A Charleston Shower

My sweet friends, Erin and Alisha, put together a perfect Charleston shower this past weekend! It was so much fun to get together with my girlfriends.

The decorations were adorable! Loved the party favors with her full name on them!

                                        Of course, no shower is complete without the belly picture!!
I'm so fortunate to have so many good friends here in Charleston, and  a lot of them with really good advice for this mama-to-be:) Thanks again ladies!

Quinn's Place:)

Thanks to my wonderful Mom and Sister, the nursery looks like a room ready for a baby instead of storage space:)

The car seat will go in our car in a couple of weeks, and my bag is all packed and ready for the hospital.

So excited that the spare bed fit in the room so well! Now we still have space for our family to stay, and I'm sure I'll be laying there a few nights myself.

Her memory board. I'm going to put baby pictures of all the immediate family around her baby picture in the center. I think it will be cute to see who she looks like the most:) Her sonogram is there for now, but we will have a real one soon!!



I love the initials on her laundry basket! The star and lamp beside her crib make the room so sweet and cozy when they are on at night.  We still need to put up her new blinds, and we are going to add my great-grandmother's rocking chair. But I'm so excited to have the room together. Her closet and drawers are organized and full of all her adorable, washed clothes. It's official, my daughter has more clothes than I do!! It's also crazy to think that she will have outgrown them around 6 months after she is born.

I'm so blessed to still be having a wonderful pregnancy. I'm so excited to have her here, but  I can wait the 6 weeks. I think I just need to get used to the wide eyed stairs from people that think I'm about to drop a baby anytime when I'm out. There was a sweetheart of a man that thought it was necessary to let me know that I wasn't just pregnant, but I was super pregnant:)..bless his heart. It didn't help his case that I had just found out that I had gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks at my doctor's appointment! Fortunately, my doctor was perfectly fine with the weight gain. I think it was me that was the most shocked. After feeling like a whale all day, I walked in my office grumpy and exhausted. As soon as I walked into the office, I was greated by one of my coworkers who lit up and commented on how cute and adorable I was pregnant. It really made my day. God definitely knew that I needed a little pick me up:) 



8 Months....and Counting!!

We are 8 months and one week pregnant! Only 7 weeks to go until our due date!! Over all, I cannot complain about anything. I have been very blessed to have a good pregnancy.
This month:

• I can actually notice my stomach growing weekly. I tried to put on a shirt that I wore 2 weeks ago, and it was too small. I've now added finding clothes that fit to my morning routine.
• I'm still sleeping well for the most part. I've added an extra pillow as a wedge that helps a lot. My arms go to sleep often at night, but it usually goes away after I roll over to my other side.
• I'm not wearing my wedding rings anymore:( I'm not really swelling that much, but I don't want to have to get to the point where I can't take them off.
• Weight gain (as of last week) is around 22 pounds.
• I'm tired. It is crazy how it just hits you. I LOVE taking naps. I pretty much can sleep anytime during the day. I'll come home from work and sleep for an hour and still go to sleep between 9:30 and 10
• I have no shame taking the comfy chairs at work meetings, being able to go first when getting food, or saying yes to the nice ladies that let me go in front of them in the restroom line:)
• She has the hiccups...A LOT. I just noticed it for the first time around 2-3 weeks ago, but now I feel like she gets them almost daily.
• Her movement is so much stronger now. Instead of kicks, I get waves across my belly.
• I'm pretty sure my feet have grown. I only wear my Toms now.

I cannot wait for her to be here! After Mom and Jessica helped get the nursery together last weekend, I feel so much more prepared. Our bags are packed. We just have a few last minute details to do, and then it is just waiting. I'm so thankful to have work as a distraction. I think October would be the longest month of my life otherwise.

Playing a little Catch Up

This last month has gone by so quickly! I can't believe that our little girl will be here in just 7 weeks! We have had a busy past few weekends with showers and getting everything organized for her arrival. I went to Macon on Labor Day weekend for a couple of showers hosted by a few of my closest friends and family. They were all at my parent's house. Thank you Mom! We had a wonderful time, and everything was perfect.

My Ole Miss ladies (minus Lauren and Laura D.- missed you!) came in for a nice, small shower just the 5 of us on Saturday. It was perfect! It was so nice to catch up with them. We all live in 6 different states now, and we don't get to see each other that often, but when we do, it is like no time has passed. My friend, Shannon, brought her adorable little boy, Austin. He is the best baby! I'm sure I will be calling her for lots of advice here in a few weeks.

On Sunday, my sister and a few of my high school girlfriends hosted a shower. It was so nice to see so many people from Macon. A lot of times when we come home, we are only in town for a few days, and we really don't get to visit like we would like.




<>

<>

     

Monkeys





As you can see, I had plenty of help opening my gifts:) Love the picture of my Monkeys. Between the 5 of us, we have 4 little girls with Quinn on the way. I hope they are just as close as we are when they get older.

So excited to see Jennifer and Laine. It was so sweet of you two to make the drive for the shower.



 I have to brag on Mom's baby stroller made out of a watermelon. It's so cute. She is so talented, and Jessica made the flowers that were on the tables. She obviously got the creative gene from Mom that I missed;)

Quinn got so many nice gifts. I'm so thankful that Mom and Jessica were able to come up to Charleston 2 weeks after the shower to help me organize the gifts in the nursery...pictures coming soon!

Our "Sweet" Boys

Since I am officially off today due to Hurricane Irene, I thought I would take the time to get in a little blogging/progging. I know I promised this next blog would be about our dogs, but I have to add a few progging updates first.  I think I'm losing my mind! This pregnant brain situation seems to be escalating rapidly. I now forget conversations that I have had, and I forget my thought mid-sentence at times. My latest was to walk around a school with one earring on yesterday. I saw around 5 teachers before the sweet nurse (bless her heart:) decided to let me know. As most of you know, I like large earrings. I had taken one off while talking on my cell phone in the car, and I forgot to put it back on before going into the school. I know this is a little thing.  I can't really say that I wouldn't have done it without being pregnant, but I think moments like these are becoming more common. I have now resorted to taking a notebook with me everywhere I go.

I also really think it is funny how you get used to feeling a baby kick inside your stomach. I remember asking my sister how it felt when Reese would move, and she responsed, "oh you know, it just feels like someone is poking and moving in your belly." Of course, I had no idea what that felt like, and it all seemed a little too sci-fi for me. How could you possibly get used to something kicking and moving inside of you?!  Well..I now know you do. It has started to feel so natural and just part of my every day routine. I know that I'm going to miss feeling her move after she is born. 

Ok..on to the dogs. We have 2 large babies. Eddie is our chocolate lab weighing in around 93 pounds, and he will be 6 this December. Ace is our blue weimaraner weighing in at a healthy 95 pounds, and he will be 5 in November.  Here are a few pics:

Yes, they get half of the couch.

Excuse the look..first thing in the morning:)

Eddie is John's baby. He was around 6 months old when we started dating. Ace is my baby, and I don't deny that I have spoiled him rotten! Poor thing, he is in for a rude awakening when Quinn comes.  I think they are going to adjust well to her arrival. I like to picture Eddie (our protector) sleeping under her crib to guard her during the night.

Eddie (aka Big Tuna):

 I am the alpha dog in the house. Luckily for Ace, he is fine with this arrangement. My favorite things to do are swim and fetch. I will chase a ball until I physically cannot move or breathe. My Mom and Dad have to watch me to make sure that I don't get too exhausted while playing. I have trouble catching my breath afterwards.
I love to play with my brother at times. Most of the time he drives me crazy with biting my back legs and jumping on top of me to play. He doesn't always get the hint that I've had enough, and then I have to get a little rough with him so he will leave me alone. I understand that my role is to protect my family. This can mean that I have to bark at any sound or movement outside of our house. Sometimes just barking once isn't enough, I need to follow the dog or walkers around the house and bark at them through every window I can.

I think that I'm a 10 pound lap dog, and I have no idea why Mom and Dad don't like for me to be in their lap all the time. I LOVE having my ears rubbed. The water in the bowl is ok for Ace, but I definitely prefer to drink out of the sink or bath tub. Ace really doesn't understand how to do this. Which is fine with me.

I absolutely hate getting my feet wet when it rains. I will stay inside until I cannot stand it any longer before going outside to go the restroom. This can mean that I wake Mom and Dad up around 2am to go outside. I'm so thankful they are so understanding about this. They like to try to make me go outside earlier on those days by forcing me to go on the porch. I know they are just trying to get me to face my fears, but I'm just not ready  for that. That's about it for me lately.

Ace: (aka. Ace Monkey):

I am the baby. I almost have my parents trained on what I need, but sometimes I have to yell at them. They don't always seem to understand, so then I need to show them what I want. For example: when I'm hungry, I try to let them know by picking my bowl up and throwing it across the kitchen. If this doesn't work, I whine. Then I resort to actually going into the room they are in to make sure they have heard me.  Eddie let me eat his food for awhile, and I got up to around 120 pounds. This was heaven to me. Then Mom got worried after the vet talked to her. After that, she tried to take me on walks, go to the dog park, or get me to fetch, but I quickly told her I hated those things. She would try to show me how much fun walking was, but I showed her by laying in the road after around 10 minutes. I would only move if she promised we were going back to the house. Fat and happy is the life for me, but then she limited my food. I do feel better now, and I have a lot more energy. I still get extra food every now and then. Sometimes Dad doesn't know Mom has already fed me, and I go and stand by my bowl to get extra food. They seem to eat everytime they are in the kitchen..why can't I??

   My favorite place to sleep is right in bed next to my parents, but they only let me do this if I beg really early on a weekend morning. My mom is the best, and I usually only want her to get up with me in the mornings. I just go to her side of the bed and whine a little or poke her. When I get really excited in the house, I like to run suicides across our living and dining room. Everyone laughs when I do it. It never seems to get old. I like to be under blankets and tables when I sleep..just makes me feel safer. I sleep on my back with all 4 paws stretched out.

I LOVE playing with my brother. He doesn't always want to play at first, but I'm pretty persistent. He growls at me, and he sometimes bites my nose or ear, but I know he is just playing with me. He always comes around. 

I think every new person should be greeted by me jumping on them and kissing them. It's just for the first 5 minutes you are here. So come and visit anytime!

7 Months

           
We are officially 7 months pregnant:) I say "we" because I am definitely starting to feel Quinn and being pregnant a little more each day. Here are some fun 7 month belly pictures:

I am obviously in denial about the size of my belly because I had to do a double take at the pictures! I then had to go back and look at my 6 month picture to see the difference. She is definitely a healthy, growing baby girl, and I wouldn't change anything about it. I love that Ace was caught in the picture. It reminded me that I have been an awful Mama to my boys for not talking about them on the blog! Next post will be about

our current 2 baby boys, Ace and Eddie.

Our 7 month check up went well this past Monday. I'm measuring right at 28 weeks.  I'm still in rotation, and I got to meet another one of the doctors. She was really nice, and I think I am going to be comfortable if we have to have one of Dr. Bradford's partners during delivery. We got our rocking chair for the nursery last weekend. Blinds and curtains for the nursery window should be here and up within the next few weeks!

7 Month Highlights:

• I now snore! At first I didn't know it, but John was quick to tell me. I now know that I officially snore because I've woken myself up a couple of times snoring. It's pretty loud..haha.
• I'm a really messy eater. The belly catches a lot of food. So I'm constantly wondering if I've become a bad eater since being pregnant or did it all just fall to the floor before?
• I'm tired again. 2 trimester was amazing! As of about 2 weeks ago, I get pretty exhausted between 8 and 9 at night. A lot of it is probably because I am now full time back at work too. A lot of nights during the week I catch myself looking at the clock to see if it is too early to go to bed.
• I still don't really have any cravings. My appetite has definitely increased over the past couple of weeks.
• I am already experiencing some "pregnancy brain" moments, and I'm afraid they are just going to get worse over the next couple of months.
• I'm still sleeping well without any extra pillows. I think this is going to change over the next couple of weeks though. I'm already starting to have to swap sides more often at night.
• I've gained between 16-17 pounds, and I'm really curious to see what is going to happen to my stomach over the next 12 weeks! I have moments where I look at my belly and think, "where are you going to go?"
• Stairs at work are still my friend, and I plan on using them as long as I can.
• My Toms are my favorite pair of shoes. I may need to get a second pair before I wear these out.
• I think about leaving things on the ground when I drop them now. I also get stuck in my couch. It is very comfy when I am in it, but it is really difficult to pull myself out of it. John and I are thinking that I may need to get a rope to help me with this:)

That's it for now with us. John starts his fall semester at the Citadel this Wednesday. We are going to tour and interview the day care and the pediatrician's office this week.  We have our birthing class all day this Saturday, and then I will be on my way to Macon for our shower over Labor Day weekend. Cannot wait to see everyone!

Party for Quinn!!

We had our first baby shower last weekend, and Miss Quinn is already a very spoiled little baby:) The shower was great! Our close friends from Meridian hosted, and it was nice and laid back so that guys could attend too. Here are our hosts (minus Courtney, Heath, and Julie): Thank you guys!

They all went in and got us our pack n play. We set it up in our living room as soon as we got home! I just wanted to see it up, but we took it down this weekend. I think looking at it would make the next few months go by even more slowly.  Here is a picture of it and some others from the shower.

Our nieces got to play together for the first time this past weekend too. It was so cute watching them together.  Aren't they adorable!



We got all of our sweet gifts into the nursery. It is so exciting to see little dresses hanging up in the closet! I can't wait to see her in them.