Just for Christine!

34 Weeks

How far along: 34 Weeks/ 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Total weight gain: 24-26lbs. I'll find out at my appt. Friday the latest total.
Maternity clothes: I wear anything comfortable. From writing my last post I have come to realize that, hello(!), my husband has shorts I can wear! I tried his work out type shorts on and they are perfect so I have a few more choices in my wardrobe now.
Sleep: I  am taking great naps and falling right asleep at night, however, I am starting to wake up around 4am and staying awake. I'm not sure if it's because of the birds that chirp outside my window, my body aching, or having such weird, vivid dreams it's hard to fall asleep after.
Best Moment this week: Hanging out with John Friday and Saturday. We had such a great weekend together. I also attended a group class with my friend put on by my yoga teacher. All the ladies brought snacks and we talked about any and all questions regarding pregnancy and life with a new baby. It was alot of fun!
Movement:  He's still moving quite a bit but he's on a schedule now. Some days I feel like he's trying to claw his way out.
Gender: Boy
Labor signs: Hopefully I won't have these for another 6(ish) weeks. 
Belly button: It's out.
Cravings: Burritos...still. As a matter of fact, I had Chipolte for lunch today.
What I miss: A day without his hiccuping.
Stretch Marks: No stretch marks yet except the dark line below and above my belly button. Fingers crossed it stays this way!

What baby is up to: Your baby is clocking in at five pounds and could be as tall as 20 inches by now, and the vernix (the white coating protecting your baby’s skin) is getting thicker. This week, a boy's testicles start making their way down from his abdomen to their final destination: his scrotum (look out below!).  In other baby-related developments, those tiny fingernails have probably reached the tips of his fingers by now — and getting ready for that first postpartum manicure.
What I am looking forward to this week: As of tomorrow school is officially halfway finished. I'm ready for school to be over with because I know our baby will be here shortly after. I'm also looking forward to the 35 week mark. Since I hit the 30 week mark, the next "big" mark for me was 35 and I can't believe I'm just a week away from that.

 

What to wear, what to wear...

I am at the point in this pregnancy where nothing fits anymore. And I mean nothing. Everything is too tight with the exception of a couple of dresses. It's also hot here. I have two pairs of shorts I bought at Motherhood Maternity a couple months back and they are now too tight. I can wear them but they are snug around my mid-section and it's just plain uncomfortable to have pressure put on my abdomen. The other morning I ended up going through all of my drawers in a desperate search for something, anything, that I could wear and be comfortable. And what do you know, I pulled out a pair of shorts I had bought many years ago that I have been using the last few years as beach shorts to wear over my bathing suit. And they fit perfectly. Love them! However... it is a bit odd to wear them anywhere but my house. They are extra short (again, they were bought many years ago) and there is writing on the butt! Yes, you read that right. Ha! I am that woman who is walking around at 28 years old, 8 months pregnant, with "abercrombie" written on my bottom. *Sigh* I read that if you are older than 25 it's not ok to ever where anything with writing on the butt. What has this pregnancy done to me? It is making me resort to my younger self with a much bigger body. So while running errands I simply ignore peoples stares and constantly try to pull my shirt over the back of my shorts and hope no one calls the fashion police. Oh well, I'm comfortable. If momma is happy, then everyone is happy! (On a side note, John has been telling me to go shopping if I need more clothes, but I refuse to shell out money when this baby is due in 44 days.)

 My newest outfit.... I'm rockin' the short shorts (sort of).

 Almost 34 weeks and ready to wear clothes that fit! I think baby boy is turning. He has been in the head down, face up position for awhile, but the past few days I've felt his hiccups on my side instead of down below. I really hope this boy isn't turning into the breech positon. I have been doing some yoga moves everynight to try to keep his head down but I'm not sure it's working. I'll ask the doctor Friday but I'm sure he's going to say that the little guy has a few more weeks to turn into the correct position. He's already making his momma a nervous wreck! :)



This crazy baby...

woke me up to some serious rolling around this morning. He ended up on my left side and it felt like he was trying to push his way out. I asked John to get the camera so you could see how freaky my belly looks. He was moving around so much, it was cracking me up! I can't wait to meet my little man and his funny personality. I love that he already has his momma laughing.



On a side note... my yummy dinner last night! I am lovin' me some spinach salad with grilled chicken!

33 Weeks

How far along: 33 Weeks/ 8 months pregnant.
Total weight gain: 24-26lbs.
Maternity clothes: I wear anything comfortable. Mostly tank tops and shorts that remotely fit.
Sleep: Still sleeping good. ::: Knocking on wood :::
Best Moment this week: I went tour the birth center at the hospital and now I have an idea of what will be going on and what the rooms look like. The only problem is we can not plug ANYTHING in. Nothing. Everything we bring has to be charged though I believe there is a waiting area where we can charge things if we desperately need to. Remember this when I don't call you and I'm still in the hospital. My phone will most likely be dead! :) Our anniversary was good. He wasn't here for us to celebrate but we're going to go on a weekend get-a-way in July.
Movement:  He's still moving quite a bit but he's on a schedule now. It is also less kicking and more putting his hands and feet on my stomach and pushing. I'm starting to recognize when his feet are pushing on me.
Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: Hopefully I won't have these for another 7(ish) weeks. 
Belly button: It's half popped. Ha! And when I'm sitting, it's all the way popped.
Cravings: Burritos!!!!
What I miss: I miss not having hiccups vibrating through me in the middle of the night.
Stretch Marks: No stretch marks yet except the dark line below and above my belly button. Fingers crossed it stays this way!

What baby is up to: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

What I am looking forward to this week: I am looking forward to hanging out with John this weekend :)

So yeah, the fingers are starting to swell. It's also 100 degrees here everyday and I feel like the swelling started when the heat began. We'll see! I am having a very hard time thinking I may have to take my wedding band off for the remainder of my pregnancy. My ring is one of the  most important things to me. I love that it symbolizes being married to John and I am very proud of that, so the thought of taking it off makes me a little unhappy.

33 Weeks!



Happy 2nd Anniversary to Us!

Happy Anniversary to the man who makes me laugh every single day. :) It's been an amazing journey these past two years and I am so thankful to be married to the best man in the world. I can't wait to see what our future holds for us! I love you, John!

I saw this on my friend's FB page and I couldn't help but laugh! It may have not been my dream as a little girl, but after meeting John, it certainly was then!



Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the 3 best dads I know! I am one of the few lucky people in this world who have 2 amazing dads who are so different, yet love me just the same. They are both loving and supportive and I am so blessed to have them in my life. Love you,Dad!

 Love you, Keith!!

 Happy Father's Day, John! I couldn't have chosen a better man to be the father of our child. Riley and our son are so lucky to have you. We love you!

Happy Father's Day to all the other dads out there!

32 Week Picture

32 weeks

How far along: 32 Weeks/ 8 months pregnant.
Total weight gain: 22lbs. total, but I'll find out Friday the latest weight gain.
Maternity clothes: I wear anything comfortable.
Sleep: Still sleeping good.
Best Moment this week: Buying our camera. Riley also got a much needed haircut so hopefully he won't be so hot after our walks. Other than that, ehh, not too much going on here.
Movement:  He's still moving quite a bit but he's on a schedule now. It is also less kicking and more putting his hands and feet on my stomach and pushing. I'm starting to recognize when his feet are pushing on me.
Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: Hopefully I won't have these for another 8(ish) weeks. 
Belly button: It's half popped. Ha! And when I'm sitting, it's all the way popped.
Cravings: No cravings.
What I miss: I think I'm about ready for my old body back, however, I know I'm going to miss feeling him kick and move around. I also miss sitting on the couch and being able to breathe.

Stretch Marks: No stretch marks yet except the dark line below and above my belly button. Fingers crossed it stays this way!

What baby is up to: By now, your baby weighs 4 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair. His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.
What I am looking forward to this week: I am looking forward to my 32 week appointment Friday, hospital tour and pedicure Saturday, John's first Father's Day on Sunday, and our 2 year anniversary Tuesday. :)

I took this picture with my phone camera this morning. Riley came to cuddle with me and baby and ended up falling asleep. The baby was kicking him in the head but Riley either didn't feel it or just didn't care. I love snuggling with my boys first thing in the morning. :)

The life of Riley...

Once again Riley is my subject for our new camera. Here he is lounging out in the sun.

 He loves this little stuffed dog that Bob and Mike gave him when they came for Easter. It's his "baby".

 I was getting ready to crawl into bed and just thought this was precious.

 It has been in the high 80's, low 90's the past few days. He passed out in front of the fan after our evening walk today.

 Almost 32 weeks pregnant.

New Camera!

I went out and bought our new camera yesterday! I believe it was around February when I told John I wanted a new camera for when the baby comes. I wanted  something that took good, clear pictures. We started our research to see how much we needed to save up to make it happen. A few months later and viola! I'm in love with our camera and have already taken a ton of pictures (though most have been deleted because I'm still in the figuring it out phase).

 My best subject :)

 I was trying to figure out the focus and poor Riley was like "Again, really?".

There isn't too much to take pictures of now, but soon enough I'll have a little baby boy to click away at. :)

Scrapbook

I wanted to show y'all a gift from my shower. It's a Bray tradition for the first born in a family to have a homemade scrap book. I didn't have any clue about this tradition until the day of my shower. My mother-in-law started this scrapbook in January to have it ready for me by the end of May. She put alot of work into it, y'all. I wish I had a picture of it's actual size. We had to ship it to my house because it was so big. :)

 It's standing upright. This is also how far it will close. Each page has a gift inside. A long time ago women had to stay in the hospital for 10 days after giving birth. There are 10 pages here, each one filled with a gift. The tradition is that the mom is supposed to bring this with her to the hospital and open a page each day. The scrap book is filled with pictures and magazine articles that are baby related, so not only does the mom have a gift to open, she also has something to read.

This gift is simply amazing! I already adore my mother-in-law but after opening this gift and realizing the time and effort she put into it to make sure the tradition lives on makes me appreciate her even more. :)

31 Weeks

How far along: 31 Weeks. Ahh!
Total weight gain: 22lbs. total.
Maternity clothes: I wear anything comfortable.
Sleep: Knock on wood, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. However, I am starting to wake up around 3-4am every morning with my hips and legs hurting. I think being able to only sleep on my sides and with the extra weight I'm carrying puts all the added pressure on those areas.
Best Moment this week: Having Francine and Michael over for a few days. I am so happy John was able to see his aunt and uncle. It's not often we get to see family so I know it means alot to him that he was able to see them. I also got to see our sweet baby boy on Thursday. I already posted those pictures, but it was so amazing being able to see him. Totally made my week!
Movement:  Often. 
Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: Hopefully I won't have these for another 9(ish) weeks. Yikes, we're down to the single digits.
Belly button: It's half popped. Ha! And when I'm sitting, it's all the way popped.
Cravings: Food.
What I miss: I think I'm about ready for my old body back, however, I know I'm going to miss feeling him kick and move around. I also miss sitting on the couch and being able to breathe.

Stretch Marks: No stretch marks yet except the dark line below and above my belly button. Fingers crossed it stays this way!

What baby is up to: Weighing in at three-plus pounds and measuring 16 inches long, your baby is quickly approaching his birth length — though he's got to pack on another three to five pounds before D-day. Also developing at an impressive clip: your baby's brain connections (he's got to make trillions of them!). He's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. He's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of wakefulness (and movement) and rest (when he’s pretty still).
What I am looking forward to this week: Nothing. I started my summer class and it's going well. Tomorrow will be day 3, so not much going on with that yet. I'm not going to blog about it but some of you know why I'm not looking forward to anything this next week. Oh, wait! I take that back... John and I have been saving up and researching a really good camera for when the baby gets here. We finally found one we both love and we will be purchasing it this weekend! I am really excited about that because it's been a couple of months in the making and I'm ready to have it in my hands so I can learn how to use it. I'm sure I'll be blogging the crap out of pictures soon enough. :)

My pictures have been blurry lately. Not sure why. Oh well.

 

Happy 36th Birthday John!

Today is the fifth birthday I get to spend with John. We met when he was 30 and I was 22 (just about to turn 23). Where have the years gone? I love celebrating John's birthday. He is by far one of the very few best men I know. John is funny, loyal, honest, loving, and the most amazing husband. My favorite traits at the moment? His humor and support. These are the two things that have helped me tremendously through this pregnancy and first semester of school. I love this man with all of my heart and I wish all the happiness in the world to him!

Happy Birthday, my Johnboy!! I can't wait to spend many, many more birthdays with you!!

This is John's 31st birthday. We spent it at the beach with his family. We had only been dating about 4 months, but I knew he was the one for me. :)

 We have had some wonderful times these past 5 years....

One year ago today, John and I said our goodbyes as he headed to Quantico for five months. His birthday was also his first day of school. I don't think I have ever cried as hard as I did as I watched his car pull away from me. I was excited, scared, happy, and anxious. John had just spent 15 months unemployed after being laid off from United and this was his only job offer that would afford us the security of a job, as well as reach our goal of starting a family. Watching my husband drive away, I felt very proud of him. I'm still very proud of him. I cannot imagine how he was feeling. He thought he was set in his career that he had worked so hard for, only to be tossed aside, not knowing what the future held. But John is so strong and determined and was hell bent on making our family feel secure. So he took a risk. He jumped feet first into what I know was one of the scariest things he has ever had to endure. And I appreciate it. I appreciate him for working so hard to make our family better. He did it. He worked his butt off for five long months until the day he graduated.

The moment of graduation was very surreal for me. I couldn't believe that after 2 long years, we were finally going to settle down and not have to worry so much. Of course this job took us to California, but we still feel very secure, something we didn't feel for a couple of years. Our marriage has thrived these past two years and I could not love my husband more than I do today.

 5 long months later...

So, once again, Happy Birthday John! I not only love you for the person you are, but for always putting our family first. We may have had some forks in the road but together we trudged through them and we will continue to navigate these forks during the years to come. Thanks for being so awesome. :)

I can't get over...

how precious our baby boy is!

 His foot was by his face and it looks like he's trying to pick his nose with his big toe.

 I wish I had a picture of John sitting on the couch and nodding off. This is what he looks like.

Our baby boy is perfectly healthy, weighing in at 3 and 1/2lbs. He is 16 inches with some hair, but not alot. The tech told me that the screen ends right above his eyes so the dark area that looks like hair isn't really hair. She also said he will double in weight during the next 10 weeks so I need to picture this cutie with a fatter face. :) I have been nervous thinking about the upcoming labor & delivery but after seeing all of the ultrasound pictures, I'm just ready to meet him!

30 Weeks!

How far along: 30 Weeks. Ahh!
Total weight gain: 20lbs. total but I'll find out tomorrow at my 30 week appt.
Maternity clothes: I wear anything comfortable.
Sleep: When I'm not totally congested I sleep well, however, our baby's humidifier should be arriving any day now and I plan on using it until he gets here.
Best Moment this week: Having 3 whole days with John to hang out. We really enjoyed it and certainly weren't ready for him to go back to work.
Movement:  Often. Very often.
Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: Hopefully I won't have these for another 10(ish) weeks.
Belly button: It's half popped. Ha!
Cravings: Dairy Queen!
What I miss: I think I'm about ready for my old body back, however, I know I'm going to miss feeling him kick and move around.

Stretch Marks: No stretch marks yet except the dark line below and above my belly button. Fingers crossed it stays this way!

What baby is up to: Your belly’s increasing size is a definite clue that your baby is getting bigger every day, weighing in at over three pounds now (he’ll be packing on the weight at a rate of half a pound per week for the next seven weeks). Also growing daily is his brain, which is actually starting to look like the real thing with those characteristic grooves and wrinkles. And now that your little genius can regulate his own body temperature and turn up the heat, he'll start shedding lanugo, the downy body hair that's been keeping him warm up until now.
What I am looking forward to this week: Tomorrow is my 30 week appt. and last ultrasound. I'm ready to see my baby boy again. Monday is John's birthday and he'll get to share his day with his Uncle Michael, who has the same b-day, and Aunt Francine. They are taking 6 weeks to drive from Indiana and back and they will be staying with us this weekend.