How far along: 38 weeks and 6 days

Gender: It’s a she dragon (giving me heartburn daily!)

Weight Gain: +32 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes, but I have a storage box in my room in hopes that I can start slowly putting them away soon.

Stretch Marks: More and more every day. They are all below my belly button though (with the exception of the freaky one I have where my belly button used to be pierced…)

Belly button in our out: Still an inny. It has no chance of popping out. I think I said this before:  I have an abnormally deep belly button.

Sleep: Going to sleep is hard because she is always in a very uncomfortable position at that time of night and I can’t get comfortable. By the time Dave gets up to go to work, I have gone to the bathroom 3-4 times and she has snuggled into a comfortable position so the last hour or two of sleep is good.

Best moment of the week: Officially unpacked! Just a few minor organization projects left (like our closet and baby’s closet for the 7th time!) Also, my mom, stepdad, brother, sis-in-law, and grandparents came over and helped us put together baby things things and make 40 freezer meals.

Miss Anything: I have never been one to sleep on my belly, but lately I have been having the urge to – probably because I can’t. I do miss being able to run and belly flop onto the bed after a nice hot shower though.
 
Movement: She has only had the hiccups a few times in the past week and her movement has slowed down, but when she is moving I can definitely feel how strong she is. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could leg press more than me in her first week of life. She is also growing into a giant so her movement isn’t as cute as it used to be.

Cravings: PB and nanner shakes! Davey makes them for us all the time. They really get her moving…she may be an addict.

Symptoms: Just the never ending heartburn. I hate taking medicine but have graduated myself from tums to the good stuff which works just okay.

Looking forward to: Seeing what this whole labor thing is about and if I will be able to do it.

What a productive weekend for us! I wish every weekend were a three day weekend. I feel both like I got a ton done and I still got to relax and rest.

First, Dave and I finished organizing the guest room, downstairs, and our bedroom. I also organized the refrigerator, freezer (indoor and outdoor), and pantry. I even put some pictures up in our room and Dave cleaned the entire house by himself and started making some storage units for our living room.

On Monday, my brother Isaac and his wife Kalee came over. Isaac put together the baby’s swing and stroller for us. My mom and step dad came over along with my grandparents and they all helped me make 40 Crock Pot freezer meals so hopefully I won’t have to cook at all this summer! I can’t believe my due date is in 9 days!!! I still have some closets I want to organize and I have yet to pack my birthing bag…I guess it just hasn’t seemed real until this point. I better get on that.

What our counter looked like after all of the assembly was complete.

A lot of people keep asking me about how I planned and made the freezer meals so I figured I would share some more details. Below are links to the recipes I used. I spent a lot of time planning and searching the web for gluten free recipes (or recipes I could easily make gluten free since Dave has Celiac disease). To make it easier, I found 20 recipes that looked good and made 2 of each one.

Planning, I must say, was the hardest part. After I found the recipes I wanted, I compiled all of the ingredients into a spreadsheet, combined the ones that were the same (multiple recipes called for chicken, onions, broth, etc.), and I doubled everything (since I made two of each meal). I then went shopping in my own kitchen to cross off what we already had so I knew exactly what we needed to buy.  And by me shopping in the kitchen, what I really mean is me sitting on the couch shouting out different foods and spices to Dave who then checked if we had them.  Overall, the list of ingredients we had to buy wasn’t as long as I expected – mainly just meat, veggies, a few spices we don’t use on a daily basis, and a couple of things we had on hand but not enough of. The meat was definitely the most expensive part but we bought all of it frozen from Costco and it wasn’t too bad (especially considering we got 40 meals and some leftovers out of it).

It was a good thing I organized the fridge, freezer, and pantry beforehand because we had a lot of food after our big shopping trip.  The hardest part of my weekend was the grocery shopping. I am so thankful I have David to help me. Walking around Costco at 38 weeks pregnant is no easy task my friend, especially when you have more than normal to buy. We also had to go to Fred Meyer to get some of the ingredients we didn’t need in bulk and by that point I was so exhausted and was having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions from walking that I opted to use a motorized cart. I felt like such and idiot and couldn’t stop laughing at first and David was all paranoid telling be to stop because he didn’t want us to get kicked out of the store. Anyways…below are the recipes. If you have any questions leave them in the comments!

Chicken Recipes
Butternut Squash and Chicken
Honey Pineapple Chicken
Ranch Chicken
Orange Chicken
Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches
Salsa Chicken
Chicken and Tomatoes
Creamy Italian Chicken
Ugly Chicken Dinner
Lemonade Chicken
Lime Garlic Chicken
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
BBQ Cranberry Chicken
Honey Bourbon Chicken
Apple Sauce BBQ Chicken

Pork Recipes
Pepsi Pulled Pork (BEST Pulled Pork recipe out there and did not require any prep work so I just bought the ingredients.)
Sweet and Sour Pork
Pineapple Pork

Beef Recipes
Cheese Burger Soup
Ginger Beef

Our freezer full of food!

Today is mine and David’s 9 month anniversary (proof that our baby was conceived after we got married). Can you believe that the picture above was taken almost a year ago at our engagement shoot?!  Photo cred to the talented Chelsie Lilja. 

I thought I would write today about how much I love living with David. I loved living with him at his parent’s house, but living with him alone has been so much fun, not to mention entertaining. Just a few more weeks of alone time and then we won’t be living alone again for probably 30+ years.  We are love being alone but are sooo excited to add some kiddos to the mix. 

In the last couple of months, I have come to learn some of Dave's quirks that I have never noticed before – and they make me smile every day. In fact, just writing this post is making me as happy as a pigeon with a french-fry.

Here are some of my new favorite things about my husbad:


His Obsessive Need To “Organize The Trash”.

The wonderful Waste Management gave us a peanut sized garbage can,  and since we have moved we have been backed up on trash and recycling. We keep getting so many gifts and new things for baby that we keep falling more and more behind. Every week when we think we have finally caught up, we will get something new or one of us will organize something in the house and the trash will already be full again.

Everyone who has known Dave since he was young tells me about how paranoid he used to be – especially of the cops and his sister running around naked all the time. Well his paranoia isn’t gone, it has just shifted into other areas. Dave insists that the trash lid has to be closed every week or the garbage men won’t pick it up.  If they don’t pick it up, we will get even more behind on our garbage! For this reason, he is in the garage everyday jumping into the cans to press everything down and strategically organizing the cardboard so it all fits in the recycling can (to my knowledge, he has only fell out of the garbage can once...).  See, I know that our trash will get picked up even if the lid is not closed and have even tried to tell him this, but I have given up because every night after dinner when he announces that he needs to go “organize the trash” I can tell he is secretly excited.


His Love Of Mail.

I think I have my own copy of a mail key, but I don’t even know which mailbox is ours. Dave LOVES getting the mail every day. And even more, he LOVES getting packages (or presents as he calls them). I think I have mentioned before how excited he gets when he opens presents on Christmas, well he is the same way with packages in the mail any day of the year. Most All of the packages that come to our house are for me, and I always let him open them because it makes him so happy (this does not help my online shopping addiction).

Before we got married, he actually told me once that when we have kids he wanted to find out that I was pregnant by me packing the pregnancy test in a big box and sending it to him in the mail. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to do that since he was with me when I took the test:  I bet he would have been just as surprised and elated opening that package though.


His Baboon Booty.

We have a glass shower door and every time I am in the bathroom while he is showering, he will press his bare butt against the glass door and giggle like a little girl. (Sorry if I just embarrassed you honey). He is so proud of his butt, as he should be, because out of all of the husbands in the world I can guarantee mine has the cutest bubble butt of them all.


His Best Friends AKA His Tools.

And more specifically his drill. I swear that man looks for any excuse to use his drill. I needed to unscrew something to change batteries the other day and asked him for a screw driver and he replied and asked me with a big grin on his face if he could use his drill instead. Ha!


New Davidisms continue to come up and surprise me all the time and they just make me fall more and more in love with him.  He is just too cute.  I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to share my life with him and I know he will continue taking care of me and making me happy for eternity.

When my midwife told me today that I tested positive for Group B Strep I wasn’t initially concerned. She said there is nothing I did to contract it, that it is harmless to adults, and that 25% of women have it (and it tends to be more common in the summer). However, if the baby contracts it through delivery it is bad – baby could get pneumonia or meningitis and be very very sick. She said this can be avoided by giving me antibiotics while I am in labor every 4 hours at least twice before I deliver. This will decrease the chance of baby getting it from 1 in 200 to 1 in 4000. So I wasn’t really worried.

Of course, what do I do next? Google it. I have completely freaked myself out. First of all, what if I have a fast labor and there isn’t time to give me the antibiotics? I also read several women on different discussion boards say that they got the antibiotics and it didn’t work and their babies contracted it and got pneumonia, or were in the NICU for weeks, or the very worst – died an hour after birth or were stillborn. I know I am going to be so paranoid after I have her! I wonder if there are any tests they can do after birth to see if she has it. If not I can see myself already constantly checking her temperature and sleep not being an option because I will need watch her 24 hours a day. Has anyone else had to deal with this before? What was your experience?

On a much brighter note – everything else during my checkup was perfect. My blood pressure was good, baby’s heart rate is good, and she is measuring right on track at 38 weeks and is estimated to be around 7 pounds. I am 1 centimeter dilated, 50% effaced, my cervix is already completely forward, and baby’s head is moving down (she is at a -2). It was also confirmed that I probably do have a bruise (which I suspected) in the spot where she ALWAYS kicks me. Whenever I press on that spot, I can feel her foot and it is really sore…my midwife said she probably likes it even more now because it is warmer and the texture there is different.

I had such a fun time collecting all of these responses.  A big thank you to everyone who thinks she will be coming early (I have a feeling a lot of those votes were as a courtesy to me).  I can't wait to see how everything actually pans out - one thing is for sure though - we will all know in less than a month!

Just the thought of delivering in the middle of the night makes me tired.

I hope they got it right on the ultrasound.  What a surprise would that be to have a boy?

It is no secret that Dave and I are both hairy people, but even though I was born with luscious locks, Dave was bald!

Instead of thinking how much weight I will gain from eating something, I now think how much weight will my baby gain.  Hoping and praying she is healthy but not too big.

I am a little surprised how split this one is.  Dave was winning by a landslide at first, but maybe we will all cry equal amounts.

How far along: 37 weeks and 4 days

Gender: It’s a GIRL!

Weight Gain: +30 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Who knew that my maternity shirts could turn into belly shirts? Good thing my pants have high elastic bands because I refuse to buy anymore maternity clothes.

Stretch Marks: Yes I do. And I am learning to love them and live with them. Way cooler and more meaningful than any tattoo I could ever get.

Belly button in our out: Still an inny. I am pretty sure it will not pop out permanently.

Sleep: What is sleep? Oh that’s right…sleep is what makes my back hurt and every time I do sleep I have to pee.

Best moment of the week: Getting more things finished around the house and finally finishing all of my nursery projects. Now all I need to do is organize baby girl’s room.

Miss Anything: Don’t get me wrong, I love my baby bump, but I really miss getting out of bed and not feeling like I have a bowling ball drop inside of me and weigh down my stomach with no support.

Movement: Oh yes and she has definitely dropped so I am feeling her hiccups in my butt now! She also kicked my arm the other day when I was resting it on her and I could legitimately feel (and see) her foot! Crazy! She apparently can’t wait to get daddy’s famous nightly foot rubs.

Cravings: Crushed ice. I wish there was a Sonic close to us so I could buy some bags of nice ice. Anyone know where else around here has that kind of ice?

Symptoms: …the nausea is coming back! RAWR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to: I never thought I would say this, but I am actually looking forward to pushing this fire-breathing dragon angel child out of me.

I am seriously so excited for summer! I don’t know if it is this beautiful weather we have been having, knowing I get the whole summer off for maternity leave, or because I will get to meet my baby girl and fall in love all over again!

Today I decided to link up for another Five On Friday to tell you my 5 favorite things about summer!

1.  The Smell of Sunscreen
This also includes the smell of chlorine from the pool. I especially love when you can still smell it the next time you go to put on your swim suit.



2.  Waking Up From The Sun
I use to not like this because summer was a time for finally getting to sleep in, but now I love waking up and being refreshed and still having the entire morning to do things.



3.  Late Sunsets
This means longer days. So much vitamin D!



(Like how the last three all have the word “sun” in them…you can tell I am a true Washingtonian)

4.  Outdoor Activities
From walking, to boating, to rollerblading, hiking, fishing…the list goes on and on. Summer is the best time to do all of these things because you won’t get cold or wet AND you can work on your tan!



5.  BBQs and Bon Fires
A perfect summer day always ends with a BBQ complete with hot dogs, burgers, watermelon, sour cream and onion chips, and lemonade (I could eat this meal every day in the summer). Then a nice bon fire with s’mores and hanging out with family and friends. I also love waking up the next day with the smell of campfire still in your hair and getting to skip a shower because you are going to the beach or lake!  

Officially full term today...37 weeks! This means I could have the baby any day now. In the spirit of new babies and growing families, I thought it might be fun for everyone to take a short survey! Enjoy and don't miss the bonus question at the bottom! I will post the final results this weekend.

BONUS QUESTION: Comment below the exact day and time you think Baby Pehrson will be born. The winner will get an honorable mention in one of my blog posts.

How far along: 36 weeks and 6 days.

Gender: Pink!!!!

Maternity Clothes: I’m loving maternity dresses! On the bright side they are easy to put on and are loose. On the not so bright side, my belly has been sticking to my thighs when I sit down because it’s so hot!

Stretch Marks: Yes and I am over them. I don’t care…stretch marks happen and I can live with them. In fact, I am so comfortable with them I am contemplating wearing belly shirts for the remainder of my pregnancy if it continues to be as hot as it has been this past week.

Belly button in our out: In, but we can see the bottom when I am standing up now.

Sleep: I have my good nights and bad nights. There have been a few times where I have had to wake up Dave so he could help me out of bed to go to the bathroom.

Best moment of the week: Getting presents in the mail! I ordered some super cute baby headbands on Etsy…so cute they make me want to cry (see “Symptoms” below…)

Miss Anything: I miss my energy and being able to do things for myself. I have really had to rely on David to help me with everything from cleaning the house to changing me into my pajamas at the end of a long day. I am so blessed to have an amazing husband who doesn’t see these things as a burden. It also reassures me that he is going to be the best daddy in the world!

Movement: I waddle and baby has some spastic kicks. At first I was concerned about her kicking me so many times in a row but the midwife said that is normal. Any movement is good movement. She is also still getting the hiccups daily.

Cravings: Finally getting the ice cream craving. I was surprised that I lost my appetite for ice cream for the first 8 months, but now I want need ice cream nightly.

Symptoms: Excessive crying. I saw a cute baby girl the other day and started crying because her chubby little feet were soooo adorable.

Oh, and I can’t forget the heartburn. I had it so bad last Thursday night that I started throwing up…and throwing up with a baby on your bladder is no good my friends. Let’s just say I may or may not have peed a little on the floor…

Looking forward to: D-Day! I am so excited to hold baby girl in my arms!

I am so happy with how our maternity photos turned out!  One of David's best friends from high school took them (she did our wedding photos too) and she is so talented - I just love her work!  Thank you Lilja Photography for capturing this time in our lives! 








 

My husband told me a few months ago that he used to think bridal and baby showers were a mysterious thing since only women went to them. He told me he used to think that the person they were for would actually get showered in a very ritualistic way…well I am glad that is not the case, but isn’t he so cute for thinking that.

Having a baby a little over nine months after getting married, I must say I am a little showered out. I feel so blessed to have so many people in my life that love me enough to want to celebrate these huge milestones. I feel like I have had more bridal/baby showers in the past year than actual showers since I have been pregnant though…just kidding…kind of… Well, I can’t wait to return the favor for my family and friends when they get married or have babies and make them feel as special as I have this past year.

David’s mom and sister threw my first shower. Hot flashes aside, they did a wonderful job and I had so much fun!

Getting practice for the next baby while holding my niece and being pregnant!

I love baby shower games!  Here are some babies fashioned out of Play-Doh (the Top 3).  I know some seriously talented people.

Obsessed with these tiny sunglasses!

My mom and sister-in-law threw another shower for me. Like I said, I love shower games and my mom really nailed it!

One of my favorite/least favorite games was where everyone took a photo of me and a photo of Dave and put them together to see what our baby would look like.

The results...frightening.

We also had to guess which chocolate bars were melted in diapers.  My Aunt Kim looks like a real pro doesn't she?

A beautiful blanket made by my Grandma.

How far along: 35 Weeks and 4 days. Getting close!

Gender: Girl. Weight Gain: 29 pounds. Getting excited to start a diet soon.

Maternity Clothes: Exclusively…unless I am lounging at home, which in that case I wear David’s clothes.

Stretch Marks: Yes, but no new ones.

Belly button in our out: Inny for life! I am glad that I have gotten the opportunity to see the bottom though.

Sleep: I had the worst night of sleep ever on Friday night but the best night of sleep ever last night. So I would say overall my sleep is okay except I hate waking up and having to struggle to get out of bed to go to the bathroom.

Best moment of the week: Going on a date with Dave to the Bistro (my favorite restaurant). Also, being reassured – for the millionth time – that I have the best husband in the world.


Need I say more?

I should also follow this up with the worst moment of the week which was realizing that David does a better job painting my toenails than I do. The whole time he was painting them he kept saying “Someone call Jimmy at Pretty Nails – looks like Davey P. found a new profession”…I love him so much.

Miss Anything: My energy. I get so tired after short/non strenuous activities. I have made new best friends with Sofie our couch.

Movement: Lots and lots of stretching. She loves doing her yoga while I am in the bathtub and I love watching and feeling every time she moves. Now I can see her legs poke out on one side of my belly and her arms on the other. She also still gets the hiccups daily.

Cravings: Chicken pot pie. Queasy or sick: Not really, but yesterday I learned that I still cannot brush my teeth right after I eat because it makes me gag and throw up…

Looking forward to: The nursery being finished!  And I also plan on organizing the rest of the house this week. I can’t wait until I get everything done and then I can relax until baby gets here.

The amazing weather we have been experiencing this week has gotten me so excited for summer! Seriously though, when has it ever gotten above 70 degrees in Washington in April/ May? Before it starts raining again tomorrow While this is excitement is still upon me, I have decided to document my 5 must do’s for this summer – besides the obvious of successfully birthing a baby and eating 50 watermelons!

1. Go To The Market
…And buy fresh fruit, veggies, fish, and definitely some flowers. This one also includes taking a walk on the pier, eating amazing food, and getting a new family photo on Rachel!


2. Take A Mini Road Trip
One of my most favorite memories was driving from North Carolina to Washington with one of my boyfriends – and now that boyfriend is my husband! I’m not going to be too ambitious with where we go, but a weekend getaway would be nice. Preferably somewhere we have friends - camping with a baby scares me a little.


3. Go To A Mariner’s Game
I’m not the biggest baseball fan, but I love the atmosphere at sporting events! Do I even need to mention the food at sporting events…kettle corn anyone?


4. Weekly Wiener Roasting Nights
If you have talked to me in the last 3 weeks, you know that I have been craving hot dogs like crazy! Especially hot dogs cooked over a fire because they could make a hound dog climb a plate-glass window! Last summer, we had weekly camp fires and wiener roasting nights with my in-laws and it was so much fun! Definitely a tradition I want to continue.

*Enjoy this embarassing photo of me stuffing my face with a hot dog.

5. Have A Housewarming Party
Mainly this is on my list because it will require us to finish unpacking and make our house a little bit homier. It will also be a good chance for everyone to meet our sweet baby girl! This will probably happen towards the end of summer though.