Sunday Fun

Sundays are always one of my favorite days because most Sundays Justin doesn't have to work the whole day. Today was a one of the best days I can remember. It reminded me how much I love our family.

There was nothing too exciting about today and it actually started off kind of rocky with Avery waking up for the day at 3:30am. Once we got in a groove we had a great day full of every day things that really made me appreciate the life we have. Justin mowed the lawns, we hung a new swing for Avery, jumped on the trampoline, BBQed for dinner and just enjoyed our time as a family of 3.

Soon there will be 4 and I can only imagine how much her being here will increase our love and happiness.

38 weeks!

How far along? 38 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +33 -- Yikes!
Maternity clothes? I wish it made sense to buy some more maternity yoga pants, but with less than 2 weeks left I can't justify it. Sadsies.
Stretch marks? ... What are these?  
Sleep? We are getting there!
Best moment this week? We got to see baby girl on the ultrasound last week. She is head down and ready to go.  
Movement: She has slowed down and lowered the intensity because she is running out of room in there!
Food cravings: Anything chocolatey. Mmmm!
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? She is moving down and getting into position.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
What I miss? Being able to keep up with Avery and snuggle her really close.
What I am looking forward to? Having this little girl and bringing her home to our family.
Weekly wisdom: Eat your donuts without guilt..

Jump, jump, jump... jump around!

For Easter Avery got the usual basket with trinkets and some candy... and a full-sized trampoline! Okay, she would have gotten the trampoline holiday or not, but it just happens that we bought it and put it together on Easter weekend.

The original idea was that we needed something that would be able to keep her contained, entertained and at home for when her new sister arrives and mommy doesn't feel up to getting us all out of the house. So far it looks like this will do the trick.

These are just some of the highlights from our first few days with the trampoline. 

37 weeks!

How far along? 37 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +31 -- Yikes!
Maternity clothes? Even maternity clothes that fit are getting hard to come by.
Stretch marks? ......  
Sleep? Has been better the last couple days.
Best moment this week? Nothing exciting is going on here lately.  
Movement: She is crazy busy.
Food cravings: Nothing really. I am just hungry all the time.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Contractions are pretty constant. We'll see how my appointment goes today.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
What I miss? Being able to keep up with Avery.
What I am looking forward to? Meeting her.
Weekly wisdom: Sometimes you do whatever it takes.

36 weeks!

How far along? 36 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +31 -- Yikes!
Maternity clothes? I only have a few non-maternity shirts left that will fit. (<-- see photo) 
Stretch marks? Next question please.  
Sleep? Is interrupted by both the need to pee and Avery's need to climb into bed with us at 4-5am. The latter is preferable to the getting up every hour.
Best moment this week? Nothing exciting is going on here lately.  
Movement: Still moving as much as always.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular, but I am more hungry lately.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? I have still been having contractions, but nothing exciting.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
What I miss? Laying on my belly, carrying Avery, snuggling with her to read a book, standing up without feeling like I need an inhaler and being able to walk more than 10 steps without my leg falling asleep.
What I am looking forward to? Having this baby and seeing what she is going to look like. Also, not being pregnant for a while.
Weekly wisdom: Sometimes you do whatever it takes.

Movies!

We took Avery to the movies a couple of weeks ago to see Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. I had heard it was a good movie to start with because of the animation and singing, so I thought we would be good. Wrong. We went right after naptime to avoid falling asleep or grumpiness, but instead we got hyperactive Avery and ended up leaving 45 minutes into the movie.

I think she will eventually like the movies because she seemed interested in the concept, but too antsy to appreciate it. We did get some cute pictures when she was sitting still though.

35 Weeks!

How far along? 35 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +27
Maternity clothes? I love my maternity yoga pants. 
Stretch marks? I hate them.  
Sleep? Avery is getting better, but my sleep is not improving. Better start getting used to it.
Best moment this week? Becoming an auntie! I am so excited for my sister.  
Movement: Still a little wiggle worm.
Food cravings: Nothing really lately.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? I was in labor and delivery on Sunday night for contractions that were 2 minutes apart. I had to get a shot to get them to slow down and I have been having them sporadically for the last few days. She needs to stay put a little bit longer, but I highly doubt I will make it to my due date.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
What I miss? Letting Avery sit on my lap and snuggle close in.
What I am looking forward to? Meeting her!
Weekly wisdom: Don't over do it.

34 weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +27
Maternity clothes? Gotta love them. 
Stretch marks? I give up counting.  
Sleep? Was great until last night. Let's hope to get back on the wagon tonight.
Best moment this week? We got the newborn clothes all put away.  
Movement: She is a mover and a shaker.
Food cravings: Any crappy food.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Just a few false contractions here and there.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
What I miss? Walking without pain.
What I am looking forward to? Finishing some projects before she arrives.
Weekly wisdom: You can't be everywhere or everything to everyone all the time

Some things never change

33 Weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +25
Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Even some of those are starting to get a little snug. 
Stretch marks? I give up. Even my belly button has stretch marks.  
Sleep? We have gotten in quite a rhythm. Yay!
Best moment this week? We ordered the new glider on Saturday and we are going to pick it up today!  
Movement: She sure likes to stick her elbows out like she's doing the chicken dance.
Food cravings: Slurpees. Just like with Avery.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Nope.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
What I miss? Getting around easily and being able to snuggle Avery in close.
What I am looking forward to? Finishing the girls' room and the rest of the house.
Weekly wisdom: Take everything one day at a time.

32 Weeks!

How far along? 32 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +25 (yikes!)
Maternity clothes? You can't gain 25lbs and not be in maternity clothes. 
Stretch marks? Apparently the pain I have been having is literally my skin stretching little by little. Ouch.  
Sleep? We are making progress, but we have had some setbacks.
Best moment this week? We moved the crib mattress up to newborn height so we are officially preparing. Better late than never, I suppose.  
Movement: She sure likes to stick her elbows out like she's doing the chicken dance.
Food cravings: Still carb-loading.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Nope.
Belly button in or out? Yea out. Officially.
What I miss? Lots of things, but I miss laying on the floor reading books with Avery.
What I am looking forward to? Meeting this little one.
Weekly wisdom: "Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway". - Eleanor Roosevelt

Parenting

With Dr. Seuss day rapidly approaching I have been seeing lots of quotes floating around the internet. I came across this one on Pinterest and it really struck me. This is exactly how I see my parenting style and it is perfect.

Big Girl

 My first born is getting so big. She is almost 19 months old and looks about 3. Her hair is actually long enough for a little ponytail and she looks so darn cute.

Pee pee

I'll spare you a TMI photo but I am so proud of my girl! She pee peed in the potty for the first time ever tonight.
We have been putting her on the potty any time she asked and before her bath and tonight she stool up, squealed with delight and pointed proudly at her accomplishment.
We both did a happy dance.

31 weeks!

How far along? 31 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +20
Maternity clothes? Yes. 
Stretch marks? I plead the 5th?  
Sleep? It's getting better!
Best moment this week? Avery slept in her room the whole night twice in a row this week.  
Movement: Seems to be more intense lately.
Food cravings: Anything fattening which isn't great for my weight gain or gallbladder.
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Not this week.
Belly button in or out? It's basically out all the time.
What I miss? Being able to eat whatever I want without worrying about upsetting my gallbladder.
What I am looking forward to? Getting things set up for this new little one.
Weekly wisdom: Sleep as often as you cans.

Cheese!

Avery is getting to be such a big girl. She loves to eat her meals either standing on her kitchen stool at the bar or in a real chair at the table. Tonight she was very accommodating in letting me take a picture of her during dinner.

30 weeks

How far along? 30 weeks. Holy moly. 30. 30 weeks.
Weight gain/loss: +20 Yikes.
Maternity clothes? Oh yea. 
Stretch marks? What are those?  
Sleep? I love it. Avery does not.
Best moment this week? Whenever you ask her where her sister is Avery loves to give my belly a kiss.  
Movement: She has been break-dancing all over this week.
Food cravings: Thin Mints. I bought 5 boxes this week!
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Just a few Braxton Hicks contractions here and there.
Belly button in or out? It's teetering back and forth.
What I miss? Being able to eat whatever I want without worrying about upsetting my gallbladder.
What I am looking forward to? Getting some of the things we still need before this little one arrives.
Weekly wisdom: Everyone needs a break sometimes.

29 weeks!

How far along? 29 weeks
Weight gain/loss: +15
Maternity clothes? Yep. 
Stretch marks? What are these stretch marks you speak of?  
Sleep? It could be better.
Best moment this week? Avery sleeping all night in her own bed twice.  
Movement: She's been pretty quiet this week, but still moving around..
Food cravings: Thin Mints. They come to store this weekend!
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs? Nothing notable.
Belly button in or out? It's very close to out all the time.
What I miss? Being able to lay on the floor with Avery to read books or play.
What I am looking forward to? Finishing unpacking.
Weekly wisdom: All the aches and pains will be worth it in the end.

28 weeks

How far along? 28 weeks
Weight gain/loss: +15 I keep increasing by 3lbs every 3 weeks. At this rate I will gain only slightly more this time around than I did with Avery. Unfortunately the likelihood that I won't pick up a few extra pounds along the way is slim to none.
Maternity clothes? Oh yea. I love them more and more each day. 
Stretch marks? I'm certain they're there, but I don't look.  
Sleep? Now that we are all moved in Avery has been sleeping better. She only spends about 2-3 hours in bed with us in the morning. I actually really like my baby snuggles, so I don't mind.
Best moment this week? Getting to see my sister last weekend. I wish she was closer because I miss her.  
Movement: Oh yea. She's a little jumping bean.
Food cravings: Taco Bell and chocolate. Luckily not together.
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs? Nothing since recovering from being sick.
Belly button in or out? It teeters back and forth.
What I miss? Being able to get up from my favorite spot on the couch easily.
What I am looking forward to? Getting the nursery all set up for two kids.
Weekly wisdom: One day at a time.

Sisters and cousins

My sister, Amanda, is also pregnant and due 6 weeks before I am. This is her first baby -- a girl too! -- and this weekend she had her baby shower. I was so happy to get to see her and that we got this photo of us (and our bellies!) together. She lives in San Diego, so it's likely the only time we will be together while pregnant. I can't wait to meet my new niece and see Amanda and Mike again. Love you guys!