Bumpdate: 34 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 16 lbs

Baby Size: A Butternut Squash (17.2-18.7 in, 4.2-5.8 lbs)

She's recognizing and reacting to simple songs, if you're singing them. (If you're not, start! She may find them soothing after birth.) She's also urinating about a pint a day.

Symptoms: Swelling is still an issue. It seems to be the worst on Thursday's for some reason and it also tends to only be going on in my left foot. My joints have been a little sore, especially my hips (when laying on my side) and my back.

Movement: She gets the hiccups a lot! She also really enjoys moving around in there....I can tell she is running out of room though!

Gender: A girl!

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new this week. Some shirts are getting way too short though!

Cravings: Nothing much....not feeling all that hungry lately.

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty good. I have a great system of switching sides every time I get up to go to the bathroom. I think that this has helped with not feeling so stiff in the mornings.

Best Moment This Week: I said we have everything we need for Hensley last week and if you check out the picture below, you can see that we have a lot to do! It feels a little overwhelming, especially since I haven't washed ANYTHING yet! It feels awesome to have everything, but a little stressful knowing we still have lots to do.

We had a midwife appointment this week and sweet Hensley has moved out of the posterior position for now! Everything seemed to be going great and we went ahead and scheduled out the rest of our appointments!

Taelyn: She spends a lot of time talking with the midwife and telling her all about her baby sister and even tries to teach the midwife some things : )

Bumpdate: 33 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 15 lbs

Baby Size: A Durian (17.2-18.7 in, 4.2-5.8 lbs)

She's keeping her eyes open while awake. She's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Her bones are hardening.  And she's going through (more) major brain development -- that's one smart baby!

 Symptoms: The feet and ankle swelling has really kicked in this week. I have sausages for toes and my feet look almost round. It's pretty annoying because it makes me feel like I have restless leg syndrome and I can't stop moving my feet. We had a few days of 80 degree weather and I was so hot and uncomfortable! I know it will just get worse since it is only May. I have also come to the point that anytime I stand up after being sitting for awhile, I feel as though I might pee my pants! It is constant going to the bathroom, multiple times a day!

Movement: The other day I had my hand up near my ribs and I swear I felt her little foot push on my hand! I could feel a heel and a tiny foot!

 Gender: A girl!

Maternity Clothes: I will be walking in my commencement ceremony (I received my BS in December) this weekend and I was happy to find a nice Liz Lange maternity dress for $10 at the consignment sale!

Cravings: Salt! Which probably isn't great considering my swelling issues!

Sleep: Still been sleeping pretty good. My sweet husband is still waking me up any time he sees me on my back (love him!). I've now been getting up about 4 times a night to use the bathroom. I guess this is just preparing me for all the nighttime feedings that are yet to come!

Best Moment This Week: It seems we have got everything we need for Hensley's arrival! Right now, everything is in her crib (and piled high), but at least we have it all! I was hoping to score a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper back at the consignment sale, but the ones they had were too small. The very next day, Baby Steals (a deal website) had PPB diaper bags for 50% off....I was so excited and ended up getting a great one!

Taelyn: She likes to come up and give my belly kisses and hugs. She also seems super excited about becoming a sister. She has big plans for little Hensley!

Bumpdate: 32 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 14 lbs

Baby Size: A Squash (15.2-16.7 in, 2.5-3.8 lbs)

She's getting ready for her descent -- she's likely in the head-down position now. And she's probably feeling a even more cramped.

 

 

Symptoms: This week has been crazy busy and we have been gone first thing in the morning and not been making it back home until dinner time or later. I think this has added to more back pain and at times some pretty intense pelvic pain.

Movement: She definitely doesn't move nearly as much as Taelyn did, but she does move around in there!

 
Gender: A girl!

Maternity Clothes: I bought some nursing bras and a cute pair of cropped jeans this week. I also bought a pair of grey copped pants at a consignment sale.

Cravings: Nothing really....I haven't been all that hungry lately. Sometimes I haven't even been wanting to eat breakfast, but do anyways. I think it's been too busy!

Sleep: I've been falling asleep so quickly lately. I am so worn out by the time I get into bed, it doesn't take much for me to fall asleep. I've been having a hard time rolling over and getting up with all this pelvic pain. I've also been getting up 2 to 3 times a night to use the restroom.

Best Moment This Week: Like I mentioned above, we had a great baby and kids consignment sale this week. It's called Just Between Friends and something that I've been shopping, volunteering, and consigning at for the past 4+ years. This time I got to shop for little Miss Hensley and it was so fun shopping for cute little outfits!

We also had another midwife appointment this week. Hensley is head down, but she is posterior (sunny side up). I'm hoping she will turn soon and stayed turned. Tae was born sunny side up and it was such a hard delivery.

Taelyn: The other night I was brushing Tae's teeth and she asked "when the baby comes are we not going to brush my teeth anymore?" I said of course we are still going to brush your teeth, to which she responded "But how? Oh I know, daddy will brush my teeth and you will brush the baby's teeth". It's funny that she is trying to process all how this baby stuff will work out : )

Hensley's Baby Shower

 

My 3 sisters and mom put together a great baby shower! They definitely made sure every detail was perfect! I really loved all the decorations!

 

 

 

My mom made a great spread with chicken salad on croissants, relish tray, cheese and crackers, fruit with a yummy fruit dip, veggie tray, chips and a delicious spinach dip, mini cheesecakes, a birthday trifle (since it was my birthday too), tea, and a pomegranate punch. I loved the cute mason jars with striped paper straws with cloud attached....so cute!

 

They put together these sweet little notes for the guests to fill out. One for me and one for Hensley. We also played a "Guess How Much" game and a "Daddy Knows Best" game. It got everyone involved and was a lot of fun.

 

These are the sweet party favors! They say "thanks for dropping by" and have lemon drops in them, yum!

 

 

My little sister Lyn held the cake for us. Taelyn was so excited to help blow out the candles (she almost missed it because she was busy playing!)

 

 

Our little lady will be a Thunder fan from birth, thanks Aunt Lyndsey!

 

A beautiful blanket that my parents had made. I love the colors and it is so soft!

 

My sister Jenn is very talented with her embroidery machine. She made these super cute burp cloths!

 

 

Here are all the cousins! Hensley is so lucky to have all these friends. From left to right is Lillian P. (1), Brendan P. (17), Caitlin P. (2), Taelyn G. (4), Jackson A. (3), Isabella A. (6), and Cameron P. (6).

 

 

 Taelyn was spoiled as well at this shower and came out with quite a few gifts. She had a lot of fun helping mommy open the gifts and got so excited when we came to one that was hers.

 

After the shower, my parents kept Taelyn for a few hours and my hubby and I went to Target and did some shopping and then went and ate dinner to celebrate my birthday. It was a great day and I am so thankful and blessed by everyone who came out to celebrate!

Bumpdate: 31 weeks!

*was going to post a bump picture this week, but didn't get around to taking one!

Weight Gain/Loss: 14 lbs

Baby Size: A Pineapple (15.2-16.7 in, 2.5-3.8 lbs)

She's going through major brain and nerve development. Eye development, too. Her irises now react to light! All five of her senses are in working order.  
Symptoms: Nothing new this week. Joint, back, and hip pain about where it has been. Feeling a little short of breath, but this girl is high in my ribs so no wonder!

Movement: She definitely likes to move. She moves most after meals, but also around 9-10am, 4-5pm, and 10-11pm.

 
Gender: A girl!

Maternity Clothes: I think I've finally got a good amount of clothes and they are still fitting good.

Cravings: Salads and salty things.

Sleep: My husband has been making fun of me because I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow! Growing a baby is such hard work ; ) It's getting tougher to turn over at night and I feel as though I'm trying to lift a ton.

Best Moment This Week: There has been SO much going on the past few weeks. It seems like we have been doing something every day! I've been trying to spend as much quality time with Tae as I can since these last 9 weeks will go by fast! We are also super excited about our baby "sprinkle" this weekend....can't wait!

Taelyn: She talks all the time about all the things she wants to show the baby. She has certain dance moves, books, toys, and other things. It is really sweet!

Bumpdate: 30 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 13 lb

Baby Size: A Cucumber (15.2-16.7 in, 2.5-3.8 lbs)

Her skin is getting smoother. But her brain is getting wrinklier -- to make way for all that essential brain tissue. She's now strong enough to grasp a finger!

Symptoms: Let's see....besides the normal discomfort, there really isn't a whole lot changing. I've noticed my back has really started to sway which makes for a sore back by the end of the day. My heartburn has lessened which is a miracle because this is when it got really bad with Taelyn!

 

Movement: I've really started to feel the big movements where it feels like she is shifting positions. I can sometimes see her parts gliding across my stomach! Such a miracle : )

 
Gender: A girl!

Maternity Clothes: I think I've finally got a good amount of clothes and they are still fitting good.

Cravings: Fruit, eggs (I've eaten about 2 eggs a day this week!), and toast with butter.

Sleep: Sleep has been going pretty well. I'm still only getting up once or twice a night to go to the bathroom, so I really can't complain! I'm most comfortable sleeping with a pillow between my knees.

Best Moment This Week: We had a 4D ultrasound and it was so amazing. We didn't get one done with Tae, but now I wish we had. The place we went to put the whole 20 minute ultrasound to music and gave us the DVD. It will be something we treasure for a long time. We got to see Hensley suck her fingers and toes and stretch her hands above her head. I also had a midwife appointment this week. I'm still measuring one week ahead, but everything is going great!

Taelyn: When the midwife was listening to the heartbeat she asked Taelyn who was in there and Taelyn said, "that's Hensley!" That's the first time we've heard her refer to her by name instead of "baby"....it was sweet!

Bumpdate: 29 weeks!

My sweet niece Lily and I on Easter!

Weight Gain/Loss: 11 lb

Baby Size: An Acorn Squash (15.2-16.7 in, 2.5-3.8 lbs)

She's getting a little cramped in there, since she's growing so fast. But you probably already realize that, since you're getting all those jabs and kicks. She's growing white fat deposits under her skin, and her energy is surging because of it. Feel a subtle twitch? It might be baby hiccupping.

 

 

Symptoms: Nothing really new this week. Swelling is still happening a little bit and I've also had some restless leg going on. My husband has been really good at being my personal foot masseuse, I am so lucky! Joint pain is still present, but my stretches have been helping some.

 

Movement: She is a little mover!
 
Gender: A girl!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, yes, and yes!

Cravings: Oatmeal, popcorn, salad (had an awesome one with cranberries, Gorgonzola, and candied pecans!)

Sleep: I've had a yucky chest cold this week and the coughing has been making it hard to sleep well. One night it took me almost 3 hours to fall asleep! I'm feeling a little better and have slept better the last two nights.

Best Moment This Week: Spending Easter with my family and celebrating my husband's birthday. I love spending time with my family!

Taelyn: She likes to give my belly hugs and kisses and cuddle with it. She refers to it as "nesting the baby". She is the sweetest!