34 Weeks

How far along? 34 Weeks

Sleep: I have been getting a good 8 hours every night!  I have been tired in the evening though so I have been going to bed pretty early! 

Some highlights from the week... Friday ~ we had an appointment with the specialist.  We had to wait  a long time to see the doctor this time, but we were reminded of how thankful we are to have our pregnancy be going so well... While waiting for the doctor we could hear another patient being told by the doctor that the baby's heartbeat did not sound good and they would need to consult a cardiologist immediately.  Sad for that couple!  I stopped by Publix after the doctor's and realized it was probably not a good idea for this pregnant lady to go down the ice cream aisle!  Oops... but it's been yummy!

Saturday ~ We celebrated Thanksgiving with Brian’s dad.  It’s nice to do this a little early so we aren’t tired of Thanksgiving food and it is one less stop on Thanksgiving day.  Brian smoked an 18lb turkey on the Big Green Egg and it was delicious! 

Love the Big Green Egg!

 Sweet Kylie resting her head on Uncle Brian

 I think Kylie was reaching for Uncle Brian

 Lots of kids around ~ so fun!

Brian's siblings

After we left Brian’s dad we headed to a local park to try out our new camera.  I wanted to try to get some shots to use for a Christmas card.  We decided that we would not hire a photographer to do maternity pictures because we wanted to try to do them ourselves.  We got there as the sun was going down, so we were not sure how the pictures would turn out, but we were quite pleased.  We have a remote for the camera so that made it so nice and easy to do ourselves. 

Sunday ~ we went to Sunday School, but had to skip church because I had a baby shower in Griffin for a college friend.  I headed down to the shower and stopped in to my parent’s house and my Auntie Annette and Uncle Don were visiting.  My sister, Jen, and her husband Tony and daughter Sophia Joyce were also in town from Germany.  It was so nice to see them all.  I stopped in after the shower as well to visit a little longer. 

Monday ~ Brian scheduled an insurance meeting for us.  All of that is over my head so I let Brian do most of the talking and figuring things out.

Tuesday ~ We had a breastfeeding class at the hospital.  It was quite informative.  I’m glad we went.  It was also entertaining to see the lady in front of us continuously jab her husband in the leg with a pen because he kept dozing off.

Wednesday ~ Church.  I pass by Publix on my way home and the ice cream was still on sale until tonight, so of course I had to stop in and buy more! 

Thursday~ Brian and I met after work at his grandparent's house for a visit.  Brian's mom, step-dad, and aunt were also there so it was nice to hang out and have some family time.  

How have I been feeling... This has been a pretty good week.  It went by pretty fast, so I can’t really remember any days that I didn’t feel well.

Looking forward to: A week off!  Woo hoo!  Thanksgiving break!  I have my to do list ready!  We are getting our Christmas decorations out this weekend and I cannot wait!  We are going to try to finish Jake’s nursery completely as well.  We need to hang things on the walls.

Doctor Stuff: We met with our specialist last week again (Jake had his hand up by face so we were not able to get very good pictures of him this time).  We had this appointment to discuss whether I should go past my due date at all.  The specialist wants me to go as long as I can but not past Dec. 27 ~ works for me.  I would like to finish out this semester teaching so I have told Jake that he can come December 22, 23, 26, or 27 (don’t want him on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day).  I’m being flexible giving him four days to choose from; right? J

33 Weeks!

How far along? 33 Weeks

Sleep: Still sleeping great! 

I loved... Having two showers this week! 

A funny pregnancy moment... One of my students asked the other day how far along I was and I said 8 months and all the kids were like yeah that is awesome except for one boy who responded with 'Oh no y'all at 8 months is when they really start to get mean!"  I responded with then you better make sure you are on your best behavior and do your work so I have no reason to be mean!

Some highlights from the week... Friday ~ I took the day off work because my dad was having back surgery so I wanted to go up to the hospital so my mom would not have to sit by herself in the waiting room that whole time.  Dad's surgery went well and I was able to hang out with him  for a little while.  He was definitely in some pain, but he still had his sense of humor and was joking with the nurses!  After I left the hospital, I went to early vote.  The line was so long though and people were saying it was over a two hour wait to just get in the building.  I was thinking there was no way I could wait that long, but I passed by the disabled room and there was a worker standing there so I casually asked half-kidding if being pregnant counted as disabled and he said that it does but only if you are in your third trimester but he told me he would let me anyways.  I told him I was in my third trimester and he seemed surprised.  I was the youngest in the disabled VIP area by about 50 years! The workers were joking about how fast I filled out the form compared to everyone else in there!  I was in and out of voting in less than 5 minutes! 

Saturday ~ Andrea and girls came over to go to my shower.  Brian and I watched the girls while Andrea ran some errands... good practice for us!  We dropped Brian off at his friend's house to watch the UGA homecoming game while us girls went on to my baby shower thrown by my Fab 5+ friends (girls I have been friends with since middle school!).  It was a lovely shower with a nautical theme ~ loved it!  We are truly blessed by everyone's generosity!  We picked Brian up (after he finished his corn hole game!) and headed to the hospital to visit dad.  We knew seeing Em and Avery Joy would make him happy.  We took mom and dad some leftover shower food and cake so they were very happy. 

 Avery Joy thinks Uncle Brian is lots of fun!

Em made a sign for Papa to get well soon

Sunday ~ woke up to find that Andrea had put away and organized all of the new baby stuff we had received!  Wow! Huge help!  I was having another baby shower in Locust Grove so Andea went to visit dad at the hospital again and went on to help set up for that shower.  Brian and I watched Em and Avery Joy again.  Brian did great babysitting on his own when Em and I went grocery shopping.  We came home to a happy, laughing Avery Joy so Brian did great! 

 AJ and Brian watching a little Sports Center together

 Em painting a boat frame for Jake

(Now we see Brian's trick of why the kids love him...)

The shower was at my school and it was a “Mommy-to-bee” theme.  So cute!  I really appreciated everyone who came out and showered us with so much! 

After the shower, I went to visit my dad at the hospital and take him some more cake from the shower.  Since I got home a little later than I had planned, I decided to just do a quick dinner.  I had bought some already formed meatballs.  I followed the heating instructions on the package but I guess they were not quite right!  Brian even commented when we were eating the meatballs that he did not think they were done all the way!  Should have gone with his instincts!  Within an hour Brian started to say he was not feeling well.  I was busy doing school work and writing a paper so I was not really paying attention to him or how I felt.  Brian had even bought us a new, nice camera and had to stop looking at it because he was feeling so sick.  After I finished my school work, we decided it was time to call it a night and head to bed. 

Monday ~ Brian woke up around 1am so sick.  I was woken up by him getting sick.  It was awful, and I felt so bad for him!  I tried to help but there was nothing I could really do.  Just a couple hours later, I was feeling sick, too and I ended up quite ill as well!  Brian and I were having to share the bathroom!  Food poisoning is NOT fun!  Brian was definitely more sick than me because he had eaten a little more than me.  I decided to go on to work because I was just giving a quiz to my students and I have an assistant so I knew I could just sit there and leave for the restroom whenever I needed.  I ended up having to stop at a Publix on the way to work and got sick there.  I probably should have stayed home, but I knew that if I missed that day it would throw off the entire schedule because the students had off for election day and then 1/3 of my students are going on a field trip for 3 days and would not be able to quiz for a whole week.  I figured it would just be easier to go to work than worry about that schedule.  Plus, with both Brian and I sick it was horrible to have to hear the other one getting so sick.  I ended up getting sick at school pretty much every hour.  I was fine while I was sitting, but then when I would get up I would get sick.  Brian was the same way, every time he got up he would get sick.  Brian did not eat or drink anything all day so that made me worried that he would get dehydrated.  I stopped for some Gatorade and Chicken Noodle Soup on the way home from work and made sure Brian had some of that.  I got sick again when I got home, but I could tell I was feeling much better.   Brian ate and then fell asleep around 6:30 that night!  The food, Gatorade, and a good night’s sleep helped him a lot. 

Tuesday ~ Brian felt so much better in the morning and was able to go to work.  I was feeling better as well, but was not 100% but since it was election day, students did not have school and I only had a couple of meetings and then I could leave.  Dad came home from the hospital so I went to their house after work with Chick-fil-A for lunch.  Dad seemed to be doing pretty well and was in good spirits.  He still gets some bouts of extreme pain so we are praying those go away soon for him.  Brian was very excited for election coverage to begin.  I was trying to stay up and watch it all with him, but I ended up having to take a little nap around 9pm on the couch.  I woke up around 10 to hear the disappointment in Brian’s voice as the election was not going as he wanted. 

Wednesday ~ Doctor’s appointment so I had a ¼ of the day off in the afternoon to get there.  Everything checked out well at the doctor.  It was nice having my appointment on Wednesday so I did not have to rush as much to get to church that night!  I was able to make dinner for us and prepare a meal in the crockpot for Thursday’s dinner. 

Thursday ~ Brian enjoyed golfing with his brother and cousins during the day. 

At night, we had our tour of the labor and delivery area of the Women’s Center at Eastside Medical Center where we will deliver Jake.  It is all so real now!  It is nice to have a plan of where to go when the time comes to get to the hospital to meet our little guy! 

How have I been feeling... Except for the food poisoning, I have been good.  It did take a little while for me to feel back to 100% though after the food poisoning.  Finally around Thursday morning, I felt that I was completely recovered!

Food cravings: More food aversions than cravings since the food poisoning!  I don’t want anything with a lot of spices or flavor.  Going for safe things like fruit and sweets!

Looking forward to: A busy weekend ~ we are celebrating Thanksgiving with Brian’s dad on Saturday.  Sunday, I have a baby shower for a friend to go to and then I will stop in and see my parents and my aunt and uncle that will be visiting from Michigan.  My sister, Jen, and her family might be coming in from Germany as well this weekend!

Doctor Stuff: I think I have gained around 25 pounds ~ not really sure exactly where I started at though!  Everything checked out great at my appointment on Wednesday.  We have an appointment with the specialist on Friday.  Hoping to get more pictures of our little guy!

32 Weeks

How far along? 32Weeks
Baby Movement: I don't think Jake is sleeping much because he moves a lot!  I am really starting to feel him poking out on my sides!  So cool to feel either a hand or foot when I press on my side.

Some highlights from the week... Friday: I took the day off work to go to the doctor for a check up.  Everything checked out good (after having to wait an hour ~ first time ever really having to wait~  Of course when we have some place to be!)  After the doctor, we headed over to Brandon and Lindsay's to load our stuff in their car and head to Jacksonville for GA/FL!  Kylie was excited to see Uncle Brian of course! 

Hurricane Sandy was off the coast in Jacksonville, so it was quite windy when we arrived but just being by the beach put a smile on my face!  We were able to sleep with the balcony door open to the beach and it was wonderful to hear the crashing waves!

Saturday: we headed down towards the stadium to tailgate.  Still a little windy, but overall the weather was great and the tailgating was great! 

I am not a big fan of crowds so I did not want to go into the game, so I headed back to the hotel with Lindsay's mom and Kylie while Brian and the others went to the game.  We enjoyed the game on tv ~ especially since UGA won!!! 2 years in a row!  After the game, I met up with my friend Katy and her fiance, Scot for dinner. 

Sunday: left Jacksonville and headed home.  Always sad for me to have to leave the beach!  I then headed to church to help with Trunk or Treat.  The Class of 2016 girls had decided to do a Hollywood theme, so I helped them get ready and then helped pass out candy.  It was so cute to see all the kids.  I cannot wait to take Jake to the Trunk or Treat next year!

Monday: I rushed home quickly to make some cookies for some friends in Sunday School that recently had a baby and another friend from church picked the cookies up to take them to the couple.  I could not go and visit them because I had to go to the library and take a quiz ~ I got a 100 though!

Tuesday: Brian and I have been talking about how I have been so busy with something to do every night and how I probably need to slow down some.  So I wanted to make sure I was home with him to have time to make a nice dinner for the both of us.  I also had the idea to make a Halloween shirt for Wednesday, so I had to pick that stuff up after work.  I was able to get the craft supplies, make dinner, enjoy some time with Brian, and make my shirt.

Wednesday: Halloween!  I wore the shirt I made to school and it was a hit!  After work, we went to Brian's dad's house to see our nieces dresesd up for Halloween and hang out for a little while.  His dad had made some Brunswick Stew so Brian and I enjoyed that while the kids went trick or treating.  I wanted to get back to our house in time to pass out some candy to kids in our neighborhood.  We got home a little after 8pm and most of the trick or treaters were done, but we did have 2 groups come by (the first group had about 15 kids!) so I was excited for that.

Thursday: 8 months today!  I can't believe it!

How have I been feeling... GREAT!!! I am so thankful!  A couple of days this week, I really did not feel like going to work even though I felt fine because I just want to stay home and get things done here.  I could not imagine feeling bad and sick on top of working and trying to get things ready at the house.
Food cravings: Hot Apple Cider.  It has been a little chilly in the morning, so I have been enjoying using our Keurig each morning!
Looking forward to: Two baby showers this weekend!  One given by my Fab 5 friends (friends since middle school) and one given by Christi Cope (the reason I met Brian!!)
Prayers... For my dad as he is having back surgery tomorrow morning.  He broke his back years ago after a lady ran a red light and hit him on his bicycle.  It started to cause him problems recently and surgery was needed to fuse some discs.  The surgery should be about 4 hours.  We pray all goes well.

31 Weeks

(A little late on this post and no chalkboard for 31 weeks because we were getting ready to go out of town.)

How far along? 31 weeks ~ (October 25). I can't believe we are at single digits countdown for weeks left to go!!
I loved... How two strangers were very caring and helpful to me when I pulled into a gas station on my way home from work Thursday because my car was getting overheated. I had no idea what to do, but these two nice men told me to stand back and they would check under the hood of my car. They were very concerned about anything coming out from the hood and burning me. They were able to get my car cooled down so I could get home.  They said I had a leak and I definitely needed to get it checked out. They made me promise that if the temperature went up again that I would immediately pull over. (I think they really felt sorry for me being pregnant!) I made it home... And Brian will be the next one to drive that car... Right to a repair shop!! (Side note... when Brian went to take my car to the shop, my tire was also going flat ~ I had run over a screw!)
Some highlights from the week... Friday- We enjoyed a very nice dinner with Brandon and Lindsay to celebrate the hard work of Brian and Brandon with Inspect-All. 

Saturday- Brian and I worked some more on the nursery. Brian installed a ceiling fan and everything went smoothly and worked perfectly! I painted the blades to match the stripes on the walls. We also put together the crib (Brian's sister, Brooke, gave us the one her son had used) again everything went together perfectly and we brought up the furniture we had painted as well (given to us by Brian's other sister, Brittany)

Sunday- my first shower!! Absolutely amazing!! My sisters-in-law put in a lot of time and effort and it was amazing!! They did a nautical theme, and I loved it! They even had a make a onesie station!

Monday- woke up with a headache, but still went to work only to leave after a half day. I went home and started feeling better so that gave me some time to organize all the stuff we were given at the shower. 
Tuesday- we had our annual HOA meeting and Brian presented his treasurer's report. He did a great job!!

Wednesday- Enjoyed the evening at church. Thursday- packed for the weekend in Jacksonville! We are headed to GA/FL. This will be Brian's 16th year in a row going down to Jacksonville and I think we will continue this as a family tradition!
How have I been feeling... Sometimes I feel so good that I still forget I'm pregnant(until I look down at my belly!)
Sweet memory... I text Brian when I get school every mornnig so he knows I arrived safely after my long commute.  Sometimes the cell phone service is not very good though so my texts do not always go through.  He will usually then email me to make sure I did make it when he does not get my text.  Friday morning, I did not realize that my text did not go through and I was getting ready for a parent conference so I did not have a chance to check my email and notice that Brian had emailed to check on me since he did not get my text.  He also tried calling my phone and it would ring over and over which made him more nervous because he knows when I am in the school I do not have any reception and I turn my phone off so it goes straight to voicemail.  Well, Brian ended up emailing 3 times to see if I made it, since he didn't hear from me he called the school.  I did not know it was him when the secretary told me I had a phone call, so I answered "Hello, this is Mrs. Lunsford."  Brian was very relieved to hear my voice!  Everyone in the office thought it was so sweet that Brian was so concerned and checking on his wife and baby!
Looking forward to: Being by the beach!! The weather forecast has changed drastically from the beginning of the week when it was predicted to be sunny and 80 degrees!! Hurricane Sandy changed that weather though!! It is now predicted 80% chance of rain and very windy!!