36 Weeks!

How far along: 36 weeks

Total weight gain: + 23 lbs- up 4 pounds from last dr. visit

Maternity clothes: All maternity now.   Having to do lots of laundry to make sure I have clothes.  Trying not to buy anything new with only a month left to go.  

Stretch marks: None on my belly, but definitely on my breasts

Sleep:Got lots of extra sleep this past week being out of school - it was my thanksgiving gift to myself.  Had a couple of nights of not waking up until 6 or 7 and that was AWESOME!!!!
Labor Signs: Been having some contractions in the last couple of days.  Not sure if they are Braxton Hicks or the real thing.  They don't last too long but they do hurt. 

Symptoms:  Leaking, hip pain, lower back pain, numb spot on my right leg, numb spot on my left shoulder, acne like a teenager, tired all the time, sore ribs from all the kicking and punching.

Best moment this week: Being out of school!  This meant extra sleep, getting to see our family in Tulsa, and spending some quality time with the hubby!  I really was able to relax a whole lot which doesn't happen very often.  

Miss anything: Being able to wear all my own clothes, Sushi, not being tired all the time, being able to put my shoes on without pain. 

Movement: She is still moving around like crazy.  My whole stomach moves when she does.  She also has the hiccups on a pretty regular basis. 
Food Cravings: Donut holes - haven't given into this one, apples and caramel, LOTS of apple juice, fruit - oranges, apples, grapefruit.  

Anything make you sick or queasy:ground beef still out, dead animals on the side of the road

Gender: GIRL!  Ainsleigh Ryen.

Belly Button in or out: in getting way smaller and flatter

Wedding rings on or off: on and with the cold weather they are also pretty loose most days.

Mood: Feeling good lately.  Really ready for the next few weeks to go by.  

Looking forward to:   Getting the house ready for Christmas, Waiting to wait for Ainsleigh in this season of Advent.  

35 Weeks... 5 Weeks to go!

How far along: 35 weeks and 1 day.  

Total weight gain: + 19 lbs

Maternity clothes: All maternity now.   Went and bought a few more winter things to get me through the next 5 weeks.  Trying to figure out ways to make my dresses last as long as possible by layering and wearing sweaters.   

Stretch marks: None on my belly, but definitely on my breasts.

Sleep: Sleep has been hit or miss.  Some nights I don't move get up and sleep like a rock.  Other nights I'm up 3 or 4 times and toss and turn all night.  Having the last couple of days off of school has given a few extra hours of sleep that I really needed.
Labor Signs: None yet

Symptoms:  Hip pain, lower back pain, numb spot on my right leg, numb spot on my left shoulder, acne like a teenager, tired all the time, sore ribs from all the kicking and punching.

Best moment this week: Getting to see our little girl again with a growth ultrasound.  Everything measured exactly perfect except her head - it's a little big.  Big heads run on both sides of the family.  We even got to see that she has hair!  

Miss anything: Being able to wear all my own clothes, Sushi, not being tired all the time, not being numb in weird places.

Movement: She is still moving around like crazy.  She also has the hiccups on a pretty regular basis. 
Food Cravings: Donut holes - haven't given into this one, apples and caramel, LOTS of apple juice. 

Anything make you sick or queasy:ground beef still out

Gender: GIRL!  Ainsleigh Ryen.

Belly Button in or out: in getting way smaller and flatter

Wedding rings on or off: on

Mood: Feeling good lately.  Really ready for the next few weeks to go by.  

Looking forward to:   Thanksgiving and all the food  and family that comes with it! Getting to put the finishing touches on the nursery.

Photo Collage

So it's been a while since I posted about anything other than my pregnancy, so here is something a little different while still related to Ainsleigh.  

One thing I have found on Pinterest that I really love are these photo collages. Here are some of my favorite!

 I have been looking at them for a quite a while trying to figure out where in my house I could create my own.  When we started planning Ainsleigh's nursery, I decided that a photo collage would be perfect over her dresser/changing table!  I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on the frames, so I headed to our local thrift store called Helping Hands.  I spent some time looking through the preowned frames and walked out with $8.00 worth of frames (each cost no more that $2 a piece). Well one trip wasn't enough because after getting home the frames I bought weren't  in the best shape when I got them all home.  When my mom was in town, we headed back to helping hands and used this collage as our inspiration for finding the right frames.

 

We got all the frames home and I laid them out on our kitchen floor in the pattern that I wanted them on the wall. (I'm missing the W in this picture)

 

The next step in this process was to the paint all the frames one color.  Since our furniture is white and we are going with that clean look, we decided white would be best.  Mom took on this project and painted two coats of white spray paint on all the frames. Sorry no pictures of this step.

Next, we had to actually hand the frames.  I was trying to figure out a way to hang the frames in the places where I wanted them.  So I traced the frames on newspaper and cut out the templates of the frames.  I hung the templates on the wall in the same arrangement I had them laid on the floor. 

This method worked great to get the spacing correct and to make sure the frames were at the height I wanted over the dresser.  I could easily move the newspaper around before hammering a bunch of holes into the wall.  The hubby came in next to actually do the hammering and hanging of the frames.  He measured each frame to make sure the hole lined up with the frame hanger for each frame since they were all different.

Now, the frames don't have pictures in them quite yet.  We are waiting to get the prints back from our maternity shoot (see a sneak peak here) and I am going to order some elephant prints from Esty to display.  Here is the picture of the wall with all the frames!

 Once all the photos are in and the whole thing is complete I'll add a new photo!  

Happy Pinning!

PInspired Riss

 

33 Weeks

How far along: 33 Weeks - Pics are from 32 weeks 3 days.  

Total weight gain: +15ish 

Maternity clothes: Pretty much all my clothes are maternity, except some dresses.  I'm running into some problems with the weather changing because I only have one long-sleeved maternity shirt.  Have to start stretching things out!  Still have been able belly band a few things here and there.  Have had to start wearing my hubby's t-shirts so they are long enough. :)      

Stretch marks: None on my belly, but I found a few on my breasts this past week.

Sleep: Sleep was not great this past week, until I went on vacation.  Friday night was the best nights sleep I've had in weeks!

Symptoms:  Hip pain, lower back pain, numb spot on my right leg, acne like a teenager, tired all the time.

Best moment this week: We had some wonderful things happen this week.  My wonderful friend and co-worker took some beautiful maternity pictures as seen here!  Katie Brockmeyer Photography is amazing!

The hubby and I also got to get away for the weekend and get some much needed rest and relaxation.  This is the sunset view from our hotel room.
   

 

Miss anything: Sushi, not being tired all the time, not being numb in weird places.

Movement: She is still moving around like.  Hubby felt her giant movements last night and was in awe.   
Food Cravings: Donut holes - haven't given into this one, apples and caramel, LOTS of apple juice. 

Anything make you sick or queasy:ground beef still out

Gender: GIRL!  Ainsleigh Ryen.

Belly Button in or out: in but it is a lot smaller now than it ever has been before.

Wedding rings on or off: on

Mood: Feeling pretty even keel lately.  On top of things enough and letting the little things so I can enjoy my days and not be stressed all the time.  

Looking forward to:   Thankgiving and all the food that comes with it!  Also getting another week off of school will be great!

32 Weeks!

How far along: 32 Weeks in my Halloween costume! I'm Juno and the hubby is Paulie Bleaker!

Total weight gain: +15 according to the Dr. today.  

Maternity clothes: Pretty much all my clothes are maternity, except some dresses.  I'm running into some problems with the weather changing because I only have one long-sleeved maternity shirt.  Have to start stretching things out!  Still have been able belly band a few things here and there.  Have had to start wearing my hubby's t-shirts so they are long enough. :)      

Stretch marks: None so far and I'm hoping things continue that way.

Sleep: Sleep has been pretty good.  Lots of stuffy nose nights and my breathe strips are a MUST.  I'm tired pretty much all the time now.

Symptoms:  Hip pain, numb spot on my right leg, acne like a teenager, tired all the time.

Best moment this week: 2 wonderful things happened this week.  We finally went and picked up Ainsleigh's furniture and got it all put together.  It's absolutely beautiful and looks great against grey walls in her room.

The second wonderful thing was the hubby taking me to Build-A-Bear to make Ainsleigh her first bear.  We named him Ryen like her middle name.  I was nearly in tears when I kissed the heart that went inside him.  It was so sweet and a wonderful memory of my pregnancy!    

Miss anything: Sushi, be able to walk around for more than 30 minutes at a time without having to sit down and rest.

Movement:  I can feel her whole body move at once now.  My stomach pokes out and looks like the ocean at times with how much she's moving.   
Food Cravings: Donut holes, apples and caramel, apple juice, 

Anything make you sick or queasy:ground beef still out

Gender: GIRL!  Ainsleigh Ryen.

Belly Button in or out: in and still flattening

Wedding rings on or off: on

Mood: Really happy.  Feeling way on top of things lately!  

Looking forward to:   My birthday tomorrow!  Our weekend getaway for our dating anniversary this coming weekend!

31 Weeks!

How far along: 31 weeks with new short hair that I love!!!

Total weight gain: +13 according to both home and Dr.  I gained 3 pounds between last 2 visits.  

Maternity clothes: Pretty much all my clothes are maternity, except some dresses.  Still have been able belly band a few things here and there.  Have had to start wearing my hubby's t-shirts so they are long enough. :)      

Stretch marks: None so far and I'm hoping things continue that way.

Sleep:Sleep has been hit or miss this past week.  I think my body is ready to get back into a routine.  Back to waking up in the middle of the night for potty breaks.  Had lots of stuffy nose problems keeping awake, too.

Symptoms:  I have a spot on the lower left side of my back, top of my hip that hurts after sitting for a while. Keep getting it adjusted and hoping it doesn't get worse. I have a spot on my right leg that is tingly which the dr. says means little Ainsleigh is laying on a nerve. I also keep forgetting to mention that the acne fairy has made her presence known during the last few weeks.  I feel like I'm 13 again!!!!  It's awful!

Best moment this week: So many wonderful things happened this past week!  Spending a week creating all kinds of projects for Ainsleigh's room with my mom and mother-in-law.  I love everything we've made and can't wait to share all the pictures!  We had a wonderful shower with lots of family and friends at church.  I got the call today that our furniture has arrived and is ready to be picked up!    

Miss anything: Sushi, not getting winded every time I try to complete any task!

Movement:  Her movements are getting so much stronger these days. The rib bladder combination is quite painful at times. It also feels like she is close lining my stomach on the right side as usual. 
Food Cravings: Donut holes, starbursts, apples and caramel, apple juice, clementines.

Anything make you sick or queasy:ground beef still out

Gender: GIRL!  Ainsleigh Ryen.

Belly Button in or out: in but starting to flatten out and I finally took out my belly button ring this week and it has been so much more comfortable!

Wedding rings on or off: on

Mood: Really happy.  So much got done in the last week and I feel so on top of things - both at home and for school! 

Looking forward to:   Picking up our furntiture and getting everything put together in Ainsleigh's room.  My birthday next week!

30 Weeks down, 10 Weeks to go

How far along: 30 weeks 

Total weight gain: +13 according to home scale.  We'll see what the Dr. scale says on Wednesday

Maternity clothes: Pretty much all my clothes are maternity, except some dresses.  Still have been able belly band a few things here and there.  Have had to start wearing my hubby's t-shirts so they are long enough. :)      

Stretch marks: None so far and I'm hoping things continue that way.

Sleep:Getting good sleep most nights.  Been trying to get a little extra sleep on my 2 week break from school, because as soon as school is back... it's back to reality.   Breathe right strips help eliminate the snoring and the hubby is quick to remind me when I forget to use them.

Symptoms:  My back and feet are way more tired/sore at the end of EVERY day. I have a spot on the lower left side of my back, top of my hip that hurts after sitting for a while. Keep getting it adjusted and hoping it doesn't get worse. I have a spot on my right leg that is tingly which the dr. says means little Ainsleigh is laying on a nerve.

Best moment this week:Mom is in town and we are going to town on the nursery. I'm finally getting to work on all the projects that I've been planning for weeks.  I will be posting pictures once it's all complete.   

Miss anything: Sushi, not getting winded every time I try to complete any task!

Movement: The little girl discovered my ribs in the last couple of days.  She doesn't like it when I bend over and lean over at the waist and she certainly lets me know it.  It also feels like she is close lining my stomach on the right side as usual. 
Food Cravings: Sweets, apples and caramel, apple juice, clementines,.

Anything make you sick or queasy:ground beef still out

Gender: GIRL!  Ainsleigh Ryen. 

Belly Button in or out: in but starting to flatten out and my belly button ring doesn't quite sit right in my belly button any more.

Wedding rings on or off: on

Mood: Great this week! SO happy to have a break from school and get caught up on all the things that have been neglected over the last several weeks. 

Looking forward to:   Getting our furniture in. Craft fair weekend.  Church shower on Saturday!