Pregnancy Update: 38 Weeks and Counting!

Hey all,

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a blog post and honestly the only reason one is getting done now is because I’m home sick from work! Unfortunately I caught a NASTY GI virus this week and Lord I have never been so sick in my entire life. Being 38 weeks pregnant and this sick was also awful. Luckily the doctor said baby girl is doing just fine still and so I am at home again today trying to fully recover so I don’t spread this thing around to anybody at work! Anyway this trimester has also flown by, and I wanted to share some things that I have felt were key to my third trimester with you all as we approach the end of the pregnancy. Can’t believe little Aili will be here so soon! The doctor said it could be anytime now!

1) Sleeping sucks

This is an obvious one because you are just so big and as a stomach sleeper, my hips have been killing me trying to sleep on my sides. Everyone says the lack of sleep will just prepare me for a newborn’s crazy sleep schedule, so that’s the good part I suppose!

2) Baby girl is still moving like CRAZY!

This little one has been SO active! Especially in the mornings and late afternoons/evenings. Seems like she tends to chill out in the middle of the day. We got to do an ultrasound yesterday to check her positioning and although we suspected this, she is head down and in position for birth! I will be curious to see if she is super active like this once she comes but it’s been fun watching her squirm around (and at times uncomfortable) but I have been lucky that even with my anterior placenta we haven’t had to worry about lack of movement with this little one! 

3) NOTHING is fitting my belly anymore

Maternity clothes do fit but if I want to just chill I have basically been in Madi’s clothes every evening. Gym clothes are also a pain. I have only been going to the gym in Saturday’s and we usually walk on the trail (when it’s nice out) on Sundays but I am running out of sports bras and workout tops that fit, so basically my workout tops are Madi's shirts too. Luckily I have a nice husband who has been very understanding when he goes to look for clothes and realizes I have them on ;). I am looking forward to being able to get back into my own tops even if that means it takes a few months post partum, because I was mostly wearing my own clothes until this third trimester. Maternity clothes are AWESOME but also EXPENSIVE and while we know we want to have more kids I didn’t want to drop a lot of money on clothes and I’m glad I didn’t! You can live with a few things of each. Especially if you’re a nurse like me and have to buy maternity scrubs and wear those five days a week anyway. 

4) Nike is still attached to my hip

Once I get home from work this dog does not leave my side. Which is adorable and also so weird. I am excited to watch what she does with the baby. Now that we have the nursery set up and the car seat installed she’s definitely been curious about what these new things are. She loves to lay in the nursery and I find her bringing toys in there while we are gone at work. I don’t think she has any idea about what is going to happen very soon but it’s still fun to watch her be curious. 

5) Nesting is in full swing

Not currently because of this bug, but leading up to this point I’ve been cleaning, organizing, meal prepping like a mad women. I’m excited for my mom to get here next week and have been looking forward to all that is about to come so soon! With madi and I working full time we have a hard time keeping things organized but we’ve both upped our game these last few months and have tried to stay on top of things! The nursery is pretty much done as well (pics to come at some point soon). 

6) We have been so BLESSED by everyone!

We had two beautiful baby showers, one at home with our friends and family in Florida and one at my work at Duke with my work family and friends! Madi's work also surprised him with an awesome gift basket of goodies as well! We are so thankful for everyone's generosity during this process. From hand me downs to amazing gifts, we barely had to spend a dime on things for Aili thus far and can not say thank you enough!

I can’t wait for Aili to get here and for our new journey to begin! Keep us in your prayers during this transition as I’m sure it will be a lot to get used to of course! 

Thanks for keeping up with us,

- Olivia :) 

#BookWorm: Woman in the Window

Hello fellow readers,

Happy 2019! Crazy to think the new year is here! A few months ago I was perusing in the library and saw the book The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn and was intrigued. The problem was that it was a one week rental and I rarely have time to read a 450 page book in a week these days. However, I was about to go out of town to Denver for work and knew on the plane and at night I would have more downtime than I would at home so I said why not? and picked it up. Let me tell you, it was not hard to get through in a week at all. The plot is about a woman named Anna who lives alone in a massive home in New York City. She has a fear of going outside, and so she passes the time drinking and spying on her neighbors. When a new set of neighbors moves in across the way, she uses her camera with a zoom lens to take a peek at their lives. They seem like a normal family, until one day she sees something that is concerning, something people would not want her to see, and that is where it all begins.

This book was a very fast read, because it was so interesting. Definitely a page-turner. The only thing that I did not like about it was that at the end they threw in a couple of big plot twists that I felt weren't necessary and just made the story's finale a little too much to believe. It was the best mystery/thriller that I had read in a while and therefore I think it is worth your time if you enjoy that genre as well. Another reason to get on it and read now is because it is being made into a movie starring Amy Adams. She also starred in the HBO TV series Sharp Objects based on the book by Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl) which was my favorite book by Flynn (see the link here). Both have similar main characters in the sense that both women are raging alcoholics... but totally different plots. Interesting choices for roles that Amy Adams has been choosing considering I always think of her as the princess in Enchanted. But she rocks it!

I have a few more posts about books that I read before the end of 2018 that I will get to soon, but for the most part I have just been going to sleep early and trying to rest and rejuvenate as much as possible before baby girl gets here in March! I was given a few books for Christmas and can't wait to start them! Now that the list is out for book to movie adaptations in 2019 (see the link here) I have added quite a few to my list, but also had almost half of these on my list already. LOVE book to movie adaptations so much.

Thanks for reading with me,
- Olivia :)

Third Trimester Intro and Update

Third Trimester Intro

Hey all,

This pregnancy is continuing to FLY by! I am so grateful for a pretty smooth pregnancy thus far and haven’t written an update in a while because we’ve been so so busy with the gender reveal and the holidays that we just haven’t had time! When I looked at the calendar the other day I realized that I was going to be starting my third trimester and could not believe it! So here are some things that have happened in the last few weeks since my last update post:

1. We found out Baby Franek is a girl!

Before I was pregnant I knew I wanted to do a gender reveal because why not it’s super fun and a great way to celebrate with everyone! However it really made me anxious waiting the two and a half extra weeks to know. Because of timing and traveling we couldn’t do the party right after we had the ultrasound so that made me crazy! We also got SUPER surprised because we had been convinced it was a boy! It’s so funny how you have all this reasoning behind why you think something or you just “feel” like it but we were totally wrong! Now instead we are welcoming little Aili Anne into our lives! A lot of people have asked about how to say her name. It is pronounced Eye-lee and is a Finnish name that was my great grandma Rintalas name and my middle name. Anne (as most of you know) is my moms name! Both our boy and girl choices had family elements in them because that was super important to us.  

2. Baby is really moving around! 

Since I have a frontal (anterior) placenta I have not felt as much as most people do, but lately she has been really moving around! This usually means that I can feel her rumbling or hiccuping but can’t feel on the outside any punches or kicks unless they are really high, really low or to the sides of the placenta. Last night Madi finally got to feel her kick for the first time and that was a really special moment because I have tried to get him to come over quickly when I have felt a kick or too but then she moves somewhere else. The only question he had for the doctor at one of our last appointments was “when will I be able to feel her kick?”. So he finally got his wish! 

3. We started working on the nursery!

We spent the weekend after Thanksgiving cleaning out the den that we used as an office and making it into a nursery for Aili. We hope to stay in the townhouse rental we currently live in for a few more years before we get enough savings to buy a house so we are trying to maximize on space and the den is a great size room for the little one. Our townhouse has super big rooms which I think is so interesting but we have loved it. So far we’ve built the crib and dresser but will be doing more work with the rest of the nursery as we get closer to the new year. 

4. Some symptoms are worse, some are better

TMI but I’m telling you constipation continues to be an issues for me. Luckily the nausea is gone for the most part but I still feel way too full all the time and literally feel like my intestines are being squished so eating a regular meal has turned into fourths to halves at a time. As soon as I eat everything that I want to eat I instantly regret it. Sleeping has also been more of a challenge. Otherwise I’ve still been able to do my normal routines at work. Gym time has been more of power walking at an incline than jogging, mostly because baby is basically bouncing a lot on my bladder and pulling on my back when I jog. People have suggested a support belt but I HATE anything that is right around my abdomen so I think I’ll just stick to the power incline walk for the last trimester! I also just felt like Tim Allen in The Santa Clause when he was jogging on the treadmill and had gained all that weight. It wasn’t cute. 

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5. Nike is super obsessed with me now
If you know our dog Nike, she has always been a daddy’s girl. When Madi and I are both home she never chooses to be by me over him, unless food is involved of course. But now she ONLY wants to be by me or in between us. She lays right next to me at night and on top of me on the couch during the day. People told me this happens but I never believed that it would because of how much she has always favored Madi. It’s so weird!

Now we are just looking forward to Christmas and happy that we made it out of this crazy snowstorm okay! Soon I will have my glucose test and am praying that I pass and don’t have to do the three hour test!! Praying this little lady continues to grow and stay healthy! 

Thanks for keeping up with us,

- Olivia :)