38 Weeks

Well we have officially made it through week 38 since tomorrow we are starting 39! I can't believe that it's almost over and we are going to meet this active little peanut that's been growing on the inside for the last 9 months. July 8th seemed like forever away this whole time and all of a sudden June is over?!

My belly is feeling much bigger day by day so obviously baby girl is putting on weight here at the end of the pregnancy. I am trying to mentally prepare for her arrival but it is so hard to imagine meeting her-- I felt the exact same way with Hadley since it's just so unreal until you actually see the person that you've been growing!

Hadley has been talking more and more each day and we are understanding a lot more of what she's talking about and telling us. I think that she is going to be really into helping with her baby sister since she's really into imitating everything we are doing these days.

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the beautiful summer weather and making plans to visit Minnesota soon since we aren't going to be traveling for a few months here. ;) We will be back with a week 39 update or a birth announcement so stay tuned!

Pics from this week:

Hadley having silly toddler lunch time at her GiGi and Papa's house.

Playing at the park.

My cute co-pilot.

Hanging out with her daddy.

S'mores Cookies

You have to try making these as they were delicious!

Hadley helped eat some graham crackers during the baking process.

The finished product. Yum!

Pinterest Inspired Recipe by-- http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/06/smores-cookies.html

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks (38 tomorrow)

Total weight gain/loss: Up 20 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Yes

Symptoms/Signs of labor:  Difficulty sitting down on most non-hard or angled surfaces (super uncomfortable!) and lots of lower pelvic pressure. I have been having random contractions and Braxton Hicks for 3 weeks now so there are "signs" of labor coming eventually but that stuff lasted weeks with Hadley too so I'm not expecting to meet this girl early by any means.

Sleep:  Enjoying the sleep that I do get (short stretches) since I will soon be even more sleep deprived with our new little angel.

Best moment this week: We had a lot of fun sewing curtains for the playroom/baby area since Hadley is now patient enough to sweetly sit with me while I work and help hold fabric. Playing at the pool and the splash pad with Hadley. She is really embracing the whole summer pool culture which is fabulous since it keeps us busy and cool- two very important things when you are 9 months pregnant in the summer!

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything? Good sleep and a flat tummy.

Movement: Lots.

Food cravings: Well it's not really food.... I'm craving ice like a wild woman so sweet Jim is coming up with creative ways to use ice. Hello fresh fruit and ICE smoothies! ;)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Dirty dishes, raw meat

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Baby is a: Girl

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Making it through another week of summer fun with Hadley. I hope to make it out to the Rusty Truck farm sale in Mayer with my mom and sisters next Saturday as long as baby girl is still happily tucked inside (fingers crossed).

Here are some shots from Jim's cousins wedding last night. It was gorgeous!

Hadley stayed with my parents during the wedding and they had no power due to the storms this week so they played outside, went on the boat and swung in the hammocks in the yard a lot to keep cool! Here is my mom and Miss Hadley swinging-

35 Weeks

We will officially be 36 weeks tomorrow and our weekly appointments officially start! Just wanted to pop in with a few quick pictures and to say we are getting much closer to being ready for our sweet new baby.

Hadley had her last day of pre-preschool and it was great. We also started seriously working on getting things around the house ready for the new baby and started to pack a few things for the hospital bag.

It's so exciting to think that in the next 5 weeks we will hopefully be having an awesome water birth and meeting our second daughter! I can't wait for the girls to meet each other and I am sure that Hadley is going to be so excited once she really sees what this big sister business we've been telling her about for the last few months. ;)

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks (35 tomorrow though! yikes time is flying by)

Total weight gain/loss: Up 17 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Yes

Symptoms:  Difficulty getting comfortable while sitting and having a hard time sleeping but all in a days work when you are growing a person.

Sleep:  Still not sleeping well.

Best moment this week: Last weekend, Jim and I enjoyed going to stay in Stillwater on the St Croix river to celebrate our anniversary. Just spending time together before our next baby arrives was a perfect gift. Hadley stayed with GiGi and PaPa, Taylor and Parker and had a great time being spoiled. :)
This week we have been busy with fun summer activities like going to the zoo and park playgrounds with friends. This weekend we have kept ourselves busy visiting art festivals (Edina Art Fair) and street fairs (St. Paul's Grand Old Day). I love to keep Hadley moving and stimulated physically and mentally so I think that we are doing a pretty great job. She went on her first school bus rides yesterday and today. She absolutely LOVED every second! Last night we went out to the Mall of America and took her on her first light rail ride which was also a huge hit! 

Tomorrow is Hadley's last day of "pre-preschool" at the Early Childhood Family Education center for this spring. It has been such a great experience since she had never been babysat by anyone other than family but she has really taken to classroom learning and the group environment although she has her shy moments of course. This week I officially enrolled her in preschool for next school year in Edina. She will go two mornings a week and I will be there for one of the days and the other morning she is going to be a big girl on her own!!

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything? Good sleep and a flat tummy.

Movement: Lots.

Food cravings: Ice cream (Pumphouse Creamery please!), pizza, bread sticks, chinese

Anything making you queasy or sick: Dirty dishes, raw meat, people with gross table manners (gag)

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Baby is a: Girl

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: We are finally taking our family maternity portraits on Wednesday after being rained out 2 weeks ago. Also, we have Hadley's last day of pre-preschool tomorrow and Jim is coming with me to take her and experience what her school days are like.... pretty exciting stuff!

Weekly appointments start on Tuesday and go until we meet sweet baby girl number two!~