The End in Sight...

39 weeks today

This pregnancy has been so incredibly different from my previous two.  from start to (near) finish, it has flipped everything I thought I understood about my body on its ear and completely surprised me.

With my first two I was ravenous.  All day. Every day.  I wanted to eat everything in sight, and I did.
This time, I couldn't stand to even think about food for basically the entire first trimester.  I could literally take a bite of something I thought I wanted to eat and instantly feel nauseated and gross.  I never actually upchucked, thank God, but I sure did feel close a few times.  I lost nearly 12 pounds in the first trimester!  like, what?!  that's definitely different from both times before.

The color run Atlanta 2014

Something else that I actively made different this time is that I was much more exercise-conscious.  Shoot, I did TWO 5K's during this pregnancy, and ran in the neighborhood in between, until my pitiful pelvis just wasn't having it anymore, and even then I started walking at least 3 times a week, often more than that.

I slowly but surely, once I was able to stomach, oh basically anything, put on the 12 pounds I had lost.  this is to be expected.  you can't go from not being able to eat to suddenly having a normal appetite without a little gain.

my beautiful and talented friend did my maternity pictures

Up to now, at 39 weeks, I have gained a total of 18 pounds from my starting weight.  Can we say miracle?!  Just as a reference point I gained 85 pounds with my first, and did only slightly better with my second gaining a whopping 65 pounds!

Given, I didn't start out at my ideal weight with this pregnancy.  I started off technically overweight according to BMI standards.  and they say that the more heavy you are before pregnancy the less you should gain.  According to nurses at my doctor's office I should have gained only 15 pounds being overweight to start.  oh well.  I feel fantastic at only 18 pounds.  Nobody can bring me down from this high.

Nobody of course except my own anxiety perhaps.

I have been surprisingly calm this pregnancy.  I haven't been especially miserable, and with my managed growth I have been able to stay comfortable and not have any complications.  My blood pressure has stayed nice and low (with my oldest I had pre-eclampsia, so that is always a looming fear) which is such a blessing.

I did discover this pregnancy that dairy does not agree with me and since then my heartburn has drastically decreased and my acid reflux at night has all but disappeared which makes life much more bearable, like, you have NO idea.

thankfully I can get Soy ice cream...

So, what's the problem you ask? I'll tell you.  Since I haven't been especially uncomfortable or swollen, and since all in all this pregnancy has been rather pleasant, I haven't reached that point where you are so miserable you're saying "somebody get this thing outta me!!" I'm content.  Which makes my scheduled induction in 2 days all the more anxiety-inducing.  I'm think to myself, oh crap...  Am I ready?

Yes, I know, I'm a veteran at this. I have 2 babies already, and for the most part, despite making poorer decisions with the 2 of them (diet and exercise wise) I had smooth deliveries.  I have taken this pregnancy head-on with a much more positive mantra and a much more healthy perspective.

So why am I so nervous?

I am anxious to meet my newest princess, Alice Aurora.  And I'm so excited to be able to go back to sleeping on my stomach, like woah. And I'm excited to be more maneuverable.  But I am so stinking nervous at the same time.

He's so precious

I feel like there is still so much to do.  There really aren't too many things that are especially pressing.  Most of it is all in my head as my precious husband is constantly reminding me.  But somethings are.  For instance, I am being induced in TWO DAYS and I still haven't packed my bag...  yep  procrastinate much?  Don't get me wrong, I have a list, and a bunch of things set aside to be put in said bag, but I'm not done.  I think (here I go "psychologizing" myself) a big part of that is that if I get that bag packed and ready I am admitting to myself that this is happening.  No going back.

Well, for now I think I will procrastinate some more and  go and sit in the tub and soak for a while.

Preggy Poo Update and Other Whatnots

Hello....

Is anyone still out there??

Wowzers, it has been a spell (as my grandmother would say) since I have been 'round here.  I hardly recognize the place.  sheesh.

So much has been going on, and I don't even know where to BEGIN explaining my prolonged absence.  All I hope is that y'all haven't broken up with me and my blog for leaving you hanging for so long.

(I like to believe in my own little world that y'all have been waiting around, checking your blog loving feeds and pouting pitifully wondering where I had wandered off to, however, I'm pretty sure most of you are more confused because you don't remember me anymore.  it's fine.... I understand)

Anywho.  Last I blogged I was telling y'all about being all pregnant and whatnot.  Well, things are going pretty great!  I'm feeling much better and that's a good thing and a bad thing.

GOOD: because I'm not feeling sick anymore, and I can actually eat!
BAD: because I can eat again... and it's hard to stop...

I had this issue with both of my other pregnancies, all will-power (when it comes to food) goes straight out the window, and that my friends is a dangerous dangerous game...

We found out we are having a girl, as you can see in my Gender Reveal post here.
And yes, we have a first name picked out, but not a middle name yet, so we are playing our cards close to the chest until we figure that out... sorry for the suspense.

Here's a little collage of where I am in pictures:

I always regret not having many pictures of me during my first two pregnancies, and so I am trying to resist the urge to hide from the camera and take one every week.  So if you follow me on instagram, you'll see a new pic of this ever-growing bump each Sunday morning.

I'm trying really hard to keep exercising and control my food intake as well.  Yep.  That's right.  I'm going to condition this baby to love exercise!

In fact we took this little baby for a run on her SECOND 5K in utero this weekend (no pics from that unfortunately).

The first 5K she tagged along for was the Color Run in Atlanta in April:

Baby's first 5K!

Anywho, That's about all for now.

I've got A LOT of catching up to do on here, for instance we painted and redecorated Bunny's room, and painted the living room and office, and we are working on some pretty cool big projects, not to mention all the ideas I've got for crafting and just wow, so many things.  

Stay tuned for all that madness....

Baby 3 Gender Reveal!

For no reason that we can articulate now, my husband and I were just plain SURE that this baby was going to be a boy.  We had no evidence, no proof, just a belief and a hope....

I did this same thing when I was pregnant with Grace, I was just sure, from the day I found out I was pregnant that this was going to be my girl.  So much so, that I was already adding girly things to my registry well before we ever found out for sure.  

Luckily, that time I was right, I mean, I had a 50/50 chance...

Anywho, the day we went to the doctor to find out baby gender we were ready to just finally be told we were having a boy so that I could start getting things together and making quilts like I did with my other two and so on and so forth.

I made these yummy cake balls with a secret colored center to reveal to the kids what the baby was going to be

literally I could eat white chocolate on just about anything...

So, this is how we told the kids....  

When the ultrasound technician spilled the beans that baby #3 was in fact a girl we were so confused.  We made her check another time and still another after that....

But alas, Baby Girl it is.  We weren't disappointed, we had already decided that we would be overjoyed no matter what we were having, but to say that we were shocked was an understatement.

We had to take a couple of days actually to recalibrate.  We had friends and family practically knocking down our door trying to find out what they told us at the doctor, but we couldn't utter it, strictly because we were still in disbelief of it.

After we got it together and got used to the idea and then excited about the idea we decided we would reveal it to our kids, and thusly everyone else through facebook.

We are Very pleased to be bringing another beautiful little girl in the world to love and pamper!

Have you been shocked by your baby's gender before too like we were?  I would LOVE to hear about it in the comments!

Ahem Ahem, Announcement Time

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook already know this, and have for about a week, but me and the Hubby are expecting Baby #3!!

We are just plain crazy excited!

Some of you might be thinking, "seriously guys?  A third baby?  Didn't we just get past the craziness of buying a new home?"  and then answers to those questions are yes, yes and yes.

We can't seem to go too long without throwing a wrench at life and making more chaos!  We thrive on chaos frankly...

Baby Kline # 3 is due September 21st, So I am just about 13 weeks along now.  I have been using the Baby Bump App on my phone and it is so cute and educational and just cool in General, you should definitely check it out, they have forums and even baby name polls posted by real women who are toting a bump just like me!  I spent an hour and a half the other night voting on other people's baby names, it was awesome, and completely addictive...

It has been such a relief to let the cat out of the bag.  This pregnancy has been quite different from the other two so far, as you may remember from my post about our Baby Dinosaur, When I got pregnant with Grace I could literally have eaten the whole house, my appetite was through the roof, it was so awful, but I couldn't control myself!  This time around I haven't been sick per se, but I haven't felt good and hungry either.  It got to a point where I could barely eat a bite of food, no matter what it was, and I would feel hugely bloated and nauseated, it was awful!  I have actually lost about 10 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy, which is basically unheard of for me.  But I couldn't eat!  I was either starving or nauseated, no middle ground and that was for weeks!

I also ended up giving up coffee too.  It wasn't exactly a choice, I just got to where it disgusted me, the flavor the smell, all of it, I just couldn't stomach it anymore.  I have even taken the coffee maker off of the counter and put it away in a cabinet. Weird, since I normally can't get my day started without my yummy iced coffee, but right now the idea just gags me.

I have been chugging water like crazy and really can't bring myself to drink anything else, which is great, because I am staying super hydrated.  But also crazy tired!  between cold turkey on the coffee and just general 1st trimester sleepiness I have been utterly pooped all the time!  I can't wait for that energy blast that's just around the corner!

Another thing that is different this time around is that I was more active before this pregnancy than I ever was in the previous two, So I have been getting out and running and walking through the neighborhood and eating much healthier, more veggies and fruits.  I think this baby is going to be a health nut, no complaints there!

I am so excited to share this news with all of you!  I look forward to continuing to share my life with y'all!

If you haven't already please follow me on bloglovin', I lost all my followers when I rebranded my blog, and so I have a wee little following of a whopping two people through there right now!  Yikes!  Down from about 120-something!  Share me around and if you comment with your blog link I will gladly share the love right back!

Wise Words Wednesday #9

I'm starting a new series of Wise Words today, All of which look like Chalkboards.  

And really, Who doesn't love this chalkboard trend?

Enjoy!

*******

These are some seriously wise words from Ayn Rand, author of Atlas shrugged (among other things).

It is so easy to compare ourselves to others, and to feel jealous and resentful, but this isn't how we better ourselves.  We have to really be CREATIVE to find our own way, and challenge and compete with ourselves, and not EVERYONE else around us.  We need only improve and maintain ourselves to really be happy.  If you go through your whole life trying to beat down other people you will never feel complete because there will always be someone else to beat down just behind them.  Where as if you look only to bettering yourself then there is no limit to what you can accomplish.

Not to mention that you can keep people around to support you instead of smashing them under your boot on the way.

Do you have suggestions for Wise Words Wednesday??  

I am always open to suggestions! Leave in a comment below! 

Memorial Day and What it Should Mean to You

Memorial Day when I was growing up was basically just a cookout and hangout occasion.

I had no idea what it really meant for a good while.  and I can say now that even when I did find out what it was, I STILL didn't REALLY understand what Memorial Day means.

What changed my view of Memorial day was marrying into the military.

My husband was in the Navy (a Corpsman) but was stationed with and worked solely with the Marines.  

He went on 3 combat deployments during his 5 and a half years and let me just say, that business will bring the strongest person to their knees.  

the stress, the worry, the danger.

Its horrible.  

But by the time you make it to the end of the seven months (or 4 or 12 or 18 depending) it's magic all over again.  the separation was all worth it because it's over.

Going through the whole shebang really made me hurt for those who over the years haven't been able to come home.  or the ones who don't have someone to go and wait for anymore.

It genuinely hurts my heart,

I started crying in the car the other day driving through town because they had the crosses out along the road with the names of fallen soldiers, marines, and sailors and where they served.  

I was blessed enough to get my husband back, and so many have not been so lucky. 

So Memorial day isn't about getting together and drinking beer and grilling out.  It's about honoring those who have protected our right to do those things, and honoring those who've lost loved ones in the armed forces.

So this weekend when you are together with friends or family or you are having that beer and grilling those burgers and dogs, just take a moment to honor those service-members.

They earned the right to be called citizens and they deserve to be remembered fondly and respected for their sacrifice.

*******

The following are just a few of the pictures from my husband's homecomings that I wanted to share.

These pictures and these events commemorate that we made it through some of the most difficult experiences a marriage and a family can ever go through and we were stronger for it. 

I am thankful to God everyday that He guided Elliott safely home.

2007

2009

Shining Happy Changes!

I am so excited to announce that my husband just got a new job!

He starts at the first of June, and we couldn't be happier or more excited!

source

Tough Mudder GA 2013

So, The day finally came last Saturday 

The Tough Mudder.

We had been preparing ourselves for it since November and it was finally here

"probably the toughest even on the planet"

I found that I wasn't as nervous as I expected when we arrived.  

I was actually like CRAZY pumped for it!

The week before the mudder we were running and I just had a break down, my form wasn't good, and I couldn't find a groove and I was feeling really fat and basically all the negativity was mounting and I was subconsciously trying to convince myself I couldn't do it.  

That  sucked...

Team Schmow Zow! Tough Mudder here we come!

Most of you who read often or follow me on Instagram

know that my husband and I are participating in the Georgia Tough Mudder 2013 

and I just received this email the other day:

wow... this just got real...

Tips for a Stiff Upper Lip

How To Keep a Stiff Upper Lip on Those Dismal Days

Yesterday was kind of a crummy day for me.  

And let's face it, we ALL have them sometime or another.

And when we have those kinds of days, it feels like an avalanche;  like everything catches up with you and you just can't pull yourself out.  

The key to not getting swallowed up on days like this is to remind yourself of what is GOOD.  

To rejoice in the small victories of everyday life.  

Let's Begin...