Baby Shelley: 38 Weeks

38 Weeks

Weight gain: 26 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Today as an older woman stared at me at a gas station, I realized it was probably because the bottom part of my belly was hanging out of my 9th grade softball sweatpants + maternity shirt that no longer fits combo. In my defense, I just drove down the road there to get Gatorade for my sick husband....but still. It was a sight that did not need to be seen. I'm definitely past the point of maternity jeans, they are too tight since he's moved down some!

Sleep: Good once I actually get to sleep. There's just so much stuff running through my head and the kid likes to party late at night.

Medication: Same -- one Zofran a day, Zantac as needed, which isn't as much.

Gender: BOY!

Food cravings: Soda, Starburst jellybeans, cold treats like Icees, Frostys, and ice cream. Still breakfast food.

Food aversions: Nothing specifically, but I'll be eating something and will have been enjoying it but all the sudden I'm like, "I hate this food and don't want it at all," quite abruptly.

Mood: I've been consistently happy and much more myself the past week. :) Only one bout of tears which came because Jordan is sick and he looked so miserable and there wasn't much I could do. People who are due the same week as me have been having their babies which gives me a jittery, nervous feeling when I see that. It freaks me out honestly....because I'm going to have to actually do that too.

Movement: Not as strong because he can't move around much at this point, but still an active boy for sure. 

Milestones: Ordered our last supplies using the registry completion discount, learned a lot at breastfeeding class (yes, Jordan went and rocked it), had our last pre-baby planned game night at our house, finally hung some stuff on the nursery walls, washed all of baby's newborn and 0-3 month clothes along with his blankets, burp cloths, and such. Found out I don't have Strep B which is nice. The swelling definitely kicked in for reallll this week. It's funny because I have super narrow and flat feet with scrawny ankles, so now that my feet are swollen most of my shoes actually fit better. :) But I know I'm just stretching them out, haha.

Best moments of the week: My sister-in-law Anna stayed with us and we loved hanging out with her. Playing Hedbanz and Reverse Charades at game night was hilarious, hanging out and eating dinner with my parents multiple times, getting the nursery SO much more ready. Jordan spoke at church on Sunday and did an amazing job in my opinion -- all glory to God! Got to see two of my bestest friends for lunch this week -- one of them recently had her second little boy so she gave me LOTS of great advice. So thankful.

Quotes: People keep asking me if I'm ready or miserable and the answer to both of those is an easy "no". I don't think I'll ever actually be ready. It's all so surreal and hard to picture a little baby living with us. It's awesome but just WEIRD.

Jordan quotes: So as I've mentioned, I've been wearing Jordan's clothes a lot. We went to my parents' house for dinner Saturday night and I didn't bother to change into something that was less...manly. So Jordan took to calling me "Steve" for the night, while also referring to me as "buddy" or "man". 

Verses I've been dwelling on: "The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." -- Deut. 31:8

Baby Shelley: 36-37 weeks

36-37 Weeks

Weight gain: 26 lbs. -- They were very pleased at my last appointment. :)

Maternity clothes: I've been wearing Jordan's clothes a lot at home. I can tell my body temperature has gone up because I'm definitely not cold like I usually am! The go-to outfit these days consists of stretchy pants/leggings, a tank top, and a cardigan. 

Sleep: The heartburn is significantly better which makes for better sleep! This is supposedly because the baby is moving down, and I believe it because I definitely have increased pelvic pressure and the waddling has started. :) I've always been one to be able to wake up and go right back to sleep, but lately this is pretty much impossible. If I wake up, I'm up. 

Medication: Same -- one Zofran a day, Zantac as needed. The nausea has actually increased lately but it's under control with the medicine.

Gender: BOY!

Food cravings: McDonald's sweet tea, mac and cheese, breakfast food -- especially bacon.

Food aversions: Still just depends on the day and the moment. Usually if anything gets to me it's chicken, but I can kill some Zaxby's or ChickFilA so I don't know. It varies.

Mood: ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE. I don't know what has happened in the past week or so, I guess the hormones are just at a max, but I have seriously been a MESS. I've been so goofy and hyper sometimes, but then the next day I'll cry three times for NO reason. We were on our way to our friends' house for dinner and out of nowhere I was bawling. Poor Jordan, he did a double take and was like, "What's wrong??" and all I could say was "I don't knowwww." And then when I slowed down a bit he asked if there was anything he could do or what I needed and I replied, "We're having a baby and it's SO WEIRD," and started crying again. So yeah, that's how it's been lately.

Movement: His limbs can stick out pretty far these days. Sometimes I really can't concentrate on what I'm doing or even participate in a conversation because the kid is so distracting with his movements. He also seems to sleep in longer increments though.

Milestones: Had my last shower with my wonderful church family and it was Star Wars themed. :) LOVED it. I'm now full term and can give birth at the birthing center at any time. We finished our birthing classes and newborn care class, now we just have the breastfeeding class. Jordan installed the car seat which weirds me out when I'm driving around!

Best moments of the week: My awesome Star Wars shower planned by my amazing friend Sydney, my mom and mother-in-law coming over and talking all things baby with them, many snow days which seemed like more vacation with Jordan -- made snow cream for the first time, built Snowpel & Snowbert the snowmen, watched lots of Parks & Rec with Eric and Amy, ate lots of breakfast food. It was so nice to be snowed in. :) Jordan's best friend Patrick stayed with us for a couple nights, had a very fun night of watching NC State's victory over UNC with him and the Allreds, Had brunch with some of my high school friends and ate strawberry banana Nutella crepes. :) 

Quotes: We made the mistake of going to Verizon together to get Jordan a new phone. I should have just stayed in the car because they made EVERYTHING they said to us or tried to sell us about the baby. Here's a few things: Boys are awful and so much harder than girls, we need more data because I'll use more because of the baby, we need a new tablet that has LTE because of the baby (what else would we do when we're waiting for him at the hospital?!), we need a video monitor camera that goes with the phone for the baby, we need heavy duty phone cases and screen protectors because of the baby, we need better cameras on our phones for the baby, and on and on and on. We like to make decisions like that together, but good grief I should not have gone in there. In the end he got exactly what he went in there for and was not swayed by any of this. :) 

After I returned some stuff to Target I sat down at their Starbucks to write some thank you notes. A worker was walking by and asked how I was doing, talked about the weather, and asked if I was writing invitations. I told him they were thank yous and he asked, "For what occasion, a wedding?" Bless him. The way I was sitting with my big cardigan it may have been hard to see the belly, but even if he was just being careful it was nice to have someone asking me friendly questions that didn't jump right into, "Any day now, huh?" or in one person at Target's case, just looking at my stomach and saying, "Oh my."

At my church shower I was given a little ball toy for the baby called a Rubbabub. My mom pronounced it Rubbaboob and then my mother-in-law went on to say it must be to rub on your chest to prepare for the roughness of breastfeeding........and this is why being around both of our moms is very entertaining. :)

Jordan quotes: The only quotes that are coming to my mind are from when Jordan's best friend was staying with us and a couple of our other friends were over. They were asking about the birthing classes which provided for some VERY interesting conversation and preconceived notions that were completely wrong from the boys. I'll refrain from putting them here though.

Verses I've been dwelling on: I've been writing down encouraging verses for labor (and life!) which has been a great process. Here's one of the many Psalms I've written down: 

"For You have been my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to You,
Your right hand upholds me."
-- Psalm 63:7-8

Baby Shelley: 34-35 Weeks

34-35 Weeks

Weight gain: 22 lbs.! Yay! I'm sad that my midwife appointment had to be rescheduled due to snow because I'm excited to show her my weight gain and food log. I've been eating SO much meat and eggs, y'all.

Maternity clothes: I've worn the black pants pictured above almost every day for a week and a half. They're just SO comfy and I can make them looks somewhat dressy when necessary. They are Jessica Simpson from Destination Maternity.

Sleep: It's sadly come to the point where Jordan and I have to sleep separately often. With the herniated discs in his back, he already doesn't sleep well. Then there's me taking three bathroom trips a night and flopping my belly over to get out of bed and using a giant pillow and it's just not a great combo. A king bed would definitely help with this situation, but oh well. This will be a short time in the grand scheme of things.

Medication: Same -- one Zofran a day, Zantac as needed.

Gender: BOY! Which was confirmed again at our ultrasound when I asked if he's still a boy. He is.

Food cravings: STEAK STEAK STEAK STEAK and ice cream

Food aversions: Still just don't have a great relationship with food in general. But I've been tracking my eating for the midwife and doing well, I think!

Mood: Let me just tell you about the crying I did during our little babymoon Valentine getaway. Firstly, I cried at Jordan's card he made for me because it had an adorable stick figure portrait of our soon to be family of three and it was just ridiculously sweet. He also wrote the verse, "Her children rise up and call her blessed" but replaced the word "children" with what we think will be our son's name and I just couldn't handle it. Then, while walking around downtown Wilmington I had to keep stopping and sitting for little breaks due to not being able to breathe like normal and that I'm beginning to waddle a bit and tire easily. If I started to feel badly I just sat down on the first bench or chair available outside. At one point I sat down in a chair for about 30 seconds and a guy came out of a store and asked if we were going to order something and said that I was sitting on his "patio" which was actually just a grouping of chairs on the regular sidewalk. I understand where he was coming from, but he wasn't the nicest about it and it made tears well up in my eyes immediately. I was trying not to cry because I knew I was being stupid and didn't want Jordan to see. We then kept walking a little bit and found a bench to sit down. A horse drawn carriage pulled up that was doing a tour and was changing out their passengers. I looked at the horse and he just looked SO sad that it made the tears start pouring down my face. Jordan then realized that I was upset and was very comforting while trying not to laugh although I was laughing too. Later that night, we were watching one of our favorite shows, Parks & Recreation. A recently married couple on the show spontaneously drove to the Grand Canyon and I started bawling because now we can't spontaneously drive to the Grand Canyon. Through tears and sobs I was saying, "And I know you've been to the Grand Canyon like three times but I've never seen it and now we can't drive there and everything is changing and nothing will be the same" and ohmyword WHO AM I. This was all in one day. Poor Jordan.

Movement: I definitely don't have to count kicks because he is still moving around tons, especially when I'm trying to go to sleep.

Milestones: Had two more incredible showers --  a little one with my high school friends and a big one in Jordan's hometown of Greensboro. Our ultrasound at 34 weeks went well and baby boy seems to be growing just fine in spite of their concerns about my weight gain. It was hard to tell what I was looking at, though, because he's so smushed in there! We started birthing classes which have been both helpful and slightly traumatizing.  

Best moments of the week: We had maternity pictures taken at our house and I can't wait to see all of them! Some of my friends from high school came over and threw me a little shower that was so special and fun. Then the next day we headed over to Greensboro for a shower at Jordan's Granma's house. SO many sweet ladies came and were overwhelmingly generous. You should see this kid's closet now. We had hilarious game nights with our friends the Ashleys and then the Fords. And like I mentioned, we had a WONDERFUL babymoon/anniversary/Valentine getaway to Wilmington. Delicious food, relaxing, putt putt, exploring downtown, watching basketball, shopping, just hanging out and sharing a comfy king sized bed. :) I am still in awe of how perfect for me Jordan is. NOT perfect (I mean we did have a little disagreement about how many pillows should be in our bed) but perfect for ME. Also since the baby has been acquiring some books at these showers, Jordan has started reading them to him every night which is equally cute and entertaining.

Quotes: Jordan's parents gave us a high chair (yay!) and wrote on the tag, "To our precious grandson and all his brothers and sisters". Haha! Love it!

This isn't a quote, just an observation. I'm big enough now that strangers do double takes at me and really just stare. Like sometimes uncomfortably stare. Which I'm sure I've done to a pregnant woman before but it's odd to be on the receiving end. I've noticed this the most at the gym. When I go to the gym (which should be more often) it's usually when older people are there and they LOVE to stare. And point, even. It's pretty funny. It probably has to do with the way I'm walking on the treadmill and how humorous I'm sure that looks.

Jordan quotes:

J: "What book should I read to him tonight?"
A: "How about The Very Hungry Caterpillar? It's a classic."
J: "Okay." Reads book. Gets to last page. Spoiler/entire book alert: caterpillar eats food and then becomes butterfly. Jordan turns page thinking there is more story. Realizes he is at end of story.
J: "THAT'S IT?! THIS WAS TWELVE DOLLARS?!"
A: "It's a board book! Were you expecting a compelling plot twist??"

After the last shower, we took out all the clothes and realized that baby has a LOT of sports themed items. I mean a lot. For some reason people associate us with liking sports....why could that be?? (JOKE. We love sports.) Jordan proclaimed, "Well, we now have a new laundry category. We can sort clothes into darks, whites, and sports."

We were also going through his blankets when Jordan expressed confusion on what they actually were: "So these 'receiving blankets'...they can be burp cloths, right? I feel like we'll be burping him more than we'll be receiving him."

Before our little trip, Jordan sat me down and said, "I need to know you heard and understood me correctly when I said don't get me anything for Valentine's Day. Please tell me that you understand this." So I said okay I guess and asked about an anniversary gift. He said, "A baby. You will be getting me a baby and that is all."

Verses I've been dwelling on: "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." -- 1 Peter 1:13

I can't remember if I've mentioned that 1 Peter is my book that I'm going to be studying and attempting to memorize this year, but it is. :) 

Baby Shelley: 30-31 Weeks

30-31 Weeks

Weight gain: 15 lbs. (This is a misleading number, because in the beginning I lost weight. This number is how much I'm up from my pre-pregnancy weight!)

Maternity clothes: Things are starting to get tight. I hit up a certain underclothing store's semi-annual sale if ya know what I mean.

Sleep: Random insomnia, heart burn, and aching back and ribs contribute to weird sleep. But I can't complain. I just hate that I wake Jordan up with my tossing and turning. :(

Medication: Still on one Zofran a day. Zantac for heartburn as needed (almost daily). Supplementing my prenatal vitamin with a magnesium pill daily now.

Gender: BOY!

Food cravings: Pizza, specifically Little Caesar's deep dish. Milk and cookies. Frostys. McDonald's sweet tea. You know, lots of healthy stuff. :)

Food aversions: Totally depends on the day. But it seems like I just don't want food in general like I used to. And it definitely doesn't fit in my stomach like it used to! I get full so easily and quickly. So basically my appetite in general is just weird.

Mood: Well, people keep asking me if I'm nervous or excited and honestly most of the time I'm kinda...nothing. Because it's just extremely surreal. For instance: I had my first baby shower (which was awesome) and while I was sitting there with my friends eating delicious snacks and talking/laughing like normal, my mom came over to take my plate & situate me where I needed to be to open gifts. I had this weird moment of surprise and felt startled because I had legitimately forgotten that this event was for me & MY baby. A baby that will be born to me. And my husband. A boy. Who currently resides in my tummy. But will somehow exit and (Lord willing) exist in my life. These amazing people were there to give us gifts. Because this baby will live with me & I will take care of it. WHAT. It seemed so, so crazy. I am so inadequate and feel not cut out for this at all, but at the same time I'm not normally dwelling on that or nervous about it. It's a mixture of having the Lord's peace that passes understanding & me being naive and not knowing what to expect. It's hard to put into words, obviously, because I know I'm doing a poor job of it. And it's not that I don't have feelings toward my baby, it's just all very strange. Separate post to come on this weirdness.

Movement: The movements keep getting bigger and bigger. My midwife was laughing at how much he was moving around when we were listening to the heartbeat. It makes me wonder if he's playing, if he's uncomfortable, if he's trying to escape, if he's going to be crazy active once he gets out, etc.

Milestones: PASSED my 3 hour glucose test after I failed the first screening. So that was a relief & answer to prayer. Especially because I'm a horribly queasy person prone to fainting and was dreading having my blood drawn 4 times in a few hours without having eaten anything. But I made it through! Had my first baby shower which was such a joy. Our family and friends are the best.

Best moments of the week: Definitely the baby shower with some of my best friends and their moms. It was so fun and we got some amazing stuff! We've also been spending lots of time with friends -- having them over, playing games, going out to eat. Really trying to soak up the fun and fancy free time we have before the baby comes. Not that we won't still do that stuff, it'll just be different. :) My brother stayed with me while Jordan was out of town and I loved getting to spend time with him, especially because he moved to Charlotte this past weekend! Love that kid. We ate ice cream and played video games like the good ol' days.

Quotes: One of my best friends Britney had her second baby boy recently. (Woooooo!) My mom and her mom are very close so my mom was getting text updates about the whole process. I wasn't there, but my mom and brother were sitting in my parents' living room when my mom looked at her phone and excitedly exclaimed, "The baby is coming!" referring to Britney. She scared the mess out of my brother and he was like "WHATTTTT!!!" thinking she was talking about me. I so wish I could've witnessed this scene.

Jordan quotes: We've been trying out names and I think we have it narrowed down but aren't going to officially commit until the birth. So Jordan has been practicing. We'll be riding in the car and he'll randomly act like he's talking to our son who's in an imaginary car seat in the back. Or we'll be sitting on the couch and he'll start rocking a make believe rock-n-play telling him to "shhhh". 

Verses I've been dwelling on: 1 Peter. Because that's the book I'm memorizing this year. So packed full of truth and conviction and goodness that it just NEEDS to be in my head. Read it!

Baby Shelley: 24-29 Weeks

24-29 Weeks

Weight gain: 10 lbs. (This is a misleading number, because in the beginning I lost weight. This number is how much I'm up from my pre-pregnancy weight!)

Maternity clothes: I got some maternity tights from Target that are fabulous, and some amazing cardigans for Christmas. Lots of cozy layers these days!

Sleep: Oh, sleep. I never know what a night will hold. As you can see, I've grown a lot so the back pain is real. It's not too difficult to get comfy with my Bump Nest pillow, but then I wake up a lot in weird positions that hurt. Also, HEARTBURN. But when I get a great night's sleep it makes SUCH a difference in my day! Yoga has helped with the back pain, too.

Medication: One Zofran a day unless I'm having a bad one. Week 28 was pretty bad with nausea and vomiting. I took a Phenergan to supplement and the next day I could barely move my body. It was crazy. At first we thought I was coming down with the flu or something but I think it was the combo of throwing up again, lack of nutrients, and lots of meds. It was all I could do to get downstairs to the couch, and then there was a time where I spent 40 minutes laying there just thinking about reaching my phone laying on the coffee table but not actually doing it. I kid you not. I was in such a mental fog and my body parts wouldn't move! So thankful for my mom who came to help and for Jordan coming home early from work. :)

Gender: BOY!

Food cravings: Still steak and Frostys. And I destroyed the amazing egg nog my sister in law Danielle made during Christmas. I don't like the store versions of egg nog but hers is outstanding.

Food aversions: Depends on what kind of day I'm having of course, but chicken still gets to me sometimes. Mainly when I'm trying to prepare it, not if it's already cooked. I can eat apples and Goldfish again which is great!

Mood: Lots. Haha. So thankful, excited, happy, overwhelmed, scared, sad about things changing, pumped about things changing, weirded out about things changing. I've been really clingy and obsessed with Jordan lately. I mean I'm usually smitten with him, but recently it's been kind of overboard. Probably a combo of hormones, trying to cherish this time as just us, and the fact that he's been sooooo sweet. I sure do love that guy.

Movement: This kid is so active. I don't really understand when he sleeps because he moves sooo much. Now I can see body parts shifting around and sticking out which is awesome and weird. He gets the hiccups at least every other day!

Milestones: Set up the nursery furniture right after Thanksgiving, switched over to the Baby + Co. birthing center and midwives, could tell the baby had the hiccups for the first time in week 27, baby got his first Christmas presents, finished registering.

Best moments of the week: Wow, lots of moments to cover in these weeks! Had an AMAZING holiday season with lots of parties and family time. Jordan found out he passed his Professional Engineering exam which was a HUGE relief. So proud of him and thankful! Went to IKEA and got the crib, crib mattress, dresser/changing table, side table, lamp, hamper, toys, baskets, and shelves. Then set it all up and I can't stop admiring all of it! Jordan had the whole week of Christmas off and we had both sides of our family over. It could not have been better. We have been overflowing with love and happiness as we share this time together which sounds so cheesy but it's true. Even through the hard things, I just feel like we've grown so much closer.  

Quotes: I get mixed reviews from people. One weekend I had three different encounters where people scoffed at the fact that I'm not due until March and about how large I am. Then I have people who talk about how "small and cute" I am. So it's interesting to hear all of the opinions. :)  

We got to spend a lot of time with our nephew Harvey who is 3 1/2 and he provided some hilarious quotes. Our cousin was asking him about where they live in Memphis and he went on this long diatribe about how it's going to be cold there soon and snow and he's going to go sledding and his new boy cousin can come and go sledding with him. 

When Harvey came to our house he came upstairs to see the nursery with everyone. My mother in law had already put Harvey's 9 month old sister Verity in the crib (which was adorable) and when Harvey walked in he saw that there was a baby in the crib and that his room looks pretty complete and abruptly started running around and yelling, "THE BABY CAME OUT THE BABY CAME OUT!" and was quite confused. We had to explain and show him the baby still clearly in my tummy. 

Jordan quotes: I texted Jordan the first time I could tell the baby had the hiccups, and he replied, "That's so cool! He's a person!" Haha. 

We were setting out some of his little socks and shoes in the nursery and I was saying how cute he's gonna be. Jordan said, "Well....don't get your hopes up." Hahaha. I know we'll think he's cute because he's our baby but we both think newborns are initially pretty strange looking.

Jordan has been so so kind and complimentary, telling me lots how good he thinks I look, or telling me I'm beautiful, or saying I don't even look pregnant. Whether or not it's true, it makes me feel amazing. I can tell HE thinks it's true and is genuine but he's a little biased. :) I LOVE HIM. Have I mentioned that??

Verses I've been dwelling on: Romans 5-8. Go read those chapters today. Do it. Maybe even every day. They get me so pumped.

Baby Shelley: 22-23 Weeks

22-23 Weeks

Weight gain: 7 lbs

Maternity clothes: Leggings all the time please.

Sleep: Sleep has been pretty great due to the rashes healing and my new Bump Nest pillow!

Medication: 1-2 Zofran pills a day depending on how I'm feeling. I've had some not so good days but nothing compared to the beginning. The rashes are healed and we figured out it was an allergic reaction to a band-aid. So NO more band-aids for me at least during pregnancy! So strange.

Gender: BOY! (Gender reveal party post coming as soon as I get the video working on here.) We are praying about the name. I have no idea whether we'll share it before birth or not. I would hate to share and then change our minds or something.

Food cravings: Steak! And I had it when we went out to lunch the other day, yummm.

Food aversions: Totally depends on the day with eating, but I am super easily grossed out by stuff like doing the dishes or questionable items in the fridge. It's difficult for me to even think about that.

Mood: Just so, so grateful. Starting on the nursery and registering has made it all very real. And I'm PUMPED for the holidays. (Although slightly overwhelmed because things are gonna be pretty crazy. But we are trying to do everything possible as it won't be as easy next year! Gotta go all out!)

Movement: As of this past week, you can see him moving from the outside. Soooo cool/crazy. One of my best friends Maggie was officially the second person to feel him move. And then last night my brother Blake saw him move. (I try not to freak the little bro out by inviting him to place his hand upon my belly. Now I can tell him to watch.)

Milestones: Began registering, painted the nursery, saw him move for the first time!

Best moments of the week: Registering with Jordan (which involved him controlling the scanner and us laughing at our lack of knowledge of what to put on there), spending time with my friend Jenna who has two little ones and asking her a million questions, finishing up a fun basketball season with Jordan's team, painting the nursery and re-doing the closet (well I mainly watched), going to the Psalm 100 a cappella concert with some of the Shelleys & friends, celebrating my Grandaddy's 84th birthday, hitting up a big Kohl's sale with my mom and picking out some baby clothes. :) 

Quotes: When I was at my friend Jenna's house, I was playing with her 2 1/2 year old son Everette. As he was introducing me to his favorite show, he was pretty comfy and snuggly with me. At one point he started kinda climbing up me and Jenna told him not to and reminded him that there is a baby in my tummy. He looked rather surprised as he remembered this (they were at our gender reveal) and I let him know that it is indeed true there's a baby boy in there. His eyes widened, he got excited, and he immediately leaned close and grabbed my shirt to peer down into it exclaiming, "Let me see him! Where is he?" We erupted in laughter and explained that none of us can see the baby yet, we have to wait. He seemed to still want to inspect inside my shirt but Jenna prevented him from having that disappointing view again.  

Jordan quotes: Jordan and I don't call each other pet names much, but privately we do sometimes. He likes to refer to me as his "baby girl". So one night as we were being cuddly, he put his hand on my belly and told me, "This is my child, but you will always be my baby." :)

Now that I've noticed the baby responding to sounds, Jordan has started singing and playing the guitar to him. Sometimes it will be whatever song he happens to be singing, other times he'll make up some words for the little guy. I'll have to start writing them down or something!

Verses I've been dwelling on: "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses." -- Ezekiel 36:26-29

Baby Shelley: 21 Weeks

21 Weeks

Weight gain: 5 lbs

Maternity clothes: Finally filling out my Target maternity dresses so I'm excited to wear those. Now I just need to get some tights!

Sleep: Haven't been sleeping well due to a crazy rash situation. About a week ago I started having some little bumps on my left wrist that itched a lot. I have sensitive skin that randomly does stuff like that so I didn't think much of it. The next day it had grown and was worse. And then by the weekend it had turned into a full blown raised red area and spread to other places on my hands, my belly, and my face. The itchiness was INSANE. Even my lips have swollen up. The doctor said that whatever it is has been exaggerated by my pregnancy hormones, yay. 

Medication: Down to one Zofran pill a day! :) Have been taking Benadryl at night to help me sleep with this rash nonsense. I've used creams and done everything they told me to do when I called the doctor to tell them. I've also used coconut oil with a few drops of lavender to soothe and heal. It has helped and I think it's getting better but it's been ridiculous. So glad it's not summer because anything with heat makes it worse, especially hot water. 

Gender: IT'S A BOY! I WAS SO WRONG! More on this in tomorrow's post about the gender reveal. :)

Food cravings: I think I've had broccoli cheddar soup four or five times since my last post, so still stuck on that. 

Food aversions: I surprisingly prepared and ate ground beef the other day when we had tacos so that's good. I still have some issues with chicken sometimes. 

Mood: So, so happy about having a boy and how wonderfully the gender reveal party went!

Movement: Lots and getting stronger! Jordan felt him move last night (11/11/14) for the first time so that was a cool moment. 

Milestones: Had the gender reveal party and announced that it's a boy, picked paint colors for the nursery, Jordan felt the baby move, and we start registering tonight!

Best moments of the week: Being surrounded by our closest family and friends at our home and celebrating baby boy was amazing. Seriously one of the best days ever. The night before and that night we had some of Jordan's family staying with us, and we went out to eat after the party with them and my parents. It was a BLAST. We also got to Skype my BFF in Vermont to tell her the news. :) 

Quotes: When getting paint from Lowe's, a man probably in his 50's or 60's came up to us and said, "Do NOT pick pink or blue. The doctor told us we were having a boy and then guess what? GIRL. Also, I have bad news. (I was like oh no here comes a horror story...) My wife was due mid-August but she didn't have her until October." He then went on to tell the whole story. It was kind of hard to follow, but definitely an interesting encounter.

At the cash register a Lowe's worker asked us if we have a name picked out yet. (We don't.) She then said, "Just PLEASE don't name him Coco or Apple." We then vowed to not name our baby Coco Apple Shelley.

My sweet friend Carrie who is one of my greatest encouragers in life sent me this text the day before the gender reveal.

Not that we're going to FORCE our kid to play basketball or anything, but I love how she appreciates that it can be a baller regardless of gender. :) She's awesome.

Right after we announced boy at the party, my adorable grandparents hugged me as they were tearing up and my grandaddy said, "My Ashley Joy is having a boy!" It was so cute.

Jordan quotes: Well, if you haven't heard, Zoboomafoo the lemur passed away this week. This specific lemur and his tv show began Jordan's love for lemurs, his favorite animal. So he asked if we could get a stuffed lemur for the nursery in honor of Zoboomafoo. It's a very serious matter that I'm gonna try to make happen.

We were in our usual nonstop texting conversation talking about how great of a weekend we had and how fun it was, and Jordan said, "Love being with you! Gonna be hard to share you with the baby haha" :) This was both sweet and true. We'll have to figure out how to keep our dating relationship going strong once baby gets here! 

Last night when he felt the baby kick, Jordan said, "Wow. Maybe he'll be a punter."

Verses I've been dwelling on: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." -- Jeremiah 31:3

Baby Shelley: 19-20 Weeks

19-20 Weeks

Weight gain: 3.5 lbs

Maternity clothes: Got a new amazingly comfy waterfall cardigan from Loft that I'll be wearing pretty much every day because it's wonderful.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well on my left side lately, which is the recommended sleep position so yay! Hardly slept at ALL the night before the ultrasound. That's the first event in my life when I've really had a hard time sleeping beforehand. Before other big life things like our wedding I slept like a rock, haha. 

Medication: Weaning off of the Zofran more, but I took it a little too far this week. I've been trying to do just one pill a day, but my body couldn't take it on Thursday and I almost didn't make it to pulling over when I was driving Jordan's car. But I made it thankfully! I always feel bad for the people who have to witness my side of the road vomiting. Sorry, people. I feel like fruit snacks are my second medication these days. If I start feeling bad I sit still and eat them very slowly and it helps, haha.

Gender prediction: We found out on Thursday! Will announce this weekend. :) SO PUMPED!

Food cravings: BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP all day erry day.

Food aversions: I tried some Goldfish for the first time since July the other day and they were alright, but I wasn't really into them. Maybe someday my love for them will return.

Mood: I was FULL of anticipation and some anxiousness for our anatomy ultrasound. So thankful that I could talk to the Lord about it, He definitely gave us peace and reminded me that He already knows everything that's going on in there! And since the ultrasound I've been getting more and more excited as the thought of the gender starts to sink in. AHHHH!

Movement: Moving so much! I was informed at the ultrasound that the baby is hanging out toward the surface with the placenta behind, so that's one reason why I've been able to feel so much movement fairly early on. Last night before I went to sleep my hand happened to be resting on my belly and I felt the baby externally for the first time! It was so cool. I could even feel it shifting and moving. I thought about waking Jordan up but he had just fallen asleep and will feel it in due time. :)

Milestones: Well we are HALFWAY and we FOUND OUT THE GENDER! And that the baby is super healthy and developing wonderfully so far. It was just so amazing to see the baby moving around, waving at us, grasping its leg, opening its mouth, and looking positively adorable in my opinion. It made it even more real and exciting. 

Best moments of the week: Well, it's been two weeks...so let's see. We had a fabulous time at Jordan's Granma's house for their annual weenie roast with almost all of the cousins! Jordan had his test that day so the weekend consisted of him winding down from that. We had a wonderful date night to celebrate -- Japanese food and (cooked) sushi at our favorite place provided by Jordan's parents, and then a cookie cake with ice cream from my parents. They are so, so good to us! Then this past week we had the ultrasound first thing in the morning on Thursday with a Bojangles breakfast date after. It was SUCH a great morning. Friday night we went to a little costume party with some of our favorite people. Saturday was our church fall festival (that felt like a WINTER festival) and we loved spending time with our chapel family singing praise songs around the bonfire. We started on some house projects and are going into full nesting mode! So far this involves purging and painting. 

Quotes: A bank teller congratulated me on the pregnancy and asked what the baby is the day after we found out, so I mayyy have told him, haha. I won't say where because my mom might track the guy down and corner him. 

Jordan quotes: I need to start writing these down because I forget them! The one I can think of was on Halloween when Jordan was dressed up in a ridiculous costume. He's the one on the right.

So when he was putting it on, it started inflating through the fan where that little circle is. He then said something about dressing up like me. As in my body is already inflated. As in comparing me to the giant blob you see above. Bahaha. It may sound mean but it was hilarious, and he has sweet comments too I just can't remember them right now besides gender related ones. :)

Verses I've been dwelling on: In my pregnancy devotional book, it had a devotion about the anatomy ultrasound. It REALLY helped with my nervousness about it so I'll put the excerpt with the Scripture here.

"His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" -- John 9:2-3

"As the day drew near for our baby's twenty-week ultrasound, I was both giddy and fearful. I couldn't wait for the sneak peek at our little one, but I also couldn't help worrying that the ultrasound would reveal a genetic abnormality or problem. Try as I might, I couldn't block out this fear.

What if the ultrasound had revealed a serious medical issue? Thought it would have taken some time to adjust to this new reality, the truth is that God would still have been at work glorifying Himself through the situation. As in the story of the blind beggar whom Jesus healed, I could have rested in the fact that 'this happened so that the work of God might be displayed.' I could also have rested in the truth that God would give me enough grace for each day He had given me with this little one.

Is your God big enough to carry you through whatever comes your way? Will you praise Him in the hard times as well as in the times of rejoicing? These words aren't meant to cause undue worry, but to spur us to cling to the truth of God's goodness no matter what trials come. They also remind us that every child is a gift."

-- Catherine Claire Larson, Waiting in Wonder

I HIGHLY recommend this devotional book (thanks, Mom!) as it has been so encouraging with prompts for me to write out prayers for the baby and our family. It starts at 5 weeks so get it early in your pregnancy! :) 

Baby Shelley: 18 Weeks

By the time this posts, I'll be almost 19 weeks. I took a little social media break, but after this weekly update I want to start posting these on Wednesdays, and then having other posts on other days. :) If I did it the day I graduate to the next week I would post them on Sundays, but I want to give myself time to take the pic and write the post.

18 Weeks

Weight gain: Back down to none. (But I had to gain to get back to pre-pregnancy weight due to sickness.) The belly has definitely popped, though!

Maternity clothes: As you can see from all weekly photos so far, I love my solid long sleeved maternity tops that will continue to stretch and stretch! Finally got my bootcut maternity jeans hemmed so I'll be able to wear more than just one pair of jeans all the time. :)

Sleep: Sleeping okay, but having lots of crazy dreams that sometimes really freak me out. I've always been a weird dreamer but pregnancy has made it increase a LOT. Last night I had a dream that I had little pieces of onion stuck in my skin all over my body and I was trying to get them out. It was disgusting.

Medication: Trying to only be on Zofran now! So far so good...I still have my moments and some days are better than others, but nothing like what I was going through before thankfully.

Gender prediction: I had my first gender dream this week and the dream agreed with my girl intuition. We'll see next week, Lord willing!

Food cravings: So many grilled cheese sandwiches. I am stuck on those. I tried my first Concord grape at a ladies' fellowship thing the other night and after that I HAD to get some grape juice. Breakfast food such as eggs and bacon with orange juice has been delightful, and I've reallyyyy been wanting some good grits. Got some cotton candy from the fair like I always do and it's delicious!

Food aversions: I've kinda been anti-chicken lately. A Chick-Fil-A chicken strip that I ate had some weird chewiness to it and I literally had to run to the door, take it out of my mouth, and throw it outside. Not at Chick-Fil-A if you're wondering. That would've been interesting. We also ate at our favorite Mexican place the other night and I couldn't get my usual order of ACP (chicken with rice and queso), so I got steak fajitas. 

Mood: Have had a few more dramatic moments of frustration/worry that Jordan has lovingly walked me through. He is highly skilled at knowing how to first "get" me, then how to handle whatever moment I'm having. He deserves all the awards. But overall I've been happy happy happy to be able to actually do stuff, see people, work out, and just be more myself. 

Movement: Baby is moving all around in there, but it definitely varies. Which was one of my worries the other day, because it had moved SO much last week and then I had a day when I couldn't remember feeling it move at all. It kinda worried me, but I know (and Jordan reminded me) that the Lord knows EXACTLY what's going on in there, who the child is going to be, and that He is forming the baby for His glory -- through good or tough circumstances. I love being able to rest in that, regardless of what the future holds.

Milestones: First stranger noticed I'm pregnant and she said I looked "really cute" which made me feel so good!

Best moments of the week: Finally getting some fall decorations up, getting such a sweet gift from my Grandma of a couple baby outfits and blankets, going to the NC State Fair, knowing that this is the LAST week Jordan will be studying for his Professional Engineering exam! Can't wait to celebrate! The weather has been outstanding here in our part of NC, and one night was the perfect amount of chilly to sit cuddled in blankets with Jordan on the deck, making some s'mores by the fire pit. We are really cherishing this time as a family of two, but also dreaming about when the little one is here. It's such a sweet time.

Quotes: I'm going to start putting comments from random people in here too, since some of them are quite funny/weird/sweet. I had my first pretty negative comment the other day. It is so interesting what people have to say, especially people I don't even know. I was in a group of people I didn't know besides one or two, and they were all asking me pregnancy questions and adding bits of their own pregnancy stories (some pretty terrifying). One lady was talking about her pregnancy and said, "My stomach never got as big as hers is now," pointing at my belly. Yikes. The conversation kept flowing and I just kept my mouth shut. I'm sure she didn't mean it badly in her mind, but good grief. Haha. 

Jordan quotes: The baby started kicking me while we were talking and praying about his test, and Jordan shouted, "THE BABY BELIEVES IN ME!"

Verses I've been dwelling on: "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." -- 2 Corinthians 3:1-6