34 Weeks...
I am so grateful that Parker is still growing strong and healthy in my tummy. We had a bit of a scare that he was going to be coming early when we went in for our 32 week appointment, and were monitored almost every day that week and given the antenatal steroid shots just in case. Since then, things have calmed down a bit. I have stopped working which has helped reduce a lot of stress and has allowed me to be at home where I can nap and rest. Just in case he does decide to come early, all of his clothes are washed, we've installed the car seats and have his hospital bag all set to go! 

Movement
The movements have definitely gotten more intense as he's grown bigger. There are times where I am like what in the world is going on in there and I can see my whole tummy move around. There are some days where his movements aren't as wild as other days which scares me a little bit, but I can always get to 10 movements in an hour on any day, so that's always reassuring. There was one time where I took out my doppler and checked to make sure I could his heartbeat. Yes, I am a little paranoid! 

Parker has been head down since 32 weeks and his little feet get lodged in my ribs a lot. I'm short so there's not a whole lot of room in there. At church on Christmas Eve I was like pushing his feet down from my ribs, and I'm sure people were like what is she doing? But it gives me temporary relief when things get intense.

Cravings
Orange juice. Good ole original Minute Maid from the frozen aisle. I drink a huge glass of it every morning. I usually try not to drink my calories (I'd prefer to eat them, but for some reason, I just can't resist.) I think it all started when I started my iron pills for anemia, and they told me to take the pills with OJ because it helps with absorption of the iron.

Weight Gain
I've gained 22 pounds. It is really weird, around 32 weeks when the contractions started, I lost 5 pounds that week because I had no appetite from all of the stress and haven't put it back on (despite the naughty treats at Christmas).  My doc isn't concerned as baby's growth is on track so as long as I maintain or gain some from here on out we should be ok. It is really hard to eat a lot right now though since there's not a whole lot of room in my tummy.  

I was heavier than I wanted to be when we got pregnant. Infertility treatments were hard on my body and I was about 10 lbs heavier than I would've liked to be before we did our IVF cycle. My doctor also had me stop playing tennis at 20 weeks along, which is my favorite form of exercise, so I haven't been doing anything other than going on walks with my husband. I can't wait to get back on the court and play when P is here!  My goal would be to lose all of the baby weight and then about 10 lbs extra. I know it'll be a lot of hardwork, but hopefully I can do it!

Other Symptoms
Heartburn/acid reflux, and lots of it. Tums help a little bit, but not completely. I've asked the ultrasound techs if they can see any hair on him, since I feel like he'll be born with a full head of hair... but they say he doesn't have much, so we'll see when he gets here!  

We continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and that little Parker arrives healthy and happy when he decides to come. I can't even imagine the joy he is going to bring to our little family. <3 <3


PS: Below are a couple of pictures of the nursery and how things are coming along. The glider I have in the picture below was returned for another one, so I am still waiting for it to be delivered...hoping it makes it before Parker arrives. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

This holiday has been so truly special to Todd and I, with the blessing of your little boy on the way. I will always cherish these pictures and looking back at my pregnancy and how much joy our sweet boy has given us already. We've come such a long way in the past year, and I am so very grateful. "Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

Pictures are courtesy of Jillian Crawford. 
Dress: Sew Trendy Accessories

Decorating at Christmas time is my absolute favorite...especially when there's Christmas music on and snow falling like we've had a lot of this year. The day after Thanksgiving, my husband and I go out to the tree lot and pick out a fresh tree and that kicks off all of my "decking the halls". I am in love with all of the beautiful flocked trees that I see in magazines and on Instagram, but there's something special to me about picking out your own tree.. the fresh tree smell when you walk in the door and putting on all of our ornaments that we've collected over the years. I love taking out each of the ornaments and thinking of the unique story that so many of them tell. In our family, we do an ornament exchange every year (between my husband and I, but then also with his extended family), which is a tradition I hope to continue to carry on. 

This year I tried something new over the fireplace...an oversized, drapey garland that I picked up from Sunnyside Gardens, and weaved eucalyptus leaves and pinecones into. Since it was 25 feet, I had extra to use for my winter greens crown and to place on the shelves in the kitchen. The only bummer about wanting to decorate so early is that these fresh garlands that smell oh so good, are only in their prime for about a week or so, so ours has started turning a little pale in color and is super brittle, but I still love the way it looks.  

We are hosting Christmas Eve with my side of the family which will be our third year in a row, and I'm so excited to have everyone here. I love having everyone in our home, baking and cooking, watching the kiddos open their gifts and then ending the evening by going to church - celebrating the birth of Jesus - the whole reason for the season.

I hope everyone has a verry Merry Christmas! 

I decided to make my own winter greens crown for my snowy day maternity photos, because we decided to take them the day before (when we got a huge snowstorm!) so I didn't have time to contact a florist and have one made.  I had actually bought a 25 foot garland made up of a variety of greens for our mantle, but had a couple of extra feet that I've been pulling twigs out of to decorate around the house with... and make a crown with!

What you'll need:

• Scissors 
• 1 - 1.5 feet of wintery greens (I chose the one that looks like aborvitae)
• Thin green wire to coil around the different segments of the greens and to shape them

Tear off individual sections of the greenery and start building them into your circular shape. Then layer to the fullness that you desire. Once the crown is built to your desire, use the bendable wire to coil it around the sections and fasten the crown together. Pull out pieces of the greenery to cover up the wire so it isn't visible. Then, try it on and make any adjustments to get it just the way you like it! Mine was by no means perfect, but it was still fun to wear and turned out well for the pictures. 

I am so excited to welcome this little guy in less than 8 weeks. Time is going to go so fast and before we know it, our lives will be forever changed as we become a family of three. 

As I've been preparing for Parker's arrival, I can honestly say I have been so overwhelmed with the amount of information and products out there. It's like a full-time job sorting through all of the information, and at the end of the day, no matter how much research you do or how many opinions you get, it's all going to depend on what works best for you and your little babe. I've selected the following baby items to share on my blog because I have heard such great things about all of them from friends and other mamas and they align with the types of products I will try use with our little guy - I hope that little P will like them as much as I do. Once we've had some time to use all of these new products, I'll be sure to share out all of my favorites. :)

I love the story behind the Ollie World Swaddle (and that adorable packaging...I'm such a lover for good presentation!). This swaddle was designed specifically to hold baby comfortably and apply the approrpiate amount of pressure, while keeping baby at a comfortable temperature. I selected this swaddle in the sky color - perfect for a little boy. 

I'm in love with these cute teething ears and pacifier holder from Finn + Emma, a company dedicated to making safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly products from toys and teethers to clothing. I love these little teething ears (I'm in love with all things elephant), but they are also made from untreated Indian hardwood and organic cotton, and are finished with vegetable seed wax - and are completely non-toxic, so I can feel good about letting little P use this when his teeth start coming in. This little pacifier holder was just too cute, and I love how it can clip onto baby so you won't lose it, or it won't fall and get dirty on the ground. This is made with 100% GOTS certified organic cotton yarn and stuffed with sheep's wool. I also picked up a cute summer onesie that I can't wait to dress him in at the lake this summer.  I'm seriously crushing on the Finn + Emma brand, and have my eye on their play gym next!

Last, but not least, I am sooo excited to have a DockATot Deluxe for Parker. I have heard so many amazing things from other mamas about this product, and cannot wait to use it with with our little guy once he's here. The DockATot is a multi-functional lounger that can be easily transported around the house and used for lounging and playing with baby or co-sleeping, and keeping your little one nice and snug. They come in two sizes, so I am going to try out the Deluxe for him when he's an infant and if he loves it, we'll upgrade to the larger, toddler size. If you are interested in buying a DockATot, you can use the code below to save $10 off your purchase! ​http://dockatot.refr.cc/LPRMQJM. 
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​I have a few other favorite items on hand that I am super excited about as well - the Solly Baby Wrap, the Rock n' Play, the MamaRoo, and the Aden & Anasis swaddles and burb cloths and bibs. I look forward to sharing out my favorite new mama essentials once Parker is here!