The Home Stretch!

We left Iowa for 3 weeks for Garrett's summer break and the bump pictures didn't happen quite as often like they were. Here is a little pregnancy update!

32 weeks!
Dressing room photo is going to have to cut it

35 weeks!

36 weeks! 

38 weeks!

How Far Along? 

36-38 weeks! 

 Weight Gain?

26 pounds. It has all come right to my stomach and I don't know if it can stretch anymore. 

Maternity Clothes? 

Wearing a lot of Garrett's shirts, gym shirts, yoga pants, and comfy clothes. Dresses are still a go to along 
with my maternity shorts! 

 Sleep?
Sleeping pretty good still! Sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep and I wake up once or twice a night to use the bathroom but go right back to sleep which has been so nice! I am still teaching each morning and I take a nice LONG nap when I am done each morning! 

Best moment so far? 
That everything is getting so close! We took a birthing class and I'm so grateful for Garrett's support and being so supportive with my thoughts and feelings about labor and delivery! He's going to be the best dad! 

Weird pregnancy moment?
This was around 32 weeks but one night, we were laying in bed and Garrett was dozing off with his hand on my stomach and baby boy kicked pretty hard and scared the crap out of Garrett! It was pretty hilarious! 

 Movement?

He is jabbing me all over the place and makes my stomach into weird shapes and forms. 

Gender: 

Boy

Food Cravings?

I always want sweets but that is normal. 

Morning Sickness?

No sickness!

Symptoms?

My stomach feels huge, I have to go to the bathroom all the time, and there is some heartburn still going on. 

Looking forward to?
Finally meeting him already! We are full term and everything is looking good so now we wait!

Maternity Pictures!

While we were home in Billings, my sweet sweet cousin Chelsea took some maternity pictures for us! We weren't planning on taking any but now that we did, I am SO happy about! I will seriously treasure these for forever. I love these update pictures of Garrett and I's last family pictures as a family of two! This is only some of them! So a big thank you to Chelsea for giving us these pictures and being so much fun! We love you! 

Also a shout out to Garrett for being the best and so willing to take pictures! 

30 & 31 Weeks.

30 & 31 Weeks

We are starting week 32 tomorrow so here is a recap of 30 & 31! We have less than 2 months left! We can't believe how fast time is going and how quickly he will be here!

30 Weeks (almost)

30.5 Weeks 

31 Weeks

How Far Along? 

30 & 31 Weeks! 

 Weight Gain?

17 pounds. Feeling pretty dang good about that!

Maternity Clothes? 

Just my shorts, one shirt, and wearing all the comfy dresses- trying to stay cool. The heat has officially arrived. 

 Sleep?
Once I fall asleep I'm fine. My hips are sore in the mornings though if I laid on one side all night.
We went on a hospital tour and it made things seem VERY VERY real. I am getting 
The baby shower a few girls in my ward are throwing me!

Best moment this week? 

Garrett went to a dad class at the hospital this week and he wasn't too excited to go when the time came because it was supposed to be kind of long. But when I picked him up, he came out smiling with some of the other guys and he ended up having a good time and learning quite a bit. I was just the sweetest glimpse of seeing how great he will be. The fact that he wanted to go and learn makes me so grateful for him! I loved hearing from him what he learned. I can't wait to watch them together. Only 10 weeks!! 

Had our doctor's appointment and found out everything was good with my glucose test! 

Weird pregnancy moment?

We had our hospital tour recently and it made everything SO real. Like holy cow it is happening. We are so ready and excited to meet him. 

 Movement?

I swear this kid never sleeps because he is ALWAYS moving. I'm getting a little concerned that he is never going to sleep once he gets here. 

 I noticed he had hiccups for the first time this week which was funny! (30 weeks)

Gender: 

Boy

Food Cravings?

None, just eating normal + a lot of popsicles and ice cream. 

Morning Sickness?

Nope. 

Symptoms?

Heartburn a little bit and sore hips from sleeping.

Looking forward to?
(Update: We had the baby shower and it was so much fun! I was finally able to get to know some more people in the ward, we had a great turn out, and everyone was so generous and kind! It was a great shower! Thank you to Shantelle and Malorie!)

Family Update: 
It was my 22nd birthday!! Garrett and I celebrated a day early and went to Red Lobster and had cheesecake because on my birthday Devin and Torrie came to visit for the weekend!! We celebrated by having a 'pizza party,' like Garrett told Emmett to call it! 

We spent the weekend with Devin, Torrie, Emmett and Connor going on walks to the park, went to the John Deere Pavilion, and gave them a tour of Palmer. 

We have been enjoying the warm weather here in Iowa. We went to the Farmer's Market, been playing some tennis and went to the Backwater Gamblers Ski Show. It was AMAZING. Our good friend Caleb who goes to school with Garrett is on the team and it was so much fun!

This week we have our doctor's appointment, Garrett is taking finals and then we are headed west and couldn't be happier about it!!

Pregnancy Picture Update & 29 Weeks!

Pregnancy Picture Update

22.5 Weeks
When I officially popped! My first official 'bump pic!'

23.5 Weeks! 

25 Weeks- ft. Momma Robbin!

27 Weeks! 

28 Weeks!

How Far Along? 

29 Weeks! 3rd Trimester!

 Weight Gain?

15 pounds

Maternity Clothes? 

I have one cute shirt and I got some shorts for my birthday from my Momma that 
will save my life this summer but other than that no.

 Sleep?
Sleep is still good! It is just difficult to fall asleep sometimes.

Best moment so far? 

Since I started feeling good at about 12 weeks the pregnant has gone really smoothly! It was so fun to find out we were having a boy. 

While my mom was out visiting us she came to our appointment with us and got to hear his heartbeat and hear good news from the doctor which was so fun!

I love hearing Garrett talk to him and it is so fun to imagine what he will be like. We are getting the nursery all decorated and trying to get prepared! We start having appointments every two weeks! 

Weird pregnancy moment?
It's been several weeks since this happened for the first time but I still love it. I love to actually SEE my stomach move while he is kicking and moving around. 

 Movement?

Yes!! A lot! He is moving like crazy and getting so strong! 

Gender: 

Boy

Food Cravings?

Not really. I like to have cravings on Sunday's when I can't go to the store which is a real bummer.

Morning Sickness?

NO :))) Felt good since week 12!

Symptoms?

Can't really think of any symptoms other than my stomach is getting bigger! 

Looking forward to?
Finishing the nursery and having Garrett to myself for summer break in a couple of weeks.

I have tried really hard to have an active pregnancy and to workout as much as possible or at least get moving so go on a walk or something as much as I can! And I think that has been such a huge blessing for me! It has helped me feel really good! 11 weeks to go! I'm ready to meet him already! 

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!

It's been a long time but we have some exciting news over here! We are having a baby!! I am due August 7th and we are over the moon excited!! So here is a little update of the past couple months we have been keeping this secret!

On December 5th, I finally decided to take a pregnancy test not REALLY thinking that I would be pregnant, plus I didn't want to get my hopes up. So I took the test, set it on the counter, set my timer for 3 minutes and paced back and forth through the house, glancing at my timer, waiting for it to go off. I looked at it when there was about 20 seconds left and couldn't wait any longer so I turned my timer and look at my test. Positive. It was positive. I was in shock. Immediately I felt every emotion. Excitement, fear, worry, stress, love, happiness, and everything else.

I was freaking out and SO relieved Garrett was going to be home from class in an hour or so. I didn't know what to do. How was I going to tell him? I searched Pinterest but all the ideas of how to tell your spouse would take effort and more than an hour. But I found this poem, wrote it on a piece of paper, tossed it in a bag and patiently waited for him to get home!

He got home from class and I told him that I had a present for him and he was stoked. Thank goodness it was Christmas time so he didn't think anything of it. I sat him down at the island and told him he could open it now. He had the sweetest reaction and said, "Ohhhh myyy gosh. Are you serious?! YESS!!" He stood up said, "NICEEE," and gave me the biggest hug. We immediately talked about how we were feeling. It was the sweetest afternoon chatting and having this little secret. It was so hard to keep it a secret, especially from my mom because I talk to her everyday. Thank goodness I only had to keep it a secret for 2 weeks. We decided that when we went home for Christmas we would tell our families. So for two weeks that was all I thought about. How are we going to tell our families?

We were able to get into the doctor to confirm the pregnancy before we headed home which was such a relief because I wanted to be 100% sure that I was pregnant. I wanted to be excited but at the same time didn't want to get too excited until I knew. 

Telling my parents was probably one of my favorite things that happened while we were home over Christmas. 

We got to Billings for Christmas on Saturday night and I wanted to tell them ASAP because I was dying keeping it in. So Sunday morning Garrett I got up early so that only my parents would be up and we could tell them separately.  So we went into the kitchen while my mom was making breakfast and told them that we had a present for them that we wanted them to open so they could use it while we were there?? How does that make sense? It doesn't but we didn't want to give it away. 

My mom wasn't interested in the present because she was making breakfast so my dad unwrapped the gift, opened it, read it, and looked up and kinda giggled all happy. Then my mom came over, and opened it and immediately said, "that's a cute tiny stocking." Then she actually read it, started freaking out, jumping around, screaming, and giving us hugs!! She was shocked! It was so fun and cute! The rest of the week my dad kept saying things like, "I'm going to be a grandpa to three sweet babies." "I'm going to be a grandpa again!" 

UPDATE

How Far Along? 

16 Weeks. We are into the second trimester now!

 Weight Gain?

Not a whole lot?

Maternity Clothes? 
No.

 Sleep?
Sleeping pretty good for the most part. Every once and awhile I have to get up to use the bathroom.

Best moment so far? 
There have been so many! First it was finding out I was pregnant and sharing the news with Garrett, telling our families was so much fun, having our first ultrasound, sharing the news with the rest of our friends and family, and getting over morning sickness (Hallelujah!)!! 

Weird pregnancy moment?
I've had some really weird dreams and I usually never remember my dreams, having to pee all the time, and realizing I need to keep food in my tummy all.the.time or I am cranky. Just ask Garrett. 

 Movement?

Not yet, but anxiously waiting. 

Gender: 

We don't know yet. We will know in 4-5 more weeks!! 

Food Cravings?

All the food, now that I am not sick anymore. I am just happy to eat again!

Morning Sickness?

I started getting sick on our drive home at Christmas. All those hours in the car were NOT a good time. Garrett was probably over my whining. I wanted to be out of the car so badly. The whole time we were home and until I was about 12 weeks I just had a very upset stomach. I didn't want to eat anything, but I was hungry so I had to eat. I felt nauseous and basically all day. It was not very fun! The day I got my appetite back was a good day!

Symptoms?

Some lower back pain sometimes but other than that, I barely know that I'm pregnant. Well at least today that is how I feel!

Looking forward to?

Everything! But mostly just anxious to find out if we are having a sweet baby boy or girl!

An Ohio Labor Day!

Going into Labor Day weekend we didn't have any big plans because I figured Garrett would work all Saturday and Monday but we ended up having the best time!

On Friday night, the Flanders invited us to the Columbus Clippers baseball game! So I raced to go pick Garrett up so we could race down to the stadium. It was right downtown which was fun because we hadn't been yet. We met up with Matt, Gina, and their two boys Owen and Emerson. We sat in the lawn area and it was the perfect evening. I just couldn't stop thinking that. It is the perfect evening.

It was dime-a-dog night at the baseball game so we had some hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn. While the boys got concessions, Gina and I chatted and enjoyed the game. The boys went to the bounce house a few times during the night. Then we were entertained as Owen, Emerson, and a few random kids chased each other around with empty water bottles. We left being very happy. Owen absolutely LOVES Garrett so he was loved on all night long.

Then Saturday morning we got up and headed to meet up with Matt and Gina to go to the Ohio State Buckeyes Season Opener. Being here in Columbus on a football Saturday is like nothing I've ever seen before. Everyone is here is die hard fans. Whether people are going to a game or not they are in their red and grey. We knew that it would be crazy down by the stadium so we parked a little ways away and got and uber to get our tickets and walk across to the stadium. 

It was just a SEA of RED. It was nuts. 

We got there just a few minutes late and the other team which was Bowling Green had already scored so we were a little concerned and thought it might actually be a close game. It wasn't... It was so much fun being able to cheer so often because they scored so much. The final score was 77-10. 

The halftime show was AMAZING. Garrett was saying that he usually doesn't care or watch the marching bands but he was very impressed by this one. The alumni came back and marched with them and it was very impressive. We had a good time cracking up!

After about the middle of the 3rd quarter a ton of people started to leave and by the time it was the beginning of the 4th a lot of people were gone. It gave us a good opportunity to get some pictures. 

This is Matt and Gina. He is the co-owner of Greenix and his wife. They took us to the game and it was BEST time. No one else we would have wanted to go with. We had so so much fun and we are seriously still talking about it. So thank you Matt and Gina a million times. 

 

We stayed until the very last second. At the end of the game all the players go over, stand in front of the band and sing the school song while swaying back and forth. So we stood and sang the fight song while swaying back and forth. 

The day was beautiful. We were shaded until half time and the second half we were WARM but it was perfect. 

We thought that since so many people left that traffic wouldn't be as bad.. it was. It was insane. But we had some good laughs about the people tailgating. The tailgating was insane. 

Why would you want to sit in the Ohio heat and humidity OUTSIDE the stadium on a tiny tv instead of in your air conditioned home? I will never understand these Ohio State die hard fans. But I am becoming a fan and they are my team now.

After the game and traffic, we finally made it back to the Flander’s after picking up Chipotle we ate and scarfed our food down so fast. The kids wanted to play Pie Face (the game where you get whipped cream thrown in your face. It was going to be me and Emerson so I said I would go first hoping that it wouldn’t get me. I rolled a TWO so I was thinking that I would be in good shape. I turned it once and then on the second spin I got whipped cream right in the face. Emerson thought it was quite hilarious. That game is rigged. Garrett turned it on turns 5, 6, 7, and 8 and still didn’t get him. WHAT?

Garrett headed out to sell for a little bit and I stayed to hang out! We headed on a bike ride/Segway ride to the splash park. 

The ride there went well, the ride back not so much. You could say there were multiples and threats to leave them a couple of times. But we did make it! Then once we got back Matt taught me how to ride their ninebot segways. At first it is a lot harder than it should be but then Gina took me around the neighborhood and I got the hang of it pretty fast! They are so fun and addicting to ride! 

Then right when Gina and I got back Garrett came back from working so we said hello to the kids and chatted for a few minutes. Then next thing I knew Garrett and I were headed out on a Segway date. Gina and Matt hooked us up with jackets, flashlights, and the segways. 

We rode them down the bike path to a little local restaurant in downtown Hilliard called Local Cantina.  We shared buffalo nachos and dessert while we watched some football and chatted on the patio. It was so much fun!  

Sunday we went to church and then had Sunday dinner with the Flander’s, which was delicious as always. We brought a strawberry pretzel dessert that we used gluten free pretzels for and it was DELICIOUS. I’m still thinking about it! Everyone loved it. We have loved spending our Sunday’s with them. They have become our family away from family!

Then on Monday, Garrett went out to work early and then got home a little earlier since it was Labor Day. We laid by the pool and did a little shopping and then went to the House of Japan with the Flander’s for dinner. It’s a hibachi grill and definitely one of the bests. It was so dang good! I got the shrimp and seriously it was heaven along with the fried rice and veggies! YUM! Garrett got chicken and loved it as well! We left feeling very full and happy. Owen who is 6 got sushi for dinner and was cracking us up because he downed all of it! It was two orders of sushi! We were very impressed and surprised that he likes it so much!

Overall, we had a great Labor Day weekend full of fun with the Flander’s.