Activity is still null, everything (including sitting, some of the time!) makes me contract and I get more tired and bounce back more slowly these days, which is to be expected at this stage of pregnancy. I'm 36w2d, measuring 40 weeks, and considered full term next week! It's all coming along quickly and slowly at the same time. I am SO ready for him to be born, and yet dreading labor (it's hard work, no matter how many times you do it). My car finally sold and we transferred the title of my inlaws' Surburban, so the vehicoe situation is in order. The selling also allowed us the extra money we needed to order the rest of the baby items and price out wood for making the bunk beds for my older girls. The car seat covers is washed, clothes are folded, really all we are waiting on is the little man, himself.

As always, it is a bit surreal. Weight is, as you can imagine, a distant priority for me. I am still crossing my fingers that I will break even post-birth, but we'll see how it all breaks down. Being up 14-16 pounds right now is more than i have been before, but it is still perfectly respectable and controlled weight gain for this point in pregnancy, with my starting weight. I'm just going to keep chugging along and the weight will take care of itself.

One thing that WAS fun this morning, at my appointment, was the ultrasound I got. It's the only one I've had since 19 weeks and though I couldn't see the screen very well it was obvious he had grown immensely and was much more mature. My fluid level was perfect, he was head down, still very much a boy (whew! I'd been second guessing that, for some reason), and the only stinker of the whole deal was that his hand was up by his face, just like his sister. I am obviously hoping he moves it for birth, nuchal hands HURT (I speak from experience)! He was positioned anterior, that was great news, no back labor for me if he stays like that.

So that's all there is. We're just chugging along here as always, nothing interesting to say other than that my weight and exercise blogging will resume being interesting in October, so thanks for hanging in here with me until then :)

I won't give too many details other than to say that diligence in this area is more of a struggle than diligence in anything else, for me, including weightloss and fitness. Being consistent and faithful in my discipline of the kids, for their sake, is about the hardest thing I have ever undertaken. Fortunately for me, the Bible is all about parenting and families, and there are lot a of wise parents that have come before me who were thoughtful enough to write down the details of their parenting and the scripture behind it.

So in the interest of sharing, I want to give you all one resource that has been an amazing blessing to many Christian families, and one I am studying through myself: Raising Godly Tomatoes.

It's as wonderful a starting point as any for establishing consistent, Godly discipline of your children, and the more peaceful home that results :)

In minor weight related news, it went up again. Yup, I know, shock, right? Details in the sidebar. I can't complain too much, since the little human is gaining about an ounce a day. Only 2-6 weeks left, depending on how is all goes!

Unfortunately this means the work continues until November, for the general, but it was a great confidence booster to a neck and neck, stressful campaign. And for my husband and I, at least, most of our work has already been done to get things rolling for the primary, so the general should (we hope!) just be maintaining the website, adding donations, and a few events, instead of months of prep work we have already done.

My daughter's appointment went well, she is perfectly healthy and in the middle of both growth curves, still. She was understandably angry at the nice nurse betraying her trust and stabbing her in the thighs with needles ;)

My appointment also went quite well, about as I expected. Blood pressure was good, weight was a half pound gain of baby per week, as expected at this point. Baby boy was head down (for the time being) and the next appointment in two weeks will include an ultrasound to verify his position and possibly an external version, if he hasn't settled head down by then. My doctor WON'T advise a breech vaginal birth, as they tend to have poorer outcomes for the babies, on top of my already slightly-riskier VBAC, so we really need him vertex (head down) for the birth to proceed as we would like. I will be doing positioning exercises and more chiropractic to try and encourage my pelvis to balance and ohm to settle as well, but my dr. says he is unconcerned about him being breech and thinks he will settle just fine, given that he hasn't chosen to stay malpositioned over the past few weeks but just keeps changing. He isn't a stubborn breech or transverse baby, so that should indicate he is more amenable to behaving himself in the proper position or staying there if we manually move him :)

And now commences one of the busiest weeks of my year. Tomorrow, alone, is Lilah's 2 year checkup, my OB appointment, and the primary for state senate. Oy vey!

I will be thrilled when the primary is over (moreso if she wins!) because this has been a huge time draw for the whole family, just out of the necessity of things needing to be done. She also has the vehicle we will be bequeathed (a Suburban) post-primary so we can fit three carseats, and I don't get it until she is done using it is a campaign billboard ;). She will also be more available to help with the children if/when I go into labor, and the general election will send more funds her way for a lot less legwork if she gets the nomination from the primary process. Basically we get a lot of benefits, as a family and her individually, with a lot less stress. So be thinking good thoughts for us over the next week as things stay busy and a bit tense, and any/all good Super Tuesday vibes for her are much appreciated.

On a different topic, weight! This has been a pattern throat the pregnancy, and one I find very interesting indeed. My weight seems to be in a pattern of 'steady, steady, steady, JUMP!', with the jumps corresponding to a big increase in fundal height/belly size. My weight really leapt up from 219-220 to 223, and other than the VBS bump and correction it has stayed within the same general range for each day. The general trend upward has only been about 13 pounds this whole pregnancy, and I am almost at the end, so I am thrilled about that. But it SEEMS like I have gained a lot more, because I gain a bunch so quickly and then it levels out for a month or so. It has been a frustrating thing to see, making me second guess my eating habits when I see it leap, but now it really seems to be the trend line I am on and independent (mostly) of day to day consumption. My calories have been on the high side of what I want, but my overall gain is still very low for this point in pregnancy and I do think I will have held steady when all is said and done, post-baby.

This is just another benefit of logging food and weight during pregnancy - I still have accountability, but moreover, I have a log showing my body's response to the internal workings and external stimuli I give it. I am confident and comfortable with my gains because they aren't random pigouts, but a very consistent pattern that my unique body and baby grow at. I also understand how my activity and sleep patterns are affecting my daily totals, and it helps me see if something starts going really funky, like edema, because it WILL show up in my daily log. For my health, the logging has been great. It hasn't prevented me from eating a lot of ice-cream, but it DOES keep me accountable to measure me portion ;). And while it won't stop the normal gain of a growing human, it will give me a solid diagnostic tool for this pregnancy, and comparing pregnancies down the road. There are very few situations in life where less information is preferable to more, and weight is no exception. It could condemn me or stress me if I let it, but instead I am just viewing it for the tool it is and happy to have a logical pattern emerge from several months of confusing data!

I can't feel too guilty about it, it's portioned out and planned for... plus the taste washes away the last remnants of 'not broccoli!' guilt I may feel. Hot chocolate just tastes extra special with a dose or hormones ;)

My goals for this upcoming week remain largely the same - do a good job at basic stuff, don't stress over extras, and get some baby things together. I think it will work out just fine :)

The OB appointment went well enough. Our little stinker was breech, as I'd suspected he'd been for about a week, but they won't be concerned about positioning until about 36-37 weeks, when they'll begin discussing things like an external version to turn him. Fortunately for me he seems to have turned back yesterday with some coaxing, and I am pretty sure his feet are once again firmly lodged in my ribs. Yay?

My blood pressure was solid at 120/78, his heartrate was beautiful. Unfortunately for my heartburn and hips my fundal height (uterine size) is measuring in at 37 weeks, or full term. That is over a MONTH ahead of where it should be measuring, and a little jump in relative size from last month's appointment. I always measure a week or two ahead during pregnancy, but five is a bit excessive. However he is moving and seemingly in perfect health, so I am just bracing myself for him to be squishier and chunkier than his sisters by a pound or two. They were 8 lbs 14 oz and 8 lbs 4 oz, respectively, at 42 and 40 weeks gestation, and I would not be surprised if he was well over 9 lbs on his due date (unless he comes early). I like chunky newborns, they are less fragile feeling and generally tolerate the first few weeks better than their younger, lighter, less mature counterparts. I'll take a little longer stretch between feeding for pushing out a bigger baby, thanks!

So despite being 32 weeks, my body is essentially at full term. This makes me feel a bit better about feeling SO pregnant and 'done', in terms of physical side effects I am! I would love for him to bake to 37-38 weeks, minimum, as much as another month or so sounds SO far off, but I will be a little surprised if he comes post-date, like his sisters. The downward pressure, alone, I hope will precipitate a timely labor. It's wishful thinking on my part and I am fully prepared to go to 41-42 weeks before any talk of inductions, but a little earlier wouldn't bother me at all ;) My doula will be out of town from my 39-40 week stretch at a conference, so I would have to be seen by her backup doula, and that further incentivizes going the second or third week of September as opposed to the end of the month. We'll see, as with all things God has a plan for this, too!

We posted my car for sale on Craigslist and have had lots of interest but people keep flaking out on viewing/testing it. Any good thoughts you could send our way to sell that sucker would be appreciated, and also insure my doula gets her full due. Other than that, this week is just ticking by the same as ever. My health and weight are not on the forefront of my mind, but they are automatic in the periphery of life. I don't think about weighing each morning and recording it, I just 'do'. I don't debate whether to log my meals, it's automatic. In fact, it is jarring when I am in a situation where it isn't convenient to do so, because I've been doing it so long now! While I am eager to get started on moving and weightloss post baby, to try and make my year-end goal of 189.0 for our insurance switch, I'm also feeling okay right where I am. I am pumped to get healthy, but unless something catastrophic happens I can honestly say I am pretty proud of myself for how I have maintained throughout this pregnancy. I didn't take the easy way out and 'eat for two' without caring or counting, and I made a concerted effort to keep up my activity until it wasn't prudent to do so anymore.

Effort and attention to my health is the best I can ask for, and I am where I need to be. That's enough for the time being :)

I seem to be suffering from a condition called irritable uterus (syndrome), which accounts for all my braxton hicks and contractions while standing. It is linked with a higher chance of preterm labor but doesn't cause it, in and of itself. Basically any downward pressure or stretch of the muscle/exertion causes it to clamp down like a giant charlie horse, or go into real contraction patterns. There isn't any cure and no known cause, while it can be treated with muscle relaxants and tocolytics, those all have side effects. Since these contractions don't seem to be dilating me at all (I am effacing a bit and very soft, but still at my same dilation) those treatments would be overkill and unnecessary, unless labor were actually gearing up. So the only other treatment is self-imposed bedrest when they kick up and generally staying off my feet.

For exercise purposes this is a bummer, but when I go an hour on the couch with only a minor braxton hick contraction here and there, and then move to stand up and have a real contraction that lasts over a minute, my desire to exercise understandably dwindles ;)

My only real goal for the remainder of this pregnancy is to stick to my eating plan (I've been doing well on this), get more protein, and try to continue with my basic household duties so my poor DH doesn't have to pick up the slack. For the time being, these all look like very realistic goals.

My husband was gone fishing in Chitina with his best friend from Tuesday to Thursday, and I was alone with the kids. However when he came back I discovered they had limited out (caught as many as our family permits would allow) and we have the best salmon in the world (Copper River Reds) packing our freezer for the year. I think between his two trips we caught 65 salmon, which is 130 filets (we eat one filet per meal, as a family). The Lord really blessed us with a great provision of free meat for the year and it will be a help in lowering our grocery bill. It was also good for Peter to get some time with his friend, who he rarely sees because he and his wife live in Fairbanks.

That evening, we went to a picnic for the local Republican Party. My MIL had a booth there (her senate primary is in three weeks!) and the girls got the spend some time with her, which was fun. We also got Callie to ride a pony that was there, and she loved it! Now this is a kid who is afraid of puppies and bunnies, and refuses to pet any animal or even be close to them. She had to be OUTSIDE the fence of the petting zoo at the fair because the lambs were too scary for her. So for Callie to not only pet the pony but ride it was amazing and we were thrilled. There was photographic evidence and everything :)

The same picnic had a raffle for a few prizes, that both of us (hubby and I) entered in, and I wasn't listening when the prizes were called. Mind you, I never win ANYTHING, so I rarely even bother entering these things and wouldn't have done this one, were it not for Peter asking me to. Well, imagine my surprise when my FIL came up to me and told me they were looking for me, because I had won the $500 grand prize in the drawing! I was thrilled and surprised, and given that our finances have been extremely tight and we have baby/kid things that need purchasing with no way to do so, it was a wonderful and completely unexpected blessing for us. There had to have been over 500 people in the raffle, so the fact that I was drawn for the biggest of the prizes was great. This has enabled us to get our remaining baby items soon, and pay for new big girl bunk beds for the girls (so we can use one of the cribs for the new baby when he is out of our bed). The whole thing was fabulous and really made my week!

Today we were out pricing out these bunk beds and I am pretty sure we decided that Peter can build a better set with much better materials, for the cost of buying one. Tonight we will be calculating the amount and types of lumber we will need to make this and make our final decisions on how feasible it is for us. After we hit the furniture stores and the lumber yard, we went out for a nice dinner and a movie before coming home to the girls (who were babysat by the grandparents). It was the first out-of-the-house date we have had in months and I really enjoyed the whole thing. The movie was actually great (we were shocked), and it was so nice to really get out and spend some time together before another nursing baby comes along!

We have lots to do tonight for the aforementioned primary for Grandma, as well as me brining up some of the salmon in preparation for smoking it tomorrow, so it's been a busy day, but overall I've had so much fun this week and the whole thing has been refreshing for DH and me. I'm still contracting, quite uncomfortable, and less than patient these days, but things are just plugging along around here.

And that's my weekend wrap-up, see you Monday for a weigh in!

So you better believe I felt vindicated and a little less 'freakazoid' when, after a normal day of activity and food yesterday, I weighed in at 222.0 this morning. It's a gain, sure, but the baby is gaining half a pound a week, ALONE, at this point, in addition to increased amniotic fluid volume, my own body's storage mechanisms, etc etc. The last time my weight was below today's point was on July 21, when I was at 221.0. It has jumped all over the map since then, coinciding very nicely with all my VBS prep, Lilah's 2nd birthday, and a whole lot of random eating whenever I could get the time.

I am GLAD to be done with all of that and back to normal! I feel fine, expect for lots of contractions and some ongoing pelvic pain. My husband i gone fishing again (for the last time this year) and will be back Thursday evening. I miss him terribly but he deserves a break every once in awhile as well! Let's see.... I haven't fallen off the face of the weight blogging world due to any issues (though I will definitely need to be less liberal with my calories when it comes time to lose again, maintaining has spoiled me!) but just due to boredom. I have VERY little to say, things are to point where I am busy with life, kids, baby prep, etc etc, and weight is just a background concern I manage every day. This is a good thing, it just makes for a boring blog!

Now that the shame of massive salt weight gains is behind me (yay!), I want to hear from all of you - what's the worst salt bump you've seen on the scale? I think seven or eight pounds was my max, after our April vacation.g