this year for valentine’s day, we had a cozy night in. in our pj’s that is…it was that cozy! we truly had a wonderful valentine’s day together. it was the best one yet!
my, what a difference a year makes! last year, we spent valentine’s day at one of our favorite restaurants, roy’s. you can read about it here. i wasn’t even pregnant with little olive yet either! now look where we are at! blessed with the cutest little cupid ever!
[cutie patutie]
this year, we had dinner at home and i couldn’t have asked for more! we waited for hc to come home that evening; he arrived at the door with a bouquet of beautiful flowers and a sweet, sweet card for me! we relaxed for a bit before hc started his cooking magic. he fancied out the dining room table, opened up a delicious bottle of wine {thank you to terry for the gift}, and started to whip up some amaze appetizers {oh em gee!}. i am a lucky gal!
[the cute card from hc // a few fun, valentine’s from us and others!]
it was a three course meal totally at our pace and comfort, which i was absolutely loving. the three of us sat down to nibble on the savory appetizers hc had made. stuffed artichoke hearts. they were to die for. so stinkin’ good. dangerously delectable. i wanted to eat the entire dish as my entree but i knew some more yummy goodness was on it’s way!
[the fancied up table // the amaze stuffed artichokes]
after noshing on some starters, we continued to sip wine, enjoy each other’s company, and chill in our warm abode. all the food was prepped, so once i started to feed the babes, hc started to cook up our entrees. we then sat down for our main course. words cannot describe how piquant the dish was! i was in love with every bite! i couldn’t thank hc enough for the best meal ever!
[the prepping of the soon to be devoured entree]
after our main course, we then devoured our decadent dessert from alliance bakery! hc had purchased a red velvet heart shaped cake from one of our favorite bakeries, down the street. we sliced it in half and savored every morsel of this rich, moist, sweet, yummy cake.
[olive’s first photo bomb // the wonderful, sweet red velvet cake]
[family selfie! doesn’t olive look amused?!]
it was the best valentine’s day yet. i have had so much fun celebrating it the past several weeks and it ended with a wonderful family night celebration this past february 14 ♥!
much love mes amies!
so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 corinthians 13:13
“It’s a party, and you’re both talking to other people, and you’re laughing and shining, and you look across the room and catch each other’s eyes but not because you’re possessive or it’s precisely sexual, but because that is your person in this life. And it’s funny and sad but only because this life will end, and it’s this secret world that exists right there in public, unnoticed, that no one else knows about. It’s sort of like how they say that other dimensions exist all around us, but we don’t have the ability to perceive them. That’s what I want out of a relationship. Or just life, I guess.”
it started in the wee hours of tuesday morning {11.26}.
i was super bummed on monday {olive’s due date}, after my doctor’s appointment because it didn’t look like there was going to be a baby anytime soon. i had lost my mucus plug that morning {i know, gross, right?! tmi??}. i thought maybe my water broke! during breakfast with hc, before my dr.’s appointment, something started leaking but I didn’t think it was enough to be my water breaking. dr. stock confirmed it was my mucus plug. good sign but not enough to think I would be in labor soon! i wasn’t one bit dilated and that wasn’t a good sign in my eyes.
another indicator i took notice of, i was freakishly ocd about cleaning and organization {less than 2 weeks prior to her appearance}, more so than usual. i was told that it is a nesting instinct, that your body knows the baby is coming and you are getting ready for her!
in my appointment with dr. stock, we discussed bi-weekly check ups because I had hit my 40 week mark, to make sure the placenta was in tact. she did another ultrasound on us and that was super exciting to see because i hadn’t experience one since the five month appointment {it was so cool to see baby olive so developed!}! she wanted to make sure the placenta was solid for the baby’s survival. after that, we talked about scheduling a date to induce. no!!!! i did not want to be induced!! i wanted baby olive to come when she was ready. that fact compounded into my already frustrated state.
i was upset due to the fact that i had planned out my maternity leave exactly on olive’s due date {i know, how many babies actually arrive on their due date?? it’s a very slim chance}. i knew i could go back to work if i needed to but who really wants to work black friday at almost 41 weeks pregnant?! not moi! i was hoping she would be a few days early {here’s to wishing!}!
anyhoo…there i was…bummed, bummed that baby olive was cozy in the belly. i emailed dr. stock that we decided to set the induction date for next monday. so, i set my alarm at 5 am for tuesday morning so i could go to work.
the next day, i woke up to some cramping at 4:45 am. i laid there wondering what it was. i also thought, maybe i want her to come so badly i was imagining contractions?!
i must also credit my sister kim. she was the only person who nailed it on the head on when olive was going to make her debut! lots of people threw out due dates but my sister kim insisted it was going to be tuesday {hello!}!
so, there i was laying in bed paying close attention to my belly. the first cramp hit me at 4:45 am, the next one close to 5 am. the next one near 5:15 am. hc’s alarm went off at 5:15 am and i told him about what i was feeling! it was exciting, scary, and nerve wracking! we laid in bed {obviously, there was no way either of us were going to work!} and timed the contractions. slowly they were getting a little bit closer together. we laid in bed for quite awhile, in awe over what was happening. my sister suggested that i call my doctor’s office to let them know i was in labor. after 8 am {contractions were about 10-12 minutes apart} i called them to let them know what was happening and they contacted the triage department and had a nurse contact me.
the triage nurse, nikki, occasionally checked in on me to see how i was doing and how my contractions were trending. after hours of sitting around our place, the contractions started to become closer in time elapses. they were now becoming 5 minutes apart. i called the triage nurse and she said it was more about the intensity of the contractions, that they needed to be pretty painful {to a point where you can’t talk or walk?!}. so i decided to not go in yet.
hc was not happy. he felt like i was being a tough girl {’cause i usually am…i have a high threshold for pain} and felt that we needed to head to the hospital. after a few minutes of discussion, i gave in {hc usually doesn’t get upset} and we grabbed our bags and headed to the hospital, by that time it was about 1:00 pm. that’s when it started to get really bad. the contractions were coming on strong and the car ride to the hospital was the worst car ride i ever experienced!!!! every bump and crack on the road vibrated horrible pains through my body as i experienced each contractions {thank goodness it was only a 12 minute car ride!}. he sped up to the valet and i ran out of the car. as i pushed through the revolving door, a contraction came on full force and i bent over in pain in the foyer of the hospital, clutching the inside handle of one of the doors. the door man helped me through it…once it was over, he said. “don’t worry, i go through this all day!”
we checked into triage and i sat in the waiting room going through contractions. one of the nurses took me before another pregnant lady waiting, saying i was more uncomfortable than her {hells yes}. they weighed me {i was currently going through a contraction and couldn’t even pay attention} and then put us in a room where another nurse checked my status and said i was not dilated!!! what?!?! i was devastated. how could i not be dilated? it didn’t make sense. i was going on my 9th hour of labor and i was befuddled that i was not dilated! i thought, impossible!
the nurse, kylie {who was a bit jaded}, gave us two options. she could give me some pain medication and go home, then come back to the hospital to see if i had dilated or walk the circle of death {what i call it, the hallway where women in labor walk around during their contractions} for two hours and then she could check back to see if i had dilated at all. we chose the latter. so, there i was, walking in circles, gripping the bar as if my life depended on it. the contractions were so bad! on a scale of 1-10, i would have rated them at a 15!
after 40 minutes of walking the hallway of death, i had to go back to the room…i couldn’t be out there any more. for the next hour and twenty minutes, i pretty much stood up and gripped the arms of a chair inside our room {i thought i would either break my hands or break the arms of the chair}. i was delirious, sweating, in serious pain, and inconsolable. i couldn’t stand, walk, talk, sit, lay…nothing was comforting. my contractions were back to back to back with no resting period. i would have several contractions in a row and maybe a two minute or less resting period. finally after an hour and forty minutes or so, i had to lay down. i couldn’t stand on my own anymore, the contractions were overpowering.
at the 2 hour mark, the nurse came back in to check to see if i was dilated. i was not! i felt devastated again! at that point, i was thinking…give me a c-section! i was desperate and didn’t care anymore, i wanted the pain to stop! kylie then had a second nurse come in to double check me. she said i wasn’t dilated and was wondering if there was possibly scar tissue around my cervix. i was in a daze…scar tissue?! i don’t know! i was just desperate for some pain medication! they decided to call dr. foley to come see what he could do and do for me.
around 6:00 pm, dr. foley came into the triage room to check out what was going on. at that point, i couldn’t even talk. he said that there was possibly scar tissue around my cervix and that he would have to break it so i could properly dilate. he said it was going to hurt but not hurt as much as my contractions. i didn’t care! whatever he could do so i could get admitted and get a freakin’ epidural! he pulled out his tools and flipped me to my back so he could execute the tiny operation. he took one look at me and said, “you are 3-4 cm dilated, you are being admitted and you’re having a baby tonight.” it was the most wonderful statement i had ever heard!!! i didn’t care that the nurses were wrong, i didn’t care i had been there in triage, to me, what seemed like forever, i just wanted to be on my way to having a baby and having someone help me with being in less pain.
another half hour goes by {an eternity for someone who is in labor}, a nurse finally comes in to bring me up to the delivery room. she brought with her a wheelchair. i looked at the wheelchair like it was the wheelchair of death. she looked at my graphs and stated how intense and strong my contractions were. no kidding! she took one look at me {i looked a mess and miserable} and decided to roll me up on the cot. thank goodness! i couldn’t move…it hurt so much.
i was finally up in the delivery room! my nurse there was so awesome, she truly helped me through the awful contractions. then i received more bad news: the anesthesiologists were backed up. there were over 20 deliveries going on and they still had a few patients in front of me and each epdiural {with wait, walking, getting supplies, and administering, they were taking at least 20-30 minutes or so with each patient. i thought i was going to die. i was dilating so fast. from when dr. foley checked me out to the time i got upstairs into the delivery room, i had dilated a few more cm!! there was so much blood from the intense contractions and dilation!
finally, the anesthesiologist came into the room, probably close to an hour of time had elapsed {by that time, i had been in labor for 15 hours}. he came in with a light shining on him, i was so relieved! then more bad news, he said i needed to sit up and sit still while he administered the epidural…are you effin kidding me?!?! sit still through these contractions?! i cried. i said i couldn’t do it. the anesthesiologist and the nurse encouraged me on. they had to lift and pull me up, i couldn’t get up on my own. they made me put my feet on a tall wooden box and hunch my back out and slope my shoulders. the nurse had to force me to hunch down, she kept pushing on my shoulders while the dr. was administering the epidural. it was so hard to keep still through the pain but i knew there would be relief once this was over.
he was finally done and told me i would feel a warming sensation from my waist down to my legs. he said i would feel the medication kicking in within the minute. it was a miracle! i could not believe how different i felt!! i was on cloud 9! i wasn’t in severe pain anymore. i wasn’t gasping for air. i wasn’t sweating. i wasn’t shaking so hard. i wasn’t delirious. i could finally talk and focus. my blood pressure at my worst pain was 120/87 and after the epidural, it went down to 87/45. that freaked them out a little but it was very normal for me {i have always had very low blood pressure!}. rich came back into the room and he said it was like he walked into a different space. my demeanor was a 180 from before. i was so much happier!
after that, it seemed like a piece of cake…until the pushing began! anyhoo, the nurse said i needed to nap to save my energy for the pushing later {huh?}. rich left me to meet up with his family for a quick dinner while i took a little nap. i awoke to dr. garvey standing by my bed. he wanted to check my dilation and let me know what my status was. he said i was just above 6cm and he expected me to dilate 1 cm per hour and predicted that i would start pushing around midnight.
so nap i did. hc came back after dinner and took a little nap as well. right after midnight, dr. garvey checked in on me and said i was almost at 10 cm! woo! after that, it was a lot of waiting around. he wanted me to wait a little bit more to reach the full 10 cm and then start the pushing. he was back and forth between patients so i waited for him to come back to give me and the nurse the ok.
the nurse, toya {my third nurse that night in the delivery room!}, was fantastic. she was a fabulous cheerleader. when dr. garvey gave the ok, oh em gee! i thought i was going to break every blood vessel in my face and that my head might explode off my body! yes, that is what pushing feels like! it really, really did take a lot of energy and strength! let alone, i threw up during the process as well! dr. garvey said most new moms can push a baby out in two hours {two hours?!!} or more, i was {of course} determined to do it in less time {in which i did! in less than an hour and a half}! i had been in labor for too long and i wanted to see our baby girl!
wow…pushing out a baby is a whole ‘nother level! of course, toya did all the motivating and dr. garvey checked in once in awhile. finally, after much gusto, olive was on her way! the nurses are so funny, they were like, “we see her head! she has so much hair! do you want a mirror to see or do you want to touch it?”, um, i said i’ll just touch her head and yup, she had a head full of hair! toya paged dr. garvey and he was in the room within 30 seconds. it was comical to watch him. he’s done it thousands of times, yes, but to see him in action was humorous. he was almost robotic in prepping for the baby’s delivery. down to a science. i was about to have another contraction and asked dr. garvey if i should push…he came over to look and said, “no! i’m not ready yet!” so i just wavered through this contraction and when the next one was coming, i asked if i should push, he said yes and push i did! with all my might i pushed little olive out as hard as i could. dr. garvey grabbed her and she just popped right out!! as she was coming out, he said she might cry or she might not and for me to not be concerned if she doesn’t. nope, olive let out a shrieking wail! i started crying! i was so happy! i was overwhelmed with so much emotions! there was our baby girl. after all these wonderful months, after so much pain, so much labor, so much time…here she was, finally!
[fresh out of the oven]
in typical fashion, they put little olive on my chest. she was all bloody and crying, momma was crying too. well, i knew this was my baby girl because the next thing she does is bloody bitch slaps me in the face with her tiny hand and poops all over my chest! yes, that’s my girl!
[her tiny footsies]
they pulled her away to get her cleaned up, weigh her, and all that good stuff. wow, child birth is amazing. high fives to all the moms out there who go through this. it truly is a miracle and it’s amazing what women can do!!! this whole process has been life changing and i truly believe, that unless you go through it, there is no way to explain it without experiencing it!
[in the delivery room]
as soon as little olive was born, i then realized how thirsty & hungry i was! seriously! i asked for water and chugged it down. bad news, i then threw up again! ugh! no good.
we stayed in the delivery room for two hours and then we were transported up into our room. by that time, it was just after 6 am. the nurse brought in a wheel chair and i was able to hold little olive. my left leg was so much more numb than my right leg! hc grabbed all our stuff and away we went. the nurse was rolling me right along. we got inside the elevator and i wasn’t feeling so hot. as the doors were opening, she pushed the wheel chair out and i said, “wait, stop! i’m going to throw up!” she grabbed the garbage can lid right next to the elevator and i started to throw up! there i was, holding little baby olive in my arms and leaning over in a garbage bin yacking!! the nurse was like, someone needs to grab the baby! another nurse came running over and grabbed little olive so i could freely throw up. what a scene!
[a few hours new]
[grandma jane, grandpa dick, and sister grace]
[aunt thuy and the bebe]
we finally got to our room and we were ready for food! we settled in and ordered breakfast and finally closed our eyes! a couple hours later, we had our first visitors. dick, jane, and grace were knocking at our door. oh, i was so tired! they were so excited to see little baby olive. later on that evening, my family stopped by to visit the baby. it was so nice for everyone to stop by to see our freshy fresh baby girl.
[auntie kim and the precious bundle]
[a favorite photo of the 15 hour old olive]
[uncle dan and olive]
we stayed at the hospital through thanksgiving. it was serene and quiet throughout the day. i was quite surprised how delicious the food was! although, it was not as tasty as a meal cooked by my sister kim but it felt like a home cooked meal was served versus ‘hospital’ food!
[jodi visited us on thanksgiving day!]
[turkey dinner!]
[lovely gift from kim]
the very next day, we were able to check out! yay! we got the ok from our doctor, the ok from the pediatrician, and off we went.
[in daddy’s arms, waiting to leave]
[not happy with the hat on her head! but cute going home outfit from kim and thuy! // from baby gap]
[the little nugget in her car seat!]
[our feeding and dirty diaper board…we were so into it! drawing by hc]
[home sweet home in her bouncy]
what a crazy, surreal, amazing journey. i feel so blessed to have experienced such a fantastic miracle. after all these months of growing and protecting this baby girl in my belly, here she was…a precious little turkey baby on this very thankful occasion!
[the little babes is one week old in this photo…chubby cheeks]
here’s to an amazing year past. 2013 was full of joy, laughter, love, family, friends, and many blessings! the most joyous event of the year? our baby girl olive! finding out i was pregnant since february and being on this journey almost this entire past year has been eye opening, life changing, and miraculous.
i love seeing the glass half full all the time, so any bumps in the road this past year has truly been for the better…learning from your mistakes, forgiving others or yourself, do something better for anyone, and try, try again.
thank you for my family, thank you to my family. my greatest support system. through trials and turbulence, family will always be there no matter what. i am blessed to have this through the doan’s and the heintz’s. two wonderful families, truly special people…hc and i are so fortunate to be surrounded by such strong foundations.
thank you to my friends who always stand by me. they are the most amazing people and i am lucky to be surrounded by such good people. as life goes on, it’s good to have some solid peeps in there.
///
we spent our new year’s eve with friends and family. we trekked our way out in this crazy weather to have dinner at rpm. i loved the ambience and the food was delicious! so freakin’ yummy.
[don’t mind me a glass of presecco]
[our artsy, dramatic attempt]
we settled in at the bar, waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. it’s great when you live 10 minutes away and no one is really on the road! we ordered drinks and conversed our time away. since everyone was running a bit behind {holy snow!}, we decided to order apps. we had the smoked salmon crostini, prime beef meatballs, gnocchi alla romana, and the crispy ravioli. small bites that were way too small ’cause every morsel was so yummy, i wanted more!
[the ladies bedazzled for the evening…obviously i don’t know which direction to look at]
anyhoo, our party finally got there {phew! safe and sound!}, and we were seated! yay! and away we went with our over consumption of food for the evening!
we ordered a whole bunch of plates to share. i loved tasting all the different flavors. we then moved onto desserts…i had the tartufo, so decadent!
[our pasta course // my yummy tartufo]
it was a snowy, wintery night for a new years’s eve celebration.
After dinner, we headed back home to ring in the new year with olive and hc’s family.
[midnight kiss]
on new year’s day, we celebrated with a fun breakfast. Complete with sparkles, mimosas, and lots o coffee! it was a perfect beginning to a fabulous new year!
[our new year’s table spread!]
[starting off the new year right…family and a super yummy breakfast by hc]
[olive’s one month birthday cake]
papa insisted on having cake for olive’s one month. ask and you shall receive. i love a good ol’ home baked cake!
we decided to deck the halls a weekend earlier than usual because we weren’t sure when the babes would come {she kept us in suspense}! little did we know we did the right thing!
[coffee, quiche, fruit, and juice]
we started out the morning with hc’s homemade quiche! so delish! i’m so spoiled by him! it was a very relaxing morning. we agreed to have a totally lazy day!
hc did all the leg work. he brought up all the holiday decor from the storage room and we were ready to go right after brunch {actually right after our very long nap!} ha! i was tired! yes, even though i just woke up, i was still tired so a nap was in order…it was super comfy sleeping in the nook of hc’s arm.
so, finally, we got up and started on the decorating! we blasted the christmas music to get ourselves into the festive mood!
[a holiday must!]
[unwrapping all the fun ornaments]
[hc doing his best fluffing the garland…he wouldn’t let the preggo wifey do it]
[ornaments housed in bird cake stands]
[i love festive pillows! it just adds a holiday pop to the room]
[bar wear :)]
[ooohhhh, pretty]
[my hand made card holder from last year!]
[my hand made snow globes, holly, and silver mercury votive holders]
[ho ho ho, welcome in!]
[i love fresh pine!]
[tree topping! uh, this year, i was in no condition to be carried or picked up by hc to put the star on the tree!]
[oh, christmas tree! how pretty!!!!]
[the delicious meal hc whipped up after a hard day of decorating! love him!]
i love decorating for the holidays! it’s been a joy of mine since i was a child. decking the halls so gets me in the festive mood! it’s so pretty, fun, and brings back so many fond memories of holidays past.
i still have a bit of final touches to do but overall, i’m feeling the holiday spirit!
wow! i obviously took a small hiatus on blogging {i have a few posts to publish that are a bit behind but never the less worth a current post!} to spend time with my family. it’s been such a roller coaster of a ride!
as crazy as it sounds, i published my last blog post while i was in labor! i know that sounds crazy but it was already written {it was legit and i did want to share, since i really did make it to my 40 week mark!} and all i could do was sit at home, through my contractions, with nothing to do!
i’m going to write olive’s birthing story soon {can’t wait to share}, i definitely found giving birth a totally amazing experience. i have this new found lens of women, women being pregnant, and women being able to give birth to a life that changes everything.
this baby girl came into our world and it just makes life such a happier place. she’s so sweet and we love her so much!!!
i am sooo excited to share her baby photos! thank you, thank you to tricia from patricia anderson photography! she was absolutely amazing. her photos are so sweet and beautifully shot. of course, having the cutest little subject does help!
[a sneak peek at tricia’s studio]
[love this, it makes me cry]
[tired mom hanging out while the babes is getting her first photos done // i love the backdrop]
little olive was not being cooperative, even though we kept her awake before the photo shoot, fed her right before, and did all we could to tire her out…yet, little baby girl had her own agenda {just like her mom}. she was not having it. she was fussy and not falling asleep! she wouldn’t feed and momma was sweating up a storm we wouldn’t get her photos done. oy, it was so stressful! i had been looking forward to this photo shoot and it was not starting off well.
olive finally gave in to a feeding {her belly was full!} and snore away she did! thank the Lord! i was so nervous she would never settle down so tricia could capture the sweet photos she does.
here are a few of the lovely, sweet, beautiful photos {she is 6 days new}…enjoy!
welcome little olive harper, she has changed our world and makes her momma cry happy tears! her cute munchkin face is so precious. we love her so much and can’t wait to have her meet everyone!
how far along? 40 weeks! whaaaa?!! oh baby girl! hurry up! i can’t believe the due date is here but she is not!
weight gain: 36 lbs. just what the doctor ordered! she wanted me to gain between 30-40 lbs…i felt the latter number was ideal to gain because it’s much more fun! hehe.
maternity clothes? i officially don’t have to worry about it anymore! i’m just waiting for her to arrive! i am quite happy how long i was able to stretch out {literally} my wardrobe.
sleep: sleep has been great. i’ve fallen back into the late night owl habits. it started out as very early bedtimes and slowly, very slowly progressed into later nights. sleep has been good though!
physical state: tired. achy feet. i’m very slow. the typical symptoms of a lady who is in her last weeks of pregnancy. although my energy is up! so crazy but true…i can’t move quick, my feet are so numb but i have a lot of energy! that energy is channeled into cleaning and organizing! i’ve become beyond ocd, i love making everything neat and clean.
miss anything? seafood in large quantities. wine. not worrying about what i should or shouldn’t eat. sautéed shrimp, breaded shrimp, garlic and butter shrimp.
baby movement: she’s kung fu hustling inside the womb. it’s amazing to see my belly shake back and forth. she has pretty much been in the same position for weeks now. i watch her kick and kick and kick with her tiny feet. she’s most active when i’m sitting on the couch, on the computer, which is usually early in the evenings. that is when she rumbles like a wwe fighter.
food cravings: bagels and cream cheese. fruit. sugar cookies.
bump status: ginormous. it’s most, most uncomfortable in bed. when I try to turn from side to side, oh my goodness!!! it hurts! she feels like a bag of bricks in my belly and when i try to turn from one side to the other, it feels like my belly is going to rip off my body. yes, that sounds like an accurate description.
gender reveal: it’s a girl! hurry up baby girl! it’s your birthday!
how far along? 38 weeks! only a few more weeks! eeekkkk! she’s ready to go anytime soon! i said to hc…this could be my last post…kinda sad! we’ll see if i make it to the 40 week post!
weight gain: 35lbs. it’s so cray to think i’ve gained that much weight! well, at least it’s more gradual than the pounds i was packing on before!
maternity clothes? the same mix, the usual and so near the end! wow! i’m so glad i was able to just wear all my regular gear…it felt more like me. it was so hard to be sold on the maternity wear! i didn’t love anything {the fashions are just sooo…maternity!} or i had a hard time justifying the money spent on it.
sleep: pretty restful although i find that if i have the opportunity to sleep in, i don’t! i pop awake and that is it. i use to sleep, sleep the morning away but not so much the case now. i usually can fall asleep just fine but sometimes when i wake up, it feels like she’s punching my stomach {she’s heavy and the pressure she puts on my stomach is yucky}! ugh! it makes me feel nausea and absolutely uncomfortable, sometimes painful. it feels like someone punched me in my stomach and i need to kneel over to subside the pain.
physical state: i was just on a staycation, so i was feeling great! i am still tired {it’s a little frustrating} but take out the work factor and it’s so much better! i’m a little nervous to go back because i’m afraid it will be very exhausting!!! i’m slow and i seriously do waddle now :p i struggle getting in and out of the car, in and out of the bed, sitting upright…oh you know, the usual pregger afflictions.
miss anything? yes, a good glass of wine. i know you can have almost anything ‘forbidden’ in moderation but i prefer not to.
baby movement: she’s so strong! and it’s so cute to feel her little feet and itty bitty hand movements. i always feel the heels of her feet against my skin and her hands rubbing around by her face! some of her movements can be quite uncomfortable {the rib kicks and the pressure at the bottom of my uterus}, otherwise it’s fun to feel her movements inside my belly. i tease her and try to grab her feet when she’s so active.
food cravings: soups {all kinds}, bagel and cream cheese, cronuts, and of course, lots and lots of fruit.
bump status: big. did i say big? yes, big. and now peeps are not asking me when i’m due but rephrased to “are you due soon?!”. yup, she is big and ready to go.
gender reveal: it’s a girl! we love her and can’t wait to see her! come meet us soon baby girl!
how far along? 36 weeks! baby girl, it’s your birth month!!! ah! a few more weeks! hopefully she doesn’t come too early or too late…if i’m lucky!
weight gain: 32lbs. no weight gain since the last appointment! phew! i was a bit worried at the rate i was going at a few weeks ago. i told the doc that most people gain it in the beginning and taper off near the end, but i was having the opposite effect!
maternity clothes? same ‘ol, same ‘ol. i haven’t purchased anything new for the pregger wardrobe. yay! i just wear a lot of leggings, dresses, and all my normal tops. hc just hopes that all my clothes i’ve been wearing will bounce back to their regular shape. hey, they might be stretched just a tad around the belly but my regular clothes are doing just fine around this baby belly! p.s. just so y’all know, they do bounce back after the wash!
sleep: it’s been good! a lot more solid. despite the big belly. i have a body pillow and i just wedge something under the belly for support and snooze away. so, i’m feeling a lot better and more well rested than i was months ago! i like to credit hc for being home, it’s much more comforting.
physical state: honestly, pretty tired. i really thought i was going to be superwomen through this all but it’s taking me down. i get really tired…oy. the belly is really weighing me down. the flights of stairs are climbed up much more slowly. the blocks i walk seem to double in time. i try to fight it but i can’t! so, i am getting better sleep just in time to be tired while i’m awake! for tummy support, i love my belly band. it’s not the one you wear to keep your pants up but it’s like a back/belly belt that supports your body. it helps your back and supports the weight of your belly. it really helps out! it’s called the upsie belly…definitely worth the purchase!
miss anything? yes, of course! everything i can’t have! especially beer since beerhoptacular is this weekend! boo. i’m missing my sushi…endless amounts of all kinds of fish & seafood. i know i can eat small amounts of specific types but i want to be able to just have the green light and eat it all!
baby movement: she’s a kick boxer. she’s getting so big, the pressure on my organs is uncomfortable! she tenses up inside and puts so much pressure on my cervix…yowza! she kicks out my sides, my ribs, smooshes my stomach, and rolls over my bladder all day long! i don’t think my digestive system knows how to operate with all this crazy pressure on it.
food cravings: pears, fruit cocktails, and pineapple. milano cookies. yoplait cherry yogurt.
bump status: so big. so achy big! a full blown bump that feels so heavy! the skin stretches and it hurts! i hope i’m selling this to all the never before pregger folks out there 😉 it gets cumbersome and exhausting but inside there’s a cute little surprise waiting for us! a perfect blend of me and the hubs. overall, i’ll miss the bump…being pregnant! i can’t believe it’s coming to an end. it might be uncomfortable at times but it’s so worth it. it’s definitely been a fun, giddy experience. people are so different to you, being pregnant, you are like a whole other species. it’s been amazing to see what the body can do…it’s definitely a miracle, a blessing from God.
gender reveal: it’s a girl! we can’t wait to meet the little bundle of joy!
we started on the baby’s room awhile ago and i am finally sharing! of course, it’s not done yet but it definitely has it’s roots placed for a cute little girl’s abode! thanks to hubby charming for doing almost all the work. as usual, i have the vision and he has the muscle and tools. we are loving it so far, it’s a small but mighty room!
[getting the crib together in august]
the room was cleared out by early august {again, thanks to hc!!!!} and we had a clean slate to start with! yay! we purchased the crib from ikea {first things first…the babes needs a sleeping area asap!} and hubby charming went to work immediately to put it together! hc did a lot of research on cribs…a crib is a crib is a crib, is what we learned. anything sold in the u.s. is deemed safe by the federal government. it all comes down to aesthetics! you can pay $100 or $2,000 but it will all be safe for the bebe. it’s just not the best idea to use a really old hand me down or any crib that’s old. safety regulations change every few years and you want to make sure your stuff is up to date!
[putting the finishing touches on the dresser]
we bought a grey dresser. there was a lot of debating, should we do all white? will buying a grey dresser not go well with other grey decor we registered for? well, we did it. but we were inspired by other dressers we saw {actually it was hc’s idea with my liking!}. we decided to go with white dresser drawers to tie into the white decor. so hc bought wood, cut out matching dresser drawers, stained them white, and voila! i absolutely loved the results! we then went to anthropologie and purchased pink bubble glass knobs to complete the look!
installing the shelves!
how cute! we purchased two of these from etsy. they were perfect!
the kiki doll and fluffy bunny! and yes…I KNOW, THERE WILL BE NO TOYS, BLANKETS, OR FLUFFY THINGS in the crib once the bebe is here!!!!
we purchased ombre curtains from target {loooooveeeeee target!} and used two panels as the backdrop to the dresser. i love how it looks! it totally adds a pop of color for the room. we debated using these really cool decals or painting but what swayed us to not do it was the possibility of it being temporary. we might not be at our place for long, so why do all that work or spend the money if it wasn’t going to be more of a permanent situation?? so, i love how it ended up looking!
i absolutely love the color combo. it’s mainly grey/white with a sprinkling of light pink, coral, and gold! so fun! chevron rug from pbk…thank you lariss {muwah, you’re the best}!
the paper tassel garland! it really ties in all the colors within the room. love! decorative letters {a gift from my brother, dan} from rifle paper company. blankets from lori {love you!} and my sisters {muwah!}, from the land of nod. the gold polka dot bedding and changing covers are also from the land of nod {thanks kt and kar…so sweet of you both!}
[i can’t wait to use the sleep sheep…thank you vs ladies!]
[from stella…her cute grey giraffe themed gift! so generous!]
[cloud pillow and ombre blanket from my sisters!]
it’s almost done! i’m debating on this cute, cute cloud mobile i saw online {hmmm, i just don’t want the room to be too fussy}, so we’ll seeeeee!
we LOVE our beautiful grey linen rocking chair, from PBK, {thank you dick and jane! such loving grandparents to baby heintz already!} it was delivered a few weeks ago!! such a critical piece for the baby’s room…i was told by many that having a rocker/glider is a must have! we are so grateful to dick and jane for this wonderful, generous gift!
[plush sheep // PBK – from em – le petit prince // anthropologie – from dana – olivia book // PBK– from dulce – and bookends // land of nod – from dawn! thank you ladies for your very thoughtful gifts!]
[shade from land of nod! thank you ladies at vicki’s!]
[this adorbs sheep rocker doesn’t fit…right now, but the latest and cutest addition to the bebe’s room! thank you tanya!!!]
we still have a few more things coming {i know! i know you are thinking, “how can we fit anything else into this teeny, tiny room?!”. well, just a wee bit more and i swear and we will be done!”}. overall the room is dunzo! how exciting! we started with just the core pieces {we needed to get that done months ago for peace of mind} and slowly progressed the decorating process {the second priority!} to get the aesthetics down pat.
i want to say thank you, thank you, thank you for all the wonderful gifts from our friends and family!!!! the ones given in person and the ones so kindly sent in the mail {let me tell you, i loved getting all the lovely packages in the mail! who doesn’t?!}. this room wouldn’t be so cute without all of your thoughtful, generous, and heartfelt gifts!!! we feel so grateful for the gifts you have given us…blankets, toys, books, room decor, bedding, clothes, necessities, and all items in-between for baby heintz!
baby heintz is the most grateful one of all…she’s going to be so excited to see, use, and snuggle with all the gifts & love around her!
