35 Weeks

I'm 35 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of baby: Jack is around 5.25 lbs - about the size of a honeydew melon

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 14 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Wearing lots of dresses and long tops with leggings. I'm trying to make regular clothes work in a size bigger than my normal.

Gender: It's a boy! Jack Porter Harrison

Movement: He's a busy boy, I feel like I know what to expect when he gets here

Sleep: Not great. It takes me forever to get comfortable and then I wake up to pee 4,152 times a night. I feel like my body is preparing me for the days with a newborn

Cravings: I just eat anything and everything these days, even when I'm not hungry :)

Symptoms: Some leg and inner thigh pain but that's about it. I'm not complaining!
Best Moment this week: Reading a big sister book to Georgia Grace and tying up loose ends in his nursery

 

35 weeks with both of my babies. I think I'm bigger all through my midsection this time even though I've gained less. It's funny how carrying a boy and girl can look differently. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world!

We are snowed in again. Predictions say 6-8 inches this time but it should warm up this weekend so it shouldn't stick around long. As long as spring promises to follow, I don't mind one more good snow. It just makes me excited for spring and baby Jack even more!

 

Hello March

Well, February was short and quick and now it's March with the hope of spring arriving soon. We won't even talk about the winter storm brewing for Wednesday. Maybe if we don't mention it it won't happen :)

 

This past week was my big school nutrition review. It's a huge deal and a really huge deal when you have only been in the position for six months. However, it went better than I ever expected it would and I have a huge weight lifted from my shoulders! I was so proud of my staff. Just a fun fact-we still make homemade (whole grain of course) rolls and the state auditors said they can count on one hand how many school systems still do that! They were very impressed, especially when it weighed exactly 2.0 oz :) Overall, it was a great experience and I'm very happy with the outcome.

 

I hope to do a bump update this week but this was me at 33 weeks plus winter storm Octavia behind me. A lot had already melted off by then. And Jack is definitely growing. Some think my belly is longer this time around. I do know that he is laying right on my bladder and I'm spending half the day in the bathroom ha!

 

We've only had school two days in the last two weeks due to snow but this bus still made the route :) Once the snow melted from the roads we got out and did some shopping which meant riding the rides at the mall. She was loving it as you can tell!

 

We also went shopping for new books. A discount bookstore was offering a free book to everyone just for coming to their store so we took advantage. She picked out "Strawberry Shortcake At The Beach" and then asked to go to the beach. Mommy is in!

 

On Saturday she got ready for a birthday party for our friend Morgan. She was really looking forward to it. When she woke up she said, "Today is Morgan's party day and I get to eat ice cream and bounce!"

 

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law took her to the party so I could stay home to rest and before they got there we read some of the new books we bought. She LOVES to "read". She can recite some of her favorites that we read daily and gets excited when we bring new books home. The book she's reading in the picture is about becoming a big sister/brother. She's taking her new job seriously.

 

Looking for Ma and Aunt Shanna out her bedroom window (she wore pants but they hadn't made it on her yet).

 

She had so much fun at the party! Morgan and the other girls were very protective of her in the bouncy house I heard, I think they felt like she was their little sister.

And this has me all kinds of excited! I love Lilly but never buy it for myself unless it's discounted or from my favorite consignment store but I read everything will be under $150 so maybe I will add a few pieces to my collection. I have an April birthday so perfect timing!

 

And y'all, this happened this weekend. It amazes me how something so small as setting up the changing table can impact you but it sure made me stop and go wow, it's almost time! We made a lot of progress on his nursery this weekend and I promise to post pictures of each room soon! My goal is to do 2-3 before Jack gets here because we all know what will take precedence after that :)

 

Happy March!

Snow Much Fun

We are still covered in about a foot of snow with more snow/sleet/ice/rain predicted for the weekend. Oh me oh my! I haven't drove a vehicle in over a week and Marcus is borrowing his sister's jeep since we don't have a 4WD. We've made it just fine and I'm really appreciating a warm home, a pantry full of groceries and technology to keep us sane :)

I've enjoyed the week with my snow baby. I think snow days are gifts to eight month pregnant mommies and their first born. We've played in the snow, played with toys, watched Peppa Pig and ate lots of yummy food. I'm thankful for the excuse to do the last one guilt free :)

I had a little helper this week. She was interested in everything I did-laundry, makeup, jet bubble bath, cooking. One day I decided to take advantage of our time at home and start laundering Jack's clothes in Dreft. She helped me hang them to dry and loved playing a part in getting his things ready. She's also turned into my pick up partner as that isn't coming easy these days!

I usually stay home when school is out but I have a huge state audit for my school nutrition program next week so I went in to the office to prepare for it.

I took baby girl with me one day for a few hours. My coworkers were so sweet to help keep her entertained and make her feel special. She colored, ate everyone's desk snacks and sang "Wheels On The Bus" to our Director of Transportation :) 

And just to show you what a monumental snow this is-Marcus's RX300 buried in 10 inches of snow.

We live in a rural area but this is the secondary road we live off of that's pretty highly traveled. I feel like we're living in an episode of Northern Exposure!

The snow is beautiful and has been fun but has caused some major headaches at the end of the week. Our downstairs heating/cooling unit went out Wednesday but we were able to stay put by using our upstairs unit and gas fireplace. Granddad and Marcus fixed it on Thursday and we thought we were good to go until our carbon monoxide alarm went off Thursday night. We didn't want to take any chances so we're staying with his grandparents until we can get the house aired out. It's a major pain but I'm thankful we are safe and have somewhere to go.

And I'll leave you with a Georgia funny from this week:

I let her play in my makeup Tuesday night and Wednesday morning she was wanting to play in it again. I told her no and she said why, I replied "because it makes a mess". She said very distraught, 

"It doesn't make a mess, it makes me happy" HA! I guess that's all that really matters :)

Snowed In

We are currently snowed in under 10 inches of snow! The weathermen started calling for mass accumulations on Friday but you hate to get your hopes up and low and behold they were right. We ran out at 7:30 Sunday night to stock up on groceries (there was a bare shelf in the bread aisle!) and are prepared to stay put for a little while.

 

Before the "snow my goodness", we celebrated Valentine's Day. Last week was a sick week for Georgia Grace but she was ready to go by Friday which was perfect because that was the AKK Valentine's Party!

Thursday night Marcus and I did a little Valentine's shopping and errand running. I decided to give a few rockers a test run since we haven't made a decision yet for Jack's nursery. This one is a contender. I just love the look of an upholstered rocker. And HELLO baby Jack!

 

After a week in pajamas we broke out a pretty dress for the party occasion :) She was very out of routine by Friday morning so getting up and going took some time but she fell into routine fairly quickly.

 

She had the honor of holding the flag Friday morning.

 

And then it was party time! I think she had a big time because on Saturday she said, "Let's go to a party" HA! Three sweet girls-Eliza, GGH and Chloe.

 

And y'all she already has a Valentine. They exchanged gifts with each other and Thomas even handed out Frozen cards because he knew that was Georgia Grace's favorite :)

 

Her preschool class. She is still the baby of the group although she acts as big as the rest of them!

 

Saturday was Valentine's Day and when she woke up we gave her her gift from us-a drawing pad, fat crayons, a baby doll dress and applesauce. A total dietitian mom move but she loves applesauce so it was appreciated.

 

We spent the day at home and decided to go out for dinner. Marcus and I don't exchange gifts with each other or make a big fuss over the holiday but it was nice to have a little date night. Our original plan was a date night with just the two of us but we decided that our days with GGH as an only child are limited so she came along too! Daddy celebrated with both his Valentines.

 

And I think I've been replaced :)

 

And then snowstorm Octavia came and has shut Kentucky down for the most part. Universities and businesses that never close are closed. We already know there won't be school until at least Thursday and with the highs only in the 20's for the rest of the week I predict a full snow week.

 

Since it was one of those every twenty years kind of snows we knew we better get out and enjoy it. Mind you enjoying it with a two year old is about a 10 minute adventure it was still fun.

 

She liked it for the most part. However, naptime was near so we wasn't upset to go in either.

 

But right before we did this happened! Our back patio has a steel gazebo and the weight of the snow caused it to crash. Thankfully we weren't standing under it and the playhouse and Big Green Egg were spared. However, the gazebo is a total loss.

 

It was a very lazy day of eating, watching movies, working from home (for me, my big nutrition review is in two weeks!), eating, playing, and eating some more. I made some snow cream as a bedtime snack and it was as good as I remembered it.

 

It looks like another lazy day tomorrow. I'm going to try to tackle some of my "Before Jack Arrives" to-do list and relish in the fact that I have no where to be. Snow days when you are eight months pregnant are a beautiful thing.

32 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 Weeks

Size of baby: Jack is the size of a sack of potatoes (about 4 lbs)

Total Weight Gain: Gained 14 lbs and feel so. much. bigger. this time 

Maternity Clothes: Wearing lots of dresses and long tops with leggings. I'm trying to make regular clothes work in a size bigger than my normal.

Gender: It's a boy! Jack Porter Harrison

Movement: I'm growing a future NFL kicker I just know it.

Sleep: Sleeping great this week but I've been extra tired

Cravings: fruit juice, salty foods

Symptoms: Just feeling large, some heartburn, a little nausea in the morning 

Best Moment this week: Putting together his crib and bedding. Marcus surprised me, I didn't know he was doing it. One of my favorite moments!

Georgia Grace is better and was able to attend her preschool Valentine's party. This year we have store bought cards and goodies and she will have as much fun as if we had made homemade everything. Sometimes convenience and easy is the best choice!

Oh February

Marcus and I were talking about our favorite months (his-June and April; mine-July and October) and we decided February is probably both our least favorite month. We're usually starting to get tired of winter by this point and there seems to be a lot of sickness. We both enjoy doing things outdoor and traveling which isn't as easy in February due to weather. But we're trying to make the most of it and make it a fun month! I think we've even decided to celebrate Valentine's Day this year to honor our probable last real date night before becoming a family of four.

Saturday we didn't have any plans so we decided it was the best time to head back to Ikea to get the rest of the things we need to furnish our house. We were fortunate and they had everything in stock that we needed-woohoo! We felt like seasoned Ikea shoppers this time around and learned how to avoid the crowds and long lines.

 

Here's a few things we came home with- 

I fell in love with this rug the last time and didn't pull the trigger. When we realized we would be making another trip I knew this rug and I were destined for each other :) This will go in our playroom and it's so adorable! I know it's a faux pas to put a rug on carpet (my husband was sure to remind me of this ha!) but it's so cute I don't even care.

 

The kids bath is huge and we had a bare wall just needing something to hug it. I'm really excited about this piece and how I can use it.

We've made a lot of progress on the house since we moved in. I feel like everyday something new gets hung on the wall or I find a piece we need. We still lack some big things like a rug in the living room and nightstands in our master bedroom but I'm holding off for the perfect ones.

 

When we got home Saturday afternoon, we picked up sis from my mom and our cousin Keagen came over for a slumber party. He had the honors of reading bedtime stories to her as part of our bedtime routine. Please note the sponge rollers and one sock on one sock off :) The sponge rollers didn't make it through the night and we found the sock before putting her in her crib.

 

Sunday was a day at home for us. GGH spiked a fever during the night and was pretty pitiful the whole day. We thought she was better Monday but her fever came back after her nap so we called and got her an afternoon appointment. She is being treated for the flu :( They gave her a penicillin and steroid shot and she feels so much better! Shots are no fun but she's an awful medicine taker so this was the best option for us. We are ready for spring!

Speaking of spring, since I am due the week of Easter I knew these gowns were just meant to be for us. I'm going to have a ball coordinating these two while they don't have outfit opinions! We will see if Jack decides to come before or after (or on) Easter. Either way we will be wearing them all spring!

I'm sure we will spend most of our time at home this week getting GGH well and making sure I don't catch the bug. I'm going to make the most of the extra cuddles and snuggles.

31 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 31 Weeks

Size of baby: Jack is the size of 4 navel oranges (interesting comparison!)

Total Weight Gain: Gained 14 lbs (*I gained 17 pounds at 31 weeks with Georgia Grace)

Maternity Clothes: Wearing lots of dresses and long tops with leggings. I'm trying to make regular clothes work in a size bigger than my normal.

Gender: It's a boy! Jack Porter Harrison

Movement: I've started my nightly kick counts and even though he has an hour to reach 10 kicks he's usually done in about two minutes! Try going to sleep with a kung fu fighter in your belly!

Sleep: See above. It takes a while for him to calm down when I lay down and I'm having a hard time getting comfortable but once I fall asleep I'm down for the count.

Cravings: fruit juice, salty foods

Symptoms: Maybe some braxton hicks contractions this week, I can't say for sure. I've never been one to be able to tell if I'm contracting or if the baby is just moving. Some inner thigh pain and tiredness.

Best Moment this week: Getting extra rest over the weekend and doing a little nesting.

 

We are just 66 days from our April 12th due date. I'm starting to get the "I just don't see you making it to April" comments ha! I really don't mind them, it's just reassurance I'm growing a healthy baby.

As the due date draws nearer, I'm finding the energy to get some small projects finished around the house that won't get attention once Jack is here. I have needed to organize GGH's closets since we moved and finally did it this week. Lucky girl has two full size closets so this is our everyday closet and the other is for big coats, out of season and outgrown clothes.

The little colorful bins are what we put our weekly outfits in. On Sunday afternoons I pick out her outfits and accessories for the week and every night we sit out the appropriate bin for the next day. Huge time saver! However I've realized it won't be long before our big girl clothes, shoes, etc outgrow the little bins :(

Happy Friday all! Hopefully I'll have a post Monday about our follow-up trip to Ikea!