10 things I don't miss about being pregnant.......

A few weeks before Bella was born I blogged about the top 10 things I loved about being pregnant with the promise to myself that I would update after delivery with the top 10 things I don't miss about pregnancy. I thought this list would be easy to compose but found that I have selective memory and it has been more difficult to come up with 10 than I thought it would be.

Here are the top 10 things I don't miss about being pregnant:

10. Constant doctor appointments

9. Being super careful

8. Not eating certain foods

7. Maternity clothes that have grown too small

6. Having no lap

5. Frequent urination

4. Debilitating nausea and vomiting during the 1st trimester

3. Shortness of breath

2. No energy

1. Carrying around all that extra weight!


Though I was often miserable during this pregnancy I have discovered that I now miss all of the things I listed on my top 10 things I love about pregnancy. It is always such a special experience to carry your child and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to do so 3 times.

Life with Bella......

After preparing so long for Bella, it is such a treat to finally have her here. I have been savoring this time because I know it is our last baby! It is so interesting to see how Hailey and Mary Kathryn have adjusted their roles since Bella has arrived. Hailey, who has always been independant, now is even more so. She loves to help with household chores and jumped at the chance to help take care of me during my 1st week of recovery. She too has reached a milestone this month. She has gone off to camp for the week for the first time. I cryed like a baby when she left, but she was too excited about going to get sad. Michael took her and helped her get settled and said that she had no problem jumping right in. I was so glad to see her again!!! Mary Kathryn has had her share of changes since bringing the baby home as well. She is now more independant, outgoing, and acts a lot more "growny". She also loves helping me with the baby and doesn't mind running to get diapers, wipes, ect. She still has her "baby moments" but she really has grown in leaps and bounds since Bella's arrival. It is amazing to see her go from the baby role to the big girl role. I still can't believe she will soon be a kindergartner.










Bella has also been changing a little everyday. She has been much more alert and has been opening her eyes more and more. She has been breastfeeding like a champ and seems to be gaining weight well. At her weight check Friday she had gained back up to 7pds 10ounces. She is now almost back to her birth weight! Now I will start focusing on getting her on a feeding schedule. I had forgotten how tiring it can be to feed every 1.5 to 2 hours night and day. I hope to have her on an every 3 hour schedule within the next couple of weeks. To our excitement Bella took a bottle of breast milk from Michael last night with no problem at all. Introducing a bottle was such an ordeal with our previous two children but Bella immediately took to it without a fight. I am relieved that she is now able to do this since it allows me to run errands occasionally without taking her along. Thank goodness Bella is a very good baby and only cries when she is hungry or needs changing. She loves being swaddled in her adan+anais swaddling blankets and sleeps best when she is swaddled in one. I saw these recommended on a friend's blog and ordered them online. They arrived the day before Bella was born and I began swaddling her in them right away. They have been one of the best baby purchases I have made and I would recommend them to any new mom! She has also loved being propped up on her boppy. The boppy has endless uses and has been one of my very favorite baby gifts. I really can't believe Bella is finally here and I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful, healthy baby!

The End of pregnancy.....the Beginning of a new life!

After 9 long months of pregnancy I delivered Bella on Saturday, July 17th at 10:05 am. Coincidentally, Bella's birthday fell on Michael and I's 9th wedding anniversary! Luckily we had celebrated our anniversary the weekend before. We have since joked that we will now always be celebrating on a different day, because it is now Bella's birthday:) To our surprise, at my 39 week checkup I was told that my c-section would be moved up by 6 days. I was very happy but also felt the pressure of getting the house ready and shopping for items we still needed. Luckily, Michael's aunt came and helped me to organize and clean and also watched the girls so that I could finish up shopping. Now, looking back I have no idea where I got the energy to get all of those things done in 3 days! I also wonder how I found the energy to continue working in the ER up to my 39th week of pregnancy. Those last few weeks the hallways seemed a mile long and it felt like the baby would just drop out at any time. I am so grateful that I have such supportive coworkers that made it a lot better than it could have been!
She is now 11 days old and I am finally feeling settled in. It is definitely an adjustment to get used to feedings every 2 hours day and night. Though I do not mind it half as much as I thought I would. I love being a mother to 3 little girls now and truly appreciate each and every moment, night or day, that I get to spend with them. I feel so lucky to have such a perfect little baby girl after such a long and hard pregnancy! I also feel very lucky to have such great family and friends who have visited us and helped us through this adjustment period. Thanks to Heather Jernigan for the too cute stork that greeted us in front of our house when we came home from the hospital. Also so grateful to our Sunday school class who has been bringing us dinner several times this week. We are truly appreciative for everything our friends and family have done for us!!!

Only 11 more days........

Yesterday we were lucky enough to have a friend come to our house and take some last minute pictures of our family before Bella arrives. I was so glad to be able to get some good pregnancy pictures, considering this will be the last time I will ever be 9 months pregnant! I was so pleased with the pictures she took! I have told her she has definitely missed her calling. She could really have a great business in photography!

She also took this picture of our house which showed the improvements we made this spring. We worked really hard on landscaping around the house and finally finished off the front porch. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but we finally painted the foyer(quite the ordeal!)and Bella's room is done and ready for her! We have really tried to complete all of our unfinished projects before Bella arrives. Next weekend will be our last before delivery and I hope to clean the house from top to bottom. I think I'm really counting on my nesting instinct to kick in and provide the energy to do this, because right now I can't clean one room with out resting halfway through!

10 things I will miss about pregnancy......

So I am FINALLY sitting down to catch up on my blog! I have not been nearly as diligent in keeping up with it as I had promised myself I would be.

In the past 3 months I have grown in leaps and bounds! I never remember my stomach being this large with my previous 2 pregnancies, so my bet is that Bella is going to be the biggest of my babies......we'll see! I now have only 2 weeks and 6 days before my scheduled c-section date. Seems like not long at all but also seems like forever. I am really trying to focus on the things I love and enjoy about pregnancy these last couple of weeks. This will be my last time! So I have come up with a list of the things I LOVE about being pregnant. ( To be followed by the easily compiled list of things I DIDN'T love about being pregnant, after delivery). Here is my top 10.

10. Decorating the baby nursery

9. Baby shopping

8. The ANTICIPATION of a new member of our family

7. Cute/Comfy maternity clothes (Though this will also be on my DIDN'T love list as I have well past the cute stage of pregnancy!)

6. Wearing a maternity swimsuit and not worrying about being bloated.

5. Eating whatever and as much as I want without getting "the LOOK".

4. All of the RANDOM things people say to pregnant people that they would NEVER say to someone who wasn't! My fav....."Are you really going to let the big, fat girl go get that?"

3. Hailey and Mary Kathryn's growing fascination with my baby belly.

2. Having my husband dote on me more than usual! (Yes, my guilty pleasure)

1. Feeling the baby move and wondering what she will be like:)


And after I deliver I will do my top 10 things I DON'T miss about being pregnant!

So far this pregnancy I have gained a total of 33 pounds. I weighed in at 126pds before pregnancy and now top off at a glorious 159.7 pounds and still counting! YIKES! I keep telling myself a lot of it has to be fluid, right? Thats what I choose to believe anyway!

This weekend I am going to try to pack my hospital bag ( Just in case!). So far I have some comfy after delivery pj's, my belly bandit, toothpaste and all of those essentials. If anyone can think of anything important I am forgetting please say so in comments!

One of the best things I have learned throughout this pregnancy is that I have some REALLY great friends who call or message me regularly to check on how things are going! I am very LUCKY! You really learn how AWESOME your friends and coworkers are!

I have also learned how to smile sweetly even when people make comments such as, "I'm glad I'm not starting all over again! Mine are big enough to do for themselves!" (This is another example of RANDOM things people say to pregnant people) I happily realize that everyone is at different stages in their lives and I am going to enjoy each stage of mine:)

Super excited to go pick up baby supplies this weekend. Baby supplies are another thing that I know I am forgetting some of the necessities. So please feel free to remind me of any basics I might be forgetting in the comments box! Also I need to find a cute diaper bag if anyone has suggestions on where to find one:)


Lastly, a promise to myself!

I will not forget to document these last weeks of pregnancy!!!!