Maternity Photos DIY

James and I went out tonight to take some DIY maternity photos. I really just wanted a few pictures of me and a few with the two of us. I think they turned out great! My husband is a wonderful photographer, even if he doesn't believe it when I tell him that. :) Also, tripods and self timers are wonderful inventions! And at least now I have a little photographic proof that I carried this baby girl...

More Baby News

This is just a quick update - I need to post some belly pictures and pictures from the baby showers that have been very generously thrown for us! Those pictures, however, are still sitting in my camera.. and I haven't even taken any legitimate belly pictures yet. Yikes! It is on the list of things to do this week!

Little miss seems to be growing just fine! I am ALL belly and she definitely makes her presence known! My favorite thing right now is how much she already loves her daddy. When he gets home from work, he will lay his head on my belly and talk to her, and as soon as she hears his voice she goes CRAZY! She will kick and flip and turn and knead her hands along his head. It is so funny! She is one smart cookie already.. although I may be a bit biased. ;)

She does not treat her mommy that nicely though - we have been in the hospital for preterm labor once recently and now we are having to keep a close eye on some other things. I am definitely to the "uncomfortable" stage of pregnancy! I am ready for baby girl to make her grand appearance!

How far along? Just shy of 35 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: +20 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep. Except some of those don't even fit anymore my belly is so huge...

Stretch marks? oh yeah. Tiger stripes galore over here.

Sleep: It's difficult to sleep.

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Movement: She has certain times of the day where she is more active... mid morning and the evening usually. Also the middle of the night...

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. But I always want something sweet.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sickness is gone for the most part!

Have you started to show yet: Yes. DEFINITELY yes.

Gender prediction: It's a girl!

Labor Signs: Just Braxton Hicks. Which don't really count.

Belly Button in or out? In but slowly coming out.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. Can't even wear my fake one anymore I am so swollen. :(

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. But I have my moments...

Growing Like a Weed

This baby is growing like crazy already! She measures two weeks ahead... so we are wondering if she will be a September baby rather than an October one.

How far along? 25.5 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: +2 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? they are beginning...

Sleep: Sleep is difficult these days. I've just accepted that I won't get a good night's sleep until she sleeps through the night.

Best moment this week: Her reactions to fireworks - every time they "boom"-ed, she would jump or twist! I think she might be scared of loud noises.

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Movement: She's been quite active this last week

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. But I always want something sweet. Or Doritos. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sickness is gone for the most part! Besides the whole kidney hydronephrosis crap....

Have you started to show yet: Yes. DEFINITELY yes.

Gender prediction: It's a girl!

Labor Signs: Not since our last hospital visit.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Off. I wear my fake one (that's two sizes bigger) pretty much exclusively now.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Milestones: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like anewborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Baby Girl Updates

I gotta admit, pregnancy is the WEIRDEST thing I have ever experienced in my life so far! I mean, it's amazing and wonderful of course.... but it is also very, very weird. Crazy to think that there is a whole other human growing inside of me - and that my body knows how to take care of her!
 

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: -10 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleep is rough. Always getting up to use the bathroom or tossing and turning.

Best moment this week: Finding out she is a GIRL!!!

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Movement: Some. She's especially active if I drink chocolate milk.

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. But I have a terrible aversion to meat of any kind.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sickness is gone for the most part!

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Gender prediction: It's a girl!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Depends on the day. If over 90 degrees outside, off.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Milestones: Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

On Mothers

Mothers. What a wonderful thing the Lord did when he created mothers. Especially my own mother. (and of course my fabulous mother in law!) I never knew how much I needed my mother until I lost her. Before, I knew she was always there for me, but I didn't call on her as much as I should have.

Now, I find multiple reasons in a day that I want to call her up, talk to her, and ask her questions. Hug her. Clean the craft room with her. See her reaction to my newest ultrasound pictures. Go shopping with her. Work on book catalogs with her. Sit next to her in Relief Society. I want to do all of these things with her.

My mother was (is!) an amazing woman. She was kind, smart, funny, creative, and always willing to help everyone. She taught me everything I know. I am who I am today because of her.

She always used to tell me stories of when I was little. I loved hearing those, but I love remembering them even more now. I like to think that I will do some of the same things with my baby girl. She liked to tell me how I learned my love of reading from her. She told me how she read books to me from the day I was born - even though other people thought she was crazy for reading to a newborn. Now, I read anything I can get my hands on - and I have a deep, deep love of Dr. Seuss books...just like her. She loved to tell me how I constantly asked her questions, on everything under the sun, and she would try to answer but didn't know how to half the time! When she told these stories to me, she always did it with a smile and a faraway look in her eyes. I know my mom wasn't perfect, but she had so much patience with me. I think she enjoyed those times with me. I'm sure I did, though I don't remember them.

One of my earliest school memories is of first grade (I know, I know...but I don't remember much about kindergarten). We lived at Travis AFB, and I took the bus home from school. I remember that I had had a hard day, and it was raining as I got home. I was cold, wet, and crabby. I opened the door and Mom had made me an afterschool snack - hot chocolate and cinnamon toast, the special way she used to make it for us. It's such a simple memory, but it shows to me how well she knew me and what I needed.

My mom was so good with us. I believe that children were her calling - she was a wonderful teacher, mother, and friend to not just us, but to all our friends too! She had a natural ability to sense other people's needs, and to just listen. She used to joke that she had a stamp on her forehead that said "tell me everything" but it was her sweet personality that drew people to her, and she loved it. She was so very patient with me and my sisters, letting us help paint her craft projects, teaching us how to clean, painstakingly decorating birthday cakes for us (my favorite were Barbie cakes!!), and showing us so much love. We never doubted for one second how much Mom loved us. She dealt with HUGE Barbie "set ups" in the playroom for weeks, forced us outside when all we wanted to do was read, let tons of kids into her house to play, and always had a witty comeback for everything! She even brought us home a puppy one day - though she swore she never would. :)

As this Mother's Day approaches, my feelings for the day are conflicted. I miss my mother more than I can express. And, as I celebrate this little girl whom I carry, I am reminded of that even more. She is a special little girl, because my mom got to go up and send her down to me. I intend to tell her lots of stories about her wonderful Grandma Nichols, in the hopes that she can learn to love her and keep her memory alive. I intend to tell her how very special it is that Grandma got to hug her first, and got to know who she was before she was even in my belly. I want to keep my mother's memory alive for my children. I want them to love her and feel as if they know her.

Mother's Day has been a day of grief for me the past few years, as I grieved for my lost babies. This year, it is a day of grief and celebration, as I mourn the loss of my mother and as I get excited to be a mother myself. They say you never know how much your mother loved you until you become a mother. I am so very excited to finally have that opportunity, and I know I owe all the credit to Mom. :) If I am even half as good a mother as she was, I will have more than succeeded. So, this year, I will allow myself to feel happy, sad, nostalgic, and anything else that comes my way (thank you, pregnancy hormones!!).

I love you, Mom. I can't wait until the day that we meet again.








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Announcing

the expected arrival of our sweet baby.

Due October 16. We could not be more thrilled! We have had a long and hard road to get here, and we feel supremely blessed to have this little life growing inside of me.

Let it Go

THIS SONG.

 THIS MOVIE.

But really, THIS SONG. I have no words, except it is perfectly amazing and I have been listening to it on repeat.