29 Weeks

How far along? 29 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? +25 pounds- A little more than I care to admit but it is what it is!
Maternity clothes? Yes! 
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Sleeping a lot less through the night these days!
Best moment this week? Short work week and heading to our favorite place! THE LAKE!!!! Also, a fun little 3D session of our sweet P!
Miss Anything? This list just keeps growing. This week I wish I could get through simple tasks without feeling totally dead!
Movement? Lots
Food Cravings? Technically  a non food item but I just started eating ice like a mad woman. I seriously cannot get enough of it!! And I typically HATE ice, would prefer a drink without it. 
Anything making you queasy or sick? I don't know if it's just all of my organs being pushed up high or what but I've had several new run ins with nausea and upset stomach. A couple days where it was pretty miserable
Have you started to show yet?  The bump expands every single day!
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? Kinda out, kinda in. It looks sorta funny! 
Wedding rings on or off? I had to stop wearing my wedding band : ( Still able to wear my engagement ring though. Hanging on as long as possible!
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
Looking forward to? Getting some chill time at the lake!

It's official!! It's finally lake time! We made our usual Memorial Day camping trip this weekend! Definitely something we look forward to every year. We talked this weekend about how long we had been doing this and everyone re counted how old they were when they first started going. I think I was 17-18 when I first started making the camping trip and have been every year since. For me, a trip to the lake is what kicks off the summer. We also laughed that in the past couple of years, every memorial day, one of the ladies has been pregnant, obviously my turn for this year. I will be the first one to say that I think I may have underestimated how I would feel this far along in my pregnancy. I really thought it would be no different. Just a little extra belly to deal with. Boy, was I wrong on that one! First of all, yes, there's definitely a belly, but I don't think I accounted for the amount of fatigue that would hit me up. It was much much harder to do my normal camping routine tasks. Things like cooking meals, keeping the camper clean and picked up, and even simply going up and down the steps constantly just wore me down. Add to that the extreme Arkansas heat and you wind up with quite a bit of swelling. So after handling most any activity such as cooking, cleaning, or just a full day on the water  in the sun, it was about all I could do just to get my feet put up and elevated. I definitely took as many precautions as I could and had lots of amazing help from my sweet friends but it sure was more than I anticipated. Thankful that I did have such great help from my hubby and girlfriends. They pretty much wouldn't let me lift anything heavy (even though I tried with my stubborn self), tackled as much as the prepping and cooking as possible so I could rest, and someone was always there to help me up and down a boat ladder or in and out for loading and unloading. Blessed to have all of them. Even all the boys were beyond considerate and helpful! All in all we had a great time, I realized I'm not as swift as I usually am and I also had swelling like you would NOT believe!! But I would not have missed it at any rate! Here are a few pics from our fun weekend, I definitely did not take as many as usual as I had a lot more to manage but I tried to get a few anyway.

Ready for a day in the sun

Robby's girlfriend rocking wakeboarding her first time ever behind a boat! She loved it!

Jason wakeboarding

Catching air

Justin came right up too on the wakeboard

: ) getting a little slippery

Robby's turn

Jason took this pic of me pulling our boat and I had to share, I was quite proud  that I got it there in one piece

Jumping wakes and showing his skills

Jason wake surfing! OMG this looks so fun!!

LOL, so fun!

Having a blast!

I also have to add a few important pics from this week! First of all, in the baby department, we were able to do a little 3D session at work this week! My mom is a patient at the clinic where I work and she came in for an appointment so while she was there we took the opportunity to take a peek at our little girl and see what she was up to in her 29th week! What I can say she is definitely up to is getting big!! We could already tell she is going to be a little chunky monkey and we just love it!! She already looks so cute and I must say, I definitely see sweet little rolls in her future. I could just squeeze her cheeks already! In case you didn't know, we have big babies in our family, it's just the way it is. And it definitely looks like P will be no different. I COULD be surprised, but I'd be shock if she was any less than 8.5 pounds. Just taking a guess here. It was so great to have my mom there when we did the ultrasound! I think she was really surprised and enjoyed the whole thing. This is what our girl looks like at 29 weeks.

She already looks so cuddly!

Trying to stick her tongue out and smile!

Grinning!

Cutie huh?!!?? I love her so much already, seeing her in these pics really makes me start dreaming of her even more!! 

And last but certainly NOT least.......we attended my first love's pre-K graduation....typing this seriously makes me want to boo hoo! Hard to believe my little Bray Bray will be going to Kindergarten in the Fall. He is just too big!! His little graduation was very cute and I couldn't be prouder of him...even if his new favorite topic to discuss is Aunt Nay and her "big ol belly" as he would say! Cracks me up, then he quickly follows it up with something super sweet such as, "Aunt Nay, I can't wait to meet your baby" LOVE. IT!!!! I'd say he'll definitely have her back when she gets bigger! So congrats to you my precious nephew, you'll always be the baby in the family in my book no matter how big you get!!

Ready to graduate!

Brady and his class from Children's Corner

He did it!!!

Sealing the deal with the throwing of the cap!

Me and my boy

Nettie and Brady

Opening his grad present from mommy

He loved his water blaster from Aunt Nay and Uncle J

Love this big kid!

28 Weeks.....rolling into the 3rd tri

How far along? 28 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? +25 pounds- A little more than I care to admit but it is what it is!
Maternity clothes? Yes! 
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Sleeping pretty great, especially after a long day at work
Best moment this week? Registering! Happy to have that behind me, and I feel way more on top of things having it done.....and of course, entering the 3rd Trimester!!! YA HOOOOOO!
Miss Anything? Being able to go at my normal pace and endurance without breaking down. It's hard to be physically restricted
Movement? Lots
Food Cravings? This week I had a new craving, fried chicken. Can't tell you when I've last had fried chicken, but KFC sealed the deal on that.
Anything making you queasy or sick? I don't know if it's just all of my organs being pushed up high or what but I've had several new run ins with nausea and upset stomach. A couple days where it was pretty miserable
Have you started to show yet?  The bump expands every single day!
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? Officially out this week, ha! 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
Looking forward to? Relaxing at the lake next weekend and seeing how well I do camping with a kid on board : ) I'm hopeful!


IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN......dunna da dun dunna dun dun dun....

Yay for third trimester!!! I say that almost bittersweetly, yay AND yikes!!! I'm excited, and scared too. I think I'm mostly scared. My first layer of nervousness starts with her room....Literally, I have almost NOTHING done. I have plans, just haven't carried them out. I so promised myself I wouldn't be last minute on her room. I just knew I would be itching to get started on it. And of course, I have been BUT you know me and the old decision making process, not the best of friends!! Any day! So making decisions has totally held me up. I keep thinking oh, once I get this piece or that piece I can make more decisions. I am just hoping that once we get going it'll just go full speed. I kinda do that on projects, hard to get them started but once I do, I'm pretty focused about finishing them. So it looks like we'll be running out the clock at the last hour. I pray for more reasons than one that she doesn't decide to come early. Honestly just getting that room cleaned out and finding places to put stuff took the longest. But no excuses now! It's time to get busy. I'm starting to make decisions and feeling good about it.

Speaking of decisions, I also went and registered this week!! YAY!! Ok, let me just tell you. People have been asking me when I was going to register for weeks now. My response, I don't know how to register! And for a baby, I really don't. How in the world, out of that whole big store of baby stuff, do you know what you do and don't need as a first time mom. Well, I'll tell you, ENTER experienced mom shopping partner!! From the first time Jason and I walked into Babies R Us, we knew we didn't stand a chance. SOOOO, I refused to go unless my fearless best friend Jessica agreed to join me. She's had two kids and the second only four months ago. Combined with the fact that her and I are very similar and pretty much think the same, I knew she would be a valuable resource! So we made a date to go and register and BOY was I glad to have her! She made it so painless and organized. We went to each individual section and she explained what each thing was and why I would or would not need it. She also answered all of my questions and checked off each section on our little list as we went through the store. It was like having my own little help section right there handy! So convenient and I definitely enjoyed the experience more than I expected to. I had honestly been dreading it because I hate making decisions, I'm always afraid I'm making the wrong one, on top of the questions I had just based on my lack of knowledge about things and what were the best as well as the most useless items. So know I feel like we have a good outline for what we will need for at least the first year. I plan on using the registry list as my equipment study guide. Of course I've had no problem picking out all her clothes, shoes, accessories, and anything in the general cute-factor category. But the essentials were definitely way above my head. And man are there a lot of essentials...I just couldn't believe it! Really put it all in perspective for me. It'll take quite a few supplies to start this baby's little bitty life. Hard to believe now that I was overwhelmed with all the maternity clothes I had to buy...Tip. Of. The. Iceberg. I tell ya!

Jason and I also ventured out on a little date this week! It was so nice to go out and have a great meal. We discussed how soon it won't be so easy to do things like this. So we agreed to try to do it as much as we could in the next few months. Not like you can stockpile dates to make you feel better about your lack of later, but it still makes for good memories! We went to one of our favorites Brave New...which just NEVER disappoints! We ate outside to enjoy the great weather and beautiful view of the river. Thanks for the suggestion J, it was a perfect night!

View from our table. Jason's beer and my pineapple and sprite : )

Happy Times!

The most amazing chicken I've ever eaten...YUM!!!!

Jason's steak, still delicious yet didn't compare to my chicken, maybe I'm partial due to my red meat aversion!

Well, third trimester means this journey is gonna start winding down before we know it. Stay tuned and keep following us, it's likely to get LOTS more interesting! HAHA!

27 Weeks~The mother's day post

How far along? 27 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? +25 pounds- A little more than I care to admit but it is what it is!
Maternity clothes? Yes! Stocking up on lots of maternity shorts, it's gonna be a scorcher here
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Sleeping pretty great, especially after a long day at work
Best moment this week? Experiencing my first mother's day and getting super sweet treatment from my main squeeze and my main pooch!
Miss Anything? Bending over without groaning! ha! Sad but true
Movement? Lots
Food Cravings? All things dessert. Strawberry shortcake topped my list this week but I tried to make it healthy with angel food cake, fresh strawberries, and a lightened whipped cream. Mmmmm!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really, just heartburn every day all day!
Have you started to show yet?  The bump expands every single day!
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In-just barely
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
Looking forward to? Getting her room ready and organized, my mama is coming to help me as soon as she gets out of school, I need an intervention, seriously!!

This week we celebrate mother's day. I guess, this is technically my first Mother's day but will definitely seem more real next year when we are chasing behind our little girl as opposed to planning and anticipating her arrival. Even still I couldn't let this week pass without noting this special day. Thinking about it really made me realize how much we owe to our mothers. How we would not be here if not for them. I've also been told that once you have a child you will realize how much you respect your mother. I am sure that would be putting it mildly.


We've had a tough week at work with a couple soon to be mommy's facing their worst nightmare and losing babies they were expecting. Being 27 weeks pregnant I can't help but keep these women and babies on my mind. Most people think since I do ultrasound, and primarily OB ultrasound, that my job is always fun. And of course I love my job, and yes there are so many happy moments that I just get a thrill out of being a part of and sharing with a family. But there are also very many sad moments, and hard days. Times when the last thing you want to be is the person that discovers someone's biggest fear and disappointment. Days like these we just wish we could take all the pain away. Like that moment when something goes wrong and you really don't want to believe it's true. I have to admit that there are a lot of times when I just don't know what to say or how to comfort. Even more so now when I'm obviously pregnant. The bottom line is no one can take the pain of a loss away, all you can do is comfort and be a hand to hold or an ear to listen with. I always try to talk to my patients if they want and answer any questions that are within my knowledge area. All the while respecting the boundaries of my job as most things just need to be discussed with a doctor. But every single time I'm in that moment I have to prepare myself for what might be coming. So my heart truly aches and sympathizes for all those women who have ever lost a baby before they were able to meet them, the women who want nothing more than to be a mother and can't seem to get there, and the women who are carrying babies and praying everyday for their safe arrival. I know I for one pray for this little one every day. Often times I may go a little while without feeling her move and find myself not exactly panicking but wondering if she is ok. It seems like almost every time that happens, I get to thinking about it for a minute or so and it's not too much longer she gives me a real swift kick or subtle movement. Almost as if to say, it's alright, I'm still here. I have to know that is God's way of easing my mind through her movements. As the general public we take for granted healthy babies because we don't know or understand the amount of unhealthy babies or pregnancies out there. Once you are aware, it sure is an eye opener! It really leaves me dumbfounded and in disbelief of the women who carry babies and do not take care of themselves or their bodies while they are growing that little life. All I can reason out of it is selfishness or vanity or maybe they just don't know how blessed they are that God chose them to grow a new life. Just some things that make you wonder. And all things that I have to remember myself when I'm feeling extra uncomfortable or extra large. I thank God that he blessed me with life and the ability to grow new life. There are so many things about pregnancy that amaze me but probably the number one thing is the way God designed our bodies to change and adapt to the miracle of life. It's certainly something we should all be grateful for. Whether you've experienced it yourself, or someone went through it for you. It's all part of that master plan!


So here's to you mama's! And mama's to be! And mama's who want to be, I hope all your dreams come true sooner rather than later!


We had a wonderful mother's day with our mothers. We were able to celebrate with each one individually and enjoyed the opportunity to visit. I made a yummy cheesecake to take to Jason's mom's house for dessert and I had to take a picture, I just thought it was beautiful. And I love beautiful food. Thanks to my friend Amy for the great recipe!

I also made a chocolate chip pie to take to my mom's house but no picture because I forgot and we ate it up so quick like a bunch of pigs! Haha, it was great too!


And for mother's day for me, Jason and Auggie were super sweet to me. Jason usually always gets me a card "from Auggie" which is special enough in itself (and maybe slightly disturbing to some as we treat Auggie like our son) but this year he did a little extra and said that when you have two kids you get two presents : ) So this is from him and Auggie.....


Just exactly what I am going to need for camping this year! Sitting upright for a long time is not that easy anymore and now I will be able to lounge while we are sitting around the fire and such. I was thrilled over this and then Jason pulled out another small gift and told me that Presley ordered it from the womb, ; ) yes, it's true, we're super cheesy!



Isn't it beautiful? It's my monogram and I totally love it! Southern girls love anything monogrammed and I am definitely no different.


On another note, I took my 3 hour glucose screening this week and passed!!!! Yay for no gestational diabetes. Not even gonna lie, I treated myself with a cupcake that day. It was Nurses week this week and let me just tell ya, the food was abundant at work. Once again, I need an intervention. I think that's about all I can drum up for this week. Until next time : )


Cheers,
Kelly

26 Weeks

How far along? 26 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? +25 pounds- A little more than I care to admit but it is what it is!
Maternity clothes? Yes!!
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Pregnancy Pillow makes me look forward to sleep!! But I have been having some super strange dreams. Very vivid.
Best moment this week? Getting back in the groove of things and resuming normal routine. 
Miss Anything? Ahhhh....vacation : (
Movement? More so now than ever!
Food Cravings? Well...sugar...but I'll explain more below!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not at all, except over eating!
Have you started to show yet?  The bump expands every single day!
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In-just barely
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
Looking forward to? Making final decisions on nursery and registry items! And Lake Time SOON!!


Ok, so here's the catch when you plan on taking a big pregnant vaca...DO NOT plan on letting all your inhibitions go by giving in to every craving and come back with a scheduled OB visit, which includes a glucose screening test and plan on passing said screening test! You are simply setting yourself up for failure. Take it from me. When we returned from vacation I had my glucose screening test set for Wednesday of this 26th week. Needless to say I didn't quite pass it. I guess I wouldn't say I bombed it since I only missed it by one point but it was enough that Dr. B set me up for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test! Ugggh..not exactly what I had planned but so be it. In addition to that , we started measuring my fundal height this week and found out that I am measuring one week ahead. Dr. Breniman and I were discussing birth weight and I mentioned to him that Jason and I were both pretty large babies (him at 9 pounds even and me just one ounce shy of 9 pounds), Dr. Breniman just laughed and said, "Well, given that family history...she won't be in the 6-7 pound range" LOL, yeah, we already knew that! We also feel like we will be lucky to get her in the lower 8s. No matter what, I'll be SHOCKED if she weighs 8 pounds or less (hence the theme of this weeks chalkboard) What can I say, we grow em big in our family! Hopefully making for a happy healthy baby! The number one goal! All of this combined made me a little curious so I went to my ultrasound room and threw on the two measurements I was able to do myself at this point and I could loosely tell that she is measuring about a week ahead as well....and she has chubby little cheeks too : ) Bless her! I can't wait to meet her!

Being distracted by my Mexico post I forgot to include that end of week 25/first of week 26, we celebrated our first baby's birthday, my Auggie man! He turned 3 on April 29. I don't know if it's the maternal instinct kicking in or maybe just worry that Auggie will fall to the way side once the baby is here, but something has made me extra clingy to him lately. Yes, of course, he drives me nuts often but I can't help but love him like crazy. I know we are gonna have WAY less time and attention for him and I think it makes my heart hurt a little. For three years we've put all our energy and focus into things for him and it would be totally unrealistic to believe that could still continue. The way he acts like we are just one little pack of dogs all on the same hierarchy level cracks me up. I pray he adjusts well....and straightens a few small non baby friendly habits, I guess we have a little work to do. So for his birthday he always gets a special yummy treat and a new toy from Just Dogs. This year we got a birthday cookie and frosty paws ice cream. And his toy was an indestructible rubber thing that sorta resembles a frog. I think he had a good day! Hey what can I say? A shopaholic never misses an opportunity for a celebration, or an excuse to purchase for that matter!




Spoiled baby!! Just love him!

Cheers,
Kelly