Life lately…

Way to go on that SEO title, Alex – right?! If you know me, then you know that I have been working HARD at my search engine optimization on this blog for a long, long time now and I have definitely seen the results from it, but this post is definitely not a post that I can SEO since it’s just a current life update.

As most of you know, blogging and freelance writing is my full-time job, but you’ve probably seen a bit less of me lately. Don’t worry – I am not going anywhere! This is still my full-time job and I do not plan to change that, but as I am getting closer to my due date with our baby, it has become harder for me to pitch brands and find the time to write. I’ve also been trying to stay on top of all my freelance work so that when I do go into labor, I’m not overwhelmed with my workload. So, I just wanted to pop on here and tell you all that I am not going anywhere: I’m just taking it a little bit slower lately.

So, just in case you’ve missed any of these updates, let me share some life updates with you:

Baby Shower

My family threw us the sweetest baby shower and they seriously showered our babe with so much love. I cannot even begin to tell you how many essential baby items we received that day and we are just so, so thankful for all of our close friends and family members.

I passed my gestational diabetes test!

I was really, really nervous about passing my gestational diabetes test. I’m not exactly sure why because I’m not really predisposed to diabetes, but I was very nervous. If you follow me on Instagram stories, then you’ll know that I chose to do the jelly bean test instead of the glucose drink and I received SO many responses saying, “I had to do the glucose drink!” You guys — you do NOT ever have to do anything…

There are other options – you just have to ask for them! I asked my midwives about my other glucose options starting from my first or second appointment with them because having an alternative was really important to me. I did not want to ingest all of the chemicals and since sugar made me feel very ill, I wanted to at least enjoy the massive amount of sugar that I was putting into my body, haha! Needless to say, if there is something that you are not comfortable with during your pregnancy, SPEAK UP! It is your pregnancy, your body, and you have the right to choose another option.

****Of course, there are some things that are very medically necessary and it all depends on your specific circumstances, but just know that you have a voice.

Payton had more surgeries

Payton had her first CCL surgery about eight months ago and since then, she has had another CCL (ACL) surgery and she also had a major tooth removed. It has been stressful, but we are really hoping that she is done hurting herself.

We had an additional growth scan

Again, if you follow me on Instagram stories, you should know that I was supposed to have only needed two ultrasounds my entire pregnancy…unless something went wrong.

When my midwives wanted me to have an additional scan, I was extremely nervous. Of course, I was SO happy to see her little cute face again, but I was really, really worried that something was wrong. Thankfully, even though she is measuring VERY small, everything is fine! They said that she is just genetically petite and that is okay. She was weighing about 3 lbs at 31 weeks.

I finally accepted this and just tried my best to eat lots of protein + healthy fats, but then again at my last appointment, my fundal height was measuring even more behind (it measured four weeks behind this past time & was measuring three weeks behind the time before), so now I need yet another scan…

This scan will be on Wednesday and they will be checking my fluid levels and also checking her measurements again. I am pretty nervous, but I know that they are just being overly cautious and I can just feel that she is fine. I’m just really hoping that they do not diagnose me with IGUR (intrauterine growth restriction) because I really, really want to avoid an early induction (ESPECIALLY since she is measuring so small), if at all possible. We will see…

Our babymoon

Ian and I got away for our last big trip together before the baby comes and we headed to Arizona! We stayed at the AMAZING Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa and it was seriously a dream. I am working on our YouTube video and blog post recap of our trip — you are going to want to keep an eye out for them.

Once we knew that we were headed to Arizona, a goal of mine was to hike the Echo trail on Camelback Mountain (one of the hardest hikes in Scottsdale/Phoenix, from what I heard) and I accomplished that goal. You have no idea how proud I was of myself! By the end, my back hurt pretty bad and my fingers were insanely swollen, but I MADE IT!

Her name is…

We announced the name of our daughter! Her name will be Avery Rose Berger. <3

We are ready!

Last but not least, we are just so ready for her arrival (we still have a couple of things to do to prepare, though!). I am still extremely comfortable in my pregnancy (so thankful!) and I am trying to soak in every single moment. I figure, if I am only going to be pregnant (maybe) a couple of times in my entire life, I need to make the most of it, so I am soaking in every single kick, roll, and jab. I honestly don’t want my pregnancy to end because it has been so amazing to watch my body grow another human, BUT I am ready to meet my daughter and see what she looks like and watch her personality develop. Mostly, I am just beyond ready to see Ian become a dad. He is going to be such a good daddy to Avery! #AlreadyCrying