Double Digits

We have made it to double digits! Only 98 days to go! I'm officially 26 weeks pregnant today and I look it :) I've had so many people lately make comments about just how big I have gotten-all very nice people who just happened to notice my now very visible bump. I feel wonderful! This pregnancy has been great from the very beginning and I am enjoying being pregnant. Yes, I have gained weight, but that's to be expected :) I am very conscious of my weight gain and I am on track with my weight gain. I've gained just enough-not too much, not too little. :)

Now to the best part. Here are the 26 week belly shots. I feel like my belly button is getting ready to pop out any day now, but so far there's just a hint of a belly button peeking through my shirts. I have a week and a half left of summer vacation and most of that time is going to be spent working in my classroom trying to get it ready for August 8th when I have to go back to school. Luckily, all I really have to do is organize all my materials and supplies. We moved all the heavy stuff the last week of school back in May and now looking back that was such a smart decision. I can not imagine having to move all that this week. That would be exhausting!




The nursery is kind of at a stand still right now. We're in the middle of home improvements in our kitchen and bathroom and those are taking priority right now. Hopefully, those will get finished quickly so Josh and I can move on to finishing the nursery.

One last thing before I go. I need to say a special thank you to the following people-Dara Shirley, Danielle Pepper, and Jennifer Smith. Thanks to them I have not had to buy hardly any maternity clothes. Dara gave me a lot of her clothes back in the spring and Jennifer gave me some at the beginning of the summer. Danielle came over yesterday and brought me two bags full of clothes, a bobby, and a Baby Bjorn carrier. I feel so incredibly blessed to have friends that are so generous. I have plenty of clothes to get me through the rest of my pregnancy and the weeks that follow. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

25 Week Belly Shots

Only 15 more weeks to go! Things have been pretty busy for me this week. I am enrolled in a technology workshop called INTECH. I have actually taken this workshop twice already, but this is the first time I've been able to take it in this parish. My college required all education majors to take this course and in my old parish, Rapides, teachers were encouraged to take this course so they could get a FREE laptop. Unfortunately, my current parish isn't offering a free laptop, but the pay is pretty good considering I sit in front of a computer all day learning to make calendars, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations-all things I already know how to do. My instructor has been great. She explains the assignment to us and then lets us go. I usually finish pretty quickly, so I've been able to work on a lot of things for my classroom in the fall. Today I was in heaven because I got to go to Laminating World. Josh is convinced I will laminate him one day that's how much I love to laminate things. He thought I was the biggest nerd in the world the day I brought home my own personal laminator, but it's SO cool! It's perfect for the occasional set of flashcards or pictures I have to laminate for school. Anyway, today I laminated about 45 feet of folder games, posters, and all other kinds of fun school stuff. What I love about laminating is that once it's laminated you pretty much have it for life, but cutting it out is another story. Whew! Now that's a job! Okay, now that I have furthered confirmed my standing as a world class nerd, let me move on.... :)

My summer is gone. There's nothing really other than that to say, I guess. It's back to the world of work for me for 3 months. Then I get a 3 month break for the best reason in the world-to welcome my sweet little boy. I can't wait. I wish there was a way to speed up the days between now and then, but there's not. I'm still enjoying every minute of my pregnancy. My most precious moments throughout the day are those few minutes every now and then when he moves and I get to feel him inside me. I wonder about him. What will he look like? Will he have a head full of hair or be a cute little baldy? No matter what I know how much I am going to love him. It's funny how you can love someone so much without ever meeting them. I love this little boy and pray for him daily. I pray that he grows into the man God wants him to be. I pray that he finds God early in his life and makes the choice to follow him. I pray that he will be strong and healthy. I pray that he will love life and realize the blessedness of every single day on this earth.

We were in church the other day singing songs during our worship time and I felt Eli move. It got me thinking about how thankful I am that my little boy is going to grow up and hear about God on a daily basis. Right now inside me he hears the songs we sing and the words we speak. He hears the prayers I pray every night and throughout the day. I am so thankful that he's going to have two parents that don't just go to church, but try to make God a part of their lives every day; parents who pray that their children follow God's will, but who are trying to follow God's will in their own lives. Looking back I am so thankful that I had my parents who made sure to not only talk about God but to live God every day of their life. I feel so blessed to have grown up inside the church and to know how amazing and marvelous the God I serve truly is. I hope that one day my son will feel the same way. God is so good! I realize that more now than ever before. Each day I live on this earth is such a gift. I am so thankful for all the many blessings God has poured out on my life-I know I don't deserve them, but I am grateful for them. I pray that I can be the mother and the wife that he wants me to be, the mother and the wife that I need to be, the wife and the mother that He's called me to be.

25 weeks

I had some time on my hands before Josh came home so I decided to have my own little photo shoot! I had never tried to take a picture using the self-timer, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm actually quite pleased with these pictures.

My Jumping Belly

Eli was having a very active night last night and I decided to try to capture some of his acrobatics on video. The first video is short, only about two minutes and you can see him move a little. I took a second video but it's too long for Blogger. It shows him moving a little bit more than this one. You can get the idea of how active Eli is though from this video-and he ALWAYS moves around the most at night! I better get my rest while I can :)

*Note: Obviously you see me breathing, but any other movement is him. He's going to play sports for sure!

24 Week Belly Shots

We've made it to another week. I love checking it off on my calendar each time I complete another week of my pregnancy; it's a mini-victory every time. I have absolutely no complaints. Everything is going so well. I thank God every day for that! Eli is still moving all around every day-some days more so than others. He is most active at night, something I hope will correct itself once he's here on the outside. Mommy and Daddy are going to need some sleep! :)




My summer has flown by and I have mixed feelings about returning to school in three weeks. On one hand, I can't wait to see my new students and my teacher friends, buy new teacher supplies (such a geeky thing to say, but I LOVE school supplies!), and get back into my normal routine. Plus, I know that staying busy with school will make the months until Eli's arrival pass by much quicker. On the other hand though, I have really enjoyed waking up around 7, not having to scarf down breakfast, and taking my time getting ready for the day. I've managed to stay pretty busy this summer with church activities, tutoring, and workshops for school, but I honestly don't think I could do this (staying at home) full time. I think I would have to have something to do! Once the dishes are clean, clothes are washed, dried, and ironed, and every room in the house is spotless, what do you do then? I plan on taking three months off from teaching once Eli arrives and then return to finish out the year. I know during that three month period I'll have PLENTY to do with my new little baby :)

So with only about three weeks left before I have to start school I plan on being very busy. This week our church is having SMACK, which stands for Summer Music Activity Camp for Kids. It's a WONDERFUL program. I hope that in six years they are still doing it, so little Eli can join the kids on stage to sing and perform. Hopefully, he'll have a better voice than his Mama too! I'm the official blogger/photographer/newsletter editor for this camp. It's actually a great job because most of it takes place around a computer, which means inside, which means air conditioning! The kids are having a blast and the workers are having just as much fun as the kids. I can't wait to see how the program turns out this Sunday!

Doctor's Visit and Other Random Thoughts

I went to the doctor yesterday to meet with Dr. Carey for my fifth doctor's appointment. It's hard to believe that I've already been there five times. We did the weight, blood pressure, temperature, etc. that you have to do every time you go there. Everything looked good. I was a little worried about the weight because my scale has been showing me some numbers I never thought I would ever see in this lifetime. Unfortunately, I saw one of those numbers on the doctor's scale yesterday, too. Oh well. Nothing I can really do about it now I guess. I've been walking on the treadmill and swimming laps this summer, so hopefully doing that has helped to counteract any bad pounds that I've gained. I know that once I start school again I will be up and moving around a lot more than I have done this summer. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned this because now people are going to start looking at me and my weight gain. PLEASE DON'T! I feel big, but I don't think I look big. All my weight gain has been very normal so far and I'm going to try to keep it that way!

I got to hear Eli's heartbeat again. What a miraculous sound! His little heart is beating so fast and I feel him all the time now. It's such an amazing experience. He even kicked a little for Dr. Carey yesterday and we heard it over the machine. It sounded like a loud, "THUD!"

Eli definitely has his own schedule already. I feel him mostly in the mornings and at night. I guess I'm up too much during the day to feel him then. Josh was able to feel him about a week ago, something I had been waiting for a long time. We were laying in bed one night and Eli started moving all around. In the past when I've tried to get Josh to feel him, I would say something and Eli would immediately stop all movement. I guess my voice startled him or something? This time I was prepared, I quietly whispered to Josh,"Give me your hand." I placed his hand on my belly and Eli did some massive kicks. Josh was thoroughly freaked out! LOL! He's so funny. He kept asking if it was me doing all that. I started laughing and of course this made it harder for him to feel Eli. He got to feel several big movements and I was so happy. Josh kept making that comment that Eli was going to be an athlete since his kicks were so strong. I surely hope so! Josh was an avid athlete growing up and I don't know what we would do if we didn't have a kid that played at least one sport.

Back to the appointment, Dr. Carey finished up the exam and told me that my next visit in August would be my last 4 week appointment. WOW! I can't believe that I'm already starting my 2 week doctor visits. It has passed so quickly! The next time I go to the doctor I have to do the glucose tolerance test. Pray that I pass the first time! I don't want to wait around for another 3 hours and have to go through it all again.

One last note, if you notice on the counter we're getting closer and closer to the 100 days left mark. I'm really going to start counting down this pregnancy then. It's been so much fun, but as my due date gets closer and closer I keep thinking about what Eli looks like. Is he going to have blue eyes like mine or like Josh's? Whose nose will he have? Lips? Hands? Feet? I'm ready to see our baby. I'm ready to kiss him and love on him and talk to him face to face. Just for kicks and giggles I've put up some pictures of Josh as a little boy and me as a little girl. Who do you think Eli is going to favor?

Eli's Closet

Since we found out Eli was a boy my mother has been keeping EBAY in business. When they came down this weekend, she brought all the clothes she has purchased for Eli with her. I was overwhelmed! I can now say my child is not going to want for clothes. Here are some of the clothes he's received so far from me, Mom, Sue, and Tammy. I am so thankful for all these wonderful clothes!

Choosing a Paint Color

Choosing the wall color for Eli's room was one of the tougher decisions for me. I wanted something that was bright and cheerful but something that also went with his bedding. Wednesday night at church Mr. Marty, Mrs. Debra, Mr. Art, Dan, Sue, and Mrs. Dee were all more than willing to help me choose a color. Mr. Marty even decided to model Eli's blanket!




(Note: We finally did decide on a color, but actually went a little lighter than what my wonderful helpers chose. Our rooms are tiny and I was scared the first color we picked was going to be too dark. I haven't posted any pictures of his room since it's been painted because I want to wait until everything is set up so you can see it complete.)

Prego Buddies

Sunday our church had their annual Fourth of July picnic. Josh, Diane, and I found some fun ways to entertain ourselves! I barely look pregnant in these pictures compared to Josh's basketball tummy :)

23 Week Belly Shots

Summer is flying by and so is my pregnancy. I can't believe that I'm now over the halfway mark. Before you know it, little Eli is going to be here :) I go to the doctor this Thursday for my next appointment. I'm curious to see how much weight I've gained, not that I can do anything about it now. Josh is amazed every day at my belly. He's having to get used to it just as much as I am! He's never seen me so big. I keep trying to prepare him for what's going to happen, but he doesn't seem to believe I'm going to get as big as some pictures show. We'll just have to wait and see!

(I love on this one how you can start to see my belly button poking out!)

You Might Be a Redneck If....

Josh and I didn't have a fancy professional grout mixer, so we had to improvise. I think Jeff Foxworthy could have made several jokes about us mixing up grout with a hand mixer!

The Kitchen Makeover is Complete (For Now)

Here are the finished pictures of the first two phases-countertop and backsplash-of our kitchen makeover. Josh and I finished grouting the backsplash tonight. We are so pleased with how it turned out. We still have to seal it, but we'll do that sometime next week. Thanks, Dad and Mom for all your help!

Nursery Paintings

Since I knew Mom was coming in this weekend, I made sure to have a project for us while the boys were working on the kitchen. I went to Wal-Mart and bought canvases and painting supplies so we could work on painting pictures for Eli's room. Friday morning we both woke up and after some breakfast got started. I LOVE how they turned out! We painted them to match the bedding that is going to go in the nursery. Here's a picture to remind you what it looks like.

No, the paintings are not perfect, but I think they look really cute. They were painted with lots of love. I can't wait to see them hanging on the walls in his nursery.

Best Buddies

Like father like son (in-law)...Dad and Mom came in this weekend to help Josh and me with the kitchen. Dad woke up that morning and put on a yellow shirt with camouflage pants. Josh saw what Dad was wearing and the next thing you know...they looked like twins! Mom and I were rolling! Josh and Dad worked all morning on laying the travertine but they didn't get finished. They plan on finishing today before Mom and Dad have to leave. I can't wait to see it completely finished!