Third Tri and Beach Bound!

Wow. How am I here already?! Third trimester?! I think it's so hard to believe because this pregnancy has been so easy *knock on wood* that I haven't really felt pregnant until the last couple of months. I absolutely cannot believe that in about 3 months this abstract, squirmy thing in my belly is going to be an actual baby - OUR baby. One that lives with us and relies on us and maybe even looks like us. Holy crap.

We leave for a week in Myrtle Beach tonight and I can't wait. We're going with MH's family and I may be ready to strangle someone by the end (especially since I can't drink!) but I am looking forward to some warm weather and sunshine since the weather here has been SO rainy this spring. I'm hoping I do ok with the flight (it's only an hour and a half and it's a direct flight) and with walking around in the heat. Pics to come afterward, I'm sure!

How far along are you?: 27 weeks

How big is baby? Um...eggplant sized I think?

Weight gain/loss?: +20-ish lbs total (yikes!)

Stretch marks?: None so far but I definitely check every day!

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes. And I need to stop buying them! I keep trying to remind myself that I am only going to be pregnant for three more months!

Sleep?: Still pretty good

Best moment this week?: My SILs feeling her move. And I passed my GTT.

Food cravings?: Apple slices 

Gender?: Girl!

Movement?: She is definitely moving in there. I mostly feel her at night, but she makes sure to kick me a few times during the day too.

Belly button?: Definitely getting flat.

Symptoms?: I've been really tired, and my back kills me on the left side after sitting at my desk all day. Also had my first feet swelling incident this week after walking around campus - fun stuff.

What do I miss?: I will definitely miss alcohol when I'm at the beach next week. *giant sad face*

See you all in a week! :o)

30 Years Young

Once again (as will be the case almost all summer), I had a busy weekend. I turned 30 on Friday the 13th - cue creepy Twilight music! (Actually it was no biggie, as I also turned 13 on Friday the 13th and I didn't spontaneously combust or anything.) We went to dinner at Olive Garden with my family on Friday night - my aunt and uncle/godfather were in town from Arizona for my grandpa's birthday party, so it was nice to have everyone together. For once the weather was even nice on my birthday! Here's a pic of me that night. I told my hubby I thought my dress was too short and that people would think I was a slutty pregnant lady. He said, "Then they'll know how you got that way!" hehe

 25 weeks, 6 days - is it just the lights or do I have that pregnant lady "glow"??



On to the gifts... My parents got me this new video camera - the Kodak Playfull - that I wanted to capture baby moments. It's so eensy weensy - even smaller than my cell phone!

My husband got me a certificate for a massage per my request, and when I opened his card I almost cried. He wrote, "I love you and I can't wait to meet little Amelia. That's right, I said Amelia. That is my other gift to you. Our little girl will be named Amelia Grace Miller." He previously had told me on many occasions how much he disliked the name Amelia and also didn't really like Grace, so I was completely shocked that he would make that offer. It was so sweet, but now I feel weird committing to a name after so long!

Here's a gratuitous shot of my niece at dinner because she is just too darn cute.

"Do you think there's any money in this envelope?"

Saturday I went shopping with my mom and aunt while my hubby and the boys golfed. I got a couple of baby things (the outfit below, some cute onesies, and a car mirror for the back seat). 

I came home to the tornado sirens going off, even though there wasn't a tornado warning in our immediate area. There were some funnel clouds spotted but luckily we weren't really in any danger. I did almost lose my mind though, because the sirens went off for an hour! This is the fourth time they've gone off since we've moved - I'm so over our weather this spring!

Sunday was a surprise 90th birthday party for my grandfather (he is actually my grandma's second husband - my grandpa died when I was 2). My mom did a lot of work for the party and I got there early to help set up. It was a nice afternoon with friends and family - here's a pic of my grandma and grandpa as my dad was giving a speech about him. I hope my husband and I are still this in love at 90 years old!

So by last night I was one exhausted girl! It's tough getting old ;o) But all in all I had a great weekend and felt very blessed to be surrounded by so much love!

"May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud , dignified and true
And do unto others as you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever young..." - Rod Stewart

Happy Mother's Day!

Obviously this Mother's Day has me thinking a lot about what it means to be a mom. I can't believe that in a little over three months I will be someone's mommy! I mean...I still need MY mommy! My mom and I have always had a good relationship and I hope that my daughter and I share a special bond too. Sure, I went through the bratty teenage years and then a slightly delayed rebellious stage in my 20s where we didn't see eye to eye, but now I talk to my mom several times a week and don't know what I would do without her. This Taylor Swift song has always made me tear up, especially now that I am going to have a little girl of my own:

While I was listening to the song the other day I started thinking about the qualities I hope I'll have as a mom.

"I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run

Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides

Look now -- the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home..."
 

*I want to be the kind of mom who takes the time to do little, fun things with my kids and create memories that I'll always remember (and hopefully they will too).*

"I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we've found a town far enough away
And we talk and window-shop til I've forgotten all their names..."

*I want to be the kind of mom my daughter can confide in - who can comfort her when those inevitable awful teen years strike. I kept secrets from my mom, as I'm sure all daughters do, but I want her to feel comfortable with and trust me.*

"Now I know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side, even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine

And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm taking this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today."

*I hope I'll be the kind of mom who knows when to hold on and when to let go no matter how hard it may be. And I hope that, no matter what happens as she grows up, she will be as grateful for her mom's role in her life as I am for mine now.*

So to all the moms and moms-to-be, happy Mother's Day! And to those still waiting on their little miracles, I hope that this time next year finds you well on your way to mommyhood as well. (And a special thank you to my awesome friend Kathy for my first Mother's Day card that came in the mail today - you're going to make such a great mom!)

Busy weekend

As is indicated by my creative post title I had a busy weekend, which will be the case for the majority of my summer until our baby girl gets here. First up was a garage sale at my in-laws' on Saturday to clear out some of my stuff and make a little extra money for vacation at the end of the month. It went well but I think I overdid it a little. Because I have felt so good throughout my pregnancy I sometimes forget my body may not react the way it used to. So after hauling around boxes and tables, I had what I think was my first case of sciatic nerve pain Saturday night. Ouch.

Yesterday (Sunday) I threw a baby shower for my friend, J, who is due July 4th. It was at her mom's house but I did all of the planning, shopping and set up, so I was a tired girl by the end of it! J and I have been friends literally since the day I was born - our parents live across the street from each other, and we're three months apart in age. I realized our little girls will be even closer in age than we are! Unfortunately she lives in Louisville (4 hours away) so I probably won't see her again until after her little girl is born. Here's a pic of us and our girls :)

My hubby finished the backyard fence over the weekend as well, knocking one project off our mile-long list. Here's a before pic of the chain link and rotting wood fence that were there before (the hideous light has been removed as well):

And here is our new fence. I'm so glad we don't have to look at the neighbors' back yards (or the ugly fence) anymore. Lots of landscaping to do yet but it's a definite improvement. That's a playhouse at the right of the pic, by the way. Can't wait for our kids to get to play in it!

The rest of this month brings more busy weekends - next Saturday I help judge majorette tryouts for my friend K who coaches at the local high school and then Mother's Day. The following weekend I turn 30 (yikes!) and we have a 90th birthday party for my grandpa. The weekend of the 21st I plan to do some shopping and hopefully work on the nursery since it's one of our few free weekends, and then we're off to Myrtle Beach for a week starting May 28th - yay!

I felt I hadn't ended with some song lyrics for awhile, but all that came to mind was "Rain" by Creed...a band I don't particularly love, but hey, it works with all the dreary weather we've had here lately!

"I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
So let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
With every tomorrow comes a new life..."