How I Really Felt About Being Pregnant

I didn’t love being pregnant. Don’t get me wrong – the idea of what your body is doing during pregnancy is a beautiful, fascinating miracle, yes, absolutely. But I didn’t love being pregnant. I didn’t hate it either… I was just impartial to it most of the time. On one hand you’re growing this beautiful baby inside you, and you can feel his/her movements and shifts, and it’s incredible. And then on the other hand you’re growing this baby inside you which means you’re growing. Faster than you’ve probably ever grown before. And it’s not vertical growth, it’s lateral growth. Lots and lots of lateral growth. And your body pretty much becomes a thing of its own. You might get gassier, flabbier, and/or unbelievably tired like you just ran a marathon. You’ll probably get crankier or at least moodier (tears fall much more easily with all of the hormones raging inside your body). Once you really start growing you might get stretch marks or hemorrhoids (Woohoo! Thanks, baby!), and if you’re really lucky you’ll get both. Your poop changes, and you pee all the time. You’re never hydrated enough or full enough. You’ll crave things you’ve never liked before, and you’ll hate some of your favorite foods.

So to all those women who told me, “I loved being pregnant!” when I found out I was: Good. For. You. I admire you and applaud you, really. Because honestly, I was blessed with one of the easiest pregnancies ever. I had barely any morning sickness (so little that I attribute each instance to not eating a proper breakfast before taking my prenatal vitamin), no stretch marks, average weight gain (33 lbs.), no swelling, hardly any moodiness until the last month or two, etc. I even wore my regular clothes up until about a month and a half or two before my due date… But I still didn’t love being pregnant.

What I did love about being pregnant was feeling McKenna kick and move. I especially loved the handful of times where she must have been somersaulting or rolling around – my belly was producing wave-like movements. I anticipated her first movement for what felt like forever, savored every movement afterward, and loved feeling her wiggle and kick up until the few hours before she was born. Her moving was the highlight of the entire 10 months of my pregnancy – and thankfully she did it a lot. But other than that, I still didn’t love being pregnant.

But regardless of how I felt during my pregnancy, or how any woman feels during their pregnancy, it’s true what they say – the outcome is entirely worth the wait. There is a miracle behind every hour of every day of every month that you spend growing this little human inside you. Now I have this sweet blessing in the form of a baby girl cooing while she sleeps in front of me, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. So even though I didn’t love being pregnant, I absolutely love being McKenna’s Mommy.

My Do’s & Don’ts of Pregnancy & Delivery

Of course the following list should be taken with a grain of salt. This are just my opinions and things I picked up while pregnant/after delivering. Some are things I was happy I did, others are things I wish I would have done differently. I am in no way trying to impose these ideas on anyone, nor am I going to judge anyone for not agreeing with me or choosing a different route for themselves.

DO moisturize as frequently as possible during pregnancy. For the first half of my pregnancy, I kept a large jar of coconut oil in the shower with me. I used it all over after I was done soaping off. Rinse it off with water only and pat yourself dry. After that ran out, I used body butter on my belly at least every night before bed. I didn’t wind up with any stretch marks during my pregnancy (which could or could not be attributed to the moisturizing), but it’s important to moisturize anyways. Itching your dry, stretching skin with a big old belly only adds for a weirder picture.

DO invest in a few maternity-specific pieces. As soon as your clothes start to become uncomfortable, find a few maternity pieces you like and purchase them. I would recommend some for casual and some for work. Empire waist maxi dresses and maxi skirts that you can wear under your belly are wonderful, too, but a few pairs of pants/jeans and maternity tops will do wonders for your self-esteem. (Not to mention you won’t be stretching out your regular wardrobe.) I watched maternity sales at Old Navy for some time and finally bought a pair of denim shorts, capris, linen pants and 2 shirts when I could get them on sale. I also caught Pink Blush Maternity during an after-Christmas sale and bought a few tops there as well.

DON’T skip meals. Not like that’s possible anyways. I went from being a smoothie or granola-on-the-go type of girl when it came to breakfast to eating a huge bowl of cereal every morning. I quickly found out that cereal was the only thing I found to eat that wouldn’t make me sick after taking my prenatal vitamin. One morning I even had a huge bowl of yogurt, fruit and granola and I still got sick almost immediately after eating it – and it wasn’t morning sickness either. So to emphasize, make sure your meals (which you won’t skip) have something of substance.

DO your own research and DON’T take everything everyone is going to tell you to heart. Every single woman out there has their own opinion about pregnancy, raising babies, etc. Funny enough, people who haven’t even been pregnant or don’t have kids have their own opinions, too. (“My sister’s friend’s cousin’s wife did this when she was pregnant and this happened.”… Cool, shut up.) So take the time to do your own research about pregnancy recommendations – birthing options, diet restrictions, vaccinations, etc. For example, after what I consider to be extensive research considering the topic, I continued to drink coffee and occasionally soda during my pregnancy, keeping my daily caffeine intake under the recommended 200 mg of caffeine/day. I also had, on average, a glass of red wine every 2-3 weeks during my pregnancy, starting after my first trimester. I did plenty of research regarding wine consumption during pregnancy and you can have up to one glass per day, (assuming that you are still providing your body with the proper nutrition through regular meals and staying hydrated). One glass per day seemed a little too much for me, so I stuck to one a week (usually for special occasions), often skipping weeks in between.

DO work out during your pregnancy – in whatever way possible, whenever you have the energy. I went on short 10-15 minute walks a few times per day thanks to having a pup and living in a townhouse, but I wish I would have worked out more during my pregnancy. Working out during your pregnancy has also been proven, in most cases, to have a better bounce back rate for your pre-baby body and should help with mood swings.

DO work as long as you possibly can before the baby’s born – unless you’re fortunate enough to become a stay-at-home mom afterward – and DO have open communication with your higher-ups. This, of course, is pending there are no health issues and that your job is not labor intensive. Working as long as you can has many benefits including saving additional money that you won’t be making (or at least will be making less of) once you are on maternity leave; time tends to go by more quickly when you have something to do during the day/week; maintains some level of normalcy and gives you something to focus on that’s not “baby related”; and allows you to save up as much of the allowed maternity leave for when the baby is is actually here. In my experience, having open communication with your boss(es) is extremely beneficial. I was granted 8-10 weeks off for maternity leave. In the 3 days approaching McKenna’s arrival, I worked half days (partially because my dad was in town, but partially because of exhaustion as well). Fortunately, these half days were taken out of accrued vacation time that I hadn’t used yet. They were also generous enough to allow me to leave  1-2 hours early on occasion if I was feeling drained or exhausted (a luxury I did not take advantage of, but did use once or twice). Depending on your role and the type of company you work for, they will most likely want you to stay at work as long as possible – even if that involves you taking half days toward the end of your pregnancy or having to leave early some days.

DON’T approach your delivery with a close mind. It may help to think of it as the baby’s birth plan – not yours. I’ve said it from the beginning and I’ll re-emphasize it again now that I’ve been through it first hand: your baby will arrive however he/she pleases. If he/she decides to give you that natural birth you’ve always dreamed of, great! However, you have to be openminded to the fact that this may not happen. Go in with an open mind and the delivery process will go so much more smoothly than you ever would have imagined. Not to mention once that sweet little bundle is in your arms, you won’t care how they got there anyway.

DON’T make your delivery a negative experience. Cursing at your partner and telling him that it’s his fault is overdone and overrated. Not to mention we’ve all taken sex ed and know that’s not exactly the case, now is it? Takes two to tango, honey. So…

DO make your delivery the exciting, highly anticipated event that it is! Laugh, make jokes, whatever is distracting enough from the pain but can still allow you to focus on the push. Thinking Just one more push, Natalie, worked for me, too. I probably pushed around 100 times in 1 hour, at 10 seconds a push, and eventually, it really was just one more push, and she was here!

DO say yes to (almost) whatever the nurses want to offer you to help with the pain after a vaginal delivery. Most specifically antiseptics, ice packs and sits baths. It may seem impossible to do a sits bath when you’re still at the hospital (a lot of things seem impossible after giving birth to a human the size of a small watermelon), but trust me when I say this: “Do a sits bath the second you are offered one!” I could’ve done one the evening following McKenna’s arrival but the thought seemed too painful and so I waited until I got home. In hindsight, I should’ve done one immediately as the amount of liberation I felt afterward was incredible. It’s these little things that I give a lot of credit to during the healing process.

McKenna Laine has arrived!

Well, she’s finally here!

McKenna Laine Friedmann
Arrived on May 14, 2014
at 3:08 a.m.
at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, Tampa Bay
weighing 8 lbs.
& measuring 21 inches long

As stated in a previous blog post, McKenna was a name Mike and I both loved should we have  a girl (we narrowed our name list down to 1 male and 1 female name back in November before we knew the gender). Her middle name, Laine, came from my mother’s middle name, Lorraine. We knew we wanted a family name, or something derived from one, and this is one we thought flowed most naturally.

McKenna’s Birth Story: 

On Monday evening, 5/12/14, around 5:30 p.m., I started feeling what I suspected to be contractions. I hadn’t felt any contractions yet this entire pregnancy – not even Braxton Hicks contractions. Being 41 1/2 weeks along, I didn’t want to get too excited if it was a false alarm. I’ve read multiple blogs, articles and forum posts about how some women’s contractions showed up and then just disappeared. My dad was in town and was actually scheduled to leave the next afternoon. We were hoping he would be able to meet McKenna, but it wasn’t looking great. I didn’t want to mention the contractions to him because I didn’t want him to get his hopes up and invest in changing his flight if she still wasn’t ready. I began texting my mom and Mike (who was at work) and timing the contractions. They were about 15-20 minutes apart.

I went to bed that night hoping I would get woken up with stronger contractions that were closer together. Or my water breaking. Something. Unfortunately, I woke up on my own around 8:30 a.m. and proceeded with my day as normal. I was spending the morning with my dad before he went to the airport and was scheduled to go into work that afternoon. When I took Rigby for a walk after waking up, the contractions were still present. They were now anywhere from 10-20 minutes apart. I kept a log in my notepad of when I felt each one, and my dad and I went out to breakfast.

After breakfast, I called the doctor’s office to see how I should proceed with the contractions that I was still feeling. I was scheduled to be induced on Thursday, May 15 if she hadn’t arrived on her own by that time. The doctor told me to monitor the contractions and if I felt more than 6-8 in an hour to stop in and they would do a labor check. I waited two hours and during both hour intervals I felt anywhere from 6-10 contractions. Mike and I were going to head into the doctor’s office. (After looking into changing his flight — for a $550 fee – no thanks, Southwest — my dad headed off to the airport. For his sake, I was hoping McKenna would take her time coming, as I couldn’t imagine her arriving just after he left – totally heartbreaking.) Upon our visit, I was 4 cm dilated and my water was ready to break at any point. We could have decided then to be admitted to St. Joseph’s, however since I was striving for a natural delivery we chose to walk around the mall instead.

We spent a few hours walking around the mall and praying my water didn’t decide to  break there (because seriously, how embarrassing). My dad was still at the airport as his flight was delayed, and he was doing everything he could to get his flight changed to Wednesday evening. We had informed my mom, and she was on her way up from North Port. Just before my mom arrived, my dad was able to change his ticket with no financial repercussions! His flight, connecting in Chicago, had been delayed due to the fires/heavy smoke out there that had shut down the airport and, given his situation, the gate attendant was kind enough to change his flight to the next evening. My mom picked my dad up from the airport on her way in, and we all spent a few more hours at the house before heading to the hospital around 8 p.m.

At this point my contractions were about 3 min. apart and very manageable as far as pain. In fact, they hardly bothered me at all. they checked me into triage and then into the labor and delivery room where we would wait to see if my labor progressed. Around 10 p.m., we (the nurses, doctor and I) decided that if my water did not break on its own by midnight, they would break it to see if labor would progress. The contractions started to get a little more intense, and while I still could, Mike and I decided to walk the halls of the labor and delivery area to kill some time. The hallway was very short, so we did about 6 laps back and forth. I would have to stop every minute or so to squeeze him and lean against the wall, the contractions were getting much stronger. When we got back to the room, I walked into the bathroom before laying back down and just like that – my water broke! I was so relieved. Ironically enough, it was about midnight so McKenna must have heard our earlier conversation and decide to come out on her own before we forced her to.

I cleaned up and got back into bed and the contractions started rolling. I struggled with them for about an hour and a half before I called for the epidural. It was probably one of the hardest mental battles I’ve ever had. I wanted a natural delivery so badly, but I wasn’t prepared for how quickly the contractions intensified. I had been so adamant about a natural delivery for a number of reasons, but mostly because I wanted control over my body while pushing and didn’t want to feel that numbness that so many other women feel during delivery. However, I knew that if I was going to be one of those long labors (which most first pregnancies are), I wouldn’t make it without one. Around 8-9 cm dilated, the anesthesiologist came in to administer the epidural. During this process (which was really no big deal at all), I started feeling the urge to push. I hadn’t felt this yet during my contractions. I tried to breathe through it, as recommended by the nurse, but the more the contractions came, the more I felt my body trying to push. As they were still administering the epidural, she called for the doctor.

Mike, who surprised me incredibly with how quickly he stepped in to help. He held one leg while the nurse held the other, and within 20 minutes after I was given the epidural, I was pushing. I was so relieved and thankful that, during this time, I still had complete feeling in my legs and total control over my pushing. In less than an hour of pushing, McKenna was here – crying and healthy and so perfect.

Within an hour we were moved to our Mother/Baby room where we’d spend the next few days recovering and bonding with our sweet girl. I was happy to find that I was able to get out of the delivery bed on my own and into the wheelchair – the epidural had already worn off. Could I have delivered naturally had I known there was only an hour or two left? Probably. And I will absolutely try a natural delivery again whenever that time comes. That being said, I wouldn’t change anything about McKenna’s arrival last week. I think it happened just as it was supposed to. My advice to anyone when developing a birthing plan: Be open minded. It’s great to have a goal, but if you go in open-minded to anything being possible or happening (some of which is out of your control) you’ll always be satisfied. This is an experience you shouldn’t look back on with despise.

I had an amazing support system behind me that I am so incredibly grateful for. Mike was an amazing coach, and I saw him change just a little bit (in a good way, of course!) in those few moments of him becoming a father. It’s true that you don’t know this particular level of love until you have a child. I fell in love with McKenna the second she was in my arms, and I fell even more in love with Mike, too.

We had a great stay at the hospital for the 48 hrs. after McKenna arrived. Nothing compares to being at home of course, but our nursing staff was so wonderful, accommodating and pleasant. Postpartum recovery is not something to joke about though and, probably because of all the gruesome details, it wasn’t something I felt very prepared for – at least not as prepared as I felt for the other pregnancy “obstacles” we encountered.

Our one week update: McKenna is doing great at home! She’s still in sleeping mode but is starting to stay awake more during the day. At night, she gives us about 3 hrs. of sleep at a time and only wakes up for a feeding session and diaper change. We are loving skin-to-skin and cuddle time, and I take advantage of it whenever I can. Rigby seems less curious of her now, although I still don’t think he fully grasps her presence just yet, but he greets her with sniffs and kisses, and will often lay beside her bassinet or bouncer. I am starting to final feel somewhat back to normal and have been out with McKenna and Mike for an evening walk in the neighborhood as well as light errands. Tomorrow we will take a trip to Bradenton to see Papa & Grandma Friedmann.

We are feeling incredibly blessed with all of the love showered on us since McKenna’s birth – all of the kind words, visits, prepared meals, help, etc. We are so excited to finally be on this journey as a beautiful family of 3 (+ Rigby!).

41 Weeks

 

Our little M is very late, and I think she is thoroughly enjoying it. I started getting frustrated and “over it” since about Week 38, but ever since we passed a few days after the highly anticipated due date, my frustration has lessened and it has become a rather boring waiting game. Michael, on the other hand, seems to have picked up the frustration I gave up… It’s kind of humorous actually. Poor guy.

My dad came into town last Thursday (thanks to him we have the adorable photo of the week of me above. I obviously dressed up for the occasion). The trip was planned in anticipation of M’s arrival, which we knew may not happen, and obviously it didn’t. Unfortunately, he leaves tomorrow afternoon and there’s no sign of Little M in sight! However, it has been nice to spend time with my dad before baby and for my dad to get to spend more time with Mike. He’ll be back to meet her after her arrival.

Regardless of whether or not she’s ready, the doctor’s have plans for her to be her before the end of the week. That in itself is exciting for us! Especially since Miss McKenna is only growing at this point… The developing is more or less over, and now she’s just gaining weight. They gave us an estimate of her weight at last week’s appointment – give or take half a pound. Can’t wait to see how close we come! Of course I’m hoping that I don’t have to get induced – more so because I was hoping to experience the excitement and surprise of contractions or my water breaking naturally, but regardless I am still aiming for a naturally delivery if I get to have things my way. All of that will be discussed with the doctor on Wednesday during my weekly check up.

So I guess that’s it. This is the last “I’m still pregnant post.” The next post (whenever I am able to get around to it) will be welcoming McKenna into the world! I can’t believe it’s (almost) finally here!!

40 Weeks = Full Term!

I feel: ready! Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Happy or Moody: Happy at home and irritable at work. My patience with people is running thin… Must be a pregnant woman syndrome?

Showing: Definitely. Feeling as big as a house.

Maternity Clothes: The few maternity clothes I have and maxi dresses & skirts with long tanks. I’m beginning to fill out my maternity clothes a little too much… M better get here soon!

Exercise: Long dog walks. Totally buying into the “Walks can induce labor” wives’ tale… Hey, if they doesn’t then at least I’m exercising, right?

Miss Anything: Ready for cute clothes and bikinis.

Anything make you sick/queasy: No

Movement: Slower and less frequent but still lots of stretching out (as much as she can anyway). I am so curious to see how big (and especially how LONG) she’ll be when she arrives!

Excited for: M’s arrival. Isn’t it obvious?

Favorite Moment of the Week: Another weekend spent pre-baby with Mike.

 

Well, McKenna’s due date has come and gone. She won’t be a Star Wars baby, and, considering there are only 4 1/2 hours left in the day, she won’t be a Cinco de Mayo baby either. I have not had one noticeable contraction yet – including Braxton Hicks contractions – so I am not sure what she’s waiting on. I will have another doctor’s appointment on Wednesday afternoon for a check up to see if my dilation/effacement has progressed since last week. Last week I was 2-3 cm dilated (slightly more than the week prior) and 80% effaced. So something’s happening which is good. It’s just not happening fast enough for my taste. ; )

A few weeks ago I hit the 38 week mark in my pregnancy where every person I spoke to and every thing I read said, “Baby could technically come at any time now! What day will it be?!” So you sit through each day anticipating that moment. Now that I’ve passed the 40 week mark, my brain has done this weird thing where it’s tricked me into thinking I’m never actually going to have a baby. Like, I’ve just been pregnant for the last 10 months for funsies and I’ll just be pregnant forever. Obviously this isn’t the case, but you get so used to being pregnant that when you actually get to the part where you could be a mom/dad any day now – it’s totally weird. Super exciting and really awesome, but so weird to think that, “Oh, I won’t have this belly forever. I can drink alcohol and eat raw fish and dress normally again? Cool.”

So we’ll see when she gets here! Keep sending positive vibes our way. I’ve been told I won’t have to get induced judging by my body’s progression and my anatomy in general, but judging by M’s lack of movement either she’s out to prove us wrong or she’s out to make this a very quick delivery process.

 

39 Weeks & Waiting

I feel: impatient! And it’s not even my due date yet. Where are you, M!?

Happy or Moody: Happy at home and irritable at work. My patience with people is running thin… Must be a pregnant woman syndrome?

Showing: Definitely. Feeling as big as a house. Every time Mike sees my bare stomach his reaction is “Whoa.” And people who haven’t seen me in the last couple weeks have had literally the same response. So obviously things are changing!

Maternity Clothes: The belly has definitely dropped because I now find my bump hanging out the bottom of tank tops that used to give me lots of coverage down there. I remember when I first got pregnant I saw a woman at Walmart with her bump hanging out of her shirt and thought it was unbelievably trashy… Of course now I feel terrible because the same thing happened to me the other day at Marshall’s, and I had been walking around for goodness knows how long and didn’t even notice it! I can’t see my feet let alone the bottom of my stomach.

Exercise: Long dog walks.

Miss Anything: Ready for cute clothes and bikinis again… Whenever I get the pre-baby body back of course. I also miss talking about anything but being pregnant. When something consumes so much of your life it’s hard not to talk about – that’s all you do/are! I realize the conversations will probably switch to baby once she’s here, but any change will be better.

Anything make you sick/queasy: No

Movement: Her movements have slowed which is hopefully a sign of her getting ready. But she’s definitely still moving! Right now she’s sitting very heavy on my right hand side with her butt pressed (pretty hard) up against the front of my stomach.

Excited for: M to be here! Her due date is THIS SUNDAY!  I’m growing steadily impatient, and I still have 6 days until her due date. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel if I go past her due date (which if she has any of my stubbornness, I probably will).

Favorite Moment of the Week: Spending time with great friends this weekend and literally doing nothing on Sunday but vegging and laundry.

Last Wednesday’s doctor’s appointment was an interesting one. I hit the 30 lb. mark – something I was really hoping wouldn’t happen. But it did. I’m beginning to realize that you virtually have next to no control over pregnancy weight gain (besides not eating everything in sight).  I’ve added a lot of water weight these last few weeks as my feet and hands have started to get puffy – especially when I’ve been sitting outside. The ankles are still mostly in tact from what I can tell and nothing is bothering me too much. I gained hardly anything my first two trimesters and thought I would make it under the average 25-35 lb. weight gain for my whole pregnancy. Then third trimester happened and BOOM! Here grows baby. I’m not concerned seeing as how the average woman loses about 12 lbs. within the first week after delivery between the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid. With successful breastfeeding (fingers crossed!) and working out once I’ve been approved, I’ll be on my way to post-baby wedding body in no time! (Sounds like an entirely new blog series, don’t you think?)

My irritability is starting to get the best of me. Especially in the morning. And especially at work. I can’t imagine how I am going to feel when I have to go back to work after maternity leave… I don’t even want to think about it! Luckily McKenna’s Aunt Sanie (my older sister, Stephanie) had impeccable timing when she Dropbox’ed some of the songs she recorded for McKenna – her baby shower present to us (and a personal request I had made). It really cheered (and teared) me up listening! I’ve included one of the songs in this post in case you missed it on my Facebook page.

Cross your fingers that Little M is on her way! I know she’ll get here eventually, but we’re ready for her now!

Here Comes the Sun – Stephanie Scarcella feat. Heather Smist

The Nursery Reveal!

Last weekend Mike and I finished up the nursery… Only a month after I wanted it to be finished. It just goes to show how much (pregnancy) life gets in the way and that nothing ever goes according to plan. I’m just happy it’s finished before she’s here! I will be adding little touches here and there as time goes on, but overall I’m extremely pleased with it! It’s one of the brightest and cheeriest (and most feminine) rooms in the house, and I love just sitting in it. I can’t wait to sit in it with Baby M!

The closet is just inside the entrance of the room to the right. There haven’t been doors on the closet for some time, and I wanted to use something a little more closed off than a curtain. Mike had these panel curtains from Ikea in front of the washer & dryer downstairs, and I loved the idea for the nursery closet. Ikea has a relatively decent selection of patterns and textures to choose from. I loved the teal dots since they bring the teal in from other parts of the room. Unfortunately the pattern had been discontinued, but they still had the one up for demo – Score! 

For inside the closet we used the 5-shelf Expedit Shelf from Ikea in white. The pink & gray baby themed storage boxes were a shower gift from a friend of the family’s. I kept the area to the left of the shelf open for the hamper and other possibilities. To the right of the shelf (photo below) we are using two tension rods to hang some of M’s clothes. I got this idea from Pinterest and liked the fact that the rods can be adjusted once she starts growing and her clothes get bigger/longer. 

I created a poster for M inspired by a few I had seen online. We framed it and arranged it next to a few black and whites from our maternity shoot – soon to be replaced with newborn pictures of her, I’m sure. The frames, of course, are from Ikea, too!

We also bought the MALM dresser from Ikea. I love how deep the drawers of Ikea dressers are – so much room for storage! Unfortunately we had no where else in the house to put my television, so it’s mounted to the wall in the nursery. It most likely won’t be used often, but since this room will also be serving as a guest room at times (or once M is sleeping in the nursery a room for us when we have guests over), it may come in handy.

I bought the APA Storage Box from Ikea – SHOCKER! It originally came in raw wood/white, so I painted the wood to match the colors in the bedroom. I also wanted the storage bench to serve as an ottoman for the futon, so I cut a piece of a mattress pad we were throwing out and covered it in fabric I found at Hobby Lobby (it can also serve as a makeshift changing table if need be). 

As of right now, these floating shelves from Home Depot are holding onto some knick knacks and stuffed animals. The bird canvas I picked up when Mike and I were in St. Augustine in January – I loved how the colors perfectly matched the colors of M’s room.

And the “BIG REVEAL”… M is for McKenna! No sentimental story behind her name, really. Mike and I both narrowed our boy/girl name list to three each before we found out the gender. We both had McKenna as our number girl name, so that was that. Easy peasy 🙂 Now you know! 

This ladder shelf I’ve had since high school, and it has been through many paint jobs, from black to brown to this light teal. I love the color and how cheery it is! 

A favorite quote from one of my favorite books growing up (I’ll Love You Forever), and some additional knick knacks. The floral arrangement in the ceramic antique holder was a gift from McKenna’s Aunt Stephanie for her shower. 

Bow & Lucky the Dalmation, named by Baby Natalie, have been around for a very long time. Bow was a gift from my Great-Great-Aunt Martha at my first Christmas (1991) & I’ve had lucky since I was a toddler. I was really excited to incorporate these into McKenna’s nursery! The shadow box next to Lucky holds old family photos and baby items of my mother’s, McKenna’s grandma. 

McKenna’s first owl bank; a framed, inspirational Disney/Pixar quote given to me by my sister at my college graduation (“To infinity and beyond” – Toy Story) and all of McKenna’s books from the shower as well as some from my childhood are on the bottom two shelves. 

Last but not least is McKenna’s crib! One of my favorite parts of the room and the most colorful. The custom tassel garland was purchased on Etsy for use at both her shower and in the nursery decor. McKenna’s talented grandma sewed her crib bumper and ruffled crib skirt, as well as the matching minky blanket draped on the side of her crib. 

 

38 Weeks!

I feel: over it. What little glamour I found in being pregnant is gone. I’m just ready to meet her already!

Happy or Moody: How about anxious? Or antsy? I’m just trying to relax until she gets her.

Showing: Yes – and dropping more every day. I can start to feel the weight and pressure in my crotch.

Maternity Clothes: Rockin’ maxi dresses and skirts, my maternity capris and shorts, lots of tank tops with cardigans and v-neck t-shirts. The only pre-pregnancy clothes I wear now are jackets/cardigans. At home it’s as little clothes as possible – I’m hot all the time! And some t-shirts I was comfortable wearing before are proving to be shorter – a sure sign the belly is getting lower 🙂

Exercise: Dog walks. Walking as much as I can!

Miss Anything: Ready for cute clothes and bikinis again… Whenever I get the pre-baby body back of course.

Anything make you sick/queasy: No

Movement: Shifts from my left side to my right side. Again, hope she’s getting into the right position for arrival!

Excited for: M’s arrival! Especially now that the nursery is finished (to be revealed later this week) and our hospital bags are packed.

Favorite Moment of the Week: Getting to spend time with Mike and enjoying dinner on Saturday night at our favorite South Tampa Italian restaurant Vino e Pasta.

This weekend was focused on finishing up the nursery and picking up the miscellaneous baby items left around the house (which have been driving poor Mike absolutely bonkers… Can’t wait ’til the baby is here and leaves her toys everywhere). I’m saving the nursery reveal post for later this week (Eeep!), but I did want to share the contents of mine and M’s hospital bags.

Disclaimer: there are some personal, feminine items that are bound to make those with more conservative or childish mindsets uncomfortable. Either get over it or feel free to leave this post.

My bag:

• A comfortable, loose and very soft pair of pajamas for after delivery
• A nursing tank as well as a regular, loose fitting tank and stretchy yoga capris for the trip home
• 2 nursing bras
• 3 pairs of underwear I could care less about (I actually bought them  in a 6-pack from Walmart with postpartum messiness in mind… I haven’t bought underwear in a 6-pack since I was like, well, 6.)
• Super absorbent, winged overnight pads from Always (Also haven’t bought those in over a decade.)
• Shower flip flops
• Travel size: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, Vaseline & deodorant
• Antibacterial for myself and all the guests who want to come around Baby M
• A hairbrush & headband (I always have a ponytail holder around my wrist so no need to pack that)
• Cell phone charger

 

M’s bag (all washed and ready for M!):

• 2 receiving blankets (cuter than the ones at the hospital)
• 1 swaddle blanket
• onesies in 2 different sizes – Newborn & 0-3 months. A few short sleeves and a few long sleeves
• Mittens
• A newborn pacifier (not sure we’ll use it, but just in case)
• M’s first aid and grooming kit
• M will be coming home in the pink and white ombre knit blankie her great-grandma knit for her and a one of her headbands or her bow cap

I also put together small gifts for our nurses/doctor as a token of our appreciation for all their help– mini antibacterial hand gels from Bath & Body Works and chocolates

 

April 19, 2013-2014: Then & Now

Throughout this pregnancy, I like to have a little fun and ask Mike what he was doing a year ago on whatever day it is. I tend to ask on holidays (it’s easier to remember), but it’s an interesting way to learn things about each other that we may not have already known and an even better way to really marvel at how far we’ve come since then. Well, we’ve finally hit that point where one year ago today we were in each other’s lives.

One year ago today (and in about 10 more hours), I was walking through the parking lot of Four Green Fields in downtown with one of my best friends and roommate at the time, Candice, about to meet some guy she knew all because of some goofy photo of me she posted from our trip to Miami the weekend prior. 

The photo that started it all.

I remember walking in and telling her it still wasn’t too late to turn around. We could go do something else. Just ditch them (Mike and his friends). I was content being single. I wasn’t pursuing anyone at the time and in fact had just sworn off dating or trying to meet anyone – sounds like something someone who is content being single would do, right? But when Candice told me Mike wanted to meet me, she also said something to the effect of, “He’s also tall, good looking and really laid back. Maybe that’s what you need.”

If something happens, it happens. If not, I’m right back to where I was before. What have I got to lose?

Well something happened. I met Mike, and I was hooked.

And now here we are, one year later, engaged and running errands to finish the nursery before heading out to dinner to enjoy what will be one of the last weekends of just him and I before our daughter makes her debut in the world. (We’re also celebrating our one year of meeting, but I threw that in there. He probably thinks it’s cheesy, but it’s a great excuse to go to our favorite Italian restaurant in town.)

Photo Credit: Catherine Ann Photography

Some days I sit here and can’t believe that thanks to some weird Instagram picture of me (and Candice for posting it) that I met my very best friend – this tall, handsome, strong willed, hardworking goofball of a man who loves me, provides for me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me and our soon-to-be pretty little girl – the pregnancy thing is a hard one to believe still, too. 

But I am so blessed. And for all of the family and friends that have supported us, encouraged us and been excited for us throughout this wild ride and will continue to do so – we’re blessed to have you in our lives, too!

And did I mentioned he’s just strong, too? Photo Credit: Catherine Ann Photography

37 Weeks!

I feel: way too awake for 10:30 p.m. on a week night.

Happy or Moody: I guess moody is a good word. Current state is happy, however the mood does seem to shift quickly between happy, irritable and emotional… Oh pregnancy, hormones.

Showing: Yes – and I think she may be starting to drop!

Maternity Clothes: Rockin’ maxi dresses and skirts, my maternity capris and shorts, lots of tank tops with cardigans and v-neck t-shirts. The only pre-pregnancy clothes I wear now are jackets/cardigans and the items I know I won’t stretch out and destroy.

Exercise: Dog walks.

Miss Anything: Wedges. I wore some for a wedding the other weekend and it’s just not the same. Not only was it next to impossible to bend over to put them on, but, in addition to the uncomfortable factor, not being able to see them when I look down makes it that much more pointless.

Anything make you sick/queasy: No

Movement: Her movements are still frequent but have gotten slower and less aggressive. Now she feels more like she’s rearranging herself (hopefully getting ready)

Excited for: the nursery to FINALLY be finished this Saturday.

Favorite Moment of the Week: Getting our maternity photos taken by Katie & John at Catherine Ann Photography and getting to review the photos!

The 37-week mark started with our maternity photo shoot on Sunday evening with Katie and John at Catherine Ann Photography. Katie and I have been friends for a few years now, and it was a no brainer when I found out I was pregnant that she would take our maternity photos. She and John will also be shooting our wedding photos for that event next year. I love their use of natural light in all of their photography, and they are so friendly and make it so comfortable to work with!

This was Mike and my first time getting professional photographs taken together, and will probably be our last until the wedding. I think we did pretty well together 🙂 We got to review our photos with John and Katie tonight, and they are INCREDIBLE! We got some great baby/belly shots and some great overall couple shots. Of course, I wound up buying all the digitals because I just can’t say no to great photographs. And when else is this kind of event going to happen, right!? Never.

This afternoon I had my weekly check up. It was a new experience because I got to visit with the midwife at the women’s clinic I frequent. For those who don’t know, I am a patient at Partners in OB/GYN, a clinic with a division in Tampa. At the clinic, patients cycle through different doctors each week so that you can meet each one before your delivery. You are not guaranteed one particular doctor during delivery as any of them could be on call at that time (let’s face it, that’s life), so they allow you to get to know each one. I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but now I really appreciate getting to meet new doctors and hearing their opinions about different things. The midwife I met with, Dr. Edmonson, had a great perspective on natural birth at St. Joseph’s as well as some great advice for those moments when I feel as though I am starting to go into labor. She recommended:

• Staying at home as long as I can before admitting myself to the hospital. This is partially because home is much more comfortable than the hospital and also because, once admitted to the hospital, they do not allow you to eat or drink until delivery. This I was SO happy she told me and had no idea.Who would deprive a woman about to go through something more labor intensive than a marathon of food and water?!
• If I start having 5-1-1 contractions (5 minutes apart, 1 minute long for 1 consecutive hour) and the doctor finds out I am less than 4-5 cm dilated, ask to go home for a few hours or walk around outside for a few hours before coming back to get checked and admitted.
• During the labor process, walk around, sit on the medicine ball, etc. as much as possible. The minute you start laying on your back on the hospital bed, the pain of contractions can become more focused and more intense than if you are moving around and putting your focus elsewhere.

Dr. Edmonson also did a cervix exam and said that I have plenty of pelvic room for natural birth (Yay!). She also mentioned that Baby M should have no problem arriving on her (without induction) as she was already slightly dilated and the cervix was softening. Dr. Edmonson could actually feel M’s head through the amniotic sack during the exam, which of course I found absolutely amazing.

This week I finished packing mine & M’s hospital bag and preparing the small gifts for our nurses. Stay tuned for that post soon.

I know last week I promised a nursery post, but unfortunately it didn’t get completed last weekend. We tried, but there were a few things that need to be purchased to hang some last minute things, and we didn’t have time to run out and get them. The nursery WILL get finished this weekend because a.) Mike can’t take the clutter and b.) frankly, we’re just running out of time, so a nursery update will be provided then.