36 weeks, Second baby shower!

This past weekend, we had my Utah baby shower which was super fun! It was at Amanda's house, hosted by Samantha and her family and we had the best food ever. Lots of Jake's family came and a few friends and it was a fun way to spend the Saturday. We got some of the CUTEST outfits ever for the baby. I am so excited for the baby to be here so we can dress him / her in them! We also got lots of diapers, wipes, and BABY BOOKS! The cutest baby books of all time. I am so excited, they are already looking so cute on our bookshelf!

One of the games we played was Jake and I both had a white board and Sam asked us questions and we were seeing the difference in our answers. One of the first questions was, "What's one word to describe Lynnette during this pregnancy?" I wrote, "Hungry". He wrote, "Happy". Sweet guy haha.

Another surprise was Hailey showed up! She's Jake's cousin and we went camping with her and her husband, Kaden, earlier last year. That trip was so fun and we are looking forward to another one. But she walked in so casually and I was like, "What the heck?! You're here from Idaho!?!?!" It was so fun to see her and catch up!

When we went home later that afternoon, we organized ALL the baby stuff we have. I think Jake is feeling the "nesting" more than I am. We sorted out all the baby's clothes by age, figuring out what we want to wash and then store away to wash later. We took off all the tags off the baby clothes, blankets, and towels. We set up one of the shelves in the bathroom with diapers and wipes, and then one of the baskets on the shelves has all the baby shampoos and hygiene care. We are definitely getting excited.

I also had my 36 week appointment today:

• I've gained 32 lbs. That just sounds so much better to me than saying the actual amount I weigh right now?! Haha
• My BP was 118/72, even though I was nervous!! So that's great.
• Baby's heartbeat was 140 and sounded great!!
• BABY WAS HEAD DOWN :) Thank goodness! They did a little handheld ultrasound and just showed me the cute little head. He/she is face down, AKA ready to come out and we are ready too.
• Did the group B strep swab thing. It wasn't that bad. Hopefully I test negative though so I don't need an IV! 
• Still measuring a week and a half ahead.
• Bought some evening primrose oil right after and can't wait to start using it!
• Met the new midwife. I believe her name is Leanne? And she's from Fort Jones, AKA where Five Marys Farm is! So I was pretty excited about that since Five Marys is our favorite Instagram of all time! She's also been a midwife for 18+ years and just seems amazing which I'm really grateful for!

35 Weeks Pregnant!!

Holy cow how am I already 35 weeks along?! It's been a really great pregnancy . . . and for that, this week has started to KICK. MY. TRASH. Seriously, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable the majority of the day, but especially when I walk. It's definitely manageable, but it has made me want the baby to come out RIGHT THIS SECOND!

I was talking to my friend Carly today and she said, "If the baby came now, would you guys be ready?" In my opinion... Yes! Haha, we have a crib, clothes, car seat, stroller, wraps, and I have boobs . . . What else do you need?! Haha of course I want this baby to cook for a couple more weeks but I would be totally fine if he/she decided to come right at 38 weeks or something.

As for pregnancy stats:

• I've gained 28 lbs so far
• My blood pressure has been good so far! At my last appointment, it was 120/60.
• Baby's heartbeat has been consistent and strong at 130-140 bpm.
• Belly is measuring 1 1/2 weeks ahead consistently (has been since I was about 28 weeks)
• I still sleep pretty good, even though I generally wake up a few times in the night and at least once to go to the bathroom. Jake told me to stop drinking water past 7 pm . . . Not an option?!!
• My iron is low. Thanks, Mom, for passing that down to me. I have to take slow release iron tablets on TOP OF my prenatal vitamins (roll my eyes). 
• All of my pants are uncomfortable to wear at this point. I've been wearing dresses this week because squishing my belly in is just not cutting it. People may think I'm dressing up . . . I'm really just trying to hang free underneath.

We still don't have any names decided yet. We have names that we like and that we both agree on, but we're just not sure if they would fit our baby. So I've made the goal to name the baby before we leave the hospital.

The other night we went to dinner with 3 other couples at Makan Makan which is a Malay restaurant just a little north in Sandy. It's so good (especially their egg rolls) but we did family style and I ate way too many different kinds of food . . . all fried. And on top of that, 4 egg rolls! Needless to say that night I did NOT feel good and had a sprite open by my bed while I listened to rainbow relaxation. 

Also, I have to walk down the RB stairs a couple times a week. Yesterday morning, I was walking down and was going kind of slow because at this point, I'm having trouble seeing my feet and the last thing I want to do is fall down the stairs (and apparently pregnant women have their balance / center of gravity a little off). Anyway, I hold on to the railing as I go but I'm not going TOO slow. There were these two girls who were riding my tail and talking so loud right in my ear! I just stopped on the stairs so they could pass me and I heard them comment about how sassy it was that I did that. I just laughed because when they looked back up at me, they could see the reason for my slowness. Just protecting the goods, ladies.

Aside from all of that, I'm feeling really happy with how this pregnancy has been so far! I've been feeling good, sleeping good, and I haven't been as emotional as everyone says they are during pregnancy. These last few weeks, I hope to be in a really good, excited place for natural birth and I'm getting excited for my sisters and mom to be here! These next 5 weeks can FLY BY! 

Christmas in Coppell

We spent Christmas in Coppell with my family and it was really fun to see everyone, especially my sisters! We were able to fly standby (Thanks Aunt Beth) and it went over pretty well in regards to getting on flights quickly and we were happy to be in Texas! It rained for the first day or two that we were there, but the weather was at LEAST 30 degrees warmer than Utah!

Leading up to Christmas, we were hanging out with the McDades, and visiting some other people I hadn't seen in a while. We went to Torchy's Tacos and Anamia's of course. But mostly we were doing puzzles (like 4 500-piece puzzles), watching Christmas movies, and enjoying each other's company. It was nice to slow down for a little bit and relax.

We also got to go to the Dallas Stars game and Jake LOVED IT! He is now a hockey fan, and Miranda and Marla even got us the cutest 2T jersey for our baby. The game seriously was so fun and it was even better that we won. For medical school, we're definitely looking at cities that have hockey teams. :)

We were staying at Beth and Bob's house which was awesome because each night we got to go home and just be by ourselves! Nearing the end of our stay in Coppell, I felt like we were going back to Utah too early, but I didn't really want to stay in Texas for much longer. I asked Aunt Beth if she could list us on a flight to Cincinnati and she said YES! It didn't end up being that much more expensive, either, which was awesome. I planned on surprising Jake while we were at the airport (and I wish I would've been patient enough...) but I couldn't keep it in! I told him the next day after she listed us on the flight. Tracey had been posting pictures and videos of the family chopping down trees, of the sheep, and awesome fires . . . everything going on at the farm seemed too fun to miss out on. Tracey was in on the plan and off we went!!

Jake was super excited to see his brothers. We had a really fun trip, but it WAS FREEZING. Holy cow it was cold. It was like you couldn't go outside unless you were wearing a full on Carhartt suit, a hat, gloves, etc. It. Was. Freezing. The creek had actually frozen over and we played a little creek hockey . . .

We ended up doing many of the same things at the farm we did in Texas like playing board games and hanging out with family, but it was fun just to be able to see everyone in the holiday season. It was crazy because for both families we were like, next time we see you, we'll be parents!!!

It was a super fun Christmas. I love our families!

Baby Shower #1! #Photodump

 ^^ Olivia, of course, took these pictures! And I LOVE THEM.

My first baby shower was in Coppell so that all my family could be there with me, including my dad's family and then my awesome high school friends. It was December 30th and Jaidyn and her mom Jennifer hosted. The aesthetic was right up my alley . . . everything turned out so cute!

It was so fun to see all my friends and all the aunts on my dad's side. They came to WIN on the games we played. Olivia designed the games (with little help from me . . . My help was like, "Okay, let's move that word down . . . okay a little bit more . . . yeah, looks good). I have to show those off because they turned out so good.

It was also so fun to open up gifts with everyone. It's generally my least favorite part, but the gifts aren't *really* for me, so I got to celebrate with Jake for the little baby that gets to wear all the cute stuff we got. I'm also REALLY thankful for the diapers and wipes we got, even though no one's quote brave enough to buy us the cloth diapers we registered for! Hahaha 

Overall, it was a really fun day with great snacks and great people. Carli and Kelly were even able to come which was really fun for me. It's weird being pregnant in a completely different state from your family because they don't see you as you grow. They just saw me at 12 weeks when I was BARELY showing and then saw me at like 26 weeks and BOOM, big belly. We get to do it all over again on Saturday with a Utah baby shower!