40 Weeks

Yesterday was my due date! How exciting to have a baby in my arms! Paxton is so wonderful, we are so in love with our baby boy! We just sit and stare at him in awe!

We had a quick and easy labor and delivery and I’m recovering slowly but surely! I’m feeling better but far from back to 100%.

The past 40 weeks have been amazing, with a new person growing in my womb and finally being able to meet him. He is such a blessing from God and we are honored that God has given him to us for the next 18 years to raise into a fine young man!

Where Was He Hiding?

I was guessing Paxton was going to weigh around 7.5 pounds. When he was born both our OB and L&D nurse were shocked! I was amazed that an 8.5 pound baby fit inside of my belly! When we arrived home from the hospital we took these pictures of Paxton on my belly!

Poor baby must have been very cramped!

Absolutely amazing that just the day before he was inside!

Sweet baby snuggles!

39 Weeks

Yesterday marked 39 weeks and it was the first day that I really felt pregnant (you know achy back, unmotivated, tired & big)! I’m just thankful that I’ve made it this far with so much energy!

I’m really in awe that I’m at 39 weeks! I remember all the way  back in August when we found out thinking that April was forever away and then during September when I was dealing with morning sickness I didn’t know how I was going to make it through each day! Yet somehow it’s April already and we’re going to meet baby Paxton soon!

This past week has been good. I’ve felt great for the most part, getting out of bed is a bit trickier and a few nights I woke up about 6 or 7 times but I haven’t been unable to sleep which I’m so thankful for!

We went to the doctor on Monday and had a great visit (all except for the fact that I somehow gained 6 pounds…I think it was partially due to having a steak, mashed potatoes & 3 rolls at Logan’s before my visit, at least that’s what I’ll tell myself!) I was 70% effaced and about 1 centimeter dilated. We also scheduled to go ahead and induce on Friday (tomorrow!) My doctor induces after 39 weeks and doesn’t like pregnancies to go beyond 40 so we decided to go ahead and induce on the 16th (which is John David’s dad’s birthday and also my “due date” according to my calculations!) So unless I go into labor today, we’ll be going in at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning to have baby Paxton! (I know inducing is a controversial issue but we fully trust our doctor and are comfortable with our decision.)

I am dealing with mixed emotions at this point. Last night I had a brief moment of sadness because the realization that John David and I will no longer be “just us” hit me. I know things will change and many will be good changes but I will miss being able to tag along with him at work and just deciding to go do things at the spur of the moment. Even though I have some of those emotions, I’m so thrilled to finally meet this baby boy…I’ve been dreaming of being a mommy since I was 4 years old and playing mommy to my many dolls!

38 Weeks

I am now 38 weeks pregnant!! Wow…in less than 2 weeks we will meet our son!!

At our doctor appointment Monday I had lost 2 pounds and was about 1 centimeter dilated and my cervix was softening! Hopefully when we go back this coming Monday there will be much more progress!

Last Thursday and Friday I had horrible nights, I could not get comfortable, in fact I spent about half of Friday night in my recliner! Thankfully I’ve been sleeping well since then! Monday and Tuesday I was actually able to sleep in which was amazing! I have been waking up about 4-5 times every night this week to go to the bathroom, however once my head hits the pillow I fall right back to sleep and am comfortable so I have no complaints there! My back has hurt a little the past two days but it hasn’t been too bad!

Other than those small discomforts I feel wonderful, in fact I really can’t believe that I have only 2 weeks to go, I figured I would be miserable at this point but I’m not! In fact I don’t even waddle, can paint my own toenails, my ankles are normal and I have had very little swelling! It’s been a great pregnancy so far!

My belly has been contracting but nothing has been regular at all and it hasn’t been uncomfortable either. John David and I are anxiously awaiting the beginning of real contractions!

Our nursery is complete minus wall decorations (but I’m okay with that), the car seat and Paxton’s bag are in my car and we have our labor/hospital stay bag 85% packed!

Hopeful that my 39 week picture includes a baby boy…we’ll see!!

37 Weeks

I’m now full term!! It’s hard to believe that I am 37 weeks pregnant and we’ll have a baby in our arms in less than 3 weeks! We are getting more and more excited about Paxton’s arrival every single day!

We went to the doctor Monday, the baby’s head is down (which was the only thing I was concerned about!) I was not checked and he has not estimated Paxton’s weight (two questions that have been frequently asked!) He said he’ll check for dilation at 38 weeks…I go back this coming Monday and will be 37 weeks, 5 days so I’m not sure if he will check or not!

I feel good still! In fact, I’ve had a burst of craftiness this past week! I’ve been making things for Paxton! So far I’ve made a set of 3 cloth blocks, 3 burp cloths, a taggie blanket & 3 “pee pee tee pees“! I hadn’t made him anything so I was glad I had this energy for sewing! (I’ll soon be posting pictures of my projects!)

I’ve been told to expect contractions and my belly has been tightening occasionally but I have yet to experience any pain. The past two nights have been rather sleepless and my hips have been aching and I feel pressure on my pelvis (but I don’t experience these discomforts during the day!) I’m actually looking forward to the contractions picking up and going into labor at this point! I’m just so excited about meeting this baby boy!

My friend Jennifer sent us 5 personalized onesies for Paxton that we received yesterday! They are adorable:

We love these two FFA themed onesies! John David and I met through the FFA and we’re hoping that one of these days Paxton will love FFA too!!

And this one is my favorite! How adorable is that? He’ll be the cutest advertising for his mama’s blog!!

His nursery is finished (it is lacking wall decorations but I haven’t had much luck finding things that I really love!) Hopefully sometime this week I will give you a tour of the nursery!