40 Weeks

How far along? 40 Weeks and 4 Days. As I write this we are moving into week 41. Yes, I am still pregnant. Yes, this is frustrating. According to Peter, my face in this picture reads "I'm over it."
Baby is the size of a(n): Jackfruit...whatever that is!
Maternity Clothes? Still living in yoga pants (both maternity and pre-maternity), maternity sweaters, and normal yoga tops. Normal tops are a bit short now...
Sleep: Still interrupted. This has been a pretty mentally taxing week. As if I don't spend enough of the day wondering if each twinge or contraction is finally "it" when I wake up I think maybe my body is telling me its time. No such luck. :(
Best moment of the week: While this might not be classified as a "best moment," it was pretty interesting! Hillary and I got street harassed. Not sure if being hollered at 40+ weeks pregnant is flattering or very strange. Especially when I sport a giant coat that resembles a garbage bag...
One pretty proud moment for me was realizing that at almost 41 weeks I am still holding my own in regular yoga classes. I have started to feel pretty uncomfortable over the last week or so, but sticking with my practice helps me feel in tune with my body and calm my mind down a bit. I am only making it to one or two regular classes (the rest are prenatal) but it still makes me feel accomplished!
Worst moment of the week: I started to avoid answering messages, which makes me feel pretty crappy. If I haven't responded to you, I apologize! We feel so blessed to be surrounded (both near and far) by friends and family wishing us well, but for my own sanity I had to stop saying "no baby yet!" I am already pretty bummed out that we haven't gotten to meet our little girl yet, so vocalizing that just started to become too difficult. We will keep you all informed once we have some news to share, until then we appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers!
Missing the most: Right hand still numb. Also missing having more options in my wardrobe. I am fully aware that the average first time pregnancy is more than 41 weeks, yet for some reason I really didn't see myself still being pregnant now. I can't wait to wear some different clothes again!
Cravings: I think I am back on a milk binge again. Pretty sure I drank a gallon by myself over the course of a few days.
Wedding rings on or off? Ringless!
Belly button in or out? FLAT. With the raised ridge encircling the flatness. I have been preoccupied worrying about my belly button for so long now! It is strange to think that soon (hopefully!) I won't have this obsession. What on earth will I stress about??
Looking forward to: Having this baby! Maybe she will decide to arrive during the Super Bowl? Maybe she will continue to take her sweet time in there. Also, my appointments now consist of a non-stress test (about 20-30 minutes hooked up to a monitor), the normal exam, and a 30 minute ultrasound to check baby's movement, breathing, and to measure the fluid levels to make sure baby is still safe in there. We have another appointment on Monday, so maybe she could cooperate and make her debut this weekend? :) In any case, I just want to meet her. One way or another, we get to do that this week, which is pretty exciting!

39 Weeks

How far along? 39 Weeks and 3 Days
Baby is the size of a(n): Watermelon
Maternity Clothes? Still living in yoga pants (both maternity and pre-maternity), maternity sweaters, and normal yoga tops.
Sleep: So I guess it is training for what life will be like soon...I wake up every night, sometimes more than once. For no apparent reason too!
Best moment of the week: What a week! Lacey met a baby! One of Peter's classmates has a 5 month old, and it was the first baby Lacey has met up close and personal. She was petrified! For the most part, she seemed cautiously afraid, she licked the baby's legs a lot, and seemed generally afraid. Thankfully, she ended up getting some alone time to get some good sniffs, and it went really well. She was still pretty jumpy, but definitely seems like she will be OK with a baby in the house. Peter on the other hand...at least his instinct was to hold the child like a newborn. A 5 month old didn't seem to appreciate this...but hopefully our baby girl will! :)
SEAHAWKS. NFC Champions. Need I say more?
Also, a pretty great (and weird) moment was logging off my work laptop on Friday. I officially made Friday my last day of work before leave. I have been so stressed about leaving things in good shape for someone else to pick up, that having a definitive end date brought me some peace and closure. I am going to try to focus on relaxing from here on out, and hopefully that will make this baby want to make her debut! I even got another prenatal massage, which was amazing!
Worst moment of the week: Still being pregnant. And being constantly reminded that I am still pregnant. Trust me, I am more aware than anyone that I am still carrying a baby inside of me.
Missing the most: The numbness in my hand is still pretty bad, so I am still missing having feeling in my right hand.
Cravings: DONUTS! The long awaited opening of a new donut shop took place this week, and boy are they amazing! It is called Sugar Shack, and I think they are the tastiest thing I have ever eaten. If anyone is in Alexandria (or Richmond, VA where they are from) I highly recommend the strawberry frosted. Seriously. SO. GOOD.
Wedding rings on or off? Ringless!
Belly button in or out? FLAT. With a raised ridge encircling the flatness. I think I can feel the center now though when I lay down. Yikes!
Looking forward to: Having this baby! I kind of switch back and forth between being glad she is still hanging out in there, because labor seems slightly terrifying, and super frustrated because I will most certainly be the first person to be pregnant forever. As I write this, we have switched over to 40 weeks, which means entering month 10. I am not a spicy food person, but maybe I should branch out? Any other ideas to meet our baby sooner would be much appreciated!

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 Weeks and 3 Days
Baby is the size of a(n): Pumpkin!
Maternity Clothes? Still living in yoga pants (both maternity and pre-maternity), maternity sweaters, and normal yoga tops. Shoes have become my enemy.
Sleep: Has gotten much worse this week! :( I wake up every few hours, my breathing is pretty poor (nasal passages are completely constricted), and we have been "camping" in our guest bedroom due to the smoke situation in our bedroom. While kind of neat at first, the three, make that four, of us in a double bed has become pretty noticeable.
Best moment of the week: Lacey's 4th Birthday! She will always be the first child to us. Our little fur baby has been with us for a little more than 3 1/2 years, and we adore her. I think she was pretty pleased to still be getting all the attention this week. Her world is about to change soon, so I am cuddling up on her while I still can!
Worst moment of the week: Situation with the smokers next door continued this week. They supposedly got an air purifier and maintenance was going to go in on Friday to just seal off their bathroom vent. The theory is that there is a clog preventing the air from going outside, and may be pumping to our unit instead. It has been one day since they sealed it off, and we noticed a big improvement. We are going to give it one more day, and are hoping to move back into our bedroom tomorrow. Note to self: NEVER live in a multifamily building that allows smoking.
Also, our disappointment with my OB practice continued. We waited a long time again, had a pretty non-eventful appointment with the other physician, and gathered our things to leave. Just as we were approached the exit, they chased me down, ushered me into the nearest room, and all I heard was pre-eclampsia. Well Yikes! The way they approached me made it seem like I needed to be rushed to the hospital. I was clearly upset, and they said they needed to take some blood (PS I have a huge fear of needles) and re-take my blood pressure to rule it out. My initial blood pressure reading was "slightly elevated" they said. Of course, thinking of the impending blood draw, and my plans for a natural birth shattering before me, my blood pressure became extremely elevated! What do you expect! When I asked what the initial reading that concerned them was, it was only 2 points higher than last week. Big woop. No need to scare me like that. After I calmed down a bit, they re-took it and it was of course normal. They still took three vials of blood from me. I totally understand that pre-eclampsia is a serious condition that they need to look out for, but how they handled the situation was completely unnecessary.
Missing the most: Feeling in my hands. :( My body has decided to finally recognize that it is pregnant, and unfortunately that means the joints in my fingers and wrists are swelling, and causing some numbness in my fingers.
Cravings: Nothing notable this week.
Wedding rings on or off? I think I have finally admitted defeat. I am ringless right now.
Belly button in or out? Oh dear, still super flat. Really flat. Like, I might not even have a belly button if it flattens much more.
Looking forward to: Playoff games tomorrow! Also, I am looking forward to our 39 week appointment. Gosh, I thought that might be the last one I had to make, so I didn't make any appointments after that. I am starting to accept the fact that I probably will be going to a 40 week appointment too. Regardless of how frustrating our experience has been lately, I am still excited to see where things are at, and probably finalize my last day at work. Not knowing an end date has probably made this more stressful, so that will give me some peace of mind.

Full Term Baby! 37 Weeks

How far along? 37 Weeks exactly. First pic is from the prenatal photo shoot for Refresh!
Baby is the size of a(n): Winter Melon
Maternity Clothes? Mainly living in yoga pants (both maternity and pre-maternity), maternity sweaters, and normal yoga tops. My work appropriate attire has become pretty dismal, so it is a good thing I will be working from home exclusively from here on out!
Sleep: I definitely wake up a few times throughout the night, but that is probably a good thing because it reminds me to switch sides.
Best moment of the week: Finally seeing our doctor! This was a crazy week, and a bit frustrating with the practice I go to. My appointment on Tuesday was canceled, which turned out to be a great change since it took 2 hours to go anywhere from the snow that morning. We showed up Wednesday, and the Doc had just left, and no other physician was in the office to see me. Finally, on Friday afternoon we got to see my doctor. Being days away from 38 weeks, it was pretty exciting and reassuring to hear things are moving along! Baby is doing great, staying in good position, and my body is prepping for the big day. I know it is tough for Peter to join me at these appointments, especially this week with all of the changes, but I am so grateful to have him by my side supporting me. It is crazy to think how soon we will get to meet out little girl!
Worst moment of the week: What a week it has been. First, it has been a pretty frustrating experience with my doctor this week. Second, we have been having some issues with cigarette smoke being pumped into our apartment through the vents. It has been occurring on and off for the last 2 months, and we have been complaining to the management company continuously. It seems to get better, and then get much worse. Thursday night, it smelled like a bowling ally in our bedroom. It had gotten so bad we couldn't sleep in there, and we had to move all of the freshly washed baby bedding and co-sleeper out of the room. It makes me so nervous to have our tiny human with tiny lungs sleeping in those conditions. We are hoping maintenance can figure out how to prevent this from continuing, and soon!
Missing the most: Shoes. I did so well for such a long time, but most of my shoes are no longer comfy options. :( I keep telling myself I have almost reached the end!
Cravings: I guess yogurt. I started eating a bunch of yogurt this week for some reason. It seems I may have a dairy obsession, since previously it was milk.
Wedding rings on or off? Old anniversary ring on intermittently.
Belly button in or out? The battle continues. Through clothing, it looks out. The top ridge it poking out from the inside belly button trying to push out above where the hole is. I feel like every time I move it is going to shift and pop out. Ahh!
Looking forward to: Tonight is Hillary's birthday! Excited to celebrate her this evening, and of course watch the Seahawks game! Unfortunately for her, when birthday falls on a playoff weekend, compromises need to be made. Baby Mullins may be in the same boat someday. :)

36 Weeks

How far along? 36 Weeks and 3 Days
Baby is the size of a(n): Honeydew
Maternity Clothes? No change-pants yes, shirts both.
Sleep: Pretty good considering we are now in month 9! A bit restless, but nothing too bad. Thankfully I mostly sleep through the night, only waking up from worrying about getting things done (or about my belly button).
Best moment of the week: Being able to go on a date! The two (well, 3) of us rarely go out by ourselves. We tried a local Italian restaurant in our neighborhood on New Years Eve, and it was soooo good. We loved it so much we went back a few nights later. ;) We kept it pretty low key on New Year's, but it was nice to have some time for just us.
We also had our 36 week check up, which means from here on out we will be visiting the doc every week. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by! Baby is still in good position, but unfortunately no signs of imminent birth.
To finish the week, I became a prenatal model! Hillary's yoga studio asked me to model for prenatal promotional materials, which was kind of neat! Their marketing/photographer person took photos of me in lots of different positions that highlight the belly. I can't wait to see how they turn out!
Worst moment of the week: Hearing comments from co-workers about my preggo self. I really don't understand why people feel obligated or entitled to comment on any changing body parts due to pregnancy. One woman in my office has taken to insisting my face if puffy, and has told me multiple times this week. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!
Missing the most: Family! It was so nice to have my parents here, and I wish both of our parents could be here when the baby comes.
Cravings: None for me, but sympathy pregnancy symptoms manifest in frozen custard for Peter.
Wedding rings on or off? Old anniversary ring is still on. Missing my normal rings. :(
Belly button in or out? It has gotten even more flat, if that is possible. I can see the skin closest to the hole is lighter, because it is usually inside and not exposed! I still wake up sometimes panicked about the status of my belly button. I think I can touch the dead center now. Weird!
Looking forward to: Hitting the 37 week mark this weekend means that we have made to to full term! Yay! Now we just need to make sure baby stays in good position, and get ready to welcome our little bundle of joy into this world. Bags packed: mostly. Changing table: finally built. Laundry:done. Almost there!