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Bump Month in Review

I'm not going to promise that I can remember everything that happened since the 34 week bump update...but we'll try to cover the highlights!

36 WEEKS

May 10 I was at 36 weeks and this was the month of showers! I'll have to post separately to showcase all the wonderful friends and family that showered us with amazing love and gifts. We certainly are blessed!

So, at 36 weeks I started to feel rather large and the hot flashes started coming :). I bought a little fan to place on my desk at work and it's usually turned on just after lunch. I thought surely everybody was getting hot as the sun poured in our windows, but nope. They assured me it was just the preggo in me. I finally bought a few other clothing items and have gotten quite a bit of use out of them. My favorite and most comfortable is this dress from Target:

Liz Lange Maternity

I'm pretty sure I've also worn these flip flops almost every day over the past month. I have them in black...so comfy!

XAppeal from Rack Room Shoes

My check up at the doctor was the same as usual - good blood pressure, good heartbeat, no sickness, feeling baby girl kick kick kick! However, my feet did start swelling a little bit at this point. Trey certainly recognizes the "rub my feet please!" look these days.

...and the 36 wk bump:

38 WEEKS

Last Thursday was 38 weeks and time has absolutely flown by. My mom and sister and niece helped get the nursery organized and we are pretty much done! Just waiting on some things that I ordered to come in. If you know me at all, you wouldn't believe how laid back I've been through this entire pregnancy...and such a procrastinator! I had the fabric picked out for the glider and new exactly what I wanted and needed to order in January but didn't get around to actually doing it until a couple of weeks ago. Yikes! So, we're waiting on that and a couple of other things. I did sew and get the curtains hung though...finally! Pics to come.

Dr.'s check up same as 36...everything good and feet still swelling a little bit! Other than that, everything has been wonderful. I'm sleeping well and going to the bathroom what feels like every 10 minutes. boo. She has turned and is ready to make her entrance into this world! Also, we FINALLY decided on a name! Our little girl is...

REAGAN ELISE

(Reagan - "strong" ... Elise - "consecrated to God")

Hooray! It's so great to finally have a name! And...a belly pic:

Now, I'm at 39 weeks and we are just waiting on Reagan to arrive! I've organized all my leave requirements for work and am just trying to finish up the last of my projects before I leave for summer...how great does that sound?!!! Dr's appt = good as usual. I'm dilated to a 3 and effaced 80% - a woo hoo! Not feeling contractions yet but I'm thinking next week she'll be ready to come. Official due date is June 10, next Sunday...we'll see! Any bet takers?!

34 weeks and nursery preview

I do believe I have missed a bump update, so maybe they'll be a bigger difference since the last picture! I'm starting to get quite bigger...at least I feel that way :). Most people's reactions are, "Wow, you're not big at all! I can't believe you're that far along." ...which is encouraging I must say. I'm grateful for the compliments! However, I'm certainly learning where I can and can't fit these days...

PLACES I DON'T FIT:

- behind a chair and the wall.

- close enough to my desk at work to reach the keyboard effectively.

- behind the wheel of my car with a bag of food in my lap...maybe that's a sign for me to stop going through the Sonic drive-thru.

- between the fridge and the corner cabinets to turn on the under-cabinet lighting.

PLACES I CAN FIT, BUT NOT COMFORTABLY:

- in a medium t-shirt...alas, it's not the bump but the boobs that get in the way here. Just being honest...and it's quite annoying by the way!

- in my bed with a million pillows propping up every body part that is constantly being pulled to the ground by its sheer weight and capacity.

-  in the recliner sitting up...to be comfortable, gotta recline :) and I have no problem with that! The challenge is to stay awake!

PLACES I CAN ABSOLUTELY FIT:

- goucho pants...yep, still rockin' those.

- through a door :) ha.

- it's really not that bad, but I couldn't make a list of categories with only 2 entries. Thus, the lame title of "places I CAN fit". Can we say OCD?

I have no idea what I have and haven't updated since the last post...sorry! I've started my doctor's appointments every 2 weeks and everything is going perfectly. Praise God! Trey and I went to a labor and delivery class and actually enjoyed most of it. Trey, of course, was hesitant (or shall I say "not thrilled at all") to spend 6 hours of his Saturday sitting at a desk learning about what happens to a woman's body. However, I appreciated him going and we were both very glad we attended. I wish I would've written down some of Trey's comments throughout the day, I'm sure you can imagine the amusement he provided :). His biggest amazement was the size that the cervix expands to...oh, this process is going to be entertaining for sure! Our hospital in Huntsville seems like a wonderful place to be and we've only heard good things from my friends who have labored there recently. We'll find out soon!

If you're still reading, I'll reward you with some pics..

34 WEEK BUMP

 two reasons this picture makes me laugh:

1. Dreya's face...she must have been on the move with a tongue and ears like that!

2. that you can see a picture of G.W. and Laura on the fridge :)

 BEFORE Nursery walls

AFTER Nursery walls (color - Sherwin Williams Sensible Hue). Thanks to mom and dad for doing quite a bit of the painting! Also, not sure why this idea was stuck in my head, but I wanted old barnwood as an accent wall. Found some cedar on craigslist for $60. I wanted to use the whitewashed side, but it didn't look quite right. So Trey and I agreed to use the dark side and it turned out to be exactly what I was imagining in my head. He really had no idea what I was "seeing" but was quite handy in installing it and ended up liking it as much as I did. I was very proud of him!

CRIB (along with mess that needs to be sorted through and put away!)

MY GRANDMOTHER'S GLIDER (that will be painted white and receive new cushions in a grey/white chevron fabric)

CURTAIN FABRIC (yep, still haven't made those yet. on my TO-DO list!)

We have several showers over the next two weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of friends and family! Thank you to all those who have already been "showering" us!!! We are truly blessed!

30 weeks

oh my goodness. it is getting so close to time for this baby girl to be on the outside instead of the inside of my body...and I have mixed emotions! We are so excited but I feel like time is flying by.

My parents came to visit last weekend and helped paint the nursery...at least that's one thing checked off my list! Now, to finish the accent wall and put together the crib...and order the new cushions for my grandmother's glider...and finish registering for gifts...and washing the tons of clothes that this little chica already has (thanks to Leah and Amanda!)...and, well, practically everything you need to do to get ready for a baby. because basically we've just painted the nursery :). But I'm oh so grateful for that!

Trey's mom also stopped by this weekend and it was so good to visit for a while. Everyone came in for Trey's big soccer game when they became the outright District Champs last Friday! A woo hoo! First playoff game is tomorrow and we are ready to win!

Pregnancy is still going well. Trey and I took a mini vaca over spring break and enjoyed having no plans, no responsibility and lots of wonderful eating out. I'm sure we'll be missing that after little chica arrives! As for the little one, she is very active inside my tight belly. I love watching her squirm when I lay down to go to sleep :) Oh, and I had another sonogram last week. She wasn't moving around quite as much as the first time, but it was the middle of the day. We did post some cool sonogram videos to facebook if you want to check them out. Pretty amazing what's going on inside this body of mine. One day I'll get to understand how God thinks up the things he does...just amazing.

She weighed 2 lbs 4 oz and is growing right on track...still a June 10 due date!
and...a belly pic:

two year olds

on february 6 and march 6, respectively, our sweet puppies dreya and biscuit turned 2 years old! while we didn't have a big birthday shindig like we did last year,

2011

 the pups still got lots of loving and treats. this bone is supposed to be super hardy and "indestructible". FYI, that word is never true for dog toys in this house. biscuit had already chewed off the ends of both his and dreya's bone after about 30 minutes. they enjoyed it though!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR SWEET, PLAYFUL PUPS!

28 weeks

yep, I definitely missed 26 weeks. and now I'm almost 29, but we'll roll with this.
28 weeks was this past Thursday.
baby girl is growing, growing, growing!
and kicking like the little soccer player I know her dad will love her to be!


At some point since the last post, I had a regular belly check at the doctor.
Heartbeat = good.
Growth = good.
Next up...another sonogram on Wednesday! I can't wait to see this little sweetheart again!
On a side note - have you ever wondered what the difference is between a sonogram and an ultrasound? Trey asked this question and I did not have an answer for him. My doctor said they're the exact same thing. It's like saying "house" and "residence". hmm...now we know!


Moving on...I think I'm starting to get hot flashes. Maybe I should invest in those little handheld fans you get at amusement parks. I always feel the need to fan myself - perhaps that would be a good arm workout. Lord knows I haven't been doing any other kind of working out. Honestly, I stopped about 2 months ago - and I can tell.
Third trimester goal = exercise at least 3 times a week. I can do that. I will do that!


As for the nursery, I purchased the paint color (sensible hue - pictures to come) over a month ago...we just haven't painted yet! I bought super cute fabric to make curtains and I purchased a little bundle of cedar wood (from an old barn/building) off craigslist to put up as an accent wall. My parents are coming into town this weekend and are going to help start getting the nursery ready. a woo hoo!


and...a belly pic. Dreya wanted in the picture, too :)

fun new diaper bag

I really haven't done a lot to prepare for this little baby on the way. However, I have known for a while that I wanted a specific type of diaper bag that would double as purse.

My goal was to obtain a bag that was...

cute

not too big

not too small

easy to manage

lots of pockets

under $100

I remembered back to when my friend Kristin was deciding on a bag, so I skimmed through her posts to review all the feedback she received. I think we have the same taste because the bag I ended up liking the most was the one she purchased! So cute.


However, I wanted to get something different. After perusing the sites and looking for the best deal, the winner is...

Versa Expandable Diaper Tote from SKIP HOP

And best of all, I searched the internet until I found the absolute lowest price and ended up getting $15 off and free shipping by using retailmenot.com and purchasing the bag through Barnes & Noble...who would've thought?!


When it came in the mail, it was everything I expected and I can't wait to load it with all the little baby goodies! I've also received 3 other fabulous bags that will come in handy for all types of needs...you can never have too many bags!

24 weeks and counting

so, I kind of missed the 24-week mark last Thursday. oops.

work has been pretty darn busy and the past weeks since the last update have flown by! Nothing much has changed baby-wise. She's still kicking and growing :).

I did manage to get a "good morning kick" to the stomach from Dreya one day. Usually, I'm prepared for her grand entry into our room as part of our morning routine...guess I was a little too sleepy that morning! In any case, I didn't feel chica really move that day and Satan had me going. I'll admit, I was worrying. The next morning, Trey and I immediately prayed over her and my body and she started moving later that morning. Thank you Lord for being patient with me in my times of short-lived faith...and please forgive me for ever doubting your protection and love.

lesson #1:  speak God's Word and promises over your daily life. Don't allow Satan's deceptions to crowd your thoughts...this is where sin enters (James 1:14-18).

lesson #2:  time to start training the pups on new house rules for when the baby comes. You can never be too careful!

and, this is me at 24 weeks. I've finally managed to teach trey how to take decent pictures...in comparison to his usual head shot in bottom 1/3 of picture and airspace in top 2/3 of picture :). He's doing really well now! During this pic he said, "wow, that's some bump! you're actually getting big!" I laughed :).

the new bump may be due in part to my new diet over the past two weeks...

someone has jumped on the chocolate train!

and yes, I'm wearing the same jean jacket as the last picture...

the same jean jacket that I bought from Ralph Lauren 10 years ago :).

I'm also wanting to post (as mentioned last time) some updates on my plans for the nursery and my new diaper bag...love it! Hope to get those up soon...happy Monday!

Baby Bump - 22 weeks

I can't believe we're over half-way done with this pregnancy! 22 Weeks!

They have been wonderful and are flying by so quickly.

GOOD NEWS

I'm starting to show a little more and people at work are eating it up...

and I'm not one to mind about belly touching/rubbing, so no problems there!

Still wearing wearing a lot of my normal clothing.

Did gaucho pants go out of style? Because I'm still rockin' those stretchy suckers!

Mossimo tank tops from Target are my go-to shirts...

I've learned the art of layering and it's fabulous.

I saved up my mad money over the past months to buy my first pair of cute boots.

Why haven't I done this sooner?! These things are super comfortable and I've gotten a lot of compliments on them. JCPenney gave me a steal on these!

Feeling chiquita (her given nickname by some of my friends) move quite a bit.

She's still doing somersaults in there!

OTHER NEWS

I'm not labeling this as "bad news" because nothing has really been that bad.

Praise the Lord!

However, while most of my clothing still works, my pants and jeans have got to go.

I'm LOVING pregnancy jeans. Why don't women wear these all the time? You never have to zip anything and your butt crack isn't showing every time you bend over. Genius.

Sleeping comfortably has been an issue. However, we prayed over this in my small group on Monday and I can say that it has gotten significantly better!

I'm still thinking about buying some sort of pregnancy pillow though.

Suggestions are welcome :)

I have some other fun things to post but I'll share those separately.

And below...a 22-week bump.

Belly Bump - 20 weeks

the weeks are flying by!
students came back to Sam today for the spring semester and I'm not quite ready :). With soccer season in full swing, I do believe this semester will go by way too fast and June will be here before we know it!


everything is going smoothly in Taylor baby-land. in the mornings I feel normal and by night-time I feel like she gets twice as big...my stomach gets pretty tight. maybe it's all the food I'm eating?! :) While my belly is not growing as fast as I expected, my hips seem to be well on their way to full expansion. boo hips. my back has started to get a little sore so I'm going to look into a prenatal massage. Is it too early for that?


Most people still don't realize I'm 20 weeks along, but I laughed at a women's retreat this weekend when my friend Lynn told me I was waddling a bit. I blame the night-time bump. And Trey laughs at me when I try to get out of his car. It's really not that big of a deal, but a slight "grunt" usually arises as I have to bend quite a bit instead of rolling out as I do in my car. It's slightly uncomfortable to get my socks and shoes on from a standing position, which I've never even thought twice about in the past. Should get pretty interesting as I get bigger...I know Trey will get a kick out of it!

Speaking of kicks, I felt little chica move for the first time on Monday! It was so cool. I have a feeling she's going to be quite the kicker :)


I have another appointment on February 2 and will also start looking at nursery ideas. So fun! We've thought a little about names but haven't spent too much time on it. One of the inmates I enjoy talking with most at the prison told me we should tell all the guys to put name suggestions in a box. Then, we'll pray over the names and use whatever name we pull out first :). He got really tickled about that idea...but hey, we might get a lot of interesting name suggestions!


When do you feel is the appropriate time to share baby name options or the chosen baby name?


Alas...a 20-week [night-time ;)] bump:

The Reveal!

You know the song...sing along!

"Sometimes you feel like a nut...Sometimes you don't.

Almond Joys have nuts, Mounds don't!"

And the Taylors feel like...

IT'S A GIRL!!!

bump update

18 weeks...a woo hoo!

This past Sunday I woke up and said, "I just feel bigger today."

Sure enough, my belly has been starting to show more this week!

I'm still feeling great with no real changes from the last update.

Haven't felt the baby move yet.

But I have had two funny dreams :).

Dream #1

I had just had the baby and was pretty much alone in the Rec Center at SHSU.

There was one chick working the check-in desk (who was no real help),

so I went into the dressing room and was freaking out because I had this newborn with no clothes, no diapers, nothing! Then my cousin Jeanne showed up and showed me how to put on a makeshift diaper and I was so thankful she was there.

The dream shifted into a random room of a person's house but it still looked like the rec center. There were cement floors in a empty room with a toilet in the corner. Of course, I started cleaning the toilet, baby still in hand and then...BOOM!

Out of nowhere I dropped the baby flat on its face. Are you kidding me?

I was delusional...my biggest fear in the world is dropping a baby and I had just dropped my newborn face first into a cement floor.

However, he (boy in this dream) didn't cry at all. He just laid there and said, "Why you gotta be like that?!"

lol...

lesson #1 - God was showing me that I need to stop worrying about the safety of my child and that he will be in control. Babies are made to be tough!

Dream #2

We had just had a baby girl and Trey was rocking her to sleep. Then, I wanted to hold her and rocked a little more. She woke up and said she wanted to open presents. Yes, all my dreams include newborn children with complete vocabularies.

We opened gifts for a bit and she said, "ok, turn me back around. I want to go back to sleep." Later, I woke her up and asked if she wanted to do something else...can't remember exactly but apparently it was something fun because her answer was, "Hell yeah!"

 What?! I said, "Did you hear that from your daddy when you were in my belly?!" She confirmed my accusation :).

lesson #2 - I already need to monitor my husband's crazy talk.

Oh the dreams...I'm sure I'll have more of those! So, here's a belly pic. I'm getting bigger...everywhere. I think my tummy might look a little bigger if my boobs weren't sticking out as far as my belly is! Geez!

Stay tuned for the BOY/GIRL debut!!!