{Hannah}: 34 weeks | {Ethan} 2nd Birthday Party

We had Ethan's birthday party this morning and it was a blast to have a house full of family & friends!

There were lots of tears and pouty faces today. Ethan really wanted to take his new trains EVERYWHERE. He loved all of his (many!) new toys... We may be a skipping gifts at Christmas this year as a result of the outpouring of presents today! There's no question - he is VERY well loved.

Now for miss Hannah!

I'm experiencing heartburn/reflux issues again. If waking up for the restroom or for water doesn't keep me up (sometimes for hours at a time), then reflux keeps me from going to sleep. Or both. I already have heartburn/reflux issues in pregnancy, but it is worsened by my iron supplement. I can't really stop taking that prescription, and we haven't found a prescription heartburn med that is safe for pregnancy AND helps me overcome my symptoms.

Y'all, I am tired. I know my sleep won't get better with a newborn, but I feel like having a little girl in my arms will at least feel more rewarding than this does. I cannot WAIT for the end of October to roll around. I'm not even going to think about her being late at this point.

How far along? 34 weeks! ~6 to go...
Maternity clothes? Yes.
Stretch marks? Hopefully nothing new, I'm out of my lotion and haven't gotten more yet!
Sleep: What is that?
Miss anything? Sleep.
Movement: Getting restricted! She occasionally rolls from the left to the right, and I feel smaller kicks and flutters.
Food cravings: something savory...
Anything making you queasy or sick? Everything. A glass of OJ before bed kept me up last night.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None, but the Braxton-Hicks contractions are getting to be more frequent
Belly Button in or out? In,but flattening. We may see it pop out this time!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Sleepy.
Looking forward to: Doctor appointments for Hannah & Ethan on Thursday! It's Ethan's actual birthday, but I think the most celebrating we might do is to go to dinner out somewhere.
Prayers this week: Just a little relief from these symptoms would be excellent. I am really looking forward to having some input from my doctor when I see her!

xo,
Elizabeth

{edit} I forgot! Hannah is about the size of a basketball hoop this week, and weighs around 5.5 lbs.

this is the day

Ethan,

I never thought today would come. It's surreal. Your father and I are both having a hard time coming to grips with your birth. We are excited, scared, nervous, and tired! I can't sleep because so much is on my mind, but it's 2 am and I really, really should.

I know my world is going to change in a few short hours and I can't wait to see your sweet face! We have been praying for months that you would be happy, healthy, and love Jesus. Today is when it all starts.  We are so blessed that you're coming into a world of family and friends who really love us and will also love you so well!

I'm so glad the Lord blessed us with you, our little September baby.


I love you!

Mom

week 39

I had a really uneventful weekend, which is exactly what we had planned. We got a ton of rain (about 8") Friday night, along with more thunder than Bear has heard in his entire life. We learned that the poor guy probably needs a Thundershirt, but since we didn't have one, we both cuddled up on the floor with him. It was really sweet! (We also ended up completely covered in white hair!)

Panting through a lightning storm!

Saturday, Austin went dove hunting with Sam, which made his weekend a bit more eventful than mine! He completed his hunter's safety course just before the hunt, so now he can do a lot more hunting with the Strickland guys in the future! I think dove hunting is his new favorite thing... He's even thinking about saving for a shotgun!

This morning, our little furbaby wasn't feeling so great. Poor guy had a dry nose and isn't eating. We're watching him to make sure he is okay. He threw up once this weekend (he eats a lot of things he shouldn't eat, though). I think I see a vet trip in our future...

Austin went to work early again, so I opted for the selfie, rather than skipping another week!

How far along? 39 weeks! Let's go, Ethan!

Weight gain: A billion pounds
Maternity clothes? Still loving the dresses...
Stretch marks? Just one over my belly button.
Sleep: I keep waking up in the middle of the night - not fun! I did get to sleep in today, though.
Miss anything? Not at this point!
Movement: I can tell he is running out of room. Come on out, Ethan!
Food cravings: Nothing crazy this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Heartburn, if I forget to take my medicine..
Have you started to show yet: You can't tell?
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nothing right now... we're dilated to 3 cm, though!
Belly Button in or out? It's in/flat. It's definitely not going to pop out.
Wedding rings on or off? On, miraculously!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired.
Looking forward to: Ethan's debut!

love,

week 36.5 ultrasound

I have to say I'm really disappointed... the DVD recorder for the Ultrasound didn't work! However, the technician assured me that this one is harder to see than the 20 week anatomy scan (since he is SO BIG), so the DVD isn't as fun/good. I agreed shortly after I saw the video!

I had guessed that the little man was actually a big man.. and I was right! Right now, Ethan weighs 7 lbs! The doctor walked in the room and said that I was hiding this big baby well. It pays to be tall! To give some perspective, the average baby weighs about 6 1/3 lbs at 37 weeks (or where I will be in 4 days). He is expected to gain a half a pound a week.

Ethan's foot (top of the picture)

Ethan's profile (that's his nose, his foot is in his mouth)

Better profile picture 

His leg is at the top

They confirmed it's a boy! The arrow is hard to see, but it's toward the top right.

I was glad they confirmed that Ethan is a boy! Austin's mom was told that her first baby, his sister, would be a boy. Of course, the machines have come a long way since the 1980's, but it was reassuring, nonetheless!

Some exciting news: I'm currently 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. They measured this after I mentioned waking up at 1 am yesterday with sharp contractions that subsided after a few minutes walking around. This could mean something if this has progressed recently, or nothing, as I may walk around like this for a while. Our next appointment is back to being on a Monday, so we will know in just a few days what his progress is.

Unfortunately, my amniotic fluid was low. My doctor told me to drink more water, though I told her I drank over 130 oz yesterday (the average person should drink 64 in a day) and already had 80 at that point today. This could signal complications in delivery (seriously, don't look it up. It is scary), but she did not seem too worried, and just told me to drink more water.

The doctor did give orders for Austin not to travel anymore, as I am dilated, and he was returning from Lubbock today. This may interfere with his plans to bird hunt with my brothers, but fortunately they're being pretty understanding!

That's all the news for now... looking forward to seeing Ethan's progress on Monday!

love,

week 36

Just four more weeks!

Today, Austin leaves for Lubbock... so no matter what happens, I have to hold this baby in this week! He isn't really showing any signs of making an entrance anyway, but I would hate for Ethan to come and Austin be 8 hours away.

This week, we rearranged Ethan's room a little. I'm not a huge fan of the way it looks when you walk in, but we made the decision to move the dresser because 1) I didn't want pee and poo on those pretty white curtains, and 2) I can change Ethan's diaper from a variety of angles this way, rather than just from the side. I personally prefer changing diapers from the baby's feet, not their side. When you're in the room (say, sitting on the bed), the layout makes sense.

You walk in and... bam, there's the dresser!
(And the diaper pail)

The dresser looks really nice next to the crib, though!
Hey, we have a crib skirt! Thanks, Grandma!

It's going to take some getting used to. The rocker will go next to that table
which will soon be re-painted white.

I still prefer the dresser under the window, but I think I'm choosing function over form this time. Ethan won't know the difference!

Blurry...

Much better!

How far along? 36 weeks!

Weight gain: I feel like I doubled it last week.. I feel huge and uncomfortable.
Maternity clothes? Yes, I love these jeans.
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: It's getting more rough. I absolutely can't get comfortable, and my back always hurts.
Miss anything? A good night's sleep. I don't think I'm going to see one of those for a LONG time.
Movement: He still has his crazy bouts!
Food cravings: Last Monday I wanted (and got) Fuddruckers. Lately, I've just wanted something healthy - a fruit and veggie tray would really do the trick.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Heartburn, if I forget my medicine!
Have you started to show yet: Hahaha...
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nothing major, and hoping to keep it that way at least one more week
Belly Button in or out? In, and we don't think it's going to come out.
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: The ultrasound this Thursday!!! I can't wait to see Ethan!

love,

one month out: a letter to our son

Ethan,

I can't believe it's already been a full eight months that I've been carrying you! I can remember the excitement of going to tell your dad - at work - that we were going to have a baby! We were both completely shocked and in disbelief; God had blessed us immensely, and it was only beginning to hit us.

Now, eight months later, we've had time to process what it is to be parents (to some extent), to prepare a room for you, and to prepare ourselves for your arrival. I know that it will still totally shock our routines and completely change our lives, but we are eagerly awaiting that with great anticipation (and appreciating the wonderful nights' rest we are getting now).

In the last eight months, we took you to Hawaii, we went to Tennessee, and we've traveled all over Texas. You're not even here yet, but we're getting you use to traveling a lot, because we love it (and we hope you do, too). We've done major renovations on our first house, and you were with us from the start - sometimes, you kept me from being as productive as I'd like!

Though sleepless nights, diaper changes, and attempts to soothe your cries await us, we are already so full of love for you, and we can't wait to meet you. I'm excited to see how much you've grown in the last sixteen weeks when we have one last ultrasound next week - I love seeing you!

You've already stolen our hearts, sweet son. We pray that you continue to develop as a healthy, active baby, and that the Lord would lead us so we can lead you to Him.


love,

Mom

The Nursery

The nursery is.... mostly done! We're still waiting for a few things that are on the registry, as well as the bedding (which I can't wait to see!). I decided to take pictures in a circle so you could get a good idea of what everything looks like when you're in the room. Unfortunately, we aren't fancy enough for a 360-view.

The doors are up in the room... they're painted, trimmed, reinstalled, and ready for their doorsy-duty.

The accessories on the floating shelves have been secured to the shelves, per Ethan's grandpa's request. He was here Wednesday night and he didn't even check to see that they were secured! Then there's the bed, complete with the pillow I made:

And, my favorite part, the whale and the net! I love it. (Yes, we've already played with the monitor on the wall. Thanks Jennifer!)

And now we're back at the door!

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath on seeing the crib set that my mom is making (well, maybe just me) so look for an update to this post!

I think we're about ready for a baby... almost! {5.5 more weeks!}

love,

week 34

It's so hard to believe that I have (approximately..) SIX weeks left. The part of me that is uncomfortable and exhausted thinks that six weeks is entirely too long, and little Ethan needs to come sooner. The part of me that is thankful that I am not yet responsible for Ethan's little life outside the womb thinks that six weeks sounds great!

Yesterday, I decided that it was time to paint those doors. Austin took the doors down and laid them on drop cloths in the garage and I set out to paint them! They also need to be trimmed, but we're really ready to be done with the nursery so I opted to paint them first. We are crossing our fingers that trimming the bottom (an inch or two because of the thickness of our carpet) doesn't damage the paint too much...

I kind of like having the doors off. It's so much easier to shove those boxes of diapers in there when they're not in the way..(click here to see the guideline we're using on to how to stock up on diapers before baby - note that we think E will weigh more than 6 lbs, so we're minimizing the newborns). However, I know the closet won't always look this neat, and getting into the closet will be much easier when the doors have been trimmed.

The closet in his room came with this
awesome storage system!

We had a shower (thrown by the hosts of our church small group) on Saturday with some friends from church. It was so awesome! Our church takes a small group haitus in the summer, so it's always awesome to gather with them, even if it's just to hang out. We're glad they're starting back up September 9th, since Ethan shouldn't be here yet and we should get to be there! We got a lot of really awesome, useful gifts from them, including some really cute clothes. Some, in particular, support our Cougar addiction pride.

As you probably noticed, in the above closet shot, we did receive a lot of clothes from Kristin, Austin's sister, whose son is about a year older than Ethan. Unfortunately, they only had UT gear, since that's where Aunt Kristin went. Not our kid, he's a Coog like his parents!

Don't you love these?!

The cake was delicious - and so cute!

We're looking forward to the next round of showers! I have a shower with my company (more like a sweet luncheon, I think) this Friday, one thrown by my aunt & cousin-bff, and one in two weeks thrown by Aunt Kristin (& Gigi). We're so blessed that so many people want to be involved in Ethan's life & help us get started with this sweet baby!

How far along? 34 weeks

Weight gain: 19 lbs?
Maternity clothes? None, aside from my belly band! (I get excited when I get to wear normal clothes)
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: It has been great, aside from waking up with those sharp mini-contractions.
Miss anything? Being comfortable!
Movement: Lots! Little guy is still head down :)
Food cravings: None. I'm lucky if I even get hungry.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing, as long as I take my heartburn meds!
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Not official ones
Belly Button in or out? IN! Barely, but it is in!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired. Always tired. I need that caffeine!
Looking forward to: More baby showers, Labor Day/a three-day weekend, and a fantastic date night before little E comes!

I have to say, I am finally at peace with the birthing process. It's just scary when all you hear about is the pain and the grossness of it (and a short mention about how beautiful and miraculous it is). An epidural is in the plans, however, only God knows how things will go. We've agreed to do whatever it takes to get little Ethan into this world safely... and we've been working on that for almost 8 months now! (I really can't wait to meet our son!)

love,

PS - here's a little snippet of what our evening "walks" look like with Bear. We're so fortunate to have this little bayou so close to our home!

week 33

I had an awesome doctor's appointment today! First, she told me I'd only gained 18 lbs, which I thought I'd gained 6 weeks ago, so this was awesome news! And she smiled and told me that was perfect. Then she said Ethan is also perfect (heartbeat of 135), my mild contractions are normal (but they're not Braxton Hicks), and that he is head down, but hasn't dropped. Basically, things are exactly as they should be!

Back to the contractions bit: this happened yesterday. I was very uncomfortable/experiencing some cramping, and not in the same way that I'm uncomfortable when Ethan kicks or bears into my bladder. They're only in my lower abdomen and they go away if I do the opposite of what I'm doing (sitting or walking). The doctor said this is normal, and only to worry if they encompass the whole abdomen and I get more than 4/hour, or if they're accompanied with bleeding. So far, so good.

As for weight gain: ideal weight gain for someone with my BMI is 25-35 lbs, and I'm on target to gain 25... also exciting news!

Ethan is always moving in there, which is also an indicator that he is healthy. His anatomy scan at 20 weeks showed no reason for concern, so we will not see him again until he makes his appearance! The doctor also told me that 37-42 weeks is considered full term, so depending on how/what Ethan is doing, we will see him in the next 4-8 weeks! After 42 weeks, some stuff happens with the placenta that isn't good, so we will get him out before then.

How far along? 33 weeks, though my doctor said I'm almost 34 weeks?? I'm confused.
Weight gain: 18 lbs!!
Maternity clothes? None, aside from my belly band
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Lots this weekend! I love having my doctor appointments on Mondays and sleeping until 7!
Miss anything? Not right now!
Movement: Often!
Food cravings: Still having mostly aversions, and not being hungry very often
Anything making you queasy or sick: Those crampy contractions make me feel sick!
Have you started to show yet: Undeniably
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Yikes, I guess so...
Belly Button in or out? IN! I hope it stays in. I think it'd be a rarity.
Wedding rings on or off? On! The swelling hasn't started yet.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Sleepy and cuddly this week. And maybe a little needy. I love my husband :)
Looking forward to: a baby shower this weekend! (And maybe painting those doors... sigh)

We DID get in Ethan's bed frame. This is what we ordered:

We actually got the twin size, but this looks like what we have under our bed. They take about 10 seconds to set up, are incredible durable, never squeak or shake, and it's tall so you can store a LOT under it. It also replaced a box spring, which we did have, but Austin thought the extra storage space would come in handy. Plus, these things outlast a box spring! I'm just glad to have one less thing on the list. All that's left are the doors. They literally haunt my dreams.

And lastly, the hubby is in Louisiana until this evening, so these photos from the beach this weekend will have to do. Our scaredy furbaby got over lots of fears this weekend! 

Bear the scardey-dog

Bear who conquered the ocean

He got IN the ocean (he was afraid of any depth of water/pools), and he did not vomit in the car after a 1.5-hour car ride! We'd say we were beaming with pride, but he did whine his way through the night at my brother's house like a big baby. Can't win them all...

Hope your weekend was as fun & restful as ours was!

love,

32 weeks

For the first 6 months of pregnancy, I really didn't mind being pregnant. There were very few bad side effects (aside from losing 1/2 my wardrobe and needing prescription heartburn meds that I am bound to daily). Being 5'10" helps a little with spacial issues/crowding... that is, unless you're married to a 6'7" (maybe 6'6", we debate) man, who gives you a lanky baby. I'm convinced this kid is enormous - in length, if nothing else.

Ethan, I do believe we'd both be more comfortable if you were more into the fetal position than the "L" position - or whatever it is you're doing with your butt on my right and your foot on my far left. Yes, I am officially uncomfortable. I wake up with backaches, sit crooked at work so I can stretch out, and recline at every opportunity. Son, we have about 8 weeks left. Let's figure something out.

Bear made his appearance this morning (his ratted up toy, too).

 This week, theBump.com says baby is the size of a squash (a round one). Let's just refer back to the pineapple from last week: he feels bigger than that, and about as comfortable.

There's a baby in there!!

In other news, progress was made on the nursery, thanks to Austin!

Apparently, the only picture I took was of the one upside-down outlet.
I'm very excited that they're tamper-resistant! Yay!

Yes, the other thing(s) are those closet doors. Hate, hate, hate. I'm sure when they're done, I'll be the happiest mama on the block.

They still look like that, but the extra trim and compressor/nail gun is gone.

How far along? 32 weeks (starting month #8!)
Maternity clothes? belly-banding it today
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Lots this weekend, none last night.
Miss anything? my wardrobe
Movement: All. The. Time. He just elbowed my hip for the 14th time today, and has already had hiccups once.
Food cravings: More like, "nothing sounds good and I'm not hungry, are you sure I have to eat?" every day.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I forget my heartburn meds, or don't take them with food (they're serious about taking them with food).
Have you started to show yet: Undeniably
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None yet, thankfully
Belly Button in or out? Hanging in there!
Wedding rings on or off? On, no sign of that changing yet.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Argumentative? Not sure that's new though.

Looking forward to: Baby showers!

This weekend is our last "free" weekend until Ethan comes, with the exception of Labor Day. The others are full of showers, and/or not making plans in case a little man wants to cancel them. We have one or two more house projects that we'd like to wrap up before Ethan gets here.. but I also have a couple to post about later that we did in the last week!

I didn't get a video of it, but Austin and I both watched Ethan drag his foot across the left side of my stomach on Saturday night. Seeing that makes things a little more "real" for Austin, but I also think it scared him a little. Yes, there's a real live human in there!

Excited to meet our little man... :)

love,