37 Weeks!

37 weeks! 

9 months and one week. 

wow. 

I am feeling it though. Feet that look like hams & a bladder that must resemble a sad little deflated balloon. With that being said, they're signs of my body getting near time for my sweet babe to arrive. I'm showing other signs too. I've felt a rush of hormones and can check off some of the typical things that should be happening at this point...but I'm too embarrassed to mention them by name! Just know all is well! 

I had my scan and monitoring yesterday. It was quite stressful just trying to get to the hospital, town was PACKED with people & the buses weren't running properly. Ya know those hormones I mentioned? Well by the time I decided to get a taxi to the hospital I was fighting back the tears. 

As usual Baby Woo's heart rate was great! One midwife who stuck her head through to check on us said the print outs looked "beautiful"! That's what I like to hear!
In the scan there were lots of smaller pools of fluid instead of the one big one we usually have, so the fluid measured smaller than it has been, by 3 cm! Very dramatic, but the midwife said we'd still need to come back next week as 2 weeks of lowered levels are required before we could be released from this high risk category. She seemed to think that the lower level had to do with the position Baby Woo was in. 

I'm being cautious. I don't want to get excited yet. I want to wait and see. 

Mr Woo & I had a wonderful, quiet, laid back, & yummy Christmas. 

He really spoiled me. I still can't believe it! Get ready to start seeing much nicer photos around here as I've been given a big fancy Digital SLR camera!!!!! I've wanted to replace my wonderful film camera for years but we've never had the money. I so wanted to get a decent camera before Baby Woo's arrival because I want to document EVERYTHING SHE DOES! Haha! And my incredibly sweet & thoughtful husband made my wish come true! He didn't stop there, he also got a vintage style digital radio/IPOD dock for me! 

I've been shopping for an ipod dock for a while as I want to bring music to the hospital for labor. I'd been hunting on ebay for a while but never saw anything I really liked. Wouldn't you know Mr Woo kept telling me the ones I was looking at weren't great and I should keep looking because he'd bought the most perfect one ever in secret! 

He is so thoughtful.

I love him so. 

Uncle Laurie (Mr Woo's brother) is also a very thoughtful man, he gave us a game system! Haha! I think it's a hilarious gift but very sweet. He said it's for the times when we need a break when baby comes. Mr Woo has already worked out how we can use it to watch BBC iplayer on the tv using the system and so on...he's very high tech. 

I just want to play some type of Mario Brothers :)

Gifts are LOVELY but the nicest part about our quiet Christmas we just spending the entire day together doing not much. We ate and laughed and played with our new game system. I felt totally relaxed (which for me is rare). We never even got out of our PJs! I'm really blessed to be married to such a good friend.

 It's pouring rain and very windy & cold at the moment. I'm so glad my midwife's appointment is only across the street. 

I'd better get showered and dressed for my check up! 

Ok....I'm really going now....

36 weeks!

Another week has flown by and taken me into what should be my final month of pregnancy. 

I CAN NOT believe it! 

CHRISTMAS is in 4 days! 

Mr Woo is going to do the Christmas food shopping on Friday. We've decided to take it easy and graze all day rather than have a huge meal. It'll just be the two of us relaxing, eating yummy food and watching Christmas movies & enjoying our last Christmas as a family of 2. 

Another reason we're taking it easy is because I am struggling. I went to the hospital today for my scan to measure the amount of fluid in with the baby. 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with Polyhydramnois , too much amniotic fluid. I was hoping it would have been reduced, buuuut, it has actually increased. It was 8.1cm last time and today it was 9.5 cm. 8cm is the top of the normal range at our hospital.
Because of the worry of heart defect, which could be one cause of polyhydramnois, I'm going to have to go the hospital once a week as an out patient to have Baby Woo's heart monitored and a scan taken to measure the fluid levels. 

Another possible cause is a birth defect which effects the baby's ability to swallow, but we won't know until she's born. The midwife seems to think that if there is a defect it would have been spotted by now in the ultrasounds. The other, according to the midwife, most likely reason for the extra fluid is that Baby Woo is growing well, that she's probably going to be a big baby so therefore more water is surrounding her. 

We just have to go to our appointments, wait and see. We're being well looked after. Today was a bit scary when I was sent in for fetal heart monitoring and I didn't understand why. Mr Woo has assured me that it's just to be careful & that we'll be fine. There is a possibility that Baby Woo could come early with some help from the doctors. I'd like to avoid induction if possible, but I'll do whatever is best for Baby Woo. 

Mr Woo did some research and is ordering me to rest and relax. So that's what I'm gonna do. 

Take it easy & enjoy the next few weeks!

Tomorrow is going to be a big baking day! I will be taking lots of breaks lots of taste tests ;)

We're getting together with our friends who are coming home for Christmas. We usually meet up in the pub but this year we've been invited to a more formal get together! 

So I'm bringing cookies!!!! 

The Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are by special request, our host loves them!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Espresso Snow Caps 

and 

Rolo Turtles!

and maybe

Salted Chocolate Shortbread Cookies! 

Here's to rest and goodies!
I've got a pint of Mince Pie ice cream in the freezer as a special treat too! 

Hope you're well and ready for the big day! 

xoxoxo

34 Weeks

I am still surprised every day at how quickly these months have passed! So many people told me to expect time to draaaag, but I have experienced the very opposite. Maybe because I have loved every moment of being pregnant. It's been an adventure of discovery and magical! I've not always felt well and now I'm getting quite uncomfortable in every part of my body, but I have LOVED growing this baby & bonding with her. 

Even when she wallops me or I have painful practice contractions or terrible heartburn I treasure it. 

Some of you, my dear friends, have told me how heartburn is a sure sign of baby having a head full of hair...looks like you were absolutely right! 

I had a scan yesterday to check on Baby Woo's growth. We saw her in so much more detail, her little pursed lips, cute button nose and "mop of hair"! At first the sonographer said "she {baby} has some fuzz on her head...nope, she's got a mop of hair!". We could see it even though it was just a normal 2D ultrasound! 

Just like me, Baby Woo will enter this world with a head full of luscious locks ;)

My Mom said I looked like a spider monkey with all of my dark sticking up hair.
What do you think?

Baby Me circa 1977.

 I guess Baby Woo won't be needing any headbands in order to wear the sweet bows her Aunt Lindsay is making, she'll have enough hair to just clip 'em right on! 

During our check up yesterday the doctor found that I have polyhydramnios or too much amniotic fluid around baby. It's a very mild case, but as a result I had some blood tests to check for infection. I do not have diabetes or any of the other issues that can cause polyhydramnios and we will go

back to the hospital in 2 weeks for another scan to check on the fluid level again. 

The doctor isn't worried and neither are Mr Woo &  I. It's a pretty common complication 1 in 100 pregnancies. At this stage, being so close to full term the only action they might take would be to induce labor early if I am too uncomfortable, that might be a huge blessing actually!

This Sunday my sweet friend Heather is throwing a baby shower for me. It's going to be a very small and laid back affair, but I couldn't be more excited :) 

I'll take lots of photos so that I can share what we get up to!

I'd better get back to making this custom necklace and bracelet order or else! 

TTFN 

x