5.30.2012

nesting progress.

as you can see below, our kitchen is tiny. i had to stand in the hall to get the long shots you see in the first two pictures.  but it's functional and we only really have to cook 3 months out of the year (essentially, whenever the boys are on breaks we have  to cook.  i haven't known what to do with this long wall so i moved my "south" definition picture into the kitchen and flanked it with two canvases covered in bright polkadot fabric.  then i put my tiles on the other side similar to how they were below my cabinets in our house.  and then the next day i boiled/sterilized some of Mary's things.  i have made a lot of progress in her room and will take some pictures and post them next week.  hopefully.  but below is some proof that i have finally gotten to nest!

before...


after.

 after.

sterilizing bottles and nipples and pacifiers. 


5.28.2012

john deere green.

campus has been quiet in the sense that all of the noisy boys are gone for the summer.  but last week, for two days, john deere was here filming a new commercial.  they passed up the cliffs (fancy, gated golfing community) and the biltmore to film at christ school.  why?  who knows.  but they were here last wednesday and thursday.  the mowing would start and stop and start and stop... you get the idea.  all day!

i took this picture from the front porch of the wellness center/our dwelling.  

5.27.2012

35 weeks



Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is around 5 1/4 pounds and over 18 inches head to heel, about the size (weight) of a honeydew melon.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 30 pounds.  

Maternity Clothes:  I am pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day.  They are very light-feeling but they are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger- she likes to stretch out into my side with her feet.  She's been stretching a lot lately- I guess she's getting in all of her chances while she can!  She found my ribs with her feet the other day- ouch!  

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours. It is increasingly hard to get comfortable and I find that I don't sleep so great anymore.  I guess I'm being prepared for the nights ahead once she's born.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I cannot get enough apples these days.  Throw in some caramel dip and it's heaven!

Symptoms:  Oh the heartburn!  Zantac is still my best friend.  If it's true what they say- that heartburn in pregnancy means the baby will have hair then this child is destined to have a head full!  I have puffy feet and ankles that are a mainstay now.  My hips and pelvic bones are sore and getting themselves in shape for birth- but that alone is partly what is making it so hard to sleep.  But we're in the home stretch and it'll be over soon.

5.22.2012

34 weeks



Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 4/7 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is around 4 3/4 pounds and almost 18 inches head to heel, about the size (weight) of a cantaloupe.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 30 pounds.  

Maternity Clothes:  I am pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day.  They are very light-feeling but they are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger- she likes to stretch out into my side with her feet.  She's been stretching a lot lately- I guess she's getting in all of her chances while she can!

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours. It is increasingly hard to get comfortable and I find that I don't sleep so great anymore.  I guess I'm being prepared for the nights ahead once she's born.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back!  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings: I cannot get enough apples these days.  Throw in some caramel dip and it's heaven!

Symptoms:  Oh the heartburn!  Zantac is still my best friend.  If it's true what they say- that heartburn in pregnancy means the baby will have hair then this child is destined to have a head full!  I have puffy feet and ankles that are a mainstay now.  My hips and pelvic bones are sore and getting themselves in shape for birth- but that alone is partly what is making it so hard to sleep.  But we're in the home stretch and it'll be over soon.


5.16.2012

nesting.

it is hard to fight the urge to nest.  i am making myself wait until school is out (this sunday, may 20th!) and it is getting harder by the day.  it's not like i even have time to do it but all of her stuff is just sitting in her room in the middle of the floor.  i washed a lot of clothes when we came back from our tn baby shower but have since accumulated more and i didn't wash any of her sheets, towels, blankets, etc.  i need to finish cleaning out her closet and organizing her diapers.  we need her crib!  (thankfully, all of our big items have been purchased for us by family.  we are truly blessed!)  i have received lots of great hand-me-downs from friends, too, that need to be organized.  her glider and ottoman are still in the box in the back of my car.  we did install her carseat and base- it's weird driving around with it but it also seems right, too.  i would like to get her bookcase soon and assemble that- because i know i can do that by myself.  i'll leave the crib and glider to jay and assist as i can!



it just seems like there is so much to do and the little ticker on my sidebar is telling me we only have 44 days until her due date!  that seems so soon!  and i keep lecturing her to come early... and if she listens then we have even less time.  that's not to say we don't have the necessities that she'll need once she's here but i would love to have everything ready.  or as ready as it can be and that her room will already be the sanctuary for all of us that i have pictured in my head. 

so i am fighting it.  living with the "mess."  but soon.  soon i can nest to my heart's content and get my sweet girl's room ready for her arrival.  not to mention finishing some other rooms of our house that need pictures on the walls and boxes out of the floors.  i think it's a good thing i am ready to nest- i have my work cut out for me!


5.11.2012

33 weeks


*I do not ever wear "skinny jeans."  I got them free helping out with an iVillage survey about jeans in the 2nd trimester.  However, there were many mix-ups with the shipments and I just got these a week ago.  Not a fan of the jeggings but I had to take a picture in the jeans so I figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone!  I don't plan to wear them again!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is around 4 pounds and a little over 17 inches head to heel, about the size (weight) of a pineapple.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 30 pounds.  

Maternity Clothes:  I am pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day.  They are very light-feeling but they are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  Her pokes, jabs, and kicks have gotten stronger this week and her little knees and elbows can be painful.  

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours.  I have found a new way to prop/tilt myself on my pillows so I am tricking myself into thinking I am sleeping on my back a bit even though I am tilted to the left. It worked for awhile but it's getting harder to stay comfortable for long.  Now that Mary sits more on my right side, I find it more comfortable to sleep on that side.

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back.  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings:  I am still enjoying fresh fruit- apples, watermelon, and honeydew are at the top of my list right now.

Symptoms:  My heartburn is still there.  I've had to go back to taking the Zantac every day along with some Tums.  I am having a few Braxton Hicks from time to time and I have some swelling at the base of my ankles and feet that seems to come and go with the heat and my activity level. My SI joint pain (low back) is flaring up from time to time and the doctor I saw about it recommended a SI support belt.  I got fitted for one and I am already in love.  It really does help and seem to make a difference in how I feel- especially when we take walks or I am up and about for awhile.

5.08.2012

derby day + cinco de mayo + surprise baby shower

after the shower at christ school, jay and i headed to the grove park inn to enjoy viewing the kentucky derby.  we had an early dinner and jay had a traditional derby mint julep while i enjoyed a virgin margarita for cinco de mayo.  it was so good i almost didn't miss the tequila!  :)

here we are all dressed up for the shower and the derby!

then we had an errand to run closer to where we lived and jay decided we needed to make one more stop before heading home... little did i know we were headed to a surprise baby shower!  some of our friends put together a little couples shower for us.  it was such a sweet surprise.  there are pictures but i don't have any of them yet.  we got more good things that we needed for mary that we didn't have yet so that was great.  it was also just nice to relax with our friends.

5.07.2012

christ school baby shower

we were blessed to have another baby shower yesterday.  some of my sweet coworkers and friends at christ school showered us with love and gifts for sweet mary.  we got a lot of great items that we still needed for mary.  lindsay decorated one of the rooms in the wellness center for the party!  everyone contributed to the food and we all just had a great time visiting and celebrating this next little girl to come to campus.  there is an explosion of baby girls- i guess to balance out all of the boys we already have!  anyway, here are some pictures from the festivities saturday.















 

5.06.2012

a letter to my little one

dear mary isabelle,

thank you for getting back into your "usual" position on the left side of my uterus.  i am sure it was a nice change of pace for you to be on the right side earlier today and facing another direction as well.  but you definitely made my muscles stretch and hurt today.

you get the hiccups a lot- which is great because that means you are practicing your swallowing, sucking, and breathing movements that you'll need once you are born.  most of the time they don't last very long but sometimes they last up to 15-20 minutes.  i hope you can tolerate them as well as you seem to now.

all of this will be worth it soon when you are here and i get to meet you face to face!  i can't wait but we have about 8 more weeks until you are "due" and while it'll be great for you to come a couple of weeks early, i'd love for you to wait until at least mid-June before making your appearance.  your dad and i still have a lot to do to get things ready for you.  i'll have a lot more time once school is out in 2 weeks and i plan to get your room all set and ready after that.  you won't know if your room is ready or not when you are born, but i will!

we have been so blessed to have such loving family and friends who have showered us with gifts and necessities for you.  we won't have much left to buy for you ourselves which is a huge blessing!  your mimi and pops bought you your carseat and stroller.  your emme/gigi/mamaw and paul are buying your crib/changing table.  we have so many clothes, diapers, and wipes for you that we will not need much except you to get here so we can use them.  i have only bought you one outfit (that you will wear home from the hospital) but i have knitted you a blanket and am working on my third hat for you to wear.

i can't wait to see whose features you have and what your personality will be like once you are born.  you are pretty fiesty from time to time now but you seem to be busier during the day and more restful at night. i hope you continue this trend once you are born!!

i love you and i'll see you soon,
mama

32 weeks


Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 Weeks  

Size of baby: Little one is around 3.75 pounds and about 16.7 inches head to heel, about the size (weight) of large jicama.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained about 27 pounds.  

Maternity Clothes:  I am pretty much wearing all maternity clothes.  I don't have a ton of them so that is why you see them all repeated on here. I have finally found a couple of pairs of shorts that will suffice.  I am loving dresses right now and have some non-maternity dresses and some maternity dresses of my own and a few on loan.  So comfy!

Gender:  It's a girl!  Mary Isabelle (see this post about her name)

Movement:  You can watch my abdomen shift around when she's busy... and she's busy a lot these days!  She gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day.  They are very light-feeling but they are good because that means she's swallowing okay and practicing her breathing.  She has busy days and lazy days but she seems to be doing well in there.  She's kicking right now as I type.

Sleep: Both of my hips are sore when I sleep on either side for more than a few hours.  I have found a new way to prop/tilt myself on my pillows so I am tricking myself into thinking I am sleeping on my back a bit even though I am tilted to the left. It worked for awhile but it's getting harder to stay comfortable for long.  

What I miss:  Sleeping on my back.  I cannot wait to lay flat again!

Cravings:  I am still enjoying fresh fruit- apples, watermelon, and honeydew are at the top of my list right now.

Symptoms:  My heartburn is still there.  I've had to go back to taking the Zantac every day along with some Tums.  I am having a few Braxton Hicks from time to time and I have some swelling at the base of my ankles and feet that seems to come and go with the heat and my activity level. My SI joint pain (low back) is flaring up from time to time and the doctor I saw about it recommended a SI support belt.  I got fitted for one and I am already in love.  It really does help and seem to make a difference in how I feel- especially when we take walks or I am up and about for awhile.