Olive's First Halloween

We weren't prepared for Halloween this year. We've been so consumed with preparing for Olive that we didn't even set out our Halloween decor or plan to dress up the "kids" this year.

Here are just a few pics of our little one:

And this little outfit wasn't bought as a Halloween costume. It's just a snuggle/sleep sack, but it worked perfectly. :)

Hope everyone had a fun & safe Halloween! I can't wait to take Olive out next year. :)

Olive is here!

Today I would have been blogging about being 39 weeks along, but our beautiful daughter decided to make her debut a little early! :)

Olive Julia was born Sunday, October 23rd at 10:46 a.m. weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. She is 20 1/4 inches long.

I have my October baby. :)

Birth story to come.

38 weeks & the Bump!

Ugly bump has arrived again.

Can I get any bigger?

How far along? 38 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: I've gained a few more pounds. Total weight gain 34 pounds. I don't understand how I could be gaining weight still. I must be putting on the weight now, not baby girl. Maybe it's muscle weight. haha

Maternity clothes? Yep, lots of maternity clothes.

Stretch marks?

Yep, I have stretch marks on my belly. How can I not when it's getting so big? :)

Sleep?

Sleep is eh. Insomnia comes and goes throughout the week. Getting in & out of bed is painful at times, especially with the swollen feet, pelvic soreness and my bladder being pushed on. Ow.

Best moment this week?

Having Dan put together the moses basket rocker, the pack & play, the rock & play and finishing the changing cabinet. We also had the car seat inspected and he installed it correctly. Yay! We also took a lesson in how to properly put baby girl in the car seat. It sure has changed since my nieces and nephew were kids.

Food cravings:

Sweets. I've been giving in too. Yeah, this could be where my extra weight gain comes from. blah.

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I have an "outtie".

Movement?

Movement is still there, but I think it's getting cramped in there and she only pokes a limb out here and there. I still feel lots of hiccups.

What I miss?

Being able to put on my underwear without my pelvic region aching. Ow. The waddle has set in thanks to the wonderful pelvic pain. Maybe all of this pelvic pain means there is progress going on down there. :)

What I'm looking forward to:

Having my little girl here so then I don't have to carry her in my belly. :) Don't get me wrong, my pregnancy has been wonderful for the most part and I'm truly grateful that I get to experience this, but I'm getting tired. It'll all be worth it in the end. Hearing her heartbeat this afternoon is a reminder what all of these aches and pains are for her and it keeps me going!

Milestones: Our baby girl is anywhere from 6.8 - 7 1/2 pounds or maybe even bigger. Ahh! She is around 19 1/2 inches long. My fundus size is closer to 40 cm as of today. I'm huge! She has a firm grasp, which we'll soon be able to test when we hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. 14 days to go! Come on Olive! October would be a wonderful birthday month, not too hot and not too cold.

"All belly" doesn't mean boy!

We've heard this way too many times to count. It's getting annoying actually.

Nurse: "You're having a boy, huh?"

Me/Dan: "No, it's a girl".

Nurse: "That's a girl?"..."But you're all belly."

Me: "Yep."

Waitress: "Es un nino?". (It's a boy?)

Me: "No, es un nina." (No, it's a girl.)

Waitress: "Pero usted está llevando a todos por adelantado" (But you're carrying all up front)

I want to know what idiot came up with the theory that "all belly", carrying high/low, carrying wide determines a child's sex. It's so ridiculous!

I'm not that tall, people! I have a short torso so baby bump has nowhere to go but outwards.

And I also love how when I tell them we're having a girl, a few have said, "Oh yeah, I carried my daughter like that too". Well shit, why would you assume it's a boy then?

Fortunately, pretty soon all of those comments will end.

And oh my goodness if she comes out a he I will be shocked. :D

Not "looking pregnant" from behind

I was at the gelato shop the other night and I turned around to see some girl mouthing, "Oh my gawd, she's pregnant" to her friend. Then she noticed I saw her and we just smiled at each other. I had to giggle.

I have to admit, if I saw someone from behind that looked like this:

and then they turned around and looked like this:

I'd probably have the same reaction. :D

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

It's pretty amazing how your life can change in a year.

Last year, I had gone through 2 miscarriages and today I'm 37 weeks & 2 days along in this pregnancy.

My thoughts are with several friends who have experienced a loss. May they one day be able to experience all of the joy and happiness that pregnancy and a child brings to one's life.

37 weeks! Full-term!

How far along? 37 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: I gained a few more pounds this week. Total weight gain is 31 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep, lots of maternity clothes are being worn, but I just hate wearing clothes these days. haha

Stretch marks?

Yes, a few above the "outtie".

Sleep?

Sleep is really uncomfortable now. My hips hurt, my pelvic region hurts, my lower back aches and I'm getting up to pee more often throughout the night.

Best moment this week?

FINALLY getting the crib in and video taping Dan begin to put it together, but unfortunately had to stop because the manufacturer messed up (the holes don't line up for the screws) and now we have to wait for something to be sent to us. Grrrr. Thankfully we will have a moses basket for 3 months, but still.

Food cravings:

Lemonade!

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I have an "outtie".

Movement?

There is still plenty of movement going on and her limbs are still poking out at times. I love that.

What I miss?

Being able to get and up and go and move more without having to rest/elevate my feet because of swelling. I hate sitting for long periods of time, especially when there is still so much to do!

What I'm looking forward to:

Having my baby girl here!

Milestones: We're full-term! My fundus size was measured at 38 cm this morning and the midwife estimated that baby girl is about 7-7 1/2 pounds. The midwife thinks based on my size at birth (8.1) and Dan's size at birth (9.12) that I could very well have an 8+ pounder. Perfect. :D I'm giving Olive 2 more weeks. I doubt she'll listen to me though. :)

Swollen Feet are Funky

You'll notice my right foot is more swollen than my left foot.

I just love when you can push a part of your swollen foot/ankle in and it leaves an indention. Sexy. :P

I told someone recently that my 28 pound weight gain was all due to my growing belly and my swollen right foot. :D

36 weeks & the Bump!

How far along? 36 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: I was afraid to jump on the scale this a.m. and find that I had gained 3-4 more pounds, but there was no change. Yay! Total weight gain is 28 lbs.

Maternity clothes? I hate wearing maternity jeans and prefer shorts/lounge pants.

Stretch marks?

The hubster has confirmed that I indeed have a few stretch marks above my belly button. The battle wounds of pregnancy have arrived. I will try my hardest to wear them with pride. :)

Sleep?

Sleep is eh. And getting in & out of bed is painful at times.

Best moment this week?

Getting the armoire/drawers put together, washing baby clothes and putting them away (those baby socks are too cute!) and having the chandelier added to our nursery. Thanks again to my parents for their purchases and helping put things together.

Food cravings:

Sweets. Chocolate! And milk.

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I have an "outtie".

Movement?

There is still a lot of movement from Miss Liv and can I just say that I HATE Braxton-Hicks contractions. They are so annoying and uncomfortable. And they are becoming more frequent. Ugh.

What I miss?

My pre-pregnancy weight. It's getting really exhausting having to carry around all of this extra weight. I know my body won't be the way it used to be after Olive arrives, but I will definitely be happy with less weight on this frame. :)

What I'm looking forward to:

Having the nursery completed.

Milestones: Our baby girl is still packing on the pounds, gaining an ounce a day. The most important thing she is doing now is developing her lungs and respiratory system. At the end of this week, our baby will be considered full-term! I start my weekly appts. next week. I can't believe it. It's like I blinked and I was in my 9th month and from what I hear it can be a very looong last month. :) My fundus size was 37 cm and baby girl is still head down. :)

Our Baby Shower

Our Baby Shower was Sunday, Sept. 25th. It was hosted by my amazing, long-time friend Kathy.

These are just a few of the pics from the wonderful day.

Thank you bags

Cake ball pops

Water bottles

My friend Greta.

Table decor

The room set-up

Our wonderful owl cupcake cake!

Decor

Kat and I have been friends since kindergarten. :)

My brother's wife and her daughters.

My cousin Mary

Decor

My dad's sisters and my cousins

Kayla (Kathy's daughter)

Dan's family (Aunt Shirley, Cousin Leah aka hairdresser, MIL, Taylor and SIL)

The Jacksons

Family friend and Auntie to Olive, Debbra

Forgot to capture a pic at the venue of me and my amazing parents so we took a quick snapshot at home. :)

Thanks to everyone who showed up that day to celebrate our little Olive!