Paige Cecelia

Our sweet little girl is here!

 

Paige Cecelia Staples was born at 2:06 p.m. on June 11th, 2013. 8 lbs and 21 inches. We love her to pieces! 

I know it took me forever to get this post up since she is already over a week old! But the week and a half since she was born has been a whirlwind. I will post about it all soon, but for now, here are a few more pictures!

 

39 weeks

So much for getting this up on Friday, ha! I had it all written out just had to add the picture but of course I didn't take that until Saturday, then we were gone, and Sunday was just a lazy day and I didn't do much of anything, let alone anything productive. So just pretend that you are reading this last Thursday. :)

SO, the big news after my check-up today is that I am going to have a baby in ONE WEEK!! After checking me and being dilated to nearly 3 cm, Dr. M gave me the option since we live almost an hour from the hospital, to be induced at 40 weeks if the baby doesn't come sooner. I was honestly relieved that she suggested it, or gave me the option. I have been worrying about making it to the hospital in time, since a lot of times labor can go fast for second pregnancies. And also since I want an epidural I would need to have a fluid bag in my iv before I can get that, and if I am already too far into labor I won't be able to get the epidural in time, and I want pain meds!! :) So we'll see what the week brings, and if I haven't had a baby by Thursday, we will be going to the hospital bright and early at 5:00 a.m.! Actually, we need to be at the hospital at 5:00 a.m., so we'll be leaving around 4:00 or sooner. Levi will be spending the night at Grandpa and Grandma Staples' so we don't have to mess his schedule up so much. Eeeeee! I am excited yet nervous!!

How far along?: 39 wks
How big is baby?: Might measure about 20 inches and weigh a bit over 7 lbs.
Weight gain?: Same exact weight at the dr. that I was last week! So far total gain of 33-34 lbs, which Dr. M is pretty happy with. Me too, since I gained almost 50 when I was preggo with Levi. Yikes!
Stretch marks?: I hate this question.
Maternity clothes?: Yes.
Sleep?: Not bad.
Best moment this week?: It was a pretty normal week. Nothing terribly exciting.
Food cravings?: Ice cream.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep!
Belly button?: Still the same, out!
What I miss?: Same as I have said the past several weeks...
Labor signs?: I have had a couple Braxton Hicks that were uncomfortable, on the edge of painful, but nothing consistent. At my check-up today I was dilated to about 3.
What I'm looking forward to?: Hopefully having a baby soon. :)

38 weeks

How far along?: 38 wks
How big is baby?: About 6.8 lbs and over 19 1/2 inches long.
Weight gain?: I only gained half a pound since my appt. last week.
Stretch marks?: They all magically disappeared!!! (In my dreams.)
Maternity clothes?: Yeppers.
Sleep?: Not terrible.
Best moment this week?: Getting lots of sewing done for baby girl's room on Monday when my mom was here. We almost got the dust ruffle done for the crib, but ran out of the ribbon for the bottom. We got a valance done. We also got a nursing cover done! I don't think my sewing machine has gotten that much use, total, since it was used by my grandma!
Food cravings?: Nothing new.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep. She is definitely running out of room!
Belly button?: Still the same, out!
What I miss?: Same as I have said the past several weeks...
Labor signs?: Just some Braxton Hicks again, and I think I may have lost my mucus plug. (TMI?) That really doesn't mean much besides my cervix is changing, and that I could go into labor within the next 2-3 weeks. Which will likely happen anyways since my due date is only 2 weeks away now.
What I'm looking forward to?: Hopefully having a baby soon. :)

Levi's two year pics + some maternity pics

I fiiinnnnalllllly got the pictures back from Levi's two year pics and a few maternity pics I had done. They are so cute!! I am in love with all of them! SO, that means that this post is going to be photo heavy with all of my favorites! :)

 

I might be biased, but he sure is one adorable little boy! He kept us on our toes the day we took these pics, I was glad my mom came with to help! He's a troublemaker, but it's hard to stay upset with him when he flashes you that big smile. :)

I was also glad I decided to do a few maternity pics. I didn't have any taken with Levi, and this was all I wanted. We only did the few poses with Levi, and then one on my own. I just wanted some to remember this time in my life, besides the selfies that I take for my weekly updates. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

These were all taken by the wonderful Stephanie at Stephanie Foto ~ Stephanie Warzecha Photography. She is great to work with and does a fantastic job! I can't wait to do baby girl's newborn pics with her!

37 weeks + a comparison

37 weeks. Officially full term! Which means that if I go into labor any time now, they won't try to stop it. Hallelujah! I actually feel pretty good most of the time, but I do get tired faster, and sore after a day of being on my feet a lot. Although I'm ready to meet this little girly anytime now, I would sort of like her to wait until June, since I already have something with the June birthstone in it! :) (It's an Origami Owl locket.) Anyhoo, here are this weeks stats..

How far along?: 37 wks 5 days (yes, I realize this is very close to 38 weeks so I am very late! Pic is accurate tho ;)
How big is baby?:About 6 1/3 lbs and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel.
Weight gain?: At my check-up last Thursday, I was half a pound less than the week before. So hovering right around the same weight for the past few weeks.
Stretch marks?: :( Yes, some are expanding since I am carrying different this time too. :(
Maternity clothes?: Yep. And some shirts are getting close to being too short.
Sleep?: Not bad, but it's tough to roll over sometimes. It would also be better if Levi would sleep longer in the mornings...
Best moment this week?: Paul's birthday and my cousin's wedding. Levi was the ring bearer and he looked flippin' adorable in the little tux that I borrowed for him to wear!! (Hopefully will post pics soon...)
Food cravings?: Nothing new.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep! Sometimes it hurts when she stretches out in certain directions. Paul caught some good action the other night of my belly moving around and the look on his face was priceless! :) His comment was somewhere along the lines of "It looks like one of those movies where there is an alien inside of someone and all of a sudden an arm is going to poke out." Lovely. Haha :)
Belly button?: Still the same, out!
What I miss?: Free range of movement.
Labor signs?: Just some Braxton Hicks.
What I'm looking forward to?: If I was posting this on time, I could say I was looking forward to my mom coming up on Monday (Memorial Day) to help me do a few things, mainly sewing the dust ruffle for baby girl's crib. BUT, since that was yesterday and it already happened, I don't really have anything.
Milestone: FULL TERM!

AND, just for fun, here is a side-by-side comparison of me at 37 weeks when I was pregnant with Levi, and now. I can definitely see that I was rounder last time. This time it's more straight out I think.

36 weeks

Sorry I have been neglecting this blog a lot lately! I do have some pics I will be sharing soon, hopefully!

As far as being pregnant, I am so ready to be done. I'm not miserable or anything, just more tired and less energy. It doesn't help that Levi has been a bit of a pistol lately..stinker. I feel like I still have a lot to do before she gets here, and the days just keep going by. Paul finally had a chance to get the last coat of paint on in her room, so we are trying to decide how to arrange the 4 pieces of furniture we want in there. I knew it was a small room, but I didn't realize it was that small. It's going to be crowded in there for awhile I guess. I will share pics of her nursery when we have it done, which probably won't be for a couple months after she is born! :) I don't even have any idea what I am going to put on the walls yet. I was planning on making some freezer meals and I only have a couple things in there, just because I decided to freeze half of a couple hotdishes. I am planning on doing a few things this weekend hopefully. I don't even have my bag packed yet. I want to get that done this week too. I will need to pack one for Levi too. So does the fact that I am unprepared mean I am less worried/stressed out with this second baby? Maybe. Hopefully..

How far along?: 36 wks 5 days
How big is baby?:About 6 lbs and over 18 inches long.
Weight gain?: I weighed myself at home on Thursday and I was the same that I was at the dr. on Monday.
Stretch marks?: Yes. :(
Maternity clothes?: Yep.
Sleep?: Not bad, but it's tough to roll over sometimes.
Best moment this week?: I can't remember that far back into last week. Sad, I know.
Food cravings?: Nothing new.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep, lots!
Belly button?: Still out. When I sit down especially, it is completely inside out. Weird.
What I miss?: Having energy and motivation to get things done.
Labor signs?: Just some Braxton Hicks, other than that, nothing.
What I'm looking forward to?: Finding out if I have progressed any more at my check-up on Thursday.

33 weeks

I guess I have gotten into the habit of doing these on Monday. Mostly because I forget to/don't take a picture until Friday or Saturday and then I have other things I'd rather do on the Saturday and Sunday! :)

How far along?: 33 weeks 4 days
How big is baby?:About 4 lbs and over 17 inches long
Weight gain?: Stayed the same from last week.
Stretch marks?: Sadly, I noticed that some of them are expanding since I am carrying a little higher this time. Tear.
Maternity clothes?: Yep.
Sleep?: Not bad.
Best moment this week?: At church on Sunday, Levi was being his usual busy-body self. He doesn't know how to use a quiet voice yet, so we are constantly shhh!-ing him. At one point, when we stood up for a prayer, Paul picked up Levi and he points at my belly and says clear as day "Mommy baby in 'ere. Baby in 'ere." Had to laugh, well smile, as we hushed him!
Food cravings?: Chocolate. Dark chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate chips on ice cream, yum.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep!
Belly button?: Same as last week.
What I miss?: Bending over, not getting out of breath so easily, etc.
Labor signs?: Nope, just some Braxton Hicks.
What I'm looking forward to?: Another ultrasound at my 34 week check-up, to make sure baby girl is head down and to see how big she is!

32 weeks

How far along?: 32 weeks 4 days
How big is baby?:About 4 lbs and 17 inches long
Weight gain?: 27 total according to the scale at the doctor on Thursday.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep.
Sleep?: Can't complain!
Best moment this week?: Good checkup at the doctor :)
Food cravings?: Nothing in particular.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep! It's funny though, how her movements are so different than Levi's when I was pregnant with him. He kicked and had more sharp movements, with her it's more just pushing and rolling, with some good kicks every once in awhile.
Belly button?: Same as last week.
What I miss?:I am looking forward to being able to move around easier and get off the floor and couch without so much effort!
Labor signs?: Nope.
What I'm looking forward to?: Levi and I have a busy week, so it should be fun. His two-year pictures are on Thursday and I am soooo excited! I also decided to do a few maternity pics..

31 weeks

 How far along?: 31 weeks 4 days (it was a busy weekend!)
How big is baby?: Measuring just over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 lbs.
Weight gain?: 25 lbs gain so far, hoping I can keep my total weight gain around 30-35 in the next 9 (almost 8) weeks!
Stretch marks?: Same. 
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Not bad, but I was sick part of this week so that was no fun.
Best moment this week?: Last week is a blur right now so nothing is coming to mind in particular.
Food cravings?: Nothing really.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Oh yeah, getting stronger.
Belly button?: Strange looking.
What I miss?: Energy. Is this like the 3rd week that I've put this answer? The list is getting longer the closer to the end I get.
Labor signs?: Nothing besides a few braxton hicks contractions here and there.
What I'm looking forward to?: Check up on Thursday I guess.
Milestone? Hmmm..

30 wks

I had a doctor appointment this week, and everything went well. Baby girl was measuring right on schedule and her heartbeat was strong in the 140's. From now on I'll go every other week until 36 weeks, then every week after that. Yikes! It's coming fast!

How far along?: 30 weeks 2 days
How big is baby?: About 15.7 inches long and weighs almost 3 lbs.
Weight gain?: At home I was about the same as last week, at the dr. I had gained about 3 1/2 lbs since last month, which I didn't think was bad at all. So I am at about a 22-24 lb total gain depending if I go by my home scale or at the dr.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Not too bad.
Best moment this week?: Hearing baby girl's heartbeat. She kicked right when Dr. M was looking for it, ha.
Food cravings?: Nothing really this week.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep! More and more, sometimes she pushes in the weirdest places and it will hurt.
Belly button?: Turning into an outie. Weird..
What I miss?: Energy.
Labor signs?: Thankfully nothing yet. I was on bedrest for a week with Levi at 36 weeks, so at my appt., Dr. M just told me to let her know if I did show any signs of labor. I'm not worried since I ended up going over with Levi anyways.
What I'm looking forward to?: Seeing my family on Sunday to celebrate Easter.
Milestone? 30 weeks! Only 10 short weeks left.

29 weeks

Well, I am going to overload you with posts today. Starting with my (late) 29 week bump update.

How far along?: 29 wks 4 days
How big is baby?: Weighs about 2 1/2 lbs and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.
Weight gain?: Weighed myself last Wednesday and I had gained 2 lbs since the week before.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Pretty good when I'm not kept awake by half-dead flies buzzing around our room in the middle of the night banging against the ceiling/walls. I don't know why but our house has had a ton of flies upstairs since the weather has started to get a (teensy) tiny bit nicer sometimes. Paul sprayed yesterday thought and that killed most of them for now. Well, that got off subject!
Best moment this week?: Shopping in St. Cloud with my mom, and we were able to hang out with Katie and Josh since they were up there too.
Food cravings?: Nothing too unusual. Apparently I have a weakness to Easter candy. (Mmm...jelly beans and chocolate covered marshmallow! Yum!)
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yep!
Belly button?: Looks really weird. It's sticking out more than I remember it with Levi. I think I am carrying a bit higher than last time.
What I miss?: Energy.
Labor signs?: I think I might have had a couple Braxton Hicks contractions the other night, but that's it.
What I'm looking forward to?: Lunch with a friend on Wednesday, and my dr. appt. on Thursday.
Milestone? Nothing that I can think of!

28 weeks

Late again. Whoops. I finally had a chance to get the pic taken today, or actually I finally just figured I better take it or I would keep putting it off. Anyhoo...

How far along?: 28 wks 3 days
How big is baby?: Weighs about 2.25 lbs and measures 14.8 inches from head to heels.
Weight gain?: I did remember to weigh myself on Thursday, which was my actual 28 week mark, and it was pretty close to the same as last week. Hopefully won't gain too much in the next couple weeks before my appointment. Not that I'm doing a whole lot to prevent it...Easter candy is apparently a weakness for me.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Not bad, still having a hard time staying on my side all night.
Best moment this week?: Having my mom here for a day to visit.
Food cravings?: Nothing out of the ordinary!
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup! More this week than ever, I can tell she is growing. I am pretty sure I felt her foot the other night, I was laying in bed and she was squirming around, and when I pushed my hand into my stomach I felt a little knob and then it moved. I remember feeling Levi's foot too and it is so weird, but fun at the same time.
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Still no sign of the warmer weather I was missing last week, so that is still on the list..
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Taking Levi to see the baby chicks at Runnings this afternoon, and going shopping with my mom this week.
Milestone? Third trimester! Agh! Still have lots to do in the next 3 months!!

27 weeks

Better late than never, right?! Both my boys are napping right now so I thought I would get a couple posts up. First up is this one, my 27 week update, and next I am going to put up some pics from our little overnight trip to Arrowwood in Alexandria.

How far along?: 27 wks 3 days
 How big is baby?: About 2 lbs
Weight gain?: I forgot to weigh myself this week....whoops...
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Good for the most part!
Best moment this week?: Getting a couple cute baby outfits in the mail :)
Food cravings?: Anything sweet/chocolate is what I've been wanting this week. Well...I guess that is any time so maybe not so much of a pregnancy craving... Dove dark chocolates have been my favorite treat lately.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: This has nothing to do with pregnancy, but....I MISS WARMER WEATHER!!! I am so sick of winter and cold I could scream! And there's another stupid blizzard warning for tonight into tomorrow! ACK!!!
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Bringing Levi to ECFE class on Wednesday, and my mom coming up to visit one day this week.
Milestone? Officially six months along! Yikes, 3 months left...seems like a long time, but it's really not! Only one more monthly checkup and then I'm into the two-week checkups!

 

26 weeks + pics

How far along?: 26 wks 1 day
How big is baby?: Weighs about 1 2/3 lb and measures 14 inches long.
Weight gain?: About 18.5 lbs total (according to my home scale...more like 20 according to the dr.'s scale)
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Good, starting to have to get up to use the bathroom at least once a night though.
Best moment this week?: Hearing that little heartbeat at my appointment yesterday, always good to know everything is going the way it should be.
Food cravings?: Not really. I really want a pop right now.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Still the same as last week, bending over more easily, and being able to get off the floor without so much effort.
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Taking Levi to the indoor waterpark in Alexandria this weekend, although it looks like we might be postponing that because there is some freezing rain coming our way I guess. Boo. Sick of winter.
Milestone? Baby's ears are better developed and can hear both my voice and others'.

  

I also have a few pics of Levi that I thought I'd share. We went outside and played for a little while the other day when he woke up from his nap. This first one is just because he looks so darn cute in his little Carhartt bibs that my grandma gave him! His snow pants are way too small so we made due with these for now. I actually just found him a pair on sale at Herberger's yesterday when we were at the mall, so they will at least get him through the next few (hopefully only a few) weeks of winter. Now with my luck just because I bought them, the snow will all melt in a week. Which I wouldn't complain about, either! 

 

And the next two are just from playing outside. He loved crawling around in the snow and digging in it. The big hill is from Paul snow blowing there, that's where all the snow from where we park our cars ends up. He thought it was fun climbing to the top, then sliding down the other side. We weren't out too terrible long since his pants got soaked since they're not waterproof, and he face-planted in the snow when he lost his balance. He didn't like that too much! The first thing he wanted was his 'mer' aka binker, surprise! So that was when we went in the house.

25 weeks

How far along?: 25 weeks 1 day
How big is baby?: Measures about 13.5 inches, and weighs about a pound and a half.
Weight gain?: Total gain of 16 lbs so far.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Good when Levi sleeps all night...
Best moment this week?: When Levi pointed to my tummy when we were sitting on the couch one morning and said "Mommy tummy. Baby." I think he is finally getting it that there is a baby in mommy's tummy.
Food cravings?: The one recurring 'craving' that I have had is for spicy things. I haven't had much of it, but for some reason sounds good. Except I think it may not like me in return, I had my quick version of fish tacos for lunch yesterday and I always put some Frank's Red Hot on them, and that evening I think I had my first occurrence of some heartburn/indigestion.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Bending over more easily, and being able to get off the floor without so much effort.
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Going to a little boutique in a town about an hour away to check out their new maternity section with my mom and sister. Hopefully we can find some cute stuff, and if not it will just be fun to look and hang out with them!
Milestone? Well according the the app on my ipod, baby is starting to get more baby fat and her skin is smoothing out.

24 weeks

Obviously I am like a week late in posting this, since I'm putting up my 25 week post today too. But I just wanted to get the picture up, because I sort of liked looking back at the ones from last time and thought I would like to look back at these someday too. So that is all for this post!

23 weeks

How far along?: 23 weeks 2 days
How big is baby?: more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, about as much as a mango
Weight gain?: +1.4 lbs since last week as of Wednesday
 Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Pretty good, but I keep finding myself waking up on my back, I am supposed to be laying on my left side for the most part now.
Best moment this week?: Hearing baby girl's heartbeat again at the dr. on Wednesday.
Food cravings?: This week I have been wanting fish tacos. And ice cream, but not at the same time.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: On Friday evening I really wished I could have a drink with Paul, Levi skipped his nap so it was a long afternoon..
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: My mom and dad visiting tonight, and starting next week as 'officially' being a stay at home mom since I'm done at work (for good) now.
Milestone? Feeling stronger kicks from the outside now.

22 weeks

How far along?: 22 weeks 1 day
How big is baby?: Weighs almost 1 pound and about 11 inches long.
Weight gain?: +2 lbs since last week, so around 12 lbs total. It feels like a lot more than that.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Not great this week, but not because of being preggo. Levi has been up a lot at night and up early in the mornings for some reason lately.
Best moment this week?: Listening to Levi say 'Baby [pause] seeter.' He always pauses in the middle when he says two words together yet.
Food cravings?: Nothing particular. Right now I want Peachy-O's.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Oh yeah, lots!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Nothing comes to mind..
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Doctor appointment on Wednesday for Levi and I. I love hearing baby girl's heartbeat, and I hope we can get something for the dry skin Levi has had lately.
Milestone? I don't think so.

21 weeks

How far along?: 21 weeks
How big is baby?:About 3/4 of a pound and approximately 10 1/2 inches long-the length of a carrot
Weight gain?: I've officially gained 10 pounds as of this morning.
Stretch marks?: Nothing new.
Maternity clothes?: Yeah, mostly. They are just more comfortable now, though some tops are still a little big yet.
Sleep?: Good.
Best moment this week?: Having a great time with friends at a wedding last weekend! So fun!
Food cravings?: Random...I go from wanting nothing but crap and sweets, to wanting anything fresh!
Gender?: GIRL! :)
Movement?: More and more, and I love all of it!
Belly button?: No change.
What I miss?: Nothing really.
Labor signs?: Nope.
What I'm looking forward to?: Spending the evening with my family on Saturday, bowling and having pizza to celebrate all of the January birthdays.
Milestone? Hmmm...can't think of one.

20 weeks

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and found out that baby is healthy and right on track with growth. I absolutely love seeing those pictures on the screen, so amazing!

We were also able to find out what we are having....

A GIRL!! Yay! Levi is going to have a little sister! We would have been thrilled either way, obviously, but it's really exciting that we are lucky enough to be blessed with a boy and a girl.

How far along?: 20 wks 2 days
How big is baby?: Around 10 1/2 oz, about 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and 10 inches long from head to heel...the length of a banana
Weight gain?: About 8 pounds total.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Some, but not completely switched over yet. Feeling more comfortable in maternity pants, but still not filling out shirts completely
Sleep?: Good.
Best moment this week?: Finding out we are having a GIRL!!!!! So excited! :)
Food cravings?: Nothing in particular.
Gender?: BABY GIRL!!!!
Movement?: Yep! I felt her kick from the outside this week, a lot earlier than with Levi. It was very light and not very consistent though.
Belly button?: No change.
What I miss?: Nothing much yet.
Labor signs?: Nope!
What I'm looking forward to?: Our friends' wedding this afternoon! Looking forward to a fun time with out friends while Levi spends the night at grandma's!
Milestone? Halfway mark!