37 Weeks and Full Term! Hooray, We Made It!

37 weeks+, on my 29th birthday!

I am so happy to have reached this milestone!  Baby is now 37 weeks and can safely be born at any time!  Come out come out wherever you are :)  It has already been a great week.  I had a super productive weekend and finished all of our freezer meals.  And now, the downstairs freezer looks like this:

It makes me so happy to have that checked off the to do list.  This week we are going to look at daycare's to decide where Baby Elie will go when I go back to work and then I think our chores are over until Baby Boy arrives!  I have already packed his hospital bag.  I'll post on that later.  I can't believe we are 2 1/2 weeks away from the due date!  I have started gathering things that I know I want to take and have them on the mantle in our bedroom.  All I will have to do is grab our last minute toiletries and a coming home outfit and we'll be ready to roll.  

Yesterday was my 29th birthday :)  I took the day off of work and ended up spending the morning power cleaning the kitchen!  All the cabinets have been reorganized and scrubbed inside and out.  Not that that is really a necessity for the baby to be born, I just feel like it's going to be a while before I have the chance to do jobs like that.  So what time is better than the present!?  The afternoon was much more relaxing.  Chris and I spent some time in the pool, caught up on the DVR, and then went out for a quiet and delicious dinner alone at a local winery.  He continues to spoil me!  This year he surprised my by getting a remote start installed on my new Edge.  AMAZING!  So exciting to not have to get into a cold car in winter, or a hot car in the summer.  Especially with the bambino on the way.  I know it will make mornings so much better when I'm taking him to daycare and then heading into work.  Thank you again love!

Chris's parents will be here by the weekend!  They are coming from NY to visit, his Dad will be staying for the weekend and then heading back, but his Mom is here for the duration until Baby E arrives!  Looking forward to hanging out with them and relaxing until D Day!  I'm so glad we got everything finished as early as we did, now we can kick back and enjoy the next couple of weeks without worry.  Here are some other pictures of the last week. 

A ginormous surprise cupcake from my awesome boss at work :)

      

Make Ahead Freezer Meals!

So today I tackled my to do list for the make ahead meals in preparation for Baby Elie's arrival!  Throughout this pregnancy I've been reading other pregnancy blogs, trying to find good idea's for organization, planning, and preparation for baby.  I guess with our future holding so many unknowns, I am comforted by doing what I can now, to plan and try to maintain some level of control of where our lives are headed these next few weeks and months.  I thought having meals on hand in the freezer for those nights when I don't feel like cooking, or when we have company would be so convenient, and definitely better than ordering out or eating store bought frozen dinners.  I amended each recipe to make it as healthy as I could.  Subbed whole wheat pasta, low fat cheese, reduced fat sour cream, fat free condensed soups, light mayo and wheat crackers.  I think paring these dishes with a steamed veggie or salad will make perfect dinners!  

I split my to do list by recipe's using chicken and beef.  Every thing that included chicken I made today, and will finish with the beef recipe's tomorrow.  With some swelling going on, I didn't want to be standing in the kitchen all day long.  Surprisingly, with an early start this morning, I whipped it out in no time!  I think the bulk of the work was in selecting recipes, making my shopping list, and actually shopping.  The cooking seemed to be much easier than I thought it would be!!  So, today I made the following: 

Hot Chicken Salad, recipe can be found here.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake, recipe can be found here.

Chicken Mac & Cheese, recipe can be found here.

Hash brown Casserole, I use my own recipe for that one!

Just getting started!

I used aluminum disposable pans and heavy aluminum foil to store these in.  Then just used a sharpie to write what each one is, and the cooking directions right on the package.  They are already tucked away in our freezer downstairs!  Tomorrow I will finish up with a pan of Baked Ziti, and a Lasagna.  Yum!  I also have been trying to stock up on basic household items so we aren't running out of something annoying in the first couple of weeks.  I got a few extra things just to make our lives easier.  Right now we have tons of toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, solo cups, laundry detergent, and trash bags!  I know I'm probably overdoing it, I do realize that we live less than 5 minutes from a dollar store and small grocery store.  I'm sure at some point I'll be anxious to get out of the house to grab a thing or two, but at least until then, we will be all set!     

30 weeks!

30 weeks

Here we are folks!  75% finished, yay!  Time is still flying by and we had a great long weekend!  Chris sadly had to work Saturday and Sunday but I was able to spend Saturday with my girls shopping for a wedding dress (SO FUN!!) and then cleaned all day on Sunday.  At one point during my cleaning this is how I found the girls...they obviously were tired from just watching me!  Ha ha, you'll have to look closely!

On Memorial Day we went to a Reds game with my best friend.  We spent the day eating too much, laughing, and enjoying the sunshine!! 

Not sure why we both look a little evil!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29 Weeks!

This will be short and sweet this week!  There is so much going on it's hard to keep up :)  I'm still feeling awesome and hoping that will last awhile longer :)  Last doctor's appointment was great, blood pressure is perfect and no weight gain yet!  Can't believe that but I'm trying to hold on to that as long as possible.  The pounds are going to start coming soon I know!  I passed my second glucose test with no problems and that was a HUGE relief!  Since I started this pregnancy weighing more than I wanted to, it's been a lot of work to maintain and not gain.  I've been worried about high blood pressure and gestational diabetes but so far so good.  I am right on track and so is Baby E.  He is measuring exactly as he should be.  It's so exciting, but hard to believe we are already at the point that I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks.  We will be meeting this little guy very soon! 

There's a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks!  This coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend which is also our 2nd wedding anniversary.  How far we have already come in two years is amazing to me.  We will be celebrating by going to a Cincinnati Reds game with my best friend and then going to dinner just the two of us on the 28th (our actual anniversary.)  I am also going wedding dress shopping with my dear friend who will be renewing her vows next summer.  Lots of girl time, shopping, eating, and time with Chris in the days ahead so I am a happy Mama!

A selfie @ 29 weeks!

My favorite area for pics now, ha ha!

 

28 weeks! So nice to see you 3rd trimester!!

Hello 3rd trimester!!  We are in the final stretch and getting more excited everyday to meet Baby E!  It's hard to believe how fast this pregnancy has gone, and yet at the same time it feels like August will never get here!  I know it will but patience isn't my best quality.  I have been so lucky with a great pregnancy so far.  I am hopeful it will stay this way!!

The last week has been a whirlwind with getting ready for Chris's party, his graduation Friday night, having friends and family at the house on Saturday, and finally giving in to the cold and resting on Sunday.  It's mostly my own fault for working outside in the rain two nights last week and going full speed ahead when I really just wanted to lay on the couch.  I started feeling bad around the middle of the week and it's safe to say that by the weekend I was completely miserable.  Pregnancy and a cold are not a good mix.  Thankfully I do have the best husband in the world, and when I was laying in bed crying in the middle of the night, he got up and went to Kroger to get Tylenol for me.  :)  Best ever. 

Aside from the cold, it really was a great week.  The tomatoes and onions are planted, flowers are out, and the back yard is looking the best it ever has.  When Chris finishes the other raised bed and we plant the peppers, I will take lots of pictures to share!  Chris also finished putting together the dresser for the nursery!  It is moved in as well as everything else we have so far!  Hopefully soon the glider will arrive and we can make sure the room is arranged how we want it to be.  There's so much to look forward to!  Our anniversary is coming up this month and then next month will be crazy with three baby showers and at trip to NY to visit the Elie family!  Summer is looking good for us!

Chris graduated Friday night!  I'm so proud of him.  It was great to watch him walk across the stage after all his hard work.  We had a great turnout of family and friends for his party Saturday!!  Sadly- I didn't take any pictures :(  I think I was too consumed with trying to make it through the party without sneezing on anyone!  Ha ha.  Anyway, here are some moments from our week...
 

MCTC Graduation Spring 2013

Chris getting his diploma!

Brotherly beard love :)

One of the few pics from the party

My company for a lazy Sunday :)

Heidi getting comfy.

28 weeks!!!

Enjoying the sunshine!

   

27 Weeks!

What a fun weekend we had!  In true Kentucky style we went to the 139th Kentucky Derby.  We've been several times but the excitement of it all never gets old :)  This year we took my best friend, Noel who had never been.  It's even better when you have a Derby virgin with you!  My sister, Patricia, as always was the hostess with the mostess!  Her cooking was what I looked forward to the entire week!

27 Weeks!

Cheesecake on a stick....devil.

People watching at it's finest.

How cute is she with her feather fascinator!?

Our crew for the weekend :)

Still can't get over hit outfit.  My favorite :)

BFF's!

So excite!

Neil and Trish

The cutest hat EVER that I have conned my sweet mother in law into making for Baby Boy!

All in all it's been another great week.  Unfortunately, Chris has been sick for part of it and I think now I am catching a cold.  Ugh...no time for sickness though!  I've been busy working outside in flower beds and getting the garden planted.  Will post pictures of that next week.  We have a fun weekend ahead.  Chris graduates Friday night and we are celebrating on Saturday afternoon with friends!!  All the motivation I need to get the house and yard looking good! 

Can't believe next week will begin the 3rd trimester!  WOW!!!!!  It really won't be long and we'll be meeting this little guy!  So much to look forward to.  When I think I can't be any happier, somehow I am. 

A very productive 26th week!

Poor little Chris let the cat out of the bag this week that he "might" be not so secretly looking forward to me being miserable and losing my energy!  Ha ha, what a little devil he is!  He has realized that is the only way he will get to relax before Baby E arrives.  I guess it's understandable though considering the fact that I have worked him and myself like a dog the last several days.  OH how much we've gotten accomplished though!  And that makes for a happy mama :)  Over our long weekend, with the help of my brother we tore down the old nasty fence in our backyard and completely built the new one.  I seriously CANNOT wait for new patio furniture and flowers so that our total backyard transformation is complete!  Check out our diy job, pretty darn impressive for no experience whatsoever in doing this type of project before.  My hubby is the shiz!

Before

After!

More photo's to come after I get flowers out!  My goal is to have the yard "show" ready by May 10th since I am having a party for Chris on the 11th.  He graduates with his Associate's Degree from MCTC on the 10th and I am determined to throw him a big party before we go from a couple to a family.  And he MOST DEFINITELY deserves it.  He has seriously busted his ass to get this degree and held down his crazy work schedule the entire time.  So, cheers to him!!

Also in big news this week, I finished painting the nursery!  WOOHOO!!!!!  BIG sigh of relief that was :)  I'm so happy to have the room cleaned and paint cans and drop clothes put up!  We now have the crib together and moved in, bedding washed and ironed and on looking adorable, and the dresser will be put together this weekend.  Curtains are up and perfect.  I'm dying to post more pics but I think I'll wait and post the final product this time!

As you can tell by our busy selves, I'm still feeling great!  I had a couple days this week where I felt a hair nauseous but I really think I was just tired.  We've started sleeping with a fan at night which is helping me sleep so much better and I feel better during the day.  Baby E moves around all the time now and it seems like there are days where he has the hiccups all day!  Chris finally got to feel him early Sunday morning while we were still laying in bed.  It was of course thanks to the hiccups!  I was so happy he finally got to share with me what I've been feeling.  We learned at my last doctor's appointment that I have an anterior placenta which basically means that the placenta is between the baby and the outside of my stomach on the front of my uterus.  Normally is is located towards the back of the uterus.  Because of this, a lot of his movements may not be felt.  So for now I'm enjoying every little flip!  We have an exciting week ahead.  Heading to the Kentucky Derby this weekend for a fun weekend with my sister and brother in law and their friends.  Also bringing along a friend of our own :)  Should be a good time for everyone!! 

26 weeks!

Chris was feeling left out :)

99 bottles of beer on the wall!  Oh wait...

   

25 Weeks!

25 weeks

 I'm now 25 weeks, yay!  It seems like time is still flying!  Everyone keeps warning me that it will drag the last couple of months and that then I'll wish is was flying.  While that may be true, I doubt it.  June and July will be busy with going to NY to visit family and for our baby shower, and I'm hoping to spend the weekends in July lounging by the pool and waiting on little man to show up.  I feel like all this hard work we are doing now should pay off and we will be rewarded with a lazy, relaxing July :)  We shall see...

The nursery is coming along!  We are almost completely finished painting.  I'm hoping to finish it this week so we can move the crib in and put it together.  I ordered it and the dresser last week, so far the crib is here but still waiting on the dresser.  The plan is to finish painting, clean the carpets, and then start moving some things in!  I CAN'T WAIT!  :)  I've started picking out some wall art and of course already have a couple of lamps.  Chris's favorite...he doesn't let me forget that I have a problem when it comes to lamps.  I love them and could buy a new one every week.  Oh well, at least Baby Elie will have perfect lighting in his room, ha ha!  We bought the crib mattress last night and some Dreft so I can wash the bedding before I put it on the crib.  Let's just say I could practically huff it...oh the sweet smell of a baby.  It makes me really look forward to washing his clothes!  :)


 

24 Weeks aka 6 Months!

24 Weeks

Wow time flies when you're having fun...or working your butt off...not sure which is more true at this point!  Sadly I missed the photo op for last week.  Chris was out of town and I wasn't motivated enough to have someone else take my picture, ha ha!  To say that we have been busy is an understatement.  How can one tiny little human make you feel the need to accomplish every single thing that somehow has never been all that important until now?  I want to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but just not sure how long that tunnel is. 

We have been busy car shopping, working on the nursery, getting ready for a yard sale, and getting ready to tear down the fence in our back yard to build a new one.  Fun times :)  To top it off Chris was out of town all last week for work so I have been hoppin!  I do love it though!  And I still feel great, so crossing things off my to do list makes me a very happy person.  Little Baby Elie has been quite active here lately!  I feel him moving around more all the time.  I'm hoping Chris will be able to feel him soon.  Our doctor's appointment and anatomy scan went perfectly.  They estimated his weight at 1lb, 2oz which is right on track.  All of his organs look great and they said he is growing perfectly.  My blood pressure is still perfect and I've lost 1lb. so that was a big relief for me.  I've been trying really hard to eat healthy and make smart choices for me and baby.  I do not want to end up with gestational diabetes or high blood pressure so I've been doing my best and so far it's paying off :)  Hopefully things stay this way!  I can't believe how much I love this little guy already.  I don't know if I'm getting hormonal or if I'm just in my usual emotional state, but every time I think about him I can't help but cry.  Chris would tell you this is the norm, ha ha!  Either way, I am one happy mama.        

22 Weeks!

Happy Easter!  Yay!!  22 weeks!  This is an especially exciting week since we have our mid pregnancy anatomy scan scheduled for this Friday afternoon :)  I'm so anxious to see our little baby boy again.  Hard to believe that if all goes well, this will be the last time we see him until he decides he's ready to come into the world!  August 4th is quickly approaching and I feel happier and more excited all the time!  We are hopeful that everything looks good on this ultrasound and that he is developing and growing like he should.  According to my weekly tracker, he is the size of a papaya this week and weighs a little over a pound.  What a heavyweight!  :)

22 weeks

Not my favorite picture, but Cali is so adorable I had to include it, ha ha!

We also have a busy weekend planned!  I work part of the day on Saturday, then it's off to Lexington for a 1st birthday party :)  Should be fun!  Would be nice to have Sunday to relax, but instead we are going to try to paint the nursery.  Chris is hoping to finish the wainscoting this week so we can paint our little hearts out on Sunday.  Hopefully I'll be posting finished pictures of the nursery soon and we can start furnishing and decorating!! 

Wainscoting & Nursery Inspiration!

Here are some progress pics of our DIY wainscoting!  It's really coming along but turned out to be a much slower process than either of us anticipated!  Our house is SO old, built in the 1860's, so that means floor boards that aren't total level and a LOT of measuring!!  And of course no home improvement project is complete without a spontaneous trip to Lowe's to buy a much needed new tool.  Chris is so excited over his new table saw!  And it has actually been really helpful when cutting the wainscoting for the corners.

 

I swear I really do work but I am always behind the camera!  I also wanted to share some of my favorite "Pinterest" nurseries.  I can get lost on there oohing and aahing over all the great color schemes and design ideas.  I hope Baby E's nursery will be "Pinterest worthy!"