35 Weeks!

35 Weeks! 

One more week and I can safely deliver the baby at the hospital that I preregistered at. They don't have a NICU so they will send you to another hospital nearby if you are earlier than 36 weeks. 

(I look how I feel haha)

All day Monday I was having contractions that were kind of painful, which was unusual for me, so that evening we went to the hospital. After being transferred from one hospital to another, and several hours later, the doctor told me that I was not progressing (I am not yet dilated) and the contractions were most likely painful because baby is sunny side up and the front of her head is just hitting my pelvic bone. We could have stayed for further monitoring but she seemed confident enough to let me go home. I've been feeling okay since then. I still have contractions throughout the day but they aren't close together and most of them aren't hurting too bad. 

Today I went in for my 35 week doctor's appointment. He told me to not do any strenuous activity for the next week or so. He even said that I should not clean the house this week, although Jay doesn't believe me haha. Maybe I should have gotten that part in writing ;) 

Doctor said the baby is doing fine but my cervix is a little shorter than most at this time. He assured me that she should stay in for at least the next week or so as long as I take it easy. After that she's free to come out whenever she wants! 

Monday night she was measuring at around 5 pounds. He didn't do all the measurements today because they were just done Monday, but I will start going for weekly checks now. 

Other than all that excitement, I am doing okay. I kind of feel like an old lady with my hips hurting most of the time, it's hard to get off of the couch, and I can't really reach my feet. Also, my hands and wrists are hurting pretty bad. They aren't too swollen but they ache and get all numb and tingly sometimes. It's tons of fun ;) 

Baby Shower!

This past weekend I had my baby shower! It was held at our place just out of convenience but one of my good friends helped plan it. We had a ton of fun! 

The theme was "Baby It's Cold Outside" 

which fit in perfectly with the weather since it snowed some the day before! 

There was a hot cocoa bar to warm us up! My first time making hot cocoa in the crock pot but it turned out really good!

Pretty much all of the decoration idea's came from Pinterest. I made the tassel garland (I guess you would call it) out of tissue paper. I also found the chalkboard sign for the hot cocoa bar on Pinterest.

We kept the menu pretty simple because it was on the smaller side, I think there were 7 people total.

We ate meatballs (made by my friend, which were AMAZING!) on mini rolls and cupcakes. I opted for cupcakes instead of a cake mainly because I could make them myself and then we didn't have to spend a ton on a cake. 

We played the clothespin game. Simple but fun. 

It's harder than you think to avoid saying "baby" at a baby shower! 

The ladies also filled out "wishes for baby" cards for her memory book.

There was a super cute diaper cake, made by one of my friends!  

I was really impressed with it!

It was a great time! 

Originally, I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth having a baby shower since I don't know too many people here and family obviously couldn't come, but it was totally worth it!

(wish we had gotten a picture of everyone together but somehow we forgot)

Thanks you so much to everyone who came!

34 Weeks!

34 Weeks today! 

I have been struggling to write this post today because I really don't feel like taking a picture of myself. Feeling pretty gross these days. I've also been quite grumpy which, since I have noticed it, I'm trying to be nicer. I think it comes with the territory though. I am still having quite a bit of soreness in my pelvic/groin area. Sitting on the exercise ball helps a ton though! 

Also, this week my hands have started hurting. I have been noticing my hands falling asleep a lot at night while I'm sleeping because I'll wake up and they'll be all numb and tingly. Well... the past couple of days they just decided to start aching during the day too. I think I'm just starting to swell a little bit in my hands and feet. So much fun haha but we are getting so close to the end! 

I feel like this cartoon pretty much sums it up.

How far along: 34 Weeks! 

Gender: Girl! 

Name: Elsie 

Weight: I've gained around 26ish pounds depending on the day and Elsie should be weighing around 5 pounds this week. 

Maternity clothes: umm yea so I pretty much can't wear anything else these days except maternity stuff and big t-shirts 

Stretch marks: Nope

Belly button in or out: I'm thinking it'll stay in (woohoo!) at this point because it's not even that close to being flat 

Rings on or off: Off for sure

Sleep: Back to waking up a ton but mostly to use the bathroom or change positions. It's a lot more of a challenge to switch sides these days. 

Best moment this week: Washing the baby bottles! haha 

Worst moment this week: my hands hurting

Miss anything: Lately I just really miss being able to wear normal clothes. That might be shallow but I seriously can't wait to be a relatively normal size again. I've been looking at things to buy to wear for the spring! 

Movement: Yep a lot of movement. She loves to move around when I lay down to go to sleep, so much so that it's starting to hurt haha she's running out of room in there. 

Cravings: Nothing stands out. I just love all the food. Especially anything sweet! 

Aversions: None right now, Yay! 

Looking forward to: My doctors appointment next week! 

My Hospital Bag

I've been working on putting together a hospital bag for a week or two now. I started out trying to pack the diaper bag and another similar size bag but ended up switching to just a carry-on size suitcase. I think it will be way more convenient to have only one bag to keep track of even though I was really excited about using the diaper bag haha. 

For Baby Elsie:

Going home outfit- A onesie with an elephant on it that says "little peanut" with matching pants and jacket (in newborn size)

Extra clothes- I know I don't need to bring anything but I threw in a few other clothing items just because I have so much and I can't wait to put them on her

Wubbanub- Elephant with pacifier on it. I'm not sure that I want to introduce this that early but I love it and just wanted to bring it along

Diapers- x2 just in case, I know the hospital provides them too

Blanket- Because it's cute and I'll want it for the ride home

Car seat- Will be in the car waiting but definitely essential haha 

Boppy- Going to have it in the car in case I want it for nursing, just don't want to lug it into the hospital while I'm in labor 

For Me:

A nursing night gown and robe- I imagine myself wearing this most of my stay haha

A tank top and shorts- I heard it can be hot/sweaty in the hospital after giving birth so I'm taking this just in case

Nursing bras- One for sleeping and one that's a little more structured in case I want to wear it

Sports bra- For labor in case I want it 

Going home outfit- Yoga pants, shirt, and underwear

Slippers and flip flops- For walking the halls and showering

Toiletries- shampoo, soap, toothpaste/ toothbrush, face wipes, chapstick, deodorant and towel 

Breastfeeding Supplies- Lanolin cream and nursing pads (just in case I need them) 

Pads- For the gross... the hospital also supplies these but just in case I want something different

Stuff I will be adding last minute:

Kindle- For if I get bored (haha) 

Phone charger- I am betting I forget this one but Jay can always run home and grab it since we live so close 

Different going home clothes- I wear my most comfy stuff on a daily basis these days so if I labor at home for awhile before going to the hospital I will try to remember to add another set of clothes that I might like better than what I already put in there. 

"New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding" - I am most nervous about how this is going to work out so I'm thinking this will be essential. It's full of info on getting a proper latch and different positions and stuff I know I'll be needing. There are lactation consultants at the hospital and some on base that will help me too. 

Snacks/Water- We are allowed to eat during labor if we want to which I know is very different from back in the states. So I want to bring a few snacks just in case, although I can't imagine wanting to eat. Also, I'd like to throw in at least one bottle of water because carbonated water is not my thing and it's most common here. 

Hopefully I realize labor is starting and have a little bit of time at home to double check everything but I want to be as prepared as possible just in case. We are getting so excited for Elsie to make her appearance! 

33 Weeks!

We are 33 weeks today! Had my doctors appointment this morning and baby girl is growing so much! The doctor estimates that she weighs around 4 pounds 12 ounces and is about 18.2 inches long. He said "4 more weeks would be great but 3 would be okay" so he thinks she could come early! Obviously I want her to stay in as long as she needs to so that she is healthy but I'm all for a few weeks early.

I've been doing okay. This week I am starting to be really sore in my pelvic area. The doctor says that is pretty normal. He is having me take a magnesium supplement which he said will hopefully help with some of the soreness and also with all of the braxton hicks contraction that I am apparently having. I was pretty sure that is what has been happening because I can feel my belly tighten but I wasn't sure if it was that or if it was the baby moving around because they don't generally hurt. They hooked me up to the contraction and heartbeat monitors today for about 40 minutes and in that time frame I had several small contractions. Very different from two weeks ago when I only had maybe one the whole time.

Sooo maybe Elsie will be here sooner rather than later. As long as she is healthy I'm fine with it. Four weeks from now will put us right around Valentine's Day! But we will see. It's more likely that now that my hopes are up she'll just take her good ole' time haha.

How we ate for a week for only $32

With the baby going to be here soon (and all of our student loans) we have been trying to save money wherever we can. Lately we have been trying to eat for as cheap as possible. Last week we spent about $32 on food for at least 5 days. Here's how we did it.

What we bought at the Commissary:
1 pound ground pork- $1.40
1 pound pork sausage - $1.40
1 pound (frozen) breakfast sausage- $2.50
1 bag (2lbs) frozen boneless skinless chicken tenders- $4.99
1 dozen eggs- $1.60
Heavy cream- $2.00
1 8oz shredded cheddar cheese - $2.59
1 can of corn- $ .89
1/2 pound of ham lunch meat- $2.70
1/4 pound turkey lunch meat - $2.62
1/2 pound jalepeno cheese slices - $1.50
1 package of 3 bell peppers $1.50
Flour tortillas- $1.46
Linguini pasta- $.89
Total: approx.- $28.04
(a couple of these prices are best estimates because I lost the receipt, but most of them are exact)

What we bought at a local German store:
1 bag of onions - .79 euro
1 bag of potatoes- .89 euro
1 loaf of bread- 1 euro
1 loaf of french bread- .50 euro
Total: 3.18 euro or approx. 4 dollars

Grand Total: approx. $32.04

Breakfasts: 

Toast with peanut butter or jelly every day

Lunches: 

lunch meat sandwiches 2 days
left overs 3 days

Dinners:

Monday:
"Poormans meal"
Potatoes, onion, and hot dogs fried in pan with pepper/salt
- we had 4 hot dogs left in the freezer so I chopped those up for this meal

Tuesday:
Chicken tacos
-made with chicken, onion, and peppers in pan with cumin and pepper/salt
served with tortillas and sour cream/hot sauce (already had sour cream and hot sauce in fridge)
-side of corn which we just used on our tacos

Wednesday:
Linguini Alfredo with pork sausage
-Alfredo sauce homemade with butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese (butter and cheese was already in our fridge)

Thursday: 
Chili
- made with ground pork, onions, kidney beans, and canned tomatoes (beans and tomatoes already in pantry) and spices
- served with brown rice (already in pantry)

Friday:
Breakfast casserole
-made with 6 eggs, potatoes, breakfast sausage, onions, and cheddar cheese


Now I realize that there are a few things that we already had available in our pantry or freezer. I think most people have at least a couple canned items, some different sauces, and hopefully spices and such readily available.

There was leftover pasta, chili, and breakfast casserole which we ate for lunch the next day. We had left over potatoes and onions that we can use for next week. We also didn't use all the eggs or all of the bag of frozen chicken which are both good for awhile.

This wasn't that big of a stretch for us because we have been meal planning our weeks for months now. We also typically eat this style of food, especially tacos and pasta which we eat regularly. The one big thing that saved us money was what meats we bought. We would normally buy ground beef rather than ground pork but found that ground pork and pork sausage are a lot cheaper than ground beef and just as tasty. We have been buying bags of frozen chicken for awhile because it is so much cheaper than it's fresh/ not frozen counterparts. It also is cheaper most of the time to buy bags of produce than to buy individual.

So that was our week of cheap eating. We are going to try to do this for awhile so I will post another meal plan soon. Let me know what you think! :)

32 Weeks!

I am 32 weeks today!

Time is going by fast and slow at the same time. I am trying to stay as busy as I can to help the time pass faster because honestly I am getting to the point where I just don't feel like being pregnant anymore. I'm ready to meet baby Elsie whenever she's ready to come out but I know it's best if she stays in for at least another month, Hopefully not more than 8 weeks 

Other than just wanting to not be pregnant, I haven't actually been feeling that bad. I am starting to get tired a little more easily than I was, but haven't had too many aches or pains. I have even been sleeping pretty well which I am super excited about because I know the days are numbered on that one! I don't have bad heartburn, swollen ankles/feet, or anything else (yet). 

I think I have been starting to get some random Braxton Hick contractions because every now and then my stomach muscles seem to tighten for about a minute and it's a really weird feeling but definitely doesn't hurt. Not looking forward to the real thing though haha. Labor and delivery has been on my mind more and more and I'm trying to be as positive as possible.

This week we had our "Mommy Daddy 101" class where we learned different comfort techniques and stuff for labor and watched some videos and listened to a few personal accounts from women who have delivered at the local hospitals. It was very helpful! I definitely feel more prepared than I did beforehand. Jay even got to wear the big belly they put on men to show them how we feel right about now haha! It was a good time. 

Looking forward to my doctors appointment next week and my baby shower in a few weeks!