39 Weeks

wow...the final stretch. i am SO SO ready. like, you have no idea. i have been having very minor contractions...nothing to get too excited about. we have been applying all the tricks to kick start labor. everything is ready for the little babe (except i need to mop all the floors today...maybe that will help labor start too! fingers crossed) but yes, I AM READY!

How Far Along: 39 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 40lbs (yikes)

Stretch Marks: A couple on my side (wahhhh)

Sleep?: ummm what is that? i am def preparing for even less when she is here. also biggest complaint about this...my hips. seriously they hurt all night...why doesn't anyone else seem to talk about this? am i the only one???

Best Moment this Week: Pete home from the road...we have been spending tons of time together going on dates and laughing. i love him so much.

Movement: she is def down but manages to kick a rib here and there.

Food cravings: breakfast food, sour cream(on burritos and potatoes), and fruit.

Labor Signs: minor contractions and at our last midwife appt i was 1cm dialated. we go back wed (if nothing happens by then) we are hoping for big progress.

Belly Button: Stretched to the max!

What I Miss: Clothes...i spent a majority of the morning drooling over clothes. hopefully when i drop the extra weight pete will take me shopping!!!

What Am I Looking Forward To: the whole labor experience...gosh i can't wait!!! and then to hold her...FINALLY :)

Weekly Wisdom: God is teaching me patience...learning to enjoy the moment and not rush...so hard to do.

Milestones: THE LAST WEEK!


so blog summary? I AM READY!

enjoy the day
xoxo
melissa

waiting is the hardest part...

i am waiting for pete to get home this morning. he has been gone a week and it def felt like a looong week. i am trying to wait patiently. it is so good to know that he is off the road for a while. we will have plenty of time to be together as a family. i can't wait to get the process going! tomorrow we are gonna start all the tricks they say helps start labor so hopefully we won't have to wait too long till we get to hold our baby girl. i am hoping for the 27th. that gives us a few days together to have a date and prepare. i am thinking a movie, dinner, and some free frozen yogurt...sounds perfect to me ;)

i must share this...it is my absolutely favorite thing i have bought for Bennet! i can't wait to put her in it and get some pics taken...ohhhhh its the cutest thing ever!



i cannot take it! i die!


so....COME ON BABY!

week 37

we are just booking through these last few weeks. i cannot believe its almost here!! i am feeling pretty good, just exhausted. i will admit though that i do have super emotional "i'm pregnant!!" mood swings. it is super hard to get out of the "blah" mood. i def have my good days and then the not so good days. one thing that perks me up though is that pete is almost done traveling!! he is heading out tomorrow for his last run then gets home next tuesday. this is a week earlier then what we thought so we are super thankful.
we had a midwife appt today. everything is looking good! we are so happy with our choice to go with the midwives. we went over our birth plan and just got more reassurance that this is going to be a good experience. our midwife thinks we have a small baby on the way...probably in the 7lb range. we chose not to get checked. with pete leaving tomorrow we didn't want to worry the whole time he is gone. i think she will be around a week early but not before then. but this is a super hot summer, so you better believe as soon as pete walks through our door we are gonna do all the tricks to get bennet on the path. i can't believe i will be a mommy in just a few weeks. so surreal.

week 35

well baby dear, we are coming to the end of this thing. even though i am so so ready to have you here and hold you, i can't help but be a little sad. this has been the most amazing experience of my life. feeling all of your movements, having you all to myself. i am gonna miss it. i am excited to share you with the world but also a little jealous. i am glad ive had you all to myself these past months. i feel like we have shared so much and i have been able to protect you in my cozy belly. sure its been stressful, really hot, and uncomfortable at times but also the greatest time ever. i love you little girl. your daddy is so ready to meet you so i won't be selfish. but i have to ask that you stay in there till july 29. daddy is traveling a ton till then and i don't want to be stressed about him possibly missing it. so my prayer is for you to stay cozy in there and wait. have patience. :)

we had a midwife appt yesterday. everything is looking great! your heart beat was strong at 151 and i am actually measuring at 36 weeks. that kinda scared me (due to not wanting you to come early) but i know it could mean nothing. i am so happy with the midwives and my doula. so thankful to have that help. we go back in 2 weeks and i will probably start asking them to check me. gosh i wish pete wasn't traveling so much in july...but also i am thankful he has a job and one that he loves too. i never thought i would say this but i would so rather you be late then early.

34 days and counting!

xoxo, mommy

nursery...almost done!

we are getting so close to the big day! i am currently 34 weeks and 3 days! only 40 more days to go...which blows my mind!


so the nursery...here are some updated pics...













some onesies i made:







and the vintage pram set up by our bed all ready for little nugget:



enjoy the day!

34 weeks

oh my goodness...let me start out by saying that i will NOT get pregnant again in the summer if i can help it. ugh ugh ugh this heat is the absolute worse! plus throw in southern humidity and its just lovely let me tell ya.
i spend most of my days at the pool in the morning then home by noon and i stay indoors the rest of the day with the shades drawn. our energy bill will probably be HUGE this month...my perfect temp ranges from 65-69 degrees. not looking forward to that piece of mail.

good news though, i am 34 weeks! wow, this seriously has flown by. i can't believe we only have 42 more days (give or take) till little bennet makes her way into the world. labor is something i think about daily. also all i can think about is all that we need to get done before the time comes. i try to stay mindful to not stress out over it all.

somethings i can do without right now: the heat (duh), how uncomfortable i am (seriously i roll out of bed), the constant hip pain at night (why do they only hurt at night?!! did any other ladies out there have constant hip pain?), acid reflex (tums are my best friend), heartburn (once again hello tums!)

please don't get me wrong...i am so thankful that i get to experience this! it is a miracle and am so thankful every time i feel her kicks and punches. pregnancy is really a fun exciting time. i am just glad it usually doesn't go longer then 40 weeks. please Bennet, make mommy happy and come on time...not a day late! please!

alot of people have asked us how we came up with her name. well if you know me well you know my love for jane austen. pride & prejudice gets me every time. i have always loved Elizabeth Bennet and thought her last name would be so precious for a little lady. Some people want to spell it Bennett but i prefer it with one 'T' it is how miss austen spells it in all the books i have. also Bennet means "little blessed one" how adorable is that?! Elise was just a name i always loved. so classic and pretty. when we looked up what it means we knew it was her name right away..."consecrated to God" how perfect!

so little Bennet Elise, i hope you love your name as much as we do! you are kicking me like crazy and i can tell that you can't wait to meet us too! i love how worship at church calms you down and how when daddy talks to you you calm down and listen...but as soon as he stops you kick like crazy. you don't want him to stop! haha i can't wait for that moment that they place you on my chest and we meet for the first time. dear little one, we love you more then we can put into words! stay healthy and keep growing...also these are the dates that work best for us if you wanna come then, july 28 - august 2.

xoxo,
mommy

shower time

so this weekend was such a wonderful time! my sister and my mom flew in on friday. they hadn't seen our house before so it was so great to give them the tour and take them around nashville. saturday was the shower! my beautiful friends did such a beautiful job and i wish i would've taken more pics but my pregnancy brain didn't even think about my camera till the end. bummer. anyways, have i mentioned how crafty all my friends are. seriously, bennet received some amazingly beautiful handmade things. i will def post some pics of them later. instead here are a couple pics i took...most of them i looked too huge and swollen to post so i will just keep them for my eyes only haha