Our last vacation

Well, our last vacation before baby comes has come and gone. I can't believe we were gone for 8 days! It felt like a weekend at most! It was a very low key vacation. Days on the beach, nights out to dinner then home to bed. Speaking of bed, the beds at this place were HARD! Not great for the two pregnant ladies in residence. By the last night I had figured out just how to arrange the pillows to give my poor hips some comfort. Below are a few pics. I'm fighting a cold today, so I don't feel like narrating.




The couples we went with:



us:


Seaside:





Our last day, there were lots of jellyfish that had washed up. Neat to look at, but you can bet I didn't get in the water much that day!


Went to the pool instead:


Those of you that know Chris will understand when I say I have no idea why.





Daniel and I headed to Mobile Friday to spend the night with my sister and her family. My nieces were very interested in my belly and how the baby got in there and how he can hear us, but can't talk back, and when will he kick. The below are pictures of Daniel and the girls talking to the baby to try and get him to move around.


Madeline had told me to bring a list of names and she would tell me which ones were good. Unfortunately, she didn't like ANY of the names on our list. For those of you who keep asking though, we are getting closer. I would say we are down to 5 to choose from.

Saturday we packed up again and moved on to Ocean Springs for the night. We had a lovely dinner with Daniel's mom and got to visit with his Aunt Catherine briefly as well. It was a quick trip, but I'm glad we were able to stop in for a night. Our camera is trying to recover from getting dropped in the sand, so I didn't get any pics.

On the baby front: I can't believe we only have 95 days to go (according to the counter at the top of this blog). As of next week I'll be in my third trimester! Crazy how fast time is flying by! I still feel great. The prilosec is keeping the acid reflux away, so that just leaves me with the constant running to the bathroom! Our next appointment is next Thursday, and I will be taking the 1 hour GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) again. Fingers crossed that I pass it! Mom is coming to visit this weekend and we are going to attempt to pick out a chair/rocker/glider combo for the nursery and maybe paint for the walls. I'll feel much better if we can get these big things taken care of this weekend!

Corinne's 30th Birthday

Corinne celebrated her 30th birthday yesterday. As much as I would like to tell you that our dinner and drinks out in Oxford were the highlight of her birthday, I have my doubts! She and her husband just got back from a trip to NYC, and from her pictures and stories, I'm fairly certain that trip topped last night. But just barely I'm sure. :)

Some candids of the evening.






The birthday girl!


Trying to get all the girls organized for a photo! I guess Daniel couldn't help but capture the chaos!




I also wanted to spread the word about my friend Melissa's book that is out in stores now! It's called Bite Me! It's a young adult book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one! I highly recommend it for any teenage girls you may know, or yourselves! Melissa came to Off Square Books Saturday night for a signing, as seen below! I meant to get a pic with her, but she had such a line of admirers, I didn't want to interrupt!


Other excitement from our weekend...


Daniel finally got a riding lawn mower. He is very excited, and I can't really blame him. Using a push mower on an acre of hilly terrain couldn't have been easy! One rule of the new lawn mower: no riding around the neighborhood shirtless, while drinking beer, as you 'walk' the dog (we have a neighbor who does this all year long).

On the baby front this week...well, not much has changed really. The baby is still moving around a good bit as I feel pressure in different spots. I still spend a large percentage of my time in the rest room due to the incessant need to pee. Still having acid reflux, but going to get my prilosec OTC today. Our company has added a proper gym with nice, new equipment, so I'm back to my working out! Still no decision on name. While Daniel and I are at the beach next week, I hope to make some progress on this. OH! I also wanted to share with you all the website of some of my pledge sisters. If you know someone expecting, these would make great gifts! I've already gotten my Hotty Toddy shirt! http://www.preggieprep.com/

Hospital Tour

Yesterday Daniel and I toured the Women's Hospital in Tupelo before our doctor's appointment! Can I just say WOW?! I had a list of questions to help me determine how flexible they really are with natural childbirth, and they passed with flying colors!
Some of the things that really impressed me:
1. Labor and Delivery rooms have in room shower
2. L & D beds have squat stool and bar
3. IV's are not mandatory, so I won't be 'chained' to an iv pole
4. Monitoring is only done for 20 minutes out of every hour, so I won't be forced to stay in bed during labor
5. They encourage immediate breast feeding after birth
6. They encourage rooming in with baby
7. I have heard that I can arrange to have all bathing, etc done in room so the baby never has to leave me!

They definitely seemed to have an appreciation for the fact that women's bodies are designed for birth and don't require intervention! The facilities are really nice and they have a great courtyard and cafe for visitors to use. Daniel and I are going to work on a formal birth plan to discuss with my doctor at our next appointment. This plan will cover specifics about interventions (pitocin, pain relief, episiotomies---all things I don't want), when to cut the cord, and what will happen immediately after birth. A friend who will also be delivering in Tupelo went to childbirth class at Oxford hospital last night and did not get the same responses as above. They require Iv, the require constant monitoring, etc. I feel very relieved to know I chose the right place for us to deliver! As for my appointment, everything looked great. Next month I will have to take the 1 hour GTT again, and fingers crossed, I will pass it!

We are still deciding on names, bedding, etc. I'll keep you posted if we ever make any final decisions!

Below are some photos from my friend, Jenny's baby shower this week.

Can't believe I'm posting these

I don't know why I can't take some belly shots when I'm dressed up with makeup on. Oh well. Since you are all my friends, I'm sure you've seen me looking worse!





So, as you can see, the belly is large and in charge! I'm feeling really great though! I do have acid reflux pretty bad and some possible sciatic nerve stuff going on, but can't really complain about that! My poor friend Jenny who is 7 weeks ahead of me is still having morning sickness, so I feel blessed to feel as good as i do! Our baby boy still has no name, so Daniel has taken to calling him Xerxes. Daniel assures me this is only his 'in utero' name, but someone please make sure he doesn't put that on the birth certificate! We have been narrowing down our name list, so one of these days maybe we will decide! I think I've found the bedding I want to order, so I'm super excited about that! People have made lots of comments about Xerxes being a soccer player like his dad after the sonogram pics of his leg and I'll have to agree with that! He moves and kicks like crazy! Daniel has been able to feel a few times, and it still startles me when he kicks hard. There is nothing like feeling him move inside me though! Strange and amazing! Such a miracle!

I do have to share a funny story that happened to me yesterday. When I arrived for yoga yesterday the instructor had not yet arrived, so everyone was sitting on the porch outside the building. I took a seat on a stool and immediately heard water begin to rush out and hit the ground. I jumped up before I got wet, but the faces of the girls next to me were priceless! Everyone thought my water had just broken! Figures the pregnant girl would sit on the water filled seat! One of the girls remarked that she had only ever seen water break on t.v. and was mentally preparing for what she should do next to help! Can't imagine what that scenario would have been like had I been surrounded by men!

Daniel is heading for a mini men's trip this weekend. He and Jonathan Parker are going camping and canoeing on the Sipsey Fork River. The weather is supposed to be pretty terrible this weekend, so I wish they would find something inside to do, but men will be men! I think I may make a quick trip to Memphis to visit Babys R Us, Target, and a maternity store. Let me know if you are interested in joining me! As exciting as this trip sounds, don't all break down my door fighting to go with me :).

Indian-Style Curry

I tried a new recipe that a co-worker recommended last night- Indian-Style Curry with potatoes, cauliflower, peas, and chickpeas. I give it an A! I'm going to add the recipe to the list on the right side of this blog. Only things I did different: I used 2 serrano chiles (one with seeds, one without) and it definitely had some heat! I also did not serve this with rice. We just had it in a bowl with a side of warmed pita. Very easy, hearty, healthy, and delicious recipe!



It's been so long since I've tried a new recipe! Hopefully this will inspire me to cook more often and get out of the rut we've been in!

It's a BOY!!!!

He is very active! Wiggled around through the entire ultrasound! He also kept trying to suck his thumb! So amazing! We are happy to have a boy, but mostly just thankful that everything looks good! Time to start picking out names and nursery stuff!

4th of July!

We had a great 4th of July at the cabin. We left Thursday afternoon and came back on Sunday. We enjoyed tons of good food and visiting with family!

Madeline posing as usual!


Avery taking a quick break from talking to smile for the camera! She talked our ears off this trip!


and she loves Bailey! She pulled on her tail and pet her all weekend! These girls need a dog (hint, hint Sherri).


She also loves her Fred Daddy!


Madeline decided Daniel needed a new look. Here she is 'dying his hair red'.



Madeline cuddling with Gigi (her great grandmother)


What the men did most of the time:



Some random shots before heading over for the 4th feast!


too many cameras going off at the same time! Fred Daddy, Madeline, Avery, and Bebe!


Look how big my belly is getting! (ignore the other parts of me that are getting bigger as well please!)


Still have a long way to go before I catch up to Daniel (he is poking his out here...just an fyi and to sooth his ego :))


5 of the reasons there is so much pressure on us to have a boy...


I'll have to add other pics as the rest of the family shares theirs!

On the baby front: we find out what we are having on THURSDAY!!! I'm so anxious to find out and have no clue what it is! As you can tell from the pics above, the belly has definitely popped in the last month! I'm feeling great other than a cold and a stomach bug I picked up over the weekend. Thank goodness Daniel was home Sunday night! Not sure I could have made it without him! I am feeling some movement, but faintly and only when i take the time to pay attention. I'll let you all know as soon as we find out on Thursday!