Week 40

The bump: Low and roundish. It's nice being able to breathe, but this baby needs to GET OUT!

How far along: 40 Weeks! Helllllllooooooo due date!

How big is baby: From The Bump: Your baby's the size of a jackfruit! In month nine, the average fetus is about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.19 inches. But you really won't know exactly how big your baby is until his birth. He's continuing to grow hair and nails. And he's keeping up that lung development, too.

My midwives are guessing he's in the 8 lb range. I'm guessing 8.4 and 21 inches, but we'll see!

Weight gain/loss: I'm down 1.6 pounds this week for a total of 28.6 pounds gained. I'm almost positive it is all water weight since I can actually see my ankles for the first time in weeks.

Stretch marks/belly button - nothing new to report here. Still have both.

Sleep: I've been sleeping really well. My knees and legs do tend to be a little sore when I wake up from being curled around my giant pillow, but pretty much my entire body hurts when I get up now.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: I've been downing eggplant, pineapple, spicy food, and raspberry tea like it's going out of style. Nothing is helping though.

Movement: Some squirminess, but nothing major. He's definitely slowed down quite a bit.

What I'm loving: Not much at this point. I'm pretty cranky.

Symptoms: Lots of Braxton Hicks and lots of irritability. I'm also way overemotional. All expected at this point. I also feel like I took a cycle class - can't imagine what it'll feel like after pushing a kid out at this point!

What I'm looking forward to: Being done and having this kid here already.

Best moment of the week: I honestly didn't have one. Last week was pretty crappy. I went to my appointment hoping for them to at least check me or strip my membranes or do ANYTHING and got a big fat "enjoy this time" and two appointments scheduled - one for Friday and one for next Monday. Combined with family members tagging me on their "Push" crap among other comments from other people I was just done. I broke down in my car in my office parking lot and had a good 30 minute cry. John eventually calmed me down and I went in and decided to start my maternity leave on Monday. I cried several more times as I wrapped up my day and spent the entire weekend in bed hiding out. It was seriously what I needed though. I woke up yesterday feeling a million times better even though I'm so ready to just be done with pregnancy. My boss was fantastic about me just up and calling it quits too. Yesterday John's boss told him to also go ahead and take off so we're both just sitting here waiting. John has been great at fielding calls and basically telling people to leave me alone at this point. It'd be nice if family could take the hint that it's THEM we're talking about! I know people are excited, but I'm so over it at this point, and am so thankful that John has taken over.

How I'm feeling: See above. I'm hoping today will be the day even though it's really only a 5% chance that I'd deliver on my due date. I honestly never thought I'd be writing this post. It is a full moon tonight and my favorite midwife is the one on call so it'd be a good day to have a baby. You know, if he decided to actually cooperate.

Double Sided Flannel Baby Blanket

I'll have more to post on the nursery itself soon. I didn't take as many pictures of the other projects and don't want to miss any of the steps. My mom will be here next week so I'll have her walk me through them to make sure I don't miss anything.

For now here is another project I've been working on for the baby.



These flannel blankets are easy to sew up for yourself or for a gift. To make them you'll need at least a yard of fabric. Two of mine came from bolts that were almost finished so I got the extra yardage at a discount. My two blankets were cut to 41x41 inches not including the seam allowance. I really wouldn't go less 32 inches for a finished blanket. 1 yard will get you to this.

You want to start by ironing your fabric. Flannel wrinkles and you want it to lay flat. Then lay your two fabric pieces right side together and begin pinning. I only pin two sides, and pin the others once I've sewn the two. It's just easier to me and lets you make sure that your edges match up nicely.

Be sure that you leave about a 5 inch gap in your pins so that you're able to turn it when all four sides are sewn.



Using a straight stitch sew around all 4 sides with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Before your turn your fabric right side out, trim the corners so that they'll lay flatter.



I like to turn mine starting with the corners.



Once you've got it turned right side out you want to iron your seams. This is especially important for when you sew your seam closed.

If you want, use a contrasting thread or even a special stitch to sew your decorative edge. My machine only does straight or zigzag stitches so I just went with a zigzag.



Have fun with different fabrics. You can use a solid as your back or another fun and coordinating pattern.

Crib Rail Tutorial

Start by measuring your crib rails. My short ones measured at 21.5x7 inches and my long one which is a little fatter measured at 53.5x9 inches. You want to measure around the whole rail to get the width, not just one side.

I knew I wanted to use all three pieces of fabric on each of mine, but didn't want a lot of the orange. So however you want to divide up your fabric do so and then add in your seam allowances. I think we did 1/4 inch seams on all sides.

For my shorter rails I cut 2 of the hexagon and two of the polka dot to 12 x 7.75 and 2 of the orange pieces to 6.25 x 7.75. For my longer rail I cut 2 of the polka dot and 2 of the hexagon at 11.75 x 9.5 and 3 pieces of the orange at 5.25 x 9.5. Just cut your quilted fabric to the entire length.

Start by pinning your colored fabrics together and sewing your seams.



Once that is complete you'll want to pin where you want your ties to go. We took ours to the crib and then pinned the ribbons to where we wanted them placed.



Sew your ties in place.



In order to keep your ties from getting in the way when you turn your fabric right side out pin them up. It'll make turning easier and helps to make sure that you don't sew them when you sew your quilted fabric on.



Pin your two pieces right side together and then sew your quilted piece to your fabric. Leave the two ends unpinned so that you can turn your fabric right side out.



Once your fabric is flipped right side out pin your ends and sew your seams.



Repeat this two more times on your other pieces and you're done!

Week 39

The bump: Baby has gotten low.

How far along: 39 Weeks

How big is baby: From The Bump - Baby keeps growing, despite being so crowded in there. He probably weighs around 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches. He's probably able to flex his limbs now. His brain is still rapidly developing -- he's getting smarter by the week! His nails may extend past his fingertips.

Weight gain/loss: I'm up .6 pounds this week for a total of 30.2 pounds gained. I will say at my appointment on Thursday I was SO SWOLLEN that they have me down at the 40 pound mark. I do tend to weigh more as the week goes on and clothes make a difference. They had me at a 5 pound gain over 9 days, but my midwife did not seem to be concerned at all. She looked at my cankles and said, "well that explains the weight gain" and was fine with it since it was "water and not the kind that was sticking to my ass." Can I say how much I love her?

Stretch marks/belly button: Now that baby is so low my belly button has returned to it's more cavernous state. Hopefully that also means no new stretch marks.

Sleep: Meh. I still sleep less than before, but it's still good sleep. I do tend to get up more to pee now, but usually it doesn't even phase me.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: I have been STARVING lately, but that's tapered off in the past few days. I think part of it was the baby dropping and giving me room to eat again.

Movement: Not as active, or I really should say as painful jabbing that I was having. It feels more like little settling in movements. I like to remind him that there's MORE ROOM ON THE OUTSIDE.

What I'm loving: Not a ton at this point. Ha! Aside from being so close to the end.

Symptoms: Impatience

Best moment of the week: We got a lot done this past weekend. My mom came down and finished the nursery projects. We've got everything cleaned and mostly organize. I am still waiting for the glider and the rug to get here, but neither are arriving until after my due date. Not very happy about it considering I ordered them at the beginning of July, but oh well.

How I'm feeling: I'm just uncomfortable and hot. My back is also killing me and the cankle situation hasn't changed.

Random things I didn't know/Problems/Questions: My favorite midwife completely ruined my by mentioning that she was on call this past weekend and it would have been fun to deliver me. Trust me. If it was possible to will this child out of my body I would have done it. Now I don't know which midwife that I will end up with. It probably won't be her unless I go really over due, so I'm kind of over it. I did try just about every single old wives tale over the weekend and got nothing. I've now returned what I call survival mode. Just make it to the end.

Maternity Pictures

A few weeks ago the awesome Amanda of ARG Photographs did my maternity session at the School of Southwest Arts. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out. Here are just a few of my favorites.



















This one seriously encompasses my entire pregnancy.

Flannel Burp Cloths

I had purchased a pack of prefold cloth diapers to have on hand for various messes. Whether they were burp cloths or something to have handy when changing a little boy's diaper, they just make great extras to have on hand.

I had some left over fabric from my blankets so I decided to embellish a few with pieces of flannel. In fact, these sewed up so quick I looked for some other left over flannel I had on hand, but I ended up not having enough of either pattern. A quarter of a yard should be plenty to get you one or two burp cloths depending on the size of your diapers.

You can pick up prefolds pretty much anywhere now. Mine came from Target.



You'll want to start by measuring your prefolds. (You can actually start by washing your diapers and flannels, but I felt like living on the edge)



I wanted mine to extend a little past the center padding, but you can decide how wide you want your piece of flannel to go. Just give yourself an extra inch seam allowance on all four sides.



My diapers measured out to 19.5x5 inches. I added 2 inches to this for the 1 inch seam allowance bringing my cut flannel pieces to 21.5x7 inches.

You'll next want to iron your seams.



Not all diapers are made equal so be sure to place your piece on each diaper to make sure your seams will cover the area you want. Otherwise when you pin it it will drive you crazy.



Pin your piece of flannel to the diaper.



Sew using a zigzag stitch as close to the edge as possible. Keep your needle down and turn your diaper at each corner to make the process easier.



It's such an easy way to dress up an otherwise boring cloth diaper!

Week 38

The bump: I swear this weekend I got huge. I don't know how many times I've done double takes in front of the mirror over the weekend.

How far along: 38 weeks

How big is baby: From The Bump - The size of a pumpkin (and it TOTALLY feels like it) Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. His head is now about the same circumference as his abdomen. He may have about an inch or so of hair already. He's slowly shedding that white goo on his skin (called vernix caseosa) but you might see some of it at birth.

Weight gain/loss: I'm up 2.2 pound this week for a total of 29.6 pounds overall.

Stretch marks/Belly Button: My belly button has gotten pretty flat depending on how he's laying, but is still firmly an innie.

Sleep: I sleep less and less, but once I do I'm out. I usually get up once or twice to pee, but am always able to fall right back to sleep.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: I finally had those salads from last week. Cookies are also high on the list.

Movement: All the time.

What I'm loving: Being mostly over my cold from last week? Being close to the end? Getting to meet this little guy soon.

Symptoms: I can tell I'm having little Braxton Hicks contractions. Actually I probably wouldn't even notice them except the baby completely loses his shit after each one. It's seriously like he's saying, "Oh hell no! I'm already fighting for the space I have, it is NOT getting any tighter up in here." Then he responds by assaulting my entire abdominal cavity. His violent thrashing hurts more than any tiny little contraction does.

What I'm looking forward to: Again - the end! My mom is also coming this week. We'll finish up the nursery and the stinking glider is finally coming in. After that all I'm waiting for is the rug which doesn't ship until after he's born. I only ordered it a month ago.

Best moment of the week: The blogger baby shower was AMAZING. I'm still blown away by it all and the generosity of the wonderful ladies that put it all together. Post coming soon!

How I'm feeling: My back has been absolutely killing me. My cankles are cray cray. I had at least 2 bloody noses a day last week due to the cold. I'm still stuffy from said cold. See also violent attacks from the demon child within my belly. Oh and my boobs are already leaking. Yeah. I'm a giant ray of sunshine.

To Share or Not to Share

I'd love to credit the source of this picture, but the link to the original source seems spammy. I just did a Google image search of "What's in a Name."

I’ll preface this post with, this is the decision we’re making in our family. Whether you choose to share or not share your kids’ (or even other family member) names is your decision. There isn’t a right or a wrong, this just happens to be what we decided.

I decided to write this post after having a pretty lengthy and interesting conversation with other San Antonio bloggers. I found that some bloggers thought about it and decided to share, others decided not to share, and some never even gave it a second thought. It was really great to have a discussion from all sides. There isn’t a lot out there as to why some bloggers share their kids’ names, and why they don’t. Again, this is just our experience, but as a blogger I want to share this experience and maybe help others that are wondering the same thing.

How did we decide this?

I first posed this question to John early on in my pregnancy. I honestly can’t remember what we discussed or if we had really decided on anything. I know that I approached it from more of a blogging standpoint, but as my pregnancy has progressed and we've discussed it more, it’s expanded to all online/social media outlets. I am going to use a lot of I's and Me's in the post because that's just how I write, but this decision is one that John and I made together and agree on.

I think that giving your child a limited online profile is pretty good gift. When you think about all the things that are posted online without consent or knowledge of the individual, it can be a lot. We’re in a day and age when so much information is passed around online. I honestly can’t imagine what it’s like for kids to grow up in such a digital age. The most I had to worry about was a friend or my mom reading my diary. Now your personal life is something that can get posted and shared around the world in a matter of seconds whether you want it to be or not.

Part of it also stemmed from my profession. I work in Human Resources. I teach trainings on social media both to staff and to college students/organizations. Anyone with decent google skills can really find anything out on anyone. Remember the time I found Walter? That took less than 10 minutes to do. Plus our last name is already tied to this blog so if you really wanted to find out more about me it’d be pretty easy to do.

But you’re a blogger, you already put your life out there, what’s the big deal?

I do censor a lot of what I put out there and there are certain things that I just won’t talk about online. Does this mean that I’m not going to post pictures of my child? No. They’ll be there (though I get pretty twitchy about certain sharing capabilities on Facebook that can’t be controlled). Or that I won’t post a story about how when we’re in the middle of potty training he goes and takes a crap in the corner? No. I’ll probably post about that (and cross my fingers that that doesn’t happen, but poop basically always happens). By not using his actual name his future employer is probably less likely to find that story of him crapping in the corner though.

Deciding on a name:

We’ve always had a girl and a boy name picked out so we knew what the name would be as soon as we found out the gender. On New Years Eve when we told our friends we were pregnant one of them “named” the baby Frijole and that’s what we’ve called him ever since. Whether that continues to be his name on this blog or other social media sites is yet to be determined. I may change it after birth, I may not. John probably uses his actual name more than I do. People always seem so shocked when I do say his name that I often forget that it’s because he’ll be here in 2 weeks and I’ve never told them his name. I bet most people just think we don’t have one picked out or we’re just not telling anybody. To be honest, part of it is that I’m a little scared of burning out on his name. It’s almost like I don’t want to overuse it. Or what if when he does get here he looks NOTHING like his name? So even though he’s no longer the size of a frijole, he’s still Frijole to me. I also tend to just refer to him as The Baby, him/he, or pain in the ass depending on how my day is going.

How will you monitor others using his name?

We’ve already asked family and friends to not use his name. In the few instances someone had posted his name on Facebook, I’ve asked them to edit their posting and have given plenty of other options they can currently use. I’ve also asked to crop pictures if they’re using one that has his name in it – for instance from my baby shower. So far no one has had any problems with it. I’m sure as he gets older we may have more things come up, but we’ll address them as needed. Advice from others that I’ve heard from is that usually the person who posted will edit it, they’ve deleted or edited the blog comment, and some have actually unfriended friends and family that wouldn’t comply.

Will you ever share his actual name?

In real life I’d be happy to tell you his name. Putting it online is a decision I want him to make when he’s old enough to understand it. I know that there will eventually be a time when he knows about this blog, and that I’ve written stories about him. There will probably be a time when he asks me to no longer share anything about him. I think as bloggers that write about our children, we all know that it is inevitable and will deal with it in our own ways. I hope that he will one day appreciate that I’ve documented stories of his life for him and that he’ll eventually be able to share them with his family.

DIY Changing Pad Cover

In June my mom came down to help me sew all the bedding for the nursery. I'm so glad that she did because I really don't think I could have done it all myself. Or I should say I probably could have managed it, but in no way would it look as good as it does without her help.

Our first project was to make two changing pad covers. I think it's funny that this was the one that she balked at the most because it's basically a fitted sheet and we all know that we hate those. This was seriously the easiest one and I could probably make 20 of them like a pro!



To fit a standard changing pad (32″L x 16″W x 4″H) you'll need to cut your fabric to 48" x 32".

Next fold your fabric lengthwise and then widthwise and cut an 8" x 8" square from the raw edges of your fabric.


Note: Using your husband's tools is also totally acceptable for any major sewing project.

I repeat. Your cut should not be made on the folded side of your fabric.....not that we learned from experience or anything.....

This is what your piece of fabric will look like after you make the cut and lay it out.



Next pin the corners together with the right side of the fabric facing each other.



Sew your four corners together.



Next you'll need to create a tube for the elastic. Do this by folding over about a 1/2 inch of fabric, pressing with an iron and then folding over another inch and pinning in place.



Be sure to leave yourself an opening to feed your elastic through and then sew your seam. Cut a 36 inch piece of elastic - we used 3/8 inch - and using a safety pin, feed your elastic through the tube you just sewed. You'll want to sew your elastic together and then sew your opening closed.

The end result should basically look like a giant shower cap!


Also a view of the fabric we used for the second pad cover.

Here it is on the pad from the back.



The finished product!