38 Weeks!

Lillian should be weighing in around 6.8lbs and about 19 1/2 in. Long. 

Best moment of the week: I actually drove out to Huntsville this weekend to see Kevin. It was so nice, I took Friday off and we had the whole weekend together. We got so much accomplished in Lillian's nursery and my car was full of more clothes and such for Lillian. Kevin and I had our last date night before miss Lillian arrives. Here is the picture we took at Yogurt Mountain, which by the way is very delicious and we will be visiting there often this summer.

Symptoms: I have noticed my feet have started swelling more often and occasionally I'll notice it in my hands as well. This morning in church I got really hot and nauseous all of the sudden and noticed my fingers were some big ol' sausage links. I think it was because I had to much sugar that morning for breakfast and no water. 

Weight: since I went to Huntsville this weekend I was able to weigh myself on our home scale which is what I had been keeping track on for most of the pregnancy and I am happy with knowing I only gained about 35lbs total. I was shooting for no more than 30 tops but considering I didn't do anything to keep my weight under control 35 is not bad.

Cravings: none as long as I eat I am pretty satisfied.

Movement: movement ha been strong still especially after I eat, but I have been feeling different kinds of movement and lots of pressure in certain areas since she has dropped. And because she is now head first and dropped I have to use the potty WAY more often.

Dr. Appt: this is actually my 37th week dr appt. I hadn't progressed much since last week but I was 1cm dilated and she had dropped but I was not effaced at all. I'm hoping there will be some progress when I go this week. I will be 38 weeks and 4 days. I asked the doctor how I will know when I start having contractions and he said you will just know. So I don't think I have had any yet. I do think I have had some Braxton hicks during the last two weeks but the only way I can describe those is like a tightness in my stomach. It doesn't really hurt but if I touch my belly it literally feels like a rock and then it just goes away.

I am not really nervous or scared about labor yet. i pray that we don't have any complications and she comes out healthy and strong. My only concern at this point is that Kevin makes it to the hospital in time and that Lillian is actually a girl. My sister keeps having dreams that Lillian is actually a boy. Her dreams never come true so let's hope it continues to be that way. I'm am just so ready to meet her and see what/who she looks like!

36 weeks

That's right folks 4 more weeks until her due date and Miss Lillian will be here in no more than 6 weeks but hopefully she make her appearance sooner rather than later.

Lillian is weighing in around 6lbs (and gaining around an ounce a day) and more than 18 1/2 inches long.

Symptoms: nothing new just getting a little more uncomfortable. My belly button is still an innie but is still very sensitive around it. 

Weight: they say i probably will stop gaining weight now or at least not much, i haven't been able to accurately weigh myself since my scale i started using is in AL now. 

Cravings: none, i definitely don't eat as much at regular meal times and i still have my morning snack which has lately been a cutie (still not sure what they are clementines or tangerines or mandarin oranges) and it tastes so good every morning. 

Movement: I have read the movement may begin to slow down now since there isn't as much room in there but i definitely can still feel her especially when i lay down at bedtime. Today i'm pretty sure she head bunted me. i usually feel her up top but this was like in the middle and all of the sudden it was like a baseball was being thrown in my belly. It was so hard i assumed it was her head but could have been her bum i guess. I love feeling her move and sometimes i'll catch myself just staring at my tummy watching her move around.

Dr. Appt: Had my 36 week appt today, now is when they begin checking me, my mom got to come with me this time and she got to hear the heartbeat, i couldn't see her but i'm sure she teared up. lol It was very strong about 150. The doctor said Lillian is head down which is good and i am about 1/2 centimeter dilated so basically nothing going on. She still hasn't dropped yet and they mainly continue to check me each week to make sure she is still head down and hasn't moved. I'm excited that i will be going every week now to see if there is any change but they always say that there really is no way to tell when she will arrive i could be 3 cm dilated for 2 weeks so i try not to get my hopes but still like to know if anything has progressed. 

Best Moment of the week: Well i got to see Kevin this weekend which is always the best moment. Unfortunately i have to wait 2 more weeks to see him again unless Lillian comes early. My mom and I also went to the Kidsignment sale at the Gwinnett County fairgrounds today after the Dr  appt. There was tons of stuff but i was a little disappointed, it seemed to really only be toys and clothes and then stuff i personally would not buy used b/c i'm weird like that. We got quite a few dress and summer outfits and of course the best purchase according to my husband was this: 

Kevin was so excited we got it, its the prefect size for this coming football season and it was only $5! the only other item we bought that wasn't clothes was a carrier thing made by jeep. we saw some bjorn ones but even those were still $40 which is good compared to brand new but they were ugly colors and looked like they were more than gently used. I figured with this one Kevin would even wear it. I was hesitant to get one at first but i noticed that pretty much every mother at that sale that had an infant was carrying it in one of those things. I'll be able to hold Lillian and still have two hands free and for only $8 not a bad deal. i didn't research to see if its the best but i figured all it needs to do is hold her and there is a safety lock on it. Here is a picture of the one we got. 

All in All 36 weeks hasn't been bad thus far. I am ready for Lillian to be here but i know its good for her to stay in there as well. The discomfort doesn't bother me so much that i want her here its more like i am excited and anxious to finally meet her that makes me want her to come early. Either way as long as she continues to be healthy i can manage being uncomfortable a little bit longer.

35 weeks

Only One word needed to sum up this week so far....UNCOMFORTABLE!

Lillian is getting bigger and I don't feel that my belly can expand anymore. I feel the most uncomfortable at the top of my belly under my ribs. Here is a picture from the beginning of this week.

Lillian Claire's Baby Shower

I finally finished all the thank you cards for Lillian's gifts so I figured now I can post why we are so thankful.

On January 20th our church threw a baby shower for Lillian. We I say it was amazing that's an understatement. We were beyond blessed by all the people that attended and showered us with gifts. We literally got everything we would need and more. Kevin was back in Huntsville so i called him after the shower and just went on and on about how we can't move because so many people here already love Lillian.  Sadly, Kevin's job trumps a good baby shower so we still must move but let me show you how amazing our church family is.

The hostesses did a fantastic job with the decorations and food. Showers typically have frou-frou food which means i usually eat the crackers and cake. Not this shower, they made all foods i love to eat, some of the items included, sausage balls (which i craved early on in my pregnancy), pig n a blanket, chicken fingers(of course) chips and cheese dip (which was so good i need the recipe so if you made it let me know!) Cesar salad (i needed something healthy), fruit, and rice krispe treats! And yes i did go back for seconds once everyone else had a chance to get some and i continued to eat while i opened presents. lol. I did not go hungry that night. Here are a couple pictures of the food and amazing table decorations. (thanks to Danielle for taking all the pictures)

Thanks to Mrs. Charlotte for making Lillian's name and that awesome 

owl and she also made the blocks below

The Food!

My Lovely hostesses minus a few

The very yummy cake and punch.(had a couple of helpings of this punch)

We had so many people come and so many gifts that i think it ended up taking a hour and a half to open them all. By the time we were done there may have been 10 people left. It was such an encouragement to see all of these wonderful ladies there to celebrate Lillian. I have been going to this church since i was born and a lot of these ladies helped me to become the Christian i am today and i am so thankful for each of them. 

Everything we need for Lillian

Amazing Godly Women

Me and my mom (Nana to Be)

This is one of the ladies from our Young Couples bible class presenting me with a baby bible that everyone in our class signed for us.

  

You can see the bible better here. Kevin expressed it great when he said this Bible will always be a symbol of God in her life and a daily reminder of everyone's love and generosity.   

Kevin and I cannot express how thankful, grateful, overwhelmed, blessed, appreciative we are of our friends and family and cannot wait for Lillian to make her arrival and introduce her to the people who are so special to us. I know the only people who read this are family or people we attend church with but if you need a church home definitely try out Snellville Church of Christ in Snellville GA. 

Numbers 6:24-26

The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.'

33 WEEKS IN REVIEW

This picture was (for once) actually taken when I was 33 weeks, may have been 33 weeks and 6 days but still technically 33 weeks. The belly is definitely getting big!

Symptoms: No new symptoms necessarily since i last posted at 30 weeks. But i have felt more uncomfortable and different pains over the last two weeks. A lot of it has just been my lower left back where  i feel i pulled a muscle and i can never stretch it out. (this is what i thought last time was the sciatic nerve and the doctor said it was some kind of pelvic arthritis or whatever) I have also noticed i'll wake up in the early morning and my leg feels asleep so i will flop over to my other side and wake up again with that leg asleep. Its more uncomfortable and annoying than painful. sometime during week 31 I went down to the Atlanta Mart Show while my sister was working and we walked around so much I wore myself out. But that was when I had my first painful symptom in my stomach. It felt like a knife going in to me. Literally the worst kind of cramp you could imagine times 100. i figured it was probably i was just on my feet too much and probably very dehydrated. Makes me worried for when i start to feel braxton hicks or contractions. My belly button is very sensitive to touch but no stretch marks anywhere yet and I pray it stays that way. 

Weight: unfortunately when Kevin moved to Alabama he took our scale with him so i have no idea how much weight i have gained. My last doctors appointment i had only gained 2 lbs since the previous one 2 weeks earlier so I pray I have stayed consistent. I did end up taking off my rings about mid-week 31. They still fit but at times would get tight and I did not want to have to worry about them getting stuck. And i am still proud that my belly button hasn't popped out yet. Not that it would be a bad thing but I have an innie (how would you spell that) and literally everyone close to me has an innie so I'm just not used to what an outtie (sp? again lol) would look like. 

Cravings: no cravings so far this trimester. I have been trying to not  eat as many sweets and try to eat more of the healthy stuff i should be eating. I'm pretty proud of myself considering how picky of an eater I am.Once she is born and eating real food her daddy will be making sure he teaches her what is good and to not look at how many carrots mommy stuffs in her napkin. :)

Movement: She is still going strong with her ninja kicks and she must be playing Just Dance in there because she is always moving. The times i always notice her the most is after meals and as I am just heading off to sleep. Luckily she's pretty calm during night time hours so maybe she'll sleep those hours too when she is here. 

Dr. Appt: My doctors appointment isn't until Tuesday but I did have one at 32 weeks. My sister was in town so she went with me which was fun b/c she got to hear the heartbeat. The doctor said when he first started listening her heartbeat was about 175 which is high and then he said she came down to about $160 which is okay but was still high to me because she normally is around 145. He said nothing to worry about, and I'm sure I should have mentioned I had a coke about an hour before my appointment so that probably didn't help. 

Best Moment this week: We had our baby shower at church and it was beyond words amazing and such a blessing. I will post about it next .

Maternity Photoshoot

What an awesome weekend! Kevin came home to visit. He surprised me and got there early Friday evening instead of late Friday night. So thankful he has an awesome job that allows him to do that. Especially with us living in separate states right now. Friday night we hung out and chowed down on my favorite chinese take out place Peking Cafe and enjoyed being together again.  It's hard being apart, especially being hormonal pregnant, but we will survive.

Saturday we went and cleaned out the rest of house because… WE HAVE A RENTER!!! We are so thankful it happened so quickly and very pleased with the person moving into our home. It’s one less bill we have to worry about right now. I also got my haircut Saturday (just getting it washed felt soooo relazing) and then the real fun began.

One of our dear friends from church is a photographer and Kevin had helped her setting up a website. She is a fantastic person and very talented photographer so naturally Kevin asked if she would take pictures for us. It was my Christmas present from Kevin to have maternity pictures taken and then once Lillian is born she will do a newborn shoot as well. I cannot tell you how pleased and happy we are with the pictures she took. She was a lot of fun, she was more excited about it than we were i think :) and she had some great ideas (which was great b/c I had no clue going into it what to do). Please go like her Facebook page here or her website is http://jessicawoodphoto.com/ and you can see for yourself how talented she is. Here are a few of the pictures below she has already edited for us. You'll have to check out her page to see more.

 

 

She made the banner with Lillian Claire’s name on it and bought the balloons. How cool is that gigantic pink one. It was actually pretty “heavy” a couple of those bad boys and we would have been starring in the sequel to “Up”.

Sunday we had our first shower at church for Lillian and that deserves a post of its own. Great weekend to start a new week.

Hospital Bag

First off, I realize I may be a little premature in thinking about this but i like to be organized and maybe there is a small hope she will come just a few weeks early. Hopefully not for at least 5 more weeks though. Secondly, obviously i have no prior experience in what needs to be included in a hospital bag for birth but I have done my research and this is what I have found. Granted my research was done on Pinterest, so any advice is welcomed.

For Mom:
Apparel:
Comfy Robe
Nursing bra/Cami
flip flops for the shower
slippers or socks if i have to walk around the nasty hospital floors
granny panties ( i read hospitals give mesh ones but who knows if my hospital is the same)

Toiletries:
soap/shampoo
toothbrush/paste
pads

Misc:
nursing cream/pads
chapstick
pony tail holder (although i always have one on my wrist)
Boppy pillow
my pillow
Water bottle
Camera
Ipad
chargers for above mentioned
Insurance card
ID

For Lillian:
Coming home outfit
2 sleepers
mittens
hat
swaddle blankets
burp cloth
baby book (if i ever go get one)

For Dad:
Ha! he is on his OWN!

Car seat will already be in the car so we won't have to worry about that. And luckily we are maybe 10 minutes from the hospital so if we need anything or have to stay long than expected Kevin can always run home for something.
Again, for those "been there done that" mommies out there let me know if I am forgetting anything or if I am wasting valuable space with any of these items.