Bumpdate :: 36 Weeks

How far along?

36 weeks.  9 months preggo.  Considered full term... Hallelujah. 

Total weight gain?

I don't know how this happened, but I lost a pound this week.  So, I'm at 18 lbs.  I am amazed at how that could be, maybe I had heavier shoes last week.  Lol.

Maternity clothes?

I found dresses for both of my upcoming parties, and I actually don't look half bad in them.  I'll post pics of me in them.

Sleep?

I'm napping when I can.  I am forcing myself to go to sleep, even when I don't feel super tired.  And I have actually been waking up feeling rested.  Need to soak up these last few weeks of uninterrupted sleep... may be a while before I get that again.

Best Moment of the Week?

Finding out at my first internal that I am 1 cm dilated and that my cervix is softening!  Now, I know that this really doesn't mean much, BUT Dr. P did say that she doesn't think I will make it all the way to the 19th.  And if I happen to make it that far, the 19th will be Addison's birthday!  I couldn't be more excited about this news.  Being home with Gwen on Christmas is so important to me, as long as it's safe for Addison of course.

Movement?

Tons and tons and tons.  Girlfriend is definitely running out of room in there.  I am feeling every little movement.

Food Cravings?

Ice cream. And I had the strong urge to make choc chip cookies this weekend.  I can't get enough sweets!  Better eat them now, right?

Gender?

Girl, and it better be... her room is just about done, and it is GIRL-Y!

Labor Signs?

Nope.  I mean, a little pressure "down there" but nothing crazy.

Belly Button?

It's just flat.  And I have a faint linea negra now.

What I Miss?

Being able to breathe.  Being able to bend over.  Being able to pick up Gwen.  I guess, moving around like my normal self.

What I Am Looking Forward To?
Thanksgiving and watching that Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Gwen.  And giving birth... lol.

Milestones?
Nine months preggo.  Full term baby!  And finishing the room!!! We're ready for you miss Addison... can't wait to meet you!

Here's one of the dresses I am wearing to my festivities, I'll be rocking this one out on Saturday night!

What do you think?

My Boy.

Since the start of pre-school, Gwen has developed a friendship with a little boy {we'll call him John} that she looks for and hangs out with.  They both get excited to see each other before they go into class and they shout "goodbyes" down the street to each other as we leave.  She asks for him when he's not there and she seems to have a lot of fun with him.

Last week, when John  arrived, she gave him a big hug and although he didn't seem too into it, he hugged her back.  John's  mom and I both laughed {because we weren't expecting it} and sent them both into class.  When I came back to pick her up, I was the first parent there so I sat down and checked email/FB/IG, the usual.  Gwen's teacher saw me sitting there and popped her head out the door... "I didn't know you were pregnant!!  When are you due?"  

I told her my due date and that I wanted to check with her the schedule for December so I could set up pick ups and drop offs for Gwen if I needed too.  She told me that she would go check the schedule and give me that date of the last class in December.   She left for a few minutes and the returned with the update... she then said to me...

"I don't know if Gwen talks to you about this, but John is like attached to her hip."

"Really?!  I mean she talks about him a lot, but I always thought that she was the pursuer and not the pursued."

"Noooo.  It is the opposite.  Gwen goes left, John goes left.  Gwen goes right, John goes right.  It sort of bugs the other kids {she laughs} that they hang out so much."

Ten minutes later Gwen's teacher dismisses the class, and Gwen and John  come out the door, saying their goodbyes, he then turns to her and says, "Bye Gwen, I love you!"  I just about died laughing.

OMG I thought.  That is hysterical.  And WAIT til her Daddy finds out.

I call Jason and fill him in on the whole thing.  "Oh boy!  That is too much! We'll have to have a talk about this when I get home!"  

When he gets home later on, we talk about it a little more, and he calls Gwen out to the living room... 

"Who's this John  I'm hearing about???"

"My boy."

Say what?! 

She gets all embarrassed, and then says, "Daaaaaddy, stop it."

Omg.  Is she three, or sixteen?

I say to her, "When Daddy asks you who John  is, you say he's my friend."  {It'll make us all feel better, lol.}

"Ok, Mommy.  Daddy, John  is just my friend."

Yes, he is Gwen.  Yes, he is.

Bumpdate : 34 & 35 Weeks

Happy Gwens-day everyone!
How far along?

35 Weeks.  5 to go.  Actually, 4 if Dr. P induces me on the 19th.  Holy crap!  Homestretch here we come!!  

Total weight gain?

19 lbs total so far.  Addison weighs about five of that.  She should be gaining about half a pound each week, so by delivery day, she should be around 7lbs.  Just like her big sister.

Maternity Clothes?
I've been in a search for a few dresses that I need for upcoming events...  a 50th birthday party that requires black attire {still need one} and for Jason's work Christmas party {got one}.  Having to dress up with a watermelon strapped to your belly is not my idea of fun, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?

Sleep?
I. am. exhausted.  And not only am I tired, but getting comfortable at night is becoming an actual task.  I'm fine once I fall asleep {thank God}, but it takes awhile to get there.  I have given up trying to fight napping when Gwen does... it's just not worth it.

Best Moment of the {past 2 } Weeks?
There were a couple.  We had our last {most likely} ultrasound last Saturday.  Addison looked great.  AND her room is almost done... the major things - cleaning out, painting, and putting in her furniture, are all done.  Now just for the little details... :)  And my sprinkle! It was fabulous {I'll write a separate post for that

Movement?
SO much.  And A LOT of hiccups, which is one of the craziest feelings.  She is head down now, so her hiccups are low in my abdomen, feels so funny.

Food Cravings?
Nothing really.  Although I do make sure I eat enough, MEALS aren't that appealing to me because I feel like a stuffed turkey afterwards.

Gender?
As our ultrasound tech said last weekend, "It's 200% a girl."

Labor Signs?
None.

Belly Button?
Who knows what that thing is doing.  And frankly, I don't care anymore.

What I Miss?
My energy.  Sleeping any way other than on my side.  Being comfortable.  Sangria.  Diet Coke.  And not being out of breath.  Only a few more weeks.

What I Am Looking Forward To?
Thanksgiving.  :)

Milestones?
Room completion.  Last ultrasound.  I made it to 8 1/2 months.  My sprinkle!

Sunday Social. Thanksgiving.

Favorite Thanksgiving Memory?

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, in our house.  It just all seemed so grown up. And it felt like the beginning of so many new things in life.  We had just gotten married the month before and it was like a continued "high" from all of it.  It was very special.

Favorite Thanksgiving Food?

Does the Apple Cider Sangria I made last year count?!  Even though, I won't be making it this year... because I obviously can't drink it.  Sorry.  If, I'm not having any... neither are you.  Ok, so other than that I'd say stuffing.  AND my mom's candied yams.  They are to die for.

What is a Thanksgiving Tradition that you and your family have?

Coming from a big and very spread out family, we travel.  A LOT.  We divide up holidays, we live out of bags and our car a lot.  Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays, you name it, we're on the road.  And a lot of the time we don't get to relax.  So, after we got married and began a family of our own, we decided that Thanksgiving would be the one holiday that we spend at our house.  With no travelling.  No schedules.  No packing.  No craziness.  And it is, by far, my favorite tradition.  

Show us a favorite Thanksgiving picture(or 5) from years past.

What are you most looking forward to about this Thanksgiving?

Soaking up this last Thanksgiving {actually, last Holiday} as a family of just three.  Gwen is so much fun, that I can't wait to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with her.  I can just picture her face and already hear the excitement... I'll probably cry.  

Taking a Step Back.

As the end of this pregnancy has gotten closer and closer, I will admit that when people ask, "How are you feeling?" my immediate response is, "Good. Done, but good."  And it's just me being honest.  Being pregnant while being a full time mom to a toddler is no easy feat.  And, maybe because I already know what lies ahead, I've felt kind of "over" the whole pregnant thing.

Then I had a thought.

If we stick to our "plan" of having just two kids {who knows, we may change our minds in a few years}, then... this is it.

This is the last time that I will know the feeling of carrying another life inside me.

The last time that I will feel the kicks, stretches, and hiccups of a growing baby in my belly.

The last time I can embrace my baby bump, something that even though not always the most comfortable is still one of my favorite parts of pregnancy.

So, I need to stop.  I need to take a step back and soak this all up... just in case it never happens again.

Between the hormones, the lack of energy, and the craziness of life in general, it's easy to forget that the "end result" is not just the blessing, the whole process is.

There are women in the world that pay THOUSANDS of dollars for this experience... and some STILL don't get to have it.  So, I need to slow down.

I need to remember that I am lucky.  That this is something I will NEVER get back.  Ok, yeah, MAYBE we'll decide one day that we want to try for another baby, but I won't get this pregnancy back.  I won't be pregnant with Addison again.  And I need to cherish that.

I am going to stop saying that I am "Good. Done, but good." and just say that I am feeling "Good." or "Tired." or "Humongous." or whatever I may be feeling that specific day... but I'm not going to say "Done" anymore.  Because there will be a day that I am actually done being pregnant, and it may just be a sad day.

Halloween Recap.

I don't even think that I could put into words just how excited Gwen was for all of her Halloween festivities.  Words just wouldn't do it justice.

Wednesday she dressed up for her class party and the parents were invited back to class for the last 15 minutes for some songs and pictures.  They. were. ah-dorable.  And of course, we cried.  She was so happy to see us there, and was so sweet singing the cute little Halloween songs.  I wanted to freeze time.  I just wanted to bottle up all of that innocence and keep it forever and ever.

She was so proud to show off her Green M&M costume and share her treats with all of her classmates. She definitely did not want the party to end.

The only way that we got Gwen to bed that night was to promise her Trick-or-Treating would happen the next day.  She was pumped.  And to be honest, so was I.

The next day, she rocked her Green M&M shirt, all day, waiting not so patiently for Daddy to get home from work.  Every car that she heard, she squealed thinking it was him and time to go.

When he finally got home, she made sure he put on the pirate "costume" {a hat, eyepatch, and sword from the dollar store} we got him and that I put on my witch "costume" {a headband with a witch hat attached from Michael's}.  We headed out the door and downtown to get down to business.

She had a blast.  Ok, well not at the first few houses.  I don't think that she realized that she had to talk to strangers in order to get the candy... WHICH I can't say that I was mad at.  {That's right baby, don't talk to strangers.}  But, after the first few houses, she got the hang of it and loved every minute of it... ESPECIALLY the houses that were giving out M&M's.  Seriously, they are like crack to my kid.

We trick-or-treated for about an hour or so, until her bag was overflowing, then headed home to give out our own treats.  

Cutest part?  She loved that JUST as much.  She would RUN to the door, grab handfuls of candy and say things like, "I love your Princess costume."  "Wow, that's a cool costume."  "Look, it's Superman!"  She was totally in the spirit of things and it couldn't have made our night any better.

We ended the night with one too many pieces of candy, and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  Seriously, perfection.

It only validated all my feelings about being away from Gwen on Christmas.  I just can't.  She is just going to be TOO much fun this year.  My sister-in-law said it best, her excitement makes it THAT much better and fun.  It really does.