Welcome Palmer Azalea!

Well, we did it! Our third and final baby is here! I spent the entire pregnancy saying this was our last baby, but I worried I didn’t really mean it. After going through my third unmedicated labor, I definitely still feel 100% DONE. 🤣

Palmer’s birth story begins at my 39 weeks appointment on Tuesday, July 21st. I was so disappointed to even be this far along because both Evelyn and Henry came at the end of 38 weeks and here we were near the end of 39 weeks with no end in sight. I was tired (of being pregnant and literally), large, and over it. Lissa checked me and I was dilated to a 2, -2 station, but 90% effaced so she stripped my membranes. I started having really mild contractions right away! I had a little bit of time before I was due to pick up Evelyn and Henry so I went and took Mike some lunch at work. It was crazy busy in his store so I just dropped off his food and went to sit in the car to eat my chipotle. While I was out there, Mike’s boss knocked on my window and asked if I was okay. I was like “yeah...just eating chipotle...” and he said he was gonna send mike home, which I of course approved of. I was having super light contractions every three minutes or so, but they weren’t lasting any time at all, but I was hopeful this was early labor!

I called mom and dad and they agreed to continue watching the kids in case this was the real deal, so we headed home. Mike took a nap while I bounced on the ball and watched Harry Potter and the half blood prince. After that Mike made a delicious dinner and I forced him to go on a very slow walk. Contractions were still pretty regular but not at all painful. I thought maybe this is what people who’s children weren’t sunny side up labors felt like and I was REAL jealous LOL. I took a bath and contractions slowed down a little, but we all kind of thought we’d be having a baby that night, so Mica, our doula came over and stayed. I was able to sleep from midnight to 4:30 ish am, when contractions woke me up again. I laid in bed for a little while, then went and bounced on the ball, watched grey’s anatomy, and drank my coffee. I texted Lissa around 6:30 and asked if she could check me. I didn’t think this was true labor because everything was so light and I felt like I was wasting Mica and Mike’s time.

We went to the birth center at 8:30 and sure enough, I was right. I had dilated some, to a “stretchy” 2.5. Lissa told me to stop paying attention to the contractions and go about life as normal. So mike and I grabbed breakfast, ate it together, and then he went off to work. I laid down to take a nap when mom called and told me she had SHINGLES. The worst timing because shingles is contagious to little babies so she wouldn’t be able to see the baby until her rash crusts over. I drove over to pick up the kids so mom could Rest In Peace.

The rest of the day wasn’t very exciting. I was still having some light contractions but I was ignoring them. I took a short nap with Henry. Then I decided to clean Henry’s room. It was a disaster and I made it sparkle. I was worried my dad or brother would need to come stay over so I wanted it to be fresh and clean! After cleaning Henry’s room, I took the kids to the pool. We were there about an hour and while we were in the pool I started to notice my contractions were changing! I texted Mica and let her know what was going on. I told her I was going to take a shower and then lay down to rest. I also texted mike and told him to come home because my contractions were getting stronger.

While I was in the shower my contractions started coming every three minutes! I had to stop what I was doing and breathe through them and I immediately knew that the baby was sunny side up because of all the pressure in my back. Of course. All my babies have been sunny side up in labor. When Mike got home somehow we figured out that Henry was running a fever. Of course he was. So mike put him in the bath tub to try and cool him down and we gave him some Tylenol. Meanwhile, I called dad and told him to come over and told Mica to come over too. I also texted Lissa at about 7:15 and she said to call her when we needed her. Well, by 7:45, mike told me we were going to the birth center LOL. He was very uncomfortable with how close together my contractions were and how strong they were getting and he was very worried about having a baby in the car. I wasn’t quite as worried as Mike. He was driving 85 to the birth center and I kept telling him to slow down, it wasn’t that serious haha.

We beat Lissa to the birth center so I had some contractions outside waiting for her to arrive. People were definitely looking at me funny. It was weird because I would have a really strong contraction then I would feel totally normal and was able to talk and laugh before another one took over. Lissa and the student midwife Tara arrived at the same time and got me inside to check on my progress. I was a 3.5. Ugh. I was really hoping to be further along. Lissa told us we could go back home or we could stay here and do some work to get labor going. We chose to stay and climb the stairs.

My contractions were still coming pretty fast. I was doing lunges up and down the stairs and doing hanging squats off the stair railing. I remember at one point thinking how impressively strong the railings were because I was hanging my entire body weight off of them LOL. It was so hot in the hallway, so we went back inside and I did squats off the kitchen island. I also did some side lying contractions using the peanut ball. If you know anything about Evelyn’s birth, you know the peanut ball KILLED me. I HATED it. But this time around I really loved it. Maybe because I got to just lay down and I was absolutely exhausted. It was a nice rest. We also tried rebozo sifting which was a weird sensation. Basically they put a scarf under your belly and you kneel on all fours while your doula or midwife shakes your belly with the scarf. It was wild!

Around this time (I wanna say it was 9 or 10 pm ish) I got checked again and I was a 6.5. I remember being kind of disappointed by that but thinking back, with E I was stuck at a four for 12 hours and this time I had progressed 3 cm in less than 4 hours! I also started doing contractions on all fours hanging off the edge of the bed onto the bench at the bottom. I was able to rest my head during contractions and it was comfortable on my knees. I was able to rest for a pretty decent amount of time, then I would have contractions back to back, then another period of rest. This was so unlike any of my other labors. It was intense like Evelyn’s but very different. The baby would rotate a little so I would get relief in my back but then rotate back to sunny side up. What I really liked during contractions was having mike hold my hands, one person applying counter pressure on my back or doing hip squeezes, and another person lifting my belly. I was very high maintenance LOL.

At one point Lissa told me I could get in the tub. For a while, the relief was great. I really enjoyed the water on my back and it relieved some of my pain. But then I started getting pushy. I could only handle hanging off the edge of the tub, not any other position. I was getting anxious by the contractions and having to really concentrate to relax. I was trying to move the baby down, relax, and keep my footing in the tub. I really wanted to have the baby in the tub because I haven’t been able to do it with either of the kids. I remember thinking at one point that if I could push the baby out, I could finally get a nap. LOL

Eventually it got close to time to push. I was so close but not all the way there. I had a lip of cervix that wouldn’t move out of the way, so Lissa was trying to push it out of the way. I was really struggling to relax and starting to feel like this baby was never going to be born. This went on for a while. I finally dilated to a 10 and I was pushing but I was getting more and more worked up. Lissa had me change positions out of my squat into leaning back in the tub. This helped a little, but again I knew I wasn’t pushing effectively and I was hiding from the contractions. My water hadn’t broken (which is crazy because my water had always broken to start labor previously!) so Lissa broke it, hoping that would help. I was thrashing around and even told Lissa that I was dying. (I was not) I kept trying but Lissa eventually told me I had to get out of the tub.

I tried another position, squatting with one knee up in a side lunge. This helped but still no baby so Lissa and Mica basically hauled me out of the tub. As soon as I was standing I screamed (or at least it felt like I did LOL) “THE BABY!” I felt like the baby was going to fall out of my body. Lissa teacher down and could feel the baby right there so they got me out of the tub and onto the birthing stool. I gave a push or two there and her whole body popped out! There was no easing her head out, then her shoulders...she came out all at once! (Fun note, Evelyn kept saying the baby was going to pop out and it was so fitting that the baby actually did LOL) The baby was completely face up which is why I had such a terrible time pushing and getting her head all the way in my pelvis.

It was just an instant relief when the baby was born. I leaned back on the birth stool and mike came over to pick the baby up and checked the gender. It was a girl!! We had been suspecting that for the last month or so but we were so excited to see we were right. We knew Evelyn would be SO excited to have a baby sister. Once her cord stopped pulsing, Mike cut the cord and put her on his chest while they helped me move to the bed. I had a small tear that had to be stitched up. I feel like this took 79383 hours. Finally mike brought her back to me and we got to cuddle. My whole body hurt from the contractions and exercise and having a baby. So he had to help me get situated to I could nurse Palmer.

After I was all stitched up and peed and rested, it was time to get in the herbal bath. It was sooooo obscenely hot. I made Melissa turn it down and put cold water in the tub several times before I was able to get in. After relaxing for a little bit, Mike brought me Palmer so she could soak with me. We enjoyed the really hot bath for a while but then it was just too hot so I asked to get out. After that we took a couple cute photos and we were ready to go home!

In all, I was in true labor for about 7 hours. It really wasn’t a bad length of time but the contractions were wild and intense and I know for a fact I don’t ever want to do that again LOL. Palmer has been the perfect little addition to our family. We are now a complete family of 5!

12 Weeks with Baby Three!

Mike tried to get the kids out of the photo, but they saw the door and HAD to join me. I told Mike this was real life. I imagine they will be in every picture. 

How far along? 12 weeks...some days....sorry, baby 3. 

Total weight gain/measurements: I get to say zero because I've only had one prenatal appointment and I have no idea what I weighed before that appointment. I consider this a great win.  

Maternity clothes: Since....about five weeks. LOL. I thought I popped soon with Henry but I just looked at my 14 weeks picture and it's nothing compared to baby 3 at 12 weeks. 

Sleep: The insomnia is killing me. I wake up at either midnight or 2 am to go to the bathroom. Usually if I wake up at midnight I can quickly go back to sleep. But at 2 am, I'm often wide awake until 4 or 5 am. UGH. I can't nap since I'm working so the exhaustion is really getting to me. 

Best moment this week: we had a Compass Roanoke reunion at Compass NFW this weekend! That was super fun. 

Miss anything? If you'd asked me last week, it was my appetite, but that seems to be slowly coming back, thank goodness. Other than that, not really. 

Movement: I SWEAR I felt the baby move last week. Obviously it's really early, but who knows!  

Food cravings:  I really don't like food very much this time around. Usually I know I'm pregnant because I'm starving but lately I just hate all food. I guess I've been craving cucumbers, but not badly enough that I've gone to the store and bought any LOL. 

OH WAIT. I was obsessed with avocados for a weekend, but then I got sick and now I never want another avocado again. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Yes. Being alive. And the profuse amounts of snot my body is producing. UGH.  

Gender: It's a surprise!! I'm so excited to be team green this time around!  

Symptoms: I am absolutely exhausted all day, every day. Still some nausea, I am SO congested, and I have a rather large belly for only being 12 weeks LOL. Luckily, my eczema isn't giving me nearly as many problems as it did last time. 

Belly button in or out? In.  

Wedding rings on or off? On. I got my engagement ring resized recently so I should have plenty of time to wear it! (It cost more than my wedding ring cost just to get it resized. Eye roll)

Happy or moody most of the time: Super moody. I have always been a cranky pregnant lady. Sorry, kids. 

Looking forward to: This is my last week at Timberview. It's a three day weekend. And I go back to the chiropractor on Wednesday!! 

Henry Thomas has arrived!

Well, after fussing at everyone to leave me alone because clearly this baby was never coming, here he is! I wanted to go ahead and type up his birth story while everyone is sleeping and it's still fresh on my mind!

Mike and I put Evelyn down for bed time around 8 pm because she was sooo grumpy and hadn't gotten a nap yesterday. Afterward, we turned on Elf and watched that while I bounced on my yoga ball. A friend had commented that Henry didn't seem very low, and I was very offended HAHA, especially because he was sitting so low in my pelvis. My whole body hurt from his position, so I made Mike come lay down with me and I told him to "rub my whole body." He then proceeded to rub my face and my legs and my stomach and act a complete fool haha. I wasn't having any contractions or anything, just feeling a little crampy. However, I'd been feeling crampy for the past week, so I really didn't think anything of it. I made Mike warm up a heating pad for my back and a little while later we fell asleep.

I woke up at about 12:50 to go to the bathroom. While I was in there, I had my first contraction. I had ZERO doubts I was about to go into labor because the contraction was so long and intense. It lasted 2.5 minutes!! Afterward, I went to lay down and try to rest because I knew Labor could be a marathon and if contractions were going to last 2 minutes in length, I was going to need to rest! Four minutes later, I realized my water was about to break, so I jumped out of bed before that happened. I had another contraction lasting about a minute before I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. Those were the only two contractions I was able to track!

I was in a lot of pain and I could tell he was sunny side up. Go figure. Evelyn was also sunny side up and it was terrible. I started the shower and I went and told Mike "I'm really sure my water just broke and I am in labor." (We thought my water had broken yesterday, but now I suspect I just peed. I told you bodies are gross.) He asked me to call my doula, so I got the phone ringing, then I literally threw the phone at him and said "I can't!" And jumped in the shower. The contractions started to pick up in speed. I was leaning against the bench in the shower, letting the water hit my back because that was the only thing that felt good. Mike started calling mom and the birth center to let them know. We told mom to come to the birth center, then we were like nah, just come to the house, then all the sudden I realized I needed to push!!

I don't remember telling Mike that my contractions had changed, but I was moaning very loudly, trying to control the contractions. I got down on my hands and knees, butt up in the air and was involuntarily pushing. Mike was panicking, but trying to stay calm for me. Evelyn woke up and came in to pat me on the head. "Mommy in shower??" I'm sure she was super confused why mommy was mooing like a cow. Mike called everyone back and said we were coming to the birth center. I told Mike I was scared or something to that effect. The contractions were literally on top of each other and I kept checking to make sure I couldn't feel his head.

Mike somehow managed to drag me out of the shower and put on my night gown for laboring. He wanted me to stand up and walk to the car, but the contractions were so close together that I could just crawl a couple feet before I was back in the middle of one! I made him grab a ton of towels. Finally he got Evelyn in the car and me as well and we were off.

I was definitely pushing at least once or twice a contraction the whole time we were headed there. At first, we got stuck behind a construction truck and both of us were a little panicked. The truck was driving really slowly and blocking both lanes of 35, but then suddenly it wasn't anymore and the roads cleared up immediately. Mike got the car up to 93 miles per hour! I didn't know my SUV could do that haha. As we turned onto Rosedale, we were about to stop at a light. I was about to tell Mike to run it when A) I saw the cop and B) the light turned green. Mike says he was going the speed limit, but still hauling ass with his blinkers on, so the cop turned on his lights and followed us to the birth center.

When we arrived, I tried to be a good citizen and stay in the car. Mike was waiting patiently for the cop when I decided I couldn't anymore and I jumped out of the car. I immediately dropped to my knees and resumed my cow like mooing and yelling whenever I felt the urge to push. I heard the cop say "oh! Okay!" And then Lissa (my midwife) came outside. She told me to get up and that the baby was literally RIGHT THERE so I crawled into the birth center and she managed to get me up the stairs and into the birthing suite.

I had another contraction or two on the floor and Lissa confirmed that Henry was sunny side up. His heart rate was good, so she had me get on the bed and said we could turn him if I pushed on my side. She knew I wanted a water birth, but she also knew I was seconds away from having a baby! It only took a push or two to get him turned correctly, thank Goodness. (I wasn't able to turn Evelyn on my own and my chiropractor had to come turn her.) Lissa grabbed Mike so he could come catch Henry and I yelled NO and tried to hold on to him. He was holding up my leg and I was gripping his hand. nurse Lisa took his place, though, and honestly, after maybe two more pushes? Maybe three? Henry was born!

I actually remember the ring of fire and I could feel him moving down in my pelvis as I pushed. I don't remember that sensation at all with Evelyn, but I'd also been in labor for 22 hours by that point. I felt Henry pop out and it was such an intense, incredible relief! He was very quiet and still as they put him on my stomach and I asked several times if he was okay. Lissa reassured me he was fine, he was just stunned. I could relate. Contractions started at 12:55 am and he was born at 2:19 am! He started to cry and that's when my parents made it upstairs with Evelyn.

Evelyn crawled up in bed with me and was checking brother out. After the cord stopped pulsing, Mike cut it and I delivered the placenta. This may have happened in reverse order...I literally don't remember. Around this time my doula showed up and the midwife who was on call! I'm so grateful Lissa lives nearby and was able to meet us at the birth center right away. Also, I desperately wanted her to deliver Henry since she also delivered Evelyn.

Vanessa, my doula, helped me to get Henry breastfeeding. He latched on so easily and it was like he'd been doing it forever! He nursed for a long time. People kept offering me food (but I don't know what food because I didn't have time to grab any and all Mike could find was granola. Yuck) and I kept turning them down. It was 2 am, for one thing, so I wasn't hungry, but also I was waiting for my chick fil a breakfast!! After Henry nursed on both sides, we got in the big tub.

Henry immediately wanted more milk, which was hysterical to me. He nursed the entire time we were in the tub, about an hour. Evelyn got in the tub with us until she started splashing and trying to climb on mommy. Then she went back to watching movies with her Joemo. Around 5:30 or so, mom and dad decided to take Evelyn home so they all could get some sleep. I finished nursing Henry in the tub and Nurse Lisa went over all the postpartum care instructions with me and Mike. We took a couple pictures and it was time to go home!

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would give birth in an hour and 20 minutes. I think for the rest of my life I'm going to be saying "remember how I was only in labor for an hour with Henry?!?" It was so intense and powerful, but other than a couple of moments of panic, I felt strong and in control. I knew he was coming soon and that he would be safe. I felt God's comforting hands wrapped around me and tried to spend time in prayer when I wasn't contracting.

I think that working out, eating healthy, drinking red raspberry leaf tea (sporadically lol) and spending time giving this birth experience to God led to such a quick and easy birth. I am so grateful for this experience and amazed by it. I still didn't get my water birth, but there's always next time....

38 weeks ... please don't ask if I'm in labor

How far along? 38 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/measurements: 16 lbs, but I had just eaten before my appointment so...maybe not. LOL

Maternity clothes: Yep. I wear them. And LuLaRoe. And Mike's clothes.

Sleep: Last night I slept by myself all night and it was AMAZING. Ahhh, sleep. I only woke up twice and it was beautiful. No one snored. No one slept right on top of me. It was just me and my pillows.

Best moment this week: Oh My Gosh. I got an induction massage (it clearly didn't work) and it was AMAZING. Everyone should get a massage at New Beginnings Family Chiropractic, because I think that lady has magical hands. I want to go back for another but I don't have $60 laying around. Sigh. I took milk bath photos with Jen and I am sooo excited to see them. Tonight we got our lights up outside, so that was a good start! Just need Mike to put the lights on the tree so I can decorate it! 

Miss anything? The ability to eat anything when I get hungry, vs having to actually think about what I'm eating. Granted, that's why I've always weighed so much LOL.

Movement: I was telling Ellen today that if I had an OB, I would have asked for an induction on Thursday because I was having so much anxiety about his movement. I literally laid in bed all day so I could feel him moving. He was moving fine but I was an anxious mess, which is not good for the baby! Today he's been having big, obvious movements, which are my absolute favorite.

Food cravings: Chick fil a I guess.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Gender: Baby boy

Labor signs: I realllllly lost my mucus plug Thursday morning. That was gross. Bodies are disgusting. I had contractions Tuesday night and Wednesday night, six minutes apart for an hour, and then they stopped. UGH. I've had some tonight but they are very sporadic and not timeable so I am not holding out hope for anything happening. I've been pretty crampy all week too. I'm dilated some. I thought my water broke yesterday but no such luck. Bodies are still disgusting.

Symptoms: Big belly, constantly running to the bathroom, baby kicks, terrible sleep, some contractions and cramping.

Belly button in or out? Still out.  

Wedding rings on or off? Off.

Happy or moody most of the time: Moody - I've been so anxious lately. I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown. (This is from last week but it's still 100% true)

Looking forward to: My 39 weeks appointment on Wednesday - though I don't want to be there at the same time, haha. Going on long walks every day this week. Then if I'm still holding the baby in on Saturday, we have our Christmas mugs and muffins event at church! I'm really excited for PJs and a Christmas mug exchange. 

Important side note: I am already really bummed that I'm 38 weeks, 5 days today. That's when Evelyn came and I was hoping Baby Boy would be here by now. It makes me sad when people ask if I'm in labor. Have y'all met me? I love to overshare on FB. I promise I will let you know if/when this baby comes. Until then, assume he is not here and Evelyn and I are out running errands/going to craft fairs.

37 weeks

How far along? 37 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/measurements: 14 lbs - down two from last week! We'll see for sure tomorrow, when I go back for my 38 weeks appointment. I really can't get over losing weight while pregnant haha.

Maternity clothes: Still wishing I had long sleeve maternity shirts even though it's not cold. I look wayyy more pregnant in maternity shirts, which cracks me up.

Sleep: I finally got something for my restless legs and bedtime has been going so much better. I'm able to fall asleep and stay asleep, minus waking up to pee every two or so hours. I guess I'm getting ready for having a newborn again!

Best moment this week: I finished all my Christmas shopping! We survived Thanksgiving...yes, survived. It was the weirdest holiday ever. We also went to Mainstay farms which Evelyn LOVED. She saw "ho ho." I told her that he had candy so she went up to him and said "trick or treat!" We are now practicing saying "Merry Christmas!" HAHA. Mom and I got pedicures on Saturday, so I got all my pre-baby pampering done. Whew!  

Miss anything? Chick fil a.

Movement: I'm still anxious and crazy, but he's been moving a lot today. I just have had a lot of anxiety this weekend!! 

Food cravings: Nothing really...I crave the day when I'm not eating eggs for breakfast. LOL

Anything making you queasy or sick? I'll have a little bit of nausea randomly, but not too bad. 

Gender: Baby boy

Labor signs: Lost some more of my mucus plug haha. That's so gross, but whatever, this is my blog. I don't usually do dilation checks because they don't really mean anything until you're in labor, but I am so tempted to find out this time. Maybe next week. I had a little bit of contractions the night before Thanksgiving but nothing really since then.

Symptoms: Big belly, constantly running to the bathroom, baby kicks, a little bit of acne - which sucks because I haven't really had any this pregnancy. Ugh.

Belly button in or out? Still out. Love it. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off. Can't wait to get them resized post baby so I can wear them again!

Happy or moody most of the time: Moody - I've been so anxious lately. I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown. 

Looking forward to: My 38 weeks midwife appointment is tomorrow -I can't believe I'm already that far along!! Evelyn goes back to school on Wednesday, thank God, because I need that for my sanity. Taking milk bath photos with Jen at some point this week, which will be super fun! Baby celebration lunch with some of my closest friends on Thursday annnnd mom and I are taking Evelyn to a Christmas tea party on Saturday. I LOVE this time of year. I am so torn between wanting baby boy to come soon and wanting to do ALL THE CHRISTMAS THINGS! 

37 weeks with Evelyn and 37 weeks with baby boy.

36 weeks

How far along? 36 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/measurements: 16 lbs. I gained a lb. BOOHOO. Probably because we keep eating out. I'm keeping my blood sugar good, but I need to get back on track eating at home.

Maternity clothes: I really want some long sleeve maternity shirts but it seriously feels like such a waste to buy maternity shirts at 37 weeks pregnant haha.

Sleep: I stay up way too late, but I fall asleep easier that way. Naps are pretty easy for me, so I don't understand why bedtime is just so rough on my body! I'm waking up at 6 am consistently, which is annoying. 

Best moment this week: I don't have group b strep!!! I feel like everything else has been totally crazy this pregnancy, so I was totally sure this test would also be postive, but it wasn't. Woohoo! Also, my bonus check from LuLaRoe finally came in so I was able to get started on my Christmas shopping. AND, we took Evelyn to see ice last night, which was super fun but also very cold. She really enjoyed it! Oh jeez, I almost forgot my baby shower was on Saturday. We had so much fun! Thank you so much to everyone who came, and to those of you who were there in spirit! An extra big thank you to Sarah for coming up from Houston to host the shower for me. That's true love.

Miss anything? Chick fil a.

Movement: Last night I made Mike wake him up so I could do kick counts, even though he'd been kicking all day, because I am crazy. So....yeah. 

Food cravings: Cupcakes - Mike tried to tell me I haven't craved cupcakes this pregnancy, but he is a dirty liar. I'm also still really into sweet potatoes. This is still weird to me.

Anything making you queasy or sick? No one should be queasy this far along. 

Gender: Baby boy

Labor signs: Some mild contractions. Lost part of my mucus plug last week (can't remember if I already blogged about this lol. Sorry for the TMI). I had some intense contractions last night and I was laughing because I told Megan at my last midwife appointment that he had better wait till we went to Ice. 

Symptoms: Big belly, itchy hands (AGAIN ugh. I think it's cold weather though), terrible sleep, I have to pee every five seconds, and some contractions

Belly button in or out? Now you can see the outtie through my shirts! This is so hilarious to me.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. Can't wait to get them resized post baby so I can wear them again!

Happy or moody most of the time: I've been pretty cranky lately. We ran into the Clacklers last night at Ice and I was in the worst mood ever. Sorry, Clacklers. LOL 

Looking forward to: My 37 weeks midwife appointment is tomorrow. Thanksgiving is Thursday. Mom and I are getting pedicures on Friday. Evelyn and I are going to the chiropractor on Saturday. And on Sunday we are going to Mainstay Farms FINALLY!!! This is going to be a great week, so baby boy, I'm gonna need you to stay put a little bit longer!

35 weeks...less than 30 days!

How far along? 35 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/measurements: I am down another pound, which means I've only gained 15 lbs so far!! 

Maternity clothes: Sometimes I wish I had maternity shirts buts it's definitely too late in the game to be buying new clothes. I still love my LuLaRoe, though! 

Sleep: I am sleeping terribly, still. It's hard for me to fall asleep, then I have a toddler who insists on sleeping on top of me, also my legs hurt all the time and I'm up to pee at least six times a night because I have to drink ridiculous amounts of water to keep my sugar low. The other day I laid down with Evelyn "for an hour" and woke up two hours later!! Clearly, I needed it. 

Best moment this week:. Not really pregnancy related, but I won two tickets to Mainstay Farms! Mike and I are going to take Evelyn the last Sunday in November, so brother needs to hold off on being born until then! Oh, also, we are now to weekly appointments at the midwives! We're so close to having another baby!! 

Miss anything? Sweets. Chick fil a. Margaritas. Not being sore. 

Movement: He's such a stinker. Some days he kills me with how painful his movement is and other days he's like "eh, just a little bitty kick to let you know I'm here!" I did have Dana (one of my midwives) check and I do have a posterior placenta (that means it's behind him ) and that's why I feel him so intensely and why I was able to feel him so early! 

Food cravings: Sweets and pizza. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really! Thank goodness. 

Gender: Baby boy

Labor signs: I had some intense contractions the other night where it felt like Baby boy was trying to escape immediately. He was so low! And sometimes I think when his movement hurts the worst, those might actually be contractions. I'm not really sure. I'm a little worried that he will be correctly positioned, so I won't have horrible back labor, and I won't realize I'm in labor until he's like about to be born. And by worried I mean, PLEASE GOD let this Labor be easier. HAHA. 

Symptoms: Big belly, terrible sleep, peeing all the time

Belly button in or out? Mike got onto me last week for my blog. He said "Laura, you straight up have an outtie. There is no "kind of" HAHA. Evelyn is constantly trying to push my belly button back in, which is cute, but also painful. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off, though I did wear my wedding band the other day!! I think it's a little bigger than my engagement ring. I did get my engagement ring on, but I was worried it wouldn't come off easily later so I took it off right away. 

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty moody and cranky. Especially at the end of the day, I just don't want to be touched! Unfortunately clingy toddlers do not understand this. 

Looking forward to: Back to the midwife on Wednesday! Like I said, I start weekly visits now! Also, Mike has some world record attempt on Friday, so E and I are going to go watch that. And my baby shower is on Saturday! That also means Sarah will be here from Houston!! Yay!! 

PS: since we are less than 30 days from my due date, and hopefully he will come early like Evelyn did, what should I be doing to get ready?? I keep looking at lists on Pinterest and I'm like "okay, I've done all that" but I feel like something's missing! How did you prepare in the last month before baby arrived?