34 weeks!

How far along are you – 34 weeks
Total weight gain – 18-20 lbs!
Maternity Clothes – All the time
Stretch Marks – I need to stop looking because I find more and more every day! ☹
Sleep – It comes and goes. The past few nights I have been tossing and turning. It’s hard to get to sleep when our son is pushing on my bladder or my arms are falling asleep.
Best moment this week – My baby shower! I had such a great time with all of the ladies who made it out!
Miss anything – a solid night’s sleep, tuna, coffee in large quantities and getting up off the couch easily.
Movement – Tons of movement these days. There isn’t much room for him in there, so all of the jabs and turns are more intense. There have even been a few that have hurt.
Food Cravings –Sweets. I still can’t get enough of the ice cream or sweets. That’s probably why I have gained the weight I have at the end . . . all of those sweets. Oh, I’ve also craved Taco John’s Nacho’s thanks to a co-worker of mine who brought some in a few weeks ago!
Anything make you queasy or sick – Taco John’s Nacho’s! hahaha
Gender – All boy
Labor signs – Braxton Hick’s contractions have come back. I’ve also had some tightness in my pelvic area in the mornings.
Symptoms – Frequent heartburn with 2-4 tums every night, swollen hands and feet, extreme exhaustion, fetal hiccups and difficulty sleeping! Just to name a few! ☺
Belly Button in or out – out
Wedding ring on or off – My wedding band is still off and my engagement ring might come off in the next few weeks.
Happy or moody – Moody this week.
Looking forward to – My 34.5-week appointment on Monday! As we get closer, I am getting anxious about everything we still have to get done.

My great friends Gretta and Debbie were sweet and through me a baby shower at my house on Saturday, the 23rd! My very good Nicole and her small family traveled up from Cheyenne Wyoming to attend the shower and stay for the weekend. It was fantastic to spend time with them. At the shower, we played some games and tie dyed onesies and then opened gifts. Gretta made some very tasty taco soup that was a hit and Debbie brought cookies to make little fruit pizzas! Over all it was a great shower!

33 weeks

How far along are you – 33 weeks – 8 months and 1 week
Total weight gain – Just about 20 lbs. yikes!
Maternity Clothes – All the time
Stretch Marks – every day I find a few more around my belly button ☹ I need to stop looking.
Sleep – it was harder this week because of my right hand problems. Turns out, I have carpal tunnel in my right hand. Once I got a brace, I slept through the night.
Best moment this week – celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary. We spent ALL day together and our little man moved around quite a bit.
Miss anything – the ability to sleep on my stomach, clothes fitting correctly and tuna fish sandwiches
Movement – Tons of movement still on my right side. Today he kicked so hard that it actually hurt me.
Food Cravings – Ice cream and sweets.
Anything make you queasy or sick – Nothing.
Gender – little boy all the way.
Labor signs – I haven’t had as many Braxton hicks contractions these days. It’s sorta bitter sweet.
Symptoms – I have had lots of swelling, mood swings, insomnia and anxiety about the weeks ahead.
Belly Button in or out – well on its way out.
Wedding ring on or off – I took my wedding band off for a few days and that seemed to reduce some of my swelling and discomfort for my left hand.
Happy or moody – Moody. Very moody this week.
Looking forward to – My Billings baby shower and 35 week appointment on April 1st.

Brad and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary yesterday with a laid back day. First we had a doctor’s appointment and we had the opportunity to hear our little guy’s heart beat again. We ran some errands and had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Brads oldest brother and his wife sent us a gift card to B-dubs because they know how much we enjoy it, so it was nice to play some trivia and have some yummy fried mushrooms. ☺ Thanks you guys! We decided that instead of going out to a nice dinner and a movie that our money would be better spent getting something yummy at Albertsons and renting a movie from RedBox. So that’s what we did. It was nice to come home after a long and busy day and get into our sweatpants and have dinner on our own schedule. It was a wonderful day spent together and couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend it.

My very best friend Nicole and her small family are coming up from Cheyenne, WY for my Billings baby shower tomorrow and I am beyond excited to see them. I’m eager to see who attends the shower and get to spend some time with all of my Billings friends. Brad and I have our nursery some what put together, so that’s exciting. We have some paint chips put up and I think we’ve decided on a shade of blue that we like. Perhaps after Brad has painted, I’ll take pictures and post them to show it off.

After my next doctor’s appointment on April 1st, I will be having weekly doctors visits. Yikes! It’s getting close! Brad and I have our hospital tour on the 15th of April, so maybe after that I’ll feel a little bit better about the end to this adventure. What do I pack in my hospital bag? Do I bring a diaper bag for our little guy? Silly questions. I think I have decided that we are going to do cloth diapers once he is a few weeks old. It just makes more sense from a financial aspect. Why would we spend thousands of dollars on diapers in the 2 years he will be in them, when we can spend no more than 400 and they grow with him! It just seems to make sense is all.

Here is to the next 7 weeks!!

32 weeks - 8 months pregnant!

How far along are you – 32 weeks – officially 8 months pregnant
Total weight gain – 17 pounds. They seem to be packing on these days.
Maternity Clothes – I wear my jeans and yoga pants all the time, but today I could get away with a regular undershirt and t-shirt.
Stretch Marks – Sad news. I found some around my belly button. It was quite disappointing when I discovered them.
Sleep – It comes and goes. I have slept pretty well a few nights in a row and then I seem to toss and turn.
Best moment this week – Brad and our little guy got to bond the other day. ☺ We were enjoying a nice afternoon on our deck playing with Dakota and little baby Ireland starting kicking and playing around, brad quickly put his hand on him and poked him back. This went on for a quite a few minutes as they kicked and poked one another. Lol. ☺
Miss anything – quite a few things. My boots have become close to impossible to put on easily, non maternity clothes are not fitting anymore and my feet are constantly swollen.
Movement – TONS!! Little baby Ireland really likes my right side. If he kicks, it’s on my right side. If his foot gets lodged in my ribs, it’s on my right side. He also sits on my sciatic nerve that goes down my right side. Brad has really enjoyed the past few weeks that he has been able to see and feel him move, which makes me happy that he can start bonding with him.
Food Cravings – I can’t seem to get enough of the sweets. Ice cream, jello, sour patch kids.
Gender – Boy
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks
Symptoms – All of the above. Braxton hicks, swollen feet, lots of movement and mood swings.
Belly Button in or out –Out.
Wedding ring on or off – A few nights ago I had to take off my wedding rings and my grandmothers ring because my hands have become swollen. Since then, I’ve put my wedding rings back on, but my grandmother’s ring hasn’t wanted to return. ☹ For the rest of the pregnancy, it might have to go on a necklace.
Happy or moody – Neither. I have been incredibly nervous, anxious and overwhelmed. If I had to choose, I guess I would be more on the happy side, but I was very moody last night. I suppose it comes and goes.
Looking forward to – Our 3 year wedding anniversary and our 33 week appointment.

Next Wednesday Brad and I will be married for a whole 3 years! Time flies when you are having fun. We’ve been legally married for 3 years, but this is our 2nd wedding anniversary we will get to spend together. Our first one we spent thousands of miles away from each other since Brad was in Afghanistan. Last year we celebrated on a train on our way home from spring training in Arizona. That was a great, but unexpected way to spend our anniversary. This year, we aren’t sure what we are going to do. The stars have aligned and we actually have the same days off this coming week!! I am so excited to spend two solid days with Brad. That hasn’t happened in a very long time. The morning of the 20th we have our 33 week appointment and then who knows what we will do with the rest of the day. Maybe a nice dinner, maybe we will treat ourselves and go to Chico hot springs. We want to try and do something special since it will be the last one we get to ourselves for a long long time.
On a less exciting note, I had my cardiology appointment. It was uneventful and I am cleared to give birth and not have any issues. I was sure to tell both my OB and the cardiologist about my racing heart I had a few weeks ago, and neither seemed to be very concerned.
A few weeks ago Brad and I bought our travel system, which started to make things “real”. It sat in our living room for a day or two and it just seemed odd to have a stroller in the house and not have a baby in it yet. Yesterday, we bought a crib, changing table and rocker with matching ottoman. I’m not usually one to cruise Craigslist, but for some reason I did and we scored!! We managed to purchase all 3 for a very reasonable price and things are coming together. We picked them up before bible study last night and when we got home, Brad wanted to put the crib together. He was so eager to put it together, that it barely made it through our front door before he was screwing things back together. Brad got it built again and asked me to help him navigate it to the 2nd bedroom. I was happy to help, except we got it down our hallway and discovered that it didn’t fit through the door frame. I had a pretty darn good laugh. So our crib is currently living in our living room till Brad has the patience to take it apart and then re-build it IN the 2nd bedroom. ☺

31 weeks!

How far along are you – 31 weeks
Total weight gain – Depends on what scale I’m on. According to our scale at home I’ve gained about 15 pounds. The doctor’s office says that I’ve gained 23.
Maternity Clothes – All the time.
Stretch Marks –Nothing.
Sleep – I have my good nights and bad nights. I like sleeping on my right side, but it tends to get sore and then I have to readjust in the middle of the night.
Best moment this week – Yesterday when Brad and I were running errands in town. Our little man was on the move yesterday and Brad got to watch my belly move.
Miss anything – Sleeping on my belly, a good solid night’s sleep, easily bending over to put on sock and shoes and clothes that fit.
Movement – He really likes my right side.
Food Cravings – Ice Cream!! I can’t get enough of it. Lately it’s been mint chocolate chip and peanut butter cup.
Anything make you queasy or sick – Nothing.
Gender – It’s a boy! However, I had a dream that on my baby shower invite that it said to be sure to give gift receipts because we still weren’t certain it was a boy! LOL.
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks contractions are my new best friend. I’ve also had some tight feeling in my lower abdomen and some cramping as well.
Symptoms – I’ve had a head cold these past few days, which hasn’t made my already stuffy nose very wonderful, but I’m getting over it. My skin isn’t nearly as dry which is a plus and I’m still not swollen.
Belly Button in or out – After weeks of it almost coming out, my belly button has made its way out! LOL. I know all of you who read this would be relieved it’s finally come out! ;-)
Wedding ring on or off – On
Happy or moody – I think I was pretty happy.
Looking forward to – My cardiology appointment.

This week was pretty good. We had my 30-week appointment on Wednesday and Brad and I got to hear out little guy’s heartbeat again. It’s a strong 160 beats per minute. I shared that with my mother and she made the comment that he is going against all of the wives tales. Typically a heart beat that high indicates a girl. Maybe my strange dream of our little ‘guy’ coming out a girl will be true! Wouldn’t that be something!
I have my own cardiology appointment on the 12th to look at my heart and make sure all is well. At my last appointment the cardiologist listened to me and didn’t hear anything wrong or abnormal, but this time I’ll have an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) done to be sure I am 100%. While Brad and I were in Seattle I had kind of a scary episode of my heart racing. We were standing up singing at church and all of a sudden my heart was racing like I had just ran 3 miles. I sat down and told Brad what was going on and he reassured me that everything would be fine and told me to take a few deep breaths. This little episode passed after a few minutes but it was scary. I brought it up with my doctor and she said it wasn’t anything abnormal. She thinks that for some strange reason, my heart needed to get more oxygen to my body. I guess it’s not completely abnormal, but she said if I have more episodes to let her know.

30 weeks!!

How far along are you – 30 weeks
Total weight gain – 13-14 lbs
Maternity Clothes – all the time. In fact, I need to invest in a few more maternity tops. My cotton non-pregnancy tops are getting too tight and not fitting the right way.
Stretch Marks – I am still stretch mark free!!!
Sleep – This last week was different because we weren’t home and I didn’t have the luxury of my own body pillow or bed. I always get great sleep at my in-laws house however. Our little man likes to wedge himself on the right side of my rib cage at night, which has been making it harder to get comfortable.
Best moment this week – The baby shower that my mom had at her house was wonderful. While we were home, my brother and good friend Kelsey got to feel our little man move. It was so cool to see their reaction to my belly movement.
Miss anything – Lots. Bending over easily to put socks and shoes on, easily getting up off of any couch, seafood and a solid night’s sleep.
Movement – Tons of movement. I have been feeling movement on both sides of my tummy at the same time, which leads me to believe that he is lying across, instead of up and down.
Food Cravings – I am craving sweets more these days. I can’t seem to eat enough ice cream . . . .
Gender – Boy Boy Boy
Labor signs – I am getting used to the Braxton hicks contractions, but they are still there and annoying.
Symptoms – swollen feet, achy back and loss of any energy that I had a few weeks ago.
Belly Button in or out – both. It’s half in and half out. Maybe it’ll just stay in for the rest of the pregnancy!
Wedding ring on or off – On!
Happy or moody – Happy this week. There wasn’t much to be moody about this past week. We were back home spending wonderful time with family.
Looking forward to – These next few weeks. I have my 30-week appointment on the 6th and my cardiology appointment on the 12th, just a few days later.

This last week that we were in Seattle was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and friends. My grandmother was staying with my parents while Brad and I were there, so it was wonderful to see her and spend time with her. Brad got to spend some much needed guy time with his very good friend Mitch for two out of the three nights we were at my parents house. My “little sister” Kelsey and I went shopping on Thursday and had a great time having girl time. It was fantastic to catch up on what is going on in her life and be the old Megan and Kelsey again.
My brother was able to join us for dinner on Wednesday night and it was AWESOME to see him for a few hours. This was the first time he has seen me since I’ve gained this amazing pregnant belly, so his first reaction to me with a belly was priceless. He had the chance to feel our little guy move which was pretty cool to see his ear-to-ear smile.
The shower was on Saturday afternoon and it was nice to catch up with all of the ladies who came to shower baby Ireland and I with gifts. I am amazed at the generosity of people and how they blessed us with wonderful gifts. We received two baby monitors, two diaper bags, lots of blankets (one being hand made by my mother) tons of clothes and other baby necessities. My 2nd mother, Judy Brough, got me started on my adventure of making my own baby food by purchasing a food processer, ice cube trays and two recipe books for me. I realize that we still have some time before he is eating some solid food, but it never hurts to be ready. Judy also gave us a hand me down swing and a jogging stroller. We weren’t able to come back to Billings with them, but they will make it to us one way or another. Thank you Judy! My mom also gave us an old sweater that my late grandmother had made for my brother when he was an infant. ☺
After the shower, I drove down to Yelm with Brad’s family to spend the last few days with them. Brad was already down there, as his dad had picked him up earlier on Saturday so he wouldn’t have to be put through the torture of a baby shower. We had a nice dinner and were able to really go through our gifts and see what we were given. Brad was amazed by all of the stuff we got and how generous people are. Sunday we went to church with his family and it was great to see familiar faces. The pastor of this church was the man who married Brad and I and is also one of Brad’s father’s very good friends. I guess the Ireland family and the Blake family are in a race to see how many grandchildren they can rack up! Pastor Russ made an announcement at church to make sure everyone knew Brad and I were home and this makes grandbaby number 5 for the Irelands and the Blake’s only have 4, so his kiddo’s needed to hurry up on the next one! Healthy Competition right?

We left early on Monday morning to have a quick breakfast with Brad’s oldest brother and his family before we left for our flight home back to Bozeman. I had a feeling this trip would come and go with a blink of an eye, but it truly did. Arriving early Wednesday morning and leaving Monday was faster than we both wanted and left us feeling more homesick than before. It’s nice to have family around to spoil you and support you in the choices you make. It’s also very nice to come back to the house we have made a home and sleep in our own bed with our puppy dog.
All in all it was a fantastic trip and we made some pretty great memories. There are so many more to come once our little man is here!

29 weeks

How far along are you – 29 weeks
Total weight gain – 13 pounds
Maternity Clothes – all the time
Stretch Marks – Nothing ☺
Sleep – it comes and goes but my body pillow is a life saver
Best moment this week – There have been quite a few actually. I got to watch Brad’s reaction to feeling our little man move. We were on the plane, landing in Seattle and little man was moving all around. Brad has felt him move before, but he was being super active on the way down to land. It’s also been pretty amazing showing off my belly to my friends. My good friend Kelsey has been able to feel him kick and her reaction was priceless. A funny moment was when I asked my brother “ Can you feel hard my uterus is?” and his reaction to it. He had his hand on my belly waiting for him to move and I had a contraction instead. It was pretty funny at the moment and we will laugh about it for a long time to come.
Miss anything – the ability to put shoes on with ease, fresh fish, many cups of coffee and a good solid nights sleep.
Movement – TONS. He flips around and kicks, but seems to favor my right side.
Food Cravings – I’m back to my regular diet.
Anything make you queasy or sick – I’ve been very lucky with not being sick.
Gender – Boy all the way.
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms – swollen feet,
Belly Button in or out – It’s almost out, but holding strong.
Wedding ring on or off – On.
Happy or moody – Moody. I was stressed out about packing and getting ready for our Seattle trip.
Looking forward to – My Seattle baby shower!! I am so lucky to have a mother who is willing to throw a shower for me. ☺ It will be wonderful to see friends and family and celebrate our new addition.


Brad and I have had quite the adventure already on our trip to Seattle. We weren’t able to fly stand-by out of Billings because of an over sold flight, so instead we drove to Bozeman, MT to fly to Seattle. The flight was scheduled to leave at 6:15 am on Wednesday morning and arrive in Seattle around 7:30. It’s a two-hour drive to Bozeman from Billings and you are supposed to arrive two hours early, correct? So that would put us in Bozeman at 4:15. Instead of leaving billings at 2am and hoping we get to the airport on time, we just decided to leave right from billings as soon as I got off work at midnight to drive the two hours and just be early. We got on our Bozeman flight just fine with 24 open seats and attempted to sleep for the quick flight to Seattle and arrived around 7am. Brad and I visited with my grandma and mom for about an hour and then took a 3-hour nap to attempt to get on with our day. Since we rested, our visit has been wonderful. Brad got to hang out with his buddy Mitchell last night and I went to bed early.
This morning we went down to my neighbor Judy’s house and spent the morning visiting with her. When I went out and about with my good friend Kelsey, Brad ran errands with my mother and grandmother. I found a dress to wear for my shower, which is exciting. ☺ Kelsey also volunteered to do our whiteboard this week and we took some pictures. It’s so wonderful to be home with family! The next few days will be a whirlwind of visiting people, pictures and hanging out.

28 weeks! Happy Valentines Day!

How far along are you – 28 weeks
Total weight gain – 13 lbs
Maternity Clothes – all the time
Stretch Marks – Still nothing, perhaps I’m lucky.
Sleep – It comes and goes. I sleep pretty well once I’m in a comfortable position.
Best moment this week – seeing Brad come home from work today to his favorite holiday treat! I made him almond bark dipped pretzels and they put a HUGE smile on his face. Happy Valentines Day hunny! Our very good friends the Diaz’s also announced that they were expecting this week!! She is about 11 weeks along and doing great! We are so excited for them! Congrats you guys!!
Miss anything – the ease of putting socks and shoes on, a glass of wine and fish. My energy level has also decreased again, so I find myself on the couch more often these days and being exhausted from doing nothing.
Movement – TONS of movement. Our little guy has been moving around quite a bit these days.
Food Cravings – I still have quite the sweet tooth.
Anything make you queasy or sick – no
Gender – Boy
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks contractions.
Symptoms – I have had tightness of my abdomen and a stuffy nose. Also, when I lay on my right side for too long at night I get a tingling sensation down the right side and have to move. I feel bad for poor Brad for my constant movement at night.
Belly Button in or out –Still in.
Wedding ring on or off – On. However, when I gave it to the jeweler the other day to clean it was hard to take off.
Happy or moody – I was a little bit of both this week.
Looking forward to – My 29 week appointment on Monday morning and leaving for Seattle on Wednesday morning.

I can’t speak for Brad, but I am overly excited to go back to Seattle for a few days. It will be nice to spend time with family and get a pampered. My grandmother will be staying with my parents while Brad and I are there, so it will be nice to spend time with her as well. It might prove to be a little difficult to not over do the seafood consumption, so hopefully I can keep it to a minimum. I suppose that’s a perk to living in a land lock state. No fresh yummy seafood!
We will be spending 3 nights with my folks up north and then our last two nights down in Yelm with Brad’s parents and oldest brother and his family. Brad’s parents made a two-week trip to Nepal and then spent some time in Ireland, so it will be nice to hear about their trip. Also, Brad’s oldest brother Greg and his family did a mission trip down to Mexico so I’m eager to hear all about their trip as well.