Baby H: Weeks 25-28

Week 25

This week was Thanksgiving! We had a weird Thanksgiving holiday this year because my parents decided to pack up just the two of them and drive up to New Mexico to tour a ranch they were looking at buying. Because of this, my sisters and I all spent Thanksgiving day apart - either with our significant others and their families or with friends. On Saturday, we did all get together for a second round of Thanksgiving at my aunt's house in Katy.

{Thanksgiving, round 1 - @ Luke's grandpa's house in Portland, TX}

{Snapped a couple of Christmas card pics in front of our house before heading to Katy for Thanksgiving, round 2}

{And one with our first two babies!}

Unfortunately, I got food poisoning after Thanksgiving, round 2, but it only lasted one day. It was rough, but I could handle one day. I was thankful it wasn't any worse! I do also remember that week 25 brought with it my first experience with uncomfortable pregnant sleep. I started tossing and turning more and waking up to use the bathroom became more frequent. And I realized that the tightening I'd been feeling in my stomach for the last few weeks was actually Braxton Hick contractions, ha! I blame it on being a first timer. :)

Week 26

I had an uneventful dr. appointment during week 26. I was in and out quickly - everything looked great! Barrett decided during this week that he was going to become a fan of kicking and rolling around pretty much 24/7. At work, my stomach would start going crazy in the middle of meetings. In the evening, he would roll/punch/kick like a little ninja, especially when I laid on my side. I also experienced my first swollen ankles this week. Lucky, I learned that I could get rid of these fairly easily by adding a little more activity/walking to my day and putting my feet up in the evenings. 

That weekend, I drove up to Waco for the last football game of the season, which also happened to be the Big 12 Championship game. It was an especially sweet weekend with my girlfriends/college roomies because I knew it'd be my last weekend in Waco with them before I became a mom. 

Week 27

Luke got home from being gone for about a week or so for work - and it was perfect timing! We got to go pick up Barrett's baby furniture and Luke put it together in his room. I originally had a tough time deciding what furniture to buy, but I'm so glad we went with the set we did. It includes a crib, dresser, and bookshelf and it's a beautiful chocolate brown color. We also bought a crib mattress even tough we were registered for one because dad just couldn't help himself. Once he'd put the crib together, he had to have a mattress for his boy! #toocute

{Bentley is always supervising!}

We also went to the Houston Zoo to experience their Zoo Lights Christmas event with our friends, Sarah and Andrew, and their little girl, Peyton. 

{It's always so fun hanging out with this little one!}

Barrett and I also decided that week 27 meant we were in the third trimester (Ok, maybe just I decided, ha!). I know that different websites say different weeks count as the beginning of the third trimester, but think about it - 40/3 = 13.2x2 = 26.6. Yup, 27 weeks sounds like the third trimester to me! In honor of our last trimester, I took a bump selfie. 

Week 28

I had another doctor appointment this week and again, nothing new to report! Measuring exactly on time, blood pressure was good, and baby's heartbeat was strong as always. This week, Luke and I got a taste of parenthood when we babysat Peyton. Sarah and Andrew had just bought a new house and needed a kid-free day to get some moving and house prep done. So Luke and I took Peyton for the day and it was so fun!

 

{These two were fans of each other}

 

I was given diaper duty, while Luke handled all the feedings. We took Peyton to Target (and bought her stuff like good babysitters do, ha!) and when people told us how cute our kid was, we just said, "Thanks!" It was fun pretending to be parents and I'm not going to lie, I think we were both sad when we had to give her back. I can't wait for Peyton and Barrett to be buds. :)

 

Week 28 was also spent finishing our Christmas shopping and I remember specifically that about this time, Barrett's movements were getting crazy! I could feel him moving all the time. He was kicking me much harder, he was rolling around a lot at night, and when he stretched out head to toe, I could feel him down in my pelvic area as well as up in my ribs. It was about this time I knew we were having ourselves a big boy!

 

 

The greatest thing ever

Baahh!! I've fallen so behind again! Baby H: Weeks 25-28, Weeks, 29-32, and Weeks 33-36 coming soon, especially since Baby H himself could be arriving any day now and I may not get another chance to write these. Lord have mercy! But of course, instead of playing catch up, I've decided to write a blog post about something that has surprised me these last few weeks of pregnancy. :)

At about 32-33 weeks, the people who see me on a regular basis (husband, church friends, co-workers, etc.) started to notice a change in my bump a.k.a. "Whoa that thing came out of no where! It's like overnight you just popped!" Yes, people, there is quite a large baby boy in there *written with a sarcastic tone and rolled eyes.* And around the same time, poor baby started getting knocked around a little more. I felt like I was running into everything! Baby has gotten hit by the car door as I've climbed out of my car in tight parking spaces, I've run into open filing cabinets at work, and the list goes on. I swear, he's going to come out with a dent in his head! But this isn't the surprising part of pregnancy I'm talking about.

{bump}

This morning (mind you, I'm almost 37 weeks), I stopped to get to get gas and a cup of coffee on my way to work. As I was pouring my coffee, a gentleman walked up next to me to reach for a stir stick on the counter and in trying to make room for him, I accidently ran my baby bump into the counter. I quickly apologized. "I'm sorry sir. There's a lot going on right here," I said with a smile and a rub of the belly. He looked sweetly at me and said, "Oh no worries! It's the greatest thing ever." 

The greatest thing ever. I've heard many versions of this phrase over and over again the last few weeks. I expected to hear it from women, but surprisingly, it's the men who keep saying this to me. And they don't just spat it off nonchalantly. It's always said in such an endearing way that almost makes me tear up. It's like all these dads see my big ol' belly and take a couple of seconds to reminisce on the joy of fatherhood and the blessing it truly is.

My boss does this to me all the time. We'll be talking or joking about something related to parenthood and he'll get into this serious mood for just a couple of seconds and say, "It's the best job I've ever had." And on Friday night, Luke and I went to dinner at Lupe Tortilla and ended up having about a 30 minute conversation with a guy named Jonathan who has two little girls, 3 and 7. He kept telling Luke, "It changes you man. I'm not the same guy I was before my girls. It's the best thing that could ever happen to you. I'm so excited for you guys!" Seriously? I don't know why this shocks me so much, but I can't even count the number of dads that have gushed over having children to us.

I guess I just wanted to remember this aspect of pregnancy. Their sweet dad faces that look off just slightly into the distance and reflect fondly over the life-changing experience Luke and I are about to go through, their sweet words and the grace they give this momma-to-be for the way her bump runs into just about everything these days, and the last few days before Luke becomes a dad that I pray will think back fondly over this adventure called fatherhood. Thanks to all you sweet dads out there. You warm this momma's heart.

Baby H: Weeks 9-12

Week 9

At nine weeks, I had my first doctor appointment. Unfortunately, Luke had been out of town for work (remember here?) and we tried so hard to get him back to Houston for this appointment, but he ended up getting back either that night or early the next day (my preggo brain can't exactly remember). So, off I went to my first appointment! I wasn't really nervous or excited; I honestly had no idea what to expect. This was also my very first time to see any doctor in Houston, so there was a lot of general paperwork to be filled out and questions to answer. I didn't even end up meeting my Obgyn at this appointment; I saw her PA instead. Whitney (the PA) was super sweet and let me ask as many questions as I wanted. Once all of the initial steps (weighing in, family medical history forms, etc.) were out of the way, it was time to confirm my pregnancy.

{Baby H's first picture}

If I hadn't believed I was pregnant up until this point, I did now! Wow - I can't even fully put into words the overwhelming feeling that came over me once I saw that teeny tiny little thing on the screen for the first time. At 9 weeks, my baby wasn't just a little blob, but a little sour patch kid baby with a head, body, and little arms and legs that wiggled. I didn't quite cry, but I think my giggly laughter sort of sounded like it, ha! It was an unbelievably cool experience. I found out then that my official due date is March 11, 2015. Luke got back to Houston shortly after and it was so fun showing him the video of our wiggle worm I took during that first sonogram.

Week 10

That next weekend, Luke and I drove down to Corpus Christi. While there, our dear friend Jade, who also took our engagement pics, my bridal pics, and our wedding pics, met us in town for a quick photoshoot so that we'd have some fun pictures to share with the world once we let our little secret out. I'm SO glad we did this! I know it's vain, but I'm glad I got a few nice pictures of Luke and I before I got big and preggo. ;) They turned out great and I can't thank Jade enough for always capturing the best moments of our lives.

While in Corpus, I also did a super preggo thing and bought a pickadilly snow cone. Now - if you're from South Texas - this is not uncommon. But anyone else would have looked at me and been like, "Seriously, girl? A pickle snow cone with pickle chunks?? Where's the ice cream that goes with it??" Ha! Yes, pickles and ice cream may be an old joke during pregnancy, but this girl has always loved pickles and with summer wrapping up, this was a perfect treat. My child will definitely love pickles from day one!

Week 11

Week eleven was fairly chill. We were in escrow on our house and signing new papers left and right. We learned during this part of the house buying process that you really shouldn't make any large purchases. So instead of buying anything, Luke and I had a few dates nights that included dinner and a lot of browsing at furniture stores.

{Love these girls!}

That weekend, I rode with my friend and college roommate, Cat, up to her lake house in the hill country to meet up with the rest of our college roomies for a girls' weekend. It was a really nice getaway and a chance for all of us to catch up as the summer was winding down. This was also a really special weekend for me because it was the first time we were all together since I'd told them about Baby H. We've all been through so much together (sharing a house, Baylor football games, too many Tri Delta functions to count, engagements, weddings...the list goes on!) and it felt so good being able to share this next chapter of my life with them too. I can't wait for more husbands and babies to be added to this group! :)

Another highlight of week eleven was that at about this time, my morning sickness/gagging/overall bleh-ness began to subside. I know so many girls that deal with this for much longer, so you can guarantee I was counting my blessings!

Week 12

Week twelve started out a little rough, but honestly, I don't remember why (probably house stress!). What I do remember was having a package delivered to my office that totally cheered me up. My poor momma was dying to know if Baby H was a girl or boy and since she couldn't buy clothes for the baby yet, she bought maternity clothes for me and had them sent to my office. Subtle, mom. ;)

{Jolly is the best! Jolly = my mom's grandmother name}

And the weekend of week twelve, Luke and I drove up to Waco for the first football game in the new McLane stadium. Y'all - it's GORGEOUS! The new stadium was even more than I expected. It was a super hot day, which was a little miserable until about 7pm, but I survived. I just drank a ton of water and $5 lemonade (yikes!). We have season tickets and love our new seats! I'm so happy that we have season tickets with all of my best friends from college. It's a tradition I hope we continue every year.

Baylor ended up with their first win on the season and in the new stadium. It was really fun to be a part of such a monumental day in Baylor history. Oh, and guess who else showed up to the game?? Baby H's little bump made it's first appearance that weekend, which was also really cool. It sort of freaked me out, ha! But hey - it was bound to happen sooner than later. :)

I'm Back! + 6 Month Recap

Hello blogosphere! It's been 6 whole months since I last posted to this dusty ol' blog - wowzer. Some days I can't believe I've stayed away this long and then other days, I can. So much life has happened in the last six months and really, that's been my biggest reason for staying away. Instead of writing about all that's been going on in our lives, we've been working through it. But don't hear me wrong - we're good! Ultimately, the last six months has been a time of God growing Luke and me. In our relationships with Him, in our marriage, and in our faith. It's good stuff, y'all. 

Let's start back in March, shall we?

March/April. March was great. I turned 27 on the 26th and I was nearing the end of my second tax season working in marketing for a tax prep company. Early April brought a new job for Luke - which was a huge blessing in disguise - because about a week after the tax season ended, my company was restructured and our entire team was cut (plus many others). I can't say that I didn't expect this at all. Hindsight is always 20/20 and looking back, the writing was on the wall. But the best part was that I had complete peace about it. I was confident in God's greater plan and immediately jumped into job hunting.

May. In May, my family took a week-long beach vacation to Port Aransas and the timing couldn't have been better. I was still job hunting and could relax 100% on vacation knowing that work wasn't going to be calling me. At the end of the week, Becca and I ran in the 2014 Beach To Bay Relay Marathon in Corpus Christi. We ran each others' legs too, so we put in right at 9 miles each. It was a great way to end our vacation!

 {Our little family}

{Becca and I after Beach To Bay}

At the same time, Luke and I had found a house in Corpus Christi that we wanted to rent and put a deposit down. I was a few rounds into a job interview that I was confident would end in a job offer and Luke's new job was going well. We got approved for the house, packed up a trailer full of furniture and boxes we'd had in storage in Hallettsville (where my parents live), pulled out of the driveway to head towards Corpus Christi with our things, looked at each other, and both said..."No." It hit us immediately. This wasn't the plan; it didn't feel right. God wasn't calling us to Corpus. I called and backed out of the interview process and we lost our $800 deposit on the house (ouch). But it was the right decision. And in the next few days, we drove to Houston to visit my friend, Sarah, who had just had a baby, and it was on that trip we felt God moving us to Houston. 

June. In less than a month, I had a job offer in Houston, TX. When God speaks, He speaks! We were and are still very blessed that Luke's job has him traveling around (mostly) South Texas, so his home base can be anywhere he is accessible to work. On June 19th, I started my new job as the business development manager for a software company in Houston that works mainly with the major players in the refining/chemical space. It was a career move I never expected to make, but I can't even begin to tell you guys what a blessing this job has been for me and Luke. The work culture, my colleagues, the way every day on the job looks a little different...God hand-picked this job for me and I'm humbled every day that this is the direction He's taking my career!

July. Now, here's the fun part. On July 3rd, Luke and I found out that not only were we in a new city with new jobs, but a new creation was also being formed in my belly. I was just over 4 weeks pregnant! Shocked is probably the best way to describe our reactions. We knew that a baby was in the nearer future, but we weren't expecting for this to happen quite as soon as it did. It took a couple of wide-eyed weeks, but we eventually settled into the idea of becoming parents. And where were we living, you ask? Ahhh, yes. The answer would be with my aunt and uncle temporarily while house hunting. Again, signs that this little peanut wasn't 100% planned, ha! Our casual house hunting turned into house hunting in OVERDRIVE. New city, new jobs, new baby...let's just add a new house on top of it!

{Photo by Journey Tree Studio}

August. You know how when people buy new houses, they post these super cute pictures to social media of themselves signing papers or standing in front of said house? It always looks soooo easy. Umm, NO! That wasn't the case for us at all. I'll spare you the details, but after having a contract on one house, backing out, competing for a second house, being outbid by other buyers, and then being asked if we still wanted the second house because the other buyers backed out, I literally had a panic attack. Seriously. Hysterically crying, driving down Beltway 8, approximately 9 weeks pregnant or so. Can anyone say hormones?? Beyond that, we had loan changes, special conditions, etc. that about put this first-time preggo chick over the edge. We closed on our house on September 9th and to say it was a glorious day would be the understatement of the century. Can't believe we survived!

{Casa de Hinton}

And now it's September. I'm just over 15 weeks pregnant and we're homeowners. Moving commences next Thursday and we couldn't be more excited! After all that's been going on these last few months, I couldn't help but start to feel like I was missing the chance to document this next chapter of our lives: baby, living in the burbs, and being grown-ups (is that what we are??). So, I'm back! I can't wait to give you guys more detailed updates on this little barnacle that's attached himself/herself to my stomach and to keep you posted on moving/house decorating! 

{Forgive my weird face; it's serious business taking selfies of baby bumps}

The last six months have had their share of ups and downs, but Luke and I cling to the fact that our God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. For every disappointment we've felt, there has been a greater, ever better solution that we didn't see coming. God has opened all of the right doors and closed the wrong ones. It hasn't always been easy, but we've felt His peace. This is the song that was playing on KSBJ as we were driving home from closing on the house and I was rubbing my tummy. We are overwhelmed, grateful, and blessed.