big 3-6 tomorrow

36 weeks tomorrow and ready to start getting this little girl to move down lower and into position.

I can tell we are ready because time is going SO SLOW.

Going to attempt vacuuming out my car, and going for a walk tonight.

I will update belly picture tomorrow as well.

35 week photos

The other pictures from our own attempt at belly shots.

They turned out, ok.

I'd like to try some again outside.

Ouch

Holy Crap-ola.
Ready for this little girl to come out so I can by small again!!!

Pity party going on right now....

Week 35

Ugh. Week 35. Weekly it gets harder and harder physically. I am not used to all this weight. At all. But, only 5 weeks or less to go so I really need to stop whining about it. Its just so uncomfortable and so hard. It's gone so fast and I know I will look back and wish that I would have enjoyed this more. I just want this baby in our arms already. With the adoptions we didnt have this long wait. I didnt have to do any of this physical work. We went through pregnancy, sort of, only for 3 months at the most, and then had a baby in our arms. The physical part of this is hard....and I havent even reached the REAL work of labor yet!! Yikes.

Anyways, we are almost done. Almost in the home stretch here. Or actually, you can say we are in the home stretch! :)

1 more week until my next appointment. Im going to see if they can tell how much she weighs and which position she is in. She was head down and I could really tell she was head down because any slight drop of urine in my bladder made me feel like I would pee my pants any second. I dont have that so much anymore and Im feeling a lot of movements, not so much kicks anymore since shes getting so cramped, but lots of movements to my very very far right side. Makes it feel like she is transverse. I dont know. I wish I knew what was going on in there.

35 weeks, still have a slight belly button in, and still NO stretch marks! Carly should be around 5 lbs and 18 inches. 5 weeks or less to go! Mom is so over this and ready for her to come out. She is getting really heavy in there.

Baby Shower

A baby shower was has this weekend! Hosted by my one and only best friend Dawn. If you been a long time blog reader of mine you would know we have been friends for 10 years now. I was once 18 years old, newly married, sitting at the BWI airport alone and nervous and scared because I had no idea what I was doing. I saw this lady with a huge pregnant belly and in tow behind her, 4 little girls all holding hands in a single file line from biggest to youngest. I thought to myself she was one crazy lady. We ended up on the same miserable flight to Italy, our husbands in the same shop working together and 4 months later she had her 5th baby, a boy and we  became great friends and remained that way even though Nick and I went off to 2 other bases to call home before we landed in Las Vegas buying a house 12 houses away from them. Crazy small world.

 Anyways, Dawn did a great job.It was fun. She had rolls, cheese and meat for sandwiches, and pasta salad, chips.

Please forgive the way I look in the pictures. I now look like a tired (4 nights of only 3 hours of sleep per  night) 8 month pregnant, had enough, lady. It shows. I don't take time to make myself look nice, at all. lol. And in pictures it shows. Ugh. Near only 5 weeks left of this. Thank Goodness. I have since discovered that tylenol pm is safe for me to take and I have taken it 2 nights to catch up on some sleep which has helped a ton.

There were these super cute chocolate covered pretzels that she made. I saved one and put it in the freezer for my Mother in Law for when she comes in April.

Here is the cupcake set up! Adorable. The frame was actually my birthday present from Dawn and she used it for the display. I love it.

Just a cute picture of Kayla, very excited to be as Ms. Dawn's house. I made a cupcake tshirt for her and matching hair bow.

Cherry flavored cupcake shaped lollypops made by Dawn. They were really good. Caden tore them up! The bottles are filled with apple juice for the bottle drinking game. And the little mint filled ceramic cupcakes were favors.

Caden being Caden. The morning before Caden got a pretty big black eye....figures.

Some items from Dawn used for the price is right game, which was actually really fun. She had the actual retail price on cupcake cards attached to the items and we all had to guess the price. The person with the most cards at the end won a prize. Kayla some how actually guessed TWO of the items correct. I have no idea how.

A diaper cake made by a friend.

The memory game items on a tray. Johnson and Johnson items from Mimi and Papa and the others from Dawn.

Kayla playing the bottle game and Caden not so sure he's allowed to actually drink from a bottle. HA. It was really funny and Kayla was so serious playing all the games. She was VERY VERY determined to win a prize.

Kayla playing another game, which Ms Dawn was very nice and let her win.

Kayla with her prize. She got her very own kitchen towels and potholder and pen with notepad all in cupcake theme. Now, she likes to help me dry and put away dishes!

Caden trying to play. I made a muffin shirt for him that was supposed to say stud muffin but for some reason the 'stud' letters did not stick. I need to buy some iron on letters and try it again. Its just not the same without the 'stud' on it.

Cupcake pjs!!! We got lots of cupcake stuff for the little girl. And remember my warning of horrible I look in these pictures. lol.

Opening a present from Mimi.

From Dawn's oldest daughter, Courtney...I love you more than cupcakes shirt. Way cute.

A cupcake shirt with matching cupcake pants. 

And Courtney's favorite animal is the giraffe. So Carly got a giraffe outfit!

And one of the most adorable picture frames Ive seen, it says Sneak  Peak and has a little poem on it. Almost made me cry but I was able to hold back.

And a great picture of Kayla with Dawn's 2nd oldest daughter, Tiffany. 

It was fantastic. Im thankful for a great friend. Those folks, are very rare to find.

33 weeks!

Really getting close to the end of this! Hard to believe I was so sure 7 and 8 months ago that this baby would not survive. That I would wake up one day and it would all be over. That it would another slap in the face in the infertility road after I had already moved on and away from that chapter in my life. I was so sure the screen on the computer from the ultrasound would show a dead baby. I was so sure I would be again traumatized by another life lost.

I was wrong. So wrong. There is actually a REAL baby in my belly. One that moves when I go poking at her for confirmation. One that is nearly 5 pounds already and 18 inches long. A real person who will be born and expand our family, for REAL. In only 7 weeks or less.

How in the world have I been chosen to be so lucky? I get to experience the adoption world twice and becoming a Mom by creating a child with my husband.

I dont think the shock of all this is EVER going to ware off. Ever.

33 weeks today, Carly is 4.2-5.8 lbs and 17.2-18.7 inches long. Getting really hard for Mom to breathe through anything anymore. Woke up to sharp pain in right side a couple nights ago. Lat week my belly measures 44" around. 32 week appointment was perfect, doc doesnt want to see us come back until week 36 unless I am concerned about something. 7 weeks or less to go. Carly loves to kick Mom in the right side lung and punch with her hands real low. Our hospital bags are almost done being packed and only 8 more days until our baby shower.

Linea Nigra is a little darker. Belly button starting to turn inside out a little bit more. Still no stretch marks, with the except of my old ones that had faded from when I was overweight and then lost weight.

4d ultrasound

Here are the 4/d high definition pictures from the ultrasound we had a week ago tomorrow! I have been so busy and not had the time to post on my blog. It was a very neat experience. I came out of it realizing there IS a very real and very live human being in my belly. Abortively a  miracle. A little girl who has her Mom's chin and lips for sure! I cant wait to see what she looks like totally. 7 weeks or less as of tomorrow!

And here is a clip of the 18 minute long session we got. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X61sj6eULC0&feature=share&list=UUIcMETUpWqLTva7pEg2ay6g

Great Grandma

Today is my Great Grandma's 85th Birthday. Last time I saw them was the last time I was in PA, in October 2010. Before then it was when Kayla was just 10 months old in 2009. Caden was only 8 months old. It's been way too long. I miss them. 

Both the kids just loved Grandpap to pieces!!