Pregnancy Diary: Third Trimester

May 4, 2019

Hooray for being a few days into my third trimester! I think throughout my entire pregnancy I just wanted to get to that final trimester, to feel that extra sigh of relief. I have been feeling pretty good, and craving everything under the sun that’s sweet! Especially donuts for some reason.. LOL. I just keep thinking how close we keep getting to meeting our baby girl and even though I have nothing ready yet, I’m totally ready for her to be here at the same time!

May 8, 2019

Today was appointment day! I got to hear baby girl’s heartbeat which is always music to my ears. Today it was 140bpm, and lately she’s been a super active little one! The doctor said I am measuring on time, and I didn’t really have any concerns so it was a fairly quick appointment.

May 9, 2019

It’s travel day! Jeff and I are heading to Chicago tonight until Saturday for my sorority little’s wedding. It’s going to be so nice getting away just the two of us. Life has been SO busy lately, which is great! But we also don’t get much time just the two of us anymore, and that will change even more once our baby girl gets here. Besides getting all dressed up together for the wedding, I honestly would love to just lay in the hotel bed and watch Netflix together or something! We also just started Game of Thrones so maybe we will be able to watch a few episodes of that. I’m mainly excited for it to be just me and him.

May 11, 2019

We had such a nice quick trip to Chicago! The wedding we went to was absolutely beautiful and we got some much needed time just Jeff and I. I forget how important it is to get that time in with just you and your husband. For the first time in a long time, we didn’t have a toddler interrupting (ever so sweetly of course LOL) our conversations. And for all of the life changes that have happened and that are currently still happening, we finally got to chat about them just the two of us. It will obviously be different with two kids in the mix come July, but I know I need to keep our time together important too. Even if its just going for a walk together at the end of the work day, or going out to dinner every now and then.

May 12, 2019

Happy Mother’s Day! Carter and I went to church this morning. Even though we had to sit in the very back of church in the gathering area because Carter was in a mood, it still meant a lot to me that we made it to church today. I think I need to start taking notes on how to sit in church with Carter now that he is two! Around Christmastime I wrote a blog about bringing your toddler to mass, but he has changed so much in six months I think I need a new list of tips and tricks! I actually took a little more time to myself today and went shopping with my parents downstate. I left Carter at home so I could actually look around at a few things for our baby girl and for myself! It was a really nice day.

May 16, 2019

Today I headed up to work at the shop with Jeff! It’s nice when I can have Carter stay with one of his Grandmas, so I can get a little time away. I adore being a stay-at-home mom but I think any mom would agree it’s nice to get away with no kiddos sometimes even if it is for work! I enjoy getting to head up to the shop with Jeff, because I am always learning something new too.

I was actually happy that I was able to work today because we had the lovely Jeanna Trotman from NBC25 News come and film a story on our new business and our family. I think one of my favorite parts about the entire interview was seeing Jeff talk about the business. He is SO happy with it and I am just so proud of him! He has been working so hard. Attached below is the link to our interview incase you missed it! Thank you so much again Jeanna, you are such a rockstar at what you do!

https://www.facebook.com/JeannaTrotmanTV/videos/1077384595785134/UzpfSTEyMzA3OTIzOTE6MTAyMTk4NzIxMzQ0MTM2OTM/

May 21, 2019

It has been a busy week so far and it’s only Tuesday. My parents are out of town on a Caribbean cruise, (if I wasn’t pregnant I would have totally joined!!), but it feels a little quiet around here. I headed up to the shop this morning to work with Jeff for the morning before my baby appointment this afternoon.

I didn’t feel super great when I woke up this morning, but I assumed it was pregnancy and not sleeping very well lately so I just let it go. I dropped Carter off at my mother-in-law’s for the day and headed up to Oscoda. It was around 11:30 that I went to go slide my stool by the computer over, when I felt this immense amount of pain in my lower pelvic area that literally brought me to the ground. I had no idea what was going on, but I was in pain, that’s what I did know. I was glad we weren’t busy at the time so I could take my time getting back up. When I made my way up to sit down, I was all teary-eyed not only from the pain but just from the unexpected feeling that had just came. The pain honestly reminded me of my miscarriage pain, or possibly labor pain so I think that’s what made it worse and scared me. Of course a million thoughts went through my head, but I had my appointment later that day already scheduled at 1:30 so I just tried to stay calm until then.

When I got to my appointment, I still was feeling really off and it was painful to walk. I told the doctor about what happened and how I was feeling and he decided to send me over to the OB department to get checked out. With a possibility of pre-term labor, that was the best option just to be safe. So here I go back in my car to drive around to the Emergency Department to get checked in, thinking, “What in the world is going on!” I couldn’t reach my parents they were out of the country, Jeff was up at work short-handed, my sister is 2 1/2 hours away, there is no way this baby was coming that day.

Thankfully, everything checked up fine after getting a Non-Stress Test, an ultrasound, and a physical. I didn’t really get an exact answer of why that pain brought me to the ground, but I am just hoping it doesn’t happen again obviously! I was able to see the OB department as well instead of scheduling a tour, and meet one of the nurses so that gave me peace of mind for when the big day actually comes. It was a little scary earlier today, but I was just SO happy everything turned out to be fine.

May 26, 2019

Happy Sunday! We headed down to Lansing to stay with my sister for the night today. We went to the Potter Park Zoo, and got to celebrate her birthday which was really nice. I’ve been feeling good the past couple days so it was nice to get out of town for the night and share a new place with Carter. I think he liked the Red Panda’s the best today, they made him laugh and he kept saying “kitty” watching them, which was too cute!

May 30, 2019

Carter got a big boy haircut today, and I can’t stop staring at him! I think it’s starting to weird him out LOL, but he just looks so much older!!

June 3, 2019

It’s finally June! Which means next month we will get to meet our baby girl. Some days I feel like this pregnancy has gone by rather slow just from worries and anxiety, but other days I look at how far we have come and it just makes me even more excited!

We have a big night tonight for Carter. I signed him up for swim lessons up in Oscoda, and they start up tonight! There are six classes over the next two weeks that will hopefully go well. He loves the water and being down on the beach so it’ll be great to get him in the water to do a little swimming and learn some new things!

Update: Tonight’s first swim class went well! We learned a new song, jumped in the pool over and over again (Carter’s favorite part), and got to see our cousin Addison who is also taking the class!

June 5, 2019

Today was appointment day! I had a baby appointment and a chiropractor appointment. It was exciting as always to hear our baby girl’s heartbeat, and see that everything is checking up good. We have our second swim class tonight so I am hoping it goes as well as the first night!

June 11, 2019

It was an amazing day with my mom and Megan! I met them downstate to go wedding dress shopping for Megan, and today did not disappoint. We almost said “Yes to the Dress” but decided to hold off for our other appointments tomorrow! Which is exactly what I did when I was shopping for mine five years ago (holy cow it’s already been five years…), and then that next day I found my dress!

We don’t get too many times just the three of us anymore, so today was really nice to just be together mommy and daughters. We ate at a pizza place in Lansing tonight that you MUST go and try if you’re ever in the area! Check it out here: http://zoobiesoldtowntavern.com/menu I would have loved to try one of their specialty cocktails or beers, but next time for sure. We have another full day of shopping tomorrow so I’m already looking forward to that!

June 12, 2019

Megan said “YES TO THE DRESS” today!!! She cried, my mom and I cried, it was absolutely awesome. Her dress is beautiful, and the whole appointment was so special. Our consultant at The Wedding Shoppe was SO helpful and sweet. She made it even more special! I cannot wait to stand by Megan’s side next June as her Matron of Honor and watch her marry the love of her life. I’m going to need a big box of tissues for all my happy tears!!!

June 13, 2019

Lately my legs have been cramping up in the middle of the night and it’s really interrupting my sleep! I remember reading about restless leg syndrome throughout my pregnancy with Carter, but never actually had it. It’s mainly in my calves, and I can’t just stretch them while laying in bed, I have to get up and walk around a little at 3:00am when it hits! I didn’t drink that much water over the past couple days because we were so busy, so I think that’s part of the reason. I’m hoping that staying hydrated will help and it won’t be a constant thing for the rest of my pregnancy.

June 16, 2019

Happy Father’s Day! We plan to spend the day outside with Jeff, and enjoy some family time just the three of us. Our Father’s Day last year was pretty emotional because it was the day we found out we had lost our baby at about 10 1/2 weeks into my pregnancy. It really makes you sit back and be SO thankful for the love and the journey with our family. It made us stronger, and brought us even closer together. Feeling our baby girl move as I write this brings tears to my eyes. God is truly SO good. I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day this year.

If you like Carter and Jeff’s hats in the picture below, check out “To: little arrows” shop!

June 17, 2019

Feeling a little extra emotional today. Click here: https://www.instagram.com/p/By0F9GMF7Jp/

June 19, 2019

We got to hear our baby girl’s heartbeat today at our appointment! It was right around the usual 150bpm. She is head down and my belly is measuring right on time!

June 22, 2019

Read all about my “Baby Sprinkle” here!

https://nextplaywithmrsj.net/2019/06/27/baby-girl-sprinkle/

June 25, 2019

Last night was such a rough night sleep wise! I was up from about 11:30-2:00am with pretty bad cramps. They weren’t like contractions following a pattern, but I was uncomfortable. I think they were just those darn Braxton Hicks contractions to be honest, but just a little more intense than they normally are! Waking up this morning, besides being tired, I feel normal and they haven’t continued at all. The joys of getting closer to our due date though! That’s all I kept thinking about.

July 1, 2019

IT’S THE MONTH OF OUR DUE DATE!!!

July 4, 2019

Happy 4th of July! We had a packed day today, so thankfully the weather was gorgeous. We did the parade up in Oscoda where Janis Tire is located, and had so much fun! Carter was a little sassy waiting for the parade to start but once it got going, he had a blast throwing footballs and candy to all of the people. We had a family cookout that afternoon, and just came home and relaxed after that. I was exhausted that’s for sure!

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July 8, 2019

I had cramps throughout the night last night that kept me from getting a good nights sleep. They weren’t in intervals like contractions, but they definitely weren’t comfortable. I feel like our baby girl keeps teasing me! Some days I can honestly say she is going to make her arrival soon, and other days it feels like this pregnancy is going to go on for forever. But I always look back and think how grateful I am for this precious baby girl, and just try and be patient while we wait to meet her!

July 11, 2019

7:20am: It’s appointment day! I haven’t been sleeping well at all for about a week now. And when I say that I mean like barely getting any sleep at all. For how exhausted I am throughout the day, I’d think I’d sleep really well at night but that’s not the case. I feel like I’m already hitting that wall at the end of pregnancy where nothing is comfortable anymore. I am hoping that maybe at my appointment today I can see that our baby girl is making some progress towards her arrival, and that the feelings and cramps I’ve been feeling haven’t just been more Braxton Hicks contractions.

11:30am: My appointment went well and everything is looking good. I had my doctor check me to see if I was starting to make any progress towards labor too. I’m about two centimeters dilated right now. It’s a start!

July 13, 2019

I was able to get away this afternoon to go to 4:00pm mass by myself while my parents watched Carter. I take Carter to church sometimes, but it was nice to be able to just go by myself and be in the moment more for a change! It was a very nice mass and I lit a prayer candle after for our baby girl and our family. I may have added to bringing our baby girl into the world sooner than later to my prayer too, LOL. But what was REALLY spiritual and emotional, was what happened as I walked out into the gathering space. Most people had already rushed out of church it seemed like, so I was pretty much one of the last ones there! I was able to see our priest Father Charlie for a quick greeting, and he actually put his hand on my pregnant belly and my head to say a blessing over our baby girl and this pregnancy. I can’t even explain how much I needed that. It was one of those moments that you didn’t know you needed but once it happens it’s just like WOAH. I of course could have started sobbing but kept it together and just had tears in my eyes. The words he used about meeting our baby girl, and God being there every step of the way was absolutely beautiful. I will definitely remember this moment and always cherish it!

July 16, 2019

I went to the chiropractor today. I love getting adjusted! My chiropractor said that my pelvis and everything is in line, and ready for labor. She’s hoping within a week I have our baby girl just based on my alignment! She says I’m totally ready. AHH! Okay then baby girl, come on out!!

July 18, 2019

Another appointment day! Everything is still looking good, I haven’t really made much progress dilation wise since last week so that was kind of a bummer. But! She will come when she’s ready, (HOPEFULLY SOON!!).

I think I am going to end my third trimester diary with everyone right here! It’s been so much fun keeping track of my emotions and adventures throughout this pregnancy and especially during my last trimester. We are so hoping we get to meet our baby girl soon. Thank you again for the support and prayers throughout this entire pregnancy journey for us! God is so good and we really appreciate it! My next big blog post will hopefully be our birth story of our beautiful baby girl. We are SO ready!

Lots of love and God Bless,

Alyssa