Well, it is hard to believe that I will be considered "full term" (37 weeks) on Tuesday of this week! I went to the doctor this past Wednesday and everything is still on track and he does not see any sign of an early delivery....well, yet anyway! She is still measuring exactly where she should be and her heart rate was in the 170's. I will go back to the doctor on May 7th (one day prior to 38 weeks). He said that he will check me at this point for any effacement or dilation....fingers crossed! Overall, I am feeling OK. Sleeping gets a bit more difficult every few days and I am getting very tired doing just the simplest of tasks, but I could be much worse. Yesterday, I had my hair cut and colored and a pedicure, so I feel like a new woman!
The last time I posted, I forgot to mention that we are packed for the hospital and are ready whenever she is! Yesterday, Shawn and my sisters did a HUGE clean of the house. It was basically like a true Spring Cleaning from the blinds to the baseboards and everything in between. I am truly thankful for all that they did and knowing that we will be bringing our little girl in to a super clean environment. The other thing that got marked off the list yesterday was the drawer dividers that my Dad made for her. When we started getting clothes and putting them away I kept thinking how complicated it was going to be to remember where we had what sizes, etc. That is when the "organization" in me kicked in and I had this great idea of dividers. I originally did some research online for them and they were super expensive. I decided to call my Dad to see if he could make something like that under the condition that I actually had them BEFORE she was born (for everyone who knows my Dad he is not exactly Mr. On-Time with projects). Anyway, I explained what I needed and below is a picture of how they turned out! The front and back pieces have multiple slots so I can move the dividers around however I like. He also made us lots of extra divider pieces. I also plan on taking a label maker and labeling each section so we know exactly where to put things back!
We had maternity pictures done on April 1st and received access to the proofs/gallery this week. Follow the below instructions if you would like to go and view them! Note that our photographer has not re-touched all of the photos.
www.kristenhinsonphotography.com
Click on PROOFING link
enter password "anderson" and click submit
Enjoy!
I know it has been almost a month since I last blogged, but we have had A LOT going on! In the past several weeks we have done the following:
-Attended a breast feeding class: Some of the information I had already read about/been informed about, but I did learn some additional information that will hopefully come in handy in the near future
-Finished buying all of the items that we "think" we need for when she arrives: This involved a lot of strategizing to figure out which coupons to use, what to buy where with the gift cards we had and what things did we still really want. I do have to share the great deal we got on our baby video monitor. Target had it on a price cut when we actually went to the store to get it, then I had a competitor coupon for 20% off that Target accepted, so we basically saved about $50 on the monitor!
-Completed Baby Anderson's nursery: This involved some re-organization, hanging the letters of her name, ironing curtains, etc. The only thing we do have left is to put in the dividers that my dad is making for her drawers. This will allow me to be extra organized and I plan on using a label maker to mark what sizes are in each divider
-Attended a car seat class: This may sound dumb to some people, but the class was actually very informative. Their were also 2 certified "car seat installers" that helped all of us get them adjusted correctly into our car. It is absolutely amazing how many people do it wrong!
-Set up my Leave of Absence with work: This was actually quite frustrating because I was told certain information by my HR department a few months ago and was told a different story when I spoke with them again last week. My company does not have an "official" maternity leave policy, so I am having to use a lot of my sick days, vacation time, short term disability and a couple of weeks I won't be getting paid at all. I will be taking the full 12 weeks though.
-Prepped my co-workers: This basically means that I sat down with everyone in my office and went over my responsibilities, where things were at in my "folder" online and in binders and some other random things. I also told them of my emergency contacts in case something was to happen at work. I actually have a "birth plan" if something was to happen at work meaning that I have certain people ready to jump and they know who to contact, where to take me, etc.
We really have just a few more things that we need to do before she gets here. Shawn and I are actually going tonight to stock up on food that will last a while i.e. anything that isn't going to expire within the next couple of months. Next Saturday, my sisters and Shawn are going to be doing a massive clean of our house. Now don't get me wrong, we clean every other week, but this is like a spring cleaning of sorts. The Saturday after that we are having our couch and over sized chair cleaned and deodorized.
Baby Update:
I go to the doctor this upcoming Wednesday and then after that I will be going every week. So far, my doctor has not had really anything to worry about with the baby and I. She is measuring right on schedule and he still thinks she will be somewhere between 7-8 pounds. In the past few weeks I have definitely gotten more tired again and breathing has become an issue. I really have to pay attention as to how many stairs I climb and how many errands I try to run. I have had a few times where I literally had to lay down on my side to get good oxygen flow. I still haven't had any swelling and I have minor pains in my back. My doctor really attributes this to my continued exercise and watching what I have been eating. According to my emails that I get each week, she is the size of a butternut squash (haha) and will probably gain another pound before she is born.
The nursery is done....well almost. We have to add the letters of the baby's name above the crib, but no one can see the name until she is born! In the meantime, here are the finished nursery pics.
