36 Weeks

So on my 34 week post I said that something I was looking forward to was a friend having her baby any day and that my other friend was due at the end of the month. Well....both babies are here and healthy!! On January 12th Taylor had her beautiful baby girl, Amyx, after a rough 38 hours of labor and on January 14th by BFF Carly had her handsome baby boy, Luke, after having her water break the night before. She had such a quick delivery thankfully. Both babies are doing great as well as the new mommies and daddies. Now...I have to wait 4 more weeks! Seeing these two babies here makes me that much more excited!! However, I don't feel miserable at all. I actually feel pretty great aside from being exhausted so I am not too anxious for Baby Stu to get here. Although I wouldn't object to him coming to meet us a little early, I'm okay with him cooking a little longer.

35w1d    35w5d

I seriously feel like I have a basketball pumpkin inside of me! And I am supposed to continue to grow for 4 more weeks?! Oh Baby Stu, I am just not sure how your momma's belly is supposed to get any bigger!

Now that I officially announced that we bought a fixer upper in my post earlier this week (Babymoon), I can start sharing all of the exciting news with that. I haven't been able to help out as much as I hoped since much of the stuff I can't be around, to heavy to lift, or just too difficult with a basketball belly, but Ryan has worked so hard on getting the house ready and perfect to bring home Sawyer to. Ryan and I's dads have also put in so much hard work. This fixer upper would not be possible or able to be fixed up so fast if it weren't for these 3 amazing men. Like I said, Sawyer Lynn will carry the name of some of the most incredible men I know and love. While these boys have been hard at work along with some other helpers we have had along the way, my mom has helped me make countless Home Depot and Lowes trips. I am just about sick of those places so I am glad I have a sidekick to go with me!

How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 18 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? A mixture of everything--maternity, large shirts, Ryan's clothes, and lots of leggings.

Stretch marks? Ugh..I think a few have shown up this past week. Oh well, I am certain Sawyer is worth it!!

Sleep: Sleep? What is that? I sure hope I can get some good sleep soon because I know it will be even more nonexistent once Sawyer arrives.

Best moment this week: Last weekend when I got to meet baby Amyx and Luke!!!!

Miss anything? Currently, sleep!

Movement: Sooooo much! I honestly don't know what is going on in there sometimes. 

Food cravings: Milk and Sonic ice still.

Anything making you queasy or sick: BBQ and last night Ryan wanted to eat Chinese and that sounded pretty gross.

Have you started to show yet: Yes. My students aren't sure how I haven't had my baby yet. They ask just about daily when the baby is coming.

Labor signs: Still not sure. I have a ton cramping on my side but it isn't really anything you can time like BH or contractions. Once the pain starts, it continues for awhile. Other than that I have noticed that I have started to drop a little bit more.

Belly button in or out: It is pretty flush with my belly so I am sure in the next week or two it will officially pop out.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, yay!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I have had my moments this past week. 

Looking forward to: My doctor appointment Monday. I am curious if I have progressed at all. 

Babymoon

After rescheduling and planning a vacation about 5 times, Ryan and I finally just took off for an adventure. This was originally supposed to be our 1st anniversary trip then 2nd anniversary trip and with other things that kept popping up, it never happened. We knew if we didn't just pack up and go, we would never get to take a much needed trip. Especially once Baby Stu arrived. We chose to go to one of my favorite places, Savannah, Georgia. It is such a quaint town with tons of historic charm. A perfect place to relax and unwind. Just what we needed before the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I hadn't realized how busy and stressed I was until we got there and I shut off my email and ignored my calendar that basically decides my every move. It was such a nice getaway where many sweet memories were made.

Savannah has 22 historic and beautiful squares. Ryan and I walked through a few one morning while sipping on our hot (decaf) coffee. It was the perfect fall day. I am pretty sure if we had Baby Stu with us in a stroller he would have loved it. So charming! Forsyth Park is probably one of my favorite places just because of how big it is and the beautiful water fountain.

One day we had planned to make the short drive to Tybee Island to see the lighthouse and eat breakfast. As we left we found out the bridge was closed. Talk about a let down. Instead we decided to be spontaneous and headed out to Nashville for the last 24 hours of our trip.

Although we only spent 24 hours in Nashville, we made every minute count. We hit up yummy places to eat, saw beautiful murals, visited historic attractions, and did I mention places to eat?! I can't wait to go again some day to go to all the food places we didn't make it to!

The first stop we made when arriving in Nashville was The Pharmacy.  I am not a huge burger person, but the burger and fries were delish! I had a yummy root beer to drink that I am sure would have made for one amazing root beer float.

For supper we ate at a place downtown just off the strip. It was a place that we just kind of ran into and for the life of me I can't remember the name. Ryan and I ended up ordering the same thing, mac-n-cheese with spicy chicken. YUM! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Whenever we get the chance to go back to Nashville, we will be finding this place again.

After supper we headed over to Bobbie's Dairy Dip to feed my ice cream craving. We heard it was the best and it most certainly was!! Ryan enjoyed watching me attempt eating the ginormous dipped cone. I ate every bite!

The next morning we stopped quickly by the famous Bluebird Cafe for a snapshot in the dark before heading to The Pancake Pantry for breakfast. Next time we are that way, I hope to stop by the Bluebird while it is actually open. For those that love the show Nashville as much as I do, I know you understand! Now back to food....at The Pancake Pantry I had pancakes with a pecan butter and syrup. Oh my did it hit the spot. Once again, this Nashville eatery did not disappoint and is another highly recommended place to stop by.

After breakfast we made the long trek home. Nashville, we will be back for you!!!

EXCITING NEWS!!!

We bought a house! This actually happened during the car ride home from this Babymoon adventure. It was very spur of the moment and spontaneous because we had just started the building process on our forever home on our land in the country. Ryan and I have always wanted to build our home in the country and our dream was just about to take root, but God had other plans. For now, the building is put on hold for the next couple years. We decided with having Baby Stu in short while, building a house would just be too stressful for the time being. On the way home my dad called us with a crazy idea of purchasing a home as a fixer upper that wouldn't take as long as a new build and honestly, the deal was just too good to pass up. I know God had a hand in bringing this opportunity towards us because the house we bought wasn't even for sale and everything has worked out perfectly in my eyes.

This house had been setting vacant for awhile in my parents quiet neighborhood (that happens to be a perfect place for a little family) because of a house fire. The house had always been a rental and since the fire, the owners hadn't done anything yet. Come to find out, when we called to ask about purchasing the home, they had plans to start fixing it up in a few weeks! Thankfully for us, they were willing to sell the home and make the process super smooth. Since the first week of December we have been doing renovations in the house just about daily. However, we officially signed on the home TODAY! So that is one reason I have been waiting to post this entry. I wanted it to be official, although in a small town like ours word gets around rather quickly and most people already know that we bought the house.

Some of the people that have found out have kind of acted like we were crazy to purchase a home that had a fire, but honestly it hasn't been too bad. Also, Ryan and my dad both work construction so they knew the what we were taking on when starting the process. The fire mainly took place in the garage with minimal smoke damage throughout the house, which made it easier to repair. But....if you are a HGTV and Fixer Upper fan like me, you would redo more than the minimal damage.  Ryan did put a halt to tearing down any walls (haha!), but I did get him to put a hole in the wall for a built in  cabinet! Even though we just signed the papers to make it official today, we have done a lot of work. Our original goal was to be in by February 1st, but it may be the next week. Ultimately, before Sawyer gets here so hopefully he cooks just a bit longer! Things are going really fast though and I can't wait to post some awesome before and after photos when everything is done. For now..a sneak peek because I LOVE our flooring! They haven't even put in the grout yet, but I couldn't resist snapping a picture. 

34 Weeks

Happy New Year!!!

We spent New Year's Eve dancing the night away at a brother-like friend's wedding. It was beautiful and perfect in every way! So many memories were made. I danced and moved around so much (in heels too) I am actually pretty shocked I didn't put myself in premature labor.

At the rehearsal Hudson was the favorite. Who am I kidding, he was the favorite all weekend. I sure love this little boy and can't wait to see him making memories with Sawyer like his daddy C.J. and I did. Hudson and Sawyer will be just 11 months apart.

Hudson's gorgeous mommy! I can't wait for her and C.J.'s wedding in February so I will officially gain a sister. They are eloping on a beach just the two of them. Hopefully Sawyer will be here by time they leave though.

Emma's family taught us the Wedding March. It was probably the best part of the night!! If you have never watched one happen at a reception, Youtube it! I ended up being partners with C.J. and Hudson so Huddy Buddy helped us make our tunnel.

The Original 5.

Brock, C.J., me, Keli, and Logan

Now 3 (almost 4) of us are married, C.J. has Hudson and will soon make Alissa official at their wedding in February, I will soon add Sawyer, and I am sure our group will continue to grow soon! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family of friends to grow up with. The memories we have made growing up together at church activities, family get togethers, trips, and other life events are truly priceless. I don't know how I could have ever survived some things without them. There is NEVER a dull moment when we are together. No matter where life takes us, we will always be together.

I now know what they mean when they say a beach ball belly. And it is supposed to grow for 6 more weeks?!

What are your New Year's Resolutions?! Mine? Figure out this baby stuff! I am certain that this will be one of the best years Ryan and I have had together!!

Washing my hair is getting real exhausting so I have been rocking a pony tale pretty constantly.

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  16 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? Still a mixture. In the shirt I have on in my chalkboard photo is an old one I've had.

Stretch marks? Still not yet--fingers crossed. I think they may be coming.

Sleep: Rough. My back is really starting to bother me.

Best moment this week: This past weekend at Logan and Emma's NYE wedding.

Miss anything? Hot dogs. This is the longest I have ever been without my favorite food, haha.

Movement: Lots! The other night I told Ryan to look quick because my belly was moving. He thought it was super cool for a second, then he said to cover it up because it was too weird! Haha. I would have to agree-weird-but pretty neat.

Food cravings: Milk and Sonic ice.

Anything making you queasy or sick: BBQ is all. I have never really loved BBQ, but I hope the feeling passes quickly after birth because I would sure love some Honey BBQ Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings!

Have you started to show yet: Yes, although I still get random questions from students..."Are you going to have a baby?" "Is there a baby in your belly?"

Labor signs: Umm..a few small signs. I am going to talk to my doctor on Monday about them. I have had several people tell me I look like I've dropped some. I feel like I have just a smidgen.

Belly button in or out: Innie still, but not sure how.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: My doctor appointment Monday and for my friend to have her baby ANY DAY!!! My other friend is due at the end of the month. I can't wait to get the word they are heading to the hospital to become a mommy for the first time!!

This past week Ryan and I also celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary on December 27th. The two years since the snowy day we said "I do" have flown by. The saying, "...and I thought I loved you then," really is true. The love Ryan has shown me the past few months is more than I could ever imagine. I am just sure my heart will explode the moment I see him hold Sawyer for the first time. My life gets better and better every second married to this amazing man. The adventures we have taken on during this second year have been pretty incredible and I can't imagine taking on life with anyone else.

 "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." -Ruth 1:16

Thank you Ryan for being my rock, best friend, protector, strength, and partner for life. Year 3 will have many new trials to face, but with you by my side and God guiding us, there won't be a mountain too tall!