Baby Shower!

Last weekend we had another great shower! This one was given by my sisters and one of my best friends (for almost 15 years- dang, we're getting old), Tricia. My mom and step-mom also helped out and they all did such a good job. They had prepared quite a spread with cute "pacifier"mints, Trix marshmallow treats, and the prettiest shower cake I've ever seen! (it also matched the invitation- loved it!) All of the food was so yummy- all.of.it!, the cake was delicious (made by the lady who made our wedding cake!), the flowers were beautiful, and the decor was so cute and sweet : ) We had a great turn out and even had some family from Alabama, East Tennessee, and Georgia! Along with our local friends and family, too. I'm so glad everyone who could be there was there to celebrate baby E- and boy did she rack up!! She is a loved little girl and again, we are so fortunate to have such loving and generous friends and family! I think we are just about ready for her...

Now for the pictures! I didn't do a very good job at this shower of getting photos with the guests, but still managed to get a few good ones :)

 

sisters :)

Mary Laine and Alvey

Barb made some ADORABLE burp cloth and bib sets!

these six crazy ladies threw a heck of a shower! :)

Lulu and Sadee

the hostesses!

I took a few more when we got home. Cash got his very own gift at the shower from my sweet friend Mindy! But he still had to check out everything his sister got. Of course : )

Worn out from checking out all the goodies :)

33 Weeks

(posting a day later than usual for last week, but 34 weeks today!)


Countdown: 7 weeks to go!! (or 49 days!)

How far along? 33 weeks
Maternity clothes? A mix. My regular wardrobe (the stuff I wear over and over) basically consists of this:
Maternity- one pair of black pants, one pair of jeans and a few short sleeve shirts
Non-maternity- a few dresses, 2 maxi skirts, 2 loose fitting black pants, and several tops (I have a few that I got one size bigger and tanks/shirts with some stretch in them. I like to pair those with open cardigans for work)
Movement? She's moving as much as she can! Sometimes her movements and stretches are a little uncomfortable, but I'm sure she's a little uncomfortable, too! I'll take all the movement we can get though. Her movements are usually pretty slow and feel kind of like a golf ball rolling under my skin- kind of weird! She also gets the hiccups almost daily :)
Cravings? fruit and sweets! Can't get enough.
Anything make you queasy or sick? still sticking to small meals, avoiding citrusy stuff and carbonated drinks
Sleep? It's ok. I have developed a little bit of a pattern- I sleep really well one night, and awful the next, then really well, then bad again. I think I get so well rested on the good nights, I can't sleep the next, and then I'm so exhausted, I have a good night's sleep that night. At least half the time I'm getting decent sleep!
Best moment this week: seeing her on the ultrasound, of course! She was covering her face with her hands, but we were actually able to make out her face a little bit- her mouth, nose, and CHEEKS. Ah! I'm just going to melt into a little puddle on the floor when we meet her :)
We had our last shower at the end of the week given by my sisters and one of my best friends, Tricia. The girls threw a beautiful shower and baby girl really racked up!! She's a lucky baby for sure :) Again, I will post pictures sometime this week!
Gender: Girl
Labor signs? none
Symptoms?  heartburn/reflux (I'm nervous to say it out loud, but it has been much better this week!), BH contractions, tired, SWELLING (just my ankles luckily), back pain- the only way to relieve it is to stand or walk around (as soon as I sit back down, it starts again) or to raise my right arm up over my head to my left shoulder- kind of hard to get things done that way though...I think it may be time for a massage! :) And having a hard time catching my breath- my lungs are quickly getting crowded and at times it almost feels like I'm suffocating...yikes.
Belly button in or out? I noticed Wednesday morning that it popped out! It still sticks out more around the top edge, but the thing is out!
What I miss: not much!
Appointment Updates (figured I should add this since we have appointments every week now): She did great for her non-stress test Monday. At the ultrasounds they check for 8 things (I'm not sure what all they are- I know it includes my fluid level and her movement), this week they had gotten everything they needed except her movements, so they had to "buzz" her a few times to get her moving! She was probably just sleeping, poor thing. I know she must get tired of us bothering her every 3 days ;) My appointment with the doctor also went well. I did find out the 39th week is the latest they will let me go and my A1c came down a little bit more to 5.5%!! 
Weekly wisdom: take things one day at a time (at least this is what I'm trying to tell myself)- my to-do lists for baby, before baby, and work are overwhelming, but I just need to realize what gets done and gets done and the rest will work itself out.And she's coming whether or not I get every box checked off ;)
What I am looking forward to: seeing our sweet girl's face :)
Milestones: Hit the 50 day (or less!) mark!

His & Hers Shower for Baby E!

Several of our best friends hosted a His & Hers shower for us and baby E. It was a great time with good food, lots of friends and family, cute decor and details, and tons of gifts for this sweet girl! Everyone was so generous and we are so lucky to have them all in our lives. Thank you Lauren, Kelly, Mary, Emily, and Rachel for putting on such sweet shower. You all made it really special for us and we couldn't appreciate it more! Enough of my rambling, enjoy some pictures :)

 

Ms. Wanda and Lauren did such an amazing job with the flower arrangements!

the wonderful hosts!

Aunt Annie and Anferny

Reese, my little helper : )

ADORABLE shoes from Bethany! RTR : )

 

how cute is this boy?!

sisters!

 (if anyone is interested, my outfit is all non-maternity:
H&M top [one size larger than normal] and American Eagle pants [and yes, totally unzipped with the belly band!])

We have our last shower this weekend. Even have some family coming in from out of town :) So excited and loving celebrating our girl with friends and family!

Maternity Photos!

We had our maternity pictures done a couple weeks ago and got them back over the weekend. LOVE them!! We had our favorite photographer, Shea, take them and did them in Adams and Port Royal, TN- she shot our wedding, 1st anniversary, and now maternity. You will see many more photos by Shea once baby is here! So happy with how they turned out. Here's a little sneak peek :)

(pre pregnancy top, Anthropologie; non-maternity black pants, Target)

(black maternity dress by Liz Lange, Target)

(pre pregnancy top and cardigan, both from Anthropologie; non-maternity black pants, Target)

(Mossimo dress, Target)

If you want to see more, here's the link to the slideshow: http://byshea.zenfolio.com/p198183636/h1c509bb2#h1c509bb2

32 Weeks

Countdown: 8 weeks!!

How far along? 32 weeks
Maternity clothes? a mix- and I will say, I wear a lot of the same stuff over and over
Movement? I can tell she is quickly running out of room. I still feel some kicks and jabs, but for the most part it feels like squirming around, stretching, or just movements back and forth (like dragging a foot or hand, or maybe even her bottom :), across my belly) And she got the hiccups a couple more times- twice in about 10 minutes Monday night and then Tuesday for almost a full 10 minutes. Poor thing!!
Cravings? fruit always sounds good and still pretty much anything sweet, although I'm trying really hard to be good! I did give in to my Rice Krispie treat craving- I had been wanting some for weeks! And I would LOVE a big ole diet coke right out of the vending machine, but still staying away from caffeine.
Anything make you queasy or sick? regular size meals have shown to not be a good idea- even if I don't feel full, I get so uncomfortable, so I'm trying to stick to small meals and snacking. Also watching out for what gives me heartburn and I'm thinking carbonated drinks might be a problem. Pre-pregnancy they used to help when I had heartburn, but now seem to cause it :(
Sleep? It's definitely getting better. I am waking up more to use the bathroom, but usually able to get back to sleep pretty quickly! However, I feel like the 3rd trimester tiredness is setting in slowly but surely....
Best moment this week: J was able to feel her hiccups Tuesday night :) And my mom got to come to the ultrasound this week- her first time getting to see baby in action! She was very cooperative. She is head down and had her back to mine (facing out toward my belly button). Still doing a great job practicing her "breathing", getting ready for that first big scream ;) We were also able to see her opening and closing her hands and touching her face- just precious! (we won't get another weigh in for a couple more weeks...that should be interesting!!), the tech told us she has hair and confirmed, yet again, she is still a girl (after 4 different u/s techs telling us she's a girl, she better be!) We also had a wonderful shower Saturday thrown by some of our best friends- they did such a great job and it was so fun to celebrate baby girl :) Don't worry, pictures to come!
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs? none
Symptoms?  heartburn/reflux, BH contractions, tired, swelling, run out of breath easily, back aches (the middle right), hunger! and an ever expanding belly! Last week it felt really tight, but I feel like it's adjusting and it hasn't been as bad this week.
Belly button in or out? the top still puckers out when standing, but the rest is flat! The whole thing slightly pops out when I'm sitting when I'm sitting
What I miss: not a whole lot...other than not having heartburn/reflux
What I am looking forward to: working on nursery projects and finishing up a few other small things in her room :)
Milestones: 8 months pregnant! WHOA!
WE HAVE A NAME! Well, we have the name we are going to call her...but not her full name. So.close.

Belly button!