Pregnancy Archives - Roubinek Reality

Vlog: When I Knew Our Family Was Complete

December 5, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek Leave a Comment

I don’t know if I’ve ever shared with you all, but one of my favorite posts I’ve written over on Dallas Moms Blog was all about how I knew when we were done having kids.

I love to go back and read it, but part of the reason is because this picture’s at the end of the post.

I already miss how easily she would fall asleep on my shoulder!

Today, I’m linking up with MamaKat’s weekly vlogging link-up and the prompt I chose was how I knew we were finished having kids.

Check out my short vlog!

How did you know when YOU were done?

Filed Under: Pregnancy, Vlogging

Birthing Center Delivery

August 14, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 17 Comments

If you’d like to read the first part of Brantley’s water birth story at the birthing center and see some incredible pictures, you can find that post here.

After Brantley was born and I was able to snuggle with her, Jeff was the first to hold her and really meet her.

While he was doing that, Carol and Kristin finished up with me and helped me out of the tub and over to the bed.

I remember while I was in labor, even though I was in very warm water, my lips and tips of my fingers were shaking. Kristin told me it was just because of all of the adrenaline running through my body. It was definitely a weird feeling.

When I got out of the tub to walk to the bed, I couldn’t stop shaking from being so cold. Didn’t stop me from smiling, I guess.

I was a happy girl!

Jeff brought her to me and we had a sweet moment with her together.

This smile on my face says so many things:

SO happy to have her here.
SO happy my pregnancy was finally over.
SO happy our family was complete.
SO SO SO blessed!!!

We had some skin to skin time and this was really the most alert she was for the entire day.

The grandparents were all patiently waiting downstairs for their turn to snuggle their new grand baby.

From L to R: my dad and step-mom, my step-dad, and Jeff’s mom

A few hours after she was born, we finally got to see her stats.

After taking guesses from each person on her weight, I actually guessed dead on. {WOOHOO!} Maybe it helps that I’ve been carrying her around all of these months.

She weighed 8 lb. 2 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long.

This test was one I had never seen before, but was definitely interesting. This was her walking test. She was supposed to simulate walking, which she did, but definitely was NOT happy about it.

Right after she was born, Carol, my midwife, said she wondered if we were closer to her due date than we originally thought because she still had lots of vernix (the white stuff on her body when she came out) on her. Overdue babies are usually dried up and have dry skin.

Kristin said the tests she did during her newborn exam put her gestational age at 41 weeks. I guess she really was a late baby. Little stinker!

After the exam, Kristin gave Brantley her very first shampoo. They don’t always do that at the birthing center, but with all that hair, it was pretty yucky looking.

Brantley LOVED it!! Just look at how content she was.

By about 3:30, Kristin said we were free to either hang out longer at the birthing center or start thinking about heading home. We wanted to get home, as crazy as it may seem. We wanted to be in the comfort of our own home and be able to relax.

I absolutely LOVED having a birthing center experience. If we were to have another baby, which we most definitely are NOT , I wouldn’t hesitate to use the birth center again. It was so comfortable and felt like we were at home. The care given to Brantley and myself was fantastic. I felt like those ladies genuinely cared about my family and me.

I finally got to have the birth experience I always wanted and would not have changed one thing about it. It might not be the right route for everyone, but it was the right experience for me.

We got Brantley dressed, had a little photo shoot , and packed up to head home.

My mom made this beautiful blanket for Brantley. So yes, not only can she take some amazing pictures, but she can crochet, too!

My hug for Carol was with so much appreciation!! She helped bring my daughter in to the world. There are not words to express that gratitude. I guess a hug would have to do.

By 4:30 pm, we were headed home. So hard to believe I gave birth to a baby at 10:37 that morning and was back home before 5.

BUT, I loved it…..every bit of it.

Filed Under: Baby, Family, Pregnancy

My Natural Childbirth

August 9, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 49 Comments

I had my natural childbirth.

A waterbirth!!

At the birth center!

She’s finally here!!!

The wait is over.

Monday morning, I had made up my mind that I was going to ask my midwife to strip my membranes and see if that didn’t get labor going. My appointment wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon, but I called first thing on Monday to see if they could get me in that day.

I got squeezed in at 10:00 that morning and we DID decide to strip my membranes, after she told me I was now dilated to a 3. This was good since I was dilated to 1 1/2 the week before. As I left, my midwife said, “Research shows that if stripping the membranes works, it will work within 48 hours.” I was so hopeful it would put me in to labor THAT day.

By the afternoon, contractions had started and I was CONVINCED we were having a baby Monday night.

Kelly, who’s due in November with her 2nd baby girl, came over and stayed with me. My mom, who was also there to take lots of pictures, came right away, too.

We did some walking to try and get contractions going.

After contractions were consistently 6-8 minutes apart for a few hours, I made the call to the on call midwife, Leslie. After a few conversations with her every hour or so, we finally decided to meet at the birthing center at 9:45 so she could check my cervix and see if there had been any change.

There hadn’t.

I just couldn’t understand how I could be having contractions for several hours and they were doing nothing to help with labor.

It was the first time I broke down in frustration.

I was ready to be done with my pregnancy.

I wanted to have a baby.

I couldn’t understand why this baby inside of me did not want to come out.

I was done with being patient.

Leslie offered for us to stay another hour and see where we were at after the hour.

I was so frustrated, I just wanted to go home and go to bed.

She gave me some Tylenol PM and suggested I go home to take a bath or shower.

Still having contractions, even after deciding to go home.

We left the birthing center at 11:30 and I made Jeff drive us through Jack in the Box. I wanted to eat something good that wasn’t good for me! I figured I deserved it.

I’m so glad I did.

When we got home and had time to eat, contractions started getting stronger.

I took a shower.

I was finally able to fall asleep, but had my mom sleep with me so Jeff could get some uninterrupted sleep and go to work the next day.

Little did we know, he actually wouldn’t be going to work the next day.

Contractions woke me up during the night and they were strong enough to force me up on all fours in my bed, just to get through them.

At about 6:45, I gave up and decided to get up for the day and really think about how these contractions were progressing.

At a few minutes after 8:00, I made my way downstairs to eat breakfast.

It never happened. I went to the couch and started fighting through some intense contractions, with my knees on the floor and my elbows on the couch. They were only getting worse and closer together.

Jeff heard me fighting through them and asked for an update, meaning how close together were they.

I told him they were so much stronger than they were the day before and had been coming anywhere from 4-7 minutes apart. I knew this was serious.

By this point, my mom was downstairs with us and they both knew the plan. They asked if there was time to shower and I told them, “Yes.”

Thankfully they both took quick showers.

A few minutes before my mom came back in to the living room, she heard me holler for her.

I had just felt the baby moving down in my body.

It scared me.

I thought there was a possibility we weren’t going to make it to the birthing center before the baby was born.

I told her to get a towel, which she did, and then brought it to me asking what I wanted to do with it.

I said, “Bring it in the car with us just in case we don’t make it in time.”

I think me saying that scared her to death and she started hollering for Jeff.

He came running in and we rushed out of the door at about 9:40.

I know he drove fast but I have no idea how fast because my knees were in the floor board and my elbows were in the seat, with my head down. It was the only comfortable position for me.

After fighting through several contractions when we got to the birthing center, it probably took me a good 7-10 minutes to get from the car to the birthing suite upstairs.

Because another mom had just given birth a couple of hours before, the main birthing suite with the big birthing tub wasn’t available. We went in to the second suite, with the claw foot tub, and it’s a good thing we did. More on that in a just a minute.

Kelly met us there and she went to work being awesome, right away.

Kristin, the birthing assistant, was with me every step of the way. She knew I was there to stay and went to get Carol, the midwife, to do a cervical check.

Carol was asking me if I could get on the bed so she could check my cervix. I could hardly stand the thought of laying in the bed on my back, but I knew I had to.

Jeff helped me get in the bed and after the cervical check, Carol said I was FULLY DILATED!!

I couldn’t believe it.

I thought for sure I would still have more work to do with contractions before I would be ready to push.

Carol said I could get in to the tub whenever I was ready to since my body was ready.

Jeff helped me to the bathroom and got me in to the tub.

It became a waiting game.

The warm water from the tub made me feel so much better {I can see why it’s called “nature’s epidural”}, but I was still fighting through painful contractions. We were just waiting for me to have the urge to push.

I got impatient and just started pushing. I wanted her out!

Carol helped me through some pushes and when baby girl was starting to crown, she asked for someone to hold my leg while she guided the baby out. Kelly grabbed my leg and with three big pushes, she was on her way.

Carol told me to stop pushing just long enough for her to pull the cord from off of her neck. {SCARY!} Then she pulled her out and put her right on my chest, at 10:37 am.

Can you believe all that hair??!!

The picture looks like she was screaming her head off, but she hardly cried and it was so soft.

It was almost like she was so peaceful coming out in the water.

I actually had to look down and make sure there were girl parts. I guess part of me still questioned.

And then it hit me….

hard.

I have prayed for this little girl to be a part of our family and my life for so long.

I was just given a gift….

and we were blessed.

Jeff and I cried.

Our family was complete.

The whole experience was amazing. My natural childbirth was exactly what I wanted.

My mom got to cut the cord. Since Jeff became the photographer, the picture doesn’t actually show her cutting it. Take my word for it that that’s what she’s doing.

We were at the birthing center for 40 minutes before she was born. The big birthing tub I had planned to use takes 45 minutes to fill up. Had we been in the main birthing suite, I might not have been able to have the water birth experience I wanted so badly.

Want to see more? Check out part 2 of this story. There are many more pictures to show you and tell you about!!

Filed Under: Baby, Friends, Jeff, Pregnancy

It’s Consuming

August 5, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 5 Comments

Never imagined I’d be here at 40 weeks, 4 days pregnant.

I’m closer to 41 weeks than 40 weeks.

It’s really hard for me to wrap my head around it.

Every night when I go to bed, I keep thinking I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with contractions.

So far, every morning, I’ve woken up with nothing.

And truth be told. I’m sooooooo bored.

I’m enjoying our family time and we’ve done a lot of movie watching. The boys are obsessed with Toy Story and Rio right now.

We haven’t missed a single Ranger game on TV.

But there are so many things I want to do but don’t have enough energy to do them. Not only that, but the waiting game for this baby girl is consuming me. I can’t really think of anything else.

Yesterday, my friend, Audrey, called me in the morning and offered to walk with me. Perfect idea!

I strapped these on….

and met Audrey at the mall to do some serious walking. It was so great to catch up with her!

But, the walking didn’t do anything.

On the way home, Jeff and I decided to order some thai food. I ordered these Pad Thai Noodles extra spicy! I don’t even like spicy food much but was totally willing to try it out.

Guess what? It didn’t do anything other than make my mouth hot.

I’ve been trying to stay busy with laundry, cleaning house, and organizing, but I’m running out of things to do. You can only vacuum, sweep, and pick up toys so many times.

Bottom line is I can’t get my mind off of it and it’s driving me a little nuts.

We have amazing, supportive, and caring parents, who are calling me twice a day just to check-in with me. I’m so thankful they care so much, but it’s just another reminder.

I know I am truly blessed to even be able to carry a child to my due date when there are so many women who have had to leave their babies in the hospital NICU because they were born too early. I know those women would love to trade places with me.

I’m truly not complaining. I’m not miserable. I’m still thankful to feel her movements inside of me.

It’s just the last thing I expected to happen when I first learned our due date at that first sonogram. He said August 1st.

I know it’s just a date and babies are on their own schedules. I also know it’s all in His plan and on His timing.

His plan is, thankfully, always better than the one I could have written anyway.

Should I still be pregnant on Tuesday, I have an appointment at the birthing center to check on the baby and do a stress test to make sure she’s still ok in there. Hopefully I will know more after that. The best case scenario is to show up at the birthing center before then and have a baby so I won’t even need my appointment.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. I can’t thank you enough.

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Linking up here:

Filed Under: Baby, Boys, Pregnancy

Still….

August 2, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 4 Comments

You’d think I’d be so excited that I’ve reached the finish line and I thought I would be, too. I guess 40 weeks is not my finish line.

Yes, she’s still in there. Yesterday put me at 40 weeks, so that makes today 40 WEEKS 1 DAY!! It’s officially the most pregnant I’ve ever been.

I’m not upset about it at all. :/ {Can you tell?}

No, honestly, I’m trying to stay positive {TRYING!} and thinking of all of the things I can enjoy right now that I won’t be able to enjoy when she gets here and I’m in a constant sleep deprived fog.

For one, I still get some pretty rock hard sleep and only wake up once or twice to go to the bathroom but I have NO problem going right back to sleep. It helps that both of the boys sleep through the night and are doing awesome in their newly shared bedroom!

I’m also enjoying feeling her sweet body movements inside of me. Some are more painful than others, but feeling every one of your baby’s movements is still one of my favorite parts about being pregnant.

And, who can forget the hiccups?! That is also another favorite part of pregnancy for me.

Bottom line, life is a little easier with her on the inside than it will be when she’s on the outside. While I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and smell that newborn skin, I’m staying positive knowing she’ll be here soon enough.

Because I’ve cleared my schedule thinking I’d be home with a newborn baby, we pretty much have nothing to do. I don’t do well with boredom. So many things I want to do to beat the boredom but I just don’t have the energy!

I did find the energy to do a little crafting yesterday, though. It took my mind off of things for a while.

I’m in love with these satin flowers lately and they are so fun to make! I think I’ll do a tutorial post on them, too!

And this morning, Kelly and I took our three little ones to a bounce place to try and wear them out! I need to stay busy or I’ll get a) tired and b) disappointed that I’m still pregnant.

I got to enjoy a little bit of boy mom fun with my little guys and they were in heaven!

Langston couldn’t stay away from the air hockey table and he’s pretty good at it, for being a first timer.

One last thing I’ve been wanting to tell y’all about and this gives me a good excuse to do it. My friend, Taren, who I used to teach with, is selling her little girls’ clothes on Facebook and I got a steal on this precious outfit for Christmas.

It should be coming in the mail today or tomorrow. It looked absolutely adorable on her little girl last Christmas and I’m so excited to hang it in our baby girl’s closet.

The real reason I wanted to bring that up is because not only do Taren’s girls have adorable clothes, but Taren makes a lot of their clothes and accessories. She got so good at it she opened up an Etsy shop called All Things Ruffled. A few months ago, I actually bought a pair of these double ruffle footless tights {same color, too!} and I highly recommend you click on that link to see how adorable they are!

I can’t wait to put my little girl’s precious thighs in them in a few months! If you like Taren’s style {who wouldn’t?} and want to keep up with what she’s making, you can even become a fan of her Facebook page, where she does a lot of her advertising!

She has no idea I’m telling y’all about this, I just really really like her goodies. And her!

I’m off to maybe find ways to get some contractions going and see if we can’t have a baby soon! In case you don’t hear from me again until I put a pretty little baby girl’s face on our blog, please pray for strength for me. I’m very excited about the experience of a water birth and using a birthing center, but I’m suddenly remembering how painful it all is.

Filed Under: Baby, Boys, Christmas, Friends, Pregnancy

Almost Time

July 30, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 17 Comments

We are now two days away from this baby’s official due date. It could be any time. But, truthfully, I think she’s really happy right where she is.

I’ve had a lot of contractions, but nothing major.

Fortunately, my parents took the boys for me on Saturday, so I could get some rest. It’s been tough to get any rest while I had the babies, the big kids, and my nephew to take care of since Wednesday. A part of me wondered if all of that would have put me in labor. Nope.

This morning, my eyes popped open at 6:45, which was disappointing since there were no kids in the house. I was feeling a lot of cramps in my stomach and a part of me thought, “Maybe today’s the day.”

I told Jeff to make sure he gets as much work done today as he can because my stomach was really hurting.

I had a check up with the birthing center at 10:30 this morning and was very anxious to find out if there had been any change in dilation.

There hasn’t.

I’m still a 1 1/2.

It’s just really weird. Still the same as I was last week.

Baby is now sunny side up, so instead of being on her side like she was, she has rotated, it’s just the wrong way.

That could be part of the reason why I’m not dilated more. Who knows. I just really thought all of the contractions I’ve been having would have done something in terms of dilation.

She’ll come when she’s ready, I know. Fortunately, I’m not miserable. I’m trying to stay positive and I’m going to try to enjoy this last little bit of pregnancy. It will be the very last time I’ll ever experience it.

We went ahead and scheduled an appointment for next Tuesday. If I’m still pregnant then, we’ll do a stress test and make sure she’s doing ok and then I guess we’ll go from there. There won’t be an induction, or anything like that, and I’m sure there are people out there who couldn’t handle the suspense of not knowing when she’s coming or not being able to control the situation. I’m actually going to let her control this one. I’m going to be as patient as I possibly can.

I’m really hoping I get to scratch that appointment right off of my calendar because it won’t be needed, though.

I was lucky enough to get my hair done this weekend, thanks to Jeff’s mom, who set it up for me, and my brother-in-law’s girlfriend who came to my house to do it for me!! It was so awesome and I feel so much better not having to look at those dark roots that are so not pretty.

My toes were done last weekend and I even got the iron out to get some wrinkles on her cute little newborn clothes out. I never iron. Never. The clothes actually stayed in the dryer too long and they NEEDED to be ironed, so please don’t think I’m the overachiever mom. I’m so not.

I’ve done all of the laundry and our house is getting cleaned as I write this. I’m not sure what else I can do to get ready for her.

It’s all a waiting game now…..

39 weeks 5 days. Looking forward to having my lap back.

I’m so thankful for the amount of friends we have who genuinely care about our family. I know people are checking this blog and my Facebook page daily just to see if she’s been born. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. The messages, emails, text messages, and phone calls really show me how blessed we are. It really does make a girl feel special. Thank you!

It will be a special event when it happens and that is one thing I am so sure of. I thank God every day for this blessing and I know only He knows the hour and minute when I will get to lay eyes on her beautiful face. It’s a moment in time that stops me in my tracks to think about.

Life might be about to get a little harder, but my heart will be so full….

Filed Under: Baby, Pregnancy

39 Weeks

July 25, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 12 Comments

A little lazy or maybe I’m just tired, but I didn’t want to get my big camera out to take belly shots for this week’s post. This picture was taken at my appointment this morning at the birthing center.

And, speaking of my appointment, it went great and she’s doing great!

I’m dilated to a 1 1/2, which I still think is so weird. With Riverson, by this point, I was dilated to a 3. I know every baby is different, but still. I’m 75% effaced, which is up from 50%, two weeks ago. So, we have progress.

My belly is measuring 38 cm.

I’m thinking this girl is going to be a little bit on the tinier side than the boys were.

Langston was 10 days early and weighed 7 lb 10 oz. Riverson was 1 day late and weighed 8 lb 6 oz. Anyone have any guesses on baby girl’s weight???

I think I’m guessing 7 lb 5 oz. We shall see.

If we don’t go to our due date, I’m hoping she will at least stay in until Sunday. Sunday is the day the big kids go to their mom’s house for 2 weeks. Because Jeff’s working during the week, the big kids’ entertainment is pretty much my responsibility and if we have a baby, there won’t be any more entertainment. I don’t want them to have to worry about always being bored and having nothing to do because we have a new baby in the house.

But, the truth is, my body is really close to telling me, “I’m done.” I’m not a complainer and I’m a pretty tough girl, but this is definitely starting to catch up with me.

If I’m not sitting down, I’m having occasional contractions. Most are more annoying than painful, but there are a few painful ones. Fortunately, once I sit down, they go away. My body hurts every morning when I get out of bed and every night when I get in to bed. I’m exhausted all day and can’t wait to get to sleep every night.

It’s just so not like me and I’m kind of missing my old energetic self. I know it’s not fun for the kids. I’m sure they are ready for this to be over with.

I live for the weekends, when Jeff’s home, and I can get a little bit of help and relaxation in.

This past weekend, I used part of my Mother’s Day gift from him and got a pedicure and manicure. At least I know my toes will look much better when I meet my daughter. {Still can’t believe I just said, “my daughter.” So weird.}

Color is OPI Sky

Weirdest thing I’m experiencing right now? Sometimes when I’m sitting down, I see my stomach rise and fall at a pretty fast pace. It’s almost like she’s practicing breathing, which I’ve heard of, but never thought about it being visible from the outside.

Anyone else experience this??

I hope you all have a great week and please pray for little missy to stay in until Sunday with me.

I will leave you with this quote from church I heard this past Sunday. It’s been sticking with me and on my mind every day since. I hope it helps you the way it’s helped me.

“I pray that the hope for tomorrow will be your joy for today.”

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Linking up here.

Filed Under: Baby, Pregnancy

38 Weeks

July 20, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 26 Comments

38 weeks pregnant today and while my last pregnancy ended a day after my due date, I still start wondering if this baby could be coming any time now. It’s not because I’ve really had any signs of labor coming, other than lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but I am starting to feel like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

I had my 38 week appointment yesterday at the birthing center and honestly, there’s really not much to report. I didn’t have her check for dilation because I guess I just didn’t want to know. My thought was if there had been any change in dilation and I knew about it, I might start thinking about going in to labor sooner and then get my hopes up, just like I did last time!

I’m starting to wear down a lot quicker than I normally do and my body is beginning to tell me it’s “done” with this pregnancy. Things are getting more painful but I’m trying to stay tough. While I’d like to say I’m getting lots of time to rest up in preparation for the baby, the two toddlers in my home don’t allow much of that.

However, I did get to have a fun night last week with some girlfriends. Some of my playgroup girlfriends had a little dinner shower for me last week and we all had so much fun! It was great to get out and have a relaxing dinner with some of my favorite mom friends!

We ate some yummy mexican food and topped it all off with these delicious cupcakes, made by my friend Heather.

The girls also spoiled me with some precious girl clothes and accessories. Just look at this precious bow!!

Walking out with baby girl’s new goodies!

My biggest concern when I found out we had a baby girl on the way was making sure we had enough clothes and things for her. Well, the Lord has provided for us and she has more than enough cute clothes and accessories. It really makes my heart smile to think about.

At this point, I’m wondering if she will be able to wear it all before she outgrows it.

It’s a good feeling.

Speaking of good feelings, the boys had their first slumber party together last weekend and they’ve been doing the same thing every night, since.

They are officially SHARING A ROOM! And, they are doing great!

They sleep well together and even nap well together. I couldn’t have asked for a smoother transition! {Thank goodness!!}

My mom came over to help me hang my recent project, the DIY baseball scoreboard, in their room and we got the room situated just perfectly!

There are still a few things left to do to be ready for baby girl to be here, but knowing I have the boys settled in together just perfectly is a huge sigh of relief!

In other fun news, Jen from JenWoodhouse.com is featuring my scoreboard on her Feature Friday post today. Check it out!! She has some other great projects featured, too!!

Filed Under: Baby, Boys, Pregnancy, Projects

37 Weeks

July 12, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 7 Comments

My 37 week check up was yesterday and it was time to start talking birth plans. SO surreal to actually start thinking of the day she will be born and how we want the whole event to play out. Of course, I know it will all happen much different from the way I plan, and if it’s anything like my last delivery, it will be even better than I envisioned.

After our last experience, I think Jeff’s just hoping we will make it to the birthing center and we won’t have to worry about delivering in the car.

If you read this post, you know the one thing I have my heart set on is having a water birth. I will be pretty sad if we’re not able to do that, but the midwives keep reassuring me we can make it happen even if we’re short on time.

As for the appointment, everything is looking great! I mentioned in my last baby update that my belly has been measuring small for several weeks and I’ve been a little concerned about it. I know it’s really not a big deal, but it had me a little worried. Well, yesterday, my midwife measured my belly right at 37 weeks. :)

Biggest surprise at the appointment?

I haven’t started dilating…..at all. By this point in both of my pregnancies with the boys, I was already starting to dilate by now. She said my cervix is starting to thin but baby girl is still pretty far up there. I was very surprised, but I know how quickly all of that can change.

I also told my midwife I’ve been wondering if she’s sunny side up because of the types of movements I’ve been feeling. Sure enough, I was right….kinda. She’s actually on her side. Her back is on the left side of my belly and her knees and feet are on the right side of my belly. She’s looking out of my belly when her face should be looking toward my back. Luckily we have plenty of time to get her to turn some more and I’ll probably be making a phone call to my chiropractor friend, Caleb. He gave me an adjustment when I was pregnant with Riverson that caused him to turn, too.

Other than that, I’ve got some exercises I’ll be doing every day to try and get her to turn on her own.

We had just got home from the pool, but this is the 1st picture with my three babies.

I’m also in full blown nesting mode. I just want to get things done! Luckily, Pinterest has lots of ideas for me.

This pin led me to a tutorial on how to clean smelly kitchen towels. It seemed like no matter how I washed them, they still had a funky smell. Today, I took care of that thanks to some vinegar. Huge difference.

Source: howtocleanstuff.net via Jamie on Pinterest

This microwave cleaning tutorial didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped. I couldn’t just wipe it all clean. I still had to scrub the microwave, but it didn’t take long and now it’s all clean! Maybe I needed to have the microwave going for a little bit longer since ours is a little bit bigger than the one in the picture.

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Jamie on Pinterest

After having our dryer exhaust duct professionally cleaned this week {you can read my Dallas Moms Blog write up about that experience here}, I thought it was only fair for me to give our washer a good cleaning!

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Jamie on Pinterest

I swear everything in our house is looking at me saying, “Look how disgusting I am! Do you really want to bring a baby home with me looking like this?” I just don’t have enough hours in the day, or enough energy to get it all done as quick as I’d like to.

One thing I’ve been working on this week is getting Riverson moved in to the same room with Langston. Used to, I’d be worried that they wouldn’t sleep as long in the mornings as they normally do, but for the past few weeks, they’ve both been up at 6:00 or 6:30 every morning. Yep, it’s misery.

I’m just going to say a prayer about it and let Him take care of it. I know they will adjust, but the transition period might not be too fun. Oh well. Riverson’s crib is moving in tomorrow. Dun-dun-dun.

I can’t wait to get this project on the wall in their newly shared room!

If you have tips for making the transition to a shared room, I’d LOVE to hear them!

Filed Under: Baby, Boys, House, Langston, Pregnancy, Riverson

36 Weeks

July 8, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 7 Comments

It’s hard to believe I’m already 36 weeks pregnant and in the home stretch. She will be here before I know it and I still have so much left to do to get ready for her.

Honestly, I know I will never have EVERYTHING finished I would like to do before she gets here, but I’m ok with that. I know if she came tomorrow, it would be ok. There’s really not much they need in the very beginning and it does make it easier knowing I’ve already been through this twice.

Of course, I’ve got to pump up our bow supply. THAT is a requirement.

How am I feeling?

For being 36 weeks pregnant, I feel great! Aside from expanding by the day and having a harder time each time I try to get up from sitting, I still have quite a bit of energy. I know I need to slow down but it probably won’t happen. I think that’s just “me.” It DOES hurt more now when the boys climb on me or want to sit on my lap. I’ve run out of room on my lap, and I’m looking forward to snuggling with them again, comfortably.

At my last appointment this past week, I told my midwife one of my concerns was the measurement of my belly. For the past couple of appointments, my belly has been measuring behind. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, the measurement of the belly should be very close to the number of weeks you are. At my 34 week appointment, my belly was measuring 31.5 cm. This is different for me because my boys were both always measuring right on or even ahead.

My midwife reassured me and said as long as there’s a growth and the variance isn’t too much, there’s nothing to worry about. She measured my belly and said I was between 34 and 35 cm. Those numbers made me feel better.

In my head, the fact that my belly measurement is behind my number of weeks makes me wonder if she’s going to be late?

Since Langston was 10 days early and Riverson was a day late, I feel like it’s all a guessing game this time.

I don’t have food cravings. I want to eat ice. Soft ice. Sonic is my best friend. They have the greatest ice ever, end of story.

Yes, my bloodwork DID come back saying I’m slightly anemic and I’m taking iron pills, but the truth is, even when I’m not pregnant, I want to eat my ice. The only difference is now, I want it more. A lot more. Weird.

My doctor appointments are weekly now and I love getting to hear that sweet heartbeat every chance I get.

I’m a little sad that my belly shots are quickly coming to an end. I didn’t document my first two pregnancies in pictures like I should have and I regret that. Nothing to regret this time.

However, I wonder if I will eventually regret being so scared about her arrival. I’m scared about having a newborn and two little ones to take care of. Scared. to. death! This could be why I’m not counting down the days and trying to stay positive about getting more and more uncomfortable. It’s much easier having her on the inside than the outside.

Less than one month to go and it’s all happening so fast….