39 Weeks. It’s Baby Week!

 39 Weeks. Baby is the Size of a Watermelon. (And my belly sure looks like it too!)

Total Weight Gain/Loss? 29 lbs. it appears I have topped out?!

Stretch Marks? Just the little ones right above my belly button. I am so thankful to have made it 3 pregnancies with no major stretch marks.

Sleep? I have to get up to pee constantly. But other than that not terrible. I am actually able to get pretty comfortable. It’s really warm so we had to turn the AC on. I have it colder than Joe would like because I am running so warm, but he’s surviving haha!

Best moment this week? Finishing up work and starting my maternity leave! Spending time with our little family this weekend.

Miss Anything? Not really.
Movement?  Baby has been moving a ton!
Food cravings? I just snack a lot

Anything making you queasy or sick? No
Gender?  Can’t wait to find out what our little tie breaker is! The guesses seem to be divided pretty evenly.
Labor Signs?  Monday evening I had contractions (mostly mild) and extreme pelvic pain from 1-3 a.m. but nothing came of it. I eventually fell back sleep and went to work that morning.
Belly Button in or out? Out and it looks so small because it is completely stretched out
Wedding rings on or off? They unbelievably still fit but I don’t wear them because I would swell too much with this heat (it is in the upper 80’s!). But my overall swelling is so much more minimal this pregnancy.
How is mama feeling? Honestly I am feeling a little emotional and sad that my last pregnancy is coming to an end. Just trying to enjoy these last few days.
Looking forward to? Meeting Baby L 3.0 and introducing him/her to Brannock and Amelia. Newborn snuggles! Daddy and I are already emotional thinking about meeting you!!!

I had my last office visit with my OB at 38.5 weeks. Even after that crazy night with intense pelvic pain and some contractions I am still just at 1 cm. But my cervix has softened. I am scheduled to be induced on Tuesday May 25th at 5:30 a.m. and will be getting a Covid test in advance. This is the only way I won’t have to wear a mask through my entire labor even though I am vaccinated. (Luckily guidelines are changing outside of the hospital, mask requirements are dropping, and life is starting to feel much more normal!). If I don’t dilate anymore between now and then I will have to start with a balloon catheter to help dilate but she assures me I am a great candidate for induction at this point. And it takes a lot of the stress of the waiting game away with having the two kids and dogs at home. Grandma Lude is going to come stay with the kids. The kids are so excited! Bran has been asking a lot of questions about how many nights we will be gone. I told him 1-3 most likely, but Grandma will make sure they are well taken care of (a.k.a. spoiled).

Joe had his last night of call before baby on Wednesday night. It was kind of nerve wracking for me for some reason even though I had no indication that labor was looming. But anyway I am just happy he’ll be home with me at night from now on! I took both of the kids to Brannock’s first wiffleball practice, then had to get them to bed and to daycare bright and early in the morning. I was tired!! Thankful to be done with those early morning drop offs for awhile (we had 3 this last week!) now that I started maternity leave. The kids are going to continue going to daycare this summer. They are going to have fun summer camp activities it will be great for them! But we definitely won’t be rushing out of here early in the morning. Joe is taking 3 weeks off right away, then he gets 3 more weeks to use as he pleases (OSU went to 6 weeks of paternity leave in 2021, we are so excited!!). 

Wiffleball is so entertaining to watch! It is a smaller team and all kids starting Kindergarten in the fall. So far we have only had practice but games will run until the end of June. Joe may be doing the vast majority of running the big kids to activities here for the first little while but I really hope I am feeling up to partaking in some of it because it is so nice to get out! We have really been enjoying this nice summer weather!

I am getting so excited to see both of the kids with the new baby. I think Amelia will be motherly. I still giggle that she thinks the baby “that is in Mama’s belly” comes from my belly button. Brannock I think is going to be the best big brother ever. He always loves, kisses, and hugs on my belly, it melts me heart! The other night at bed time he laid his little OSU pillow on my belly and said it’s for the baby so he can be cozy. And then he snuggled up in bed. I mean talk about tugging at a pregnant Mama’s heart strings. Dada also made sure to take care of getting some gifts from the baby for Brannock and Amelia that we’ll give them when we get home. No hospital visits because of Covid.

We finally set up the crib in the guest room and packed the hospital bags. It is amazing how much less planned (and last minute!) the prep for this third baby has been. I hope our relaxed demeanor can continue after baby arrives. It’s going to be a little crazy around here for awhile (the next 18 years?!). Interestingly it has been 6 years since we first found out we were pregnant with Brannock. What a wild ride into parenthood it has been! These kiddos really make like so much better!

The next blog will be introducing our final addition!!! Boy or girl?! Here are the final side by sides at 39 weeks. Brannock, Amelia, and Baby L 3.0. Guess Mom and Dad need to officially decide on some names........

38 Weeks. Getting close!

 38 Weeks. Baby is the Size of a Winter Melon

Total Weight Gain/Loss? 29 lbs.

Stretch Marks? Two little ones right above my belly button

Sleep? Has been rough because I had a cold. Coughing, a big pregnant belly, and having to pee are not a good combination. Getting naps in when I can and thankfully I am on the mend.

Best moment this week? Finishing hanging the drywall in the basement. So exciting to see the progress! 
Miss Anything? Uninterrupted sleep. Which is the new normal here for awhile haha!
Movement?  Movement feels crowded and smaller. I have to pay attention to make sure I am getting kicks. But he/she always makes sure I know they are still there once I sit still for a bit.
Food cravings? Oreos

Anything making you queasy or sick? I have had a little underlying nausea but I think it’s from being sick 
Gender?  Eek I can’t wait!!
Labor Signs? More consistent Braxton Hicks. A few are a bit more painful. I am dilated to 1 cm as of my 37.5 week appointment.
Belly Button in or out? Out 
Wedding rings on or off? They fit but I don’t wear them because I am sure I swell by the end of the day.
How is mama feeling? I have slowed down for sure. It started with the cold. I haven’t worked out in about a week and I really don’t like it. But I know I can’t overdue it and make myself more sick so I have consciously been (trying) to take it easy. I actually called off of work one day when I just wasn’t feeling well. I will probably stick to walking and maybe some yoga for the rest of this pregnancy. That being said I am so proud of myself for how active I stayed!! I feel strong and physically better than I have felt in my other two pregnancies. 
Looking forward to? Meeting this little one! Whenever he/she is ready. 

These last couple weeks have been a whirlwind! I had my weekly checkup at 37.5 weeks. The only real progress was I have dilated from just a fingertip to a solid 1 cm. I am feeling much bigger but not really seeing/feeling much else to indicate labor is near. Dr. Turner is planning to get me on the induction schedule for the week going into Memorial Day weekend when I am 39+ weeks. She actually isn’t concerned about the size of the baby and although she feels like I am a great candidate for induction, she also will let me go late if I so choose. There are no elective inductions at OSU for the holiday weekend, and my due date is on Sunday. So I either get induced by Friday, or wait until Tuesday (2 days past my due date, assuming I haven’t went into labor on my own...which scares me with the size of the baby!). Dr. Turner is on call for the holiday weekend too. So we’ll see what kind of progress I have at my appointment this week.

I am planning to work my 3 days this week, and will make a decision on working next week or not based on what we decide to do about inducing. But at the most 5 days left of work! I am feeling ready to stop working but trying to hang in there as long as I can. I am just so busy keeping up with the other 2 kids and their activities. Plus Joe has been spending a lot of time working in the basement with Aaron. They got a ton done this weekend and actually got all of the drywall up! It’s starting to look like a basement!

Brannock finished up his baseball season, he starts wiffle ball next week. It’s for Dublin kids getting ready to enter Kindergarten this fall. It runs until the end of June and there is a practice and game every week. It’s going to be a very busy month keeping up with these kiddos and having a newborn soon! I am a little anxious thinking about it all but just need to try to take it day by day.

I showed Bran a picture of what the baby would look like inside my belly. He goes “why is he (yes he always says he) upside down? That is so funny!”. His list of baby name ideas is constantly growing. I will make sure to share the final list after baby is here. Amelia likes to mark “the baby” a.k.a. my belly button with stickers. They are so silly! I think they are excited for the new baby, but I also know there are going to be some hard moments for all of us. Amelia sobbed when Joe picked her up from daycare the other day because Joe had moved Brannock to the middle seat in the truck, so baby could have the spot behind Joe. She was in the same spot but her cup holder had to be moved to the other side to make room for Bran’s car seat and she absolutely lost her mind. I hope that’s not a sign of things to come. I hate to tell her but there are much bigger changes coming, including sharing a lot of Mama’s attention. 

Mother’s Day was a bit of a blur. Joe was on call, and it poured all day. I was getting sick and was starting to feel lousy. But the kids made me some really sweet gifts at daycare. And Joe bought us tickets to go see Eric Church in September which I am super excited about! Hard to believe next Mother’s Day I will have a 6, 4, and almost 1 year old!

36 Weeks

 36 Weeks. Baby is the Size of a Papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss? 26 lbs.

Stretch Marks? No

Sleep? I feel like I have a good setup with the pillows and am sleeping pretty good (as long as crazy old lady Izzy isn’t waking me up all night for treats). Also getting a nap in every now and then, it helps!

Best moment this week? Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Roelle, and Great Grandpa and Lil
Miss Anything? Nothing really
Movement?  Yes, but the movement is changing. I can tell baby is getting more crowded. Also gets the hiccups a lot.
Food cravings? Cookies

Anything making you queasy or sick? No
Gender?  I am getting so excited to find out soon!!!
Labor Signs? No, but lots of Braxton Hicks. I also feel like the baby has dropped some?
Belly Button in or out? Out 
Wedding rings on or off? Off, but mostly because I got paranoid with it getting a little warmer I would swell and they would get stuck which is a terrible feeling! They probably still fit.
How is mama feeling? I am mostly in disbelief it is baby month! This pregnancy has flown by. One minute I am so excited to meet this little one and find out what you are. The next I am not ready to be done being pregnant. (Which obviously means I am still way too comfortable! Haha)
Looking forward to? Weekly appointments from here on out! Mother’s Day

So my weekly appointments are going to be on Wednesdays, so really at the 36.5 (etc.) week mark. This weeks update was mostly uneventful. I am about a fingertip (or 1cm) dilated. Contrary to how I am feeling the baby has not dropped and I am not effaced. She said it was unlikely that I go into labor this weekend, which is probably a good thing since Joe is on 1st call. Dr. Turner said she is on call Memorial Day weekend (my due date), but we can discuss at the next appointment possibly scheduling an induction sometime that week before. I am 39 weeks on Sunday May 23rd so the absolute earliest would be that Monday. So Joe and I will have to discuss, and I also need to look and see how long I plan on continuing to work. I forgot to ask what the Covid rules were for labor and delivery. I will have to ask next time.

In other news it’s business as usual with the kids. School (Amelia moved up to Pre-K one with Ms. Angie and Ms. Bridget who both had Bran), swimming, baseball, and playing outside as much as possible. We had two sets of visitors, Great Grandpa and Lil, and Grandma and Grandpa Roelle. I am a terrible person and didn’t take any pics. But the kids really enjoyed the company! We hadn’t seen Grandma and Grandpa since last July! But now that the Covid vaccine is readily available and summer is coming, I really hope we can continue to see more of everyone.

The weather has been super crazy! We had a late April snowstorm that dumped 4 inches of snow, and we were able to let the kids get in their swimsuits and play on the slip n slide a week later! Gotta love Ohio weather. Hoping spring is here to stay now!

We were also really happy to get together with Peg to celebrate her 70th birthday! Both of the kids made her a card, it was so cute. And thankfully Abigail took pictures!

Amelia caught a stomach bug at daycare, which thankfully she seems to have kept to herself! Vomiting and 36 weeks pregnant sounds terrible! But I did get some awesome sick recovering kid snuggles out of it. 

So begins baby watch for Baby L 3.0...it’s baby month!!!!