28 Weeks | Baby Reyna

 We've made it to the third and final trimester and couldn't be more thrilled to be at this milestone. Good job, baby girl! At 28 weeks, our sweet one is the size of a chinese cabbage (which I attempted to draw and failed miserably at). She is sizing in at 2.5lbs and 15 inches this week! 

We had a busy week of work and spring cleaning. Seems to be a never ending project, but I'm quite happy with how things are turning out. If you follow me on instagram, you already saw this sneak peek of baby girl's nursery. 

As the weeks pass by, I'm feeling less worried and more excited. All is getting more real. It sometimes brings me to tears thinking of this journey we've been on. I look back at certain decisions we made a few years ago in anticipation of becoming someday parents and am brought comfort in God's provision through each step (mostly regarding work opportunities). I also cant believe that our baby girl will come out of this uterus of mine. Not just any baby, but our baby. Childbirth is a part of my every day at work and I'm still kind of in awe that this babe will come out of me one way or another. Miraculous... What a gift. 

Yes, there are lots of aches, pains, & crummy feeling days, but carrying this long desired little one is one of the greatest joys of my life. So thankful. The countdown continues with 84 days to go!

My pregnancy must-haves

Here is a brief look at some of my pregnancy must-haves thus far. Most of these items are used on a daily basis. 
 
1. Long tank tops (Old Navy Maternity $10)
2. Pregnancy pillow/tons of pillows
3. Cocoa lotion (my favorite is Queen Helene cocoa butter - it's inexpensive and does the trick)
4. Burt's Bees lip balm
5.  Bulky necklace (takes attention off of growing middle and adds a little extra pretty)
6. Comfy shoes. Nike Frees are my go-to. 
7. A large purse (I always have snacks, water, tums bottle, etc. The extra space is nice)
8. Wireless larger bra (Target's Champion brand sports bras are my favorite. So comfortable!)
9. A large water bottle (I seem to drink more when there's a straw)

27 Weeks | Baby Reyna

 Chugging along through another week and baby girl is the size of a rutabaga. I have no idea what rutabagas are... but that's what this week's chart reads, so we are playing along. Our sweet girl is averaging 2 lbs and 14.5 inches this week. Growing bigger each day!

Since I don't have much to share this week, here are my most commonly used phrases over these past few months, followed by Andrew's (reported via Andrew by the way- so I suppose they are pretty accurate).

Jenna's most common phrases: 

"Oh my goodness, I have to pee..."

"Oh gosh.. Ow, Ow, Ow..."

"Oh, hi baby girl!" (when she kicks) 

"Can you get my heat pack..."

"...(burp)..."

"Nap time?"

"Andrew, look at this.."

"My back hurts..."

"Are you sure this is normal... I don't think this is normal..."

"... (gag)..."

"Do you see any stretch marks?"

Most common phrases from Andrew:

"Stop waddling..."

"Where am I supposed to sleep with all of these pillows..."

"I love you baby girl..."  (melts my heart)

"Do you want a massage..." 

"Stop pushing out your belly... (jk)"

"Please stop burping..."

"How are my girls?"

All together, I'm thankful and excited to be reaching my 7th month of pregnancy and 3rd trimester. Downhill climb from here! Thirteen or so weeks to go! Can't wait to hold our baby girl in my arms and get to know her little personality. We continue to pray for a healthy next few weeks and thank our Lord for graciously giving us this gift of life. Keep growing little one! 

J + J + Baby Abe | Newborn

Meet Baby Abraham! Otherwise known as Abe the babe. This sweet one might have been the calmest, best behaved  (no poops, spit ups, pee messes) newborn I've ever worked with. It was a joy to photograph this family and I believe that their photos radiate genuine love and adoration for both their newborn and each other. So much love in this sweet home. Enjoy!

Trying new things

Tried my hand at flower gardening last week! I must document this because odds are that by next week, all will be dead. I'm not one to follow directions- this has proven difficult in baking, sewing, vegetable gardening, photography... hmm, okay, everything. Yet, I'm stubborn like my Father and like doing things my own way. It's the creative process that I enjoy. Following directions brings little fun. Maybe it's my pride that gets in the way. However, I'm sure that results would be far different (and far better) if I simply learned from professionals. All this to say, I love Ranunculus and sure love that we have some in our yard. Even if just for a short time.  Next up is our vegetable garden! I learned a bit from last year's tomatoes and hope to have a more successful year.

 

26 Weeks | Baby Reyna

Twenty-six weeks here (6 and 3/4 months)  and officially feeling quite large. I realize there's much more growing yet to do, but I'm most definitely feeling pregnant and am finally starting to get the "when are you due? How far along are you?" questions from strangers. I also realize that you're probably tired of photos in this black dress after yesterday's post. Sorry! Our little biscuit is the length of green onion at around 14 inches and weighs approximately 1.7lbs. 

Baby girl still gets sung to each night that her sweet Daddy is around. I love it too. I can't wait to watch their relationship bloom. Otherwise, I'm doing my best to try and rest/take it easy on days off. I'm envious of pregnant women who remain so active and energized in pregnancy. I've decided that this uterus of mine is just extra sensitive and needs a bit more special care. We're chugging along and doing well; each day and week that passes, my heart grows more thankful and excited to meet this little one. We continue to pray that the Lord would guide us and give us godly wisdom in parenting and loving our daughter; that he would prepare our hearts to remain positive and selfless in even the most difficult, draining days.

I enjoyed a quick weekend trip up to Seattle to visit dear college friends this past week. It feels good to get these visits in before baby comes and enjoy time with loved ones. Otherwise, we made some leeway in the nursery prep by finding a few things that add a more feminine touch to our otherwise "plain" (per Andrew) nursery. Everything is slowly coming together and we are especially grateful for Aunt Myrna's generosity of passing on her baby stuff! It was literally baby gear Christmas raining down this week. We so appreciate the goods and are thankful to have fellow little ones in the family. When the nursery is all done, I'm sure I'll share photos.

Fourteen (or so) weeks to go!

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Are you ready for some super patriotic photos!?! The wind caught the flag just right in these. They were too good to not put in this post and they gave us a good chuckle. Too bad this week isn't 4th of July...