{Hannah}: 35 weeks

This week I doubled the number of belly touches for this pregnancy (3 more in one week!) and I think it was disappointing for those people since she didn't move much - she really only moves during nap time and in the evenings. It's my consistent sit-and-rest times of each day, so it's her habit. It'll be interesting to see how that transitions outside of the womb!

I also got to reflect on what an amazing dad and husband Austin is, especially on Ethan's birthday. I am seriously tearing up! I don't thank him enough and I couldn't ever thank God enough for him. This man is a rock. He works HARD, often going in to work before daybreak so he can be home with us in the evenings. Some evenings, he comes home for dinner or bath time (he does bath time almost every night!!) and then goes back to work. He's also managing to study for his PE, so if he's not working, he's studying. And yes, this all means a really stressful season of life for all of us, but Austin has always sacrificed for us - even if he loses out on a lot of sleep. He got up at 4 am on Ethan's birthday so he could work before Ethan woke up for breakfast and get to spend the morning with us. He's loving us sacrificially as Christ loved us and is providing for us and leading us as he is called to. And let's be real: I DO get caught up in the stress of having a very busy husband (happened today! Sorry Austin...), but in the grand scheme of things, I'm so thankful that he has worked so hard for us and makes sure he is here when it matters most.

Hannah is currently the size of a kid's backpack (pictured is the one Ethan uses, preschool size). Hannah is supposedly around 18 inches and 5.5 lbs!

{We will get an official weight next Monday, 10/5. Blog posts will start being posted on Mondays as I visit my doctor every Monday from here on out, so no post this Sat!}

I was "sprinkled" today by a few of my friends and it was lovely! Hannah is going to be a really well-dressed little girl.

Everyone from the sprinkle {except Lauren}!

Here's Lauren! ;)

{And, yes, I did request that we wear big hats. I had a blast making mine!}

How far along? 35 weeks! 8 months! Almost done! Hooray!!!!

Maternity clothes? Yes.
Stretch marks? The ones from my pregnancy with Ethan have finally reappeared. Hoping my cream keeps them from getting huge.
Sleep: I don't think I'll see good sleep for a long, long time. 
Miss anything? Not feeling dehydrated all the time. I usually feel like I could drink water for days straight and still be thirsty.
Movement: She flipped herself head-up this week and freaked me out a little. She was back down the next day. Hopefully she stays that way -- she's running out of room and it'll be harder to flip herself back soon.
Food cravings: ugh. No thanks
Anything making you queasy or sick? Yep, heartburn/indigestion/reflux. But my dr suggested adding Zantac at dinner (to the Nexium I'm already on) to help with evening heartburn issues. We will see if this works!!
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None, but the Braxton-Hicks contractions are getting to be more frequent
Belly Button in or out? In, but REALLY flattening.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Sleepy.
Looking forward to: A WEDDING for my childhood best friend next weekend, and then our last ultrasound for Hannah!!
Prayers this week: I just want to enjoy these last few weeks and maybe not look forward to the end quite as much as I am now, so really praying that these meds work or I'm just healed completely! My doctor adjusted my medicine for my heartburn, so hopefully the new regimen works!

xo,

Elizabeth

{Ethan}: our TWO year old!

TWO YEARS ago, I was handed a little bundle after 19 hours of labor. He had a major cone-head (he still has a huge head) and and was very alert. All the nurses commented on how wide-eyed and alert he was for a newborn! He took a couple seconds to make any noise immediately after delivery, and I had to reassure myself that he was ok. I was immensely relieved when he was handed to me - and when we saw him, we thought he was perfect.

We hit some milestones really early, like rolling over both ways consistently at two months old (what? That's insane). Others came a little later than some of our friend's milestones (speech). Still the most remarkable thing about Ethan is SUCH a happy kid! If you tell me that he looks like his dad, I may give you a weird look. It's not true. But if you say that he acts like his dad, I would agree 100%. He's his father's goofy son. Austin always knows exactly what to do to make Ethan laugh harder and play with more excitement than I ever could! You could chalk it up to being a guy thing, but I think it's more - I am certain those two will have a Phil & Luke Dunphy relationship!

I think, with both my kids, I have been most nervous about their personalities. I know who I was growing up and I fear I'll have to raise a mini-me. Something tells me miss Hannah will have more of my stubborn streak (or really - Papaw's), but Ethan has always been just a sweet and playful boy. He's pretty obedient (for a two-year-old), as long as we manage his expectations and his schedule well!

Ethan, I just can't say it enough: I'm so blessed to be your mama.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

xo,

Elizabeth

{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.

{Hannah}: 33 weeks + a sick brother, again

I don't have a lot of updates for Hannah, but I do have more prayer requests {see very end}! We will go for our next checkup on Ethan's birthday: his checkup is that day, his doctor is in the same building, and I want to kill two birds with one stone since it's a bit of a commute now. After that, our 36 week ultrasound is Oct 5, and then I have weekly appointments. At that point, I will probably switch to Monday updates and post after my office visits (I know you all wait with bated breath - the posts coming two days later will be such a challenge!). I'm glad I've been so diligent with this for Hannah. She may be our last biological baby, and it's been awesome to look back and compare this pregnancy with the last one - I know I'll look back over these later, too!

Ethan, on the other hand, has decided the weekend would be a fun time to be sick - again. And, again, I'm not sure if this is just a teething issue (6 at once does some damage) or if he is viral. We have no snot, sneezing, or coughing (yet), just some gross diapers, higher temps, and lethargy. Today was full of yuck and bad smells and discomfort - as soon as I picked him up from childcare at MOPS I could smell him, and it was downhill from there. Food, pedialyte, Tylenol, and rest seem to have helped!

Pre-MOPS, in his hipster-jeans cuteness. (I didn't notice the puffy eyes at the time, but they didn't go away all day.)

Post-MOPS, during our resting time & movie marathon.

Anyway - hopefully we will have a quick recovery overnight, and a great day tomorrow!

Now for the Hannah updates! Hannah is the size of a junior tennis racquet (19") and likely around 4.5 lbs.

She feels about like a tennis racquet, too, with her feet in my ribs as I try to put shoes on/take shoes off.

How far along? 33 weeks! ~7 to go!
Maternity clothes? Yes. 
Stretch marks? Hopefully nothing new, I'm out of my lotion and haven't gotten more yet!

Sleep: We have entered the phase where I wake up every night for the bathroom, and probably don't stay asleep more than 3 hours at a time. #babyprep

Miss anything? Good sleep!
Movement: Always!!
Food cravings: was craving Greek food and got some Tzatziki and pita to try to fix that, but was still disappointed because our surburban HEB doesn't carry falafel (WHAT?!).
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not currently, unless I eat too much (easy to do, running out of room).
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Tired.
Looking forward to: Rest this weekend! Even if it is forced by an unwell kiddo. 
Prayers this week: I have been praying daily to give my anxieties to the Lord. Hannah is now head down, but she still moves around a LOT (the whole body), so that stir anxiety, even though we do still have time. And, without too much detail, I had to have a procedure done last year (after Ethan's birth, before this one) that could affect if/how I dilate and deliver, which is scary. If I think about it too much, I will start to get anxious and just have to pray some more. There are so many doubts and fears with pregnancy alone that it's easy to get caught up in the anxieties and lose sight of the beauty of it. I've been using several verses to pray over myself and meditate over to calm these fears and remember Who holds both me and this baby girl! Any additional verses you think I may not have considered would be awesome.

xo,

Elizabeth

{Hannah}: 32 weeks

This week was exciting! Ethan went to MDO, I super cleaned the house while he was there, and I really feel refreshed. Weeks of pulling double-duty on the parenting front had really worn me out. I actually wanted to cook dinner! Ha!

I also struggled with my heartburn on Monday - it was so severe that I didn't sleep almost at all that night. I tried to keep my head elevated and sleep, which is just not comfortable. I tried couches, beds... Nothing helped. I figured that the iron pills were probably the culprit, as nausea and heartburn are a common side effect, and I've had small bouts with each since I started taking them, despite already being on a prescription heartburn medication. I talked with my nurse at the doctor's office and we decided to keep me on the same iron pill, as this one has the least severe GI effects (ha!!!) but to change my heartburn medication. My new one is $6/day instead of $6/bottle... Not loving that price tag, but I'm not confined to eating toast, milk and Cheerios, either. By the time Ethan came home from MDO on Wednesday, I had the new meds in my system and I was a new woman! (And sleeping at night! Yay!)

As for Miss Hannah, we get to see the doctor in 3 days! We won't have our last ultrasound for another 4 weeks/two more visits, but we know she's breech (head-up, should be head-down), so we would really appreciate you keeping us in your prayers until she turns. It's pretty easy to tell where she is because she kicks my hips constantly! I've decided to have faith that she WILL turn!

Just in case you're wondering, bottoms-first births aren't pleasant. 

This week, Hannah is the size of a scooter board, and weighs around 4 lbs (probably more, we make big babies around here!).

Don't you want to go back to elementary PE now?

How far along? 32 weeks! ~8 to go!
Maternity clothes? About 85% of the time.
Stretch marks? No new ones since Ethan!
Sleep: Pretty good, as long as my heartburn is under control. 

Miss anything? Cooler temps
Movement: Always!
Food cravings: Satisfied my months-long PSL craving today. Is it just me, or are the prices going WAY up..?
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not anymore!!
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? A little more moody this week, but happy that mama got a break and got to take care of some chores this week - sans toddler.
Looking forward to: a BUSY weekend! A gender reveal, a birthday party, and a family dinner all on Saturday alone!
Prayers this week: Praying against temptation to be short-sighted and wish Hannah were here already. Homegirl needs to cook another 7+ weeks, and I can use that time to rest up! :)

xo,

Elizabeth