Baby Update: 39 Weeks

Sitting on my yoga ball for comfort

Almost to the finish line...but who knows when we'll actually finish.  I feel so good to be this far along in my pregnancy, with minimal discomforts and symptoms!  Although this stretch seems like it will never end, we know that our little one will come when she's ready and in God's perfect timing.  I can't be pregnant forever!!  This afternoon we have a doctor's appointment so we will hear about our progress.  I will update this post after we get home from the doctor.

UPDATE:  We just got back from the dr's office.  I am dilated 4 cm, 80% effaced, and baby is at station 0!!!  We couldn't be happier with this great news!  The doctor thinks it will be within the next few days.  We'll see if she's right:-)
Pregnancy Highlights:


How Far Along: 3rd trimester, 9 months, 39 Weeks, 7 days until due date!

Size of baby: The books say she is just over 7 pounds, and measures around 20 inches (like a small watermelon)

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing maternity shirts that I was convinced I would never fit in!  LOL!

Gender: It's a girl!!! Her name is a surprise.

Movement: I've noticed she gets more active at night around 7 pm... our little night owl!  I feel her hiccup after I eat.  I can also feel a sucking motion down where her head is- my little thumb sucker!

Sleep: Last night I slept wonderfully!!!!  I only got up once or twice!

What I miss: I can't wait to have a glass on Sangria this summer.

Cravings: Sweets!  Last night we had the instant microwave brownie with strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries on top.  I normally don't like desserts like that but it totally hit the spot!!

Symptoms: My growing belly! A little over 43 inches below my belly button.
She dropped again (I will be so surprised if our doctor says she is at the same station as last week!)  I had "show" last Friday and noticed that I haven't had any heartburn since. Crampiness at times with more BH contractions.  Mild low backpain with the BH.  I can't wait to have the real contractions start.

Best Moment this week: Going to the Good Friday service with my hubby at CCC.  The baby was SO SO SO active during the Good Friday service that I couldn't even stand during worship.  She is so low I feel like she's going to fall out when she's so active.  My little firecracker!!  Josh's parents came over for an early Easter brunch on Saturday.  We decorated eggs and ate a wonderful brunch that his dad made.  Easter morning we attended church and then had my parents and Katie over for brunch.  It was a wonderful weekend spent with family!

Baby Update: 38 Weeks

Holy Cow!  I can't believe I'm this far along! Yesterday we had a doctor's appointment and it went great!  Doctor said she has a beautiful steady heartbeat in the 140s.  I am still dilated 2 cm, 80% effaced, and she dropped to 0 station.  The doctor's prediction is that my labor will be relatively short- 12 hours or less once I start feeling strong contractions.  I'll take it!  How awesome would that be?

Pregnancy Highlights:


How Far Along: 3rd trimester, 9 months, 38 Weeks, 14 days until due date!

Size of baby: The books say she is just about 6.8 pounds, and measures 19  1/2 inches (like a leek)

Maternity Clothes: Yes! I am wearing hand-me-downs from my cousin and friends
Gender: It's a girl!!! Her name is a surprise.

Movement: She continues to jab and poke my right side:-) She does what Tiggers do best!

Sleep: I've been getting up a lot in the middle of the night.  Guess I'm just preparing for when she's here!  I'm thankful for being able to take naps during the day.

What I miss: Bending over, running up the stairs, sleeping on my tummy

Cravings: Graham crackers with peanut butter and a glass of milk!!!  I could literally eat a whole box in one sitting. I haven't, but it would be so easy to do!

Symptoms: My growing belly! A little over 43 inches around my waist just below my belly button. My gums bleed and hands have gotten slightly swollen so I wear my rings on a necklace. A lot of pelvic pressure since I am carrying her so low.  There are a few others but I would never mention them on here. Ha!Ha!

Best Moment this week: Going out on sponateous date nights with Josh.  Last Friday we went to Famous Dave's.  Every week we think it will be our last date night.  We're stocking up now on dates before she comes! 

Couponing...not so extreme yet

Any extreme couponers out there?  I'm a couponer wanna-be & need help in this area!!!  My friend Courtney has explained all the ins & outs of how it works, now I just need to put it into practice and most likely spend my whole Saturday in the store.  I've realized after my grocery shopping trip today that my processing skills are very slow...even with Josh there to help!

 I love a great deal and saving money... especially on clothes, home decor, and food!  But in the food department I need help!  Josh and I went to Jewel today on our way home from church.  Normally we shop at Woodman's or Wal-mart but with gas prices soaring at $4.28 in some places around here we decided to stop by the closest grocery store near church, which just so happens to be Jewel.  

So anyways, we get to Jewel and see that they are having some deals.  Buy 2 Colgate toothpaste for $5 and get a dozen eggs free.  Toothpaste was on our list so I was happy. (At this point I was starting to feel like a real couponer...exciting!) But I wanted to make sure I got the best bang for my buck so I made sure to get the most ounces as accepted with the coupon.  Then while standing there debating over which Colgate toothpaste would be the best (there are so many options... did you see "Ellen" on Friday???) I see a manufacturers coupon sitting on the shelf for Colgate toothpaste- save $1.50.  (This is when I decide I'm going to be just like all those extreme couponers and save me some money by using both the instore coupon and the manufacturers coupon!! And there were two coupons sitting there so Josh and I could even check out separately to get a really good deal... now that's pretty extreme.) After many minutes of debate in my mind I choose the right toothpaste and then put it in the cart.  I high-five my hubby because I'm so excited about this deal, just to realize that the manufacturers coupon expired YESTERDAY!!!  So needless to say, my couponing needs help. But hey, we still got a dozen eggs free (which I'm not sure was even really worth it because they were $1.50 for a dozen and around Easter they should be a lot cheaper.  But anyways, we got them free.)

This week I need to get a newspaper and figure all this couponing out so I know what I'm doing.  But my time is limited as this baby is coming soon!!!

Baby Update: 37 Weeks

FULL TERM Baby!!!  That's right!  Or should I say 37 weeks and one day?  Hey everyday counts, right?We are praising God for getting us to this point in the pregnancy!   We are so absolutely excited and anxiously are wondering when she'll come.  I feel great for being this far along.  I always thought I'd feel a lot more miserable but I feel really good.  God has really blessed me with a great pregnancy & has really taken care of our little one!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 3rd trimester, 9 months, 37 Weeks, ~21 days until due date!

Size of baby: The books say she is 6  1/3 pounds, and measures a little more than 19 inches (like the stalk of Swiss chard)

Maternity Clothes: Yes! I am wearing hand-me-downs from my cousin and friends!

Gender: It's a girl!!! Her name is a surprise.

Movement: She continues to jab and poke my right side:-)  She does what Tiggers do best!

Sleep: Last night I slept so great, waking up only twice and then I felt right back to sleep.  Thank God for nights like that.  I know I won't have any like that once she's here.

What I miss: Bending over, running up the stairs, sleeping on my tummy

Cravings: Hmmm, I can't really think of too many this week.  I think my stomach has shrunk!

Symptoms: My growing belly! 43 inches around my waist just below my belly button. My gums bleed and hands have gotten slightly swollen so I wear my rings on a necklace.  There are a few others but I would never mention them on here. Ha!Ha!

Best Moment this week: The beautiful 80+ degrees weather we had last weekend!!  And hearing great news from our doctor about how nicely I'm progressing.  Josh and I have also taken total advantage of our freedom and spontaneous dates!!  Last weekend we went out to dinner, breakfast the next morning, and then lunch later that day..... something we hardly ever do!  We also got the rest of our much-needed items off of our registry and that was a lot of fun.

Special Delivery!

Yesterday I was sewing for my little one..

this girl is not allowed to be caught in any plain white onesies...

So I've been busy dolling them up!

And then I hear the door bell ring.  Always a good sign when you see the mail lady outside your window. 

Guess what is inside this package??? 

                                                            



                                                             Some of my cloth diapers!!!!

It's the little things in life that make it special!

I'm very eager to start cloth diapering and saving money & waste.

  All CDing tips are welcome!!

Nesting for My Baby Bird

We had our 37 week appointment today and everything looks great!  In fact we are progressing very nicely.  I am 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced!  She is currently at -1 station.  I can't believe that within one week I went from 0% effaced to 80%!!!  Makes me wonder... when will she be here?  In a week or two?  Or will she like her residency in my tummy and stay there until May? 

My hubby has been a huge help getting everything ready for her arrival!  He loaded up the van with her carseat, blankie, our suitcase, and my favorite accessory... the Boppy pillow.  We are all set to go, with some dry snacks packed for labor too.  We even bought our yoga ball for early labor.  Do you think we are crazy?  Well, last week after our false alarm water breaking... we realized how unprepared we actually were.  We had just gotten back from grocery shopping, we didn't know where anything was, the van was a mess & still had DJ speakers in it from earlier in the week, crockpot on the counter cooking dinner, we literally threw the carseat in...needless to say it was stressful.  I am totally the type of person who needs her ducks in a row, so now I feel as prepared as we'll ever be & hopefully a lot less stressed.

So, little bird...when will you be ready?  Our Heavenly Father already knows your birthday & I take great joy in that.  So until then, we continue to wait for you to be ready and trust in God!

Singing to our girl

Have you ever heard of the group Go Fish?  They are an accapella group of three guys that sing catchy Christian songs.  One of their hits is called "You're My Little Girl". 

It's a song from God's perspective about how great His love is for this little girl He created.  Josh sings it to our little girl & said he wants to sing it to her every night once she's born. 

Isn't that sweet? 

What songs do you sing to your little ones?

Baby Update: 36 Weeks

Today I am 9 months pregnant!!!! That makes me 36 weeks with just 28 days until my due date! We had a doctor's appointment on Monday and found out that I am one cm dilated and my cervix has is still long. Yesterday night, Josh and I went grocery shopping and when we came home I thought my water broke! I called the doctor and they told me to come in to test me to see if it was my water. Josh quickly put away the groceries and we made sure we got the suitcase in the car. After four different tests, the doctor said that my water did not break yet, just the result of a 6 pound baby resting right on my bladder. How embarrassing!! We did get an ultrasound to make sure amniotic fluid levels are normal. No I am not trying to create "drama" just to see my little girl.... although it is a very nice bonus! Because she was testing the fluid levels we only quickly got to see her face, and I missed it! I was looking at her tummy because she was hiccupping. Josh saw her face and said it almost looked 3-D. He said she is absolutely beautiful! I'm so glad he saw her face since I'm the one that gets to feel her move all day every day.






Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 3rd trimester, 9 months, 36 Weeks, ~28 days to go!

Size of baby: She is 6 pounds, like a crenshaw melon, and is more than 18 1/2 inches long!

Maternity Clothes: Yes! I am wearing hand-me-downs from my cousin and friends!

Gender: It's a girl!!! Her name is a surprise.

Movement: She continues to jab and poke my right side:-)

Sleep: I wake up many times but I can't complain I get a good amount of sleep every night!!! The last two nights I had strange dreams... my hubby got arrested one night. Last night I had a dream that my mom got arrested! How weird is that? What does that mean that the two closest people to me got arrested in my dreams?

What I miss: Shopping and running/ walking with Charlie!!
Cravings: I'm still craving sweets, but also sub sandwiches with mustard and mayo and tons of veggies.

Symptoms: My growing belly! 41 inches around my waist just below my belly button. I am also having contractions, though not strong.

Best Moment this week: My baby shower hosted by my mom, sister, and friend! My mom arranged for my cousins and aunt from Ohio to come and surprise me! I couldn't believe that they drove all the way to be at my shower and spend the weekend with us. It was so great to see them!

My cousins and aunt came from Cincinnati and surprised me!

I was in shock!

Yummy angel food cake with blueberries and strawberries!

Yay! I got an excersaucer from Aunt Terri:-)

My mom and I

Lovin' the adorable summer outfits!

Both Grandma-to-bes

My mother-in-law and I

With my family, minus Cindy (lives in CT)

35 weeks 2 days- posing next to my new bassinet from my mom

Bird's nest candies for the guests, Cindy's idea

Maternity portraits by JK Photography

A Family Recipe... No "shhh" Involved

Don't you just love a great family recipe?  There's nothing better than knowing generations before you baked that same recipe.  I think of how far we've come since the days of kneading the dough by hand, while the sheets are on the line drying , and taking time to put on an apron before sprinkling flour on the counter.  Today I'm in one of those moods.  It's time to bake me some Tea Ring!!!  I'm fortunate enough to have had a Great Grandmother who was a fabulous baker and owned her own bakery!  And guess what?  I have one of her famous recipes to share with you! 

Add 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 packets of yeast, and 2 tsp of salt.  Mix well.

Heat 1 cup of water, 1 cup of milk (or water), and 1/4 cup of butter.  Heat to 120-130 degrees.  Butter does not need to melt.  Add to flour mixture.

Add two eggs (egg beaters are fine).

Mix until moistened, then beat of medium speed for 3 minutes. 

Add 3 1/2-4 cups of flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic (5-8 minutes).  I used my dough hook on my mixer and mixed for about 3 minutes on low-med speed. 

I kneaded the dough for a few minutes on a floured surface to make sure that the dough was well mixed in.  The dough should be "smooth like a baby's bottom" like my Great Grandma used to say.

Place the dough in a buttered bowl and flip the dough ball over so it gets greased on the top.

Cover bowl with a towel and place in a warm place (I use my oven... not turned on obviously).  Let it stand for an hour.  Dough will double in size.

Punch the dough down and divide in half.  Roll each ball of dough out in a 12x9 shape.  Melt 1/4 cup of butter and brush onto dough.  In a small bowl mix 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 TBSP cinnamon, walnuts, raisins (I didn't have any so I used Craisins).  I also added a few tsps of pumpkin pie seasoning and a splash of vanilla.  Stir the mixture and sprinkle on top of the dough.  Roll the dough lengthwise and seal dough shut.  Curve the rolled dough into a ring shape.  Brush top of dough with melted butter and place on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. 

***Sorry I forgot to take pictures!!!!****

Once Tea Ring is finished baking and is cooled you can brush the icing on top of it. 

2 cups of powdered sugar

4 TBSP hot brewed coffee

2 TBSP melted butter

splash of vanilla

Mix the coffee and butter slowly into the powdered sugar to avoid the icing being to runny... I didn't measure the coffee and butter and my icing turned out way too runny:-(  With my baby brain, I should've known to use measuring spoons for this! 

Slice & ENJOY!!!