Nursery & Belly Updates

We finally got some stuff hung on the nursery walls!! We hung the cornice, which we made out of a curtain that matches our bedding.
Then we painted these canvases and hung them over the crib. I'm happy with how they turned out.Here's a new belly picture - I'm 37.5 weeks along:Also, Fletch's Aunt Cyndi, Uncle Todd and cousins Paige and Mia just got back from Disneyworld and they brought him/her this adorable souvenir!

No Progress Yet

I had my 37-week checkup yesterday. I thought I was getting one last ultrasound, but I didn't, so I guess I misunderstood. It's probably for the better - I would hate to accidentally find out Fletch's sex 3 weeks before he/she arrives, although we're dying to know!!

Everything is fine. My belly measures 36.5" which is right on schedule and I'm up to 29 pounds. That seems like a lot, so I did a little research - it's kind of crazy to see where all this weight gain comes from:

Average Breakdown
Maternal:
Uterus 2.39 lbs.
Breasts 1.0 lbs.
Blood 3.09 lbs.
Water 4.15 lbs.
Fat 8.27 lbs.
Subtotal 18.89 lbs.

Fetal:
Fetus 7.5 lbs.
Placenta 1.6 lbs.
Amniotic Fluid 1.97 lbs.
Subtotal 11.07 lbs.

Total 29.96 lbs.

My uterus alone gained over 2 pounds?? I have an extra 3 pounds of blood in me right now?? Nuts!

The doctor checked my cervix and it is still closed. I was really holding out hope that I would have a least a little dilation, but my wishful thinking was crushed yesterday. Just have to be patient, Fletch will be here before we know it. The bright side is I can get more done at work before the big day.

My doctor is on vacation next week (another good reason not to go into labor too soon), so I'll skip next week's visit and go back Monday, August 3.

Tweet (ugh!)

From Fletch's dad....

It occurred to me that some of you may want updates between the time when Annie goes into labor and Fletch finally arrives. In order to make things easier on myself during this time, I have reluctantly setup a Twitter account. Anyone who would like to be in the loop for Fletch's arrival can create their own Twitter account and follow the link below.

http://twitter.com/jclay132/

Sincerely,
Fletch's Dad

LB Designs

A friend of my family, Lindsay, started a business making tons of cute things like wine glasses, wall art (like Uppercase Living), platters and lots more. She can basically paint or apply vinyl to anything you think of.

I wanted to give her business a plug because she's done a couple of really cute things for me. First, my mom had this adorable Mizzou platter made for me for Christmas:
Then at my shower, I received this great piggy bank from my Dad (courtesy of LB Designs):and this little bucket for Fletch's toys:
I just think her stuff is so cute, so I thought I'd pass along her website in case anyone else is interested in checking it out!

Pediatrician

Jason and I met our future pediatrician tonight! We had a pediatrician lined up - or thought we did - but found out a couple weeks ago that he is moving to a practice in Webster Groves, which is about a 40 minute drive from our house. So we were back to square one. We got quite a few recommendations, and finally picked one to interview. We met him tonight and really liked him - crisis averted!

I have to tell the story of the first pediatrician interview (the one that fell through) since everyone I have told gets a kick out of it. Jason ended up having to work, so I went to the meeting solo. I got there and they gave me a pamphlet about the practice and sent me to the "well" waiting room for a few minutes. I was looking around thinking "this is where we're going to bring Baby Fletch" and realized, much to my dismay, that I was getting choked up. Well, luckily a nurse came pretty quickly and got me and brought me to a room to chat. I kept my cool while talking to her, but then she left and the doctor came in. As soon as he walked in, I just started bawling. Yes, crying my eyes out. How embarrassing!! I mumbled something about being emotional while he politely went ahead to talk about himself and his practice to let me gain control of myself. I'm secretly a little glad it fell through so I don't have to show my face there again - what a whack job - I cried meeting my child's future pediatrician!!

Looking forward to my hormones being back to normal, though those who know me well know that me crying that easily is not too far from normal.

Doctor Visit

Well, I'm officially 35 weeks along as of today - only 5 weeks to go!! That seems so close, but I think we're pretty much ready. Still have to do a few things - pack the hospital bag, have the car seats installed, etc., but we're in good shape. At work, however, I feel like have tons to get done! It's stressing me out quite a bit!

I had a doctor visit Tuesday. As I mentioned before, no ultrasound this time, just got weighed, measured my belly, listened to the heartbeat and had the Strep B test. Haven't heard results back yet, but it's not really a concern either way. Basically if I am a carrier of Strep B (30-40% of pregnant women are) they need to know in advance so they can give me an antibiotic during labor to protect the baby.

I go back in 2 weeks for our 9th and final ultrasound! I assume we'll also start checking for dilation then since I'll be 37 weeks. Crazy!

In other news, Jason and I went last night to visit our new neighbor, Baby Nathan. He is a sweet little peanut - I got to hold him for quite awhile and he just mostly slept. Renee and Ryan are getting settled in and enjoying their new son. Very fun. Each new baby I meet makes me more and more anxious for Fletch's arrival!!

Belly - 34.5 Weeks

Here's an updated belly picture from today. I am 34 1/2 weeks along - only 5 1/2 weeks to go!I am still feeling pretty good, but getting more and more tired. I am also having trouble sleeping - getting up more to go to the bathroom and tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. I figure this will help me get used to the lack of sleep I'll have once Fletch arrives.

I've finally gotten pretty much all of the baby stuff put away. I bought a bookcase to house the library of books we accumulated at our showers, along with all of Fletch's new toys. I'm excited how it looks in the room.I go to the doctor Tuesday, but no ultrasound this time. I'll just be getting the Strep B test, so it should be a pretty quick appointment.

Baby Nathan

As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend/neighbor Renee had her baby Tuesday. We haven't met him yet, but tell me these are not the most adorable cheeks you've ever seen:He was 7 lbs, 10 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. They come home tomorrow, so we're looking forward to meeting him!!

Friends Shower

I had my final shower Sunday - this one was held and attended by my friends. It was yet another amazingly-planned shower!! Lisa, Amanda and Alison did a great job, and I had a great time! The food was delicious, the little games were cute and the favors were adorable:Fletch got a ton of new goodies. I think we're pretty much all set!! I'm going tonight (hopefully) to get the last few necessities, then it's time to finish getting organized!! Fletch is all set to be a tiny Tiger - he/she received a Mizzou hooded sweatshirt, a Tiger t-shirt and some teeny MU booties - can't wait to try them all out!!
Here are some group shots. First, the hostesses (minus Alison, who was in NY having her own baby shower), Amanda and Lisa:Fletch's Aunt and Cousins: Cyndi, Mia, Paige & Lily:
My friends from the "Jason group" (minus Caron who had to leave a bit early), Jill, Chrissy, Melissa and Addison, Sloan, Shea and Kate:Work friends - Melissa & Rebecca:
The Grandmas: Grandma Lang and Grandma Clayton:You can't have 5 pregnant girls in a room and not take a picture!! Kate, Jill, Renee, Me and Chrissy:
Renee had her baby Tuesday - more on that in the next post!

Ultrasound #8 - 33 Weeks

I have a lot to update, but I will try to go in order. First, finally an update on my doctor visit from last Tuesday (6/23). Everything is still looking great - Fletch is still head down, which of course is good. The heartbeat is 133 (boy heartbeat) and I have gained 25 pounds, which they say is healthy. My doctor said to keep doing whatever I'm doing and didn't like it when I confessed that was sitting on my rump and eating ice cream every night. Some things you should just keep to yourself I guess. :)

We got a few more pictures of Fletch's face, but he/she did not want to move his/her hand, so all the pictures are pretty much the same. This is a profile shot of Fletch looking to the left with the back of the left hand up by the face:

More updates to come soon!