Maternity Pictures

Ready for picture overload! 

This might be my favorite photo session yet. There are so many that I just love! If you follow me over on IG you have gotten a sneak peak. I have tried to not over share on there but really it is difficult with loving so many of them. We did do pictures with Kinley so I am saving one of them until he is born since we haven't revealed his name yet.

Pregnancy Update #2: Weeks 32-36

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Ours was great! The countdown is on until this little boy makes his arrival. Any guesses? Time for another update!

Wow I can't believe we are so close to meeting our little boy. There might be one more update if I get a chance before 40 weeks. I went into labor with Kinley at 39 weeks so we shall see. I really have a lot of emotion as this pregnancy is getting down to the end. I have talked about it too much but this will most likely be our last one. It is truly bittersweet! The end of pregnancy is so hard but I will say this time was much better than when I was pregnant with Kinley. Though I am soaking up all the last days with this sweet girl as an only child. I wrote a letter to her a little while back if you want to read it.

Here are the other updates:

Weeks 29-31

Weeks 26-28

Weeks 21-25

Weeks 17-20

Weeks 15 & 16 

Announcement

I think we are about 95% done with his nursery...FINALLY. After our shower I really started to get things together with getting his nursery done. I can't wait to share some pictures after he is born. We just need a handful of things and we are all set! 

There has been a ton of development these past few weeks so it is hard to clump it all together so I will give the most recent things he is up to at week 36. 

• He is running out of room and his movements are getting a little painful. He weighs roughly 6 pounds and is about 19 inches long. He will gain a little more in these last few weeks. Kinley was 8lbs1oz at 39w1d. We will have an ultrasound to check on his size in about a week.

• His kidneys are now fully developed and his liver can process waste products. 

• His bones and cartilage will stay soft for an easier exit through the birth canal. 

What is going on with me these past few weeks. Along with him a lot of things have changed as we are approaching the end. 

How Far Along: 36 weeks 5 days. As of my appointment last Friday I was measuring right at 36 weeks. Great news! 

Total Weight Gain: As of Friday I am up 24 pounds. Still less than Kinley but I feel I have packed on the pounds these last few weeks. Dang cravings of sweets. 

Best Moments: Like I said there has been so much that has gone on these past few weeks. I had a wonderful shower with some great friends and family and then my work threw me and another girl a shower. The cake was so cute! We had a family trip to Great Wolf Lodge and had a blast. Kinley got her Easter pics taken and LOVED the duck. No surprise there. She is an animal lover. We also had our maternity pictures done and they are AMAZING!!! I am so excited to get the rest of them back and share them. 

Miss Anything: Sleeping through the night without getting up to pee 10  100 times. I don't think that is an exaggeration either. I pee about every 1-2 hours. I also miss being able sit comfortably and being able to get out of chairs without using all my energy. My hips still hurt but I have started going to the chiropractor which has helped a lot. 

Gender: It's a BOY! I mentioned at the last update that they were going to do an ultrasound at 37 weeks to check his size. They didn't have any openings so we will be having one at 37 weeks 6 days. 

Symptoms: Constant peeing and hip pain seem to about sum it up. My back has started to hurt but it isn't everyday. Sitting at work for 10 hour shifts tends to aggravate it so I try to stand when I can or sit on a yoga ball. I have had some bouts of nausea again which is not fun! I am starting to swell in my hands so just the other day I took off my rings because they were starting to hurt. This makes me very sad! 

Mood: Still for the most part happy, though I can tell my patience has been wearing thin. I am exhausted all the time so it is hard to remain calm at all times. Even with her 2 year old tantrums this little girl is the best thing! 

Looking Forward To: To be honest I am looking forward to the end. Like I said it is bittersweet for many reasons. I am very sad about it not just being Kinley and I, though very excited to met our little man. I am also excited to have our ultrasound in a week and a half. I still need to pack our hospital bags and install the car seat. 

We have had a very busy few weeks the past month or so and I am sure the next few weeks are going to be super busy as well. I can't wait to share our maternity pics with you all. Hope you all are having a great Monday!

Birthday Week - Freshly Picked Giveaway

Well it is my birthday week and I am so very excited to be hosting a giveaway! If you know me you probably know my obsession with moccs. Kinley owns quite a few pair; I won't tell you how many but you might need 2 hands to count them :). Even at 2 she still rocks her moccs.

I really loved them for when she was learning to walk so you do know that little boy will have quite the collection of moccs as well.

These adorable granite or blue spruce colored moccs are sure to match whatever outfit I choose for his going home outfit as well as many more. I have a couple ideas in mind but not set on anything yet. Seems to be the case with a lot of things this pregnancy. I guess that is what happens with the second child. Though we did get a lot of things done in the nursery this weekend and it is just about done!

They are perfect for an easy slip on shoe when you need to put shoes on your kid even when they are not walking yet. They are even great for when they are walking. Like I said they are still our go to shoe at 2 years old. And I promise you they do not come off. Kinley was never able to get her moccs off. It was great :). They formed to her feet and they were always her shoe of choice when I ask her to go pick her shoes out.

This little man is lucky to already own 2 pairs of Freshly Picked Moccs. I have been very lucky to partner with Freshly Picked to give one follower a pair of moccasins of their choice. There are some pretty awesome spring colors that just came out too! Be sure to enter over on my Instagram (thebrooksielife) for a chance to win! You don't want to miss out! This giveaway will run until Friday March 25th, 2016.

If you enter and your don't win you can always head over to Freshly Picked to pick out a pair. You will not be disappointed in the quality! Good luck!

Easter Pictures

I can't believe Easter is next weekend! It seems so early this year! We got our Easter pictures back of Kinley and they are just too adorable! If you are ready for some picture overload keep scrolling. She seriously LOVED the baby duck and kept asking for him to come back. She was so gentle with him. We were dying of cuteness.

By the way there are about 25 more pictures that we got! I tried to only pick so many! Hope you enjoyed! 

Weekend Recap with an Exciting Giveaway Coming

Back to work after having 4 days off is tough! I took Saturday off to spend time with my family and let me tell you how awesome it was to have a Saturday off!

Our weekend started Thursday when we headed up to Great Wolf Lodge for a night away. It is only about an hour and a half from us so not too bad of a drive. Of course Kinley would start to cut a tooth the night before we were leaving. It never fails! She had a terrible night Wednesday night and we were up a lot. I am so thankful this is the last molar for her. They really take a toll on her. She had a low grade fever for a few days, snot nose and a cough. The tooth has finally cut now to get rid of the cough. She has been cutting these 4 molars since Christmas.

We had a blast at Great Wolf Lodge even though she was a little cranky. I will say that place is a lot for a 2 year old. There are so many bigger kids running around you really have to pay attention so the little ones do not get trampled on. At one point they were blowing bubbles out in the lobby and we had to lift Kinley on our shoulders just so she would touch a few bubbles :). I know the older kids love to run the show but when you are the parent of a toddler you want them to enjoy too. Sometimes the older kids just get in the way and have no manners! It drives me nuts.

We enjoyed the water park for a few hours but I didn't really get any pictures because I didn't want to chance dropping my phone in the water. Kinley loved the water slides and splashing in the wave pool. She is definitely a water baby!

We also got to go to the outlets for a little to get a few things. Of course I didn't find anything for myself but Matt and Kinley got some goodies!

Saturday the weather was gorgeous and guess what...I was off! It was amazing! We took Kinley to the park and enjoyed the day as a family. We also got our grocery shopping out of the way and I ran to Target for a few things. I was able to find Kinley some more summer clothes and finish off her Easter basket. Target dollar bins for the win again! They never disappoint.

Daylight savings kicked our butt and Kinley tried to get up early but I was able to keep her in bed and we actually didn't get up until 9AM. Butttt that was after a rough night! So it was much needed. I think I am giving up on sleep for the rest of this pregnancy. It is so hard to get comfortable for a long period of time. We went to the park again and did some cleaning around the house. Sunday afternoon Kinley had Easter pics then we hung out with Matt's parents and enjoyed some frozen yogurt after dinner.

 

Here is a sneak peak of her Easter pics. If you follow me on IG you can see a few more! I will post the rest later in the week. 

It was a great weekend and we got a lot accomplished and some quality family time in! Next week I will be hosting a giveaway from Freshly Picked Moccs. I am so excited! You won't want to miss it!