38 weeks and Henry's Space

Well, here we are at 38 weeks! The first part of the pregnancy dragged on, and now i feel like time is spinning by so rapidly! Midwife says I'm doing well, and the fibroid is small enough, and far enough from the birth canal that there's no worries! We got to see Henry on ultrasound 2 days ago, but he's so crammed in there we could barely see anything! Soon enough, though! :) Come on out when you're ready buddy, but please, let's try not to be fashionably late! ;)

Luckily, we just finished hanging the final touches to Henry's space. :) It makes it feel more real now! As most of you know, we are inhabiting a one bedroom apartment, so that means we get the joy of sharing our room with Henry. {Like we have a choice! ha!} It's a good thing it's a big room, and we were easily able to get all Henry's stuff in there quite easily!

The wreath hanging on the mirror is a gift from my dear friend Courtney!

His changing station/dresser...

I love all the little decorations above his changer. The mirror is one we got from an antique store when we were in KY. The sunshine sign I made. The oval frame with the bow ties hanging was from a thrift store-it was an ugly color so I painted it white and strung string on it and hung his bow ties from my baby shower. Each guest made one for him! :) The 'Wheel of Responsibility' I found at The Salvation Army here in town, it was too funny NOT to buy! ;) The small pictures are ones I printed. The little wooden xylophone was thrifted, and his initials are compliments of his Aunt Courtney. :)

I made this paper mache piggy bank when I was in high school. :)

View of Henry's crib...

I made his name sign above his crib. One of my fave parts of his space!

I found this sweet, vintage mobile at an antique store. It was my inspiration for the entire space! :)

I LOVE to mix fabric patterns and textures! Gray and white chevron, mint and white polka dot, navy blue, sheer damask, linen and white.

Can't wait to be snuggled up here, rocking my lil man! :)

And that's about it, folks! There's still a few things that I'd like to do, but this is pretty much complete. Thanks for looking!

Heisel Rules! {the Bump}

Beauty Revealed Project

Warning- this is a personal post and I was slightly apprehensive about posting something like this, but  my intention is to inspire other preggers and mothers out there to embrace the beauty of their changing bodies, and I think that's so important. So, here goes, from one {soon to be} mama to another-

Soo I've talked about this a couple of times on Facebook and to various family and friends so I figured it was high time I actually write about it, especially considering the profound impact it had on me. :)

I heard about this group "Beauty Revealed Project" through Facebook a couple months back and thought, "Oh, that sounds like fun", but what it would reveal in me would be life changing!

I've always been fairly confident and had a good body image. I've been mostly active and healthy my whole life. Of course, I had never had a baby or had to even think about how I would feel about my changing body when I became pregnant and then afterwards. However, becoming pregnant and having to deal with weight gain in such a rapid manner made me sort of self conscious. I wasn't really prepared. I know, that sounds crazy- not being prepared for weight gain during pregnancy, but I thought I wouldn't gain as much as I have. Two years ago I successfully completed weight watchers and lost nearly 30 pounds only to turn around and gain it back, and then some, now. That's hard.

Fast forward to the day of the shoot. I was so excited to be taking part in a fun photo shoot and to meet some new ladies, but I still didn't have any idea exactly to how deep this group would touch my heart and my life.

Still curious as to "why" we were all there, the photographer started the meeting and asked everyone if they were ready to bare it all? I was taken aback by the responses of some of the ladies, who were really beautiful. I mean, beautiful inside and out. I was surprised that they saw themselves as flawed. At this point I must point out that I was the only pregger at the shoot (~30 weeks), everyone else had already experienced motherhood outside of the body. It was talking to the ladies, then, that I realized the depth of their beauty. Many women in the group had birthed their babies, get this- at their home or a birthing center. WHAT?! Not a HOSPITAL?! No drugs?? I even smugly admitted that day, "No way, give me the drugs!!" Very little did I know, I'd later eat my words. I was close-minded, but *secretly* a spark of curiosity was lit inside of me.

As the shoot went on I could see the women opening up more and feeling more confident. It was right at that moment that I realized WHY we were there. It was suddenly obvious that we were placed in each other's lives, at that exact moment, to encourage each other, to embrace the beauty of our own body and each other's bodies, during pregnancy, in my case, and post baby. We each had a role to play that day, and that was to be there for each other. We were all united for one reason-to show the world that THIS is real, true beauty, not what you see in those photoshopped mags. This journey was about learning to love our bodies just the way they are.

This, ladies and gentlemen, was truly inspiring.

Here's my blurb that I wrote to describe my why-
"Pregnancy- the most beautiful time in a woman’s life. Or so I’ve been told. What I wasn’t told is the insecurity that comes with the weight gain, cellulite, stretched skin, and the constant sweating, which I’m sure is what people confuse with “the glow”. I simply wasn’t prepared to deal with all these new body changes. I felt fat. What I didn’t realize is that I was comparing myself to others and trying not to stress when I surpassed the “norm” 20-25 pounds that you SHOULD gain. Then, I stopped comparing myself and decided to embrace my perfectly imperfect new body. Thanks to my husband's encouragement, “I’m not fat, I’m pregnant” has become my mantra. And when my belly deflates, and I’m left to deal with the scars and stripes of motherhood, I’ll embrace them like the badge of honor they are- They are my life, they hold my stories, they are ME. Perfectly imperfect me." -2013

So, how did it change my life?

My BRP sisters have taught me that women are powerful beings by nature. We are not broken, we are not flawed. We are uniquely beautiful, each and every one of us.

To all you beautiful BRP calendar girls-
Thank you for awakening me. Thank you for the encouragement and for inspiring me to be strong, to be courageous and to be open to new ideas. It's because of you that I have expanded my idea of what kind of experience I want for Henry's BIRTHday! I'm considering all sorts of new things involving birth and motherhood that I never would have even imagined for myself. Thank you for the new outlook, but most of all, the great friendship! {BIG hugs}

BRP gave me new, wonderful friends and a new body image outlook now and beyond birth! If you're interested in participating in a photo shoot like this, look up Beauty Revealed Project and try to get one started near you! Who knows what this "project" will teach you! :)

Photos credits- Grace Abounds Photography and Parsons Photography.

Heisel Rules! {the Bump}

37 Weeks

Only 3 more weeks til I run my Birthathon!!! ;) We were shocked when September 1st rolled around! Soon, we will meet the little man I've been growing all this time!

I can't begin to explain how excited we are! Who will he look like, and more importantly will he be stubborn strong-willed like his daddy or tender and sweet like his momma?! Since we have the chance of sharing a birthday, I'm betting he'll have my demeanor! ;) I know, I'm a lil biased since I'm the one writing this! ha!

We had our second visit to the birthing center yesterday. Just a quick back story on that- I met a wonderful group of ladies at a photoshoot about 2 months ago. I was the only one pregnant; they had all had wonderful birth experiences, and until that time, I had only heard the horror stories that mothers tell. I was so fearful that I just knew I wanted to have "drugs" at birth so I didn't have to feel this same pain that the horror stories engrained in my brain. However, hearing these amazing, inspiring women tell me that they birthed at home in a pool, or at a birthing center (yes, drug free), I became curious. How could they do it successfully when all the other woman I've talked to had traumatic experiences? I remember telling Matt about how inspiring they were, so about a month ago we decided that we wanted a more personalized birth experience, one that, we feel, a hospital could not give-introducing New Birth Company! As soon as we visited, we knew this was the place that we wanted to be when we introduce Henry to the world! And here we are! All I needed was the encouragement that these ladies, unknowingly, gave me. We also hired a wonderful doula who will assist during the labor and delivery!

So, now we are having weekly visits to see the midwife. The visit with the midwife was great! Henry is growing fine and I'm still very healthy. At NBC, they do not check my cervix until 40 weeks. They believe that checking internally can give a false sense of hope, and they also believe that things will happen naturally. So, now we are just waiting on the signs of labor. I've been having stronger Braxton-Hicks, but not really anything pointing to labor just yet. At this point, Henry is considered full term so, really, he could come anytime he wants now. :) Better get those bags packed STAT!

We have another ultrasound next week to check the growth of the fibroid inside my uterus, but I'm praying that it hasn't grown. I just don't want the birthing center to have any reason to be concerned, thus sending us to the hospital to birth. ;/

Henry's space is almost done! We have his crib, changer/dresser, and rocking chair in place, we just have to finish hanging the decor. Matt has been amazing at staying calm to my decor demands! ;) I swear, I change my mind even more now than I did before. I have such a hard time making decisions sometimes most times! ;) My goal is to finish the space up and get a blog post about it asap! Fingers crossed!

My Currents-
Cravings- rootbeer (still), Arizona tea, watermelon
Still see my feet? Not really now. I have to bend even further forward to see them. I've noticed that I bend forward pretty much all the time when standing near a counter, etc. because of how far the bump is protruding.
Henry's Position- His body hangs out mostly on the right side, and his legs and arms on the left side. He's been head down nearly the entire pregnancy. We've affectionately been calling the bump "egg" because of its shape, and we laugh when the "egg" is misshapen- meaning that Henry is pushing out on a particular side. It's actually comical to see. Most times we can see his butt {or something rigid} pushing out on the top.
Feelings- Getting really excited to meet him! And I'm actually getting anxious to see what this birthing thing is all about. I'm determined, however, to make it my experience and "refuse to accept another's experience as my own" (quote from Hypnobirthing). We feel so calm and at peace at the birthing center, so I'm confident in our choice!

Well, that's all til next week...or until Henry decides he wants out, whichever comes first!

Heisel Rules! {the Bump}

33 weeks, 3 days

33 weeks, 3 days. 

Tired.

Lethargic.

No energy.

All symptoms that I'm currently experiencing. :( This has hit me harder than in the first trimester! Did not expect that. Until now, it used to mean that Henry was going through a growth spurt... It's a good thing I got a jump on things earlier in the pregnancy! We have a good stock pile of diapers and wipes, and this lil guy is not hurting for clothes! ;) Still lots to do, and hoping to finish up what I can on the days I can. The energy level varies daily. 

This last month has been full o' growth for this mini Matt! He has measured "bigger" the last 2 times we have been to the midwife, however, she's not concerned that I'm harvesting a chubster just yet. I have an abundance of amniotic fluid that is playing part in how "bloomed" I am, and she also said with a short stature, I have no where else for him to go but out. I tried to convince Henry to fill out the areas that really matter- you know the boobs and butt, but so far, he's done what he pleases and that is to extend his apartment out! I'd love to charge extra for this expansion, but so far he's not paying up! ;)

We managed to snap a couple (quick) shots!

LOTS and LOTS of movement! No need to lay still to count his kicks, he just does his own aerobics anytime he pleases. Is this a sign he'll be stubborn?! By now, though, we can see an occasional foot, hand, elbow, knee, or butt roll along my stomach. He REALLY enjoys arching his back and pressing out against my stomach, hence a butt in the air! He's still head down which is good news! Fingers crossed he stays that way! 

We still really like our midwife! We're even exploring the option of having a doula at the birth as well. I'm really hoping to go as natural as possible during the birth and by having those 2 professionals makes me confident that I can do just that! But, I also wanted someone who could keep Matt calm! When I'm in pain he wants to fix it, bless his heart, but there's no "fixing" childbirth, it must be endured! SO, maybe the doula can keep us both calm so that Matt can enjoy the experience of becoming a daddy, and I can focus on pushing Henry out! :)

Cravings- root beer (still), but it sorta hurts my belly now so I can only enjoy a few sips. Nothing else in particular; food just has a much more intense flavor! 

Maternity Clothes? YES! The bottom of my belly now hangs completely out of my normal tops and tanks! :( Thank goodness Matt still loves me despite hanging out at home rocking the half gut! It could be worse....errr maybe not! :) I also have to be choosey of my "normal" dresses so as not show my Henry out the front! :/ That, would be tragic! Yikes! Also purchased my first nursing bras this past week! Gotta break em in and see if I'm gonna like em! Goodbye Victoria's Secret, Hello Bravado Nursing bras! Sexy! ha! BUT I'm still rockin the heels! ohh ya! They may be wedges, but they are heels nonetheless! ;)

Feelings? Depends on the day and who I've talked to! I'm still getting the usual, "Ohh, you're due any day...", but I just shrug it off. No need to let strangers get me down! I also get the occasional mother, whose children are running around like wild banshies, horrify me with her less than traumatic birth experience! Why do women feel the need to do that?! Why not let the birth experience belong to each individual woman? Why not be encouraging? I get being informative, but then there's over the top dramatic momma who labored for 100 hours, and had every single medical intervention and problem known to man. Then, I visit my midwife, and all seems right in the world again. All of a sudden I can tackle anything-including childbirth! She's so encouraging and that's what really matters! PLus, it helps that Matt is so encouraging too. Couldn't do it without my main man!

Well, that's all for now- gotta go do some more squats! ;) Stay tuned for Henry's nursery space post!

Heisel Rules! {the Bump}

30 weeks

Wow- 30 weeks- (actually 30 weeks, 6 days)! We entered single digit weeks til we expect Mr. Henry! It feels unreal!

Yesterday was our 30 week check up. Since I have the fibroid on my uterus, I have to get ultrasounds every 4 weeks so we had that yesterday as well. Unfortunately, it was scheduled at the office that doesn't have 3D so we could only see Henry in 2D, which is still nice! :) And bonus, my Aunt Amanda was in town visiting so she got to come with me to see Henry!

Henry wasn't shy about showing his dude parts! If we needed affirmation; we got it! ;) He was in a crazy position; one leg and foot was up by his head and the other was down, almost sitting on it. It was funny to see!

foot on head

I think he has big feet!

He also gave us a good profile picture and one straight on!

He cooperated, though, while Sally, the tech, looked him over to see if his growth is on schedule. She said that he is doing great! He has plenty of fluid and he is growing like he should! All good news! This lady (me), however, is quickly running out of room! I have nowhere for him to go but out! But it's too early to evict him so I'll just have to deal with it! ;)

I also had the first appointment with the midwife. It was nice to be able to talk to her about what I want out of my delivery experience and it was comforting for her to agree. Hopefully we can get Henry delivered naturally without any complications! :) I've been having Braxton Hicks still, but she didn't seem worried, only cautioning that if they are super painful or if they don't go away, then call her, but she checked my cervix and it's still closed and thick so no baby anytime soon!

We are down to office visits every 2 weeks! It's getting close! :) Can't wait for Henry's daddy to get home so he can see the ultrasound pics of the lil guy! I'm sure Matt will be surprised at how big my belly is now! I downloaded a cool app that I use to hear his heartbeat!! It's pretty cool! I'll have to show that off to Matt as well!

I'm still nesting like crazy! Purging what I can and better organizing what needs to stay. It's going well though! Hopefully I'll have a post up soon of Henry's corner, complete with bedding, and decor. Yay!

Cravings? Rootbeer (still), mashed potatoes, fruit (watermelon makes him go crazy!)
Still see my feet? Only if I bend over.
Feelings? Excited to see him! Tired...juuuust tired. All of those 'fun' 1st trimester symptoms are back-pee every 5 minutes and tired all the time!
Maternity Clothes? YES! Almost exclusively! I can still wear my tank tops, but my belly hangs out the bottom in some! And I have a few dresses that I can still wear without showing my Henry out the bottom so that is good! :)

Talk to you all soon!

Heisel Rules! {the Bump}

28 weeks

28 weeks, 4 days to be exact-
Wow, is time really flying now! I measure time now by what all I need to get done still before Henry makes his big debut. We're ready, but we're not ready, if ya know what I mean! There's still a few things that we need to get in order to be completely done, or at least close enough. I'll be scoping out some deals in the next few weeks to make sure we can be as prepared as possible. :)

SO this last month, this dude has done some serious growing! He's now about 17 inches, and 3 pounds. Carazy!!!! Although I coulda told you that just based on how far out my belly now protrudes. ;) I can't say it's growing on me though (no pun intended). This thing now gets in the way when I try to reach and makes bending somewhat of an act out of Cirque de Soleil! I'm not kidding! I just warn anyone behind me when I'm about to bend down that I cannot be responsible for the cortortion my body makes or anything that pops out!

Henry has been kicking and stretching up a storm! I've been having some tightening, which appears to be braxton hicks. They don't really hurt, just uncomfortable.

I know you read my rant on the last post about my newly formed kankles! That's right, I've officially joined the kankle club. This is one membership I wish I didn't have! I pretty much prop them up nonstop now. Hopefully I can keep them under a manageable width so that other issues don't arise from it. I guess this means no more cute shoes. :( I managed to slide on my boots for the baby shower, and it actually helped to reduce the size, but now I cannot even get them on. :/

It's now becoming more difficult to eat and breathe. Phew, just typing is wearing me out! ;) I'm managing though!

Cravings: root beer (mmm)
Can I still feel my feet? Yes, but only if I bend forward.
Feelings? Anxious to get everything done before he gets here.

I don't have pics of Henry yet, that should be in just a couple more weeks, but my Aunt Amanda helped me take some maternity pics when I was in town this past week. I'm so thankful for that! We went to a field/barn near my father in law's house. It was quite a hidden gem! Here's a few from the sesh.

Thanks again, Amanda, for your help with the photos!

Well, that's about it. I'm on kankle watch and final prep duty til the end now! :)

Heisel Rules!{the Bump}

Going Fourth (and before)

I'm a day late and a dollar short, but I figured better late than never, right? Happy {late} vIndependence Day!

I took this is Chicago, in between buildings. Love some sun flare! :)

We've been on the road and visiting family in Illinois since June 25, but we left today to head back to our Tempurpedic bed….errr I mean because Matt has to get back to work. ;) 

We started our fun mini vacay in Branson, MO where we stayed 2 days, which was 1 day too many. It was our consensus that Branson USED to be really awesome, say in the 90's, and the poor town just never turned the century. We attempted to eat at a couple places on the main strip, but struck out. We also attempted to check out what they refer to as "Moonshine Beach", which is on a manmade lake. Personally, it reminded me of Chester Frost (for all you Chattanooga folks), but smaller. ;/ I didn't think that was possible, but sure enough! ;) We also checked out the Titanic Museum, which was alight. If you're a frequenter of Branson, please do not be offended; like I said, I'm sure it rocked in the 90's! ;)

It wasn't a complete wash, though, the last night we were there, we finally discovered 21st century Branson- The Landing. It's, well, a landing on the water that is packed with updated restaurants and shopping. We ate at this really good upscale Mexican restaurant, and Henry rather enjoyed it! :) He's such a trooper! heh

Then we headed to Illinois on Thursday to hang with fam and prepare for the baby shower on Sunday. 

Speaking of baby shower- all I can say is beautiful decor, good food, and GREAT company! Courtney and AManda put so much thought into it; made a girl feel special! Some highlights: the Cold Stone Creamery Cupcakes were delish (along with the BLT bites, and strawberry cheesecake bites...mmm), they requested guests bring a book for Henry in lieu of a card (LOVE that he already has a library started), and I can't leave out that the guests made Henry a wonderful selection of bow ties during the festivities-a staple for any dapper dude's wardrobe, I must say! Everything went very well and Henry got some really great things! Thank you to Courtney and Amanda and to each of the guests that took time out of their busy day to spend it with us! our hearts are full of love, and now the gapt will be full of baby stuff! ;)

On Monday, we headed to Chicago. We scoped out the Bean (aka the Cloud Sculpture) and the rest of Millennium Park.

Matt checkin out the bean

inside of the bean

Where's the pregger?

Then we trekked up the road to the Sears Tower. We rode up all 108 floors and even walked out onto the glass skywalk to peak over the city. It was pretty cool. Baby Henry didn't get vertigo, so I guess we're good!

We headed back to the parking garage where I admired how swollen and large my feet had become. Yikes. Needless to say, we could only do a drive by of the Navy Pier, which looked like a pretty happenin' place. Wish my feet had been up to the walk. ;/ 

After that, we headed to Michigan to revisit the beach that was mine and Matt's very first outting. :) Sadly, it was cold and rainy so that trip was postponed to another time. SO Sad. BUT we did eat at this really great Italian Restaurant in New Buffalo, MI. It had great food, but what was REALLY memorable were the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies. OH.MY.GOSH. Needless to say, the recipe for those babies will be up the bloggie blog soon! (well as soon as I figure it out) I'm still dreaming of those, people! Don't judge! :)

Fireworks happily consumed our time last night with Amanda, Drew, Jim, Donna, Bryan, Matt, Baby Jack and myself! They were pretty good. I loved watching them through Baby Jack's eyes! He kept saying, "Wooooow", and his eyes would get really big! So sweet!

And finally we get to today- July 5. This is actually like my 4th of July; I met Matt 5 years ago on July 5. It was at a 4th of July BBQ, but happened to be the day after, and then we visited the Warren Dunes in MI the day after. Soo, happy 5 year anniversary (of meeting)! The next 5 years should be quite a ride! Let's spend them carefully, I have a feeling they will fly by once Henry arrives!

I hope you all had a happy and safe Independence Day! Stay tuned for our Week 28 post! :) Gotta go rest these kankles after all that adventure! ;)

Heisel Rules!