Dash Through the Weeks!

29 weeks of pregnancy : )

 

We are getting so close to our due date! Some days I wonder "Where has the time gone?" and other days (when I'm aching and bloated and peeing every 15 minutes!) I wonder "Will this ever end??" For the most part, this pregnancy has been beyond what I would imagine as easy and enjoyable, but as the time nears, I feel my excitement just increasing day by day!

I wanted to take this time to ask all of our friends and family to continue to pray for us as we wrap up these last few weeks. There is alot that goes into being prepared to bring home our little boy. Emotionally, physically, and mentally, our minds feel like whirlwinds, and getting everything done in time would not be possible without all of your prayers, You-Can-Do-Its!, and most importantly, encouraging belly rubs : ) We love you all and cannot wait to write the post that will introduce little Lucas to the world!

 

But until then, I and my big belly will have to suffice! Love you all!

End of Football Season, Beginning of the Holidays!

This past week was a fun one! On top of my five day vacation, we got to spend time with family for Thanksgiving on Thursday, and time with friends at our last home ECU game on Friday. On Saturday, we were also able to decorate the house for Christmas! Here are a few pictures from our much-enjoyed time off!

Before the last home ECU game!

We went to pick up our first real Christmas tree after the game!

After about 45 minutes of searching, we found one we loved!



 

One of my Christmas projects : ) Free printouts from Pinterest mod-podged onto canvases!

With the family on Thanksgiving in Clayton!

Mom and Me

Happy Thanksgiving and 28 Weeks!

I am so excited to have reached the third and final trimester of our pregnancy! I am so lucky to still be feeling as good as I do, but there are little aches and pains that try to creep in every so often. I am just trying to use the power of positive thinking to get me through this last little bit!
We are ready to celebrate the holidays with family and realize this will be the last year we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas without a little one being around. I look forward to the joy, excitement, and NOISE that baby Lucas will bring to the bunch but this year our little turkey will enjoy himself in my belly with a steady supply of turkey, sweet potato souffle and pecan pies provided by me! : )
I have truly enjoyed being pregnant (and I must admit I enjoy all of the attention that comes along with it!), but as many of my friends and coworkers are having their babies, it just makes me that much more anxious to meet little Lucas.
This week I'm going to change the stats up a little bit and add a few new questions to kick it up a notch! I hope you have enjoyed reading the blogs and I plan to contiue on through this last stretch! The next 12 weeks will be busy with the holidays and all that comes along with that, but I will try my best to keep you guys informed and up to date on the belly progress : )

How far along - 28 weeks! Yippee! There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

What's the baby up to in there?? - Baby boy is now the size of an eggplant and is about 2 1/2 lbs and measuring 13-14 inches long head to heels! He's fully developed and just packing on some weight to wrap around those bones! His lungs are mature enough that if he were to be delivered he would be able to survive with the help of ventilator support. He is now able to hear a variety of noises and can respond to them from inside my belly! He's blinking, hiccupping, notably kicking and punching!, and getting a feel for his own movement and what it means!

Stretch marks? - None yet knock on wood! I guess the cocoa butter is really doing the trick (I have been applying this since June to my belly and bum!)

Sleep - I will officially be prepared for late night feedings and diaper changes because I wake up almost every hour and have a hard time falling asleep as well. I'm just a little too excited about the next couple of months!

Anything making me queasy or sick? - Thankfully I have only had one episode of "sickness" throughout the pregnancy and this was related to not eating for an extended period of time (which all of you know MUST have been out of my control because that is usually not a problem!) But, I will say that a dirty litter box has set the queasiness off a tad bit over the last couple of weeks. Dee is doing a great job of keeping it clean because we all know I can't clean it while I'm pregnant, but with my overly-sensitive nose, a little bit of use of the litter box by the cats and I am turning my nose up and asking Dee to do his chore!

Labor Signs - None, thankfully. Now is the time that I should really start looking out for any preterm labor symptoms and so far so good. I think Lucas is snug as a bug in my belly!

Wedding rings - On or Off? - I can still keep my rings on and don't plan on taking them off unless I become extremely edematous! Haha!

Happy or Moody most of the time? - No lie: I have my good days and bad days! But, most of the time I would definitely say happy and I would hope that my coworkers and friends agree! ; )

Maternity Clothes - I hit the jackpot on some maternity tops that were dirt cheap at Target this past week! I stocked up for sure and it has really made getting dressed much easier with a wider selection.

Symptoms - restless legs!! Leave it to me to have the most random symptoms of pregnancy!! About 15% of women experience restless leg syndrome during pregnancy due to hormonal changes and circulatory changes as well. While a lot of people note this occurs while they sleep, mine mainly starts around 7pm and lasts until about 11 at night. Because of this I have had to get up and move around the house to keep from jumping out of my skin! Needless to say my new routine is to clean house while the 11 o'clock news is on! PS- Dee thinks I'm crazy.

Lucas is so spoiled!!

Just a quick post of some things we have gotten already for Lucas! We cannot wait to get him in them! This little boy is so loved already and how much more of a blessing can that be!?!!

Pirate tie : )

 

Purple Polo shirt with gold horse and monogram from Katie and Bo!

 



Sweet Christmas ornament from Christy!

More adorable Polo from one of my co-workers Mrs. Kim!

 

Monogrammed bib from Mom and Dad!



Another Polo onesie for the cutie : )

One of our most favorite pieces from Mom and Dad.

He will be beautiful in this for sure!

 

Monogrammed blanket from Ms. Ann!

Last but not least, this was not a gift but was a purchase we made and luckily we were able to save so much money on my breastpump thanks to Dee's job! This thing is the Cadillac of breast pumps and I just know it will live up to all its hype! : )

Let's Shower The Baby With Gifts!

 

On Saturday, November 10th, we had our first baby shower at Paige's house! We were surrounded by our wonderful family and friends and got a ton of gifts we both wanted and needed. We had great food (I think I ate in the double digits of the cake squares!) and consumed an insane amount of punch!

We got special homemade gifts like diaper cakes made by a co-worker Christy, our most needed gift from my Mom and Dad which was our travel system with the stroller, carrier, and carseat, and personalized gifts from family friends with Lucas's name monogrammed on it! Here are some pictures from the shower for you to enjoy!

 

 

 Who's ready for some food?!

 

Little duckies floating in the punch!

 

Awesome Diaper Cake!

 

 From left to right: the hostess - Paige, Marian, me, Christy

 

 Dee's sister Laura who is obviously also pregnant and I!

 

 Sweet girls from Wilmington! My freshmen year roommate Kelly, Marian, and me!

 

 With my mom

With Dee's grandmother

 

 With Dee's mom

 

 With my sister, Amanda

 

 With Paige and her mom Vanessa

 

 Such a fun day with a great group of women! And with Dee of course!

 

Doctor's Visit Update & 26 Weeks Stats

*Week 26 Stats for Baby Lucas*

Baby's size:

Lucas is weighing in at 2 lbs! He is the size of a head of iceberg lettuce and if we were to see him, we could see the color of his hair!

Total weight gain:

19 lbs. Go me!

Maternity Clothes:

I haven't bought any more maternity clothes - but that's not to say that I don't want to! My favorite maternity websites to shop on are www.motherhood.com and www.pinkblushmaternity.com - check them out or share them with someone you know that is expecting!

Food cravings:

The food cravings have actually been under control this week. My emotions on the other hand..........are somewhat of a roller coaster! Haha!

Movement:

Lucas continues to amaze me with his punches and kicks. It's fun to have my friends put their hands on my belly and feel his movements now!

Best moment of the week:

Simple but true: I enjoy Sundays with Dee. We get the opportunity to just wind down and enjoy one another. After church, we just take the time to be lazy in our lounge clothes. We eat, sleep, and laugh...ALOT!

What I'm looking forward to:
 I'm looking forward to my baby shower this weekend! I cannot wait to see everyone and get some cute stuff for the little one!

What I miss:

With the time change this past Sunday, I miss the extra hours of sunlight. It makes it harder for me to want to go for walks when it's pitch black outside.

Symptoms:

 The symptoms have been pretty much at bay this week which is good. I had another massage on Thursday night and I am so glad I found Jamie - she has really helped me stay stress-free with this pregnancy!

As a side note, at my OBGYN appointment this week I had the glucose tolerance test. I can say that I proudly passed it which means I do not have nor am I at risk for developing gestational diabetes! One more thing I can mark off the list! Our next appointment is scheduled for December 6th and we get to do the 4D ultrasound! I cannot WAIT to see my little boy's FACE! Ahhh I'm so excited!