Pregnancy: 26 Weeks

How far along? 26 weeks
 

Total weight gain/loss: +12 lbs ... yeahhhh I've almost cried a few times today. Still average for where I am in my pregnancy but really!?  6 lbs in 5 weeks... UGH... today, I will be known as "fatty" thanks Brooke! haha I love you but this is a tough pill to swallow!

 

Maternity clothes? Some, mainly wearing my stretchier clothes still 

 

Stretch marks?  Not that I've seen so far!

 

Sleep: I sleep soooooooooo well! This past week, our neighbors have been lounging on their back porch with guest all hours of the night... instead of complaining, I turn on 2 fans and Charles wears ear plugs.  But, most nights, he ends up sleeping in the front bedroom on the full size bed and I'm alone in our room.   :( 

Best moment this week: FINISHING THE HOUSE!!!  Cleaning lady should be done today, and our realtor will be there Thursday!!! Praise the Lord!

 

Miss Anything? hahaha being fit/skinny... I watched out wedding video from almost 4 years ago the other day and wished I was that tiny again :( Oh well... maybe one day!

Movement: Ohhhh yes! She's a wiggle worm!

Food cravings: Nope. Glucose test results were normal! Praise the Lord!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not at all, praise God! 

 
Have you started to show yet: Yep, officially a baby belly and not a bump.

 

Gender: Our sweet little girl :)

Labor Signs: No and they better stay away for a while

 

Belly Button in or out?  Still in, but getting flatter

 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but getting tighter!

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Bummed today... ahhh I'm VERY close to hitting 150 lbs, and that's a tough number to see for a girl that's 5'1 on a good day :(

Size of Baby:  Should be about  a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel (via baby center)

Looking forward to: Finding out when we can move into Bandon! I'm ready to get Brooke's room ready! 

21 weeks  vs 26 weeks ... +6 lbs (same shirt different pants)

If you couldn't tell... the whole weight issue is kinda bothering me this week.  Please please please pray that I would stop being stupid and GET OVER IT! haha I have never, nor will ever be a 5'9 volleyball player or a super model.  I should have never expected to be all cute and pregnant haha that's not how these genes work! I'm curvy and round... but I'll have a beautiful baby girl come November and I'm thankful for this blessing!  I see a bigger face, boobs and belly, oh well... I exercise and eat right, but I guess my body is doing what it needs to do! Thank you Lord for designing me perfectly, please help the encouragement and love from you and my husband settle into my thick skull!

Yeah, doubt I could fit my right leg in that dress today!

Good Finds: Manual Lawn Mower

Soooo as I think I've stated before... we live in a tiny house, and with a tiny house, comes a tiny yard!  We pay our HOA dues and they are "suppose" to cover landscaping but no one has mowed, blowed, trimmed or edged in a few months now so we've had to pick up the slack ourselves so it doesn't look like we live in a jungle.

Front yard.

Side yard...

Backyard...

chig-uh-chig-uh... you know the sound it makes :)

Saving the planet... and getting a workout :)

I mowed the entire lawn in about 30 minutes with my woman power :) Yep... me and Brooke got a good lil workout and the yard got a haircut!  We bought this puppy used from a couple from church.  They're pretty pricey brand new ($100) ( I think we paid $30... if that)

Anyways, I love it and I have taken this on as my new chore at the house! Why yes, I do enjoy manual labor... and saving the planet AND MONEY! haha

You Make Beautiful Things: Girls Night

SO loved... so very loved!  3 Sweet ladies from my life group had planned a normal "girls night", you know, pizza, brownies, talking and catching up... but it ended up being a surprise "CRAFT PARTY for baby Brooke"!  What a precious surprise! This was our first "shower" per say... why am I using "" a lot!? haha We had a great time eating, talking, laughing, and creating precious onesies and bows for our little lady!

Hop on over to Candice's blog Down Home Country (the hostess with the most-ess) and see her blog post of our fun night! 

Thanks so much girls! You are so special to me! Love y'all! Can't wait to see Brooke in our little creations in a few months!  Next party... TWIN BABY BOY ONESIES!!! Yes, another gal in our group is preggers with TWIN BOYS! Ohhh man will that be fun!

Pregnancy: 25 Weeks

 

 

How far along? 25 weeks
 

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure, will find out Tuesday at my next appointment.

 

Maternity clothes? Some, mainly wearing my stretchier closes though :)

 

Stretch marks?  Not any new ones. STAY AWAY!

 

Sleep: I have a really hard time falling asleep now... though I'm exhausted I can't get comfortable/cool enough to sleep.  I hate waking up in the morning... I ALWAYS hit snooze now!

Best moment this week: Spending time with my sweet niece (and sis and bro in law) It was so fun playing with her and thinking about how we'd have a little lady in our life soon!

 

Miss Anything? Not really, haha I seriously have to remind myself I'm pregnant sometimes! I do all of the same things and I really have had it so easy, I seriously take it for granted sometimes. I told Charles the other day if labor is this easy, we may have 5+ kids!

Movement: Ohhhh yes! I can finally see my stomach twitching too! The movement is very gentle though...

Food cravings: Nothing strange, I do snack a lot (fruit, trail mix, pretzels)

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not at all, praise God! I have a hard time eating an average to large dinner, it doesn't settle very easily anymore.

 
Have you started to show yet: I've got a pretty cute "Brooke Bump" if I do say so myself

 

Gender: Brooke Grayson!!!

Labor Signs: No and they better stay away for a while

 

Belly Button in or out?  Still in, but getting flatter

 

Wedding rings on or off? On 

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! God is so good! I still can't believe I'm going to be a mom... what a blessing!

Size of Baby:  Should be about 13.5 inches and about a pound an a half (via baby center)

Looking forward to:  Charles finishing grad school!!! Last summer session EVER ends friday and he has fall session and graduates DECEMBER!!! 

Pregnancy: 24 weeks and 2 days

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've been TERRIBLE at doing updates and taking pictures.  My sincerest apologies to every mom to be I've ever ragged about not taking pictures!

 It just seems like 24 hours goes by WAY TO FAST right now!  Between working 8 hours a day, commuting 1.5 hours a day, fixing up a 3,000 sqft house until 10:30ish every night, and eating/sleeping... I don't have enough time.  Pooped.  Wiped out. EXHAUSTED.  Some mornings on my way to work or during my few days a week I get a chance to take a walk during my lunch break I stop and pray and thank the Lord for this wonderful life he's blessed me with and try to soak it all in and take advantage of every opportunity.

Yes, flipping a 2,900+sqft house is WAY more difficult than we assumed it would be! THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED ON! This week, Brooke and I picked up sticks/pine cones,mowed the 1.1 acre lawn, learned how to use a weed eater/weed eated...weed ate? (VERY DIFFICULT), killed moss, pressure washed, laid lawn fabric, planted bushes, hung door knobs, replaced switch plate covers, all while Charles was busy doing his separate list of duties! Yikes! Praise the Lord for a few good friends that have helped along the way too :) WE APPRECIATE YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH! 

Anyways, you're here for a pregnancy update, not a life update!!!

23 weeks and 3 days

How far along? 24 weeks and 2 days! Glucose test at my next appointment
 

Total weight gain/loss: Gahlee, with all this manual labor I'm doing, I've probably lost a pound or stayed at 6lb gain!

 

Maternity clothes? My normal gauchos and summer dresses

 

Stretch marks?  Not any new ones... yes I already have some from puberty :(

 

Sleep: I LOVE IT, I NEED MORE OF IT! I LOVE SLEEP!

Best moment this week: Deciding we're moving!!! Yes, we own a few houses ( Tobiano - 2 bed 2 bath less than 1,000 sqft we currently live in.  Bandon - 3 bed 2 bath with bonus room (all 1 story) about 1900 sqft we currently rent out.  Bearhole - 4 bed 2 bath double wide about 2000 sqft on a permanent foundation we rent out.  And now, State Camp 5 bed 3 bath with bonus room about 2900 sqft we're flipping)  WE'RE MOVING TO BANDON Sept 1st or Oct 1st! PRAISE THE LORD!

 

Miss Anything? Walking/jogging after work.  The heat + house flipping hasn't really given me the time to unwind/relax like I'd prefer to do.

Movement: Ohhhh yes! And still mainly right at bed time! That silly girl!

Food cravings: BREAKFAST FOODS! Gosh... I LOVE breakfast foods right now!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not at all, praise God!

 
Have you started to show yet: a little bit more each day.  My torso is so short, I just look fat! haha I had a kid at church ask me Sunday, "Miss Kim, are you pregnant?"  Yes, I am... why do you ask?  "Well you use to be skinny and now you just look fat."  BLESS HIS LITTLE HEART! haha

 

Gender: Brooke Grayson!!!

Labor Signs: No and they better stay away for a while

 

Belly Button in or out?  Still in

 

Wedding rings on or off? On 

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! I'm not emotional/over emotional at all.  My hormones are totally in check, which is why I don't feel like I'm carrying a girl :) 

Size of Baby:  Should be about 13 inches and 1.25 lbs (per baby center)


Looking forward to:  Getting the State Camp house on the market! Praying fervently for a buyer!

Our soon to be home sweet home! We built this about 3 years ago :)

Flip it. Flip it Good : Paint and Carpet

Wow! It's AMAZING what fresh paint and new carpet can do to revive a house!  No, we didn't lay the carpet or paint... we had a contractor do that.  Would it have been cheaper if we did the paint... yes.  Would it have taken longer and put strain on our lives... YES! When you both work full time and one of you is getting his MBA and the other is growing a baby, you've gotta make wise choices :)

Anyways, we're about a week from being done... PRAISE THE LORD! Just exterior light fixtures, landscaping, and a deep clean and we're there!

Mudroom/Laundry room

Ready for a washer/dryer

A cute L-shaped dinette would look great here :)

Who's booty is that?

CG testing it out for leaks... there were none! Praise the Lord!

Master bedroom

Master bath

Living room

Downstairs hallway to extra bedrooms

Bathroom 2

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

From downstairs hallway looking into the living room/kitchen

Coat closet

Pantry

Steps leading to upstairs

Bonus Room

Upstairs hallway

Bathroom 3

Bedroom 4

One of the dormers in BR 4

Jack

and Jill closets between BR 4 and 5

Bedroom 5

From BR5 looking down the hallway

From hallway looking on to bonus room

23 Week Update

How far along? 23 weeks
 

Total weight gain/loss: 6 lbs, I'm trying REALLY HARD because being 5ft tall makes you look fat very easily! 

 

Maternity clothes? LOVING all of my dresses! Go me for owning tons of cotton/stretchy dresses already that will hopefully fit me through November!

 

Stretch marks? Not yet... but I fear they're coming :( OH yes, and THANKS Babycenter for the email this past week titled "What your belly will look like Post Baby" ... REALLY!?

 

Sleep: Getting SO MUCH BETTER at sleeping on my left side!!! I seriously wake up 6 times a night to pee though... haha 

Best moment this week: Realizing daily that God loves me and has blessed me with an AMAZING husband who I can't wait to be a parent with!

 

Miss Anything? Having my Greek summer tan... No time/it's so stinkin' hot! 

Movement:Still the most movement at night right before bed :)

Food cravings:Cici's Pizza buffet... though I will NEVER get to go because my husband HATES that place!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not at all, praise God!

 
Have you started to show yet: a little bit more each day

 

Gender: little lady

Labor Signs: Nope

 

Belly Button in or out? In

 

Wedding rings on or off? On 

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the times.  I have been struggling lately with Satan trying to rob me of my joy of being pregnant.  Long story but I'm working on this daily through prayer.

Size of Baby: 11in or so head to heel and about 1 pound! Grow Brooke, grow!


Looking forward to: Charles finishing grad school!! Wooooohooo December and I'll have my husband and my baby! Livin' the dream! Only 17 more weeks until we meet our little one (CRAZY)!

From our kitchen to yours: Shredded Chicken

So I saw this on Pinterest a while ago and had to give it a try.  Like most of you, I am hesitant to say that EVERYTHING I find on Pinterest is great... well this is!

Cook chicken, we were having tacos so these are fully loaded with yummy seasoning!

Place hot, to warm chicken breast directly into your stand mixer with the paddle attached. Lock head into place and turn on medium for 2-3 minutes.

Voila! Perfectly shredded chicken from the pan to the plate! SO EASY!

 

 

I can't wait to try this for homemade chicken salad and other great ideas I come up with!  It was perfect for tacos/fajitas and very easy to do :)

Pregnancy: 22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 6 lbs (I was just  guessing last week, but at my Dr. appointment the midwife was really proud of me for only gaining 6lbs!)

Maternity clothes? my normal pants with a faux belly band most days, but some pregnancy pants when I want loose, comfy clothes. My clothes are getting tighter :(

Stretch marks? Not yet... praise the Lord!

Sleep: Really good :) Still on my stomach but I'm trying to learn to sleep on my side.

Best moment this week: Hearing "perfect" like 50 times at my 15 minute 21 week OB appointment, praise God!

Miss Anything? Making a turkey sandwich for a quick, cold lunch

Movement: Yes, indeed! Normally the most when I lay down for bed :) It takes me a while to fall asleep because I don't want to miss anything!

Food cravings: Nothing odd, just normal french fries and bacon egg and cheese biscuits... not together though :)

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope
Have you started to show yet: a little bit more each day

Gender: Sweet little girl

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy!

Size of Baby: 11in head to heel Looking forward to: Putting our fixer upper foreclosure on the market!