Maternity Picture Sneak Peeks

Our amazing photographer allowed us to have  few sneak peeks before they finish the rest of the editing. 

I am hoping they will be completed in 2.5 weeks before he is here!!

They came out AMAZINGLY!!

How perfect!!! 

♥

36 Week Baby Bump Update!

36 Weeks. 

3 more weeks. 

That is it, just 3 more weeks. 

That is only 21 more days. 

I can't believe it!

Weight gain: Still at about 15lbs gained. 

I don't seem to be going up, but maybe I need to drink more boosts at lunch to try and get more calories going. 

Blood Pressure: As far as I know, its been good. Haven't had any other checks recently. 

Food aversions: None

Morning sickness: None

Appetite : Back to normal and wanting to eat everything!!

Cravings: Sweets. 

Blood Sugars: Still all very good except for after lunches, which still scares me. 

Clothes: Its pretty much just leggings, sweats and maternity pants now! Pretty much only maternity shirts, except for the occasional big shirt, or hubs t-shirts. 

Headaches: None:) 

Sleeping: I sleep great still. I get up to pee 2x a night, but then fall right back asleep!

Stretchmarks: Just right at my belly button piercing. 

  Bellybutton: So outtie it makes me laugh!

   Wedding Rings: Off- This is a new one as of this week. I can not get them over my knuckles. My hands don't look very swollen, but maybe they are. I don't know. Either way it makes me sad so I wear my claddagh ring which usually on my other ring finger on that hand so I don't feel naked. 

Backaches: Very occasional.

Heart Burn: A little more at times. 

Energy and Motivation: Normal

Emotions: Mostly Happy, but I notice I cry MUCH easier. Noticing increased anxiety for sure. 

  Movements: I track every morning and night. You are suppose to get 10 movements in an hour. I get 10 movements in under 5 minutes each time!!

Contractions: I think, I MAY have had a few braxton hicks, but I am not too sure what to expect. 

Gender: Boy!

Name: Greyson :)

Missing Anything?: Being able to eat what I want & drink as much as I want (other than water), clothes fitting normally, being able to bed over or get up without have to put all my effort into it. 

Updates:

• We washed all of little man's clothes this past weekend and got them all put away
• Packed our hospital bags and diaper bags. 
• 2 child birth classes down. 

Next Appointment:

Monday. Then they will begin to be every week 2x a week. 

One normal OB appointment & one NST. 

Happy First Anniversary!

One year ago today, I nervously got ready with my best friends, put on the most breathtakingly beautiful dress I have ever seen, was treated like a princess with getting my nails, toes, hair and makeup done while sipping on a glass of champagne, rode in a gorgeous limo and walked down the aisle in front of all our family and friends and married the most amazing guy in the world! 

This year has easily been the most wonderful year of my life. They say the first year of marriage is the most difficult, but I can't say I agree. Yes, we had a couple ups and downs, every healthy marriage does, but we worked through them and came out loving each other even more. 

As I look back at my wedding day, I can do nothing but smile. I had the perfect wedding, my dream wedding if you will!

Here are some of the amazing pictures from the day:

Today, although my sweet hubby had to work (we are trying to save all his time off for once the baby is here). We had an amazing morning & ended the perfect afternoon with biting into our delicious wedding cake. I don't know about everyone else's but this cake held up amazing. The frosting was still really fresh, and although, a tiny bit stale, the cake was quite delicious. SO yummy & brought back a flood of memories from the day its self!!

I am so excited and thankful to be able to spend many more years with my amazing husband & am even more excited that in a few short weeks he will be an amazing father to our first baby!!

Happy First Anniversary babe!

35 Weeks Bump Update!!

35 Weeks!!

I am in utter belief that in just 4 short weeks. 

that is 28 days (pending he doesn't come out sooner)

I will be holding my little man in my arms!!

Weight gain: Still at about 15.5 lbs gained.

Still having "free lunches" were I don't have to worry about my blood sugar and just eat fattening foods to plump me up. 

Blood Pressure: At our last OB appointment is was 138/82. Which we were of course not happy about. Dr. Is thinking about having my medications increased, but since my blood pressure at our NST was good, I am not sure what we will do. We'll see. 

Food aversions: None

Morning sickness: None

Appetite : Back to normal and wanting to eat everything!!

Cravings: Sweets. 

Blood Sugars: All perfect except my after lunches. It has gone as high as 153, but then randomly today after having a big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, with hot fudge and whip cream it was 100!

Clothes: Really can't fit into too many pairs of regular jeans, but can still wearing jeggings, and work pants with a belly band. Really have been wearing a lot of leggings and yoga pants. Now that the weather is nicer, I am putting on a lot of dresses!!

Headaches: None:) 

Sleeping: I sleep great, OTHER than the fact that I wake up 1 to 2x a night to pee. 

Stretchmarks: Yep sadly right where my belly button was pierced & the hole is, there is a tiny one :( But considering I am HUGE (literally the doctor laughs at me when he see's how huge my belly is for one baby) its not that bad. 

  Bellybutton: So outtie it makes me laugh!

   Wedding Rings: On

Backaches: Very occasional.

Heart Burn: A little more at times. 

Energy and Motivation: Normal

Emotions: Mostly Happy, but I notice I cry MUCH easier. Noticing increased anxiety for sure. 

  Movements: Still quite frequently. I am tracking movements in the morning and at night. 

Gender: Boy!

Name: Greyson :)

Missing Anything?: Still food. Not feeling guilty about eating whatever I want. Clothes fitting regularly. Being able to bend over normally!

Updates:

• Measuring only 37.5 weeks this week, so his growth is slowing, as opposed to the 37 weeks we were measuring at 32 weeks!
• Child Birthing Classes began and I attended our first one!
• I took leave from on call job. It was stressing me out a bit & with the increased blood pressure & being higher risk for pregnancy, it isn't worth it. I will start again once back form maternity leave, but right now me and babies health is more important. Plus I only had 4 more shifts left .
• I had a non stress test & fetal monitoring. Everything looked amazing with baby, his heart beat was perfect and rose every time he moved (exactly like it is suppose to), and my blood pressure overall was good!

Next Appointment:

Next OB appt: 4/29, this will be when our weekly appointments and weekly non stress tests begin. We will also have another ultrasound to check his weight!

How To: Live Longer (and happier)

The other day while aimlessly browsing the internet I read a news article online about how to add years to your life. 

This is something I have been thinking about a lot because already I can't imagine spending a day apart from my little man, and I want to have AS much time with him as I can. 

I thought it was worth sharing!!

1. Get Married & Make Your Marriage Work: This was really on the list & is a bit of a two for one. "A study by Duke University Medical Center found people with permanent partners or spouses had a decreased risk of premature death during midlife, according to a report in Science Daily. People who never married were more than twice as likely to die early than people in long-term, stable relationships. 

2. Drink Coffee (Especially decaf): One study shows that drinking four cups of coffee a day can lower heart disease by 53%.       

(This is one that I do not partake in. I can not handle the taste of coffee and personally find 4 cups a day to be quite a lot!)

3. Go to the Dentist/ Floss: I think this is pretty self explanatory. Gum disease has been linked to causing heart disease, brain disease, strokes, and diabetes. Research shows the flossing can add another 6 years to how long you live!!

4. Taking Asprin: My dad takes an asprin a day due to not being in the best shape. "Taking two baby aspirin helps protect against prostate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer and can even lower your odds by 13 to 15 percent for the two deadliest types of skin cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma."

5. Get a Healthy Amount of Sleep: Sleeping too much or too little can cause issues for people. Try and get between 6 and 8 1/2 hours a night. 

6. Eat Figs: Apparently figs have a large amount of potassium & get help regulate blood pressure & heart disease. 

(I guess I should go eat a bunch of figs right now, maybe it will help with my blood pressure)

7. Have Friends: Its been linked that having a healthy support network of good friend is just as important as having a good family when it comes to how long you live. 

8. Wear your Seat Belt: DUH!

9. Laugh: "One minute of laughter is equivalent to 40 mins of deep relaxation." 

(Amazing)

10. Eat Nuts: Those who eat Nuts 5 days a week, live on average 2.9 years longer than those who do not. Nuts have also been linked to lowering belly fat, diabetes, heart disease, and cholesterol. 

(5 days of nuts is kind of  a lot for me, personally. )

11. Take more Vacations: Its been linked that those who take more vacations are less likely to suffer from heart disease or heart attacks.

(Well gladly!)

12. Live in the Country: City life is hard on people!

13. Be an Optimist: Those who look at the glass half full tend to reduce their risk of early death by 50% & live approx. 12 years longer than those who are pessimist!! Constant worrying can shorten your life span by up to 16 years!!!

(Wow.)

14. Drink More Water: Those who drink 8 glasses of water a day are more than 50% likely to have heart attacks. 

15. Eat a Healthy Amount of Chocolate: People who eat 4 oz of chocolate a day (think two hershey kisses) have 1/2 the risk of heart disease than those who do not. 

(Perhaps I will have to buy a bag of Hershey Kisses!!)

16.  Get Along With Your Mother: "Harvard Medical School researchers found that 91 per cent of people who weren't close to their mothers developed serious diseases (high blood pressure, alcoholism and heart disease) by midlife"

17. Go to Church: Those who spend time in church tend to have lower blood pressure than those who do not!

18. Sing in the Shower: Singing regularly has been linked to less stress which means longer living!

(I will have to start doing this) 

19. Drink Tea: Those who drank 5 or more cups of tea a day have less risk of heart disease or strokes. However, it states adding milk can eliminate the positive effect's of it so lemon or honey is best.

(Sadly, unless its Chai Tea, I can't stand it, but oh man, I can't wait for a delicious Chai Tea when i'm done being pregnant)

20. Get a Pet: Interactions with pets tend to lower stress levels and reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.

21. Have Children: Those who have their own children, or adopt live longer than those without. Especially women. 

22. Don't Jaywalk: Another duh! haha. 

23. Stand up more: Sitting for 6 or more hours a day can cause shorter lives. This is particularly true for women!! SO make sure if you are sitting, to try and stand up every one in a while and walking around. 

24. Eat Grapefruit: Grapefruit can decrease cholesterol. 

25. Go Shopping

 (Gladly)

26. Do Volunteer Work

27. Live in High Altitudes. 

(Source)

So out of all of these, I partake in about 12 of these. Some of them I do, just not enough of, but note to self, start doing more of these!!

What about you!?

How many of these do you do!?

34 Weeks Baby Bump Update!

34 weeks!!

5 weeks left!

5 weeks seems like kind of a lot. 

But when you break that down to 35 days it seems like tomorrow!!

I can't even handle that!

Weight gain: I write these posts at the beginning of the week so actually during 33 weeks, I gained 1.5 lbs. and another 1.5 lbs this week. 

We are now at 15.5 lbs gained!!

Blood Pressure: Since being on blood pressure medications, they have been perfect. Although I missed one fay of medications because I forgot them at home!!

Food aversions: None

Morning sickness: None

Appetite : Back to normal and wanting to eat everything!!

Cravings: Sweets. 

Blood Sugars: All still in good range, except when I have my free lunches. It has been as high as 157, but the doctor reassures me that my weight gain is more important. It was only 131 today at lunch. All the rest have been in perfect range. 

Clothes: Really can't fit into too many pairs of regular jeans, but can still wearing jeggings, and work pants with a belly band. Really have been wearing a lot of leggings and yoga pants. Now that the weather is nicer, I am putting on a lot of dresses!!

Headaches: None:) 

Sleeping: I sleep great, OTHER than the fact that I wake up 1 to 2x a night to pee. 

Stretchmarks: Thinking I have one tiny one at where my belly button was pierced. :(

  Bellybutton: So outtie it makes me laugh!

   Wedding Rings: On

Backaches: Very occasional.

Heart Burn: Woof, the other day it was so bad at work I almost cried!!

Energy and Motivation: Normal

Emotions: Mostly Happy, but I notice I cry MUCH easier.

  Movements: All the time :) They are less forceful now which I am imagining is due to him running out of room in there. 

Gender: Boy!

Name: Greyson

Missing Anything?: Still food. Not feeling guilty about eating whatever I want. Clothes fitting regularly. Being able to bend over normally!

Updates:

• We have basically all of the things we need for the baby & his room!

Next Appointment:

Tomorrow 4/12. Wondering if I will be moved to every week due to the hypertension and diabetes, or if I will go one more 2 weeks. 

My Amazing Baby Shower!!

My baby shower was this past Saturday

 & it was just about the most amazing time ever, excluding my bridal shower, wedding and honeymoon!!

I live a bit away from all my family, so my friends helped throw my shower for my mom. 

My mom never got to experience her own showers (bridal or baby) so she is kind of living vicariously through me. 

& I am a-okay with this!!

We kept with the nautical theme, which his room is sort of like!!

Most perfect day ever!!

We got just about everything we had wanted & only a couple double presents!!

I wish I could relive the day over, but can not wait until he is here!!

Easter 2013

Easter!!

What an amazing holiday!!

Celebrating the resurrection of Christ.

Spending time with family and friends.

Wearing bright spring colors

& enjoying the warm spring air (before it turns cold again).

Oh not to mention, eating delicious food!

Hubby and I had an amazing Easter. 

We wanted to celebrate closely because this was our last holiday as just the two of us. 

The next holiday (excluding mothers day & memorial day, which we don't really celebrate..yet)

is 4th of July & by that time our little man will already be 7 weeks old. 

I can't not wait for his little holiday outfits & spending time as our new family of three. 

But now, hubs & I are cherishing our time with just the two of us!!

We spent the day with our Church family as our families will be up the week after for my baby shower & we live about an hour away from them. 

We started off with church, spent time talking with church friends & taking pictures & then had a delicious lunch!

Sadly hubs had to leave to work at 4:30 but overall, the day was perfect!!

Nail Files!

Happy Friday!!!

New to Nail Files?

Just grab the button & link up with Tara over at FabulousbutEvil.

Easter Nails!

(They remind me of Jordan Almonds)

Pink:

Blue: China Glaze For Audrey

Purple: China Glaze

Sparkles: Julep

33 Week Baby Bump Update!!

33 Weeks!!!!
only 7 more weeks until 40 weeks. 
However, only 6 more weeks until we meet our little mail. 
At this point, I will be induced on May 16th due to little man being not so little. 
Hopefully we will not have to have a c-section. but doctors reports that this could be a big possibility which we will talk as time gets closer & if the baby keeps growing 

Weight gain: Still at 12.5 pounds gained.
So due to losing about 3-4 lbs since starting this "diabetic diet" the doctor is giving me "free reign" of meals at lunch time. Meaning that at lunch time I get to eat WHATEVER I want, as long as its fattening. His example. "I either want you to eat a regular diet lunch with a boost or an ensure, or a regular diet lunch with a giant bowl of ice cream with bananas, hot fudge and whip cream"
Basically he is trying to fatten me up some. 

Blood Pressure: Since being on blood pressure medications, they have been perfect. Was 114/70 at our last visit. 

Food aversions: None

Morning sickness: None

Appetite : Back to normal and wanting to eat everything!!

Cravings: Sweets. 

Blood Sugars: All still in good range, except when I have my free lunches. After a big lunch today, WITH ice cream sundae, it was 122. Not too bad.

Clothes: Really can't fit into too many pairs of regular jeans, but can still wearing jeggings, and work pants with a belly band. Really have been wearing a lot of leggings and yoga pants. 

Headaches: None:) 

Sleeping: I sleep great, OTHER than the fact that I wake up 1 to 2x a night to pee. 

Stretchmarks: Thinking I have one tiny one at where my belly button was pierced. :(

  Bellybutton: So outtie it makes me laugh!

   Wedding Rings: On

Backaches: Very occasional.

Heart Burn: A little here and there, but doesn't last long, hiccups are the worst!

Energy and Motivation: Normal

Emotions: Mostly Happy, but I notice I cry MUCH easier. 

  Movements: All the time :) They are less forceful now which I am imagining is due to him running out of room in there. 

Gender: Boy!

Name: Greyson

Missing Anything?: Still food. Not feeling guilty about eating whatever I want. Clothes fitting regularly. 

Updates:

• Due date was moved from May 23rd to May 16th. 
• Free Reign of meals at lunch time. 

How To: Make a Tie Blanket

I love giving tie blankets as gifts.

They are super easy, soft and fun to make. 

Also people end up loving them!!

First: Start with two pieces of fleece blanket. 

A good size blanket for an adult is 2 yards of each. 

Second: Cut of edges so both blanket match up better and unsightly edges are gone. 

Third: Cut a 4x4 inch square out of each corner

(this will help the corners tie better and the blanket not to pull)

Fourth: Cut 4 inch by 1 inch strips around the entire blanket. 

Fifth: Begin tying

(Double knots)

That is it!!

Plain and simple :)

Perfect little gift.

What to Give a 71 Year Old Grandma for her Surprise Birthday!

Last weekend hubby and I took a nice little 4 hour road trip south for his grandmother's Surprise 71st birthday!!

It was a BEAUTIFUL day for traveling. 

A little chilly but gorgeous sun, so the ride wasn't too bad even at 31 weeks. 

Although hubby and his brother did get use to what its like to be a pregnant lady with having to stop about 5x to pee!!

A couple weeks before the party I had been stuck thinking about what to get for his grandmother. 

What do you get a 71 year old women who has everything!!

Well I decided we would go sentimental! 

We made her a tie blanket with "I love Grandma"

in the card we wrote that it was from baby Greyson :)

It was a great time. 

Slightly awkward as we had not seen hubs mom in over 2 years.

If you don't remember, she did not come to our wedding. 

But things went okay & it was fun :)

Don't know how to make a tie blanket or never have!?

Check back tomorrow for an easy how-to!