30 Weeks and a couple Maternity Pics

       Ahhh 30 weeks seems so far along. I remember looking at my calendar in the first trimester and thinking I will never get to this point, and now it is here and moving forward fast. This pic was taken during the last sesh of our DIY maternity photo shoot yesterday.

Total weight gain/loss: +21

Maternity clothes? Both, but the belly band is getting itchy because it is tight (that could also be my rash). These jeans are my fav. regular pair from Old Navy...they are stretchy so even in pregnancy they are buttoning and comfy!

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: good except for I had wasp nests in my suitcase last night during my Mimi's vowel renewal ceremony…woke up with such relief

Best moment this week: Nursery and finishing maternity pics, now I just need to finish editing

Miss Anything?  Running (I cried about it) and a cold adult beverage

Movement: We sit there feeling the solid lumps in my stomach and laugh while we try to guess what part of him it is

Food cravings: Had the best watermelon all summer this week and am now drinking chocolate milk twice a day

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  The belly button is officially flat which weirded Matt out a little
Wedding rings on or off?  On and freshly cleaned
Happy or Moody most of the time: I have my moments

Looking forward to:  Finishing the nursery and our childbirth classes this weekend

       I  drink two glasses of chocolate milk a day now…and a gallon all by myself this week. This would not be considered a weird craving to most people, but since I have been lactose intolerant for almost 8 years and haven’t had a glass of milk in about that long we consider this to be my strangest pregnancy craving. Matt’s half-gallons would go bad and I wouldn’t even know it before; now he can’t even get to the gallon fast enough.

       After editing, I finally broke down and shared a couple maternity photos that are finished. If you haven't seen them, here they are:

30 weeks from the session yesterday 

28 weeks from our babymoon session

       We FINALLY finished taking our maternity photos! I cried in the middle of them due to the harsh sun and wind blowing in the wrong direction at our “perfect location” in the cotton fields...oh hormones. The weather in Houston felt like a hot, wet blanket was laying over me. We drove through the country which eased my mind, then stopped at our neighborhood golf course to finish up the session. Matt kept asking me if I just wanted to try again in a couple weeks. The thought was tempting since I will be bigger, but I just wanted to finish while we were dressed. I love the way most of them turned out I the end. This would make the perfect before/after image for how the day went...

       Yes, the face was a posed one...I was sitting pretty, waiting for Matt to snap the picture when the wind blew my hair (I thought in my face again) and then I heard him start counting to take the pic...so the face was held for all 3 seconds. He then fussed and said it would have been pretty if I would have smiled, so I listened to my "photographer" for the next shot. Staging, taking, and modeling for the pictures is tough to do. I guess I could have just said that is how good my editing is! ;) Cannot wait for you to see the rest!

30 Weeks and a couple Maternity Pics

       Ahhh 30 weeks seems so far along. I remember looking at my calendar in the first trimester and thinking I will never get to this point, and now it is here and moving forward fast. This pic was taken during the last sesh of our DIY maternity photo shoot yesterday.

Total weight gain/loss: +21

Maternity clothes? Both, but the belly band is getting itchy because it is tight (that could also be my rash). These jeans are my fav. regular pair from Old Navy...they are stretchy so even in pregnancy they are buttoning and comfy!

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: good except for I had wasp nests in my suitcase last night during my Mimi's vowel renewal ceremony…woke up with such relief

Best moment this week: Nursery and finishing maternity pics, now I just need to finish editing

Miss Anything?  Running (I cried about it) and a cold adult beverage

Movement: We sit there feeling the solid lumps in my stomach and laugh while we try to guess what part of him it is

Food cravings: Had the best watermelon all summer this week and am now drinking chocolate milk twice a day

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  The belly button is officially flat which weirded Matt out a little
Wedding rings on or off?  On and freshly cleaned
Happy or Moody most of the time: I have my moments

Looking forward to:  Finishing the nursery and our childbirth classes this weekend

       I  drink two glasses of chocolate milk a day now…and a gallon all by myself this week. This would not be considered a weird craving to most people, but since I have been lactose intolerant for almost 8 years and haven’t had a glass of milk in about that long we consider this to be my strangest pregnancy craving. Matt’s half-gallons would go bad and I wouldn’t even know it before; now he can’t even get to the gallon fast enough.

       After editing, I finally broke down and shared a couple maternity photos that are finished. If you haven't seen them, here they are:

30 weeks from the session yesterday 

28 weeks from our babymoon session

       We FINALLY finished taking our maternity photos! I cried in the middle of them due to the harsh sun and wind blowing in the wrong direction at our “perfect location” in the cotton fields...oh hormones. The weather in Houston felt like a hot, wet blanket was laying over me. We drove through the country which eased my mind, then stopped at our neighborhood golf course to finish up the session. Matt kept asking me if I just wanted to try again in a couple weeks. The thought was tempting since I will be bigger, but I just wanted to finish while we were dressed. I love the way most of them turned out I the end. This would make the perfect before/after image for how the day went...

       Yes, the face was a posed one...I was sitting pretty, waiting for Matt to snap the picture when the wind blew my hair (I thought in my face again) and then I heard him start counting to take the pic...so the face was held for all 3 seconds. He then fussed and said it would have been pretty if I would have smiled, so I listened to my "photographer" for the next shot. Staging, taking, and modeling for the pictures is tough to do. I guess I could have just said that is how good my editing is! ;) Cannot wait for you to see the rest!

29 Weeks

       I have been one busy girl getting the nursery ready for baby boy! That along with all my appointments and Matt's PE classes starting up have got our schedule jam packed. I celebrated 29 weeks while glazing the nursery dresser, and then went to Leigh Ann's (only 2 days after she had baby Sam) for fish while we watched the Saints game (hence the saints outfit).

Total weight gain/loss: +20

Baby’s Size: Size of an acorn squash

Maternity clothes? Same as before…some of both

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: good except for my itchy rash

Best moment this week: seeing the nursery come together

Miss Anything?  running and being able to buy the cute colorful jeans

Movement: definitely...I have a feeling soon you will be able to distinguish body parts

Food cravings: Fruit and chocolate milk...drinking a cold glass as I type

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes...it is sticking out more and more and people are starting to notice and hold doors open for me...so nice

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  It is slowly flattening out
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Both…too busy to really think about it

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done and finishing our maternity photos

       Matt took it upon himself to schedule his TDaP booster vaccination for Friday since he was off. I am so proud that he has been so proactive in getting informed, vaccinated, and informing others about the importance of this shot. Our son now has even more protection...and all of this has been done in memory of Aiden. 

       I broke out in an itchy rash on my arms, neck, chest, belly, and legs after pulling weeds on Friday...even though you can't see it in the pic I was feeling pretty annoyed and had anit-itch gel all over me. The diagnosis: contact dermatitis…basically I am allergic to grass, weeds, pollen anyway and pregnancy has heightened that sensitivity to the point where my skin broke out in a rash. The doctor said that I didn’t even need to touch the weeds to get it; just walking outside with my sensitivity can cause it. The remedy: my Claritin, lots of Benadryl, topical and pill prescription strength Benadryl…and it should go away but will probably come back again before I deliver. WONDERFUL! I have been an itchy maniac all week! 

       I got a text from Matt saying that he is sorry I am so itchy, but maybe it is because of the fact that LSU's first game is this Saturday. He says I have the "college football itch". Honestly, I think he may be right...thinking about football season sends a rush of adrenalin through me and makes me want to do a happy dance. We are on the verge of my favorite season!!! I have already gotten the clear to go to College Station when the Tigers play A&M...I will be 37 weeks! The dr. may change his mind as it gets closer, but for now he is saying, "yes, but if you start having contractions you have to jump in the car and head back"...love my doc.

back in 2007...after LSU won!

One Last Getaway

       Last Thursday we headed to the Texas Hill Country (near Austin) for a weekend of R&R before the little (most likely hairy) guy makes his big debut. It was MUCH needed for me, and I'm sure for Matt too. Although it was their hottest month and they were in the middle of a drought, it was still pretty enough to hike, kayak, lay by the pool, shop, and enjoy the scenery...HILLS! 

The view from our porch

       We brought Bijou along since the place was dog friendly (a lot of private cabins). She had her good and her bad moments, but we figured she deserved a vaca too before she gets spayed this weekend and has a baby brother in a couple months. 

       It was quite relaxing since we were forced to spend mid-day indoors because of the heat one day and the rain the next. Luckily our cabin was pretty nice, along with the resort which was very family friendly. One night they even had a movie under the stars with a fire and smores going...we missed it because we went to the nearby observatory to see the stars, Saturn, and Mars with the guidance of a local astronomer.

       We went shopping Friday afternoon at a nearby town's knick-knack shops...look what I found!

       The lake was extremely low due to the drought. All of the floating docks were sitting on the ground which made getting the kayak out there a little more difficult, but it is nothing we couldn't handle.

 Kayaking on the lake on day 2 in between the rain showers

 Day 2 hike

       We took a few maternity photos our last day (coming soon), followed by the series I like to call: "Bijou spots a rabbit...yes we have a hound dog"

Bijou spots the rabbit...

 Bijou chases rabbit...

 on the trail through the woods....wearing nice shoes...typical

Now I guess we better get back to the nursery which is about 50% done...eek

 He will be here before we know it!

28 Weeks

       I hit 28 weeks last Friday, while we were in the Texas Hill Country, on our baby moon (post coming soon). This was during our morning hike on Friday...don't worry I took it easy and stayed hydrated.

Total weight gain/loss: +19

Maternity clothes? Same as before…some of both

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: good

Best moment this week: working on our nursery with my mom and going on my baby moon with my husband…much needed

Miss Anything?  Walking without pain

Movement: Yes, my stomach now jumps at random times…it’s a bit alienish

Food cravings: Fruit and chocolate

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  It is slowly flattening out
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy because of my mom helping me out! :)

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done and finishing our maternity photos (we decided to do them ourselves)

Our trial run....

Welcome third trimester! 

Officially 6 months pregnant!

Half of a year!

27 Weeks!

Less than 3 months until my due date!

...where did the time go?! 

Remember this? Beginning of second trimester in comparison to the beginning of the third...the day after my trial run

Total weight gain/loss: +19

Maternity clothes? Same as before…those shorts still buttoned which is pretty crazy

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Not great this week because of my stopped up nose

Best moment this week: FINALLY getting the nursery painted AND my baby shower of course!

Miss Anything?  Just doing things without worrying about the heat or if I’m over-doing it

Movement: Yes, a nurse said, “your baby moves A LOT! That’s good, only happy babies move that much!”

Food cravings: Chocolate milk and sweets….not good because my glucose test is this week

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  wondering if it will stay an innie (fingers crossed)
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Need to control my anxiety and relax!

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done, our babymoon this weekend, and scheduling a maternity photo session (just decided to do it...I want to remember this time forever)

I guess you could say I made a dramatic entrance into the third trimester...with what we are now jokingly calling our "trial run". It was not so funny at the time, in fact, I was a blubbering mess. Once it was all over, we are happy that it was just a trial run and we can laugh about it now. 

 After leaving Lafayette last weekend, I of course got sick (like always), so I put myself on bed rest for a couple days to try and get my allergies under control and rest my body before it turned into an infection. 

It worked! 

So Friday and Saturday I took it upon myself to finish painting the nursery...mainly because my ribs could not take sitting anymore! About mid-day Saturday I knew something wasn't right because of some symptoms I was having. I called our healthcare nurse line and they told me to get to the hospital. Introduce the blubbering mess...

After getting checked out, everything related to the symptoms looked fine BUT we found out that I was having contractions 3 minutes apart which I was completely unaware of until about 5 minutes later when I started to feel them. They flipped me on my side and had me start downing water to try and slow them down. Apparently dehydration, combined with stress caused false labor. I now know what they feel like and what to look for/do if it happens again. 

The good thing is our baby's heart was perfect the entire 5 hours we were there and he moved like crazy. "Only happy babies move that much!"-our nurse. They also all LOVE our doctor, Matt said it is almost ridiculous how many good things everyone has to say about him.:)

Our trial run...after everything was ok. Hopefully we won't see those nice ladies again until November!

They have been seeing a lot of women come in with the extreme heat and humidity down here, so everyone drinks lots of water! I now have a couple of drill sergeants that regulate my drinking and activity levels in the heat of the day....and just think this all happened the week I didn't work out once! 

Cheers To Milk!...my baby shower

       My best friends threw me a baby shower last Saturday, in Lafayette. Cheers to Milk was the theme and it turned out so cute! I am definitely different from some people in that my family lives in one place, Matt's in another, and my best friends are now all separated. Although 4 friends did something to make this shower happen, only one was actually present...the others were there in spirit! :)

       One of my best friends, Leslie, hosted the shower and had such a creative spread of delicious treats. Her husband owns a local Lafayette bakery, Twins, and they supplied some of the treats...thank you guys for your amazing desserts! 

       There was cake, brownies, cheesecake in a glass, oreo sandwich cookies, cookies, powder donuts, white chocolate pretzels, and a few other baked goods to enjoy with our cups of MILK! There were also sandwiches, deviled eggs, and chicken tenders in case someone doesn't have as much as a sweet tooth as me.

       Guests were asked to sign an ultrasound picture that was later framed and given to me to hang in the nursery. They were also told to write tips, inspirations, or funny quotes on diapers for us to read as we change diapers late at night while exhausted. The favors were bags of Hershey's kisses with tags that said "Milkaholic" and "kisses from Baby Tag".

My mom got some quotes from my Oklahoma family too

       We were "showered" with some terrific gifts, and I was really feeling the love and support we have from our Lafayette family and friends. Matt's mom (Bibi) gave me his framed birth certificate and "going home" picture...hmmm I wonder if our baby will look like that ;). She also gave us Matt's going home outfit, a blanket his grandmother had made for him to use when he was a baby, and our highchair. 

My mom (Didi or Doodle...still undecided) had gotten us the Bob stroller earlier...but also gave us a mustache pacifier (awesome), cd she used to put Jake to sleep with, a stars book to read to the baby (a la our engagement), diapers, and wipes at the shower

It was hard to find a good pic of ALL three of us...see...this one cracks me up!

I think we got a good one!

Leslie and I in front of her creative spread (other party helpers not pictured: Erika, Leigh Ann, and Ashtyn)

       Here are a few party pics...thanks to everyone who helped throw the party and everyone who came out in the rain to see me and baby Tag! I love all of you!

"Sitting on the dock of the bay"

       I celebrated 26 weeks in Cypremort Point, Louisiana. We went with my dad's friend and some other guys on a boat to catch bait fish in the area. Matt and I capped off the night by sitting on the private pier catching more bait fish...well he and my dad fished while I watched the sunset and talked with some other women about how they wish they could've been pregnant when there were cute clothes for pregnant women. The next day was my baby shower and Matt and the guys were going offshore fishing, so our main objective was to take it easy.

Total weight gain/loss: +19

Baby’s Size: Size of a head of lettuce

Maternity clothes? Same as before…those shorts still buttoned which is pretty crazy

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: pretty good

Best moment this week: Getting out on the water

Miss Anything?  No heartburn when I eat

Movement: Yes, he likes my ribs

Food cravings: fruit, water, moscata, and chocolate milk

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes…It really hit when when I tried on this (too tight/too short) dress

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  wondering if it will stay an innie (fingers crossed)
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Same as last week…need to get these stress levels in check

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done and the baby shower

       This was an emotional week and jam-packed with little "to-do's". I do believe we own a bed-and-breakfast these days with all of our summer guests. We don't mind as long as they don't mind a little renovation happening during their stay. Matt assembled the crib to start getting the nursery set up, but there is still lots to do (including painting).  We also bought a fan to replace the existing "boob" light which still needs to be installed. Matt wouldn't go for the general run-of-the-mill fan for his little boys room...cannot wait to see what the one HE picked looks like in there. Here is a preview of our progress (sort of) ;). I want my boys room to be pretty...well boy...I keep thinking of what a little man's room would look like. It will (hopefully) be a little adventurous, a little mechanical, a little rustic, a little mixture of everything...like a well-rounded kinda guy. Now you see why it is taking me a while.

Here is the board I have been compiling all of my ideas on...don't have too much narrowed down yet.

25 Weeks

       I'm doing a little blog catch up...the past few weeks have been crazy and now I am sitting on the couch sick so I guess there is no better time.

       Since we have been so busy, I kept forgetting to take a 25 week belly pic...so with few to choose from, here it is. Around 25 weeks trying on a dress for my baby shower...I guess the tight, short dresses that are in style now don't work for a curvy pregnant girl. This was the first time that I had to double take at my belly though.

Total weight gain/loss: +17

Maternity clothes? Same as before

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: pretty good

Best moment this week: Putting together the crib and hearing the heartbeat at the doctor

Miss Anything?  Eating dinner without reflux and a tasty beverage

Movement: Yes, it is one of my favorite things ever!

Food cravings: fruit, water, and chocolate milk

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Still looks slightly belly button-ish
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time…stressed too…it is becoming EXTREMELY busy around here and I get pretty emotional at times because of it.

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done and the baby shower

       Apparently once the stomach passes the boobs, people start to notice. For the first time I FINALLY got the question, “When are you due?”…not once but twice this week. I really want to mess with someone and say, “I’m not pregnant!”…just to see their face for a second before I tell them the truth haha.

Taking a break at our new gym's pool (had to buy a new swimsuit top that fits)...lazy Sunday 

       We have officially moved ALL of our stuff out of the office to start to create the nursery and test paint colors. This was no easy feat; it had become our goodwill pile room and we couldn't even step foot into it.

The office/junk room...nursery before picture

       Oh and just in case I haven't mentioned how excited we are about our Bob stroller...it is a pretty big deal to us so I hope we love it as much as we are anticipating. It took a while to pick out, then Matt assembled it and took it for a test run in the living room. We go on walks and jogs often so there was no way we weren't getting a stroller that could be equally active.

24 Weeks...Age of Viability!

       On the way out to Matt's 28th Birthday dinner, we stopped in the front yard to take my weekly belly pic. Apparently this week is a big milestone for pregnancy...the age of viability! Basically, it means that if I were to have the baby now, the hospital considers it viable and believes it can survive with lots of help...I think there is a 50/50 chance...not good enough for me so sit tight baby boy; we promise to be patient if you are. Besides, the nursery is still in progress ;). 

       For the record, this is what I feel like when I have to take these pics now...

Total weight gain/loss: +17

Baby’s Size: Size of a cantaloupe

Maternity clothes? The target be band still rocks my socks…I am still wearing all of my regular shorts thanks to it (not sure how much longer though...those things can only go so wide)

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: pretty good

Best moment this week: Just being able to sit and feel the baby move, and Leigh Ann and Aaron visiting us last weekend to look at houses for their big move…to OUR neighborhood….CRAZY!

Miss Anything?  Eating dinner without reflux...my dinners this week consisted of cereal, pb&j, and ice cream because everything else BURNED!

Movement: Yes and he is getting more and more consistent…he likes to move a lot when I sit down to eat or when there is music on

Food cravings: fruit, but nothing acidic

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? It may not be too much longer until it simply gives up
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time…stressed some of it

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done and the baby shower

       Leigh Ann and Aaron visited us this past weekend to look for houses in our neighborhood! Crazy how that happened! It was a long weekend (like house hunting/moving typically is). Leigh Ann is about 6-7 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy and had a little scare while she was here due to dehydration and exhaustion. It reminded me that we DO need to rest and make sure to stay hydrated in this wicked summer heat; especially since I always try to do just as much as I did before. I also got my baby shower invite which revealed the theme to me…Cheers to Milk! LOVE it!

       We celebrated Matt's birthday on Saturday by going to eat steak at a new restaurant he had been wanting to go to. Afterwards, we went and got a frosty to share while we sat in his truck talking (felt like high school haha). I guess it is the simple things I enjoy doing so much with him...I am one lucky lady. Happy Birthday!

       PRAYER REQUEST: This week had a cloud over it (and another scare for me) as baby Aiden got his wings after weeks of fighting whooping cough. His mom is one of my aunt Jill’s best friends, and he had developed whooping cough at around 3 weeks old and tried hard to fight until he went to Heaven at 7 weeks. Please pray for his family to continue to find strength through God. Their faith is so strong and they have been a constant source of inspiration for me, but this is one of the hardest things anyone could go through in life. I will use his memory to continue to educate myself and those around me about the dangers of whooping cough on an infant. Matt and I are looking into getting the vaccine before our little boy is born, and I urge anyone who is planning on coming in contact with an infant within the next 5 years to do the same. R.I.P. sweet Aiden. https://www.facebook.com/50ForAiden

23 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +16

Baby’s Size: Size of a grapefruit

Maternity clothes? Same old same old

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: great

Best moment this week: seeing all the cute stuff my mom found for the nursery via text…that girl went crazy! AND getting my carter’s clearance order shipment…Matt and I get excited when we think of our little boy in the clothes…oh and the stroller. Oh and my prenatal massage! Lots happened!

Miss Anything?  Moscato

Movement: Definitely…still not consistent though

Food cravings: fruit and real food

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not this week

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Poor thing is hanging in there
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, moody, happy, moody, happy

Looking forward to:  Nursery and baby shower

       Matt is now my “trainer” at the gym and I am liking it so far...although he does make me do side planks blah. We are starting to nail down some things for the nursery; we ordered the crib and our BOB Revolution jogging stroller came in from my parents. We are so excited to use that bad boy...it rides so smooth and has the best name(bob) ever! I just may have to name my son that ;)...so Bob can go for rides in his Bob.

Whoomp there it is...

       It seems like this baby bump is growing bigger by the day now...I took this picture tonight (22 weeks 3 days) on the way to one of the worst dinner experiences of our lifetime haha. I kept meaning to take my belly picture over the weekend, but Matt has been busy getting his application material ready to take his PE Exam...so I just stayed in my cleaning clothes all weekend; relaxing and cleaning the house (sort of). I finally told him that it HAD to be taken before I grow another inch! After my first ever prenatal massage I threw on some clothes, took the pic, and headed to dinner.

Total weight gain/loss: +15...felt like I needed a pic from the front to show my belly is not really just chub ;)

Baby’s Size: Size of a papaya

Maternity clothes? Be Band, rubber band, and stretchy clothes/dresses. I did receive my first official maternity shirts and a pair of maternity linen pants from Matt’s family for my birthday yay!

Stretch marks? No...I love cocoa butter type of lotions and vitamin E oil...so far
Sleep: great except for the cramps I get in my calves that wake me up

Best moment this week: Relaxing…my body needed to play catch up after all the work I did last week

Miss Anything?  I walked past sushi at the grocery store and wanted to tear into all the packages like a raviness wolf…4 more months!

Movement: Yes…we can feel it from the outside everyday now and it is moving up into my ribs

Food cravings: sweets…mostly fruit this week…I am also just more hungry in general now but cannot eat too much at once

Anything making you queasy or sick:  When I am hungry I have been feeling sick again…booo

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY! Matt called and asked if he could stop by the lego store on his lunch break.

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? My belly button is so wide and shallow that you can see my tan line (I had a super deep belly button before)…it looks freaky.
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, moody, happy, moody, happy

Looking forward to:  Getting the nursery done so I can breathe again

       Now that we know we have a little man on the way…let the shopping begin! This could get bad real quick… Matt had off for the 4th so we went to Carter’s to buy the first boy gear together (besides what my dad had bought “knowing it was a boy”). That was a fun experience, but I am sure I will not get Matt back there many more times. We also registered at BabiesRUs. Talk about overwhelming! I am pretty sure we have a lot of unnecessary and un-matching  items. I kept hearing another woman say, “I have no clue what I am doing” and “How do I know if our baby would prefer to swing back-and-forth or side-to-side”…took the words right out of my mouth! By the end we were so drained that we just started scanning stuff with the intention of deleting the stuff we don’t need online later.

 Matt shopping for his boy at Carter's (he loved this shirt, but we couldn't find the right size)...not sure why the pic is washed out

The saga of which video monitor is best...this went on for every major product

 The diaper bag debate...not too girly, outside pockets, etc...in my festive 4th attire :)

 Our Carter's purchases...just a few of the things we have found for him (picture washed out again)

        Matt also felt the baby move for the first time this week. On two separate occasions he felt the kicks, but they are so small that he didn’t get as excited as I thought he would. He said it felt like my muscle was twitching. During the day (when Matt is not home), the baby goes crazy and I have started to see the kicks when they are above my belly button. At 22 weeks exactly I was also kicked in the ribs for the first time…I guess I better get ready! It seems so early to have that happen, but I have NO torso so I guess that and my back-rib pain came early for me. Hopefully the prenatal massage helps with that and my regularly swollen ankles (which started on the Branson trip).

       As for the name…we have pages and pages that I put together. Then when I read them Matt says no to the majority. He doesn’t want a common name (like me), but doesn’t want it to sound made up (like me), but then doesn’t give suggestions…just shoots mine down. So the result will be our baby not having a name for A LONG TIME! Suggestions welcomed, but don’t get your feelings hurt if they are not used. ;) For now I guess I’ll call him Hanz. It is what we called my brother, Jake, until he was born and given a name. Hey, it is better than me saying “it” (because I am still not used to “he”) or still calling it an alien like I did in the first trimester. It'll take some time, but I'll get used to it.

       Gable was lost a year ago today, so it has been a bitter sweet day for me with lots of tears. I still look at the shelter website for her every day. I sometimes think that if she is in Heaven she is there with Lucky...watching over Bijou and their soon to be little brother. She would have been the most gentle and sweet "big sister", but I see Bijou getting more and more like her every day (in her own way). I will never forget that sweet girl and never give up! Love and miss you Gable girl!

Baby Tag's Reveal BBQ

       I turned 21 weeks the day before the BBQ, but forgot to take a belly pic by myself that day. This cheesy "prom" pic of Matt and I will have to do this week haha.

Total weight gain/loss: +14

Maternity clothes? Be Band and stretchy clothes

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: great

Best moment this week: Seeing our family, finishing our cabinets, seeing our baby, and hitting that piñata to find out what we are having!

Miss Anything?  Not really

Movement: Yes…it is getting stronger and stronger

Food cravings: sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction: BOY! Matt is now getting his playbook ready to coach peewee football haha

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? My belly button is getting more shallow by the day…eek
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to:  Gotta start the nursery and the baby shower     

       We really wanted to include our families in finding out the gender of the baby, so we decided to have a laid back BBQ and hit the pinata (in the previous post) to find out what we are having. If you haven't watched the video yet it is a must! 
       Unfortunately, this weekend was plagued with lots of rain so we moved all the tables inside and stayed there until it cleared up just enough to go outside and hit the pinata. We also set up a canopy in the backyard for Matt to grill the burgers, sausage, chicken, deer backstrap, and roasted corn...we had quite an assortment that I got almost no pictures of :(. I pre-made the potato salad, chocolate cake, and appetizers (with my moms help). My other special request for dessert (because cake wasn't enough) was root beer floats, so I am glad we made that happen...and I wonder why I gained 3 pounds this week! ;)

The tables and our voting board

       
       I don't think I have ever seen a gender party so one-sided in what they thought it was going to be. We made a voting chalk board for everyone to sign and after I saw all the people going boy, I voted girl for some healthy competition (even though after the ultrasound I had a strong feeling it was a boy)...and I am pretty sure a couple other people did the same thing. It seems our little man was sending out the boy vibe to everyone.

 Our guesses....then we switched just to be fair

 After Lee and Amy left, there were only 3 girl votes in the group

 We were way out-numbered by the boy voters

 Ready to do this!

 It's a BOY!

We cannot wait to meet you little man!

We are having a....!

Today happens to be my birthday, and I cannot think of a better gift than finding out the gender of my first child. The gender reveal BBQ was a blast! I will be doing a more detailed post on the party itself later this week. For now, the most important part...the piñata that we got stuffed with the color candy and confetti of our baby's gender...enjoy!

Yay, now I can go shopping and start decorating ;).

Guess that Gender!

       We just finished our day of anatomy scan, hospital tour, and doctor's appointment. We gave them the card to circle boy or girl and seal in the envelope. The ultrasound tech was 99.9% sure it is what she circled...now we wait until Saturday. :)

       The baby measured a few days ahead (of course), but the due date will stay November 9th. It already weighs 15 ounces; one more to go until it's at a pound! It's heart rate was 144 and everything looking perfect with no markers for anything. I am hoping from here on out it is smooth sailing for us!

       The tech was good at keeping the gender under wraps; we both have no clue what it is. We were given two cd's: one with the ultrasound pictures (like the profile and "goods") that we cannot look at until Saturday and the other has a few 4d images of the face on it. The baby was quite the little mover and kept it's hands by it's face most of the time so it was hard to get a good pic. I am the kind of person who peeks at my Christmas gifts so this may be difficult. Here are the 4d images to tide us over...without further adieu here is baby Tag's face..half way done!

Let the guessing begin!

Half Way There!

       Wow! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by...20 weeks already! I cannot imagine possibly having a baby in my arms in 20 more weeks. On the day I turned 20 weeks we also happened to be celebrating our 2 year anniversary, so we had double to celebrate. Matt found a "hidden gem" in the country near where we live (we get the best of both worlds...country and city). Karl's on the Riverbend (aka to all you Louisianians...on the Coulee haha) was an old-time looking restaurant/used to be house maybe, complete with a fireplace and cuckoo clock above it. Their menu was not as simple. The chef is Swiss and their menu has everything from chicken with hollandaise sauce to wild boar. I got the pork chop with apple, and Matt got the rack of lamb. We also had the best scallops ever for an appetizer and free chocolate and amaretto mouse for dessert. I left feeling like I was pregnant with 2 babies. In this pic (before I ate) I am exactly 20 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: +11

Baby’s Size: Length of a Banana (crown to heel now)

Maternity clothes? Be Band and stretchy clothes

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: great...except for bathroom breaks and it is getting hard to roll over

Best moment this week: Seeing the Hubbard family in Branson for our reunion trip, going jet skiing (carefully), and our anniversary dinner

Miss Anything?  Nope…well...try going on a family vaca and not drinking…just saying

Movement: Yes…play some loud club music and it happens

Food cravings: sweets still…which is typical for not-pregnant me

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:  yes…they finally started noticing at boot camp...but strangers still say nothing

Gender prediction: I think I am not letting myself feel like it is one or the other for fear of feeling disappointed when we know…I do not want to be disappointed in my child already ;). Matt just says he doesn’t prefer one or the other, but just knows from a feeling that it is a boy haha. Typical.

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  In
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Symptoms: Lower back pain/sciatic nerve pain, rib pain, fullness when eating a little, achey muscles, some ankle swelling...no bueno

Looking forward to:  Seeing the baby on Wednesday and finding out the gender at our reveal bbq

2nd Anniversary Dinner Date

       We headed to Branson for the Hubbard family reunion/father’s day weekend on Friday. The whole family went to a couple shows at night, Silver Dollar City one day, watched the Thunder one night, and spent the day at Lake Table Rock on Monday. I have not been on a jet ski in so long that when Matt wanted to rent one I didn't refuse. He took me on a careful, easy ride through the lake...gotta do these things before I am stuck holding a baby all day. It was good to hang out with my dad’s side of the family; it hasn’t happened in a while. All of my younger cousins have grown up so much.

Kristen and I listening to a band the first night

Cooling off in the lake

Jake and Dylan

Dylan just graduated high school and Jake will be a Senior this year...ahhhh...Jake is also a certified life guard now. Congrats on landing my dream job ;)!

Jake and Kayla took the jet ski for a spin...

My aunt and uncle...I practically lived at their house for part of my life 

 Matt and I about to jet ski

 Kris and Brandon

Scott and Casey...what a brave 6 year old

Haley and Corey

 Matt helped Casey be captain for a while

The G's...they were great sports! 

I love this picture of them

       The baby is also quite the dancer; we were in a loud show with a lot of singing and dancing and it started kicking like crazy. Later in the week I was listening to one of my favorite burned cd’s, by Kristen, and it would not stop kicking. It seems to appreciate the faster paced club music…NO JOKE...we already have a club rat on our hands ;). Well baby, get ready for your momma to dance it up with you (oh no I am my mom)! I know you are supposed to play classical music to make the kid smarter, so what about rap/dance music? Hmmmm… On Tuesday (the day we flew home and Matt and my two year anniversary), I felt the movements behind my belly button which was a really creepy feeling.

       Running is a pain in the a** these days. I never thought I would be the person who prefers lifting weights over running, but now when we are sent on a run for bootcamp I moan like most of the woman. I tried to do a mile around a pond near our house (I used to do 3 every time I ran easy-as-pie) and had to stop twice. I just felt like a ball bouncing up and down with two sticks for legs. My bladder gets the brunt of the bouncing, so one of those stops was to run into the bathroom. Along with that, my poor legs and rear now get to do all the work with little help from my abs unlike before. Ugghh...you never understand when people say these things until it happens to you.

Our reveal party invite

      This is the last weekly bump post before we know if it is a girl or boy yay! We have a lot to do this week to prepare for our reveal party; including our anatomy scan on Wednesday. Based on the old wives tales I have written for the past weekly updates we are having a boy 5-4...feel free to send me your votes now!

2 Years Ago...

        ...today...I married my best friend. I cannot believe it has already been two years, and now we have a baby on the way. My how quickly things change. Honestly, marriage to Matt is fairly easy for me. Yes we fight on occasion, but for the most part we are a team there to make each other's lives easier.  I hope this continues when we have children to care for. Our wedding took a year to plan (while I was in school) and was over in the blink of an eye...I am so glad we captured some of our favorite moments to remember forever.

       I would love to type a big love note for him on here, but our life right now is busy, awesome, and real which makes it hard to reminisce sometimes...I am enjoying the real at the moment. Hopefully we can slow things down soon and take it all in. This October we will have been a pair for 10 years...and it seems better than it did 10 years ago. 

 Homecoming 2002...our senior year of high school and first dance together

 Homecoming 2002

Top of The Rock- NYC-Summer 2007

 LSU Football 2007

Las Vegas 2008

 Galveston 2009- 5 minutes before proposing

       If there is one thing I can say about Matt it is that he is very generous, helpful, and understanding. He is always the friend to help out others...and he has the most patience out of anyone I know. He has a quiet (strong) confidence that I pray our son inherits from him.

Honeymoon in St.Lucia

First Anniversary- June 2011

New Orleans 2011

       I was really hoping to get Matt to feel the baby kick for our 2 year anniversary, and it has been kicking a lot this evening, but it is still too sporadic. Our consolation prize is a nice dinner this weekend, finding out the gender in 11 days, and hopefully a small babymoon to re-kindle and become an unstoppable pair before the baby comes.

How far along?  19 Weeks 3 days (in pic) taken at Table Rock Lake during our Hubbard family reunion

Total weight gain/loss: +10

Baby’s Size: Large Mango

Maternity clothes? Be Band and stretchy clothes

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: great

Best moment this week: Getting our new back door put in and working on the cabinets...am I weird?

Miss Anything?  Nope

Movement: yes, but less than the week before

Food cravings: sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:  yes

Gender prediction: I honestly have no clue what it is…I am carrying higher, but I haven’t really widened…at least not yet

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  In
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to:  Finding out the gender, our reveal bbq, and our anniversary dinner

       We worked hard the weekend before 19 weeks on cabinets, hardware, the new back door, fixed the toilet flusher, and fixed the a.c. I actually forgot I was pregnant for a short time because I was so busy. I have been feeling full a lot which makes me feel like I cannot breathe and I get occasional aches...guess I am growing. At 19 weeks, we flew out to Branson for our Hubbard family reunion/ Father's Day weekend. 

18 Weeks

       This past weekend was chocked full of diy home improvement projects (hopefully I can post some soon). So when we finally had a chance to take a belly pic of me not covered in sweat, sawdust, and paint...we took advantage. This pic is not the best, but was taken at 2 am, when we got home from a night of cooking, board games, and me drinking root beer....oh ya I forgot that I cannot stay up until 2 am anymore....especially when we had to wake up around 8:30 to do construction.

Total weight gain/loss: +9, but it is so sketchy

Baby’s Size: Length of a bell pepper

Maternity clothes? Stretchy dresses.skirts, work out clothes, and I rocked the Target Be Band for the first time on Monday with the shorts from the 16 weeks pic because they WOULD NOT button. It was quite comfy.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: great

Best moment this week: Oklahoma with the fam

Miss Anything?  Nope

Movement: Yes and I felt one kick on the outside for the first time

Food cravings: Chocolate

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:  Matt calls it my beer belly because it just sticks out in the front (at least that is what he tells me to make me feel better)

Gender prediction: based off of Old Wives Tales and my cravings for the past few weeks (sweets), I am saying girl this week

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  In
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to:  Finding out the gender and our reveal bbq

       I spent half of the week in Oklahoma with my family. While floating on the raft on Monday I felt a big kick and several small ones in the same place, so I pressed my fingers there and after a few seconds of nothing…Wham! A kick right in the fingers…crazy! I also got to visit my Aunt, uncle, and cousins. My cousin Casey, who is now 6, is the funniest kid you will ever meet. Together, we planned my second wedding to Matt…you know the big party vow renewal with our closest friends and family we are already dreaming of. Apparently, it will be under water on the beach, and I will have a water-proof dress, and serve banana ice cream instead of cake. :) DONE! He is also quite the little celeb, and was on the Children's Miracle Network Telethon being interviewed and in a commercial that weekend. He was born with spinabifida, but he is such a little talker/flirt/athlete and is the perfect representative for children fighting an ailment.

 See charisma! ;) Just having some fun on our shopping trip

The shirt just doesn't look quite as good on me (the most belly you will probably see while I am pregnant...17 weeks 2 days).

As per other's advice, I lathering on a high spf sunscreen so I wouldn't burn....too bad it was a gel which apparently doesn't jive with me...I got splotches of burn which have now turned purple :/

          This week I found out that my current body fat % is 25% (one percent away from the "fitness" level) which is not bad at all considering I am 4 months pregnant. One woman swore my kid will come out fit; telling me I was an inspiration to still be bootcamping (that was the first time I have EVER gotten a compliment that relates to physical fitness haha). I wish I could go longer, but because of the summer heat this will be my last month. I don’t want to be anyone’s inspiration…just don’t want to get lazy when I stop going.

This is My "#1 Aunt" On a Mug Post

       I know it is still early, but I feel this post is/will be well deserved. From the moment I told my sister I was pregnant she has been so excited. When I first saw her, she ran straight to my belly and started rubbing and talking to it. I have never had a doubt that she would be good with my kids. 

       Ever since we were younger she has had a way with kids...she cracks them up! All she has to do is look at them and they {especially Jake when he was young} roll over with the full-on belly laugh. I have always been secretly jealous of her ability to do that...afraid that she will be a better aunt to my kids than I would be to hers. She just has a real charisma that even babies understand without words. That paired with her fun-loving coolness {yes, I just used that description} will make her one of their favorite people to be around. I just KNOW it! As long as she promises to tell me their secrets, that is fine with me ;).

See what I mean!?...Charisma (Me holding Kristen, the rabbit)

    So it should have been no surprise that her of all people would be the FIRST person to buy our first baby an outfit, with character...one of the coolest onesies I've seen! I think I may have mentioned a local Lafayette business called, Parish Ink before when talking about a shirt I got for Christmas from Matt's sister. Well of course they would even make cool stuff for babies and when I saw this onesie last year I added it to my pinterest board. 

       Apparently as soon as I told Kristen I was pregnant she bought this for me...I mean baby Tag ;). I got the gift from her this past weekend and I LOVED it! {and I had not even gotten her a b-day gift yet...I admit it...bad sister}. Matt and I cannot stop talking about how excited we are to put our Cajun, Persian, German, Irish, English, etc. {Mutt} baby in this. He/she will be using Cajun slang as his/her first words...awesome! Thanks Aunt KiKi, we love you!...now what do you NEED/WANT real bad for your b-day?! 

17 Weeks

       After my 17 week doctor appointment, I headed to Oklahoma to see my family. This picture was taken at 17 weeks 2 days right after brunch with my mom, sis, and Brandon...I completely ran out of ideas for this pic so please forgive the randomness.

Total weight gain/loss: +7 …yes it went down from last week. Apparently my scale at home is off because when I went to the dr. I found out I only gained 5 pounds from week 7-17…so I just added another two for the first 7 weeks.

Baby’s Size: Onion…my favorite!

Maternity clothes? Stretchy dresses and work out clothes…I’m on the border of clothes not fitting
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: great

Best moment this week: Doctor’s appointment and heading to Oklahoma

Miss Anything?  Nope

Movement: Yes…more and more

Food cravings: Chocolate shake

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:  A little

Gender prediction: Matt has a STRONG feeling it’s a boy! ;)

Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out?  In
Wedding rings on or off?  On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to:  Finding out the gender

       My 17 week appointment went well…healthy heart beat of 153 bpm. The next appointment is an anatomy screening ultrasound and gender (but we may wait until that weekend to find out ourselves). So be expecting an update around July 1st on the gender (my birthday).

       Friday (17 weeks) I headed to Oklahoma with my dad to visit my mom, sis, and brother for a long weekend. It was nice to catch up, shop, and especially relax by the pool even though I got a crazy splotchy sunburn. I am so proud of my little brother, who will be a senior in high school this coming year (ahh I feel old), but has started taking college classes this summer. He is experiencing the long days you sometimes get while in college this week, but I know it will pay off in the end. The visit continued into my 18th week....

Sunday brunch with my mom and Kris (and the awesome photographer, Brandon)