39 weeks!

 

How far along: 39 weeks and 4 days

Baby Is the size a: watermelon (19-22 inches, 6-9 lbs)

Total weight gain/loss: 19lbs

The Bump: huge and heavy! I have to prop this sucker up on a pillow when i lay on my side or else it starts hurting. My doctor measured me and said "wow, you really are running out of room aren't you?" 

Symptoms: my right foot is numb. My feet are swollen and hands. Lots of cramping, tired, and getting grumpy easier...but I really try not to let it show lol. 

Food Cravings: not really lately...

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: nope. Still get nauseous from time to time but nothing triggers it.  

Sleep: this week not great. But I was too excited about Christmas Eve, then Christmas, and now having the baby tomorrow so I'm not surprised :) 

What I miss: my feet fitting into my shoes. This was never a problem with Bella. And since there's snow I can't really wear flip flops so I wear slippers everywhere pretty much....

Weddings Rings On or Off: off

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie Janae Simpson :)

Gender: Girl, Girl, Girl!

Movement: I'm going to miss her dancing in my belly! Her moves are sooo big and strong.  

Maternity Clothes: Always. I'm pretty over wearing the same outfits all the time but I'm happy I had enough to last me till the end:) 

Labor Signs: in one week I went from 1 1/2 cm dialated and 25% effaced to 4cm dialated and 70% effaced. Today when my doctor checked me she said I was still a good 4 cm dialated and she was surprised I hadn't gone into labor on my own already. I was too but it was a blessing in discise. I'm happy we got to celebrate the holidays with just bella one last time. And I'm happy I didn't have to worry about missing our family events of taking a brand new baby to them. 

Best Moment of the Week: there's two. Yesterday right before we went to bed Doug walked into Charlie's room and just stared at everything. It's really hitting him that she's coming and he's so excited! Makes my heart happy. I married a great man. The second was when we dropped Bella off with my parents tonight. She let me hug her for a long time before we left. I needed it. And when Doug said "okay it's my turn now." She said "no, we're not ready yet." She really understands what's going on and she knew her mom needed a really good hug from her favorite little girl:) 

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: everything! I can't wait for labor to be over. I can't wait to see her face. I can't wait to see Doug's face when he holds her for the first time. I can't wait for Bella to meet her sister. I can't wait to bring her home. 

Full term!

Woah belly! 

 

How far along: 37 weeks and 2 days

Baby Is the size of a: watermelon (19-22 inches 6.5 lbs) 

Total weight gain/loss: honestly I have no idea lol, I ment to ask my doctor today but I forgot...I imagine 15 or more lol 

The Bump: large and in charge! Lol I notice when I go anywhere people stare and smile at me. Everyone has been asking me how much longer I have too. This belly is BIG! And yes still running into EVERYTHING lol. I don't realize how big I am. 

Symptoms: mostly just super tired lately. A little lightheaded from time to time. 

Food Cravings: hot chocolate, yumm! 

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: I still get nauseous sometimes but nothing really triggers it.

Sleep: I love sleeping! My pregnancy pillow is amazing. 

What I miss: my wedding ring still. And my shoes fitting comfortably lol. 

Weddings Rings On or Off: off

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie Janae Simpson :)

Gender: Girl, Girl, Girl!

Movement: I love watching her move. They are sharp and strong movements too. 

Maternity Clothes: I found some pants that I forgot I had that fit great! I'm so excited they still fit since they aren't maternity pants. 

Labor Signs: I'm 1 1/2cm dialated and 25% effaced! It's not much and I could stay like this forever but I love that my body is getting ready! Also I've been getting stronger Braxton hicks, and pretty crampy. She could really come anytime :) 

Best Moment of the Week: I asked my doctor if the hospital encouraged breast feeding within the first hour of baby being born and she said yes and they also encourage skin to skin as soon as she's out and that made me sooooo happy! I've read that nursing within the first hour really helps both mom and baby  with long term breast feeding. 

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: still meeting Charlie! I cannot wait! I'm nervous of going into labor on my own because we live 45 min away from the hospital and it started snowing. So hopefully I'll go into labor while Doug is home and I make it on time to the hospital or I hold her in 40 weeks and then I get induced so we can calmly make it to the hospital. 

35 weeks!

 

 

How far along: 35 weeks and 2 days

Baby Is the size of a: Large Cantaloupe (19 to 22 in, 6 lbs)

Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs

The Bump: woah baby! Seriously this belly runs into everything. She's feeling super heavy too and I'm getting some stretch marks on the bottom of my belly that I can only see if I look in the mirror but really not terrible. I saw a video of a baby who was born 15 weeks early and growing baby Charlie in my belly this long makes getting stretch marks more than worth it.  

Symptoms: I've been having a hard time breathing. I get lightheaded sometimes and just feeling super tired. Baby must be growing.  

Food Cravings: pizza :) I could eat it all day everyday. but I don't :)

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: nothing imp articular. just nauseous random days.  

Sleep: my pregnancy pillow is amazing! without it I know I wouldn't be sleeping so well.

What I miss: wearing my wedding ring. I tried wearing it on our date night and it fit fine when I put it on but in the middle of our date I had to take it off because my fingers started swelling :/  

Weddings Rings On or Off: off

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie Janae Simpson :)

Gender: Girl, Girl, Girl!

Movement: BIG strong movements! they hurt sometimes but are still soooo fun to watch! every time my doctor checks her heartbeat she feels and sees her move its fun:) She's head down too and we can def. make out her little feet and its soooo sweet! those little feet are the kicks that hurt the most but I love that I can make them out when we feel them.  

Maternity Clothes: Finding clothes to wear is starting to get harder every morning. My belly has really started growing in the last few weeks and my regular shirts are just not fitting right (obviously) so I've been wearing a lot of the same clothes over and over again.

Labor Signs: We had a little scare last week at my 34 week check up. My blood pressure was suddenly high so my doctor told me to keep checking it and if it was high to go into labor and delivery. well it was high again the next day and so I had to go in. they checked me for preeclampsia which came out negative. but I had a little panic attack about it because I apparently cant handle anything these days. but in the end baby is fine and so am I and she's going to stay in my belly longer so her lungs can fully develop and so she can fatten up:)

Best Moment of the Week: Doug has been awesome. my best moment this week was when I cried about my blood pressure because she said I might have to have her early and it worried me. I felt like I wasn't able to protect Charlie and I knew being upset about it didn't help at all but Doug was definitely my rock when I needed him to be and that means the world to me.  

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: meeting my little lady:) I met my new nephew today and It made me soo excited to hold my little girl. only 33 days until my due date!

My Top Ten Favorites.

My pregnancy has been pretty smooth. Nothing too hard or painful but they're has been a few things that have made it easier. So I thought I'd share my Top 10 list of my pregnancy favorites so far and in no particular order :)

 

#1. Doug deserves credit for this but he got me my Camelbak water bottle when we first got to Idaho and I have LOVED it! you hear all the time how important water is but pre-pregnancy I really started trying to drink half my weight in ounces a day and I noticed such a difference so obviously I wanted to continue this during my pregnancy. I refill my Camelbak a billion times a day and the only downside is waking up at night and having to pee 2-3 times. oh well :) definitely worth staying hydrated.

#2. Yes this pregnancy has been pretty easy however not completely pain free.  This was completely new to me. I don't think I ever had to take Tylenol when I was pregnant with Bella. I sometimes get terrible headaches and my first terrible headache I thought maybe I just didn't drink enough water but finally gave in that evening after a full day of my head feeling like it was going to explode and it worked like a charm. Not only do I get headaches with Charlie but she is very low and heavy and at the end of some days my body feels like its turning against me. I really try not to take Tylenol to often but it does help me function some days.

#3. Leggings! oh do I love my comfy leggings. I put on a dress over them add some boots and not only am I comfy but I feel cute :)

#4. I'm not sure if its pregnancy or moving back to Idaho but my lips have been needing some extra moisture so I bought some EOS blueberry acai chap stick and I LOVE it! not only do I love it but it last forever. I loved it so much that I gave some to my mom and sister in their "thank you" bag for throwing my baby shower. My mom loves it too! Here's a tip though, if you decide to purchase buy them from Costco. I bought mine at target and then went back later to buy my mom and sisters (about $4 each) and then saw that they were $10 for FIVE at Costco! so buy yours at Costco!

#5. I got so lucky with my pregnancy pillow. My sister gave it to me and I am super grateful! It seriously takes all the weight of my belly off my back. I sleep amazing when I use this sucker. even Doug uses it sometimes :)

#6. A well fitted bra. Again I never had this problem with Bella and I almost didn't post this because I'm a little embarrassed but I got sized at motherhood maternity because my bra's were getting uncomfortable and I don't like spending a lot of money on myself (at once) but I am determined to nurse so I gave in and got some new nursing bras and wow! Having a bra that fits like its suppose it is great! Of course I did do my share of research on who had the best deals or the lease expensive nursing bras and I was pleasantly surprised that motherhood maternity had the lowest in cost. I looked at Sears, Macy's, Target, and Kohl's. Not only did they have the lowest price but they had a sale of buy 3 get the 4th free!

#7. I love my chalkboard! I love documenting my pregnancy and I think the chalkboard has made it a little extra fun. Some people think its lame but I don't care:) Also its a fun little moment with just Doug and I and we usually spend half the time laughing or making crazy faces at each other. By the way if you are in the market for a chalkboard here's some good news they aren't expensive ($6). I got mine at hobby lobby and they ALWAYS have a 40% of coupon code online that you can print or if you have a smart phone you can download the app and they can scan. happy chalk boarding :)

#8. Again Doug got me my Ultimate Sherpa Throw from my favorite store Costco! Seriously the softest most cozy blanket in the world. I'm taking mine to the hospital with me:)

#9. More pills. I was so proud at the beginning of my pregnancy because my iron was FINALLY at a healthy level. its usually always low but unfortunately it didn't last. I had to start taking iron twice a day and I was bummed at first but after a few days I noticed how much more energy I had and I felt like I could think more clearly. I haven't been as hormonal aka crazy lol. Mostly I feel more like myself so I am so grateful for my iron supplements. They have definitely made pregnancy easier.

#10. Last but not least Mio. Again I am a huge believer in water. Makes you feel more energized, helps manage weight, the list goes on. At the beginning of my pregnancy it was sometimes hard to drink water (morning sickness) but for some reason adding a little Mio seemed to help. And to be honest drinking water can get boring sometimes so again I add a little bit of Mio and it helps me make sure that I am drinking enough for the day. Even Bella loves Mio and it helps her drink more water which I love as a mom!

I hope this blog post wasn't super boring and if you are pregnant or have been pregnant please let me know what you loved/what made being pregnant easier. I'd love to know :) or if you are newly pregnant I hope my favorites can become your favorites:)

 

32 weeks!

 

How far along: 32 weeks

Baby Is the size of a: Honeydew (19 in, 4.5 lbs.)

Total weight gain/loss: +10

The Bump: starting to get a bit uncomfortable getting out up or out of bed. or even rolling over in bed lol. I run my belly into a lot of stuff (and people sometimes lol.) I forget how big I am.

Symptoms: Stronger Braxton hicks. and I feel like I'm peeing all the time lol.

Food Cravings: I'm loving yogurt with strawberries, bananas, apples and granola. I'm also loving Oreos lol

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: I'm not sure what it was but I threw up twice today:/ not sure why but I suddenly just felt really sick and I tried to hold back but it didn't work.

Sleep: I've been sleeping great the last few nights!

What I miss: wearing my wedding ring but besides that nothing.

Weddings Rings On or Off: off

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie Janae Simpson :)

Gender: Girl, Girl, Girl!

Movement: she's ALWAYS moving! I still love watching her move inside my belly. also she's been having hiccups a lot lately and I'm pretty sure she's head down because the lower I put my hand the stronger the hiccups are.

Maternity Clothes: still love my maternity jeans and leggings. my white shirt I wore on Halloween would have my belly hanging out if I wasn't wearing a longer white tank underneath lol. so some of my shirts are getting a little small...including this black one.

Labor Signs: I've been having Braxton hicks for a few weeks. my stomach gets hard and it makes it hard to breath for a min or two but this week I've had some painful ones. they actually woke me up the other night and even my back hurt so bad. I got up to move around, drank some water and then they went completely away. so no real labor signs but my body is def. getting ready.

Best Moment of the Week: dressing up my belly for Halloween! it was soo fun and I got so many complements when we were out trick or treating.

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: my baby shower this weekend! I'm so excited to see all my friends especially since we've been so busy and haven't been able to hang out with them since we've been home. I'm also getting really excited to meet Charlie and just hold and love on her. 8 weeks seems like nothing compared to 32 but its still two months and I'm getting anxious!

Also I know I should probably change my blog name since we will no longer be just three...so I will happily take any suggestions :)

Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween morning was great! Bella was so excited to trick or treat and I was excited for all the fun activities that night. I was especially excited to celebrate with Doug, Bella and my sister and her kiddos! 

We planned on going trunk or treating at our new ward. I made plenty if soup. I also made Carmel apples, cake pops, and chocolate covered pretzels for my nieces and nephews and in case you didn't know I'm usually always running late but I was so proud of myself because I wasn't at all this time. Bella had even agreed to take a nap so I had an hour to myself in my kitchen baking which I enjoyed! 

At 4:40 Doug texted me to tell me he was headed home and I thought "perfect!  He'll have plenty if time to shower and get ready without being rushed." Just as I was putting the kiddos goody bags together I got a call from Doug to come get him because he got in an accident but he was fine. I put Bella's shoes on, her sweater on backwards and we went and got him! Luckily he didn't have a scratch on him (thank goodness!) but his car wasn't so lucky:/ poor guy. 

Can you believe Doug kept apologizing for making us late? I had to tell him to stop because I was just happy he was okay. I can't handle anything happening to this guy. Like I said he was lucky, everyone was fine and he just finished filing his police report and asked the owner if the property if he could pick up his car later. I thought it was really nice of the owner to tell Doug to not worry about the car tonight and to take his little girl trick or treating because that's more important and the car could wait. I should take him cookies or something for being so awesome. 

We missed trunk or treating (anyone want soup?) and ended up just meeting up my sister and parents to go trick or treating. Doug and I were pretty bummed at first (he was still a little shaken up) but I'm glad we didn't let it ruin our evening. I'm not gonna lie being around family and especially those little cuties really helped. My nephew Jacob kept wanting me to hold him which I loved! I love that I'm not a stranger to him anymore and that he really knows I love him but poor little guy it's starting to hurt when I walk to much especially when carrying him so I couldn't hold him too long:/. Luckily uncle Doug was able to play with him too:) 

Olivia and Bella are pro's at trick or treating now. They really are so cute! My dang parents kept hogging them and taking them up to the doors though lol. My mom even admitted it today and said she had so much fun with them so she didn't even feel bad lol. I don't really mind. I love how much they are loved. 

After we went around the neighborhood we went to Doug's parents house so Bella could trick if treat there. Bella loves going to their house too! Debbie gave us some really cute goodies too. They were little haunted houses filled with candy. We got there at the same time as Doug's brother and his family so Bella was happy that she was able to play with her cousin jarron too. 

We left a little after 9:30 because Doug and I skipped dinner and by then we were starving and exhausted. I was extra starving and Doug was extra exhausted. Bella was too. When we got home we had a quick bite and put Bella to bed. She's been doing really well with staying in her bed (took her a while to re-adjust after our move) but she came in twice and said she was scared. Poor girl is just like me and gets scared pretty easy. She said she already prayed and she was still scared so Doug and I prayed with her again and put bailey (our dog) in her room with her and Bella was happy with that. We didn't do anything scary but when she saw people with scary costumes id have to tell her "remember it's just a costume." But she'd still hold on to my hand extra tight. We don't like scary things. 

I'm so glad our night ended up fun still. We love love love celebrating holidays together and especially with our families. I'm excited that Halloween kicks off the holidays and before we know it we'll be celebrating thanksgiving, (my favorite holiday!) Christmas, and then Charlie will be here! And the best part is we get to celebrate with family and we live here so when we get tired from all the running around we can come home and relax :) 

Just such a happy time. 

Bella dresses up as dynamight the lalaloopsy. She looked so cute in her costume! 

I dressed Charlie up as a mummy :) so fun. 

Bella and jarron last weekend at Debbie's trunk or treat. At least we got to go to one :)

Bella is so lucky to have two awesome sets of grandparents. I love this picture! 

The joyners

Kiddos trick or treating. Theyre so stinkin  cute! 

Bella thought it was so cool that her Tia dresses up as a cat. 

My parents and jakey boo:)

I thought I'd share this cute minion who will be 5 soon! What!? Sure miss him:)

And my isst bissy! Seriously I can't believe how big she's getting. We didn't get to celebrate with these two but hopefully we get to see them soon. Love you chopkos! 

30 weeks!

 

How far along: 30 weeks and 5 days :)

Baby is the size of a: Head of a Lettuce (18 in, 3.2 lbs.)

Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs.

The bump: seriously so round and hard. I love my bump, I'm so happy that I'm so comfortable and happy with my body.

Symptoms: Some minor Braxton hicks, nothing terrible. some sciatic pain but besides that I feel great! I've been taking iron supplements and wow they have made the biggest difference. I thought I was tired because Charlie was going threw a growth spurt or something because I woke up tired, I wanted to nap all day and getting everyday things done around the house really felt so hard. I've been taking them for 2 weeks now and I feel the biggest difference and have so much more energy!

Food cravings: Apple pie :) we FINALLY got some from Cosco and I'm loving it:)

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: nope

Sleep: Same as always. I either sleep great or wake up on and off all night.

What I miss: nothing really.

Weddings Rings On or Off: off :(

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie, still need to pick a middle name...

Gender: a beautiful baby girl!

Movement: oh baby does she move. I love it. I see her move constantly I just love love love it. especially around the evening around 8pm she really starts going crazy. Bella doesn't really care to feel or look but my niece Olivia put her hand on my belly and felt a huge kick and her face was priceless. I don't think she was expecting to really feel her.

Maternity Clothes: im loving my maternity pants and comfy pants lol. my shirts are still fitting pretty well.

Labor Signs: none

Best Moment of the week: oh man there was truly sooo many. but obviously when Doug and I got sealed to Bella <3 comment-3--="">

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Charlie's room! its almost done and finally not a clutter. I organized her clothes in sizes. I just need to hang a few things up more. I'm also excited for my baby shower :) my sister is so excited and making it so fun! plus I cant wait to see all my friends and family. I'm also excited for the holidays and to enjoy them one last time with just Bella.

 

 

 

these last two weeks have been very exciting and filled with so many activities. my sister in law Tami had her baby shower, we got sealed to Bella, Doug and I celebrated our third anniversary and had a mini vacation just the two of us, and I was able to attend my friend Taren's sealing which by the way was amazing! I was so happy to be there for her and I wish everyone knew Taren and her story because her family is beautiful and she deserves to be this happy! I am full of joy :)

I started going to the doctors every two weeks too but I alternate between seeing my doctor and my nurse practioner every other visit though. I saw my nurse practioner Velma today and she said she was very happy with how healthy I looked. that my blood pressure was great and so was my weight which made me feel good. baby girls heartbeat was in the 140's as usual and she said she was measuring right on schedule. I asked her if I would just see the on call doctor if I went into labor on Christmas and she said yes but I could schedule to be induced a week early which is December 22 if I wanted. I told her I would think about it and talk to Doug about it. At first I was excited to have her before Christmas and enjoy this beautiful newborn baby in 9 weeks but after talking to Doug and thinking it over I realized we'd most likely get discharged on Christmas eve. I would feel pressured to go to our usual Christmas activities but I know when I have Charlie I want to be able to go home and enjoy our new baby and simply focus on her not on the Christmas hussle and bussle. also having one last Christmas with only Bella will be great. really though its not up to me, she might come that day or on Christmas on her own but I wont make her:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our sealing day!

I cannot believe that we were finally able to get sealed to our beautiful baby girl! Words cannot express how eternally grateful I am.

The day before our sealing I played "I love to see the temple" and hearing Bella sing along made my heart swell and I could help but tear up. 

Bella knows the temple is very special, and we told her we need to be reverent inside. We also talked about feeling the spirit (like a warm blanket) and she was so cute walking reverently inside. If you've met Bella you know she is just a ball of energy but inside and during our sealing she was so calm and reverent. I am a proud mom :) 

And of course the second we were out she was CRAZY! Seriously ball of energy X2! My friend Jammie took some pictures for us (thank you!!!) and she was being so  silly. I'm happy that she was reverent inside the temple and crazy outside the temple though. And she was like this the rest if the night! I think she was just happy. I know I am and that Doug is. I am grateful that families are forever and I kept thinking while inside the temple was about how Doug's and I job is provide Bella and Charlie with the tools to live with Heavenly Father again. I kept thinking of both my girls and how I honestly hope Bella realized how special and important that day was. How Doug and I have worked so hard on ourselves to be the best examples we can to them. I know telling them to love the gospel isn't enough but showing them is. I know telling them we love going to church isn't enough but showing them how much we truly enjoy going. I don't know how many times I've been asked if I still go or if I enjoy going for that long every Sunday and the truth is I'm an adult. If I didn't I wouldn't go. And the same goes to Doug. I think sometimes people forget that we have agency to choose and we choose to go. I know if we keep this up so will our girls. 

I can't wait to go back to the temple with Bella. I know I'll have to remind her of the blessing she'll receive if she keeps the commandments and I'll remind her of this day and how it truly is worth the hard work. 

I saw this picture today and it reminded me of my life and how my success is my journey to the temple. 

My journey was a mess but I'm making it and bringing my family with me :) 

This one is one of my favorites! I think I'll hang it on my wall :) 

Doesn't Bella just look so happy and proud!?

 

Also a BIG thank you to my friend Jammie for taking pictures of our special day. I'm happy I'll have these forever! 

My testimony.

Today was Fast Sunday and when a lot of members share their testimony's during sacrament meeting. I will admit I am a chicken when it comes to speaking in sacrament or in front of a large group of people. I Get super nervous and jumble up my words, say sentences backwards, and talk really fast. I need to work on sharing my testimony and I'm shy about who I share my testimony with because to me it is special and I basically I don't want anyone to rain on my parade especially with something so sacred. however I thought my blog might be a good place to start :)

We just had General Conference this past weekend and can I just say my heart is FULL. There are so many talks that I just loved and I cant wait to re-watch them so I can really take in what all these wonderful men told us. I feel like my spiritual to-do list is so long but that is one list that doesn't make my shoulders feel heavy. The biggest blessing I think that I got out of conference is confirmation that even though I am far from perfect and there are many things I need to work on that what I'm doing with my life is what I'm suppose to be doing. I love being a mother, and a wife and I love growing spiritually.
These last few months I have really been trying to work and improve my relationship with my heavenly father. I feel like as a member of the church we get into "spiritual slump." we improve for a while but sometimes we just start going threw the motions instead of improving. I found myself in a slump so I decided to pray to really learn how heavenly father speaks to me. I'm not sure why but every time he answers my prayers (and he does every time) I am amazed. I started listening to his promptings and can I just say my life has been so blessed and my family and myself have received blessings that we might have missed if I didn't listen. its nice knowing that I can make a difference by simply asking and opening my heart.
One of the things I felt prompted to do is to work on my testimony on the book of Mormon. Usually Doug and I read together and that's fine. and we have done a really good job with reading with Bella every night but I have been working on just myself with this one and I'm loving it. I know that as a mother I really want my children and my husband to know by example that I love the scriptures. I know that I can tell them all day long but unless I am constantly working on it and they see me working on this growing up that they will learn to love them too. I also know that by doing this every day it really invites the spirit into our home and helps us be a better family.
I truly love being a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I love how many small but significant blessings my family has received because of our heavenly father. I love how full and happy my heart always is and always will be because I have learned that especially when life is hard is when heavenly father is with us the most and when I can feel his presence sometimes just holding me up. He gives me hope, and teaches me to love and forgive. I know I am a better sister, daughter, mother, wife and friend because of the gospel and I know that if I continue to build my relationship with my heavenly father that I will only get better.

28 weeks and 6 days pregnancy update!

•  How far along: 28 weeks and 6 days!

Baby is the size of a: small cabbage <3 17 inches, 2.9 lbs

Total weight gain/loss: 9 lbs

The bump: large and in charge! Some times it's a little hard to breath but not too bad. I feel like she's running out of room too because sometimes when she stretches or moves it hurts!

Symptoms: I was starting to get really tired but I found out I'm low in iron and so I've been taking two iron pills a day and that seems to be helping. Also my back is starting to get a bit achey. Nothing I can't handle though :)

Food cravings: APPLES! I want plain apples, apple pie, apples dipped in Carmel. Yumm :) 

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: my iron pills lol 

Sleep: again I either sleep like a rock or I toss and turn all night. But either way I'm up around 5am...I'm not a morning person at all so to me be wide awake at 5 is crazy to me!

What I miss: Nothing that I can think of. Being pregnant doesn't hold me back from anything. 

Weddings Rings On or Off: off :/ 

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie! We're still unsure on the middle name....

Gender: A girl! its been so fun saying SHE!

Movement: Holy moly does baby girl move! I read I should start tracking her kicks and to make sure I feel ten kicks/rolls every two hours and sometimes it's more than 10 in a minute! 

Maternity Clothes: still wearing my jeans, sometimes I wear maternity jeans just to be comfy though. 

Labor Signs: N/A

Best Moment of the week: just how excited Bella is to be a sister:) she told me we HAD to go to the hospital and I asked her why and she replied with "so the doctor can get baby sister out!" She's so cute! 

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: holding my little lady <3 seeing Doug's face when he first holds her, seeing what Bella says or does when she first meets her. 

The crazy world we live in...

A commercial came on TV for one of the real housewives shows (I have no idea which one.) and The guy interviewing the wives asked about one about how she admitted to her husband cheating on her and she replies with something along the lines of "I didn't admit to him cheating on me but we have been married for 38 years and it would be foolish of me to think he has  been completely faithful the entire time."
I wasn't even really watching TV (background noise) but I turned to the TV and couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth. It made me sad for her and for her husband. How little does she respect or expect out of him to think he has zero self control? and how little does she respect herself to be okay with her husband cheating?
 I haven't been married long almost three years but you can bet your bottom dollar that in 35 years I will expect my husband to be completely faithful and I to him. Not only because we love each other but because we respect each other and our children enough to not be so foolish. can you imagine the example we would be setting for our daughters if we didn't expect this out of each other? It reminds me of the talk to Elaine S Dalton "love her mother.'' I am grateful that in this crazy world we live in we still have amazing examples in the world. I am grateful for the amazing example my parents, Doug's parents, and my sisters and their husband have set.
 
General conference is this weekend and I'm so excited to hear all the talks. "love her mother" has truly made such an impact on my life. I remember when I first herd it I cried tears of joy because I knew that Bella had an amazing father to raise her. I called Doug (he was in Iraq)  and thanked him. he wasn't able to watch conference then but a few months after he came home they shared this talk in his priesthood class and after church he shared it with me and told me how much he loved it.
I thought I would share this wonderful talk :)

26 weeks!

•  How far along: 26 weeks! 

Baby is the size of a: cucumber. 15 inches & 2.2 lbs! Wow baby! 

Total weight gain/loss: 7 lbs.

The Bump: starting to get a little beat up. I accidentally have hit my car door against it (not hard at all) just forget how big it is lol. 

Symptoms: still a crybaby lol, I got a terrible headache this week that really slowed me down in the morning especially. Gave me some cramps and nauseous. It was awful! I took some Tylenol and zofran and made sure I drank lots of water and it helped! 

Food cravings: nothing in particular...at least I don't think so? 

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: my headache but that's it. 

Sleep: either I sleep like a baby or I toss and turn a lot. Lately it's been every other day that I get great sleep. 

What I miss: Nothing that I can think of. Being pregnant doesn't hold me back from anything really. 

Weddings Rings On or Off: this week on :) 

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie! We're still unsure on the middle name....

Gender: A girl! its been so fun saying SHE!

Movement: Charlie is a mover! She is kicking constantly and like I said before loves music! She kicks on wye with music. We can really SEE her moving too lately it's awesome:) Doug and I were watching a movie and we both got distracted and started watching my belly! It's so fun sharing these moments with him:) 

Maternity Clothes: still wearing my jeans, sometimes I wear maternity jeans just to be comfy though. 

Labor Signs: N/A

Best Moment of the week: Bella asking me what's taking baby sister so long to get here is so cute! Also she was sitting next to me and said "mom she's not just your baby she's OUR baby." I love how excited she is to be a big sister:) 

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: meeting her! I'm getting so impatient I just can't wait :) I'm also excited to finish her room and to see Doug with Charlie. I know he's going to cry when he meets her and I just can't wait! I'm also curious to see how Bella acts when she first meets her. 

These last two weeks really have been different. I feel very pregnant and by that I mean I can defiantly feel that my belly is getting bigger and to my surprise I love it! I'm happy that I feel good about my body as it's getting bigger. I know having an awesome husband telling me that he still thinks I'm beautiful helps :) 

Also laying on my back in bed or on my right side makes me feel uncomfortable so I listen to my body and sleep on my left side mostly. And last but not least I haven't been as careful as before about drinking enough water and WOW does that make a difference! I had been feeling more nauseous and tired lately and I realized I wasn't drinking enough and when I do I feel 100 times better! 

I keep getting nervous about being a mom of 2 too. It's really starting to sink in that in 3 months Charlie will arrive and I am extremely excited but reality is sinking in and at the same time I don't feel ready. Both emotionally and physically. Emotionally I'm anxious because I know how much work babies are and with Bella she had my 100% attention and this time I'll have to give both girls lots of attention. I hope that by having Bella "help" me will help her feel included. And physically because Charlie's room isn't even close to being done. We just put in new floors and that's all it is so far. We have a bassinet set up. I feel like there's still so much work to do that it's overwhelming and poor Doug is always working so hard that I don't want to push him harder. He is a popular guy in Idaho. I might actually have to schedule a weekend with him to finish some of our house projects lol. 

Bella is officially a Simpson!

A while back I wrote on Facebook about how Bella's adoption was almost done and we only had a few steps left assuming everyone I knew that Doug and I started dating when Bella was 9 months old. I got so many phone calls (mostly from my friends in Texas), messages, and after people came up and said "I had no idea Bella was adopted!" Some people even thought I was the one adopting Bella and that she was Doug's biological daughter. Doug an I thought that was funny :) 

So I thought I'd clear the air and explain a bit and also share our amazing news! 

Now looking back especially in our Texas ward I can clearly see why so many people didn't realize that our family started with Bella and I and that we added Doug later. Its because Doug is an amazing father, he does EVERYTHING for Bella. He usually gets her breakfast, he fixes her owies, he gives her blessings, he provides for her spiritually and financially and he loves her with all his heart. Bella loves her daddy. If you ask her who she wants to marry she says "my daddy!" When he gets home from work she tells him everything about her day and literally chats his ear off and that's her way of showing him she missed him that day. They go on father daughter dates often and Bella knows she is a princess and deserves the world because Doug has taught her that. I could go on and on about their amazing   relationship. 

Anyway Doug and I started dating after Bella was born. The short time we dated Doug and I really got to know each other.  We started our relationship very honest. Never having any secrets and because if that I was able to tell Doug what I expected put of him when it came to Bella and that was to be there 110%. Truth be told I didn't have to tell Doug because being the awesome guy he is he would have anyway. He knew we were a packaged deal :) 

Doug never complained about changing diapers, waking up in the middle if the night when Bella was sick, or any other sacrifices that came with jumping into parenthood. And he really jumped since we moved to Texas a week after we got married and the only people we knew were each other. But really after we got married I expected there to be an almost awkward stage with learning to co parent with Doug but we just fit. Being a family felt natural. Bella loved him right away and Doug was such a natural when it came to being a dad. I know we were meant to be together. 

Doug and I looked into having him adopt Bella almost right away but JAG (army lawyers) said you had to be married for at least 2 years and Texas law to have him adopt her said she had to be 2 years old (she was 18 months) and she turned two 2 weeks after Doug deployed to Iraq. So we obviously had to wait at least a year and a half. 

Right after our two year anniversary we made Bella's adoption our #1 priority. I remember being so nervous and excited for our first meeting with our attorney and it was so overwhelming and our most difficult one in my opinion. It was 2 hours long, I had to tell our lawyer everything about Bella's birth dad which felt a little awkward to me and she drew up paper work for us to send him to get his rights terminated. She also highly suggested that I'd call and let him know ahead of time. I hadn't talked to him in almost three years and we obviously didn't end things in the best way. Doug and I talked about it the rest of the day on whether or not we should call him or not and we decided that we should listen to our lawyers advice. Bella's birth dad was young. He wasn't ready to be a father and he didn't have a great example how parents should Act. We were both young, immature and had terrible communication. We were mean to each other and I resented him for not loving Bella like I thought he should. With that being said I was surprised with the guilt I felt. 3 years later I know I wasn't perfect and I can't imagine someone asking me to terminate my parental rights. 3 years later I saw him as heavenly fathers son. 3 years later I no longer hated him because I learned threw an amazing counselor of mine Virginia that I needed to pray for him. 3 years later and I just wanted to move on with my life. I called him to tell him and I told him that my husband Doug wanted to adopt Bella and we were sending him papers to terminate his rights. I told him I wasn't calling him out of spite and that I was honestly sorry for any grief I caused him. He said this wasn't what he expected, asked if he could call me back. I told him to take his time because I knew this wasn't easy and to call me if he had any questions. 

I didn't hear back from him and that made Doug and I very nervous. We knew we did what we could and prayed for the best. Luckily a week later we got the papers in the mail! We couldn't believe it! Doug and I both cried. This was the hardest step and we both knew it. This was the only step we couldn't control and it was such a relief getting them in the mail. We set up our next appointment with our lawyer the next day. Our appointments after that was our lawyer typing up paper work and Doug and I taking it to the court house to get filed, more paper work, background checks, and a home study.

The home study made me pretty nervous too! Someone was coming to our house, talking to our crazy 4 year old and asking her what kind of parents we were. Looking around and literally judging if we are fit to be her parents. Well mostly Doug but I still felt nervous. I cleaned our house like never before, I organized Bella's toys, I made sure to pick out the perfect scentsy (because that's so important lol), I made sure to pick all our outfits, our medicine was out of reach, our computer and TV chords were safely tucked away, our dogs vaccine records were up to date. What can I say I was nervous. In the end none of that mattered. Our social worked stayed in our kitchen, asked us simple questions, looked at Bella's room and that was it. She didn't even look at my shiny bathrooms or neatly folded towels lol. After our home study Doug and I were in the home stretch!

The scary part is that we started this process at the end if October, our home study was at the end of June and we were suppose to move to Idaho in August. We basically had one month to fit in our last meeting with our attorney and get in for our final hearing in court. We had no idea how the court schedule was or how busy they normally were so Doug and I were nervous! Especially since the JAG office is usually super busy and we would normally have to wait 2 weeks to see our lawyer after we made an appointment. Our home study was on a Friday and we had to wait till the next Monday to even try to set up an appointment. Doug and I asked everyone to fast for us that Sunday, Doug fasted and I fasted with my phone and Ipad lol. I know it sounds super ridiculous but I was/am pregnant and going a day without my phone was the biggest sacrifice I could think of for myself (I know pathetic.) and I wanted in. Our fast and prayers worked though because the first time ever we were able to get an appointment with our attorney that same week! She drew up our paper work and we were able to set up our appointment with the court for our final hearing 2 weeks before we were suppose too be to Idaho! Doug and I were ecstatic'!  

The day of our court hearing came. We tried explaining it the best we could to Bella, we got her a pretty dress, and told her it was hers and daddy's special day because he was going to adopt her! Doug insisted on leaving an hour before our appointment to make sure we got there on time. We ended up getting there  45 min early but I didn't even tease him (until later) because I could tell he just wanted everything to go right. 

Waiting in the court room for the judge, how precious and perfect is this!?

Our turn in front of the judge came. We have him our paper work and the judge asked us some questions and then he told us we were missing one paper. I think Doug almost cried, and I was freaking out inside. Luckily the judge said "I want to do this for you guys so if you get back here before 5 ill do this for you. Just walk back into my court." It was 1:30 and we thought there was no way our lawyer would see us because like I said it usually took us 2 weeks to get in but we drove to her anyway. We actually caught her minutes before she was suppose to leave and she apologized a million times and finished up that one paper we were missing. She had her boss look it over to make sure she didn't miss anything again and then we were off again to the court house! The judge finalized our adoption and that was it! We were legally the family we have been in our hearts for so long! Doug was on cloud 9 and Bella was feeding off our joy! She is only 4 so I know that even though we try to explain to her she doesn't really understand yet. But I know one day she will. She will understand that her father chose to love her and to take care of her. She will know that Doug never had to provide for her but always wanted to. Right now she knows that "she had a first dad and then mommy found the one and that was daddy." Her words :)

Nothing has really changed in our home since Doug adopted Bella because he has always been her dad but it does feel awesome that now it's legal too and soon we'll take our little lady to the temple and the three of us will be sealed for time and all eternity and really that's why we've worked so hard to get this done. 

i love my family. I am so blessed to have these two in my life. I am blessed to have a husband who loves me and all my imperfections. Who has never judged me. I am blessed that I was able to change for the best for my baby girl and because of her I was able to remember that I too am one of heavenly fathers daughter who he loves and who deserves to be loved and respected. Doug and I will forever work together to make sure that Bella never forgets how much she is loved.