Big Ol' Belly

Tomorrow is the big day I get officially totally off of bedrest!  I'll be 36 1/2 weeks so my doctor said I can then do whatever I want. I've been doing more the past little bit too as he said that was fine the closer I got to 36 1/2 weeks.  I can't believe I'm basically full term!  It's been great to get out and am actually feeling better.  I'm sore and such, but it's not as constant as it was on bedrest I guess because the baby moves positions more now that I move around more??  So that's been really nice.  I'm ready for the baby to come, but it's actually really nice to now have some time in between bedrest and the baby coming to get some cleaning and errands done that I haven't been able to do for the past 8 weeks.  Plus I figure I might as well enjoy my time of running errands with only two kids and sleeping and all that while I can:).  I don't need to make it past 40 weeks as I'm sure I'll really be ready to have the kid by then, but currently it's almost hunting season (deer rifle) which means the kid wouldn't have his daddy around on his birthday and then it's Thanksgiving, so right after Thanksgiving would be nice:).  If only I could plan it out! :)  At my 36 week appointment last week I hadn't changed at all from the week before.  This pregnancy has been so different (since I haven't made it this far along before and have dilated so much later and slower than ever before too) that I think the bedrest and progesterone shot combo has really worked.

36 1/2 weeks!  I have definitely never been this enormous before:).  When reentering civilization this week, on one of my first errands I already got the, "Wow, you must be due like tomorrow!" comment:(.

 Layla can't wait for the baby to come out!  She can't wait to help out with the baby--I'm curious to see how the kids do once Baby is here!

 They were having fun with their bowl hats, but of course when I took the pic Gibs acted like I forced the hat on him...

 After tubby time in their Mickey and Minnie towels...



Halloween

Joe came from work a little early on Halloween so we'd have time to visit the grandparents and such and it turned out good that he did b/c right after dinner Gibs tripped while holding a melamine little plate.  The plate apparently hit his chin just right and took a chunk of skin out of it (the plate didn't break or anything).  We debated if we needed to bring him in or not and decided we should since it was on his face and might scar weird.  Thankfully he didn't need stitches b/c of where it was located on his face (like when you chew and talk and such, that part of your skin barely stretches).  Honestly I'm surprised this was his first Urgent Care visit since the kid has no fear and falls and injures himself all the time!  While we were they asked about a large bruise he had on his forehead (asking if he hit it at the same time) that he had gotten a few days prior.  I swear he always has some sort of injury on his head! 

He was not so excited for this pic as it was shortly after his fall...

He was doing great at the hospital and very excited about the whole thing...until we had to rip off his butterfly bandage we had put on and the the doctor had to reopen the wound to see the size of it.  It then took forever (okay, probably only like 15 minutes) for the couple of coats of glue to dry so he did NOT enjoy being held down by 3 people while the doctor glued it.  Oh, and with clothes and shoes on he was 29 pounds!  Layla this summer was 27:).

That wasn't quite the start to Halloween that we had pictured, but it worked out and the kids actually both really enjoyed the candy, coloring books and stuffed bears they got from the hospital.  We then headed to Grampy and Gigi's house to trick-or-treat.

My little princess...

And my little pumpkin...

He looks so enthuised:)...

With Grampy and Gigi...

 The fam...2 pumpkins, Cinderella and Joe...

 With cousin Gavin, a race car driver...

 Cinderella and her carriage, er, pumpkin b/f it turned into a carriage...(with their buddies they got from the hospital)

 At Grandpa and Grandma's...

 Layla opening her gifts from G & G and Heidi and Steve...

 Gibs got some fun trucks and such but really just wanted Ariel.  At home now I think he thinks that she is his.  He really likes "Oreo", as he calls her:).

With Aunt Rachael...

 With Auntie Heidi...(it was past bedtime so he was not so into pictures)

 And with Grandma...

35 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm 35 weeks already!  I've never been pregnant this long before:). But I am definitely glad I am!  Starting on Monday,  I can deliver at Zeeland and therefore there would be a very high chance that our baby could come home from the hospital with us!  I'm not sure I'll know what to do with a baby in our hospital room and taking a baby home right away with us!  It'll be really nice though.  It's just crazy that each pregnancy keeps lasting longer--I don't know if it's the progesterone shots or just knowing to take it easier earlier and not working at all this pregnancy??  Who knows.  Guess I'll never know what factor(s) it was, but I'm grateful to be so far along!  And grateful to be so close to the end of bedrest:).  I was hoping my dr would take me off this week (since I swear he said he'd take me off around 35 weeks), but he is keeping me on until 36 1/2 weeks (Monday the 14th I'll be 36 weeks and 4 days).  I'm ready to be done with bedrest (although still uncomfortable in the same spot that's been bugging me since 29 weeks and makes it painful to stand for very long), but I know it's for the best for the baby to be as close to full term as possible, so I see why he's not taking me off until I'm almost full term.  He said as I approach 36 1/2 weeks, I can start doing more and more too.  I had an appointment on Wednesday and haven't hardly dilated more than I was the Friday before.  I'm like 50% effaced now and he said my cervix is a lot softer and the head is "right there" but not engaged yet, so who knows, maybe I'll be pregnant until 40 weeks:).  I'm hoping not quite that long!  Although it'd be handy to be able to run some errands and such b/f I have it.  So we will see:).  I get my last progesterone shot this weekend and that stays in your system for about a week or maybe a little more, so it'll be interesting to see how much after that I have this kid--if it's like a week later, then maybe the shots mixed with bedrest really did work??  I was having more painful contractions earlier this week, but apparently they aren't doing too much, so I guess this is what false labor/Braxton Hicks feel like--I'm just not used to them being "fake" :).  Just funny how each pregnancy sure can be different! 
This has felt like a VERY long time on bedrest, but we couldn't have done it without help from friends, family and our church family--we really appreciate the help we've gotten!!