Bump-Date | Week 40

Bruce and I with his brother and brother's wife. Yesterday, my brother in law was sworn in as a
detention officer. Welcome to the law enforcement life C&B! 

6 days from my due date and officially in my 40th week of pregnancy. Can someone please tell me how I got to this point so quickly!?! It feels like just yesterday, I was sitting at a restaurant table following my second half marathon when someone at the table next to us squeezed a lemon into their drink. The smell was so strong and intoxicating that I thought to myself "hmmm... I wonder if I'm pregnant!?". The next morning I took a test and sure enough, baby #4 was on its way. How have 36 weeks passed since that time!?

I think I am finally starting to feel a little bit ready for this baby to arrive. I've made significant progress on my mile-long to do list. While my mum was in town last week, we tackled some of the huge projects on my list, like going through the tubs and boxes and bags of baby and children's clothes that were being stored in my garage. We condensed everything significantly and donated 8 jam packed garbage bags full of clothes to DI. We also painted my bathroom and put a base coat of paint in Man Cub's room. Bruce then did the stripes on Man Cub's wall on his days off this past week. We also hung curtains and ran some errands and cleaned house. I am so so grateful that my mum was able to come and help me get some things done. I've also got some of my baby related sewing done, finished editing client photos and I'm almost finished with my final peg order before taking a long break from painting. Now if I can just get my hospital bag packed, I will be ready to have this baby!

Weight Gain: I am happy to report that unless I am swelling, I'm hovering right around the 35 pound mark for weight gain. This makes me so happy. No gain in two weeks! There are days here and there when the heat takes it's toll on me and I swell up (see above photo for proof). On those days I'm a little heavier, but luckily, for the most part, I am able to take it easy and drink plenty of water which seems to help keep the swelling at a minimum.

Cravings: Still just craving all those things I shouldn't be eating. If it is salty, sugary, or a way of drinking my allotted calories, I want it. And self control? What's that!?! Luckily, my appetite isn't very big right now (I think I'm running out of room!), so I'm not eating a ton of stuff I shouldn't. But it is definitely what I'm wanting. I hope my love of healthy foods returns once this baby is out!

Third Trimester Symptoms: Heartburn has been pretty minimal lately... I'm thinking the baby has dropped a bit. I'm absolutely exhausted all the time though. This could have something to do with our hot hot heat these days. 115/116 degree temps really suck the life out of me anyway, and being pregnant makes it that much worse. I'm also experiencing a lot of cramping. And the cramping comes and goes very regularly, almost to the point of being able to time it. But it hasn't turned into contractions yet, thank goodness. KJ doesn't arrive for another 2 weeks. I can't have this baby before she gets here!!

Medical Stuff: Nothing new to report here... saw the DO at my practice this past week. He was ok, but I definitely prefer the midwives in the office. He let me know he's not a fan of having patients go to 42 weeks. Luckily, the midwives are completely supportive of my need to be left alone through that point. Eventually, all my babies have come out. And when left to their own devices, they come out very fast.

Something I'm excited about: Finding out what this baby is!!! I've been pretty convinced from the beginning that this is a baby boy, but the closer we get to delivery day, the more I start to waver. I think I'll still be a little surprised if it is a girl, but only because this pregnancy has mirrored Man Cub's so much. I am definitely getting anxious to meet this little one, but still not ready to rush away the last few weeks of this pregnancy.

Something I'm not excited about: As with all my pregnancies, my anti-socialness has set in. This is typical for me around the 38/39 week mark. I get tired of people asking when I'm due and giving me their 2 cents about how ridiculous it is that my doctors "let" me go so far "overdue". My doctors don't let me do anything. I tell them what I want, and unless the baby is in danger, I expect them to grant my wishes. 42 weeks is a perfectly natural length for a pregnancy. I would say normal, except it seems that no one is willing to wait it out anymore. I'm at that point where I find it easier to just be at home, nesting and getting things ready for the baby, than going to church or social events. Even running errands is more effort and socializing than I am up for these days!