Yes...still pregnant. 39 Weeks.

See?



Well, the time has come where we now receive regular messages from friends asking if I'm still pregnant. Joel gets an email at work every morning from his best friend Mike, checking to see if I'm still pregnant. He reasons that if Joel does not respond, he must not be at work, and then he will have his answer. Good thinking, Mike! :-) But, yes - still pregnant everyone! In fact, if you get email updates for this blog from us, you'll be among the very first to know if and when I'm NOT! We have set up an email to spread the news of Baby Corcoran's arrival so stay tuned - we'll keep you posted!

Anyhow, week 39 has just begun, but we figured we'd get this one on the record books just in case. Friday, I ran some errands, did some organizing at home, and then met Kelly (Joel's sister) for pedicures and frozen yogurt! It was a great way to kick back and relax while I fired off a long list of questions for the experienced mother-of-three. Thanks again Kelly for the pedicure, company, and solicited advice! :-) Today, we also had Kelly inspect our car seat installation. Now, we had planned to go to the fire department to have the car seat inspector check it out, but apparently he's really busy right now. So, while we may still make an appointment to visit the fire dept. guy, we thought we'd have the family expert check it out in case we don't make it over there in time. Kelly is known for being a major stickler for car seat security, so we knew she'd be a great person to evaluate our installation efforts! Some of you may be thinking we're a little nutty about all of this, but did you know that 9 out of 10 car seats are not installed properly? We were even pretty confident that we had done it correctly, but Kelly was quick to notice how loose the base was! A few extra tugs on the straps and a couple of adjustments later and we had a car seat with Aunt Kelly's seal of approval! Woo hoo!

Tonight, Joel and I took advantage of our 'childless' couple status and went to see a movie. Once again, keeping in mind that the next time we try to go see a movie, we'll probably need a babysitter! Any takers? ;-) Oh, and as for the movie - we saw Alice in Wonderland. Now, we knew this was a Tim Burton film so we probably should have known better than to think it would be all that good for the non-hallucinogen-taking population like ourselves. Oh well. It was still fun to go out for the night!

Here are a couple more belly shots. I'll do another post later this week with the regular stats - assuming we don't have much more exciting things to share by then! :-)

38 Weeks

Well, Preggasaurus (Rex) is officially on maternity leave. Time to get my knitting needles and sit in the rocking chair, right? Yeah...not so much. While I started the week like a chicken with my head cut off, I ended the week with a much calmer schedule. I have done some resting and made time for naps, but I definitely prefer to keep moving. Sitting and lying around both get very uncomfortable after a while, so I have enjoyed getting out of the house and staying busy. On Thursday, I enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch with Grandma Emilie (Joel's mom) and a stroll around the mall (thanks again Emilie - I had a great time!).

Here is the 38 week belly - kickin back in the glider with the fur-children. Jack (left) and Bridget (right) seem to be ready to greet the newest member of the pack, but we know it will be quite the adjustment that they are no longer going to be the center of our attention. We've been trying to prepare them as best we can and so far, we are hopeful that it will all pay off. We have some special play time all lined up at the Animal Den with Auntie Lisa to help wear them out, too. :-)



We celebrated Grandma Emilie's birthday at the start of week 38 with a 'surprise' party at Kelly & Joe's. Here we are ready to 'party'! :-)



The usual info:

How far along? 38 weeks. The equivalent of 266 days. TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX DAAAAAAAAYYYYSSSS people.
Total weight gain/loss: Next question! (jk....nothing has changed)
Maternity clothes? Yes, but as previously stated, the selection that fits is dwindling.
Stretch marks? Ugh. The same ones just seem to get uglier. I was doing so well for all those months!
Sleep: Comes and goes. Some nights I sleep "like a baby"...other times I sleep like a real baby (meaning, I don't).
Best moment this week: My first day of maternity leave was Wednesday. I slept in, took a nap, and laid around the house all day. It was fantastic!
Movement: Yup. Hiccups, stretching, donkey kicks. You know, the usual.
Food cravings: Cheese. Although, I had some slices of raw zucchini dipped in ranch the other day and that sounds really good right now, too.
Gender: It's a boy. Or a girl.
Labor Signs: Nothing goin' on just yet.
Belly Button in or out? I'd say it was 'out' but it's stretched too much, so again.... we're still flat. I wonder what will become of the poor thing post pregnancy.
What I miss: Wine. Let's be honest. I miss wine.
What we am looking forward to: Being someone's Mom and Dad! We can't wait!
Weekly Wisdom: I think the unanimous words of the wise have been: "Rest & relax while we still have the chance." We're trying!
Milestones: Sadly, I had to officially retire my wedding and engagement rings to my jewelry dish this week - the fingers are finally getting a little swollen. But - 38 weeks of pregnancy with already tight fitting rings? Not too shabby I suppose. I do miss them though!
Current Projects: Stocking the freezer with make-ahead meals so that when we get to a point when it's just the two of us and the baby...we won't have to rely on take-out, drive-thru, or pizza as our only options for sustenance. :-)

37 Weeks - "Preggasaurus"

Sorry for the delay in updating! These last few weeks have been pretty busy! I'm winding down my days at work and getting ready to transition the long term sub with my class next week. Throw some report cards and parent conferences in there and it's been a bit crazy lately.

Here are the 37 week belly pics. A friend at work said she loved my little striped shirt today so I decided it might be a good day to take a picture. However....my first thought when I saw Joel's pictures was, "Oh, look...a preggasuarus!" :-) I guess that is what happens when you are 9 months pregnant and you wear a bright green shirt with horizontal stripes!




Here are the stats:

How far along? 37 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I think we've tipped the scale at almost 40 pounds. BUT, when I asked how we are on growth, Dr. Olsson says "Perfect!" I like him. :-)
Maternity clothes? Yes. Barely. I admitted to Joel the other day that I'd go pant-less if I thought it might be socially acceptable. I'm definitely about to outgrow almost everything I have and I refuse to buy MORE at this point.
Stretch marks? Boo. Yes. Not many, but I have a few. Please go away.
Sleep: Thank God for the Sleep Number bed. I had it cranked up to a firmer number earlier in the week and was REALLY uncomfortable for a couple of nights. Once I adjusted it, I've been sleeping much better. I can't imagine what I'd do if I didn't have the luxury of adjusting it! (Thank you genius sales guy at Sleep Train Mattress Center for showing me the very convincing thermal imaging pamphlet about pressure points with pregnant women. I give you credit for my being a well rested mama-to-be. You're welcome for the commission.)
Best moment this week: Having a great dinner out with our friends Jayson and Rhianna last Friday. We know our 'nights out' are going to be rather limited for awhile, so we are cherishing the freedom in these final days!
Movement: All the time. We love to sit back and watch 'the show' going on with the belly! I've also finally noticed when the baby has the hiccups - I could never tell before, but now it is very clear. Poor kid!
Food cravings: Nothing specific. I like to eat, but let's be honest, I've always liked to eat, even pre-pregnancy!
Gender: Well, at the shower, I sided on Team Blue, but thanks to Auntie Brandi's wise suggestion, I also took some pictures on Team Pink so that our maybe-daughter won't feel left out. :-) Thanks Bran!
Labor Signs: I don't think so, but we're getting there. With a lot of activity, I do notice more tightening in the stomach and sometimes it only subsides when I lie down. We went for a walk last night that was probably a little bit more extensive than it needed to be - let's just say I was really glad to finally waddle back to our house and find a spot on the couch. :-(
Belly Button in or out? Flat. It's just flat.
What I miss: HA! How about not getting winded by rolling over in bed? Or perhaps being able to physically GET UP without performing Olympic level maneuvers? What do I miss.... HA!
What I am looking forward to: Meeting the little freeloader, I mean, bundle of joy! :-) We can't believe it's already March and while that does spark a bit of anxiety, we are so excited that we are going to actually MEET our baby so soon! We really can't believe it!
Weekly Wisdom: You might be 9 months pregnant when the staff meeting is held in your classroom and the whole group is wondering if your heater is broken because it's apparently freezing to everyone but you. I was toasty!
Milestones: We have a finished nursery, packed hospital bags, and we've reached our "delivery month"! Wow!
Current Projects: Preparing my class for my upcoming departure - it's hard to hand them over and walk away. I'm sure I will have plenty to occupy me soon, but for now, those are "my kids" and it's weird to think I won't really be around for them for the rest of the year. I know they'll be in great hands, but it's strange for a control-freak like myself. :-)

36 Weeks - Team Blue or Team Pink?

We had an exciting week or two in February with one last baby shower for friends and family in the Nor Cal area! My mom ("Nana Claudette") came down to host the shower with help from Grandma Emilie, Aunt Kelly, and "Aunties" Heather & Brandi. Nana Claudette and Heather went to town on the details and made the day extra special with some really fun little touches (like Heather's Team Blue/Team Pink name tags - so cute!). Kelly and Emilie provided some delicious desserts and my mom tested out a new recipe (parmesan artichoke strudel - YUM!) that was a big hit! Thank you to everyone for all of the time and energy you put into making it such a special day! I had a blast! Thank you also to all of the guests who drove from all around, especially the Bay Area family and friends - it was so wonderful to have you all there to share the day with.

As always, we were overwhelmed with all of the generosity and kindness bestowed upon us. We feel so blessed and lucky to have all of you in our lives and we are so grateful for your love and support as we prepare to welcome Baby Corcoran to the world! Thank you again!