Made it to 38 weeks and someone had a birthday!

Well after last week's appointment, I thought perhaps by now I'd have a newborn baby boy in my arms! Haha alas, Fisher is letting us all know that he is in control of his schedule...which I'm sure will continue after he is born as well. :) I had some prelabor pressure last week in the evenings, but haven't had too much of it lately. My mother came down promptly last Wednesday and has been waiting on us hand and foot, and I think all this rest is helping Fisher cook a little longer.

Last Saturday night, the whole Grimes family and my parents took me out to eat at Leonardo's for my birthday! It was so nice to have such a big family around, and I felt blessed to see all the support and future family for the baby around the table. I was a bit preoccupied about going into labor at the restaurant haha, but we made it through for cake at our house afterwards. The Grimes got me a Flip video camera, just a perfect gift right in time for all the filming I'm sure we'll be doing!

My own birthday came on Tuesday the 10th, but I did not get a baby for my birthday! haha I did have a doctor's appointment that day though, and I am still holding at a 2.5. The doc says "all systems are a go" and we are just waiting on contractions now. So I guess any day now is still the case, but who knows when?! I got lots of sweet messages on my birthday, which helped me get through a day of high hormone levels haha. My darling husband picked out a super sweet ring with both mine and Fisher's birth stone in it. :)

So now our bags are packed and waiting by the door, his room is just waiting for the replacement glider, and we are waiting to meet our sweet boy!

It won't be long now...

Quick recap! My 35 week appointment was good, I had my group B strep test and they checked my progress and everything was "closed up." I went back at 36 weeks and they said my group B came back positive, which basically means I have a bacteria living in my "nether-regions" that is harmless for me, but can be bad for the baby. So they'll hook me up to some antibiotics during delivery which should nip that in the bud. The doctor asked if I had been having contractions and I said "I wasn't sure." She said that indicated that I hadn't and didn't check my progress. I've been feeling uncomfortable at times in my abdomen and my hips had been hurting pretty bad at times, but the doctor said the hip pain was just the relaxin opening things up. :)

SO...I went for my 37 week appointment yesterday thinking that maybe I'd be 1 cm or so. The nurse asked if I had been having contractions again, and I said the same thing as before, 'not sure', so she said the doctor wouldn't check me then. Well I said that I was pretty sure I'd had some Braxton Hicks so the nurse said, "ok she can check you if you'd like." I'm so glad she did!!! Doctor Jones came in and checked everything...then immediately said, "Well you're not going to make it to your due date!" I was like, "Uh really?" Then she said that I was 2.5 cm dialated!! She went ahead and told me to pack my bags and gave me instructions on how to call the office when I went into labor. WHAT WHAT WHAT?! She couldn't really give me a timeline of how long I had, other than it would be before 11/22. We went ahead and scheduled my appointment for next Tuesday (my birthday ironically).

That night, Charley and I were so excited and restless. He put in the carseat and packed, I did laundry, sterilized bottles, and packed what I could. My mom is coming down today to help finish up some loose ends. We weren't expecting to have to be ready so soon, but I guess this is a lesson learned! The nursery is still not quite finished (broken glider, waiting for replacement, etc) but I suppose everything will happen in due time. :) Would appreciate all the prayers we can get right now!

Showered with Love

The past couple of weeks, Charley and I have been blessed with two showers that truly helped get us started to get ready for baby. The sweet girls at the dance studio that I work at surprised me with a small shower! It was so sweet of them and a wonderful little evening of petite fours (my fave!) and cute gifts. :) Last Sunday, my sister-in-laws and dear friends threw an AMAZING baby shower at Julie's house. It was so great to see friends and family and share in the excitement of Fisher. We were so blessed with so many great and much needed gifts! His nursery is starting to fill up, and although there is still LOTS left to get for him, every little bit is a great help.

I can't believe there are only 5 weeks left! Everyone keeps telling us to enjoy this last time together. While we are doing so, I am also starting to feel ready to start this new chapter in our lives. Its hard to grapple my mind around all the changes about to come, and am concerned about how to handle sleep deprivation haha. Yet, I can't wait to see the sweet face of our son and be a family of three! (well four...can't forget our darling Lola!)

Starting this week, I will be going to the doctor every week until delivery, so I'll try to be a better blogger and update our "progress." I have been subbing off and on, and it still surprises me how much I miss working sometimes. I am looking forward to my new full time job that will start soon though! Little Fisher has been QUITE the active kicker, and nothing is better than seeing the look on a person's face when they feel him move! That is truly the best part about pregnancy, and it really makes up for some of the not-so-pleasant things. :) (hehe)

In the meantime, we are dealing with some fun plumbing issues that in turn is getting us brand new carpet in our basement. We are glad this decided to happen before we get a brand new baby! :) We also just celebrated the one year birthday of our precious, wonderful niece Caroline! She is just a light in all our lives and I am looking forward to introducing her to her cousin!

Enjoy some shower pics!

PS - Lots more pics on Facebook, I have trouble posting here!

Charleston, Camera, Childbirth, etc. :)

Last weekend, Chach and I took our last trip (well besides lakehouse weekends) before the baby comes! He had a client getting married in Charleston, so we flew there for the weekend. We actually flew on 9/11, which wasn't too bad since the airport was quiet, albeit they did pat me down as if my big belly was something else. ;) Don't mind the extra security!

Charleston is such a cool city! Charley had never been before, and I wish we had more time to explore the area. The rehearsal dinner was great since it was a low country boil and made up for some crappy airport food we had eaten that day. Our hotel was on the Ashley River, so we got to walk around the marinas and look at all the yachts and saw a dolphin as well. On Saturday, we went to the South Carolina Aquarium. I LOVE aquariums, and of course so does the hubs, and its actually what we did on our first out of town trip together (Chattanooga). Its so fun to just sit and stare at the different fish, and this time was special since we had our own little fish on board (haha). We talked about how neat it'll be to take him to an aquarium one day! That night was the wedding, which was sooo neat because it was on a yacht! The ceremony took place on top of the boat, and then the next two hours we set sail around the Charleston harbor and got to see all the antebellum homes, Fort Sumter in the distance, and other sites. My feet were killing me because I refused to wear my practical shoes, however, I did (at the brides request) do the cupid shuffle with everyone! She was determined to tell our son that he "danced" at her wedding! haha

Since I have just accepted our old camera is going to stay at the lake, before the trip I bought a new one. So glad, and needed, especially since we'll be taking LOTS of pictures in our future.

What else...oh yes, the childbirth class! Well, the first class I found to be oh-s0-amazing. However, the next class almost made me pass out haha. The topic was "pain management" and it started out all great with breathing and visualisation exercises, massages from the hubs, etc. Well then she pulled out the epidural video. Now mind you, I am ALL about getting the epidural and usually don't have a problem with needles if I look away. Well after they showed the process (which truly doesn't look all that bad!) I found myself in a cold sweat, light headed, nauseous, and two seconds away from pulling the nurse over to me! I grabbed Chach and he had me put my legs up and I put my head down and felt better in a minute. Haha hopefully no one noticed!! Luckily I will not have to actually watch my own epidural. :) The class ended with the men wearing the "empathy belly", which I was a big fan of. Chach made sure to rub the belly like I do to mine, although some of the other guys had to cop a feel of the upper female attributes haha.

Lastly, the nursery has been painted! Like I always do, I waxed and waned over color choices..."glacier blue vs. bird's egg vs. ashland gray". Well glacier blue won and its very pretty! My sweet mother-in-law painted for us and it looks great. She'll come back and do the trim tomorrow and then the nursery furniture can be delivered and set-up. Wow only 9 more weeks till he's here!!!

Third Trimester?!

I can't believe its already here! We are on the home stretch till we meet our precious boy. Part of me wants to savor this time of freedom, while the other part cannot simply wait to have him here! I know life will never be the same and sometimes I get anxious about the responsibilities of motherhood...but I'm thrilled to think we are going to have a sweet child of our own. I love him already!

Physically, I have to say I cannot complain at all about how I have been feeling. I do get a tired more easily and my back hurts sometimes, but overall I feel great! I've had to make some emotional adjustments, but those have stemmed from working at a pace of 100mph then suddenly to zero. Its been so strange having a summer with really, not a whole lot to do, and I found myself not really knowing what to do with myself. Haha what a complaint, right?! Luckily, I got certified to substitute teach while my former coworkers were taking a musical to Scotland. So I have been subbing at Shades Valley off and on. Its nice to work part-time, and although I miss the action of the theatre....I know the time my baby in the future will be irreplaceable! Today I subbed for a chemistry class, which I found hilarious because that was my worse subject when I was in high school!

Fisher is just a growing boy. I can already tell he loves food like his Mommy, because he gets so active after a meal. We have our 4/D ultrasound in two weeks, which I cannot wait for! My mom came down last week and we picked out his nursery furniture! Its gorgeous and will be coming in soon. My sweet mother-in-law is also going to paint for us, so hopefully things will be getting set up in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to attach pictures of the furniture and bedding. :)

Chach and I also started our childbirth classes. I thought it might freak me out a little, but truly I left feeling amazed! Its really miraculous what our bodies do to make another human being. It made the whole thing feel more real, and both Charley and I dreamt about our son that night. I woke up more in love with my baby than ever. (Sorry to be all gushy!) haha I mean, in my dream, he didn't cry when I changed his diaper! Haha I know that won't happen all the time. :) We also watched a video of a live, natural birth...which further cemented into my mind my desire for an epidural. hehe

Hopefully I'll have real nursery pics up soon!

Daddy's First Kick

We hit a milestone last night! Charley has been waiting and trying to feel Fisher kick, but to no avail. I on other hand, have been feeling LOTS of movement. Well finally last night, we were reading in bed and I could tell Fisher was doing some of his water ballet. I could see my stomach moving sporadically, so I grabbed Chach's hand and put it on my tummy and finally he felt a little kick! He said that it felt lighter than he thought it would, mostly just my stomach jolting up instead of a direct movement. However, we both know that Fisher is just going to grow bigger and stronger, and soon he'll be using Daddy's hand as a punching glove! (and Mommy's ribs) :) It is the coolest feeling in the world!!!

In other news, we've had the chance to see lots of family this week which is great. Sunday our niece Caroline had her church dedication which was wonderful. Charley's great Aunt Louise turned 90 this week as well and we had a huge Grimes family dinner. Last night I babysat our nephew Hudson and got some good mommy-t0-be training. :) I can't believe we'll have a little boy of our own soon!

Rocky Mountain High

Here is my belated Colorado trip post! So fortunately for Charley and I, we were able to get some last minute (albeit expensive) plane tickets to Denver to join my parents and our long time friends the McClellands at a condo in Keystone, Colorado. We flew out on our one year anniversary and had a great week in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains!

Keystone is a ski resort a little more than an hour away from Denver. Before we left, I made the mistake of googling "pregnancy and altitude" and found out that doctors recommend not going above 8,000 feet above sea level. When pregnant, your body's respiratory and circulatory systems already work harder, and this also happens in high altitude. Well, Keystone sits at approx 9,000 feet. Eek!! So I was a bit nervous about how my body would handle the change, and if it would freak me out. Although I had never had a problem with altitude before...even at 13,000 feet at the top of Mauna Kea in Hawai'i.

Upon arrival, its hard not to get swept up in the sheer beauty and massiveness of the Rocky Mountains. Everything in Colorado feels so clean and healthy. This was a nice distraction to the altitude change! I did feel winded and light-headed a lot easier, especially the first two days, but once I convinced myself all the blood vessels in my body wouldn't burst, it was smooth sailing. :)

Everyday, the guys (Hugh, my dad, and Chach) went out and fly-fished the various rivers and lakes in the area. The gals (Linda, mom, and myself) went out to little ski towns and shopped! In fact, due to a nice outlet mall, we got Fisher outfitted for the first three months of his life....including an adorable onesie with a fish on it that says "nice catch." :) At night, we would all join up for a nice dinner. Charley and I also made sure to get some alone time by walking to a romantic dinner one night. It was a relaxing trip for myself and a fishing success for the hubs...and great quality time with friends and family!

We LOVE Colorado, the way the mountains thrust into the sky, how crisp the air feels, and the abundant beauty that constantly surrounds you. In fact, everytime we visit, we talk about how we'd like to move there. Don't worry though folks....our jobs, family, and fear of long winters, will keep us in Alabama indefinitely! :)

Our First Anniversary and a "Surprise" Trip!

All last week, Charley and I had been wracking our brains for a plan for our one year anniversary. We wanted to do something special, and I had been begging all summer for us to take some sort of vacation. Vacation was definitely not in the cards for the time being, because Charley had the trial of his lifetime set to begin on July 20. We couldn't think of anywhere to go after the trial as well, since I would be nearing the 3rd trimester...and tropical vacays don't sound as good when you are large and in charge and can't drink. So it was on the backburner...or so we thought.

The Thursday before our anniversary, I had made reservations at Bottega for us and figured we'd do a nice dinner that Saturday. I was planning on going shopping that afternoon, but knew that Charley had already been to a jewelry store but didn't find anything reasonable, and had no more time to shop with his busy schedule of pretrial depositions. Suddenly I realized I had two missed calls from my hubs and a voicemail. The news on the message made my draw drop!! The trial of the decade had been postponed by the judge till DECEMBER!! We knew immediately what we were going to do. My parents and their best friends had access to a condo in Keystone, Colorado that next week and had invited us a long time ago to join them, but with the trial we figured it couldn't happen. My dad and I immediately got on every airfare website we could find. What a perfect 1st anniversary "paper" gift....plane tickets!

The Saturday before we flew out we had a nice Italian dinner at home and pulled out the top tier of our wedding cake. It fared pretty well and tasted not too bad. We toasted with our silver champagne flutes, used our monogrammed cake cutters; I wore my tiara and Charley wore a green shirt to represent one of our wedding colors. It was a nice ritual and good distraction from Lola not being there with us (I had to drop her off at the boarders a day early and was a bit teary about it haha). On our actual anniversary we flew out to Colorado! So thankful for the way things just tend to work out. :)

I'll post more about the trip later, since this post is already long. To end things, I just want to get a bit sappy for a moment. Our wedding day was truly the best fairy tale day! I love my husband more everyday, and we feel so blessed to have found each other. Especially now that our family is growing. I spent the last couple of weeks finalizing our wedding photo orders (nothing inspires me like a deadline) :) and its been so nice to look back at that magical day. Here are some of my favorite shots:

Happy Birthday America!

For the July 4th weekend, we went down to our lake house with my brother Jason, his wife Courtney, their ADORABLE daughter Caroline, and their two sweet pups Link and Zelda. We had such a great time hanging out, cooking yummy meals, watching redneck fireworks, sitting by the dock, etc. Caroline is seriously the best baby ever and Courtney gave me a crash course on some mommy tips while the boys went fishing. It was so nice spending time with family! Here are some pictures courtesy of the Lil Z's:



Future Miss America

Boy oh Boy!!!

Well the big day finally arrived! We got to have our ultrasound today and it was soo exciting. Chach and I went into the room at 10am this morning to start the exciting process. I laid down on the bed and my heart was pounding with nervous excitement. She rolled the magic wand around for a bit measuring everything, however just her and Charley could see the screen. After what felt like an eternity, she turned the screen and started explaining everything. We saw the precious head and watched the baby move the arms and kick the legs. The baby turned and looked at us, with its rather alien/monkey looking face! Aww the skeleton face only a mother could love haha. Then she asked if we were ready to look between the legs! She moved the wand and said "Well do see whats between there?" At that point, I just knew it had to be a boy...and boy he is!! We are elated...we're going to have a son!!

We saw the doctor after that and she said everything looks great. Baby Fisher weights 11 ounces and all the numbers look perfectly healthy and on track. He's actually coming in two days early in size, but they said thats not enough to change the original due date. Its funny, I had been thinking boy for awhile and Chach told me today he thought it was going to be a boy too. I had always pictured myself with girls, but as soon as I got pregnant I thought it was a boy, and was totally excited about it. We have a DVD of the ultrasound and some pics, however I don't have a scannner and couldn't get the DVD to save to post, but I'll keep working on it! In the meantime, we are thanking God for the blessing of a healthy little man.

Pink or Blue...We'll know soon!

So at this point, I thought I'd be posting pictures of the finished painting project. But alas, the painters are still here, still working. I'm hoping this is their last day so I can put the house back together again, but we'll see. :) More on that at a later time I suppose!

So lets talk about the baby!! A week from today we'll (fingers crossed!) be able to tell if our sweet Charfish is a girl or boy. I'm so excited to know if we'll have a son or daughter...it seems like a big milestone. I'm starting to notice movement in my belly too, and it is the coolest feeling ever. Its usually when I am still, or when Lola is on my lap, I feel little nudges or "bubbles." I love it! Before I get into the pros and cons of girl or boy, most of all what Chach and I want is a HEALTHY baby. This will be the first time we'll have seen the baby, and mostly I just want my child to have like, you know, one head, two hands, etc. I'm more concerned that everything looks ok and we pray for a healthy baby! The Chach and I have discussed, and neither of us have a gender preference. We know we'll just love the baby the same either way no matter what Charfish is. But still, I'll go into each: team pink or team blue (hehe) (BTW I picked out names long before I was pregnant, informed the husband and he was on board!)

Think Pink: aka Charlotte Mary Grimes
For a girly girl like myself, the benefits of having a girl are a no brainer! If you've seen pictures from my wedding, you know that I love pink! It would be amazing to dress up a little princess and all those fun things that go with it. (Of course, it'd be my luck that I'd have a girl, tell her to get out her tutu and she'd be ready for softball practice or something haha). I think I picked the name Charlotte, from surprisingly that J-Lo movie "Monster in Law" haha. J-Lo's character was named Charlotte and they called her Charlie, and I thought, how cute! If our first born is a girl, she can still carry on the "Charles" tradition in the Grimes family in a feminine way. Plus I just love the name....and don't forget Sex and The City Charlotte, she was the sweetest one! The middle name Mary is for both of our moms who are named Mary. :)

True blue: aka Charles Fisher Grimes
Oh but to have a sweet boy! There is something about a first born son. To see your husband teaching your boy things like, fishing! haha Since I grew up dancing, it would be fun to do all the different stuff, like sports teams etc. And also Lola would still be the "princess" haha. My husband is the fifth Charles Grimes in his family (all different middle names) so we inevitably have to use the first name Charles, he would be the sixth one! Chach's family actually calls him by his middle name Todd, (he switched to Charley when he was younger haha). So we would call our baby boy Fisher. If he doesn't like it, there is always Charles. I got the name Fisher from Whitney actually, and we just fell in love with it. I know its different, and most people ask if its a family name, but since my dad loves fishing, my husband loves fishing, it just seemed to fit. I also think I'll have an easier time with a boy nursery, because I found lots of cute fish stuff. All the girl nursery stuff I like is too expensive, of course. :)

So a week from today this mystery will hopefully be solved, if Charfish isn't shy. I've gone back and forth on having a "feeling". Starting out, I thought boy for sure, then I kept having girl dreams. Now I'm more leaning towards boy again. But who knows, I guess it could be twins!

I'm going to attempt to post a poll, so please vote! And again...here's hoping for a healthy bambino. :)

The 3 Week Countdown Begins!

Today I had my routine every 4 weeks checkup...and so far everything looks good! The baby's heartrate was around the 150's, and still so amazing to hear. The most exciting part of the whole visit though was scheduling the BIG ULTRASOUND. So in 3 weeks we will finally get to see the baby, and determine (fingers crossed) if Charfish is either a Charlotte or a Fisher!! Wahoo! We will be thrilled either way, and of course what we want the most is a healthy baby. :)

In other news, I have started my prenatal fitness classes. I am going to water aerobics twice a week and prenatal yoga once a week. I have done the water classes twice and really enjoyed them. I am looking forward to starting yoga tomorrow, especially since my sweet neighbor teaches the class. Its nice being around other prego's and getting to move. I am also teaching dance one night a week, and can already tell the difference my big ole belly makes! Touching my toes is getting harder and harder haha.

Other than trying to get my fat arse in gear, we are working on updating the house a little bit. My decorator Whitney helped pick out some paint for us and we are having some rooms painted next week. I will be running a lot of fans and errands during this time haha. I'm also testing my cooking skills since I have more free time, and hope I don't have any disasters. Today I put a dirty glass in a cabinet instead of the dishwasher. I'm claiming baby brain!

My 5 & 1/2 month Summer Break

Since we found out that there is a baby on board, Charley and I have been contemplating on what to do with my work situation. We have talked, prayed, looked at finances, consulted family and friends, and finally came to a decision!

For the past two years, I have worked in the public school system as a dance teacher in a high school. The program has an amazing theatre academy, and I found the opportunity to use both my college major (dance) and minor (theatre) at a full time level. Before this job, I was working at an event planning facility (which I LOVED) and also teaching dance at night. But working two jobs was exhausting as well. Teaching full time seemed to be a good solution! Since I don't have an education degree, I had to go back and take a couple of education classes to work on a teaching certificate. Overall, I found teaching high school to be one of the absolute hardest things in the world, and also the most rewarding. The theatre program like I said is amazing, but it takes long hours to produce amazing work. I worked over 6o hours every week and on most weekends, and found myself to be working just as much as I was before. However, I did get many opportunities to grow professionally as a choreographer which I will always be so thankful for. In fact, my choreography will be featured in Scotland this summer. I also found that the challenges of working with unruly teenagers gave me part of what I had been missing in my life for so long....a backbone! I know that will come in handy as a new parent!

So in conclusion, we decided that we could not put a newborn in daycare till 6:30pm everyday. I am giving up some things, but when it comes down to it, I know now I will always choose to be with my child first. I am also very grateful to have the choice! My husband is wonderful and supportive and will be a great provider.

School is now over and this will be the longest I have not worked, ever. I have a huge lists of projects lined up now, but I am also looking forward to this last bit of quiet and relaxing time left in my life haha. Its strange, since high school...I have always been so busy,and now I appreciate this "vacation." My new job will be here before we know it, come November!

Second Trimester is here!

Memorial Day weekend always brings good things....a day off work, time with family, etc. Well this year it brought all those things, PLUS the official start of my second trimester! I have been looking forward to this trimester, because people say its when you feel the best. And I have been noticing a gradual change in the past week or so with my energy increasing. However, today I officially felt fantastic. Although...it probably had to do with the fact that I had plenty of rest in the three days prior and I didn't have to go to work! :)

We spent the weekend down at our lakehouse with my parents. (Charley and I bought a lakehouse on Lay Lake last October and it has quickly become our lovely little retreat. He loves the fishing....Lola and I enjoy the view and time to relax.) It was so nice being able to spend time with my folks. Mom and I got caught up on all our magazines, scrapbooked, napped, and cooked while the guys fished the whole time. We also enjoyed grilling out and making very rich homemade ice cream. Of course I couldn't enjoy drinking on the deck with them. ;)

Today the sun came out for the majority of the afternoon and I got a chance to finally put some color on the paleness that my skin has become. I have quickly realized that a pregnant tan = sun only on the front part of your body since its hard to lay on one's stomach. However I figure this is better than nothing!

My most proud moment of the weekend occurred today when my sweet Lola SWAM in the lake! Chach walked her along the shore so she could cool off, and LO and behold, she ended up on her own free will swimming to me as I sat on the dock. Oh big mama was so proud! (Keep in mind she is a small dog who stays indoors all day haha).

I don't have any pictures from the weekend, so I shall post some general ones of our lakehouse!

Country Living

The View

The Best Sound in the World

We had our 12 week appointment today and we got to hear the heartbeat! It was such a huge relief, because they tried to hear it with the doppler at 9 weeks and no luck. The doctor reassured me that was perfectly normal, but at the time I was still dissapointed and wanted very badly to have some kind of auditory or visual confirmation (besides my growing belly/face/arse and the vomit) that el bambino was doing good.

So today the nurse put the doppler back on and after a minute of exploration, she said she found it. It took me a minute to realize that the quick little drum sound was it, and then I couldn't stop grinning. (I had a nightmare last night that they couldn't find it again and that something was wrong with the placenta and baby, but thankfully that dream didn't come true!) Baby's heart rate was 172 beats per minute and Chach and I enjoyed listening to it for a brief time, until the nurse mentioned that if our heart was beating that fast we'd be dead. So I started laughing and it messed up the doppler haha. Anyhow, its a great relief knowing little peanut is doing well and now I can officially annouce to the general population that my ego is prego!

Baby's First Blog

Well we are new to blogging and are hoping this will be an avenue to keep everyone updated on the progress of Baby G! I found out I was pregnant around mid-March and we are absolutely thrilled. We decided to keep my bun in the oven news to just family and close friends until we are out of the delicate stage. I am currently 12 weeks and am praying they can find the heartbeat at my appointment next Tuesday.

First trimester has been quite the experience! I felt great at first, but soon around 6-7 weeks my dear friend nausea came to visit. Around 8 weeks, I was making nightly sacrifices to the porcelain god. In addition to feeling exhausted and having headaches, I soon had to realize that my body wouldn't let me push it to the limit anymore. Example, I work long hours as a school teacher and choreographer for the theatre department. I soon realized that having rehearsal till 7pm, then going to the grocery store afterwards, wouldn't be acceptable to my dear little lamb as I stood puking into the Publix parking lot. Adjustments made, and my sweet husband has been great to step in and help out. I switched my prenatal around 10 weeks, and it has made a great difference in the way I feel! I thought I was out of the vomiting woods until the night before last when baby Charfish reminded me that all was well as I puked into the driveway coming home from a dress rehearsal.

I definitely have a baby bump and feel like I have had one from day one. I think most of this is my "protective fat layer" as I wasn't at my ideal weight when I got "knocked up." :) I probably won't be posting too many prego pics because I already feel like the Michelin Man. However, I LOVE having a bump and seeing it grow! Eating carbs has been one of the things that combated my nausea....so I'm sure my weight gain has been a little far ahead of the curve. Example, last Thursday night's dinner consisted of waffles and garlic cheese bread, as I sat watching the movie Miss Congeniality and teared up at the end. Dang hormones. Don't worry though, baby G has been getting nutrients via V8 and lots of fruit cups.

As I enter this last week of the trimester, I know both Chach and I are looking forward to myself feeling more normal! I apologize in advance if I have scared any non mothers or squeamish folk with my sickness stories, but hey hopefully this is the last you'll have to hear about them! I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining, because I would go through much worse to make sure this sweet pea comes into the world safe and sound. We feel so blessed and are so excited about what's in store!!!