Possibly my final pre-baby post and final bump pics

As of yesterday morning's doctor's appointment, I am 1 centimeter dilated and 50% effaced, yay!  That could mean I still have as much as 3 weeks left, BUT that's 50% less effacement and 1 less centimeter to go :)  After last week's internal exam, I also lost a bit of my "gummy bear" and have had Braxton-Hicks contractions on and off, with a couple painful ones, but nothing too bad.  Not enough to stop going to work anyway, though I'm becoming a bit more lenient on leaving at 4 instead of 5 these days, if I feel caught up for the day.

I'm alternating between moments of high energy must-absolutely-clean-and-paint-and-wash-and-launder-and-reorganize everything in the house, and opposite moments of must-lie-down-right-now-and-zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.   At least I seem to be getting enough rest to satisfy my nesting craze.  Since the nursery was ready awhile ago, I've been able to cross some long-term goals off my list, such as painting the hallway and trim, hanging new family pictures, changing my legal last name (finally), and reorganizing the kitchen cupboards, dresser, hall closet, and laundry room storage.

What else will I want to remember about this time....?  My weight is steady and I haven't gained much over the past 2 weeks, hanging at 153 today, opposed to 155 last week.   BP is 112/72.  BugBat's heart rate was only 137 last week, but up to 160 today after she tried to break her way out of my belly and headbutted my cervix (ow!) all morning.  She's measuring perfectly on time at the moment, at 37 centimeters.  My newest craving is fountain cherry coke from Circle K for 63 cents haha.....I mostly fill the cup with ice though, it helps the heartburn.  I try not to have too much caffeine, but it's honestly the only thing that calms my tummy in the morning.  Yes I said morning, but I would drink it all day if I let myself.

Things would be less stressful if we could pay down some loans faster (student, car, home, dad) but for now, the economy is still holding us back.  At least we're lucky enough to be employed, and especially with family, which allows me to be more flexible with work right now.  I don't take it for granted, but I definitely appreciate their liberal maternity leave and leniency with all our doctor appointments these days.  I hope things go well for Wombat when he is finally sworn in (this month?!) and can begin his own business again.  If we could make just 20% more a month, it would make a huge difference.  Our wish list of investments includes a 529 plan, paying off dad, and creating earmarked funds for travel (for family visits to WA, FL, and now CO), savings, home improvements, and emergencies.  We're currently paying more than we need to for student loans in an attempt to get rid of them (and their 6.8% interest rates!), but we might have to scale back in order to create a safer cushion for our family now.  $1100/month is more than 25% of our net income right now, ugh!

Anyway, to catch up on the past 2 weeks, my wonderful SIL, Margot, threw us a final baby shower for family members, and we were once again thrilled and very touched by the number of people who traveled so far to be with us for just a day of celebration.  Margot also went above and beyond what she should have, especially since the shower was thrown just one week before she moved to Colorado!  She and mom prepared SO much good food, made special picture frames with baby pictures of me haha, and brought other fun decorations and handmade book inserts for the gifts.  It was good to see her for her last weekend in Ohio as well - her parents even came down for the occasion!

Here are some pictures from the shower:

Grandma Martha Mae (Amelie's middle name) and Olivia 

Cousin Emily and Lila - more than a month old already! 

Baby pictures of me haha.

Here are some final pictures of the nursery, as ready as can be:

Atticus hiding under the dresser haha

Atticus' tail again - sneaky little mew!

Her books!

 

Bags and camera are packed and ready to go!

Finally, some final bump and nesting pics:

Painted the accent wall and hallway a pretty gold "Anjou Pear" from Sherwin Williams (zero VOCs).  You can see from the shower pictures above that it was previously an ugly brown color.  Who paints a hallway a dark color?

37+ weeks

Update Edit:  Just found out I tested negative for Strep B, meaning I won't have to have IV antibiotics during labor, yay!  Hopefully that means I'll be able to walk around and not be tied to a drip the entire time.