35 weeks!!!

   I literally have a little over a month to go till I see my baby boy! My friend had her baby this past week and I got to hold her when she was only a day or so old. She was so little, and it made me that much more anxious to hold my little one!(: 

    My friend actually made me anxious to have my baby too! She is a little thing, and she went into labour, and four hours later, there was a baby! She went through her labour naturally with no epidural. She told me how glad she was that she did that, and I am really hoping I can go through birth naturally as well. Women's bodies were made to give birth, they have done it for hundreds of years! I guess we shall see how things go in another month or so!;)

   I loved my maternity pictures from last week, and everyone else seemed to like them too (they are in the last post or so). I can't wait to have pictures with and of my baby. I promise they will be even more amazing! 

   My week was a little boring other than those few highlights, and I got a canvas to put up by Ryder's crib. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and everything was good. I have another one in two weeks and my doctor will start checking my cervix. 

How far along: 35 weeks

Gender: Little boy !

Weight gain: 22 lbs. (I've gained four pounds since my last doctors appointment !)

Maternity clothes: the only thing I want is maternity jeans, I want some so badly and I am highly considering buying some.... 

Stretch marks: None

Belly button in or out: flat

Sleep: heartburn is keeping me up at night, (ugh). I can't seem to go to sleep when I should go to sleep, but I want to sleep during the day and at random times, it's not the most ideal situation..

Best moment this week: Holding my friends newborn baby(: Hands down(: and I got a couple cups, and my cutting board in the mail!(:

   I got this cup from @thelittlevinylsaur on ig. I won it in one of my loop games! It says "I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sickah." It's cute!(:

   This cutting board is seriously awesome. I mean, how many people do you know with a monogrammed cutting board. I feel like this would be a great gift for a newly wed couple (that is what comes to my mind right off the bat). @ohmgrownhandmade on ig makes them!(:

   I love my monogram cup! (I love monograms too much, I know!). @thecraftyengineer on ig makes them! I won mine in a contest, but they are only about eight dollars, and they are so cutee!<3

Miss anything: My hands and feet keep swelling, and when I've been on my feet, my hips start hurting really bad, so I miss when those things didn't happen!

Movement: Ryder has hiccups 24/7, I really do love him moving though.

Cravings: I've been craving waffles yet again, I love waffles, I don't know what it is(: and hot fries!

Looking forward to: My baby shower is Sarurday! I can finally put my hospital bags together, I can finish putting my room together, I will finally know what all I need, and I will finally be able to wash baby clothes. I am so ready for after the baby shower! I've been waiting to put things together for the longest time.

   I will be putting up a few posts in the coming weeks. What is going in my hospital bags and the shower and all! I'm excited.(: 

xx 

Maternity Pictures

   In my last post, I wrote about how I had taken maternity pictures with a friend. Today, I got the disk with all the pictures on it!(:

My sister and I met my photographer at hobby lobby so we could make a flower crown for the shoot. Neither of us had ever made a flower crown before, so we were hoping for the best.

As I was driving towards are destination, it started to lightly drizzle. We were all hoping that the sun would just stay out a little bit longer and that it would not rain. Thank goodness we were blessed with the perfect light and day.

We were all sweating from it being a tad too hot, but this shoot was so enjoyable. Before taking pictures, my friend had asked if I would mind getting in the water, and I replied, "why not, let's do it!"

I am so so pleased with how these pictures turned out, and I know I am going to enjoy looking back at them in the future.

This one is one of my favorites!(:

I adore this one as well, I think our flower crowns turned out really well!

My friend wanted to incorporate my baby's name somehow, and my sister suggested writing it in the sand. This picture ended up looking so good. Although I am right-handed, maybe that is why the stick looks so delicate in my left hand!;)

This is my other top favorite, I just feel like it looks so beautiful. I feel like some women struggle with the way they look when they are pregnant and start getting "fat." I honestly have loved it so far. I feel so beautiful, and I am so happy.

I am really hoping that Ryder has blue/grey eyes like me!

Thank you, Rebecca for coming with me to my maternity shoot. Hopefully you enjoyed it, and I know you are going to be an amazing aunt when Ryder is born!(:

This picture was the last picture we took. We were running out of time and light, so we just snapped the picture and hoped for the best. This ended up being one of my favorites!

34 weeks!

   Ryder can dream! I'm not sure what he would dream about, but babies start REM sleeping after 30 weeks or so. He is most likely dreaming about me and probably people I'm around a lot. Ryder recognizes voices and knows the difference between voices as well. He also recognizes songs that I sing or hum a lot. He will probably recognize a few books that I read out loud too (Like Moo, Baa, LaLaLa being that it's Cherith's favorite book, so Ryder will definitely recognize that book!).

   With about 6 weeks to go, Ryder weighs almost 5 pounds and is 16-18 inches in length. He is almost the size he will be when he is born. It is crazy to think that he will be born in such a short period of time! 

   I am so excited to put up a post of maternity pictures sometime this week. I had a friend of mine take my pictures, and she did amazing. I am so pleased with the end results. I will be getting a disk of my pictures, so I will put them all up later. My sister, Rebecca, came with me to help out, and we took pictures on a dock and in actual water.

How far along: 34 weeks

Gender: Little boy(:

Weight gain: 18 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: I wish I had a nice pair of maternity jeans, but at this point, I'd only be in them for 6 more weeks..

Stretch marks: None

Belly button in or out: Still flat, maybe it won't ever pop out.

Sleep: I have no real complaints about sleep this week, except if people keep calling the house phone in the morning time, I am going to take the phone off the hook before I go to bed at night. I have an old fifties phone in my room, and it rings very loudly (I'm gonna have to somehow turn off the ringer before Ryder is born for sure!!). 

Best moment this week: Taking maternity pictures and getting mail. I absolutely adore snail mail. Getting packages in the mail is one of those simple things in life that means so much.(: 

   I won these two beanies for Ryder, they are seriously the cutest! I adore the colors, and they are so soft too! Look up @twolittlekings on Instagram if you want to get adorable beanies for your baby.(:

   I won these two headbands from @violetboutique on Instagram. These are so cute. I got one for Cherith (my baby sister) and my other sister/mom/me. We will be able to match on gameday (Roll Tide!!!).

   I won these two bracelets from @mikayloveinc. I cannot wait to wear them, and this lighting does not do them justice. The colors are storm and oxblood. The lady who makes them is so nice too; I love it when shop owners are personable and sweet.

   This is my new favorite bracelet! I bought it and a matching one that says "Mimi" for my mom. I wanna buy one that says Ryder or has his initials eventually. This bracelet was made by @brinandbell.(:

Miss anything: I don't miss too much this much. Ryder is starting to press on my bladder more and more, thus more bathroom trips than usual. It's like first trimester all over again, except my stomach is slightly bigger..(:

Movement: Still a lot of movement, the other day it looked like he was pressing against the middle of my stomach, my belly looked pointed where he was pushing. He has been kicking my ribs quite a bit this past week as well.

Cravings: This week I've craved toaster streudals (which I've eaten too many of them this week!), Mediterranean food, and Waffle House.. 

Looking forward to: My baby shower, I'm so excited for it. I'm also just ready for it to pass, because it's my next goal moment I guess. I know that after my baby shower, Ryder will be here very soon. My room is almost all put together too. I just need curtains and a rocking chair, and the rest of what I need for my room are just small knick knacks. I also need to put some things up on the wall so that the walls don't look so drear. I'll put the crib together after the baby shower. 

   I feel like I've written a lot this post, hopefully y'all don't mind! I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about as the day of Ryder's arrival nears. I know I've left out some things, but I'm sure I'll cover them in the next post or so!(:

xx

   

Sleeping with your Baby

   When someone says "co-sleeping," most people picture a baby sleeping in the same bed as their mother. To be exact, 75% of mothers think it is only sleeping in the same bed as the baby (which is what I will be doing). Although the actual definition of "co-sleeping" is "sleeping in close proximity of your baby." Thus, a mother who has her baby in the same room as her is technically co-sleeping.

   Co-sleeping has been a bit controversial in the past, but recently thoughts as well as attitudes have changed about the subject. Pediatricians actually recommend it 7 more times today than they did 2 years ago, and 3 out of 4 mothers actually co-sleep with their baby. 

   The top three reasons women co-sleep are because of attachment to the baby (43%), closeness to the baby (68%), and breastfeeding (69%). Most mothers are very attached to their babies, especially first-time mothers (I know I already am!). I want my baby close to me, and I also plan on breastfeeding. So all three reasons apply to me!

   (I hope you enjoy this throwback;) )

   There are pros and cons to co-sleeping. Some pros are the fact that both parties (momma and baby) get more sleep, both parties bond more with each other, there is simple soothing involved, and there is a decreased risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). 

   

   If a mother is breastfeeding, co-sleeping can be such a help. When a baby wakes up in the middle of the night crying, it's much easier to just pull a baby close and start breastfeeding. Neither mother nor baby lose much sleep because of the proximity and minimal movement/disturbment. That is also where simple soothing comes into play. If baby starts fussing, a mother just has to comfort her baby by patting them; again, saving sleep.

   There are a few cons as well. Parents get less rest, less freedom, and sometimes the baby can become over-dependent. If the baby gets used to sleeping only when mom or dad are asleep, then parents can sometimes lose freedom of being up while baby sleeps. 

   I know around the town I live in, there are a quite a few billboards that say, "don't ever sleep with your baby." There are some people who shouldn't sleep with their babies in the bed with them. People who are heavy sleepers, smokers, and drinkers. 

   Some people are heavy sleepers, which can be a problem because they aren't aware. I used to be a heavy sleeper until I became pregnant. Now I wake up if I hear the lightest noise. 

   Some people smoke and drink. That is the lifestyle that they have chosen, and they need to make responsible choices. If someone passes out, they are obviously not aware. Not only are they not in their right mind, but they have then become a heavy sleeper as well.

    When babies are in the womb, they're used to the mother's heartbeat, breathing pattern, and even smell. If a mother chooses to co-sleep, it is good for the baby because his breathing and heartbeat will match the mothers. Being right next to the mother regulates both,  and being so close to mother makes many babies feel more safe. This is one reason the risk of SIDS decreases. In a few studies that have been done, babies who co-sleep often cry less than babies who sleep in a different room as well.

   I hope that I will stay a light sleeper after Ryder is born. I'd love to co-sleep with him, and have him in the bed with me. I'm planning on breastfeeding, and as long as I am aware, it will be much easier with him so close. 

    I hope I was informative, and if anyone has questions, let me know! If I don't know the answer, I will gladly do some research and figure it out. If you read all the way through, thank you for reading my somewhat boring post!;) Y'all da best!

xx

33 weeks(:

   I am 33 weeks today, and I started my day off eating toaster streudals (and they were the best things ever!!). This week has been such a good week. I took maternity pictures, I got a crib, and I went to the doctor yesterday.

   

   I am so glad I got the opportunity to take maternity pictures. When Ryder is older and I can look back and see what I looked like when I was pregnant with him will be fun. My photographer was amazing, she was super sweet and the whole shoot was so comfortable. She had never shot maternity pictures before, so I was happy to help her get some practice. I'm hoping she can take pictures of Ryder when he is born as well.(: She is editing pictures this week, but I'll be able to put up the final pictures in the next blog or two!

   I got a crib this week! Which is amazing after having a few things with furniture and housing not work out lately. I wrote a small (at least I think it's small) blog post about my crib, so I won't write too much in this post. I love waking up and seeing a crib in my room. In just a few short weeks, there will be a baby in there!(:

   I had a doctor appointment yesterday, and I am seeing my doctor every two weeks now. My doctor said that everything looks good, and his heartbeat is perfect. I don't think I'll be getting another ultrasound the rest of my pregnancy, which is kind of sad. I really want to see my baby again. 

   I finished my heart afghan for Ryder this week. I adore it, and I love how beautiful I turned out! I'm not gonna be working for about 12 weeks because of maternity leave. I think I'm going to make some afghans to sell. I'll be selling them for about $65 for a 27x30, and $115 for a 40x43. I enjoy crocheting, and it will help me pay bills while I'm off work.(:

   This kitty really liked my blanket too!(:

How far along: 33 weeks

Gender: Boy

Weight gain: 18 lbs. is how much I've gained according to the doctor's scale yesterday

Maternity clothes: I have two full drawers of maternity clothes, and I'm having to wear the pants now. My stretchy pants are getting kinda snug now..

Stretch marks: No stretch marks

Belly button in or out: Flat !

Sleep: I'm sleeping, Ryder keeps getting the hiccups and moving a lot which wakes me up and keeps me up too. I love him moving, but it would be nice to sleep a bit more too !

Best moment this week: Getting my crib, and I received goodies in the mail.

 

   I got this teether and star tag blanket this week. They are both so cute, I can't wait for him to use them. If you follow @sew_much_love on Instagram, she is who made these for me, and she did such a good job.(:

Miss anything: I'm not missing too much this week. I just wish I wasn't so tired, which I know that isn't going to get any better as the weeks go on.

Movement: It is insane how much he moves. I wish I could catch it on camera, but he knows when I turn on the video, it's uncanny really, haha.

Cravings: I craved a Philly cheese steak sandwhich earlier this week, maybe I'll get one this week. Me and my sister got five guys the other day, and it was seriously the perfect burger. I've been craving toaster streudals this week and I have five boxes of them in my freezer..... But they are made with real fruit.. At least that's what the box says!;) 

Looking forward to: Invitations were sent out this past week for my baby shower. I'm so excited for my baby shower. I'll start washing his clothes and putting our hospital bags together the day after my baby shower! 

   I know this is a seemingly silly request, but pray I find a nice, pretty comforter for my bed. I also need a rug, side tables, and curtains. Just pray that I will find the perfect finishing items for my room (and pray I don't spend too much money!). 

xx

   

A Blessing in a Crib

   I know this doesn't look like much, but I needed a crib. I thought I had one, but it was broken and unusable once we put it together. I was very happy to have had a crib, but now I was crib-less..

   I had talked to my mom a bit about how I didn't necessarily need a crib at first. My mom has the bassinet that she used for me. We figured we would keep our eyes open for a crib, and I could use the bassinet while he was little. I was completely okay with the idea of using the bassinet for a few months, but I figured I'd go look at cribs to know what I was dealing with.

    So while I was looking at cribs and prices, I got super discouraged. I wanted to cry because I didn't have the money for the type of crib I was wanting. I got into my car and gave myself a pep talk. I started praying that I'd be happy with whatever I ended up getting. I had come to terms with that as long as I had a safe crib, it didn't matter about other things (like the fact that it might end up being the ugliest crib there was). 

   God is good though. He knew I was struggling with this seemingly small problem and He provided. I found this insanely nice crib and got an amazing deal on it as well. I know God knew what I wanted and needed. This crib makes me so happy, and it is going to be a constant reminder of how blessed I am every time I look at it. God doesn't always provide what we necessarily want, but He did this time for me. 

   I can't wait to put everything together. I'll be getting a mattress and sheets in the next month, and in about two months, there will be a little baby boy in it. Y'all don't understand how happy I am right now.

xx

32 weeks !!

   It's September, which means next month (NEXT MONTH) is October. Most of y'all are probably saying, "well, duh Hannah, that is the month after September," but Ryder is due in October! He is due at the end of October, so he might end up being born in November, but it's getting so close! I have eight more weeks till Ryder's due date, although only four more weeks till I'm technically full term!(:

   In my last blog post, I wrote how my baby sister and I were not feeling too well. It took us a few more days to get over the worse of it all, but we are mostly all better now. 

   At the moment, I am living with my parents. I was hoping to have my own place, but it just hasn't worked out at all. I've been discouraged about it every now and again, but especially after this weekend, I'm glad to be right where I am. It is going to be so nice having my mom here to help with the baby, and I know I'm going to be so thankful for my parents. This weekend, we renovated my room to get it ready for me and Ryder.

   I've slept in a twin bed my whole life, as of last night, I have a full bed. It is literally amazing, and I have so much room to stretch out!(: The walls in my room and bathroom were a deep red and a mustard yellow, now my walls are antique white with one grey accent wall. My bathroom is the same color as the accent wall! 

This is the before color.

   I'm not going to put up pictures till it is all finished, but here is a sneak peek. This is in my bathroom, I love the light grey color. It looks so fresh and clean. I cannot wait to finish getting all my furniture and decorate the bare walls.

   I went antique shopping and found these drawers for Ryder. I saw them and thought they were perfect. I even talked down the price just a little bit, which means I paid less than what the seller was originally wanting. I would have never thought I'd have so much together last week!

   Now all I need is a crib! If anyone wants to help a momma bear out, I'm not picky. I just want something that is safe and will look good in my room! 

   Me and my brother in the top picture.(:

   Sunday lunch at Bagelheads. I went to lunch after church with one old friend and one new friend. That potato and cheddar soup and cinnamon raisin bagel were amazing!! Now, on to the fun survey! I only read this part on some people's blogs (so I understand if this is all you care about, haha)! 

How far along: 32 weeks

Gender: Boy(:

Weight gain: About 16 lbs. it will be interesting to see how much I gained when I go to the doctor next week, especially after losing a couple of lbs last week

Maternity clothes: I don't think I wore any maternity clothes this last week.. Ha, I need to go through all my clothes this next week!

Stretch marks: Still none, I am considering myself lucky so far(:

Belly button in or out: Flat as flat can be

Sleep: I actually slept pretty well this last week, although I've become such a light sleeper, which is not a bad thing since I am planning on co-sleeping (which I will try to write about this week!) 

Best moment this week: I finished Ryder's matching baby afghan, and I won quite a few Instagram contests, I also have my room almost put together, and honestly, yesterday and today, I've been on the brink of tears from being so happy and feeling just so, so blessed. 

Miss anything: I miss bending down! I'm officially admitting that it is such a chore to bend down, once I'm down, I have to make sure that there is nothing else that needs to done while I'm down! I miss sleeping on my stomach too...

Movement: So much movement and I absolutely adore it. I think him moving is one of my favorite things about being pregnant.

Cravings: I've been craving waffles this week, I know that people make fun of Waffle House, but I love it !! The hashbrowns and waffles are just so good.. (And now I might have to go get a waffle before I go to bed, it's a good thing they are open all night :D)

Looking forward to: Having my baby shower! Invitations should be sent out soon, and then I will need to tell people who don't get invitations about it. I am excited, the date for my baby shower will be in about three weeks. I am hopefully taking maternity picture soon too! 

   I still have so much to do, but I'm a happy momma. God is being so good to me and Ryder. I pray that I will just remember that every good thing is sent from Above!(: Pray that I will find a crib soon, and that the rest of my room will come together nicely. Pray that I also get all my paper work done for work, hospital, etc. 

   Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!

xx