36 and 1

How far along? 36 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: Up 25lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes and no. Maternity tops, regular bottoms. 
Stretch marks? No new ones, but I have lots from my 9lb 5oz daughter!
Sleep: Depends on the night. When I get lucky, I only wake up 2x to pee. Other nights it's 6x. 
Best moment this week: Finding out I'm fingertip dilated and 70% effaced! 
Have you told family and friends: Yes.
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night, and my clothes fitting! 
Movement: Lots of movement! She rocks and rolls in the morning and evening. I love it! 
Food cravings: Not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, I'm feeling huge.
Gender prediction: She has been confirmed a girl! 
Labor Signs: Not really. Lots of Braxton Hicks but that's about it. 
Belly Button in or out? In, but getting more shallow!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy. Today I was cranky and annoyed about EVERYTHING at work. Only 2 more weeks and I get to go down to working 2 days per week. Maybe she will come before then :) 
Looking forward to: Working part time, and meeting this sweet girl! Not having to pee every 30min!

Not loving: The uncomfortable feelings, and getting tired so much easier. Other than that, I'm still doing great! 

Had my doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is still great! I can't wait to meet this sweet girl, but I want her to stay in until Monday at least. There's something more reassuring to me about 37 weeks, than 36 weeks. I'm still working full time and I'm definitely feeling it at the end of the day! I am tired and a little more irritable than usual ;) 

I talked to K the other night and they are packed and ready to come at a moments notice! They're excited and anxious and it makes my heart feel full :) The crib is set up, her clothes are put away, she has diapers and sheets, we can now have a baby! I guess that means I should pack a bag for the hospital, right? I have a lot of stuff I still want to get done before she comes, and I have a feeling this weekend is going to be a busy one, getting it all done! 

I'll update next week after my doctor's appointment! Fingers crossed for more cervical progress! 

Thanks for reading

xoxo

I think she looks lower, what do you think? Ps. Sorry about the dirty mirror, my daughter is an enthusiastic teeth brusher, apparently ;) 

the sads

It hit me a week or so ago that this journey is almost over. The last 3ish weeks have been so busy at work that they have flown by and now we're almost full term! I had a lightbulb come on and it made me panic for a moment, because I'm not ready for this to end! I was trying to work through my feelings to pinpoint exactly why I was feeling sad and I think it is just the fear of the unknown... Not knowing how things will be after the Bean is born. I text one of the dad's that I was having brief moments of sads because our journey was almost over and he replied, "No sads, our journey is just beginning!" I'm taking that as a good sign that I will get to maintain a lifelong friendship with this amazing family I helped create. 

I don't, by any means, want to keep the Bean, and I'm not feeling more attached to her (which are questions people have asked now that her birth is getting closer), but it's a surreal feeling to think that usually the joy of pregnancy transitions into the joy of bringing a baby home and that isn't the case in this situation! It's definitely a different concept to wrap your head and emotions around; that you are going to have this baby, not be pregnant and then......... ? *insert sads and panic here* 

A lot of girls talk about the feelings of not knowing what their role is, feeling unneeded because their "job" is now over, etc. I feel fortunate that I work full time and am a single mom, so that always keeps me extremely busy- pregnant or not! I will be pumping for an undetermined amount of time, so that will buy me some guaranteed contact and interaction for awhile, too. I've also decided that I'm going to take my daughter on a vacation towards the end of my maternity leave, as a thank you for being so supportive, helpful, and amazing throughout this whole process. So we have that to look forward to! 

I know everything is going to be just fine, and I feel so blessed to have been chosen to be a part of this amazing experience for this amazing family. I am more at peace with the situation now, and am back to being excited about meeting this sweet girl and seeing her daddies with her for the first time! I am just trying to enjoy every second, take in every wiggle and hiccup, and soak it all in while I can. 

To end on a happier note, we are 35 weeks today and everything is going great! I am starting to feel uncomfortable and HEAVY, although I've been assured that I don't look as large as I feel ;) I have a doctor's appointment next Monday, and then it's time for our weekly appointments! I'll leave you with my 35 week picture. 

Thanks for reading
xoxo

34 weeks

Sorry everyone, I've been a terrible blogger! We are 34 weeks today and I can't believe how close we are to delivery! 3 more weeks and we are full term, holy cow. A couple weeks ago, my daughter and I got to go visit the guys for the weekend and it was awesome to get to just relax and spend some quality time together. We had a great time and really enjoyed getting to see them. 

Bean had been breech for about a month and I was starting to have some anxiety about it.... luckily she got her act together and put her head down where it belongs last week! Thank goodness! I had a doctor's appointment today and all is going just great. I'm still feeling awesome, with no major complaints. Bean has been measuring large, and she still is looking like an overachiever, weighing in at approximately 5lbs 14oz already- 68th percentile. (Yes, you read that correctly. She's almost 6lbs and I still have 6 weeks to go.) My daughter was 9lbs 5oz and I birthed her just fine, so as long as Bean stays under 10lbs, I'm happy :) 

Here are some stats for how I've been feeling lately, and I will try to update more often... hopefully we'll get some excitement in the coming weeks! 

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 20lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes and no. Lots of maternity tanks from Old Navy.
Stretch marks? No new ones, but I have lots from my 9lb 5oz daughter!
Sleep: Waking up more to pee... 3-4 times per night. Still sleeping well when I'm asleep though! No tossing and turning yet, knock on wood!
Best moment this week: Confirming that Bean is head down!
Have you told family and friends: Yes.
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night, and my clothes fitting!
Movement: Lots of movement! She rocks and rolls in the morning and evening. I love it! 
Food cravings: Not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, I'm feeling huge.
Gender prediction: She has been confirmed a girl! (And re-confirmed today!)
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. 
Belly Button in or out? In, but getting more shallow!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I find myself getting more easily irritated at work, but I am still mostly happy.
Looking forward to: Working part time, and meeting this sweet girl! 

Not loving: Feeling really big and uncomfortable at the end of the day. Feeling like none of my clothes fit. Waking up a billion times at night to pee. 

29 weeks!

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Gained 17lbs total. 10lbs in the last 2 months... I need to eat less ice cream, and more salads!
Maternity clothes? Yes and no. I am living in stretchy cotton non maternity skirts and maternity tops when I'm not at work. It's been HOT here lately!
Stretch marks? No new ones, but I have lots from my 9lb 5oz daughter!
Sleep: Waking up once or twice to go to the bathroom, but sleeping good other than that! I've been having weird dreams lately though.
Best moment this week: Getting all moved in and settled into our new house!
Have you told family and friends: Yes, most of my family and friends know. I've received a lot more support than expected from some of my parents friends, which has been wonderful!
Miss Anything? My "regular" body, and being able to bend over without feeling like I can't breathe/might throw up/might pass out.
Movement: Lots of movement! She rocks and rolls in the morning and evening. 
Food cravings: Not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, I'm feeling huge all of the sudden!
Gender prediction: She has been confirmed a girl!
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. 
Belly Button in or out? In, but getting shallower.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I find myself getting more easily irritated at work, but I am still mostly happy.
Looking forward to: Seeing the baby daddies this weekend! We get to go visit, and they have so graciously invited us to stay with them! Really looking forward to spending some relaxing, quality time with them and their son. So excited for them to see and feel the bean move, and to give them the big bag of baby clothes I've been collecting!

Not loving: Feeling really big all of the sudden. And not being able to do as much as I used to without feeling absolutely exhausted!

24w6d

Well, let's see... I never know what to say anymore, so I found one of the cheesy survey things to fill out for you guys :) 

How far along? 24 weeks 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: Gained 10 official pounds, but I was on vacation last week and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so we'll see the updated damage then :) I think about 15lbs....  
Maternity clothes? Yes and no. I'm still hair banding my jeans and shorts, but have succumbed to maternity tops.
Stretch marks? No new ones, but I have lots from my 9lb 5oz daughter!
Sleep: Surprisingly, I'm usually sleeping through the night! 
Best moment this week: My daughter and I were on vacation all week, so just relaxing and not having to worry about work was amazing. I got to see my dad and stepmom, sister, brother in law, niece, and one of my best friends.
Have you told family and friends: Yes, most of my family and friends know. I've received a lot more support than expected from some of my parents friends, which has been wonderful!
Miss Anything? My "regular" body, and BEER! Lol!
Movement: Lots of movement! She is moving more and more and it is absolutely my favorite part of pregnancy. I could lay on the couch for hours and just watch her move. She is really active in the morning and in the evening, so it's nice to just relax in the quiet while my daughter is sleeping and enjoy some quiet time together. 
Food cravings: Not really. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and I think the belly popped out this week!
Gender prediction: She has been confirmed a girl!
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. 
Belly Button in or out? In
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I find myself getting more easily irritated at work, but I am still mostly happy.
Looking forward to: Nothing I can think of really. I am just enjoying every day I get to spend with this sweet girl. It is a little different since I don't have to put together a nursery, think about a baby shower, think of a name, buy things, etc.

Not loving: Not being able to go longer than an hour or 2 without peeing. And that feeling when you drink too much water and you feel full up to your throat. Other than that, all is great :) 

I didn't really blog much about our last ultrasound, but the guys came into town for the afternoon for our ultrasound. We got to take a tour of Labor and Delivery, and they got to meet my doctor at my doctor's appointment. Their sweet girl looked perfect on our ultrasound and I am feeling great. It was so nice to be able to see the guys, and they got to meet my daughter for the first time. I felt bad by the end of the day because my daughter was bored and annoying me like CRAZY and I wasn't as patient with her as I usually am. I had worked all morning and was stressed and anxious about the guys coming and everything going smoothly. I'm glad they got to meet her before the birth of the Bean, but I almost wish I wouldn't have brought her :( I just hope they don't think I'm a terrible mommy for being short tempered! I really hope I have a chance to redeem myself and see them again before the baby comes. 

The guys are so sweet and they brought me a really cute maternity shirt, and they got my daughter an iPod touch! They are so generous and kind, and I feel so blessed to have been matched with this amazing couple. I had a Build a Bear made with the Bean's heartbeat in it for their son, and I made a photo album with all of the ultrasound photos in it. I record the baby's heart beat on my phone and send it to them, and they have told me many times how much their son loves the sound. They say he always stops what he's doing and is mesmerized by the heart beat. So I made him his very own bear with his little sister's heart beat in it so he can snuggle it all the time. They got home and said he loves it, and a few days later K sent me the sweetest pictures of him playing with it! It made my heart melt :) Working at an OB office, I have random ultrasounds every couple of weeks... just because our ultrasound tech is amazing and she loves peeking at the Bean often. I can't complain and of course would never turn down an offer to look at the baby! Especially when you usually only get 1 or 2 ultrasounds in a pregnancy! Of course I always text pictures to the guys after each of the ultrasounds, but I had been saving the hard copies to give to them to keep. When I realized how many pictures I actually had, (about 50!) I decided to put them in an album for the guys, instead of just handing them a big stack of photos. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and they loved it! I told them they'll have to bring the album when they come for the birth, because I'm sure there will be many more ultrasounds to be had! 

Everything else is uneventful and great. I'm feeling good and baby is growing like crazy. I'll leave you with a few updated pictures! 

24 weeks 4 days

My friend is a photographer and we got some pics done while we were on vacation!

Sweet Bean a couple weeks ago

Thanks for reading

xoxo

22w1d

Hello all! I don't have much to update about, but feel bad that I don't post very often anymore. So, I apologize in advance is this a rambling blog about nothing :) 


We are 22 weeks, 1 day today. Bean is the size of a spaghetti squash this week (WTF is that?!), measuring approximately 11 inches from head to toe, and weighing in at about 1 pound. She is wiggling more and more and I LOVE IT! She is most active in the morning and evening, and I love laying in bed for a few extra minutes in the peace and quiet, just enjoying the feeling. I have been feeling well, no major complaints to speak of. A few weeks ago, I was having terrible hip/low low back pain, on my right side. It was SO painful to walk, sit, lift my leg to get dressed, get into bed, etc., cough, you name it. Of course it hit suddenly, on the Friday of Memorial weekend, so I was unable to get into the chiropractor until Tuesday... which turned into Wednesday because of how crazy my work schedule was. After a couple visits and a massage for good measure, we are feeling good again! Turns out my hip and sacrum were completely out of place and inflamed. I'm so glad it was something fixable, otherwise it would have been a loooooong 18 weeks until my due date! Work has been insanely busy and hectic, and I am beyond exhausted by the end of the day. I am planning on working until delivery, please cross your fingers for success with that plan! 


I'll leave you with a couple of pictures... my belly is growing, slowly but surely! It still isn't very big yet!

This one is from our anatomy scan... for you ultrasound challenged folks- it's her face, looking to the right. Her nose is in the middle and then up a teeny bit and to the left is her eye... See it? Isn't she cute?!

Thanks for reading
xoxo

It's a..........

GIRL!!!!


The guys are excited, and a little in shock, I think! I had absolutely no clue or feeling at all as to what the gender was, so I was pleasantly surprised! I love girls and I am so excited for them to have a boy and a girl. I can't wait to meet this sweet little thing, only 19ish more weeks to go!