36 Weeks!

36 weeks! I had my doctors appointment on Tuesday and I am measuring 37 cm. My blood pressure is slowly going up(meaning from the low seventies when I had my first doctors appt. to the mid 80's at my last appt.), but nothing to worry about unless I notice swelling and I have a frontal headache and side pains around my liver. Nothing new to report really, I am feeling great, sleeping good, and moving around well. The baby seems to always have the hiccups. She is still poking her legs out the side of me. I have 4 weeks left, we are all so excited for this baby and I just hope everything goes well. I really never thought I would get to this point, well I knew I would eventually, but it just seems crazy that it is finally here. So very strange.

I am enjoying this whole week off from work, I go back on the 4th. My plans are to work until the week of my due date. I was going to work a week into January, but if I am feeling good I want to use all my days off after the baby rather than before. We shall see how it goes.

My doctor gave me permission to just lay around, and I did just that Tuesday afternoon after my doctors appointment. My stomach was kind of hurting and I was not feeling the greatest after dinner, so I took a nap on the couch. Then I got up and made Rob and I a smoothie. Yum!
I am slowly getting everything out of the nursery room that doesn't belong in there. Slow process, but it will be done before this baby gets here. I still need to go pick up some paint and finish some wall projects for the room.
On Monday, we went to Robs parents and made another Gingerbread house. Brian and Jackson were over there and they helped with the house as well. It turned out cute.

There was one point that the wall on the left side was falling in and so my mother in law helped pull it back up and we secured it with more frosting. It was fun to make another gingerbread house.

Christmas and Maternity Pictures

We had a great Christmas this year! On Christmas Eve, Rob and I went to Mendon. We visited his Aunt and then went over to his brothers house and Rob and his brother went 4-wheeling all around their yard, having a grand old time. While they were having fun outside I was inside with Heidi making Gingerbread cookies and chatting. We had a good time. Rob came inside pretty frozen.

We headed over to Robs parents house and had Papa John's pizza and visited, we also decorated the Gingerbread men that we had made earlier. At 8:00 we grabbed all of our stuff and headed over to North Logan to my parents. We first headed home and grabbed all of our stuff to spend the night. When we got to my parents house, they were watching Santa Claus 2, and then after that we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The movie was okay, but I really did not like it. After that movie it was pretty late and so we all got ready for bed. Rob and I were able to sleep in a bed this year(years before we would sleep on an air mattress), which was nice, but I still woke up 4 times during the night from my legs hurting. You get used to your own bed after a while and then it is hard to sleep comfortably anywhere else. Plus, the fact that I am pregnant doesn't help either. Finally, at 6:50a.m. I decided to get up and go downstairs to wait for everyone else. My younger brother and sister were already awake. I ate a little bit of breakfast as we waited for everyone else to venture out of bed. By 8:30 we were all up and ready to go. So, we headed upstairs to the awaiting tree and presents. Here is a picture of my younger brother and sister chilling before everyone else got up.

And here is Rob and I once we got upstairs. We missed having my sister and her husband with us, it was their year to spend with his family.

All of the presents are numbered and so we have to guess what number we are. After we figure out our numbers then we start handing out the presents.

After all the present are handed out we take turns opening one present at a time. We have not always done it this way. I think we started this last year, I really like it this way. It makes it so you can see what everyone gets as you go around the room. Rob and I only had a few presents so we skipped ourselves a few times before opening ours.
My brother had our name for Christmas this year, he always gives such unique and clever gifts so I was excited to open his gift to see what he gave us. Just as expected, unique. He gave us a ceramic plate with a face on it that you can decorate with your food. Our kids are going to have fun with this plate. We might just have to get some more when we have more kids.

The kids went in together and got a Wrench/Socket set for my dad. Here they are putting all the pieces in the right places. There was about 150 pieces.

We all got some fun presents. After opening our gifts, my mom made waffles and we had a late breakfast. After breakfast we decided to head home to get ready. Before getting ready though, we opened our presents at home. After opening our presents to each other we got ready and headed over to Mendon to Robs parents house. We visited, opened gifts, and we also watched Star Trek.
What a wonderful Christmas to spend time with the people you love.
On the 26th, I decide to put all of our Christmas decorations away. This is the soonest I have ever put Christmas stuff away. But, with the baby coming in a month or less, I wanted to have everything cleaned and taken care of. So, down it went. We went over to Mendon again and spent time with my sister in law and two of her kids(her husband and little daughter were not able to make it, they were home sick. We sure missed them and just hope they get feeling better SOON!)that came down. We had some yummy dinner and then chatted away and played a few games of Monopoly Deal. We headed home about 11:00p.m.

Maternity Pictures
We went down to Salt Lake two weeks ago for an appointment and stopped at my brother and sister in laws to visit and spend the night. We also were able to get some maternity pictures taken. I love how they turned out. This first silhouette picture, we had to really hurry for this one. It was so freezing cold, it was literally done in less than 10 minutes. It was taken in front of the Provo Temple.

This next one is kind of fun, if you notice there is a bus in the background. School was just letting out when we were taking these and Heather got this picture with the school bus in the background. I work on a Special Needs bus, and so it was just so fitting that one of the pictures had a bus in it. I think it is even a special needs bus too.
(And if anyone is wanting to know where I got my shirt, just go to www.milanmaternity.com)

I just love the colors in these pictures, the blue sky, the white mountains, the field, everything just is so stunning. Just beautiful!

We also got some inside shots(where it was nice and warm).

This next one just makes me laugh, Rob was being funny and talking to the baby saying,"Hi, Baby" with his lips all puckered like he does when he says good bye to me and the baby in the morning when I go to work. He is just so cute and I just couldn't stop laughing. He is going to be a great father!

When I look at these pictures I realize that I don't look that big for being 34 weeks pregnant.

I saw this next picture on one of Heathers sample sheets and just had to have her do one like it. I just love how it show the span of pregnancy in months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. And now we are anxiously awaiting the day of our little ones arrival.

And one last picture! I love them, thank you so much Heather for these, they turned out awesome!
www.heathertaylorphoto.com

35 Weeks and Family Parties!

This week we had two family party's on the same day. Kind of crazy! The first was my side of the family. It was at 1:00p.m. and we were only able to stay for the food, and then headed out around 3:00p.m. for our drive to Lehi for our next party at 5:30p.m. The drive was good, except for the air quality was AWFUL once we got out of the canyon and hit Brigham City. SMOG!! Oh gross, you could smell it and feel it going through your lungs. It was making my eyes burn. Once we got to Ogden it cleared up and then we came to a hault, slow traffic from a semi that tipped over on an overpass and spilled its load on the traffic below. The truck was carrying onions, once we got past that traffic picked back up and we hit a another patch of smoginess around Salt Lake. We got to Lehi about 15 minutes before 5:30 and we were the first people to arrive along with Robs parents and sister and brother in law. We had such a good time visiting, eating, and playing a fun game of Bingo. We left about 9:00p.m. for our drive home. We headed onto I-215, and it started to get foggy, and then we headed onto Legacy highway, which was really bad. I thought I was going to get a headache from squinting just watching those white lines on the road. It was nice though since there was hardly any traffic to worry about. Once we got off Legacy and into Ogden it was pretty clear the rest of the way home. I was so grateful for that since I was planning on it being even worse there because of our earlier drive. But, smooth sailing the rest of the way home arriving home just a little bit after 11:00p.m. It was a long drive, but we had a good time and are glad that we went.
At church on Sunday we had a wonderful Christmas program. The choir and congregation, and they also had violins and organ and piano, sang the opening song. It was amazing, the feeling that was felt was so awesome. Such a great way to start out the meeting. And the rest of the program was very well put together. I just wish it would have lasted longer.
I had two days of work this week, and now I don't have to go back until Jan 4, I am so excited and then I think I will only work for a week or two after that. Hopefully I can get everything organized and cleaned over my break.
Well, I am now 35 weeks and down to 5 weeks to go. HOLY MOLEY, kind of crazy. I am feeling good. I have noticed I am starting to swell a little bit in my legs. I think this baby sleeps at night and is awake ALL day long, because she is CONSTANTLY moving. Hopefully she will stay that way after she is born. I have never woken up to her kicking me during the night, actually I have never really woken up to anything baby related during the night. I sleep better than Robert does. And my muscle aches have basically completely gone away, which I am grateful for.

Everybody knows that my husband is tall and skinny, so it is probably no big shocker to find out that I weigh more than him now. What a SAD SAD day, I have been trying to fatten him up but it is hard to put weight on that kid. I knew I would probably end up weighing more than him anyways, with the weight the doctor recommended me gaining. So, oh well!
I usually have one time period during the day where I just feel absolutely drained, no energy whatsoever. But, it does not last very long.
Here is my 35 week picture:

So, now the baby and I are basically in the gaining weight mode. She should be about 5 1/4 pounds right now and about 18" long.

34 weeks!

34 weeks! We went down south this last weekend to visit family and get maternity pictures taken. And we also went to Baby's R Us to get a car seat and other baby items. We got the new Graco Snugride 35. I am just glad we finally have a car seat. We have been getting everything ready for the big day, whenever it arrives. I am not quite as sore as I was, I think it depends on what I do or don't do, meaning the walks everyday that have slowly dwindled to nothing. Those walks sure have made a difference. While in Baby's R Us, there was a point halfway through that my stomach just started to hurt and walking made it worse, so I was walking around really slow. It kind of made me nervous. So, we purchased our items and got something to eat at Subway and headed back to my brother and sister n laws. It was better by then, but it was sure weird. We went up Thursday and headed home Friday around 6:30p.m. which I am glad we came home when we did. The next day the snow hit and I sure didn't want to drive home in that. We had a fabulous time visiting and playing with the kids.

And I have taken my wedding ring off since my fingers are getting fatter. I usually take it off when I put lotion on and I have to put lotion around my knuckle to even get the ring to come off. It is kind of depressing. I will have to find me a cheap one to wear until I can wear my wedding ring again. Hopefully that won't be too long.

At my doctors appointment on Monday, everything is looking good. I am measuring 34 cm, which is right on, and I am gaining the weight that I need to. The doc says I should be feeling some contractions now, although I already have the Braxton Hicks contractions all the time. He also said if I go into labor after 35 weeks he won't stop me. I have 6 weeks left or less if I come early. I have not gotten any stretch marks which I am excited about. Not that anyone will ever see, just means I have elastic skin. I am feeling much better, not so sore anymore. The doctor said it could be from getting too much calcium. Plus, I think a big part of it is the exercise, I noticed a huge difference since not being very consistent in my walking and prenatal exercising. So, I have got to stick with that. My next appointment is in two weeks and then every week after that.

33 Weeks!

I am 33 weeks, which is really starting to scare me. I only have 7 weeks to go, ahhhhh! When did that happen. I am really not ready. When I think about how little time we have left and how much I still need to get done, is when I start to get nervous about everything. I only have one package of diapers and I didn't even buy them, we got them as a gift. Time to kick it into gear.

I am still feeling it though, maybe because I haven't walked at all this week and only one time last week. The temperature went very cold and I just haven't gotten down on the treadmill. This week I had to have Rob help me put on my socks and shoes for me and tie them up. The baby is still rolling around and moving like crazy, which is fun. Her foot or something always pokes out of the right side of me and I have to push it back. I am still sleeping good, which is a good thing. Now, I just need to learn to go to bed earlier since I have to get up so early.

Rob and I started a gingerbread house, and we finally finished it this week. Rob came with me to Sam's Club and he wanted to get this gingerbread house so we could make it and then he could eat it. Well, he can't eat it just yet, but it was so easy to make and does look pretty yummy.

I finally got my hair cut, not any off the length, just layered a bit and thinned in the back. I had her show me how to use the flat iron to curl it and whoa, it was puffy curly. She put a relaxer in it and said it would calm down pretty good in about an hour. I came home and just wasn't liking the curls so I pulled it up. Plus, I had to go to a YW activity at 7:00p.m. and didn't want hair like that, so this is how it ended up. I will have to play with it a little to get it how I like it. I told her I would be back in two months to get it chopped again. After a year of not getting my hair cut, it was really damaged on the ends and needed a cut badly.

We did get our Christmas tree up, and that's about it. I also put out one Nativity also. I just didn't want to do any more than that. So, this year I am just keeping it simple. I am really bummed that Q92 has not been playing very many Christmas songs, so if you like to listen to Christmas songs during Christmas, turn your radio station to 103.3fm or 1390am for Christmas music all the time. Love it!

32 weeks and feeling it!

Well, just this last week it seems that I am really starting to feel this pregnancy. It is getting painful to walk and just move my legs. I feel like I am going to be waddling soon or maybe I already am. I am starting to walk a lot slower. I went on a walk the other day and I wasn't going very fast and I was just sore every time I would move my legs, plus it was getting cold so I was getting stiff as well. Wow, sure it me like a rock. And then I went on a walk on Wednesday evening and I froze, before we even got to the top of the street, my face was pretty numb and I only had my light coat on. I just came straight from work and so the sun was already pretty much behind the moutains. By the time I got back to my parents I was FROZEN to the core. I grabbed a blanket and sat in a chair and tried to thaw myself out and my belly. I think this was the last walk I will do outside this year, unless it is warmer than 24 outside. I will have to start using my treadmill instead. Whoa, COLD!!
I was really smiling in this picture, I guess my half smile just doesn't look much like a good smile!

But, everything else is going great, just realized that I have got to get everything organized and ready, I do not have that much longer.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we went over to Robs parents and enjoyed spending time with his whole family. We also played Monopoly Deal, it is a card game of Monopoly. It is so much fun and so much faster than the Monopoly board game. If you are going to buy it, make sure you get to decks, it is better that way.
My sister in law's held a baby shower for me on the day after Thanksgiving, and I got so much fun and needed items. Thanks you guys, you are awesome! I had a blast and even more fun playing another game of Monopoly Deal.
Rob has been trying to get as much 4 wheeling in as he can before it gets to snowy and cold. He loves it and he was able to go out with his brothers up in the mountains on Friday. We will see if that is his last time four wheeling for this year.
Tonight and all day tomorrow we have our Prepared Childbirth classes. Should be exciting, I am excited for the tour of the new Woman's and Newborn Center. It is usually a 6 week class, but this was there last option before my delivery day, and they like you to have them as close to delivery as you can so you can remember everything they teach you I guess.
December is going to be one BUSY month, we have something every weekend, and also stuff during the week. I think December is going to fly by for me, which is sad because I love Christmas time. I guess I will have to enjoy every minute of it.

31 weeks!

Well, I had my doctors appointment on Monday and I am measuring at 32 cm, which is a little big since I am only 31 weeks. My last appointment I was measuring small. All is good, he also told me the baby's head is down, and I was excited about that. Blood pressure is good. I guess I am right on track.

I have been looking back on this pregnancy and it really is not your typical pregnancy. I never had morning sickness(other than a week and a half where I just felt sick if I didn't keep anything in my stomach), I have only had one craving, and that was for Pork n Beans, and that only lasted a few days. Haven't had any since then.

I sleep wonderfully with only one bathroom break(and that is only because I set my alarm to wake me up to go to the bathroom because of an incident I had in my first trimester), and I am usually asleep within a minute or two of getting back in bed. I don't sleep with any kind of pillow besides under my head. I have had relatively no back pain.
And one thing I really love is having clear skin. I contribute this fact to my skin care, I use Mary Kay and before I got pregnant, I ran out of my moisturizer and so I was using Cetaphil facial moisturizer. I started breaking out and getting more zits than I have had in years. So, after I got pregnant I quit that and started using Mary Kay moisturizer again, and my face cleared back up and has stayed that way. So, can I just say I LOVE Mary Kay, I just use there basic skin care line. I use there day and night solution, moisturizer, and 3-in-1 cleanser. Love it!

30 Weeks and Maternity Jeans!

I am at 30 weeks now, and still feel the same size. I only have 2 more months to go, which does not seem like very long. Kind of scary to think about. This past week I had a small pain on my belly right next to my belly button, so every time the baby would kick or move over that spot it would just hurt. Called the doctor and it is nothing to worry about, and it has since gone away. Probably just a pulled muscle, it sure was uncomfortable though. I will update again after my doctors appointment on Monday.

I have been sleeping good so far, with one bathroom trip during the night. Can't complain there, although last night I had my second leg cramp that woke me up at 5:00a.m., whoa those are painful. Other than that I have been enjoying this pregnancy, it is still so much fun to feel and see the baby moving around. She is quite active!

I am really starting to get down to cleaning out the nursery room and getting it all organized. I am on my way. I got a whole bunch of storage totes from JJ Cole this past weekend at their warehouse sale, and they are so very cute.
I really don't have much to update this week. We did have a good weekend with family and my sister in law was able to pick me up a pair of maternity pants I was looking at online at Gap. My first pair of maternity pants, it is very exciting and they actually fit. I have never had Gap pants before so I was not quite sure what size I was and how they would fit, but they fit and look wonderful. A tad short, but I guess I can live with that. They are so comfy! You were all right, I feel so much better in them than regular jeans.

29 Weeks and Bedding

Last Thursday my bedding arrived, and I was so excited because it was not supposed to arrive until Saturday. I opened everything and tried it out, it looked good so I put the sheets, bed skirt, and the drapes in the wash. Then I ironed them and was ready to put it all together. The sheet was the hardest thing to put on, I have to take the whole mattress out to get the sheet on. What a pain. After getting it all put together, I then put the mobile together and fastened it to the crib. Everything was complete and it looked amazing. Here is the finished product, although the room is not complete yet, so here is just a picture of the crib. I plan on painting the walls and getting new blinds and hanging pictures, but for now I will just post a picture of the crib, the big reveal will have to wait. Although, I don't think it will be that big of a reveal once everything is complete.

I am so excited, it is so cute and I love it. The colors are just so fun, not quite what I had in mind when I first started looking at bedding, but I always came back to this crib set, it just popped out at me and so I finally made up my mind and got it. And babies love color, don't they?

Here I am in week 29, and I am feeling some backaches and some fanny pains, and some all around stretching. I know most of you won't believe this, but I have gained 25 pounds so far, and if I keep that up and gain a pound a week until I deliver, I will have gained the amount the doctor wanted me to gain. Yeah!

I found a pair of maternity jeans from GAPmaternity that are long enough, but they are around 80 dollars, is it really worth that much money to buy them for my last 3 months of pregnancy? I just don't know, probably. It is not like I am only going to be pregnant once, I guess I will be able to wear them again.
Yeah, I have a coupon code for Gap and now my pants are only 55 dollars, I think I can handle that price a lot better. Yeah for sales!

28 Weeks (3rd Trimester)

Well, I am starting my 3rd trimester today, so very exciting! I am starting to get a little bit of heartburn, but not to bad yet. Just enough to be annoying and cause discomfort. My stomach muscles have been starting to hurt a lot more. On my walks for the past two days, I cannot walk as fast and it takes more energy. I also feel like my stomach is weighing a lot more, and I just want to hold it up. She is still moving like crazy, which is so fun to feel. And no maternity clothes yet, other than Downeast maternity shirts. I still can't find any pants, so I guess I will have to make do with what I have or just where sweats all the time. Only 3 more months left anyway. Here is the 28 week picture:

Tuesday morning I heard on the radio that the Health Department got a new shipment of H1N1 vaccine in. So, I checked my phone to see if Rob had heard, and there were 4 missed calls. Rob left a message and said that he just got the vaccine and that there was no wait. My mom also called and told me about them getting more vaccinations in. So, we drove the bus over there after our morning run, and got there about 9:00, my driver dropped me off and went and parked the bus. I walked around the corner and there was a line, so I thought I would be waiting for a while. The line was actually moving pretty quick and we were out of there in about 40 minutes. So, now Rob and I are vaccinated, but we still need to be careful(they say it takes about 10 days for your body to become immune to the virus). I am just glad we finally got it. With so many kids getting sick on the bus and some of our families actually getting the swine flu, I was a little nervous going to work.
I am excitedly awaiting the arrival of my crib bedding, and once I do I will post pictures, but just of the crib, I do not have the room done yet. I just want it to be a surprise, so maybe I won't post pictures at all until I am totally finished. We shall see!
On another note: Rob is wonderful, it is so much fun to see him get so excited about everything. He is going to be an excellent Dad! He says he can't wait 3 more months, and I just tell him that he is going to have to because this baby has got to stay in there until she is good and ready.
He got his sleeping pad that goes with his sleeping bag today, and so he put it all together and was so excited to show me that he could fit into it with his legs straight. Here is my little goof ball.

We have been making these Jamba like smoothies every night for a while now, so I can get more fruits in me. I like the freshest fruit and if it is not fresh I do not buy it. So, next best thing is frozen fruit, and what do you do with frozen fruit. You mix it in the blender so there are absolutely no chunks, with other yummy things to make a smoothie. Mmmmmm, they are so good, Rob looks forward to it every night. And frankly, so do I.
They are super easy, all I do is mix orange juice, with creamy strawberry(or whatever flavor you have) Yoplait yogurt, and mixed fruit. I never measure, I just through everything in and blend away. You should try it! So healthy for you also!