39 Week Update

Somehow it's August, which means we can officially say that this month we're having a baby!!! I cannot believe how fast the last 38 weeks have flown by, but now I know what they mean when they say the last month drags on. I've been patient up until this week, but we're really eager to meet our baby girl! Earlier in our pregnancy our monthly check-ups seemed to come and go in no time, now it's like waiting for a year to go by just to get to our next weekly appointment.

There are so many emotions I'm feeling right now. I'm anxious, nervous, scared, happy, reminiscent, and mostly just over the moon excited for what's coming our way. We're officially going to have our own little family and I know this little girl will be the PERFECT addition. What scares me the most about this wild new adventure we're about to start is that I have no idea whats to come. I know that my heart will be filled with a new kind of love I've never felt before, I know that I'm going to fall more in love with my husband seeing him hold his baby girl, and I know we're going to be more exhausted and sleep deprived than any other time in our life. I couldn't be more thankful to experience parenthood with Scott, he is truly my best friend and I know he's going to be the best Daddy.

These last few weeks we've been doing a lot. Some related to baby and some just random projects that suddenly sounded like they HAD to get done. I'm telling you ladies (and gentleman too) that nesting is a real thing and it is NO JOKE. I literally will be sitting at home and suddenly have an urge to clean out the fridge, organize my spice cabinet, rewash bedding, or vacuum the entire house. If you know me, you probably know that I'm not one who enjoys cleaning so for me to have a desire to vacuum means that I'm proof nesting is real. The good news is, thanks to my nonstop nesting we have a pretty darn organized home, a finished nursery (post to come soon), cleaned cars, and who knows what will be next!

Walking and bouncing on the yoga ball have been a couple of my favorite things. Walking has been a daily routine of ours since I started feeling like intense gym work outs just weren't going to happen anymore and I really think its what has helped me continue to feel good even at 39 weeks. I haven't had any long standing back pain, my feet and hands aren't swollen and my energy has been fairly steady given how far along I am. If you're pregnant, or planning to become pregnant in the future I can't urge you enough to stay active! Don't use this time to become a couch potato, you'll thank yourself later and I've heard it helps make birth and postpartum recovery easier.

Here are a few fun questions that I did in my 24 week update. I thought I'd repeat them now that we're at the end (or close).

Maternity clothes? Yep.. Pretty much convinced that at this point I'm going to have to re-learn how to button up and zip regular jeans. Or perhaps I'll just take up shop in yoga pants for awhile. ;)

Sleep: I was starting to think that pregnancy insomnia was a made up thing, but it's hit me. I feel tired about 10pm, then go up to go to bed and am suddenly wide awake until about midnight or 1am most mornings, then of course it's hard to get out of bed in the morning. I think my body is just trying to prepare me for the crazy sleep schedule I'm about to have!

Best moment this week: Going to Target to walk around since it's so darn hot out and scoring a BRAND NEW $140 Graco highchair for $33 after the mark downs and my cartwheel coupon. Can you say BARGAIN?

Miss anything? Seeing my feet, being able to go 2 hours without eating and sleeping through the night without having to get up 4 times to run to the bathroom!

Food cravings: Taco Bell, but I've stayed strong and have only given in one time. I've been trying really hard these last 9.5 months to eat healthy, but these last couple of weeks I've really been craving junk foods like Taco Bell, ice cream and crispy M&Ms.
 
Symptoms: I still consider myself lucky in this department. Pregnancy has been so much fun and I think that's partially because I haven't had a ton of symptoms that most women get. Lately I've been getting a lot of heartburn and this heat is really taking it's toll, but otherwise I'm feeling good. I am definitely starting to get tired a lot easier than I use to but staying active has seemed to help. We're up to two walks a day now just to hopefully move things a long and avoid going too far over due.
 
Have you started to show yet? No hiding this bump, in fact it's hard to remember what I looked like without it!
 
Wedding rings on or off? Still on! I haven't had any issues with swelling thanks to my love for water! ;)

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: Finally meeting our baby girl!

Stay tuned, nursery post to come soon!

Gender Reveal Party!

A couple of weekends ago we gathered our families and hosted a gender reveal party for Baby Slusser. My Mom and I spent  few weeks prior to the party planning all of the details. Party planning is seriously our thing, we had so much fun! And while we normally have the full entourage of my Aunts helping, we didn't this time and it still turned out great!

We had light appetizers and lots of pink and blue treats. My cousin baked blue and pink cupcakes and was the only one who knew Baby's gender so she put together the reveal box.

While I thought it might be hard to have our appointment then not find out the gender until three days later, it wasn't at all! We had already waited a few months and knowing that our families would find out with us was so exciting! Plus, just as my pregnancy has gone so far, time flew by and before I knew it we were opening the reveal box.

Oh, and in case you're wondering... IT'S A GIRL!!!!! We are so excited and can't wait to start planning her nursery, preparing for her arrival and then finally meeting her in August!

Here's a few pictures from our party that I snapped with my phone. We haven't had a chance to get the pictures from my Uncle who took a bunch that day, but these will give you a glimpse into the par-tay...

I hope our daughter and I have the same relationship I have with my Mom. Love her so much!

Lucky to be going on this adventure with that guy by my side. He is going to be a wonderful Daddy.

Halfway There!

Well we've officially hit the halfway mark. Which is crazy to say, so I'm hoping time will slow down now as we prepare everything for our baby to arrive in August! We're excited to announce that Baby Slusser is a GIRL!! I'll be sharing more later this week from our gender reveal party my Mom and I put together, it turned out perfect! We had a small gathering with our families and loved every minute of it.

Total weight gain/loss: Not 100% sure as I weighed myself backwards at the doctor last week. I really don't want to focus much on this as I have been trying to make mostly healthy choices. As of 17 weeks I had gained 7lbs so I would anticipate I'm probably at 10lbs now.

Maternity clothes?  YES! In fact I haven't worn my regular jeans in quite some time. I invested in a couple pairs of maternity jeans, dresses, skirts and yoga pants. They make a world of difference and being comfortable is totally necessary. If you're newly pregnant, make sure you invest in some good clothes, you'll thank yourself later. You can find sales too! I got two pairs of yoga pants from GAP for $30 the other day, just watch out for sales.

Sleep: Besides a lingering cough/cold I have, I've been sleeping fairly well. A friend of mine let me borrow her pregnancy pillow which has been life changing. It's so nice having support for my back but also not having to set up 5 pillows. I often spend nights turning from side to side but overall my sleep is better

Best moment this week: Finding out Baby Slusser is a sweet baby girl. Name TBD

Miss Anything? I miss lunch meat and over easy eggs. Oh and I would love a rare steak but I'll wait patiently. Totally worth it!

Food cravings: Still loving ketchup on everything that it can go on (without being gross), love eggs, ground beef, OJ and mostly anything sweet!

Symptoms: I think I felt baby move yesterday but it's so hard to tell since I don't know what I'm looking for. Also feeling much more pregnant these days!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes! Some days more than others, but my bump has definitely made it's appearance and I love it!

Gender:GIRL!

Wedding rings on or off? They're still on thankfully. I get some swelling later in the day but hopeful I can keep them on for a bit longer.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Planning our nursery, registering and birthing classes.

What the First Trimester Taught Me

Ok seriously, how are we already 15 weeks along? It feels like just yesterday we were running to the store to get a test and telling our families. I wished away time for days on end waiting to get past the first trimester and it's now come and gone. I'm going to stop wishing away time because I'm excited to embrace the changes that are going to come as Baby Slusser keeps on growing and we prepare for his or her arrival.

The first trimester was so different than I expected it to be. I suppose I've watched too many reality shows, movies and read too many blogs about what to expect. I was lucky to not have much morning sickness other than a few sick feelings here and there but I did get hit with a mean case of exhaustion.

And I mean EXHAUSTION. Like you have to will yourself out of bed and even the simplest tasks like grocery shopping or unloading the dishwasher seem like a marathon and feel like one when you're done. All of those tired feelings, headaches and changes are so worth it and will be even more so come August.

Everyone is so very excited for Scott and I which almost equates to the excitement we have. Each day it grows more and more so I can only imagine how it is when baby is actually here!

Here's a few things the first trimester has taught me/us:

• Growing a human is a LOT of work. The exhaustion and uneasy tummy makes sense when you read about everything that happens those first few weeks. It's truly a miracle!
• This may be different for everyone, but I became a Mother the moment I heard that little 8 week heartbeat at the doctors office. Seriously the BEST sound ever. It was also fun seeing Scott light up. We even recorded it at our 12 week appointment so we can listen whenever. Absolutely love going on this adventure with him. 
• There is WAY too much stuff to choose from at Baby's-R-Us. Seriously that place is out of control. Who on earth needs 40+ strollers to chose from or a baby swing that you can control from your smart phone? That's just silly. 
• Your emotions are no longer in your control. At all. Just ask Scott! ;)
• You are hungry every two hours, on the dot (assuming it's not one of your sick feeling days). 
• Towards the end your clothes will start to shrink in strange ways. Not like we've all experienced where you maybe over indulged in the chips and salsa or ate three too many slices of pizza. Nope this is different. They all fit different and since no one knows you're pregnant just be prepared to wear lose fitting clothes, they'll be most comfortable!
• You should never start reading those books like What to Expect When You're Expecting right away, or ever. They mostly freak you out in the beginning. I've loved using The Bump App and reading weekly updates within the book but some of the other stuff is just TOO much. Thank goodness for friends who've gone through this, I feel like they're a better resource than any book I can read. 
• Your relationship with your Mom changes. In fact it feels like it's changed a lot but in a great way. It's as if we have a deeper and different connection now and I love that. I'm sure it will grow even deeper when Baby Slusser is here. I'm so thankful to have my Mom close by as I know I'll have a million questions for her over the next 20+ years. 

I'm feeling much more energetic now, although I still have days where I'm not sure I'll make it to dinner time. I've been trying to drag my tired self to the gym which has helped a lot so I'm hoping to keep up that habit. Super excited for the second trimester! From what I hear I'll have way more energy which sounds great because I have a big "before baby to-do list" to start knocking out!

We find out the gender in a few weeks and can't wait to have our family together for a gender reveal party!