Week 28

7 month mark! What a fabulous Thanksgiving week to ring in the 7th month! My family was in town all week for Thanksgiving and what fun we had. We ate, they drank, we laughed, ate some more, shopped till we dropped, putt putted for hours, told inappropriate stories, laughed some more and celebrated Shannon and Johns engagement (wooohooo!!!) Earlier in the week I was feeling under the weather, I think Nolen was too. The first few days that my parents were here he was as quiet as a mouse. I think my family was beginning to think I had made up my breakdancing baby. Well by Wednesday he was making up for lost time. Our little breakdancer was back in action. In fact, on Saturday, he stayed awake from 9am until midnight. Oh Nolen :) He is truly a growing machine these days. My stomach is not only getting bigger by the minute, but is also feeling heavier each day. I guess this is what the third trimester is all about.

Tomorrow morning we have our maternity photos!!! Weather looks great, keep those fingers crossed and those eyes posted for our pictures!

Week 27

Hello third trimester! We have arrived, the final stretch..woohoo...now let the waiting games begin! I have a feeling this trimester is going to fly, we have Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, baby showers, then baby Nolen!!!

Have I told you lately how much I love being pregnant. I mean aside from the flippin' miracle that it is (come on people, sperm + egg= Nolen...crazy!!!) I've also learned to start voicing Nolen's "needs." "No, Nolen doesn't want spaghetti for dinner, he wants pizza," "Nolen thinks that basketball game is too loud lets watch Greys instead." "Nolen doesn't want to see that scary movie, he'd much rather see that sappy chic flick." and my personal favorite "Nolen and me could really use a back rub!" Oh poor Tim. He's been such a trooper though all of this. He listens to me complain, tells me what to take for heartburn (heartburn blows by the way), and occasionally lets me take a sip of his wine :) He's also been getting to feel Nolen break dancing more and more. We'll lay there around break dancing time (10:30-11:30pm) with Tim's hand on my belly as Nolen shakes, rattles, and rolls. If Nolen stops for a water break Tim will shake my belly, trying to get him moving again. Ah, father son bonding :) Tim is convinced that since Nolen's punches are already so strong that we're going to have some kind of athlete on our hands. I think this is every father-to-be's vision for their boys. We'll just have to wait and see.

Another early shower present arrived this week, our stroller!!! We've been pushing it around the house (daily) and a little around the block as well (I hope the neighbors aren't watching!) We got the Baby Jogger City classic in black and tan...loves it! (Thanks so much Jo-Jo and Pops or is it No-Paw?!)We also received our finished bedding (thanks mom mom) we LOVE it!! Now all we need is a baby Nolen (oh yes, and a mattress would help too!)

Week 26

We've hit double digits! The countdown is under 100 days, Woo hoo!!! We'll have our little man in our arms in 3 short months (where has the time gone?) Some people may beg to differ about how much time I have left, and by some people I mean crazy strangers. There have been several occasions recently where someone will ask the normal, "Oh when are you due, how far along are you?" I respond with "I'm 6 1/2 months, due in February." These people then go on to tell me that that's not possible, I'm much to small to be that far along. They then share a story about their 'cousin, neighbor, granddaughter, etc..' and how they were much larger at 6 months. I insist that my doctor knows my correct due date, and that the baby is measuring right on track. I really had no idea there were so many baby experts out there! It amazing the people that find you when your pregnant, this belly is like a crazy magnet :)

The following may be TMI, however I felt the need to share. I never knew it was humanly possible to pee as much as I do. I easily go 15+ times a day. There are days where I pee, stand up from peeing, and have to pee again. Sigh. It could have something to do with the gallons of water I'm drinking or maybe the cupfuls of ice that I'm loving these days (my newest craving.) Whatever the cause, it's crazy, and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse!

Christmas came a bit early this year, in the form of a big brown box delivered to our front door. Inside I found millions of baby boy clothes passed down from the all-so-stylish Nicholas! Combined with my recent mini shopping spree at baby gap (hey, it was friends & family weekend) Nolen will never have a shortage on clothing. We're all stocked up from newborn sizes all the way up to 18 months! (Thanks Nordloh's!!!) Also delivered this week was Nolen's crib! MomMom is just about finished with the bedding, so I'll wait and take a picture of the final product! It's all coming together folks...get excited!

Nolen is still quite the dancing machine these days. His favorite time to dance is between 10-11:30 at night and 6-7:00 in the morning. Instead of feeling him move with my hands, I've started lifting up my shirt to watch as my belly punches and rolls. I really can't imagine what he's doing in there, but it gets pretty intense at times. He's our little break dancing ninja :)

(Maternity photos were cancelled due to bad weather, they've been rescheduled for November 30th- stay tuned!)

How cute are these...

Since Nolen can't talk yet, I'm forced to be his voice of reason :) I've (I mean Nolen) has decided to start collecting the cutest stuffed animals. They're by a brand called Jellycat and I could just eat them up, literally! There's zebras, and monkeys, and tigers, and bears (oh my!) They make big ones and small ones, and gi-normous ones. Oh, I don't even know where to begin! Help me decide, which one should be the first member of Nolen's collection?

Week 25

So how do you like my pictures this week? I took them myself, can you tell?? We should have some better ones for you soon because on Wednesday we're having our maternity photo session! Keep your fingers crossed that Hurricane Ida stays away so that we can get some good shots outside! (What is it with us, bad weather, and professional photographers, jeez!)

I just got back from my monthly doctors appointment and boy does Nolen know how to put on a show. As soon as Dr. Balint lifted my shirt to measure and listen to his heartbeat he started dancing. And by dancing I mean punching me in the the tummy, totally visible from the outside, over and over again! Even Dr. Balint had to laugh, and comment, "My that is a very active little boy!" I seem to be hearing (and feeling) that a lot this pregnancy. Don't worry, we're getting our sleep now in preparation for whats to come! Also at the doctors today... I'm up 15 pounds from the beginning of this pregnancy, yikes! The yikes part is because 5 of those pounds were gained last month, double yikes! Dr. Balint said I'm right on track, I should have gained 25-30 pounds by the end of all of this. 15 weeks to go, 10 pounds left to gain...oh my! Stay tuned for our maternity photos, our photographer does a great little blog that updates her weekly projects.

Also this week... we recieved Nolen's furniture!! The crib had a wrong part so they'll have to deliver that next week. For now we have his dresser/ changing table, his dream glider, and his bassinet. Let's not talk about the house guest who set his drink, sans coaster, on my NEW DRESSER...rrrrrrr. We also got an early shower gift in the mail this week, his car seat and extra base (Thanks Mom-mom & Pop-Pop!!!)

Week 24

Week 24 is just full of pictures! #1 is Nolen's first football game (45- 42 Woot woot!) #2 is from Halloween, I was a knocked up county bumpkin and Tim was my cowboy!

6 months along already, hard to believe! Up until this point in life I've felt pretty confident that I could walk into a college bar and still "fit in." You know what I mean, I felt like I didn't yet look like one of those "old people" who's still trying to relive the good years! Well, not so much the case anymore. We spent the past weekend in Tallahassee visiting with friends and watching the Noles play NC State. Friday night we decided to head to one of our old favorite bars, AJ's. Yes, thats right, a pregnant girl headed to a bar. So it's evident from the second I walk in the door that I no longer can pass for a college student. The door man starts laughing, out loud, asking if he's on a hidden camera show. He said he feels like the door guy on Knocked Up, banding a pregnant lady. Well we decide a nice game of darts would be fun for all. Mid dart I hear some snickers coming from a few tables down. I then hear the word "pregnant" so my ears toon in. "That will be you," a college boy snickers to his female friend..."You'll be the pregnant lady in a bar, ahahaha." :( Jeez people, just let me play some darts. A little while later a nice waitress comes over, "Can I get you something to drink, (her eyes drift to my belly) Oh my god, I'm soo sorry, Oh my god, I ugh, oh my..." Alright, well AJ's was fun, I'm ready for bed!

My belly... throughout this pregnancy I've been getting what I call "tight belly." It's this feeling like your stomach is being pushed out as much as it possible could be pressed. A feeling like if your stomach stretches one more inch it will literally explode. I put in a call to the expert (Heather) who reassured me that "tight belly" was completely normal. I've also noticed that on nights where "tight belly" is especially bad, I am also extremely thirsty. So I sit and chug water for hours on end. When I wake up from a "tight belly-thirsty night" my belly is usually noticeably bigger. I guess this is all just a part of the growing game! I literally feel like my stomach can not stretch another inch, but with 4 more months it will be sure to grow! Time to buy stock in belly lotion's and potions!

Below are some of Nolen's first pieces of Florida State gear including his first pair of Flip-Flops!!!