34 week bumpdate!

Today we reached 34 weeks! I am so excited/anxious/nervous for his arrival in just 6 short weeks. I still have two more baby showers that are in April and I am so ready to celebrate him. We are still seeing the doctor every two weeks until my next appointment at 36 weeks. Then we start going every week and the doctor checks for dilation!


Baby boy is the size of a Butternut Squash and the countdown to his arrival is 42 more days!

• He is measuring up to 18.7 inches and 5.8 pounds
• He's recognizing and reacting to simple songs
• He's urinating about a pint a day
• My amniotic fluid level has probably reached a maximum, but he is still growing, so room is running out in my uterus
• His slippery coat that protects him from the amniotic fluid is starting to fall off, and his immune system keeps getting stronger

"34 weeks"

"The size of his hand compared to a newborn"

 

 

 

Gender: BOY!

 

Weight gain: Overall, 40 pounds

 

Maternity clothes: Are hard to find these days. I usually just wear the same outfits. It's hard to find dresses or really anything that I am comfortable in and fits me well.

 

Stretch marks: Still on my boobs and butt. Thankfully I haven't had any on my tummy! I keep lathering on the lotion. 

 

Belly button in or out: Still in, but holding on for dear life. I feel like it is going to pop out any day now.

 

Sleep: Not the best lately. I usually wake up every two hours until my alarm goes off.

 

Best moment this week: Going to the Doctor and hearing his HB at a strong 142 BPM!

 

Worst moment this week: Don't really have one so far!

 

Miss anything: Being able to wear more than one pair of shoes.

 

Symptoms: Swelling, and back pain from him dropping.
  

Movement: He is moving all over the place (especially at night) and I love watching my belly move. 

 

Cravings: Pasta, Pasta, and more Pasta! I also am loving my apple pie with ice cream.

 

Queasy or sick: Neither, feeling pretty good!

 

Looking forward to: My second baby shower on Saturday and our 36 week appointment!

Life lately

I have been terrible with keeping up this blog lately. It seems that being 33 weeks pregnant, working full time, and going to school full time is really taking its toll on me. Every night when I get home I either crash or do homework. I have had so many wonderful memories that I want to document, but just never get around to doing it. So this post is just an update on what's been going on in the life as a Ward.

• March 14, 2015

I had my first baby shower for Walker! It was such an awesome shower and the decorations were so cute. The theme was mustaches and I'm pretty sure my friend Jamie hit the nail on the head with that one. She had everything mustache and I was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement as soon as I stepped foot in her home. She was such a wonderful hostess and the shower was more than I had hoped for. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from shower!

"Diaper cake"

"Cutest onesie ever"

"Oaks writing Walker a letter"

"Love this man"

"Our soon to be family of three"

"Everyone at the shower"

 

 

• March 15, 2015

My best friend Chandler had her shower for miss EllaRynn! It was fun celebrating her and seeing all things girly! She got so many adorable clothes and accessories for her little girl. I am all about the tiaras and makeup, but I think once my little man gets here it will be all dump trucks and tools to help daddy work on his truck.

"Opening presents"

"Pregnant besties"

• March 16, 2015

Me and my sweet boy hit 32 weeks (sorry for no bumpdate). We are feeling pretty good and momma can't wait to kiss those chubby cheeks!

"32 weeks"

• March 19, 2015

I celebrated my 22nd birthday! I had to go in to work that day, but the girls in my department definitely made it a fun and enjoyable even though I was at the office. They brought me in balloons, a card, and my favorite... APPLIE PIE and ICE CREAM! I was absolutely thrilled because apple pie is my absolute worst craving right now. I need it all the time! That night I went out with my friends from work (Jess & Amanda) and my hubby at Outback for a birthday dinner. Of course I had to get my free dessert :)

"Feelin' 22"

 

• March 21, 2015

I had my first beach day of the year with my sweet husband! The weather was amazing and I got some sun... but just enough to wear I didn't get a sunburn. We walked the beach and the cold water felt so good on my swollen feet. I absolutely loved spending the day with my husband and that night we met up with our good friends, the Ervin's and the soon to be Salter's at Olive Garden for another birthday dinner! Olive Garden is where it's at and I'm obsessed with their Ravioli. This pregnant girl was in heaven. After dinner we all went to the movies to watch Cinderella! I felt bad for Dakota because I knew he cared nothing to see it, but I told him it was my birthday and he actually ended up liking it.

"Now that's a view"

"Eating lunch at Shaggy's"

"Off to birthday dinner numero two"

" My girls"

 

 

• March 23, 2015

Dakota and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary. I saved my birthday PTO for this day and spent the entire day with my handsome groom. We woke up around 9 and I made us some French toast with strawberries on top. We lounged around for a little bit until it was time to leave for our massages. We went to Still Waters downtown and the place is gorgeous. We had our appointment at 12 and they greeted us with robes and some slippers. I had to get the motherhood massage and Dakota got the regular one. It was a couples massage and I was hoping to be in the same room, but they had us in different ones. It was okay though because it was very relaxing and I got to enjoy some me time. I swear that hour goes by way too fast. I felt like she just started and then she was like okay, we are all done! Maybe I fell asleep? Who knows, lol. After the massages Dakota and I headed to one of our favorite sushi places for lunch. It was actually where we went on our first date almost 5 years ago. After getting our sushi on we had to go to Petland and then Water World so Dakota could look at some fish. We had planned on going to dinner that night, but we were both so exhausted that we just got a redbox and ordered some pizza. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. I am so beyond blessed to be with such an amazing man. I could go on and on about how much he means to me and how much I love him. But plain and simple.... I love that man beyond words. Two years being married to him has been nothing short of amazing. I look forward to making more memories with him and can't wait to bring our son into this world. I know he will be an even more amazing father. Happy anniversary, Dakota. I love you!! I just want to reminisce real quick with some wedding photos :)

"The girls"

"The guys"

"first kiss"

"We were nice to each other for the cake part"

"2 years and still give me butterflies"

"& they lived happily ever after"

Ups and Downs of this Weekend

My post is really straight to the point. I had one really good day and one really BAD day this weekend. The worst part is, is that I didn't even see or feel it coming.... If you have a weak stomach don't go past Saturday night!


Friday after work I met my friends Jess & Amanda for a yummy dinner at Olive Garden. Of course as usual I got the Ravioli and it was the BOMB. I seriously crave their Ravioli like you wouldn't believe and I can't wait to go back and get more. It made me the happiest pregnant girl ever when we all decided to eat at the OG a few days prior. I may or may not have counted down the days until Friday @ 5:00. Hey, no judgment here!! The struggle is certainly real and I have an excuse to go back real soon because my birthday is just around the corner! T minus 10 days, people. If you aren't sure what to get me I would LOVE a gift card to get me some pasta! Haha! After dinner, me and Amanda headed over to Target real quick to pick up a few items, but that quickly escalated to adding more items to my registry. We seriously had a blast scanning a million more items. The whole time we were like "ahhhh, that's adorable", or "Walker needs this"! Let's just say this little boy is set! Our first baby Shower is this weekend and I am sooooo dang excited. I can't wait to celebrate him and get a bunch of goodies.

Saturday morning I slept in until about 10 and then got ready to go see Jennifer (my hair lady)! I was super excited for this appointment because I had made it 3 weeks prior and I have been wanting to put blonde back in it. My husband absolutely loves my hair with blonde in it over the spring/summer time. So of course I have to get it done and make his little heart happy. I told him I should just keep it dark brown and he reassured me that dark hair color is for the fall. Lol, I don't know what to do with that man sometimes. My hair appointment was at 12:30 and I didn't get done until about 2:30. Of course Jennifer worked her magic and gave me exactly what I wanted! That woman seriously knows how to work some hair product. Right after my appointment as I was getting in my car Dakota called me and asked if I could bring him some lunch since they were sitting at post for a while. I hurried over to Wendy's and picked us up some food and met him at his work. Of course wouldn't you know as we are eating they get a call. They hadn't had a call in two hours, but the time I get up there in the 30 minutes they get a call and the city starts busting loose with 911 calls. It all worked out though because the call was canceled and get got to come back. I spent a good 45 minutes with him and his partner before they got another call. After leaving Dakotas work I went over to my moms house to help with some baby shower stuff that she is hosting for me in April. We headed over to Office Depot and printed off his invites. Seriously, the cutest invites ever. The theme of the shower is Woodland just like his nursery! That night Dakota and I went to Waffle House for dinner and of course I had to get a waffle (duh) and some yummy hash browns. Going to bed that night I felt completely fine.

"The caramel blondie"

"Hanging out with this hottie of a husband"

"Shower decorations"

"Decorations that my momma did"

 

 

Sunday morning I woke up around 10 again and I felt so crummy. I had plans with my friend Jessica to get some sushi for lunch and do some shopping for Walkers nursery, but I quickly let her know that it was no go. I decided to take a hot shower and see if that would make me feel better. Yeah, not the best idea. I laid back in bed for about 15 minutes feeling super nauseous. Then it hit me. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I NEVER throw up. I haven't thrown up this entire pregnancy. Heck, I haven't puked in like a year. It just kept coming up. After the first episode I went to lay back in bed and tried to drink some water. No go on that!! Back to the bathroom I went. This time I threw up hash browns (won't be eating those again for a good long while). I eventually called my mom because it was getting to the point where I couldn't be alone and I needed someone to have by my side or in the same house at least. Right after I hung up with my mom I ran to the bathroom again and sorry for the TMI, but there was so much that I was exhausted and just sat on the floor. I couldn't even muster up the energy to flush the toilet. My mom came in and found me on the bathroom floor and freaked the hell out. I was so dehydrated and weak that I had to have her help me off the ground so she could take me to her house. Thank god she lives right around the corner because that 5 minute car ride was brutal. She set me up in the living room with some blankets, pillows, and a Gatorade. The whole time she didn't leave my side and held my hair and wiped my face every time I threw up. For some reason my breathing gets really rapid and I can't catch my breath after an episode and I start to hyperventilate. Every time she helped me control my breathing and I thank God for that woman because I probably would have passed out. Dakota was able to leave work and he came straight to my mommas house. He gave me topical Zofran that I rubbed on my wrists and it helped for about two hours. Then all of a sudden I started having contractions and had a sharp pain in my lower pack and in my stomach. I knew it was contractions because my tummy got really tight and it hurt like hell. I would have a contraction after every episode. After the last time I threw up I told Dakota that we needed to go to the hospital ASAP. I was in such bad shape and was barely holding on. No color in my face, completely wiped out from being so tired, and in so much pain. We went to Labor & Delivery and they took me right away. We got a little room and immediately they told me I didn't look good at all ultimately gave me three bags of fluid. I threw up so much liquid at the hospital and immediately felt better once my body sucked all the IV fluids. The contractions went away after the second bag of fluid and she had me do one more because my urine sample tested that I desperately needed it. The only bad part to this was that I couldn't drink anything or eat ICE for the rest of the night. I can't tell you how dry my mouth was. I would have paid someone $50 for a bottle of water.... seriously. Finally, they let me go around 11:30. Dakota took me home and put me in bed. I wasn't very nauseous, but I did for some reason have really bad restless legs. I just couldn't stop moving them. Eventually I just passed out and I woke up drenched in sweat. I don't know if it was food poisoning or I caught a stomach bug. Whatever the case, I am just so glad that I feel much better now and that Walker is okay. They had a monitor on him the whole time and his heart was beating hard and he was moving all around. It certainly was a peace of mind to know that he was okay and that he wasn't stressed out or dehydrated like I was.

"The nasty hand IV"

"First of three bags"

Monday morning, Dakota had me get in the shower and made me some toast. I had not had anything to eat since Saturday night and my body was hungry. Of course I didn't eat both pieces because I was afraid of throwing it back up... but I have kept everything down today. I am still really weak, but feeling much better. I have been snuggling with my Willow and sweet husband watching movies and found some energy to get some laundry done. Tomorrow I am back at work even though I think I need one more day to myself. If everyone could say a little prayer for me I would really appreciate it! I really hope that this upcoming weekend is nothing like yesterday. This momma has too much stuff to do!

"Eating pancakes while I ate my dry toast"

"Such cuties!"

 

30 week bumpdate!!

I can't believe that I am in my last 10 weeks of pregnancy. Where has the time gone? I can't wait to meet my little man, but I know he needs to stay and cook a little longer. I also had my 30 week checkup yesterday and everything looks good! Walker is healthy and measuring 2 weeks ahead as usual and momma is doing good too (minus the constant swelling). I am now seeing my doctor every 2 weeks instead of 3! We are getting so close!!!!

"30 weeks and ready to start celebrating this little guy"

Baby boy is the size of a summer cantaloupe and the countdown to his arrival is 69 more days! EEK!

• Little man is measuring up to 16.7 inches and 3.8 pounds
• His skin is getting smoother
• His brain is getting wrinklier (to make way for all that essential brain tissue)
• He's now strong enough to grasp a finger (AWWWWW)
• He is shedding his fur and is putting on fat at a rapid pace now that we are inching closer to delivery day

"Can't wait to hold his sweet little hand"

Gender: All boy!

 

Weight gain: Only gained 3 pounds from my last appointment.

 

Maternity clothes: Are very frustrating. I am in between large and XL and it's hard to find clothes that actually fits in all the right places.

 

Stretch marks: On my butt & boobs. 

 

Belly button in or out: Still in :)

 

Sleep: What's sleep? I haven't had a good nights rest in a while. He must be training me for when he gets here.

 

Best moment this week: It wasn't this week, but when we saw our little guy on the big screen. I can't believe how much he looks like his daddy. My heart literally melted.

 

Worst moment this week: Not really a worst moment, but lack of sleep is getting really old.

 

Miss anything: Being able to wear cute shoes! Haha, nothing fits these fat feet.

 

Symptoms: Swelling, itchy tummy, shortness of breath, and unable to get comfortable. Other than that I feel fine!
  

Movement: Oh yes! His favorite time to kick mommy is at night :) 

 

Cravings: Pasta, Sushi, and APPLE PIE!!! Oh my goodness... I about died the other day because I didn't have any apple pie. Luckily my mother in law picked me up some and vanilla ice cream ;)

 

Queasy or sick: Neither!

 

Looking forward to: My first baby shower on the 14th! So excited to celebrate my son with my friends.  

A weekend full of babies!

Once again I have been MIA. I have just been so busy lately with school, work, and getting settled in our home. Also, on top of that being pregnant is just exhausting. I did have an amazing weekend though full of love, smiles, laughs, and BABIES and hopefully this post will make up for my absence.


Friday afternoon Dakota and I had some friends over for a bonfire! We still had a lot of stuff to burn from the move like boxes, old doors, and cabinets. We ordered pizza and made some yummy S'mores and hot chocolate. The fire was super hot and felt so good against the windy chill in the air. It was such a good time hanging out with our group of friends and catching up with the girls. We stayed up really late and really lost track of time. Everyone left around 11:30 and once my head hit the pillow Dakota said I was snoring like an old man. Lol, I was exhausted and had to get up early for our little guy's big debut.

"The guys eating pizza"

"Bonfire & hot chocolate"

"Burning an old door"

Saturday morning I woke up to my alarm clock which usually I don't do... but in this case I was so excited to hear my alarm. It was time to get up and see our baby boy on the big screen! We had scheduled his 3D ultrasound a month before and I had been counting down the days until I got to see his adorable little face. We left the house at 8:30 and were the only ones there with the owner who was doing my ultrasound. She is seriously the sweetest person and I love that the room is so calming and very personal. Once she put that warm jelly on my belly Walker was dancing up a storm. He would not stay still for anything, but that's okay because I love an active baby. I believe it might have something to do with my Cocoa pebbles in the morning, but I would like to think that he was just excited for mommy and daddy to see him. Once we saw his adorable little face I almost lost it. I was just in awe in how much he has grown and how much he looks like his daddy! Yes, my son looks just like his daddy and Dakota was over the moon about it and hasn't let me forget it. Once he got a clear picture of Walker his eyes lit up and he immediately smiled from ear to ear. Everything about him screams little Dakota and I couldn't be more excited. He was moving so much that it was hard to get pictures of him, but that's because he is also breach. Breach babies have a harder time of keeping still for pictures because they have so much room to move around. She told me not to worry though and that he would turn on his own, but that I would totally feel it. Yikes... not looking forward to that pain. He certainly is a big baby and I could just eat his little cheeks up. I can't wait to meet my little guy and seeing him made me that more impatient. God sure has blessed us big time and I could never thank him enough for this wonderful blessing.

"My sweet baby boy"

"Look at those adorable cheeks"

"I hate that it's blurry, but I can't get enough of his little button nose"

After we saw him for about an hour we headed out with our CD & DVD and ran some errands. Of course the first thing I had to do was print some pictures out to give to my two mommas (which they absolutely loved). After we ran our errands we met my family for lunch at Red Lobster. I'm not usually a fan of that place, but their shrimp was amazing. It must be a pregnancy thing because I have never liked that place! We didn't get done with lunch until 3 and had to hurry home to get changed and make it to my sister in laws gender reveal that was at 4:00! We were a little late, but that's okay because the balloon picker upper was late too! Good thing we didn't miss anything because it was a really special moment for the parents and really for the family. This whole time I have been telling her that it's a girl! I called it from the day she told me she was pregnant. I was so happy and excited to see pink confetti pop out of that balloon and I'm even more excited that Walker has a cousin to play and grow up with. He might have to play with Barbies and dress up every now and then, but hey.. it's totally worth it when she plays with his trucks and play tools. That night we hung out at the party and chatted with everyone and ate yummy hamburgers. It was seriously an amazing day and flew by way too quick.

 

"It's a girl"

"Her reaction was priceless"

"Can't wait for these cousins to meet"

 

Sunday morning Dakota and I went to visit a church we had never been to before. When we arrived me immediately ran into my aunt Michelle and sat with them the entire service. We really enjoyed ourselves and will be going back the next Sunday that Dakota has off. After service my aunt and uncle invited us out to lunch. It was a good time catching up with them because I don't see them that often. After lunch we headed home and I did mountains of laundry while Dakota unpacked some more things for the house. Around 6:00 Ben, Chan, and Josh came over to work on a final exam together. I made Spaghetti for dinner and after we all sat in the living room looking up answers for one another. All three of us had to take the exam and we didn't get done until 11:00! To say I was exhausted was an understatement. It was worth it though because we all passed the test and passed the class. Thank goodness because Financial Management was not my strong point whatsoever. I'm sooooooooo happy I don't have to worry about it ever again. Now I have two more classes to tackle that start on the 5th and then one more after that. I have to remind myself that I am so close!! Just a few more months and I will get my Bachelor's degree!

"Working on our final"

"Willow letting me know it's getting late, lol"

Well now that I have written a novel I think it's safe to say I made up for my lack of postings last week! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and I'll see you tomorrow for my 30 week bumpdate!!! I can't believe I have 10 weeks left. This momma is gettin' anxious.