Michelle's 32 Week Pregnancy Update

Hello everyone, it's Michelle blogging a pregnancy update. Wow, time just keeps on moving along! I feel like Hadley is going to be here so soon! Jen keeps reminding me that I do still have 8 weeks, it just feels like it's creeping fast! 

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Total Weight Gain: about 20-23 pounds 

Sleep: Well, laying on my left side just isn't that comfortable! I like to toss and turn, move around, sleep on my back and apparently that's not allowed. I'm sleeping, just want to be able to sleep more comfortably.

Symptoms: My back has been hurting a lot lately. My sciatica is still bad, but now my whole back hurts. I can't sit comfortably at all. I last like five minutes on the couch (like right now it's bad). I really don't know what that's from, it's my upper back like I have bad posture, but I'm sitting up straight?

Cravings: Really no cravings besides desserts.... something weird though... I am finding that every time we go out to eat, I don't like my food. I don't care for any of the chicken and I find something wrong with everything I order. Sometimes I get it and I eat nothing of it. I keep saying it's San Antonio food, because I liked all my food in NY! James said he just thinks something weird is going on with my tastes, because he's enjoying it just fine. We've had to get me "second dinners" because I haven't been eating properly. Our conclusion is that we just aren't going to go out so much, because I waste money :) 

Gender- Hadley Emilia

Movement: She's a crazy mover, she moves a lot when I lay on my side or when I'm hungry. She sometimes does BIG movements that startle me, I'm not sure what she's dong in there? She got the hiccups for the first time last week! I've been waiting for them, it was neat.

Maternity Clothes: Yup has to be, all my t-shirts are even getting too tight and short

Best Moments this past week: We've been super busy with baby stuff this last week. We had a breast feeding class and child birth class. They were both very informing. We got the hospital tour with the child birth class and I was pretty impressed. It's a very nice new facility. Nice "wood" like floors which make it feel very elegant. Private rooms for everything and you can do "room service" for all your meals. There's no set times to eat and you can order  from a menu. It's also the only hospital in our area that allows clear liquid all the way up through delivery (not c-section). They also try their best to only medically induce and not do "happy hour" births (where Drs. schedule inductions at 5pm on Fridays so they don't have to deliver on weekends). It's a weird set up because the midwives/doctors (or residents) I see in the clinic are not who deliver. One of them out of the bunch might, but generally not. It's a teaching hospital too, so you have a lot of residents and others that will be assisting/helping (which I guess there are pros and cons for). We did not care however to watch the video with FOUR child births... as if I wasn't nervous enough, now we have to add traumatized. 

What I'm looking forward to: We decided to do the optional 3d/4d ultrasound. We had our appointment LAST Saturday, but little miss Hadley must have picked up on her cousin Max's naughty tricks and decided to be a little complicated :) We learned some great news though, SHE'S HEAD DOWN!! horray!! Since Max was frank breech, I was sort of expecting Hadley to be a little like that as well, but nope. She's squished up to my right side with her feet/booty right up into my rib area- which is nice when she does kicks haha. The ultra sound technician wanted to do a rescan (for free) because her face was pushed up against my right side and we could only get profile shots. She also kept putting her hands in her face and her hands on her knees (she's so cute already!) She has some hair on her head that we could see, not clear on how much, but it's there. Hopefully she'll cooperate more on Thursday and then I'll post some pictures! We also have our maternity photo shoot coming up next week!

Milestones: We ordered Hadley Emilia's crib bedding! I'm having a lady make it from etsy, it won't come in until probably after Hadley's born, but we won't need it then anyway. I will do a little mock up to show you in a different post, along with the room choice we decided on. Happy Fall everyone! James and I celebrated by going out to a corn maize, hope you're enjoying your Fall with maybe cooler temperatures than us (we're still at 90). 

She's really popping out now! 

Michelle's Baby Shower

I decided to do a sweets and treats baby shower for Michelle since a majority of her pregnancy she had been craving yummy desserts. As part of my plan I needed a skilled pastry chef and I knew the perfect person for the job. 

 Insert Jen (and Max grabbing her hair). I grew up 2 houses down from her and have watched (via her blog) her baking skills evolve. She lives in Colorado right now so I asked her if she was available for a trip home to do some baking and thankfully she was!

 We came up with a list of desserts that were also color coordinated with the shower colors. She did a phenomenal job prepping, baking and having everything ready on time. I wish you could have tasted everything, it was amazing. Not only did they look so good, they were incredibly tasty.

 Since Hadley's nursery colors might possibly be a fuchsia pink and yellow we decided to embrace it with our dress colors.

My Aunt Kathy helped host the shower and we used her beautiful house (look at the pretty trees in the back yard). Max of course had to be dressed up with his new collared shirt and overalls. 

 If baking wasn't enough work for Jen S, she also made some adorable decorations for the shower. She really is a great friend. I can't thank you enough especially since I've been so scatter brained around here.

 Of course we had to have a tutu diaper cake!

 Michelle had her brother in law, sister in law, Jame's grandma and uncle make the trip from out of town. It was so great to see them all and have them join in her special shower.

 I made 2 lemonade type punches to match our color scheme with cute straws.

Check out all these desserts. 

 There were cream puffs, strawberry angel food cake cups, yellow and pink sugar cookies, jelly cookies, cupcake, chocolate cake balls, lemon cookies, and lemon squares.

The cake balls were my favorite!

 So glad my grandma could come to the shower. 

 We had yummy food brought by our relatives. 

 We played a matching candy bar game to go with the theme. 

 Unfortunately, I forgot to take staged pictures of guests so these will have to do!

 Kacy must have gotten the answers wrong by the look on her face lol :) (sorry kacy, had to post this pic, its the only one I got of you at the shower!)

 Michelle received so many wonderful gifts for baby girl Hadley. Of course one of our favorites was this Georgia Southern cheerleading uniform for Hadley (from Jen S- so thoughtful).

The tutu on the diaper cake doubled as a birthday gift for Delilah. She looked so cute in it (mom made this one too).  I'm so glad we could all get together for Michelle's shower. I can't wait for Hadley to get here. Thanks again to everyone for coming!

Drum Roll...

Michelle here again (Jen's twin sister if you're new to tuning in) and NO people I am not starting my own blog, that is why I make guest appearances here!
We are now ready to announce baby girl's name. We have actually known her first name for a while now and just wanted to get used to it. The middle name we agreed upon when we were in Vegas (couple weeks ago). The first name I came up with while playing around with switching/adding some letters to a name James really wanted that I wasn't fully on board with. I wanted her middle name to be something Italian so she could represent some part of me. Also, let me say, that the name is firm and final. Meaning NO OPINIONS :) Just praises haha I honestly don't care what anyone thinks because James and I really like it. So without further ado, I introduce to you.....

James really liked the name Hailey, but I knew several friends who had Hailey's and I've taught some (I always said I would not name my child from one I've had in my class). So I was playing around with switching some letters and came up with Hadley! As it turns out, apparently that's actually a name people are using these days? Who knew, I've never heard or known anyone with that name. James actually came up with Emilia just kinda thinking about Italian girls' names. He also liked it because of the pilot reference (Amelia Earhart) but spelled differently. Our Emilia is pronounced like the start of Emily (EM). That is the history of baby girl Hadley Emilia's name.

Stay tuned for further blogs about nursery/bedding ideas, HINT: the color scheme may or may not be portrayed above :)

Michelle's 20 week pregnancy update

Hey Bloggers, it's Michelle and WOW it's JULY already!! 
Today I am 20 weeks pregnant!! I can't even believe it. I think I spent a good 13 weeks not really believing that I was pregnant, I think it's settled in now. I have been doing very well and can't really complain about a thing! 
The baby's heart beat was 143 and is 9 inches in length weighing 11 ounces (last week). The baby is about the length of a banana! 

Total Weight Gain: I have gained about 10 pounds from start till right now. So I'd say I'm doing pretty well. I thought it was getting crazy, but I didn't gain as much as I thought I was going to at the last appointment, so bring on the desserts!

Sleep: I get up to use the bathroom probably 3-4 times a night still! I got the sleep body pillow from my sister and that thing is massive! Maddie (my little yorkie) LOVES it and circles up right in the good spots. It's working well keeping me laying on my side, but I'm hating being restricted. I'm a stomach/back sleeper and it's getting uncomfortable not being able to sleep like that. 

Symptoms: Nothing really big going on. I still get occasional headaches, but those seem to be rare. I get hungry a lot (but again nothing new). This baby is cooperating very well so far. 

Cravings: still want SWEETS, I feel like I have to end every dinner with a dessert or it's not complete :) I got fat free ice-cream (because I thought I was gaining too much weight) and fyi it's NOT good..... I'll go for a regular ice-cream next time I'm at the store. I just love the waffle cones, I eat them without ice-cream (nothing new though).

Aversions: Mexican's still not that interesting to me, but it's not that bad to think about

Gender- IT'S A GIRL!!! Turns out my immediate family pretty much all knew it was a girl! James and I were convinced it was a boy so we were very surprised. I will say, both gender ultrasounds we had, they're just so unexcited. They just say, ok yup it's a girl and move on quickly.... guess that's what you get when you do that all day long. We have a girl name picked out and middle name, but I don't know when we'll reveal it. We've told some close family, but not all. I kind of like keeping secrets :) 

Maternity Clothes: I did wear some low riding stretchy jeans my sister gave me out of her maternity stuff and I liked them a lot. I officially fit in none of my shorts and can't even ZIP them. I bought a couple pairs of shorts a size up, the maternity shorts just don't strike my fancy. I have been using the belly band also to keep pants up. 

Best Moments so far: Seeing baby girl TWICE on an ultrasound and hearing her strong heart beat. We had a great anatomy ultrasound last Wednesday and got to see all her little parts. Everything was measuring right on schedule for a November 18th delivery they said. We also got a new camera (canon t4i) and we're really excited to have pictures that are not blurry to use when she gets here.

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling baby girl move! I feel like I've been pretty patient, but now it's time! I'm 20 weeks and this is right when I'm supposed to feel her so let's go. Every ultrasound we've seen she's moving around a LOT and even seems to be kicking me-but no luck yet. I'm also looking forward to our house selling! I don't want to jinx anything, but we have some serious things going on at the home front :)

That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed my update.

Michelle's Gender Reveal Party

My sister and James came to town on wednesday night to drop off the animals and hang out for a few days. They are now off to Vegas for their 5 year anniversary (in July) vacation. Since michelle only had an initial ultrasound and won't have another until 20 week appt. I convinced her to go to a place to find out here (she's right at 17 weeks)! They went without us and found out so they could keep it a secret for the party.

She wanted to do the reveal with just a cake, but I wanted a more dramatic approach so we made her a big box to fill with helium balloons. It was a big ordeal trying to keep the balloons hidden and everything under wraps.

Without further ado. Drumroll please... Baby M is a

GIRL!!

I honestly could tell all day just by looking at her, but I really did think since her pregnancy was so different than mine that it was a girl. We both really thought we'd have a house full of boys for some reason so it was a fun surprise still. 

 We had Davids parents, mom and Amber and Bob come over. The majority of the group was thinking girl though. Chris and Marla were on video chat and were both strongly voting for girl.

 Shell had put food coloring inside the cake so that when we cut into it you could see pink everywhere! It was delicious!

So happy for Michelle and James and for tutus and teacups!