Carrying Everly

When I was pregnant with Owen we started taking these shots from twelve weeks and ended up with 26 weeks documented. 

This time around I started at 20 weeks and ended up with 13 weeks documented. (My favorite?  Week 27 with diapered Owen.)

Next time I'll be lucky to grab the camera on the way to the hospital.  Kidding.  Next time I'll get all 40 weeks.  Or maybe I'll go crazy and do a daily picture.  (not going to happen.)

I carried little Ever differently than Owen.  Girl effect?  Second baby effect?

40 Weeks - the final pregnancy shot

This is a little late. Just a tad. But we were a little busy after this photo was taken. And I just happen to be working on Jon's computer and noticed them.

So here ya go...the final pregnancy shot.

37 weeks

Yay!  A less blurry picture! 

I reached 37 weeks on my 30th birthday, yesterday.  Kind of a big milestone.  Now I can officially deliver in the birth center with no problems as long as everything is normal (before that she'd have been a 'preterm' baby and we'd have to go to a hospital).

It's not something I was worried about - but it's still a nice date to reach.  Technically she's term now and can come any time.  Owen was right on the money - I went into labor the day after my due date - so I'm expecting she'll be close to that as well.

There's a nice simplicity in having another 1st baby.  Dec 1 matches quite well with Feb 1 - I think.  Less than 3 weeks to go!

35 weeks

I am so bad at getting these done now.  And bad at getting non-blurry pictures.  And bad at posting them.  Wow.  

On the positive side - I'm doing something.  Which will be really nice in a year or two when the memories of this amazing, precious time start to really fade.  When I'm looking at my 21 month old daughter thinking, "how were you ever inside of me?" and "how did you get so big?"  Probably right before I think, "Where did my sweet baby go?" and "I can't believe you just made that much of a mess."

I've been looking back at my pictures from Owen - same crummy photos - different background - and just in awe that he was ever in that giant belly.  (Which, incidentally, I think WAS actually bigger than it is this time, if that's possible.)  I wish I could jump back and re-experience some of that time again.  Not that I don't LOVE LOVE LOVE him being here.  

It's just such an incredible time.  

32 Weeks

30 Weeks

Ok - so I admit that these are really, really late in getting posted.  I've had them on my computer for a loooong time waiting to be edited.  But they are legit - and better late than never! 

28 Weeks

27 Weeks

It's a big week around here.  

Yesterday marked 27 weeks for the baby and 19 months for Owen.  Today is Jon's 36th birthday.  Big milestones all around.  

I love my two men so much.

And baby girl and I have been getting lots of bonding time lately - her wiggles are getting stronger and she likes to do a lot of rolling around when I lay down to sleep.  

It doesn't bother me a bit though.  I like to lay quiet and pray for her while she wiggles.  Then I drift off to sleep.  Never had much of a problem with that.

A lot of growing going on around here.  A lot of change on the horizon.  Seasons, family, life...

I'm excited to experience this last trimester...only three more months!

26 weeks

24 weeks

23 weeks

Dear baby...22 Weeks

21 Weeks

20 Weeks

For posterity.  Because posterity has always been good to me.  ;)

Half way through already!  

Sorry, little lady, that I haven't been as good about taking these as I was with Owen.  But you could actually probably just figure I looked identical in imaginary photos over the last 8 weeks. 

 Maybe a little more bloated actually.  Yuck - glad that's over.

40 Weeks...week by week

Just for fun I put all the Pod Pics together into one giant pregnancy review.  I started at week 12 because that's the first time that 

a) you could notice anything and 

b) I finally got motivated to take a picture each week.  

I missed three weeks: 22, 31, and 33, but I think you still get the idea.  The belly got big.

And big, and big, and big.  Man...that was a lot of baby.  It already feels strange to look back at those pictures and remember what it was like.  Which makes me really glad I took all those pictures to remind myself that yes - I really did look like I stuffed a watermelon under my shirt.

Ellyn and I were talking about how we have such good intentions when it comes to recording life's little happenings; the high hopes for journaling, filling out baby books and such (not the baby books for me, I know my weak areas people, and baby books are never going to happen no matter how well intentioned I am).      

This is especially relevant to me because I have such a terrible memory.  Just ask anyone who has ever borrowed money from me.  I can't even remember who owes me how much and why.  And no, you may not borrow money from me.

But even if I don't remember that Owen's head measured 14.75 inches (and really...why does that matter?  If they measured his fingers at each Dr's visit would I feel compelled to write that down too?) I will remember that I loved cuddling with him, that I loved his tiny head, and the happy face he makes when he has a full tummy. 

I'm giving renewed vigor to my journaling quest.  

Because hey, someday I might really want to know how ginormous I was at 37 weeks pregnant.

Before and After

On the morning after I went into labor I figured it was my last chance to get a final pod pic.  Coincidently it was also Sunday - our pod pic day!  So voila!  Here is the week 40 and very final picture of me pregnant.  A mere 14 hours later little Owen was...

HERE!!!  

I still can't believe he fit in there.  

39 Weeks

Our official due date is this Friday (the 30th)!  Here I am with about a week to go.

Still going strong, feeling great, sleeping well (and a lot!), and in no rush at all.  :)  The baby has dropped but he's still comfy and warm in there!  We have people betting on the due date - everything from last week to 2 weeks late!  The fun part is...no one has any better chance!

38 Weeks

Cold - check out the river ice.  Here's the Pod pic for 38 weeks.  :)

We're officially done with the Birthing classes now and we had our last doula appointment.  At this point it's just finishing up the last few things on the to-do list!

Week 37

So last week was apparently not the most flattering picture.  I got a few comments about how tired I looked.  So this week we pulled out all the Photoshop stops and Ta-Da!!!!  Not too shabby - huh?  Super special thanks to Claiborne for cutting my hair (yay Trim) and to the sun for shining at the perfect angle this week.  

And sorry if my comments misled anyone last week - I didn't mean to sound as tired as I looked.  Really, I'm very, very excited about this baby coming...however long he takes to get here.  And I actually am feeling GREAT.  Seriously.  I sleep about 9-10 hours a night (usually I don't even get up once!) and rarely feel uncomfortable.  People are asking me all the time if I'm totally ready for this to be over with - but really I'm not.  I love having little Whn safe and sound in there, I love feeling him roll over and stretch, I love playing little games of "push the baby's foot".  This is still such a wonderful time for me that I'm not rushing it one minute. 

Week 36

36 Weeks Gone.

4 To Go. 

Well...2 to 6...but whatever.