Reagan's Nursery

We finished up Reagan's nursery today, and we couldn't have done it without the help of both of our families.  I really wish I could have helped more than I did.  Thankfully, Chad has been very patient with me and knew I wanted to finish the nursery before I went back to school after Spring Break.  It feels so great to have it done and now I can't help but sit in there for a little while.  Now it's just time to organize! Here are some pictures of the nursery.

3D/4D Ultrasound

Chad and I have been anticipating seeing our "baby girl" for quite some time.  Yesterday afternoon, we got a sneak peek of our little angel at 3D Dreams in Baxter Village in Fort Mill.  We highly recommend this place.  Most OB/GYN offices do 3D/4D ultrasounds, but I had heard such good things about 3D Dreams that we decided to go there.  Our ultrasound was not rushed, the sonographer took her time showing us a lot of "cool" things we were seeing on the ultrasound.  We now have so many pictures of our baby girl that we will hopefully be held over another 10 weeks or so.  Here are a few sneak peeks of Reagan.

Her first smile

Her little foot

Opening her mouth

                                       Laughing                                          

                           

Curled up and sleeping like Mommy



30 weeks

How far along? 30 weeks

How big is the baby? She weighs over three pounds now and still measures about 17 inches.

Weight gain? It's been about a pound a week.

Stretch marks? hopefully the no stretch marks will continue until the end!

 

Maternity clothes? With me not "showing" as much, I try to wear more fitted shirts so that I look pregnant, and not just fat.

 

Sleep?  This week I have caught up on a lot of sleep while I have been on Spring Break

 

Best Moment of the week? Spending time with family at our Baby Shower last weekend. 

Cravings?  This week, I have been loving lemonade.  I think it might be the warmer weather is making me really want summertime which causes me to want lemonade.

 

Movement?  I felt her little foot sticking out this week. 

 

What am I looking forward to? The 3D ultrasound tomorrow night.  :)

 

What I miss?  Nothing this week.  Next week, I will miss all this rest and relaxation I have had while on break.

 

Fun fact? Also growing daily is her brain, which is actually starting to look like the real thing with those characteristic grooves and wrinkles. And now that your little genius can regulate her own body temperature and turn up the heat, she'll start shedding lanugo, the downy body hair that's been keeping her warm up until now.

 

Hayes/Page Family Shower in Dillon, SC

On Saturday, April 16th, my wonderful Aunts threw a shower for Chad and I.  The shower was at my Aunt Joan's house in Dillon, SC.  The weather forcasters were calling for tornadoes and a hail storm, but we still had a wonderful time.  It was such a special day as we spent time with family that we love very much.  Chad, my Dad, Uncle Ken, and Justin (Keller's boyfriend) enjoyed a "guy's" afternoon as they worked out in Uncle Ken's barn and shot some of his rifles.  The girls and I enjoyed lots of yummy food (and we saved some for the guys).  We had cheese straws (my favorite), sausage balls, nutty balls (iced pecan sandies in a ball), homemade mints, petit fours, chicken salad sandwiches, mini pecan pies, roasted pecans, pickles, and lime sherbert punch.  It's making me hungry now, just thinking about all of the food.  Reagan will be the first great grandchild and great great grandchild on my Dad's side of the family.  She is already loved so much by so many.  We feel so blessed and thankful for everything! Here are some pictures from the shower.

 The adorable wreath on the door

 Granny's girls

Aunt Gail

 My Sweet Mamma

 Alicia

 My Wonderful Aunts

We are so blessed....

29 weeks



How far along? 29 weeks

How big is the baby? She weighs nearly three pounds now and measures about 17 inches.

Weight gain? I've almost gained a pound this week

Stretch marks? NONE!

Maternity clothes? I love wearing them, I hope it's not hard to give them up in a few months!

Sleep?  I've started sleeping with a pillow between my legs to make me more comfortable sleeping.

Best Moment of the week?  Seeing our sweet baby girl on the ultrasound Monday. 

Cravings?  I've been loving Sun Chips this week for some reason!

Movement?  I swear I think she is doing flips in there.  I can feel where her head is now and where her hands and feet are as she is moving.

What am I looking forward to? SPRING BREAK! I plan to rest up a whole lot and get some little projects done for the nursery.

What I miss?  Walking down the hallway at school without getting out of breath (my classroom is at the END of the hall)

Fun fact?  Though she's getting pretty close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, she'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — her weight.

 

 

28 weeks

How far along? 28 weeks

How big is the baby? She is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long.

Weight gain? At the appointment today, I found out I gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks.

Stretch marks? None so far!

Maternity clothes? Love dresses! Now that it is getting warmer, I get hot so fast.  What is June going to be like?!

Sleep?  Not really sleeping well.  I'm used to sleeping on my stomach so it's hard to get used to sleeping on my side.

Best Moment of the week?  Our first Baby Shower.  My Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law threw a baby shower for us with Chad's high school friends.  Wow! We feel so blessed already.  :)

Cravings?  Nothing unusual.  I did try Marble Slab on Saturday which was very yummy! I had a soft serve frozen yogurt topped with Fruity Peebles. 

Milestone?  Finding out that everything looks great with our sweet baby girl today.

Movement?  So much, but I don't mind at all.  I've heard the bigger kicks and elbowing is coming soon....

What am I looking forward to? My family Baby Shower on Saturday.  My Aunts are throwing this shower for Chad and I.  I can't wait to see everyone.

What I miss?  It's not really what I miss, but more what I am having a hard time doing.  I'm so used to doing for myself so it's hard for me to sit back and let others take care of things for me.  Hopefully I will be able to do a better job with this in the next few weeks.

Fun fact?  She's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. Your baby's sleep now includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase — and that means she could be dreaming already (what do you suppose she's dreaming about?).

This is a picture of all the wonderful gifts we received for Reagan from our first shower.  We are so blessed already!

God Blessed the Broken Road

This week as I was driving to work, I happened to hear mine and Chad's song, "Blessed the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts.  It was such a sweet reminder of how precious our bond is to me.  I think when Rascal Flatts wrote this song, they were writing it about Chad and I.  We don't have your typical love story.  We didn't meet one day and start dating the next and voila.  Here is our version.

All through high school AND college, so many people would tell me that I would marry my best friend.  I didn't understand what they meant until after college. 

Chad and I were introduced by my cousin, Alicia in college.  We were both sophomores at Winthrop, still trying to figure out the "real world".  We would pass each other on campus and say "hello" after we met.  Then, during the summer of 2002, two friends and I moved into an apartment.  Not long after we moved in, we had three guys move in above us.  One of the guys was Chad.  We hung out several times with the guys and I began to have "advice talks" with Chad about the whole dating scene.  He was honest and open, which meant he always told me like it was.  My friends and I moved into a house near Winthrop the next year so I lost touch with my "advisor". In 2004, I moved into the Chi Omega house and began a close bond with my roommates.  One of my roommates was Tracy, who happened to go to high school with Chad.  That summer we spent a lot of time hanging out with Chad and his guy friends.  Again, Chad was my "advisor" as I went through many stupid relationships.  Our last semester at Winthrop, I started noticing that my feelings for Chad had changed.  He was no longer, just a friend, in my opinion.  We graduated from WU in 2004 and a few weeks after graduation, Chad mentioned the two of us hanging out by ourselves sometime.  That's all it took.  We began to be inseparable.  He became my best friend.

It took all those crazy relationships for me to realize my perfect guy was right in front of me.  I love him so much and cannot wait to begin this new journey with him soon!

"Blessed the Broken Road"

by Rascal Flatts

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

27 weeks

How far along? 27weeks

How big is the baby? She is just over two pounds and around 15 inches!

Weight gain? I think I've gained a pound this week.  The belly is growing like crazy though.

Stretch Marks? NOOOO!! :)

Maternity Clothes? I don't know what I would do without them.  I told Chad, this week, that I need to own stock in Old Navy.

Sleep? I've slept a lot better this week, but I can no longer sleep in on the weekends. 7 is sleeping in for me now!

Best Moment of the Week? Chad told me one morning that I was sound asleep the night before and Reagan was kicking him in the back.  He loves feeling her movements and I was so excited to hear that!

Food Cravings? nothing really this week.  I'm just eating my same ole, same ole! I love peanut butter though, but I already loved it before pregnancy.

Milestone? Passing the glucose test!

Movement? All the time, but especially at night, when I first lay down.  I love feeling her little kicks!

What I Miss? I don't miss anything this week! I love being pregnant!

Fun Fact? Reagan can recognize our voices really well now.  It's very apparent as Chad starts talking and she starts moving!

My Mom made a slipcover for our glider to match Reagan's bedding.  I know it took a lot of time and patience and I can't thank her enough for doing it for us.  Thank you Mamma!  Here is a pic of it on the glider...