Bump It Up - 30 Weeks

How far along: 30 weeks.

Gender: Boy.

Weight gain: 25 lbs - I'm getting a bit self conscious about the weight gain. It is really starting to show in places other than my belly.

Maternity clothes: I got the maternity clothing in for the wedding/showers. Other than that I'm still wearing all my normal clothing with a belly band.

Stretch marks: Not yet. 

Belly button in or out: In & out. It hasn't popped yet, but after a big meal it is more an outie than an innie.

Work Outs: Riding the stationary bike some, and walking the dogs now that the weather is so nice.

Sleep: Not bad. I'm really hoping I can keep getting some good sleep through the third trimester.

Best moment this week: Our extremely relaxing weekend.

Worst moment this week: Not being able to breath because I don't have any room.

Miss anything: Beer and sauvignon blanc.

Movement: Yup. Brandon has been able to really feel him moving lately. It is so amazing to share his movement with Brando.

Cravings: Cheerios, watermelon, and banana snocones. 

Symptoms: I'm having trouble breathing because the kiddo takes up so much room. I've also got some foot and back aches.

Nursery: Our curtains are up! The nursery is slowly coming together. The rocker was delivered, but during delivery it got marked up. So, it is no longer here. I'm pretty bummed because I am so looking forward to seeing it all together in his room.

Looking forward to: A wedding this weekend! Should be fun, and I bought a pretty dress to wear. I just hope I still fit into it no problem. 

Bump It Up - 28 Weeks

How far along: 28 weeks, third trimester, home stretch! It makes me feel like we need to get stuff down.

Gender: Boy.

Weight gain: 24 lbs - Just a guess since my weight jumps around daily.

Maternity clothes: I just bought a couple of dresses online for a wedding, and my baby showers. I'm now up to a total of 3 maternity shirts, and 4 dresses. I'm wondering if I can make it through this whole pregnancy without 1) destroying some of my regular clothing 2) buying any pregnancy work attire.

Stretch marks: Not yet. 

Belly button in or out: In & out. The top half of my belly button is an out the bottom however refuses to pop and is still holding on strong.

Work Outs: Some. I've been doing a much better job of working out these last few weeks.

Sleep: Not bad. 

Best moment this week: Playing top golf with my lovely husband and parents. It is so much fun!

Worst moment this week: The leg cramps.

Miss anything: Beer, champagne, and sushi. I have a standing order for sushi in the hospital from Brandon. 

Movement: Yup. Out little man is a mover and a shaker.

Cravings: The usual suspect - Panera everything bagels with chive & onion cream cheese. Lately I've been obsessed with carrots dipped in roasted red pepper hummus, and watermelon. I also finally got a banana snocone! Now I want another!

Symptoms: I've been having some crazy painful calf cramps in the middle of the night, and my hips are starting to get pretty darn sore. 

Nursery: We picked up the curtains for the nursery, and Brandon scored us a nice discount on our chair! He is a champ of deals, and I'm so thankful for that.

Looking forward to: Meeting our sweet little boy. With less than 90 days till our due date this has been on my mind a lot. 

26 Weeks - Bump It Up

How far along: 26 weeks

Gender: Boy.

Weight gain: 20 lbs - Just a guess as we had no scale on vacation

Maternity clothes: No need when you're on the beach.

Stretch marks: Not yet. 

Belly button in or out: In & out. The top half of my belly button is an out the bottom however refuses to pop and is still holding on strong.

Work Outs: None.

Sleep: Not bad. 

Best moment this week: Being on vacation with my wonderful hubby, and just spending the days relaxing.

Worst moment this week: The flight to the beach. I've never had a problem with flying before, but flying and pregnancy do not mix well for me. It was pretty killer on my back to sit in that seat for 2 hours. 

Miss anything: The only thing missing from this beach vacation is a nice ice cold beer. 

Movement: Yes. He has started rolling around now, and even let Brandon feel it. Our busy little boy.

Cravings: Chipotle burrito bowl and Panera everything bagels with chive & onion cream cheese. 

Queasy or sick: Not really. Mostly aches and pains still. My joints are protesting all the extra weight I'm carrying.

Nursery: The crib and dresser are in the nursery now! We are waiting on the chair (back ordered), but we are going to start making a push to get thing on the wall. I want to get as much done before I hit "the wall" that I hear about in the third trimester.

Looking forward to: Summer sun and being pool side. 

Bump It Up - 25 Weeks

How far along: 25 weeks

Gender: Boy.

Weight gain: 18 lbs - As of last Friday at the Dr.

Maternity clothes: No, and if I'm not in maternity pants by next weeks post I'll be sad. I need to just carve out the time to go do this, but I'm a lazy bum who doesn't want to spend the money on something I can only wear for 3 months.

Stretch marks: Not yet. To be fair I don't really look for them, and may have some I don't know about.

Belly button in or out: In. Not sure how this is possible as it has been threatening to pop since 18 weeks or so. Some how my little innie is still hanging in there though.

Work Outs: One? I don't really remember, but I hope to pick it back up this week. We had a crazy busy weekend that threw me off.

Sleep: Not good. In addition to my regular tossing and turning last Friday I woke up with extreme back pain. Not pleasant. 

Best moment this week: My Mum got to feel him kick for the first time last week! It is so amazing to be able share his movement with others now.

Worst moment this week: This is a twofer. One was the intense SI joint pain that I dealt with all day Friday. It woke me up at 4 am, and I was unable to sleep again because I was in excruciating pain. Thankfully I had a doctors appointment scheduled for that day, and my doctor says it is all part of the pregnancy gig. The other bleh for the week was that following my gestational diabetes test the little man has been much quieter than normal. I've gotten so used to feeling him so regularly, that now when he stays quiet for a few days it really bothers me.  

Miss anything: Pain killers, and anti-inflammation meds.

Movement: Yes. Still kicking around in there, just less than usual.

Cravings: Chipotle burrito bowl. Every time Brandon asks me what I want for lunch it is a burrito bowl. I think I would eat one every day if I could.

Queasy or sick: Not really. Just aches and pains now.

Nursery: The rug arrived, and is now in the nursery. Crib, dresser, and rocker have all been ordered, and we're now just waiting for them to arrive in the store. Slowly piecing his nursery together is exciting.

Looking forward to: Vacation, summer, pool weather. All things warm and cheery. 

Nursery Planning

Now that we've purchased the major furniture for the nursery (pictured above) I've started planning to see how it could fit into the space. Some of the options I've come up with are below.

#1: First up is my favorite option. Door to the south is the entry, on the west wall is the closet and to the north is the only window in the room. I think this will open up the space the best, but the dresser could be awkward right when you come into the room.

#2: This is the same as the previous option, but the location of the crib and rocker have switched. I want to avoid putting anything too close to the window, but we may not have an option with the amount of stuff that has to go into this room.

#3: This option is just to see how we could space things out around the room, and try to move the dresser off the wall that the closet door is on.

#4: This final option is probably my least favorite just looking at it on the paper. I think that everything feels too crowded on to one side of the room. I also think it will make getting into and out of the dresser more difficult.

We've got a few options to work with. I'm sure once we actually get the furniture in the room it will really help to see how all of this will fit together. It is nice at least getting a preliminary look at what might/might not fit in our little nursery. It is so exciting to start piecing this together for our littlest family members arrival. 

Letters To My Son

My most precious boy,

I love you so very much. You are only 23 weeks and a few days old and I am more in love with you than I ever thought I could be with anything. It is a new and a different feeling, a different kind of love that you gave to me. I think about it a lot and when I do I almost can't help but get emotional. Experiencing this love has been a revolution for me in more ways than one. I don't know if it something that a person can know until they actually experience it. A father's love for his son. 

I didn't grow up in the traditional family dynamic so maybe that is why this was so startling to me. Even still, I can tell you that I was loved beyond measure, and I know all of my parents love me immensely and unconditionally. Maybe it is just that it is not something I sat down and thought about before because it was not an emotion I had ever had. Either way I know it is something I now treasure. 

What this love has taught me, what having you has taught me, is this. If I have the mountain of love that I do for you, imagine the vastness, the deepness, the strength of the love that God has for me (and you, and all of his children for that matter). It is hard to fathom, to even begin to comprehend the magnitude of a love like that. For me it was a profound realization and it truly has changed the way that I view my relationship with Christ. I think for me not having a father figure in my life on a day in and day out basis to develop an understanding of that type of a relationship is part of why I may have missed it. Whether that is the case or not I had never thought about the relational component of God's love in that way. I do now and I am so thankful for it. I feel like when that clicked in my human brain it immediately changed the depth and dynamic of my relationship with the Lord.

I think I have gotten a good bit off topic with this letter to you but I want to close with two things, a promise and a prayer. 

My promise to you is that as your dad I am going to do everything I can to be the man, husband, and father that I need to be in order for you to see this love and to know this love from the very beginning. That when you look at me you know how much I love the Lord, love your mama, and love you.

My prayer is that God would give me the strength, discipline, and grace to be that man. That God would bless you with a kind, loving, empathetic heart like your mother. I pray that you ask Jesus into your heart, that you run to him and embrace him, and that you spend your life in the love of Christ. That you will have a loving relationship with Him from your earliest days and that you live in that relationship every minute of every day. I pray that God protect you against the enemy, that he help you to avoid the temptations and the pitfalls that I struggled with. Lastly, I pray that whether or not you do that you know in you heart of hearts that God loves you, and so do I bubba. And that no matter what we always will.

I love you so much. 

Dad

Bump It Up - 23 Weeks

How far along: 23 weeks

Gender: Boy.

Weight gain: 18 lbs? I don't know and this is just a guess. 

Maternity clothes: No, and it is now getting ridiculous. I think I'll finally cave this weekend and go buy some maternity things.

Stretch marks: Not yet.

Belly button in or out: In. I'm amazed at how shallow my belly button is, and that it is still holding out.

Work Outs: Three! I've started getting up early to get in a little exercise before work. We'll see how long I can keep it up.

Sleep: Not good. Tossing and turning all night now.

Best moment this week: Going on our hospital tour. Seeing where our little guy will be born was so exciting. We both really liked the hospital and it made me feel great about our decision to deliver there.

Worst moment this week: Going to double down on the lack of sleep.

Miss anything: Sushi, champagne and beer.

Movement: Yes! He moves all the time now. Usually he gets busy after I've just eaten.

Cravings: Everything bagels with chive and onion cream cheese. So yummy.

Queasy or sick: Nope. Feeling really good. 

Nursery: We bought a rug and rocking chair this week! I have my eye on some curtains already too.

Looking forward to: Warm weather. We've been getting peeks of the warm weather, and I can't wait for it to stick around. Also warmer weather means we're that much closer to meeting our little man.