36 Weeks!

How Far Along: 36 Weeks! 12 more days!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap....
Maternity Clothes: You betcha...
Stretch Marks: still nothing....I'm still just waiting for them to appear...
Sleep: Blah...not good. I get up so many times every night, and then I can't fall back to sleep. And sometimes I wake up sweating which is just gross.
Best Moment of the Week: Buying a new vehicle/family BBQ/ super cute voicemail from my niece Leah checking to see how I'm doing
Miss Anything? Sleeping well...really missing that this week, unfortunately it's not going to happen for a very long time.
Movement: I haven't felt as much movement this week, she seems to go through spurts where she moves A LOT, and then nothing for a while. I think she keeps getting the hiccups because sometimes my tummy just bounces every 5 seconds for a while.
Food Cravings: Still loving all things cold and refreshing - water, juice, fruit, cereal, greek yogurt, ice cream...I made a lot of fruit smoothies this week...yummy!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Showing: Haha...
Gender Prediction: My little sweet pea :)
Labor Signs: Nope...but I've been feeling some different sensations and stuff through my lower pelvis, and an occasional shooting pain. Yikes...this is getting too real.
Belly Button In or Out? Still an innie, just a flatter one...
Wedding Rings On or Off: Off :( I put them on today and they fit, but I don't want to leave them on in case my fingers swell.
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Half-and-Half...I think my anxiety is starting to kick in...
Looking forward to: Seeing the OB again on Wednesday, asking some more questions about the delivery.

I don't have too many updates this week. I went for my second rhogam shot on Tuesday, I had to wait for an hour even though I had an appointment. I ran into a guy in the parking garage elevator with a big smile on his face and he was carrying an infant car seat. I asked if he was taking home a new baby, and he confirmed he was. He noticed I was pregnant, and we ended up talking all the way into the hospital and up to the 4th floor. He told me that his wife had been induced at 37 weeks for medical reasons. He said that she had contractions for 48 hours but was only 1cm dialated, so they ended up doing a c-section. Luckily, I don't think they will make me labour for that long, as I can't be off the blood thinners for too long. I'm going to ask the OB about it on Wednesday.

I can't remember if I mentioned last week, but last weekend we went to Hyundai to look into trading in my car for a small SUV. I went back on Tuesday night to work out the details, but didn't sign anything because I wasn't happy with a few things. Andrew and I went back on Wednesday morning. We told them we would only buy the Santa Fe if they met a list of our requirements, which they did. So...I'm getting a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe. I won't have it for several weeks because we're getting one from the factory, but I'm still excited to get it.

On Thursday, I had to take Casey to the vet to get some teeth removed. I felt so bad leaving her there. She was supposed to have 4 teeth removed, maybe 6. They called me around 1pm to tell me she was doing well, but they had removed 11 teeth!!!! I was freaking out, thinking it would cost waaay more money and she wouldn't be able to eat her food anymore. The price ended up being in the middle range of the quote they gave, so it wasn't that bad. It was so sad when I picked her up, she was so dopey. I brought her home and laid her on the couch, she instantly fell asleep exactly the way I laid her down, and she didn't move for about 2 hours.

Dopey Casey

Anyway, she seems to be doing ok and can still eat her food, so it wasn't that bad afterall.

Friday and Saturday were pretty uneventful, just random little errands and things here and there. We went to a movie yesterday, and did some organizing around the house.

Andrew had to go back to work at 5am this morning. We had a BBQ here for Rob's birthday which is on Tuesday. My mom and John came and brought Ryan, and my grandparents and Rob and Madeleine came too. I spent the morning cleaning the house, and then I did a bunch of things in the yard and the garden, because my mom and I had planned to plant some flowers. I also had to get some groceries. By the time everyone got here, I was exhausted and my hips were so sore. I think I'm really starting to feel 9 months pregnant. Anyway, my mom and John were great and planted the flowers for me, and supper was really good. I'm going to bed super early tonight...like as soon as I finish writing this, and I would bet that I'm going to be really sore tomorrow too.

This week I don't have too much planned. I'm going back to the OB on Wednesday, and I'm also meeting with an anesthesiologist to discuss plans in case I need to be put under (very unlikely). I'm going to try to meet my friend Arijana for coffee afterwards if we can work out the timing. I'm also going to meet the girls from work for lunch one day. Other than that, I'm just going to continue "nesting", as Andrew says, he's sure that I'll manage to find a million things to do even though I barely have anything planned. I still have to pack a hospital bag for me and baby girl, I'm sure I'll get that done this week. I also wanted to go try on some nursing bras.

I think that's all for now......next week will be my last weekly update........AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

35 Weeks!

How Far Along: 35 Weeks! Less than 3 weeks to go....AHHH! 19 days!!!!!
Maternity Clothes: Yep...pretty sure I only have 3/4 outfit options at this point. I'm obviously not going to buy anything else with such little time left.
Stretch Marks: still nothing....I'm still just waiting for them to appear. I've heard from some people that they didn't see any stretch marks until after they had the baby...so we'll see.
Sleep: So-so. I actually had a really good sleep last night even though I got up three times. Most nights are not good. I have been going to bed really late, but have to be up by 9am at the latest to take my injections.
Best Moment of the Week: Ultrasound/Finding out baby girl's arrival date!!!!!!!!!
Miss Anything? Sleeping well, sleeping on my stomach, wearing my clothes, feeling like I look nice, getting up and bending over easily....
Movement: Tons of movement, she was crazy last night!
Food Cravings: Still loving all things cold and refreshing - water, juice, fruit, cereal, greek yogurt, ice cream (I may or may not have had ice cream three times this week...)
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Showing: Haha...
Gender Prediction: Daddy's Girl!
Labor Signs: Nope...pretty sure I'm going to freak out when I experience my first labour signs!
Belly Button In or Out? Still an innie, just a flatter one...
Wedding Rings On or Off: I officially took my rings off this week. I can still get them on/off, but it's been warmer out and then my hands swell a bit. I don't want to be that crazy lady who waits too long and can't get them off, so I went ahead and did it. I already miss wearing them....
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: A relaxing week this week!

I had a pretty busy week this week! On Monday I had to go back to the hospital for bloodwork, they need to check to ensure your body still has enough of the rhogam shot prior to delivery. As I was leaving, I saw one of the midwives from the clinic I went to bring in a mom. The mom was crying and in a wheelchair, and they looked panicked! I hope everything was ok.

On Tuesday, Andrew's sister Alex came down for the day. We went to the mall, out for lunch, and to Costco. We also went to the movies, and the popcorn was delicious :)

On Wednesday, I had my appointment with the OB at Mac and I had an ultrasound, my mom came with me. The ultrasound was fairly quick this time. The tech asked me part way through "has your baby been measuring big throughout the pregnancy"? I knew this wasn't a great sign...haha! Anyway, the tech was great and took her time showing me lots of things on the ultrasound. She showed me baby girl's diaphragm and how she was practicing breathing. She is still head-down which is great! I told her that last time her femur's were measuring at the 97th percentile, and she responded "well, I think the rest of her caught up!"....oh great!

I met with the OB shortly after, and told her that I was meeting with the thrombosis clinic on Friday and they wanted a delivery date to give me final instructions about my injections. She said "ok then, let's pick a date!". Technically, I will be 38 weeks on June.8 which is a Saturday. The OB looked at the calendar and said "I'm on call on the 7th, so let's do the 7th". Ok....great! She called labour and delivery and booked the induction! She said they would have me come in on the 6th for the cervadil gel to soften my cervix, and then I would come back the morning of the 7th for the induction. She isn't on call until 5pm, but said it would be very unlikely for me to deliver before then. She said if I've delivered the baby by the time she starts at 5pm, I should consider myself lucky! I'm really happy that she will be the OB on call, as I haven't met any of the other OB's and I really like her. She looked over the ultrasound and confirmed that baby girl is now about the 90th percentile and she'll be a big girl. So, I go back on May.29th again. We're having a baby on June.7th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (That's exactly what I texted Andrew...lol). My sister pointed out that her birthday will be 6/7/13 and 6+7=13!

After the appointment, my mom and I went to St.Catharines to visit and shop with my sister and nieces. We went to a store that is closing and I got a whole ton of baby clothes for $100! I bought pretty much everything in sizes 6 months + since everything we got at the shower was 3 months. It was a nice afternoon, and Maddy and Amelia are such sweethearts :)

On Thursday, Andrew was home for a couple of hours and we went for lunch on a patio...it was a georgous day out! I also got a call from the OB's office (Dr. Stewart) saying that the hospital called them and I have to go back for a second rhogam shot...figures! Almost no one has to get a second shot, but I do! So...I'm going back on Tuesday another injection.

Friday I went back to Mac to the thrombosis clinic. I met with a different doctor this time, which was great because I was able to ask the same questions again without looking crazy. I shared my concern about possibly going into labour on the 6th from the cervadil (which I know is unlikely). The plan is that I will take my final injection on June.5, and I will take a lower dose (she gave me the needle already). That way, there will be nothing in my system by the 6th in case I need any medical intervention that day. She said that about 12 hours after delivery, they will likely give me my first low-dose injection and see how that goes. They will need to monitor my bleeding and work back up the full dose before I go home. So...it's still looking like I'll be at the hospital for at least two nights.

I also shared my concerns that they aren't planning to do any further testing regarding the blood clot. She explained again that even if they did the testing and it came back positive, it wouldn't change anything. They still likely wouldn't keep me on injections. She said there is only one thing on the whole panel that if it came back positive, they would keep me on injections. She said that is extremely rare though, and very unlikely in my case.

Yesterday, Andrew was home for the day and we had such a nice day. We picked up our glider finally!!! It's definitely huge in the room, but it's super comfy so I don't care! Also, Casey has already decided she is going to sit in the chair with me. Here's some pics:

Also....I forgot that I washed and organized all the baby clothes and blankets on Thursday night. Here's the closet:

Anyway, we spent the day shopping in St. Jacob's yesterday and we went to a baby store in Waterloo and bought two baby carriers. We bought a fabric one for baby's first couple of months, and an Ergo structured carrier when she's a bit bigger. We love them both!

Anyway....that's all for now!!!!!!!!!

34 Weeks!

How Far Along: 34 Weeks! Only 4 more to go....yikes! (Picture to come....Andrew will be home one day this week)
Maternity Clothes: Yep
Stretch Marks: still nothing, but super itchy...
Sleep: Blah...I wake up so many time each night and then I can't fall back asleep. I guess it's practice for when baby girl arrives!
Best Moment of the Week: Mother's Day/Grandma's 80th Birthday Brunch :)
Miss Anything? Sleeping well, and sleeping on my stomach....
Movement: Oh yeah....see the video below!
Food Cravings: Still loving all things cold and refreshing - water, juice, fruit, cereal, greek yogurt, ice cream...
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Showing: Obviously.
Gender Prediction: Sweet baby girl :)
Labor Signs: Nope...it's concerning that this question is becoming legitimate...
Belly Button In or Out? Still an innie, just a flatter one...
Wedding Rings On or Off: Still on most of the time, but they do come off occasionally if I'm warm, active, or just retaining water.
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Doctor's appointments this week, hopefully getting our official induction date!

Last week wasn't too eventful. I met the girls from work for lunch one day which was nice. I also went to see the endocrinologist. She confirmed my thyroid levels are perfect, so I am supposed to keep taking my medication even after baby is born. She also pointed out that blood clots are significant medical issues and suggested that I push McMaster to do some more testing after the baby is born. I took Casey to the vet on Thursday, she has to have four teeth removed :(. I was so sad, I felt like such a bad mom. We had been brushing her teeth lots this past year, but they still need to be removed. It's going to cost $1300, and I assumed most of it would be covered by our pet insurance. Unfortunately, I called the pet insurance company as soon as I got home, and our plan only covers a maximum of $200 for dental. I was so mad, we pay $30 a month!!! I'm going to cancel it after I submit the claim for the $200.

Speaking of Casey, we keep wondering how she's going to react to the baby, especially since she is such a suck! I mean, seriously, look at her sleeping with me on the couch this week!

I went through all the gifts we received at the shower, and hung all the baby clothes. I know I'll have to wash them all before baby comes, but I needed to figure out what we had and what we still need to buy. We have more than enough onesies, but still need some more pj's and tights to go with all the tops. This baby girl has so many cute outfits, she probably won't even be able to wear them all before she outgrows them! Almost everything we received was 3 months, so it won't be long before we have to start buying things in bigger sizes, especially if baby girl is a big baby.

Andrew and I were pretty productive this week, and got lots of the things that were still on our list. We ordered our playpen on Tuesday, and it arrived on Thursday! We got this one, and we love it:

It is really sturdy compared to all the other ones we looked at, and it is super easy to fold up. We will be using this as a bassinette for the first 6 weeks or so next to our bed. This will also be perfect to take along whenever we go out of town overnight. We also like that it's not covered in animals or bright pink/blue, and just sort of blends into the rest of the house.

We also went out on the weekend and got a bunch of stuff that was still on our list. We got a diaper pail, breastfeeding pillow, nipple cream (yay...), baby first aid/grooming kit, diapers, diaper cream, small book shelf for next to the crib, and some other bits and pieces that I can't think of. There are still more things we need to get, but if baby girl arrived today - I think we'd be just fine!

Yesterday we went out to the Mandarin for lunch to celebrate Mother's Day and my grandma's upcoming 80th birthday. I was so full, that I didn't eat anything for the rest of the day! It was really nice, here are some pics from afterwards at my aunt and uncle's house:

And finally, baby has been moving like a maniac!!! Check out this video I took the other night (around the 22 second mark is nuts!). It's probably going to be your only glance of my bare belly...haha:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awMPkf6LgTs

This week, I'm seeing the OB on Wednesday, and the Thrombosis clinic on Friday. Hope all goes well....until next week....

33 Weeks!

How Far Along: 33 Weeks! (I'm getting huge!!!! I should really start doing my pics in the morning, my belly is much smaller then....oh well!)
Maternity Clothes: Yep
Stretch Marks: still nothing, but super itchy...
Sleep: Hit or miss, some nights good, some not so good. Still peeing at least twice a night.
Best Moment of the Week: Our baby shower on Saturday!
Miss Anything? Being able to wear my summer clothes, actually just being able to wear my regular clothes in general. My options are seriously limited!
Movement: Yep, not so much kicks/punches anymore, but major position changes that make my stomach look craaaazy!
Food Cravings: Love all things cold and refreshing - water, juice, fruit, cereal, greek yogurt, ice cream...
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Showing: No, not at all....bahahaha!
Gender Prediction: Girly girl....or "peach" as Andrew likes to call her!
Labor Signs: Nope...it's concerning that this question is becoming legitimate...
Belly Button In or Out? Still an innie, just a flatter one...
Wedding Rings On or Off: Still on, but I've been taking them off in the evenings, or on hot days or after going for walks because they get tight.
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Being able to go through and make a list of all the items we still need for baby, and getting organized!

This past week was a busy one!!! Andrew and I did a ton of cleaning and errands to get ready for the baby shower. 

On Wednesday, I went back to see the OB. Baby girl's heartbeat was nice and strong :) I only saw the OB very briefly. She was under the impression that if I went into spontaneous labour that they could give me something to reverse the blood thinners effects. I explained that the thrombosis doctor said there wasn't anything, and she was surprised to hear that. I asked if we were inducing early enough. The OB still thinks 38 weeks is the right time. If we do it any earlier, we could risk baby's lungs not being fully developed. Even if I go into spontaneous labour, usually first labours are quite long and hopefully the blood thinner would be out of my system by the time I actually need to deliver. I told the nurse I've been feeling a bit light-headed some mornings, she wasn't concerned and said it's quite common.  Anyway, we didn't pick an actual induction date, but the plan is still exactly at 38 weeks, so that's either June. 6/7th, or June.10th (I'll be 38 weeks on June 8). They don't do inductions on weekends. I go back again on May.15 to see the OB and I'll have an ultrasound that morning. I'm going to push to get an exact date for the induction that day. I go back to the thrombosis doc on May.17, and she wanted me to know the induction date/time so that she can give me exact instructions about when to stop my injections. The OB was surprised to hear that the thrombosis clinic doesn't intend to do further testing to determine if there was a genetic cause behind the blood clot. She said they used to do that all the time. She also said I could go to my family doc for my post-partum care.

I'm going to make an appt. with my family doc to fill him in on what's been happening, as I haven't seen him since before I got pregnant. He's going to be responsible for me and baby girl in the future, so I think it's important for him to know everything in advance. I'm also going to ask him to refer to me to a hematologist in Kitchener/Waterloo. I would feel a lot better having some further testing done surrounding the blood clot rather than assuming it was only caused by the pregnancy. Everything I've read says the odds of getting a blood clot during pregnancy are 1 in 1,000 to 2,000. Those odds aren't enough of an explanation for me!

Although it was a lot of work to get ready for the baby shower, it was good motivation for us to do some things we've been putting off. We finally hung some things that have been sitting around for a year. We did a really thorough cleaning of the house, and Andrew cleaned the floors by hand. We also did work in the yard, and started working on the gardens. I planted a few flowers, and we got some beautiful hanging baskets too. Andrew cut the grass and put down grass seed in patchy areas of our lawn.

The baby shower itself was really fun and I was overwhelmed by all the people who came and by their generous gifts! My mom and sister did a lot of work preparing and organizing it all....thanks guys, you did a wonderful job! I think there were 28 people here, it was a good thing the weather cooperated so that we could spend some time outside. My only two regrets were that I didn't have more time to visit with people, and I didn't take even one picture...oops! I was just too busy to even think of it. A lot of people hadn't been to our house, or wanted to see the nursery and the basement, so I felt like I was running all over the house for the first half of the shower. The second half I was opening gifts the whole time, so obviously couldn't talk with people. There were also some people who didn't know about my recent health issues, so I had to explain quite a bit as they overheard other people discussing it. Anyway, people were extremely generous and sometime it's nice to get everyone together as a reminder of how many people love you and support you :) Baby Cummings is going to be one very loved little girl :)

Given that I didn't take any pictures, I don't have any to share...but here's some photos that were taken by my friend Bethany and my step-sister Mel:

Mel and beautiful baby Amelia...so cute!

Food!

Some of my friends/fam!

 Gift opening

 Maddy was my little helper!

 Me and Bethany :)

 Bow hat and giant belly bow!

I also got the rest of our stuff for the nursery this week...I think it turned out beautifully! Just waiting for our chair, then it's done!

This is the first week I don't have to go to Hamilton which is nice! I am going to see the endocrinologist just to make sure my thyroid levels are good. And I have to take Casey to the vet this week for her annual check-up/vaccines. Other than that, it should be a pretty laid back week! On Sunday we're going to the Mandarin for Mother's Day and my grandma's birthday...so that should be fun.

Thats enough for today! I'll post my bump pic on Wednesday or Thursday!