38 Weeks

How Far Along: 38 Weeks, getting close!

Size of Baby: Baby is the size of a pumpkin. 

Weight Gain: About 26 pounds. 

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, except for the few t-shirts or sweatpants that aren't too tight yet. I must say I am ready to wear my regular clothes again.

Gender: All girl. 

Movement: Lots of  movement and she's bigger now so it's more intense!

Sleep: Blah, I feel so big and uncomfortable, it's getting hard. I am trying to get lots of rest now so I am ready for labor, that's really my main motivation for trying to sleep, otherwise I would just stay up. 

Symptoms: Cramping and contracting are getting more frequent.

My hands are really swelling and my feet have started to swell too.

My belly is really itchy!

Earlier in pregnancy my ankle had been bothering me where I had a stress fracture from running so much. It went away, but I think it's back. I started wearing my compression bandage and that helps.

Doctor said I am a good 1 cm dilated and my cervix is really soft. She said my body is getting ready for labor, which I would like to think is any day now. Although it could still be 2 more weeks. 

Food Cravings: Nothing unusual still. Ice cream, Mexican, I've given myself permission to eat whatever I want now!

What I Miss: Being able to plan. I've accepted that I can't plan out every detail of when/how/what labor will look like for me, but I just wish I knew the when.

I also miss not having this huge belly and being uncomfortable.

What I’m Looking Forward To: Finally getting to meet our little girl and see whats she looks like! 

Best Moment This Week: Enjoying spending time with friends and family. I also finally feel like emotionally I am ready for labor. I had really been struggling with anxiety about it all and while I still struggle with the unknown of it, I have finally come to a place of just giving it all over to God. I find myself more focused on all the good things that are about to happen, and just being excited.

Faith Over Fear

So I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant and I've gotten to the point of really being ready to meet my baby girl! I had my weekly doctor's appointment yesterday and she said my body is really getting ready for labor, I was thrilled. Now with every cramp or contraction I think "this could be it!" so far it hasn't been. 

I've come to accept that I can't control so many parts of giving birth, I must cling to the one constant which is that God is in control. He will decide when I go into labor, how our baby girl comes into this world and all the details in between. I have a peace about this now, there are times I still struggle with wanting to know more, but I remind myself to just trust. Have faith, because faith is the opposite of fear, and I am done being fearful about this whole process. 

I've given this to God because I admit to holding onto it for way too long.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

I haven't struggled with anxiety like this since college, anxiety about giving birth. But like I just typed I am done with it. I am choosing faith. I'm not going to let the devil rob me of the joy of becoming a mom, because that's what it is.

For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear, I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

God has made so many promises in the bible about how he helps his people. So it doesn't matter when I go into labor, how exactly everything falls into place and how our baby comes into this world, God already knows all of that. 

To end on a lighter note, and because every post is better with a picture, here is the baby bump, I can barely see my bellybutton now. 

Thankful for God's faithfulness to me throughout this entire pregnancy!

Linking up over at: Faith Filled Friday and Friday Faves

Nursery Reveal!

I've been really excited to take pictures of the nursery and share! I spent so much time painting things and putting it altogether, and I love how it turned out! I also must say this room has been so much fun to decorate. I've loved searching for cute baby things and the fun bright pink color of it! Okay, here it is..........

This is what you see when you walk in. It's very pink! As you can see her name is above the crib, Chloe. I absolutely love all the monogrammed and personalized things, so I incorporated a lot of it in her room. Her middle name is Mae. Chloe Mae! 

Here is her closet. It's painted the same yellow that is on the trim of her dresser. I made the flower painting and blogged about it here. The little cat above her closet was mine when I was little, I covered it with mod  podge and paper to match her room. 

Close up of all her clothes! This will probably be the only time they are hanging up so pretty and organized. I got the dividers at Hobby Lobby, so they are organized by size.

I love her crib bedding! The sheet is from Pottery Barn Kids and my mom made the pillow, quilt and crib skirt. (I will take the quilt and pillow, etc. out when she is actually sleeping in it.) A friend's mom monogrammed the fabric for the quilt, as well as the window valence. The cute mobile is from Pottery Barn Kids too. I refinished the nightstand, it was mine. The letters are from Hobby Lobby, I covered them with the same fabric as her bedding. Love it!

This little rocking chair was mine when I was little, as well as the little cat pillows. The lamp is from Ikea and I made the bow board. The bow board was actually really easy to make, click here for directions. I just bought a frame at Hobby Lobby (are you seeing a trend here, haha!) 

This rocking chair was Clarke's grandmother's. She used it to rock his mom, she used it to rock him and his sister and now we will use it. She refinished it so it matches everything else, I love how it turned out. I also love the book shelves. They are actually spice racks from Ikea that I painted white. Another idea I found on Pinterest.

Close up of all the books, I can't wait to add to her collection and read to her! 

This dresser took me forever to refinish, really the yellow trim is what took forever. I put new hardware on it from Hobby Lobby. The floor lamp was mine in college, from Ikea. 

This mirror was mine in college too (I got the ribbon at where else? Hobby Lobby) and I painted the yellow cross at the local pottery place where I used to work. I put the changing pad on top of the dresser so I could store all her diaper stuff in the drawers, and hopefully keep it organized and easy to find. There are headbands and hats in the yellow tin I got at a local craft show in town.

Betty wanted to be in the photo shoot, she really loves this room too, haha!

I know it will probably change a lot once she comes and we actually start using it, but for right now I think it's pretty great. Overall I'm happy with how everything turned out and it was well worth all the hours I spent painting and making things for it. Now I am ready for her to be here so we can really start using it! 

Lately

Around here lately..................

I've been busy preparing for our new arrival! I finally washed all her clothes, blankets, sheets, everything she will be using. The swing is set up, car seat installed and pack n' play is ready to go. I am waiting for one more thing for the nursery then I will post pictures. 

Betty is loving the new changing pad and cover. When I put the changing pad up on the dresser she wasn't too interested in it. I finally got the cover for it, and this is def. her new favorite place. It's really funny how much time she spends up there, but I'm thinking when baby comes she won't be enjoying it as much. Ha!

I've been enjoying the leaves changing colors. I wish we could have made it up to Carter's Mountain to pick apples or go hiking around the blue ridge but I'm afraid to go too far now. It's still beautiful here in Richmond though. I love the fall. 

We've been going on lots of long walks. I am determined to stay active up until I go into labor. I know this will make it so much easier and quicker. I am slowing down, but we've still been going around 2.5 miles each time, so I'm happy with that. 

Waiting for signs of labor! Every cramp or braxton hick contraction I get I wonder if it's really time. So far it hasn't been labor, but I think I am finally ready for it soon. My mom went a week early with all 3 of us so I'm hoping she will come early too. 

Me and Clarke have enjoyed a lot of time together just the two of us. Dinner dates out and watching movies at home. I know when she comes this will be harder so we are trying to soak up as much of it now as we can.

I've been enjoying lunch dates with friends and my mom a lot these past few weeks. Once again, when she comes this won't be as easy so I'm all about enjoying it while I can!

37 Weeks......Full Term!

How Far Along: 37 Weeks, she is officially full term! From now on she is just putting on weight!

Size of Baby: Baby is the size of a winter melon. We had the ultrasound Friday because they were afraid she might be too small, but like before she was fine. They said she weighed 6 lb 8 oz! I couldn't believe how big she was, although they said the machines most of the time over estimate and she is probably around 6 lb 3 oz. 

Weight Gain: 25 lbs. I was concerned because I haven't gained any weight this past week, but my Dr. said it's fine because she is still growing. I was so happy to hear that. 

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes that a friend gave me that were too big for me earlier on in pregnancy are now fitting me just fine now. 

Gender: We confirmed at the ultrasound that it's still a girl, which is good because there is so much pink! 

Movement: Lots of movement at night, not so much during the day. I've noticed when I'm laying down she moves more. It was so funny during the ultrasound because the tech was trying to get measurements and she kept moving, but as soon as I stood up after she stopped. 

Sleep: Sleep this past week was rough. I was so worried about the doctor's appointment that I had trouble relaxing enough to sleep. Looking forward to getting some better sleep this week. 

Symptoms: She has moved down, which is good because that means she is getting ready to come! But walking is getting harder, I am def. slowing down. Although heartburn isn't as bad as it was before. 

I haven't dilated anymore, which I was kinda disappointed about. I am feeling cramping and it's higher up than before.

My hands have started to swell, so I took off my wedding and engagements rings. They still fit but they were getting uncomfortable, so I put them on a  necklace to wear. It feels so weird not having them on!

I am happy to say my urinary tract infection is gone!

Food Cravings: Mexican and ice cream, although this week I didn't have much of an appetite. 

What I Miss: Being able to plan things. I still make plans but I am always thinking, well if the baby comes we won't be able to go, but oh well. I am also ready to not have this huge belly anymore.

What I’m Looking Forward To: Meeting her hopefully sooner than later! I wish I knew when I was gonna go into labor, but just knowing it's coming soon is still exciting. 

Best Moment This Week: Without a doubt my doctor saying she is a good weight and everything is fine. I was just relieved.

                                                                        

Family Baby Shower

This past weekend we had family come from Florida, Maryland and North Carolina to celebrate our sweet baby girl! It was such a great weekend, and the shower itself was just perfect. My mom made all her good food for appetizers and my in-laws hosted.

They made 2 diaper cakes for us! They were really cute and now we are set with disposable diapers for awhile, when they run out I will start with the cloth ones.

We played a bunch of games, my favorite was the one where we took pieces from both our 1 year old pictures and made a new baby. This is what we think ours will look like!

Here I am with the hostesses, they did such a great job! I feel so blessed to have such great family!

My aunt and cousin came all the way from Florida to celebrate, it meant so much to me. I know when our baby comes she will be surrounded by so many people who already love her and that feels so great. We are now set with everything we need for this baby (once again we got sooo spoiled). 

I must say with all the showers done and having everything we need for her I am finally getting ready for her to come! It's crazy to think she will be here so soon!

36 Weeks

How Far Along: 36 Weeks, one more week till full term!

Size of Baby: They always measure my belly at my doctor appointments, and once again it measured too small. This happened a couple weeks ago but when they did the ultrasound she was fine. So they scheduled an ultrasound for next Friday at my 37 week apt. My Dr. said she isn't really concerned because last time she was fine, it might just be the way I carry her but they just wanna check as a precaution. I'm not really worried because I think if they were really concerned they would have scheduled the ultrasound for that day and not wait a week. Although one of my best friends who has a little girl said the same thing happened to her and they ended up inducing her because she was full term anyways, but wasn't growing anymore. Part of me freaks out when I think of them inducing me next week, but part of me is really excited about the thought of meeting her so soon.

Weight Gain: 25 pounds. 

Maternity Clothes: The dress I wore to my shower yesterday was a wrap dress, so I just tied it looser than I normally do and it fit!

Gender: All girl, I love all the pink and girly stuff we have gotten for her!

Movement: Lots of movement up high near my ribs and lungs. 

Sleep: Sleep is okay, some nights better than others but overall it's not that bad. 

Symptoms: I have a urinary tract infection. I just thought that she was pushing on my bladder and that's why it was bothering me. At the doctor's on Friday they tested my urine and found blood, bacteria and protein in it. So I'm on an antibiotic and I already feel so much better. 

I am also 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced (my cervix has thinned 50% and has 50% more to go)!! I was really excited when my doctor told me, although she said it's no indication of when I will actually go into labor. But, my body is getting ready!

Food Cravings: Ice cream still and pumpkin things! On Saturday before the shower I couldn't wait for my mom's little hot dogs. She always makes them as an appetizer and they were sooo good!

What I Miss: Just having my body back. 

What I’m Looking Forward To: I really wanna finish everything on my list this week. It will be nice to be fully prepared for when she does come. Also, the nursery should be done this week and I can't wait to take pictures of it.

Best Moment This Week: Definitely this weekend. Saturday was our family baby shower and it was so nice. My aunt and cousin came up from Florida and spent the whole weekend with us. My dad came down from Baltimore and Clarke had relatives come up from North Carolina. It was so great to celebrate with family and once again we got so spoiled. My dad even set up a college savings account for her! But really the best part was just being with family. We went to the Richmond Folk Festival today and the weather was so nice. It means so much to me that all my family is so excited for us and they came so far to celebrate. 

Hopefully this week I will post more about the shower and all the nursery pictures! 

Becoming a Mom

It's crazy to think that in about a month my life will be forever changed. I will be a mommy, I will have a daughter and Clarke will be a dad. It's something I've always wanted and it's really happening.

When I found out I was pregnant it was so surreal. I couldn't believe how blessed I was that I got pregnant so easily. The first trimester was rough though. I never really blogged about how hard it was being sick, wrapping my mind around becoming a mother and oh yeah the spotting. That was just awful, not knowing why I had spotting which is why I really stopped running so early in my pregnancy. Oviously everything turned out to be fine. Then the second trimester came, the glorious second trimester. It was as if a magical button went off and I wasn't nauseous or exhausted or sore anymore. So here I am almost at the end of the last trimester and I must say it's not as bad as the first one. Nothing could be as bad as the first trimester. Yes I'm uncomfortable and my back hurts but I'm used to being pregnant. I've adjusted to being pregnant.

And soon I'll have to adjust to being a mom. I know at first it will be hard, like the pregnancy, but then it will be second nature. I guess I am trying to remind myself that I can do this. There are so many unknowns, especially when it comes to actually giving birth.

But somehow I got through this pregnancy, well almost done. I honestly am just praying that God would guide me and be with me through it all. My faith is what calms me when I start to panic about the nursery not being done yet or installing the carseat or how I am going to breastfeed. The unknowns. I remind myself that God knows. His plan for my life so far has been pretty amazing, and I know being a mom will be too.

35 Weeks

How Far Along: 35 weeks today.

Size of Baby: Baby is the size of a coconut! 

Weight Gain: I've gained 22 pounds, which I feel pretty good about most days. I do feel huge but I know I'm suppose to be. 

Maternity Clothes: All maternity except my token sundresses, which I am still wearing with cardigans and leggings. Oh yeah and my t-shirts and sweat pants, which I have a new love for! 

Movement: Lots of movement up high near my ribs and lungs.

Sleep: Sleep is okay. I've adjusted better and have found how to position blankets and pillows to make myself more comfortable, but it's still not as great as it used to be. 

Symptoms: Back pain, mild cramping, heartburn and just feeling tired. 

Food Cravings: Baked goods! This past week I've made pumpkin bread, brownies and cookies. Clarke said he has gained weight and it's def. from all the sweets I've been making. I guess we'll enjoy it while we can because I normally don't bake like that. 

What I Miss: This week it's back to running. I need to remember this for all those cold days coming up this winter when I won't feel like running. Also, my nice jeans and just having my body back to normal. 

What I’m Looking Forward To: Our last 2 baby showers this week. Our family shower and one at Clarke's work. Some of my relatives from Florida are coming up for the family shower, so I'm excited to see them too. 

Best Moment This Week: Enjoying time with friends and Clarke. Reality has set in that when the baby comes this will be a lot harder to do. Trying to get as much of it in as I can now. 

I haven't been feeling so great today, so there is no "real picture". This one is straight from the iPhone but you can see how big my belly is! 

Nursery Window

I was going to wait and share the nursery window valence until I reveal the entire nursery, but I worked so hard on it today, and it was much more work than I thought it would be so I decided it's post worthy. 

When we bought our house they left these ugly window valences, well the fabric was ugly the actual valences were really nice. We never did anything with them so I decided to use one for the nursery. I was inspired by this pin on pinterest.

                                                            Source: thejexes.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

I absolutely love the monogram in the center of the valence. Since one of my best friend's mom has a monogram machine she generously did that part for me. That was the only easy part. Of course I put the fabric on upside down first, then had to redo it. Of course there was a stud in the spot I wanted to put the brackets to hang up the valence. All the anchors I had wouldn't work so after much frustration it was back to Lowe's. I am seriously thankful I live so close to one and the people who work there are actually helpful. I hate to admit it took me all day just to put this up, but it did.

I didn't put any curtains on the side because the window is smaller and I didn't want to block any light that comes in during the day. But, now that it's up I love the way it looks. As long as you don't look behind it and see all the holes from anchors and screws that didn't work!

The nursery is so close to being done, I can't wait. I am just waiting on some bedding my mom is making, a light for the nightstand, the changing pad and cover and the rest of the hardware to come in at Hobby Lobby.  I can't wait to take pictures and post, hopefully soon!

  

Bows, Grass and Pumpkin Chili

It's been awhile since I've linked up over at lowercase letters for Miscellany Monday, so I thought I would today!

1. I am really excited about these adorable hair clips I made for our sweet little girl!

I think the pinwheel might be my favorite one. Click here for instructions, it was really easy! Have I mentioned how happy I am we are having a girl? 

2. Grass Update: It's official we have grass growing in our backyard! I know I know, such exciting news but it's great to have homeowner success like that and such an improvement. 

3. Happy October! I can't believe it's already October and the month before my baby is due! I made pumpkin chili AND pumpkin bread for dinner last night. Probably my favorite fall recipe.

The recipe calls for ground beef but I use ground turkey because you can't really taste a difference. Here is the recipe, you should try it!

4. Soon I'll start going to the doctor every week. It seems I already go a lot, but it's funny how it just becomes apart of your life. All the nurses and receptionists know me in the office now, which I assume they do all the pregnant women who are as far along as me. I'm just glad I have good health insurance or it would be so expensive.