37 weeks: Full Term!

Baby Girl is size of a wintermelon! (What in the world is a wintermelon?)   She is between 18-20 inches and probably weighs 6-7 pounds!

Little Lady Loeffler is officially head down and has been for a few weeks.  She is practicing inhaling and exhaling.  She is quite comfortable hanging out on the left side and still loves to kick mama in the right side.

How far along? 37 weeks which means we are full term

Maternity clothes? belly is getting bigger and clothes are getting smaller.  Thankfully I don't see people on a regular basis otherwise they would see the same few items of clothing in rotation.

Stretch marks? let's not talk about it.

Sleep: still exhausted all the time.  I end up going to bed later and later since this week I have been up working every night.  But once 7am rolls around, I am up because my hips and legs just hurt too much to stay in bed.

Best moment this week:
36 week appointment and everything is going well.  Thankful for an uneventful and boring pregnancy

Miss Anything? SLEEP!  And the dreaded rib and back pain is back, so it would be nice to be able to sit for longer than 2 minutes without being in pain.

Movement: She still tries desperately to make more room for her growing body.  She kicks me a lot in the right side (that's where her legs are). Sometimes I can feel her inhaling and exhaling.
We got a little nervous at our doctor appointment because she wasn't moving a whole lot that day.  They hooked us up to the monitor just to make sure that her heart rate was good.  LLL didn't like that at all.  As soon as the monitors were on her, she started kicking, almost like she was trying to kick them off (which was fine with me because those monitors made my belly so itchy!)  Everything turned out to be fine, heart rate went up when she started moving as it should.  The doctor gave her her first A+ :)

You might have already seen this big belly on FB.  Hooked up to the monitors to measure fetal heart rate and movement.

Food cravings: Eh, food still doesn't sound awesome.  Don't get me wrong, I have eaten my fair share of Halloween candy this past week, but nothing really stands out. 

Exercise:
Exercise is getting harder and harder.  But I can't complain at all because there was a woman at prenatal yoga on Friday who was also 37 weeks pregnant, but with twins.  And she was STILL doing yoga.
I still try to get out and walk the girls every morning, but our route is shorter and shorter.  We're averaging between 2 and 3 miles now, maybe?
And I'm still trying to keep up with prenatal yoga, but that is getting harder too with all of this extra weight to hold up.
However, I'm determined to continue exercising in someway because there's already a lot of weight to lose and I know that I'm not going to birth a 30-40lb baby!

Anything making you queasy or sick: sometimes eating.  I just haven't felt stellar this past week

Gender: Pretty little lady!  

Labor Signs: not officially, just lots of pressure.  I feel like my pelvis is going to fall out most days.  She is getting heavy

Symptoms: achy hips, sore ribs, back pain, lack of sleep, CONGESTION (I still can't breathe through my nose)

Belly Button in or out? not really in or out

Wedding ring on or off? ring is off. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Ready to be done!  This week has just been plain uncomfortable, so I am ready for the little lady to be on the outside and no longer an inside baby. 

Looking forward to:
37 week appointment on Tuesday

Dear little peanut,

You're not so much of a peanut anymore!  You are getting to be a very strong and big girl.  You still try desperately to make a little more room in there by kicking and stretching as far as your long little legs will let you, but you're using up all the space I have to give you.  It's not going to get any bigger no matter how much to push, kick, stretch, and punch.

We have officially finished your nursery (which I will post pictures in another post).  Your bag is packed and I have started to pack mine up.  It's so hard to believe that in less than 3 weeks your due date will be here.  However, I have no doubt in my mind that you will take your sweet time and come when you are ready.  While I would like to have you here by your due date, I would not be surprised if you make us wait another week.

We were a little worried about you last week when you weren't as active as you usually are, but you made up for that as soon as you were hooked up to the monitors.  You continued to pay me back for the monitor incident the next day.  There was a lot of punch, kicking, and nose diving on my bladder.  You were not a fan of that monitor on your chest/head and tried to buck your little back/butt to get it off.  I'm sure the few sips of Dr. Pepper I had helped out a little bit too. :)   The doctor said that all was good and gave you your first A+!

Everyone is waiting on pins and needles for your arrival.  Your big sisters would rather that you take as long as possible because I don't think they are ready for you yet.  But everyone else would like to see you soon!

Love,
your mama

36 weeks

Once again, mama is moving slow with these weekly updates.  This past week has kicked my butt and I think it's just going to get harder and harder on me, so cut me a little slack with not posting when I should ;)

John and Izzy's wedding!

Baby Girl is apparently still the size of a honeydew melon or a head of romaine lettuce! (it really depends on what website you look at)   She is over 18 inches from head to feet and weighs almost 6 lbs!

She's getting closer to being able to breathe on her own.  Her liver and kidneys are in working order!

How far along? 36 weeks 2 days

Maternity clothes? The belly just keeps getting bigger and bigger so it's all yoga pants, big shirts, maternity dresses, etc.

Stretch marks? unfortunately, yes.  Just little ones though.

Sleep: Sleep is awful.  I'm always exhausted, but I hate when nighttime comes because I know that I won't be able to fall asleep and that I'll be up again at 2am (and sometimes 3am and 4am), then up for good by 6am.  My hips just hurt all the time, so I'm constantly flipping over.  And I'm still super congested so I can't breathe at night :(

Best moment this week:
We went to the last Marquette wedding this past weekend.  It was so great to see everyone and it's hard to believe that the next time we all get together, baby girl will be here!  I am truly so thankful for this group of friends and I love that everyone still keeps in touch and we are still able to get together.

Miss Anything? SLEEP!

Movement: She still bounces around all the time.  It's been funny seeing people's reactions when they feel her (Brittany wanted to feel her at the wedding and baby girl gave her a pretty big kick!)  She still gets hiccups, but those are starting to calm down (which I am thankful for.  I'm not a fan of the hiccups).

Food cravings: Nothing.  Food is just not appealing right now.

Exercise:
I have not been diligent with exercise this past week.  Either I have been too exhausted or I just don't feel well.
The girls and I went for a few walks (about every other day) last week.  It was rainy last week and chilly, so we weren't very motivated to get out.  And we've cut our walks short.  We're now down to about 3 miles a day, sometimes 3.5 or 4 if we're lucky.
I'm still going to prenatal yoga twice a week.  This is also getting harder and harder as my belly gets bigger.  It's also been hard to do yoga when I'm so congested.

Anything making you queasy or sick: food, lack of sleep, heartburn

Gender: Pretty little lady!  

Labor Signs: not yet.  I have been getting more stomach aches this past week and little aches and pains.

Symptoms: Heartburn, stomach aches, achy hips (pulled a muscle in my inner thigh so I hobble/waddle all the time now)

Belly Button in or out? not really in or out

Wedding rings on or off? ring is off.  I can probably still wear it, but then I have a feeling I just won't be able to get them off one day.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Anxious and moody this past week.  I'm officially ready for baby to come.  I know that I have said that I still want more time with just the two of us (and I still do), but I think I'm ready for her to come at any time now.
I have been so exhausted and my hips/pelvis/legs hurt pretty much all the time, so I have been an emotional mess.  This morning was spent in tears because I'm just emotionally drained and overall exhausted. 

Looking forward to:
36 week appointment this afternoon



Dearest baby girl,

I can't believe your "due date" will be here in less than 4 weeks!  Your daddy and I are so excited to meet you!  Your daddy talks about you being here all the time.  He was talking to your Grandma Beth last night and I could hear the excitement in his voice as he talked about you and when we'll have to go to the hospital.  You already have him wrapped around your little finger :)

I have been the one who has been more nervous and just not ready.  I don't know what's changed, but I'm ready for you to be here.  Maybe I'm tired of waddling to the bathroom every hour or you jabbing me in the pelvis that sends shooting pains in my stomach and legs, but I'm ready.  We have everything ready in your room and your hospital bag is packed (your outfit is picked out and cloth diapers are packed).  I still need to pack my bag and will next week.  Your daddy is adamant that I have my bag packed NOW.

I like to mention your big sisters in every letter to you because they are our babies too and will be a big part of your life.  Your big sister Maddie LOVES all of your little toys and your room.  She wishes all of it was hers.  I think you will have some competition with her :)  She is going to handle this whole baby thing the hardest.  She's been our baby for the past two years, so she's not adjusting to big sister status very well.  Your big sister Lucy is kind of indifferent to all of your things right now.  I think it will take her awhile to adjust to you and your schedule/noises, but I also think she will turn out to be very protective of you, just like she is of me and your daddy.

You've been pretty quiet today, so we'll see what the doctor says about that.  Definitely not your usual sassy self.  I'm anxious to see if you will be an early bird like your daddy and fashionably late like your mama (I would prefer early bird, but maybe give us another week or two, ok?  I would love to keep you in until at least 38 weeks to make sure you've grown enough!)

Love you,
your mama

35 weeks

This post is a few days late.  We're at about 35 weeks, 2 days as I write this and probably by the time it's posted, more like 35w4d.

Baby Girl is the size of a honeydew melon!!   She is over 18 inches from head to feet and weighs about 5.25 lbs!

Her kidneys are fully developed and she's packing on the pounds!

How far along? 35 weeks (about 35.5 weeks now)

Maternity clothes? I have a big baby belly so everything is maternity.  It will be bizarre going back to regular clothes again in a month or two!

Stretch marks? ugh, yes.  Well, no new ones, but extensions of what I got during adolescences (my chubby phase in middle school).  Yuck!  But using my stretch mark oil that my best friend Liz gave me when I was 6 weeks pregnant.  She's so smart and knew that I would need it eventually!

Sleep: I don't know what sleep is anymore.  I hardly ever sleep and I'm exhausted all the time which leaves me emotionally exhausted (and usually sobbing). 

Best moment this week:
34 week appointment last week.  Baby girl is getting big!  Last week I was measuring at almost 35 weeks.
On Saturday when we hit the 35 week mark, we had our IL baby shower.  We are so thankful for all of the people in our lives who are supportive and excited about this (big) little lady.

Miss Anything? not feeling huge and SLEEP (and being able to breathe because I'm so congested)

Movement: She moves all the time!  I think she's starting to realize that night time is for sleeping and day time is for play.  She's much more calm at night now and bounces around throughout the day.

Food cravings: Mexican sounds really yummy :)

Exercise:
It's getting a lot more difficult to keep moving or even wanting to move.  It's much more appealing to just watch Netflix (I let Ryan Seacrest talk me into starting up Pretty Little Liars).
BUT I am still walking the dogs every morning for at least 3-4 miles.  Since it's still nice out, I want to give the girls as much exercise as possible.  I know it will be too cold soon and in the next month or so we'll have someone else who will affect our walking schedule and it will be harder to get out.
Still doing prenatal yoga, but it's getting hard!  It's difficult not being able to do everything I used to be able to before when I was XX lbs lighter.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Pretty little lady!  

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: Heartburn came back full force.  Sleep is non-existent.  Swollen feet.  Back pain.  Crazy emotions.

Belly Button in or out? not really in or out

Wedding rings on or off? ring is off.  I can probably still wear it, but then I have a feeling I just won't be able to get them off one day.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Overwhelmed is the name of the game, yet again.  Overwhelmed with work, house stuff, and everything baby.  My dining room table is currently a disaster area filled with baby clothes, books, gift bags, tissue paper, and Arbonne stuff.
There have been a lot of tears in the past week because I know how big I'm getting and it's a tough pill to swallow.  I think I am also just exhausted from not sleeping and guilty about spending so much money on the baby and not having the regular paycheck anymore (don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for the opportunity and the job I am doing now because there is no way that I would have been able to teach this year without going over the deep end).

Looking forward to:
Bukowy wedding in MKE this weekend.
Getting all of the last minute baby necessities!

Our wonderful future sister-in-law and awesome photographer did a mini-maternity shoot for us while we were in Geneva for the baby shower.  I can't wait to see the rest of them! (And yes, I realize I am a big fan of purple as of late.)  Check out K-Schulz Photography Facebook page to see all of her beautiful work!  https://www.facebook.com/KSchulzPhotography

Dear baby girl,

I can't believe that in just a month (give or take) you will be here.  I can't even believe it!  We are getting ready to go to the Bukowy's wedding this weekend and that seemed so far away when we talked about it in the summer.

While we are not quite ready for you to be here yet (we are still enjoying our freedom and not being tied to the house all the time), we can't wait to meet you!  We were looking at Daddy's baby pictures this weekend back at your Grandma Beth and Grandpa Charlie's house.  He was one cute little baby (not as cute as me, all the nurses said that I was the prettiest baby in the nursery.  And, no, I wasn't the only baby in the nursery).   He had the biggest green eyes, still does.  I hope you get that from him (although blue eyes are just as cute!)  As much as I can't stand my big hair some days, I hope you have little blond ringlets like me and your Uncle SJ.

Your big sisters are still having a rough time adjusting to the changes that are happening in the house.  All of the baby stuff is out and have been permanent fixtures for a week or two now.  It makes Maddie very nervous.  Lucy is just indifferent right now, but stays far away from your bouncers and swing.  Maddie likes to investigate it all and is very sad when she realizes that none of it is for her.  I think we will need to get them some big sister toys so they can feel special too.

Although I look and feel quite large right now, you need to stay in for a little bit longer.  We're just not quite ready for you yet and you need to get big and healthy (daddy doesn't like tiny "skeletor" babies).  We also have plans (wedding and work) every weekend up until your due date (that's our first "free" weekend!), so you need to stay put for a bit.  Plus I think your big sisters need a few more weeks until you take over the house and all of our time.

Love you,
your mama

34 Weeks

Baby Girl is the size of a butternut squash!   She is over 18 inches from head to feet and weighs about 5 lbs!

She can start recognizing frequently sung songs and will recognize them after birth.  Do you think she will be soothed by Katy Perry's "ROAR"?  I guess I need to start practicing my lullabies.

How far along? 34 weeks and having a hard time bending over to put on shoes!

Maternity clothes? I live in yoga pants and I'm hoping that the weather will stay warm for a few more weeks so I can continue to wear dresses and flip flops.

Stretch marks? nope

Sleep: Back to tossing and turning at night and feeling absolutely EXHAUSTED every day.

Best moment this week:
baby is still moving a lot!  I'm trying to enjoy all the little kicks in the ribs and hiccups because they will be over before I know it.

Miss Anything? clothes that fit, shoes that fit, not getting out of breath when walking

Movement: She is still desperately trying to make more room in there by kicking and stretching.  I constantly have little feet in my ribs.  She usually gets hiccups at least 3 times a day: early morning, sometime in the afternoon, and late at night.

Food cravings: Love roasted potatoes!  We got sweet potatoes this week in our CSA and we made some french fries, but it just wasn't the same.

Exercise:
Still keeping up with our 4-5 mile walks every morning.  The weather has been beautiful, so the girls and I are keeping up with this for as long as we possibly can.
Prenatal yoga at Dragonfly Hot Yoga and at Meriter this week.  It's definitely getting a lot harder to do yoga.  Sometimes I feel like my wrists are going to snap with all the extra weight I have to support in plank and downward dog.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Pretty little lady!  

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: the cankles are back this week!  My ankles have been getting so swollen which is probably part of the reason why my shoes don't fit well anymore.  I get very congested at night which contributes to my lack of sleep.

Belly Button in or out? still in

Wedding rings on or off? The wedding ring is officially off and in its ring box.  It will probably still fit, but I don't want to get to the point where it won't come off at all.

Happy or Moody most of the time:We've had a stressful week at the Loeffler house, mostly with work, not so much with baby.  I'm still overwhelmed knowing that she will be here in just about a month, but we'll be ready whether we think we are or not.
Most of the baby stuff is up from the basement and Maddie continually wants to play with the toys on the bouncers.  The baby car seat is installed so we drive around with an empty car seat in the back all the time now.  In fact, Andrew drove it to Chicago this weekend for a bachelor party :)
We're busy getting ready for the last baby shower this next weekend.  After that, we will be scrambling to get all of the last minute necessities.
Andrew is starting to get more excited about baby.  Our birthing class last week focused on baby's first few days at home, so he was able to relate a little more to that than the labor part.  He's going to make such a good daddy, even if he does want to dress her in boy clothes all the time :)

Looking forward to:
IL baby shower in two weeks :)

In all seriousness, as much as I complain about the joys of pregnancy, I really do love it.  I think the reason that I keep telling people that I'm not ready for baby to be here yet is because I'm not ready to not be pregnant anymore.  Yes, I am ginormous, I waddle, I've had awful back pain and numbing nerve pain, I hardly fit into anything I own (clothes and shoes), I can't sleep half the time.  But every time I feel her kick and squirm, I love it and forget all of the things that I complain about.  People have told me that 2nd trimester is the honeymoon phase and by 3rd trimester you will be ready for it to be over.  I disagree.  I have loved 3rd trimester.  I have a big bowling ball of a belly, but I can feel her kick and move and hiccup every single day and that makes me smile.  I feel like 1st trimester you just worry about if everything is ok and for the first half of the 2nd, you do the same.  I didn't start feeling the baby until 21 weeks and that was still sporadic.  And now Andrew can feel her move all the time too and in the second trimester, he couldn't for a long time.
And while I say I love this whole pregnancy thing and love 3rd trimester, I will probably be singing a different tune in a few weeks ;)

What a difference a summer makes! (and yes, I realize I am wearing purple in all three pictures.  Total coincidence!)

Dear baby girl,

You are getting sassier and sassier!  You enjoy wedging your little feet up under my ribs and pushing to try to make a little more room in there.  Sorry, little one, that's all the room you're going to get.  You're gaining about 1/2 a pound a week, so you're going to be taking up the extra room in there (I'm not making anymore!)

We're less than 6 weeks until you're estimated D-Day!  I can't believe it!  Your daddy is getting very excited, I'm still nervous and just not quite ready.  I can't wait to meet you, but I just need a few more weeks of being a family of two before you rock our world.

Your final baby shower is this next weekend!  Everyone is so excited to celebrate you!  Your glammas are busy getting all the details together.  I can't wait to post pictures of all of it in the next few weeks (I still need to post some pictures from your first baby shower).

We're almost done with your room.  We still need to get a mattress for your crib and a changing pad.  So you can't make your debut until we get all the necessities! There was a woman in yoga today who is 36 weeks and being induced this week.  I'm not ready for you to be here in 2 weeks!  Let's hold off until November, ok?

It's been a pretty boring week around here, so there's not much to report.  Although you are running out of room, you are still moving a ton.  You're starting to be more awake during the day.  You still keep me up at night, but are more active during the day now.  You even decided to participate in yoga today and were kicking up a storm by the end of class.

Love you!
your mama

Exercise: 2nd Trimester Edition

We're a little late in the game on this one, folks.  Especially considering we are well into the third trimester!  I should probably just to a combo update to make it easier for my preggo brain to think through (and remember!)

You can check out the 1st Trimester Exercise edition here.

Exercise has become very different with this big old belly.  Gone are the days of jogging and plyometrics.  I was lucky to be able to jog about 3 days a week until I hit 21 weeks.  Truth be told, I probably could have lasted longer, but it just got too uncomfortable.

It's been interested how my activity level has changed as I've gotten bigger.  I would be out of breath walking across the room (still do).  Squats because increasingly difficult.  Ab exercises just became too uncomfortable.

However, I tried to stick with a routine throughout my second trimester.
1. for my sanity
2. to keep my weight in check

My second trimester was all during the summer months.  Since even in Wisconsin it gets ridiculously hot, that meant any outside workouts needed to be done in the morning hours.  Anything else was done in the cool basement.

Workout #1: Walking

I walked the dogs about 3 miles every morning.  If I was lucky, Andrew would join us (usually I was not lucky).  We'd get up and leave before 6am and walk the neighborhood.  If it wasn't too hot, we would usually get out for another 2 mile walk mid-morning.
Walking has felt the best on my joints (ankles, shins, and knees in particular).

Workout #2: Jogging

I was able to job regularly, every other day, until about half way through my 2nd trimester.  By week 21, I was just feeling too big and uncomfortable to actually push through it anymore.  This would usually be in place of our 2 mile mid-morning walk since I could usually jog about 2 miles (so sad when I used to do 4-5 miles a day and 7.5 mile runs on the weekends. *Sigh*)

Occasionally, we would bust out a jog, sometimes a slog/wog (slow jog or walk/jog, if you will).  I could usually do this while walking the dogs and we would only jog for about 1-2 minutes at a time probably 4-5 times during out 3 mile walk.  This was about the time that I felt too big to run the whole 2 miles, but felt like I could do more.  By the time 3rd trimester hit?  yeah right!

Workout #3:

The Bar Method
I am a HUGE fan of bar workouts.  I like doing them better at the yoga studio than in my own home, but we're on a budget, people.
I did the regular Bar Method DVD until midway through 2nd trimester when my belly just got too big, then I switched to the pregnancy version.  This was my strength training and I could tell that the extra weight was really pushing me to my limits.  I also liked that I didn't have to have a ton of weights to do these workouts; I could use my own body weight.  The lower body exercises at the bar are my favorite. (And when you have an unfinished basement, your husband can install a chair rail/stair banister to act as your ballet bar and it only costs about $5!)

Workout #4:

Moms Into Fitness 2nd Trimester Workouts
Also my strength training go-to and cardio workouts.  I found these on a google search looking for other pregnancy workouts I could add to my walking and Bar Method (I was getting bored).  And good news: Free Trial!  Even better?  The workouts are only about 20 minutes a piece.  Not that I'm super busy and need to get going, but it was nice that I wasn't spending my whole day working out.
The strength training is great because it's tailored to your growing belly.
I also like to pair it with the cardio workout to get my blood pumping a little more.  And yes, I would be huffing and puffing along.

I've read that exercising throughout pregnancy is not only beneficial to mama, but to baby too.  So I have been trying to stay as active as possible.  I'm also hoping that it will help me lose all this weight that I have gained (ugh, let's not even talk about THAT number).

Any favorite pregnancy workouts?