34 weeks!

Bump pic from last weekend - 34 weeks!

We got great news today at my 34 week appointment. She is head down and has her back straight, perfectly in place. She is such a good girl! We are measuring right on track and she is putting on about a half of a pound a week now. (no wonder I am majorly exhausted) 37 days to go!

34w2d

So ready for this pregnancy symptom to be over.....

One day...

As my quest to grow my graphics business (& to also include family/newborn photography in the future) I have started to put more energy into my efforts. I want to try and update my website/blog (which are one in the same now) with all the work I have yet to post and examples of my photography for your viewing pleasure. 

If you haven't already... please "follow", bookmark, etc my page

www.FreshDG.com

Although I will be going on a short hiatus while I have this beautiful daughter of mine, I will be taking on smaller projects later in the year and will be happy to be back in the swing of things in time for Christmas card season.

I design mostly social print graphics (with some misc. work for small businesses in the form of business cards and logos, and for the various high school marching bands I create marketing materials and show graphics)

Social graphics includes... basically anything you can imagine needing for an event that would need printing.

For weddings.... Save the dates, wedding invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, bachelorette party invites, shower invites, wedding signage, bridal party timelines, menus, place cards, thank you cards, door hangers, labels, monograms, wedding programs etc.

For babies.... baby shower invitations, thank you cards, baby shower menus and signage, and baby announcements.

For families.... birthday party invitations (all ages) holiday Christmas cards, personal note cards, thank you cards, etc.

The sky is the limit. Everything I do is custom but not with a custom premium. I have a lot of clients who came to me initially because they couldn't find exactly what they needed. No website carried a "UGA Tailgating Baby Shower invitation" or a "vintage wrestling poster rehearsal dinner invitation" or even a "celebration of life butterfly release invitation". We were able to work together to create exactly what they needed and for the same price as popular stock invitation websites.

Please keep me in mind if you ever have a social graphic need. I will always be happy to quote you an exact price for the project before you decide to proceed with work. Its easy in this era of technology to just log onto a photo printing website or a stock invitation website and upload your images. I understand this can be tempting but going with a custom design will allow you to get exactly what you want and usually at a lower cost.

Thanks for listening to my pitch! Check out www.FreshDG.com over the upcoming weeks to see lots of our past work and latest photography.

32.5

32 weeks 4 days...

Trying to slow down a bit and relax as these final weeks are going by so fast! Really looking forward to my baby shower this weekend. Some of my favorite women, brunch, and baby gifts! What a fun day! Harper is busy kicking away and shoving her feet under my ribs... nice... some days I feel her maybe roll on her side a little bit. I feel a big long hard mass on the left side of my belly which is pretty distinctly her back. Keep our fingers crossed she stays head down and comfy and ready to go in 7 weeks!

I was wearing a tight stretchy satin shirt. Sure makes it look like I have a watermelon under there... : )

L&D

Harper's due date has started to creep up on us closer and closer. Last night Dutch proclaimed... "its getting to be crunch time! Are you ready?" I'm not quite sure what the answer for that is just yet but I know we have a great support system, Ive read endless books, talked to lots of friends and family, talked with my Dr/Midwife, packed my bag, taken my breastfeeding class (and our childbirth class is this Saturday), prepared her nursery, packed the diaper bag, and other than getting a car seat and getting it installed properly, were "ready".

A lot of people have been asking us about our birth plan. If we are having a "natural" birth, are we rooming in, breast feeding vs bottle feeding, if I want to be induced, when we will accept visitors, how much time each of us has off, etc. Its a lot to think about! Thankfully Dutch and I agreed on everything from the beginning.

We are delivering at Northside via "midwives preferred" as I call it. We are requesting a midwife birth through my Ob/Gyn practice. No, I am not a hippie, I'm not doing a home birth or a water birth or anything of that sorts. The certified nurse midwives (CNM) are registered nurses who go on to get a graduate degree in midwifery. They focus more time on the care of the mother throughout the pregnancy and the delivery. They are able to spend more time with you and caring for your labor and can even deliver the baby. A Dr. from the practice is always available if there is an emergency or a c-section is needed.

We are definitely having a "natural" birth. What we are not having is an un-medicated delivery. I am not opposed to a epidural at all. I would like to wait a long as I can to avoid being stuck in the bed for 12+ hours. I have no idea what to really expect it to be like so who knows. I do know it can slow down labor once you get it and I would really like to not end up with a c-section because I'm not progressing.

We are definitely breast feeding. I am a huge advocate, very committed to the process, have been reading multiple books, and trying to be realistic about the experience. I understand it can be hard, painful, frustrating, etc. However, being prepared and having support options makes me feel more prepared. Apparently the lactation consultants at Northside are really helpful. They also have a lactation hot line. So I'm hoping for the best but prepared for the worst.

I am open to being induced as I have a feeling if I go past my due date I will be more than ready to get the show on the road. (especially if this heartburn joy continues)

Dutch and I have decided its very important for us to have our privacy during labor and delivery. We feel its a special time for the two of us to experience the birth of our first child. There are a lot of different things that can go on during labor and delivery that aren't necessarily fun to deal with or watch. Labor can last 12, 14, 16... 24... hours... yikes... and the hospital isn't a very entertaining place for guests anyways. So, we will keep everyone closely informed. We'll let you know we're going to the hospital and how things are progressing, we just ask that you hold tight, kick your feet up and wait for us to welcome visitors. Also, especially if we deliver at 3am or some random time, we will take some time to rest and get settled in the recovery room first. For the next 24-48 hours we would love to have immediate family come meet their granddaughter, niece, etc. We'll have friends and extended family after we get back home. Regardless of it all, please call before you stop by. Between pediatrician appts/tests, breast feeding, lactation consults, our potential melt-downs, who knows what you may be walking into : )

My last day of work is September 28th! (wahoo) I'm taking 13 weeks off and will return to work after new years. Dutch has about 2 weeks off his day job and 6 weeks off UPS at night! We sure are going to get spoiled. I'm so thankful our jobs allows us to be with her and not have to rush back. We will be home together to experience Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas and new years!

Make sure to check into our blog periodically as we'll be posting pictures of baby Harper, fun stories, learning experiences, and just parts of the "joy of parenthood"

58.5 days!

Baby Shower #1

Sunday Dutch and I had our first baby shower. It was a casual pool party coed shower with our family and friends. We had a lot of fun celebrating with everyone. Thank you to Page and Cortney for hosting and for everyone who came out!

upcoming due date

I wanted to use this blog to share about our life and our journey to becoming a family. There has been something that I haven't blogged about that really is no secret but I am sure other people can relate to.

Two weeks from now would have been my original due date. Dutch and I were excited when we got pregnant right away. We celebrated for the first 6 or so weeks of being pregnant and wondered if it was too early to announce to our families at Christmas. I have always loved the Christmas holidays and it was exciting to think our child would be with us next Christmas to celebrate.

Unfortunately things didn't develop correctly (which statistics say can occur in a very large number of pregnancies, most of the time people don't even know they are pregnant yet). It wasn't meant to be for us at that time. We understood that it is common, we had a bright future ahead of us and would get through it. I was thankful that I was able to be home and off of work due to the holiday break. Almost all of the mothers around me young and old have gone through similar experiences. Its not something you've done wrong and nothing to be ashamed of or keep secret. Please reach out to me if you ever need someone to talk to.

We did get through it and became blessed with our next pregnancy only 2-3 weeks later. We were cautiously optimistic and so relieved to see Harper's tiny little blob of cells 7 weeks. (she was the size of a blueberry) We could see her heart beating and knew we had increased our chances of a successful pregnancy. Once we heard her heart beat at 11 weeks and she passed her downs/neural tube defects screening, we knew ,pending any huge problems, we would get to meet her.

Now at 31 weeks, we have a squirmy girl who is loved by so many people even though they have never met. She has a closet full of leggings with ruffles on the butt, socks with bows on the toes, and her first pink teddy bear. We cant wait to meet you baby girl! I cant wait till they put you on my chest & when your daddy gets to hold you for the first time.

Its just important to remember that life truly is so delicate and so much is out of your control.

Now all we have to do is prepare your "sisters" for her arrival. They aren't going to know what hit them : )

Mommy Update 30w5d

Current Stats: 30 weeks 5 days. (65 days till my due date)

Baby Size - Between 15.2- to 16.7-inch, & 2.5- to 3.8-pounds

Clothes - Wearing all maternity dress pants/jeans. I have a few maternity dresses and a few pre-prego dresses that still fit. Tank tops are starting to get a little short in the front but I just wear them to bed.

Food Aversions- Nothing is really that amazing these days. I cooked pasta and meat sauce last night (something that was a go-to recipe for me pre-prego) and this time it just seemed to bland. Then it seems like a waste of money to make an entire meal and not really like it. Its happened with a lot of items I have made which basically makes me just want to eat panera broccoli cheese soup every night :)

Symptoms - Heartburn has gotten better the past few days! yay! I have realized if I take my pill later in the morning and again right before bed, the timing works better. I also have realized that it gets really bad when I'm hungry. If I try to eat a snack around 530 I can fight off the heartburn till I need to take my pill at 10. Its the small achievements I appreciate these days.

Lower back/hip/pelvis? pain... I know its from sitting at work all day & arching my back to account for my new weight inbalance. Its pretty uncomfortable to sit most places these days so Im constantly shifting around. By the end of the day I feel like an old lady.

I also am HOT a lot of the time. At work I have a fan at my desk and everyone teases about how cold they are while I'm sweating up a storm. Im ready for the fall and to be able to snuggle up in blankets again. Oh and my belly button is still an innie... any bets on how long that will last?

Missing - having more energy, being able to bend over to buckle my shoes, being comfortable

Preparations - I did my first load of baby laundry last night... oooh the smell of Dreft : ) I wanted to wash her sheet, some newborn onsies/pjs, her little hats etc.

I also have started to pack my hospital bag. I figured you can never be too prepared. There are also too many different items that I want to pack and it would be hard to just tell someone what to grab if worst case scenario happened. Our goal is to not over pack. I threw in some travel toiletries, I bought cheap toothbrushes to just keep in the bag, theres one 2 going home outfits for her. (one newborn, one 0-3 months just in case) a receiving blanket, some nursing clothing, hair brush, makeup, chap stick, slippers and socks, etc. Any been there done that mommies feel free to email me with anything you wish you would have packed or wish you didnt pack.

Saturday I have a breastfeeding class at the hospital. Then 2 other Saturdays this month Dutch and I have our childbirth prep classes ... should be interesting ...

Ive been reading lots of books. Ill be doing a book review post later for anyone who is interested. The key ones I am reading now are what to expect when your expecting, what to expect the first year, babywise, and a breastfeeding book. Its helping me feel more prepared. Especially for what happens once we come home from the hospital. Everyone preps you for every detail of pregnancy and the delivery, but not so much what to do day 1 at home.


Looking forward to - Our first baby shower this Sunday! Also, my Dr. appts have moved to every 2 weeks. I look forward to the passing of each week knowing we are one week closer to her being healthy and to meeting our daughter. I have two other showers this month (one fun girly brunch and one at work). Im looking forward to celebrating with everyone! Oh and my last day of work (Sept 28th) yesss.... Not to return until Jan 2nd!

Please keep us in your thoughts that everything continues to go smoothly and that Harper makes her debut as close to on schedule as possible : )