26 Weeks!

26 down, 14 to go! 26 weeks doesn't really sound like I am that far along, then when I think I only have about 14 weeks left I can't believe how quickly the time has passed!

I'm going to start with my pregnancy update, so you're not bored to death having to read everything that's been going on for the past few weeks.  Here is a pic from about a week or so ago:

And let's just be honest here.  Since most of you are on facebook, you know that I actually look a lot bigger than this (I'm referring to the family beach picture--yes, that's me, not a whale).  I think I mentioned in my last post that I try to find my skinniest picture to post, and this pic won this time (thank you, Stephanie). 

Due Date:  October 4, 2011
Size of the baby: Baby Huntley is about 2 pounds and around 14 inches long.  Ryan sent me a text today to let me know that the baby is about the size of an "English hothouse cucumber" according to his weekly update.  Needless to say, we have no idea what kind of cucumber that is. 
Weight gain/loss:  I had a dr. appointment about a week and a half ago and I gained....EIGHT pounds.  EIGHT pounds in five weeks.  EIGHT pounds.  yikes.  So that makes 15 pounds total.  The nurse laughed when I asked if she meant 8 pounds total or since that last appointment.
Maternity clothes:  No change here...I wear a lot of dresses that aren't maternity and some of my tops and skirts aren't maternity (just a bigger size).  All pants are maternity. 
Gender:  We won't know until the baby makes his or her grand appearance! Most people seem to think the baby will be a girl.
Movement:  I'm still not feeling a lot of movement.  I feel something maybe once a day (at the most).  I talked to the doctor about it and she reassured me that it's ok.  And I really believe that it is, I'm not even worried about it anymore.  She said that if my placenta is in the front that I just won't be able to feel very much.  This past Sunday at church, I did feel the baby moving a lot--for about 20 minutes.  It was great.  I can't wait for Ryan to be able to feel it!
Sleep:  I'm still sleeping pretty good.  Ryan and I slept on an air mattress last week while we were in Fernandina with my family (don't worry, everyone that had a bed did everything but force us to sleep in their bed)--best sleep I've had in months.  I told Ryan that I may be blowing that thing up and putting it in the floor of our bedroom. 
What I miss:  Ahi tuna.  Steak cooked medium. 
Cravings:  Still no "cravings."  Everything that I'm eating I would have eaten before I was pregnant, I guess I'm just eating more of it.   
Symptoms:  HEART BURN. Weight gain, crazy dreams, itchy belly, etc.  Ryan says I snore and Kinsley and Logan confirmed it. 
Best moment of the week:  Feeling the movement.  Or at least thinking I'm feeling movement! 

We have had a great few weeks.  We celebrated our niece, Libby's, 2nd birthday.  She is sooo much fun.  She had a blast playing at the beach and got soooo excited about opening her gifts. 

We got her this little Minnie Mouse outfit and a Minnie Mouse to match--

Here she is in her cute little flamingo dress--perfect for her 'mingo beach party (she had a flamingo swim suit for the beach part of the party)!

Ok and seriously, look at this. yummmmmmm. Libby knows how to feed her guests!!

We also went to Babies R Us to register.  Nothing too exciting about it, but I wanted to mention it just so I could post this picture...he's such a good sport!  Just like I mentioned about our Mothers after Mother's Day--we are also incredibly blessed in the Dad department.  And I have no doubt Baby Huntley will say the same about Ryan one day.  He is already and unbelievable Dad to this baby! (Even if his eyes are saying--This picture better not go on that blog!! ha!!)

Mama, Daddy, Kinsley, Nikki, Nathaniel, Jack, Beebs, Jerry, Lisa and Logan came down last week and we had a great time.  I wish I had pictures to post from while they were here, but I guess I didn't take any with my phone.  We went to Fernandina and stayed for the week.  I think they love it there as much as I do!  Mr. and Mrs. Huntley, Brad, Lindsey, Jason, Stephanie and Libby all came to meet us for dinner in Fernandina one night.  Ryan and I are soooo lucky to have such wonderful families. 

Ok, sorry, that was long.  I'll try not to wait so long next time...but, hey, at least there were lots of pictures!  Please continue to pray for us.  We are getting soooo excited as the due date gets closer!!

Also--from my prayer request from my previous post.  Sadly, my friend, Lindsay's dad--Mr. Boyett, passed away.  I know their family appreciated all the prayers--and I know they would still appreciate them and need them.  I can't even begin to imagine their pain.  Just like they've said--they know he is in a much better place, but they are left devastated and heart broken. 

Last, but not least.  Logan is not 13.  He's 14.  SORRY!!  And no one even corrected me until I called him a 13-year-old when he was in town last week. 

Hope you all have a great week!!

"Are You Feeling Heavy?"

I love my co-workers.  Seriously, they are so much fun.  Juan, a guy I work with, asked me today if I was feeling heavy.  Yes, I am, thanks for asking!! Bless him.   He comes by my desk everyday to say good morning.  When I respond he says, "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the baby." My boss, Dolly, told me today that she didn't think risk management would want me using the stairs anymore.  Uhhh, someone got stuck on the elevator yesterday during a power outage.  This home girl is using the stairs. 

We have had a pretty great few weeks.  I had a little stomach bug for a few days.  It wasn't too bad, I just thought I was dying.  To all you mothers out there that have had morning sickness--BLESS YOU.  And bless you again if you went on to have more children, knowing what morning sickness is like.  I told Ryan (after my little 24 hour bug) that if I had had morning sickness, we would be adopting the rest of our children.  Actually, I would like to adopt one day regardless.

We went to Iuka for Memorial Day.  We love going to Iuka.  I love how much I miss Iuka and how super super excited I/we (Ryan loves it as much as I do) get every time we go.  I love seeing our friends and family at the lake, I love running into people at the grocery store or Wal-Mart and I love seeing everyone at church.  When we go to Iuka we usually go to 2 church services on Sunday mornings--Mt. Evergreen UMC and Iuka UMC.  I love both of those churches so much and going is always a favorite part of my weekends in Iuka.  We went to a graduation party for my cousin, Jayden.  She just graduated from high school and she is so sweet, couldn't be prouder of her and all that she has accomplished.  I can't believe it will be Kinsley graduating next year.  Kinsley started kindergarten the same day I started my senior year of high school.  Kinsley told her class that year that Nikki and I were having babies.  We found out because someone called Mama to ask if it was true.  Ha!  Sorry, back to the weekend Iuka.  We got to visit with lots of friends--always so much fun and I miss them all so much!  We got to see a "few" things that Mama and Daddy have gotten for the baby...so "few" that we would have had to check luggage to bring it all back with us, so they are going to bring it when they come in a couple of weeks.  I wish I had a picture to post of the blankets Mama has made and the Jeep diaper bag Daddy asked Mama to go back and get for Ryan (after she told him it wasn't on sale).  LOVE THEM!  Kinsley and Nikki and Nate had a few things, too.  But they held out on us and wouldn't let us see.  Well, I should say didn't let us "touch"--they both sent pictures as soon as they bought/made the outfits!  It makes me so excited!  This is probably the most exciting time in mine and Ryan's life, other than getting married :), and I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to us that our family and friends are just as excited as we are! 

I don't have a recent belly shot or a new ultrasound picture, so I'll share a pic of the next best thing: Charlie, our dog!  We love him and he is going to be a great big brother!!

23 Weeks

Due Date:  October 4, 2011
Size of the baby: Baby Huntley is about 1 pound and 10-11 inches long, about the size of a large mango (? a mango is 11 inches??)  
Weight gain/loss:  My next doctor appointment isn't until June 16th and I don't weigh myself, so I'm not sure where I am in the gaining weight department.  Other than, I'M GAINING WEIGHT.  Also, I have a confession.  When I post pictures on here of my baby belly I make Ryan take like 15 pictures and I always post the one where I look the skinniest, even if my face looks weird or my hair looks bad.  It's all about the size of the belly.  Now that a lot of people reading this have actually seen me, I just felt like I needed to fess up.
Maternity clothes:  Still loving maternity clothes! All of the skirts and dresses I wear aren't maternity and some of my tops aren't maternity (just a bigger size).     
Gender:  We won't know until the baby makes his or her grand appearance!  Now that I'm obviously pregnant, random people make predictions.  Like yesterday, I dropped off Ryan's dry cleaning and the guy asked when "she" is due.  I said Oct. 4th. He said, "it's a girl." I thought he was asking and I said we don't know, we aren't going to find out.  He said, "no, I'm telling you.  It's a girl."  I went back that afternoon and a different guy asked if I was "carrying." I said yes, and he asked if it's a boy or girl.  I told him we weren't finding out.  He said, "I'm good at this.  It's a boy." I told him that's funny because the guy there that morning said it's a girl.  He said, "that old man is my dad and he doesn't know what he's talking about.  Trust me, it's a boy." HA! 
Movement:  WE HAVE MOVEMENT!!!  At least I think we do! I only feel it a couple of times a day, at the most.  But, I'm consistently feels the same way...so, it's enough to keep me from worrying about it.
Sleep:  I have actually been sleeping great lately--as long as the AC is low and Charlie and Ryan are giving me enough space, ha!  I have started needing to take off my rings and watch when I sleep because I wake up and feel like they are cutting my circulation off.  Is that normal?  When should I stop wearing my rings altogether? 
What I miss:  I really don't think I'm "missing" anything right now that I can't have/do since I'm pregnant! 
Cravings:  Still no "cravings."  Everything that I'm eating I would have eaten before I was pregnant, I guess I'm just eating more of it.   
Symptoms:  HEART BURN. Weight gain, crazy dreams, itchy belly, etc.  Ryan says I snore (I don't really believe him). 
Best moment of the week:  Feeling the movement.  Or at least thinking I'm feeling movement! 

If you made it through that lonnng post, thanks!!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers! 

And I have a couple of other prayer requests--
Logan, my 13-year-old cousin, broke his back.  He is usually VERRRY active, so he's having a hard time adjusting to just sitting on the couch.  He will be in back brace for 12 weeks.

Will, Lori Beth and Addison Rhodes--Will is in the Air Force and on very short notice was just sent to Saudi Arabia.  I can't imagine how hard it is to be so far away from the people you love.  Will, if you read this, we love you and appreciate the sacrifices that you make for our country!

Lindsay Boyett Broome's dad, Lemuel Boyett.  He has been fighting cancer for almost 2 years.  He is truly an amazing man and needs lots of prayers right now.  Lindsay is one of my best friends and roommates from college. 

Halfway There!

Hi Everyone!  Hope you have had a great couple of weeks.  Sorry I didn't post anything from last week, but the website was down every time I tried.  Let's see...We had a great Mother's Day.  We spent the weekend in Fernandina Beach (think Amelia Island, if you've never heard of it).  It was a wonderful weekend, the only thing missing was my family!  But they will get to enjoy some time in Fernandina when they come for a visit in June.  I CANNOT wait for them to be here!  Here a is pic from the beach on Friday afternoon when we got to the beach house.

Can you see why it is our absolute favorite place to be? Not a soul around!  The weather was great on Saturday and for most of Mother's Day--there are fires in Georgia and the smoke rolled in on Sunday afternoon.  We still had a great day with Ryan's parents, Brad and Lindsey, and Jason, Stephanie and Libby!  I even woke up to a sweet little surprise from Baby Huntley.  He/She is already sooo thoughtful!!  Ryan and I are both beyond blessed with wonderful mothers!  I have BIG shoes to fill!!

Last weekend was The Players Championship weekend (a golf tournament, for all you non-golf people--like me).  Ryan and I usually go on the Saturday of the tournament, but decided not to this year (thank goodness, it POURED!).  But, we didn't miss Bryan and Amy's (Stephanie's brother and sister-in-law) big TPC party on Saturday morning that they have every year .  It is always sooooo much fun.  And I was only slightly tortured by the Margarita Man and Bloody Mary's! Ha!  

Ok Baby Huntley update (we have a better nickname for "Baby Huntley" but it reveals the names we have picked and we're just not ready to "officially" put the names out there yet! :)

We had a doctor appointment last week and everything was great, more details below.

20 Weeks: Halfway, REALLY?!
Due Date:  October 4, 2011
Size of the baby: Ok, up until this point the baby has been measured from head to "rump" because the legs are usually curled up against the body and hard to measure.  Now the measurement is from head to toe--the baby is approximately 6.5 inches and weighs about 10.5 ounces (the size of a banana). 
Weight gain/loss:  I had a doctor appointment last week and I had gained 4 pounds (so a total of 7).  BUT, this time I looked at the scale and either I weighed MORE than I thought I did when I got pregnant OR they aren't comparing my weight now to my very 1st doctor appointment.  Either way, 7 pounds sounds good, so 7 it is! HA!  And I have to tell you that I get realllly nervous about weighing at the appointments. I have no idea why.       
Maternity clothes: I have officially made the switch!  And it is WONDERFUL!  Soooo much more comfortable!  I'm still wearing a lot of non-maternity skirts and dresses and some tops.   
Gender:  We won't know until the baby makes his or her grand appearance!  BUT, I know soooo many people that are due close to the same time that I am and I am LOVING finding out what they are all having.  I am realllly excited because friends of ours here in Jacksonville, Adam and Madison, are having twins and due very close to the same time that I am.  They found out that they are have a boy AND girl!  It's perfect...when I see and outfit that I think my baby MUST have I can go ahead and get it...then, if our baby is the opposite gender I definitely have someone to give it to!!!
Movement:  I have been very anxious over not feeling the baby move.  Very.  I talked to the doctor and he reassured me that it is totally ok and to give it a few more weeks. He said that my blood work was good, ultrasounds are good, the baby has a great heart beat and I'm getting bigger.  So, there you have it.  I'm not worrying anymore.    
Sleep:  I'm feeling a little discomfort when I sleep and having a hard time finding an comfortable position that doesn't make my back hurt the next morning.  I also talked to the doctor about sleeping on my back.  He told me not to worry about it--As I get bigger sleeping on my back can cause by blood pressure to drop, but my body will naturally respond and I'll either roll over or wake up.  He said that eventually it will just be to uncomfortable to lay on my back.  Thank the Lord!  I have been sleeping much better since then. 
What I miss:  I really don't think I'm "missing" anything right now that I can't have/do since I'm pregnant! 
Cravings:  Still no "cravings."  Everything that I'm eating I would have eaten before I was pregnant.   
Symptoms:  Weight gain, crazy dreams, itchy belly, etc.  Ryan says I snore.  He gets updates from babycenter.com every week and loves to tell me about how I'm right on target.  This week he was going over everything with me and broke the news to me that I have started snoring. HA! 
Best moment of the week:  Hearing the heart beat!  LOVE that sound!  I am so thankful that everything is going well!  I cannot even begin to believe that we are halfway there!

Here I am at 19 weeks:

Hope everyone has a great week!  Please keep us in your prayers...and you can say at little prayer that this baby will give me a little kick to tell me that he or she is in there and can't wait to meet us!!

18 weeks and an Ultrasound to Boot!

Hello, Little Cutie!

18 Weeks!!
Due Date:  October 4, 2011
Size of the baby: approximately 5.5 inches and weighs about 5.25 ounces (the size of a bell pepper)
Weight gain/loss:  At my last doctor appointment I had gained 5 pounds (so a total of 3).      
Maternity clothes: Still wearing lots of elastic and drawstring pants or skirts. I don't think I've worn any maternity tops yet--but, I have worn plenty of regular tops that look like they could be maternity. 
Gender:  We had our ultrasound yesterday--and it was VERY tempting, but we didn't find out.  At one point, I even tried to talk Ryan into "us" just knowing and not telling anyone.  He talked me out of it and I'm glad he did!  The lady that did the ultrasound (ultrasound tech?) was very supportive of us not knowing.  She went on and on about how happy we will be that we waited.  I asked her if she could tell if "it" will be a boy or girl and she said--YES!!! 
Movement:  I stilllllll haven't felt anything!  I'm thinking that my "beer gut" (JUST KIDDING!) just has too much padding for me to feel anything. 
Sleep:  I'm sleeping pretty good.  My newest challenge is that I read in a book last week that I shouldn't sleep on my back anymore.  I sleep on my back a lot and it's still very comfortable.  I wake up a ga-zillion times a night, startled, in a panic, wondering how long I have been on my back.  I can't wait for my next appointment to ask my doctor.  She is very easygoing, so I'm convinced she will tell  me it's ok as long as I don't feel uncomfortable--maybe that is just wishful thinking. 
What I miss:  I really don't think I'm "missing" anything right now that I can't have/do since I'm pregnant! 
Cravings:  Still no "cravings."  Everything that I'm eating I would have eaten before I was pregnant.   
Symptoms:  Weight gain, crazy dreams, itchy belly, etc.
Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby again!  Soooo amazing to be able to hear AND see the heart beating.  And as crazy as this may sound, I love knowing that someone knows if our baby is a boy or girl (not that she remembered 5 seconds after she left the room)!  But, for a few minutes Ryan and I were sitting in that room with her and she knew if we will be having a little boy or little girl in 22 short weeks!!!

Hope yall are having a great week!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!

Itching Belly = Stretch Marks?

If the answer to that question is yes, then please don't answer that question!

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and is recovered/recovering from the storms.  It really breaks my heart to see all the damage from the tornadoes.  It all makes me really nervous for hurricane season--the winter snows were really bad, tornadoes have been really bad, I'm REALLLLY hoping we catch a break during hurricane season. 

On a happier note, we had a great Easter!  Ryan and I went to church at Southside UMC--we have been trying out churches in our area since we moved to Jacksonville.  We have been on a mission to find "our" church and have pretty much decided that Southside is it.  We know we love the Sunday church services and we will start the New Member classes in the next couple of weeks to learn more about their ministries and programs.  It will give us a better idea whether or not it really is "our" church.  Sorry...back to Easter--after church went to Ryan's parents house.  The Huntleys had just gotten back on Saturday night from being in Italy and Spain for about 3 weeks and I'm sure they were beyond exhausted.  We had a great time on Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Huntley, Brad, Lindsey, Lindsey's mom, Barbara, (she was in town from New Orleans), Jason, Stephanie and Libby.  I love when we all get together--we always laugh, wondering what we did before Libby!  She is definitely the center of all of our attention!  I missed everyone in Iuka!  I always miss everybody, but especially so during holidays.  From the looks of the pictures on facebook, it looked like they were have a great time, too. 

The pregnancy update: 

Due Date:  October 4, 2011, I am 17 weeks.
Size of the baby: approximately 5 inches and weighs about 5 ounces (I'm not sure what the fruit/veggie comparison is?)
Weight gain/loss:  At my last doctor appointment I had gained 5 pounds (so a total of 3).  I'm just going to leave it at that until I go back to the doctor because I FREAK every time I step on a scale.  I'm not exactly sure how much I weighed at my last appointment,  the nurse just told me I gained 5 pounds.  So, now when I step on the scale, the number is SHOCKING.    
Maternity clothes: Well, I did it.  I wore maternity pants to work one day this week--and.it.felt.great.  I'm still pretty in between regular pants and maternity pants.  And by "in between" I actually mean there is NO CHANCE IN HECK I'm fitting into my regular pants, even with the belly band.  So I'm wearing lots of dresses, which is my favorite thing to wear during the summer anyway.
Gender:  We aren't finding out!  We are still VERY excited about our ultrasound on Monday!  Danielle, one of my co-workers, is Haitian and she did her "Haitian Gender Predictor" on me this week.  She said she has never been wrong (10/10) and once she is wrong for the 1st time, she'll never do it again.  Danielle wrapped a spoon and knife in separate dish towels and set them out on her desk.  I had to walk in and choose one, "without thinking."  I choose the dish towel with a spoon.  Spoon = girl.  She announced to our office that I am having a girl--I don't think I'm ready to paint to room pink, though! Ha!
Movement:  Still no movement.  I keep telling myself that if I really focus I will feel something.  Still nothing.
Sleep:  The crazy dreams have started.  I have about 3 dreams every night.  Thankfully, no nightmares.  I'm guessing I have about 3 every night because that's how many times I get up to go to the bathroom.  Last night I chased tornadoes.  One night last week I dreamed that I was refusing to wake to go to the bathroom, so I started sleeping in Depends.  I woke up terrified that I had actually peed in the bed! (I didn't!!) Ha!
What I miss:  Ahi Tuna. 
Cravings:  Still no "cravings."  Everything that I'm eating I would have eaten before I was pregnant.   
Symptoms:  Weight gain, crazy dreams, itchy belly, etc.
Best moment of the week:  Everyone at work telling me they see a little bit of a belly! (I think they actually mean, DANG! Where did that belly come from?!)

Geez, this is a long post.  But one last thing, we tested our windows and walls for lead based paint.  The window tests were positive.  Dang it.

Red or pink means there are traces of lead (not sure if you can tell, but 3 were red or pink):

Hope you all have a great week!  Please keep us in your prayers!

16 Weeks

I missed week 15, because it was tax week.  I told my self that I couldn't get on the internet to do anything except taxes and I just kept putting off doing our taxes!

Due Date:  October 4, 2011, I am 16weeks
Size of the baby: approximately 4.5 inches and weighs almost 3 ounces (size of an avocado)
Weight gain/loss:  I had a doctor appointment last week and I had gained 5 pounds!  So far, I gained a total of 3 pounds.   
Maternity clothes: Still not wearing maternity clothes.  For about the past week, I've only worn dresses or pants/skirts with an elastic waist or drawstring.  Finding an Easter dress has been a challenge!
Gender:  We aren't finding out!  The "big" ultrasond appointment is May 2nd and we are thinking about going ahead and finding out...hahahaha just kidding, Lori Beth. 
Movement:  None yet.  Still DYING to feel some movement! 
Sleep:  I'm sleeping good, except getting up at least twice every night to go to the bathroom.  I'm not exhausted all the time anymore--I was actually able to watch the entire episode of Modern Family last night!
What I miss:  Clothes that fit--shopping is not very fun right now! 
Cravings:  Still no "cravings."  Everything that I'm eating I would have eaten before I was pregnant.   
Symptoms:  Gaining weight and I think my belly may be starting to look like a little bit of a "baby belly."
Best moment of the week:  Getting to hear the heart beat at my doctor appointment. It was really loud and strong compared to the last time.  

And I can't believe I am putting this up, but here is a picture.  This was actually taken on Saturday (4/16).  Sorry if it's blurry, Ryan took it with my iPhone.

Hope everyone is having a great week!  Please continue to pray for us!

Hello, 2nd Trimester!

2nd Trimester is supposed to be a Heavenly part of pregnancy.  So far, so good!  Ha--it's only been 2 days!  I was planning to post a picture this week, but I'm just not ready for my pregnancy photo debut.  Here are the highlights of the week:

Due Date:  October 4, 2011, I am 14 weeks
Size of the baby: approximately 3.5 to 4 inches and weighs about 1 ounce (one book says about the size of a fist, another says lemon)
Weight gain/loss:  At my last appointment I lost 2 pounds...I have definitely gained since then!  When I weigh myself at home it fluctuates quite a bit depending on how long it's been since the last time I ate.  Note to self, don't eat before the appointment. 
Maternity clothes: Still not wearing maternity clothes, yet.  When do women start wearing maternity clothes??  I'm wearing my belly band with all my pants (well, all that button and zip) and quite frankly I wonder why I haven't been wearing a belly band for years?! 
Gender:  We aren't finding out!  BUT, I did do a few gender prediction tests just for fun this week.  But, I'm keeping those results a secret, for now, too (not that I trust them at all!!). 
Movement:  None yet.  I am DYING to feel this baby move...but, I know it could be a while. 
Sleep:  I'm still sleeping great and on somewhat of a more normal sleep schedule. 
What I miss:  Clothes that fit. 
Cravings:  Nothing, really.  I don't know that I would consider it a "craving," but I have eaten a baked potato with broccoli and cheese almost every day for lunch.   
Symptoms:  Hmmmm...I guess just the gaining weight.  I still don't have a "baby belly," but I do have a belly!
Best moment of the week:  Looking at little Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas outfits and realizing that the baby will be here for the holidays!!
Hope everyone is having a great week!  Please continue to pray for us!