While Baking Baby...

Now that I am at the end of my pregnancy I thought it would be fun to share what I loved during pregnancy. These are the important things that have gotten me through these long nine months.

• Pillows: Between my knees, propping me up, and under my back. I loved being encompassed in pillows. Sometimes Shea got a little jealous because I would steal all the pillows.
•  Basketball shorts: Most comfortable thing ever!
• Ice packs: I loved having ice packs to cool me down or for when I had a headache or backache.
• What to Expect When You're Expecting: This book helped me a lot, it had all the answers when I was questioning what was happening to my body and my baby. It saved me from having to make many frantic phone calls to the doctor asking if this or that is normal.
• TheBump.com: This site was fun to use, it had lots of message boards with tons of information. I enjoyed seeing how big my baby was compared to a fruit. It was also nice to see how baby was growing and all his little developments, I usually checked several websites so I made sure I wasn't missing anything that was going on with baby. I'm a protective mom already, poor kid.
• Lotion: One thing I wasn't prepared for when I got pregnant was the itchy, itchy, itchy skin. It was overwhelming sometimes but lotion helped a ton! Not to mention I used Vitamin E Oil to reduce the occurrence of stretch marks, I don't know if it really helped but it put my mind at ease and NOT one stretch mark.  
• Bubble Baths: This was my favorite thing in my second trimester, it relieved aches and pains from all the stretching and changing my body was doing to make room for baby.
• Not being ticklish: I loved not being ticklish, Shea loves to tickle me. I hate it, most of the time. And I am usually ticklish everywhere, especially my back. But during pregnancy I was tickle free (most of the time).
• Cold Air: I was always burning up so having our house nice and cool was amazing. Shea froze though, he was wrapped up in blankets all the time :)
• Curtains: They shielded me from the light of the day, so that I could catch up on the sleep I was missing at night.
• Chinese Food (always my favorite!): East Coast Chinese food is better though, I missed it a lot.
• Great Harvest: I craved pumpkin chocolate chip bread at the beginning of my pregnancy, but not much after my second trimester began.
• Frozen Berries: Especially blueberries and strawberries
• Sherbet with Hershey Syrup: Orange Sherbet is the best, and anything other than Hershey's is gross.
• Smoothies (Jamba Juice)
• Peanut Butter and Sour Cream and Onion Chip Sandwiches: I know it sounds gross, but I ate these like once a day at least.
• Spinach Salad: I got this on campus practically everyday when I was in school my first trimester. Spinach, grated swiss cheese, sugared almonds, bacon, mushrooms, mandarin oranges, poppyseed dressing... YUM! 

• Having baby all to myself: I know this sounds selfish, but that connection is just so strong and I loved being the first to know when he was awake and active or when he was sleeping and still. I loved seeing him move all around, knowing that my body was taking care of him and helping him grow healthy and strong. It is so special, and it really is a miracle.

Due Date

Today was my due date. I am now 40 weeks pregnant. And tomorrow little Connor will be officially late. And I am going crazy waiting.

Wondering what baby is up to at 40 weeks?
- Baby's eyes are well formed, but the nerves inside his eye will continue to develop in the first weeks after birth. As a result, newborns often have poor vision immediately after birth. It is not until your baby is six to eight weeks old that he can focus and follow objects with his eyes.
- The final details of his physical appearance are in place and compeletely formed, including his eyelashes, eyebrows, nails, nose, and mouth.
- His internal organs are fully matured and ready for life outside the womb.
- His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor.
- The average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long.

Wondering how pregnancy is?
- How far along: 40 WEEKS
- Total weight gain/loss: +27 pounds
- Maternity clothes: The weather has been pretty damp and dreary lately, so I don't do much outside. So I don't feel bad wearing pj's all day.
- Stretch marks: Not from where I can see.
- Sleep: Not getting much.
- Nausea: Early mornings are a no go, but other than that I am doing fine.
- Movement: Not much room in there. He has his foot or hand right near my belly button so he pokes it out occassionally and I will poke back, it is a little game we play :)
- Food cravings: Right now I am just craving life after delivery. I get to see my baby and I get to be done pregnancy!
- What I miss: Sleep
- What I am enjoying: The wait is almost over!

I meet with the doctor tomorrow, and I should be scheduled to be induced the following morning. Wednesday, June 2nd!
Pictures of Connor to come!

Update: Met with the doctor today and turns out they are full for tomorrow Wed. so I have to wait one more day. So Thursday I will be induced, I hope it goes fast but I fear that it will take awhile. We will see.

Inching Forward

Still Pregnant.

I am now 39 weeks. Each week feels like an eternity now. Time moves so slow right now. I was wishing that this week I could persuade the doctor to induce me now. But no such luck. The earliest I will be induced is next Wednesday. I was 2-3 centimeters dilated and 75% effaced. So I am still making progress, but not as much as I would like. I had my membranes stripped again, just for the fun of it. But considering nothing happened last week after the procedure I am not expecting any real results. Who knows maybe second times the charm.

So now I begin another long week of waiting. I know it is only a week and the baby is coming so soon, but I can't help but feel so anxious and disappointed that he isn't hear now or coming today. Shea is a huge help, he is such a strength to me as I am learning this very hard lesson in patience. I am so grateful for him and his support as we take on another week. But this week is surely the last!

(sorry this picture is so dark, and I look so tired. I am just worn out from a night of little sleep.)

Wondering what baby is up to at 39 weeks?
- The lanugo (a word for the soft, downy hair that covers baby's body) has mostly disappeared.
- The color of baby's skin is changing from a red-pink hue to a white or blue-pink color. These changes are due to the amount of fat baby is putting on.
- Baby holds limbs well flexed and the chest is prominent
- Baby weighs between 6 1/2 and 7 pounds and is around 19 to 21 inches long

Wondering how pregnancy is?
- How far along: 39 Weeks
- Total weight gain/loss: +27 pounds
- Maternity clothes: I have a pair of black gauchos that I bought a few weeks ago, which are vital to my everyday wardrobe.
- Stretch marks: Since I can't see most of my belly anyway, Shea checks for me and he says no...
- Sleep: With bathroom trips and anxious worries, I tend to sleep better during the day.
- Nausea: Not really.
- Movement: He is a squirmer. But I have been trying to keep myself busy, and the more active I am the less I feel him move around. In the morning though when he hears Shea's voice he perks up and starts going crazy, it happens when Shea comes home from work too. No movement all day, and then all of a sudden he is dancing away.
- Food cravings: Ummm...actually I have had a loss of appetite. Nothing sounds good. I think it's nerves.
- What I miss: Being comfortable. (Funny story, or Home Teachers came over the other day and as one said the closing prayer he said he hopes I am able to remain comfortable...haha. I had to smirk a little because I haven't been comfortable for a long time. And especially not now. But it was sweet and it's the thought that counts.)
- What I am enjoying: Shea takes such good care of me. He is so sensitive to my random mood swings, he is constantly holding me and reassuring me. I just can't believe how amazing he is about everything. I am so lucky and our little baby Connor is lucky to have him as a Dad.

Soon we will be experiencing all the "joys" of labor!

Called to Serve

Congrats! My brother Ryan just got called to serve in the Brazil Florianópolis Mission! We are so excited for him and all the fun that awaits. He leaves October 6th, so lots of time to prepare. He has been waiting for his call for a few weeks so it was awesome to finally know where he is going and when!

Shea served in Brazil too, the Porto Alegre South Mission. So it is fun to know that Shea and Ryan will be able to speak Portuguese to each other when he gets home. And of course Ryan is pretty stoked he is going foreign!

Being the oldest boy he is the first missionary in our family, and he is ready to go! We are so proud of him, and soon he will be receiving lots of letters from his sappy family!

It looks like his mission covers the whole Santa Catarina state, and he will be going to the São Paulo (Brazil) MTC.  The countdown begins!

CONGRATULATIONS RYAN, YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN AMAZING MISSIONARY!