New Traditions

I'm all about starting new family traditions now that HH is around.  Pinterest has been very helpful in giving me ideas for things we can do during the Christmas season, and one idea I found was to have a daily activity to do as a family.  I made little cards and stuck them inside the Santa Christmas countdown calendar we have hanging in the kitchen.  We are doing 20 activities together (since we will be traveling for the latter part of Dec.) and I'm really looking forward to each one!

Day 1: Take a Picture With Santa

We took Harbor to see Santa yesterday at a local mall.  This Santa was legit.  Real beard, awesome suit, even a fireplace in his Santa lair.  I was curious about how Harbor would handle it all, considering she is having some separation anxiety issues, and the screaming baby in front of us didn't do much to ease my mind.  But lo and behold, HH loved Santa!  She happily sat with him, smiling, laughing, and tugging on his beard.  It made for some pretty darn cute pics if I do say so myself.








Day 2: Shop for Angel Tree Child

On Saturday, we stopped by the mall and made a visit to the Salvation Army table to choose our Angel Tree child.  In years past, we have filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  We missed the boat on that one this year, and I thought it would be fun to "adopt" a child for the holiday season.  We decided to make this a yearly thing and choose a child that was roughly the same age as Harbor each year, so she can help in choosing the gifts.  This year we shopped for a 5 month old little boy.  We had a great time strolling down the toy aisle in Walmart and letting Harbor be the guinea pig  choose the toys.  We also picked up a few cute outfits and some shoes.  It was fun to buy onesies with puppies and dinosaurs for a change.  It's really important to us to teach Harbor the importance of giving to others in need, and I'm excited about what this new tradition will teach her over the years. Although we certainly aren't wealthy, we are extremely blessed and want to help in the small way that we can.  Hopefully this sweet baby and his family will enjoy Christmas with these few small things we can provide.

A Perfect Day

Today really took me by surprise.  I'll admit that I've been having a tough time lately.  I've been feeling pretty down about being away from HH with a busy work schedule and feeling like I was missing out on so many important things going on with her, and it was starting to affect the time I spent with her at home.  I felt like any time she was fussy or cried, it was somehow my fault.  Something lacking in my parenting that was causing her to be upset. Maybe if I was home more or nursing more often or whatever my irrational mind decided was important at the time, she'd be happier.  That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself. Long story short, I have not been the most pleasant person to be around lately because of it.  But today helped me to put things in perspective a little.  All because of a trip to the pumpkin patch.

The weather was beautiful, the company was excellent, and we had a wonderful day.  I just got to enjoy being with my baby and relishing in one of her firsts, even if Baby's First Pumpkin isn't a milestone in the baby book, it was special to me.  I may miss things like her first step, her first word, the first time rolling over, or the first time she found her feet (which, by the way, I did miss this week), but I can still be a part of some special firsts, even if they are a little silly.

So here's to the Working Mommy Milestones, starting with Harbor's First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Sleep, What's That?

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a clueless first time mom.  When we first brought Harbor home, I was perfectly happy to sit and hold her every second of the day (or night).  Everyone said, "Don't worry, you can't spoil a baby this young!" Wrong.  You guys were wrong, all of you. Because my adorable baby now refuses to fall and/or stay asleep when not being held.  This causes a teensy problem for this working mama when she's up most of the night trying begging to get this tiny baby to sleep.  I will say that we've got a rockin' bedtime routine down and Little Miss drifts off into dreamland very quickly with (usually) minimal to no fussing involved.  However, Josh and I are trying to perfect the fine art of gracefully placing a sleeping baby in her crib without jostling her awake.  After she goes to bed around 7:30, we spend the next 3 hours taking turns going back into her room to re-insert the paci or rock her as needed.  I have flat refused to nurse her to sleep, she has enough bad habits we will have to break her of later.  I leave her in her room until she wakes up for the first time to eat, which conveniently is right about the time we go to bed.  I've stopped fighting the Pack n Play fight and just let the little spoiled baby sleep in our bed for the rest of the night.  We've mastered side lying nursing, which helps me to get a little extra sleep.  But this kid is the floppiest, snortiest, squirmiest sleeper ever. And she refuses to sleep anywhere but right.up.against.me. So I basically cat nap.  Let's not forget about the 4+ times she wakes up to eat and snuggle back to sleep.  So sweet and precious that she loves and needs me that much, but geez I'm tired! Well this weekend I've resigned myself to end what I call the Sleep Cycle of Shame.  I read this fantastic book:

Much to our surprise, it turns out that Josh and I have some pretty hippy ideas when it comes to parenting, such as co-sleeping and babywearing, so it's no surprise that we are 100% against the cry it out method of sleep training.  That's where this gem comes in.  Starting tomorrow, we will be completing a nap log, pre-bedtime log, and nightwaking log. Based on this we can create a plan to help her go to bed without a huge Broadway production and *hopefully* stay asleep for more than 2 hours at a time.  

Here was the scene a couple nights ago when HH was still awake at 11:00 (I'm blaming teething).

Wish us luck!

The Woes of a Working Mommy

School officially started back this week, and I had a harder time leaving my little HH than I thought I would. Don't misinterpret: I love my job. I work with an amazing group of people and I have an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child, but I couldn't help but feel homesick after having spent every day of the last three months with my sweet little baby. I am so fortunate that she gets to spend the days with her daddy rather in daycare somewhere, but I MISS being with her. I (selfishly) worry that she will start to prefer Josh over me, or that I'm laying the foundation for years of therapy because she's developing abandonment issues because her mom wasn't around when she was little. Score one for me, I only cried the first two days on the way to work and managed to narrow it down to a whimper or two by day three, but no tears were shed. Everyone says it will get easier with time...I'm hoping they're right.

Now for what you really came for: baby pictures.

She LOVES her mobile. As soon as you turn it on, she smiles like this and coos at the ladybugs.

Officially outgrew her 3mo onesies. Couldn't get it over her giant noggin'.

Smiley Girl

Harbor smiles at the kissy noise. Please ignore my irritating mommy voice. :)

Big, Enormous, Epic Update

I cross my heart that this entry marks the beginning of my dedication to this blog. I had a lot of people recently ask me if I was still planning to keep it and the answer is yes, I am. So here we go...

We've been super busy lately! Last week we got back from visiting family in AL. This was HH's first big road trip (she did great) and the first time most of our family and friends got to meet her. The day we left was HH's 2 month birthday. which meant 2 things: well baby check up and shots!! The doctor had all sorts of great things to say, like how strong she was and that she was developmentally right on track if not a little advanced!

Two Month Stats

Weight: 13lbs (91%)

Length: 23 1/4 in (78%)

Milestones: LOVES to smile, but you have to earn it! Recently found her hands and loves to suck on her fingers.

Sleep: Sleep is overall pretty good, but still touch and go. She likes a late night snack around midnight, and will generally give me a 5 ish (sometimes more like 4 and even as long as 6) hour stretch before wanting to eat again. She still needs a good swaddle and is sleeping in the Nap Nanny most nights, but we're working on getting her at least into the pack n play in our room. She is still not a fan of being flat on her back.

Favorites: "talking" to me or Josh or the ceiling fan, singing songs, sitting in the bumbo, blowing spit bubbles

She did great on her shots. I however, had to go stand in the bathroom with the water running. I was able to nurse her right afterwards and she calmed right down. Never ran a fever or had any fussiness after the shots, which was excellent.

From there we headed to Hilton Head to see Josh's family and spend the 4th at the beach. Here we are right before fireworks.

We then headed to Lake Martin to spend the week with my family. There HH went on her first boat ride, and got to meet her great grand parents, including her namesake! She also went to Greenville to meet her other great grandmother, Uncle Alan, Aunt Donna, and cousin McCall.

We then went to Auburn for a few days to meet more friends, extended family, and have HH showered with even more love. It was so great to see everyone, but we were happy to return home and see one lonely cat.

We're Still Here!

We are still here! Turns out that having a newborn is incredibly time consuming, yet it's one of the best things I've ever done! I've been working on writing Harbor's birth story, but I get emotional every time, coupled with the fact that it's a tad on the lengthy side and needless to say it is still a work in progress. In the meantime, here are some pictu
res of our Little Dove (due to the dove-like coo sounds she makes in her sleep)! We are over the moon in love with her!

brand new baby!

Sleepin' hard with my paci

First family photo

We have been working hard to get on a schedule, and things are really coming together. I attribute our success so far to On Becoming Babywise. I was hesitant to read this book at first, but it really has been a lifesaver. I would recommend it to all my new mommy friends. It has given me the confidence boost I needed to feel like I was doing the right thing! Harbor sleeps like a champ because of it and Josh and I actually have time to get things done around the house in between all the kisses and cuddles with Harbor.

I'm STILL pregnant...week 38

The title pretty much sums things up. So ready to meet our baby girl (and not be pregnant anymore!) Visiting the dr. every week now. I always go in hopeful that he'll give us news that says "Looks like you're very close! Go ahead and head over to the hospital tonight!", but no. I only get "She's happy where she is - see you next week". Harbor seems to have not inherited her mother's impatience, which I'm sure I'll be thankful for one day. Tomorrow is May 1st which means it's birthday month! We are so close!

How far along? 38 Weeks
Total weight gain: 22 lbs.

Baby is the size of: a small watermelon (about 19 1/2 inches long and 7 lbs)

Maternity clothes? even those are getting snug
Stretch marks? sigh...yes. I was so excited to not have any but I now have several on the very lower part of my belly. Bring on the cocoa butter.
Sleep: boo
Best moment this week: the weekend where I didn't have to do anything, ha!

Miss Anything?: walking normally, been craving iced coffee like crazy this week

Movement: stretching that sometimes makes me wonder if she can bust through my skin

Food cravings: juice, fruit, pink lemonade

Anything making you queasy or sick: not really
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: none........I think she's staying in there forever

Symptoms: swollen feet, itchy skin, aches and pains
Belly Button in or out? out...way out
Wedding rings on or off? off :(
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy but I have my moments. Josh has been very patient with me :)
Looking forward to: meeting our little angel! I can't wait to see her little face! I wonder if it will match the way I've imagined her or if I will feel like I've known her forever.

Baby Brain is Real

Everyone hears the stories of so-called "baby brain"...pregnant women forgetting things or making silly mistakes. I'll admit that I always thought that was an old wive's tale that barred no truth. I was wrong. Here are a couple of the most traumatic hilarious things I've done so far.

In general:

forgetting my keys/purse at work

putting things in the refrigerator that don't belong there (i.e. the remote, my cell phone)

misplacing everything that I touch

Here are the real gems...

The Car Incident:

One morning, when arriving at work I hop out of the car, grab my stuff, and head inside. Once I get to my classroom, I reach in my purse for my keys only to find that they are not there. So I stand there for a second, trying to figure out where I last had them, when it occurs to me that I may have dropped them in my car. I walk back out to my car (which turned into running towards my car) when I realized that I had never actually shut it off, but left it completely cranked sitting in the parking lot. Whoops. At least I found my keys!

The Pregnancy Miracle:

About a week or two ago, my alarm clock went off and I rolled over to turn it off. *crucial to the story is the fact that I have TERRIBLE eyesight. The last eye doctor I went to asked me how old I was because it is that bad* So normally, I have to squint really hard to read what time is on the clock so I know if I need to get up or if I can enjoy nine more minutes of snoozin'. This day, however, squinting made it much worse. Like I couldn't see at all when I squinted. So I just opened my eyes normally and realized that....wait for it....I COULD SEE! You have to understand, every morning of my life since about the 2nd grade I have not been able to see a thing until I had my glasses on, so this was a cause for celebration! I was giddy. Elated even. It was a pregnancy miracle! Somehow my hormones had completely cured my nearsightedness! I seriously considered waking up Josh to tell him about this amazing development, but I decided to take a look in the mirror first. Maybe my eyes would look different? Be a different color? I don't know what I expected. They were, in fact, a different color...just not a flattering one. They were red. Bright red. This is when my elation turned to crushing disappointment when I realized that someone had forgotten to take out their contacts the night before.

Harbor, hurry up and get here before your mama hurts herself.

36 Weeks, i.e. How Much Longer Do I Have to Be Pregnant?

I'm really not trying to be a complainer...I'm not. But holy cow. I think God designed the last month of pregnancy to be the most miserable because then you're willing to do whatever is necessary to get the kid out. I have officially reached that point. Again, I know I've had it so easy with very little morning sickness and a healthy baby the whole way through, but I'm so uncomfortable. While waddling around the grocery store tonight trying not to tinkle on myself and wincing from back pain, it dawned on me that all pregnant women should be issued a Rascal scooter during the third trimester along with a pass that excuses you from any physical or emotional work until after the baby is born. Just a thought.

How far along? 36 Weeks
Total weight gain: 17 lbs.

Baby is the size of: a crenshaw melon, which apparently is about 6 lbs. ( about 18 1/2 inches long)

Maternity clothes? I've forgotten what it was like to wear pants with a button and a zipper
Stretch marks? one renegade stretch mark has appeared right above my belly button, or what used to be my belly button...
Sleep: not terrible, just constantly aware of the discomfort
Best moment this week: nursery is DONE! I'll post about that soon.

Miss Anything?: Feeling like a normal human being maybe?

Movement: tushy wiggling, but she's been more mellow lately. There's no room to move!

Food cravings: gallons and gallons of water, strawberry banana V8 Fusion juice

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope, bring on the food!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: it may be wishful thinking, but I feel like she's dropped some in the last week or so. I've also had some pretty killer Braxton Hicks which has been a new development

Symptoms: bathroom queen, swollen feet and hands, back pain, joint pain in my fingers (didn't know that was even a thing until the other day), pretty much feeling geriatric
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? off - my finger is green from my fake
Happy or Moody most of the time: unfortunately moody most of this week but happy underneath it all
Looking forward to: touring the hospital and getting our preregistration done - one step closer to meeting Harbor girl!

Week 34

If this pregnancy were a football game, we'd be at the start of the 4th quarter *holding up four fingers* and thank goodness. I know that I have had a ridiculously easy pregnancy so far and have absolutely zero reason to complain about anything at all, but I've reached the point where I'm ready for this kid to vacate the premises. No only because I can't wait to meet her, but to say that I'm uncomfortable would be the understatement of the century. I want my body back. I love you, Harbor, but really. This is getting a bit ridiculous.

How far along? 34 Weeks
Total weight gain: 17 lbs.

Baby is the size of: a cantaloupe (a little over 4 pounds and about 18 inches long)

Maternity clothes? ugh...clothes. The bane of my existence. Nothing is cute or comfortable. I'm starting to doubt it ever will be again. Just put me in stretch pants and lock me in a closet until this is over (hence the lack of photo...that was intentional)
Stretch marks? nope, and hopefully it will stay that way
Sleep: better in the last couple of weeks. I'm just so tired all the time I think my body doesn't know what else to do but sleep and gestate.
Best moment this week: a wonderful baby shower at work - we are so lucky to have so many great friends!

Miss Anything? Hmm, where to begin...

1. skinny jeans

2. sleeping on my stomach

3. turkey sandwiches

4. regular sized feet, ankles, and fingers

5. being able to lean forwards

6. NOT having to eat every 30 minutes

7. Shirts without an empire waist or side ruching

8. Shopping at Forever 21 without everyone's judgy eyes

9. Tying my own shoes

10. Being able to stay awake for more than 4 hours without wanting/needing a nap
Movement: Since she's quickly running out of room there's a lot more stretching than kicking. She likes to stretch her little booty up against my ribs and stomach. Mama is not a fan of this particular move. It is pretty funny when she gets going at school and my class can see my belly bounce around. Their reactions are hilarious. One kid said she was probably ribbon dancing.

Food cravings: sweets, fruit
Anything making you queasy or sick: not so much anymore, just strong smells of anything
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nope (not that I'm entirely sure I'll know when they do come)

Symptoms: swollen ankles and fingers, fatigue
Belly Button in or out? Mostly flat but parts of it pop out depending on the time of day and how she's positioned
Wedding rings on or off? off - I've resorted to my huge fake ring that I can get on and off
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Starting our "What the Heck to Do With This Kid When I Bring Her Home" class on Wednesday. I'm reeeeeally hoping it will make me feel more capable of being responsible for this tiny person!

Week 31

I swear I'm not partial to the oddly numbered weeks...it's just that I've been so super busy lately! I'm working on my National Board Certification, which has been a huge time suck until I get everything finished, which is (thankfully) in the very near future!

Had our most recent check up a week ago, and everything looks good. Baby girl is still head down, so hopefully she'll stay that way for the last 2 months here. She's pretty much been that way since December, so I'm thinking she's comfy and happy like that. Her heartbeat was nice and strong and the doctor said she probably weighs about 3ish pounds. We have officially reached the point of going to for checkups every 2 weeks, so back to the doctor we go next Wednesday!

This picture pretty much sums up my tiredness levels. Check out those eye bags - yeesh.

How far along? 31 Weeks
Total weight gain: 12 lbs. (uh, yeah that would be 6 pounds in a month. ouch)

Baby is the size of: 4 navel oranges (16 inches from head to heel)

Maternity clothes? still fitting into some of my looser fitting pre-pregnancy tops and I can wear a lot of regular clothes just a size up from normal
Stretch marks? none - hooray!
Sleep: no bueno. I still have the weirdest dreams and I have pretty much since day 1.
Best moment this week: finishing the changing table (which is just an Ikea dresser) which was a serious accomplishment on mine and Josh's part. We worked a little each night and managed not to totally screw anything up!

Miss Anything? so many things...
Movement: I'm getting a sense of her sleeping and waking patterns, but I think she's just a really chill baby overall. Hopefully this is a reflection of her personality! I feel more stretches than kicks, although last week I'm pretty sure she was having some kind of dance party right before bed.

Food cravings: sweets, oranges
Anything making you queasy or sick: pickles
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nope.

Symptoms: minus the giant beach ball attached to my midsection, a little swelling in my feet and legs, but nothing too miserable
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake. And kind of numb? Not sure how normal that is. Oh well.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy with occasional periods where I find everything incredibly irritating. Like the fact that our DVR hasn't worked for a week.
Looking forward to: finishing up the nursery - getting there little by little!

29 Weeks (a week late)

Better late than never, I say. Today officially marks day 1 of week 30. Only 10 weeks to go!! I can't believe that in 2.5 months we will be a family of 3. Here's how things are progressing.

How far along? 29 Weeks
Total weight gain: 6 lbs.

Baby is the size of a: butternut squash (we are going by weight from here to the end) (15ish inches from head to heel)

Maternity clothes? same. In this week's pic I'm squished like a sausage into one of Josh's UK shirts because mine were all too short.
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep: still very restless. I enjoy my afternoon naps better than overnight sleeping.
Best moment this week: setting up the crib! My parents (the future Birdie and Papaw--not sure that name's staying...) came to visit last weekend and helped us assemble it. Nursery is really coming along!

Miss Anything? sleeping. I used to be such a champ.
Movement: lots! Now I can tell not just when she kicks, but when she pushes up against something. We can feel something (either a knee, foot, or elbow) that jabs me pretty often.

Food cravings: girl scout cookies, ha!
Anything making you queasy or sick: pickles
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nope.

Symptoms: off and on back pain and a little swelling in my ankles and feet if I've been standing or walking a lot that day
Belly Button in or out? half flat frowny face
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: getting on some of the DIY projects I have planned for the nursery

Last night we went to the UK v. Georgia basketball game, which was the first time Josh and I had gone to see the Cats play. The only thing I can compare it to is Auburn football. Totally crazy and fun! Harbor has never been to something that loud before and she wasn't really sure what to do. If it was calm, she was moving around like normal, but when a huge cheer would go up, she'd jerk really fast and freeze in place. I can't imagine what her little face looked like!

Here's me in Rupp - and no I didn't steal a basketball under my shirt! :)

28 Weeks!! Eek!

Hello third trimester! I was curious when the third trimester actually started, so I Googled it and here is what I found:

"The third trimester begins in week 28 and ends with labor and delivery".

I think I stopped breathing for a second there. That whole ends with labor and delivery part put a lot in perspective - like how terrified I am of the whole process. I have admitted many times that I am a worrier, especially when it comes to anything medical or health related. I have NEVER been a patient in the hospital in my entire life...until 3 months from now. I can feel (and usually see) how much bigger and stronger Harbor is getting every week and all I can think about now is that she's coming out one way or another. All I can picture is that scene from Twilight: Breaking Dawn. Maybe I should have skipped that movie until after this little pumpkin gets here...

Long story short, I don't want to hear a single birth story from anyone unless it goes a little something like this:

"Oh it was the most wonderful experience of my life. I was so comfortable. It was all clouds and glitter and unicorns and then I woke up with a beautiful, healthy baby in my arms".

In fact, I'm officially making this my birth plan. (Do people actually do these? Do I need to do one? Can this one please apply?)

For now (when I'm not hyperventilating about actually having this baby) I'm enjoying my bump and feeling baby girl turn some somersaults every day!

How far along? 28 Weeks
Total weight gain: still just 6 lbs. I'll be curious to see if I balloon up in the last few months here.
Maternity clothes? yep. I've been bitten by the shopping bug again too, so I see a trip to the Gap outlet in my future.
Stretch marks? zilch! (Hooray!)
Sleep: ugh, awful. Such weird dreams and waking up every few hours
Best moment this week: the nursery is sort of starting to look like a nursery! An empty one, but still more like a nursery than a guest bedroom, which is what it was
Miss Anything? not worrying/feeling guilty about what I eat. I just want a dang turkey sandwich without the fear of listeria!
Movement: much more this week. I got a foot stuck under my ribs the other night (not as fun or cute as it sounds). She's also doing this thing where she'll stretch out, hold it for a few seconds, and release
Food cravings: sugar, sugar, sugar. And orange juice.
Anything making you queasy or sick: pickles
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: some sciatic nerve pain occasionally, and round ligament pain as she's getting bigger
Belly Button in or out? half flat frowny face still
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy with brief moody moments. I have cried at least 7 times this week about tiny little nothings.
Looking forward to: getting the crib this week!!

Here's my 28 week pic (I know I missed 27. Gimme a break, I'm pregnant)

Please don't judge the messy hair. This was about 11:30 pm after a full day of work and a nap.

Also, here is a sneak peek of the crib!! I can't wait to show nursery progress as it comes together!

26 Weeks and Feb. Check-Up

Bright and early yesterday morning, Josh and I set out for our February doctor's appointment, and there was a lot on the agenda! We started off in the lab so I could guzzle some delish flat orange glucose concoction that tasted like orange skittles had been soaked in flat sprite for an undetermined amount of time, then went and met with our doctor, then went BACK to the lab to have blood drawn, then went up to ultrasound for round number two of baby photo shoot.

Long story short, everything went well. No diabetes for this Momma and Harbor decided to cooperate enough to get a good pic of her little noggin' (which, we were told, is already covered in HAIR! She must get that from her daddy because I was b-a-l-d) Baby girl also had the hiccups (adorable) and is still hanging out upside down with her knees pulled up to her chest. Looks like she's going to be a little cuddle bug!

Every day I am still astonished at how easy this pregnancy has been so far. I keep feeling like there's no way that the whole thing can go off without a hitch and I'm waiting for that looming, gigantic bump in the road. It seems like you're always hearing about these tragic stories that families go through and I keep wondering why we have been so blessed. It could have just as easily been Josh and I going through any number of struggles that come along with deciding to start a family. I thank God every night for blessing us with this little girl and trusting us to take care of her. I know it's borrowing trouble for me to assume that something will go wrong, but I can't help but worry. I think I find something new to worry about each day, but I remind myself over and over again how truly lucky we are to have God leading us down this path. I know that whatever happens, it's all to bring us closer to God, and I'm okay with whatever that is.

Here's the 26 week breakdown:
How far along? 26 Weeks
Baby is the size of a: English hothouse cucumber (Hahahaha, where do they get this stuff?)
Total weight gain: 6 lbs. gained as of the official weigh in yesterday
Maternity clothes? All maternity pants, except I can still squeeze into my yoga pants and pjs, which are my favorite things to wear. Pre-pregnancy shirts are starting to get too short....
Stretch marks? zero still so far
Sleep: starting to get more restless - waking up a lot at night
Best moment this week: Seeing baby girl again, and probably for the last time until we meet her face to face!
Miss Anything? Coke Zero. I've been pretty good about avoiding caffeine, even though some is technically okay, I'm just overly cautious. I plan to guzzle an entire case of Coke Zero in the 24 hours that follow delivery.
Movement: still inconsistent, but getting much stronger. We can see my belly jump around sometimes in the evenings.
Food cravings: still oranges, sour stuff, and sweets
Anything making you queasy or sick: off brand Clorox wipes were almost the end of me a couple days ago
Gender: Girl...still :)
Symptoms: achy back - someone at work pointed out that I had the pregnancy waddle going on the other day
Belly Button in or out? sort of half in half out if that's possible. It looks like a sad face
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody? Happy most of the time but I got super grumpy last night because I didn't want what I had fixed for dinner, haha
Looking forward to: baby shower on Sunday!

*I know picture free posts are pretty boring, but I still need to take one for this week, so I promise I will update later with that one and a new ultra sound pic (that Josh swiped and is carrying with him, I'm pretty sure - so cute)*

25 Week Update

I've been crazy about reading pregnancy blogs lately and I've decided that I haven't posted nearly enough in mine to document this journey. I think I can be extra good about it for the second(ish) half of this pregnancy. So far, here's how it's going down:


How far along? 25 Weeks
Baby is the size of a: Rutabaga (which apparently is 13 1/2 inches long. Who knew.)
Total weight gain: 5 lbs. gained
Maternity clothes? officially abandoned the Bella Band and have made the jump into maternity pants - wish I had done this sooner! So comfy! I did buy an adorable belted maxi dress the other day and I can't wait for warm weather to wear it.
Stretch marks? none! Drinking LOTS of water has kept them at bay...for now...
Sleep: sleeping great again!
Best moment this week: picked out our glider! Can't wait for it to get here. The $ savvy hubs has convinced me to wait a few weeks to see if it goes on sale. It was very hard to leave Babies R Us without ordering it.
Miss Anything? sleeping on my stomach. I have been a stomach sleeper for my entire life. Before now I was so dang tired all the time I didn't care how I laid down just as long as I was getting to go to bed, but now not so much. I just want to get snuggly on my tummy again.
Movement: inconsistent at best, but something every day. Mostly jabs in the lower part of my stomach, but felt one up by my belly button the other day.
Food cravings: anything citrus or sour. I have been eating tangerines like crazy. Like 3-4 a day, along with a glass of orange juice every morning that goes away far too quickly.
Anything making you queasy or sick: all queasiness is still gone, but my whack-o sense of smell is coming back. The fridge is starting to smell horrible again like it did at the beginning of this pregnancy.
Gender: Girl
Symptoms: some lower back pain off and on, bathroom trips every hour to hour and a half, and popping hips every time I stand up
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody? Happy!
Looking forward to: the first shower coming up in a few weeks!

Registry 101

Let me start this off by saying that I have absolutely no idea what a baby needs other than the obvious things like clothes, blankets, and bottles. This fact made registering slightly comical. I tried really hard to be prepared by making a registry checklist based on safety reviews and recommendations from friends and family. That being said....

Right before Christmas, Josh and I set out on baby registry adventure number 1 to Babies R Us. We are fortunate enough that there is an incredibly huge and well stocked store right down the road from us. At this point in time, we still didn't know the sex of Baby H, but we had to take advantage of the time off Josh had between semesters since we figured this would be a lengthy process and said we would just register for the big items we could re-use later with potential baby number 2. So we show up at Babies R Us around 8:30. Nobody is surprised, I'm sure, to hear that we were trying to get this done within about an hour of the store closing. It's just how we roll. I'm feeling excellent at this point. My belly is full of Chick-fil-a, I have a pre-researched checklist in hand, and I'm ready to start shopping. Josh, I think, was more confused than anything, but he did get to use the scanner gun (and fix it's weird problems) so he wasn't totally bored. Anyways, we fill out all of our registry paperwork we set out with our scanner. After going reeeeaaallllyyyy slowly down the first few aisles, reading all the boxes and labels and scanning one or two things, we hit our stride. But the next thing I knew, it felt like we were scanning every item humanly possible. I will be the first to say that I knew babies needed a lot of stuff, but holy cow. There is an unbelievable amount of choices out there for Every.Tiny.Thing.

bottles
burp clothes
pumps (terrifying, I might add)
bathtubs
pacifiers
diapers
toys
jumpers
high chairs
play yards
I repeat, HOLY COW

Can we say overwhelming??? Thankfully, I was able to edit said registry online later and cut out some of the stuff I eventually decided was completely unnecessary at this point in time...and then add it again later (how could I live without a teething ice pack?)....and then delete it again (we can just use frozen fruit in the little snacker bags! Or can we?)

Coupled with the registry we did later at Target - which includes lots of pink! - for the fam that does not have access to a Babies R Us, I feel like our house will overflow with baby items before the little butter bean gets here. That excites and scares me all at the same time. I've said before that May feels like forever away and I wish I could just fast forward, but I'm starting to think that we need to slow this adventure down a little. Feeling Harbor's little (and not so little) kicks and jabs remind me every day that she's growing bigger and stronger by the week and will be here before we know it! And there's so much left to do!

I mean, look at this belly! 24 weeks. That's 6 months, folks. Only 3 and some change to go!!

Blue or Pink?

We are SO EXCITED to announce that Baby H is a girl! Harbor Joy Hillyer will be here in May and we can't wait to meet her! We had our 20 week scan yesterday, although actually I am 21 weeks (possibly 22?) at this point. The ultrasound was amazing. I love every chance we get to take a peek inside and see our little girl. She is growing so quickly and moving around so much.

Technically we cheated a little and went to an imaging center right before we left for Alabama and the holidays and found out baby's gender so that we could share the news with our families on Christmas. This was a very difficult secret to keep, so we may have slipped and told a few extra people along the way :) Although the tech there was confident in what she saw, we still wanted to hear it from our doctor who confirmed that without a doubt it is a girl.

At yesterday's ultrasound we got to double check that she has 2 arms and 2 legs (all in the right place) and we also got to see the blood flow through her body - so cool! The cutest thing was watching her wiggle around and even yawn! As if we weren't already so in love with her, that cuteness was the icing on the cake. We do have to go back for a second ultrasound next month because the little stinker is all curled up in a ball with her little hands over her face and her feet up by her forehead making some things difficult for the doctor to see. She is also laying VERY low, so we couldn't get a good look at the top of her head. Her arms blocked a good view of her heart too. Needless to say, we are not upset at getting another sneak peek at her in February.

The ultrasound yesterday actually bumped our due date up a week to May 11 (which I think is my real due date anyways based on calculations) because on how big she is. Our doctor, however, still technically has us due on the 18th, but it doesn't really matter. She'll come when she's ready!

Here's a profile picture from yesterday: