35 weeks 2 days.

So, I know it's been SO long since my last post. Life has been crazy!

Here's my belly back at 29 weeks. Hubby and the pup wanted to get in on it. Haha.

A few days after that picture, I headed out to visit my family and see my new, precious, beautiful niece! I spent 2 weeks there getting lots of baby practice and snuggle time. It made reality set in a bit and got me all excited that there were only 10 "short" weeks left!

my "30 week" shot.

Dan surprised my sister and brother-in-law and came out to meet the baby, too! Then, we drove home together... Let me tell you, a 9-hour drive makes your feet and ankles swell and it is pretty cute. *rolls eyes*

31 weeks.

When we got home we had about a week and a half before my in-laws came for a visit! While they were here they got so much done around the house/in the nursery. I say "they" got things done because I felt like a useless blob... Pretty much all of what they were doing was painting and all those fumes for a pregnant girl are a no-no. If the painting was spread out a bit maybe I could have helped, but it was all in a two day span! I am so grateful for all their hard work!!

Here are a few pictures of the dresser that got painted and how we ended up finishing it off. And for those of you who think it's a conspiracy and that we "know it's a boy"...you are wrong! Girls can like blue, too! 

This is a "before" pic:

And this is "after:"

This is the beautiful glider that grandma and grandpa bought for Skittle!

Here's my 33 week picture... I forgot 32. Woopsie!

Nothing exciting has happened since they left, so all I have is belly pics.

34 weeks.

And 35 weeks! I can't believe we potentially have 5 more weeks for my belly to grow... I feel like it's reached it's limits! Haha

28 weeks 4 days

I can't believe we're already almost at 29 weeks! Those last 2 trimesters FLEW by and I know this one will be no different. Sleeping is getting more and more difficult... not just because of my belly, but the baby LOVES to kick the bed. Actually, the baby loves to kick pretty much anything that pokes at or gets in the way of where he/she wants to be. We're already seeing a personality and I absolutely love it! I think this baby is going to give us a run for our money!

"Big sister" is getting in some practice with cuddling. She likes to come up and nuzzle my stomach and I think it's adorable!

Here is my belly at 26 weeks.

And at 27 weeks... I can officially no longer see my feet!

We had another ultrasound (at 27 weeks 6 days) to track baby's growth.The tech was getting a little frustrated because Baby is... let's say a "little stubborn" and kept moving to kick the probe. Of course, a trait that comes from dad. Haha. As far as growth goes, everything is great... Baby is RIGHT in the average zone! He/She right around 53% right across the board (Approximately 2lbs 9 oz). Let's just hope it stays that way! We got another 3D pic and with a little fat on those weeks, the baby looks so much like daddy. I have been so curious to know what features Skittle would inherit from us and I think most of them are from dad... and I'm completely fine with that! Also, I think I see dark hair on those eyebrows, but we'll see in a few, short months.

Here is the pic.

I made a side-by-side comparison so that you could see how much this looks like Dan when he was a baby.

And here is a 28 weeks picture. This was first thing in the morning, so you can see that I'm still carrying very low! (just excuse the tired, morning face)

I can't wait to meet this little baby! It makes me cry every time I think about what it took to get to this point and I remind myself every day not to take one second of this process for granted. I know so many people who are dying to be in my shoes (I was, not too long ago) and I am so thankful for every bit of my pregnancy.  Our baby is going to come into the world surrounded by so much love.

25w 6d (Overdue Update)

So, I've been bad and haven't updated this in almost 6 weeks... We've been pretty busy around here, I guess!

Now, let's see if I can remember what happened in the past 6 weeks. Lol. I had jury duty... and got out of it! Thank you criminals for pleading "guilty." Here's my outfit from that (also my 21 weeks picture). I had no "business casual" clothes and I wasn't going to go buy some. I ended up remembering that I had bought this dress a while back on clearance... It was a little big, but served its purpose.

I didn't take a "22 weeks" picture because I forgot, but I did get a lot of pictures that week for our baby showers! We had such a great time in NY with all of our family and friends celebrating this new chapter in our lives. Everyone was SO generous! We're definitely on our way to "well prepared!" This was our car on the way home... pretty packed as you can see! Definitely glad we got the big car before our trip.

 Here are some of my favorite pictures from the showers. It was very hot and humid for outdoor parties, but we toughed it out! 

And my "23 weeks" picture (all dressed for a girls' day out with one of my best friends)... the thick belt makes my belly look VERY round in this one, I think:

The rest of these are just "week " shots. Nothing has really happened in the nursery (hopefully this week we can get started again) and right now I'm just organizing all of the cute, little stuff that make babies that much more fun!

24 weeks:

25 weeks (You can tell I took this in the morning before eating, because my belly is not really round... You CAN see how low I'm carrying, though.):

And here's one of the "Big Sister" cuddling. I had to share because I think it's adorable.

That's all for now! Hopefully, I'll stay on top of this better in the upcoming weeks... Oh, and thank God the third trimester is just right around the corner!

The Halfway Mark!

Today, I am 20 weeks pregnant... officially half way! It feels good to finally be in the second half of my pregnancy. Besides being tired, pregnancy has been pretty good to me - I just can't wait to meet this baby! I'm excited to hold him/her in my arms, stare at those little hands and feet I get to see on the ultrasound screen and get to share the experience of being a parent with Dan (he's going to be so great at it). 

Leena's excited, too! She loves sniffing around in the baby's room and sleeps outside the door. We're really hoping that she likes the baby as much as his/her room! Haha.

We COULD have found out the gender the other day, yet gain, but we were strong and declined. I'm very proud of myself, you know... I have to give myself a pep-talk every time. I tell myself, "you only need a few minutes of strength until you're out of the doctor's office." It gets me through the appointment and then I am okay until next time.

Here are a couple pictures from the ultrasound! Our baby is pretty adorable already. I can't stop looking at the pictures!

This is a standard ultrasound pic. The baby's nose looks HUGE, but we saw a lot more profile shots during the scan and I'm happy to say that it was a weird shadow or something. lol

This picture is the best! It's a 3D picture that the ultrasound tech was nice enough to get for us. Apparently getting a shot this good at this gestational age is SUPER difficult. The nurse and doctor were congratulating the tech on her skills...and so were we! Now, we have this awesome little face to look at in anticipation. I'm completely in love.

And here's my 20 week picture. Seeing all the pictures side-by-side I don't see much of a difference, but at the end it'll be cool to look at them all and see the change!

19w 2d

In the past couple weeks, not much has been done on the baby front. We finally got the quilt that I ordered for Skittle's room. I absolutely love it! I think it's the perfect gender neutral mix.

Other than the quilt, week 18 was pretty uneventful. (Leena had to get in on this picture)

Exciting news from last week! I've been feeling the baby move (inconsistently, but still there) since about 15 weeks. This week I felt my first real kicks! It's seriously so cool! I know every new thing is the most exciting thing... but this is definitely the most exciting part so far. I love feeling those little (soon to be big) thumps in my belly. I want to cry every time knowing that's our little miracle. Dan said, "the baby is kicking because they already hate the little prison they're in." My response was, "did you just call my uterus a prison?" He just concluded with "yes." Husbands... Am I right? haha. 

This is my 19 week picture.

We went to a wedding on Saturday and this is a picture Dan took.

We have our "20 week scan" this week, so I'm pretty excited to get some more pictures of the baby!

17w 3d

This week my parents came to visit! My mom and I painted the baby's room. Well, more like 3/4's since one of the walls is under construction. I love the color! (The picture with the closet door is a more accurate color than the one with the window.)

As soon as the wall was painted, Dan got impatient and wanted to put the crib up. It was a gift from my parents so I'm glad they got to see it up! 

And then he wanted me to put the mattress and a sheet in the crib. He added a couple stuffed animals... I think it's cute that he's started "nesting." This is probably going to be all that happens for the next few months, but at least we can feel a bit accomplished until I start freaking out because nothing is done. Haha.

We bought a couple things at yard sales this weekend... one was this broken toy that my awesome husband fixed. :)

And here's my belly! :) Not much changed... I just got a little more round up at the top. These are just 17 week pictures because I forgot to take one for 16.

15w5d Ultrasound

Today, I was able to see our little baby. It was one of the most amazing things seeing him/her squirming all over. I got to see their brain, heart, bones and umbilical cord. Last time we had an ultrasound, the baby was so small... I couldn't believe that this life is growing inside me and that in 6 months, they'll be in my arms! Dan wasn't able to make it with me today. I can't wait for our next one so he can see everything firsthand. Here are 2 shots from the "photoshoot!" 

This picture is obviously a profile shot. Look at that cute nose! You can also see the brain in this one. So amazing.

And here are the little feet! All 10 toes are present. :)