Samuel's Newborn Pictures

We had Samuel's newborn pictures taken when he was 8 days old. Sarah Poppe, one of my friend's sister-in-law took them. She got some good pictures, but it took a lot of work to get them! We had 3 hours scheduled to take them and we spent an hour and a half of that time trying to get Samuel to sleep and not be fussy.

Good thing he's pretty cute - that made it a little easier to get some good ones!

Enjoy all the adorableness!

Samuel Davey - One Month

Our little guy is one month old!!

Weight:

Samuel weighed 11 lbs 11 oz at birth and the last official weight was 12 lbs 3 oz at two weeks. Our closest estimate from weighing him on the scale at home is 14 lbs. 6 oz.

Height:

He was 22.5 inches long at birth and 23 inches long at 2 weeks.

Clothes:

Samuel has outgrown is 0-3 month clothes and moved on to 6 month clothes. He could probably still fit into some the 3 month clothes, but he is too long for most of it, so I think he's a little more comfortable in the 6 month outfits.

Sleep:

At night, he usually sleeps between 3 and a half and 6 hours at a time when we go to bed for the night, then he gets up to eat and then goes back to bed for 2-3 hours. Hopefully he'll get more consistent with the 6 hour stretches soon!

Likes:

Samuel likes being held and rocked/bounced and having his butt or back patted. He likes to stick his tongue out and he also likes to eat! He has started to grab onto the collar of the shirt of the person who is holding him - it's super cute!!

Dislikes:

He doesn't like being hungry or when he gets overtired.

Samuel and I have spent every day together so far. I did leave him for 7 hours when he was 3 weeks old to go to a friend's wedding, so he got to hang out with just his dad for the day. He took a bottle for the first time at 2 weeks and 4 days old and then again when I was gone for the wedding. He did well with that thankfully, so he didn't starve while I was gone!

Samuel was able to meet a lot of family members and friends this month. He has yet to meet Great Grandma and Grandpa Jons and a few cousins and other people, but I am sure they will get to meet them before long!

We try to do tummy time at least once every day. Trent does it with him most days when he gets home from work. Samuel is getting better at being able to hold his head up and turn it from side to side. He seems to do better at those things when he gets upset at being on his tummy for too long so I tell him to get angry like the Hulk so he can hold his head up!

Trent has been sick the past few days and I'm pretty sure he gave it to me, so it will be a miracle if Samuel doesn't get it too. Fingers crossed that breastmilk really is all-powerful and keeps him from getting sick!

We are super excited for what the next few weeks have in store for our little man! We can't wait for him to be able to sit up and really check us out and smile at us and show us more of his personality! Most of all, we love him so much!!

Samuel's Birth Story

Get ready for the long story of Samuel's birth! Such a long labor deserves a long story, I guess!

I'll start the story of Samuel's birth with our due date, which was Monday, August 17. That day came and went and we just continued to wait. 

We had an appointment on Tuesday the 18th, where I was checked to see how far along I was (I was 1 cm dilated - which is what I had been for the past month) and had a Non-Stress Test done to be sure baby was doing alright in my belly still. Everything looked good during the 20 minutes I was monitored, so we were just told to keep waiting, but the last major thing we did during our appointment was set an induction date, as my doctor said she wanted to get things going by the 41st week. We set our induction date for Thursday the 27th, when I would be 41 weeks 4 days, but my doctor was pretty optimistic that things would get going on their own before then.

I spent the next days as I had the past few weeks, trying to get things moving. I sat on a birth ball at night, stretched some, went on walks, etc. I'm not sure if any of it helped or did anything other than just tire me out, though. My body was pretty tired of being pregnant by that point!

I posted this picture below on Wednesday night, the 19th, on the August Birth Club group I am a part of on Facebook as a part of what I was hoping would be my last Hump Day Bump Day. (The picture on the left was taken at 38 weeks and the one on the right was exactly 2 weeks later when I was 40 weeks. It really shows how I got even bigger in those 2 weeks and even dropped a little, I think.) When I took these, I NEVER would have shared it with anyone else EVER, but now that I know there was an almost 12 pound baby in the belly, I am pretty proud of my body and what it could do!! So here's my 3 days-before-baby picture!! It seems like forever ago when I was so tired of lugging that big belly around!

38 weeks and 40 weeks

Thursday morning, the 20th, I woke up around 4:45 a.m. and didn't feel well. I was having slight cramping and my back hurt a little. I had some breakfast and then slept on the couch until I needed to get up to get ready for work. I thought about not going to work since I wasn't feeling well and really didn't want to think about putting real clothes on, but decided to just tough it out as I had some meetings and things to go to. I ended up going to work just until about noon and then decided to go home and rest because I still wasn't feeling any better. I stopped at Panera on my way home for some broccoli and cheese soup (because that's really all that sounded good) and then went home and napped for a few hours. Oatmeal was the food of choice for supper and then I just rested the rest of the evening until it was time to go to bed.

We got in bed around 10:45 or so but I never really slept. I kept thinking I was feeling very mild contractions but I wasn't quite sure if that's what they were. I spent the next few hours laying in bed and going back and forth to the bathroom. I tried to time a few 'contractions' but, from what I could tell, they were something like 1 and a half to 5 minutes long and 7 to 10 minutes apart. I just assumed that meant they weren't real contractions since they were so random and it might be something that I possibly have to deal with for a few days before it turns into real contractions. 

We had a doctor appointment scheduled for 9:40 on Friday morning, the 21st, and around 1:00 a.m. I remember thinking to myself that I only had to make it through 8 or so more hours of this uncomfortableness until I could go in and they could tell me if what I was feeling was anything productive.

A little before 1:30 a.m. I had just gotten back in bed after one of the many trips to the bathroom and Trent woke up (he had been sleeping through all the previous times) and asked me how I was doing. I told him I hadn't really slept and thought I could possibly be having contractions or something. I rolled over onto my side and felt a sharper than normal pain in my abdomen that lasted a second or two and then the pain released and then I could feel liquid start coming out. I told Trent I thought my water just broke and to get a towel. I tried not to move until he got back with a towel and then when I stood up out of bed, the water really gushed out. It was totally a strange feeling. 

Soon after that, I called the doctor. She said we should make our way in to the hospital, so we went around gathering the bags we had packed and the few things we couldn't pack until it was time to go and loaded up the car. At this point, I was super confident that our baby's birthday would be August 21st (since there was 22 hours left in the day and all)... Oh Silly Kendra!!

I made the mistake of thinking that when my water broke, that all the water that was going to come out was already out, but when we got to the stoplight where you turn in to the hospital, it was like my water broke all over again. All over my pants and the seat of the car... Real lovely. So there I was, standing in the ER entrance feeling like I had just gotten done swimming with pants on... I was sure I had lost 5 pounds of just water by that point :)

They came down from labor and delivery to get me. They asked if I could walk up there and I said yes but then when I told them my pants were soaking wet, they got me a wheel chair. The walking would have been good, but I'm sure I would have been a safety hazard with the trail of water I would have left behind!

It was about 2:30 a.m. when we got up to our labor and delivery room. They hooked up to the monitors so they could do their initial checks to see how baby and I were doing. I think it was probably about an hour that I laid there while we did different paperwork stuff and gave them information they needed, etc. They checked me to see how far along I was and I was now at 3 cm at that point. This is also when we called our parents to let them know we were at the hospital and were having a baby! Soon after we talked to them, they all headed towards Omaha as well.

When all the checking and administrative stuff was over, we were set free to do what we wanted until they wanted me back to be monitored again. I want to say it was about once an hour that I had to be back to check in baby's heartbeat and my contractions and blood pressure, etc. We mostly just walked the halls in those first hours. Trent kept reminding me to walk like I meant it! Fairly early on, it seemed, I would have to stop during contractions and wait for them to pass. I attempted to squat or stretch through them, but I probably didn't do that enough! After a few hours of walking the halls, my feet started hurting, so we spent some time in the room sitting on the birth ball and hanging out around our room trying to make some progress there. 

They really make sure all the moms labor in style, don't you think! :)

All this time, I was having back pain with my contractions. I wasn't convinced at first that it was back labor because I knew from the class we took that back pain was common at the beginning of labor, but that pain never went away. I tried laboring on all fours to get baby to turn and take the pressure off by back and we also tried counter pressure, the hip squeeze, etc. but nothing really seemed to help. The most it did was make it so that it didn't hurt across my whole back but only on the right side. Every time I got onto all fours to try to get him to turn, it would bring on a contraction that would hurt quite badly, so as the day went on, it took some convincing for me to even want to try it again. I also ended up with bruises on my lower back from all the counter pressure that Trent did throughout the day that hurt even in the days after labor was over.

After I was dilated past 5 or 6 centimeters, I got into the jacuzzi tub for a while. It did help things feel a little better for a while, but it couldn't take away the back pain completely.

I tried to stay focused all the time on relaxing my body and allowing my body to open and work with my baby to get him out, but I'm not sure I was always successful, especially after I had been at it for so long. It seemed that any big movement I made would bring on a really uncomfortable contraction - mostly very uncomfortable in my back. So whether I was trying to lay on my side, get on to all fours, sit on the toilet, get in or out of the jacuzzi, get out of bed, etc., I really tried to move as slowly and gingerly as possible to try to keep the contraction from starting, but it would always come - and it was NOT fun. I also did make a lot of noises during labor (the kind of ones we all smirked at in the birth videos from class because they sounded so ridiculous). I moaned and hummed and groaned quite a bit. Trent told me after the fact that he wanted to laugh at me a few times because of the noises I was making, but I really didn't care one ounce in the moment. I just wanted something to help take the discomfort away and for it all to be over! :) 

After I had been at 8 cm for quite a while and got in the tub again, I really started to worry about being able to get the baby out. I was hitting my breaking point and was starting to break down during some of the contractions and really just wanted to cry. I started to think about getting an epidural to help make it through, but didn't want to be one of "those people" that gave up and gave in. (Honestly, I did have thoughts like "Just cut me open and get this baby out" but I never said that out loud because I knew I really didn't want that!)

It was about 6:30 p.m. or so now when I got back out of the tub to get checked again and my Dr. stopped by to chat. She then brought up the fact that she thought I should get an epidural to help me relax so I could hopefully progress more since I had been at it about 17 hours by this point and had been at 8 cm for the last 6 hours. I agreed to the epidural and it made me feel a little better that someone else brought it up and thought it would be necessary.

I had to work through a few more contractions as we waited for the IV fluids to get into my body and for the anesthesiologist to come. I was not looking forward to the whole epidural process, as I really dislike needles and the thought of them putting things into my spine really freaked me out. Thankfully, the anesthesiologist was very nice and very good at his job and I really didn't feel much at all - just a little bit of a strange feeling - like water dripping down the lower part of my spine when he got it in there. I definitely made sure to sit very still so I didn't mess him up at all!

It took about 3 contractions (15 minutesish) for the epidural to kick in. I was very surprised by the fact that I could still feel and move my legs the entire time. It was definitely not what I had thought it would be like... By 7:45, I was definitely able to relax a lot more and Trent and I had a chance to nap and rest for a few hours (Trent said I was snoring at one point while I was sleeping) which was very welcomed since we had both only slept a few hours out of the last 36 at that point. 

When they did the epidural, they also started pitocin to try and get my contractions to become shorter, closer together, and more consistent. We started with a really low dose and then increased it as needed after seeing there if there was any progress or change in my contractions. Over the next 4 hours, we had to keep upping the pitocin because my contractions never did get any closer together (they were still about 2 minutes long and 5ish minutes apart even with the pitocin - that's pretty long and far apart for contractions to be at the point of labor that I was at). Luckily, though, even with those kind of contractions, I was making progress.

Around 11:30, a different doctor (not my own) came in and checked me and said that I was complete. My nurse called to tell my doctor the news and she said she'd come in to see us. When she got to our room she told us that she was just about to head our way anyway and have "a talk" - meaning she was going to suggest that we go ahead and do a C section since it was taking so long and I was getting dangerously close to the dreaded 24 hour deadline that doctors place on delivering after your water breaks.

I am SO happy with the timing of the way things went because I know I would have been so crushed to hear her say that she wanted me to have a C section. I am not sure if we would have gone along with it or not, but I'm glad we didn't have to make that decision. The fact that I did become fully dilated and the fact that the baby did come vaginally is just proof that there wasn't a reason to do a C section (even though it was hard work and it did hurt to get him out!)

So, after all that, I finally started to push around midnight. My labor experience was now into its third day! I was happy to hear that the baby was fairly low in my pelvis by that point when I was getting ready to push. That made me hopeful that it would make the pushing a little easier... To start, they put the squat bar on the bed and I started pushing by leaning back a little and pulling on a sheet that was wrapped around the squat bar. We did that through two contractions before we tried something different because that didn't seem to be very productive. Next, a nurse and Trent each had one of my legs while I pushed against them and focused on pushing the baby down and out (just like you see on the movies). I would push at least three times during each contraction as they counted to ten. Eventually I started pushing more times each contraction since mine were so long.

After a while, I started getting cramps in my thighs from holding my legs up so we switched to pushing on all fours. It was nice to give my legs a rest but I wasn't as good at pushing that way. Eventually, when I moved back to pushing on my back, they asked me if I wanted to get the mirror out so I could see what was going on 'down there' as I was pushing. I had always said that there'd be absolutely no way I wanted to see what was going on down there as I was pushing, but they convinced me to set it out by saying it can be quite the motivator. I have to say they were right - it did motivate me to push even harder when I could see our baby's head crowning as I was pushing.

As we were getting towards the end, it was hurting pretty bad to wait between contractions to push again. I remember, after the second to last contraction, being very exhausted and wanting to cry and telling Trent that I really wanted that one to be the end of it! I was starting to feel like he was never going to come out! With the final contraction that got our baby out I think I must have pushed 5 or 6 times in a row - even after the contraction was over. I just wanted that baby out and I didn't want to wait any more!

Finally, at 1:57 a.m. on Saturday, he was born weighing in at 11 lb 11 oz! (Our Dr. said he was a record baby for her) I didn't see him actually come out in the mirror - I must have had my eyes closed or my head back or something. I was just filled with a feeling of relief and happiness (and pain) at that moment. I remember everyone in the room saying he was out and Trent telling me he was a boy (I wasn't surprised at all - I knew it!) and, after a few seconds, them handing him to me - he was so big! The feeling of his skin on mine, the sound of him crying, seeing how excited Trent was, and the relief of that all being over was pretty amazing (I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it).

Our son, Samuel Davey Fredericksen!!

We did skin to skin for a while and I also breastfed for a bit while I delivered the placenta and the doctor stitched me up. The stitching and the kneading of my abdomen wasn't my favorite thing, but I at least had a baby to be distracted by at that point. They did take Samuel from me after a little while to look at him because he sounded kind of raspy, but then they brought him back to me again to hold and continue skin to skin after they determined he was alright. I ordered food (chicken noodle soup and a cheese sandwich!) while I was holding him and it came and I ate it after they took Samuel to the other side of the room to start doing what they needed to do as far as tests and checking him.

When they were doing what they needed to do, Trent went to go get our parents. We had called them at about 3 a.m. on Friday and they all headed to Omaha right away and had been at the hospital since 6 a.m. waiting for Samuel to arrive. It was now about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, so they put in quite a day as well! It was so fun to have them there to meet him so soon after he had arrived!

Grandparents getting their first glimpse of Samuel!

Overall, it was the best but the most challenging experience of my life. I have looked back at the experience in the days after and I think 1) I NEVER want to do that again (nor do I think I could do that again) and 2) That was the most amazing thing and I can't wait to experience it again. (I do think that I would have a slightly different view on the day if he had not been almost 12 lbs, though.) It is such an awesome feeling to be there in the labor and delivery room and know that you're there to have a baby. It just feels so special and I would love to feel that again. (I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself, though, I've gotta recover from this one first!)

In the end, despite the challenges, the whole thing was perfect because Samuel is here and he's healthy and perfect!! 

We are so in love!!
Our family of three!

A few thoughts about how it all went and my epidural:
Things definitely didn't go as planned - I had planned to have a natural labor with no drugs and definitely didn't plan to be in labor for over 24 hours. Of course, I was aware of possibly needing to change that plan if things went wrong for some reason or if I or our baby was in danger, but I was 100% optimistic about being able to do it without any pain medication and knew that I was confident and stubborn enough to go through with it. 
But then, 18 hours in, I did choose to change the plan. I was a little sad about things not going according to plan and "giving in" but that sadness went away within about 5 minutes of making the decision to get an epidural. I was just so tired and spent!
The epidural was nothing like I had thought it would be like. It didn't hurt to get it, I was always able to feel and move my legs while I had it, and I really didn't notice any affect it had on Samuel right after he was born (though I do realize I don't have another newly born baby to compare him to). One of the big reasons that I didn't want to get one was because I wanted to be able to get up and move around during labor to help my body progress and get the baby in the right position and I wanted to be able to do the same again right after he was born. Neither of those concerns ended up being an issue. Because my labor was so long, I had 18 hours of being able to move around and help work with him to get him out of me, so being confined to a bed because of the epidural wasn't an issue. I think he was just big enough and caused enough pain in my back that I wasn't able to relax anymore and let the contractions work. After I got the epidural, I needed to just sleep and rest anyway, so I was thankfully just able to lay there and let my body do it's own work and didn't need to be moving around. I was also able to successfully change positions to push when I had the epidural (something I also didn't think I'd be able to do), so that wasn't a problem either. And, after labor, I didn't want to get up and walk around anyway, so who cares if I couldn't!! The next morning (which really was only a few hours after we got to the Mother/Baby room), when we went to the nursery to see Samuel where he was getting some tests done, I had to be pushed in a wheel chair because I about passed out when I tried to walk. I don't really think that was epidural related, though, as I think it was just my body being super exhausted after a super long day! (And being pushed in a wheel chair isn't really a bad thing haha) And, lastly, I'm just glad I had the epidural because I don't want to even think about how much more it would have hurt to push out my big baby without it being numbed a little! Oh, and the stitching up afterwards... I don't even want to think about that either!

I know that not all experiences with epidurals were as pleasant as mine and I definitely think that they can mess up the natural process that your body is meant to do and should not always be used like they are in America currently, but I do think that there is a very good place for them. I am fairly confident that getting the epidural saved me from being forced to or choosing to have a C section because I don't think that I could have relaxed enough to get to the point to be able to push without it. If there is a next time, I don't necessarily think that I'll go into it with the mindset that I will get an epidural, but I definitely have changed my thoughts about them and am thankful that I had that option.

Baby Fred - He's Here!!

Samuel Davey Fredericksen

Born August 22, 2015 at 1:57 a.m.

11 pounds 11 ounces

22.5 inches

There's so much to write about Samuel's first few days (and about the day he arrived), but for now, I'll just share a few of the pictures that I have from right after Samuel was born. We are so in love!!

Hanging out with Daddy:

 The grandparents seeing Samuel for the first time:

Nana and Papa holding Samuel for the first time:

 Samuel with his Grandma's:

Grandma Kock:

A few pictures after getting to our room on the Mother/Baby floor and sleeping for a few hours (but not many!):

Baby Fred - 40 Weeks!

Date: 
August 17, 2015 - The Due Date!!

How far along:
40 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
As many days as baby chooses, I guess!

Baby size:
A Pumpkin
Approximately 20+ inches

Baby milestones: 
She should be just about done in there, I would think!!

Maternity clothes: 
YES... I've outgrown all of my shirts now... This weekend I accidentally shrunk my one shirt that was long enough that I didn't have to worry about my belly hanging out the bottom. So that's fun...

Stretch marks: 
You betcha...

Have you started to show yet: 
Affirmative

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
Same ol'... A huge belly, a bit of a sore back, sore fingers, larger than normal feet and fingers, and a sore pelvis. I haven't had any real bad heartburn, acid reflux or breathing problems when I sleep for the past few weeks, so that's good! I'm excited to give my body a bit of a break here pretty soon, though!

Movement:
She's still moving around in there, letting me know she's having a great time right where she is...

Labor signs: 
I've got nothin...

Mood: 
I'm in a good mood, I just tend to get a little frustrated at times, but it's only my due date, so it's not like I have a ton to be frustrated/discouraged about yet!

Sleep: 
It's not bad other than being really sore when I get out of bed. It takes a little convincing to get myself to muster up the energy to get myself rolled over or sitting up so I can get out of bed. And that happens at least 3 times throughout the night and then in the morning, so that's super fun.

Dreams: 
I had one last Tuesday that our baby was going to be born on the 14th and that it was a boy. Obviously that dream didn't come true!! :)

Miss anything: 
Not being in pain or feeling like I have to pee every time I walk. Having clothes to wear. Being comfortable wearing pants...

Gender prediction: 
Boy

Names: 
Same story - We have names, but middle names aren't 100% decided.

Best moment of the week: 
Same story here. We're just living every day anticipating our baby's arrival, so there's nothing too exciting going on. We worked like normal during the week and then spent the weekend at home. We went out to eat on Friday night. Another "last date" perhaps - I think we've had several "last dates" by now. (I think of everything as possibly being my last before baby comes... last meal, last time washing my hair, last day at work, last time getting gas, last time seeing our families, last weekend, last time peeing in a cup at the Dr's office with this big belly (never knew that'd get to be such a hard task) etc... so far none of them have been the true last.) On Saturday, I slept in again and then I tried to stay active during the afternoon on Saturday to try to get baby moving towards the exit, but I'm not so sure it did anything other than wear me out. I went and got my "last pedicure" (I thought the one before that was going to be the last) and then picked up Chipotle for supper and we watched "What to Expect When You're Expecting". Sunday, I was super lazy and watched a lot of Criminal Minds and Forensic Files... I went on about a mile walk in the evening and did some stretching and sitting on the exercise ball as well, so hopefully baby is getting the hint that we're ready!! I can't wait for my "best moment of the week" to be that baby has come!

Nursery Things:
Nothing going on in there... The room is just waiting for its occupant to arrive.

Looking forward to: 
Having a baby!! Sometimes when I feel her little heel or something stick out of my belly, I imagine what it will look like when she's really out here and we can see her for real! I can't wait to hold our little baby!!

Other things: 
At our appointment last Friday, baby's heartbeat was 160, which was a lot faster than normal. The doctor said it was probably because baby was moving and then we could hear it slow down again, but she didn't give us a new number. I'm assuming it's the same mid to high 140s.

Baby Fred - 39 Weeks!

Look at that belly!! That shirt sure is getting a work out!

Date:
August 10, 2015

How far along:
39 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
SEVEN DAYS!!! (ish)

Baby size:
Watermelon (they said "mini-watermelon" in the weekly email... but I think we've got a full grown one!!)
Approximately 20+ inches

Baby milestones: 
She is continuing to build a layer of fat to help control her body temp after birth.

Maternity clothes: 
YES

Stretch marks: 
Yep. It looks like my belly is going to burst open right above my belly button now, too. Trent assured me last night that that isn't going to happen (but he did say it'd be pretty gross if it did), so I hope he's right :)

Have you started to show yet: 
Affirmative

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
The biggest symptom I have of being pregnant is a giant belly! That has caused some back pain in the last few weeks. The cramping and tightening that I feel in my belly has really picked up in the past few days, and I am soooo hoping that it's a positive sign of things to come! I'm still having finger pain at night and my feet got pretty swollen again at the end of last week, but they deflated over the weekend since I was able to stay off them for longer periods of time.

Movement:
Still moving around in there and trying to show off her legs and arms by sticking them out of my belly!

Labor signs: 
I couldn't tell you what's a real labor sign or not, but in the past 24 hours, the cramps and tightening have been more of a pain than just a pressure... so maybe that's something?

Mood: 
Just fabulous!

Sleep: 
I still get up at least 3 times a night to go to the bathroom and flip over to my other side. I'm pretty stiff and sore when I get out of bed, but I just need to walk it off usually.

Dreams: 
I had a dream on Saturday night that I don't remember much of but I told Trent that I thought our baby was in it and wearing a Nebraska shirt. He assured me that our baby would never wear a Husker's shirt in real life, though :)

Miss anything: 

The space between my crotch (sorry if that's a bad word!) and my stomach where my pants used to sit comfortably!
Being able to get up off the couch without having to scoot forward a few times and really push myself up with my arms! And I miss being able to just throw on a t-shirt to wear around the house... my belly hangs out of all of mine and Trent's t-shirts.

Gender prediction: 
Boy

Names: 
We have our girl and boy name and we have two middle name options for each one right now as well.

Have you told family and friends: 
Yep - Everyone knows!

Best moment of the week: 
Nothing too exciting happened this week (other than I had a flat tire last Tuesday, so I got to be that helpless pregnant lady standing by her car in the parking garage waiting for her husband and a tire-fixer-guy to come to her rescue while everyone in the area came by to ask if I needed help... good times) -  it was another week just waiting to have a baby!! We had another nice weekend at home together. We really are trying to enjoy our time together and I really am trying to relax before this baby decides to make his or her entrance into the world. Friday night we made a trip to the grocery store together and then Saturday night we watched two movies (A Million Ways to Die in the West and Top Gun) and had popcorn with M&Ms. We slept in both Saturday and Sunday and got a few little things done around the house. Even though part of me would love to be out and about doing something with our free time, it's been nice to just be able to hang out and rest as well!
Who knows, maybe that was our last weekend without a child for the rest.of.our.lives!!!

Nursery Things:
Nothing happened in the nursery this week. It's as done as it can be!
Mattie has enjoyed hanging out in the chair in the nursery as she's waiting for a new sibling as well!

Looking forward to: 
Having a baby!!
Hoping this is my last Monday at work for a while! We shall see!

Other things: 
At our appointment last Friday, baby's heartbeat was between 144 and 147. 

Baby Fred - 38 Weeks!

How far along:
38 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
2 Weeks!

Baby size:
Pumpkin
Approximately 18.9-20.9 inches

Baby milestones: 
She may have an inch or so of hair (I'm hoping our baby has hair!), she has been working on her grip (can't wait for little baby finger holding!) and her organs are most likely fully developed and ready for life outside the womb.

Maternity clothes: 
Same ol' thing here... of course I'm wearing maternity clothes

Stretch marks: 
You betcha... I don't see how they could have been avoided with how big my belly is! (especially the part below my belly button now that baby has dropped down there)

Have you started to show yet: 
Uh... ya. Why do I keep asking myself this question?!?

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
I don't feel like I've had as many Braxton Hicks this past week (but what do I know). The only time I've noticed them is if I've been up and moving around too much or if I have to pee... My fingers are still hurting at night and then some days as well when I straighten them out. My back hurts some when I get up and walk and when I wake up in the morning (and in the middle of the night) it takes a little while for me to be able to walk straight.
I hate to talk about things that are negative about this pregnancy, but I'm just being honest... I know it's all going to be worth it in the end. I guess if there's a next time that I'm pregnant, I will try to do things a little different to see if that helps... who knows, though.
This is pretty much what I think (and I wouldn't even classify how I feel as "feeling like crap":

Movement:
She goes pretty crazy at times and my belly really moves a lot. I think that sometimes it probably is noticeable to people sitting around me in meetings at work and stuff. There are times where it has started to hurt when she moves, it even surprises me sometimes and I think I make funny faces because of it, She also gets her feet up in my ribs at times as well! I still don't think I'm used to feeling her move in there!

Labor signs: 
I don't feel like there have been any unfortunately.

Mood: 
Good for the most part. I let myself get discouraged at times that the baby isn't here yet, but then I remember that I really am only 38 weeks along and it's not time yet, so I just need to cool my jets!

Sleep: 
I, thankfully, got to sleep a lot this weekend, which was nice. It made going to sleep on Sunday night not so easy, though... so when that happens, I just go hang out with the dogs in the living room and read and bounce on the birth ball for a while... I have a little bit of trouble with some restless leg syndrome at times and I have the weird breathing issues keeps me from sleeping as well, but it hasn't been too bad. By the end of the week, I usually can sleep pretty well cuz I'm so tired except for the whole getting up at least 3 times to pee.

Dreams: 
Nothing baby related that I remember, but I had one on Friday night where I was doing something with recording equipment and then when we were done doing whatever it was we were doing in the dream, Kellsey wanted to sing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin with me. I woke up before I found out if I was going to sing the girl or the boy part - I'm sure she was going to make me sing the boy part, though!

Gender prediction: 
I think it just HAS to be a boy... I seriously will be surprised if it's a girl!

Names: 
We still haven't talked about it for a while, but I think we have it pretty narrowed down to one boy name and two possible girl names.

Best moment of the week: 
Nothing too exciting happened this week. We're just patiently waiting :)

My mom came on Friday night for a while and we went out to eat at Tanner's (I've wanted some chicken strips and cheese balls ever since I saw in the Westside Socials that my mom, brother and Kenzie went to Bloomer's in Carroll for Kenzie's bday a few weeks ago) before going to Hallmark and getting a baby book (which I think is the last thing on my list to get!!) and doing some other little shopping.
She also brought a few things that my aunt had made and/or printed for the nursery, so we got those hung up!

Saturday we had a nice unplanned visit from Mel and Russ and the girls! They had been out hiking in the morning in the Loess hills and so they stopped by. It was fun to hear about their trip and see them one last time before baby comes! I love talking with Taylor and Jenna about the baby and about whether it's going to be a boy or a girl and what they think we should name the baby! Jenna sat on my lap for a while (after I assured her there was room and I wouldn't let her squish the baby) and she would put her hand on my belly and told me she could feel the baby kicking. Jenna also told me that she liked my belly and it had grown since the last time she saw me (which it very much has!) Makes me smile! I can't wait for them to meet their new cousin!!
It was also nice to relax most of the rest of the weekend (even though I'm about over staying home every weekend since this is our third one in a row... it's so unlike us but I'm sure Trent is loving it!). We slept in late both days and just hung out around home. It got pretty old by the end of Sunday, but it was still nice. We, unfortulately, had to miss the Bell Reunion this year due to my pregnant state... the whole traveling when the baby really could come at any time and the fact that it was SO.HOT and the reality that I probably would have gotten pretty worn out made up our decision to stay home. I think this is maaayy be the 3rd Bell Reunion I've missed in all my 28 years (and that might be a high number) so it was sad to think about not being there. But NEXT YEAR we'll be there with our little one! :) Who knows, it may even be her birthday when we're there!

Nursery Things:
No big changes. We just got two more things put into frames in the room and continue to wait! :)

My Aunt Doreen made the print above from 1 Samuel and then I got the heartbeat print made from a seller on Etsy of the baby's heartbeat from our 36 week appointment. After the baby is born, we'll get it reprinted in a color depending on whether it's a boy or a girl.

Looking forward to: 
Having a baby!! Someday soon...