Before I went all out and told you all about the birth story of our son and share photos of him and all the juicy details, I thought I give a little punch of color and pizzaz to this part of the blog, since the last few weeks of my pregnancy were more about emotion and wanting to meet my baby than anything else. Now that he's here, we can really have some fun!
  • Based off of a inspiration room I saw online about a year ago.

  • I'm very drawn to vintage and my husband is drawn to anything that he can build himself. We compromise a lot on colors, coordination, and structure. Clean lines with a bit of whimsy.


 
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39 Weeks
It's been quite the journey... And, now-- it continues. I'm rounding a corner.
In less than 3 hours, I will be officially 40 weeks pregnant, with nothing but an even bigger bump to show for it.

I blame my silly hubby for getting my hopes up and having all of these bogus theories about me going into labor at 38 weeks or some such nonsense. He has predicted numerous days to be the day our child greets the world. But, so far, baby Ezra hasn't liked any of those options. 

My measurements have been the same for the past two weeks. 1 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and the baby's head at -1 station. The doctors seem to think that those numbers are magical and that I could go into labor at any moment. I usually leave their office feeling a bit less optimistic than all of that. 

The weeks are getting increasingly hard. My energy is depleting more each day and so is my patience. I'm not, what most people would describe as, stressed-- just anxious. Anxious to see what my body can really do as far as labor and delivery, anxious to hold my baby and look at his face for the first time (a face that is, for now, a mystery to me), and have his little tiny fingers wrapped around just one of mine. Not to mention the look on Jon's face when he see's it all happen. Having gone through the whole emergency c-section, terrifying newborn health situation, and then having a 6.5 year old who is basically a grown up compared to changing a poopy, size 1 diaper... It's gonna be a completely new experience.

I'm getting tired of people calling me every day to ask if I'm "STILL pregnant" or say, "Haven't you had that baby yet?!" Especially when most of them are family members that would be informed the moment something happened. Most people are also convinced that because DH is so tall (6'2") and weighed 10 lbs, 6oz at birth, that our child is going to be a mammoth. I hear numerous times a week about how humongous our child is going to be. Or how late.
Even when I went shopping the other day, the lady checking my items at Victoria's Secret seemed to be an EXPERT in the fact that most 1st babies are late. While it's true that 70% of all babies are born after their due date, I don't need reminded of that every five seconds!

What's really funny is, after all of the talking THEY do they say, "Well, don't be too worried or stressed out. The baby will come when it's ready." REALLY? I didn't have a clue. -_-
If maybe, just maybe, I could get away from all that talking I would be completely fine with my baby boy waiting this thing out and letting me know whenever he is ready to make his grand entrance. And I'm sure with all the pain I'm in now, a grand entrance it will be!

Between all that and DH's mom & dad in town and wanting to come over all the time, and the awkward relationship (or lack thereof) that I already have with his sister-in-law heading into uncharted waters, I'm just a little sleep deprived, tense, and moody. Jon has literally been such a doll and told me to complain as much as I wanted. Poor thing-- I don't think he understood what that meant. Haha. He is basically my life coach right now and I don't know what I'd do without him.

So, with my due date tomorrow, I'm just sitting here drinking in the fact that hubs is cleaning the kitchen for me and my whole house smells like french vanilla creamer, and wondering- Where is Baby McConnell?

 
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38 Weeks
I really don't know what to say...
I'm 38 weeks + 3 days (almost 4) and honestly, I won't lie, I was hoping- maybe even expecting- to be done being pregnant by now. It never occurred to me that I could take this thing to 39 or 40 weeks. It just seemed impossible!
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#eisforezra

 
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36 weeks
36 weeks was pure awful. Emotions ALL over the place. I spent, what feels like, days in bed and hours of my life crying over everything or arguing with hubby... sometimes over how nice he is being? Sounds like a psycho pregnant lady to me! 


Jon went to Washington D.C. as his last business trip before baby Ezra makes his debut and I decided to spend some time with friends in the neighboring town; just a few hours.
Well, in those few hours- five, to be exact- I managed to sprain my ankle. {Stylishly, mind you. Ruining one of my favorite pairs of wedges I spend a lot of money on as a souvenir when hubby and I were in Vegas last February.} 

I oh-so-graciously tripped over a rock in the road and, fortunately, did not fall on my stomach. Thank goodness I took my good friend, Jade, with me and she was able to ease my fall. Although, my leg eased its way underneath & behind me. Nasty bruising ensued, 4 days of crutches, and lots of ice and tylenol. Jon, had to get an early flight home from work and my mom came to spend the night with me because I could barely even get around enough to use the bathroom by myself.

All this, was the same week that I am, of course, due for a dreaded vaginal test at the doctor. Warning to all you girlies who haven't yet been pregnant... If you ever get the Group B Strep test in your 9th month, you will NEVER forget it. A plus was that the doctor I saw that particular morning, before abusing my lady parts, gave us an unscheduled in-room ultrasound. I was beyond thrilled because we had not seen our little alien in almost 17 weeks!

He has gotten so big, healthy, strong, and head down! I could've leaped for joy, had I not almost fallen on my already injured ankle in front of the dozens of people in the waiting room.

On top of everything else, it was also the week of my baby shower! However, I'm grateful I was at least able to get a mani/pedi and pull myself together to make it through the weekend. My mom did a great job planning the shower and incorporating the ideas I had too without letting me know too much about it. The hot chocolate bar went over great and the desserts were so simple! Not to mention we got almost EVERYTHING on our registry. 

Plus, all the things we had to return to the store.... that money paid for all the things we didn't get and still needed. I love all of our supportive friends and family so much. Below are a few pictures from our shower day. Don't forget to follow our Ezra's hashtag to see more photos in general.... #eisforezra

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Hubby and I in the mirror...Inspired by a pinterest maternity photo.
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my mom and I at the end of the baby shower
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I originally wanted Dahlias at my shower SO badly. But, they aren't in season. So, a friend made them all out of gum paste. How gorgeous are these?!
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37 weeks
37 weeks today! FULL TERM; and totally ready to meet my kid!
Especially after last night's fiasco...



Last night, Sunday, was supposed to be our last pre-baby date night. Knowing that Ezra could arrive at any time starting today, and Noah being at his mom's house, we wanted to spend some time together after having a very busy week/end. Plus, when you have a $25 gift certificate and two $5 off an entree coupons for Olive Garden how could date night NOT sound like a good idea?! 

I was so excited and feeling good... I actually felt like I looked cute which is pretty unheard of for me on a usual, non-pregnant day. Since I've gained my baby belly, it's even more scarce. 
Well, we made it through dinner, and I actually ate a full meal which surprised me! But, by the time the check was coming around my Braxton Hicks were so strong and the twinges of pain in my pelvis were so terrifying that anyone looking at me walk out of the restaurant probably thought that I was going into labor. And, dear lord, I felt like I was!

By the time we got home, I was bawling my eyes out and writhing in pain. (At least, now we know what my impending labor will be like. Probably, as awful as expected. Fortunately, I never expected it to be easy.) I ended up furiously angry, crying, curled up in the fetal position, and asking Jon over and over, "What's happening??" To which he thought the appropriate response was, "You're just in pain, babe."-- REALLY?? I hadn't noticed!

I felt so bad; like I just ruined the last "real" date night we will ever have... Which, of course, if a bit of a dramatization. But, what else is a hormone driven, done with being pregnant woman supposed to think when you go from feeling semi-sexy and by two hours later you're about to puke in your husband's lap?
Jon was a good sport and took awesome care of me... :)

Anyway, now that my "ripening" period has finally arrived, I am thinking of every possible way to have this baby come out ASAP! I'm so anxious to be a mommy and hold my baby with my arms instead of my abdominal walls. Also, I am tired of feeling like my pelvic bones are smashed to smithereens! 

I just ate an entire fresh, ripe pineapple by myself to see if the enzyme they say is in it, bromelain, will have any effect. Not to mention, I couldn't think of anything that sounded good for dinner....again. Still.



Right now, though, I am beginning to think that Ezra is perfectly content with his feet in my right ribcage...
 
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  • 35 weeks. Thoughts? I'm not sure I can last for another 5 weeks... 3-4 maybe. Very emotional... I'm pretty sure I'd cry at a bowl of cereal at this point.
  • Freaking out about projects that need done. Car seat it already installed and most of the freezer meals are done. This week: Pack hospital bag and MAJOR pre-baby cleaning day!
  • Discovery of the century: I used to think that eBay had really 2nd rate items... but, I have started buying a ton of stuff on there! There are so many BRAND NEW outfits...etc. Why spend $50 on an outfit when you could spend $5 for the trouble someone else went through?
  • Cravings? Nothing. I am going through another stage of not wanted to eat anything. Today I have just eaten crap... Wondering how much baby will weigh. Surprise!
  • I miss... being able to walk into a store, like Target, and get a dress/blouse without having to try it one and knowing it will fit for more than a week. 

 
Very long overdue... Even more so than my last couple of library books. Good thing blog readers don't charge late fees, ey?

This new year has started out with a "BANG!" and I can't believe that January is nearly over. Only 3-6 more weeks until we meet out sweet baby boy and lord! I'm anxious!


 
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"Does your baby hang low? Do you wobble to and fro?"
  • Flipped out a little bit because one of my previous stretch marks from when I was a kid stretched a wee bit more... Looks more like a little bruise than a stretch. My mom's response? "I wish I only had one stretch mark!"
  • Made the decision to go to Disney in 2 weeks. Over 8 months pregnant! But, we couldn't decide on a better "big brother" gift than that for Noah. Especially when he gets to go with his best friend :)
  • Baby Ezra STILL hates moving for anyone but his daddy and me. Even Noah hasn't gotten to feel baby brother yet... stubborn thing!
  • Jon has forbidden me to jog (30 minutes) anymore because I can't walk for about 3 days afterward. So, I've moved it up to a 45 minute speed walk and started making him go to the gym with me 3 times a week.
  • Craving? Pizza. Pretty much just want pizza ALL the time this entire week. But, I've made myself cook healthy every day instead -_-
  • Took our first tour of the hospital and loved it (minus our tour guide). Definitely requesting a water therapy room!! Baby's room is painted and now we get to work on the rest of the details. My little nervous energy project.
  • Goal for this week: I accomplished it! I made my first freezer meals for post-baby ease with meals.

 
I have about had it with this nerve pain that stems from the root around my tailbone and all the way down my left butt cheek.
It is getting progressively worse and neither hubby nor I can think of anything to do for it, besides putting on a moist heat pad. But, even with that, I couldn't get out of bed this morning without searing pain; wincing and moaning with every movement. (Really the only complaint I have right now, though, so that says a lot!)

Remember the post I put up a couple of weeks ago about detox baths. Well, I decided to research a little on good ingredients for aromatherapy baths and teas and muscle/pain relief... Here's a recipe I came up with all on my own and it was REALLY helpful.

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Quin's Pregnancy Pain Potion Bath
5 bags of green tea
1 bag peppermint tea
Lavender essential oil (mine is already measured out, but you probably don't need more than 2-3 drops)
1 tsp of ground ginger
1 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup of honey


These ingredients are supposed to be good for drawing out toxins, loosening stiff areas, easing pain, taking away stress, softening dry/dead skin, toning, and fighting fatigue. I don't think you can go wrong even if this bath only does one of those things for you!

 
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29 WEEKS. (yesterday)
Almost to the 10 week countdown!

  • No stretch marks.
  • Swelling? Occasional & mild.
  • Baby becoming more active at night than in the day... Oh no! (I want it back the other way!)
  • Easier to jog (even though I feel like I'm peeing my pants the entire time!)
  • Numb/tingling left butt cheek (STILL) due to sciatica.
  • Craving? Sushi with tempura shrimp
  • Goal for this week? Paint the baby's room!! :) And hospital tour!
  • Weight gained thus far: 26-27 lbs


 
....far away from the cold night air. With one enormous chair! Oh, wouldn't it be lovely?


Okay, so it's not cold. It's actually like 75 degrees here. In December. Yes, I know... But, that doesn't make my plea to get a room with a nice comfy chair and a half, some cocoa, and a book any less legitimate or sincere.


Ladies and Gentlemen...