The Sattler Scoop: Less Than a Month to Go!

In a lot of ways it is hard to believe that there is less than a month to go before we meet our little man! When we started out this pregnancy, I would be lying if I said I thought we would ever make it this far, but I am almost 36 weeks and SO thankful for the extra 10 weeks this baby has had to grow and develop compared to when I delivered Casey. I can't say they have been a particularly comfortable ten weeks, but it will be so worth it when we meet our strong and healthy boy. Last week, I finished the last of my progesterone shots to help me stay pregnant, and I am now going to my high risk doctor weekly for ultrasounds and heart rate monitoring (his, not mine). Everything looks great so far, other than we have a HUGE baby. At almost 34 weeks he was already estimated to be 6 pounds 14 ounces and at my appointment today (35 weeks 5 days) he was predicted to be 7 pounds 8 ounces! My high risk doctor isn't concerned, as little man has maintained his growth curve in the 90th+ percentile from the very beginning. My doctor doesn't seem to think his size is particularly attributed to my diabetes, which is of course a known contributor of big babies. After Casey's birth experience, I never thought I would be upset if my baby was bigger than average, but as delivery nears, I am definitely getting a little nervous about the difference between a 2 pound delivery and a potentially 9 or 10 pound baby! As of now, my doctors want me to deliver between 38-39 weeks, and I am scheduled for an induction on July 9th (1 day shy of 39 weeks), assuming things continue to progress well. I had no idea how exhausting growing a full-term baby could be, and now that it is summer break, I am very grateful for the opportunity to be off my feet and to try to get a few things done around the house before his arrival. I have no idea how I would have continued working for four more weeks, as I don't think my feet could have withstood much more swelling! In other news, I am getting very close to finishing both of the kids rooms, and Casey has been sleeping in her big girl room for over a month now. So far she is loving it! Hopefully I will finish the rooms up and get some pictures posted soon!

We are doing our best to prepare our big girl for the changes to come, and we talk about the baby a lot, but I don't think she will fully understand until he arrives. Her personality is definitely not lacking, and I've been saving up a few of my favorite recent Casey comments:

1. Casey has become a master at stalling tactics. One of her favorites is "Wait just a minute, I have an idea!" Although no actual ideas usually follow that statement.

2. We are working on patience, but like most two-year olds, she prefers things to be done on her (immediate) time table. She will often ask for something to eat or drink by saying, "I need ______," and before we can even get it out of the pantry or pour it, she will say in complete desperation, "I need ______ in my mouth!"

3. Most of the time Casey is very helpful when I ask her if she knows where something is or to help me find something. We were trying to get out the door one day, and I guess she wasn't in the mood to help me find her shoes, because her response when I asked for help was "They just playing hide n' seek!"

4. The other day we were running errands, and as I pulled into the parking lot, Casey spots the logo and shouts from the back seat, "Hey, there's my Target! You found it!" This after the fall on the floor meltdown she had when I told her we were going to Target.

5. Casey has decided that all strangers are her "friends." She has also decided to combine this with her favorite question, "Whatcha doin'?" and is constantly asking, often right in front of someone we don't know, "What's the friend doin'?" Makes for some awkward conversations on occasion, but luckily most strangers are willing to befriend her!

6. I didn't think my feet could handle the swelling that would inevitably come with Field Day this year, so I took the day off, but I wanted to go out and support my class for a while. Casey and I went out to cheer them on, and of course the kids were all very excited to see her and were crowding around her. She got a little overwhelmed by the eighteen people towering above her and reached for me to pick her up crying, "I don't like my friends!"

7. Apparently we talk about babies a lot. Casey must have decided she was feeling left out and needed a baby of her own, because she has recently renamed our 8-year old cat her "Baby Cat" It has been several weeks now, and the nickname has still not gone away so I'm guessing he is stuck with it!

8. Not only does Casey inquire about the actions of complete strangers, she has also decided it is necessary to introduce herself to the employees in the check-out line of every store we enter. She usually points to herself and says, "This is Casey." The other day we were having some fabric cut at JoAnn's and she decided to introduce me as well by stating "This is my mommy. This is my BIG mommy!" You know, in case it wasn't obvious enough! Not exactly the confidence boost I was looking for at 8 months pregnant, but it sure made some people in line chuckle!

Sweet happy girl!

Someone loved her homemade crayons!

Poor thing hates public restrooms and immediately strikes this pose upon walking in because they are "too loud." Unfortunately for her, when Mommy is pregnant, we are frequenting them often!