31 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far along? 31 weeks 3 days

Size of the Baby? lettuce.. haha!

Maternity Clothes? just bought a few more things... good lord are they expensive!!!! hoping one of my friends is pregnant this same time next year so they can borrow them... id feel better if they got more use than just a couple months!

Gender? sweet mary tyler

Movement? as im typing, it feels like she is trying to escape. its so strange to feel two jabs at the same time, coming from totally opposite sides of my belly.. she's really stretching out in there.. she must sleep like mommy :) although, yesterday mom and i went shopping and she didnt move at all all day. i was starting to get worried until i got in bed last night... she got the hiccups and they apparently woke her up enough to stay awake for the next two hours tapping and sprawling out. i was so thankful for those movements, even if they were CRAZY

Sleep? so-so. two nights ago i got up FOUR times in the night to go to the bathroom... ughhhh. once i come back to bed it takes me about 20 min to fall back asleep.

Cravings? still no crazy cravings.. although matt and i have eaten a bowl of Reese's Puffs cereal at midnight for the past 3 nights in a row :)

Symptoms? my right hip killllllls when i get up from sitting or laying for a long time. have occasional sharp pains on my stomach, usually near my belly button. i read its just everything stretching. had some major shortness of breath the other night. i almost called the doc bc i felt like i could not get a good breath. read that even if i cant feel it, baby was prob pressing into my lung some.

What I miss? smaller boobs. sorry if its TMI but gahhhhhh these things are annoying.

Milestones? none really.

Weight Gain? somehow i lost 3 lbs this week. I thought it was just a fluke but 2 mornings in a row now im at +15 lbs.

What I’m nervous about? nothing this week

What I’m excited about? Her baby showers coming up in January!!! All my friends, family, and cheerleaders are crazy and I have 4 showers in January!!! We cant' wait :)

Baby Center Update for Week 31: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Mary Tyler's "1st Christmas"

My favorite part of Christmas is giving. I absolutely LOVE Christmas shopping and picking out presents for people. Not things they asked me for, but things I think they'll like and suspect I am brilliant for knowing they wanted it :) I dont care if I ever get another Christmas present again (although the iPhone 4s my husband got me is pretty amazing) ... I just love giving them. So this year was kind of hard for me, bc with baby girl on her way, we needed to be as frugal as possible. We ended up giving every grandparent a framed picture that Lauren took for us a few weeks ago. It looked like this....

of course, we changed the names for each picture :) it was fun . but still hard for me to give everyone only ONE, joint present. Since I knew this was going to be the case from the start, I told everyone please dont get me anything!!! It's enough just to spend time with everyone. Anyway, they didnt listen to me, and we got TONS of things for sweet baby girl. They all used the excuse "Well, it's not for you, it's for HER." :)

Here are a few of the goodies she racked up...

Her pack'n play. It's a Graco with a newborn napper and a changing table. She will sleep in this in our room for the first few weeks! From Grandy and Grams

Her Peg Perego car seat from G-Mimi and Great Grandy

Her monitor from G-Mimi and Great Grandy

Her Mamaroo swing/bouncer seat from CiCi

She also got TONS of clothes, books, blankets, booties, toys, etc from everyone. Getting all of this stuff gets me so excited about the showers we have coming up in January, and even more excited for her to GET here... and use/wear everything.

Today we are exactly 2 months from her due date... so hopefully two months from today, she'll be here :)

We cannot wait!

Hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we did. Next year we'll have a sweet little 10 month old !!

-B

Week 30... and Christmas Eve :)

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far along? 30 weeks 4 days

Size of the Baby? head of cabbage

Maternity Clothes? yes

Gender? girl!

Movement? she moves a lot, but still a shy girl!!! a few more people have gotten to feel her kick and move this week but she still pretty consistent in being still as soon as hands touch my belly! tricky girl :)

Sleep? not good this week, as i have been SICK with a terrible cold.

Cravings? nothing this week bc i cant taste anything, haha

Symptoms? couldn't even notice any pregnancy symptoms this week because i have been so sick, but the past 7 months of pregnancy have been the healthiest I've been in a while (i get sick a lot). so i cant complain. my hips hurt in the morning.

What I miss? being able to take in a full deep breath!

Milestones? 30 weeks?! We're in the 30's now!!

Weight Gain? 18 lbs... omg i hate the scale. I'm hoping not to pass 25 lbs, total!

What I’m nervous about? nothing this week

What I’m excited about? meeting her!! Today is Christmas Eve and we've had two Christmases so far (with Matt's Dad's family and with my dad's parents) and Mary Tyler has gotten some of THE CUTEST things... plus her monitor, car seat, etc. I teared up when we brought it all in the nursery last night, thinking how she's almost here and she'll be in that little car seat before we know it!

Baby Center Update for Week 30: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision – which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her
face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Some Christmas Photos:

Mary Tyler's first bookbag.. filled with all kinds of good books to read to her:

A newborn, sparkly, Clemson outfit... for the hospital:

Baby Girl and Me last night in front of Mimi and Grandy's Christmas Tree.. tons of presents!!

Tonight we are going to Christmas Eve Church with Dad and Susie... then headed to Mom's to spend Christmas Eve over there, playing games and maybe going to the movies. Tomorrow we'll wake up and have a tiny celebration (our last one with just the four of us) with Cooper and Annie then head over to Dad's in Easley to eat breakfast and open presents with them. Then we will go to Cindy's and open a few presents with her and Kelleigh before driving to Bishopville, SC to spend the day with Matt's family down there! It's a busy weekend, but we are so blessed to have so many wonderful family members to celebrate with!! :)

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Love,

B and Mary Tyler

Some Belly Pics

Sorry for the lack of belly pics! I could kick myself for not posting them more often. I love seeing the progression week to week. Here are 3 shots from tonight...

29 weeks 5 days... someone is very curious and protective of her mommy :)

i officially can't see my feet anymore... have a really hard time putting on socks and shoes, especially boots bc i cant pull them up!! harder to take my pants off ... baby girl is GROWIN'!

Week 29

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far along? 29 weeks 2 days

Size of the Baby? butternut squash

Maternity Clothes? yes

Gender? girl!

Movement? still moving all the time, but making mommy sad bc EVERY TIME i try to film her or get someone else to feel her, she stops. and as soon as the camera cuts off or the person quits touching she starts up again. stubborn little miss!

Sleep? on the decline again. waking up every two hours to go to the bathroom then tossing and turning once i get in bed. still SO grateful that im able to stay in bed and rest/relax every morning... even if its not "sleep"

Cravings? made oatmeal chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies this week and have been eating them, too often. also, pasta.

Symptoms? the pre-syncope stuff still (feeling like im going to pass out). was pretty bad on monday, but its now thursday and i did really well tuesday and wednesday. we'll see how shopping with kelleigh today goes. Back pain, hip pain. not too bad though.

What I miss? being comfortable

Milestones? nothing big. she got the hiccups three times yesterday. she's been getting them a lot. good little drinker, i guess :)

Weight Gain? 16 lbs... ahhhhhh its rough to look down at the scale and see a number in the 150's

What I’m nervous about? my heart stuff... meditating on phillippians 4!

What I’m excited about? Christmas, New Years, Baby showers, meeting Mary Tyler :)

Baby Center Update for Week 29: Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain – which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.

4D Ultrasound Video .. 28 weeks

Here she is! :)

part 1:

part 2:

i cant get the sizes right.. so just go to the youtube link if you'd like it to be bigger :)

28 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far along? 28 weeks 2 days

Size of the Baby? chinese cabbage ?????

Maternity Clothes? yes

Gender? girl!

Movement? she moves all the time now, i can't get enough! it's truly the coolest feeling in the world!

Sleep? I've slept really well this week!! But keep having strange dreams/nightmares. Last night I dreamed black birds were attacking me in a wide open field and trying to peck my eyeballs out.. and I wasn't even that scared. in the dream, I was just like AHH get off me! Then I woke up in a cold sweat and freaked out. Couldn't my dreams be more pleasant?? haha

Cravings? ehh. none this week.

Symptoms? just back pain and a little bit of hip pain this week after walking a long way at the ACC Championship on Saturday. Also, my heart condition (vasovagal syncope) has been making itself more known this week. it keeps trying to make an appearance and i keep speaking it away. i am NOT starting this passing out nonsense. ive made this far, I can make it 2.5 more months.

What I miss? same as last week, being able to get comfortable!!

Milestones? She got this hiccups for the first time, monday night!! it was so cool! i kept reading that she may get them soon and was disappointed i hadnt felt them yet. monday i was laying watching tv with matt and started feeling what i thought was a slow heartbeat in my lower belly. I thought "what in the world?? is that the placenta pulsating?? its too slow to be her heartbeat.... or mine." Then i realized they were rhythmic movements and my whole belly would get a little jolt ... voila! hiccups!!! she got them again tonight at the basketball game. so fun!

Weight Gain? Holy 16 lbs last night when I weighed before bed.... then this morning when I woke up, 14 lbs. Sheeeeesh. A lot of times i look down at my belly, which feels like the sides of my stomach skin may rip at any moment, they are stretched so tight, and think how the heck can you get bigger?? I know i'll look back at this in 12 weeks and laugh bc im going to be so much bigger! there's no where to go, but out!

What I’m nervous about? labor, delivery, epidurals, hospitals, breastfeeding, the list could go on... but ive been reading and meditating on Phillippians 4:4-9 a lot this week. It says: "The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This verse has helped me a lot with my passing out anxiety this week, but needs to be applied to EVERYTHING I worry about. It's something I am going to just rest in, the rest of this pregnancy, including labor and delivery. Please pray for me to stay strong in this!

What I’m excited about? now that we got to see her sweet little self today, im more excited than ever to actually meet her!!

Baby Center Update for Week 28: “By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She’s also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.”

Oh, hey tiny!

Today we went for our 4D ultrasound to see Mary Tyler. We're so in love, already! So far, it looks like she has her daddy's eyebrows, brow bone, and lips and mommy's cheeks, nose, and chin. We can't wait to see her IN PERSON :) She had her cord blocking her face a little bit but we did some moving around and managed to get a few cute pictures. She showed us her left foot REALLY good, and was trying to suck on her toes... we got ONE decent pic of her right foot (which is suspicious of six toes) and think we can count six little nubs... you decide!!

ok.. here's the CLOSEST evidence we have... the big foot you see is her left foot..it has five toes..and she is trying to put it in her mouth... but resting on it is her right foot, and i swear i can count six little nubs... do you see it?!

Matt is uploading the video to youtube now... ill post it later tonight!

the good, the bad, and the ugly

let's start with the good!!! friday we met one of our best friends, Lauren Miller, downtown in Falls Park and she took some amazing pictures for us for Christmas Card/Maternity Shoot. We had so much fun, even though it was cold, and got some great pictures. I think Mary Tyler had fun during her first photo shoot, she kicked me all the way home. Please check out Lauren Miller Photography for any and all of your photography needs!!

The Bad - back pain. Yikes. Cheerleading season is over, but basketball season is not. Cheerleaders have to be at basketball games. Girls and boys, back to back games. And those cold, hard bleachers (with no seat backs) are not kind to me and baby! I need a stadium seat cushion with a back!! We had so much fun this past Saturday going to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game, but that walk back to the car... yikes. Definitely starting to feel the "pains" of pregnancy, but considering myself very lucky right now that that's all I have to worry about!! We have definitely been blessed!

The Ugly. Sheesh. Last Wednesday I went in for my glucose test and I didn't pass it, which was dreadful, because nearly everytime I have blood drawn I pass out because of my heart condition. And then for about a week thereafter, I am prone to passing out again. So, on wednesday, after I made it through without passing out, I celebrated (too soon) and was thrilled that that was the last "blood taking" of my pregnancy. Then I got the call the next morning that I was 3 numbers too high and needed to come back for a three hr test which consists of 4 venipunctures in 4 hours. :( nooooooooo . LUCKILY, my nurse at Piedmont OBGYN, Kristin, is amazing and loves me! She let me stay back in the fetal monitoring room in a recliner with a blanket and a tv instead of sending me back out to the lobby every time. It was SO HARD not to throw up. At one point I was tilting my head back continuously swallowing and trying to quit gagging, bc if you throw up, you have to go back and do it all over another time. Sarah came with me (thank you!!) and was in there helping me "talk myself out of it" but it was seriously one of the hardest things i've done. Having no food or drink on your stomach for 12 hours and then drinking Glucola is disgusting. Mary Tyler seemed to love it, she danced around so much in the first hour that I thought the movement was making me sick. Did a lot of in through your nose, out through your mouth breathing, and I made it through!! Now we wait for the results. If I don't hear anything by Thursday, then I am free of gestational diabetes! If I do have it, they'll call me in the next couple of days and send me to MFM. Everyone say a little prayer. God has kept me and baby safe and healthy thus far and I know He will continue to be faithful!

28 weeks tomorrow!!! Time is flying on by :) We can't wait to meet our baby girl!