30/31 week update

I can't believe I am officially in the 9 weeks countdown mode. It feels crazy. I had a good week. We attended a breastfeeding class last Thursday (which unfortunately again was not very beneficial. The lady read through some slides and had a volunteer show some different breastfeeding positions but I do believe this will have to be one of those trial and error experiences for yourself. I am happy that they tried to explain what will happen in the hospital and I pray it works for me but I don't know how much you can learn about it before to really prepare. I did buy a giant book by Dr. Sears called "The Breastfeeding Book" so maybe I will learn a few things!...I also was told that my iron was dipping to lower levels than they would like and that they would most likely start me on prescription iron at my next visit. Well of course I start investigating all of the different iron supplements we sell as prescripions. I cannot find a large difference other than ferrous sulfate (what I am currently taking causes more gi side effects). The others that are available as prescriptions are called polysaccharide iron and is much better tolerated but I couldn't even find where they are more readily absorbed or anything. Well I took it upon myself the past week to take my ferrous sulfate twice a day each time with a chewable vitamin c tablet. Well Voila! the doctor was impressed that my hemoglobin came back into the 11's and told me to go back to just taking one a day and hopefully in two weeks I can stop all together. Thank goodness I don't have to start another prescription med. The doctor was also able to find the baby's head today. Sitting right on top of my bladder head down just like he should be! At least I know now why I must pee every hour or so! I have the day off today and had a doctor's appointment and thought I would plan nothing other than looking for dresses for Ashley and Nick's wedding weekend. Well after searching the internet for a couple hours last night I am dreading actually attempting to find any dresses to try on. They are all so terrible looking and I just have no idea if I will find anything so I may just be ordering a bunch of dresses online and return which ones don't work out. These dresses come at a pretty price. Most of the websites like Destination Maternity, GAP, Ann Taylor Loft dresses start at $100. Is this a joke? For a dress I don't want to wear and probably will wear 1-2 times. I'm on a mission to try to find something more affordable at one of 2 maternity stores I have found in Greenville. I haven't built up the desire to go yet so who knows. I took my first official "nap" since being pregnant. I always read about how everyone has NO energy and takes naps all the time and I haven't taken a nap yet. I thought well my iron has been low and if I was going to be tired it probably would have been then. However, since I have started to experience a little swelling I elevated my feet and took about a 2 hour nap. Verdict? Terrible. I just never feel rested after a nap and look it's 3:30 and I have gotten NOTHING done today and the husband will be home in 30 minutes wondering what he crazy wife has been doing...well nothing today!

*How far along? 31 weeks

*Total weight gain? 25 pounds

*How big is the baby? weighs in at 3+ pounds and 18+ inches (give or take a few) and is compared to the size of a head of lettuce!

*Maternity clothes? I am officially just wearing maternity clothes. I don't have a very wide variety but enough to get me to work and out to run errands.

*Sleep? Still sleeping great. I hope that the tempur pedic will really be as great as everyone says and I hope that my back will see major improvements from the pain I feel after working 10 hour days on my feet.

*Best moment this week? We FINNNNAALLLY announced baby's name!

*Movement? I feel him all the time. Now I can't imagine not feeling him move. It is so exciting to feel him awake and moving all around. It definitely feels different now than it did 2-3 weeks ago. It doesn't just feel like a random kick or punch here or there. It seems like if he is awake he is all over the place. I absolutely love it.

*Food cravings? I guess I wish I could stop eating to ward off this weight gain..but in reality I have to eat so I am still enjoying pretty much any foods. I can finally eat italian without having a crazy heartburn attack. I still love muffins and cookies and brownies oh sweet tooth please go away!

*What I miss? Well I thought I would miss the non-prego days after seeing all my skinny adorable friends tailgating with a cocktail. Turns out I have just as much fun now as I did then and that is a great feeling. I loved seeing my friends and still had just as much fun watching everyone party.

*What am I looking forward to? Just watching the little nugget grow and praying that I stay healthy for the baby.

*Milestone? baby name picked out after 30 weeks wahoo. Can't believe it has been 10 weeks since we have known it was a boy and we just finalized a name. so happy that stress is all gone.

*Is working out harder? Well I am finally working out at 6 am again. I realized that with all this weight gain and the fact that my intensity level is way down I should be able to get myself to the gym at least 5 days a week. Therefore, I feel great after working out but getting started everytime is very hard.

*What has been unexpected? Oh man I think the swelling I experienced at the end of Saturday and Sunday. I always saw pregnant lady's swollen ankles and feet and you know everyone kind of chuckles but I never knew it was actually painful. I felt like I had glass in my legs and it was soo uncomfortable. I got to elevated them on Saturday night but on Sunday we were driving home from the Braves game I could not get comfortable and I just wanted the swelling to go down. So I guess I can welcome myself into the swelling part of pregnancy. I think it had something to do with the heat and being outside because I have felt a little more swelling the past 2 days at work but nothing compared to what I felt after being outside all day and I stand way more at work than I did this past weekend.

*Names? Well I guess I can finally type his cute little name out.

His name is Crawford Baylen Redd and I can't wait to meet him. I am still not certain where I saw Crawford and thought this is a great first name but I wrote it on a purple post it with a bunch of girls name back when I had just found out I was pregnant. I think we always secretly knew that would be the name but it seemed too easy that we both agreed early on a such a unique first name. Therefore, I decided to exhaust every other option and starting thinking that maybe Crawford was too different. But after searching the internet and playing the name game 100 times we just knew his name was going to be Crawford. The middle name came much easier. We knew we wouldn't be using any family names so it was just trying to find a more mainstream name for a middle name and liking the way it sounded with Crawford. Well we had it narrowed down to Liam or Logan and then we were watching a special on Drew Brees (the Saints quarterback) and his little son is Baylen. He was soo adorable and I just loved the way it sounded when they called his name. I looked at Brad and told him I loved it and he did too. We just had to make sure that the 2 unique names weren't going to be too much but we like it and that's all that matters. So we begin the last 10 weeks of our prego journey with little Crawford in my tummy!

*Nursery? Well I think almost everything is ready for the nursery. We did order our glider! I decided (after months of being sure that I was going to order this laser wood monogram from Little Crown Interiors) that I would instead look for painted letters for above his crib. I knew it would be fun to paint them myself but my curiousity got the best of me and I happened to find an artist on Etsy that I just fell in love with and so she will be making individual round letters that match his bedding. They are stil about 4-5 weeks from being here but I am excited to see the final product. I need to order the picture frames for above his dresser from Restoration Hardware. Brad and his boss, Chad, are going to attempt to make the diaper caddy that I found at Buy Buy Baby so that should be hilarious as well.

I am sooooooooooo excited to spend the weekend with my best friends at Chateau Elan for my very first BABY SHOWER!!! I know they are going to spoil me and I am so thankful for them and all that they have planned for me! I can't wait to post pictures and share stories from our weekend....Now on to finding dresses for the wedding weekend and upcoming showers!

DIY bed!!

Alright so this wasn't really a "do it yourself" project...but I pretty much have been envisioning this bed for months. I kept finding pictures of beds I would like then Brad and I would go see them in person and there was always something wrong with it. Most of the time the bed sat too low to the ground (a mere 6 inches) then we finally found one we just loved that looks similar to this but the food and sideboards were wood and a color that we did not like...so I happened to see a sign on my way to work that said "Mccroskey's Custom Upholstery" and a lightbulb went off and I thought maybe someone can just make me a bed exactly how I would like it. I met Mr. McCroskey and knew I had found the man to do the job. We ended up drawing up some sketches and Brad and I provided all of the dimensions to come up with a bed that would suit our needs and a 6 foot tall headboard. Then I spent a good couple weeks in the midst of my curtain stresses I was also looking for fabric to cover this headboard with. Turns out I love the fabric I chose and I couldn't be happier with Ray's work.
Here is Ray and his brother putting our new bed together. Oh did I add that we saved half the money we would have spent on a similar bed and it is EXACTLY what we wanted!

Then our new KING tempur pedic bed got delivered...red carpet was laid out and all...and Brad is in heaven that he doesn't have to succomb to the bed hog (me!) any longer...I was just soo happy to have this bed I envisioned in my head turn out to be perfect!

We let the bed air out the first 3 nights (which made Brad so sad..) but we heard it was good to let tempur pedic fabric breathe for a couple of days...

Ray finished off the project with the perfect bench at the end of the bed. I am soo pleased and can't wait to show pictures of our new master bedroom (if we get a chance to make it perfect before the baby gets here)

A weekend of Georgia Sports!

Great weekend in Athens, Ga!!! Cornhold competition...Jenny and I even beat the boys!

What a fun weekend with my girlfriends. We left for Athens at 6 am on Saturday after waking up at 5 to get all the food and tailgate stuff together. I was so excited for my last UGA game before officially having a baby. We set up around Myers Hall (since you can't tailgate on North Campus anymore). We had a perfect location accompanied by a tent, cornhole, tons of food, and my best girlfriends form college. I had to sport the 30 week sticker to document my ability to still hang with my friends while they enjoy a couple of cocktails. Happy 2 week belated birthday to Jenny. We sand and celebrated with none other than funfetti cupcakes!

This was so cute to watch the girls try to feel around for Baby Redd. They kept poking (of course so gently that I am sure he couldn't feel anything) but they really were so sweet to me all weekend! My 6 water bottles kept me good and hydrated until the swelling of the legs and feet set in later in the evening!

They thought they found the foot in this picture!

Brad and Michael staying out of all the girl talk!

So glad I have secretly converted Brad into a dedicated Georgia fan. He loves Athens and secretly wishes he went to school in this waaaaaaay cooler college town...it's okay one day our son can go to UGA and he can live vicariously through him!

Sunday brought on a whole new fun day. We started with a very loooong lunch at Copelands (one of Brad and I's favorites!) and then headed down to the Ted to see Bobby Cox's 2nd to last game ever. (I grew up being obsessed with the Braves and I would watch them every night during the summer after coming home from the pool...)

We all got free tomahawks and we thought they were soo cool!

Brad and I's first Braves game together!

It was sad that we lost game 3 of the series...but it sure was fun to take part in such an exciting game! Everyone was going crazy with their tomahawks!

29 Weeks

The baby is no longer nameless! After we tell our family I will officially make the blog post regarding baby Redd's name..how weird it will be to refer to him by his name for the next 10 weeks..but so refreshing too...Baby is the size of a butternut squash this week and it makes me wanna cook a warm yummy soup...so glad the weather is cooling down and getting me in the holiday spirit!

This is us before out first Caring for Baby class.

Brad with our faux baby as he practices the 3 different burping positions

I liked holding the baby too much...and of course we were the only ones taking pictures and Brad was so embarassed!

Hahahaha here is Brad practicing the art of changing diapers. I mean I can see the look on his face in this picture of a "fake" diaper is the same face he makes whenever he sees one of the nieces dirty diapers...too funny

We are now practicing the sponge bath...we learned never use soap on the face ...well let's just say we really didn't learn anything but it was a fun bonding expericne for the baby...poor Brad could hardly keep his eyes open!

The curtains that I just love. They match the bedding perfectly and are exactly what I wanted for the nursery!

The lamp sissy and I made.

Cathleen came to town this past weekend. We started by attending a decorating class at Twigs. This was my second one and they are really neat. They provide an adorable dinner that is spread out as a buffet and they have drinks and wine and coffee and dessert. It is set up soo cute it makes you want to just live in this fantasy decorating world. Well we were definitely the youngest attendees but nevertheless it was fun and we got some great decorating ideas for the holiday season! Brad flew to Vegas on Thursday night for a bachelor party with 15 or so guys. I was so nervous having him fly away but he went spent a reasonable amount of money, stayed out of trouble, had a great time, and returned Sunday night in one piece..(I am a happy girl!) Cathleen and I spent much of the weekend trying to decorate a couple of things for the baby's nursery. We got a lamp and covered it with some of the fabric and it is soo adorable. We also tried to make basket liners (which didn't work out so well...she is going to take them home and hopefully with a little help these suckers will be perfect too.) This whole sewing and hand made items can take forrrrrever but it really is such a neat thing to do. We were also going to make a hamper liner (but for now I guess I will buy one because this stuff is so time consuming!) We also attempted to make a diaper wipe box and it still needs a little TLC but should turn out precious too. I have finally decided on a yellow glider to bring out the golden yellow in the seersucker cording. Now I just need to decide which glider to purchase (and with 8-12 weeks in delivery time I better decide like today!) Other than that, I have calmed down a bit on being so baby crazy..today I actually had a low key day off. This is probably the first day off in months that I am a) in town and b) not going to some sort of doctor's appointment. I just took my time and tried to relax a bit (although I am not good at this and by 4:30 I was going absolutely stir crazy in the house.) I went by my friend from work Melisa's house today and she had some great clothes and baby gear and I am so grateful for her generosity! I also had fun starting to research baby books that I want to read before he arrives. I have the typical "What to Expect" series but a lot of it is common sense and it is easy just to browse through it. I have put a couple baby books on hold at the library and ordered a breastfeeding book off of amazon so that I can become more comfortable with this whole breastfeeding thing..I have no idea what my opinion is on this issue and it really is the one thing that is sooo foreign to be about having a baby. With Corinne's two girls I got to be hands on and got to see a lot but of course breastfeeding is a bonding experience and so I need to figure out if it is going to be something for me for the long haul or something that I give a shot and if it doesn't work out then I think I will be okay with that too. We have a breastfeeding class for 3 hours on Thursday night and I am interested to see if that is helpful or not. Then it's off to Athens for a great weekend of tailgating with my best friends (even though we are terrible this year).

The 29 week survey

*How far along? 29 weeks

*Total weight gain? 22 pounds...this ? is about to be deleted from the survey I hate it so much!

*How big is the baby? 17 inches 3.1 pounds and the size of a butternut squash (he is now within 3 inches of his birth length but baby will still double or triple his weight until birth)

*Maternity clothes? I seriously can't even wear my Nike workout shirts anymore...I am "that" girl at the gym...how come now that I am pregnant I see no pregnant girls at the gym to see what they are wearing ...ugh can't find maternity workout shirts..so t-shirts it is for awhile..I love my maternity shirts though..they are so comfy and I am justttt about popping out of my polos (ok I am popping out but I have finally come to terms with it and I should not wear them to work any longer!)...still need to find some cuter maternity shirts but for now my solid color tees are doing just fine!

*Sleep? Still sleeping just fine..only weird thing right now is when I wake up say at 7:45 if I hear the alarm and try to just lay there I will be sooo nauseaous in about 5 minutes so I really can't enjoy just laying in bed..I don't know what is off in my body but once I wake up I physically have to get out of bed to avoid getting sick..weird!

*Best moment this week? Having Brad finally feel the baby..it's hilarious to watch..he is so proud when he feels him and I just love watching him concentrate so hard on feeling the baby..it's about time!

*Movement? definitely my favorite thing about being pregnant. I can't even explain the happiness that I feel each and EVERY time I feel him move..he's moving allll the time right now and I just love it!

*Food cravings? Nothing new..just have a biiiig appetite right now...I can think of about 100 unhealthy things that sound delicious at any minute but I usually have to convince myself that a turkey sandwich or some apple slices are better than those wild unhealthy desires...I hope I don't cave one day (but I think I space out eating healthy and eating unhealthy enough that I never quite feel deprived) if I could only control the sweet tooth better...but it's terrible brownies and cookies after every meal has gotten out of control!

*What I miss? Still pretty content although seeing all my tiny friends in their cute game day outfits miiight make me miss those 20 pounds I used to not carry

*What I am looking forward to? Monogramming 100 things with his little initials and name..I mean I thought I had my clothes buying under control but I am about to release the monogram loving inside of me...this could be bad...

*Milestone? Brad being able to feel his strong kicks and punches...still wish I knew what a hiccup felt like..I mean maybe he doesn't hiccup?

*Is working out harder? Oh man the elliptical kicked my butt..I usually workout on random at 10 but I was at a 5 and it was very hard..I also ran 0.5 miles at 6.2 and that seemed impossible too..hope I can still run 4 miles after the baby..that makes me nervous to think about my endurance...step and combat classes still about the same..they do not seem any more difficult. spinning just kills me every time!

*What has been unexpected? I guess I never knew how much you would feel your baby move.. I mean I feel him so much and it really makes you always realize that there is this living human in your body that you are doing your best to take care of.

*Names? The initials will officially be CBR or CRB (this is how it will appear when I monogram things)

*Nursery? We have hung his curtains, covered a lamp, and just bought out glider today wahoo!

the Baby's initials!

So I just can't contain my excitement about the name much longer..I feel like if I don't get it out there I will never ever decide if it's the perfect name...but to me at this point after months of pondering over names I have at least narrowed it down to 2 possible scenarios...and since some of you (Brittan and Alexis) are just dying to know initials I will show you my 2 initial choices..I mean to me my middle name was not a big part of my identity ..the only time I remember talking about my middle name was to your girlfriends when you all knew each other's birthdays and middle names..I mean I don't even know if boys care about this silly stuff!? Anyways..Brad doesn't even know I am posting this but I am SURE he will be thrilled to know that his indecisive wife has take big strides by announcing the 2 contenders..duh duh duh

CRB
or
CRL

Now..there is probably not a whole lot yall can do to help make this decision I just need to decide which middle name I like best but the first name has been decided and it will begin with a "C"...wow this is huuuuge for me I can't even believe I am blogging this right now! I just need to keep saying the names over and over in my head and then I will finally decide...I hope Britt that I can decide before you leave for Germany but if not you should return to a decided name! Now let's hear your guesses and thoughts on this lilttle nugget's name!!!!!!!!!!!

28 Weeks!

Well I accidentally deleted this picture in the middle of my blog and since I am not very blog savvy I will just talk about it here! Cathleen has taken up sewing and has made us these addddorable gifts for baby Redd. She made the whole blanket all by herself and has learned to applique (I think that's the right sewing term) but the bibs and burp clothes are soo cute and I can't wait to take pictues of him using these adorable gifts!

This has been a great week in pregnancy world! We have gotten the nursery painted, the crib put together, the bedding put on, all of the wonderful baby gear that Corinne has graciously given us cleaned and put away, and we finally registered for pretty much everything except our big ticket item...duh duh duh..our stroller we are still trying to decide on the perfect one for our lifestyle!

I started with a couple of pictures from our week with the nieces. Ryan actually wore this nightgown to sleep in (and oh she thought it was so cool that she wore one of Aunt Chrissy's t-shirts that didn't fit right now because I am pregnant) but we thought it would be even funnier to put Hayden in it. Needless to say she tripped a couple of times and we took it off! We took Hayden to eat some Chick-fil-A and we bought a big pack thinking we could all share..well that little eater ate 5 nuggets!

I am obsessed with her...can she be any cuter?!

Wednesday I had my monthly doctor's appointment (they will be every 2 weeks for a while now) but she gave me the choice of orange or fruit punch 5 gram dextrose drink and I chose orange. She handed me the bottle and told me I had 5 minutes to drink it and I better tip it back and chug (really funny because I mean it didn't take but a minute to easily get this down.) Also, it just tastes like a sunkist orange drink and it wasn't bad and it didn't make me jittery or any of these stories that women like to talk about! (at least my experience was just fine!) However, the doctor was running behind and I literally had to run downstairs after the appointment to make sure I didn't miss my time to have my blood drawn for the gestational diabetes test. I am sure I will only get a call if I fail so hopefully everything went fine!

Brad and I spent Friday night going through all of the gear and baby supplies that Corinne passed onto us. It was soo funny trying to make sense of many of these things. I mean she gave us 2 different baby carriers and I am still not sure we figured out how to work either of them. The bottles and different size nipples she gave us led to a lot of confusion as well as the bags of pacifiers ...hopefully baby Redd will find something he likes and we can go from there. It is great to have all these products to try out so that we know which items will work best for our baby. We also have a bumbo seat, johnny jumper, activity mat, boppy pillow and the list goes on..thanks sis! As a side note Brad swears he will NEVER wear a baby carrier and he despises them I can't wait to catch him carrying the baby in one and taking a secret photo I can only imagine how that will go over!

So after much looking I found 2 diaper bags that I like a lot. Now there is a significant price difference between the two...I would love yalls opinions on which one you like better (and by yall I mean Alexis and Britt since let's be honest no one else ever comments but Doug I'm talking to you too!)

We finally registered at our new favorite store! Buy Buy Baby...again we had about 3 people say aw you guys are back how are you? I mean this is sad and I can't imagine how much worse it will get in the next couple of months. The associates are seriously soo helpful and the store is soo nice and well organized and the associates are seriously trained on their products I could NOT even imagine buying a stroller or car seat without their knowledge and advice. Brad and I would be 2 frustrated shoppers if we didn't have their help explaining how to open and close all the various strollers...We spent 3 hours in there last Sunday looking around and about 3 hours there today registering so I do feel fairly confident with many of our baby selections. (I have been doing my research for months...well on most things...I am still a mess and lost and confused when it comes to bottles and nipples and pacifiers but quiz me on strollers and carseats and I will give you some great advice!)

I can't believe I have to admit this but our first collegiate gift was a Clemson gift (yuck!!) and the most ironic part is that it is from 2 App State grads I mean go figure! I will trash this before Brad ever realizes it is gone so we won't really say that this is the first ...at least we know that he will have much more Georgia Bulldawg gear so what's a bib anyways right?!

Ever since we started working out at Sportsclub 2 years ago there is a lady that is there every morning from 5 am to 9 am and her name is Dee Ann. She is seriously one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. She makes it a point to learn everyone's name and greet them by name each day. Well we have had little chit chat here and there over the past two years and after I told her I was having a boy she let me know that she would like to make him something. Well she came in last week with this quilt that she MADE for our little boy. I was overwhelmed with her kindness and generosity. What a thoughtful gift to make for someone that you hardly know...I am so thankful for her kindness each and every time I visit the gym.

Here is a close up of little Redd's bedding. I mean I just love it...he's gonna be sleeping in style!

This is a front view. I was freaking out on Friday night when we first put it on because see I picked this "perfect bedding' and the "perfect crib" without realizing that the bedding probably would have fit better on a crib that was a little more dainty with thinner rails...I couldn't believe that the top ties would not fit around the thick front frame of the bed and I thought everything was ruined...well after going to 5 baby stores today it looks like over half the bedding we saw would not tie around the cribs thick frames...soo really no big deal and I am again happy with my beautiful bedding and crib selections.

After a hard night's work from Doug and Brad they finished this beautiful crib..Thanks guys you did such a great job and I just love it. You can see the blue baby room in the background (again Brad great job I appreciate all of your hard work to help make the baby's room absolutely perfect!)

Well I made it 28 weeks! Big time! ---90% of babies born at this point will survive (pretty impressive statistic) I darkened my hair a bit with the upcoming baby's arrival I know my money and time will not be well spent at the salon and may even go darker as the time approaches but knowing me I won't be brave enough!

Baby is the size of a small cabbage...I mean he sure is getting big in there!

*How far along? 28 weeks

*Total weight gain? 20 pounds

*How big is the baby? approximately the size of a cabbage (17 inches and 2.9 pounds)

*Maternity clothes? Well I bought 5 more shirts this week (that's huge for me!) that's after Brad called me out for wearing the same green shirt every day..haha thanks! Also, I have officially had my first week where strangers have finally commented that on the fact that I am expecting..the first comment came last Sunday when Brad and I were deciding where to eat lunch and we walked into a meat and 3 (I can't believe pregnant Christen has started liking this venues..but the girl behind the counter said "Well I know you must be hungry" ...haha oops we didn't eat there but we did check out the menu for another time...the next day in my spin class the instructor called me out (I mean finally these jokers realize that I am not the girl who keeps coming to the gym and keeps putting on weight..it must be that my tight spandex clothing are getting unbearable to see everyday...either way the instructor commented and of course the whole class started asking me questions and giving me advice it was fun!...the next comment came yesterday when I went to the Greer walmart for a day of work (I still wear my tight polo button ups so that I don't have to buy maternity blouses that will go to waste and since they hardly button I guess it has become noticeable..but the CSM said man it's an epidemic around here and I said what is? and she pointed to my stomach ..I always wanna look down and say "yes" when someone notices..it makes me feel better that people don't think I'm wearing too tight of clothing walking around the city!...so maternity clothese are fine by me these days!

*Sleep? Still sleeping soundly through the night ...wake up usually just once to go to the bathroom if I go to sleep before 11 (which rarely happend then it will be two times in the night so I can't complain about lack of sleep.....yet!)

*Best moment this week? Really deciding firmly on a first name..I mean we are so excited about the name of our little nugget if we could only decide on the perfect middle name I would scream the first name out loud!

*Movement? Well for a couple of weeks now I feel the baby pretty much non stop and I never knew how much I appreciated feeling him move or how cool it was to feel him move until Thursday came. I had gone to the doctor Wednesday and obviously heard his heartbeat and him squirming all around and everything was great and then Thursday and Friday nothing...I was starting to get really nervous...I mean I realized I was working and hadn't laid down or really rested the past 2 days (when you normally feel the baby the most) so I decide to get an ICEE at 4:00 on Friday afternoon and still nothing..Friday night nothing..I'm thinking what am I going to do in the morning if still no movement..well Saturday he was baaccck ..before work he was squirming and moving and I was elated! He didn't stop moving Saturday or Sunday so he was either a)really lazy or b) moved posistions..either way he's still there and I love him so much!

Food cravings? Well I know I don't have any desire to eat mexican right now (I never thought those words would come out of my mouth) and chips give me the wooorst heartburn and make me feel sick (this happened during the first trimester as well..probably a good thing anyways) but I still have the desire to squirt chocolate down my throat (that's how intense my sweet tooth is) but no other odd food cravings to report.

*What I miss? I feel like I move slower...I nnnever walked slower than Brad and when we go on walks after work I seriously can hardly keep up it's soo sad...

*What I am looking forward to? Deciding on a stroller (I am obsessed with them) and hopefully seeing the baby move in my tummy soon. I can't wait to be sitting or lying down and see a body part move across my stomach.

*Milestone? I am in the 3rd trimester and the days are just speeding by ...he will be here so soon!

*Is working out harder? Man somedays I just feel so exhausted and get so down on myself...I have had a hard time with cramping lately and I asked the Ob whether I should take it down a notch but she encouraged me to keep going. She said it probably isn't even dehydration cramps buy more of the muscle contracting around the baby and that this actually helps prepare the body for labor. She said that him getting squished and poked and prodded by my movements was really a good thing and that I am doing nothing wrong..so at least Brad can rest now knowing that I am not crushing the little guy.

*What has been unexpected? How much things can change for you in a day. I feel like I am stuffed after eating ...like an uncomfortable I can't breather or move because there is so little space inside and it doesn't kick in of course until after I have finished eating (this juuust started today so now I know I need to eat slower and really listen to my body)

*Names? it's coming really soon I can feel it! I love everyone asking for clues it's so fun because I just could never imagine anyone guessing this name! but no it's not Stone or any of Brad's crazy names.

*Nursery? Once we decide on the initials I will be hopefully having the coolest monogram made for the wall. I wish I could find someone around here with a lazy wood cutter so that I didn't have to pay a fortune to have this monogram made..but I love it and will probably buy it anyways. We stillll haven't decided on a glider or a glider color so again suggestions are welcome. We sat in a bunch of different ones today and I think I am even more confused than ever...

Brad leaves for Vegas on Thursday and our bank account is verrrry scared...I am trying to convince him to juuust bring cash so that we don't run into any scary charges later on. Cathleen is coming in on Thursday to stay with me (since you all know I am physically and emotionally unable to stay home alone) we will be attending a decorating class at Twigs (a local florist that does holiday decorating demonstrations while providing dinner. I went last year with Lauren and it was so cute and adorable and I can't wait for this years). I have to work a lot while she is here but I think she will find plenty of things to keep her busy and we will spend Saturday together as well. We will hopefully be nearing a decision on the baby's name and announcing it in the next couple of weeks!

Week 26/27

I am definitely behind on blogging. It seems like I am always searching the web for baby nursery ideas or researching baby products for the little nugget. But I did have 6 days off and should have gotten a whole lot more done that I have. I worked last weekend and Brad completed painting the nursery in a blue color which I will post later...On Tuesday I had the day off and just thought I would drive by Buy Buy Baby to see if they had opened yet...well to my surprise they had "now open" signs up so I was so excited because we wanted to make it there on the grand opening day to order our crib and furniture. Well I just happened to be their first customer (which I joked about being since I stalked their website trying to find out when grand opening day was)...anyways I was welcolmed with cheers and applause and even going back almost a week later most people recognize me and remember me as their first customer..yes awkward considering I had just left my step class and was disgusting and sweaty and pregnant but funny none the less. A couple of hours later Brad and I returned and purchased the crib and dresser and then I attempted to register as Brad returned to work. The problem is I am obsessed with researching evvvverything I ever do and I have not spent enought time researching baby products and therefore I really wouldn't say what I did was "register" I simply picked out a couple of products that I liked but none of the necessities that I am looking forward to registering for....Anyways, it was a great fun day and then I packed on Wednesday and left for Hilton Head to meet the sisters and the nieces there for a little getaway!


Ryan and Uncle Brad before the UGA vs. Arkansas game...it was hilarious because Ryan would run around singing "Who let the dawgs out" and she was cracking us up!



This was Hayden one day in her adorable hippie outfit. She now stands and walks around in the pose all the time and it is so stinking cute I just wanna bundle her up and take her home with me!


I love when Hayden starts giggling. She is at the cutest age right now and has started waving "bye bye" and given kisses (open mouth she hasn't actually figured out how to pucker yet)

Ryan was such a sport at the beach and even though she couldn't really get in the ocean she still was adorable to watch as she ran around collecting shells and running in and out of the water.

Hayden was hilarious on the beach she would run and fall in the sand and get right back up and start sucking her thumb with sand and all who knows how much sand she ate the past week. By the end of the week she was just loving the ocean and would literally lay in the water waiting for a wave to crash in on her.

Hayden of course had to try her mommy's drink..she loves drinking out of cup and especially straws and anything that is made for grown ups. She also loooves playing with her sisters shoes and will spend hours putting on Ryan's crocs and walking around and taking them off and it is too cute!

I had to point out the Cathleen has just recently taken up sewing and actually made these bathing suits for the girls. I mean they are precious and I can't believe how talented she is. I am so jealous and can't wait for little munckin to have a matching one (right sis?!?)

Ryan and I left the beach Friday leaving Corinne, Dantley and Hayden one last day together. Well I think Ryan and I were both equally thrilled to spend an evening in Greenville. I was soo nervous driving home with Ryan. I mean I had my sisters child in the car for 4 hours not knowing how she would behave or knowing if she would start to miss her mommy and daddy but she was GREAT!. She watched movies the whole way home and even got a treat at the gas station for being so good. She couldn't wait to see Uncle Brad and he was just as thrilled to have her come visit for the evening. We took her to Wild Wing with Brad's parents Friday night and then Brad's mom and I entertained her (well really she entertained us) as Brad and his dad assembled the crib. She got to wear one of my tshirts as a nightgown which she thought was the coolest thing ever and we read books and went to sleep and she didn't wake up once. She was such a doll. Her and Brad spent the morning at the park while I worked out and ran a couple of errands and then the rest of the clan arrived to our house on Saturday.

Well we have had Nemo the pinata ever since our engagement shower at Britt's parent's lakehouse and we never ended up busting it there. I mean Ryan has fallen in love with this thing and everytime she comes to our house she asks when she gets to have her fiesta (I think she gets fiesta and pinata confused but either way all the girl wants out of it is candy). We were going to hang this at her birthday party but of course her little party never took place. Well she never forgot about the pinata and since she only had one arm to work with we weren't sure how she was gonna break into this guy.

She must have tried to bust it with the soup ladel for awhile making grunts and full force efforts poor thing..but eventually thanks to Uncle Brad's golf club Corinne, Brad, and I had a ball going to town on this pinata as candy literally flew all over the backyard.

Hayden was picking up busted pieces of 2 year old candy off of the ground and eating it ...lovely I know..but it really was a fun activity outside with the girls.

It's hard to believe that the time keeps flying but here I am almost 28 weeks and I haven't posted my 26 or 27 week vege photos. The top picture is when baby Redd is 26 weeks (the equivalent size of a cucumber or 15 inches and 2.2 pounds)

*How far along? 27 weeks

*Total weight gain? about 20 pounds

*How big is the baby? Head of a cauliflower or 16 inches and 2.5 pounds

*Maternity clothes? I bought a couple of new tops and capri pants today because I really only had work clothes up until this point. I hate spending the day in my workout clothes that are essentially too small too so I am trying to branch out with some new maternity clothese but seriously I could spend a fortune they are for sure not giving maternity clothes away. I need to find a couple of cute outfits for the Georgia game in a couple of weeks as well as the girls weekend at Chateau Elan so I will hopefully make a trip to the mall this week.

*Sleep? Still sleeping fine. I have to sleep with my tempur pedic pillow and then I usually have aonther pillow close by. Brad won't let me bring in the giant snuggle snake shaped pillow that my sister gave me because he thinks he will feel more cramped than he already does in our queen bed so for now everything is going well in the sleep department.

*Best moment this week? Getting to see the beautiful crib all set up in the beautiful blue room. I just can't wait for baby to sleep in his room.

*Movement? He gets really active for 5 minute intervals and I feel like anyone could see or feel it but I still think we may be a couple weeks away from the naked eye or hand seeing or feeling his movements. I sure love it and I just get so happy when he moves all about.

*Food cravings? No cravings. Still able to pack lunches and eat about my same diet. I am sure I probably have a bigger appetite than usual but no weird cravings to report!

*What I miss? I despise running but all I want to do is go on long runs and I just am too scared to even try. I feel like I would just hurt the poor little guy so I am sure I just want a run because I know I shouldn't so this will pass I am sure!

*What I am looking forward to? My 28 week appointment and hopefully having a great diabetes screening (meaning of course no signs of gestational diabetest and of course to get a good report that baby is doing well inside of me!)

*Milestone? Making it to the 3rd trimester..although I am still really confused about whether it started at the beginning or ending of week 27 either way tomorrow starts week 28 so I am happy to report that I have made it to the 3rd trimester..so exciting!

*Is working out harder? Some days imposssible...some days it just seems to take forrrrever to get my body warmed up. I have been cramping way more than I ever have. I am planning to ask the doctor if I need to now or in the near future decrease my intensity but I still try to continue at my same pace as much as possible. I haven't done the elliptical in probably over a month since I have discovered spinning but I am going to give it a shot this week just to make sure I haven't completed lost my stamina on that machine.

*What has been unexpected? That I would finally not mind being pregnant. I was sooo uncomfortable for sooo many weeks and I am just so happy that I have been healthy and feeling great the past month!

*Names? Well Brad and I are 95% positive on the first name and we refer to the baby by his first name so much that I am so scared I will slip on here and type it out so hopefully no one will catch me! We are working on the middle name and once we decide (really pick one out that we like) we will happily announce it!

*Nursery? Betty is working on curtains and a toy bag that hangs from the crib for the baby's room, I have bought toy baskets that Cathleen is going to make liners for. I am eyeing 4 picture frames from restoration hardware for the walls. I still have to decide on a glider (like asap), I need a lamp and a little table for right next to the glider, and I need to decide on the initials so I can get to work on baby's monogram. Oh I just love decorating the nursery so much!

We hope to get a lot accomplished in the next week. This is our last weekend with no plans until the baby is born so it will be nice to knock some things off the to-do list. Brad and I spent 2 hours at buy buy baby today learning about different products and hopefully will start deciding on some great items for the baby to use in the near future. I need to get better about blogging but I will post some pics of the nursery and some other things I need help with in the next couple of days!