Jesse: 36 weeks

Ok, buddy. You can come anytime!  I am so ready for you.  Yes, there is more "to dos" on my list like freezer meals, hanging more wall art in your room but really those things don't matter.

Total weight gain/loss: 29 pounds (lost a pound this week, must be water!)

Maternity clothes: Yes 

Stretch marks: found some new ones on the left side and the belly bump is getting a bit red and splotchy.

Sleep:  A couple of nights have been pretty good, though my belly is so hard to get comfortable on pillow.

Best moments this week:  Threw a good friend her baby shower/sprinkle!  Its been so fun to be pg together!  Love and hate all the double looks I have been getting I must be huge!  Haha!

Belly button in or out?: ugh. so far out a so visiable through ALL my clothes.

Craving: not much, just if I don't eat all my snacks I do get hungry and it is hard to get full again. Maybe a brownie! 

What I am looking forward to: Possibly 3 weeks and I get to kiss his face.

I did get a few things done that I am kind of embarrassed to admit.  I am so over prepared.  Today Owen and I went to the car wash.  Everything, I mean everything came out of the van including a toddler's car seat.  That was so gross!  Then during naptime, I installed the baby car seat, mirror and put our suitcase, breast feeding pillow and blanket for Chris in the van!  Yes, I will be driving around with all our junk in the back for weeks, but it was cluttering up the floor in Jesse's room and driving me crazy.  Now all we have to do is grab the last minute items (the very detailed list is on the fridge) and put them in the duffel bag and go!  Last night Chris hung a bunch of "art" on the walls!!! 

Haha!  Here we are:

This morning as I took Owen to school I asked him if he noticed Jesse's car seat? He said "uh-huh, when Jesse outside I buckle him, ok mommy?"

Ok buddy! You can buckle him.  Chris and I got a great laugh because it isn't about helping mommy it is ALL about the buckling 

Time for Freezer meals again!

We had been trying to eat out the freezer before I had to thaw it out last week.  I am so thrilled at how organized and clean it is again!!!

Its pretty organized right now, but once the food freezes solid I will move stuff around to be more like my plan below:
Top Shelf will be meats and meals
Second Shelf will be breast milk (eventually) and Owen's food
Third shelf is frozen veggies
Big Forth shelf is ice packs and other bigger stuff
Bottom Shelf is frozen chicken breasts, pizzas and packaged stuff

But onto the reason for this blog post!  My plan for freezer meals this time.  I am one month away from our due date so usually I shop one day and do a recipe or 2 a day.  It works best if I plan for us to eat it for dinner that night too; so, I am not cooking dinner AND freezer meals.  I always get exhausted doing this even when not pregnant because it is a lot of work, but it really is so worth it for after baby.

Week 1:  Chicken and Pork

• bags of cooked shredded chicken breasts
• chicken pot pies
• Mediterranean Rosemary Chicken Thighs
• Boneless Pork Chops
• Marinated Pork Chops

Week 2: Beef and Ground Beef

• Shepherds Pie (I really want a new recipe b/c we are not in love with the one from Owen's freezer meals, its decent so I will use it if I cant find a better one)
• Santa Fe Soup: seriously this is the EASIEST to make!!
• Beef Stew or Zesty Beef and Veggie Stew

Week 3:  Ground Turkey

• Mild Turkey Chili
• Ground Turkey Cheesy Casserole

Most of the recipes are in my old posts so check them out!  

here are the dollar store pans and they have a reflective side that I put towards the food and a white side that I write directions for later on!

My white erase board is getting full!

Jesse: 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 30 pounds (9 less than OWEN)

Maternity clothes: Yes 

Stretch marks: about the same, but belly is getting itchier!

Sleep:  I am miserable and will probably get more sleep once he is here! Still up about every hour and the couch is getting more comfy than the bed or at least hopping between the 2 is good.

Best moments this week:  Meeting with the OB and putting a "plan" on the calendar

Belly button in or out?: ugh. so far out

Craving: not much, just if I don't eat all my snacks I do get hungry and it is hard to get full again. 

What I am looking forward to: OB apts every week and hopefully getting closer to having this boy outside in my life and arms!

My 35 week appointment was pretty good and though we did have a slight hiccup.  My weight gain is right on track, my blood pressure, urine and belly measurement were "perfect".  Then she did the strep B test and checked my cervix.  Well, my cervix didn't really agree with that exam and I started gushing blood.  My OB said it was more than she liked to see, but I really wasn't stressed and it stopped before I left the office.  Thankfully.  

Chris is working on the master bath again.  We are hoping and praying the tile guy comes this week.  This baby is going to be here before we know it!!  We spent 2+ hours this morning figuring out the marble top size (normally this would be templated by the installer, but we are saving money templating and installing it ourselves....YIKES if we measured wrong!!). 

Almost ready for you Jesse!

Well, I am just soooo ready to say the nursery is 100% finished and it's not.  I didn't meet my August goal.  It is so close that I am not beating myself up over it.  Tonight, however, I did start on my September goal....freezer meals. UGH! I am so not looking forward to it!

Step one was defrosting the freezer.  I now am praying it defrosts quickly as i have 2 coolers full of food that i don't want to go bad! It was so full of ice on the shelves and some food had spilled on the ice and only way to clean was a complete defrost; that is happing as i type!  Step 2 was gathering my recipes together and making a grocery list and putting dates on the calendar to cook.  Most of the meals I plan to make extra for our meals too so I am trying to look at it as not that much extra cooking.  One good thing about emptying the freezer is getting rid of the hash browns from Owen's freezer meal cooking (3 years ago!!! Gag!) and some of his baby food I made!  LOL!! 

I am excited about clean stocked and organized freezers!  I plan to keep a list of the meals on the white erase board again and hopefully a tally of the frozen veggies too (will help with shopping and not over buying).  

Sadly, the master bathroom is at a stand still.  I was really hoping the tile guy would come today and he couldn't and it probably means he has jobs early next week too. Ughhhhh! Guess Chris is going to have to hang stuff for me this weekend on the walls so I can still have a feeling of accomplishment!!! Fingers crossed that it all gets done!  

Ok, so I talked to Chris about hanging stuff and apparently he has a bunch he can do in there...I knew that he was going to need to sand and sheet rock mud some more, but it sounds like he is wanting to finish the electrical in there too!! Can lights and fan!! 

Freezer is almost thawed!  I just spent 10 minutes breaking ice and dumping water!!  Hope to get the food back in there tonight! Got to love how long it takes to write a post these days!  I started writing at 3pm and it's 8:45 now.  

Wish I had taken a before pic of the freezer it was BAD!  

big boy and little baby updates

First, my big boy had his first day of play school yesterday!  I am SO VERY PROUD of him! Truly, he has the best personality! On the way to school we talked all about leaving MeMe in the carseat and coming back to him after school ends.  We talked about how some of the kids might cry, but Owen was a big boy and would be ok and didn't need to cry.  We talked about how he was going to have snack and play on the play ground and how he needed to listen to his 2 teachers. I told him he would have a good fun day at school with his buddy Colin.

We got to school, took the first day picture in front of some of the brick of the church and walked into his class.  OH MY!  Most of the class was crying. Owen seemed fine so we washed his hands, found his friend Colin, they started playing in the kitchen together, he gave Mommy a kiss and that was it!   He was happily playing when I left!

When I picked him up he looked tired!  We had a cute little chat that went something like this:
Hi, Owen!!
"Mommy you came back to me!"
Owen what did you do at school?
"Play with trains" "Play outside"
Did you have a snack?
"yes, COOKIES!!!!"
What did you have to drink?
"water! I threw my cup away!"
Did you play with Colin?
"uh ah"
Did you play with the other kids?
"NO, they crying!"

BAHHAAHAHAHAAHAHHA!!  I LOVE THIS KID!!!

In Jesse news!  I think he flipped, which in this case isn't a great thing!  He has been head down every u/s and OB appointment.  The way I know this is that his hiccups have been very low in my pelvic the past month or so.  Well, yesterday I felt this weird rolling, a movement that hasn't happened this pregnancy.  Then he has been kicking in a total different location and last night the hiccups were in my left rib cage area.  :/  Dude, are you just doing everything to ensure we have a repeat c/s?  His size being big, me having gestational diabetes and now him being in the wrong direction.  My belly went from a basketball look to more of 2 melons when I look down!  Haha, thankfully I don't think it looks weird to others!  Hopefully, he will flip back!

Hospital bag list:

Here is what we are bringing:

Jeanna: 

2 pairs of underwear 

2 pairs of socks

Black Yoga pants and a nursing top that I plan to wear home that is a little nicer than just a t-shirt!

Nursing bra

Nursing black tank top
Black Robe
flip flops

Night gown that I can nurse in, but feel covered if we have visitors 

Toiletry kit 

Eye mask, glasses, extra contacts 

Blanket 

2 pillows 

sound machine
snicker bite size bars to share with the nurses
Sunkist individually wrapped prunes for me to eat to help move the #2!

Chris: 

Sweat pants 

T-Shirt 

Shorts

Flip flops

Jeans

Nicer t-shirt to go home in for pictures

Socks and underwear

Laptop

Magazine
Pillow and a twin sized quilt

Jesse: (in the diaper bag)

2 cute onsies (that we put Owen in at the hospital)
Going home outfit
several cute hats (the hospital supplies them, but they are ugly!)
blanket in case it is cool for going home
car seat
nursing cover
Hand Breast pump and bottle (don't want to pay for these again, even tho the hospital does have them)
Cloth Breast Pads
Medela Soft Shell Breast Covers (these rock, they keep fabric off your soar nipples)
Breast Friend (breast feeding pillow)

Last Minute Items to grab:
My purse-throwing in Ipad, chargers for Iphones and Ipad, my wallet and make up bag
Pillows/blankets, 1 rolling small suitcase, one duffle bag and the diaper bag
Car seat and Breast feeding pillow
Hair Dryer and flat iron
Owen big brother present (we are thinking a kids toy digital camera that he can take pictures of Jesse with)

Jesse: 34 weeks

Please beware this post may come across as whiny, but really I am just plain miserable pregnant right now and in all honesty here it is.

So, lets start in the mornings.  I wake up sleeping on my back because my shoulders hurt from switching side to side.  If I sleep on my left my left shoulder KILLS me, if I sleep on my right my right leg falls asleep.  So then when I wake, I stress that I have somehow hurt Jesse because I am once again sleeping on my back and can't help it!  I then poke my belly or worry till I feel him move.  There isn't a lot of time to just relax and lazily get out of bed because my toddler is usually calling my name.  Our mornings are the best.  I am the most relaxed, Jesse seems to sleep usually and gives me gentle movements of reassurance and light kicks.  By lunch time I am getting soooo sleepy, but I have to get Owen fed and myself.  If we ran errands my body is so ready for some chill time.  After Owen gets into bed it is my only time with any energy to get anything done, but sometimes I am so tired.  If I am motivated I end up doing way too much (like today).  If I am tired and I can I will take a nap.  These naps are AMAZING!  I will end up sleeping for hours and not moving an inch, but then that leads to a night of tossing and turning.  Then again I toss and turn if I don't nap.

After Owen is up it is time to cook dinner, clean the kitchen and general more running around the house.  This leads to my belly getting so hard and heavy.  Finally, Owen is down for the night and I usually let myself relax.  Recently, this hasn't been the case.  I sit down and immediately Jesse decides it is "dance party".  He kicks, he rolls he basically is killing me!  I love feeling him move, but I don't remember it HURTING like this.  Sometimes, he is so low I am afraid he is going to fall out or kick his way out.  Some evenings the contractions start.  They come about every 10-20 minutes starting at my belly getting tight, then it feels like it moves up my chest and into my head this weird pressure.  Sometimes this will last till it is time for bed and even when I am laying down and trying to sleep they still come.  This is when I really get worried.  Though now that we are 34 weeks I am ok with him coming anytime.  Even though I really just want to get the BATHROOM DONE!

As I am typing this, Chris is working hard at 8:45 in the bathroom.  He is muding and sanding the ceiling and some of the walls.  The plumber is due back tomorrow to HOPEFULLY finish the rough in plumbing.  I am so ready to have this baby and so ready to have our bathroom back.  I don't want to bring Jesse home to a construction zone, but it is most likely going to be the case.

Total weight gain/loss: 

Maternity clothes: Yes and some of my favorites this summer are no longer fitting :(  I am down to t-shirts and sweats just about! 

Stretch marks: I think there is a new one on the underside of my right belly.  Thankfully, I can't see it most of the time!

Sleep:  I am miserable and will probably get more sleep once he is here! 

Best moments this week:  My mommy friend threw us a "sprinkle" it felt more like a baby shower and I am all stocked up!

Belly button in or out?: OUT and people are commenting!

Craving: not much, just if I don't eat all my snacks I do get hungry and it is hard to get full again. 

What I am looking forward to: having a baby this month or NEXT month!  FINALLY SOOOO CLOSE!

Per Bab.y cen.ter:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

34 weeks bare belly