24 weeks

How Far Along: 24 weeks

(16 weeks left, makes me panic a little when I think about it!)

 

Size of baby: Ear of Corn (1.5lbs, 11 inches)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +20 lbs total, yikes!

Maternity Clothes: Mostly everything is maternity, I've worn a few dresses that weren't but I have to wear leggings under them.

Gender: It's a boy! So excited to finally know!

Movement: He's moving all the time now.  It's the neatest feeling.  Patrick was finally able to feel him Saturday morning.  

Sleep: Hasn't been great.  My arms keep falling asleep and it always wakes me up, then I have to use the bathroom then the baby starts moving so i'm usually up for a few hours.

What I miss:  Sleep.  Energy.  Being able to sit up with minimal effort.

Cravings:  I can't think of any this week.  I had greek yougurt for the first time and I'd really like some more but I wouldn't call it a craving.

Symptoms: Indigestion.  I've also had some inflammation around my ribs that is causing me pain every now and then.  My hands fall asleep all the time.  I was trying to dry my hair and my hand was asleep. 

Best Moment this week: Patrick feeling him kick.  Patrick also ordered the light fixture for the nursery, I'll just wait to show you that.   I'll just go ahead and warn you that he also picked it out.  Taking Harper to her first Alabama game which made me that much mroe excited to take this little guy to his first Alabama game! 

Harper's First Bama Game

Saturday we got to take the kids to the game!  They were so excited!  Porter and Ava have been to a game before but this would be Harper's first game.  You can read about Ava's first game here and Porter's first game here.

I took this of the kids before we walked to the game.  Porter was so excited he started asking around noon what time we were heading to the game.  Dad took them on a walk to the quad and they saw the real Big Al.  Around 3:30 we finally headed to the stadium.  Dad took Ava and Porter with him.  Harper wanted to sit with Hope and me but really just Hope :)  The band was on the field when we got there and the team was approaching the tunnel.  I showed her where they were on the field and she was so excited.  She shook her shaker in every direction possible.  I love this picture, can you tell she's having fun?
After we scored twice she started to get bored.  So I took her down to see the cheerleaders.  We were almost on the jumbotron. She was following directions and not climbing on the fence and they showed the kid right next to her that was climbing on it.  Luckily she didn't know she was so close to being on.
Not long after we returned to our seats, she passed out in Hope's lap.  We watched the band at halftime and headed back to John's apartment.  When we walked in she looked at me as said "Where'd everybody go?"  I guess she thought she was missing out on a party at the apartment. I love getting to share these moments with these kiddos.  I always feel so emotional sharing these moments.  I felt the exact same way with Harper as I did with Ava.  When she started cheering my eyes just welled with emotion.  I didn't cry cause I didn't want Hope to think I was a lunatic (which I'm pretty sure she already knows I am!) One of my favorite parts of tailgating has always been after the game when everyone slowly comes back to eat again and talk about the game.  All in all it was a great gameday.  I'm ready for this Saturday even though it's going to be a late one. Roll Tide!

4th Annual SEC Road Trip

 

Friday afternoon we loaded up and headed north to Arkansas.  This is our 4th year to make a road game and I'm so glad my cousin Bullet helped start this tradition.  Now Elizabeth and Amy went to almost every road game last year but we plan to make at least one together each season.  Last year was Ole Miss (here), 2010 South Carolina (here), 2009 Kentucky (here).

I'm not going to lie, I was nervous about the trip only because I'm 22 weeks pregnant and haven't traveled that far by car in a while.  I didn't want to bring the trip down. Luckily my dad has been training me to travel with men my whole life.  He's from the you only stop when you need gas.  I tried not to complain and only had to stop once or twice so I think it was okay.   I will say that it was a long trip.  We stayed in Conway, AR which was about 6.5 hours from Birmingham and 3 hours from Fayetteville.  I could not get comfortable enough to sleep.  Amy and Liz both read, I can't read in the car, so I just kinda chilled.  Clay was a great driver for the weekend!  We did have an in depth conversation about Abby & Brittany, the TV show on TLC about the conjoined twins.  I'm fascinated by them. 

 

It was after 10:00 when we got settled into our hotel and we knew we had an early morning so we called it a night.  We got up pretty early to hit up the hotel breakfast.  They had waffles and everyone was happy.

Clay's only request of the whole trip besides actually seeing the game was that we drive over to Oklahoma to at least take a picture.  We obliged since he had driven us all that way.  We snapped some photos and then stopped at McDonalds for coffee before we headed back to Arkansas.

 

This is our picture in front of the stadium.  It was not easy to get all that in one shot. 

Fayetteville has the best smelling tailgate of anywhere i've visited.  I will say this though I have a hard time trusting fans that eat their own mascot. 

We saw this sign at a tailgate.  I thought it was cute. 

Sister and me.

Huge jumbotron.  The weather was not ideal.  We kept seeing girls in boots and scarves carrying jackets and sweatshirts.  I vocalized my concern that they knew something we didn't.  We asked someone at a tailgate we were at and she confirmed my fears that we were indeed probably going to be cold.  I guess it's the terrain and the way the wind blows around the mountains. 
This was the Arkansas side after halftime.  Can't say that I blame them.
Okay these bama fans sat in front of us and I thought I'd seen it all but they proved me wrong.  They had this Alabama garden gnome with its pants down that they brought in the stadium and took pictures with. I was impressed by her ability to accessorize a poncho. All in all the game was a blow out.  52-0 It rained most of the game.  My rain jacket didn't exactly fit around my new frame so the front of my jersey was soaking wet and it got cool.  Sometime during the 3rd or 4th quarter Patrick sent me a text asking if the game was a bad in person as it was on the radio.  I just responded not if you're a Bama fan.  I'll admit it wasn't the most exciting game but I'll take it over a loss any day.

 

I really enjoyed Fayetteville.  It was a beautiful place.  I will say that when we parked and were told it was about a mile to the stadium I was not expecting it to be straight up a mountain.  It was a climb but I made it.  I was pretty proud of myself.

Luckily all the Arkansas fans left at halftime so traffic was minimal on the way out.  We headed to dinner at Cracker Barrel then back to the Super 8 to watch some football.  I wish I'd taken a picture of my swollen ankles.  They were horrible at one point I think they were compared to Big Al's ankles.

We had a pretty uneventful ride home.  I started feeling a little carsick around Memphis which is not at all surprising but made it to lunch without getting sick. 

We were gone for exacly 48 hours in the car for about 18-19 hours total.  It was all worth it! 

I'm hoping maybe next year we can do another day trip like last year so we can continue the tradition.

Roll Tide!

23 weeks

How Far Along: 23 weeks

Size of baby: Large Mango (1lb, 11 inches)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +17 lbs total
 

Maternity Clothes: Pants, yes. Tops, some. The pants are just way more comfortable.

Gender: It's a boy! So excited to finally know!

Movement: Yes, he's a wiggle worm.  I've felt it a few times from the outside but no one else has. 

Sleep: I slept great in the hotel this weekend.  I've been sleeping like crap at home.  I'll sleep good for 4 or 5 hours but something will wake me up and then I can't go back to sleep.

What I miss:  My closet full of clothes I can't wear. 
 

Cravings: None really this week.

Symptoms: Indigestion. Swollen feet.  I should have taken a picture of them this weekend.  They were bad. 

Best Moment this week:  Getting the crib set up! Now for the bedding.  Some of the cute outfits I've ordered arrived.  They are so precious!  Traveling to Arkansas to see the Tide beat up on the Hogs.  It's been a good week!

Fall and Hardwoods

About 4 months ago Patrick and I started throwing around the idea of putting in hardwoods in our main traffic areas.  We knew we wanted to get rid of the carpet in our living room and on our stairs before the baby was born because it was so nasty between our dog and the previous owners dog it was just gross.  We had laminate in our foyer and hall.  At first we thought we'd just take up the living room carpet and put the wood there for now. We thought that was all we'd be able to afford.  Patrick was going to do the work but the more we thought about it he decided he would rather just pay someone and have less done.  Well after Patrick talked to a contractor friend to get some names we were able to buy some wood that he had left over from his own home he just finished building.  It turned out it was exactly what I wanted.  It was perfect.  We plan on staying in our home for a while so we decided we should go ahead and make upgrades that we can enjoy but will still hopefully give us a return on our investment when we do sale.

It turned out more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.  We both absolutely love it!  Ally on the other hand hates it.  She can't jump on any of the furniture unless we put a rug or blanket in front of it.  It usually takes her two tries to get up the stairs but she's learning. We want to get some sort of rug for under the coffee table but haven't found one yet.

Looking down the hall from the nursery.  This is probably the most true color of the floor.

Looking down the hall into the nursery.  You can sneak a peak of the paint color in the nursery!

Going down the stairs.  We still have to paint the trim.

The foyer

Fall wreath!

Living room.  Kinda blurry.

Living room.

More fall decorations, my mercury glass on the coffee table filled with pumpkins!

I love these pumpkins and my fall flowers. 

 

I think thats all.  We were so thrilled with how the floors turned out.  We feel like the room is cozier without the carpet. I'm also so excited it's starting to feel more like fall!  It'll be Christmas before we know it! Then time for a baby!!!

 

 

22 weeks

How Far Along: 22 weeks

 

Size of baby: Spaghetti squash (1lb, 10.5 inches)

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +17 lbs total

Maternity Clothes: Pants, yes. Tops, some. The pants are just way more comfortable.

Gender: It's a boy! So excited to finally know!
 

Movement: I'm starting to really feel him move around in there.  I've felt him from the outside a couple of times but nothing consistent.  Patrick wants to feel him so bad but he hasn't been able to yet.  Hopefully it'll be soon.

Sleep: I don't know if it's just a fluke but I've slept so good this week.  Like some nights 12 hours.

What I miss: Eating anything without getting indigestion. Still miss my old clothes. Having energy.  If I'm being honest, having a beer while watching football.
 

Cravings: None really this week.

Symptoms: Indigestion. Pregnancy brain. My wrists have been really sore.  They feel like they did when I cheered and tumbled a lot.  I'm pretty sure my feet are starting to swell.

Best Moment this week:  Getting the nursery painted and the crib ordered!  I have the best friends, Kristen and Lorie came last week and painted for me.  Brittany came to help motivate!  I was so excited to have that finished!  The crib should be here this weekend so maybe Patrick will have it put together when I get back from Arkansas.  I loved going to the football game. I can't wait to take him when he's older!

It's Football Season

It's my favorite time of year.  I love football season.  I love our tailgate "family".  I love getting to visit my baby brother in college.  I love The University of Alabama.  I loved my time there and I love going back to visit.  I also love football.  I love pee wee football, high school football and college football (I'll watch the NFL but I wouldn't say that I love it). 

This year we had a new spot.  My parents sold the house we'd been at for the previous 5 years and moved John into an apartment.  We've never been in an apartment so we were a bit anxious at how it'd all work out.  John's place isn't big by any means but I think we had enough room.

We drove through a monsoon and I just knew it was going to be raining the whole time but it didn't rain a drop once we got there.  It cooled off a bit and actually turned out to be a nice day.  Hope sat by me and John came over from the student section to join us.  I am so thankful for my tickets but that climb to the top of the upper deck proved to be a bit more of a challenge than it has in previous seasons.  I'm thinking its the extra 15lbs I'm carrying but it's so worth it. 

All in all I think our first tailgate at the apartment was a success.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.



The resident manager moved his big screen out into the breezeway so people that didn't have tickets could watch out there.  It was a pretty nice little set up. This was the only picture I took at the game.  I didn't even take my big camera to Tuscaloosa.  I am a slacker.  Don't worry it'll be the first thing packed for our road trip this weekend to Arkansas. 

Labor Day Weekend

Friday we had book club.  We read Emily Giffin's new book Where We belong.  It was so good.  I really enjoyed the book.  Its about a 18 year old girl who was adopted at birth and she seeks out her birth parents.  It was an easy read that really kept your attention.  Marion hosted and made some wonderful lasagna.

 

Before we went to book club Kristen and I thought we should put Ellie's birthday present together.  I mean how hard could it be.  Well your answer is very hard.  About 100,00 pieces and 2 pages of directions later we finished.  I'll be honest Kristen did most of the work.  Which shouldn't surprise you at all.  I made some cute vinyl decals for the side so she'd be riding in style.



Ally had to give it a test drive!   Saturday morning Ally and I slept till 9:00 and it was wonderful!  She usually wakes me up earlier, she must have been tired too.    

We quickly got up and turned on ESPN's College Gameday.  I was so happy to see the guys again!  They were live in Dallas!  I didn't watch for long because...

This cutie was celebrating her first birthday and there were errands to be run.  I got ready and rode with Lorie to get the cakes and finish the last minute decorating.

How cute is she.

This might be my favorite picture from the whole day.

She loved her new ride.  All the other kids took turns pushing her around the party.  She just waved and honked her horn like she was in a parade.

 

2011

2012

I had to put these two from at the hospital last year and this weekend.  For the record it was raining and humid as everything Saturday.  I'm blaming my appearance on that!

 

Saturday night I headed home and watched the Alabama game and all I can say about that is Wow!  It was a great game (if you're a tide fan)!  I'm so excited about the season.  I'm heading to Tuscaloosa this weekend!

 

Sunday morning I headed to the lake to spend the day with my family!  It was a nice day.  I never got in the water but I heard it was cold!  I was home in time to watch Big Brother.  Have y'all been watching.  It's my guilty pleasure of the summer and I love that it always ties up the end of summer and the beginning of fall for me.

Monday was a very lazy day for me.  I slept 12 hours Sunday night into Monday and it was glorious!  I watched a movie marathon on LMN.  Finally, I put out a few fall decorations (I know it's early but it is September and I'm ready!).

I have so many posts I want to write and catch up on.  Hopefully I can do that this month.  I want to post our new hardwood floors that I love so much.  We're working on the nursery tonight starting with paint so I hope to keep the progress updated here. 

This is my favorite time of year!

21 weeks

Y'all, I feel like I look like a moster.  My hair will not do anything, my boobs are huge and I feel like I weigh 300lbs.  I've been told I look bigger in these pictures than in real life and I hope people are not just saying that to me.  

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Size of baby: Carrot (12oz, 10.5 inches)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +17 lbs total

Maternity Clothes: Pants, yes. Tops, some. The pants are just way more comfortable.

Gender: All boy! So excited to finally know!

Movement: I'm starting to really feel him move around in there.  I think I've felt him from the outside a couple of times but nothing consistent.
 

Sleep: It's getting harder and harder to get comfortable. I was hoping this wouldn't happen until later.

What I miss: Eating anything without getting indigestion. Still miss my old clothes. Wearing my engagement ring.  I feel like people judge you when they see you're pregnant and not wearing a ring so I've been wearing this obnoxiously huge ring the last couple of weeks.

Cravings: None really this week. 
 

Symptoms: Indigestion. Pregnancy brain.  I wore a shirt backwards last week to work.  I locked myself out of my house.  Just little things that make me think I'm going to lose my mind before this baby is born.

Best Moment this week:  Feeling him move more and more.  I'm so ready for him to have a name but I'm scared to commit to one so early.  I've loved ordering him some sweet baby boy clothes.  I've limited myself.  I did buy him a swimsuit for the lake next summer, it was only $3!  Lorie got him some sweet little cowboy boots!  Every time  something that I've ordered him arrives it makes me want him here so badly.   We are painting the nursery this week!  I think I've chosen bedding and curtain fabrics so hopefully it'll all come together nicely!

Non baby related best moment this week...It's Football season!!!!
I've been slacking in my football posts and by slacking I mean they've been nonexistent.  Hopefully that'll change after we tailgate this weekend.