Big Day

Today's a big day...

 LET'S GO MICHIGAN!

 

Preggers III -- 37 Weeks

 

How far along?  37 weeks, 4 days

Comparisons:

 37 Weeks with Tracey

35 Weeks with the Twins... because they were born at 36 weeks 1 day, and I never took a 36 week picture.

37 Weeks with Baby Number 4

How I am feeling?  A unique combination between feeling like I'm ready for the baby... and feeling like I'll never be ready for the baby.

 

How big is the baby?  The size of a head of romaine lettuce -- 18.9 inches long, 6.17 pounds

 

Sleep:  Sleep is wonderful.  I enjoy it whenever possible and hope that the new baby will too.

Boy/Girl Predictions:  Well... we know our baby's gender so no need to predict here.

Baby Nicknames:  I call the baby, "Baby," but Tracey still insists the name should be "'Punzel"

  Best moment this week: I love that we've reached October, and the baby is full term.  Even though the twins were born at 36 weeks 1 day, which was great for twins, we learned first-hand how important any and all time in the womb is.  Whenever this baby is born, the baby should be fully developed and ready for life on the outside.

 

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular... food that doesn't take a lot of effort.

 

Missing:  Not wondering when I'm going to go into labor.  Ever since I hit 37 weeks, I'm pretty much expecting to go into labor at any moment... every night before bed I wonder... almost every time I pick up a child, I wonder if my water is going to break.  I'm trying to relax and wait for the baby, but we have a lot of logistics to manage when I do go into labor, so I think about them a lot.  I wish I would just relax and wait.

 

Movements:  Yes, and I love them -- although they can be uncomfortable at times.  This baby gets the hiccups every day, which is so funny because I don't think Tracey had the hiccups once throughout pregnancy, and with the twins, it was hard to tell, but I don't remember ever realizing that one had hiccups.  This baby gets the hiccups every day.

Labor Signs:  Some... just the process of getting closer to the birth day.

General Attitude:  I'm trying to make the most of every day the baby hasn't been born -- I've finished different projects around the house, prepared the bassinet, cleaned out our closet, prepared the guestroom... But its also hard to make plans for the upcoming days or weekend not knowing for sure when I will head to the hospital and someone else will have to step in and take care of our little ones for a few days.

 
 What I am looking forward to this week:  On Saturday is a parade that the kid's school participates in, and we are really excited about it.  Michigan plays Michigan State that day, so we will all be decked in our Michigan gear and it will hopefully be a lot of fun... unless I'm having a baby, in which case, it would be a bummer to miss it.

 

Milestones: I've now passed the gestational date that I carried the twins, but I still have another before I hit the gestational mark of when Tracey was born.  Also, the baby is considered full term.

 

Simple and Fun

In these days where you cannot glance at social media without seeing anger, judgment, and politics... I really liked this post from a friend that was just simply and fun.

 

1. Italian or Chinese? 

Both are great... but I love Chinese.  I think I'd choose Chinese unless I'm in Italy... then definitely Italian.

 

 2. Camping or Hotel? 

Hotel please... both are fun, and once a year I'll vote for camping... but the other 363 days, I'll vote hotel.

 

 3. Favorite pizza? 

Papa Johns in a big city; Oregano's in the state of Arizona; DiGiorno's in Rifle

 

 4. Beach or swimming pool? 

Oh, they're both really good, but I think with kids the age of ours right now, I'll generally say pool.

 

 5. Favorite flower? 

Daisies and roses together... and Lilies, but they can't come in my house because they will poison my cat.

 

 6. Do you still have your tonsils? 

Yes

 

 7. Would you bungee jump? 

Not that I can anticipate

 

 8. Did you graduate from a University? 

Yes... undergraduate and graduate school

 

 9. Untie your shoes when taking them off? 

Not usually... I mean to, but then I glance at my shoes later in the day and notice that I didn't untie them.

 

 10. Roller coasters? 

Yes, within reason... when I'm not pregnant.

 

 11. Favorite ice cream? 

Moose Tracks or Cookie Dough

 

 12. Favorite thing? 

My husband and my little ones... and massages -- on a smaller scale, uninterrupted showers are really nice.

 

 13. Shorts or jeans? 

Skirts

 

 14. What are you listening to now? 

A television commercial

 

 15. Favorite color? 

Purple

 

 16. Tattoos? 

Confidential

 

 17. Color of hair? Real color?  

Red... although I feel like it gets darker with each pregnancy... is it Auburn now (I say with a tear)?

 

 18. Color of eyes? 

Hazel

 

 19. Favorite thing to eat? 

Sweets and meat... unfortunately.

 

 20. Scary or happy ending? 

Definitely happy ending

 

 21. Android or iPhone? 

iPhone

 

 22. Car or Truck? 

A vehicle that seats our whole family and can handle Colorado winter... so, suburban

 

 24. Beer or wine? 

Beer with football, wine with a bath

 

 25. Night owl or morning person? 

A night owl when I want to relax, A morning person when I've had enough sleep (so... not really very often)

 

 26. Favorite day of the week? 

Saturday

 

 27. Do you have a nickname? 

Babe, Wifey, Mama, Brookie, Mrs. Miller

 

 

Like His Daddy

So... Howard's face is covered in peanut butter... but when I first saw him at the breakfast table, I was sure he was already growing a beard like his daddy.

Just a matter of time, I'm sure...

Tested and Ready

A number of baby items are out from storage and have been tested by our oldest children and deemed ready for the baby... I'm just not sure if any of the little ones will give up, what they consider, their new toys so the baby will have a place to play.

Also, we got our first snow of the season yesterday.  It was a very wet snow, and nothing stuck to the ground, but it definitely counted as our first snow.  We had so much fun watching it while it lasted (it was too wet to go play in it).  Interesting, Hubby's school which is a mile and a half down the hill from our house did not get snow -- just rain.  A couple hundred feet makes a big different with this sort of weather in the mountains.

 

Special Time

Yesterday morning, Caroline was the first one up and Howard slept through her chattering (which rarely happens).  So, she and I got to have a special time of morning snuggles and breakfast together before the rest of the family awakened.  Before the baby arrives, I want to have some special time with each of my little ones, and Tracey and I decorated her room, and, though unplanned, this was my special time with Caroline.

I even got her to smile for a picture, which does not happen very often.  She has such a beautiful smile, but she doesn't always let us capture it in pictures.

Katydid

The other day, as we were leaving for school, Tracey found a katydid and she absolutely loved taking it to school for show and tell.

Then, she and Howard and Caroline loved releasing the bug back into our yard together and saying goodbye.

Since then, every time we go outside to our front yard, all the kids run to peer under the rose bush where we released her to see if she's still there. 

I love that my kiddos like bugs and aren't afraid of bugs... I do not love having to ride in the car with bugs or that they are now looking for bugs all over our yard.  This is definitely Hubby's jurisdiction.