Baby Showers for Baby Boy!

As part of my whirlwind trip (that I'm going to talk about later this week), I had TWO baby showers! With being baby number two, I definitely didn't expect much "showering", but I am so incredibly thankful for all the love we have been shown!! This little guy is so stinking lucky to be loved by so many already! 

I work remotely, but went down to the office in Atlanta a few weeks ago to meet with my team and get to have a double shower with Michelle who is about 6 weeks ahead of me with a baby girl! 

I'm seriously one of the oldest people at my company (at 29, ha!) so baby showers are few and far between. So we had to make this as fun as possible for these kiddos straight out of college! 

It was such a special time and we received so many thoughtful gifts. Lucky to call this company mine, even though I don't get to see them often! 

Next up I had a "baby sprinkle" hosted by some of my best girlfriends in Sandersville. They swear they just "threw this together" but come onnnn, how stinkin cute!? 

Maddie Jane and sweet Sadie.. they don't see each other often, but when they are together, they have such a good time! 

Love these bestie girls of mine! And how much they love on my children!

Brit's mom, Ms Dianne, also helped host the shower and offered her home and pool area! It was also so gorgeous and perfectly laid back!

MJ wasn't feeling pictures... 

But Brit did capture this sweet one! (Also, I have pregnancy induced carpel tunnel. Should go away within hours of giving birth..That ugly hand brace helps SO much!) 

This girl provided all the gorgeous handwriting you see on the decorations. We have collaborated our small shops together on something and I hope we will be doing a lot more together in the future! Love ya Katie Hammock! 

And that's a wrap! We got a tonnnn of diapers, wipes and diaper genie refills (which I had not purchased one single thing of, oops) and a bunch of other sweet goodies. So, so thankful to be surrounded by so many family and friends during this sweet stage of life. 

One more "sprinkle" to go in Atlanta! EEK

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Hump Day, Bump Day {20 weeks!}

Ohhhhhh, we're half way there. Ohhhh OH, living on a prayer. And all the fellow Fiji wives, said amen. (This song is played at every single Fiji wedding complete with a dance..And it has been stuck in my head since Saturday!)

Well I said this little guy would be lucky to get 5 Hump Day, Bump Days... but now I'm thinking more like 3!Ooops. Second kid is so different. Everything is a blur. Someone asks you how far along you are and you're like uhhhh. However with the first you were like 13 weeks, 4 days, and 6 hours, haha! With the first you are constantly worrying about every ache, pain and symptom.. and with the second you are either too tired or too busy chasing the first around to even care. But that's not to say we don't love you little one, and think about you every single day! So here is a little bit about how things are lately..

How far along? 20 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? 6.5 inches, like a big sweet potato!

Milestone? HALF WAY THERE! We had our anatomy scan two weeks ago (pic above), and most everything checked out perfectly! So, so thankful.

Maternity clothes? I live in the same two pair of leggings and three shirts over and over and over. SO ready for warmer weather so I can wear something new! I refuse to buy any more cold weather things..

Stretch marks? Ugh yes.. I don't think they popped out until like 32 weeks last time. Whatever..

Sleep? Some good nights.. some bad. Always wake up at least once or twice. Have to have an extra pillow between my legs or my pregnancy pillow to get comfortable.

Symptoms? For the most part feeling good. Today I feel awful for the first time in forever, because I did SO MUCH yesterday. Whenever I push it too hard, I can always feel it the next day. Insane indigestion that has gotten so much better with a daily prevacid in stead of taking 15+ tums, ha.

Best moment this week? Prob should change the question to best moment this trimester since I'm doing these so infrequently, ha. But seeing our little guy on his anatomy scan, hearing that heart beat, so so in love.

Miss Anything? Fancy cocktails on date night.. sushi.. 

Movement? ALL the time. I felt him around week 13/14. And now AJ can feel him from the outside too. Not a crazy wiggle worm like Maddie Jane, but he does loooove to burrow down into my pelvis, ow.

Food cravings? gummy bears, fruit, and cannot get enough water. SO THIRSTY.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Still team no meat. I will occasionally eat like tacos with meat or a fried chicken sandwich.. but mostly fruit and carbs for me.

Have you started to show yet? Oh yes. Big basketball belly like I had with Maddie Jane. My pictures from MJ and this guy at 20 weeks are almost identical. But with MJ I had gained like 15+ pounds by now, with him only 2.. And started at the same weight. The body is a weird thing.

Gender? BOY!

Labor Signs? heck no

Belly Button in or out? It's getting super flat. Much quicker this time around.

Wedding rings on or off? On. Actually falling off. I still have on my wedding ring, but had to take my Yurman ring, that I wear every day, off for good because I had to many scares with it falling off. 

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy.. but tired. Oh, and cried my eyes out (like snot running down your face crying) watching A Star is Born, ha.

Looking forward to? SUMMER! Our neighborhood pool opening, my baby "sprinkles", getting his nursery complete, and finally getting him in my arms and smelling that sweet baby smell, ahhh

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Baby #2!!

If you don't follow me on social media, we announced last night we are expecting baby #2!! It has been a bumpy road getting to this point, and we are so incredibly thankful to have reached the end of the first trimester with our sweet baby boy. 

I wrote a blog back HERE on my 29th birthday detailing our struggles. On that day I had a D&C and we weren't quite sure what was going to happen next on our road to baby #2. My doctor said no umm.. activity for two weeks, and we wouldn't be doing fertility meds for at least three months. I was pretty upset initially, but AJ and I discussed it and I made peace with it. We had a big trip to Europe planned for December and it was probably best that we hold off on the fertility stuff till we were more settled in our new home. And well if something happened naturally.. awesome! 

So after my two week checkup, I was cleared for activity and we were smack dab in the middle of our move to Charlotte. I had boxes to unpack and a new house to decorate, so I welcomed the distractions. I had a business trip to Atlanta the first week of November and I decided to take a test on a whim before I left. I was staying with Beverly and then Kelley, so I knew lots of wine drinking would happen. And low and behold, 5 weeks after my D&C, I was pregnant again!! AJ and I sat in the bathroom floor and cried and prayed over our little miracle. We were in complete shock that we had been able to get pregnant again so quickly. 

I did another test when I got to Atlanta juuuust to make sure.

I called my doc in Atlanta and did an HCG test to confirm. My numbers were higher than they ever were with my previous pregnancy. And then did another test 48 hours later at an Urgent Care in Charlotte (I couldn't find an obgyn that would see me.. long story for another day..) My HCG numbers more than doubled and we all breathed a sigh of relief. I was able to get in with an obgyn at week 7 and we saw the first glimpse of our tiny little babe. AJ was stuck in a work meeting, but I was able to FaceTime him just for a second. I cried and cried on that exam table.. All our prayers had been answered. 

Our doctor won't do blood test for the sex, so we researched and found an at-home blood test kit that boasts 99.9% accuracy. I did it right before we left for Europe knowing we would get an email a few days later. We were in the middle of dinner in Budapest when the email popped up on my watch. That was theeeee longest dinner of my life, waiting to get back to the room to find out the results. We sat together and clicked on the email, and all my suspicions were confirmed.. it's a BOY! AJ cried, I did a little dance, and we hopped online to order gifts for our moms to tell them at Christmas. 

So.. needless to say, all of this is why I have been so absent from blogging. I have barely been able to work, keep a house clean, run the 5 billion errands this family always seems to have, take care of a three year old and husband and keep myself upright. BUT I think the glorious light of the second trimester is going to shine down on me SOON! I laugh hysterically thinking that I did the little questionnaire weekly with Maddie Jane. I MIGHT do this 5 times through this pregnancy.. but here's to starting off on the right foot! 

How far along? 12 weeks, 4 days

Baby's size? 2.5 inches, a large plum

Milestone? Most of baby's systems are fully formed.. now to grow, grow, grow! 

Maternity clothes? I know some people like to stay in their regular clothes as long as possible.. but no way jose for me. I busted out those maternity jeans at 8 weeks. I'm not going to be uncomfortable.. 

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep? Pretty good. Of course the multiple bathroom trips every night happen. I'm taking B6 and half a unisom at night for my nausea, so I think that helps with the sleep some.. 

Symptoms? So nauseated. With Maddie Jane, I felt roooouuugh in the mornings, but could usually get it under control by 9am. With this little guy, I am nauseated all.day.long. Night time is probably the worst for me. But I'm starting to see an improvement. And hoping magic week 13 next week is going to be glorious. In the beginning I was extremely tired, but I'm starting to get a little more pep in my step.

Best moment this week? Hearing baby boy's heart beat at the doctor yesterday! And then telling the world our little secret! 

Miss Anything? Deli meat.. I crave ham sandwiches daily. Sushi... Missed drinking during the holidays with all the festive drinks.. 

Movement? Nope. I went back and checked and I felt MJ around week 14, so I'm anxiously awaiting that!! 

Food cravings? apple sauce, fruit, chips, french fries

Anything making you queasy or sick? Meat and eggs. I've asked AJ to cook dinner outside on the grill or at least with the door open. It all smells so awful. The only meat I'm really liking these days is chicken nuggets.. 

Have you started to show yet? Yes. I popped out pretty early just like I did with MJ. I think I'm about to the point where people can tell and not just wonder if I'm chunky.. 

Gender? BOY!

Labor Signs? heck no

Belly Button in or out? totally in

Wedding rings on or off? On. Actually falling off. My lack of an appetite has caused me to lose weight

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy.. but tired. 

Looking forward to? Sharing (some of) this journey with you guys. We have been trying to make Baby #2 a reality for over a year now and we are OVER the moon. Understandably, I have been a little anxious to get through this "dangerous" first trimester.  I'm trying not to stress too much and praying for a healthy baby come July! 

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29: infertility & loss

Disclaimer: This is incredibly long and pretty graphic. But I want/need to remember this time in my life. And I hope my struggles are comforting to someone else dealing with the physical and emotional pain of infertility. 

11 months  of infertility. 1 month of being pregnant. and today... on my 29th birthday, I had surgery to remove the tiny life from my body that could not survive. For so long I (like so many others) have suffered in silence. Not many people knew I was struggling to get pregnant, simply seeing the shiny highlight reel that instagram and my blog have to offer. And today when the text messages started flooding in wishing me a "happy birthday!" and "have the best day!" .. so many had no idea that it was actually the worst day of my life to date.

Since Maddie Jane was about three months old, I have been ready to have another baby. I would jokingly get asked when I was holding my infant daughter, "You ready for another!?" and I would always shock them by saying, "yes, absolutely!!". However AJ and I decided that another child would just be too much while we lived in California and he was still completing his PhD. We had gotten pregnant with Maddie Jane SO incredibly easy, that we didn't think it would be a big deal. The second we had his graduation in site, we would just get pregnant! Right!?

Well last October, with his graduation the following June, we had waited longer than we could stand it and started trying. And a few months went by and I didn't get pregnant, but we weren't concerned at all. It was probably for the best.. we bought a house, I got a new job.. no big deal. But then after the first of the year I bled... and bled... and bled. My once incredibly predictable 28 day cycle, was now 7 days here, 40 days there. I had no idea what was going on, and well getting pregnant definitely wasn't happening. So I went to by OBGYN and she put me on birth control for two months to try to shock my body back into doing what it was supposed to. And well.. it didn't work. I was back to crazy cycles, that didn't make much sense.

So I went to a fertility endocrinologist. They took so much blood and tested me for everything under the sun. And like it had been with my OBGYN, everything was normal. However, after a sonogram he diagnosed me with PCOS. This can totally happen after you've had one healthy pregnancy, and this was the root cause of my erratic cycles and secondary infertility. We made a plan to start letrozole after my period and then would schedule an IUI when I ovulated. I started the meds on the third day of my period and continued from the seventh. And then crazy enough, I ovulated three days later on a Friday. I called the doctor, they did blood work, and said it was a false positive and to come back Monday. I did, they repeated the blood work, and let me know we missed the ovulation window so we wouldn't be able to do the IUI. Ugh. I was so frustrated, but had my fingers crossed that the deed we did over the weekend would work on it's own.

FIVE days later, I was feeling nauseated and exhausted and felt like I should take a test even though it was so early. And sure enough two lines popped up immediately. I took another test that night, and another test the next morning and the lines kept getting darker. So the doc had me come in and he confirmed the pregnancy with a blood draw. We were over the moon, we could not even believe it was real after so many months of heartache. Until two weeks later when I started bleeding..  The fertility doctor said it was probably totally fine and to just keep an eye on it. But I knew it wasn't .. I knew something was very wrong and I called by OBGYN. She said come in - be here in 30 minutes. It was too early to see/hear much, but she wasn't too concerned. She said we will test my HCG numbers and that will let us know more. And then I got the phone call the next day at work... "Your pregnancy is most likely not viable.. Come back in three days and we will confirm."

Last week was a nightmare. I cried more times than I can count. I fought with myself, I blamed myself. I fought with God, I asked over and over WHY? WHY me!? Why are there teenagers in Target with babies, but I can't have another one? Everywhere I looked I saw big pregnant bellies, and would lose it all over again. I laughed at myself. I felt like my pain wasn't big enough -- others experience greater loss.. others never get pregnant.. I had a child. Why am I so greedy? I mourned. I tried to forget what was even happening. And AJ was in Charlotte working.. and Maddie Jane got a stomach virus.. and we had a million house showings and I just didn't think I could go one more second. But I had girlfriends fill my house with food and wine and candy and prayers. I had multiple shoulders to cry on, constant messages to just check on me.

And I survived.

I survived last week and I survived this morning. I made it through the multiple tries of my IV and blood everywhere.. I survived the awful anesthesia nausea and the after surgery ickiness. I somehow made it though signing the waiver that the hospital would be discarding my baby's remains. And while this isn't the birthday I would ever want for anyone.. I survived. And we are now starting again. Hopefully with a much cleaner state to get pregnant again. I've gotten pregnant twice, I can do it again. And I think I may be a little more open moving forward..

I hate the 12 week rule. I hate that women have the best news in the world and some of the worst nausea in the world.. but they are expected to keep a smile on and not let in on their secret. "Don't let anyone know you're suffering!" "Don't tell anyone, because you might lose the baby!" Wait what.. if I lose my baby, don't I want to be surrounded by the people I love? Don't I want to be wrapped up in support and prayer? So I say this gigantic blog post not for pity.. but maybe my little tiny voice on the internet may make a difference in someone's life. That maybe the stigma surrounding discussing infertility, babies before the first trimester, and miscarriages can somehow be wiped away?

A year ago on my birthday, I was SURE I would have a second child by my next birthday or at the VERY least, be pregnant. But I'm not.. I'm exhausted. I am tired of ovulation tests, and pregnancy tests, and blood draws, and endless doctor appointments. I am tired of disappointment and heartache month after month. So I'm trying to let my type A self let it go.. To give it over to God. I will have another child.. one day, one way or another.

When the time is right, I the Lord, will make it happen. Isaiah 60:22

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Maddie Jane's Birth Story

**Disclaimer - this is graphic, but I want to remember every little detail. 

In the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I was dealing with high blood pressure that was categorized with gestational hypertension. For my health and Maddie Jane's, the doctor decided to induce me at what is considered full term in the medical field - 37 weeks. Here is the last picture we took leaving our apartment on Sunday, November 29th. We went to Jamba Juice (something I STILL cannot get enough of) and then headed to the hospital for our 10am appointment.

 

My blood pressure was checked (it was sky high) and they checked my cervix. I was only 1cm, so they proceeded with the induction (a small pill that is inserted..) around 11am. About an hour later, I started having regular contractions 1-2 minutes apart. My aunt from Arizona picked my mom up from the airport and then Paige arrived around noon. Four hours after the initial medication, I was checked and still only at 1cm, but because my body was naturally going into labor, they did not give me any further medications. The contractions were just uncomfortable (not painful) until about 6pm. After walking several laps around the hospital, they were starting to come on strong and take my breath away. I still was not dilating around 10pm so I decided to send mom, Denise, and Paige home to rest thinking it was going to be a longggg time before giving birth.

Of course the second they walked out the door (along with AJ to grab something out of the car), my water broke. I was jumping for joy.. I was so proud of my body for doing what it was supposed to do. But the pain got REAL..  REAL FAST. I could no longer breathe through the contractions and I was begging for pain medication. They gave me morphine and it didn't even touch it. These kind of contractions rock through your entire body.. I felt like I was dying. By now I was dilated to 4cm, so they relocated me to a different room and finally gave me the epidural. (Side note: the epidural is the easiest thing in the world when you're in that much pain.. like laughable easy.) The epidural only worked on one side of my body, so they had to come back and do it again. And then it was sweet, sweet relief. I felt like a million dollars. Finally I was able to get some rest and drifted in and out of sleep over the next two hours in between my contractions coming a minute apart. They checked me again at 2am and I had gone from 4 to 10cm! They said we would be pushing in the next hour. I frantically texted mom to get to the hospital ASAP. 

I started pushing around 3 am.. at first I felt like it was a joke. Pushing wasn't hard at all. Every time I had a contraction I would push.. But then three hours later.. I was still pushing. Exhaustion had set in and things weren't quite feeling like a joke anymore. My contractions were coming on top of each other and I was in and out of consciousness. I was throwing up from the pain and losing stamina by the minute. She was sunny side up and stuck in my birth canal.. the doctor's decided we needed to use the vacuum.. They called in a pediatrics team just for precaution and got us ready. With a few pushes, the vacuum popped off. After re-atachment and several pushes later, Maddie Jane made her way into this world at 6:36am. 

And then I heard nothing.. it was a deafening silence that was coming from my child that I will never forget. I didn't have that moment of them putting her on my chest.. I didn't have the doctor's welcoming her into the world saying "It's a girl!".. there was just silence. The two longest minutes of my life.. that I would never ever wish on my worst enemy. Finally they were able to suction her lungs and let me hold her for one split second before whisking her off to the NICU.

AJ was so torn, but I begged him to go be with her in the NICU. It took over two hours of me being stitched up and cleaned up before I could get to her. It was awful... AJ sent me this picture of my tiny baby girl hooked up to wires without her Mama. 

FINALLY seeing my girl. Oh I cried and cried. I was so thankful she was okay. I have never been so humbled as I was in that moment.. thanking God for this amazing blessing. Seeing so many babies around us so much worse off. Thanking Jesus for giving us this problem.. we could handle this problem. Thank you for my girl, thank you for life. Oh the tears and the prayers and the praises.. I am really just struggling for any more words to describe this moment.. 

I was moved into a room to rest and went back and forth to the NICU every two hours to feed. Maddie was on oxygen for her lungs and had an IV for her blood sugar. Every time it was so hard leaving her.. but every time we came back, we could tell she was getting healthier and stronger. The strength you find deep down to deal with all of this is insane. I was in pain and dealing with the yuckiness of postpartum care, but I was on a one track mind of taking care of my girl.

Thankfully I had Mom, Paige and AJ to keep me company back in the room to pass the hours in between. AND Mom surprised me with an Elaine Burge painting of my wedding flowers. Along with a little note about Maddie being planned even on that day. A gift I will treasure forever!!

After two days in the NICU, Maddie Jane was cleared to come to our room! It was the best feeling ever finally getting to snuggle her without all the wires and keep her on my chest for as long as I wanted. We were FINALLY a family. Life was so, SO good.

 

Here is a picture of her poor head from the vacuum they had to use twice.. 

But all ugly bruises can be covered up with a huge bow :) 

And all was finally right in our world..

Our last night in the hospital was spent having Maddie's feet poked every hour to test her blood sugar. It was an awful experience and we were desperate to just get out of there.. None of us had slept or ate and we were OVER THE MOON when we received our discharge orders. Our birth story is not what I had expected or prepared myself for. I had such an easy pregnancy until the end, and thought I would have a textbook birth to top it off. It was hours and hours of the worst pain of my life, but I would do it a million times over for my girl. She is the light of our lives and makes our family complete. I never knew a love like the love I have for sweet Maddie Jane..

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LAST Hump Day, Bump Day - Week 36

How far along? 36 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? A honeydew.. 6ish pounds and 18ish inches

Milestone? Everything is good to go.. just fattening up!

Maternity clothes? I have on something different than pajamas today to go to my doctor's appointment! Only three more days of maternity clothes... kinda makes me sad! Scratch that I'm not going to miss these maternity clothes AT ALL. Maybe I will miss being pregnant... maybe.

Stretch marks? There are a few.. whatever.

Sleep? Some nights I sleep amazingly well.. other nights I am up no less than 10 times! Going to try to get as much sleep as possible this weekend before Maddie is here!!!

Symptoms? High blood pressure.. contractions.. indigestion.. insane anxiety.. 

Best moment this week? Finding out we meet our little girl on SUNDAY!!! I have been to the hospital three times now for high blood pressure, so my doctor decided today she will be inducing me on Sunday right at 37 weeks!! I am scared to death, but I feel a lot more calm knowing that it is a controlled situation.. I just cannot believe Age and I are THREE DAYS away from being parents.

Miss Anything? Missing all my family and friends SO much knowing they won't be here on Sunday. Would give the world to have everyone meet my girl as soon as she arrives..

Movement? Thank goodness she is still moving like crazy. I am on high alert for in lag in movement with my high blood pressure.

Food cravings? No cravings really, but getting this belly ready for the very first Thanksgiving prepared by AJ and not our family! I have NO doubt it will be amazing!!

Anything making you queasy or sick? My indigestion and my anxiety. I will get SO worked up worrying over everything.. I have been freaking out about the unknown. Not any more!!! AHHH HOLY COW.

Have you started to show yet? I was told today I looked small for 9 months.. THANK YOU! Thank you very much kind lady.

Gender? Sweet baby girl :) 

Labor Signs? Yes.. I have a sign from my doctor that says report to Labor & Delivery Sunday morning at 10am!!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? VERY out. 

Wedding rings on or off? On. I think I will make it to the end! 

Happy or Moody most of the time? Emotions. Holy wow the emotions I am feeling. I can't believe the end is so close. I can't believe it was just 8 months ago I was running to show AJ a positive pregnancy test.. I can't believe I have grown a healthy little girl in me.. I can't believe I finally get to see her face and find out who she looks like.. Oh the tears of joy. We are SO blessed.

Looking forward to? Meeting my sweet baby girl, Madelyn Jane Pryor! Seeing my husband become a father.. Bringing our girl home to complete our family. Man, oh man. You are so loved Maddie Jane.. So, so loved. 

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Hump Day, Bump Day - Week 35

How far along? 35 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? 5.5 lbs, 18 inches.. ish?

Milestone? She's pretty much fully developed, just getting stronger day by day.

Maternity clothes? Since I am now on bed rest (more on that later) I take off pajamas and put on leggings, then I take off leggings and put on pajamas.. I actually put on a little mascara today.. woo!

Stretch marks? Still holding onto my one.. 

Sleep? Ehh not so hot. My congestion is awful so I feel like I am back to pre-nose surgery days in the breathing department. And this belly is just sooo heavy, I can't get comfortable even if I could breathe!

Symptoms? Contractions,pain, indigestion, congestion. It sucks, but I can handle it. Whatever this chick needs, Mama will provide. 

Best moment this week? Well this is not a good moment, but a moment of clarity.. We were at the doctor on Friday and they noticed my blood pressure was higher than normal. They checked it again at the end of the appointment and it had gone up even more, so they sent me over to the hospital. After lots of blood work, urine samples, and monitoring of me and MJ we finally got to go home with orders to REST. They are still concerned about the high blood pressure and my contractions, so I am officially on modified bed rest/work from home status. I am already starting to go a little crazy staring at these same four walls, but so happy I am doing what's best for baby girl.. If she will just keep baking for another week and a half, we are in the clear for a full term baby! 

Miss Anything? Crazy as it sounds, I am SO ready to just go on a run. Missing that feeling of endorphins pumping and working my muscles..

Movement? Baby girl feels like she is trying to break out of jail. Arms and legs flailing all the time.

Food cravings? watermelon and anything fruity and chewy.. I have been killing fruit roll ups, fruit by the foot, gushars. YUM

Anything making you queasy or sick? I am nauseated every single day lately... Hormones from my body prepping for labor? Big baby? Sinus drainage? Who knows..

Have you started to show yet? I am to the point where I get sympathy looks from strangers.. I don't think I am THAT big, but I def have the full fledged waddle going on..

Gender? Sweet baby girl :) 

Labor Signs? Contractions, contractions, contractions. But it's really the emotional stuff that gets to me.. My contractions will get really consistent, 15, then 10, then 5 mins apart.. and they will come on strong and I start to think, holy cow.. is this it? Am I about to meet my child? And then they will fizzle out.. That emotional roller coaster can be way more overwhelming or intense than the pain..

Belly Button in or out? VERY out. 

Wedding rings on or off? On. I am starting to notice a little more swelling though.. 

Happy or Moody most of the time? My emotions are all over the place. Tying my best to stay calm and keep my BP down.

Looking forward to? I have a prenatal massage planned for Sunday.. let's see if I make it! 

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Hump Day, Bump Day - Week 34

How far along? 34 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? 5.5 lbs, 18 inches

Milestone? My app that I look at each week now has an "I've Given Birth" button. Which I think is a pretty cool milestone itself! ha

Maternity clothes? Heyyy non-maternity, big sweaters fit the belly! LOVE this cool weather.

Stretch marks? Okay, soo. I found one. ONE. And I didn't cry. I digress.. 

Sleep? Finding a comfortable position to fall asleep is tough.. and I wake up a bajillion times a night.. but when I am asleep, it's some good sleep!

Symptoms? Sharpppp pains. Like I'm having to get on all fours and breathe through them. They are always late at night after I have inevitably done too much throughout the day. But nothing consistent enough to be concerned. On top of the same ole indigestion and congestion. 

Best moment this week? Hospital tour! Last night we had a hospital tour with around 15 other couples that the hospital does each week. Seeing everything and getting a play by play of what was going to happen was great! (And finally getting the answer to my question "where the heck is the parking desk??" The answer: "It doesn't matter! You valet!".. oh Los Angeles..) And it was nice to have a date night with Age. We went to Starbucks and Target and Chick Fil A.. LOVE that man and our simple times.. just soaking up these last few weeks (ahhh big heart eye emoji..)

Miss Anything? Being able to be productive at night. I feel the urge to nest and clean, clean, clean. But I just can't do it.. and even if I try, AJ yells at me to sit down and put my feet up!

Movement? Little girl is a ninja fighter and everyday she surprises me how LOW those jabs are.. don't fall out little one!!

Food cravings? Ice water and fruit. Oh and someone may have had to go to the grocery store the other night for cheesecake.. oops.

Anything making you queasy or sick? I've actually had some first trimester type nausea this week. I consulted with my cousin- resident doctor-pseudo google, Amanda, and she thinks it's just the baby's size making me queasy.

Have you started to show yet? ha.

Gender? Sweet baby girl :) 

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks all day, every day. Every morning I wake up and think.. today could be the day.. Last night at the hospital tour, they told us all the things that could be signs that we should go to the hospital. They also gave the warning that we could just be experiencing false labor and would be sent home. I will NOT be that lady - I am NOT going until she is for real on her way out!!

Belly Button in or out? VERY out. 

Wedding rings on or off? On. 

Happy or Moody most of the time? Pretty happy! (and sometimes whiney..)

Looking forward to? Umm.. AJ is shampooing the carpets this weekend. That's pretty exciting right?? Not much to look forward to other than THE BIRTH of our sweet baby girl!! Everything is ready for you MJ! 

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Restoring Grace

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Work Baby Shower!

All of my sweet coworkers in the HR department celebrated sweet Maddie Jane a few weeks ago. I work with some of the BEST people and I am so lucky to have a second little family at the place I spend SO much of my time. The party was complete with pink and gold decorations, fruit, Chik fil A, and famous labor inducing salad dressing (which I WILL be using in a few weeks!!)

These sweet girls were the BEST hostess. They pulled off the cutest shower the HR conference room has ever seen :) Maddie Jane is one lucky little girl to have some west coast aunties to love on her! 

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Restoring Grace

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