7 months down, Less than 3 to go!

What a week it has been!  I have been dealing with some sort of head cold while also being 28 weeks pregnant.  I have not been able to sleep for the last four nights consistently.... you know those nights when you see every hour on the clock?!.......that is the week I have had!  I think the head cold by itself would have been enough but add to that my growing size, and I am just not able to get comfortable when I sleep.  I told Zack this morning before he headed off to work that I might need to invest in a SECOND body pillow so I can wedge one behind my back and have one to hug for my stomach and legs.  I know he is really excited about the potential of adding another large pillow to our bed.  Before long, he might only get a corner of the bed to sleep on. ;)

Other than that, the week has been pretty normal.  We were able to leave work early yesterday because of the ice that came through about 1:00 p.m.  I laid on the couch watching episodes of "Psych" that our friends, Chris and Bri, had given to us!  The show is so funny, and it felt wonderful to come home early and put some comfy clothes on.

Zack finished painting the dresser last weekend, and we moved it upstairs on Sunday.  Here are some before and after pictures.  The pictures don't do the dresser justice...... I am so impressed with the final product.  I have already lined the drawers with shelf paper and placed the clean baby clothes I have received in the drawers.

Before

After

You can also see that we have unpacked the travel system so we have the stroller and car seat ready to go.  We will wait a little longer before putting the car seat in the car.  :)

This week, I have arranged a hospital tour for February 7th so we know where to go when Baby Houston decides he is ready to greet the world.  Also, I met with someone who does at home childcare.  I am really excited about this opportunity.  She seems very knowledgeable and experienced, and I like that it is a small group of children of varying ages (Baby Houston would be the youngest with a 1 year old and 4 year old).  The house is about 15 minutes from our house and very convenient to get to work.  My friend from work recommended her, and my friend's one year old also goes to this person.  A personal recommendation means so much!  These are the toughest decisions..... where will my child go while I am at work?..... I feel very good about this opportunity.

And for your viewing pleasure..... here are some pictures from last weekend's youth activities.

Trevor thought that Tex and Shirley's was a jewelry store rather than a restaurant so we kept joking him that the commercial should say, "He went to Tex and Shirley's" rather than "He went to Jared's".  I am somewhat mocking him in this picture. ;)

Tex and Shirley's is a restaurant....... as you can see from the picture below.  We had the best breakfast.  I had pineapple pancakes, and the waiter gave us FREE bacon! :)

Below we are testing out Just Dance 2 on the Wii.  My favorite song to dance to is "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne.  The boys are dancing to that song in this picture!  

We also had an intense ping pong tournament......I lost in the first round!

Finally, here is my coaching attire from the youth-staff basketball game on Sunday night.  The youth lost by 1 point, but I was very proud of the determination and heart that each of the players had.  We had about 20 youth that were playing..... the trickiest part for me was making sure I substituted everyone in so they had the same amount of playing time.  Our friend, Chris, (in the background) is making fun of "Preg Meg".  ;)  My brother in law, Boomer, let me borrow his jersey for the event!

Baby Houston's First Snow

"Its SNOWING!!!"  I have always loved hearing that phrase! Growing up, I would get so excited when I saw a few flurries before I went to bed.  Imagine how excited I got the next morning when our yard and neighborhood would be covered in snow, and my parents would say "no school today!"  I remember the first winter I lived in North Carolina after moving from Florida, we didn't have sleds and other winter weather gear yet.  We used pool rafts as we made a path going down the back hill of our yard.  There is something about having the day off from school and feeling like you have no where to be but enjoying the winter weather.  

Even as an adult, I still get excited about the thought of a snow day.  And last night was no different!  We met my sister and brother in law for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and when we left the parking lot to head home, there was snow sticking to the road, the sidewalks, and the grass.  Not long after, we heard that we didn't have school today.  Zack was supposed to be at a meeting for work that was also cancelled so we have enjoyed a day around the house.  When I say "enjoyed", that might be an exaggeration.  I decided I would go ahead and clean the house and wash some of the baby clothes we have already received.  They will be ready to be put in the dresser once Zack finishes it, and I am able to put shelf paper in the drawers.  Zack helped me with the cleaning today, and we are going to attempt to put together our travel system that we got for Christmas from Zack's mom sometime later today.  

We took a break and enjoyed the snow for a bit.  Zack refused to be in a picture, but I think he likes our new camera so much that he now likes to take action shots (some of these action shots were included in our Savannah trip from an earlier post).  As you know, I am not really up for "candid" shots.... I always prefer to be smiling when I have a picture taken..... but this has been quite entertaining to Zack so I am including a few.  Even though Baby Houston has a few more months until his arrival, we like to think that he enjoyed his first snow with his mommy, daddy, and favorite pup, Burke. 

 27 Weeks Today..... Third Trimester Here I Come!

This weekend I was supposed to be chaperoning a youth retreat in Boone.  They received about 8 inches of snow at the place we were planning to stay so instead we are having a local youth retreat tomorrow where we will be able to go bowling, maybe catch a movie, and definitely have a game night.  I think we will be eating some delicious food as well!  On Sunday, we have an annual youth-staff basketball game.  Typically, I play on the staff team against the youth since we help out in Sunday School, etc.  This year, I will be coaching the youth team.  It should be interesting..... considering I don't have much in-depth knowledge of basketball!  Stay tuned!

Baby "Thunderbolt" Houston has been very active the last two or three days. He woke me up in the middle of the night for the first time with a kick or a punch or something.  I am loving that I can feel him move and that Zack is able to feel him move as well!  We continue to pray for a healthy baby who will arrive in April!

Friends

I am so thankful for my friends.  They have been calling to check on me or texting me to see how "Thunderbolt" aka Baby Houston is doing.  Some of you have been sending comments through this blog and lifting my spirits when I hear just a few words from you!  Also, I have been able to borrow many of my maternity clothes from my friends.  I received clothes from one of my best friends that I have known since elementary school, one of my best friends from college, two friends from church, and a friend from work.  I have looked so "fashionable" through this whole experience thanks to these friends, and I have been able to save tons of money on these clothes!  So far I have been able to alternate outfits so that I am not wearing the same pants or same shirt multiple times in a week! I have heard that it might get to that point towards the end when it is difficult to find things that fit.  My friend from work also gave me a HUGE bag of boy clothes for the early months.  She has a little boy that was born in August so she is handing me down all the clothes that her son has already outgrown.  I just want to say thank you to these friends.  You know who you are, and I appreciate your generosity and kindness.  You have made the pregnancy so much more enjoyable through your words of advice and sharing of your belongings. 

Picture at 26 Weeks (shirt from Lindsey and pants from Kim) :)

A funny story:  one friend made me laugh out loud a couple days ago with her email.  She absolutely loves Dr. Seuss, and she knew that my sister is planning on throwing me a baby shower on Dr. Seuss' birthday.  Now, if you know my friend Ashley, she loves anything Dr. Seuss and probably has every costume ever created for a Dr. Seuss character.  She wanted to know if the shower could be a Dr. Seuss themed shower.  I had to "break the news" to her that this shower would probably not have a theme other than "ITS A BOY", but if we were doing costumes I would send everyone to see her.  What I love most about Ashley is that she finds humor and joy in the little things.  If you are reading this blog, please say a prayer for her family at this time.  Her oldest son, Cutter, has been dealing with seizures from a very young age.  And now at the age of 3, he will be having brain surgery to help correct the occurrence of these seizures.  The surgery was originally scheduled for this week, but due to Cutter having the flu, the first surgery is rescheduled for March 13th.   Thank you for your prayers!  P.S.  Happy Birthday Ashley!  (She turns the BIG 3-0 on Monday!)

25 Weeks

I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday of this week, and Baby Houston is doing great!! I am growing at a good rate, and his heart rate is in the 140s.  The crazy thing is that when I scheduled the appointment for my next check up, I was informed that I will start coming every two weeks from then on.  This means that Baby Houston is coming in just a few short months.  At my next appointment, I will also have my glucola test to see about gestational diabetes.  I am hopeful that there will be no concerns in this department.  We continue to pray for a healthy baby and healthy mommy through this process. :)  Zack's mom and Dan brought a dresser yesterday that we are going to use as a dresser/changing table.  It is the perfect size for the nursery, and Zack has big plans for how he will paint the dresser to match the color scheme in the room.  Also, we were busy cleaning out a few miscellaneous closets in our house, trying to identify things that could be given to the Goodwill and ways to organize these spaces a little better so it was easier to grab things when needed.  We are officially "nesting" as we know that Baby Houston is coming THIS year!! It seemed so far in the future when we were still in 2012 but now that we have officially begun 2013.....we know this new arrival is coming soon.

Week 25 Pictures.....