35 + 36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks ....holy crap, we have 4 weeks left!! 

Gender: Girl

Baby is the size of a(n)...: Honeydew! 

Maternity clothes? You know it. Still living in sundresses or shorts and tank tops! 

Best moment this week: Putting the finishing touches on itty bitty Smitty's room has been pretty fun for me this week. We also got to celebrate Papa's 86th birthday with the whole Abeln/Ryan/Smith clan over the weekend, which always makes for a good time. 

Worst Moment this week: Still not much to complain about over here. We're getting settled into the new house and I've noticed I just don't have the same energy levels that I used to. I can't stand for long periods of time and need to rest more frequently, but this will all pass soon!  

Miss Anything?: I've been craving sushi again and am definitely looking forward to the day I get some Ahi Tuna in my belly. 

Cravings: peaches, plums, and yogurt. At the grocery store yesterday, I walked down the cracker/cookie aisle and caught sight of a package of nutter butter's that I just HAD to have. So there is that... 

Symptoms: Heartburn all day every day. I've had two nose bleeds this week which have come on out of the blue. I've also been experiencing more heaviness in my belly and some slight cramping every once in a while. 

Looking forward to:  In 45 minutes, we have my 36 week check up. From now on, I have weekly doctor's visits. This week they're going to do some other tests and check to see if labor has begun! Also, on Saturday, Ryan and I have our labor and delivery class which we're both pretty excited about. We finally get to tour the delivery ward and get a better understanding of what to expect in the next few weeks. 

Let the countdown truly begin!! 

What's In My Hospital Bag

I'm posting this for two reasons. 1. I don't want to forget what I packed so I can determine what I truly need for next time (God willing). and 2. I want to know if I'm forgetting anything. Please feel free to chime in if you think I need something extra or really don't need something I packed!

Since I have 25 days until my due date (Holy Crap....less than one month?!?!), I really want to make sure this little bag is packed with anything I might possibly need during my hospital stay. I've always been a pretty good packer (except that one time I forgot our passports on the way to Aruba...)  and can efficiently pack myself and Ryan up for trips if necessary. However, I have never packed for this kind of trip and for a tiny human I have never met outside of my body. I did a ton of research and compiled one big list of EVERYTHING I could possibly need during my hospital stay. Then, I slowly started gathering these things and storing them in my awesome new bag from Brad and Susan!

So...let's take a look at what's packed, shall we?!

In the Bag for Me: 

• 1 pair of slippers 
• 2 nursing bras 
• 1 nursing tank
• 1 nightgown and robe 
• 1 pair of lounge pants 
• cell phone charger 
• camera and charger (not pictured) 
• change for the vending machines (for after delivery) 
• mints and gum- I heard that hospitals can be very dry and hard candies are a good way to keep your mouth from getting too dry? I happened to have these mints already and decided to throw them in just in case that's true. 
• toiletries bag- in this bag inside a bag, I have lotion, a toothbrush for me and for Ryan, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, chapstick, and hair ties. 

In the Bag for the Baby: 

•  1 blanket 
• 2 swaddle blankets 
• 2 going home outfits- because Mama is indecisive. 
• mittens 
• 1 pair of socks 
• 2 hair bows 

The hospital does newborn photography right after the baby is born, so I wanted to have a couple of her personal items from home to be able to put her in during our stay. 

The hospital bag is sitting in the nursery just waiting to be grabbed on the go! 

Now please tell me... is there anything I'm forgetting?! 

A Nursery Craft

So the nursery is finally starting to come together! For a while there, I wasn't sure if we were even going to have a nursery to bring itty bitty home to, but things work out the way they're supposed to and we got ourselves into a house with a few weeks to spare!

To fulfill one of my July goals, I got busy this week on my first (of many) nursery crafts to make the room as special as possible for our little girl! This craft came together in no time and was incredibly easy! I LOVE the way it turned out!

Above the crib, there was a giant blank wall that I knew I wanted to fill with either itty bitty's name or initials and a little extra decoration. While at Hobby Lobby last weekend, I browsed the fabric department and picked out three fabrics that I thought complemented the bedding in the nursery and would bring some color to the gray walls. Using those three fabrics, I created a Fabric Strip Banner to hang above the crib!

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 yard of however many fabrics you choose. Again, I chose three so I had three 1/2 yard pieces of fabric 
• Thick jute or string 
• scissors 

I began by cutting 1/4 slits into the side of the fabric about an inch or so apart. It doesn't have to be exact. In fact, the beauty in this project is in it's imperfections. After I cut the slits into the side of the fabric, I ripped along each slit to make strips. Ripping instead of cutting allows the edges of the fabric to become frayed, giving it a more rustic feel.

Once the strips had been cut for each fabric, I began tying them onto the jute. To do this, I folded the strip in half, creating a loop in the middle and pulling the two ends through around the jute. The strips looked like this:

Alternating fabrics, I kept going until I had reached the desired length for my banner. That's it. How easy is that?!?

Ryan and I hung the banner above the crib yesterday evening and I LOVE IT! Now all I need is to figure out which type of letters I want above it for her name!

Just for fun....here's a sneak peak of the nursery! A full blog post will be up on the nursery as soon as I finish hanging the last few things in her room!

33 + 34 Weeks

Guys...summer has made me lazy. I write these pregnancy updates each week...but I'm rarely presentable enough for Ryan to take a picture worthy of being plastered on the internet these days! So please excuse the lack of a post last week! Less than 6 weeks to go! 

How far along? 34 weeks 

Gender: Girl

Baby is the size of a(n)...: Cantaloupe! She is about 18 inches long and weighs about 4.75 pounds. Keep growing, baby girl! 

Maternity clothes? With the high temps these past few weeks, I've been living in maternity shorts, old navy tanks, and sundresses. Less is more, my friends! 

Best moment this week: A couple of days ago, Ryan, my dad, my mom, and I rented a U-Haul trailer and drove it all over town collected items we had purchased for our new house! Driving all over town wasn't the best moment of the week, but getting to drop everything off at the new house and being handed the keys and garage door openers was pretty exciting. I am sooo looking forward to getting our stuff out of storage and into a house and going back through all of itty bitty Smitty's things to organize a nursery before her debut. 

Worst Moment this week: I don't really have much to complain about this week. I'm not sleeping great but that's kind of becoming the new normal so it's getting easier to deal with. 

Miss Anything?: A nice medium- medium rare steak would be phenomenal right about now. 

Cravings: peaches, plums, blueberries, oatmeal with raisins, and Chipotle. 

Symptoms: Heartburn, hip pain, slight period-like cramping throughout the day. 

Looking forward to:  Tonight, we have a breastfeeding class at the hospital, which I'm excited to learn about. Saturday, I am going to a Newborn Care class with my Mom at the hospital while Ryan picks up the big U-Haul and gets to work on moving everything from all over the world into our home! We have stuff at my parents, his parents, Brandon and Rachel's, and in the storage unit. Boston friends, the house should be ready for some visitors SOOOOON!! 

Have a great weekend, ya'll!  

  

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks 

Gender: Girl

Baby is the size of a(n)...: Squash. She is over 16 inches long and 3 lbs.! The doctor said I'm measuring right at 32 weeks also, which shows that she is continuing to grow (despite the fact that I shrunk this past week due to the stomach bug.) 

Maternity clothes? Yes...but with this heat, I'm still mostly just in lounge clothes! 

Best moment this week: Definitely our baby shower last Saturday! The whole day was great. I got to celebrate itty bitty Smitty with some of our closest friends and family members at a beautiful shower, show our family our new house, AND eat Chick-Fil-A for dinner! Can you ask for much more from a Saturday?!? 

Worst Moment this week: the lack of sleep I'm getting each night. I definitely find that I sleep better during the day and in our recliner...so I may have to make the move downstairs at night as well. I can't sleep on my back or stomach (not allowed), which only leaves my sides. When I lay on my left side for too long, my hip starts to throb, but when I lay on my right side I get terrible heart burn. Can you see my dilemma?!? 

Miss Anything?: sleeping through the night. Food wise, my appetite is still kind of limited so I'm not missing much there. 

Cravings: Ice cold water, yogurt, and jello 

Symptoms: Heartburn, hip pain, mild Braxton Hicks contractions that come and go throughout the week 

Looking forward to:  Some fireworks this Friday and Saturday night...and possibly blueberry picking/baking on the fourth!!