2 WEEKS FROM TODAY!

Dear Baby Holler,

I cannot believe it!  The first thing I thought when I woke up this morning was that in exactly 2 weeks from today, Daddy and I will be getting ready to go to the hospital to get you on the outside with us!  I am SO EXCITED I can hardly stand it!  I've been acutely aware that we're getting so close, but we are truly down to the wire and it's almost too much excitement and anticipation to handle - sometimes I think I might burst from it!

Speaking of bursting - I'll go ahead and show you what a big girl you are at 37 weeks!

You are FULL TERM in there!

I had my 37 week checkup on Friday and it turns out that you are starting to get ready to make a break for it....So I'm a little curious to see if you'll visit us beforehand, but my mom never had her babies before her due date, so that makes me think you and I will follow suit.  It's okay if you can't get packed up and moved out before December 2nd.  That's right around the corner, and we can wait for your eviction:)

I have been really emotional this week, and one thing I've been fretting a little about is what is going to happen in our household with the baby that came before you....Frankie.  He is so used to basically doing whatever he wants, and I am completely guilty of being a total softie with him because MOST of the time, he is such a sweetie.  Also, with Daddy gone so much, he is my little buddy.  But he has bad habits- like he sleeps in the bed with us and makes a lot of noise - barking when he hears something outside or wants in or out of the bed.  And on occasion, he has peed or pooped on the carpet upstairs when left unattended- Daddy and I think that he can still smell the dogs that lived in the house before we lived here, and he is marking the carpet.  Either way, we have had the carpet professionally cleaned and also purchased our own steam cleaner for spot treatments.  So that's the background on Frankie, and I've worried about how all his "behaviors" are going to coincide with your sleep and habits, and ultimately, I don't want you crawling on the floor and coming into contact with a Frankie "surprise" because he marked a spot.  Or worse, because he's mad about all the attention you're getting.

I'm equally happy and sad to report that all of this anxiety has been solved.  Frankie solved everything yesterday.  You see, I walked into your room, like I always do, and I was HORRIFIED to find a tiny yellow pee spot on your beautiful light pink Pottery Barn Kids rug that I was so proud to buy you.  To say that I had a total emotional breakdown that he did that to your precious rug is an understatement!!!!  I was so upset with him, and I worked all morning trying to use cleaner and the steamer to get the stain out, and I pretty much cried my face off the whole time that he would do something so AWFUL to me!

So that was the final straw, and even though he is sweet and adorable and I love him to pieces, you are more important now, and I'm actually not even sad to tell you that Frankie got himself a one-way ticket to living downstairs only.  He is banned from upstairs.  I have blocked off the stairs, and set up shop for him in the laundry room downstairs, and that is the living arrangement from now on.  He will not sleep with us, he did not sleep with me last night.  And that is how life in the Holler household will be - done and done.

I don't feel bad for him.  I'm actually glad that he made the decision for me!

I originally took this photo to send Daddy because I though he was being so sweet....But do you know what he's laying there thinking?  "Hmmmm.....I can't wait to get up and go pee on Harper's pretty pink rug....Good times...." 

So that's our update from the outside, Baby Girl!  We are ready for you- Daddy comes home tomorrow night, my hospital bag is packed, and Frankie lives in the Laundry Room.  We're totally ready!!!!

We love you!

Mommy

36 Weeks!!!!

Dear Baby Holler,

In just about 3 weeks, you will finally, FINALLY, be here!!!!

I have neglected the blog because, much to my surprise, the past few weeks have completely flown by, and I haven't had the time to post anything.  I had expected for the third trimester to drag on forever, but it definitely hasn't!  The good news is, we are pretty much totally ready for you.  In a week, you'll be full-term, and Daddy comes home 2 days after that, so I give you permission to come anytime you want after that.  I think you'll find it a lot more fun out here than inside there, so I'm hoping you'll consider coming out to see us on your own, and that we won't have to evict you on Dec. 2nd.

As a matter of fact, as cozy as you think it is in my belly, I think you're really going to enjoy your nursery and feel pretty at home in there!  It's finished - we just need you:)  I really love how peaceful it feels in there, and Daddy and I both like to just go in there sometimes for no good reason at all and look around for a minute.  We love it, and it makes us so excited for you to get here!

See?  We're all ready for you!  And wait until you see your wardrobe!  And your accessories!  I wanted all of your things to be as cute as possible, and here's a quick sneak peek of an example....Your pacifiers!

Your bling pacifier and one of the supercute ones with your name that Aunt Nat and Uncle Aaron got you!

And finally, one of the reasons that you're *just about* considered full-term is because you are BIG!  According to my favorite pregnancy app, this is what you have going on:

Yeah, you're 6 whole pounds!  You're officially a Big Girl!  So apparently, that's what you look like inside, and here's what you look like from the outside:

Excuse the pajamas!!!!

So that's our update from the outside, Baby Girl!  Don't be shy, okay?  We're ready for you whenever!!!

Love,

Mommy

31 Weeks - Bump Update!

Dear Baby Holler,

Guess what?  Daddy comes home in 2 days!  You and I have been busy after traveling for work last week, and now trying to get your nursery organized and completed....So this will be a short post so we can get back to work!

I have read in a lot of my preg books that as the third trimester progresses, most moms experience a "nesting instinct."  Apparently, something makes expectant mothers go nuts organizing and cleaning in preparation for the new baby.  I think this is starting to hit me.  After all of the lovely things we got at the shower last week, and all of the final things I ordered from Amazon this week to get totally finished - I'm basically the Tazmanian Devil in our house trying to find a place for everything and clean the house so it's nice for Daddy.  And while I'm doing everything, I'm thinking about all of the things I need to complete each week for work so that I can not go crazy.  But I'm probably going to end up going crazy anyway!  I'm starting to feel like you're so close, and so I want to make sure that absolutely everything is done/organized/clean before you're here.  I am a procrastinator by nature, but we're basically at a point where procrastination is out of the question.  Eight weeks from today, if you haven't graced us with your presence yet, I will be induced.  In a little under six weeks, you'll be considered full term.  So honestly, you could come at any time after that.

LESS THAN SIX WEEKS!  Yeah, that just freaked me out and I've  gotta go back into your nursery and get back to work!  Aaaaahhhh!

Oh one last thing - Daddy is in charge of your middle name and we're trying the one out in the photo below....What do you think?  Daddy's middle name is Michael after the Saint.  So he thought it'd be neat if you also had a middle name after a Saint.  The church he grew up in was Saint James, so we're testing this out, but I have to say, I'm kind of loving it!  It's different without trying too hard...At first I was a little weirded out that it's masculine, but I think it flows, and I really love that Daddy picked it out all by his lonesome:)

I had to start labeling photos again for Daddy's sake. He showed this pic to some of our friends and very confidently told them I was 27 WEEKS!  So they probably think I'm a huge heifer and I'm mortified.  Sigh.  I don't know how Daddy is so genius with numbers, but he cannot keep up with how old you are in weeks and months to save his life.

 That's it from out here, Baby Girl!  We love you so much!

Mommy

30 Weeks!

Dear Baby Holler,

We've only got 7 weeks left until you're considered FULL TERM - Woohoo!!!  Daddy will be at work from weeks 34-37, and when he gets home, that's when I'm going to start partaking in all of the old wives tales that are said to stimulate labor. 

 If we can get you to come a couple of weeks early, that would be just dandy!  Not because I'm miserable or even THAT uncomfortable, to be honest, but because we're just ready to meet you:)  We have all of this little tiny stuff - cute clothes and little diapers and baby skincare that is going to make you smell all heavenly and baby-like....And I'm just ready for YOU.  It's like when I've been at someone's surprise party before, anxiously awaiting for them to arrive so we could all jump out and yell "SURPRISE!!!"  I just wanted that person to arrive already so the fun and the happiness could begin.  That's how I feel about you.  I want to kiss the the little feet and hands that keep bopping me in my tummy.  And I want to know all about you....Like will you have hair?  Who will you look like?  And when will you get here?  My brain just goes wild with questions about you every day. 

Speaking of all of the tiny person stuff that we have just waiting for you to get here and start using it, your awesome Aunt Bri threw me a shower this weekend!  It was so much fun:)  We played games and had delicious food, and everyone gave you lovely presents...It was a blast!  You are very lucky to have such a good aunt....The sooner you get here, the sooner you can meet her!!! 

Here we  are going to our shower yesterday, our bump update...I don't know how you can possibly get any bigger!

30weeks&2days

That's another thing I wonder - how big ARE you?  We haven't had an ultrasound since 20 weeks, and I know you're a little over 3 lbs now according to baby books, but I still wish I knew exactly what is going on in there.  Maybe you are bigger.  I just like knowing fun facts about you:)  Unfortunately, we won't get to see you again on ultrasound for a while.  My doctor said that it will be 35 or 36 weeks before they check to make sure you're not breech and that you're preparing your exit:)  I tried to talk Daddy into getting an elective 3D/4D ultrasound, but he wants what you look like to be a surprise.  I KIND OF agree with him, but I still miss seeing you.  Even though I can feel you squirming around pretty much all the time, so I know you're still in there.  Well, obviously.  Look at the picture.  You're DEFINITELY in there.

Daddy's home next Tuesday, so hopefully that will pass our time very quickly.  He always keeps us so busy...We already have a lot planned while he's home, because this is his last time home before you're born.  Then next time he comes home from work, we'll be having a baby! 

That's it from the outside, Baby Girl.  We love you and we're getting so close to touching you:)

Love,

Mommy

29 Week Update!

Dear Baby Holler,

The last time I blogged, Daddy and I were about to leave for our Baby Moon to Charleston, SC.  It was amazing!  We had the best time!  We spent a lot of the trip talking about you.  You were definitely the main topic of conversation...We're just so excited that you're *almost* here!

I wish I had some nice photos to show you, but the problem is that Daddy has to be the photographer most of the time.  And as smart as he is, he cannot take a decent photo to save his life.  I wanted to have some bump photos in Charleston, but he managed to completely make me look like a huge walrus in every photo, so I don't have any pics of you and I handy.  I think there are some on the camera, but I haven't downloaded them yet.

I do have pictures of the souvenir I got you!  Daddy and I went to this fantastic Farmer's Market and I found so many little interesting booths!  My two favorites were a local candle vendor that uses recycled wine bottles from local restaurants to make candles that are scented with wine.  They're called ReWined candles, and I'll definitely be buying more!  I also found a really cute local baby clothes store that had a booth there, and all of the clothes are made from organic materials and were super cute...I'll show you!  Frankie was really interested in your souvenir, so I put it on him to model it.  I think he liked it!  If it's this cute on him, I can't wait to see it on you!

Dress and bow from Urbane Living in Charleston, SC

In other news, I am pretty positive that you were upside down for a while, with your head in my lungs.  I have had a really hard time breathing when I lay down, and my doctor said it's because you were on my diaphragm.  I felt a lot of movement this past Thursday, and suddenly I don't have the pressure under my sternum I was feeling, and I can breathe at night!  Yesterday morning I woke up and you had hiccups, and I felt them WAY below my belly button, so I know that's where your little head is now!  Thank you for being sweet enough to get off of Mommy's lungs!!!  It was just GLORIOUS getting to sleep these past few nights!

From today, there are just 70 days until you are scheduled to get here.  It's about 10 weeks, but I like 70 days better because it sounds much shorter.  You have grown A LOT.  I don't know where you are going to put the 3 or 4 lbs that you still need to gain before your arrival.  My tummy is already so big!
This is you and me yesterday, on our way to the gym:

29weeks 1day!

We are pretty ready for you!  We just have a few more things to get and prepare, but I feel pretty good about where the nursery is at!  I finally got the baskets and liners for your cubby so we can throw your stuff in there and keep it organized, and I love how it came out!

The Cameron cubby from Pottery Barn Kids and your new baskets and liners!

And finally, we had our maternity shoot on the beach a few weeks ago with Jamie Lauren Studios.  She did an awesome job, and I'm excited to get the prints in to put in your nursery!  Here is a little sample of one of my favorite photos:

So that's it from the outside, Baby Girl!

Daddy and I love you so much and we get more excited about meeting you every single day!!

Love,
Mommy

Dang it, Daddy!

Dear Baby Holler,

You and I have done a pretty good job of keeping active and going to the gym.  It's hard, and every week it gets harder. I am filled with dread, procrastination, and hatred.  The elliptical trainer is a torture device, and I feel pretty sorry for myself because I never see a SINGLE other pregnant person at the gym.  I also feel sorry for myself because I have still managed to gain weight all over, especially in my legs (I HATE THEM!) and I shudder to think of what I would look like if I listened to all of the pregnant advice I've been given that encourages me to "Just enjoy it!  You'll lose it later!"  I would apparently be 5'4 inches tall AND 5'4 inches wide!  My body just wants to be fat so bad - but the gym keeps you and I from being pregnantly obese:)

The other reason we have to stick to our regimen of 4 times a week at the gym is DADDY.  You see, you probably won't ever appreciate this, but Daddy is a pretty hot guy.  And he is very fit, and VERY active at the gym...I really would have appreciated it if he could have let himself go a little since I am pregnant and gaining weight - It really would have taken some of the pressure off me!  But noooooo.  Daddy continues to sweat, lift, and harden his 6-pack:




STOP IT ALREADY, DADDY!  CUT US SOME SLACK!!!

He doesn't even have a TINY bit of fat to pinch when he's sitting!  NOT FAIR!

Some may not care what Daddy does, but it's really hard to watch him walk around with his shirt off, his biceps bulging and his abs chiseled.  I don't want to be his fat wife, even if I am pregnant, so off to the gym you and I have to go.  We have to make sure that the only thing getting a lot bigger is YOU....And you totally are:


So even though we're supposed to be getting bigger, we're not supposed to be getting fat.  And I guess we should be glad that Daddy is so healthy, even if his perfect body puts pressure on us to hold it together as we waddle next to him.

(Sigh).  See you on the elliptical at around 5:30pm today, Harper....Dang it, Daddy!!!!!

Love,

Mommy

26 Weeks!

Dear Baby Holler,

We're officially past the 6.5 month mark!  This is our last week in the second trimester, or "mester" as Daddy calls it.  Next Friday, we'll be in the third tri- woohoo!

This morning we had our maternity shoot on the beach, and I'm pretty excited about seeing the proofs in a couple of weeks.  Daddy was not super thrilled about the early schedule, as the hair and makeup artist was at our house this morning at 5am...But I promised him we would go to The Pelican Grand for breakfast right after, which is the resort that we got married at.  Everything is always phenomenal there, and so that bribery worked and he was very cooperative this morning.  We took lots of photos, and then relaxed on the veranda at the Pelican and had the best breakfast that I can remember.  Good times!

A fed and content Daddy hanging out at The Pelican Grand...

We leave this Wednesday night for our Baby Moon in Charleston, SC.  That will be our last vacation without you!  We are spending the rest of the week there, and on top of relaxing and just enjoying the beauty of Charleston, we're also scouting out neighborhoods to see where we want to live...You have no idea, but Daddy and I are planning on moving there in the next year or so.  Many, many things have to happen before we leave Fort Lauderdale, but it's a definite that we'll be a family there by next Christmas.  On one of the first dates that Daddy and I ever had, he told me that after being stationed in Charleston with the Coast Guard for a few years, he felt like that was his home, and that he would raise his family there.  At the time, I had no idea that I would be that person he made a family with.  I was just the person he brought out on the town and drank top shelf margaritas with at Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar in New Orleans (where we met!).  So here we go...We're building our family, and about to set up our life in the place that Daddy's heart has always been:)

Speaking of Daddy, you should know that he passed his Chief Mate/Master's License test.  He now has the highest level of license that anyone in charge of a sea vessel can have.  As of Friday, he is officially a Chief Mate (second in command to the Captain), and after just another year of sea time, he'll be Captain and in charge of the entire oil rig.  That test was a gigantic accomplishment.  We are SO proud of him.  SO proud! 

And one other bit of important info to share...I had a doctor's appointment on Friday, and we actually were able to schedule your induction date, which is very exciting!  I will be induced on the evening of Sunday, December 2nd, due to Daddy's crazy work schedule.  So hopefully you'll make your appearance on December 3rd, and then you can spend some time with Daddy before he has to ship out:)  And of course, if you want to come a week or two before that, then that's FINE with us too!  We're ready for you!!!

So finally, here's our latest bump update!  26w2d...Our last one in the second trimester....Peace out, second tri!

Yeah, I know I'm wearing the same outfit as last week...But I had to wear something tight to show off the belly for the maternity shoot, and I was too lazy to change when we got home:)

That's it from the outside, Harper doodle!  We love you!!!!

Mommy