In the homestrecth

I received a text message today from a friend reminding me that I was in my last week of my second trimester. It's so hard to believe that the third trimester is so close and we will be in the homestretch!! I do wish I had been better about blogging and picture taking throughout my pregnancy though. I wanted to blog on a regular basis and every time I thought about it I was busy doing something else and told myself I'd do it later, and alas here is later ( a few weeks later.) Hopefully I will get some pictures this weekend of the Brody's room because it is coming along so nicely.

We had our first shower and got some great things and were able to get a shelf with lime green totes that fit in as well as his green lamp. We set the area up and I like to call it Brody's reading corner even if it isn't an actual corner. At the shower we got precious little outfits, bath stuff, his first book, a pack n play, a swing, his baby book, a book for me and dad called "Bringing up Boys", and the list goes on and on. We are so lucky to have such great family and friends. I will put up pictures from the shower soon too, it was decorated so nicely and I enjoyed every minute of the time with friends.

I am 27 weeks now and have really started feeling him kick and turn, which is a blessing to me. I went a few days without feeling him and my doctor told me to start doing kick counts when this happens. I believe my prayers were answered because since then, I've felt him kick on and off all day. I was really excited when Eric was finally able to feel the little guy, as well as my parents and a friend at work. Feeling those tiny kicks are such a blessing and I am so ready to meet this little man. My belly has done A LOT of growing in the past weeks as well. It's so funny to me when I see people after a week or so and they react to the growing belly because it changes so much all the time. In the next few weeks we will be going for our 4D ultrasound and I can't wait to see his little face and body. I also have my glucose screening coming up at my next prenatal visit and from what I have heard, it really isn't that bad. They say the worst part is waiting on the blood to be drawn. So far, I have been blessed with a pretty good pregnancy... only a few weeks of sickness, back aches that I can tolerate and I don't think my hormones have made me to cranky but you would have to ask Eric for sure.

How Brody should be developing at this stage of the pregnancy....

- around 15 in long

- just over two pounds

- hearing is progressing

- taste buds are developing now

We have so much to look forward too and coming up so I will try to get better at my blogging and picture taking from here on out.

Diaper Bags and Updates

I am about to start my 24th week this coming Sunday, and things in the belly department have really hit a growth spurt! I am no longer able to wear my jeans but have found a few cute maternity pants and of course lots of sundresses have become my go to outfits. My scrub tops are getting a little tight around the belly as well so while I have a few pair left that fit, I have switched to plain t-shirts and my lab jacket to get me through the rest of the pregnancy. Brody is kicking a lot still but Eric has still yet to feel. I really look forward to the day that he feels his little boy bouncing around in Mommy's belly!

Eric and I have had the last few days off together and I have really enjoyed our time together. Two full days off never happens for us with our conflicting work schedules. We even made it to the gym two days in a row, this hasn't happened much since our pregnancy started but we hope to get back into the swing of things. Yesterday we went on a diaper bag search and it turned out to be harder than I imagined. I really wanted a diaper bag with the clear covering which makes it easier to clean spills and such. The problem with this was, we didn't find many patterns that were fit for a boy. We made our way to pickles and ice cream and found one with blue, green and brown stripes and was really cute (I'll post a picture next time) so we went with that one. It is a Kalencom bag and I love it. Who knew diaper bag shopping could be so difficult! Today we woke up and both had appointments for haircuts. I feel 100 times better with touched up color and a good trim. We ventured off the the gym a little later and then to do some mattress shopping. We are in limbo about the new mattress because although a new one would be very nice, the prices can be somewhat steep on a good one and with the baby coming, we know we have more important things to save for and buy. Something for us to think about and possible purchase in the future, right now my back hurts every morning but is most definitely due to the pregnancy and lack of good sleeping position.

Here is a picture of me at 23 weeks

22 Weeks

22 weeks.....WOW!!! It's so hard to think that I am more than half way done with my first pregnancy. I have become to enjoy being pregnant, even the more roundness of my belly on most days. Everyday I seem to grow a little more, in fact Sunday morning Eric's exact words were " look at that belly". It made me smile and laugh.

Last Thursday we had an ultrasound appointment followed by a visit with our doctor. Brody seemed to be a little shy that morning because he wasn't moving at all for the ultrasound. The technician had me on my back and moving from side to side in order to get certain looks at things. He is approximately one pound now....can't believe it!! His legs look very long to us so hopefully he will be getting some height from his daddy. Everything looked great and she said all his measurements looked like an EDD of August 24th. Just a few days more than the original EDD. I however would like him to arrive just a few weeks before the end of August...talk about a HOT summer!!! He is kicking/moving around quite a bit these days, but Eric has yet to feel him. The other night I was in bed reading and he was moving like crazy but when Eric got home and placed his hands on my belly...NOTHING. Eric went to let the dogs out and he moved some more. Eric came back....Nothing! One day soon though I hope Eric is able to feel the little guy moving around in there. All updates on Brody, mom and dad are wonderful!

In other news, I mentioned in my earlier posts about my good friends who are pregnant as well. One is on bed-rest now and her baby girl will be here any day now. My friend Amanda found out a few weeks before us that she will also be having a little girl and my really good friend Amy found out yesterday she will be having a little girl too. One of our other friends already has a sweet little girl so it looks like Brody will be the man of the play dates and we will have our hands full!

I hope to paint some canvases to hang in his room and give some life to the walls. I'm not too crafty, so hopefully they will turn out. I'll let you know how that goes in the next few weeks!

Time Flies

It seems as though I just took that trip to the bathroom and found my two pink lines. And in just a few days I'll be 21 weeks! I guess time flies when you're having fun! I have really enjoyed being pregnant for the most part but this last week I have just felt HUGE!!! My husband and others assure me that I'm in fact not huge, just starting to look pregnant. I'm hoping this was just a phase for me and I won't get as down about my size anymore. I go to the doctor this week and we have another ultrasound the same day. I'm looking forward to seeing his little self again but am not looking forward to the scale!!! I' afraid the weight gain is going to start catching up to me. At my last appointment I had gained 5 1/2 pounds total which I felt good about, but I don't see good results in my future this week. We shall see!!

Here is a picture of me at 20 weeks, not the best picture but I'm trying to keep track of my progress and I think it's neat to see how much I change each month!

Off to get things done around the house so I can go see Tim McGraw tonight with my wonderful husband and parents!!! I can't wait!

Pictures

His first piggy bank that my mom got him. It is sitting on top of his chest of drawers. Somehow I managed not to get a full picture of the drawers.

We decided to go with ribbon and hand his name at a angle.

His crib and bedding.

This is the view from the doorway. We plan to add a rocker or glider in the corner showing and can't decided if we want long curtains or not. Opinions are welcomed!

If someone out there has an easier way to add pictures to a post, please help. When I tried to add them to the last post, they all went to the top. and I wanted them at the bottom and wasn't able to move them!! Hope you enjoyed the room thus far as much as we do!

Let the decorating begin....

We ( well mostly Eric) have been working on little Brody's room this week. I really wish I would have taken before pictures because it doesn't even look the same. Before the room had a home gym, treadmill, gun cabinet, all of Eric's guitars and accessories for them. The room was kind of a catch all area for when we didn't have room for something. Now the room has new baseboard, new ceiling fan, new paint and of course now occupies all the things waiting for the arrival of our precious baby boy.

Picking out furniture wasn't a hard task for us, but deciding on bedding was!! We didn't like the so called "themed" rooms that are available for little boys but without those, there isn't much to choose from. We finally picked one and then it was off to pick out paint....another tedious task for us. But we decided on a chocolate brown with cream trim and it looks fabulous!! We knew we wanted to paint his name but had long discussions on how to hang them... on ribbon, on the wall, straight, diagonal, over the crib and the list went on and on. All decisions behind us with my husband hard at work this week, our nursery has a whole new look and we LOVE IT!!! I find myself going in and just standing around imagining our little boy in there one day soon. Here are some pictures, and I really hope I get them where I want this time.

Going to the Chapel.....

No, I'm not going to the chapel but one of my best friends since junior high did and the day was beautiful! My friend Amanda got married yesterday and we has a wonderful day of brunch/shower, hair, food, laughs and a wonderful ceremony. The weather was going to be a test for the day but you know what they say...rain on your wedding day brings good luck for you marriage. It was sunny and nice outside for the most part of the day. Right at the end of the reception as she and Chayne started to head out, the rain came and it brought some cool temperatures that were not welcomed here on the first day of Spring. All in all, the day was perfect with no mishaps and all of our dresses fit for the most part. My dress could have been a little better but with my every changing body, you never know how you're going to look when you wake up in the morning. So congratulations Chayne and Amanda!!! Now we are looking forward to their little girl Emma Rose to arrive in July. Of course we think Emma and Brody should date and get married too...but not for a long long time!!

Eric and I registered for Baby Brody this past week and it was so fun. Being first time parents we have NOTHING and really aren't sure what all we need so hopefully we put some good things on our lists and those things that we missed will be picked up by those experienced mom and dads who know the ins and outs of parenting necessities. We registered at Babies R Us and Target and picked out our bedding/color scheme for the room which will be a lime green and brown. Now we are ready to get started!! I went to the doctor this week as well and Dr. Deed says every looks great and right on track. Brody's HR was 144 and Eric was able to listen this time, so it was a special moment for him. I on the other hand have gained 4lbs since first finding out we were expecting but the doctor said that was fine was well. I asked how much I should gain from here on out and she said 3/4 to 1lb a week...WOW, that would be a lot of weight for my 5 ft body to hold seeing as how I still have 22 weeks to go!! Today starts week 18 by the way!!

Off to get ready for church now, hopefully I will get some pictures up from the wedding soon, if I can figure it out. Seeing from my last post I was not successful in getting them where I wanted....help on this is welcome!!