Bowden's Nursery

 

Here we are at 38 weeks and I can finally say Bowden's Nursery is just about complete! A lil on the late side but I feel good about it! When planning the nursery I wanted something that had a part of both of us, Lance's manly, adventurous side and yet my soft but loving side. I'm really happy about his nursery, there's a lot of sentimental things that went into the making of this and I feel so blessed for all the friends and family that are a part of it!

First off, I mentioned this earlier but Lance built the crib with our friend J. He always said he wanted to build it and honestly I didn't know if it was going to happen because he didn't get to start on it til about a month ago, but it really only took him a weekend to do it! (There's a funny story to go with it that Ill have to share another time!)

 My grandma knitted that white blanket, it's so soft!

Next, is the bedding, my creative and talented Aunt wanted to make Bowden's bedding as a gift to him. She's pretty amazing, she can make anything from blankets to wedding dresses! I wanted something simple but with a touch of color and she did just that. This lumberjack print is part of the inspiration with the deer on it!

Oh and the bear we got when we found out we were having a boy! Bowden's first teddy!

We went with a wall plank wallpaper, that our friend Shawn helped Lance put up, they did such a good job!

The deer stag was a gift we got from Amazon, I painted it white and left the antlers the original color, I had seen a picture from pinterest that did something similar and really liked it!

 This rustic tin is a gift from my best friend Kara, that has prayers for Bowden in it that friends and family wrote to him

For my shower, all my hosts got me these paintings, that I thought would look perfect over the crib!

Bowden's first children's book was the sign in book at my shower, such a cute idea and I love it cuz it's about a bear!

There are so many lil things in this room that were gifts from people that I can't wait to share with Bowden!

We made this book on shutterfly (it was actually free, when you sign up with them they send you free deals) for Bowden, it has pictures of all of our family so we can show Bowden who loves him, since our families don't live by us.

There's just a couple more things that I want to get to complete his room: a lamp, a picture of a world map that I think Lance is gonna make, and I ordered this old children's book "Paul Bunyan" I remember watching it as a cartoon and since lumberjack is our theme, why not!

 Well there you have it, Bowden's rustic escape! We had a lot of fun with his nursery and now we are ready for him to take over it!

RECAP

38 Weeks

WEIGHT: 138 (I have gained my 30lbs since my starting weight 108, so hopefully these next 2 weeks I don't gain more lol) no pics this week....

FOOD CRAVINGS: Haven't been that hungry, I think Bowden is taking up too much space!

SYMPTOMS: Just really uncomfortable, more braxton hicks contractions and starting to get really tired again (naps are back in the schedule)

WHAT'S NEW:  Still dialated to a 2, I'm hoping he comes within the next week but I have doubts! The nesting has begun, I make sure my hair is washed every day and the house is clean. Also anytime Lance and I are out somewhere we talk about what we would do if my water breaks! (You just never know)

I did it! I'm a College Graduate!!!

Wohoo!!!!! I'm so uncontrollably excited you have no idea..so let me tell you! 8 years ago I made a decision to not focus on school and focus on ministry, which has been amazing and is what I needed to do! Well 2 years ago I made a 5 year goals list and I put school back on this list, to finish and get my bachelors, not sure how or where I was going to accomplish this I just knew it was something I wanted to do. Well last year I was blessed with an amazing opportunity... I was given a free scholarship to finish school and get my degree! So who wouldn't jump on that train. I decided to add that to my New Years Goals List and finish school by the end of the year. So I began to work.... at a rather slow pace and then I found out I was pregnant....hmmm....so I decided to pick it up a lil faster. Then one weekend in January I went to a women's conference and a truly, amazing young girl, inspired me and challenged me with her testimony. I walked away that weekend with a new, New Years Goal.... to finish school before I have Bowden (who is due any day...August 27th is my due date) wow I must have been crazy but I wasn't...I was motivated and ready! I just told Bowden he can come early but only after I finish school!

Well friends, I'm here to tell you that I did it!!! I accomplished that goal, I am going to graduate with my bachelors degree in business administration!!!! So Bowden, you may grace us with your presence any day now!!!

I'm so thankful to my husband who has encouraged me along the way...especially the days I wanted to give up and the day I found out I still needed one more class! Also my sweet friend who shall remain nameless, you are truly an inspiration and I'm so grateful for your life's testimony that motivated me and challenged me!!(ok enough with the academy award speech)

Anything is Possible, and most days you have to be your own encourager, just don't give up and if you have a goal write it down. It's so neat because the 5 year goals list I made 2 years ago, half of those goals are coming to pass!!!

Oh ya I forgot to mention that my husband gave me a lil incentive, he said that if I finished school before Bowden comes he would buy me a watch!

Let's just say I have been celebrating all week!!!

Recap

Week 37

WEIGHT: 137

FOOD CRAVINGS: McDonalds cheeseburger and fries...a lot of sweets

SYMPTOMS: started having more braxton hicks contractions, some cramping, a random hiccup every morning I wake up...it's pretty funny

WHAT'S NEW: I am dilated to a 2 so my Dr. says Bowden should come a lil early...that would be nice!

Getting ready and getting Bigger

As we get ready for lil Bowden to come, more and more "stuff" continues to fill our plate...but in a good way! We have just bought our first house, which is a dream come true! It's really funny how God works because I always said I wanted a house before I had kids and that was just a personal desire of mine and we weren't really planning on getting a house but everything just fell into place and it all happened so quickly! We literally started looking the 2nd week of June and we just moved in 2 weeks ago so it just goes to show that God really hears our heart and wants to give us even the little desires of it! I'm so grateful for this blessing and can't wait for the memories to take place in our "New Home."

Some Pics I took, we still have some painting and decor to do, but for now it's home!

 Our home minus the PT Cruiser (that's our realtor's car lol)

 

These next few weeks I will be focusing on the nursery, hoping to get that all put together by the end of this month so that Bowden can grace us with his presence early :) They say at 35 weeks I should have my bags packed and ready to go, so thanks to my friend stacey I have a hospital check list that I got from here, "The Bump" is a sister site of "The Knot", so if you used the knot when you got married you can still you the same login info and it's neat it gives you checklists and different tips. So I will begin to gather all those things so I can be ready for the big day!

 I know this probably seems like a "duh moment" for what I am to say but these last few months have been a lot of preparing, planning, anxious thoughts, and I haven't always taken the time to reflect on God's creativity and workmanship and this is just one little trademark out of a million. I can't believe that Bowden will be here soon and these last 8 1/2 months I have got to witness a miracle of life being created in me and I'm sure I will be in even more amazement when he's here but for now I reflect and think about such things and know that I serve an amazing, all powerful God and He can do anything! So that's that.... just some things on my heart I wanted to share! In the meantime this lil guy is only getting bigger!!! 5 more weeks to go until then I will enjoy the ride!

 Addy having some bonding time with Bowden, he is definitely going to know her voice!

RECAP

35 Weeks

WEIGHT: 134 (I have gained 26lbs since my starting weight, geez that's crazy!)

FOOD CRAVINGS: Hmmm it's kind of been random... from chocolate chip pancakes to Mcdonalds french fries lol and one day this week I had a growth spurt as you can tell from the pic, I seriously could not get enough food into this belly!

SYMPTOMS: swollen feet or bigger feet, my toms shoes are a lil snug these days. Oh and I woke up with a really sharp cramp in my butt that shot pain in my back, I could hardly get out of bed and literally started crying...but it eventually went away thank you Jesus!

WHAT'S NEW: Sleep is not fun anymore, I can't sleep so Im more tired throughout the day, I literally have to pee every 2-3 hrs, (3hrs is the max) Bowden is stretching and punching my ribs which is uncomfortable. My legs are swollen or retaining water which makes me feel like I'm carrying even more weight!

Bowden's Shower

 

This last week has been crazy, we bought a house, moved in, celebrated 4th of July, and had the most amazing baby shower ever! So Ill save you some time on the house, and hopefully can post pics in the near future. But definitely my highlight was my baby shower.... it was absolutely perfect!!! I don't want this to come out the wrong way so hopefully I say it write it correctly! You always have ideas of things/ visions of what you like or what you would want for a shower...but then again you don't throw your own shower that would be weird and it's a blessing when others want to put one on for you. So of course I was completely honored that such amazing women would want to throw me a shower but can I just say that it was exactly what I would throw myself...I hope that doesn't sound funny I just mean that I absolutely loved everything about it,  one I have amazing people in my life that know me well, and two they are very creative women, which makes me feel privileged to know them!!! 

Right when I came in there was a prayer tree for Bowden, that friends and family wrote prayers on, the sign in book was a children's book called "Baby Bear Baby Bear What Do You See" which is such a neat idea cuz I already call Bowden my "body bear" and then there was the food, (oh the cake and the smores pops...mmmm delicious), the games were so fun, sculpting babies out of plato and then a special song wrote and sung just for Bowden...yes Bowden is loved! Of course there was my emotional moment when some of my friends and women I look up to, who were not able to come, gave me some words of confidence to be a mom, I was crying! Up to this point the anxiety has begun to hit harder and so it was nice to come to this celebration and be excited for Bowden and know that I can do this and not be scared. I was completely overwhelmed with love and gratitute and it was such a joyous time for me!!! Thank you friends!!! Stacey, Sheri, Krista, Christina, Nayeli, Lisette, Diana, Yadiz, Kathie, Rebecca, Rosemary, Kara, Linda, Bri, and Megan I love you all!!!!

Bliss at 32 weeks

Bliss: 

noun: supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment, heaven, paradise

These last few weeks have flown by and so has my life, I'm trying so hard to keep up with my own life, some days I feel like I missed the train and I'm running so fast to make the next one.....lol but I can't complain because I feel so completely blessed, life really is blissful!!

Father's Day weekend my husband and I went to visit family in Lubbock and it was such a fun time! My mother-in-law through me a delicious breakfast baby shower and they just blessed us so much! Then on Father's Day my husband preached with his dad and got ordained, it was a very special day! To conclude that fun filled weekend my talented sister-in-law took our maternity pictures, can I just say she is amazing and so good at what she does. Here's her website, she's so talented!

denaehutsonphotography

I love that you can just be yourself and the shots are so natural!!! Thank you denae!!!

Here's a few of my favorites:

 

Recap

32 Weeks

Weight: 127

Symptoms: This last week I have been experiencing a horrible cramp that runs from my butt down to my leg, I feel like I'm old and can't move right, so hopefully it goes away I don't think driving in a car for 5 1/2 hours helped it. Fatigue has began to hit me again, some days are worse than others. Shortness of breath, I really wish this one would go away but I think it might be here til Bowden comes out :( Oh and a new one, swollen feet...actually swollen everthing I feel like every part of my body is beginning to stick together...ewww I kow right so gross!!!

Food Cravings: Fettuccine Alfredo....I watched an episode of the Office and Michael was putting on a marathon to raise money to find a cure for rabies and he ate Fettuccine Alfredo before the race and it just sounded so good that I had to have some...so we went to Olive Garden!

What's New: Well we bought our first house!!!! Wohoo!!! I'm so excited, I have hardly done anything to get ready for Bowden because we have been in the process of moving and we officially closed today and move in next week!!! This is not only a dream come true but such a blessing and I'm still in shock how fast this has all come together for us, but thank you Jesus!!!

Psalms 37:4 "Take Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

The Glucose Test

 Last week I had to take the Glucose test, which tests for gestational diabetes and since I have some friends that just went through pregnancy about a year ago they pretty much prepared me for this event.You drink this sweet flavored juice, (I picked orange flavor but I recommend the lemon lime) you wait an hour, and then they draw your blood. However, one thing I didn't know was that you had to drink this really sweet juice in under 5 min, which for me is very difficult because I don't drink a lot of liquids and I don't drink them fast! So when the nurse put the timer in front of me I immediately started panicking and told myself I will not be able to do this! Yes I was being Negative Nancy and of course I didn't finish under 5 min...nope...more like 5 min and 30 seconds. That wasn't the worse part, it made me sick, I felt like I was in my 1st Trimester all over again with the nausea and throwing up... After that day was over I was very much glad and really didn't even think about the results...Sure enough my results came back high and I had to come back in and pretty much do the same thing but this time it was a 3 hour test and they draw your blood before you drink it and then 3 more times, every hour. The first hour, I was very nauseous, (oh ya cuz you can't eat anything before the test which for a pregnant woman can be rough!) But after the 2nd hour it wasn't too bad, just my arms were sore from drawing blood. Unfortunately,  later that day I did get sick again from that juice, which I hate throwing up and really try not too but I knew I had to get all that sugar out of my system to feel better! Oh by the way...my test results came back good, I guess they said sometimes when you take the first test if you have too much sugar or something the day before it can raise your numbers and even if it's just a little they like to be on the safe side and make you take the 3 hr test lol. Well that's been my lil terror the last 2 weeks, this weekend we are going to Lubbock and I couldn't be happier. My husband is getting ordained on Father's Day, as well as preaching with his dad, so I'm really excited for that! We are having my first baby shower and we get to meet the newest addition, our niece Bailey! So this will be a fun-filled weekend with family and I'm definitely looking forward to it!!!

Recap

30 Weeks (10 more weeks to go, ahh!!)

Weight: 125
Food Cravings: Hotdogs...oh I wanted a hotdog so bad this week and I got it! Thanks to my hubby, he grilled it just the way I like...black!
Symptoms: My stomach is hurting really bad this week, I guess my skin is stretching making more room for Bowden! Still having shortness of breath....more frequently, it's so annoying feeling like your out of oxygen and dying!
What's New:Bowden is moving so much more now, I literally can see my belly move at times it's pretty crazy! I'm getting pretty anxious, which I guess is normal!

3rd Trimester stress relievers

Now that my schedule is not as busy, I have been thinking about this baby a lot more! It almost scares me at times to think in less than 3 months a new life will be here! I often wonder what he will look like and how much it will change me as a person. We have so much to do and I feel like there's not enough time but thankfully I have my husband who tells me to just take one day at a time and savor the moments, which is what I'm gonna do! So in the mean time as a stress reliever, I do projects! That usually soothes me and makes me happy!

This last week, I decided to try something new to me but I have seen done before and thought it would be cool to try. I made a Chevron inspired Record Bowl. I was nervous at first but it was pretty simple! 

All you do is get an old record, preheat the oven to 250 place the record on an oven proof bowl upside down and stick it on a cookie sheet.

 I watched mine, but I think it took like 5-7 min, as soon as you take it out of the oven you, place it inside the bowl quickly, to mold it, but you don't have much time, as it cools fast! If you don't get to mold it in time you can always stick it back in the oven.

Then paint it whatever color you like! I decided to try and do a chevron pattern, which was the tricky part, I used masking tape and taped out the design and then just painted the black. I had to go over some of it with black sharpie but I like the way it turned out! For now I put my bracelets in it and it works perfect!

So to not be stressed out this summer I will continue with my projects!

Recap 3rd Trimester!
28 Weeks

Weight: 121
Food Cravings: hmm....cereal, sbux frapps, anything cold! Also,I have started another growth spurt! An hour after I eat a meal, Im already starving again, its pretty crazy!
Symptoms: Shortness of Breath, tightness in my calves, no longer sleep comfortably, have to pee more frequently
What's New: Working on getting things for the nursery!

2nd Trimester, it's been a good one!

 

More than half way done with pregnancy, I can't believe it! It seems like time is really starting to fly! My first trimester seemed so long, when I think about being sick....ugh that was horrible, I don't miss it! This second trimester is nearing the end and and I must say it's been a good one! I had more energy, developed a passion for food, my hair became my best friend for once, and of course finding out what I'm having was the best plus of all!! My only complain, not  being able to fit into my clothes the same! Now you can definitely tell I'm pregnant from the side and front!

 With only a few months to go, I still have lots to do, some projects in the works, possible moving, finishing school, and preparing for Bowden! Guess I better get on it, while I still have energy :)

 

 

 

 

Recap

25 Weeks

Weight: 120

Symptoms: Cramps in my left leg only, as well as some minor aches in my neck and arm (felt like I pitched a baseball game a week straight...I've never played baseball so just my guess)

Food Cravings: Nothing really new...kinda boring

What's New: I started having the Braxton Hicks Contractions, now that I feel Bowden move a lot, when I felt my stomach get hard for like a min and then release I thought, "this can't be Bowden moving, nope it's not" they don't hurt just feel different.

Things I'm Loving: Bowden loves Jazz Music, whenever I play Jazz Essentials on Pandora he's moving like crazy!

24 Weeks

It's May!!! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going by!!! I am 24 weeks and I am definitely starting to show it.

This last weekend was amazing, my husband decided we needed an "In town Getaway" is what he called it, (he came up with that all on his own, so cute!) It was so nice and definitely needed, we were able to just relax and do whatever with no agenda, how nice is that! We tried out a couple new eating spots, saw a movie, went to the pool, and started registering for Bowden. It was a mixture of downtime and fun all in one! I loved it, we are about to get very busy this next month, so Lance thought it would be good to get rested up and rejuvenated. Our students will be graduating in 3 weeks, for which I'm thrilled and sad at the same time. I know I have talked about what we do once or twice in my blogs but we work for a discipleship program called, Masters Commission where students give 9 months of their life to God, through ministry, serving, learning His Word, missions trips, evangelism, and so much more! I'm excited because watching God totally change their lives from one end to the other has been incredible and to see them live it out after graduation is exciting but also heartbreaking for them to leave us. But I will not shed tears yet (even though being pregnant doesn't help) We still have 3 more weeks!

Along with a great weekend, I got an early Mother's Day present! Lance bought me a necklace that I have had my eye on for a lil bit, it's from Etsy and it has our lil guy's initial "B" on it. I love it!

 So I guess you can say I'm one blessed lady!!!

 The one downfall I must tell on myself is I have been going a lil too crazy with the sweets, so I decided to change my eating habits and the amazing thing is that I'm actually sticking to it! Plus my food cravings have also taken a turn for the better which helps. I'm not gonna lie, I really like Starbucks java chip frapp and with the mocha coconut frapp coming back, it might be even harder to stay away, so I'll probably treat myself occasionally (it's only fair, if I'm doing such a good job eating right) Plus you can't beat Starbucks Happy Hour!!

RECAP

WEEK 24

WEIGHT: 118.5 (I guess I could round it up but thats what the scale says, and at this point numbers going up is kind of scary lol)

FOOD CRAVINGS: Strawberries and Almonds (I pretty much hated almonds before I was pregnant, so this one is really weird to me)

SYMPTOMS: Nothing new, I have had back aches here and there, and been tired

WHAT'S NEW:  Having mixed emotions of anxiety and excitement, its kind of a roller coaster of emotions, which I guess is normal

THINGS I'M LOVING: This week I literally saw my belly move, I can normally feel Bowden but he moved so hard I saw my belly move it was crazy!

Up and Down

 Lately my hormones have been crazy, one minute I'm up and then next I'm down, it's so insane that I know it's from pregnancy! This week I have had more feedback on the belly than normal, one of our students said, "Don't take this the wrong way but your belly is getting bigger."  Of course I don't take it the wrong way this lil guy was bound to show up sometime! Of course with me getting bigger I have had some trouble with my wardrobe, which for women in general can be frustrating and sometimes stressful, thus putting me in a bad state. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who loves me just the way I am, even if I do wear the same leggings at home.... a week straight!
Then on Friday, would have been my mom's birthday and normally I don't get emotional but of course I was in a weird mood. So Lance asked me what we should do in honor of her and I said well I already had decaf coffee, cuz my mom loved coffee and being pregnant I don't drink it as much. But I didn't think that was enough so I said, "SHOPPING"  mom loved shopping, I know what your thinking.... What a hard thing to do but I felt it was appropriate! So Lance took me shopping which at the same time was definitely needed, I was able to get a couple things for this belly! So with the ups and downs this week I have to say I have had more ups!

P.S I love my husband I'm sure this pregnancy has been just as hard on him as it has for me but he is truly amazing and very patient with me. If I see a commercial for food he lets me go out and get it, he buys me flowers to cheer me up,

 and he hasn't complained about scooping the cat poop! Ladies, he is a WINNER for sure!

RECAP

WEEK 23

WEIGHT: 117.5

FOOD CRAVINGS: T.V ads... haha no really it's happened twice this week I saw a food commercial for something and I had to have it
SYMPTOMS: Nothing too bad, still a lil tired and had a couple backaches, and Hormones, well I guess those aren't new but my husband says I have been a lil feisty this week...oops

WHAT'S NEW: Most of my "normal" pants don't zip and I can't wear the belly band cuz the zipper digs into my skin, so it's pretty much maternity pants/shorts from here on out (with the exception of my boyfriend pants lol good thing those are around)
THINGS IM LOVING: My hair! I'm not losing as much, I can go longer without washing it, and it's growing faster than normal!

The Name Reveal

Ladies and Gentlemen I'm happy to announce that we have finally picked a name for this baby!!! Yes I said finally because to me it's been a long time coming!

I didn't think picking a name for our children would be that difficult since I had pretty much had names picked out years before I was married (Yes I was that girl, daydreamer and all) But of course I learned that my husband has a say also and that it's not just my decision :) however he didn't like any of my names and honestly I think I outgrew some of them anyways so it was back to square one.

We had picked out a few names in the beginning of the pregnancy and then tired ourselves out so we called it quits for a few weeks....a couple months to be exact. For us we wanted our child's name to have a  good meaning or some kind of sentiment. We tossed around my mom's name Jaimie because she was and will always be a huge part of my life. Then we thought about lance's name first and middle maybe carrying down the grandfathers' names. And then of course on my dad's side using some Japanese heritage and continuing to carry on my Great-Grandfather's name Takeo, whom my dad and brother are also named after. And while Lance really likes Takeo I didn't want it to be a first name so we thought it would be a great middle name. So we are using Takeo as the middle name which means, "WARRIOR." which if you know Lance you would know that in another life he would have been a warrior, gladiator, samurai, braveheart soldier all in one!

So how could this not be perfect for his son! 

Now that we have the middle name, on to first names. We came up with 3 names we really like but just couldn't figure out which one to go with: 

1. Emerson= strong, brave

2. Bowden= one who brings news

3. Declan= full of goodness

So we decided to have our friends and family vote and help us out: While I was really pushing for the the first 2, Lance really liked Declan. And the most votes went to.......EMERSON.  After all the votes were in we waited about a week to decide and while I thought it could potentially be too much pressure asking people to vote, it was neat to see what people picked and why, but they were all great sports and really nice about it! We were really close to picking Emerson and even tried it out for a day lol but it didn't feel right and I was really hoping we could do this vote thing and have the one and that be it but unfortunately it didn't work out that way and we had to go with our hearts, so we picked ...BOWDEN!!!
Even though he is not here yet I would like to introduce our soon to be newest addition to the Ainsworth Family:

Bowden Takeo Ainsworth

In honor of this lil guy I dedicated my sbux drink to him, plus he's the reason I needed it :)

 

Recap

Week 22

Weight: 115 (must be all these sweets) need to def cut back or atleast try :)

Food Cravings: cupcakes! (I was never a big fan of cupcakes,  and this last week I ate 3!) 

Symptoms: been waking up with headaches and headaches through out the day :(  my stomach is stretching and it feels tight and a lil uncomfortable, started getting tired again (naptime is back)

What's New: Feeling Bowden move a lot! (love this)