Single Digits!

Well, until I am 37 weeks at least. Just 9 days to go to get to the safe zone! 30 days until my due date...

I am particularly excited to get to 37 weeks lately due to the chronic pain I've been in for the last 2 weeks and 3 days (see, there I am counting days again). I went to physical therapy on Friday and today and also bought the correct belt (https://www.amazon.com/Serola-Sacroiliac-Hip-Belt-Medium/dp/B000NIFVLW/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1499287805&sr=1-2&keywords=SI+belt) and that has been helping tremendously. But I am still less than perfectly comfortable so I am looking forward to being done soon.

Baby Names

Naming this baby has been more difficult than with our previous two kiddos. Those of you who have read this blog since I was pregnant with Joaquin may have noticed the contrast - we immediately began to call each of our first two kids by their names on this blog as soon as we found out their gender. This time, he is consistently just "baby boy." I guess it's hard to come up with a second name of the same gender considering that you already came up with one before.

We started being totally sure of a first name - Mateo. But we struggled with a middle name. Then, we arrived on a middle name - Andres - but started to have second thoughts about the first after Jay brought up that there was someone in his family tree named Cayetano (pronounced KI (like Hi) - A (like "uh") - TA (like the sound in the word "tall) - NO (just like "no"). The nickname for Cayetano would be Cay (like the popular name for boys, Kai).

For months we have wavered between the two names. People consistently looked puzzled at the name Cayetano because most people have never heard it before and most people say they love the name Mateo. But for us, we really don't want our kids to have names that are super common. Ideally they will rarely be in a class with another kid with their name. This has certainly been the case so far with Joaquin and Noemi. But we also aren't too into the whole super-unique name trend (I'm looking at you Apple). They have to be real names - we don't just make them up.

And then there's the who initial thing. Mateo would be MAN and Cayetano would be CAN. I don't know about you, but I can just picture some obnoxious frat boy going on about how his initials are MAN and me wanted to roll my eyes right out of my head. Maybe it's the whole Trump thing but, ugh, I just find that who scenario a little barf-worthy. We could always do a different middle name (Javier is our next choice) if we do Mateo, but I really like Andres.

Anyhow, all this to say that we are still on the fence on the name but I am leaning toward Cayetano Andres for this baby (with appropriate accent on Andres that I can't type on this blog). It may end up being a very last minute decision after we meet the baby though!

Hospital Bag (Mostly) Packed

Although my OB isn't too worried about me going into labor imminently, she did say that I should get my hospital bag packed this week. Thanks to my previous post on this when I was pregnant with Emi (see November 2012 posts), I have a very handy list of stuff to pack already. With Noemi we were only in the hospital for a grand total of 21 hours (yes, from the moment I walked in to the L&D wing in labor to the moment we left as a family to go home). As a result, I barely used most of the items in my bag last time. But with Joaquin we were there for nearly 4 days so you never know what you will or won't actually need.

This time, because Noemi came so quickly and the trend is that each labor is faster than the last, I want to be as prepared as possible to get out of the house and to the hospital. My plan this time is to call an Uber immediately to take me, and only me, to Hoag as soon as I feel like I am in active labor. Depending on where we all are at the time, Jay will deal with getting the kids home/finding someone to watch them and grabbing the hospital bag and will meet me at the hospital. Hopefully he's actually there by the time the baby comes!

So, as of now, I have a bag that is packed and ready to go with nearly everything on my list accounted for. Some things just can't be packed early because I use them daily or only have one. So, trying to help myself and Jay out, I am taping a list to the wall of all of the last minute things he needs to pack (like a toothbrush, comb, my makeup, a bag of snacks, etc.).

I am still hoping that we make it to 37 weeks, which is 12 days away. Ideally, we would make it to 38 or 39 weeks but if I am being totally honest with myself, this back pain is so debilitating that I will be thrilled if I am done very soon after we hit the 37 week mark. I am still taking my procardia when I feel like I am getting more contractions than normal (i.e., more than 4/hour) and will keep doing that until I'm 37 weeks. After that, I will stop the medication all together and we will just see when baby decides to arrive.

35 Weeks! (aka 2 weeks to full term)

At 35 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a pineapple (yeah, I'm trying not to think too much about that one). Baby measures about 18.2 inches from head to heel. From here on out, he won't get much longer, but will keep plumping up. He should now weigh about 5.3 pounds, and will put on a pound or more of baby fat before we meet him. Fun fact - at 35 weeks my uterus has grown to about 1,000 times it's normal size (OMG). Baby’s hearing is now fully developed, and he responds best to high-pitched noises. At this point, if we had an ultrasound we would see that his testes have probably fully descended (TMI alert!).

How far along? 35 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 35 lbs :-/

Sleep? Not so great. I wake up to pee constantly and because my back is in so much pain, it is pretty miserable getting up and walking each time.

Best moment this week?Hmmmmmm...Hard to see through the back discomfort these days. I guess I will go with coming home Tuesday to a very clean house after our new cleaning lady came. She's amazing and more type-A about cleaning than I thought possible. A little on the pricey side but given my inability to do much around the house, worth every penny. Thanks for agreeing to the super fancy cleaning jay ;-)

Movement:I really don't think either of my other kiddos moved this much. It's incredible and consistent and visible to others.

Food cravings:Miguel's Jr. Haha. I think mostly because it requires no cooking or cleaning by me, which is my top priority these days.

What I miss? EVERYTHING about not being pregnant. I am mentally and physically done.

What I am looking forward to? This 4 day weekend is well timed. I am hoping it involves me lounging quietly on a very frequent basis and doing very little else.

Milestones: 35 weeks is a big one. My OB is basically not worried about labor at this point from a health of the baby standpoint, so that is a relief. I, on the other hand, really want to get 2 more weeks in, despite how miserable I am. Making it to 37 weeks to avoid the preemie treatment at the hospital is worth it both because of the trauma to the baby (endless foot pricks and that darn car seat challenge) and because of the cost to me (we are out-of-pocket 20% of the cost on this birth so there's a huge incentive not to rack up big bills).

What I'm nervous about:Trying to stay sane with this back pain and feeling the need to still get my work done, keep a relatively tidy home and take care of the kids. It's a lot of being pulled in many directions when you are physically limited.

34 Weeks (AKA 3 weeks to full term)

At 34 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a butternut squash. Baby should weigh in at about 4.7 pounds and measures about 17.7 inches, although based on our last ultrasound I think this baby is a bit bigger than that, at least in weight.

How far along? 34 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 33 lbs :-/

Sleep? This is getting worse due to back pain issues.

Best moment this week?We had a great Father's Day on Sunday at the pool and going out to dinner with my dad. It was also the last day my back felt okay, so it was definitely the highlight of my week.

Movement:I think he had the hiccups the other morning.

Food cravings:Eh. I'm not that hungry lately. Maybe fruit and ginger beer.

What I miss? Walking without pain. Starting Sunday night my back went from normal to very painful quite suddenly. After dragging myself to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I decided to stay home yesterday and today to see if it helped. It has a bit but I think this pain is here for the rest of the pregnancy. Doctor Google is telling me this is "posterior pelvic pain", which is essentially caused by the hormone relaxin letting my ligaments stretch out too much and thus my pelvic bones are moving farther apart and providing less stabilization and support for all of the extra weight I'm carrying in my stomach, which then makes my muscles work over time, none of which feels great. Apparently this gets worse with each pregnancy (i.e., starts sooner) so I am thinking #3 is our last baby because this is pretty miserable and I can't imagine if it had started any sooner.

What I am looking forward to? Being about to do things for myself. I like to do things. Sitting still is not fun for me. There is also something to be cleaned, put away or worked on in our house and it bothers me immensely to sit around and see everything I could be getting done and being able to do very little about it.

Milestones: Each week is now a huge milestone for me. I cannot wait for this pregnancy to be over. At the same time, it is extremely important to stay pregnant for at least 3 more weeks, but preferably 4-5 for the health of the baby. So the count is on but I still have to try to be patient.

What I'm nervous about:Keeping myself from going crazy with my limited mobility. Some people might relish an excuse to lounge around but it is the very definition of torture for me to be forced to stay home all day.

In other news: On Monday, I think partially due to my back pain, I started having a lot of BH contractions. So my OB sent me to Hoag L&D where I hung out for about 4.5 hours being monitored, getting IV fluids and getting a dose of Procardia. So, pretty much the same drill as my previous pregnancies. It was not the most fun evening but I am glad I went in to make sure everything was okay. But this triggered me starting on procardia regularly and may force doctor-ordered modified bed rest soon (she hasn't gone there yet). Apparently the whole giving birth thing works for me but the late pregnancy stages are really just not for me.

Ultrasound Pictures

I've been slacking on uploading these so apologies for the delay. Here are a few ultrasound pictures from my last two scans.

At 28 weeks:

An ear shot:

And at 32 weeks, he's a little cramped but still cute:

33 Weeks

At 33 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a head of celery. On average, babies at this stage weigh about 4.2 pounds and measures about 17.2 inches—and may grow up to a full inch this week. However, we went in on Monday for an ultrasound and found that he was about 4.5 pounds then so he's probably getting a bit closer to 5 lbs now. Baby's keeping his eyes open while awake. Baby's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing—an important skill for life “on the outside.” His bones are also hardening. And baby's going through (more) major brain development at the moment.

How far along? 33 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 32 lbs :-/

Sleep? I have had some early meetings this week so it hasn't been as good as I'd like. But still not terrible. No pregnancy insomnia yet - yay!

Best moment this week?My mom has been here this week to help with the kids. Emi has no school or camp this week so this is a lifesaver. It has been a pretty nice week having someone around full time to take Joaquin to and from school and all of his activities.

Movement:I am now starting to get some pretty strong kicks to the ribs on occasion - not my favorite.

Food cravings:Roasted broccoli rabe with salt, pepper, olive oil, red pepper flakes and parmesan. A

What I miss? Walking fast. I am moving really slowly these days and my gate isn't exactly lady-like. It will be nice to get back to normal in a couple of months.

What I am looking forward to? Maternity leave. I am suddenly starting to look forward to the change of pace. It's not exactly vacation but at least I get to wear comfy pants more often. haha.

Milestones: I think Monday was my last ultra sound, so we are in the home stretch. In two weeks I will feel pretty good about everything - 35 weeks is a good milestone to get past in terms of baby's development. Almost there.

What I'm nervous about:I've been a bit nervous about work lately. It was one thing to go out on leave at a law firm - other associates just sort of absorbed my work while I was out and there was never really any true concern about being busy enough when I got back. But this time we are hiring a temp for my job, which is just a strange thing, and with the recent merger I am feeling a bit vulnerable.