25 Weeks

How Many Weeks: 25

Size of Baby: Eggplant

Weight Gain: Up 10-11 pounds depending on the scale

Gender: Girl! We found some girl clothes at a garage sale...score! Then we hit up Old Navy which was slightly more expensive! Lol but everything was 40% off, how do you resist that???

Movement: Yes, she's getting much more insistent! I'm pretty sure we've had a couple rounds of hiccups this week!

Sleep: Better this week I would say!

Symptoms: This week was not as crazy at work and I noticed a huge difference! I was not as sore at the end of the day. Thankful I'm not working the floor at the hospital, but dreading starting flu shots! 

Maternity Clothes: Yes, I have several work t-shirts that I wear with my scrub pants that I'm afraid are only going to last another week or two. Time to find another solution! 

Cravings: We got donuts this weekend and they hit the spot! Still on the sweets trend.

Best Moment This Week: We came up to Kansas City to spend the weekend with Kodi and Shawn. It's been great to hang out and play! We hit up garage sales, Bass Pro Shop, the Legends, the aquarium, and headed off to go bowling soon! 

Looking Forward To: A short work week is always nice! We ordered Lyle's bed, and bought mattresses yesterday. I'd love to get working on their rooms while I still have energy! 

At my sonogram this last week, a couple things had resolved that we were so happy about. There still was showing something called echogenic bowel. Which could be an indicator of something, or could be nothing. They drew some bloodwork to check for infection and we will keep doing so grams to check everything. It's in God's hands...I have to keep reminding myself! :)

Oh Hey Friday!

It's been a long time since I've done a Friday favorites post...it seems like everything has been all baby lately!  So here is my cheers to it being Friday, and my five randoms for you!

One  We are heading out after work to go to Kansas City for the weekend.  We haven't been up there since we helped my sister-in-law move in February...and that was not the most relaxing of trips (plus we didn't have Lyle, so it's been a loooong time since he's been up there!)  We don't have any definite plans (other than maybe a little garage sale-ing) but we are oh so excited to take advantage of the three day weekend and spend time with some of our favorite people!

Two We just bought this bed for Lyle.  It was so hard to decide...toddler bed...bunk beds....queen bed.  What will give us the most value for the longest period of time?  We picked this full bed with a trundle.  Guests can still use it if we need, but Lyle can have sleepovers too!  Now we can move the crib over to the new nursery.

Source

Three  I've been spending my birthday money (always a fun task!), and here are some of my goodies!

1.  Maternity skinny jeans from Motherhood Maternity
2.  New boots from Urbanog
3.  A new wallet from theruffledstitch on etsy

Four Mix and Match Mama.  I just love this gal and her blog (both about family and her recipes!)  I've made several of her recipes lately, and they have all been "good enough to make again," which is the stamp of approval in our house.  I love that they are simple, fast, and use normal ingredients that you either already have in your pantry, or you would use more than once.  A couple of our favorites: Nachos, Hawaiian Chicken, and Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.

Five The preschool that we put a lot of hard work and love into at church is starting fall classes on Tuesday.  It's fun to see the kids anxious to start back, and we are excited for the preschool to continue to grow!

And one last video for good measure.  Here is Lyle doing his "Turtle Call" at the fair a couple weeks ago.  I have no idea where he came up with it, but we were dying. 

Vacation Three

We had one day where we headed down to Charleston.  It was a beautiful town, I loved all the old colorful houses down by the water.  I was pregnant and pitiful and a bit-overheated, but it was still a beautiful place!

The shark sculpters

 One evening we went to the next town over to Murrells Inlet for seafood (aka Chicken for Kim).  Lyle had been cranky all day, only to find out he had a fever.  Poor bud.  He was better once we were out in the fresh air, and thankfully was feeling better the next day.  We walked down by the water after supper, and out onto the pier.

Posing with the pirate

Gigi and Gdad with the kids

Me and the boys

After leaving the beach on Saturday, we headed back to Mike's house in Greenville.  It was fun to see their new house and where they live.  For supper we headed to P.F. Chang's to celebrate my birthday!  My birthday always fell during beach week growing up, and it was so fun to get to celebrate there again!

Lyle rocking his new headphones and eating a donut in the airport.  Thankful for an uneventful trip home!

Vacation Two

The rest of the week was just what a beach week should be.  Relaxing.  We would eat breakfast, then head out to the beach for a few hours of sand castle building, digging, swimming, and catching up.  We would head back in for sandwiches and such for lunch.  The kids would lay down for naps (grown-ups too some days) while we read/watched TV/played games.  Then we would play, eat supper, and play some more!  And of course have fresh peaches and ice cream for dessert.  No Norris vacation would be complete without that!

"Surfing" with Uncle Mike

Making sand angels

Resting with Dad

 I love that the kids got plenty of time to play together, and with their Aunts and Uncles they don't see very often!

Snacks on the beach

Sporting our glow gear for an evening walk on the beach

Ahhhh this is the life!

Beach bum

Vacation One

We have been back for a couple weeks a month now (which actually feels like a lifetime), but I wanted to make sure I posted about our family beach trip we took.

Growing up we always made the two-day drive to North Carolina to visit my grandparents and cousins and spend a week at the beach.  We would all stay in a house together and spend our days playing in the ocean, setting up "sea-shell stores" (because who wouldn't want to buy shells from us when they could just go pick up their own free ones, right???), and playing lots and lots of putt-putt.  The beach holds a special place in my heart with a lot of precious memories.

So in my mind this was a "reunion trip" of sorts.  Time for my siblings and parents to go back to the beach, and show our families why we love it so much.  All of my brothers and sisters and families were able to come, except for my sister Kristen who was with her husband back in Arkansas getting ready to bring her sweet new twins home from the NICU.

Plane watching

We had some crazy travel issues on the way out.  Our flight out of Wichita was delayed 3-4 hours (downside: Wichita airport is tiny and has NOTHING, upside: there's not as many people so we had open hallways to play red-light green-light).  We got to Chicago, where we had to spend the night before flying out the next morning.  When they gave us hotel vouchers I specifically asked if the hotel was near the airport.  They assured me it was all within the same complex.  When we landed in Chicago we called the hotel to send the shuttle.  They said it would be about 30 min. We checked about taking a taxi, and it was going to cost at least $50, so we waited for the van.  Soon several other people from our flight showed up, waiting for the same shuttle.  When it finally got there, everybody else loaded up on the van, leaving a VERY tired pregnant woman, her VERY tired two year old son, and husband without a seat.  And nobody moved or offered.  They said they would come back, it would be about 30 min.  So we sat down to wait again.  And cry (that was me.)  We called after about 30 min and they said it would be about that long before they were back.  Cue more crying.  All I wanted was a bed. Finally we decided free voucher or not, it wasn't worth it, and got on another shuttle to the hotel that was only two minutes away.  They were nice and gave us a discounted rate.  By the time we got settled in bed it was about midnight.  We set our alarms for 4 a.m. (so depressing) and got a couple hours of sleep before heading back to the airport to catch our next flight.

Pluto makes a great pillow!

We had to add an extra leg to our travels, but finally ended up in Greensburg, SC where my family picked us up.  Unfortunately we still had four hours in the car to get to the beach.  Which wouldn't have been bad if we'd done all our flying the day before and were going on more than a couple hours of sleep.

The boys trying to bust Zoe out of the bathroom.  This was honestly within an hour of getting to the house.  They ended up having to take off the door jam...oops!

Once we got to the beach house all was well.  Our house was only a couple blocks from the beach, and each family claimed a room.  We had North Carolina barbeque for supper, and the cousins got to play.  Then we were off to bed!

Lyle and his second cousin Hannah.  

24 Weeks

How Many Weeks: 24

Size of Baby: An ear of corn

Weight Gain: Up one pound this week, so 10 pounds total. Glad I didn't continue the trend of three pounds every week! :) This week when Lyle pulled up my shirt to see my tummy and talk to baby sister, he giggles and says, "She's getting big!!!" Ha, true story bud!

Gender: Girl! Zulily.com is such a dangerous place when you are having a girl! 

Movement: Lots of moving, especially in the evening and when I get a break to sit down at my desk at work. Her kicks are getting stronger!

Sleep: Not very good this week. I don't think there was any good reason why, but I was sure glad for coffee in the morning! 

Symptoms: That annoying pain I had last pregnancy about mid-way down on my ribs and back...but only on my right side is back! I thought it was some weird thing last time, and went to the chiropractor, but it went away as soon as I had Lyle so I guess it's something I deal with in the mean time. Otherwise the same abdominal achiness, heartburn, and back pain. And being HOT all the time. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes, looking forward to cooler temperatures to expand my wardrobe a bit.

Cravings: Evenings I alternated between a Snickers Ice Cream Bar or a bowl of Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Yum. 

Best Moment This Week: Last night I got to spend time with my good friend CJ.  It was so great time to catch up, and she didn't mind at all when Lyle spent the whole time jumping from couch to couch and throwing pillows and blankets like it was his job.  We even walked to Sonic to get shakes.  Time with friends makes me heart happy.  And I don't do it near often enough!

Looking Forward To: Hopefully time to do a little shopping. We are looking for a new bed for Lyle's room so we can move the crib over to the baby's room. Hoping to hit some Labor Day sales!  We also have a sonogram on Tuesday...hoping for a great report! 

23 Weeks

How Many Weeks: 23

Size of Baby: Papaya

Weight Gain:  Up 9 pounds.  That means I gained three pounds this week.....probably because I was STARVING! Basically exactly like this clip.  Haha.

Gender:  Girl, Girl, Girl!

Movement:  Lots of kicking, getting stronger.  She likes to kick the counter at work, it must be right in the way when I lean against it.

Sleep:  Pretty good this week.  I turn over a lot to get comfortable again, but I don't stay awake so that's great.

Symptoms:  I use my heating pad for a few minutes at night and that seems to help my back.  Add heartburn to the list of symptoms this week. :( Time to start carrying Tums with me again.

Maternity Clothes:  I got some new clothes with birthday money: a pair of jeans, leggings, some shirts.  So fun to have a few new things to wear!

Cravings:  Sweets again this week.  Apparently I need to be careful, ha!  This week it was strawberry cheesecake ice cream ( my absolute favorite), a chocolate chip cookie pie from Pizza Hut with milk, and birthday treats at work!

Best Moment This Week:  Not having to be anywhere this week!  Lyle came down with hand, foot, mouth disease this week.  A big thanks to his Grammy for watching him most of the week, and to Z for staying home with him a day too.  He just had sores on his face around his mouth, so not as bad as most get it!  A little fussy at the beginning, but overall I think he felt pretty normal.

Looking Forward To:  My regular doctor apt. is this week (the first time I will get to see my regular doctor since my first apt, since she's been on maternity leave).  I've got some random questions to ask, and curious to see where I'm measuring.

 

Lyle wanted to get in on the belly pictures! :) 

22 Weeks

How Many Weeks: 22

Size of Baby: Spaghetti Squash

Weight Gain:  Up six pounds overall.

Gender:  A sweet baby girl!  Oh I am loving all the cute girl things!  Trying to resist buying everything I see!

Movement:  Lots more kicks, definitely strong enough to feel from the outside.  All of her kicks are down low...I think I am carrying a lot lower this time than with Lyle.

Sleep:  Fine, just not enough of it!

Symptoms:  My back, stomach, and feet were sooorre this week!  I'm sure it was due to a crazy work week, then having things in the evening that kept me on my feet.

Maternity Clothes:  Yes. My regular work-out shorts are getting tight, but it's too late in the summer to make it worth buying more.

Cravings:  I feel like my appetite has gone crazy this week!  I'm definitely craving sweets right now.  I got fried pickles and homeade ice cream at our county fair.....pregnant lady heaven!

Best Moment This Week:  Being done with fair week!  Days at work were crazy, then most nights we had to be at the fair for something...setting up our Preschool booth, Zach's seed company booth, and helping with the photography entries.  A couple nights were spent making pies, and Saturday we were up early to run the preschool fundraiser breakfast, and back in the afternoon for our Outreach ministry to hand out pies and water during the parade.  Whew!

Looking Forward To:  A week of nothing!  It is so nice to come home in the evening and be able to sit down!  Trying to catch up on laundry, send out preschool back-to-school packets, and my house desperately needs to be cleaned!  That house cleaning is just going to have to wait! :)

19-20-21 Weeks

Sorry people!  We have not been home on a weekend for over a month, so you get a combined version of the last few weeks!  And no pictures...oops!  I have a post of our vacation coming, so you can see a couple bumps in there. :)

How Many Weeks: 19
Size of Baby: Mango
Weight Gain:  The same this week.  Up two pounds overall.
Gender.  We finally know!  But it's a secret just a bit longer until we tell all our family.
Movement:  Yes, this baby likes to flutter around!
Sleep:  Not great this week.
Symptoms:  So my doctor said that is was probably not round ligament pain I've been feeling, but stretching around my c-section scar.  She said some women have to take pain medicine because it can be so uncomfortable.  Here's to hoping mine won't be anywhere near that bad!
Maternity Clothes:  I found a cute maxi dress on super sale at Target, so I'm excited to wear it at the beach this week!
Cravings:  Sweets this week.  Also, I got Fazoli's to bring home after my doctor apt. on Monday and ordered a dozen bread sticks with my pasta.  Oh my goodness they were amazing.
Best Moment This Week:  Finding out pink or blue!  So so exciting! :)
Looking Forward To:  We are off to a week at the beach in South Carolina with my family.  Can't wait for time to relax and catch up!

How Many Weeks: 20 - We are halfway there!!!
Size of Baby:
Weight Gain:  Up three pounds total
Gender:  Still no official reveal yet.  It was fun to let all our family guess, then see their reactions!
Movement: It's the best feeling!
Sleep:  This week at the beach was great....no alarm to wake up to, optional nap time in the afternoon.  Why can't life always be like that??
Symptoms: I felt like a wimp...after a couple hours in the sun I was wiped!  We had some cloudy days which were perfect.  I definitely was feeling stretching with my scar this week.
Maternity Clothes:  Lived in my swimsuit and shorts and tanks this week.  It was the first time I was able to wear flip-flops and a tank top in the airport and not die a frozen death!
Cravings:  We had fresh peaches and ice cream almost every night (a beach tradition) this week.  Heavenly.
Best Moment This Week:  Seeing my son enjoy all the things about a family beach vacation that I loved so much as a child.  It was so fun for him to have time to play with his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents!
Looking Forward To:  It's always hard for vacation to end, but at the same time it's nice to be back home.  Although the next couple weeks are full to the brim!

How Many Weeks: 21
Size of Baby: Banana
Weight Gain:  Forgot to weigh in...sorry!
Gender:  We put this picture out on Facebook to announce the gender.  Perfect, right?  Can't believe we are having a little girl!  So exciting!
Movement:  Both Zach and Lyle got to feel baby girl moving this week.  When Lyle felt it, he said, "Do it again!" hah
Sleep:  Some nights better than others!
Symptoms: I was tired this week!  It took quite a bit to get back into the swing of work, then I was trying to get through the loads of laundry so my family would have clothes to wear!  My back has been pretty achy too lately.
Maternity Clothes.  Still trying to get use out of my t-shirts while they fit.  Busted out my maternity scrubs for work.
Cravings:  After indulging in vacation food, I need to get back on track!  Cookies are becoming a  much too regular part of my diet!
Best Moment This Week:  We are out at Camp Mennoscah this weekend for a church retreat.  It's always a fun weekend of catching up, good teaching, watching the kids play in the river, and hilarious minute-to-win-it games.
Looking Forward To:  One more crazy week of our local fair.  Trying to balance setting up fair booths, baking pies, serving pancakes, and marching in the big (haha) parade, after working a crazy week.  Hopefully I don't lose my mind by the end of it.  You can find me taking a seven hour nap on Sunday.