So many blessings!!!

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year!! And not because of the gifts I get, but the gift of friends,  family and fellowship that I get this time of year! This Christmas will mark the second without my PawPaw and the first without my Grandpaw. I miss them both but the feelings are intensified this time of year because of the annual traditions we always had. This year has been a wild roller coaster and with Emma on the way I think things will likely never slow down. :-)

So today marks the last day of work for the year and then off to my family!! MeMe got a stomach virus on Sunday and since she usually is the cooker of Christmas lunch looks like Michael, Mom and Me will be tackling that task. Mom did tell me last night that while MeMe is now feeling a little better...PapPaw is now sick so either way Christmas lunch will be at Mom and Dad's for the first time EVER! ;-) (or at least since I was born) All of our stuff is packed and presents are ready to be distributed to the appropriate family member upon arrival! Did I mention that I LOVE this time of year!!

Back to baby Emma. Week 25 has been great! For those of you still not on the week terminology that is 5 1/2 months down...three more to grow.  Emma is not about 13 1/2 inches from head to toe and weighs 1 1/2 pounds which is roughly the weight of your average rutabaga

She is slowly starting to change her look from long and lean with the addition of a little baby fat. This will help to fill out the wrinkled shin she is sporting now. They also tell me that she is growing more hair...and that if I could see it I would be able to tell the color and texture. We are really hoping for a ginger...or for those of us on this side of the pond a red head! Mom and Hunter both have red hair and Michael's beard is red so we feel like there is hope!

As for me I too am going to take a page from one of my friends...it's kinda a Bridget Jones report of the week... (thanks Elizabeth!)

How Far Along: 25 Weeks- due date is April 3rd

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 8 lbs

(Funny how if I look at me it looks like more but my doctor said I am right on track!)

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear a couple of regular drapey tops but I am maternity pants all the way!! and I have been wearing dresses and tights a lot too and that is nice!!

Gender: Girl Name: Emma Jean

After my Great Great Grandmother and My mom and MeMe's middle names.

Movement: Morning and evenings when I get still. Still can't pinpoint what makes her move.

What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes without a little pain...something I really took for granted apparently. :-)

Cravings: Up until last night I would say that I hadn't had one...but I smelled what I thought was a biscuit...and then had to make one!! Good thing we had some of those individual frozen ones.

Best Moment this week: Sleeping without interruption for 8 hours last night!!

On another note I read this week that I am really not growing more hair...it's just that the hair I normally shed naturally is staying put longer...so once the baby is here I will go through my own shedding process much like Brinkley! Just another fun thing to look forward to right! ;-)

Well that is all for now! 

 

Have a blessed week and enjoy all your time with family and friends!!

Luke 2: 1-20

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 


“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Steady growig is key!

Emma has made her way into 24 weeks! She is putting on weight (about 4 ozs since last week) and she is now a little over a pound. She is also about a foot long...and that is close to a normal ear of corn

Her taste buds are continuing to develop and there are now "branches" of her respiratory "tree" in her little lungs! She is still sporting the translucent skin but I am told that too will change soon. ;-)


As for me, I now look like I am trying to smuggle a soccer ball under my shirt! ;-) I also had the glucose screening test on Monday and so far no news is good news. I am not sure how I feel about the whole...if there is something wrong we will call but if not we will just talk about it in a month!! That is a long time!!

I also had my first bout with sickness this week! I was fine on Monday and sometime during the night I caught a cold. That cold put me out of commission for 2 days and while I am now back to work...My head isn't all the way here. I am a fan of medication when I have a cold and the fact that I am restricted to most of the good stuff didn't help matters much. Luckily my puppies were super sweet and cuddled with me most of the day! They also got their picture taken with Santa!!

They were at Sugarbears in Fayetteville and they did such a good job! Later we tried to walk around the square to take a family photo but it was far to cold and windy for that!!

We are now one week from spending some much needed time with my family in Brinkley!! Can't wait to see everyone and celebrate my favorite holiday of the year...the birth of Christ!!

Have a blessed week and if I don't write...a very Merry Christmas!

Jill

Just Dance!!!

Emma has made it to the 23 week mark and that means it's time for some dancing!!Not just because we are over half way to meeting her in person but because "they" say that if I sway to the music she can feel me dance! She is more than 11 inches long now and weighs just a little over 1 pound. (the weight of a large mango)

This added length has already caused some more noticeable movement in my tummy. And this week was the first time that Michael was able to feel her "kick". I use the kick loosely since she was actually hiccuping which is a totally different thing but feels similar...just much more repetitively!  She is also able to hear more sounds that are around her every day...like my hair dryer and Brinkley and Gabby's barking when a leaf flutters across the front yard. ;-) This is a good thing because it means she won't be that upset by the noises once she is on the outside her current home.

Things going on with me...Swelling may start to show up in the coming weeks or months by the end of the day. I think this weekend I will see about some of those yummy compression hose! :-)

Tomorrow marks 2 Weeks until Christmas and time with my family and I can hardly wait!! :-)

More to come next week...and I will be able to tell you how that glucose drink tastes!!

Be blessed!

Bananas, Carrots and Spaghetti Squash...Oh My!!

You know it's been too long when you see that you have three fruits and veggies compared to a quarter!! ;-)
We will start with the Week 20 banana...

 In week 20 when we found out that she really was a she, Emma Jean was as big as a banana! From head to bottom 6 1/2 inches and from head to heel an impressive 10 inches!! With all that length it is still strange to know that she only weighs 10 1/2 ozs. Like we were able to see on the ultrasound she is swallowing more now which I am told is good practice for her digestion. :-) And for those of you who have had babies and experienced the joy of the first poop...well that is forming to!

Week 21 brought us the visions of carrots...

 So in week 21 Emma is weighing three-quarters of a pound and 10 1/2 inches long from head to rump. If you are tracking that means she grew 4 inches in the course of a week!! Eyebrows and eye lids are present and her V jay jay (thanks for the word Miranda on Grey's Anatomy) is beginning to form as well. This week was Thanksgiving so we were down in Alabama visiting Michael's family and Emma even put on a small show for Michael's Mom as she played the konga on the inside of my tummy. Kicks and punches were big enough that she was able to see them!! This week marks the increased chance of the appearance of varicose veins...yuck. I am already doing my best to sleep on my left side... I am not too good at propping my feet up when I can and I haven't gotten support hose but since my family is prone to them I am gonna try all I can to minimize the damage. :-)

On a side note: While in AL I learned that there really isn't much that I don't see myself forcing Emma to wear!! If she is anything like Mom says I was, once she starts talking she will want to dress herself and then all bets are off. ;-)

Now that we are caught up here is week 22!! The Spaghetti Squash

This guy shows what I feel like is currently taking up residence in my belly! Emma is almost one whole pound now and now is really starting to look like a mini newborn. She has lips, eyebrows and eyelids and little tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed but still no pigment in her irises. She is covered with a fine hair right now called lanugo. Changes in me include the magnetic attraction of hands to my tummy. This might not be a big deal to most but to me...HUGE!! I am just not a fan of tummy touching weather my tummy is big or flat. This immediately makes me jump back a bit and it's worse with family for sure. Somehow they feel like it's okay for them but I beg to differ. I am also realizing that when people say "you really look pregnant now" it affects me more than it probably should. I start by feeling defensive...even though I know it's true. I guess it's due to the fact that I am 5 feet tall and I have always had to watch my weight but I am listening to my doctor and she says I am right on track and as long as I eat right and get in some physical exercise each day I am doing good!

Oh no...I just read the most terrible thing...apparently the lotion I am paying the big bucks for has no scientific proof that it can prevent stretch marks. :-( Hopefully the research is wrong...cause I would really like to NOT have stretch marks if all possible!

So that's what happening in my belly. On other notes here are some pictures from Thanksgiving with Michael's side of the family!!

Have a blessed and happy week!