Thirty Seven Weeks

In case you can't tell, this is me being so tired I didn't even change out of my pajamas to take the picture.

How Far Along: 37 Weeks
Size of Baby: He's supposedly the length of a stalk of swiss chard. We shall see soon.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm at +12 for this week.
Maternity Clothes: Yeah, and I'm realizing that I'll probably be in them for at least the full 6 weeks of maternity leave, too.
Movement: I can definitely tell he is running out of room.
Gender: It's a boy! Peyton Graham Satterwhite
Sleep: It's been pretty good, but I've developed a runny and/or stuffy nose so that makes it a little harder. Taking a knock off benadryl helps, but it knocks me out so much that I stay tired all day.
What I Miss: Having energy.
Cravings: I'll admit that I haven't been doing as well with my low carb diet this week. I'm not saying I've gone crazy, but I've probably had 100 carbs a few days instead of 70. I've indulged in a couple of things that I've been avoiding.
Symptoms: I'm still getting that dead leg feeling and it's more frequent. I've also started nesting some. I still have to finish packing my bag, but I've been vacuuming and keeping up with dishes and laundry. Okay, so maybe it's not nesting. Maybe it's just cleaning up after myself.
Best Moment This Week: 1. Realizing that I only have about 2 more weeks on this low carb diet. 2. Hearing the doctor say she thinks I'll actually have him next week.
What I'm Looking Forward To: October! It will finally be Peyton's birth month (hopefully). I really want to make it to October because it just has such a good connotation for me. The fair, fall, cooler weather, pumpkin patches. October sounds much better than September.

Thirty Six Weeks

How Far Along: 36 Weeks
Size of Baby: I'm not even going to put the average size on here anymore because he's not going to be in it. I'm going to guess that he's somewhere close to 7 lbs now.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm at +14 for this week. According to all the books this is when I'm supposed to be leveling out, but it seems like now is when I'm actually gaining. I think I've been doing okay on my diet so I don't know what the deal is.
Maternity Clothes: All day every day.
Movement: He's still wiggling but in smaller movements.
Gender: It's a boy! Peyton Graham Satterwhite
Sleep: When I can breathe it's fine. I still get up about once a night to go to the bathroom though.
What I Miss: Being able to bend down without my legs going numb.
Cravings: Still thinking about fruit a alot. Bananas, apples, and grapes in particular.
Symptoms: This little dude must be sitting close to a nerve or something because there are moments throughout the day that my leg just goes numb or I get that dead leg feeling.
Best Moment This Week: I went to the doctor today and she said I'm already 2 cm dialated. Hopefully this means I'll progress much more quickly this go around.
What I'm Looking Forward To: We have a field trip next week to the library. Haha! Super fun

End of September Goals

I've set two goals for myself to accomplish before September ends. I know, ambitious.

Goal One: Spend more intentional time playing with Kaleb. It kind of hit me last night that these next (potentially) three weeks are the last ones where we'll be a family of three and Kaleb will be the only child. Because of that Eric and I have decided to try to be very intentional about playing with him instead of just sitting in the same room with him while he's playing. It's not like we're lazy parents, but he's really good at playing by himself. He's pretty independent. But we're going to try to actually play with him.



It seems like he transformed from a baby to a big boy in the blink of an eye. I don't want to miss anything!

 

Goal Two: Finish all of my maternity leave lesson plans. I know it seems kind of crazy to write 6 weeks of lesson plans in advance, but I'm not sure when this baby is going to decide to come and I don't want to have to worry about it when he gets here. It shouldn't be too hard because the programs we use follow a pretty predictable. I figure if I do all of the reading and math this week then I can finish science and social studies next week. It's totally doable.

My Favorite Things

Every month or so I want to do a post on some of my new favorite things. Since this is my first one, it'll include some things that are not so new to me.

 

First, the Atkins chocolate bars and shakes. These have been a lifesaver while having diabetes. The chocolate is obviously not real chocolate, but once you get use to it you don't even notice anymore. The shakes tell you not to freeze them, but if you put them in the freezer for about an hour and a half they don't freeze all the way but they get slushy enough to make them kinda taste like milkshakes. This is my dessert most days.

 

 

 
 

 

Next is our new programs in school. Reading Street is obviously the reading program and enVision Math is the math program. I love them because there are so many extra things geared specifically for students. They have a website where the students can go online and play vocabulary games or practice their math skills. The textbooks and workbooks are online, too if parents want to give them extra help. The only thing about all of these Internet friendly options is that many parents don't go online to utilize them.

 

 Here is the new conditioner I got at WalMart the other day. It's kind of amazing. It's called Honey, I'm Strong. It's super creamy and I don't need as much of it as I did my other kind.

 Finally, "New Girl." This is one of those that isn't necessarily a new thing since it's been on the air a whole season, but Eric and I just started watching it this summer on Hulu and it's so funny. I can't wait for the new season to start. In fact, I can't wait for all of the new seasons to start. I'm ready to see what happens on "New Girl," "Grey's Anatomy," "Vampire Diaries," and "Modern Family."

So there's my short list for this month. Maybe next month I'll make notes as I go so I can have some more.

A 35 Week Comparison

This is me 35 weeks with Kaleb

 

 

This is me 35 weeks with Peyton



Just a little comparison study. With Kaleb I felt a lot bigger than I do with Peyton, but it's pretty obvious that me & Peyton is an all baby relationship while me & Kaleb was an all over relationship. I feel thinner through the face, arms, and legs this go around. I also feel like I'm going to have Peyton earlier than I had Kaleb. When I go to the doctor next week she'll check me and see if I've dialted any. I don't expect much, but I really feel like something is happening.


Book Review: The Hobbit

I know. I know. I'm 27 years old and I just read The Hobbit. It should be illegal. But let me explain. Everything I've head about Tolkien is that his books are so difficult to read...so I put it off. When I saw the preview for the new movie I thought I should probably read it first. Now that I've read The Hobbit, I'm thinking that The Lord of the Rings trilogy must be what everyone was going on about because The Hobbit really wasn't that difficult. I went into it focusing a lot on what I was reading so I wouldn't have to reread anything. My strategy? I read it in my head like I would read it to my students. That way I know I understand it and it's much more animated. Anyway, I guess I should review the book since that's what the post is titled. I ended up really liking it and would defnitely recommend it to someone else. Bilbo and his band of merry men - I mean dwarves - go through the adventure of his lifetime. Their goal is to reach The Lonely Mountain where Smaug, the evil dragon, is lording over the gold, jewels, and treasures of the dwarves ancestors. (Apparently dwarves are all about some gold.) They meet goblins, wolves, elves, eagles, a bear-man, wizards, trolls, and people-men along the way. I'm sad to say that not everyone survives, but the rate of survival is pretty good considering the number of people went on the journey. I wonder if anything from The Hobbit carries over into The Lord of the Rings. Hmmm. Well, I wasn't very into the trilogy movies when I saw them so I probably won't read those books until later in life. Maybe when I'm retired. But don't let the reputation of the trilogy scare you out of reading The Hobbit. It really is worth the read.

Thirty Five Weeks

How Far Along: 35 Weeks
Size of Baby: Welllll according to Babycenter.com he should be about 5 1/4 pounds. HOWEVER, according to the sonogram I had yesterday he is measuring 6 pounds, 10 ounces. That's putting him around 38 weeks for the average baby. If I end up having him on October 11 and he gains 1/2 a pound a week like he's supposed to from here on out, we're looking at an almost 9 pound baby.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm at +12 for this week. I guess I understand why now.
Maternity Clothes: Yep. And some of them are getting a big snug around the middle.
Movement: He's still wiggling but in smaller movements.
Gender: It's a boy! Peyton Graham Satterwhite
Sleep: I try
What I Miss: I've been thinking alot about fruit this week. Particularly smoothies.
Cravings: Smoothies...yum
Symptoms: I've had to go to the bathroom a lot more this time and with Kaleb. I know it's to be expected, but last go around I could go to the bathroom in the morning and not have to go again until I got home from school. This time, not so much.
Best Moment This Week: Seeing his little face.

His little profile. I love how his lips are puckered like he's ready to give me or kiss.

Face shot. I think he was wiggling so his eyes and mouth take on a very alien-like quality.

Four fingers. "See you in 4 weeks Mom."

What I'm Looking Forward To: My sweet friends I miss so much from Calvary are giving me a baby shower Sunday. It'll be so fun to see them again and hopefully get some more diapers and hangers for Peyton. I started hanging up his newborn clothes (which I'm beginning to doubt he'll fit into) and we definitely need more hangers.

Thirty Four Weeks

How Far Along: 34 Weeks
Size of Baby: Peyton weighs a closer to 5 pounds than 4 this week. Pick up a cantaloupe and you'll get the idea.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm at +12 for this week. Well that's a surprise! I guess little dude is actually growing!
Maternity Clothes: Most definitely
Movement: He's not moving around as much. I guess space is limited.
Gender: It's a boy! Peyton Graham Satterwhite
Sleep: The insomnia I remember from Kaleb has started setting in. I'll be SO tired but just can't get to sleep.
What I Miss: I'm pretty content this week.
Cravings: My sweet tooth seems to have come back so ice cream, candy bars, etc.
Symptoms: I've got a new one this week. My legs (mainly inner thighs) are super tender. I feel like I've got bruises all over them. It's really odd.
Best Moment This Week: I know it's small, but we raised the crib to its highest stage in preparation for Peyton. Kaleb laid in it and pretended to be a baby and it just really hit me. This is happening again!
Wnat I'm Looking Forward To: I get to see this little guy's face again this week! I love sonogram appointments. I think they should do them every time.

Movie Review: 50/50

Last night we watched our Netflix movie 50/50. We've had it for awhile, but have been putting off watching it because we were watching the first season of "New Girl" (so funny!). Well, we finished New Girl Saturday so we stuck in 50/50. It definitely met my expectations as an indie film. It was kind of sedated and incorporated a lot of profanity and vulgarity by Seth Rogan's character - go figure. Overall it was pretty good and had a different ending than I thought it would. And I love me some Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I wouldn't recommend watching it around kids or your parents but in a group of people your own age.