THE SINGLE DIGITS, BABY!

Okay, here's the gargantuan baby post you've all been sitting on the edges of chairs for :), which will not include sonogram pictures from 36.5 weeks because our scanner is busted :( , but will include stats of the baby, updates from my doctor's visit yesterday, a new and improved date for Jasper's birth (YESSSS!!), a picture of yours truly at 37 weeks, a picture of Bennett's "Big Brother Bucket," and as a bonus for visiting today, pictures, information, and a link for the instructions of the two nursing covers me and my mom made yesterday, which turned out FABULOUSLY, if I do say so myself! (THANKS for the link, Lori!)

This sweet boy is measuring larger than Bennett did, and I have mixed feelings about this. For one, I'm glad because I think Bennett being larger helped him eat and sleep better. But if I consider the toll this takes on my own body, it's not really a pleasant thought. I'm worried I'm doing permanent damage to my back with the pain I've been in for a couple of weeks, and these stretch marks aren't the prettiest paintings I've ever seen, either :) But the battle scars are worth it knowing I have a healthy baby. To be specific, as of last Monday (at around 36 weeks), this kid weighed in at 7 lb. 3 oz. and is around the 80th percentile of size, which wouldn't be a big deal if a) I was hovering right around my actual due date (which I'm not) or b) this baby was making plans to come a bit early on his own (I can pretty much guarantee he's not). However, doing the math, Jasper would end up weighing in around 9 1/2 to 10 lbs. if he went as long as Bennett did. Fabulous.

When the sonographer was doing all his measuring he would kind of hesitate and then ask questions like, "So, um...was your first baby big?" and "What are your thoughts? Are you thinking this baby will be a little bigger, or what?" HA! I was thinking, "Just give me the stats, dude. They totally won't surprise me." (thanks, honey, for the big baby genes :) ).

As for the doctor visit, with all the pain I've been feeling and crazy intense Braxton Hicks I've been having, plus the fact that I've already had a baby and got up to 5cm with him, I thought surely, SURELY I'd be dilated to around a 1 or 2, maybe even a 3 when he checked me. I definitely struck out with that idea because my cervix pretty much couldn't be closed any tighter if I super glued it shut myself - and again I say HA!! This is the story of my life, friends.

So from there, the doc and I start talking dates again because a) my baby is big, and b) my doctor completely forgot that...he'll be OUT OF TOWN on the 19th, the original date we scheduled. But this is where things turn in my favor despite my uncooperative body and baby. He agreed to bump my date up to March 14th!!! WAHOO!! So we are in a single digit count-down now, which I also have mixed feelings about.

I'm thrilled because this baby is coming SOON and I'm SO ready to meet him and have him outside rather than inside my body, but at the same time, thoughts keep racing through my head about whether or not I'll be able to be a good mommy to two boys rather than one, whether Bennett will thrive or feel neglected and jealous with the new baby, whether I'll experience the baby blues anxiety I experienced with Bennett that was NO fun, etc. I'm just nervous, and unfortunately, I excel at the art of worrying. So I'm praying a lot about all of this and trying to trust God to know what's best for each member of our family.

And without further ado, here's what the glory of 37 weeks pregnant with a quite large baby looks like:

And here's the pictures of the nursing covers me and mom made, the info about them, and the link if you're interested in making your own...

Together, they took about 2 hours, maybe a little more to make. That was with both me and my mom working at the same time, but keep in mind that neither of us are expert seamstresses, and I know only a little more than zilch about sewing. If we'd had a little more experience between the two of us, I know it would've gone faster. So obviously this can qualify as a beginner project, which is nice. Also, I know we could crank one out a LOT faster now that we've figured it all out from the first time around. The total cost was $16 altogether, to make both of them. It would've been around $7-$8 for just one of them, which is AMAZING considering they sell them in the store for $30+ and a lot of them are BUTT UGLY, or at the very least, not a fabric you would've chosen yourself.

Here's the link:

http://madebythemamamonster.blogspot.com/2008/04/nursing-cover-tutorial.html

One quick side note if you DO go and make your own. I added 2 inches to the length of mine and like it a LOT. I think it would've been a little short without the addition, and to make sure I had enough fabric in case we made mistakes, and to take into account the extra two inches, I bought 1 and 1/4 yds. of fabric instead of just 1 yd.



I also wanted to include a picture of the "Big Boy Bucket" I put together for Bennett. It's filled with little goodies, stickers, snacks, etc. Thanks for this idea back when you had Levi, Courtney! I'm excited about giving it to our little guy and making him feel special on the day of his brother's arrival!

For those of you who plan on visiting the hospital, you can e-mail me for the hospital name (if you don't already know). The surgery is scheduled for Saturday the 14th at 9:00am, so I'm thinking we'll be ready to receive visitors around 4:00pm and on, and then again on Sunday after lunch. You probably won't hear from me about it via phone call (unless you're family) since I'm telling you here. Unless you hear otherwise, just call ahead and plan on those times. Just don't expect me to be lookin' pretty for you! I'll be sporting a FANTASTICALLY HIDEOUS, AMAZINGLY COMFORTABLE Granny-style Mumu I bought at Wal-mart for the occasion (yes, I really will be wearing it, and yes, I will be SUPER excited about it). This $11 investment is going to save me from the woes of discomfort and other un-name-ables that go on in the hospital after giving birth. So if you come, come expecting one rough-looking, yet highly blissed out chick :)

And I think that's PLENTY of stuff to chew on for one post!