Sullivan is here!

Sullivan Kent Stroope was born Wednesday, July 29 at 7:50 pm after 12 hours of labor. We got home from the hospital Friday afternoon and it's been a crazy few days, to say the least! Here are some pics from Sully's first few days!

Sullivan's first picture - just a few minutes after he was born.

In the nursery getting checked out


Proud Mom!

Proud Dad!


Sullivan and his dad - about to head home from the hospital

Headed home!

First day at home

Look at that face! So sweet!

Week 37

How far along? 37 weeks - full term!
Total weight gain: 27 pounds
Best moment recently: Being full term today! I am so thankful to have a full-term baby and am confident that from this point on, whenever he decides to make his debut he will be fully grown and healthy.
Movement: He's even lower this week and I'm still getting that uncomfortable pressure down low.
Food cravings: Eh... nothing really. I can't eat very large portions, so I'm pretty content to just drink a big glass of milk and call it a day.
What I miss: Walking normally - I am getting comments from strangers now about my waddling. Note to anyone reading: Never comment on a pregnant lady's waddle - I guarantee you she is aware and doesn't need you to remind her about it!
Worst part of pregnancy currently: The tiredness - it's just getting worse and it's so annoying that at the time when I'm most tired I couldn't get a good night's sleep no matter how hard I tried - or how tired I was!
What I am looking forward to: Seeing our baby's face for the first time. I can't wait to see who he looks like and get to know every little detail of his tiny face!
Milestones: Disclaimer - if you are easily grossed out or offended, stop reading now! This week marks the loss of my bladder control! Griffin told me a really funny story this weekend and I laughed so hard I peed my pants a little. And then it's happened several times since then - fun, fun!
Progress: A loose 1cm and 25-30% effaced
Dr. Appt Update: Another great dr appt and once again baby passed all of his tests. The biggest surprise this week was his weight - it's estimated at 8lbs 2 oz - HUGE! We have an induction scheduled on July 30, however with how big he is already it may end up being a little sooner than that. We go in next Tuesday for my 38 week appt and there is a good chance my dr will just admit me to L&D at that point and we'll have the baby that day. I think that's what's going to happen, but Griffin is still pretty sure it'll be the 30th... so we will see! Either way, we have anywhere from 7-9 days to go!!

Finished Nursery!

FINALLY! We finished the nursery and instead of posting pics we took a video of it so you could really see what it looks like! Plus my sweet husband got me a new video camera for my birthday and I wanted to try it out!

We are so happy with the way it turned out and can't wait for our son to get to use all of his new, fun stuff!

Baby Stroope's Nursery! from Griffin & Kami Stroope on Vimeo.

Week 36

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain: 26 pounds
Best moment recently: Finishing the nursery and being able to sit in there in the super comfy rocker and know that in 2 1/2 weeks I'll be sitting in the same spot with our son.
Movement: He has dropped so I'm feeling a lot more pressure down low, which is very uncomfortable at times!
Food cravings: My appetite is still not normal, but this week I've been drinking a lot of smoothies - either chocolate, peanut butter and banana or strawberry, orange and banana. I think it's the combo of fruit and coldness that is so appealing right now., seeing as how it's so unbearabley hot right now!
What I miss: Being able to touch my feet or bend over (and not look completely silly) to pick up things.
Worst part of pregnancy currently: Low back pain and having NO energy. I feel like I could wake up at 10am everyday and be ready for bed by 2pm! Also, the realization that even my maternity clothes are now tight and is just reaffirming how big I really am! I know, I know, I have a human inside of me, I should be big - but really, a lady in my emotional state doesn't need any more affirmation of just how large she really is.
What I am looking forward to: Getting this baby out of me! Of course I want him to stay in and cook as long as possible, but I am so beyond ready for him to be here at this point! I'm also looking forward to installing the car seat this weekend - it's such a small thing, but to drive around with a car seat in my car is going to be weird, in a really good way!
Milestones: We have a finished nursery and a VERY clean house (thanks Mom!)
Progress: 1cm dilated and barely effaced
Dr. Appt Update: We had a great Dr. appt this week. Baby cooperated on the ultrasound and we were able to get great measurements and he passed all of his tests with flying colors. He is currently weighing in at 7lbs 4oz and is still head down and ready to go. He is growing in the 91st percentile which is big, but the Dr. said not worrysome at all. All things considered, he is doing great, so we are SO thankful for a healthy baby.

Week 35

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain: 25 pounds
Stretch marks? Hopefully I don't jinx myself, but I'm going to be bold and say I don't think I'll get them... if I haven't by this point, surely they won't just show up in the next 3 weeks, right?!?
Best moment recently: We got our new-to-us car (my mom's toyota highlander) and it already makes me feel more like a mom to have an suv as opposed to my two-door sporty car!
Movement: Still a ton, which is a good thing. The kicks and jabs have more turned into just movement. As he gets cramped he doesn't have as much space to stretch out so the movement is more like pushing or pressure.
Food cravings: Non existent all of the sudden. The past few days I have not had an appetite and nothing sounds good (sounds like I'm in my first trimester again!). I don't know if it's a space issue (my stomach is squished somewhere around my ribs) or a heartburn issue (There are not enough Tums on the planet to kick this!). However, I could still down a gallon of milk if I had the space!
Belly Button in or out? It's out - but not big poking out... just a little poking out.
What I miss: My appetite!
Worst part of pregnancy currently: We're back to the two good ol' standbys - heartburn and uncomfortableness.
What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery finished! My mom is here this weekend to help us deep clean the whole house and put the finishing touches on the nursery!
Milestones: Only 3 weeks to go!!
Dr. Appt Update: Not much to update this time. He was moving around so much at the appointment that the ultrasound tech couldn't get good measurements - so we're not sure how much he's grown in the past week. Everything else (heart rate, fluid, movement, position) looked good. It was really fun to see him moving so much at the ultrasound (he's usually sleeping). We saw him sucking his thumb and moving his hands and legs all around (or as much as he could in such tight quarters!). Crazy to think in 3 short weeks that same baby will be moving all around the same way, just outside of me...!! I know I've said it before, but WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

This is from the 4th of July - we went to the horse races with our friends Bradley and Holly and had such a good time and saw some amazing fireworks!

I found the firework setting on my camera - fun!

Week 34

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain: 23 pounds
Stretch marks? I keep waiting for them to show up, but so far I've been lucky!
Best moment recently: We organized the nursery!!!! HUGE accomplishment and pics will be posted later this week!
Movement: Lots! and uncomfortably so at times. My belly literally has a mind of its own now and since baby is getting bigger and space is more and more limited, I feel and see so much more movement all over the place. It gets a little uncomfortable when he's moving around so much and pushing and stretching my belly. I feel bad because I know he doesn't have a lot of space, but at the same time, can't a kid give his mom a break?!?
Food cravings: Still milk, but other than that my appetite has decreased a lot. I think that has to do with the limited amount of space my stomach has now. I can't eat very large amounts otherwise it's super uncomfortable. Plus I'm getting heartburn a lot again, so really it's just easier to not eat much at this point!
Belly Button in or out? I guess it would be considered out now... it shows through my clothes, but it's not like huge popping out or anything... just somewhat noticeable.
What I miss: Being able to function past 10pm. It's like my body shuts down and won't let me do anything past this time. It really wouldn't be so bad if I knew I was going to lay down to sleep and not get up till morning - however, knowing I'll be up in 2 hours to either pee or change positions makes going to sleep a little less enticing these days.
Worst part of pregnancy currently: Just being uncomfortable - anytime, anywhere. It's like a switch has flipped in the past week and there is just nothing I can do get comfortable.
What I am looking forward to: We are starting a 4 week parenting class at our church tonight. We are really looking forward to preparing for parenthood in this way - not just being ready for labor or having all the right stuff in the nursery - but starting to gain the knowledge and skills to actually parent this child.
Milestones: Did I mention we organized the nursery!!! HUGE milestone!
Dr. Appt Update: I now start weekly dr appointments, so we'll be getting the BPP every week. Here is yesterday's appointment update:

• Baby is: Head down and very, very low. The sonographer couldn't even get a good look at his face because of how low he is.

• Baby weighs: 6lbs 6oz - so it looks like he's shaping up to be about 8 1/2 pounds at birth

• Tests looked: All good - good movement, heart rate, breathing, and amniotic fluid levels

• Induction date: Still July 31 - just over 4 weeks away!

My belly looks pointy in this pic for some reason - I guess it's just that big now!

And yes, that is Bernie on my belly - she has a little perch now that she can rest on :) And she looks like a scared raccoon here... not sure what that's all about!

and this week is a cantaloupe - but as you know, our baby is about 2 pounds bigger than this. Just picture Bernie in my belly - she weighs the same as the baby right now. and that is so crazy to think I'm going to push a human out of me that will be larger than our dog... that is a thought that I don't need to dwell on right now!