Months 3 and 4

Wow, time sure does get away from you when you're playing with a little one! 

I swore when Michael turned 3 months that I would write a blog... 3 weeks later, nothing had been done! So, I said 4 months.... 2 weeks later, here we are! I find myself never having time to sit down and open the computer. I come home from work to play with my boy, make dinner, give him a bath, put him to bed, do the dishes, prepare for the next day and before I know it, it's 10 o'clock! 

This past month and a half has been super fun! Michael is no longer the little baby that lays around all day. He now wants to play with everything, knock things over, ROLL over, sit up and look at everything around him! When he was first born, I read another blog where the girl said she loves each new stage her baby comes to. At the time I didn't understand, because I never wanted Michael to grow up and start doing things on his own. I already wanted him to depend on me for everything and the thought of him becoming independent at 2 months old, scared me! Well now, I completely understand what she meant! Although I loved Michael being a newborn and cuddling with him 24/7, now that he recognizes our faces, laughs, rolls from his tummy to his back, sits up on his own (for the most part), and falls asleep each night all by himself... I can't help but love each of these new stages! The idea of him being able to sleep on his tummy soon and discovering new things, excites me so much! I don't know why I ever had the feeling of him not needing me, because he does need me more and more each day, just in a different way. 

When four months came, so did the discovery of food! Since the day Brandon and I decided to try for a baby, we discussed baby food and we both agreed to make it ourselves. I've been so lucky and blessed to be able to nurse Michael and now he gets to discover new taste! Although he's only four months and he doesn't receive barely any nutrition from the food, I love seeing his face when he tries something new. We first started out with bananas. Some friends of ours gave us an awesome baby food processor and it works like a champ! We put in one whole banana and some of my breast milk, so he would have a familiar taste. The first time, he was not feeling it! He spit out everything we put in his mouth... I think we enjoyed it more than him! A few nights later, we tried sweet potatoes. This time, we just did a sweet potato with water, to make it the right consistency. This was definitely more of a success! Each time we feed him, he gets super excited and tries to attack the spoon and bowl! Yesterday I fed him smashed banana right from my finger and I thought he was going to eat my hand! 

In these next 2 weeks, before Michael turns 5 months, I'm hoping we'll introduce some more great foods, visit a pumpkin patch and we'll get to celebrate Michael's first Halloween! I can't wait for everyone to see his adorable costume!

Weight:

Birth: 7 lbs. 13 oz.

Month 1: 9 lbs. 11 oz

Month 2: 11 lbs. 10 oz.

Month 3: 13 lbs. 4 oz.

Month 4: 14 lbs. 2 oz.

Length:

Birth: 19 1/2 in.

Month 2: 22 in.

Month 4: 24 in.

Advice Needed: 

Since Michael was 2 months old, he's been sleeping through the night. A little over a month ago, he started putting himself to sleep. I would lay him down and he would talk to himself for about 30 minutes, then pass out. In the past week or two, he has started waking up in the night. Usually I can go in and comfort him for a minute and he'll pass back out, but recently that's not the case. He wakes up and wants to eat, then he'll pass out.... I don't mind waking up and feeding him, but I don't want this to become a habit. How do I stop this?!? On top of that, last Thursday he stopped putting himself to sleep! Now when we lay him down, he screams and screams. I know people say to let him scream it out, but how long is too long? It hurts my heart to hear him crying, when I can easily pick him up and comfort him... But again, I don't want to start a bad habit! If you have any advice, please let me know! We're desperate! 

Now to leave you with a few pictures :)

They're kinda blurry... but you can see Michael and his best friend Jags love each other!

Attacking his sensory ball

Look at those baby blues... Melt my heart!

Two Months

Two months have come and gone and I can't believe how fast it went! Each day Michael changes so much and I feel like I can't keep up! He is growing into an amazing little boy and it brings us so much joy to see his personality starting to come through. 

In his second month, he has done so many new things... He has slept 8 hours here and there and he is now smiling and laughing! Just the other day he started to recognize mine and Brandon's faces :) When I walk into his room in the morning, I'm greeted with a huge smile as soon as he sees me. There is no greater feeling... Here are a few more of his second month accomplishments: we've had our first sleep over with Michael's buddy Mitchell... we celebrated his first Fourth of July... we've stayed at both grandparents houses... we took his first road trip to Houston... he experienced his first thunderstorm... he went swimming for the first time... AND he has started to sit in his Bumbo!!! With all that excitement happening in only one month, I can't imagine what's going to happen in the third! 

Michael continues to be one happy boy and only cries when hungry or dirty :) This momma can't complain! He loves to be read to and loves to be outside. If he begins to get fussy, all we have to do is walk outside with him and he perks right up! We still can't believe he's our baby boy and we grow more and more in love with him each day. 

Surprisingly enough, Brandon's already talking about baby #2... Yikes! 

Michael on Brandon's baby blanket

Michael on mine and my brother's baby blanket 

Weight:

Birth: 7 lbs. 13 oz.

Month 1: 9 lbs. 11 oz

Month 2: 11 lbs. 10 oz.

Length:

Birth: 19 1/2 in.

Month 2: 22 in.

One Month

Oh my! I cannot believe my baby boy is already ONE MONTH old!! Where does the time go? This experience has been the most amazing time of my life and I can't wait to see where our lives go from here. 

Like I predicted, Michael didn't come on his own... We were induced on Tuesday, May 29th at 7 in the morning. After 12 hours of labor, I ended up having an emergency C-Section due to Michael's heartbeat. Michael was born at 8:13 pm weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. When he was delivered they realized he was facing forward with the cord wrapped around him, so his head was stuck in my pelvic bone... which is why he never came on his own! I knew my baby boy wasn't stubborn, just in the wrong position! 

The entire birthing process was an amazing experience and I'll never forget the moment I heard him cry for the first time. As soon as they showed me his beautiful face, I knew the word "No" was no longer in my vocabulary... This little boy has me wrapped around his finger so tight! 

Since we've come home, it's been one heck of a roller coaster ride! We've transitioned from him sleeping in a cradle in our room, to the Nap Nanny in our room, to him sleeping in his crib in HIS room! :) We've gone from feeding every 2-3 hours to every 3-4 and sometimes a little longer at night. However, one thing we struggled with, was his bed time... For the first 3 weeks, Michael would not go to sleep before 11 o'clock. It didn't matter what we did, he would be asleep and the second I would feed him, he would be bright eyed and wide awake! We began to implement a routine at night and things have become way easier! 

Now, we're a month into this and things are running very smooth! We have some what of a schedule and it's working great for all of us! We start our day around 9 o'clock, because little man likes to sleep in, then we play and have tummy time! He usually takes a nap around 11 and wakes up around 12 for another feeding. Usually from 12-3 he's wide awake! This is always the time when I want to take a nap, but he never even acts sleepy! We feed again at 3 and 6, each followed by an hour or so of play time and an hour or so of nap time. Around 8:30/9 it's bath time! I read a girl's blog each week and she recommended giving a bath each night. She said it soothed her baby to sleep, so I thought, why not?!? So now, we give Michael a bath every night and he LOVES it! He can be so grumpy and the second he hears that bath water running, his eyes pop open and he's as calm as a clam! After bath time we feed and then have story time. As soon as I read him his story, we say our prayers and I lay him down in his crib. He usually falls asleep by 9:30 and then wakes up around 2 or 3 to eat again. From there, things get a little shaky depending on his mood, but around 9 in the morning, our routine starts again! I'd say for him being a month old, this schedule isn't too bad! 

In this first month, he's already working so hard to hold his head up, he already straightens out his legs to stand on them and his eyes are becoming more and more focused each day. He never cries unless he's hungry or has a dirty diaper and he loves to hang out with dad and watch the Yankees. He also likes to sleep with socks on and if I forget to put them on him, he fusses until they're on! Last Saturday I weighed him at Baby Earth and he weighed in at 9 pounds 11 ounces! Wow, has my baby grown!! 

When I look at Michael my heart melts. I've always heard that having a child is an indescribable feeling, and I must say it's true.... There is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for this little boy.

40 Weeks

Holy Cow, how did I make it this far?!? I thought for sure I would have my baby boy here by now, but nope... he's still holding on tight! After last weeks appointment I just knew he would come. I was having contractions and I didn't feel well at all... Little did I know, I would still be pregnant a week later! We went to our 40 week check up today and our doctor was surprised to see us, even she thought he would be here by now!!! She went ahead and scheduled us to be induced next Tuesday, but she doesn't think I'll make it until then. Although I do not want to be induced, knowing that there is an end in sight, really makes me feel better. However, I'm really hoping Michael will come on his own and we'll get to experience the thrill of rushing to the hospital and all the excitement that comes with that! Today was also my last day of work until next year :) If Michael doesn't come in the next couple of days, I'm looking forward to relaxing, catching up on tv, and reading my new book... Who knows when I'll be able to do these things again?!?!?!

Oh, and the most exciting thing about posting this blog, is knowing that next time I post a picture, my little man will be here!!!! YYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

How far along? 40 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I was at 19 today... so we're just going to say I gained 20 pounds during this pregnancy

Maternity clothes? a few and I'm so excited to not wear that belly band again!!!! even though I know it will be a while after he comes

Stretch Marks? Nope

Sleep: rarely... I continue to become very uncomfortable in the night and nothing makes it better. Usually when I lay on my back (for a few minutes) I feel better, but now my back is beginning to hurt terribly.

Best moment this week: getting our recliner and ottoman in for Michael's room!! I was so excited to receive that phone call, because I thought Michael might beat it here! 

Miss Anything? not this week

Movement: yep 

Food cravings: COOKIE CAKE!!!! someone posted a picture of one on facebook the other day and now I can't think about anything else!! haha

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope, but the other night I was cooking turkey burgers and they kinda made me queasy.... I got over that real quick!

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: cramping and contractions here and there. I've had a few "big" contractions and we think it might be time, but then nothing happens... so we'll see

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On.. I will definitely be rockin' my ring during my delivery!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy and ANXIOUS!

Looking forward to: meeting my little man.

39 Weeks

Better late than never...

Secondly, sorry this is so late! We've been really busy and honestly, I was secretly hoping Michael would come early in the week, so I could post pictures of him! haha! We had our weekly doctor's appointment on Wednesday and we started off with an ultrasound to check out Michael's measurements.. He had been measuring two weeks late, so we wanted to make sure he was still growing and what not.... Well come to find out, we have a healthy baby boy on our hands! He's estimated at 7 pounds 12 ounces, so he is right on track! They did say he could be less than that, but they also told me that I "hide a baby well" :) During my exam my doctor decided to "help speed up the process" by stripping my membranes... can you say OWWWW! I have never felt so much pain in my life! But, it's supposed to help naturally induce, so we'll see if that works! I am beginning to feel more and more contractions and they are getting stronger, but they're not consistent enough. Hopefully we will not make it to our 40 week appointment next week, because we'll have a baby! 

How far along? 39 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I finally went over 20... I'm at 21 pounds.

Maternity clothes? a few

Stretch Marks? Nope... 

Sleep: lately I've been sleeping like a rock, I think it's because I'm so exhausted

Best moment this week: my birthday and Mother's Day! Also, getting to see our baby boy on an ultrasound yesterday was great :) he's got some chunky cheeks!

Miss Anything? having control over my body... I've absolutely loved being pregnant, but I'm definitely ready to have my body back and hold my baby boy from the outside! :)

Movement: yep 

Food cravings: everything

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: lots of contractions and back pain

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On.. However, the other day at church I thought this might not happen again! My hands were so swollen that I almost couldn't get my ring off!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and ANXIOUS!

Looking forward to: Michael being here... the fact that it could be any day, makes me so anxious and I can't wait to see him and meet him for the first time. 

We got our maternity pictures in today and I absolutely LOVE them!! Our great friend Jona, from Forever Photography Studio, took them and I couldn't be more excited to share some of my favorites!!

38 Weeks... Woah Mama!!

Or at least he's supposed to be the size of a pumpkin...

I cannot believe we are TWO weeks away from my due date! (14 days... WOW!) Brandon says, "Where has the time gone?" and I say, "I feel like I've been pregnant forever!" This week I had my first appointment with the new doctor and it went well. He's extremely nice and I'm not sure why I freaked out about it to begin with. He did tell me that I'm FINALLY a centimeter dilated, but everything else is the same. Michael is however measuring at 36 weeks still, so the doctor wants to do an ultrasound next week to make sure he's still growing. I know he's perfectly perfect in every way, so I know everything is going to be just fine. He just might be tucked into a nice position where we cannot get his full measurement... right?!? I also found out that I've been having contractions and I didn't even know it! Of course they're not anything to worry about at the moment, but I didn't even know I was having them to begin with! When the nurse was checking Michael's heart rate, she told me I was having one and I had no clue! oops! 

How far along? 38 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 19 pounds again.... I wonder if I'll go this entire pregnancy and never reach 20??

Maternity clothes? a few

Stretch Marks? Nope... 

Sleep: sleep is sleep, extremely uncomfortable, but trying to get as much of it as I can

Best moment this week: Finding out that I'm finally dilated!!! Woohoo! It's also Teacher Appreciation Week, so receiving various "goodies" from my kids has been really nice... Hearing that they still like me even though I'm "mean" makes me it even better! ha! 

Miss Anything? the ability to sit down without a butt or leg in my ribs... every time I sit, he wedges something in there! 

Movement: yep yep

Food cravings: everything

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: tons of pressure and braxton hicks... I just keep waiting for the real deal!

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and ANXIOUS!

Looking forward to: Dana's wedding this weekend, my birthday and Mother's Day on Sunday, and spending it all with family!!! I'm still hoping I'll wake up each day and it will be "The Day" though....

37 Weeks

Wow, I cannot believe it's May! The month we've been waiting for is finally here and with it's arrival, comes many new emotions. I've become extremely anxious and each day I wake up hoping it's the big day! The thought of having my little man in my arms in less than a month, makes me so excited, I can barely control myself. Usually when I think about my labor, I don't freak out... However, I've started to panic about it. The idea of not knowing what's going to happen or when it's going to happen, freaks me out! I'm a total control freak and for once, I have no control! This brings a little bit of anxiety! My due date is twenty days from today, but believe me, I'm hoping he'll come early!! I've even started bouncing on a yoga ball, just to help him out! ha! Brandon and I were discussing his arrival earlier and we cannot believe it's going to happen so soon... Brandon is so excited about meeting his son and he is definitely making sure I'm ready to go when it happens! He's making sure I pack my bags TONIGHT and he's putting the car seat in tonight... Needless to say, he might be a little more anxious than I am! 

My doctor's appointment on Tuesday went well, but I'm still not dilated! HOWEVER, she did say that he is extremely low and had dropped a ton in the past week. She also said that's why I'm having a ton of pain in my pelvic area. 

Our air conditioner went out today... AGAIN! This is the 3rd day this week 

and I'm not happy about it... Please excuse the red cheeks, it's stinkin hot!

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 18 pounds <--- Who knew you could lose a pound when you're preggo! 

Maternity clothes? a few

Stretch Marks? Nope... I pray everyday that one doesn't pop up in my last couple of weeks :)

Sleep: sleep is sleep, I treasure every moment of it...before it's gone!

Best moment this week: I enjoyed having Brandon home this weekend and getting to spend a lot of extra time with him before Michael comes. Also, two of our good friends had their babies this week! Ashlynn was born last Thursday and Mitchell was born today! Hopefully, Michael will want to hurry and meet his new friends! ha

Miss Anything? right now I'm missing all my cute summer dresses, tops, and shorts! I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes, but jeez, it's HOT!

Movement: yep, all the time! It looks like an alien is in me sometimes

Food cravings: food in general

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: still tons of pressure, but other than that, we're great!

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and ANXIOUS!

Looking forward to: Michael's arrival... I know we have a little less than 3 weeks until my due date, but let's be real, he could come any moment!!! I also think about my water breaking every time I'm in a horrible situation... Like Tuesday when I was stuck in traffic for 1 1/2 hours! How terrible would it be if it broke then!! YIKES!

36 Weeks

Our doctor's appointment went well yesterday. Michael is still measuring at 35 weeks, so now he's measuring a week late, but his head is down, so he must be ready! This week started our weekly appointments, so it's getting close and we can't wait! Although I would love him here today, I want him to "cook" in me as long as he needs to so I can have a healthy baby boy when he gets here! However, I do give him pep-talks telling him it's okay to come out whenever! ha!

How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 19 pounds

Maternity clothes? a few

Stretch Marks? Nope :)

Sleep: sleep is going okay, I'm trying to get as much as I can now before Michael comes

Best moment this week: This past weekend we went and got the rest of the things we need before Michael comes and we finally got his pack-n-play bassinet ready, so now we just need our little man!

Miss Anything? after state testing for my kids these past two days, I could really use a margarita or ice cold beer :) but it will come in good time....

Movement: oh yes... the nurse at our dr's office said, "He's very active!" 

Food cravings: food in general

Anything making you queasy or sick: this past weekend random things were making me nauseas, but it didn't last long... thank God!

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: still waddling and just feeling exhausted all the time... all of this can only mean one thing, it's getting close!

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and Tired

Looking forward to: Brandon's softball tournament and our friends annual crawfish boil this weekend! Although I will not be eating any crawfish this year, because the thought of it makes me sick, I can't wait to see all of our friends and have a good time! 

35 Weeks

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: probably 20 pounds now, but I'm not sure... however I feel like my belly looks the same as it did weeks ago. 

Maternity clothes? a few

Stretch Marks? Nope :)

Sleep: sleep is still hard for me at this point.. I still find myself waking up to use the restroom or reposition my body (which is not fun)

Best moment this week: I had a really good time at my shower this weekend! I loved seeing everyone there and Michael was blessed with so many incredible gifts! We also received 46 books at his shower! He is definitely going to be a phenomenol reader :) On top of that, we took our maternity pictures on Monday and we had so much fun! There's a sneak peek at the bottom of this blog :)

Miss Anything? not this week...

Movement: Yea, he loves to play in my ribs

Food cravings: cereal and everything else under the sun

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: Still TONS of pressure towards the bottom of my belly and now I'm having problems with my pelvic bone. I'm definitely waddling now, due to the pain in my pelvis; however, it gets really painful at night. Brandon told me I'm not allowed to go on bed rest, which is great because I absolutely do not want that to happen, but I would also love to walk without hurting... I looked up this pain and they say it's due to the baby dropping and the pelvic bone expanding, so I guess it's all getting ready for birth! (That makes me excited!)

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy

Looking forward to: this weekend! Brandon and I have NO plans this weekend and we're super excited! However, I just remembered I have a prenatal massage... so that makes it even better!!!! We are hoping to get a few things done however... like, purchasing items we still need off of our registry,  packing our hospital bag (or getting it started), we might possibly get Michael a coming home outfit, and hopefully we'll get to spend some time with friends!

Here's a sneak peek of our maternity pictures. Our good friend Jona, from Forever Photography Studio, took our pictures and I know they are going to be absolutely amazing!! I can't wait to see them all! 

34 Weeks

Well, well, well, look who's on time this week! ha!

Today we went in for our 34 week appointment and little man is doing great! My belly measured at 35 weeks, so the doctor remeasured because she didn't believe it! She says I don't look big enough to measure a week ahead, but the proof is in the numbers! Even though I'm measuring ahead, this doesn't change anything... next time we go in, he could be measuring on time or late. Therefore, anything is possible...

So this week, my veggie/fruit size source said that Michael is the size of a "durian fruit." Well, who the heck knows what that is?!? So we looked up how much this fruit weighs and how much he is supposed to weigh.... Lets just say we did a little bit of measuring on our own! Brandon and I definitely went into the produce dept. at the store and weighed all kinds of fruits and veggies to find the perfect match! Who knew a papaya weighs anywhere from 4-5 pounds?!? On top of it all, Brandon was taking each item and comparing it to my belly! I'm sure we looked hilarious!

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 18 pounds

Maternity clothes? a few

Stretch Marks? Nope, still using my lotion religiously 

Sleep: sleep is getting a little harder each night. I find myself waking up fifty times a night, due to being uncomfortable. I have discovered that I MUST have a pillow to wrap my body around or else I'm incredibly sore the next morning. 

Best moment this week: we loved spending time with our families this weekend to celebrate many occasions. I really enjoyed Easter with our families, even though Bran had to work, and it got me really excited for next years Easter. 

Miss Anything? Being able to sleep on my stomach... I can't wait to jump on the bed and do a big belly flop!

Movement: Oh yea! His movements are getting bigger and bigger each day... I can't imagine what they'll be like in a week!

Food cravings: cereal.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy 

Pregnancy Symptoms: My stomach has become very tight over the past couple of days and I feel like there is a lot of pressure towards the bottom. I'm also becoming more and more forgetful... Brandon loves it! ha!

Belly Button in or out? Out 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy

Looking forward to: my shower this weekend and our maternity pictures on Monday! I can't wait to see all of our friends and family on Saturday!

For all you moms out there, tomorrow we're meeting with a Pediatrician to see if she's going to be Michaels doctor or not. I would love to go with some questions for her, but I don't even know where to begin! If you have ANY advice on questions I should ask her, please let me know!! You can email me or leave a comment.... But honestly I'd really appreciate any advice you can give.  

33 Weeks

Holy Guacamole!!!! Can you believe next month is May?!?!? I cannot believe our baby boy is going to be here next month... ahhh!!! We're beyond excited about his arrival and we cannot wait for these next 7 weeks to FLY BY! We're so anxious to meet him and see what this little guy is all about! Sorry the blog is a few days late... We've been crazy busy and I've been beyond tired...

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: not sure... but last time I went, a week ago, I was at 15 pounds :) 

Maternity clothes? ehhhh.... let's not talk about it.

Stretch Marks? Nope :)

Sleep: sleeping great, I'm just wanting to sleep all the time now... exhaustion has taken over!!

Best moment this week: our couples shower and my work shower! Our couples shower was beyond amazing and we were so overwhelmed by the wonderful items we received! Then I had my work shower on Tuesday and I was once again shocked by the outpouring of support from my co-workers! Let's just say, Michael is one loved baby :-) I will post pictures soon from our shower...

Miss Anything? I just want one sip of a dr. pepper and I think I will be happy... but I can wait!

Movement: The other night we were laying in bed and it looked like Michael was trying to break out of my belly! We literally laid in bed for over 20 minutes, watching him move around! He is constantly going crazy in there!!

Food cravings: everything.. I'm so hungry all the time...I'm sure that weight gain number will be rising soon...

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: Last week I forgot to mention that I was having some emotional moments. I guess the hormones were going crazy last weekend because everything was making me cry. This week I feel like my walk has become a little different, but not quite a waddle yet (thank God)!!! I just feel like he's tickling my bladder and it makes it really uncomfortable when I walk.... 

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy Happy, I hope I'm not becoming anything but happy :-)

Looking forward to: our three day weekend and spending time with our families for Easter. Also I'm excited about our dr's appt. next week and checking in on my little man. 

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: not sure... but I'll find out on Thursday 

Maternity clothes? tops and I bought one pair of maternity shorts this past week and they're awesome!!

Stretch Marks? Nope :)

Sleep: sleeping great, just continuing to wake up due to feet in my ribs or needing to use the restroom 

Best moment this week: seeing my baby boy at our 3d sonogram... he is absolutely precious and I cannot believe I only have 8 more weeks to go

Miss Anything? this weekend I really wanted cookie dough.

Movement: Oh yea...

Food cravings: anything and everything... nothing seems to fill this momma up!

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: I'm feeling him more and more in my ribs everyday and I try to reshift my body to get him out, but that doesn't help... I also feel like my belly has moved or gotten lower.. I used to be able to look down and see my belly button sticking out, but not I have to lean my head forward to see it.... not sure if this is what's happening or not, but it's strange.

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy Happy

Looking forward to: this weekend!!!!! This weekend I have my good friend Stefani's baby shower to attend and that evening we have our very first baby shower and I'm freakin stoked!!! I cannot wait to see all of our friends and family, plus the decorations, cake, gifts and more!!! This whole shower has been kept a secret from me, so I cannot wait to see what it's all about! Plus it's a couples shower, so Brandon gets to attend it with me :) YAYYYYYYY!!!! On top of all that, we have our final chidbirth class tomorrow night, so I'm excited to finish that and we have a dr's appt. on Thursday, so I get to hear Michael's heartbeat :)

So here are a few shots of my baby boy from this weekend. Looking back at his 21 week pictures, it shocks me how much he has grown! It completely amazes me how adorable he is and how much I love him already. I can't wait to hold his little fingers and kiss his little nose...

Also, this weekend we really started working on the room and we actually hung up a few things! I had originally bought bedding that was greens and browns, but recently I changed his colors. We are now doing hints of reds and blues throughout the room. I've decided to show parts of his nursery over time, but when he's here, I'll reveal the full thing ;) The following pictures are what we hung up over his dresser/changing table. In the pictures there is nothing on the dresser, because we haven't gotten everything yet. There will eventually be his changing table mat on the bottom section and lotions/ointments on the top section... Hope you like :)

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: not sure... but the way I'm eating, I have to be gaining weight!

Maternity clothes? yea, but I just wish they weren't so expensive... all my clothes are winter clothes and it's freakin hot outside!!

Stretch Marks? Nope :)

Sleep: sleeping great, just waking up every hour to pee!!! I heard it got worse in the third trimester, but I didn't expect it to be this bad!

Best moment this week: finding out that my great friend Megan just had her baby today!!! eeeekkkk I can't believe she's a mommy and I can't wait to meet him :) Also, we bought a new camera and I'm obsessed with it! We got the new Canon t3i and it's AMAZING!!! 

Miss Anything? nope... well some days my job makes me wish I could have a margarita or a nice glass of wine.

Movement: His party has now moved to 24 hours a day! He is constantly moving... It feels like he has no room in there so I feel EVERY movement he makes..

Food cravings: thanks to Stefani, I now crave pepper jack cheese with an apple (even though I haven't tried it yet).... sounds weird, but she's prego too and she makes it seem delicious, so I now crave it!! I also want to eat cereal all the time! I prefer honey nut cheerios with bananas in it or lucky charms.... mmmmm, I might go have a bowl in a second ;)

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: besides peeing every hour or craving weird things (again) I'd say I'm doing pretty good

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy Happy

Looking forward to: meeting Megan's little boy Ethan and this weekend we are having our 2nd 4D ultrasound and I CANNOT wait!!!! I cannot wait to see my precious baby boy and see how chubby his cheeks are! Also, Brandon's birthday is this weekend, so I'm excited to celebrate with him :)

30 Weeks

It definitely looks like there is a basketball under my shirt...

Today was our 30 week check up and things are going great! I lost a pound since two weeks ago, which I wasn't expecting.... But at least I didn't gain ten. Michael is still measuring right on time and his heart beat sounded great, as always! On the other hand, we did get some disappointing news; however, it has nothing to do with Michael or me. As some of you know, when I first found out I was pregnant, I was a patient of one of the best Nurse Practitioners out there, Kimberly Stoeckel. I had seen her as my OBGYN for years and I couldn't wait to go through my pregnancy with her. Needless to say, we moved 45 minutes away from her office, so before my first prenatal appointment, I had to find a new doctor. As heart broken as I was, I was referred to a wonderful OBGYN, Dr. Grogono, and things have been great... Well, today at our appointment, Dr. G told us that she is going to be gone May 3rd-21st due to a family medical emergency... I feel terrible for her and her family, because the circumstance is out of her control... However, she told me that I need to look at the other Dr's at her office and pick one to follow me, incase Michael comes early. The thought of having yet another Dr look at me and take me under as their patient scares me and I don't even want to think about it. I know in the end it won't matter because Michael will be here and it doesn't really matter who delivers him, but it's hard to get attached to someone and how they work, then face the reality that they might not be there. Although I would LOVE Michael to come a few weeks early, just because I'm selfish, maybe he'll come right on time and she'll be back for the delivery! 

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: back down to 13 pounds

Maternity clothes? tops, but I'm definitely going to be buying some shorts soon!

Stretch Marks? Nope 

Sleep: sleeping great

Best moment this week: beginning my Spring Break... it's nice to wake up late, clean the house, cook lunch for bran and just hang out!

Miss Anything? nothing this week... shocking!

Movement: He moves throughout the day, but he throws a party at night! He has to be getting me ready for what's to come!

Food cravings: cookies and sweets.... mmmm homemade cookies sound so delicious right now

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: none this week, I'm feeling great!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy Happy

Looking forward to: getting some more things accomplished in Michael's room this week and enjoying the rest of my Spring Break!

I just want to share a picture of Brandon and I from our friend's wedding this weekend... 

I'm not sure who all reads this blog, so I just want to show off my handsome husband! ha! Plus, I always talk about him, so I might as well share what he looks like :)

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: more than 14 pounds!

Maternity clothes? tops 

Stretch Marks? Nope 

Sleep: sleeping great, just waking up to use the restroom a lot more now

Best moment this week: Brandon officially finished painting Michael's room today and I'm so excited! You can actually tell a difference in our picture this week. We did two shades of grey and it looks so good with his furniture!

Miss Anything? we went to thundercloud this week and although the chicken salad sandwich was amazing, I definitely missed my california club :(

Movement: absolutely... he is obsessed with my right side and my mid-line! I don't know exactly what he's hitting me with, but it is hard and hurts!

Food cravings: cookies

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Baby Boy :)

Pregnancy Symptoms: after the kite festival this weekend and walking all over downtown austin, my hips were hurting so bad! I didn't realize how much pregnancy changes everything and it's not like I don't walk all the time... But I guess walking soooo much within a given time frame, really did a number on my body!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy (tomorrow is FRIDAY)

Looking forward to: SPRING BREAK!!!!!!! WOOOO HOOOOOOOOO! I'm so excited to sleep in, work on Michael's room, maybe make some curtains and bedding, spend time with friends and family, and not have to be at work! Ahhhhhh sounds sooo great!

This week we started our birthing classes and I have to say, I left a little scared. Hearing all about the stages of labor, plus what I need to look for in order to call the hospital, and so forth, was a little overwhelming! We did learn though that I am in charge of the remote control at the hospital and I get to pick what's on tv. Therefore, Brandon can't be invested in a Yankee game ;) haha. But seriously, the class was great and gave us tons of new information. Our next class is in two weeks and we'll practice breathing patterns and what not... can't wait for that!