Oh, I have a blog you say? I must have forgot.

Oh where oh where to begin...most of you are probably wondering that since my last post was me leaving for vacation that I just decided to stay at the beach.  I wish.  Instead I got back and lost motivation to write.  I think a six month hiatus is long enough.  I know you missed me.  At least I hope you did anyway.  Let's bring you up to speed on things around the Salyer house.  There is a lot to catch up on so let's get started shall we?

• We did have a great vacation in Florida back in September.  Emma did great at the beach, even though at the time she wasn't walking.  We sat her in her bumbo in the sand and she had a blast.  Slept under the gazebo we had brought and over all did a great job being a little tike.
• We joined the church we have been attending since living in Bowling Green.  It felt like the right next step and we truly enjoy the feeling we get worshiping there.  However, in the last few months we have definitely been slacking in our attendance. Somehow the hustle and bustle of life takes over and you start slipping.  We are getting back on track though and it feels really good.
• I got my wisdom teeth removed.  Talk about misery.  After it was over I asked Dustin in my delirious drugged state if he thought they could surgically put my teeth back in.  It was the worst two weeks ever.  I got dry sockets and thought I. Was. Going. To. Die. Literally.  I'm healed up now and all is well with the world that is my mouth.
• We got through the holidays.  Christmas was awesome.  Emma really enjoyed it this year.  Bright eyes and squeals at seeing all her toys.
• Emma is not a little tike anymore.  My baby is all growed up.  She turned ONE on January 11th.  We had a great party.  Elmo themed of course.  It was a lot of work but so worth it.
• Emma went from not walking to running overnight.  She just took off like a bullet and never looked back.  She is in 24 months and 2T clothing (chunky monkey!).  We've yet to cut out bottles completely.  She gets one in the morning and at bedtime.  She's a paci loving fool.  How we'll ever get that one away from her I will never know!
• We booked a trip to Washington D.C. in May.  I am so so so excited.  I have never been and am really looking forward to it.  I'm a huge history buff so it's right up my alley.  However, I hear that it's not much of a vacation because you are constantly walking and on the go.  I'll need a vacation from my vacation! Dustin, go ahead and reserve a condo at the beach will ya?
• We just got through a wonderful Easter weekend.  Emma hunted eggs like a champ.  We spent lots of time with family and friends.  There was a family softball game.  I am officially sore.  It paid off though because my team won, WoooWhooo.
• Emma took her first trip to the zoo.  She was amazed at all the different animals.  Everything to her was a rooster.  We walked through the zoo and she did her little rooster call for every animal.  I didn't want to crush her little spirit so I just went along with it and chanted my rooster call with her.
•  Dustin took a full time job in Tennessee so he's traveling everyday for work.  We will eventually put our house up for sale and move but for now we are content enjoying another beautiful summer in our house and enjoying the pool.  I will be excited to move closer to all my family though.

Well, I guess that officially catches you up on our lives.  I'm excited to be back and hoping I didn't lose everyone who read this blog.  I pinky promise that I will post more often than every six months.  I can't promise it will be everyday or every other day because honestly I barely find time to shower everyday (TMI? Yeah, sorry about that) much less blog every single day.  I'm a mother to a toddler who has already hit her terrible two stage (can we say TEMPER TANTRUMS) and she keeps me on my toes, ok?

Nom Nom Nom, this sand is tasty Momma!

Traumatized for life...

Dustin and his Mini Me

 

The Christmas loot.

 

 Celebrating New Year's in style :)

 New Year's Smooches

 Somebody isn't a baby anymore...

Playing outside on a warm spring day.

 Happy Easter from The Salyers!

What's going on around these parts...

Figured I would throw you a little bullet point post to speed you up on what's going on in our busy world.

First let's start off with Emma.

• She is officially crawling, for real.  Hands, knees and going wherever she wants when she wants.
• She thinks she is independent and can walk (but she can't).
• She is in size 3 diapers.  They are so big and I'm amazed that my baby is big enough to fit in them.
• She is hooked on Sesame Street lately.  Her bff is Elmo.  Sorry Mickey.  She's found a new love.
• She loves to climb (on the fireplace).  It's making this momma a nervous wreck.  Even with bumpers and a blanket on it I freak out.
• She's so healthy.  She has yet at almost 8 months old to get sick.  No colds.  No ear infections.  No tummy bugs.  Nothing.  I guess the breastfeeding for several months paid off.  That and getting her out of the house all the time.  I think she's built up a great immune system.  Should I knock on wood right now?  Yeah, probably.  *Knock Knock
• She is almost out of all 6 month clothes.  She has a few things that she can still squeeze into.  She's my little chunky monkey.
• Her sleep schedule has changed some.  She's now asleep at night by 8 or 8:30 and is awake every morning at 7:30.  I can't believe she let me sleep until 9 or 9:30 for MONTHS and now all of a sudden she wakes up earlier.  Boo.  She is taking about two naps a day at an hour and a half to two hours a piece.  Sometimes I can squeeze in a 30 minute evening nap.
• She is almost saying dada.  I can't tell for sure though because for some reason she whispers it.
• She has found her tongue.  She copies me by sticking it out.
• She is eating Puffs and Yogurt Melts now.  It's the cutest thing to watch her pick them up and put them in her mouth.

As for the rest of us...

• We are leaving for the beach in 8 days.  Wooo Whooo!
• We are having a new air conditioner and furnace installed Monday.  Thank the Lord.  We bought this house two years ago and it's needed one since then.  I'm ready for a cooler house.
• I changed birth controls twice recently.  I was on Yaz, then Natazia.  Both pills.  Hated them.  Was forgetting to take them and decided we did not need another little Emma crawling around so I switched to Nuvaring.  No need to worry to take a pill everyday and I'm loving it so far.  No babies for us for AWHILE.
• Dustin is working a LOT lately.  I'm a tired momma.  He's worked 7 out of the last 8 days.  12 hour shifts and mostly traveling out of town.  Talk about feeling like a single parent much of the time.  It's tough.  Now I know what I mom went through when we were little (my dad was a truck driver and only home on weekends).  I'm so thankful for vacation coming up.
• My birthday is in 7 days.  I will be 25.  Half a century, OMG.  What happened to the care free days of being 18? Since 21, time has flown by.  I have no idea where 22, 23 or 24 went.  I am looking forward to celebrating at the beach though.
• I'm also looking forward to presents *cough cough Dustin :)
• My mom makes me a home made carrot cake with cream cheese icing every year...Yum.
• Due to a busy summer we haven't been to church as much as I want.  I miss it and can't wait for traveling to slow down so we can get back there.
• My house is always dirty...I feel like being a stay at home mom it should always be clean and the laundry should be done but it's almost opposite.  The more I'm home the more dirty it is.  I can never keep up with it.  That might have something to do with a moving child.  She's into EVERYTHING.

Well that should about catch you up on us.  Crazy, hectic, busy life.  

Do you have a spouse that travels a lot?
If so how do you deal with it and keep busy?
What new stage is your child in right now?
Leave a Comment and Share!

What Seven Months-ish Looks Like.

Wow, is time flying by or what! Little Miss is over seven months old already.  Not really sure when it happened but she is turning into her own little person.  I already miss the early days.  The days of peacefully sleeping all day, sweet little dreamy smiles, looking around in awe and figuring out her surroundings, little baby clothes, newborn diapers and the cuddling..oh how I miss that the most.  I may be missing all these things terribly but I really am enjoying this new stage.  She is so much fun.

Let's see what's new shall we...

• I'm pretty sure my baby is preparing herself for the army already.  She is scooting on her belly EVERYWHERE.  Baby proofing is already in the process.  Fireplace padded, CHECK.  Getting our dogs groomed tomorrow so that Emma can no longer pull out chunks of their hair, CHECK CHECK!

•  She says momma! Well, I'm sure she doesn't get that I am momma but she says it so that's all that matters. It sounds about like ma ma ma ma ma and she says it the most when she's eating so she probably associates "momma" with "food".  She's a smart one already folks.  Also, no dada yet.  I'm sure if he started whipping out his wallet she would start saying it.  Her only sounds so far are ba ba ba ba ba, ma ma ma ma, baby gibberish that I cannot understand and ear piercing shrieks.

• She has one sweet little toofer and more are coming.  She has been a little crabby lately and I'm positive it's those teeth bothering her.  I have to say I'm ready for those bad boys to come in already.  However, that one little snaggle tooth shining is just the sweetest.

• She is still sleeping through the night (knock on wood).  She is usually asleep around 9 if we aren't out somewhere (sometimes it's 10 or 11) and awake between 8 and 9 the next morning.  I am one lucky momma.  I can't believe I have a baby that sleeps.

• She loves to sit in a cart while shopping or in a high chair at restaurants.  She thinks she is so big.  She sits there smiling and just waiting for somebody to stop and say how cute she is.

•  Naps these days are rough.  I shouldn't complain, she sleeps 12 hours a night.  I only wish she would take a long nap everyday that way I had a little free time during the day.  The cat naps are killing me.  Twenty minutes here and thirty minutes there are better than nothing I suppose.

•  She's around 18ish pounds now.  My chunky monkey as I like to call her.  She's in 6 to 9 month clothes.  Some 6 month clothes are starting to get a bit snug though.  She's also a fat roll away from a size 3 diaper.  Oh those rolls....they are precious I tell you.  I think she also stores things in there for the winter. Fat babies have to eat ya know.

• Emma has the best personality right now.  She's really starting to come out of her baby skin.  She loves people but sometimes will tuck her head into me when a stranger comes up to her to tell her hello.  She's really not shy so I think it's just a game to her.

• She sits up on her own now.  She still wobbles sometimes but is starting to catch herself and adjust.  She still topples over sometimes though.  She is also pulling up onto things now.  She started making her way towards the fireplace and pulling up on it.  Hence the baby proofing in bullet numero uno.

My big beautiful girl.

Do you have kids?
If so, what was your favorite stage?
Are you baby proofing?
If so, what are you doing to make your bambino safe?
Comment and share!

Playing Catch Up

So yeah...you remember that thing about time I was talking about? Well, I have yet to find any extra time to blog.  Things in the last week have been crazy busy.  Let me catch you up in bullet point fashion.  Why bullet point you ask? Well, it goes back to that whole time-consuming thing.  Seeing as though baby girl will be arising from her nap any minute now I should make this snappy.  Any who, here we go!

• Me and Dustin enjoyed a date night in Nashville.  We enjoyed dinner at J. Alexanders and a comedy show at Zanies.  It was so strange not having Emma with us but so nice to enjoy a wonderful dinner with no kids! It was much needed.


• I got a sinus infection.  I was down for a few days.  I realized that being sick is much different now that I'm a mom.  You just have to suck it up and keep trucking because there is still a tiny being that needs to be taken care of.


• I had Emma this past week a lot without the help of Dustin.  He worked quite a bit last week and out of town at that.  I was also sick remember? I have been TIRED!


• We had a yard sale at my mom's house on Thursday and Friday.  Getting up at dawn and packing up me and baby to be at my moms by 7:30 am was not an easy task but I accomplished it.  I only ended up making $13o for both days which to me doesn't hardly seem like enough for all the blood sweat and tears we poured into it.  Come Saturday I was totally beat and still trying to recoup from my sinus infection.  No rest of course though because hubs was working all day.


• Sunday was church.  Daddy and baby stayed home because neither one of them felt very good.  Bad mommy for passing on her sickness.  After I left church I headed to the grocery store for some much needed food.  I can never seem to find time to grocery shop either.  After unloading groceries and putting them away we had some Mexican food for lunch and I spent the rest of the afternoon at the mall shopping for baby clothes.  She is growing so fast!!


• Monday I took Emma to the doctor because I was almost certain she had an ear infection.  I thought wrong.  Only teething and maybe a slight cold since she was running a low-grade fever.  I forgot to mention that on this particular day I had to reschedule her doctor's appointment twice that day because I couldn't find my keys.  I was running around like a mad woman searching for them while my baby was screaming her poor head off in her car seat.  My mom had to end up coming to get us.  Did I also mention that it was a monsoon outside? Pretty sure that by the time I got back home I was drenched from head to toe.  Miserable miserable day.


• Today I have spent my time relaxing and pampering myself since daddy is home from work.  I got to sleep in (do I hear angels singing?), I went to the gym for a great hour work out, I went and got a pedicure and manicure, I sat and ate lunch with no baby crying (I think I forgot how to finish a meal), I've also caught up on baby laundry and now I'm actually able to sit and write a post on my blog! So thankful for when daddy has days off :)

Well that should pretty much catch you up on what's going on in the Salyer household.  I'm looking forward to the remainder of this week because Dustin is home all week and weekend long.  I will pay for this though when he is out of town for five nights next week, but I'm trying not to think about that.  I just want to enjoy having him home.  We are heading to Virginia on Thursday morning.  It's our first trip to visit his family since Emma was born and they are all looking forward to seeing her.  They won't even recognize her! She's getting so big.  See for yourself...

 

[caption id="attachment_313" align="aligncenter" width="410" caption="Look at those legs"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_315" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="She loves looking at her toys!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_316" align="aligncenter" width="448" caption="Lounging on the couch."][/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_317" align="aligncenter" width="448" caption="Mommy and Daddy enjoying a date night!"][/caption]

 

 

 

You know you're a new mom when...

You know you're a new mom when...

• Your husband walks in from work and after smelling what a normal person should smell like, you realize you haven't showered that day or maybe even the day before.


• Instead of perfume and make up you wear baby spit up and poop.


• Sleep no longer exists because you are in the lightest sleep on your life making sure your baby is still alive!


• You care more about what outfit your baby is going to wear that day rather than fixing your own self up for the day.


• You no longer listen to your favorite stations on Pandora.  Instead it's been taken over by the Baby Einstein station and you actually enjoy it.


• You forget what day it is due to lack of sleep.


• You look around your house and all you see in every single room is bottles, pacifiers, burp clothes, diapers, baby clothes, and dust from where you haven't cleaned all week.


• Your baby poops in the bathtub and you laugh because it's cute instead of gross!


• Your babies umbilical cord falls off and you cry because it's such a milestone!


• You look at your spouse in a totally different light.  He is so much more than just a husband now.  He's an amazing father.  It makes my heart sing.


• You look at the precious baby you are holding in your arms and know that God has made your life complete and that life will never be the same.

If you are a new mom make this your next blog post! It's fun to compare each others takeson being new mommies.

[caption id="attachment_258" align="alignleft" width="576" caption="The most rewarding job in the whole world."][/caption]

One Month

I cannot believe my baby is one month old today.  Four weeks have really flown by.  She is changing so much already.  Here's a little update on how much she's changing and what is new in mommyhood:

• She is starting to stay more alert during the day.


• She is figuring out her hands.  She even held up her bottle for a minute the other day and can sling her paci across the room (she's feisty like her momma).


• She LOVES bright lights.  They mesmerize her.


• No more umbilical cord.  It's been gone for over a week now.  Baths are fun now!


• She is still colicy some nights.  Still trying to figure out how to fix this issue.  Gas drops are ok but definitely don't do the trick 100%.


• She smiles and laughs in her sleep.  It's the sweetest.


• Dustin is back to work so it's just me and baby during the day.  That's going ok.  I get pretty tired during the day, especially if it's been a late fussy night or I don't get a nap in.  So far though we are doing great.  We mainly snuggle on the couch all day.


• She is still in Newborn clothes, but not for too much longer.  She's getting long so they are starting to get a little snug in her thigh and diaper area.  I can't wait to find out in a few weeks at her 6 week check up how much she has grown.  I would say she's almost 9 pounds by now.  If not a little over 9.


• She has the best double chin and rolls ever.  I can't wait to see them filling out.


• As for being a mommy.  It's the most rewarding job in the world.  I am so thankful that I'm blessed to be able to stay home with her.  I couldn't imagine going back to a job.  It gets so difficult at times when I'm so sleepy I don't even know my own name, and she's screaming uncontrollably and I can't figure out what she needs.  It's all apart of the learning process I guess.  I feel wonderful physically.  I'm doing Slimfast so that I can continue to lose weight and get to my goal.  I'm still a few pounds shy of pre-baby weight but I still have a way to go when it comes to getting to a healthy weight.  I am ready for my 6 week check up so I can be cleared to work out.  All I really need to be 100% is more sleep but I know that isn't happening! Fortunately I'm pumping so Dustin is able to take a night-time feeding which helps a ton.Looking forward to the next month watching my baby girl grow and change!

[caption id="attachment_252" align="alignleft" width="576" caption="First time in her swing. She wasn't sure about it at first but ended up liking it!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_253" align="alignleft" width="576" caption="Looking up at her favorite person :)"][/caption]

37 Weeks 3 Days

I am officially full term.  YAY! This baby girl is welcome to come any time she wants now.  I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and everything was great.  Just a few of the things we covered were:

• I LOST 3 pounds! Over the Christmas holiday at that! Don't have any clue how because I can't even do that when I'm not pregnant.  Puts me at a total weight gain so far of 34 pounds.  I may be able to stay under my 35 pound goal after all if I don't gain anymore or keep losing.


• I am still 1 centimeter dilated but moved from 70% to 80% effaced.  Almost completely thinned out, YAY!


• He is going to strip my membranes next week to stir up things a little.  Not looking forward to the pain of it but if it can speed things up I'm all for it.


• After my appointment Tuesday, that night I started to lose my mucous plug(gross yes, but exciting!).  Then the next morning lost more of it.  Not sure if it's all gone or not but I haven't noticed it anymore in 24 hours.  I have noticed stronger contractions since it happened but nothing in sequence.  I just think she is preparing herself for the world.


• My blood pressure was great still.  So thankful for no health issues this pregnancy.


• My Group B Strep test came back Positive.  Which means when I get admitted to the hospital for delivery they will immediately hook me up to antibiotics so that it doesn't pass to the baby.


• As for me, I'm feeling pretty good.  I want to sleep all the time though.  I am sleeping about 10 to 12 hours a night and it's actually good sleep.  I guess my body just knows to get rested up now!


• The nursery is completely ready.  Well we do need to get a bookshelf still and that's in the plans for this weekend.  I also need to finish packing my hospital bag.  It's only half way done.


• We have another appointment next Wednesday so I will update then.

I keep wanting to rush the end of this pregnancy but then think to myself, I need to enjoy and cherish this last two weeks just being a family of two.  Go on some dates with my hubby, enjoy my sleep, watch lots of movies...but it is hard to control the rushing.  I have been carrying her for nine and a half months inside of me and I'm ready to hold her on the outside.  I finally had my first dream about Emma.  I had just given birth and they had cleaned her off and wrapped her up and brought her to me.  She was so beautiful.  It felt so real and when I woke up and she wasn't in my arms it was upsetting but I know she will be here soon enough.  Can't wait to meet her precious face.

 

 

Boo to the Sniffles

I unfortunately have a pretty rotten cold right now, which is not making the end of pregnancy any more fun than it already was.  I somehow seem to catch any bug my two-year old nephew gets.  I even avoided kisses and still got it.  I thought pregnant women were supposed to have superhuman immunities to block sickness? Obviously not.  Besides the horrible cold things are progressing nicely with this pregnancy.  I'm 36 weeks 2 days today but feeling more like 40 weeks.  I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and in bullet point fashion this is how things are going:

• I gained 2 pounds.  Definitely not the 1 I was wanting to see but oh well.  I'm almost to the end and am tired and grumpy and don't care too much :)


• My blood pressure was 118/72.  Perfect.  Has been the whole time.


• Belly is measuring about 37 weeks.


• Baby's heartbeat was 144 bpm.  Nice and strong.


• Baby girl is LOW LOW LOW.  I'm dilated to 1 and 70% effaced.  He was able to touch her head yesterday which blows my mind.  I knew there was a reason I feel like I have a bowling ball in between my legs! He also in so many words said I have good hips...guess that's a good thing for giving birth!


• I am hoping she comes on her own but if not we are talking about inducing on 1-11-11 (pretty cool birthday right?).  He seems fine with it which I'm excited about.  Having a set day is great for me since I'm a bit OCD anyway.  However, as low as she is maybe she will come sooner than that!


• I'm OVER pregnancy.  I'm sure I've mentioned that before but I need to say it again.  Over it.  Sleep was excellent last week and now sleep doesn't exist.  I can't get comfy, my brain will not shut off, I am peeing more this week, I'm crampy and she likes to keep me awake all night and I am having hot flashes at night again.  Crazy how it can change so much just in a week!


• I'm noticing more contractions.  Nothing back to back but she's definitely working her way out slowly but surely.  Yesterday after being checked for dilation, I'm pretty sore today.  Add that to my cold and you can imagine what kind of mood I'm in today.

It's just hard to believe that this LONG journey is almost over.  I am not even scared of labor at this point.  I'm excited and READY for it.  I know the day of delivery I will be extremely nervous but BRING IT ON.  This girl is ready for motherhood :)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has safe travels and has a wonderful spent with loved ones.  Let us not forget what the real reason for Christmas is! So thankful for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  What a wonderful gift to celebrate at Christmas.

30 Week Appointment

I just can't even believe we are already at the 30 week point in this pregnancy.  I can't even tell you where the time has gone.  I am actually closer to 31 weeks right now and that means single digit weeks are just around the corner.  Some days I think to myself that she will be here in NO TIME! Then other days I think the day will never come.  I really just can't wait to meet her.  Technically I'm already holding her but I want to hold her in my arms.  Once again, I remind myself, soon enough.  So let's get to appointment details shall we.

• We were supposed to have a 3D ultrasound done yesterday but when the technician started rolling the little probe thing around we realized we weren't going to get to see her precious face after all.  She was really low and head down, with her head facing my back so there was no way to even get a side view.  We did however get to see her body and she's a big girl! The last ultrasound seems like forever ago and the change in her size is crazy.  She's definitely running out of room in there.  Even though we didn't get the 3D picture we wanted, we still got to see her moving and kicking around in there and that's all that matters!


• I gained a total of 2 pounds in two weeks.  They say that a pound a week is about normal for the third trimester so I feel like I did ok.  However, my doctor still seems worried about my weight gain.  I'm up to 28 pounds total right now and I'm actually proud of that number.  I thought it would be much worse at this point.  He wants my goal to be under 35 and I'm all for that and will work my hardest but with 9 weeks left that may be a hard goal to meet.  We will see how it goes!


• Baby girls heartbeat was 153 bpm.  Still strong and doing great!


• My blood pressure was 102/60 which is really good.  Health wise I've done great.  No blood pressure, sugar, or cholesterol issues to speak of.  Yay!


• I got the all clear for travel at Thanksgiving, which means I will be able to visit Dustin's family in Virginia and attend the baby shower his mom is throwing us.  I was glad he said it was ok to go.  Just have to make sure and walk every 2 hours.


• I also got the all clear for some prenatal massages that my hubby so sweetly bought me.  I will be scheduling one for next week! So looking forward to it.


• As for me, I'm doing well.  I am losing energy daily but trying to still keep it around for as long as possible.  I am sleeping terrible at night.  I rotate sides at least 20 times a night and I'm pretty much miserable at night laying there.  I'm also swelling some most nights, hands and feet.  Thankfully it's just mainly at night though.  Other than that things are dandy.  Can't wait until January!

28 Week Appointment

I realize I am two days late on this post and I have no real excuse.  Just laziness and not really wanting to take the time to write it.  You would think that I would want to seeing as though my appointment went so great!

• I only gained 2.6 pounds in a 4 week period! I WAS SO NERVOUS stepping on that scale.  I can definitely handle that kind of weight gain.  Much better than 9 pounds.  My doctor was so proud of me and I was pretty proud of myself.  I guess the exercise and watching what I eat paid off.


• Baby's heartbeat was a strong 150 bpm.  Lower than what it normally is but still perfect.


• I am measuring right at 28 weeks which is perfect.


• I start going every TWO weeks now! Where has time gone?


• At my next appointment we get to see Emma up close and personal.  We are getting a FREE 3D/4D ultrasound.  My doctor is the best :)


• I also realize that I'm in my third trimester now so I really need to keep up with my exercise routine and diet, regardless of being tired again.  I'm still holding on to my energy by a thread.  I just don't know how I'm going to continue exercise when I'm 9 months pregnant!


• When does nesting kick in? I definitely haven't found it yet.


• Overall, everything is perfect.  My doctor says that I'm having an amazing pregnancy and couldn't be happier with my progress.  Now if it just leads to an amazingly easy delivery :)

 

Hello Monday

So how did your weekend go? Hopefully swell.  Mine was wonderful.  We went to our Ready, Set Go! tour at the hospital on Thursday, left for Virginia on Friday, visited with his family that evening, wedding on Saturday and trip home Sunday.  Here is the weekend in a nutshell bullet point style (because that's how I roll on a Monday).

• Seeing the maternity unit and nursery really makes everything SO REAL.


• Seeing the newborn babies made me melt.  I was really close to sticking one of them in my purse.  They were just that cute :)


• Dustin was so calm, cool and collected.  I asked if walking through the unit made him scared at all and he casually said "Nope".  Lies, Lies I say!


• Our drive to Virginia went so smoothly.  My feet and hands did swell just a little but not bad.  I even stayed awake 99.8 percent of the trip.  Honestly, I don't think a 10 minute cat nap counts.  Especially when you get woke up to your husband braking hard every ten minutes.  I don't know how many times I have to tell him to LIGHTLY tap the brakes...


• Seeing his family was so great.  The weather in Abingdon was wonderful.  Really makes me love Fall even more.  His mom definitely spoiled us.  She ironed clothes, cooked us breakfast, took us to dinner and pretty much waited on us hand and foot.  It was much appreciated!


• His brother's wedding on Saturday was gorgeous.  It was an outdoor wedding and the weather was perfect.  Bride and Groom both looked terrific.  I'm so happy for them and wish them all the love and happiness in the world! Welcome to the family Leah!


• Sunday we made the 5 1/2 hour trek home.  Once again I only got about a 10 minute snooze.  Mainly due to the fact that I had to stop every hour to pee, eat, listen to the Titans game on the radio or the dogs had to pee :)


• I went to bed at 9 last night and didn't wake up until 9 this morning.  Yep, that's right, I slept 12 hours and I loved every minute of it.


• I did a mile on the elliptical earlier and it almost killed me.  Too much Coca Cola and chocolate wedding cake this weekend.  Shame shame.


• Oh and did I mention I'm 28 weeks today, that's 7 months if you can't multiply! I am officially in my third trimester.  It's surreal.  We are in the home stretch baby girl.  Almost time to meet your precious face!


• Tomorrow is my 28 week appointment.  I will update tomorrow with the details.  I'm hoping my weight gain is right on track this time.  I really have been working on it so it better be a number I want to see!

Picture time!

*Cancel the pictures.  WordPress is being stupid and won't upload anything.  If you want to see pictures from the wedding they are on my Facebook page anyway.

Third Trimester here I come!

I'm 27 weeks today and still feeling pretty good.  Woo Who! I've been longing for the third trimester to get here.  It's so close! However, I am definitely starting to lose all the energy I have had in this second trimester.  I'm desperately holding on to it for dear life.  I still have three months left, so if I can hang on to my energy I'm going to.  I feel healthy though.  Still no complications so far.  Everything has gone so smoothly and I'm so grateful.  I do think my mood is starting to shift back into the grumpy, I'm pregnant, don't make me mad attitude.  I'm really trying to watch it and make sure it stays in check but it's tough.  With pregnancy comes crazy emotions so it's definitely hard to keep them under control but I'm working on it.  Still trying to be more active.  I wouldn't consider using the elliptical twice a week very active for a non pregnant person but if I'm getting in two times a week I'm happy with that.  I'm also still trying to eat better.  During the week I'm pretty strict on what I eat and I give myself a few treats on the weekend.  Still, it's not easy but I'm working on it and feel like I'm doing better.  I'm trying to stay positive and look forward to all the great things coming up.  We have a wedding next weekend, the baby shower in three weeks, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then baby.  My previous post had mentioned wanting a babymoon but I'm almost positive that isn't going to happen.  We are just running out of time for a trip and really don't need to spend any extra money on a mini vacation right before we add a third member to our family.  I suppose we will just take a trip as a family of three after Emma arrives.  Maybe in the Spring.

How Emma is changing:

• She is around two pounds now and plumping up by the day!


• Her lungs are capable of working outside the womb with the help of doctors and medicine (finally starting to get out of the scary stages!)


• She is around 15 inches long.


• She can hear and recognize voices.  Mainly mine I'm sure, since she hears me talk all day long!


• She's opening and closing her eyes and sucking her fingers.


• Hiccups are a daily occurrence and TOO CUTE!

We are most definitely ready to meet her.  Everyone says not to rush it and I even tell myself this but it's impossible.  I can only hope that these next three months don't drag by and January will be here before I know it.  I told Dustin the other day that I'm ready to decorate for Christmas.  It's not even Halloween yet!

Speaking of decorating, we are almost finished with the nursery! All we have left to purchase is the rocking chair! We got the mattress for the crib, so bed is ready and over the weekend I made the letters to hang behind her bed (because I'm so crafty like that!).

Pictures anyone?

27 weeks!





Nursery







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say, I'm very proud of myself.  I was NEVER crafty before this baby, but as soon as I found out it was a girl something came over me.  I love that I put the time into her room and am hand making most of her decorations.  Instead of spending $50.00 on letters I only spent half that.  I think they turned out pretty good :)

Nursery (In progress)

We are slowly piecing together Emma's room.  We still have the dresser and the rocking chair to get but it's starting to come together.  At least it looks like a nursery.  I can actually picture her in there now.  I'm slowly getting pictures on the walls and still have to find letters to spell her name on the wall behind her crib.  I have been to Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart and every store stays out of stock on their E's and A's.  I can't just spell her name M M.  Someone might think she's a piece of candy or something :)

Nursery in the works:



I put that changing table together all by myself! I was so proud.  Isn't it coming together! Now we just need to finish it and January to arrive.



I found this rug at Target.  It matches all the colors perfectly!



Wall decor!



Not sure why the wall color is a yellowish color in these pictures.  It's actually a pale version of lime green.

Items still left to purchase:

• Mattress


• Dresser


• Rocking Chair


• Name letters


• Lamp


• And clothes, clothes and more clothes (she already has some super cute clothes! I'm surprised I'm not in trouble yet!)

January hurry, hurry, hurry :)

Why I love Sundays.

I could probably write a book on why I love Sundays.  It is probably my favorite day of the week.  In bullet point fashion here are my reasons why:

• We found the most amazing church ever and I can't wait for Sunday mornings to arrive.  Looking forward to what the future in this church holds for us.  I really could stay there all day on Sundays.


• Sunday lunch! Whether it's a home cooked meal or sitting down at a restaurant, nothing is better than a great Sunday lunch.


• Nap time...Oh what is better than getting home from church and lunch, turning on some TV and snoozing the day away.


• Cleaning (sounds crazy right?).  I am quite a cleaner anyway so Sunday cleaning is actually very therapeutic and relaxing for me.  It's a great way to start the new week fresh and clean! Today I even went as far as cleaning out boxes, photo albums and yard sale items.  That could maybe be super early nesting setting in because that much in-depth cleaning isn't really like me.


• Nascar racing and NFL.  I am tickled pink that football is back.  Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year.  One reason being football.  Go TITANS!


• Spending quality time with my sweet husband.  Nine times out of ten he doesn't work on Sundays so we get to spend all day together.  Definitely cannot beat that.


• Also, Sundays always mean one more week down in this pregnancy, Woot Woot! Which means 17 weeks pregnant, 3 weeks until we find out whether this precious baby is a boy or girl and 23 weeks to go! I've gotten to the point where every time I see a baby in public it melts me and I'm almost tempted to steal it!

So there you have it people...the reasons why Sundays are so darn amazing! I mean do you not agree? Sundays are the most fabulous day of the week.  If you disagree, just try my list and I promise you will be a fan soon enough! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.  Happy Monday tomorrow.