bump progress....

 

Thought I would just post the "bump" pics I've taken so far to see the progress.  I hadn't compared any of them side-by-side before and I was kind of shocked at the difference - especially between 29 weeks and 33 weeks.  I knew I felt a little bigger, but that's when people really started saying something at work.  Before then nobody had really said anything - I guess it's that whole "you don't want to ask if somebody's pregnant in case they aren't" thing.  Now I see the difference that they were seeing.  And it was definitely safe to assume I wasn't just getting fat.

 

Only about three more weeks to go!!!!

 

 

 

22 Weeks

 

29 Weeks

33 Weeks

36 Weeks

 

Is it just me, or does the 33-week bump look bigger than the 36-week bump?  Maybe just zoomed in a little more on 33?!

Popeyes

A couple weeks ago driving home fom Target I noticed something REALLY exiting.  A Popeyes was "coming soon."  Seriously?!

Popeyes is a fast-food chicken restaurant similar to KFC but WAY better - they have spicy chicken and mashed potatoes with cajun gravy and cajun fries and red beans and rice (plus a whole lot more, but those are my faves)!!!  Our family was first introduced to it visiting Arlen when he lived in Georgia.  In fact, "popeyes" was one of my nephew Jace's first words.  Not kidding.  So it's something we always look forward to when traveling because there are no Popeyes this far north.  Until now.  And so close to our house.

This location opened last Monday, so we first attempted to go there for dinner on Friday night.  Big mistake.  The drive-through line was ridiculous so we decided to go in.  As we were walking in, people we were walking out saying they weren't even taking orders becaue they were too busy.  But we forged on.  It was true.  The place was a madhouse.  So we decided to just come back another time, maybe in a few days or weeks, when the newness had worn off.

Who are we kidding?  We tried again the next day!  We had to make a Target run on Saturday, so we decided to just wait out the drive-through line.  It actually didn't take too long.  I looked up the menu on my phone as we waited so we would be prepared!  I think the whole wait took about 15 minutes.

getting closer....

 



 

i swear - every time he knows i'm taking a picture this is the face i get.  but we had finally made it to the window so it was pretty exciting!!



 

I believe there are a total of six Popeyes opening around the Twin Cities area - they have taken over a bunch of empty KFC locations.  So if you haven't had Popeyes - hopefully there's one coming soon to your neck of the woods!  Yum-yum!

Baby Reeser - 32 Weeks

i'm a little late in getting this posted, but another doctor's appointment means another update on lincoln!  we had our 32-week appointment friday afternoon.  i can't believe how fast time is flying and I'm sure we will continue to fly through the next month and a half.  i'm kind of really starting to get nervous about the whole labor and delivery part.  yikes. 

probably my biggest fear (well, besides the pain) is knowing when it's going to happen.  i plan on working up until my due date depending on how I'm feeling, so I'm starting to get nervous about my water breaking in court or having contractions/going into labor at work.  also we're trying to plan hal's summer schedule.  he usually works about 4-5 different football camps, but they're mostly all in june, so it's been hard to figure out what to do.  right now he's signing up for them and i guess will just have to cancel depending on when lincoln decides to make his grand entrance.  i just hope he's not on the football field in madison, wisconsin when I go into labor!!  and we're just really praying that he comes on June 17th. 

here's the update:

total weight gain - 25 lbs.  ugh.

maternity clothes -  same old stuff.  i hope my co-workers don't notice that i've been wearing the same couple of outfits over and over and over....but i just really can't get myself to buy anything else when there's just a few short weeks left. 

sleep - still a little uncomfortable trying to get to sleep.  i've woken up a couple times during the night this past week, go to the bathroom and then just lay there.......and lay there.  i've read about insomnia during the third trimester, and i'm not sure i would say it's THAT bad, but i hate not being able to just fall right back to sleep. 

best moments of the week - not technically this week, but we finally got the crib set up and the mobile attached - it's so cute!!  mom & dad were also here this weekend and mom and i got the "lincoln" banner hung above the crib and another set of frames put up.  everything is starting to come together!! 

(in case you can't read the print in the middle frame, it says "love at first sight")

my parents got back from Florida on Thursday night and stayed for a couple days!!  i just LOVE having them here. 

and.....the chapel put on a baby shower for us on Saturday afternoon.  everything was so nice and we got more cute stuff for Lincoln.  we have been so blessed by everyone's love and generosity - it is truly humbling!

miss anything - still the whole bending over thing.  it's such a chore to put on socks and shoes (thankfully it's finally flipflop season). i was going to make Hal clip my toenails the other day, but just as he agreed to do it i was having doubts as to what kind of job he would do - so i managed to kick my foot up on a chair so it would be easier for me to reach, and i got the job done myself. 

movement - he is still moving around like crazy in there.  it's so fun to feel.  the other night at prayer meeting he was really going crazy.  i could see my belly moving in and out as he rolled around.  i SO can't wait to meet my little baby boy!!

food craving - still nothing in particular.  but if i see a commercial for a restaurant or food my mouth starts to water!  and sometimes during the day i'll randomly think of something weird - like today it was applesauce - and think "oh that sounds SO good."  but it's usually something i forget about in a few hours, so nothing i've ever acted on.  we don't have any crazy stories of me making hal get up in the middle of night and run to the store for ice cream or chips or anything like that.  i've been relatively "normal."

bump - here's lincoln....

gender - BOY!  Lincoln James Reeser!!  i got my first "judgment" about his name.   last week as i was going through the checkout line at target, the teenage male cashier asked if i was having a boy or girl, i told him boy.  then he asked if we had any names picked out, so i told him his name is lincoln.  the clerk just paused and then said, "hmm, that's interesting.  it's......different."  hahaha.  okay, kid.

belly button - still a little bit in.  but just barely.

wedding rings - still hanging in there.  my fingers get pretty swollen after a day of typing in a hot, stuffy courtroom, but other than that everything is still fitting.

looking forward to - june.  i'm not trying to wish my life away or anything like that, but i just really can't believe it's may tomorrow and we just have this last month to get through before we can meet lincoln.  i still feel like we have a lot to get organized and ready before he comes, but i know what needs to get done will and i'm just excited to see my baby (and - let's be honest - not having to work for a few months)!!

Friday Night Fun

So we had a little bit of a scare on Friday night and ended up spending a few hours in the hospital.  But I'll say upfront that everything is all fine and normal - so don't worry.

I got home from work a little after 5:00 and Hal was still on his way home from an all-day football clinic.  I had picked up dinner and we planned on spending the evening just relaxing and watching the St. Louis Cardinals game on TV. 

When I got home I let Libby out of her kennel and got her on the leash to do her business.  There were a few geese wandering around the yard, but Libby was pretty calm about it all so I wasn't too worried.  I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention though because almost as soon as she hit the grass she just took off like a light after them - I'm actually surprised she didn't pull my shoulder out of socket she took off so hard.  I'm not sure at what point I actually let go of the leash, but I was already being pulled so hard and could not stop.  I felt like I ran for awhile before I actually hit the ground, but I just couldn't stop myself.  I landed directly on my belly, hands and knees.  I think I was already screaming and crying before I landed because Libby was right back at my side by the time I hit the ground.  When I got up I was literally seeing stars - pretty scary.  I've never had that happen before.

My main concern was obviously Lincoln and the fact that my doctor had told me to be careful of any trauma to the belly because we don't want my blood to mix with his.  I made it back to the house crying and yelling at Libby - I'm pretty sure I was the definition of a hot mess.  I tried calling Hal but he wasn't picking up.  I guess I'm not sure what he could do from his car anyways.  So I called the Health Partners nurse line.  While I was on hold with them Hal got home.  The nurse on the phone thought I was probably okay since there was no pain or bleeding or nausea, but she called the hospital for me and they thought I should come in just to be safe.  So we headed to the hospital.  I thought we would just get a little checkup and maybe an ultrasound to make sure Lincoln was still doing okay, but when we got set up in our room they said they would have to monitor me for at least four hours.  Sounds like a great way to spend a Friday night to me!!  Ha!

It all went pretty fast though - I got to order a little pizza from the cafe since I hadn't eaten anything since lunch.  We had a great time watching Wheel of Fortune, Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons (perfect night in my book - no ESPN!!)  They took some bloodwork and just monitored both me and Lincoln on a machine.  Everyone that came in the room said, "wow, he's an active little guy!"  Yes.  Yes, he is.  And I was never more thankful to hear that!  They let us go home around 9:30 after everything checked out fine.  Praise the Lord!  Now hopefully we won't be back until some time in June!  But at least we know where to go!!

Baby Reeser - 29 Weeks!

Last Friday we had our 28-week appointment.  It was a lot longer than usual since I had to take the dreaded glucose test with the super-sugary drink and then wait an hour to draw blood.  But everything turned out fine.  Whew.  I also got a few shots  - TDAP (tetanus, diptheria and pertussis) and a shot of rhogam.  Since I have RH-negative blood it's to protect my blood from attacking Lincoln's blood in case he doesn't share the same blood type as his momma.  I may need another shot after delivery depending on what type of blood Lincoln has.  So I was a little tender this weekend, but nothing we can't handle.

I did get a call on Monday that my iron was low, so I'm trying really hard to remember my iron supplement every day and eat more iron-rich foods!  Other than that, everything was all normal and we're set until we go back in another couple of weeks!

Here's the latest with me and Lincoln.......

total weight gain - 20 lbs.  yikes!  and sadly it's probably a little more than that since I'm not sure of what my actual starting weight was.  this was from my first weigh-in at the doctor until now.  guess i'll be hitting the workouts hard this summer!

maternity clothes - got a few new tops and dresses for work this week.  have really been getting sick of wearing the same few clothes over and over to work.  but we're on the home stretch now, so hopefully i don't have to do too much more shopping.  at home it's just sweatpants, tshirts, and hal's sweatshirts!  love being comfy!

sleep - starting to get a little uncomfortable when i'm trying to get to sleep - tossing and turning - but once i get there i'm good to go for the night!  i have been waking up about an hour before my alarm to use the bathroom, but that's about it.  still loving my sleep!

stretch marks - still nothing that i've noticed!  yay!

best moment of the week - we had our first baby shower last weekend in Baudette hosted by my sweet Ballard cousins.  they thought of absolutely everything and it was perfect!  we got some really cute stuff and everything is really starting to feel real!!

check out this super cute blanket that we got from my Block cousins, Jill and Katie.  we LOVE it!  the "Lil' Chief" part is the best - Hal's favorite of course.  all of Hal's friends call him "Chief" so it fits perfectly!

my mom also made us the most adorable boy blanket ever - i just forgot to get a picture of it.  we didn't have room in our car to bring everything back with us (since the dog takes up the entire back seat) so we won't be getting the rest of our stuff for a couple weeks when my parents come down to fly out to Florida!!


miss anything - bending over without groaning.  and taking a flight of stairs without sucking for air by the time i get to the top. 

movement - Lincoln is definitely moving around in there.  it's so fun to feel him throughout the day.

food craving - nothing unusual or crazy.

anything making you sick/queasy - i really thought this would go away after the first trimester, but i still get really gaggy when i smell something stinky (like a fart).  i seriously almost throw up.  i don't remember being like this too much before pregnancy - unless it was really bad - but maybe this is just something that isn't ever going to go away.

have you started to show yet - this is what we're looking like these days.....

gender - BOY.  Lincoln James Reeser.

belly button in/out - it's still in there, but barely it seems like.  give it a few more weeks and it will be even if not out a little bit.

wedding rings on/off - on.

happy or moody most of the time - the last few days i've been kind of an emotional basketcase.  i could probably cry at the drop of a hat and then not be able to stop.  i don't know what my problem is and Hal probably thinks i should be committed.  but this too shall pass (hopefully soon!)

looking forward to - the weekend!!  not that my job is stressful at all, but hello sleeping in!!!  and looking forward to enjoying the beautiful sunny spring weather we've been having - i love it!

On the home stretch....

We have officially entered the third trimester this week.  Yikes!  Less than 90 days until our special delivery (well, according to the due date anyways...).

I have our 28-week appointment next Friday so hopfully I'll have more of an update by the end of next week. It's been since the beginning of February since our last appointment so it feels like it's been awhile. They said to expect to be there for a good hour and a half this time - they'll be doing a glucose test and a bunch of bloodwork. Yay.

 

 

But in the meantime, I'm soooo looking forward to getting to babysit the cutest little girl that ever did exist - my niece, Britta - this weekend!!!!  Darby and De are coming down for the weekend to see some of his old friends, so I get to babysit.  Yay.  We don't have anything planned yet, but I'm sure we'll have a blast!!

Catching up.

Thought it was about time to catch you all up on what's going on in our world.  And.........we're done.  Okay, just kidding - but seriously, not too much has been happening as of late.

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, my parents came for the weekend.  It was SO NICE to have them here - it had been since last summer since their last visit!!  Way too long.  And we had a great time.  I had a list of projects for the boys and mom and I went shopping.  That's fair, right?!? 

We all got a lot done.  Mom and I finished our baby registry at Target and Babies-R-Us, which is so nice to get that out of the way.  It was really hard for me to know really what we needed versus what is just nice to have but you don't really need.  Meanwhile, dad and Hal made a fair amount of trips to Menards, fixed a leaky toilet, remodeled our closet, and hung blinds in the window.  Unfortunately, since mom and I were gone during most of their work time, this is the only picture I got.

Saturday night we went out to one of our new favorite restaurants - Osaka Sushi & Hibachi.  It was soooo yummy, and pretty entertaining too!!

 

 

 

 

The place was pretty crowded, and we ended up waiting almost a half hour (it seemed) for our bill.  Some of us got a little antsy!

 

While mom and I were looking through Babies-R-Us and trying to decide on crib bedding, mom decided she could just as easily make a crib skirt and bumper since there wasn't really a set that I loved.  Yay.  So I went back to Joann's this past week during their "coupon commotion" and picked out some fabric for mom to make a valance for the room, a crib skirt and the bumper.  I can't wait to see it all put together!

Last night while I was making dinner the doorbell rang.  And look what we got!!!  Mom and dad got us our crib!!  I am beyond excited and can't wait to start putting it together.  Or I mean, for Hal to start putting it together!  hehe.  Maybe that will be our project for this coming weekend......

And, finally, just an update on the little fella growing in my belly.  He's as big as a cucumber this week!!  I thought that was pretty big, but when I showed it to Hal, he was like, "wow, he has some growing to do!"

I'm starting to, not really freak out, but just getting a little anxious maybe that it's coming fast!!   He'll be here in less than 14 weeks, Lord willing!  The first 14 went really fast it seemed like.  Ahhhh!!

 

Oh, and one other exciting little tid bit - I've been feeling Lincoln so much more lately.  I love it!  It's like ever since they told me I had an anterior placenta, I have felt more and more movement.  And the other night we even felt him move from the outside.  It was SO exciting!!!  We've been able to feel it twice since then from the outside.  But all of those times have been when we're in bed.  I sure hope this doesn't mean he thinks it's okay to be awake when it's bedtime.