35 weeks - Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter y'all!!  What a beautiful time of the year, knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead after His crucifixion, death, burial.  What love God had for us to give His only son, to die on the cross for our sins, only to raise Him up and call Him home to Heaven.  He's alive, I'm forgiven - Heaven's gates are open wide.  We're forgiven.  Amen & Amen!  Our pastor spoke on Peter, and how Peter was one of the more tenacious of the disciples- the only one to get out of the boat and walk towards Jesus on the water, and yet he was the one to deny knowing Christ 3 times in one day.  After Jesus had rose from the dead, and the disciples hadn't yet seen Him, Peter was the one to recognize that it was Jesus calling to them from the shore, telling them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat to get fish, b/c they were unsuccessful on one side.  He swam to shore without hesitation, and when he got there, it hit him - his denial.  Jesus asked him 3 times if he loved Him, and even in his shame, he did not deny his love for Jesus.  Jesus's instructions to Peter, "then feed my sheep."  He was given a second chance, although he had already denied knowing Jesus. The most beautiful part about this, is that we are given 2nd chances through Jesus.  His love for us is amazing, His grace is abundant.  It really struck me b/c He has blessed us with so much love and grace, I feel unworthy and undeserved.  My goal is to become more aware of this grace, mercy & forgiveness and to really let it resonate from the inside out.  It's not by my words, but by my actions that others will see Jesus.  I'm not perfect, and I really need to work on this!  Thank you Lord, for another chance!
35 weeks, already.  It's so weird saying that, even thinking that it's already been 34 weeks, and baby Ava's due date is on 5 weeks!  I am so anxious to see what she looks like, to see how she acts, if she'll sleep during the day or during the night, if she'll cry or not really cry at all.  You know, all those soon-to-be-mommy things that we think of.  ("we" b/c I'm joining the club!!)  It's been such an amazing journey, it really has flown by. With such an appreciated uneventful pregnancy, it is still hard to remember sometimes that there is a person inside of me. There is a life growing inside of my body.  God has blessed me to carry that life, and to take care of it.  It's truly amazing to know that there's baby Ava moving all around inside of me, and that she's her own little person.  She will be our responsibility and now Don & I will know the love that only parents know.  I thought I loved my little Coco with all of me, but this will far exceed that love.  (Please do NOT ever tell Coco I said that, I don't want her feelings to get hurt and for her to resent me!) Wow.  Surreal - I cannot say that enough.
Yesterday my two closest friends threw my baby shower & it was so beautiful.  While I had some ideas as to how the decor would be, I was blown away by how great they did!  Well, I knew darn well that they both had the capability of doing what they did - one has thrown so many showers she could have her own business & the other, while it was her first, her artistic talents totally went into overdrive and she shabby chic'd this shindig out like nobody's business.  I walked in and was beyond pleased!  The food, punch, games, decor, group - all great.  I am so blessed to have friends like these girls, and all of my friends that were there.  It was great!  Ava's going to have a lot of great aunts to love her!  I'll have to get my computer all set up and upload the pics that I took of the decor and some of my friends.  So sweet.  Pink, white, grays, lovely!
Below is a picture of myself (duh) and Erin.  Erin is not my sister, but kinda looks  like we could be in this picture!  I first babysat E when she was 18 months old, and she'll be 21 on 5/10!  Wowzers, makes me feel so old!  Then came her two little brothers, and I was their nanny for almost 10 years.  It was amazing to be a part of such a lovely family, I love them like my little siblings.  Oddly enough, I love their parents like they are my older siblings.  I have truly been blessed with this family, and they have welcomed Don in as an extension of me!  I can't wait for them to be a part of Ava's life, because I know they will love her like I loved them!  My heart is so full!

Me & Erin

How far along?  35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:   8lbs (yes, that lunchtime weigh thing at the office wasn't my best idea... lol)

Maternity clothes?  Yes, although I did hit up forever 21 this past week and got a couple of tops to wear (one for my shower, the other just because).  I had gone in destination maternity first to find maybe a cute dress or top to wear, and I was so disappointed.  I don't like cap sleeves, butterfly sleeves, exaggerated maternity tops... I walked out empty handed (and saved $$ b/c y'all know that place can sneak up on you in a heartbeat!).  Eh.... oh wells. 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep:  I did sleep a little better after last week, thank goodness.  

Best moment this week:  Definitely my baby shower!!  It was so lovely!  How 'bout my mom guessed exactly my size w/the string - that game played at showers.  Dead on.  She of course wouldn't take the prize, but how funny?!

Miss anything? Bending over, the energy to do something for a few hours at a time, wine.  

Movement?  Yes, a lot!  One gf told me yesterday that she heard if baby moves a lot during the day, she'll sleep at night; if baby moves a lot at night, I'm screwed.  Well, she moves randomly, mostly during the day, but you know, she sure gets active late at night!  uh oh! 

Food cravings: Chocolate here and there (still), and I think I should go get some cheese nips/cheezits.  That sounds really good... 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  I had chili the other night, and then for some reason, later that night, cereal sounded really good to me (apple jacks, to be exact!).  No bueno. I woke up w/that indigestion that burned my throat so bad, I could barely get the words, "I need water" out to my husband before choking something terrible!  Not a good move. 

Gender: girl

Labor signs: no, thank goodness! 

Symptoms: Same ol' stuff - indigestion, lower region pain, and being tired.

Belly button in or out?  Pretty shallow but still an innie!! 

Wedding rings on/off: On - only time they're tight is when I've had a lot of salt - typical.  

Happy or moody? Happy, excited, probably a little naive b/c I'm also unprepared! 

Looking forward to:  Something I should've done long ago - get the furniture ready for Ava's room & get it set up.  I also really want to get some dreft detergent and start washing all of the sweet clothes Ava got this weekend!  (and the car carrier seat, stroller seat, etc since I got them at a consignment store.) 5 weeks - time to get serious!!  

xoxo

34 weeks!

"6 more weeks until Ava's due date! Will she be early or late?" (shoot,  she's my daughter, y'all know she'll more likely be late than early!)

How far along?  34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:   10lbs... oopsie, I guess I found some more lbs this past week! My appt is on Wed, so we'll see what it says then.  (this was after lunch...)

Maternity clothes?  Yes

Stretch marks? No

Sleep:  I think my days are numbered. I was up a few times last night wide awake!  Guess my body is getting ready for something.

Best moment this week:  We were at my mom's house (me, Don, mom, bro Chris & bff Shellie) and Ava was moving around a lot.  They got to see it - and it was so funny! 

Miss anything? Laying on my stomach, bending over

Movement?  Yep! 

Food cravings: Chocolate - which may be the cause of my found lbs, sometimes chips (like the sweet southern heat lays - mmm!)

Anything making you queasy or sick?  No

Gender: girl

Labor signs: no, thank goodness! 

Symptoms: Same ol' stuff - indigestion, lower region pain, and being tired.

Belly button in or out?  Pretty shallow - closing in. 

Wedding rings on/off: On (wonder if I should find another one just for backup? Like a simple band... hello shop lately, Amy Corwell  (love her simple jewelry), and/or etsy! 

Happy or moody? Happy for the most part!  Starting to get a little anxious though... 

Looking forward to:  My baby shower this weekend!  I hear that it's going to have some pretty spectacular decor, and it's being done by my 2 closest girlfriends. I can't wait!! 

xoxo

33 weeks

How far along?  33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:   7lbs (found those 2 lbs I lost...)

Maternity clothes?  Yes

Stretch marks? No

Sleep:  You know it! 

Best moment this week: All the movements from Ava

Miss anything? Cold sandwiches & sushi. I'm sure eating a cold sammy would not hurt me one bit. Oh, also, being able to bend over & polish my own toe nails. Also bending over to do anything. 

Movement?  A lot!  Some days it's all day long! 

Food cravings: Chocolate still, orange juice, cream cheese

Anything making you queasy or sick?  No

Gender: girl

Labor signs: nope - but I am feeling the ligament pains we learned about in the birthing class. 

Symptoms: Same ol' stuff - indigestion, lower region pain, but also stuffy nose.  And new this past week - suuuuper sleepy around 4:00 at work. How beautiful a 10 min nap would be! 

Belly button in or out?  Pretty shallow - closing in. 

Wedding rings on/off: On (hands are not swelling at all just yet; the right foot sometimes is puffy & the left stays normal.)

Happy or moody? Been pretty happy all week - praying a lot more to remember to speak more nicely to others.  The verse I have on my desk that I look at daily & need to practice: Eph 4:29 "do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Looking forward to: Getting this crib out of my cubicle and inside my house! 

xoxo

My newest "accessory"

Ya, a bib.  I have to wear a bib sometimes when I eat!  LOL!!  I can't really always sit upright or lean over when I eat, so as I'm sitting here at work, already dropped something on the desk (no myself!), and dropped my plastic fork on my keyboard, I've got a bib on.  What a mess!  (Lunch is good, but I certainly don't want to wear it!  I cooked chicken thighs (boneless/skinless) w/red, green peppers, onions (only some) and sprouts, in a thai coconut & peanut sauce.  Mmmm.... over jasmine rice, it's delish!  Believe it or not, I didn't even need to add sriracha.  Or I didn't want to torture myself. Ya, that's it.  It'll get the baby moving by itself.
Speaking of dropping food, I dropped couscous, a fork, steak all over the counter Sunday night - the "relaxin" or whatever they call it during pregnancy has set in! So clumsy.  oy!

Hope y'all have a good day, and stay clean during lunch time!  (now, where is that chocolate....)

xoxo

p.s. that giant box behind me in the pic, it's the crib!!  Yep, gotta get my husby to come get it b/c it won't fit in my car, but it's here!  Yay!!

32 weeks!

This week was a pretty good week, if I do say so myself! Sleeping in the right bed, listening to the new noises from the house - and just being thankful for all of the blessings God has given us.  So undeserved, that's for sure.  Our learned patience has been so helpful during the last 7-8 months, especially the last 2.5 months, while we stayed at my mom's house, waiting on the close of the house and then knowing that after we closed, getting the work that we wanted to have done to the home before we moved in.  The last few weeks certainly have been hard to get thru, but it sure paid off!  That's not to say that our leaving mom's wasn't emotional, she cried!  When we talked the next day, she told me that she too woke up super early that Saturday, with a reassured feeling that her kid[s] were where they should be - in their home. It was comforting to hear her say that, b/c that's exactly right!  We're so happy!  Bonus -- we got that grille out and grilled steaks for dinner Saturday night! Mmm..... So tasty!!
Well, as mentioned in week 31's post, I had picked out a crib for Ava (and her future siblings), and needed to go a Target on the other side of town to get it. Thank goodness I called b/c the one that they had listed was the display!  So another word of advice, when Target's website says that a particular store has "limited availability" definitely call them first, b/c that means the display. And no, they don't sell that, b/c it's got other pieces on it - like one that holds a sign I guess.  And it was all sold out online!  Boo!!  Back to square 1.  I looked and looked and found a couple of other ones that were almost the same, put them on my registry (so I wouldn't forget them!), and went about my business.  Imagine my sheer delight when I decided to go online later this week and Target had them available!  I immediately transferred the money that was gifted to us by my father & his wife for a crib (yay!!), and put the crib, a mattress & a mattress protector in my online cart.  Order placed! Ah the crib.  So what that I had to pay $50 to ship it, I got the crib that Don & I liked, and all was well.  I set it up to deliver to the office and breathed my sigh of relief.  One more thing taken care of for Ava's arrival.  Next up, we have got to get that furniture from mom's house over here and start sanding and painting!  I've been saying it forever, and I have got to do it!! We'll figure out how to get it here, and then, with the crib here, I can match white paint, and get to stepping. She'll be here in 8 weeks!!  8 weeks, oh my goodness! I cannot believe it!
I had my 32 week check up at the dr, and all went really well.  I got to see a Dr that I really liked - kinda hope she's the one that delivers Ava.  She said I'm measuring right, baby will probably be about 7.5-8.5lbs (which is average) and will be about the average length, too.  It was really neat when she pointed out that her head was already down, her butt was on my left side, and her feet on my right (rib areas).  So sweet.  With each week, day, moment that this little thing grows and moves, my love is really starting to bloom.  I feel like I'm sort of reserving it for now, and as soon as Ava comes into this world, a flood of love will flow over her! For now, I have to make sure sweet Coco gets a ton of love from me - my sweet furbaby.  She is getting spoiled with cuddles and back rubs - not too much spoiling, so we don't have to break her from that.  Just lots of loving. She's very happy to have her yard back, so I know she's happy with us.

How far along?  32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:   5lbs - how 'bout I jumped on the scale and had lost 2lbs - even after a couple of days of pigging out!  Nice.  (Dr is going to recommend another ultrasound to make sure baby is growing just fine, since I've gained so little weight - she wasn't concerned, she just wanted to recommend it for 36wks.)

Maternity clothes?  Yes, and more regular cotton tops, since I have them all hanging up in the closet now.  Also, I am loving the spring colors out now - the bright yellows, the turquoise!  Nice.  (I also bought 2 new dresses from Old Navy online - a long maxi & a navy eyelet one, since Easter's right around the corner!)

Stretch marks? No

Sleep:  You know it! 

Best moment this week:  Going to my dr's appt, and hearing great news.  I lost 2lbs, baby is of average size/weight (yay!), no problems, and the dr pointed out where her head/butt/feet were.  :) 

Miss anything? Pretty much nothing at this point! 

Movement?  A lot!  I love it - it's so freaky but awesome. 

Food cravings: Chocolate - I now am craving chocolate, which scares me b/c I don't want to gain a ton these last months, but I guess I'm okay... 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Not really. 

Gender: girl

Labor signs: nope

Symptoms: Same ol' stuff - indigestion, lower region pain, but also stuffy nose! 

Belly button in or out?  Still in, still shallow.

Wedding rings on/off: On

Happy or moody? Been doing a LOT better this week - nice, happy, not as moody.  I think I'm just relaxing more, which is great.  I feel happier, or maybe just more at ease. Either way, it's an improvement from last week.  

Looking forward to: Our birthing class - we're doing an all day "crash course" at the hospital I'll be delivering (Baptist South).  It should be informative, as much as we'll need for it to be.  

......... Update - after the class, that is: Don & I got a lot of information for birthing, labor, etc.   Now, I'm officially terrified of going through labor!  I'm teetering on natural vs. the epidural, and then the more I think about it, the more anxious I get!  I don't want a c-section, that's for sure, but I'm am going to do some more research, and see if I can go thru the natural process - and maybe do the epidural if I'm halfway dilated.  Who knows, I mean, I won't really until I'm there going through it, but it's nerve-racking thinking about prelabor, almost labor, real labor.......... gosh, I didn't realize there were so many phases of labor!  We both - Don & I - will be a mess, you'll see.  Lord, help prepare us now! 

xoxo 

31 weeks & all moved in!

A beautiful site - our storage container @ the house!

Hello there!  

The unthinkable happened at week 31 - Don & I moved into our house!  Our things were delivered to the house on Tuesday this week, and Don got started emptying it out immediately.  His friend also came over and helped out a ton - and then by Thursday it was all empty and all of our things were inside!  So antsy to get in this house!!  We spent the first night here on Friday night and it was SO NICE to be back in our bed!  We had a great night's sleep, and even woke up early to get started on organizing & setting up! I thought for sure we would maybe sleep in, but nope, we were up & at 'em by 7:00a.m.  Loving every minute of it.  I got set on my pinterest inspired bathroom wall, and after 3 coats of Valspar paint, it looks good.  I'll have to do some touch-ups, but that's fine. The other walls are all solid, in the darker color.  I just did the one accent wall, and I love it!  Word of advice: Don't buy Valspar paint (sold at Lowe's).  It's just not as good as the quality of Behr or shoot, even the Martha Stewart paint I bought at Kmart years ago.  Go to Home Depot.  

                                                                                        

measuring my lines

finished project

It's been a lot of fun, and we've got the kitchen done!  That's about it for now, lol.  The more will come in time! It's just great to be "home," finally!

31 weeks!  Little Miss Ava has done well w/the move (as if she had a choice...), and is quite a mover herself.  She's really started moving all around and I love it!  Don had a freak out moment, he got to feel her moving and it was so weird for him!  (I told him to imagine what it felt like on the inside!) 

How far along?  31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:   +7 lbs (still holding)

Maternity clothes?  Yes (and I get all kinds of new choices, having my closet back!)

Stretch marks? No (I should put here that I had already been cursed w/these when I gained all my weight years ago.  During this pregnancy - so far - there are no new ones to mention.)

Sleep:  Yes - esp now that we're on our bed!!

Best moment this week:  Knowing that we'd be sleeping in our own house by the end of the week.  And Ava's growing movements. 

Miss anything? Started to really miss red wine. 

Movement?  Most definitely!  Wow - this feeling is incredible. 

Food cravings: Cereal, occasionally pizza and now, chocolate! 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Not really. 

Gender: girl

Labor signs: nope

Symptoms: Indigestion, hip pain, pain/soreness in my lower region - pretty much the same. 

Belly button in or out?  Still in, still shallow.

Wedding rings on/off: On

Happy or moody? Often times moody, but trying to work on that.  Had only a couple of "melt downs" this week!

Looking forward to:  Setting up shop - it's perfect for a nesting pregnant girl!  Oh, and getting the crib for Ava.  I found one I liked from Target, a Graco, and we just have to go get it.  Fingers crossed they have it, b/c I couldn't find it in the stores I went to.    We'll try next week!

Me: 31wks, Heidi: 28wks w/twins!!

I leave you with a picture of myself @ 31wks & my friend Heidi, who is actually 28wks here, with twins!! She looks amazing here - and in real life!  Props to her - and prayers for a [continued] healthy pregnancy!  I have to mention, this girl got me good - this picture she said was great of both of us - especially since it showed we have backs - we aren't blobs.  You can see the curve of our spines , not just a solid mass. Oh I love that!  LOL

30 weeks

How far along?  30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:   +7 lbs - apparently I was 2lbs off, b/c I looked at my chart this week while at my appt, and I weighed 2lbs less at my first appt (8wks) than what I thought. Eh... I'll take 7lbs, though. It's not so bad. 

Maternity clothes?  Yes - although top in this pic is from Forever 21 & I loved it! Still able to wear heels occastionally, but I'm mostly in flats. 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Some nights are better than others. 

Best moment this week:  Feeling more movement from Ava.  It's so strange, but I love knowing she's moving in there.   

Miss anything? Furniture & our bed. 

Movement?  Oh yes - and Don finally got to feel it! I'll have to do some research on these braxton hicks things. 

Food cravings: Cereal 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Not really. 

Gender: girl

Labor signs: nope

Symptoms: Indigestion, hip pain, pain/soreness in my lower region which makes sleeping/getting out of bed not fun.

Belly button in or out?  Still in, still shallow.

Wedding rings on/off: On

Happy or moody? I'm still moody, but really trying to hold it back. It's no fun being so ugly and I've got to remember to pray thru it! 

Looking forward to: Moving in - although that's a given.   Other than that, just loving all these movements I'm feeling. As weird as it is, and as unnatural as it feels, it's still pretty cool.  

xoxo