T-10 weeks 1 day

Wow! I'm behind on posting. It's been a busy couple of weeks. We closed on our new home last Tuesday. It's still unreal to us. I can't believe the journey it took to get us to where we are, but it was well worth it. We've been getting estimates on flooring and looking at paint samples so we can get some things done before the big moving day. This new house is truly a home. A place where Gracie will be able to grow up in a very safe community and go to a great school. It's more than big enough for us so when you come to visit, you'll laugh at the lack of formal living room & formal dining room furniture we have. At least we have lots of dog beds!

We painted 2 coats in the nursery yesterday. Don't worry - low VOC paint is ok for me. I asked the doctor! And, we have a fan. It's pink & brown. In theory the concept of painting 2 colors was better than it actually turned out, but we'll see what it looks like when the 2nd coat dries. We decided that at the very least Gracie will know that we painted it with love even though it's not perfect!

We're going to move on May 8th. Lined up some people to help us get the big stuff over there & luckily my dad is coming down for a few days to help us with things we don't know how to do. Here are 2 pics of the new house. Everything is white inside so it's hard to differentiate the rooms. I'll post some interior pics when we have paint on the walls & furniture in place.




Back to the reason you all read this - baby Gracie! She's moving around a lot. My next appt is early next week. We have 10 weeks & 1 day until my due date. Time is really flying by!

How am I feeling? BIG! Oh, and excited of course!

How do I look? "Ready to pop" still, according to strangers. At least no one has reached for my belly. Would rather not have to smack anyone.

What am I craving? More time! haha

What do I miss? Being able to squeeze through a doorway or reach for something on the top shelf without worrying about hitting my belly.

What am I looking forward to? Getting the nursery furniture so we can set it up & move all of baby Gracie's stuff in.

Weight gain? No comment. (But, according to the doctor, still on track)

Discovery of the week? Same as last time...That we're quickly running out of time to prepare!

Things I'm thankful for? Believing in the impossible. Knowing that everything will be ok one way or another & being truly blessed in so many ways!

As always, thanks for reading!
Sara :)

Week 28 - Last trimester has arrived!

Got a hold of the doctor yesterday...glucose test was "normal"! Not really sure what that means but we'll take it! I go back again Monday for my regular check up. Can't wait to see the scale. HAHA!

We're now on the every other week appts plan until the end of May then we start going every week. At least I work pretty close to the office so it's a quick trip! And, there are only 12 short weeks to go! We've been getting some presents at the house, which I love! All this great stuff is coming in for Gracyn. Now, we just need to figure out how to put it together then determine how it works ;)

A few week 28 photos are below, courtesy of Jim Hobart with MacBeth Photography.

To see all the images...
Week 28 click here: www.macbethphoto.com/clients/lamason/20100412

Week 25 click here: www.macbethphoto.com/clients/lamason/20100322

Please join the MacBeth Photography fanpage on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Orlando-FL/Macbeth-Photography/215374798029?ref=ts



Have a great week!

Beautiful Spring Weekend

It has been a beautiful weekend here in Orlando! Today I went to a Folk Art Festival & had some lunch on Park Ave with Dana. We stopped at two super cute baby stores - not that we can afford the high end stuff, but it sure was fun to window shop & eat lunch outside. The guy next to us at the cafe had a black bunny on a leash - that was comical & we didn't really know what to think. That's the second time I've seen people put their bunny on a leash, strange to me, but to each his own!

Jared has been parked in front of the TV for the Master's so I've been organizing & cleaning! Regardless of where we live, we need to make room for Gracie & her massive amounts of stuff! On Thursday we received the first approval from the underwriter. That was VERY exciting. I'm taking it with a grain of salt even though we have a commitment letter from the lender. They did ask for a few more documents, which were submitted Thursday & now we wait til Monday or Tuesday. The seller wants us to close on Friday so if all goes well (cross your fingers!) we'll be able to make that. Either way, we need to get a move on with the nursery!

How am I feeling?
Still feel pretty good. However, I'm not sleeping very well & having a LOT of acid reflux/heart burn. I'm staying away from the foods on the 'to avoid' list, but that's not helping. I still have the cough, but it's going away slowly.

How do I look?
Very pregnant according to tons of strangers.

Milestones
Still having lots of movement which is fun! I wonder what she's doing in there.

What am I craving?
Nothing really this week.

Aversions?
Still some vegetables. Thank goodness for V-8 juice!

What do I miss?
Being able to lift & move stuff on my own. I've been very reliant on Jared, but he's a great helper without me even having to ask.

What am I looking forward to?
A few things this week...First, meeting baby Gracie! I've been wondering what she looks like - especially because we don't have any more ultrasounds scheduled. Next, having my mom here for the baby shower! Very excited to see her & share that important day. And finally, getting the nursery furniture! I'm hoping we can order it very soon so we can attempt to assemble it without injuring each other ;)

Weight gain?
HOLY MOLY! 24lbs. I told the nurse I thought the scale was broken, she laughed at me. Why does she always do that?!?! The doctor said it's normal & all in my belly + some water retention in my legs & feet. Thinking I'll probably gain another 10-15lbs. Really hoping we get the new house so I can get a treadmill!

Discovery of the week?
That we're quickly running out of time to prepare!

Things I'm thankful for?
Great friends & family who have been listening, praying, wishing & hoping for us to get the house. And, thankful that the pregnancy is going well of course!

Have a great week! As soon as I hear about the results from the glucose test, I'll post.
Lots of Love,
Sara

Week 27

So far week 27 isn't going so well. I caught the office funk last week, can't stop coughing and now Jared is achy and has a fever. I'm sure the baby loves me hacking up my lungs all night long. I'm very lucky that I can work from home & everyone at the office is very supportive of me getting healthy - and fast! Jared, however, went to work even though I told him to stay home.

Yesterday was my 27 week check up and glucose test. I had to drink 5oz of super sweet fruit punch then while I had to wait for 1 hour for the drink to take effect, I saw the doctor. Since Dr. Thatcher works with other folks there & whomever is on call delivers you, yesterday started the meet & greet of other doctors at the practice. They did the belly measurement & said I was measuring 26 weeks, my weight gain was on track and he had to try a few times to get her heartbeat. Every time he put the wand on my belly, she'd move away. She was not interested in cooperating! After I saw the doctor, I had to wait a bit longer then they took my blood. They'll call with the results in a few days.

Gracie is an active baby! She likes to move around and kick/punch me. Jared is still calling her The Little Gremlin. He says she's going to be a soccer player. I said she'll be a cheerleader!

The REALLY funny thing happened when I was leaving. Well, not that funny. After JUST being told that I'm on track & measuring nicely, some woman sitting near the door says "Aren't you cute!?! You look like you're going to pop any second!" Now, you're thinking this had to be an old lady right? Maybe someone that doesn't have kids? Nope! Calmly I turned and said, "Yeah, in about 13 weeks." She continued to tell me that she's 30 weeks and not as big as I am. I wanted to say - "Well, that's because you gained weight all over your body & you're bigger than me to begin with. You just hide it better." Instead, I politely said "I gained all of my weight in my belly. Good luck!"

Oh then it gets better. As I walked from the parking garage into my office some crazy homeless man decides to yell "Hey baby momma!" as he tried to catch up to me to ask for money. What is with people?!?!

So, needless to say Monday was interesting. Hopefully the rest of the week will get better!

xoxoxo
Sara

It's here!

The crib bedding that is! I was so excited that we could find bedding both Jared & I agreed on for a reasonable price. We found it at Target.com but it wasn't available to see at the store. I ordered it when it went on sale & it arrived today. Now, I just have to refrain from purchasing all of the other items on the registry Jared says. The bedding is very nice quality and is exactly what we wanted. It's starting to feel very real. Now, we just need to know if we're to get the nursery ready here or wait to move! haha

We have been so lucky. Heather Fritz gave us a lot of nice stuff including a bassinett, swing, Baby Einstein playmat, Bumbo seat with tray and Boppy pillow - all gently used and in great shape. Dana bought Gracyn a lot of super cute outfits & shoes and Casey gave us a ton of gently used baby clothes (plus some maternity clothes for me)! We also received our first gift this week from Logan & Lindsay - they sent a little Lammy (ok, Sheep) for Baby Lammy! It's adorable and has sounds to help put the baby to sleep.

I'm so excited about Gracyn's arrival in a little over 13 weeks. Now, we just need to get it together & get organized!

This weekend, we're volunteering at Senior Houndsabound Saturday morning to help get the big yard sale on April 24th organized. Last year over $5,000 was raised in one day to help the hounds medical needs. Soooo worth it! On Easter, we'll head to church and we need to start going through the closets and stuff we don't need/use. Mostly to get ready for the baby but also to add more to the Senior Houndsabound yard sale!

Hope you all have a great weekend & Happy Easter!
Love,
Sara