A few updates

I think my body has reached it's maximum capacity. Physically and mentally I am just worn out. I really don't see how people carry more than one baby at a time.

AND I just realized that I have to renew my driver's license by next week. So I'm going to be FAT in my picture for FOUR LONG YEARS. I wonder if the person at the desk will question me when I tell him/her that I only weigh 120? :o)

An updated belly pic:


Hee hee. Ok, not really. But that's what I feel like I look like! I can't STAND how everyone wants to stare at the big pregnant lady. I'll catch people staring at me, look at them like 'WHAT are you LOOKING at?!?' and then realize that they are just gawking at how huge my belly is on short little me.

OH and to update you on the canvas letters fiasco....thanks for all the advice yall gave me! I disputed the charge with my credit card company like some of you suggested and I got a letter in the mail last week stating that my credit card company has credited my account with the $80.86 that I paid beitesori.com! Woot woot! AND my friend's daughter-in-law is a really talented painter and she is going to paint the letters for me! YAY! I'm going to come out a LOT cheaper and I know they will be just as cute as the ones I originally wanted.

One more thing...I just realized that I didn't take one. single. picture on Christmas. I'll blame it on the pregnancy! But April took plenty and as soon as she posts them, I'll let you know!

Happy Hump Day to those of you that are off work Thursday and Friday like me! Praise the LORD for extra off days! My feet are so grateful!

33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 37 pounds...did I mention I have at least five more weeks to go??!?

Maternity clothes: I had to go buy another pair of maternity jeans yesterday because the ones I have been wearing religiously do NOT fit anymore! I am SO ready to be able to wear my normal clothes again!

Stretch marks: ..are hideous, ugly things.

Sleep: CRAPPY-which is why I look so tired in this week's picture. No matter what I do, I can't get comfortable. Or my hands fall asleep. Or I have to pee. Or I have HORRIBLE heartburn and am fumbling through the dark to get the Tums. Or I have insomnia and can't for the life of me fall asleep.

Best moment this week: Having Noah with us to celebrate Christmas! (Not physically here, but you know what I mean!)

Movement: He is still doing daily aerobics! Every once in a while, he will really kick me hard in the ribs and that HURTS!

Food cravings: Fruit-any kind!

Gender: Boy!

Labor signs: None-thankfully!

Belly button in or out: OUT!

What I miss: Being able to walk from my car to Target's front door without feeling like I just ran a marathon!

What I am looking forward to: Getting my hospital bag packed in the coming weeks!

Weekly wisdom: Ignore the stupid comments you hear from people telling you how big and fat you are. They come from sweet old ladies that don't mean any harm or naive little twits that don't know any better. Try to brush the comments off.

Milestone: Nesting has officially begun!

As much as I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore and have my body back, I think I'm going to miss being pregnant. I love always having Noah with me and feeling him move around. But I also can't wait to hold him and kiss his chubby cheeks!

My feet are now permanently swollen. My shoes are stretched out. I hope they don't stay big after Noah is born! AND this is really weird, but the creases in my armpits have turned dark. Like when you wear a black shirt all day and come home and take the shirt off and your armpits have black fuzz on them? You know? That's what it looks like, but it's not fuzz! The only thing that I can figure out is that I just have so much blood right now that it's just showing more through my skin? Remember when I was in the hospital and my blood was like dark purple/black when they drew it? That's what I'm thinking...

Anyway, back to work tomorrow morning after a four day weekend. My feet have really enjoyed this little break! Luckily I get another four day weekend starting Thursday!

The cheerio under my shirt

I mean, you can't even really see my belly button poking out, right? RIGHT?!?!!

Doctor's Visit

Noah and I had our bi-weekly appointment this morning. I've only gained three pounds since my last visit! YAY me! That brings my total to 37 pounds...that's ok I guess. Noah's heartrate was 154bpm. His head is still down and he's measuring right on track! I go back in two weeks!

That was the shortest, most uneventful doctor's visit I've had yet!

I probably won't post again until after Christmas, so I hope each and every one of you has a very Merry Christmas!!!

32 weeks

How far along: 32 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: I refuse to weigh myself anymore! I go to the doctor on Wednesday so I'll find out the dooming number then...

Maternity clothes: They don't really fit anymore. Nothing fits. Except Brad's tshirts, which aren't really suitable for work...SO I'm managing with what I have I guess.

Stretch marks: Same ole ones.

Sleep: Going ok, but getting increasingly uncomfortable.

Best moment this week: Getting to see Noah again on the 4D ultrasound!

Movement: He's still moving around like crazy all the time!

Food cravings: Still pigs in a blanket

Gender: Boy!

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out: Still out!

What I miss: Just feeling normal!

What I am looking forward to: Getting my house completely ready for Noah's arrival!

Weekly wisdom: Tums are seriously your best friends.

Milestone: 8 months! Woo Hoo!!

4D Ultrasound-Take 4!

Hey-guess what! Noah STILL didn't cooperate! He loves to snuggle up next to the placenta, so that's what he did the whole time this morning! We managed to get a couple of cute pictures of him with his hand up by his face, though.



Look at those chubby cheeks!

I know I'm a little bit partial, but I think he's the cutest baby I've ever seen! It's kind of weird to think that he is MY baby. Like, he's MINE. I don't have to give him back. I get to keep him forever! This last month and a half are going to drag by so slowly.

Christmas cards and Reece's Birthday

So now that our Christmas cards are out in the mail, I can show you what they look like! I had two major issues with the cards this year.

(1)-Before I ordered the cards, April and I were discussing where we were going to get them. She showed me a picture of the card she was going to use and I thought they were super cute! Now, most people know that I have a little obsession with anything damask. So when April showed me her card that had damask on it, she told me that I would realllly like it but that SHE was going to use it.

Now fast forward THREE days later. I was at my Mom's house watching football and I decided I should go ahead and order my Christmas cards. So I'm searching and searching and I come across a REALLY cute card. So I order it. Fast forward again to Monday morning. April comes in to work and I say, "Oh my gosh, I ordered the cutest Christmas cards! Let me show you!" I start to pull the card up on my computer and then it hits me......deja vu.......

I ordered the exact same freakin card she SHOWED me and TOLD me NOT TO USE!!! I am the worst sister EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear I didn't do it on purpose yall! It's the pregnant brain! I couldn't believe I actually ordered the card she showed me three days earlier and had no recollection of that conversation when I was ordering the stupid cards!

(2)- I can already tell that poor Bella is really going to take the back seat when Noah gets here. To a certain extent, she already has! Poor baby! And I swore that would never happen! I completely forgot to have her hair done for our pictures for the Christmas card. Her sister, Sophie (my Mom's dog and Bella's biological sister), just had her hair done and I seriously considered using her as a Bella stand-in for our pictures but Brad would have NONE of that! So poor Bella looks a hot mess in our Christmas card.

So without further ado......



Is my husband not the hottest thing you have ever laid eyes on? I mean seriously. Perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect skin. I could just eat him UP!

Ok, now to shift gears.....last weekend we celebrated my niece's 2nd birthday!

Reece, the birthday girl!


Me, April and our Mom

Go to April's blog and look at all the other party pictures (and the SUPER CUTE cake)!

Happy Hump Day!

The Christmas Quiz

I stole this quiz from K-Mom. I normally don't like doing the whole quiz thing, but I'm having a craptastic (I stole that word from April!) day and I thought it would make me feel better! So here you go:

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate:
I've tried egg nog once and thought it was completely disgusting...like drinking raw eggs with some cinnamon thrown in. So hot chocolate!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa wraps everything at my house, but I'm sure that will change once Noah gets here.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I have white lights on my tree and colored lights on my house. I like the big old-timey bulbs on the outside!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. I think that's a weird tradition anyway.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I try to get everything up the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, I haven't decorated a THING. Brad has done it all because I have ZERO energy!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
My grandmother's cranberry salad. It's fabulous! And I'll never turn down homemade mac and cheese!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
This is going to sound horrible, but I don't really have any outstanding holiday memories as a child...I can remember opening presents and such but nothing that really stands out. My parents divorced around Christmas time when I was little so my family wasn't really in the Christmas spirit during the holidays!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I think I was about 7 or 8 maybe? I heard some kids at school talking about it and I came home that day and asked my parents. They explained it to me, but I still left Santa some crackers on Christmas Eve, just in case!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Brad and I have a tradition of buying each other Christmas pajamas and opening them on Christmas Eve. Then we hop in the car with Bella, turn on some Christmas music and ride around looking at Christmas lights in our pjs.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
My first Christmas on my own (when I was 18), I went to Target and bought a ton of silver, neon pink, neon green and neon blue ornaments. So that's what is mainly on my tree, plus random ornaments I've collected over the years.

11. Snow. Love it or dread it?
Dread it. Snow means that I have to worry about pipes freezing at vacant rental houses.

12. Can you ice skate?
I've ice skated 2-3 times. I did an ok job then, but that was probably 10 years ago so who knows if I could still do it!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift ever?
My first radio sticks out in my mind. I even got the Space Jam soundtrack along with it...does that tell you how long ago that's been?

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Number 1 is making sure that I remember the reason for the holidays. Number 2 is spending time with my family!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Hmm....I don't think I have a favorite. If it has sugar in it, I'm in love. Add cream cheese and I'm in heaven!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Normally it's decorating the tree...but I didn't participate this year :( . But I also love waking up early and opening presents with my little family!

17. What tops your tree?
A sparkly star!

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving?
That depends. If I know I've found the perfect gift for someone that they will just LOVE, I'd much rather see the satisfaction on their face than receive something. But who doesn't like receiving gifts??

19. Candy canes: Yuck or yum?
I don't like peppermint candy canes, but I do like the cherry flavored!

20. Favorite Christmas show?
A Christmas Story. I had never seen that movie until about three years ago. Brad kept talking to me about it and I had no clue what he was talking about. He almost flipped his lid when he realized I had never seen it before! So we sat down and watched it and now I can't get enough!

21. Saddest Christmas song?
I'll Be Home For Christmas

22. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Hmmm...I don't really have a favorite. But I HATE that stupid Charlie Brown Christmas song!


There. Now I feel better. I made another appointment for a 4D ultrasound....it's this Friday. Woot Woot. I'm trying to be optimistic but I'm really not expecting anything different than what we've been getting. And Saturday, I'll be 8 months preggo! WOO HOO!! I think I can, I think I can....

31 weeks

How far along: 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 34 pounds

Maternity clothes: I'm starting to be more comfortable in Brad's tshirts!

Stretch marks: I know yall probably don't want to hear all this, but my butt it EAT UP with stretch marks! I mean it looks like I was malled by a cougar or something. But they are ONLY on my butt! And I don't think my butt has really gotten that much bigger! At least no one will see them but Brad...and he could care less!

Sleep: It's going better than it has been. I guess I'm sort of getting used to the weird positions I have to sleep in.

Best moment this week: Hearing that all is ok with Noah at the doctor.

Movement: He is still pretty active. He is head down and I'm pretty sure he's dropped, too. So I'm constantly getting kicks in the ribs!

Food cravings: Weird things like boiled eggs, pigs in a blanket, fried rice, etc.

Gender: Boy!

Labor signs: Nothing this week.

Belly button in or out: Out. I wish I would have taken pictures of my belly button at it's different stages. I don't know why I'm so fascinated by it. I'm weird.

What I miss: Having no hip/leg/bone pain!

What I am looking forward to: Meeting my son!! I can't WAIT for him to get here!!!

Weekly wisdom: It helps to have your showers a little on the early side, if you are OCD like me. That way, you have plenty of time to get everything situated and in it's place before the bambino arrives! And plenty of time to finish buying every little thing you need!

Milestone: Noah's first hiccups! (I can't remember if it was this week or last week....but let's just say this week!)

I also FINALLY uploaded last week's 30 week picture and attached it to that post. If you are lazy like me and don't feel like scrolling to find that post, here is the picture! You're welcome!

Doctor's Appointment

Everything went well this morning. I've only gained ONE POUND since last week! YAY me! I asked my doctor if he was concerned about my weight gain and he said that he wasn't really concerned about it but at this point I should have only gained about 20 pounds. I've gained 34. So he said to lay off the sweets as much as possible and avoid eating really big meals. He wants me to eat 6 small meals a day...so I'm going to work on that.

He also said that I could use Thermacare heat patches for my back pain! Yes! I was so excited! What else....oh I forgot to ask the nurse what Noah's heartrate was when she checked but I'm sure everything is fine with that. I also asked if Noah was still measuring big and my doctor said that he is measuring perfectly with my dates.....so we still have the same due date :(

Noah is head down now. I don't know if he will stay like that or if that's just how he felt like laying today.

I think that's pretty much it. I go back in two weeks!

Warning: The hormones are raging!

I. am. PISSED. SOOOOOO pissed. So I mentioned earlier about the letters that I ordered for Noah's nursery. Let me just fill you in on the whole story.

So on September 30th, I placed on order on beitesori.com for (4) 8x10 hand-painted canvases...each canvas would have a letter of Noah's name on it and each would be custom-painted to match his Migi Splash bedding. I paid $80.86 through Paypal to the company's owner, Lauren that same day. And on that same day, Lauren refunded my $80.86 and stated that she wasn't sure why I paid her that. I immediately emailed Lauren back and said that I had placed on order on her website, her website then referred me to her Paypal account and that's why I paid the money. The next day (October 1st), Lauren emailed me back and said that for some reason her website didn't pick up the order and she told me to try again.

So on October 1st, I placed the order again and this time, I got an email confirmation, along with a confirmation number from the website. The email stated that I should check the website for their current timeframes for completing orders....the website said 4-8 weeks.

On November 24th (the 8th week) I sent Lauren an email asking about the status of my order. I never got a response. On December 1st (the 9th week) I sent Lauren another email, this one a little more huffy, asking about the status of my order and I never got a response. There is a button on the website where you can check the status of your order and every time I check it, it says "On order".

Lauren, the owner, along with the website, has a blog, twitter and Facebook that she advertises from. I've checked the blog and twitter and she hasn't updated since October. And after some digging around on the internet, I found that she has a twin sister who also paints the same stuff and has a website-based business called greenmeadowlane.com. WELL on the sister's website (which coincidently uses the SAME pictures and format as Lauren's website) it states at the top that she is no longer taking orders because of her declining health and she is having surgery on the 11th, blah blah blah. The sister has an email on her website and she said that she checks it once a week, so I sent her an email asking for help at the end of last week. No answer yet.

SOOO then I went to Paypal for help. I tried filing a dispute against beitesori.com to get my money back BUT they wouldn't let me file it because the transaction took place more than 45 days ago. Well DUH there was a 4-8 week wait on the crap I ordered! So I'm pretty much SCREWED.

I filed a complaint with the BBB today, but I doubt that will do anything. I did some more digging on the internet and I think I have found Lauren's home phone number. I'm seriously thinking about calling it...

What do yall think? Any other suggestions on what I could do to get my money back?

30 weeks

How far along: 30 weeks....wow, seriously? It's weird how it seems like I've been pregnant forever but at the same time it's really flying by! I'm 3/4 done!
Total weight gain/loss: Up 33 lbs...according to my Mom's scale which HAS to be terribly terribly wrong...I go to the doctor on Wednesday for an official number.
Maternity clothes: So so so sick of them
Stretch marks: Same ones
Sleep: Sucks. I either can't find a comfortable position, my arm falls asleep or I have terrible heartburn.
Best moment this week: Getting to have two ultrasounds!
Movement: He's moving a lot....more during the day and less at night. Maybe he's getting his days and nights situated!
Food cravings: Sour candy
Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: Yesterday I sang on the praise team and had a couple of Braxton-Hicks contractions. SO....I officially went on maternity leave yesterday! I'm sad I'm having to take so much time off, but I am going to enjoy my break, too.
Belly button in or out: Out!
What I miss: Being able to stand up quickly or get out of bed quickly without much thought. Nowadays, if I jump up too quickly the lower part of my belly feels like it's pulling...almost like a cramp? Not fun.
What I am looking forward to: Moving into the next stage...having a baby and NOT being pregnant anymore!
Weekly wisdom: Flat shoes really are your friend...even if they are not as cute at the 5 inch heels.
Milestone: We are now in the 30s! I never thought I'd make it out of the 20s!

4D Ultrasound-Take 3

Noah, again, did not cooperate. For some reason, he doesn't want us to really see him until February! But we still got a few interesting pictures.

I love this one! Noah's perfect little toes! He has his Momma's feet, too!


Heartrate at 150bpm


Noah's hand and a blurry look at his face


This one is a little strange looking, but it looks like his eye is open!

I didn't schedule another appointment while I was there. I love seeing him, but I'm getting tired of having to go to the doctor every other day! And I'm sure my boss is getting tired of that too! Good thing he's my Dad and I can get away with it! The ultrasound tech (who is very patient and very nice) said that we could keep trying all the way up until delivery to get a good picture, so I'll probably try one more time. I don't know, we'll see.

In other baby related news, I ordered some 8x10 canvases with Noah's name written on them back in October to go in his nursery. And now it appears, after I've paid for them, that the online boutique is closed.....So now I'm trying to figure out what's going on and how I can get my money back. Didn't I go through enough drama with Noah's bedding?!? Geez...

4D Ultrasound-Take 2!

He takes after his mother, what can I say. Noah did a little bit better this time, but our ultrasound tech said she still wasn't satisfied with his pictures. So I'm going back AGAIN tomorrow! He is just so tempermental yall! I drank a Mountain Dew and everything and he still didn't cooperate! He even stuck his tongue out at the ultrasound wand because he was so tired of me moving back and forth, trying to get a good picture of him! So not only does he look like me, he acts like me, too! :o)

Strong heartbeat at 141 bpm

Even my Mom and April agree that he looks just like me! I'm so excited!

I love him so much already!


He's so cute!!

So, like I said, we go back tomorrow and HOPEFULLY the third time will be the charm!

29 weeks

How far along: 29 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Up 28 pounds

Maternity clothes: I'm sick of them. I'm ready to be skinny again and wear my normal clothes.

Stretch marks: Same ones, but they don't stand out as much as they used to for some reason.

Sleep: It's going ok. But I miss good sleep.

Best moment this week: Getting all of Noah's presents assembled/washed/put away. It won't be long now!

Movement: After our trip to the doctor, Noah must have realized he better start moving more. And he has been kicking me HARD all week long.

Food cravings: Fried rice....actually just the soy sauce. Anything salty really.

Gender: The ultrasound tech confirmed that he's still a boy!

Labor signs: I had a few Braxton-Hicks this week. Those aren't fun.

Belly button in or out: Out

What I miss: Feeling like a normal person...having energy, drinking 8 Mountain Dew's a day, wearing normal clothes

What I am looking forward to: Getting to see our son again tomorrow at our 4D ultrasound (take 2)! Pray he cooperates!

Weekly wisdom: I'm all tapped out.

Milestone: Passing our first non-stress test.

Hopefully Noah will show us his pretty little face tomorrow afternoon. I'm not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow after this long weekend. Usually I am ready to go back to work, but I'm just so tired and so tired of everything hurting all the time. I'm just getting to the point where I'm tired of being pregnant. It's bittersweet because on one hand I love feeling him move around in my belly and I love being about to go and come as I want, sleep when I want, etc. Then on the other hand, I'm so ready for him to be here so I can hold and cuddle him and I can feel more like a human.

So anyway, that's my pity party. I'll be better tomorrow.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving! We spent the first half of the day at my Mom's house and the second half of the day at Brad's Mom's. I weighed myself on my Mom's scale and I have officially gained back that one pound I lost while being sick! Eating all the great food we ate will do that to you I guess! Here are a few pictures...

My granddaddy and Mom

Reece (my niece), Mom and Griffin (my nephew)

Josh (my brother-in-law), Reece, April and me and Noah

Griffin and Peyton (my other nephew) guarding the food!

Stuffing our faces!

Then yesterday, we all almost had a heart attack watching the Iron Bowl. Bama came this close to losing...and you can see the worry in our faces as we were watching the game...

My uncle, Brad, me and Noah...he was really poking out!

Mom and I getting some sugar from Bella and Sophie

Bella has gotten really attached to me lately. She wouldn't leave my side all day!

Trying to keep Noah warm!

My step-dad, Doug and my step-brother, Douglas

This is my favorite picture of all! There was like a minute left in the game and Bama HAD to score a touch down to win. We were all worried!

Needless to say, Bama won!

Today, we have been decking our halls! And when I say we, I mean Brad! It literally took him two hours to pick out a Christmas tree today at Lowe's. He is so picky about his tree! If I wasn't so lazy, I would follow him around the house and take pictures for yall to see....but instead, I'm going to continue to sit in my recliner with my feet up! Blame the baby!

4D Ultrasound...Take 1

Noah's 4D ultrasound was this morning. He was his usual stubborn self so we didn't really get any good pictures of his face. But from what we did see, I think he looks like me! Everything still looks perfect, he's still very much a boy and his heartrate was 148bpm. We go back on Monday for Take 2!

Here, you are looking down on him from the top of his head. He has his hands propped behind his head, relaxing!


Checking his heartrate


The four chambers of his perfect heart


Strong, long legs kicking on my bladder!

He was acting like he was chewing gum the whole ultrasound. He has his mouth open in this picture!

The only half-way decent 4D picture we got of the little monkey. Don't you think he looks like me??

Noah's profile

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving yall! And remember to give thanks to the Giver of little miracles!

Our 2nd shower

Sunday, I had my second baby shower! It was hosted by my sister, April, and my friends Jenn, Brooke J, Rissie and Brooke D. We had a HUGE turnout and had SO much fun! Plus I got a T-O-N of stuff! I feel a lot more prepared for Noah now. Here are some pictures from the shower....

Yummy food!

I would be the only one eating in the picture...

Some of the ladies discussing baby things!

My good friend Donna made that cute diaper bag! She is so talented!

I am in LOVE with my Boppy!

Reece was my helper!

My sister's sister-in-law made that Christmas ornament! It has snowpeople on it and the girl snowwoman is pregnant! How cute?!?

My Mom and Reece reading Noah's baby book

I love opening presents!

Super cute blanket!

Next we played the toilet paper game! Kim won...she's in the green shirt and gray sweater!

Measuring my tummy...I was like 12 sheets I think? That's Rissie measuring me (one of the hostesses)...she does my hair-can you tell? Our hair is the same! Except I've got some serious roots going on in this picture!

Half of the room full of people (April to the left, then Brooke J)

The other half of the room...(Brooke D being goofy and covering her face and Rissie sitting in the floor in the pink)

All of my goodies!

So as you can see, we had LOTS of fun and got LOTS of stuff for Noah! Thanks to everyone that came!