Completed nursery

I just realized I never posted pictures of the finished nursery! So here it is:
View when you walk into the room

View of the right side of the room with the beautiful hand painted letters I received as a gift.

View of the left side of the room and the branch and bird I painted on the wall. I still have to paint two more birds on the branch.

Wardrobe. She will have more clothes hanging and I will be putting baskets on the lower shelf eventually to hold towels and blankets.

Back of the room and the closet. Our dog Bella decided she wanted her picture taken :o)

36 weeks aka 9 MONTHS!!

I can't believe I am 36 weeks / 9 months pregnant already! Where has time gone?



How far along? 36 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 33 lbs. from pre-pregnancy
Maternity clothes? All the time now
Sleep: Sleep has gotten better, although I still wake up to pee several times throughout the night... so maybe I am just used to NOT sleeping?
Best moment this week: Sitting on the couch with my dad, feeling Lauryn moving and saying "hey dad, look!" and right after he looked over, Lauryn moved a foot or elbow (not sure what it was!) from the top of my belly all the way down. My dad's eyes got big and he said "Holy cow! What was that!" It was funny.
Movement: Alllllll the time, whether I am trying to sleep or not. According to the doctor today, she is head down with her back along my left side and her feet up in my right ribcage... makes sense, because my right ribcage is very sore, lol.
Food cravings: NOthing. I haven't been too into food. I just eat because I know I have to. I am the weirdest pregnant girl!
Gender: Baby girl!
Labor Signs: Who knows. I thought I was in labor the other night because I was getting stomach tightening and cramping at regular 8 minute intervals, and then it went down to every 6 minutes. I was afraid to go to sleep, but figured if I was in labor I would wake up in pain and know it was time to go to the hospital!
Belly Button in or out? Still not all the way out yet! I am starting to doubt that it will be all the way out.
What I miss: Cuddling with my husband at night without a basketball in between us, lol. That isn't all I miss when it comes to my husband... if you know what I mean ;o)
What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little girl in 4 weeks or less! (The doctor told us today that since I am controlling my sugars so well and that my blood pressure and everything is normal, she will let me go into labor on my own instead of inducing, although she still won't let me go past 40 weeks... thank God).
Weekly Wisdom: No weekly wisdom this week either.
Milestones: Being 9 months pregnant!

35 week picture

34 week picture

I just realized I never posted my 34 week picture from last week, so here it is:

"35 + 35"

It's funny in a surreal-sort-of-way that I am posting this post. I remember when I first heard of "35+35" while reading another girl's blog last year. What is 35+35 you ask? It is when you are 35 weeks pregnant and you coincidentally have 35 days left until your due date. I remember thinking back then "this will never be me!" Yet, here I am, 35 weeks pregnant, with 35 days until my due date, with a sweet baby girl. I cry as I type this. Maybe it's all the hormones surging through my body... or maybe it is just relief and happiness that this IS me. This is my life, and I am so thankful every day. I am thankful even on the days I complain about being uncomfortable... which is every day now, lol. Yes, pregnancy has brought on a lot of unpleasantness, like the stretch marks on my poor breasts and butt, or the swollen feet and ankles, or the bathroom trips where you think you just have to go #1, and you end up with a surprise #2 because there isn't any room in your belly (which, by the way, is literally every time I go to the bathroom now... what is up with that?)... or the heat rash on my chest, or the pimples on my shoulders... or, to sum it up, feeling just plain unattractive in every way. Bottom line is: all of this is worth it to me. I am growing life inside me, and it is just incredible!

So, today I just want to say: THANK YOU GOD! Thank you for every stretch mark, for every pimple, for every ache and pain, for every surprise poo, THANK YOU! If I can ask you for one more thing, God: you have gotten us this far safely, please get us to the end safely!

35 week picture to come later today.

33 week picture

Feeling huge!

33 week appointment today - exciting news

We're having twins!

Just kidding! lol. We are NOT having twins... but my doctor did inform me that due to the gestational diabetes, she will be inducing me at 37 or 38 weeks... so, in other words, Jimmy and I will be parents in FOUR or FIVE weeks! We will get to choose the day of the week to be induced on, and my husband prefers a Thursday due to his class and work schedule, and that way I would be discharged on Saturday and we would have the weekend together. So, we are looking at Thursday, October 7th (37 weeks) or Thursday, October 14th (38 weeks). We will be having a "growth scan" (ultrasound that determines how much the baby weighs) at 36 weeks and that will determine if I will be induced at 37 weeks or 38 weeks. As of right now I am measuring 31-32cm and I am 33 weeks pregnant tomorrow, so I am measuring perfectly (I should be measuring anywhere from 31cm to 35cm at 33 weeks pregnant). This means that Lauryn is not too big yet, she is measuring like a normal baby should be measuring. Everything else looked good, per my doctor (blood pressure, weight, urine, etc.). I am still holding steady at a 29 or 30lb weight gain... it fluctuates every day.

On another note, I had my baby shower last weekend. It was beautiful! We had a lot of people show up, and I had more gifts than I ever imagined I would have. It took me a good hour to open everything. Jimmy and I are so blessed with loving friends and family. We got most of the things off our registry and a lot of stuff that wasn't on our registry that we adore. All of the big items on our registry have been bought. We have $200 in gift cards that we are going to wait to use until after my baby shower at work (September 16th). I only have a couple bigger items left on the registry - our expensive baby monitors and the crib mattress - but I am almost 100% sure that a few people at work are going in on the baby monitors for us. So we will probably end up having to buy the crib mattress and a couple other items with the gift cards, but that's fine with us!

Once I get some pictures from the baby shower I will post them. I have been really bad about taking my weekly belly pictures, so tomorrow I am determined to get my 33 week belly picture and post it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

32 weeks (a little late on posting this)

I was 32 weeks on Wednesday and STILL haven't taken my belly picture. I have my first baby shower today so I will take one there. In the meantime, here is my 32 week/8 month survey:


How far along? 32 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 30 lbs. from pre-pregnancy
Maternity clothes? All the time now
Sleep: Naps during the day are great, but nighttime sleeping is really bad - I blame our dogs who seem to constantly move, scratch, lick
Best moment this week: I just really enjoy feeling and watching the baby move. They are bigger, more powerful movements now, and it just makes it seem so real, and so close
Movement: See above, lol
Food cravings: Sweet stuff... ugh
Gender: Baby girl!
Labor Signs: Just more and more braxton hicks. I have been getting cramping every now and then, too, which freaks me out. Although sometimes I can't tell if it's cramps or if I have to go #2 lol
Belly Button in or out? Still not all the way out yet!
What I miss: Everything, lol. I miss being thin, I miss having energy, I miss rolling over in bed without my right leg feeling like it will pop out of it's socket, I miss running and playing with the dogs, I miss driving without being terrified of having an accident. The list could go on forever, lol
What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little girl in 5 to 8 weeks!
Weekly Wisdom: Didn't get any wisdom this week, but I keep telling myself that it's almost over... just a few more weeks!
Milestones: ? No new milestones as of right now