Maternity Photo Shoot 34 weeks, 2 days

So on Saturday we had the privilege of having our friend Shannon come to our house and do my maternity pictures. It was such a fun time and it will be such a great reminder of this chapter in our lives. This is just a preview of the work she did, but I wanted to share with everyone, what an amazing job she did.

So you can check out Shannon's site to see some of the pictures from the day! I am so excited to see the rest of them!

Thanks, Shannon, for really capturing the moment and excitement of this pregnancy!

6 weeks left!

So as I sit here today, I can only think one thing...HOW CAN I GET ANY BIGGER? However, many people have reminded me that I will indeed get larger over the next 6 weeks! My back has been killing me, I've gained 32 pounds, it takes a lot of effort to get up and down, put on socks, roll over in bed, but hey, I'm surviving.

There have been a series of events this week that have just reminded me how blessed I am to be pregnant. I know I say that a lot...but it's true. I think sometimes in between the moans and groans and complaints about weight gain, we forget to focus on the big picture, the miracle baby we have been blessed to carry. How can I really complain when there are still people in the world dealing with infertility, miscarriages and struggles? While all these things in my pregnancy are real and not always pleasant, I have been abundantly blessed after 2 years to be able to carry a child that God created just for us. I am humbled by that fact. I just continue to thank the Lord and am reminded daily that our God is bigger than everything...there is nothing too big for the God we serve. Miracles really DO happen.

So with all that said...here are this weeks pictures.

Here I am from the side...the belly has taken on a life of its own and may need its own zip code soon.

Here I am from the front. I continue to widen out as the weeks progress.
And here I am before work...sorry for the double chin,
I don't think it is going away any time soon.

7 weeks to go...under 50 days!

So I am officially almost done with Spring Break...I have been off since last Friday and it has been a well needed and well deserved break. It's crazy to think that once I go back to work on Monday, I'll only have 6.5 weeks before Amelia's arrival! Wow, now that's reality hitting!

I've been doing okay, my lower back has been KILLING me. I am finding it extremely difficult to sleep at night and have now resorted to:
2 pillows under my head
1 body pillow between my legs and able for me to hug
1 memory foam pillow behind my back and under my hip.

So just imagine ever time I get up to go to the bathroom (Which right now is at least 3 times per night) I have to reposition all those pillows...Oh, the Joy! :) But I keep reminding myself it's all worth it.

I had a Dr. appt on Wednesday and all is well. I am measuring right on track and they are happy with my weight gain, which as of today is +29 pounds (I'm still enjoying that I haven't hit 30 pounds yet, though I know it's coming). She is still transverse, now her head is down, lower left and her butt is up near my ribs on the right side. So she's getting there.

Birthing classes are going well, we are actually learning a lot and becoming rather educated on the different medications available and birthing techniques out there. After class on Sunday, Josh believes that I can do an unmedicated birth, so that is what we are planning on as of now, but who knows what will happen between now and delivery...it makes me feel great though that he has faith in my ability to deliver this miracle baby!

So enough rambling, here are this weeks pictures. Here I am from the side, the belly is getting further and further out there. It's hard to think that I have 7 more weeks to grow and they say the baby should gain at least .5 pounds per week...YIKES!

Here I am from the front...it has definately rounded out, oh what I would
give to have my waist back!! haha!

And here is the covered belly...Wow that think is huge! :)
P.S. On a side note, I finally broke down and bought a nursing bra for 2 reasons:
1: My regular bra was so stretched out and I was having some major boob spilliage and
2: They don't recommend wearing underwire bras, especially when nursing.

So I went to Motherhood and had the nice girl help me find a bra, talk about feeling 15 again and trying to find one that fit...I'll spare you the details on the size, but I'll tell you, I had to go up more than 2 cups sizes, to a letter I didn't even know they made bras in...haha!!

Too bad you can't tell my boobs have gotten bigger since my belly now DOMINATES the photos!! haha!!

Only 8 weeks to go!

Well, it's Thursday, which means another week completed. I am 32 weeks pregnant today. WOW! What an accomplishment. I sit here thinking back about how I couldn't wait to be pregnant and now all I can think about is meeting the little girl I've been carrying for the past 32 weeks. As of today, we technically only have 8 weeks left, but only 4% of babies are actually born on their due date, so we'll see when Amelia actually decides to arrive into this world.
We started our birthing classes last week and they are actually pretty good. We have gotten a lot of great information already, and I am starting to feel empowered, excited and scared out of my mind about the whole birthing process. But I know I can do it, because the reward of seeing our daughter will far outweigh the pain.

The other night Josh and I were sitting and talking and we just couldn't put our minds around how truly miraculous being pregnant is. We kept talking about how no matter what, your body knows how to grow this child, how in 9 months, the baby will come, whether you are ready or not and most amazingly that it takes 1 egg and 1 sperm of miniscule size, to create a human being. If this doesn't make you realize how amazing God is, I don't know what will.

Well, anyways, I'm getting larger by the day, and it's getting harder to breathe and get comfortable. Teaching dance I look like a beached whale trying to stretch, but it is all worth it. I am officially up 28.6 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I realize that's quite a lot, but again it's all worth it!

Here are this weeks pictures...the belly is sticking straight out, that's for sure!

Here I am with the shirt down, I broke down and bought a new tank top...
the other one was WAY too short!
And check out that belly!!
Here I am heading off to work with my new short, dark hair!

Happy Birthday to Me!

So today is my 27th birthday, and what a year it's been up to this point. Turning 26 was hard for me, because all I really wanted was to be a mom, and that didn't seem to be in the cards for me at the time. I remember feeling sad and angry at the situation we were facing. This time last year, I was preparing to have surgery on my cervix and being told we would have to wait at least 3 months to start trying again. I was starting to lose hope.

However, looking back, I just have to thank the Lord for being ever so faithful, as always. 5 months after my 26th birthday, we found out we were being blessed with a miracle. What an amazing feeling. The rest of the year until now has been filled with growing spiritually, emotionally and most of all PHYSICALLY!!

I was talking to a friend about how birthdays aren't that exciting after you get to a certain age, however, after pondering that thought, I realized how exciting this birthday and this year will be. On my 27th birthday, I am 31 weeks, 1 day pregnant with a miracle baby named Amelia. I have a husband who I love more than words can describe. I have family and friends that remind me how blessed I am on a daily basis and I have a God who died so that I may be saved. This birthday is incredibly exciting!

I can't wait to see what being 27 holds for me, but I know whatever it is, it will be amazing!

31 Weeks!! We only have 9 weeks left!

So we've made it to 31 weeks, only 9 more to go. I still can't believe we are this far already. It seems like yesterday, I was announcing my pregnancy. We had a Dr. Appointment yesterday. Everything is looking good. Mia is a little bit transverse, meaning she is not head down yet, but that's okay. Her head is hanging out on my right side. My weight, blood pressure and everything else looks great. I have been getting horribly ill after I eat, not sure why, but they are just going to watch it, no need for concern right yet. So here are the newest pictures from yesterday, 31 weeks and up 26 pounds.

Here is the naked belly, everyone keeps telling me I've really "popped" this week.

The covered belly.
And the front belly...
my poor belly button is almost gone.

Baby Shower!

So I had my first Baby Shower this past weekend. My friends, Danielle and Tracy threw it for me and it was great! I was surrounded by friends and lots of pregnant women. There were 5 of us to be exact!! haha! :) We played games, ate great food and I was graciously blessed with many presents for Baby Amelia. I feel so blessed to have such great friends and Mia should feel blessed to be loved by so many already!

Here are a few pictures from the day. I am 30 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

This was taken right after I put my belly in the cake! I think it sticks out further than I thought!!

Me and my mom! The shirt she is wearing is the one we made her to
let her know we were expecting!
Danielle, Me and Tracy!
Look at all those bellies!
Me with my balloons! :)

Thanks again to everyone who came and shared in Mia's first shower!! We feel loved and blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!