Belly and Baby Shower Pictures and a few Tidbits!

Hello! I have obviously been terrible at updating, so I am going to have to do one big post of what's been going on and all the pictures I have! Of course they are all from my phone..owell, maybe the baby will make me better about using my camera! Here we go!

 I am pretty sure that this is 30 weeks

Another 30 weeks

30 weeks bare belly!

This was at my first baby shower that my sister and friend Patty threw for me, 34 weeks and 4 days.

The next weekend my mom's "bible study" friends threw me a church shower, 35 weeks and 4 days.

The next weekend we went to Sam A. Baker for our annual family trip. All my cousins/siblings trying to have a belly like me! 36 weeks and 4 days.

This is 37 weeks and 1 day!

This is 37 weeks and 1 day bare belly!

You can't see me in this really, but this is the day after my shower. It is my bff, Ashley's shower that her mom, our friend Emily, and I threw for her while she was home from New York.

Ashley and I at my shower!! She didn't wear a very belly revealing shirt, but as you can see in the pic above she really is pregnant! :)

Ashley's cake!! The only picture I took of her whole shower. :(

Beautiful decor at my shower from my sister and Patty! There were thank you cards, cookies, and advice cards/tree at this table!

Food table- My mom did an AWESOME job on her big fruit piece!

Cute cupcakes and drink table! Love the mason jars! :)

Ashley-Me-Emily at my shower

My sister-me-my mom at my shower

**Sorry those pictures were in such a random order but it was too much work to move them all around, sorry! I felt so blessed to have two awesome showers- we got so many good things and a lot of necessities too, which makes Pete a happy man!

**My appointment's have been going smoothly for the most part. We had a little bump in the road around 34 weeks. We went in for our normal Thursday appointment and when she went to listen to the heartbeat about 10 beats in there was a little jump sound. It was so clear that Pete and I both heard it. Our doctor wasn't nervous at all, but wanted us to come back the next day to listen again and see if it was gone. Apparently, it is pretty common for a heart arrhythmia to pop up in the later part of pregnancy. Regardless, it was very scary to hear anything could be wrong and it was a rough 24 hours for us. We went back the next morning and our doctor was out doing due to a delivery so the nurse practitioner came in and listened and it was still there so we had to sit and wait for Dr. Cugini to get back and tell us what she wanted us to do. The ultrasound tech that is normally in their office was conveniently out of town for the whole weekend, so we had to go to the hospital to do an hour of external monitoring and get a biophysical profile done. Registration was a disaster, but once we got to the OB floor the nurse was very nice and informative. She said she hears them quite a bit, and usually after birth they are gone and can't even be heard by the pediatrician. After spending practically the whole day at the hospital, Dr. Cugini read the monitoring and decided that she wanted us to go see a specialist. Hearing that news made my heart hurt so bad. That weekend I had my baby shower and put on a brave face, but had a hard time telling 40 people that everything was okay because I did not want to have to explain the situation 40x and plus, we really didn't know if anything was wrong or not. Pete and I had many conversations that weekend about how crazy it that everyone tells you that you won't understand the amount of worry you will have for a child until you have one of your own. Boy, were "they" right. We prayed so much that all would be okay with our baby girl. We knew it was in the Lord's hands and HE is in control. I do not know what I would have done without Pete. He is my rock. He has such a calming spirit, positive attitude, and encouraging personality. The Lord knew exactly what he was doing when he put us in each others paths because I don't know where I would be without having him to turn to. I never, ever want to take him for granted. Okay, back to the story..the next Tuesday we had our appointment with the specialist. First off, the doctor is the one who did the ultrasound and went through every little detail with us. Stopped on everything, pointed out what each thing was, explained what he was looking for, etc. He even took a picture of the hair on her head and gave us a free 3D picture, which showed off baby girl's butt chin just like her mama. :) Although, I am very happy we didn't really know why we were there other than the fact that our baby had a heart arrhythmia and we needed to check and find out what type it was. When he got to the heart and said well I do not see any fluid around any parts of the heart, so you are clear from fetal heart failure. I looked over at Pete in shock. If I would have known that was the reason we were going there before my anxiety would have been out.of.the.roof. He thought everything looked great and said she will have the arrhythmia until she was born and maybe for a while after, but it will not affect her in any way. Praise the Lord. We left there so encouraged and thankful for the good results. We have been back to the doctor 3-4 times since then and you can still hear it for sure, but if the doctors say it is okay, then that is what we have to trust in.

**I had my 37 week appointment today and I am almost dilated to a two and pretty much all the way effaced. She said it was so much that she couldn't give me an exact percent. She all said that last week she could still push the baby's head up and it would move and this week it didn't go back up at all! All good news! We could have a baby any day now!

**I have really been feeling good. I only had a few weeks that she was high enough for it to be uncomfortable to sit or breathe. She has definitely dropped!!! My feet and hands are pretty puffy all the time now. I can't get my rings on anymore. First time I have went without them since we got married!

**Pete and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on the 16th of this month. We just kept saying how crazy it is how important we made our 1st anniversary and this year, our lives have changed so much that November 13th is the date that has our attention now. Plus, the first year of marriage was not easy for us. Getting adjusted to living together is a hard, hard thing. Where as this past year has been so fun for us! We are adjusted to each other and have our own life together now and it feels good to look back on the past year and see how far we have came together! I can't imagine what next year is going to look like considering we are going to have a baby who is about to turn 1!! ah!

**We are still waiting until baby girl is born to decide on a name. Although I did tell Pete a few weeks ago that if I had to decide that second I knew which one I wanted to go with. My thoughts have not changed from that either, so that's pretty exciting. Thinking about her with a name is a lot more fun than without, but it will be worth the wait of a few more weeks!

**I really do not want a Halloween baby. At. All.

That is all I can think of right now. I am going to try to get a nursery reveal post finished (for real!!), a post on what/how I want my labor to go (this is the point when anyone who has had a child can go ahead and laugh, but I just want to have my thought wrote down before and after), and my sister told me I should do a post of my day now so I can do one once I have the baby and see what has changed. So I have a busy next few days! :)

xoxo,

Erin

Blogging Fail

Hello everyone!
I had such good intentions on keeping up with this blog and I have failed in the past two weeks! The sad part is that I wrote out like 3 or 4 posts so all I would have to do is come and publish them and I still didn't do that!! Pathetic. The pregnancy tiredness is getting the best of me, that's for sure. When I get home from work it takes everything in me to cook dinner and do a little nightly cleaning and not just lay down on the couch and not get up until morning! :) I will be posting the missing belly pictures soon, along with all those other written post!!

Stay tuned,
Erin

Labor Day Weekend

We didn't really have any plans for the extra long weekend, and it is a good thing because the weather was pretty nasty the whole time. On Friday we both worked during the day and then went to dinner with my parents that night. They were suppose to go on a motorcycle trip with another couple but, that got cancelled due to the weather. They ended up making a change of plans and the 4 of them left early this morning and headed for a short weekend get a way in Nashville. So jealous that they are actually doing something! After dinner Pete brought me home and headed back out the door to Cape Centrals football game. A few of his friends coach/teach around the area so he tries to go to a few games every year. It was POURING down rain so I stayed at home and decided to hook up the old Nintendo and play a little Donkey Kong. Pete came home early and turned on a football game. I read a few blogs and fell asleep pretty quickly. :)
Saturday I woke up around 7:30, checked all my normal morning things on my phone and then got up. Pete got up shortly after me because he was meeting people to work on our rental house around 9am. I ate breakfast, showered, and got ready for the day. I had a few errands to run, so I jumped in the car and did those. On my way downtown to the market, I stopped in at the new bakery that just opened up. I ended up getting a cinnamon roll, it was delicious.

The place is still new and working things out, but it was so cute! The have different flavors of cupcakes each day, plus cookies, brownies, coffee's, etc. I really hope that it makes it because our town really needs something like this! Since my parents are out of town, I ran to Jackson to let their dogs out before I came home. Once I got home I ate lunch and watched a few episodes of The Hills since there is a marathon on all weekend long! Pete got home around 5, took a shower and got cleaned up from working all day. We headed back to Jackson to feed my parents dogs and visit with his mom for a bit. Her husband was out of town so she was home alone all weekend! We had dinner plans with my friend Erin at BWW, so we headed back to Cape to meet her. A few of Pete's friends ended up being back at the bar watching all the games, so we stayed a little later than planned! After dinner we just came home and both fell asleep on the couch pretty quick!
 Sunday was a lazy day! Neither one of us set an alarm (terrible, I know) so we missed church. The only good thing about that is I actually slept in for once! I feel rejuvenated, finally!! I made pancakes for breakfast (more like brunch) and then we laid around and caught up on a few recorded shows. I had to go to the store to get everything for a dip that I told a friend I would bring that night for a get together at their new house, so I got ready and did that. I also may have made a quick trip by Starbucks to get my first pumpkin spice latte of the season!! I just wanted to sit there and savor every single sip. It was delicious!!  Around 3:30 we loaded up and headed to the Harrell's. They recently moved to Sikeston and have been painting/ renovating their new house since they moved in, so we were excited to see all the updates!! They made a shrimp boil for dinner (YUM) and we all just hung out pretty late since no one had work or school the next day!

Monday was a pretty lazy day for us also! I got up pretty early (not by choice), ate my breakfast, and watched a few shows that I had recorded that I don't make Pete suffer through. Aka, Beverly Hills Nannies, and Keeping up with the Kardashians! Ha. When Pete got up we cleaned the garage a little bit and I trimmed my potato vines back, they were taking over the front porch! Other than that we just sat around the majority of the day. I moved a few decorations around in the house and started to figure out where I wanted to hang everything! Here is the most updated thing I have done. I really wanted a collage type wall but the first one I did I was just never satisfied with it. I also realized that I do not have any pictures of us or family in the whole house, so I am going to replace everything in the frames with family pictures. I think I will like it a lot more!!

First Attempt:

I know the pictures aren't that great, I was did it quick to text others for advice :)

Second Attempt:

The "ram" head will be going in baby girls room. I think it will get more of the attention that it deserves. :) Plus, I just like this one a lot more!

My mom asked us to come over for dinner since they had been gone all weekend, so we headed over to their house for the evening and ate some delicious homemade fried chicken! Thanks mama!

I think that wraps up our lazy weekend! Hope everyone got as much rest as we did!! :)

xoxo,

Erin

28 weeks

My sister in law got my that shirt in the picture above, and I just love it! :) I know you can't read it because I am terrible at taking pictures, but it says "expecting adventure" :) So cute!

How far along? 28 weeks!!

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

Food Cravings? I have been eating a lot of salads this week! Can't get enough!

What I miss: I have really noticed this past week that the small day to day tasks are getting a lot harder! Putting on my shoes, getting up from the couch, shaving my legs, you know..the things that you normally do without even thinking about.

 Stretch marks? I have a few on my boobs (TMI) but nothing major, yet.

Maternity Clothes? Shout out to my amazing mother in law for ordering me at least 7 new shirts from a few of her suppliers! They are so comfortable and are going to last a long time! She also snuck in a few things for baby girl, so exciting!!

Gender? GIRL!

Weight Gain? Had a doctors appt this past Friday, and I am up 4 more pounds, which is 2 per week. I have said it before and I am probably going to say it again but, I am not worrying about the number until after the baby is born. As long as I am staying healthy and the baby is growing like she should, I am not going to worry too much. (It takes convincing from my husband though, to stay in this mind set after every doctor appt! ha!)

Sleep? I have been sleeping alright. Besides getting up a few times to go to the bathroom now, I am doing alright. My hips have also been really bothering me. By 8am I have to get up because they are just throbbing.  

Best moment of the week? This past Monday was my sisters annual birthday shopping trip with my aunts and mom (every year since we turned 10) and since she moved to STL, I get to tag along on her trip also! I finally gave in and bought my first piece of clothing for baby girl! I am so proud of myself for waiting this long! Of course we had to get matching outfits for the little cousins!! :) 

Symptoms? My feet and hands are really swollen by the end of the night, especially if I have been super busy that day! 

Movement? It is getting stronger and more frequent and I am loving every minute. I can also feel little body parts when she stretches because sometimes its a huge lump and then sometimes its just a little knob like feeling, which I am assuming is her feet. :) Makes me smile. 

xoxo,

Erin

27 Weeks

sorry for the bad quality! Pete took a different one, but for some reason it won't load correctly! Red pants AGAIN! AH!

How far along? 27 weeks!!

Size of the baby? According to babycenter, "this week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now."

Food Cravings? I really have been craving sweet things and that is so unlike me! I am obsessed with candy, but mainly sour candies, not sweet, chocolate candy and for some reason that is what I have wanted lately. 

What I miss: My mom and I went to Kohl's yesterday, and I walked through all the new fall clothes that are out and I can say that I miss being able to dress cute and have lots of options. I am not someone who finds 5 things they like and get it in every color and wear it all the time. I like to mix it up and not wear the same thing too often. Pregnancy has changed this about me, for the time being. I just do not have a whole lot of options and don't want to go spend the money on new things that I know I can only wear them a few more months!

 Stretch marks? I have a few on my boobs (TMI) but nothing major, yet.

Maternity Clothes? Like I said above, I have enough to get me by, but not as many options as I would like!

Gender? GIRL!

Weight Gain? Well...I only gained 1 pound in the past 2 weeks, so I was happy about that! I am currently up..drum roll please...28 pounds! I did have my glucose and iron tests and all the results came back totally normal, so I am just focusing on that good news and not on the number!

Sleep? I think I jinxed myself last week. Last night I felt like I was awake all night. My brain never went to sleep. Plus, my side is starting to hurt from always having to lay on it! haha.

Best moment of the week? Getting a good result on my tests at the doctor and just feeling baby girl move around. She took a few days off from the hard kicking and it really had me worried. I am happy in the past few days she is back to her busy self! Praise the Lord!

Symptoms? My feet always feel "tired" now and I am still pretty tired feeling all the time! 

Movement? I think she has moved to a totally different position then she has been in the whole time because I didn't feel her kick hardly at all Saturday night and Sunday and then I started feeling little ones again on Monday, but they felt more internal. I know that sounds weird, but before her feet were very obvious and I could feel/see when she pushed her butt against my stomach and I can't feel any of that anymore. I will be ready to go to the doctor again next week so that she didn't flip somewhere she's not suppose to be! :S

xoxo,

Erin

It's OK Thursday

  It's already Thursday were did this week go! I haven't posted all week, but have no idea why! So busy with everyday life!   IT'S OK.....   That I haven't posted all week. :)   That I have only worked out one day this week, when my goal was 5. Maybe next week I start with 3! ha   That I still haven't finished a craft project that I started at least 2 months ago   That I didn't vacuum my house this week   To want something sweet everyday   That I realllllly enjoy root beer   That I still haven't hung any decorations on my walls, except one   That I still don't have a working kitchen so I cooked dinner out of the crock pot 3x this week   That I want it to be the weekend because I get to see my favorite little people!!  

xoxo,
Erin
 

It's OK Thursday

 

Hey y'all, it's Thursday, that means a link up with Neely, over at A Complete Waste of Makeup!

 So let's get started ITS OK.....

That I spent $5 on coffee this morning, when I have a perfectly good, new keurig at home

That I practically spent the whole day yesterday reading and learning how to change my blog look, and I still didn't get it how I wanted

That I do not want a dog for at least 5 years, not because I don't love them, but because I don't want to have that responsibility

That I almost bought my first piece of clothing for baby girl two separate times this week and couldn't let myself do it

That I didn't set an alarm this morning, even though I have a LOT to get done today

That I am a terrible speller

That I am eyeing new boots that are $450 knowing that I will never spend that type of money on material things like clothes, shoes, etc.

That we are not deciding on a name until our baby is born

That I am going to try to stay really focused for the next 3 hours so I can lay-out this afternoon..we will see how that goes



xoxo,
Erin

Lindsey's Big Day!

The next weekend after I got home from NYC, one of my childhood friends got married! Lindsey's and I were so close when we were little and she is someone who no matter how long we go between talking, we can always pick right up like it was yesterday! I cherish the memories we have as the "Pingtis" family! The Pingels (and a couple other families) and our family did A LOT growing up. They were the family that we took vacations with, watched the super bowl with, celebrated NYE's, "Family" Christmas dinner and pretty much any other "non-holiday" event, we were with them! I pray Pete and I find other couples that want to raise their children in such a Christ-centered environment; so my kids can have relationships like I did with these families. They are truly "family". On to the wedding!!!!

It all started on Thursday at a pre-wedding workout! I think it'll be easier to just post the pictures and tell what's going on as we go. I just have so many!

Before our workout!

Getting our steps set up!

Lindsey and her awesome vail!

Mrs. Rene (Lindsey's mom) planned out a workout for all us girls, a few moms, grandmas, aunts, etc! She also wanted us to learn the cupid shuffle, the electric slide, and a few other line dances for the reception! It was nothing short of a good time!

After the workout, we all went home to get ready and all meet back at Whitney's house (Lindsey's sister) for her Bachelorette/ Lingerie party!

Dinner at Saffron! YUM!

The group!

Playing one of the games! Whitney went above and beyond planning this party! We played a few games, but I think this is the only one that is "blog appropriate" ;)

Opening all her gifts! We had to write a piece of marriage advice and sex advice on a card and Whitney read them out loud to see who's gift Lindsey opened next, Lindsey had to try to guess who wrote each one! So fun!!

Friday morning we started early with mani's and pedi's! Mrs. Rene was so sweet and treated all of us!

After nails, we all headed downtown to a local bed and breakfast for a bridesmaid luncheon put on by Lindsey's aunt, cousin, and grandma! It was so delicious!!

After lunch we went to check out the reception hall before heading to church for the rehearsal!

Rehearsal! Mrs. Jewel (the church wedding chair person) and the videoographer (that was EVERYWHERE! That will be one good video :))

I didn't get any pictures of the rehearsal dinner, but it was so nice! Curt's parents rented the river view room above Buckner's and it was so pretty!

Saturday!!! The BIG day!!!

Doing our make-up

All of us girls in our robes! This was Lindsey' s gift to all us bridesmaids. It was such a thoughtful gift, and I have worn mine multiple times since the wedding! Love it!

Getting in the dress!

Lindsey and I waiting to go downstairs!!!

Seeing her dad for the first time!

I didn't get any pictures of the actual ceremony, obviously. But here are a few at different locations after! So Fun!

The newly married couple

First dance

Doing our dances!

Sparklers as they exit. It was so pretty :)

That wraps up another wedding weekend! One more to go!!

xoxo,

Erin