38 & 39 Weeks!

I decided to combine my 38 and 39 week posts so that by next Wednesday (my due date) the updates would be current.

My life these days consists of going to work (still working full time), OB appointments and trying to get rest every night.  I have been feeling pretty tired after work everyday so I just try to take it easy when I'm at home. 

I still don't feel a sense of urgency even though my due date is a week away--but I do feel anticipation, of course. I have a feeling this little girl will go into June (though if I don't go into labor before 41 weeks I will be induced because of the aforementioned clotting issues).

Maybe I don't feel a sense of urgency because I haven't been making any progress at my weekly checks...but then again I've heard of women not being dilated at all and then going into labor the next day. Everyone is so different when it comes to their labor experience so I suppose it's possible I'll have the baby by my due date but I just have a feeling she will be late.

I did start packing my hospital bag with all of the essentials so I know if I went into labor I could quickly throw in a few extra items and be ready to go. Plus, we don't live far from the hospital so my husband could always go home and get anything I needed. I've heard that most women over-pack for the hospital anyway so I'm trying not to pack too much since I'll probably be in a hospital gown most of the time. 

Having said that, I did pick up a few new sleep shirts from Victoria's Secret because I have worn out my Target and F21 sleep dresses and sleep tees during my pregnancy. I was using creams and oils on my belly every night and wanted to wear-out the stuff I already had instead of wearing nicer stuff. I love the Gilligan O'Malley line from Target, but those sleep dresses fall apart after like six months of wear (this was happening with my sleep dresses before I was pregnant, so not due to pregnancy, pretty sure it's a quality issue).  They wash okay but they tend to just start looking drab and the ones with lace start to rip all over the place---I've already had to throw one away that I didn't even get to wear into pregnancy. 

I purchased three sleep shirts from VS---two for post-baby and one to wear at the hospital.

This is a cotton one from the Mayfair Collection and I also got it in a blue and white small gingham print.  They are so comfy and nice and long. Plus, since I'll be hanging out at the house all day feeding, changing and tending to a newborn, it might be nice to wear something that's somewhat cute and also is easy to breastfeed in (yay for buttons!)

The third one I got is the Sleepover Cotton Sleep Tee---this one is SO soft and feels amazing on.  It's lightweight and I got this one to wear after delivery (after showering, obviously) with a nursing bra. The buttons will be convenient for breastfeeding and the soft fabric will lovely for mom and baby. Plus, it's black... so I'm not worried about stains or anything.

It felt nice to buy some new PJ's after wearing ratty ones for the last few months.  It's kind of like wearing nice workout clothes...nice PJ's won't make you sleep better (umm...especially with a newborn), but you'll feel good putting them on and I'll take any feel-good I can get postpartum.  I realize the baby is probably going to spit up all over me too, but oh well, that's life with a baby!

How did YOU feel one week before your due date?  Did your baby arrive early, right on time, or late? Please share in the comments!

How far along? 39 weeks today! Whoa.

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained 30 pounds so far and will probably gain a few more, who knows! 

Maternity clothes? Same as last week---lots of maxi dresses and my GAP maternity skinnies with Liz Lange tanks and non-maternity loose tops and tunics. I pretty much just want to wear sweatpants everyday, but I can't show up at work like that, haha.

Stretch marks? Still none. I'm using Belli's Elasticity Belly Oil and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation. 

Symptoms: I'm feeling tired, lots of pressure, having Braxton Hicks contractions occasionally and overall I feel uncomfortable and sometimes crampy at night. I'm ready for baby girl to make her arrival.  

Sleep: I wake up a lot to pee and most nights I wake up around 3-4 a.m. and can't get back to sleep again for an hour or so. They say it's your body's way of preparing you for all of those night feedings...

Best moment this week: Realizing that we will meet our baby soon and celebrating with friends at my work baby shower:

Miss Anything? Being comfortable

Movement: Some days she is partying in there and other days I feel less movement now that she's running out of room.  

Food cravings: Subway, honey nut cheerios, ice cream, fruit (I am eating tons of it lately)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really

Have you started to show yet: I feel huge!

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing faux bands

Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel happy and also anxious and excited to meet our baby...just overall feeling anticipation

Looking forward to: A spa/pool day with Candice to celebrate my 30th birthday!  We decided to celebrate this weekend since I could go into labor by my birthday (crossing my fingers!)

I found Lulu in the nursery hanging out on this lamb mat---don't worry, I haven't washed it yet and it will be washed before the baby uses it! I have to remove that tag too.

Speaking of my birthday, this was an early birthday gift---a Nespresso machine to use during my leave to make delicious lattes. So many of you recommended this espresso maker and we absolutely love it, so thank you!

Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check-in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going :) 

Maternity Photos!

I had the opportunity to have some maternity photos shot by one of the photographers at work in our home and I'm excited to share them with you!

I recommend having maternity photos taken because it's such a special time to capture in your life.  You may not look or feel your best when you're pregnant, but working with a photographer you're comfortable with will make all the difference. I'm glad I'll always have these to capture my pregnancy. 

Here are some of my favorite shots:

As I write the post, I'm 8 days away from my due date and like I mentioned last week, it still feels surreal to think she will be here soon. 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

All photos are copyright by Allen Kramer.

A Cropped Denim Jacket

I haven't owned a denim jacket in a long time but suddenly I was craving one.  I wanted something lightweight for summer and a darker denim (though I love the light ones too!)  

I was browsing at Nordstrom last week and saw a really cute denim jacket on display and decided to try it on just for fun.  It was reasonably priced at $69 (some can go into the $200 range and I didn't want to spend that) and it fit really nicely and was really thin (perfect for the hot weather).  The jacket is by Kut from the Kloth Denim and it comes in different colors. For reference, I got a medium and I would say it fits on the smaller side, so size up if you're between sizes. I'm 38 weeks, 2 days pregnant in these photos :)

Denim Jacket- Kut from the Kloth denim @ Nordstrom (light color, dark color)

Necklace- J.Crew 

Maxi Dress- c/o PB&J Boutique 

Shoes- Steve Madden- similar, similar, similar

A few ladies have asked me if this maxi dress is see-thru because of the close-up photo where you can see skin through it (it's actually a nude slip, not my skin).  Yes, the entire fabric of the dress is sheer. I have to wear it with a nude slip to make sure my underwear doesn't show through.  

I took a photo of the dress upside-down so you could see how the fabric is throughout the garment if you're thinking of purchasing.  The sheerness doesn't bother me, but I realize that it may not be up everyone's alley.  I've kind of noticed that most maxi dresses that are a jersey/cotton material are not thick enough to wear without a slip and I wear them with slips even when I am not pregnant. My mint green one required a slip as well. 

Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Creating a Date Night Look with Almay's Smart Shade Mousse Makeup

Now that we're in the home stretch of my pregnancy, my husband and I have been spending a lot of time getting ready for baby.  One thing everyone told us is to make sure to go on a few date nights before the baby comes.  I think that's such great advice, because your life as a couple is about to dramatically change as you bring a new life into the world (sleepless nights, most of your attention devoted to baby, new routines, etc.), so it's nice to spend some quality time together as a twosome before baby's arrival.

Recently I got to test out some new Almay products to create a "date night" look and it was really fun to step outside of my typical makeup routine and test out some new products.

The first product I tried is Almay's new Smart Shade Mousse makeup.  I had never tried a mousse makeup before and I never wear liquid foundation so I was curious as to how it would work on my skin.  What's amazing is that the foundation is white in the packaging---but as you rub it into your skin, it instantly transforms into your ideal shade, right before your eyes. I used the Smart Shade Mousse makeup in the color "light."  I was really surprised at how much I loved the texture since I'm a powder girl.  It goes on really smooth spreads evenly and gives your skin a nice, airbrushed look.  It provides medium coverage---I could still see some of my freckles through it (which I love). I followed the mousse makeup with a touch of concealer to cover some blemish marks (hello pregnancy!) and then sealed it all with a light dusting of Almay's pressed powder (also in the color light).

Almay's Smart Shade Mousse makeup in the color "light"

Almay's pressed powder

 

To complete my look, I was sent Almay's intense i-color eyeshadows in the "bold nudes" collection, which was right up my alley.  The long-lasting shades are nicely pigmented and make application easy because all three colors are meant to complement each other.  I actually chose to combine two palettes to create my date night look.  I used the dark brown from the palette on the left to line my top lash line (I dipped my brush into water first to get an even bolder line) and then I used a combination of the two purple shades on my lower lash line---first lining with the darker plum and then going over that with a lighter purple which had a beautiful iridescence to it.  Finally, I used the shimmery ivory shade from the purple palette to make the inner corners of my eyes and my brow bone pop.

To get a sunny glow on my skin, I swiped Almay's smart shade bronzer onto my cheeks, the sides of my nose and in my hairline.

Here was my final date night look:

 

A close-up of the eye makeup---it's hard to tell from far away, but up-close, you can see that I have a bit of an olive color mixed into my eyes---and this gorgeous purple shadow really brings that color out. Maybe I need to wear purple more often!

 

I hope you liked this look!  

 

Check out Almay's website for more information about their products and don't forget to like Almay on Facebook!

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37 weeks! FULL TERM

I was so blown away by all of the thoughtful and sweet comments on my last pregnancy update post---thank you so much to all of you who took the time to leave a comment or email me about your breastfeeding experience. It was so nice to hear from mommas in similar situations to me and I'm so glad to have gotten so much encouragement and support from so many of you. A million thanks!

I'm two weeks out from my due date today and emotionally I'm in a place where it all feels really surreal.  The birth of the baby still feels far away (it's not!) and for some reason it's so hard for me to picture this beautiful life growing inside of me actually being in my arms soon.  

I think that if you've always wanted to be a mom, you kind of picture what your life might be like with a baby but now that it's so close, it's hard to actually imagine the moment where I'll first see her face and hold her tiny little body.  I am so excited and have so much anticipation for that incredible, life-changing moment, but like I said, it feels very surreal. It doesn't help that I was watching Holly Madison's E Special about the birth of her baby while writing this post...definitely teared up a little when the doctor placed her baby on her chest after birth. 

In terms of being prepared for our little arrival, the nursery is done, but I'm going to post the photos after her arrival because her name is in there.  Speaking of the name---I've gotten a lot of questions about it. What I can tell you is that we've had her name picked out for about four years now. I've kept a list of baby names we love on my iPhone for a long time and when we found out it was a girl we knew immediately the name we were going to choose.  We've been calling her by her name since we found out she's a she and we already have about 17 nicknames for her (yep, we're those people!) 

All of the newborn and 0-3 size clothing is washed and most of the essentials have arrived at our doorstep (thanks, Amazon!) We've assembled the pack n' play, swing, bouncer, etc and our carseat is being installed this weekend. It feels good to have most of the major items taken care of. 

Some of her clothing--I have it all divided by size. Up until last week I only had about four pieces of newborn and 0-3 clothing so I ordered more online and my mother in law got us some awesome stuff as well. Everyone told me to buy bigger sizes and then I realized I didn't have anything for her to wear those first few months.  I kept the tags on the larger clothing like a lot of you recommended in case she outgrows it before she has a chance to wear it. I made little sizing tags out of scrapbook paper (you can see them above) to divide up all of the sizes too.

I know babies need to be changed a lot when they are little so I also have some simple/plain onesies in newborn and 0-3 sizes in her dresser.

I got this cute little hanger thing at Marshalls Home Goods and I had my husband install it in her closet to hang all of her hooded towels from it. I got each towel as a gift at my baby showers so they are extra special!

Also...how cute is this hat? (from The Tiny Toppers on Etsy.com) I bought it for her newborn photos!

I still haven't fully packed my hospital bag but it should be done soon...usually I'm so prepared for everything but I guess the whole "so surreal" feeling has kept me from having a strong sense of urgency. I figure if I went into labor early I could just toss most of what I need into my hospital bag and go.

In terms of how I'm feeling these days...it is what it is, ha. My hands and feet have swollen up a bit, my back hurts, almost all positions are uncomfortable to sit in and I'm still feeling a lot of pressure down low---but hey, two weeks out, I can't really expect anything else.

I'll find out at my OB appointment on Thursday if I've made any progress---last week the baby was low and my cervix was softening. My OB won't let me go past 41 weeks so I will definitely have the baby sometime before June 5th.  

How far along? 37 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I'm actually 38 weeks today).  

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about 27 pounds now. 

Maternity clothes? I am still wearing non-maternity tops (aside from the Liz Lange tanks) and maxi dresses and my GAP skinny maternity pants. Ladies who are thinking of becoming pregnant one day---hang on to all of those looser tops and tunics you bought because they will get you through your entire pregnancy.

Stretch marks? Still none. I'm using Belli's Elasticity Belly Oil and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation. 

Symptoms: Pretty much what I mentioned above. Overall general discomfort. The other night I woke up a lot and had cramps that radiated down through my thigs and legs. It was awful.

Sleep: It's been okay. During the work week I tend to sleep better than on weekends.

Best moment this week: Feeling like things were getting done for the baby. Everything is ordered and organized. It's all coming together and that's a good feeling.  I also had a good NST test so positives all around.
 Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Being comfortable

Movement: She has been pretty active lately. It's so tight in there though. Hopefully she will see the running out of space as a cue to let us welcome her into the world :)

Food cravings: Subway, candy, ice cream

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just eating large portions, so I'm trying to eat small portions very often

Have you started to show yet: All people ask these days is when I'm due.

(this was actually taken today, at 38 weeks)

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? I finally stopped wearing them this week. I just wear a thin, faux band now.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel emotional but overall happy.

Looking forward to: My OB appointments, seeing my maternity photos, meeting our baby SOON!

Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going :) I also welcome everyone's advice and comments about pregnancy!