Head for the exit

So...have I mentioned lately that I am so ready to GET THIS BABY OUT?! The number 1 response I get to that is "they are much easier to take care of while in there than out here." And because this is coming from people that have already had a baby, I'm sure that is true. But my response is, GET THIS BABY OUT! :)

I'm at 36 weeks now. This is the first time that I've experienced any pain with this pregnancy. I mean, I've been uncomfortable before but not in a pain kind of way. Probably on Wednesday of last week I woke up with constant lower back pain and kind of an achyness in my abdomen. I have discovered that I've actually been having Braxton Hicks contractions without knowing it, but they have become just a tiny bit uncomfortable since I'm already in a little bit of pain. I think the word pain might be too strong...but it's kind of like an achy feel I guess. Anyways...it hasn't been getting any worse day by day, but it has definitely stayed around. fun fun...

This weekend I have entered into the I MUST GET EVERYTHING CLEANED UP stage. :) So, I'm off to get that done! Hopefully I can get it all finished and post some pics of my hard work well done...haha... :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Break! Well, I, of course, was SUPER glad to have a break from work! I am excited that I get to see my kids for 4 more weeks until maternity leave, but I'm also SO ready to be off my feet and relaxing for awhile! I really wish I had another opportunity to do that before Eli is born... I guess that's what weekends are for.

Wes and I went to Abilene to visit his family for Thanksgiving this year! And, as you can see by the pictures, IT SNOWED!! It was SO much fun to have snow for Thanksgiving! And it was a good kind of snow...the kind the packs well and sticks to the ground but doesn't freeze like ice on the road. It was perfect!

We had a great time but are glad to be back home to rest before work next week! Here are some pictures from our fun time with the Martin's!

This is Rachel and Steven's house all covered in snow!
They let us stay there while they were gone. Love you guys!

Here we are in front of this huge field that is covered in snow! It was so pretty!

Wes and Robert playing around :)

Umm...I thought Wes wouldn't actually throw the snowball at me, but I was WRONG!

We were going to like paste ourselves into the pic, but I stood in the wrong place when I was taking Wes' picture :( Oh well....

Wes and I at his aunt Malta's and we are ready to eat!

This is Wes' super cute mom, Carol and him :)

We had so much fun! Love you guys!

34 Weeks! And More!

Sorry for the absences lately :) I am so thankful that it's the Thanksgiving Holiday I can't even express myself! Everything is still going great! My feet still swell, my sleeping patterns are much worse (considering he wakes me up all the time and I have to go to the bathroom), and I am an ever growing soul... but I'm sure that comes with the territory!

Here were are being SO excited for Thanksgiving Break!!

Here are some pictures of the nursery as it looks right this second. I'll take much better ones once I actually everything on the walls and pictures in frames, but I just had to show you all the amazing stuff my mom did! First, here is a little reminder of the sickness that used to be Eli's room.

Ok this rocker and footstool belonged to my great-grandmother. It used to be just a plain wood color and the cushions were these gross orange cushions. My mom made new cushions and spray painted the furniture black, and it could not look more perfect! The chest used to be that old white chest that belonged to my parents for Josh when he was little. My amazing mother, once again, repainted it and put new handles on it and it looks fantastic!

Here are the curtains my mom made! I think they are SO cute!

So here is the crib covered in goodness! My mom made the little comforter and the ruffles at the bottom out of these super cute sheets we finally found at JC Penny's. The shelves were the gross "white" shelves that Wes painted black.

Some people are like, "you're huge!" and I'm like "yes, I know. Thank you." And others are like "aww...you are so cute!" and I'm like "you are so sweet!" And still others are like, "you're huge!!!" and I'm like "I'm supposed to be!!!!!"

I need to take some pictures of some super cute things I have received for Eli. I feel bad because I haven't taken pictures of like the diapers or wipes, but those things have become like gold to me, so I am so grateful for them as well, but most people just want to see the cute stuff! Today one of my students bought be the cutest little fleece boots with the cutest little blue outfit! I will have to get a pic and update this! And one student bought me this little snuggly blanket for him, and it is so adorable as well! I love all these little gifts!

Here is my 34 weeks pic compared to my 29 week pic. It makes me laugh to see how Eli was laying at 29 weeks! I guess he was just trying to make sure everyone knew he was there!

34 Weeks!

29 Weeks!

Here is the bassinet that has been in our family since my aunts and my mom were born. I think they said every baby has been in that bassinet starting with them! So, that's kind of cool! Anyways, my mom of course redid a lot of it, including a new cushion, blankets, siding, and ribbon! It's very traditional boyish, which makes me laugh sometimes, but it is actually super cute!

Eli's Party!

Wow! Sorry it's been awhile since my last post! I haven't been this busy in a really long time! I have only had one night a week where I haven't had anything so I'm usually laying on the couch watching TV...

Well I had SO much fun at Eli's Party (aka, the baby shower)! I had no idea what to expect when Wes and I drove up to the party, but as soon as I walked in I loved every minute! We had so many friends and family there that it still brings tears to my eyes to think about it! I just felt so loved and I was so emotional I think because everyone was buying these precious gifts for someone they have never even met. My mom and my aunts were saying the night before the party that you feel so happy and so proud when other people say good things about your kids, and I know I don't fully understand that yet, but I think I got a slice of that at the party every time I opened the most adorable gifts for Eli from such sweet people! I LOVED it!

Jeff and Meredith really put on a great time! The food was delicious, everyone was so happy, and The Langford House was gorgeous! There were tons of pictures taken and here are a few of the ones that we have!

This was the cutest little coat that I have ever seen! It was a green, soft cuddly coat with little bear ears on the hood! Precious!

My aunt Judy, Sharon, me, and my mom. I was so excited that they drove in from Austin to be there!

Wes, me, Carol, April, Michael, and Robert (Wes' mom and dad, sister, and brother-in-law) at our house after the shower! Cute pic!

haha...notice the sign. This is the XXXL t-shirt Jeff bought for me to wear in the hospital with everyone's decorations on it...hahaha...

This is Jeff's van that was sitting outside the house letting everyone know where the "partee" was...hahaha...

Me, Meredith, and Hannah! Love you girls!!

Wes' Aunt Susan in blue, then Adriene, Robin, and me. I loved having everyone there!

Me and Chelsea...who I swear I had not seen in like 10 years or something! Hi Chels!!! I am so glad you came!!

Here is everyone decorating onesies for Eli...haha... some of them were super cute!

Here we are sneaking a peak at the gifts!

Seriously, it was so much fun! I will definitely remember that forever! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Branch

Well a lot happened this past weekend! I am now 31 weeks along (YIKES!!) and I got to finally see one of my best friends Rachel who is also pregnant! Their band, Branch, was in town last night for a concert and it was so much fun! I have some pictures for you of course. And I don't have a staged 31 weeks photo but you can kind of see the giant I am becoming in one of these pics! Don't be scared...

Mere, Me, and Rach!

Yep...here's the scary side view...

Steven and Wes...future daddies!

That's right...we are BOTH pregnant!

I love you Rachy!

Part of the ole HSU crew!

We made sure and take doubles so we could mark this historic event that we all actually hung out together even though we live in the same area!

The Baby Shower...excuse me...Party!

Today I received my baby shower invitations in the mail! YAY!! Did you notice that I said invitations, as in plural?? Well, there is a reason for that...

One of our best friends Jeff had this crazy idea that he wanted to throw Eli a baby shower. He just thought it would be super fun to try and take on this feat. A) because he's a guy and he thinks a guy planning this is hilarious and B) because he LOVES to have everyone together to hang out with and what a better way to do it than to throw a shower...or as he calls it, a party.

One of our other best friends Meredith also said she would like to help throw a baby shower. So, after a while, it just seemed best for Mere and Jeff to work together instead of having separate ones, so that's where the story begins.

Jeff decided that he wanted to make his invitations extra special, so after I gave them the shower invitation list (which I hate doing because I always feel like I'm leaving someone off, which I'm sure I did...) he had me mark the ones that he could send invitations to, and then he had Meredith send the rest of the list her invitations. Basically, all the family members would be getting Meredith's adorable invites, and then the friends or people that understand Jeff would be getting the special invites. Instead of trying to go into any type of explanation, it's probably just best to let you see the invitations. I'll put a better picture up of Mere's invitations when the camera battery is recharged...it died while I was taking the picture.

Meredith's super cute invitations!



Jeff's super special invitations! (there are 2 parts)

30 Weeks!

Well...the countdown is officially ON!

I have (hopefully less than) 10 weeks to go. 10 weeks. Let's be honest here...that slightly freaks me out.

You know in the Bible in Genesis when you read about how God created the light and the darkness, and how you can't really wrap your mind around what it was like without the presence of either of those? Or when you try to really think about eternity, and how long that really is? That's basically how I feel about what is actually happening to me. I really just don't "get" that this is going on. Maybe that's a good thing and that it is keeping me sane right now...but it's very weird.

I am so excited that I get to see Eli soon. I love him so much! I love feeling him and talking to him, but I am definitely over this pregnancy...and I still have 10 weeks to go!

I'll post pictures when Wes gets home with the camera. And I go to the doctor again on Wednesday for a checkup! 10 weeks...