Samuel's Birth Story!

I'm so excited that my 40 week post is the birth story of this amazing little guy!!

I seriously could not have asked for a better labor and delivery experience! On Saturday, the 26th, I had a lot of what I thought were Braxton-Hicks contractions after my morning run (a mile and a half the day I went into labor!!). That's been pretty normal so I didn't think anything of it. We had a busy afternoon seeing several friends and I kept joking that I might be in labor not really thinking anything was happening.

Eric and I went out to dinner at Carrabbas and I noticed things were starting to get a little painful. I told him this really could be it, but I didn't want to get our hopes up. Most of the pain was in my back and it could easily be some other weird pregnancy thing. I had a hard time going to sleep that night though, excited that something might actually be happening. I drifted off around 12:30 but woke up a few times an hour because of the pain.

By 3:30, I realized sleep was NOT going to be happening and I went downstairs and watched a whole disc of Gilmore Girls til the sun came up, all the while timing my contractions on my fun labor app.They kept on coming around 7 minutes apart. I felt baby's hands pushing out against my belly and realized he was probably facing the wrong way, which I knew could cause back labor, so at that point I decided this had to be it.

I went upstairs around 8 to tell Eric what was going on. We decided to wait until the contractions got to around 5 minutes before we went to the hospital. Since the pain was pretty bearable, we hung out and watched some more tv while I timed. The contractions got a little worse pain-wise, but stayed steady (and even spread out a little more) time-wise, so we just laid around all morning.

I started to get restless in the afternoon and clean and bake brownies and whatever else I could find to do. I didn't want to tell anybody yet in case I was wrong and this wasn't the real thing or in case it dragged out for days. Finally, around 3:30, I talked Eric into going for a walk with me. I think it's the first time we have ever gone on a walk were he's had to slow down and wait for me! LoL. I had a bunch of small, 20-30 second pains while we were out and they kept up even when we got home. I was glad they were so short, because they were pretty painful and close together. Even though it was manageable, I knew I couldn't make it through the night like that, so I told Eric I wanted to go to the hospital. We loaded up and made the 1 mile trek down the road. I love that we live so close!

I walked from the parking garage to the lobby. We were the only ones in the check in room when we got there a little before 6. I must not have looked too miserable, though, because the lady at the desk was on the phone and kept talking for like 10 minutes after we came in! Then she asked what we were there for. Of course I was like, "Well... I think I'm about to have a baby!"  She gave me a bunch of forms to fill out after that. Good thing I was still in decent shape!

We got sent up to 4th floor L& D triage (I walked there too! LoL. Well, to the elevator and then to my room anyway) and got checked in. The nurse came in to check me and start monitoring the baby. We were all pretty surprised when she told me I was dilated to 5 cm already! That got everyone moving! We called our parents to let them know we were checking in. Around 7 I walked myself over to my delivery room. I sat in my first ever hospital bed and got my first IV ever. Then, surprisingly, came what was probably the worst part of my whole experience. This phlebotomist came in to take my blood and she TORE UP my arm. Seriously, a week later it is still black and blue. What made it worse was that the blood pressure cuff went almost on top of the bandage the whole time, and it killed me every time it took my bp. I guess there are worse problems to have though, right?

The anesthesiologist came in around 8:30 and gave me my epidural. That was a little scary since my contractions kept coming the whole time he was doing it and I had had the shakes pretty badly since we got back from our walk. It really didn't hurt at all though and it was totally crazy how fast it started working. I thought there was something wrong with me because I felt so weird, but it turns out that after 24 hours of pain, my body just didn't know what to do with the relief! Haha.

The doctor came in right after that and said I was dilated to 8 or so. She was going to break my water, but it apparently broke itself right after I got the epi. She looked at ultrasounds from the previous weeks and how I was progressing, and told me she actually thought my baby was going to be a little smaller than average -- crazy after I'd been expecting a 9 lb. chunker this whole time!! So we just hung out and talked and watched HGTV. I kept shaking pretty badly and I was super tired, but other than that I was just sitting around waiting!

Finally around 11 the doctor came back by (the L&D was busy that night and she had a c-section and another regular delivery too!). I was dilated to 9 1/2 and she told me to be ready to push in about an hour.

Samuel was stubborn and didnt want to drop very quickly, so it was around 12:40 when the nurse started me pushing. Let me just take a minute to say too, that I LOVED my nurse! She was so awesome about keeping me calm, explaining as much as I needed to know and not more, and keeping us entertained during the long waiting periods. I seriously would NOT have had such a great experience without her!!

As I suspected, she realized pretty quickly that Samuel was coming out head up. I was concerned when I heard that, but, luckily, she assured me that I am much, uh, roomier in there than most women, so he was able to make it through without a problem. The only adjustment I had to make was that I had to push on my side for a little while, which was pretty weird!

Pushing was hard, but not nearly as bad as I expected. I had no clue I would have a minute or two between each push, allowing me to recover, watch some TV, and get ready for the next round. That was nice! I got to see two whole episodes of House Hunters! LoL. I also really couldn't feel much of anything other than a little bit of my contractions, so we were able to hold off actually pushing him out until the doctor got back in the room. A little before 2, she was back and we had a pediatric nurse in there ready to check the baby. I pushed a few more good times and he crowned... The nurse realllly wanted me to look or to feel his head but I insisted on keeping my eyes closed SHUT and keeping my hands to myself! 2 pushes more and our little Samuel James entered the world!!

I have to say that having a baby come out of you is by FAR the weirdest, coolest, most awkward, relieving  thing I have ever felt. There is no way to describe it! Eric just laughed at my face because, seriously, it was soooo weird!!! I mean, think about it, when else is your body going to change that much all at once?? It was amazing though! I also loved toward the end when everyone was hardcore cheering me on. It was better than the end of any race I've ever run!

They cleaned our little guy up and handed him to me. I was so deliriously tired at that point I don't think I knew what to think. All I knew was one second I was pushing my brains out, and the next I have this little person in my arms! It's still hard to believe it's the same little person whose feet dug into my hips and whose bottom lumped up on my side. He's perfect though, and I love that he's finally here!!

I couldn't believe how busy the hour after was! I had to be stitched up a little, catheterized (ew!), have my epidural removed and try to nurse right away, making it difficult to call or text anyone. The nurse kept giving Eric stuff to do too.  He was awesome during the whole experience, holding my hand and feeding me ice chips, making phone calls and encouraging me while I pushed. After an hour, they took our sweet boy to the nursery for all his newborn tests and wheeled me down to a mother/baby room (it was also my first time in a wheelchair - equally weird for me!!). I tried to sleep a little, and, upon waking, found that I felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck! It wasn't horrible, but man, being that tired, that hyped up, and that physically worn out all at once sure can get to you! They brought little man back in and we got to hang out for a few hours before my parents arrived (I also had to use the bathroom, get my IV out, and take a shower during that time - yikes! Once again, not horrible, but not fun either!).

The next day or so was a whole lot of people in and out of our room, pushing on my belly, taking our temperature and blood pressure, checking Samuel's weight (they originally said he was 7 lbs. even, but changed it to 7 lbs. 4 oz. later on), asking about our meals, how feeding was going, getting him circumcised etc. etc. We tried to sleep during the interim, though that was easier said than done. I got pretty tired of sitting in that hospital bed, but walking around wasn't much of an option either. Anyway, I was really glad when they said we could go home Tuesday afternoon instead of staying an extra night! About 48 hours after we checked into the hospital, we were back on our own doorstep, baby in hand. It was the most crazy, amazing, scary and wonderful 48 hours of my life!

The last few days have been busy. I've been glad to have Eric and my parents here to help me out while I have been adjusting to mommy-hood and also not been able to do much. I'm still recovering, but feeling sooo much better! Samuel has been such a good baby so far, and Eric has been an amazing father! The whole experience - pregnancy, childbirth, new motherhood - has been a HUGE blessing, and I am SO overwhelmed by God's grace through this whole process! He's given me more than I could ever imagine deserving!

39 Weeks

... and a half. I was hoping I could just post a baby picture this week!! But I am definitely still VERY pregnant. It's crazy to wake up every day and think I might have a baby before I go to sleep again.. who knows?!?

My appointment this week went well. They checked everything out and it looks like I'm pretty ready-to-go in the baby-having department (slightly dilated and, uh, "ripe". Ew). I'm just waiting on labor to start.

If I haven't had the baby by this Wednesday, I'm going back and they'll do ultrasounds and non-stress tests to see how he looks, and probably schedule an induction for the first few days of February. I know an induction wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but I would REALLY like for him to come on his own if possible! Plus I'm a little afraid that if he keeps baking too much longer, he's going to be HUGE like his daddy was and I'm going to go through an induction only to have to have a c-section. Uber not-fun!

No matter what, though, as long as we're all safe and healthy, I'll be happy. We are sooo ready to meet this little guy!

As annoying as it's been to still be waiting for him to come, I have to say that I can totally see God's provision in it all. We have STILL had people at our house this week working on the floors and the walls. Monday through Wednesday our living room furniture was all stacked in the dining room and we had to hang out in the guest bedroom anytime we were at home... including dinner. That wouldn't have been super fun to bring a baby home to.

We also got a crazy ice storm yesterday. I got off work early, but saw several cars doing some major skidding on the way home and almost slipped a few times myself just walking to and from my car. I actually had to take my shoes off to walk inside because my socks had better traction. Not ideal baby-having, drive-to-the hospital conditions. So I have to be thankful... after all, God's timing is perfect!

Anyway, here's a few stats and pics for this week. Just a warning, I thought I'd also post a lovely bare-belly shot for memory's sake (definitely NOT posting that on facebook!) If you don't want to see... don't look.

Baby: is supposedly the size of a watermelon. And still crazy. I can tell he's getting tighter in there and feel kind of bad for him. I keep telling him all he has to do is come out and he'll have PLENTY of room to squirm around. Unfortunately, I've been feeling his hands and feet a LOT, so I'm pretty sure he's facing forward or sideways... he needs to turn around before he comes out so he doesn't cause us any trouble!!

Weight gain: I tried not to freak a little at the dr. the other day, but they said it's around 34-35 (although they were using that old scale again). At this point I figure I just have to be okay with that though. I'm happy with how I've looked through pregnancy and, while I could have eaten some more fruits and veggies, I don't feel like I've been super unhealthy. Maybe tall girls just gain more??

Sleep: I love sleep so stinkin much! That's one of the few things I like about still being pregnant... I know I won't be sleeping much the next few months, so every night I'm not having a baby is a night I'm getting to sleep. In fact, I may go back to sleep when I'm done here...

Appetite: I eat a lot. But only when I'm hungry. That's just a lot. LoL.

Running: Has sadly slowed down this week, mainly because I've been busy, the weather's been bad, and every time I've gone to the gym, all the treadmills have been taken. Boo. So I've elliptical-ed it up a few times and I went to dance class for about 20 minutes Thursday. I think everyone thought I was crazy for being there (admittedly, jumping was pretty much out of the question, especially after doing the elliptical for 20 minutes first). Oh well. I'm exercising. That's more than 75% of America, right??

Mood: Good! Especially now that I know this baby WILL be out in like a week and a half max. Then I just have to worry about post-partum sadness... hopefully we can keep that at bay!

What I'm looking forward to: Finally meeting Samuel of course! Not working. Eric matching (a whole OTHER issue we've been dealing with!). Not having to wear maternity clothes!

What I'll miss: Sleep. Hands down. But I'm sure it will be worth it!!

39 Week Shots!

38 weeks

Plus a few days!

Not much going on outside the norm. I'm feeling fairly prepared stuff-wise anyway. The baby's room is ready. His clothes are washed. My freezer meals are done.The house is a little messy, but considering they're still finishing up the walls, etc., I think it's okay.

I've been feeling good, really even better than I have the last few weeks since I get to live in my own house and all. I've had a lot of energy, been exercising and basically running around like normal. Outside of being a little moody [and you would be too if literally 50 people a day asked stuff like "what day is your baby coming?" like you knew, or tried to tell you that your baby has/hasn't dropped, moved, is breech, or that you are "obviously nesting/not nesting yet, have/haven't gotten mommy brain yet, shouldn't be drinking that coffee/tea, shouldn't wear heels, shouldn't run" etc. etc.] and occasionally having to go sit down and calm down so I don't slug someone, all has been well.

And even the moodiness isn't all the time, just when I'm tired or hungry and people say dumb things - which is a lot. (My other favorite was when I was moving a box with my foot the other day - because hey, part of my job involves opening boxes! - and someone yelled at me, so I quit and just sat down, and then they proceeded to tell everyone they saw over the next hour about how I "almost fell" and "it's lucky they stopped me" or "that baby would have been in big trouble." Clearly I am going to be a horrible mother. <major eye roll>).

My appointment went way better than I expected this week. My fluid was exactly the same again, which was awesome. Fluid levels normally go down about that time, so now I'm back in the "normal" range and don't have to have fluid checks any more. The doctor measured me and said I was still measuring crazy small - like 32 weeks instead of 38 - but since the baby is nearly 7 pounds and my fluid's normal and hasn't changed for 3 weeks, she just chalked it up to "you're just small and hide your babies well." Sweet!

So now we just get to play the waiting game. I've been trying to come up with fun stuff for Eric and me to do that we won't be able to do once the baby comes. Outside of eating out and going to the movies (and of course there's hardly anything out that we want to see), I'm having a hard time thinking of much. We have a free night of hotel, but I think we're both pretty burnt out on hotels and really just want to sleep in our bed. So if anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

Anyway, here's a few stats and pics, including a few of the basically-done nursery (yay!). (Btw, you can definitely tell this kid's gained a pound or so in the last two weeks - I haven't gained much weight but I feel like I got huge! And that's with me "measuring small!")

Baby is: around 7 pounds, probably as long as he's going to get, and still a little wild man! He's been affectionately nicknamed Little Foot since he spends about 80% of his time with his foot in my left side. I much prefer that to my ribs though!

Weight gain: They used a different (old, not digital) scale this week, so it's hard to say, but about 31-32. I think I'm going to end up gaining a little more than I originally wanted to, but considering it's still "normal" and I'm pretty sure at least part of it is muscle, I guess I'm just going to have to be okay with it!

Sleep: I wake up at 1 and 4 almost religiously, and sleep like a rock the rest of the time.

Appetite: Pretty gnarly! My stomach hasn't been hurting as much so I've been eating more. One night this week I had a bedtime snack, woke up at 4 and couldn't go back to sleep because my stomach was GROWLING, so I had another snack, then woke up at 6 for breakfast (then proceeded with second breakfast, lunch, etc. as usual). Seriously, this kid is GROWING.

Running: Still going! I did 2 1/2 miles without stopping the other day. I've only been running-running about two days a week and walking or doing the elliptical or going to dance class (yay!) the others. For some reason walking is the hardest for me (well, and jumping in dance class, but I just hop!).

Mood: Up and down, but, all things considered, pretty good. I get annoyed easily and every now and then I feel a little depressed that I'm, you know, still pregnant. But the other 75% of the time I'm feeling as upbeat as always!!

What I'm looking forward to: Holding my sweet boy!!

What I'll miss: Having Eric clean the litter box, take care of the laundry, etc. etc. :-) He spoils me!

37 1/2 Weeks

No preggo pictures so far this week. That's because... OH YEAH... we haven't actually been living in our house all week.

You see, a few months ago, we noticed that our walls seemed to be accumulating some moisture behind the sheet rock. We let our landlady know, and she sent someone out to make sure it wasn't mold or mildew. It wasn't. A few weeks later, some other guys came out and knocked a hole in our wall to "assess the damage." They covered it up with a trash bag and there it stayed for two months (thankfully covered by our Christmas tree for the last few weeks!).

Finally, after the new year (when I'm 37 weeks pregnant!), they decided it was time to actually do something about the problem. So they came in and tore up our wall a little more, and, of course, found out it was worse than they thought. So the walls in our room, the living room, and guest room got taken up, as well as the living room floor. The insurance paid for us to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights (with meals), so that was nice, but when you can literally have a baby at any time, not having a functioning house is a LITTLE scary. Plus staying in a hotel when you still have to go to work every morning isn't quite as fun as when you're on vacation.

Needless to say, I'm SUPER glad to be back in our own territory, even though it is still a mess and the floor is two different colors and the wall is only partially sheet rocked. I'll take it!

So that was our fun adventure for this week. What else has been going on?

Oh yeah, I had a small freak-out Sunday afternoon (prior to all this house stuff). I don't know if I picked up a bug or what, but I felt nauseated allll day, and convinced myself that it had to be a sign I was going into labor super-soon. Of course I still had a list a mile long of things to do, so I made Eric take me to Target to buy everything I still didn't have for my hospital bag, finished packing everything up, washed a load of baby clothes, and made a list of everything else we'll need to buy if I don't get a chance to make a big shopping trip before the baby's born. Obviously I didn't go into labor Sunday, but having all that done did make me feel better about the other crazy events of this week.

I also had another appointment and another ultrasound this week. We still didn't get a GREAT look at Samuel's face, but we did get to see his profile. He was making a bunch of sucking faces and his lungs were expanding back and forth really well. It was super cute! I can't wait to see him in person!

The main thing they were checking on the ultrasound was my fluid level, which was exactly the same as last week. It's good that it didn't go down but it wasn't great either. Apparently I'm pretty borderline, and they actually had to check to make sure I wasn't leaking anywhere (ew). I wasn't, thank goodness, but they're going to have to keep doing ultrasounds and checking me every week, because if it goes down at all, they're going to talk about inducing me. NOT what I want. We'll see how all of that goes, though!

Don't you want to come on your own next week, little boy???

I went and got my prenatal massage that Eric got me for Christmas yesterday. That was really nice! I needed something relaxing to do.

I also bought a ton of stuff to make freezer meals tomorrow, so hopefully we won't be short on things to eat for a LONG time!

The baby's chair and dresser also came in this week, so his room is officially furnished. About time, right?? Now I just have to finish up a few more loads of baby laundry and figure out where to put a few items, and we should be good to go! It's a good thing he didn't decide to come super-early. I feel like the biggest procrastinator in the world!

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. Here's a few stats:

Baby: is up to 6 lbs. 5 oz. That seems like a good weight to me! He likes to dig his feet into my left side ALL the time, and kick me in the ribs a little when I lay down. He also like to stick his backside out a lot, contorting my belly into some pretty crazy shapes!

Weight gain: As expected, I didn't gain this week. Still right at 30.

Sleep: I'm having to get up a lot more since he's hanging out on my bladder (as our ultrasound tech so graciously pointed out!), and my stomach hurts a LOT when I turn over, but I'm still sleeping soundly for a good 7-8 hours a night. I've had a lot more energy this week. I'm not sure whether that's because I'm back in a semi-routine, or because everything's been so out of whack. We'll see what next week brings!

Appetite: Eh. My stomach hurts a lot and I get a lot of heartburn. But I'm hungry all the time. It will be nice to eat again!

Running: I was SO glad to get to run a little over 5K last Saturday, because I haven't gotten to do much since! Our hotel location wasn't super-conducive to going to the Y, so I just used their elliptical a couple of times this week. I hate not doing more!

Mood: More chill than you would think. I finally reached a point where I decided all I can do is laugh at the craziness of our situation. I know everything will be fine even if I don't get my long list of stuff done. So I've just been trying to enjoy now!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing these sweet little feet that keep kicking me!!

What I'll miss: Having a good excuse to gain weight. :-)

Until next time!

Yes, I'm bragging

This is primarily just so I will remember in the future that I CAN do this...

I totally ran (like ran ran, not elliptical-ran) 3 1/4 miles this morning nonstop. At 36 1/2 weeks. Boo-yah.

I averaged about a 10:35 min/mile, so it was a SLOW 3 miles (34:28 for 3.25 to be exact). But, hey, you try running with 30 extra pounds on you!

Who knows if I'll be able to do that the next time around, but I'm pretty proud that I did it now. :-)

Bring it on, labor!

36 Weeks

Eek. These last couple of weeks have been nuts. We were so glad that both of our families got to come in town for the holidays. It was really fun to see everyone, and definitely nice to not have to travel for once! We got a TON of fun gifts for the baby, and did finally get to order a dresser and a chair that should be in next week.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to spend much time working in his room, and there are a WHOLE bunch of things I still need to get done that I haven't had time to really think about.. Add in going back to work this week, and I feel like my list of things to do has gone from a foot long to a mile. I know it will all get done, and if it doesn't, it won't be the end of the world, but now that I'm realizing I'm going to be "full term" next week, the pressure's definitely on to get stuff together!!

I also got a little surprise at my appointment Thursday... My fundal height hadn't grown at all since my last appointment two and a half weeks ago, so I had to stick around and have an extra ultrasound. Now, granted, I wasn't SUPER worried about something being super wrong. This kid is CRAZY and I feel him all the time. If anything, I worry about him being TOO active. Still, being told there's anything of concern was not fun, especially when Eric's family was sitting out in the lobby waiting on me. So we waited an hour and they all piled in the little room with me and we got to see Samuel's cute little legs and bottom and make sure he is definitely still a boy. :-) We saw his head, but the little stinker had his arm in front of his face, so we still haven't seen it. Bummer.

Long story short, he's measuring around the 40th percentile, which is totally fine, he's just a little small. That was kind of shocking considering we've had some big babies on both sides of our families (Have I mentioned that Eric was almost 10 pounds?!?). Of course, ultrasounds can be way off, so he may still turn out to be a chunker. Who knows?? My fluid is a little lower than normal, but not low enough to be of concern. We'll go back in Wednesday and have another ultrasound just to make sure he's growing and nothing else has changed.

I'm weirdly excited. It seems like everyone I know has been getting extra ultrasounds lately, so, even though the timing was weird, I'm glad we've had a chance to see him one more time. Hopefully he'll decide to show us his face next week!

Anyway, here's a few stats for this week:

Baby: according to the ultrasound weighs about 5 lbs. 13 oz. He moves ALL the time, especially his feet, which I can usually grab at least once or twice a day when he's stretching. He's head down as I've suspected with his bottom right under my belly button and his legs over to my left side. He's also "dropped" some this week... meaning he might actually come out some time soon!

Weight Gain: This is probably inaccurate considering we went directly from Red Lobster to my appointment, but supposedly it's around 30 lbs. I have a feeling I'm going to "lose" weight this next week when I go in for my appt. at 8:30 am!

Sleep: Since the baby's dropped I'm having to get up a few more times. I've also noticed I'm able to sleep a little longer than I used to (9 hours a night or so)... I don't know if that's pregnancy or vacation or a combo. Either way, I'm trying to get it in while I can, because I know I won't be sleeping much at all once Samuel arrives!

Appetite: This is one of my few complaints about being pregnant. I just feel squished. My stomach hurts like 75% of the time. I'm SO hungry, but just can't eat much at once. It's a major bummer.

Running: Hasn't happened as much with all the family in town. I did end up doing 1006 miles in 2012. Not bad. I'm actually about to head to the gym when I leave here. Hopefully I won't get the sweet foot in my side that tells me I have to get on the elliptical instead of jogging. :-)

Mood: Pretty stressed this week, but I think it will get better as I get things knocked out.

What I'm looking forward to: Eating normally! And not having random people say weird things to me about my belly/the baby/childbirth.


What I'll miss: Seeing my belly do crazy things throughout the day. And maybe the fun looks I get at the gym when people see a huge pregnant girl run. That's pretty entertaining. :-)

34 Weeks

Less than 40 days to go!

This week has been interesting for sure.

Monday I got a nice little unexpected trip to the doctor thanks to some abnormal fluid leakage (no worries, it  wasn't pre-term labor, just an infection. Ick). It was pretty scary for the three hours I had to wait to get into see someone, but it was nice to hear sweet Samuel's little heartbeat AND to see that I am not in fact as huge as I thought I was -- my weight was down 2 1/2 pounds from last week's visit, which makes me think that "6 pound gain" was just a fluke. Whew!

The other (kind of?) nice thing was that, since I had to be, you know, checked (if you don't know, I'm not going to be the one to explain it to you. LoL.) I found out I'm actually dilated about 1/2 of a centimeter (though I'm not effaced at all, so there's definitely no reason to think he'll be coming anytime soon!).

I know, I know, that's REALLY nothing. I've been saying the whole time I didn't want to be checked until I had to be because you can be dilated for FOREVER or not dilated at all and have the baby the next day (and because I was really kind of scared of it because I'd heard that it hurts, but it totally wasn't bad at all). But, while I'll probably still deny optional checking in the future, it is nice to know that my body is prepping to get this little guy out sometime soon. It does know what to do. So that's a little comforting.

We also went and took our hospital tour on Monday night. One of the reasons I really wanted to go ahead and have a baby now instead of in a year or two (besides Eric's awesome schedule and the fact that I have insurance paid for) is because I've heard such great things about the hospital here. Everyone has always told me how nice the birthing rooms are, and that was no joke! All the ladies on the tour who'd had babies elsewhere kept commenting about how nice the place was. It's really weird to think that I'll be going into the hospital in the few weeks (especially since I've never had to go for anything!), but I'm glad it will be for such a happy occasion, and I feel a lot more comfortable having seen everything first hand.

I also finally finished up work for a bit this week. I'm so excited to get 8 days off plus two weekends! My family's coming in tomorrow and Eric's family is coming in next Saturday, so we'll have lots of visitors to keep us occupied during our time off. It's going to be sooo nice!

Anyway, here's a few stats for this week. I guess I need to take a pictures soon since 35 is creeping up on me!!

Baby: is the size of a butternut squash, likely 5 pounds by now, and a little wild man!

Weight gain: Back down to 23-24 pounds. yay!

Sleep: I'm up at least once a night, often twice, but when I'm out, I'm out. I just wish I didn't feel so disoriented when I get up at 2 in the morning. Seriously, I feel like a crazy person. It's the worst!

Appetite: I'm always hungry. I feel like I eat SO much. I try to regulate, but I feel like I eat ALL the TIME!

Running: I ran this morning for a bit! Honestly, just the fact that I can still go for a few miles at 34 weeks is pretty fulfilling to me. I know I may not be able to keep running until the end, but making it this far feels like a huge accomplishment, and I'm going to keep it up as long as I possibly can!

Mood: Usually good, though I was SUPER grouchy today when I had to go pants shopping. I'll save my pants rant for another post though. :-)

(I think it's probably time to shift gears on these)
What I'm looking forward to: NORMAL PANTS!

What I'll miss: My sweet little friend bouncing around inside me!