{Thirty-Nine and Forty Weeks}

Even though our little man is here, I still wanted to document this last week of being pregnant. To be honest, this picture was taken the day that I went into labor...so really I was super close to 40 weeks....but close enough, right?

If you're interested in the rest of my updates, here is our first trimester breakdown, here is our second trimester breakdown, here is the first part of the third trimester breakdown, and here is the thirty-five week update, here is the thirty-six week update, here is the thirty-seven week update, and here is the thirty-eight week update!

Weight Gain...They didn't weigh me at the hospital, so I have no clue what my final weight gain ended up being but I think it was near the 35-40 pound mark. I seriously cannot wait to start working out again, but I'm not worrying too much about my diet because I'm struggling to eat enough to keep this little man fed! 

Cravings...I wasn't really craving anything that last week...craving a baby out of my belly and the ability to lay on my back again! 

Wedding Rings...So very off and I still can't get them on again. My knuckles are just too big...so seriously praying that goes down or I'll have to get it re-sized...dun dun dun. 

Swelling...Oh my gracious..all of the things were swollen! Legs, ankles, feet, face, hands...yuck! 

Belly Button...It finally started to pop out a tiny bit. I didn't even really notice it until I was walking about the hospital having contractions. 

Sleeping Situation...Terrible. Three hours at a time...maybe.

Overall Feeling...Large and in charge and ready to pop this baby out!

Exercising...Haha...nope.

Excited About...Meeting the little man!

Anxious About...When this is all happening.

Most Exciting Thing This Week...Maybe meeting the little man this week!

Current House Project...Planting some flowers in pots and deep cleaning.

And just because...here's a forty week pregnant picture...with the little man.

Lelia still puffy and super sleepy but so so happy!

And there you have it! Forty weeks of pregnancy documented! Let the baby snuggles begin!

And just because...we're THOSE parents...hand motions were all him...he's pretty awesome. 

{Austen Bradley: The Birth Story}

This is the story of our 39 hour journey to bring our son into the world. It was the single hardest and most incredible thing I have ever done! 

I'm warning you...this is long! But I didn't want to forget any detail, so feel free to skim! 

Let's do this! 

Friday May 8th started out like any Friday morning for me. I have Friday's off, so  I woke up, had breakfast, got ready for the day, and ran a few errands. I was getting pretty darn uncomfortable and was thinking I wouldn't be too upset to go into labor any day now.

I actually put this picture on Instagram wondering if this would be my last Friday pregnant...I swear I knew it was happening soon!

I texted my mom and sister to see if they wanted to do one last ladies lunch and to see if my mom wanted to get a mani and pedi. We met at our favorite Mexican restaurant, my mom and I ran a bunch of last minute errands, and then we got a mani and pedi. The entire day, I kept thinking "dang I'm so uncomfortable" and kept saying "I swear any bump in the road makes me feel like I could go into labor!" That evening we met up with some friends for dinner at a Hibachi Grill {this was a major goal to get to...I reallllly wanted some yummy hibachi} and on the way home I told Wendel that either I was having some random cramping, or I was having contractions. By the time I got home, I was pretty sure something was starting. 

When we got home, I took my makeup off, got comfortable, and started thinking "could this really be IT?" 

I called my mom and told her to be prepared in case we were ready to go {she was going to be our labor coach since she was a labor and delivery nurse for many years and had my brother and I naturally} and Wendel and I sat tight not knowing what to expect. 

We started timing our contractions around 10:00 pm using the app Free Term and within an hour or two we were having contractions 5 minutes apart lasting for a least a minute and that went on for a few hours. This is the timing in which our doctor told us to call them, so I called the doctor and told her I was having contractions...they were this far apart...but they weren't unbearable. She told me to hang tight, keep breathing through the contractions, and let her know if they got much more intense. 

We didn't really sleep that night. I was having contractions every five minutes consistently, and by the morning I was having trouble feeling Austen move around and was getting nervous. I called the doctor, and she sent me in for a stress test to see how Austen was handling the contractions. I reminded her that we wanted to go natural, and we wanted to labor at home, but I wanted some peace of mind to make sure Austen was okay and to see how far I had progressed. 

So my mom, Wendel and I headed to the hospital. They checked me and I was only 2 cm dilated, but 80% effaced. They monitored him and my contractions for a while and saw that he was doing great. My doctor wanted me to walk around the hospital for an hour and then they would check me again to see if I would progress. So Wendel and I walked through the halls of the hospital {freaking out many a pregnant woman going on hospital tours} breathing through and laughing through contractions. I was trying to keep my humor about the experience and keep things light hearted. When we got back after an hour of walking, I hadn't progressed at all {what the heck} so our nurse decided to discharge me. She went natural with all of her children and she was adamant that I go home and labor as long as possible or the chances of me getting medication would go up. So we did as she told us, drove through Frisch's for some vegetable soup and a grilled cheese sandwich and prayed I could get some sleep. 

When we got home, I crashed hard on the couch, stuffed the grilled cheese down my throat, and tried to sleep. I would wake up every 5-10 minutes and have a contraction. Wendel laid right by my side, timed my contractions, held my hand, and reminded me to breath. At this point I was TIRED and really wondering if I could do this. I was able to get a few hours {on and off} of sleep, and was feeling pretty good but ready to get this thing progressing.

It's funny how I really thought I would be good about letting people know what was going on. We tried to update close friends and family about the progress, but I was SO far from caring about the world around me. I was just trying to focus on what we had learned in our classes and putting those things in to place to get labor going in the right direction.

My mom stopped by around dinner time with Subway and I forced myself to eat half a 6 inch sub just so I had something to give me some energy to keep on going. When we realized I was still far away from go time, she left, and I got a nice warm bath. I was SO comfortable soaking, but unfortunately, the contractions would stop while I was in the bathtub. So I only got in the tub when I needed a good rest. In reality, I wanted to get this thing going, so I didn't want to stop the contractions...I wanted to keep them going.

I had a nice loop in our house that I would walk and around 10:00 in the evening, I started getting WEEPY! How could I do this? Will I like him? {yes...I was that sleep deprived and irrational} What if I couldn't go natural? What if he turned and I would have to have a C-section? What if we got to the hospital and I was still 2 cm?

Wendel was a flippin' saint! He let me speak my fears, validated that I was not crazy, and loved me like crazy. He did just what I needed, when I needed it, and I'm SO thankful for him!

We decided to get the heating pad out, and have me lay down so I could try to get some sleep.

This is when things got more intense. I had contractions every 3-4 minutes all throughout the night, and sometimes I would have no break in-between. I was trying to contract quietly so Wendel could get some sleep. I figured one of us needed to get sleep.

Finally at 3:00 am on our due date {May 10th...Mother's Day} I had had enough, woke Wendel up, called the doctor, and told her I needed to come in.

We packed up, picked up my mom, and headed to the hospital knowing that I was NOT going to leave there without a baby. No matter what...this baby was making his entrance in the next day or so.

We got checked in and I was 4 cm {wasn't thrilled about that one but they insisted that going from 0-4 cm was much harder than going from 4-10 cm...who knows if that's right or not} and  90% effaced. They got my IV going, and wheeled me to my room.

Our first nurse was SO young, but she was great! We were only with her for a few hours, and then our nurse that would be there the rest of the time, Annie, came on around 7:00 am. She was phenomenal!

I contracted, and contracted, and contracted for a LONG flippin' time. Annie was great about helping me get into different positions and giving me tips on how to get this thing going. I wanted things to keep rolling, but I knew that with each change in position, the contractions would get more intense. And again...I just didn't know how long it would take.

They had literally everything we would ever need! They had heated blankets, headed socks, balls, dim-able lights, and the list goes on. We brought some of my favorite lotion for Wendel to give me foot rubs, a heating pad, but the HUGE life saver was the mini-fan we brought. Towards the end I was SO incredibly hot and that thing was amazing! So thankful we brought it!

We put a movie on {Identity Thief} and I watched it on and off in between contractions. I slightly remember watching some of it, but it really is a blur. My mom and Wendel said they were trying to hold back laughing because the movie was funny, but they knew I was in pain.

Our doctor on call, Dr. Horn, was making her rounds and Annie told me she would be in soon.

I immediately told Wendel and my mom that if I hadn't made any progress, I wanted an epidural. I was exhausted and didn't know how much longer I could go. Alex just listened, but my mom said "Lelia...you'll be just fine. You've gone so far...you don't need an epidural!"

Ugh.

Dr. Horn came in and double checked that I still wanted to go natural. She told us that if I hadn't made much progress, that it just may not be in the cards for me. But with much excitement, she said "Lelia...you're 6 cm and almost fully effaced...you're a great candidate for natural...let's do this!"

Dr. Horn broke my water, and Annie looked in my eyes and said "Lelia...do you want to go natural?" I very reluctantly said "Yes...I think so" and she said "Okay...no more epidural talk...we're going to do this!"

She immediately had me get on my knees, leaning on the back of the bed. And WOW...the contractions got INTENSE...FAST! Within maybe 20 minutes I felt the intense pressure to push and was begging them to let me start pushing!

Annie got me in position and told me Dr. Horn was on the recovery floor and would be back down soon, but we've got some pushing to do.

She had me start doing three pushes each for 10 seconds on each contraction I had. My mom and Alex held my legs and Alex was AMAZING at counting and supporting me.

This may be TMI, but it wasn't until Annie brought a mirror out for me to see that I could really focus on what I was doing. Once we saw Austen's hair it started getting real. But I kept thinking "how in the WORLD was I going to get him out?" But seeing his head more and more gave me the motivation I needed.

The best tip Annie gave me was that when I pushed, and his head started getting more pronounced, I needed to hold it there because his head kept going back under my pubic bone. That direction was EXACTLY what I needed.

Dr. Horn finally got down to our room and Annie said she was going to watch me push to see how close I was. Annie also said "Dr. Horn is a yeller...it's all super encouraging and works, but don't feel like she's yelling at you. It's to keep you motivated" Right when I was about to contract again and start pushing, Dr. Horn got a call and had to answer it. NO! I wanted her to see how flippin' awesome of a pusher I was {hehe} and tell me let's get this baby out!

A few minutes later she was back, watched me push, and said I was ready! She did some perineal massaging and in minutes there were three more people in the room getting everything set up and ready to go!

Then everyone left and I was like wait...no...come back! I want this baby out!

But a few minutes later, some bright lights were put on and Dr. Horn said "let's have this baby!"

My mom moved behind me, Annie grabbed my camera, and Wendel stayed by my side.

One of the last things I remember is the nurse asking if I wanted to do skin-to-skin right away, and I immediately started ripping off my gown to expose my skin. YES...I wanted that baby boy on me, right away!

I also let the nurse know that I wanted to breastfeed as soon as possible and we wanted to delay cord cutting until the placenta had finished pulsing.

I almost feel like I blacked out a little during those last few pushes, because I don't remember it much, but I remember Dr. Horn yelling, Alex counting, and before I knew it , at 12:50 pm, Austen Bradley Wendel was on my chest screaming away!

We had done it! Alex and I had brought a living, breathing, perfect being into the world. Together! In the perfect way we wanted to!

They cleaned him off a bit, and got him all nuzzled into my chest with a warm blanket on top of him. The warmth and sweetness radiating from that little boy was incredible.

I started talking to him telling him "Happy Birthday Austen Bradley" and he calmed down immediately. I was the voice he had been hearing the past nine months. And I will never get over how calm he gets when he hears my voice! He opened up his eyes, was raising his little head, and everything was calm and still. Nothing else was happening around us...well lots was happening...but we didn't notice. We had done it. 39 hours of labor...and he was HERE! He was ours!

Dr. Horn gave Alex the scissors and said okay cut the cord and I reminded her that we wanted to delay that for a bit, and she was so sad that she hadn't gotten that memo because she had already clamped it. She apologized and we couldn't have cared less! He was here, healthy, cut that cord and let me continue snuggling my baby!

They gave us some time to snuggle him {NO clue how long} and took him to be weighed. Everyone was saying "he's a BIG boy...what are your guesses?" I guess 8 lbs 8 oz, Alex guessed 8 lbs, but much to our surprise I was carrying an 8 lb. 11 oz. BIG boy in my belly!

Sometime during that I delivered the placenta and had a few stitches {no episiotomy...thank God!} Alex even turned around at one point was like "oh my gosh...that's already over with?"

In the mean time, Annie brought in a turkey sandwich and peanut butter and graham crackers. My mom fed it to me and NOTHING has tasted better! Oh my word...it was the best thing ever! I was starving!

They brought Austen back to me all warm and cozy in a blanket and I got to feed him for the first time. I laid him on my chest, and let him find his way and he did it. All by himself. He dove right down and fed for quite a while. Literally every single one of my dreams were coming true!

Our family was waiting in the waiting room, but we decided to take some time as a family of three. My mom went and waited with them in the waiting area, and Alex and I had time while I fed him. I don't remember those moments too much. I think they said it was about an hour or so. I truly don't remember. Time was very still during those first moments.

They gave him his first shot, and his eye treatment, and very soon after, our family came in SO excited to meet our little {well...big} man!

When they came in, he had just finished feeding, so Alex was the first one to hold him. Their first father/son time and it was precious to watch! Austen was passed around and everyone Oooed and Ahhed over him.

The following hours were perfect! We couldn't believe he came...on his due date...in the most perfect way!

He had sweet, chubby cheeks, dark blue eyes, lots of dark hair, and was absolutely perfect! 

A few hours later we were whisked off to our recovery room and we were blessed with the best nurses to help us in those first few hours of being parents! I thankfully was feeling great! I got a shower a few hours after birth {something I had been wanting since about 6 am during labor..."I just want to take a shower so bad" was a phrase I repeated quite often} and I really was doing great! He was a feeding champ, and all of our classes and reading was paying off! 

We kept getting people coming in saying "so you're the one who went natural"...evidently it's not very typical. But I'll be honest...I was PROUD every time someone reminded me of that. I wanted to go natural so badly, and I pushed through and did it! Now I 100% understand why you would have an epidural! Wow baby...it's tough stuff. But for myself, I was thankful I was able to do it! 

Falling asleep to this sight was extremely surreal! He was in my belly just a few hours earlier, and here he was! A healthy, living, breathing, eating, pooping little baby boy. Our baby boy! 

We did a lot of staring that evening. And watching movies. They had LOTS of awesome movies! 

The next day, we were on a mission to get out of there! I was feeling awesome, Austen was eating great, and we were ready to be home. So they squeezed everything in, and we were headed home around 6:00 that evening! 

It was thunder-storming on our way home, but this little boy slept all snuggly on his way home. 

We forgot to get the little infant insert for the car seat, so I held his head the entire way home and woof...I just couldn't stop staring at those cheeks and lips! So sweet!

Wendel's parents helped us bring everything home, got us dinner, and then we were off to bed, at home, for the first time as a little family. 

I was a little nervous...could we do this? Feed him throughout the night and get sleep and me not be a crying emotional mess? But man he is great! He wakes up three times a night, eats, poops, and goes back to sleep. Pretty easy and normal baby-like. 

We're in love! Just to think that last Mother's Day, I was nervous about our future with children. We had been struggling with infertility for well over a year, and didn't know what the future would hold. If only I knew on that day, that a year to the day, we would be welcoming this little precious life into the world...I probably wouldn't have believed it! It's insane, and we feel so blessed! 

Thank you for the prayers, the excitement, and the love over our journey! We are so thankful for each of you! 

{Frozen Meals For Days}

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I did a HUGE evening of prepping frozen meals so we could be ready for our little man to arrive! 

I'll be honest, I was skeptical and overwhelmed by the whole ordeal. But, it was on my to-do list and I REALLY wanted to mark it off. SO...I figured I'll take a stab at it. What can go wrong?

I had originally e-mailed Wendel's parents and my mom to come and help, but the night before I was so not prepared {like hadn't been to the grocery yet} that I just told them we'll be fine and do it on our own.

Wendel was busy doing projects around the house and mowing the yard, so I was flying solo on this. If I had help it would go much faster! My mother-in-law will kill me when she reads this because she totally would have come and helped, but I hated to take her away from her evening. Sorry Fayzie. 

But I did this alone, 9 months pregnant, in 4 hours.

You can do this! 

My body HATED me afterwards, and I think I have a freakish stamina, but I did it!  

I got the idea from this blog post I found on Pinterest. I have NO earthly idea how she did this for $100. Mine came in right under $200 and I used a LOT of coupons and went on a week that I knew meat was on sale. But hey...we were still excited about getting under $200. 

And you know what, now that I look at her list, I did like double the recipes...so that would make sense that it was double the cost. 

Anyhoo...

In her post, she offers her cookbook for free...it's a download! 

Super duper easy to download and print off! 

So go...download it...print if off! Now! 

Then I just picked a few that looked good to me, and let Wendel be the final decider. 

Here's what we ended up making and the amount the we got out of the recipe:

-Easy French Dip Sandwiches: 1 gallon sized zip-lock bag

-Pork Street Tacos: 1 gallon sized zip-lock bag

-Summer Chicken Chili: 3 gallon sized zip-lock bags

-Pasta e' Fagioli Soup: 3 gallon sized zip-lock bags

-Old Fashioned Meatloaf: 2 loaf pans

-Spaghetti & Italian Meatballs {just the meatballs though}: Around 45 meatballs

-Easy Beef and Cheese Enchiladas: 2 9x13 pans

-Black Bean Enchiladas: 3 9x13 pans

-Stuffed Shells {not in the cookbook...recipe here...it's one of our favorites}: 2 9x13 pans

- English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches {not in the cookbook}: 8 sandwiches 

After school I went and got all of my materials...here was my shopping list: 

{I think that me organizing my shopping list was key! Wendel did have to run and get me more pans, but I upped the numbers on this list so you should be good to go if you follow this list!}

Shopping List For Our Freezer Meal Extravaganza

Produce:

Onions: 7

Carrots: 1 bag {this was for the meatballs...I didn't use them...

Garlic: new jar

Parsley

Spinach: 1 bag

Zucchini: 6 small

Meat/Canned Goods:

Lean Ground Beef: 3 lbs

Ground Turkey: 3 lbs

Beef Roast: 3-4 lbs

Pork Chop/Roast: 3-5 lbs

Chicken: 1 lb

Italian Sausage: 1 lb

Refried Beans: 4 cans

Black beans: 2 can

White beans: 2 {15 oz} cans

Pinto beans: 1 can

Kidney beans: 1 can

Corn: 1 can

Seasoning:

Steak Seasoning

Bullion Cubes

Au Ju Sauce Packets {to use later when you eat the French Dip subs}

Salsa- 3 jars

Green Chili Enchilada Sauce- 3 jars

Red Enchilada Sauce- 2 jars

Green Chilies- 3 cans

Diced tomatoes: 3 {15 oz} cans

Chicken broth: 4 cups + 14 oz

Tomato sauce- 3 jars

Italian Bread Crumbs- 1 jar

Dairy:

Cream Cheese:  1 block

Shredded Cheese: 3 bags

Eggs: dozen

Parmesan cheese: 2 cups

Mozzarella: 2 cups

Cottage Cheese: 16 oz

Riccota: 15 oz

Bread:

Tortillas- 4 bags

Pasta for soup: small tiny tube pasta

Shells

Randomness:

Ziplock baggies- gallon size and sandwich size {for sauces}

9x13 pans-8 or so

Loaf pans: 2

Like I said, that came out to about $200

I did get an extra jar of a few things just because I knew we would use them eventually and can't remember if I actually used them. So I got an extra pasta sauce and jar of salsa. Just an FYI. 

Then I came home, organized everything on our counters...and the feeling of "oh goodness...what have I gotten myself into" set in!

But I put my big girl pants on...and got to work!

This is the order in which I did everything:

1. Put meat for french dip sandwiches and pork tacos in the crock pots {stole a crock pot from my mom} to get that started. I put it on high and it was cooked in about 4 hours 

2. Get the two soups started, which involved lots of cutting and browning and stirring. This probably took about an hour on it's own. 

3. Made the meatloaf and meatballs and put the meatballs in the freezer so they would start getting cold so I could package them into serving sizes. 

4. Made the beef and cheese enchiladas which consisted of browning some meat and then assembling the enchiladas in 9x13 pans. I poured the enchilada sauce in sandwich zip-lock bags and laid them on top of the enchiladas before putting the top on the pan. Before I bake them, I'll top the enchiladas with the sauce. 

5. Made the black bean enchiladas which just consisted of putting everything in a bowl, heating it up, and then assembling the enchiladas in 9x13 pans. I poured the enchilada sauce in sandwich zip-lock bags and laid them on top of the enchiladas before putting the top on the pan. Before I bake them, I'll top the enchiladas with the sauce. 

6. Boiled the water for the shells and made the cheese mixture while they were cooking. Then stuffed the shells laying them into 9x13 pans {with pasta sauce on the bottom} and topped them with the cheesy sauce from the recipe. Then put the lids on them and they were good to go! 

7. I used an egg cooker to cook my eight eggs {it does four at a time} and assembled my sandwiches which consisted of a toasted English muffin, slice of American cheese, two pieces of Canadian bacon, and the cooked egg. Then I wrapped them in wax paper and wrapped that in foil to keep the freezer burn away. 

8. Got the meatballs out of the freezer and put 9 of them into sandwich sized zip-lock bags so we can just defrost a small bag for a meal for Wendel and I. 

9. Shred the meat in the crock pot and put them into gallon sized zip-lock bags. 

10. Then I made labels for everything reminding me what temperature to bake them/for how long and used packing tape to secure them down on the lids. 

11. Took a nice long bubble bath followed by a long massage from Wendel 

And that's about it! 

I'm eager to try some more recipes, and taste these once we're finished with people bringing meals to us! We also plan on doing lots of easy grilling this summer, which will be awesome! 

So there you go!

Big time happy face, and big time swollen feet were involved in the end!

I hope that was helpful! 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

{Thirty-Eight Weeks}

As of today, I am less than a week away from our due date! It's absolutely insane!

At my 38 week appointment, I got checked and wasn't dilated at all. Which for me, is a good thing! But you better believe that on the 14th, around noon {after graduation} I will be walking up a storm trying to get this whole process started!

The belly is getting HEAVY and my legs and feet hurt bad by the end of the day! I'm for sure doing more than I should, and am on my feet WAY more than I should be, but I'm almost there!

If you're interested in the rest of my updates, here is our first trimester breakdown, here is our second trimester breakdown, here is the first part of the third trimester breakdown, and here is the thirty-five week update!

So this outfit isn't super cute, but it is kind of what I'm wearing lately. Stretchy capris, a shirt and some form of a jean vest/cardigan in case I get cool.

{Weekly updates will be about the previous week...so I'm currently 39 weeks}

Weight Gain...I honestly didn't pay attention this week but I think it's still at about 30 pounds. 

Cravings...No real cravings this week. The soft serve ice cream craving went away. Probably water...I can't get enough water, but that's been a whole pregnancy kind of thing. 

Wedding Rings...Man with the heat this weekend that ring is not going on. But my Pandora ring is still holding strong! 

Swelling...My feet and calves have officially started swelling...for real. I feel like my toes are swollen. It's crazy. It's definitely not as bad as some, so I won't complain but I only have a few shoe options now, so I'm glad I'm to my final weeks! 

Belly Button...Flat as a pancake, but it hasn't popped out. Still thinking it will stay flat, but you never know! 

Sleeping Situation...I'm sleeping in three hour stretches great. And without fail, I wake up needing to go to the bathroom and then have a tough time getting back to sleep. Thank God for Pinterest. It helps to get me back to sleep! But I'm taking good three hour naps pretty much everyday, which is helpful. It's just getting me ready for those feedings every three hours or so!

Overall Feeling...Good, but I'm getting more and more tired. We were going to go and see a movie on Saturday night {mind you after a three hour nap} and after dinner, I just knew I wouldn't make it. My feet  are really starting to hurt and I can feel the swelling. And in the mornings, my back and hip are killing me. Once I get up and start moving, I'm good to go, but until then I'm a bit crotchety.

Exercising...Ha...hilarious. I'm honestly trying not to exercise too much because that induces labor. I did do a good bit of walking on Saturday and I felt pretty good, but that ligament pain really gets me. Like every single time. Annoying! 

Excited About...The amazing weather and getting our pool opened. We realized that if we waited until after the baby comes, it might be June before we get it finished. And since it's going to be so warm this week, we're going to bite the bullet and open up! Woo hoo! It will be amazing for my hot swollen feel this week!

Anxious About...The heat...I like it cool so I'm hoping I don't get too too hot in the next few weeks.

Most Exciting Thing This Week...We're meeting some friends at a hibachi grill on Friday night and I LOVE hibachi grills. Praying I make it there!

Current House Project...Touching up our deck and getting the pool opened!

For more up to date pictures and information about the Little Man's arrival, make sure you're following me on Instagram. I'll probably post there first {and my personal Facebook page} so be sure to follow along if your curious in the next few weeks!

Also, I'll be doing a fun little post on how I did a whole bunch of freezer meals this Wednesday. I posted a picture on Instagram, and got so many questions about it, that I worked up a quick post about that. So be on the lookout for it on Wednesday!

Happy Monday! 

{Thirty-Seven Weeks}

So I'm currently thirty-eight weeks pregnant. Two weeks to go...what the what?

The past few weeks have FLOWN by and I seriously cannot believe he could come at any moment!

Flippin' Nuts!

If you're interested in the rest of my updates, here is our first trimester breakdown, here is our second trimester breakdown, here is the first part of the third trimester breakdown, here is the thirty-five week update, and here is the thirty-six week update!

And sorry...it's long again. I get quite chatty during these weekly updates :)

{Weekly updates will be about the previous week...so I'm currently 38 weeks}

Weight Gain...I think it's about 30 lbs. based off of last week's weigh in but I'm not positive what my starting weight was. BUT I had gained some weight {like 15 lbs...oops} in the two years of trying to get pregnant. All about honesty here people. So I have a feeling I'll have about 50 lbs to loose to get down to my goal which was my wedding weight. Isn't that insane! That sounds like a TON, but I'll loose a bunch of it {God willing} in the first few weeks/months just from {hopefully} breastfeeding. And I'm planning on doing the 21 day fix and a round of P90x. I know how to lose weight, so I'm not concerned. Like I've said in weeks past, I'm not freaking out about my weight gain. I feel great, my clothes fit great {other than my jeans which make me feel like a stuffed sausage} and I'm just trying to not be nutso right now.

Funny story! So when we went in for our first doctors appointment, the doctor said "okay so try to keep your weight gain at about 10-15 lbs. And I literally almost laughed thinking she was joking! Didn't even know that was possible. I mean, the baby, placenta, fluids, umbilical cord all weigh about that much. And then a woman in our birthing class said she had only gained 7 lbs. So yeah...I'm just not one of those lucky ladies. Eh...I'm having a baby, and I will eat ice cream, and I will eat Penn Station {mmmmm} and I will eat pizza. And I'll probably eat it after too.

Okay...enough of that. 

Cravings...Still soft serve ice cream but I only think I got it once this week. Shocking, right? But now that I say that...I'm thinking of a way to go and get some. 

Wedding Rings...Ya'll it's a miracle! It will go on again! Woo hoo! Angels singing! But I'm still afraid to wear it out and about with a completely irrational fear that it will get stuck and they'll have to cut my finger off in order to retrieve it. So for now, my Pandora ring is doing it's job beautifully. 

Swelling...My feel have begun to swell a bit. Not terribly, but I can tell they are a little puffy. People keep telling me I'll be amazed a few days/weeks after birth how much smaller things will get from water weight and all that jazz. I'm praying that's the case because I just bought my dream pair of summery sandals after saving gift cards since my birthday and waiting for a sale and CANNOT wait to put those suckers on. But alas...I must wait! 

Belly Button...It's for sure flat now. No "in-nage" at all! I still can't imagine it popping out, but you never know! 

Sleeping Situation...It was actually MUCH better this week! Except for one night. I had a bit of a cold one evening and could not stop clearing my throat and felt bad for Wendel. So I went and slept on the couch and that was a BAD decision! I could not get back to sleep and kept waking up because robbers were obviously there because they knew I was sleeping on the couch. Anyhoo...I've been trying to stop drinking water in around 8:00 so I'm not peeing 400 times. And I think I have found a position to sleep in that really helps support my back. So woo hoo for that!

Overall Feeling...Pretty flippin' fantastic. People keep asking me if I feel miserable, and I almost feel bad saying no. I have lots of energy, I'm walking just fine, and I'm really not that nervous/anxious. Just excited to see when this whole shindig will go down!

Exercising...Haha...not happening. Whenever I start to walk for a long distance I get that side ligament pain. So naps and cleaning/organizing for me. 

Excited About...My brother coming into town with about 20 of his friends from San Francisco this weekend! It's his birthday weekend, and they are going to the derby. It should be fun to host them and meet some new people! Hopefully Austen stays put until they're headed back! Oooo and we're having all of the white on our house painted and new gutters installed this week! Woo hoo! 

Anxious About...Really nothing. I guess just all of the un-knowns but that is also what is intriguing to me.

Most Exciting Thing This Week...We had a really awesome weekend! We got to relax, grill out, and chill on Friday. On Saturday we got a few small projects finished and then headed to my 4 y/o niece's dance recital which was the most precious thing I've ever witnessed! Then we had dinner at Brio afterwards, which...hello...lobster bisque...can't go wrong there! And Sunday we did church, a big Sam's run, got some projects finished/started, and then had dinner with Wendel's family. It was a pretty fantastic weekend!

Current House Project...Installing paneling in the basement bathroom. It's not a huge project, but something we've been wanting to do for a long time! My mom is staying with us next weekend while my brother and his friends take over her house, so we wanted to get that finished so she can enjoy the pretty bathroom! Plus it's just one more thing checked off our to-do list! Woo hoo!

Have a fabulous week! 

{Showering This Baby}

Just a warning...this is a long one...with LOTS of pictures! 

But for documenting sake...I just couldn't cut any out! 

We were blessed to have three wonderful showers thrown for us! 

Our first shower was a couples shower hosted by Alex's mom and sister. 

It was just the most precious and sweet shower for a little boy! 

The details were to die for!

I'm a lover of balloons...big time! So this massive balloon that greeted us got me all giddy!

A wall of balloons...hello!

The little trucks were Wendel's when he was little! They were all over the place holding things perfectly!

Stripey straws...they are a must!

Hello...a little red wagon holding water bottles...can it get any cuter?

There were about sixty or so people at the shower...yes...60! So we didn't really do games. But this was the perfect competitive game to play during the time. My niece and nephew got pretty into it...but I'm pretty sure they were straight up stealing them in the end. 

The men got to take home a cigar and the ladies got to take home chocolate!

Another truck holding utensils...again...the details!

A pair of Wendel's shoes made an appearance! The cutest little feet! 

I really wanted to get group shots, but by the time people started arriving, it got crazy, and never did. Which makes me so sad! I wanted pictures with all the different groups there, but oh well! Coulda, shoulda, woulda, I'll learn my lesson sometime! 

Our second shower was a sweet little tea party with my side of the family! It was dainty, and fancy, and perfect!

My mom got out all of the fancy glass dishes and made all of my favorite tea treats! 

My mom did teas with me all growing up! I played tea as a child, and had my own tiny tea set. 

Now my mom has carried that tradition with our nieces.

We actually quite regularly have fancy tea parties, so it was special to do a tea party...even if it was in honor of a little boy. 

And I hate to tell him, but I have a strong feeling he'll be forced by two precious little girls to have tea parties with them. Hopefully Charlie can break him loose every now and then! 

And because why not...a mirror shot while I was snapping photos before people arrived! 

My sister-in-law had these adorable and delicious cookies made as party favors! 

All individually boxed and precious! 

Mad I didn't get the cookie out of the box and take a cuter picture...but oh well!

And I learned my lesson {thanks to my sister-in-law for reminding me} and we got group pictures! 

This is my mom's side of the family! I was so thankful for everyone who came because none of them are in the area. All of these sweet ladies drove over an hour for this shower, and I was so incredibly honored they did! 

These are some of my mom's friends and have watched me grow up since I was in my madre's womb! They are sweet, kind, and I was so thankful they came! 

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came too! So happy they came to partake in the fun!

I wanted a picture with my "moms" and Lily and Mae neeeeeeded to be in the picture...so here they are!

And with my sisters! My brother's wife, Jodi on the left, my sister Laura, and Wendel's sister, Andi on the right!

And my nieces! The most precious "little" women in my life! And yes...that's my niece and she's graduating from high school this year and I could just die!

And I had to include a few snapshots from the day!

These little girls are too excited about "THEIR baby Austen" and I have a feeling he is going to be fought over once or twice, but he is one blessed little boy to have these cuties fighting over him! 

Getting a shot with these cuties is getting harder and harder!

But they sure are cuties! 

I literally HATE pictures of me opening presents...they're so awkward, but I HAD to share this one! 

Wendel's mom has been pulling out all of his baby clothes and this little ditty TOOK THE CAKE!

Ya'll...that would be a purple, leopard print, baby, SPEEDO!

I could have died! 

These perfectly sum up my reactions to this precious gift...

And because I know you're curious...here's a picture of the speedo in action. Which in reality, was just a diaper cover-up, but I'm still calling it a speedo...because that's funnier. 

Yes, there's a matching leopard shirt that goes with it. And his sister had a similar bathing suit to match...also...isn't she just precious? And poor Wendel is just trying to sit up for dear life! 

Our last shower was a book shower with the staff of my school! 

It was such a blast seeing the incredible books that teachers picked out! 

Austen has quite the library! 

This is the only picture I got {except for the lovely "me opening presents and looking atrocious pictures" that my sweet assistant took...thanks Renee} but I'm so thankful for this picture. 

Many of you may know, but I'm SO thrilled to be staying home with Austen next year. I'm so honored and feel blessed to get to be a stay-at-home mama, but I am going to MISS these ladies and my job! It's been such a joy!

It blows my mind that in just two years, I'll be walking Austen up to Bluebird to be taught by these ladies! And he will be one blessed little boy to have them in his life! 

And with that, we're ready! We were blessed beyond belief with sweet gifts, books, and mementos, and cannot wait to get Austen here to enjoy everything! 

Let the waiting begin!