The Lost Files: Hoversten Family Baby Shower

As I look back thru pictures of Kimber {which I do WAY too often}, I realized there are some events that I never documented on the blog. And since my plan is to turn this blog into her baby book {which I've actually started on - YAY!}, I'll start posting some of the 'lost files' to get up to date.

 

I had my Hoversten family baby shower 3-4 weeks after Kimber was born. The shower was held at a cute little coffee shop in town and was perfect!

 

 

 

Of course, at this point, everyone knew we had a girl so the gifts were mostly girly clothes, headbands, blankets and other pink & frilly items!!

 

Aunt Allysha & Cousin Chloe gave Kimber the painted 'block' full of outfits, headbands, shoes, etc. We now keep this block in Kimber's room. It's full of all kinds of special trinkets - outfits she wore for pictures, shirt/headband from the monthly pictures, items from her baptism and other little items I'm keeping to give her when she's older.

 

Kimber received several blankets/quilts at this shower. I have them all tucked away, so she can have them when she gets older.

 

Blanket from Great Gramma Hoversten.

 

Another blanket from Great Aunt Fran.

 

And another blanket from Great Gramma Hickethier

 

 

I remember getting dressed the morning of the shower and thinking I looked pretty good for just having a baby. And then I saw these pictures and all the belly rolls! HA!

 

 

 

 

 

While I opened gifts, Kimber slept and was passed around from person to person.

 

An itty bitty Kimber with Great Gramma Hickethier.

 

Kimber with Great Gramma Hoversten.

 

 

And a selfie of me & my baby girl.

Baby H: 39 & 40 weeks

Thought I'd finish out the weekly 'baby bump' picture series - week 39 and 40 with Kimber in the pictures!!

 

 

Week 39 - taken the day we came home from the hospital at 2 days old.

 

Week 40 - taken at 8 days old.

Baby H: It's a GIRL!!!

Kimber Nicole

May 29, 2013
4:26 pm

8 pounds

20 3/4 inches

 

 

 

Baby H: 38 weeks

Check out those cankles...I'm feeling extra huge these days!!!

I also realized this is really bad lighting...

How far along? 38 weeks. 

Baby Size: Baby H is 19.75 inches and 6.8 pounds. The size of a pumpkin!!

Total weight gain: 42 pounds - so much for weight stabilization. I weigh myself in the morning, but I bet by the end of the day - with all the swelling & water I'm retaining...it's probably closer to 50 pounds!!

Maternity clothes?  I'm hoping it doesn't get too hot before I have the baby...since I don't have any shorts to wear {besides Nick's mesh shorts!!}
 

Sleep: I actually got some good sleep the first part of the week - sleeping almost the entire night and only getting up once to use the bathroom. One night, Nick got home late from the farm and left early the next morning & I didn't even wake up!! I say that's a win in the sleeping department!! 
 

Best moment this week: Lazy Sunday. Nick & I spent the ENTIRE day on the couch. It was nice to just relax & hang out since we've been so busy lately.

Miss Anything?  Bending over/moving normal/working out/pre-pregnancy body/sleep/yard work/gardening.  I miss having my legs shaved - it's turned into too much of a chore to do so it doesn't get done as much as I'd like!! Which isn't fun when you're wearing maxi dresses most of the time!

Movement: Nick has been able to feel the baby move more & more at night. The baby is usually active between 9-10pm {when I'm relaxing before bed} and Nick gets to feel all the kicks & jabs with me.

 

Food cravings: No cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick/symptoms:
- Nose Bleeds/Stuffy Nose.
- Pregnancy hoof.
- Pregnancy paw.
- Tailbone pain.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Rib pain.
- Linea Nigra.
- Swelling {feet} - Last year at this time, I loved 90 degree days...this year I love the 70 degree days...it means less swelling of the feet!!
- Braxton Hicks contractions - same thing as last week...tightening of the belly and some cramp like symptoms on my lower belly.
- Pelvic pressure - I'm starting to get more pressure and hip pain. I'm assuming it means the baby is dropping more?
- Waddling - The closer I get to the end...the worse it gets...
- Mucus Plug - gone. My doctor you can go into labor a couple days or a couple weeks after you lose it...

Gender: We still don't have a boys name picked out - not even close to deciding what we want. The girls name has been picked out since week 6. I have one girls & one boys outfit packed for the coming home outfit.

Have you started to show yet: It's not my belly that makes me feel huge...it's the extra weight I'm carrying on my thighs, arms and face. I can't wait to start working out again and get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Funny story - Nick asked me last week if I was concerned about losing the weight after I had the baby...I told him we aren't going to talk about that! HA!

Mood: Everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous...I don't feel nervous at all. I don't really think about the labor & how it's going to be because I know I have no control over it. And I'm not really nervous about bringing a baby home - I guess we'll figure it all out and I feel like we have such an amazing support system - with our families and all our friends.

Stretch marks: None.

Belly button in or out: In. Way in...

Wedding ring on or off: Off.

Labor Signs: All the labor signs have stayed the same as they have been the last 3ish weeks. I have a feeling this baby isn't coming soon...Nick & I both think I'll be a week overdue when it decides to make it's appearance.

Thoughts:

My SIL made me a hospital gown and it's super cute!! Can't wait to wear it {instead of the same old ugly hospital gowns} when I'm in the hospital!

See my curly hair in that picture?? Yep, that's my natural curl...I just straighten it most days. My hair was stick straight when I was little and then sometime around my sophomore year of college - it decided to go curly. I was hoping this pregnancy would make my hair straight again...but it looks like it made it even more curly. I'm not too happy about that!

Busy. Busy. Busy. Between getting my maternity leave tasks trained & documented at work. Trying to finish up the last minute things at home. And having some kind of party, wedding or event every weekend - I haven't really had much down time lately. Everyday I feel exhausted when I leave work and think maybe today is the day I will rest - nope. Instead...I work on writing thank yous, clean the house, organize something or sewing something like burp clothes, the crib bumper or a blanket. I'm not the type that can just go home and sit on the couch all night long. Hopefully I learn to slow down once the baby gets here and enjoy those little moments.

The waiting game is not fun. Will I go today or will it be 3 more weeks?  Every day before I leave work - I go over the things I am working on and what items are due with my co-workers incase I don't make it into work the next day!

I've mowed the yard twice in the last week - not to induce labor but because it needed to be done {and Nick has been at the farm for planting season}. Nick mowed part of the yard on Friday and said he left the "easy" part for me - when I got home...I saw he left the entire front hill for me to mow!! If you've seen our yard - you know that wouldn't be considered the easy part to mow!!

 

Baby H: 37 weeks

 

How far along? 37 weeks.  {FULL TERM!!}

Baby Size: Baby H is 19.25 inches and 6.3 pounds. The size of a swiss chard - they really need to come up with better size comparisons!

Total weight gain: 40 lbs. Weight stayed the same from last week...1 of the 6 signs of pre-labor: weight stabilization!!

Maternity clothes?  I have several maxi dresses, pairs of capri's and a shirts in the rotation. Not many of my early pregnancy clothes are fitting me anymore.
 

Sleep: I'm barely getting any sleep these days. I wake up almost every hour from 10pm - 3am and have to use the bathroom. I manage to sleep from 3am-6am...but am so exhausted when the alarm goes off that it's hard to get out of bed! I'd say I can't wait for the baby to get here so I'm more comfortable at night and I can get more sleep...but I know that's not going to be the case!!

Best moment this week: My first mother's day as a mommy to be. Nick kept joking with me that I had to wait until next year to celebrate my first mother's day since I wasn't technically a mom yet. But he surprised me on Sunday morning with a card and gift. He got me a tripod and new camera bag - I'll be set to take lots of pictures of the baby once it gets here!!

Miss Anything? Same ol' stuff - Bending over/moving normal/working out/pre-pregnancy body/sleep. And as crazy as it sounds - I miss doing yard work/gardening. I look forward to spring, so I can plant flowers and watch them grow...but I don't see myself on my hands & knees planting flowers this year!!

Movement: As much as the baby moves during the day & in the early evening - I haven't  woke up in the middle of the night from kicks & jabs. Guess that's a plus in the sleeping department!

 

Food cravings: No cravings...eating lots of fruit {watermelon, pineapple and bananas} since it's been nicer out!! I wouldn't call that a craving since I do that every spring/summer.

Anything making you queasy or sick/symptoms:
- Nose Bleeds/Stuffy Nose.
- Pregnancy hoof.
- Pregnancy paw.
- Tailbone pain.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Rib pain.
- Linea Nigra - I have a faint brown line that runs down my belly.
- Swelling {feet} - My doctor said as long as my blood pressure is good {which it has been this entire pregnancy} and I do not have protein in my urine - then the swelling is perfectly fine and just a pregnancy symptom {especially towards the end in the hotter weather}. No reason for concern that it is preeclampsia.
- Braxton Hicks contractions - tightening of the belly and some cramp like symptoms on my lower belly.
- Pelvic pressure - same amount of pressure...hasn't changed much.
- Waddling - I waddle really bad when I get up off the couch or out of bed!
- Mucus Plug - lost my mucus plug on Thursday & Friday last week.

Gender: My prediction - a little red-headed curly haired girl. I think she'll have Nick's hair color {and we both have curly hair} and my green eyes. The girls name we have picked out will fit her perfectly!!

Have you started to show yet: If I said no...would you believe me?!?

Mood: Excited!! With all the pre-labor signs I've been having, I know the end is near and I'll get to meet the baby!!

Stretch marks: None.

Belly button in or out: In. Way in...

Wedding ring on or off: Off.

Labor Signs: At my 36 week check up, I went over all my pre-labor signs {Braxton Hicks, pelvic pressure, lost mucus plug} with my doctor and he said they all seem normal for this point in my pregnancy. He didn't check me {to see if I was dilated} and won't until week 38 unless I have more serious labor pains. All the symptoms have stayed about the same over the last 2 weeks - so even though I'm progressing...they haven't gotten worse.

Thoughts:

Things are really coming together in the nursery. I finished the fabric bunting last weekend and it turned out better than I thought it would!! I just need to pick up a couple small things {clock, lamp}, finish making the bumper pad and hang the bunting & lanterns on the wall - and I think it'll be finished!!!

Nick is in a wedding this weekend about 2 hours from home and his entire family will be at the wedding. My niece is graduating high school {about 2.5 hours away & I am unable to attend since I can't drive that far away by myself} and my entire family will be at her graduation party. So that leaves me home alone for the weekend!! I've recruited my best friend Ann as my on call labor coach in case I go into labor and need someone to go to the hospital with me!

 

The bags are {mostly} packed and ready to go. Oh...and I've completely over-packed like normal! My SIL made me a hospital gown and is mailing it to me this week. Can't wait to see it!!

My friend, Jodi,  & I made frozen meals on Saturday morning - we made 10 meals so I should be set for a while after the baby gets here. I really liked spending time with Jodi and it will be nice to have some meals on hand. I going to try to make this a recurring thing - especially before harvest and Nick is in the fields!

 

Baby H: 36 weeks

 

How far along? 36 weeks.

Baby Size: Baby H is 18.75 inches and 5.75 pounds. The size of a crenshaw melon - whatever that is?!?

Total weight gain: 40 pounds.

Maternity clothes?  I've been getting lots of compliments on my maternity maxi dresses...some people {non-pregnant people} want to buy them even though they're maternity!! HA!
 

Sleep: I've started to use a white noise app on my phone to help me sleep. Funny story about that app - Nick was snoring away and I couldn't sleep so I decided to download an app on my phone to try it out. I selected the rain/thunderstorm noise - it was soothing and I did fall asleep to it. Nick asked me the next morning if it rained all night & he was worried that we got alot of rain & he wouldn't be able to get in the fields for awhile to plant. Oops..guess I should have told him!?! 

 

Best moment this week: Blayner girls baby shower!!! We painted pottery {I made a piggy bank for the nursery}, ate dinner & opened gifts at Ann's house and then had a slumber party at my house. It was fun celebrating the baby and catching up with my friends!

Miss Anything? Same ol' stuff - Bending over/moving normal/working out/pre-pregnancy body. Oh...and SLEEP!

Movement: Some days I barely feel the baby move and other days the baby moves like crazy!! I think it depends on how busy I am - if I'm busy at work and/or working on things at home - then I barely feel movement. If I actually stop to relax...then I tend to feel more movement.

Food cravings: No cravings...just eating several times during the day because I'm always hungry.

Anything making you queasy or sick/symptoms:
- Nose Bleeds/Stuffy Nose.
- Pregnancy hoof.
- Pregnancy paw.
- Tailbone pain.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Rib pain - The rib pain is basically gone.
- Swelling {feet} - My feet have started hurting more & more. They're fine during the day, but it's at night when they really start to swell and hurt - Nick has been great and rubs them every night!
- Linea Nigra - I have a faint brown line that runs down my belly.
- Braxton Hicks contractions - feeling contractions throughout the day & evening.
- Pelvic pressure - I mostly feel this symptom when I'm walking - it doesn't hurt {yet}.
- Waddling - I am a waddling fool these days!!


Gender: Remember when I said we had finally decided on a boys name??! Now Nick has decided he's not sure if he likes the name, so I told him he has to come up with a name better than the one we have picked out to change my mind. He's been reading through the baby name book for 3 night straight!!  

Have you started to show yet: Sometimes I don't think I really look that big...that's what happens when you put the weight on slowly over the course of 9 months...you get used to it. Other times, I look in the mirror and think I look HUGE!

Mood: Anxious. With all the rain...Nick hasn't even started planting yet. I'd really like the planting to be done when the baby gets here so Nick can enjoy being at home for a few days with me & the baby and not have to rush back to the fields!

Stretch marks: None.

Belly button in or out: In. Way in...

Wedding ring on or off: Off.

Labor Signs: Feeling Braxton Hicks contractions - they go away when I move positions. I've started to feel more pressure in the pelvic area - I'm wondering if the baby has dropped more? {I'll find out at my appointment on Thursday}

Thoughts:
My brother, TJ,  is the most amazing dad you'll ever meet. He would do anything for his kids. I've always been close with him {he's only 1 year 2 weeks older than me} and when I did my internship in college, I lived with him and we got even closer. At that time, he only had Haley and she was about 1 1/2 years old. I'd take her on walks almost every night and we created a bond - she'll always be my little HayHay {even though she's 15 now!}. Since then he had a son, Blake. Who is the most outgoing, fun loving kid - he puts a smile on everyone's face. When we found out we were expecting - I sent TJ a card and told him that I hope Nick is half the dad to our baby that he is to his kids. Last week, he texted me and told me that I'll be "one HELL of a mom"...it brought tears to my eyes. He probably doesn't even know what it means to me to hear him say those words.

This will be my 2nd Mother's Day without my mom. Last year, I couldn't even bring myself to wish my step-mom or mother-in-law a Happy Mother's Day. But this year, I've decided I'm not going to be sad on that day. Instead of being upset about what I don't have...I'm going to embrace what I do have. Two amazing mothers in my life that love & support me. Sure...I'll still think about my mom and that I don't get to wish her happy mother's day - but I'm lucky to have others to share the day with.

I've starting making the packing lists for the baby and me for the hospital! I plan on having my bags packed by the end of the weekend. I've been looking on pinterest and blog stalking sites to see what others suggest to pack for the hospital. Ofcourse, my first step is to buy a new bag for  myself to pack everything in - I can't use something I already have for such a special event!!
 

Baby H: 35 weeks

 

How far along? 35 weeks.

Baby Size: Baby H is 18 inches and 5.25 pounds. The size of a honeydew melon.

Total weight gain: 38 pounds. {I was pleasantly surprised when I got on the scale - I thought it was going to much more than this! I'm feeling HUGE these days!!}

Maternity clothes?  All maternity. I had to buy some inexpensive sandals/flip-flops in a bigger size to get through the last couple weeks - my swollen feet make it hard to wear my regular size shoes.
 

Sleep: What's that?!? I really go in spurts - some nights I sleep through the night and don't even get up to go to the bathroom. Other nights - I can't get comfortable and wake up several times a night!

 

Best moment this week: No big events this week. Continue to work on organizing the nursery. Sewing burp clothes, hemming the curtains and other items for the nursery. {I have a fear that I'm not going to have enough burp clothes or bibs for the baby, so I keep making more & more!!}

Miss Anything? Same ol' stuff - Bending over/moving normal/working out/pre-pregnancy body.

Movement: Lots of big movements where I can see my belly moving all over the place! Nick & I like to try to figure out what body part is poking out!!

Food cravings: Nothing.

Anything making you queasy or sick/symptoms: Either I'm getting used to these symptoms or they're not as bad because I don't notice most of the early symptoms anymore. The main symptom that I notice is the swelling of my feet and pain in my feet - which doesn't really surprise me because I've always had issues with feet pain.
- Nose Bleeds/Stuffy Nose.
- Pregnancy hoof.
- Pregnancy paw.
- Tailbone pain.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Rib pain - The rib pain isn't as bad as it used to be...maybe the baby is dropping?!?
- Swelling - my feet were HUGE on Sunday evening! Between being on my feet most of the day & the 80 degree weather - they were large!! Luckily, Nicky rubbed them for an hour that night and they felt better!
- Linea Nigra - I have a faint brown line that runs down my belly.

Gender: I think we may have finally decided on a middle name for a boy!! But...I'm still feeling like we're having a girl.

Have you started to show yet: You know your belly is HUGE when even men start commenting on it and ask if I'm due any day now?!? Nope, still have 5 weeks left!

Mood: Feeling so lucky. I've had several people tell me how amazing of a dad Nick will be...and I couldn't agree more. I couldn't imagine a better daddy for my baby.

Stretch marks: As large as I am - I'm not sure how I don't have any stretch marks!!

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding ring on or off: Off.

Labor Signs: I finally decided to do some reading up on Braxton Hicks contractions and realized I've been having these symptoms for about 2 weeks now. They don't hurt at this point - it just feels like a combination of pressure and menstrual cramps.

Thoughts:
I feel like I've made some real progress on the nursery! One set of the curtains are hemmed {I'm hemming the other set this weekend}, baskets/storage is figured out and drawers are organized. Now it's just time for the final touches - decide what to hang on the walls mostly! Can't wait to see it all finished...and to have a baby in the crib!!

As big as I am - I'm not really uncomfortable during the day. It's only at night - when I'm sitting on the couch or when I'm laying in bed that I feel uncomfortable - mostly because it's hard to move all this extra weight around when I'm on a soft couch/bed. People keep asking if I'm uncomfortable and ready for the baby to be here...and I don't feel that way {yet}. Ofcourse, I'm ready to meet the baby...but I want him/her to stay inside alittle longer to make sure s/he's healthy.

Nick & I started watching the childbirth dvd's this week {we decided not to attend the 8 hour class at the hospital and watch the video's instead}. I feel like I've already learned a lot and we've only watched half the videos - hopefully they will help us be prepared for the labor & delivery!!

I'm excited to get together with my college friends this weekend for a baby shower for Baby H! We're going to do pottery painting, dinner & gifts and then have a slumber party at my house. With some of the girls living several hours away & everyone busy with jobs, families and life - it's hard to get together, so I'm excited to spend time with them!!

 

Baby H: Onesie Themed Family Baby Shower

Last weekend, two of my sisters and my step-mom threw us a onesie themed family baby shower.  

The shower was held at my parents church to accommodate my large family. They did a great job on the shower - I loved the theme, the food was great and we got some nice gifts for Baby H!

We enjoyed some treats...

The onesie theme was really cute and everyone was able to decorate a onesie for the baby!!

 

Nick was unable to make the shower because he's working on the farm getting ready for planting season {the life of a farmer's wife} - so I was on my own for gift opening this time. We got great gifts for Baby H. I was excited to get several of the gifts...including my diaper bag!!

 

 

The best part of the day was being able to spend time with my family. {I wish I would have gotten more pictures with my family members}

 

 

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family - a big thank you to Franny, Nancy & Donna for hosting a shower for us and thank you to all my family that traveled near & far to celebrate Baby H! I can't even imagine how much love Baby H will feel once s/he gets here!!