I Should Be Folding Laundry

I'll be posting about our Halloween festivities either late tonight or tomorrow morning. I'll also post my weekly picture in that post. But for now, I'm just  going to do my weekly update! How Far Along? 32 weeks Total Weight Gain:  25 lbs Maternity Clothes? Yes! I'm excited to show you all my homemade Halloween costume! Stretch Marks? Yep. I had a little bit of a meltdown about it when I realized the ones showing up on my stomach, but I'm better now. :) Josh helps me a lot by saying, "You're just earning your stripes!" What a great guy I've married. Sleep:  Its been pretty good so far this week. Best Moment This Week: Finding out that Josh has Thursday off! Miss Anything?  Same ol', same ol'. Movement: Lots! Some days it feels like he's trying to push his heels through my uterus! Food Cravings:  Candy! Luckily for me, tis the season (or just the day) to get lots of that! Anything Making You Queasy or Sick?  Peppermint and th...

Photos from the 27th! Copyrights go to Lauren Davison of Davison Photography For those of you who don't know what the picture above means, here's the story. When Josh and I were first dating, we used to Skype each other because he lived 45 minutes away. He said somewhere in that first conversation, "You just complete me." And he made a circle with his hands. I replied, "No, it has to be a heart!" So he made this symbol. We both agreed it didn't look much like a heart but more like an arrowhead. So we say, You Complete My Arrowhead :)

Plus a mini maternity shoot for me and Josh. I'm terribly excited since the last family pictures we had taken with my WHOLE family was at my wedding! I'll be sure to post those when my photographer gets them back to us. :) Here's the link to her website! http://davisonphotography.wordpress.com/ P.S. The gorgeous lady at the top of the screen is my mom!

Here's my hospital bag packing list (so far). If anyone sees something on this list that they brought but didn't use or something missing from my list, PLEASE TELL ME! Thanks :) MY BAG Birth plan Insurance papers for baby Camera and charger Phone charger Video camera and charger 2 outfits (comfy clothes) Pen and paper No-slip socks (2 pairs) Slippers Earbuds and my iPod Boppy pillow Hand sanitizer My own pillow (I've heard the hospital ones are awful) Blanket Blow dryer and straightener Brush and clips Headband Hair-ties and bobby pins Make-up and remover Nursing pads and panty liners Toothbrush and toothpaste Deodorant My own towel (I've heard the hospital ones are thin...) Lip balm Shampoo and conditioner and bodywash Nipple cream Going home outfit for myself Breast Pump Some of my favorite movies (for the long hours of labor) LINCOLN'S BAG Going home outfit 2 or 3 burpcloths Jacket 2 extra outfits Carseat Blanket Hat ...

At least that's the plan. As you know, I made the decision to not have an epidural while I was in my birthing class. But I'm hoping to have no pain meds of any kind and I hope to not be induced on the 30th of December if my body feels like cooperating and starting labor by itself before then. As you know, I do NOT like needles of any kind. I know that I wouldn't even see the epidural as its going into my back but I honestly feel nauseous just thinking about it (my stomach is churning a little just from writing this post... I'm not kidding) Another reason I don't want pain medication is that I personally believe that this is what a woman's body is made to do. Women have been doing it naturally for centuries and they survived. I can too. Probably the biggest reason I'm not wanting any kind of medicine is because my birthing class teacher said when she was still delivering babies, she could tell when a babies mom had used some kind of medicine. The babies...

Here's part of my stash of stuff that we've either purchased for Lincoln or things we have been given as gifts. I haven't have either of my baby showers yet so I'm sure we'll get a lot more than this! Prepare for pictures! This is our one and only newborn size bumGenius cloth diaper Play Time, Puppy, Dive In, Ducky, Sleep Tight, Teddy and Bib On, Bunny finger puppet books All by Annie Kubler Mr Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Hop On Pop both by Dr. Seuss Baby Animals touch and feel book by Bright Baby and of course a set of baby keys! Tommee Tippee Bottle A travel set of utensils (I'm not sure of the brand, I got it from a friend) The light green bottle scrubber is from Munchkin The teal one is Parents Choice  Baby toothbrush and toothpaste by Baby Orajel A reusable cold compress ice pack (There's no brand name on it) Polar bear hooded blanket by Carters Bunny buddy blanket by Carters Tied fleece blanket I made all...

I can't believe we're in the single digits for the weekly countdown! That's madness!!! How Far Along? 31 weeks Total Weight Gain: I'm not sure to be honest with you. I may have been sort of obsessing over the scale so Josh banned me from using it until my pregnancy is over and I can start losing weight. Maternity Clothes? Yes! I'm loving every minute of them! Stretch Marks? Yes, more than I thought possible. My tummy is the latest casualty. What a bummer. :( Sleep:  My actual sleep has been great but getting there has become more of a challenge. He's so big that I have to have a pillow under my stomach to prevent any unnecessary stretching. Best Moment This Week: Seeing my hubby at 1:30 yesterday afternoon! There was quite literally no tickets to do yesterday so his bosses had him and the other drivers doing inventory. It didn't quite take as long as they'd hoped so Josh was off by 1:30. It was SO nice to see him before dinnertime! Miss An...

     I've been feeling absolutely massive this week and all I've been thinking is, GET THIS BABY OUT! My sleep hasn't been very good and I'm just feeling like a big pumpkin is protruding from my belly.      I found out today that my husband feels the same way (about wanting him out, I mean) He got of work really early today and he sits down next to me and looks at my belly. He leans in close and says, "Lincoln, I just want you to come out. Like now. But I know you need some more cooking, so I can wait."      He's so excited for his boy and frankly, so am I! In the words of Josh, I can wait till he's done cookin', though. :)

     I can't think of a harder worker than my husband. He is always willing to work the crazy late hours and he always takes all the extra tickets. He's been a loyal employee to Diamond Rental for almost two years now and all his hard work is finally starting to pay off.      Today is the first day of his dispatch training. In other words, if he does well at this, he'll be promoted to dispatch manager. He'll be making salary and he'll have fairly normal hours even over the summer, which  means he'll be able to see me and his son during the biggest jumps in Linc's development. I couldn't be more proud. :)

Lincoln is getting stronger by the day! He's been measuring about a pound ahead of schedule, which means he's running out of room faster than he probably would otherwise. That means I've felt every movement it seems for the past four days or so. On Sunday night, on our way home, Lincoln started grinding his heels on the top of my uterus. Not very comfortable! My mom suggested pushing on him to make him move and stop pushing so hard. I'm sure it works for some babies but I tried it and he just pushed right back (and even harder)! Josh poked him a couple times and he pushed harder against my insides after doing that. Sigh... I guess he's just stubborn!

10 weeks left! I can't believe we're at 30 weeks already! How Far Along? 30 weeks Total Weight Gain: 17 lbs Maternity Clothes? I love them! They're so comfortable! Stretch Marks?  Still none on my stomach. Sleep: I've been sleeping really well but Josh told me that I've been snoring a lot... Sorry Josh! Best Moment This Week: Last night, Josh brought my favorite flavor of Cold Stone ice cream home; Birthday Cake Remix! Miss Anything? Same ol', same ol'. Movement: Tons! I think he's finally running out of room. Food Cravings: Protein! I bought some sausage patties at the store a few days ago and I can't stay out of them! Also, all I've been wanting for lunch are those delicious chicken sandwiches from the gas station down the street... yum yum yum! Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? Fish still makes me sick, but I can finally eat other meats now! Gender:  Boy! Labor Signs: None yet! (Yay!) Symptoms:  I got a charlie hor...

     Yesterday, our birthing class started at 10 AM at Jordan Valley Medical Center. I knew it was going to be long, but this one was ridiculous! The information was good, but the teacher kept giving us a lot of repetitive information. When we left at 3:30 (an hour early) because neither of us could keep our eyes open!      I learned more in-depth about car seat safety, and the stages of labor. I also learned more about different pain relief techniques.      I have come to a conclusion; I DO NOT want an epidural. Just seeing the needle in the teachers hand made me want to throw up and the idea of a catheter sitting in my back feeding me painkillers makes me so sick. (In case you didn't know, I have a pathological fear of needles. I can't watch my blood being drawn for tests and I certainly couldn't ever donate blood.) Plus, I have a fear of what could happen if they missed the tube in my spine where the epidural even goes...     ...

How far along? 29 weeks Total weight gain: 15 lbs Maternity clothes? Yes! So comfy! (I'm sporting my maternity yoga pants here :) ) Stretch marks? Tons, but still none on my belly. Sleep: Pretty good. I'm starting to need a pillow under my belly to support Lincoln's increasing weight. Best moment this week: Josh feeling Lincoln move again :) Miss Anything? Nothing I haven't already mentioned Movement: Tons! I think he's at his peak of movement this week so I'm going to try to enjoy every moment Food cravings: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies... and my mom's lemon bars... Anything making you queasy or sick: Fish, peppermint, and any meat in general Gender: Boy Labor Signs:  None yet   Symptoms: My belly has been hurting if I work out any longer than 10 minutes on the treadmill. I hope this doesn't mean I have to stop working out earlier than I expected... Belly Button in or out? A little of both. It still can't decide which it wants to do more. Weddi...

It was SO cute! Josh got home from class around 9 PM tonight and he felt Lincoln kicking for the second time ever. He had a similar reaction to what he did last time, which was, "Wow! That's so weird, but cool, all at the same time..." For anyone who knows my husband, this is his way of being really REALLY excited! He's definitely not the type to jump up and down or to get emotional by any means. (He actually claims that his tear ducts are broken...) For anyone who knows my son, (so to speak) he's just as stubborn as his daddy. In the past, he would be kicking like crazy and then stop once Josh put his hand on my tummy. So the fact that he moved about ten times, really hard mind you, while Josh's hand was on my belly was a big deal! Anyway, Josh was still in awe of Lincoln moving and then he leaned in real close. He whispered, "Lincoln? I'm going to tell you a story." He then proceeded to tell our little boy the readers-digest version of Be...

I did this once when I was a Sophomore in high school and I've decided to do it again. I'm taking on the challenge of National Novel Writing Month yet again! Its a national challenge (obviously) where you have from the 1st to the 30th of November to write a novel that is at least 50,000 words long. I know that seems like a daunting task but I've calculated that if you write just two pages, 12 point font, single spaced per day, then you're right on track. My novel from my 10th grade year, Silhouettes, is on my bookshelf :) Essentially I'm doing this to keep my mind busy during the home stretch of my pregnancy. I have a tendency to think too much about the intimidating task of becoming a mother at 19 and a half. This is the perfect way to keep my mind busy for not only November but October too since I'm creating a plot from the ground up with less than a month left. It won't be easy but it will be worth it. (Kind of like my pregnancy!) All I'm going to...

I was resting in bed this morning when I felt Linc move a little. I put my hand on my tummy in hopes that I'd feel it. I felt a lot more than I'd expected. I'm fairly certain I was feeling either his feet or his knees hitting my stomach just below my belly button. I could actually feel his bones hitting my hand really hard! It seemed like he wanted me to be able to feel it since he was kicking and rubbing so much. It was amazing! To top it all off, he was kicking about 7 times a minute for a good 25 minutes or so. I'm SO excited to meet my little boy! Linc, I love you!!! :)

Yes, I know I look like a total creeper in this picture. Its the only one where I didn't look comatose. :) How far along? 28 weeks Total weight gain: 15 pounds(ish) Maternity clothes? Yes, I love them! Although, Josh's shirts are becoming more and more comfortable since I'm getting so big so quick... Stretch marks?  I've got a LOT on my boobs, a lot on my upper thighs and butt, but absolutely nothing on my tummy, which is weird since its the thing that has changed the most. So weird... Sleep: I've been sleeping okay, nothing really to report Best moment this week: Lincoln responding to Jon Schmidt! I think I've got a little musical prodigy on the way! Miss Anything? Nothing I haven't already mentioned Movement: Tons! I'm savoring every tiny little movement since he's going to start slowing down soon. Food cravings:  Nothing in particular... Anything making you queasy or sick: Same stuff Gender: Boy Labor Signs: None yet!   Symptom...

Last night, I had a nightmare that consisted of one of my deepest fears; creepy little children. So I woke up (severely paranoid to say the least) and I leaned over to my better half. He groggily woke up and I told him what had happened. He calmly pulled the blankets over my shoulders, wrapped his arm around me and reminded me that everything was going to alright. Its REALLY convenient to have a big, burly, 200 lb. knight in shining armor sleeping right next to me. :)