I had been meaning to capture more of this pregnancy. To truly write a journal to reflect back on when our little dude gets older. Or maybe when we have future children. But of course life got busy and this was one of those things that fell to the bottom of the priority list! Now that Landon is here, time to post a pregnancy recap!

[taken at 40.5 weeks on the day we went into the hospital]

Baby Linnell — 40.5 weeks

Baby’s size? — Jackfruit (that doesn’t even look pretty)

Gender? — All boy!! <3

Weight gain? — 7lbs

Name? — We decided on his name around 5-6 months but chose to not tell anyone, including family, so there would be a surprise and also (mainly) so no one gave their unwarranted opinion on the name and ruined it for us :)

Maternity clothes? — I’m still able to wear a mix of my regular clothes and maternity clothes. I’m primarily in dresses now-a-days because it’s getting warmer. I can’t wait to get back into a cute pair of jeans!

Sleep? — Sleeping just fine. I’ve been lucky that sleep has never been an issue for me. I don’t know if it’s because the babe doesn’t move much at night or because of our bed (a Tempurpedic).  I wake up maybe once a night to go to the bathroom.

Food cravings? — Not one, not once this entire pregnancy.

Smell aversions? — Not once this entire pregnancy.

Nauseous? — Thank baby Jesus, I haven’t been sick or felt nauseous this entire pregnancy!!!

Heartburn? — Very minimal, maybe 3 times in the 3rd trimester. This past week I’ve been eating lots of spicy foods in hopes that the old wives tale will make this little dude come on out! The spicier food gives me a little heartburn.

Braxton Hicks? — Nope! Though I think I may have experienced a few in the couple days after our due date.

Stretch marks? — Unfortunately :( Using this cream to help diminish them which has been working wonders! I guess they’re mommy battle scars.

Innie or outtie? — Innie! So thankful that my belly button never popped!

Wedding rings – on or off? — On! Luckily I haven’t experienced any swollen parts. I drank tons of water each day, which I’m sure helped keep off the water weight!

Happy or moody? — 100% happy! I thought I’d be moody this pregnancy but I’ve rarely experienced any crazy mood swings. Even ask Jake :) I’m just in pure excitement at this point to start feeling something and to meet our little man!

Movement? — He moves tons! Mostly squirms because he’s running out of room in there :) He’s been known, though, to throw some good punches and kicks! For the most part, though, he’s been a chill baby inside! I started feeling him move at 19 weeks, and it felt like bubbles popping in my stomach <3

Baby prep? — Fully ready for the babe. Finished his nursery around 36 weeks. Hospital bag packed at 38 weeks. All stocked up and ready!

Baby showers? — We had 4 amazing showers – 1 with my family (IL), 1 with Jake’s mom’s side (in MN), 1 with Jake’s dad’s side (in MN), and 1 at work (in IL).

Working? — I worked my full-time job up until his arrival, though the week of his due date I worked from home with Jake so I didn’t have to worry about being away from him when everything started happening. As for photography, I shot my last wedding/photo session at 36 weeks and was able to edit and deliver all client files before June 1.

Miss anything? — Sleeping on my stomach and being able to lay flat on my back. Oh, and chai lattes. I haven’t had any caffeine at all since months before we were pregnant!

Best moment this pregnancy? — Four way tie. 1) The day we found out we were pregnant. 2) Telling our family our news and seeing their reactions. 3) Finding out it was a boy. 4) Feeling him move.

Labor signs? — He was due on Wednesday, June 3rd. The day after his due date, I started feeling more cramp-like feelings which I of course thought were contractions. I think they ended up being Braxton Hicks contractions rather than the real thing. Other than a few minor crampy feelings, I felt perfectly normal up until the morning that my water broke. I felt so normal that I was scared he’d never come out :)

Looking forward to? — At 40.5 weeks, I was looking forward to meeting my little dude. I felt such a strong connection to him and loved feeling his movement in my stomach. Now that he’s here, I have so many things to look forward to as we turned into a little family that I’m so obsessed with <3