{36 weeks}

How far along? 36 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison is about the size of a crenshaw melon (what the hell is that?) and is about 18.5" long. She is shedding the waxy substance that has protected her skin for the past 36 weeks and is gaining weight like crazy. One more week til she is full-term, thank goodness.

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Yup
Sleep: I don't even want to talk about it.
Best moment this week: Getting my diaper bag and infant carrier in!
Miss Anything? Again.. moving without this awful pain.
Movement: So much.
Food cravings:  Not so much this week
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks
Symptoms: Swollen feet. Womp womp
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? Just had to take them off. :(
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody. This pain is making me an evil witch

Looking forward to: meeting Miss Addie Grace and hopefully ridding myself of this pain..

To celebrate the turn of 36 weeks, we spent the day in Labor & Delivery. When I woke up this morning, the pain I've been complaining about for the past month was so bad I couldn't even turn over to get out of bed. Naturally I called my mom freaking out and she suggested calling Keith at work and going to the hospital, and that's what I did. Right now, our hospital has strict visitor policies (2 visitors at a time, and only if they don't have ANY symptoms, and no kids under 10) due to the awful flu season, so I was worried they wouldn't let Aubrey in. Well, when we got there they did let her in but let us know that she couldn't stay. So that was another thing to worry about. Luckily Rachel (my best friend) was able to meet Keith at our house and take her for the day. It sucked being alone for the 1+ hour while he went but I knew it had to be done. 

I don't know if I've explained this pain in detail, but it's like right under my boobs right in the middle and it goes all around my right side to my back. It is burning and achy 100% of the time, but I get very frequent shooting/stabbing pains. My doctor's office sent me for an ultrasound on Tuesday to check for gall stones and they didn't see anything, but the doctor in L&D said that there was a small amount of sludge and a tiny stone (how fun!) but she doesn't think that's what is causing me to be in this excruciating pain. 

They hooked me up to the monitors, gave me an IV with fluids and meds, did blood and urine tests, the whole 9 yards. They were concerned with pre-eclampsia because my feet are pretty swollen and I've been having a little blurred vision and floaters but that came back negative. At one point I was getting pretty constant contractions that were getting a little painful, but of course they died down. The nurses thought I was in labor. They checked me and I have started to dilate, which is a plus.. but I know that can last weeks. 

They couldn't find anything wrong, so I got sent home around 4pm. I have an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday and I really hope we can discuss an earlier c-section date. I already have one scheduled for 39 weeks but I don't know if I can deal with this for another 3 weeks. It seems to get worse as the days go on. I know it's best for Addison to stay in as long as possible, but this pain and stress I'm in can NOT be good for her either. And the bright side is, as soon as she is out they can run more extensive testing to see what exactly is wrong and hopefully get it fixed. 

{35 weeks}

How far along? 35 weeks!
Baby stats: According to Babycenter, little lady is around 5 1/4 pound (about as heavy as a honeydew melon) and over 18" long. According to the ultrasound I had earlier this week, she's measuring at about 6 pounds. But I know those can be off +/- a pound so that's pretty accurate! Her kidneys are done developing and her liver can process waste (oh fun! Can't wait for that first poopy diaper!)

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Yup. New ones. :( Not very noticeable, and I pray it's all I get. 
Sleep: I don't even want to talk about it.
Best moment this week: My baby shower!
Miss Anything? Again.. moving without this awful pain.
Movement: So much.
Food cravings:  Keith went and grabbed us dinner from one of our favorite sub/pizza shops and I got my favorite - an Oriental chicken salad. It's SO amazing. I haven't had one since before I got pregnant so it was a nice treat.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Lots of braxton hicks this week. Curious to see if they are doing anything to my cervix. Guess we will find out at my appointment this week
Symptoms: Heartburn USA. I've said it once and I'll say it again.. this kid better have Rapunzel hair when she comes out! lol
Belly Button in or out? Ick. Out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Maternity leave! A few more weeks..

So my BFF Rachel and one of my coworkers threw me a "baby sprinkle" last weekend with my closest family & friends. We got some really nice gifts for Addison! Aubrey was really sick and I was so upset about it because it would have been so nice to share that day with her. I had even gotten her a few things to open for her "baby".. a book "I'm A Big Sister", some PJs for her doll, and an adorable little baby carrier from Pottery Barn Kids for her to wear her baby just like I'll be wearing Addison.

The shower was on Sunday morning, so obviously a brunch theme was in order. Rachel outdid herself making some yummy foods! Assorted pancake bites with bacon, chocolate chips and nuts, cheese danish, a big fruit platter with dip, fake mimosas (ginger ale and OJ! So good!) and raspberry sherbet punch. 

{my bestie}

{presents!}

{me and my momma - "act like you love each other"}

It was a really nice day. Addison is so blessed to come into the world with people who love her so much!

{34 weeks}

How far along? 34 weeks!
Baby stats: Addie Grace weighs approximately 4 3/4 pounds (like the size of a canteloupe!) and is around 18" long. Her skin is getting to be as smooth as a baby's bottom  (hehe) and her lungs are maturing!

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? The ones from Aubrey are coming a little more noticeable
Sleep: Not coming easy lately :( I have got this awful numbing, burning, stretching pain on the top of my stomach. No matter what I do it's excruciating :(
Best moment this week: Aubrey loved her big sister class! Oh and my birthday was yesterday! The big 2-6. I am officially over the 20's hump. :( I also got to see my little lady on an ultrasound! I wasn't feeling a ton of movement so my doctor hooked me up for a non-stress test and her heartrate wasn't accelerating like they wanted it to so they sent me in for an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay, and it is! Look at her nose/mouth :)

Miss Anything? Taking medicine that actually works, and being able to move without being in all this pain
Movement: Lots. 
Food cravings:  None really standing out to me this week
Anything making you queasy or sick: Besides this sickness that I just can't kick (don't know if it's the flu anymore or what), not really.

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Pressure, braxton hicks
Symptoms: Heartburn like you wouldn't believe!
Belly Button in or out? It's so odd looking
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Finally holding my little girl! I finally started doing her laundry earlier this week and can't wait to put these tiny clothes on her

{33 weeks}

How far along? 33 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison weighs a little over 4 pounds (the size of a pineapple!) and is over 17" long. Her bones are hardening. The bones in her noggin still aren't fused together and won't be entirely until she reaches adulthood to make room for her brain.

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? The ones from Aubrey are coming a little more noticeable
Sleep: I wish sleep could be my job.
Best moment this week: This has to be a trick question or something.
Miss Anything? Belly sleeping.
Movement: Lots. 
Food cravings:  Mexican food! Bring on the yellow rice, chimichangas, and virgin 'ritas!
Anything making you queasy or sick: I tried once again to drink a cup of hot coffee this week with no luck. My mom got me my 2 favorite kinds of k-cups (Butter Toffee and Spicy Eggnog! Mmm) as part of my Christmas gift  but hot coffee is going to have to hold off another 6 weeks. I did, however, make a delicious iced coffee using a Butter Toffee k-cup and I was in heaven!

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Pressure
Symptoms: Lots of pinching in the cervix area. Ouch! Oh and I can waddle with the best of them.
Belly Button in or out? Kind of starting to poke out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Breastfeeding class tonight, and Aubrey's Big Sis class on Saturday!

The past two weeks have been less than kind to me. The weekend before New Years Eve I landed my butt in the hospital for contractions 2-3 minutes apart and just feeling all around crappy. Six hours, an exam, flu testing, IV and tons of bloodwork later, the consensus was a UTI and dehydration (which I totally don't understand because I drink ice water like it's my job). I asked for my antibiotic in a liquid form because I just don't do well with pills, especially while pregnant. We go and pick that up and grab some dinner and head home. After we eat I go to take my first round of antibiotics and immediately get sick. Okay, cool. I tried twice more over the course of the night and it just wasn't staying down. By Sunday morning I felt even worse and called my doctor to let them know I wasn't keeping anything, including my medicine, down for more than a few minutes at a time. She suggested coming back to L&D for an IV of the antibiotics and some more fluid. Keith and Aubrey dropped me off because they had a date planned to see Monsters, Inc 3D (and to be honest I preferred the quiet time anyway to try to get some rest, plus the hospital is no fun for a 3 year old!). They got me hooked up to another IV, ran some more blood tests, and then gave me a shot of the antibiotic in my bum which I wasn't too happy about because it hurt like a B. Around 1 they let me eat. Since I didn't have breakfast I chose french toast with a side of bacon and fruit and yogurt it was SO good. I think I found my breakfast of choice for my hospital stay after I have Addison! A while later they were discussing discharging me and checked me out one last time and found out that not only do I have a UTI, but also a sinus infection and ear infection. Fun stuff! 

I bit the bullet and decided to try an antibiotic in pill form, but made sure it was one I could cut up. It was so much better than the liquid as long as I took it with a glass of Coke or something equally carbonated. I had an appointment that Monday to see my NP but she had to cancel due to a family emergency. I was feeling much better after taking a couple rounds of the antibiotic and was ready to go back to work Tuesday, which was New Years Day (aka cha-chinggg, double time at work!) but after thinking about it for a while she had the receptionist call and told me I had to take a freaking week off. I was really angry and upset because - hello - 7 weeks away from having another baby and I still have a ton of stuff to do/buy. I tried pleading. I tried crying. But they wouldn't budge. So I sucked it up and took the week off. Later in the week I got a call saying "hey, your cultures came back.. you have the flu!" Well where the hell is my party hat? Let's celebrate. 

I *finally* got back to work this past Tuesday (the 8th). I made it through one night, no problem. Wake up yesterday morning and -surprise!!!!!- I can't open my eyes! They are glued shut with nasty eye gunk. I stumble into the bathroom and use a warm facecloth to clear it all away and noticed my eyes looked a little red, but not too bad. But as the day progressed they got worse and worse. I called my doctor, but since she's an OB she can't help. My general practitioner literally just moved across the country a couple weeks ago and I am still in the process of finding us a family doctor/pediatrician. So I was told I have to go to urgent care to get checked out. I went into work because I had some training I didn't want to miss and I tried to just truck through the night but by 7:00 I had so much pressure in my eyes I couldn't concentrate. So off I go to immediate care where I was diagnosed with conjunctivitis in both eyes. I'm telling you.. this is NOT my week!

Tonight we are attending a breastfeeding class which I'm pretty excited about. I never tried nursing Aubrey and I have quite a bit of regret about it so I definitely wanted to give it a shot this time around. Then on Saturday Aubrey has a "Being the older sibling" class! The class description says for her to bring a newborn photo of herself, along with a doll or stuffed animal with legs. Does this mean she will learn how to change a diaper so I can hand her sister off to her when she has those poo-splosions? ;) A mama can dream.

Hello, 2013!

I'm so excited to welcome in 2013. I have high hopes for this year (even if it did start off on the wrong foot). Welcoming Addison into the world and completing our family, saving money to move out of this apartment so the girls can have their own rooms and (hopefully!) a yard to play in. Getting into shape after Addison is born and wearing normal clothes again.

2012 was a huge freaking roller coaster ride..

January

 

*Celebrated my 25th birthday and on that day, we got to hear little bean's heartbeat for the first time and announced on Facebook that we were pregnant!  
*Keith's sister got engaged. 
*I started having problems with my pregnancy. Diagnosed with a subchorionic bleed. Tons of bedrest. 


February

*Keith & I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary! We got each other pretty much the same cards which was pretty funny. 

*Aubrey made us the sweetest little Valentine at her toddler group! I still have it hanging on the fridge..

*Things continued to be bumpy in my pregnancy. 

*I left my job at Carrabba's and went to another restaurant opening up.

March

*Rachel & I took the girls to the aquarium! They had a blast looking at all the fish and riding the train.

*On March 6th I went to the hospital because I was in a lot of pain. After hours of waiting, I went in for an ultrasound around 10:30pm. My water broke while I was in the ultrasound room. 45 minutes later, I delivered our little boy at 14 weeks gestation. My heart broke into a million pieces that day. He was so tiny and perfect.

*On March 11, Keith's sister got married! I was a bridesmaid and Miss Aubrey made the cutest little flower girl ever!

April

*April was a pretty busy month! Rachel & I had a super fun girls night that included too many margaritas, yummy dinner and dessert, awful photobooth pictures, and Leonardo DiCaprio in 3D. Yup, we went and saw Titanic and it was amazing.

*I won 4 free passes to Davis Farmland which was SO much fun! Aubrey had a blast seeing and feeding the animals, playing in the huge playground, and going on a hayride!

*Easter was a lot of fun this year. The older Aubrey gets, the more fun we have with traditions like coloring eggs and having an egg hunt with plastic eggs on Easter morning. 

*Our local church hosted a ceremony for our little man. So many friends and family showed up and it was the perfect day. We did a balloon release at the end and then had a big pot luck lunch/dinner.

*The day after the ceremony was our March for Babies walk! We organized Team KRJ in a little over a month and raised over $500. I'm really excited to do it again this year!

May

*May brought lots of GORGEOUS weather, which meant lots of playing outside! Playdates with friends, acting silly, picking flowers.. and of course, adult bonfires when the kiddo was up in Maine visiting Grandma with Keith's sister!
*Aubrey & I had a girl's day in Boston! We took the train into the city early in the morning and went to the Children's Museum and had a blast!
*Keith & I had a date to an amusement park and went on this awful roller coaster! I love roller coasters as much as the next guy but this one made me seriously nauseous (although, it could have something to do with something that we discover in...)


June

*June was probably the best month of 2012. On Father's Day, we got the news we had been waiting 3 months to hear.. I'm pregnant! Naturally I was scared shitless and nervous I was going to go through the same thing again, but I was also so excited at the possibility of finally having another baby.

*I got a job offer! It was such a relief to get out of waitressing and into a sit-down desk job. This job has been such a blessing for us. While waitressing did have it's good parts and I did make pretty decent money, it wasn't constant. I never knew how much money to expect to make on any given day. 

*More gorgeous weather! We took advantage by going to the beach, going to the farm for donuts and animal petting, and an indoor butterfly garden with our besties. 

*My mom & I had a Bingo night! Aubrey even gave me a good luck charm :) Needless to say, we didn't win.. but we had a lot of fun anyway

July

*July was, sadly, uneventful except for the first week, since I had 4 weeks of training that lasted all day. On the 4th my brother had his annual cookout/block party. We discovered that Aubrey LOVES those little popper things you throw on the ground. Everyone kept trying to get me to drink and take shots because we hadn't told anybody the big news yet. I ended up telling my sister in law and my nephew's girlfriend (I'm sure me refusing alcohol was proof enough, though lol)
*July also brought Aubrey's 3rd birthday!!! It blows my mind that she is already 3 and turning into such an amazing little girl. We celebrated by making a quick run to Panera that morning some breakfast and then taking her into Boston for the day to visit her favorite place - the Children's Museum!
*Aubrey decided that she wanted a Minnie Mouse birthday party. I had a blast planning it. We decided to do water balloons and a sprinkler, and the neighbor that shares a yard had a bounce house and let the kids over to play in that. It was a perfect day!

August

*We made the big announcement! The love and support was amazing. 
*We celebrated Aubrey's bff's 3rd birthday! Part of our gift for her was matching "BFF" necklaces. <3
*Lazy days at the beach! Aubrey went through a phase where those guys didn't leave her side. I was nervous we were going to lose them in the sand but she kept them on a short leash haha
*14 week belly pic. I miss being small. Wah.


September

*September was a bittersweet month. The 3rd was my due date with KRJ, so it started off kind of blah.. but didn't take very long to turn around.

*Aubrey started dance class! I really wanted to get her into a fun activity where she can get out of the house every week and she LOVES it.

*We found out that we are going to be having another little girl!! We had a gender reveal party and it was a lot of fun. I went to Carter's with my mom after my ultrasound with a sealed envelope in hand of the results and picked out two outfits - a boy outfit and a girl outfit - and had the cashier open the envelope and put the appropriate outfit in a box and tape it up nice and tight. When we got back to my mom's house, we wrapped up the box and I didn't open it until later that night when we had our friends and family over. It was such a special moment!

*Little lady has a name! 

October

*October means apple picking! We found an awesome farm/orchard about 20 minutes from our house that we never knew about before. Aubrey had a blast picking apples and finding the perfect pumpkin! She, of course, decided to carve an Angry Birds pattern on it. 
*October 21st marked 13 years since my dad passed away. It's hard to believe that he has been gone for officially more than half of my life now. I was 12 when we lost him to cancer. I wish he could be here today to watch his granddaughters grow up.
*Aubrey chose to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween this year! I love to make up little goodie bags for her to open on the morning of a holiday that isn't a typical "gift" holiday like Christmas or Easter. This year I decided on some Halloween stickers, a book, a flashlight for her to bring trick-or-treating, and a Halloween themed yogurt. She loved it!


November

*November was a blast! We took the train into Boston with Aubrey's cousins and went to the Children's Museum (yes, we are obsessed with that place).. They had a Nutcracker exhibit that included coloring pages and meeting a ballerina from the Boston Ballet.

*We had some freak warm weather that allowed us to spend time outside with no jackets. Say whaaat?

*When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to plan some fun things to do - just the 2 of us - before baby gets here. When I saw that Phineas & Ferb were coming to my hometown I knew I had to take her! She had SO. MUCH. FUN. It made the $12 sno cone and $10 cotton candy 100% worth it to see her face light up, especially when she got to meet one of the dancers and give Perry the Platypus a high-five!

December

*Oh, December.. if it weren't for the cold and snow you would be my favorite month of the year, hands down. Always so much going on! We had so much fun decorating our tree this year, and this was the first year that Aubrey had her own little tree in her room! She loved being able to rearrange the ornaments as she wanted to.
*This was also the first year that our Elf came to visit! We named him Jingle since he brought Aubrey a jingle bell ornament for her tree on his first night here, along with a chocolate advent calendar and a Christmas movie.
*Aubrey had her first dance recital! She did SO great and I was one proud momma. Her class did "I Got A Cold For Christmas" and they were adorable. Their costumes were Christmas PJs, which was perfect because I didn't have to drop another $50+ on a costume when I already am for her June recital ;)
*We went to the Stone Zoo for some Christmas fun! The whole zoo was decorated in lights and we got to meet Santa.
*The day before Christmas Eve, Jingle brought us a gingerbread kit to make. Aubrey had been asking for one all month so she was super excited!
*Christmas morning was so much fun. Every year it just gets better and better because she gets so much more excited! I just want to share a picture from her first Christmas. It's amazing how much she has changed in just a few years!:

*New Years Eve was spent at home watching movies and Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve (Minus the Dick Clark. Boooo) Aubrey almost made it to midnight but passed out right after 11. Obviously I couldn't drink anything, but Keith got me some sparkling cider that was really good. Naturally I had to put it in a fancy glass so I wouldn't feel so left out when Keith busted out the good stuff.

Overall 2012 was pretty good to us, besides when we lost KRJ.. but it definitely shaped me and made me a stronger person and taught me to take life one day at a time and not take anything for granted. I'm so thankful we were able to get pregnant again so soon (even though now it feels like I have been pregnant for like 10 years lol). I'm so thankful that we have our health, our family and friends, and of course each other. 2013 is going to be amazing, I just know it!