The Journey of Parenthood…

37 Weeks Pregnant

NOW I’m officially considered FULL TERM!!! 🙂 Hopefully we’ll only be having a couple more of these weekly posts…or maybe this will be the last?

Baby Size:  Blitzen is weighing 6 1/2 lb and measures a bit over 19 inches (the length of a stalk of Swiss chard).

Belly Pictures: I took these this morning as yesterday I was DEAD tired all day from staying up late for Twilight night 😉 I like this shirt because you can really see the belly!

 Along with my belly stickers I’m also wearing my Stella and Dot Revival Tassel Necklace.

 Z kinda cut my head off in the first one so here’s another side shot

 Kye wanted a picture with Mommy 🙂

My Symptoms: Thursday I noticed a HUGE change. Suddenly my back pain was GONE like legit GONE and I felt SO good. I can also feel a big empty space at the top of my stomach. I’m about 99% sure Blitzen has dropped 🙂 I had a really big pity party on Monday (after my appointment) and booked myself a massage for today. I ended up calling and canceling it b/c I really don’t feel like I need it! It’s AWESOME to feel this wonderful and I hope it only continues 🙂 

I also haven’t had any leg pains…I think the potassium and magnesium must be helping? My joints aren’t as sore and really I feel like my pregnancy symptoms are gone. Unfortunately, I have some type of cold or something and that is kicking my BUTT. So far Tylenol isn’t helping so I’m hoping they can give me something better at my appointment on Monday. I’d hate to be sick and go into labor! 

Last night I had very crazy dreams and was beyond drenched in sweat every time I woke up. I kept waking up in a panic thinking my water had broken. Zach and I both feel very urgent like we need to hurry up and get everything ready. I feel like labor could happen at any time. I am peeing and pooping CONSTANTLY and will get this urgent need to pee out of nowhere. 

My Braxton Hicks have gotten a lot more frequent and more intense and the pressure down there has become much stronger as well. I’m feeling Blitzen move less often but will feel like he or she has the hiccups but it’ll be a TON in a row? No clue what that feeling is! My stomach still feels very hard and I can still feel Blitzen moving, just not as often.

My attitude this week has been all over the place. I was mega depressed on Monday but yesterday I became SO excited. As of yesterday I felt SO ready to have the baby, to meet the baby, to hold the baby. I just felt GOOD. Today, I feel mega sick so I’m not-so-ready feeling. I pretty much just feel like curling up in a ball in the bed! 

This isn’t really a symptom of mine…but of Kye’s. He’s gotten VERY clingy to Mommy which I have heard is normal. He doesn’t want anything to do with anyone else and it’s tough. Mom came over to bathe him for me and he scream the whole time wanting me to do it. He also had swim and was HORRIBLE acting! Screamed bloody murder the entire lesson which is very unlike him. So embarrassing for me! I know a lot of people say their older child will regress in areas, like potty training, and I’d rather have the clingy junk than have that happen! But it’s still tough to deal with and I’m hoping now that Zach’s back it’ll improve before Blitzen’s arrival!

Weight: How in the WORLD did I not gain anything this week??? Still only at 20 lb! 

Gender: Still will be shocked if Blitzen’s a boy. I catch myself saying “she” all the time and have been more concerned with the Christmas pjs we bought being too boyish so I did buy a couple of bows just in case!

Maternity Clothes: Yup. ALL the time.

Movement: Not as often or as intense. 

Sleep: Twilight night kicked my butt so I’m EXHAUSTED plus this cold/sickness thing isn’t helping. I have a LOT to do so I can’t let it slow me down! I’ll sleep once I’m done with everything 🙂

Cravings: I can barely eat b/c I feel so sick 🙁 The only real craving I have is for egg nog (I put like 1/4 of a glass of egg nog then 3/4 milk)

Delivery Update: The reason I could NOT have Blitzen last week was because Zach was in LOUISIANA! He drove there!!! I was so nervous about it and so was he, but thankfully he’s home now and won’t be further than a couple of hours away each day. 

I started taking primrose oil on Monday and I’ve been sitting on a birthing ball during the evenings. It really helps my back (pre-dropping). We’re trying for Zach to make plenty of “deposits” as that’s supposed to speed things along. My plan is to have EVERYTHING left to do finished up by Monday morning. Then Wednesday I’m going to have a massage, from my friend Amanda who said she can totally help put me into labor!!! After the massage I’m going to book my pedicure and hope that the combo helps things out. I’m going to mention to Teresa on Monday that I’d REALLY like to go into labor when Stacy is on call and hope that maybe she’ll scrape my membranes for me during that appointment. I’m also going to google “reflexology” on Wednesday and have Zach give me a foot massage too using pressure points to help. I would wait for all the massaging and stuff until Friday (after Thanksgiving) but nothing is open so I could be in labor on Thanksgiving day. I feel bad about that…having everyone to miss out on thanksgiving stuff but it’s worth it to me to have Stacy deliver if possible! I’m hoping I can walk walk walk like crazy too if the stuff on Wednesday doesn’t work! I have a GOOD feeling it will though and that we’ll have a baby here in a week or less!!!


This week we got SO much accomplished. Zach’s list is way smaller as is mine. We’ve got 34 meals frozen in the fridge. I’m completely done Christmas shopping (other than for the baby) and have wrapped ALL my presents!!! We are going TODAY to get a Christmas tree and going to decorate everything tomorrow. I’ve pre-registered at the hospital. I’ve gotten on the builders butt about the house stuff and only am waiting on the fan remotes for the living room then that’ll be all done. I’m completely done running ALL errands. Tuesday is the last day that we really have stuff “to do” that I want to be done before Blitzen arrives. Kye has a hair cut (which he desperately needs) and Zach is going to pick up a replacement changing table for the nursery. 


If I could get over this cruddy feeling then I think I could totally have everything knocked out by Monday. I need to finished getting caught up with blogging, facebook albums, do laundry, have the house be spotlessly clean, iron all of kye’s shirts (I loathe ironing but it’ll make life easier to do them all at once), finish typing up all my instruction lists for people who help us out, make the hospital thank you gifts. and pack all of our bags. Zach is making one more Walmart run for somethings he didn’t get last time and I have only 3 meals left to cook…but I’m not overly worried about them getting done. The other stuff is more important for sure! I also plan to start showering every day (I know it’s gross to some but I totally only shower every other day usually) and always get ready so if I go into labor I won’t have to mess with showering again. Mom painted my toes for me in case I don’t make it for my pedicure appointment too 😉


What I Miss: Not being sick!!!!!!


Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Kye has been VERY excited for Isis to arrive and talks about it quite often. On Friday he kept saying “the baby is coming!” Which only made Zach and I feel more anxious!!! Feeling like I’ve dropped is VERY exciting and makes me eager to see this baby! We’re spending a lot of quality family time together which is wonderful and I’m a lot less sad about the transition from one child to two. I’m more excited than anything 🙂

Questions/Concerns: Going to ask if Teresa will strip my membranes, ask about fundal height measurements to see how big of a baby we’re looking at. Ask if she can do anything to help me fight this cold (no fever, just cruddy feeling)

Goals for the Week: I rocked out my goals from last week! This week I need to get everything done that needs to be done. Do Bradly every night. Enjoy these next few days then do everything I can to bring Blitzen into this world and ~hopefully~ be having a baby on Friday, Sat, or Sunday!!!!!! (fyi: I know I’m not GOD. I know I can’t actually make the baby come and that he or she will come when ready, I just like to try to help my chances when possible!)


Notes from Pregnancy #1: My “nesting” instincts have been pretty much the same with both pregnancies…I feel this urge to BUY stuff. This week last pregnancy we went to Walmart and stocked UP! We have done the same thing this time around only I didn’t go with Zach. Poor guy had to do it on his own! Zach had a BAD car wreck driving to work with a co-worker, again I’m thankful he’ll be close to home from now on! I had my first internal exam (I waited longer with Kye to have one than I did this time) and was 1 cm dilated, -1 station and 80% effaced. I’m interested to compare when I go on Monday 🙂 I made a list of all the things to make sure I do again when I have another baby, and for the most part they do all ring true! However, I didn’t invest in nursing bras this time until the 3rd trimester. But, then again, my boobs only went up one size the whole pregnancy! It really makes me laugh how much like myself I am haha. This time last pregnancy I was HARDCORE about finishing up all the stuff we had to do before “Clover” arrived and I feel the same way this time…and the lists are even similar of the things to do!

Emily Parker
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