34 Weeks

 

Pregnancy: 34 weeks... Do you know what that means... my bump count down is at 40 days! and that is if I go all the way to 40 weeks! I will be considered "full term" in a short 3 weeks!

 

According to "The Bump" Hunter:

• Weighs in at about 4.2 pounds to 5.8 pounds
• Measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches
• He's recognizing and reacting to simple songs

Sleep: Tossing and turning... finding it hard to get comfortable in the middle of the night.

Name: Hunter Matthew Park

Feeling: Still feeling good... Starting to crash around 3 p.m. and get a second wind around 6 p.m.

Health: Doing well... as far as I know. I have a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions and some pretty bad cramps but that is all typical. We have our doctor appointment tomorrow and there are a few items that I'm looking forward to talking to him about...

1. My epidural didn't work for Emma and while I have been told that they are more accurate now as apposed to 8+ years ago I'm not in the mindset that I just need to be able to do this naturally. So in the childbirth classes I paid much more attention to breathing and relaxation techniques.

2. I want to ask about monitoring. I would like to request to only be on the monitor (confined to the bed) for 20 minutes out of each hour (this is mandatory for INOVA).. the rest of the time I would like to be up and able to walk to progress things along.

3. I would also like Lauretta (the amazing massage therapist from TanFit) to come to the hospital in the early stages of labor (5-7 cm) to give a back massage. The thought is that during one of my 40 minutes when I am not on a monitor we can turn down the lights, turn on some spa music and get a prenatal massage. I think that this would really help with my relaxation and breathing.
Matt is completely on board with trying this naturally and I think that he will be amazing... the only thing that he is requesting is that we play Journey as I'm pushing! But that is my Matt!

Movement: Still a ton of movement!

Belly: All the same as last week... Very light linea negra, and my belly button is poking out a little. Still no stretch marks!!!

Next Appointment: TOMORROW at 34 weeks.

Here are two extra photos of Matt trying out Hunter's Moby Wrap...

33 Weeks

Will add a photo later tonight!

Pregnancy: 33 weeks... according to "The Bump" Hunter is:

• He weighs about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. And he may grow up to a full inch this week!
• He's keeping his eyes open while awake.
• He's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.
• His bones are hardening.
• He's going through (more) major brain development

Sleep: Waking up multiple times in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Again though I think this is a way that your body starts to get you use to waking up in the middle of the night so that you are ready for baby!

Name: Hunter Matthew Park

Feeling: Feeling good. It feels so amazing to be going though this with Matt. He is such a supportive partner and as we get closer to the due date and my anxiety rises there is one thing that I have no fears of and that is that I will have a supportive and caring partner by my said through it all. I mean the guy has only missed ONE doctors appointment.

Everything is also starting to feel super real as Hunter's room is coming together... at least the parts that I'm in charge of... All of his clothes are washed and put away! Still running a bit behind on the bedding that my mom is making and the distressed wood wall that Matt is in charge of... but if Hunter came tomorrow none of those things would matter and we would be just fine.

In other preparations... Matt and I took a tour of Fairfax Hospital and we have two evenings of Childbirth preparation classes this week... AHHH this is really about to happen.

Health: Doing well!

Movement: Lots of movement still and starting to get a bit painful but better to know that he is inside and doing well! At this stage you are told to do "kick counts" where you make sure that your baby moves up to 10 times an hour... yeah... not a problem with hunter, he will kick ten times in a minute. Yesterday I placed our TV remote on my belly (while we were watching the Olympics) and just watched it dance around... Maybe I will get Matt to record a video.

Belly: All the same as last week... Very light linea negra, and my belly button is poking out a little. Still no stretch marks!!! One change however is that the belly is starting to get itchy as the skin is making some final efforts to stretch out and make a little more room for Hunter. Currently 43 Inches around!

Next Appointment: 16 August at 34 weeks.

Highlights of my week:

• Baby shower was last Saturday! It was so wonderful to celebrate Hunter with family and friends! The theme was (of course) elephants and I cannot wait to share photos.
• Did a family/maternity photo shoot on Saturday up in Maryland. Our amazing wedding photographer Cherie Cullen did the shoot and I cannot wait to see the outcome. Of course it was 95 outside so hopefully the photos don't show how hot and sweaty we were!
• On a side note... Cherie will also be with me in the delivery room for Hunter's arrival! She is going to take all the baby photos of his birth so that Matt can just be there for support... plus Matt isn't that great with a camera... but I didn't just say that.
• Sophie is growing and learning so much.

32 Weeks

Pregnancy: 32 weeks... in the eight Month!

Sleep: Not sleeping very well... I only get up once with Sophie in the middle of the night and that usually jives with when I need to your the bathroom myself so that part isn't too bad... I'm just plain uncomfortable at night at this point. I toss and turn constantly and each time I do move I have a worried puppy that pops up on the side of my bed to make sure that I am still there.

Name: Hunter Matthew Park

Feeling: Still feeling good. By the end of the day I am drained of energy but again the shorter hours at work have been GREAT!

Hospital Bags are packed... just in case and car seat will be installed by next week.

Health: Feeling sick today but otherwise doing well! At my Tuesday appointment my Doctor said that he is happy with how things are currently going (Haven't had a breathing issue in a few weeks) and hopes that this is a good indication of an easy delivery... haha... Little does he know I complain all the time just to Matt not him! And I never ask any questions at my appointment so in that way I'm easy.

He also said that with baby number two you can usually expect for labor time to be cut in half... from his mouth to God's ears! Emma was 23 hours of labor!

Movement: Lots of movement.. according to "the bump" movement will begin to slow down at this point as Hunter runs out of room... What they don't reveal is that after this point it starts to feel like the baby is going to burst through the middle of your stomach as they are getting stronger... I remember the pain from Emma's movements in the last two months.

Belly: Measuring at exactly 32 weeks! Very light linea negra, and my belly button is poking out a little. Still no stretch marks!!!

Next Appointment: 16 August at 34 weeks.

Non-Baby Highlights of the Week:

• Having Emma back home! She was missed so much for the two weeks that she was at camp.
• Bridesmaid dresses are in for Holly's wedding! It will be here before we know it!
• Starting to test out some casserole recipes as I will be premaking a few to eat after Hunter's arrival
• Taking a class to learn Quick Books... want to be ready to start a business.. hint hint on what might be coming for the Park Family in 2013.
• Some home improvement projects that I will share with all... at some point.

Hunter's Bathroom

I have decided that my project for the week is going to be Hunter's bathroom. It is a room that I have not previously shared with you and a part of my house that I have honestly never used... we except for storage... is that odd??

Well here is the space in all of her glory... I took these photos at night so excuse the light quality.

I cannot stand this medicine cabinet... Matt thinks that we need to keep it for storage... but I'm not a fan at all.. The little cup dispenser between the toilet and sink was the first item removed!

and for some ugly details.... A white plain tension rod with plastic curtain rings and an almost see through white thin shower curtain (All items that came with the house) OH... and the paint is HORRIBLE. There is inconsistent coverage with a TON of missed spots!

Matt has already replaced the toilet seat... this one has a built in toddler training seat built in and it is slow closing... let's just say that Matt had a traumatic experience when learning to potty train and we were a little worried that we wouldn't be able to have any Baby Parks... so this is one of the first things he purchased when we found out that we were going to have a boy.

The wood and gold knob will need to be updated.

Here is a close up of the fixtures that we are currently dealing with... The white and gold just does NOT fit with my taste

Here is my "mood board" for the space:

Really like the idea of having wooden shelves behind the toilet to add some storage. I would like to use leftover wood from the rustic wall that we are doing in the bedroom and plan to use Container Store Shelf Clip Brackets. The Clips on their website are chrome but I will spray paint them Oil Rubbed Bronze so that they match the other hardware in the bathroom.

Also, I will not be using the exact fixtures above... they are all just as a guidance to get the ball rolling.

Sophie Update

Sophie is doing well and adjusting to her new home. We still have a few accidents in the house but doing much better. I am shocked at how much she has learned in a week!

Crate Training... For the first few days she cried the ENTIRE time she was in her crate and now when we go out she gets in no problem. Doesn't make a peep and we come home to an accident free space!

Nighttime with Puppy... At night Sophie's crate is positioned on my side of the bed and she sleeps inside the crate with her door open. When she needs to go outside she jumps up with her front paws on my side of the bed and paws at my arm. We typically go out at 12 a.m., 2:30 a.m. & I take her out one more time as I'm leaving for work at 5:30 a.m. She is good about going outside, doing her business, and heading right back upstairs to go to sleep. All in all the whole process take 5 minutes for each visit outside at night.

A lot of folks say that having a puppy is a lot like having a newborn... but I'm going to call bluff on that! Those night time feedings, diaper changes and rocking back to sleep in the middle of the night take WAY over 5 minutes! As crazy as this sounds though I'm kind of happy that we got Sophie when we did. I think that she will be completely potty trained before Hunter's arrival AND she is getting me use to waking up in the middle of the night.

Walks... now this is an area we need some improvement in. Sophie does NOT like the leash very much. We go for a nightly walk after she eats dinner and she is a crazy girl! She tries to walk right in between your feet (not good with a pregnant mommy)! Sophie also will not go to the potty while on a walk. She will only do it in our designated "potty area" in the woods behind our house....

Here are some photos! How can you not fall in love with this face!

A few cutie photos with Emma. She loves Sophie but getting use to the fact that we have to constantly keep an eye on her at this stage.