Caroling for mommies

Our neighborhood, while it has a few families with children, is mostly filled with singles or families without children. Still, a few of our neighbors who live fairly close to us have some children, and ever since we moved in, the children from these families have always come here. I'm not sure if we've somehow gained a reputation as the people who always take time to talk to the kids, but they always come here and they always want to talk to us. They particularly love Nacho and Rocky. Last week, for example, three little boys came over and asked if they could rake and blow off our driveway and front yard. That was a lot of work, and those three busted their butts for probably 2 and a half hours...so I paid them $20 between the three of them and they were totally loving it. There are also a few little girls that live about a block from us, and they've come over several times since we've been here for one reason or another. Well last week I was sitting here relaxing in the living room and I hear this tiny little knock at the front door. When I answered it, it was the two little girls from the next block and one little boy that I've never seen before. They were so cute, and they just said: "Can we sing you a song?". I said of course, and then out popped this Mother's Day card...it was the kind that sings a song when you open it. Apparently, the three of them had memorized the words to the song from the card--which I wasn't familiar with--and they came to sing the song to me. It was really one of the cutest thing I've ever seen. They were singing so loudly and like really from the bottom of their hearts, and the whole time they had this Mother's Day card opened so it could sing with them, all of them holding the card together. I cannot tell you how precious and touching it was. When they finished the song I told them thank you and then asked them where they learned the song. They told me that they had memorized it from the card, and they just wanted to sing it to me. Adorable! I gave them this bag of Hershey's Kisses that I bought about a week ago but hadn't opened yet. They were SOO excited. They said "Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!" and went running off. It's such a small story, but it was so cute that I just had to post about it. I can't wait to introduce them, and all the rest of you, to little H!! :)

Christmas at the Heymans

This year Christmas was particularly exciting for us because it is officially the last year that we'll be just H and I...next year we'll have little H with us and our Christmases from now on, or at least for the next 15 years or so, will never quite be the same. How exciting!! Admittedly, it took us FOREVER to put up our tree (it was propped against our wall for over a week without any decorations on it), but we finally got it together and it looked beautiful, check it out:We even went and bought little Henry his first Christmas present; it was a rattle and a special ornament for our Christmas tree: It's hard to read the writing, but it says "To Baby H, From Mommy and Daddy". And just a quick explanation on the ornament: H and I have this special tradition that we've started, and every year at Christmas we go out and look for ornaments. We each get to pick our own ornament to hang on the tree, so in the future, we'll have a tree full of unique ornaments all with sentimental value. Here's the ornament we picked out for little H this year...next year he'll get to pick his own!! You can't read the ornament too good either, but it says "Tis a gift to nourish"...and it is. I love nourishing this sweet little H in my belly! We also bought Nacho and Rocky each a bag of doggie treats, which they fought over while they were still wrapped, even though they had no clue what they were. We have some funny footage of that, but I'm not sure yet if it'll make it up on the blog. It was early in the morning, after all. H bought me a great quilting set, so I can get started on little H's quilt that I'm making him, and I bought H dinner and a movie. I know, it's not the best gift, but dang, it was hard buying for H!! Overall, it was such a great Christmas, and being here with H was the best part. We are so blessed to have such a happy life, and to have had such a lovely Christmas, and I can't even wait to see what this next year has in store for us. Thanks to all of you for your love, prayers, and support, and I hope that your Christmas was as love-filled and relaxing as ours. Merry Christmas!!

Oh, and P.S. : here's a picture to commemorate my 32 week mark...that's right: 32 WEEKS!! Agh..we're getting so close! And yes, I can't even imagine what I'm going to look like in 8 more weeks...eek!!

Merry Christmas, from the Emoticarolers!

Until I can find the time and energy to post some real Christmas cheer, here's a little carol I've written in anticipation of little H's arrival. Hope you enjoy!!

We're making a move!

Even though I've blogged about my entire pregnancy (and then some) on this blog, I think that this new phase in our life is deserving of a new blog site, so I've created a new one which you can view at http://Mandthe2Henrys.blogspot.com. I'm putting it up now so that all you readers out there (whoever you might be) can get used to the idea, but I really won't start blogging there until little H finally makes his entrance. Until then, you can keep up with what's happening in our family here, but please check it out, bookmark it, do whatever you have to do so that you're ready for the transition. And believe me, that's a blog you'll want to follow, since it'll include all the great little H first-time moments and much more. I CAN'T WAIT!! :)

My Grandpa, the artist

For those of you who don't know, my grandfather builds houses. Not only that, but he is a very talented, yet humble, artist. As a gift for little H, he wittled this amazing wooden sculpture for us to hang in the nursery. It's also something that little H can keep for the rest of his life, and it's beautiful. My grandfather has always loved birds, and for the majority of my life, he's always had numerous birds that he raised himself, yes, all the way from the egg. It's incredible. He's always built large cages for them, and always had multiple birds at a time. And all kinds: pheasants, cockatiels, canaries, you name it. Because of this, birds have been a constant theme in his art work, paintings or carvings. And by carvings, I mean more like sculptures, not etchings. Here's a sample of his painted work that I was lucky enough to snag for my house...it's been with my family for as long as I can remember. It's a painting of pheasants:That was just getting you warmed up. For little H, he wittled us a series of birds, one for the daddy (H) and one for the mommy (Me), and thanks to the brilliant suggestion of my grandmother, an egg to represent little H. The birds he wittled are painted buntings (or pops, if you're a Cajun), and they are gorgeous. Here's a look at the entire thing in the nursery:It's kind of hard to see in that picture, so here are some close-ups of the whole carving:
Here's the daddy bird, watching over mommy and baby: And the mommy bird, caring for her lovely little egg:My favorite part about the whole thing is that tilt on the mommy bird's head. It's so loving and caring, and for some reason, it makes the bird seem so real to me. My grandpa also painted this great family tree on the back side of the wood--which was a piece of driftwood that washed up after the last hurricane in Louisiana--so that little H can know where he comes from (I probably should have taken a picture of that too, darnit!). Having that carving in the nursery, and to pass on to little H, is such a blessing, and it will always be there to keep him connected to his wonderful family. I think, actually, that after seeing it in the nursery, we might go ahead and get him a few real birds for his room. Then, if we're lucky, he really might take after his great-Grandpa, not only in the artistic sense. :) What a talented family I have! Little Henry will be one lucky, and super-loved, little boy!

Little Henry: mover and shaker

A few months ago I got obsessed with these Youtube videos of babies moving in their mommy's tummies, and I was so freaked out. I actually thought to myself: "that cannot possibly happen to every woman!". Well, maybe it doesn't, but it has to me. Little H is so active and so jumpy that during a large part of the day, you can actually see my stomach rippling and moving wherever he is. It's (admittedly) sort of creepy, but literally one of the most incredible things I've seen in my entire life. I could watch him for hours when he really gets going. Since all this has started, I've wanted to get it on video to show everyone, but little H has a bad case of stage fright and refuses to perform whenever the video camera is on (don't ask me how he knows..and if you need proof, check out how he covers his special parts with his hands in his ultrasound video). Anyway, I finally got some footage of it, and I'll probably be putting more up sometime soon, because his movements have recently gotten much more intense than this video. Bear with me, there's not much sound (except Rocky's clicking feet) and my stomach is blurry because I was holding the camera and my perspective is a bit skewed, but you can DEFINITELY see him moving and kicking, and it's totally cool. Soon, I'll get big H to film it for me so you can get the real effect. Enjoy!

God bless the working girl!

Today is a great day because I finally finished work. I graded all of my exams and turned in my grades this afternoon, and I'm telling you, I couldn't be happier! I've wanted so much to focus just on "nesting" for the last few weeks, and having to be at work and worry about other responsibilities has really made that difficult for me. Now, though, I am free to nest to my heart's content, and focus all of my time and energy on making this a fresh, clean, and happy home for when little H makes his arrival. Not to mention that working at school is tiring! I really hope God blesses all of the pregnant women out there who have to work throughout their entire pregnancies, like right up until the due date. It's hard! I've been so tired lately, and the worst part is that I've developed this condition called Osteitis Pubis, which is basically a VERY painful inflammation of the pubic bone due to the stretching of the cartilage in preparation for birth. I'm telling you, it's difficult. It makes walking--among other mundane tasks like putting on my pants, getting out of bed, squatting to go to the bathroom, etc--very painful, and the pain is constant. Although I don't have a clue about what the "scale of 1 to 10" means, H has assured me that the pain he's observed me having is about a 6 or a 7, which is exactly how I described it to my doctor. I had my 8 month visit with him today (my last monthly visit!!), and all was well. Especially great was my weight gain, which was only 2 pounds since the last visit....I'm very happy about that. He prescribed me some Percoset for the pain, and told me that although the pain is brutal and unfortunate, the condition won't go away until little H is born. That means 2 more months of this pain...so, needless to say, I'm beyond thrilled to not have to be walking around campus and standing for hours at a time. I don't know if I could do it, actually. Be that as it may, there's only one more thing left to be said: God bless the working girl!!

Shower the people you love with love...

Not only did we get to Savannah to see H's family this past week, but since we were there for a few days, we were able to make a quick one-day trip to Augusta to see my family. Believe it or not, H has not been to Augusta in almost two years!! We were so happy to get to see everyone and even more, that he was able to be with me. I'm so used to visiting alone, it was awesome. We were also very blessed because we had two lovely showers, one thrown by my mom with her family and the other one thrown by my dad's wife Lillie. Both of the showers were so incredible, and we felt so loved and cared for. We also got some really nice things, some that we really needed, and some that were just sentimental but equally important. My brother Tim and his girlfriend Rachel bought us all of our bedding, which, as you can see in the pictures below, looks totally adorable in the nursery.
The bedding print is a safari print, and has all sorts of cute animals on it. The colors look perfect in the nursery, too! You can see that we also got lots of other great and useful things like a wipe warmer and a changing table pad, as well as TONS of clothes, blankets, cloths, and towels. Basically, we left Gainesville with pretty much nothing we needed and came home with almost all of it! My brother Matt also made us tons of adorable things, all monogrammed with little H's name...I can't tell you how cute they are. The bag hanging on the side of the changing table is one of the things, and here's a close-up of the embroidery:

How adorable!! My other brother Jarett (who is an amazing craftsmen/artist/luthier) is also making us a "mommy's rocker", all out of very high-quality cherry wood, but it won't be finished until Christmas...and believe me, when it gets here, you all will be the first to see it. It's going to be gorgeous! My mom and Fred also made us a nifty little toy box shaped like a wagon for little H, and my grandfather carved us some painted buntings (or pops, if you're Cajun) for little H's wall. That sculpture will be getting it's own post, don't worry! We also got lots of other lovely things from my grandmother and my cousins, as well as from tons of people from Lillie's shower. It was so amazing and overwhelming to see that so many people care about us, and about little H, more than anything. We're so excited to welcome him into the world soon, and we can't wait to share these moments with all of you. And needless to say, I have oodles of thank you cards to write....because we are SOO thankful. How blessed we are! :)

It's Paula Deen y'all!!

This last week H had a long-needed vacation and we were thankfully able to get home and see our family. It's so hard living so far away, and being pregnant and getting ready for little H makes it just that much harder. We have no one here to share all of this with (except through this blog), so it was great to get to see everyone and spread the love around. Yes, we got lots of belly rubs. :) In any case, H and I and his mom took a trip to downtown Savannah in search of Christmas ornaments, and decided to venture out and see if we could get into Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady and Sons. Of course, H and his mom had been there before she was famous, but since she's hit it big, lines literally wrap around a few city blocks to get in...and there's no waiting list. We were totally lucky though, and we actually got in with NO WAITING and got to enjoy her delicious food. And believe me, it was delicious! Sure, it was so salty that I was swollen for the rest of the day, even to the point of pitting, but it was all worth it. I ate my back out and then got a nice little picture with the Lady herself:

Yeah sure, it is a cardboard cutout (which may explain why she looks skinnier than me), but I had to do it nonetheless...as cheesy as it was. It was so yummy, and so fun, and if you ever get to go, TRY THE FRIED CHICKEN. EEEYUM!!

Birthday blog, edition 08

Today I feel happy:
Every year I try and write something on my birthday, sort of reflecting on what I've been through in the previous year, and looking ahead to what I have coming in the next year. I also always read my writing from the previous year, just to try and put into perspective how things have changed, and how I might have changed, over the course of the year. It's interesting this year because this will be the second time that my writing appears on this blog. When I read back over my Birthday blog from last year, the one thing that strikes me is how similar it is to this year, and how different it is all at the same time. Last year I was dealing with my first miscarriage and trying to process that loss, and this year I'm getting prepared to be a Mommy for real. It's practically inconceivable. This last year may have been the most dramatic in my life, and may be the one that has brought about the most serious changes, and it has turned into one that I will never forget. Not only that, but the next year has much promise for me as well. Looking ahead I can hardly believe that little H is really making his way into our lives, and that this lifelong desire that I've had to be a mom is finally coming to fruition. What a blessing! My typical birthday writings are usually infused with complaints about what's going on in my life, or littered with uncertain comments about what I can expect from the next year, but this year that's a bit different. This year I feel not only like I have crossed a never-before crossed threshold in my life, but also like I am standing at the cusp of a year that will be nothing like any other year I've experienced before. For once, I have no idea what to expect, and I'm loving it. The only thing I know is that it will be filled with love: love for both of my Henrys, love of being a mother, love for my family, and love for the beautiful future H and I have ahead of us with little H. We really are so blessed...I really am so blessed. This year I have no complaints. All I can do this year is thank God for the amazing gifts I have in my life, and do my best to prepare myself for what's to come. I want to be the best parent (and wife) that I can be, just like anything else in my life, and I want to do all that is necessary to provide a loving and happy environment for both of my Hs. Even though I normally summarize my musings, this year there's no need for a summary. This year there is only one thing to say:

I'm in love.

And here's some proof:

I guess in the end it's true what they say: love really does make the world go 'round. Boy oh boy, I can't wait to see what this next year brings!! Thanks again for your love, prayers, and support, and for helping us to bring this incredible life into the world, and raise him to be the best person he can be. I'm overwhelmed with it all, and I can't ever express how grateful I am.

Our artificial Thanksgiving #2

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving, which basically means that we ate our backs out. It was great! I totally outdid myself, I must admit, and chances are I'll sleep like a big baby tonight. I am SOO exhausted and my feet are killing me. And yeah, while I was busting butt in the kitchen, here's what H was busy doing:

I know, it's ridiculous right. Well, he did work nights for the last two weeks, so I'll let him off the hook ;). Our menu was really great, and it included the following things: Turkey, ham, collard greens, cornbread stuffing, green-bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, and gravy. And yes, I made all those things myself. Here's the photo to prove it:My original plan was to make a bunch of "mini" dishes that we could finish in one sitting, but I clearly had no luck with that. Of course, we celebrated in the traditional fashion and ate ourselves sick, which I'm sure I'll regret next time I go to the doctor's office, but oh well, that's what Thanksgiving is for. I also made two yummy desserts: blueberry pecan pie and pumpkin praline cheesecake (which I did succesfully turn into a "mini"). Here's the photo of those two, which we haven't even put a dent in yet:
Overall, it was a great day and I think little H is happy and fully in my belly...which, combined with me being so full, is making it rather hard to breathe. H also took a picture of me with all of the food that I cooked (ALONE), and it shows how really big little H is getting (and as a result, me). Even I can't believe that my stomach has actually grown to the size it has...and just think, I have 2.5 months left to go!!

All in all, it was a very good day, and we'll be eating leftovers for the next week...or two maybe! I love Thanksgiving so much, and today was the perfect day for us to take some time out and be thankful for all of the blessings we have, especially little H and his imminent arrival. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! :)

Some encouraging words

Yesterday I visited the gym again, which was awesome, and I had two very lovely encounters that I want to share. First of all, I have to say that my definition of what it means to go to the gym has changed dramatically since I've been pregnant. Before I got pregnant, going to the gym consisted of one hour of hardcore aerobics (step class, running, spinning, etc.) followed by 30 - 40 minutes of weight lifting and toning. That was great. Now, that's all changed. When I go the gym now I can only walk "briskly" (between 3 - 3.5 miles an hour), making sure my heart rate doesn't go above 140 bpm, and swim some laps. I am allowed to lift up to 25 pounds, but I don't feel comfortable doing that since it uses some auxiliary muscles that I'm afraid to strain. Either way, it's A LOT less intense than it used to be...and that's taken some getting used to. In any case, I was walking on the treadmill yesterday, at a steady 3 miles an hour, and there was this skinny little something running her tail off on the treadmill next to me. I was trying not to look at her, but I couldn't help it because she was running really fast IN JEAN SHORTS with her LONG HAIR HANGING DOWN. Yeah, it wasn't even pulled back...anyway, about 2/3 of the way through my workout, the woman started waving at me and tapping my shoulder. I took out my headphones and she said, "How long do you walk for?" I told her that I'm limited in what I can do, but I try to get in at least 30 minutes or 2 miles. She smiled and said, "That's so great! I know so many pregnant women and they don't do any exercise. Heck, I know people who aren't pregnant that won't walk 30 minutes a day! Good for you!" I was SOO happy. I know you all know about the issues I've been having with my weight lately, and it felt nice to have someone encourage me in my efforts to stay healthy. I finished that part of my workout feeling invigorated.
Then...as I was heading to the pool, I ran into one of the trainers from the gym (Brandon) who I've always talked to. After being out of the country for the summer, and after not going to the gym for so long, it's literally been months since I've seen him. Actually, the last time I saw him was probably around May. He works weird hours so I rarely run into him. Anyhow, I saw him yesterday and he came running over to me and said, "Wow! Look at you!". I felt a bit embarrased, I'll admit, because I could remember how thin I was the last time he saw me, so I launched into this sob story about why he hasn't seen me in so long and how I wish I could work out more. He just laughed and said, "Stop worrying! It doesn't matter, it's not about you, it's about the baby! And anyway, once he's born you'll get back in here and lose all the weight you want! I'm so happy for you!". It was SOO nice. I left the gym feeling so refreshed, not just physically from the workout, but emotionally from those nice comments. Brandon is right, it is about little H. Claudia made that comment on here last week after I posted about my weight issues, and she was right too. I guess in the end if it means that little H is growing and healthy, who cares, right?
That's the real point: it's not just about me anymore. I guess I'm just learning lesson #1 in motherhood.

Our artificial Thanksgiving

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! H and I didn't really get to celebrate today because he is currently working "mole" (AKA nights only), and he basically slept all day. I woke up around 8:30 to meet him when he came in from working last night, we ate breakfast together, and then he went to sleep. I watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which I totally love, and was especially happy this year because it included David Archuleta. Love him!! Anyway, our "real" Thanksgiving celebration will be on Saturday, for which I have a lovely and extensive menu planned, but today we had a sort of prelude celebration. We told each other what we're thankful for and then went for a buffet dinner at Shoney's. Yeah, not your traditional Thanksgiving, but at least we got some ham and stuffing (the turkey was TERRIBLE!). I also forced H to take a family picture so I could post one on here, which also pretty much counts for my weekly picture this week since, once again, we've forgotten to take one. I'm looking pretty big, but trying to be positive after my freak out last week, thanks in large part to many of your kind and thoughtful comments about how great I look. That was really nice! Here's the picture:Soon we'll get to take our yearly Christmas picture as well, and I'm really excited about that. Anyway, even though we didn't have a real Thanksgiving today, I did spend a good amount of time reflecting on the things I'm thankful for this year. First, I'm thankful for my amazing husband who makes so many sacrifices and works so hard to show me how much he loves me. I'm such a lucky girl! I'm also thankful for my amazing family (and family-in-law), who has given me SO MUCH love and support during this pregnancy and before (during the miscarriages), and who has always been there for H and I whenever we needed. Finally, I'm SOO thankful for this precious new life that we're adding to our family. Last year on Thanksgiving I had my first miscarriage, and I never thought I could see things the same way again. I thought I would be stuck under that dark cloud for the rest of my life, but God has given us such a gift in little H, and brought us, especially me, safely through all of that sadness. What an incredible blessing! Oh, and speaking of little H, I've been promising some of you that I would put up a picture of the crib, even though it's not in it's final position yet. It's pretty much just pushed into a corner because we haven't moved H's desk to the new office yet, but it's still very beautiful and you should all get to see it. I especially love the finish on it, it looks great with those Shamrock Shake walls! Check it out, from two different angles:

It's pretty much unmade for now--I mean, it doesn't even have a mattress--but I couldn't contain myself once the box was in the house. I had to put it together, and I'm glad I did because it looks amazing. And, it's HUGE, by the way. I think I could sleep in there. :)

I also took a picture of the bookcases that we have in the nursery, just because I love them and I think they are so pretty. They are shelves that I built with my granfather a few years back, and I'm so excited that they get to be passed on to little H. Also, my grandfather is graciously making us some surprise art for the nursery, so that will go well with the bookshelves, I'm sure. Just a few other things I love: the adorable stuffed animal collection and the "Buenas Noches, Luna" book on the top, my favorite so far. It's precious in Spanish.

I love you all so much, and can't wait to share the miracle of little H's birth with you. You've been such a strength and support for us, even from far, and the only thing that makes me sad this Thanksgiving is the fact that we can't be with you all in person. For everything else, I'm eternally grateful.

I hope you all have a blessed, blessed day. :)

Social graces actually do matter

I've been having a lot of issues lately about this weight I'm gaining, which according to who you speak with is a lot or just as it should be. I guess all I should care about is my doctor, who says I am perfectly fine and within a healthy weight range, but his opinion seems to be the least important. I feel like a whale lately. I think it has something to do with the actual numbers on the scale these days: at my visit with Dr. Duff a month ago, the scale was showing numbers that I had seen before, when I was at my heaviest before I lost some weight. BUT, at this last visit, there were numbers I had never seen before, and I think that's started to freak me out. I've been trying to be REALLY good about eating the right stuff since my last visit, making sure to always eat some fruit with my meals and to always go for vegetables and lean meats. I've done pretty good, except for those random awful cravings for anything and everything sugary (especially cinnamon rolls, YUM!!). Anyway, I was shopping in Publix the other day and this (rather heavy) woman came over to me and says "Well, someone looks just a little pregnant!" I laughed politely and said "yes, I'm getting close". And then she proceeds to say "well back a few years ago when I was pregnant, my mom made me a shirt that said 'I'm not fat, I'm just pregnant'." She laughed and walked away, but I was NOT laughing. In fact, I was at the point of tears, I couldn't understand if she was hinting that I looked fat or trying to empathize with me. H swears that she was just trying to empathize but didn't do it very well. He thinks she was trying to say "I remember being that pregnant, and I remember feeling fat, so don't worry". Well, whatever, but whether she was trying to empathize or being totally inappropriate, I think I learned an important lesson: SOCIAL GRACES DO MATTER!
And I guess if you don't have them, what the heck are you going to do? I don't know what to tell you but I do know that it's better to shut your trap then to potentially offend someone...that would ALWAYS be the wise thing to do. Hopefully chunky grocery store worker girl will learn that soon...and some of my friends, for that matter.

No diabetes for me!!

I meant to post this earlier, but time is going quicker than I can hardly imagine. I mean really, it's already Thanksgiving this week! In any case, I had my three hour blood glucose test on Thursday, and as awful as it was (and it really was awful!), it all came back negative, meaning that I have no Gestational Diabetes! That's such good news and really took a lot of stress out of my life...I was so worried about how to handle that. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers about that situation, and please keep them coming. As of today, we are officially only 12 weeks away from meeting little H!! I can't even hardly believe it, but my dreams have been filled to the brim with worries about it all: what will he look like? will I be a good mom to him? how hard will it be to take care of him? will he cry a lot? how will the doggies do with him? Yeah, a lot of stuff to think about. I'm not really "freaking out" yet, but the reality that he's coming is really starting to sink in now...and I CAN'T WAIT!! :)

Little H's Christmas wish list

Just a quick note: if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the sidebar to the right, you'll notice that I've put up a wish list for little H. It only includes books, but that is one thing that I really want him to have an abundance of. The books are really great ones, and can be shipped directly to our house if you purchase them from the wish list. I'm not saying you have to, but little H would be very happy, I'm sure, to get some good books for Christmas. Or if you don't want to buy anything now, you can check out the list for "future reference". How cool is that!?!

OH YES, that's the beginning of a nursery you see!

My mom and Fred were generous enough to give me and H $300 towards the crib and changing table for our little H. We had originally planned on getting the crib from Ikea, but when we got there, we were NOT impressed by the crib (yes, we drove the whole 1 1/2 hours and bought nothing). In fact, it seemed to me that it should be in an orphanage or something. It was very flimsy and didn't have any of the important features I wanted, like a drop-side. In any case, we drove all the way back to Gville and headed to the Target to see if they had anything we might be interested in, and they did! I was so ready to carry that crib and changing table home with us, but they didn't have it in stock that day, and so I copped this ridiculous attitude with the poor kid at the register and just about threw out in the middle of the Target. It was really ridiculous, and I think I sort of embarassed H. Well, I came home rather disappointed, even though we were happy to see that we could spend $100 less at Target and still get a better crib, and then have some dinero left over to get a dresser for little H. Today I had to run some errands at the Target, and so just out of curiosity I asked if they had gotten any in stock, and they did!! I brought the crib and changing table home today and was itching to put them up. H lovingly dragged the big box for the changing table upstairs but he didn't have the time or energy to do the same for the crib box (he's on nights right now). I finally got to put together the changing table, and it looks great! I can't wait to get the crib up. Here are some pictures so you can see how great it looks, and it goes especially well with that Shamrock Shake. I took it from a couple of angles so you can get a good idea. Oh, and that mobile over to the left of the photo will eventually hang over the changing table...a "distraction" if you will.

I am SOOO excited to finally see it all coming together, and I think it's going to look really good. I love making a comfortable and cheerful home for little H, and can't wait to get it all in place. Weeee!!

Mommy updates

I had my monthly visit with the doctor today and got some good news about the progression of the pregnancy as well as some not-so-good-news about the possiblity of having gestational diabetes. I had a blood-glucose test this morning and it came back abnormal, so I have to go in again on Thursday for a three-hour test that I am not looking forward to. Dr. Duff told me that it was possible that even though I had an abnormal result today, everything is okay, and that is what I am hoping for. As far as the other stuff, my uterus is measuring 28 centimeters, which is pretty much right on target since I am now about halfway through my 28th week. My blood pressure was normal as well, and little H's heartbeat was good and strong, as usual. I've decided not to talk about my weight because it's starting to freak me out a bit, but I will say that Dr. Duff assured me that it's normal and healthy, and that I'm not over where I should be. Either way, it's getting tougher to watch the numbers climb on the scale...oh well, nothing to do about it now. I know how slack we've been about putting up weekly pictures so H forced me to take one today. I'm not wearing the typical outfit because I was dressed for my day, but it's a picture anyway. I'm also including another picture that I snapped myself last week (at about 26 1/2 weeks), just for some perspective. Regardless, it's pretty obvious that I'm getting VERY large. I guess it doesn't matter if little H is happy and healthy, and I'm sure I'll forget it when he gets here. Here's the 26 1/2 week picture, with clothed belly:

And here's the "weekly" picture, which is now turning into more of a "monthly" picture instead (at 27 weeks and 2 days):

I've also finally found it in me to suck up all the nervousness and make it to the gym, and I went for a 1.5 mile brisk walk on the treadmill and swam a bunch of laps in the pool last week. It felt GREAT and I really do wish I had kept it up during the whole pregnancy. The water was especially nice and it relieved so much pressure on my lower back and feet. It was amazing, and I really think I'll keep it up. I feel sort of guilty for not continuing that exercise before, but I was so nervous about hurting something...oh well, Dr. Duff told me that it's never too late, and good thing he said that, because the exercise felt great. I can't wait until little H is here and I can really get back in there and do some HARD aerobics! Please keep us both in your thoughts and prayers, especially about this gestational diabetes thing...only a few short weeks to go!! :)

Shamrock shake

We FINALLY painted the nursery this weekend, which was a very exciting task that I had been waiting MONTHS (literally) to complete. Although we had decided on a very (what I perceived to be) neutral green and yellow pastel for little H's room, the colors came out much more vibrant than I had imagined they would be. In fact, H referred to the green color as "shamrock shake, you know, like they make at McDonald's". And, truth be told, it was pretty bright green, almost flourescent I would say...well, in the can at least. I think it was just shocking to me since every room in our house now is painted a neutral color, and these colors are so cool. But, then again, it is a baby's room, and he should have some color. We used some no-VOC paint and I think that is what affected the color quality, but now that I've seen it for a few days, especially in the sunlight, I really do like it. We painted two walls green and two yellow. It looks adorable, and I think little H will really love it. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy (as H is in the picture itself):

And here's what it looks like with that great bubble light turned on:

We're finally on our way to having a REAL nursery...all we need is the crib and some other baby furniture, which we will hopefully be getting in the next few weeks. YAY!!

Dad Tips

Even though I am now furnished with a wealth of pregnancy books (most of which I don't even like), my favorite is one that was provided to me for free by our insurance company, called "Your Pregnancy Week by Week". It's nice to read something new every week as opposed to poring over all of the ridiculous possiblities that come with pregnancy. The other books I have just go through lists and lists of all of the possible complications that come from pregnancy, and it ends up being totally not worth it to read them, since all they do is freak me out. In any case, one of my favorite things about the afore-mentioned book is that it has a "Dad Tip" every week, and even though H is honestly one of the best husbands that has ever lived when it comes to taking care of his pregnant wife (and pretty much anything else for that matter), I still force him to read the tips. I like him to be part of the book reading as much as he can, I guess. This week the tip had something to do with Dad taking over chores that might be difficult for Mom, like sweeping and mopping and cleaning the bathtub. Now, the truth must be told that my bathroom was in a shameful state. I'm embarassed to even admit it, but the bathroom has only been cleaned twice since I've been pregnant, and one of those times was done by H. I've been so terrified of bending over or of using cleaning products that I've seriously shyed away from any bathroom duties...and, again I have to admit, it's been a bit convenient for me. In any case, all of this blah-blah has a point: last night H lovingly cleaned my bathroom for me, just as the Dad Tip suggested, and he never said a word of complaint. That's how amazing he is. He did, however, harshly admonish me for the awful state of my bathroom, but I guess I just deserve that. What an amazing, incredible, and loving husband I have!! And boy, I can't wait to see him as Daddy!!

Remodeling, aka Demolding

This past week we've had the interesting experience of having to live with no kitchen, since we were in the process of getting it remodeled. Of course, when we bought the house we had really no intention of redoing the kitchen (which was never perfect, but good enough to not need a redo), but unfortunately due to some leaks, our base cabinets started to warp and it forced us to change them out. I was excited about the new kitchen, but also a little resentful that we would have to spend money that we didn't plan on spending when we bought the house....until we saw what was hiding from us. When the contractor (who was EXCELLENT, by the way) pulled out our cabinets, it turned out that the walls were literally COVERED in mold. I can't even believe that we've been living with that stuff in our house for the last year, and I can't tell you all how excited I am that it's gone before little H gets here. Here are some pictures, so you can see the actual damage, which was extensive. This is the corner of the wall, which was basically an empty space:

And here's the full wall:
As you can imagine, our house smelled VERY badly, and it suddenly dawned on me that the musty smell that I have not been able to clean out of the house since we bought it was not to be blamed on the dogs, but rather on this nasty mold. And the great thing is that now that smell is TOTALLY gone, it's made such a huge difference in the air quality. Oh, and not only was the sheetrock molded, but the insulation and the studs, which also all had to be ripped out, leaving us with block walls in our kitchen for one night, which led us to the next interesting discovery:Yes, you're seeing right, that's a beer can that has been MORTARED into the block wall. Hmm, wonder what the guys who built this place were doing on the job? Anyway, the good news is that it's all done and it looks AMAZING, even though the cabinets still need to be painted, handles and knobs still need to be put on, and we still need to run the hardwood floors into the kitchen. Really none of that matters for now, since that SMELL is finally gone. Here are some before and after pictures of our kitchen. Here are the before pictures:

And the afters:

SOOO much better, right?!? I guess it's just one of the many steps we're taking to make our house a safer and better place for little H...if only he knew. :)

Past the point of no return

Why "the point of no return", you say? Well, because I finally made it to the 24 week mark (last week, actually)!!! What that means is that little H is actually viable outside of the womb! Not only that, but I'm FINALLY into my last trimester!! Although he might struggle a bit with underdeveloped lungs and other organs, if something outrageous happened that caused me to go into premature labor, little H could be born and survive. How incredible is that?!? I've been feeling him move A LOT lately, and I can tell that he's getting bigger and bigger by the day. In fact, I love it when he moves because it reminds me that he's there and also, I feel, is helping me "bond" with him a bit. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like just feeling him move is giving me a window into his personality and is beginning the bonding process between us. I love it! He's very active, in fact, and even big H has felt him move on numerous occasions, which are becoming more and more frequent by the day. I can't tell all of you how grateful I am for your thoughts and prayers, and please keep them coming, just a few more months and we'll all have the amazing opportunity to give little H all the kisses we want!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Oh, and even though I've been pretty slack with the weekly pics (sorry!!), here's me at 24 weeks...QUITE different than 21, right?!? And the best news of all...STILL NO STRETCH MARKS!! :)

The return home

I've been really lazy lately (no other good excuse), so it's taken me a while to get this post up. In any case, I had the chance to visit my family in Augusta a few weeks ago, and I wanted to put up some pictures from that visit. It was such a good visit, and it made me so happy to get to "show off" my pregnant belly. I also got my hair cut, and it was WAY PAST TIME for that to happen, so I feel a bit more like myself again. I enjoyed seeing family, and even though I contracted some ridiculously painful upper respiratory infection and was confined to the house for two days straight, it was totally worth it to get to see my Dad and Lillie and all of my brothers, as well as some other good friends and family along the way (MKB, Krischan, Father John, Bethany and Conor, among others). I also got to have lunch with my Mom, which was extra special since she doesn't live in Augusta. Here are some pics I hope you enjoy. (Oh, and please keep in mind that I was suffering from some severe respiratory issues, so my face and nose, and everything else, appears swollen.)
This one is from the Japanese restaurant we visited for my dad's birthday...it's a Dad/daughter moment:And here's us all together, me, Dad, and the boys:

And lastly, here's me and Bethany, my step-niece, after our yummy breakfast at Waffle House...we were both apparently striking a pose :)

All in all, it was a really good time. In spite of my crazy nasal/chest issues, I got to make some homemade pizza with Beth and Conor, I got to take my dad and Jarett (my brother) to dinner for their birthdays, and I got to spend some good quality time with my family. Still, the title of this post is a bit ironic, because the truth is that I felt more like I was returning home when I was driving back here to Gville than I did upon the return to Augusta. We all know the saying "home is where the heart is", and I guess that since my heart is always with H, for me the saying should be more like "home is where H is"...and soon, that H can be squared. :)

My loving husband

This is a little snippet of a conversation that H had with one of his patients at work today. He came home and bragged about it, so I had to come on here and brag about it, too. He really is the best husband that has ever lived.

60 yr. old patient, recovering from liver transplant: "So, what's your primary job?" (meaning, in the hospital)
H, my loving husband: "Taking care of my wife."
Patient: "Well, you must really be in love."
H: "I really am."

I mean, seriously, does it get any better than that? :)

The wardrobe and the forgotten video

Little H is acquiring quite the wardrobe these days. In fact, I've been put on clothes-buying probation because I'm getting to a point where I can't stop myself....there are so many adorable outfits!! I've limited myself to about six or seven so far, and we've gotten a few as gifts, but they are all so incredibly precious, I just can't wait to see him in them. Oh, and they look so cute hanging in his closet:

This is the latest addition to the wardrobe, it's a cute little onesy with a hood on it, and it says "3 Little Monkeys". I LOVE IT!And here are the two gift outfits. The one on the right is from my grandparents, and it has a little wolf on it, and the one on the left is from my Dad and Lillie, and it has two little doggies on it, one little and one big, just like little H's sure-to-be-pals, Rocky and Nacho. How grown up will little H look in these outfits!!

The last thing I wanted to post was the video we took when we were having the ultrasound done a little over a month ago. I know, it's been a long time coming, but I kept forgetting that we had it, and so I never posted it. It isn't that long because the ultrasound tech wouldn't let us video the entire thing (legal reasons or something), and even though she said we could film the part when we found out the sex, we noticed it on our own before she got to that part, so we sort of missed the opportunity to film it...that's why the video is sort of dishonest. Either way, here it is, so you can share in our moment of happiness, even it was a bit after it first happened:

What's a girl to do?

Things have been getting a bit rough for me lately, especially in regards to certain "grooming" tasks that I've, ironically, always resented, but am now losing the ability to perform. Specifically: shaving my legs. That's right. I shaved last week for what might be the last time until I have little H in my arms. I'm looking pretty skanky now, and so I might give it a try today, but chances are it'll just frustrate me....but I'll do it anyway. Yes, one more last hoorah. The leg-shaving thing doesn't really bother me that much (I mean, the truth is that I have found myself wasting birthday wishes on "finding a way to never have to shave again") except that I'm wanting to swim, and although I doubt the hordes of old women and men who hang out in the pool area of the gym will be concerned with the hairly-legged pregnant woman in the next lane, it does make me feel a bit embarrassed. And to add to it all, I have officially had to lose the wedding rings. I didn't think that would bother me, but it's interesting: a few weeks ago H and I went to grab some take-out at one of our favorite breakfast places (they have AMAZING sweet potato waffles!) and I was in a pair of sweats and a tank top, looking pregnant as ever, with no wedding rings on (because they don't fit). H stepped out for a minute because the lobby was really packed, and just as he left, this old couple walked in and stood right next to me. I felt like they were staring at me, and I sort of leaned back a bit to check it out, and sure enough, this cranky old woman was staring right at me. I looked the other way and craned my ear to hear their conversation, only to hear her talking about how awful my shoulder tattoo was. I kind of chuckled, because it seemed pretty old-fashioned. Then, surprisingly, she said something to the effect of "and look at that, she's not even married". WHAT?!?! Do people actually look for rings?!?! Are people that petty and judgemental?!?! It really kind of shocked me, but I have to admit that as H walked in, I called out to him "hi loving husband!" and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, just to rub it in her face. He, of course, was still wearing his ring. I should also admit that I am now wearing a larger ring on my wedding-ring-finger, just in case any other cranky old bag dare make a comment. It's stupid, I know, but somehow it really upset me. So honestly, what's a girl to do? I already feel bloated as ever, I'm starting to waddle when I walk, I'm noticing the occasional toot slipping out in public, and now I have to walk around unshaven without my wedding rings? If it weren't for H telling me how beautiful I am all the time, I might be acquiring some serious self-esteem issues. And I thought pregnancy was supposed to make a woman feel beautiful.
Boy, did I get that wrong!

The amazing Dr. Duff and other fun updates

I had the first appointment with my new doctor today, Dr. Duff. I never thought I could like anyone better than Dr. Brazzel, but the truth is that Dr. Duff really impressed me, and I have to admit that I like him just as much, if not better. The nurses were DEFINITELY better than Dr. Brazzel's nurses, and it was nice to have everything available in one building (lab included) and to see a breakdown of our total baby bill with a big 0 on the top of it. Seriously, the breakdown (including the anesthesiologist, the room fees, the prenatal care and the vaginal delivery or C-Section) was somewhere around $20,000....and our copay is 0!!!! I have to say, as anxious as I was about switching doctors, I'm really happy we did it, and meeting Dr. Duff and seeing how great he was really helped. Here are some updates on me, the baby, and the pregnancy in general:

As far as the quad screen test goes, little H has a 1 in 5000 chance of having either Down Syndrome or any Neural defects, which is A LOT lower than the 1 in 800 chance that they give as a standard for women of my age. He had a good strong heartbeat of between 140 and 160 bpm, with a lot of variability, which is exactly what they look for. My uterus measured 24 centimeters from my pubic bone, which is two weeks ahead of where it should be, but perfectly normal. My total weight gain to this point is 17 pounds (eek!) which is apparently normal and healthy, and my blood pressure was right where it should have been, another very good thing. I also got a flu shot to prevent me from getting the flu and to help little H stay healthy in my tummy. Overall, it all looked great, and Dr. Duff was really super nice and amicable...in the end, I think I'm really glad we switched.

On a side note, we forgot (once again) to take my weekly picture at 22 weeks, so I'm putting up another non-tummy-exposed picture that H took about the middle of last week. It's from my 22nd week, just not right at the 22-week mark, so I guess it'll do:

My hair looks really flat because it was wet, and yes, it's all going to come off soon...I've got a haircut scheduled for next Tuesday and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming...little H can never get enough!! :)

A visit with family

This past weekend H and I took a little drive to Tampa to visit my grandparents who are there doing some housework (construction) for my aunt and cousin, who live there. It was such a great visit, and we got to not only spend some quality time with my family, but also eat some of my grandmother's world-famous gumbo. It was DELICIOUS....well, except for the gizzards (eek!). Here's a picture of us driving to Tampa, happy as larks to be getting the HELL out of Gainesville for the day:The gumbo was beyond delicious, as was the ice cream that we had later in the day, and we really had a great time. I got to talk about the baby a bunch, H and I got to argue publicly about our office/closet situation, we got to discuss funny names for grandparents, and we got to hear a load of great stories from my grandfather (Pa) about crazy roosters and ladders to the attic. It was great fun, and SO nice to finally get to spend some time with family during this pregnancy. It's ridiculous, really, that we only live two hours away from my aunt and my cousin, and yet we never see them (THEY SHOULD COME VISIT US MORE OFTEN!! :)). Anyway, here are some pictures of us with my grandparents (Pa and Grandmama)...make sure to check out my shirt too, it's the one Grandmama bought me before their visit:

That tummy's really starting to poke out, isn't it?!? Oh, and just a little final comment: it was a rough weekend for my grandparents this weekend since they're LSU fans and Florida KICKED THEIR TAILS!! CHOMP CHOMP! :) I just hope it isn't so long until we get to see them again!