Her name.

Just realized I needed to record this somewhere other than my iphone notepad :)

Olivia Rae.

Before we even knew we were having a girl, we had quite a long list of girl names. They were just easier to think of than boy names for us. Also, I was really set on naming a firstborn son after Tommy so I didn't really get into other boy names. (He still isn't sold on it)

Our one commonality for girl names was that they were (somewhat) of the Latin/Hispanic origin. We love the exotic, beautiful sound of these names and wanted a way to carry a little piece of my heritage into her name (since baby would forever be a "Byrd"). Olivia wasn't even on the list at first (and no, I'm not divulging the other names). Tommy suggested it one day though and it quickly climbed the top of our list.

When we found out the baby was officially a girl, Olivia and another name were our top 2. The other name was a little less traditional and uncommon. After mulling it over for a week or so, looking up the meaning, and finding affirming scripture, we just "felt" this baby was Olivia.

Rae is my sister's middle name. She is my only sister and we are very close. I think Rae is a beautiful middle name, loved the way it sounded with Olivia, and love that we can honor my sister with giving her a namesake. Additionally, after researching the meaning and landing on more affirming scripture, it was meant to be.

"Olivia" basically means olive. Biblically, the "olive branch" was a sign to Noah that flood waters were receding. Historically, it became a symbol of peace both in early Christianity and ancient Mediterranean culture. Tommy and I's prayer for our daughter is that she would walk in the peace and promise of God and would carry this peace before and behind her as a light to everyone around her. We pray that this peace will guard her heart and mind as she lives life here on earrth.

"And the PEACE of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 NIV

"Rae" comes from the Hebrew "Rachel" meaning sheep. Sheep/shepherd analogies are all over the Bible. Our prayer for our little one is that she would simply know and follow her Shepherd.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." John 10:14 NIV

So, little Olivia Rae, may you be a woman of God who is guarded by the peace of God, knows, and follows Him all the days of your life.

36 weeks

Looking forward to SPRING BREAK!

And some more of this sweetness.

I finally finished her dresser!! I will post some before, along-the-way, and after photos. I have to say-I'm SOLD on Annie Sloan Paint products. Totally worth the price.

Prayers for our little family:

-that baby girl stays healthy

-that I stay healthy and feeling well

-grace and energy as Tommy works hard through busy season

-grace and energy as I work hard to wrap things up in preparation for my leave

-praises for a God who has provided above and beyond- health, finances, peace, excitement. so floored by the unmerited favor of a God who cares for us more than we can fathom.

So looking forward to Friday and the coming week. My MIL and SIL are here this weekend for a wedding dress fitting (for my SIL). My sis and her family will be here this weekend as well. Excited to have my mommy come help me wash/clean/organize/decorate on our Spring Break- all the things she is good at! I'm giddy with excitement about Olivia's pending arrival!!!!!

Anticipation.

31 weeks pregnant.

Images courtesy of Jim Herndon at On Location Portraiture.

 

 

34 weeks

6 more weeks to go.

Discomfort level is WAY up, but so is my EXCITEMENT and JOY at knowing she's just working in there to finish cooking so she can come out and meet us.

Head down, strong heartbeat= good girl!

Normal BP, no cramping or "leaks" = no restrictions for mom- Praise Jesus!

Busy busy at work and home. Trying to prep a whole department for my absence is quite the undertaking! Especially since I will be out for most of state testing.

Hungry all the time. Can't eat alot b/c of limited room in tummy. Plus almost everything I put in my mouth gives me heartburn. Probably has something to do with the fact that my stomach is essentially in my throat (at least that is what it feels like). So eating is a constant conundrum.

Gained 2 lbs in the past 4 weeks- although it feels as though my belly has gotten much bigger. My theory is that she is stealing weight from elsewhere. I have had several people tell me my face looks thinner so that might be the case.

Just have to finish waxing the dresser for her room. We are being given a crib mattress. Once we have the mattress and I get the dresser done, I can start putting her room together. Right now it is a big pile of gifts and an empty crib frame.

Olivia, your daddy is SO EXCITED for you. He is definitely ready to meet you. He is going through his own version of "nesting". It is funny to see what is important to him to get ready.

Finished writing and gave the Dr our birth plan. She didn't have any problems with it! Now, lets just pray that everything works as nature intended and we can actually experience the kind of birth we are hoping for- ultimately, we just want her here and healthy!

6 MORE WEEKS. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!

Getting close!

Well, oops.

I have kinda slacked off in the documenting department. I think mostly because I'm so ready for her to just BE HERE ALREADY that I am not thinking about basking in the glory of pregnancy and everything involved (*this should be read with a slightly sarcastic tone...).

I'm 33 weeks and really, things are just fine. We are plugging along, slowly getting things ready for our gal. "Things" are not fully ready yet- I have 2 more showers, I'm in the middle of repainting her dresser, gifts are still in bags and boxes, we have 2 more birthing classes to finish up, etc. Emotionally, mentally though, we want her here so badly.

It's pretty amazing how the Lord prepares your heart to be a mama and daddy. I can honestly say that we are not really fearful at all for her arrival. I have been amazed at Tommy's excitement and anticipation. I am actually looking forward to the birthing process. I think alot of this I owe to our amazing birthing classes. We are preparing using The Bradley Method. Everyone is different and their choices about birthing are different, which is TOTALLY OK, but I. love. these. classes. The nicest thing is that I feel like I am SO informed about what my choices really are. I know we will enter the birthing process empowered to make choices so that our experience is everything we want it to be. I know that no matter what happens, or if we totally have to chunk our birth plan out the window, we will truly have been a part of the decision making process, so we will be ok with whatever decisions are made, knowing it was all a part of ending up with a healthy mom and healthy baby. The other great thing is how focused it is on educating the husband. Prior to these classes, Tommy's birthing knowledge was....limited. He is basically an expert now. He will be my birth coach and I feel so fortunate to have the person I trust most not just by my side, but LEADING me through the whole journey. If you are a preggo out there and are looking for a good way to prepare for childbirth- I highly recommend finding a Bradley instructor in your area.

All that to say...WE ARE SO READY FOR YOU, OLIVIA!!!

Current stats:

I went to the Dr on Thursday (2/7). I didn't gain any weight in the past 2 weeks, but my belly has grown. We had a quick sono and she is measuring at 4.5 lbs which is basically perfectly average, around the 50th percentile. She is head down also, which is GOOD NEWS!! Dr says at this point she should remain head down until D-day.

In terms of movement, not so much kicking, but more just like a lot of shifting and stretching. My tummy will take on some weird shapes throughout the course of the day. Now that I know how she is laying, I can pretty much tell what I'm feeling when she moves. A foot or leg, or her rounded back.

And I'm still working out, albeit, moving ALOT more sloooowly. Most of our regular gym friends who knew me pre-pregnancy are used to it and know that I am working at a much lower level of intensity, but I do get some funny looks and questions from some of our newer members occasionally.

 27 weeks

 A little comparison- 12, 22, and 27 weeks.

Daddy painted the nursery! We have some furniture in there although I am currently in the process of painting that dresser. I will do before and after photos.

Sweet baby showers. So loved.

Random thoughts.

Here we are at 30 weeks. Thought I would do this fun little questionnaire thing.

How far along: 30 weeks (3rd trimester)

Size of baby: "What to expect" tells me a butternut squash, around 3 pounds. Who actually knows? I haven't had a sono since 18 weeks.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Healthy. Mostly "useful" weight. I'm not advertising a number because everyone is different and there is no need to put something out there for other pregnant mommies to compare themselves to.

Maternity clothes: Mostly maternity excepting layering pieces and some dresses. I love maternity clothes! So comfy!

Gender: Girl

Movement: Week 29, she all of a sudden went from a gentle mover to a crazy-lets-have-a-party-punch-mom-in-the-ribs-and-bladder mover. It has continued into this week. I hear that she will be crazy for a while and then closer to d-day, she will slow down again because she will start running out of room. Weird thing, I usually NEVER felt movement while working out. Saturday I was doing a little jog during a workout and I stopped b/c I thought I was cramping. Nope-baby girl was just doing a jig! She's been continuing to move around during and after workouts now which I take as a good sign.

Sleep: Pretty good. Usually I go to sleep fine, have to get up once to use the restroom, and go back to sleep just fine again. I've been doing some good exercises to stretch my back and pelvis before bed and my awesome hubs will usually give me a little back rub as well as work on some pressure points in my pelvis. If it is really bad, I will foam roll or work out tight spots with a lacrosse ball. This helps keep me comfortable.

What I miss: Sleeping on my belly. Going 100% during a workout. Honestly, I haven't really minded being pregnant, and I'm in total awe and appreciation at what my body is doing and will do...but I won't say that I LOOOVE being pregnant. It has been an easy pregnancy, comparatively, but I am definitely ready to have this little gal OUTSIDE of me rather than INSIDE of me.

Cravings: Not really anything weird or unusual. I get hungry and really can't skip or go too long between meals but that is my body giving me natural cues to keep me healthy for baby. I don't know if maybe I'm weird and am just not getting cravings or maybe I've established a healthy enough relationship with food to determine that a DESIRE does not require you to give in to it. Sure, there are times I think, "oh man, _________ sounds REALLY good right now." But I won't go get it or make my husband get it. And we don't keep unhealthy stuff in the house so it isn't an option. I do have a hard time passing up free food if offered to me though :) But I feel like that's ok.

Symptoms: Some heartburn (mostly with citrus), lots of pressure on my bladder.

Miracle.

Olivia Rae,

(that's her name)

You are a miracle. I'm 22 weeks pregnant and feeling so wonderfully joyful about it all. I felt you move inside me for the first time on Saturday (11/24/12). It was a peaceful morning. Your dad and I slept in and were just enjoying our comfy bed, relaxing, with nothing much on our agenda for the day. All of a sudden, there you were! If I had to describe what it feels like, it really just feels like something is moving around inside you. It wasn't fluttery or popcorn-ish to me. This may be because I'm feeling you so much later in my pregnancy (due to an anterior placenta- look it up if you care). I felt you all morning and later that night and pretty much every day since. The past 2 days at work, you tend to get feisty during my 2nd period conference, around 10:30 am. It may be because I am usually sitting still at my desk at that time, or maybe because you are getting hungry (I assume you are hungry when I'm hungry).

Honestly, it kinda creeped me out at first to feel you move. It is just very bizarre. But it is reassuring to know you are there and doing ok! Your daddy and I are getting SO excited to meet you! Now that you have a name, we've picked out what your room is going to look like, and you have gotten a few gifts, it feels like you are a real person (which you are!).

You are loved by so many people. Your cousin Austin knows you are in my belly and lifts up my shirt to tell my belly "Hi, Baby Olivia!" You guys are going to be fun friends. Your grandparents (both sides) are overjoyed to have you join our family. It's a crazy family, but so full of love, joy, and life. The best part is that you are joining a family full of people who love Jesus. If we only teach you one thing while we have you, I hope you learn to love Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Stay put for a while, Olivia, but I am so looking forward to meeting you!

    My 22 week belly- you are moving around in there!

 

Judge was bored of picture-taking... 

Lita (my mom) took us shopping!

 
















Our friend Nancy at the gym gave us these cute shoes! You are gonna be GIRLY.