Ugh!

Okay - so I was FINALLY getting caught up, and guess what happened?  I totally can't find my camera cord!  I've been taking pictures on our actual camera instead of my iPhone (shocker!), and I can't find the cord to get the pics off!  So as soon as I can find it, I promise I'll get back to staying more on track!  Until then....posts that I can do without that - haha.  

24 Weeks Pregnant!

Baby Growth: This week Baby C is measuring in over a pound and right around 12 inches long. Sections of his lungs are expanding and starting to produce lung surfactant. This stuff helps keep the lungs from collapsing after birth (um – important!). This week Baby C is also considered a viable baby. This means that if he were to be born right now, he has a fairly good chance at survival (about 50%). Brain development is also starting to spike again this week and he is learning how to coordinate things like heart rhythm, breathing, kidney function, and circulation. This is also when he starting gaining fat and putting on some cute little rolls. Eyebrows and eyelashes are also recognizable at this point. Hiccupping is getting more common and he is stretching often now. He is also starting to hear completely.

My Symptoms: This week, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball – and boy do I feel it!! Just doing normal tasks is really starting to wear me out. Bending over is becoming VERY difficult. I can do it still, but it really is not comfortable at all. I’m totally at the point where I have to sit down to put my shoes on for sure.

I’ve also been a lot more hungry this week for sure. I haven’t really been eating a lot more than normal, just because I don’t want to gain 4 lbs in one week again! I’ve also tried to snack on “healthier” stuff this week (ie: bananas, grapes, granola crisps, etc.)

I’ve really not felt good the past 2 days again. I don’t think it’s the same cold junk that I dealt with a few weeks ago. I just generally don’t feel so hot. It’s kind of frustrating because I can’t exactly pin down what doesn’t feel good – it’s just an overall thing.

Weight: I’ve gained 1.5 lbs this week. This puts me at a total of 8.5 lbs so far. Not too bad.

Belly Pictures:

Gender: Boy!

Maternity Clothes: I’ve finally stepped it up a little in wearing my maternity clothes. I don’t love them a ton, but I’m starting to be VERY limited in my selection of regular clothes that I can still wear. Yesterday, I even wore a pair of maternity pants for the first time this pregnancy. Yuck. I can’t stand them. But I was really not feeling so hot yesterday morning, so I just wanted to grab something that was looser. I’m still wearing a good bit of regular clothes, though. I’m probably in 60% regular clothes and 40% maternity clothes. I can even still button my regular jeans – how crazy is that?!

Movement: Literally, this child moves ALL DAY. To the point where I’m a little concerned because if he moves this much after he’s born, he’s never going to sleep! Haha. All joking aside - I really do love feeling it. It is so awesome, hands down my favorite part of pregnancy, and a feeling that I will try to remember for the rest of my life! I took a little video this past weekend where you can see the kicks from the outside of my belly. You have to look closely (and get used to being able to see me breathe), but you can see it for sure!

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping a lot better this week. And I’ve noticed that I’ve hardly woken up on my back at all. Part of the reason that I think that I’ve been sleeping better is because I’ve not been really hot AND my nose hasn’t gotten stuffed up. I’m so thankful for those things!

What I Miss: Not feeling tired! This time change has got me all whacked out and I feel sleepy all day long! It usually takes me about a week to adjust, so I’m ready for that to happen!

What I’m Looking Forward To: We go to Atlanta this weekend to go to Ikea to get some baby stuff and to pick up his furniture from my sister. I’m so excited! I can’t wait to get it all into his room and start nesting!

Cravings: Actually, this is the first week in forever that I haven’t craved sushi! Maybe because I gave in and ate it last week? Who knows. We did cook cheeseburgers this past weekend and they were unbelieveably good!!

Best Moment of the Week: Oh goodness – we had such a GREAT weekend! I went with Mrs. Becky this past Friday to Tallahassee to get LL’s chick pics done and they turned out SO GOOD! Then we went to the Azalea Festival on Saturday and had a blast. I love having wonderful weekends.

My Questions or Concerns: I don’t think that I really have any right now. I did find out that it’s totally normal to have Braxton Hicks at this point in my pregnancy. So that’s a relief. I guess I’m getting pretty nervous about Marie checking me in 2 weeks right before I leave for California. I know the chances of me being dilated at 26 weeks are very slim, but what happens if I am? I’ll have to cancel my trip AND I’ll probably have to be on bed rest – two things that are really not okay! So I’m just going to start praying now that my cervix is locked up nice and tight – haha.

Goals for the Week: Get the last of the stuff out of the nursery (we have really done a good job this week!).  I finally scheduled our 3D/4D ultrasound - April 12!  I'm glad I got that checked off my list!  :)

Beauty Day

For Valentine's Day, we bought LL a little Hello Kitty make-up set. It came with two rings that opened and had lip gloss inside.  It also came with 3 little things of glitter nail polish.  The whole set was pretty cheap (it was like $3, I think), so I wasn't to worried about wasting money if she didn't like it.  She has been getting more interested in make-up lately and will ask to hold my make-up (I just give her some never-used make-up sponges) and sometimes will ask me to put a little eye shadow on her eyes.  I really *love* the girly part of having a girl, so I was pretty excited about this little set.


Last summer I used to paint her toes ALL.  THE.  TIME.  She would literally ask me to do it every single day.  I did do that a lot, but I've never painted her fingernails before.  The Saturday after Valentine's Day I got the kit out to let her play with it.  After I showed her how the lip gloss worked, she said she wanted to go in her room by herself - haha.  Typical 3 year old, right??  We actually did let her take them in there by herself, but we explained to her that it did NOT go anywhere but on her lips.  We told her that she was not allowed to put it anywhere else (the walls, floor, etc.)  She seemed to understand, so we let her have some freedom.  After about 5 minutes of silence, I asked her what she was doing (from the other room).  She said she was playing with it still.  I asked her to come into the room and, when she did, it was everything we could do to not bust out laughing.  I didn't want to laugh at her because I didn't want to make her feel self-conscious about what she had done.  She gets embarrassed VERY easily, so we try to be careful about not hurting her little spirit.  Anyway...this is what we found...

Yes, it was even on her teeth - haha.

She did good, though!  She had completely listened and had not put it anywhere other than her face!  It was not on her carpet, walls, toys, etc.  She made such a good choice!


After that, I pulled out an old towel and let her paint her own nails - also a first for her.  She had so much fun.  She did her toes, my toes, and her nails.

Both of our painted nails (mine done by me obvs - haha)

Matching toes!

She still wanted to paint more, so she asked daddy if she could paint his toes, too.  He was an awesomely good sport and told her sure.  :) The upside for him is that this polish is so cheap, that it literally washes away in the bath/shower.  We were all polish free by the end of the night.

Such a good sport and an AWESOME daddy!

They're not much prettier with polish - haha.

Recently, she and I had another "beauty day", but this time we used some of my real polish.  I really wanted the polish to stick and not wash off - hence why we used mine.  I had already done my toes, so she did her toes and her fingers.  Then, she did my fingers to match. :)

Matching toes again - this time with real polish.

She did a pretty good job.

I think they look perfect.  :)

She had SO MUCH FUN and it was totally worth the little mess that she made on her skin (and mine).  The cutest part is that it has stayed on her nails and I think it's ADORABLE to see her with little painted fingernails.  


Next up: trying to convince her to go to the nail salon with me.  :)

Lorelai's 3rd Birthday Letter from Daddy

Monkey Munch,


How in the world have you turned three years old?!? It seems like yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. You are such an amazing blessing to your mommy and me and it seems like I learn just as much from you as you learn from me. In trying to always be a better daddy I've learned how to be a better Christian, husband, and a more loving person all around. When I look at the world around I see so much going wrong and I want to raise you to be a light in the darkness. My prayer for you is that God will use you to change this world. I take that very seriously because I know it means I have to set the example, through the way I live, for you to follow. That's my promise to you; to be the best daddy possible my modeling Christ's love in the way I love your mommy, you, and your little brother.


This year is going to bring so many firsts. You're starting school (pre-k), becoming a big sister, and I'm sure many other things. I can't wait to share these experiences with you. Baby girl, daddy loves you. I always have and always will. I'm always here for you. Now, do me a favor and slow down growing up a little.


I love you.


Daddy

Garden 2012

I don't know if you remember, but last year we attempted a mini-garden.  It did okay, but it was on a VERY small scale and never produced very much.  We did manage to get a couple of sunflowers and some VERY small tomatoes, but it was never anything really spectacular.  This year, Matt wanted to try something on a little bit bigger of a scale.  With me being pregnant and due in the middle of summer, I told him that it was fine with me, but that he was totally on his own.  I let him know that he couldn't count on me to help out much at all!  Honestly, I don't think this bothered him in the least.  It's a pretty big joke in our family about how HORRIBLE I am with plants.  No joke - my mom comes to my house once a week to water my plants.  So instead, Matt enlisted a new helper: Lorelai!  This is perfect because she LOVES to be outdoors, and she LOVES to help with things.  Truly a win-win situation!


To start things off, Matt bought a little garden box kit from Lowe's to put in the back yard.  He put it just outside of our fence so that the dogs couldn't get to it.  On the first day - he and LL just worked on getting it set up and putting the right kind of dirt and manure inside.

Big helper!

Getting her hands dirty.  :)

After that, he and LL got some seeds started in another little kit that stayed in our house.  Once the seeds started sprouting and were big enough to go outside, he and LL went back out and planted them along with some bigger strawberry plants that Matt bought.

Planting seeds on her own.  :)

What do you do when your outside and thirsty?  Take a drink from the hose, of course!

When the tornado came though last weekend, their pour little plants really did take a pounding.  He said out of all of the strawberry plants that they put in there, only 4 looked like they were going to make it.  He also planted some blueberry plants on the other side of the yard, but he said they looked okay.  Because of the hard rain and storms, I don't think he knows how it's going to turn out now, but I'm sure he and LL will be out there giving them lots of love and trying to get them to grow as much as they can!

Uncle Love

Way back a good little bit ago (like, before LL's birthday), Bryan (Matt's brother) called and said that he had caught some huge fish and wanted to know if LL wanted to come down and see them.  We live about 2 miles apart on the same road, so Matt drove down there to let LL see.  


I didn't go - I just stayed home - but judging by the pictures Matt took, LL was super excited to see Uncle Bryan and his fish!

LL LOVES her Uncle Bryan and asks to go to his house and see him all.  the.  time.  I thought that it was really cute that he thought of her and wanted her to come and see the fish.  :)  She talked about it for a long time and I know she enjoyed going down there!

23 Weeks Pregnant!

Baby Growth: This week, Baby C is measuring in at about 12 inches and weighs just a little over a pound (but probably more since he weighed a little over a pound 3 weeks ago). His brain is also starting to develop a little more this week. The area that controls emotions (the cerebrum) is now rapidly forming. This means that our little guy is learning to feel things like hunger, thirst, sadness, fear, and even happiness. His hair, skin, and eyes will all start to get their pigment this week. Also big news – his body is now in proportion. No more huge alien head! Baby C can also hear lots going on in there – he can hear my voice, the voices of those around me, my heart beat, and my tummy!

My Symptoms: Obviously, my back still hurts. That’s not going to go away. Matt and I have been doing the stretches that the lady told me about at my massage a few weeks ago, and those have REALLY been helping! My cold is officially all gone, and I am glad to be done with that junk! That was miserable!


I have found this week that it is MUCH harder for me to get comfortable now. No matter if I’m standing, sitting, or lying down – it just seems to be a ton more difficult to find a position that is comfortable. I’ve started putting a pillow behind me in my chair at work and that’s been helping a good bit.


Last Friday I took some Milk of Magnesia that Marie recommended for constipation and it has helped a LOT. I’m still not normal by any means, but I’m not as backed up as I was before. Maybe it was just the little jump start that my body needed – haha.


I’ve also found that it is a lot more uncomfortable to cross my legs now. I can, but it just contributes to a lot of my uncomfortableness when I’m sitting. I’ve started crossing my legs at my ankles (so old lady), but it seems to be helping.


I also think that I’ve started having Braxton Hicks this week. I don’t think I ever really had them with LL, so I don’t feel like I’ve got much to compare it to. But every once in a while, my whole belly will get pretty tight (not rock hard like I’ve read). It doesn’t hurt, and I usually always think that it’s just him moving funny. But then I feel my belly and it’s pretty tight. So I’m assuming that this is what that is??


Weight: After my freak out last week, I was MEGA worried about getting on the scale and seeing another 4 lbs! Well, I have much better news this week. I’ve gained 1 lb. While I still think this is a lot for just one week, I’ll definitely take it over 4 lbs. This brings me to a total of 7 lbs at 23 weeks. I don’t think that’s too shabby. I didn’t blog when I was pregnant with LL, so I don’t have really great records from then. However, I do know from my facebook album from back then that I had gained 13 lbs at 26 weeks with LL. That made me feel great to know that I’m pretty much on the same track that I was then. If I gain between 1.5 – 2 lbs a week in the next 3 weeks, I’ll be in the same boat I was then. I don’t WANT to gain that much every week, but at least I know that if I do, I’m still where I was last time. I did great with my weight gain with her (25 lbs total), so I don’t mind being in that same boat again.


Belly Pictures: I hate how I always look so sleepy in these!  I guess that's what happens when you take them at 6 am!

It's funny that I wore white for this pic and in my pic with LL - totally not planned!  I have no idea if this is terrible to say or not - but even though my belly is WAY bigger with Baby C than it was with LL (at this point, anyway), I really am happy with my overall appearance now.  Like, when I look at both pictures, I like how I look now better.  Is that a terrible thing to say?

Gender: Boy!


Maternity Clothes: Same as always. Mostly regular still. Some maternity thrown in. When I do wear maternity, I only wear dresses and shirts. I have yet to put on some maternity pants and I plan to postpone those as long as possible. I’ve found that maternity pants often have HUGE space for your butt. My butt does not gain weight at all until the end of my pregnancy (at least it didn’t with LL), so I don’t need all of that extra room. That means that all of the maternity pants look pretty ridiculous on me and the crotch often hangs WAAAAY too low. Overall, I just try and stay away from them as much as possible. I did buy some yoga pants this weekend, and I think I’ll be getting TONS of use out of those bad boys. I LIVED in yoga pants with LL, and I can totally see myself doing the same this time. I also went to the store intending to buy a bigger bra this past weekend. When I tried the next cup size up, it was still too big that it was gaping at the sides. Umm…no thanks. So I’m still wearing my regular ones. I’d rather have my bra be a tad too small then to be gaping on the sides.


Movement: There is no doubt that this child is a mover and a shaker! His movements are VERY strong, and you can totally see them on the outside. It’s funny that last week I talked about always feeling him in the same spot. He must have wanted to prove me wrong because that has NOT been the case this week. I’ve been feeling movement in such different places, that it even made me think for a while that he had flipped and was now head up. He has been moving ALL OVER the place this week. I’ve also started really being able to feel him when I’m standing up. At first, I only felt him when I was sitting, but he is getting much stronger now. I also still feel like I’m feeling elbows and/or knees. There are some movements that are just way more pointy than others – haha.


Sleep: Back to being pretty horrible again. I think that this is going to be par for the course, also. I’m sleeping bad for one of several reasons: either I’m blazing hot, Matt is snoring and I can’t tune him out, or my nose is so stuffed up that I can’t breathe. No matter which of these it is, it’s mega annoying and I just want to be able to rest!


What I Miss: Just like last week, I’m doing good in this area. I’m enjoying being pregnant, and I’m LOVING all of the movement that I feel. I guess right now I’m not miserable yet, and I’m constantly remembering that this is my last pregnancy and the last time that I will ever feel this. That makes me appreciate it way more.


What I’m Looking Forward To: I have a long weekend this weekend! I have Friday off of school (a furlough day – boo), so I’m excited to have a 3 day weekend! Friday I’m going to Tallahassee with LL and Mrs. Becky for LL’s annual chick pics. (You can see last year and the year before if you don’t remember). Then, Friday night I have a lingere shower to go to. Saturday, the whole fam is going to the Azalea Festival (remember last year?). Then, on Sunday we have church (Matt is leading worship), and I have another wedding shower to go to that afternoon. We’ll be crazy busy, but it’s all super fun stuff!


Cravings: Oh my goodness, let me tell you. I didn’t mention this last week, but last Tuesday I had another kids sale and we went to Steak –n-Sheak afterwards (like always) and it was SO GOOD. I have been thinking about that junk a TON and totally want to go back right now! I also gave into my sushi craving. I got a California Roll (all cooked – don’t freak), and ate about 4 pieces. It was so. crazy. good. I’m still craving cheeseburgers, though. :)


Best Moment of the Week: I don't really know?  Surviving the tornado that passed by out house was probably a pretty good thing - even if it was pretty crazy (trust me - I'll do a whole post about it).  We had Kye's birthday party and we had a good time.  LL was not in a great mood (missed nap due to tornado), but we still enjoyed celebrating his special day.  Other than that, it was a pretty tame week!


My Concerns or Questions: I don't have any of these this week!  Thanks to my doctor's appointment last week, I'm feeling good in this area!  I guess I do have one question - is it okay to be having Braxton Hicks at this point in my pregnancy?


Goals for the Week: I still need to schedule my dang ultrasound!  Enjoy my weekend is definitely high on my goal list.  :)