  and the pizza was so yummy!  As an added bonus Laura and Andy were at the game so we got to hang out with them too!

Can't wait to take Baby L one day :)

Laura surprised me on Saturday by letting me know she was planning on helping stock up our freezer for when Baby L arrives.  She came over on Monday and dropped off lasagna, chicken fried quinoa, chicken queso soup, and chips and salsa.  We are so grateful to have some meals ready to go for when Baby L arrives!  (Thank you so much "Auntie" Laura!!).  As for Joe and I, the nesting continues.  I made a batch of spaghetti and meatballs, and chicken pot pie filling to add to our freezer collection.  We have been trying to keep up with cleaning/laundry as much as possible (which is a never ending battle with the pups and crazy weather).  Joe meanwhile has continued working hard on the guest bedroom.  All of the molding is up and painted.  Next step is to cover these horrible pink and grey walls!

Daddy a.k.a. Spelunky hard at work.

The guesses keep on coming in about our mystery baby.  Our sister-in-law Valerie even had a dream about the specific sex, birth date, and name of Baby L.  My niece Claire says a "little Heather" is on the way.

Oh and speaking of names, I think we made our final decisions!  It only took us until a week before Baby L's due date.  You caught us, we may have been fibbing earlier about having decided on names. We are still keeping the names our little secret.  But we'll share where the names came from once Baby L arrives!

Baby L and I also went on a movie date Tuesday afternoon to see Joy.  You can't beat $5 movies and free popcorn.  I know going to movies will be much harder here soon.  I was also thankful my water didn't break while I was there by myself, that would have been embarrassing!

My 39 week exam was very uneventful.  There was very little change from last week.  Although it is somewhat discouraging I know this can all change over night.  I am remaining optimistic I will go into labor on my own when the time is right.  But I also understand that an induction may be in the cards if I don't progress.  If it means a healthy mama and baby that is what is most important.  Joe's one year at OSU is next Tuesday (January 26th) and we really don't want to deliver before then anyway so he gets his paternity leave instead of having to use vacation time.  So maybe Baby L is just trying to be a good cooperative baby?  (Update: Upon closer look at the HR policy it looks like he is already set to get his paternity leave at this point!  He may lose a day before the 26th because it is prorated, but what a relief!) My OB does not seem concerned about my minimal progress and thinks this is all very normal for a first pregnancy.  It is hard not to compare to friends' experiences, and it often makes me feel like I am behind.  But I have heard plenty of other Mom's stories that went late.  And I also know I could have been sitting at 1 cm for a month with no changes.  So I am just taking it day by day and remembering to be thankful Baby L is still doing great and will arrive when he/she is ready. And one way or the other we will be meeting Baby L within two weeks!! My friend Ashley H. shared an article with me today.  It really hits home about my feelings right now.  Cherishing the last days with Baby L tucked safely away in my belly.

I'll Miss My Pregnant Belly When It's Gone.

Baby is the Size of a Watermelon

New for baby this week? Lungs are mature.  Baby is as full term as can be. Everyday from here is a bonus.  Weighs between 7-8 lbs and measures between 19-21 inches.

Total weight gain/loss? 37 lbs. The lbs. keep on coming, and I can definitely feel the extra weight.
Maternity clothes? It's bad when some of your maternity shirts are getting too short.
Stretch marks? Nope! :)
Sleep? Aside from potty breaks, sleeping great.
Best moment this week? Any moment spent enjoying Baby L's kicks and flips.
Miss Anything? Easily tying my shoes and shaving my legs. 
Movement? All the time.  Joe and I love to just sit on the couch or lay in bed enjoying the show.
Food cravings? Chocolate milk, the standard.
Have you started to show yet? The real question now is "are strangers giving your horrified looks you may have that baby any second?!"
Gender? We are both going to stick with our guess of boy.
Labor Signs? Pretty much non-existent.
Belly Button in or out? I have grown to love my prego button.
Wedding rings on or off? Off...and staying off.  My hands, although not awful, are one of the places I am seeing extra fluid.
How is mama feeling?  Overall still very good.  I had some horrible charley horses recently while I was sleeping.  That on top of a lot of walking over the weekend left me with very sore calves for a few days. Oh and still warm, very warm.  I had to talk Daddy into turning the thermostat down to 64 degrees otherwise I cook night! Can you imagine if we'd had a summer baby?!
Looking forward to?  Meeting Baby L.  Our last days just Joe and I.