8 1/2 months...34 weeks!

Well...let's see..the past couple of weeks have been REMARKABLY different! And not in a bad way...just wow...it is so hard to move around now..and it is so hard to do "normal" things like putting on my shoes! So my sweet hubby is doing those things for me. He is the greatest! I've also starting have lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. They don't hurt; they are just more annoying than anything. I did ask the doctor because sometimes I'll have 5 or 6 in one night. But he said I shouldn't call unless I have 4-6 in one hour. But he said that it is great to have them, that my body is just prepping itself for labor!  

Speaking of labor..I think I'm in denial that this baby is coming in just a few weeks! It still just seems so surreal (which seems to be my fav. word nowadays). The nursery is coming along slowly- but we are SO excited. In case you didn't know, one my my small group girls, who is in college now, decided to give Adam and I a great baby gift! Her mom is an interior decorator, and their gift to us was doing our nursery! So this weekend 4 of my small group girls and the one girl's mom came over and started on the project. They painted the walls, and a bookshelf that we already had. They also worked on fun art projects for the walls, and one of the other girl's mom made a curtain! The room is going to look so awesome! As soon as it is complete, I will put up pictures!

And we had our last shower last Thursday. Several precious women from church hosted it, and they did an awesome job. It was the most special event. At some point during the shower, 4 different women prayed over me and baby Jackson. That moment brought me to tears. 

One of my favorite moments was opening a gift from one of our dear friends. They put their baby gift in an Easter basket. No one else would have noticed why that was special...but it melted my heart, and let me tell you why. Last year, about this same time was when we lost our first baby. And that same friend dropped off an Easter basket for us filled with goodies and a card saying that God had a plan for our lives, and that they loved us. And now, a year later, they were able to put gifts for baby Jackson in an Easter basket for our shower. It was just a small reminder of how far God had brought Adam and I. I know a miscarriage isn't the worst thing that can happen to someone..but to us..God used it to absolutely transform our lives. And now every time I feel Jackson kick, I'm reminded of God's faithfulness. When you've been through a valley, the harvest is that much more fulfilling!! 


I took some more pics of course...and where at one time I thought the pictures made my belly look larger than it really was...now I think my belly is larger in person than in pictures! If you see me, you can decide:)

 Ok Ok...I know my arms look deformed in this next picture...but it was the best one of my belly front on! so...look past the alien arms...

A

And here are some pics from the shower..

And here is a picture of all of my beautiful hostesses!:) The nice picture didn't turn out:( It was SO dark..but I think someone else got a "formal" pic. This one makes me laugh anyway!

33ish weeks

We are counting down the days!! Just this week I'm starting to feel like a whale:) Getting comfortable is very difficult, and my hips are super achy. However, overall, I'm doing well, and Jackson is still moving so much. I can't tell if he is head down or not right now, but the Doctor said he could keep flipping for a couple more weeks. By my next appointment, he should be good and settled and head down..that is our prayer. 

I did have an appointment last week that went very well! The doctor said I have a very healthy normal pregnancy. They did do some more routine blood work, and unfortunately the nurse had to stick me twice to get to the vein in my arm. She said I was blessed with "little veins". I didn't see it as much of a blessing when she was fishing around in my arm for the right vein, or any vein for that matter. The doctor did say I was measuring right on target, and things were looking great!

Last week we also had the lady, who is graciously doing our nursery as a gift, come over to look at the space. I have to say, she is incredible at what she does!! We loved all of her ideas, and I absolutely cannot wait to see the finished product. They are working on it this weekend, so hopefully by next week I can have some pictures posted!!  

And yesterday, I was doubly blessed with a surprise from my fellow co-workers! When I called in for the weekly conference call, my boss (who is also my friend and lives in Dothan) asked me to open my front door. There she was standing with a wrapped gift for me from all of the women I work with!! (all of us who do what I do live all over the country) They had me on speaker phone as I squealed and opened the gift. It was awesome:) They all went in and got us the little lamb swing that we wanted!! It was a great moment, in spite of me still being in my bathrobe:)

This journey has just been so fun, and it keeps getting better. I cannot wait to meet Jackson. I really am so in love with this little boy already. I can't imagine what it will be like to finally see him, hold him, and kiss him!! Only a few weeks to go! Please keep praying for us, that both mommy and baby continue to stay healthy!  

 

Seriously...my belly feels HUGE!...32 weeks....

Ok, so maybe HUGE is an exaggeration;however, when I try to unload the dishwasher or bend down to do laundry, or when I look at the recent belly shots I've taken, I literally feel like I have a soccer ball sitting inside my body. And if you've ever tried to tie your shoe with a soccer ball in your lap...well...it's kind of difficult. AND the funny thing is..I have 8 weeks to go! haha! I probably don't even know what "huge" is yet:)

This past weekend I had two awesome showers! The first one was with my Abuela and all of her Spanish friends...things are always fun at her house! And the second was thrown by my sweet college friends. There were several points during the weekend where I felt myself getting choked up just thinking about the effort my friends and family put into doing the showers. I know Jackson is already so loved and he isn't even here yet!! That makes me emotional!

On Sunday afternoon, I spent a good couple of hours going through everything we had already received for Jackson. I took things out of bags, and organized each item into categories:) Like shower stuff, feeding stuff, clothes etc. I think I could have finished the task sooner, but I absolutely loved looking at each baby item imagining Jackson using or wearing it! During that time, I showed Adam everything we got, and it was so fun seeing which things he liked the most, and what he was excited about!! I think I've gone in the nursery at least 3 times a day this week just looking at his stuff and thinking about Jackson! And that's with the nursery not even complete. Once it is finished, I might just sleep in there! haha..j/k...but it will be tempting:)

Mommy and baby are doing very good. I have another appointment on Thursday, and then I go every two weeks! Jackson is continuing to grow...he gets hiccups at least twice a day now! Also, I think he has bruised a rib with his kicking:) Sometimes I wince when it hurts, and Adam starts talking to Jackson telling him that he needs to be careful and not hurt his mommy:) It's cute!

I've also been trying to guess which body parts are what..but no luck. I think his feet are at the top, because they keep kicking my ribs, and occasionally I think I feel his legs or little booty..but I could be wrong! I'm going to ask the doctor this week if he will point out to me which position our little man is in.

Also, this week will be my last week with CBS, the community bible study I attend and help teach. It was a bittersweet decision to leave early, but I know I need the extra time to rest and "nest" before out little guy arrives. Anyway, that's all for now. This is all going by very fast!! I can't wait until he gets here!!

Here are some belly pics and pics from the showers..I've uploaded a ton!

31 weeks....Jackson is already hyper!

Can I just say that I have the most amazing husband!? Really- first, he planned a little surprise valentine's getaway weekend for us at a condo on Logan Martin Lake. It was beautiful! And it snowed about 3 inches. We spent the weekend catching up on season 5 of Lost! I think we literally watched like 15 episodes or something..haha. But we had a blast. We also took some pics and a short video that I'll put at the end of this post.

Reason numero dos that my husband is amazing is because he sweetly agreed for us to sleep in the guest bed for the past two nights in hopes that that mattress would be kinder to my back!! Thankfully, I have slept much better these past two days...and he even said it was sort of fun to change things up and sleep in another room! I'm finding it hard to imagine what it will be like to sleep through the night again without an extra pillow or a couple of trips to the potty! Oh...I know God is SO preparing me to have this sweet baby!!

Also, goodness...our little man moves a lot. And sometimes it catches me off guard! He seems to find it fun to rest his little foot just under my ribs:) Adam thinks Jackson will be hyper just based on his movements now...Oh I really can't wait to meet him!! Let me tell you how excited Adam and I are!! And honestly, the Lord has given me such peace over the labor and delivery. Last Sunday, one line from the message has stayed with me, "Although my circumstances may look uncertain, God is never uncertain." Although I have NO idea how or when this little boy will enter the world, I have peace because God already knows. And Adam and I are trusting God to take care of all 3 of us.

Here are some belly pics and some pics from the weekend. Also I included one short, kinda dizzy video of the snow:)