Worthington Ave

I loved being able to take weekly baby-bump pictures when I was pregnant with little Mini. It's so fun now to look back in my chatbooks and see how my belly grew!

My FAVORITE decoration at my baby showers was one that I made myself. I have no clue where the idea came from, but as soon as I thought of it I fell in love! Now I'm going to share with all you mommies-to-be how to make one for yourself!

How does your Belly Grow??

Baby Bump Growth Timeline

*This post contains some affiliate links

STEP 1: Pictures

Hopefully you have a good number of pictures of your growing baby bump over the weeks... it isn't necessary to have one for each week (I didn't do an every week timeline). Get the pictures printed in 4x6 or 4x4 for instagram pictures.

It's helpful later on if you record which week that picture was taken on the back of the picture (ie: "20 weeks")

STEP 2: Mini Chalkboards

I happened to find these mini chalkboards at my mom's house... but I found them for all of you at Amazon!

They come in a set of 6... for about $8...so depending on how many pictures you decide to do for your timeline (ie: every week, every other week, or random weeks like I did) will depend on how many sets you need to order.

On these chalkboards, use some chalk or a chalk marker (these are my favorite) to write which week each picture was taken.

I chose to do every 10 weeks with a pink chalk marker, to kind of differentiate the big weeks. Also, I wrote things like "Week 16...baby Hall is a girl!!" or "third trimester!" to set apart those big occasion weeks.

STEP 3: Hanging

I love to use this kind of twine to hang things. I think it's super cute! I got a small roll of it at Walmart for like $2, o r you can buy it on Amazon. This is my favorite and what I used to hang everything at my baby showers... but any kind of yarn or thicker string would probably work just as well.

Before you cut it lay out all your pictures in the spacing you want them on the floor. Then line up the twine so you can see how long you need it (I always add an extra foot or foot and a half on each end because you never really know how you're going to hang it, and you can always cut it later.)

Once your twine is cut you hang the twine and use the clothespins on the back of the chalkboards to hang the pictures on it!

TIP: I used command hooks like these to hang the decoration on the wall. I didn't want to damage the walls at our hosts house, so these were perfect!

And that's it! Three easy steps for the cutest baby shower decoration! It is fun, personal, and people at my showers LOVED it!

I was naive...since I'm only 4'11" with the tiniest torso ever, since August 26th (a week before my due date) would have been a very special birth date for my baby girl to have, and since things just seemed to be going my way this pregnancy... I thought that I would get away with a week early delivery.

Nope.

Here we are 40 weeks pregnant... a day PAST my "due date" and yes... I'm "still" pregnant.

Now I know that going past your "due date" isn't the worst thing in the world that could happen. And I understand that it happens with MOST women (especially with their first child), and that a "due date" is just an estimate... However, that doesn't make up for the fact that it kind of totally sucks...

Here are my reasons why.

1) You shouldn't think about labor if you want to go into labor...

I have been reading a lot about how the process of labor works. One of the things I've learned is that "a watched pot never boils"... If you think about labor you won't likely go into labor.

Ok, great... but that's kind of hard to do when you are past your due date, super uncomfortable, and ALL you want to do is get the baby out of you!

The harder I try NOT to think about labor, the more I end up thinking about it... and thereby the less likely it is that I will actually go into labor anytime soon... then the further past the due date I get, the more I think about it... and you get it... it's a VICIOUS EVIL CYCLE!!

It is why most women go into labor in the middle of the night (they are asleep and finally not thinking about it), and I think probably why the first baby tends to be later than subsequent babies (when you have other children they distract you for most of the day so you aren't thinking about it... with the first you are just waiting and waiting and it is all you have to think about!)

2) These last few weeks are the WORST of pregnancy.

At least that's how it has been for me.

I have had a pretty easy pregnancy. And felt pretty dang good most of the time. But Monday Aug 25 (a week before my due date) a switch flipped in my body and it started FREAKING OUT!

My stretch marks went crazy and started itching like none other... then when the itch stopped the pain began. It felt like someone had crushed glass and was rubbing it on my belly all day.

Thankfully I found relief from that pain with hydrocortisone cream (lifesaver!)

But then it got worse... I have now broken out in hives ALL OVER my body. Red, weltish, itchy itchy ITCHY hives! And I have yet to find relief for more than a couple hours at a time (though swimming today did help a lot!)

Constant itch... then constant pain... then constant itch ALL OVER... basically I've hardly slept in a couple weeks (I'm up all night itching now!)... Because of the constant itching and no sleep I now have mental break downs multiple times a day (I seriously feel like I am going crazy- and it is making my already heightened anxiety even worse...)

These have been my WORST two weeks of pregnancy BY FAR!

NOW... think back to point 1... and try to imagine NOT thinking about how much you want to go into labor and get it over with when you are up at three in the morning for the 5th day in a row having a mental/ hysterical break down as you finally succumb to the itching and can't stop it.

Yeah. Not the greatest symptoms to have when you are trying to get your mind OFF having the baby and there is really nothing the doctor can do to help you until that happens.

3) Everybody talks about it.

Now don't get me wrong, I feel VERY loved with all the calls, texts, and messages. I would probably be more upset if I wasn't getting those every day. I love knowing that everybody is thinking about me, and that everybody is hoping and praying for me to have this baby soon. I am so grateful for the thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes!

What bothers me more is the strangers comments. Say I go shopping to try to get my mind off the itching so that I don't think about labor... so that HOPEFULLY I will actually go into labor. But guess what... somebody always asks how far along you are. Ok, that's fine... but when you are "overdue" and you have to tell them your due date was yesterday (or *goodness no* 2 weeks ago), then BAM you're back to the issue you had with point number one and now you spend the whole rest of your shopping trip thinking about how much you wish you could WILL your dang water into breaking in the middle of the Target frozen food section with your ninja mind powers.... ugh... back to the vicious cycle...

It gets even better when some anecdote goes along with a strangers comment... and they say something like... "well I had nine kids, and this always worked for me [insert one of the many ways to "induce" labor here]"

Sure those ways work for some people... most likely (I think) because it distracted them so then they went into labor (see number 1)... however... if you do those things as a way to mentally control your body to start contractions IT DOESN'T WORK... so thanks for the advice but I'm going to cry in my car now about how much I want to hold my baby.

4) "Babies are easier when they are still inside you... so enjoy the time you have left"

OK... I know this statement is true... I understand that I cannot comprehend how hard it will be to have a newborn. I get it.

But, after all these long weeks and the new found horrific symptoms of these past couple weeks (see point 2)... I so NEED to see this little girl that has done so much pain to my body.... I NEED to see her face and hold her and see WHY this is worth it! (Because right now... especially at three in the morning as I am suffering from itchy hysterics... it doesn't seem like anything could be worth all this).

Plus, when I'm already not sleeping and can't leave the house it seems like it would be a lot more bearable when I get to look at the sweet little face of my baby girl and remember WHY I'm not sleeping and can't leave the house.

Oh and "enjoy the time you have left"... I won't go deep into this one... but OK thanks, I'll tell that to my body covered in HIVES as I itch like crazy at three in the morning for the fifth night in a row.... I'm *very much* enjoying this time (sarcasm).

5) My baby WILL be worth this...

Now the ranting stops and I try to be positive... I KNOW my baby will be worth all this... It's not always easy to remember that especially during these last horrible weeks... but I know it's the truth. I KNOW there is a reason she is still cooking in there, and I will be as strong as I can possibly be to let her stay there as long as she needs to.

I am so excited to see her little face, and toes, and fingers and to kiss her all over her little body! I am so excited for her daddy to get to hold her! I am so excited for her to meet all her family that has been anxiously waiting her arrival! And I am so excited that soon enough (whether tonight or in 2 weeks -when they induce me) I will get to hold her!!

These hives won't last forever... Soon enough I will be up all night with an actual baby (and not just my itchy skin)... Soon enough will come soon enough.

Eventually I WILL have this baby! There is a light at the end of the tunnel...

For all you "overdue" mommas.... we can do it!

PS. A little laugh to help distract you...maybe if you laugh hard enough you will be "distracted into labor" ;)