34 and 38 Weeks Pregnant!

Hey Guys! So I know as of this writing Lucy Paige is already 2 Weeks and 1 Day old! Life just got busy and I never had a chance to post my 34 Week and 38 Week updates. Most everything stayed the same as far as the updates go...

 

Over all I gained around 22 pounds but as of today I've lost it all and then a few more! :) My best moments during those last weeks were when we went to the dr for checkups - I got to hear my sweet baby's heartbeat and I knew with every appointment we were getting one step closer to meeting Lucy Paige! My feet got super swollen and the only shoes I could wear were my trusted old Teva and Yellow Box flip flops - some days I looked like a hobo... Heartburn plagued me right up until Lucy's birth - after she arrived all my crazy pregnancy symptoms just vanished! It was a great feeling to not have to worry about where my Tums were! Here are the pictures from those weeks and I'll be posting Lucy Paige's birth story soon (It was crazy and not at all how I had "planned". But it was perfect - I wouldn't have had it any other way - so thankful for God and His perfect plan for mine and Lucy's life!) and I'll have her first pictures and newborn photos too!

 Life as a Mommy has been hard and challenging but so worth it - I love my sweet girl more than I ever thought I could love anyone that I had just met. She has such a sweet disposition and is so laid back but also very alert and makes the best faces! More on my sweet girl in the next few posts - here are some pics for you to enjoy!

Here is Lucy Paige and some of her cute and silly faces! I love this little girl to pieces! :) 

 

30 Weeks!

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 10 pounds or so... Which is great! :) I'm hoping that it will come off quickly because before we found out about Lucy Paige I had started loosing a bit of weight... And then had to stop that because loosing weight while pregnant is a huge no-no.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! Dresses and skirts all the time! And the teva/yellow box flip flops because my feet have decided to swell a bit. I have to keep them propped up at work!

Best Moment This Week: Taking Maternity pics with my sweet friend Rebekah - The one in the blog is one of my favorites... I have more to add later on this weekend but this will do for now!

Gender: GIRL!!! Lucy Paige Phelps - yay!

Movement: Yes - all the time! No rib jabs or anything - just lots of rolling and kicking my bladder.

Food Cravings: Not really... Tums :) Everything is giving me heartburn - e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. Lucy Paige better come out with a head full of hair!

Aversions: Nothing really...

What I Miss: Being able to wear cute shoes!

Sleep: Still pretty good - still getting up multiple times to go to the restroom. I think Lucy paige is just kicking my bladder to get me up in preparation for her night-time feedings...

What I'm Looking Forward To: We get to see Lucy Paige's face (hopefully!!) this Saturday at our 4D ultrasound! Woot! I didn't think we were going to get to do that but thanks to some dear sweet peeps and birthday money from my Mom and Dad, we get too!

Baby's Lucy Paige's Size: Lucy Paige should be around 16 inches long and weighs about as much as a head of cabbage - 3 pounds. At our last dr. appt. our ultrasound tech said she was around 3.1 lbs and her growth was right on track and that she has BIG feet! :)

And here's my goddaughter! :) Such a sweet girl! 

God Made a Mother

I started getting Ann Voscamp's blog, "A Holy Experience" emailed to me whenever she posts something new. It has truly been such an encouragement to me - especially because I am a soon to be mother and she has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to biblical parenting. This was her post from a few days ago; I wanted to share it with you so I copied it and took out her pictures... Click on the link in the first sentence to go to her original post if you want to look through her post! :) And for all you mothers out there, this is for you - Enjoy!

"So sure, there was this talk of The Giving Tree - but there wasn't one of us who didn't know all along it was you, The Giving Mother.

You who leaned over a stove and stirred and let spices fall like leaves and you ladled and we slurped and it would be remembered when we were old, the meatballs that you shaped and the noodles on Sunday nights with the Magi and how you wiped your hands on your apron slow.

The Giving Mother who lets us take up whole places inside of you, who keeps making spaces, who never stops making spaces, growing soft and round, stretching thinner and growing fuller, your heart and hips widening with a widening grace.

I never get over the shade of you, the grace of you, the limbs of you, the God-made Giving Tree...

Because God needed someone to love the least and the little into real whole people, and He knew that to love is to suffer - so God made a Mother.

God had said - 'I need someone to get up at mid-night and scoop the most fragile of humanity close to her warmth and rock though she can hardly stand and nourish though she's mostly sleep-starved and change the diaper and the sheets and the leaked on, leaked through and leaked down clothes though she'll have to change them in the morning and next week and that won't change for years.'

So God made a Mother.

God said, 'I need somebody with a string heart. Strong enough for toddler tantrums and teenage testing, yet broken enough to fall on her knees and pray, pray, pray. Someone who knows that in every hard place is exactly where you extend grace, who looks a hopeful child in the eye and says yes, even though she knows yes means a mess but this is how you bless, who has the courage to keep letting go because she's holding on to Me.'

So God made a Mother.

God said, 'I need somebody who can shape a soul and find shoes on a Sunday morning and get grass stains out of Levis. And make dinner out of nothing and do it again 79, 678 times and keep kids off the road and out of the toilet and in clean underwear and mainly alive though she's mainly losing her mind and will out in an 80 hour week by Wednesday night and just do one more load of laundry.

And one more sink of crusted, burnt pots.

And keep going another 80 hours because raising generations matters and weaving families matters and tying heart strings matters and these people here in hidden places matter.'

So God made a Mother.

'It had to be somebody who could comb back pigtails and tie up skates just-right tight. Who could pretend she remembered algebra and how to get home from here and really, she was just fine, that it must be just the silly onions.

Somebody who would run for the catch, jump on a trampoline, and play one fierce game of soccer  and not give a thought to all those labors and her weak pelvic floor. Somebody who'd stay up late with a science project that never ends, who'd wave at the door until the tail lights were out of sight and still be smiling brave.'

So God made a Mother.

'It had to be somebody willing to keep loving when it made no sense because that's what love does. Somebody who knew that patience is a willingness to suffer. That joy is always possible because there is always, always something to be thankful for.

And that life in not an emergency but a gift - so just. slow. down. There are children at play here and we don't want anyone to get hurt and the hurry makes us hurt.

Somebody willing to feed and lead, lay down her life and pick up her cross, give of her time because they have her heart. Someone who knows that we all blow it - and what matters is what we then do after.

Ann Voscamp's photo

Someone who could humble herself into the tender sorry that covers a multitude of sins. Who would give like a Giving Tree - who would give grace, give life and give thanks - eucharisteo: the giving thanks for every grace that always gives back joy.

Someone who would stand in the mess and the midst and give thanks any way - because eucharisteo always, always precedes the miracle of discovering that the Giver Himself is always, always more than enough.

Someone who would live it out a thousand times: Give thanks... Someone who would pour out and bend down and surrender not only to the physical oain of childbirth but the far deeper, unending heart pain of letting go, letting go, letting go... from the womb, from the arms, from the front door. Someone who would know that umbilical cords can be cut - but heart strings never can.

Someone who'd bow her head at night over the girl sleeping with the doll in the crook of her arm - and give thanks to her Father for this hidden life that's turning a gear for the whole spinning world.'

So God made a Mother.

You. 

The Giving Mother, made by God to be a safe shelter... with your roots dipping like lines into aquifers to siphon love up out of the caving cup of His hands. His hands... and those always underneath, everlasting arms hold us all." - Ann Voscamp's blog "So God Made a Mother: When the Giving Tree is Really The Giving Mother"

Enjoy being a Mother - it is honestly one of the very best things I could ever hope for. That last part reminds me of Jeremiah 17:8, "They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Even if you are a waiting Mother, you are still very much a mother. Enjoy the wait, pray for your baby and his family. I'm still a waiting Mother too.

28 Weeks - Hello Third Trimester! :)

Yesterday marked my 28th week as Lucy Paige's mom - that's so strange to me! I'm a Mom, a Mother and TJ is a Daddy. We are parents! I know she's still technically not "here" yet but she is to me. I am constantly with her, night and day, praying for her sweet little self (and her Mommy and Daddy!) and thinking about what is best for her and all sorts of other things. I already love her so much and haven't even met her. I already know she is beautiful. I already know Jesus has good, good plans for her. I pray that she will know Jesus and grow to have a relationship with Him as her Savior. I've been so afraid that I'd fail her in that way... But I keep falling back on the promise that if you "train up in child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6. So it is our duty as parent's to instruct, to disciple Lucy Paige and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. It is also our duty to be godly parents and model Christ's love for Lucy Paige through our marriage and our personal relationship that we each have with Christ. We also have this responsibility for our goddaughter, Parker. We went to her baptism yesterday and it was honestly the sweetest infant baptism/dedication I've ever been to. (Side note - TJ and I do not technically believe that infant baptism or sprinkling is the baptism that marks us as followers of Christ - we believe that when people make the decision to believe that Jesus is their Lord and Savior then they need to publicly profess that by way of baptism. We do not in any way think if you were baptized or choose to baptize your infant that you are wrong - its' just a personal belief that we have. And just so you know we plan to baptize Lucy Paige at FUMCH but will consider it a dedication and when she is older and believes Jesus is her Lord and Savior we will encourage Believer's Baptism by submersion.) We were charged to ensure that Parker will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. We, as godparents, are to make sure that Parker has every opportunity to have a relationship with Christ; something that we will not take lightly. We will pray for Parker and her parents daily. We will do our best to be that guide for her in her journey of faith. And like we will for Lucy Paige, we will strive to model Christ's love for her. This is something that we as followers of Christ should be doing for all people anyway. It is our duty as mature Christians to help disciple other followers of Christ and show Christ's love to non-believers. 

                                                        Now on to the updates! :) 

How Far Along: 28 Weeks - THIRD TRIMESTER!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still not 100% sure on this one and I always forget to ask.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! Dresses and skirts all the time! I hate pants!

Best Moment This Week: Spending time away from "life" with my sweet Smee-J at the beach. It was incredibly nice to have that time with TJ. I ate crab claws to my heart's content and TJ got his fill of shrimp. We also got to spend time with Boy Ryan - that was fun!

Gender: GIRL!!! Lucy Paige Phelps - yay!

Movement: Yes - she is still loving the whole "bounce on Mom's bladder" thing!

Food Cravings: Nope - love the shaved ice places though!

Aversions: Chinese Food - too much MSG. And still brushing my teeth... 

What I Miss: For this past week - laying out on the beach. When you're 6 months pregnant - laying on anything besides a bed or couch is uncomfortable! I asked TJ if he could go get all my pillows so I could prop up better and he just looked at me like I had lost my mind. I thought it was a great idea! :)

Sleep: Not too bad - I have to go to the bathroom a lot but its good for the most part.

What I'm Looking Forward To: May 2 - my next dr. appt. I'll get to have another ultrasound to make sure fluid levels are good to go and get a glimpse of how much Lucy Paige has grown!  

Baby's Lucy Paige's Size:  She weighs as much as a Chinese cabbage (around 2.25 lbs) and is around 15 inches long! 

God Made a Farmer - My Granddaddy

 My Granddaddy was one of the strongest men I ever knew. He loved deeply, worked hard, didn't sellout and was the most un-selfish and humble person I have ever met. He loved Jesus in a quiet way - not a boastful, loud type of love but a gentle "Andrew the disciple" way. He had a book on his nightstand titled, "Jesus in Blue Jeans - A Practical Guide to Everyday Spirituality". He was a simple man in the best sense of the word simple. Simple in that he didn't have all the junk we think we need today (cell phones, computers, internet, and fancy car or house etc.). He had the basics with a few luxuries, such as satellite tv so he could watch Alabama Football in the Fall. :)

It was easier to write about my Granny when she passed away - she had lived a long and good life and was in a lot of discomfort and pain when she passed away. My Granddaddy, however was in the best health to be 72 years old. He kept up cows, gardens, hay fields, heavy tractor equipment and managed to find time to hand craft wooden furniture for his family. I have a porch swing on the front porch in Lawley that he made out of old barn wood for TJ and me. He was always doing something and it was always a worth-while something. He bought a bicycle a few years ago to ride down to the mailbox to get his mail - it has a little wire basket on the front. I thought it seemed out of character for him to be riding a bike but it fit him so well and makes me smile when I see the older looking bikes. I remember him taking my older sister and I to what I think was the first Alabama football game I'd ever been to. It was Homecoming and Alabama was playing Ole Miss - when Eli Manning was the quarterback. I remember because Granddaddy had binoculars and let me use them to watch Eli during his breaks pedal on the stationary bike. :) Something that I had forgotten about until looking through his old albums was that he had a camera that he brought to mine and TJ's wedding to take pictures. While the professional photographer was taking pictures he had been busy snapping away too. The photographer had the umbrella lights set up and for some reason when Granddaddy would snap pictures with his camera the lights would go off. She kind of got aggravated but Granddaddy still took pictures any way. He was so proud of me. He was so proud of all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even Lucy Paige. He was about to start building Lucy Paige a picnic table set. He was excited for her and I am so sad that she won't get to know him. I'll be able to tell her about him and so will my Momma, but it won't be the same.

He passed away Monday, April 1. I had the opportunity to see him Sunday but didn't take the chance to go see him... I thought I'd have time to see him later - I regret so much not going to see him. And I know people say you can't change the past and what's done is done, but I had an opportunity and didn't take it. Don't let any petty grievances or silly things or you thinking that you'll have time later get in the way. Slow down, take time for people you care about. Life will wait, things will wait.

I know Granddaddy loved Jesus and I have a hope for him. He's in Heaven and I know this because of 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.

Paul Harvey's "God Made a Farmer" Speech

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.

"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church.

"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

25 Weeks Down - 15 to Go!

How Far Along: 25 Weeks with Picture and 26 Weeks, 2 Days at press release :)
 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still not 100% sure on this one and I always forget to ask.
 

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! I went shopping to get a couple of long dresses and skirts so I don't have to wear jeans unless I just want to. That's been nice - I love dresses and skirts anyway and they are super comfy and breezy! :)

 

Best Moment This Week: Feeling and seeing Lucy Paige move on the outside! Wednesday afternoon (April 3) I laid down on the bed and felt her kicking/moving really hard so I put my hand on my stomach and felt some really strong movements. It was so weird but at the same time the best thing I've ever felt. I used my phone to get a video of it because TJ was at work. He got to feel her moving around the next night.

 

Gender: GIRL!!! Lucy Paige Phelps - yay!

 

Movement: YES!!! She likes to bounce on my bladder - TJ said she'll need a trampoline when she's older.

 

Food Cravings: Nope - love the shaved ice places though!

 

Aversions: Still brushing my teeth - I have to sing songs in my head to distract myself. Such a weirdo... Minutemaid Orange Drink - LP didn't like that drink one bit. And she definitely let me know she didn't like it.

 

What I Miss: Not being poked and pricked when I go to the dr. I had the sugar test today and they had to draw blood. I hate, very strongly hate , needles in my arm. The drink they gave me wasn't bad at all - it was kind of like a flat Sprite that burned a little going down. I had heard horror stories about how nasty the drink is and what not - don't listen to everybody else's advice; I've found them to be wrong for the most part.
 

Sleep: It's been pretty good - it could be worse so I'm thankful for good rest.

 

What I'm Looking Forward To: May 2 - my next dr. appt. I'll get to have another ultrasound to make sure fluid levels are good to go and get a glimpse of how much Lucy Paige has grown!  

Baby's Lucy Paige's Size: At 25 weeks she weighs about the same as an average rutabaga and is 13.5 inches long. At 26 weeks, she is about the length of an English hothouse cucumber and weighs around 1 and 2/3 lbs.  

22 Weeks! Now We Can Count Down!

How Far Along: 22 Weeks! :) Over the Halfway Mark! Yeah! 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still not 100% sure on this one and I always forget to ask. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes, I couldn't wear my regular jeans/pants now even if I wanted to. Lucy is getting big! I can still wear non-maternity tops and so I mix in as many different tops into my wardrobe as much as I can since I can only wear like 3 different pairs of jeans. I am looking forward to Miss LP getting bigger so I don't just look fat but actually look for sure pregnant instead of just a little bit pregnant. 

Best Moment This Week: I've had so many great moments this week and since the last post! :)
a. Sweet Baby Parker (here is her sweet Momma's blog page) was born last Wednesday and I had the privilege of being at the hospital for her arrival and taking pictures of her sweet, little self with her new family. She wasn't that tiny though - she weighed 7.15 lbs and was 21 inches long and has the longest fingers! She is so beautiful and honestly, sometimes babies aren't that cute when they first arrive - but she is! :) I also got to take her newborn pictures after she got to come home! Dad, Mom and sweet Parker are doing great! And also, she is our goddaughter! I am way too excited to watch her grow up and learn about Jesus and how much He loves her. And she'll get to do this with a built in best friend - Lucy Paige!
b. Another great moment was our dr. visit yesterday. I got to hear Lucy Paige's heartbeat and hear her kicking the doppler. She has some pretty strong kicks and our dr. said that I should be feeling some really some super strong ones on the next couple of weeks. I can feel her moving around in there now but it isn't like a strong kick or anything.
c. I had my super special ultrasound done in February and everything checked out just fine. Lucy Paige's growth is right on track and the fluid levels had returned to normal (whew, that was the biggest relief for us). We confirmed that Lucy Paige is, in fact, a girl and not a boy. I had a dream that we went to that specialized ultrasound and they told us that she was a boy and I was a bit upset - but it was just a dream! :) She has the "cheeseburger" thingy - the three lines that indicate girl.
d. Finding LP some really awesome winter clothes for next winter at a consignment shop near my dr.'s office, Ladybug Lane. I got to fill a plastic bag with all it could hold and got it all for just $5!! In all, I got 13 outfits for $5 people! I totaled the price tags from the clothes and if I had bought them at regular consignment price it would have cost me around $100 - and there is no telling what I would have paid for it all if I had gotten them brand new! I am seriously thinking about framing the tags and receipt! 

Gender: GIRL!!! Lucy Paige Phelps - yay! 

Movement: She is quite the little squirmer - she likes to move around when I'm sitting down. Our dr. said I should feel some major kicks in the next couple of weeks. 

Food Cravings: None really... The Hawaiian Ice place has opened in hyt and I can NOT wait to get a pina coloda flavored one! 

Aversions: Still brushing my teeth - I have to sing songs in my head to distract myself. Such a weirdo...

What I Miss: Having energy when I get home in the afternoons. I feel like I have the most energy during the day, while I'm at work and that stinks because I'd rather have energy to the things I want to do at my house! Oh well, I just need to suck it up and do what I need to do! ;)

Sleep: It's ok - I've been tossing and turning these past few nights. Makes for long mornings for me... 

What I'm Looking Forward To: Lucy Paige getting bigger and TJ getting to feel her moving. Also, I only have one more monthly dr. appt.! After my April appt. I'll start going every two weeks for a couple of months and then it will be once a week! I'll have my sugar test at this next appt. - I've heard mixed reviews on this so I guess I'll see what it's all about. 

Baby's Lucy Paige's Size: At 22 Weeks, Lucy Paige weighs about 1 pound and is 11-12 inches long - about the size of a spaghetti squash.