Pregnancy Update: 36 Weeks

Trying to get in lots of protein!

How far along? 36 weeks

How big is baby? The size of a large cantaloupe

Total weight gain/loss:  still gaining...

Maternity clothes? Yep. Can't wait to wear normal clothes again.

Sleep: Mostly good. Some weird dreams still and the peeing but not too bad. Thankfully we have a fairly low-profile bed. I can't imagine trying to roll out of a big bed at this stage.

Best moment this week: Everly has been hilarious this week. She is telling all kinds of crazy stories and rambling and just really entertaining us.

Movement: Still a lot of movement but I think it is getting tighter in their for her. The movements are less disruptive than they have been.

Food cravings:  I think they are calming down a little actually.

Food Aversions: None really. I pretty much eat everything, obviously.

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs:  Not that I know of.

Pregnancy Symptoms:  I think I might be starting to waddle :(

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss:  Lately I have been really missing running as I stopped at 33 weeks due to it being too uncomfortable for me. My SIL is training for a half and I wish I could train with her!

What I am looking forward to: this week I realized I am looking forward to not driving in traffic in the morning. Schools started back up this week in AZ and so did the traffic!

Upcoming appointments/events:  4 more scheduled weekly appointments. Anything after that will be past my due date.

Milestones: I am definitely nesting. This week we worked on projects for the nursery, I contacted my friend about newborn pictures, called the hospital to make sure our forms were received, started working on a birth plan, finished a documentary about natural childbirth, and picked out a gift for Aspen to give to Everly. Still a lot to do but the fact that we are getting stuff done is good.

Pregnancy Update: 34 Weeks

 

How far along? 34 weeks

How big is baby? The size of a pineapple!

Total weight gain/loss:  A lot. I have come to accept that I am just one of those people that gains a lot of weight during pregnancy. I am not perfect, but I am healthy, and active, and it does no good for anyone to obsess about the scale.

Maternity clothes? Yes, but a lot of non-maternity too in larger sizes that I had from before. Lots of dresses. At this point my favorite are my old navy maternity tanks. I can wear them to work with a cardigan and I can also workout with them and not worry about my belly peaking out.

Sleep: Mostly good. Cat is still a jerk and he actually bit my toe this week.

Best moment this week: I finally nailed down my decisions and ordered the bedding for Aspen's nursery. Also, Everly moved out of the toddler-converted crib and into her own twin size bed...so I feel I must include this song...haha.




Movement: Lots. Nothing painful, but usually pretty uncomfortable unless I am laying down on my side.

Food cravings:  The usual carbs, but I guess I should also include fish tacos. We have added those to our rotation of weeknight meals and I have been enjoying it.

Food Aversions: None really. I pretty much eat everything, obviously.

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs:  Not that I know of.

Pregnancy Symptoms:  Nothing new at this point...and my skin has still not gotten remotely close to what it was with Everly so that is a bonus!

Belly Button in or out? In. I don't think mine will ever go out.

What I miss:  same stuff still: beer, fitting comfortably into clothes, being able to exercise at the same level/intensity as before I was pregnant, playing soccer and beer...again.

What I am looking forward to: maternity leave. I know it is not going to be a walk in the park but I have not taken time off basically this whole pregnancy to save up for my leave so yea, I am looking forward to 3 months away from the office. I am lucky that I like my job, but still 3 months at home will be nice.

Upcoming appointments/events:  I have an appointment next Tuesday and then every week after that through September 3rd for now (due Sept. 5th).

Milestones: Still wearing my wedding rings and no noticeable swelling. Although, I am not too worried for once I do start swelling a little more because I am reading Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and it mentioned that a slight amount of water retention is actually beneficial.

Half Marathon #2 and Pregnancy #2

On March 1st, Justin and I completed our second half marathon. Our first one was the Phoenix 10k and Half Marathon last November. I trained for three months and my official time was 1:56:31. I was aiming to be under 2 hours so I was really happy with that. I knew that I would not run as fast this time. My official time for the Phoenix Half Marathon was 2:04:14, which I am still pretty happy with considering this time I was pregnant! I am now almost 16 weeks pregnant, but at the time I was 13 weeks pregnant and running 13 miles so I used that to announce the pregnancy on Facebook/Instagram. I hope to continue running throughout this pregnancy which I definitely did not do last time...just maybe not quite that far! Not quite sure when my next half marathon will be, but I definitely see some in my future.

Justin and I before the race. We had to take a bus to the start and it was in Mesa so we had to leave our house at like 4:00 AM. :(

I was lucky enough to train with girls on my soccer team, Claren and Aislinn. (Ashley missing because she got injured during the run).

 

13 Miles at 13 Weeks Pregnant. I like to think we planned it pretty perfectly!

 

Post-race and finish line photos.

And just because you need to see this, Baby Larkins #2.

39 weeks!

walking the dogs this morning

Today I am 39 weeks pregnant and I don't plan on making it to 40 weeks. I have another appointment on Monday afternoon but we are scheduled to be induced on Tuesday morning.  I am nervous but really excited at the same time.
If Everly is born on Tuesday she will share a birthday with my Grandma Bette (my mom's mom). My grandma passed away when I was in high school but was a very large part of my life. I definitely took it as a good sign that they were scheduling the induction for that day. I remember when my grandma passed away and I was talking to my siblings and cousins about her and that I could have sworn I was her favorite grandchild (she had 14). That's just the way she made me feel. It turns out that my siblings and cousins felt the exact same way. We all thought we were her favorite. She was exactly the kind of grandmother every kid should have. She spoiled us and she always had a huge bag of smarties in her kitchen cabinet for us. I am sad that Everly will only have one grandmother, but at the same time I am pretty sure GB passed on her magic to my mom, because I have already seen how she is with my nephew Cameron. She is going to be one spoiled little girl. I will definitely be missing my Grandma on Tuesday but hoping we are rewarded with our little girl that day!

Me with Grandma Bette (GB) on the day of my first communion. 

Pregnancy Updates

So yesterday I had a doctor's appointment at 37 1/2 weeks pregnant and I must say it was pretty annoying! First of all, I must start with the fact that I am pretty much over the whole pregnancy thing. I want our little girl to be here! I am uncomfortable and large and I'm just ready. So, it did not help yesterday that I had to wait for an hour to get into my appointment because the doctor was running behind. I get that he delivers babies and that they don't exactly come on schedule, but the office staff should have given me a heads up instead of letting me sit in the lobby fuming. So, I shouldn't really be surprised that my blood pressure was slightly higher once I got back into the exam room. Because of that, I now have to go in for another checkup on Monday. I am not too worried about my blood pressure, because I think that it was just high because I was mad for having to wait for so long, but we will see how it goes on Monday. As far as my labor progress is going...well, there really isn't much progess. She has not dropped yet, and I am barely 1cm dilated. I'm trying not to get too bummed about that though, because I know that it can change from one day to the next.
This Saturday I will be 38 weeks pregnant and the goal is to make sure our hospital bags are packed (probably should already have been done). We are also switching hospitals from where we originally planned on delivering at so we are going to tour the new hospital this weekend (also probably should already have been done). We are changing for a few reasons. The main reason is that the old hospital (Scottsdale Shea)won't induce me until 41 weeks pregnant and I just can't wait that long! Also, the new hospital (Paradise Valley) is a good 15-20 minutes closer to our house. It is also right next to my doctor's office. Last, if our daughter is born at Paradise Valley Hospital, her birth certificate will say Phoenix, AZ instead of Scottsdale, AZ and we like that better too! We probably should have just picked that hospital first, but better late than never!

37 weeks!

I am now 37 weeks pregnant and counting down the days until my due date. I am becoming more and more uncomfortable and ready for our little girl to arrive. It really makes me think that having a child really must be amazing because why else would anyone put themselves through this? I am also really excited to have some time off from work. I have been saving up my leave time for quite a while now and I am ready to put it into use! I think that we are as prepared as we will ever be for Everly's arrival. Her room is ready, her clothes are clean, and as of today I am now considered full-term! Here is a pic of my big belly this morning on a walk with the hounds...

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31 Weeks!

I am now 31 Weeks pregnant! Nine more weeks to go! Everything has been going pretty good and I have been feeling pretty good still. Some things have become more difficult, though. I no longer can wear my wedding ring because my hands are too swollen. I can get my ring on but it looks funny and then at night it is much more difficult to get it off so I just don't even put it on anymore. It definitely feels weird not wearing it.
Yesterday Justin and I took a Birthing Basics Class at the hospital I plan on delivering Everly at. I am actually really glad that we went to the class. There were a few things I was not prepared for (like the size of the placenta) and I feel better that we won't be as surprised on delivery day! Our instructor was pretty funny too so that made the all day class a little more manageable. It did make me more anxious, however. I can't wait to have her here!