Is today the day?

Today is definitely our due date, but will it be the day Aubriella is born???
This week went pretty much the same as the past two. It was my 3rd week on maternity leave, and I continue to love every minute without work! I took some time to read a silly book and also read another birth book. Our doctors appointment was very short because everything is going well!

The week however has ended with a bang! Yesterday I started losing my mucous plug, and it got me excited to try all the natural induction remedies. Jose and I went out to lunch and I consumed more wasabi than I ever had before. At dinner I poured more Tapatio hot sauce on his grandma's yummy tostadas then I thought I could handle. We followed the spicy food with a long walk and other things.

Sometime in the middle of the night I woke up to pee and noticed more mucous and cramping! It was so hard for me to fall asleep but I finally did...until 4:30 am. I had a lot of cramping- which I realized were contractions!- and could not fall back asleep at all. Since 4:30 am, the contractions have not stopped, but they aren't getting very much stronger. They come every 3-8 minutes and are lasting about 30 -45seconds ! I went on a walk this morning with my friend Sonya, took a long shower, and a nap and they haven't stopped or changed! I think it is the very early stage of "The Real Thing"! I'm doing well being able to continue doing what I need to do (at a much slower pace), but they do hurt. Makes me a little nervous for hard labor!

I would be perfectly fine and calm with these contractions, but it happens to be the one day my mom is out of town (she can get home in 3 hours) and my dad is working 10 hours away!! I've given them both updates, but I'm scared to make them rush home only for the contractions to stop or to last another 24 hours until hard labor begins! So far it has been about 10 hours of consistent contracting.

We are hoping that we will be meeting Aubriella soon and that this turns out to be real labor! Did you know only 5% of all babies are born on their due date? How crazy that things seem to be happening on her due date! Hopefully the next post I write will be introducing you to our baby girl, and not writing about the time I thought I was in labor and it turned out I wasn't!

7 days to go!

We have made it another week! I am 39 weeks pregnant, and only a short 7 days from my due date. That really doesn't mean much considering I could potentially go up to 42 weeks (I will not be induced!).

I feel my body gearing up some, but overall I've felt pretty good. I get a few braxton hicks contractions here and there, but not that often. My hips and pelvis are getting more and more sore everyday. I had big plans to walk a lot this week, but with the crazy rain we've had it hasn't worked out so well. Jose and I walked around the mall one night to get in a little exercise, and I actually went to Target to walk fast around the perimeter (and I did a little browsing).

Maternity leave continues to be a great thing. Having rainy, cold weather makes it even easier to stay under the covers until I feel like getting up! Most days I don't even shower until after 10 am!

Our doctors appointment this week went great. The midwife who initially said she felt a big baby is now in agreement that we will have a baby in the mid 7 pound range! I continue to decline getting exams so I don't have any idea if I'm dilated. Right now I have no problem being patient, but I know if I had any indication (positive or negative) of how my cervix is working I would get antsy.

Since the beginning I have assumed Aubriella would be a February baby, so we may have some time to wait...but there is always the chance I could go into labor any time!

38 weeks!!

Week 38 started out great! Andy and Joy Unger through us a co-ed Church friends baby shower. I'm always so impressed with Joy's creativity, and the baby shower was no exception! Everything was so beautiful (and yummy!). They have the perfect backyard for entertaining too!

The best baby shower memory game ever!

We even had our own Vanna!

Jose showing off his prize for making the memory match "Baby's Daddy."

This week also marks my first week of maternity leave! Last week I was busier than ever at work preparing for my time off. I was tired and uncomfortable everyday and my back was hurting. We stayed pretty busy over the weekend, and Monday I was determined to shrink my to-do list! Starting Sunday night, I began sorting, washing and folding all of Aubriella's clothes. I had predicted it would be time consuming, but everyone at work convinced me it wouldn't take long. They were wrong, I was right! Thanks to my mom's help, some of her clothes were even ironed!

After the clothes project, we went shopping for all the needed items. It felt like we went to every store in town, but in the end we got everything! The worst was that my feet really hurt when I walk very long, so I was finding places to sit in every store!

Thanks to MariAnne Cooper ( who by divine intervention, we literally ran into minutes after calling!) the curtains for around the crib were sewn, and she gave me the idea for how to hang them! I wouldn't have been able to do it without her!

I still tried to cram in other projects on Monday like cleaning, dusting, organizing the hall closet, and more. By the end of the day I couldn't move. Every muscle felt tired and hurt! I almost got emotional at night and was starting to doubt that I could be pregnant much longer. I was accused of nesting on Monday but I really don't think it was that. Nesting is usually accompanied by excitement and energy. I didn't experience that- I was fueled by necessity!

Since Monday, I've been able to take it easy and am back to enjoying pregnancy. Since we are two weeks from the due date, I could go into labor at any time. Though I don't feel like it will be happening anytime soon, it is still a strange thought whenever I am away from the house. It is exciting to know I will be meeting her any day, and also bittersweet when I think about how it is Jose's and my last days "alone." I want to be intentional about enjoying our final days.

AHHH!! 38 weeks, I can't believe it! In some ways I think I've looked forward to this day as much as the due date. Come on Aubriella, mommy is waiting to meet you!

Getting the house ready

Aside from all the baby prep, we've been doing some other projects around the house.

Like getting rid of gophers that messed up our yard and made us take out our front plants! Jose taught them...

He was pretty proud of his catch!
And while preparing for our grass that will be laid next weekend, this poor little guy became a victim of the spray paint. Don't worry, we spotted him two days later happily hopping around.And organizing our garage! We will hopefully be painting it and making it the Charger Zone in the next couple of weeks (If Aubriella stays put a little longer!)

Second Chances!

After my depressing post about our Christmas, I thought it was only fair to update on our second chance at celebrating.

On January 2nd, my mom decided to make pozole (Mexican soup) and invite the usual Christmas Eve guests over. It wasn't tamales, but it was good! I was very impressed by the lack of stress by my mom, and it was a very easy preparation. I'll let you judge for yourself by the pictures below, and decide if everyone seemed to have a good time! I am so grateful for another chance at a holiday dinner!

37 weeks= Full Term!

We've made it! Not quite at our due date, but Aubriella is considered full term. Technically she can come any day, but I'm still anticipating her waiting a bit longer. Today is also my last day of work so let the celebrating begin! And by celebrating I mean partying it up because it is Jose's 28th birthday!! Happy Birthday Jose! He wanted Aubriella to be born on his birthday, but I like the idea of them each having their own day. We went to Red Lobster for his birthday dinner with our immediate family and a couple of Jose's friends. Jesse was our waiter.

This week was very much like the last week. I'm feeling bigger, more awkward, and uncomfortable... but still sleeping well so I can't complain. All I need is my normal pillow and warm blankets and I am good! I tried using body pillows and a wedge pillow but they just get in the way.

At our midwife appointment this week we actually had no questions (probably because we asked a million at our last appointment). We asked Lisa to estimate how big Aubriella was, and after feeling around a bit she guessed she was measuring about 6 pounds and even said, "You don't have a huge baby in there." WHAT?!! That is great news, but the week before Helen had guessed she was already 6 1/2 lbs and was a big baby! It just made me laugh because we really won't know for sure until we see her!

Aubriella's room is just about ready. I'm waiting for her Uppercase Living decals to come in, and have a fabric idea for over her crib. After I wash all her little clothes we will be ready for her arrival!

I started packing my bag for the hospital and that has made me feel even more ready! I have a list of things I'll have to run around and get last minute, but just seeing it in the room reminds me that any day I can go into labor!

Apparently really prepared parents have the car seat all set up by now, but that just seems silly to me. When we go into labor we can grab it on our way to the hospital. With our jobs, we are pretty comfortable properly securing a car seat, and I know Jose won't have any problems.

So here we are 0 days-5 weeks away from meeting Aubriella Joy! I am so excited to hold her!

Baby Shower

I realized that I never posted pictures of my wonderful baby shower from last month! With another baby shower to look forward to this weekend, I figured it was time!

Thanks to my mom, Jose's mom, Jose's sister, Stephanie and Dora and so many more amazing ladies I had the most beautiful perfect shower. We were able to use a friend's apartment club house, and the decorated it into a girly winter wonderland! White lights, snowflakes and sparkles. SO PRETTY!Candy Bar!
Jose and I continue to be so thankful for how blessed we are! We have so many close friends and family who have "showered" us with amazing gifts! There is very little we still need to buy after getting all these great gifts. It means a lot that others are just as excited for our baby as we are.
I can't wait for Aubriella to meet all these people who have be waiting to meet her!

How is Jose's grandma going to hold her these three and three more new great grandbabies on the way!

Playing the measuring the belly game

Great friends! I've know Kathy and her girls since I was in preschool!

Admiring the blanket Steph made me!A few of Jose's family members!

36 Weeks

This past week was unique as it was sandwiched between Christmas Day and New Years Day. Being a part of the holidays made it go so much faster! The big change this week is that I'm starting to feel heavier and more uncomfortable. I can't complain too much because I sleep just fine at night (and during naps!), but during the day I feel like I'm out of breath all the time and move so slowly!

We had a great appointment with the midwife Helen. She said everything seems great, and from feeling the baby she would guess Aubriella is about 6 1/2 pounds! Yikes... that is a little bigger than I wanted to hear. Helen said if Aubriella goes full term she will be about 8 1/2 lbs. I'm trying to remind myself that the estimates are often off. Helen offered to check my progress, but I declined. No need for an additional exam that won't tell me much. To hear that I am not dilated or effaced would be a little disappointing, and to be told that I was starting to show progress would just make me anxious. So for now I'm doing my best to be patient and trusting that Ellie will come when she wants to!

This week I noticed the first little stretch marks. They are barely noticeable so I'm not too upset yet. Everyone has been shocked when they see me this week, and is telling me my stomach has grown. I can tell too because my belly button is getting flatter and flatter- it is barely an innie! Even though I feel huge, I sometimes forget how much my belly sticks out, and frequently get stuck between chairs or hit Jose with my stomach! He always says I "belly bump" him. The most humorous story (to me anyway!) is when my stomach accidentally bumped his elbow as he was drinking wine . The bump forced his hand to clank the glass against his teeth! Oops!

On Monday I told the midwife that I haven't felt any braxton hicks. Later that night when Jose and I went for a walk, I started feeling cramping. When I'd stop walking, the cramping would stop. Not sure if those were practice contractions, but I definitely felt something "happening."

Now that we've hit 36 weeks, Aubriella can make her appearance any day and be healthy. I'm hoping she stays in until at least 38 weeks for optimum lung development, and to give me a chance to wash her clothes, but I can't help but hope she is here sooner rather than later! I can't wait to meet her!!

We didn't take the weekly picture for week 35, and somehow I forgot to post about week 34 and 33! Here are the pictures from that week

Week 33

And week 34