A week from now...

I will be able to sleep on my stomach! I may not be sleeping for long, but I will be home from teh hospital, back in my bed and on my tummy! Luke just pointed this out to me so I thought I would share...

38 Week Belly

Can you tell I am getting uncomfortable?

Thirty-Eight Weeks and Counting...

How far along? 38 weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: -1 since last dr. visit/ +29 total
Maternity clothes? Yep, and even one bridesmaids dress that still fits!
Stretch marks? I found my first one with five days to go :(
Sleep:Not really
Best moment this week: Bella got to feel Claire move!
Movement: Most squirming and huccups
Food cravings: Taco Casa
Gender: It's a GIRL! Claire Kimball McGlothin
Labor Signs: A few contractions here and there
Belly Button in or out? Belly button is officially out
What I miss: Bella left Wednesday so we're sad she won't be here when Claire is born :(
What I am looking forward to: Mom and Dad coming today, then Claire can come anytime!
Milestones: Scheduled the induction for Tuesday, October 13th!!

37 Week Belly Bump

So I just got back from the doctor and he is sure we are not having this baby before court on Monday, so Luke and I are breathing a huge sigh of relief! I am now 2 cm dilated and still 50% effaced. He also said we are still on to be induced Monday, October 12th :) I can't believe it is getting this close!

Here we are at 37 weeks! Luke still can't believe how big my belly is and he sees me everyday!

Thirty-Seven Weeks and Counting...

How far along? 37 weeks 1 days
Total weight gain/loss: +2 since last dr. visit/ +30 total
Maternity clothes? I have about three tops and two bottoms that still fit, so sorry if you see me in the same outfit a few times in one week but I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes at this stage in the game.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: If I can fall asleep on one side before that side of my back starts to hurt, then I am good; if not, I just toss and turn from one side to another as each side starts to hurt
Best moment this week: Claire's Atlanta baby shower- It was so great to see the whole family and Grandma went WAY above and beyond in hosting the greatest shower!
Movement: Most squirming, since there is no room to kick anymore
Food cravings: rice krispies, butter pecan ice cream
Gender: It's a GIRL! Claire Kimball McGlothin
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Belly button is officially out
What I miss: Peeing in a cup with no trouble (it's just a lot harder these days with this big belly i the way)
What I am looking forward to: Seeing Bella on Thursday
Milestones: I'm sure I'll be more dialted or effaced by the time I go to the doc on Wednesday...

36 Week Belly Pic

Sorry this is late (again) but here it is!

Thirty-Six Weeks and Counting...

How far along? 36 weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: +2 since last dr. visit/ +30 total
Maternity clothes? Most of those are too small now (I never thought I would say that) so I have resorted to Luke's t-shirts
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Not with this cold
Best moment this week: Grammie coming to visit and spoiling us with a ham, green bean casserole, and chocolate cake; and the mani/ pedi I am about to go have
Movement: Oh yeah!
Food cravings: peanut butter crackers
Gender: It's a GIRL! Claire Kimball McGlothin
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Belly button is officially out
What I miss: red wine with steak
What I am looking forward to: Claire's shower in Atlanta and seeing the whole fam
Milestones: I am 1 cm dialted and 50% effaced

Claire's Due Date is ONE MONTH AWAY!

I can't believe the due date is so quickly approaching. One day I am so ready for to be here, and then the next I am panicking that it is so close. I got another batch of clothes today at a great consignment sale and was busy washing them and putting them away, as if she could arrive any minute.

And on top of that, I have come down with a mean cold; sore throat, runny nose, cough, the whole shebang! I know there are a few things I can take, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. But last night, I only slept a total of four hours so I may break down if I can't sleep again.

I have to go set up our webcam so we can see Bella tonight (for the first time in almost three months). She had her first field trip today to go see "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs," and is so excited to tell us all about it.

Baby Claire at 35 Weeks

Here is a snapshot of Claire's face at our ultrasound Tuesday. I think the black part covering half of her face is my bladder (which is seemingly always full these days). I can't beleive she will be here in about a month!



Looks like she will have those McGlothin family baby cheeks. And our ultrasound tech was also able to see that she has at least some hair (which is good news since I was bald until almost one year old)!

35 Week Belly Pic

She's still pretty high and I am VERY ready for her to drop so I can breathe again!

Thirty-Five Weeks and Counting...

How far along? 35 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: +4 since last dr. visit/ +28 total
Maternity clothes? Yep, and I still have to find something to wear to court tomorrow
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: No, not much else to add than No, I am not sleeping
Best moment this week: Seeing Claire's face on the ultrasound and hearing her heartbeat (164 bpm)
Movement: At every point in the day, I can feel her not necessarily kicking but definately moving
Food cravings: peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich
Gender: It's a GIRL! Claire Kimball McGlothin
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Belly button is officially out
What I miss: I have a bit of a sore throat so I miss being able to take any kind of medicine without a second thought
What I am looking forward to: weekly OB appointments
Milestones: I am 1 cm dialted!

35/35 Mark, And Panic Sets In

So I finally made it to the 35/35 mark... This means that I am 35 weeks down and only 35 days to go. I'm having a real breakdown thinking there are probably fewer than 35 days until Claire arrives. So, in light of this milestone, let's put Luke to work.

*Cleaning out the guest room closet (to make room for everything that was in the office, now nursery, closet)
*Hang our curtain rod and curtains (yes, we have lives here a year and a half, but we're just now getting around to this)
*Hang blinds in the nursery
*Install video monitor (so I don't have to go upstairs to check on our princess everytime she makes a sound)
*Clean up garage (although it's mainly full of empty boxes due to the lovely gifts that continue to arrive)
*Install side mounting brackets to the dishwasher since we have granite countertops (this was a fail, since neither of us could understand the directions and I figure my dad will need a project or two to acomplish while my mom takes care of me and baby)
*Figure out something to do with our poor excuse for a garden in the backyard (we finally have grass growing but Cooper refuses to allow anything to grow in the garden and she just digs up dirt to spread acrodd the patio so I think we'll cover it with some stone tiles, I don't know)
*Finish washing Claire's clothes (I need Luke's help with this since I can no longer reach the bottom of the washing machine- big belly in the way)

I really need to remind myself to breathe!

My Poor Organs !!

So this is why I can't breathe! Please take a gander at what normal organs look like (at 8 weeks everything is still pretty normal) and what they become at 35 weeks!



Thanks to the Univesrsity of Maryland Medical Center for clearing this up!

Maternity Pics

When we went to the beach last weekend, my lovely sister-in-law (Bethany, I should specify since I have three, almost four sisters-in-law) was kind enough to take some pictures of Luke and I. I basically had to drag him down from the condo (one hour before the first Alabama footbal game of the season) and tease him with the promise of bar-b-qued shrimp (which while not exactly what it sounds like, is way awesome).

He acted like the oh-so-wonderful husband that he is, shaved his face and wore what I asked, and posed like the model he should be :) Here are a few of the highlights...




His arms are like twice the size of mine!


I love this one!



This is one of my faves!

I didn't realize we covered the belly until afterwards... oops!

I saw this on thebump.com and had to steal the idea!

You can't really see the belly here, but I still love how it came out.

34 Week Belly

Here is a glimpse of the maternity pics we took last weekend... Six weeks to go!

Thirty-Four Weeks and Counting...

How far along? 34 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: +2 since last dr. visit/ +24 total
Maternity clothes? Yep, and my favorite Target shorts are now too small :( I need it to get cooler so I can transition to jeans
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: Cycle has become try to get comfprtable, get up and pee, try to get comfortable, get up and pee; notice there is no actual sleep in that cycle
Best moment this week: Laying on the beach, by far
Movement: Yes, and what I thought was rythmic dance by Claire is actually her hiccups
Food cravings: Food is not more important than breathing and now that I am having to choose between eating and breathing (at least until she drops), I am chossing breathing
Gender: It's a GIRL! Claire Kimball McGlothin
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Belly button is officially out
What I miss: The ability to bend down (Luke had to retreive by golf ball on the putt putt course because I can no longer reach the ground)
What I am looking forward to: Start of the Fall Small Groups at Church of the Highlands :)
Milestones: Maternity pictures have been taken and will be posted soon!

Even the Unemployed Celebrate Labor Day!

I often feel sorry for myself that I got laid off when I was 14 weeks pregnant and mull over the fact that no one is hiring (and no one is especially hiring pregnant people), but as the hard working celebrate their well-deserved day off, I reflect.

I am really so lucky that I have a hard-working husband that can support us, great health insurance through his company, and this time to prepare our home and our family for this wonderful new blessing.

I sometimes wonder how pregnant people work a 40 hour week and live through it. I don't sleep very well at night and therefore nap throughout the day. When I have a craving, I just go out to the grocery and get it. I was able to paint the nursery and get things ready just the way I wanted them to be. And best of all, I spent the whole summer at home with Bella! These are all things I can/ could do because I don't have to work.

Part of me is ready to get back into the professional world, but part of me is so spoiled with this time off. Sometimes I just want an intelligent conversation with someone other than Luke. (I feel bad for Luke because every day when he gets home, I literally talk his ear off.) I just want to feel like I am doing something important. But the other part of me knows that when Claire arrives, I may never want to leave her side, not even for the greatest job opportunity. I know I can't stay home forever, and real sacrifices have been made for this stint of unemployment to be possible.

But as we wind down from a wonderful vacation, I will celebrate today anyway, as I think I am doing a pretty darn good job of growing a human. And what could be more important than that.

Life is better at the beach :)

Luke and I arrived at the beach yesterday afternoon, and are so happy to be here! We went to eat at Doc's Seafood House last night.



And my nephew Liam, with his "Dangerous" t-shirt, and my neice Camille with her sassy face

33 Week Belly Pic

Thirty-Three Weeks and Counting

How far along? 33 weeks 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: +2 since last dr. visit/ +24 total
Maternity clothes? Yep, and even some of my maternity shirt are too short already.... Yikes!
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: Two words: Constantly. Exhausted.
Best moment this week: Hearing Claire's heartbeat (146 bpm)
Movement: Always, I don't think she sleeps
Food cravings: Rice Krispie Treats
Gender: It's a GIRL! Claire Kimball McGlothin
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Half in, Half out
What I miss: Not having constant indigestion (constant seems to be my word of the week)
What I am looking forward to: Going to the beach for Labor Day Weekend!
Milestones: We scheduled our last two week appointment for September 15th when we'll have the final ultrasound and the doc will check if I am dialted or effaced! Then I start going every week!