Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! 

Miss Emma is totally excited for trick or treating, can't ya tell? Kidding-- we will not be trick or treating this year. 

The most exciting part of our day was walking to the grocery store and getting some goodies for my husband's birthday tomorrow! 

I'm not sure how I feel about this upcoming time change...it's really messing with me. We're all cozied up on the couch watching Halloween (and Nightmare on Elm Street parts 1-3). I'm also trying to convince my husband we should order Papa John's. Will let you know how that goes. :) 

Happy Halloween! xO

Wordless Wednesday-- October 29th

We are just too blessed! Happy Wednesday. xO

Emma Jane-- One Week

It's been one week since we welcomed little miss Emma Jane. We are just so blessed to have her! God is so good. 

She didn't mind her carseat on the way home. Okay, I lied-- she slept the entire way home. The doggies greeted her and she didn't seem to mind one bit. Emma is very easy going..super chill like her Daddy.

Every time we wake up in the middle of the night we say how beautiful she is, how we can't believe she's ours, and how much we love her. We are so in love and can't believe God has blessed us with her! 

Emma eats like a champ, doesn't love getting her diaper changed, and loves having her fingers in her mouth. She found her thumb and she sucks it a lot. She was doing that at her 12 week NT scan! Amazing how that works. :)

My dad picked out this sweet little sleeper for her (above) when he was out getting us a diaper genie. Being only 6 pounds, none of her cloth diapers fit yet! I'm so excited to put her in her first fluff. 

Everyone keeps asking if we're getting any sleep...what do you think? She eats every 2-3 hours (mostly 2 and a bit) so we set an alarm to get us up. Pedi said we've got to wake her. It's not bad at all and my husband and I actually have fun changing her, talking, and feeding her. We usually have Roseanne or Everybody Loves Raymond on TV..depending on what time it is. 

My husband is a major saint and since I do the feeding/pumping, he usually gets up and will burp her. One night he came in with her wearing the above outfit! So funny. We have tons of adorable matchy-matchy jammies and Emma comes in wearing that. She looked as cute as a button, though! :)

The past week has been so much fun! I know I keep saying it but we're so blessed. God is so good. 

Thank you again for all the sweet comments, emails, and well wishes! xO

Emma Jane Is Here!

We are so excited and blessed to announce that Emma Jane arrived Sunday morning, October 20th! One day after her due date-- who would have thought? 

She's got a head full of dark hair (just like Daddy) and is the best baby ever. Mama and Daddy cannot get enough of her! Neither can Cocoa and Oreo. 

We are doing great and I cannot thank you all enough for the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes! 

When life is more settled I'll share a little about her birth. If you're dying to know the details here's a hint-- we arrived at 8:10 and she was born at 9:05. It was a little bit of a whirlwind I'd say. :) 

Thank you so much! I read every one of your emails. xO

Bumpdate-- 39 Weeks

Cannot believe I am 39 weeks pregnant! Still does not feel real.. like we could have a baby at any moment. Everyone keeps asking if I feel differently and I honestly do not. 

I feel fantastic! Have a normal amount of energy, sleeping great, and don't think baby has "dropped". Truly blessed. We are excited but definitely not rushing little miss-- she can come when she's ready. 

How far along? 39W5D

Maternity clothes: Same. Wearing maternity clothes when I go out and regular clothes around the house/working out. My idea of "working out" is very different these days..

Stretch marks? Nothing new and exciting....boobs and booty/hips. 

Sleep: Sleep is amazing. I don't wake up to pee any more so I get a solid 8 or 9 hours. Guess I should kiss the amazing sleep good bye pretty soon. :) 

Best moment this week: Hmm, our "baby pool" has been lots of fun. We have a family/friend one, and a work one. The work one also included weight. Major props to the guy who thinks my baby is coming today at 8lbs, 2 oz.. 

My husband's grandmother's birthday is tomorrow, so that would be really cool! But, unlikely at this point. I think my FIL/Sharon will be right. Who knows! 

Miss anything? Unlimited Diet Coke and sleeping on my belly. 

Craving anything? Not really. After our appointment tomorrow we may go out for breakfast/brunch.. iHop sounds kind of good. So does Chick Fil A breakfast! 

Movement: Movement has definitely slowed down, but she still rolls around throughout the day/night.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Chocolate. I was never a chocolate person (it made me sick) pre pregnancy, but I craved it early on. I never went overboard, but the other day I had some and it made me sick. :( So, we're back to no chocolate. The thought of it, seeing it, smelling it, and walking by it at the store is enough to make me run to the bathroom. 

Have you started to show yet? Please.

Dropped? I say no.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None, what the heck.

Belly button in or out? Same, dark and flat. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: Our little gal's arrival! Now if she would just come! 

Symptoms: None really. 

Wordless Wednesday-- October 16th

My poor husband..Happy Wednesday! xO

Pregnancy Must Haves

As my pregnancy comes to an end (holy crap), I wanted to share some of the items I couldn't live without these past nine-ish months. 

Since my pregnancy "began" in February (that's when I found out), I feel like I was pregnant for all the seasons-- winter, spring, summer, and fall. Kind of stinky but luckily I didn't have to buy any winter clothes. These items will definitely vary depending on what time of year you're pregnant. 

:: Ice pack pillow and several ice packs: Seriously, amazeballs. As most of you know I had sciatic nerve pain for almost half of this pregnancy. This pillow saved me in the beginning. The ice pack that came with this pillow is worth its weight in gold. We also went through several ice packs just to keep me cool-- on my forehead, back, legs, etc. 

Hard to see but there is a pocket in the pillow that holds the ice pack. Amazinggggg. 

:: Camelbak (Or any kind) water bottle: My friend got me this one in purple and I love it! It gets filled up at least 10 times a day and I throw it in the dishwasher at night. It's so important to stay hydrated and with this water bottle, it's super easy. (Pictured below) 

:: Pregnancy journal: You'll definitely want to keep track of all your funny symptoms, cravings, and pictures! Mine is not perfect by any means, but I managed to keep up with it and I'm sure Baby Boese will appreciate that one day. 

You don't even have to have a "fancy" pregnancy journal-- just a regular journal or notebook will do! 

:: Elastic hair ties/bracelets: These are awesome to have on hand! (These just happen to be the ones I have-- they sell them at Target for much cheaper, I believe). They were perfect to have when I felt lousy in the morning and had to go somewhere at night (or vice versa). I love that they don't leave a crease in your hair. These will definitely be in my hospital bag! 

:: Hand lotion, foot lotion, and yummy smelling body wash: On some of my most tired days, it took everything I had in me to just throw some lotion on. I love all 3 of these products! My friend got me the Philosophy shower gel and it is amazing! Sometimes I think if you take 5 minutes to "pretty" yourself up, you can feel so much better! 

:: Cozy blanket: Sadly I do not have that particular blanket, but I have been ooo'ing an ahh'ing over it for months. Any kind of blanket is wonderful to have. I carry mine around from room to room-- it sits on my lap while I work, goes to the couch, and I sleep with it every night. This blankie will also be in my hospital bag. It is a must have! (Pictured above)

:: 5-pound dumbbells: Since my idea of "working out" has changed significantly over the past few weeks/months, these are pretty must all I do for weight training. I know, pathetic. Squats and arms, people, that's all I do these days. I do walk, I swear. 

What are some of your pregnancy must haves? 

Share them in the comments, Tweet them, or email me (elboese@Yahoo.com). 

Five Question Friday-- October 11th

TGIF! Can't believe I'm just now getting to this at 6:40PM (and now it's 9:13, sweet), whoops. I promise one day I'll get my act together! 

What are your weekend plans? As usual, my husband is working tomorrow but is off Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow we just have to do a grocery run before he heads to work. :) He picked up a steam mop for us so I'm anxious to try it out tomorrow! 

Not sure what we'll do on Sunday for my husband's day off. Probably try to walk this baby out. ;) We'll see! xO

1. Are you close to having the baby? Are you having any signs, dilated, etc? 

Nope! Cervical checks are unnecessary, cause infection, and don't really matter so are kind of pointless. I can have one if I want but they don't tell you much. The biggest thing is baby's position-- she's head down and has not "dropped" yet at all. I'm carrying her up by my neck still. ;) 

Some things that I'm actually looking out for (that haven't happened yet) would be swelling and obviously my water breaking. 

2. You are going to be such a wonderful mother! What are you most nervous about?

Thank you so much! 

Umm, you weren't very clear-- nervous about birth/labor/delivery? Or nervous about motherhood? Hm. For labor/delivery/birth I'm not really "nervous". I just want everything to go smoothly and bring home a healthy baby girl! I'm not really nervous about motherhood, either! Just excited to be a mama to a little girl. 

3. Do you think you'll want more children? Your pregnancy seemed pretty easy and uneventful. 

It really depends! We'll see what God has planned for us. Let's get this baby out first. :) With that said, we definitely want to have a large family! We came from pretty small families ourselves. 

Yes, my pregnancy was very uneventful/drama free. I'm so thankful! So many of my friends had to go to labor & delivery several times for various reasons. While I did call the Dr a few times, it was only for silly questions. :-) 

4. What are the dogs going to think of a baby? 

Ack! I don't know! They have been around an infant before, but never a newborn. I can't wait to report on how it goes! 

5. Are you doing anything to promote or bring on labor?

Nope. Some people believe in the Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, but I cannot find it anywhere. I think that's a sign I shouldn't be drinking it. Some also swear by evening Primrose Oil. Also not really interested. The only thing I've been doing is walking and bouncing on the darn ball! 

Bumpdate-- 38 Weeks

                                  

Found him in here..

Is this going to be my last bumpdate? We can only hope! No, I'm kidding-- there is no rushing our little girl! We want her to come when she's good & ready. 

Had my 38 week appointment today and nothing too exciting. My weight, BP, and baby look perfect! She has until the 28th to come or we have to talk induction. Boo. I really hope and pray she'll come on her own! When I look in the mirror, she's looks pretty high still. Nurse says I have a cozy uterus. ;)

For all my nosey readers my next appointment is on the 18th. We'll see what happens between now and then! I am going to keep waking and bouncing on that darn ball. My husband thinks I'm going to pop it. He said one night he's going to hear a loud boom and find me on the floor in tears. 

How far along? 38W5D

Maternity clothes: Same. Non maternity clothes and my husband's shirts around the house, and maternity clothes when I leave the house. 

Stretch marks? Nothing new. Booty & boobs. Boo. 

Sleep: Sleeping great! Very thankful for that. There is quite a set up for sleep, though-- Air set at 68 degrees, both fans on, leg pillow, just the sheet, and blankets everywhere else for my husband and the dogs. 

Best moment this week: Our late night date night! I picked up Chipotle (forgot silverware.. that's what I get for being one of those obnoxious people on their phone while in line), picked up my husband from work, and we sat on a bench downtown. This was our view:

When we were done eating we walked to the White House (maybe a block from where we were sitting?). Nobody was over there so it was very nice! I left my phone in the car so didn't get a good picture. How many photos do I really need of the White House?

Miss anything? Not really. Maybe coffee/caffeine/Diet Coke. And a hot bath. 

Craving anything? Not really. 

Movement: Movement has definitely slowed down, but she's still pretty active. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope. 

Have you started to show yet? Obviously. 

Gender: Widdle baby girl! 

Labor signs: None. What the heck. 

Belly button in or out? Same. Dark and flat-ish. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy/blessed/so excited! 

Looking forward to: Our little gal's arrival, family coming, and the arrival of all my friends' fall babies! 

My friend Jen is due in November. It has been so much fun to be pregnant together and I'm so thankful to have her! 

Symptoms: Out of breath and congested 24/7 (I carry tissues around in my pockets, bra, socks, etc).

Wordless Wednesday-- October 9th

It's a serious problem, people!

Happy Wednesday! xO

Bumpdate-- 37 Weeks

Officially full term! Kind of crazy/scary to think that Baby B can come any time now. Yikes! 

I was trying to explain to my dad what "full term" meant, but I was just confusing him..basically baby is completely formed, has healthy lungs, and labor would not be stopped if it started. 

Had my weekly check up today..nothing very exciting. Belly measured exactly 37 and even though I was a rather large baby, no one is concerned that Baby B will be big. She seems pretty cozy in there..still very high and has not "dropped" yet. Guess I need to walk more and bounce on the ball! 

How far along? 37W6D

Maternity clothes: Officially wearing leggings almost 24/7. It's cool here at night so I'm rocking my husband's Vikings hoodie. He told me I don't look pregnant, just fat when I wear it. Sweet! 

Oh side note about the clothes. Starting shopping for some clothes to wear after she's here. Unfortunately I was not one of those ladies who only gains weight in my belly, so I think it will take a bit to wear my jeans and normal clothes. That's okay! I found some cute sweat pants at Target and may even splurge on some VS ones this weekend. 

Stretch marks? Nothing new. Booty and boobs. 

Sleep: Sleep. Is. Amazing. I sleep hard. Waking up and not knowing what day it is. It's amazing. 

Best moment this week: Having another check up and hearing our sweet girl's HB, getting to FaceTime with my dad, and finishing up the nursery (more on that later). 

Fenway and his owners came by because "Fenway had a present for me". Are these not the cutest onesies you've ever seen? 

Miss anything? I love being pregnant! If I had to pick something, I'd say unlimited Diet Coke and sleeping on my belly.

Craving anything? Not really. When my husband's shift is over we are going to Chipotle for a late date night. Been thinking about it ALL day! 

Movement: Movement has definitely slowed down. She is still pretty active-- loves being in the car and candy corn like mama. :) 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Have you started to show yet? Yup. 

Gender: Sugar and spice and everything nice.. that's what little girls are made of!

Labor signs: None. GAH! 

Belly button in or out? Flat as a pancake and dark. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy/blessed/excited! 

Looking forward to: My husband and I are going on some dates before little miss arrives. So excited! And of course Baby B's arrival. 

Symptoms: Congested 24/7, bloody nose at least once/day, sciatic nerve pain, and acid reflux. 

Wordless Wednesday-- October 2nd

Yup, that happened Friday night..

Happy Wednesday! xO

It's October!

Sweet little gal,

It's your birth month! I still remember that day back in February when your silly dad didn't believe me I was pregnant. He kept sending me to Target for more tests! 

That night we went to Starbucks and couldn't hold our smiles and giggles in. October seemed like a lifetime away but we knew it would come fast. Boy did it ever! 

We're so excited to meet you and snuggle you. You seem pretty comfortable in there so who knows when your birthday will be..you call the shots little miss! We're ready for ya. 

I can't wait to dress you up for Halloween. Mama keeps buying you headbands.. I'm sorry, I can't control myself. 

Love, Mommie