Pregnancy Update: The Last Month

How far along: 36 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain: 21 pounds

Maternity clothes: Getting a little sentimental about my maternity wardrobe. I like it better than my regular clothes. I'm gonna have to go on a shopping spree for some better non-pregnant clothes after Ella gets here!

Sleep: I've been doing better lately. I still get sore hips during the middle of the night, but I feel like I'm sleeping much better overall.

Highlight of the week: Getting our crib bedding! I picked the bedding out about a month after we found out we were pregnant. When we finally got around to ordering it, it was listed as backordered until May 29. The day after I placed the order, the website then listed it as backordered until June 29. So, we were really excited to finally have it in our possession.

Meltdown of the week: None! :) I've felt great lately. I think it's because we've slowed down, and I've had opportunities to really relax and get some things done around the house. We've both been nesting like crazy. So, no meltdowns recently - just happiness!

What people are saying: The question I hear most often is "How much longer do you have?" After I tell them the due date I hear, "Oh, that's not too much longer! I know you're ready!" My immediate reaction has been, "Oh yeah, I am!" but I've tried to stop myself from giving that automatic answer, because it's not really true. I AM ready for her to get here, because I want to see her and hold her. But, I'm not miserable or to the point where I'm "done" being pregnant. If this is really our last baby, I want to enjoy this last month of being pregnant and not wish it away.

Movement: She's moving away as usual! Her movements aren't as big lately, but I know it's because she's running out of room in there!

Cravings: Coke. Ooooo ... I know. Bad, bad, bad. I've tried so hard to drink it in moderation, but I'm struggling now.

Labor signs: Feeling some not so pleasant pains every now and again.

What I miss: I really can't think of anything I miss enough to complain about right now. The only thing that came to mind was cake batter. Cam and I made cupcakes Friday night, and I was sad because I couldn't lick the spoon! :)

What I am loving: That I get to see my sweet baby's face very soon! I'm convinced she's going to look like Camryn, so I'm ready to see if I'm right. I'm also loving that I've felt so great lately. I love that we had our amazing shower and now have everything we need for Ella's arrival. There's just a lot to love lately!

What I am not loving: That my pregnancy is almost over. It really makes me sad. And, while we have made lots of headway on the nursery, it's still not 100% complete. We need curtains, we need lampshades, we'd like to have a rug, the shelf we're having made won't be ready for a couple of weeks. But, all in all, the basics are there, and it's not a requirement that we have lampshades in order for her to be born.

What I am looking forward to: Our doctor's appointment this week - just to see if I've made any progress

What I'm not looking forward to: The uncertainty of the last month. The fact that I could go into labor at any time. The fact that the hospital is not right around the corner like it was when we had Camryn. The fact that going into labor naturally (my water breaking, etc.) would be a whole new experience since I was induced last time, and I don't feel prepared for that. The fact that I'm not 100% sure what the situation will be with Camryn when Ella decides to make her debut. We have plenty of people we know we can call on day or night to come stay with Camryn if/when I go in to labor. It would just be nice to have a definite plan already in place.

The Baby Stash

When I was pregnant with Camryn, one of the main things I worried about was making suppers for us once she was born. I knew I would be tired and preoccupied with her and wouldn't feel like/have time to get in the kitchen and make supper each night. So, I decided about a month before she got here to start making and freezing extra meals. It was a lifesaver some nights during those first few weeks.

As you can see above, I've already started my "Ella stash." It's been even more important to me this time around to have some good meals ready, especially since I don't want Camryn to have to live on Spaghettio's or take out food until I'm ready to get back in the kitchen on a nightly basis. I have a lot more I want to accomplish before Ella gets here, but this is what I have so far:

2 meals of chicken & dumplins
1 meal of marinated mexican chile & lime chicken
2 meals of marinated teriyaki chicken
2 meals of meatloaf
1 meal of homemade chicken nuggets
1 bag of baked & seasoned chicken (for chicken casserole or pot pie)
1 bag of spaghetti sauce
2 meals of potato soup
4 hamburgers
2 bags of blueberry muffins (4 breakfasts)
1 homemade cheesecake


Anybody have suggestions for other meals that freeze easily?

Covenant Baby Shower

On Sunday, the choir at church hosted a baby shower for us. We opened presents for a full hour and a half, and by the time we were finished we were completely overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness of the people in our church. We are so blessed to be loved by these people and went home feeling very spoiled! Now we just have to figure out where to put everything!

The yummy cake

Getting help from the big sister

So many people thought of Camryn as well, and she left the shower with a nice little stash of her own!

We got so many handmade things that just wowed us!

ALLLLLL of our gifts!

With a few of our sweet hostesses - Mrs. Karen, Mrs. Gwen, and Mrs. Pat

Do We Watch Too Much HGTV?

Sunday morning I was in my bathroom getting ready for church, and in the mirror, I saw Camryn walk into our bedroom looking around as if she'd never seen it before. She caught me watching her and said, "I'm looking for my first house. You know, like on TV when they're trying to find their first house?"

I tried my darndest not to laugh out loud at her.

She came into the bathroom and ran her hand along the countertops and opened up the water closet door and looked inside.

I stood there watching, trying so hard not to laugh. Then we had this conversation:

Me: So, do you think this is going to be the one?

Cam: Well, I haven't signed the paper yet.

Me: What!?

Cam: You know, how they sign the paper? I haven't signed yet, so I don't know.

And, with that, she left to check out the rest of the house.

She later told me that she didn't choose our house. We lost out to the one with three bathrooms. Guess our 2 1/2 baths don't quite cut it for such a high maintenance little girl! :)

Mother's Day 2010

I had such a great Mother's Day.

After church, we went out for Mexican food and ate on the patio in the gorgeous weather. I had Coke, cheese enchiladas, and more chips and salsa than should be allowed. I'm pretty sure that's one of the meals they serve in Heaven on a regular basis.


We came home, got comfy, and all three took naps. Because Jason and Camryn took much longer naps than I did, I took advantage of the quiet house and spent some guilt-free time in front of the computer catching up on blogs, coupon sites, and People.com while I watched HGTV.

After supper, I got sweet cards, a maternity massage, and this book that I have literally been waiting years for:

Then we put some finishing touches on Camryn's room (we've been working on decluttering and finally getting some things on the walls!) and finished the night with a plate of these:

And, of course, I stretched out on the couch and started reading my book.

What a great Mother's Day!

Baking Fail

Monday night we were watching TV, and a commercial for break and bake cookies came on. I instantly started craving some chocolate chip cookies! I had chocolate chips in the pantry, so I decided to make cookies from scratch after I put Camryn to bed. Jason and I were both looking forward to some yummy, ooey, gooey cookies.

But ... after I took them out of the oven, and we took a few bites ... there was this weird taste. Not a good taste. More like a dirty shoes kind of taste, if I had to describe it. I thought it was just me, and if I ate a few more bites, the taste would go away. Not so much. Finally, I put the plate down and asked Jason if his tasted funny. He thought so, too. We wondered if there was something on the stone that made them taste that way. Nope, not that. We wondered if there was something in the oven. Not that either. I stopped eating mine, and Jason choked the rest of his down. We finally decided there was something in the batter that must have made them taste so bad. I threw away more than half of them. But, I couldn't figure out for the life of me what could have made them taste like that! Sugar, brown sugar, flour, vanilla ... none of that made sense, so I went to bed disappointed and with a dirty shoes kind of taste in my mouth.

Tuesday morning while I was in the shower, it was still bothering me. I love to bake and cook, and I just don't mess up on something as simple as chocolate chip cookies. So I thought and thought and thought some more. Finally, it hit me .... the shortening! As soon as I got out of the shower, I headed to the kitchen, opened up the shortening can and took a big whiff. WHOA! Dirty shoes smell times 10! How did I miss that smell when I was making the cookies? And then I looked at the label. Holy cow! Can you see when that shortening expired?

Y'ALL!!!

I was so embarrassed I almost didn't post this. That stinkin' shortening expired FIVE years ago on 05/12/05. FIVE YEARS! The girl who gets in fights with her husband, because I want to throw leftovers out after about 24 hours, and the girl who regularly goes through her fridge to throw out expired stuff ... I baked with a can of shortening that expired FIVE years ago. As Jason pointed out, not only did I use shortening that expired five years ago, but this can expired before my firstborn was even born!!! Disgusting!

Gone Fishin'

Since my doctor told me to limit my traveling starting in May, I decided to make the most of my last weekend of travel, and Camryn and I took off to visit my dad for the weekend. While we did lots of fun things, the highlight of the trip for Camryn was hanging out around the lake behind Papa's house. She fed fish, geese, and turtles and best of all, Papa took her fishing for the first time. She got bored at first waiting for the fish to start biting, but once they got going, she had a great time. She and Papa caught three fish!

Pregnancy Update: 32 weeks

How far along? 32 weeks and 1 day

Total weight gain: I honestly have no idea. My doctor doesn't really give me an update each visit on my total weight gain. She just says I'm doing well, so that works for me.

Maternity clothes? Glad the warmer weather is here so I can start wearing new stuff. I was tired of my winter maternity wardrobe. I'm also realizing that the time I have left to wear comfy maternity pants is growing shorter. *Sniff!*

Sleep: It's just not good at this point. My right hand is either bothering me from my pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel or my hips are hurting. Plus, most nights I'm shoving Jason out of bed so I have room to flip and flop around until I get comfortable. Sad, I know.

Highlight of the week: Took my last roadtrip this weekend, because the doctor said to limit the traveling starting in May. When Camryn and I came home, Jason kissed me hello and put his hands on my stomach and said hello to the baby. She gave him a nice hello kick ... she knows her daddy's voice :)

Meltdown of the week: If you look at me funny or even begin to raise your voice at me, I'm gonna cry. Also, got soooooo sick of hearing people comment on my belly last week. It seemed every time I turned around, someone different had something to say. People would ask how much longer I have and when I said, "2 months" they would look me up and down and say, "Reeeeallly?!?" Also loved the lady who looked at me, raised her eyebrow, and said "Just one?" I wanted to kick her, but since she was a student's parent, I probably would have lost my job.

What people are saying: I think I just covered that above. I do have some sweet people who are telling me I'm glowing. Jason has stopped just short of calling me a crazy person on some occasions, but I can't say that I blame him sometimes.

Movement: Instead of kicks and jabs, I'm feeling more little body parts that make their way across my belly. I also made out an elbow or knee pressing against me last night. Love it!

Cravings: Not really craving anything in particular. Heartburn is in full swing, so that makes meals a little less appetizing. At my last appointment, my doctor said my iron was low, so I'm now taking iron pills. I can't say I'm exactly craving it, but I am trying to add a little more red meat to my diet.

Labor Signs: Feeling some Braxton Hicks contractions every now and then.

What I miss: Sleep, of course. Especially sleeping on my back! I also miss being able to make it through an entire day without feeling like I'm gonna crash halfway through.

What I am loving: That this baby FINALLY has a name! For those of you we haven't already told personally, our second little one is going to be Ella Claire Burley. No, we haven't completely decided if she will be Ella or Ella Claire. We just figure we'll go with whatever sticks once she's here. We mostly just refer to her as Ella right now. Or EC whenever I'm referring to her in text.

What I am not loving: That I only have 8 WEEKS left to prepare for her arrival. And, that work is so hectic right now that it's draining me.

What I am looking forward to: Holding our precious little Ella in my arms soon! And a shower we have coming up in two weeks! Fun times!

What I am not looking forward to: Labor!