BENNETT WAS BORN! (seven months ago)

I will provide no excuses for the 8 month hiatus from the blog. Seriously though, after 35 weeks you guys did NOT want to hear what I had to say about pregnancy. I looked like this on my due date.... 'nuf said.

Baby C decided to wait us out and come the day before the dreaded induction date. He came 5 days late on July 28th, 2013 at 5:34 PM, weighing in at 9 lbs 8 oz.

I won't be sharing Bennett's birth story here, I wrote down my thoughts, feelings and most of the events (as much as I could remember in the sleepless days that followed) and will tuck it in his baby book. That day forever changed my life, as birthing babies usually does, and I'm forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the opportunity to go through that process. Also - big fist bump to my 'labor and delivery coach' AKA my husband who literally told me when and how to breathe for 12 hours. BOOM.

Bennett is now 7 months old (well actually, 7 and a half) and I could write for DAYS on how wonderful and funny and sweet he is. I'll keep it short and sweet in this 'catch up' post, though, and just tell you that I'm astounded every day that my body, with a little help from the big man upstairs, created him. That he has grown each and every day and become something new, but at the same time still the same little boy that I snuggled so close when he was new. Everyone that meets him gushes about how good-natured he is, and he truly is a happy baby. He smiles and bounces up and down when he's excited. He loves Bear more than anything else. Well actually, its probably tied with food. In new situations he is quiet, though, and he just drinks in his surroundings. Most say he looks like me, and I would have to agree, but he has his father's eyes.

Suffice it to say, the last 7 and a half months have been the best of our lives.

I plan on trying to update the blog a bit more, mostly as a journal for our family, to remember a bit more than what gets posted on IG or FB. Thanks for reading! :)

Baby C's Nursey

So I finally have the room mostly done so I wanted to share a few pictures! This used to be Morgan's study/our storage room and there was a lot of work that we put into getting it baby ready! It is technically a 'den' so there isn't much space. We have the bassinet in our room, and won't be getting a crib until we know if we will be renewing our lease (it comes up in September!) so thankfully it's not too crowded.

view from door

the giraffes on the right are actually from a gift bag from one of my baby showers :)

yes, i know... PINK! the glider is a find from Craigslist and we haven't recovered the cushions yet....

the Batman print still needs a frame... and Morgan's power lifting trophys are on proud display! Like I said... mostly done! :)

the quilt made by Baby C's Grandma Bennett - and no, we won't be broadcasting his name yet... you will just have to wait until he is here :)

This is Bear's new favorite room, of course.

This print (albiedesigns on etsy) is the first thing I got for Baby C's room... I don't know how long we will be living here in the DC area, but I wanted a little keepsake from where Baby C was born :)

Bear keeps trying to 'play' with the giraffe. It has been good practice for 'leave it'!

35 weeks

Size of baby: 5 1/3 lbs, over18 inches long, about the size of a honey dew melon
Total weight gain: around 39 lbs.
Name: We have a name, but aren't really broadcasting it. It is a family name that is really special to us!
Stretch marks: please see 29 weeks - and still no stretch marks on my belly - woo hoo!
Sleep: Same as 34 weeks - good nights are more than 5 hrs of sleep and lots of hip pain/dead legs. bad nights are less than 4 hrs of sleep, where I just can't turn my head off and the next day  is the worst day of my life (or that is the way it feels...)
Best moment of the week: My work baby shower and hearing baby's heartbeat!!
Miss anything?: have I mentioned that I miss my normal feet? Because I do - I miss them. I miss being able to normal (read: not waddle) I miss my feet not tingling whenever I stand for more than a few minutes. I miss knowing if my feel have any bones in them. etc. etc. etc.
Movement: Still our crazy wiggler. He likes to push his butt up and then stretch out his arms and karate chop my left side. I have a feeling he is going to be stuck in there sideways (but lets hope not, no breech baby, please!)
 Belly button in or out?: Flat!
Food cravings: butterfingers, strawberries,
Queasy/sick?: Mostly just on the metro.
Symptoms: Swollen everything, braxton hicks contractions at night, headaches every day or so, insomnia, and just general exhaustion.
Wedding ring on or off?: off, off, off. My monster feet and ankles now have monster fingers to match.
General mood: Tired, but getting excited to be able to nest a little more!
Looking forward to: my last day of work (in the office) is a week from today!! yay!

at my work baby shower - with the beautiful sash we had to wear

another prego lady in my department - she is due 3 weeks after me so we got to have a combined shower :)

and yes - they even made us cut the cake. cheesy peasy.

34 weeks



Cate at 38 weeks and me at 34 weeks. :-O!

 Size of baby: almost 5 lbs, almost 18 inches long, about the size of a canteloupe
Total weight gain: around 38 lbs.
Name: We have a name, but aren't really broadcasting it. It is a family name that is really special to us!
Stretch marks: please see 29 weeks - and still no stretch marks on my belly - woo hoo!
Sleep: I have my good nights and my bad nights - good nights are more than 5 hrs of sleep, up at least twice, and lots of hip pain/dead legs. bad nights are less than 4 hrs of sleep, where I just stay awake thinking and watching TV, going through baby stuff, browsing Etsy and Pinterest, unable to switch my brain off.
Best moment of the week: I had my second baby shower this week thrown by my best friend, Ashley. My mom came in town, and so did some friends from Memphis - and they brought their 13 month old little boy! Alex loved rubbing my belly, it was adorable.
Miss anything?: My normal brain. Pregnancy brain has officially taken over and I don't feel like myself a lot of the time.
Movement: Still our crazy wiggler. goes crazy in water, when I eat butterfingers, and when I drink lemonade! Still getting hiccups every night!
Belly button in or out?: Flat!
Food cravings: cinnamon anything, strawberries and butterfingers.
Queasy/sick?: Mostly just on the metro
Symptoms: Swollen everything, braxton hicks contractions at night, headaches every day or so, insomnia, and just general exhaustion. On the bright side I haven't had problems with  my lower back! I think he moved up a bit this week.
Wedding ring on or off?: off, off, off. My monster feet and ankles now have monster fingers to match.
General mood: Exhausted.
Looking forward to: my third, and final, baby shower at work! :)


Heidi and her 2.5 month old Grace, and the hostess/BFF, Ashley (not shown, her 13 month old Lilly) I have the best old roommates/life long friends!



Maternity Pictures

So I won't lie - I was very much kicking myself for scheduling maternity/family pictures when I was 32 weeks pregnant. But either way, I think they turned out great and I'm very happy with them - our photography, Liz Maryann Photography, was amazing to work with and I think she captured us perfectly. Enjoy a few of my favorites! I'll be posting more on Facebook in the coming weeks...

33 weeks

I didn't do a bump picture this week because this is WAY better!

 Size of baby: a little over 4 lbs, over 17 inches, about the size of a pineapple
Total weight gain: around 37 lbs.
Name: We have a name, but aren't really broadcasting it. It is a family name that is really special to us!
Stretch marks: I was told by my sweet sister this is a little TMI. so for all future posts, just go back to 29 weeks and read it there - it hasn't changed ;)
Sleep: I started propping up my feet at night again to help with the swelling. Bear does not like this because that is where he usually starts out sleeping, and now he has no room!
Best moment of the week: We did an ultrasound when we were down in NC for our first baby shower - it was so wonderful to see him again! He is so squishy and we love it!
Miss anything?: MY FEET AND ANKLES. THEY ARE GONE!!!!!
Movement: Still our crazy wiggler. goes crazy in water, when I eat butterfingers, and when I drink lemonade! Still getting hiccups every night!
Belly button in or out?: Flat!
Food cravings: pasta!
Queasy/sick?: Mostly just on the metro
Symptoms: Monster feet, and heartburn a lot more often
Wedding ring on or off?: wedding band on, engagement ring off
General mood: This week was great, with the exception of the drive to/from NC. Lets ust say an 8 month pregnant lady should not be sitting in a car that long - even with breaks every hour!
Looking forward to: My next baby shower! We are so spoiled!

and one with my sweet husband.

32 weeks

Size of baby: 3 3/4 lbs, 16.7 inches long, about the size of a jicama


For those who don't know what that is.... and Baby C is probably like the big one....

 Total weight gain: around 35 lbs.
Name: We have a name, but aren't really broadcasting it. It is a family name that is really special to us!
Stretch marks: I was told by my sweet sister this is a little TMI. so for all future posts, just go back to 29 weeks and read it there - it hasn't changed ;)
Sleep: It was better than when we were on our babymoon - being in our own bed helped - and of course the prego pillow is a lifesaver. The heartburn continues to be a problem at night and I've also begun to notice that when I switch from side to side not only is it getting harder to move myself, but my hips are so achy when I do it!
Best moment of the week: Our OB appointments are always the best moments because we get to hear his strong heart beat! This week she put the sensor on my belly and he immediately swung over to the opposite side, so my belly was all lopsided. So she placed it there and he immediately moved back to the other side. He was not a fan of that thing for some reason! He finally calmed down and got to hear it though :)
Miss anything?: Diet Coke at any time and place I wanted it. Going back to work after a week and a half off was not easy, and my energy was pretty low - all I wanted was caffiene. but water was good too. ;)
Movement: Still our crazy wiggler. He flips and turns and head butts the front of my belly. He started getting hiccups when I laid down to sleep everynight.
Belly button in or out?: Flat!
Food cravings: strawberries
Queasy/sick?: Mostly just on the metro
Symptoms: Swelling feet, ankles, falling arches, lower back pain, swelling fingers!, and its pretty hard to breathe sometimes!
Wedding ring on or off?: wedding band on, engagement ring off
General mood: This week I had more crying, hard to control emotions, days than normal. So probably not the best moods.
Looking forward to: I was looking forward to my baby shower in NC and seeing a bunch of family!

i'm still trying to get used to the fact my belly attracts all spills, crumbs and stains!