40 Weeks

40 Weeks

January 22, 2014- January 28, 2014

How Far Along: 40 weeks. FORTY BLESSED WEEKS. We made it! 

Size of Baby: Baby Center estimates her at 7.5 lbs and 20 inches long or the size of a small pumpkin. At my 41 week appointment, they estimated her to be 8 pounds and 21 inches. Please do not grow much more, my precious girl. Although my nurse said these measurements aren't usually accurate. I guess we'll see!

Total Weight Gain: I fluctuate between 27 and 30 pounds. I lost a few pounds this week, so I'm at 27. I just can't eat much anymore.

Maternity Clothes: Oh this makes me laugh. You know you're getting big when most of your shirts don't cover your belly. I've been living in leggings and long sleeved Target shirts. And yes, my outfit in this picture is the very same outfit as my 39 week picture. Ain't no shame in my game.

Gender: Still our sweet sis! These late ultrasounds have just confirmed this fact for us, which has been fun. 

Movement: She's still moving a lot! Her movements are slower, but they're increasing in frequency. Her feet are in my ribs all. the. time. She's still most active at night, which is much like her brother.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well for being 23,421 weeks pregnant. I wake up early and can't fall back asleep, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! 

What I Miss: Being able to sit for long periods of time without having this one nerve in my back that aches like crazy. If a chair or couch is too soft, I get this horrible pain in one spot. It happened with Griffin, too. Eek.

Cravings: I am still craving sugar in the evenings like whoa. I typically like dessert, but lately I need something to satisfy my sweet tooth every single night. I'm afraid I've created a habit for myself! 

Symptoms: I'm tired. I'm achy. I'm uncomfortable. I'm emotional. I'm 40 weeks pregnant and I have alllllll the symptoms. Come out, angel! 

Best Moment of the Week: Obviously, making it to our due date was the best! I can't even believe it! I also got a massage this week which was really lovely, but mostly intended for labor pressure points. Even though it didn't work, it was relaxing and I felt much better afterwards. It was also our last weekend as a little threesome (my parents are here this weekend). We didn't do anything crazy… we played together, read books, watched Bubble Guppies, went to church, walked around Target, ate Chipotle to try to smoke the baby out and some other little things. It was nice to just spend a quiet weekend enjoying each other. I love my boys so much!

39 Weeks

39 Weeks

January 15, 2014- January 21, 2014

How Far Along: 39 weeks

Size of Baby: She's the size of a mini watermelon which is said to be a bit more than 7 pounds and around 20 inches long. All I know is that she doesn't have much more room!

Total Weight Gain: 29 pounds at my weigh in this week. Yahoo!

Maternity Clothes: Yes. I will miss my maternity leggings so very, very much. 

Gender: Girl!

Movement: She moves a lot in the evening. She hangs out on my right side about 85% of the time. I love feeling her little butt press out… it fits perfectly in the palm of my hand! She really shoves it out there. We may need to work on being a little more ladylike when she's born. ;)

Sleep: I'm sleeping well thanks to a half tab of Unisom every night. I feel like a new woman!

What I Miss: I miss being able to get up off the floor without sounding like a dying elephant. It's comical to see and hear, I'm sure.

Cravings: JIF Peanut Butter, straight from the jar. All day, every day. But mostly in the morning!

Symptoms: I'm waddling something fierce. It's the only way I can be assured to keep my balance! 

Best Moment of the Week: Since we thought this might be our last weekend as a trio, we had a family date night at Tom & Chee in Newport. It's a grilled cheese restaurant and it's SO good! We've loved T&C for a long time, but hadn't eaten there recently. I had a Pep & Chee (sourdough, mozzarella, pepperoni and marinara) and creamy tomato soup, Griffin had a standard American cheese and white bread sandwich, and Tyler won the night with a Barbara Blue. It's blueberry compote, ham, and Brie on a GLAZED DONUT. It was incredible and I immediately regretted not getting one myself. He had a cup of the Blue Cheese Chili which was also incredible. Afterwards, we went to the candy store next door and Griffin got to pick out some candy. Then we went home for some popcorn and a viewing of Chuck the Truck. It was a really sweet night with my guys and one I'll think of fondly for a long time. 

We also tried to play in the snow with Griffin earlier that day, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. It was an experience to say the least! 

38 Weeks

38 Weeks

January 8, 2014- January 14, 2014

How Far Along: 38 weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Center says she weighs about 6.8 pounds and is about 19.5 inches long. They say it's the size of a leek, but let's be honest. It's the LENGTH. This child inside me is not the weight of a leek. We had an ultrasound this week to check on some stuff and they estimated her at 6 pounds 13 ounces! Our sweet little peanut. 

Total Weight Gain: 27 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. I love that sweater in my picture; I'd forgotten about it! I'm glad I got at least one more wear out of it. 

Gender: We got confirmation that she is indeed a girl at our ultrasound! We're ready for her!

Movement: I love feeling the big movements that shake my belly from side to side. The miracle of pregnancy will never be lost on me. She is definitely loving to punch my bladder these days though which isn't as fun for mama.

Sleep: I haven't been sleeping well. Not at all. I've been exhausted and irritable. I was mostly just chalking it up to the end of pregnancy, but it turns out I'm iron deficient. I'm hoping the supplements I started taking will help, plus my doctor told me to start taking a Unisom every night. I'm a much better Rachel when I'm well rested. Can I get an amen? I know my husband and my parents are…

What I Miss: Nothing special this week!

Cravings: Sugar at night, peanut butter, and root beer floats. So healthy, right?

Symptoms: I'm just exhausted and Ramotional. Womp womp.

Best Moment of the Week: Hands down, seeing Bubbles on the ultrasound and knowing she's doing fine in there was the best moment. I'm measuring about 3 weeks behind, so they wanted to make sure she was growing and that my fluid was adequate. I'm happy to say that all is well and she looks perfect! I also loved getting a "bonus" ultrasound. The last time we had one with Griffin was at 20 weeks, so this was an unexpected treat. We even got to see her hair, so she's really taking after her brother on that front! I'm so eager to see her precious face in person and not on a television screen!

I also had a Panera dinner date with Griffin that was so fun. I love doing special things with him and I know our days are limited! We chowed down on soup and macaroni and then split a McDonald's hot fudge sundae at home. I love that boy so much. He is my joy!

35 Weeks

35 Weeks
December 18, 2013- December 24, 2013

How Far Along: 35 weeks

Size of Baby: She's over 18 inches and 5 1/4 pounds, although I wouldn't be surprised if she's longer than that. She feels longer! Her fruit/ veggie size comparison this week is a honeydew melon.

Total Weight Gain: I'm up 28 pounds in 35 weeks. It feels like so much more, especially when I'm maneuvering the stairs all day long. 

Maternity Clothes: Absolutely. Attempting to wear non-maternity shirts these days is straight comical. I won't even entertain the thought of regular pants! Like my sweet pajama pants up there? I've been wearing them a lot more than I should admit.

Gender: My little Bubble girl!

Movement: Yes. I can usually predict how she's going to move when I eat or drink certain things. She really goes crazy for ice water and still moves the most in the evening. I think she's a tall girl because she is all up in my ribs, which Griffin really wasn't. She's also been punching me in the bladder more and more which is, as you would think, an oddly unpleasant feeling. But I love feeling her little limbs and thinking that I'm able to identify different body parts!

Sleep: It's super hit or miss these days. I'm having a tough time falling asleep, then I wake up super early. It could be worse!

What I Miss: I would've loved having a glass of wine with all the Christmas food prep that I've been doing over the last few weeks, but that's about it. It's nothing that a Verner's with cranberry juice hasn't been able to fix! 

Cravings: I knew that with Christmas coming, I was going to be having my mom's cheesy potatoes at least once. They are so incredibly good and I haven't stopped thinking about them. I know those leftovers won't last long in my fridge. I'm still craving ice cold water.

Symptoms: Back pain and one night of awful, awful heartburn. I actually thought I might start breathing fire. Spoiler alert: I didn't.

Best Moment of the Week: Last week, Griffin and I spent a few days with my parents in Michigan. I left on Wednesday and he stayed with them, so Tyler and I were kid-free for three days. As much as we missed him, we were able to go out a few times and really enjoy each other's company! On Friday night, we went to a great restaurant called Local 127. I would highly recommend it if you live in the area-- great food and a wonderful atmosphere! We had a leisurely dinner and talked for a long time. I love it when we can spend quality time together like that… especially when we don't have to pay for a sitter AND dinner! 

33 Weeks

33 Weeks
December 4, 2013- December 10, 2013

How Far Along: 33 weeks

Size of Baby: Baby girl weighs a little over 4 pounds and is approaching the 17 inch mark. She's the size of a pineapple, which Griffin would love! He enjoys all of the citrus fruit so very much.

Total Weight Gain: I still think about 25 pounds. I never weigh myself at home. It's my gift to myself.

Maternity Clothes: Of course. I found the dress above when I was pregnant with G and it's just as comfortable as I remember! Leggings are a must, but it does cover my rear end. 

Gender: Baby angel girl! 

Movement: Yes, mostly in the evenings! It's fun to guess what she's doing with her little legs and feet. Such a crazy, amazing feeling! 

Sleep: Great! I will take all the good sleep I can get at this point. 

What I Miss: Maybe just having a wee bit more energy. I'm slow moving these days, both physically and mentally. 

Cravings: This is CRAZY, but I've been craving a certain burger from a local restaurant. I can't even think about other hamburgers, but if you get me a Gordo burger from our neighborhood pub… I will love you forever.

Symptoms: Nothing weird or abnormal. Just pregnancy stuff. Some of it is fine, some of it's gross. I will leave it at that for the comfort of us all.

Best Moment of the Week: My father-in-law came to paint Griffin's big boy room this week and we officially moved G out of his nursery and into his new room! I cannot believe it… three years flew by when I blinked. It was so bittersweet, but mostly sweet. He's so excited about his new room and his big boy bed! He's also excited that his "sissy" will be sleeping in his old room. I'm so proud of how well he's done. My baby is growing up! Just in time for me to have another one, right? 

32 Weeks

32 weeks

November 27, 2013- December 3, 2013

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Size of Baby: She weighs about 3 3/4 pounds which is the size of a large jicama. What in the world is that? She's also about 16.7 inches long… she's running out of room in there! 

Total Weight Gain: I think I'm hovering right around 25 pounds. I could definitely crush a small person.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. All day, every day. Except for that vest that wouldn't zip shut if my life depended on it.

Gender: Girl! 

Movement: She's still a wiggly little thing, but not as much as her brother was. He was a wild man when I was pregnant with him. She's a whole lot calmer in general. 

Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty well! It's nice to be at my parent's house for Thanksgiving because they like getting up with him and letting me sleep in a little bit… that's the only gift I need this holiday season!

What I Miss: This is going to sound cliche, but this is the question I struggle the most with every week. I am truly so thankful to be pregnant and so close to full term. It's hard to really "miss" anything, especially since there's no guarantee that I'll ever be pregnant again. I get pretty sad thinking about that and that's why I really don't feel like I miss much about not being pregnant! Crazy hormones.

Cravings: I try not to eat hot dogs when I'm pregnant, but I've really been craving a coney dog from one of the coney islands in Michigan. The desire gets stronger whenever I'm home. You can bet I'll be going for one during my first post-pregnancy Michigan trip! And no, Cincinnati coneys don't count. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Symptoms: I'm having a lot of heartburn. I had two episodes of it at the most when I was pregnant with Griffin, but it was so bad this past week that I resorted to a spoonful of mustard (a home remedy recommended on the Internet). I had to grab a bottle of Tums Smoothies and they've been my constant companion. There is no rhyme or reason to my heartburn; I haven't noticed it coming on with specific foods. It just hits me when it hits me. Phew! It's no joke.

Best Moment of the Week: We had our pictures taken by our fabulous friend Abby Veldman this week. I'd wanted pictures of our little trio before Bubbles came along and it coincided perfectly with Christmas card season. It was absolutely freezing on the day we did them, so we met at the DIA downtown. I am so, so happy with how they turned out! Abby is incredible and has captured so many important moments in our lives, so it only felt appropriate to have her take photos of our family and the Bubble bump. She's incredible; if you live in the metro Detroit area and need pictures made, she's your girl! These are just a few of my favorites… 

Advent for Families

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings with your families. We spent the week in Michigan with my parents and brother and had the most wonderful time seeing extended family and friends. We ate some amazing food and relaxed and ate some more. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and this year was no exception. I really hope to do a recap on our week, but I'm still trying to post about our trip to Boston last month, so no promises.

Since we're three days into December, we are officially done with all things fall and Thanksgiving and we're on to Christmas! 

I love the Christmas season and everything that goes along with it. We managed to decorate before we left for Michigan so all we have waiting for us is the decorating of the Christmas tree! 

I've always loved Christmas, but I find myself loving it more and more now that I have a child (soon to be children; so crazy!). This year is the first year that Griffin really understands that this is a special season. Any time he sees anything related to the season, he says, "It's Christmas!" His enthusiasm is contagious; I'm loving seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. 

We don't have very many established Christmas traditions yet. We do go to the Festival of Lights at our zoo every year, but that's really it so far. We just met our Elf on the Shelf this morning, but we haven't decided just how we want to utilize him yet. As Griffin continues to get older and we add more kids to our family, I think we'll add different traditions that we look forward to each year. 

One thing that Tyler and I absolutely want to do each year is some sort of Advent experience with our children. We have an Advent calendar that we have hanging in our kitchen that we'll do with Griffin this year, but it's definitely our desire that he know why we celebrate Christmas… that it's not about the toys or Santa, but about the fact that Jesus came to earth as a baby to save us from our sinful nature. 

Crossroads is a church here in Cincinnati and their Kids' Club ministry has put together a wonderful Advent online experience this year! Each day, a new activity is unlocked that you can do with your kids to celebrate the wonder of the Christmas season. I love that it's truly a virtual Advent calendar and that each activity is unlocked daily-- no skipping ahead!

There are so many wonderful activities that are a part of this website! There are discussion questions and verses for each day followed up with an activity. Some examples are making a family Christmas music playlist, driving around to look at lights, and making a Christmas feast as a family. 

You can view the activity for December 1 here. Like I said before, there are verses that correspond and a link that will allow them to pop up directly on your screen. It really is a wonderful Advent experience for a busy family during a busy season! 

I really hope you'll take a look each day and see for yourself. I pray that this is the start of a wonderful Christmas season for you and your family!