29 Week Belly Shots...

Ok, I am really 30 weeks now, but like I said in the previous post... I'm playing catch up.

Please ignore my face (highly unflattering picture), but I knew if I didn't just take one I'd miss the week. I've gotten kind of lazy lately about the weekly picture taking. Most of that is simply because I don't get up, get dressed, and get prettied up everyday, so taking a picture where I don't look like crap is effort. :-)


As you can tell from the picture, I'm getting big. I feel big. I'm still trying to imagine how I can get any bigger over the next 11 weeks. It's really hard to get out of bed in the morning. I have to be on my side and push myself up with my hand. There is no more just sitting up. The tie on my houseshoe came undone and I realized that I had to get creative to tie it while it was still on my foot. Sitting at my desk all day or sitting at the table to eat is also uncomfortable. It's just hard to do much of anything leaning forward over this big belly. I still love it though! Tater has gotten SO much more active. It's so distracting though. All day while I'm sitting at my desk, he's just having Dance Party 2010 with himself.


It's not the same quick jabs here and there that I used to feel. It's more him stretching I think. They are generally slower, stronger, deeper movements.... usually to my ribs or downtown. At the last ultrasound on May 13th, he was facing down, back bone up, so I'm thinking it's either a foot or his rear end. Sometimes there's action in more than one direction... poor little guy is getting cramped!

And here's the usual fruit/vegetable size analogy...


I will note that last Thursday we had our second Level II ultrasound to make sure our little Tater man was still looking good because of the whole two-vessel cord thing. He was perfect! BIG, but perfect! He was measuring over 2 weeks big and the doc said he was about 3 pounds 12 oz. So, if you see the size range below, you will note that we are already outside the high end of that range. I asked if that meant that he might come early. The doc said "nope, not necessarily". He pretty much just said that we were on track to have a big baby. I'm all about tradition, and big babies run in the family.

And here's a little developmental info for ya...

"Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments".

Happy Mothers' Day!

I know I'm a little late, I've just been trying to catch up on all the other posts I've been behind on. :-)

This year I got to participate in Mothers' Day since I am a mother-to-be. It counts!!! At mass they had all the moms stand up and I wasn't sure if I should or not until the old man next to me told me to. I wasn't going to argue with him! They played a little game to see who the oldest mother was in the room. I was not. Clearly. But, there was a 100 year old lady there! 100!!!! That's amazing that she's still able to go to Mass on Sundays. I have to admit, I got a little choked up a few times in church. Deacon Dallas barely made it through his homily. He was quite emotional about the topic of mothers. It was sweet. I can't wait until next Mothers' Day when I can celebrate 100%. I will "officially" be a mom then....which is still hard for me to believe.

Andrew and Tater got me a sweet card and wrote a thoughtful message. Andrew is really good at that. :-) I was also told where I can go get myself a prenatal massage. I've been getting uncomfortable lately and my back has really been bothering me, so I will definitely take advantage of this gift. My sweet pups also drove to the store and bought me a nice card. Who knew!?! :-)

We drove over to Baytown to go to Vicky's for a laid back afternoon complete with burgers, Alexander showing off his new bike and scooter, and having races with Alexander around the backyard. Of course, he is too cute for words, so I was snapping photos left and right with my new camera. Here's a few...





















Yeah, I got out there and raced him too! Could have beat him for sure! Just because I'm fat and pregnant doesn't mean I've lost my little competitive edge! :-) He didn't like to lose though... most kids don't! He was fast though!

I was sad I didn't get to be with my momma on Mothers' Day, but living down here, that's usually how it goes. I get to see her soon though! Love you Mom!!! XOXO

Andrew's Got a Green Thumb!

In addition to the given hobbies of hunting and fishing, Andrew has also taken up an interest in gardening. "Emily's Garden" (which should really be "Andrew's Garden") has really taken off this year. We currently are growing Roma tomatoes, yellow squash, okra, green beans, strawberries, bell peppers, and cilantro.

We are going to have enough tomatoes to feed an army. They're still green, but there's a MILLION of them! The squash have also gotten HUGE. They are way bigger than we ever expected and there are tons of little squash just growing right along. Andrew's already harvested a few and I think we're supposed to have some tonight. We were having some issues earlier where they were getting all mushy and falling off before they were ready. After much Googling and trips to two different nurseries, Andrew figured out that there was a calcium deficiency. He bought some calcium deficiency stuff and problem solved! Last year our okra was RIDICULOUS! Several plants were seriously over 10 feet tall. Those suckers looked like trees and the ones we had two years ago made it through Hurricane Ike with no problem (a lot less leaves, but still alive!). It's still really early in the okra growing season, but if they grow like they have in the past, again, we will have enough to feed an army. We were both shocked by the green beans. Literally a day or two after he planted them, they had already broken the surface and now have leaves! Not too much to report on the bell peppers yet, it's still early for them too. The strawberries are a new adventure, so I'll be sure to update you on their progress.

Our squash harvest to-date/part of tonight's dinner:



The not-so-interesting-yet bell peppers and cilantro:



Our crazy big Roma tomato plants:



Side view (strawberries, green beans, and some okra in the front and the tomatoes, squash, and rest of the okra in the back):



Crazy big squash and Roma tomatoes:





Although I'm not quite as into it as Andrew is, I LOVE watching the plants grow. I'm just amazed at how they go from nothing (i.e. a tiny seed) into some huge plant that produces vegetables that we can actually eat. The seeds of those vegetables can be planted and the cycle just continues. It's the same fascination I've had with being pregnant (on a different scale, of course). It started with nothing, then with the meeting of two microscopic things, and now we have an almost 4-pound PERSON living inside me!!!... and this PERSON will be here, in our arms, in just a couple short months! CRAZY!!! I think DAILY about how much of a miracle creating a life is. God... you're pretty awesome!!!

On a side note, my hydrangeas have started blooming and are GORGEOUS!!!

High Adventure Treks for Dads & Daughters!!!

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the weekend of April 23-25, I went with my dad and 11 other father-daughter teams (all 8th graders) up to Oklahoma for a little backpacking and camping. We had a WONDERFUL time!!! The organization, High Adventure Treks for Dads and Daughters (HATS), came about as kind of a fusion of the YMCA's Indian Princesses and Boy Scouts. Indian Princesses was a father-daughter activity, but didn't focus on the outdoor skills that Boy Scouts provided. Additionally, even though Indian Princesses was a father-daughter activity, there wasn't as much a focus on the one-on-one relationship and communication between father and daughter. Most of the activities were all group-oriented. HATS really focuses on building the bond between a father and daughter and opening up the lines of communication during some of the most difficult times in a young girl's life. HATS picks up where the YMCA leaves off at 4th grade and continues through the 9th grade. Many of the girls and their fathers come back as mentors even after they have completed the 5-year program. Check it out! http://www.highadventuretreks.org/index.html

I took 300+ pics that weekend and narrowed it down to a few here. I'll let them speak for themselves.

The group photo before the hike...



My Pops and Me (yeah, never looked good in a hat!)





The always interesting spider web game...







There really was a BIG spider on the spider web!



Filtering our own water... yeah, we drank from this!



Dad explaining the filtering process...



Can you undo the human knot?



A REALLY BIG BUG!!! (No Thank You!)



Fire Starting Game (The pyro in me loves this!!!)



Tending the flame...



Teamwork...



The smack-talker and subsequent clear Winner!



The setting...McGee Creek, Oklahoma



My Dad... the Master Ninja



Special Father-Daughter Time... this is really what it's all about







Don't worry, they aren't trying to kill each other... it's just a game!





We are all connected...sharing experiences and take-a-ways from the weekend



I LOVE MY DAD!!!



HATS Website http://www.highadventuretreks.org/index.html

HATS Shutterfly Pictures Account http://hatsdallas.shutterfly.com/

I Heart My Co-Workers...

I really am so blessed to work with such a great group of people. I know so many people who can't stand their boss or the people they work with, and that most definitely is NOT the case here! I truly consider my co-workers (bosses included) friends and not just "co-workers or work friends" As most of you know, I also am so fortunate to have the ability to work from home. Deloitte has no doubt been extremely accomodating, and for that, I am truly grateful.

This past Thursday, one of my closest friends from work that has been there since I started at Avail Consulting right out of grad school, Jolee Aylesworth, graciously hosted a lovely shower at her home (which is gorgeous) in The Heights. Every single person from the real estate group who was not traveling was there. She even went out of her way to have a special sugar free cheesecake for Andrew. For those of you in Houston, you have to check out Three Brothers Bakery. This cheesecake was to die for. All the decorations were beautiful and the food was delicious! She is even knitting our little Tater a beautiful green blanket. She gave us a "sample" of it as a gift and I cannot wait!!! I LOVE anything that's one-of-a-kind or personalized, so this is really a special treat!

Dalia, Wanda, and Jolee



Candace, Miranda, E.J., Dan, Michael, Don, and Andrew



Beautiful Decorations



The Real Estate group collectively gave me a generous gift card to Target. Several people also brought gifts that included gift cards, a precious turtle layette set (thanks Candace!), the cutest little hooded towel with a duck on it and matching bath mit, (thanks Miranda!), and all kinds of fun bath toys (thanks Jonathan!). Andrew and I were blown away by everyone's generosity.







THANK YOU!!!!