I Am Thankful For

- a healthy uncomplicated pregnancy.
- the opportunity to go to school.
- a loving husband.
- a mother who texts me multiple times a day.
- a family that rolls their eyes every time they hear that my mom and I are talking on the phone again.
- my sister coming to school out here. Hello trustworthy babysitter.
- a working furnace.
- boots.
- good days.
- maternity clothes.
- the first snowfall of the season.
- My parents having their plane tickets purchased to come out here after Hudson is born.
- a baby that squishes my lungs and kicks my ribs.
- finding and buying the perfect Christmas present for Taylor.
- the times that we get to watch Maverick.
- free turkeys.
- weekends with my husband.
- Monday mornings when Taylor and I go our separate ways.
- midterm retakes.
- Butterfinger bells.
- Pinterest fails- milk jug igloos are no where near as easy as they look...
- breaks from school.
- baby showers.
- thoughtful family members.
- getting rid of Stella. (even if it pains me....)
- Sam's club pretzels.
- cute baby outfits.
- Tums.
- being 36 weeks pregnant today and due in 28 days!

I started this list at the beginning of the month and have been adding to it every time I remember. I truly love the holiday season and the different attitude that people typically have.

Week 34 Bumpdate

Winter has arrived with crazy wind chills and snow

How far along? 34 weeks. Hudson is the size of a cantaloupe and weighs nearly 5 pounds! 

Total weight gain: +17

Maternity clothes: Not that I have a ton, but I'm really done buying any new maternity items and am just going to have to make what I already have work. This will be tricky since I can wear very few of my non maternity items and some maternity shirts aren't fitting well...

Stretch marks: I had a nice chat with my midwife about them. We've decided that they suck and the woman who can have five kids without getting a single stretch mark suck even more.

Sleep: We bought a body pillow for me a few weeks ago, but I have only used it a couple of times. I wake up multiple times a night to re-position.

Best moment this week: Finding the cutest fabric to make a blanket out of. Spoiler: It has tractors on it.. It's so perfect for my husband's son. I can't wait until I have time to make it.

Miss anything? Not feeling like a beached whale.

Movement: Alllllll the time. My right ribs are his favorite place to shove his foot. 

Food cravings: Maybe candy, but really nothing. It would make our lives easier if I did crave something because it would help us to know what to make for dinner. 

Anything making you sick or queasy: Nothing that comes to mind :)

Gender: Boy.

Labor signs: Hudson is head down! This can change at any time, but for right now he is right where we want him to be. 

Symptoms: Acid reflux. I thought that we had gotten this under control with the help of TUMS, but it has been bad this past week. Acne. 

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and tired.

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving break! I neeeeed a break from school. Black Friday shopping. Meeting this little boy that has been making my life difficult. Will he be as stubborn as I think he is from the way he is acting right now? Will he have blue eyes and blonde hair like both Taylor and I do? Will he be tall like his daddy or short like his mother?

Overall things are going really well. I've been measuring right on at every doctor's appointment that I've had, and they haven't had any concerns. 

Life is so busy with school, but I am grateful for it keeping me busy during this waiting time. 

We talked with our Bishop this past week about blessing Hudson, and everything should work out exactly how we want it to. 

We added a rug and a lamp to Hudson's nursery this past week which means that it is almost done and ready for him. I found and bought a diaper bag that I liked and crib sheets have been ordered. We're slowly getting everything checked off of our list.

Time, please move just a little faster...

A Baby Shower

My sister in law and my old roommate/best friend threw me the cutest baby shower this past Saturday. It was a country themed shower and you definitely can't go wrong with country. It was the details that made it so cute.

Those boots were the cutest touch 

The 'tractor tires' were oreos.

And pitch forks. Get it?! ;)

The names kill me.

Apparently I am the absolute worst at baby shower games.

We did this fill in the blank one, one about gestational ages for animals, and chocolate diapers.

Unfortunately, these are all the pictures that I have from the shower. My sister-in-law thought she was getting some great shots, but later found out that her memory card wasn't in her camera. I really appreciated the work that they put into the shower, and the few of my friends that made the effort to come. It was a very pleasant afternoon spent with great company. 

It made me even more excited for Hudson to come! 50 days :)

Dear Hudson

Dear Hudson,

I find myself sitting in the glider in your room more than I thought I would. I sit here and think about all of the memories that we are going to make with you. I am astounded that a baby boy will be sleeping in this crib that is next to me and filling up our quiet house in such a short time.

Some days I feel so ready for you to come while other days I am more than okay with you staying safe in your little haven. It's such a big scary world out here, and I know that I can protect you for now. I worry about all the ways that I am sure to screw you up, but I am excited for all of the things that I want to teach you. How to say that you're sorry and mean it. How to treat a lady with respect. How to be nice to other people. How to worship God and show your love for Him. How to stand up for your future younger siblings. I am so lucky to be your mother and be the one who gets to teach you all of these things.

I am your mother. Just thinking about those words brings tears to my eyes. Heavenly Father has certainly blessed us with this miracle. I'm so young and so worried about how all of this is going to work out, but then I think about how wonderful it is going to be.

You already have the best father. I am so grateful that we were blessed with you as our joyful accident because I don't think your father would have lasted much longer without a child of his own to love. He is always sure to say hi to you whenever he gets the chance. He gets excited every time he feels you move, and you usually put on a show for him so he has a reason to be excited.

I can't wait for you to make your grand entrance into the world. I really can't believe that it is less than two months away until you will be here filling up all of the clothes in your closet. Everyone is so excited to meet you and love you. You are already so loved by your family, and especially by your father and I.

Love,
Mom

Week 30 Bumpdate

How far along? 30 weeks. 

Total weight gain: +10

Maternity clothes: My grandma found some awesome sales for me which has made my life so much easier. I have found that the flowier maternity tops make me feel huge and that I actually prefer the tighter ones. 

Stretch marks: They came all at once..

Sleep: It has gotten much more difficult to get a good night's sleep. Laying down just kind of hurts so finding a comfortable sleeping position is a challenge. 

Best moment this week: Scoring an awesome deal on diapers. Let's hope that we like Target brand of diapers!

Miss anything? Feeling like a normal person.. And I mean that in the most grateful way.

Movement: Some days he is super active and other days he is mellow. 

Food cravings: Second trimester sugar cravings got the best of me so I have been trying to eat a lot healthier.

Anything making you sick or queasy: Going without food for too long.

Gender: Boy.

Labor signs: None.

Symptoms: Acne has returned. Achy hips. Leg cramps while sleeping. Acid reflux. I miss the second trimester bliss. 

Belly button in or out? In. I don't think that my belly button has really changed much.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: The weekend. Life seems to be going a million miles an hour this past week between schoolwork and everything else. I am ready for some less chaotic days. 

My appointments are now every two weeks which seems crazy that I'm far enough along to have them be more often. I has to take the glucose test at my last appointment. I hate cold drinks, and it gave me a stomach ache. How could that nasty sugar drink not give someone a stomach ache when drank at nine in the morning.? It really wasn't fun at all, but I am so relieved that I don't have gestational diabetes. 

We toured one of the hospitals that we can deliver at this past weekend and will probably tour the other one this coming weekend. It is so crazy to think that we are touring hospitals to decide where Hudson will be born in ten short weeks. 

I find it so weird that strangers notice that I'm pregnant now. I feel like I took forever to look pregnant and when I look down I don't feel like I look that big, but it must be noticeable because multiple people have asked me about it in the past few weeks. I had someone ask me if I planned for our due date to be Christmas day. Like you could even plan that well if you tried..