37 Weeks! 5-28-2021 to 06-03-2021

 5-28: We did it! Thank you, Lord! We made it to 37 weeks which means Baby Chandler is early full term!!! If he were born today, he could skip the NICU granting everything looks okay! I'm so, so thankful! It took us forever to get pregnant and we suffered a lot of agony, but this pregnancy has been smooth, overall mostly boring, and completely wonderful! I used to fear I would lose him to premature labor or other complications but here we are sitting on the couch next to Brandon, cozy at home, and feeling him move inside! Thank you, Jesus for all you have done! 

Today, I felt better and wasn't as uncomfortable as yesterday! I do think I had a few contractions in the middle of the night around 3am! I woke up in so much pain but it passed and I never had any spotting, regular contracting, or water breaking so I think it's just the process of early labor! Either way, things are definitely changing and that is so crazy exciting to me! I feel like he has started to drop into my pelvis a bit too! My heartburn is so much better and I can feel him much lower than before! I don't know how much longer we have to go until he gets here, but knowing things are starting to change is amazing! 

I vacuumed his nursery today, hung the mobile on the new arm I ordered (looks perfect), and put his new side table next to the rocker! Those two little touches made everything come together so beautifully!! I think his nursery is finally finished! It's such a cozy and beautiful space and I find myself in there daily rocking back and forth in the rocker with my hand patting him! I can't wait for him to be here but I'm also trying to be patient and cherish every single second, kick, and roll that I can while he is still connected to me! I'm so fortunate to be on maternity leave now and have this precious time at home to rest when I feel icky, enjoy nesting, and not be overly stressed in my third trimester. God's timing is never wrong and I am so thankful He told me "no" when I begged him for a baby because not only is my faith stronger than ever, I am witnessing the unfolding of His absolute perfect timing in our lives. 

Tonight we're enjoying listening to a crazy storm, about to have warm cookies, and just enjoying our cozy little home. He surprised me with my Push Present today and I am in LOVE! I think the whole idea of a Push Present is a little silly but I love that he wanted to do something extra special for me and get me a gift before baby Chandler gets here! He got me a new Microsoft Laptop and it's amazing!! All the fancy features and I love it! He knows me so well!! It will be such a great thing to have while nursing/tending to baby while also working at the same time, makes it a dream for not having to be tied to my desktop computer once school starts again, and is so light that I can take it anywhere! I just love, love, love it! He also got me a really fancy mouse to go with it in case I don't want to use the built-in mouse, the perfect keyboard, and a beautiful pink case to go along with it. He is so great to me! In return, I asked him if he wanted his Father's Day present early, which of-course he did so I gave him his specially designed boudoir book of me and baby Chandler! He really liked it and I was so happy I could have something so beautiful made for him! 

5-29: Very restless night with insomnia and return of heartburn but resting today, especially since Brandon is cycling in Fredericksburg and about 1.5 hours away. I really want to get outside and do yard work but because Brandon isn't home and also because it's Memorial Holiday Weekend and I'm not sure if Dr. Capet is on or not, I don't want to put myself into labor! So, another day of being inside and at home but I'm keeping myself occupied with Denzel movies, blogging, light house keeping, and sweet moments in the nursery. 

6-3: Appointment Day!!! I just love appointment day so much!! I saw Dr. Capet for an 0800 routine appointment and although the cervical checks are very uncomfortable, I find myself looking forward to them because I'm anxious to see if I've dilated any more or made any progress! We had a great visit and she said I was dilated to a 4!!!! Eeeekkkk! A FOUR!!!! She told me she was surprised I hadn't had Chandler yet and would be shocked if I was still pregnant in a week!! Oh my gosh!!! He's going to be here so soon!!! She said everything looks good, his heart rate is high 130's, and he's "right there" ready to go! Told me I could resume my activities, bounce on my birthing ball, try red raspberry tea, eat prunes, and go home and do 200 squats. She told me that she has a high suspicion that I'm on track for a precipitous delivery since I'm already a 4 and all that really needs to happen is my water to break and contractions to start. She thinks it will happen very, very fast!! Ahhhhh that is so intimidating to me!! She told me to come in as soon as I feel my water break or reach 5-6 contractions an hour and be very prepared that I might miss my Epidural window! I was honestly afraid of that!! She also said that because of this risk, that she highly doubts I'll have the 4 hour window in Labor and Delivery to receive my IV Penicillin for GroupB so she has started me on oral Ampicillin in the meantime to make sure baby is well protected from any possible risks. 

So now we wait!!! Every time I get up or move, I wait for the "gush" of water or the "pop" sensation but nothing happens! I am really dying to do some yard work but now I'm afraid of being outside, filthy in the dirt, and then my water breaking and I won't have time to even take a shower or clean up at all! Along the same thought process, as much as I want to go into labor and meet my baby, I don't want to rush things or force it- especially when Brandon is at work and not home with me! It's driving me crazy!! Do I go for it and do all-the-things, or do I have normal days at home and let nature have it's way? Really though, I know I can rest in the Lord and that truthfully, I have zero control over when I go into labor. Whenever He wills Chandler to be born and however it happens is exactly how He planned it to be. For that, I'm so thankful! 

As for changes, I am right at the 140 pound mark now- meaning I've gained a healthy 22 pounds! My platelets are stable at 135-140 and Dr. Capet is watching them closely. The heartburn is better, not completely resolved but the lower baby drops, the better it gets! I'm short of breath with activity but that's expected. I'm sleeping better and so thankful for it! I wake up every 1-2 hours to use the restroom but it seems like I can fall back asleep and my dreams have been so deep! I don't know if I'm just that tired at night or if my body knows what's coming and is preparing by getting extra rest? Turning over in bed is really difficult and the bigger he gets, the more difficult it becomes! It's actually a bit painful but once I get situated with pillows, I feel comfortable again. No nausea, vomiting, or major bowel issues, which I'm so thankful for! Zero swelling and (knock on wood) no stretchmarks! I use Honest Co or Mama Bee Burts Bees shea butter every day, sometimes twice a day and drink A LOT of water so I think that may be helping prevent marks! The only real food cravings I've had this pregnancy are Chocolate Milk (starting about week 35ish), donuts (starting about week 36 ish but resolving by week 38) and things like raw vegetables (carrots, broccoli), which isn't abnormal bc I like that anyway. The milk has been an odd craving because I generally don't like glasses of milk or crave things with milk products but lately, milk is high on my list! That's really it though! I've been very very blessed with a great and overall boring, healthy pregnancy and I'm so thankful!