Friday, March 22

Nearing the end.



 I was thinking  back when we took this picture and I wrote this post about the news of our sweet baby. At that time we had no idea what journey we were about to embark on and really, we still don't. I had no clue that I was about to endure 25 weeks of morning <all day> sickness or that in the end, I would come to find out that pregnancy was just not my favorite thing. I had no idea what it felt like to feel my baby move inside of me, or that the little person inside my tummy was a little boy who would be active and healthy.
The day we took this picture we were just filled with joy and excitement, but also a lot of fear. There were so many unknowns, and all we really knew was that God has just blessed us and we were so thankful for that.







So here we are, almost 39 weeks pregnant and that sunny summer day feels like a life time ago. On that day I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be this close to my due date and now I can't believe we will get to meet out sweet boy soon. 

So though pregnancy is not what I always "imagined" I don't regret a single day of it.
And I have to admit, I'm going to miss looking down and seeing my precious boy wiggle around, I will miss his strong kicks and having him with me at all times.
I can't wait to meet him,but as uncomfortable as I am, I will miss my still growing belly and I will treasure the time I had with him always.
As I've been saying to keep me going, I will never be pregnant with him again, so I'm doing my best to enjoy the last few weeks.







 





 



















 You will be here soon baby, and we couldn't be more anxious to meet you.



 As always, a HUGE thank you to my friend and photographer. She has been there since the beginning and continues to capture the most precious moments of my life. 

Wednesday, March 20

38 weeks!

Here we are.
38 full weeks of pregnancy. Some days I feel like I've been pregnant my whole life and others I can't seem to fathom the fact that I am almost done. 

Today is: March 20, 2013
How far along: 38 weeks
Weight Gain:  About 25lbs as of today!
Baby is the size of: A watermelon! 19-21" and 6-8 lbs. My midwife said she is guessing he is around 7lbs, but she said there is really no way of knowing!
What's going on with the babe: Baby boy could have about an inch of hair! (Which is so fun to think about!) He has a firm grasp, and his organs have matured and are ready for life outside of the womb.
What's going on with the mama: Basically what every woman at 38 weeks of pregnancy would say.. Uncomfortable. Walking, sitting, lying down, it's all the same. Everything hurts and everything feels sore and achy. BUT, I will never be pregnant with THIS little boy again, so I've been praying that God continues to work on my heart these last few weeks and gives me a joyful attitude! 
Baby is a: Boy!
Maternity clothing: Yeah, mostly. Some non-maternity, but very, very little.
Sleep: Is pretty rough these days.. I'm taking whatever I can get!
Movement: Same as always, active little boy!
Cravings/Aversions: Not really..due to the pressure he is putting on my stomach some days I'm still fighting a lot of nausea and or throwing up and I have to be diligent about washing dishes at night because I will still gag and run to the bathroom if I come downstairs and see or smell dirty dishes in the morning! :) Oh, and I guess I'm still eating A LOT of clementines. 
Symptoms:
- Normal aches. Why does it feel like I have ran a half marathon every day??
- Frequent potty breaks. :)
- Pelvic pressure. :) Woah.
- Heartburn.  The worst. I bought another bottle of tums today, just very thankful they do help!
- Fatigue.  Lots of naps these days!
- Difficulty breathing. Some days are very hard, but usually just when I go up the stairs!

I can't believe that these updates will soon be ending and I can start on the baby updates.. as always, I just can't wait to meet you little boy!!

Wednesday, March 13

37 weeks

Today is: March 13, 2013

How far along: 37 weeks...full term!

Total weight gain: 21 lbs.

Baby is the size of: A watermelon! 19-21" and 6-8 lbs. Of course we won't know exactly till he is born. My midwife said she thinks he is on the smaller side but she said that is hard to tell because she said there isn't any extra room in this belly, baby boy has taken up every inch of room!

What's going on with the babe: Baby boy is gaining about 1/2 an ounce a day, and is practicing his blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping.

What's going on with the mama: I guess you could say some "nesting" has kicked in, but nothing real serious. I am not a super organized person or always do the best job at keeping a clean house but with the thought of baby possibly coming any day I do find myself cleaning more often so we can come home to a somewhat clean house!

Baby is a: Boy!

Maternity clothing: Yeah, mostly. Some non-maternity, but very little. At this point I just try to find anything that fits.
Sleep: Some nights are okay, others are not so good! But I would say as good as can be expected at this point!
Movement:Baby is still pretty active..he sure doesn't have much room but he pushes and kicks as much as possible.
Cravings/Aversions: Most days its just food I dislike. I have to eat small meals because with all the pressure on my stomach it's hard to eat. I'm still craving my cereal, fruit and saltines. :)
Symptoms:
- Sciatic nerve pain Not usually!
- Aches.  All day.
- Frequent potty breaks. :)
- Pelvic pressure. Oh. my. goodness.
- Heartburn. My worst enemy! 


We are getting close and while this countdown begins I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute I have with my little man. As much as I have disliked pregnancy, I absolutely love my baby and I think a part of me will miss having him this close to me. I'm so anxious to see his face and kiss his sweet cheeks but I know I will never get this time back again, so I'm going to try and treasure what I can!

Monday, March 11

thankful.

tomorrow is 37 weeks. Full term-- ish. We did it. And I am so thankful for that. 

this weekend was my second baby shower and saying I left feeling thankful would be the understatement of the century. Not only did all of the presents not fit in our car, friends and family drove from miles to come support me and this precious little boy. It was truly overwhelming, and I felt nothing short of loved.

It's funny how has kids you really don't appreciate much of what your parents do or teach you or how you really have no idea how their influence on your life is shaping you into this person that you might someday be. My parents are wonderful, supportive and always loving who have taught me more than I could ever write a blog post about, but it hasn't been since being pregnant that has made me realize the things they taught me has stuck with me and how thankful I am to them for their hard work in raising us.
I know, pretty cliche..but really it's true. 
My mom has always taught us to be thankful, count your blessings, and to have a Pollyanna attitude. 
( For those of you who haven't seen this movie, please stop what you are doing and watch it now, dorky yes..but fun and worth your time..very much so.) Her attitude in the movie is simply to see the best in life and in every situation. Though I'm not always very good at this being raised with my mom I can usually hear her in the back of my head constantly saying " My pollyanna attitude is coming but..." and she would name one blessing or positive thing in whatever circumstance we were in. I think being thankful is a choice and we must choose it, even in hardships. So as I thinking about that this morning and  I was praying that the Lord would make me a more thankful woman, wife and mother. I was praying that my child would grow up in a thankful home that chooses joy and love, even when we don't want too. 
God works in beautiful ways because as I was praying for that I got an email from my mother in law who sent me the link to this blog
and of course what was the topic: thankfulness. 

Some days I'm thankful for the bigger things, electricity, good health, running water, shelter and warmth, my family...
Some days its easy to be thankful for the "small" things, coffee and tea in cute mugs with good books, warm fuzzy socks, the beauty of winter, chocolate, fun movies and baby socks.
Today, I am just thankful for it all.. Life and joy, the cross and my salvation, the assurance I have in Christ and the hope of an eternity with Him. I'm thankful for a messy house full of baby supplies, those strong baby kicks which make it impossible not to use the bathroom every hour. 
I know my days will soon be so different, filled with new things, dirty diapers and so much of the unknown. I want to be thankful for it all, I want to embrace this new change and find grace and beauty in those hard moments. I want to snuggle my baby and thank God for him everyday. I want to love my husband well while learning my new role as a mother. Above all I want to glorify God and praise Him each day for this beautiful life He has given me.
my prayer today is that my home will be filled of thankful hearts and spirits that choose joy, even though we fail everyday.

today, I'm just simply thankful. And I'm thankful for a mom who has continued to show me what it looks like to have a "Pollyanna" attitude.


Friday, March 8

Umm, 36 weeks??

oops. 
I forgot my 36 week update this week. It was sort of another hard week physically and emotionally so I think it just slipped my mind. Not to mention I have been busy preparing a certain little boys room. 
baby A will be here before we know it and call me insane, but suddenly I'm wondering how it came so fast. Pregnancy has felt like the longest journey of my entire life and now I realize we only have 4 weeks left. 

I had my appointment on Wednesday and baby boy is doing great. My nurse and midwife could not believe how LOW his head was and she was pleased that my body seems to be doing exactly what it's suppose to do in preparing for labor. She said it really doesn't mean anything because you never know but the fact that his head is already so low is a great sign and she really doubts I will make it to my due date. I'm trying my hardest to keep that out of my mind though. These waiting days are some of the hardest as the thought of holding my sweet little boy gets closer and closer. Every night my dreams are filled with giving birth or bringing him home, and my thoughts during the day are often filled with trying to picture his face. So I am still telling myself that we could have 5 weeks left and most likely this will be an April baby!

Either way we are staying busy over here with putting together a nursery, hanging out with our friends, having baby showers, and trying to figure out what else needs to be done before he gets here. 

Currently he is being a show off again and practicing his wrestling moves. My stomach is completely lopsided and he has his limbs sticking out all over. I think my baby boy is getting pretty squished. 

:)