34 weeks

We are 34 weeks! This week the baby should be just under 5 pounds and almost 18 inches! She is getting so big! Just this morning Mike and I sat in bed watching her move and he was dyinggg. She was moving around a lot and you would see her bum or hand or foot push up against my stomach pretty high or at one point she stretched across my body and you could see her body stretching and then she pushed up at each end so my stomach looked concave (for the first time in months!) Mike thought that one was insane! It was so funny.

I am so relieved we made it to and from Hawaii in one piece! I have been a little concerned about not being able to go on that trip or having complications while there, but it was smooth sailing! The flight attendants on every flight said to me- "you keep that baby in until we land!" and it made me so nervous every time haha!

We are getting so excited to meet our girl!!

lots of love,
brookeydee

33 weeks on the Big Island

I cannot believe we are 33 weeks, when did that happen?! It is crazy that we are getting so close to meeting our girl! We have been on the big island for this whole week and it has been a blast!

Things are a little slower for me right now, I am at a full on waddle. And I am a lot more cautious of hiking. But I have still managed daily runs, walks, or hikes in the mornings and I have been plugging along on our adventures here. The big island is beautiful and amazingly diverse and we have LOVED it!

It's going to be really hard to leave this beautiful island on Monday night! We are trying to soak up every minute we can!

ALOHA,

Brookeydee

31 weeks

We had Slapfish in Lehi this week, it is SOO good.

This week wins. This may be my most favorite week of pregnancy yet. Finals are over, my favorite shave ice shacks are open, I have time to spend with Mikey, the weather is sunny and warm, AND we are leaving for Hawaii this week! That last semester was a doosy. And I am so so glad it is done. I am ready for long and easy summer days!

Baby girl is 31 weeks! This week she is around 3.3 pounds and she is over 16 inches long. That seems about right, because when she moves, my whole stomach moves. Sometimes its so crazy to look down and think that she is really in there, getting big and healthy. Pregnancy is truly amazing!

Lots of love,
Brookeydee

27 weeks

We are 27 weeks! Baby girl is 14.5 inches and 2 pounds now. We are in the third trimester. How did that happen??!

I took my glucose test this week. Everyone warned me about the test being bad, but it wasn't too bad for me. I am grateful it wasn't a super bad experience and very grateful that my results were negative!

I haven't done a pregnancy update in a while! I haven't had any super strong cravings or aversions for a while. Salads are still not my favorite thing to eat, but I can stomach one if I have to. I'll have random cravings too like yesterday I wanted a jolly rancher... I am pretty confident I haven't eaten a jolly rancher in 10 years haha!

Baby girl is still so so active and I love it! I love watching my belly move throughout the day!

My sleep is getting a little rough at night. My belly feels heavy and its so hard to re position during the night. I wake up a lot because I am uncomfortable or I have to pee, again! I make myself a nest of pillows every night and that helps. Sometimes I use mike as a full body pillow too. So I can have one on each side, haha! Last night baby girl was kicking him in the back hard enough that he could feel it and it was so funny. This child is going to be sassy, I am sure!

We have really begun getting things ready over the last few weeks. So far we have the crib, mattress, sheets, and the quilt. The nursery is almost totally decorated, we just have a few more things to finish up, it is my favorite room in our little home! We also have a baby bath, thermometer, bassinet, blessing dress and lots of random little things.  We have ordered the stroller and car seat yesterday so those are coming.  We still need a baby monitor, a baby carrier so we can go hiking, and all of the soaps, lotions, creams, diapers, lots more clothes, etc. But we are pretty prepared considering we still have 13 weeks!

My Sister opened her mission call recently. We are so excited she is going to be serving in the Baltimore Maryland mission! She is going to be a fabulous missionary and I know she is going to have so many wonderful experiences! She leaves on July 12. My family will all be out of town for 10 days until July 5, our due date is July 7, her farewell will be July 9, and then she leaves on July 12. HAHA! It is going to be crazy town over the course of that week. I am really hoping that the baby is healthy and ready whenever she comes, but it would be most convenient if she came anytime between the evening of the 5th through the 9th, I am probably going to jinx it because I am saying that! But I want to be able to go with the family to drop her off at the MTC. And I would love it if the baby came before she leaves so she can have a few days to snuggle her! But, more than anything I just want our girl to be healthy. So I will be happy with whatever is supposed to happen.

Here's a little video I made of Bry's mission call opening.

Lots of love,
Brookeydee

Dear Baby Girl

You are 23 weeks now! You're over a pound and you are almost a foot long! You're getting so big in there sweat pea. I cannot believe we are under 4 months until I get to snuggle you. I hope you're ready for all of the kisses and squishy cuddles, because there are a lot coming. Daddy and I are elated to have you here with us. Thank you for letting daddy and I be your parents.

You, my sweet girl have started to give me some good strong kicks. Daddy joked the other day that this is the reason why you're so skinny compared to your head, you're getting some good exercise in there. You have moved up much higher in my belly this week and you are rapidly approaching my ribs. I am not looking forward to those rib kicks, especially since you are so active in there! You mostly prefer to kick me in my full bladder when I need to go potty and you kick a lot when I am hungry. Funny girl.

This week I have been worried about you. Worried about the world you are going to grow up in. When I was little, the world was more simple, less corrupt and I didn't have technology throwing new ideas and lifestyles at me all of the time. You will not grow up in this way. You will see and hear things that contradict everything your dad and I believe and will teach you. You will be left to make difficult choices for yourself about what to believe and how to live your best life from a very early age. I hope dad and I can do you right by teaching you, being examples for you, and allowing you enough independence throughout your life so you don't crash and burn one day when you're on your own making big kid choices. I already love you so much and worry about you every single day. I hope you are happy. I hope you feel loved and important. I hope you come to know your Heavenly Father, personally.

I love you sweet baby girl. I hope you know that, every single day.

Lots of love,
Mommy

22 Weeks

This week the baby is the size of a spaghetti squash! She is 15 ounces and 11 inches long.

We had our mid pregnancy ultrasound yesterday. Everything looked great and she is healthy. I can't tell you how relieved I am! She was active- shocker- throughout the whole ultrasound and we had to try many different positions to get all of the pictures they needed of the organs and bones. We also had a super hard time getting a picture of her profile. We tried and tried and tried. We got a few pictures but nothing super clear, because this baby is so BUSY! She also swats and kicks at everything that encroaches on her space. So sassy. The ultrasound should have taken 20-30 minutes, but we were in there for 50 minutes.

She did use the time to show us just how sassy she was, covering her face when we were trying to get pictures, giving the peace sign with her fingers, waving hi, and the best was when we were talking about how stubborn she was she legitimately shook her head up and down three times. I was dying it was too funny.

Her head circumference was in the 85th percentile- not good news for delivery day for this mama. But the rest of her body was small between 30-50th percentiles and her stomach circumference was a small 24th percentile. So good luck to me, I am going to be very grateful for that epidural! Give me all the meds!

We were looking at her little face to check for a cleft pallet- which she doesn't have, and we got a super detailed picture of her nose. She has the Polynesian nose that we all got from my mom's side of the family. Her head shape and cheeks looked rounded like mine too! But we will see when she comes. I have been convinced this whole time that she would look like Mike, but now I think she is going to look like me. Hopefully she will get my darker skin and mike's curly hair!

I am so excited to meet this girl. We are excited to get started on her nursery we are planning to start buying things on Saturday! Mikes parents ordered the crib and mattress for us this week! (They are so kind and have already begun spoiling this baby so much!) I am so excited to see it in her little room! We bought a few more bows for her this week :/ someone needs to stop me. I just can't with all of the cute bows! We just adore this sweet little baby already!! We are so excited to be parents!

Lots of love,
Brookeydee

21 weeks

Baby girl is 21 weeks! She is the size of a cantaloupe. She is 12.7 ounces and is 10.5 inches long! I can now feel where her body is in my stomach and its the craziest thing.

I feel so weird taking bump pictures.. this is the first one I have ever taken.

My cravings are still chocolate and salty snacks, like chips. So bad. I have been really trying to limit those from my diet.
My aversions are still cafe rio and costa vida. It is still very sad.
Even with the move tomorrow, I bought some baby bows last weekend. They were on sale and SO SO CUTE! This next week we will start buying for her nursery. I am ecstatic just a tiny bit excited! Mike told me not to buy anything else until our ultrasound this next week, just to make sure that it is really a girl! They were sure at our first ultrasound, but it would be so sad to buy all of these baby girl things for a boy. HAHA!

My belly is really popping these days and there is no hiding this baby bump! My hands have also begun to swell. I don't love that. I am not going to be able to wear my wedding ring for much longer. We go to the doctor this Thursday for our long ultrasound where they check everything. I am nervous, I really hope our sweet girl is healthy and progressing correctly. I am so excited to see her in there and I am hoping she is face up this time so we can see her profile! She kicks anything and everything that gets in her way. Whether its Mike when we cuddle or a desk. She is so possessive of her space :/ poor baby is going to hate being squished soon! HAHA! We have a sassy one on our hands, no doubt. We are excited for our move tomorrow and hope everything goes well!

Lots of love,
Brookeydee

Dear baby girl,

Hi sweet pea. I just wanna sing- "Ohhhhh, we're half way there! Ohh! Living on a prayer!!" Its pretty exciting to be at the halfway point, now that I am feeling better, time is flying right by and I know it'll be no time before you're here! I cannot wait to snuggle you! Being a wife and a mommy are the only things I have ever really wanted in my life and I am so excited to have you here with us!

We are at the halfway point of 20 weeks! You are the size of a banana this week and you weigh just over 10.5 ounces and are 10 inches from your head to your toes.
My cravings and aversions have stayed the same for quite a few weeks now. I am beginning to wonder if they will change, or if I'll just have them for the rest of this pregnancy. I hope you like cafe rio and costa vida when you get bigger, because daddy and I really like going there, and I miss it!
We didn't buy any baby products this week. We are waiting until after we move on the 25th to buy anything else! I am getting so excited to start on your nursery!

We had an exciting night on Monday, I had been feeling you all day long, more than I usually do. It was like you got in a good nap and then you needed to stretch for a while. I started to feel some very strong movements so I had daddy put his hand on my belly. You kicked him so hard you moved his hand up a little bit! That is crazy for how tiny you are!! He kept his hand there for a while to feel you moving and then we moved it and watched my belly moving every time you kicked. We didn't expect to see movement like that for at least a few more weeks! You crazy girl! Daddy was so proud haha! You have repeated your nightly exercise every night this week and it just doesn't get old. We already love and adore you so so much!
Daddy pulls up my shirt and talks to you every night he always says silly things and tells you he loves you. He really likes feeling you move, I always try to let him feel you when he is home. It's so fun for me to watch him love you so much! My heart may just explode when I get to see him holding you and cuddling you this summer. You got the best of the best you lucky girl. Your daddy truly is top notch. I don't need to tell you that though, you'll already know that when you read this one day.
Also, I am convinced you are going to be a sassy girl, like me. Every time I lean forward while at school or work, you kick-kick-kick until I sit back and give you more space. And right now, you still have quite a bit of space! I am worried about the damage you're going to cause to my insides in a few months when you're stronger and squished.

With Valentines Day being this week, I have spent lots of time thinking about your sweet dad and our love story. Our love story includes New York, a few emails, many middle of the night phone calls from Maui, a Ferris Wheel, a night hike, and the Draper Temple. That list has grown and grown and it keeps growing everyday. I can't wait for the part where you join us. I sure love your dad. Our forever family is the greatest blessing!

Lots of love,
Mommy

19 Weeks

Our sweet little girl is the size of a mango. She weighs 8 and a half ounces and is 6 inches from her head to her bum. We already love her so so much! We can't wait to meet her!

Cravings- still chocolate and chips. I wish it wasn't so.
Aversions- still cafe rio and costa vida
Movement- I am beginning to feel bigger more defined movements. I love feeling her move!

Baby girl and I had a rough week. Last weekend Mike and I spent all of our Saturday cleaning and organizing our house (mostly giving and throwing away soooo many things) so packing would be easier. I did a little too much lifting and was SO SORE for a few days. I didn't realize that the things I could easily do just a few months ago are not so easy anymore! I also got strep this week and it was rough. But we caught it quick and I was able to miss some school to go to the doctor and I am so grateful to be on the mend. We are moving in two weeks, so things are going to be crazy over here for a hot minute, we are so excited we found a place in Lehi so Mikey's commute is a bit shorter and we will be closer to both of our families!

18 weeks

Baby girl is the size of a bell pepper. She is just under 7 ounces and is over 5 and a half inches from her head to her bum.
I am still pinching myself that we are having a sweet baby girl. It makes me so happy! I was secretly terrified of having all boys- so I am SO glad I for sure get my girl! I cannot wait to play dress up and house and do all of the fun mommy daughter things. I am so grateful I have an angel mother who has prioritized family time and taught me all the fun and sweet things to do with this baby girl.
This week I decided to eat more healthy, so I planned out our dinners and made a goal to only eat fruits and vegetables for snacking and stuck to my plan, except for the entire bag of chips I ate and the chickfila and chocolate my angel mother brought me.. Why do I crave chips and chocolate SO BADLY? Those two things have been a constant craving for me for about a month now. Anyways, I am really proud of how I ate, besides the chips and chocolate, and I feel balance is an important thing in life, so it's all good, right? I know if I cut out all of the yumminess I would give up in a few days, so I am taking baby steps :)
I still have an aversion to cafe rio and costa vida. It is really sad. I am have a feeling this one is going to last my whole pregnancy.
Baby girl is SO active. I am beginning to wonder when she sleeps! I was at a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and we could hear her moving through the heart monitor. The doctor said she was very ative. In about a minute's time we heard her move 5 or 6 times. I feel her moving around every night now and even Mikey felt her for the first time! That was a special moment, he was beaming. He is going to be the cutest daddy, I can't handle it.
I didn't buy any baby products this week, we are hoping to move north a bit to lessen mike's commute to school and work.  I am hoping we move sometime in March and then I am going to start on the big purchases of crib, car seat, stroller, etc and get working on that nursery.

Mike started his new job this week and is really enjoying it! Except the commute. His schedule is absolutely crazy, and he hasn't complained once. We wakes up everyday at 5:30 and leaves for school around 6:15. He goes to school for a few hours (its different everyday) and then goes straight into work until 7:30. (He is working 33 hours a week.) Then he gets home around 8:10, eats dinner, and does homework until midnight. I don't know how he is doing it. He works so hard. He is seriously my hero! I am grateful our move is going to cut back on his commute so he has about another hour each day to do homework/sleep. I love my hubby so so much!!

lots of love,
Brookeydee

17 weeks and Grandpa Dean's Funeral

This week baby girl is the size of a pomegranate. She weighs 5 ounces and is 5 inches long from her head to her bum.

I didn't have any cravings this week.
I still cannot handle a costa vida or cafe rio salad. My brain tells me I really want one, but my stomach says NO! I also have an aversion to all the things I used to crave at the beginning like refried beans and cottage cheese make me want to die.
Movement is still very uncommon for me to feel, I only feel her in there a few times a week so it's still very special! I cannot believe how active she was during our ultrasound last week! I know I mentioned this last week, but she was kicking and moving around THE WHOLE TIME. The ultrasound tech was laughing at how active she was. I also can't believe how long and cute her tiny little legs are. I can't wait to see her! Growing a human is an amazing miracle and I am so humbled that I get to be the one experiencing this!
The only thing we bought this week was this rocking bassinet- it was on killer sale and I had an amazon gift card to use so I literally saved more than 60% on it! Baby stuff is so expensive so it's relieving when we find a good sale! We are on the lookout for sales of cribs, city select strollers, bumbos, (or another easily portable awesome high chair) and the nuna carseats.

This weekend we were in Monticello for the funeral of Mike's Grandpa. It was a beautiful service and recognition of his life. I learned so many things about him this weekend and it was so fun for me to know him more. As we were there I caught myself getting extremely emotional. Funerals always remind me how precious life really is, and to hold on tight to your loved ones. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the hope and promise it gives us that we will be together as families forever. It is a beautiful part of the gospel. It was a hard but wonderful weekend all at the same time.

Lots of love,
Brookeydee

16 weeks

We are 16 weeks! The baby is the size of an avocado. The baby weighs 3.5 ounces and is 4.5 inches from its head to its bum.

We went in to find out the gender yesterday and we are SO excited to be having a little girl!
I felt the baby move for the first time this week! I felt a super faint fluttering in my stomach and then it happened again just a few moments later. I was laying flat on my back and so I started pushing back on my belly and felt it a few more times!! I have felt it again four different times this week when I have been laying down.  I cannot wait for the moving to be so strong that Mike can feel it through my belly!! While we were at our ultrasound yesterday the baby was moving all over! Just kicking and jerking. I don't think she likes to be pushed on, HAHA! I am a little worried that when she is bigger she is going to do some damage to my insides!
I didn't really have any cravings this week!
I am still having an aversion to salads in general, which is so weird cause salads are normally a staple in my gluten free diet, but I can't even with a salad right now.
We bought a bunch of baby clothes yesterday! We couldn't help ourselves! It is so fun to know what we are having, I am so glad we decided to find out!

It seems like pregnancy goes by SO much faster when you're not throwing up all of your food! I have been feeling SO much better over the last couple of weeks and now it seems like time is flying right by!! We are so grateful for this little baby girl!

Lots of love,
Brookeydee