Maternity: weeks 39 & 40

Here is a little catch up from a couple of weeks ago. Time is flying around here...

Week 39:  

This week was filled with ice, snow, and a surprise! 

Monday, I got out after having cabin fever from last week's snow fall. I took my friend, Emily's Pure Barre class, and her classes are always my favorites. Tuesday, we had more snow and ice, so I didn't leave the house again. No one wanted a falling preggo. 

Wednesday, my mom came into town. We were supposed to go to an afternoon tea but with the icy weather and being 39 weeks pregnant we decided to grab lattes closer to home. 

That night, we went out to our favorite Mexican place. Little did we know this would be our last photo as two! 

That night, we got a huge (for Raleigh) snow storm that brought trees and power lines down, and we lost power for 17 hours. On Thursday, J worked from home. Since it was freezing in our house, we huddled together around our fireplace trying to stay warm. Mom and I read and tried to stay distracted from contractions that started that morning. They lightened up throughout the day, and we finally got power back in the evening. 

J & I decided to go to bed early after such a cold, snowy day. I started watching a Parenthood in bed, and my contractions started coming more frequently and consistently. I timed them for almost two hours, and they became more intense until I woke J up around 11pm. I couldn't lay down anymore and was walking around our bedroom. I kept thinking it couldn't be the real thing and didn't want to go to the hospital and be sent home. Since they were more intense than any I'd had before and more frequent, J convinced me to call my OB. When she heard my contractions were more intense and five minutes apart for the past two hours, she said to head into the hospital. We packed the last few items in our bags and headed in around 12:30am. 

Little did I know how fast Miss CHP would come...birth story to follow! 

Week 40:
Welcome to the world CHP!

My sweet CHP was born one day before her due date. She was a tiny peanut at birth. Labor & delivery was an incredible experience, and I still cannot believe she's here. I absolutely love being CHP's mom and have fallen even more in love with my husband seeing him as a dad. I can't put into words what an amazing time this is for us.

Maternity Monday: Third Trimester

Hello third trimester! And a warning: this is a long post...

Week 29: We're starting the third trimester! I can't believe how incredibly fast this pregnancy has gone. I feel like we only just announced that our family was growing, and now we're starting the third trimester. 

During December, I've been working lots of nights shifts, so emotions and being tired have continued. Outside of flipping, I've felt really great and had energy. I've started getting up one to two times a night for a potty break, and I'm loving being pregnant during the holidays and enjoying tasty foods. I'm also so thankful I haven't experienced any nausea during this pregnancy! I'm excited to also say I've continued working out 3-4 times a week, doing Pure Barre and walking Aida. 

Week 30: Christmas is here!

One huge perk of being in my third trimester is that our families are so sweet and have traveled to us to celebrate Christmas! My in-laws came the weekend before Christmas, and my family came the weekend after.

My SIL and I are exactly two months apart in pregnancies! It has been so much fun to share this experience with her. We cannot wait for Baby Boy P to arrive in April! We loved celebrating Christmas with them, and while they were here we went to Bida Manda, Gonza Tacos & Tequila, cooked a Christmas breakfast, celebrated a "Christmas day" and just enjoyed being together. 

This year, I had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day nights. Although, I hate working holidays, this year was sweet because J and I picked what we wanted to do to celebrate together. The 23rd we treated as our Christmas Eve and had a tasty dinner at the Angus Barn. Christmas Eve was our Christmas Day, so J cooked a great breakfast and we opened each other's gifts. J completely surprised me with a Christmas/push gift of a Tiffany's ring! I have been drooling over it for a long time but never dreamed he would surprise me with it now.

After our breakfast, I napped before getting up early for Christmas Eve service and dinner before heading into work. I had a great patient both nights of work and enjoyed celebrating with co-workers. It was definitely a different but great Christmas! 

Week 31: Christmas continues! 

My family came into town for the weekend, and we celebrated Christmas morning again. We loved having time together, and my parents loved going to an Indian restaurant with us. 

A week ago, at my last OB appointment, we had a little scare: I was measuring behind. I love my OBs, and this week they scheduled an ultrasound to measure CHP. Thankfully, she is growing fine and is already 3lbs 15oz! They said that if I measure three or more weeks behind they'll do another ultrasound. Keep growing CHP! 

At the end of this week, we drove to DC to celebrate my sweet, little niece's birthday! We always love seeing her and family. She is the cutest, and I'm so excited that she and CHP will be so close in age. Life is going to be so much fun with two little girls running around. 

Week 32: I'm still feeling great and working out. I've started craving citrus all the time. My new favorite drink is passionfruit la croix with grapefruit juice, and I have to take a sliced orange to work every shift. 

Week 33: We had so many fun events this week! A few of my friends from work threw me a PICU shower on Sunday. Everything was adorable, and I felt so loved having everyone spend the afternoon celebrating CHP's little life. It was incredible! Thanks Amanda, Erin, Julianne, and Lindsay! 

J and I have been going on lots of dates, especially as we get closer to CHP's due date. This week, Wicked was in town, so we had dinner at Piedmont before enjoying the show. It's our third time seeing it, and it seems to get better every time. (Our first time was in DC, and the second was in London). 

Week 34: This was baby week!

Monday, we went on our L&D tour. I'm so glad we know where to go, park, and the process of the birthing suite and post-partum room. I might regret it later, but we decided to skip the eight hour birthing class since I had and L&D clinical in college, and everyone we talked to said it was a long day with not a lot of helpful information. Instead, on Wednesday, we went to a breastfeeding class that was so helpful, and I loved the lactation nurse who taught the class. I hope we see her when CHP arrives.

Over the weekend, my in-laws came down to help us with projects. J finished re-finishing the dresser, so my MIL and I organized the nursery. My FIL and J bought shelving and organized the attic, hung curtains and removed blinds in our dining room. We hung CHP's gallery wall, bought containers, and finished organizing her closet, so all that is left is replacing the light fixture and waiting for her gorgeous rocker to arrive. I hope it gets here before she does but regardless, I'm so relieved that her nursery is now complete and ready for her. 

We're getting so close, and every day it seems more real. CHP moves all the time now, and I love feeling her kicks and bumps. It's fun trying to figure out if she's hitting me with her fists, heels, or legs. Pregnancy is so incredible, and I'm so overwhelmed with how thankful I am for her little life. 

Maternity Monday: weeks 26-28

If you follow me on IG (aileenpp), you know we're getting close to Baby P's arrival! But it's fun to take the weekly bump photos and document this pregnancy. I love that I bought a May Designs book to keep track of everything. So here is the end of the second trimester, a little late...

Week 26: This week, I've continued to be very emotional. I think a lot of it has to do with not sleeping well and working nights. Normally, I can flip back and forth without too much trouble but with pregnancy it's been really hard. 

This year, I worked Monday-Wednesday before Thanksgiving and am very thankful to have the day and the weekend to celebrate with family. My parents and sister came into town, and it was so nice not having to travel. We hosted a small Thanksgiving and really enjoyed the day.

Over the weekend, we did some nursery prep projects and went to an Indian restaurant that one of J's co-workers owns. My family loved it!

Week 27: I worked all night shifts leading up to our weekend in DC, so I was extremely tired but excited for our weekend celebrating Baby P at two family showers. I've been trying to drink lots of water but in turn am running to the bathroom all the time - day and night!

Over the weekend, we celebrated Baby P at two family showers. My MIL and Carolyn hosted a gorgeous blush pink, gold, monogram, and bows shower in the afternoon. Then we drove up to Baltimore for my side of the family. My mom and cousin hosted a fun co-ed appetizer and books party for our baby.

Just before the showers, we told our families and friends Baby P's initials, in case anyone wanted to monogram gifts. We are keeping her full name a secret until she's born. We love hearing people's guesses of her name.

I'll try and put together a full post of the showers but no promises! They both were such fun, sweet showers, and we felt so loved by our family and friends.

Week 28: The above photo was taken the day before week 28.

This week, we relaxed and organized things from our shower. My SIL and cousin have been a huge blessing by giving us lots of baby clothes, bottles, bouncy seats, toys, and more. Traveling home our car was so full J could barely see out the back, and there is still more in DC that we couldn't fit.

We have really enjoyed time together preparing for our little girl and the Christmas season. I baked and relaxed over the weekend in between projects. We also spent time with the Hills and went to my favorite brunch spot Joule with another couple.

This pregnancy is flying by, and I can't believe we're almost ready to start the third trimester!

It's a ...

We're thrilled that there will be lots of BOWS in our future! 

The Second Trimester: weeks 13-20

Once I get caught up on these posts, I'm going to start doing weekly pregnancy posts. Maybe a Maternity Monday every week until baby's due date. I love documenting this pregnancy for us and for Baby P. Hope you enjoy reading it! 

Second trimester highlights so far...

Week 13: Lots of indigestion working night shifts and eating lots of crackers to try and avoid it. Despite indigestion, I'm craving Mexican (this was true pre-pregnancy, but I could eat it any/every night), especially at our favorite Gonza's. 

The best part of this week was announcing our pregnancy to extended family, friends, and co-workers! 

Week 14: Chowing down on tums and guzzling ginger ale due to continued indigestion. I've started planning a gender reveal party; it's something I've always thought would be an exciting way to find out. We went registry shopping and ordered baby's crib from Pottery Barn.

Over the weekend we loved seeing family and friends in DC for a wedding.

Week 15: More tums, ginger ale, crackers, and salty snacks. Exhausted from flipping back and forth working day and night shifts. This weekend, we started vacation and had dates at The Pit, Poole's Diner, and Gonza's. 

This is the first week I've noticed a tiny bump! 

Week 16: We had a great week at the beach with family, laying out, reading, and spending time together despite not sleeping well and more indigestion. Tops are still fitting but pants and shorts are starting to get a little snug.

Week 17: So hungry! Loving date night at Cowfish and time together. Less indigestion this week, having headaches which is odd and not sleeping well. 

Week 18: The best parts of this week - seeing our baby and finding out everything is healthy and strong. I also felt flutters on Sunday for the first time!

We picked a boy name; we'd had a girl's for a while. So when we find out the gender, we can start calling him/her by name. But we're keeping the name a secret until baby arrives.

Now, we have an envelope sitting at our house with our baby's gender. I'm taking it to a bakery this week to place the order!

Week 19: Extremely tired and emotional from working a bunch of night shifts in a row without sleeping well. In between shifts, I've been crafting for our Bows or Bow Ties party. We cannot wait to cut into our cake!

A day before week 20.

And a day before our gender reveal party!

I say it a lot, but it's the truth, I'm very thankful for a healthy baby and pregnancy. After seeing really sick kids at work, I'm so thankful for a healthy baby.

The First Trimester: weeks 4-12

This pregnancy has been flying by! I'm so glad that once we found out I ordered a May book to keep track of everything. Here are the highlights from the first trimester...

Week 4: So excited and surprised! We're going to be parents!?  

Week 5: Lots of terrible cramping throughout the days and waking me up at night, but I called our doctor and everything was fine. It was very early, but we told our families this week because we were back in DC for 4th of July seeing both of our families. For J's family we gave his parents the onesie above. For my family, we got our niece a shirt that said "Big Cousin" and dressed her in it after a nap. 

Week 6: Continued cramping, heightened sense of smell and more emotional. J started doing a lot of baby research. The best part of this week was calling my two best friends from college and sharing our news! 

Week 7: We loved spending a weekend at my parents' house relaxing and catching up on much needed sleep. My parents' also gave us my great-grandfather's dresser that we're going to refinish for the nursery. 

Week 8: Exhausted. Slight nausea in the early morning (leaving for work between 5:45-6am is not ideal). We went to my first OB appointment this week! We saw our baby for the first time, and hearing his/her heartbeat was incredible. I'm so thankful for this little life. 

Week 9: Hungry. Love eating fresh foods, especially from the farmers' market but not wanting apples or salads, which I usually eat every day. Overall, feeling great and still working out at Pure Barre and taking Aida on lake walks. This weekend, my brother came into town to work on house projects that we needed to finish before starting baby projects. 

Week 10: Still so hungry, so I loved feasting at the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo. J is so great; constantly doing things around the house and telling me to rest. 

We officially started taking baby bump photos this week. Baby P isn't showing yet other than maybe a little bloating, so I didn't start taking them before now. 

Week 11: Eating lots of chips, bread, and ginger ale to try and avoid the nausea. We had a fun weekend in DC and Baltimore with family and friends.

Week 12: Eating lots: sweets, carbs, but still trying to make healthy choices. I went to my second OB appointment and got to see Baby P jumping around.

I'm very thankful for a great pregnancy and healthy baby! J has been so supportive and great throughout this whole process, especially when I don't feel the best or am emotional. I'm also thankful for our families and friends who have been extremely excited, helpful, and kind celebrating Baby P with us. 

Lights, Beers, & Sushi

I feel old saying it, but we had another fun, productive weekend, but this time it was with family!

My brother came into town, and we had the best time with him. With their house purchases, he's learned how to fix and replace just about everything. So for our house, he replaced five light fixtures and new locks!

We're quickly replacing everything in our house piece by piece. I took a bunch of photos before the projects, so I'll do a house post soon on our progress.

After all of the hard work on Saturday, we headed to Durham for flights of beer, sandwiches, and arcade games at Fullsteam.

Saturday night for supper, we indulged in my brother's Raleigh favorite: The Cowfish. I love going with him because he likes to order a random assortment and share it all together. It was also the first time my mom has gone, and I think she enjoyed it too.

Sunday morning, the guys replaced a hideous gold light fixture with a fan and worked on the locks. It feels great checking things off my house list. My brother is the best, and I'm so thankful he's willing to come and spend his weekend working on our house for us. I love my family!

Hope you have a happy Monday and a great start to the week!

Weekending

Happy Monday! 

I wanted to thank those of you who sent me such sweet comments about my blogging return! I really appreciate your kind words. 

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to face a new week. We had a great weekend staying in town. Unintentionally, we've ended up having a busy summer, so it was nice to have only a few plans for the weekend. 

Friday, I spent the afternoon with Emily lounging poolside soaking up some rays. I love conversations with Emily because she has a huge, tender heart for the unreached, orphaned, and lost. I'm always encouraged and challenged after being with her. 

 That night, we got to spend the evening with our friends, Allison and Jarod. We had the perfect summer meal at their place of burgers, corn, pasta salad, and banana pudding. Not only are they so much fun to be around, but they are such genuine and kind friends. 

Ever since going to Joule Coffee with a nurse friend, I've been dying to go again. So, I told the chef we had to go for brunch on Saturday. I devoured the "Hangover grits," and the chef loved the eggs benedict. I would definitely go again any weekend. 

For the rest of the weekend, the Chef had a list of little projects to get done around the house: the joys of homeownership. No but really, it was nice to get things accomplished. While he worked on the yard, I cleaned out and reorganized the attic and both of our guest room closets. It feels so great to be cleaned and organized again.

Recently, we changed churches to a smaller one and have wanted to give it a good try and become more involved. We decided to take the first step and sign up to serve, so this week, we were greeters. We really enjoyed it and loved meeting new people.

All in all, it was a great relaxing, productive weekend. Hope you have a great day back to work!

New Beginnings

Hello!

  

It's been incredibly too long of a writing hiatus. It was something that I wasn't planning but just needed for myself. 

We've had some big life changes, life has been rushing forward, which I'm sure it is for most people, and this little space has been neglected. 

If you follow me on IG (aileenpp), you know back in March we closed on our first house!

It's been an exciting, whirlwind of a time settling in with lots of purchases: some expected and some not so expected. Read: in the first four months we've replaced the water heater and our whole HVAC system with two new AC units. 

There have already been great memories made in our little house: celebrating Easter, my birthday, dinner parties, and friends and family staying with us. 

Through everything going on and taking a little blogging break, I've learned more about myself, my marriage, friendships, and what I want out of this space. While I was gone, I attended a fabulous blogging workshop and learned how I want to move forward with this little blog.

I've learned that I'm too hard on myself with growing this blog and constantly comparing it to other blogs. I needed to step away to see this. At the workshop, I realized that in order to grow quickly I need to have something to "teach" readers. Honestly, I don't have that something, nor do I want to. I love lifestyle blogs and that's what I want for mine. This is my space, and I want it for me and my family. 

So, I'm going to share about our life even though it might not be glamorous or thrilling all the time. But this is me, and this is us. And I'm glad to be back!