TYPSDWP - Part V

Since BabyHayes could come any day, now, this might be my last chance to recap some Things You Probably Shouldn't Do While Pregnant. So...here we go!

1...Let your supply of sweets get low or depleted entirely. If so, you'll be found scrounging around the pantry only to end up with an M&M filled candy cane from your Christmas stocking. While it does the trick for satisfying your sweet tooth...you'll be wondering if you should have looked for an expiration date before franticaly ripping the cane in half to devour the goods. (so far...so good :))

2...look at other people's thermostats. If you are feeling a little clammy and just so happen to glance at the thermostat, you might see a note such as the one listed below. 76 degrees. Under normal circumstances this would warrant no extreme response. But while you're watching your extremeties swell like sausages...this will not stir up nice feelings and you'll start looking for surveillance cameras that are going to capture you breaking all rules and adjusting the temp.

3...overthink your decision to ask the chef if they could make an exception to the dinner menu and serve you pancakes (and milk) for dinner. You won't regret that decision. Not one bit. 

4...full-frontal hug another preggo. Things just get in the way. Stick to the awkward side-hug. 

5...think that elevating your feet above heart level to decrease cankles is an easy task. You'll need all the reinforcement pillows you can find. Or a massive exercise ball. Either way....HOLY FEET and cankles.....these puppies are just unacceptable. Oh and another thing, don't think you won't feel the upper portion of your foot jiggling around when you walk. Because you will. Gross...but true. And I have to speak the truth. 

6...volunteer your husband to demonstrate what it looks like to wear scrubs in the Operating Room just because no one else would volunteer in baby class.  He might reprimand you later ;) (Please note the amazing faces of the other women. Clearly, they are impressed with the scrub-wearing demonstration, also).

7...also in regards to baby class, be prepared for childlike behavior and comments to surface when bringing your husband along to the breastfeeding portion of the class. Things could get interesting. And the baby he chooses for you to practice on may 1) resemble a turkey and 2) look a little bit to nothing like your future child. 

8...forget that you're 9 months pregnant while dancing at your sisters bachelorette party. Don't try to mimic the moves the girls around you are doing so you can look somewhat cool and like you really do know how to dance to techno music. It doesn't look the same anymore. Just make a lot of funny faces and shuffle safely from side to side. Don't hold your back like pictured below. The bouncer will most certainly come to you on the dance floor and ask if you need any water in fear that you'll go into labor on his newly waxed dance floor. While that is exceptional service on his behalf...it's a great reminder that HEY...this probably isn't the best idea you've ever had.

9...be afraid to utilize your belly for a TV tray. It's great for bowls of cereal, oatmeal and cups of tea. I'm gonna miss this luxury. 

10...become too envious when you find out about the "Royal Treatment" that was given to women who gave birth the same day as Duchess Kate. This really upset me to have missed out. I have now added to my packing list: tiara and sparkly necklace, as I want to be glammed up like this woman minutes after giving birth. Obviously. 

38 Weeks

How far along: 38 Weeks 

Baby’s size: ~20in and 6lbs...but let's be honest, they don't really know. And the movement I feel at times indicates he's about 15lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: Entirely. And Justin's big t-shirts. And my robe. 

Sleep: Waking up SO often to use the restroom. I lose count some nights. I feel so bad for my poor feet, because when I take my first few steps after getting out of bed, they feel bruised and extremely sensitive, making me "waddle" all the more. I know they must totally enjoy me laying down and taking the weight off of them that wears them out during the day! The good news with sleep, however, is that heartburn issues have improved since he's dropped a little lower. This is gooooood :)

Best moment of this week: We were blessed with another sweet shower, hosted by my sister and mother in law. It was a diaper shower, but we were so fortunate enough to receive our stroller and several other essentials on top of loads of diapers and wipes. So thankful!! 

Miss anything: I guess uninterrupted sleep. (don't see this changing anytime soon!!)

Movement: YES....little wiggle worm!!

Food cravings: Same....cold things. And chocolate. 

How I'm feeling: Gosh, I am all over the place on this one. One day, I feel immense amounts of pressure, hip/pelvic pain and irregular contractions that are not pleasant :) Then the next day, I will be bouncing around with energy and no pain or pressure at all. It's totally random! Last week, there were a few days I thought that he was coming SOON. But this week, all has been pretty quiet (minus some major swelling issues, if you can't tell from the photo above!!). 

Gender: Boy...I confirmed again at 38 week appointment. All is good.

Belly button in or out: Out

Wedding rings on or off: Still off

Happy or moody most of the time:  Eager, anxious and excited to know when this little guy will make his arrival. Everything is washed, folded, organized (and re-organized). We have installed the carseat, set up swings, rockers & our hospital bags are packed and ready to go. We're all set. Just waiting....for this baby and our world to change. 

Looking forward to: The past week or so has been really tough mentally to not try and plan out the details of how/when he's coming. It has been, yet again, another gentle reminder from The Lord that as much as I feel I should be: I am not in control! I am thankful I am not and learning daily what it means to wait on Him and His perfect timing. Hayes will come when God sees fit for him to be here! Can't wait to meet him (and see what color this boys hair is going to be!! ;))

Baby Shower!

On June 15th, we were blessed with an incredible "Vintage Baseball" themed baby shower thrown by my sister and a combination of childhood, High School and Church friends. I'll let the photos do most of the talking but it was SUCH a sweet shower. The girls could not have done a more precious job with all of the details and making this day one that I will never forget! It was filled with great friends, ridiculously adorable decor, sweet treats and generous gifts for Baby Hayes. 

"Concession Stand" treat table...so cute!!

Cake made by my insanely talented friend, Ashley. 

Check out her blog here to see more of her creations. Unreal.

  She also made white chocolate dipped oreos...YUM!! 

And delicious strawberry cupcakes. SO. GOOD.

The details were so precious: bags filled with peanuts and vintage Cracker Jack, twizzlers, bubble gum, old fashioned sodas...they just put so much thought into everything.

My sister made this adorable diaper cake and I'm obsessed with the little red shoes on top! :)

My friend, Jodi, was hilarous and gave me this "Crib Dribbler"

prank gift! I was SO confused if I had registered for this hamster-like device and how to react to such a thing! Read more about the gag gift here. ;) Way to go, Jodi...ya definitely got me!

Sweet sister and soon to be amazing aunt!! Hayes is going to LOVE you so much and the chair you got him :)

 High school friends :) 

 The beautiful grandma's to be!

My grandmother, 'Honey,' - Hayes' great-grandmother!

Sweet hostesses and friends (minus Ashley & Emily!) :) I am so blessed by all of these girls!!

 Our dining room looked like a Babies-R-Us for a while with all of 

his loot! And this isn't even the big boxes that were in the garage! So thankful for generous friends and family who tangibly expressed their love for Hayes! 

We are SO grateful for everything and the support we have received...God has been good to us and we are so thankful. 

37 Weeks

How far along: 37 Weeks 

Baby’s size: ~19 inches and ~5.5lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I feel like he has moved a little lower just this past week. How can the belly just keep growing?!

Sleep: I feel like my answer to this changes each week, it's somewhat sporradic! The number of times I wake up to go to the bathroom has definitely increased and it's at nearly the exact same times every night. I fall back to sleep quickly, but I'm definitely a bit more restless...tossing and turning throughout the night to try and find a comfortable position.

Best moment of this week: Had a great doctor appointment - strong heartbeat, he's measuring on track and my blood pressure was goo! No signs of imminent labor as of yet - just grateful all looks healthy and well. Going in for weekly check-ups, now, so it's getting very real!!

Miss anything: Though it's a little too hot outside, this week I told Justin I really miss riding my road bike. This is something that we love to do together and I can't wait to get back on it again. 

Movement: Oh yea...no sign of slowing down :) And the kicks are getting very strong!

Food cravings: Liquids. Milk: I could just drink it by the gallon. And water: constantly thirsty.

Queasy or sick? (changing this category to "How I'm feeling"): I feel really great. Braxton-Hicks contractions are happening every day now but nothing super painful. Energy level still pretty good and overall....can't complain. Everyone asks me if I'm to the "miserable" state yet and honestly, I'm not. I truly have had an easy pregnancy and I am so thankful for that. 

Gender: Still a "Hayes-man!"

Belly button in or out: OUT. And really regretting that short lived high school belly button piercing decision right about now! 

Wedding rings on or off: Officially off now :/

Happy or moody most of the time:  Happy!!

Looking forward to: Pretty simple answer that probably won't change from now on...meeting him! I can't believe it's just in a matter of days we will have a baby boy in our lives - thank you Jesus for this gift! 

Now, just wondering when he will come. We put together a fun little baby prediction "pool," so if you would like to make a guess...here's the link!! 

http://babybookie.com/pools/1703-baby-hayes-when-will-he-get-here

35 Weeks

How far along: 35 Weeks 

Baby’s size: ~19 inches and ~4.8-5lbs.....but it feels like he's a lot larger sometimes! ;)

Maternity clothes: It's hard to dress with much of a "purpose" anymore. Especially for work. Dresses are still the go-to, but a lot of the shorter length dresses I have are rather thin & see-through, requiring a slip or something to be worn underneath. Which....being pregnant + a tight slip + a bra + 100 degree Texas humidity = bad things. So, if you see me in a short dress....don't say I didn't give you a fair warning. Oh...shoes are also iffy these days. Do they sell maternity shoes?! Like, they start out normal, cute shoes with lots of cushion and grow with your expanding foot throughout the day?! Maybe I should invent these. I'm thinking something along the lines of "Moon Shoes" we used to have back in the day would work out well, also. Remember those?!

I think this would look ok with a maxi dress and 9 month pregnant belly. Yes?!

Sleep: Still fairly rockin' this department. Middle of the night trips to the bathroom may have increased a tad - sometimes still once, other nights 2-3 times. It varies, but I go right back to sleep easily. OH...and apparantly the snoring is back. Says hubby :-/ Not one of the stats I'm especially proud of.

Best moment of this week: Hearing that all looks just perfect with the Hayes-man at our last doctor appointment. His heartbeat is strong as can be and looks on-track length wise. It's also a relief getting to the point in the pregnancy where not only is the "light at the end of the tunnel" visible, but I know that should he happen to come early, we are past most of the really scary things that occur with delivering early. 

Miss anything: Shaving my legs comfortably and without error. If I'm lucky to muster up the courage to do it in the shower, it looks like I've attempted the task with my left hand and blindfolded. 

Movement: All. The. Time. (prepping myself for a very active little guy!!) Movement these days consists more of large jabs and kicks. Thankfully his positioning is fairly low, so I haven't experienced any of the elbows/feet in ribcage like many have mentioned to me. I asked my doctor about what I felt to be excessive hiccuping and he confirmed Hayes is just exercising his lungs in preparation for breathing! So, it sounds like those organs are working properly, which is great :)

Food cravings: Cold things  - watermelon, snow cones, popsicles, ice cream, FroYo....

Queasy or sick? (changing this category to "How I'm feeling"): I am feeling really good most days. Definitely slowing down a little bit but at the same time, feeling lots of energy to "nest" and clean out everything in sight, so I typically am tired from wearing myself out doing too much. Swelling of the extremeties has been my biggest issue as of late, so I really can't complain with how smoothly things have gone. Thank you, Lord!

Have you started to show yet?: Next question, please ;)

Gender: Boy ~ Hayes Austin Gresham. At this point if "he" comes out a "she"....lots of cross dressing will have to occur for several months! 

Belly button in or out: OUT

Wedding rings on or off: This week...they will come off. :(

Happy or moody most of the time:  Lately, having some sentimental/surreal moments realizing that it will be "just the two of us" for only a short number of days (34 but who's counting?)! Moments later, feelings of pure joy, gratitude and excitement at meeting our son and entering into this next adventure in our life together quickly diminish any of fears of the unknown. It is a sanctifying work of the Lord this being pregnant, I tell ya! 

Looking forward to: Weekly doctor appointments start next week so I am looking forward to hearing how he's continuing to grow like a weed these last few days. Finishing up a few final details on his room and will post some photos soon. :)

34 Weeks

My talented sister-in-law, Kortney, took the above photos as a "mini-maternity" session for us a few weekends ago. It was semi-impromtpu and I may or not have been a little swollen from the previous night's bachelorette party shenanigans with my lovely sister & bride to be, but I think Kortney captured some sweet shots. She is so creative and I am thankful for these photos and her; she will be an awesome aunt to Hayes :) 

Keep Your Eyes Peeled for Mirrors: Pregnancy Reveal

Well, this is a few months overdue, but I wanted to share how we announced we were pregnant to our families and of course their reactions! Since we found out we were pregnant on November 27, 2012 and did not see the OBgyn to officially confirm the pregnancy until December 19th, we decided it was too close for us to not surprise our families at Christmas. It helped a little bit that we had already planned a cruise vacation for December 8th-15th but MAN, that was a VERY LONG month keeping the huge secret held in. There were so many times I just knew one of us were going to "slip up" and let it out, especially when the numerous times that I felt nauseous and felt like my face and body were just screaming "I'm pregnant!!" to everyone around me. 

Justin and I have started a little tradition of sorts where we take the photos and video clips from our vacations and make an iMovie set to music out of them. We always have our families over and show them highlights from our trip and it's been a fun little thing we've done since getting married. So, we thought it would be appropriate and only fitting that we continue the trend with our cruise and incorporate some "baby" slides into the movie for the big reveal. We were SO nervous to pull this off, but it was so fun and exciting to see them all react to the news. 

I will include a short snip of the iMovie and our families reactions below but first a quick note to explain why we revealed the way we did, since its somewhat an inside joke.... [disclaimer: this next portion might be rated PG-13]. 

When we arrived home from our honeymoon, one of the first things we decided to do was show our families the photos from the trip, naturally. And since we had just purchased a really great, large, 60'' flat screen TV for our apartment at the time, what better way to show off our beautiful beach photos than on the big screen. No big deal, right?! So, we inserted the SD card straight from my camera to the TV and everything was going swimmingly until we came across a photo that brought tears of laughter and soon therefter, tears of horror. 

You see, Justin and I, were being typical goofy "honeymooners" and decided to take some ridiculous pictures of each other in the hotel one day that we sort of forgot about. But before your mind goes there...know that they were not ridiculous as in rated "R" type photos....just funny pictures of us doing things in the room. All things of private nature were concealed, as in: Justin would hold up a champagne bottle to conceal a 'certain' area and I would hold up two rolled towels to do the same....Austin Powers type stuff. Make sense? Yea, probably not, but nonetheless...rest assured that there were NO completely inappropriate photos on the camera. Hence, though slightly uncomfortable showing our parents...these photos were not much different than those of us in swimsuits....or so we thought...

Seems that we made a slight tactical error when one photo shot up on the big screen and we heard the room freak out and soon cover their eyes in horror at what they saw. The photo shown that immediately caused chaos and panic was as such:  me, appropriately covered, posing on our in-room hottub with a rose in my mouth. And then, there it was. As bright and clear as day we saw what the uproar was concerning: a large camera flash at the top of the mirror behind the hot tub I was perched on and as we slowly panned down the mirror.... there was Justin, the oblivious photographer...not so fully covered. At all. Staring right back at us in the mirror that was now on a 60'' flat screen tv. 

[Enter panic. And red faces. And the "I want to curl up and die" feeling. And the need to run out of that apartment, get in the car and start driving to never look back.]

How could we overlook this?! How??? Not sure, but we sure did. Rookie mistake, Greshams. So, just learn from us: when you think you're taking "appropriate" funny pictures....be on the look out for mirrors that you might be seen in. Or maybe edit your photos before showing family. Or don't show them on a huge flat screen. Or be comfortable in your own skin around your families (pun totally intended). Either way: we learned our lesson. And it has now become a running joke that our families LOVE to poke at us and they're always on the lookout for that one "inappropriate photo" from all of our vacations. Hence, why you will see references to this inside joke. 

And hey, at least we got any awkwardness out of the gate year one and are fully known and loved by our families now ;)

Enjoy ;)

[Note: my sister's reaction of thinking we were having 4 babies because of the photo I included of 4 positive pregnancy tests. Love her. :)]

The reveal portion of the video. 

Starnes family reaction 

Gresham family reaction