baby no. 2 {40 weeks}

Happy Due Date Little Man!!

We are so happy that we didn't have to wait until our due date to meet our newest little love.  We have enjoyed getting to snuggle with him for the last 16 days!!!

how far along? Not pregnant anymore but we have a 2 week old!!

how are you measuring? I'm shrinking but still have lots to lose. 
size of baby? 7lbs 7.5oz at our 2 week appointment on Wednesday
heartbeat? It's beating!!

total weight gain/loss? Down 15 pounds….20 more to go!

maternity clothes? Mixture of stretchy comfy clothes (and PJ's) and maternity clothes.
stretch marks? Yup! But he's totally worth it!!

sleep? Nash is already sleeping so well.  The first week I set my alarm for every 3-4 hours at night but after our two week appointment when we found out he had already gain a pound and a half since we left the hospital I quit setting my alarm.  For the past four nights he has gone 5-6 hours in between feedings and he goes down very easily after each feeding.  I'm definitely tired because my sleep is interrupted but we aren't totally sleep deprived by any means.  And we haven't had any sleepless nights……yet.

best moment this week? So many great moments in the past two weeks……meeting Nash, spending quality time with Matt in the hospital, seeing Pearson take on the role of a big brother, having Matt home for a week and a half, and having my MIL help us out for a few days.  

movement? Nash is a pretty chill baby.  He loves to have his hands by his face so he is constantly moving them to get them right where he wants them.  

food cravings? Nothing really.  Oddly enough I haven't had a single Chai Tea Latte since I have had Nash.  

gender predictions? BOY!!!! Nash Matthew Link

what i miss? Wearing my real clothes.  I'm so ready to be in my regular clothes.  I tried to put on my regular pants too early with Pearson and was so sad when they didn't even come close to fitting.  I learned my lesson and am going to wait to even try them on until I know they will fit.  Until then, I'll still be in my maternity clothes and my collection of stretchy clothes that hide my "mummy tummy".
what i'm looking forward to? Watching my boys develop a sweet relationship and be the best of buds!!
how are you feeling? Great!  So happy to not be pregnant anymore!!!

comparisons to last pregnancy? The recovery after this c-section has been SO much easier.  I'm moving around great and even going to attempt to go to MOPS tomorrow.  

I  wasn't pregnant with Nash at 38 or 39 weeks so I didn't have any comparison photos for these weeks but here I was with Pearson at 38 and 39 weeks!!  It was actually kind of nice having Nash early and not have to go through the last few weeks of being miserable.  

Here I am 40 weeks with Pearson and 40 weeks with Nash

**Clearly I had a little more time on my hands with just one kid to put some make up on and fix my hair!!  With two kids, I only had time to shower today…..but at least I had time for that!!!

let's have a baby!!

**Lots of random post coming in the next few days. I'll be "re-posting" them later on the correct date but for now they'll be on the wrong date so they show up in your readers!!

February 6th, 2014

My water broke this evening so we are headed to the hospital!!!

And just for a little comparison……..

Obviously this baby is going to be a little smaller because I'm going into labor 11 days sooner, but I can also tell he's going to be smaller just because of the size of my belly. 

baby no. 2 {37 weeks}

how far along? 37 weeks

how are you measuring? At our last appointment everything was measuring right on track except for his head was a little big!! He is about 6lbs 7oz according to the sonogram.  My cervix is still long and closed.  
size of baby? size of a bunch of swiss chard
heartbeat? 144bpm (at our 36 week appointment) 

total weight gain/loss? 35lbs

maternity clothes? Yep!
stretch marks? Oh yes, they are showing up all over my bump! Eeek!!

sleep? Blah, pretty awful.  Between my sciatic nerve pain at night, waking up 4-5 times times at night, having a hard time falling back asleep after waking up, and round ligament pains, I wake up pretty tired in the mornings.  God way of preparing me for all the interrupted sleep I'm going to be having in a few weeks when Nash is here.  Atleast when he is here I'll have a cute baby to stare at and my sciatic nerve pain will hopefully be gone. 

best moment this week? We had what will probably be our last date night for a while on Friday Night.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Texas together then did a little shopping for a few things we still needed for baby boy. 

movement? Yes, and my poor right side feels bruised sometimes because he's been in the same position for over a month now.  He never kicks on the left side.  It's always on the right side and he kicks so hard.  

food cravings? My love for Chai Tea Lattes has not gone away and of course my sweet tooth hasn't gone away either.  

gender predictions? BOY!!!! Nash Matthew Link

what i miss? Sleep.
what i'm looking forward to? I'm looking forward to spending time with my boys over the next two weeks before he is here.  Of course I can't wait until Nash is here too!!
how are you feeling? If you ask me during the day, my answer will most likely be pretty good.  If you ask me after 4pm it will be mostly complaints.  I just get so tired, my body starts to ache, the Braxton Hicks contractions start to pick up and I'm just overall uncomfortable.  

comparisons to last pregnancy? Totally random but I get a Charlie Horse every single morning at about 6:45 right before I wake up at 7am.  I've had so many more aches and pains this pregnancy.  

Here I am 37 weeks with Pearson and 37 weeks with Nash

baby no. 2 {36 weeks}

how far along? 36 weeks

how are you measuring? measuring right on track
size of baby? size of a head of romaine lettuce
heartbeat? 145bpm (at our 34 week appointment) 

total weight gain/loss? 33lbs

maternity clothes? Yes, and surprisingly I'm not tired of them yet.  I feel like I have been able to have so much variety this go round because I have a ton of solid maternity tops and I mix and match it with non-maternity cardigans, scarfs and jewelry.  I have enjoyed winter maternity clothes way more than spring/summer maternity clothes.  
stretch marks? Ugh, they are starting to pop up on the center of my belly.  This is about they time they first showed up with Pearson so I have a feeling I might gain a few more "baby tats" before this pregnancy is over. 

sleep? Sleeping sounding while I'm actually asleep, but I wake up often to switch sides of go to the bathroom.  I probably need to go to the bathroom 4-5 times a night but I hold it and only go about 3 times because it is so incredibly painful to walk to the bathroom at night.  I'm fine while I'm laying down but as soon as I wake up my sciatic nerve hurts so bad.  I limp to the bathroom, and then moan and groan to get back into a comfortable sleeping position.  And I say comfortable very loosely.  I'm not so comfortable these days.  

best moment this week? I got my new breastpump that was covered 100% by insurance in the mail this week and I got my hospital bag all packed.  We are ready for our sweet boy to be here!!

movement? Yes, and he is still in the same position he has been in for a few weeks now.  Head in the lower left side, legs and all the kicking on the upper right side.  I think he's officially out of room to move positions. 

food cravings? Lots of ice water and girl scout cookies and of course anything sweet.  This sweet tooth is KILLING me.  I'm definitely going to have to cut back after he is born or I will never lose all my baby weight.

gender predictions? BOY!!!! Nash Matthew Link

what i miss? Being comfortable.  I'm definitely to the point in this pregnancy where I'm just uncomfortable…….especially in the evenings.  
what i'm looking forward to? Two date nights with my handsome hubby.  Monday night we are touring the new hospital that we are delivering in and then going to dinner.  Lolly & Pops are keeping Pearson overnight for us!!  Then, Friday is Parent's Night Out at our church so we might go try to catch a movie!!
how are you feeling? No belly pain, minimal, heartburn, but LOTS of sciatic nerve/butt cramp pains in the night and TONS of Braxton Hicks contractions in the evenings.  I've definitely hit the point of this pregnancy where I'm soooooooo ready for it to be over.  It's been a fun ride, but I'm ready to get this baby out!!!

comparisons to last pregnancy? I've been much more grumpy and complainy this go round.  Poor Matt. I know he's ready to have his sweet wife back!!

Here I am 36 weeks with Pearson and 36 weeks with Nash

baby no. 2 {35 weeks}

how far along? 35 weeks

how are you measuring? measuring right on track
size of baby? size of a honey dew melon

heartbeat? 145bpm (at our 34 week appointment) 

total weight gain/loss? 31lbs

maternity clothes? Yep!
stretch marks? Just the two new little ones that showed up last week. 

sleep? Sleeping okay, but I wake up ever 2 hours either to go to the bathroom or to switch sides.  My left hip (sciatic nerve) still really bothers me at night.  I literally limp, moan and groan all the way to the bathroom and getting back in bed.  I sound pretty pathetic, but it really hurts.  As soon as I'm up for the day it doesn't bother me at all.  

best moment this week? I had a surprise baby shower at Bunco and a Diaper Shower from my ABF.  We also got a couple of things hung up in Nash's room.  It's getting closer to being done.  

movement? Yes.  He likes to nestle his head way down in my groin on the left side and then kick me really hard in my ribs on the right side.  He also gets the hiccups atleast 3 times a day.  He always gets them when I am trying to go to sleep.  I can't go to sleep until they are done because I feel like my belly is twitching. 

food cravings? I've just been really thirsty lately.  I'm drinking tons of ice water which is a good thing!

gender predictions? BOY!!!! Nash Matthew Link

what i miss? Being able to keep up with Pearson.  I'm REALLY starting to slow down and it's getting harder to do things with Pearson.  Sitting on the floor to play with is uncomfortable, he's too heavy for me to pick him up, and in the evenings when he still has tons of energy to play all I want to do is sit on the couch and rest. 
what i'm looking forward to? Finishing Nash's nursery.  We had a little hiccup with the shelves I was planning on hanging in his room.  The ones I had aren't going to work so I've got to go find some new ones.  I am really hoping I can find some this week so I can be done with his room.
how are you feeling? No belly pain this week….Praise the Lord.  Since I didn't have any belly pain this week I was able to work hard during the day on getting things done around the house.  However since I would work so hard during the day, I tired out by about 4pm.  After that I'm pretty much good for nothing.  My body starts to ache, I start to waddle, and the Braxton Hicks contraction really start to pick up.  I seriously have so many Braxton Hicks contractions.  I should probably keep track of how often I have them, but I always forget.  I know it's not real labor so I'm not too concerned.  Oh, and heartburn decided to join me this pregnancy.  I have never had it in my entire life, so I didn't really know what was going on at first.  It only seems to bother me when I lay down at night.  A sweet friend of mine hooked me up with some TUMS so hopefully that will help it stay away!  Thankfully it's just now joining me.  Only 4 more weeks!!!

comparisons to last pregnancy? I feel like I'm moving much slower this go round than I was with Pearson. 

Here I am 35 weeks with Pearson and 35 weeks with Nash

diapers galore

Two of my sweet friends from church, Jenny & Courtney, hosted a Diaper Shower at Corner Bakery for me today! A while back when lots of our class started having 2nd babies, we decided that instead of doing "real" showers hosted at someone's house that we would do diaper showers at a restaurant for all 2nd babies.  No need for decorations, real invitations and everyone pays for their own food.  It's a simple shower to host and a great way for all of us girls to get together!!

Our class is so busy with our kids and lots of new babies being born that's it's hard for us all together. (We've had 6 babies born in the last 5 months) We picked a good date for the shower though because there were so many girls that were able to come to my shower.  It was so fun hanging out with everyone. 

{Holly, Ali, & Julie}

 {Christie & Jennie}

 {Denise & Kristin}

 {Amy & Natalie}

 {Jenica, Courtney & Jenny}

 {Julie & Amy}

 {Me & My Mom}

And just because my food was soooooooo delicious I had to include a picture of it!!

 The majority of my gifts were diapers and wipes so we didn't even bother opening them.  I did open a few of them though that had other things included like this cute and cozy little outfit from Baby Gap. 

My Mom also made a cute little gown for Nash to wear in the hospital.  It will probably swallow him up but it will make changing diapers in the hospital easier since there aren't any snaps!! 

 When we got home from the shower I couldn't believe how many diapers we got.  We filled up one entire side of Nash's closet.  We wet so incredibly blessed by the generosity of our friends in our ABF. 

**And I guess here is a little sneak peak of Nash's nursery.  You'll have to wait to see the rest until I get everything up on the walls.  Hopefully that will be soon.  I'm so ready to be done with it!!

surprise bunco shower

Tonight at Bunco, all the ladies surprise me with a baby shower.  We played our normal 3 rounds, broke for dessert and then instead of continuing to play a few more rounds, they brought out an abundance of presents!!  Of course since it was a surprise, so I didn't have my real camera.  Most of the pics from my iPhone came out blurry so here are a few of the best ones!  I wish I would have stopped and taken a few good pictures.  

Asking my friend Holly how they pulled this off.  I was soooooo surprised!!

 My Mom doesn't normally play with us but she was subbing for one of my friends so she gave me my hospital gown and Nash's first little outfit and hat.  We are going to be styling' in the hospital.  

 And this is my "You gals are awesome, I can't believe you pulled this off face."

Thank you ladies for all the sweet gifts.  Nash is so loved already and he's not even here yet!

baby no. 2 {34 weeks}

how far along? 34 weeks

how are you measuring? measuring right on track
size of baby? size of a cantaloupe

heartbeat? 144bpm (at our 32 week appointment) 

total weight gain/loss? 29lbs

maternity clothes? Yep! I'm so glad I invested in two pairs of skinny jeans because I have lived in them this pregnancy.  They have definitely been my favorite thing to wear this go round.  
stretch marks? Two little stretch marks showed up this week.  One above my belly button and one on the side of my belly button. With Pearson I just got a few on the side of my belly so I guess I'm just stretching in different places this time.  Oh well, I'm not too concerned about them because I know the one's from Pearson faded and even if they don't I know they are totally worth it!!

sleep? I have actually been sleeping really good this week.  It's just interrupted by 3-4 bathroom trips.  Thankfully I can fall asleep easily after each trip though.  The only bad part is that when I wake up to get out of bed my sciatic nerve bothers me really bad and I have to practically limp to the bathroom.  I moan and groan as I get back into bed and all positioned and then I'm good to go as long as I don't move.  I literally wake up in the same position each time because it hurts my sciatic nerve too bad to move while I sleep.  

best moment this week? Winning a FREE Newborn Photography Session from Brooke Richardson Photography worth $500!! And my Mom and designed and made lots of cute little onesies and gowns for Nash to wear in the hospital.  He's gonna be decked out with personalized stuff thanks to Tried and True Designs.

movement? Yep! He moves a ton, especially right when I crawl into bed.  This week I swear he was trying to bust a hole out my side because he kept stretching out on my side.  He would just leave his little feet stretched out and it would look like I had a tumor growing on my side until I pushed him back in.  Silly boy!!!

food cravings? Ice cold milk. I always drink ice in my milk, so that's not weird, but I have been drinking a glass every morning and every evening.  Plus I am still loving my Chai Tea Lattes so we are going through a gallon of milk in like 3 days.  

gender predictions? BOY!!!! Nash Matthew Link

what i miss? Being able to bend over and tie my sure.  My belly is really starting to get in the way.  But I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world.  I'm so blessed to be carrying this little boy. 
what i'm looking forward to? Going to IKEA this week and hopefully getting the finishing touches bought for Nash's room.  I am also having a diaper shower on Saturday given to me by my ABF and we are having family/maternity pictures done next Sunday.  Lots of exciting stuff going on this week!!
how are you feeling? This week has been pretty good.  Not too much to complain about.  My belly pain was very very minimal.  I think I only had it once in the evening this week and it wasn't near as bad as it had been.  Still having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions (mainly in the evening) but I'm totally used to that now.   

comparisons to last pregnancy? I keep thinking I had more done with Pearson at this point, but looking back at my old blog posts, I still wasn't finished with Pearson's nursery at this point.  I guess I feel behind because at this point with Pearson I was telling myself I still had 6 weeks left and with Nash I only have 5 weeks left. 

Here I am 34 weeks with Pearson and 34 weeks with Nash

baby no. 2 {33 weeks}

how far along? 33 weeks

how are you measuring? measuring right on track
size of baby? size of a pineapple

heartbeat? 144bpm (at our 32 week appointment) 

total weight gain/loss? 28lbs

maternity clothes? Oh ya!!

stretch marks? I haven't seen any new ones this time.  They didn't show up until the very end with Pearson so I'm guess they'll make their appearance in the next few weeks. 

sleep? I had one really awful night where I was up 5 times to go to the bathroom and very uncomfortable but the last three nights I have had the best nights of sleep I have had in a while.  All three of those nights I only got up once in the night to go to the bathroom.  

best moment this week? Completing a few little projects in Nash's room and the nesting has FINALLY kicked in.  We are in full "Get ready for Nash mode" over here.

movement? Yep! He moves a ton!!

food cravings? Panera Bread

gender predictions? BOY!!!! Nash Matthew Link

what i miss? I miss feeling good in the evenings.  I usually feel pretty good throughout the day, but by dinner time I'm really hurting, tired and having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions.  I hate that all my time with Matt I'm hurting and constantly complaining about it. 
what i'm looking forward to? Finishing Nash's room and revealing it!!  I have a plan for all the wall decor, I just need to get it all done in the next few weeks.
how are you feeling? This week had been so weird.  Sunday through Wednesday I had my normal belly pain each afternoon/evening.  I slept terrible NYE night getting up 5 times to go to the bathroom and when I finally woke up for the day at 6:30 I just felt so different.  I felt like Nash was kicking me really low in my belly and I couldn't stop peeing.  I swear I peed every 15 minutes all day long for two days straight.  It seems early, but I'm pretty sure he has dropped.  My belly just feels lower (like their is more space between my belly and boobs), I'm needing to go to the bathroom way more often during the day, and I'm just starting to get more uncomfortable.  But the crazy thing is since "he's dropped" I've had little to no belly pain......maybe it's all gone.  However, I'm still dealing with lots of Braxton Hicks contractions in the evening and then pain in my butt at night from my sciatic nerve.  Fun times!! Like I said, I don't know for sure that he has dropped, but I have definitely felt different this week.  I'm sure hoping he's not trying to be a January baby because we've got lots of things to do before his arrival.  

comparisons to last pregnancy? I've been measuring right on track at every doctor's appointment.  I was always 2 weeks ahead with Pearson.  We have a sonogram at 36 weeks so we'll get a better estimate of how he is measuring then.  Looking back at my old posts, I noticed that my belly pain stopped at 31 weeks.  I'm hoping that it will be over with Nash soon too.  

Here I am 33 weeks with Pearson and 33 weeks with Nash

checkin' on baby nash

Pearson's last day of preschool before Christmas was on December 10th and he doesn't go back to school until 9th.  When I first saw how long his break was I was a little sad because we have really gotten into a great routine with him going to school 2 days a week, but I have SO enjoy this special time with my little man.  In just seven weeks he won't be my only little man and I'll have to split my time with boys.  One of the luxuries of having Pearson is school is being about to go to appointments (whether they be doctor's appointment or hair appointments or what not) without him.  While he has been on break I have had two doctor's appointments.  The first appointment my Mom came with me so we could go shopping but this time it was just me and my boy!!

Waiting time at an OB office is always sooooooooo unpredictable.  You never know when the doc is going to have to deliver a baby or take care of an emergency!  I absolutely loved my old OB but one thing about her office was that she was really slow.  I was always at the office for about an hour.  With my new doctor, I am always in and out in 30 minutes.  I packed plenty of tricks in P's diaper bag just in case the wait was longer than 30 minutes.  

We had a snack in the waiting room.  

{craisins & yogurt raisins......a fav right now}

 While we waiting in the exam room we played with cars and a sticker book.  

And when Dr. Harn came in I busted out the iPad because I knew that would keep him out of our way!! While the iPad did keep his attention the whole time Pearson did look up when I told Dr. Harn about my belly pain and said "Mommy be-wee hurt", then he looked up again while we listened to Nash's heartrate.  He was mesmerized by the sound......atleast he wasn't scared like the first appointment he went to way back in August. 

After our doctor's appointment we picked up Matt at his office and had a family lunch date.  It's been so much fun having Matt's office closer to home and on the way home from my doctor's appointments. We tried out a new restaurant near his office called Uno Due Go.  It wasn't bad but I probably wouldn't go again.  The soup/sandwich combo I got was very similar to what I get at Panera Bread and I would much rather have my Panera Bread sandwich.  

It's hard to believe that there are only 7 more weeks until Baby Nash is here.  We are now at the 2 week increment doctor's appointments and then my weekly visits start at the end of next month.