August 2019 – Sara Morrison

34 Weeks

Baby Size

Caleb is the size of a spaghetti squash at about 17.75 inches long and 4.75 pounds.

Highs

I put some shelves up above the changing table and despite the struggle to get them on the wall. Did you know that increased clumsiness is also part of the third trimester? Fun times.

We spent the weekend in Greenville with Josh’s family and had a lovely baby shower! Grandma Morrison could have a side hustle as a party planner, and the decorations were just so cute!

It was great to spend time with family and get some advice as well. We also did a Mad Libs fairy tale game that was hilarious. They will be fun to read to Caleb as he grows up!

We had a few days of “false fall” that felt nice to not be a constant pool of sweat! And my back has been behaving nicely to the point that I’ve done a few 3-mile run/walks which is the most I’ve done since Peachtree. It’s just funny how things can change on a week by week basis! I’m trying to enjoy the times when I can get out there and don’t feel like I’m limp/waddling.

I have a growth ultrasound at the end of the week, and I’m so excited to see him again! I imagine he will look a lot like a baby this time which will be fun. 🙂

Lows

The special thing about 34 weeks is that the timeframe of his arrival feels ridiculous. I’m 6 weeks away from my due date, but babies typically come between 38-42 weeks, meaning he could come in the next 4 to 8 weeks. 8 weeks is literally twice as long as 4 weeks, hence the feeling of ridiculousness.

I’m getting more uncomfortable, some days worse than others. I’m very thankful that I work from home since I can sit or stand or lay on the couch or my personal favorite of putting my laptop on the couch and hunching over it from kneeling on the floor. Just doing what I can!

33 Weeks

Baby Size

Caleb is the size of a pineapple at about 17 inches long and about 4.2 pounds.

Highs

We had a great anniversary weekend with the biggest present to ourselves being a cleaning service. I was so excited to not have to clean the house this weekend and to have someone do all of the extra stuff like wipe the light switches and clean the microwave. She also told me that I’m her 4th pregnant client recently!

We went on our hospital tour on Sunday. Similar to the childbirth class, it made me feel ready to go! Northside also seems very nice, and the rooms are spacious, and we feel better knowing the lay of the land now that we’ve visited.

We got our glider as well! I didn’t account for the extra space it needed (you know, for the gliding part) in my floorplan, so we did some rearranging, and I feel like all of the major pieces are all set now! There’s still plenty of organizing to do and a few things to put on the wall, but functionally it’s done. The glider is super comfortable as well! I’ve spent some time just sitting in there thinking and planning in the evenings.

I’ve had a lot of improvement in my back and was even able to run-walk earlier this week! It’s not something I can do every day, but I’m thankful for the times I can.

Lows

Summer in the south is no joke, and I’m ready to not sweat to death 24/7. The little generator I’m carrying makes that difficult, though.

The middle joint of my fingers are pretty much constantly swollen now, and my fingers/hands have started to hurt. I’ve heard of pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel, and some people have to wear wrist braces, so at least it isn’t that bad!

There’s something about checking nearly all the things off the list (hopital tour, childbirth class, etc) that makes me so (impatiently) ready for him to be here. 7ish weeks isn’t that long but it’s certainly not close either.

32 Weeks

Baby Size

Caleb is the size of jicama at about 16.75 inches long and about 3.75 pounds.

Highs

It has been quite an exciting week! We started our weekend with an all-day Kopa Birth class. It was fun to be there with 10 other couples as well as to learn about various coping techniques during labor. Josh took plenty of notes, and we’ll eventually get around to writing down our birth plan as well. Overall I would say the class was definitely worth it, but I do wish it was an hour or two shorter! 9am – 4pm is just a long day, especially on a Saturday.

Then we headed to a party Saturday night! Our Sunday Bible study class has a number of pregnant couples, so there was a triple shower for us and a couple due in September and another in October with us. It was a lot of fun to eat delicious food and also sit and chat with the other moms-to-be about our various aches and excitements. And now we have quite the stash of diapers and wipes!

Sunday I headed home to Cleveland for a baby shower! And Becka is home! I grew up in a great neighborhood with lots of kids my age, so it is always fun to come home and visit with the families I grew up with. There were plenty of funny stories and advice to go around as well!

I’ve spent some time trying to organize the nursery now that we have our dresser/changing table as well as diapers, clothes, and various baby items from the shower. It’s all starting to come together. 🙂

Yesterday we went on a meet and greet tour of a nearby pediatrics office. We really like the doctors there and got some helpful information from them. Another item off the to do list!

Finally, Josh bought Crib Sheet by Emily Oster, and I’ve really enjoyed reading it so far. She’s an economist and focuses on the data behind various claims and debates when it comes to babies and raising children. It definitely speaks my language, and I recommend it for sure.

Lows

I had quite the saga on the phone with insurance and lab billing last week. We decided to do the blood test to find out the sex back in April only because we were quoted $136 for the test. I was very displeased to get a bill for $645 four months later! It took about 45 minutes, and I had to call three times (billing, my insurance, billing again) and definitely cried some tears of frustration, but I managed to finally get the bill down to almost to our original quote. I’m still angry at the injustice of them charging 5x the original quote because I’m sure they would happily take my money if I didn’t bother calling them. Always call!

I have mostly been feeling good and had quite a nice stretch of exercising last week, but today has been rough. I didn’t get much sleep due to storms and then having an hour+ segment of being anxiously awake, and now I’m having another bout of heartburn, but hopefully I can get some better rest this evening.

31 Weeks

Baby Size

Caleb is the size of a bunch of asparagus at 16.2 inches long and about 3.3 pounds. Josh read today that he’s the size of a jug of Sunny D and remarked how huge he is. You’re telling me.

Highs

Now that I’m on my every-other doctor appointments, I get to check on Caleb more often! I also got to meet another doctor in the practice since there is a possibility that my doctor won’t be on call when I deliver. She was really friendly, and I’ve started asking questions about interventions and birth strategies now that it’s getting closer.

I have had some improvement in my back which is nice! I made the mistake of running (for 2 measly minutes) this morning, and then was reduced to limping for the next 15 minutes of my walk due to that. But I’ve found some renewed motivation to work out, so I started being more consistent about lifting. Even though it’s tough to get up in the morning, I feel a lot better (and happier) if I do something athletically productive in the morning.

I am extremely excited about this upcoming weekend! We are going to a childbirth class on Saturday, a triple shower for us and two other couples in our Sunday Bible study class (built-in buddies for Caleb!) that night, and then I’m headed to my parents’ house on Sunday for another shower. And my sister will be in town from Seattle! This weekend starts a very busy month of August, but I’m looking forward to it helping the time pass more quickly.

Lows

I had a rough weekend! After celebrating my best friend’s birthday with Mellow Mushroom (and then ice cream on the way home), I found myself with a severe case of heartburn. I was awake from roughly 2:30 – 5:00 am due to that lovely development. After taking some Tums, I propped myself up on the couch, eventually falling asleep, since staying upright seemed to be an essential part of feeling better.

This made my Saturday less than ideal due to the fatigue and lingering effects of the heartburn for the rest of the day. Thankfully I was better by Sunday!