Belly Picture- 30w4d

Today was pretty laid back!! I'm back in Fayetteville to get ready for Thomas to get home!! So I have just been cleaning up and doing some left over laundry, trying to stay busy! Thomas called to tell me that their flights have been pushed back a few days, so that was a bummer for both of us... but he should still be home soon:)

I don't know if this picture is big enough, but my two stretch marks are in it lol!! They look kind of pink in this picture, but in real life they are more blue! Still nothing bad though!!

Random Pics

Today was a pretty slow afternoon for Hunter and myself before we had to be at church... so she painted my belly!! It turned out really well... a little itchy, but beautiful nonetheless!!

30 Weeks Pregnant!

Only 10 more weeks to my due date! Can you believe it!?!? The past few months have just flown by! But I am very excited!

Lily is thriving inside of me! I feel her thrashing around almost all day and most of the night while I'm awake! She even woke me up out of a dead sleep last week! I thought someone grabbed my stomach... it scared me to death!! She is pretty strong and even though it doesn't hurt to feel her move it is totally surreal! The first few weeks that I could feel her moving I felt so invaded but now I know I will miss her inside of me and won't be able to help but feel empty once she's out! I can't even imagine how amazing it will be next week when Thomas gets to feel her moving for the first time!! That's right... Thomas will be home next week:):) Told you these last few months flew by! He is so excited to be coming home and you know we are all ready to see him home again!

I'm still in Jacksonville helping my mom out at the church, doing crafts for Vacation Bible School! It has been a lot of fun and has really helped me stay occupied and not get too anxious about the homecoming! But I'll probebly be heading home Saturday depending on how I feel! I might just have to squeeze in another day at the beach:)

Well, this week has been pretty lazy except for the nights at church! Next week will be more exciting:) But hope you're still enjoying the Fun Facts about Lily's growth! She's so close to coming out! But let's all say some prayers that she stays in to term!!




Week Thirty-One:
The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though she doesn't get much longer, she will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy.
Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns her skin from red to the rosy pink she will have as a newborn.
Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and her bones are growing and hardening.
Your baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm)
Her brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!
She may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that she also prefers some types of music to others -- already!
Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on her own.

Belly Picture- 29w2d

29 Weeks Pregnant!

Sorry this is late... it's been a hectic week!
Things are going relatively well! I've had some increase in swelling and have been seeing spots just about every day... My mother in law got me a blood pressure cuff to borrow and it's a bit high, but nothing to be too concerned about yet! So I've just been laying on the couch with my feet up the past few days... but Vacation Bible School starts tonight so it's going to be a crazy last week in Jacksonville!

Anddd, we found the first stretch mark last night:( I figured it was a just a mark from my jeans but asked my mom anyways and sure enough it's a stretch mark!! It's ridiculously small and almost invisible, but I still cried lol! Somehow I thought I would make it through the Florida trip without any so that Thomas could enjoy my pretty belly... but o well!!

WEEK THIRTY
Did you know your baby is nearly three pounds now?
His head is getting larger to accommodate a period of rapid brain growth. Don't forget to continue to "teach" your baby in the womb by exposing to music, literature, and simply talking to him.
A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him. As he grows and fills your uterus, the amount of amniotic fluid will decrease. Funny, you certainly won't feel any lighter!
She spends more and more time practicing opening and closing eyelids. Her eyes can move from side to side, following a light source. She may even reach out to touch the light.
Early lanugo is beginning to disappear that served to protect your baby's skin from the water in the womb. Your little one's own hair may begin to appear.
Toenails are entering their final growth stage.
Bone marrow is now in charge of red blood cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes (carbon monoxide and other gases).
Your baby has the capability now to produce tears -- yes, within the womb.
By the end of this week, your baby is now 15.7 inches (39.9cm) long and weighs 2.91 pounds (1319gm).

Belly Picture- 28 Weeks

Jessica Bunke did my hair this week!! It took her 4 hours on the first day and 2 hours this morning! But I think she did a wonderful job and that she deserved a shout out for it!! I love it!! But this is me and baby Lily at 28 weeks! Sorry I didn't do one last week... I've been a little off lately! Enjoy:)

28 Weeks Pregnant!

SEVEN MONTHS!!! Amazing:)

This heat is kicking my tail a little bit! I was very excited to come to Jacksonville and spend a few weeks with my family and Friends at the beach and pool and fishing and at softball games... but it turns out all of that is wayyy too hot for me and baby Lily! Instead we are hanging out in the A.C.! It was hard for me, this past Saturday, when I had to stay home alone while my parents went to Hunter's softball tournament allll day in Kinston, NC. But I truly am miserable outside during the heat of the day unless I'm in a pool! And the heat and the tough part of the pregnancy have just begun! My mom thinks I'm starting to whine a lot! I try not to use it all up now, just because I know I have a long, hot three months ahead of me! But sometimes I just can't help but throw out a moan or sigh just to see the "Oh-you-just-wait" look she gives me!! Thomas will be home soon enough and my mom will get to tag out with him and he'll have to make up for the 6 months he missed of my gripping:):)

I had the second appointment with the Perinatologist yesterday! That was a fun day! I drove to Fayetteville, went to my appointment, went shopping for an outfit for my shower, then met my uncle to pick up my crib, dropped that off at home and then drove back to Jacksonville!! Needless to say, I crashed shortly after I walked in the house!

The appointment went pretty well, in the sense that they didn't give me terrible news! But they didn't clear anything up either! They even added a new scare to the mix:( It looks like the umbilical cord is connected at the placenta in the wrong spot. Instead of coming out of the center, like normal, Lily's is attached "peripherally"... meaning that it's off center! So there is a risk of low birth rate now! I kind of started crying a little and couldn't help but ask if Thomas and I were defective in some way! Since it took us so long to get pregnant and then once we got pregnant there have just been numerous uncommon things with the pregnancy! But he kind of laughed at me and assured me that we weren't defective and that it would be safe to have more children in the future! All in all, we're just putting it in God's hands! I think that's where Lily has been the whole time! I got to see an amazing picture of her heart in 3D... from every angle with the blood flow in it! And I got to see a 3D shot of her face! She is so beautiful! She looks so different from the 3D pics from April! She has big cheeks and her momma's lips! I couldn't help but be calmed as soon as I saw her gorgeous face! God is good! And our baby girl was made perfectly by His hands!

I don't know what else to write about! My baby shower in on Saturday! My mom is going to have a house full this weekend with friends of the family and my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins coming in for the big day!! But I'm very excited:) I don't do very well as the center of attention... so I apologize ahead of time to anyone that is coming if I seem overwhelmed and a little shy! I promise that I'm happy to see you and am having a good time!!




WEEK TWENTY-NINE:
Your baby's head is in proportion with body now. She appears more like a newborn each and every day!
Fat continues to accumulate under the skin -- only now preparing for entering the *real world*.
Your baby's brain can control primitive breathing and body temperatures.
Her eyes can move in their sockets. Soon she will be able to follow a blinking light.
Your baby is increasingly sensitive to changes in light, sound, taste, and smell! Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences (or disdain) for particular tastes or odors at this stage
She is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, she will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if she is performing somersaults for a circus act!
Her length is now approximately 15.2 inches (38.6cm) and weight is 2.54 pounds (1153gm)

27 Weeks Pregnant!

Good-bye second trimester!! Next week I will be 7 months and moving into the final round of this pregnancy!! How bizarre is that!?

I am in heaven here in Jacksonville! It really is so nice to be with family and friends! I spent a day with my sister-in-law at the pool and we went to lunch and I got to see one of my best friends from high school since she was in town visiting her boy friend and family! Plus I get to hang out with my parents and little sis every day and cook dinner for them! It really has been a good week so far and I have a few more to go!

I have been having some pretty serious charlie horses (cramps in my calves and feet) every morning when I wake up:( This morning I was having them in my sleep and they were the worst yet, so I called the advice nurse back at Womack and she advised that I start taking TUMS with meals and before bed for the extra calcium! She said that if I don't have any relief after a week to come in for some testing! So please pray that the TUMS work, because the last thing I need is another complication lol!

Speaking of complications... I go in for the second appointment with the Perinatologist on the 10th (Tuesday)! I'm going to end up being alone for this one because it's my little sister's last day of elementary school so my parents will be at award ceremonies and what not! But I'm pretty confident that the Doctor will just scan her and give her a clean bill of health!! But please (again) say a little prayer for us Tuesday afternoon:)

Thomas called this afternoon! He's at a new base on a special mission for the rest of the deployment! He is enjoying it... he works days now and has a little less pressure... he isn't carrying the weight for everyone else on this mission, so he's enjoying that! He should be home at the beginning of July and we are counting down the hours almost! It's so silly, we don't even have a definite date, but I am soooo ready for him to be here to go through the rest of pregnancy with me! Lily is so active... and she responds every time she hears his voice on the phone, which blows my mind, it's so precious! But we are definitely in the last leg of deployment #2 and I am so amazingly proud of him and of us as a couple! I love him more and more everyday!

Well now that I have rambled on and on!... I will leave you with some fun facts about Lily's development!!


WEEK TWENTY-EIGHT
*Eyebrows and eyelashes are now very noticeable!
*Hair on baby's head is growing longer. Some babies are born with almost none at all, while others appear to be ready for their first haircut!
*Eyes are completely formed now. Quite a view from inside!
*Your baby's body is getting plump and rounded. Most of that increase is muscle tissue and bone. Fat will be added during the third trimester.
*Muscle tone is improving. Preparation for the Olympics feels like it is taking place in your womb!
*Lungs are capable of breathing now (but baby would still struggle and require medical attention if born now)
*Talk to your baby often, reading stories, singing songs and more. She can recognize your voice now and will often calm to it later on!
*Your baby weighs in now at 2.2 pounds (1005gm) and is 14.8 inches (37.6cm).

Random Pics

So sorry that I didn't do an update blog for last week:( I was bad and you all have permission to be upset!! I WILL do one tomorrow for the 28th week!

I'm in Jacksonville for my "summer break" before Thomas gets home!! I came out of my room in my pajamas last night and my mom HAD to have pictures lol! So I figured I would post them on here!!

My stomach has been itching like crazy since it's getting ready to peel... (I'm convienced it means I'm about to get stretch marks, but my mom told me not to worry!) In the second picture you can see the scratch marks from me going at it between pictures lol!!

Belly Picture- 26w5d