pregnancy: weeks 28-30

Hello third trimester! It's a little hard to believe we're already to this point in the pregnancy.. Although, when I remember that I was 8 weeks pregnant in California this summer and 11 weeks pregnant on our trip to the Dominican Republic in July, it feels like I've been pregnant forever. But it really is flying by. I'm getting more and more excited to meet our little guy soon! He's growing and kicking around like crazy. At my last check up, the doctor said he was head down- let's hope he stays that way. I'm starting to feel a bit more pregnant with my growing belly and back pain. That's my only real complaint in all of this (besides clothes not fitting and gaining weight- ugh!) I have really bad lower and mid back pain and have a hard time finding a comfortable position. But when you think of all the other symptoms I could have, I have to be thankful.

28 weeks

 29 weeks

 30 weeks

This is also 30 weeks... my belly looks HUGE! 

I love these little Baby Gap bear slippers... Shopping for baby clothes is my new favorite thing.

The highlight of the week was our glider chair and ottoman arriving!! It actually arrived on my birthday. It was the best surprise. I spend my evenings in this chair after work. It's the most comfortable position for my back!

I also ordered this cute little animal map on etsy. It's so subtle and calm. I love how the animals are sketched and not cartoony. And their all in their geographical area, so it's educational! :)

I found this adorable fabric at a quilt shop with my mother-in-law when she was in town for Thanksgiving. We picked out fabric for her to make the baby a quilt (which I'm so excited about!) But I couldn't resist this fabric. I made a little burp cloth. I might make a pillow out of it- I can't decide.  

We were waiting for the chair to arrive to start hanging these shelves. I ordered a bunch of books from Amazon (a lot were recommended by Carrie who always finds the cutest books).

I can't wait for our baby to be here! I think we'll be spending lots of time together in this chair... In the mean time, I'll snuggle with this little guy!

All of these pictures were taken with my phone. Once the nursery is complete, I'll take pictures with my real camera. Which reminds me! We booked our newborn photos with a photographer! I didn't care too much to have maternity photos, but I definitely wanted newborn shots in our home.. very natural and relaxed. they're tentatively scheduled for March 2nd. I can't wait!

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving break was filled with family and friends. Carrie and Andrew stopped by for dinner on Wednesday night since they were spending the holiday with Andrew's sister here in GA. It's always so fun to have them over! 

Brian's parents and brother came down for a few days, so we celebrated Thanksgiving with them! Toby loves visitors. :)

Here we are on Thanksgiving Day! 28 weeks pregnant. Next year, we'll have a 9 month old! Hard to believe.

Our niece Meg wore one of my turkey onesies. So festive!

I love this picture of the whole family.

 Uncle Brian and the nephews!

It was a wonderful week off of work- I got much needed rest and even finished a project for the baby's room! More on that later. :)

trip to boone!

Every fall we try to make a trip up to Boone. This year we met the Neel's and Gregory's for a weekend together... With the dogs of course! Brian's 30th birthday was a couple weeks before our trip, so we decided to have a little celebration! Hats make

 

We tried a new cabin this year which was close to Banner Elk. It had a gorgeous view of Grandfather Mountain!

On Saturday morning, we took a little hike from our cabin to some waterfalls close by. 

 We made the dogs pose for a picture together on the way.

Our little family of three, almost four! 

 It was a beautiful day!

We went to lunch at Woodlands which was amazing, and then headed for a little walk at Bass Lake! One of my favorite places... Also the place where we got engaged five years ago!

Next year we will go a few weeks earlier when there are still leaves on the trees!

We walked through downtown Blowing Rock.

We picked up pizza for dinner, took it back to the cabin, and had a cozy evening in. They guys battled the freezing cold outside and hung out in the hot tub while the girls crocheted and talked in the warm indoors. On Sunday morning before heading back home, we had a fabulous brunch at Melanie's. 

We always leave this town wishing we had just one more day! Next fall will be quite different with a little one around, but I hope to continue visiting every year! 

pregnancy: weeks 25-27

Here we are at the end of the second trimester! Crazy... Other than some lower back pain at the end of the day and getting light headed in the mornings sometimes (oh, and the occasional hot flashes which no one ever tells you about!), I'm feeling great! Really, I can't complain. Do I love being pregnant? Not yet, but I'm starting to like it more now that I can really feel the baby kicking around inside all the time! It's the greatest feeling. I can't help but touch my stomach whenever I feel movement. I stopped running because it became too uncomfortable, but I still go for long walks and do yoga. I really want to keep my activity up as much as possible through out the pregnancy. All of my cravings stopped around week 18. Hopefully they're gone for good. The baby had a little growth spurt in these three weeks. Shirts that used to fit no longer do, and pants are becoming more and more uncomfortable... If I could, I'd wear leggings and a big t-shirt all day every day! 

Week 25 - dresses are way more comfortable than pants! :)

Week 26 - This is a horrible picture and was taken on the last day that I was officially 26 weeks... I had just gotten home from work on a Friday, was exhausted and ready to put on pajamas! I made Brian take a quick shot and didn't even look at it until now. Toby wanted to show his profile too. He's so serious...

 Week 27! Again. Dresses are way more comfy.

This weekend, I sewed the crib skirt! It's nothing fancy, but it's nice to cross that off my list. Next is the bumper which will be a little more complicated, but I'm hoping to knock that out next weekend! I really can't wait for this room to be finished. It's so fun working on it, and I can't wait to see our baby in it!

O'Steen Family Weekend

My family is spread out across the country. My parents live in California. One brother lives in Florida. The other brother lives in Maine. Sister lives in Virginia, and we are in Georgia! Planning a holiday celebration with everyone together is nearly impossible, especially with everyone's different work schedules. It wasn't working out for Thanksgiving or Christmas, so we chose the first weekend in November to get together. It was the first time in two years we had all been together. Christmas 2011 was the last time I saw Scott! Way too long. I still can't believe it worked out for everyone to come visit at once. It took lots of coordinating on my mom's part with flights, etc., but it was a success!

Since most of us hadn't seen Scott and Shelby since they got married, we decided to have a little wedding party for them. It was fun to celebrate them as a couple!

Scott & Shelby!  

 John & Toby

 So fun to have them visit for the first time!

 Dad and Brian putting together the stroller we got at the shower! I'm so excited about using this soon!

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at Piedmont Park for some time at the dog park, a picnic, and  bocce ball! It was a beautiful day. 

The whole family (minus Dan, who we greatly missed!)

 Brothers

 All four, plus baby Parker :)

Scott & Shelby

Bocce ball!

 John and Toby took a little nap....

That night, we had a little Christmas celebration... Not your normal Christmas though. Many of you know that my mom has been to a ton of shows in LA with out of town visitors and has won a TON of free stuff. When I call her in the afternoon and her phone goes straight to voicemail, I know she's at a show. Usually winning something amazing. Of course the one time I went with her, all I got was shampoo and conditioner. :) She thought it would be fun to wrap up a bunch of stuff she has won and have a white elephant gift exchange... We all drew numbers and started opening gifts and stealing items we wanted! I wish this could become a tradition. Notice the Justin Bieber Christmas wrapping paper. 

There were some interesting gifts unwrapped... I laughed to the point of tears. Mostly with what Scott opened. Hip hugger ties, Rita Wilson's country CD, shoe pads, and boot straps, gift cards, head phones, a hair straightener, and DVDs are some of the things I remember. 

We spent the evenings playing Dominion, which was a lot of fun. I really couldn't have asked for a better time together. I love my family and am so thankful for this special time we had together.