Before We Are Four!

The realization that we are going to become a family of four ANY day now is finally settling in... wowzahs! Now, I'd be lying if I said this concept isn't slightly terrifying. It's been just the three of us for so long, and Hailey has been our world that adding a baby brother or sister to her life somehow seems so unreal to me. But let's face it, despite the rivalry and bickering that these two will inevitable encounter... Hailey's going to completely rock this big sister thing. Plus we've been openly stealing her toys from her to get her used to the idea (kidding!)

SO in our last few days as a family of three, here's a snapshot (or a lot of them) of what we've been up to.

El Nino has hit full force, so we've been scrambling to find some indoor entertainment. So why not take Hailey to see her first movie in the movie theater? And yes, I ate my words as a mom who frowns upon tiny kids in the theater, but to be fair we went into it knowing we'd leave the second she started being loud or antsy - which could mean a very expensive 5 minutes of previews.

Hailey & Dad at the Movies!

Conveniently Hailey's new obsession in life is popcorn so once we let her loose on the bag, she was pretty content.

Oh hey mom, I'll share this ONE kernel with you. Savor it!

The rest of this bag is MINE!!!

We made it through an hour of The Good Dinosaur before hailey finally piped up and said "All done! We go bye-bye!" so we left. I'd give that a solid thumbs up experience for her first time. We'll probably wait for a while before we get her back into the theater, but it was a fun last hurrah celebrating her final days as an only child.

Other than that, we've done a lot of lounging at home.. which looks a little something like this...

Bum Life.

Now that we've moved and she's adjusted to her to the new twin bed Hailey's been a pretty great sleeper. She still has yet to leave her room on her own after bedtime (she did this once to sneak into the baby's room and grab a book to read and sneak back to bed as we spied on her with the baby cams) and calls for us in the morning when she wakes up (7ish) without leaving bed. Our new trick is to use the baby cam microphone to then tell her she can get up and come downstairs. It's insanely wonderful.

When we get bored at home, we break out the wheels and stroll down the street.

Hailey's still warming up to the two wheeler

Hailey prefers the trike while Dad rides her bike. Perfect fit!

 Hailey's latest requested locale is the downtown library. She LOVES it there, especially the computers, where she smacks the keyboard, puts on headphones and gets in her zone. She's always telling us "I work at library!"

"Working" with Dad at the Library

Back to some sibling snuggles!

Cheese!

Soft Serve Monster!

And now, for some obligatory bath time photos... now that she no longer fears the tub.

Eating the bubbles. She loves making me squawk at her to stop drinking the water.

Pure Joy

Silly faces with mom!

We love having friends over, so we've been getting lots of playtime with them.

Playtime with Nicholas & Ethan

Hailey, Brewer, Alex & Nicholas loungin'

Grown up couch potatoes :)

Kendall, Hailey & Charlie. Friends that bathe together... stay together. Until they're older and it's just weird.

FYI I love how Hailey just looks like the middle sibling between Kendall and Charlie in this bath pic :)

Hailey & her beloved piggy bank. Cheese!!!

Not a bad way to end her days as an only-child and as much as I worry about her adjusting to life with the new baby, I am overjoyed with the thought that these two are going to have each other for life.

Now hurry up and make an appearance Baby G2! We're all ready for you!!!!

Baby G2 Belly - 40 Weeks!

How far along? 40 Weeks!!!! I'm done now right?

Baby size?  Doctor estimates somewhere in the 8 lb range... but if this kid takes after Hailey, I'd be shocked at anything less than 9 lbs. Hailey was 8 lbs, 14.2 oz.

What's going on with the baby? Baby sure likes it in there cause we haven't been graced with his/her presence yet! 

Maternity clothes? Nothing Fits. At least comfortably. Every item of clothing has something about it that's uncomfortable. Also, FYI... don't wear flannel PJ's to bed when you've got flannel sheets. Unless you enjoy tourturing yourself evertyime you need to turn over. It's like you're velcro-ed into place! This holds true for non-preggos as well, but personally flannel has become my new worst enemy at night.

Stretch marks? Just around my belly button. Maybe I'l just get a cover-up tattoo that turns my belly button into a sun? Cute. Bleh.

Sleep: Sleep is stupid. And completely foreign to me. 

Best moments this week: Ummm how about hitting 40 weeks?!?!?! WOOO HOOO!!!! Made it! Now if only this kiddo would show up...

Craziest dream this week: Started having nightmares, unfortunately. I think now that baby is ready, I'm getting anxiety playing the waiting game.

Miss anything? Bending over, picking up anything lower than my hips, walking pain-free, sleeping... I hate to say it, but I think I've hit my limit with this whole body-sharing business.  LOVE being pregnant, but it's getting a little much.

Movement: Yep, but there's just not a whole lot of room in there any more, so it's more like shifting every often. If I'm this crammed and uncomfortable, I can't imagine this baby's swimming in luxury.

Food cravings: Due to some less than fortunate events, food has not been my number one friend lately. See below...

Anything making you queasy or sick? Um how about the stomach flu? Yep, we spent a night taking care of Hailey puking and instead of sleeping it off the next morning, I got the full blown grown-up version stomach flu. At 39 weeks. I would never wish that kind of horror upon anybody. We are all recovering now, especially thanks to family and friends who helped get us through it. Who knows, labor might be a breeze compared to that experience! sheesh.

Gender prediction: Gi-Bo-HUMAN. Just get him or her out of me!!! lol

Labor signs: Nothing real. I am in way more discomfort this pregnancy than I was with Hailey though. Wether it's braxton-hicks, bad baby positioning, or just healing from the stomach flu, I've been struggling through these last couple of weeks. Fingers crossed baby comes soon! 

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Off

Happy or moody most of the time? Almost completely depends how much pain I'm in and how much sleep I did (or didn't) get.

Looking forward to: Meeting this baby! Not looking forward to labor itself, but knowing that we get to see this adored baby G2 face-to-face any day now is about all we can think about. Hailey arrived promptly on her due date (at noon nonetheless) so the fact that baby G2 has already passed that deadline, we know we've got all new rules to play by for this child. Challenge accepted, little one!

Baby G2 Belly - 40 Weeks

Bonus sibling shot (Hailey needed to get more in on the action)

Baby Hailey Belly - 39 Weeks +6 (on our way into labor & delivery!)

Baby G2 Belly - 38 Weeks

Disclaimer: I missed week 36 due to Christmas, New Year's, my last weeks of work before baby and a cold,.oh and life in general. But let's get back on that wagon!

How far along? 38 Weeks

Baby size?  Baby weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long. 

What's going on with the baby? S/he has a firm grasp, which I'll soon be able to test when I hold that little hand for the first time! Baby's organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Maternity clothes? I've reached a whole new level of maternity clothes. It's a good thing it's cold out  and I need to stay warm because otherwise I'd probably just walk around naked. Yikes!

Stretch marks? I think the fateful day has arrived. 1.8 pregnancies later and I'm starting to see my first belly stretch marks! WAHHHH!!! Nothing major, but I've got some stretching going on where my belly button ring used to be. Not a comfortable feeling physically OR emotionally!

Sleep: Only getting 3 hour stretches at a time now max from the hip pain and whatnot keeping me up... on the plus side, there is a chance I'll get better sleep once I actually have this baby haha!

Best moments this week: Well since it's been a whole FOUR weeks since my last post.. there are a BUNCH! 

Christmas! The Givens family came over on Christmas Eve and we had a BLAST opening presents, eating food and spending time together. Christmas Day we stayed home and had family come over for more visits and present opening. Hailey was in heaven. We even had one final Christmas gathering a week later with my brother's family so Trent could join in the fun. (Yes, there was a them this year, I'm too huge and our toddler is too crazy for us want to leave the house, so everyone came to us, hehe) We are so blessed to be surrounded with so much love. Makes me want to cry with happiness about the family that Baby G2 gets to be surrounded with. 

New Year's Eve! - I ended up getting a cold and we stayed in, but Joe made it amazing and picked up pizza, california rolls and pad thai (in true Givens form) plus Trinette dropped off a stash of delicious food including reggo-friendly cookie dough!!! Life-Changing! Hailey stayed up to about 9pm and by some miracle Joe and I stayed awake to midnight after some fun movie watching. After the countdown, we hugged & kissed and this baby gave the BIGGEST punt to say hi to daddy (or kick him away). Both of us cracked up, it was a great start to the new year!!! 

Craziest dream this week: Ha! Dreams require sleep. Good one. 

Miss anything? Wine. And raw fish. And Costco hotdogs. And sleep. And walking.. not waddling. 

Movement: Baby G2 is still a major mover, but as it's getting more and more crammed in there, the movements aren't quite as crazy as they used to be.

Food cravings: Still mainly chocolate milk and red meat. Once in a while I'll get a fast food craving but let's be honest, who DOESN'T need a crunch wrap supreme every once in a while?! But in general, the major cravings are getting less and less.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not getting nauseas these days, but definitely feeling the effects of a shrinking stomach as baby grows. Don't worry though, I'm powering through it ;-)

Gender prediction: BOY. no GIRL. or boy. girl? AHHH I dunno. SO excited to find out! And we've got two pretty strong names picked out (one for each gender) so it's getting extra exciting!!!

Labor signs: Yeah. Fake contractions come and go, but not the real thing and the more I rest, the less they come. Unfortunately I can't use this as an excuse to sit down on the couch every day and binge-watch Netflix.

Belly button in or out? OUT. Because this bird if cooked!

Wedding rings on or off? On... but only because I found a cheap blingy ring that fits my swollen finger. Not the real thing, but I like having something on that finger :)

Happy or moody most of the time? Goes in waves, but with all of the family love, friend support and holiday cheer I've got a WHOLE lot to smile about, despite the general pregnancy discomforts and hormones.

Looking forward to: Maternity Leave! Starting NOW!!! I've been a little nervous that baby might come early (no problems, I'm just being a worry wort) and that I wouldn't have time to get my baby prep in! Working full time and partying it up over the holidays hasn't left a whole lot of time to "nest" so the couple of weeks I'm off work before this baby is due is going to be devoted to cooking freezer meals, cleaning, organizing, washing baby clothes and general baby prep. If I get my act together I might even finish Hailey's baby book before this next baby! OK, that may be wishful thinking haha ;-) 

Plus, next weekend (I'll be about 39 weeks) our friends Heather & Bob are hosting their annual Black Tie party. Joe's got a Tux rented and I somehow found a fabulous dress that fits, so I keep telling Baby G2 to stay cooking past that night, because this could be our last fancy night out in a WHILE. However, if baby feels an urgency to meet us, I'd be OK showing up to the hospital in our finest attire that night. 

Oh and also looking forward to MEETING THIS BABY! Home Stretch!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

Baby G2 Belly - 38 Weeks

Baby Hailey Belly - 38 Weeks

And just to re-cap the missed week..

Baby G2 Belly - 36 Weeks... I look like an eclipse! Ha!

Baby Hailey Belly - 36 Weeks

Baby G2 Belly - 34 Weeks

How far along? 34 Weeks

Baby size?  Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. 

What's going on with the baby? Fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling him/her out. His/her skin is also smoother than ever. His/her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Maternity clothes? Running short of shirt options (pun intended) that cover the bottom 2" of my bump.

Stretch marks? Negator

Sleep: So bad. The one time 6 hour stretch I got was such a tease. I'm back to waking up for hours at a time in the middle of the night. Hip pain & general bump discomfort are the main culprits. 

Best moments this week: Christmas Season is in full swing! Which means holiday parties! And thanks to Rent-the-Runway it means dressing up this bump! Joe's work was invited to two parties on the same night, so we hit up both with co-worker Adam and also-preggo wife Kendall... We all had a BLAST

We clean up alright...

Smuggling a disco ball

Bedazzled Bumps! (I think 34 & 23ish Weeks respectively) How cute is Kendall???

Also, Christmas decorations went up! And we had our FIRST fire in our fireplace. We haven't lived with a fireplace in a looooong time so that was a real treat.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Craziest dream this week: Dreamt that I could SEE the baby as it moved in my belly.... like waving at me. Not in a cute way, but an OMG that-is-terrifying kind of way. 

Miss anything? Standing without hip/sciatic pain, sitting without rib pain. I may need to get a girdle to keep my ribs from splitting apart... cute image, eh? You're welcome.

Movement: HICCUPS! I wasn't sure I was going to get them this time around, but baby G2 does not disappoint! Quick, repetitive flicks that last a couple of minutes. It's one of my favorite things about pregnancy :)

Food cravings: Chocolate milk and red meat - fortunately Joe's been BBQ-ing like crazy so I've been indulging in steak!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Sometimes milk. But that could have something to do with the fact that I will sit down and eat about two sleeves of oreos at a time... which requires about half a gallon of dunking-milk. 

Gender prediction: BOY-OH-BOY two more stranger predictions that I'm carrying a boy this week alone. That's gotta be a sign right?

Labor signs: Yep. Braxton Hicks, small slightly painful contractions that generally show up when I'm walking too much or not drinking enough water. But they go away so nothing to worry about.

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Off

Happy or moody most of the time? Depends on how much couch time I get that day. I don't remember my first pregnancy having this many aches & pains, but maybe I blocked that part out of my memory?

Looking forward to: Christmas week! I get the whole week off from work (then only one week back before I go on maternity leave) and we're hosting Christmas Eve for the Givens family. We are so spoiled to get to be surrounded by so much family! 

Pardon this week's image... the days are short and the nights are long, so sunlight is few & far between

Baby G2 Belly - 34 Weeks 

Baby Hailey Belly - 34 Weeks

Baby G2 Belly - 32 Weeks

How far along? 32 Weeks (please excuse the week 30 skip... life's been a bit nuts)

Baby size?  Baby weighs almost 4 pounds and measures about 17 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? Gaining weight (about half a pound a week). Baby has toenails, fingernails, and hair and skin is becoming soft and smooth as s/he plumps in preparation for birth. S/he's also head down and will hopefully stay like that until birth. And the best news: If  born now, s/he would have an excellent change of surviving without life-threatening complications. But baby's still on lockdown if I have anything to do with it!

Maternity clothes? Yes'm. Now if only they made maternity shoes... Some form of slipper that was socially acceptable to wear to work.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Worse and worse by the night. It's officially painful to turnover.

Best moment this week: We moved!!! Well, we moved on Halloween when I was about 29 weeks and as exhausting as that day was, we survived with only a handful of Christmas ornaments as casualties. And after 3 weeks of unpacking, unboxing, ikea-tripping and furniture assembly, we're pretty darn comfy. Hailey LOVES her new home and we're all settling in nicely. 

Worst moment this week: An un-planned and expedited tour of Labor & Delivery. Last weekend I started feeling some small but regular contractions... very similar to the ones that started Hailey into this world. After a couple hours of contractions happening every 3 minutes at home and some calls into the nurses, we were directed to the triage room in Labor & Delivery... just to make sure everything was OK. Sure enough, everything was fine. Baby is still cooking but I was a bit dehydrated. After a ton of water and monitoring, the contractions lessened and I was cleared to go home. NOT a fun experience considering a pre-term delivery was the last thing on our radars. Talk about a reality check! And the worst part about it? ...

UN-MATCHING SOCKS! AHHHH!!!

Lesson learned... always wear matching socks. And stay hydrated, you bumbling pregnant woman!

Awkward moment this week: See sock dilemma above.

Craziest dream this week: This one's a little fuzzy... It took place on a big yacht and I was negotiating some kind of business deal with corporate Sees candy officials, who turned out to be playboy bunnies? Then a HUGE shoot-em up explosive battle ensued straight out of the movie True Lies. Don't ask me where that movie reference came from, I have no idea. Nonetheless it was a little intense.

Miss anything? Red wine on a chilly night. Especially because we have a fireplace now.

Movement: This baby is super responsive to Daddy. Anytime I sit down on the couch at night and Joe says hi to baby, there are kicks galore. 

Food cravings: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts

Anything making you queasy or sick? The thought of delivering a baby at 31 weeks.

Have you started to show yet? Silly question at this point, I'm veto-ing this one from the list...

Gender prediction: Girl

Labor signs: Unfortunately yes. And it looks like Braxton Hicks are going to be a thing from here on out.

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Off

Happy or moody most of the time? Moody. 

Looking forward to: Being a little more pregnant so that if this baby DOES make its great escape, it's not as big of a deal. Oh and THANKSGIVING this week! We've got a LOT to be thankful for this year, plus I plan to use the "eating for two" excuse to its full potential.

Baby G2 Belly - 32 Weeks

Baby Hailey Belly - 32 Weeks

Lemos Farm Pumpkin Patch 2015

Let the annual pumpkin patch visit begin!

Love Hailey's expression in this one

2015

2013... what a difference 2 years makes!

Goat Feeding. Successfully kept all of her fingers in tact!

Family Selfi!

Wanna ride a pony? AH-YEP!

Hailey's First Pony Ride!!!

Fun, but not as cool as the real pony...

Maybe cooler than the real pony. Notice the name of this one...

Bouncy House - Hailey got a spec of dirt on her finger and was NOT having it. She's a little OCD.

Train ride!

Say Cheese!  - OM NOM NOM NOM

Diligent pumpkin selections

Hailey's prize possession pumpkin!