Maternity Photo Shoot

Back when I was pregnant with Gavin, Megan took picture for us just a few weeks before he arrived that I cherish so much!  I love looking back at them and remembering all the special memories of having Gavin in my belly.  Soon after I found out I was pregnant again, I started thinking about maternity photos and knew I wanted someone to take some for us again.  So, I contacted Rachel, a mom from the Hip Mamas playgroup that takes fantastic photos of her twins and asked if she'd be interested.  Luckily, she said yes!  {And as a bonus, she's coming to take pics of Baby Hamm the week she's born, too!}

Scheduling a time was a bit chaotic with the summer heat and storms, but we eventually got them in.  It was hot!  You can tell in the pics that I'm hot and sweaty, and you can't tell at all that I had straightened my hair before we left, but I decided not to be critical of them....it's part of the story of this pregnancy, right?  I spend much of everyday looking sweaty when it's 100 degrees out!  Then, the day of the pictures, Gavin woke up with a cold...that meant we spent much of the evening wiping a runny nose.  And, to top it all off, the mosquitoes were bad and eating Jarrod up.  But after getting some great family shots, Jarrod took Gavin home and Rachel and I stayed to get some more shots of me and Baby Sister.  :)  I love how they turned out so much and know I'll always look back at these and remember the summer of 2011 with her in my belly.

There are way too many to post here, but those were some of my favorites! :)  Thanks, Rachel!!!

37 Weeks!

Full Term, Baby!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Hamm is the size of a watermelon right now!  That's just crazy to me!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Who knows???  Today the scale says I'm up 35lbs.  Again, I'm sure I didn't really gain 3lbs in one week, but I don't really care at this point if I did!

Maternity Clothes: Absolutely!

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!  When the name is decided, it will be kept a secret until she arrives. 

We have our final two names now!  As much as I want to have a name before she's born, I think we're going to wait until we see her.  

Movement: Definitely still feel her moving, but not like before.  She's running out of room these days.

Sleep: Sleep is ok, but I will be so glad when I'm waking up to feed a sweet baby and not because I have to pee or my hands and arms are tingling.  

What I miss:  Having complete feeling in my hands and normal hormones!

Cravings: Water, ice, and watermelon flavored things.

Symptoms:  Braxton Hicks contractions, heart burn and carpal tunnel are the main things right now.  My hormones are out of control these days, and I'm getting tired again!

Best Moment this week:  Celebrating my promotion with Tastefully Simple.  It was my goal to promote before the baby was born and I did it!  I rewarded myself with an iPhone which I know will come in handy with the kids.  

I did have a doctor's appt this morning, and I'm 1.5 cm dilated and her heartrate sounded great!

Gavin has thrown me for a loop this past week.  Bedtime is getting to be more of a struggle...he's stalling and asking for a lot of random things at bedtime now.  And the things he's asking for leads me to believe he's starting to feel anxious about the baby coming.  He wants me to rock him in the rocking chair every night now and is suddenly asking to sleep in our bed.  We haven't let him in our bed, and I don't plan to, but I have rocked him when he asks because I want him to know that he's still my baby, too.  But...it's getting really hard to rock him with my belly!  Last night I had to have Jarrod finish rocking him because I started having contractions.  :(  The other night, after 2 hours of fighting bedtime, I went in to hold him while he cried and asked him why he was so sad.  He didn't say anything, but when I asked him if he was happy, he said no.  I then said, "Aren't you happy for baby sister to come?" and he said no.  I, of course, started crying, too, and it was an emotional night!  I know he is excited and probably didn't realize what he said, but I also believe he's starting to worry about everything and just doesn't know what to expect.  So, I've been trying the last few days to spend even more time with just him and make sure he knows how much I love him.  I hope the transition goes smoothly!

    

A Special "Big Brother" Day

We've been telling Gavin for quite some time that he would get to see Cars 2 in the movie theater for his first movie theater experience, and then Baby Sister would be born.  A couple weeks ago, I asked him in the car if he was ready for Sister to be born and he said, "Not quite yet.  I have to go see Cars 2 first."  He remembers everything!  

So, last weekend, we decided to make it a special day for him.  We went to the mall and visited Build-a-Bear first for him to make something special for Baby Sister.  Since he's so interested in the name Aveeno/Aveena (the version he wants changes everyday) we agreed he could make a teddy bear for Sister and name it Aveeno or Aveena.  I was a little worried about what he'd pick because the first time we went into a Build-a-Bear, he picked a camouflage bear, so we left and decided we'd come back.  Then the morning of our visit, he talked about wanting a green bear with baseballs on it.  But, he did a great job designing his bear for Baby Sister!

He was a little unsure of the filling part...it made a loud noise.  

Then he had to check to see if was too soft or just right! 

 The man helped him put the heart inside.

Then it was time for Aveeno to get a bath and be brushed. 

Let's see how this bear feels!  It's perfect! 

And the finished product, along with her birth certificate...

Then we headed to the theater for Cars 2!!!

He was so excited!  He didn't want popcorn so I bought him some M&Ms and we found a booster seat to use since he kept folding up into the seat and we were ready for the movie to start!

I was worried the sound would bother him, but he did great with that.  The Toy Story skit at the beginning of the movie was hilarious.  We did have to leave the theater 5 times - either for potty breaks or just to walk around and stretch.  We did end up leaving a little early, too, but I think the movie was about the end.  I was shocked at how long it was!

I will say I was disappointed with the movie overall.  It wasn't geared towards kids in my opinion. The secret agent/spy theme was way over Gavin's head and I did not like how much shooting and violence there was in the movie.  I'm not sure we'll buy this one on DVD any time soon.  

But, now that Gavin's had his official "Big Brother" day, I guess he's ok with Sister joining us when she's ready now.  :)

So many reasons for a sale!

Sales are always fun, especially when they come with great reason!  I typically have a Client Appreciation Sale in July anyway, but we have other reasons to celebrate, too!  Tastefully Simple recently celebrated a Sweet 16th Birthday.  So, this sale is a belated birthday sale as well.  And...I'm celebrating my recent promotion to Team Leader, so why not have a celebration sale, too???  :)

So, here we go...

One Day 16 cent sale starts TOMORROW!

  **Plan your orders today and contact me tomorrow for the savings!  Share with friends!

Place a Tastefully Simple order anytime TOMORROW (July 8th) in honor of all the things mentioned above and receive the following:

· Orders from $16.00-35.99 receive Simple Starters or Essential 4 Cookbook for only 16 cents!
· Orders from $36.00-65.99 receive Bountiful Beer Bread for 16 cents!
· Orders from $66.00-115.99 receive any spice jar for 16 cents!
· Orders from $116.00-159.99 receive any $9.99 bucket drink for 16 cents!

· BONUS! Orders over $160 will receive all 4 items for 16 cents!

· DOUBLE BONUS!! Schedule a taste-testing party for this fall & receive an additional 16% discount on your entire order!

 

(Get a few friends/coworkers/neighbors/family members to order together!)

*Orders placed on line DO NOT qualify because I can't add your free goodies. So be sure to call (937.901-4291), message me on Facebook or email me (mrspate22@yahoo.com) directly.