I’ve got a couple more weeks until baby makes his arrival! Well, now that I’m full term, he could come any day… or next month. You never know!

If he decides to arrive sooner rather than later, we are excited to meet him! If he comes closer to the 42 week mark, that gives us more time to prepare and spend time as a family of three. And sleep. Can’t forget sleeping!

Staying Busy

Once I passed the full term mark during my first pregnancy, I stopped pet sitting and dog walking (that was my job at the time). Little did I know, I still had a couple of weeks until Sadie made her arrival. This time? I plan on baking, working, and living life as normal until baby boy comes.

I still have a lot I could do in terms of preparation for the coming weeks: cleaning, organizing, cooking, baking, etc., so I am staying happily busy and loving it!

Anemia Update

I visited the hematologist this month to check my iron levels. After five IV iron infusions I am still anemic, but not dangerously so! I’ll take it!

The hematologist cleared me to have baby at the birth center and said to have my iron levels checked postpartum. I am feeling so much better than I did before the infusions. My children just suck all the iron out of me and I’m happy to give it to them. It’s a fairly easy “fix” to get an IV (or two… or five) of iron to correct the issue!

Chiropractic Care

I’m a big fan of chiropractors and an even bigger fan during pregnancy. I found a chiropractic clinic near me that specializes in prenatal and family chiropractic care. I’ve been getting adjustments to help with sciatic and round ligament pain and it has made such a difference in how I feel.

Weekly Checkups

Weekly prenatal checkups are now a thing during these last weeks of pregnancy. Each week, the midwife checks my blood pressure, measures my belly, notes baby’s heartbeat, and feels for his positioning. I know these last few visits are when things can go a little crazy with the end of pregnancy. My blood pressure could spike, baby could flip into a breech position, or my belly could suddenly measure ahead or behind where I’m at in the pregnancy.

I’m doing my best to take care of myself, grow this baby inside me as long as he needs to stay, and leave the rest in God’s hands. I trust my body and my care providers, and most importantly, I trust that God has everything under control and knows what is best for us.

Nursery Progress

We have made some major progress on baby’s nursery–yay! Jimmy painted it, put in new flooring, installed a ceiling fan, we set up Sadie’s old crib, and brought in her rocking chair and changing table. I think the only thing left to do is organize and decorate.

Jimmy painted the closet door and ceiling as accents and I love how it turned out! We just need a rug, lamp, and some wall art and we’re good to go.

I started putting his clothes away in his dresser and closet and got excited to meet him all over again.

Gathering Supplies

I’ve been putting together postpartum baskets: one for healing, one for nursing, and I also got Sadie a couple of items “from” the baby as a gift once he arrives. A few parents recommended doing this, and I think she will appreciate some small gifts to keep her busy when I’m occupied.

I think having everything corralled together will be beneficial, especially in the early postpartum days! My sister was a big help for all the healing supplies. She had a lot of witch hazel, ice packs, pads, etc. left over from her hospital stay with baby Titus in August and she also lent me her hands free pump, gave me milk storage bags, and nursing pads. I’m feeling very cared for and blessed!

I got baby’s bag together for after he’s born (two outfits, a blanket, mitts, and a hat) and just need to gather together my stuff so it’s ready when it’s go time.

Stealing Jimmy’s Clothes

I’m at the point in pregnancy where my wardrobe is limited. Even maternity clothes are getting short and tight! I have a few dresses that have basically turned into shirts/tunics. What’s a girl to do? Steal her husband’s clothes!

Body Comments

The body comments continue, haha. The latest gems have been “You’re having twins, right?” and “Is your doctor making sure to measure your belly? You seem like you’re going to have a big baby…”

I think what’s annoying to me is that people just seem to view me as a baby incubator and can’t seem to talk to me about anything else aside from when I’m due, how I’m feeling, etc. when in reality I like to have conversations about other things like work, baking, life, and more! I guess I understand, though, because I have what looks like a watermelon under my (husband’s) shirt 😂 It can be alarming!

A Random Craving

Last week I was craving cannoli like none other. I needed it. The weird thing was that I had never actually had cannoli before! This was a better craving than dishwasher pods, though.

Jimmy mentioned that he was going to be working near the famous Oakmont Bakery at one point during the week and I practically begged him to bring home cannoli. He delivered and they hit the spot. Craving fulfilled! I have to know: have you ever craved something you’ve never actually had before?

Cord Blood Banking

Last but not least, we’ve decided to do cord blood banking with Lifebank to store baby’s stem cells from the umbilical cord blood and placenta. I actually have to give my dad credit for this because he was the one who mentioned it to us and set everything up.

He’s done a lot of research into the benefits of cord blood banking and convinced us that it can’t hurt to have stem cells stored in case someone in our family needs them for healing if they become sick or injured.

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Whew, this post was a long one! I’m curious if it will be the last one in the series, or if I’ll be back with more things to overshare in the next couple of weeks. Time will tell. For now, we are thanking God for a healthy pregnancy and praying for a great finish to this journey with a safe and healthy birth and postpartum!