Sleep: Can't complain! I am supposed to be on "summer" schedule, but it's not happening. I have found myself up around 5:45 because Lyla doesn't go on "summer". She likes to stick her cold nose right under my wrists and lift them up while I am sleeping. Once I let her out, she is good for the rest of the morning. However, I lie in bed with my eyes open and pray, think about what needs to be done, and enjoy feeling Vann wiggle around!

{I love this one! Thanks for the book Dr. Scales!}

Best Moment This Week: Maternity pictures were AWESOME on Thursday. 

I seriously LOVED them. 

 

My iMac stopped working last week, and I was BUMMED (keep reading for the silver lining). I brought it into PeachMac and it had 2 days left on the warranty. How lucky is that? They replaced the Hard Drive for FREE and my computer is back where it belongs. It certainly is nice to have a fresh start before Vann arrives. It will make me become more diligent in backing up my personal photos! Getting it back also made me realize how much I needed to update fonts, software, etc. It's been a refreshing change and really helped my creative juices get flowing.
Food Cravings: Still doing well eating! Nutrition is so important and I am always thankful for summer with tons of great fruit and veggie choices. I am still stuck on watermelon and my tomato,cucumber, & vinaigrette salad! Ryan has been grilling out as well and made some awesome jalapeno burgers for our small group last night. He is a GRILL MASTER!

How’s Mama? I feel amazing! There's nothing like growing a human. My check up today was good. My blood pressure went up a bit from the past visits. It's not high or out of the normal range, but for me and my normal it's up. We are keeping an eye on it. Everything else was great. Vann's heartbeat was 152 bpm and it sounded perfect.  I have seriously gotten great bursts of energy and focus and it's been nice to be at home during these times. Our house gets some TLC and the nursery is well-planned! I have also been able to help my mom and future sis-in-law plan the details for the wedding this weekend.

What I miss: This week...missing Ryan while he is at work. I love just spending time with him...even knowing he's in the house or the chair next to me makes it better. I am looking forward to a couple of weeks when he has some more time off.

What I am looking forward to: I want the nursery done NOW. That would mean I have to quit blogging and finish what I can on it. I am about to make Vann's mobile, edit a couple of photography sessions, and get ready for a nutritional mixer tomorrow evening!

 

Sleep: It's so much better this week! I have definitely gotten my money's worth out of the Boppy Total Body Pillow. I wake up when Ryan heads to work and feel so refreshed which is a nice change from before.
 

Best Moment This Week: Hmm! I loved our birthing class once again. It really has eased any fears that I had before. It feels nice to have done a lot of research, reading, and have it confirmed by an experienced teacher.

I loved Friday! I had an awesome morning with Carrie and got my hair done. I could seriously fall asleep in her chair. She is blessed with a gift. Then, I met Mom for lunch at Cream & Shuga. It has become one of my favorites. When I got home the Dossinator was really wanting to play golf, so I asked if he wanted some company in the golf cart. He was in, so I got to enjoy watching him play, spending time with each other, and catching a nice rain shower around hole 15. Dinner afterwards was great as well.


Saturday, after our class, Ryan was finishing up some more of the dock and I was reading in my chair enjoying the sun. Then, Lyla gave us a real scare...not talking about that in the "best moment this week" category, so it will be in another post.
I had fun last night with Gabby. We had some laughs and learned a lot about nursing our little babies. There were 17 moms and 5 of us didn't bring our spouse. Ryan said that's where he draws the line. Haha! I don't blame him. I can see why it would be super uncomfortable for the daddy's with all of the other women, holding baby dolls, and the lingo in general. I brought home info and stories and we feel great about Vann getting awesome nutrition that only I can provide! How cool are our bodies?
 

Food Cravings: Healthy, fresh, and cold! I can't do warm food right now...too hot! Salads and cut up fruit have been calling my name. I haven't been on a pickle kick like I was at the beginning, but the cucumber, tomato, and vinegarette summer salad has been awesome!
 

How’s Mama? Excellent! I am seriously enjoying pregnancy. It's such a different world that no one can possibly prepare you for. Vann's kicks are what I love. I can see his little body sliding and moving all around. Ryan heard our teacher say the fact about babies who listen to music and are spoken/sung to have a higher IQ. So, this week he asked me to play Mozart for Vann, but requested that it not be too loud. I love him. He is going to be the best daddy. Vann and I say our prayers when we are riding in the car and in the morning laying in bed. When I say his name he will move all around!

What I miss: I haven't really been missing anything until I went shopping for our maternity photo session and realized the stylish selection for pregnant mamas STINKS! I mean really. I walked into J Crew and got a bit sad when I saw all of the cute patterned shorts, tanks, and fun dresses. I am sure they wondered what an 8 month prego was doing in there! I turned around to walk out and the sweetest lady came in the store and exclaimed, "Oh, you are precious! When are you due?". She seriously made my day, y'all. We talked for a couple minutes and she shared that she had a 17 year old son and boys were amazing. Thank you God for your whispers to make me feel better right in J Crew!

What I am looking forward to: I am extremely, fabulously, amazingly excited about our maternity shoot tomorrow! I can't wait to see Michele and get our photos taken! Prayers that the weather is perfect!
 

Sleep:So, last post I shared that sleep was just uncomfortable...I found a solution! After I met with a new 24 Day Challenger on Thursday, I called Ryan to let him know I was going to Target and there may be a pricey purchase on the bank statement. He knew how bad my sleep had been and said ok! I am the good sleeper out of the both us...now nearly 8 months pregnant...I toss and turn, make weird noises, and often wake at 4 am for an hour or so. Target had just what I was looking for (don't they always...sometimes TOO much) and I scooped it right up. I was happy that a lady in front of me in the checkout line confirmed on how this contraption was a life-saver for her daughter. Needless to say, I am SOLD! It is a God-send for sure! Welcome to the bedroom Boppy Total Body Pillow. I have slept great since Thursday night . . . even if it does take up a LOT of space. Little Vann can kick all he wants!

Best Moment This Week: I would have to say we had a blast on Saturday at our Childbirth Preparation Class. There was a reason Ryan and I haven't had a single class together. He cracks me up. At one point I was holding back the biggest snort and hiding behind another classmate. It wasn't because of the graphic videos, body parts being talked about, or pictures...it was from a simple made-up word that kept being used. Ryan thought it would be cute to illustrate our book using the word and give one of the ladies in the book a nice barbwire tattoo. I lost it. We have one more class on Saturday and then I can reveal the word...never know who's reading this little ole blog!

Sunday, I edited pictures from the sessions I had the two weekends prior. Hannah had her sweet graduation party. Friday was Erin's birthday, so yesterday I took her to lunch and we shopped for a bit. I bought Ryan a Father's Day gift. I'm pretty sure he's going to LOVE it. We had a fun night of games with our small group.

Today, I went to the OB and had my two-week check up. Everything looked great and Vann's heartbeat was 148 bpm. He is seriously kicking all around and he's big enough now that I can just poke and feel him at any given moment. SO COOL! Then, I visited Danielle and Jase. He is so sweet with his little coos and Danielle is a born-to-be-mama! She looks phenomenal and always gives great advice! This afternoon, I caught up with Mal and got the most precious video of James Douglas pushing a toy while walking behind it. I can't wait to see them soon!

Food Cravings: Still on my healthy kick with fruits and veggies. This is normal for summer time. Ryan is a champ and has been cutting up squares of watermelon that are easy to grab in the fridge. I have been chopping up tomatoes and cucumbers and adding red wine vinegar, tiny bit of olive oil, oregano, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of sugar. It is something my Daddy does every summer, and I couldn't resist doing it this year. Try it!

How’s Mama? I feel like I am a sweaty mess. I mean, I walk outside and my face to my toes start glistening. I DO NOT like sweat unless I am doing some major workout. It's definitely something that I am not used to. The sweating along with trying to catch my breath in this humidity is another thing. I walked down to bring Ryan his lunch when he was painting more of the dock on Sunday and it was like I ran a 5k. This is totally par for the course, so I will deal with it and welcome it because it brings us closer to the day we meet lil Vann! 

What I am looking forward to: There are a couple more books that were recommended to me from a sweet mommy friend, and I can't wait until they arrive. I love learning about how to prepare for this little bundle and what to expect in labor and deliver. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I am planning (I know...I must be flexible) to deliver all natural. My mom is definitely my inspiration as she did it with all three of us. I feel very good about it, and Ryan's 100% on board.

I have started nesting, so that definitely has me working at home more than normal. Today I just deep cleaned part of the house and tomorrow I plan on organizing the nursery before my next couple of showers hit. I am feeling very goal-oriented this summer and have lots to do before Vann man arrives. Will it be done? YES!

Vann can be compared to a cucumber or head of cabbage...confused? Me too. I guess one is the length 15-16 inches is a mighty long cucumber and the weight of a cabbage, about 2.5 lbs. All I know, is he stretches from the top of my stomach to the super-low bottom! His skin is getting smoother and brain is getting wrinklier. He's strong enough to make a good grip around a finger (if he were able)!