40 Weeks

It's her due date! I knew she probably wouldn't come early, but a girl can always hope.  It has been fun seeing everyone's predictions and wishes for her arrival.  I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many awesome family members and friends sending us lots of encouraging words and offering up prayers for healthy delivery.  Audrey is one loved girl and I love that her entrance to this world is being so carefully prayed for.

The planner in me wishes I knew the exact day she's going to make her entrance into the world, but is fun waiting and wondering if today will be the day.  Sometimes I worry that I won't know when I go into labor, I know it's silly, but it crosses my mind from time to time.  Surely from what I heard in our classes and from others at some point I will KNOW.

I officially started my maternity leave today.  I was planning on teaching up until the moment that I went into labor, but I am glad I decided to start on her due date.  It is a huge weight off of my shoulders not wondering if I will get to school, go into labor, and figure things out from there.  I am hoping that it will also make for a smooth transition for my students and my long term sub.  I am going to miss them and they were so sweet on Friday when I told them it would be my last day with them.  They say they are going to come visit me at my new house! :)

Stinson has been working at his new job for about 2 weeks now.  He is really loving the potential that it holds and the challenges that it has in store for him.  Right now it is lots of studying and learning the ropes of trauma and device sales.

How far along? 40 Weeks

Size of baby? She is still about the size of a watermelon. I can't believe that she's about as big as she is going to get.

Total weight gain? I stopped keeping a close track.  I know that it is for baby and when I haven't been diligent about exercise and diet I can't complain.

Maternity Clothes? Do we really need to ask this one any more?! Of course, and those are barely covering the belly these days.

Sleep? The last few days have been awesome! I am getting up in the night, but the sleep in between has been very restful.  Guess my body knows life is about to change and it's stocking up on some extra sleep right now.

Best moment of the week? Just knowing that she is coming soon and things are progressing in the right direction. Heading down on the plaza for a lunch date with Stinson.  And closing on our new house!!!!!!

Miss anything? Bending over and being able to put on shoes and socks comfortably.  I have really dreaded putting them on this week.

Movement? She is still a busy girl moving around all the time.

Cravings? According to my sister I crave hot chocolate.  I think this is true and especially after the delicious hot chocolate my mom doctored up this week.  Rich cocoa mix, homemade whipped cream, and cinnamon sprinkled on top. Yes it's amazing and probably the most fattening thing you can drink, but who cares!

Symptoms? Have I mentioned stretch marks?! Ugh, they seem to be appearing everywhere, but what can you do...hoping some running and getting back into shape will make them not so obvious later on down the road.

Belly button in or out? Flattened out!

Wedding rings on or off? off :(  Can't wait to get them back on!

Mood? Normal

Looking forward to? Meeting Audrey.  Every morning I wake up thinking today could be the day!  I am so excited to kiss her fingers and toes and to stare into her face for hours on end.  We're also looking forward to moving into our new house when we're ready.  My mom and I are eager to start painting and getting Audrey's room done!  Her room is going to be the best one in the house for a while! :)

It's getting real! 38 Weeks

Well we're 2 short weeks away from our due date. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by! I know that she may not come on time, and that's okay.  I think it will be easier to wait for while I am back at school teaching, but I hope that she doesn't make me wait too long!  We started taking predictions for her due date some people think she'll be almost 2 weeks late. Yikes!  I know she will come when she is ready and that is ultimately what I want.

We celebrated Christmas with my family here in Kansas City.  We had a lot of fun showing them all of the sites and spending time in tiny house.  Thankfully Jenna and Brady's 2 bedroom house as couch big enough for all of us to sit on and some extra beds for people to sleep on.  It was great to have everyone here and I can't wait for them to come back because that means Audrey will be here!  We enjoyed the Kansas City Nutcracker, lights, dinner and shopping on the Plaza, Crown Center, and meals crowded around the dinner table.

Here are some pictures from our afternoon at Crown Center.

Everyone putting up with the freezing cold wind for a picture!

Ryan is ready to go to work on the farm!

Driving away in my new car!

Bailey, cute as always!

Of course we couldn't resist looking at the adorable baby clothes!

Beautiful and giant Christmas Tree 

Stinson and I

How far along? 38 Weeks

Size of baby? She's a watermelon this week and feels like it!  She's probably over 10 inches and weighs between 6.5-7lbs!

Total weight gain? Keeps creeping up slowly!

Maternity Clothes? Maternity, maternity, maternity! I also like to steal Stinson's sweats and t-shirts these days.  They seem to be better for lounging in than my own!

Sleep? Hit and miss.  Some nights are awful, others are great.  Usually waking up 2-3 times a night for the bathroom, sometimes leg cramps, and the darn carpel tunnel.  I started wearing braces at night and that has helped a lot!

Best moment of the week? Spending the whole week with my family and everyone getting to feel Audrey move.  We all loved watching her bounce and move things resting on my belly.

Miss anything? Being comfortable in general, putting on shoes and socks with ease, being able to sit for long periods of time.

Movement? She has become quite the busy girl these days. I feel like she is moving more and more, and maybe that is because she is running out of room.  She does lots of stretching and loves to stick her tush out!

Cravings? Still no real cravings.

Symptoms? Occasional leg cramps, carpel tunnel, some minor cramping here and there, swelling in my legs and hands, and all the normal uncomfortable end of pregnancy stuff.

Belly button in or out? Flattened out!

Wedding rings on or off? off :(  Can't wait to get them back on!

Mood? Normal, with the occasional urge to cry....ugh these hormones sometimes.

Looking forward to? Meeting Audrey.  Stinson and I have been talking a lot about meeting her lately and things that we are looking forward to about having her here and wondering what she looks like. I am also looking forward to having all of my long term sub plan stuff figured out and done!

Bare Belly at 38 weeks!

Bumpdate- 36 Weeks

I'm doing this from my phone, so I apologize in advance for typos and if I leave anything out.

How far along? 36 weeks today!

Size of baby: last ultra sound they thought 6lbs 4ozs, about the size of a large cantaloupe

Weight gain? More than I'd care to admit, let's just say the 40lb mark isn't too far away

Maternity clothes? Yup! Pretty much all except for a few stretchy tunics. Loving leggings and sweats lately.

Sleep? Starting to get up more often to go to the bathroom and waking up with leg cramps.

Pregnancy symptoms? Heartburn pretty frequently, I think she's been sitting on a nerve because my arms and fingers have been falling asleep a lot and it's super annoying! Some back pain., and swelling in my feet.

Highlight of the week? Watching Audrey move at the ultra sound last Wednesday. Also getting to see her sweet face again. I'm so in love with it already. My mom getting to feel her move.

Looking forward to? The dr. appointment this week to see how things are progressing. Can't wait for her to get here!

Cravings? Still nothing crazy. Yesterday I couldn't keep my hands out of the white chocolate peppermint M & Ms. You should seriously try them. You'll be addicted.

Signs of labor? None that I'm aware of.

Here's the picture you're dying to see! ;)

Bumpdate 30-31 Weeks & Shower #2

This is going to be a super long post with lots of pictures.  Hope you enjoy and I'll try to be better about keeping everyone updated.

Picture from last week

How far along? 31Weeks

Size of baby? Head of lettuce- 19 inches and around 4 lbs.

Total weight gain? Somewhere around 27 lbs

Maternity Clothes? Mostly maternity clothes, and some super long stretchy pre-pregnancy clothes.

Sleep? Stil; cannot complain.  Definitely stuck on my side these days.

Best moment of the week? Seeing Audrey in 3D! It was so incredible to see her face, watch her sleep, suck, and scrunch her face.  She is such an amazing little thing!  Pregnancy has really made me stand in awe of God's creation.  She is absolutely perfect!

Miss anything? Bending over to tie my shoes.  I either have to prop it way up or have Stinson do it.  Maybe I'll stick to slip-ons!

Movement? All the time!  She is a busy little girl these days.  I think she is taking swimming lessons around 9 every night.  It has been crazy to watch my belly move with her movements.

Cravings? Nope.  Just a lot hungrier these days.  I have started adding a mid morning snack to make it through the morning of teaching. I think my students think I'm crazy for eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at 9:30 in the morning.

Symptoms? Heartburn, some leg cramps here and there, shortness of breath for sure, and apparently snoring!

Belly button in or out? In but it is really staring to stretchout.

Wedding rings on or off? Off.  It's been more comfortable without anything. :(

Mood? Normal. Happy, not too cranky unless it's Friday!

Labor Signs? None so far!

Looking forward to? Audrey getting here.  After seeing her face I cannot wait to meet her. These next 9 weeks better go fast!

Here she is!  Such a precious little sleeper!

Here you can see her cute little foot tucked up by her face.

And here is the one where she scrunched up her face as Stinson was pushing on my belly trying to get her to wake up and move.  I think they are going to have a really fun relationship!

Finally, to wrap up this post I will share some pictures from my 2nd shower.  This one was thrown by a friend and former parent of one of my students.  I am still over-whelmed by her generosity.  It was so fun to celebrate with some of my friends from school, friends, and former parents and students.  My car was stuffed full of stuff to bring home.  Thanks to Angie, I now have lots of decor for Audrey's nursery!  Enjoy the pictures!

There are lots more pictures, check on the facebook album to see them! Yes, Angie should be a professional party thrower!