Week 39: The Truth Comes Out

Baby is slowing down in the growth department. He/she should be right around 7lbs.~ FINALLY about the same as a watermelon- the watermelon that it has looked like for weeks!

This picture makes me want more watermelon. Maybe I can get just one more this season??? I just can't get enough fruit. Matt and I have been binging on frozen grapes the last few weeks~ we bought 6 bunches Friday (they were $0.99/lb!) and may need to reload before those go out of season too. If you have never frozen grapes, stick some in the freezer and thank me later.

As of my last doctor's appointment (5 days ago) I was 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. According to the doctor and my readings, that means absolutely nothing in terms of predicting D-Day. Some people can be hours later, some people can be weeks. I was just amazed that a couple fingers can differentiate between centimeters. I guess that is the doctor's job but still, its pretty impressive.

Matt and I are both hoping to make it to at least October (which I think is pretty likely considering its the 28th). Matt said "Core's are born in October" (he and both of his parents have October birthdays) but the real reason is because insurance deductible new year is 10/1. Ha! My prediction, as of the doctor's appointment last week, was Monday, Oct. 3 and his was Friday, Oct. 7. Winner gets.... something good. No diaper duty for a few days?

These past few weeks of pregnancy, I feel like I'm stumbling upon things that no one tells you about being pregnant. If you are awkward or uncomfortable with 'girl stuff' or too much information, stop reading now. Pregnancy has led me to be WAY less self-conscious about my body~ heck, there are way nastier people than me that get fat and pregnant. Plus, this is my blog. If you don't like the content, go google something. Like I said, Stop reading now if you don't want to know the truth about pregnancy and its effects on a body.

So, my pregnancy revelations (you're welcome pregnant friends~ this is the stuff the books don't say)...

*Last week the baby was the length of a leek. It was also the week (or month) of the leak. I won't go into vivid details, but I'm not talking about bladder control here. Just take my word, things happen. It's gross, its uncomfortable, and it can be handled with the purchase of feminine products (not tampons, as Matt so unhelpfully suggested). I think this is the first pantyliner purchase I have made since like 7th grade.

I warned you of the TMI.

*I thought I was blessed having escaped stretch marks until my lower belly poked out from under a shirt that wasn't long enough (by the way, most shirts aren't long enough) and Matt so lovingly pointed out that I had stretch marks. No, it's just that dark line he's seeing (yes, you get a weird dark line) but he was insistent, they were stretch marks. An awkward examination trying to bend with a mirror, crushing my lungs and ribs revealed the truth. I got stretch marks. Dammit.

This is a picture of whats going on in my 39th week and the entire surface area from below my belly button to about the top of my thigh (approximately the area where daisy dukes would hit) has been invisible to me for months. This arrow points to the stretch zone. Dammit. I hate the smell of cocoa butter, Dammit!

You had your chance to leave.

*The invisible area I just pointed out also makes personal grooming nearly impossible. Don't bother looking at what you're doing, you will have to bank on other senses. I get paranoid at what doctors and nurses think about different grooming varieties they encounter and their opinion of the personalities that groom particular ways but Matt has again assured me, think of all the nasty patients they have had to see. I am way less gross than the people I've observed in the waiting room, that's for sure. So if there are some missed spots, or some forgotten strays or some wild ones.... it could be worse. I could be a patient that requires the extra-wide, armless chairs in the waiting room.

My blog, my content.

*It is hard to wipe your butt. Maybe its just me and I have T-Rex arms, but seriously, I can't figure out the right angle to the back.

Not only is pooping itself hard (constipation is a normal symptom - so are hemorrhoids which thank god, I have not had), now wiping is too. UUGGHHH. At least fiber hasn't been a craving of mine.

Girls poop.

All of this nonsense contributes to me being over this. I admit, pregnancy hasn't been that bad and I have been pretty good at NOT complaining (Matt knows this is true -  he also thinks its because I want a small army and I know that being nice will be more likely to result in additional pregnancies than being whiny and difficult) but really, 39 weeks is sufficient. I am done being pregnant but I am anxious about coming out on the other side. We are as ready as we can be (Matt is installing car seat tonight, cute) but I don't think you can touch the surface of knowing what you're really in for. "Get Sleep" everyone advises. Yea, that stopped months ago. You get sleep with a watermelon strapped to your belly, pushing on your bladder and stretching your skin until it looks translucent.

For all of this, I deserve a reward.

Yea, I did it. I parked there. 39 weeks, running a quick errand, belly is quite obvious now so hopefully judgmental stares were minimal, and I got rock-star parking. Considering I only have days, or even hours left to utilize those spaces, ONE time is definitely deserved.

Also deserved is a Taco Bell Limeade Sparkler. Stumbled upon those this week... Delish

Most deserved is a baby. I get to hold him/her whenever I want so just a head's up, even if you're a visiting guest, I get first dibs :)

Week 38: Long as a Leek

Still Truckin'...6.8 lbs and over 19 1/2 inches long (the length of a leek).

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The "How are you feeling?" question is getting a little old. I feel fine, nothing has changed, if anything major happened, you would know about it. Really, I haven't felt much different in weeks. I am more tired and more exhausted but apparently that's normal. I could use a nap after work each day and its pretty easy to fall asleep before 10. The problem with going to bed early is that it adds 4 bathroom trips to my overnight agenda. I should buy stock in TP.

This past weekend I was on a roll in the kitchen. I made homemade Runza's and they were sooooo good (of course I added cheese). Even the bread was right on. Now all I need is a sausage maker that can somehow squirt the meat into the bun (TWSS) without having to fold it up like a calzone. Gus and Wigs were diggin' the Runza's too. I also made curried cauliflower soup and consumed what will probably be my last watermelon of the season (yes, I ate another whole watermelon). The old man checking me out at the grocery store was amused by the irony of the lady carrying a watermelon and buying a watermelon. He said I should have my husband lifting it but Uncle Sam called and Matt was at drill. Luckily, there was no baby while Matt was OOT.

Saturday morning, a group of my Mom's friends had a shower/brunch for me and they stocked us up with more FuzziBunz. It was a fun time with great friends and delicious food and Baby Core has some honorary Granny's who can't wait to meet him/her! That is the last of the 'showering us with Baby love' and we are definitely set with baby supplies, baby gear, yellow and green baby clothes, baby diapers etc. Its good to feel loved!

Even though Matt isn't thrilled about the idea of newborn photos, I went ahead and scheduled a session (sorry Matt, the deposit is paid :)). I figured the pictures would be something we will want down the line and since the true newborn pictures are shot in the first 10-14 days, I needed to get on it. If I knew the baby gender, I would have a serious stash of headbands or crocheted beanie things but luckily for the budget, we will have to depend on the photographers props. Check this out though, how could Matt resist pictures like these??

Searching on Etsy for fun baby stuff also leads to pictures like that. OMG. Maybe I'm drawn to that baby picture because I'm a child of the 80's...

I had a super vivid dream about having the baby 2 nights ago. It was a nameless girl and I was living at home with my parents, brothers and Matt. I put the baby to bed (the same day it was born) and went to bed at 10:30pm. At 1:30pm the next day, I woke up and went to a home improvement store with my Mom and Patrick. Half way through the excursion, it dawned on me that I hadn't checked on the baby. Patrick texted Charlie and Matt, who should have been at home where the baby was but they were both asleep and not responding. We ran out of the store to rush home and..... I woke up. What does it mean?!? Hahaha. Matt's first question when I told him about the dream was, "What did we name the baby?" Sorry Matt, no name in the dream.

People's latest prediction (besides the majority thinking its a girl) is that it will happen in September. Although I don't know if my belly looks like the baby has 'dropped' I do know that my ribs have had some relief the past week or so. Sunday when Matt was still at drill, it dawned on me that the baby hadn't been very active. I laid down and started counting. Nothing. I focused, turned off the TV, nothing. I ate something and moved around, nothing. 52 minutes went by. FIFTY TWO, with only 1 movement! Then the last 8 minutes of my 60 minute wait, the baby moved the entire time. Not just 'movements' but consistent moving, like hiccups, cartwheels and karate all at once. What a little stinker this baby is! Maybe its just extra smart and playing mind games.

Let's see if this 38th week 'leaks' (get it? my water could break? leek/leak??).

*The baby kicked me when I typed that. I think it was a "NO" kick though, not an "I'm coming" kick.

Week 37: Chard-ging Forward

This week's marks a big moment for baby... we are officially considered full-term! It's exciting to feel a little more 'in the clear' but it is also scary! Anytime is Baby time!! It could be an hour, it could be a month, and its not good for mental preparation! I'm still paranoid about counting baby movements. My stomach is super lumpy and I assume when the lumps move to different locations, that counts as a movement even though I have been too distracted to make note of it.

As far as full-term development, the baby should be about 6.5 lbs and 19inchs head to heel, which is the lenth of a stalk of swiss chard.

Swiss chard? More like Swiss cheese, Swiss Miss, Mushroom and Swiss Runza! Matt once asked if swiss cheese came from Sweden. That was when he was 'courting' me and lucky for him, I just laughed and mocked him and chose to date him anyway. Look where that has led us! Another random baby fact is that its hair could be anywhere from a 1/2" to 1 1/2" (unless it has Matt's hair genes and is bald - hopefully there is a good balance of Matt's baldness and my hairiness). Thank God there are only 3 more weeks of these development updates. The fun is definitely gone and the comparisons have definitely gotten worse.

Mommy development this week has led to a very annoying realization... I can barely cross my legs. SOOOO annoying. Sitting at work all day sucks bad enough and now my legs barely cross which means even less comfortable options. I guess thats good for my veins and my manners~ maybe crossing at the ankles will become a habit. Actually at this point, its become sitting Indian-style. Thank God I have my own office and no one has to observe my repositioning every 10 minutes.

A friend advised me not to go to movies in the last 2 months of pregnancy due to the discomfort baby brings and that was in the back of my mind when I booked Jersey Boys, Becky's New Car, and Chicago tickets all between now and next Friday. In my defense, my season OCP membership makes tickets a deal I can't refuse and luckily after Chicago, there are no shows I want to see until January. The Jersey Boys tickets were redeeming Matt's anniversary gift and how can you pass up the 'real deal' on a Broadway show? Jersey Boys was last night and I have to admit, sitting still was not easy but the show was fast-paced and had awesome music (which remember, Baby enjoyed as well since it can hear). I think the old people behind me, dressed in their theater-best, were appalled at my theater etiquette of bare feet and crossed legs flipping around every 10 minutes but hey, I'm pregnant! Leave me alone! Becky's New Car is tonight so we will see how that turns out.

In addition to my leg-crossing, sitting-still issues, my ankles, feet and fingers have turned into sausages the past week or so. Matt has given the husbandly "No, your ankles don't look fat," response but I can tell they look thicker. My feet for sure do. I'm hoping I can push the summer sandals, gauchos, skirts and dresses a few more weeks. These past few mornings have given my bare toes a run for their money but I think I can make it work.

Now that we are seriously in the home stretch, the nursery is DONE. Finally! I have shown bits and pieces of most of it but here are pictures of the whole thing. (I attempted to video a virtual tour with our new video camera but I didn't like the sound of my voice narrating it - too bad so sad.)

Looking into the room from the door

Mobile above the crib and cornice board in the background

Crib close-up (just 1 of the 5 sheets - all in different black/white fabrics)

View to left of crib (closet and dresser)

View to right of crib (ignore all of the baby junk on the changing table - laundry prep!)

Sitting Area (I cut the flowers from the cornice fabric for the lamp shade)

Love this saying!

Now all we need is a Baby to stick in the room! When will it be?!? (and WHAT will it be?!?)

Week 36: What the French? Toast.

Less than a month to go! Thank God. I am getting sick of being pregnant. It's hard to get in and out of the car, its hard to walk anywhere quickly, its hard to reach body parts (although yes, I can still see my feet), its hard to sit, hard to stand.... poor me! Its so hard to be Katy!

This week the baby should weigh around 6 pounds, gaining about an ounce a day. 6 pounds is similar to a crenshaw melon. What the heck is a crenshaw melon?

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I probably won't be eating one of those this week. Watermelon is my go-to melon substitute. I made some banana, zucchini blueberry bread yesterday that was bomb.com. Thanks to my dad's veggie garden, I had a plethora of produce. I also made spicy pickled cucumbers which were delish. A little produce was much needed after my doctor's appointment weigh-in from friday. Its not all fun and produce though, I discovered something wonderful this weekend. I haven't had consistent pregnancy cravings but every once and awhile, something with maple syrup sounds soooo good. Leave it to Wheatfields to hit the spot. Their cinnamon french toast is slices of their cinnamon rolls, battered and french toasted to perfection. Soooo good (and so healthy). Like my favorite Orbitz commercial, "What the french? Toast?"

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(That wasn't the stuff from Wheatfields but it is just as delicious, I'm sure.)

This weeks post probably won't be much to look at due to my lack of pictures from the weekend but a lot did happen. Matt busted his butt from Tuesday until the wee hours of Friday morning to get the floor in and it looks great! We (he) still needs to finish the trim but the sub-floor is covered and that was all I cared about. New carpet should be going in tomorrow (let me know if you need a funny Russian carpet installer - this guy is not only hilarious, he's good and inexpensive!).

This past weekend I had 2 baby showers and Baby Core is officially stocked (and spoiled!). Saturday was one with my Mom's side of the family plus friends. Emily, my cousin Kelly and my Aunt Jodi did a great job planning and hosting and I had a great time (I hope everyone did!). My best friend Courtney also came in from California for the shower and it was so good to spend time with her! She and I spent lots of time in the baby's room getting things opened and organized. We did a million loads of baby laundry too! Clothes, linens, blankets, burp cloths... its all smelling Dreft fresh and ready to go! My final nursery touch is a lamp I bought but I still need to put my craft project touch on it before I can do the big reveal with pictures.

Sunday, my Mom and Aunt Vicki hosted a Krebs family shower. The theme was "Katy is about to Pop" and the 'pop' theme was obvious throughout the shower. We had fun soda pops, popcorn, popcorn balls, popovers, pop rocks, pop tarts.... every pop under the sun. I had to pop balloons that were filled with questions that my 'pop' answered about me as a baby and I had surprisingly accurate answers/memories of my life before the age of 3. Okay, maybe they were good guesses but I was pretty impressed with myself! The Krebs 'group' got Baby a stroller, car seat, high chair and a bunch of other gear. The Baby officially has a ride home from the hospital now!

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My mom also dug out my favorite doll as a kid, named "Big Baby" to take the stroller for a test drive. Another doll Millie also made an appearance and as a whole, the group scientifically decided the baby is a girl. We will see about that...

I have been having some anxiety about the baby coming early. I have had my mind set on October and thinking it could happen in September really puts a new spin on things. My mind/ mental images/ month association/ color association is way different (Court, you get that, right?). Anytime it happens will be wonderful, I know, I know, but the guessing game is throwing me for a loop. No word on whether the baby is early, late, or on schedule but hopefully in my next appointment, we will get somewhat of an idea. I've been hesitant putting things on my September calendar, just in case (although lucky Matt does get to attend 2 musicals and a play in the next 2 weeks... assuming my ribs can handle the sitting).

Get the baby pools going! We are in the home stretch!

Week 35: Melons... Inappropriate

The baby apparently has 'not much room to maneuver' now that its over 18 inches and 5.25lbs. I beg to differ. It should read, 'the baby makes room to maneuver, which you will feel in between your ribs, on top of your bladder, and even into your back.' If I sit down for more than 2 minutes, as soon as I stand I feel like someone is punching my bladder that feels full (even though I most likely peed 5 minutes earlier). The same things happen if I stand for 2 minutes then try to sit down. Maybe the message is to keep moving since the poundage that is piling on way exceeds the baby's 5.25lb honeydew.

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Matt got tazey crazy (warning: inappropriate video link) this past week and had to be tazed at work to become certified to use a taser himself. That was a little nerve-wracking, as I thought of the million things that could go wrong (me and electrocution don’t mix…remember when I shocked myself and thought I toasted the baby?? Shocker Blog). Fortunately, Matt walked away with 2 welts/bruises and most of his pride (he didn’t scream like a girl or pee in front of his superiors). 

This past weekend, Matt's sister hosted a couple's shower for us. During arts & crafts, the party guests decorated onesies, bibs and socks for our little melon. I'm not sure how many will actually be worn based on the level of appropriateness, but you be the judge.

One of my favorite gifts was from some friends who couldn't make it to the party. Not only do I love getting mail (and this was shipped to our house), but I was laughing out loud when I read the cover. 

If you knew the giver, you would know its so Miranda. Shout out Pat Tefft... he asked, "Is this an appropriate children's book?" I'd say it is until some reading comprehension sinks in. I can just imagine us, oblivious to what our kid is comprehending, hearing "Walter, go the f**k to sleep!" Kids say the darndest things!

When are the Engelkamp's babysitting?

My other favorite gift was from Miss Betsy.

MAJOR update to the crunch coat blog, you can ask to purchase a little cup of it on its own... to take home and enjoy by the spoonful (for a bonus price of less than $1). Are you kidding me?!?! Wonderful news. Matt and I also greatly appreciated all of the functional baby gifts and support from our friends. I think some of the boys were baffled by the 'shower' thing and wondered why the heck girls think those things are necessary (Matt fell into this group) but hopefully everyone had a great time!

I forgot to mention that at my last doctor's appointment, my doctor said that I was 'good at having babies' (even though I technically haven't had one yet). Although I think this is great news, Matt would probably file this in the inappropriate category. It all goes back to the office I go to and the fact that I am a non-typical patient there, but my lack of 'issues' is a blessing and a relief for us and for my doctor.

Last but not least, Baby Melon's first friend is a GIRL! Maxine Peterson has lady parts!!