Lots to be thankful for!

I love this picture of the six of us! We had such a great thanksgiving this year and had so much to be thankful for, especially our growing girl! My mom has hosted Thanksgiving dinner for as long as I can remember. She is such a great cook and makes it all look so easy - even when cooking a 22lb turkey!

I made this pecan pie for dessert and used these cute pie crust cutters from William Sonoma to make the crust.

 

Now on to Christmas planning! I can't believe how fast this year flew by!

Date Night, Nesting and Eggplants!

 Heading out to dinner to celebrate 24 weeks!

My poor husband - LOL - I have been making him rearrange furniture, rip out landscaping, scrub the outside of our house and move rugs for the past few weeks. I thought I was going crazy until it dawned on me that I am nesting!

Here's what "What to Expect When You're Expecting" has to say about it:

That Nesting Instinct During Pregnancy

Reorganizing the closets, alphabetizing the spice rack, and thwarting dust-bunny breeding efforts under the bed? Welcome to a pre-labor ritual that helps get your home ready for the baby, and helps you pass the time. 

Mother hamsters do it. Mama cats and dogs do it. Expectant birds do it. And, if you’re like many human moms-to-be, you’re doing it, too, these days: preparing your "nest" for your soon-to-arrive baby. Though it’s fortunately not manifested in the same behaviors (you’re more likely to recycle that pile of newspapers than shred them or reach for the feather duster rather than the feathers), the nesting instinct in humans can be as powerful as it is for our animal friends. Productive, as well — driving many human moms-to-be to sweep out the garage, pair up all the stray socks that have wandered into the Laundry Room Bermuda Triangle, defrost the frost-free refrigerator, and brighten the bathroom grout lines with a toothbrush. If the nesting instinct hits your nest as you're preparing for childbirth, make the most of it — now, before life becomes too hectic and before finding a moment to shower (and rinse thoroughly) will be challenging enough.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH! Whew... I am not crazy! ;)

In other news, our baby girl is the size of an eggplant this week. An eggplant is pretty big! I'm still feeling great, although I have noticed that it is getting harder for me to do things that involve bending over.

I had a routine checkup last Thursday and everything is on track. While Andy and I were sitting in the waiting room, we were laughing because I could see my stomach moving around. When the nurse went to find her heartbeat on the doppler she couldn't find it on my right side. I told her she was jumping around over on my left side and once she moved the doppler over, she found it immediately!

Next up... the dreaded glucose test!

 

Eliza is as big as an eggplant this week!

Eliza Sophia Lambert

Our baby girl has a name!

Eliza Sophia Lambert

Here she is at 22 weeks. She has been kicking away, and guess what...she was in ANOTHER earthquake! While I was in Dallas this past week for work, there was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma City that could be felt all the way through north Texas. I thought I was going crazy when I felt my hotel room shake, but in the morning when I turned on the news I realized that it was, in fact, an earthquake!

This week she is as big as a papaya and weighs 1.2 pounds.

This is a video my mom sent me the other day from good Morning America :)

21 Weeks!

"At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana.
 
By 21 weeks pregnant, your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day —  not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills your baby will need as soon as she arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on your baby. That's because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later?  Eat yours now!
 
Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in your womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault (so that's what you were feeling last night!). 

With all that belly dancing going on, it's hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, your fetus sleeps as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day! (Now if only you could get some sleep!)"

Halfway There!

It's pretty hard to believe that I have reached the halfway point in my pregnancy! Time is flying by now and I am getting so excited! Although I have been feeling movement for about three weeks now, I really only started feeling her kick about a week ago. I read that when you are up walking around during the day that your movement actually rocks them to sleep, so I notice that when I am lying still on the couch or in bed, that is when I feel her the most. She was kicking pretty hard the other morning and I tried to get Andy to feel, but I think it is still a little too early for that. I was able to have him feel how she was hanging out on my right side the other day though. There was a noticeable hard lump there that he was able to feel!

 

I had a routine prenatal checkup today (20 weeks 3 days) and everything looked and sounded great according to the doctor. My doctor told me that I win the award for the cutest pregnant person and then she bent down to my stomach and said "Your mommy is so fashionable!" 

So far, I have gained 16 pounds, which I am pretty happy about! I was totally expecting it to be more when I got weighed today. Hopefully I am on track to only gain about 30-35 pounds total. We'll see if it stays that way! I have tried to stay pretty active by walking in the mornings before work and on the weekends, but it is so hard to stay on a schedule when I get really busy with work.

 This is a picture from my ultrasound last Friday. She had the hiccups which was so funny to watch on the screen!

I haven't had any crazy cravings yet, but I have been obsessed with Kilwins' Banana Fudge Pie ice cream lately. Everything in moderation, right?

The weather was so beautiful here in Florida this past weekend. It was in the 60s and 70s which is such a nice break from the 90 degree weather we've had all summer. We took advantage of our "cool front" as much as we could and spent a lot of time outside. On Saturday, we all went down to the Miami vs. Georgia Tech football game and were thrilled to have beat the Yellow Jackets 24-7! 

This is a picture from on top of the stadium after the game.

On Sunday, the whole family went to Bedner's Farmers Market to check out the pumpkin patch. What a fun weekend!

Strolling in Style

I found the perfect stroller today - the Bumbleride Flyer! I am so excited because it has every feature that we wanted - reversible handle, lightweight frame (the whole stroller weighs only 19 lbs), one-handed steering, infant seat compatible, huge canopy, easy to open and close, you name it!

I am pretty set on the black, but I really love the red too! It would be too good to be true if it came with an extra seat cover so that you could switch back and forth whenever you want.

I can't wait to get it!

17 Weeks!

 "At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, she now may be large enough for you to feel her twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching her way around the womb. Plus, she's developing yawning and hiccupping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and her own unique set of toe and fingerprints."

Wow - time is flying! I have been feeling really great lately and am enjoying every minute of being pregnant. I have started to feel a lot more movement over the past week and am looking forward to the day when Andy can feel her too! It sounds so crazy to actually be able to say "her" now!

My time has been pretty consumed lately with daydreams of our future nursery. I can't wait to get started on it! Our goal is to have everything finished by the beginning of December, because once the holidays are here, we will have no time! My work schedule is very hectic in January and February and I think it will be nice not to have to worry about getting the nursery set up when I am so consumed with work.

I have also started narrowing down which kind of stroller, car seat, high chair, etc. we would like. No one warns you about how confusing this all is! There are 500 different choices for each product - how do you know if you are making the right choice? Luckily, I have a few friends who are going through this with me, so they have been very helpful!

I'll leave you with a picture of our little girl's closet - at this rate, I think we are going to have a mini fashionista on our hands! ;)