Silhouette.

I’ve been scarce around blog-land lately. Sorry. Life has taken priority, so the blog has taken a backseat for the past few weeks. I’ll catch you up on the showers and house work eventually – no worries. :)

I wanted to pop in really quickly to share a maternity photo I had taken yesterday. I’m not big into maternity sessions for myself; I just didn’t know what I’d do with the photos, but there was one I saw on Pinterest that really caught my attention. It was more artistic, more about the pregnancy less about me; it was perfect for what I wanted. I think if God blesses us with more children in the future, I’d love to have this photo taken each pregnancy.

So here’s my version of the photo {taken by Sarah Throckmorton Photography}

I love the simplicity of the silhouette. I love the little girl inside.

Thirty-four weeks.

It’s crazy how close I’m getting to meeting my baby girl. Seems like every pregnant woman I’ve ever talked to always says how slow it seems to go, but I’ve not felt that way much. Sure, I feel like I’ve been anticipating there little one’s arrival for a long time now, but I feel like I was just throwing the gender reveal party yesterday. Maybe  it’s because I’m cherishing every possible minute of this pregnancy because my first one was cut so short, or maybe it’s because I’ve been blessed with a relatively “easy” pregnancy so far. Regardless, I’m thankful for the huge blessing and opportunity God’s handed me.

The color is always funky in these photos because the lighting’s really weird in my kitchen. Oh well. 34 weeks, and looking like I’m smuggling a bowling ball under my dress.

I will honest though, I think I’ve officially hit the really uncomfortable stage. My hips ache, my stomach is stretched tighter than I thought possible, my feet are cramping like it’s their job, and my butt really hurts. Sorry if that’s TMI for you {dad & Eugene’s dad}, but no one told me that could be a side affect of pregnancy – so ladies, consider this your warning. I think it must be the extra weight and changing hip bone structure, {or maybe the 9+ hours I spend sitting in the car & at work each day, but man it hurts to sit!

I’m also less hungry lately. Nothing sounds good to me. I’m not sure if this is due to some pretty hefty stress I’ve been facing lately or just because the little one’s taking up more room, leaving less for my stomach.

I’ve had some amazing showers’ lately, received a boatload of generous gifts, and I can’t wait for the little one to enjoy all her new things! Oh, and I’m nesting up a storm…mainly at work, but organizing details is kind of my job anyways. I’ve cleaned and organized our entire garage, cleaned and organized every shelf in our refrigerator, and cleaned my car really well too. I've been wanting tackle these things for a while, but with the time passing so quickly, I felt like I needed to get my {sore} rear in gear. Organizing/nesting is making me feel much less anxious…definitely a good thing. :)

Just 6 or 7 more weeks until I meet you, little girl! I cannot wait to see your beautiful face and hug you tightly. You’re so loved, little one.

Church shower.

I was blessed by a baby shower at my church last week. It was at 11:00 am and offered a smorgasbord of my favorite brunch items…

I loved the bright bold colors…

The centerpieces were made with love – baby sock bouquets! {with the same paper I decoupage onto my changing table shelves.} :)

My perfect meal – I really believe Schuler’s chocolate cream filled {and whole wheat} doughnuts will be in heaven…

Eugene was so pumped when I showed him these Reds onesies…

So many generous & fabulous gifts for the little one!

A super adorable diaper cake with little hair clips as decorations…

This is my Life Group. Love my growing relationship with these women & so thankful for their continual prayers for the little one since I first found out about her!

And these are the lovely ladies from my small group. Such fun!

What a wonderful shower! I am so blessed {and so is this little one!}

A visit.

I enjoyed a long weekend visiting with my sister & niece. My poor niece was sick with a cold or really bad allergies, so I didn’t take many pictures because her sad eyes were struggling to stay open and her nose was running so badly, but I managed to snap a few of the beautiful little girl…

She loves “riding” the tractor – girl after my heart….

Taking a walk with her mama…

Sisters & best friends…

Cate liked to walk back to my parents’ bees. She would walk around the house saying, “Bees! Bees! Bees!” until one of us would walk her back to the corner…

We stopped to blow some dandelions…

And fed “nuts” {aka fish food} to the feechies {aka albino catfish} at my parents’ pond…

Grandma watching Cate & Cate watching the feechies…

This is my favorite pic of my niece. That’s my shoe {I know I have big feet…I’m so cut me a break ;)}, and that’s my big water cup. She loved carrying it around. Makes me smile…

And apparently I was worn out from the walk  to the bees & feechies because I found this on my camera later…

Yes, that’s a baby name book.

Thirty-two weeks.

I’m now 32 weeks pregnant. My belly’s big, and I find myself underestimating my size – particularly during events at work when I try to squeeze through a small space and realize I can no longer fit! I think it’s funny that I can watch my stomach grow for 32 weeks now, but I still forget that I’m not my normal flat-tummy self!

The past two weeks haven’t been great for sleep. I wake up at 3:30 or 4:00 AM on a regular basis and can’t fall back asleep. Somehow I’m still managing to function on very little sleep; maybe my body’s learning to cope now before the little one comes and is up all night. :)

I didn’t have too many cravings. I asked for Philly Cheese Steak subs for a family/birthday dinner, but that was partly because my dad is a better cook than I am & he makes really good subs!

I’ve had what feels like a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions the past week or two. Some are as close as 4 or 5 minutes apart, but they never become regular in timing so my doctor said not to worry. I’ve read that they’re your body’s way of “practicing” before the real thing, and the doctor told me today that some people believe that they function to bring more blood flow to your baby. Interesting stuff.

I’ve also had a lot of foot cramps. That’s just because I’ve had a lot of events for work. Dress shoes = foot pain. Eh, I’ll take it in exchange for a daughter, no problem!

According to the internet, she’s about 4 lbs. now. I’m still carrying her really low, and some days it seems like she’s trying to rest even lower {if that’s possible!} She’s running out of room in there, so she’s a bit less active now. She much prefers my right side. My belly’s always lopsided, but I love seeing her presence.

Eugene & I have been going to birthing classes at the hospital. This week will be our last one {on cesarean sections & touring the new hospital.} It’s fun to actually plan on her arrival. Just eight or so more weeks until I get to see my pretty girl. I am so looking forward to that day!

The little one’s first shower.

My amazing sister flew into town to thrown me my first baby shower. It was a perfectly darling shower, and I loved every minute of it!

The shower invites said something to the effect of, “Come celebrate as a new chapter is beginning,” and the shower’s theme was books. {So adorable!} My sister asked me to make sure I explained that this wasn’t her original idea…she found some inspiration on the web for the theme.

The banner of some favorite children’s books…

We were able to reuse the pendant banner I made for the gender reveal party…

The favors for the guests were fresh cookies to go – reminiscent of the “If You Give a Mouse A Cookie” book & the sign hinted that they could enjoy the cookie with their favorite Sunday read {The Napping House inferred.} How cute!

The rest of the food selection fit perfectly with the theme too…

Cheese & crackers – the hungry caterpillar, popcorn – the popcorn book, muffins – if you give a moose a muffin, veggies – peter rabbit, jellybeans – jellybeans for breakfast, French bread – the little red hen, quiche – green eggs & ham {not pictured}…

Fruit pizza with strawberries – the big hungry bear, blueberries – blueberries for Sal, and goldfish – the rainbow fish. Oh, and aren’t those pink dress napkins cute! {My sister & brother-in-law made them.}

I look really gross in all the photos, but I was so glad to get to visit with my friends. This is my roomie from college…

The game was finding alternative names for children’s books, like “Unsightly Aquatic Bird” is “The Ugly Duckling.” My aunts were really getting into it!

My beautiful sister & niece dressed in coordinating colors {orange & blue}…

Oh, and the guest book for everyone to sign was a children’s book…

I love the hostess…

These women are so generous & supportive…

See what I mean by generous?! The little one got some super nice stuff!…

My cousin made this impressive play mat that has peek-a-boo blocks to lift up to see patterned fabric. Seriously cool…

My great-aunt Bert crocheted the little one a beautiful blanket. So special…

This is my lovely grandma Goldie…

A bunch of the women on my mom’s side :)…

It was a wonderful, perfect shower. I’m so thankful for all the planning, money, time, and effort that went into throwing and attending it! The best way I can describe it is wonderfully overwhelming.

I was a little jealous of Cate’s nap afterwards! ;)