39 Weeks {Full Term}

How far long? 39 weeks  
Baby size? 21 - 22 inches and about 7 pounds

Total weight gain? about 34 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Sleep? Yes but it's becoming more difficult to fall and stay asleep. I'm hot a lot {even with the use of a fan directly on me and sans covers} and the slightest sliver of light has me wide awake.

Best moment(s) this week? Visiting with Ben and Katy on Saturday {thank you both again for Little M's gifts!} and finalizing the nursery {still minus his initials but they should be arriving any day now}. I'm so excited to show my parents when they are here, which will be in 2 days!! Also, with being at home and not out in the heat, my feet and ankles haven't been swollen.
Miss anything? Smaller legs!

Movement? Yes but I can definitely tell that Little M is running out of space.

Food Cravings? Cold apples.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Gender? Boy!!!

Labor signs? Nope :(

Belly button in or out? Still not out but there's still a bit of a lip on the top.

Wedding ring on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Our little guy being here!! In the meantime, I'm trying to get as much rest as I can. Also, as I mentioned earlier, my parents arrive in 2 days and I couldn't be more excited! I have already cleaned and re-cleaned our home and finished all of the laundry, but I'm sure I'll find more to keep my busy until Friday.

38 weeks {Full Term}

How far long? 38 weeks  
Baby size? 21 - 22 inches and about 6.5/7 pounds

Total weight gain? about 32 pounds {I lost 3 pounds over the last week. After talking with my GP and answering a few questions, she said to monitor my weight over the next week and let her know if I lose anymore, but that all seems OK for now. Little M is still moving a lot, and both he and I checked out very well at my 38/40 appointment today.}

Maternity clothes? Yep and a lot of skirt wearing lately. With the hotter weather we've been having and lack of a/c, it helps me stay cool.

Sleep? Yes and I have been able to sleep deeply.

Best moment(s) this week? Visiting with our next door neighbors and meeting their sweet, little girl - who was born almost a week early. I'm happy that Little M will have a little friend next door.  

Miss anything? My family and friends who are stateside. While we keep in touch and I am able to share updates about the pregnancy via phone calls and social media, I still miss being able to experience all of this with them near. I'm excited that we can catch up and they can meet Little M when we visit in December.

Movement? Yes :)

Food Cravings? Peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Gender? Boy!!!

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out? Still not out but there's now a bit of a lip on the top.

Wedding ring on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Enjoying these last few days as a family of 3 {counting Monk, of course}. Working from home the past two days have been nice, and I look forward to my simple 'commute' the rest of the week. As we still have a few deliveries trickling in, I thought getting dressed rather than sitting in my pjs all day would be best. Also, one week from this Friday, my parents will be in London, and I absolutely can't wait! Oh and this Saturday - our good friends Ben and Katy are coming to visit.

37 weeks {Full Term}

The 'not so glamorous' weekly photo. Please excuse the tired face and swollen feet.

Katy, me and Matt in the office at my 'leaving do.'

How far long? 37 weeks  
Baby size? 21 - 22 inches and about 6.5 pounds
Total weight gain? about 35 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Sleep? Yes and enjoying it while I can.

Best moment(s) this week? For having worked in Parliament for a year and a half, I had never seen Prime Minister David Cameron until last week, when I saw him twice. We also made good progress in our flat over the weekend. It feels so good to walk into an orderly home. When I met with my midwife last Friday, she confirmed that our baby boy is still doing very well, as am I. We discussed options for the birth plan, and I booked a 41 week appointment, in case I don't have Little M by 5 August. It's so exciting to think how close he is to being here!! Lastly, I'll include today's treat. As it's my last week in the office, my 'leaving do' was today. It was a wonderful time, and I greatly appreciate those who not only coordinated the party but also purchased the best gift (photo below)! I'll be reminded of many wonderful memories every time I look at it! :)

Miss anything? My siblings - if only they could be here to see their nephew when he's born. We already have our first trip back with baby booked for December, which is great as they'll see him then. The wait is just a little longer than we'd like.

Movement? Yes, especially near my rib cage.

Food Cravings? Still dill pickles.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Gender? Boy!!!

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out? Not out but kind of still in - very stretched out.  

Wedding ring on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy - even though I was tempted to be slightly moody to a random gentleman at the train station, when earlier this week, he asked me if I was carrying twins! ;)

Looking forward to? Resting. This will be a good 'last' week for me, commuting wise. Little by little, my body is starting to wear down. I work from home next week, but it will still be nice to do so in comfortable clothes (aka pjs)!

Gift from the office - front of cushion

Gift from the office - back of cushion

36 Weeks

How far long? 36 weeks 

Baby size? 20 - 22 inches and about 6 pounds

Total weight gain? about 33 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Sleep? Yes and turning over has become quite a chore! 

Best moment(s) this week? Washing/drying all of Little M's tiny clothes and blankets! His nursery is almost finished. I've got a few more things to organize, and we are still waiting on his initials to arrive, but all of the large items are set. I also had the opportunity to see the cyclists whiz by Parliament during Stage 3 of the Tour de France on Monday, 7 July. There were so many people who waited hours outside to cheer on and catch a quick glimpse of the riders. It started to rain some before they arrived, so I decided to watch inside from the first floor of the building where my office is. While it didn't last long, the atmosphere, felt even inside, was incredible. 

Miss anything? Snow cones! If only Sno Biz was nearby - I'd have a #3 flat top Sweet Tart snow cone everyday! :) 

Movement? Yes, and within the past week, I've noticed Little M responding to loud noises. When we were at the laundromat on Saturday, I accidentally dropped a bag full of coins on the bench I was sitting on. What a strong jolt I felt! You could even see my entire belly shutter.

Food Cravings? Pickles - dill pickles specifically. The only thing is Jeff and I can't seem to find them anywhere here. We've purchased a few different brands and they are all more sweet than sour. What an insignificant bummer.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope but heart burn is oh so frequent.

Gender? Boy!!!

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out? Not out but kind of still in - very stretched out.  

Wedding ring on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy and somewhat overwhelmed.

Looking forward to? My next antenatal appointment, which is this Friday. I'll meet with my midwife, have Little M checked out and further discuss the birthing plan. I know that I want to try to deliver naturally and am interested in water birth. There is a suite led by the midwifery unit at our hospital that facilitates this. The environment seems very calming, and I'm hopeful that we'll get to deliver there. If we do experience any complications or if I decide I want an epidural, then I can easily be taken to the adjacent hallway, where the labor ward is.

Prepping Victoria Embankment for the cyclists.

Stage 3 - it was quick but what a view!

35 Weeks

I was prepared to write this update last night, but because of a clumsy moment, I decided to sleep off my irritation (towards myself) and post today. After getting home from work yesterday, having dinner with Jeff, doing a few quick chores and taking a shower, doing the weekly blog update while having a late night snack of Fruit Loops seemed like a wonderful way to wind down. Once I got everything prepped, I started to walk down the hall, bowl of cereal in one hand, and a few odds and ends in the other. All of a sudden, my right hand decides - on it's own, I might add - to let go of the bowl. It was as if this all happened in slow motion. I look down and can see it slowly rotating towards the ground, and next thing I know, I'm jolted back to reality by a loud noise and ceramic bowl, milk and cereal spread out all over the floor. I just stood there a bit, looked at the mess and thought to myself, 'how did that just happen?' Jeff was very kind to come to my aid and help clean it up. He claims that I was carrying too much, but I'm telling you, my hand just decided to do it's own thing. ;) Anyway, how ridiculous that such a silly incident put me in a funk for the remainder of the evening. I ended up having a nectarine and checked out Amazon for some remaining purchases for Little M. 

On another note, here are a couple of photos of our kitchen. It's the largest one we've had since living in London, and I really like that we have an eating area too. We also have a dishwasher again - happy, happy, happy times!

View from the hall.

View from the laundry room.

How far long? 35 weeks 

Baby size? 20 - 22 inches and about 5.5 pounds

Total weight gain? about 32 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Sleep? Yes but getting comfortable enough to fall asleep is becoming increasingly difficult. Once I go to sleep, I'm golden though. 

Best moment(s) this week? The continued decorating of the nursery. I get so excited every time something else is delivered. For the most part, we are done - just waiting on the arrival of Little M's initials (which will showcase above his crib). It's now time to get all of his clothes/blankets cleaned and put away. We've made good progress on the rest of the house as well. I need to finish organizing the laundry room, bathroom and bedroom. 

Miss anything? My smaller ankles and feet. And when I say smaller, I mean slimmer because I obviously have rather large/long feet. I've only had minimal swelling lately (thank goodness!), but they just look... ick! 

Movement? Yes and I enjoy it so much!

Food Cravings? Fruit Loops! Jeff was able to get these a few days ago from Tesco, a nearby grocery store. We paid about £2.79 ($4.79) for one box. I've since been told they had been previously been available at specialty shops only for £8 (about $13.73) - how crazy and for only one box?!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Gender? Boy!!!

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out? I'm so stretched out that I'm not really sure anymore.  

Wedding ring on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy and even more so because my parents arrive in London on 1 August and Jeff's parents on 9 August! Let the countdown begin!!

Looking forward to? Getting everything sorted around the house, our parents' visits AND holding my sweet boy come August! I've got 2.5 weeks of work left in the office, then 1.5 weeks of working from home plus a few days of holiday before my maternity leave starts. There's so much to do and it seems time is just slipping away. Motherhood will be quite a change, with plenty of hard, stressful times as well as many wonderful times. It's a change that I'm looking forward to. God placed in me a strong desire to be a mom when I was very young, and it's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, my son will be here. I don't even know how I will be able to contain the immense joy of being Little M's mom or seeing Jeff being a Daddy (beyond excited about this!!). I'm so thankful for God's gracious gift and pray that Little M grows to have a caring spirit and a Christ-like love for others.