Aaah, 39 weeks!  Such an anxious time, I am planner to a fault so the unknown of when she will actually be here kind of drives me crazy, but at the same time, it is so exciting & I am trying to embrace it!
Size of Baby Brickner:   A mini-watermelon, OMG!

Maternity Clothes:  Hanging on for dear life to the last articles of clothing that still fit, the struggle is real. 😉 Thankfully, Pink Blush Maternity sent over the cutest pieces this week, it was the best mail day ever & is seriously so, so appreciated!  I am wearing one of the dresses above, & am so excited to share the other two looks very soon.  I was so impressed with everything they sent & best of all, all three pieces work now but will also work after baby girl gets here, & are perfect for nursing!

Best Moment This Week:  You guys, the sweetest thing, my almost three-year old fell asleep on me. We skipped her nap because we were out, she ended up exhausted so I brought her into the (new) nursery to hold while I rocked her, something we haven’t done in way too long.  Of course I cried when I looked down & she was sound asleep, in the same chair we used to do that in all the time, just this time with much longer legs, lots more hair, & skinned knees from all the craziness she gets into.  I just sat & stared at her, while looking around at the new nursery for her baby sister, it was such a surreal feeling & I am so glad it happened.  As weird as it sounds, it almost made me officially feel like we were both “ready” for baby girl to get here now.

Miss Anything:  Oh, the same stuff.  There is a watermelon in my belly & I am super exhausted, but I know the end is near so I am going with it the best I can. 🙂

Movement:  We had another little scare with decreased movement, and ended up at labor & delivery to monitor baby girl who was being very lazy.  Thankfully she got better after a while, & we just considered it a trial run for the real thing!  She has been moving way better since then, & I am making sure to monitor it all the time.

Cravings:  Fruits, french toast, & salads.

Queasy or Sick:  Pretty much back to that first trimester nausea, but again, going with it since I know it will only be for a little while longer.

Looking Forward To:  Labor pains, bring it on! 🙂  And of course, meeting our little girl & seeing Waverly meet her for the first time.
Lastly, congratulations to Sarah Midles, the winner of the Dr. Browns giveaway!!  Sarah, be looking for an email from me to claim your prize!   Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!
XO

 Even though we are all very ready (& excited!) to move on to our next chapter as a family of four, I can’t help but be so incredibly thankful for the journey that this second pregnancy has been.  I loved being pregnant the first time & this time it has been just as special to share it with Waverly, who has grown up so much in the past few months as she prepares to become a big sister.  I will forever cherish these family photos, & can’t wait to share them with both our girls (& hopefully other little ones!) one day, I hope our children will always know how much we adore them and how much each one of them were wanted.

My mom came with us to the shoot so she could take Waverly early and we could get some pictures of just my husband & I, something we never really do anymore for obvious reasons. 😉  As much as I adore the pictures with Waverly, these are so special to me too, at the end of the day all of this craziness started with just the two of us.  I just couldn’t love him more & can’t wait to watch him become a dad to two girls in the next few weeks. 
Of course, the biggest thank you to Brooke of Brooke Tucker Photography for once again, filling our walls with so many gorgeous images, it was so hard to narrow it down to these favorites for this post.  Brooke is amazing (she seriously got in the water with her jeans on, in the cold, to make these pictures come to life), we can’t say enough about her & look forward to many more pictures with her in the years to come. 🙂

Sources:  Blue Dress, Waverly’s White Maxi Dress, White Dress, & All Jewelry

38 weeks, unbelievable!  My mom mentioned the other day that no matter what, we will have a baby within the next three weeks (I was probably complaining, telling her I was convinced this child was never coming out, is to too early for that?), & although she was clearly just stating the obvious, it was so crazy (& fun!) to think about.  I’m pretty sure that by this point, you just get in the mindset that you will probably just be pregnant forever, so it’s good to be reminded that it has never actually happened. 🙂
Dress
Size of Baby Brickner:  A leek, on average, baby girl should be close to 7 pounds by now.  I feel huge, like really huge, way bigger than I did with Waverly, but weigh pretty much the same that I did when I delivered her.

Maternity Clothes:  Although it’s been fun to dress the bump, I’m officially ready to pack the maternity clothes away for a while.  I got some nursing tops & bras this week, & am looking forward to a summer of comfy maxi dresses, shorts, & tanks that will actually fit!

Best Moment This Week:  More quality time with Waverly, we went strawberry picking & to the water park since it opened over the weekend, both things I wanted to do before baby girl arrives since I wasn’t sure how practical they are once she is here.  I am tired, but determined to make these last days count! 🙂 

Miss Anything:  There is a lot I miss right now, mostly being able to move & have the energy that I normally do.  Yet I really am trying to focus on the positive, these last few days with Waverly Maye as an only child & having her little sister in my belly, all to myself for a little while longer.

Movement:  Yes, big ones, but still not as many since I know she is pretty cramped in there.  I am always monitoring them to make sure they don’t slow down too much.

Cravings:  Salads & sweets.

Queasy or Sick:  In general, a little nauseous all the time, along with a few other symptoms (that I won’t go into detail with, your welcome), that I feel like could be signs of labor coming at some point.  Also a sign, although I’m not sure for me since I am a “nester” pregnant or not, I have had the craziest week of organizing & the biggest need to get things done.  I drove to Target at 8pm the other night to get travel shampoo & conditioner for my hospital bag just in case I went into labor that night.

Looking Forward To:  Meeting our littlest lady, of course!!
Lastly, Dr. Browns was so sweet to send baby girl a box full of goodies this week!!  We are so thankful & excited about all these super cute, reliable products that we know will be put to good use, including bottles, pacifiers, teethers & wipes.  They also sent this Gia breastfeeding pillow & cover, I am thrilled about it since I am definitely planning to breastfeed & know how important being able to position the baby is.  This pillow was designed by a lactation consultant & is angled to help with digestion, reflux, & other feeding problems, all things I learned are a reality from my breastfeeding experience with Waverly.
Doll
Even better, I am teaming up with Dr. Browns to give one lucky reader (& babe!) a box full of goodies of their own!  Enter below, the giveway will end this Friday, the 22nd, & the winner will be announced in my 39 week post next Tuesday, the 26th.  Good luck!!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Dr. Browns (you can read more about them here) sent me these products to review but did not compensate me for this post.  All thoughts & opinions are purely my own.

It’s official, we are full-term!!  While I honestly feel like we could use at least another week of getting things done before baby girl arrives, it’s good to know that if she does, she will be fully cooked. 🙂  I’m not getting too anxious yet, my doctor checked my cervix for the first time last week & it’s closed, no dilation at all.  Part of me was a little surprised since I have had so many braxton-hicks, but most of me wasn’t.  I didn’t even start to dilate with Waverly until I was induced at 40 weeks (& even then it took forever, it seems like I am not a very good “dilater”, if that’s a thing).  I know she will come when she is ready, I just keep hoping that it’s before I am so overdue that I need to be induced again.  I have to admit that I kind of love the idea of my water breaking at the store or something crazy like that, & my husband has been dreaming for years of getting pulled over while speeding down the interstate only to tell the cop that his wife is in labor.
We shall see. 😉

H&M Dress (In-Store)
Sjze of Baby Brickner:  A swiss chard, ha!  On average, baby girl is over six pounds already.

Maternity Clothes:  Dresses on the regular, rotating between the ones that still fit!


Best Moment This Week:  Celebrating my last Mother’s Day as a mom to one & other weekend fun with my little family before it grows.  I also loved getting the last baby items checked off our list, washing Waverly’s old clothes for her little sister (laundry has never been so much fun), & seeing the two car seats installed in the back of my car.  Total reality check.

Miss Anything:  Just being able to hang with Waverly like normal, even though she is so used to it now it still makes me feel so bad.  We were playing outside the other day & I told her I had to sit, she said “oh mama, your big belly makes you sick”.  Then she told me (for about the fifth time this week) that she had a baby brother in her belly. 

Movement:  It has definitely slowed down, but when I feel her, they are big movements with hands & feet! 

Cravings:  French toast, turkey bacon & chinese food.  All so random for me.

Queasy or Sick:  The occasional migraine, & sometimes I get so hungry I feel like I might fall over. Yet other than that, feeling good for 37 weeks!  I am starting to get a little anxious about recovery & breastfeeding, labor doesn’t scare me at all but I just hope that I am well enough once I get home to be able to take care of two girls like I want to.

Looking Forward To:  Baby day!!!!!!!!  Holding our newest little lady in my arms is so close & so real now, I can’t even take it!  I also could just die thinking of Waverly meeting her sister, it’s something I have been looking forward to since I found out I was pregnant.  If everything goes as planned, Waverly will stay with family while I am in labor & the first night, and then will come to the hospital once things have settled down so she can meet her sister without it being too chaotic.  Her “big sister present” came in this week, a couple of books & this baby doll from Candy Kirby Designs.  I hope she loves it, she is still beyond obsessed with dolls (and this week has been strapping them into all of the baby gear we brought down for baby sister!).

Rug
Hope you all had the happiest of holiday weekends!
XO

Dress
Size of Baby Brickner:  A head of romaine lettuce, one more week until full-term! 🙂



Maternity Clothes:  Anything that will fit & is comfortable.  I’m not going to lie, I know it’s a long time coming, but I walked by a pair of jeans the other day & got really excited to actually be able to use a zipper at some point in the months to come!


Best Moment This Week:  It’s been a really exciting week, we had our baby-que over the weekend, it was so much fun to see our family & friends and celebrate before we officially grow to a family of four!  My mom, sister & other family members did such a great job planning it for us, I will be sure to share pictures soon!  We also attended a shower for our friends who are expecting their second baby boy, it is actually my husband’s business partner & they are due only one week after us!


Miss Anything:  Just feeling normal, pregnancy symptoms are at an all-time high. I have been having so many braxton hicks contractions, & just some cramping in general.  I’m still savoring her in my belly though, I know before long I will have to share her & I really love having her all to myself!


Movement:  We had another non-stress test this week, which I was thankful for, I will never turn away a opportunity to check on the baby & to make sure she is growing in there as she should!  A couple of weeks ago I had a few days where I didn’t feel her much, so they gave me the test & then decided to give me another, just to be on the safe side.  Since then, I have been feeling her more than ever (significant movements, feet & hands!), and then she moved a ton while we were monitoring her. 🙂  I also had four contractions show up during the test, they were small & my nurse said that was very normal for 35 weeks, but I never had any show up, ever, with Waverly, so I’m hoping it may mean something!!  I am really crossing my fingers I don’t have to be induced this time, only time will tell but my intuition definitely tells me that she may come before her due date!  And now that I said that I will have to eat my words when I am 41 weeks pregnant. 😉


Cravings:  My stomache gets full so quickly right now, so just lots of small meals each day!


Queasy or Sick:  Neither, just tired & big.


Looking Forward To:  A few weeks of relaxing at home with Waverly, & also, so excited for Mother’s Day this weekend, our last holiday before baby day!!  And speaking of, for those of you who follow me on Instagram, I am hosting a BIG giveaway with some fellow mamas (believe me, it’s a really good one!).  It will be announced tonight at 9pm (eastern time), so stay tuned!

Happy first week of May!
XO