34 weeks- a week late

34 Weeks! 

Sorry, it's a week late but better late than never right?  This week was awesome.  Erick and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with a weekend at the Resort and Spa where we had our wedding reception.  It was sweet and very nostalgic to go back there.  We enjoyed a couples massage and pedicures, both of which felt soooo good considering my back is killing me and I can't paint my own toes :-)

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain: +21!!! Ah!!! I gained 6 lbs between my last 2 appointments (that's only a 2 week time frame).  I started a mini freak out when I stepped on the scale and saw the numbers.  During my appointment the midwife said I gained a little more than they want to see for the timeframe but that I've caught up now with my measurments (I guess I was measuring small before).  After I got over the shock of the numbers on the scale I realized that I'm healthy and baby is healthy so no need to worry over it and I need to walk more and eat less ice cream lol.

Maternity clothes? Since I've been back to work (school instead of summer camp) I've been able to wear the cute work maternity clothes I've gotten.

Stretch marks? none yet and I hope to never get them!

Sleep: Sleep is a strange thing... I've figured out if I stay up later than normal I can usually sleep through the night.  Some nights I sleep great, other nights I'm lucky if I get 4hrs of sleep.

Best moment this week: Our anniversary celebration weekend getaway.   

Miss Anything? being able to lay on my back or stomach, shave my legs comfortably, sit down/ stand up without grunting lol. 

Movement: oh yes everyday.  It seems like the only time she isn't moving is when someone has their hand on my belly waiting for her to move.

Food cravings: Ice ice baby... ice water, ice cubes and cereal

Anything making you queasy or sick: smelly stuff

Gender: BABY GIRL!!!!

Labor Signs: No labor signs but braxton hicks contractions for sure.  

Symptoms: I feel like all the energy has been sucked out of me!  This stinks.  I feel useless when I get home from work because I have no energy at all.  I'm sure it will only get worse when the students start back on Monday.

Belly Button in or out? starting to poke out

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and getting super super super excited to meet my baby! 

Looking forward to: Next appointment so I can hear her heartbeat :-)  Also seeing the rest of our maternity pictures!  Our awesome photographer posted a sneak peak of one on facebook, it's so awesome I can't wait to see the rest. 

Here are a few pictures from our anniversary and the maternity picture.

Anniversary dinner (No, I didn't drink the bubbly)



The beautiful view from our room

Look at that beautiful sunset!  Angela and Brian are awesome!  Check out their website http://www.lovinglegacyphotography.com/ 

Baby shower!

My Baby Shower!

I had a great time at my baby shower.  My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and friend Nicole threw me such an awesome shower.  I saw a baby shower on Pinterest (of course) that was children's book themed and knew that's what I wanted.  It turned out so perfectly.  We had meatballs (thanks dad, they were delicious) for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; muffins and cookies for If you Give a Mouse a Cookie and If you Give a Moose a Muffin; Deviled eggs and sandwiches for Green Eggs and Ham and an assortment of fruit for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The food was yummy and the desserts were super cute and delicious.  The cake had "books" on it which were all different flavors.

My friend Noelle (who is super crafty and awesome) made cake pops and a cake pop stand especially for the shower.  OMG these were the cutest cake pops I have ever seen!  The stand had pages from children's books on it and Kate's name around the bottom.  So adorable!  Here's a link to her blog so check it out- http://homemakerchic.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/diy-cake-pop-or-cupcake-stand-tutorial/ 

Kate was for sure showered with lots and lots of wonderful gifts.  A lot of pink and ruffles, which I LOVE.  Here is my husband's favorite gift for sure :-)  (if you don't know Erick, he's a huge Seminole fan so this is very fitting)

Patti (my dad's girlfriend) made this adorable diaper cake.

Ms. B (a very special woman to me) monogrammed some super cute outfits with Kate's name on them (this is my favorite) and made a very special blanket for Kate.

Thank you to everyone who came!  It was a great party! 

32 weeks

8 months!

Yikes that means only 2 more left till baby is here!!! The nursery is almost done. The glider will be here tomorrow! Yay! And really all I have left to do is put up the stuff on the wall and put away all the baby stuff. Oh yeah and repaint the small dresser and drawers. So yeah I guess it's not almost done but it's getting there :-)
This past weekend we went with 2 other couples to the condo on the east coast. It was so relaxing and the beach was beautiful. I call the condo "my happy place" because not only is it a great place right on the beach but I've been going there basically every year of my life. I have so many different memories of family times spent there and every time I go I think back on all the great times I've had there. This year was different because I was not only thinking about the memories but also how and where Kate and our future children will have those same memories. Hopefully the condo stays in the family for forever and she can have the same memories there that I did. I'm really hoping that next summer my brothers and their families and I can all spend some time over there together. I know Kate won't remember it but it would be a great tradition to start. My brothers have 5 kids between the two of them ages newborn (less than a week old) to 10 so I can't help but look forward to all the fun times the cousins will have together in years to come. Being pregnant definitely makes you look at things differently. Now at camp I look at the campers and wonder what type of camper will Kate be. Will she be outgoing or shy? Like to play sports or be more of a girly girl? Will she listen or push her boundaries? I know all of these questions will be answered in time but I can't help but to think about it now. I also find myself thinking twice before I say something, wondering if I would want someone to say that to my daughter. It puts things into perspective for sure.

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: +15 down a pound from last appointment but I think it was just the clothes I was wearing

Maternity clothes? Some maternity shorts and shirts and lots of dresses and skirts   

Stretch marks? none yet and I hope to never get them!

Sleep: sleep is alright I guess... I can't really get comfortable and I wake up too many times during the night to pee 

Best moment this week: going to the condo for the weekend!  It was so relaxing and really nice to get away for a few days.   

Miss Anything? being able to lay on my back or stomach. 

Movement: oh yes everyday.  Erick was reading her a story and she started moving all around, like strong big movements.

Food cravings: Ice ice baby... ice water, ice cubes, and ice cream lately

Anything making you queasy or sick: smelly stuff

Gender: BABY GIRL!!!!

Labor Signs: Nope  

Symptoms: a big huge belly lol, heartburn at times, feeling more tired and backaches.

Belly Button in or out? in, well really it's almost flat.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: a little moodier lately... poor Erick gets the brunt of my moodiness.  He deserves a medal for putting up with me and loving me! 

Looking forward to: My baby shower on Sunday!  But I'm not looking forward to trying to find places to put all the stuff!  It's stressing me out seriously.  I still need to put all the stuff we've already gotten away in the nursery (i'm not complaining about people giving us stuff at all, just stating the fact that there's a ton of stuff for such a tiny person.)

30 weeks

30 weeks!  Wow!  In the home stretch... T- minus 10 weeks!!! 

This week has been a great one.  We made a ton of progress on the nursery. Actually my awesome in-laws came over one day while Erick and I were at work and finished up the baseboards, shoe molding and framing out the closet and window!  Super grateful for them helping out.  We had an appointment with the midwife and all is well :-) My iron was low when they checked last time so I have to take liquid iron, no biggie.  I was very excited to see that I did pass the glucose test.  They said they would call if I didn't but for some reason I was convinced they forgot and were going to give me the awful news when I got to my appointment.  I'm not saying that having gestational diabetes is awful but for me it would mean that I wouldn't be able to give birth at the birthing center, so that's why I was so happy I passed and didn't have to worry about it.

Erick and I took the RV for a little weekend getaway.  We had a blast.  It's always nice to get away for a day or two.  The picture below is me at the pool of the RV park enjoying a virgin Pina Coloda.  FYI it wasn't nearly as good as I was hoping it would be, actually it was pretty nasty and I could only drink 1/2 of it :-( Sorry for another bathing suit picture but that was pretty much the most picture worthy I was all weekend (I was totally scrubbing it in gym shorts and t-shirts). 

Speaking of being in a bathing suit...  I was a little nervous of wearing a bikini to a public pool while 7 1/2 months pregnant.  I didn't know if some people would think it's inappropriate or not.  Well after thinking about it for all of 2 seconds and having Erick tell me how great he thinks I look, I decided to wear it.  Well, I really had no choice because all I brought were bikini's.  While at the pool I saw a few other pregnant women and they were all wearing tankini's and I started to second guess my choice of attire.  All of the sudden there she was!  Probably 8 months pregnant (at least) and looking oh so adorable in a super cute bikini!  I was not the only one :-) This got me thinking about people and their thoughts on pregnant women and their choices. I'll write a separate blog on more about this later but for now here is what I have figured out... Everyone has an opinion! (and usually they love to share it) My dad always says opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and they all stink, sorry may be a little gross but hey it's true.  So, when you are pregnant a lot of people like to tell you their opinions and what you should or shouldn't do.  That's nice and all but what I have learned and am very at peace with is... Each pregnant woman is entitled to make all their own decisions with their pregnancy and birth!  Obviously there are things that shouldn't be done for health reason but other than that let her do what she wants to do!  Sheesh! From here on out I have no judgements on pregnant women and their choices (as long as it doesn't harm the baby).  OK that's enough of that.

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: +16

Maternity clothes? Yes.  Just bought some really cute maternity clothes for work this weekend.   

Stretch marks? none yet and I hope to never get them!

Sleep: Eh, it depends on the night.  Some nights I can sleep most of the night and others I feel like I'm awake more than I'm asleep.

Best moment this week: Appointment with the midwife, hearing her heart beat and hearing that everything is going great (passed the glucose test with flying colors :-)  

Miss Anything? I have this craving for raw oysters! 

Movement: oh yes everyday.  Her movements are getting stronger and the other day I actually felt a body part, probably a leg.

Food cravings: Ice ice baby... ice water and Italian ice.  Chipolte's guacamole!  I swear I could eat it everyday.

Anything making you queasy or sick: certain smells and anything with bacon.

Gender: BABY GIRL!!!!

Labor Signs: Nope  

Symptoms: feeling a little light headed and dizzy at times, crazy vivid dreams and heartburn.

Belly Button in or out? in, well really it's almost flat.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, happy, happy and anxious and nervous and a little moody at times lol.

Looking forward to: I know I said this last week also but... The nursery being done!  We have gotten a lot done but of course there's always more to be done. Soon... i hope :-)  

29 Weeks- 4th of July and 4 D ultrasound!

So this past week was pretty eventful!  Wednesday was the 4th of July which I spent at the beach soaking up the sun, then a delish low country boil at my dads and Thursday we had our 4d ultrasound!  The beach was beautiful and it felt so good to be able to float on my stomach in the water lol.  I can't wait for next 4th of July and having Kate dressed up all cute in red, white and blue!  I get so excited thinking about the holidays in the future and how much fun we will have with our daughter! Here are a few pictures of our day.



So Thursday we went for our 4d ultrasound!  It was absolutely amazing.  I didn't really know how I would react or what it would be like.  We had my dad, Patti and Erick's parents with us and all of us were in awe at the clarity and special glimpse of our baby girl.  It is incredible to see God's miracle creation while she is still being made!  It made it feel 100x more real now.  Now I can picture her little nose and cute little lips when I sit and rub my belly and not just any average baby.  Here are some pictures of our precious baby girl.

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain: +15

Maternity clothes? Yes.  Seriously maternity pants and shorts are the most comfy things! 

Stretch marks? none yet and I hope to never get them! I started to freak out a little the other morning when I thought I saw one, but it was just the imprint of my shirt seam.

Sleep: Sleep is pretty good, especially now that I got a new body pillow!  I feel like I'm back in the first trimester as far as tiredness goes.  All of the sudden I get super tired and feel like I can't get enough sleep.  Not sure if it's running after 5 and 6 years old all day at camp or just part of the pregnancy.

Best moment this week: The 4D ultrasound!

Miss Anything? Red wine

Movement: oh yes every night! But of course she was asleep the entire ultrasound

Food cravings: Ice ice baby... ice water, Italian ice

Anything making you queasy or sick: certain smells and anything with bacon.

Gender: BABY GIRL!!!!

Labor Signs: Not but I'm pretty sure I've been getting Braxton-hicks contractions.  My belly gets rock hard, it's crazy.  It seems to happen the most when I go from sitting to standing. 

Symptoms: heartburn, backaches, crazy dreams, headaches, car sick really easy and this weird numb patch on my belly.

Belly Button in or out? in, well really it's like almost flat.

 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, happy, happy and anxious and nervous and a little moody at times lol.

Looking forward to: The nursery finally being finished!  Floors are in just need to finish painting and the move in the furniture :-)



28 Weeks!

Whoa!  Can't believe it's already 28 weeks!  I've probably said this before but this pregnancy has flown by.  I really can't believe we only have around 12 weeks untill our little peanut arrives! I really love being pregnant and now can see why some women say they miss it after the baby is born.  I love it now when i'm out in public and people ask me when I'm due.  I can't help but to smile like a dork!  

We are starting to make progress on the nursery, yay! finally!  I feel like we have so much stuff and no where to put it.  In reality we don't have nearly what we need and we are only going to be getting more stuff.  I guess I desperately need a garage sale (which is on the to do list) and to get organized ASAP. 

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain: +14

Maternity clothes? Yes.  Seriously maternity pants and shorts are the most comfy things! 

Stretch marks? none yet and I hope to never get them!

Sleep: Sleep is pretty good, especially now that I got a new body pillow!

Best moment this week: Oh so many these past 2 weeks!  Had an awesome baby shower in Orlando with my family!  It was nice to see them and catch up a little bit, especially seeing Becky and Mrs. Burke (a childhood friend and her mom whom i haven't seen in ages)!  Finding a killer deal on the bob stroller on Craig's list and getting a great deal on a crib that I actually like on Craig's list.  Going to our appointment with the midwife and hearing her bouncing all around.  Passing the glucose test :-) For some reason I was so worried about not passing it.  Also starting boot camp again!  I haven't really worked out in like 4 months and it was so great and energizing to start again!  Hopefully I can stick with it for the month. Finding some great nursery finds on Etsy!!!  That website is dangerous!

Miss Anything? Being able to lay on my stomach.

Movement: oh yes! I love it!

Food cravings: hot dogs, corn dogs and things that are tart like lemon anything.  If I see something on TV that strikes my fancy it's like i have to eat it right now!  Many dinner decisions have been made from the couch, in front of the TV lately.

Anything making you queasy or sick: certain smells and anything with bacon.

Gender: BABY GIRL!!!!

 

Labor Signs: No way

Symptoms: heartburn, backaches, crazy dreams 

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, happy, happy and anxious and nervous and a little moody at times lol.

Looking forward to: Our 4D ultrasound on Thursday!!!  Can't wait to see our little peanut.  Spending the 4th of July with family at the beach and a low country boil yummy yummy!

26 weeks- Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  Especially to my dad! 

         I am totally a Daddy's girl and love my dad with all my heart.  I'm not usually a very emotional person, I'll blame it on the raging hormones, but this morning I've been getting emotional thinking about my relationship with my dad and the relationship Kate will have with Erick.  I am blessed beyond belief to have the dad that I do.  He's always there for me no matter what and has instilled in me values that I can only hope to instill in my future children.  My dad is honestly one of my best and closest friends.  I rely on him for advice in all aspects of life and still look to him for guidance.  I know I'm all grown up and an adult now but I will always be a daddy's girl and he will always be my hero.  With all that being said it makes me think of Erick and Kate and what their relationship will be like.  I am so thankful that God chose a Erick as my husband and now as the father of our child.  I can't wait to see Erick as a dad!  He is the most patient and caring person I know.  Kate is so lucky to have him as her daddy.  I can only hope and pray that they have a relationship as close and as strong as my dad and I do.  I have no doubt that they will.  It makes me smile to think of all the fun and silly times they will have as she is growing up.  I'm also grateful that Kate will have a loving, caring and wise dad to look up just like I did.  They say that girls look for a husband that shares the same qualities as their dads and in my case it's totally true.  I hope and pray that the same will be true for Kate.

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain: +10

Maternity clothes? recently I've been using the Bella band with all my regular clothes.  I wish i could live in yoga pants and v-neck t-shirts :-)

Stretch marks? none yet and I hope to never get them! I'm starting to get that brown line, it's very very faint but I see it's starting to show

Sleep: Sleep is pretty good, definitely not as tired as i was the first 4 months
Best moment this week: Having a few strangers comment on the fact that I'm pregnant :-)
Miss Anything? lunch meat! I have been wanting a turkey sand which so bad!
Movement: oh yes! I love it

Food cravings: fruits and yogurt, things that are tart like lemon anything

Anything making you queasy or sick: certain smells
Gender: BABY GIRL!!!!

Labor Signs: No way

Symptoms: heartburn, backaches, crazy dreams 

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, happy, happy

Looking forward to: Getting the rest of her furniture and finally getting started on the nursery

Here are 2 little outfits I got for Kate with Father's Day in mind :-)