Rylee's hospital bag

With D-day slowly approaching, it was time to pack our bags for the hospital. Of course, I packed Rylee's first because it's more fun than packing Casey's and mine. 

I know I packed entirely to much stuff since the hospital provides everything, but I want to put her in our own clothes from the beginning. 

This is a full diaper bag full of stuff. 

Here is a general over view of what's in her bag.

I am bringing her hot pink polka dot blanket so that she will be extra comfortable and it screams girl. I have two swaddling blankets so I can wrap get into a tight little burrito. On the far lower left corner are her homemade burp cloths. Then we have outfit number one with a matching hat. And outfit number two with a matching hat.

Next we have wipes and diapers. I'm bringing wipes because the ones the hospital uses are dry rags you have to get wet. And then I'm bringing a stash of newborn size huggies diapers. One because the hosp. provides size ones and that always look to huge. Two, they use pampers and I don't like pampers. We are cloth diapering, but for the first few days were using disposables-just until the bag I opened is empty. 

Her super cute pink dress that her aunt got her will be her coming home outfit. I packed 4 onsies for each outfit.Two pair of mittens. Two sleeping gowns-will make for easier diaper changes. 3 pairs of socks to keep her piggies warm. Can't forget the accessories-headbands! And the two small jars; the whitish clear lid is coconut oil(butt stuff) and the other one is babyganics hand sanitizer. 

And the gorgeous bag it all fits in. Seriously Sarah, we love this bag beyond words and can't thank you enough for it. :-) 

September is here!

Rylee Morgan, it's your birth month sweet girl. You are about to join this world and make us the luckiest parents ever. Mommy and daddy are so excited to meet you. We love you so much and can't wait to see you grow and learn. Come soon baby girl.

Xoxo

38 weeks and feeling it..

 I know I skipped week 37, but you didn't miss anything I promise. I will include a 37 week pic at the end for you though. 

How far along: 38 weeks exactly! I'm considered full term and baby could come any second! 
Total weight gain: 26.8 pounds. I've gone from 130 up to 156.8. It's not a bad weight gain by any means but seeing almost 160 on the scale would scare anybody who is normally in the high 120s and low 130s. 
Maternity clothes: Nope, I've been so lucky to not had to spend a bunch of money on new clothes. I've been wearing my belly band and that's working great. I'm to the point now though, I'm just so uncomfortable that comfy clothes are pretty much it for the next two weeks-except when I have to go out in public. 
Stretch marks: I have a few very light ones on my boobs, but absolutely zero on my belly. Praying it stays that way. 
Sleep: Ha! Don't make me cry. Sleep is horrific. I can't get comfortable, my bed is super low and I mean on the ground low, my feet throb all night-I'm just ready to be done. 
Miss anything: At this point-everything! I miss being comfortable, fitting into my clothes normally, being able to breath, walk without waddling, sleep, being able to get up, and so much more!
Food cravings: nectarines and watermelon. 
Gender: Girl.
Labor signs: my Braxton hicks have been getting stronger. My stomach gets really tight and hard and sometimes even hurts for awhile. 
Belly button in or out: it's a complete outtie. You can even see it through my shirt now. 
Wedding rings on or off? On, but can be tight in the morning. 
Happy or Moody? Always happy mostly exhausted and uncomfortable. 
Looking forward to? Baby girls arrival! Hoping she will be here before my next weekly bump update. 
Countdown: 14 days or less!

In other great news, I tested negative for group b strep. That means I do not have to rush to the hospital as soon as labor starts or my water breaks. It was really important to me to labor at home for as long as possible. 

The below picture is my 37 week picture. Was really tired that day as you can probably tell by my face. 

Rylee's nursery tour and update!

Rylee's room is practically finished! I'm sure I will always be wanting to do more to it but it's ready for her arrival.

Her theme, if you will, is different shades of pink and polk a dots. Which I don't know how that got incorporated because hubby said absolutely not to polk a dots, but I love them! So I'm really excited it happened on it's own.

My absolute favorite part of her room has to be her crib. This Jenny Lind crib was the one thing I wanted in her room more than anything. I love the clean, elegant, and vintage feel of it. I had a hard time convincing Casey to accept this crib because he didn't like it at all, but he finally gave in.

We still have to add her name above the crib and a few of our maternity pictures above her changing table to complete the room.

This is looking in the doorway of her room.

I'm obsessed with these baskets and the chalk plates!

Her closet is such a mess

Love my diaper bag so much! Casey loves it to!

So there it is, baby girls room. The only room in the house that it completely finished and furnished. 

Baby Shower!

This past Saturday was crazy busy! It was baby shower day! I had been looking forward to this day my entire pregnancy. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the decorations or food, but I'll try to give you a mental picture.

My baby shower theme was country with mason jars, light yellows and pinks. The center pieces for the tables were a variety of wicker baskets, boxes, large mason jars filled with wash clothes rolled up to look like cake rolls. We used these as gifts also.

Our "thank you" favors were jelly canning jars filled with home made laundry soap.

We did a diaper raffle and the winner took home a $25 gift card.

The food was probably the best part. We didn't have your typical finger food and such. We had a 5 course breakfast! On the menu was pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, and a beautifully large and amazing fruit tray. There was pop, coffee, and orange juice to drink.

Overall amazing!

We had probably close to 100  people show up. Family and friends that I haven't seen in far too long.

Rylee was spoiled with tons of gifts! Everything from clothes, blankets, diapers, car seat, stroller, mattress, crib, bouncer, and a thousand other things. Blessed beyond measure!

The cake was delicious! It was a belly bump cake with 3 different flavors! Oreo, chocolate ho-ho, and vanilla with a raspberry cream filling. Mmmmmm.

A huge thank you to my mom and nana for throwing the best baby shower ever! They really out did themselves.

Now for a few pics of family and friends, but first me and my hot hubby! Side note: this dress was super hard to get into, but was actually the comfiest and cutest thing I've ever worn. Showing off them new found curves!

My family: Dad, Mom, Whitney, Levi, and Raechel, me, and Casey. 

The "grandma's" 

Gigi and nana. 

The "grandpa's"

Great great grandpa, poppy(my dad-middle) and great grandpa. 

High school friends! 

Alycia and Liz.

This girl right here drove 4 hours to make it to my baby shower! She is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her. 

The whole gang.

This is one of the food pictures I did get because if you know me at all- fruit is my life. I literally was going to just take this to my table.

My second favorite thing is cake so naturally I had to get a picture of this awesomeness. Seriously though, you see how big the boobs are on this thing?! There the same size as the belly. Ha!

Just a few of my favorite gifts from our shower. I. Love. This. Car. Seat! My husband actually picked it out himself. He was drawn to the lime green color first and then fell in love with the fabric. I loved both those aspects as well.

This is the stroller we got. Fits with the car seat. 

Okay so I know our travel system doesn't match, but let me tell you why. The stroller that went with the car seat we wanted-we hated. It was more like an umbrella stroller. Which would be better for older kids. The car seat that went with that stroller we got-we hated. We almost caved and got it because it matched but I couldn't stand the feel of the fabric and I just loved the green. So here that is..

Need I elaborate? My husband and I both love the TMNT'S. Guess what her Halloween outfit is?!

Cute baby bouncer!

I'm obsessed with this diaper bag. It wasn't the one I registered for, but my cousin who got me this bag has the one I wanted (she hates it and how it functions so she knew I would to) so she found this one that's pretty much identical but bigger and better in every way. I can't thank her enough for doing that. Once again I love this fabric and color!

And lastly,  my custom made baby shower invites I ordered off etsy.  This helps you give a better idea of the theme.  

That's all for now folks,  I'll be back with a post on some of our maternity pictures we had done this past weekend.  Your going to live them! 

36 weeks

How far along: 36 weeks! Officially 9 months! 
Total weight gain: 26.5 pounds
Maternity clothes: Nada
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: I've had one good nights sleep in the last week. To much uncomfortableness to sleep well or at all.
Miss anything: Not really, it would be nice to sleep but for the most part I'm surviving.
Movement: So much, I told her the other day she could come anytime now because her movements are to real and baby like now. I can tell what she is moving and usually why.
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: Not that I know of.
Symptoms: the usual pelvic area discomfort. My hips don't pivot anymore so getting out of bed and the car hurts.
Belly button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy Happy Happy
Best moment this week? We had our baby shower this past Saturday and our maternity pictures this past Sunday! I'll do a separate post on each later.
Most looking forward to? The arrival of our sweet baby girl. I have no more events (except doctor apts weekly) until her arrival. Geeked!
Countdown: 24 days!

I had my 36 week apt this week. I got my group B strep test done-not pleasant! It hurt so bad. A dry q-tip up your sore and swollen V is not a walk in the park. So that sucked. But I also had an ultrasound to make sure she is head down-she is. So that made up for the pain of the first part.
The U/S was pretty cool because we could see her practising her breathing. We also got a good look at her feet and she wiggled her little toes! She definitely has long legs like her momma.
Doctor said everything looks great and she thinks I will have this baby around 39 weeks!

Personally I'm hoping for an August 27/28th baby. We could use some happiness in this month to look forward to every year.

Padsicles!

It's nearing the end of my pregnancy and that means it's almost baby time and post partum recovery time. I've never birthed a baby before but I'm pretty sure it doesn't feel very good afterwords.

I decided to make some pads that would provide relief in many ways. They are absorbent, cleansing and soothing, and frozen!

Here's how it goes:

*You will need big thick pads of your choice

*Witch Hazel

*Aloe Vera

First you carefully open the pad. Making sure not to tear it horribly. Gently remove the plastic strip that covers the sticky part.

Next, poor a generous amount of Witch Hazel all over it.

Squirt a bunch of Aloe Vera down the center and smooth out with a butter knife.

Replace the plastic strip back over the sticky wings.

Re-fold it.

Wrap your pads in tin foil and place in the freezer. You may want to put them all in a target bag or something so they don't get mistaken for food. 

The purple pads I did were over night pads and huge! I don't like that kind of bulky-ness for day time so I got another style for day use. 

You can tell the difference in size, but I labeled mine so if I needed my husband to grab me one it would be easier for him. 

I only made about 12 for now, I want to get some lavender essential oils to add to my recipe so once I get that I will be making a lot more night pads and day pads. 

And that's all there is to it. Instant relief for a very sore and raw va-jay-jay. 

35 weeks

L

How far along: 35 weeks and 3 days technically
Total weight gain: 24+ pounds 
Maternity clothes: Nope, just wearing my belly band and size up clothing. 
Stretch marks: Zero-loving my belly butter!
Sleep: what's that?
Miss anything: Sleep! Being comfortable and working. Im tired of being home all day every day. Unless I'm feeling crappy then I don't mind it.
Movement: Yep, she still is pretty active in there. She does this new thing where she sticks her heal out my side. Feels really weird. 
Food cravings: At this very moment I want watermelon, cherries, grapes, and nectarines. 
Gender: Pink!
Labor signs: I don't think so?
Symptoms: restless legs-especially at night! Tailbone pain, hip pain, pelvic pain, heartburn, not sleeping, difficult breathing..
Belly button in or out? 100% out-always.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. They will probably stay on. 
Happy or Moody most the time? Mostly happy and excited. 
Looking forward to? My baby shower is on Saturday and our maternity pictures is on Sunday! So ecstatic!
Countdown: 30 days!
Realizations: I watched More Business Of Being Born yesterday and went into a complete panic attack and was hysterically crying for like two hours. Literally my husband almost had to come home because I couldn't control myself. That show made me feel completely unprepared for labor in some ways. I feel prepared as far as I know how I want things and procedures(newborn care)  and laboring techniques done(water, ball, movement, etc). 
I don't feel mentally prepared. I don't have good control of my breathing, I don't think I'll be able to find my inner self to be able to concentrate on pain management. Im afraid that I'll be to busy focusing on one thing and something will get missed.

I'm straight up scared and am just now realizing it.

34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks
Total weight gain: 24.5 pounds
Gender: Girl!
Maternity clothes: Nope, still rocking the belly band. 
Stretch marks: Zero, my doctor even commented on how nicely my skin was stretching. 
Sleep: No bueno. To uncomfortable to sleep. 
Miss anything: being tan, walking without getting ligament pain, sleeping...
Movement: Lots! She rolls around a lot. Sometimes it hurts when she moves her head across my cervix. She has been up in my ribs a lot lately and making it difficult to breathe. Guess she is no longer dropped?
Cravings: None, eating my weight in fruit and cereal though. 
Labor signs: Not that I know of?
Symptoms: where do I begin? Back pain, hip pain, tail bone pain, can't sleep, heart burn, one of my boobs leaked the other day and that's about it. 
Belly button in or out: it's so out, no longer in ever!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most the time? Happy and excited like usual! 
Looking forward too? I have my baby shower next Saturday and my maternity pictures next Sunday! 
Countdown: 38 days!

At my doctor appointment this past week my doctor told me not to expect to go early at all and to if anything expect to go late.

I also found the most perfect baby shower and maternity pic dress of all time! Can't wait to share that with all of you!