Sandberg Ramblings

I really need to stop reading/ watching birth stories because I'm so emotional these days I start bawling every time I do.  It's just so amazing to watch and know that will be me soon. It seems like every tv show I watch there is a baby born so that doesn't help either. :) My first contractions of the pregnancy happened this week. Just a couple of irregular ones, but it's nice to know I'm making progress and my body is getting ready! At my appointment they also said I'm a good 2 now. We will just continue to wait and try to be patient! Here is my thankful list for this past week... Day 3: I'm thankful for cameras and all the memories they capture.  I love going through photos and remembering the highlights of life.  Day 4: I'm thankful for thoughtful and caring people.  It's so easy to be busy with our own lives,  but I really appreciate people who  are good at stopping to think of and serve others.  It's somethi...

Well it looks like Ames wanted to be a November baby after all. No big news at my appointment yesterday either. Everything is pretty much the same so I'm starting to prepare myself that he may make us wait around :) I guess the one new development is that I figured out how to install the carseat base! Now there really is NOTHING left to do but wait. Man this is a real lesson in patience for me. If you don't mind I'll be sharing my weekly Thankful List on Saturdays for the month of November.  I did this last year and am so glad I did! I hope you'll join me and make your own list. :)  Day 1 : I'm thankful for a healthy body that has allowed me to conceive and carry this baby. Day 2 : I'm Thankful for beautiful fall days. 

We're making progress!  I was really expecting a big fat nothing at my appointment this week,  but I actually have started to dilate and efface.  I'm only at a 1, but hey I was happy it wasn't nothing.  Mostly just waiting and waiting at this point. There's really nothing much left to do.  I can't believe that in about 3 weeks or less our lives will completely change! 

I don't know if it's just me or if most pregnant women are like this,  but I love hearing about other people's birth stories,  especially natural births, since that is my goal.  A while back, while reading over on the Freshly Picked blog ,  I found out that they feature a new birth story every week .  There's quite a few to catch up on, and I don't think I've read all of them,  but I don't think I've made it though one without crying my eyes out.  Man I'm so ready for Ames to come.  Emotion city over here. I'm not usually an overly emotional person,  but now anytime I read about or see a video of a new baby,  or just anytime my mind/body seem to need a good cry for no particular reason,  the tears start flowing.  Like when I watched this adorable video .  Anyway, if your pregnant, or if you enjoy a well written birth story,  head over and read some of them on Freshly Picked...

As of Wednesday we officially have a month left until the due date!  I have appointments every week now.  When I think about only having 4 appointments left it makes it seem so close! I'm just planning on him coming around his due date or after to save myself any disappointment. At my appointment yesterday I wasn't dilated at all yet. He's just comfy cozy in there.  I had a cute little book baby shower on Thursday with my Iowa friends. Everything was darling as expected and we got so many cute books. Ames will have a great little library. We have such great friends here that we will miss! 

I told Landon earlier this week that this whole having a baby thing seems so surreal. It's so crazy to think that he really will finally join us. Sometimes I feel like the day will never come, probably because it's so foreign and I've never experienced anything like this before. The bags are packed and we are ready to go! Now we'll see how much longer he makes us wait :) I am definitely starting to feel uncomfortable. When I go for walks it feels like I have a huge watermelon sitting on my pelvis and it takes work to turn over at night. I've found that taking a bath and stretching before bed helps me sleep better though.  All of my baby posts and pictures have probably become annoying to all of my blog readers, Instagram followers, and Facebook friends, but I don't regret it. I'm so glad that I will have those pictures and memories of this time in my life because it will never be like this again.  I've wanted to compile them in some way oth...

If you're like me you want to look cute while you're pregnant without spending a fortune on a new wardrobe.  So today I'm sharing some tips with you on how to build a maternity wardrobe under $150 and still look good!  I actually had a random stranger (who was a cute mom herself) come up to me at the store the other day and tell me that I was "such a cute pregnant person." It made me feel pretty good. :)  You will need to buy a few maternity basics. Here are a few of my favorites: 1. Maternity tees. These ones from Target come in lots of colors and I like the v-neck. I just got a basic grey and white because I can wear them under anything.  2. A basic black jersey dress is great, especially if you need to dress up for church or another occasion. You can layer it with lots of cute jackets, belts, and accessories.  3. Dark skinny jeans are always a must. These and my leggings are all I wear these days.  4. Like I said...

I'm prepping and gearing up for some great posts for you! Some fun DIY projects will be coming including a watercolor art piece tutorial, a DIY inspiration/memo board for my office project using these pics as my inspiration... via via A pregnancy wardrobe 101 post is coming tomorrow, and I'm hosting an online jewelry party via my blog starting Friday!  Whew!  Lots of fun things coming so be sure to stop back and send your friends!  ////// And just because I can't get enough of them (that probably sounds vain doesn't it?), here are some more of my favorite maternity pictures that I got back from the talented Kandice Stewart last night. So excited about them! You can go here to see them all.

6 weeks until due date! Crazy crazy!  I'm finishing up my hospital bag and then we are pretty much set to go.  I had another doctor's appointment yesterday and I asked if I was measuring big outside since they say Ames is big, but apparently my belly is right on track. :) So we'll see how big he really ends up being.  We are planning to go on one last little getaway before he comes over Landon's fall break. Since we moved to Iowa, we've gone to Nauvoo every October. Then on our way home we stop at this cute pumpkin patch and get our Halloween pumpkins for the year. I will miss this fun little tradition!  Also, I've had a few requests for the cute pattern my mom used for Ames' baby quilt. It's from this book... Fresh Quilting by Malka Dubrawsky  The actual pattern she used from it is called the Modern Baby Quilt.

As I sat watching this beautiful wedding video, it brought back memories of my own wedding day. What an amazing and special thing marriage is and to be able to have that for eternity is an even greater blessing. I have to say, I bawled through half of this video, probably mostly due to my emotional, pregnant state lately :), but I was really touched by the spirit confirming to me the importance of my temple marriage, and now this sweet little spirit we have on the way that will be ours forever because of that choice we made.  I feel so, so blessed, especially at this time in my life for the choice I made to marry Landon. What a wonderful man he is and I can't wait to raise this little boy with him.  If you want to know more about what my beliefs about marriage are you can read more here . 

As I've said before, since we will be moving in about 3 months, our little Ames won't have a nursery for a while. For now I've transformed a little corner of our bedroom into his temporary "mini nursery." The top of our dresser, my sock drawer, and a section of my closet, have turned into a changing table and clothing storage. We're getting closer and closer to being completely ready!   This experience has been really good for me.  I've really been able to focus on what's most important and not stress over things that don't really matter. It's made me cut back and realize what the necessities for having a newborn really are.  I've still had fun making fun little things like the artwork and mobile, but it's honestly nice not to have an entire nursery overwhelming me. Although it would be nice to have more storage space :)  A big thanks to my friend Karissa for letting us borrow her bassinet for a couple months!  Well I...

Here's our cute little chunkster at 32 weeks! He is still in the 80th percentile at 5 lbs 5 oz.  (Yes that is his foot touching his head!)  I'm starting to finish rounding up the necessities. Yesterday I bought my first box of diapers and wipes! My goal is to have everything ready by mid-October just incase Mr. Ames comes early. I'm still crossing my fingers that maybe he will! If he makes it to full term he will end up being around 9 or 10 lbs.  and I would really like to know that he will be able to be delivered safely and vaginally, so a couple weeks early would be nice, but we'll see! I also received a couple of adorable newborn outfits as gifts that I would love for him to be able to wear, but if he ends up being 10 lbs that won't happen :)  All in all, I only care that he is born safe and healthy. I'm still feeling really good other than sitting or standing for long stretches. My ribs feel crushed if I sit too long and m...

This is really getting real! I'm so beyond excited for our little boy to arrive, but at the same time I don't want these precious moments to be over. At least it's not like a wedding, and I can have more than one child, :) but there is nothing like the experience of having your first and marveling at how tiny and amazing they are. Oh I can't wait!  Oh and apparently my belly is huge because it seems like every other person that I tell I'm due in November acts surprised. One lady even asked if I was having twins. It's so funny how different everyone's reactions are. Whatever, I'll just keep plugging along, and get even more huge ;)  I have the best family and friends in the world! While we were in Utah we had 2 amazing baby showers. Everything was delicious and adorable! We are so lucky to be surrounded with such generous and loving people.  (Sorry if it's annoying and confusing, but I now keep referring to Ames and I as "we...

I'm so excited to be in Utah!  I have my first baby shower today and I can't wait! Also, here's another sneak peek that Kandice Stewart posted of my maternity photos... Believe me it's her photography skills, not me. The lighting and everything was so perfect, I could not be more happy with them. I also thought I'd let you know a little more about my crazy pregnancy plans :) After doing some research I've decided to have my placenta encapsulated . I know, you think I'm insane and weird, if you already didn't :) I thought it was completely insane at first too, until I learned more about it.  You definitely don't want to go look at pictures of how this is done because it looks rather disgusting, which is why I will be having it done by someone else, but basically it is dried, ground up, and put into pill form.  You take them for as long as needed after pregnancy and then you can store them indefinitely and use them for PMS or even...