Pregnancy: this time around

i'm going to preface this by saying that i feel as every bit blessed by this pregnancy as i did when i was pregnant with claire. please believe this.

but lets be honest here.

the excitement and all the magic i felt when i was pregnant with claire is something i just cant seem to achieve this time around. it's not because i'm less happy or anything of the sort, but i think it has more to do with the fact that i have a child to care for. i don't have time to sit and daydream about my growing baby.

we wanted this pregnancy, and it happened after only trying a couple of times. i think i had my post-pregnancy period three times and then BOOM! it happened exactly when we wanted and we were thrilled. matt's reaction was fantastic (a lot better than the last time) and we've been thrilled since.

the weeks are flying by. seriously, flying by. i cannot even begin to believe that i'm going to be 18 weeks {in 3 days} and that we are going to find out baby's sex in 11 days!

i started feeling sick at 5.5 weeks {the exact same time i did with claire} and just recently started feeling better within the last couple of weeks. i've lost about 16 pounds and my appetite is yet to return. when i do eat, it's garbage. i do enjoy bananas, oranges, and clementines on a daily basis  :)

remember how exhausted you were when you were pregnant?! now try to imagine that times infinity. seriously, infinity. thankfully claire started sleeping through the night a few days after i stopped nursing her- she was right about 11.5 months. i still need to take a nap when i get home from work. if i don't get that nap, oh brother, all hell breaks loose.

i feel bad because not only is my energy not returning, i'm feeling more and more bitchy cranky each day. this causes me to be more impatient, even with my sweet little girl. makes me feel like the worst mother ever. ugh.

here's a bump shot from monday, it's a bit grainy because i took it with my ipad but oh well!

367 days ago

 It was 367 days ago when I found out my life was going to change forever.

Toni, you can feel free to skip this paragraph: 
I had a deep feeling that I was pregnant for 2 weeks. Without going into too much detail, Matt and I had a very special Christmas morning that we now refer to as Claire's Birthday ;) She is officially our Christmas miracle because it only took 1 time to conceive a baby. Conception was something I was somewhat nervous about. My old gynecologist had expressed his concern after he found out Matt and I used the "pull out method" for 3+ years without any positive pregnancy tests. This was also after my laproscopic surgery was done because he thought I had endometriosis, something that runs in my family. Thankfully, I was endo free and although I had some pretty big cysts removed, he didn't see anything that would cause any long term issues. He said it would be smart to have Matt so a semen analysis to make sure that he was good in that department. But since we had never actively tried to get pregnant (nor did we avoid it) we didn't really worry about it. We just thought that the time would come when it was best- that God had a plan for us.

On Matt's birthday (december 30) we went skiing, a Thursday tradition. After a not-so-fun night of skiing for me (my sister hated it so we spent some quality time in the lodge), we headed for some food and a nightcap. As bad as I wanted a Corona w/lime I decided to skip it. I know that alcohol in the very early stages will not effect the baby but I just couldn't drink up knowing that there was a very large chance of a babe forming in my belly :)

Matt's ski name is Viper :)

January 9th rolled around and i bought a few SUPER cheap pregnancy tests, like 2/$1 cheap. And being a dumby that I am sometimes, I forgot that I took them and went way over the time limit for reading the results. The 2 that I did take had a incredibly faint second line but I assumed it was a false reading. I should tell you that over the 4+ years that we've been married I have spent enough money on pregnancy tests to purchase a really nice purse, like I'm talking Louis or Chanel nice :) I wanted to get pregnant so bad but it had never "accidentally" happened. Okay, back the story now...


On January 10th I woke up really early because of my maybe-positive-test from the day before. They say first morning urine is the best when using a pregnancy test. So, I got my last 50 cent test and anxiously peed all all over it. I shook of the excess and sat it on a couple pieces of toilet paper on the windowsill. I watch the clock, and not the test. I wanted to have fresh eyes to inspect the very tool that I had in fact hoped and prayed would read two perfectly pink, parallel lines. Time was up. I picked it up and examined the test. Oh.my.God. a second line. Like, a real second line. Not an evap line. An absolutely, positively real second line. That line was so faint that I had to look at it in the right light and right angle, but it was there, I saw it, that beautiful wonderful second line.

Wait, ohmygosh, this means I'm pregnant. That second line means that I'm going to have a baby. That second line means that I'm going to be a mother. That second line means that my prayers have finally came true. That second line means that my life is about to change in so many ways. Wow. I'm really pregnant!! These are the exact thoughts that ran through my mind in that moment.

Once I got myself together, though I was really still in shock and disbelief, I went to wake Matt up and tell him the news. I blurted out the words "I'm pregnant" as soon as he snuffed "what?". He immediately asked me what I was talking about. I told him about the test in the bathroom. His words next went something along these lines:
"Erikka, you're not pregnant, come back to bed."
I then very boldly told him to get the hell out of bed to see the test. He got up and did just that. Remarking that he couldn't see the second line. Remember how faint I said it was?? Yeah, Matt couldn't see it with his morning eyes. As he was heading back to the bed, he told me once more that I couldn't be pregnant because we only did it 'once' and that I should go back to bed. I exclaimed that I was leaving to go pick up a digital test. He didn't like the thought of that at 6 in the morning. So I, very anxiously, got ready for work while he slept. The whole time I was thinking about how mad I was at him for not being excited and pushing everything aside.

I left for work 20 minutes early that day so I could stop at the drug store for a digital test. I was so excited to finally be buying a REAL digital test. Not a el cheapo dollar tree or save-a-lot test. However, I was also very nervous of it reading NOT PREGNANT. I got to work and couldn't resist the urge of peeing on the beautiful piece of technology. So I headed for the ladies room and did what I was trying to wait to do in the comfort of my home. Lo and behold, I was right. There it was- the word PREGNANT starring so beautifully back at me. I immediately started to shake and cry. This was it. The moment I had been waiting for. No doubts to be found anywhere. I was in fact pregnant. And this time I didn't have to squint my eyes, or hold the test in a perfect way to be able to see that I was officially bearing a child.

I packed my stuff up and headed to the office (I work in an elementary school) to call Matt. When the receptionist saw me in tears she asked me if I was okay. She looked horrified. So I had to tell her. She was so happy for me :) I called Matt who, thankfully, was out of bed. With a shaking voice I told him that he was going to be a daddy.

He still wasn't showing a shadow of emotion.

Two o'clock came and I headed for home. I couldn't wait to show Matt my test. I couldn't wait to call and schedule my first visit with a doctor.

To make the rest of this story short, Matt came around after my first sonogram. It wasn't that he wasn't happy, I think he was more nervous than anything.

The rest is history :)

37 weeks :)

 how far along? 37 weeks- she’s considered full term!

Claire’s size: almost 6.5 pounds, the size of a stalk of swiss chard & over 19 inches long           
weight gain: up 3 more pounds.
maternity clothes? Of course!  
stretch marks? let’s not talk about that. mmm kay, thanks!
sleep? not too shabby this past week.

best moment this week? spending time with family.

food cravings: ice cold beverages and apples
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? not out yet, but something goofy is def. going on!
movement? she’s still moving and grooving. they are pretty painful at times
what I miss?  nothing, really.

what I'm looking forward to: Claire’s arrival.

Look at that bellah! 

I, apparently, am not wearing a maternity top so you can see the belly fabric on my shorts (that's not my actual belly). I didn't go out in public like this... don't worry ;)

I'm fairly certain that I will be doing the nursery reveal this weekend. Exciting stuff huh? 38 weeks is 2 days away so hopefully I'll get that update & photo done in a respectable amount of time. In the meantime, Matt and I are going to start going for long walks and bumpy car rides :) This baby will be born before September 21 if I have anything to do with it! 

Have a great week!

Here we go!

 Last night around 1 am I started having contractions. I don't usually get them at night so I decided to use the app on my ipod touch to keep track of them, just in case. As luck would have it, they were about 10-12 minutes apart, lasting anywhere from 45-90 seconds. They weren't really uncomfortable but I couldn't sleep because my mind was going a million miles an hour. I finally stopped keeping track of them so I could hopefully get some rest. Yeah, no that wasn't happening. So I laid there while Claire abused my insides between contractions.

Matt woke up around 4am and brought the dog downstairs to let him out. At that point, I was trying so hard to fall asleep but I wasn't even tired anymore. Adrenaline was pumping as I thought that I was going to get to meet my sweet baby today. I really want her to stay in there a little longer, but the thought of meeting Claire sent me to the moon and back and I just couldn't close my eyes long enough to fall asleep.

I got up and went upstairs and snuggled with Matty and Murphy for a few minutes and came back down and had a VERY late midnight/early morning snack. I turned on the tv and decided to watch The Change Up {with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds} all while snacking on my jalapeno chips and nutty bars {real healthy, I know}. No good snack would be complete without the perfect marriage of a beverage, so I drank some Cherry Pepsi with my chips and sucked down a juice box with my nutty bars. Who wants water at 5 am when you've already been chugging it in hopes to stop contractions? Not this girl.

The contractions finally subsided, leaving me somewhat baffled by what had been going on for upwards of 4 hours- I thought for sure I was in early labor. After they officially stopped, I started feeling some pretty uncomfortable cramping, as well as a good amount of vaginal and rectal pressure {sorry if this is TMI, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes}. I finally passed out shortly after 5:45, thank God.

My first alarm went off at 8:45 and of course I hit the snooze, twice. I scraped myself off of the couch and forced myself up the steps to get dressed for mass. While scouring my drawer for clean underwear Matt woke up and told me to go back to bed because God would understand why I wasn't at church today. I finally obliged and trotted down the steps, back to my little bed on the couch. I sacked out, thank God, once again. Matt woke me when he got home, around 11:30.

Since then, I have been an absolute zombie. I'm so incredibly exhausted that I simply cannot stand it. We laid down for 45 minutes or so before Matt had to leave for work, but I couldn't fall asleep. Something about our bed makes my legs and back move uncontrolably, keeping me from EVER getting comfortable {hence the reason I sleep downstairs on the couch}.

I took the dog for a long walk and here I am, once again, having more ridiculous Braxton Hicks contractions {i'm not going to time them this time}. I can only hope that the contractions are not in vein. HOPEFULLY they are toning the shit out of my uterus and HOPEFULLY they will help when real labor decides to start. Until then, I'm going to pray that I don't have another night like last night, unless it's the real deal, of course.

I'm officially completely tuckered out. I'm going to lay down and take a nap.

Happy Sunday!

35 Weeks

how far along? 35 weeks!
Claire’s size: around 5.25 pounds & over 18 inches long- about the size of a honeydew melon
weight gain: I gained the 3 pounds back that I lost when I was sick.
maternity clothes? Of course!
stretch marks? let’s not talk about that. mmm kay, thanks!
sleep? Miserable.
best moment this week? Getting Claire's stroller
food cravings: nothing,really. I am still enjoying a Cherry Coke here and there, Twizzlers have been a good friend of mine, and so have animal crackers.
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? not out yet, but something goofy is def. going on!
movement? yes. very, very strong movements.
what I miss? Sleep.
what I'm looking forward to: Claire’s arrival.

 

I hit the 35/35 milestone- 35 weeks down, 35 days to go! It seems rather surreal that we are going to be meeting our little girl very very soon. Her stroller came yesterday and I had to wait allll day to open it {Matt was at work and he was just as excited to put it together as I was- so I waited until he got home}. It's so nice. I love it. We decided on a Britax B-Agile (we bought the Britax B-Safe car seat to pair it with) and this sucker drives like an absolute dream. It's super easy to fold- I can do it easily with one hand. Just when I thought I couldn't be more excited for this little girl to arrive, we put the stroller together. I am dying to plop her in her car seat and take her and Murphy for long fall walks. 

 I had a check-up yesterday-it went swimmingly. Since I have been contracting for 3+ weeks and starting to have regular cramping, my midwife wanted to check to see if my cervix was making progress. I've been really set against having cervical checks performed at weekly appointments, for more than one reason, but I was already having my Group B Strep test done and figured that it would be interesting to see how things were going. So I agreed. 

Baby Claire, I'm happy to report, is head down and starting to descend. HOORAY! {i was so afraid she was breech- just a fear of mine} Turns out, I'm 1cm dilated and softening up nicely. She was rather surprised and told me that I was making excellent progress for only being 35 weeks. Jennifer (my midwife) told me that she thinks this little one will be making her appearance sooner, rather than later. Grrrr. Don't get me wrong, I was over-the-moon excited to hear that news, but I can't help but think that getting my hopes up may be a little disappointing if I don't continue to dilate each week.  I'm so torn as to whether or not to be checked again next week.

Either way, I have decided to start taking Evening Primrose Oil. I will start it next week, probably Wednesday. EPO is said to help soften the cervix... it does not put women into labor. I've read that it will only help your cervix if it's already started softening itself. I have also read that women who take EPO, typically, have a faster labor because their cervix's will thin and dilate faster. Who wouldn't want a faster labor?! Especially since it's all natural.

Well, I think that's about all I have for today! Except that today's is our 5th wedding anniversary! We spent the morning sipping coffee, garage saling (not sure how to spell 'sale-ing'), and snuggling with Murphy in bed. Matt's at work now and Murph and I are being super lazy. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to going back to work next week :)

Okay, that's all! Have a fabulous weekend!

Grow Claire, grow.

Just for fun!

I changed my blog design today... as you can probably tell. While I was making the new banner, I decided to put together a little collage of the bump. I kind of regret not taking a weekly photo religiously, like I intended on doing. However, it is what it is and here's the progress we have made thus far :)

It's rather interesting to see how much my body has changed over the last eight+ months. The human body is incredible, especially those of pregnant women!

Happy Friday friends!

What's in the bags?

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I have my hospital bags all packed and ready to go! I do still have a couple of last minute things that I will get together when it time comes, and I still have a few things to pick up at the store, but for the most part they're ready to rock when this baby decides to come!

Here's what we have in our bags...

This is what I call my "at hand bag". It's the bag I will have beside my bed. It houses the following on the outside:
1. A few headbands
2. Deodorant and lotion for back/foot rubs
3. Shampoo, brush, and hair ties
4. Body wash ( this and the lotion are all Bath & Body Works Sleep Aromatherapy collection, cinnamon and vanilla, I think)
5. Camera and Ipod chargers

What you cannot see are the pockets on the other side- I have some nursing pads and my Point and Shoot camera tucked in them.

The contents of my "at hand bag" include the following:
1. Wireless Ipod charger
2. (2) Copies of my birth plan
3. Ipod loaded with a slew of both inspirational and ass-kicking music
4. On the Night You Were Born book. {I have been reading this book to Claire since like February and it will be one of my points of focus during labor and I also plan on reading it to her after she's born and while we're in the hospital.} 

I will also be packing my laptop in this bag. I will be in the hospital for at least 2 days so I will need something to do during  the day, or at least that's what I think ;) I plan on bringing a couple of movies for during labor, something to try to keep my focus away from labor, I'm thinking Don't Mess With the Zohan will have to be rented/bought because it's pretty much the funniest movie ever. {i have a bad sense of humor!}

My aunt bought this for me and I absolutlely love it. I was so undecided on which diaper bag to purchase. At first, I really wanted a Petunia Pickle Bottom but I was not about to shell out $175 for a diaper bag. I passed up on a beautiful Skip Hop messenger bag at a discount store (for like $16) when I first found out I was pregnant and I spent a lot of time kicking myself in the butt for it. In the end it all worked out and I couldn't be happier. It's plenty big for everything I will need for cloth diapering and yet it's not sooo big that I will end up over-stuffing it with unnecessary items. Here's what's inside Claire's diaper bag...

1. Wipes
2. Nursing Pads
3. Pacifier- Avent Soothies
4. Disposable diapers {only for the first few days. once the meconium stage has subsided we'll move straight into her newborn cloth diapers. once that happens we will have a couple of bumgenius all-in-one newborn diapers in the place of disposables, as well as a small wetbag.}
5. Coming home outfits & hat
6. Lotion & baby powder

1. 3 month coming home outfit
2. Newborn coming home outfit
3. Hat

Since I have no idea how big this little one will be when she's born, I decided it would be wise to bring a newborn AND 3 month outfit. A hat will keep her little body warm when we leave the hospital.

{OMG, I cannot believe the professionals at the hospital let you just leave with your baby. the concept, for some reason, is so hard for me to grasp. i feel like we should be required to take some sort of common sense and parenting 101 classes before they let us take our baby out of the hospital. anyone else feel like this, or am i completely nuts?!?!}

This is the clothing bag, the name is rather self-explanatory, but if not, read on and you will get a glimpse of what it contains!

1. Tank tops, cotton long-sleeved shirt/wrap & cotton skirt
2. Sports bra
3. Underwear- brief style
4. Socks (and I even packed the pair of non-slip ones I acquired while in the hospital a few weeks ago}

Since I plan on wearing my own clothes during labor, I have a couple extra articles of clothing. The tank tops are for walking through the halls, if I end up doing so. In my mind I will labor in my sports bra and skirt. This will make it easy for me to get in and out of the tub and will allow my midwife to easily check my progress and intermittently monitor baby Claire throughout labor. If I do decide to roam the halls, I can throw a tank top on over my bra and if I get cold, I have the long-sleeved shirt thingy if, in the rare event, I get cold.

1. Nursing top and comfy/silky capris
2. Nursing nightgown

My mom got these for me when she was up because she said I would need something "nice to wear" after giving birth! haha I love her. I also have another open-front sweatshirt thingy to wear post labor.

1. Shoes for coming home :)
2. (1) cotton swaddle and (1) fleece swaddle
3. Several pairs of socks
4. Swaddle blanket (aden & anais) for coming home- to cover her in the care seat.
5. Head bands

Her gown for her hospital photo. She'll also be donning one of the headbands shown above. This was another shower gift from my aunt. I just think it's absolutely precious.

1. Sleeping gowns.
I think these will be the easiest to maneuver on a newborn and should keep her nice and toasty when paired with a pair of socks and a swaddle. I have a feeling that these will be my best friend when it comes to bedtime :)

I will also be packing a toothbrush, toothpaste, my pillow, a boppy, gatorade, snacks for both Matty and I, a goody basket for the nurses, back massager (we're still currently using this bad boy daily), Matt's things, and my Canon DSLR & lenses.

This one's for you Jenna!

After reading a comment left by sweet Jenna from The Three Little Birdies (go check her out right now), I couldn't help but share a few photos of some of the new things in Claire's nursery. I won't be giving you the whole reveal until we get her dresser, but these should hold you over in the meantime! Sorry ahead of time for the quality of some of these... iphones are great, but not for photography! Let me know what you think :)

old washstand turned changing table/cloth diaper storage

 I really wanted a storage solution for my cloth diapers but didn't really want a conventional changing table. Matt was going to make me one but I couldn't decide on what I wanted. I did however know that I wanted a piece of furniture that can be re-purposed once she's out of the diaper phase. When I saw this beauty at the antique shop I knew it was exactly what I wanted. We only spruced her up a little tiny bit since we didn't want to diminish the integrity of this old washstand.

lamp, before/after

I told my mom to keep her eye out for a floor lamp because she's such lucky person when it comes to finding diamonds in the rough at her local goodwill. Well lo and behold, she found one, and I absolutley LOVE IT! It appears to be very vintage as it has these super awesome glass tubes around the neck and it's base is really heavy. Things just aren't made that way anymore. It will look different in the final reveal since I added something extra to it post photoshoot ;)

before

 We found this pretty shelf at the same store as the washstand/changing table. We (both my mom and I) have been searching feverishly for floating shelves, but weren't having any luck. My mom spotted this beauty and it's like it was meant to be in our baby girl's nursery. It's the perfect scale and her dresser will be positioned underneath it once it arrives.

after

 Things aren't evenly spaced in this photo but this is the shelf all painted and decorated. So simple and sweet, just the way I wanted it.

"antique toys" from the early '60s

Kind of a funny story about that dog pull-toy! First, let me start by saying that when we entered the store, the owner told us to make sure that once we walked through, to walk back through the opposite way because we would most likely miss something the first time around. Moving on. While we were walking through the store (the first time) I overheard Matt telling my mom that he would love to find "one of those old dog toys". As we made our way back through the opposite way I spotted the exact toy he was looking for! I was so excited to show him what I found. I was also thankful for that woman's advice. Needless to say, we walked around a couple more times before finally making our final purchases!

just for fun... what I see when I try to see my toes :)

34 week aerial view of the bump! haha

34 weeks

 

how far along? 34 weeks! oMG! roughly 6 more to go.

Claire’s size: almost 5 pounds, the size of a cantaloupe & 18 inches long           
weight gain: not sure. we’ll find out on Friday
maternity clothes? Of course!  
stretch marks? let’s not talk about that. mmm kay, thanks!
sleep? Miserable.

best moment this week? Pretty much finishing the nursery, the dresser is being made and should be arriving around labor day!

food cravings: cherry coke? weird, I know.
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? not out yet, but something goofy is def. going on!
movement? yes. very, very strong movements.
what I miss?  Sleep.

what I'm looking forward to: Meeting Claire in a few short weeks.

I am completely at peace when I think forward labor. Complete peace. I'm not nervous or anxious. I'm actually excited about it. You're probably thinking I'm nuts and not thinking properly, but I promise, I am thinking clearly.  Between the braxton hicks contractions, the cramps, and the awful kidney stone experience, I think God has more than prepared me for labor. If not, we'll have to wait and see what happens. I did make 2 labor playlists- one fast and one slow. The 'fast' playlist is compliled of lots of hip hop, pop, and some rock. The 'slow' playlist has a lot of church hymns, some christian artists, and classical music. I dont know what I will want to listen to, but I figured I would be prepared. 

I packed our bags this past week. I'll share what I'm taking with me but that will come a little later. I have a strange feeling she's going to come sooner rather than later, but we'll just have to wait and see :) Her car seat base is already installed in my car, I'm placing my order for the stroller this week (thanks gramma and grampa henretta), and Sophie the giraffe is being lovingly gifted by my gracious aunt annie! hooray for a sophie teether!!!

My mom stayed with us and it was wonderful. She helped us tremendously from morning until night. She also helped my fix up the nursery, and even helped find and purchase some pretty awesome antique furniture pieces for her nursery. Thanks a million for everything you did mom. You're the best! 

I cannot wait to share her room with you! It's everything I could have dreamed of. Seriously, I love it :)

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!

33 Weeks :)

 how far along? 33 weeks

Claire’s size: about 4 pounds, 17 inches long, the size of a honeydew           
weight gain: down 3 pounds
maternity clothes? Of course!  
stretch marks? of course.
sleep? better. much better :)

best moment this week? feeling better.

food cravings: none, really.
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out.
movement? Tons! Sometimes it hurts when she moves but it’s so incredible to feel how strong she’s getting.
what I miss?  nothing this week.

what I'm looking forward to: enjoying the rest of my pregnancy and meeting my sweet angel very soon.

I've been feeling wonderful lately. Even better than before I got sick, actually. Praise God. My mom came to stay with Matt and I and will be here for about a week. Her mission is to give Matt and I some rest after last week. She insists on cooking, cleaning, laundry, and waiting on me. Pretty much doing everything Matt did for me last week :) She says that we both need some down time before Claire gets here. Needless to say we GREATLY appreciate all that she's doing for us.

For dinner today she made cheddar and bacon stuffed burgers and homemade french fries. I like my burger plain but she and Matty sure did enjoy those burgers. She also made me the most delicious homemade cinnamon rolls and homemade bread for french toast tomorrow morning. I could really get used to this. Actually, I've been getting up and trying to help because I feel so bad because I'm 100% able to do anything/everything that she's doing and every time she shoos me away, telling me to sit back down. It's safe to say that she loves taking care of her family.

I am getting anxious for Claire's nursery to be done so I can share it with you! We're so close to being done, yet so far away. Things to do: find and hang floating shelves, find window treatments, iron crib skirt, get dresser, purchase wicker hamper, and decorate.

So, while my mamma cooks and cleans my fanny has been sitting on my couch eating and watching the Olympics. Speaking of Olympics, how about those USA athletes? From swimming to gymnastics, archery to volleyball, we have some super talented peps on our team!  Go teams USA!

Well loverlies, I'm off to curl up in my crib (a.k.a. my bed) with my puppy. Matt's working midnight shift so it's just me and my sweet fuzzy face, Murphy.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Grow Claire, grow!

30 Weeks!

 how far along? 30 weeks! oMG!

Claire’s size: about 3 pounds, the size of a head of cabbage & 16 inches long           
weight gain: not sure. I’m still under my original pre-pregnancy weight.
maternity clothes? Of course!  
stretch marks? 3
sleep? Miserable.

best moment this week? Getting the crib set up. Waahoo!

food cravings: none, really.
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out.
movement? Tons! Sometimes it hurts when she moves but it’s so incredible to feel how strong she’s getting.
what I miss?  Sleep.

what I'm looking forward to: My baby shower on Sunday :)

We’ve been super busy lately! Matt and I completed the finishing touches on the house painting and it’s officially done!! God bless Matty for working his tail off in the heat and hot hot sun for the past few weeks. Needless to say he feels so relieved that it’s finally completed. It looks fantastic! I’ll share some photos later this week :) I stained wood for the deck ceiling/roof. We picked out/bought the siding for the portion of our house that bumps out of the roof upstairs.

The crib came this week too and it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad that we decided to get the Jenny Lind crib. It’s just perfect in her room. Her nursery is this much closer to being completed, all we need now is her dresser :)

No photo this week :(  -- told you I have been busy, I mean it's almost time for my 31 week update post! Shower photos and a bump update will def. be included :) 

Have a super week!

Grow Claire, grow.

29 weeks

how far along? 29 weeks!

Claire’s size: about 2.5 pounds, the size of a butternut squash & 15 inches long           
weight gain: 1 pound.
maternity clothes? Of course!
stretch marks? 3
sleep? Miserable.

best moment this week? Going to the zoo with Matt’s brother’s family

food cravings: none, really.
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out!
movement? Tons!
what I miss?  Sleep.

what I'm looking forward to: My baby shower on Sunday :)

This week has been the hottest thus far. I have been doing everything possible to stay cool. This means not leaving the house! I pretty much clean everyday and then relax until it’s time to cook supper and then relax the rest of the evening. Cooking in my kitchen is becoming somewhat of a small feat. I just get too hot and then have to sit in front of the a/c for 5 minutes with a cold pack on the back of my neck to cool down enough to even be able to eat.

Blah. I’m officially over summer.

Claire and I went to an appointment this past Friday. Her heartbeat sounds great and I’m only measuring 1 week ahead, instead of two. Hooray!! We went over my birth plan and discussed it in depth. She assured me that I wasn’t asking for anything overzealous and everything looked great.  She told me that in the ever-so-slight chance she’s not there (at the birth), the doc’s she works with are very understanding of her patients and their birthing preferences. Thank goodness!

 

Jenny Lind

Britax B-Safe

 A big thanks to my mother-in-law who purchased our car seat and an extra base this week! It should be here at the end of the week and I cannot wait to have it in my house… let alone install it in my car in a few short weeks. EEEk! Another big thanks to my mamma who ordered the crib yesterday! Two of the biggest, most important purchases have been made and it makes everything seem so much more real. Wow.

I saw a woman at the grocery store with a sweet, little baby sitting in his car seat -- on top of the grocery cart (gasp!). I heard her tell the lady at the deli that he was 3 months. Oh my goodness gracious, he was as adorable as they come. He was smiling and cooing at his mamma, my heart melted. Jeez, I cannot wait to for Claire to get here!!!

Well, I’m off to pick up my house! We’ll be heading to the home improvement store to look at some siding. Have a wonderful week!

28 weeks

how far along? 28 weeks!

Claire’s size: about 2.25 pounds… about the size of a Chinese cabbage           
weight gain: forgot to ask :)
maternity clothes? Of course
stretch marks? 3
sleep? I'm back to tossing and turning and moving to the couch every.single.night

best moment this week? Scratching off some of the things on my to-do list for Claire’s nursery.

food cravings: fruit- more grapes, apples, and watermelon.
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out!
movement? Oh yes. Lots :)
what I miss?  Nothing this week.

what I'm looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of this pregnancy and letting lil miss Claire grow and of course, decorating her nursery!


The weeks are flying by and I feel like they are only starting to go by faster each week. This week I was able to scratch a couple of things off of my nursery to-do list. The bookrack was delivered (again) and this time it wasn’t damaged! Hooray! Matt hung it up and I filled it with books. It looks great! I need to work on something to hang above it, something along the lines of a frame with “read to me” in it. I also got the footstool reupholstered. It looks good, but you can def. tell Matt and I know NOTHING about reupholstering! Jamie, my wonderful sister-in-law, got Claire a bumbo yesterday. She found a pink one (how perfect?!) at a yard sale and paid $2 for it! Seriously, TWO DOLLARS! It even came with a tray! I couldn’t believe it when she told me. I have been watching local ads and classifieds and even ebay for a used bumbo but couldn’t find one for less than $25- in my opinion, for that price, I might as well buy a brand new one. One more thing I can remove from my registry!

footstool & $2 bumbo

bought this a couple weeks ago! looove it!

Matt and I signed up for a childbirth class this past week. It’s in a couple of weeks, and although I feel like it won’t be very informational in regards to natural birthing, I do think it will give Matt a good understanding of what to expect. I am hoping this will eliminate any nerves he may have encountered on the big day and therefore he’ll be able to be a much stronger support for me during my labor. It should, at least, give him a general understanding of how things will {hopefully} work and progress in my body. Ohh and I found a good article here! Read it if you are considering a natural birth.

We have been taking Murphy for long walks in the woods. It’s been so nice to be able to get out and work out any stressors that may have bothered me. I’ve also started a light exercise/stretching routine into my day. My goal is to do my stretches and walks every other day (on the same day), and on the opposite days, walk on my elliptical for 10-15 minutes. I’m trying to prepare myself for labor as best as possible ;)

I finished my birth plan today. I feel very confident that my midwife will be present during my whole labor- she said she would be there for the whole thing unless something came up very last minute. We discussed writing one at my last appointment and she encouraged me to write one up, just in case. While reading some sample ones, I came across a lot of procedures that are very commonplace, but unnecessary, and therefore, gave me something to read into further. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it 10 more times- educate yourself regarding what procedures are done to your baby once he/she is born. Most of them are done but aren't even medically necessary. For those who want to read over it you can find it below. If not that's okay too! Either way have a beautiful Sunday!

Full Name: Erikka                                                 Due Date: September 21, 2012

Husband: Matthew                                                Provider: Jennifer Lastname, CNM

Address: Lovers Lane                                                Hospital:

             City, ST Zip

Birth Plan

Before Labor Begins:

·      I trust that my practitioner will seek out my opinion concerning all of the issues directly affecting my birth before deviating from my plan.

·      As long as the baby and I are healthy, I would like to have no time restrictions on the length of my pregnancy.

·      If I go past my due date and the baby and I are fine, I prefer to go into labor naturally rather than be induced.

·      I prefer to not have any vaginal exams done during weekly appointments.

Induction:

·      If induction becomes necessary, I would like to try natural induction techniques first (with the guidance of Jennifer).

·      I would like to try the following techniques to naturally induce labor:

o   Breast stimulation, walking, & anything else Jennifer may suggest.

Environment:

·      I prefer to have my husband present at all times.

·      I give consent for Toni Henretta and Lynn Peace to be present during 2^nd stage labor and delivery, if possible. Family may be present at beginning of labor, if appropriate.

·      I would prefer to have a birthing ball, birthing tub, shower, and other equipment to be available during labor.

Pain Relief:

·      Please do not offer me pain medication; if I want it, I will request it.

Monitoring/IV:

·      I would prefer to be intermittently monitored to allow for as much mobility as possible.

·      If I need an IV, I prefer to use/have a Hep-lock.

Second Stage Labor:

·      As long as baby and I are healthy, I prefer to have no time limits on pushing.

·      I prefer to not have any internal vaginal exams during labor, if possible, until I have the urge to push.

·      I would like to be encouraged to try the following positions:

o   Squatting, on the toilet, hands and knees, standing upright, whatever feels right, whatever Jennifer/nurses may suggest.

·      I would prefer to tear, please do not perform an episiotomy, unless medically necessary.

·      To help prevent tearing, please try the following:

o   apply hot compress and/or oil, perineal massage, encourage me to breath properly for slower crowning.

Delivery:

·      I would prefer to push instinctively, but would appreciate encouragement.

·      Please use local anesthetic for repairs, if applicable.

·      After baby is born, please place her on my abdoment/chest for skin-to-skin contact.

·      If baby is healthy, please do not separate baby and I until she has had the chance to nurse.

Third Stage Labor:

·      I prefer my husband cuts the cord, but only after it has stopped pulsating, or at least until it has pulsated for 3 minutes.

·      Unless extenuating circumstances arise, I would prefer that the placenta to be born spontaneously without the use of pitocin.

Newborn Procedures:

·      If the baby has any problems, I would like my husband to be present with the baby at all times, if possible.

·      I would like to have routine newborn procedures delayed until bonding and breastfeeding have occurred.

·      Please do not administer eye drops to my baby, I am willing to sign a formal waiver if need be.

·      Please do not administer vitamin K to my baby, I am willing to sign a formal waiver if need be.

·      Immunize the baby according to normal procedures.

·      Please bathe my baby after we have had time to bond.

·      Please do routine PKU Testing after 24 hours

·      My baby is to be exclusively breastfed.

·      I would like to see a lactation consultant as soon as possible for further recommendations and guidance.

·      Please do not offer my baby pacifiers, sugar water, artificial nipples/bottles, or formula.

·      If my baby is in jeopardy, I would prefer:

o   to be transported with her, if possible.

o   my husband to go with her, if possible

o   to breastfeed or express milk for her

o   to have as much bodily contact as possible

·      I would prefer to have her in my room at all times, and accompany her for any newborn procedures done elsewhere, if possible.

Cesarean:

·      I prefer to not have a cesarean, unless it is medically necessary for the health of my baby or me.

·      I prefer to have a hand free to touch baby once she is born.

·      If my baby is healthy, I would like to be able to nurse her as soon as I arrive in recovery.