39 Weeks

How far along? 39 weeks.  Baby apparently is the size of a watermelon!  Yep, that sounds about right.
Maternity clothes? Do I need to be wearing maternity clothes?  Obviously, yes.  However, if I'm going somewhere that requires wearing actual clothes instead of Jacob's big t-shirts and sweatpants, there's only a 50/50 chance I'll show up.
Sleep:  Good!  I've been conking out so hard this week.
Best moment this week:  Can I just say all of Tuesday??  We went to the zoo in the morning with some friends, and then in the evening our neighborhood had a little parade for National Night Out.  They had a fire truck and the kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and we just marched around a few blocks while the Civic Club threw candy.  It was so cute!!  They also had a costume contest and Jenna won!  Not that my costume making skills are so superior...there just weren't that many kids there dressed up and Jenna was laying on the charm pretty thick with the judges.  Those little old ladies were powerless against her meows and sparkly shoes.

This was the moment she realized she was dressed as a cat.  She loved her little tail!

We also did our first pumpkin patch of the year, complete with petting zoo, mini-pumpkin decorating, and pony/cart ride through a Frozen-themed forest.  Basically everything Jenna is obsessed with and it was really really fun.  If I haven't mentioned, I flipping love everything about October through December.
Miss Anything? Sitting on the couch! It just hurts my back too much right now.  I've been sitting on the tile whenever we watch TV, and let me tell you...sitting on tile = cold cold buns
Movement: So much!  I honestly don't remember Jenna being this active when I was this far along with her.  Juliette definitely loves to stretch out and shift around to find just the perfect snuggle spot!
Food cravings: Sweets, burgers, and fries.  Basically my favorite things in general anyways, but now I want them 100x more!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, and I feel like I've been STARVING this week!  Seriously, I'm a bottomless pit right now.
Have you started to show yet: Ooohh yeah. I go out in public like... 

(Not really, that looks exhausting.)

Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Yes, almost all of the gross ones!  I won't list them here because if you don't know, you really don't need to.  I will say this though...I feel like if you're at the point in your life when you're having babies and you don't have anyone to text about your pre-labor diarrhea, you're doing life wrong.  Whoops, I guess I just said one of the gross things.  Well anyway, I'm not even sure if that one was due to impending labor or because of all of the weirdo organic pregnancy tea I've been guzzling to "ready my womb for labor," as it says on the box.  Aaand since I haven't ACTUALLY gone into labor yet, I'm going to go ahead and guess the latter.  Rats.
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? Still off!  I miss my ring! 
Happy or Moody most of the time:  In the interest of being totally honest, I actually had a lot of really blue moments this week!  I think it was a combination of hormones and anxiousness over birthing logistics and very little sleep and feeling listless because all of my to-do's have been to-done and because I really really really really thought Thursday was going to be the day and then it wasn't....this weekend really rejuvenated me, but up until that point I was struggling with just feeling really sad!  It made me nervous too because I had ZERO postpartum depression with Jenna and I was (and still am a little) afraid that my moodiness this week meant I might be hit with the baby blues pretty hard this time around.  And who knows, I might.  The good news is this past week gave me and Jacob a chance to talk about potentially having postpartum depression, since I don't think it crossed either of our minds up until this point.  At least we'll be prepared if it happens!
Looking forward to: Meeting my sweet little girl, and having all of the grandparents come down to visit/help!!  (Not all at once, naturally.  That would be insane.)  My mom is flying down as soon as I go into labor and I'm SO excited to see her!!!!!  Not to mention, having her visit be shortly followed up by my dad's (staggered to maximize help and to make sure someone is around the Chicago area for the birth of my niece Sofia!!) and then Jacob's parents in early November.  I'm just so psyched to see all of our folks!! <3 <3 <3

Jenna 1.9

Our little doodlebug before her gymnastics class

Age: One year and nine months.  I've just started telling people that she's "almost 2"  when they ask, which I can't believe is true!!
Milestones:  Potty training!!  We're not QUITE there yet, but she's getting really good at telling us when she needs to go.  We just need to work on sitting patiently on the potty for #2 to come out.  AND not stripping naked in her crib whenever she has a wet diaper overnight....yeah, that's been happening.
My Favorites: Potty training!!  Don't get me wrong...the whole process has definitely had its ups and downs, but all in all I LOVE not having to change her diaper all the time.  I'd so much rather just pop her on the potty when we're running errands than cross my fingers that her poopy diaper doesn't leak before finding a changing station somewhere.  PLUS, because we always celebrate when she goes in the potty, she has started celebrating when WE go too.  She comes flying around the corner, wildly applauding and saying, "YAAAAYYYY MOMMMYYYYYY!!!!  POTTTYYYYY YAAAYYYYYY!!!!" every time she hears the toilet flush.  I don't know the last time anyone applauded you for anything, but let me tell you...it's an ego booster.
Her Favorites: Gymnastics!  I wasn't sure how long it would take her to warm up to it, but it was instantly a hit.  The second I let her hang from the uneven bars, I peeked around to see her face and I'm telling you...the Easter Bunny could've been standing there singing Frozen and holding 10 kittens and giant vat of cottage cheese and she wouldn't have looked more excited.  We're also getting really into Winnie the Pooh and Sophia the First since Mommy is getting huge and sometimes needs a mid-morning nap.  Can I just say too, that I love how she love frogs, trucks, and dinosaurs just as much as she loves kitties, tutus, and tea parties?  Still not a huge fan of bugs though.
Surprises: How well she knows songs!!  I love hearing her sing along with whatever we're listening to...she chimes in with the words that she knows and does all the hand motions like a pro.  We also have Disney Pandora on a lot...just in the past week she's been asking to look at the album covers whenever a new song comes on, and now can identify which song is from "Mermaid!" or "Lion!" when she hears them, even though she's never seen the movie.  What a pro!
Other Notable Moments: She started putting two words together!  Her first phrases were "bye bye tape" when Jacob threw away a tape dispenser and "dog bath" when we were at Petsmart.  Profound stuff, really.  Other than that, potty training and prepping for Juliette's arrival have sort of dominated this month.  Other than little outings to the library, some friends' houses, and Mother's Day Out, we haven't been up to much.
 Looking Forward To... Seeing her with Juliette!  She's been having so much fun pretending to feed, change, and put her stuffed animals and baby down for naps.  I can't wait to see how loving she is with her new little sister!!

Trying to get a good mother/daughter headband photo for Christina...sorry we're the worst brand reps ever!

Classic toddler uniform

And a pumpkin lover is born.

This is the hand of a dad of girls.

Putting the baby to sleep

There's a baby in there somewhere....

"MOM!  No pictures right now, we needed to get these figures out like...yesterday!"

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes, and I've officially graduated from my medium yoga pants to my large ones. #movingonup
Sleep:  Really good for the first part of the week, and then towards the end of the week my back just started killing me and sleep got reeeeally tricky!  I think because she's so low, it's rolling out my hips and pinching some nerves near my tailbone.  Yowza.  Either that or it's back contractions....fingers crossed for that one, (even though it's not any less uncomfortable!)  On the cute side, Jenna has started rubbing my back and moving Jacob's hands onto my back to help fix Mommy's "owies" haha
Best moment this week:  October's arrival!!!!  I LOVE this month, and I'm so glad that Juliette is officially going to be born in it!!
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach.  Although I can pretend like I'm sleeping on my stomach if I lean towards my front and sprawl my legs out so I take up almost the whole bed...poor Jacob
Movement: Lots from her, she's gotten very active!  She loves pushing her feet against the side of my stomach, and I think I felt her toes from the outside last night!!  And as for my movement...I never really understood why pregnant ladies walked with their backs arched and hips pushed out until this week.  I'm definitely getting my waddle on (or "pregnancy swagger," if you'd like to make me sound a little cooler.  Please and thank you.)
Food cravings: Eh...not really.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still plenty hungry and am definitely eating for two....or three...I'm just not wanting anything in particular
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nada
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and she's lowwww
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: A few more irregular contractions, and the OB said I'm almost 3 cm!!!  She asked if I wanted her to sweep my membranes to move the labor process along...and I totally panicked! All of a sudden I felt like...whoa whoa whoa, AM I ready to have a baby?!  I felt a lot better after talking to my friend Kathleen though...she just had a baby a few months ago and it was so good to be reminded that the newborn phase of feedings every two hours and very little sleep, etc. only lasts for a month or two!  That's what I was feeling the most nervous about, but it's a phase and it'll pass and every day of having a baby just gets better and better (except when they go through growth spurts, but let's not talk about that)
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? OFF!!!!!   Ahhhh I didn't take my ring off before bed on Wednesday night and woke up the next morning with it TOTALLY stuck on my finger!  It woke the claustrophobic up in me pretty quick, I'll tell ya that.  I've been wearing a fake ring ever since (that's about two sizes too big) because I do NOT want to go through that again!
Happy or Moody most of the time:  I want to say happy, because honestly that's how I feel most of the time, but I have definitely had some super crabby mood swings.  It's either hormones or lack of a good night's sleep, but I've found myself having to apologize to Jacob more often than not these days...womp womp, sorry family...
Looking forward to: Enjoying more of this amazing weather!

37 Weeks

Not my best chalkboard, but to be fair I have been doing this for 37 weeks (plus the 39 weeks from my last pregnancy) and am entitled to some laziness.  Also, is it just me, or is that baby looking LOW???

How far along? 37 weeks, YAYYYYY!!!!  Also for the record, I just realized this is my 100th blog post!  So...this is me acknowledging and celebrating that little milestone along with the bigger milestone of being full term 

Maternity clothes? Of course!  I've definitely had more gruff days than cute ones lately...I've officially entered the "I'm enormously pregnant so I don't care that I'm wearing flip flops and yoga pants to church" phase.  Just as an example. 
Sleep:  Pretty good!  Although rolling over is rough. business.  Wakes me up every time.  But I was just saying to Jacob how I have had way less weird dreams this pregnancy than I did with Jenna's....I must just be really worn out by the end of the day!
Best moment this week:  Being officially full term!!!!  I'm doing my best to soak up these last moments of pregnancy, since this is (theoretically) our last one....but it's hard when I'm so excited to meet Juliette!  And am the size of a whale... 
Miss Anything? Not having my thighs touch my belly when I sit will be glorious
Movement: Yes, she LOVES stretching her legs out and pushing them against my side!
Food cravings: Sweets.  This poor kid.  I solemnly swear to eat lots of broccoli this week so she'll at least want to eat some of that in between Hostess cupcakes someday....
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I feel great!
Have you started to show yet: Yeah, apparently I got huge this week!  Look at last week's picture compared to this week's picture.  WHAT?!  HAPPENED?!  I have to believe it's an angle thing because I don't see how that's even possible to grow that much in a week
Gender: Girl!  Even though everyone keeps telling me that it looks like I'm having a boy.  Wouldn't that be a surprise!
Labor Signs: No more Braxton Hicks this week (yay) but also no more dilation progress according to my OB (boo)
Belly Button in or out? Soooooo out!!
Wedding rings on or off? On!  I do take them off at night though.  That's when I feel the most swell-y
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy
Looking forward to: Well, OTHER than having Juliette with us in person, I'm looking forward to our neighborhood Halloween parade next week!!  I'm so excited for seasonal festivities to begin, especially since Jenna will actually be able to appreciate them this year, and I'll have TWO little munchkins to put in cute little {fill-in-the-holiday-blank} outfits!  I still think that having a baby in December was way better pregnancy-wise because it wasn't as hot when I was super big, BUT having a baby in October is way better postpartum-wise because I'll have this cute tiny little baby to dress up during the best holidays of the year!!  Do you think she'd forgive me for dressing her up as a mini-pilgrim for Thanksgiving??  (Answer: probably not, as I'm not sure I've wholly forgiven my parents for dressing me up as one in 4th grade...JUST me, mind you.  My puffy hair must've made me the best candidate for looking like I came from ye olde rustic times.  I promise I'll post a picture if I can find it.)

36 Weeks

We finally settled on a name!!!! ...I think.  Even just two days ago I started having doubts again, but Jacob reminded me how much we love the name and I calmed down :)  For the record, she's NOT named after me.  In fact, we almost didn't choose it because we felt weird that it was so similar to mine.  But we stuck with it because Juliette was the name we both liked the best after all of the voting...(results shown below!)  We chose Elize for her middle name because it means "pledged to God," which we thought was beautiful.

Please note the hilarious lack of diversity in name meanings

How far along? 36 weeks.  You guys!! One week from today I'm going to be full term. I could have a baby at our house in ONE WEEK!!!  Ahhh!!
Maternity clothes? Definitely...even my maternity tanks are starting to look a little short. YIKES!
Sleep:  Good!!  I've been napping a lot more...I don't know if that's because I'm getting toward the end of my pregnancy or because Jacob and I have stayed up late a few nights this week to work on little projects (putting together dressers, Halloween costume for Jenna, etc.) but I haven't minded the few extra zzz's during the day
Best moment this week:  We went to an infant CPR class at the hospital and got to walk by all of the tiny little babies in the hospital nursery!!  I forgot how small they are and I can't wait to hold my very own soon :)
Miss Anything? I would say having more of a variety of outfits but let's be real...it's so much worse to dress postpartum than it is pregnant.  I will cherish these last moments of having people tell me I look cute because of my big belly!!
Movement: Not as often, but when she does, they're BIG!  Sometimes it makes me nervous because she'll go a little while without moving, but all I have to do is drum a little beat on my tummy and she starts jammin'!
Food cravings: Still sweets
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing
Have you started to show yet: Yes yes yes.
Gender: Girl!!  I keep picturing another little Jenna, but I know she could look so different!  I can't wait to see!
Labor Signs: No more Braxton Hicks this week, but my OB says I'm almost 2 cm dilated now!
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  MOSTLY happy, although I was prrrrreeeettty cranky Thursday evening and Friday.  I think I just needed a little bit of me time...something I definitely won't have as much of in a few weeks!!
Looking forward to: HAVING! MY! BABY!  Oh, and PDQ (YUMMY, in case you don't know) is opening nearby this weekend aaaand they have half-price shakes from 3-5.   Thank GOODNESS I didn't have this available my whole pregnancy but I will definitely be taking advantage of it these last few weeks!

35 Weeks

How far along? 35 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep, it's either maternity clothes or Jacob's clothes these days!
Sleep:  For the first half of the week, it was not fantastic.  I was just feeling so uncomfortable...it's my toes!  And my feet!  I feel like I can feel them swelling by the second.  I think I wore myself out so much at the beginning of the week though, that the second half of the week I slept wonderfully
Best moment this week:  Going to Baby J's shower!!  It was so great to be surrounded by so many people I love, celebrating a baby I love :)  And I feel much more prepared for her to be born!!  Jacob and I worked on putting together her nursery afterwards...it's not totally done, but I will share this picture of her cute little reading/nursing corner!

Miss Anything? I miss being able to crack my back easily!!  Terrible habit, I know,  But the twisting is just not in the cards right now and I miss it!!!

Movement: Let's talk about MY movement for a second, shall we?  I've basically been waddling everywhere and sometimes even needing to hold up my belly for a little extra support.  BUT.  I don't think I have ever moved so fast as I did this week.  Let me tell you friends, you don't know fear until your child starts saying "potty!" when you're in line at the post office.  Which DOESN'T have a bathroom, by the way.  And they won't let you use the employee bathroom, even when your potty training toddler needs to go.  And then you go outside and your toddler squats down and starts grunting.  And then you put her in the (fairly new and clean) carseat as fast as you can, while half-begging/half-encouraging your toddler to hold it.  And you want to speed down the neighborhood streets back to your house, but you're stuck behind a giant and apparently very law-abiding van.  And then you hear grunting from the back seat. ("Hold it! Hold it!!! No mess!! You'll get a treat if you put your poo poo's in the potty!!")  And then you make it home and everyone and everything is miraculously dry and clean, so you run run run inside and get to the potty....and your toddler puts her stuffed kitty on the potty instead, because apparently it was KITTY that had to go potty all along.  -_- 
Food cravings: Still sweets, and a few nights in a row where I really wanted a burger and fries!! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet: LOL
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: I went to the OB this week and she said I'm 1 cm dilated!  Woo hoo, I'm already 1/10th of the way through labor!  Or something like that haha.  She also said that it seems like the baby has dropped and that my belly is measuring at 37 cm, when it's supposed to match the number of weeks you are.  I've had several rounds of Braxton Hicks this week too.  Who knows, maybe this baby will be early!  Not TOO early though, I hope!  
Belly Button in or out? Way out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  So happy!!
Looking forward to: Baby J being born!!  I can't WAIT to see what she looks like and I'm so excited for Jenna to meet her!!!!

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep!  I especially love when I go to hike up my big pregnant lady pants and grab my big pregnant lady underwear by mistake and give myself a big pregnant lady wedgie. #adorable
Sleep:  Great, although I have had a few insomniac moments after waking up to pee
Best moment this week:  We were in an aisle at the grocery store (secluded, don't worry!), and Jenna wanted to say hello to her sister.  She lifted up my shirt, grabbed my belly, gave it several kisses, and said "love you!"  It was so so so so so so so so precious.  I can't wait until they're face to face!
Miss Anything? Cookie dough!  I'm probably going to give in and make an egg-less version tomorrow...yum!
Movement: All the time!  I love it!!  Except when I get randomly kicked (punched?) in the cervix.  Anyone who's been pregnant before, you know what I'm talking about. #notatrampoline #savetheladybits
Food cravings: I don't think this counts as a craving, but I'm getting excited for fall foods!! I'm trying to wait until it cools down a little more before I really dive in, but I might have to make some chili for the NFL season kickoff next weekend!!  Maybe wiiiiiith...cornbread waffles?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling great!
Have you started to show yet: Most definitely.  I'm getting to the phase where my belly is getting in the way of my leg movements
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nope!  Hang in there, Baby J!  Just a few more weeks!!
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!  I did have a couple moody moments, but as Jacob was traveling and I was flying solo all week with a sick toddler (mostly snuggly, but sometimes very cranky)...I say I had my reasons
Looking forward to: Fall, and everything that goes with it!!  Cooler weather, sweaters, pumpkins, boots, apples, scarves...although, not while pregnant.  For some reason being super pregnant and wearing a scarf just makes you look 10x bigger.