32 weeks

Sweet baby is now the size of a squash. Although, I have an app on my phone that says she's the size of a jicama?! What the heck is a jicama? (Apparently it's a mexican yam...Who knew?)

Jicama... the mysterious mexican yam

In other news, this week my uterus decided to absolutely freak out and start having contractions every 5-6 minutes (or so I thought, turns out it was every 2-3). There I was minding my own business at work, I was at the cash register making sure all those bikers got their own dose of Disney magic to take home with them and WHAM! my belly was tight as a ball and it was all I could do to get "Have a magical day!" out of my clenched teeth mouth. Yeah, probably not very magical. So, I'm pushing through thinking it will pass (this is not the first time I've had multiple contractions while trying to spread Disney cheer) and then I squatted down to get something for a customer and I literally thought I was going to die. I asked the manager if I could sit down for a sec (which seemed like a crazy request to me because the line was literally half way out the door. Darn those magic crazed bikers!) but lucky for me I work with some pretty awesome people who are totally understanding of a pregnant ladies crazy body changes. After sitting in the back and my belly still tightening up 4-5 more times in 15 minutes (can I tell you how sore contractions make your belly? And I thought pilates was bad, ouch!) I decided to call my doctor. She was pretty calm on the phone but she wanted me to go to the hospital (What?!). Luckily, my very sweet husband had stopped by to see me after work (and waited almost 45 minutes for me to go on break since the line was ca-razy!) and he was able to drive me over. He kept his cool (I was shocked), but he was actually a little mad at me for what he called "running around like a lunatic" at work. Hey, somebody has to spread that Disney magic... yeah, he said somebody non-pregnant could spread it and I should calm my butt down, blah blah blah. (Hehe, secretly I love that he loves me enough to get mad when I overdo it...)

So, at the hospital we walk in and it's like biker central and they are all staring at my ginormbo belly. (Come on folks, I've got 2 more months to go, am I really that big?) And then the police officer on duty (no joke, there's an officer in the er... sketch) says, "Looks like somebody's having a baby today!" which totally freaked me out because she has 2 MONTHS left to go! So I said, "Umm, hopefully not she's still a little undercooked in there." He smiled but I'm pretty sure he thought I was a lunatic, haha. After that exciting convo they wheel me up to labor and delivery (because I totally required a wheel chair... not. Apparently it's hospital policy. Whatevs, if they want to push me around then more power to them.) There was this amazing Mary Poppins-esque lady that was my nurse, complete with english accent and saying things like "mum" and "loo". It was fabulous. Apparently she has been delivering babies since before I "was a twinkle in me mum's eye." haha. Like I said, fabulous. So Ms. Poppins hooked me up to a million monitors (okay, only two) and we got to hear sweet little Amelia's heartbeat plunking along. She was doing great (big relief!) but turns out I wasn't losing my mind I was for real having contractions every 2-3 minutes. Eeek! They thought that they might calm down after I rested and drank my weight in water but it ended up that I had to get a shot to chill them out. (And that shot hurt like the dickens! Luke said my face was hilarious... it didn't feel too hilarious.) Thankfully the shot worked and we were able to leave about half way through the next Star Wars movie. The doctor put me on bed rest for the rest of the weekend and wanted me to come in on Monday. Sidenote: bed rest sucks. I mean it is really, really, really hard to lay in bed and look at how much needs to be done in the nursery and not get up and do it... (ok, so maybe I did try to do some but the contractions put me back in bed. Lame.)

So, to keep from having to split this post into chapters I will tell you that the doctor's didn't find out anything on Monday and that I'm still on bed rest until Thursday when I go back for a follow up. (But I am going to Life Group tonight, because seriously I'm just riding in a car and then sitting on a couch. And I neeeeeeeed human interaction.) 

No exciting pics for this week because really how exciting is laying in bed?

Oh, and the mister and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary yesterday! Since excursions are limited we made our way down the street to get me an ice cream sundae (he's still on the no food diet). It was the best ice cream sundae I've ever had :)

Since I have a little more time on my hands perhaps I'll actually be blogging more regularly (although I wouldn't hold my breath, because seriously how many times have I said that?) Thanks for reading though, it does make me a little giddy inside that someone out there actually thinks I have important/ridiculous things to say :)

Have a great day!!!

Week 28.5

Whoa nelly what a week and a half!!! I found out the results of my glucose test and I'm definitely not diabetic. In fact, the doctor told me that after drinking the glucose my blood sugar tanked and she's surprised I didn't pass out. So, hypoglycemia is my diagnosis and the cure involves keeping peanut butter crackers in my purse and rest. I'm actually very thankful to have found this out because I would get these crazy bouts of dizziness and my heart would race but honestly I thought I was just having minor panic attacks. Boy, was I wrong! Turns out my blood sugar tanks and my body freaks. That whole eating often thing is no joke. I've never been one to eat all three meals but now I'm eating like 8 smaller meals a day. Like I said, those peanut butter crackers are life savers.

In other news, I started my new job last Sunday! I'm working part time at the Disney Store and so far it has been quite the adventure! I used to be able to spend 8+ hours on my feet no problem but after a 4 hours shift I am exhausted! I came home today, changed clothes, and laid down for what I thought would be a short nap... I woke up 3 hours later (3 hours!!!) feeling sick at my stomach because (big surprise) I was staaaaarving! I downed a few wheat thins and then Luke called and he talked me into ordering some pizza! Walking down the stairs and cooking just seemed like too daunting of a task, haha. Poor boy though, he's still on this diet so he can't eat any food but he still ordered my pizza, paid for it and brought it to me in bed. How did I get so lucky?

I've also been blessed to find some extra work I can do at home through a friend from church. Basically I help her get in touch with lawyers about recent cases they have won so the information can be published. It has been such a great job for me so far and I can't wait to get more involved! This was definitely an answer to prayer since I can continue doing this even after Amelia is born!

Sweet baby girl is still growing like a weed! Here's a comparison from week 23ish to 25ish to 27ish... Yeah, I should probably keep better track of that, haha. Sometimes I find that I'm less anxious about her upcoming arrival if I don't remind myself everyday how far away it is. This Wednesday will be 29 weeks. Whoa. It seems like July 20th is so far away yet every week seems to be going by faster and faster. Keeping busy has certainly helped with that!

Little one's nursery is coming together quickly! I'll be posting some pictures soon, I know you all can't wait to see the massive amounts of cuteness that is quickly overtaking our house ;) Oh! And we finally got the rest of our cloth diaper stash in! So now we should be all set diaper wise for her arrival, pictures soon!

27 weeks!

Third trimester baby!!! Whoo-hoo! I've got 13 weeks left and Amelia is right on track! According to thebump.com miss thing now weighs between 1.5 - 2.5 lb (is it just me, or is that a huge range?) and is somewhere between 13.6 - 14.8 inches long. And apparently she is the size of a cauliflower. Grow baby grow!

This past week held some super fun activities like an impromptu maternity photo shoot and our 3D ultrasound and some not so fun things like an emotional breakdown at the OB's after my glucose test.

- glucose test - 

First of all, it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. All I had to do was drink a syrupy sweet fruit punch drink and then get some blood drawn an hour later. Not bad at all.
However, I still don't know what my results are because apparently despite the fact that I asked no less than four times what I needed to do to sign in/let them know I was there (remember this is only my second visit to this doctor's office) I was told incorrectly. I would ask, So, I still need to see the doctor. Should I just wait in the waiting room? and the response all four times was a non chalant, Yep, just wait to be called. So I waited and waited and when it got to the point that I had been waiting for 45 minutes I asked again, (the 5th time) and this time I was scolded for 'not signing in'. I'm already emotional at this point because it was 11:45 and I had been there since 10:00 and I had to be out of the office at 12:30 to make our 3D ultrasound at 1:00. So, yeah when the lady gave me the stink eye and then continued to talk about me to the other ladies there like I wasn't standing right in front of her, I teared up. It was incredibly embarrassing, like being in middle school again where the cool girls inform you that perms are definitely out. Only this time my stomach is bulging with baby and hormones are raging... Yeah, not exactly my day. Call me hormonal, but I'm thinking of switching OB's.

20 minutes into the 30 minute ride to the ultrasound place I finally quit blubbering when my incredibly sweet husband stopped to console me with Bojangle's and Mountain Dew. Yum :)

- 3D Ultrasound -

The ultrasound was a complete turn of events. Thank the Lord. We got to see our sweet baby's face and it was magical and mind blowing and every kind of 'wow' expression you can think of. She was wiping her little eyes with her tiny hand and we could see her kicking and moving and twisting all over the place! (Thanks to that delicious glucose and my sinfully delicious mountain dew I sipped throughout). Of course I already think she's the most gorgeous little girl to ever be conceived... but I'm just a little biased. So, without further ado here is our sweet and precious little girl.

I text the picture to my Mom, who informed me she couldn't figure out what it was, so I drew a little diagram to help out. Miss Amelia is much less alien looking than even 7 weeks ago and we asked, she's stil a little girl. Another Whew, thank you Jesus because I did not even want to think about having to take back all those sassy little outfits!

- Maternity Shoot - 

And finally, some shots from our self directed photo shoot just down the road from the NC Aquarium. Enjoy!

 Have a great week!

Week 22! Holy cow!!!

Yesterday I was lying in bed and I could literally watch her kick her little foot (or elbow, who knows) into different spots on my belly. It was crazy! Then she stuck her back into the front of my belly and just wiggled and stretched there for awhile. Luke put his hand on her and he could feel her little wiggly body going everywhere. She amazes me already!

I also have an interview on Monday in Myrtle Beach! I'm not posting this one on the book of face because it seems like I get all excited when I do that only to be very let down afterwards. This is a retail-ish job, I think, not really sure but it's with a company that I think I would very much enjoy working for. We'll see how it goes. On the bright side, the manager that called me seemed extremely nice and really peppy so that always helps with any job. 

We've got today and tomorrow left in Asheville and then it's "Sianara sucka!" I am thrilled to be moving on and starting over. Like, beyond thrilled. Of course there are some emo parts, like leaving behind family but we're moving to the beach, the beach. It's not like we won't be visited.  In the meantime I am looking forward to seeing my long lost best sisteriend (best friend/sister), spending half a day at Ikea, and our very first baby shower! SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO! 

I will leave you with this quote on pregnancy from my new favorite blog in the entire world (I literally sat in my bed and laughed until I cried reading this thing!)

The Pregnant Chicken

(the following is from an article written for new Dads)

4. Don't ask "What's for Dinner" If everyone in the house is alive when you get home that's a successful day. My friend's husband asked her why dinner wasn't ready because "she'd been sitting at home all day doing nothing". If you ask "What's for dinner?" the answer will be "Your left testicle". Eat cereal, order take-out or drink pumped breastmilk. Your choice.

 Bahahaha, now glean what you will from this and go enjoy the day!

Train of thought... derailed.

Week 20. Whoa.

I've been thinking back on the amount of time I've been pregnant so far, and how it has absolutely flown by and I know that the next 20 weeks will probably go by even faster.

In the past 20 weeks I have discovered a little life growing inside me. I have seen pictures of her developing body, I have learned that it is a her, I have felt her kick and squirm on the inside, and I have watched my own body make room for her to grow. It's been nothing short of miraculous. I have also left the security of a steady job. Said goodbye to friends and teachers, people that I have looked up to and others that have looked up to me. I have found that as much as I want to love Asheville I just can't seem to find a place to fit in. I have learned that my husband is reliable, that he really is my best friend. I've learned that it's ok to enjoy reading blogs and not have to keep up with my own. I've learned that sometimes growing requires painful changes.

This week my Mom got a job. A fabulous knock-your-socks-off job. And she deserves it. My Dad also decided to retire from his, a job he has held for 26 years. Talk about some inspiration. They both took a step of faith and decided he would retire and she would put out her resume. They prayed about it and here they are in a very short time with her new knock-your-socks-off job. I'm impressed and so very proud.

I'm still searching for a job. After giving up on the Asheville jobs and moving on to Myrtle Beach, the prospects looked good. I've had two fabulous interviews, one is "still searching" and the other turned out to be a scam. A very pretty, well packaged scam, but a scam none the less. And when said "scam" didn't call me back for the second part of the package? Well, I should have counted my blessings and moved on but instead I sobbed over how I can't even get a scam to call me back. Dumb, I know. But when you've been looking for a job for awhile it starts to get personal. I feel like no one wants me. Throw in some pregnancy hormones and you've got a full fledged sobbing fest. Poor Luke.

So this is a new week. Week 21! Amelia's got some growing to do and so do I. Here's to new opportunities and big adventures coming up!

Week 14!

Well in the past 8 weeks we have gone through A LOT!!! We announced our pregnancy to the world... Yay Baby Braswell! With this adorable picture (ok so maybe adorable is stretching it, but I would bet anything this little one will be less alien and more adorable looking one day very soon)

We moved from little college town to huge hippie town... not sure about my feelings on that one yet but the house is gorgeous (albeit a little grimy still from no one living here in 6 years) and we are slowly... slooooowwwwwllllyyy getting moved in. Internet got installed yesterday so I am VERY excited to be back in the 21st century.

My bump is now big enough for maternity clothes! (This was on Christmas Eve eve at the mall... that was a super bad idea btw) I went for the internet at Barnes & Noble, spilled coffee all over my white shirt and had to go to Motherhood Maternity for a new shirt... and then the pants were half off... and well, nothing is quite worse than your jeans digging into your newly acquired baby bump... but on the other hand I now have about a dozen combined maternity items (thanks to my parents taking me on an awesome Target shopping trip) and I feel much much more comfortable.

We also kept my younger siblings right after the holidays so my parents could take my sister, Elizabeth, to school in Oklahoma (so sad!). We had a blast but boy oh boy am I glad that this kid will come out not knowing how to talk or walk or run around for little while haha. Here they are the Biltmore House, aren't they cute?

Oh! And I cut all my hair off! Here is a pic of me and cutesy missy Annie.

As for the pregnancy, I am officially out of the first trimester! Yay!!! And morning sickness has finally gone away almost completely! Unfortunately it has been replaced by headaches and heartburn but honestly I think that's a pretty fair trade for not being nauseas all the time. BTW taking 1/2 a unisom before bed every night really did help a TON with night/early morning morning sickness (which should really be called all day sickness, ugh). I am still on the job search but I have a couple pretty awesome openings that I've applied for this week and I should hear something back by the end of this week or early next week. 

All in all, life is pretty good and I've still got the best hubby around that goes to get me teddy graham's at 11:00 at night... I'd say I'm pretty blessed :)

Week 6!

Baby is now the size of a sweet pea! 

While baby is growing away in there my hormones are starting to catch up with me. Let me just tell you that morning sickness is no joke. At first it was just this kinda gross feeling that made me extremely tired and not very hungry. Now I can't keep anything down beyond saltines and small sips of ginger ale. I did have thanksgiving dinner with my family but it was followed directly by feeling absolutely disgusting and having to lay down for an hour. Not fun. We traveled home last night and I had saltines for dinner. I woke up this morning and had saltines for breakfast. It's 2:00pm, I'm at work, and I cant even fathom eating anything besides saltines for lunch.This is miserable.

I know that once the baby is born I'll barely remember all of this but right now I can't seem to focus on anything besides my churning tummy. In addition to feeling gross I've begun having these crazy mood swings where I just feel like crying at the craziest stuff! Really the only kind of mood swing I've had has been in the direction of crying so I guess it could be worse (like getting stressed or angry) but is it too much to ask to get a deliriously happy swing?

We told pretty much all of our family this week. The reactions were all very good but no one was as excited as we expected them to be. Luke thinks it's because everyone has been expecting this for awhile (I think he's just trying to make me feel better). I'm also (big surprise) a little moody so maybe it's just all in my head. My parents already bought themselves "World's best grandparents" shirts, ha ha, at least their excited! 

Monday is our first doctor's appointment so that's exciting (and scary). I definitely plan on asking about remedies and/or medicine for this nausea so maybe I can feel a little more normal. At this moment I would love to go home, take a nap, and maybe have a baked potato. I could handle that, I think.

I hope you all had a fabulous thanksgiving and I'll be back soon with reports on the doctor's visit!