Sunday, June 17, 2018

A Letter to My Baby

Dear Brantley, 

As we come down to the last final weeks of you being in mommy's tummy, I wanted to write you a letter. In the beginning of my pregnancy with you, we went through a few big scares together. It was scary & I worried about you so much but you proved early on that you are a fighter. As the weeks went by, you continued to grow & so did my heart. 
I prayed to God every single day that you would continue to grow strong & healthy and stay put until it was close to your due date. 

In the beginning when I felt you move, it felt like you were a tiny little butterfly. You started to get bigger and stronger & no longer felt like a butterfly but more like a karate instructor. When you move around in my tummy, I will give you a little poke and you always poke me back... almost like you're telling me that everything is still going alright in there. You moving all around is my most favorite part of being pregnant with you - something just you & I experience together and no one else. 

With every kick & punch from you, I cannot help but daydream about what you will look like - will you look like me or will you look like your daddy? So far you're proving that you have your daddy's gene's because you're a big boy which means you might get to meet us a little sooner than we planned. 

While you've been in my tummy, I've tried my very best to keep you safe & healthy and I promise to do the same thing when you are welcomed into my arms.

We promise lots of things but here are a few...
... to always keep your safe & protect you from evil.
... to make you laugh & strive to keep you happy.
... to accept & love you for who you are.
... to always be in your corner.

You're a dream come true, Brantley. We cannot wait to meet you.


Our Baby Shower for Brantley

Our baby shower was a day that I looked forward to for so long. A day where we celebrate our baby boy with the people we love & who love our baby. My mom planned the entire party & she did the most wonderful job - it was purley adorable for a baby boy. She handmade all the decorations & setup everything so beautifully. 

It was a day that I know Kevin & I will never forget. We are so blessed with the most amazing family & friends. We got so many wonderful gifts that we cannot wait to put to use when Brantley is here.




























Maternity Photos

Maternity photos were something I knew that I had to have when I got pregnant. I found Pink Shutter Photography & booked our session immediately. Kevin & I hadn't had professional photos taken together since our wedding - 8 years ago so this was extra special for us to do. 

I'll be honest, about a week before the photoshoot I almost cancelled because I wasn't feeling my best. I was getting quite large & the aches/pains of the third trimester were starting to get the best of me. Looking back, I am so glad that I didn't cancel because these are photos that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I truly love them so much & damn is my husband good looking. 

Our photos were taken when I was 29 weeks & 4 days pregnant. Here are some of my favorites... 

















Thank you Jesus for this sweet blessing. 

All photography was done by Pink Shutter Photography. 

Second Trimester Wrap Up (22wks. - 27wks.)

I thought blogging during pregnancy would be a piece of cake ... turns out that it isn't that easy after all. So before this baby makes his arrival I wanted to play a bit of catch up so here is a general second trimester wrap up. 

How far along?  
22 weeks through 27 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  
Lost 12 pounds -- 125
Gained back too many pounds -- mid 150's

Maternity clothes?  
Maternity pants during this second trimester are a total must besides lounge pants - I have been squeezing my big ass into non-maternity. As for maternity shirts, I can still fit into a lot of my small & medium flowy non-maternity tops but I am definitely reaching for my comfy maternity shirts instead. 

Sleep: 
Sleep is hard. The bigger & heavier my belly gets the worse it seems. And the bathroom is my best friend at night time. Seems every 3 hours I need to sit on the pot -- where the heck does it all come from? I don't get it. 

Best moments from second trimester:  
Continuing to feel my sweet baby boy move around. 
Our bi-weekly appointments - I love hearing his heartbeat & just being assured that all these crazy hormones & aches/pains are normal. 
Passing my glucose test - I was worked up & it wasn't bad at all. 

Have you told family and friends: 
A long time ago ! They are all so pumped & cannot wait until he is here.  

Miss Anything?  
Being able to shave my legs & actually see where I am shaving. All I have to say is... God should have stopped hair growth during pregnancy not amp it up. 
Fitting into small clothes & feeling 'normal' and not having so much pain.  
The flexibility to easily cut & paint my toenails.   
A nice, chilled, ice coca cola or Dr. Pepper. 

Movement:
Absolutely. 
He is super active all the time. Everytime he moves I feel at east & thank God for this angel of mine. He also has been getting the hiccups which is such a crazy feeling. Kevin was able to feel & he thought it was the craziest!!  
 
Food cravings:  
Chick Fil A Fries & Sauce 
Iced Sprite 

I haven't had too many consist cravings -- it seems to change all the time. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: 
Raw & Cooked Meat. 
Veggies. 

Have you started to show yet:  
Haha !! Just call me big momma. I love this growing belly of mine. It is strange because even though I feel uncomfortable & still unsure of all these sudden changes with my body, I feel like I feel the most secure that I have felt in a long time. I kind of feel like I can wear what I want, when I want & it is okay. 

Gender prediction: 
Sweet baby boy !! 

Labor Signs: 
Lots of braxton hicks contractions but no actual signs of labor.  

Belly Button in or out? 
It is only a matter of time before it pops out. I am also getting the linea nigra line on my tummy - it is pretty light in color still but definitely starting to show. 

Wedding rings on or off? 
On

Happy or Moody most of the time: 
Per usual my moods are all over the place. I could be smiling and crying all at the same time.

Looking forward to:
Keeping this sweet baby cooking until it is close to his due date. 
Seeing how much more my belly can grow as we enter the third trimester. 
Continuing to get things ready in his room. 
Our baby shower. 
Our maternity photos. 
Our mini vacation to beach condo. 
And just feeling him move constantly. 

Here are some pictures: