32 Weeks

So I'm 32 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I'm feeling very pregnant now. It's harder to do everything and I know it's only going to get harder. I am for sure going to be very over this pregnancy thing come Thanksgiving. 

Me and the Girlies

This past weekend mom and I traveled to Fort Worth to see my brother and his family. Loved spending time with them. The twins are getting so big and are very mobile now. They are just so cute. Harlan is such a good big brother, but he's almost two and a lot of work. I don't know how my sister-in-law does it everyday. My brother took us to see his office in downtown Fort Worth. It was really impressive. I'm very proud of him and all he's accomplished. Sometimes it's so weird to think of how grown up we both are. I really admire and respect the man, father and businessman he's become. 

The little night owl Henley Nell

My brother with his chicken and skeleton babies

Hollis Mae the Chicken

Here’s what’s happening in Week 32:

Weight Loss/Gain? 27lbs total. I gained 3 more pounds in two weeks eeek! I think I might have gone overboard with the desserts I've been craving lately. It's hard eating healthy all the time. My goal was to gain only 30lbs this pregnancy, but I don't think that's going to happen. Baby only weighs about 3 3/4 lbs right now so I have at least 3-4 more pounds of baby to gain before this whole thing is over.

Cravings: Sweets, peppers, pickles, and sour stuff. I feel like I'm such a cliche pregnant lady.

Aversions: None. But there are certain foods that sound better than others.

Miss Anything? Not being able to get around as well.
 
Gender: BOY!!! Hudson Jacob Hughes

Favorite Moment this Week: Going to Fort Worth and hanging with the Holmes babies.
 
Sleeping: Sleep is good. I'm very tired and have been sleeping til my alarm goes off most nights.

Stretch Marks? None :)

Labor Signs? Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. I'm not planning on going into labor on my own, but I wouldn't be surprised if I do. I feel like this baby is going to run out of room.

Clothes: Mostly all maternity now. Some dresses fit still as well as some tops. Pants are all maternity.

Baby Movement: He moves around like crazy. Weird alien movements across my belly and big kicks to the ribs. 

Most looking forward to: Halloween is Thursday. Can't wait to dress HK up as Minnie Mouse. Here's a sneak peak.

30 Weeks

Today I'm 30 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I'm feeling really great overall. I think being the second one you don't have as much time to think about being pregnant, because you're keeping up with a toddler, so it just goes by faster. I think in about a month I will really be done being pregnant though. I have a lot still to do before this baby arrives and I'm trying to keep it all in perspective. We're getting closer, but we're not there yet.

Anyway, I had a great weekend. Saw my family on Sunday. Love seeing my twin nieces and Harlan. My mom and I are going to Fort Worth to keep them for a night while my brother and sister in law attend a wedding in Dallas. Should be an adventure.

Yesterday I had my bi-weekly doc appt. Everything looks good. I'm measuring right on track. Hudson's heart beat was at 144bpm. My blood pressure was great, and all my lab work came back perfect. I go back in 2 weeks.

Here’s what’s happening in Week 30:

Weight Loss/Gain? 24lbs total. I only gained one pound since my last appt so that was good. I've been really trying to eat right so I don't gain as much as I did with Hannah. Baby weighing around 3lbs now.

Cravings: Sandwiches, soup, Mexican food, banana peppers, pickles (bread and butter pickles), and dark chocolate :) I also really was craving pumpkin spice things. I made about 3 dozen pumpkin spice muffins on Friday and have been enjoying those. I also treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte every couple of weeks. They're so yummy! I didn't drink much caffeine while pregnant with Hannah, but I find I really crave coffee in the morning with this baby. I try to drink it in small amounts though.

Aversions: None. But I did have some nausea last week though. I find if I over eat I feel sick.

Miss Anything? Not much.
 
Gender: BOY!!! Hudson Jacob Hughes

Favorite Moment this Week: Seeing family and working on the nursery. I love how it's all coming together. I will do a big reveal post at the end of November.
 
Sleeping: Sleep is better some nights more than others. Two Fridays ago I had a major case of insomnia and was up from 1:30am to 5:00am. No fun. I find it hard to sleep next to my snoring husband. Ha!

Stretch Marks? None :)

Workout: It's pretty much non existent at this point. The last time I walked I was in a lot of pain afterwards. It no longer makes me feel good.

Clothes: Mostly all maternity now. Some dresses fit still as well as some tops. Pants are all maternity. The belly band just doesn't cut it anymore.

Baby Movement: He's a mover. Love watching him from the outside. However, those big movements are getting more uncomfortable by the day.

Most looking forward to: Our trip to Fort Worth in two weeks and the fall weather. I'm also looking forward to dressing HK up as Mini Mouse for Halloween :) She's going to be so cute!!!
 

Hannah Kate At 2.5 Years Old

Hannah officially turned two and a half last month. This is a fun age, but it's also a really challenging age for us as parents. She really has become so independent in the last few months but with that comes disobedience and a strong will to do whatever she wants. I am loving all the new communication and being able to do more things with her. She has such a funny personality and says the cutest things all the time.

This is what you're up to at two and a half:

• Weight & Height? I'm not sure but I know you've grown taller in the last 2-3 months
• You have curly dark blonde hair and beautiful blue green eyes. You really need a hair cut!!!
• You wear 2T clothes mostly but can fit into 24 months and are wearing some 3T. 
•  You wear a size 4 diaper.
  
• Potty training is still a real challenge. We have yet to conquer it, but you talk about using the potty a lot. I had hoped you would be potty trained by now, but we are still working at it.
  
• You are shy with some people still but are getting more comfortable being around strangers.
  
• You wear a size 7 shoe. You have a very narrow and flat feet. This comes from my side of the family for sure.
• You go to bed around 8pm and sleep til about 6:30-7:30am. We moved you to a full size bed so we could start on Hudson's nursery. You love your bed, but getting you to sleep is a process. You would rather play than go to sleep.
  
  
• You have been eating better in the last few months. You are willing to try more foods. Some favorites include cantaloupe, beans, some pasta, steak fingers, fish, and sweet potato fries. Of course your favorite meal of the day is still breakfast.
  
• You still drink almond milk but not as much.
• You are very active and are always on the move.
  
  
• You still hate having your teeth brushed.
• You love to talk and are a chatter box. You speak in full sentences now. Something funny you've been doing lately is shaking hands with us saying "nice to meet you". We have no idea where you learned that, but it's so cute.
  
  
• You can count and know all your colors and can sing your ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle, and Jesus Loves Me. Whether you do it for us when we ask you to is another story though.  You also just learned Row Row Row Your Boat.
• You keep us on our toes and are challenging at times and so sweet other times.
  
• You love to give your daddy kisses and hugs. He's your hero. 
• You are not so interested in talking about baby brother. I know once he's here that will change. But for now, you just say, "No Hudson, No Brother." I do see you being a big helper once he's here, but I'm sure you will be jealous of him too.
  

Hannah you are the light of our lives. You make every day interesting and fun. I love having you as a daughter. The next few months are going to be quite interesting for us. A lot is going to happen in the next few months, but I know we'll get through it. I love you sweet girl.

Hudson's Room Preview

I've kinda gone back and forth on what I wanted to do for this little boy's room. I had a hard time just starting the design. Finally after a lot of Google/blog searching I came up with my own design that I'm loving. I picked a beautiful shade of gray for his wall color called Cathedral Gray by Behr. I'm calling the design industrial and modern with a touch of history and lots of color. I'm loving it so far.

These are the fabric swatches for the bedding bumper and crib skirt. This fabric is from BabyBedding.com 

Here is the crib sheet, curtains and changing pad cover all from Land of Nod.

This is his everyday stroller blanket from Baby Gap. 

I love the orange accents and bought this pillow from Urban Outfitters and this lamp shade from Land of Nod.  I love them.

For an end table I wanted something under $100 and that was modern and chic. This little side table from Target was just what I was looking for.

I'm a little unorthodox when it comes to kids artwork. I'm drawn to really graphic and colorful things. I had this idea of putting a map of the London Underground above his crib. I found this 2x3 poster at Posters.com and can't wait to hang it. 

I also will be using this photo from our honeymoon trip to London.

I love travel and Brandon loves globes so I found this little globe by Urban Outfitters to put on shelf above the changing table. 

My beloved granddaddy, Big Ern, was a pilot during WWII. I thought it would be fun way to honor him by incorporating some vintage airplanes and some of his stuff into the room. I have this painting of the B-24 bomber plane he flew during the war. It use to hang in his Big Ern's office. I also have this framed certificate of honor he received from the Lieutenant General of the US Army for his bravery in combat air battles. So cool. 

There are a few more details that I will be incorporating into the room that I haven't mentioned. I hope to have it all complete by mid November. I will do a complete room tour then. But here is what I have done so far.

 Can't wait to see it all come together and enjoying it with my little guy. Stay tuned.

28 Weeks, Hello Third Trimester!!!

Well I let a few weeks go past without blogging. We've been super busy and to be honest, I haven't had time to do a bump photo til today. We had a couple of busy weekends with family and last weekend we painted Hudson's room and had the Diabetes Walk. I had a really great time a few weekends ago with my brother and his family as well as my Nana, Aunt Ruth, Cousin Holly, Aunt Gretta and Uncle Sam. Thanks to everyone who traveled here to see/meet our babies.

Turtle and Boo

Nana with Henley (left) Hollis (right)

Best attempt with all four of them with Nana

Grandpa and the girlies

Anyway, I'm 28 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Only 80 days til my due date. September flew bye so I'm hoping October will do the same. I'm not quite ready for this baby to be here, but by the end of November I'm sure I will be done being pregnant.  I did wake up Saturday and decided I was pregnant. The aches and pains of the third trimester have kicked in for sure ;). Yesterday I went to the doctor for a checkup. Baby's heart rate was at 145bpm. I also had to do the dreaded gestational diabetes test. I'm all good. They drew blood and gave me a shot because I'm RH Negative. Overall it was a good appointment. I go back every two weeks now til the end of November and then every week after that til the baby's born.

Here’s what’s happening in Week 28:

Weight Loss/Gain? I have gained more than I thought. 23lbs total. I guess my body just likes to gain weight in the second trimester. 

Cravings: Salads, sandwiches, Mexican food, fish, fruit, cheese, banana peppers, pickles, and chocolate :)

Aversions: None. Thank goodness that's over.

Miss Anything? Not much. Maybe sleep and red wine.
 
Gender: BOY!!! Hudson Jacob Hughes

Favorite Moment this Week: Getting Hudson's room started

Sleeping: Sleep is better some nights more than others.

Stretch Marks? None.

Workout: Have been walking only about 1 day a week. I walked the Diabetes Walk on Saturday and about died.

Clothes: Clothes don't fit the same. I'm finding it hard to fit into my pants anymore. Wish it would cool off so I can have some different options.

Baby Movement: He moves like crazy. Rolling and flipping. It's pretty cool.

Most looking forward to: Working on Hudson's room some more and cooler fall weather.

25 Weeks & 100 Days to Go

Wow! Only 100 days til my due date. Eeek, I'm getting excited. Can't wait to meet my little guy. I haven't done very much to prepare for his arrival, but I think about him all the time. My body has been cooperating with me for the most part, but I know soon as I hit the 30 week mark I'll be slowing way down.

Here’s what’s happening in Week 25: 

Weight Loss/Gain? I think around 15 pounds total weight gain. I go back to the doctor next Monday and I'll get weighed then.

Cravings: Salads, sandwiches, Mexican food, fruit, cheese, peppers, pickles, and chips and salsa and chocolate :)

Aversions: None. Thank goodness that's over.

Miss Anything? Not much. Maybe sleeping through the night.
 
Gender: BOY!!! Hudson Jacob Hughes

Favorite Moment this Week: Spending time with my sweet nieces and nephew.

Sleeping: Sleep is okay. I'm kinda fighting an allergy thing and cough all night.

Stretch Marks? None.

Workout: Haven't walked too much in the past week. But I've been carrying a toddler around everywhere so that has to count for something.

Clothes: I'm in maternity jeans and some tops. I still can wear my belly band with my work pants, but they're getting a little snug. Can't wait for cooler weather so I can buy a few more things.

Baby Movement: Kicking like crazy. Very low kicks and rolls.

Most looking forward to: Seeing my Nana and other family this weekend.

Our Weekend Recap

What a weekend! I'm so tired after this busy weekend. It was a memorable one though, so I thought I would do a recap.

My Lil Red Raider

Saturday, I went shoe shopping for the hundredth time (slight exaggeration) for Hannah. I'm so sick of buying shoes for this kid that she hates and won't wear. So finally I decided to go to Lil' Footprints and buy shoes I knew would fit and she'll wear. I think I spent close to $60 for two pairs of shoes, but it's worth it. That store is awesome and the lady who helped us was SO helpful and friendly. She said Hannah's feet are really narrow and flat which makes shoe buying a challenge. That explains why she is so picky about her feet.

After that, mom, HK and I stopped by my sister-in-laws folks house to squeeze a quick visit in with my brother and his family. I hadn't seen him, Britt or the twins since April so I was really looking forward to seeing them. Hannah had a blast playing with Harlan's toys and I had a blast loving on my sweet nieces and nephew. Love them so much.

Henley & Hollis

Jonathan and Brittany at the game

We then went home for a little rest before heading off to the Texas Tech tailgate and first home game. UMC was the game day sponsor and we got tickets to a special tailgate and the game. I decided HK was old enough and I was going to attempt to take her to her first Tech game.

We had a great time at the tailgate and made our way to stadium. The walk to the stadium was okay, but the climb to our seats was really hard for this pregnant mommy. I carried her the whole way. I was really winded and hot by the time we sat down.

After the climb

Hannah settled into the stadium really well and made friends with the folks sitting in front of us. Then I felt a drastic drop in temperature and saw an ominous looking cloud headed our way. I decided to go back down and wait out the rain. But by the time I got back down, the announcer came on the loud speaker saying they were delaying game because of lightening until further notice. I knew right then it was time to get my baby out of there.

The view from our section after the rain

I called Brandon to come rescue us and then made my way through the sea of red and black to the exit gate. I carried her a pretty good distance and was so relieved to see Brandon pulling up outside the stadium. It was Hannah's first game day experience and we didn't even get to see the kickoff. Oh well. I tried. We won 61-13. Wreck'Em Tech!!!

The sea of people I had to get through

Sunday, we got up and headed to breakfast and then to church. We were tired from the night before, so we decided to go to the late service at 11:30am instead of the 10am one we usually go to. When we got to Hannah's class she refused to go in. She screamed and cried like she's never done, so we decided not to torture her and take her with us into the church service. She was really good for all the music, but started getting rowdy and restless when it came time to pray. Brandon decided to take her back to her class, but said to come find them if he wasn't back in 10 minutes. We left 10 minutes later and never heard the sermon. Oh well. I tried. That's the theme of my weekend. Ha!

Later that afternoon (because we lost our minds) we decided it would be fun to take Hannah to the Science Spectrum Museum. And because we are glutton for punishment, we thought it would be fun to take Harlan too. So mom, Brandon, and I loaded two toddlers into his pickup and headed to the museum. It was actually a lot of fun. Overall it was a good experience, but toddlers have their limits, so we only stayed about an hour. By the time we went over to Mamere's, dropped Harlan back home, and got back to our house I was ready to pass out. However, it was our nieces 16th birthday party so we only rested for about 20 minutes and we off to that party.

Here We Go :)

Curious Cousins

This weekend, my Nana is coming in from Nebraska. It should be busy, but hopefully I won't be running around as much as I was this weekend.