Week 30

I am so excited - this weekend is our first baby shower!!! I can't believe that it's already time for this. I cannot wait to see our family and friends that are coming in from out of town to help celebrate little Ethan. I'll be driving to Raleigh later this afternoon, but Patrick is staying home this weekend to enjoy some much needed quiet time without a "honey do" list. This shower is being held at the same restaurant where Patrick and I had our rehearsal dinner before our wedding 4 years ago, which makes it even more special. I'll try to post pictures as soon as I get back to Charlotte next week.

We've gotten a few baby gifts in the mail, and the funniest story involves the Diaper Champ that Patrick's aunts sent us. Patrick read the instruction manual, inspected every inch of the contraption, and declared that it is a fancy trash can. Technically he is correct, but this fancy trash can will be invaluable in saving us trips outside to the dumpster to dispose of Ethan's smelly diapers. He hadn't seen one of these before and once I explained how it worked I think he was excited about it too, but we both realized that our lives are changing a bunch when we get really excited about things that can eliminate diaper stink. What is happening to us?!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything went well. The only real concern (and the doctor was not at all concerned, but I am worrying about everything these days) was that I didn't gain any weight this time. It could easily be attributed to the fact that our appointment was at 8:00 am so I hadn't really eaten much for the day yet (since Patrick and I always grab either breakfast or lunch together after our appointments) or the fact that since it's been so hot out (LOVE IT!) I was wearing very light weight clothing. In any event, according to the scale at home I did gain some since our last appointment and the doctor assured me I'm on schedule and some weeks there will be a much larger gain than anticipated so not to worry. The official count is still 16 pounds, but I think it's really more like 18. We'll see what happens when I go back in two weeks. Fingers crossed there will be a larger weight gain at that appointment. (This sounds so backwards - remind me of this moment in a few months when I am struggling to shed all these extra pounds!)

I had a yucky cold a little over a week ago that has left behind a residual cough that is driving me nuts. Since I am pregnant there isn't too much I can take or do about the cough, so I'm trying not to let it drive me bonkers. The doctor checked me today and once again assured me that I am fine, not contagious, and it just might take me longer than normal to shake the cough since I have to just let it run its course. Joyous fun!

I'm starting to experience some of the not so fun side effects of being pregnant, although I have to confess that overall pregnancy is so much easier than I ever anticipated. I've been very lucky this whole time, so if I'm only now starting to have some of these symptoms I really have no room to complain. I have pretty much been sleeping like a champion throughout the pregnancy, until about 5 days ago when I woke up around 2 am to use the bathroom. I didn't think much about it until it happened the next night, and then the next. Yes, I am now up at 2 am every morning because Ethan is laying on my bladder. On the bright side, NKOTB has a song on their "The Block" album entitled 2 in the Morning so I think of them every time I'm up :) I'm also still getting leg cramps first thing in the morning, but this is very common so I'm not too worried.

I'm sure that I'll have much more to post after the baby shower (and hopefully have lots and lots of pictures!) so I'll keep this post pretty brief. Here's the official update on Week 30: "Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision - which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face."

Week 29

I PASSED!!!! I do not have to go in for the 3 hour glucose test since I was lucky enough to pass this test the first time through. This came as a shock to me since the doctor took one look at my chart, saw my family history of diabetes, and promptly told me not to worry about coming in for the follow up test. I just assumed I would have to come back, so this is a great surprise. Pass the cake, ice cream, and any other sweets you can think of!!

Patrick and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this week as well. I cannot believe that it has been that long already. It certainly does not feel like we've been married for four years. I wonder if I'll still be saying that when we hit 20 years?! Caddy decided that shredding the card I put out on Patrick's nightstand (so he would see it first thing when he woke up) was a good plan and so yet another card in our house has her teeth marks in it. She loves to turn all things paper into confetti at night. We can't leave out newspapers, magazines, coupons - pretty much anything paper. She's a nut! Patrick surprised me with a new raincoat and he got a new lawnmower. Boy aren't we exciting?! Both of these were definite necessities that we had been putting off, so that made it nice. (Although I remember the days of flowers and jewelry fondly...haha!) It was fun remembering our favorite parts of our wedding, some of our early dates, and talking about our plans for the future.

This past weekend I got to attend another baby shower for my good friend, Lindsay. We are both expecting our first child (and both boys - thank goodness somebody else will be navigating through this brave new world with me!) so it's been a lot of fun to get to share the joys (and pains!) of pregnancy together. We are only due six weeks apart so every time Lindsay shares a new symptom, a few weeks later I am right where she was. It's been great to have a pregnancy "tour guide" and I will be lost once she has her little boy and I still have another six weeks to go until Ethan arrives. Here are a few pictures of us from her shower:

Check out our growing bellies - it's craziness!

In nursery news, we FINALLY got started on turning what was my office until a functional nursery. I took it upon myself to tape off the entire room, put down the plastic drop sheet, remove all the outlet covers, and take down the curtains and drapery rod on Sunday afternoon. (Whew, the prep work might take longer than the actual painting!) I'm not allowed to help paint (although everything I've read indicates that as long as the room is well ventilated you are allowed to paint - Patrick just doesn't seem to agree!) so at least this way I feel like I really contributed something to this process. And it has definitely been a process! We're almost done with the paint project, so here are some pictures to show you the progress:

Yes, I'm already taking a break from all the taping (and Spot & Caddy are keeping my company)

This is why we call her "Caddy Cuddles" - she loves to sit right by head no matter where I'm sitting!

Check out all of my hard work...it might not look like much but this seriously took me a couple of hours to do

This picture makes the room look REALLY blue, but I promise it's actually pretty subtle

Here's the official update for week 29: "Your baby now weighs 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of proteins, vitamins C, iron and folic acid. Because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice.) This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day."

Week 28

So this has been a super exciting week...my chair arrived!!!! Okay, so this might not sound too exciting, but I am absolutely thrilled to have this wonderful piece of furniture at long last. Awhile back I began the search for the perfect rocker for the nursery, and quickly determined that I wanted a chair that didn't actually look like a glider or rocker (but instead looked like an actual chair.) This caused a small debate at home since Patrick's idea of the perfect chair looked like a traditional glider, but once he saw and sat in my final selection he was sold too. It took me several trips to many different furniture and baby stores to finally narrow the selection down to two, and then I dragged my mom, sister, Lindsay, and of course Patrick to see the final two (on separate trips, I might add!) before I finally settled on the chair of my dreams. Then, I had to wait until I received a Buy Buy Baby coupon in the mail (because that knocked 20% off the price, and I am never one to pass up the opportunity to save) so the day that the coupon arrived in the mail I rushed to the store to place the order for the chair. I was told that it would take almost 12 weeks to arrive and was not anticipating receiving the chair until early June. Imagine my surprise when they called last week to let me know that the chair had arrived and they were ready to schedule delivery. Buy Buy Baby is most definitely my new favorite store!

This chair is so comfortable - not only does it glide and swivel, it has a hidden latch in the seat cushion so that it can recline as well. (I think this is what sold Patrick - one day when Ethan has outgrown his nursery this can be his recliner upstairs in the "man room.") The fabric we picked turned out to be a little lighter than I had anticipated, but I still absolutely love it and cannot wait to one day hold our little boy and rock him to sleep in this fabulous chair. Patrick said that since I am so in love with this chair he is afraid to sit in it :) I put an old blanket over it for the time being since the cats have determined that they love this chair almost as much as I do. It's pretty cute! I'm sure there will come a day where I won't mind having their fur on the chair, but for the time being I am content to keep it covered so that they can enjoy it without me constantly feeling the need to lint roll it.

Rocky & Holly have claimed this chair as their own (for the time being, that is!)

In other news, we had a doctor's appointment this past Thursday and I had to drink the sticky sweet orange drink and have blood drawn for the glucose test. Cross your fingers that I pass the first time, because going in for a three hour follow up test sounds dreadful. The doctor did tell me that since I have a strong family history of diabetes my risk level is elevated but not to worry if I do have to come back for the follow up test or even if I end up testing positive for gestational diabetes. It can totally be managed, I just don't want to have to go through drinking double the amount of that orange drink (which reminds me of the syrup used to make snow cones, minus the ice) and give four separate blood samples over the course of spending 3 hours at the doctor's office all to determine that I will need to drastically modify my diet. I can think of so many other fun things I would rather do, and giving up sweets is not my idea of a good way to make a hormonal pregnant woman happy!

Since I am now officially in the third trimester (gulp!) I will be going to the doctor every two weeks now. I cannot believe that time is flying by like this. Patrick and I registered for our birth preparation classes this week (oh joy - we'll get to watch videos of live births...ewwww!) and we'll start those towards the end of the month. Hopefully Ethan will stay put until after we finish the classes. Everything checked out right on schedule at the appointment today. His heartbeat is 150 and when they measured my belly (I'm not exactly sure what they are measuring or what the actual purpose is) the doctor said I'm right on track. The official weight gain is 16 pounds so I'm right on track with that too. (Of course, I might blow up one week and get completely off track, but for now everything looks to be on schedule.) Ethan is a little over 2 pounds now, which is crazy because he feels so much bigger when he's kicking me with his ninja moves.

We celebrated our little Caddy's third birthday this week. She's had two very serious health scares (there are some older posts on here that detail all that we've gone through to get her healthy again) and so I am forever grateful for each day that I get to spend with my little girl. We came so very close to losing her, and the fact that she was able to celebrate another year of life is truly a gift. Caddy is the most affectionate of our cats and she has brought so much joy into our lives. Rehabilitating her was truly a labor of love, and Patrick and I both firmly believe that she was brought into our lives specifically because of all the extra time, care, and attention that she has required over the years. I look forward to celebrating many, many more birthdays with our Caddy!!

In nursery news, we are hoping to start the painting process this week. (We'll see if that actually happens though!) I have the elephant curtains, and I am going in search of a double curtain rod and drapes this week. I am also going to find frames for the artwork we bought on ebay to decorate his room. We found 4 elephant pictures that match his nursery theme and another with his name printed so that we'll have something with which to decorate his walls. They sent us two copies of the print with his name, so for now the duplicate is taped up on his bedroom door. Hopefully it will all start to come together soon. For the time being his nursery still resembles a storage unit for all things baby. Ugh!! Cross your fingers that next week I'll actually have some nursery updates!

Ethan's bedroom door


Part of the curtains

Here's the official word on week 28: "By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world."

Week 27

It's been another busy week! This past Monday I got to go visit my friend Sarah and her adorable daughters, Annaliese and Mary Grace. Mary Grace is just under 6 weeks old, and it was incredible to get to hold this brand new little person. Of course, in looking at the picture of me holding her it is painfully obvious that I am not a natural with babies. Hopefully I will get better with practice, but I had a great time getting to meet this sweet little girl and spending some quality time with her big sister and mom. Sarah is my big sister from my Sigma Kappa days, and I could not ask for a better friend. I'm so glad that we're still so close after so many years!

How cute is her outfit?! She looks like she has on tiny purple shoes!

Ethan was pretty excited to "meet" this beautiful young lady because he kicked her a couple of times. She didn't seem to notice, so he might have to wait awhile to catch her eye. Hopefully he and Mary Grace will be good friends one day, but if he kicks her once he's made his big debut he will be in big trouble!

Over the weekend I went to visit my friend Meredith (another great friend from the sorority days) and got to see her beautiful new home. It feels like a mountain retreat since she is surrounded by trees and huge windows and it was really nice to get to spend some time hanging out and catching up. I know that once Ethan arrives I won't be able to take off and go visit out of town friends quite as easily so I'm really trying to take advantage of the time I have available right now to spend with the people who mean so much to me. We ate lunch at Mellow Mushroom (a HUGE treat since there are no more Mellow Mushroom restaurants in Charlotte), watched some movies, and chatted a bunch. I love our weekends of just hanging out because they are super relaxing. I wish we were able to get together like this more often!

Our cat Holly celebrated her fifth birthday this week. Yes, we celebrate each of our cat's birthdays, and no, we do not allow them to actually eat the treats that we get in honor of their birthday. (They do get special kitty treats and extra love and attention all day long though!)

Holly inspecting "her" cake

Holly with her daddy

My little girl (and remind me not to wear that shirt again - most unflattering!)

Everything has been progressing well on the pregnancy front this week. Ethan's kicks are getting a bit harder and he is getting more active during the afternoons as well. I've started referring to him as my little ninja since I think he practicing karate in my belly. I think I felt him have hiccups once, but I'm not entirely sure. My stomach is expanding at an alarming rate, and it's actually kind of itchy. I've heard that's normal since your skin is being stretched, but it's still not the most fun feeling in the world. So far I haven't noticed any stretch marks, so we'll see if I'm actually able to keep that up for the next three months (doubtful!) I am doing my very best to prevent them from happening though. I've also started getting some leg cramps in the middle of the night. Everything I've read indicates that this is totally normal too, since your legs are reacting to carrying around so much extra weight. (According to my scale at home I'm up 17 pounds, and we'll see what the doctor has to say at my appointment on Thursday.) I have to have the glucose test for gestational diabetes, so cross your fingers and say a prayer that I pass the first test and don't have to go back for the 3 hour test. I'll keep you posted on the results!

Here's the official word on week 27: "This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning - with a lot of medical help - if he were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode only lasts a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle."

Week 26

I want to start this week's post on a positive note, since I was pretty down last week. I am in love with maternity pants. They are stretchy and there are no buttons or zippers so getting them off and on is breeze. (Any of my pants with buttons, zippers, or belt loops are purely decorative - trust me!) The ability to pull them off and on in a snap comes in especially handy considering how much more frequently I must visit the bathroom these days. Think of the time savings! I think that even after this little boy comes and (fingers crossed here!!) I return to a more normal size and shape I will need to do some serious research and find cute pants with an elastic waistband. I am so not kidding - the person that invented maternity pants is seriously onto something and should begin marketing these things to the masses. I love them!

This past Monday Patrick and I were running errands together and I dared to enter my favorite children's store (which I have been avoiding like the plague since I found out I was pregnant since their stuff is ridiculously cute but also ridiculously overpriced!) I was not disappointed with the selection of beautiful ensembles, and I used all of my willpower to head directly to the sale racks. I am so proud of my finds - I got a sweater that Ethan can wear this winter that was originally $43 for $7!! Patrick was shocked when he saw the full prices on everything in the store since this was his first time in a Janie and Jack, and made me promise that even if we become millionaires one day I will never pay $43 for a baby sweater that will be outgrown in a few short months and more than likely spit up upon many times as well. I assured him that I have more financial sense than that, since I am pretty good at finding great deals. It's hard to maintain control in this store though, because everything is just so cute. I love it! Check out my super sale finds (grand total spent - $20):

I should also add that for those of you that don't know, Patrick loves all things pirate related. (Why you may ask - I have absolutely no idea!) He even dragged me into a pirate museum when we were in Charleston a few years back. I share this, because when he saw this shirt he fell in love and so I have a feeling that Ethan is destined to have an affinity for pirate themed items as well. He purposely liked this shirt because he said it looked tough...sigh!

It was fun getting to shop together for our little guy!! We also finally settled on a paint shade for the nursery, and picked up the paint and supplies this past weekend. That project will be commencing soon, so stay tuned for home improvement updates.

Here's a word of advice for any of you with pregnant friends - even if they look as if they tripled in size since you have seen them last, it might not be in their best interest to share that observation directly with the pregnant person in question. I had this happen to me this past week (the elapsed time was four days) and was told that I definitely looked as though I had gotten bigger in that time. Ummm, thank you??? I'm getting better at not taking things like this personally (especially since I realize that it was not intended to be insulting) but when your self esteem can be found in the toilet some days, perhaps not addressing one's dramatic weight gain would make for a happier hormonal pregnant woman. That's my two cents on that topic for what it's worth!


I helped host a baby shower this past weekend for my good friend Lindsay (who is due with her little boy 6 weeks before Ethan is scheduled to make his debut.) I think that everything turned out really well, and it was a lot of fun. The food was fantastic - we had them prepare a brunch menu and I truly think that I could eat breakfast items for every meal of the day. It was super yummy! Here are a few pictures:

Lindsay with all of her gifts - she got some awesome stuff for her little boy!!

The hostesses and guest of honor - Jennifer (Lindsay's lifelong friend), Allison (3 months pregnant!), Lindsay, and me (I'm counting this as my 26 week pregnancy shot!)

The beautiful mommy-t0-be

Lucky 32 Restaurant

Here's the official word on Week 26: "The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel."

Week 25

I cannot believe that it's already time to post another update! Ethan's activity level has picked up dramatically in the past week. He still remains the most active in the early evenings, but I've been noticing more and more movement throughout the days this week as well. And I finally saw my stomach move on its own. Let me tell you, that was one of the weirdest things I've seen. I looked down, and all of a sudden either his arm or leg gave me a solid punch and I saw the limb hit and push out my stomach. I felt like I belonged in an alien movie and promptly snuggled into a blanket so I wouldn't see anything further. I love feeling him move around (craziness, considering how fearful I was of that before this whole process started!) but I'm not ready to watch all of his antics just yet. Maybe I'll get there...but I'm definitely not there yet!

If I'm being perfectly honest here, this week has been filled with a lot of self doubt. I've just been thinking a lot about how much goes into being a good parent, and wondering if I'll ever be up to the task. I'm so scared to be expecting a little boy, because I have no experience with boys and no idea what he'll need. I want so badly to be a good mother, and there have been so many comments made in recent weeks (and I know that nothing has been meant by any of these, I just have a tendancy to take everything to heart) that have caused me to doubt a lot of the decisions we have been making. For example, we have a bumper for the crib (and I ensured that it has all of the required safety ties, etc.) but I've been told to take it back because it could be bad for the baby. My mother is in shock that we are going to use pacifiers for the first couple of months (my research all says that this helps reduce the risk of SIDS) and sippy cups (evidently she taught us to use adult cups right away and doesn't understand the need for a child to carry a drink around with them) so those are both decisions that I know aren't being looked at favorably. At Easter a comment was made about clothing and how shirts with collars look silly on babies, and I came home to look in Ethan's closet and saw how many of the outfits I have for him have collars on the shirts. None of this is make or break stuff, but in total it's all getting to me and really causing me to wonder if I have a clue in the world what I'm getting myself into. And this is all just little stuff...what happens when we're talking about big decisions?! I know you cannot ever be truly ready to be a parent, but I'm really starting to wonder if the hospital will even let me leave with this baby once he's born.

That's another thing - I'm starting to really stress about having to actually give birth now too. When we first found out that we were expecting, I knew that this would have to happen but it seemed so far off that I tried not to think about it. Now that the day is quickly approaching (we are right at 100 days until our due date!) I'm starting to get really scared. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. I'm kind of a wimp and Patrick's best advice thus far is that we'll just power through. I need a plan (and preferably a doctor to knock me out and wake me up the next day to tell me that it's all over!)

Anyway, other than my stress meter returning (I've been totally relaxed throughout the majority of this pregnancy) everything has been going pretty well. I've been spending a lot of time reading in the sun on our patio in the afternoons (gotta love those 85 degree days!) and I cannot wait for the pool to open soon. I have several maternity swimsuits that my friends have been kind enough to donate to my cause (and let me tell you, I have the best friends in the world because they have totally hooked me up with a fabulous maternity wardrobe!) so I think that I'll be brave enough to waddle over there during the days when the pool is relatively quiet.

I have to get Patrick to take a picture of me for this week's update, so this will be one of those weeks where the pictures come later (sorry!) In nursery related news, the curtain valences arrived this week and they are ADORABLE! I love the pattern we ended up picking out (which oddly enough wasn't one that either of us looked at initially) and the curtains might be my favorite part of the nursery set. I think we finally agreed on the shade of blue that we're going to paint the nursery, so that will be our project this week. I will definitely take some pictures of the before and after to post. Oh, and we ordered some artwork from Ebay that arrived this week as well. There's a site where they'll send you prints to match your nursery pattern so now I need to find some cute frames for his elephant artwork. It feels like we haven't done much to prepare the nursery yet, but all the pieces are slowly starting to come together. I'll be taking pictures as we make progress!

Here's the official update for the week: "Head to heels, your baby now measures 13 1/2 inches. His weight - a pound and a half - isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair - and if you could see it you would now be able to discern its color and texture."

And in non-baby related news, my Duke Blue Devils are once again NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! It was a super exciting game (I thought it would send me into pre-term labor I was so nervous) and they ended up pulling off a 2 point victory. Here are just a couple of pics from the Duke game we attended last year (pre-pregnancy, in case you couldn't tell!) I'll have to tell Ethan that I missed seeing this year's national championship team in action since the one game to which we received tickets to attend at Cameron was really early on in the pregnancy and I was too nauseous to endure the 2 hour car ride. Hopefully next year we'll get tickets again (they are hard to come by if you're not an alum which unfortunately I am not) because it really is something special to see this team in action on their home court. It is a great day to be a Blue Devil fan (especially living in the land of obnoxious Carolina fans!) And on a side note, it was fantastic to see our adopted team, the WVU Mountaineers, do so well in the tournament. We were pulling for them up until the day they faced Duke (and then our loyalty had to remain with our own team!)

I cannot wait to see the fourth trophy join these!!

The happiest place on earth!

Week 24

Apologies for posting this late...my mom was staying with us for a few days and now I'm trying to catch back up on everything. We had a doctor's appointment this past Thursday and everything went well. The official weight gain is 14 pounds (although according to the scale at home it's 16 - I like the doctor's count better!) and my stomach is officially out and on display for all the world to see. I know this because while my mother and I were out running errands one afternoon I felt her eyes boring holes into me but I couldn't tell what she was looking at so I finally just asked her what she was staring at. The response was my belly - holy grossness! Ethan's heartbeat was normal and everything was measuring in the right ranges. It was a pretty easy appointment and it's nice to see that everything is progressing like it's supposed to since I have absolutely no idea what is going on with my body anymore!

We went to visit Patrick's family on Easter Sunday after mass, and had a nice time visiting with everybody there. My sister-in-law Brooke had me rolling on the floor with her tale of attending mass in Burlington (totally wish I could have been there, and this one is a classic for all you Catholics out there!) and we got to spend some time with our crazy nephews. They have so much energy and definitely keep me entertained. We got to hide eggs for them to find for the egg hunt and it was so much fun to get to relive this tradition. (We haven't participated in an actual egg hunt in many years in my family!) I loved it!!

My mother-in-law had an Easter basket ready for Ethan, and like the tradition in my family all baskets are hidden and you have to search to locate them. Since I was deemed "Ethan's keeper" I was the one that had to search for his basket. I should back up and say that at my house we came up with some crafty hiding places, so I know how to search for a basket. Evidently, this is not the case here because after I cleared the laundry room, Patrick came up to me and told me that I was being incredibly nosy (jokingly, but still!) because the basket was just sitting in a corner in the dining room. So much for checking the dryer, the closet, and every other place that I was checking off my list of potential hiding spots. I don't think anybody else saw me clear every potential spot in the laundry room, but next year I know just to look around and it will probably be pretty visible. Too funny!

Warmer weather has returned to NC, and I am loving it. It is supposed to hit 90 today, and I am happy as can be. So far I haven't been overly hot throughout this pregnancy, so I am definitely enjoying being able to wear shorts, sitting outside and reading my books and magazines, and just relaxing.

I know I'm leaving out a ton of stuff, but hopefully the 25 week update will be on time and I can fill in all the missing pieces then!

Here's the official word on week 24: "Your baby's growing steadily, having gained 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn) he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing branches of the respiratory tree as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon."

Week 24 - I'm growing steadily now!

Caddy discovered the pack n play!

She loved hiding under the changing table part!