37 Completed weeks

Happy Halloween! I am 37 completed weeks today, which makes me officially "full term". She could come any day now (and I am happy about that!). The 9th month has been extremely uncomfortable...must be nature's way of getting you ready to be a parent. Suddenly the fear of giving birth and labor is overshadowed by this deep desire to be comfortable again. I'm already sleep deprived, so I've got that going for me. I started packing our hospital bag tonight, just in case! I want to be prepared, so we don't have to run around like crazy when the time comes.

Avery has been very active lately. She has been busy moving around (in her very limited space) and I think she might have "dropped". My breathing has gotten better and I have had about 1-2 days without acid reflux or heartburn. On the flip side, she's resting comfortably on my bladder and a nerve.

I can't wait to meet her and I know Chris feels the same way...that or he is just ready for me not to be pregnant anymore;) Stay tuned because things around the Jones household will be getting really exciting within the next few weeks!

Another nursery update

Avery's shelf above her crib.
Instead of chancing designs on the letters, I decided to do different ribbons.

Her changing table!

We FINALLY have a full, functioning nursery!!! Hoorah!

36-week appointment

I had my 36-week doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Everything looks good and there is nothing to report. I start going weekly now AND my doctor will start checking to see if I am dilating, effacing, what station, etc. He should also be able to tell where her head is and take a guess as to how much she weighs. Next week will be more exciting!

Nursery Update

Here is her stroller. We went for a uni-sex theme, in case our 2nd baby is a boy.
The wall hangings in her nursery.

Her finished crib.

Her blanket on the wall.

Her car seat.

36 Completed weeks

Today, I am officially 36 completed weeks with 4 to go (if I follow the traditional 40-week time period). This is my last week as "pre-term". The end is definitely near and boy do I feel it! I have sciatic pain now, she is pushing on both ends and now I know what people mean when they say that their baby is in their rib cage. I also feel like my stomach sticks out 2 feet in front of me and I am definitely NOT liking my double chin! BUT I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world because I already love her and she is a sweet surprise.

Bella's rattle

I couldn't resist adding these pictures of Bella. She got a hold of one of the rattles used on a gift bag. She IS the baby girl...for another month or so.

Some more baby shower gifts...

Shhh...Lil' Dancer Dreaming
Avery's blanket

Blanket

Her take-home outfit

Her Christmas stocking

Some baby shower gifts...

My 2 favorite bibs and her baby book.
Cute onesies

The green outfit is in French, we got it while on our Honeymoon in Paris.

The bunny one says, "Little Ballerina" on it.

Remember how much I love Pooh!

Baby shower

Today was my baby shower. We had it at Uncle Julios in Grapevine. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and I had a great time! I feel very lucky to have the friends and family I do. Avery is very blessed. She will have 2 amazing sets of grandparents and wonderful aunts and uncles as well.
I am experimenting with the pictures...

35 Completed weeks

As of today I am officially 35 completed weeks...5 weeks left (hopefully). True to what every website and book says, Avery's movement has slowed down because she is running out of room. I feel really good and my hormones have calmed down. I am really excited about the short time I have left with this pregnancy and cannot wait to meet her and to hold her.

34 week check-up

Just got back from my 34-week doctor's appointment. Everything looks good. Her heartrate was 142. She has been in the 140's the entire pregnancy. I didn't have sugar in my system this time because I gave up my Cocoa Pebbles this morning. Weight gain was much better than I thought it was going to be. I was able to ask my doctor a lot of questions.
Q1: When will we know where her head is and what position she is lying in? A1: they will check at 37 weeks (so my next appointment will be 36 weeks and then I am guessing I start going every week instead of every 2 weeks).
Q2: Is there a way to tell how big she is going to be before labor? A2: Anything would be just a guess.
Q3: Will I get induced if she gets too big? A3: She would have to be abnormally big for that to happen.
Q4: H1N1 vaccine? Safety? A4: Definitely recommends the vaccine because pregnant women are more susceptible to H1N1, if I contract it, I can get pneumonia because of my weakened immune system and because she is compressing my diaphragm. My doctor laughs at all the theories and conspiracy theories surrounding the safety of the H1N1 vaccine.
Q5: I have heard other hospitals limiting # of visitors allowed and the age of visitors due to the flu problem. Does Baylor have any restrictions at this time? A5: There are restrictions for NICU, but as of now there are no restrictions pertaining to #/age of visitors due to flu.

I also was able to finish pre-registering for the hospital today, so now we just have to wait for Avery to decide it's time. I started having Braxton Hicks (warm-up) contractions last night and believe it or not, I am happy about that. Up until last night, I had not had any nor felt anything out of the ordinary.

Cutest dogs on earth

I had to take these pictures tonight because our dogs are just so darn cute:) Bella is perched on my stomach watching TV (even though it's hard to tell in this picture). She found her ideal spot. And I couldn't leave Teddy out. He has a long tongue and it sometimes sticks out and I finally got a great picture of it.

34 completed weeks

Yesterday, I was 34 completed weeks (only 6 more weeks to go!). Avery has been very active this weekend. She has given me a few good kicks that have startled me, but her favorite activity is to push. I only wish I knew which body part it was! This past week has been particularly hard on my hips, I blame the hormone Relaxin. Relaxin softens your cartilage and joints in preparation for labor. My hip joints hurt really bad and I waddle if not limp (think pirate with a wooden leg) whenever I have been sitting or sleeping and get up. When I wasn't pregnant, I had problems with my hips popping and they would get stiff if I didn't pop them. What it feels like now is that I have to pop my hips, and they won't pop. It's a little painful, but as Chris likes to say now (thanks to our Childbirth class), think of the reward of all this.

I cannot believe there are only 6 weeks left until she is here. AND only 3 more weeks until she is considered full-term.

The reward

Chris and I went to our Childbirth class yesterday from 9am-about 4pm. I'm really glad we went to this class. I learned a few things I certainly had A)not read about and B)my sister didn't tell me. We learned a lot about breathing techniques, the stages of labor (I finally know what it means to efface AND what stations mean), different medication, aka pain killers available and their benefits and side effects, we even got to see a real epidural needle...oh boy! We also learned about our specific hospital, how they identify the baby, how to check nurses when they come in to take the baby, etc., vaccinations given to the baby, of course we saw videos of live births and an animation of a C-section. And may I just say that I have a lot more respect for all women who have had a C-section. Even though it was an animation, I could barely watch it! And it was good for Chris to hear such wonderful things, like how much I am going to bleed during and for weeks after delivery, I might lose my hair, and how I need to REST when we get home and that I should not overdo it! Although I think Chris's favorite part of the class was hearing about how he needed to talk to me to encourage me during labor. His favorite phrase (that if he utters during labor will probably get him punched or worse) is, "think about the reward of labor". I'm fine with him being absolutely silent during labor, really.
We also were able to get away for lunch to eat at Uno Pizzeria. We have been wanting to eat there, but all our previous attempts have been thwarted. If you are ever in downtown Ft. Worth, I highly suggest it! It has Chicago-style pizza and was REALLY good!
AND I have to give my husband props, even though I wasn't very happy in the class with him because he was the class clown...he worked Friday night from 8pm-7:45am, drove 45-minutes home, picked me up and went to a Childbirth class from 9am-4pm. Came home slept, and went back to work at 10pm. I love you, smart-aleck!

1st Flu shot ever

I finally bit the bullet and received my 1st ever flu shot tonight. It didn't hurt at all AND I feel like I have done a great thing for Avery. Now if only I could protect her from everything else in the world that can harm her or make her sick...

Get on your Snuggie

By now I am sure everyone has seen these wonderful commercials and like me, cannot get this jingle out of their heads. When I told Chris they made Snuggies for dogs, he didn't believe me. Until he saw the Snuggie for dogs commercial (you know the one with the Bichon Frise sitting up and reading a Bichon Frise book with glasses and Snuggie on?). He became determined that "his" dog, meaning Bella, would also have a Snuggie. We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond AND PetCo and both said that dog Snuggies would be out for the holidays. That simply wasn't fast enough for Chris! When he announced to me that he was going to make a Snuggie for "his" dog, I laughed and told him, "this I've got to see". Well, low and behold, I watched him hand sew a Snuggie for Bella. As I'm typing this, Chris is working on Snuggie #2, for "my" dog, Teddy. And yes, I have already thought of the irony in this situation...when Avery needs something sewn her daddy can do it for her and her mom will have NO clue how to help her.

Nursery Update

Avery's nursery is definitely a work in progress. We have the room painted, but still have to do touch-ups. We have her crib, bedding, mobile, toys, wooden letters and some clothes. Her nursery needs a lot of decorations!! I had to post the picture of her security blanket for 2 reasons. 1) anyone that really knows me, knows that I LOVE Winnie the Pooh and 2) her daddy picked this out for her.

Pregnancy Update

As of yesterday, October 3rd, I am 33 completed weeks. This is the most current picture of what I/Avery look like at the moment. Overall I have had a great pregnancy and have enjoyed being pregnant. I am now in the phase where I am tired (again), finding it nearly impossible to sleep, and if I stand for too long my back hurts, if I sit for too long I swell...I am definitely ready to meet her and to hold her. I only have about 7 weeks left! Our childbirth class is next weekend. I cannot wait to see what they are "teaching"us considering that the class is from 9am-5pm. AND my baby shower is the weekend after that. I hope everyone remembers to RSVP!

Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! Mostly because I get to dress my dogs up in costumes (I cannot wait until Avery is here and I can dress her up too!). Here are Teddy and Bella already ready for Halloween 2009!

New blog

I am trying out a blog for the very 1st time. I wanted a blog so that I can share all the new happenings around the Jones household. I don't want to bore people on Facebook with the same information, pictures and status updates since Avery should be here in a few weeks and she is all I can think about at the moment.