Thirty-Six Weeks

Because Claire made an emergency exit at thirty-five weeks, I'm officially in uncharted pregnancy territory! Although I will be happy to have my body to myself again, I'm still feeling pretty good. More importantly, Maggie is doing okay! 

We had another growth ultrasound on Friday and she moved up from the 10th to the 14th percentile. They expect babies to gain about a half pound per week at this point and Maggie did just that, bringing her up to {an estimated} 5 pounds, 5 ounces. So all this protein packing seems to be working! I'm trying to eat 100 grams of protein every day. With eggs for breakfast, meat for lunch and dinner, and a protein shake at some point, I can just about do it. I would show you a picture from the ultrasound, but someone had their hands in front of their face yet again, so it looked pretty much like this one.

We weren't really prepared at all for Claire's arrival. It all worked out in the end, but I still wanted to have everything crossed off our "before baby" check-list by the end of September. I'm happy to report that we just about made it!

We registered and took a tour of the hospital. We signed up to donate Maggie's cord blood. Our bag is packed and we've arranged childcare for Claire, thanks to some very generous friends.

The nursery is ready to be shared by two little girls. Both have all the clothing they'll need for the fall and winter, except I'm still on the look-out for Christmas dresses.

The infant car seat and swing are all set up. I bought a new diaper bag and a car seat adapter for the stroller. We'll just put the pack-n-play together when we bring Maggie home, since it'll take up so much space in our room.

I ordered a fancy pump through our health insurance and a couple new covers for the nursing pillow. Newborn diapers and nursing pads are stashed all over the apartment.

We scheduled Maggie's baptism and a family photo session. Outfits have been planned for both occasions, including postpartum-friendly ones for myself.

We got Claire's big sister gift and Maggie's baptism gift. Our Halloween costumes are put together. 90% of our Christmas gifts are wrapped and hiding under our bed.

Claire has been to the optometrist for an eye exam, the dermatologist to have a wart removed, and the pediatrician for her 18-month appointment. We just couldn't do it and decided to wait until her second birthday for a haircut.

Adam and I both got flu shots and haircuts. Adam also went to the dermatologist for wart removal {maybe there's some connection there, hmm?!} and I got a pedicure this weekend.

We steam cleaned the carpets again and did a few other deep-cleaning chores, like dusting the baseboards and wiping out the fridge.

Our freezer is crammed full with three weeks worth of meals. We're all stocked up on groceries, toiletries, paper products, and other household supplies. Although that's kind of an on-going process, especially if Maggie doesn't arrive for another four or five weeks.

And that's about it! I still need to put the finishing touches on the girls' Christmas gifts {both need some hand-sewing to be complete} and get those wrapped. Claire is going to her first dentist appointment tomorrow and we've got a date night on the books for this weekend. Then I guess we just wait?