Picture
39 Weeks
It's been quite the journey... And, now-- it continues. I'm rounding a corner.
In less than 3 hours, I will be officially 40 weeks pregnant, with nothing but an even bigger bump to show for it.

I blame my silly hubby for getting my hopes up and having all of these bogus theories about me going into labor at 38 weeks or some such nonsense. He has predicted numerous days to be the day our child greets the world. But, so far, baby Ezra hasn't liked any of those options. 

My measurements have been the same for the past two weeks. 1 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and the baby's head at -1 station. The doctors seem to think that those numbers are magical and that I could go into labor at any moment. I usually leave their office feeling a bit less optimistic than all of that. 

The weeks are getting increasingly hard. My energy is depleting more each day and so is my patience. I'm not, what most people would describe as, stressed-- just anxious. Anxious to see what my body can really do as far as labor and delivery, anxious to hold my baby and look at his face for the first time (a face that is, for now, a mystery to me), and have his little tiny fingers wrapped around just one of mine. Not to mention the look on Jon's face when he see's it all happen. Having gone through the whole emergency c-section, terrifying newborn health situation, and then having a 6.5 year old who is basically a grown up compared to changing a poopy, size 1 diaper... It's gonna be a completely new experience.

I'm getting tired of people calling me every day to ask if I'm "STILL pregnant" or say, "Haven't you had that baby yet?!" Especially when most of them are family members that would be informed the moment something happened. Most people are also convinced that because DH is so tall (6'2") and weighed 10 lbs, 6oz at birth, that our child is going to be a mammoth. I hear numerous times a week about how humongous our child is going to be. Or how late.
Even when I went shopping the other day, the lady checking my items at Victoria's Secret seemed to be an EXPERT in the fact that most 1st babies are late. While it's true that 70% of all babies are born after their due date, I don't need reminded of that every five seconds!

What's really funny is, after all of the talking THEY do they say, "Well, don't be too worried or stressed out. The baby will come when it's ready." REALLY? I didn't have a clue. -_-
If maybe, just maybe, I could get away from all that talking I would be completely fine with my baby boy waiting this thing out and letting me know whenever he is ready to make his grand entrance. And I'm sure with all the pain I'm in now, a grand entrance it will be!

Between all that and DH's mom & dad in town and wanting to come over all the time, and the awkward relationship (or lack thereof) that I already have with his sister-in-law heading into uncharted waters, I'm just a little sleep deprived, tense, and moody. Jon has literally been such a doll and told me to complain as much as I wanted. Poor thing-- I don't think he understood what that meant. Haha. He is basically my life coach right now and I don't know what I'd do without him.

So, with my due date tomorrow, I'm just sitting here drinking in the fact that hubs is cleaning the kitchen for me and my whole house smells like french vanilla creamer, and wondering- Where is Baby McConnell?

 
Picture
38 Weeks
I really don't know what to say...
I'm 38 weeks + 3 days (almost 4) and honestly, I won't lie, I was hoping- maybe even expecting- to be done being pregnant by now. It never occurred to me that I could take this thing to 39 or 40 weeks. It just seemed impossible!
Picture
#eisforezra

 
Picture
36 weeks
36 weeks was pure awful. Emotions ALL over the place. I spent, what feels like, days in bed and hours of my life crying over everything or arguing with hubby... sometimes over how nice he is being? Sounds like a psycho pregnant lady to me! 


Jon went to Washington D.C. as his last business trip before baby Ezra makes his debut and I decided to spend some time with friends in the neighboring town; just a few hours.
Well, in those few hours- five, to be exact- I managed to sprain my ankle. {Stylishly, mind you. Ruining one of my favorite pairs of wedges I spend a lot of money on as a souvenir when hubby and I were in Vegas last February.} 

I oh-so-graciously tripped over a rock in the road and, fortunately, did not fall on my stomach. Thank goodness I took my good friend, Jade, with me and she was able to ease my fall. Although, my leg eased its way underneath & behind me. Nasty bruising ensued, 4 days of crutches, and lots of ice and tylenol. Jon, had to get an early flight home from work and my mom came to spend the night with me because I could barely even get around enough to use the bathroom by myself.

All this, was the same week that I am, of course, due for a dreaded vaginal test at the doctor. Warning to all you girlies who haven't yet been pregnant... If you ever get the Group B Strep test in your 9th month, you will NEVER forget it. A plus was that the doctor I saw that particular morning, before abusing my lady parts, gave us an unscheduled in-room ultrasound. I was beyond thrilled because we had not seen our little alien in almost 17 weeks!

He has gotten so big, healthy, strong, and head down! I could've leaped for joy, had I not almost fallen on my already injured ankle in front of the dozens of people in the waiting room.

On top of everything else, it was also the week of my baby shower! However, I'm grateful I was at least able to get a mani/pedi and pull myself together to make it through the weekend. My mom did a great job planning the shower and incorporating the ideas I had too without letting me know too much about it. The hot chocolate bar went over great and the desserts were so simple! Not to mention we got almost EVERYTHING on our registry. 

Plus, all the things we had to return to the store.... that money paid for all the things we didn't get and still needed. I love all of our supportive friends and family so much. Below are a few pictures from our shower day. Don't forget to follow our Ezra's hashtag to see more photos in general.... #eisforezra

Picture
Hubby and I in the mirror...Inspired by a pinterest maternity photo.
Picture
my mom and I at the end of the baby shower
Picture
I originally wanted Dahlias at my shower SO badly. But, they aren't in season. So, a friend made them all out of gum paste. How gorgeous are these?!
Picture
37 weeks
37 weeks today! FULL TERM; and totally ready to meet my kid!
Especially after last night's fiasco...



Last night, Sunday, was supposed to be our last pre-baby date night. Knowing that Ezra could arrive at any time starting today, and Noah being at his mom's house, we wanted to spend some time together after having a very busy week/end. Plus, when you have a $25 gift certificate and two $5 off an entree coupons for Olive Garden how could date night NOT sound like a good idea?! 

I was so excited and feeling good... I actually felt like I looked cute which is pretty unheard of for me on a usual, non-pregnant day. Since I've gained my baby belly, it's even more scarce. 
Well, we made it through dinner, and I actually ate a full meal which surprised me! But, by the time the check was coming around my Braxton Hicks were so strong and the twinges of pain in my pelvis were so terrifying that anyone looking at me walk out of the restaurant probably thought that I was going into labor. And, dear lord, I felt like I was!

By the time we got home, I was bawling my eyes out and writhing in pain. (At least, now we know what my impending labor will be like. Probably, as awful as expected. Fortunately, I never expected it to be easy.) I ended up furiously angry, crying, curled up in the fetal position, and asking Jon over and over, "What's happening??" To which he thought the appropriate response was, "You're just in pain, babe."-- REALLY?? I hadn't noticed!

I felt so bad; like I just ruined the last "real" date night we will ever have... Which, of course, if a bit of a dramatization. But, what else is a hormone driven, done with being pregnant woman supposed to think when you go from feeling semi-sexy and by two hours later you're about to puke in your husband's lap?
Jon was a good sport and took awesome care of me... :)

Anyway, now that my "ripening" period has finally arrived, I am thinking of every possible way to have this baby come out ASAP! I'm so anxious to be a mommy and hold my baby with my arms instead of my abdominal walls. Also, I am tired of feeling like my pelvic bones are smashed to smithereens! 

I just ate an entire fresh, ripe pineapple by myself to see if the enzyme they say is in it, bromelain, will have any effect. Not to mention, I couldn't think of anything that sounded good for dinner....again. Still.



Right now, though, I am beginning to think that Ezra is perfectly content with his feet in my right ribcage...
 
Very long overdue... Even more so than my last couple of library books. Good thing blog readers don't charge late fees, ey?

This new year has started out with a "BANG!" and I can't believe that January is nearly over. Only 3-6 more weeks until we meet out sweet baby boy and lord! I'm anxious!


 
Picture
"Does your baby hang low? Do you wobble to and fro?"
  • Flipped out a little bit because one of my previous stretch marks from when I was a kid stretched a wee bit more... Looks more like a little bruise than a stretch. My mom's response? "I wish I only had one stretch mark!"
  • Made the decision to go to Disney in 2 weeks. Over 8 months pregnant! But, we couldn't decide on a better "big brother" gift than that for Noah. Especially when he gets to go with his best friend :)
  • Baby Ezra STILL hates moving for anyone but his daddy and me. Even Noah hasn't gotten to feel baby brother yet... stubborn thing!
  • Jon has forbidden me to jog (30 minutes) anymore because I can't walk for about 3 days afterward. So, I've moved it up to a 45 minute speed walk and started making him go to the gym with me 3 times a week.
  • Craving? Pizza. Pretty much just want pizza ALL the time this entire week. But, I've made myself cook healthy every day instead -_-
  • Took our first tour of the hospital and loved it (minus our tour guide). Definitely requesting a water therapy room!! Baby's room is painted and now we get to work on the rest of the details. My little nervous energy project.
  • Goal for this week: I accomplished it! I made my first freezer meals for post-baby ease with meals.

 
....far away from the cold night air. With one enormous chair! Oh, wouldn't it be lovely?


Okay, so it's not cold. It's actually like 75 degrees here. In December. Yes, I know... But, that doesn't make my plea to get a room with a nice comfy chair and a half, some cocoa, and a book any less legitimate or sincere.


Ladies and Gentlemen...

 
Picture
Well, Pinterest has done it again. 
I am counting down the days until I can enjoy a full on workout at the gym again. These prenatal pilates are great for conditioning pre-labor and delivery, but I'm ready to go back to my kick-butt boot camp pilates teacher, Amy. If anyone is an inspiring mom, it's her. She has 3 children and looks absolutely ripped!


Unfortunately, in my condition, I have another 4 months until it's okay for me to play at one of my old sessions. :( 
My muscles are killer right now and my bones, especially in my ribs and lower back. I feel like I'm growing a cancer, not a baby-- I'm completely exhausted. Not to mention I am FINALLY starving (been waiting for that feeling) all the time, as I mentioned last week. But, I am having a hard time deciding what to eat still. If any of you have been following this blog regularly you are probably SO sick of hearing about that by now! And in that case, you can imagine how I feel living it on a daily basis. 


Picture
Jon has been such a HUGE helper. He plays Mr. Mom so well (although he has had practice...) that he never hesitates to step up and make dinner (which he has done SO many nights while I've been pregnant), or let me nap. He has gotten up so many times to change peed on sheets, take the dogs for a walk... He even got on his hands and knees to mop the floor for me because, according to him, I'm "too pregnant". Such a great hubby!

Today I went for my one hour glucose test... Drank a bottle of what tasted like carbonated Gatorade and waiting in a tiny room full of multiple other pregnant woman, who looked like they wanted to rip their hair out and many of which had other small children with them, to get my blood drawn. I dread getting a phone call telling me that I need to come back for a more extensive three hour test, which points to the probability that I have gestational diabetes; the last thing I need to deal with. Though, I haven't had any excessive swelling or weight gain; major symptoms to look for = avoided thus far.


After that, I had to scurry across the street to my OB appointment for a "tummy check". [A little background, the practice at which I am being treated has about 13 doctors housed there. It is the goal of that office for all of their pregnant patients to see as many of those doctors as possible, seeing as how any of them could be the one that delivers your child. Had I thought about that before becoming an established patient there, I might have chosen to go somewhere with only one doctor following me so that the visits might be a little more personal and maybe more than five minutes, after you've waited for 30-40. Hindsight is 20/20... But, since I've been going there for 26 weeks and 3 days, I should bring out that they are taking good care of me.]

So far, I have gained 24/25 pounds; still under what one of the doctors predicted! I am hearing from them that the average weight gain now is 20 lbs in the first twenty weeks and additional 20 in the duration of your pregnancy. Fortunately, I have not gained that fast! Nor do I want to. 
I was told I look perfect, Ezra's heartbeat is "beautiful", and that I don't have another appointment until the first week of January! (Thank goodness for a healthy baby!) They also started measuring my tummy today. It's exactly where it should be; 27... inches? Centimeters? I don't remember... But, now I can rest easy until the next time.

My mom is getting on my nerves now... She has no filter it seems. (Must be where I get it from!)
She calls or texts me at least once a week giving me alternative baby names for Ezra! Now, I don't know about you but, I'm not really fond of someone trying to change my child's name just because THEY don't care for it. It's MY kid. I told her, in the early 1990's when she was walking around telling everyone that her daughter's name was Quintana, they probably looked at her like she was nuts! She confirmed my speculation. 

It's my reasoning, too, that a child grows into their name. I, almost 21 yrs later, couldn't go around telling people my name is Ashley and make it believable. Ha!
Picture
Ezra's room is coming together slowly, but surely. We have yet to paint and such, but getting the details together is the fun part! We got a beautiful Eames 1960's/70's style dresser which was a major stress now lifted; and it cost a fraction of the price. (Pictures and vendors will be supplied as soon as the room is finished!)
I had to share this cute little guy (to the left) though! One of my best friends, Jade, pinned a photo of this on pinterest last week and I couldn't resist clicking on it. For the love of owls!
It is a ceramic speaker that works with any mp3 player. I am so excited!!





Hubby and I have been compromising left and right with each other to make this room what the other one wants. I think it's gonna turn out great!
Well, I'm off to finish dinner for the fam before we all perish from hunger! I'll be sharing recipes soon!

 
Picture
BrittanyG Photography of Highlands, Utah first grabbed my attention when it came to photos of giving birth.

If you'd have asked me a few years ago if I would even attempt to give birth I would've said no, let alone the idea of someone photographing me doing it. And even now that I'm pregnant, sometimes when I think about it makes me a little jumpy; I might end up punching the poor photographer in the face. Plus, being a photographer myself, I know just how much the pressure would be on. 

When I first started thinking about having a baby, I was always looking at maternity, newborn, and quirky post-natal items I thought where cool. (Click here to see my 'bump starter' pinterest board) In the process, I came across these amazing pictures of baby Wil's birth story. None of the photos were invasive, graphic, or offensive and it made me look at the delivery process in an entirely new light.

Now that the birth of our little booger is getting nearer I keep thinking more and more about how much I would like documentation of that day. Nothing distasteful or gross... 

I think the entire idea is becoming a bit more trendy and accepted, as I've seen a number of photographers in my area and all over the country offering sessions like this. I would love to offer a session like this!! Especially after I give birth to my own child and know the ins and outs of the progression.

Hubby is a bit weirded out by the entire thought of having someone in the room and would rather just set up a camcorder in the corner. I don't like that idea because at least when you review your photos it's SILENT and you don't have to hear all of the pain you went through to get your little miracle. There are so many tender moments that a family shares in welcoming their new addition into the world; how sentimental it would be to look back on those prized possessions years later! 

A friend of mine told me to remember it on the little camcorder in my head, haha. But, I'm such a sucker and driven by emotion... I can't imagine how tear-jerking and nostalgic those pictures would be... Still-frames will always be my favorite way to capture a moment. No black & white memory could ever do the moment you meet your new son/daughter justice. Or the small instant when your first child realizes they are a brother/sister and hold their new sibling for the first time.

Ahhh! I don't really think you guys understand the crazy adrenaline running through me as I write this! Regardless, of whether I can talk Jon into doing it or not, or how much it costs... I will ALWAYS think this is a good idea. 
I've watched quite a number of birth videos, and read experiences, and heard true life stories from family/friends; I feel like this is a personal choice like everything is. Just like having a midwife or a doula, or having your baby at home vs a birthing center vs a hospital. But, it's definitely a once in a lifetime adventure. <3
 
I'm currently in bed as I write this because I'm so exhausted I feel like it would be a waste of energy to get up and go to my computer. I cancelled all my appointments for this morning as it is. Zero sleep last night and an early morning... They mixed way better a few years ago when I was 18 and single, and way more paranoid about how I would look if I just decided to blow something off.

Week 23 has been an eventful on thus far. After our long weekend trip to Ohio & our first baby shower for Ezra I was sorely deprived of sleep. To get up early and come home, plus have my friend Zoe come back with us for the week... It seems like I get more tired, uncomfortable, and out of breath every day.

Monday I had an "I can't do this" breakdown and just wanted my pregnancy to be over... Sometimes 3 months more sounds like an eternity! And other times I feel like I need all that time to be prepared. Our stroller is put together but a baby can't sleep in that! Lol

I've also noticed I've got a shy boy on my hands. Ezra kicks and moves A LOT throughout the day. Sometimes it's so much that I have to just sit very still until he stops. But, today I'm disappointed because every time I make Jon rush over to feel the movement or wake him up in the night/early morning to put his hand on my belly, the baby stops moving and won't move again for a little while after Daddy takes his hand away. So sad that it happens like that because I want Jon to feel as much of a part of this pregnancy as possible.

A friend told me that it's only down hill from here... I really hope that's not the case. For the most part I have really enjoyed being pregnant! I don't have half of the problems a typical pregnant woman would complain of or characteristics you read in the mom-to-be books.

I guess for that reason alone I'll just sing "We Are The Champions" on my way to fulfill yet another bagel craving & look forward to the 6 month mark!
 
Week 21. Over halfway to the birth of our son. We couldn't be more thrilled with how healthy he is and the exciting little things like feeling him kick more (even if it is my bladder most of the time). Unfortunately, hubby hasn't been able to feel yet; hopefully soon!

Cravings this week have been limited... I went through a definite Zebra Cake phase for a couple days. Fortunately, my wonderful husband, helped me to see that buying a couple at a gas station would be better than buying an entire box at the store. Or was it?
I've also been feeling desparate for a taste of my FAVORITE burrito place, Flaming Amy's. I can sit and just imagine the avocado ranch dressing, the bacon & cheese, and the chips w/ salsa. But, I don't want to give in since the calories are... more than I'd like for one meal.

Since week 14 I have had such a disinterest in the food already in my pantry or fridge. I ate plain bagels w/ cream cheese almost every single day for 5 weeks. I can't even smell chicken (unless its Chick-fil-a or Chinese food). However, I will be 22 weeks pregnant tomorrow and my disgust for food hasn't gone away. I literally broke down into tears before posting this because I am so sick of wasting HOURS of my life trying to decide on what would be the best thing to feed myself & the little alien inside. By far the biggest challenge of my pregnancy so far, especially when it's not accompanied the nausea. I'm starving!

Also, this week, I made the hard decision to take off my wedding rings before my fingers start to swell consistently, we spent two hours picking out paint colors for the baby's room and the rest of the house, AND I successfully managed to reach my own toenails in order to paint them (which I considered a big accomplishment!).

It seems like these 21 weeks have past by so quickly! Every doctor appointment brings something new and now that we know the gender of the baby we can begin projects surrounding that. I'm so glad Jon is home for a while and not traveling so he can really be involved and excited; he has been working so hard in order to support all of us and make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone, especially Noah, who is so excited that he wishes babies grew outside of the belly so he could see it. Haha.

Now, having survived the tropical storm conditions this weekend, we wait to see what week 22 has in store.