A Snuggly Gift for Baby

Today we received a super awesome gift from one of the girls I work with.  It is the most adorable newborn hat and cocoon.  Daddy is going to have so much fun taking pictures of Baby in this precious outfit!  I can't wait...It is already in the hospital bag!

36 Week Belly Photos

Now that's a BIG Belly!

36 Week OB Appointment

Today's OB appointment went pretty well. Baby and I are still hanging in there. Baby's heartbeat is still hanging in the lower 140s. Baby is head down and snuggling in with no signs of deciding to make any entrance any time soon... Yea! My blood pressure continues to run low, around 70/50. All in all, we got the go ahead to continue on our journey towards our c-section date!

Miles Picked Out an Outfit for Baby

Today, when Miles and I were out looking for an Easter outfit for him, he insisted that we buy something for Baby.  Here is what he picked out... A first Christmas outfit.  Miles told me he picked it because it had "Happy Feet" on it!

36 Weeks

Our due date is just four weeks away. Hasn’t time flown? Our once-poppy seed would probably be able to breathe on their own if they were born right now. (If not, Baby would probably need some TLC, but Baby would likely be okay.) Most of Baby's systems are in working order at 36 weeks.

Baby is getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on their own.  Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft and their gums are rigid. Baby's liver and kidneys are in working order, and the circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.

Our baby's the size of a coconut!

Baby's still in the 17.2- to 18.7-inch and 4.2- to 5.8-pound range and continues to beef up.

How far along: 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +19.5 lbs

Pregnancy Symptoms: PAIN, PAIN, PAIN!!!, complete lack of sleep, unable to see my feet, lightheadedness, pregnancy brain, sciatic pain, difficulty breathing when walking up a flight of steps, thirsty all the time, Braxton Hicks, increased urination, difficulty eating as I am full after a few bites, swollen ankles and feet, hip pain
Maternity clothes: Yep
Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: I have not slept for almost 3 days straight worth talking about because my back hurts so severely at night
Best moment last week: It sinking in that Baby is going to be here soon!  I am starting to really accept our delivery route and the fact that we know the date and beginning to get really excited to meet little one.
Movement: Lots and lots of rolling around.
Food cravings: Sweet tea
Gender: I am pretty confident that I know what Baby is... We will see if my predictions are right, but I think Miles is going to be having a little brother (at least according to the dreams)
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, and then there was that one day when I had multiple contractions while at work, but luckily that all calmed down after a few hours

Belly Button (in or out): I'm an outie!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I miss: Not being in constant pain... This is ridiculous
What I am looking forward to: Finding out if Baby is a Boy or a Girl, as I have waffled so much, being completely convinced early on that Baby was a girl, and now completely convinced that Baby is a boy
Milestones: Only 3 more weeks until our c-section date and only one week away from full term!!!

Preparing for Baby

It has been raining all day, so we decided to use today as a lazy pajama day. As we had nothing we absolutely HAD to get done today, we decided to pull out some Baby gear and start getting some things ready for Baby's arrival.

Miles was very excited to play in the stroller as we figured out how we were going to be able to make it work comfortably for both Miles and baby.

The final product

To ensure that Baby and Miles would both be comfortable, we tried it out by using Miles' stuffed frog.  Miles was a very big fan of this, and decided to carry "frog" around the rest of the morning acting like "frog" was his Baby.

Miles is going to be such a wonderful Big Brother!

Baby Predictions

We recently sent out an e-mail for everyone to make predictions about Baby and here are the results:

Baby Girl Names: Josephine Henrietta, Madeline (Maddy), Annabel Josephine, Abigail Marie, Amberly, Samantha, April

Baby Boy Names: Spencer, Jameson Allen, Hudson James, Mason Joe, Charles, Carter, Mustafa, Davis

Birth date: 4/3, 4/10, 4/10, 4/11, 4/11, 4/15, 4/16, 4/17, 4/18, 4/25, 4/27, 4/23, 5/1 - Median 4/16

Boy: 8 votes

Girl: 7 votes

Birth Weight: 5 lbs 14 oz, 6 lbs 5 oz, 6 lbs 8 oz, 6 lbs 9 oz, 6 lbs 10 oz, 6 lbs 11 oz, 6 lbs 14 oz, 7 lbs 3 oz, 7 lbs 3 oz, 7 lbs 4 oz, 7 lbs 8 oz, 7 lbs 9 oz, 7 lb 11 oz, 7 lbs 14 oz,  8 lbs 6 oz - Median 7 lbs 3 oz 

Birth Height: 15.5”, 17.5”, 18”, 18.5”, 19”, 19”, 19”, 19.5”, 20”, 20”, 20”, 20”, 20.5”, 21”, 22” - Average 19.3"

Features from Mom: hair color, compassionate, organization, hair, good looks, intelligence, nose, pretty smile, frame, blue eyes, smile and height (if a girl)

Features from Dad: blond hair, feet, sense of humor, good at asking questions, facial features, height, intelligence, eyes, chin, slim body frame, nose, smile, typing speed andcheekbones

First Word: Dada, Mama, No (as Miles tried to take a toy away), Please, Sean, Miles, no, clean

Favorite Food: Sweet potatoes, pizza, fruit, steak and potatoes, bananas, ice cream, pumpkin,  applesauce, filet mignon, popcorn, plums and apricots

Favorite Activity: Playing with Miles, soccer, ballet (ifa  girl), drawing, rugby, strength training, reading, running, pushing a stroller, walking in a stroller, cars, trains, being silly with Daddy, playing with balls, walks in the park, building blocks, baby dolls (if a girl), cooking, pooping and taking a bath

Favorite Sports Team: UNC, Charm City Roller Girls, OSU Football, Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, Boston Red Socks, Orioles and Ohio anything

College/University they will Attend: Boston College, Bucknell, somewhere in Florida, OSU, UK, OU, UMBC, EKU, Drew, Penn State, Williams and Mary, USC, UCLA Berkeley and Michigan

College Major: Business, Math, Sociology, Social Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Journalism, Quantum Computing, Medical Field, Psychology, Engineering, Movie Production, Politics, Economics and Performing Arts