37 weeks and off of bedrest

Baby is ready any day now!

How far along? 37 weeks, 5 days

Weight gain: 20 lbs. I feel pretty good about my body. I have no idea what it will look like after- I’m thinking very undertoned…but at least for pregnancy, I am proud of what I have been able to maintain, especially when average gain for my height/frame is supposed to be 30-35lbs. I am sure I will still gain a bit, but knowing that the baby is over 6 of those pounds, along with extra blood, fluid, placenta, giant boobs, etc., really makes me feel good. Workout during your pregnancy, Ladies! I cannot advocate this enough! I did not get ANY discomforts that are quite typical (back aches, joint pain, swelling- although that one can come at any time) and I attribute it all to staying so active. You don’t have to get all crazy and start doing crossfit workouts, but definitely stay active- whether it’s going for speed walks, strength training and simple squats and lunges. Of course, listen to your body! I had crazy 24/7 morning sickness for the first 4 months- granted I didn’t know we were expecting the first 2 months, but I was still sick. I found that the thought of working out made me queasy, but the actual workouts made me feel a lot better- it was just hard to get motivated to do them. Granted, it was my job to workout everyday, so it made it a lot easier to remain accountable. I was able to workout without many modifications until my third trimester. As soon as I hit that mark, my workouts all modified to less impact, no HIIT, and just whenever I had the energy to get through them.  I really learned to enjoy a lot of the foods that I had said no to for years. Ranch on salad, heck yes! Some weeks I ate out too much and felt sluggish and wanted it even more. Other weeks, I would eat really clean during the week and splurge on the weekends. While on bedrest, I had to rely on my husband to do all the meal planning and cooking- a first for him. He brought food in half of the time and cooked the other, so we were able to maintain a good ratio. Now as I approach the end of my pregnancy and I amoff of bedrest, my plan is to start a light workout routine this weekend and continue to enjoy the foods I know I will not be touching once our baby arrives. I know I could be eating a lot better, but I honestly cannot think of another time when I will allow myself to satisfy cravings and based on my weight gain, I think my body is taking it in moderation.
Sleep: I realized that there is no way we can bank our sleep. Getting tons of sleep now will do nothing when the baby arrives. As soon as there is one night that we don’t get enough sleep, we are back to square one. I keep reminding myself this because sleep just doesn’t come. I am beyond exhausted this week but I am still an insomniac. It makes coming to work a lot harder. I just hope that I get enough sleep the night before I go into labor & delivery!  
Best moment this week: The best thing that happened this week was that we turned 37 weeks pregnant with our baby bump still growing. & the fact that I am two days away from 38 weeks, again with no baby yet! & now, I am off of bedrest! Even though regaining strength and energy has been so difficult, I know that this is better than going into labor WHILE on bedrest!
Miss anything?: Just focused!  
Movement: I can feel so much movement, and pain, because the baby has no room left. He is lodged inside (I think) of my ribcage. It is so uncomfortable and hurts a lot. But it is neat to feel him at all times. Poor little guy has no more room!
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Sometimes I have trouble breathing at night but I know that sinuses are a side effect of pregnancy so nothing serious. The worst flu season in 18 years is in full effect right now. At work, I have a front desk and a private office. I have been staying in my private office all week. I don’t get to interact as much but I prefer that over getting sick right now.
Gender: Little Man! Theme for his first birthday, too, haha! Seriously, is it weirdo behavior to already have this picked out since I came to terms with our baby being a boy?!
Labor signs: At our 37 week appointment, we were still the same dilation/effacement but he had dropped down one position. I am interested inseeing in two days where we are at!
On Tuesday morning, I woke up super early, thinking that perhaps my water had broken. Either that, or I peed myself! My pee doesn’t smell if it was it! It’s been a little over 24 hours and nothing so I am going to go with pee! I have been in such denial about going into labor this week that I am ignoring everything labor related that happens.
Belly button in or out?: Right now, in; but definitely out often!
Wedding rings on or off?: Always on.
Happy or Moody most of the time?: This week started off stressful and now feels smooth!
Looking forward to: The weekend! I am going to do a lot of typical stuff we normally take for granted. Things like going for a walk, going to a store or two, and going out to eat! I can’t wait! I want it to be Friday at 4pm already so I am off of work and I can enjoy! We are also super close to being 100% done with our house. The only things remaining are cleaning baseboards, ceiling fans, and painting little parts of walls throughout the house. Of course, this doesn’t include the everyday chores of wiping/disinfecting surfaces, vacuuming, etc. We also have a couple ofthings to finish up in the garage but for the most part our house is all done!Every cabinet and drawer is completely organized and deep-cleaned! It’s pretty amazing! At least for people like me, haha!

Week 37 in Pictures:

Neopolitan milkshake with well done fries for dipping! Yum!

One of my favorite DIY baby projects! Love them so much!
Took a lot of trial and error but so worth it! If I ever reopen my Cinnamon line,
I'm adding these to it because they're way too cute!
100% handcut and handsewn!

Geoff had been craving croque monsieurs from our honeymoon in Paris.
100% on his own, he looked up tons of recipes, took himself grocery shopping and created this!
The picture doesn't o it justice but my goodness, the taste is spot on!
I told him he's screwed now that he's cooking!

During our NYE celebration, the girls thought of decorating a Pellegrino bottle for me!
So I pulled out my Martha Stewart glitter box, haha! and ta-da! So pretty!

Winter wear while pregnant is my faaavorite to show off my bump! & layers are key!

I was about 2 years old in this picture and it's the only one of being baby-like that I own!

I got an email today stating the top 15 things you should do,
1. Go on a vineyard tour- check!
2. go bungee jumping or skydiving- check for each!
3. go to restaurants/bars you've been meaning to check out- check!
4. appreciate alone time in the bathroom- hahaha! will do! I hear my mommy gf's say this a lot!
5. don't be self-righteous about kids throwing tantrums- check! we babysit enough to have had it happen to us a million times. It's embarrasing but a lot of times, it doesn't say much about parenting. It's still annoying whether it's kiddos you're with or not though!
6. Take a road trip- gazillion checks!
7. Be spontaneous- check!
8. spend an entire day in bed watching movies and eating together- check! Thank you, bedrest, haha!
9. Have boozy lunches with friends- check! day drinking is my fave!
10. Feed your minimalistic side- check! As in not babyproofing your house and having nice things. Done! We always realize how non-kid proof our house is when our favorite little people come over and are mesmerized by the knick knacks we have that end up in their little hands, mouths, and our floor, lol!
11. Be the last ones to leave a party- check! We love to be social!
12. Fly first class- we wish! Fortunately, we have flown a lot and traveled a lot and have been able to share a lot of parts of the world together! <3 Probably one of my favorite things of our relationship! & we don't plan on stopping just because of our baby! We want our baby to be well traveled/cultured and decided after 1st grade to include him in our trips- before then it doesn't seem worth it!  Maybe one day we'll get bumped up to first class!
13. Wear as much dry-clean, silk, cashmere as you can- not my cup of tea regardless!
14. Take a career risk- just took mine a year ago! Geoff is working on his! so, check!
15. Get your drink on- haha, check!

I'm glad to see that we have done a lot throughout our relationship. Although this little article is insignificant, it still is cool to see that we have led a well-rounded relationship. I don't want to stop doing any of these things. Just want to incorporate them ino our new lives. We just talked about this for the umpteenth time two days ago: we hope to still be us individually, us as a couple and add us as parents!
<3