Pregnancy Third Pregnancy

Waiting on Baby: 38 Weeks Pregnant

This weekend I’ll be 39 weeks, and I’m at the point where I’m simply waiting on baby. I was mentally prepared to have her early since Beau came at 38 weeks. But of course she’s on her own timing–already a little diva 🙂

At my OB appointment earlier this week, I was up to 3 cm dilated, which is definitely progress, but not the “usher me straight to L&D” point I was at with Beau at 38 weeks. Maybe Scarlett needs to fatten up a bit before making her debut, and that’s ok with me (for a few more days at least!). I was up to 23 pounds gained at this appointment, so I’m hoping that she’s getting chunkier by the hour. I have my next appointment at 39 weeks and 2 days, so if I make it that far, I’m hoping I’ll be 5 cm then. #wishfulthinking

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Until she arrives, I’m still attempting to be as productive as possible. I made a few more freezer meals, including Paleo Butternut Squash Soup, which is even better with homemade chicken stock that I made from the scraps of a Paleo Chicken No-Noodle Soup. Our ‘milk fridge’ freezer is completely packed with roughly 25 freezer meals, and we just restocked our freezer chest with 100+ pounds of deer meat I picked up from the butcher yesterday (Findley’s is awesome if you’re local to the greater Atlanta area). No ground deer for us; James picked out the most expensive processing options: jerky, pepperoni, breakfast sausage, backstrap, etc. Of course, it’s totally worth it because it tastes amazing and the spices they use are spot on. As expected of such meat lovers, the Rowdy boys can’t seem to get enough.

I can’t believe I didn’t go into labor on the way home from the butcher shop, because Mr. Beau wasn’t too happy about being in the car and started crying so passionately that he projectile vomited across the van all over James Michael’s legs and feet, as well as forward on the back of the driver’s seat and all over the floor. I had to pull over on the 10-minute drive home to make sure he wasn’t gagging too much, then realized there was no point in taking him out of his carseat because we still had to make it home. Once we finally got home, I stripped down both boys in the garage and placed them promptly in the tub. Only Beau had a little diarrhea in the tub, which I discovered only after JM had drank some of the water. So that was quite the fiasco. Then Beau had a blowout once I put on his pajamas and had to be changed once again. Meanwhile, my van sits in the garage soaking up the stains and stench since I can’t even begin to clean it up until the boys go to bed. By the time James got home, as I’m scrubbing the mats of my van over the kitchen sink, I could only laugh at the ridiculousness of the evening and wonder how in the world I’m going to wing it with three little ones. #onlybygrace

38.5 weeks

I did manage to squeeze in one more (hopefully final) Crossfit WOD this morning. Nothing crazy, just 65 lb push press and a MetCon of air squats, light kettlebell swings, pushups (on my knees) and 20-inch box step ups. CrossFit WODs are still easier than a simple 1/2 mile walk for me. But I do plan to get to walking soon, especially since it’s supposed to warm up quite a bit starting tomorrow.

I’m also planning on grabbing Eggplant Parmigiana takeout from Scalinis either tonight or tomorrow night. I’m not saying I’m gullible and believe it will send me into labor in 48 hours, but what the heck? Why not give it a try? The couple times I’ve tried to make eggplant dishes over the course of our marriage, they’ve turned our horrible. Just ask James. Maybe I’ll give it a shot again, but for now, eggplant is not on my list of cooking ingredients. Plus, takeout seems like a nice option for this pregnant mama, especially since we never get takeout.

So how am I feeling? Actually, less close to labor than I felt a week ago. Or maybe I just have a hop in my step since I know Scarlett Grace could come any day now. Up until a day or two ago, I was super irritable, and my poor mom was getting the brunt of it. It was probably like extreme PMS, though I’m not sure I experienced it much. And I definitely haven’t experienced it recently since I’ve had one period since getting pregnant with James Michael. That’s one period since March 2011. Oh the joys or breastfeeding and back-to-back pregnancies! I digress.

I’ve also felt twinges of sciatic nerve pain the last couple weeks. Nothing to make my knees buckle, thankfully. I’ve felt on and off back pain, which could mean my body is prepping for labor, or simply my body is tired of toting around this belly. The nesting is still in full swing, and I’ve busied myself organizing little areas of the house like the linen closet, my cabinets containing bakeware, my laundry room cubbies, my pantry, etc. Sleep still hasn’t been great, but that’s ok at this point because it’s prepping me for life with a newborn. I wake up every 2 to 3 hours to go to the restroom or cover up the boys in the middle of the night. And then a couple nights a week I have an 1.5 hour period where I can’t sleep and simply toss and turn. And a couple mornings a week I wake up in the 5 a.m. hour and can’t go back to sleep so I go ahead and get up and start doing things around the house.

I’m not especially anxious about delivery (of course, ask me again when I’m in labor), because I’ve been there, done that twice. My anxiousness centers around logistics: Will James be home? Will it happen in the middle of the night when the boys are soundly sleeping? Will we get stuck in Atlanta traffic on the way to the hospital? Or maybe I’ll be fortunate and go in for my appointment next week and be 5 cm dilated. #onecanhope

Whatever the timing, I’m hellbent on attending the boys’ Christmas program at school on Monday morning. I’ll be crushed if I can’t make it, but at least it will be for a good, cute, cuddly cause.

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At least I was able to take the Rowdy boys to downtown Dahlonega last weekend to enjoy the Christmas decorations, take a few pics in their cute Christmas clothes and witness their first sampling of fudge. And we’ve also crossed decorating Christmas cookies as well as the tree off our list for this year.

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So there’s not much left on my to-do list before Scarlett arrives. I’d love to say I’ll be resting and taking it easy until she gets here, but I know that won’t be the case. I’ve got restless energy so I might as well put it to good use!

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Haley

I'm a full-time wife and semi-stay-at-home mom to four young kids. Day to day, I help my husband with his small business, but when I have any extra time, you can find me cooking or being active outdoors with my family. We live at the foothills of the North Georgia mountains and are embracing modern homesteading month by month.

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