8 months

I'm 32 weeks this week...officially 8 months pregnant. I'm still feeling really good. I just drive myself crazy with my thoughts. I'm always thinking about what still needs to be done before baby arrives. Right now I need to find a pediatrician and child care. Any suggestions? There are so many things to think about that I find myself running in circles.

Jeff and I went to an all day (9am-4pm) parenting class over the weekend. Wow...that was a lot of information to take in. I was feeling comfortable with everything until we got to the 'Medical' procedures/equipment slide. I cannot control my anxiety when it comes to blood/surgery/etc. I am going to try to ignore that part of the day. What I don't know won't hurt me, right? I enjoy the thought that labor is going to be smooth and I won't have anything to worry about :)

How I'm Feeling: Really good as long as I can sit down throughout the day and put my feet up.
Side Effects: Itchy, swollen feet
Craving: Zaxby's (Yum)

30 weeks

I'm so excited to be 30 weeks along. All I have left are my 30's. I know I'm still 10 weeks away but being in the 30's makes me feel so much closer. Wow, I need to sit down and make a "to do" list of what still needs to be done. Time is ticking...

Hampton is still constantly on the move. I went to the doctor last week for a monthly check up. When the doctor lifted my shirt she could see my belly move as Hampton kicked. It was awesome. Hamp just wanted to say "Hi' and "See you soon". I can already tell he's going to be a sweet little guy just like his dad.

I would like to have maternity pictures taken soon. I've been trying to get some picture ideas from Pinterest but have only found a couple things. Are there any moms out there that have suggestions? I would love to hear ANY ideas. Also, while I'm asking are there any baby products that I must get? I appreciate all your advice :)

How I'm Feeling: Great most of the time. Slowly getting tired towards the end of the day.
Side Effects: Hard to sit for a long period of time. Hampton likes to cuddle under my right rib when I'm sitting down. This is difficult especially when I'm driving.
Craving: Pizza

Big week!

I have to begin by adding a quick comment to my last post. A few weeks ago I showed pictures of Hampton's newly organized closet. You might have noticed that he already has lots of clothes. This is thanks to my best friend Brittany Same. Her son, Liam, will be exactly one year older than Hampton so she passed on all of his outgrown clothes to us. I am so thankful to have a friend like Brittany.

What a big week! The teachers started school this past Monday. It was great to see everyone and get back into a routine. I'm excited for school to start and ready to meet the sweet kids that we have coming to 6th grade this year. The students start this coming Monday and I still have a lot of work to do before the year officially begins.

I also started my third trimester this week. I feel like Hampton is going to be here before I know it. I am nervous for the challenges that this trimester brings especially since I plan to work right up to November 3rd. But I am blessed to have such amazing friends/coworkers to help me out at school. I am also grateful to have Jeff's family here in Birmingham. I don't know what we'd do without them. I also know Hampton is going to enjoy his travels to Virginia to see the Ruley fam. We have so much to look forward.

How I'm feeling: Very good

Side effects of the moment: Heartburn and ligament pains

Craving: Chicken fingers and Sweets (If this is what Hamp craves he's going to eat just like his father)

Closet

I am really starting to feel like a pregnant woman these days. It's getting harder for me to get up off the couch, floor, bed or even out of the car. I start feeling fidgety after sitting for about 30 minutes. But I run out of energy very quickly too. My body doesn't stay content long.

Hampton is constantly moving. He enjoys dance parties and practicing his karate moves. I read something interesting about when babies move. They enjoy the soothing, rhythmic motion of the mother moving around. When I'm active he is sleeping. But when I rest he wakes up and is on the move. We're on completely different schedules. It's actually nice to know when he's up because it gives others the chance to feel him kicking.

Jeff worked on Hampton's closet this weekend. He bought some organizers and shelves. He did such a great job. It looks like a different closet now. I wish I would have remembered to take a before picture. But this is part of the "old" closet so you can get an idea of what it looked like before. We just had one hanging shelf.

Here is the finished product. Jeff added another hanging shelf under the old one. He also added four drawers which are awesome to have!

I couldn't resist taking this last picture. It is unbelievable how many diapers we have been given. But I also realize that these won't last long :)

My birthday

My birthday was Tuesday, July 17th.  I think this is going to be the best year yet. We have so much to look forward to. To celebrate, I went to Atlanta to spend some time with Jeff. While he was at work I went shopping at the outlets. It's hard for me to shop being 24 weeks pregnant. I have to buy basic maternity clothes but also want to get some things that I can wear when I'm not pregnant. I have to choose carefully and it usually takes a while. Jeff usually isn't much fun to shop with since I take forever. So I went by myself and was actually successful.

We went to dinner at a restaurant called Coast, which obviously was a seafood place. We had an amazing dinner and talked about our future and how blessed we are. 

I ordered shrimp scampi which came with a crab cake on top. It was so good!!! Jeff ordered yellowfin tuna with a side of mac n cheese (with bacon and shrimp). He LOVED the tuna. For anyone that does not know Jeff, please let me explain. He is an extremely picky eater. His "go to" dishes are pizza and chicken fingers. And don't even get me started on vegetables or anything that is actually healthy. He can't eat those because he is "allergic" to anything green. At least, that's what he tells people so they will stop asking him to try new things. So, for jeff to even order tuna was amazing. Plus he said it was one of the best dishes he's ever had. He was even to full to finish his mac n cheese. We're making some progress! 

My sweet pups

Surprisingly the baby has not been consuming my every thought lately. It's been my sweet puppies, Max and Zoe. They have had fleas for the past two weeks and it is breaking my heart. I constantly hear them scratching and licking themselves. They have red bites and scabs all over their sweet little legs. I can't tell you how hard it's been to know that I've done absolutely everything I can think of to get rid of them and I'm not sure what else to do. We have given them 3 baths, treated the backyard twice, vacuumed the house everyday for the past week, washed all of our bedding, cleaned all blankets, pillows, etc.,applied Frontline AND given them a flea pill. I mean look at these precious faces.

Jeff and I worked on Hampton's room a few weeks ago. We wanted to add some things to the walls. We weren't sure what we wanted to do so we started looking for inspiration. My mom sent me a pictures of wall decals that looked really cool. I loved the ones of hot air balloons because it reminds me of July 4th in Lexington, Virginia. Every year they have a balloon rally where they give balloons rides. I used to love sitting in the yard watching all of the beautiful balloons fly by. 

The wall decals weren't exactly what we were looking for so Jeff decided to make them. He found balloons at Hobby Lobby and attached them to little baskets. We were so excited about the stuffed animals from the Disney Store. They are some of our favorites characters.

Under the balloons we painted a small bookshelf. Jeff bought a few books of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. I can't wait to curl up and read to my baby.

We also bought a shelf to put on the wall and some letters to spell out Hampton's name.

I am now 23 weeks and feel Hampton kicking constantly. I love the constant reminder that he's in there :)

Halfway!

Well, I'm a little past halfway. Today, I am 21 weeks! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I feel absolutely blessed and get more emotional and excited everyday. Last week, I went to the Dr. for my 20 week ultrasound and check up. They took a couple 4D pics. I know he still has a lot of growing to do but these pictures are amazing. I can see his tiny knuckles!

Over the weekend we made some progress on Hampton's nursery. We got the bedding, painted the walls, added some curtains, and a side table. It was a lot of work in such a short period of time but it was worth it. It looks great and I love what we've done so far.

Jeff and I spent a lot of time looking for crib bedding. I felt like this was the theme of the nursery and we would base everything else around the bedding. Once I saw this I knew it was it. It is the Nantucket Collection by Bananafish.

The paint color is light blue. I had originally wanted to go with something more neutral like a gray but I'm glad it turned out the way that it did.

The curtains still need some work but you can still see what they look like here. They are navy and white striped.

This last picture is of the side table. It was hard to find the perfect table to fit in such a small space. Plus, I really wanted it to have drawers or shelves for extra storage. I found this one at Hobby Lobby and painted it navy. It is perfect. We also found the cute elephant lamp at World Market. 

I wanted to end with one of the most special moments that I've experienced thus far. Two days ago I felt Hampton kick for the first time. I have been waiting and waiting for this to happen. My doctor has been asking me if I felt anything for a month now. It turns out I have an anterior placenta which just means the placenta is between the baby and my stomach adding extra insulation. So, it took a little longer for me to feel his movements. Now that I've felt it I'm on cloud nine. It is the sweetest feeling.

IT'S A...BOY!!!

Last weekend we went to Lexington, VA to visit my family. My mom threw us a baby shower/ reveal party. She worked really hard to put this together and we all had a great time. So, I'm sure y'all have seen the video of the reveal on facebook but I wanted to share some pictures of the night. This was such an exciting night for Jeff and myself. I love these pictures because you can see our emotions all over our faces. We were beyond happy!

My mom made this fruit basket and I thought it was TOO cute!

I was so excited that Jeff's parents (and Jake - their dog) were able to come to Lexington for the party. They loved the mountains and open fields. The pups loved all the grass that they could run around in. We all stayed at Grammy's house. We walked around town, ate at Macados, and spent time with family. 

My baby sister also graduated from high school this weekend. Yes, she's the one in the center that is taller than both me and my mom. I'm so proud of her. Love you Cal!!!

Hello 2nd Trimester

I must say that my first trimester was not bad. I have heard terrible stories about the sickness that my friends have experienced. Some were sick through their entire pregnancy. I felt nauseous for a few weeks but my main obstacle was being tired. I would come home from work and take a nap and then be in bed by 8:30pm. It was so hard for me to keep my eyes open if I was sitting down.

I am now 17 weeks along and my tiredness is subsiding. Also, I feel that I can tolerate smells and foods easier than a few weeks ago. In my first trimester, I couldn't stand the smell of coffee. This was very hard for me because I've been drinking coffee for years. I actually get terrible headaches if I don't have a cup in the morning. Now, I'm to the point where I can make coffee in the morning again. Ahh....

Things have been crazy around here lately. First of all, Jeff got a new job. Yay! This is actually bitter sweet. He is going to be a job recruiter. He is so excited to start a job where he can build relationships and do something where he feels that he is helping others. However, he has to move to Atlanta for 5 months for training. Just in case you were wondering... I am due in 5 months!!! It almost seems that this was a calculated move. Jeff will miss out on all of the fun hormonal changes that pregnant woman go through. HaHa, we'll actually see each other every weekend so he is not completely off the hook.

Secondly, I had my first baby shower. It was actually a surprise shower and I was truly shocked. My students planned a shower for me all by themselves at school. They all brought gifts to my room throughout the day. During homeroom, they surprised me with a party. Once I got home and put everything in the nursery I was overwhelmed. I must say that I have the best students in the world!!!

We are so excited to get in the nursery and start planning. Last week, we started by getting the carpets cleaned. This was much needed considering we have two spoiled yorkies that do whatever they want whenever they want. That is going to change very soon.

Jeff and I researched and found the perfect furniture for us. We chose the Davenport collection by Baby Appleseed. We were so excited to go to Buy Buy Baby to get the furniture we'd picked out. They had what we wanted BUT it wasn't in stock. It was going to take 10 weeks to get here. I wasn't very patient and started looking at other options. 

My friend, Kathryn, told us about a furniture outlet in Sumiton called T.D.'s. I called to get a price check and see if they had Baby Appleseed stuff. Well, this place was awesome! They had our pieces in stock and it was hundreds of dollars cheaper that Buy Buy Baby. We went and picked it up the next day. We got a crib which converts to a toddler bed and full size bed. I was blown away when I saw this as an option. It's crazy what they are coming out with these day. So cool! We also got a dresser that we will also use as a changing table. Lastly, we picked up a recliner from Lay-z-boy which I'll spend lots of nights sleeping in with baby:)

I'm pregnant!!!

Jeff and I are excited to FINALLY get to share this news with all of our friends. It has been so hard keeping it a secret. Plus, I'm terrible at keeping secrets to begin with. Here is our story.

Jeff and I had been trying to get pregnant for over a year. At first we didn't worry but after a few months we started to get concerned. We went to the doctor and she said that everything was fine. Meanwhile, it seemed that everyone around us was having kids. This was really hard and we didn't understand why things were happening the way they were so we continued to pray about it.

One Sunday during Sunday School, our friend Jamie, talked to us about a man named Brother Max. He is a traveling preacher and comes to Birmingham a lot. He is a man of God and meets with people to minister and pray with them. Jamie invited us to one of his services on Saturday, January 28th. Jeff and I were very skeptical about going because we didn't know what to expect but we went any way. Brother Max started the service by telling a little about himself, preached a short sermon, and then started praying for individuals in the crowd. There were about 30 people there.

After about an hour, Brother Max came to me and Jeff. He asked if he could pray for us together and we agreed. He prayed  for us as a couple and then directed his prayer towards me. One of the main things he said was that God has given me the gift of taking difficult concepts and breaking them down for others to understand. Wow, I'm a teacher so that made complete sense. He talked to Jeff and said that God had given him the gift of a brilliant mind. You can imagine how much Jeff liked hearing that! He went on to explain how Jeff liked figuring things out. He enjoys puzzles and working with numbers. This was all very true. Then he asked us if we had kids. I knew he would ask that and immediately started crying. He had a few more questions and then asked if he could pray for us. He prayed for healing...that whatever stopping us from getting pregnant would be healed. Jeff and I left the service shocked. We were blown away by the prayers and felt really close to God.

A few weeks later, Brother Max came back for another service at our church. We invited Jeff's parents to attend with us since Sue (Jeff's mom) has pancreatic cancer. Bruce told Brother Max about Sue's cancer and asked for prayers of healing. Brother Max talked to Sue for a minute and asked about pain. Sue said that she wasn't experiencing any pain at the moment. So Brother Max began to pray. He prayed for Bruce and Sue's faith to grow stronger through this experience. He prayed for healing in Sue's feet (even though she didn't say she had pain). Lastly, he turned to Bruce and said something about three generations. At the end of the prayer Sue shared some things with Brother Max. She said she had prayed on the way there that, if anything, her faith would strengthen. She said that she's had neuropathy in her feet which has been given her a lot pain. Lastly, he saw three generations in our future and my son and daughter in law (she pointed to us) are trying to have children. It was amazing. He then moved on to me and Jeff. He remembered us from a few weeks ago and brought up children again. He laughed and said "this is going to happen for you very soon". He prayed for us again.

Two weeks later (less than a month from our first service with Brother Max) we found out we were pregnant. This baby is truly a gift from God. I have never felt more blessed. We are due November 3rd!