39 Weeks Pregnant

 

How far along: 39 Weeks

 

Size of baby: 7.25 pounds and 20 inches long!

 

Gender: Boy!

 

Movement: Some days he moves and stretches so much, my belly is sore by the end of the night. The next day he sleeps all day!

 

Sleep: 6 out of 7 nights of good sleep. I'll take it :)

 

Symptoms: At my appointment yesterday we were shocked to find out I had slightly elevated blood pressure! I have had no swelling, or any other signs, but it was a little higher than normal. They monitored me and the baby for about an hour and sent me home.  I'm supposed to lay on my side as much as possible, and try to stay off my feet. I feel absolutely NO different. I have no back pain or uncomfortable pressure yet. 

 

What I miss: I do miss sleeping through the night without going the bathroom! But mostly I'm just trying to soak up every last second of being pregnant. I know this baby will come at any time, and I am enjoying every kick and moment with him inside of me. I will never get these days back once he is here!

 

Cravings: Ice, sweet tea, sub sandwiches, onions, the usual:)

 

Food Aversions: Nothing! I feel like I eat a ton. In fact, I told Krista what I ate for my 9 o'clock snack the other night, and I'm 99% sure she was disgusted. I am HUNGRY all the time! The baby must really be growing, because I lost more weight this week at the doctor's office.

 

Best Moment of the Week: Olivia asked me to rock her a couple of nights ago before bed. I'm not sure she has ever asked me to do that, because she is not a cuddler at all. My pregnancy hormones took over, and I found myself tearing up at the thought that she was such a big girl, and our sweet time together was getting ready to change. Both of us can hardly wait for this baby to get here, but at the same time, I'm enjoying my time with her before he gets here too! Her little body wrapped around my belly, and she rested her head on my chest, and the baby kicked and kicked, and she actually fell asleep. It was one of my favorite moments with my two sweet babies!

 

 

38 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 38 Weeks

 

Size of baby: 6.8 pounds and 19.75 inches long. At my doctor's appointment today, I again measured exactly 38 weeks. I read in my baby book for the week, that I may lose a pound or two this week, but I was pretty sure I had gained two pounds in the past week. The doctor's office told me I had lost 5 pounds since a week ago. Ha! I do not feel like I have lost 5 pounds.

 

Gender: Boy! We have been calling him his name for the past few weeks, although Olivia still only calls him "Bitten". She said that will be her special name for the baby. The nursery worker at church was convinced we were naming the baby Benton after hearing her talk!

 

Movement: He doesn't move very much during the day, but when I do my kick counts at night he always does the required 10 in 1 hour.

 

Sleep: I have slept much better in the past week. I drink as much water as possible before bed, and take a long bath right before I get in bed. It seems to be helping! I still wake up to go the bathroom, but I fall right back asleep!

 

 

Symptoms: By the end of the day I'm having 5 - 6 Braxton Hicks contractions an hour. They don't hurt at all, just a really tight stomach, so I get so used to having them I don't even feel them after a while. I find myself getting more tired by the end of the night, and am usually praying for patience when I put Olivia to bed because I am so ready to collapse on the couch! At my Doctor's appointment today, we decided not to check for dilation in hopes that leaving everything alone will help me continue to make it as long as possible. He did tell me the baby has dropped, and the head is extremely low, and he was surprised I wasn't feeling any pressure.

 

What I miss: I miss my husband more than I have this entire deployment. I'm not sure if it is because it is becoming more real that he won't be here for the birth, or because we have been apart for so long. I also miss having clothes that are comfortable. Because the baby has dropped, my pants, (even maternity) are basically so uncomfortable I can't wear them. I wear leggings, sweat pants, maxi dresses, and maxi skirts every.single.day.

 

 

Cravings: Ice, sweet tea, sub sandwiches, onions, the usual:)

 

 

Food Aversions: Nothing! I feel like I eat a ton.

 

This week I have been in major prep mode for the baby! I officially crossed everything off my to-do list!

 

I packed Olivia a little "Big Sister" bag for the hospital. I filled it with a couple books about new babies, some treats from the dollar section at Target, and a new Squinky set.

 

I got out of the shower to see that Olivia had officially initiated the carseat :)

 

I spent one whole day getting the car deep cleaned and detailed, and Olivia helped me install the baby's carseat! It was so surreal to see two carseats in the car. Ever since we installed it, Olivia pretends he is in the carseat anywhere we go. She hands him his pacifier, and helps him with his blankie, and even sings him to sleep. To say she is excited is an understatement.

 

I've been spending lots of time with this girl too! Her favorite line this week is "will you play with me?" Andrew told me I shouldn't be carrying Olivia anymore at this point in the pregnancy, but I just can't help it! I know my arms will be full soon, so I carry her as much as she wants :)

 

The hospital bags are officially packed! I packed a little bag for Olivia for my parent's house too.

 

Besides washing all the bedding in the apartment, and cleaning/organizing every inch of it, I packed up all of Olivia's clothes that don't fit, and our winter clothes. I managed to fit 5 totes into this pile using some vacuum storage bags! It is all stacked with the rest of our stuff we don't need, in the garage, just waiting to be packed up to move back to Houston.

 

I told Andrew today that I surprisingly don't feel any stress about the baby's arrival. We have absolutely no control when this baby will arrive, and we have no control when Andrew will be able to come home. At the beginning of the deployment, I probably would have had a panic attack if I had realized I would be in this situation. BUT, God has continued to show Andrew and I again and again that HE is sovereign and HIS plan is best. The less control I have, the more God has, and His plan is perfect! He loves me more than I could ever imagine, and has the best for me in mind. I find myself repeating this verse over and over anytime I let worry creep in.

 

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

 

Mother's Day 2013

We had a fabulous Mother's Day! I normally don't get to spend the day with my own mom since we live so far away, so it was fun to relax and spend the day together.

We took a few pictures of Livy with her grandparents when we got home from church. Can you tell how much she loves them?

 

 

She was rocking and loving life. I love her!

My beautiful parents!

After lunch we drove to Ouray, Colorado to spend the afternoon at the park. Olivia absolutely loved it!

Livy with her Uncles! She looks so big to me in this picture.

Jason and Livy had so much fun on the slide!

 

Olivia even got some private football lessons from Papa :) We kept telling her how happy Daddy would be with her.

I can't help but try to imagine what my Mother's Day will be like next year when I will have an almost 1 year old boy added to the mix. I never want to take it for granted that God blessed me with this sweet girl and the ability to have children. I'm so grateful to wake up every day and be a mom!! I found myself thinking and praying for all my friends out there still waiting to be blessed with a little one the entire day.

 

 I'm also thankful for my own sweet mom! I could have never made it through this past year without her constant help and support. God knew what he was doing when he gave me her! She is the most hardworking woman I know, my best friend, and I will miss her like crazy when we have to move back to Houston. Love you mom!



Dance Recital Weekend

We had a very full weekend! Olivia had her first dance recital (all 4 performances), we celebrated my brother Jason's and my Mom's birthday, celebrated Mother's Day, and had a Mother/Daughter luncheon at church to go to! Good thing that I'm still feeling good at 37 1/2 weeks pregnant!

 

 

 I snapped this picture during Olivia's dress rehearsal Thursday night! She is one of the yellow blurs in the middle of the front row :)

 

The next morning we left bright and early for our first performance. We started the day out right with Tinker Bell, cheerios, and chocolate milk (or cocoa, as Olivia calls it).

Excited for the first live performance!

 Could she get any cuter?!

 

I told Olivia I would take her wherever she wanted for her lunch break. She chose Qdoba..of course! Her very favorite.

 

My parents and brothers came to the Friday night performance. We all drove together, and Olivia looked so cute in her ballet outfit.

This girl loves her Papa!

 After the Friday night performance! I was so proud of my big girl! I would have been terrified to dance on a big stage in front of a huge crowd, but she absolutely LOVED it! It made her so happy to have her uncles and grandparents there.

 

Livy with her Nate!

 

Olivia with her flowers from "Daddy"! She told me before her first performance that she was afraid she was going to cry on stage because she missed her Daddy so much. This girl loves her Daddy SO much!

The next morning we left bright and early for the Mother Daughter luncheon. I asked Livy if I could take a quick picture, and she told me to "just wait one second while she got ready".

She needed to have her sunglasses and puppy in the picture :)

Nana and Olivia after the Saturday dance performance!

We ended the last performance by letting her open her ballet present from Daddy! She loved her new ballerina doll! This was such a fun weekend for me to watch Olivia dance and preform. I cried a little bit seeing her dance the first time, remember the little 5 pound baby I brought home from the hospital 3 1/2 years ago. It feels like just yesterday! I am so blessed to get to be this girl's mama!

Instagram Update

 

We've been trying to stay busy around here as we are in the final countdown of baby coming, and hopefully Daddy coming home soon too! Olivia put this little outfit together today. Her "fashion style" cracks me up to no end.

 

She even ate her lunch in that get-up!

 

 

Olivia has her big recital this weekend! I found this cute shirt for her to wear, and she absolutely loves it! I am excited for the recital, but I will be ready for this weekend to be over too. Several long performances over 3 days, will make for a long weekend :)

I have been drinking TONS of decaf lightly sweetened iced tea lately. Every time Andrew calls I feel bad because he is usually listening to me chomp ice:) I take my cup of ice everywhere!

 

Livy convinced her very busy Papa to come outside one afternoon play sidewalk chalk with her!

 

I am obsessed with these sub sandwiches. It is definitely my number one craving! The sweet ladies who run the sub shop know my order by heart! Last week when I came in they commented on how adorable my maternity pictures were! Almost everyone in Montrose is friends with my photographer on Facebook, so they had all seen them! That definitely wouldn't happen in Houston:)

 

It is not unusual for Olivia to go through her clothes and put together an "outfit" at night before bed. She never ceases to make me laugh out loud!

 

My mom and I made the largest salad of all time the other night! It was so good, we ended up having it for lunch the next day too.

 

Yesterday, my Mom and I cleaned out the "miscellaneous closet" and my Dad built shelves to make it into a pantry! We spent the whole day going through pictures, school books, music, and all sorts of other things that end up in closets. My mom is one of the most organized people I know, and this is probably the only "cluttered" space we had in the whole house! Not anymore! It turned out amazing!

I snapped this picture of Olivia playing in the grass with dandelions at a rally on Saturday. So sweet!

HA! The difference between the last two pictures cracks me up. Olivia told me she looked like a "cool bat" in this outfit on the way home from ballet last week. She had pulled her skirt up over her arms to make wings.

 

I have officially lost the view of my toes! We have an extremely busy week/weekend, and I am hoping the time  will go by quickly!

 

 

 

 

 

36 Weeks Pregnant

 

How far along: 36 Weeks - This is the farthest I got with my pregnancy with Olivia!

 

Size of baby: 5.75 pounds and 18.75 inches long. I don't feel as big as I look in the picture! If that makes any sense :) I do know it is almost impossible to bend over, and my stomach is as hard as a rock. I keep thinking there is no way I can grow any bigger! At my appointment this morning I measured exactly 36 weeks!

 

Gender: Boy! We officially picked a name! I even ordered something with his name on it, so there is no turning back :)

 

Movement: I've noticed his movement slowing down a lot in the past several weeks, probably from the lack of room. He is much more mellow, and moves so much less than Olivia ever did! 

 

Sleep: I told my mom I think I slept 47 seconds last night. Just in the last week I noticed a drastic shift from sleeping 10 hours straight at night, to hopefully falling asleep by midnight, waking up every 30 - 45 minutes to use the restroom, hopefully falling back asleep, and then WIDE awake by 6 am. I have had a couple good nights mixed in, but I can tell I am nearing the end by my insomnia :) I know my body is just getting ready for some long nights with a sweet little newborn.

 

 

Symptoms: I have had Braxton Hick contractions for the last several weeks. I've noticed the baby is dropping, because it is getting easier to breathe, and my ribs don't have constant pressure against them. At my appointment this morning my Doctor said that I am just starting to dilate and my pregnancy is looking textbook perfect at 36 weeks. I honestly feel really good. I keep waiting to hit the miserable end of pregnancy feeling, and thankfully I'm still enjoying this! I would love to make it to 40 weeks, so the baby is as little as possible when Andrew gets home! Everything is 90% cleaned, packed, and prepared for this baby, so I am just enjoying every second of these last few weeks pregnant.

 

What I miss: I do miss sleeping through the night right now. Especially knowing that I won't be sleeping through the night again for several months after the baby is born :) 

 

 

Cravings: Ice!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Food Aversions: Nothing. Ha!

 

What I'm looking forward to: My husband coming home! I know I asked you all to pray he would get an early release date, and the Lord answered! I can't talk about when he is coming home on the blog, but it is significantly earlier than the original date, and it makes my heart SO happy. I am still praying he would be able to be here when the baby is born, but I know whatever happens at this point is God's plan, and better than mine. I'm just thankful every day that he will be home sooner than we thought!

Weekend Updates

I'm sitting here in my pajamas with Livy Bug at 7:30 at night....we obviously have big plans for the evening :) The farther along I get in the pregnancy, the more I am ready for comfy clothes and relaxation immediately after supper! I promised Andrew I would post a couple pictures of Olivia from this weekend! (If you follow me on Instagram, you have already seen all of these!)

Olivia and I were able to have a picnic on Wednesday night before church! The weather has finally turned to spring here, and we are enjoying every second. Olivia is sleeping up to 14 hours straight at night she is so exhausted from playing outside all day.

Olivia wore one of my scarves and her "fur" around her neck the other night to go to sleep. I slipped into the room after she fell asleep and took them off, but I couldn't help but laugh at her sweet little prissy self. She told me the next morning we better tie them on tight next time so they don't fall off in the night.

I came in from the apartment this week to find these two watching The Lion King. The sweetness level is through the roof.

I cannot WAIT till my two men are here to wear their matching shoes!

Olivia brought me outside the other day and said "I call this piece 'Kid Stuff Outside'". She has been watching way to much TV.

This girl has some serious Papa love!

Sunday we went out to eat at Olivia's very favorite restaurant. She LOVES Chinese food from the Panda Palace!

She told me the other day "Nana is my best Nana I know." I'm already dreading the family withdrawals we are both going to go through when we have to leave! (Dreading, but happy dreading since that means we will be back with Andrew. If that makes any sense :)

Pretty in Pink!

 

This picture cracks me up to no end and makes me sad all in one. She is getting too big for her own good. This morning she was watching me get ready and after I told her no when she asked me if she could wear makeup, my wedding ring, any ring, my robe, and then earrings, I heard her sigh and say "I just want to be a grown up." I told her she had to stay little forever and she said "I'm growing BIGGER every day, Mom! I don't know how to stop!".

 

I think I need to bottle up some of this sweet 3 year old age so I can pull it out whenever I want. I love every second!