Flynn Samuel: Weeks 34-40

Here we are at the end of what I assume will be my last pregnancy. Sam and I are still on the same page with that plan. So I am soaking up every baby kick from Flynn and belly squeeze from my older kiddos. Trying not to take it for granted. I'm not one of those people who LOVES being pregnant, but I'm not one of those who dislikes it either. I enjoy parts of it, but I am happy when it's over and I can start eating whatever I want again and not have to worry about bumping my belly on something. I hate telling the kids I can't do something with them because I'm pregnant, like get up on the trampoline and jump with them or let them wrestle with me. So I guess it's that I don't like the restrictions that pregnancy brings, but I really love the special closeness I have with my baby during pregnancy. Since this is my last and I'm still feeling good I don't feel any rush for him to get here, but I am excited to meet him and know he's all healthy!

My favorite style of baby book!
(Hallmark 5 year memory book)

Ok so let's start where I left off the last post at around 34 weeks. Right around this point I feel the need to finish up any last items on my "Things to do before Flynn" list. I have a little registry on Amazon basically for myself and any family members who want to get something for Flynn. There was only one thing I truly needed and one thing I really wanted. My mom bought us what we needed, a car seat for Atlas so he and Xan could move up a seat and we would have the infant car seat available for Flynn. My mother-in-law bought us what I really wanted, a nice baby book like I have for all the other kiddos. I've seen the meme that says only first borns get finished baby books. I am not that way! I LOVE working on their baby books. I especially love having it before they are born so I can start as soon as they arrive and have sweet memories of recovering, snuggling and writing in their baby book about their arrival right away. One thing that didn't make my "Things to do before Flynn" was this blog post. But it's still one of the things I would like to get mostly finished beforehand, it's just not a big deal to me if I don't. I started writing this post at 39 1/2 weeks. So we'll see if I can finish it up before Flynn decides to make his appearance.

Running out of lap space!

When it gets down to less than a month until the 38 week mark, I start realizing I could be doing things for the last time before Flynn arrives! The first thing I did for the last time before we add Flynn to the mix was our little home school co-op that meets every other week. I found out we had our last meeting in November and we wouldn't be meeting back up until January because of the holidays. So the next time we go to co-op I will have a little newborn in tow! :) Other things that make that "last time before" list are paying the monthly bills, doing bank reconciliations for work, last bath time (Because I hate giving baths at the end of pregnancy, so it ends up only once a week. I always look forward to the last time I have to try to wash them with a huge belly). With all my other pregnancies I would think, "Oh, it could be the last grocery trip before taking more kids to the store with me." But I have totally switched to being a curbside shopper once I got pregnant with Flynn. I only go to the store with all the kids for a mid-week grocery trip for less than 5 items now. ;) I don't plan on switching back!

34 Weeks

I had my 34 week appointment with Sallie and she said I couldn't be any more perfect! What a wonderful thing to hear. :) It was quick and easy as usual. Have I mentioned lately how much I love that she comes to me for appointments??? It's amazing. I don't have to get a babysitter, I don't have to wait in a waiting room and expose myself to any unnecessary germs, I don't have to drive anywhere! It's just the best!! Need a midwife? Sallie Witte is your lady!

All 34 weeks. Top: Jane - Atlas.
Bottom: Alexandria - Flynn.

Around 34-35 weeks my Braxton Hicks got stronger and almost made me nervous a couple of times! I was like, "Hey kid... You can't come yet. It's too early." But then after about a week I realized it was just a pattern. A couple of days of stronger, more frequent practice contractions then a couple of days of not much going on. It reminded me to update my labor prayer support message thread I've had back from Atlas and Xan. I let them know what to pray about in the weeks before birth and added on the prayer that he wouldn't come before 37 weeks so he could be born at home. (Now at 39 1/2 weeks I'm thinking I need to update them again and tell them to pray that he's not too late! Haha!)

Can't wait to add Flynn to this picture!

I mentioned earlier in this post that my mom got us a 4th car seat. Look! I got them all in there! It was quite the process though. I started to move seats around and then I realized that the back line of seats only had one anchor point for car seats. I could it move around if I wanted to, but it didn't allow me to have two forward facing seats in the back like I had planned. So I had to order a small $15 anchor part and wait for it come in before I could get everyone where I wanted. I put the big kids in the back since they can get in and buckle themselves. (Atlas still needs help with the bottom buckle, but I can help him with that from the door) The only thing I was concerned with putting them both back there is that they can touch each other now... But they like to be back there together and don't bother each other much thankfully. And if they start to fight I can threaten switching the seats and putting them next to a younger sibling instead and then they stop. Apparently that is a downgrade in their opinion. ;)

It looks so peaceful!
(Got my birth bags ready on the rocking chair)

For some reason the space beside my side of the bed becomes a breeding ground of things that don't have their own place. For example, for the last 6 months or so there was a TV (unplugged just collecting dust) that started out as a video gaming screen for Sam until he realized it was just a bit to big for what he was using it for and then also a few bags of clothes and miscellaneous items I no longer wanted that I had been meaning to donate.

So nice! The kids think it's extra special.

We had gone back and forth between selling the TV or keeping it and mounting it in the school/baby room. I figured we could use the TV for school purposes when needed and it could be useful to have when there is a sports game on we really want to watch in the main room (COUGH::PLAYOFFBASEBALL::COUGH) that the kids are really not into. That way they can watch their own show while we get to enjoy the game. So then the question was how do we mount it... We've never mounted a TV. Enter Pappaw to save the day! He answered my questions on what to look for in buying a mount and mounted the TV for us. So grateful for him. Then my mom told me that she had some items to donate too, so she could drop off my things as well. My parents are so helpful!! Once everything was moved out from my side of the bed I brought the swing in from the garage, set up the rock and play and positioned the rocking chair to make it like a mini nursery. <3

36 Weeks

At 36 weeks I finally start to feel big. Like there's no denying this bump is nearing the end with how big it's getting! Also right around this point Flynn seemed to have dropped at least some. I started feeling more pressure and I definitely had to frequent the bathroom more than I normally do from then on. I sometimes have to get up an go to the bathroom in the middle of the night when I usually never do. It's still not every night which is nice. My back is more sensitive for sure. (It was really mad after I moved all those car seats around) But really compared to most ladies I shouldn't be complaining at all. Seriously, all you mommas who choose to have more babies even though you know how hard it is on your body to be pregnant, kudos to you! I would be a wimp if it was too much harder for me.

Jane wrote Flynn's name all on her own!

Appointments start being every two weeks at this point. So I had my 36 1/2 week appointment with Sallie the Friday before Thanksgiving. This appointment was just 3 days before Sallie was comfortable doing a home birth if Flynn decided to come a little early. So I told my mom that I would like her to be at the appointment so she could get instructions just in case Flynn came too fast and Sallie couldn't make it to me in time. I only feel this way because of all the braxton hicks I have before labor starts and the fact that every labor has been cut in half... Jane 13 hours, Atlas 5 1/2 hours and Xan 2 1/2 hours. My dad decided he wanted to come and listen to the instructions as well. If I go into labor in the middle of a work day he is the one who could get to me the fastest. Sam and my mom are 45 minutes to an hour away and Sallie is about 30 minutes. So far every time I've gone into labor I am already in labor when I wake up. Jane was 3:30am, Atlas was 7am and Xan was 4am. I'm assuming Flynn will do something similar, but you never know!

First Freezer meal!
Granny Bea's Meatloaf

My mom told me she would take the kids for their last sleepover before Flynn the weekend after Thanksgiving. I realized it would be the perfect time to do all my freezer meal cooking! The only thing I had prepared thus far was a raw meatloaf. Granny Bea's recipe makes two loaf pans. So I cooked one for dinner and froze the other one for after Flynn. I asked my Facebook friends for all their freezer meal recipes and got a great response! I got a list together of all the meals I wanted to cook and had more that I wanted to try, but realized I had probably hit the limit of space in the extra freezer and time I would have to cook the meals. More on this later.

Look Ma! No hands! ;)

Right before Thanksgiving I finished wrapping the Christmas presents! I had the goal of having everything Christmas related done by December 1st since that is when the baby watch begins. I figured if I didn't get it done before Flynn got here it just wasn't happening! It has ended up not being quite as imperative as my nesting mind was thinking since it's December 12th and he's still comfy, but it still made me feel good to have it all ready. Around that same time I got another task checked off my nesting list. I cleaned all of the windows in my house. I don't do this often. I think it ends up being a twice a year deal, unless something gets splattered on one of them. They get dingy on the outside and the way the sun hits the windows in the fall/winter makes it look extra dirty. Just another one of those things I thought if I didn't do it before Flynn got here it was going to be a few more months before I got to it. There is just something so satisfying about looking through a freshly cleaned window. :)

37 Weeks

At 37 1/2 weeks Flynn got super active and strong with his kicks and moments after the kids went to bed. He seems to wait until I am still to move around. Atlas was that way too and he was very soothed by movement. I feel like Flynn is going to be that way too! There are similarities between all of them and their movements, but I have noticed a few things that seem to relate to the boys verses the girls. The boys have less hiccups than the girls and have a stronger reaction to me pushing on their foot. The girls were more fluttery with their movements and the boys move my entire stomach in sweeping motions. I still feel like Atlas had the hardest jabs and Jane was the most soothed by touch. Flynn moves the most when I am resting my arm on my stomach and almost always kicks against my arm. Alexandria was the move whenever I want kid and didn't wait for a still moment. The last thing that is specific about Flynn is he plays hide and seek with Sallie on the Doppler almost every appointment! And he did the same at his ultrasounds by hiding his face almost the whole time. I wonder if he's going to be shy or just super sneaky. Haha! I love getting to find out how their movements translate outside the womb later. They are so much themselves from the moment they are conceived. Such miracles and so special, each one!

LOOK!! I did it! I filled my extra freezer with meals! If you are wondering I made Tuscan Pasta, Baked Ziti, Potato Soup, Spinach Ravioli Bake, Chili, Cheese Enchiladas, Broccoli Cheese Chicken and breakfast tacos while the kids were on their sleepover. Woohoo! I spent almost the entire time they were gone cooking... I hope it will be worth it later on. I'll have to let you know how everything tastes thawed and heated once we start eating everything. ;) A couple of other meals I made before hand were meatloaf, sausage patties, pancakes, cooked fajita meat and Egg Muffin Frittatas. I really made the most of my time when they were gone on their sleepover. I finished deep cleaning my shower (yes, with a toothbrush)! Sam and I went out for lunch/dinner and afterwards I went stocking stuffer shopping and went to pick out some Christmas Jammies at Kid to Kid. I think the only thing I forgot to do was relax. Haha! Oh well. I'll have lots of time to sit on the couch once Flynn arrives. ;)

Same outfit, all 38 weeks. Jane, Atlas, Xan, Flynn.

At 38 1/2 weeks I felt my first contractions around 11pm that actually hurt and made me grimace a little. There were 4 or 5 that hour and I thought maybe labor was starting! But then the next hour they were completely gone. My babies love to fake me out. It got me thinking though. I still didn't feel really ready for him to arrive. I had one last thing on my "Before Flynn" list and I felt like I hadn't mentally prepared myself for labor. So I was happy the contractions turned out to just be practice ones that time.

A before picture. Can't wait to take the after picture. :)

Appointments are every week now! So at 38 weeks and 4 days I had a check up with with Sallie. We had planned a massage that day, but when Sallie walked in she asked me if I was ready to have a baby and I felt like I still couldn't respond with a yes quite yet. She said good because she had a really tiring week and would rather have a weekend to rest if it was alright with me and Flynn. ;) So we decided to do just a regular check up instead. Everything still checked out great! She said she thinks he's long but not quite as heavy as Atlas or Xan yet. He seems like he has a skinny butt. Heehee! She also mentioned that she thinks he's going to be a super chill baby. She said I could call her in 6 months and tell her she was wrong! But I for one would love it if she's right!

Jane took this one for me! Big sister at 20 months and baby brother at 39 weeks!

I love making it to 39 weeks! By medical standards it is officially full term. It gives me even more comfort that he should be just fine whenever he decides to come. A day before I made it to 39 weeks I finished deep cleaning my kitchen. It was the final thing on my list of things to do before Flynn arrived. With the last task done I finally feel ready for him to come anytime. I was sort of hoping he would come on December 9th which was the day I was officially 39 weeks. Jane's birthday is 5/24/14, Atlas's is 2/26/16 and Alexandria's is 4/8/18. So if he had been born on December 9th he would have kept up the trend of the last day digit matching the last digit of the year. Another thing I liked about the date is that I would have two full weeks to recover before Christmas day. But alas, no luck! My prediction was wrong. He was still feeling comfy. Technically he still has two more chances to stay on the day trend by being born on the 19th or the 29th. I really hope it's not the 29th!! ;)

Brothers! Jane took this one too. Atlas at 3 1/2 years and Flynn at 39 1/2 weeks.

A few days later I was glad he decided not to come on the 9th because it allowed me to get a couple more pictures I wanted while he was still in my belly. I realized I hadn't caught a bump picture with Atlas yet. I love that I got a brother bump picture! It turned out so cute and Jane was the one to take it for me!! <3 So special. Jane is definitely the one who is most interested in my bump. She loves to feel him kick! She likes to find his foot or butt on my belly. She says she loves his teeny tiny butt. ;) Haha! She will give him hugs and kisses all the time. Atlas doesn't pay much attention. He knows his brother is inside and will very occasionally give him a hug, but he doesn't care to interact with the baby bump much. He refers to Flynn as "My boy" and he asks to pray for Flynn to come out most nights. So sweet! Alexandria always tries to use my bump as a stepping stool to climb over me or tries to sit on Flynn. She is totally unaware that she could hurt him in there. But she does know it's brother in there! When you ask her where baby brother is she will point to my belly, pat it and try to lift up my shirt and say hi. Flynn will kick her a lot when I'm rocking her to sleep at night. I can't wait to see the how Flynn will bond with each sibling on the outside! <3

39 1/2 weeks. Jane, Xan and Flynn. Atlas was already born.

Looking back at my previous pregnancy pictures at 39 weeks I snapped to the fact that I had one more bump comparison picture I could do! Same dress all between 39-40 weeks. The boys are definitely lower and hence look a little smaller in my belly.

I love seeing the bump growth through the weeks! From 11 weeks to 39 weeks. <3

It is soooo cool to watch Flynn grow. Babies are amazing. So I'm only 3 days away from my due date at this point. I haven't felt impatient for him at all. I still feel really good! I'm so grateful! Since he didn't come on the 9th I'd almost like him to wait until the 19th. (I know, I'm weird about the day trend thing) The kids are more impatient than I am! Plus tomorrow (Dec. 14) I have two things I would like to be able to make. In the morning our community is holding a free Santa photo opportunity. We went last year and it was wonderful! I'd like to be the one to take them to that if I can. Also Jane's second gymnastics meet of the season is tomorrow. It's being held at our gym! We've never had a meet at Rowland Ballard before. I'd really like to go! It's only 10 minutes from home, so it's the perfect meet to be so close to my due date. Really though, I wouldn't mind any day, I'd love to meet him. I do get tired of tracking practice contractions and making sure I'm not in labor. Xan came so fast I'm worried about not letting everyone know in time. Praying he let's Sallie get here in time! In conclusion. I'm excited to have made it to the end of my pregnancy with Flynn and I'm ready, just not impatient. We love you so much Flynn and we are all so excited to meet you! <3

1 John 5:12-15

 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.