For Unto Us a Child is Born (39 weeks)

I just haven't had time to make a chalkboard the past few weeks. I am so busy, which helps me not to just think about how badly I want to meet baby girl. 

How far along? 39 weeks

Baby size: A Watermelon! About 20 inches long and weighing "a bit over 7 lbs)... actually their guess this week was that she is in the upper 8s. Just like I want her. I really like the idea of a 9 lb baby they are harder to break lol

Total weight gain/loss: 48.5
Maternity clothes? This week I have mostly worn dresses. They are just more comfy and I dont have to keep pulling them up.
Stretch marks? Still aren't super noticeable, but they are there alright.
Sleep: I have actually slept really well this week. It can be hard to get comfortable, but I sleep hard when I sleep. It's been strange to wake up with sore hips from laying on my side all night. 

Highlights/Best moments this week: Baby girl rotated this week and was anterior. I am pretty sure she went right back though... still trying to "spin" this baby.
This week we celebrated my birthday, had a Christmas Eve service that included a true Nativity Story. We had so much fun! We also had Christmas dinner with a family from Church. It is so nice to realize that even though we are away from our biological family, God has blessed us with another family of believers. 

This Christmas God really opened my eyes to what it meant for Christ to be born. God humbled himself to be born in the form of a tiny baby. When I really think about that it gives new meaning to our Christmas Carols and it humbles my heart. I love how Bob Kauflin puts it, 

 Jesus, the eternal Son of God who before time was worshiped by countless angels, set aside his glory and entered the world through the birth canal of a young woman he had created.
He came not into a 21st century environment with trained doctors, sterilized instruments and fetal monitors, but into a 1st century cave filled with flies, animal excrement, and filth.
The fullness of deity took of residence in the body of a baby gasping for its first breath.
The one who spoke the universe into existence lay silent, unable to utter a word.
He came by choice and with the sole intention of redeeming a fallen and rebellious race through his perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection.


When I meditate on that, I am ashamed of how commercialized Christmas has become. Traditions and time with family and even gifts are all a part of God's common grace to be enjoyed by us, but none of those things are what Christmas is about. 
 

My car is fixed, the nursery is mostly complete...just need to hang the curtains!

Miss Anything? I am just ready to hold my baby girl. I have loved being pregnant and I don't feel like I made some huge sacrifice, but I am so anxious to meet her.
Movement: She still moves around in there, mostly at night when I am falling asleep. 
Food cravings: Well it was Christmas so I just ate everything.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No sickness

Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms: My feet have been swelling more lately, but nothing too bad. I am definitely getting more emotional, my back hurts more frequently and I have to pee everytime I stand up.
Belly Button in or out? it's out and you can see it through my shirts 
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: mostly happy, but definitely moody at times
Looking forward to:  I am just looking forward to the fact that it will be no longer than 2 weeks tops before AnnaSophia is here! It's really happening!

"But Daddy, I Want This Baby Nowwww!"(38 weeks)

How far along? 38 weeks

Baby size: A Pumpkin! About 19.5 inches long and weighing 6.8 lbs... actually their guess this week was that she is close to 8. I always knew I would grow a big baby...it's all that protein (and maybe the cookies too :-) )

Total weight gain/loss: 45
Maternity clothes? I still have a hanging belly and few of my maternity clothes do the job... I just rock the saggy belly, because I refuse to buy more clothes at this point
Stretch marks? They are creeping up on me, they haven't gotten any worse than faint purple lines, but they are there.
Sleep: Sleep can be difficult some nights because my back starts to hurt. I am on a 2-3 hour schedule of waking up and rolling over. This should be good practice for nightly feedings in a few weeks.

Highlights/Best moments this week: Baby girl is still posterior so I am trying all sorts of exercises to get her to roll over. For example, I am currently sitting on a birthing ball as I type this. I have also started Rebozo sifting , which is just taking a scarf like fabric and lifting up on the belly and shaking back and forth. its supposed to soften your round ligaments and give baby a better chance at rolling over.
I started having car trouble this week... blah so I am hopeful that we will get it fixed before the baby gets here. 
This is my last week of being 22! I turn 23 on the 23rd and I will be 39 weeks pregnant! 
Miss Anything? I miss being able to bend over without lots of effort
Movement: Still moving, dancing, digging, building sand castles and just enjoying life in the womb
Food cravings: Still want Christmas goodies... and fruit. Fruit > Christmas Goodies
Anything making you queasy or sick: I did get car sick on our way home from our getaway.

Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms:My feet only swell on Sundays, indigestion, sore back, uncontrollable laughter and crying
Belly Button in or out? mostly out
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but my moods can be unpredictable 
Looking forward to:  Still looking forward to getting stuff together, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas, having a few days with the hubby OH! seeing Les Miserables, and AnnaSophia's Birthday!

Full Term (37 weeks, with a little from 36)

How far along? 37 weeks

Baby size: A Winter Melon! About 19 inches long and weighing 6.25 lbs.

Total weight gain/loss: 40+
Maternity clothes? As you can see my belly just hangs out of everything at this point the word "maternity" doesn't make much difference anymore.
Stretch marks? At the very end of 37 weeks I can see the start of my first "real" stretchmarks...just when I thought I was getting out free.
Sleep: Sleep is decent... I have some trouble sometimes, but definitely not as bad as most people say it is.

Highlights/Best moments this week: Lets see since I skipped 36 weeks... We had our Birthday Planning Appointment and I tested negative for group beta strep woohoo! Baby Girl has been head down so that is one less thing to worry about. 
The Nursery is almost ready! We still have a few more finishing touches to put on it and then I will share more pictures. I have been washing lots of baby clothes and finding spots for them and I have even begun packign the diaper bag (that I am in love with!)
We decorated for Christmas which consists of a tree and some stockings.
At my 37 week appointment I was able to see one of the girls from my Bradley class leaving with her baby...It was so sweet she was only 38 weeks and everything was perfectly fine. It just got me really anxious and excited to meet little AnnaSophia...it also made it more real, I am really going to have this baby soon! 
Hubby surprised me with a weekend getaway to a sweet little Brick house that we shared with our friends Shelby and Jordan (remember baby Jack?). We had a wonderful time to just relax before baby girl makes her debut.  I am sure lots more happened but that is what I remember ;-P
Miss Anything? umm...not being 200lbs its pretty hard work lol
Movement: She is moving quite a bit, but she likes to be posterior (her back against my back) which is really sweet when I get to feel her hands and feet, but we will want her to turn before labor....posterior babies make for killer back labor. This means I am doing lots of pelvic rocks.
Food cravings: Christmas goodies... what a terrible time to be pregnant!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Well I would think so
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms:My feet only swell on Sundays, indigestion, sore back, uncontrollable laughter and crying
Belly Button in or out? mostly out
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but my moods can be unpredictable 
Looking forward to:  packing the diaper bag and mommy bag, our Christmas Eve service, BABY GIRL!

Nesting Begins (35 Weeks)

 Progress of the Baby Bump!

How far along? 35 weeks

Baby size: A honeydew! About 18.3 inches long and weighing 5.25 lbs.

Total weight gain/loss: I think around 35, but who can really tell?
Maternity clothes? I am now in need of more long sleeve winter shirts that cover this giant belly
Stretch marks? Still doing pretty good on the stretchmarks, only have the little ones on my sides
Sleep: Sleep is okay I had a few rough nights this week, but nothing really to complain about

Highlights/Best moments this week: This week I went to an aqua fitness class at the gym in addition to my Zumba. It turned out to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated, but it was nice to be able to jump and do ab workouts :-). By Wednesday this week I was sick and I layed on the couch from Thursday-Saturday. Hubby took off work to take care of me and it was such a huge help even though he fed me McDonalds, ChicFila, Pizza, and cookies (haha) my food log this week is horrendous! 

We were finally able to venture out and we picked up a few more cloth diapers for our stash and looked for some things for AnnaSophia's nook.  The whole time I was sick I also really wanted to clean and organize. I didn't have the energy to do all that, but I did prep my prefolds (washing them a few times so that they are absorbent) and wash some clothes...3 loads of tiny girl clothes! It's so fun to fold little girl clothes! I am sure I wont be saying that in a few months though. 

We also caught a mouse, well actually two, this week. They were hoping to sneak food from our pantry, but we tricked them with chocolate. At least they died happy.
Miss Anything? I miss sleeping on my stomach and not having to rock in order to get up
Movement: This week we played a game with baby girl. I would rub where I knew her feet were and say "where's your feet?" and then she would kick my hand and I would respond "there they are!" She even played with Lucas too! It was really sweet! We can't wait to play fun games with her when she gets here!
Food cravings: I haven't eaten too much in general this week since I have been feeling lousy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yup
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms:Still having joint pain, and its getting much harder to find a comfortable position to sit or lay in. 
Belly Button in or out? mostly out
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I have been very needy this week since I have been feeling pathetic, but I am happy to be feeling a little better.
Looking forward to:  Christmas Caroling, our appointment this week (we will be going over what to do when labor starts/when to call or come in), Christmas season festivities, finishing touches on the nursery and the arrival of baby girl! 

A Week of Thanksgiving (34 weeks)

How far along? 34 weeks

Baby size: A butternut squash/cantaloupe, but I am pretty sure she has been the size of both of these things in the past, that is what happens when you use two different sources! About 18 inches long and weighing 4.75 lbs.

Total weight gain/loss: my weight gain has been crazy lately, at my appointment I had gained a whopping 34 lbs,  granted I lost 1/2 a pound after I peed. I sometimes weight up to 5 lbs more by the night than I did in the morning...I am not going to worry until my midwives start to worry.
Maternity clothes? I keep catching my belly hanging out the bottom of all my shirts...even the maternity ones haha
Stretch marks? No new or growing stretchmarks this week
Sleep: I have been sleeping well with my 5 pillows :-) and getting up by 8:30 every day.

Highlights/Best moments this week: This week was Thanksgiving and there was so much to be thankful for. On Sunday our Church had a baby shower in honor of Anna Sophia (See pictures below). The ladies pitched in a bought us a Britax travel system...my dream stroller and car seat.
We are so blessed by so many people that love and care about our baby girl. So many people put in time and effort to make food and decorations and gifts (homemade quilt, and cloth diapers!)

We also spent the week house-sitting for some friends of ours, but it was more like a vacation for us than a favor for them. We had a week filled with board games, ping pong matches, and baking in a nice big kitchen. Plus we were able to finish painting the bedroom without having to sleep in the paint fumes!

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year apart from our families, but we realized that God has blessed us beyond measure with a Church family that love us and love the Lord (and they can cook too!). We spent the night singing praises and thanking the Lord for all that he has given us. 

On Saturday, the last day of week 34 we took advantage of the Black Friday Deals. We went on a nice date to Cheesecake factory, and then used a gift card that came just in time to Pottery Barn Kids (Thanks Kathi and Larry Provonsha!) I was able to get the most perfect diaper bag that I had had my eye on for a long time. The combination of sales and gift cards made it ppossible to buy. We also bought a crib mattress and a camcorder all on sale and combined with gift cards!
 
Miss Anything? I miss... nothing really
Movement: She is able to respond and recognize songs now and she definitely does! She loves it when I sing and she dances along, either that or she is nudging me to keep it down. haha But she is in the right position and I think she has more room to move now that she found her sweet spot ;-)
Food cravings: trying to eliminate my need for a cookie a day since I gained 7lbs between visits haha
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yup
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms:New this week is joint pain in my hands and slight swelling in my feet, but only on Thanksgiving. It must be all the baking I was doing on my feet.
Belly Button in or out? pretty much non-existent or out.
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: SOOO excited I know that my nesting is about to start.
Looking forward to:  Organizing baby girl's nook and getting things ready for her to come!

The following photos are by Sara Jean Peck!

The Past Two Weeks! (33 weeks)

How far along? 33 weeks

Baby size: A Durian (I don't even know what that is)! About 17 inches long and weighing 4 lbs.

Total weight gain/loss: 28 lbs.
Maternity clothes? rockin out in my maternity clothes or just big clothes
Stretch marks? Only stretch marks so far are on my side and they are barely noticeable. I keep waiting for them to pop up out of no where.
Sleep: I sleep pretty well even though it is hard to get comfy.

Highlights/Best moments this week: The past two weeks, I voted for the first time as a Virginian, we attended several parenting seminars which were such a blessing, I started going to a Chiropractor and I am totally in love with it,  I have spent time learning how to take care of babies from my experienced mommy friends Shelby and Sara Jean, and we worked on our nursery room a little more. 
Miss Anything? Still missing my rings, but I think that is about it.
Movement: Oh she is moving all right. But thankfully she isnt a violent baby and she is very kind to my ribs :-)
Food cravings: Cookie craving is here to stay
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: So basically I am huge
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms: still having back pain, but the Chiro has been helping, also having a hard time not losing my breath as I talk.
Belly Button in or out? Still half in half out...it makes me happy 
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I cry so easily and I am so sentimental when I think about baby girl's life and future.
Looking forward to:  Getting everything done, the Holiday Season, and baby girl's grand entrace into this world....eeeep I can hardly wait.   


Check Back Soon for Baby Shower News and Pictures!!

Project Nursery (Part 1)

Well I finally started on the Nursery, or what I look to refer to as "AnnaSophia's Nook." We only have one wall painted, but it's her wall so that makes it exciting. There is still lots of work to do and she will be here in 10 weeks at the latest or as early as 5 weeks! It's hard to believe how soon we will be holding her in our arms.

Notice all of Baby Girl's clothes and toys and blankets just taking up her side of the room and our make shift curtain? Also that huge paint blob that has been on our wall for a few months now. It's the color we decided to go with.

One of my light bulbs went out, which is why this picture looks darker, but the color turned out really great. The picture doesn't do it justice.

There should be many more updates to come!!

Easy Garlic Red Potatoes

Easy Garlic Red Potatoes 

I saw Ina Garten make dill fingerling potatoes on TV one time and I decided that I would try a similar recipe with our favorite... garlic! I also usually have red potatoes on hand so I chopped them into smaller pieces and tossed them in the pot (after all I am new at this cooking business and I have no idea what a fingerling is)! This has now become one of our favorite family side dishes and it's super easy!

Ingredients:

• 4-6 red potatoes 

• 2 Tbs butter

• 1 1/2 Garlic cloves (could also use garlic powder)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut potatoes into wedges.
2.  In a large heavy bottom pot melt butter. 
3. Add potatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper. 
4. Cover and let cook on low heat for 20 minutes. 

 * * Be sure to shake the pot from time to time to prevent the potatoes on the bottom from burning.

Baby Girl Has a Name! (31 Weeks)

How far along? 31 weeks (Proverbs 31 is on my heart this 31st week)

Baby size: A Pineapple! About 16 inches long and weighing 3.3 lbs.

Total weight gain/loss: 26 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Loving my maternity clothes and I bought some skinny jeans (See picture) and a winter coat at a thrift store yesterday woohoo!!
Stretch marks? still only have the little redmarks on my side
Sleep: sleepy varies, its hard to go back to sleep once I get up in the morning with hubby.

Highlights/Best moments this week: Well Hurricane Sandy came to visit and she was a blessing to us. Lucas was off work for two days and we just hid in our apartment and spent time together. It was much needed after our very busy week. We got back our maternity pictures too! Oh and there was Halloween, which we like to call Reformation Day :-) We also attended our first parenting seminar which just made me so grateful that God is allowing us to steward this baby and teach her about Him.
Miss Anything? I miss wearing my wedding rings. I will be happy when my fingers are back to 4 &1/4
Movement: She is moving a lot I think she is back head down and sometimes she is even in my ribs a bit. So exciting how big I can feel her getting.
Food cravings: I can't seem to get over wanting cookies all the time!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: every time I see a picture of myself it catches me by surprise
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms: lower back pain :-( Must do more pelvic rocks!
Belly Button in or out? halfy! When I laugh it pops in and out which only makes me laugh more.
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and blessed! I do find myself crying a lot at sentimental things.
Looking forward to:  I have a baby Shower coming up in a few weeks, another baby is going to be born in our Church this weekend, starting rehearsals for the Christmas program. All sorts of good things to come :-)

And Baby Girl's Name is...


 Photos by Artdrea Photography, check out her blog HERE!
 Thanks Andrea!
 

10 Weeks to Go! (30 weeks)

How far along? 30 weeks 

Baby size: A head of cabbage! About 15.7 inches long and weighing 3 lbs. She is getting so big!

Total weight gain/loss: 25 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Loving my maternity clothes!
Stretch marks? just the oh so subtle start on my sides
Sleep: depends on the night... sometimes I sleep well, sometimes I can't sleep so I watch lifetime.

Highlights/Best moments this week: This week has been super busy for us. I am not sure exactly what we did this week (haha) I just know we barely had time to see each other. I had an appointment on Tuesday and baby girl was breech, I am learning her different positions now and she flips around a lot. I will be adding more pelvic rocks into my day to encourage her to get into the right position by 34 weeks!
Miss Anything? skinny jeans :P
Movement: I love learning what each body part feels like. It is still hard but I am starting to know when she kicks or punches and if her head is up or down. I love all her little movements
Food cravings: I have been eating a lot of beef lately... I love me some mexican
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: yes, definitely.... I feel like a spider sometimes, is that weird?
Gender : It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms: I don't think there were any new ones this week
Belly Button in or out? Slowly starting to poke out, but it really depends on how baby girl is laying.
Wedding rings on or off? off and around my neck.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and blessed!
Looking forward to:  Still don't have paint on the walls and with the hurricane coming it might be a while. We are going to a parenting seminar next week which will be fun (I can't believe we are actually parents) We should be getting our maternity pics back soon so I will be able to share a few (they turned out really cute).