Week 37-38

37 Weeks

 38 Weeks

Today I am 38 Weeks pregnant and definitely ready to have this baby girl! We don't have too much longer...12 days at the most! Everyday I have to tell myself I can do this. My body and my mind are done. I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought she'd be here by now...or I at least hoped she would have come this last weekend :) I had my 37 week appointment last Thursday and found out I did progress a little more and am now dilated to a 3 and am 75% effaced. That's how far I was when I was induced with Camden at 39w4d. So, I guess I was hoping that because I dilated quicker this time that Harper might come sooner...and she still could, but we are fine if she decides to wait until June 8th. I have tried to induce labor by doing a lot of walking and trying a few other things, but honestly I am feeling pretty good for being 38 weeks pregnant, so I am guessing she is going to stay put. I feel very blessed to carry my babies full term and that they are healthy and chunky! I am going to try and focus on that for the next 12 days instead of getting down that she isn't here yet. We are lucky to get her forever, so 12 days won't kills us.

I really have no idea what to expect with two kids, but I do know I am ready to jump in feet first. I know the first little bit will be an adjustment, but I am so excited to see this little girl fit right into our family. I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to have two children. Camden has been such a blessing and I know Harper will be too.

I've been having the typical pregnancy symptoms that you have this late in the game...braxton hicks, cramping, waddling, peeing seven million times at night, exhaustion, hot flashes, etc. I have actually slept better than expected though, so I am taking full advantage of that. My cravings have basically consisted of chocolate or sugar of any kind and pebble ice...we bought a whole bag from Ice Berg and I finished it off all by myself. I finally started to put on weight again at my last appointment. I don't think I have ever wanted to see the numbers go up, but I had not gained weight for about two-three weeks, so when I saw that the scale read 142, I felt much better. I'm right on track to end where I did with Camden. I wear maternity clothes everyday...actually mostly just maxi skirts and dresses. Most of my maternity bottoms are tight on the bottom of my belly because Harper has dropped. Right now it's all about being comfy and it's been really hot here, so the less layers the better. My belly button is completely flat and I still don't have any stretch marks. My baby girl is getting big and if I had to guess how much she will weigh when she is born I'd say 7lbs 13oz. I can't wait to meet her!

My next appointment is this Friday. Doc will strip my membranes and if that doesn't work, then June 8th it is! She is going to be out of town from May 31st- June 7th, so if I do end up going into labor over those dates, I will be giving birth with one of the other doctors in her office. We are looking forward to the day when she is finally here. Everything is ready so we'll take her whenever she decides to come.

Baby Harper's Nursery

Picking out a name for baby girl was a LONG process. It took a lot longer than naming Camden. I thought naming a girl would be so easy because we had some many names we liked. I liked a lot more names than John, but there were two names that we both loved and contemplated for many months. These two names were Kennedy and Harper. Kennedy came about from a cute little girl we know and just thought it was such a cute name. I have loved the name Harper from reading a favorite blog called littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com for the past two years, but never mentioned it to John because I didn't think he'd like it. One day he came home from work and said he heard the name we should name our daughter...HARPER :) Narrowing it down to these two names was a BIG task and we knew narrowing it down to what baby girls name would actually be would be an even BIGGER task. There were times we thought maybe we would just put the two names in a bowl and let Camden decide what he wanted to name his little sister because John and I loved both names so much. 

After getting a 3d/4d ultrasound at 30 weeks, we decided on HARPER MAE :) She looks just like a Harper to us. I'm sure she would have looked like whatever we chose though. It's been fun calling her Baby Harper and Baby Sister Harper for the past two months. We can't wait to meet this little girl and wonder everyday what her little personality will be like. I'm glad we were able to finally decide on a name. Our families started to think she wouldn't be named until she arrived :) So did we!

Here is a tour of Harper's Nursery...

Harper, your dad deserves a BIG shout out for this beautiful room of yours. Sure, I did a lot of the decorating, but your dad did the technical stuff like the gorgeous design on the wall, the painting of the walls, your crib and side table, the bird vinyl, hanging up your bookshelves and the beautiful chandelier. Mom got to do all the fun stuff! There has been a lot of love put into this baby girl nursery and we can't wait to see you in it. We hope you'll love it as much as we do ( and as much as your big brother Camden does.) He's been keeping all your books and stuffed animals company until your arrival :)

Week 35-36

Tomorrow I will be 36 weeks! So, I am glad I was able to squeeze in a 35 week 6 day pic before another week in this pregnancy has come and gone. I kind of feel like time is standing still, but I know baby girl will be here before we know it. This past week has been full of a whole lot of emotions....I feel like I need to spend every waking moment with Camden and soak in all his toddler cuteness. I don't want John to go to work, I just want to spend the entire day with my little family. Anytime I start to think about the life changes that are going to take place in less than I month I start to just about cry. Not because I am sad, because I seriously feel so blessed. The Lord sure has given me a great life and I just can't seem to contain myself. I know that life is going to be VERY different, but really I can't wait for the day to meet this little girl and add one more adorable baby to our family. I've been thinking back a lot lately about the stages we have had with Camden so far and I look forward to doing it all over again :) Even the sleepless nights! Because along with those nights comes the best snuggles and the itty bitty baby that doesn't last very long. 

I had an appointment last Thursday and found out I am dilated to a one and baby girl is hanging pretty low. The doc could feel her head :) We are getting down to the final weeks and she was very happy with my progression. My induction is officially set for June 8th if she decides not to come before that. I didn't put on any weight and stayed at 139. I may not end up gaining as much as I did with Camden. I guess it all depends when she decides to come. I go back to see my doc next Thursday the 22nd and they will check me again and if all goes planed I will get my membranes striped. 

One thing I definitely looking forward to after birth is clothes shopping! My maternity clothes are being uncomfortable and I just really need a new ward rode all around. John asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and I told him to hold off and let me go shopping for my birthday and I'll just combine all the holidays ha ha. I am looking forward to that day I can wear normal clothes again. I still do not have any stretch marks and my my belly button can be seen through my shirts, but is getting flatter and flatter. 

I've been managing to sleep pretty well this last part of pregnancy. I wake up an average of six times a night to go to the bathroom, but I am getting some rest, so that is most important. I am having a lot harder time getting out of bed and rolling side to side though. I've been pretty exhausted lately and have found myself napping sometimes during the day when Camden is. I know when his sister gets here we'll be taking a family nap during the day for sure. I am hoping and praying I can get her sleep trained like I did with Camden. 

Some pregnancy symptoms this past week have consisted of migraines (one of the worst one's I have ever experienced), exhaustion, no energy, my acne is all the sudden back, and crazy pregnancy emotions. 

This little girl moves all the time. Sometimes her movements look more like belly rolls and I occasionally will get a sharp jab in my rib or bladder, but like I have said I am going to miss having her so close, so I am enjoying it. Not many cravings this week...The only really craving was I wanted breakfast for dinner last night, so we went to IHop. 

Baby girls nursery is all complete! Her clothes and blankets have been washed. Her car seat is all ready to be installed. The only thing not done is hospital bags being packed. That is one the list of things to get done this week. We decided on a name a couple of weeks ago have been calling her it lately :) We'll announce it when I do her nursery tour, which I also plan on getting done and posting this week. 

We are ready for you baby girl! Whenever you want to come...