38 weeks


Oh my, how the time has flown.

We set up a maternity photo shoot with a great friend, Winona Farris, on the beach near our house on Thursday evening and I'm just so thankful I managed to fit it in with this baby.  I have less than two weeks to go in this pregnancy and I keep hearing how much faster second babies come.  I actually got to view all the photos from the shoot today, which are simply amazing, and yet, it's hard to believe that's ME in those photos and that I'm nearly 38 weeks pregnant.  Time flies by; the memories we make are all any of us have. 

Here's a sneak peek:

Baby boy is the size of a watermelon at this point and isn't going to gain much weight between now and the day he makes his big debut.  Great news for me as I feel there really is no more room in my body for him to take up!  One thing that continues to grow at a rapid pace is his brain.  His skin has now finally changed from pink to white; pigmentation will occur soon following birth.

I have a huge burst of energy this past week (even today!), that I have been using to wrap up final preparations.  I do tire quickly and still spend a few hours every day with my legs elevated, though luckily no swelling.  I am feeling a lot of pressure and some cramping "down South" and my Braxton-Hicks contractions have stayed steady, strong, and more frequent.  I'm also still getting random, sharp pains where my left leg connects to my torso when walking and it feels as if my leg is going to completely give out at times.  My lower back aches a bit, especially first thing in the morning because of all the tossing & turning, I'm sure.  Getting comfortable at night is nearly impossible!  If I lay on my left side, I have heartburn; I can't lay on my back or my stomach; and laying on my right side for so long eventually causes numbness and pain in my shoulder.  I'm considering moving down to the couch.  Lovely.  He's still in the same position and moves frequently, throughout the day and night, with 2-4 hour long stretches of time he's asleep in between.

No real labor contractions nor other signs of labor just yet and I'm thrilled about that!  I have a lot I'd like to get done (including going to the Cars2 Movie Premiere on June 4th!) before he arrives and it would just be easier on everyone should I go into labor after my mom arrives so we don't have to rely on our friends to care for Emily.

Things we accomplished this week:
* Assembled the swing my mom purchased for us
* Cleaned out the hall closet to make room to hang my Ergo for easy accessibility
* Brought home the Bumbo a girlfriend returned
* Purchased some additional Pyrex to make & freeze a few more meals (working on these this week!) and stocked the house with everything ranging from toilet paper and cat litter to pasta and cereal
* Had my maternity photo shoot
* Set up an extension cord next to my nursing chair to charge things like my iPhone & Kindle; as well as set out a coaster (for drinks), box of tissues, breast pads & Lanolin, a notepad & pen, iPhone headphones, and chapstick for those hours of nursing around the clock
* Lined the diaper pail with a trash bag and added an Arm & Hammer odor eliminating tablet
* Finished the "Thank You" notes for all the gifts we've been receiving

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