34 Weeks

Time seems to be creeping by for me these days...perhaps it's because I'm SO ready to meet our little guy.  I'm now into week 34, and one one hand, I'm hoping the next several weeks come and go quickly, but on the other, I'm trying to cherish the last few weeks that Jeff and I have alone.  We are so excited to meet our baby, but we are well aware that life as we know it will never be the same.  I always get pretty sentimental when I hear of or know of a couple that is getting ready to welcome their fist baby.  It's such a special time, but yet their lives change so rapidly in the blink of an eye.  One second, they're two people in love and living life together (just expecting a baby).  The next second, they parents, charged with an amazing task from God of raising that baby (or babies) up in His name.  It's very deep!

Anyway, on to this week's update.  Because we're so far along, there isn't as much going on except that little Harrison is just continuing to grow bigger and bigger.  According to Baby Center, he now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. I'm happy to learn that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.  Even though I'm really anxious to meet him, I want him to stay in my belly for at least three more weeks...maybe four or five.  I would rather not go to 41 weeks, but if that's God's plan, then that's what we'll do!  This is likely what he looks like this week...getting very crowded in my belly!!!

In other news, we finished Harrison's room!!!  It looks so good, everything I wanted it to be!!!  It amazes me to see the before and after pictures of this little room.  It used to be so plain and boring with the almond colored walls, and now, it's the most adorable nursery I've ever seen (of course I'm partial)!  The paint job that Jeff did is phenominal, the bedding given to us by Jeff's mom is adorable (we picked it of course), and the wall appliques from Jeff's sister complete the room.  Everything turned out just so perfect.  Now we're just waiting for little man to arrive.  Here are a few pictures of the room, but it looks much better in person...just saying!  :-)

Well it's time to get another week started.  I'm excited to be helping out at Vacation Bible School in the evenings this week.  I will be the photographer, so let's hope I can capture some exciting memories for these young kids.  I loved VBS when I was a kid, and I hope that these kids will have similar memories to look back on when they're grown.  This year's theme, High Seas Expedition, is really fun; I can't wait to see how the kids react to all the fun activities that are in store!!

Make it a great week!!!

Kicking off the Third Trimester (28 Weeks)

Well, I guess I'm in the home stretch now.  Entering the third trimester this week is very exciting!!  Harrison's movements in my belly are stronger than ever, and I know they'll continue to get stronger as he continues to grow.

By now, he probably weighs 2 and a quarter pounds and is about 14.8 inches from head to toe.  He can blink his eyes now, and he's sporting eyelashes (I hope they're like his daddy's!).  With his eyesight developing, he might be able to sense light that filters through the womb. Billions of neurons are continuing to develop in his brain, and he's continuing to put on more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.  This is what he probably looks like this week.

As for me, things are still going great.  I feel great, my weight gain is on track, and my belly is just getting bigger each week like it's supposed to.

I had my monthly check-up this past Thursday (4/29) and got a good report.  Harrison's heartbeat was a strong 144 beats per minute, and the doc said I'm measuring in at 28 weeks which means that his growth is right on track!!  I was excited to get the news that I do not have gestational diabetes, and I'm not anemic.  I was a little worried that I might be anemic because before getting pregnant, I had some problems with anemia and took iron supplements to help correct it.  Anyway, that was the last of my monthly check-ups...I now start going every two weeks; I'll do this until week 36, at which point I'll go every week until delivery.  I will also start rotating between the other doctors in the practice now so that I can get familiar with them in case they are on call when I get ready to deliver.

We attended the first of our five childbirth classes this past Wednesday night.  The night started off on a rough foot because I had a VERY stressful day at work and was pretty emotional and we ended up going to the wrong hospital; however, we finally made it to the right place (Thanks Katee!!!) and the class was good.  The hospital that Jeff and I both have been thinking was Florida Hospital Winter Park is actually Florida Hospital Orlando...we totally went to the Orlando campus, but thank God I called Katee to ask where she parked because she helped us realize we were not even at the right place...LOL!

There are about 12 or 13 couples of first time parents in the class.  The class started off with introductions and men/women break-out groups to discuss the joys and challenges of pregnancy...that was fun!  The majority of the women in the class are having girls, a few are having boys, and two are waiting to find out until delivery; there is one couple that is having twins...they're both boys, and she said the doctor thinks they're identical.  We learned about the importance of health and nutrition as well as signs of pre-term labor and some breathing/relaxation techniques.  I'm looking forward to what we'll learn in the remainder of the classes and also looking forward to getting to know some other first time parents and hopefully make some lasting friendships.

We got our new camera yesterday, and I am SO excited.  We started looking at cameras a couple of weeks ago because for those of you that know me well, know that I LOVE taking pictures.  I do not claim to be great at it, but I love pictures.  Between boxes underneath my bed, in my closet, and pictures online at Shutterfly.com, I have more pictures that I could ever possibly count or know what to do with...on Shutterfly alone, I have over 1,000!  Anyway, the main reason we wanted to invest in a really good camera is because Harrison will be here soon.  We want to be able to start capturing memories starting with the moments immediately following his delivery, all of his movements, faces (clean/dirty, awake/asleep), and once he becomes more mobile and starts crawling and walking, and eventually playing sports, we want to have a good camera to capture all of that!!

Here is a picture of the camera...I can't wait to figure out all the nuts and bolts of it.  I've already mastered the basic shooting function, but I'm looking forward to understanding all the different shooting scenes and settings so I can start snapping pictures everywhere I go.  Thank you mama for helping us get such a great deal on the camera!!!

Harrison's room is finally complete (meaning the painting and arrangement of furniture).  Jeff worked so hard putting together the furniture, staining the rocking chair to match the furniture, and painting; and with the help of our friend Brett, he hung a chair rail, and the room looks great!!!  The only thing left for me to do is get the rocking chair cushions recovered.  Here are a couple pictures, but it just looks so much better in person!

On Thursday of this week, (5/6), mama will be turning the BIG 5-0!!!  She is so looking forward to the big day and the awesome birthday bash we have planned for her two days later on 5/8.  She is such an amazing person and so deserves a wonderful birthday.  We'll be driving up to Dothan on Thursday and will return on Sunday.  I'm excited that Jeff and I, Stephanie and Thomas, Carman and Shay and their families, and the rest of our family and mama's friends will all be able to get together to celebrate mama!!  I'll have all kinds of pictures when we return from the big weekend.

My post for next week will be delayed by a few days because we won't be back in town until late Sunday evening, and I have a big real estate certification class for short sales and distressed properties on Monday and Tuesday.

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead!!!

27 Weeks

Well, we're almost out of the 2nd trimester...that's so hard to believe...time is going by so fast.  This little guy is going to be here before we know it!!!

This week, he likely weighs about 2 lbs. and is about 14 1/2 inches long (head to toe).  He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and maybe even sucking his thumb (I wish so bad we could get an ultrasound of this!!!).  Since more brain tissue is developing, his brain is more active now.  While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning - with a lot of medical help - if he were born now.  (We're super excited for him to arrive, but we want him to wait a little while longer and finish growing in my belly!)  The rhythmic movements I sometimes feel are baby hiccups, and they may be common from now on.  Each episode only lasts a few moments, so I find it hard to tell if he really has hiccups or if he's just doing hurdle jumps in there.  This is what he's looking like this week.

As for me, things are going great.  I had a slight bump in the pregnancy road this past week (see my previous Ups and Downs post if you're interested in knowing the details on that), but I'm over that and things are fabulous!!  I had my gestational diabetes test last week, and I'll get the results of that at my next appointment, this Thursday 4/29.  It's so hard to believe this will be my last monthly appointment...I start going every 2 weeks after this.

We start our childbirth education classes on Wednesday night...I'm excited and nervous all in the same breath, and I think Jeff's just nervous.  Next Sunday, we're going to the Grand Opening Celebration of The Dr. P. Phillips Baby Place at Winter Park Memorial Hospital.  We are super excited to see the place where we will get to welcome our baby into the world.  It's a brand new "boutique" facility at the hospital, and the event next Sunday is supposed to be a fun time.

In other news, I made a drastic change in my appearance this past Friday.  I have decided that I'm tired of having highlights/lowlights because it's just so much upkeep, and it gets expensive.  So, I had my stylist take me back to my natural color...only it's not my natural color.  I'm going back on Tuesday to get it fixed because it's just too dark and has too much deep red tone to it...not a good look for me.  I've got to get this fixed soon because I can't have pictures of me like this floating around...Harrison will be ashamed of me in years to come!!  :-)

Jeff has so diligently been working on the baby's room.  It's like 99% complete, and knowing him, it'll be finished tonight.  I'll post pictures once it's finished.

We got our first baby gift in the mail yesterday; we got some of the bottles we registered for...it was exciting to open the first gift.  We've been given a few things in the last several weeks, but for some reason, getting a gift in the mail felt different to me...???  Anyway, we are so thankful!!

Well, I better cut this off here.  We've been working on cleaning and preparing for the baby (I guess this is the beginning of the Nesting Phase for us), and I still have a ton of stuff to get done!!  Marlee is overseeing this whole project from the comfort of the back porch...

Have a blessed week!!

Ups and Downs

Being pregnant is and has been so far a great experience for me.  I have been so fortunate not to be burdened with morning (or afternoon or evening) sickness, and I've only had a small issue with sciatic nerve pain.  I feel so blessed!

Last night, however, was a bump in my pregnancy road.  I had a pretty serious meltdown because of all the anxiety I have about having this baby.  Looking back now, it's kind of funny, but it's not really.  I read somewhere once that there is usually an [emotional] incident or two in every woman's pregnancy where the man in her life wishes he could forget it or just remove himself from the situation...mine was last night.  Poor Jeff...he didn't know what to do with me because I was out of control crying and trying to talk, but you couldn't hardly understand a word I was saying.

Basically, this is what it boils down to...I am scared of the unexpected and unknown with regards to having the baby.  Obviously women have babies everyday and many do it with no pain mediciation and little or no child birth education.  Well, I am a worrier by nature (not a good quality, but it is what it is), and I have a ton of anxiety about haivng the baby.  We are set to start child birth classes in one week, and Jeff is less than thrilled about it because he's not sure how he's going to handle it.  He is such a strong person, I keep telling him he'll be fine.  But, like most men that are first time dads, he doesn't know what to expect either and is worried about passing out or getting sick or just not handling it well.  Having the conversation about the upcoming child birth classes just brought on the huge wave of mostly unpleasant emotions for me.

Anyway, this is probably something most, if not all, women go through during pregnancy, whether they talk about it and admit to it or not.  I sure hope that I got all of that out of my system last night, for Jeff's sake and mine.  This is a very exciting time for us, and we have so much to be thankful for, especially each other!!!

After my little breakdown, Jeff started painting in the baby's room again. I awoke to a beautiful surprise this morning...

Can you tell the daddy to be is super excited about the arrival of his baby boy??  I'll post "real" pictures when the room is complete.

Jeff is such a wonderful person, and I am so blessed and thankful for him.  I am an overly emotional person anyway, but he always knows just how to handle me (and if he doesn't know, I tell him...LOL!). 

God is so good; He is so good to me!!!!

26 Weeks

Well, I'm now to the 6 1/2 month mark and I have a belly to prove it!!

At this point in the pregnancy, the network of nerves in little Harrison's ears is more developed and sensitive than before.  He may now be able to hear Jeff and I talking to each other.  He is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his little lungs.  These so-called breathing movements are good practice for when he arrives and takes his first gulp of air.  He is continuing to put on baby fat and is now up to about a pound and two-thirds and measures about 14 inches (I'm beginning to wonder if this is accurate because my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book says he's just about 9 inches...hmmmm).  His little boy parts are beginning to descend which should take about 2-3 days.  This is what he probably looks like this week.

In other news, my hip/sciatic nerve pain has subsided for the most part.  It's so much better than it has been for the past two weeks.  Hopefully I won't have that anymore, but I'm guessing the chances of that are slim.  I'm feeling great and just trying to enjoy each day of the pregnancy and his little kicks and movements in my belly.  I find myself asking him to kick me all the time...when he's not moving, I try to move my belly to make him move.

I go for my gestational diabetes test tomorrow.  I'm not really looking forward to that because I'll have to drink this sugary liquid and then sit for an hour before they can draw the blood and do the test.  I'm worried that drinking the sugary liquid stuff is going to make me vomit...YUCK!  I'm sure the test will be fine and the results will be negative, and this will just be one more entry into my weekly log of the pregnancy.

Jeff has started painting the nursery...I can hardly wait for it to be finished; it's going to look great!  He and our good friend Brett put up a chair rail over the weekend, and that just makes the room!  I'll post pictures once he's finished painting.

Well, I guess that's all for now.  Make it a great week!!  :-)

22 Weeks, Vegas, Baby Furniture

I'm now into my 22nd week of pregnancy, we went to Vegas last Wedensday and came home Sunday, and we got the furniture for Harrison's room.  So, let me get started with the update!!

This week Harrison is about the size of a spaghetti squash and weighs almost a pound...he's starting to look like a miniture human.  His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becomming more distinct, and he's even developing tooth buds beneath his gums.  His eyes are formed, but the irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.  If we could see inside my womb, we'd see that his little body is covered with a fine layer of hair, called lanugo, and he has deep wrinkles on his skin which he'll support until he develops a layer of fat to fill them in.  Inside his belly, his pancreas is steadily developing.  See what he looks like this week.

As for me this week, I feel good.  I feel like my belly is getting bigger by the day (which it is) and becomming more and more noticable.  There's no second guessing now...people definitely know I'm pregnant when they see me.  I forgot to get a 22 week picture on Sunday because we were traveling home from Vegas.

Moving right along to our Vegas trip.  We left on Wednesday, 3/17 and arrived to our hotel around 11:00 pm (Vegas time).  I was super tired, so I washed up and went to bed.  Jeff headed down to the casino for a short time and came back with some extra $$ in his pocket!!!!

On Thursday, we got up early so we could get to the sports book and Jeff could make his bets for the upcoming basketball games...one of the reasons we chose Vegas was because of it being March Madness time, and Jeff has always wanted to be in Vegas for March Madness.  Let me tell you, it was definitely March Madness...in a couple senses of the words.  Vegas is always crazy, but I don't think I've ever seen it as busy as it was when we were there.  It was too much for me...and Jeff too by Friday night.  We were ready to come home on Saturday, but our flight didn't leave until early Sunday morning.

Back to the trip, we spent a good part of Thursday watching basketball games or playing some casino games.  I lost $20 in the slot machine in about 5 minutes (big spender, I know), and then I played Black Jack for a while and had a good time!  Friday, I think I slept about 16 hours of the day, and it was soooo nice.  I went out to Vegas with the complete intention of relaxing, and that's what I did.  We didn't feel pressure to do anything at all, and it was very nice.  We stayed in the room most of the day Friday, and I slept while Jeff watched BB.

As I said earlier, by Saturday, we were ready to come home.  We had had our fill of gambling, and one can only watch so much BB, and we'd seen all of Vegas that we wanted to this time around, so we just kind of laid around and took it easy on Saturday.  We went to bed early (shhh, don't tell Vegas because I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in Vegas who were in bed by 10 pm on Saturday night).  Our flight departed at 6:45 am on Sunday, so the 4:15 am call came very early.  We got back to Orlando around 6:00 pm and were happy to be home in our own bed without people running through the hallway screaming at all hours of the day and night.

Now, on to the furniture...we finally got it home last night, and Jeff worked until almost midnight getting it put together!  It looks sooooo good.  I can hardly wait to get the room arranged and put together for little Harrison.  Here are some pictures...

Boxes have been delivered

Jeff getting started and looking so handsome

Marlee had to oversee the project to ensure complete accuracy

Look at all those parts for the bed

Finished crib...looks so good!

Almost complete dresser/changer combo (missing the "feet")

Well, that's all for now.  I'll have another update in a few days.  Enjoy the week!