37 weeks

How far along?  37 weeks + 2 days

Baby is the size of a: Watermelon a baby

Total weight gain: 25 lbs, unsure of anymore

Sleep: A little better than last week. Back to waking up 2-3 times a night though.

Movement: She's just as active as ever. 

Labor Symptoms: I started having Braxton hicks contractions. We'll find out Friday if any dilation. 

Thoughts: Last week I said I was ready, but this week I'm even more ready. Also, way too tired to write much more this week. ;)

Looking forward to: Having this baby girl!

maternity pictures

3D ultrasound

We did our 3D ultrasound around 30/31 weeks, but I'm just getting around to post about it!

We didn't get the best pictures of Grace because she was snuggled up with her face so close to the placenta, so it was making the picture blurry. But from what we could see, everyone agreed that we have a mini-me! She's for sure got my cheeks and nose and maybe even lips too! She's absolutely adorable already and I just can't wait to kiss those chubby cheeks!

Another thing we found out was that this girl is measuring pretty big... like 90th percentile big. Her weight measured at approximately 4.9 lbs already (they say it can give or take a lb, it's obviously just an estimate). Regardless if the ultrasound tech was a little off, she's obviously no where near going to be a small baby. I was somewhat shocked to see that she's measuring big because throughout my pregnancy, everyone has commented on how small my belly is, and everyone has said how I'll have a tiny baby. But on the other hand, big babies run in my family, so I really shouldn't be shocked!

what's in a name?

Grace: The unmerited, undeserving favor of God
The story of Grace's name starts out pretty funny... when Larry and I first started dating, he liked the name Grace for a girl. I, however, could only think of Grace from The Secret Life of the American Teenager, the annoying little Christian girl. It was not a name I ever thought I'd name my little girl, maybe for a middle name, but definitely not a first name. 
As our engagement came and talk about children and how we'd be able to conceive, we talked more about baby names. Larry still loved the name Grace. He felt that God placed it on his heart to have a girl named Grace. For a while, I was still pretty against it. But one day, we went to a special service at church where John Bevere preached. It was all about how by God's grace, we can do anything. That was the point where Larry and I agreed, if it was by God's grace that we could have a child, we would name her Grace (well if it was girl). 
When we found out we were expecting, Grace was of course our first name on the list. Many people tried to change our minds, tried to give us names to go with Grace as a middle name, but we weren't budging. This was our Grace from the start and we knew it. I'm glad we stuck with it too, because I just feel like her name was meant to be for her. And even though she's not here yet, I can already tell it suits her. 

36 weeks

Helllloooooo month 9!!

How far along?  36 weeks + 1 day

Baby is the size of a: Like I said  2 weeks ago, at this point, she's the size of a baby. Now my belly? It's about the size of a watermelon!

Total weight gain: As of last week, 25 lbs. 

Sleep: It's been pretty bad the last 2 weeks. I have a really hard time getting comfortable to fall asleep and then it's super hard to roll over and switch sides to sleep on throughout the night. On a positive note- I slept amazing last night!!

Movement: The belly is starting to look super crazy as she moves around! Lately I've been getting hard kicks to my right ribs.

Symptoms: Hormonal. Tired. Uncomfortable. My feet hurt if I walk for more than 10 minutes lol. Pregnancy is beginning to be exhausting at this point! This isn't a symptom but I don't know where else to put it but OMG the belly button is OUT. And I hate it. I want it back in! It creeps me out so bad. 

Nursery: It's DONE! Finished. Complete. My mom came in town this weekend and forced me to have the room finished, and believe it or not, we did it! I can't wait to share pictures! I'm just waiting on the crib skirt to come in the mail. That's all it needs. 

Thoughts: I feel like I'm ready. Ready to be a mommy. Ready to hold the most amazing gift I've ever received. Ready to kiss her and snuggle her. Just one more month until our lives are forever changed!

Looking forward to: My last ultrasound next week! We will see how big Grace is and have an estimated birth weight. :)

34 weeks

How far along?  34 weeks + some days...closer to 35 weeks, but better late than never, right?

Baby is the size of a: Honeydew  a baby... she'd fit in her newborn clothes at this point! haha

Total weight gain: at least 22 lbs

Sleep: -__- Not. Good. I mean, I shouldn't complain because I know it could be a lot worse. I'm just having a really hard time getting comfortable with this big ole' belly.

Movement? She's an active little thing. Lately she makes my entire belly move when she moves around. She's been liking to hang out all the way on my right side. She sticks her foot or her knee (or some other body part) out and it's so creepy looking!

Symptoms: Heartburn when I'm hungry. Still peeing way too much. Indigestion. Also, sleeeeeepy.

Nursery: It's so close to being done and looks amazing! I can't wait to finish it and post pictures of it! All we have left is a crib skirt, curtains, and I need 2 white shelves. 

Thoughts: I have been SO busy lately preparing for baby girl. It's kind of stressful actually. And holy crap, she'll be here in a little over a month. Like I'm ready but I'm not. I'm so not. Part of me would love for her to come a little early, but I told myself in the beginning that I wouldn't be that person wanting their baby to come early because they grow best in the womb. But I mean how awesome would be it to have her here for Christmas? And to get to take maternity leave early? Stop it, Danielle. I only want her to come early for selfish reasons. Take your time, Grace! I'm happy with whenever you decide to choose your birthday. :)

Looking forward to: Maternity pictures on Tuesday! We were supposed to take them last weekend but the rain forced the photographer to cancel them. I can't travel more than an hour  away (we were taking them in Baton Rouge) anymore and she didn't have any availability to come to Lake Charles next week, so I had to reschedule with another photographer

31/32 weeks

I forgot to post last week so here's a two-fer! I may add a 32 week photo later on in the week.

How far along?  32 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Winter squash 

Total weight gain: At my 30 week apt, I reached the 20 lb mark! :O I haven't gotten on the scale since haha.

Sleep: Not too bad actually.

Movement? I've figured out that she really likes music with a lot of bass! That's when she starts kicking a lot! I'm starting to feel her move almost all day long now. I think that's something I'll miss once she's born!

Symptoms: Heartburn is pretty much an everyday thing now. Normally comes after lunch and occasionally after dinner. It's really not bad heartburn though, thankfully. Just enough to annoy me. 

Cravings: Nada. 

Nursery: Ooooooh it's finally coming together and I'm loving it! Last weekend mom and started on Grace's quilt and then this past weekend I finished it! I'm so proud of us for getting it done so quickly and not procrastinating. Not to mention, it's absolutely perfect. Also this past weekend, I made a fabric banner for her room with scrap fabric from the quilt. Which by the way, I never want to cut a strip of fabric again ever. Here's a sneak peek of the banner:

Best Moment This Week: (31 weeks) Our 3D ultrasound! I'll post about it later on in the week. :)

Thoughts: Ever since the beginning of my pregnancy, everyone (including strangers) has commented on how small my baby bump is. I would get a lot of "oh she's gonna be tiny!" I know most pregnant women would love to hear how small they are rather than how big, but it's actually been driving me crazy. My doc has said that my size and weight gain have been perfect from the start. Anyways, I thought that by how big I am now, people would stop commenting on how "small" I am, but nope, I've already heard it once last week and once today. 

Looking forward to: My second baby shower this Sunday!!

IVF tips

I started this post a while back, and I'm finally getting around to sharing it. I started this blog to share our IVF experience and inspire others so I thought I'd share some of the things I learned through 2 rounds of IVF. 

• Let your husband give you your shots. It'll bring out a compassionate side of him that you haven't seen before.
• Stim shots don't hurt at all.
• If you're prescribed menopur injections. Ice your stomach before the shot. The menopur burns a little when the medicine goes in, so it helps to relieve the burning.
• Don't plan to do anything the day after you start your stim shots. I had the worst throbbing headache the whole next day from the extreme hormonal change.
• Stims can cause headaches on and off. Any time I felt a headache coming on, I would down a ton of water and my headache would go away. 
• Speaking of water, keep yourself super hydrated throughout your cycle.
• Google will become your best friend. You will Google every single side effect you get. 
• Your stomach will get bloated. Make fun of it! The point of doing IVF is to get pregnant after all, so who cares if you gain a little in the belly!
• There is absolutely nothing scary or painful about the IVF process.
• Invest in a heating bad. It's great for the cramps you may get and it also helps to sit on it after taking a Progesterone injection because it thins the medicine. 
• If it doesn't work the 1st time, DON'T give up!
• Open up to your close family and friends about your IVF/fertility journey. It helps to have a good support system during it all.  

If you're going through IVF and you have any questions, feel free to send me an email at goodwillista@gmail.com. I'd love to help! 

29 weeks

How far along?  29 weeks + 3 days 

Baby is the size of a: Winter squash - about 2.5 lbs and 15 inches long!

Total weight gain: About 15/16 lbs

Sleep: Better than last week!

Movement? She's super active! Last Friday evening Larry and I went to Performance Evolution to watch his buddies spar. The music was loud and at one point I totally felt her moving and kicking to the beat! Then a slower song came on and she was moving around slowly. I SWEAR she's going to be a dancer like her mama. :) 

Miss anything? Not feeling like I have to pee constantly and being able to bend over. 

Symptoms: Aches and pains here and there. Lately my knees have been hurting. I'm guessing they aren't used to all this extra weight! Peeing excessively. 

Cravings: Still none, but man have I had a crazy sweet tooth lately! I feel like I need some sort of cookie, cake, cupcake, etc every day! Oh and apparently expecting daddies can have cravings too. Larry has been craving steak for 2 weeks now, and he finally got his fix last night when we went eat at The Harlequin.

Nursery: Nothing new this week. 

Best Moment This Week: Saturday we attended a child birth class at the hospital! It was actually really interesting and both of us enjoyed it, and we learned a lot. Larry said he mainly learned how to support me during labor, which is amazing because I'm sure I will require a lot of support! Also, I got lots of massages from him when we had to go through the labor stations. 

Thoughts: Now that I am showing and this baby bump is beyond noticeable, more people talk to me about it, and I have to say that I kinda love the attention! I love getting to talk about our baby girl every chance I get. Last night at Walgreen's the cashier looked at my bump and said "awwww!"

Looking forward to: Not this Saturday, but the next (on Halloween!) we have our 3D ultrasound!! It feels like it's been forever since we've had an ultrasound, so I'm suuuuuper excited to see how our girl has progressed. And I can't wait to see her little features and guess who she'll look like!

Also, last week I had an appointment with my OBGYN. He said my weight gain is still perfect, but I could afford to eat a few snikers bars. Hahah. Maybe THAT'S why I've been having such a sweet tooth! It was doctor's orders. ;) From now on, I have appointments every 2 weeks instead of once a month. I can't believe we're getting so close to meeting Grace!

28 weeks

How far along? Today- 28 weeks +2 days 

Baby is the size of a: Papaya- about 2.2 lbs and 15 inches long! 

Total weight gain: 14-15 lbs? I'll find out tomorrow at my doc's appointment. I'm definitely feeling all the extra weight lately!

Sleep: Going downhill. :( Been waking up 2 or 3 times a night to pee and it's been getting really hard to get comfortable. I'm thinking about getting a pregnancy wedge pillow soon to help.

Movement? Yes indeed. She's not being as shy anymore! For a while, every time someone would put their hand on my belly to feel her move, she'd immediately stop.  Now, she's kicking and moving around for (almost) everyone. She was still being stubborn for her nanny this weekend though! 

Miss anything? Being able to get comfortable on the couch. 

Symptoms: In the past 2 weeks my appetite has spiked for sure! I'm hungry more often and even after I eat a big meal, I feel hungry an hour or so later. I'm also starting to feel HUGE. Doing stuff around the house is getting tiring. I guess my 2nd trimester super powers and energy are gone. 

Nursery: Last week I came home to a crib!! My sister in law picked it up for my mom (it's from her and Kevin) and she and Larry had it put together and surprised me when I got home. It's all starting to feel really real now. We also got a bookshelf and a rocker from Larry's parents. So now that we have all the big pieces, it's time to get to decorating and organizing!

Best Moment This Week: Sunday was my 1st baby shower here in Lake Charles! I loved getting together with family and friends to talk all things baby and celebrate the coming of our little Grace. :)

Thoughts: Well hello 3rd trimester! I can not believe I'm 2/3 of the way done! Part of me is starting to freak out a little that she'll be here so soon but the other part of me is definitely anxious! I started making a 3rd trimester to do list to make sure I get everything in order. 

Looking forward to: Well Larry and I have our child birthing class at the hospital on Saturday. I'm excited, but also a little nervous for what to expect! 

26 weeks

   

How far along? Today- 26 weeks +2 days 

Baby is the size of a: Papaya 

Total weight gain: About 12 lbs

Sleep: I had one bad night a few days ago, but I think it was mainly because of my nose being stopped up. Last night I did notice that switching from side to side is getting a little more difficult. 

Movement? Oh yes, this girl is an active one! Her kicks are super hard lately too. She doesn't like to show off to others though. As soon as anyone puts their hand on my belly, she stops. They move their hand, she kicks again!

Cravings: I might as well not include this one anymore, because still none!

Miss anything? Being able to easily get up off the ground and from squatting. Hah.

Symptoms: Does peeing excessively count as a symptom? 

Nursery: I picked up some stuff for her collage wall at Hobby Lobby!

Best Moment This Week: Well people are finally noticing and acknowledging that I'm pregnant! A lady in the checkout lane at HobLob saw the stuff in my buggy and said, "well I guess you're having a little girl!" Then at the gas station, the cashier (she's Indian and doesn't speak perfect English) said "you pregnant?" "first baby?" "you married?" "ooh you have good life!" Then she smiled at me. :)

24/25 weeks

How far along? Today- 25 weeks +4 days 

Baby is the size of a(n): 24 weeks- egg plant, 25 weeks papaya 

Total weight gain: 24 weeks-9 lbs, 25- 12 lbs? I ate good when I was on vaca in Disney World, ok!! Haha

Sleep: Not too bad actually! I was worried about not having my snoogle pillow while on vacation, but I did totally fine without it!

Movement? Oh yes! Daddy FINALLY felt her kick for the first time on 9/12. She is most active when I go to bed and lay on my left side. That's actually when Larry first got to feel her kick. He said that it felt like a hard little punch. Maybe she'll be strong like him rather than weak like me.

Cravings: Crazy, but still none. 

Miss anything? A bra that fits...

Symptoms: Honestly, none! I really feel great lately. If baby girl wasn't so active and my belly weren't so big, I may be worried!

Nursery: Not really any progress in the last 2 weeks. I did buy this cute little pillow today at Target though. 

Best Moment This Week: My trip to Disney World of course! 

At 25 weeks, I have suddenly "popped!"

22 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks + 2 days

Baby is the size of an: Eggplant.

Total weight gain: I'm thinking about 8-9 lbs possibly.

Sleep: Some nights better than other. Still only waking up to pee once a night. Oh please let it stay that way!

Movement? Well baby girl learned a new trick this week- she enjoys practicing her tap dancing on mommy's bladder. The other night she kicked it so hard that I literally almost peed on myself in bed! Daddy still isn't able to feel her from the outside yet. Hopefully soon though!

Cravings: None. But I sure do love ice cream! Ok, I admit it.. I've always loved ice cream. 

Miss anything? Caffeine! They say 1 cup per day is fine. I usually drink 1 cup of half-caf coffee in the morning but there are some days where I could use regular coffee all day at work!!

Symptoms: Lower back pain started a few weeks ago. Some days it's worse than others. I'm still feeling great though! I have so much energy. I swear the second trimester gives you wings!

Nursery: Well, this weekend I realized that we only have 4 months until our sweet baby girl is here and yet so so much to do. While I'm anxious to meet her, I just have a lot to get done before she's here! Sunday I started cleaning out her closet. Up until now it's just been used as a junk extra closet. Poor Larry has a lot of stuff to move up to the attic now- oops!

Best Moment This Week: Just constantly being reminded by her little kicks of the blessing that God placed inside of me and she was made just for us. I can't wait to meet her and hold her in my arms. I can't wait to kiss her and cuddle her all the time. 

21 weeks

How far along? 21 weeks + 2 days

Baby is the size of a: Cantaloupe.

Total weight gain: 7 lbs. I had a doctor's appointment last week and my doctor said that I've gained the perfect amount so far, not too much and not too little. 

Maternity clothes? Look better on me than regular clothes. My regular tops just make me look fat!

Sleep: I want more of it. 

Movement? Yesss and loving it. As I type this, I can feel her kicking around!

Cravings: None.

Symptoms: The heartburn has begun. I've been feeling great though! It's funny because now that I'm actually showing people are always asking how I feel. If they would've been asking in the first trimester, they wouldn't have gotten a great response. Haha.

Best moment this week: Registering at babiesrus Saturday! I had so much fun with my mom and sister, but I gotta say that it was at the same time exhausting!

20 weeks

(forgot to post this last week-oops!!)

How far along? 20 weeks + 2 days. Halfway there to meeting our baby girl!!

Baby is the size of a: Mango. Last week at the ultrasound they said she was 11oz.

Total weight gain: Guesstimating about 5ish lbs. I'll find out on Thursday at my appointment.

Maternity clothes? Bottoms and a few tops!

Sleep: Not that bad, but could be better! Been waking up 2x a night to pee -__-

Movement? I'm starting to feel her moving around, especially at night when I'm going to bed. I love it.

Cravings: None.

Symptoms: Frequent urination for suuure. Indigestion is still worst at night. Oh and probably TMI but if I hold it and sneeze I almost pee on myself. No more holding it!! 

Nursery:  Baby girl's Mawmaw Nay and Pawpaw Kev came over this weekend to repaint her room. Mawmaw painted it a few months ago, but the gray color came out ugly. It looks SO much better now, and it's the perfect gray. 

Best moment this week: Feeling her kick for the 1st time!! I was laying on the couch Monday night and I could feel her being active and moving around so I was holding my hand over my belly. After a few minutes, I finally felt a tiny little kick! She wouldn't do it again for her daddy though haha.

17 weeks

How far along? 17  weeks +  2 days

Baby is the size of a: Navel Orange (and I'm coincidentally wearing orange this week! haha!)

Total weight gain: Not sure!

Maternity clothes? Mainly just bottoms, but I did wear a maternity tank that my mom got me and it accentuated the bump nicely might I say. :)

Sleep: Not too bad!

Best moment this week: Shopping for baby girl! I went to a kids consignment store and found her 6 little outfits for only $13! I went back there today and got some headbands for 50 and 75 cents each. Good thing I'm a bargain shopper or we'd be going broke over this girl!

Miss Anything? Nope.

Cravings: None still!

Symptoms: Same ole same ole. Not much new happening with my body this week. 

Looking forward to: Planning my baby showers!

Ps. Remember my last week's "looking forward to" was finding out baby's gender?! Now you all see that I was saying that to throw y'all off hahah.

It's a.... GIRL!

We planned on having a small gender reveal party in about a month or so. My doctor said that my next ultrasound would be at 18-20 weeks, so that's when we'd be able to find out baby's gender. Well a couple Saturdays ago, I was sitting at work alone and I was thinking about my sweet baby. Oh how I wanted to know who he/she was SO bad. I wanted to call him/her by name (and start shopping of course!). I thought about it and I decided I didn't want to wait anymore! I called Larry and asked him what he thought about going to one of those ultrasound places and finding out baby's gender the next week. He's impatient like me, so he was all in!

Instead of a gender reveal party, we thought we'd surprise our family and announce it to them. So, I went ahead and made our ultrasound appointment for Thursday, July 23rd. We planned on announcing it at my birthday dinner the Saturday after.

Well, Monday, July 20th rolled around and it was Larry and I's 2 year wedding anniversary! I was on a Tuesday to Saturday schedule so I had the day off. Larry works from home, so he's pretty much off when he wants to be. So, Monday morning we were trying to think of something fun to do for our anniversary. Larry suggested a couples massage, but they were closed. Then I got to thinking and decided to call the ultrasound place to see if they had any openings today. Turns out they're usually closed on Mondays, but they were going to be there for another couple, so they told us to come on in!

When we started out the ultrasound, baby was upside-down and asleep. She was all curled up and looked so sweet.

We even got a sneak peak at the 3D/4D ultrasound!

Within 5 minutes of the ultrasound, the tech told us it was a girl! We weren't at all surprised as that it what we both thought baby was from the start! Turns out mama and daddy's intuition was right. :)

We tried to wake baby girl up to get a better view of her, and she turned over and put her legs in her face! My tiny dancer is working on her flexibility already!

Oh yeah, and we didn't end up waiting until my birthday dinner on Saturday to tell our family! Can you tell we're just the most patient people ever? haha :)

16 weeks / 4 months

Ok so this week's picture is a total fail! You can barely see my number or my bump! 

How far along? 16  weeks +  2 days

Baby is the size of a: Avocado

Total weight gain: Idk! Apparently my scale is wrong compared to the scale at the doctor's office. They said that I've gained 5 lbs since my last appointment 4 weeks ago. So am I supposed to start over from that number and go up from there? 

Maternity clothes? Bottoms only. 

Sleep: Getting better! My back is still hurting in my sleep but not as bad and as often.

Best moment this week: Sooo I think I may have felt my first flutters on Monday night! I was laying on the couch and Larry was sitting next to me as we watched The Bachelorette and I'm pretty sure that's what it was. It happened again at around the same time on Tuesday night too.

Miss Anything? Can't think of anything this week!

Cravings: None.

Symptoms: Lots of indigestion at night. Sometimes it's so bad it makes me nauseated. So goodbye morning sickness, hello night sickness? Also this week I've noticed that all of a sudden I am widening. My hips are huge! Even my athletic shorts/pants are too tight! Sooo weird. Not something I was expecting to happen! My mom says that this is a sign that baby is a girl. My acne has been bad this week too. My co-worker says that "girls steal your beauty" so we have yet another sign of a baby girl!

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender of this baby!

And since this week's picture sucks, here is a better representation of the bump. I woke up Friday morning and suddenly I finally look pregnant!