one week old

i cannot believe how fast time is going. 

my little jack is 1 week old today.

he keeps changing looks, and learning new things.

he sleeps during the night, and is often awake during the day,

he can pick up his head while laying on my chest,

and he eats like a champion.

my heart is so full.

and i am so in love. 

41 week bumpdate

How far along: 41 weeks

Weight Gain: 47 lbs

Maternity Clothes: leggings and dresses that look  more like t-shirts these days...

Progression: still 1 cm as of Monday. how discouraging. Dr told me that baby was lower now though, so hopefully that means something.

Sleep: switching sides every hour it seems because my hips are so sore. a good night's sleep seems impossible. ready for a baby to make those sleepless nights worth it!

Best moment of last week: feeling like leaving this blank. but. I have lots of support and people praying for me, which is so appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has even thought about me this past week. 

Worst moment last week: I had a fever on sunday, which made everything worse. rash on my tummy, which is FINALLY getting better! (praise Jesus!)  pain and contractions every time I move...

Movement: still moving a lot. which is good! just little movements because there is no more room in there.

Looking forward to: NOT BEING PREGNANT!

Prayer Request: Please pray that i go into labour naturally, and not have to be induced. I have a Dr. appt next monday where we will decide when I will be induced. I dont really want a Christmas eve/Christmas day baby... But, I guess God's plans are best. Needing to trust!!

Saturdays

This is what Saturday mornings should look like. 

Making bacon, and a crazy hubby dancing in the kitchen to this song.

Here's to more Saturdays like this one. 

And hopefully our next Saturday includes a baby!

39 week bumpdate

How far along: 39 weeks + 3 days

Food Comparison: A mini watermelon

Weight Gain: 47 lbs. only 2 lbs in 2 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes: 1 bought 2 xl men's shirts at the thrift store because all of mine and Mike's shirts are too short on me... I'm tired of the bottom of my giant belly showing.

Progression: I was 1 cm dilated on monday, and I THINK I'm starting to lose my mucus plug. Braxton hicks all the time! So hopefully I'm actually close to labor, and not just getting my hopes up!

Symptoms: Itchy tummy like crazy! I've been slathering on the coconut oil and Palmers oil. Sometimes it helps, but usually doesn't. Keeping the stretch marks away though!

Sleep: I have to switch sides every couple of hours, but never have to pee at night. (woo!!) I'm usually up really early, but maybe its good to get used to it now. Soon I'll have a babe to wake me up.

Best moment of last week: Done Christmas Shopping!! Although mall walking is always good. It's getting too cold outside to want to head out for walks anymore.

Worst moment last week: not having a baby to hold yet? haha. Life is pretty good, so I can't complain much.

Movement: Baby's moving all the time. Right now, s/he has hiccups, and is squirming quite a bit. it's actually starting to hurt because my belly is so stretched, and there's no room for baby to move anymore.

Looking forward to: Not having chubby fingers, toes, and face. This swelling is really starting to get annoying!

What daddy looks forward to: meeting baby, and he's ready for his wife to not be pregnant anymore. I guess I make it kind of hard on him... (love you honey!!)

Prayer Request: I'm feeling ready for labor! But definitely will be needing strength from God in the delivery room. I really want to delivery naturally without pain medication. And prayer for a healthy baby is always appreciated!

37 week bumpdate

kind of embarrassed of these photos. however, this is my home clothing. basically all i wear. 

How far along: 37 weeks + 3 days

Food Comparison: a winter melon. whatever that is.

Weight gain: 45 lbs. definitely more than i wanted to gain in total. feeling a bit like a whale these days.

Maternity clothes:  everything is uncomfortable, so at home i like to be in a tshirt and underwear. when i go out, i like to wear my jeans... but immediately take them off when i'm home! also, all my shirts are short. boo.

Sleep: its been getting harder to get a good night sleep because my big belly is in my way. but i cant complain too much because i never get up in the middle of the night to pee!

Best moment last week: last day of work! Now i can really get things ready for this baby. also. we bought a van!

Worst moment last week: i think baby is dropping, creating some pain for me. and pain is just getting worse. mike is my hero for listening to me whine all the time! 

Miss anything: i want beer. mike bought beer yesterday and it made me sad that i couldnt have one with him.

Movement: its starting to hurt because my tummy is always so tight... i never thought i'd get sick of baby movements. but now i try not to eat too much sugar because it hypes baby up and hurts mommy.

Cravings: this week was chocolate milk. i tried not to indulge too much, we bought two - one liter cartons, and they were gone pretty quick. mike didn't get much of it, if any. oops!
Prayer Request: i need to ease my mind about labor. watching labor videos was a bad idea and i scared myself a bit. prayer for a peaceful and open mind would be amazing. I know God will be there in the delivery room, i just need to trust that He will guide me through it all.

33 week bumpdate

33 weeks

First of all. thank you soo much to Noella, our favorite photographer, for taking our maternity photos! We love them :) 

7 weeks to go until this busy baby's due date! This pregnancy has flown by so far, so it's only a matter of time before we meet our little guy/girl. 

How far along: 33 weeks

Food Comparison: a honeydew melon.

Weight gain: 35 lbs. 5 pounds in 2 weeks? ugh.

Maternity clothes:  same old. wearing sweat pants or leggings to work everyday, and wearing jeans for short amounts of time on the weekends. The last 7 (hopefully not 9) weeks left of this pregnancy are going to be long.

Stretch marks: Haven't gotten any more, but they're getting darker. :(

Belly button in or out: still flat! poking out a bit.

Sleep: tossing and turning and trying to find a comfortable position.

Best moment last week: being told I am looking beautiful when I feel like a frumpy whale. 

Worst moment last week: I've started coughing until I throw up almost every morning. I'm not sure if i'm just super phlegm-y, or why it happens. but its not fun...

Miss anything: my flat tummy... really starting to get sick of having a baby bump. I know I'll probably miss it once its gone, but its getting tiring. At least it's cute? :)

Movement: watching baby moving around all the time! Mike told me one morning that baby was kicking his butt while I was cuddling him. :)

Cravings: cheese. i always want cheese. and cottage cheese. 

Queasy or sick: not really!! just some constant cold symptoms, like harsh coughing.

Looking forward to: working 4 days a week. This is my last full week of work. I'm looking forward to having an extra day to relax, and maybe get some things ready around the house. The baby room pretty messy!

 Prayer Request: Energy is always needed! And peace, as I feel nervous about labor, and recovery after labor, and having a newborn baby. It's all new, and quite scary!

Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving with the Regehrs

This year we did something a little different than usual. We all drove out to Penner Pumpkins!
There was so much to do, and so many activities for the kids! (and the boys...)
We had such a beautiful day, and such a fun time together.
I am so thankful for this growing family of mine, and the good times we all have together!

Mike being the monkey that he is

Cute kiddos. And Tim.

Growing belly!

Roosters roaming around

The rope maze

Kade helping uncle Mike milk the cow

Brynlee and Papa

Cousins!

The kids loved the zipline!

Fun at the playground.

And a Bonfire!

The Girls

Giant checkers

And of course Mike found the paintball station!

31 week bumpdate

31 weeks

Seems crazy that we're already 31 weeks into this pregnancy! 

It feels like only a couple days ago that I was freaking out in the bathroom when I saw that pink plus sign. 

I cannot wait for this baby to make it's grand entrance into the world, but at the same time, I am trying my best to enjoy this pregnancy, because I will never again be pregnant with this child. (his/her brothers and/or sisters, sure. but not THIS baby)

So I've decided to do a bump update (a bumpdate!) for those of you who are wondering how I am doing. Kind of wishing I started doing these earlier, but hey, life gets busy.

Also! we took a few photos on the weekend, and I wanted to share them.

I think they're pretty cute. Probably because I have a super cute hubby who loves to touch my tummy.

How far along: 31 weeks

Food Comparison: a pineapple!

Weight gain: 30 pounds. give or take a few. I weigh myself every couple of days, and I've gained anywhere from 27 lbs to 33 lbs. depends on the day and what I eat I guess! seems like a lot of weight already, and I'm definitely seeing it in my face (sadface) but I'm also swelling everywhere (haven't been able to wear my wedding rings for a month or 2 now), so I'm thinking a lot of it is water weight! (hopefully)

Maternity clothes: they are all getting too small!! I am having a very hard time finding clothes in my closet that fit me, and if they do fit me, I have a hard time liking how they look. I bought a brand new pair of maternity jeans a few months ago (which cost me about $15 dollars!!), and the band is getting pretty tight. It's hard to bend over while wearing them. Although my baby is sitting pretty low, so that is probably why. I've started wearing the same pair of sweat pants almost every day (thank you mom Bouwman!), I don't think I could live without them right now.

  

Stretch marks: They've appeared... on my love handles, upper legs, and my bum! (tmi?) Maybe I don't use enough lotion/coconut oil... but I feel like I'm going to get stretch marks no matter what I do. I try to put it on every single day, but some days are missed...

Belly button in or out: It's pretty flat at this point. folding out a little bit. You can see it when I wear thin shirts!

Sleep: Dreaming every single night. Waking up with horrible heartburn, and sore hips, and starting the middle of the night bathroom trips. Probably making it sound worse then it is...

Best moment last week: Finding a maternity jacket! I don't think this happened last week, a couple weeks ago maybe. But it honestly made me so happy. Before having that jacket, on cold days I would have to wear 3 sweaters, and look like a complete frump.

Worst moment last week: Being sick at work. Work is hard enough as it is these days. (caring for 8-16 babies/toddlers at a time) A lot of them are very heavy, and I have no choice but to lift them into their beds, or carry them outside. It is definitely getting exhausting. So adding sickness on top of that was just the worst. Don't get me wrong, I like my job, its just getting very difficult.)

Miss anything: I miss... laying on my tummy. not having back pain/sciatic pain. wearing my wedding rings. not having a double chin. man I miss my skinnier face.

Movement: last week I started seeing my baby move! I love to just look at my belly and see movement in there. I've also started to feel baby's feet when he/she's not kicking. I like to push them, and feel him/her push back. Maybe I'm a mean mom, but I just love bugging this baby!

Cravings: I have a really big sweet tooth. After eating a meal, I feel like I need something sweet. Trying to stop this as much as I can to keep the weight gain down, but It's definitely difficult! I've also been craving fruit lately. and veggies. so that's good! The processed foods are starting to make me feel yucky after I eat them.

Queasy or sick: I get this nasty feeling in my throat, like I need to burp over and over again. Sometimes it leads to coughing fits, and yesterday it even lead to puking a little bit. Sorry for being so honest. haha. But no queasiness! Thank the Lord! ;)

Looking forward to: Meeting this little one! Still have around 2 months to go... but I am definitely getting impatient!

Prayer Request: I would love prayer for energy while at work. And patience. And a healthy baby! Everything is going so well so far with this pregnancy, and I just pray that it continues this way.

Being Preggers!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on my blog. 
I just looked back, and I stopped posting in March of this year, which just happens to be the month I found out I am pregnant! 

Life just flies by these days, and I feel like I never have a moment to just sit and reflect on what's happening. 

So I'm taking that moment now.

I have been writing a few exciting details of my pregnancy down, and I want to share them with you! 

May 25, 2014

The day I saw those 2 pink lines on the pregnancy test I had just taken, I screamed. "MIKE!!" Your daddy came running. "I'm pregnant. Is that okay?" I was nervous we weren't ready. But then again, we would probably never be ready, so God gave us a little push, letting us know we were indeed ready for you. Your daddy hugged me and kissed me, and told me everything would be amazing. I am so thankful for his support and love. He's an amazing man, and you're so lucky to have him as a daddy! 

It's been 5 weeks since that day, and I am getting so excited to meet you. I've bought you some adorable cloth diapers, some comfy blankets, and a super cute pair of shoes. This weekend we are going to take a picture, so we can tell everyone that you are coming! 

In the first 11 weeks of being pregnant with you, I have craved so many yucky foods. Sometimes I feel like a 4 year old because all I want is macaroni, hotdogs, cheese and sweets. I've been trying to force down my veggies to keep us healthy, but it's definitely difficult sometimes! 

Your daddy and I love you so much already, and we cannot wait to meet you, little one! We pray for you all the time, that you will grow up to be a Godly man or woman. Always remember that God is watching over you, and He loves you more than you can imagine. 

May 27, 2014

I heard your little heartbeat today! It is so good to hear you being alive in my tummy. I made it feel so much more real, you're really there, and you will be our baby! I can't wait to hold you in my arms. I love you so much already, baby. 

July 27, 2014

I felt your little kicks inside me for the first time! At first I thought it was just my heartbeat, but when it was irregular, I realized it was you moving around in there. I haven't felt you much since then, but I can't wait to feel your kicks again. I'm always poking you, and probably annoying you, trying to get you to move! It's a pretty amazing feeling, and I can't wait until they're strong enough for daddy to feel it too. 

August 1, 2014

Daddy and I got to see you on the ultrasound today. We saw all of your little body parts and I felt you moving around like crazy. This makes me so much more excited to meet you! 

August 12, 2014

daddy finally felt you kicking! We were laying in bed before going to sleep, and I felt your little kicks. I told daddy you were kicking me, so he put his hand on my tummy. I didn't expect him to feel anything, but then he looked at me and said, "was that a kick?" It was! You're getting strong, baby Bouwman.

September 1, 2014

a little more than 3 months left until we get to meet you, baby! You're growing so fast, and so is my belly! You've been moving like crazy, sometimes driving me crazy when you won't stop! But I know this means that you are alive and happy in there :) However, it seems as though you are shy, because whenever someone other than daddy tries to feel you kick, you decide to stop. Silly baby,

22 weeks