**25 weeks!!**

 

25 weeks!! It's getting closer and closer...so hard to believe  :)

Well, this past week kind of flew by to me? Looking back, I'm not really sure where it went??

I worked the weekend, and had to float to OB and work in the nursery with the babies!! It was no big deal because working with small newborns is just a nice little practice for me :) I of course swelled again, pretty bad by Sunday night, I might add. Major resting was in store for that night, but come Monday, we were excited yet again!!

~Monday was our 24 weeks appt which was really no big deal. Camryn's heartrate was 150s again (per the norm). HeHe. My blood pressure was great (for me anyways)...128/72! My doctor was VERY pleased and was not worried about my swelling too much yet...just suggested I wear compression hose at work and rest on my days off. No problem!! Got the hose and they worked great actually...not PERCECT, but I notice a big difference at work. I went to the gastro doctor afterwards because for about the past year, after almost every meal, I get a rapid heartrate for about 45 mins, then if I don't eat atleast 2-3hrs after that, I get low blood sugar attacks (I mentioned that a few weeks ago). They drew some blood and are having me do a 24hr urine...well, the blood came back that I am anemic and have low potassium!! This stuff never ends :( So, I have to call my ob-gyn after the weekend is over to let her know that and see what our next move is. GREATTTTTT. Atleast that explains the exhaustion and heart palpitations.

I rested ALOT Tues and Wed, and got a pedicure (Daryl insisted I do this, so I didn't argue!! Haha). Worked Thursday and Friday. Same 'ol same 'ol. Daryl has been super stressed about school lately, as his level 201 Spanish class is very overwhelming and time-consuming...not to mention this teacher has given the students a COMPLETE semester's worth of work and having them complete it in a 3-week summer course. I just cannot wait for next weekend so that he will be done and able to relax. When hubby's stressed, I get stressed too. Poor thing :(

We decided to paint our whole house before Cammie arrives!! Tan and redish-maroon. Daryl is starting that next weekend and is pretty excited!! One of his buddies from the USMC who lives in Columbus is coming to visit him for a few days next week too, so he has alot to look forward to. Thank goodness!! :)

Ok, for the smaller things...I LOVE PIZZA and PEACHES!! All I want is pizza with a peach for dessert. Strange, I know. But they're soooo good to me right now!! Camryn did FLIPS on Sunday and Monday night!! Daryl felt her again with his hand. She is moving alot and I love it :)

Well, here are the weekly info stats!! See ya at 26!!

**How far along? 25 down, 15ish to go!!

**Total weight gain/loss: +1 lb this week <<sigh of relief>>. Oh Dear Lord please let it stay like that from here on out!! haha 

**How Big is Baby?  She grew alot this week!! Now about 1.5ish lbs and over 13.5inches long...imagine a loaf of bread!!

 

**Maternity clothes? ONLY. haha.

**Stretch marks? Yup...I think they're developing on my belly some now, too. Ughhhh.

**Best moment this week: Hearing her heartbeat again and Daryl smiling when he SAW her kick my belly!!

**Movement: Yupp!! Mostly after meals and late at night still!! Kicks, punches, jabs, flips!!

**Food cravings:  PIZZA...and big 'ol peaches! :)

**Nausea/vomitting? Just the usual indigestion!! TUMS <3

**Gender: BABY GIRL!!!

**Labor Signs: Nope...think I may be experiencing some Braxton Hicks at times??

**Belly Button in or out? It's just flat??

**Sleep: Not quite as good this week :( DEFINITELY not on my back...I can't breathe!!



*24 WeEkS*

Holy cow!! So this week is a milestone!!

24 weeks is the week that a baby is considered "viable" outside of the womb if born early.

Yup, 24 weeks down...16 to go! It's kind of hard to believe!!

So I'm not really sure where this past week went? It went really fast for some reason?!

Sunday, Daryl and I made the trip to Chesterfield and did Camryn's baby registry! We went to Target first and scanned alot of 'fun' stuff, like clothes and extras that aren't necessarily 'needed', but definitely wanted! We then went to Babies 'R Us where the real registering began! Pack 'n play, stroller, high chair, swing, monitor, etc...those are the necessities!! We were pretty tired after, but sooo excited!! :) Cam's crib set came Monday...SOOO EXCITING!! It is just beautiful!! Except for the imperfections, and I mean..a crack in the wood in the changing tower, a hole in the back of the dresser...what the world?! Momma called and complained and they are replacing them in the next 2 weeks! Kind of can't wait to get her clothes in the dressers and her crib bedding set up in the crib!! I worked a night shift Monday night...talk about eww!! I forgot how much I hated it. My ankles were bad...2+ pitting edema. The nurse I worked with couldn't believe it. So, my obgyn is definitely going to be seeing some pictures of my feet next week!!

Otherwise...I am just so happy :) I can't wait to hold my baby girl! She still kicks alot, mainly after meals and before bedtime. I just love this little girl! I am still getting some palpitations if I don't drink enough water throughout the day, and get short of breath if I lay on my back (uterus presses against my vena cava and diaphragm). So, I just do what will be best for Camryn and me!! People still make comments, but I just don't care anymore. My life has way too much good stuff going on to worry about those negative people!! Speaking of...we have set a date for my big family/friends baby shower, which will be Sunday, October 2nd! SET THE DATE!! Stoked!! <3

Well, next week I can update on my doctor's appt and such, so check back in! Sorry this week wasn't too exciting... not alot going on!!

**How far along? 24 down, 16ish to go!!

**Total weight gain/loss: Not TOO bad this week...+ about 1.5 lbs.

**How Big is Baby? She is about one foot long and over 1.3 lbs...imagine the size of an ear of corn!!

**Maternity clothes? OH yeah...I still wear some regular shirts, though.

**Stretch marks? Yup...I have a new small one on my belly where my belly button ring used to be...7 yrs ago?? haha

**Best moment this week: Just those kicks!!! LOVE them  :)

**Movement: Yupp!! Mostly after meals and late at night!!

**Food cravings: Chocolate...and big 'ol peaches! :)

**Nausea/vomitting? Just the usual indigestion!! TUMS <3

**Gender: BABY GIRL!!!

**Labor Signs: Nope

**Belly Button in or out? It's just flat??

**Sleep: Pretty good these days...until she jumps on my bladder and I run to the bathroom!! haha

*23 Weeks*

Another week down!!

Week 23...so, ehh, about 16-17 weeks to go?

 Maybe a little sooner??

118ish DAYS UNTIL 11/11/11!! <3

This past week went by VERY fast!! Time flies when you're having fun!!

Saturday, my younger sister, Lauren, and my 10-week old nephew (whom I had never met) came in from TX to spend the week with family! Mom and Dad, and Daryl and I went to the Lynchburg airport to pick them up and brought them back home. I don't think I have ever seen my dad smile as much as he did when he had his grandson in his arms. It was a sweet moment  :) I grabbed my sister and just hugged her. I miss her soooo much!! So, we got all their luggage and went back to mom and dad's and had dinner. Daryl and I went home to get some sleep and prepare for Sunday.... So, Sunday, mom and dad had a huge cookout with family and a few friends so that everyone could see Lauren and meet baby Connor. It was a great day!! Lots of family and fun and FOOD!! I ate wayyy to much that day! I tried to stay inside as much as possible which was pointless, because my feet swelled, YET AGAIN. It's hopeless. Then Monday, after we slept ALOT Sunday night (late), I just had to head back over to their house to see Lauren and Connor again. I just wanted to spend every available moment with them!!


Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday I worked. Not alot to say about it. Same 'ol same 'ol. Feet swelled. What's new. But I was EXHAUSTED at work from the long weekend, so that was a bit rough. But I got through it and here I am!! After work Friday, Daryl and I headed to mom and dad's to have dinner and say bye to Lauren and Connor. ROUGH NIGHT. I just didn't want to let go. We all cried alot...but I just try to keep telling myself that I will see them again in just 2.5 months at my baby shower!! (My feet were super swollen from work Friday night and I sat indian style to eat dinner. Afterwards, I stepped down and my foot had molded to how I was sitting..it looked like an alien. My mom and sister are getting worried so I am going to mention this swelling to my doctor at my appt on July 25th!)


So, as for me, this week flew by! We had a lot going on! I was very emotional. Anything and everything could make me cry! That's rough...especially after I get ready to go out somewhere and a song on the radio makes me cry! Ahh!! So, I felt heartburn for the first time. OUCH!! I took a couple Tums and laid down and it went away. But that stuff is no joke!! I realllly love orange Gatorade for some reason? It's just delicious to me  :)  Daryl FINALLY felt baby girl kick! It was awesome... we were laying in bed one night and she was just kicking and punching and I grabbed his hand and put it on my belly and he felt her twice!! Soo awesome!! At work, my belly (all the ligaments at the lower abdomen) and back began hurting pretty bad. I am going to go this weekend to buy a maternity belly supporter to see if that helps...crossing my fingers!!


Andddddd here's my little "whineyness" for the week. I am just getting plain 'ol sick and tired of people telling me that my belly is "huge" or "Oh my gosh you're ONLY 23 weeks?!" or "Will you make it to 40 weeks?!" Ok, thanks, is that a compliment? One OB nurse at work looked at my belly and got wide eyed, so I pulled up my top and showed her my belly (I had on maternity scrub pants), and she goes "Ohhhh nevermind, you are just carrying her extra high. Your belly isn't that big, Bonz". THANK YOU!!! haha

Well, here are Week 23's good 'ol stats...see ya next week and at our next appt!!

**How far along? 23 down, 17ish to go!!

**Total weight gain/loss: Not TOO bad...+2 lbs AND we had a huge cookout. Fluid and swelling still pretty bad too!!

**How Big is Baby? She is about 11ish" still and over 1.1lbs !!

**Maternity clothes? OH yeah...I still wear some regular shirts, though.

**Stretch marks? Yup. Whatev.

**Best moment this week: Daryl finally feeling her kick!!

**Movement: Yupp!! Mostly in the morning and late at night!!

**Food cravings: Orange Gatorade and fruit :)

**Nausea/vomitting? Just the usual indigestion...and heartburn!! TUMS <3

**Gender: BABY GIRL!!!

**Labor Signs: Nope

**Belly Button in or out? In...but it's not as deep as it used to be?

**Sleep: Pretty good these days!!

*22 Weeks*

So, 22 down, 18 to go (technically...hopefully it will be a tad sooner, say, just 16 to go)!?



So, thinking about it, I really only have 4 months left! That's crazy! Time is kind of flying right now... maybe because there is just so much going on. Either way, I am ok with that!!

Well, this past week was a pretty good one! My best friend/Maid of Honor/cousin, CJ, had her baby boy, Shane, on Saturday, July 2. He was a whopping 8lbs12oz and was 22.5" long! Below is a picture of him with myself and Daryl holding him...he is just precious! It makes me even MORE excited to have my baby girl in my arms! He would just smile in his sleep and he was a snuggler! CJ looks great, already lost 20lbs...I sure hope that happens to me! HaHa

Work was decent. I didn't get to do anything fun for the 4th of July because I worked all weekend...that's ok, because it rained on the 4th so I didn't feel too left out! Of course, I had fat feet at the end of the long days and I noticed this week that it is starting to get swollen and tight up my calves...that kind of stinks! Same 'ol.

Tuesday was a "pamper myself" kind of day. Hubby was at school, so I went out and did a few things for 'me'. He and I never do that really, so I just decided to. As you can see from the pics above, I cut it short with layers and bangs and got hilites and lowlites. I love it! It gave me alot of volume and makes me feel a little more mature! I also got my long needed pedicure. So yes, it was a pretty good day!

I scheduled our Maternity Pictures to be done on Sunday, September 11!! That will be fun :) And then, we got a call and JcPenney will be delivering Cam's crib set (finally!) on Monday, July 18th!! It's all starting to come together!!!


Ok, so for the little tid bits of the week... I notice that my meals have to be smaller because I seem to get fuller quicker. If I overeat (and by overeat I mean two bites too many), I feel terrible. So, I eat slower and pay attention to my tunmy now! I LOVED Oreo Mint ice cream this week!! Mom, Daryl and I went shopping Saturday afternoon at the little Belk in town and mom bought Cam some new clothes (go figure!), and one of the onesie long sleeved/feet outfits was a mint green and brown, and it made me just HAVE TO HAVE mint ice cream! So needless to say, that was really good! HaHa. Ok, so this next tid bit is probably TMI...but I have been sneezing alot lately, which I heard can be quite common...well I did this week once and tinkled. I mean, come on! No one told me about THAT part! So, the fun REALLY begins now! GREAT.


Sooooo anywho. Here are this past week's fun 'ol stats. See ya at 23!!!

**How far along? 22 down, 18 to go!!

**Total weight gain/loss: Not TOO horrible I guess. +3ish pounds this week...It's really kinda of hard to say though, really, because I went up 5lbs after working two days straight, then weighed myself the day after (after resting), and I went back down 2lbs. That's how bad my fluid levels are.

**How Big is Baby? She is about 11" long and weighs about 1 whole pound! She is said to be comparable to a spaghetti squash? AND...if we could see her, she would resemble a newborn (just MUCH thinner with no baby fat). Cool, huh?!

**Maternity clothes? OH yeah...I still wear some regular shirts, though.

**Stretch marks? Yup. Whatev.

**Best moment this week: Just continuing to feel my precious girl kick me...and knowing my best friend's baby boy is healthy!!

**Movement: Yupp!! Mostly at night time, still. Daryl continues to put his hand on my belly to try to feel her, but she always stops after he put his hand there. Stubborn lil girl!!

**Food cravings: Chocolate milk and Oreo Mint Ice Cream!!...and the usual, fruit!

**Nausea/vomitting? Just the usual indigestion...TUMS are the best right now!!

**Gender: BABY GIRL!!!

**Labor Signs: Nope

**Belly Button in or out? In...but it's not as deep as it used to be?

**Sleep: Pretty good these days!!

*21 Weeks*



21 weeks...just 19 to go!! I guess technically I could start the countdown... instead of counting up!!

*I feel like I'm really looking huge for 21 weeks?*

The past week wasn't bad at all for the most part. Daryl and I went out Saturday evening and chose the paint color for Camryn's nursery and he was so excited that he stayed up most of the night and painted! It's a light green, so pretty! Now I  cannot wait to order the wall decal to put on it as well! The color is soothing, but brightens the room, so it was a great choice!


One of my dear friends that I became very close to in NC while Daryl was in the USMC...Brandy, gave birth to her baby boy on Tuesday, June 28! She and her husband finally became pregnant after over 2 years of trying, and their baby was healthy and handsome! Daryl and I really could not be happier for them... everyone is having their babies...make me so anxious now!! :)


Well, I had my first vivid BABY dream this week...except, it's not exactly the one I would have chosen for myself! I dreamt that my poor baby was born with a deformed nose :( It looks perfect in the UltraSound pictures, so I am praying it was just a nightmare! But I did dream, for the second time in the past few weeks, that she was born on October 28, 2011. That would make her exactly 2 weeks early at 38 weeks...I wouldn't be too opposed to that!! :) We will seeee!!!


I worked Sunday and Monday, then had Tuesday through Thursday off. It was sooo nice and very much needed! I relaxed ALOT while Daryl was in school. Sort of an uneventful week, I would say, though. I still get sooo aggravated at comments people make...the "Are you going to make it to 40 weeks, girl?" and "Wow, you're too early to be so swollen!". I just wanna smack 'em in the face...I am completely in LOVE with my daughter already and can't wait to meet her...but to be honest, pregnancy for me has not been fun, really. I have very oily skin, oily/flat hair, pimples everywhere, skin tags (wtf?), swollen feet that sometimes turn a really pretty hue of purple if I am on them too long in the heat, crazy hormonal mood swings, and not to mention, if I don't eat a Fiber One bar every day with Fiber One yogurt, FORGET the potty...so, that's why I want November to get here ASAP. But as my momma says, "Harder pregnancies mean easier labors, and vice versa". Hope that's true for me!! But needless to say, through it all, my husband has been soooo patient and understanding. I'm really not sure what I would do without that man   :)

Like I said, not too much exciting information from this week. Here are this week's stats...see ya at 22!!

**How far along? 21 weeks... 19 to go!!

**Total weight gain/loss: Pheeww!! Just +1.5lbs this week! ...so we'll say +20 total, give or take a pound depending on a few things <aheem> ...which I am content with right now. I hope it stays just +1 per week, now.

**How Big is Baby? 10.5 inches long and weighs 12oz... comparable to a large banana! <Alot of different websites say different weights/sizes, so I am going to stick to a certain one, now>.

**Maternity clothes? And no other!!

**Stretch marks? Unfortunately, yes...but they are the "battle wounds of pregnancy". I'll take that! haha

**Best moment this week: Just continuing to feel my precious girl kick me :)

**Movement: Yupp!! Mostly at night time, though.

**Food cravings: Chocolate milk!!

**Nausea/vomitting? Just the usual indigestion

**Gender: BABY GIRL!!!

**Labor Signs: Nope

**Belly Button in or out? In...but it's not as deep as it used to be?

**Sleep: Pretty good these days!!

**Quick note...we are all continuing to pray for my parent's dog, Fred, who went missing on Tuesday. He is not the kind of pup who runs off and doesn't come home. In fact, he knows my parents' land probably better than they do! He has heart and thyroid problems and is on daily medication for it...so, we are getting increasingly more worried. We are beginning to accept that he is most likely in Doggy Heaven, now :*( We love you  Fred Dog.**