16 weeks

This week I've been feeling great! I'm finally used to being pregnant. I have a lot more energy than I usually had. AND I decided to steal this little weekly survey from Erin...

How far along? 16 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: I'm up 3 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively...I can still wear a few of my old shirts.

Sleep: I slept pretty good this past week. I'm still trying to get into a really good sleeping position.

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at the doctor!

Movement: Sometimes I think I might feel it....

Food cravings: Anything sour, especially fruit and candy.

Gender: We still think boy, but maaaaybe girl.

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly button in or out? In, but definitely stretching it's limits.

What I miss: Two words...Red Bull

What I am looking forward to: Taking baby to his/her very first Alabama football game next weekend!

Weekly Wisdom: If you want to touch the belly, touch it. Do not scratch at it like it's a dog.

Milestones: I finally sorted through alllll my donated/borrowed maternity clothes this weekend! I don't think I'm going to have to buy ANYTHING!

Cause I'm super cool, that's why.

I got another award!! Thanks Leslie!

So I'm supposed to list the ten things I love....and they are.....
1. Jesus!
2. My husband
3. Our kids (Peanut and Bella!)
4. My family
5. My friends
6. Singing
7. Eating out
8. Watching tv
9. Christmas
10. Vacations!

And I'll be giving this super cool award to....
1. Lauren @ Details from the Dechiros
2. Courtney @ For This Little One We Prayed
3. Brooke @ TBMommy
4. Rachel @ Beautiful Life

Boy or Girl?

I stole this from Erin's blog. I've highlighted all the items that apply to me....so let's see!

It's a boy if:
You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
You are carrying the extra weight out front
Your belly looks like a basketball
Your areolas have darkened considerably
You are carrying low
You are craving salty or sour foods
You are craving protein -- meats and cheese
Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy
The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy
Your hands are very dry
Your pillow faces north when you sleep
Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you
Pregnancy has you looking better than ever
Your urine is bright yellow in color
Your nose is spreading
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles
You are having headaches
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number

It's a girl if:
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
Your left breast is larger than your right breast
Your hair develops red highlights
You are carrying high
Your belly looks like a watermelon
You are craving sweets
You are craving fruit
You crave orange juice
You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy
You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
Your face breaks out more than usual
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
Your breasts have really blossomed!
Your pillow faces south when you sleep
Your urine is a dull yellow color
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number

What the crap, right? That's what I said!! April said, "I told you so!" I still think it's a boy, but we'll see in a few short weeks!

My involuntary donation

If you live in Alabama, particularly in Tuscaloosa, I'm sure you've seen the pretty new state trooper motorcylces around town.



They've been patroling Tuscaloosa like ants at a picnic lately. Well, this morning as Brad was on his way to work he called to warn me about the 2-3 state troopers on the highway. "You better not get a ticket!!" he says. If you don't already know, I'm a notoriously fast driver. I always speed and always have...and have never gotten a ticket before! I think you know where this is going...

So...guess what you never want to see through your back windshield?



That's right. A pretty little state trooper on his pretty new little state trooper motorcyle. I tried my best to be cute and innocent yall. I even stuck my belly out and rubbed on it so he would see that I was pregnant. Who would give a cute, innocent, pregnant lady a ticket?? Especially when I've never had one before! THAT LITTLE PRICK-THAT'S WHO!!! He clocked me going 74mph in a 55mph zone-which honestly is just stupid because it was the interstate and there wasn't even any construction going on!! UHH!!

So you know what? When the state trooper's office calls my house asking for a donation, I'm going to tell them that I've already contributed $162 to the new motorcycle fund and they can SHOVE IT!

Spoiled

Spoiled: to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of by excessive indulgence

Does this look like excessive indulgence to you?


I don't think so!

Doctor's Appointment

Well, my doctor's appointment went well today. Here are my stats:

Baby's heartrate: 140bpm-If this baby isn't a boy, I will be SHOCKED!!! The nurse also said that she has never found the heartbeat so fast using a doppler...Woot Woot!
Weight gain: Up 3 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. 'Hubba hubba' says April!
Blood pressure: 160/80.....

My doctor's appointment was scheduled for 1:45pm. I had to meet some subcontractors at Lowe's at 1:00pm and they, of course, didn't show up until 1:20pm....At 1:40pm, I was across town from my doctor's office in a mad dash to get there as quickly as possible! I didn't make it to the doctor's office until 2:00pm....stupid slow drivers! Anyway, I went back and the nurse took my blood pressure. I glanced up at the screen and it said 160/80. Hmm. I text my Mom and my sister and they both tell me that that is realllly high and I need to talk to the doctor about it. CRAP!! So once my doctor came in, I told him what the blood pressure machine said and here is our conversation:

Me: My blood pressure was 160/80!!
Doc: That's high, but you are too early to be developing signs of pre-eclampsia.
Me: Well I was really stressed out trying to get here on time so that might have something to do with it.
Doc: I'll have the nurse check it again just to be sure. Nurse Betty, check Allison's blood pressure again. It was high earlier.
Nurse: No it wasn't, it was 106/80!

So basically, I'm delusional and got myself, my Mom and sister all worried about nothing!

BUT other than me being crazy, Mommy and Baby are doing great! Our BIG gender appoinment is set for Sept. 23rd!!!! YAY! Only 30 more days! And I'm sure the time will fly by with football season right around the corner! I'm really tempted to go ahead and buy the boy bedding I fell in love with over the weekend at Sugarfoot's...maybe I can talk Brad into it!

15 weeks

The weeks just keep on flying by! I am SO excited about my doctor's appointment tomorrow! This past week, I've had quite a few headaches...no fun. And sleep is slowly becoming more uncomfortable. I've always been a stomach sleeper. So obviously my growing belly is sort of preventing me from getting comfortable. I've been trying new sleeping positions, but I can't really find a comfortable one. And I have a body pillow plus two other pillows, but I guess I'm just going to have to keep trying new things until I find something that works.

Sour foods are still my number one craving. In fact, I'm about to leave to go to Publix to buy some lemons! I've tried just lemon juice (like in the little plastic lemons) but it's not sour enough! I want it so sour that my face twists up! Ok, my mouth is watering now...

Did I tell you already how excited I am that I'll be scheduling THE DATE that we will find out what this peanut is tomorrow?!?!???!?!?!!

AND football season starts in two weeks! Woot Woot! Brad and I are going to Alabama's opening game in Atlanta. Brad is pumped about the football game; I'm pumped about going to the aquarium in Atlanta!

Ok, I'm off to the store to buy those lemons. Happy Sunday!

Baby updates

I've discovered a new craving...



Lemon juice! I love it! I bought one of those little plastic lemons with lemon juice in it from the grocery store and I'll walk by the fridge and just 'take a swig' as my grandmother would say! And then Sunday, I ordered catfish for lunch...and a bunch of lemons. I squeezed the juice into a bowl and dunked my catfish into it! YUMMO!

AND I don't remember if I've posted about this yet, so I apologize if I already have. But the baby pretty much HATES when I sing. I feel like he/she is just pushing me from the inside, telling me to stop! I can hardly sing on the praise team anymore because by the end of it, I'm in pain!! But as soon as I stop singing, the baby stops pushing on me! So I don't know how much longer I'll be able to sing...

A couple of you have asked me about baby names! Brad and I had our baby names pretty much picked out before we ever got engaged. If the baby is a boy (which we think it is) his name will be Noah Taylor...Noah because we wanted something biblical and Taylor because that's Brad's middle name. If the baby is a girl, her name will be Emma Faith and we will call her both names...Emma because I just like that name and Faith because that's MY middle name!

I'm still counting down the days until I go to the doctor again. He told me at my last appointment that they wouldn't do an ultrasound at this coming up appointment, but I still get to hear the heartbeat. 6 more days!

14 weeks

Wow. Even typing 14 weeks seems strange. I don't know what's so magical about that number, but it seems like such an accomplishment to me for some reason! All of the symptoms that I was experiencing before have all disappeared! I feel like a new woman! These days, I'm just feeling gassy and clumsy! I feel like I drop things constantly. I was browning some ground beef earlier today and I kept knocking pieces out of the skillet! I thought pregnant women were notoriously clumsy because of their big bellies, but it's almost like I just can't hold on to anything anymore! I'm sure I can make it to the end of this pregnancy now. You hear about the symptoms of the first trimester and the emotions most women feel, but I guess I just wasn't prepared for how different and hard it was going be! I'm SO glad that's all over now!

I still feel like the baby is a boy. As far as movement goes, I'm not sure if I'm feeling anything in there or not. Sometimes I really think I feel the baby move, and other times I think I might be imagining it. AND my belly button is looking mega weird! It's starting to stick out a little in the middle!

I am LOVING pregnancy these days! I can't WAIT to go to the doctor in a week!

Show Us Your Life-Fav Vacation Spot!

This week's theme is....Favorite Vacation Spot! My all time favorite place to go on vacation is Jamaica! I've been going since I was 4 or 5...

April and I....(She hates this picture!)


So the last time I went to Jamaica was on my honeymoon, so I'm going to post more pictures of that trip!

Beautiful before you ever land!


Our room at the Sandals in Ocho Rios. The bed was comfortable...the pillows-not so much!


The view from our room

And the view down the hall from the outside of our room. The individual rooms had air conditioning but from the hallway and throughout the rest of the resort, everything was open to let the tropical breeze blow through!

Sandals is an all inclusive resort so you don't have to pay for food! That was great! This was one of our favorite restaurants, San Gennaro. We ate there the first and last nights of our honeymoon.

The resort had three main areas where everyone ate and shopped at, but in between those places were TONS of tropical flowers and animals!

Going out to dinner again!

We also did excursions just about every day we were there. This is a picture of us rafting down the Martha Brae River. We also climbed Dunn's River Falls, snorkelled, floated down the Raging River and swam with the dolphins! The excursions MADE the trip for us. Each one really felt like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience!

I HIGHLY recommend Jamaica! Just be careful that you select a reputable resort. All of the Sandals Resorts in Jamaica are wonderful, but they are the only resorts I can speak for down there. And I wouldn't venture away from the resorts (except for the excursions that the resort will book for you) because some parts of Jamaica are very bad, crime-wise.

If I had to choose a second favorite spot, it would be Las Vegas! Brad and I have been there twice and loved it both times! So much to see and never enough time to see it all!

Happy travelling!

Intelligender

I just realized that I haven't blogged since Monday! Sorry yall! Ok, so I caved and bought the ridiculously expensive Intelligender test yesterday. The test requires first morning urine so I had to wait until this morning (at 2:37am to be exact!) to take it.




And it said we are having a...................................



BOY!!!!! So maybe my hunch was right all along! It seems like EVERYBODY thinks I'm having a girl (including the majority of you guys reading this, according to the poll on here)!

I didn't tell April the results until she got to work this morning. She is convinced I'm having a girl, while I'm convinced I'm having a boy. We wore our team colors to work today (and didn't even mean to)!

I can't believe I'll be 14 weeks on Saturday! It's going by so fast! My next doctor's appointment is in a week and a half.....and then I'll officially schedule the BIG gender appointment so we can FINALLY know for sure what this baby is! I absolutely cannot WAIT!!!!

13 weeks

The past week has been great for the most part! I got a little nauseaous/dizzy/not feeling well this past weekend, but overall I am LOVING the second trimester! We registered for a few classes at the hospital this week too-Preparing for Childbirth, Caring for Your Infant and Beginning Breastfeeding! I'm so excited! I really wish we could find out what the baby is right now! I feel like I'm just twiddling my thumbs, waiting to decorate the nursery and max out our credit cards with baby stuff!

Anonymous

Nothing hacks me off more than an anonymous commenter. If you really stand behind what you are saying to someone, you should be able to put your name on it. But instead, you act like a coward and won't let anyone know who you are-probably because you are so high in society and smarter than the average lowly human that you dare not state your name in order to not make us lowly humans feel bad about ourselves. Right? Or maybe you are just a pathetic loser who has nothing produtive to do with their time, you know, other than harassing fellow bloggers. And thanks for the links, by the way. How thoughtful of you to go so much out of your way to look up multiple websites for me to see how much of a "hoax" something is. So because you were so thoughtful in giving me advice, let me give some to you...GROW UP, stop leaving stupid anonymous comments on my blog, and GET A LIFE!

Ear Candles

Have yall ever heard of ear candles? I bought them from an organic food store in town-Manna Grocery. This sounds gross but you use them to clean deep inside you ears!

Here is an ear candle...


The pointed part of the candle goes into your ear (as you will see from my lovely model below).


And just light the other end of the candle. We put the candle through a paper plate just in case any of the burnt candle falls off.


And it always helps to have a little helper!


The candle will make popping noises inside your ear...that's how you know it's working!


And just burn the candle until it reaches the pre-printed line on the candle that tells you to stop. It takes about 5-10 minutes to burn down.


When it reaches that point, blow out the flame!


And then if you want to be realllly gross (like us!) cut the top of the candle off and dump the insides out into a sink filled with water to see what all came out of your ear! It's pretty interesting!

AND you don't even realize how clogged your ears are until you've done it! We try to do it about twice a year and it feels really good to have clean ears!

Ok, I promise I won't post anything else gross for a while! Happy Saturday and Happy 2nd Trimester to Me and Baby!! (I dreamed the baby was a boy last night!) 13 week picture and post coming soon!

Show Us Your Life

This week on SUYL, the theme is Wedding Receptions and Honeymoons! I'm going to go ahead and warn you that I am about to OVERLOAD you with pictures!

Our reception was held at the Four Points by Sheraton here in town.


It was gorgeous! There was a lot of dancing..

and eating!! This is my-if you put this cake in my face, I'll kill you-face!

Brad's cake

My cake...which was SUPPOSED to have flowers on it!

And now for the honeymoon! We spent a week in Ocho Rios, Jamaica at the Sandals Resort! Pure BLISS!



Rafting down the Martha Brae River!

Who would have known that a little over a year later, we would be expecting!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Preggie Pop Drops are the BOMB. And yes, I know I'm huge. Thanks.

I've been awarded!!

Janae at McDonough Family Life awarded me with my very first bloggy award! I'm so excited! So go on over to her blog and show her some LOVIN!!!




And now I'm going to award a few people of my own! Drum roll please...................


April @ The Fabulous Five
K-Mom @ The Mommy Diaries
Brooke @ TBMommy
Erin @ Hoping for our own Peanut
We're Expecting!


So there you go!