35 Weeks

This past Thursday, I reached 35 weeks of pregnancy. This past week I also entered the "pre-labor" stage. Pre-labor supposedly starts around a month before real labor. It's not much fun. The good news is that it is a big signal that the baby is coming soon. We are physically ready and hopefully mentally ready. Our suitcase and the car seat are in the car... all we need now is a baby.

Last week we went to childbirth class and did our hospital tour. I think our hospital will be great. All of the Labor and Delivery rooms are huge and completely private. The recovery rooms are also all private. 2 to 6 more weeks to go!

Our Maternity Pictures

We had our pictures taken today. We didn't have all of these printed, but they gave us a disk with all the pictures, so here are my favorites.

34 Weeks

Last Thursday, I reached 34 weeks of pregnancy. Everything is still going well. We had an appointment with our doctor on Monday and everything is good. I have had a bit more swelling than before, but I still have good blood pressure.

We have been very busy ever since I finished with work. I cannot think of one single day that we didn't have something going on outside of Grant's job. We have been out of town for baby showers and have been doing lots of stuff to finish getting ready for Cullen's birth. My mom came to visit and washed all of Cullen's clothes! I am so glad that I don't have to worry about it. We started childbirth class last night.

Here are some recent pictures:

Maternity Pictures

We had some maternity pictures taken today. I will upload some more poses a little later, but here is a preview...

Church Baby Shower

My wonderful girlfriends at church threw us a baby shower last weekend. Our nursery is going to be a camping theme, so they decided to stay with the theme for the shower. We received so many wonderful gifts! It is really going to be a big task to put everything away. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church.

32 Weeks

Everything is still going well. We had a sonogram this past Monday. It was good. Cullen was exactly the right size... to the day. My doctor said that never happens. He was estimated to be 4 lbs 4 oz. My belly measurements are good and my weight gain is a little on the high end, but still normal. The good news is we decided to go with a jogging stroller instead of the traditional 4 wheeled stroller. Hopefully I will feel like going for walks a couple of weeks after Cullen arrives. Our hospital bag is all packed now. I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have packed yet because it has made me that much more anxious to deliver. We had a great baby shower last weekend with our friends from church. I will put up pictures from that a little later.

In other news, I finished up the school year last week. Friday was my last day of work. I will be staying at home with Cullen. I am so glad to have time off before he is born. There have been lots and lots of things that I wanted to do before he comes, and now I have time to do them.

I know everything I say and do is about the baby right now, but I have no apologies. Being pregnant is my life right now and that is naturally all I think about. I think God makes mommies like that because making/getting prepared for a new human is a big deal. I am so excited to get a baby and super nervous to deliver a baby.

30 Weeks!

Yesterday marked 30 weeks of pregnancy for me. I have read that this means that if the baby were born this week, he would have a 90% chance of surviving. I am trying to hold out for 8 more weeks. I don't feel desperate to have the baby just yet, but I am sure my day will come. I am very excited to meet little Cullen. Grant and I talk about what we are going to show him and teach him all the time. I can't wait!

I have still been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. Don't worry, they are not very close together. I have noticed that certain things will trigger them: climbing stairs, getting too little sleep, sitting or standing for long periods of time, and bus duty. Yes, bus duty triggers contractions. I guess because it really stresses me out to be in the gym with so many screaming kids. Thankfully, I only have to do bus duty 8 more times! I still have pain in my tailbone and have started having pain in my hips as well. All of this is supposed to be normal, so it is just a matter of being uncomfortable. This past week or so, I have been getting a little heartburn. We'll have to see if this means Cullen will be born with lots of hair.

As a side note, our friends Triston and Dale had their baby girl last week! We were all very excited for them. Everything went very well and they are already at home. Also, did you know that all four of the other women who were pregnant this year in our small group had or are having girls? Grant keeps teasing all of them that we will take the one with the largest dowry for our son.

Grant plans to start staining the built in unit for the nursery next week. Sometime shortly after that, our nursery should be just about done and ready for pictures.

Below are my weekly belly pictures:

Baby Price

Our friends, Clifton and Michelle, had their baby girl a couple of weeks ago. She was a very beautiful newborn. I can't wait to see her again!

27 Weeks

I reached the 27th week of my pregnancy on Thursday. Also on Thursday, I went to the lab and did my glucose screening. The results aren't in yet, but I will keep you posted. Lately, the pregnancy fatigue has been returning. I am going to bed a little earlier every night. Also, I have been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. I have told my doctor and she says that it is fine as long as they don't get too close together. She also told me that I probably need more rest when they are closer together. I know that is true! The good news is, I only have 5 weeks of work left... not just for the summer!

On Friday, I submitted my official resignation with my last day being June 3. There are lots of things that I will miss about my job, but I am really looking forward to being home. I love being home. I love to cook and hope to learn to love to clean. Between work and being pregnant, I am too tired to do anything once I arrive home. I am mostly looking forward to spending more time with Grant and the new baby.

We finally settled on a name for the baby: Cullen Quinn. Both names are Irish. Cullen means 'good-looking lad' or 'handsome.' Quinn means 'counsel' and 'descendent of Con' with 'connotations of intelligence.' Con was an ancient Irish king who is listed as an ancestor of the Maloney family.

We have another appointment with the doctor on May 10. As far as I know, it is just a routine appointment. In about 5 weeks, we are supposed to have another sonogram. I am really looking forward to seeing my baby boy again.

Here are the latest belly pictures:

24 Weeks

I am 24 weeks as of Thursday. We have a check up tomorrow. Everything seems to be going smoothly. We have been nesting in a big way. The crib is all set up, the room is painted, we have started picking out other decor for the room, we have new drawers in the closet, and Grant is working on making a custom built-in shelving unit. We have also fixed up the backyard. We really want to be able to spend lots of time with our children outside. I am not ready to post pictures of the nursery yet, but here is a picture of me.

Triston's Baby Shower

We had another baby shower at church about a week and a half ago. Here is a picture of the hostesses with Mommy. Triston is near the middle wearing black and white. I love these girls.

The latest preggo pic with my friends from September to April.