{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! 

{Thirty-Six Weeks}

Time is flying...absolutely flying! We're so close to the end...and I just cannot believe it!

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!

Dress/Cardigan/Sandals

{Weekly updates will be about the previous week...so I'm currently 37 weeks}

Before I go any further, I know a lot of you were wondering about his positioning and all that jazz...AND...he's head down and ready to go! Hopefully he stays that way! Woo hoo! I'll give more info in a second so keep reading! 

Weight Gain...I honestly have no clue. I just told them not to tell me unless they're worried. They don't seem to be worried, but people are constantly stopping me and asking how far along I am, and when I tell them, they always say "man I bet you've only gained like 10 lbs"...and then I laugh hysterically. I'm thinking I'll be on the upper end of weight gain by the end. Oops. But oh well! I can lose weight...I know that deal. Grow baby grow! 

Cravings...I wanted a vanilla and chocolate swirled soft serve ice cream SO bad after my doctors appointment this week...and I got it! So flippin' delicious! And now I swear I could have a soft serve cone like three times a day. Ice chips just aren't cutting it. 

Wedding Rings...Still off. At this point I don't think I could get it on if I tried. My fingers are just puffy enough to make it tight. But I have a Pandora ring that I got for Christmas that is taking it's place nicely! 

Swelling...Not really. Definitely not enough to notice by look. My feet may be a tiny bit because my Rainbow Sandals are a little tight. And I TOTALLY forgot about the amazingness that are Yellow Box flip flops! I was introduced to them when I was at school in Birmingham because they sell them at a department store called Belk that we don't have in Cincinnati. But one day it was like a ton of bricks and I immediately went on Amazon and bought myself a pair! Holy comfy! They run true to size and I couldn't recommend them enough! 

Belly Button...In still, but still super soft and getting flatter. It's kind of cracking me up how soft it it. And it's dark, but still in. 

Sleeping Situation...I've been falling asleep well, but waking up around 3 am every morning and not being able to get back to sleep. Pinterest helps immensely! And then I will wake up around 6:30 if I'm lucky! But I offset it with a nap every single day. I get home from school, typically don't even take my shoes off, curl up on the couch, and I'm out in about 3 minutes. So I get a good two hour nap almost everyday and I don't even feel a tiny bit bad about it!

Overall Feeling...Really flippin' good! My hip/sciatic pain is still there, but not bad enough to make it hard to walk. I don't feel like I'm waddling yet, and I'm still able to get on the ground with my kiddos! So that's a big thumbs up. It is getting hard picking up things off the ground, and maneuvering around the bump is pretty hilarious. Shaving my legs...laughable. But really, I feel amazing and hope it stays that way for the next few weeks!

Exercising...non-existent and it makes my heart hurt! I cannot wait to get a nice, sweaty workout in once I'm cleared. I would love to walk around the neighborhood, but we're afraid to get me too far away from home because I get this crazy not-fun ligament pain in my side. I need to/should be doing squats and push ups against the wall and all that jazz...but it just isn't happening. Maybe this week? Probably not. 

Excited About...Going on our hospital tour in a few days! We kind of waited until the last minute on this one, but I'm excited to see with my own eyes what we're looking at as far as delivery/recovery rooms. Plus it just means a night spent with Wendel...and I'm a big fan of nights spent with my favorite man. 

Anxious About...Going back to the doctors. Last week he was down and we want to keep him that way! So I plan on doing lots of chillin' on all fours and letting gravity do it's work! They will also check to see if I'm dilated at all. I was closed last week, so some progress would be amazing, but I wouldn't be upset if I was still closed. Remember...I'd LOVE to go late so I can make it to my class' graduation on the 14th, so I'm good to go as long as he's happy and comfy!

Most Exciting Thing This Week...Knowing that he is head down and that our dream of a vaginal {and unmedicated} birth is still in the running! We also had a fabulously productive/fun weekend which is always my favorite kind of weekend!

Current House Project...Shelves for a wall in Austen's room to house the billions of books he has been gifted! And I'm working on designing some shelving for our linen and coat closet.

And there you have it friends! Have a fabulous Monday!

Also here's another snap from the 36th week...that bump is just so darn round and cute! And it looks so much bigger in some outfits! It's kind of crazy! I could do without my growing chubbster legs and puffy cheeks...but we can't always get what we want, right :) !

{Wendel's Birth Week}

Wendel's birth week is always one of my favorite weeks of the year! And thankfully, it wasn't freezing this year! Thank.God! 

You probably would think that I started this whole birth week craziness...but Wendel was actually the creator behind this fun tradition! He started it our first year of marriage and we've kept it up since. Some years we're better than others, but we always take time to celebrate all week! Can't wait to start this tradition with our kids! 

You can see our previous years of Wendel's birth week here, and here.

And my birth weeks here, here, and here.

We needed to work on projects during Wendel's birth week, so we didn't do amazingly fun things every night, but I tried to do something special for him everyday! 

To start the week off, we enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous day walking a 3 mile walk for heart disease and stroke awareness. One of our dear friends had a stroke last year {just a few months before welcoming his son into the world} and it's been a crazy year of tests and and healing for him! It's been amazing to watch, and we were thrilled to walk with him, his wife,their precious son, and more friends! 

 Saint Patrick's Day hit during birth week, so I made Wendel a little rainbow of Guiness with a  pot of gold. Dorky...yes...happy husband...you bet! 

That evening, for dinner, we made green pancakes with lucky charms! So nutritious and amazing! 

One morning, I brought Wendel a special breakfast treat! Chick Fil A makes the day sooooo much better, am I right?

After birthing class on Tuesday, we stopped off and got Wendel's very favorite guilty pleasure...Taco Bell. He was a super happy man! 

Friday was Wendel's annual pizza and bourbon night. It's his favorite night of the year. He's a simple man! 

I always do a blind bourbon flight where Wendel can taste test and guess which bourbons are his favorites. Woodford pretty much always wins. Every single year. 

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early so I could get my make up done for our maternity pictures and our couples shower that evening. It's always such a treat to get my make up done! 

Wendel walked down to Findlay Market and got me my favorite...nutella crepes from Taste of Belgium! Yum! 

Then we had our couples baby shower that evening...but more on that soon! 

Sunday, we headed downtown with Wendel's family for our favorite dinner at Palamino. 

Love these people a lot! 

And that ends birth week! I think it was a good one...but I have a feeling next year will beat it. Austen is probably going to make everything a tad more exciting...I'm just guessing. 

This weekend I'm taking my niece for a day of hair and makeup for her LAST prom! How in the world is that possible? We've also got some projects were finishing up, and Wendel is planning on mulching! We're having our house painted soon, so the outside of our house is getting quite the little face lift!

I'll be back on Monday with a recap of our 36th week of pregnancy!

Have a fabulous and safe weekend!