today starts week 28!!!! hard to believe that we’re almost at 30 weeks. the little man is doing so well and growing tremendously. he just hit the 3 lb. mark and shows his excitement about growing big and strong by dancing for me at 4:30 every night. he really is doing wonderful though. i can’t complain.

it was quite an eventful week for me that ended up landing me in the hospital for a night. DON’T WORRY, I’M FINE. wednesday morning i got up from my desk chair to take red for a walk and my right leg gave out on me. my doctor encouraged me to go to the nearest er just to check everything out, but we were under the impression that the baby was just laying on my right side for too long and compressing a nerve. that was quickly ruled out by the doctors though because my reflexes were still totally in tact…… so then they thought it may be a blood clot in my leg (which pregnant women are prone too since we are producing so much more blood throughout our bodies). things started to get serious and i had a couple of ultrasounds done on my leg. paul was sent home on emergency leave from italy just in time to find out that i was making progress. they kept me over-night basically for observation (they didn’t want me going home to an empty house at the risk of me falling again). paul arrived home thursday night and we’ve gone to a few follow-up appointments since. there was never any blood clot found, which was great news since that would’ve been the worst-case-scenario. the baby is absolutely fine and totally resilient to everything i seem to put him through.

the blessing is that paul was able to come home for almost an entire week. he leaves tomorrow afternoon for one last month in italy. and talk about uncanny timing….. the day after he came home, all of our baby furniture that the grandparents have gifted to us arrived. there’s no way on earth i would have been able to get that stuff in the house without paul. so over the last week we have basically been putting together the baby’s room, running here and there for doctor’s visits, and enjoying each other’s company. paul has been able to feel the little man move around, which has been so awesome. he is in love with my belly, so much so that sunday morning was spent laying in bed, watching the little man move around and play.

the other good news is that i had my final follow-up appointment today and i got the wonderful news that my glucose test came back and i passed!!! i was stressing about it because it seemed as though everyone i spoke to about it had failed the first one, which i did not want to do. but things are good…. mom and baby are healthy…. mom is just adjusting to this very new body and all the little intricacies that come with being nearly 7 months pregnant.

sooooo….. fret not dear friends, all is well. i am attaching pictures of a few things…. our crib and changing table, which papa paul built this weekend, my 28 week bump, and of course the obligatory dog picture of red playing in the atlanta snow.

enjoy!!!

here is the picture of my 24 week bump!!! granted, i start week 27 tomorrow, so it’s a teeny bit dated, but it’s the latest photo i’ve got. according to my mother-in-law, i change with each passing week, so i guess i should be better about recording my bump-ige.

i had a doctor’s appointment today, which went great. moving right along… tomorrow evening i will fast for a glucose test that i take on wednesday. bring on the radioactive-looking beverage!!! today’s check up was great though. my measurement is right at 28 inches, which is on the brink of being slightly large (surprise surprise) but nothing to be alarmed about. it really just led my doctor and i into and interesting conversation about large babies and c-sections. given that paul was over 10 lbs at birth, i probably need to be aware of every delivery option i have. ha!!! my next appointment is on valentine’s day, and after that, i will be seeing my doctor every 2 weeks. i can’t believe how quickly the time is passing. slow down!!!

in other news, i am back in jacksonville… and pretty homesick. red and i are having trouble adjusting to the quiet house that we are now in. i’m sure it’ll just take time, but it sure was wonderful being with family for an entire month. i keep praying every day that paul gets word that he’s coming home soon… til then it’s just me and the dog.

anyway, i’ll try to be better about posting bump pics as i grow and grow. stay tuned!!!

My cousin, Kim, has delivered a beautiful baby boy!!! Luke was born on January 16th. Both mom and baby are doing very well and are home. To see the cutest pictures in the whole world, click on the link to the left, under “other blogging friends” that says “The Merricks.”

YAY!!!!!!!!!

alrighty, today marks the start of week 26 for us. not a whole lot to report in terms of changes from last week. the little man is practicing his breathing much more this week, as his lungs continue developing and he breathes in amniotic fluid. his response to sounds just crack me up, especially in the middle of church, and his bouncing around continues. i have developed this routine when i go to bed of rolling my tshirt up over my belly so that i can watch him rolling around in there for about 30 minutes before i fall asleep. it’s pretty surreal. when i was on the phone with my father-in-law a few nights ago, he asked how the little man was doing, and at that moment, the little man literally did the wave right across my entire abdomen. my father-in-law got a kick out of that.

as for me, my sleep is getting to be quite interrupted. not only are the potty breaks frequent, but i’m starting to struggle staying comfortable in one position for an extended period of time. even with my maternity pillow and remaining 3 pillows in bed, i wake up a lot to adjust my sleeping situation. also, while i’m not enormously big (pretty on par with the size that i should be at this stage) i FEEL like i’m increasing in size with each day. i suppose that’s normal since the little man is growing leaps and bounds right now. keeping up my walks with the dog has been really good for me (especially after a big dinner so that i can digest). overall i’m still feeling great with the occasional day or two a week of super-exhaustion creeping back into this trimester.

this will be my last post in atlanta, as red and i head home to jacksonville on sunday. the time with my family has been so precious to me. you can’t put a price on home-cooked food when you’re pregnant.

my next doctor’s visit is on monday and i’ll be doing my glucose test then. i’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on things once i get back to jax. and yes, i will post pics.

well tomorrow ends 24 weeks for us, and the little man and i are starting our 6th month together. pretty exciting… it seems like this time is absolutely flying by (which is totally terrifying and exhilarating all at once). by now mr. magoo has gained a quarter of a pound just since last week, which means, my friends, that i too shall be putting on some serious pound-ige in the coming weeks. ~ get ready for a super-sized nicole. i’m stoked though and feeling great (and of course praying that this feeling continues). let’s just hope i don’t scare paul with my sheer size when he comes home. ha!

as far as the little man is concerned, he should start packing on the pounds since he is now 14 inches long and right around 2 pounds. right now i pretty much look like i have a soccer ball attached to my belly, which is the size i should be according to all the books, websites, etc. sorry that i can’t attach a picture, but i don’t know how to do it here on my parent’s computer. i’ll be sure to post a preggers pic when i return to jax. anyway, the little man’s lungs are developing strongly this week, and he’s continuing to shimmy around and dance, making certain that i don’t forget about him in there. he’s a blast to talk to, especially now that i know he hears everything. last night he was dancing around so much at church with the band playing. i think he would’ve been totally happy right up on stage with the drummer.

anyway, i’ve got this week and next in atlanta and then i’m heading back home to reality. in the meantime i really need to get some preggo clothes because i am busting out of what i’m wearing right now. ha! guess that means i need to go shopping…..