A Powerful Video. . .

Before I had Teagan I wanted to post this video and send it to my family. I found it several months back and after I watched it for the first time it really encouraged and motivated me to truly follow through with my birth plan, a natural birth at home. Everyone has a different view on birth and I came across several while pregnant. This video really reminded me to stay true to what I wanted in my labor and birth of my son and not to worry about what everyone else thought, because in the end it's about me and my baby. Just as it is for every women.

Enjoy!

Favorite Pregnancy Products #2

As I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy (Eek!) I've discovered a few more 'favorites' to add to the list. It's crazy to think that by the next time I'm pregnant there may be a whole new slew of fun pregnancy products out there!

Maternity Jeans - A MUST HAVE!

It was much easier for me to wear normal tops through out my pregnancy but as far as pants goes, I was more uncomfortable in normal pants much sooner. The belly bands do help get you by for the time being, but then you still have the button's and zipper to deal with. I didn't like having anything press up against me like that. Luckily for me, mom came to the rescue! Regular maternity jeans worked but they don't make then quite long enough. I am a proud owner of 7 For All Man Kind Maternity jeans. They are long enough - which is soo great. I will treasure those jeans for many more pregnancies!

Mama Mio

I was running out of my previous belly oil and wanted something that dried a little quicker then oil does. I heard a lot about the brand Mama Mio through Destination Maternity. So when I went into their store one day I decided I would try their Tummy Rub. And I am SO glad I did because I love it! It absorbs quickly so I don't have to worry about it sticking to my clothes. It's won a ton of awards and even some 'famous' people use it - ha!

H&M Mama

I have loved wearing H&M clothes while being pregnant. Their style is perfect for pregnant girls because they have several long and flow-ly type tops. They also have a line called H&M Mama. I have a couple tops from there and they are comfortable and stylish. I also looove their children's clothes. I've bought a few things from there on their sale rack for $1 or $3!! You can't beat that!

Belly Bars

Again, while at Destination Maternity one day with my mom I need a little something to fill my tummy. They had these Belly Bars that I decide to try. They are yummy and they even have great stuff for the baby. It's a win win!

Belly Laughs

My friend Emily gave me this book to read called Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy. It's a light read about all the ups and downs of pregnancy through the eyes of Jenny as she experienced it for the first time. Some parts are soo funny and true as other parts may be a little crude. But - that's Jenny for you! It's worth flipping through for a good laugh or two :)

Belly Photos #2

Here are some belly photos of my last months of being pregnant! I would say it's gone by fast....but I think it's gone by just fast enough :)

32 Weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

38 weeks

Reflections of Motherhood

With less then a month to my due date I find myself reflecting on the life I have now and the new life I will soon have and how very different the two are. I'm trying to enjoy the small things in life that I may or may not have for awhile. . .for instance:

quiet moments in bed in the morning reading until I feel like getting up

waking up on my own time

taking a shower when I want to. . .and for a good 20 minutes or so

a quick run to the grocery store

having a free day to do whatever I want

last minute decisions with Levi where we can pick up and leave

planning ahead

leaving the house quickly and getting out of the car quickly

As I prepare to enter into a new chapter in my life, I am so thrilled to begin the journey of being a mom, I can hardly wait. But I also find myself reflecting on my life now and how quickly it's about to change. I wonder if I savored every moment of the life I have now - before kids? Am I truly ready to enter into a new stage of my life - as a mom? Will Levi and I be the parents we want and hope to be?

This video that my cousin sent me awhile back is called Reflections of Motherhood. It's a great little video that reminds me and reassures me that everything is going to be ok. All my worries and concerns are normal, and as I like to think of it. . .it's the first thing to being a mom.

Enjoy

Belly Photos

As I'm growing bigger these days I thought I would post some pregnancy belly photos from the last 7 months. When I look back of the photos I took in the very beginning, I laugh because I was SO excited that even the slightest difference in my stomach, was showing. I know my body better then anyone else so it was much easier for me to see (and feel!) the changes so early on. But I realized in photos you can't really tell as much. Regardless, it was meaningful to me and will be special to look back on my scrapbook of all the photo's I have taken so far. And it's kind of neat to see the life inside me taking shape!

August 16th - 11 weeks

August 24 - 12 weeks

August 27th - 12 1/2 weeks

September 6th - 14 weeks

September 27 - 17 weeks

October 4th - 18 weeks

October 15 - 19 1/2 weeks

October 20 - 20 weeks

October 28 - 21 weeks

November 17 - 24 weeks

November 22 - 25 weeks

November 26th - 25 1/2 weeks

December 18th - 27 weeks

December 13th - 28 weeks

December 20th - 29 weeks

December 28th - 30 weeks

January 3rd - 31 Weeks

He's poking straight out! :) I can't believe I only have 8 more weeks - but to think of how much bigger I will get - yikes! I'll keep you posted! ;)

Finding out we're having a. . .

. . . .A BOY!

At 20 weeks I had an ultrasound to check everything with the baby and me as well as to find out what the sex of the baby was. Literally from the day I found out that I was pregnant I had a weird feeling about it being a boy, mothers intuition perhaps? Before I had told anyone yet I remember when I was at Target looking for a onesie that said 'I love my daddy' on it to give to Levi when I told him. 9 out of 10 times when I'm in the baby section at Target (and most stores for that matter) I would be in the girls section. But the day I found out, I was lingering in the boys section and I thought that was odd because I never linger in the boys section. And while I'm on the topic, a week prior to finding out I was pregnant, I was shopping with my girlfriend Emily and found myself lingering in the boys section in a cute Boutique store. I remember thinking, 'that's weird, why I am in the boys section kind of hovering? I wonder if I'm pregnant and I'm having a boy? Huh.....' But regardless, finding out we are FOR SURE we're having a boy was still a big surprise, knowing that it's for real now. (If it was a girl, I might have been in a state of shock at first! But obviously I would love a girl, also :)

So back to the ultrasound. . .we actually were able to get a video of the ultrasound and the whole experience which I am soo excited and happy about. Now we have been able to show our families the entire ultrasound, which is so special for everyone to see.

The ultrasound lasted about 20-30 minutes. The second the picture went on the tv screen (yeah, it was hooked up to a tv so it was nice and big for us to see!) we saw the image of our son. I instantly had butterflies in my stomach and couldn't help but smile. There really is a baby inside me! It's so surreal to see a picture of him on the screen. He was pretty active during the whole thing, but we were able to get everything tested and also have some great looks at him and his features. It's amazing what they can tell just from looking at these pictures!

Everything they tested from the umbilical cord, the kidneys, bone structure, spine, facial immoralities, etc. everything was "prefect" as Denzell the technician said. Everything looked perfect and healthy and well developed. We are so thankful!

Denzell described our baby as having biceps already, long fingers, high cheek bones, chubby cheeks, big ears, and long arms. Haha. That sounds kind of like. . .Levi! Maybe he will look just like Levi, who knows! He was a few ounces heavier then the average 20 week old, but that is normal. Except if he is going to be anything like his father (a 10 pound baby!!) then that's right on target. (oh no for me :)

Here are some ultrasound photos:

clearly a boy!

Head and upper body

Umbilical cord being tested, all 3 veins were there like it should

During the ultrasound we didn't want to know the sex. I thought it was too impersonal to find out with a technician and thought it would be fun to find out together, doing something else fun. So while Denzell was checking for the sex, we looked away and then at the end of the ultrasound we had him write down was the sex was in an envelope.

Then we went to Sprinkles Cupcakes. We asked them to give us 2 cupcakes and to put either the boy or girl bottle on top of the cupcake based on what was in the envelope. Once we explained what we were doing and made sure everyone was on the right page, they were beyond thrilled to help us. The girls that worked there were so cute, they kept saying how excited they were for us and how fun it was to do this for us because no one has come in to the store and asked for something like this, before.

Then we took the cupcakes home, in their little box, sealed shut. It was kind of hard knowing the answer was right inside the box and it was just sitting there the whole time! Once we got home we finally opened it. . .

It's a boy! We instantly got so giddy, smiled and hugged each other. We finally knew what we were having and we were SO excited!!

My parents were actually just moments away from California, visiting for the weekend. what good timing! Once they got there we shared the news with them and then watched the ultrasound video. We also got to open up a box of cute boy clothes :)

A couple days later we went to Levi's parents house to do the big reveal with them. Debbie had us all gather around the fireplace and had the camera on the self timer when we were opening up the cupcake box for them to see what we were having. I don't have the photos from their camera yet, but here are a few from mine!

Favorite Pregnancy Products (so far ;)

Prenatal Yoga DVD

I should probably do it more then I have been, but hey a little bit is better then none at all, right?!

Belly Oil

This was recommended to my by a family friend. I use it almost practically every day. It's all natural and doesn't have a strong smell. It's pretty oily, so I usually put it on when I am getting ready in the morning, before I put my clothes on. You can find this at any Whole Foods or Sprouts.

Mother To Be Tea

I gave up all caffeine so this tea is a nice alternative to what I normally have (green tea & caffeinated teas), plus it's good for pregnant women.

Belly Bands

These have been a life saver! My friend Emily gave me her's and if I didn't get them from her, I would have gotten my own. I have been wearing these for the last couple of months, at least. Even if your not that big yet, they are so comfortable, because your jeans suddenly become uncomfortable when your pregnant. It's nice to even use them as an added layer so you can keep your jeans unbuttoned and you don't have to worry about the zipper being seen.

Belly Balm

A friend gave this to me early on in my pregnancy. I don't use it as often as the oil I mentioned above but I still like it. It's just a little harder to apply since you have to rub your fingers on it and then onto your skin. But since you are covering a large area and even other areas, it takes a long time to apply. I would have never thought thought that, so it's good to remember future mamas :) The ones I have are from Target, but you can find them all over the place.

Half Belly Chop Jeans

These have also been a life saver! When you are prego, jeans or pants with buttons totally hide your belly, not to mention they get uncomfortable. It's nice for comfort and style to have pants or shorts with a band. I don't know why they don't make more pants like this regularly! They are so comfortable, it might be hard to go back to regular pants! :)

These are from A Pea In A Pod

Pregnancy Journal

My mom got this for me at the beginning of my pregnancy. I have to admit, I've have a hard time keeping up with it. But nonetheless, I still write in it and fill out all the info whenever I can. I am almost all caught up, so that's good :) It's cute and fun to have and I know I will love looking at it down the road.