35 Weeks

I'm almost over my cold now--still quite tired, but I'm breathing better now so that's good! This weekend is going to be a big "preparation weekend" for Tony & me. We plan to finish painting Owen's bookshelf and put it in his room as well as organize all of the fun gear, clothing, and other stuff we've gotten for Owen at recent showers. I've added a few new details to the nursery recently--some painted letters, a cross, and a few other things--so hopefully I'll also find some time to take some new pictures and post them next week. We're also going to pack our hospital bags and hopefully install the carseat. I also plan to finish sewing Owen's diaper bag & get some of his clothes washed. I'm sure there are a few more things I just can't think of right now that will sneak their way on the "to do list" as well :) Hopefully this list will get accomplished, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

The other night I woke up in the middle of the night for a potty break and when I came back to bed Owen was quite active--not unusual in the least, he almost always wakes up and starts moving around about 3am or so--but this time the movements felt a little bit different. It was almost like he was moving to a beat or something--then I realized, he had the hiccups! It was quite comical and I almost woke up Tony so he could feel (but then decided he probably wouldn't appreciate a 3am wake up call!) so I just layed there for a little bit feeling these rhythmic movements until he finally stopped and I went back to sleep. I'm sure he's probably had them before, but this was the first time I'd felt them and identified what they were so I was quite amused.

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35 Weeks: Only 5 left!

At about 20 inches and about 5 ½ pounds, most of your baby's growth over the next month before you meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from 1 pound to several), not height--baby's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department. Accordingly, baby’s fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days. Back in the middle of your pregnancy, your baby's weight was made up of only 2% fat; now that percentage has soared to closer to 15 % and will increase to 30 % at term. Which means your baby's once skinny arms and legs are now quite plump…and irresistibly, squeezably soft.

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is your baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain — the skull — remains soft. And for good reason: A soft skull will allow your baby to squeeze more easily through the birth canal.

Silly Margo!!!

I just HAD to share this picture of my crazy dog! Last night I was doing my pregnancy yoga video and Margo curled up and laid down right next to me...she was trying to get me to scratch her belly, but it looked like she was doing leg lifts with me. I coudn't stop laughing and I called for Tony to take this photo op...

Mountain Weekend

Pictures from our Mountain Weekend in Little Switzerland, NC--January 18-21, 2008

Cabin, Sweet Cabin

Sittin' by the fire :)

Lots of reading & napping on the couch for me!

Football for Tony (of course!)

Hiking in the snow

All bundled up--it was cold!

A few pictures on the porch...Sunset in the Mountains!!!

34 Weeks

A little late with the 34 week posting (what else is new?) but here's what's been going on...

This past Wednesday, some of my mom's friends had a surprise Grandmother Shower for her and it was a lot of fun. I had never heard of this before, but it was such a cute idea. They showered her with gifts to prepare for Owen to come and visit his grandparents' house. Some of the gifts included a few bottles, bibs, toys, pacifiers, some onesies, baby lotion, etc. They also went in together and got my mom a bouncer. Here are a few pictures of the shower...

A bib for "Mum's" House

Mama checking out her new bouncer...her friend Valerie was explaining the ropes :)

Some of mama's great friends & neighbors

Nikki--the AWESOME hostess

On Friday, Tony and I headed on one last trip before baby to my aunt & uncle's cabin in Little Switzerland, NC. We had a very relaxing long weekend reading by the fire, watching movies, hiking in the snow, napping (well, I napped--Tony watched football!) and we even took a day trip to Blowing Rock for lunch and a little bit of window shopping. It was quite cold up there--6 degrees on Sunday (!) but we had a lot of fun. We just got back yesterday so I will have to upload and post pictures of our trip later this week. It was such a nice, MUCH needed getaway and we are so glad that we took the trip. I did come back with a bit of a cold or something (boo!) I'm just not feeling 100%, but it's not too bad.

34 Weeks: The Honeydew Streak Continues...

Your baby could be as tall as 20 inches right now and about 5 pounds. Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate and, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! This week his testicles are making their way down from his abdomen to his scrotum. Your baby's fingernails now reach the end of the fingertips and may even curl over the tip. Growth is starting to slow, and baby may start descending into your pelvis at the end of this month.

1st Baby Shower!!!

Last Sunday, my dear friends Courtney, Stacey, & Cori threw Brianne and me a joint baby shower. Brianne and my due dates are 8 days apart & we're both having boys--Xan and Owen who will just be the best of friends...fun! fun! We invited our sweet neighborhood friends and some of our family too. We had such a nice time and our sweet hostesses did an absolutely WONDERFUL job...the food was great, the decorations were cute, and all the details were perfect. Courtney had an emergency with her dog and was unable to make it to the actual shower so she's not in the pictures, but she was a huge part of the entire thing. I am so grateful and blessed to have such AWESOME friends...I LOVE YOU LADIES!!!

Brianne & me--about to start opening gifts!

The lovely hostesses (minus Courtney)--they made us "bump" bellies, haha!

My mama & me

Me with my mama & my mother in law, Kelly

Some of our neighborhood friends

NEW Camera :)

Hooray, hooray! I got a new camera with some of my Christmas money...the Nikon D40 and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!! I cannot WAIT to take pictures of my precious baby Owen when he gets here :) Here are a few pictures of my family & I that we took when we went walking at Kennesaw Mountain one day behind the property where mom & dad are building their new house...

a great one of my parents

Heidi--my sweet family dog

Margo--she only LOOKS innocent!

Tony & Me

Matt, Mom, & Dad

30-33 weeks

Oops! a little bit behind ;) We were so busy over the Christmas holidays that I didn't make any time to blog.

We had SUCH a wonderful Christmas this year--we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and we had a great time celebrating with them. We had a relaxing New Year's Eve too --we stayed at home just the 2 of us and watched the festivities on tv...it was nice.

As for me, I'm feeling increasingly tired lately and having even more trouble sleeping at night (last night I only slept for 3 hours!) It is starting to wear on me, but I am trying to take naps as much as I can. For some reason I can get more comfortable during the day--which really doesn't help since I'm still working full time, but I only have 34 days left of work (unless dr. orders otherwise or Owen comes early) so I should be able to tough it out until then. Owen really loves to put his feet in my ribs these days--making it hard to breathe sometimes. Oh well, at least he's comfortable! ;)

We're kind of playing the waiting game these days...we're on the home stretch now--good grief, Owen's due date is only 7 weeks away!--finishing up details in the nursery, and other "getting ready for baby" types of things. We got our travel system (stroller, car seat, & base) a few weeks back--Baby Trend's Expedition LX Jogger and we LOVE it! It was on a great sale so we used some of the gift cards we'd been given to go and get it. Margo is of course terrified of it, so we put it in the dining room for her to get used to it...she's getting a little better, slowly but surely. For some reason, the picture doesn't post the car seat latched into the stroller, but here are separate pictures of the travel system. By the way, it was just a COINCIDENCE that we ended up getting red & black--but won't it look so cute at the UGA games anyways?! :)

I'm not going to post the 30-32 week baby facts since I missed blogging those weeks, but here are the stats for 33 weeks...

33 Weeks--Our lil' honeydew :)
(who feeling more like a watermelon by the way!!!)

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than 4 ½ pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows.

Your little one is acting more and more like a baby, with his eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. Also, more light penetrates the womb now, helping your baby differentiate between day and night. Baby has also reached an important milestone about now: The development of his own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I probably won't be blogging again for the next few days so... We pray that everyone has a happy & safe Christmas! May God bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Love,
Tony & Hannah

29 Weeks--Almost Christmas!!!

11 Weeks left to go and still feeling a little tired, but overall, pretty great! Decorating for Christmas this year has been a slow going with all else we have going on in our lives right now, but we've FINALLY finished decorating, HOORAY! Almost all of the decorations were up the day after Thanksgiving (and yes, even a small few done on Thanksgiving Day...as my mom gasps...I know, I know...she hates when decorating for Christmas takes place before T'giving has come and gone) However, for some reason, it took us forever to complete decorating the Christmas Tree and get the Christmas village set up. I guess the small task of working on Owen's nursery distracted us somewhat :)

We have 2 Christmas parties to go to this weekend--Matt & Amanda Hene's and then Tony's High School Crew's--as well as a birthday celebration for Chris (Tony's bro) and we're really looking forward to the fun packed weekend...and then after that...it's CHRISTMAS, YAHOO!!! It came so fast this year, I can hardly believe it's almost 2008, that's crazy! An even crazier thought, and this is so random, but last night Tony & I saw a commercial for American Idol (the new seaon starts on Jan 15 for any fellow addicts by the way...) and I asked him if he realized that by the time the 7th American Idol is named, we will have a kid. Okay, so yes I know, there's only 11 weeks until his due date so I better come to grips with this fact, but it's still so strange to wrap my mind around...

Well, I guess that's about it for this week! I'll close with a few pics of our house all decorated for Christmas followed by the usual baby update...he's a squash this week so that's kinda exciting, um I think?...

Our Christmas Tree

The fireplace & mantle...with my Willow Tree Nativity, I LOVE IT!!!

Our dining room table, I got this idea from Southern Living and I think it turned out really cute :)

Our Christmas Snow Village--look closely and you may be able to see the cute little people :)

Check out our miniature version of the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story...hehe, if you like this one, you should see my parents' FULL SIZED version in their front window, it's quite a trip!

Our outside lights :)

29 Weeks: Size o' a Squash
Your baby is almost 17 inches tall now (nearly as tall as he or she will be at birth), and close to 3 pounds (a weight that will likely more than double — and may even come close to tripling — by delivery time). His wrinkled skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin surface. This fat, called white fat, is different from the earlier brown fat that your baby accumulated. Brown fat is necessary for body temperature regulation while white fat (the fat that we have) actually serves as an energy source.

Which explains why your energizer baby feels so energized! Space in your baby's living quarters is now at a premium, so you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees mostly. But those kicks will be more vigorous than before (and also less erratic) because your baby is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli — movement, sounds, light, and that candy bar you ate half an hour ago.

Baby's baby-teeth buds formed weeks ago, but now the buds for permanent teeth are forming in his gums as well. And back to those kicks, who's counting? Actually, you should be. Now's a good time to start doing a kick count twice a day to make sure baby's doing just fine (plus, it's a good excuse for a rest). Lie down (preferably after a snack) and keep track of your baby's movements. You're looking for at least ten movements in an hour's time (don't forget to count movements of any kind — kicks, flutters, swishes, rolls, and so on).

A Mississippi Christmas

This past weekend we went to Mississippi for the Stimpson Family Christmas. (Tony's mom's side of the family). The entire family--minus his cousin, Karen--was there to celebrate. We had a gigantic traditional Christmas meal followed by lots of visiting, opening presents, and being entertained by the kids. Tony's cousin, Dan, and his wife, Robin, have 3 precious children--Reese, Charlie, and Banks and they were a lot of fun to be around--Charlie especially is a ball full of energy! Reese is such a little mama and big helper for her mama and Banks is a happy, relaxed baby. It was a short trip, but it was nice to see Tony's family because we haven't seen them in a while...and with Owen arriving soon, it will probably be quite a while before we take the trip to Mississippi again :) Here are a few pictures from our trip:(from L to R)
me, Pat, Robin, Kelly, Dan with Banks in his lap, and Reese on the floor

D showing off his gift from Kelly & Robert--
a picture of himself during his service in the military. Kelly had this picture restored and framed for him.

Dean multi-tasking: chatting & opening presents at the same time :)

Charlie playing with the box his remote control car came in--
I think he liked it more than the actual toy!

Reese taking her turn with the box

Tony's attempt to get a picture of the dogs--
Margo and D & Dean's very chubby dog, Sophie