Week 40

Where: International Fountain, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA

Week Recap ~

Our baby girl showed up at 40 weeks and 5 days :) This post was started, but never finished since we went to the hospital before week 40 was completed. Since SO much has happened in the last week and a half a lot of this might just say I can't remember. hehe

• Total weight gain/loss : +41 lbs (my final total)
• Sleep : I can't remember :) 
• Best moments : Harper showed up! Also, my mom, dad and mama were in town and we got to spend a lot of quality time together while waiting for Harper's arrival
• Movement : Does coming out count? haha
• Symptoms : Uncomfortable! I was definitely ready for her to show up. It was getting hard to be comfortable in any position - sitting, standing, laying
• Maternity clothes? : Yes, but really only yoga pants or regular pj pants. 
• Food cravings or aversion's? : I've been craving chicken salad lately, but I didn't want to make it and everywhere I looked places had nuts and grapes in theirs. I HATE nuts and grapes in my chicken salad. My mom made me chicken salad this week though and it is amazing :)
• What I am eating : My mom made some delicious meals for us while she was in town. I think she cooked every day she was over, even when she wasn't making dinner she was preparing something for me. It was so great. Having someone cook for you is always great, but even better when it is your mom. We used the grill a lot to keep the house cool.
  
  
  After our doctor's appointment on Tuesday I was feeling discouraged about when she might show up. My OB had given us this eggplant parmesan recipe, with a fun back story of people eat it and go into labor within 48 hours. She had even experienced this, but as an OB isn't claiming that it actually works she just thinks its a fun story. Regardless we went immediately from my appointment to the grocery store. Both Stephen and I were ready for me to not be pregnant anymore. 
  
  
  Stephen prepared the whole thing himself! Even the sauce was made from scratch. 
  
  He worked incredibly hard on it. It was a very labor intensive meal and took him well over 2 hours from start to finish. 
  
  The result...it was so so so good! And 48 hours later I went into labor! Coincidence? Maybe, but something got this labor moving :)
  
  
  
• Exercise : Getting walks in when I can. I don't get too far these days :)
• Gender : Girl! 
• Labor signs : 2cm now! Some more contractions, but nothing large or consistent (this was from our Tuesday doctors appointment) Obviously this changed :)
• What I miss : I can't remember :)
• What I am looking forward to : It was meeting our daughter. The days were getting closer and closer. We even had an ultrasound scheduled to check her out and start discussing what a plan for the following week would be if she didn't arrive. Most likely we would have been induced the following Tuesday. I was very anti induction so I was getting nervous that we were having to start talking about it. I was very glad she decided to come on her own!

Nursery Reveal!

The nursery is finally done! The final curtain was hung on July 6th, our due date. Nothing like finishing just in time. :) Stephen took some nice photos for me to share this weekend as well. Some details have been blurred our or covered up, so you can zoom in all you want you still wont see her name or initials! After she is born I will post a few more pictures so you can see the details with her name. Some of them are diy projects Ellen and/or I completed so of course I want to make sure to share them! And NO Ellen doesn't know her name either. :) Without further ado, Baby K's nursery......

 Crib skirt and curtains handmade by the fabulous Holly Jett! Fabric purchased from Fabric.com

Glider and ottoman from Land of Nod. Rug from Rugs USA. Shelf unit Ikea - Lack bookcase, spruced up with some gold shelf paper! Side table from a consignment store, painted by Stephen. 

The dresser is a Craigslist purchase. I searched and searched Craigslist for a Mid Century Modern dresser to use as a changing table. I missed out on about 5 that sold that I wanted and thank goodness cause this one is way better than all the rest I tried to get.

The changing tray we got at Land of Nod and added balls on the bottom for feet to raise it up some and compensate for a ledge on the back of the dresser. The prints are from Etsy, Land of Nod, Zulily and ones we already had on hand.

The crib is from Wal-Mart and I love it. It is almost identical to a very expensive one I saw at Land of Nod when I was barely pregnant and I fell in love with it. Now I am crazy, but not crazy enough to spend over $900 on a crib! Wal-Mart has some really great cribs at reasonable prices. The mobile is hand made by a man in Portland. It is 5 different types of whales. The tall lamp is a Goodwill purchase, spruced up with paint and glitter. I will get detail pictures of the mobile and lamp up in the next nursery post.

A few more shots.....

Week 39

Where: Greenlake, Seattle, WA - chilling on the water!



Week Recap ~

• Total weight gain/loss : +41.5 lbs
• Sleep : Sleep was hard this week due to the heat wave we had here in Seattle. Unlike the Midwest the heat of the day here doesn't start till around or after 5pm, just in time to get the house hot enough and not cool down for bed time.
• Best moments : Stephen and I had a really wonderful last weekend alone. Even if the baby doesn't come when she is due, this next week starts our flow of visitors coming to meet baby k. We did things over the weekend for us, for the dogs and for the baby. It was a really nice and relaxing, but productive weekend. Pictures way below on all of the things we did. 
• Movement : Nothing different than how she has been.
• Symptoms : Is HOT a symptom? See above and below mentions of the heat wave.
• Maternity clothes? : Yes, if I am wearing many clothes at all. Haha We had a heat wave this week and it made for a lot of pantsless sitting around
• Food cravings or aversion's? : Nothing really different. Still loving some pie, but its too hot to eat a lot.
• What I am eating : Thank goodness for a shaded deck and grill! If we ate at home this week Stephen grilled up dinner. Even though the evenings are the hottest, the sun has moved off our back deck so we would sit out there and eat. It was much cooler out there then in the house.
• Exercise : Lots of walks! I have been trying to walk this baby out. We were deterred some by the heat wave this week. It made for some sweaty walks. 
• Gender : Little lady
• Labor signs : No change from the last two weeks at the dr this week.
• What I miss : Not thinking 80 degrees was 100. We had temps in the 90s this last week and that is just crazy around here. Especially for a place where AC is not standard. I would say I have been missing AC as well!
• What I am looking forward to : Our due date! Also, my family is in town and it will be nice to spend time with them. Hopefully baby k gets excited to spend time with them and decides to show her little face soon!
  
  
  Other Happenings:
  Our neighborhood hosts the largest one day car show in Washington each year. While neither of us are into cars, we only live 2 blocks away so we had to go check it out. We went early while it was still being set up and took the dogs. It was also a good chance to get out and walk before it got too hot out. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Saturday afternoon we hit up Greenlake for some time on the water. We rented a trampoline that you could take out on the water. It meant that we were just floating around partially in the water. It was awesome. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Yuri has been ridiculous this week with his cuteness. I had to share a few pics. He is just too cute to handle some days. 
  
  
  
   Snuggling his dad.
  
  
  
   His new favorite spot to lay at night...my hospital bag.
  
  
  
  I am working from home everyday and he will beg to get up on my lap. One day he crawled up onto the table (ok I let him up. shame on me) and he curled up like this while I worked. Too freaking cute!

Week 38

Where: Woodland Park Rose Garden, Phinney Ridge, Seattle, WA



Week Recap ~

• Total weight gain/loss : I forgot to get on the scale this morning, but at the doctor's scale on Wednesday I would be at +40lbs. This could be more or less than what I am today, since it is a different scale and I go to the doctor late in the day, but more than likely it is right on track and I am just making excuses for hitting 40 lbs. hehe :)
• Sleep : Not too bad again this week. Only a night or two where I woke up and couldn't go right back to sleep.
• Best moments : Her nursery is complete! It is just awaiting one piece of mail containing her crib skirt and curtains. I love it. It is an awesome space. Pictures to come soon I hope. Big thanks to my helper Ellen getting me to finish it last weekend. Stephen tried to help me, but I refused to let him.
• Movement : Same as always, moving but she doesn't have a lot of room at this point.
• Symptoms : Huge. I have been getting very tired lately. I have to limit myself to a few hours of activity at a time then rest. :)
• Maternity clothes? : Yup
• Food cravings or aversion's? : Pie and pastries. I've had a ton this week!
• What I am eating : See above. haha Also, Stephen grilled a few nights - chicken, steak and veggies. We also had pizza and Thai for dinners.
• Exercise : Not very much this week. It was really rainy here, like hard mid-west rain. It was an odd weather week.
• Gender : Girl
• Labor signs : Nothing new. Was at the same place as last week at the doctor on Wednesday.
• What I miss : Probably this week having a meal and not burping some of it up hours later. Gross haha. I try to eat smaller, but it is really hard cause I am still hungry for more.
• What I am looking forward to : Nice weather! Although Monday is forecasted to be 90! I might need to go work from the mall or somewhere with AC all day. This weekend I hope that we get out on some water at least one day.
  
  
  
  
  More photos from our trip to the rose garden.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

13 Days and Predictions!

13 days left till our due date! It is rapidly approaching. Stephen's work took predictions this week and it got me thinking that we should have our family members do the same. I had everyone send in when they thought she would be due and how big she would be. Some guessed as early as 12 days before my due date (the super moon has people thinking she will arrive this weekend). So I have been trying to take it easy this weekend. Ha. Below is what our family has submitted as their guesses, by order of date of arrival. Who will be the closest???

**Blogger keeps messing up the formating, so sorry if it doesn't look very nice. I tried a few times to fix it**

Name Date         Weight
Mama 6/24/2013 7 lbs 8 oz
Stephen  7/1/2013 7 lb 15 oz
Me         7/3/2013   8 lbs 5oz
Holly      7/4/2013 8 lbs 6 oz
Sue        7/4/2013 7 lbs 5 oz
Mike      7/5/2013 7 lbs 6 oz
David     7/5/2013 6 lbs 14 oz
Nancy 7/6/2013 7 lbs 4 oz
Kim       7/7/2013 8 lb 4 oz
Ellen      7/8/2013 7 lbs 9 oz
Brian     7/8/2013 8 lbs 2oz
Karen 7/9/2013 7 lbs 15 oz
Jessica 7/10/2013 9 lbs

Week 37

Where: Kings Hardware, Ballard, Seattle WA (We are getting really bad about taking pictures each week. I would have loved for a better picture, but this is the only one we took while out playing skeeball. Also, I look huge!)



Week Recap ~

• Total weight gain/loss : +38.5 lbs (big jump from last week! thinking at this point under 40lbs isn't going to happen)
• Sleep : Much better this week! I have been sleeping really hard. It has been great.
• Best moments : Getting a whole lot accomplished for her arrival. It is also great to get to hear her heartbeat every week now and get confirmation that she is doing alright and on her way.
• Movement : She's in there. She is also moving down I can tell.
• Symptoms : Tired, achy, swollen feet. Also, had a pretty bad weekend of pain. She had moved into a strange spot that caused me a whole lot of pain every time I sat down, stood up, bent over or sometimes walked. Luckily it has eased up and is now only happening every once in a while. I was not sure I was going to make it another few weeks if it had not stopped!
• Maternity clothes? : Not sure how I would fit in anything else these days. I still wear normal t shirts around the house and pj pants but my stomach is always hanging out :)
• Food cravings or aversion's? : Nothing really.
• What I am eating : Out a lot. Not into cooking this week.
• Exercise : Got in a few walks this week.
• Gender : Better still be a girl with all the pink in her closet.
• Labor signs : 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced! Not that it means she is on her way soon, but there is progression happening!
• What I miss : Things are starting to get hard to do on my own. Stephen is constantly having to help me up from the couch or pick things up that I have dropped on the floor and I am dropping things all the time.
• What I am looking forward to : Finding out if there is any more progression at the doctor next week. Also, just the weekend in general. We get a lot accomplished for her arrival every weekend, but still manage to fit in some fun for just us.

Other Happenings:

 

We got a lot of to do list items done this week.

- Our room was cleaned up and space was made for the bassinet.

- Car seat is installed, this weekend it will get checked by a professional "car seat lady"

- Final items from our registries were purchased

- Maternity leave paper work was submitted

- Hospital bag was packed!

 - The dogs went to the groomers and got pretty for the arrival of their sister

Chewie always looks so much younger with his hair cut. He has been really cuddly and loving since too. He really likes feeling fresh.

This time Yuri looked a little less scrawny. He must be finally putting on some pounds. He is still really tiny though.  

Week 36

Where: The Ballard Condominiums with my lovely shower hosts!



Week Recap ~

• Total weight gain/loss : +35.5 lbs
• Sleep : Meh. Not happening like I would like it too, a bad nights rest is beginning to be the norm.
• Best moments : Definitely our shower! It was great to have a laid back afternoon and celebrate our little girl. Pictures below!
• Movement : There isn't a whole lot of room in there for her to do any big movements, but she is still finding a way to move about.
• Symptoms : My skin has started to be very dry. I am lathering up in lotion every night, but no lotion seems to be good enough at this point.
• Maternity clothes? : Yes
• Food cravings or aversion's? : nothing stands out this week
• What I am eating : pasta, steak, jalapeno poppers, Mexican - lots of quesadillas lately, lamb burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, yogurt
• Exercise : Not much this week. Walked to dinner once.
• Gender : Girl still
• Labor signs : She's for sure head down!
• What I miss : Wearing my wedding rings. I haven't had my engagement ring on for a few weeks, but I had still been wearing my band. As of this Tuesday though it is no longer being worn. :(
• What I am looking forward to : Hopefully the pool this weekend :) Also, I now have all the prints I purchased for the nursery and we will be hanging them this weekend. I am excited to see how they all pull together on the wall. Fingers crossed they look good! Oh and being full term starting Saturday!
  
  
  Seattle Shower Pics:
  
  Condo ladies and great friends! Mandi, me, Aly and Shannon
  
  
  
  Items marked so I knew if I could consume them :) 
  
  
  
  Gummy bears soaked over days in vodka! Highly recommend trying this out
  
  
  
   Grill masters Brian and Eric (below)
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Opening gifts together.
  
  
  
   The guess the celebrity baby game was a big hit.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I just really loved this picture of us :)
  
  
  Thanks so much to Mandi and Aly for putting on a great shower for us! We really have found great friends here in Seattle. :)