38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks, 5 days.

Baby Size: 6-7 pounds?

Total weight gain: 33 pounds.

Maternity clothes? I know it's going to be awhile, but I'm looking forward to non-maternity clothes again :).

Stretch marks? Same old moisturizing routine.

Sleep: I'm still sleeping fine other than waking up to go to the bathroom. I've tried to switch the side I'm laying on each time I get up so my hips don't get too sore. The Dr. also recommended that I sleep 2-3 hours in the afternoon from here on out so I'm getting lots of sleep!

Best moment(s) this week: Our friends David and Katie had their little boy, and we got to visit them in the hospital!! 

Miss Anything? Jumping up off the couch quickly, bending over, having energy, etc.

Movement: She's still moving really well.

Food cravings: None that I can think of.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: At my appointment on Wednesday, nothing was happening. I'm hoping these B-H contractions start to dilate my cervix a little bit (or a lot) soon!

Symptoms: My hips are still a bit achey off and on. Other than that, just getting bigger by the day! 

Belly Button in or out? It's looking about the same.

Wedding rings on or off? Still off. I am anxious to get them back on!

Mood: So ready to hold our little girl!! The carseat is installed, the nursery is complete, and the birth ball is all aired up and ready to go :).

Looking forward to: Enjoying every last moment as our family of two! 

+, Lauren Aiken

Nursery Tour!

I'm so excited to finally show pictures of Baby A's nearly finished nursery!
You'll notice a blank space above the crib, which is where her initial will go once we can introduce you to her. And I may add a rug or something, but I haven't found just what I had in mind yet.

I'm working on a list of sources to share where everything is from and will post that soon!!
I'll try to get it done before she makes her arrival, but no guarantees since my due date is only 11 days away :).

+, Lauren Aiken

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks, 6 days - I'm way late this week! 

Baby Size: 6+ pounds.

Total weight gain: 32 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Most of my maternity tops are pretty tight now.

Stretch marks? I'm still moisturizing after baths/showers, and the tummy is in the clear.

Sleep: I've been waking up 3-4 times to go to the bathroom, and my hips have started to get sore.

Best moment(s) this week: I was pampered a lot this week! Our small group ladies got pedicures, and I also got a final hair cut before the baby comes. I am definitely ready for some of this extra hair to fall out soon!

Miss Anything? Moving around easily.

Movement: Movements are continuously more gradual, sometimes repetitious. And she still has hiccups pretty frequently.

Food cravings: No, but I did try a few new recipes: turkey chili, turkey sloppy joes, and pumpkin snickerdoodles (pinned here).

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: Still nothing yet, though Matt and I timed my B-H contractions a couple of times this week.

Symptoms: Achey (hips and back), swollen hands, and sporadic B-H contractions.

Belly Button in or out? It's still poking out at the top and then flat.

Wedding rings on or off? Off :(. Unfortunately, I think they'll be off the rest of the time now.

Mood: Calm but eager for the onset of labor. We are ready for Baby A!!

Looking forward to: Showing you all the nursery this week!

+, Lauren Aiken

{DIY} Burp Cloths

These past several months, I have found myself asking a ton of people for advice on baby supplies - friends, acquaintances, even strangers at the store! Commonly, I hear the only burp cloth worth using is the traditional cloth diaper. Today there are so many varieties and designs, but a lot of the cute ones have little to no absorbency. After doing a little searching, I realized it's true and decided to go with the standard white prefold diaper. Here's a quick way to pretty them up a bit!

Supplies

Prefold cloth diapers (I found a 10 pack at Target)

Fabric

Rotary cutter/scissors and cutting mat

Ruler

Ironing board/iron
Sewing machine & thread

Instructions

Before you start, wash all fabric and cloth diapers to pre-shrink everything. I also ironed everything before cutting.

Next, measure the center absorbent part of the diaper. This is where your accent fabric will go. You will need to cut the fabric to be 1" longer than the diaper to allow for 1/2" seams on all sides. My diaper measured 18" so my fabric was cut to 6" wide x 19" long.

 Iron a 1/2" hem all the way around all four sides of fabric.

Pin the fabric to the diaper.

Stitch around all four sides of the fabric, as close to the edge of the fabric as you can evenly sew. The absorbent rectangle makes can make it tricky to sew a straight line if you're too close to the edge.

Ta-da! Now you have a very absorbent burp cloth with a pretty little accent!

Any other words of wisdom for this mommy-to-be?

+, Lauren Aiken