Birthday Celebration with my class!

On Thursday, March 24, my students, their parents, and my fabulous assistant surprised me with a special birthday celebration.  The kids had cupcakes, ice cream cups, and juice.  They had also brought in a birthday cake that was very good.  :) It was a very special day and a very nice surprise!

26 weeks

How far along- 26 weeks

How big is the baby- She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches!  She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air.

Weight gain? My belly is growing by the day and I love it. When I went for my Dr. visit on Friday, I had lost 3 pounds, but the Dr. told me not to worry that Reagan is getting everything she needs from me.  It's evident that she is growing because my belly definitely is. I'm just not getting enough for myself.  Therefore, more protein! :)

Stretch Marks? Belly is still stretch mark free!

Maternity Clothes? Love them!

Sleep? Lately, I have found myself sleeping less because I either want to feel the movements or I have a lot on my mind so I can't sleep.

Best Moment of the Week? Spending my birthday with so many special people in my life.  It was the best birthday so far!

Food Cravings? this week it was Banana Pudding.  My Mom made some for me and it is sooo good!

Name? Reagan Joanna.  Got her first monogram in this week!

Movement? All the time ad I love it! She is starting to get little hiccups.  Chad and I love watching my stomach bounce.

What I Miss? I missed my glass of wine on my birthday dinner, but that's okay because I had a diet coke to make up for it. :)

Fun Fact? She is starting to open up her eyes a lot.  It's dark in there for her, but she is learning to look around. :)

29th birthday!

Wow, I cannot believe I am now 29! They say "time flies when you are having fun"; I must be having a lot of fun! :) What a wonderful birthday it has been too!

My day started out at 6am.  No, not for work.  Today was a Furlough Day.  What a great day to have a Furlough Day! Well, I woke up at 6am because I was starving and Reagan was kicking like crazy.  I still couldn't eat though because I had my glucose test at 9am.  Well when we got there I drank the "stuff".  They asked me if I needed a straw and I said "nah I can handle it".  I drank it in like 2 minutes! It tasted a lot like Fanta or Sunkist (I had the orange flavor).  Then I had my Dr's appointment which went well and I had actually lost some weight since last time.  The Dr. explained (which my Mom had already told me) that Reagan is getting everything she needs from what I eat.  If I lose weight it's just the rest of my body losing weight.  So the next few weeks I am going to try to add more protein in my diet.  I say diet, but you know what I mean.  After the Dr. visit, they had to draw my blood.  I HATE NEEDLES! I know I have to get over it, so I closed my eyes and I really didn't even feel it.  Let's hope the epidural can be that easy! ;)  I will find out my results on Tuesday on the glucose test.

After we left the Dr's office we drove really fast to Cracker Barrel.  Chad joked around that he was going to put his emergency flashers on because he had a pregnant hungry woman in the car.  I never knew food could taste so good.  Haha! It had been 16 hours since I had last eaten!  Of course, I ate everything on my plate! We went to Target after brunch and I found some more comfortable sandals and two maternity t-shirts.  Chad had to get back home for work, so I while he was working I went to get a pedicure for my birthday.

Later this afternoon, my parents came up to see us.  My Mom has been working on a slipcover for our glider in the nursery.  She finished it so we put it on the chair.  I can't wait to sit in it with Reagan.  I will post a picture of the nursery after we do a few more finishing touches in there.  My Mom asked me last weekend what kind of birthday cake I wanted.  The first thing that popped in my head was banana pudding.  YUM! It was everything I had hoped for.  I had two bowls of it before dinner.  Thanks Mamma!

To end the wonderful day, the four of us met up with Chad's parents, Kristin & Cory, and Kristin's Mom and sister at White Horse.  Jen, Kristin's sister made an amazing cake with strawberries and cool whip for dessert.  It was very light and it was perfect!  We had a great time hanging out at dinner and I really enjoyed everyone's company! :) 

Here are some pics from the special day!  This time next year will be the BIG 3-0!

My Motherly Inspiration

Me and Aunt Joan

Of course, my first motherly inspiration would have to be my own Mom.  I hope that I can be there for Reagan like my Mom has been there for me over the past 29 years.  My Mom's sister, Joan Dove has always been like a "second Mom" or grandma to me.  My Aunt Joan is 14 years older than my Mom so she has been like a "mom" to my Mom for a long time.  Therefore, the three of us are very close.  So, I would have to say that Aunt Joan is also a motherly inspiration for me.  Let me tell you why...

As I was growing up, Aunt Joan offered advice to my Mom throughout different phases I was going through.  When I was about to graduate high school, she told my Mom to remember this was a happy, proud time and not to cry.  She encouraged her to shut my bedroom door while I was away at college, which helped my Mom because she felt like I was just in my room working on something.  My Mom did not cry at my graduation, the day I moved into Winthrop, or on my wedding day (at least not where I could see her).  She took her sister's advice and realized how proud and happy she was for me. 

While I was at Winthrop, Aunt Joan wrote me twice a month.  She would write about what she and Uncle Ken were doing back home and always told me how much she loved me and how proud she was of me.  I don't think she realizes how much I anticipated her letters or how much they meant to me. 

Aunt Joan is one of the strongest women I know.  I always knew that about her from being around her and through hearing the advice she would give my Mom.  But I didn't truly realize how strong she was until last year.  Her one and only child, Alan was diagnosed with colon and liver cancer in August 2009.  He fought a heroic battle for 9 months.

I spent my last day with my sweet cousin on May 16.  On that day, Aunt Joan and I spent an afternoon with Alan in his room trying to help him feel comfortable.  The three of us didn't talk a whole lot, but as we sat with Alan, he would have lucid moments where he would ask me about school and even cut a few jokes, which he was known for. :) I tried to hold back the tears because I didn't want him to see me upset, but it was hard to see him in such pain.  As I cried, Aunt Joan comforted me.  Her own son was fighting his last days with cancer, and she was telling me it was going to be okay. 

Alan died 10 days later.  At the funeral, it was evident what an inspiration Alan was to so many.  A lot of friends of the family came up to my Aunt and Uncle with their condolences, with their own tears in their eyes.  Again, my Aunt Joan and Uncle Ken comforted them and told them he was no longer in pain.  I'm not saying the past 10 months haven't been hard on them, but both of them have dealt with the loss of their son so well. 

I have many reasons why Aunt Joan is my motherly inspiration, but the biggest reason is because of her faith and strength through tough times.  I love her very much and I hope I can be like her with my own child as she grows up.

Sugar Water?

So, Chad and I went to our first baby class last night. It was Breastfeeding 101, which was very informative. We learned a lot, but I couldn't help but feel like an immature 8th grader as I giggled during the 3rd how-to video. The first two videos were fine, but by the third one, it was becoming a bit much! Then of course, Chad cracked me up in the middle of class and I had to laugh out loud. The instructor was discussing the importance of skin-to-skin contact at birth, even for the Dad. Chad starts talking about how Reagan might get confused and start looking for milk from him. LOL

Prior to the class, Chad and I had already talked about how important we thought it was for Reagan to be breastfeed for at least the first few months. While the class was very informative, it brought up many worries for me. The instructor mentioned learning the baby's cues for hunger and said it might be necessary to keep her in the room to learn these cues. Then I had already heard pacifiers can mess with breastfeeding. I have also heard that the nursery workers in the hospital sometimes give babies sugar water, which also messes up breastfeeding. So, after class Chad and I talked about how we might need to keep her in the room to make sure the whole breastfeeding process works. But then so many people tell us that we are going to need that time to rest while she is in the nursery. Have any of you experienced these anxieties worries? Did the hospital listen to what you wanted for your baby? Maybe I'm just overreacting....

25 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

How big is the baby? 13.5 inches and weighs a pound a a half!

Weight gain? Well since my last doctor's visit, I have been trying to not go too incredibly crazy.  I continue to eat healthy, but try to add in more protein throughout the day.  I will find out next Friday how much I have gained in 4 weeks.

Stretch Marks? Not yet!!

Maternity Clothes? That's mostly all I wear, so much more comfortable.  Now that "springy" weather is here, I can't wait to start wearing my dresses, skirts, and tunics.

Sleep? I have been getting lots of good sleep lately.  I hope to rest a lot this weekend.  My favorite time of day is bed time because Chad and I feel for Reagan's little kicks.

Best Moment of the Week? Reagan continuing to kick "on demand" as Chad calls it.  He talks to her and then she kicks his hand.  He is so wrapped already!

Food Cravings? I still love frozen blueberries.  I have also found that I love Chocolate mini rice cakes. YUM!

Name? Reagan

Movement? All the time, but I LOVE IT!

What I Miss? my old bra size :/

Fun Fact? Now the baby is  growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.What I am Looking Forward to? going to our breastfeeing class on Monday night. So excited Rebekah and Chris are going to be there too!

Roadtrip to Savannah



So Chad and I decided to take our first road trip since finding out that we are expecting.  We went to Savannah to visit one of my lifelong friends, Christie.  We have been friends since we were innocent, naive, and insecure teenagers.  I have gone through many phases of life with Christie by my side.  She has always been the one to brighten any situation and I can't imagine not having her as my friend.  Here we are in some pictures we took today before we left Savannah.

This picture pretty much sums up our friendship!

We had a great time on our little overnight trip.  When we got to Savannah on Saturday we stopped by a Maternity shop Christie had mentioned was going out of business.  I was looking for a sundress to wear for the JWL Soiree and for Easter.  Unfortunately, they didn't have much in my size as far as dresses, but they did have a few other things that I bought.  Then Chad and I went to his favorite Cigar shop in Savannah.  Well, he went in and I waited outside.  I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to inhale all that smoke.  We left there and wanted a snack so we stopped by La Berry, a frozen yogurt place.  Ohhh, was it good! It was our first time going there and it makes me wish we had one here.  You get this cup and fill it up with as much frozen yogurt as you want, then they have all kinds of toppings to add to it.  We added granola, chocolate chips, and strawberries.  Then once you have everything they measure the weight of the cup to charge you for the yogurt.  Thank goodness we split it because we had way too much in there!

After we left there, we went to check into our hotel.  We were in there for about 30 minutes when I realized that there was a mall with Old Navy and possibly Motherhood Maternity less than a mile from the hotel.  We started a mad dash to find Motherhood in the mall.  We had dinner plans with Christie at 7ish and it was 6:30.  The mall directory showed no signs of Motherhood being in the mall.  Come to find out it was in the shopping center across the street.  We figured this out after going around in a circle a few times outside of the mall.  I found a sundress at Motherhood (yay!) and some capris for when it gets warmer. 

Luckily, Christie called and said she was a little late so we weren't too incredibly late for dinner.  We ate at Moon River Brewing Company, which was also very good.  I got a cheeseburger salad which reminded me of a recipe that I have for it.  I will have to make that for dinner soon!  We left Moon River and met up with some of Christie's friends at a Karaoke place.  I did not karaoke this time, but really enjoyed watching Christie and her friends singing.  Around 11, I realized it was bedtime for this pregnant girl.  I thought I could hang, but I guess I couldn't. :)

When Chad and I woke up this morning, Reagan was kicking around some.  Because Chad loves to feel her movements, I told him to try to feel it.  Of course, then she stopped so Chad was a little disappointed.  I told him to talk to her because I have heard she recognizes voices some.  He started talking to her about how he really wanted her to give him one good kick.  Next thing we know, she kicked his hand.  It made his day!

Before we left to come home, we met up with Christie, her Mom, Jim and Lindsay (a friend of ours from college) for brunch.  Again, it was another yummy meal.  Savannah has great food! We really enjoyed our little getaway! It was much needed and the weather was perfect!



Letter to Reagan

To our Sweet Baby Girl,

It's hard for us to get down on paper what we are feeling because we have so many things going on through our head.  From the time we found out that we were having you, we have been overcome with emotions and haven't been able to describe them.  One of these emotions is joy from finding out you are a baby girl.  We are both anxious to see what you are going to be like.  Your Daddy hopes you "kickstand" and scratch your little head like your Mommy, while your Mommy desperately wants you to have your Daddy's long eyelashes.  We both hope for you to be your own little unique self, as long as that doesn't cause your Daddy too much worry because his beard is already turning gray from worrying about future boyfriends and the day you get married.  You haven't even been born yet, and it's already this bad.  Imagine what it will be like when you get here.

Both of your grandmothers can't stop talking about your arrival.  "KayKay" has already fulfilled a lifetime order of baby afghans and is fast at work on a full line of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter dresses (per Mommy's request).  "MawMaw" can't escape a conversation without mentioning you in some way and can't leave a store without buying something for you.  "Papa" worries about his little girl (Mommy) hurting through the delivery, but is very excited about meeting you.  "PawPaw"/"Bub" (we're still debating on which one to use) danced in the living room floor when we told him he was going to be a grandpa.  Once you get to know him a little bit, you will understand why that's so funny.  Uncle Cory claims that he will not change a poopy diaper, but we know he is full of poop. :) He also thinks that him and your Aunt Kristin are on a "five year plan", but we are confident you will cut this in half.

Everyone is anxiously anticipating your arrival and being apart of your life, none more so than your Mommy and Daddy.  We love you Baby Girl!

Mommy and Daddy

23 weeks

I've become a little slack this week with my posting.  I am going to try to do better this coming week.  So far, it looks like the upcoming week is not as busy.  Whattoexpect.com suggested that I write a letter to Reagan this week to tell her how we are feeling about her upcoming arrival and our excitement about being parents.  I am hoping to post that on here sometime this week, as well.  Keep checking back!

How far along? 23 weeks and 3 days, 116 days to go!

How big is your baby? She is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, about the size of a large mango.

Weight gain? a lot in the past two months.  I am going to start watching the cereal in take and make sure that I exercise more often

Stretch marks? no, thank goodness

Maternity Clothes? all of my pants are maternity, but some of my shirts, I can still get away with pre-pregancy shirts.

Sleep?  taking lots of naps during the afternoons

Best Moment of the Week? going to the Upscale Weesale. We got a bumbo, basinette, bouncer, and some maternity clothes for me

Food Cravings?  Frozen fruits, especially blueberries

Gender? sweet, baby girl

Movement? A LOT of movement, but I love it! Chad has gotten to feel her moving quite a bit this week.  We love to lay in bed and try to feel her moving.  Yesterday, one of her movements was so big that I actually saw my stomach move.

What I miss? my pre-pregnancy weight

Belly Button? still 3/4 the way to an outtie

What I am looking forward to? going to Savannah on Saturday to see one of my longest and most special friends.  I can't wait to see her!

Milestone? signing up for maternity classes today!