39 Weeks...Is it over yet??

 

How far along? 39 weeks

Total weight gain: 35.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, I have been since around 20 weeks.

Stretch marks? No belly stretch marks but there are some on my sides and thighs

Sleep: Not a whole lot of sleep these days.  Pretty uncomfortable pretty much all day

Best moment this week:  Knowing that everything is ready for Caroline and just relaxing before she gets here and turns our world upside down.

Miss Anything? The ususal things...sleep, my body being only mine, my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. 

Movement:  Not a lot of movement this week because there is just no room left for her to move in. 

Food cravings:  No and I really haven't had many cravings during the pregnancy.  I don't even feel hungry most of the day anymore.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Caroline Olivia Ann

Labor Signs: No signs of labor.  I'm pretty sure she is staying in there for a while.

Symptoms: Lots of swelling but that's mainly it. I've been very lucky to not have too many issues during the pregnancy.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. I was wearing a larger ring on my finger but even that ring became too tight with all the swelling. I am not taking any chances with having to cut a ring off so now I'm going without any ring.

Happy or Moody most of the time: So HAPPY!!  I can't wait to be a mom.

Looking forward to: My mom gets here tomorrow!  I'm so excited!  Her arrival is the last thing before Caroline's arrival. 

Gifts for our baby girl

Yesterday I received a package from my aunts in New York with the cutest gifts for Caroline.  These are some of the only gifts we've received for Caroline and I was really excited to get them.  (To be fair, my mother in law and Michael's aunt have sent us some clothes for Caroline, as well.)  I took some pictures of her gifts so that I'd remember what we got and from who and so that I show them off on our blog.  I hope someday that Caroline will read this blog and know how much we love her and how much her family loves her.

The package from Aunt Tammy

A beautiful quilt handmade by one of my aunt's friends

The package from Aunt Susie

A Vera Bradley diaper bag.  So pretty and bright.

 

One of the three outfits inside the diaper bag from Aunt Susie

A cute outfit for Spring

I know that her heart will definitely belong to her daddy.

Anniversary/Valentine's/Babymoon weekend

This past weekend Michael and I went to Seoul for a special weekend.  We were celebrating our two year wedding anniversary, Valentine's Day, and our babymoon.  We stayed in a hotel in one of our favorite areas, Hongdae.  The room was quite small but it had a bathtub big enough for my very pregnant self to fit into and relax.  It was awesome.  I did not take any pictures the whole weekend so here is a picture from the hotel website of our room.

 

 



We checked in on Valentine's Day at night after eating dinner in Itaewon.  We had some very yummy Mexican food at Los Amigos.  I love all the good food choices in Itaewon and Los Amigos is one of the better Mexican food places that doesn't cost a ton to eat at.  After checking in we just relaxed in our hotel room and I enjoyed the wonderful tub.  The only problem was that the bed was extremely hard and my body was not happy, especially my hips, and I didn't sleep that well.

The next day we got up and walked a couple miles to eat lunch at another one of our favorite places, Spacca Napoli.  This place is owned by a Korean-American who studied culinary arts in Italy.  It's a wood oven pizza place and the food is amazing.  It was so worth the walk. 

 

 

After lunch we took the train back to the hotel and relaxed a little.  My hips have been hurting a lot lately so too much walking is not really possible right now.  After a short nap and some time watching the winter Olympics we decided to head out again to see what we could find for dinner.  We had some Indian food by our hotel and then decided to get a massage.  Massages in Korea are very reasonably priced and Mike and I both got hour long massages for less than $100 total.  Mike got a full body sports massage and I got a neck, shoulders, back, and foot massage.  It was very relaxing and a great way to end our day.  After our massages we went back to our room and I took another glorious bath.  We checked out on Sunday morning and headed to the base in Seoul.

 

On base we ate brunch at the Hartell house and it was so good.  Do you see a pattern here?  Lots of eating was done on this trip.  I am in love with eating these days.  After brunch we went over to the hospital to take a tour of labor and delivery.  We asked a lot of questions because I'm starting to get really anxious about labor and becoming a mom.  I can't wait but at the same time I'm not ready yet.  It could be any day now according to the nurse we saw.  The hospital is pretty small but it's still very nice.  I felt comfortable there and am not worried about delivering there at all. 

 

 

That was the end of our trip to Seoul for the weekend.  We came back home after touring the hospital and I spent Monday doing homework and house cleaning.  That is pretty much the story of my life these days.

38 weeks...Almost done

How far along? 38 weeks

Total weight gain: 33 pounds (I went down half a pound.  Not sure what to think about that.)

Maternity clothes? Yes, I have been since around 20 weeks.

Stretch marks? Some on my hips and sides but not on my belly yet.  I hope it stays this way.

Sleep: Sleeping is next to impossible.  There are no comfortable positions and I have to pee way too many times a night to get much sleep.

Best moment this week:  Mike and I went on a anniversary/Valentine's/babymoon weekend getaway in Seoul this past weekend.  It was so nice to spend some time together and eat good food in Seoul.  There was a lot of walking involved and a couple baths in our big hotel bathtub.  It was lovely.

Miss Anything? I miss wearing my regular clothes, having my own body (not sharing it with my child), and sleeping. 

Movement:  Lots of movement every day.  She is running out of room and is trying to stretch out into my ribcage.  Fun times.

Food cravings:  No cravings but always hungry.  I can't eat enough food these days.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. I'm so glad that phase is over with.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Caroline Olivia Ann

Labor Signs: Nope, not this week. 

Symptoms:  My hips are hurting a lot this week.  They feel like they are ripping apart.  Hopefully that means that they are preparing for Caroline's arrival.  Also, lots of swelling and some back pain.  My body is so ready to have a baby.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. 

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Mostly happy.  I have been moody lately with Michael but that's probably because I'm so tired these days.  I'm really excited to meet the baby and start our life as a family of three.

Looking forward to: My mom will be in Korea in a week!! I can't wait.  I'm also really looking forward to being a mom soon.  I am almost done being pregnant!  Hallelujah!

37 Weeks

 

 

 

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain: 33.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, I have been since around 20 weeks.

Stretch marks? A few more then last week on my sides but my belly is still stretch mark free.

Sleep: Sleeping is getting much harder. Lots of trips to bathroom and it's starting to really uncomfortable to rollover or adjust my sleeping position.

Best moment this week:  Michael came home from the field after a month!! I missed him a lot and life feels normal again now that he's back.  I know once Caroline gets here it will be a whole new normal so we are enjoying it just being the two of us for now.

Miss Anything? I miss sleeping through the night and I miss my body.  Caroline has taken up all the space she can in my belly and it's very hard to breath, sit, sleep, etc.   Only a few more weeks to go so I'm dealing with it.

Movement:  A lot of movement at night.  Last night Michael had his head on my belly and she was just moving all around.  Michael really enjoyed seeing and feeling his baby girl. 

Food cravings:  All food at this point is good for me.  Give me all the food.  I can't stop eating and I'm hungry all the time.  Maybe that's why I gained two pounds in one week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.  I'm so glad that phase is over with.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Caroline Olivia Ann

Labor Signs: The cramping has calmed down a lot this week.  I increased the amount of water I am drinking and I think it helped with the cramping.  At my last doctor's appt on Friday the doctor said I was not dialated at all.  I'm pretty sure Caroline is going to be stubborn and not want to come out until after her due date.

Symptoms:  Lots of swelling but that's mainly it.  I've been very lucky to not have too many issues during the pregnancy. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off.  I was wearing a larger ring on my finger but even that ring became too tight with all the swelling.  I am not taking any chances with having to cut a ring off so now I'm going without any ring.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I'm really excited to meet our daughter but I'm also quite anxious. Lots of nesting going on these days.

Looking forward to: My mom getting here in two weeks!  I can't believe that we are so close to meeting our baby girl now.  I am also looking forward to our Valentine's/Anniversary/Babymoon weekend this weekend.  We are going to be staying in Seoul for a few nights and eating lots of good food.  We will also be walking as much as we can in hopes that Caroline will surprise us with an early arrival.

We're moving!

Finally!  We have orders and we are going to be leaving Korea in less than 100 days.  I am so excited.  I'm not a huge fan of Korea so when I found out that we were finally on assignment somewhere new I couldn't have been happier.  Actually, I could have been because not only are we leaving Korea but we are going home!  Our next duty station is Fort Huachuca, AZ which is three hours from my parents!! I'm so thrilled even though Michael is not too pleased. 

When we were given the assignment list to choose from there were 87 positions.  We ranked them from 1 to 87 with 1 being our top choice.  Fort Huachuca was number 55.  There were so many other places we wanted to go.  We stacked the top of the list with Germany and east coast duty stations but that wasn't in the plans for us.  Back to Fort Huachuca it is.  Michael and I met while he was stationed at Fort Huachuca last time.  Michael has spent a lot of time there and he's not that big a fan of the place.  I, on the other hand, could not be more excited.  I missed my family and friends so much being over here in Korea and I can't wait to get home again.  I see many trips to Phoenix in the future and I'm so glad that Caroline will get to spend a lot of time with my family while she is still young. 

There are so many good things about Arizona.  The whole state is just beautiful to me and there's so much to do there.  Michael's best friend also happens to be stationed at Fort Huachuca so he'll get a lot of time with him.  I truely believe that God has a plan for all of our lives.  This is His plan and it's so much bigger than our plans.  I know lots of good things are to come with our new duty station and I really hope Michael comes around to accepting it and maybe even being happy with it.  92 days and counting until we leave!!

36 Weeks

 

 

 

How far along? 36 weeks

 

Total weight gain: 31.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, I have been since around 20 weeks.

Stretch marks?  Just a couple on my sides.  None on my belly yet.

Sleep: Sleeping is getting much harder.  Lots of trips to bathroom and it's starting to really uncomfortable to rollover or adjust my sleeping position.

Best moment this week:  Putting Caroline's rock n' play together.  It's starting to feel real that we are going to have a baby in our house very soon! 

Miss Anything? I miss Michael.  He's been in the field for three weeks now.  He should be home at the end of this week.  Finally!  I also really miss wine and being able to breath normally.  Baby girl is stretched out and her feet are up in my rib cage smooshing my lungs.

Movement:  All day long.  She is especially active at night when I'm getting ready to go to sleep.  She has had the hiccups a lot more lately and my whole belly jiggles when she has them.

Food cravings:   I am in love with breakfast food.  I want eggs, sausage, pancakes, bagels, and orange juice all the time.  This has been my craving for most of my pregnancy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not anymore. 

Gender: It's a GIRL!  Caroline Olivia Ann

Labor Signs: I have been having a lot of cramping lately.  I don't think I've had any BH contractions yet but I don't know what I'm supposed to feel so I'm not sure. 

Symptoms:  My back has been hurting more and lots of swelling if I sit down too long. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off.  I took them off at about 24 weeks because it was getting too hard to get them off and on without lots of twisting and pulling.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.  I'm really excited to meet our daughter but I'm also quite anxious.  Lots of nesting going on these days.

Looking forward to: Michael coming home on Sunday, my mom getting here on the 25th, and meeting Caroline some time really soon.  I'm also really looking forward to getting my body back from my child.  It's really strange to have little control over what is going on in your own body.