31 weeks

Can this baby please come already? 58 days away.. and I'm so done with being pregnant.

 I reeeeally look forward to feeling normal and wearing normal clothes again.

I feel so large and have no idea how it's possible that I'm gonna get even bigger in the next few weeks, yikes!

Last week I caught some throw up bug and got very dehydrated. I started cramping and contracting and had to be admitted to the hospital. 

No bueno. 

5 hours and two IV's later we crashed out on our bed at 1:30 am.

So happy to be over that sickness. Thank you to my mom and Vaughn's parents for helping us out with Ava.

I'm super uncomfortable most of the time now and my ribs are still so painful I have to take pain reliever.

Baby measures at 3 lbs 12 oz.

My 28 appointment she was head down but my midwife confirmed last week that she is now breech again.

Had a 3D ultrasound and we saw baby yawn, cutest thing!

Starting next week, I will see my midwife once per week.

Certainly hoping time will fly by so we can finally meet this precious little one!

mother's day

love being her momma.

She is a brilliant little girl, truly.

The stuff she can remember and say and do..

The other day she looked at my phone (it's kinda old school) and said "momma, your phone is complicated".

She keeps us laughing every single day. 

What a joy she is in our lives!

The photo above left is our poppy that just bloomed and we had to document it. 

We are all pretty excited about it :)

 Above right is playtime outside with daddy.

Did I mention she loves to be "nakey"? 

It's a daily thing around our house come early evening, she just wants to run around in her diaper.

Mother's day this year was definitely not very relaxing. It was exhausting.

 We spent the wee hours of Sunday morning, midnight-6 am waking up every half hour to comfort Ava while she vomited over and over. It was heartbreaking to feel so helpless as there was nothing we could do. 

She just doesn't understand what's going on still and it scares her half to death. 

We made her a special bed on the bathroom floor and Vaughn slept by her all night while I took a one hour shift around 4:00 am. It was all my pregnant body would allow.

It continued on and off until Monday afternoon and now, Tuesday she's back to her bubbly, cheery self.

Thank goodness.

I'm so grateful to be Ava's mommy, she is such a treasure!

29 week thoughts

 Just 10 more weeks til I get to hold this precious baby. 

Let the countdown begin!

- rib pain, and other random pains every once in awhile

 - restless legs at night (ugh, so uncomfortable!)
- sleeping is getting more and more difficult
- weight gain: nineteen lbs

- other than that I really can't complain. I'm just so grateful to even be pregnant.

baby is now the size of a Squash

Weeks 29-32 (Month 7)
Average size: 15-17 in, 2.9-3.8 lb

This pregnancy has gone by fast yet slow. 

Fast because Ava keeps me busy. 

Slow because I'm so excited.

We found out I pregnant when I was literally 2 days along. So needless to say, it has kind of dragged on..

I have debated on whether or not I would share this next bit but decided to write it down. 

I have been wanting another baby since Ava turned one but I knew it wasn't quite time yet. So we waited for months until it felt right to begin trying. So when that time came, I wanted this baby as soon as possible.

Heavenly Father obviously had different plans for us this time around.

With Ava it was too easy, we decided we wanted a baby and the very next month I was pregnant. 

I thought for sure it would be the same way this time.

Month after month went by and it was always a negative. I got so used to seeing those awful pregnancy tests with one line, almost shouting back at me that I was indeed NOT pregnant. It was so heartbreaking and disappointing. I went through so many pregnancy tests, it was ridiculous. Always trying to stay hopeful thinking this could be the positive we've been waiting for only to be let down yet again. I even got those ovulation tests and tried that as well.

I began to think something was wrong with me. I thought that maybe I was "ruined" after the procedure the doctor did to me immediately after Ava was born. 

Then we began to think something was wrong with Vaughn or maybe both of us. 

It seemed as though everyone around me was pregnant or announcing a pregnancy, even people in our family which was super hard for me.

Every time I saw a  pregnant women, it was like a slap in the face. Like someone was dangling what I wanted most out in front of me and then ripping it away, saying "no, you can't have this". 

A little dramatic, I know. But it honestly felt like that. Frustrations and disappointment got the better of me and one day I kind of broke down and had a tearful conversation with a good friend who had been through similar but more difficult trials than I. She really helped.

I finally went in to see a doctor about possible infertility even though it hadn't been a year like they make you wait with fertility issues. It was so confusing and depressing to not know why it wasn't happening. 

I can't even imagine what some couples go through who are not able to have their own children and the sorrow that they feel. I've tasted a small bit of that and it's so very painful.

I'm just so grateful to be pregnant right now and that it's even possible. 

Well, winter eventually rolled around and that first week of November is when it finally happened! 

Oh the relief and joy I felt.

 I gotta give some credit to those ovulation tests. They really helped.

 That was a trial that was really hard for me because I wanted this baby so badly.

Looking back I am grateful for how everything has turned out though, it was for a reason.

Sometimes things are sweeter when you have to wait a long time to receive them.

This baby is so wanted and needed.

 I cannot wait to hold her in my arms!

 

28 week appointment

 Had the glucose test and got an awesome 4D ultrasound done.

Baby's face looks so cute, actually a lot like Ava did when we had her 4D ultrasound. 

Baby is measuring in at 2 lbs 11 oz (bigger than I thought!)  head measures at 29.5 weeks.

My midwife said we can schedule the induction date at my 36 week appointment, so just 8 more weeks. That means I will for sure be having this baby at 39 weeks. So grateful that I will never again have to go to 41 weeks!

 Ava is so excited to meet this baby, she talks about it all the time. Too sweet :)

Mid-July seems so close now that it's officially May!

my look-a-like husband

I  have a silly crush on Adam Levine. 

The other day, I realized why. He reminds me so much of my handsome husband. 

And I have a huge crush on my husband :)

 Maybe it's the same body type, or the tenor voice, or the hair, or all of the above.. I dunno there's just something about him and when Vaughn has his glasses off, they look alike. 

He also resembles Topher Grace.

If Adam Levine and Topher Grace had an offspring, it would be Vaughn.

3rd trimester!

I've made it to the final stretch. Officially in the 3rd trimester!

- One word. 

RIBS. 

They are killing me, and I still have 11 weeks to go This can't be good..

- baby is about 2 lbs and 15 inches. According to this, baby is the size of an eggplant this week.

- I just wanna hold this little sweetheart in my arms. I truly cannot wait. 

- I try to exercise on the treadmill a few times a week but lately I get pains in my lower abdomen and have to stop. That's pretty annoying.

- Due to a complication after I had Ava, my midwife said I can be induced up to a week before my due date. Thank goodness. Going a week overdue with Ava was just torture!

- I think I had my first real pregnancy craving over the weekend. Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing at Lee's market. Seriously love their cupcakes. Decided I just had to have them at 8:00 pm on Saturday night so off to the store Ava and I went. Luckily they had six leftover from earlier that day.
 I bought all six.
Oh and Ava LOVES pushing the "baby" carts they have there. So cute.

- Latest baby purchase: the carseat. Did some safety research and got it for a great deal.

-  Just 83 days left! We can't wait!

-

26 weeks!

- baby is moving around sooo much. It's fun :) 

- yesterday and today, i noticed my belly tightening up, like rock hard. It got heavier and pretty uncomfortable but not necessarily painful. weird. i didn't know what was happening so i googled it. Braxton hick contractions. i never had those with Ava so i had no clue what they felt like!
pretty strange. apparently its normal to experience them at this stage in a pregnancy.

- Feeling pretty good honestly, I can't complain. If I sit for too long (like at church for 3 hours) my tailbone will start to hurt. Sleep is getting more difficult. Turning from side to side like 50 times per night.
 Other than that, I feel awesome.

- loving strawberries lately. Ava is too. She and I can eat a whole bowlful everyday.

Weight gain.. somewhere around 13 lbs I believe. I think I'll stop posting that information now.. let's just say I can barely squeeze into my pre-pregnancy jeans. But, that's totally normal and expected :)

- bought an arms reach co-sleeper, really excited about that thing. Ordered a nursing pillow, bought some of those muslin swaddle blankets that will be perfect to wrap up a July baby with.

-I have the glucose test coming up at my next appt. The yucky drink is sitting in the fridge waiting for me.. gross!

Hopefully just 13-14 more weeks until we finally get to meet this sweet baby!

-

Ava's A-line

Ava's hair had gotten so long, we decided to get her a cute shorter cut!

It looks adorable on her. She did so good while the gal cut her hair, just sat there the whole time, didn't cry one bit. We were all shocked at how well she did. I honestly thought she would flip and have a melt down.

Here's before :

(the back had already been cut though)

 

 after:

It turned out so cute on her, she had a good 5 inches cut off!

23 weeks

- Baby is moving around lots!

- We had the big mid point ultrasound a couple weeks ago and everything looks great, baby is healthy.

- Can still wear all my pre-pregnancy clothes. Weight gain: up 9 lbs.

- It's getting difficult to bend over and to get up from sitting positions.

- With April just around the corner, July feels a lot closer now! Can't wait to meet our new baby :)

21 weeks!

 over half way there! 

- Baby is about 11 inches long. Definitely feeling and looking pregnant now. Belly popped out somewhere between 19 and 20 weeks. It's fun now that I'm showing and dont just look like i ate too much :)

 - no cravings, except for a strong love for Natural Vines strawberry (red) licorice. Thee best licorice ever. Alot of stores dont carry the brand but Smiths does. Seriously, though..you may become addicted. It's that good. Thank goodness it's low fat and very low sodium or i would be in trouble.

 - Ava is such a doll. She will pat my belly, get really close and say in a high pitched voice " Hi baby, awww baby". It's pretty darn cute. 

- Total weight gain at 21 weeks: 6 lbs. According to baby center, from now til birth average weight gain is about one lb/week. Hoping to stay on the healthier side and stay around a 25-30 lb weight gain total.

- I can still wear my normal clothes, even my skinny jeans. We'll see how much longer that lasts, ha! 

 - 4 more months until we get to meet our sweet baby. I'm so very happy and excited! Not gonna lie..Pretty nervous for labor and delivery, since i only have Ava's to compare it to.