Notes from the Under-Belly: Week 27

Ashley and Me at her pinning ceremony - 26 and 24 wks

How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 16 lbs as of last Tuesday. 

Maternity clothes? : Mostly...I had the opportunity to stock up on some great deals at Burlington and Target and as much as I hate maternity pants (droopy crotch, anyone?) I LOVE my Secret Fit Belly jeans from Motherhood Maternity. They truly are a must-have for every expectant mother. ;)

Stretch marks? Not any new ones...

Sleep: Is harder and harder to come by. I usually wake up around 3:15 every morning needing to pee. Then I have a hard time going back to sleep thanks to my daughter's midnight dance party. 

Best moment this week: Oreos and a tall glass of milk. And I'm not even kidding -- highlight of my  week! 

Movement: This girl is nothing like her brother was! He was all over the place and would interact with Drew all the time. She has no time for that. She usually just shifts around or will give a few jabs here and there. But when I lay down to sleep or after eating she gets a little wild. She definitely has hiccups more than Cash did -- at least once a day. 

Food cravings: fruit, deviled eggs, and oreos. 

Gender: hopefully she's still a girl ;) 

Labor Signs: No serious signs, but I think I've started having some Braxton Hicks contractions every once in awhile. Nothing to be alarmed about though.
Belly Button in or out? still in, but pretty shallow! 

What I miss: bending over with ease, sleeping closer to Drew (there's usually a body pillow between now). 

What I am looking forward to: getting the nursery ready, putting all her pretty little things away, and then of course - seeing my baby girl for the first time and smelling that sweet newborn smell again. 

Weekly Wisdom: I had a manager at work share some really encouraging words with me about motherhood this past Monday night. I hadn't even mentioned my fears of the timing of our next baby and wondering how I could possibly love her as much as I love Cash. But she assured me I will, and that God had placed Corinne in our lives at this very point in time because no one could be a better mom for her than me. That God saw my strengths and weaknesses and knew I'd be the best match for her. It may seem simple, but it was the best thing I've heard in a long time...

Milestones: We are now in the 3rd trimester -- hard to believe, huh? She weighs approximately 2 lbs and is 14 inches long and would have a great chance of surviving should she come early. Obviously we don't want that, but its a relief to know she'd be ok! 

One whole year...

It is 10:33pm on May 10, 2009. Exactly one year ago at this time Drew and I had packed up the Xterra and were walking out the door to the hospital to have Cash. I remember looking around making sure we hadn't forgotten anything and thinking to myself, "This house will never be the same. Our lives will never be the same." Man, was that an understatement. I  cried telling my mom the doctor on call wanted me to go on in to the hospital and told her I was scared that they'd send me home, but also scared that it'd be the real thing. It was an evening of unknowns that would lead to a year of unknowns - scary, exciting, but most of all incredible. 

Since that night I've learned so many things...the first thing I learned was that, in my opinion, an IV hurts worse than an epidural. And that you really don't mind having a ton of people staring at your "mysterious lady parts" or sticking their hands up there as long as they can get that baby out! Or that my child's head, that had measured up to 4 weeks ahead during my pregnancy, really wouldn't fit through my pelvis and I'd actually need the c-section I kept asking my OB about...

Then there was the whole get that diaper on quick or you'll get sprayed lesson, and the magnitude of a "poonami" as I like to call it and the unfortunate loss of an adorable onesie because of it. I've caught puke in my hand on several occasions, changed multiple diapers in a matter of an hour (because babies have such perfect timing!), sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" over and over and over, repeated phrases such as "no-no", "ew! yucky!!", "uh-oh", and of course - "mommy loves you!". I've learned to try to stop catching him every time he starts to fall down, but am always there should he need a little hug and kiss to make it better. I'm still working on letting him eat bites of food larger than my pinky toenail.  ;) 

But the lessons that have impacted my life the most over the last year are the ones that have reminded of how much my parents have loved me (or must have loved me to put up with some of this stuff) and how much God loves us. Being a parent is one of the best jobs I've ever had. I thank God for Cash every single day...usually multiple times a day. He is the biggest blessing in my life aside from Drew and my relationship with Christ. I can't imagine a day without his smile and laughter and look forward to all the new lessons I'll learn as we venture through this next year together...

My very last belly picture - 39 weeks and 5 days

I know its graphic, but its the very image I see whenever I think of meeting him for the first time.

...and then there were 3. :)

Happy Birthday, Cash! 

Easter 2009

Cash & Drew dressed alike for Easter! 

Carter David & Corinne at 20 and 22 wks, respectively

Cash obviously LOVES the t-shirt Memaw & Papaw brought back from North Carolina for him!

"What is THIS?!" 

I should've just filled the basket with grass. ha! 

For I am His and He is mine...

Just like every earthly relationship, sometimes my relationship with Christ experiences a dry spell as I call it. Much like a dry spell in my marriage, we still talk daily, still enjoy each other's company...but the butterflies or passion for my Lord was gone.  Sadly, this happened without me even knowing it until last week I got an email from a girl I work with. She was feeling the Lord calling her to do more for her coworkers and she was asking for specific ways she could pray for each of us (another reason I love working at Transformations - its really NOT just a job to these people, its a ministry). Instantly I knew thats what I needed prayer for so I wrote her back explaining the situation and just that I needed "joy of my salvation" restored to me. That was Monday night. The next evening I went to worship practice at church where we were working on our songs for Easter Sunday. We sang an older song (newer to our congregation) entitled, "In Christ Alone". Just singing the words to this song gave me an overwhelming sense of joy, victory over Satan, peace, and love --- the joy of my salvation! I'm so thankful for a Lord who loves me with overwhelming and exceeding passion and joy even when mine seems to have dissipated! I've added the song to my playlist at the bottom of this screen...enjoy! 

Notes from the Under-belly: Week 20

How far along: 20 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: as of my last appt (18 wks) I hadn't gained anything yet. But I'm pretty sure that will NOT be the case at my next appt, April 7th. 

Maternity clothes: Still wearing my jeans with the assistance of the wonderful "belly band". 

Stretch marks: Nope. 

Sleep: Still going strong! But I do find myself waking up around 3:30 and 5 and have a hard time going back to sleep...wonder if those will be her awake times as well. 

Best moment this week: Drew got to feel her move! I was laying on the couch Sunday evening and was able to tell where she was laying and he felt her rolling around and she even gave him a "hello" jab. :) 

We also found out she's getting a little boy cousin a few weeks after she's born - Dave & Ashley are having a boy!

Movement: Lots of it! Especially when I eat and lay down to go to sleep. She also doesn't like the seatbelt squishing her. 

Food cravings: Nothing too crazy - burgers, grilled chicken, and deli sandwiches (turkey, egg salad, tuna salad). 

Gender prediction: Its a GIRL!!!! 

Labor signs: No, thank goodness.

Belly button: still in

Wedding rings: still on

Milestones: Our baby is now the size of a canteloupe and can suck her thumb, is making some meconium (her first poopy diaper - yay!), and is half-way done!!! 

Spring has arrived!

The weather was beautiful here today so we decided to take full advantage of the fact that Drew and I were both off work and spent most of it outside. We did however, spend about 30 minutes in an ultrasound making sure our baby is growing as she should....that's right - SHE. We are having a little girl in August!!!! I think Drew was initially freaking out inside (and a little on the outside) but is getting really excited to have a "daddy's girl" and experience having a daughter. I couldn't be happier! I love having a son, but am really excited about having a daughter and all the fun accessories she'll come with. :) 

Anyways, aside from that fun Drew and Cash got some fresh fades courtesy of my dad and we showed them off at the park while enjoying a picnic lunch and the beautiful sunshine. I'm pretty sure Drew needs to build Cash a swing set now, since he thought swinging was the greatest thing in the world!

Hello, again!

Its been awhile! I guess I've been waiting on something new, exciting, funny, or thought-provoking to happen and spur on a post idea. But unfortunately that hasn't been the case...or if it did happen, I missed it! So for now, you'll have to settle for some pictures that kind of wrap up the last month or so...

Cash is no longer bound by some silly infant carrier! He's a big boy! And as you can see, quite excited about that.

Such a handsome face! Don't worry - he's getting a haircut tonight! 

Drew and I have been married for 2 years now! We celebrated by going to dinner and staying at the Hilton downtown for an evening! It was a great time of relaxation for us, but we missed Cash a LOT! Cash loved staying at Memaw & Papaws for the night and did great!

Before leaving for our anniversary dinner, Drew wanted to get a belly picture. So here I am at 18 wks. 

Happy Anniversary to us!