Sewing, Packing & Iced Coffee

A lot has been accomplished this past week for Baby G. I wish I could say the same for packing up the apartment, however, I do have the hospital bag packed and ready to go! It's a little difficult for me to officially keep the bag packed since some of the things I use on a daily basis, especially the few comfy clothes I have that I can fit into... but I don't mind living out of it for the next few weeks. 

We are beyond excited for tomorrow... we get another ultrasound! I'm also hoping to have an idea where I'm at (if I'm thinning/dilated at all) and what the doctor thinks about when she may arrive. According to her estimated arrival date (which I know isn't completely accurate), we have 30 days until her due date!

The first thing I'm soooo happy that I made was her baby blanket. From a previous post, I shared my desire of having a pink and grey nursery because I am obsessed with it. And to start off the collection of pink and grey accessories for her nursery, I made this...

I LOVE the soft pink minky dot fabric (which I also purchased a matching Boppy Pillow Cover in Pink Minky). And the grey chevron goes perfectly with it. 
I got the pattern and fabric from Etsy (of course!) from SoTweetFabrics.

The next thing I made was breast pads! Awesome, right?! Since my plan is to only breastfeed - and pump when needed - I figured these would be a great investment. Although there are plenty of brands with disposable and reusable breast pads, I really wanted to put my sewing machine to use and just make my own for free! It was super easy for someone who is a beginner sewist, and I used some of Justin's old white T-shirts that needed to be thrown out. 

 Sewing instructions and patterns courtesy of DIY Maternity :)

Last, I put together some cute burp clothes. I purchased a 10 pack of 6-ply diaper cloths from Target for about $16.99 that are plain white. Totally boring, but a great deal! With my left over fabric from her baby blanket, I made the burp cloths all nice and pretty...

Now, Baby G can spit up in style.

 I used the Burp Cloth Tutorial from The Thinking Closet. 

Aside from sewing and online shopping for our little girl this past week, I've also indulged in some drinking... homemade iced coffee that is. I. am. addicted. Decaf of course.

My Belly has become a very useful cup holder.

Week 34 & 35

 

How far along? 34 - 35 Weeks

Total weight gain: 21 lbs+
Maternity clothes? Mostly leggings and stretchy clothes... whatever is comfortable
Stretch marks? None... which I'm hoping it will stay this way during these last few weeks, and I won't see any when I'm not pregnant. Fingers crossed!
Sleep: I'm not sure what this sleep thing is anymore.
Best moment this week: Getting all of her clothes cleaned and ready, making room for her stuff, and buying more baby stuff!
Miss Anything? Just sleep as of right now
Movement: She seems to enjoy kicking my ribs. It never really bothered me before, but now and again she'll pull some of her ninja kicks on my ribs
Food cravings: Hm let's see, pickles, chocolate milk, sour gummy worms, cranberry/cherry juice, pizza and of course warm cinnamon rolls with a glass of milk, YUM! Pretty much everything I've been craving for months.

Anything making you queasy or sick: My husband's farts... they seem to be getting worse with pregnancy...
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: None

Symptoms: I'm definitely getting back to feeling tired again. I could seriously take a nap at about 9:30am, but I keep myself up and busy

 Belly Button in or out? out

 Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! with a hint of crankiness.
Looking forward to: Next week's appointment! We get another ultrasound!

I can't believe there is only 35 days left until my due date! It is coming up so quick and it felt like it was going to take forever to get here. 

These last two weeks have been spent looking online (a lot) for things like hooded towels, fabrics to make stuff, receiving blankets, and just updating our registries at Babies R Us and Target. We also got all of her clothes (that are here in Kansas) washed and folded, the bedroom arranged with the bassinet and her stuff in drawers, and some sewing done with breast pads and her blanket. And of course, shopping! Last weekend we went to Target (since that's the only place within 4 hours to go), and purchased:

Diaper Genie Elite & Filters 

 Newborn to Toddler Bath Tub

Boppy Pillow

Boppy Pillow Cover - in pink minky - LOVE!

Bath wash

Burp Cloths (Diaper cloths - super durable!)

and a Safety/Grooming Kit

  

There are still plenty of items left to get on the list, however, I think we are pretty set for the few short weeks we will be down here in Kansas after she's born until we move back home to Michigan! At least for the summer. The job hunt still continues for the both of us and we are waiting to hear back from the many positions we have applied to that recently closed. There just has to be something out there for us!

Somethings that will be done this upcoming week: Packing the hospital bag, getting an ultrasound on Wednesday May 1, packing up the apartment some more, finish sewing Baby G's blanket, and getting last minute items for her arrival. 

Packing the hospital bag is the most  important that I need to get done right now - to give me a peace of mind. I've been so cranky lately (I feel bad Justin has to deal with it!) due to the lack of sleep (which you could probably see in my 35 week picture) and just wanting to be comfortable, but also because of the things left to do. The crazy dreams where I wake up in a panic thinking I'm going into labor early have really messed with my mind! Darn pregnancy hormones!

Week 33

How far along? 33 Weeks & 2 days

Total weight gain: 21 lbs+
Maternity clothes? I'm wearing leggings and yoga pants most of the time. Even those are getting a little tight!
Stretch marks? none so far
Sleep: I'm getting use to my sleeping patterns - waking up at least 3 times to use the bathroom, and maybe a few times between that to adjust and get comfortable again. I'm up to using 4 pillows now
Best moment this week: Daddy putting together the bassinet, and getting fabric to make her a baby blanket!
Miss Anything? After our usual weekend plans - hanging out with our friends and having a long week of studying, I've definitely been wanting a nice cold Guinness to relax, but the wait is totally worth it
Movement: There is so much movement! At least having the hiccups every few hours, and kicking/rolling around in there like crazy when I'm going to bed. She is definitely a night owl
Food cravings: I'm always craving fruits! something that's refreshing, and chocolate of course. I don't indulge that much on the sweets though, just my usually chocolate milk! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Can't think of anything off the top of my head that has grossed me out lately, but I'm sure there has been something
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Not exactly labor signs, just what I think to be braxton hicks
Symptoms: Cramping and tightening of my stomach, and very rarely there will be a sharp pain the goes down one side of my legs. My ribs are getting to be more sensitive to her kicks, but they're not totally painful - just uncomfortable. 

 Belly Button in or out? slightly poking out. The feeling of it doesn't bother me as much as it did before it got out
Wedding rings on or off?  On - I'm surprised (and so thankful) that I've not had any problems with swelling. I'm told it will eventually happen, but with only roughly 6 weeks left, I hope I can avoid that

Happy or Moody most of the time: So Happy! I'm always thinking about how it's going to be and it brings butterflies to my stomach, but I know it's going to be even more exciting when she really is here
Looking forward to: Next baby appointment, making her blanket, and getting the other items we need for her

I'm so excited to make her baby blanket! After hours of shopping and not finding exactly what I want, I decided it's best if I just make a blanket for her that is perfect. Of course I started my search on Etsy and found grey chevron and pink minky fabric, courtesy of Shelly Morgan.

I've also been debating on what other items I could make myself rather than spend the extra cash to by it already made. I'm seriously considering making my own crib bumper and skirt, however, since I am only just a beginner at sewing, I'm nervous that it won't turn out. I've found plenty of tutorials, and potential fabrics I would use, but I just can't get myself to take the extra step and get it! I do have a while to think about it more since we won't have her nursery and crib actually set up until we move in August. Wherever that may be! 

Daddy did put up the bassinet already! It's really cute, simple and gender neutral so we are able to use it again. 

Babies R Us

There are a few other things we need to do/buy to get ready for her arrival. 

Pack the hospital bag

Wash and fold all of her clothes

Purchase a Diaper Genie (Absolute must have!)

 Purchase baby towels, receiving blanket(s), baby soap, bath

And of course pack up the apartment and get ready to move! I'm sure there will be other things I'll think of, but I feel so lost still since this is our first child and don't have much of an idea of what we're doing. haha. 

I'm pretty sure we are set on baby clothes for quite sometime though!

Week 32

How far along? 32 Weeks and 1 Day

Total weight gain/loss: +20 lbs

Maternity clothes? I'm wearing some maternity, and a lot of leggings/stretchy clothing

Stretch marks? I'm hoping I won't get any!!

 Sleep:Very uncomfortable to sleep

Best moment this week: Hearing her heartbeat and feeling her moving
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach
Movement: She moves around so much!
Food cravings: Nothing particular lately

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing :)

Have you started to show yet:  I'm getting so big, I feel like my sides are just about to burst!

Gender: Baby girl <3

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks have started

Belly Button in or out? It's starting to go out finally!

Wedding ring on or off? Still on :)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Definitely happy, but the lack of sleep tends to make me cranky

Looking forward to: Getting her bassinet and car seat together, and just getting ready for her to be there!

 

The baby appointment on Monday went really good. Short and simple, but it is always a great feeling to hear her heart beat. :) My doctor has changed my appointments to every two weeks now, which makes it seem so much more real! We will be having another ultrasound around 36 weeks, so I'm curious to see her position change and growth! From what it feels like, she seems to be head down as it was the last ultrasound we had. I can definitely tells she's done a lot of flips since then though! I'm really surprised at how much she is moving around. She's going to be one active baby when she comes out, that's for sure!

Lately, I've been feeling tightening in my stomach every couple of hours. I just associated it with her pushing out so much because of the tight space in there, which it's partly that, but I'm realizing that when my whole stomach feels like this that it is actually braxton hicks. It's exciting to know that my body is getting ready for her to arrive!

I feel like there is still so much left to prepare for her to be here. We do have some time left, but it's hard to plan and buy since we will be moving back home to Michigan when she's okay to travel. I do love hearing from Justin that he just wants her to be here already. Hearing him say that and knowing he will be an amazing father makes me fall in love with him so much more.

Week 30-31, Spring Break, Minnesota

These past two weeks have flown by! There hasn't been much time to update with the chalkboard since we've been traveling a lot. 

Two weeks ago we visited family and friends back home in Michigan for our Spring Break. It was great to spend time with all of them to celebrate birthdays and that the baby will be arriving soon! It's crazy to think that the next time everyone sees us we will be parents, but we are just beyond excited for our little girl to be here already! Everyone was so wonderful and bought the baby tons of clothes and accessories. She'll definitely have enough for the first three to six months! Justin's parents were amazing and went to Babies R Us to pick up our crib, bassinet, and pump since we don't have one close to where we live. But there are still many items to get!

After being back in Kansas for two days, we then had to go to Minnesota for a funeral. Despite the long 12 hour drive and uncomfortable sitting, it was really important for us to be there for our friend and help him get through this tough time, and we're thankful we got to be there. Being able to explore Minneapolis and the surrounding areas really made me fall in love with it, and really hope that my family and I can settle there very soon!

We are finally back and settled at our place in Kansas, and there is so much to catch up on! There are a lot of big things coming up very soon, and I also have a baby appointment today, so I'm excited to hear her heart beat again :)