37 Weeks Pregnant!

How far along: 37 weeks pregnant...Due September 3rd!

Gender: Baby BOY!!

Total weight gain: Up 20 lb.

Exercise: For the last few weeks my workout routine has been the same. I do my HIIT class 3 days a week and then the other 2 days I walk. I am definitely slowing down. I can feel my extra weight I'm carrying in a lot of the leg exercises, and my belly is starting to get in the way. But I've decided that I'll just keep it up and deal with it...after all, I will have 6 weeks off soon!

Maternity clothes: I mainly live in workout clothes, dresses, and the pair of normal shorts I bought a couple sizes up. I did buy a black, maternity dress last week that is SO comfy, so that's been a go-to as well.

Miss anything: Being able to snuggle Mckenna without my belly in the way...although she loves snuggling and having "her boy" kick her!

Movement: All the time...I absolutely love it. I could sit and watch/feel it forever. A lot of the day I can see his little feet sticking out on my right side. I adore it!

Have you started to show: I think I'm getting bigger by the day! I love it.

Stretch marks: This is a tricky one. I never got stretch marks on my belly with Mckenna. But ever since puberty I've had stretch marks on my thighs, tush, and hips. They are very fine and you only really see them when the light hits them right. So there's a good chance that I got more with Mckenna, I just have no idea. My guess is I may be getting more as we speak, I just can't see them in comparison to what is already there!

Belly button in or out: It's an innie-outie. Sometimes it's out, sometimes it's in...depending on where he's positioned. But more often than not, it's flush with the rest of my belly.

Wedding rings on or off: On, when I actually wear them! I take them off for exercise, showers, and sleeping...and between my mommy brain and pregnancy brain, I often forget to put them back on!

Sleep: Up until two nights ago, I was sleeping like a rock for several nights. Two nights ago and last night I've been up in the night and unable to get back to sleep. Two nights ago I was so hungry that I ate two plates of pizza pockets and watched a movie (yeah, you read that right). Last night I woke up and was very nauseous and had abdominal cramping, so I laid in the tub until it went away.

Labor signs: I've continued to lose pieces of my mucus plug and have a lot of braxton hicks. A few nights ago I had Braxton Hicks every 2 minutes for a couple hours. Last night it was crazy cramping like I needed to use the bathroom. My midwife yesterday said he's incredibly low (lower than she usually feels). My guess is that the end is drawing near, but "near" may be relative!

Best moment of this week: This week I have been trying to soak up every last moment as a family of 3...take little mental snap shots. I've snuggled Mckenna in bed and watched her sleep. I've also been trying to soak up every kick, wiggle and shift baby boy has made in my belly. I love being pregnant and know that this is likely our last pregnancy, so I'm trying to take it all in.

Winding Down

We haven't updated on our foster parenting lately, so I figured I'd give a little update. Baby N came into our family mid December 2014. We didn't know what to expect, but what we got was the "perfect" baby and the "perfect" foster situation.

We picked Baby N up from the NICU at 3.5 weeks old. She was TINY when she was born (3lb3oz) and came to us at 4lb4oz. She was a sweet little thing from the start, but was a bit fussy. Thankfully, that soon passed and she blossomed into the most laid back, happy, joyful baby anyone could ask for. She is one of those kids that is content to just hang out, but she isn't a wet blanket either. She's full of personality and works to get your attention through delightful squeals, grunts and smiles. She may be one of the sweetest babies I've ever met.

Baby N's mom and dad have been present and willing to do whatever they needed from the start. They never missed visits, they followed their case plan, and most of all, they continued to love their daughter throughout the whole journey.

Initially Baby N and her parents had 2 visits a week, each for 2 hours. Then it was 1 visit a week for 4 hours. Which then became 1 visit a week for 5 hours. After that Baby N got to have overnight visits with mom and dad. Currently, Baby N is in the middle of a 5 day visit with mom in dad in preparation of heading home, for good.

We could not be more thrilled for Baby N and her sweet family. Time and time again we are asked how we can say goodbye to someone who has lived in our home for 8 months; a sweet baby that became part of our family. The answer is simple: because we have been called to. God didn't call us to be her mom and dad. Baby N has a loving set of parents that just needed our help for a time. This may not be the case for all of our placements, but with Baby N, it was very clear from the start that God had only called our family to be her family for a time...not forever. We will indeed miss her more than we probably even know right now. She has taught our family a lot. She helped us learn more about the foster care system. She taught us to be parents to two children. She taught Mckenna how to be a big sister. And she will soon teach us how to love and let go for the good of others.

As Baby N heads home permanently in the next week or two, please join us in praying for Baby N, her parents and our family as we all transition into our new lives!