40 weeks {10 months: DUE DATE}

Close up:

How far along? 40 weeks! TODAY IS OUR DUE DATE. 

Size of baby: Croix is as big as he is going to be and we aren't exactly sure what weight that is at this point. However, we will find out his exact weight and length on Friday when he makes his arrival! 

Total weight gain:  38 pounds is the total weight gain for this entire pregnancy! :) ...and I'm ok with that. Let's pray I can get it off ASAP. 

Maternity clothes? Wearing the same dresses, over and over again. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK INTO MY OLD CLOTHES AGAIN! YIPPY! 

Stretch marks? They are still there ;) 

Sleep: These past couple of days have been decent with sleep. It has taken me a while to fall asleep because I have a thousand things running through my mind! 

Best moment this week: Walking out of work on Tuesday @ 3:45 knowing that I don't have to go back until after the New Year!! WOO HOO! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender:  Baby boy, Croix...who we get to meet on Friday if everything goes according to plan! 

Belly Button in or out? I'm going to go ahead and say that at this point she is a halfsie (half in and half out). My belly is officially stretched to the MAX. I'm surprised I can still fit food in there.  

Wedding rings on or off?  Bands AND ring are now off. 

Miss Anything?  I already miss this belly :( 

Food cravings: CANDY. I have eaten so much candy this week. Wow. 

Labor Signs: Lower cramps but nothing consistent. Pretty sure this baby boy is NOT coming on his own. He is very comfy in here! :)

Symptoms: Swollen BODY. Feet, face, hands, legs, belly, etc. 

Happy or moody? AHHHH!!!!!! Do I even need to answer this!?!? OVER. THE. FREAKING. MOON. EXCITED. 

Looking forward to: Holding our sweet baby boy on Friday :) Gosh, I cannot wait for that moment. ...Something I have imagined for so, so long. 

* CAN YOU BELIEVE WE ARE AT THE DUE DATE OF OUR BABY BOY? WOW. IT'S FINALLY HERE. I'm almost in tears writing this post. What a bitter/sweet post. *

Well folks, today is the day. If this baby doesn't come on his own between now and 8 PM we are going into Celebration Hospital for our induction. They have asked that I call 1 hour in advanced to make sure that they aren't slammed. I am praying that they aren't because I seriously cannot wait one more second to meet Croix. Some people don't agree with getting induced- and that's ok. Everyone has their own opinions. There are pros and cons to every decision you make in life. I personally think that getting induced is the best decision for me, for us. With an induction I can be walked through every little step without being overwhelmed with as much as I would with my water breaking or having contractions on my own. I love the fact that I can walk into the hospital, a normal human being- no pain at all, have someone tell me every little detail/step they are doing to me, and then let things happen with the help of medicine. I like knowing what to expect. It makes me a little more calm about this entire birthing situation. My doc informed me that after I receive pitocin that contractions could start at any point and there really isn't a set time- everyone's body is different. So, we could have this baby in the wee hours of Friday morning....or we could have him late Friday evening. It all depends on how fast my body progresses. I'm still deathly, DEATHLY afraid of giving birth. I have watched videos, read blogs and talked with friends- NOTHING helps with my fear about that. I can only pray that God will give me the strength tomorrow evening to walk into the hospital and do my thing. I pray every night that God blesses our family with a healthy baby boy and a safe delivery for both Croix and myself. Your prayers are greatly appreciated as well :) 

Thank you all for following along each week! It has seriously made this pregnancy go by so fast. Like I said before, I will continue to blog. I just love it so much. Up next: Croix's birth story. You don't want to miss it. 

39 weeks

Close up:

How far along? 39 weeks 

Size of baby: According to "What to Expect" Croix is the size of a Watermelon. Should be somewhere around 7+ lbs. 

Total weight gain:  I forgot to ask the nurse for my total weight gain this week. I believe I gained 3-4 pounds this week. So let's just say total weight gain is somewhere between 35-38 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Rotating the same cotton dresses. 

Stretch marks? Yep! Got em'

Sleep: I went the past two nights without getting up to go pee! Get I get an hallelujah for uninterrupted sleep! Whoop. 

Best moment this week: Scheduling our induction date! See below for details. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender:  A Baby boy. Croix William Moon.  

Belly Button in or out? She's an innie still if you can believe that. I swear I have nightmares about waking up in morning and this thing being POPPED out. 7 more days to go. Stay in there little innie. 

Wedding rings on or off?  Bands AND ring are now off. 

Miss Anything? My shoes. I can't wear any of my shoes except one pair of sandals.  They are all too tight because of my swollen feet. 

Food cravings: Sweets. OH WOW! Anything with SUGAR! I may or may not have had 3 snickers bars this past week. That is just down right horrible. Who makes those kind of decisions? ;)  

Labor Signs: Not dilating but I am "40-50%" effaced. That is a good sign. At least Croix is making SOME progress!  I was also having a lot of cramping this past week and something I refer to as "vagina pains"...where I get sharp pains down there. 

Symptoms: Swollen feet and fingers and back aches. 

Happy or moody? Oh my gosh! So SO so SO so SO happy!! :) We seriously cannot WAIT for this baby boy to be here. One more week. Can you believe that? 

Looking forward to: Friday 9/27/13. Our scheduled induction date. 

• So, first things first: MY doctor, Dr. Lemert, is NOT as good at "checking" as the last doc. I swear I wish you all could see me in that room. I'm so embarrassed afterwards by my behavior. I literally YELL the entire time: "oh my gosh. I do NOT like this"....while the doc responds with "well, no one does". Haha. Anyways...I am not dilating YET AGAIN but I am 40-50% effaced. At least we are making some sort of progress here. The doc tells me that at any point I could go into labor and to not be stressed that I am not dilating. 

• Good news: We set an induction date! John and I, along with the doc, decided we would go into the hospital on Thursday, September 26, 2013 in the late evening and if all goes well we will be holding our little bundle of joy on Friday, September 27, 2013. Wow. Just typing that makes me so excited inside. We will have Croix in our arms by next Friday evening. What a magical moment that will be. I can't wait to kiss all over his little face. ....There is still a possibility that I could go into labor naturally by then. We will see. Will I make it to my 40 week picture????? :) 

Scroll down to read a letter to Croix. 

A letter to our baby boy...

Dear Croix,

Wow. When people say "time flies" they sure aren't kidding around. I remember when I first told your Daddy that I was pregnant with you. It was January 18, 2013. It was the happiest day of our lives. We prayed so hard for you. Spending the past nine+ months with you inside of my belly was absolutely magical. Pregnancy was nothing I expected. I didn't think I would end up loving it this much.  Even though you gave me some serious ALL DAY sickness for 49 straight days, I'd say that the past nine+ months of my life have been my favorite so far. My favorite part of carrying you inside of my belly would be to feel you moving around. I love it so much. It's a constant reminder of how lucky we are to have you. Your Daddy and I were just sitting in the kitchen eating dinner talking about how crazy it is for us to wrap our heads around the fact that we are going to be responsible for a human being: YOU. We knew from the start of our relationship that we wanted you. And now, after 39+ longs weeks of waiting, you are finally on your way. You are going to be in our arms in less than seven days. We cannot wait to hold you, squeeze you, kiss you, change your first diaper, give you your first feeding, give you your first bath, introduce you to your fantastic family members, celebrate your first holiday: halloween and snuggle with you! It's crazy how much we love you already and we haven't even met. Your Daddy teases me all the time about how he hopes you are going to get his looks but you will see in time that what he really means is that he hopes you get MY looks because I am cuter than him (and I'm sure you will agree when you see me for the first time). You have so many people looking forward to your arrival. You have two options at this point: 1) You can come on your own between now and 5:00 PM September 26, 2013 or 2) We are going to force you out starting at 5:00 PM on September 26, 2013. We hate to be that way but we are too excited to wait one more second of life without you. We love you so very much and feel so blessed that God chose you to be our little baby boy. 

Love,
Mommy

38 weeks

Close up:

How far along? 38 weeks 

Size of baby: Not exactly sure at this point. If I had to guess I would say between 6-7 lbs. 

Total weight gain:  Hey- I've got some strange news: I lost 3 lbs. this week...can someone tell me how in the heck that happens in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy?! Very odd but the doctor didn't seem too concerned about it. I'm happy about it, I'll tell ya that much....now my total weight gain is 35 lbs! :)  

Maternity clothes? Nothing new. I have 5 cotton dresses (1 of which is maternity) that I rotate daily. I'm really looking forward to getting back into my old clothes again.  

Stretch marks? Oh ya. These babies are growing and 'stretching' right along with this belly. Still pretty low, but definitely bigger than they were before. 

Sleep: Actually not a problem. Isn't that crazy? I thought it was supposed to get worse as the days dwindle down. I get up anywhere between 3:30-4:30 AM to go pee. I waddle myself across this house because I'm still sleeping in the guest bedroom and our guest bathroom is currently being renovated (again). Then I am quickly able to fall back asleep when I return. Getting rest is a great feeling. I love laying on my side. At this point my back and feet are about to break. 

Best moment this week: Going to the baby class. John and I decided it would be a great idea to take a "preparing for your special delivery" class. It was only $50 and the midwife at my doctor's office was the one giving it. It was actually very informational. They talked about everything from when to go into the hospital to how to take care of your baby during the first few days at home. It took my anxiety level from a 10/10  down to a  9.75/10. Hey- any little bit helps. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Negative

Gender:  Sweet baby boy. 

Belly Button in or out? Innie- but I have a little fat roll that sticks out. See previous week for explanation of "fat roll". Oh and my old belly button ring hole (that never closed up) is stretched to the MAX! It's so ugly. 

Wedding rings on or off?  Bands AND ring are now off. 

Miss Anything? My old clothes. 

Food cravings: Sweets and Mexican! 

Labor Signs: Went to the doctor again this week- NOT DILATING! However, I have been having some cramping which the doc says is "mild contractions". They are completely random and not coming at any sort of pattern. I don't think I have been having any Braxton Hicks though. I read that those feel like your stomach is tightening and that isn't happening. I hope I make some progress soon. I don't want to have to force this baby out of me but have a feeling he isn't going to come on his own! 

Symptoms: Back aches and swollen feet. 

Happy or moody? HAPPY. ANXIOUS. NERVOUS.  

Looking forward to: Our labor day. 14 more days. <--- OMG. This pregnancy has flown by!

• So, I have to update you all on my experience of "getting checked" at the doctor's office. Well, this week I had an appointment with a different doctor. He is actually the guy who runs the place- the head honcho. Let me tell you something- I will let him "check" me for the rest of my life. First of all- he had me sitting in an upright position- CHECK! Second of all he did not sit down and get eye level with my ______!- DOUBLE CHECK!. Third of all he did the "check" and I didn't even know he was finished- it was THAT pain free!! . As always- I was clinching and holding my hands over my face. I looked up and noticed that he was taking his gloves off and I said "what? that's it?...did you check me?" He responded with a strange look: "Yes, and you are not dilating and baby is still pretty high up". I am not kidding when I say this was my exact response: "OMG. I DIDN'T EVEN FEEL THAT. WOW. THE PAST TWO TIMES HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE FOR ME. THANK YOU SO MUCH". He just chuckled a little and thanked me for coming in. I think he was a bit taken back because you know I said all of that in my high pitched/excited voice (which is why I typed in caps). 

• Next Wednesday I go back to the doctor. Let's all say a little prayer that MY ACTUAL doctor will be as gentle as the last when I get checked. ...And also say a little prayer that I will be dilating.

• For those of you wondering about what will happen to this blog...I will MOST DEFINITELY continue blogging. I have absolutely loved blogging about our pregnancy journey. Only 2 more "weekly" posts...crazy to think, huh?  I plan on blogging about Croix's birth story- and you KNOW you have got to come back to read that. I'm sure it will be a doozie. Then, when Croix comes I will try my hardest to continue to post weekly about his stats and "firsts". Then eventually, when he gets a little older I will go to only posting monthly. 

• 2 more weeks. OMG. 

Our Maternity Pictures {Aimee Junnila Photography}

We got our pictures taken by our favorite photographer: Aimee Junnila. Seriously- I  absolutely love every photo shoot she does of us. I can't wait to throw Croix into the mix! ....matching him to our outfits and having his cute little self in the pictures. When I think about that I seriously get excited inside. Aimee and I have been talking about his newborn photo shoot for MONTHS now. It's going to be absolutely adorable. Then our first family photo session will be Nov. 3rd for CHRISTMAS PICTURES! Yes, that's right. I already have CHRISTMAS PICTURES booked!!! 

If you think I look like I'm sweating like a pig in these photos...you would be absolutely correct. I don't think I have EVER sweat as much as I did during this photo shoot in my entire life. And to think I was worried about my husband being uncomfortable and WET the entire time. 

However, I am over the moon with how they turned out. I will cherish these photos forever. 

Love this one!

This is one of my absolute favorites.  

Croix's Nursery

Whew. Finally I am able to post the pictures of Croix's nursery.  I am not a big fan of "themed" nurseries. So, we went with colors instead. As you can see, we chose navy blue and mustard. I took these pictures before we put the finishing touches on the room. You will notice that three of the frames needed to be updated with photos and there is a rug missing from the floor. We are SUPER happy with how this room turned out and can't wait to show Croix!!!  Enjoy the pictures! PS: the 37 week post is below this one...keep scrolling :)

 This crib will be his forever bed. It goes from crib, to toddler bed, to day bed, to full size bed. 

 A number 3 because he will be the third member of our little family. 

John made these bookshelves out of pallets. They turned out amazing. 

 Look how great everything looks together!! So in love. 

 This peg board has been updated since I took this picture. It has been framed out and jute rope added to the left. On the jute rope I have added special pictures and other things with tiny little close pins. I'll try to get an updated picture of this because it is just so darn cute! 

Don't mind all the blocks on the changing pad :) 

 Where I will nurse and rock our sweet baby boy!! Can't wait for those precious moments. PS: this is the most COMFY glider ever. 

Hope you love it just as much as we do!! 

37 weeks....FULL TERM!!!

Close up:

How far along? 37 weeks 

Size of baby: Croix is the size of a watermelon! Not sure how much more weight he has gained but the doctor told me last week (when he was 5 lbs. 11 oz.) that he was in the 28th percentile for his weight...? Um...that's low, right? John's only request was that I don't give him a "scrawny boy". Opps. 

Total weight gain:  4. MORE. POUNDS. THIS IS GETTING REDIC. I guess I would rather be gaining all this weight in the end rather than throughout the pregnancy. I shouldn't complain...but holy smokes. Now I am up to a whopping 38 LBS! ...BIG MOMMA! 

Maternity clothes? Nothing new.  

Stretch marks? Well. Since my belly is growing...so are those patches of stretch marks. John thinks they will "go away". Ha. He's in for a rude awakening. 

Sleep: Actually my sleep has been getting better. It's hard to get comfortable when I first fall asleep, but at least I'm not waking up every hour like I was before. I am still waking up once in the middle of the night to go pee, but I am quickly able to fall back asleep. oh- and still sleeping in the guest room. The bed is just way more comfortable for my back. 

Best moment this week:  Hitting the 37 week mark. We are very thankful that I was able to carry this baby boy to "full term". Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are unable to carry their babies to full term. If Croix was to be born now he would most likely not have any complications or any reason to stay in the NICU. We are feeling very blessed to be able to get through this pregnancy without any complications thus far (minus the scare, which turned out to be nothing). 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Well a little boy threw up in my room today. I was THIS CLOSE to throwing up along side of him. However, I don't think that is related to pregnancy at all. I would have felt the same way if I weren't pregnant. 

Gender:  B.O.Y 

Belly Button in or out? Ok. So, when I wear my tight maxi dresses it may LOOK like I have an outtie. But let me explain a little something. I made a stupid mistake many moons ago to get my belly button pierced. Well, although when I turned 20 I felt the need to take it out because I was "too old for it", I still have a scar and a little pinch of fat between the pierced hole and my belly button. WELL- that little tiny flab of fat (between my old belly ring hole and my actually belly button hole) pokes out. So it LOOKS like I have an outtie, but I do still in fact have an INNIE. Thank goodness. And Croix better have an innie as well---let me just say that. 

Wedding rings on or off?  Bands AND ring are now off. 

Miss Anything? A nice glass of wine to take away the stress of work. Planning for three months of maternity leave can make one go ABSOLUTELY NUTS. 

Food cravings: Sweets. Oh man. The sweets craving was coming on with a vengeance this week. Maybe that's why I gained 4 lbs???????? 

Labor Signs: NOOOO! I wasn't dilating AT ALL at my check up this week...which went exactly as expected again- HORRIBLE. This time I think it was worse because I knew there was going to be pain.  I was bearing down with all of my might while the doctor kept telling me "it's ok, it's ok...relax". I even put my sunglasses on just in case I started cry <---serious statement. The doctor laughed at me and actually said the words "I should take your picture". Yes, while I was spread eagle on the table with my feet in the stirrups. AWWWKWARD!! 

Symptoms: My back. I am so looking forward to not carrying around all this extra weight. I would be fine with just carrying around Croix's 5 lbs. 11 oz. but noooooo....gotta carry around all the cookies and ice cream too!!!  And my feet. Oh my gosh- they are so ugly and swollen. Ew. 

Happy or moody? Happy and extremely anxious for Croix's arrival! 

Looking forward to: September 26!! Only 21 days away!!