Birthday Freebies & Cheapies

My favorite thing about my birthday is FREE THINGS! Especially food! I decided to compile a list of all the birthday freebies and cheapies I found/acquired this year.

Use within a week to a month window:

  • Planet Smoothie – You will receive an email coupon for a free 22-ounce smoothie (I recommend the Chocolate Elvis) if you are signed up for their Smoothie Club emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Corner Bakery – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert item of your choice (my favorite is the lemon bar) if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Panera – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert item of your choice if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Back Yard Burger – You will receive an email coupon for a free cobbler or milkshake if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Slim Chickens – You will receive a reward in-app for a free mason jar dessert of your choice if you are signed up for their app, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Firehouse Subs – You will receive a reward in-app for a free medium sub of your choice if you are signed up for their app, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop – You will receive an email coupon for a free 4-inch mini pie of your choice if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Cinnabon – You will receive an email coupon for a free iced coffee if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Auntie Annie’s – You will receive a reward in their app for a free pretzel if you create an account in the app, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Regal – If you use your Regal Crown Club card you can receive a free small popcorn within 30 days of your birthday.
  • Moe’s – You will receive a reward in their app for a free burrito if you create an account in the app, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Ruby Tuesday – You will receive an email coupon for a free burger meal (I had the hickory bourbon bacon burger and it was delicious!) or free salad bar entree if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Newk’s – You will receive an email coupon for a free entree meal with the purchase of a beverage if you are signed up for their emails, to go or dine in.
  • McAlisters – You will receive an email coupon for $5 off your purchase if you are signed up for their emails, to go or dine in.
  • Jason’s Deli – You will receive an email coupon for $5 off your purchase if you are signed up for their emails, to go or dine in.
  • Steak n Shake – You will receive an email coupon for a free shake (highly recommend the Nutella one) with any purchase (like another shake for your significant other) if you are signed up for their emails, to go or dine in.
  • P.F. Changs – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert or appetizer if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Olive Garden – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, dine in only.
  • IHOP – You will receive an email coupon for a free stack of pancakes if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, dine in only.
  • Another Broken Egg – You will receive an email coupon for free pancakes if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, dine in only.
  • Logan’s – You will receive an email coupon for a free appetizer or dessert, no additional purchase necessary, dine in only.
  • Longhorn – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert with the purchase of an adult entree, to go or dine in.
  • Outback – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert with the purchase of an adult entree, to go or dine in.
  • Applebee’s – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert with the purchase of an adult entree, to go or dine in.
  • Biaggi’s – You will receive an email coupon for a free dessert with the purchase of an adult entree, to go or dine in.
  • Kathryn’s Steak House (local) – You will receive a text coupon for a free entree of your choice, no additional purchase necessary, dine in only.
  • Twin Peaks – You will receive an email coupon for a free meal if you are signed up for their emails, no additional purchase necessary, to go or dine in. (NOTE: I DO NOT advocate for supporting this tacky establishment. HOWEVER, I will take a free meal from you TO GO.)

Must partake on your actual birthday:

  • Starbucks – You will receive a reward in their app for a free food item or drink of your choice on your actual birthday when you are signed up for their rewards program, no other purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Baskin Robins – You will receive an email coupon to use on your birthday for a free kid’s scoop or free soft serve cone, no other purchase necessary, to go or dine in.
  • Nothing Bundt Cakes – You
  • Froghead Grill (local) – With photo id, you can receive $10 off your meal, dine in only.
  • Cerami’s Italian Restaurant (local) – With photo id, you can choose from linguine and meatballs or chicken alfredo for free on your birthday, dine in only.

Additionally, you can supposedly receive a free bundlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes if you are signed up for their emails. I am signed up for their emails and did not receive any information on that so I cannot offer details on how to acquire that. Everything else mentioned I received.

If you know of anything else, let me know! 

 

 

 

Marry Someone Who Sees You

I’ve been working on a “my thoughts on parenting so far” post. One day I’ll finish that.

I meant to post that (or something) before now. Sometime between now and 10 months ago when I had a baby. Right before that was the last time I made time to blog.

I actually kind of feel lost on what to blog about in this season, but more on that in the other post that’s in the works.

TODAY I want to talk to you about my husband. 

I was going to write this (or some version of it) on Facebook/Instagram, but it required some backstory and over-explaining (doesn’t everything?), so as per usual, I remembered I have a blog and what are blogs for if not using too many words to tell a story??

Okay, so backstory:

I had a baby. I love her. She’s amazing. She’s the best.

Pregnancy had its hard moments. Physically healing from delivering a baby had some hard moments. Parenting has some hard moments (again, more on that coming soon).

For the most part, those hard moments were expected (sans the terrible recovery I had involving my c-section scar reopening and a wound vac). For the most part, people gave plenty of warnings about the woes of pregnancy and how it affects your body, the woes of birthing a baby, the woes of having a newborn to keep alive, and the woes of being a parent.

You know what no one warned me about though? 

POSTPARTUM HAIR REGROWTH!

Or postpartum anything really.

People do (thankfully) talk a lot about postpartum depression, which is very much a needed conversation.

But, no one talks about the baby blues 2-3 weeks after birth that almost everyone experiences regardless of whether or not they go on to experience PPD. No one talks about the isolation you feel in the 6-8 weeks that you can’t bring your pre-vaccinated baby out in public to protect her. No one talks about how your skin is weird and might never be the same skin you once knew. No one talks about how your shoe size and ring size might not go back to its normal size?? (Literally still can’t wear any of my old shoes and just had to drop way too much money to have my rings resized.)

And NO ONE warned me about postpartum hair regrowth! 

Apparently, your hair gets lush and thick(er) when you’re pregnant (I  had heard this, but didn’t particularly notice because my hair was already pretty thick). After baby, lots of people lose a good bit of hair (I didn’t notice that I had lost any because as mentioned, my hair is/was pretty thick and always has been and apparently I had enough to spare). AND THEN… 

It starts growing back and produces these awful baby hairs all over your entire head. Literally, I have a perfect lion’s mane around my whole head of growing baby hairs.

I even got bangs to try to hide them. (Mistake. It didn’t work, and now I also hate the bangs, but thankfully they are growing out quickly.)

The last time I got my hair colored even my stylist said she has never seen anyone have such a bad case of baby hairs.

No amount of bobby pins can control these things, y’all! 

And I’ve always LOVED my hair. I’ve literally never in my entire life hated my hair (not even in middle school). On most days of my life, I’ve felt like I was having a good hair day. I justified not wearing makeup on the reg because at least my hair looked good!

Call me petty or dramatic or whatever you want to, but the hairs make me feel ugly.

So I say ALLLL that to say, I’ve been in a discouraged funk and unhappy with my appearance. I couldn’t wear my pretty sparkly rings. My pants still feel a little too tight. (Maternity jeans ruined me for life. I can technically fit in my pre-baby jeans, but they just feel uncomfortable and too confining, so I want to lose more weight.) I’m self-conscious about my even bigger than before feet. And I hate my hair. Blah blah blah.

And no one has heard me complain about these stupid hairs as much as my sweet husband. 

So, I decided to be able to wear my rings again would make me feel prettier and more confident and I asked hubs if we could get them resized. Of course, he said yes. (AND WHO THE HECK KNEW IT COST SO MUCH TO DO THAT? Happy birthday and Mother’s Day to me!)

The day they were ready he went to the jeweler on his lunch to pick them up then delivered them to me. I was ecstatic! I was flashing my ring finger around like a newly engaged bride-to-be. 

An hour or so after delivering them he said, “I have not seen you that happy in a few weeks. You were genuinely excited. And your smile was so beautiful.” 

I cried. I felt seen and known and loved. And I felt guilty and hadn’t actually realized until that moment what a funk I had been in.

Then he said, “I think we need to start getting up earlier so we can talk and drink coffee and do Bible study and spend time praying together.” 

I agreed.

He continued, “And then you can put on makeup. Not because you need it at all, but I think you like yourself in makeup. And as long as you are upset with your hair, you can wear makeup. Again, not because you need it, but since you are upset with that feature you can highlight your other features, and it will make you feel pretty again.” 

I sobbed.

So today I wore makeup for the first time in 10+ months without a “reason” like having a baby today, date night, attending a wedding, being photographed, holiday, etc. We got up a little earlier. He made our iced protein coffee breakfast drinks (usually my job) and the baby’s bottles while I quickly showered. We met outside in our robes – him with our coffee, me with my makeup. He read the Bible out loud to us while I did my makeup. We chatted. We prayed. We woke up the baby together as we usually do. He dressed her while I got dressed and fixed my hair. I fed her while he showered and got ready. He complimented me endlessly. And we both left for work earlier than we often do, more on time than we both typically are, feeling more connected than we normally are, and with me feeling prettier than I usually do.

Single friends – look for and marry someone who sees you and loves the Lord. And spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Married men – see your wife, really see her, know her, encourage her, lift her up, spiritually lead your family into the presence of the Lord. And spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Married women – let your husband into the depths of your soul, tell him how you feel and what you need, respect him and build him up, trust him. And spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Moms – I have rolled my eyes every single time one of the parenting books I’ve been reading says to get up before the baby and make yourself feel together and pretty before the day starts. And I had given up hope on being able to spend time with Jesus in the mornings in the little kid season of life because sleep is precious! But today I told my husband that this summer even when I’m off every day and home with the baby, I want to still get up with him and do this routine even if our only plans for the day are to just be home. It made a difference – the caring about my appearance AND the spending time with Jesus. Get your hair colored or cut (or both). Put on some makeup/replace your crusty liquid eyeliner (picking up a new one after work today…) Get your rings sized if they don’t fit you. If they do, get them cleaned, so they sparkle more. Ask for mani/pedi gift cards for Mother’s Day and your birthday (LITERALLY THE ONLY THING ON MY LISTS). And spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Thirty-Seven Weeks

written on June 30th

important updates: the c-section is still scheduled for Monday, July 2nd. it’s a good thing we kept the section because baby girl put herself back in a breech position (and grew even more as you’ll see in the normal updates)!

we had our last weekly checkup with my doctor. the next time we see her she’ll be delivering our baby! also discovered I have a UTI at that appointment so I’m on an antibiotic.

my blood pressure was up that day (and for a couple of days following) so they ran some labs. no preeclampsia, just some gestational hypertension.

she got another 8 out of 8 on her bpp and will hopefully be healthy and ready for lots of kisses and cuddles when she comes out!

she’s almost here! 1 1/2 more days. 1 1/2 more sleeps (I’m counting the night before as a 1/2 night because a. how much will we actually sleep and b. we have to be there at 5:30 am).

outfit: non-maternity dress purchased second hand from Poshmark from Maurice’s. 

how far along: 37 weeks and 6 days

size of baby: 8 lbs and 15 ounces as of tuesday’s check. room for error of course, but she measured her three times and got the same results each time so we’re pretty certain she’s gonna have some cheeks!

maternity clothes: still living the pants are too hard life. if it’s not a loose flowy dress, one of william’s t-shirts, or an oversized sleep shirt I’m not wearing it.

symptoms: upper shoulder pain, tired as can be, bad carpal tunnel flare-ups, etc.

cravings/aversions: CAN. NOT. WAIT to eat tomato sandwiches next week! also, I found out I don’t get to eat right away after a c-section so that was a bummer. also pretty excited about eating some breakfast food and pasta soon.

movement: she’s definitely running out of room and her movement mostly feels like she’s trying to break out of my stomach.

sleep: I have actually slept pretty good this week, but last night my carpal tunnel majorly flared up and made for not great sleep.

gender: baby girl.

looking forward to: MEETING OUR BABY!!

worries: I’m sure I’ll be nervous the morning of, but right now I’m genuinely not worried about anything!

milestones: IT’S TIME!!

best moment this week: we were both experiencing some major anxiety about everything last week. on sunday, I didn’t sleep well and was already exhausted and really didn’t want to go to church, but we decided to go anyway since we won’t be able to go for a few weeks after tomorrow. I’m so glad we did! worshiping was so good for my heart and soul. and then we decided to be intentional to pray together every day this week to help calm our anxiety, keep us connected to God and each other, and to do our best to enjoy our last moments together before we’re parents. those moments of prayer have been so sweet and so good for us! and majorly calmed our anxieties.

and that’s a wrap on the pregnancy posts! the next post will be about her! 

and the next picture will be of her! 

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks | Thirty-One Weeks |Thirty-Two Weeks | Thirty-Three Weeks | Thirty-Four Weeks | Thirty-Five Weeks | Thirty-Six Weeks

Thirty-Six Weeks

written on June 22nd

most important stuff: we had our last visit with the at-risk doctor this week as well as another weekly checkup/bpp with my doctor (next to the last one, what?!).

the baby DID move and is no longer in a breech position, BUT my doctor wants to keep the c-section due to her size (and that she still has over a week of growing to do) and due to me having gestational diabetes. (and again, we are 100% okay with that decision.)

she did great on the bpp and scored another 8 out of 8 and is looking good.

c-section is still scheduled for July 2nd. we have the first one of the day at 7:00 am and will get to the hospital at 5:30 that morning.

less than two weeks to go y’all! two more Saturdays and Sundays, one more Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. nine more days total (today is in full swing and is a work day so it doesn’t count) and ten more sleeps (if we actually manage to sleep the night before go day)!

now to the normal updates.

 

outfit: non-maternity Easter dress from Burke’s Outlet that I realized was a little too snug now after I put it on but changing felt like too much work. 

 

how far along: 36 weeks and 5 days.

size of baby: we had two scans this week, one with my doctor and one with the at-risk doctor. my doctor’s office said 8 lbs and 6 ozs. the high-risk doctor’s office said 7 lbs and 1 oz. so somewhere between and/or around one of those numbers. hoping for the smaller number just so she can wear the small collection of newborn clothes we have at least once haha.

maternity clothes: this update is just pointless at this point but I’m keeping it for consistency. can’t deal with pants. pants are too hard. just rotating through all the dresses that fit(ish). the non-maternity dress I am wearing in the picture above was my Easter dress. I just thought I had a bump then.

symptoms: the usual. carpal tunnel, aches and pains, waddles, and now random spurts of insomnia. oh and the hormonal emotions have been taken up a notch. pray for william haha. I cried at least four times on wednesday.

cravings/aversions: because I saw some churro dog treats on a social media pet account I follow, my taste buds decided I HAD to have churros (the real kind, not the dog treat kind). like major BAD craving, had to have craving.

a. as you know I have gestational diabetes and shouldn’t eat a churro anyway.

b. churros, seriously?!

c. I had to cave into the crave. no argumental logic would quiet the craving.

I searched the WaitrApp and no local restaurants served churros. I remembered the cafe at Sam’s used to have churros sometimes so I called to see if they still served them. they did. after work william and I headed to Sam’s to give into this random craving.

as soon as we walked through the door guess who I see? my high-risk doctor who manages my gestational diabetes.

this should have made me leave, but it didn’t. needless to say, I acquired a churro (or two) and I’m not sad I did. I chased it with some protein and my numbers weren’t too bad.

movement: lots. and they hurt a little sometimes and make my belly look contorted and like there is an alien in there.

sleep: as previously mentioned, experiencing random episodes of insomnia every other night or so.

gender: baby girl.

looking forward to: JULY 2ND! so ready to hold and kiss my baby. and for the third trimester to be over! it’s a struggle y’all. but she is worth it! also, the hubs and I are having a last date night before baby arrives tonight. excited about that!

worries: no major worries. just hoping/praying nothing happens before July 2nd. also, william has a second sleep study next week. this one will require him to spend the night at their clinic. they assured him that if I happen to go into labor and call, he’ll be able to answer his phone. we’re both slightly worried about something happening that night. but again, hoping/praying we make it smooth sailing to the 2nd.

milestones: I guess the baby moving into the position she’s supposed to be in is a milestone even if it doesn’t change our birth plan.

best moment this week: it just keeps feeling more and more real in the best ways. I cannot wait!

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks | Thirty-One Weeks |Thirty-Two Weeks | Thirty-Three Weeks | Thirty-Four Weeks | Thirty-Five Weeks

Thirty-Five Weeks

written on

important date update:

not very long after posting about our June 28th date last week, the doctor called us back and changed everything!

she didn’t realize that baby girl is in a breech position. since she’s big, the chances of her turning are unlikely. so our doctor wanted to schedule a c-section instead if we were okay with that.

(note: we are okay with a c-section! I’ve been mentally prepared for the idea of a c-section from the beginning. I know genetics plays a part and my mom had to have them with both of us and many of the women in my family have also had to have them. AND gestational diabetes babies are often section babies.)

she said we’d keep checking her and if she moved or didn’t get too big we might reconsider the induction, but she wanted to have an operating room booked since it seems like c-section will probably be our best option. and as you will see below in the normal updates, she keeps getting bigger!

so the new date is July 2nd! 

outfit: non-maternity Torrid dress from Belk. 

how far along: 35 weeks and 5 days.

size of baby: 7 lbs and 14 ounces says the ultrasound lady from this week..

maternity clothes: yep.

symptoms: I had a crazy night of braxton hicks one night this week! literally, I had them all night and didn’t sleep at all. I haven’t had any since thank goodness. and then the normal stuff – exhausted, crazy carpal tunnel, swollen, etc. amniotic fluid is back to a normal level and everything is looking great as far as the babe goes though.

cravings/aversions: ALL THE BREAKFAST FOODS THAT I CAN’T HAVE! seriously, the things on my list of things I must eat after baby and before we go back to healthy eating are mostly breakfast related: banana bread, chocolate chocolate chip muffins, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, french toast, pancakes, waffles, cheese grits, egg in a basket, sausage cream cheese crescent roll casserole. I want it all!

movement: she moves from one breech position to the next. literally her head flips from above my belly button on my right side to above my belly button on my left side. and her feet dangle and play soccer with my bladder. she has no interest whatsoever in going head down thus far haha.

sleep: other than the braxton hicks night, I’ve slept great this week. I usually sleep in the bed until my first or second potty break, decide getting out of bed for said potty break is too difficult and move to the chair so it is easier, have third or fourth or fifth potty break way too close to when the alarm goes off, and get back in bed for the last few minutes of sleep to cuddle with hubs.

gender: baby girl.

looking forward to: holding my baby!

worries: currently I’m not experiencing any major worries to speak of. judge me if you want, but finding out we were having a c-section actually made me feel a bit relieved about some of my worries.

milestones: the nursery is officially finished!

best moment this week: a few stand out. it has been a good week!

first, some of my forever gospel family even if I don’t see them on Sundays anymore had us over on wednesday night. in general it was just so good to be with them, but they also took intentional time to ask us everything we were worried about and stressed about regarding birth and life with a newborn (and didn’t just let us give a “we’re fine” answer). then we prayed. I always love prayer, but there is something so special and powerful about hearing a room full of people pray over you and your baby and your life. I cherish moments like that! and then they let us ask all the questions we wanted about bringing a baby into the world and imparted lots of practical wisdom. it was a special night. AND there were some very much appreciated gifts! including her door hanger from one of my besties that I’m so in love with!

second, two girls nights! one last Friday and one last night. I know I’ll get to have girls nights after the babe gets here too, but it felt important and special to have one (or a few) girl nights before she gets here.

third, in general I’m a VERY emotional person. I was kind of scared I was going to be a complete basket case while pregnant, but I really haven’t been! I mean sure, I’ve cried about some irrational things, but I haven’t been that much more emotional than I normally am. this week, the reality that I’m about to be a mom and have a baby has hit me in the emotions like crazy! and it’s been a good feeling. I’ve cried more happy, overwhelmed with goodness tears this week than I have the whole pregnancy. I can’t believe we’re about to have a baby!

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks | Thirty-One Weeks |Thirty-Two Weeks| Thirty-Three Weeks| Thirty-Four Weeks

Thirty-Four Weeks

written on June 7th

WE HAVE A DATE!! today’s weekly appointment was an eventful one. I was just expecting another quick scan and biophysical profile update followed by the doctor saying see you next week.

NOPE!

my appointment was at 10:30. I didn’t get to have a sonogram until 11:40, so LOTS of waiting, in three different waiting rooms. one woman in the third waiting room started crying because it wasn’t her turn yet and I didn’t judge her at all. I was feeling it too.

when it was finally ultrasound time, the scan was pretty quick and great. she got 8 out of 8 on the bpp again. she’s measuring 6 lbs and 5 ounces this week. gaining about 1/2 lb a week which is average.

on to the doctor’s office for more waiting, except not!

the nurse came in quick and said my doctor was going to be checking my cervix (wasn’t expecting that to start for a few more weeks) and would be doing the group b strep test (also wasn’t expecting that yet).

the test was less scary than I thought, cervix check was quick and everything looked good (no dilation yet).

she told me my amniotic fluid was a little high but it wasn’t something to worry about yet. she said she’d talk to the high-risk doctor about it and we’d just check it again next week. (high-risk doctor wasn’t concerned either.)

and then she started talking about scheduling!

she has vaguely mentioned 38 weeks, but then less vaguely moved back to somewhere between 38 or 39, but didn’t seem interested in scheduling any time soon as of last week.

she said she for sure do 38 weeks since it looks like she’ll be over 8 lbs by then, but said she wanted to check with the high-risk doctor first and make sure labor and delivery was available for the potential date she wanted (July 2nd). she said she’d call me and let me know when it was officially scheduled.

about 30 minutes later she called! she said my high-risk doctor said between 37 and 38 weeks, the 2nd was booked, and so she officially scheduled it for Thursday, June 28th.

AHHHHH!

3 WEEKS Y’ALL!

It definitely feels very surreal and like a whole different level of real now.

WE’RE HAVING OUR BABY!

Okay, on with the normal updates. I just obviously had to share that huge update.

how far along: 34 weeks and 4 days.

size of baby: 6 lbs and 5 ounces as of today’s scan.

maternity clothes: YEP. I just keep getting bigger. I don’t think my belly button is going to pop out ( I feel like that only happens with skinny people?), however, it is definitely getting smaller and smaller.

symptoms: achy, tired, swollen, carpal tunnel woes, etc.

cravings/aversions: can’t wait to use my Buttermilk Pie Sky Shop gift card on one of their new peach pies after the baby arrives!

movement: sporadic! one day she moves more than she ever has, the next she’s chill, but I always feel her moving.

sleep: more and more sleep time spent in the recliner. I still really can’t complain about sleep though. I’ve slept well.

gender: baby girl (they reconfirm it each week at the scan haha).

looking forward to: the birth of our baby girl!

worries: all the birth process stuff haha.

milestones: WE HAVE A DATE!

best moment this week: WE HAVE A DATE!

overkill? haha. it’s just so exciting!

other best moment of the week was our church shower! it was beautiful as are all of the showers my sister-in-law plans, but it was so sweet and special. this is the church family who has prayed so much for her, who will be there her first time at church and the day she gets dedicated, and the ones who will teach her and guide her. AND some of my best friends came! one from Texas, one from Georgia, one from 3 hours away on the coast, and some of my local besties too. it was a special day for sure.

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks | Thirty-One Weeks |Thirty-Two Weeks | Thirty-Three Weeks

Thirty-Three Weeks

written on June 1st

outfit: decided to wear this 4th of July maternity shirt that I got on sale for $8 at Motherhood Maternity for Memorial Day just in case I’m not still with child on July 4th. maternity jeans also from Motherhood Maternity. classy swiffer mop in the backgroud. also featuring mirror that needs to be cleaned. #keepingit real. baby shower outfit below: non-maternity Torrid dress from Belk + non-maternity cacoon cardigan from Target.

how far along: 33 weeks and 5 days

size of baby: 5 lbs and 11 ounces as of yesterday’s checkup.

maternity clothes: all the yep. HUGE.

symptoms: on Sunday morning I woke up with a mild headache and feeling a little extra swollen. I decided to check my blood pressure, which I don’t do often because it has been great. it was pretty high, the highest it has been since pregnant. I sat, rested, waited, and it lowered but was still high/borderline. I called the on-call doctor and they wanted me to come in just to run some tests and check on the baby. long story short – everything was fine! it was still borderline high when I arrived, but as I laid on the bed to be monitored it lowered and was actually great. we were there FOREVER because the hospitalist had two emergencies and we couldn’t be released without him signing off, but all tests (including the awful one involving a catheter) came back fine and they got a couple hours worth of good bp readings. he told me it seemed like it was elevated by activity and emotional stress, so told me to stay calm and be a couch potato as much as possible.

other than that little scare, the normal symptoms – tired, swollen (the labor and delivery nurse called my swollen feet hamburger feet…), achy, carpal tunnel.

cravings/aversions: everything gestational diabetes says I can’t have – coke, fancy coffee, sweets. but making it!

movement: I think she’s starting to get crowded because movement is a little more sparse, but I still feel her and she always gets to the proper fetal movement count before time is up anytime I do a check.

sleep: definitely sleeping more in the recliner this week than the bed.

gender: baby girl.

looking forward to: meeting her! we have our church shower this weekend and I know that will be sweet and special.

worries: WHEN. that’s all. haha.

milestones: the hospital scare pushes us to finally get the hospital bags packed and nursery finished!

best moment this week: I have a few! first, at this week’s appointment, she FINALLY passed the breathing test! since week 30, each week they have to do a biophysical profile test (bpp) on me. the bpp measures four things – fetal breathing, fetal movement, amniotic fluid, and fetal muscle tone. You can get 0-2 points in each category. the last two times she didn’t pass the fetal breathing part (there has to be one episode of rhythmic breathing for 30 seconds or more within a 30-minute window) which resulted in having to do a non-stress test, which she did pass both times. but this week she passed and got a score of 8 out of 8!

another definite best moment – our family shower! it was so sweet, fun, and beautiful! we felt so loved and celebrated! our baby girl is blessed with a wonderful family who already loves her dearly.

a finale favorite moment was when we were watching our neice and nephew so their parents could have a date. since the nursery is done and has a rocker in it now, I took my sleepy 3-month-old as of today nephew back there to rock him. something about rocking a baby in her room brought on all kinds of emotions! I can’t believe we will have a baby soon to rock and sing over and pray over. I didn’t even tell William about the moment, but an hour or so later when he went to go rock our nephew he had a similar moment! he said as he was singing worship songs over him he got emotional thinking about getting to have those moments so soon with our baby girl.

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks | Thirty-One Weeks |Thirty-Two Weeks

Thirty-Two Weeks

written on May 25th

outfit: non-maternity favorite dress that I call my Belle dress that was purchased for wedding showers/engagement pictures from Lane Bryant.

how far along: 32 weeks and 5 days.

size of baby: over 4 lbs and 11 ounces (her size at last week’s checkup).

maternity clothes: yep. they need to make maternity shoes… I have two pairs of flip flops I can sort of wear. that’s it.

symptoms: swollen, huge, achy, carpal tunnel like whoa, tired, etc.

cravings/aversions: really dreaming about honeybuns lately. and tomato sandwiches. (not supposed to eat bread and/or sugar, so this is problematic.)

movement: lots!

sleep: still making it in the bed most of the night, but sleeping in the room recliner for some stretches.

gender: baby girl.

looking forward to: this weekend! we have our family shower tomorrow and have a goal to get the nursery finished and all hospital bags packed.

worries: all the unknowns of delivery, particularly the WHEN part.

milestones: we finally figured out the right dose for the gestational diabetes numbers (had to go up again) and now my numbers have been great!

best moment this week: some of our friends had us over for a fancy high tea in honor of the babe. it was so fun and fancy!

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks | Thirty-One Weeks

outfit: non-maternity empire waist dress also purchased for wedding showers from Ross.

Thirty-One Weeks

written on May 18th

how far along: 31 weeks and 5 days.

size of baby: according to the doctor today 4 lbs and 11 ounces. the medicine is working and her growth has slowed down!

maternity clothes: yes yes yes. and empire/swing dresses and shirts. I’m huge. finally got to wear the maternity swimsuit! I didn’t think it was possible to feel cute in a swimsuit while pregnant, but I felt kind of cute.

side note – being in a pool while pregnant is AMAZING! I didn’t feel like I was pregnant at all. until I got out… and then all the aches and pains and huge belly returned.

symptoms: mostly the same (growing belly, hurting parts, exhausted, gestational diabetes woes, swollen, carpal tunnel, emotional, etc.) + more Braxton Hicks and nesting.

cravings/aversions: I tried watermelon to see how it did with my blood sugar and it feels like manna sent from Heaven. SO GOOD.

movement: lots and lots.

sleep: still can’t complain about sleeping! carpal tunnel and bathroom breaks wake me up a little, but not terrible.

gender: baby girl.

looking forward to: meeting my baby! (also, not being pregnant and eating things on the list.)

worries: my doctor said not to worry about the tiny cervix thing yet!

milestones: hospital bags are mostly packed! that feels big. we have 6 weeks or less!

also, my husband had to help me do my toes. I feel like that’s a pregnancy milestone/right of passage?

also, now we’ll be seeing the doctor once a week. time is flying by!

best moment this week: being in a pool was as glorious as I thought it would be! but by far the best part of this week was my husband. he was so sweet and kind on my birthday, cleaned our whole house this week, AND as mentioned, helped me fix my ratchet feet.

also, we got to see her again today! she wouldn’t show her face, but all three people who did ultrasounds (yes three, high risk doctor is no joke) talked about how much hair she had! she definitely is getting that from her daddy since I had no hair until I was 2.

 

outfit: non-maternity empire waist dress from one of Belk’s plus lines. 

 

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks | Thirty Weeks

Thirty Weeks

written May 11th

gestational diabetes update:

first I would like to say, the motherhood community is AMAZING!

if you have ever had gestational diabetes, you probably had a moment where you blamed yourself or something of the sort. at the very least, you were probably disappointed.

all the fellow mamas out there have been SO encouraging and supportive. you hear a lot about moms judging other moms, but all the moms I know are so full of encouragement, support, and love that it makes me even happier to be getting the title of mama soon.

biggest gestational diabetes update is… NO MORE 2 AM CHECKS! we finally got the night medicine figured out, from 1/2 pill, to 1 pill, to 1 1/2 pills, to 2. but we finally figured out the proper dose and no more 2 am checks!

everything else is as normal. just counting down the days until I don’t have to prick my fingers anymore.

on to the normal updates.

 

outfit: non-maternity maxi hi-low dress from one of Belk’s plus brands (acquired on clearance for $9!) + non-maternity cacoon cardigan from Target. 

 

how far along: 30 weeks and 5 days.

size of baby: big. we have two new appointments next week, so we’ll have an update on how big then, but we already know she’s definitely ahead in the size department.

maternity clothes: as per usual, I can wear swing/empire dresses and shirts that aren’t maternity, but anything else has to be maternity.

symptoms: rash is pretty much gone! however, carpel tunnel, swollenness, growing belly, gestational diabetes, tiredness, soreness and achiness, etc. remain. I’m also starting to have some braxton hicks.

cravings/aversions: I want a hot brownie with molten fudge sauce and ice cream so stinking bad. that is all.

movement: every time I think she’s not moving a lot, well, first I pray. usually, she moves pretty quickly after that. if not, I use a fetal movement tracker and without fail she gets to 10 movements way before an hour ends.

sleep: starting to get woken up by kicks. and braxton hicks. but when I sleep, I sleep GOOD. especially not having to wake up a 2 am to prick my finger.

gender: sweet baby girl.

looking forward to: meeting my baby! and also birthday cheat meal…

worries: I saw a doctor who wasn’t mine recently who mentioned that I have a small cervix. his exact word was “tiny.” small cervix + big baby sounds scary. ready to see my doctors next week to ask them about this.

milestones: not a baby milestone, but a mom milestone… I FINISHED MY CLASS! AND RESEARCH PAPER! I haven’t written a research paper in 9ish years, and when I did write the last one I was a full-time student. I definitely was NOT working full time, pregnant, married, etc. I’m pretty proud of myself AND happy to be done until next spring!

best moment this week: not having to do school work has been pretty spectacular.

other life updates: my birthday is in 3 days and I’ll be 35! that doesn’t feel super exciting. also, we decided to cancel our babymoon the best part of vacation is eating and I can’t eat all the stuff I want to eat. and saving money isn’t a bad idea since unpaid maternity leave is on the horizon.

bring it on week 31!

Other posts: Finding Out | Four Weeks | Five Weeks | Six Weeks | Seven Weeks | Eight Weeks | Nine Weeks | Ten Weeks | Eleven Weeks | Twelve Weeks | Thirteen Weeks | Fourteen Weeks | Fifteen Weeks | Sixteen Weeks | It’s a… | Seventeen Weeks | Eighteen Weeks | Nineteen Weeks | Twenty Weeks | Twenty-One Weeks | Twenty-Two Weeks | Twenty-Three Weeks | Twenty-Four Weeks | Twenty-Five Weeks | Maternity Woes | Twenty-Six Weeks | Twenty-Seven Weeks | Twenty-Eight Weeks | Twenty-Nine Weeks