39 Weeks

Size: A watermelon!! I seriously have no doubt.

Major happenings this week: We've entered into our last week of pregnancy.

Sleep: Great!

Miss Anything: Everything. Today, it's a tan. Tomorrow, who knows. I'm so ready to get my body {somewhat} back to myself.

Food Cravings: Vanilla ice cream this week 

 

Bellybutton in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On.

Gender: Girl!

What's been happening: Lots & lots of stuff. See below.

 

Looking forward to: Holding our baby girl. The end is in sight!

Anxious about: Her being too big for me.

 

** We went to our 39 week appointment yesterday. Lots of great things happened, some not so great. My doctor checked me again & although I'd thinned out even more, I hadn't dilated any more. Still at 1/2 cm {dangit}. She measured my belly & it was measuring at 41 weeks. Still a big girl in there.

 

Next came the fun talk. Induction. I know I'm more than likely carrying a big baby (unless my fluid levels have increased again), so I knew I couldn't wait too much longer. I decided to give Miller until her due date to come on her own, so unless she comes before, I'll be induced on April 3rd. 7 days from now. Holy crap.

 

It's incredible to have an end in sight and I think my doctor would've allowed me to be induced earlier than the 3rd, but I wanted to give Miller a chance to come on her own. I REALLY don't want to be induced because I know it can be a long, drawn out process and could potentially end in a c-section (which it might any way if she's too big for me). Plus, I can't survive on Dum Dums & popsicles alone. My doctor offered to do an ultrasound to see if we could get an estimate on her current size, but she also informed me that the readings aren't always accurate, so I didn't want to waste the money.

 

So, sit and wait we will. Scratch that. Walk like it's going out of style, we will. As soon as we left the appointment, we went straight to Walmart for a 30 minute walk. One 30 minute walk & $55 later, we were out of there. Good thing we didn't go for a walk in Target! I really hope I can take advantage of the climbing temps outside so we don't go bankrupt.

 

After a minor freak-out last night that consisted of me going back & forth in my mind about inducing earlier because she may be too big, but I'd rather her come on her own, but I really don't want her to come earlier because I want everyone to be there, but I also don't want to wait too long so everyone gets ample time with her... gosh I'm exhausted just thinking about it... I found this sign this morning:

 

 

Miller will come when she's ready, when the time is right. It will be perfect and it will be God's plan. So now, I'm letting go and letting God. It's His child, after all. He knows what's best for her. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for the next week. We apprecaite it more than you'll ever know!

 

 

Miller's Nursery

With just over a week to go (9 days to be exact), I've finally taken the time to photograph Miller's nursery. It's been finished for a couple of weeks, but with everything else that's been going on I haven't made the time to blog about it. Mind you, these pictures were taken with my phone. I hope that when I get a good camera in there, the colors will translate better.

Without further ado, I give you Miller's nursery!

There is a bit more pink in the room than I originally wanted to incorporate, but she's a little girl, right?

Ryan hand-finished the dresser and it looks incredible in her room. I'll do a separate post to show the different stages of the room.

The print on the left is a quote from "Baby of Mine," a song from the movie Dumbo. If you've never heard the song or seen the movie, please take the time to do both. It's a precious story and the words of the song mean so much to me. I have a feeling I'll sing this song to Miller all of the time.

We call this excess at its best. I'll only be able to dress her the way I want for so long, so big bows & smocked outfits it will be! The bow holders were made by two very special friends of mine & I have a feeling they'll get a lot of use over the next few years.

I wanted to create a calm, soothing nursery with the hope that the feelings would translate to Miller during those 2am feedings. A girl can dream.

38 Weeks

Size: A pumpkin! She's about 18.9-20.9 inches long & weighs between 6.2-9.2 pounds. Her head is about the same circumference as her abdomen. Girl's got a dome piece!

Major happenings this week: Not much different that last week. She's just hanging out inside fattening up for her arrival.

Sleep: Great!

Miss Anything: Nothing.

Food Cravings: None. 

 

Bellybutton in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On. I'm so lucky I haven't swelled any. Still thankful to have my ankles at this point.

Gender: Girl!

What's been happening: At my appointment this past Monday (I was 37 weeks, 5 days), I was 1/2 cm dilated & really thinned out. FINALLY, some progress! My belly was also measuring 39 weeks (shocker). I know it's not much, but it made me excited that something was finally happening!

 

We've been taking nightly walks to try to help with the progress.

 

Looking forward to: Another relaxing weekend. I know after Miller comes they'll be few & far between. We're trying to enjoy our last days just the two of us and not rush this process.

Anxious about: My water breaking in public. I know it's not likely my water will break on its own (only about 12% of women's water breaks without assistance from the doctor), but I have a huge fear of it breaking at work or in church & someone having to clean up after me. How gross!!

Neither Ryan or I went to work yesterday because we were feeling under the weather, so that's why this post is a day late. We finally got our feet back under us late in the afternoon & went for a walk. This was me, technically at 38 weeks...



Ryan was dying to get in on the blog. Kidding. He'll probably kill me when he sees these.

I never imagined how excited he'd be to meet his daughter. It's all he talks about. He's busted his rear end to put all of her things together & last night he wanted to put the play mat together, even though I told him she probably wouldn't use it right away.

He laid under it for a while just to make sure she'd like it. He approved.

On a side note, a girl that lived on my hall Freshman year sent me some clothes for Miller. She has two precious little girls that have grown out of these & was generous to send them to me.

I can't wait to see her in the smocked owl outfit this Fall & how stinking cute is that Lilly swimsuit?? Thank you, Jenn!! I am constantly amazed by the generosity of people. That's a Clemson soul for you, people. Take note.

Shower #4

Yes, I realize I skipped right over a Shower #3 post, but I don't have any pictures from that day. Three ladies with State Farm threw us a wonderful shower in Lexington and we received so many great gifts!

Shower #4 was last Sunday and I was honored to be given a shower with a great friend from our former church, LeAnne. She and I are due two days apart and she is having a sweet little boy named Lennox. I can't wait to see Lennox & Miller together!

LeAnne & I took this picture after opening gifts and I about died. There was NO WAY my belly was that much bigger than hers. So, I made her take more pictures...

Conclusive evidence. I'm carrying an elephant.

Here are the wonderful, sweet, precious girls that threw the shower. I can't say enough great things about this group. We miss them so much!

My belly could swallow my tiny sister whole.

Ryan & me with our wonderful mothers and my sister. Miller is so lucky to be coming into this family! Yes, I will remind her of this often.

Shower season is over and everything most things are washed & put away in their proper places. Now we wait on our baby girl to make her arrival. We're going to spend this weekend making sure the house is completely ready & the car is cleaned inside & out. Have a great weekend!

37 Weeks - Full Term!

Well, I made it! I never thought this day would come. If I were go to into labor today, the doctors wouldn't try to stop it. Miller would be just fine and we'd get to meet our baby girl. But... I don't see that happening. She seems to be quite content in there, so for now, I'll incubate her a little longer and fatten her up. I hope she'll want to come out by 40 weeks; I can totally handle 3 more weeks of pregnancy.

Size: A winter melon. She likely measures 18.9-20.9 inches & weighs about 6.2-9.2 lbs. Quite the broad range, huh?

Major happenings this week: We're full term! Such an exciting time to know she can come any day now.

Sleep: Great!

Miss Anything: Nothing.

Food Cravings: None. Still trying to be careful about what I eat. I usually blow it on the weekends.

 

Bellybutton in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Gender: Girl!

What's been happening: I had another appointment on Monday to check my belly size & see if I'd progressed at all. My belly measured right at 37 weeks & I hadn't dilated at all. I was a little disappointed, just because people tell me all the time, "there's no way you'll make it to 40 weeks!" I almost expected to have her at 38-39 weeks (which I still may), but I quickly got over it. She'll come when she's ready!

 

I've started working a couple of days from home each week to get used to the process. I'll be working at home full time once Miller arrives to avoid the cost of daycare. Good grief, it's expensive!

 

Looking forward to: Staying home! We are officially staying put in Lexington until Miller makes her arrival. Hopefully we'll get everything done around the house that needs to be done.

Anxious about: Her size. Part of my disappointment with the appointment on Monday stems from the fact that I think if I go to 40 weeks, she may come out walking. At my 34 week appointment, she was measuring 5lbs 11oz. The tech said if I deliver at 40 weeks, she'll likely be 8-9lbs, and she said this without batting an eye. 9lbs, seriously? I may never walk again. I know God is in control and the doctors are the professionals, so I just need to relinquish control (as if I have any), and just trust the people in charge.

36 Weeks

Size: A honeydew. 17.2-18.7 inches. 4.2-5.8 lbs. (I highly doubt this since she was 5.11 2 weeks ago!)

Major happenings this week: She's dropped! I used to be able to see my bellybutton, but I can't anymore. It's now facing more towards the floor. I've started having some pelvic pain because of it.

 

Sleep: Great!

Miss Anything: Nothing.

Food Cravings: None. I've started watching what I'm eating again. I don't want to pack on all the lbs at the end.

Bellybutton in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Gender: Girl!

What's been happening: We had a free weekend to get so much stuff done and did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It was pretty nice to lay around so much, but I wish we had taken advantage of the situation. The nursery is almost done, just a few final touches to put in. I'm getting the car seat installed today, which seems crazy because it could still be 4 more weeks before she's here. I guess I need to realize it's better to do this stuff early! We're also going to go ahead & pack our bags for the hospital. Just. in. case. I hope I don't jinx myself!

 

Looking forward to: Our last shower this weekend. The girls at our former church in Greenville were so sweet to offer to throw me a shower even though we've been gone for a year. I knew I made life-long friends when I met those ladies! Even sweeter - LeAnne (another girl from the Sunday School class) is due 2 days after me, so we're having a joint shower. How cool is that?

Anxious about: Knowing when I'm actually in labor. They say you'll just know, so I'm counting on that.

Shower #2!

Our second shower was on February 17th in Greenville. The shower was given by nine of my closest friends from college & beyond. I have such a special bond with these ladies and I've blogged about it here. We're such a close-nit group and can really be ourselves around each other. We seriously have the most fun together!

I was so excited to spend the afternoon with all of these girls and they gave me such a wonderful shower. They already love Miller so much, which makes me even more excited for her arrival!

   Becca was so sweet to host the                                                                         Kelley & me
            shower at her house!

My friend Nikki was 23 weeeks pregnant                                                    Miller's bow holder!
during this picture. Seriously?

  My sweet sister with Jenn the Hen


The dress I wore was from the Old Navy regular section. I broke one of my cardinal rules of maternity wear (fitted & flattering) and I paid for it. Note to self & every other prego - stick with fitted maternity clothes! They're made to hug the bump!

Thanks to my sweet friends for such an amazing shower. I love you all!