Mother/daughter day

Thursday, my mom and I took off work to spend some time together and to get stuff done! It was such a great day! I had an early doctor's appointment and was so excited about my progress! I passed my sugar test (YEA!!! x's 100), they found no trace of protien or sugar, my blood pressure was perfect, he's measuring right on, his heartbeat was loud and proud (mom was excited to hear him) and he is now in a head down position! Its getting exciting! After my next appointment which is the first week of December, I'll go see my OB every week for a check-up!



Next, we drove a few miles down the road to my GOOORRRGGEEOUUS new hospital, Winnie Palmer. They ask that you pre-register so you aren't huffing and puffing in labor and have to sit down and sign important papers-- It felt so good to get that taken care of...The part that started to make it all more real was when I was signing his birth certificate and filling out the form that says they can prick his lil foot =( I started to feel pretty emotional and protective--"Well, WHY must they poke him?!"

***Important to know*** If you are going to visit Winnie Palmer, the only parking available is the garage across the street ($4) or valet at Winnie Palmer ($5)-- Its CASH ONLY and you must pay FIRST. FYI (I'll write more about the hospital in a few weeks--We are going for the tour on December 9th!!)


Afterwards, we had lunch at an old antique shop called 'The White Wolf' cafe. It was delicious! (we were, however, right in the middle of snoody-town--Ladies with lots of makeup and hair tied up real high, nails done, little dogs wearing sweaters and their Louis Vuitton hanging on purse hooks)
Costco was next on the agenda! I love that place! Its ginormous and they have free samples at every row! Steph's deal of the day: 2 AMC movie tickets (no expiration date and can be used for ANY movie including opening nights) plus a large coke for $15.99! Good deal since movie tickets now are $10/each. ALSO, $100 worth of Starbucks giftcards for $80! Great idea for stocking stuffers or just to save on moca frappuccinos with whip for yourself =)

"Bring your pillow..."

We had our first CHILDBIRTH/LAMAZE class last night!

Its through my OB and the lady (her name is Lucy) was so sweet & has been teaching childbirth classes for 30 years--She's kinda out there! But sweet--(She reminded me of our puppy Lucy! She is VERY enthusiastic about labor and delivery!) We are meeting for 3 weeks on Tuesday nights from 6:30-9pm. There were 8 other couples and we seemed to be right in the middle as far as due dates. I think we were the youngest couple there though and you could tell, it's everyone's first child. In the beginning of class, she had us introduce ourselves & mention due date, gender of baby, name (if any) and where we work. Guess who was picked to go first? US. Oh well =) We had a lot of fun and learned some interesting stuff! Did you know that my body is changing 2qts of aminotic fluid 8x's a day!? That during the full moon, more pregger women go into labor due to the gravitational pull? That once your water breaks you have 24 hrs to deliver the baby? And if you relax during contractions, the baby will come faster! We also learned different relaxing techniques-my fav was a slow dance one that really relieves lower back pressure! I felt so much better about the whole birthing process after the class ended and we only made it to stage 1 of labor. Next week: Fast paced breathing, epidurals, prep and procedures!

baby shower #2

Thank you Jenny, Amy and Mrs. Royston for such a wonderful shower this weekend! It was so beautiful and we had such a great time! I love you girls!

Here are some photos of Saturday's shower:

31 Weeks!

See the big picture-- How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

The Nursery

What a Weekend!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Its been a crazy week with our jeep in the shop and lots of time spent on youth stuff and keeping the house clean for showings... Please pray with us that God sells our house! We've been waiting to paint the nursery in hopes that it sells soon! Okay, the weekend...lets see...

Matt surprised me and bought our baby bedding and it was delivered this week! I was on the computer and had a question for Matt. He had snuck in and placed it on the bed behind me so when i turned around to go find him, I saw our adorable baby bedding! (Its really cute huh Angela?! Poor thing, she has such great taste and Jacob loves his so much--I just didn't love any other like I love this one)

This photo is NOT of our house--I'm just showing you what the BEDDING looks like...


Our baby dresser/changer combo came in on Friday and we picked it up at BabiesRUS...Of course Matt had to load it himself because the sales lady looked like a frail 80 year old who smoked a lot and had trouble just maneuvering the cart with the dresser on it...She went out to the truck with him and watched with the most helpful gaze she could muster. Matt was thinking, "What are you gonna do lady? The wind out here will more than likely blow you over and you're standing here like you want to help?" BabiesRUs should always have some burly men working to help pregger ladies and their hubbies! Matt pivoted it off the truck and its been in our garage until yesterday when Larry came to help Matt move it into the house on Sunday. Its so beautiful!



Saturday was a clean sweep/Steph's nesting day! It was so refreshing! We first emptied our closets of clothes we no longer wear and went through our storage bins and office & kitchen junk drawers. After throwing a lot of stuff away, packing 2 large garbage bags for Goodwill and 3 large stacks of old books (we are taking to the library)we consolidated and re-organized the storage bins and found better places for them in our closets. It looks so much better and is totally less cluttered. Matt washed the windows inside and out and I prepared for the sunday school lesson (We teach 9th and 10th grade) and baked cookies to take on our hospital visits later...

At 4pm we left the house and went to visit my uncle Frankie in his rehabilitation facility--He just had surgery and I took him a stuffed animal Eyeore which he loved and cuddled the whole time-(He is mentally retarded and loves stuffed animals =)

He then told me he was gonna buy me a baby crib from Kmart. Hes so sweet. After spending a few hours with him we got Starbucks and headed for Winter Park Memorial Hospital to visit our friends Blake and Melissa Tolson. Blake was injured at work on Thursday and had to have surgery on his back. He is in good spirits and was well enough to joke with us Saturday night. Keep them in your prayers as it will be a long recovery.

That (for the most part) =) was our exciting weekend and there's a lot going on this month so check back-I also have a small post i wrote this morning so keep reading down...NEW BABY BUMP PHOTOS BELOW! I hope you have a awesome week!

I'm 30 Weeks!

Its so hard to believe we only have 10 more weeks to go! Thats IF I go full term! It was so wild to think about it but when our good friends Adam and Angela Shaw (visit their blog at www.shaw-family.blogspot.com) were pregnant, they had their baby Jacob at this point in their pregnancy!!! AHH!
Here are some photos taken today of me and my fav lil girls!



Tristyn look at the camera!


Look! We all have big bellies like Mrs. Stephanie!


This made me giggle! Annalynn was talking softly until Maddie said, "He can't hear you". Frustrated she screamed, "BaBy! bAbY, cOme OUT!"



Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal vision is 20/20.)

"He's got my nose!"

Today we went and (thanks to our friend Chad from church) had a 4D ultrasound done! WOW! We could see so much detail of our little boy! It was so amazing...It took us an hour to get the pictures we do have because he was camera shy and always had a foot, leg, arm, hand or all of the above in front of his face! He was also snuggling way back inside and behind the umbilical cord so it was totally hard to get a good shot. However, due to true sarcasm like his father, he was a complete wiggle worm afterward on the way home! We were laughing in the car and joking, "He's probably in there now, smiling and saying, 'I'm ready for my close up!"

What a handsome baby! =)


His right foot--Do you see the big toe curled back? (ignore the thing that looks like a lobster claw-its a bone of some sort--His foot is to the right of it)




What a thinker! See his little fingers? And no, that's not facial hair, not yet anyway--just a dark spot where the shadows were cast...




In this clip, he is rubbing his eyes--Tired of being awake and keeping mommy up all night...


His hand is up by his mouth--He's blowing mommy a kiss...



This is a video of him just hangin out...



These aren't the best quality--They were scanned from our printouts but he's still just as sweet as he can be =)




We are so excited about you, little boy!

We're in my last TriMeSteR!!!

Steph is 28 weeks! And counting...
YEA!! On the home stretch! At the most we have 12 more weeks to go!
I can't believe it! We're getting closer to meeting our son! He is on the move all the time! Not just small movements--HUGE kicks and pushes and turns! What a wiggle-worm! Matt and I were reading how big he is now and there's no wonder with a baby thats almost 3 inches longer than a ruler, why i'm feeling EVERY move--He dosen't have a whole lot of room in there does he! If you remember, pray for me on Friday as I have to have my glucose sceening test at 10:30...Its where they give me a bottle full of sugar--a thick, syurpy non-carbonated orange drink--and after one hour in the waiting room, see how my body reacted to the shock of sugar by ing me and taking my ...(Funny thing, my appointment being on halloween and all, sounds kinda scary if you ask me!) The good news is Matt and I will be going for our 4D ultrasound on Thursday morning at 8AM! We can't wait to get a small glimpse of what he looks like!

How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How your life's changing:
You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.
At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits.

Get ready for November 4th

Take a miniute to watch this touching video! Very well put together! It makes you realize how important our faith is--Today, we are facing a new challange...We aren't just voting for a president, we are voting for our traditional family values.

This short video drives home the ideas of God's idea of marriage, life, love and sacrifice. "Even after its all said and done, one man will not be able to change Washington but it is Christ working through him that will make all the difference..."

http://www.valuevotersusa.com/
(copy and paste this link into your web browser)


Vote on November 4th

Baby Shower Photos!

Thank you so much for coming to my wonderful party and a special "**HUG** of Appreciation" to my sister Brittany, Carmen, Mandy and Megan for giving me such a special shower! I love you!

Mmmmm.....

MY BACK IS KILLING ME!! Ahhhhh! It hurts so bad and I'm having trouble getting comfy at night =( Matt has been so wonderful, propping my feet up and giving wonderful back rubs, doing everything he can to make sure I'm happy =) Except... he's the 'food nazi'... He won't let me have any sweets or anything too salty. He's always throwing veggies my way and asks, "How many servings of fruit have you had today"? Its so sweet...but when i want a little ice cream...can be so annoying =) I know I should be eating as healthy as I can and I'm so thankful for him...but do you realize chocolate chip cookies are my fav!?!

I had a wonderful shower this weekend thrown by my sister and the Lovings ladies! I'll post some pictures soon...more to come... I need to get my chicken and potatoes out of the crock pot!


at 26 weeks...
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days...

So a big question on my mind lately:

What will our baby look like?!?!

I know it doesn't matter as long as he's healthy but I just can't help but wonder...(I have, just for fun, placed a poll to the right so vote your opinion...)
Will he have my hair or his dad's dark locks? Light eyes or dark? Tall, thin, short, what? Who's personality will he most resemble? Or who's attitude? What will he sound like? Will he be a picky eater or a 'two fister'? Regardless, baby, we will love you and can't wait to meet you! and we are so happy that 'God gave us you'... (this book was given to us recently and is special to us...)

How your baby's growing
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.