Adventures with the Ross Family

No picture for this week.  I wasn’t feeling well on Sunday and thought I would take it on Monday.  But I went into labor instead.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 39 Weeks

Size of Baby: over 7lbs, 20 inches long

Total Weight Gain:  36lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Yes, but I’ve been hanging out in my pajamas too.  Maternity jeans are a joke sometimes.

Gender:  girl

Movement:  Yes

What I Miss:  being able to move!

Cravings:  Any food at all sounds good.  I was tempted to head up to Sonic and try their new hot dogs but decided against it.  

Best Moment of the Week:  Knowing that I’ll meet my baby soon!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  38 Weeks

Size of Baby:  19 1/2 inches long, 6.8 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  34lbs 

Maternity Clothes:  Yes.  And I’m so sick of them!  Ready for “real” clothes soon.

Gender:  Girl.  What a contrast between Jax’s closet and Julianne’s.  All you see if pink and purple.  As it should be!

Movement:  Yes.  Her being big and running out of room does not stop her.  One bit.  (Sigh.)

What I Miss:  My real clothes as I said above.  I’m getting excited that I will be able to wear them soon.  And I miss my energy.  I can tell that even running errands makes me tired.  I look forward to bed every night.  

Cravings:  I made the Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies again.  Enough said.

Best Moment of the Week:  Going to the hospital on Monday and Julianne passed her test within 5 minutes.  But they have to monitor you for 20.  So it was nice to get in and out of there so fast.  And then when I went to my doctors appointment, he measured her on the ultrasound and estimated that she is just over 7 lbs.  She is ready to go!

But while I really have no complaints in this pregnancy and still feel pretty good, I’m so tired of these random contractions.  They will start up, last about an hour and then fade away.  My favorite is when they get good and regular and I start to think…maybe this it! And then they disappear.  My biggest complaint with them is that they just wear my body out.  I don’t have much energy as it is, so I really feel that steal my energy away.

I’ll start off this post by saying that I choose to enjoy this pregnancy.  I’m not one who likes being pregnant, and especially after a harder pregnancy with Jax, I was really worried about the following 9 months.  Luckily, it has been a piece of cake compared to Jax’s except for the contractions.  Now that Jules is full term, any contractions I have are a good thing.  However, I’m getting a little annoyed that they will start up, last for an hour or two, and then just go away?!  Argh.  Let’s get the show on the road!

So that’s the long way to say that I’m done being pregnant.  After being monitored last Monday, the nurse predicted I wouldn’t last til March because I was having about 3 contractions every 10 minutes.  We’ll see.  But my mantra is:  I won’t be pregnant forever.  That is what’s getting me through!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  37 Weeks.  

Size of Baby:  19 inches long, 6 1/3 lbs.

Total Weight Gain:  33lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Absolutely.  

Gender:  Girl.  Julianne

Movement:  All. The. Time.  Especially at 11pm.  

What I Miss:  Nothing really.  

Cravings:  Oh, I don’t know.  How about any and all sweets?  I made those stupid Alton Brown cookies again (with no complaints from Justin and Jax) and Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies.  Oh. My.  Goodness.  I’m going to miss all this glorious eating once Julianne is here and I’m on a diet back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I’m not looking forward to eating salads and working out with Jillian Michaels.  But I am looking forward to my skinny jeans!  Oh, how I have missed them!

Best Moment of the Week:  Maybe this isn’t the best moment of the week, but sure the funniest or weirdest.  I went to Walmart to stock up on some baby supplies.  You know size teeny-tiny diapers, baby soap, etc.  I also picked out some bottles.  It looked like Baby’s R Us had attacked my cart after I was done shopping.  But it needed to be done.  So I go up to the cashier and start putting up all the stuff.  She looks at me and asks, “Oh, is someone you know pregnant or just had the baby?” 

Well, that stopped me in my tracks. 

Hello!  My belly is not invisible!

So I say, “Yes, me.”  

She quickly looks at my stomach and realizes her mistake.  But then she tried to make small talk with me and was asking my due date.  Once, I told her she was convinced that I was too small to be almost due.  Which is silly, because she needs to walk around one day in my shoes.  I’m not too small.  I constantly run my belly into all sorts of things.  (Mainly, the car door.  I can’t seem to remember that I stick out that far.)

So I assure her that the baby is average size, take her observation (or lack of) as a compliment, and move on about my night. 

I’m finally getting to posting some pictures from Tall Timber.  That’s pretty much how I roll right now.  But better late than never!

Oh, and I’ll also remind you that at this point, I was 35 weeks.  I was feeling fine, but walking in the snow is hard.  Especially pregnant.  I would end up with contractions going from our room at Shultz Center to the lodge.  So I did not play in the snow.  I stayed indoors, just as I had predicted!

When we arrived, we got settled into our room.  We’ve stayed in this room now a couple of times, so it is just like home to Jax.  He got comfy with Justin and did what he always does on a trip, try to sneak away with our iPhones.  He’s pretty good at it too.  Look at the cuddles he putting on, just for the iPod.

We (ahem, Justin) took Jax out to try sledding. 

But once he got down the (little) hill, he has a smile on his face.  But when asked if he wanted to do it again, he was quick to say no.  

Miss Sharon took him around the lodge.  He enjoyed it, but notice he has no coat.  For some reason, he thinks that he needs to remove his coat before he gets inside.  He does this at home too.  We’ll be going up the stairs and he’ll be telling us “coat off” and then will hand it to me.  I guess that something I need to work on with him.

Jax liked pushing the sled too.  Again, no coat.  It’s a wonder he didn’t catch pneumonia!  Ha!

Jax’s favorite part of Tall Timber was upstairs in the lodge.  There is a pool table, gutterball table, ping pong table, and more up there.  He would go up there and tag along with all the other kids and just have a blast.  All the older kids were also so nice to him and let him tag along.  I didn’t seem to get a picture of it, probably because I was too comfy downstairs by the fire.  

He also had plenty of people to beg for attention.  He would go up to anyone of them and ask, “play?” and give big puppy dog eyes.  It worked most of the time, he always has someone to ask!

For me, this was a nice quiet weekend.  I read a good book, enjoyed the view of the snow indoors, and visited with friends.  It was all good!

How Far Along:  36 Weeks  (I probably need to go shopping and get a basinet for her soon…Or else she’ll be sharing Jax’s bed!)

Size of Baby:  18 1/2 inches long, 6 pounds

Total Weight Gain:  31lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Yes

Gender:  Julianne.  Still no middle name.  We talked about a couple of names, but that led us to a discussion about how to pronounce the one of the names, whether it was 2 syllables or 3.  And then we gave up because it was too much work.  And it was almost 10:30pm….which is amazing for me…(see below for the reason why).  But at least we are talking about it now, right?

Movement:  All the time.  Especially at night, of course!  Which is annoying because I used to be able to fall asleep right away.  But now she is so active, I have to wait for her to settle down.

What I Miss:  Nada.  Oh wait…I’m tired that I don’t have a lot of room in my stomach anymore.  Can’t eat too much or else it’s really uncomfortable!

Cravings:  Nothing specific.  Unless you count the brownies and Alton Brown cookies I made this week.  But…both Justin and Jax enjoyed it too, so it doesn’t have to be a pregnancy craving, right?

Best Moment of the Week:  Can I be honest and just say I have no idea?  I’m tired and this week I’ve had to take naps in order to stay up until 10pm.  That would be funny, but I’m totally serious.  If I don’t take a nap, I could be in bed sooner than Jax!

I’m already sleep deprived and she isn’t even here yet!  Sheesh!

(Ack, not the greatest pic!  But there was this ball of light in the sky that was shining in my face!  Could that be….the sun?  We haven’t seen it for days.  Oh, and while I was saying “cheese” and Justin was taking the pic, Jax decided to run off in the parking lot and chase a random cat.  There was no time to snap another pic.  Aw, this will do.)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  35 weeks

Size of Baby:  about 18 inches long, 5 1/4 lbs now

Total Weight Gain:  31 lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Absolutely!

Gender:  Julianne.  Still no middle name.  I’m tempted to just pull out a baby name book, close my eyes, flip to a page, and then put my finger on any name just to finally find a name.  Nothing is inspiring me right now.

Movement:  She’s very active at nighttime.  She makes it fun for me to try to get to sleep.  But somehow I manage.  I’m tired when I crawl into bed!

What I Miss:  Nothing too much.  Sure I’d like to be able to bend over easier and getting up from a chair is becoming a challenge.  And it’s a sad realization that my kid can outrun me right now, but it’s all temporary.  Soon enough, she’ll be in my arms (and not in my rib cage!) and I can’t wait!

Cravings:  Wheat Thins.  It’s hard to keep a box around in this household!

Best Moment of the Week:  Going to Tall Timber.  But I’ll post about that this week.  

I went to the doctor today and told the doctor I can’t wait to see her face and what she looks like.  And I’m a little concerned she is not going to have any hair.  Jax didn’t have hair until he was almost one years old.  (Poor kid took after me!)  So the doctor worked hard on Julianne to move her hands from her face.  She showed us her lips and nose.  She’s really trying to keep me in suspense until she is born!  But the doctor looked at her head and said that she didn’t see too much hair.  Now, that doesn’t mean too much (maybe it’s a light blonde color), but I am sure glad she has a drawer-ful of headbands just in case!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  34 Weeks (Seriously, where is the time going?)

Size of Baby:  18 inches long, 4 3/4 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  27 lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Yes.

Gender:  Girl  Julianne (still no middle name!  Aack..I’m a slacker!)

Movement:  Yes.  She keeps pretty busy in there!

What I Miss:  Nothing much.

Cravings:  Just food.  I’m always hungry now!  Oh, and I will warn you.  Do not, I repeat, do not make Alton Brown’s Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies.  It’s been my downfall this week.  

Best Moment of the Week:  Celebrating Jaxson’s birthday!  Clearing out clutter in the house.  Pretty much the same stuff as last week!  

In other news, I do have to do the Fetal Stress test each week now at the hospital.  Ergh.  I was hoping not to, but they just want to be extra careful on making sure she is ok with my blood pressure.  Which is probably a good thing, but the test is just so boring.  Luckily, since she moves all the time, it doesn’t take long for her to pass the test and then I’m on my way!

How Far Along:  33 Weeks  (7 Weeks to go!)

Size of Baby:  17 inches, over 4 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  27 lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Of course.

Gender:  Girl

Movement:  All the time.  Especially every night at 10pm when I’m ready for bed.  

What I Miss:  Being able to bend at the waist!  Ha!  Jaxson is awesome at picking stuff up on the floor for me.  Oh, and eating spicy food.  Just looking at spicy food gives me heartburn now!

Cravings:  Just food.  But I’m running out of room in my stomach.  I can’t eat very much now at one time.

Best Moment of the Week:  Taking Jax to Chuck E. Cheese.  Clearing out some clutter in this house.  ( I believe that is called “nesting.”)  Shopping at Old Navy with their additional 40% off their clearance.  

Tomorrow I head to the doctor.  They’ll check my blood pressure again and see if it’s too low.  I hope not.  I’m dreading if I have to start making weekly trips down to the hospital for the fetal monitoring.  But I sure am looking forward to seeing Jules on the ultrasound.  She’s just getting so big now and coming really soon! 

We woke up to snow this morning.  Yes, snow.  Seriously, after Arizona I’m pretty much sick of snow.  And winter for that matter!  Sure the forecasters predicted this white stuff, but I really thought they would be wrong.  The worst part is that they predicted more of this coming next week.  I miss our rain.  Never thought I would say that!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  32 Weeks, 8 Weeks to go.  Is it me or did this pregnancy just fly by?

Size of Baby:  16.7 inches long, 3.75 pounds

Total Weight Gain:  24lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Yes, and I noticed this is my third week in a row to wear this outfit on Sunday.  It’s making me look like I don’t have any other clothes.  I promise I do.  I’ll work harder on my clothes rotation next week and try to shake things up a bit with a different outfit!  I guess I just love this one because it is so comfy.  And that’s key to being pregnant.

Gender:  Girl  Julianne (no middle name) Ross.  Clearly, I need to pull a baby name book out and start picking out something.

Movement:  Yes.  She’s running out of room now.  Although she doesn’t know it.  She’s in my rib cage constantly.  But the impression she has given me is that my rib cage is in her way.  Hmpf.  Also, she gets the hiccups a lot.  

What I Miss:  Summer.  Oh, you mean about the pregnancy?  Just my regular clothes.  I’m tired of maternity clothes. 

Cravings:  Chocolate and oranges.  

Best Moment of the Week:  Just getting back into the routine at home.  I’ve been sick all week with a cold so I’ve been moving slow.  I’m embarrassed to say that I’m still living out of one suitcase.  I like to think it is because I still want to be on vacation, but in reality it’s because I’m too lazy to unpack it.  

In other news, everything about this pregnancy is opposite from when I was pregnant with Jaxson.  With Jax, I had high blood pressure and it made me feel bad.  Eventually, I got on medicine and that helped lower it.  This time around my blood pressure is really low.  I go back to the doctor in a week and they will decide what to do about it then.  Crazy.  Apparently, having too high or too low of blood pressure can affect the nutrients to the baby.  So Julianne might have to get on the fetal monitor once a week if it’s still low.  (Oh, goody!  That’s not boring at all!)  I’m not too worried about it, I’d be much more worried it was high.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  31 Weeks

Size of Baby:  16 inches long, about 3.3 pounds

Total Weight Gain:  22lbs  

Maternity Clothes:  Yes.  

Gender:  Girl.  Julianne

Movement:  Yup.  She keeps busy in there!

What I Miss:  Being on vacation! Ha!

Cravings:  Oranges.  They taste so yummy!

Best Moment of the Week:  I enjoyed our road trip home this week.  We got stuck in Arizona with that blizzard but I just rolled with the punches and didn’t let it bug me.  We got to lounge around in the hotel room and I even watched one of my soaps that I used to watch 7 years ago.  I found out not much has changed on that show…

Anyways, I have tons of pictures to post from our last leg of the trip, but laundry and playing with Jax has been my top priority today.