We made it! 40 weeks! | When will he be here?

Happy 40 weeks to baby and me!  We made it!  But I think Baby Boy is happy in his warm environment because he’s not here with us yet.  So we continue to wait.

I’m still having minimal cramps/contractions.  Nothing major yet.  Yesterday, on the due date, we went to the hospital to get checked out because the day before I had some excess fluid drainage.  I was talking to my brother and sister in law and they encouraged me to go in to get it checked out in case the bag broke.  They got me all set up in bed with the fetal heart rate monitor on (I love hearing Baby Boy’s heartbeat and by the way the nurse said baby had a good strong beat) - False alarm.  The bag hadn’t broken and I was barely dilated.  What a bummer!  I’m having that “is he EVER going to get here” feeling………  I know for certain he’ll be here in less than two weeks.  Pray with us he comes on his own so I don’t have to be induced. 
I’m still battling fatigue a little bit.  My husband has been telling people that he’s been the one “nesting” because I’ve been too tired.  LOL!  He’s a good man.  He’s gotten everything set up, including the awesome last minute glider rocker so I can rock little guy in, so we’re ready for the big entrance! 


I’m still having a few cravings.  Yesterday I couldn’t seem to satisfy my hunger after we got home from the hospital.  I was craving salty potato chips at one point and then some salty authentic Mexican food that our dear friend Petra makes down in Mexico.  Still been craving Starbucks drinks like mad.  I treated myself one day to an iced drink and boy was I in heaven!  It was sooooo good!  Other than that still been wanting cold, creamy things like yogurt, smoothies, ice cream. 

We’re very excited to have my mom come for about 10 days.  It will be nice to have some company!  And hopefully her grandson comes soon so she can spend time with him.

So signing off for this week.  Maybe next week I’ll be writing with a little boy in my arms! 

39 weeks

(I tried adding the picture of how big Baby Boy is and the stats of 39 weeks but when adding it said the page stopped working so no pic today.  However, he is the size of a watermelon.  WOW!)

As I eat my oatmeal and drink my tea, I’m feeling the kicks of Baby Boy.  I’m 39 weeks today and still have had no real contractions and few Braxton Hicks contractions.  On Saturday night, I experienced BH contractions for a few hours with a few more intense ones and little tension in my lower back.  Since then I’ve experienced very little.  I’m thankful I’m still feeling good, a little tired but good.  Some days I wonder where all my energy went……..

Our boy is still growing!  How can I tell? It looks like my belly has grown some in just a week.  Some people at church on Sunday said the same thing.  I can also tell in the way I’ve been walking.  For the past month or so my husband and I have been trying to take nightly walks as I’ve heard it helps for labor and delivery.  So last night we took a nice walk and boy oh boy could I feel the extra weight in my hips and lower back.  It felt like there was 50 extra pounds weighing down on me. 

I’ve been craving Starbucks Frappuccino’s this week like crazy.  Actually it’s been anything creamy and cold like yogurt, ice cream, smoothies.  My stomach has been a little sensitive over the past week so I’ve been eating smaller, lighter meals.  I’ve also had a few extra bowls of cereal this week as it helps to ease stomach problems. 

We decided we needed to take a few more pregnant pictures before Baby Boy comes.  It was a nice day on Sunday so we took our friend Janet to the beautiful University of the Pacific campus in Stockton to snap a few pics.  I just have to say again that I love my husband.  He's an amazing man and I'm so blessed to have him in my life!

 

I’m curious to see what the next week holds?  Will I have some contractions this week with the start of labor and a baby? Or will it be another week?

38 weeks | The day is almost here!

Uugghhh…..where does the time go? It’s been a long time (like 8 weeks) since I posted last.  Well, no need to worry because here’s the latest details!

 ~ The biggest news is that we’ve moved into our own place!! In literally a few short weeks, many phone calls and viewings later we were blessed with our own little place.  We didn’t have much to move so we got it all done in one day.  My husband was more energetic than I was so he started unpacking a bit to make it homier.  We’re still not 100% settled but we’re close.  We have Baby Boy’s things organized, clothes washed and his new crib set up in his room and the bassinet in mommy and daddy’s room set up.  We’re so thankful for our own place.  We can’t wait to bring Baby Boy home to his new home!

~ The Lord has continued to bless me with good health and things are still going well.  I could tell as I headed into the last trimester, I was getting a little tired again.  The week that we started packing to move it seemed all I wanted to do was sleep.  It could have been from all the running around I was doing looking at places.  But I took the opportunity to rest as much as possible too.  A few weeks after we had been in our new place some kind of sick bug got to me.  Besides hacking and blowing my nose constantly I was more tired than before.  I found myself napping 3 or 5 hours a day and wondering where my motivation had gone.  However, I knew the best thing for me was to get as much rest as I could.  Also, my husband’s orders before he left for work were, “Honey, I don’t want you to do anything today but rest.” 

 

                                                        This was at 33 weeks pregnant.

It’s hard to believe that in about 2 weeks (or so…..May 8th) we’ll get to see our little one.  I am very close to that point where I’m ready to have him in my arms instead of my belly.  I’ve wondered for much of the pregnancy when the baby bump would appear.  Well, folks, no need to wonder any longer.  It has appeared!  It’s made walking and sleeping a bit of a challenge.  I never used to have trouble sleeping but now it takes a while just to get comfortable.  I discovered that using a nice, soft blanket under my belly helps me to get a little more comfortable at night.  My biggest weapon is remembering to pray before falling asleep.  Most of the time if we pray I sleep pretty well and the Lord blesses our rest.

I’ve had a few cravings over the last few weeks:  chocolate cake, pizza, Chinese food, Coca-Cola, grilled cheese sandwiches, cold smoothies, ice water, cold/milky drinks from Starbucks. cinnamon rolls and McDonald’s hamburgers.  And cereal.  Sometimes all I want is a bowl of cereal.  Kind of strange but it works for me.  Thankfully I’ve had no big aversions expect I’m still not keen on tomatoes. 

My suitcase is packed and ready to go!  I’ve been a little nervous the past week as I’m sure all new mom’s are.  I’ve been nervous about contractions, making sure they are timed right, wondering when the right time is to go to the hospital, what will happen during labor and delivery, etc.  I try not to think about it too much and I lift it up to the Lord.  I haven’t had any real contractions just a bit of cramping every few days which I assume are Braxton Hicks.  Just a few times they’ve been a little intense.    

Along with Baby Boy coming into this world, we are having family members come and visit to meet their new grandson.  My mom is coming at the beginning of May and my husband’s parents are coming at the end of May.  We’re looking forward to this because we haven’t seen our families in almost 2 years.  We're going to be having lots of fun over the next month!

Stayed tuned for next week's update.  It's a guessing game from here on out as to when Baby Boy will arrive.  Could he come early? Or late?

 

Celebrating the day of ~ LOVE ~

Our Valentine’s Day this year was filled with surprises, fun and spending time together, reflecting on the blessing God has given us – each other.  Here are some pictures to reflect the day.

 The surprises!

 

 

The day before Valentine’s Day, on the way home from work, my husband bought a beautiful bouquet of roses.  He was so tricky!  While he was showing me how to use the grill (I’ve never cooked on a grill before so I asked him to show me) and I was cooking dinner he would disappear a few times.  I thought it was funny that he took off a few times but didn’t think anything else of it.  The next morning I got up with him as he got ready for work.  I gave him the card I made special for him.  As I walked out of our bedroom I saw the beautiful roses he put by the stairs, got teary eyed and gave my husband a kiss on the lips.  What a guy!  I am so blessed and thankful to have him in my life.

The fun!

 

My husband has had a long term substitute teaching job with a 5^th grade class since the beginning of the year.  He has told them about me and told them we were having a baby.  When he would come home each night he would tell me stories about the students and I knew I wanted to meet them.  So, we got permission from the office for me to join the Valentine’s Day party at the school.  Going to their party brought back memories of having parties when I was in school.  They were of course off the wall because of the fun day plus all the SUGAR so it was fun to see their personalities.  One of the mom’s brought a fun game of using tin foil and tape to make a superhero.  They were judged at the end for the winner.  Let me tell you, they were very creative!  Proceeding with the day they continued to eat more candy along with snacks other mom’s brought while watching a movie.  By the time I left I was exhausted because of all the energy in the room.  But boy was it fun! It also reminded me of my students in Africa.  I miss them.

Spending time together!

 

Last year we waited until a few days before Valentine’s Day to start making reservations at restaurants.  Needless to say, we ended up making a meal at home because all the places we wanted to go to were booked.  So this year, we got a really early start!  My honey made a reservation at a highly talked about restaurant in town back in December.  We both enjoyed our meal of a mouthwatering steak and a side of vegetables.  The best thing was it was so big I got to enjoy it again the next day!  It was a blessing to be able to enjoy a nice meal together and soak up being in each other’s presence.  Romantic!  aaahhhh…….  At the end of the night we stopped at a Chila Berries for some frozen yogurt. 

Let me encourage all ladies out there young and old(er).  You may or may not know but I waited for my husband for almost 4 years because he was not ready for marriage.  Yes, it was really hard to wait but I’ll tell you it was worth it.  My husband is the most amazing man and the biggest blessing in my life.  He far succeeds anything I ever wanted or desired for a husband.  So I encourage you to wait for the right one, the one the Lord has chosen for you, even if you have to wait a few years.  Even if you feel life is passing you by and you’re getting older.  Trust me, you won’t regret it.  Hang on and you’ll see what I’m talking about!

30 Weeks | Blessings in the mail!

10 weeks until Baby Boy is here!  WOW! The pregnancy seems to have gone so fast but yet so slow.  A friend from church asked this week if I was at that point to be finished.  I told him I wasn’t ready because I know Baby Boy has lots of growing to do and I’m enjoying this stage of the pregnancy.  I love feeling him kick, wiggle and move in my belly.  I love learning every week how he’s developing in my belly and the growing anticipation by me, daddy, our friends and family.  But I did tell him I’m ready to have my body back to normal.  I really thank the Lord because I’m feeling great (besides the increasing heartburn and sometimes restless night because of hip/back pain.)

On Saturday, we got a big box of blessings in the mail from my husband’s side of the family.  It was so fun going through the box and looking at all the cute clothes, toys and other goodies.  The best and biggest blessing was the Baby Bullet System to make our own baby food!  I can't wait to make good, healthy food for our boy.  It's a bummer I have to wait for several months.  :-(

 

Childbirth Class | Daddy felt his boy

 

On Saturday we attended an all day class at the hospital where Baby Boy will be born.  We went in clueless and ready to learn and came out a little more prepared for the birth of our son.  Some of the topics covered were: car seat safety, stages of labor and how the body prepares itself for delivery, different medicines you can take if needed, breathing techniques, different ways to deliver (normal, c-section, etc), lots of questions and much more.  The more I learn about our pregnant bodies and how baby develops, the more I realize just how amazing God is.  It really makes this scripture verse so real – Psalms 139:13-19 :

 

The lady who did the class was awesome!  She is a nurse and assistant program director of the maternity floor.  We were blessed to have her.  The great blessing is by attending the class she told us if she is in the hospital when I’m there, we can ask for her and she will assist in the delivery plus she will do what she can to get me a private postpartum room.  Talk about preferential treatment!  God is good.

 

I've been dreaming about babies lately.  mmmmmmmmm....I wonder why? In one dream I was holding a boy, knowing he was mine.  I'm waiting for that day!

 

YAY!!! Daddy is so excited!  He was finally able to feel Baby Boy kick – twice even! He was finally able to feel his son move.  What a day in the Lemieux family! The event was recorded in Baby Boy’s journal…….  :-)

3rd Trimester | Stork Tour

Today I have officially entered the 3^rd trimester.  That means our little man will be here in just 3 short months!  eeeekkkkkkk…… (sound of shrilling excitement!) 

Here are the stats on Baby Boy this week:

 

 

On Friday, I took my husband to work will I took a few hours for myself and went out on the town!  I took a few hours doing a few errands, looking at baby things and spent some time at Barnes and Noble.  While I was out and about I noticed that I have started the “pregnant waddle” while walking and it made me chuckle.  The next day we went for a walk and my husband noticed it too!  It made me laugh! I am definitely carrying some extra poundage these days!

I don’t know if you moms out there have experienced this later in your pregnancy but it’s becoming uncomfortable sleeping these days.  I’m sleeping more on my sides and my hips hurt like mad and sometimes my lower back has some tension in it due to this.  I’ve started sleeping with pillows between my legs.  Sometimes it works and sometimes not.  I ordered a special pillow praying it will help me sleep better. 

Baby Boy continues to move around a lot.  Sometimes if I sit or lay in bed the wrong way, he’s kicking me.  At church yesterday he was most active during the worship times so I know he was enjoying the music.  Daddy still can’t feel Baby Boy move.  Is he being silly and playing games?  It seems that when daddy puts his hand on my belly to feel him move he stops.  My husband said it could be that he feels peaceful when his daddy’s hand is near.

We visited (“Stork Tour”) the hospital where Baby Boy will be born this last week.  It’s a big place but we were really impressed and have peace about delivering our boy here.  The really neat thing they just implemented recently is that when the baby is born, they don’t take him out of the room to clean him off, etc.  They have a little place right there in the delivery room so we can see at all times what is happening.  I don’t know if that’s a normal practice in hospitals now but I love the idea.  Then after some time if baby needs shots they take him to the nursery.  However, I was a little nervous about remembering all they told us and thinking about how the delivery will go.  But I traded those thoughts for peace believing and trusting the Lord for a great delivery of our first born!