Maternity Photos! (and more)

Todd and I got to take a trip out to Antelope Island with our neighbor Amanda Gibbs when I was 35 weeks for some awesome maternity photos! I just thought I'd share a few :)

Thanks again Amanda for doing such a great job! I hope you had as much fun as we did :)

We can't wait for our little girl to be here. Todd and I were convinced that she was coming early, and she sure pulled a fast one on us! I'm now 39 weeks and am thinking she may come a little after my due date. We're willing to wait for our sweet girl if she needs to "cook" a little longer, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want her here now :) We're just trying to remember that my baby and my body know best, and that she will come when she's ready! She's definitely started to drop, as you can tell by this next picture:

39 Weeks

She has definitely grown the last couple of weeks! I finally "filled out" and officially look pregnant, lol. About time, right? It makes me wonder if my due date is actually a little later than the doctor calculated. Who knows!

Well, I'm hoping the next post I make is to annouce baby, but I won't get my hopes up quite yet. I'll post a 40 week picture if we get to that point. 



And the real waiting begins!

Todd and I had our 36 week appointment last night and were very happy with how well it went. At our 35 week appointment I was 2cm dilated and 75% effaced, and this weeks I am already 3.5cm dilated and 80% effaced. Not bad progress for a week! Our doctor is pretty confident that she will be here by the 20th, but he joked around that I could go into labor this weekend. So, because some women can sit at a 3 or 4 for weeks, we're just playing the waiting game now. Todd and I are both thinking she might come sooner than later, based on the number and strength of the contractions I've been having. I'm excited for her to be here, but want her to stay in there as long as she needs. (Now I just need to remember that next week when it's 90* outside and I'm dying of the heat...).

My most recent picture - 36 weeks!

We finished our HypnoBirthing classes last week and have decided to hire our instructor as our Doula (labor companion). Here's her website if you're interested in learning more. She will come to our home when I'm in labor, or just meet us at the hospital to assist us with labor and delivery. I can't wait to work with her! Todd has been so amazing through this whole process. I feel myself growing more impatient at the little things (leaving socks on the ground, not rinsing the dishes, etc) but I can't help but be amazed at how much he as risen to the occasion when it comes to helping me prepare for labor and birth. He has been by  my side every minute of the day (and night, for that matter), and is going to be such a wonderful Dad to our little girl.

We've started packing our hospital bag. You know me... have to be prepared and organized! I've made a packing list for us to go over before we leave just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I'm hoping it pays off, and doesn't just make me impatient to go into labor.

We had some maternity photos taken two weeks ago. You can visit our photographer's blog for a sneak preview :) I'll post my favorites on here once I get the CD from her. We had a BLAST taking them at Antelope Island, and I can't wait to see the final result.

From Babyshowers to Basketball Bellies ~ the joys of the Third Trimester!

I am ashamed to see that it has been a MONTH since I posted anything! Fortunately, there's not a whole lot that you missed. My sweet friend threw a wonderful baby shower for me two weeks ago, where I had an absolute blast and received wonderful presents. I'm also having another shower this Saturday for my family and family friends. I can't wait! My sisters are throwing this one for me, and I know it will be fabulous.

I had my 33 weeks appointment today. Miss Lily is measuring about 3.5 lbs (give or take a pound - ultrasounds aren't known for their accuracy) and both of us are very healthy. Healthy enough that my doctor is comfortable with me staying at 2-week appointments! I have a regular 2-weeks scheduled for 5/24 and 6/7, at which point I would start my weekly visits, but he may just have me come in on 6/21 if things are still going so well. That leaves only a week before my due date (6/27), and we are hoping that she will arrive by then. I feel comfortable with this arrangement! I am confident that I will feel the changes in my own body as they come up, and that the transition into labor and delivery will be smooth and natural. Todd and I are working very hard to make that happen.

It is starting to look more and more like I have a basketball stuck under my shirt!

A large part of this preparation began when we registered for a series of HypnoBirthing classes. We have had 2 of the 5 classes so far, and are absolutely loving them! I'm currently reading the book that goes with the classes, "Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method." It goes through the chemistry of labor and delivery, and introduces the concept of Physiological Birth. This method allows mothers to work with their body's natural way giving birth for a positive and pain-reduced (if not pain-free) experience. We are currently learning how to intentionally enter a deep state of relaxation or self-hypnosis and to use this relaxation to create a smooth and natural transition for our baby to enter the world. If you want more information, you can visit their website here. I was very pleased to find out that their classes go much beyond "finding your happy place!" 

As I have thought about how to decorate Lily's "nursery" (aka: corner of our room), I was inspired by a baby shower gift I received. I was given a small diaper hand-bag (the kind that fits a portable wipes package and a couple of diapers) made from a pattern Beatrix Potter characters! I had grown up with the stories of Beatrix Potter, and completely forgot about them as the years went by. I would love nothing more than to use those stories and characters as a sort of mini-theme for her room. I still want to use butterflies and flowers, but add this theme to it as well. Wish me luck, I'm not sure where I'll find any decorations to use! I did find a couple of books that can act as decor and reading materiel. The Complete Collections of both Beatrix Potter AND Winnie the Pooh! I can't wait to get them in the mail, and start reading them to our daughter :)

Over these next 7 weeks (give or take) we have a LOT to do. We have to figure out what else we need to purchase, decorate, put together, touch up, read, learn, and practice before Lily gets here. Fortunately I will not be working past the end of this month, which will give me some much needed time to rest and finish preparing. I can't wait to meet our little girl! So many babies are being born around us, which makes us even more excited for her to come.

30 Weeks, already?!

Oh my goodness, how quickly time flies! Baby turns 30 weeks on Wednesday, hitting the 3/4 mark. Only 10 more weeks until our little Lily joins us.

Todd and I were talking the other day, and feel so fortunate for how easy this pregnancy has been. There have been little ups and downs, but for the most part it has been wonderfully uneventful. She's made a full-time job of kicking and moving around in there, which keeps me entertained (and slightly uncomfortable).

My computer isn't letting me add pictures into this post, but if you go to my blog's main page you can see my most recent pictures on the right. I've enjoyed the experience of developing a baby bump, and seeing everyone's reactions to it. I've gained minimal weight (which I'm thankful for every day!) and feel very healthy. I begin my 2-week appointments next week and will visit my doctor every-other-week until May 31st, when I start going every week until baby comes.

My first baby shower is this Saturday. My friend, Kayla, has been absolutely wonderful in planning it for me! My second shower will be in 3 weeks later, thrown by my wonderful sisters. I can hardly wait for both of them! I have felt so much love and support from SO many people, those throwing the showers and those planning to attend. To all of you- thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is our last week of finals, yay! Once this semester is finished we will be able to focus on our childbirth classes, and I'm going to take some yoga classes. It will be a wonderful change of pace.

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading and participating in our exciting journey :)

~A BabyMoon to Remember~

Todd and I decided to take our BabyMoon a little bit early and go during Spring Break. It was absolutely PERFECT. Here's the breakdown!

Because we planned it so last-minute, most of the hotels were either booked or had ridiculous rate. So we decided to stay at the downtown SLC...

It was nothing fancy, but still very nice. We stayed there from Thursday to Sunday. It was really close to everything we wanted to do in Salt Lake. After checking in on Thursday we decided to start our vacation off right by eating at THE MELTING POT! Although I didn't take this picture, it is the exact meal we ate :) And let me tell you, it was delicious and very romantic. We spent the time talking about out little baby girl, wondering who she is, what she will be like, and what she will become, all while enjoying a delightful dinner together.

 

Todd got to sleep in on Friday morning while I spent some time at the spa. I treated myself to an hour long facial and a prenatal massage. One word, HEAVEN. I went to the Sego Lily spa in Midvale where I enjoyed their quiet, peaceful atmosphere and attentive staff. I was sad to leave, but after 3 hours I figured I better head back to the hotel and spend some time with my hubby.



We got ready and went to the Pie Pizzeria next to the UofU. Best pizza in town PLUS super fun atmosphere! I ate waaay to much, and enjoyed every bite :) Here's a picture of their downstairs restaurant.



We decided to head back downtown and visit the new Church History Library since neither of us had ever been. We took their tour and browsed their online database for a little while. I found an autobiography and journal written by my Great, Great, GREAT Grandfather, Philemon Christopher Merrill. He served in the Mormon Battalion and even acted as one of the Prophet Joseph Smith's personal body guards for a time. I can't wait to go back and took at the original records.



We went back to rest before heading back to Layton for our ward's Roadshow. We hadn't put two-and-two together when we made our hotel reservations, and were grateful that we only went to SLC as it allowed us to drive back and participate in the final show. It was a BLAST and our ward did fantastic!  Todd and I spoiled ourselves to another nice dinner at Benihana. Mmm Mmm, Good!

We didn't want to pay for dessert there so we decided to check out the new downtown SLC Harmons grocery store and pick up some nummy Chocolate Hagandaas ice cream to share. That place is amazing! We spent the rest of our evening resting, eating ice cream, and watching TV.

Saturday morning we got up, ate breakfast and the cafe, and headed to the Salt Lake City Temple. It was so wonderful to spend some quiet time there, especially as we've been facing some big decision and needed some extra clarity.

 After the session we enjoyed a tasty lunch at the Nauvoo Cafe on Temple Square and headed over to the Family History Library and Church History and Art Museum. We waited around the museum for a little while and headed over to take a tour of the Family History Library. I decided to get a little help with some research while we were there, as there has been one early ancestor that has completely eluded and stumped me! I found her marriage record, and plan to return to the Library at a later date to view the original record. Hopefully it contains more information than the indexed record!

We went back to hotel to rest for a while before going to dinner at Tucanos Brazilian Grill at the Gateway. We finished off our night by watching the American version of Godzilla. Luckily I fell asleep half way through and didn't have to watch the whole thing :) We slept in on Sunday, ate a late breakfast at JB's Restaurant, and headed home! I wished it had lasted longer, but was so grateful for the time away to rest, relax, and enjoy some quality time with my Sweetheart.

Earlier this week we worked on cleaning out and de-cluttering our house to make room for baby stuff. Here's what we got done! Doesn't look like much...but we got rid of SO much stuff.

Made room for our new closet divider that my Mother in Law gave us for Christmas. I had a feeling it will really come in handy!

A whole cupboard all to herself :) We figure that should house at least some of her kitchen stuff before we move to a bigger place.

A changing table that we got from our neighbor. We're going to sand it down and re-stain it a dark cherry to match the crib we picked out. Can't wait!



Todd, Lily and I are doing well! We're just plugging along and making the most of what we have. I am 26 weeks this week, and not too far away from being in my Third Trimester. I can't believe how quickly time has flown. Love you all!

Healthy Baby Makes for Happy Parents!

We had our 24 Week appointment and Targeted Ultrasound this week. One word: FUN! Unfortunately the ultrasound didn't record on our DVD. I spent the last couple of hours crying over it until I realized that my pregnancy hormones were absolutely raging, which did nothing to help me control my emotions. Luckily we have 5 pictures that the tech printed out. We're going to call my Doctor's office tomorrow and hopefully get the video issue sorted out. But here are the the beauty shots that we did get of our little girl:

Our most recent 3D shot. You can see her right eye, nose and cute lips. I think she's going to have Todd's lips!

Look at that foot!

All 5 fingers accounted for. Can't wait to hold those little hands!

Her beautiful profile. You can see her little nose and lips again.

Starting to feel a little bit big and uncomfortable, but trying to enjoy it!

The ultrasound tech said that everything is looking good and that Miss Lily is nice and healthy. We got a great look at her heart, spine and brain. She was not extremely cooperative though. She was cuddled into me the whole time, so we barely got a view of her face. She was moving around quite a bit, but always nuzzled up right against me. It seems like we may have a cuddler on our hands.

She's enjoying her new found space in my torso now. One end will be pushing around in my rib cage while the other end is kicking around in my pelvis. She has officially found her "happy place" in the right side of my rib cage, making things slighly uncomfortable at times. But it's so fun to feel her moving! She's not kicking hard enough for Todd to feel yet, but that will happen soon I hope.

Although emotions are high at times, Todd and I are happy and doing well. Getting more and more excited for Lily to come. We're using our upcoming Spring Break to organize and deep clean our apartment and to go on our BabyMoon. We're going to get ready for all of the new baby things we'll be getting over the next few months, and will be taking a much needed vacation to rest up before long nights with baby. We're going to stay in Salt Lake and endulge in a prenatal massage, dinner out, and whatever fun activities we can think of. Can't wait!

5 months... how time flies!

We did it, we made it past the half-way point. Hard to believe! It has gone by so fast, yet so slow at the same time.

Week 20 - Half way!

Week 21

Week 22 Ultrasound - Head on the left facing up

Week 22 - 5 Months!

We saw another 3D view of her this appointment. It's strange how "skin and bones" they are at this stage. Absolutely no body fat, so they almost look like a skeleton. That will have changed by week 26 though. She is already kicking so much, way more than I expected. It's been really fun to get to know her movements, even though they're a little uncomfortable at times :) I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions about 3 weeks ago. My doctor isn't concerned, as long as I don't have more than 6 per hour. They're not too uncomfortable, just a very new sensation.

My sister, Tiff, gave me a book called HypnoBirthing. It is AMAZING. I've only read the first few pages and I already love it. Todd and I are looking into HypnoBirthing classes. I've come to realize that if I want to deliver Miss Lily naturally, I'm going to need education. If I go into it blindly I won't succeed. So we're going to start educating ourselves on different methods and techniques to prepare for the big day! Todd has agreed to be my coach :) We recognize that we will have to prepare together and go into labor with a clear understanding of what his roles are to minimize stress and confusion.

We have our targeted ultrasound in 2 weeks, then our 28 week appointment 4 weeks after that. I can't believe I'm that close to being in my Third Trimester. I'm starting to feel the time crunch a little bit. There is so much to do! We need to select gifts for our registries, get our apartment for baby, sign up and take our child birthing classes, let alone finish up this semester! It's definitely time for me to put a "schedule" together to keep track of all of these things to make sure they get done in time.

I had to leave one of my classes for an hour to go to my last appointment. I e-mailed my professor about it ahead of time, to which he replied that he had absolutely NO idea that I was pregnant. When I got up and walked out of class on Thursday night he told the rest of my class where I was going. Except for the couple of ladies I had told, none of the other 20 people had any idea I was pregnant either! I definitely expected to be showing more by this point, so NOT showing feels almost foreign. I just need to be grateful for it and not complain :) At least my family and close friends can tell I'm pregnant now (I think). I keep forgetting that I'm so tall, and that Lily simply has a lot of room to grow before it really has any effect on my body.

Todd and I are doing wonderfully. We're feeling a little overwhelmed at times, but we've never been happier. We're enjoying this time together, and anxiously awaiting the day we get to meet our little girl. Thank you all for your continued love and support! You've made this journey even more exciting for us :)