Welcome Noah James Upp!

On January 10, 2010 at 7:35am Noah James arrived in this world weighing 8 lbs 10.5 oz and was 21 inches long. He is absolutely beautiful!! He came out with a full head of very light blonde hair (almost strawberry blonde), long eyelashes, and long fingernails.

38 Weeks

I can't believe we're 38 weeks along!!! We could meet our little man any time now! I am more and more convinced I am going to go into labor early. I'm not sure how early, but I don't think I'm going to fall in that typical group of first time moms that go longer than 40 weeks.

I officially feel like a "large pregnant woman." I find getting in and out of the car takes quite a bit of effort, as does walking up and down the stairs, rolling over in bed, getting out of bed and even getting up and down off the couch. Ha! It's funny to think that a couple weeks ago none of this phased me. It's still amazing to me to think that there is a little human inside me waiting to come out into the world!

So far, I still have no stretch marks and my belly button did not pop out. Let's hope this stays this way!

I have started putting together what I will pack in my hospital bag. Right now, it's all laid out on the floor of Noah's nursery. I haven't really packed it yet because I am still using/wearing some of the things to go in the bag, but at least I have an idea what I want to bring.

We had our last prenatal visit with the doulas two weeks ago. I am really glad we decided to hire a doula as I feel that much more prepared for what is going to come during labor and delivery.

When taking my 38 week picture this week, I noticed how low my stomach was. It was so low I thought it was a weird angle so I asked Aaron to take another picture. This one looked really low too. I compared the picture with my 37 week picture and it's incredible to see how much I've dropped between last week and this week! That makes me think Noah is ready to come!!!

So now we wait... :)

Week 38 pictures:

37 Weeks

Baby Upp dropped even more! Suddenly I feel regular pressure in my pelvic region, upper thighs and hips. When I walk I feel like there is a lot more weight in that area and it takes a lot more effort to just walk. I'm trying hard to still stay active but it is getting more difficult as I'm becoming more uncomfortable. Sleeping is becoming much more difficult as laying on my side (which is what you're supposed to do since I can't lay on my back or stomach) becomes a problem after an hour or so because my hip that I'm laying on just starts aching like it's being smashed. So, I have to flip sides which is not that easy to do. With a little bit of help from Aaron (a lot of help with him pushing me to my other side, ha ha), I manage to get to my other side, only to switch back the next hour. This is all combined with getting up to go to the bathroom between 3-5 times a night. Everyone says this is just preparing me for getting no sleep once our little guy is here.

I had our 37 week appointment with Dr. Bess. She confirmed that he has dropped even more and is sitting right there. According to her he is very low and she is surprised at how much progress there has been in 1 week. Last week, he had dropped and was low but there was no dilation. At this appointment, I am 2-3 cm dilated and 60% effaced. She said everything looked great and was headed in the right direction for an on-time or early delivery. When I asked her why she said possibly early, she said because of how low he is and how much progress I made so quickly. She guess-timated maybe I would go into labor at 38 1/2 weeks. That's next week!!!! This is so exciting!

I started drinking red raspberry leaf tea last week after my appointment. Maybe I can attribute this progress to that? Who knows. I have stayed active and gone back to work where I am on my feet and walking very often. Regardless, I know that Baby Upp will come when he is ready and we will welcome him then! We can't wait to meet him!

Week 37 pictures: