A quick history

The very first time I made royal icing was actually for Christmas cookies in 2011. I didn’t bother coloring any of it, I just used colored gel tubes and experimented with wet-on-wet techniques. Now I giggle looking back at them, but it was the tiny spark that set off this hobby. It was another 5 years before I was ready to try again, though.

Things picked up a few years after that and I’ve continued to bake and decorate sugar cookies for Christmas each year. Here is a quick look at our Christmas cookies through the years.

This year’s inspiration

Now that I bake and decorate sugar cookies more frequently than once a year, this year’s theme had been on my mind quite a bit. It was early in the year that a vision for this year’s Christmas cookies began to form in my mind. I wanted to bring that vibe of sitting in your comfy sweats and socks, curled up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate, all cozy and soft and feminine. I frequently daydreamed about my ideas and by the time the winter season was upon us I had built this vision up to what I can now admit was a bit too much. (What, me? Never.)

I ran into the issue that cookie cutters didn’t seem to exist for the very specific ideas I had in my mind’s eye. So I began by sketching some ideas in Procreate on my iPad. I then turned those sketches into vectors in Illustrator and used them to create shapes that I could cut out of cardstock using my Silhouette Cameo. Then I used those stencils to painstakingly cutout shapes of my cookies in dough using an x-acto knife. Yeah. I know. I’m nuts.

I also purchased a projector this year, which I used to project my sketches onto my cookies as well as to use as a reference for the “painting” cookies. It was a bit annoying to use (perhaps because I had not used one before) but it did help get the basic shapes for my designs blocked out before decorating.

Here’s the obligatory flat-lay photo of all the cookies laid out in order to document my insanity this year.

A closer look at a couple stand-out designs

Back of hair with bow

One of my favorites turned out to be this back view of a girl with a bow. Inspired by this photo, but I experimented with a few colors and techniques and was over all very fun to do. Do not regret.

Double decker modern house

Possibly the most insane of my designs this year was of a house. The inspiration was the idea of looking in (I also had an idea of looking out that I never could flush out) large glass windows on the scene previously described (curled on the sofa by the fire, etc…) I had to adjust this idea somewhat and instead ended up with a double decker cookie with a painted interior scene on the bottom cookie, framed with a second cookie layer made using melted clear mint candy glass that became windows. I also made a couple versions that was a single cookie with just the clear windows. Do not regret, but probably will not bother to make them again, lol.

Stack of books

This was inspired by an AI generated image that was included in a bundle I purchased from Etsy to print for Christmas decor this year. I really wanted to lean into the bows this year. This was a really fun cookie to design, as well. Do not regret.

Holding a stack of presents

Inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest. The hands this year were a struggle, but still a fun cookie to make. Probably not one I’d bother with again, though.

Framed “watercolor” paintings

This idea was similar to some cookies I’d played around with earlier in the year. This time, though, I used the projector to get the basic shapes laid out in the scene and added some depth and details after. These ended up being my favorites, I think. Painting is just so good for my soul, I really loved making these.

Girl holding a Christmas tree

Inspiration was a combination of a cookie I saw on Pinterest combined with an outfit trend I’ve been seeing and loving (white lacy mini-skirt with a baggy sweater and tall boots). This was one of the hardest to design, cut out and ultimately decorate, too. I foolishly tried to cut out the space between the legs on one of them, which resulted in many broken legs. Getting the proportions of the skirt and legs and things to look right was tricky. Making the tree look fluffy enough was a bit annoying. I don’t mind how the final product turned out but wouldn’t be worth making again.

Hot chocolate!

I had so many ideas that included hot chocolate. In the end I decided to make 2 variations, top-down and from an angle. These were really fun to do! Not too difficult and adding the marshmallows and creating the texture was surprisingly easy and super satisfying. I added real cinnamon to the tops as well, which was a fun additions. The designs on the mugs turned out a bit messy, but eh. Definitely something I’d make again, but hopefully with a real cookie cutter because cutting out with an x-acto was not fun.

Lap view cookie

The most prominent vision I’ve had all year was a cookie with an above-view look at a lap with cozy socks and hot cocoa. This didn’t turn out like I had envisioned. I just really struggled to get it to match the vibe in my imagination. So I only made one and ended up abandoning that idea in favor of a few others that took over my focus. It was just too messy and I wasn’t feeling it enough to bother perfecting it.

Sweaters, hats, houses, and trees (and more)

Sweaters played heavily into the aesthetic this year. I experimented with a couple styles, one using a cutter I bought online and the other I cut myself based on a picture I found and liked. I also made a few hats based on a cookie design I had seen and liked. Created a knit texture was super fun and will definitely be playing with that in the future

I also cut and made a couple fireplaces. This was fun, but more boring than I expected. I would perhaps try again with more creativity. It just took a back seat to the other designs this year.

The cookie cutter set I purchased came with some great designs for house, tree, wreath, and basket. So I played with those a bit. Very pretty and fun to make and way easier since I had actual cutters for them. Lol.

Final thoughts

I definitely recognize that I went a bit too far this year. I spent too much time thinking about and planning for these cookies. They took up much of my time and focus and contributed to the increase in stress as Christmas drew nearer. I had too many ideas and did a poor job trying to limit myself to a reasonable number of shapes to focus on.

Going forward I think I’ll stick to trying up to a couple new ideas or techniques per project instead of stuffing so many in one go. I also have a desire to purchase a 3D printer so I can one day make my own cutters. Someday. :)

I think my next goal in cookie making is to work on my consistencies and textures some more, making them look neater, smoother, more uniform and intentional.

Until next year! :D

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This year felt like one of the “big ones.” The ones that contain bigger shifts and more milestones. I look back with special sense of gratitude for all that our Lord has done for us and worked in us. As we wrap up this special year I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights.

*Warning: This is a very long post and I mostly like to document our lives in ways like this for the sake of my own memory. I decided to also share for the benefit of friends and family who would appreciate an update into our daily life.

Littles get Big

My brain is still struggling to keep up with the growth that each of the kids seems to have done this year. Many inches taller, many new skills learned and many new memories made.

Miles

Miles grew so tall he’s almost caught up to mom. His height shot up about a foot and his voice dropped down about an octave. If there was a trophy for most growth this year, I think it’s safe to say that that Miles would be in the lead.

Miles played baseball over the summer as part of a community league and was placed with a great team who went on to win the big game. He also enjoys hanging with his cousins, gaming with friends, and teaching himself how to play the piano. He turned 12, started 6th grade, and started wearing Steven’s hand-me-downs. Dang, people. Where did my baby go?!

Finn

Finn really settled into his big kid status this year. He loves to read Dogman books and play Roblox with friends. He enjoys math and creating and solving challenges with his friends and siblings.

In the spring he had strabismus surgery on the muscles of his eyes to help correct amblyopia. We praise God for a successful surgery with overwhelmingly positive results so far. Our prayers going forward are that the correction will remain permanent and not require another surgery down the line and that his vision will remain good enough that he won’t require glasses in the future.

Remi

Remi took on every creative challenge she could get her hands on (that I would allow her to attempt, lol). She loves to help me with all of my projects while also singing and dancing around the house. She loves to make up songs and sing them at home, in the car, and generally providing the background music to our life. She is extra social and enjoys hanging with her cousins and her friends.

Remi is now in 1st grade and likes school, especially art. Her art teacher praised her talents and said she might be featured in the spring art showcase at school. She’ll be turning 7 in a couple months.

Aramis

Aramis completed his first full trip around the sun, going from 3 months old to 15 months old in 2024. In the competition for who grew the most this year, he’s definitely giving Miles a run for the trophy.

Aramis loves his siblings sooo much (and they adore him right back). He loves peek-a-boo, sitting/lounging in chairs like a little king, throwing balls, reading books, pushing toy cars, and generally doing all the adorable things big babies like to do. Oh, and eat! He LOVES to eat. Anything, everything, all of it, and as much of it in one bite as possible.

Steven

Steven has been hitting the gym daily, which has been his habit for the last 2+ years. He would win the trophy for growing the most muscle in 2024. His PR for deadlifts went from 500 in February to 580 in the summer. He hit 300 on bench and 205×3 on strict press. Recovered from suspected rhabdomyolysis in the last couple months. (possibly brought on by hitting that last PR LOL). Since then he has been following an adjusted workout schedule and seems to be feeling better.

He praises God for many answers to lots of challenges faced this year and prayers laid at the feet of the Lord.

Brittany

If we’re going to keep going with the trophy thing, I think it’s fair to say I win the trophy for growing the least. Or, more accurately, shrinking the most. My most notable accomplishment this year was losing 60 pounds between March and November. Bringing my current weight to a number that is below where I was when I first got pregnant with Miles in 2011. That means it’s the first time I’ve been at this weight in 13 years!!! I won’t elaborate too much, if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen some of the progress. Most of all I can say this has been great for my overall wellbeing. I feel like I can embrace life a bit easier and it feels like an accomplishment to have conquered some mental struggles with food and discipline that I have struggled with over the years.

I spent a good deal of the year enjoying the return to the baby phase of life as much as possible, learning and falling in love (obsession) with sourdough bread, and digging deeper into some of my already existing hobbies (gardening, cookie decorating, sewing).

See more pretty projects on my Instagram and Pinterest

Family Highlights

This year, instead of trying to plan any big trips, we thought it would be a fun year to try to take a few smaller trips to Branson. So we bought Silver Dollar City passes for the family and managed to visit a few times throughout the year. We made some great memories there.

In addition to our mini vacations, we also had an eclipse, some holidays, and our annual family outings, too. With a new realization of how quickly time passes, and in an effort to document as much as I could of our first full year of life with Aramis, I tried to take more photos and record more memories. I neglected to do that for a few years prior to this and came to miss having those records to look back at. I’m hoping I’ll pick it up even better in 2025!

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I am now several months into my weight loss journey (and 50+ pounds down so far! w00t!) and I can definitely say this one treat/dip/spread has been a foundational underpinning of my success! Cottage cheese is clearly having it’s day, as witnessed by my Instagram algorithm (which is now 95% healthy eating and exercise and “what I eat in a day” reels). I love it in so many things such as chicken salad, egg bites, pancakes, and more. But this has for sure got to be my favorite thing I’ve done with it so far.

This is a simple recipe, but can be used in so many ways! My go to way to enjoy it is mixed with fruit and graham crackers for my nightly dessert before bed. I also discovered it goes amazingly on top of my favorite protein pancakes in the morning. It really can replace almost any topping or dip that you might want to put whipped cream or cheesecake on.

Some remarks

I like to make a large batch of this tasty treat and return the mix to the empty cottage cheese container to keep in the fridge. This amount will last me up to 2 weeks of nightly desserts.

The recipe includes Cool Whip which is surprisingly not too high in calories, and though this recipe uses a full cup of whipped topping, the recipe will give you 12-16 servings which is less than 100 calories per serving.

Variations to try

Pumpkin fluff

Blend or mix pumpkin puree into your cheesecake spread and top with Pumpkin Spice cookies (I like 2 use 2 belVita brand cookies). Add a bit of honey, maple syrup, or extra cool whip if you like it a bit sweeter. Half a banana (sliced) can be added to bulk it up.

Peach Crumble

Cook half of a peach, quartered, in the microwave for 1 minute. Peel off the skin and dice the fruit. Top your cheesecake with peaches, strawberries for extra bulk, and optional drizzle of caramel, browned butter, or Bettergoods brand salted caramel salt.

Key Lime Pie

Use key lime pie jello mix or combine it with the cheesecake powder. Add some lime zest or even a squeeze of juice! Top with graham crackers. Would be tasty with berries for extra bulk!

Banana Pudding

Use whatever combination of pudding mix powders you prefer and top with bananas and vanilla wafers.

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I had so much more to say back in April when I hyper-focused on this to an insane level. But now I just want to always remember that I did this. I have officially documented the effort.

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I finally have admitted defeat. Instead of trying to catch up on my missing weeks I am jumping right back in where I’m at. Time has been speeding by so quickly that I quite literally had to check my pregnancy app just to see how many weeks along I am!

So much has happened since I’ve properly updated you all, my friends. Let’s lay this out:

House projects

Master Bedroom

Last I left you I was finishing up our master bedroom (flooring and wood slat wall). It turned out so lovely and it’s been very nice to have our bedroom back together and have a space to escape to throughout the continued chaos.

Rainbow Room

Next came Remi and Aramis’ room. It was a wonderfully shocking week that began with Miles helping me rip up all the carpet and basically completing all the demo in a single day! That Monday morning I walked into her room, which was still half full of her things, and the overwhelm swept over me. I started bawling right there (thanks, hormones!). My sweet eldest came in and asked what was wrong, so I expressed how overwhelmed I felt and how it was getting so much harder to carry things up and down stairs and to bend down and how little energy I was feeling. He immediately began taking over all the things and really stepping up in a way that left me impressed and grateful.

By the end of the week we had ripped everything out, painted all the walls, including a giant rainbow in one corner, and had laid down all the underlayment and flooring for the bedroom. There were definitely some moments of overwhelm throughout the week, accompanied by plenty of tears, but it was overall an incredibly humbling and rewarding week.

Boy’s Bedroom

This is where things began to stall. While visiting for my baby shower, my awesome friend, Beth, helped me empty out the boy’s room (including disassembling their old bunk bed!). That Monday I began the same process of ripping out carpet, demo work, and adding screws to the subfloor. Unfortunately, during this process we discovered that part of one of the exterior walls showed evidence of mold, which was then revealed to be caused by rot in the walls. One of our rain gutters ends at this part of the house outside and the water had been pooling up and seeping into the wall. Portions of the wood framing was rotting. At this point we had to take a break and put everything on hold for our babymoon. We are now in the process of trying to get our neighbor, who is a contractor, to come take a look and let us know what we need to do to fix this. Meanwhile, of course, all painting and flooring is on hold. I pray the damage isn’t very complicated or expensive to fix.

Baby Shower

My baby shower was so lovely!!! Thank you to all my lovely friends and family who came together to contribute their time and food and resources to make it so special. It was beautiful and enjoyable. And to all my sweet guests for the amazing gifts! I felt very blessed by all of it. My friend, Beth, came into town to help and attend which made for an extra fun weekend. I was spoiled by our time together and wished we could spend so many more days like the ones we had.

Babymoon in Lake Tahoe

Honestly this deserves it’s own post, but I’m afraid I’ll never end up writing one (cause that’s how I be).

Earlier in the pregnancy I began longing for a semi-adventurous vacation before we found ourselves once again in young baby/toddler stage of life. I had grand imaginings early on and dreamt up so many different ideas of where we could go and how we could make it work. There was some question about whether Steven could manage to get away from work and still have any time to take off when the baby is born (we considered a solo trip for myself), but I really wanted us to be able to get away together.

I am soooo grateful that this trip worked out. We ended up booking everything a bit later than I would have liked and there were expenses we hadn’t considered. But in the end it was just so wonderful. It was everything we needed. Relaxing, beautiful, full of loved ones, enriching, and tinged with just enough adventure.

Some highlights

• We had a maternity session in/on Lake Tahoe which is like a dream come true. I am ashamed to say I don’t think I have ever paid someone to take my photos. It was such a treat!!! My sister hooked me up with the very talented Heidi Peinthor, who really made the whole experience magical. It was by far the pinnacle of the trip for me. The water was a perfect temperature, the lighting was out of this world, and there was virtually no one else on the beach that morning (during an otherwise very busy time of year for Tahoe). Heidi made it so relaxing and fun and I enjoyed every bit of it!!!

• Getting time to just be with my husband. We really haven’t had such solid time alone in a long time. It was so enjoyable to simply wander around with my best friend. We laughed (mostly about the poor state of my brain lately), we sat in silence and stared at the horizon many times, together we fell in love with the lake and the mountains and the pines all over again.

• We got to spend our first day and a half with my friend, Chantel and her husband and got to attend Sunday morning services with her church at Frenchman Lake during a retreat they were having. It was so sweet to gather with other believers in such a beautiful place with people I love. It was beautiful and healing.

• I got to see and photograph my sister and her growing family! I got to meet a nephew and niece who I hadn’t seen in person yet and take pictures of everyone’s happy faces.

• I got to see my aunt and uncle and explore the lake from their boat and have dinner with my aunt and cousin and catch up. Our family has a lot of history in Lake Tahoe and it always warms me up to return there and experience deeply cerebral memories from my very early childhood and from the years when we’ve visited growing up.

• We re-visited some of our favorites spots and found new ones.

• The notable lack of humidity (now that’s I’m back in Kansas I’m thinking this needs to be closer to the top of the list)

Nesting

Now that we’re back home and the weeks are whirling by, I am feeling allllll the pressure to get things ready for baby. I have a lot to do in the next month+.

• The kids start school this week and are all attending different schools, which complicates things quite a bit for me. I’m hoping we’ll get a handle on the weird schedules and all the prep and that things will smooth out quickly.
• I have 2 sessions to edit, many small design projects for people, and lots of work to do on our Crimson Cord magazine. I’m hoping that with the kids in school I’ll be able to knock some of this out quickly, but it’s a lot.
• We’re at quite a stand still with the flooring upstairs. Hopefully we’ll get the rot taken care of quickly and be able to finish the boys room soon. We also need to do some work in the guest/kids’ bathroom which feels overwhelming. I would really love to have the entire upstairs finished by the time baby comes but I’m worried it may not happen.
• I want to get the house as clean and tidy as I can despite the fact that all the boys’ things are still displaced from their room and there are still tools everywhere. I have a giant pile of carpet and trim we need to bring to the transfer station and the whole house desperately needs a very deep clean!
• I still haven’t had a chance to fully sort through all the baby gifts and all my old baby clothes. This is the true nesting that I’m itching to do! I’ve been slowly chipping away at some of it, it’s just a lot.

Overall, I am feeling the pressure of all the things that need to be done. I am hopeful at times, helpless at times (lots of times), plus I’m feeling very hormonal and easily discouraged lately. I am very physically tired these days and lack the energy to do things even when I feel motivated. I’ve taken a nap every day since our return from Tahoe! I have a narrow window of energy in the morning but feel very tired by the end of the day.

I suppose just pray for me, that the glimmers of motivation and excitement can outshine the discouragement. <3

Fun/Cheesy Update Survey

Baby’s Size | Small pineapple or chihuahua

Sleep | Most nights I wake up 3-5 times to use the bathroom and each time hits me like a tiny shock as I ease out of bed onto my swollen feet and try to grab my water bottle with my numb hands for a sip or two. I waddle to the bathroom and try not to wake up too much, waddle back to the bed and switch sides as I settle back into bed and hope I make it more than an hour before it happens again.

Clothes | Ha! I kind of remember when I cared what I looked like. Now that many of my tried and true options are growing tighter or leading to unpleasant chub rub, I have a faithful few items that I go to for comfort. As long as I appear half decent in public I consider that a win. If you see stains on my chest/belly or sweat marks on my booty, I give you permission to flash an amused smile and just know that I know I look a special kind of something and love me anyway. Lol.

I have been contemplating what it might be like after baby is born when the weather turns colder and my body isn’t a percolator. Along with that I’ve also been dreaming of giant sweaters.

Cravings | Some of the fan favorites from the last several months that have made to to the craving hall of fame: cherries, watermelon, peaches, slushes/blended coffees, cucumber avocado rolls, rice krispy treats, ICE CREAM. Some other front runners (new and old): roast beef sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls, Panera Toasted Frontega Chicken (with mods), root beer, Taco Bell, Arby’s, yogurt, peanut butter & banana toast, oh and this delicious orange zucchini bread my friend Bri made me. Yum!

Food Aversions | BBQ, really heavy/saucy meat, certain kinds of fried chicken/chicken nuggets (so far this includes most frozen nuggets like the dino nuggies my kids eat from Sam’s Club lol, as well as Popeyes nuggets).

Symptoms | Braxton hicks! I’ve had a ton lately and they’re very strong, accompanied by weird nerve pain in my back and sometimes with heart palpitations. Basically they feel like they’re happening in my whole body. I’ve been short of breath which is understandable since there’s more pressure on my lungs and all that. Very swollen, I especially don’t like it when my hands feel extra swollen. Heart burn (I actually haven’t had a lot of that in previous pregnancies, but I’ve dealt with it on some level almost this whole pregnancy so far). I’ve been Weepy/emotional/hormonal… like crying out of the blue like a crazy person. Baby brain! Oh, it’s so bad. It can be funny, but mostly it’s annoying. So so tired.

I feel it’s only fair here to say that I’m used to having many complaints in pregnancy and I try to take them in stride. But also there are some pains I have not been experiencing as much this time and I’m very grateful. Because baby seems to be sitting high, I haven’t had as much hip and pelvic pain which I’m very grateful for! With Miles I remember buying belly belt supports pretty early on in the pregnancy for this reason and with Finn I saw a chiro for the hip issues. But this time it hasn’t really come up.

Doctor’s Appointment | At my last appointment (Friday) everything looked great! My next appointment is about a week and a half away, then I’ll go to weekly appointments including sonos! Kind of crazy!

Weight | This is funny. I was all excited a couple appointments ago because I had gained half as much weight as usual!!! Only to realize later that day that it was my first appointment since going to every 2 weeks instead of every 4. So I gained just as much as usual. Which has been a steady trend. At my appointment last week I was 224. Which is about 54 lbs overall from my pre-pregnancy weight. It seems like so much but it’s really not very different from my other pregnancies (I just started at a higher weight). I think the most I’ve gained was in the 63-67 range with Miles but I started 20 lbs down in comparison.

I’m just embracing the chins at this point (I could do without the chub rub, though)

Movement | Still the most beautiful part of this experience. I get so giddy and excited when I feel him kicking and hiccupping and sliding around. I just adore it.

Gender | Since I use this category as a chance to update about all baby anticipation things here are some cute things that have come up. Remi has been so cute hugging and kissing “the baby” and asking me in the silliest voice if she can “TOUCH YOUR BELLLUH” and then she squishes it adorably. I also think she’s feeling those “I’m not going to be the baby much longer” feels so we’ve been cuddling alot and trying to squeeze in those mommy/Remi moments.

I’ve been imagining what Aramis will look like and be like and getting so excited!

Best moment of the week | Really it’s more like month, right? I’m going to go with my maternity session. Everything just came together and resulted in an amazing experience.

What I miss | My normal house/living room without all the construction mess and total chaos. I even miss the way I was soooo prepared before Remi was born. I deep cleaned everything that time. I wish I could do that now but my body doesn’t feel up to it.

What I’m looking forward to | Meeting my baby. Having all (or at least most) of my list done and being able to just soak it all in. Wearing giant sweaters and embracing the fall season. Sleeping on my stomach. Hopefully not having weird phlegm and heartburn. Oh, and the month or so that the kids are all in school before baby comes (ha!).

Curious? Here are my updates from my first pregnancies for this week…

Miles: Baby Bump | 33 Weeks
Finn: Belly Day | 33 Weeks
Remi: Belly Day // Thirty-Three Weeks

The post Pregnancy Update // 33 Weeks appeared first on Silverdoves Photography & Design.

Well, I’ve definitely fallen behind. While I’m mostly kept up with the written updates for each week, I haven’t kept up on photos until this week.

I have a good reason! Or at least I’m going to use that as an excuse lol. First we celebrated Independence Day as a family by checking out the fireworks in Lansing. It’s been one of our favorite displays for several years now. The weather was just amazing!!! In the 60s. Best 4th of July weather I think I’ve ever experienced and probably never appreciated it more.

The kids and I joined my brother and his family for a camping trip over the Fourth and it was lovely! I felt like I hadn’t prepared much for it, but we were blessed to have what we needed and once I was on the road and then at the camp site, I settled right into relaxation mode and took the opportunity to refresh before diving back into my house projects.

And dive in I did! I have been working furiously on the wood slat wall and finishing our master bedroom every since we returned. The whole process took longer than I expected but it was still a very satisfying process and one I’m glad I really put my heart into. If you follow me on social media you might already have been keeping up with the progress I’ve shared in my story in Insta/FB so I won’t go into too much detail. Mostly I really took the time to “do it right” and I think in the end it paid off. I really love how it turned out!

We moved our furniture back in last night. It’s wonderful to have our room back (and to not have to get up from the floor in the middle of the night when I need the bathroom!). It feels a little sparse, but I fully expect I’ll add some decor and settle in before too long.

Now we’re ready to move on to Remi’s room and start the whole process over again! Except the wood slat wall… I’m not sure I’ll be making one of those again for a long while. Ha! We’ll need to empty Remi’s room and essentially move her into the living room, then begin demo on the carpet, prep the subfloor, paint walls, and put in the new flooring.

Also coming up I have a baby shower and a babymoon! I’m pretty dang excited about both!

While I’ve been pretty focused on all the house projects, I’ve also recently been feeling more and more aware of the tiny human growing inside of me and moving in stronger, more decisive ways and I am getting giddy to meet him. I am not in too much of a rush considering how much chaos we’re living in right now, but looking ahead to the time has me excited.

Let’s move onto the survey, shall we?

Fun/Cheesy Update Survey

Baby’s Size | Large Cabbage (I don’t always reference the same list and sometimes I swear I’ve already used one for a previous week. I think cabbage is new???)

Sleep | The up and down from the floor had been getting tough. When I wake up my hands are often numb and that’s weird. I also had a some nightmares last night. Over all my dreams haven’t been great at all this pregnancy. Usually boring and not scary like this one, but still.

Clothes | My amazing sister, Brianna gave me a bag of maternity clothes to borrow! It came at a perfect time because my options were beginning to feel scarce again. Especially when it came to actual, long pants, which have been helpful/necessary when having to get down on the floor so much during this remodel process. There are also some warmer clothes that might be useful at the very end of this pregnancy and while I’m in that early post partum period.

Cravings | Less cravings and more just some things I’ve really enjoyed lately… Rice Krispy Treats, homegrown blackberries from my friend Megan (literally the best I’ve had in my life!). I also have her to thank for the cucumber I’ve been snacking on the last few days. I’ve been making a larger cup of coffee each day and really enjoying it over ice throughout the morning. Still loving ice cream, a couple time I’ve indulged in my favorite concrete from Culver’s… raspberry with dove chocolate pieces. YUM! Pretzels with Nutella. Taco Supremes from Taco Bell. (We were getting taco bell every night after Miles had a baseball practice or game and he just had his last game this week and I’m sad to see my Taco Bell go bye bye lol) Tomatoes and peppers from my garden. So good.

Food Aversions | I’ve had some nights again where nothing sounds good. BBQ is a no. Even butter chicken is a no, which is ironic because it was my go-to thing back when I was sick all the time. Brains are weird.

Symptoms | Swelling. SO. MUCH. SWELLING! I basically keep saying that. This time I had one of my most swollen days yet. My ankles felt so weird when I tried to bend them! It reminded me of the end of my pregnancy with Miles’. Otherwise I just feel giant and hard to move around and do all the things I need to do.

Doctor’s Appointment | I just had one today! It was pretty quite and routine. They look my blood again to see if my anemia has improved so I’m curious what the results will show. Now I’ll be going every 2 weeks! I’m officially in the third trimester <3

Weight | I only gained about 6 pounds this month! That’s the least I’ve gained yet during a four week span. My total is now 218.

Movement | I can see it from the outside a lot these days and I love it. He keeps pushing things (butt? knees? feet?) up and I like to rub the bump until he shifts again. I felt hiccups the other day! I haven’t felt as many hiccups with him as I remember with the others. I just love to sit and feel him. The other day I really tried to soak it in, knowing that we don’t plan to have any other babies and this is likely the last time I’ll get this experience. I just want to soak it in!

Gender | I’ve been starting to look at baby items I “Need.” I kept quite a few things from past babies, but there are some new things I’m excited to have. I’m trying to find what I can on Facebook and add more things to my registry. There are so many cute little baby shops out there now that didn’t really exist last time! I’m eager to have Remi’s room done and start setting up a spot for Aramis.

Best moment of the week | Finishing the slat wall and installing the LED strip on top and sitting back and realizing I actually did it! It was incredibly satisfying.

What I miss | I’ve said this before in pregnancies, but I miss not being in the way. I can’t turn sideways to squeeze past things anymore and the kids are always coming to a sudden stop in front of me so that I end up bumping them with my belly lol.

What I’m looking forward to | Baby shower in 2 weeks! And babymoon in 3 Ahhhh!

Curious? Here are my updates from my first pregnancies for this week…

Miles: Baby Bump | 28 Weeks
Finn: Baby Bump Day | 28 Weeks
Remi: :)

The post Pregnancy Update // 28 Weeks appeared first on Silverdoves Photography & Design.

I feel so behind! Our life is consumed by all the construction projects. I certainly don’t hate it, but it scares me. Things just take time and I start to panic a bit when I realize we’ve been at it for two weeks but still have so much to do!

The truth is, I love having these project to work on. Yes, I’m exhausted all the time and my body struggles to keep up most of the time. And yes, my house is trashed and the kids are watching a lot of TV. But man do I love dreaming up ideas, solving the “puzzles” surrounding the process, then standing on the other side of all the hard work. It’s very rewarding. Now, if only I had someone to take over the cooking and cleaning. Lol.

Week 27 has primarily been spent continuing work on the flooring. Steven of course had to return to work, so I did my best to continue laying flooring by myself. It’s not super difficult (with the exception of surprise obstacles, etc) but it does take a long time. I would stand staring at the room for a good amount of time, overthinking the positioning and patterning of the boards, then I would have to measure any cuts, run down to the driveway to make the cut, run back up and install the board (pray it actually fits and doesn’t need adjustment) then repeat the process.

After a few days of laying floor, we had to take a break to wait for a charger for a tool. The truth is, my body desperately needed a break, too. My “break” consisted of grocery shopping, finishing the floor in our master closet, and tidying up a bit of the disaster that has surrounded us. Then we ended up at the pool for the evening, which was great.

Speaking of the pool, the weather has been insane lately. It’s been in the 100’s this week with some awful humidity. I was the smart person who decided to sand 80+ 1×2 wood slats three separate times and begin the process of staining them, as well. *facepalm*

We got the necessary charger for the tool which allowed me to lay the last plank in our bedroom on Thursday! That’s exciting. We’ve been working on where to buy the baseboards and I think we have that figured out, too. We plan to go into the city to grab those on Saturday. Then hopefully we can paint and install them soon that way we can move all our bedroom furniture back in and start on Remi’s room next!!! I’m very eager to get this moving along.

We do plan to take a break from all this next week for a 4th of July camping trip. I honestly probably need it or I might become an insane person.

Let’s get on with the baby stuff now :)

Fun/Cheesy Update Survey

Baby’s Size | Terrarium. Or in fruit-speak… cauliflower.

Sleep | I’m soaking up all the sleep I can after long days working. I definitely feel swollen and stiff when I wake up during the night. I love waking up full of energy in the mornings and being excited for my projects and feeling like I can handle some progress-making.

Clothes | A bunch of my clothes have gone missing during this process and I’ve struggled to find clothes to wear each day that didn’t get sweaty and covered in sawdust from the day before.

Cravings | Ice cream. I don’t see that one going away any time soon.

Food Aversions | Just the occasional heavy sounding food. Especially things with lots of sauce.

Symptoms | Sweating. Muscle cramping and spasming. I haven’t been keeping up on my magnesium and that would probably help. I’ve been using my hands a lot lately so the muscles in my hand keep cramping up and the swelling probably doesn’t help. Hip and back pain, but I think it’s still not as bad as I remember experiencing other times.

Doctor’s Appointment | Coming up on the 14th!

Weight | We don’t talk about this

Movement | Many great Mommy/Aramis moments are spent sitting in the little quite moments and breaks and trying to high five through my belly walls. That sounded weird but you know….

Gender | I’ve been so distracted by everything lately sometimes I remember I’m actually going to have a baby. LOL.

Best moment of the week | Basking in the productive days and trying to accept the “rest days” my body enforces on me.

What I miss | Being able to swim. Yeah. Can’t do that right now. So weird.

What I’m looking forward to | The 4th of July trip!!! I’m excited for the kids to spend the time with their cousins and for me to try to take a step back from everything mentally (and physically!)

Curious? Here are my updates from my first pregnancies for this week…

Miles: Baby Bump | 27 Weeks
Finn: Baby Bump Day | 27 Weeks
Remi: HA

The post Pregnancy Update // 27 Weeks appeared first on Silverdoves Photography & Design.

Everything is starting to blur together at this point. Subfloors and paint and underlayment and flooring and trim and wood slats and sawdust and just… yeah. It’s been a mix of fun and crazy.

To pick up where I left off during last week’s update…

After ripping out all the carpet, I took the opportunity to paint our bedroom. I’ve been wanting to paint it white like my living room and with the carpet out and before the flooring could go it, it just seemed like the best time. So I took a couple days to do that, with the kids’ help. I have some exciting plans for a wall treatment behind the bed and I, of course, and going to attempt to do that while also doing all the other things. *rolls eyes*

I also screwed in around 400 screws into the subfloor to try to minimize the squeaky floors we’ve been living with since we moved in. Then I tried my hand at leveling a slope in our floor using a thin set type material. That was terrifying and didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. So I did my best and we’ll just cross our fingers it was enough.

We closed out the week with a trip to the pool and a solid plan to start laying actual flooring Saturday!!!

Everything else I can think of, as well as all the baby things will probably be covered below…

Fun/Cheesy Update Survey

Baby’s Size | a bottle of fancy French soda. That’s right. I used the “size comparisons that aren’t fruit” list this week.

Sleep | It’s been not super great. Partly because Finn has been dealing with some weird sinus issues and raw nasal passages that are apparently very uncomfortable for him. So he has been waking up within a few hours of going to bed and ending up right beside me. Remi soon follows and I can’t seem to find space for my growing body once that happens. Plus I get very overheated sandwiched between them. So I’ll move to one of their beds and sometimes they end up following me there too. LOL.

Despite the poor-ish quality of sleep, I’m still waking up motivated and with so much more energy than I go to bed with due to all the work on projects during the day.

Clothes | Our laundry is piling up and the laundry room is full of demo materials like old baseboards full of brad nails. Plus each day I’m dirtying up my clothes to the point of needing actual washing from all the dust and debris and sweat. Plus, since ripping my romper last week, I’m scared to wear any of my other ones because I don’t want them to rip, either. I prefer not to wear shorts because I’m on my knees alot while flooring. And I only have so many pairs of leggings (all dirty at this point). I guess what I’m saying is that I feel like I have no clothes although I actually do and I just really need to do some laundry. Ok.

Cravings | WATER-FREAKING-MELON! I mean YUM. We’ve been going through at least one a week between Miles and myself. When I take a break and open the fridge I’ll see it there all cut up and delicious looking, so I’ll dig in with a fork and moan the whole time. It’s so good! The ones we’ve been picking have been pretty good, but I do hope to go to the farmer’s market soon-ish and hope to find the absolute perfect watermelon at some point while I’m enjoying it so much.

Still loving the ice cream, too. Also my iced coffee. I still grab Starbucks sometimes but I’m honestly loving my homemade at least as much these days! I’ll make hot coffee in the morning with my breakfast bowl (another craving I think it’s fair to say), then when it cools off too much I’ll poor it over ice in an insulated cup and sip it as long as I can. I’ve recently decided I need to start making a larger amount because I always wish there was more once it’s gone.

Food Aversions | Not a whole lot. I still have some nausea/reflux at night and food is less appealing then, but most things are delicious to me. I vaguely remember longing for this phase and I try to remember to be grateful that food tastes good again.

Symptoms | Swelling. SO. MUCH. Very sore ligaments. Hips and back suffering. All the work probably makes the aching worse but it’s worth it.

Doctor’s Appointment | Not until mid-July.

Weight | Blissfully ignoring this until mid-July.

Movement | The best “Knock-knocks” throughout the day. I love to be working on my projects and be snapped back to reality by a little thump. I feel more of the scraping type feeling and it makes it feel so real!

Gender | We like to blame Aramis for lots of things in the very best and most loving of ways. Like he’s the reason momma picked Arby’s when everyone wanted chicken. Or the reason the boys can’t really fit in their small bed together with me at bedtime like they used to. Why I need the A/C full blast, why mommy can’t swim without sinking right now. And we LOVE IT! We smile the whole time we talk about it. <3

Best moment of the week | Projects. I know. Pathetic of me, but true. Also pool time on Friday and some gardening during a break mid-week. Things are really growing!

What I’m looking forward to | More projects. LOL I’m so predictable and obsessed. Sorry. I’m just excited that I’m finally doing these things I’ve dreamt of for years and it feels like they’re within reach. I’m also eager to get them done.

Curious? Here are my updates from my first pregnancies for this week…

Miles: Baby Bump | 26 Weeks
Finn: Baby Bump Day | 26 Weeks
Remi: Belly Day // Twenty-Six Weeks

The post Pregnancy Update // 26 Weeks appeared first on Silverdoves Photography & Design.

This has been a monumental week for me because we finally began the process of replacing our floors!!!!!!!!! If you know me I’ve probably mentioned a time or two (or two hundred) just how badly I have been wanting to replace our old, stained carpet with LVP flooring. When we moved in over 9 years ago it was on the list of things we hoped to do in the first few years. Obviously that didn’t happen, but I’m glad, because my style has definitely shifted since then and I’m much happier with the color of flooring we have planned to install at this point.

A few years ago we decided to get serious once more about replacing the floors. I did meticulous and exhausting research to pick a floor I liked. Being a very visual person, the repeated patterns and textures in LVP flooring was driving me bonkers! It took me a long time to find something that had a subtle pattern, large boards, quality product, and in a color that was the perfect blend of warm and neutral. We finally landed on Coretec Hayes Oak based on some photos I’ve seen online from others who have had it installed. It was then another year or so during which we refinanced our home and researched suppliers to find the most affordable resource for the boards. We finally found what we were looking for with Georgia Carpet Industries. Then it took us almost a year to finally order the product *facepalm.* It’s been sitting in our garage for close to another year. Whew.

So now we arrive to the week when we finally begin this process!!! I’ll try to save the rest of the details for a separate post once the floors are completed, but for now I’ll just focus a bit on what I accomplished during “week 25.” And that was ripping up lots and lots of carpet, carpet tack strips, baseboards, and staples. I really wanted to do this right and thoroughly so we’re putting extra time and energy to prepping the subfloor and making sure we have the tools we need.

I’m writing this late and I’m itching to talk about all the other side-projects I’ve been obsessing about in the midst of this process, but I’ll save that for week 26 :) But basically I started in the hallway on Thursday, then over the long weekend, Steven and I attempted our best Chip and Joanna Gaines, emptying our master bedroom of furniture and ripping up all the carpet, etc.

There really isn’t much more to talk about, I have been essentially living and breathing construction/remodel things. Figuratively but also literally *cough. We are sleeping on our mattress on the living room floor. It reminds me of the awesome fort Steven and I made and slept in for 2 weeks when I was pregnant with Miles. It feels like an adventure. Maybe more adventure than I prefer when I need to get up off the floor in the middle of the night, put on my crocs, and walk up the stairs to the bathroom multiples times haha! Meanwhile, the rest of the house is quite the mess and the kids have been running around in full summer frivolity. It’s the most beautiful mess, really it is. I’m so grateful to finally be doing this. <3

Pregnancy-wise I am doing pretty well and I think the highlights will be covered sufficiently in the survey below. :)

Fun/Cheesy Update Survey

Baby’s Size | Butternut (aww, new nickname)

Sleep | As mentioned above, it’s a bit harder to get up for the bathroom with our bed so far away and on the floor, but otherwise about the same. I have had more unfortunate dreams, though. Some full on nightmares, others just boring or stressful. And each time I wake up I have the same two lines of a song running through my head. Each night a different song, but all 3 times that night it will be the same song and the same lines, on repeat. Like a constant repetitive stream that I tune into every time I gain consciousness.

Clothes | There are a few things I wore in previous pregnancies that I’ve tried to wear and they don’t even fit! I also accidentally ripped one of my rompers which made me sad. It was the material itself, too, not just a seam so I can’t really fix it. Otherwise I think I’m pretty much good for at least another month, hopefully.

Cravings | Ice cream. GIVE ME ALL THE ICE CREAM. I remember being pregnant with Miles and going to Ben and Jerry’s and getting a double scoop cone of mint chip and eating the entire thing. Something completely unheard of when I am not pregnant. It’s been pretty true throughout my pregnancies and is proving itself true this time, too. On my latest shopping trip I bought multiple ice creams from different stores.

I’ve also been eating and enjoying many things in addition to the ice cream. Cherries, watermelon, apples. Oooo the apples one has actually been here for a couple weeks. On our trip last week I ate an apple a day.

Food Aversions | There are some things that just don’t sound great in the moment, but I don’t know what they are until they’re proposed to me, then I just shrivel up inside at the thought of it.

Symptoms | So sore and achy and swollen. So basically nothing new. More Braxton hicks, I think. Physically fatigued (more on that in the next category!)

Doctor’s Appointment | I had my appointment! I took my glucose test and was nervous the whole time. I was a few minutes late to my appointment and scared because I knew they had to take my blood exactly an hour after I finished the drink. Luckily the phlebotomist said I was still within the window. Whew! The rest of the appointment when quickly without much ado. I’m supposed to start month sonos starting at 28 weeks, but doc and I discussed it and I decided to wait until 36 weeks before we do any more sonos, then we’ll be doing them at every appointment. That seems more reasonable to me since they look at more serious things than just growth at that point.

So here’s what we all (me at least) have been waiting for… Do I have gestational diabetes?? NO! I DO NOT! Yay! I had a missed call on Monday from the OB office and was scared because they had told me they’d call me Monday if there was anything they were concerned about. I was so worried that meant I had GD. Once I got ahold of them they told me I’d passed the glucose test but that I was anemic. I also was anemic with Remi’s pregnancy so I wasn’t too surprised. Relieved actually, that it wasn’t GD. My hemoglobin was 9, which is lower than it was with Remi’s pregnancy (I think I was 11 with hers). So I’ve been taking iron since that next day. It isn’t the full dose my Dr. wants me on, but I figure it should help until I can find a better dosage in a product I feel good about.

I now imagine that much of my huffing and puffing and fear of stairs and hills has been in part because of the anemia. Instead of being sleepy tired, I have simply felt more limited physically. I’m hoping to feel a little more capable once the iron starts working.

NO GD! Bring on the ice cream lol!

Weight | I had gained another 8 pounds at my appointment which has been how much I’ve gained each month consistently. I mean, I wish it wasn’t that much each time, but it was sort of reassuring to not gain more than that considering I’ve felt like I’ve been eating more. Plus…. the ice cream. My weight was 212. I’ve realized as well that if I continue to gain this much each month, my total pregnancy gain will actually be quite close to the total I gained with Miles (I gained the most with him until now). I started lower with that pregnancy, since it was my first, but it’s still kind of nice to realize it wouldn’t be entirely out of the norm for me.

Movement | A lot of lovely kicks and reminders of his presence. I haven’t felt as many hiccups as I remember feeling with some of my other pregnancies. Or maybe that happens further along. But the kicks and things are great. <3

Gender | One of the sweetest things has been the things the kids say, especially Finn. I heard him in the car the other day asking the other kids what color eyes they thought Aramis would have and who he will look like. It’s the best thing about this pregnancy that is unique to this time. None of my kids were really old enough to experience the anticipation with me before.

Best moment of the week | Starting the floors. Ripping up that first strip of carpet and realizing there’s no turning back now (and I certainly wouldn’t want to!)

Also working with Steven over the weekend was great. It’s fun to team up on projects.

Our “fort” in the livingroom has become a Mario Kart gaming center. Even at night after the kids are asleep Steven and I have been racing each other. It’s been super fun.

What I’m looking forward to | Actually laying the floor!!! And the day I hope and pray will actually get here when I stand looking around at all the new floor and other things we’ve updated and realize it’s actually happened.

Curious? Here are my updates from my first pregnancies for this week…

Miles: Baby Bump | 25 Weeks
Finn: Baby Bump Day | 25 Weeks
Remi: NOPE

The post Pregnancy Update // 25 Weeks appeared first on Silverdoves Photography & Design.

I’m slacking somewhat this week. I technically turn “25 weeks” today, but I’m writing about 24 and haven’t taken the photo yet, either. Oops!

Last week was a full one, with many errands while the kids spent the mornings in VBS. I never did get to any remodel type work, but I did manage to find some bras and shoes that fit, get my eyebrows done, and prep for our weekend getaway with Steven’s family.

Our trip to Branson this year was another filled with summer activities. This was our fourth year staying at Still Waters resort on Table Rock Lake. The kids love it because they get to live their dream of swimming to their hearts’ content. We also spent a day at Silver Dollar City, which is one of my own favorite Branson memories from my youth. This year we also added some go-karting which was another thing we used to do as kids and it was fun to see my own children making those memories, too!

One fun thing Steven and I got to do together was go see the show “Queen Ester” at Sight and Sound. It was a great chance to do something adult together and I’m really grateful we got to go! The set and the costumes and everything was captivating.

Otherwise I basically stuffed my face with all kinds of junk food and ice cream and food truck fare, took poolside naps and read books on my phone.

Now that we’re back I am eager to dive into a more regular summer routine, but also begin ripping apart my house in order to paint, put in new flooring, replace trim and otherwise overhaul everything. Which is kind of funny since it seems directly opposed to settling into any kind of routine. But I am itching to make it happen! I’m a little worried that I don’t know what I’m getting into, but we’ve waiting long enough and I don’t want to put it off any longer. We’re hoping in the next few days to work through some of the logistics of where to put things while we work and how to haul away the construction debris and things like that. I appreciate all the prayers I can get! I really hope this can run smoothly and that I have the energy and strength to carry out all these ambitious plans.

Speaking of, I have been a lot more tired and hormonal this week. I don’t know if some of it is just the strain of packing and managing things on vacation or just where I’m at in this pregnancy, but I am winded just walking up our half flights of stairs or a gently sloping hill. I’ve had nausea again at night and off and on during the day as well as other digestive issues and physical discomforts. And I keep crying at the lamest things lol. I’m fighting the overwhelm when I think of all I want to get done, but at the same time I’m filled with motivation and determination! I would love if my body would please cooperate with my brain!

I am generally excited about the coming week(s) and hope that I can tackle the things I’m envisioning with the same kind of gusto that I felt a couple weeks ago. So keep those prayers coming!!!

Fun/Cheesy Update Survey

Baby’s Size | Cantaloupe (which I also, incidentally, having been consuming with enthusiasm this week)

Sleep | It isn’t too exciting. I’m having a little more trouble positioning myself comfortably without causing sharp pain in my ligaments, but once I’m asleep I am in a regular cycle of waking every few hours to use the restroom, sip some water, and climb back into bed. I got to have a bed to myself most of our trip, which was quite lovely! I’m mostly grateful that I am not having any trouble falling or staying asleep.

Clothes | I keep thinking I’m done and I finally have everything I need. Last week I found some bras. It’s incredible what a difference it can make just to have one that fits! It’s still kind of uncomfortable, but at least they fit. I also bought some new shoes! Some Crocs and some Hey Dudes. Ironically, they are both shoes I haven’t really been a fan of before, but the necessity of comfort has me becoming a fast fan of both. They felt like Heaven on my feet when I first tried them on. After wearing them for a couple days I’ve realized I still get blisters and bruises, but there isn’t as much strain on the muscles in my feet and if I don’t have to wear them for a full, long day they suit just fine! I also have a cute pair of sandals I ordered that aren’t as comfortable but should hopefully work for dresses and things.

Now I think the only clothing item I still have in my sights is a fancy dress for maternity photos. That’s still very unsettled and up in the air, but I have an urge to sew my own like a crazy person. So, if I can fit that in around massive construction projects perhaps I’ll accomplish it. I know, sometimes I think I’m insane.

Cravings | Nothing specific but dang, I have been eating SO. MUCH. STINKING. FOOD!!! I want to eat constantly! I’m really, really trying to cut out some of the sugar and junk starting this week because it has been bad. I had so many chips and fried food and ice cream and funnel cakes and bagels and waffles and cereal and just… so much. The only moderately healthy thing I’ve been craving is fruit. I’ve been eating a lot of melons and cherries and so many apples! I just haven’t felt well, so I’m going to try to focus my cravings on things that are healthier if I can, with the occasional, thought-out dessert here and there perhaps.

Food Aversions | I’ve been having a lot of unpleasant phlegm issues still, which is worse when I eat very strong, heavy foods and flavors. I’ve been averse to BBQ type things. Some of the foods I’ve been eating I’ve been stuffing in my mouth but almost averse to them at the same time. Hormones. Geez.

Symptoms | Swelling, breathlessness, weak muscles, weepiness, nausea, reflux, intestinal discomfort, and stiffness. There’s probably even more but that’s good for now lol.

Doctor’s Appointment | I have an appointment on Friday. I’m nervous because it’s my glucose test. With my first pregnancy I was borderline and had to do the 3 hour test. With the other 2 I was nervous but passed. This time I really worry I’ll either be borderline or have GD. My awful diet lately combined with the way I’ve been feeling has me really doubtful I’ll pass. I’m going to try to clean up the sugar this week in preparation and see how it goes. I’m also nervous about the drink/test itself. I don’t handle massive amounts of sugar well anyway (have more heart palpitations and things) so I’m not looking forward to downing that glucose. I considered just monitoring my blood sugar multiple times a day for a week+ instead which my OB would let me do (though she advised against it), but now I’m leaning towards just going to the glucose test and getting it over with. So again, prayers? Thanks lol.

Weight | *Cry face* I still haven’t weighed myself. I’m just going to see what they measure at my Friday appointment. At this point I just assume I’m steadily gaining and gaining and gaining. And with the way I’ve been eating I can’t expect much else anyway haha.

Movement | Oh his kicks are just the best. They remind me of the happy part of all this. Motivation/mental eagerness and baby kicks. The highlights of pregnancy <3

Gender | The kids have such a sweet relationship with Aramis already! It’s something that’s definitely more noticeable in this pregnancy compared to others since they are all so much older. They are really experiencing it together. The anticipation and cute comments are the best.

Best moment of the week | Probably at SDC when Remi wanted to get her face painted and look at Princess dresses. I got to take her by myself to get spoiled with a mermaid face and we bought her some accessories to compliment her mermaid look. She had such a great time and it was really fun for me. I rented an electric kart for SDC and I’m so glad I did that! It was so much better than huffing and puffing up the hills. I could drive it and hold Remi’s hand while she walked. It was cute.

What I miss | Oh this one is strong this week. It was really hard to be at SDC and not get to go on any rides. I thought maybe I could do Fire in the Hole one last time since after this summer they are getting rid of it, but I was banished. Same for the river ride. I knew the big coasters were off the menu but seeing them, towering over the trees caused an ache inside of me! Then, on our final night when we went to ride go karts I couldn’t do that either.

I just have felt very limited lately and I miss feeling free and capable. I accepted my fate, but the ache was there.

What I’m looking forward to | There are several things I’d like for this summer before baby and they’re kind of tentative but I’m holding them close in hope that they can happen. A babymoon, a baby shower, maternity photos (hopefully at babymoon destination), and all the flooring/remodel dreams I’ve been working towards.

Curious? Here are my updates from my first pregnancies for this week…

Miles: Baby Bump | 24 Weeks
Finn: Baby Bump Day | 24 Weeks
Remi: Belly Day // Twenty-Four Weeks

The post Pregnancy Update // 24 Weeks appeared first on Silverdoves Photography & Design.