Things I'll Miss

As I sit at home tonight, officially 37 weeks pregnant, I can't help but reflect a little on the things that I am going to miss most about being pregnant. It's crazy that we are so close to the end! This pregnancy feels as though it suddenly has passed so quickly and I am eternally grateful for every second. So, without further ado...here are the top 10 things I will miss the most when I'm no longer pregnant.

10.) The excuse to basically take liberties when eating any meal. The baby wants BBQ? So momma gets him BBQ. The baby wants Thai food? Then momma gets him thai food. I am hungry at 10:00pm and want cereal? So I get cereal. Are you seeing a pattern here? Oh, and lets not forget about the excuse to eat that little piece of dessert most days. :)

9.) Wearing maternity pants/clothes. The pants are stretchy and comfortable and the tops still make the bump cute and acceptable to hang out. Plus after a meal, I have the excuse to let it all hang out. :)

8.) Having those around me help me carry/lift things. Although there are times where I have been resistant to help, it is appreciated.

7.) Seeing little man weekly via sonogram and hearing his little heart just beat away. 

6.) Researching baby gear/items for what is the best to use for baby.

5.) The excuse to peruse through Target leisurely gawking at baby clothes and other items. Although I'm sure John doesn't appreciate the Target trips as it directly impacts our bank account. :)

4.) The many conversations around being pregnant and sharing pregnancy advise/stories when asked. It's been fun to talk about being pregnant and comparing stories with friends that have been or are currently pregnant. It's amazing how 2 pregnancies can be so different.

3.) John and I watching the weekly video/update on what fruit or vegetable our little peanut compares to. It's been fun to read up on his weekly development. It's crazy that the first time we read one he was the size of a "sesame seed"....today he's the size of a "winter melon". Human development is truly a miraculous thing, itsn't it?

2.) I will miss John loving and doting over my belly and pregnancy figure. He has been THE BEST partner to be on this journey with. He is always kissing my belly, has a hand on my belly whenever we are sitting together, reading to him, talking to him, etc. He is already a great father and our son is still in the womb. I think his affection during this pregnancy is well documented in our maternity picture below. He has been involved from day one and has been so loving and enthusiastic along the way. I am eternally greatful for his love and support.

1.) What will I miss the most? I will miss the fact that I won't have my little peanut attached to me at all times. I will miss his kicks, punches, rolls, ninja moves, hiccups, and the way that he makes me feel calm and complete.  Pregnancy is truly a gift from God and I am so blessed to have experienced 37 weeks of surprise and adventure. It's crazy that you can already have so much love for someone that you have never even met. This pregnancy has made me appreciate so much more in life and has made me more mellow. I know that each day is a gift and to soak up all of the little things as this is the only time I'll be pregnant with our first child. God is so good and I pray that he continues to guide us safely through the next 3 weeks as we get ready to meet our son. 

Date Night

John and I had one of the best date nights last night. He spent the day in Lawrence on KU's campus interviewing college students for potential jobs for his company. He had asked me earlier in the week if I wanted to meet him after work for dinner/date night. I quickly agreed and headed to Lawrence after work Friday afternoon/evening. We ended up at the "chef's table" at one of our favorite restaurants on Mass Street, "715". We first tried 715 back a few summers ago when we were in Lawrence for one of John's triathlons and had been talking about going back ever since. We normally hit up Freestate whenever we go as 715 is more of a "special occasion" type of restaurant.

Anyways.... there's a 6 barstool table that faces the kitchen where you can watch the chef and his team cook/prep all of the meals. Super neat! The kitchen typically gives those sitting at the chef's table a complimentary appetizer to start the night. John enjoyed a  nice Manhattan while I sipped my H2O. :) As we devoured the appetizer and looked over the menu, John presented me with the onesie below. Little man was definitely due for a KU onesie and it's extra special that it's picked out by his Daddy.

Dinner arrived and we were not disappointed! I got the spaghetti with fresh housemade sausage (note: they make their own pasta in house and It. Is. To. Die. For.). John got a delicious pork chop. Seriously, it was amazing. Thanks to John making me order the "large" pasta we now have a mound of left overs. It was absolutely huge!

We finished dinner feeling rather full, but that didn't stop us from trying their dessert special: Creme Brule with ginger, orange spice, candied walnuts, and pie crust. Oh. M. GEEE. I could have licked the dish when we finished it. I was skeptical when I ordered it as I'm not a huge ginger fan but, it definitely did not disappoint.

It really was the perfect dinner date. Great ambiance, amazing food, and the enjoyment of the company of each other. It was nice to unwind from the busy work week and just relax. Most conversations revolved around our baby and how we are really close to being parents and meeting our son. We feel we are as ready as we ever will be and that we are ready to take on the challenges it will bring and bask in the joy. Despite my "uptightness" at times, we really feel we are relaxed about this whole journey and that we want to "go with the flow" as much as possible, still enjoying dinners out and other social events with our babe in tow. I laughed because at one point (before we conceived) John used to think "life would be over" and all fun would end once we had a baby. But, I think he/we are realizing that it's just going to put a new twist on things and that life is really just beginning as we grow into a family of 3.

Before we left we had a pretty good laugh at the fact my baby bump barely made the cut to sit at the chef's table. :) Any bigger and we would have had to sit at a different table.

36 Weeks.... HOME STRETCH!

We are officially on the downhill slide to meeting this babe! 36 weeks hit and it suddenly hit us that we could really meet this little guy any time, although we would much prefer he continues to bake a little longer. :)

For the most part I'm feeling pretty good. I'm definitely slowing down and feeling more uncomfortable. Sleep is not optimal but I can usually bank on about 5 hours each night (mostly between 12-1 until 5-6 am). In terms of readiness..... his room is all ready to go, baby bag is packed, my bag is partially packed, the car seat is out of the box (will be mounted in the car this weekend), and everything else has been cleaned/washed  for this babe. I would say mentally we are "ready or not" as he is so close to being here. Can you truly feel mentally ready for a baby and all of the ways it's about to change your life/marriage with your spouse? Didn't think so.... :) We just keep telling ourselves it's one day at a time and we're enjoying all of the little things along the way as we come to an end with this pregnancy.

I had my 36 week OB appointment on Friday morning. I first had another sono, this time with growth measurements. This week also officially started weekly visits with my OB. I will now see her weekly until I deliver (gulp)! Here's a rundown of my appointment.....

• Sonogram: little man is estimating around 6lbs 10 oz (+/- 6oz). He's definitely not a runt. He passed all of his BPP scores again with an 8/8. The sonographer said his head is "way low" and he was caught being cute, sucking on his hand and moving around a lot during the scan.
• Dr. Apt: This was the first of my weekly appointments with my OB. Total weight gain is 27. BP was elevated but, ok at 138/88. I got my finger pricked to check for anemia and all is good there. I got the lovely swab for Group B Strep so I'll get those results next week. Belly is measuring 37/38cm. We talked for a while about labor signs and if I wanted to have an epidural (umm, yes!). She advised once contractions become consistently around 5 minutes for an hour to call first and then we'd go from there. Next week we'll start checking my cervix. I'll be curious to know if I have started making any changes. We're getting so close!!

It's hard to believe we are getting closer and closer to the end. We are getting very excited to meet our son. In fact, I asked John last night at dinner how he was feeling about everything. He said, "Excited. Mostly anxious, but excited!"

His cute foot/leg and hand.

The growing belly! :)

35 Weeks

The arrival of this little babe is getting closer and closer! So crazy to think we have just 5 (well a little less now) weeks until my due date. We have been finishing up a lot at home and starting to get prepared for the fact that this little one could grace us with his presence really at any time. Here's the scoop:

How Far Along? 35 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 27 as of last week

Maternity Clothes: Mostly. You betcha!

Sleep: What sleep?! Quality sleep has been rare these days. Some nights I'm lucky and can manage to get 4-5 solid hours. I try to go to bed around 9:30, but seem to get up to pee at least 3 times between 9:30 and midnight before officially settling in for the night.

Best Moment This Week: Feeling all of his acrobat moves. He's been putting on quite the performances at home in the evenings.

Movement: TONS! He moves all the time!

Food Cravings: Anything sweet or salty!

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Occasional Braxton-Hicks, nothing regular yet. Although I can't help but wonder when the day will actually come that they are consistent and I'm truly in labor.

Belly Button (in or out): Pretty much an outie! All of my co-workers get a kick out of this.

What I miss: Working out, not having sciatic nerve pain, and sleep! :)

What I am looking forward to: Holding our son for the first time. I have spent a lot of time day dreaming recently about his delivery and our first few days at home. I'm nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. I can't wait to see what/who he looks like.

I had my weekly BPP sono today and he did great, scoring an 8/8! I got to see Lynne, our favorite sonographer so that totally made my morning. She is always so good about taking her time and really pointing out what things are and how he's positioned. I'll go back again next Friday, this time to start my weekly (gulp!) OB visits until I deliver. WEEKLY! I'll also have my sono and he'll get measurements again.

Not much else to report. We will spend time this weekend assembling the car seat, getting the hospital bags ready, and just finishing any little "to-do's" that remain. We have busy weekends the next few weeks so I'm anxious to just get things checked off of our list. And of course, if I can find the energy, just keeping up with the house work will make things easier as the weeks pass by. :)

Keep up the good work little buddy. We are getting so, so excited to meet you and snuggle you!

Cute little face shots from the sonogram. The left picture shows a hand under his chin and his plump, pouty lips.

Whoa, baby!

Getting bigger!

34

Week 34 started out with a bang! With getting a free day off for Labor Day, we headed to Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby to finish buying items off of our registry with our "buy back" coupon. We scored some pretty sweet deals and feel proud of how much money we saved. Babies R Us does price matching with Amazon. So of course my engineer of a husband jumped all over this. Each item I put in the cart, John looked up on his phone and wrote the Amazon price next to the registry item. Thank goodness for Lois, the Babies R Us cashier. She was a saint and put up with all of our antics. So what was the biggest save that we had? Probably our $440 travel system (car seat and stroller) that we got for $200. Score!!

 

 

 

Hard at work price matching on Amazon.

 

John also spent the weekend assembling our nursery recliner/glider. It glides, swivels, and reclines. Perfect for all of the late nights we're about to have in his bedroom.

 

 

The weather in KC last week was just perfect! We enjoyed an evening walk to a new pizza place in the River Market. So delish! 

 

 

The weekly, obligatory belly pics. The bump is growing quite nicely! 

 

 

I now thoroughly enjoy having a little perch for my after work snacks. Although, I think little man seems to mind as he has tried to kick over the dish/cup a time or two. :)

 

 

 

We enjoyed yet another gorgeous walk Saturday AM. We strolled through downtown before stopping at a favorite breakfast place in Westside. I snapped this pic as we were headed home. Perfect weather in the 50's/60's! So excited for the fall temps ahead!

 

 

 

 

Grammy came into town on Saturday around lunch time so we could attend cousin Luke's wedding Saturday night. John had to leave town for Mississippi for work amd Grandad was under the weather, so mom and I were each other's dates! :)

 

Pretty ladies, pre-wedding.

 

With Daddy out of town until Monday, Mommy talked Grammy into staying an extra day to have some fun. She's not very hard to convince. :) We enjoyed a lovely patio breakfast at a local crepe place before running some errands at Target and Babies R Us.

Pretty Grammy

It was a great week/weekend! I should also mention that I had another US and appointment with my OB last Friday. All was well again with our little guy. He was being a tad shy during the ultrasound so we didn't get many pictures. The one shot the sonographer got of his face it looked as though he was frowning. My visit with my OB went well. We talked a little more about labor. She told me next time I see her (on the 25th) I'll get swabbed for Group B Strep, have my hematocrit checked again, and we'll dive more into the L&D talk as I'll be at the almost 37 week mark. She said she would start checking my cervix at my 37 week visit and from that point on it could really happen any time.

 

I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Each day of this pregnancy is truly a blessing!



 





33

This week brought some new things to the table with this pregnancy. Here's the scoop.....

Things I'm still loving:

• Baby's acrobats: this kid is going to be one gigantic ball of energy. He moves ALL THE TIME! It's still so fun to feel him move and it's even more fun to watch John interact with him. Based on my sonogram last Thursday, he is still head down, back is facing outward, and his little feet were up by his face. This kid was literally folded in half like a little burrito. :)
• Washing tiny clothes and nesting: it's been fun to organize the nursery. It won't be long until we spend many days/nights in his room.
• Getting sonograms weekly: it's the hilight of my week to be able to see him weekly and see how he's doing. Last week the sonographer told us he seems to have a good amount of hair on his little head. She also informed me that his head is very average, which is good for me. :) Thanks, lady!

Things I'm not loving as much:

• Sciatic nerve pain: OUCH! This has really gotten worse this week and is oddly debilitating. It's mostly on my right side. Hurts to sit, hurts to stand, hurts to walk. You get the point!
• Feet/ankle swelling: This issue seems to have made more of an appearance this week. We had a good chuckle Saturday night when we got home from a long day with friends. My poor little toes looked like mini sausages and my ankles were almost non-exhistant. :( Not exaclty the most attractive look.
• My huge "to-do" list: We still have some things to buy off of our registry and they are big items we can't exactly skip (car seat, swing, changing table pad...). I also need to go buy some nursing tanks and bras. I've started thinking about my hospital bag but haven't started packing anything. I know we still have 6 weeks until my due date, but that small number scares me! In a 3 more weeks I'll technically be considered "full term" and he could decide to make an appearance at any time.

5 years!

We celebrated 5 years of marriage last Thursday. Five!!! It seems so impossible that 5 years have flown so quickly. For past anniversary celebrations we have typically posted ourselves up in a chair on the beach somewhere, sipping a frozen cocktail. But, this year was different and unique in a special way. :)

With our little man still baking in utero, we stayed in the KC area. John and I both agreed to take the afternoon off of work and spend the afternoon together, just the two of us (well, technically 3). We both got home around noon and immediately headed for a yummy lunch at Milwakee Delicatessen, a restaurant within walking distance from our condo that has yummy pizza and sandwiches. It was so nice to have lunch together chatting about the last 5 years of our marriage, how far we come, hardships we've faced along the way, and how our son will soon add a whole new dynamic to it all. :) 

Post lunch we headed to another sonogram appointment to see our boy. Again, all was well and we are so thankful. We even learned that he has a good amount of hair! Post sonogram we headed to the Royal's game. We enjoyed tailgating, got to watch a great game, and just had fun relaxing and enjoying the time together.

When I stop and really think about it, we have accomplished so much in 5 years.

• We've learned to love each other, unconditionally, through the good times and the bad times.
• We've traveled the world: 3 times to Mexico, 2 times to Puerto Rico, 3 Times to New York, Chicago, Ireland, Scotland, Colorado, and North Carolina. Plus all of the little weekend trips we've taken in between.
• We've really grown and learned how to work through adverse situations, and when one of us makes the other one mad we are quick to forgive and move on.
• We've really learned to respect each other and support each other's goals and dreams.
• John started grad school (and is less than a year from graduating) and got asked to manage a new project at work!
• I was promoted into a big role at work. John always talks about how good this has been for me.
• Came to the decision to start a family.

We really have grown tremendously in our marriage from day one. As we had lunch we sat there discussing how green our relationship was when we got married and how we both feel like "we've done it right". We always said we wanted 3-5 years of being married before starting a family. Spending that time traveling and just enjoying eachother, having fun in the moment. And when we stop and really think about it we have had FUN. Pure, genuine fun. We both feel like our years of just the two of us has really made us appreciate each other and prepare us for this next step in our lives: parenthood.

John- I love you more than you will ever know. Thank you for being the rock in our marriage, for providing for our family, and loving me (and our son) unconditionally. God truly blessed me when he led me to you. Happy Anniversary and here's to the next 50 years of FUN together!! :)

The big day: September 3, 2010

5 years later.... awaiting the arrival of our sweet boy.

5 years of FUN!

Sneak Peek

As previously mentioned, John and I had maternity pictures taken over the weekend by Shannon with BabyDayPhotography. Shannon has done pictures of John and I before (back in 2011) and then pictures of my entire family in fall of 2013 for my parents 40th anniversary. Of course when we found out we were expecting I contacted her right away letting her know we wanted her to document this huge occasion. Luckily the sun cooperated Sunday night to make an appearance for our session. I absolutely adore these pictures and cannot wait to get the rest of the proofs!

 

Shannon will also be doing pictures once our little man arrives. For now, the plan is to have her come to the hospital after delivery and after we're all settled on the Mother/Baby unit. She'll then do his newborn pictures at home about 7-10 days after he's born.

 

If you are on the hunt for an awesome photographer you can find Shannon here: www.babydayphotography.blogspot.com. Thank you again, Shannon for your phenomenal talents and for documenting this huge milestone in John and I's life. :)

 

 

 

Nursery Update: Part 3

We are ALMOST finished completing the nursery for our little guy. His crib is ready to go, pictures are hung, and John was able to assemble his dresser over the weekend. The poor guy spent the majority of his Saturday putting this daunting piece of furniture together. I will say his hard work has paid off and the dresser looks perfect in his room!

Hard at work.

Ta-daaaah! The finished product.

Pictures framed, sheets washed, and mobile assembled for his crib. Our nautical theme has turned out perfect!

The final "to-do" for the nursery is for our chair to be assembled (gosh, there is a lot of furniture assembly for one little human!). John will likely get to that in the next week or two. Other than finishing the furniture, there is just a little more washing and organizing of items and we're all set for our little guy.