before & after.

39 weeks pregnant- Mary came 4 days later.

Mary's at 4 weeks!  

introducing Mary Isabelle...

it is about time for me to introduce you all to our sweet mary.  i've been a little busy taking care of my sweet girl to get on the computer and put together a proper post so now, almost 2 weeks later, here it is. she is a pretty amazing little girl and we are absolutely smitten with her.  she looks a lot like jay's baby pictures but she has a few of my features too.  she has my eyelashes, fingers, nose, and maybe my lips.  she is growing and changing so much already!  hopefully, we'll have more long napping moments so i can keep the blog updated on a more frequent basis.  until then, bear with us!

mary isabelle

born june 26, 2012 @ 4:23pm

7 lbs. 0.5 oz    19 1/2 inches

skin to skin right after she was born- she barely cried and was wide awake, checking out the world.

getting her first set of vital signs and head to toe exam, including her foot prints.

meeting daddy!

so blessed to be taken care of my by friends at mission (if you will remember, i worked on the post partum floor up until last july).  they all took such great care of us!

first nap in her crib at home.

first sponge bath at home- she doesn't mind the shampooing...

having some awake time with daddy.

happy and full after eating!

naptime with daddy.

39 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 39 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is almost 7 1/2 pounds and about 20 inches head to heel, about the size of a small watermelon.  *However, my doctor estimates she is definitely in the 7 1/2 lbs. range already and I think she's longer than 20 inches.  My doctor also estimates she'll be an 8+ lbs. baby by delivery.  Jay and I were both born before our due dates and we were both 8 1/2 lbs. babies.  He was 21 inches long and I was 21 3/4 inches long.  I guess we'll see how Mary measures up soon enough!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 33 pounds.  I have only gained one pound in the last 6 weeks (which is fine).  It means Mary is stealing all of my calories and then some. :)

Maternity Clothes:  I am wearing all maternity clothes, except for a couple of shirts and pajamas.  There are so many cute clothes out this summer- I am ready to not be pregnant so I can wear cuter things!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  Mary has less and less room to move around these days so when she does it tends to hurt!  I keep telling her she would have a lot more space if she'd just come on out.  :)  I can feel her rubbing her feet together (before she kicks me!) and I swear she's just saying "there's no place like home."  Sooner or later, dear child, you will be evicted!

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours, however, the pain seems to come and go depending on my daily activities.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I am over the apple craving.  I am not craving anything in particular right now.

Symptoms: Heartburn/reflux, pelvic discomfort, lower back pain, puffy feet, ankles, and hands, nesting (that might be the only good one!)... your typical late pregnancy symptoms.  

***In other good news, Jay was accepted into the nursing program at this school and his classes start July 2nd.  Yes, 3 days after her due date.  Come on sweet Mary- make your debut a little early!

The picture on the left (below) is this morning... the picture on the right is this afternoon after a big thunderstorm came through- I think she dropped a little more!  Yay!

crib construction.

so i decided to tackle putting the crib together last saturday while jay was at training for work.  i had pre-determined i would stop at any point that it got too difficult or heavy.  well, i must say that assembling the crib was easier than putting the glider together (which i also did).  everyone keeps saying this is "daddy's job" but he'll have plenty of fun (ha!) putting the swing, bouncy seat, pack 'n' play, etc together.  it only took me a couple of hours to assemble the crib thanks to great instructions and the packaging.  i am so happy with the one we chose.  i had great intentions to take more pictures but got distracted with my progress! :)

progression.

i think it's fun to look at all of these and see how much i have changed and how much mary isabelle has grown in the last 20 or so weeks.  it's amazing that at 4 weeks gestation she was the size of a poppyseed and now she's the size of a watermelon!  it is truly amazing what our bodies are made to do in order to create new life. 

 18 weeks

19 weeks

22 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

27 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks

30 weeks

32 weeks

33 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

38 weeks

38 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is almost 6 1/2 pounds and about 19 1/2 inches head to heel, about the size (length) of a leek.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 33 pounds.  I have only gained one pound in the last 5 weeks (which is fine).  It means Mary is stealing all of my calories and then some. :)

Maternity Clothes:  I am wearing all maternity clothes, except for a couple of shirts and pajamas.  There are so many cute clothes out this summer- I am ready to not be pregnant so I can wear cuter things!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups usually 2-3 times a day.  They are getting stronger and are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger- she likes to stretch out into my side with her feet.  She is starting to run out of room!  She has dropped some although she still has some more to go.

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours. It is increasingly hard to get comfortable and I find that I don't sleep so great anymore.  I guess I'm being prepared for the nights ahead once she's born.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I am over the apple craving.  I am not craving anything in particular right now.

Symptoms:  Oh the heartburn!  The heartburn has actually turned into acid reflux, although, now that she's dropped some this has gotten better.  Zantac is still my best friend.  If it's true what they say- that heartburn in pregnancy means the baby will have hair then this child is destined to have a head full!    I have puffy feet and ankles that are a mainstay now- although some days are better than others.  My hips and pelvic bones are sore and getting themselves in shape for birth- but that alone is partly what is making it so hard to sleep. I still can't really complain too much and I try not to! 

37 weeks FULL-TERM!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is almost 6 1/3 pounds and over 19 inches head to heel, about the size (length) of a stalk of Swiss chard.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 33 pounds.  I have only gained one pound in the last month (which is fine).

Maternity Clothes:  I am wearing all maternity clothes, except for a couple of shirts and pajamas.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups usually 2-3 times a day.  They are getting stronger and are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger- she likes to stretch out into my side with her feet.  She still seems to have a lot of room to move.  She has dropped some although she still has some more to go...

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours. It is increasingly hard to get comfortable and I find that I don't sleep so great anymore.  I guess I'm being prepared for the nights ahead once she's born.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I am over the apple craving.  I am not craving anything in particular right now.

Symptoms:  Oh the heartburn!  The heartburn has actually turned into acid reflux.  Zantac is still my best friend.  If it's true what they say- that heartburn in pregnancy means the baby will have hair then this child is destined to have a head full!    I have puffy feet and ankles that are a mainstay now- although some days are better than others.  My hips and pelvic bones are sore and getting themselves in shape for birth- but that alone is partly what is making it so hard to sleep. I still can't really complain too much and I try not to! 

36 weeks

 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is almost 6 pounds and over 18 1/2 inches head to heel, about the size (weight) of a crenshaw melon.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 32 pounds.  I seem to be leveling off a bit these last two weeks.

Maternity Clothes:  I am pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups usually 2-3 times a day.  They are getting stronger and are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger- she likes to stretch out into my side with her feet.  She's been stretching a lot lately- I guess she's getting in all of her chances while she can!  She found my ribs with her feet the other day- ouch!  

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours. It is increasingly hard to get comfortable and I find that I don't sleep so great anymore.  I guess I'm being prepared for the nights ahead once she's born.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I cannot get enough apples these days.  Throw in some caramel dip and it's heaven!

Symptoms:  Oh the heartburn!  Zantac is still my best friend.  If it's true what they say- that heartburn in pregnancy means the baby will have hair then this child is destined to have a head full!  I have puffy feet and ankles that are a mainstay now- although some days are better than others.  My hips and pelvic bones are sore and getting themselves in shape for birth- but that alone is partly what is making it so hard to sleep.  But we're in the home stretch and it'll be over soon.

Does she look a little lower to you this week or is it just me? 

nesting progress.

as you can see below, our kitchen is tiny. i had to stand in the hall to get the long shots you see in the first two pictures.  but it's functional and we only really have to cook 3 months out of the year (essentially, whenever the boys are on breaks we have  to cook.  i haven't known what to do with this long wall so i moved my "south" definition picture into the kitchen and flanked it with two canvases covered in bright polkadot fabric.  then i put my tiles on the other side similar to how they were below my cabinets in our house.  and then the next day i boiled/sterilized some of Mary's things.  i have made a lot of progress in her room and will take some pictures and post them next week.  hopefully.  but below is some proof that i have finally gotten to nest!

before...

after.

 after.

sterilizing bottles and nipples and pacifiers. 

35 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is around 5 1/4 pounds and over 18 inches head to heel, about the size (weight) of a honeydew melon.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 30 pounds.  

Maternity Clothes:  I am pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day.  They are very light-feeling but they are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger- she likes to stretch out into my side with her feet.  She's been stretching a lot lately- I guess she's getting in all of her chances while she can!  She found my ribs with her feet the other day- ouch!  

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours. It is increasingly hard to get comfortable and I find that I don't sleep so great anymore.  I guess I'm being prepared for the nights ahead once she's born.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I cannot get enough apples these days.  Throw in some caramel dip and it's heaven!

Symptoms:  Oh the heartburn!  Zantac is still my best friend.  If it's true what they say- that heartburn in pregnancy means the baby will have hair then this child is destined to have a head full!  I have puffy feet and ankles that are a mainstay now.  My hips and pelvic bones are sore and getting themselves in shape for birth- but that alone is partly what is making it so hard to sleep.  But we're in the home stretch and it'll be over soon.