30 weeks...10 to go!

12 weeks/20 weeks/30 weeks....10 more!

I wish I had a 10 week picture but this is the only one I took that early.  I took it to show my friend Lea how far along I was :)  She's in Uganda so she hasn't seen me pregnant in person.

 

 

how far along? 30 weeks

how are you measuring? At my last appointment, he was measuring a week ahead and I was measuring two weeks ahead.  Won't know how he's measuring again until my next appt in 3 weeks.

size of baby? According to Baby Center our baby is 15.7 inches long, almost 3 pounds, like a head of cabbage. 

heartbeat? 152 bpm (at our 28 week appointment)

total weight gain/loss? +29

maternity clothes? I am wearing all maternity pants, mostly maternity tops, and maternity dresses. I can wear regular large t-shirts and all of the dresses I wore last summer. I've probably said it before but I'm so glad I lost some weight beforehand because I can now use all the clothes that were getting big for maternity. 
sleep? I am still sleeping well.  I woke up a few times this past week in the middle of the night to use the restroom but usually its almost morning by the time I wake up.  I don't really have a hard time getting back to sleep unless I'm hungry.

best moment this week? I felt Jonathan have the hiccups for the first time so that was pretty exciting! There was constant movement in my stomach for a few minutes so I figured that had to be it. It was so cool :) Usually, he just moves here and there but this was ongoing for awhile.  Also, we got more worked on in his room.  My amazing husband painted the nursery and it's starting to come together!!

movement? Feeling a lot better about his movement lately! He moves around mostly in the evening still but sometimes he will move during the day like he did this morning in church. He moves a lot at night when I'm laying down and he's even kicking hard enough to startle me. It hasn't hurt yet but he's definitely caught me off guard a time or two!

food cravings? Lately I just want ice cream every night but that's not really any different than any other time in my life, haha!

gender predictions? It's a BOY!

what i miss: After making this picture collage, I am missing my body before I was pregnant! That 12 week body is looking pretty good now!! Can't wait to get that back afterwards (and better)...and I will!!

what i'm looking forward to: My first baby shower is next Saturday so I am looking forward to that!

how are you feeling? I'm feeling good! By the end of the day, my right side rib cage feels really cramped and the right side of my back aches but I can usually lay down or find a position that relieves some of the pain.  Other than that, still feel very healthy and well!

Pregnancy rant

Writing this because I want to remember this...

I recently posted a "rant" on Facebook about the unnecessary and negative things people say to pregnant women.  I typiclly don't post negative things on Facebook but I guess my hormones got the best of me :) I also posted this cartoon and now I get a lot of comments about how radiant I look....haha.  Even this morning at church, someone told me I was radiant! I felt bad about my rant after I did it.

As I've gotten further along in my pregnancy (and bigger) I am hearing a lot of comments about my size and pregnancy in general.  It's very interesting to me that at the beginning of one's pregnancy, everyone is so happy for you, congratulating you, asking how you are feeling, etc. Closer to the end is when some of the more negative comments occur.  The comments didn't really get to me, it was the fact that people feel they are ok to say at all! I just don't get it!  The morning of the rant I was on facebook and saw that Jeromy's cousin Melissa was very tired from all that she's been up to and she is also pregnant.  Someone commented on her post "sounds like my pregnancy....jussssttt wait!!" Like just wait its only going to get worse. Oh man I was so mad for her!  Clearly she needed a more encouraging word than that...telling her or me or any pregnant woman to "just wait" drives me insane.  That's kinda what got the rant started that morning.  So then I had people posting this article Joy or "Just Wait?" on my facebook page, hehe.  Again, I felt bad that I had ranted but oh well.  It felt good to get it out. The article is great and I appreciated the thoughtfulness by these friends.  I just went back and reread all the comments posted from my rant and everyone was so nice.  I have a great support system and feel so loved.  That's something to remember.

I decided not to write out the things that have been said to me because I'd rather not remember those when I'm looking back on this post in the future.  A week or so after the rant, God reminded me of how nice people can be to pregnant women.  I had four people in one day open a door for me.  Might seem like a small gesture but I really appreciated it and it was a small reminder of how nice people actually can be.  And then at work the other day, a lady was leaving and said congratulations out of no where and seemed really happy for me.  That's sweet.  So now, I'm just trying to focus on the positive things people say and do rather than get upset every time someone tells me how big I am.  I know all women probably go through this during pregnancy but this is my blog and I want to remember it all :)

28 weeks

3rd Trimester!!

 

 

 

 

 

how far along? 28 weeks

how are you measuring?  He's measuring 29 weeks, I'm measuring 30 weeks.

size of baby? 14.8 inches long from the top of the head to the heels, 2 1/4 pounds and about the weight of a Chinese Cabbage

heartbeat? 152 bpm (at our 28 week appointment)

total weight gain/loss? +23-25? Depends on the scale and praise God I've stopped stressing about it!

maternity clothes? Almost all of the time! The benefit of losing 50lbs before becoming pregnant is that I have a lot of clothes that were starting to get too big on me, now I can wear those as maternity clothes (mostly dresses).
sleep? Sleeping pretty good still.  Wake up on my back a lot which worries me and then I just turn over. I get up almost every morning now at 6-6:30 to use the restroom and then I go back to sleep  :)  getting all that sleep that every one keeps telling me to enjoy now!! 

best moment this week? Seeing Jonathan on ultrasound again! Had to wait an HOUR before being called back but it was worth the wait.  The gender ultrasound was pretty quick and the tech wouldn't tell us anything but this time we had a different tech.  She was so sweet and said she even gets in trouble for taking too long because she loves to look at the babies.  It was a long ultrasound, about 30 minutes.  She measured everything and showed us so much! Got to see real close up to his head and brain which she said looked really good.  Saw very close up to his heart and could see all four chambers defined really well.  She just kept saying how great he looked so that was a definite praise to God! I loved when he hid his face with his hand, he's shy ;)

movement? He's moving a little more again lately. I was concerned for a week or two. Last night, we saw his whole body move for the first time! Usually, we just see a kick here and there but different parts of my stomach were moving at the same time so thats was weird but cool!! 

food cravings?  I've wanted a blizzard from Dairy Queen lately.  Of course I never get them because I was always trying to lose weight so it feels weird to have one! I was so annoyed after my dr. appt because it took SO long so I went to DQ and got a blizzard...soooo good!!

gender predictions? It's a BOY!

what i miss: Can't think of anything this week.

what i'm looking forward to: Getting excited about our first baby shower in less than two weeks!

how are you feeling? I'm feeling pretty good still! No swelling, no braxton hicks, no nothing! I still can't believe it.  Please just keep praying everything continues to go well without complication!! Rib cage is still a bit sore at the end of the day.

27 weeks

 

 

 

 

how far along? 27 weeks

how are you measuring?  Not sure, doctor will tell me at my next appt.

size of baby? 14 1/2 inches long, almost 2 pounds, and about the weight of a head of cauliflower

heartbeat? 155 bpm (at our 25 week appointment)

total weight gain/loss? +23.5

maternity clothes? Yep...glad I can still wear a large size T-shirt though!
sleep? I got a lot of sleep this week...I was under the weather or worn out, still can't figure that out. I had Jeromy put the guard rail up so I could prop pillows up against it, that works pretty well! No way I can fall out of bed :) Getting up maybe once a night.

best moment this week? Finally purchasing something for Jonathan's room! I feel like we are a bit behind now but then I think there are still three months (hopefully) left so I think I'm ok.

movement? I have been a bit worried about this lately, it's been on my mind a lot.  He hasn't been moving as much and that worries me.  He started up again though so I'm thankful for that.

food cravings? Still not craving anything in particular.  I'll see a commerical for a restaurant or hear about someone going somewhere and think "oh that sounds good!" and then might go for it but nothing just pops up on its own.

gender predictions? It's a BOY!

what i miss:  I miss being able to use my core. Ha! You never realize how much you use your core until you can't use it! It's so hard to get up from laying down but Jeromy is great and always helps me! 

what i'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to getting the rest of his nursery ordered and to finally get working on it.

how are you feeling?  I'm starting to get a bit uncomfortable.  It's not bad but my rib cage often feels squished and I feel pressure on the bottom of my belly after working all day.  I'm starting to get much more tired after just one days work standing up most of the day. Other than that, everything is still going very well and there have been no complications. I passed my gestational diabetes test so praise the Lord for that!!!

Easter Sunday 2013

What a wonderful Easter Sunday it was! I love our church! The service was great and the message was wonderful! Worship was phenomenal as always....He is risen indeed!

After church we gathered at Vicki and Terry's house with the whole family. My parents and Nana came and Carlee's parents were there too, it's great we can all gather together in one place! Here are my favorite photos:

Buddies!

 

The cousins...will be holding another little one next year! :)

 

Sweet Darcy at 9 months 

 

Jeromy added flour to his confetti eggs and got Byron good!

 

weirdos :)

 

Hortons!

Cutie Madelyn!

Me and some precious nieces

 

Moores!

Cute girls!

Uncle Jeromy is so fun! He lets the kids get him good with those confetti eggs!

Us three :)

 

Great family of Moores, Hortons, Mason, Malone, Lunsford and Bordenos!

26 weeks

 

 

 

 

how far along? 26 weeks

how are you measuring?  Not sure this week.  Had an appointment last Monday and she said I was measuring a little big and she would check on that at my next ultrasound at 28 weeks.

size of baby? 14 inches long, 1 2/3 pounds, and about the same length as an English hothouse cucumber.

heartbeat? 155 bpm (at our 25 week appointment)

total weight gain/loss? +22 lbs...being home is helping!

maternity clothes? Love all my maternity pants with the full panel. I put on some jeans that I used to wear a couple years ago and was able to button them so I used those as jeans this week with the cold front.  Love all my cute maternity shirts but I feel like they aren't going to fit by the end!
sleep? I've had issues with my back...I put pillows underneath but I keep scooting away from them and wake up on my back.  I'm going to put a guard rail on my side of the bed (lol) and prop pillows up against that so I can't throw them off the bed. Getting up once a night at random times. Still sleeping pretty well.

best moment this week? Got my registries started!! Carlee and I went to Babies R Us on Friday when they opened (good thing, they were packed!) and started my registry there. I didn't know it would take so long, it wore me out!! So thankful to have gone with someone who had a baby last year and I'm getting a lot of her stuff so she knew what I needed to register for and what she had. Also got my registry started at Nurtured Family for cloth diapers and accessories...check out their website!

movement? Some days his movement is more than others. He had some really high belly kicks yesterday which was neat! Right after, I pushed back to see if he would respond but he didn't.  I get a little concerned on the days he doesn't move as much but I try to just trust that he's fine!  

food cravings? I was craving Sweet Tomatoes salad bar and bakery this week! My dad and I went there on Friday for lunch, they have the yummiest strawberry lemonade you've ever had!

gender predictions? It's a BOY!

what i miss: I miss being able to remember things! I keep forgetting things lately when I leave the house like my cell phone...I forgot it two days in a row and if you know me, you know I never am without my cell, lol. I also don't enjoy being so clumsy.  I dropped a bottle of salad dressing at the store just now and it got all over my feet and legs, grr!

what i'm looking forward to: I will be ordering the crib and bedding this week! The room is being emptied day by and I'm so excited to get started on his room! I also need to check out paint for the walls this week! Also, registering for hospital classes this week!

how are you feeling? I still feel great pregnancy wise, no health issues or complications...praise Jesus! But I am feeling more emotional and things are getting to me more easily, I just don't always feel put together.

New Adventures

I had a great day today! My brain is on overload and feels like its going to explode but I'm pretty excited about all that I learned today. I went to the Nurtured Family store and took my first baby classes, baby wearing and cloth diapering.  First of all, I loved the store! It's a small mom and pop business, locally Christian-owned and operated.  There were people at the class from really far away so I'm thankful this store is so close for us! They had worship music playing in the background and I'm excited to support the local business.

The first class I went to was the baby wearing class.  I learned about all the different ways to wear your baby...carriers, wraps, pouches, slings, etc! I learned about the benefits of baby wearing and even got to see it first hand.  Rebecca, the owner and teacher, had her 6 month old at the store and he was a bit fussy from teething.  The lady watching him was having trouble getting him calm so Rebecca got him and wrapped him in her sling and he immediately calmed down and soon fell asleep.  He was so peaceful and content.  He was SO cute when he woke up, he was just looking all around at us and smiling at everyone.  You could tell he was happy to be near mom and she was able to continue with her presentation as if nothing had really changed. Totally hands free.  It was neat to see her use a carrier in action even though it wasn't planned. The class was quite lengthy but it was great to get all the information!

Here's the sling I like!

 

A little later I went back with Jeromy and Vicki for the cloth diapering class. WOW talk about brain overload! I knew we were going to hear about all the different kinds of diapers but it was much more than I thought.  Flat, prefold, contour, fitted, all in one, pocket, and hybrid.  Those are just the types of diapers...not even all the different brands that are available for each type of diaper! Plus, all the different fiber inserts, microfiber with microfleece, natural fibers with different absorbancy levels like cotton, bamboo, and hemp.....like I said WOW! I am so blessed to have some many friends that already cloth diaper that I can go to for advice and extra info on all this stuff! Very thankful for Melissa, Lynne, Sam, Chaeli, and Julie!!! They will be getting lots of emails and message from me about all this and they are always so great to respond to whatever question I have! SO great that I don't have to navigate this alone!

Going into the class, I kind of already had an idea of what TYPE of diaper I was thinking about using based on what all my friends use but by the time she went through all the different types, my brain was just shot! I'm pretty much going to go with the suggestions of friends and try two different types....Fuzzibunz Elite One Size pocket diapers with the microfiber inserts and Bum Genius Freetime All in One size diaper...both with snaps instead of velcro.

I will give these a try and see how it goes, each baby fits in these differently and I might not end up liking them but if all 5 of my cloth diapering friends use the same one (Fuzzibunz), then it seems pretty smart to just go with their suggestion! :)

So excited to get started on my classes, next week I'll be registering at the hospital and signing up for classes there....can't wait!

Got two registries started this weekend! Babies R Us and at Nutured Family, yay!