34 weeks

{Yowza!! Looking huge!}

{Madison took this one}

34 weeks...41 days and counting!!

Total weight gain/loss: +25 pounds
Maternity clothes: Definitely, and even outgrowing some of my tops. They are starting to get short in the front.
Sleep: Alright. Between bathroom breaks and position changes, I usually wake up pretty tired.
Best moment this week: Working on the nursery.
Movement: Tons and tons. During Sunday school this week he jumped and it was my belly bounced noticeably enough for Harrison and the other person sitting next to me to notice. We all got a kick out of it.
Cravings: Ice and water (literally like 10 glasses a day) and candy corn. Not so sure if the candy corn is actually a craving or just the annual tradition of candy corn eating once September rolls around.
Gender: Boy.
Labor Signs: Having stronger and stronger Braxton Hicks contractions, but no real labor signs yet.
Belly Button in our out? Out.
What I miss: Being able to work a full day on my feet without having incredibly swollen ankles and feet.
What am I looking forward to? Holding this little wiggle worm!
Weekly Wisdom: Any free time should be spent with my feet propped up. This is the ONLY way they get close to becoming normal sized again.
Milestones: Taking Madison to big sister class. It was such a special moment we got to share together.

Big Sister 101

I took Madison to a big sibling class last week at Palmetto Health Children's Hospital. Madison had a great time learning about becoming a big sister. There were so many precious children there excited to become siblings. We watched a video about babies, practiced changing a baby's diaper, and got to dress up in some hospital gear. Madison LOVED every minute of it. I am confident that she is going to be a wonderful big sister. This baby boy is going to be so blessed to have such a loving big sister looking out for him!

{Future career choice?? I'm okay with that. :) }

{The weird claw hand is Madison pretending she's holding a bottle.}

{So silly!}

Man I love that pumpkin! I cannot wait to see her in her new role as big sister.

Nursery Pictures...Finally!

We labored away this weekend in the baby's room and I am excited to say we are finally making some progress! We decided on a jungle theme and have been having fun finding little things to make it special in there. I got hit with a major case of nesting and just wanted to get things accomplished. I also washed and put away all of baby's clothes, blankets, towels, sheets, etc. I hope this is not a prediction of anything happening soon. I think I was just excited to finally have some free time and energy to work on his room. Enjoy the pics!

{Roxy sure does enjoy lounging around in the nursery}

{The new dresser from Ikea. I absolutely love it! So sturdy with huge drawers!}

{The reading corner. Basket of books and rocking chair. Leaf on the wall also from Ikea.}

{The sweet diaper wreath from our baby shower}

{Baby boy's jungle friends hanging out in his crib}

{This is Harrison's rocking chair from when he was little.}

We still have a good many odds and ends to finish up:
1. Touch up the paint (you can see the splotches in some of the pics above).
2.We are getting a monogram decal from Etsy for above the dresser.
3. The lamp by the dresser needs a lamp shade.
4. We are looking for a bookshelf for beside the big rocking chair.
5. I would like a rug for the center of the room.
6. We need to get quilt clips to hang the quilt on the wall.

...that's all for now! I am sure I will think of some more things that need to be done.

Hiccups

Oh my goodness, this little boy has had a serious case of the hiccups over the past week. Everyday for the past 7 days I have felt him hiccuping along at least 3 times daily. I feel so bad for him because I know it has to be driving him crazy! I just want to hold him and rub his sweet back until his hiccups go away. It makes me smile every time as I look down and see my belly bouncing away. We are so in awe of this incredible little miracle that will be arriving before we know it!

Random trivia fact: Did you know some people actually spell the word hiccup like "hiccough". I came across this spelling during rotations last year and had to Google what it meant!

...a little over 6 weeks to go!!!!

Baby Shower

My sweet friend, Katie Marie, threw us a shower for Baby Boy Gray (or "baby brother" or "the beach ball" as we like to call him around here) a few weekends ago. It was so much fun catching up with friends and eating all the baby themed goodies. Blue punch and petite fours were a hit with the crowd...especially Madison! We got some wonderful goodies and are so grateful for the generosity of our friends and family. Madison made her baby brother a Build-A-Bear that she gave me at the shower. We were so excited about the bedding (thanks Mom, Dad, and Annie) that we set it up in the crib as soon as we got home! I promise a post soon with some pictures of the nursery progress.

32 weeks...big, big, big

Boy oh boy, this baby boy is getting big! Madison can't even fit her arms around me anymore!

How far along: 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +22 pounds
Maternity clothes: Yes!
Sleep: Pretty good most nights. Changing positions has gotten a little bit tricky, but once I find a comfy position I can sleep like a baby!
Best moment this week: Relaxing at the beach with some great girl friends!
Movement: Baby boy is very busy and now we can actually identify the body parts.
Cravings: Popsicles and hummus, but obviously not at the same time.
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions, but none of the real thing.
Belly Button in our out? Sadly...out and there is no hiding it. You can see it through my shirts :(
What I miss: Not much, maybe just laying flat on my back
What am I looking forward to? Snuggling my sweet little buddy.
Weekley Wisdom: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate...keeps the braxton-hicks contractions at bay.
Milestones: For some reason, rounding the 30 week corner seemed like a big milestone to me.

28 weeks!

According to my weekly emails, baby is approximately 2.5 pounds or the size of an eggplant. That seems so big!

How far along: 28 weeks, hello third trimester!
Total weight gain/loss: +17 pounds
Maternity clothes: All the time
Sleep: Wonderful...in between all the bathroom breaks!
Best moment this week: Madison got to feel some good strong kicks and she was thrilled!
Movement: Lots and lots. Still a busy little guy in there.
Cravings: Salad with my homemade salad dressing and of course ice cream to balance it out! It has just been too hot to cook, so we have been eating a lot of salads around here. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who also loves salad.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Not really, just some braxton hicks contractions here and there.
Belly Button in our out? Out. Sometimes I have to cover it with a bandaid so you can't see it through my shirt :)
What I miss: Nothing major except for maybe not always having to ask restaurants if their feta cheese is pasteurized and skipping out on foods at parties because I am not sure what kind of cheese is in it.
What am I looking forward to? Snuggling and cuddling this wiggle worm. I am going to have to compete with Madison and Harrison for cuddle time.
Weekley Wisdom: Keep some cold water in the car at all times. It is just too darn hot right now!
Milestones: Reaching the third trimester...we are getting closer to October :)