29 weeks

It's hard to believe that in just 11 short weeks (give or take a few) we will meet our precious baby boy!  I still feel really great at 29 weeks.  My only complaint is that I have been having quite a bit of pelvic pain, but I'm told this is completely normal as ligaments are relaxing.  It's made it impossible to run, although Chris and I did attempt a little the other day (it was a big failure!).  I'm mainly just walking and doing the elliptical for cardio and doing as many squats and lunges as I can handle when I'm at the gym.  Overall, I really can't complain!  I am still enjoying pregnancy, especially when I finally get the chance to sit down and feel my baby squirm, roll, and kick.  I'll never get tired of that feeling!

Here's my growing belly at 29 weeks!

A special weekend

I spent last weekend in Massachusetts with my family and it was a really special trip for a lot of reasons.  We were able to celebrate some birthdays, my mom and Emily planned a great baby shower, but most of all, it was my last baby-free trip for a long long time!  On the airplane, I kept thinking how it might be a tad more difficult the next time I flew, with an infant in tow!

I arrived in Boston on Friday afternoon.  That evening we went to Flatbread Pizza (a family favorite) to celebrate my nephew Devon's 15th birthday.  Can somebody tell me how he is so old already?? 

 Was this picture not just taken like...yesterday??

 

Nope, now he won't pose for pictures...because he's 15, and too cool ;)

On Saturday my mom and Emily threw such a special baby shower for me with lots of family and friends.  I was overwhelmed by people's generosity- baby Wrights is so loved and spoiled already!  I really wish I had taken more pictures to capture the day but I guess I was just too busy having fun :)  But, here are a few pictures that I took!

One of the awesome hostesses, my mom!

My precious niece Ava Joy

The other awesome hostess!!

I received so many special gifts and appreciate and cherish every single one of them.  My mom's sister, Janet, is so very talented and crafty and made this incredible quilt to go with our nursery theme.  Chris and I both love it and are so excited for our baby boy to have it for many many years to come!

On Sunday morning we went to church.  My baby boy was especially active while my dad was preaching.  Dad, your grandson already loves you so much!

After church we spent the day relaxing and visiting one of my dear friends, Mallory.  We ended the day watching the Patriots game, which we'd all probably rather forget.  Apparently our littlest cheerleader didn't quite cheer loud enough!  But, she sure looked cute doing it :)

 

On Monday morning (which happened to be my dad's birthday..Happy Birthday Dad!) I said goodbye to my family and headed back to NC.  As always, it was hard to leave after such a wonderful weekend but it's exciting to know that the next time I head north, we'll have a new addition to our family! 

 

 

An unexpected blessing!

Yesterday Chris and I went to the doctor for my 26 week appointment.  We thought we were just going for my glucose tolerance test (which, by the way, is not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be!) and a regular check up.  But, we got a little surprise!  You see, back at our 18 week appointment, when they did baby boy's initial anatomy scan, my placenta was low which can cause problems in delivery if it doesn't correct itself.  So, they told me I would need another ultrasound around 28 weeks to re-check it.  However, because little man was so squirmy during that first anatomy scan, I ended up having another one 2 weeks later (at 20 weeks) and the tech told me that my placenta had already moved and looked fine.  But, much to our surprise yesterday, the physician's assistant that did my appointment decided that we should check it again, just to be sure.  So, we were able to see baby boy again and, my goodness, has he grown!  He is now 1 lb 14 oz which puts him in the 35th percentile.  He's a little peanut for now...I have a feeling he won't always be that way (I have been told a few times recently that the mother's height has a lot to do with the height of her children so we're bound to have tall kids)!

Anyways, everything looked great with baby and placenta, thank goodness.  We were grateful simply for the opportunity to see baby again one last time before he makes his grand entrance into this world.  But, we were even more grateful when the sweet ultrasound tech switched the ultrasound to 4D for just a minute for us to see!  We had decided not to schedule a 4D ultrasound because of the extra cost so this was such a sweet blessing!  Here are a few pictures of our little man.  It's pretty amazing what they can do these days!

Happy 30th Birthday Chris!!

Last Friday Chris turned the big 3-0!  He has been dreading this for a while, but we had a nice few days to celebrate.  The birthday week celebration actually started on Wednesday when I surprised him with tickets to the Duke basketball game that night.  He is a huge Duke fan so, needless to say, he was really excited about this gift.  My parents were still in town at that point so they graciously watched the boys for the evening for us to we could travel to Charlotte to watch Duke beat Davidson.  We had a really great time and hopefully it's a birthday gift that Chris will remember for a long time.

 

On Chris' actual birthday we had a small group of friends over for a game night, one of our favorite things to do.  As usual, Catch Phrase got a bit heated and gave us all some great laughs.

Chris has been telling me for a while that for his birthday he wanted chocolate cake with chocolate icing and Oreos on top.  Well, he got his wish...twice!  I made two cakes, one for Friday night and one for the lovely family dinner we had at Cities on Saturday.  So, if you are craving some chocolate cake, just come over to the Wrights household, we have plenty left!

 

 

 Chris, I am so thankful for you and for the past 5 birthdays that I have had the joy to celebrate with you.  I pray that we have many many more together!  I love you!

26 weeks

My sweet boy is growing and so is my baby bump!  According to my What to Expect App, baby boy is currently approximately 15 inches and 2.2 lbs.  We can't wait to meet him in another 14 or so weeks!

A week's top 10

While we weren't able to spend the Christmas holiday with my family this year, we did have the pleasure of hosting my parents for a week after Christmas.  We had a wonderful week and I thought the best way to capture it would be to make our top 10 list of things we did last week (in no specific order).

1.  We had a second Christmas with my parents when they got here.  The tree was once again surrounded by presents and we were able to celebrate with them.

2. We were able to take many walks since the weather ended up being nice (especially since they are used to it being really cold this time of year in Boston).  We took a few in the neighborhood, went to Tanglewood once, and also to the Meadowlark greenway.  I am so thankful for a family that values exercise as much as I do!

3. Chris and I introduced my parents to Duck Dynasty.  My mom says it's her new favorite show :)

4. We visited All About Baby, a cloth diapering store, in Greensboro.  This was a lot more exciting for my mom and I than for Chris and my dad.  But, they were good sports and sat patiently while my mom and I looked around and learned about all the cloth diapering options.  We left there spending a little more money than we intended to but it was a very worthwhile investment.

5.  We had some of Chris' family over for a "northern" dinner.  My parents cook a meal that we call New England boiled dinner...basically you put ham, onions, potatoes, and carrots all in one pot and let it boil.  It's a staple at our family dinners.  Chris' grandfather told me after that he was surprised that my "Yankee" family could actually cook.

6.  My parents had their first true Southern meal on New Years Day.  Chris' stepmom cooked hog jawls (or something like that), black eyed peas, and collard greens.  My parents thought it was the greatest meal ever.  I stuck to the chicken salad, green beans, and macaroni.

7.  We painted the nursery!  Chris and I bought the paint that we wanted the day after Christmas but didn't think that we would get around to painting for a while.  But my parents seemed eager to help so, with four of us painting, we got it all done!  (I'll have to write another post with pictures of the beginnings of the nursery soon).  

8.  Chris and my dad assembled the crib and the bookcase for the nursery.  It makes the whole pregnancy seem a little more real...baby boy has a place to sleep now!

9.  My parents graciously offered to watch the boys for an evening so Chris and I could have a night out.  We were able to go to Charlotte to see Duke win yet other basketball game (more about this in Chris' 30th birthday post!).

10.  And finally, maybe the most exciting part of all, was knowing that the next time my parents visit, baby Wrights will be here!  

I treasure every moment that we are able to spend with my parents.  No matter how long they visit, it never seems like enough time!