Noah is Eight Months Old!

Well....Noah is actually 8 months and a week old.  Momma's been busy lately chasing around our little active 8 month old, so blogging is hard to do these days.  Noah seems to learn something new every day, and we are having so much fun being his parents. He's our sweet little monkey!

Noah, we love you so much.  You laugh and we melt.  You have become so smiley and happy, and you are our sweet social butterfly.  You started MDO again in a new class, and you love it.  I drop you off, and you are on the go crawling around with your new friends.  This month you traveled to Atlanta to see your great aunt Eileen, and you had visitors come to AL to see you.  You got to see your Nana, Gimmie, and Pawpaw!  You have so much fun with all of them, and you love being spoiled. You got a new plane (walker) this month, and you love it.  You love it so much, that every time you take off in that plane, you poop in your pants!!  It's hilarious to see how excited you get.  You love running errands with mommy and daddy because you are like your mommy and love to people watch.  You get bored easily, so anything new you can do, you have the best time.  Your army crawl has finally turned into a big boy crawl, and you are now on your hands and knees and can't be stopped.  You are making many new sounds, some are good and some not so good. You say "yayayayaya" and you growl.  I don't mind the "yaya," but I got to tell you, I'm not digging the growling.  You still aren't interested in food and prefer to nurse.  You have been cheering on the Vols with your daddy, and you helped us host our first fish fry.  You loved having lots of people over to give you lots of attention!

Noah loves pulling paper out of notebooks and shredding it all over the rug!

Buying the plane!

Noah and Daddy playing

Love these two!

The plane!

On the way to Atlanta

 Visiting Aunt Eileen in Atlanta

Sitting at the table like a big boy.  Having fun eating out.

Climbing on Mommy

Riding the buggy with his friends at MDO

Fish Fry and Football

Go Vols!  So excited about the game, he can't keep his hands out of his mouth :)

Six Weeks In

We are six weeks in to this new life we have created with Noah.  Boy is it a journey!  What a blessing our little boy Noah is to us, and we love him so much.  I would do it all over again, even with the lack of sleep and the complete change from our former lives!

With that said, I could do without getting peed on, and it would be awesome not to change pajamas 3 times a day because I am drenched in sweat and spit up or I smell like sour milk...oh yeah or he peed on me again.  He has several costume changes a day as well.  I would love to eat a meal without jamming food down my throat or without feeding him at the same time.  I'm amazed at how I've learned to nurse and cook and eat at the same time.  When we are both starving, I have to do something!  The laundry gets out of control with all of the spit up, pee and poop...seriously out of control.  I wish I could remember what time it is, what day of the week it is, what date it is, what I did yesterday, what I did this morning, who I talked to this morning, and what we talked about!  I seriously can't remember a thing!  Going anywhere is an ordeal, so it's just easier to stay at home at this point.  And whoever said sleep when the baby sleeps is insane.  I need that time to hose myself off, feed myself, get a load of laundry done or catch up on Facebook to see what the rest of the world is doing.

Maybe your aren't supposed to say it, but being a mom to a six week old can be mind numbing, isolating and frustrating.  It's hard working for a very demanding little human who needs me every hour of every day.  There are no nights off!   But, I admit, I love that he needs me every hour of every day, and I love nursing him and being the one who can provide for him.  It's true that all frustration fades when he looks up at me with his big blue eyes.  The other night, I was nursing him and tears began to flow down my face because he's perfect, and there was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I've never felt before.  I believe it was that soul wrenching feeling of love a mom has for her child.  That love that will cause her to go insane and to do anything in her power to protect her child.  

I know this is all new, and I'm only six weeks in, and I'm exhausted.  But this is what I was meant to do.  This is the season I'm in.  It's not what I wanted for myself even a year ago, but it's what God wanted.  I believe that with all my heart.  And I am happy, beyond blessed, and very excited about watching our little man grow up.  This week he grew out of Newborn diapers, and he might as well have gone off to college in my eyes!  Ha!  I'm not sure that will ever change...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I cannot believe it is 2014 already, and we are a week or less away from officially becoming parents.  How exciting and how scary!  I do not know what happened to 2013.  I think it was the fastest year of my life, and I have trouble remembering most of it.  I would say 2013 was a good year for us.

We started out the year with 21 days of prayer in January, and we began to pray about having children.  It didn't take God very long to give us our answer since we got pregnant in April.  What a surprise of our lives! We were thinking we still had years for children to be present if in fact we were meant to become parents.

May and June are blurs to me.  I was sick and crazy most of May.  We went to the beach for our anniversary, and I didn't enjoy the trip nearly as much as I hoped. I felt so bad for Michel who had to be around me, but he was so great.  We definitely need a beach do-over this year (but then there's daycare to pay for so....).  I started feeling more normal in June as we began to pack up our apartment to move into our house in July.

July and August were spent unpacking and fixing up our house.  I am glad we moved, and I had something to occupy my mind for some time while I was still trying to get used to the idea of being pregnant.  On July 4th, I met many members of my new family at my mom and Steve's engagement party.  We also got to announce our pregnancy along with my new brother and sister-in-law who are due two days before us with a baby girl.

September and October were very busy.  Michael's job kicked into high gear during his busy season, but we managed to take a trip to Arkansas and watch Samford play the Razorbacks.  We registered for McBaby and began putting the nursery together.  I started nesting in September and began organizing and cleaning, and I don't think I've really stopped since.  In October, we traveled back to Arkansas for my mom's wedding, which was really special.  We also had our first shower in October, which was wonderful, and we completed our birth classes at the hospital.

We celebrated our birthdays in November, but with all that we had to buy for the baby, I don't really remember if we actually celebrated much.  Michael went to the Alabama vs. Tennessee game as a 30th birthday celebration.  I stayed home and let him celebrate with his friends.  Being pregnant and tailgating just didn't sound too fun to me, but I think Michael had a wonderful time.  I traveled back to Arkansas again for another shower, and it was amazing as well. I enjoyed seeing my family and friends that I don't get to see too often.  Michael and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving together at home because he was under the weather, and it was nice to spend it together just the two of us.

December has flown by as well.  We managed to put up our Christmas tree and spent our last little quiet Christmas together.  Michael has been at home a lot more this month, and it spoils me to have him here.  I enjoy our time together so much.  We had his staff over for a Christmas shrimp boil a few weeks ago, which was a lot of fun.  I know they enjoy having a few more days off this time of year as well.  We have spent the last few days finishing up the nursery, buying all the necessities we still needed, making and freezing meals, cleaning the house, and packing our hospital bags.  I guess we are as ready to bring our baby home as we can be.

I have so many hopes for 2014.  More than anything, I pray for a healthy baby and a healthy family.  I hope this experience as parents brings us closer to God and closer to each other.  I want more than anything to experience the unconditional love that the Father has for me through being a mom and loving our child unconditionally.  I pray that our faith is increased immeasurably through being parents.  I hope that I slow down and appreciate the importance of every day, whether good or bad.  I want to learn to cherish every moment.  I want to appreciate my family and friends more.  Perhaps we will actually become sentimental, since we are anything but at this point.  I've heard kids do that to you, and you become the couple who keeps nothing to the parents who keep every macaroni necklace your children make.  I hope we enjoy the journey by cherishing the good times and learning from the tough times.

Happy New Year!  Here's to a fantastic 2014 for all of you!

37 & 38 Weeks

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas!  Michael and I spent the holiday just the two of us, and it was really nice.  Knowing it was our last quiet holiday, we took advantage of the peace and quiet and enjoyed just being together.  We are spending the weekend together, which is rare these days, and I'm glad I have two more days to spend with him.

I got behind again on my weekly posts, so I'm catching up with week 37 & 38.  Today, I am 38 weeks and 2 days, and I wish I could report that there has been some progress, but I'm still at 0.  The doc wanted to discuss a possible induction or c-section on my due date, but I'm hopeful McBaby won't be too stubborn and will decide to make an appearance before then.

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 19 inches long and almost 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The size of a bunch of swiss chard.  

Pregnancy Weight Gain: 16 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Luckily, I'm still able to wear most of my oversized sweaters and cardigans.  I wear the same pair of black dress pants to work every week, and it will be nice to retire them soon although I am more than thankful for them these days.

Gender: Not finding out!  

Movement: Lots of moving and kicking me in the side.  

Sleep: I can't complain.  I get up a lot to use the bathroom, but I sleep pretty well most nights.  

Symptoms: I certainly feel pregnant now.  Cankles and waddling are part of life.  My hips hurt every time I have to get up after sitting for a while.  I'm experiencing more joint and groin pain and can tell some of my bones are separating. Forgetfulness and pregnancy brain are certainly symptoms as well.    

What I miss:  Not having to think so hard about what I eat and drink, though it has kept me healthy, it would be nice to indulge.  I also miss being able to think a complete thought before forgetting what in the heck I was thinking about.

Cravings: Sweets because that's what everyone eats at Christmas

Best Moment this week:  We had an ultrasound to determine how McBaby's growth is going since I have gestational.  McBaby measured average, which is what we wanted to hear.  We got to see McBaby's face and he/she has hair. 

What I am looking forward to: Having a quiet holiday with Michael.  

How Far Along: 38 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 19 1/2 inches long and approximately 6 pounds, 8 ounces. The size of a leek.  

Pregnancy Weight Gain: 17 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Luckily, I'm still able to wear most of my oversized sweaters and cardigans.  I wear the same pair of black dress pants to work every week, and it will be nice to retire them soon although I am more than thankful for them these days.

Gender: Not finding out!  

Movement: McBaby moves off and on from morning til night, and he/she has been known to wake me up in the middle of the night with a swift kick in the ribs.  

Sleep: It's getting worse.  I fall asleep easily when we go to bed, but when I get up in the middle of the night, I have trouble going back to sleep.   

Symptoms: This week has been hard so far.  I'm having trouble sleeping, I feel nauseous and crampy, I have lower back pain that won't go away, and my hips and groin are so sore.  And I'm so exhausted! I was feeling so bad yesterday, that I knew for sure there was progress being made, but today's doctor's appointment proved me wrong when doc said I was still at 0.   

What I miss: At this point, I miss everything that I could do pre-pregnancy.  Too many things to name!  

Cravings: I don't really feel like eating much, but I guess I'm craving comfort foods since I don't fell well.  

Best Moment this week: I know I have said it a lot, but simply spending time with Michael and relaxing is so precious to me right now.  

What I am looking forward to: A safe and healthy delivery that results in meeting our little boy or girl.  

36 Weeks

How Far Along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 18 1/2 inches long and almost 6 pounds. The size of a head of romaine lettuce.  

Pregnancy Weight Gain: 15 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Luckily, I'm still able to wear most of my oversized sweaters and cardigans.  I wear the same pair of black dress pants to work every week, and it will be nice to retire them soon although I am more than thankful for them these days.

Gender: Not finding out!  

Movement: McBaby moves a lot these days and has discovered how fun it is to kick me in the ribs and take my breath away

Sleep: I can't complain.  I get up a lot to use the bathroom, but I sleep pretty well most nights.  

Symptoms: I certainly feel pregnant now.  I discovered my cankles the other day, and I have begun to waddle.  My hips hurt every time I have to get up after sitting for a while.  I'm experiencing more joint and groin pain and can tell some of my bones are separating. The most annoying symptom is severe pregnancy brain! It's all part of the journey I guess, and I remind myself it could be a lot worse.  I'm still walking every day and haven't slowed down yet.  

What I miss: The Christmas treats are killing me!  I can't escape the sugar, but I have to say no, which makes me mad sometimes.  I would give anything for a piece of chocolate ganache cake with a glass of red wine right now. 

Cravings: Sugar...because it's forbidden.  I've had cravings for donuts and pancakes lately.  

Best Moment this week: Having a great check up at the doctor.  I appreciate good news more and more as the birth gets closer.  We also enjoyed some fun Christmas events this week. We went to the Homewood Christmas Parade, Michael's athletics department Christmas party, and hosted our own Christmas shrimp boil for Michael's employees on Saturday

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little one...I'm dying to know if we are having a boy or girl!  

McBaby's Gender Neutral Nursery

When we decided that we would not find out the gender of our baby, I knew that creating the nursery would be a challenging but fun and creative project.  I was very excited about the challenge.  Almost immediately, I wanted to create a nursery straight out of an Ikea magazine or from one of my favorite nursery tours at Apartment Therapy. I was picturing clean lines, modern furniture, stark white or gray walls and primary colored accents.  But then it all changed because of a chair....

My one nursery requirement was a big comfy glider, but when I began searching for the perfect glider, I quickly realized we could easily spend half of our nursery budget.  I didn't give up, and I searched for used gliders every day until I finally found one on Craigslist for $300 cheaper than I could find anywhere else.  We bought it the day I found it although I knew there was nothing modern about it, and so my vision changed.  And I couldn't be happier with how our nursery has turned out!

Once I refocused from stark white and modern to soft and sweet, we painted the walls a light green called "White Willow" after going through several samples of green paint.  I wanted all white furniture but made sure it was a bit more modern in case we have a boy, and I new I wanted very neutral textiles in various shades of white, cream and taupe that would go with any color once the baby arrived.   We found the softest rug known to man after searching for a while, and it was the final piece that made the nursery come together.  And by the way, Scarlett is obsessed with the rug.  We catch her in the nursery all the time snuggled up or rolling around on it.  Poor thing has no idea what is coming and why that rug is there in the first place!

The nursery is peaceful, soft and calm, and I love the addition of bunnies and lambs as well as all of the books we have from our sweet book shower.  The nursery is as complete as it will be before McBaby's arrival, but I look forward to adding some personal girl or boy touches.  I have reserved the blank wall in the nursery for our first family portraits we are taking in January.  My favorite things in the room are the personalized lamb and bunny art pieces that have special Bible verses, and I love the lamb mobile that hangs above the crib.   And of course I love the chair!

35 Weeks

How Far Along: 35 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 18 inches long and almost 5 1/4 pounds. The size of a honeydew melon.  

Pregnancy Weight Gain: 14 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Luckily, I'm still able to wear most of my oversized sweaters and cardigans.  I need to give up the sweatpants.  The other night, we were planning to go run errands and Michael said, "you aren't wearing sweatpants are you."  I got the hint for sure ;)

Gender: Not finding out!  

Movement: McBaby moves a lot these days...

Sleep: Better than I thought it would be so far! I'm averaging 8-10 hours a night, and I am taking advantage of sleep as much as I can. 

Symptoms: I'm experiencing more joint and groin pain and can tell some of my bones are separating.  I am waddling a little more lately.  One night, I felt pretty ill and was having nausea and Braxton Hicks contractions, but I have felt good since then.

What I miss: I miss lots of things.  Sleeping on my stomach, eating without heartburn, eating dessert without worrying, wine and beer on occasion, sushi, and Jersey Mike's subs.  

Cravings: Everything!  I wake up wanting a million things I can't have, and it is no fun!

Best Moment this week: Finishing the nursery

What I am looking forward to: The holidays, so I can spend some time with Michael

33 & 34 Weeks and Thanksgiving

I'm playing catch up today with posting my 33 and 34 week pictures.  I can't believe how close we are getting to our baby's arrival!  When I think about the possibility of AnnMarie or Noah arriving in 5 weeks or less, it makes me so nervous and excited...I hope we are ready!

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday with just the two of us.  We were invited to a Thanksgiving feast at The Arvin's house, but unfortunately Michael was sick and we thought it was best to stay home and enjoy Thanksgiving quarantined.  I roasted a chicken, and we had green beans, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato casserole.  I bought a pecan pie from Whole Foods for dessert, which I ate sparingly.
I also treated myself to these babies.  3 truffles only have 8 carbs...a gestational diabetes dream!

Michael was feeling so bad on Wednesday, that he told me just to buy a frozen pizza for Thanksgiving.  I knew he was sick with that suggestion because Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday.  I tried to make our meal as close to Thanksgiving as I could.

I did not venture out for Black Thursday/Black Friday (they should change the name now that everything is open on Thanksgiving).  I have never had the desire to fight over toasters and TVs....maybe someday.  I did partake in some internet shopping for McBaby, and I bought one single Black Friday item.  I can't wait to get it in the mail!

Football rivalry weekend happens every Thanksgiving, and in Alabama, the Iron Bowl may be more of a holiday than Thanksgiving.  Yesterday's game was predicted to be the most important Iron Bowl in history, and it was a game that definitely lived up to all the hype!  #4 Auburn beat #1 Alabama with one second left in the game, knocking Alabama out of National Title contention.  I wonder if any pregnant Auburn or Bama fans went into labor last night after that ending? Ha!

Speaking of labor...I'm getting closer to the big day.  I'll be 35 weeks along this week, but here is McBaby at 33 & 34 weeks. I'm feeling better than I thought I would at this point, but I hear it gets rough around 36 weeks.  I'm hoping that life continues as it has the past two weeks!

33 Weeks!

34 Weeks!

How Far Along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 18 inches long and almost 4 3/4 pounds. The size of a cantaloupe.  

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Luckily, I'm still able to wear most of my oversized sweaters and cardigans.

Gender: Not finding out!  

Movement: McBaby moves a lot these days...

Sleep: Better than I thought it would be so far! I'm averaging 8-10 hours a night, and I am taking advantage of sleep as much as I can. 

Symptoms: I'm experiencing more joint and groin pain and can tell some of my bones are separating.  I am waddling a little more lately.  

What I miss: I miss lots of things.  Sleeping on my stomach, eating without heartburn, eating dessert without worrying, wine and beer on occasion, sushi, and Jersey Mike's subs.  

Cravings: Pickles, cheese, and sugar lately

Best Moment this week: Finding a pediatrician and a MDO program for McBaby when he/she turns 5 months old.  

What I am looking forward to: Michael getting some time off in December and spending as many minutes with him as possible before the baby arrives and our lives our changed forever!  

32 Weeks

I'm nearing the end of week 32, and time is flying by!  It will only go faster through the holiday season I suppose.  Maybe that's my rationale for being the crazy nesting pregnant woman that I have been the past week.  Seriously...I'm insane!  But I am accomplishing lots of things.

I will officially be 33 weeks on Wednesday, which is also my 31st birthday.  I have never been that big into celebrating my birthday, but I certainly don't mind a gift or two and a nice dinner to celebrate.  I certainly enjoyed my 30th birthday last year.  Well...this year, I will be celebrating my 31st by going to our 33 week OB appointment then to an evening breastfeeding class.  I cannot believe how much my life has changed this year!  The girl who never thought she would have children is attending a breastfeeding class on her birthday.  All I can do is laugh sometimes and appreciate the irony and surprises of life.  It will be a birthday I won't forget for sure!

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 16.7 inches long and almost 3.75 pounds. The size of a jicama.  

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  I love wearing Michael's hoodies.

Gender: Not finding out!  I have to confess, I'm a little over the gender neutral thing at this point.  It is going to make the day so much more special than it already is for us, but I have vetoed buying anything else for McBaby because I refuse to buy one more item that is yellow, green or has ducks on it. 

Movement: McBaby moves a lot these days...

Sleep: Better than I thought it would be so far!  

Symptoms: I tire out more easily, occasional heart burn and back pain, but I feel good for the most part.  

What I miss: Not eating carbs and sugar around the holidays is difficult, and I miss wine, sushi, and eating sandwiches as much as I want.   

Cravings: Pickles and cheese all day long

Best Moment this week: Washing my last set of baby clothes before McBaby arrives.  I love folding little onesies!

What I am looking forward to: Putting the final touches on the nursery and sharing pictures of how it has turned out.  

31 Weeks and One More McBaby Shower

I'm a day shy of 32 weeks, but I figured better late than never sharing my 31 week post!  This was another good week for me and McBaby who was showered once again by our family and friends in Arkansas.  Now it is time to organize and prepare for McBaby's arrival.  I have been in super nesting mode lately, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.  Here are some photos from McBaby's shower last Saturday.

 My wonderful friends from Cabot and Henderson State who came to shower McBaby

 Holly and Lonnie served as hostesses

 Holly and I have been friends for almost 20 years, she was my maid of honor and I was hers.  We have shared many of life's great moments together (how sappy did that sound, ha!)

 Me and my mom aka "Gimmie"

 5 Generations...my great grandmother will be 102 when McBaby arrives.  Very blessed she came!

 Me and Michael's mom Betty...we need to establish a grandma name for you Betty!

My wonderful hostesses who made this day perfect!

How Far Along: 31 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 16 inches long and almost 3.5 pounds. The size of a coconut.  

Maternity Clothes: Now that I'm in the third trimester, I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: McBaby is moving a lot...I'm starting to think that he/she is developing Michael's personality.  I am enjoying the movement so much, and I love the reminders that he or she is there swimming around.  

Sleep: Better than I thought it would be so far!  

Symptoms: Back pain, more heartburn, trouble bending over and tying my shoes.  

What I miss: I struggle with the low carb diet, and I miss being able to not have to think so hard about what I eat.  

Cravings: Pickles and cheese 

Best Moment this week: Traveling to Arkansas for the last time and getting to be with family and friends

What I am looking forward to: At this point, I'm ready to meet the little guy or gal...but not too soon!

30 Weeks, Showers and a Wedding

This has been a very busy, fun and blessed week.  Last Sunday, our friends Lindsey and Blake threw us a coed baby shower.  We had a wonderful time, and Baby McGreevey was showered with lots and lots of love!

Lindsey did a great job with the decorations

She had these precious onesies made for McBaby.  I love them and can't wait for McBaby to finally put one on announcing we have had a Noah or AnnMarie!

McBaby received so many wonderful presents!

All of our friends who came to the shower!

Love these girls!

Mom and Dad!

This week at work, we celebrated Halloween with a party in the office.  To my surprise, the Halloween party was a disguise for a secret baby shower thrown by my wonderful coworkers.  They were so great about keeping the shower a secret!  The shower was a book theme, and they all got me their favorite books that they read to their children when they were little.  I thought it was the sweetest theme ever, and I can't wait to read the books to our little one.

Opening my books dressed as a mouse :)

I was so happy to get all of these great books!

Last night, we went to a wedding to celebrate my friend Rachel and her fiancé Mason.  The wedding was gorgeous and so much fun!  So many of our friends were there, so it was a wonderful night. I even made it out to the dance floor a few times, but every time I danced with Michael, it seemed he had a little trouble adjusting to my belly.  Ha!

We ended our busy and fun week on a hight note!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 30 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than15.7 inches long and almost 3 pounds. The size of a Head of Cabbage.  

Maternity Clothes: Now that I'm in the third trimester, I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Some maternity tops have been too big in the arms and shoulders, so I bought a Medium in a few tops and they seem to work for now.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: McBaby moves most in the mornings or night.  He/She doesn't move on command that's for sure.  Whenever we are around people and they want to feel him/her kick, our little stubborn baby does nothing.

Sleep: I can't complain!  

Symptoms: A little more tired, and I'm cranky sometimes because I just want to pig out on a piece of cake but can't.  I don't even really like sweets, but I think I want them more lately because I can't have them.   

What I miss: Now that I'm near the end, I miss lots of things.  

Cravings: I could eat pickles all day long...no joke!!!

Best Moment this week: Feeling all the love from everyone who came to our showers or sent us gifts.

What I am looking forward to: We are very close to finishing the nursery, and I can't wait to see it complete.