GRR!

Oh Ella Beth...if you had just come out 2 weeks ago to greet the world, your mommy wouldn't have any stretch marks! Now she will never be able to wear a bikini again!

PS she loves you anyway:)

10 days left!

Wow! I cannot believe that there are only ten days until my due date! I wish I could say that it just flew by but honestly, it has taken FOREVER! I swear, I don't even remember what it's like to not be pregnant!

I had a doctor's appointment today. I only gained ONE pound this week...thank goodness! My BP was normal and Ella's heartbeat was strong at 139 bpm. I went from 1 cm last week to 3 cm today so we are making some progress. The doctor said that we still don't know when she will be born. It could be tonight or next week...there's just no way of knowing. At least the end is in sight!

38 weeks

Well still no baby. It's ok though. I was only so antsy this week because I wanted her to be born on the 23rd. As much as I am ready for it all to be over, I know that it will happen soon enough.

I'm still in a lot of pain as I'm sure I will be for the remainder of this pregnancy. My knees are the newest pain. They ache so much. I have to squat all the time at my job and it kills me! One of these times, I won't be able to stand back up! My boss has been awesome enough to let me leave early every time that they are able to and it's really helped me. I have enough time to relax, take a nap, and get a good walk in before Tyler gets home. Then I have enough energy to tidy up the house and make dinner.

I'm beginning to hate the idea of leaving work. Don't get me wrong, I will absolutely love to stay home with my baby girl for 6 weeks and I know it will be hard to leave her to go back to work, but I love my job! I haven't always loved it, but since I was moved up to be the pre-k teacher, I just love it. I have a lot more support and get to do so much more actual 'teaching' which I am meant to do! I have worked really hard to get these kids on a steady routine and I'm nervous about them sticking to it. I have this huge problem where I find it almost impossible to relinquish control and so I'm hating the idea of not being in my classroom for 6 weeks!

Labor cookies

Just ate some "labor cookies." I'm hoping they work their magic on me. I've been eating spicy food and pineapple, and I spent my kids entire outside play time walking laps on the playground. I really want to have my baby tomorrow so she will have the same bday as my dad! I think it would be really cool. And with the full moon tomorrow maybe it will be my lucky day! .......I seriously doubt it though:(

First Internal (almost 38 weeks)

I had my first internal today and we discovered that I am dilated 1 cm. My doctor said this is really good for a first time mom at this stage of pregnancy and that even though no one knows but God, he predicts I will have her sometime this week. EEK! I'm so excited! He said my cervix is still somewhat "thick." He could feel her head but she hasn't fully dropped just yet. He said this doesn't really mean anything though because a lot of babies don't drop until the last second. I have gained another 3 pounds...I can't believe I'm still gaining so much freakin weight. 3 pounds in one week! That's ridiculous! Total gain: 35 pounds. Brings me up to 158. I officially weigh more than my husband. ugh. BP was good and Ella's heart rate was normal.

I've had lots more aches and pains this week. My back is killing me. I keep having these shooting pains in my hips. And when I walk, I feel like my legs are going to pop out of my hip sockets! So weird! I'm still having some trouble sleeping at night although I think I could probably sleep all day long if I had the opportunity!

Earlier this week, I treated myself to a much needed pedicure and let me tell you, it was the best 35 bucks I've ever spent in my entire life! I was so relaxed I almost feel asleep in the chair. It was amazing. I got my hair trimmed this afternoon because I thought there is no telling when I will have another chance to do it! It looks so healthy. I love it! So now mommy is officially ready for you, sweet baby Ella!

37 weeks

Had a doctor's appointment yesterday. We did one last growth ultrasound and she's doing great! She is 6 pounds 9 ounces which seems just perfect to me! She could still gain about 2 pounds if she stays in until her due date. She is head down and ready to meet the world! It's just a matter of waiting on my body to get ready! I have gained another 3 pounds bringing me to 155...and a total gain of 32 pounds. I thought you were supposed to level off at the end?!

My feet and hands seem to hurt more and more every second of every day. My feet were so swollen yesterday that my doctor even made a comment about it! He said I need to stay off my feet more. ugh.

This week I have had this sense of urgency to get things done before she gets here. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things...frozen dinners, grilling foods, etc so that I don't have to cook the first few days at least. I have her diaper bag packed and my hospital bag packed. I organized her closet for the hundredth time! I'm getting a pedicure tomorrow. I haven't had one since the week before I got married...that's a year and a half! I need one badly right now...my feet hurt and my toes need some paint! I haven't been able to reach them comfortably for quite some time now. I plan on getting my hair trimmed either this weekend or beginning of next week. Just trying to get everything done before my sweet baby gets here!

So blessed!

I had a little baby shower yesterday courtesy of my College Station friends and I think I can officially say I have everything I need for my little girl! I cannot wait for her to get here. It is seriously all I think about these days.

My feet and hands continue to be ridiculously swollen and painful. My back hurts, and I can't sleep at night. I have been getting only about 4 or 5 hours a night this entire week. I just can't get comfortable. And I also feel wide awake as soon as I lay down, even though I'm tired. I know it doesn't make sense, but that's how it is! At least my body is getting used to functioning without much sleep.

Will I ever sleep again?

Sleep has definitely not been easy for most of my pregnancy. With Restless Leg Syndrome, a giant belly, normally being a tummy sleeper, the fact that my body is ALWAYS burning up hot, as well as all the worrying in my brain, I just haven't been able to get much shut eye.

The last few days have been the worst by far though. Last night I didn't fall asleep AT ALL until 5 am. My alarm goes off at 545. You do the math. I was tired when I got home from work but I didn't want to take a nap. I thought a nap would derail another night's sleep. Well here we are...no nap...still no sleep. It's midnight and I've been trying to sleep for 2 hours now. I just feel like crying.