38 weeks and some change...

Actually, it's more like lots of change. Our house is changing, my body (obviously) is changing, the relationship that Cory and I have is changing, and the things that I now see as important are forever changing. I'm 38 weeks and 4 days today, but according to my calculations I should be more like 39 weeks and 3 days (I'll keep the details of that calculation to myself. Here are 2 pictures from the past 2 weeks:






I've had a few health issues that have had us worried for the past 2 months or so, but I've been able to control my blood pressure, and all of my NST monitoring has gone well. As far as we know, baby girl is about 7 pounds as of last Thursday, and I'm 1cm dilated and 70% effaced. Our doctor is on call on Wednesday, and there's a full moon on Thursday, so Cory and I think the chances of her coming this week look pretty probable. I guessed August 4th on our baby pool because that's my half birthday and 4 is one of my lucky numbers. My last day of work was last week (except for reals this time), and I'm planning on spending the upcoming week doing whatever I feel like doing. What a concept, huh?



I partially think she's not here yet for a few reasons. First of all, I needed to stop working and finish a few projects in the office. My nesting has crossed over to the office, and I've really enjoyed having the clarity that some complicated decisions have required. I've been worried about leaving "my kids" for two months, but I have them all placed with fabulous tutors while I'm out, and it's not like I won't be stalking them and checking in on them anyway. I hope to take Payton on several walks along the water to my office to check in and make sure things are going smoothly.



Second, I needed to schedule a hair appointment, get my nails done, and clean out my closet. I've accomplished two out of three, and I have to admit that cleaning my closet doesn't sound as exciting as it did 2 weeks ago.



Finally, I think she's still not here because she's been waiting for me to finish her rocker. My grandmother used this rocker with my mom and all of her brothers. She passed away when my mother was 13, and I've heard stories since I was a little girl about how my mom used to sit in it when she missed her. My mom used it with my brother and me as well. There were many nights that she sat awake at night, rocking me to sleep in this chair. I had terrible ear infections before I had tubes put in my ear around 3 years old, so this was the only way for me to sleep while inclined. When my mother asked me if I wanted to use the rocker for Payton, I was honored. I don't know how my mom grew up and had her own children without her mother, and for that reason alone, I'm so excited that we get to share all of these special times together. So while Cory looks at the rocker and thinks it looks like hours and HOURS of unnecessary work to refinish something that still looks like it's from the 1900s, I look at it and am reminded that there have been mothers before me that somehow pulled it off.



Here it is after a few coats of primer and semi-gloss paint before the fabric was attached:

We stripped the previous mauve velvet-like fabric, sanded down the brown stain, and painted it white-ish. Cory helped me attach the new fabric with a staple gun, and then I finished off the edges with ribbon (or whatever you call the fancy upholstery stuff). Here it is, finished, with the pillow that matches her crib set:

Here's our reading and rocker corner. At my first shower, everyone brought books instead of cards which was GENIUS! She has a fabulous book collection, and Cory has already started practicing reading some of the books. We used Glidden's smooth stone interior paint for the wall color in the whole room. The frame on the wall came from Ikea, but we spray painted it because black was not going to work in this room at all. The books are held in spice racks from Ikea that were spray painted.

On the shelf are some shoes, a picture frame from Grandma Peters, and the Tooth Fairy pillow I've had since I was a little girl. Sophie the giraffe is also tucked in there behind the pillow. The little "It's a Girl" button in front of the frame is from when I was born.

Her changing station is probably my favorite part of her room. The dress on the left is from my Godmother. The subway sign is from "My Sweet Prints" on Etsy. I don't remember where I saw this, but I absolutely love it. The bar with the cups and wire hanger for diapers is from Ikea. We don't have a lot of floor space, so I had to use wall space when I could. The changing table is from Target, and the wipe warmer has received lots of hype.

The elephant is also a gift from my Godmother. We named her Ellie, and she's super soft.

This diaper caddy was a gift and is super awesome! There are diapers, a changing pad, wipes, diaper cream, and baby powder in it. We will probably leave this in the "man cave" on the other side of the house.

Payton's closet is washed, folded/rolled, organized, and fully-stocked. Well, I think it's fully stocked. The closet organizer is from Babies 'R Us, and it's full of swaddle blankets, crib sheets, changing table covers, protective pads, receiving blankets, towels, wash cloths, burp cloths, and pac-n-play sheets. Underneath is a basket full of baby toiletries like wipes, nail clippers, and shampoo. We stacked up all of her newborn diapers (we hope she likes Huggies) in the closet and put the size 1s and 2s in the garage for now. Her dresses are sorted by size, and all of the cards she received (and the cards I received for mother's day) are in the adorable boxes on the shelf. We put a blanket made by my aunt on the shelf, as well as some of her bath toys that she'll love later on. The diaper bag is from "CoralTree" on Etsy, and is just big enough to hold all of my stuff.

We also got her crib from Target. My brother helped me put it together one day while Cory was at work because the changing table took us for-ev-er. The letter "P" is from "gracegraffiti" on Etsy. I absolutely love Etsy. I also super love the bedding, which was a gift from my parents. I found it on Layla Grace, and it's absolutely perfect. We have her Sleep Sheep, a lamb pillow, and a sheep stuffed animal in her crib now, but we'll have to pull them out once she starts sleeping in there. Those adorable angels on the wall are from my room, and they were also in my mom's room. You put them by the door, and they are supposed to keep out evil spirits.

It's hard to see in this picture, but the sheets say "I love Mommy. Mommy loves me. I love Daddy. Daddy loves me." Could they BE any more perfect?! The sheets, changing pad cover, blanket, dress, and Ellie are the perfect amount of pink (I didn't want the room to be swimming in pink).

Payton's Auntie, Ashley, gave her this "P" that is just perfect on the outside of her door. Her room is right next to ours, and we all know how much I LOVE anything with letters. I'm hoping to put a few family pictures in the hallway as well. You know, in all of the spare time I'm about to have...yeah.

Payton's room is the perfect amount of new and old. There are pieces in here that brought me lots of comfort and joy, and things that are all her own. We have the best best best friends and family that truly showered us with gifts. Most of the things we have for her were gifts, so her room is already filled with love. The only thing missing is her!

How far along:  38 weeks 5 days down

Countdown: any day now!

Baby's Approximate Size: she's about the size of a watermelon (21 in, 7 pounds)

Total Weight Gain:  I have no idea...but most of it is probably water weight. My legs are swollen up to my knees, and my hands are so swollen that it's impossible to make a fist.

Sleep:  I sleep pretty well, minus the several trips to the bathroom. It's extremely difficult to get out of our very high bed, and even harder to get back in. I only wake up if I have to use the restroom or if I go numb.

Best moment this week:  The best moment this week was finishing her nursery!

Meltdown this week: My last meltdown was in response to something Cory said that I didn't think was very nice. He insists that I took it the wrong way, and I just might have. Men should just stop talking sometimes. 

Movement:  She is definitely running out of room in there. She kicks her feet around under my ribs, and had the hiccups at least once a day. I was born with the hiccups, and I guess that she will be, too. Her favorite thing to do is prop her legs/knees right up under my ribs so that I can't bend over at all. She is head down and ready for an easy delivery!

Cravings: I pretty much just like food. And I can't get enough water. Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope! I can finally eat apples again.

Labor Signs:  As of last Tuesday, I was 1cm dilated and 70% effaced, so I'll be curious to see where we are tomorrow. I'm still having Braxton-Hicks contractions, and I had a big one on the NST monitor last week. So far, they don't hurt at all. I had some cramping earlier this evening, but that all went away.

Symptoms: Swelling, carpel tunnel, swelling, joint pain in my hips and knees, foot cramps, swelling, backaches, and swelling. Oh, and some swelling as well.

Belly Button in or out: Half and half.

Wedding Rings on or off: Off, sadly. I can't even wear the single band that I got for swollen fingers. 

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy because I'm ready. Really ready.

Looking forward to:  I'm so excited to FINALLY see what she looks like! She was uncooperative for both 4D ultrasounds, so we really have no idea. I can't wait to hold her. I can't wait to sleep on my stomach. I can't wait to see foot and ankle bones. I can't wait to wear my rings. I can't wait to have some sangria. Did I mention that I can't wait to hold her?!