I am at the end of the third trimester friends. How has this happened? I know…

Three very busy little ones is how it happened….distracting me and keeping me on my feet until I ran into a wall the other day and realized I was about to have a new little person amongst us! It’s really all I can think about these last few days… I am more than ready to just have this baby in my arms….

{Anniversary date: Dress, clutch (similar), arm cuff}

{Vacation look: Pleated dress, sunnies (out of stock, but similar), sandals}

{West Elm store opening: Blazer – Gap, Top – thrifted), Pants – Lou & Grey, Sandals | Photo by Haley Sheffield}

{What I wear most days: Striped tee, shorts, Bracelet Wraps}

{Wedding with my sisters (the best way to get my laughs in for the month;)): Dress here}

{Borrowed from my friend Jessica via Isabella Oliver}

To be honest, I think these photos were about the only times I got dressed these last few months. With this heat, I stayed in my comfy staples. Speaking of, here were a few things that helped immensely this pregnancy…

5 things helped me beat the heat and discomforts in my third trimester….

1) Comfortable clothing staples – Apparently dresses were one of them. However, my main uniform was a blanqi bodystyler tank, these non maternity, but super comfy elastic waist denim shorts, and converse sneakers. The comfort staples. 
2) Sleep oil roller – Insomnia kicked in, and with the heat being close to 80 degrees at night, our AC wasn’t so kind. So Gabe dutifully brought home a big old fan to put next to my face. Cups of ice on the nightstand also helped. As well as this incredible calming roller my friend Lesley Graham made me. Massaged on the feet and back of the neck and it would always help me dose off. (Just email her, she will hook you up with one!)
3) Red Raspberry Leaf Iced Tea – When you drink red raspberry leaf tea during your pregnancy it actually strengthens your uterus, and as you get close to due date time, you can drink about 14 tall glasses of it if you want to go into labor. Heard this story from a gal who had her babies one week early to the day with this method. I might be shooting these down with a side of pineapple this weekend….
4) Floradix – I was super low on iron which happens for most of my pregnancies. It can make you extra tired or drained, so my midwife recommended Floradix. It started to help almost immediately.
5) Belly Cream – Skin is getting super tight….and itchy! So this Vitamin E based belly cream has been a good pre-bedtime soother. It is supposed to prevent stretch marks, but you know what ladies? Whether you get them or not, consider them battle scars for your little love. A minor thing you can wear with pride over bringing a life into the world, because holy heck! You are bringing a life into the world! Anyways…

Instant dinners, popsicles, splash pads, chic-fil-a ice….just a few other third trimester survival musts. (wink wink) What about you all?

My belly is a immediate conversation starter wherever I go. I don’t mind because new life brings out an instant smile to most people I meet. Everyone is very sure of the gender I am having (50% say boy, 50% say girl…), and everyone wants to know if this is my first (I only leave the house these days when Gabe can stay with the little ones since I can barely waddle in and out of the store without braxton hicks contractions starting up). You can imagine the range of reactions when I tell them it is my fourth. I love hearing the stories people are ready to tell me about their first grandchild on the way or what it was like having their own children. I think this is what I will miss about being pregnant this time around…I have never appreciated more the amount of life giving conversations this baby has brought up. I wish it was this easy to connect with strangers on an every day basis. 

I’ll try to get up a post soon about what I’m packing in my hospital bag. I have finally got that thing down! 😉 Looking forward to sharing the baby news with you all. Will probably take a little blog break, so be sure to catch up on instagram, and maybe if I am feeling brave enough, on snapchat @annaliesemeyer (gasp!).