39 Weeks

I'm actually at 40 weeks plus 2 days right now, and thought I'd put up these photos that my friend took of me at 39 weeks. I haven't written much about this pregnancy, so I thought I should allow an interview (with myself?).

When did I tell my husband a baby was on the way? Christmas Eve 2008. I wrapped up the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (which is a lame book, by the way) and I had put a sticker on the front that said "FOURTH EDITION/ADDITION". I gave it to him as an early Christmas present, and he knew what it was all about even after unwrapping only a corner of the book.

Did I get morning sickness? Standard with all my pregnancies, I didn't get too sick, but I did always feel compelled to keep my stomach completely full at all times. So, in the first few months I ate 4-5 big meals every day and packed on 15 pounds in a flash.

What foods did I crave during this pregnancy? Well, there was a solid week when all I ate was fruit-and-yogurt smoothies, and there was a long spell when Subway subs of all varieties were my mainstay. The other kids didn't mind that I served subs a lot! I also really loved cottage cheese, A&W rootbeer, and granola bars. For a short spell I liked celery with peanut butter, but then for the rest of the pregnancy I've been hating peanut butter. Right now I'm really into popsicles (especially RED ones), and sucking on ice cubes. I bought several water bottles that have sporty drinking tops, and I love to keep those refilled with water in the refrigerator so I can grab one at any time and guzzle it (and leave them lying all over the house).

Total weight gain? 35 pounds

Anything I ENJOYED about being pregnant? Well, I'm typically hyper-moody and that's a bad thing, but I do enjoy the fact that with all my pregnancies I've had freedom from allergies during gestation! No hay fever, and only very very mild allergies to cats and dogs (as opposed to normally violent reactions.) Since I can smell everything so well while pregnant, I've really enjoyed wearing/smelling/buying/testing perfumes. I really like Sephora at the mall, and try to come home with a few new samples whenever I can. It's also handy to have a dose of perfume on my wrist, so if I smell something I DON'T like, I can sniff my wrist.

Did I exercise during pregnancy? Yep! I stopped running at about 4 months, but I played racquetball twice a week...I even played today! The idea was that maybe my precision and racquet skills have increased, being that I had to compensate for my lack of speed and agility. I also taught my swim lessons and water aerobics lessons up until 39 weeks (when the session ended.) I had big ideas about weight training, but never followed through.

What names did we consider but throw out? We seriously considered Anya. I really liked Adelaide, but Doug didn't like that one.

Did I do anything wacky during pregnancy? Well, I did go to an amusement park at about 35 weeks, and disregarded signs prohibiting pregnant women on rides like the Paratrooper and Turn of the Century and several other rides that I personally think are not at all dangerous. Then at 37 weeks or so I took the kids to a big waterpark for 2 days and rode almost all of the rides (the log flume had a seatbelt that couldn't accomodate me, however.) Then at 38-39 weeks I went to girls' camp and slept on an uncomfortable cot for 3 nights and nevertheless had a super fabulous rockin' awesome time. The baby had a great time, I think, and really contemplated being born at girls' camp (that was one of the times I had 3 hours of false labor.)

What did I call the baby in utero? I've been referring to her as Cricket. I suppose that almost ended up as her real name, too.

What has changed since pregnancy number 3? For one thing, the fashions are better! Merci mille fois to whomever made the low-cut pants popular - I've been wearing my non-maternity low-cuts the whole time. I also like the "bella band" invention and used it to cover the few inches that my not-long-enough shirts didn't span, or to hold up jeans and skirts that were too big or that were left unbuttoned.

Another difference was the ultrascreen (ultrasound at 13 weeks gestation) in which they could tell, by looking at the spinal fluid, if the baby has down's syndrome. Amazing. Who discovered that!? It wasn't around last time.

Will my labor be the same as the others? I am not so sure about this one. With the other 3, I had super slow first stage labor (we're talking 10 -15 hours to warm up) but it DID eventually materialize into real labor. With this pregnancy, however, I've already had 3 bouts of false labor that were 3-5 hours long and never went anywhere. I've had so many Braxton-Hicks contractions during the day that I don't even notice them anymore. So...maybe labor will be rather quick. Maybe not.

How big do I think she'll be? Let's look at the trends here. My babies have been getting later all the time (3 days, then 7 days, then 10 days late) and smaller all the time (9lb3oz, 8lb4oz, 7lb11oz). So I'm guessing a 14 day late baby that weighs in at 7 lbs even. Then again, studies indicate that moms who exercise have bigger babies (and leaner) so maybe 7lb3oz. Who knows!?

What color will her eyes be? Blue! On the Fourth of July a little girl asked me if I was having a baby, and I said, "Yes, it's a blue-eyed baby girl" and she asked how I knew and I explained briefly about how ultrasounds work to look at the baby. Her mom was nearby and still mystified about the eyes. How can you know that!? Genetics, lady!