HaleyI wasn’t planning on doing another pregnancy update until I was 9 months along, but that seemed like such a long time away, especially considering how I’m feeling. And as you near the end of pregnancy, so much can happen from week to week that I thought it’d be good to check in at 8.5 months or 34 weeks pregnant.
I had another OB appointment last week. I’m off schedule a bit going in at 33 weeks then 35 weeks next week. But once I hit 36 weeks, it will change to weekly appointments and I’ll be checked each week to see if I’m dilated. Those are always such exciting appointments as you’re hoping for a little more progression each week. Unless it’s your first baby, because it’s likely you may see no dilation even at your 40-week appointment!
A Busy Week
Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church, which meant a week of me teaching recently graduated Kindergartners, including my own child. The first day I came home after 4 hours of VBS, I had to sit down for a couple hours while Scarlett was napping to rest. Not only were my hips aching, but my belly had been rock hard for four hours and needed a break.
The next day, I wised up and sat out of our class’s recreation rotation, which is basically chaos as a gym full of 5 and 6 year olds run around screaming and all the adults are attempting to get them into some kind of assemblage for organized games. Just sitting out for those 30 minutes really helped decrease the Braxton Hicks and achy hips.
After that first day of VBS, I decided to pause my work outs for the week to avoid over-doing it. And good thing I did, because on Wednesday night around 8 p.m., I was returning a water pitcher to our fridge when my right leg gave out. I’ve had increasing pubis symphysis pain throughout this pregnancy, and on this night the pain had radiated down my right inner thigh, rendering me incapable of walking for a couple hours. Luckily, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was able to walk on it, but it was a very weird feeling not being able to put any weight on that leg due to pain. I can still feel that my inner thigh is twingy—as if it could happen again at any moment—so I’ll have to be very sensitive to that at the gym this week. Thankfully, I go back to the chiropractor today and that should help things a bit.
On Friday, right after the VBS finale and taking down our room decorations, James and I hit the road for our friends’ wedding in Kennesaw, Ga., that night. We got there just in time for the wedding, and I even attempted chunky (aka more stable) heels. Still, after 3.5 hours of festivities and a long week of VBS, I was exhausted and called it a night. This little overnight trip will be our last for the foreseeable future. Not just because I’m about to have a baby, but because it will be really hard to leave four young kids with anyone for a long weekend. It just seems like a lot for family to handle unless they divide and conquer.
The next morning, I stopped by a baby shower for my first roommate in Atlanta. (She’s in the red dress right behind me). We met at our first job out of college (we both went to UGA but didn’t know each other there) and both needed a roommate. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding 10 years ago, and has lived in NYC, Nashville and St. Simons before recently settling back down in Atlanta. And now she’s having her first baby and is due one day after me. It’s pretty obvious from the picture she’s on baby #1 and I’m on baby #4 when you compare our bumps. I warned her that everything happens faster (especially belly growth) with subsequent babies. I was amazed that six of us from the shower were pregnant—and we’re all in our mid-thirties! In my hometown, I seem to be the oldest pregnant woman around 🙂
Kids
The kids and I snapped some pics of each other before church yesterday, just because they were looking snazzy and they are usually in mismatched soiled clothes. That top picture is exactly why it’s so hard to stop having babies. My kids can be a handful at any given moment, but oh how they love each other (when they aren’t fighting) and how they are so excited for their new baby brother.
The Name Debacle
Baby boy still doesn’t have a name, but as the weeks tick by, I am ready to pin something down (aka pin my husband down). I just taped this to our fridge. I figure if he can at least cross off names he doesn’t like, I can narrow it down from the names left. Or, knowing us, the baby will end up with a name completely off this list.
Last week, my husband told me that if I agree to letting him pick the middle name, I can pick any first name I want. Sounds fair, right? Except his condition was I had to agree to it BEFORE knowing what he chose for the middle name. Knowing my husband and his antics, I absolutely did NOT agree to his proposal. And thank goodness, because I later found out he wanted the name to be Tiberius. (No offence to any of the Tiberius guys out there!) Hopefully, we’ll have something legit nailed down soon, because I know my kids would love to be able to start calling him by his name.
Pregnancy Symptoms
Besides the ongoing Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction and associated inner thigh pain, I also have ongoing heartburn, which I had with my other pregnancies as well. I also have achy hips and twinges of sciatic nerve pain if I sit too long. I’m so glad our beach trips are behind us because driving to and from Atlanta this past weekend was enough for me at this point.
I’ve resigned myself to rough sleep, and that’s ok because it’s just prepping me for the newborn nights. My babies don’t sleep through the night until close to a year old, so I might as well get in the swing of things now. I wake up constantly to go to the restroom, and early in the morning—as in 3 or 4 a.m.—baby boy gets really active and pummels me from the inside, making it impossible to sleep.
Slowing Down
After a very busy month, thankfully we have a slower week on the horizon. We still have fun things planned nearly every morning, but I can go at a slower pace and there will be more time for rest. I’ve still got quite a bit on my to-do list to complete in the next four weeks (like freezer meals and rearranging rooms to accommodate baby), but I have to take each day as it comes depending on how I’m feeling.
What baby name from the list do you like?
See past posts about my Fourth Pregnancy.
