Nursery Blog!

Okay people, here it is! The much-anticipated nursery blog. We finally got everything put up and organized over the weekend. Enjoy!
View from the door

Crib and such

Rocker/recliner. Very comfy!

Chest of drawers

Beautiful artwork done by my cousin Kristen

Dresser/Changing Table

Lots and lots of books!

33 Weeks/T-minus 7 weeks

Baby is now the size of a melon!
Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

How Far Along: 33 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain: I was 1 lb up when I got on the scale the other day. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so we'll see!
Maternity clothes: The number of work clothes going into the "Can't wear until after pregnancy" side of the closet is increasing on a weekly basis. I wore a pair of scrub pants the other day that made me uncomfortable all day. Blah. I'm also pretty tired of the maternity tops I have, but I don't think I'll buy any more this late. That would be kind of ridiculous.
Sleep: It's been really good lately. Especially on my days off...I can sleep until around 12 or 1 even with pee breaks.
Best Moment this week: Getting most of the baby laundry done and put away and filling out my work schedule for the last week before I go out. Yay!
Movement: Still a very active little girl! It's so much fun to lay on the couch and watch my belly ripple with her movements.
Gender: Sweet baby girl!
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie, but becoming more shallow
Cravings: Strawberry ice cream...yummo!
Nausea: It hasn't been too bad this week...thank goodness.
What I miss: Love it all!
Stretch Marks: Present and accounted for!
New/Weird Pregnancy Symptom: You don't want to know.
Weekly wisdom: Having a day off without doing a thing is completely necessary.
What I am looking forward to this week: Shopping for fabric for the hospital gown my mom is going to make me and going to a consignment sale tomorrow.

Marathon Baby Shower Day!

Thomas and I were so blessed to have 2 showers given in our honor yesterday. The first was a ladies brunch at my cousin Erin's house and the second was a diaper shower/BBQ at my cousin Kristen's house. It was such a great day and a huge reminder that Amelia is going to be so loved!

Ladies Brunch
The glowing (or is that sweat??) mom-to-be

The cute and delish cake!

The yummo spread. We had Monkey Bread, quiche, fruit, pigs-in-a-blanket, apples and dip, muffins, cake, punch, and juice.

Kristen painted these canvases for the nursery. They match my bedding and they are so beautiful! She is so talented.

This is such a sweet card made by Gabby, the granddaughter of a family friend. She made it out of the shower invitation.

All of my wonderful hostesses

~ ~ ~

Diaper Shower/BBQ

Each family had to make a diaper creation for the shower. They were all so neat!

A sneak peek of the food. We had BBQ sandwiches, brunswick stew, baked beans, cole slaw, chop che, chips, cake, and homemade chocolate ice cream.

Kristen's pizza diaper creation

Justin and Kate's White Trash Diaper Bags

Kenny and Natalie's Diaper Stroller

Aunt Charlotte's diaper cake on left and my mom's on the right

Scott, Richelle, Hagan, and Anna Grace's diaper baby

We also played the fun, yet disgusting, game of "Name the melted candy bar in the diaper."

32 Weeks/T-minus 8 weeks

My wonderful mom and I at my shower last weekend. She's the best! I'm not nervous about this upcoming journey of motherhood because I know I'll have her by my side or a phone call away.

How Far Along: 32 weeks (August 15-21)
Total weight gain: I had lost those 2 lbs I had gained at the doctor's office on Monday. Oh well!
Maternity clothes: The number of regular scrub tops I can still wear comfortably is quickly dwindling, so I've been wearing my t-shirts a lot more. Thomas really loves the capri pants I'm wearing all of the time, but I've informed him that there's no other option right now!
Sleep: I think I've found my heartburn regimen for sleep time. I take one Pepcid and 3 Tums before bed and for the past 3 nights, I've only woken up to pee...not to take Tums. Yay! Last night though, I actually woke up twice to pee. Let's hope that's not going to be a reoccurring thing!
Best Moment this week: It's a toss-up between hearing that everything was going great at the doctor's office on Monday and having 2 showers yesterday (details of those in a separate blog). Other than having to work, it was a great week!
Movement: She still hasn't punched me in the ribs yet, but she's moving around a lot where it looks like an alien is trying to escape from my belly. So neat to lay on the couch and watch!
Gender: Sweet baby girl!
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: I'm back craving juice again. We stocked up when grocery shopping this week.
Nausea: Hmmm....it's back with a vengeance. In addition to having to brush my teeth before putting on mascara, I now have to brush my teeth before I eat anything if I get up later in the day. Otherwise, it's just not a pretty sight.
What I miss: Normal size ankles
Stretch Marks: Present and accounted for!
New/Weird Pregnancy Symptom: I hear these popping sounds occasionally, sometimes after feeling Amelia kick. I asked the doctor about it and he said it was probably just my joints popping. I was concerned at first that it might be my water breaking, but I'm not leaking, so that's not it. Thank goodness!
Weekly wisdom: Propping up my feet for a few hours a day is necessary!
What I am looking forward to this week: Blogging about the completed nursery!

Baby Shower!

My first shower yesterday was given by teacher friends of my mom. It was held at Cindy Gordon's home in Warner Robins and we had such a great time! Amelia and I were showered with many amazing gifts!


The wonderful hostesses and me


We had very yummy food! It was a brunch, so we had breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, grits souffle, a chocolate tray, stuffed tomatoes, cookies from Wilson's Bakery, coffee punch, orange juice, and lots of other stuff.


This is an absolutely gorgeous monogrammed quilt given to me by the hostesses. It was draped over a big basket and then filled with lots of books!


This is a diaper cake that my mom made. It's one of her new favorite hobbies!


Two of my favorite ladies! My mom and my Aunt Charlotte.

31 Weeks/T-minus 9 weeks!

How Far Along: 31 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain: Still maintaining at 0 lbs gained for the week. I have another doctor's appointment on Monday, so we'll see what the scale says then.
Maternity clothes: Definitely a daily wardrobe requirement
Sleep: Not too good these days. My hips are starting to bother me (I'll talk more about that in the new pregnancy symptom section) and I wake myself up when I turn over because my pelvis hurts so much. Plus, the 2 AM pee/Tums break doesn't help in getting restful sleep. All of this is probably why I took a 4 hour nap on the couch yesterday!
Best Moment this week: Marking things off our to-do list: Our Prepared Childbirth Class on Saturday and Infant CPR last night. I was aware of a lot of the information we learned at the Childbirth class just from work and school, but I enjoyed learning the relaxation techniques and Thomas learning how to give a good back massage. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm excited about labor and I'm ready for it. I know I'll probably change my tune when I'm going through it, but that's how I feel right now.
Movement: She's still kicking, punching, and rolling up a storm. They say as she gets bigger, she won't be rolling around as much, but the kicks and punches will get stronger. I haven't had the pleasure of a rib kick yet, but I know it's coming!
Gender: Sweet baby girl!
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: Still craving sweets more than anything else. My appetite is definitely a healthy one! We went to Carrabba's last night after our class and after I finished my entire meal, I could not believe I ate that much. Very yummo!
Nausea: I'm not having any nausea really, but there have been two instances this week that I've thrown up while brushing my teeth after I've eaten. Blah.
What I miss: Not sweating in an air conditioned room. Like right now. And the fan is on. Boo August!
Stretch Marks: Present and accounted for!
New/Weird Pregnancy Symptom: My hips start killing me no matter what side I lay on in the bed and even with a pillow between my knees. I've always been most comfortable sleeping on my stomach and I can still kind of sleep that way.
Weekly wisdom: Holy crap. My baby is due in 2 months!
What I am looking forward to this week: My first baby shower this Saturday! Several of my mom's friends are giving me one and I can't wait! I'll post a Baby Shower Blog on Saturday or Sunday. Promise!!

30 Weeks/T-minus 10 weeks!

This is an acorn squash and since Amelia is the size of a squash this month, here you go!
How Far Along: 30 weeks and 5 days
Total weight gain: When I got on the scale this week, I had lost the 2 lbs I'd gained last week. Oh well.
Maternity clothes: I'm still very much enjoying my new t-shirts at work. I especially like them because I look pregnant instead of just a fatty, which is how I look in regular scrub tops. And perfect strangers are noticing...like the woman manning the check-in desk at the Family Birth Center. A nurse and I were going to a stork squad (we get called to all c-sections, babies born at less than 36 weeks, and anytime the baby's having issues) and when we walked up, she said, "Oh I thought you were coming to deliver!" Um no. Not for another 10 weeks. Thanks. Another day, I got on the elevator with some scary construction worker dudes and I did my best to just stare straight ahead and not engage them. But I could see one of them eyeing me and he was like, "When is your baby due?" I said October 10th. He said I would have it on October 3rd because that's his birthday. He also said I was going to have twins. I don't think I look that big, but I apparently haven't been looking in the right mirrors.
Sleep: My bladder clock has decided that 2:15 is the time to wake me up to pee. And then I can't go back to sleep for about an hour. My brain wakes up and I can't help but think of all the things I have left to do, how the labor is going to go, how breastfeeding is going to go, etc. I usually fall back asleep about an hour before I have to get up. No fun!
Best Moment this week: Seeing Amelia in all of her 3D/4D glory on Tuesday. She was so good and she looked beautiful! It was a relief to hear (again) that everything looks great. Definitely a relief.
Movement: Lots of kicks and punches!
Gender: Sweet baby girl!
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: Nothing specific. I have more things that I absolutely do not want these days.
Nausea: It hasn't really been an issue this week...thank goodness!
What I miss: Getting through a day at work without sweating for 90% of it. Yuck.
Stretch Marks: Present and accounted for!
New/Weird Pregnancy Symptom: When I'm sitting in a chair, I am not comfortable unless I am sitting semi-reclined. My back just hurts way too much when I sit straight up or lean forward.
Weekly wisdom: Tums Smoothies are my new best friend! Thanks Ginnie! While they still leave a bad taste in my mouth, they are a lot less chalky and more palatable.
What I am looking forward to this week: Going to our childbirth education class tomorrow at the hospital. I'm looking forward to learning a lot of stuff I had no idea about. I know Thomas is just as excited....right.

3D/4D Ultrasound

Miss Amelia did so great today at our ultrasound appointment! I was told to increase my fluid intake a few days before the ultrasound and eat something sweet about 30 minutes before to make her more active. After lunch with the in-laws, I chose a Snickers bar as my sweet treat...like I was going to argue with those instructions! She was very cooperative and showed her face like a good girl. We got lots of great pictures! She weighed 3 lbs 13 oz today, meaning she gained 6 oz since last Wednesday. The ultrasound tech said she should weigh about 7 or 7.5 lbs at birth. She was also head down, so hopefully she'll stay that way and not turn back breech.

Here are some of my faves...


This is a 2D profile view


Miss Amelia just chillin' out. The object on the left of the picture is the placenta. She likes laying up against it!


Her sweet smile


Is something funny?


Chubby cheeks!