35 Week Belly Picture

After a busy weekend, it was really nice to sleep in a little bit this morning and be lazy around the house. I didn't do much of anything except run to Walgreen's to pick up my vitamins and my Christmas cards. I had to go up the high school for about 2 hours for Boy's Basketball practice and then back home. It was a beautiful day here today. To bad I was too tired to get out and enjoy it. It was 65 degrees and sunny. I felt really weird to be out in mid December in pants and a t-shirt and drive with the window down, listening to Christmas music.

I think she has started to drop a little bit. I have noticed more movements lower in my belly and looking at the picture I really do think that she is hanging lower too. I hope she is starting to move to the head down position.

Stupid Stretch Marks!!! I started getting them last week down on my lower belly and on my sides a little bit. I have been using the stretch mark lotion every day for several months but I don't think I can hold them back any longer. I just hope they don't get too much worse!

So this weeks email from Web MD says that she is 20.5 in long and just over 5.5 lb which is pretty much what the doctor said at my appointment last week. As of now her lungs are almost developed completely although, because I had the steroid injections at about 25 weeks, they really should be much more developed than someone that has not had them so I think she should be good. And then the only other thing developing is toenails of all things :) So now she is just putting on the weight and we will get to meet her very soon. 5 more weeks!!!

Kennedy's Room!

Today we had a group of our friends over for brunch and then the boys watched some football while the girls got the baby's room decorated. (The guys helped a little hanging the blinds and the curtain rod) We had such a good time and it turned out fantastic! Kennedy is going to LOVE IT!!!!


Her little bear blankie that Lisa,a mom at the high school, gave her and Missy, the volleyball coach, embroidered with her name on it...

The Crib with the flowers on the wall.

The window, the changing table and the rocker. We also put up a couple things on the wall and decorated with ladybug decals.

Her closet... Still a bit messy but it will come around soon.

The inside of her crip with her musical mirrow and her ladybut teddy bear that Grandma and Grandpa gave her.

Now there is only a few things left to do. I have to pack my hospital bag, put the car seat in, get a pediatritian and probably some other stuff but that is the big stuff I know of right now.

Vanderbilt Christmas Party.

Last night we went to my work Christmas Party. We haven't got to go since the first year we were here because I had basketball games last year. We had a really good time hanging out with all of the trainer and some of the physical therapists. And, its fun to get all dressed up and go out together. Although, it is definitely not as easy as it used to be. Tom had to help me put on my panty hoes because I could not reach to pull them up. I got them over my toes and then I had to teach him how to pull them up and he got them up to my knees for me so I could do it the rest of the way.

Tom and Me (and Kennedy) in front of the Christmas tree.

34 Week Belly Picture

Sorry, it has been a really FAST week. I don't know where the time went. But, we took a 34 Week belly picture last Monday and I never seemed to find time to get these up. This past week and a half I have been pretty busy with high school stuff and we have been working hard on trying to get the baby's room together.


Wednesday, we had our 34 week doctor's appointment and all went well. My fundus, the height of my belly from top to bottom, measured at 34.5 cm which the doctor told us was perfect for this time. It is supposed to be 1 cm per week +/- 2 cm. She said that Kennedy was probably about 5.5lbs and 19 in long.

I asked her to feel around in there and tell me what position she was in and she says Kennedy is still in the head up position but by my 36 week appointment she should be head down. At the next appointment they will do a Strep B test and then an internal exam to check her position. If she is still breech they may try and flip her but I am not sure when they will do that.

So, tomorrow I turn 35 weeks so I will try and get the new pictures up because I only have to work for a couple hours.

Kennedy's hiccups...

Last night I was sitting and watching TV and I started to feel the baby moving. I have been trying to get her hiccups on a video for a while now so before I sat down I grabbed the camera. I got it turned on and was able to record about a minute of good hiccup action. After the hiccups she started moving around like crazy, unfortunately every time I had the camera on she stopped so I didn't get the crazy belly spasms on film but man was she active last night...

Enjoy...

Tour of Labor and Delivery...

Last night Tom and I got to take our tour of the Labor and Delivery area. I was really looking forward to it because it means that it is just that much closer to us being able to meet Kennedy. We got there a little before 5:30 and sat and waited. There were about 9 couples with us and some of them brought quite an entourage with them. You would think that most of the people wanting to take this tour would be first time parents who don't have a clue, like us, but there were people that brought their little kids in strollers and their parents and it was a lot of people in a little room!

Besides being frustrated and annoyed by the amount of people there and the screaming little kids, we did get to learn a few things that we wouldn't have known otherwise. We learned where we need to park and enter the hospital depending on what time and day we go into labor. Also, that there is a separate room for Labor and Delivery and then post partum. The rooms all have wireless internet so we will be able to bring our laptop. Tom seems to think it would be a good idea to Skype the birth... not sure if I agree with him on that one! :) Although, it will be nice to be able to email pictures and update the blog from the hospital room.

We also learned the limits on visitors in the rooms during labor and after the birth. We are only allowed 2 people plus the support person during labor and 4 visitors after the birth. It was also nice to know that the baby will have the option to stay with us in the room at all times and doesn't have to go to the nursery. We also have to find a pediatritian soon which I forgot about. All in all, I think it was a good idea to do the tour however, I wish there would have been a smaller group.

Wednesday, we went and picked up the crib and dresser/changing table from Dr. Rummo, the physician I work with at the high school. It is a really nice set, it looks barely used!! He also gave us several other items that we are so excited about. It is really nice that we were able to collect so many hand me downs so that we were not hit with all of those expenses. We have got he dresser in the room and are now just waiting to figure out how to get all of the computer attatchments set up in the spare room to move the desk so that we can set up the crib and get on our way with finishing up the nursery. I can't wait to get it done and share the pictures with everyone. It is going to be a bit crowded so its a good thing that she is going to be itty bitty anyway!

33 Week Belly Picture

This week was really nice being able to spend most of it at home with Tom... Cooking the Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. I really didn't do too much but I guess that I was on my feet in the kitchen a lot throughout the day. Unfortunately, my back pain has come back in full force, except that now it is on my right side instead of my left. Sleeping the last few nights have been very uncomfortable. I only sleep about 20-40 minutes at a time before I need to roll over to the other side. The rolling is almost worse than staying on the hurt side. I usually have to get up and use the bathroom anyway, so yes I am peeing at least 6x/night!! Tell me that's not annoying. I was telling Tom the first night that I can sleep on my back again, I don't think anything will be able to wake me up!

Of course it is not all bad. I have actually felt her moving a lot lately except the moving is feeling a lot different now. I still feel the occasional kick in the side but now it is more rolling and shifting feelings. She has also gotten the hiccups a few times which is really neat to watch and to feel.

Do you like my saggy pants? I have gone up from a Medium to a Large. The Mediums are too tight and the Larges are too big, but I am choosing comfort over fashion right now. I can't breath well as it is, tight pants don't help!

The belly button is still hanging in there and my line is gradually getting a little darker. I can tell that I am still growing because the skin on my lower sides is feeling really tingly and sensitive to even the touch of my clothes.

My weekly e-mail says that she is now 19.4 in. long and weighs about 4.4 lb. She should be gaining about .5 lb per week now. I really can't believe that we are getting so close to the delivery. It is so exciting yet so scary at the same time. We are looking forward to our tour of the Labor and Delivery area this Thursday!

Where's Shirley?

We should write a children's book with the "Where's Waldo" theme and name it Where's Shirley? She loves to cuddle up under her blankies.


Her favorite is this brown, soft blankie... Her only problem is that this is Riley's favorite too and Riley likes to play the part of the annoying little sister and steal it off of Shirley and try and play with it. Riley also likes to steal it when Tom or I am covered up in it.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

Friday, after laying around most of the morning, Tom and I decided that we would go ahead and get our decorations up so we could enjoy them for that much longer... It's not often that we are both home at the same time for several days in a row so we took advantage of it!!


We were the first on our block to get them up. It only took Tom a little less than an hour to get this done. I think it looks great and it inspired a couple of our neighboors to get their lights up too!!! All we need now is some cooler temperatures... Tom was doing this in his pants and a t-shirt!

Our mantle with a warming fire and our lit Christmas Tree... It is so cozy in the house now. I wish it could be Christmas all year round!

My collection of snow globes has taken over most of the living room. They are going to have to start spilling into other rooms next year, I think.

Happy, Day After, Thanksgiving!!!

This is the first Thanksgiving that Tom and I have spent just the two of us. At first it was a little sad that we couldn't be with our family but we soon found out that it was going to be a really good day. We got up and I cooked some breakfast, I made pull apart cinnamon bread, and then when it started we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.







While we were watching the parade I was also preparing a couple of casseroles for dinner and working on crocheting a blanket.

Shirley is quite the cuddle girl!!

The "Pop Rock" Puppies...


Tom's mom likes to give pop rocks to babies when they get a little older and laughs when they pop in their mouths. Tom decided it might be funny to give some to the dogs and see what they do with them. Well, they were so excited that they were getting a treat the popping didn't bother them much and I really don't even think they started popping until they got in their belly. You can hear a little popping if you listen closely. All in all, it wasn't that funny after all but the dogs liked the sugary treat :)

Our Thanksgiving Feast for Two...I made a turkey breast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, broccoli casserole and biscuits. We also had a homemade apple pie and homemade ice cream for dessert. We ate about 5 o'clock and spent the rest of the night by the fireplace watching TV. We are so thankful that we are able to spend so much time together this long weekend and most of all that we are going to be welcoming our little baby girl into this world in about 7 weeks. She is going to be sooo worth staying home for the holidays this year!

The puppies got a plate of Thanksgiving Dinner after we were done eating and then they were pooped out...

We are going to attempt to get some decorating done for Christmas today but we are still both tired from yesterday. We will see what gets done!