#BeanWatch {40 weeks!}

By now, you would think that you would finally be meeting our little Bean. Well, welcome to the club. Haha. Now, I know that babies don't normally ever make their arrival on their due date, I have accepted that fact. But I would like to think that some progress would be made by now. Instead we are now on what we have coined as "Bean Watch"!

We had an OB appointment on Wednesday with one of the doctors that we really like. I had my cervix checked again this week and I am still not dilated but she said that I was 50% effaced and the baby was at -2 station in my pelvis. (And now that I think about it, maybe the lady said that last week as well but I might have misheard her... Who knows.) In any case, the doctor said that in first pregnancies it is normal to efface before dilating. I am not sure if she was just trying to make me feel better or not, but I'll take it. Also, the nurse who checked us in said that what I have been experiencing could very well be mild contractions and not just braxton hicks, so that's good. I guess I have been expecting pain more so than just tightness and pressure, but maybe that means this won't be as painful as I am imagining. Haha! One other thing is that the doctor did not force me to pick an induction date this week. She was on board with me wanting to wait it out and she seemed excited that I was hoping for a natural birth, so that was really reassuring.

This week has been really on edge for us. With her due date coming and going, we are seriously trying to relax and spend time together and get last minute things done... but all that is on our mind is when is this little girl going to make her appearance into the world!? The 18th was Brad's dad's birthday and he really wanted a granddaughter for his birthday but she had other plans. (Haha, sorry Dad!) And my birthday is this Sunday, so maybe she is aiming to steal my birthday from me! Only time will tell. I have been walking every day and that seems to make my belly get really tight (and it's also making my legs really sore, ugh). After I post this, I am going to pump up my exercise ball and get to bouncing on that because a few people told me that worked for them. Spicy food doesn't do anything for me because I've been eating spicy food for the past 9 months, haha. So, I have tried all the natural ways to jump start this thing, but I must make a really comfy living quarters. And as long as she is happy and healthy, I am okay with her staying in there. We are just getting really anxious to finally meet her! <3

Not much room left in there, maybe you should come out. ;)

From BabyCenter.com:
It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds and is about 20 inches long. Her skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

So like I said, not much left to do but wait... And finish packing the hospital bag. And finish the thank you cards. And finish the mobile I'm making. And maybe clean the house. Haha.

Crossing our fingers that next week's blog will be featuring our new addition.

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

Probably not this week... {39 weeks!}

With our due date only 6 days away, you would think I would be feeling something... ANYTHING... right about now. But no. I am as snug as a bug in a rug. Well, actually, that's Bean. She is far too comfortable where she is, which is fine by me, but apparently frowned upon to the professionals. Our last two appointments they doctors have brought up setting a date for induction. Finally today I told them that I don't want to be induced and boy was she shocked. I mean, sure at this point I am sure most normal women are ready for their pregnancy to be over, but I love being pregnant and it's not bothering me to keep her in there until she is ready. So I am hoping that she will come when she is ready but before the doctors force me into induction. Come on Bean, you have 2 more weeks until they evict you, pick your day wisely. ;)

So on top of the fact that we are 6 days away from our due date and I am not feeling any onset of labor, neither are the doctors. This morning I was told that I was negative 2 dilated. I don't even know what that means. Haha. I didn't think you could be negative amounts dilated. But I am. Awesome. Everything else looks good though. No high blood pressure. Bean is still in the correct position. We are really just waiting on her. So she will either be on time, which does not run in this family at all, or late... just like we normally are. Haha. The hardest part of all of this is that we have NO IDEA when it is going to happen and that makes me a little nervous. Sometimes I am afraid to leave the house in fear that my water will break in the most inopportune place. Oh! That reminds me of a funny story actually. Last week, I was walking into my office at work and I noticed that water was leaking from me. I kind of freaked out a little bit trying to figure out if it was from me or not... But after a second I realized that one of my water bottles had opened and was leaking from my bag. HUGE sigh of relief followed by a lot of laughter on my part. Not the way I wanted to start my Friday. Hahaha. In any case, I am now working from home so I can get some rest and finish up things around the house. It is nice to not have to worry about getting up early and sitting at work being constantly asked if I had the baby yet. Really, people? Does it look like I had the baby yet?... I have been taking advantage of this time to get in as many naps as I can before sleep becomes a thing of the past to me.

As for being prepared... I guess we are as ready as we can be. We have the essentials that we need to get by and I think it would be better to wait until she gets here to stock up on things like diapers. We have enough for now, I hope. We have a car seat to get her home in, some clothes for her to wear, a crib for her to sleep in, and a monitor to watch her sleep. Ha. I don't have the hospital bag packed yet, but it's on my to do list. I am not too concerned about that. I don't plan on rushing straight to the hospital upon the onset of labor. I want to spend as much of my early labor as possible at home, so I should have time between contractions to throw things in a bag. ;)

Brad has been the biggest support to me. He isn't expecting a lot out of me nowadays and is really appreciative when I do get something done no matter how small the task. I am lucky to have him as my husband and soon to be father of our child. <3

He even painted my toenails for me this week:

I picked up some Red Raspberry Leaf tea this week, which is suppose to help promote strong uterine muscles and make labor easier. I think I also read that it helps bring labor into motion. We have planned long walks over the weekend and I have got some advice to bounce on an exercise ball, do squats, and have sex to help move labor along. It can't hurt, right? Just giving Bean a little encouragement. ;)

As for the belly... I thought it was dropping but maybe it isn't? 

I can't tell anymore. Haha.

Info from BabyCenter.com:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

That's really all that we have going on right now. We have two more date nights planned, one tonight and one on Friday night. We are trying to spend as much time as we can as just the two of us before we move on to the next adventure of our life. :)

Hopefully next week's blog post will have a picture of Bean out of my belly. ;)

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

R E L A X . . . {38 weeks!}

We are down to the 2 week mark. Actually less than that. 13 days. THIRTEEN. DAYS. Meaning that it can happen really any time now. But it won't. {Stay in there little bean!}

Last Friday and Saturday we had two different classes to go to. On Friday, we had a 2 hour Infant Care class. Basically it covered what your baby will look like when she is born and what are normal things to see. We learned about changing diapers and swaddling and feedings... It was a quick class but I am glad we went. Then Saturday we had a "Prepared Childbirth" class which was about 6 hours long. That class was more in-depth about what happens during labor and what our options are during labor. The main thing the Nurse continually reminded us was that we have to relax. R E L A X. And breathe. She gave us some exercises to do at home to help us train our body to breathe and relax. I normally do them in the shower if I remember. I know our options and what our hospital is capable of and can do and based on that I have been working on my birth plan. I am currently reading a book called "Natural Hospital Birth" to get myself prepared also. As of right now, I am planning on going as natural as possible with the labor. I am also going to remain flexible based on how well I am handling the pain, though. My main goal is to avoid having a C-Section.
The last few hours of the class was about breastfeeding. Besides the fact that it is FREE, it really is better for the baby and for me, which is why I am choosing to breastfeed. I know it will be harder and I am ready for that challenge.

My belly has been dropping slowly. I like to say that Bean is on her final descent down to her destination and she needs to put her tray table up and get her seat in the upright position. ;) I am feeling more pressure in my pelvis, but I am still having trouble breathing because she is dropping sloooowly.

We had an OB appointment this morning. We got to see one of our favorite doctors today and that made me happy. We heard Bean's heartbeat and then we had a really quick ultrasound to verify that she is in fact head down and facing the right direction. That was a huge relief for me. Brad tried to get a video of the ultrasound but the screen was really dark and it didn't come out that well. I didn't really get to see anything either but just hearing that everything is right made me feel way better.
One thing they didn't check was if I was dilated. I know a few girls who are a week behind me has been checked and are dilated. I wish I had some progress to report there. Oh well...

I finally got one of my coworkers to take a picture of me in uniform, which I like to call "The Tent". I think it makes me look a lot bigger than I really am. Haha.

The Tent

And here is my weekly belly picture.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

I do wonder what she will look like, so much. I am so anxious to meet her. Brad's mom asked us this weekend if we think she will have curly hair or straight hair. I think it will be straight because my hair is stick straight and so is *almost* everyone else on my side. It's that Navajo Indian blood we have. Haha. And I am kind of hoping for her to have brown hair like me. I just don't want a blonde haired, blue eyed little girl running around breaking hearts when she is older. Haha. And I would love to eventually have a little boy who looks just like Brad. <3

As far as I go, I am feeling good. I am moving slower and waddling more. I have been REALLY tired lately and trying to get in as many naps as I can now. Haha. I know that sleep is going to become a foreign thing to me soon, so I am trying to get as much as I can before Bean gets here. I have been getting Braxton Hicks contractions but those are pretty normal for me. Other than that, no signs of labor are happening. Naturally, we discuss places that we don't want my water to break, which is really anywhere except at home. Haha. Luckily next week I will be working from home because I really don't want my water breaking there! ;)

Our next appointment is in a week. And then a week after that is our due date! :)

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Full. Term. Wow. {37 weeks!}

We have had a very busy week since our last blog post. If you missed our last post it was the nursery reveal {finally}! I feel like I need to mention that no, her name is not Audrey and honestly I didn't even THINK about the correlation between the "A" on the wall and the Audrey Hepburn picture. Haha. I just really love Audrey Hepburn and thought it was a good place to hang her.

On Friday, our friend Anna came to visit us for the weekend. It was really nice to see her and spend time with her. The best part was that she was here in time for a baby shower that our friends Scott and Helene threw for us on Saturday! We have been really blessed this month and Bean has been given so much love, it's incredible. I can't even explain. {Thank you so much for such a wonderful baby shower Scott, Helene, Alyson, Bill, Kim, Larry, and Anna!}

Thank you for visiting us Anna! <3

On Tuesday, we went on a tour through the maternity ward. If it didn't feel real before, it sure does now. Haha. We got to see where we check in and what the delivery rooms look like and the postpartum rooms look like. It was really nice actually. The rooms were a nice size and they have a pull out couch for Brad to sleep on. Tomorrow we have an Infant Care class and Saturday we have an all day Childbirth class. Fun stuff! :)

This week I hit 37 weeks, which is technically "full term". Anything before 37 weeks is "pre-term". Between 37-40 weeks is "full term". And 40-42 weeks is "post-term". Basically I think it means that she can make her arrival any day now. But she can't because we had a pep-talk and I told her she has to stay in there until February 19th, at least. ;)

From weeks 37-40 the baby is the size of a watermelon! As you can tell in my belly picture. Haha.
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

We got back our maternity photos that our friend Ali did for us two weeks ago. I am totally enamored with them. She did such an amazing job and I am so glad that we have these special pictures taken by one of our friends to remember this amazing moment in our life. <3

Here are some of my favorites. :)

Next week we will be reporting on our classes we are taking this weekend and our OB appointment that we have next week.
Until then...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

{19 days until D-Day!}