Zoo Pictures!

Did I ever mention that we went to the zoo? Well, we did! Audra, Andrew, and Drew joined us (or better yet, we joined THEM) and went to the Memphis Zoo. It was so fun! I haven't been in for-ever! Needless to say, I was literally exhausted after the trip, but it was worth it! Because blogger takes so long to upload pictures, I'm not posting the ones of just the animals...you're only getting us...sorry. I know, way less interesting. ;)

Please, click on this picture and make it bigger. His face is PRICELESS.

Do you see the gorilla in the middle? :)

Thanks for letting us tag along! We had a blast! Love y'all!

33 Weeks!

So, it's officially LESS THAN 2 months until my baby is in my arms. I'm getting more and more excited every day. We finished our childbirth class yesterday. It was fairly informative! The best part? Judd had to watch a video of a birth. It was ha-larious. I nearly died laughing AT HIM. He squirmed and made faces and closed his eyes. It was great. Afterwards, he texted my doctor (family friend) and said, "You DO NOT have to worry about me standing behind you AT ALL. The cord is all yours to cut too." Ha!! He's so squeamish. ;) Can't wait to see him change the first STINKY diaper. Smells are even worse for him!

Caroline moves a lot, everyday. They say she'll start to move less when she runs out of room. Apparently she's still content with plenty of room because I still feel her move a lot. Actually, she probably moves more now than she ever has. My active little girl!

My shower dates are set and I'm getting pretty excited about them! There's one in Senatobia August 9th, and one the next weekend here at home. Judd and I will know what we'll still need after that and I can officially have everything checked off my list. Nesting has DEFINITELY kicked in. I cleaned out (meaning, huge garbage bags full of stuff) THREE closets on Saturday. Then, I cleaned out our entire bathroom. Went through every drawer and cabinet and threw so much stuff away. I'm normally a pack rat "just in case" but I had to purge it all! If we weren't using it, I need the space - so out the door it went! I have to say...it felt good. :) I think Judd liked it too. Now if only I could get this motivated with my laundry...

So - Caroline this week.
33 Weeks

• HUGE NEWS: Her respiratory system is almost completely mature!!
• Her pupils will constrict and dialate to light. That's cool!
• She weighs about 4 1/2 lbs! My little girl is getting big. I can definitely feel her extra poundage in my belly. Moving is getting increasingly difficult.
• She's about 17.5 inches long now!
• She pretty much just stares into the dark, grabbing onto whatever she can touch. She lives a pretty boring life right now.

Here's my pictures. Yes, I'm covering my terrible stretch marks on my back. I love you all, but I just cannot bear to post pictures of my stretch marks. *sigh*

Next week I get my last ultrasound! I'm interested in seeing how big she REALLY is...and not just going by average weights! :) Have a happy week!

32 Weeks w/ a picture!

Well, 32 weeks has brought...hmm..how shall I say it...? Pain. Not just general uncomfortableness, but actual, real pain. In the groin and pelvis. BUT - there is light at the end of the tunnel! I'm getting so close! Time is starting to slow down a little bit, though. This week really didn't fly by like the rest. *sigh* And it begins.

I will say, I *think* she *might* be head down. The only thing I'm basing this on is where I feel hiccups. Not very medically based, huh? Ha! I'm pretty sure her feet are in my ribs on the right side and her head is on the left side of my groin. So, I guess she's kind of lopsided? I guess I'll have to wait for my doctor to tell me how she's laying. Since my reasoning isn't very medical...

32 Weeks

• She is about 4lbs now! Yay!
• She's about 17 inches long...wow!!!
• She and I are both putting on a good bit of weight now..(fortunate for her - not so fortunate for me.)
• She's blinking, breathing, grabbing things, making faces, etc.
• Maturing her organs!
• Has hiccups at least twice a day! I love it!
• She now has toenails and fingernails.

That's all she's doing. Doesn't seem like much, huh? BUT - her organs maturing is very important.

I think the belly looks bigger than last week...

Newborn Photos...

So, quick question! (Yes, I know I didn't do my 32 weeks update, it's coming soon - just a tad late!)

How much would you be willing to pay for newborn portraits? Are they something that would be/are important to you? There's a WONDERFUL photographer in Tupelo, MS who is willing to drive to my house in Cleveland to take my newborn photos. (That's 158 miles!) There is a traveling fee when it's over 50 miles but it's not as much as I expected. So - how much would you be willing to spend TOTAL on newborn pictures?

The option of finding a photographer in our area is kind of slim - especially since I'm looking for a particular style. If you'd like to see her photos - click here.

Part of what I love about her photos, is she allows you to have the high resolution images on CD so you can print whichever sizes you want of whatever pictures you want for a flat fee. I would love to be able to give these to my family as I'm sure they would all love them! This way, they wouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg to get pictures of Caroline.

Anyway - Just comment and let me know what you think! I've got my estimate for how much this would cost with using her services and I want to see if others think it's reasonable. :) Thanks!

Mouth Ulcers

Anyone know of a good cure for mouth ulcers? We've tried pretty much everything. Poor Judd now has 14 ulcers in his mouth at one time. We're taking any and all suggestions!

Easy Schmeasy Picture Editing!

I'm sure you've all heard of Picnik Photo Editing. But for anyone who hasn't, I thought I'd share! We all love to make our pictures look a little more photographer-esque but not everyone is Photoshop savvy. I can barely do anything on Photoshop! But Picnik has some really great (beginner, obviously) features that are really easy and can spruce up your pictures! There's a "Premium" service that you can pay for ($25.00 for a year) but there are also some FREE features that do some cool things. Just thought I'd share for anyone interested! You can also make some cool collages and it's super easy!


I played with this picture of my Mom that I took with my camera at Drew's birthday party because she was in focus, and the background was already slightly blurry - plus she had on a really colorful shirt! :) Thanks, Mom for being my picture guinea pig!



Before


After



I know it's still looks kinda different, but I did it in about 20 seconds to put on here. I rounded the edges, did a black blur around the edges (vignette it what it was called, I think) and did something to the color to "boost" it. It's definitely not perfect, but it's just an example of some things you can do easily without Photoshop.

Enjoy!

Drew's 1st Birthday Party!

So last weekend we celebrated Drew's 1st Birthday in true cowboy style! Dad even put on his cowboy boots! :) It was such a fun day, and needless to say, Drew was spoiled rotten by his family - as usual!

Of course, I uploaded them backwards, so you're going to start seeing the pictures at the end of the day, and work your way back. Ha! Sorry! I really don't feel like rearranging all these pictures so use your imagination!



He really liked the cake after he got over being dirty!


Blowing out the candle - with a little help from his mommy.

That is one bewildered look! He couldn't figure out why an entire room was singing to him!

Time to open presents!!

While everyone else snapped pictures of Drew, I snapped pictures of everyone else. It really cracked me up the way it looked like Drew was a celebrity, and the family is the paparazzi.

True paparazzi style!

Arriving with his Grammy! She purposely wore the shirt that she was wearing the day Drew was born! I thought that was so thoughtful!

Daddy carrying a HUGE present!

These pictures were really trial and error. I got a 50mm lens for my camera and it doesn't have an autofocus - so it's taken a lot of practice for me. These are mostly just the decorations with a few others mixed in! Photography is defintiely just a hobby...ha!

Yum! Grilled sausage and cheese squares!

Deda helping with preparations!

Mom cutting up the sausages!

The sweet table decorations! Audra did such a good job!

His sweet cake! Leaning or not, it was delish!

I love these containers!

Bandana napkins!

Cowboy boot garland!

So festive!

I have a ton of pictures from the day, but would you believe I didn't get a single picture of myself with the birthday boy? :( Sorry!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Drew has been such a blessing to all of us in the last year! We love you, little man!

{{Keep scrolling for more posts!!}}

Aaron's 23rd Birthday!

We celebrated my cousin Aaron's 23rd birthday on July 4th! He had a great day and it was so great to see everyone!



Whoever got him the watch, GOOD JOB! He loved it. You win "best present!"


Drew loved the birthday decorations!



Aaron is smiling because I got him an awesome Elvis card. :) I win "best card!"

Blowing out the candle! Cake time!

My sweet little nephew!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON! WE LOVE YOU!

{Keep scrolling down for my 31week update}

31 Weeks (w/ pictures!)

Well another week has gone by! It amazes me how some weeks fly by while others seem to drag on forever! This past week FLEW by for sure. I think it's because I went home for Drew's birthday party. Being out of town always makes the time go by quickly! (Maybe I should go out of town more often...it's a thought! The beach would be lovely! Ha!)

First of all, I have to thank God for the RAIN! We needed it so, so, so, so badly and we got it! I woke up (to pee, obviously) at 3:30am on Tuesday morning and saw one lightening strike after another. When I got back in the bed I told Judd it was storming so he got up and looked out, too. At 5:30am his cellphone rang telling him he needed to head on out there because they needed to start cutting off wells! Yay! The BEST part for ME?? Judd called me at 11:30am and said, "What do you want for lunch?" in a very excited voice... He got off work at lunchtime and we got to spend the entire rest of the day together. It was such a blessing. I miss him so much this time of year, and I really needed that day together. It truly was a blessing!! We ate lunch together, then we went to the hospital and pre-registered. That wasn't so much FUN, but it did make me even more anxious for "the day" to arrive. Then my sweet husband went with me to Clark's. Clark's is a local store downtown where we registered when we got married. Now, I love Clark's, but to say they're a tad overpriced would be a massive understatement. A regular picture frame could run you $100. Well, I'd been waiting for almost 2 years with over $400 in credit with nothing to do with it. It started out as much more and I finished off my fine china, bought Mother's Day gifts, birthday gifts, etc. with it. Well, we decided that I could use the rest of it to get some new luggage as they have Vera Bradley. I spent a while picking out my new pattern and I'm really pleased with it! (Even though it looks black in the picture) It's chocolate brown, with pink, white, yellow, gold, red, and grey flowers and swirls. I LOVE it. Check out what I got!

The pattern. Vera Bradley - Puccini


I got the hangup organizer, the large duffel, round cosmetic travel bag, hangup garment bag, and (not pictured) the weekend bag! I'm so excited!!! I wouldn't say that we travel A LOT, but we do travel a good bit, and it was fun to buy something with that credit that's been sitting there for so long. It felt like I was spending someone else's money! Yay!

After we picked out my stuff at Clark's, we went to Punkin Patch to register! That was really fun, too! It's also a local store, so the clerk just followed me around with my notecard and wrote down things I liked. It basically went like this:

Me: "Any bibs, pacifier clips, bows, blankets are all good."
Me: "I like the Zutano clothes and the Patty's clothes..."
Me: "Any shoes size 12 month and up."

And she would write it down. Very easy!! It was so fun.

After that, Judd and I went home and took a nap. Judd hardly ever gets to take naps and he really wanted to take one, so I obliged. :) All in all, we had a really fun day together and I loved spending time with him. I definitely don't take our time together for granted!

Now, for the 31 Week update:

Me:

I'm feeling "okay" these days. Each day is different. The back pain is pretty constant now and I guess I've just succumbed to it. I look forward to the day she's born - because that night, whatever sleep I get will be on my SIDE! And I won't have that burning pain under my shoulder blades! It's going to be so wonderful. I can't wait. Ha! Some days I'm full of energy and can go all day - others I'm tired from the moment I wake up until I go back to bed at night. I've had some pelvic pain in the last couple of weeks and I'm sad to say my doctor says it will only get worse and the only help is put my feet up for a while. Problem is, in the last few days - just sitting can cause it to hurt. :( Howcome no one ever told us how very PAINFUL pregnancy is?! I strongly consider adding that point to all high school sex ed classes. I'll come guest speak. lol. All in all though, I feel like I've been blessed with a rather "normal" pregnancy without any major (or minor for that matter) complications. The things that I'm going through are nothing new! Women have been putting up with this stuff for YEARS so I can't whine too much.

Caroline:

Well she's busy as usual! Let's see...

• From this week on, she'll gain 1/2 lb a week! Oh my stars!
• She'll probably start getting squished this week, so her arms and legs will stay closer to her body instead of jabbing me...except in the ribs. I still feel that a lot. lol.
• She can now process information from all 5 senses. That's really cool!
• By now, her lungs are the only system not mature. Everything else can still continue to mature a little - but the lungs just aren't ready enough to be called "mature" at all.
• She weighs about 3 1/2 lbs and is almost 17 inches long!

Um, in the next 9 weeks - she's going to DOUBLE her weight. Is it okay that that scares me? Just a tad? Because it does.

Anyway, this post has been way longer than I intended (I've gotten long winded lately, haven't I?) so I'll show you my picture for this week.

I am including a picture from when I was 15 weeks wearing the shirt I wore today. The difference is incredible! It's almost time to retire this shirt because it barely covers the band on my maternity pants!


15 Weeks picture!


31 Weeks picture in the same shirt!



31 Week belly. No stretch marks yet!

Thanks for reading all of that! I'll try to update again soon! :)

30w4d Picture

I look tired...oh well. Here I am!