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August 23, 2012

Thirty Three Weeks


33 Weeks. Baby Girl is the size of a Pineapple

Feeling a little frisky today, So I'm doing something a little different this week. Ladies and Gentleman, I present :

Things I wish I had known BEFORE I got pregnant:
These are probably not things that pertain to ALL girls. But for me, and for what I had read in books prior to being pregnant versus what information I personally needed to know... this would have been a good list to have next to by bed side table to review every night.
  1. Gross things will in fact happen to your body, but you really won't care. I scared myself silly reading all the ways my body would morph and I would say childish things like "gross". I would even obsess over how "un-hot" my body is going to look after. It was like my last chance to get out all the little highschooler insecurities. Now I feel like saying : I'm a woman! Check out what my body can withstand. This should be an Olympic Sport!
  2. Fear of the unknown is the worst part. Every time I read in a book that something was going to happen, I would freak out about it until it happened and then once it did, I always thought "Oh, that's not that bad" Also, I should have not read so many books in advance. Only read the chapter in the book that pertains to where you are in your pregnancy. Reading ahead is pointless because it might not happen to you like they describe and then you've got yourself all worked up for nothing.
  3. You can ALWAYS get MORE Uncomfortable. Just when you think you have peaked on foot soreness, back aches, and indigestion, etc. - another week roles around and it gets worse. I wish I could go back and tell myself at 20 weeks pregnant to STOP complaining and be thankful.
  4. The first 1/2 of pregnancy you will be upset about people not noticing you are pregnant, the second half you will be upset because they DO notice your pregnant you and wonder if that means you are too big for the number of weeks you are pregnant.
  5. Being pregnant is an extremely spiritual experience. Once you take the time to think of what is forming in your womb and how intricate of a system the human body is, you really get blown away. How could a person NOT believe in God when you think of what a fetus is made from and what it becomes. On top of that,when you think of the love you have for your child already and think about having to give that child up to die for other people's sin --- wow, talk about bringing the Jesus Crucifixion to an extremely real and personal moment...
  6. You will not forget everything or lose your mind or get fired from work because of having "pregnancy brain". They are called hormones - not "brain-eating" amoebas. And even if you are absent minded - it's totally cool - the whole world gives you a free pass.
  7. Start wearing maternity clothes sooner rather than later. Don't fight it - you are only making yourself miserable by trying to squeeze into those tight jeans. Let loose and let that belly flow! You'll be much more comfortable, thus much less moody.
  8. Pregnancy brings out the best in your husband. If you ever doubted his sensitivity, you will not after this experience.
  9. You will not get a sonogram every time you go to the doctor. Don't be disappointed - this is normal.
  10. No, you can not shave the dogs or give them away. They are apart of your family and your husband will not tolerate it. Just embrace their dog hair and get over it. They are here to stay - even if your baby does have to crawl through dog hair to get to her toys.
  11. You really wont care what gender they say you are going to have. You THINK you want a certain one, but you'll fall so hard in love with that baby regardless of genitals, you might as well not waste any time wishing one way or the other.
  12. If you have an emotional day, don't worry about it - it will pass. You are not going to be sad, worried or anxious your entire pregnancy. Each just feels like that b/c your hungry and need a snack. If a snack doesn't work - just wait it out. Your hormones will balance themselves out in a few days and you'll be fine. Sheesh - quit freaking out     : )

August 22, 2012

Thirty Two Weeks


This week we decided to take the picture in her room! It's really starting to come together. Here you can see a sneak peak of the bed and bedding. More pictures are coming, we are just finalizing a few things around the room first. I'm way too OCD to show the world a "work in progress" Finalized pictures only :)

August 12, 2012

Thirty One Weeks



How far along? 31 Weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain: Enough to make me feel gross if I'm not wearing the perfect thing. I think sometimes even my hair makes me look fat. Appointment this Tuesday to confirm exactly how much has really been gained. My guess? 30 lbs.

Maternity clothes? All day, Every day

Stretch marks? Still happy to report the answer is No
 
Sleep: Good. It is interrupted 2-3 times a night for a restroom break or to grab some Tums (which is now a staple on the bedside table). But while I am asleep, it is good, hard sleep.
Best moment this week: As much as I am inclined to voice my pregnancy complaints, there really are tons of things to be thankful this week :Decorating the baby room, getting lots of good hand me-downs from my sister, food stored in my freezer for when baby arrives, co-workers who give me grace when I lose my mind and a husband who is incredibly sweet when I'm moody. All blessings I've received just this week! 

Miss Anything? Giving my husband a big bear hug without anything getting in our way :)
Heartburn: Every. Single. Day.

Food cravings: Watermelon, Grilled onions and peppers, Milk, strawberry sauce on ice cream
Swelling?: Yes, at night the feet must go up or my toes look like little vienna sausages. Hard to tell if this is all pregnancy related or if the August heat is playing a role...
Favorite thing about pregnancy so far: Feeling my sweet little girl kick and move. The kind smiles of strangers is pretty cool too!
Least favorite thing about pregnancy so far: Constant heartburn, the uncertainty of ever thing that is to come
Belly Button in or out? It's in an awkward stage. I think the top has started to pop out, but not the bottom. I think it's going to be inevitable that soon I'll be wearing a band aid over my belly button to try and hide it through my shirts

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody :(  I'm in a good mood as I write this, but if the truth be told: The last week has been hot and cold. Hormones seems to be really fluctuating these days.
Looking forward to: Getting lots of rest over the next 8 weeks until our little Elise is here.

Thirty Weeks

30 Weeks. Baby Girl Z stats:
Length: 15 1/2 inches
Weight: ~ 3 Lbs
Fruit: Head of Cabbage
I keep saying this, but it feels like we are in the home stretch. I mean, TECHNICALLY baby will be considered full term at 37 weeks so we could potentially have a healthy baby on September 17th - and that doesn't sound very far away!

July 25, 2012

Twenty Nine Weeks

Baby is 29 Weeks. Just in time for daddy's 29th birthday!
PHYSICAL CHANGES: Started waking up more frequently in the middle of the night. Sometimes to use the ladies room and sometimes because I'm in a desperate need of Tums. Either way, it's annoying, but I get back to sleep pretty quickly. Back pain has increased a little bit. Thankfully when we were visiting Bridgeport in June, Ash gave me this awesome rice bag that heats up in the microwave. I use that sucker every single day - brings sweet relief pretty much instantaneously. After all the things I could complain about-I do have one positive physical note : we are able to feel baby move pretty much anytime we want. She is so active that we are already constantly engaged with her. She hasn't taken any sharp jabs to my internal organs so that's nice too. When the family was in for our baby shower last weekend, I think everyone who wanted to got to feel her squirm around in my belly. It's so fun already sharing her with our family.

CRAVINGS: Watermelon and ice cold water have been the main cravings of the week (again). As the heat continues to increase, I'm sticking to those cold items to satisfy my appetite. I realize how healthy that must sound, but I must confess that fast food fries have been very hard to avoid lately :)

SWEET BABY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: We've graciously been given lots of little girl clothes from friends and family. After going through the loot and organizing it all- we finally got around to washing all the clothes this week. You should have seen how cute our laundry was! An entire washer full of pink clothes and they smelled OOOOOO soooo good. Got the 'Baby Magic' brand of laundry detergent. That stuff is like baby crack. When I pulled the load out of the dryer we both let out a sigh at how cute our laundry had become. Turns out if you add some cute baby clothes to laundry, that chore gets a little more fun!

Twenty Eight Weeks



Hello 3rd Trimester! Baby is the size of a Chinese Cabbage

Ok, I'm not that wild about this picture.When I envisioned doing these weekly pictures, I never thought I would stoop so low as to take one in workout clothes. These were supposed to be beautifully orchestrated pictures that made me look "barely" pregnant and always glowing : )  BUT It was Monday night, we were in the living room with pieces of the changing table all around us - just waiting to be assembled and we remembered it was Picture day! What's a girl to do? Hurry up, take the picture and get back to assembling baby furniture before her husband loses motivation! Thus, Week 28 is not mommy's most proud pic - but hey - the nursery now has all assembled furniture! Plus Elise might as well realize already that mommy is often in sweats and a t-shirt at home. We'll call this picture our "reality" pregnant photo.

So here we are in the 3rd trimester. What better way to start off the third trimester than with a baby shower!?!?!?!?

This Saturday we had our first baby shower. Talk about a surreal moment!  I was getting dressed in my bathroom with my sister and I just couldn't believe we were actually getting ready for my BABY shower. Weren't we just getting my wedding dress on a few weeks ago? Sheesh - time flies when you are having fun!
Our fabulous friends put on a "shower" that was different from what you usually think about as a baby shower.And I should really use that phrase lightly. It was mostly college and local friends with a few of our closest couple friends. There was beer, BOYS came, and the food was heavy and delicious. Nothing like what you usually think about when you hear the words "baby shower". AND WE LOVED IT!

I picked some of my favorite pictures to re-cap the event :


Although delicious tacos and Mexican food was our main meal, we still got indulge with some pink cupcakes and lemonade!
Check it out! Boys at a baby shower!!
Our beautiful hosts



Plenty of pink and clothes to see for miles and miles

The mastermind behind it all. My bfffffffff Crystal
The Varner girls made a special trip in, so sweet
Parents to be and the Grandparents

July 12, 2012

Twenty Seven Weeks

27 Weeks. Our little sunshine tips the scale at over 2 pounds
How far along? 27 weeks, 4 days. Some books count the third trimester starting at 27 weeks and some count it at 28 weeks. I'm officially in the middle so I say that we are in the third trimester. WHOOP!!
Wait... that means this baby is going to come out soon...
Total weight gain: A lady never tells. Especially a lady who has gained 24 lbs in 27 weeks. (hypothetically speaking of course)
Maternity clothes? 100% of the time. Is it possible to outgrow maternity clothes?
Stretch marks? No. Thank you mom for that great hereditary trait!

Sleep: I need more of it - know where I can get some?

Best moment this week: Laying on the couch with Casey and "playing" with Elise through my stomach. She responds to her daddy's voice intensely - so sweet
Miss Anything? Maybe one day I will be able to put something BESIDES beer, but I'm sticking with that for now.
Heartburn: My esophagus is constantly on fire. I think we've moved past heartburn

Food cravings: Watermelon.
Anything making you queasy or sick: None whatsoever at this point
Favorite thing about pregnancy so far: The anticipation of meeting my daughter

Least favorite thing about pregnancy so far: constantly grunting when I move :)
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Our shower this weekend