Bumpdate | Week 38

Before I get into everything for this week, I have to give a little update. These past two weeks have been pretty rough. Two weeks ago there was a lot going on with work for Richard that was hard. This past week we had a stressful family emergency that I am not going to get into right now. Then this past week on Tuesday the 21st, we went to the doctor for a normal OB visit. They checked my blood pressure like normal and it was significantly higher than it had been in the past. I was told to lay on my left side and relax and see if it would come down a bit. The nurse came back in and she took my blood pressure manually and it ended up going down some, but it was still high. My doctor came in and talked to us about preeclampsia and asked me a few questions to see if that was what I was experiencing. He almost sent me to labor and delivery to be induced, but decided to send me home to do a 24 hour urine collection starting the next morning. The urine collection was a pain in the butt, but overall not too bad. On Wednesday, we had to go in again to get my blood pressure checked. When we first got there it was still high, but lower than it was the previous day. They had me relax in a dark room for a bit before they checked it again. My blood pressure came down under the threshold that they want it to be at so that is good. I was told to go home, rest and reduce my sodium intake. Then on Thursday, I had to bring in my 24 hour urine collection for them to check. They are looking for protein in the urine and they have not found any yet so that is also good. I had to get some blood drawn for labs that go with the 24 collection and they checked my blood pressure again. It was a little high, but nothing compared to what it was on Tuesday. So I again got sent home with instructions to relax and I will be heading into the doctor again for my 38 week appointment today. After reading up on preeclampsia though I learned that doing IVF is a risk factor so that could be part of our issue.

How far along? 38 weeks, 2 days.

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a pumpkin!

Gender: Baby Girl :)

Weight Gain: Holding steady at about 25 pounds. It has fluctuated a bit recently, but I think that is due to how much I am swelling or not swelling.

Symptoms: I have already mentioned the high blood pressure which has been fun. As a result of that, I have noticed more swelling especially in my hands, feet and face. Richard likes to remind me that my face was pretty swollen for a while, but has recently gotten better. I can only fit into one pair of my shoes and when I take them off I still have lines from where they are pushing on my feet. These last few weeks I have had some really bad neck pain in the right side of my neck. It started out with just a little pain and then one morning I woke up and could not turn my head to the right at all. It has improved some since then, but it is still pretty painful to turn my head side to side. This makes checking over my shoulder while driving a lot of fun. My doctor also told me that he thinks she is lower than she has been in the past and I can definitely feel the difference. When I sit for an extended amount of time, I can feel a lot of pressure really low in my pelvis area. 

Signs of Labor: I have noticed my braxton hicks contractions getting stronger, but nothing super strong yet. The other night I did have 4 stronger contractions in less than 20 minutes, but then they basically disappeared.

Movement: Baby girl is constantly moving, especially during the day! Her movement is so much more pronounced these days most likely because she is running out of space. When I feel her move I can feel a definite hardness like I am feeling her bones which is so cool. The funniest thing is that her foot is way over on the right side of my stomach and every once in a while I feel her pushing against my stomach with her little foot. It is so distinct and I love it. She is still head down and since she is so low she is pretty much locked in and not going anywhere. I feel most of the movement in the upper part of my stomach so I assume I am feeling her butt, legs, knees and feet the most.

Sleep: Sleep has been good but not great. Some days are definitely better than others. I am still waking up every few hours to go to the bathroom, and some of those times I will struggle to fall back asleep, especially in the early morning (5 or 6am). Richard normally wakes up between 6 and 7 to either go for a run or get ready for work and I am rarely still sleeping by the time he actually leaves. Since I am waking up early, I tend to take an hour or two hour nap in the morning. Most days I am awake around 6 and will take a nap at 9. The naps have made a huge difference and I am feeling much more energized. I am just trying to stay rested so that I am ready for whenever labor hits. 

To Do List: Even though I have basically been on couch rest for the last few weeks, we have still been able to accomplish some items on our list. I finished washing all the baby clothes, disinfected all the baby gear, went on a date night to see Beauty and the Beast, set up baby items in the living room, finished packing the hospital bag, deep cleaned the house, stocked up our pantry with some easy meals for after baby, started the baby book, and got a pedicure. At this point, we have crossed off the major things we wanted to get done before baby girl gets here so it feels good to be prepared. 

Best Moment This Week: Being able to do a little mini-birthday celebrating this past weekend since we don't know if we will actually be able to celebrate next weekend. We went to my favorite place for lunch, did a little shopping, got some ice cream and I got a pedicure. Nothing super fancy over here since there is not much I can really do these days.

Looking Forward To: Not having to worry about my blood pressure any more. And also, getting to finally see what our baby girl looks like!

Nursery Reveal

We have a finished nursery!! We are definitely excited that this project is officially done. We put a lot of time and energy into making this space something we would love coming in everyday. It came together perfectly with what my vision was. There were a few things that we could not find in a store so Richard made them for me. He's the best. We probably will not use this space for the first few months, but we knew it would be harder to finish once baby girl gets here so may as well get it done ahead of time. Now for the pictures!

^^We decided to add a changing table to the top of a simple dresser so that we can reuse the dresser in the future. We attached the changing table with snaps on the backside of the dresser and also put a rubber shelf liner underneath the pad to prevent it from moving around as easily.^^

^^Richard made the white pictures shelf since we wanted a specific length and could not find something that worked in a store. The tree art is a fingerprint tree from everyone who attended my baby shower in Minnesota and I love that personal touch. "S" is the first letter of baby girl's name (that we still have not publicly shared and will share once she is born). The "Always" deer print is a Harry Potter reference that fits perfectly with out theme. The gold baskets underneath the white shelf will be storage for all the baby girl bows! Richard and I found the fox painting at a local boutique store and as soon as we saw it we had to have it. It was one of the first things we bought that fit our nursery theme. ^^

^^This wall is really hard to photograph. You can faintly make out the outline of trees on the wall. Richard drew and hand painted birch trees on this wall. The trees even have some fun details like "R + A" written in one of the trees and a grouping of birds that represents the three of us. The trees are extremely faint even in person. We painted three different colors on the wall and nothing made them "pop" more. I think the wall paint is just too pale for a white to really show up. Oh well. I wanted it to be subtle, ha. I adjusted the color in the picture below to make it super exaggerated so you can see the trees better.^^

^^We got this Minnesconsin pillow for Christmas from Richard's brother and the shape and color fit perfectly so we added it to the chair. Also, I just love the deer head. It is one of my favorite things in this room. Oh, and the door behind the chair is to the attic so we don't really need easy access to it. The door to the right of the chair is to the closet.^^

^^This stuffed deer is another favorite. She was given to us for Christmas from Richard's parents. I think she is so cute and fun. The fox lovey blanket was made by one of my besties. I love the cute little fox and it is the perfect size for a lovey blanket. Also, the owl crib sheets are the best.^^

^^This wall is also hard to photograph. The prints inside the frames were also given to me from the same bestie. They work perfect with the theme and I love the way they look in those gold frames. The middle picture says "Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains."^^

^^I sewed a simple crib sheet for the crib because I did not like that you could see the mattress support from the side of the crib. It is not perfect, but the imperfections make it more personal.^^

^^And a little glimpse inside the closet. Nothing special just clothes hanging and a hamper. We are eventually going to build some sort of book storage, but we are still figuring out what we want. Someday.^^

Sources:
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Gentle Blush (50% lighter)
Crib: Babyletto Hudson 3 in 1
Owl Crib Sheet: Pottery Barn Kids
Dresser: Ikea Hemnes in White Stain
Knobs: Hobby Lobby
Chair: Emma Glider 
Ottoman: Knit Sweater Pouf
Rug: White Flokati Rug (already owned)
White Deer Head: White Faux Taxidermy
Frame around deer head: Michael's 
Lamp Base: Target
Lamp Shade: Target
Large Gold Frames: Target
Large White Frame: Target
Small Gold Frame: Target
Gold Baskets and Rail: Target
Fox Painting: Boutique (Artist: Dean Crouser)
Always Print: Etsy
Prints Above Crib: Gifted
Wooden S: Flea Market find that we painted
Tree Print: Gift from my baby shower
Changing Pad Cover: Aden + Anais 
Diaper Pail: Dekor
Minnesconsin Pillow: Gifted from a boutique store
Side Table: DIY project
White Picture Shelf: DIY project
Fox Lovey: Gifted (Sold on Etsy)
Deer Stuffed Animal: Blabla Kids Hazel the Deer
Crib Skirt: DIY Project

Bumpdate | Week 36

How far along? 36 weeks, one day!

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a honeydew melon.

Gender: Baby girl!

Weight Gain: About 24 pounds so far.

Symptoms: I feel like a lot has changed in the last two weeks. I went from feeling great to not so great and then back to okay again. Two weeks ago, I had the worst heartburn I have ever felt. It was so bad it kept me up most of the night and I had to sleep elevated so that I was not in as much pain. It lasted for a few days before I felt normal again. The good news is that it is mostly better, but I still will have random spells of heartburn. My doctor also told me that the numbness and stiffness I have been feeling in my hands when I sleep is because I have Carpal Tunnel. The swelling in my hands is creating extra pressure on my nerves which triggers the Carpal Tunnel. Fun stuff. Speaking of swelling, my hands and feet are starting to swell some and I am no longer wearing my wedding ring. Also, my back has been hurting more because of the weight of this belly. Not trying to complain just trying to be real. Overall though, I can't complain too much since I really have not had any major symptoms.

Signs of Labor: The other day my braxton hicks contractions turned into more painful contractions. I had a few stronger contractions within an hour. But they went away when I fell asleep and I have not had any signs since. 

Movement: All the time. I feel her most shortly after I wake up when I am sitting on the couch and usually before bed.  When I went to the doctor on the 7th, he told me that she is still head down and she is really low. He also said that she feels small, but I am not sure how much he can tell just by feeling. Her feet are on the left side of my stomach and I can feel her pushing on my stomach all the time. Sometimes it hurts a little, so I push back to get her to stop pushing, ha. Her movements are so big lately though and it is so cool to feel.

Sleep: Oh sleep. I wish. I have been trying to go to bed somewhat early so that I can get the most sleep as possible. I usually have a little trouble falling asleep, but then I will sleep for a sold few hours. But usually in the early morning, like 3ish, I wake up to go to the bathroom and I toss and turn for a few hours before I fall back to sleep. Richard's alarm usually goes off around 6am and somedays I will end up being up for the rest of the day and somedays I will fall back asleep no problem and sleep until at least 8am. Since my sleep has been so off, I have been taking a lot more naps during the day. I barely make it through a day without a nap these days, but I figure I may as well rest while I can. 

To Do List: I made this list of things that we need to get done before baby girl gets here. So I can note here what we have crossed off our list. I have been super productive these last two weeks which feels so great. I have washed most of the baby clothes, started to clean all the toys and other baby items, organized the nursery, put baby items in the kitchen cabinets, submitted taxes, and got a haircut. Together, Richard and I finished the nursery (more to come!!), hung and framed pictures for the stairway, set up the Mamaroo in the living room, started packing essentials for the hospital bag, and installed the carseat. Whew, that is a lot of thing to accomplish. But it feels good and we only have a few more major things to cross off our list. Yay!

Baby Purchases: After I washed a few baby items, I wanted to try out the Moby wrap that we bought secondhand a long time ago. When I got it all tied on me, I realized that it had been stretched out by the previous owner. So I was really disappointed to find that out. I plan to use the soft carrier a lot at the begining since we are not planning on using an infant carseat. So I decided to invest in a brand new baby wrap to carry baby girl around. Solly Baby released their new colors this week so I bought a new baby wrap and I am really excited about it! I can't wait to actually use it. We also finally bought some newborn diapers from The Honest Company. I signed up for a bundle, which is enough diapers and wipes for a month, and then I got a bundle for the following month for free. 

Best Moment This Week: Finishing the nursery! We put the finishing touches on the nursery this past weekend and we are finally calling it done for now. I will share more information and pictures later this week. 

Looking Forward To: This is not baby related, but Richard bought us tickets to go see Beauty and the Beast next weekend. It will be fun to have a special date night with Richard and I hope that we have a few more fun dates before baby girl gets here.

Maternity Pictures

One of the first things I did after finding out we were pregnant was research newborn/maternity photographers. Like within a few weeks of that positive test. I know what my priorities are and my love of photography will probably only get stronger in the next few years. So when it was finally time to actually take maternity pictures I was so excited. These pictures turned out perfectly and I love them all. It was so hard only picking five favorites so we actually ended up with seven favorites. Even then, I wish I could have bought them all. Regardless, we have a few beautiful images to remember this wonderful time in our lives. You can definitely see the happiness in these pictures.

 

Only 5 more weeks until my due date! Yikes, that is coming up quick!

Currently | March Edition

Happy first day of March! This is (hopefully) the last month I will have to get through before baby girl gets here! Eeek! She is coming so soon! I decided to join in on the Currently linkup with Anne since I actually remembered to write the post beforehand.

Watching Friends on repeat. Yes, I am obsessed and yes I rewatch them every so often. I swear they get funnier the more you watch them. But they are something that I can watch while I get other things done around the house. Win, win.

Eating as healthy as I possibly can. For me that means specifically planning meals that include meat and veggies because I am not good at eating those things without forcing myself. Oh, and in keeping the balance, I also have had my fair share of cake and ice cream recently.

Saying "Once the baby gets here" or "Before the baby gets here." Basically, we have only a few weeks left before she gets here so we are definitely preparing as much as we can. Which also includes doing things that will be harder once we have a baby.

Wearing All the baggy clothes and maternity leggings I can find. Comfort is key these days. Although, I usually put on a decent "outfit" when I actually leave the house.

Posting Not a whole lot of things actually. We have a lot of half finished projects that I have been taking pictures of so I don't have a whole lot to share which is weird for me. We just got our maternity pictures back (!!!) so once I figure out what we are buying I will post them!