32 weeks and getting big

I'm not sure how 32 weeks got here so quickly.  My mother-in-law asked me the other day what else we need to do to get ready for baby. I have no idea!  How does one prepare for a baby with 40 weeks notice? We are used to 14 days.

I remember the night we brought Brennan home we were scrambling to put together the rock-n-play after having forgotten to bring any clothes or blankets to the hospital to get her. I had a few gender neutral sleepers and blankets in the dryer and several target bags on the floor in the dining room. That was as prepared as we got. Here is Brennan's going home attire.

We spent last weekend getting boxes out of the attic and switching Brennan's clothes over to her "big girl" room. Brennan won't sleep in there for several months after baby's arrival, mostly so we have some sort of guest room for our out of town family. We went through boxes and boxes of baby clothes and have just a few loads of laundry to do to finish getting ready. That's all I've got. Our incredible double stroller has been assembled, a sweet generous friend is letting us borrow her Halo Bassinest and we are good to go. Someone please tell me if I am missing something!?

We had an ultrasound for growth this week. I'm measuring a little bit small abdominally (2cm behind for those of you who know what that means) but baby girl is measuring a solid week ahead!  She's around 4 1/2 pounds, 71st percentile.

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PinkBlush - my pregnancy obsession!

Several patients tagged me in a Facebook post by PinkBlush Maternity searching for bloggers to model their clothes. They sent me the most beautiful dress to wear!  I have purchased several items from them and I can't get enough. Their clothes are true to size, are comfortable yet flattering, and to top it all off they are affordable. Because I have a larger bust, dresses that don't have a snug empire waist make we look huge. I paired this belt with this PinkBlush dress to give me a bit more shape. It's incredibly comfortable and will be something I can wear after pregnancy as well. This dress worked out perfectly for my baby shower. Make sure you check out their website. They sell Maternity, Women's, Baby and more!!

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You guys!? I'm 30 weeks!

Baby girl is around 15 inches, 3 pounds and roughly the size of a large head of cabbage. We took our "food" picture today but my laptop died before our hospital admission so I won't be able to post that for a bit. Here is our unofficial bump pic.

Brennan talks to my belly every day and says "stay in my mommy's belly." So far her little sister is listening. I've not had any more bleeding episodes since our admission almost a month ago. I still contract but they are not painful and not regular. It's fun letting other people feel her move now. She's one strong baby. 

Pregnancy wise I have been doing great. The rest of my body is a mess! I have bronchitis and pulled a muscle in my back from coughing so hard. After 10 days I think I'm finally starting to get better. My husband wishes there was a lemon law for pregnant wives but I'm pretty sure that's just for cars. 

I was fortunate enough to be able to go back to work last week. I'm doing the office only and the other 2 amazing midwives are covering the hospital. So far it's working out really well and I'm feeling great.

My dear friend Vanessa held a baby shower for all of my work friends this past weekend. It was so great and I'm so grateful for all of my coworkers. They were extremely generous and we are much closer to being ready for another little one. I will post pictures from the shower soon. 

Please pray for my friend Lindsay. She has been placed on bedrest for preeclampsia and may be delivering her little one sooner than she expected. Praying for a safe delivery and healthy baby. She was gracious enough to recover our rocker for us. Check out this before and after. I will be doing newborn photos for her in exchange for her hard work. I can't wait to snuggle her baby! 

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Nursery Inspiration

When we did Brennan's nursery (at 5 months old!!) we did gender neutral in case we had another and God sent us a son. Since we are having our second little girl with no plans to have a third we decided to girlie. 

Here is the inspiration:

We went with coral walls hoping it would blend well with the bedding we had for Brennan. When someone gifts you the insanely expensive bedding you've loved for 7 years you definitely use it for your second child as well. 

The bedding:

These are the fabrics I bought to make the garland like in the top photo. Looking at the walls and blanket above the coral I got doesn't look great. I may scrap it or just add some more peach to blend it all in. 

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Pink Blush Winner

Thank you all for submitting your valuable advice and kind words. Our winner is Jen Sabillon.  Congratulations Jen!!! Your gift will be emailed to you in the next 48 hours. 

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Day #7 - the best day yet!

How about a giveaway to celebrate our good news leaving the hospital and continued pregnancy? 

Pink Blush Maternity has given me a $75 credit to their online store to give away to one of my readers. They have maternity AND women's clothes! Anyone can win unless you have won a Pink Blush giveaway in the last 3 months.

Comment on this blog post with your best parenting advice. Brennan will chose a random number and the winner will be chosen tomorrow afternoon. You MUST include your email address in the post.

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Day #5 and Counting

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time sitting still. I like to keep busy. I have that "do everything now and relax later" sort of personality but "later" rarely comes. Well here I am 5 days into bed rest and I think I'm doing pretty well. My amazing husband has been my rock. He has been sleeping on an air mattress and working 8 hours a day from an uncomfortable hospital room chair. He gets me everything I need, takes me on wheelchair rides and makes sure that I am well taken care of. We haven't spent this much time together just the two of us since Brennan was born two and a half years ago. Even with the stress of the situation, the worry over baby snowflake and the less than ideal conditions my husband has been incredible. I miss Brennan like crazy but I think this is great for our marriage.

I'm 27 weeks 2 days and grateful for a day with fewer contractions. Praying it stays that way and we can get out of here at some point. Dr Newman said he'd like to watch me through the weekend so I'm still not sure when we are getting out of here. But no bleeding, happy baby, good ultrasound and quieter uterus. Things are continuing to look up. 

Whenever we FaceTime Brennan she gets super excited to hear her daddy's voice and sort of indifferent to me. Jealous already?? She tends to resent me when I'm gone a lot for work so I don't think she's happy with me. She is having a blast with Mimi, GG and Micah. She is very well taken care of. Here are the girls at their movie night picnic dinner... Little Mermaid I think. 

Maybe tomorrow I will post a few pictures of our luxurious hospital room. Wait til you see our bathroom! In all seriousness my stay has been very comfortable with great nurses, support staff and doctors. I am glad baby snowflake is in such capable hands. 

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