Update

I went to see Dr. Washkowiak this morning and I told her that I wasn't feeling great and that my blood pressure seems to be up. She confirmed that my blood pressure is significantly higher than it has been and I also had some protein in my urine. She wants me to monitor my blood pressure at home throughout the day and to call if it is 140/90 for two or more readings. Since I am almost full term, she said she will possibly induce me depending on how things go because with high blood pressure you are just waiting for something bad to happen. There was a little bit of protein in my urine, but that can be typical at this point in pregnancy. I got blood work done and everything was okay. Dr. W said I should expect that she might keep me at my appointment next week or the following and go ahead and induce me. I am getting so close to meeting you! I am very excited and nervous too.

My Little OB

Look at how huge my belly is now at 36 weeks! Brooke likes playing doctor and checking on my belly and baby Dylan. Your siblings are both getting really excited for your arrival. Brooke likes to shake my belly and say, "Wake up baby Dylan!" Yesterday Brooke asked when you are going to "crack out" : ) She is thinking that you are like a baby bird and my belly is like an egg.

Swaddle Practice

Brooke has so many baby dolls, and she is loving the new gear she has received for Hanukkah and Christmas. She has also seen me washing and organizing all the baby gear and getting ready for your arrival. She wanted to wrap her babies up in baby blankets like yours, which gave me the perfect opportunity to practice swaddling. She loves holding the babies when they are all swaddled up. I even pulled out a couple hospital blankets that I brought home after I had Brooke and she thought that was pretty cool. She is going to love holding you!

36 Weeks

Wow...this is the most pregnant I have ever been! I am certainly feeling ready to have you. I have been having a lot of contractions, and I feel like you have dropped. I go to see Dr. Washkowiak this morning and I am so curious to see if I am dilated at all. I had a lot of contractions on Christmas, and I was thinking that you might be sharing your birthday with Jesus! I'm glad we made it through Christmas without you arriving. My blood pressure is also going up a bit and I am getting really bloated. Maybe this is just what the last month of pregnancy is going to be like for me, but I feel like you will be here pretty soon. We have a birth day pool going with my family, which we did with Brooke too. We all take a guess at the day you are going to be born. Today is Auntie E's guess and I picked December 29th, which is in two days. Daddy picked January 1st. It would be pretty crazy if you were born on New Year's Day because you would share your birthday with cousin Jackson and it was also Grandpa's birthday.

We took down all of our Christmas decorations and our tree yesterday. We have never done that so quickly! We got out your car seat out last night and the swing and bouncy chair are in the family room. Today we are going to put up the pack n play and co-sleeper, and I am going to pack my bag for the hospital. As Brooke says, "We are putting up the baby decorations".  We are trying to watch Brooke very carefully around the baby swing because she loves to push it, and yesterday she even climbed into it. We are worried about her trying to be a big helper, but doing things that are not very helpful when you arrive.

I should also mention that Brooke got the baby doll she has been wanting from Pottery Barn Kids from Santa for Christmas. We asked her what she was naming her doll and she said, "Dylan". Brooke's baby Dylan is a girl so now we will have a girl and a boy baby Dylan in our house!

35 Weeks

I had my first regular cervical check today, and I am not dilated yet, but I am about 50% effaced. It doesn't mean much since people can be effaced and dilated for a long time, but it feels exciting to me that you are getting ready to come. You are head down, and still need to drop which might not happen until I go into labor. One day this week I was running around taking care of errands while your siblings were at school and I had a lot of contractions and some in my back too. I was convinced that it was the early stage of labor, but after laying down the contractions went away. It was a good thing though because it made me realize you could come at any minute. Since then I have finished washing all your clothes and blankets, filled out hospital paperwork and wrote a list of what I need to bring to the hospital. It is such a crazy, busy time of year with Christmas. Thankfully, the end of pregnancy puts me in hyper organizing mode. I have been cooking, packing, shopping, crafting, wrapping, and doing lots of fun holiday activities with Brooke and Carson. I didn't want them to miss out on anything just because I was very pregnant. Good thing I have a lot of energy at the end of pregnancy! The day after Christmas we are going to take down all our decorations and move into baby season. We will set up your gear, including your car seat. I want to be sure that Brooke gets used to seeing your stuff and knows that they are not toys or for her baby dolls. Brooke is very into her baby dolls, and I am a bit worried that she is going to think you are her own personal doll!

34 Weeks

Hello my little honeydew! At 34 weeks, you should be about 5 pounds and 18 inches. It is pretty crazy to feel you move inside me now because you are so big.

You have a name!

Hallelujah! I can finally say that you are no longer the nameless "baby brother". Although we do still like to call you baby brother too : ) Your name is going to be.....da da da da.......Dylan McNeil Szekeres! I can't believe how long it took us to name you. It is funny to think that in August we thought your name was decided, and you were going to be Cooper Laszlo Szekeres. We love that name, but it is pretty popular, and we were also worried that "pooper" or "poop" would become your nicknames. Since Daddy changed his mind last time, I made him make sure he was positive on your name this time before we shared it with anyone. Dylan is a name that we both love (as does almost everyone we share it with) and McNeil has very special family meaning in more ways than one.

McNeil is the name of the State Park in Utah that Daddy shared a very special trip with Grandpa and Uncle Jeff. It is Daddy's fondest memory of Grandpa from his adult life. Daddy went on many special outdoor adventures and trips with his Dad over his life and this was his last special trip he shared with him. Growing up, Grandpa always took care of everything and led their trips, but this last trip was a big turning point because their roles had switched. Daddy found out about this great experience to go to Alaska in the summer to watch brown bears congregate and feed on salmon in a remote location. McNeil River is Alaska's most famous bear viewing area. Daddy entered a lottery for a couple years and was really excited when their number was called. He and Uncle Jeff arranged the trip, and this time they were the ones guided Grandpa. Most memorable were the times they helped guide him across the river to view the bears. It was a very memorable bonding trip at McNeil River, and Daddy will always treasure those memories with Grandpa.

McNeil is a very special name to me too. My amazing Papa, Douglas McNeill Laidlaw, just passed away last month, and he was such a positive influence in my life. Papa was the most amazing person I have ever met. He was such a gentleman and cared so deeply about everyone in his family. He had this way of making us feel so special. McNeill is a family name that has been passed down for many generations. I will be so proud to have you share a name with Papa, and I hope that you will share some of his amazing character traits.

The spelling of the McNeil is different, but Grams found out recently that Papa's middle name on his birth certificate is spelled with one L, so we are choosing that spelling to honor two very important men in your family.  Unfortunately, you will not have a chance to meet them, but they will certainly be looking after you from heaven.

It is so nice to have a name for you. We can't wait to meet you Dylan!

33 Weeks

Hello my little honeydew! It is crazy to think that this is how pregnant I was when I had your big brother, Carson. I am so excited to meet you, but I definitely need you to cook longer. I just read that you will likely grow a whole inch in this week alone, and that your "brain is developing like crazy" right now. I better be sure to take my vitamins and eat healthy this week!

32 Weeks

I had my last ultrasound today. It was really cool to see your little face, and to see how big you are now. You are in the 26th percentile for size and you weigh about 4 pounds, 2 ounces right now. Your torso is small, but you have long legs. There is not much surprise there since the Denniston side of the family is known for long legs! The sonographer got a great shot of your little face. You are very cute! It made it all feel so real and I got a little emotional. I am so excited to meet you and snuggle you in my arms!

Your siblings have been sick this week. We have had a rough cold and flu season so far. I'm hoping we are getting it all our of systems before you arrive! It is hard to be cooped up at home not feeling well, but I love the extra snuggle time :)