outfit details: sweater + owl tank, Target | skinny jeans, Motherhood Maternity | boots, Payless | market tote, my shop | yellow ring, Forever 21
Sometimes I wonder if our dreams are secretly little messages from God. For weeks now I’ve been dreaming that baby is going to arrive early. And on one hand I totally am like, “that’s fine, whatever you want to do God” and on the other hand I’m like, “ummmmm…?”
I’m not quite sure how to process that, if that were to be the case.
Of course whenever baby arrives it’ll be perfect, because everything He does is perfect. But there’s still a part of me that isn’t quite comfortable with it. Maybe these dreams are simply reminders to do my best, get what I can done, and then relax/enjoy the wait.
I’ve finished 32 weeks and am now starting week 33. Insert deer in headlights look. SO. CRAZY! And speaking of dreams, I’ve not had one “baby girl” dream and one “baby boy” dream. I’m officially confused ;)
Yesterday we drove up to Santa Barbara — me, the mister + our pup, and had such a fun time. Thanks Lisa + Alissa for all the last-minute text recommendations!!! It’s so fun to visit new cities and walk around in the sunshine, just like last weekend. Loved yesterday!
We’re slowly crossing off our baby to-do list: earlier this week I hung some more art on the wall, and I washed a bunch of baby clothes + put everything away. We’re still talking about names. We are ridiculous. Friends… give me some tips. How many of you had baby names picked out, and how many of you “just knew” once baby was born?
As for how I’m feeling, and if I’m honest, I’m a little uncomfortable. I’m scared I’m going to wet myself anytime I run after Bauer or get in the car {don’t laugh, ha!} and sleeping at night has become sort of a game. And I’m losing. Which is why I’ve been taking a nap every afternoon ;) Bauer + I are walking every day and it’s so so refreshing to be outside in January with just a sweater + a cowl from our shop. I am so thankful we have such fabulous weather. It makes it easy to forget it’s really January because it’s anywhere from 50* to 70* outside, buuuut, I don’t let it confuse me for too long.
Happy Sunday friends, and here’s to hoping I’m able to get in to the doctor this week for a routine check-up. We’ve been having some “issues” with our insurance. But I haven’t lost my cool… yet :)
What are you hoping for this week? xoxo
[PS. some of you have commented about my cravings for ice meaning an Iron deficiency. Great news, I’ve talked with my doc and she said there is no need for concern {she checked a recent blood draw}. Thank you all so so much for bringing this to my attention, it’s good to know!]
Hang in there! You’re on the home stretch!! All these dreams and concerns are totally normal and your mind/body’s way of preparing you for the little one. (especially the interrupted sleep you’re having). From what you’ve shared with us, you seem to be doing great on your personal check-lists and it’s so nice to read you and your DH are spending quality time together -which is super important- before the little one comes. Keep enjoying this new experience and best wishes for continued happiness!
Blessings to you all :)
Cindy
Oh positively glowing as always! I delivered my twins at 32+ weeks due to my placenta not being able to give them both what they needed, they were not even on the growth chart so they needed out. This early can be scary, but we were blessed to have relatively healthy preemies. Weighing in at 1.4 and 1.8 kg neither needed assistance breathing. And only spent 4 weeks in special care to grow and learn to feed. God knows your babies birthdate already and it’s all in His hands. :) also on the dream thing, I dreamt I was having twins before I found out I was expecting, 7 weeks later found out was indeed twins at our dating scan. I was convinced in my dream they were boys, yes they are, 14 months old now and crazy and healthy and huge! But with my daughters I dreamt opposite often too, I couldn’t decide which to believe, even doubted the scan and had to check when both were born too. Haha.
@Mummylala, Oh that’s hilarious, doubting the sex and needing to check when born :) That will probably be me. Even though we aren’t finding out I know I am going to be so so surprised once Zack announces the gender :) And thank you so much for the positivity — yes, God does know the birthdates. xoxo
Oh my word. Most precious belly ever!!! And as for names….we just picked it and stuck with it. But I’ve had lots of friends who had a list of names and waited to see their baby first before they decided!! Can not WAIT to find out who the little peanut is in your belly:) love you and happy Sunday!!
@Ashley, Why is this so hard for us??? haha. LOVE YOU! xo
I changed from “fairly comfortable” to “not really comfortable” around 34-35 weeks. It’s not a fun switch, but it does mean that things are going they way they’re supposed to!
As for names, we have about 6 girl names and 8 boy names (all first, very few paired up with middles!) and we’ve got no idea. I’m hoping once we meet the kid, we’ll be able to decide on one. HOPEFULLY! or else the hospital won’t let us leave ;)
Glad you’re doing well, though! And if pregnancy dreams come true, my sister bought me a diesel-powered hay wagon with a canopy for my birthday, and we’re going to cruise it down the interstate later…
@Mariah, Oh my, I am dying!!! Dying over your dream come true!!!!! :) ha ha!
When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted a girl and had a girl name picked out and everything..and the life threw me a curve ball and the ultrasound revealed a boy! I didn’t have any names or any thoughts of names and wasn’t sure what to do with a ‘boy’ LOL. But after a while, it came to me!
You look absolutely adorable!!! Besides all day sickness, sleeping was the worst!
So glad you had a chance to get up to beautiful Santa Barbara, the place of my birth and the county I lived in for 28 years :) And enjoy your warm days! It is only 5 right now in the TC…brrr!
@Evie from St. Paul, Hi Evie! OH it is so good to read your comment :) Santa Barbara was beautiful!!! I can’t handle how everywhere we drive it’s a beautiful, picture-perfect scene. Ahh! If you have any suggestions for places we must visit I won’t turn them down ;)
I’m 34 weeks with a sweet little boy! This is baby (and boy) number 3 for me! And I’m thrilled! Sleeping is very uncomfortable for me, so I totally relate! I have a lot of hip pain. I am completely unprepared this time so far, but by baby #3 you realize you can kind of wing it if you don’t have every single little thing! Clothes, diapers, a place to sleep and mommy for food is good. :) Hoping you have a great end of your pregnancy!
You look great, Maggie! You radiate so much joy! Your little bundle will be so blessed <3 We knew we were having a girl so it was easier not having to decide on 2 names- I still don't know what will happen if we ever have a boy! haha! But we just picked a name and stuck with it and after a couple days it just felt right and became her name!
As for end of pregnancy discomfort, I saw a Chiropractor several times in my last weeks and it made SUCH a difference. It made me so much more comfortable and helped me sleep! They have a special technique (called The Webster Technique) that gently moves your pelvis/hips to their proper position which gives baby more room and gives you some relief. It's supposed to help with delivery too! Properly aligned hips = more room for baby to squeeze out! :) Might be worth a shot if you're feeling really uncomfortable. Worked WONDERS for me! Good luck on the last couple weeks! Can't wait to see pictures of sweet baby Whitley!
@Paige Borda, Ohhhhh I shall look into that! Thanks dear! :)
PS. Every time I see your name I think back to our cheerleading days together… hehe.
My two girls didn’t have names for almost two days. WE couldn’t decide. Then we decided on Kristy Renee and Lynsey Patrice and never regretted waiting to choose. The names fit them perfectly. Can’t wait to find out what God is blessing you with and their name! Hugs
I craved ice my entire pregnancy! I ate cups & cups of it literally up until I gave birth and haven’t had any since, haha. And sleep as much as you can now & enjoy it! You’ll look back on it with longing once you no longer sleep longer than 4 hours at a time between feedings ;)
Names can be tricky, you don’t want to “copy” others, yet you want something…cute, not too trendy, not too old fashion, or trendy or old fashion! Sheesh!
The only advice I give is think of being an adult, going for a job interview and say ” Hi my name is …”
Would you want to admit your name is Bleu or Apple? How about Roxy or Guber?
Ok you get the point. Some names are ADORable baby names, but don’t translate well to adulthood.
Now last test: holler that name at the top of your voice, would you be embarrassed doing that in a place full of people? Someday you might have to, you could get a “runner”. Those kids that run every chance they get and their crazy moms calling them through the store…
Do you have a special draw to any names? Start there.
I was sure we were having a boy first, so we picked Matthew. I was shocked when the ultrasound showed girl and we were back to the drawing board!
Then it just came to us. Perfect and sweet and melodic…Nina Elizabeth. We had it picked before seeing her and it fits her perfectly. The kids often ask what would my name be if…? I’ve never had them say I wish my name were…
As for my second babe; I knew from the moment I saw the bean he was a boy. I even said out loud “hello little boy” and the tech said ” oh we can’t tell yet, you are only 8 weeks along. You can ask again at 20 weeks.”
So when the time came and all the grandparents and hubs were there the question came ” do you want to know what you’re having?”
” it’s a boy.” I said softly.
The tech looked at me surprised and smiled and my MIL asked ” What? What did she say?”
Rob said “she hasn’t yet.”
And the tech said ” Mom, what is it?”
And I called out ” it’s a boy!”
Since we had a Nina, we couldn’t quite agree. I wanted Cooper and Hubs wanted Nicholas.
His best friend name. I liked Nicholas but a cousin had just had a baby and named him Nickolas. So I didn’t want others to think we copied…sigh.
Then Rob just said we are thinking of Nicholas and his mother from that moment on told everyone the baby was Nicholas. Cooper was out. ( Rob would tease me with my choices; T…is the kid that eats glue. A…is the kid that picks his nose. Cooper is hockey equipment and they will call him pooper Cooper! Parker is a last name!) I couldn’t win.
In the end my son won, yes their are tons of Nicholas/Nick’s but he is a total Nick and its a good name for every stage of life.
Names are personal, IMO, keep it private until after you name the baby and it is on the birth certificate. Everybody loves to give their opinion, then again maybe some people should have got some input because Cash and Zarha are not names I would give to friends, or pets let alone Children. (Family memeber chose these) and yes, everyone DOES call him Cash MONaaaaay. (Rolling my eyes)
I hope I did not offend you if Zarha and Cash were on your short lists or Bleu or Apple or Pugsliegh…
Whatever you choose it will be perfect for your babe! I promise, even if it takes others a few times saying it outloud to get it. ๐
@IsassSara, SARA! OH my word I can’t stop laughing… I can totally relate with everything you are saying. And the comment about having a “runner”, oh my word so so so funny. What if that’s us??? ;D I guess that’s why we have Bauer, he can be the designated child finder, ha! I loved all your tips!!
We went to a private 3D ultrasound clinic to find out the genders of my children. We always had a name picked out before for a boy and a girl, and from the point we found out, that`s what we called them. The second time, we had a hard time choosing a boy`s name, and I told my husband to put his top 5 names on paper, I would too, and then we`d trade and see what the other had written. I had Brady on my list (which was my secret favourite) and as soon as he saw it, he decided on that one. My first son is Nathan (which mean God`s gift, which was so fitting) and I didn`t think the name Brady had a meaning, since it`s pretty new. I found out recently (he`s almost 4 now) that Brady means `broad-chested,` which is actually a little insane because we `ve always thought he`s built like a linebacker, where Nathan is tall and lean.
a name will come to you, and it will be perfect.
promise! :)
xoxo.
Once I’m pregnant I’ll probably come here to search the archives for your pregnancy posts. :) I don’t have any advice, sorry, but if it makes you feel better I was born 5 weeks early and I turned out alright. :)
Hope you sort everything out with your insurance. (Luckily we have a totally different health care system here, so I’m always covered and don’t have to worry about it.)
xo,
Alice
Our first two names were easy – Katrina after my sister my mom lost at 24 weeks when I was 5, and Caleb after the little boy that made Aaron and I fall in love. But after that, we struggled! We had a LOOOONG list of boys names we liked, but kept getting girls! Number two was named before she was born, although we struggled with the middle name. And number three – our good friends were pregnant with twins and due a month before us and STOLE OUR NAME! (It wasn’t their fault, we hadn’t told!) so we were back to the drawing board at 25 weeks. I went into labor at 26 weeks and they didn’t think they could stop it, so we had an ultrasound to check on the baby and I asked to find out the gender (the only time we did) because if she were born I wouldn’t see her for at least 2 days since she’d be helicoptered out to a bigger hospital. When we saw her on ultrasound, a name came to us and it stuck. We called her that for the rest of my (bedrest) pregnancy!
My son (the last) we had his name picked out from the beginning, but I began to question it half-way through my pregnancy and we went into the delivery room (which only lasted 5 minutes!) with a list of names. But when he was born, the original name just fit perfectly, and we ended up staying with that.
So I guess we’ve done it both ways! There is a really cool baby naming website that we used – it suggests names similar to the ones you like but maybe haven’t thought of. That’s where we got girl #3’s name: http://www.nymbler.com/
With our daughter we had our name picked out way before she was even conceived. With our son none of the names we kinda of liked seemed just right. He was born and we sat there and chose his name. He ended up with a name that wasn’t even on my radar (I had my husband check online to make sure we spelled it right) but it fits him perfectly. Don’t worry a name will come to you. I even know a few people who waited until their children were a few days old before they came up with the perfect name. Good luck and enjoy you new adventure.
Hi Maggie!
My friend always has a girl name picked out and a boy name picked out and they REFUSE to tell anyone what it is until the baby is born. She says that way no one can really comment that they don’t like the name because the kid is already branded with it (so to speak). Although I’m sure that wouldn’t stop some people. Speaking of being rude I’m impressed with how you handle rude comments!
I also had a friend who used like…adult diaper type things during her last stretch of pregnancy. Not the full on diapers, but she didn’t trust her bladder not to be too squished. :)
@Molly Anne, Oh sheesh, you saw that? I eventually had to remove it. It was going no where good, and fast! xo
Oh my gosh! Only 8 weeks to go! Where did the time go! I have three amazing children. Two boys and one girl. My first born is Benjamin and his name was influenced by a little boy that I was helping through Hospice. My second was my daughter and her name is Eowyn? Can you guess where her name came from? My third is Joshua, a name we just both happened to like.
I am so excited for you. We waited 8 years before our first was born. Exciting times for you. Your going to be a great mom. I can’t wait to hear the good news!
Hugs,
Karen
Names are so hard! We didn’t have the name picked out for our little guy – we had a few ideas but weren’t sure. We also didn’t “just know” once he was born. But we did eventually (a couple hours after his birth} give him a name. And now – a year later – I couldn’t imagine him with any other name! Don’t stress too much.
We have 6 kids (4 bio + 2 adopted) and we chose names before but there is no right or wrong way :) With our 4th bio daughter I really wanted to wait & meet her. We had a list of about 5 names but her 3 big sisters had their hearts set on one name and so we just let them choose. The name suits her down to the ground! GL & just know whatever name you choose will be perfect for your family.
Oh…and I was pg 4 times with girls and dreamed only of boys so, who knows! lol!
You look adorable! (We met in shuttle on the way to Allume) Sleep & feeling like my son was using my bladder as a trampoline was the hardest part esp the last few wks! Enjoy it all & soon that sweet baby will be here. Blessings
We had names picked out before our first two babies. (We didn’t know the gender with either.) We didn’t have names for sure for our last two babies. It seemed like more pressure to me to decide the name after they were born because I felt like I should know what they looked like. Babies just look like babies to me. :) Good luck with the insurance – even when you have good insurance it can be frustrating.
Oh girl, I totally get it. in the middle of my 21st week with second baby and I am totally and officially uncomfortable already! My hips don’t lie….they hurt! I tried a snoogle type pillow for sleeping (DIY) but I need to tweek it before I can tell if it works or not. And I already have cankles. Geesh.
I wanted to share with you something I heard in church yesterday morn that hit so close to home for me and maybe for you as well. A woman was sharing one of her personal trials in life and it was about their baby being born at around 31 weeks. She at first had a hard time understanding why this had happened. She was a do-er and a planner (her own words) but this was out of her control. God has our days numbered. He knows the 1st day (outside the womb) of your sweet one’s life because it is in HIS plan! The ultimate devotion of God is shown through trusting through trials. Such a good lesson and one I needed to hear yesterday.
Love reading about your life. Keep it up.
@Megan, It’s been a interesting balance for me, learning to be more relaxed/free spirited but also being responsible/planning. I can see how both are good qualities to have :) Just like the last few years, I know whenever God chooses to bring this baby into the world it *will* be the most perfect time. Thank you so much for your sweet comment Megan! xoxo
The Central Coast is breathtaking beautiful. February is the best. After the winter rains the hills green up making it look like yards & yards of green velvet have been laid on them with a sprinkling of wildflower color – stunning. The Santa Ynez Valley just east of Santa Barbara is the perfect setting. You will see vineyards, miniature horses, lavender fields, Danish windmills, olive trees, mountains, rivers, Lake Cachuma and much more. Your trip won’t be complete until you get to Los Olivos, my favorite little village. If you let me know far enough in advance we could meet at the Los Olivos Cafe for lunch and then browse the succulent gardens at Woeste’s! My favorite outing!
With my oldest son I just knew it was a boy before our gender scan and well enough BOY. With my second, O I has this strong feeling it was a girl and didn’t believe them on the first scan when they told me boy, but after 5 more scans and well his birth yup BOY. The mind is funny like that.
With both boys we knew going into their births what their names would be, but hubs and I are dorks and have names picked out for another 4 or 5 kids (not that we plan to have that many) for whenever more might happen. I mean we were talking names years before the thought of trying to get pregnant entered our minds.
I will give you a bit of warning the lack of controlling pee doesn’t fix itself upon giving birth. Actually both pregnancies of mine I never peed myself but AFTER I gave birth its a fight to not do it when I have to have to go. It only lasts a few months as my youngest is now 6 months and I haven’t had issues in a while but just don’t be surprised if you accidentally wet yourself postpartum either ;)
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, I would never give a daughter of mine the name Taffy or Bambi or (ack!) Trinity baeucse I don’t feel those are names she could grow old gracefully with. They just sound cheesy to me. Dr. Bambi anyone?