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!!