A Weekend in Wetumpka....

This weekend my sister, the girls and I all loaded up and head to our hometown, Wetumpka, Alabama. My parents came for the weekend as well and so we had a house full at my grandparents house. We had 6 adults, 3 children, and 3 dogs! Can you say circus? It was a great weekend filled with lots of laughter and great memories were made. We went to Wetumpka for the whole weekend because I had a baby shower on Saturday and then my sister and Jeff were guest speakers at our old church First Baptist of Wetumpka on Sunday. We planned a whole family get together for Sunday after church and so my mom's whole side of the family joined us for church on Sunday and then we all headed back to my grandparents house for lunch and some family bonding time.

The weekend was a success! Friday night we all just hung out around the house since we had two exciting days ahead of us! Saturday was so much fun! I had my Wetumpka baby shower at 10:30 and it was just wonderful. All the hosts did a wonderful job and we had a great turn out. Mary-Ross got so many things and we are so thankful to have so many gracious people in our life. We had a whole car full of gifts just for our angel on the way home today! I loved getting to see and spend time with my Wetumpka friends who I do not get to see very often. They are all so special to me and I can not wait for Mary-Ross to get to meet them all. They have always been my best friends and very good to my whole family. I feel so lucky to come from a small town with so many close friends who have known you your whole life. I think it is something very special to come from a small town like Wetumpka. So many people I know do not have that experience and it makes me so sad for them. All of my friends from my childhood are  my life long friends who no matter how long we go without seeing each other it is always as if we just pick up from where we left off last and go from there. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came on Saturday and to the fantastic hosts for making this shower possible! Thanks friends! :)

While I was in Wetumpka Justin stayed behind in Birmingham and played in a golf tournament at our country club. He was very lucky this weekend! Friday night he won a raffle and won a 3D Samsung T.V., 2 pairs of 3D glasses, and a 3D Blue-ray DVD player! WHOA BABY! Then on Saturday he won another raffle and won a brand new set of Calloway Razor Irons! Talk about one lucky guy! He called and said he needed to buy a lotto ticket as well since he was on a winning streak! Hahaha. Just thought I'd share that little bit of exciting news!

On Sunday, my sister and Jeff spoke at First Baptist of Wetumpka and did a great job. I am so proud of them. They really did an inspiring speech about all the struggles they went through last year with the twins. I think it is so special that First Baptist thought of them when they were planning a special Sunday program they do once a year called The Sanctity of Life. They showed a very inspiring video called 99 Ballons that was heart-breaking but so moving. It really did make you stop and think and realize just how lucky we all are. Then they had my sister and Jeff come up and tell there story. Then after they were done sharing there story they brought all the babies up to show them off to the congregation who prayed and prayed for them and who continue to pray for them. I know they all were so glad to be able to finally put a face to the names they have heard over and over again from my grandparents and other close friends of the family. It was such a proud and special moment for our family.

Another weekend has come and gone but it was a great weekend! We have to rest up this week because we have another big weekend ahead of us!

Until next time....

Another Doctor Update!

Went to the Doctor today for my 2 week check-up and it went great! We got to re-do our 4D ultrasound and Mary-Ross did much better at this one. I drank a yucky Mello Yello as instructed by the ultrasound tech and I think it worked! She was moving all around during the ultrasound and showed us her sweet smile a lot. It was so sweet and adorable. She opened her eyes a lot and she opened her mouth and was sticking out her tongue at us too! Her feet are right by her head! We got to count all of her fingers and toes and she has 5 on each hand and foot! The ultrasound tech measured her for us and according to the measurements she is weighing around 3 lbs. 9 ounces right now. She said that her femur is measuring about 2 weeks and 5 days ahead of her due date and her weight is measuring about a week ahead of my due date. So we will see in a few weeks if my Doctor thinks she will be arriving earlier than we thought. That will definitely make her parents happy! Justin thought this 4D was really cool and he said it made him want to meet out little angel even more! Haha. I had some problems over the weekend but luckily the Doctor said everything is fine. I had to go on an antibiotic though but besides that everything is peachy! I go back on April 4th and then I will start going once a week! YAYY! We have a lot of things coming up and I am hoping it will make the time go by faster!

Here is my favorite picture from the ultrasound today!

Almost officially members...

Justin and I finally sat down with Dr. Jim Savage, the senior pastor at Riverchase United Methodist here in Hoover. We have been attending RUMC whenever possible over the past year and have always enjoyed the services. Finding and joining a church here in Hoover is something we have been wanting to do from day one of moving to Birmingham but, as we all do, it is something that took the back burner even though it was the most important thing. We let life and laziness get in the way for too long and after we found out we were expecting our little angel it luckily put a pep in our step to being more serious about our faith. So today we meet with Dr. Savage after the service and talked to him about joining the church and told him Justin wanted to be baptized and that I want to re-commit to the Lord. We also told him we wanted Mary-Ross to be baptized after she was born as well. We had a great meeting and really enjoyed talking with Dr. Savage and hearing what he believes and feels is important. Lucky for us he has been just the person we have been looking for and his beliefs and views just so happen to be exactly how we both feel. He told us RUMC over the years has become more and more of a melting pot of all religions. He said that majority of the members are all from different denominations and that really made Justin and I more comfortable since we both are from different denominations. He said that RUMC is really all about peace and love. He said that because so many people there have been brought up believing so many different things that they like to focus on the main reason why we go to church and that is God. Justin and me really like that and feel so much better now that we know all of these things. We are so looking forward to joining RUMC and getting to know the people. We always enjoy Dr. Savage's sermons and can not wait to learn more and more from him. We are planning on joining the church and being baptized the second weekend in April. So the official date is set for April 10th. This is something that has been so important to us and on our minds to do before Mary-Ross gets here. We want her to be apart of something great before she even knows it. We are hoping to meet many new friends at RUMC and becoming apart of the family.

Until next time...

30 weeks!

As of today I am officially 30 weeks preggo! I have really started to feel 30 weeks pregnant more and more this past week. I have really noticed just how heavy my belly is and my legs have been feeling really crampy. I definitely think I have been having more Braxton Hick's contractions but they have not been really bad. I just notice how my belly and the tops of my thighs will all of a sudden feel really crampy. My mom told me she had Braxton Hick's in her legs when she was pregnant too. So that helped ease my concerns. It is getting harder and harder to get up and down and I do not get from point a to b very fast anymore. Luckily my sleeping is still great besides the occasional getting up at night to use the potty. I went and ran some errands yesterday and even though I only went to 3 places by the time I got home I was exhausted. I decided to re-organize some things in the nursery and start on some projects for the nursery but then I had to rest on the couch until time to get ready for dinner with the Crutcher's!

Yesterday I decided that I wanted Mary-Ross to use all organic diapers! I have already been buying diapers and when I bought diapers I bought the Huggies pure & natural brand and some of the Seventh Generation brand. I suffered from Eczema as an infant all the way to current day. It was absolutely horrible when I was a baby and child. I have traumatizing flashbacks to the screaming and fighting I would do when my mother was trying to help my skin problems. Back then there was little that could be done for Eczema. Doctors did not consider all of the things that they do now when treating Eczema in children and adults. We did not know chemicals and foods are basically the main cause of Eczema. Since I have been an adult I have had more control over my skin problems after working for an Allergist and reading everything possible on the issue. I realized my diet and products I was using was the main problem and once I fixed those issues I have actually been Eczema free for a very long time now. So that little story is why I have officially decided to use only organic diapers for the little one. Eczema can be hereditary and I do not even want to take the chance in causing a flare up on my precious angel because I use regular diapers. Regular diapers are loaded with chemicals and chlorine. Chlorine is one of the biggest irritants to people who have skin problems. This is one reason why babies get diaper rashes. I know some babies never get diaper rashes. But, a lot of children suffer from them and one reason is because of the type of diapers there parents but on them. My sister has found this to be very true as well since Ashlyn Kay suffered from diaper rashes and so does Blakely. When Ashlyn Kay was a baby Huggies did not have the pure and natural brand. But now they do and that is what she uses on the twins and it helps prevent Blakely from getting bad diaper rashes. So since I have been registering for baby stuff I came across a new brand of diapers called gDiapers. Now we all know the best organic diapering option for babies are cloth diapers but that is one thing I can not do. I know how severe infant poops are and that is something I am not willing to do. But this company that makes gDiapers has come up with the perfect concept for parents who want there children to wear organic diapers but do not fool with the mess of cloth diapers. So I read a lot of reviews on them and read up on the product information. After reading all the info I became convinced that it is definitely worth trying! I compared the prices and gDiapers seem like they are expensive at first but once you calculate it all it actually is the same price as regular disposable diapers. I am still going to use the diapers I have already bought but luckily all the ones I have are already the organic version of disposable diapers. So we will see how they really work out when they are put to test. Here is the concept of the gDiapers if you are curious!

The gDiaper concept:
The actual diaper is reusable and re washable. They come in sizes newborn to large. They have a snap in liner to protect the actual diaper from getting dirty.  You put a disposable 100% biodegradable liner into the snap in liner. The biodegradable liner is what will catch the pee/poop. Now you are asking how is it possible that the diaper will stay clean? Well the snap in liner which is a plastic liner is what protects the actual diaper which is cloth and very soft. So when your baby soils the the disposable liner you just take the liner out throw away in the garbage or flush down the toilet. They also suggest composting but the Rolling's are not that green! :) The gdiapers are plastic free, chlorine free, latex free, and perfume free. Now even the company who makes this product will tell you accidents happen but that is why you have more than one gDiaper. They recommend 12 gdiapers for a newborn and 6-8 gDiapers from when they are in the sizes small to large. They say that yes the snap in liners will on occasion get dirty but that's why they snap out and are washable. So once you have the actual gdiapers all you have to do is buy the liners each time. Which like I said before are around the same price as regular diapers. Another perk with the gDiapers is that they have a velcro closures to keep the diaper on baby and they are adjustable so you can get the exact fit for your little one.

So there is the information on the gDiaper. You might think I am being crazy but it is something I want to try and what is it going to hurt? I am hoping it works because that will definitely cut down on smelly diapers and tons of trash! I used a gift card we had and bought the gDiaper newborn bundle which comes with 12 newborn diapers, 6 size small diapers, and 80 biodegradable liners. The snap in liners are already included with each individual diaper and comes with an extra one. You can also buy a 6-pack of the snap-in liners for back up.

I will post my review on the product after giving them a try with Miss Priss! I am hoping they work! :)

I go to the Doctor on Monday and we are getting our 4D ultrasound again. I am hoping this one is better than the last! I will do a new post after the Doctor's visit on Monday!

Big news for the Rolling's!

Friday night we got a phone call from Justin's brother, Hunter, announcing him and his wife Emily were expecting there first child! Emily is due early September. They will get to find out the sex at there appointment in April. We are so very happy for them and glad Mary-Ross will have a cousin the same age. They are so excited as well. Justin's parents couldn't be happier as well since they went from zero grandbabies to two grandbabies in one year! The holidays will be very entertaining for us from here on out and we are so happy. We want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to Hunter and Emily and we can not wait to find out if Mary-Ross will have a girl cousin or boy cousin. :) It is going to be very cool that she will have cousins on both sides of her family that are so close in age!  I will post an update when we hear what they are having! Love you Hunter and Emily!

Birmingham Baby Shower

Last night we kicked off Spring with our first baby shower. It was so cute and so much fun. We have some wonderful friends and family members and we are so very thankful for them all. This shower was given by my sister and her husband, Amy and Scooter, Lynlee and Grant, Jennifer and Matt, Trent and Alyssa, and Molly. All of those people are dear friends of mine and we could never express to them how much we appreciated them doing this for us and Mary-Ross! They had all of my favorite foods! I was stuffed to the brim after eating all of it last night! :) A walk today is going to be necessary! We got some wonderful gifts and much needed items! They did a really cute idea that I LOVE! In the invitation they included a bookplate and instructed the guests to buy a book instead of a card and enclose the bookplate in the book and write who it is from so that way Mary-Ross will know who gave her each book! It is so cute and very special I think! I can just imagine when Mary-Ross is old enough to understand those things and we can go through all her wonderful books to see who gave them to her. She got baby books all the way to some timeless books. I can not wait to be able to read them to her! I just wanted to share just how blessed we are and we could never show just how thankful we are for these special people in our lives! Thanks again to the hosts and people who came last night! We love you!

Left to Right: Emily Fill, Amy Crutcher, Me, Niki Hayden, & Alyssa Cox

                            
All of the hosts & friends who came to the shower minus a few people


Until next time.....

28 weeks and 5 days

We went in for our 4 week check-up today and everything went great! We had our 4D ultrasound done but unfortunately our little angel is like her mother and hates having her picture taken. She was sleeping the entire time and had her arm bent right in front of her face! We did manage to get a few good ones of her profile though. Luckily, my Doctor's office offers a free re-do and so at our next appointment on March 21st we will try again. The ultrasound tech told me to drink half of a Mountain Dew before I got to the Doctor's office and then finish the rest of it while waiting to be called back. So hopefully she will be moving all around! She still has not turned but we are hoping by the next appointment she will be head down. I really hope she moves on her own! The position she is in right now she does not have that much farther to go as long as she goes left not right. But besides that they said she looked perfect and she is measuring exactly on time and should weigh around 2.5 lbs. right now. My stomach is measuring exactly as it should as well. The Doctor said that everything looked normal for me as well. I did have a few things to let them know this time. Last Friday night I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction that I really felt and he said that I would probably start feeling those more frequently now. Luckily it only happened once and after drinking water, laying on my left side, and soaking in the tub it went away! I also have been having some dizzy and sick feeling spells for the past two weeks and the Doctor said I am having a hypoglycemic episodes. So he gave me the instructions on what to do when those occur. Hopefully I will not have anymore though. We are looking forward to the next appointment though to see our little girl again. Justin is going to scan in the pictures for me so when he does I will post some on the blog and on facebook. I still need to take some updated pictures of the nursery and post on here for everyone to see. Maybe I can get that done tonight or tomorrow. I will post a new blog after the baby shower on Saturday as well. So excited to see our friends and family!

Until next time.....

Hello Third Trimester!

YAY! I am finally in the third and final trimester! So glad I am getting close to the finish line. I am not really sure how some women can say they just love being pregnant. I will say I have not really enjoyed anything about being pregnant except for the fact that I get to feel my little girl move around and know that at the end of all this I will have a precious baby. But, as for everything else it pretty much stinks! I am getting really excited because my baby shower begin this weekend and I can not wait to visit with our friends and to start getting everything we will need for little girl. I am ready to start organizing and getting everything ready. It just makes me anxious thinking about how we do not have everything we need at the moment but I know in these next few weeks we will begin to get all the baby gear! Our rocking chair finally came in and we went and picked it up Saturday! It did not turn out the exact color I had thought but thankfully it looks fine and worked out well! It is so comfy and I can not wait to cuddle up with Mary-Ross in it!

Thank goodness our Doctor's appointment is this Thursday! We are so excited! I can not wait to see how much she has grown since our last ultrasound in January! I am hoping to hear that she is measuring ahead of schedule! She has been measuring 2 days ahead of my due date all along but I am hoping to hear that she is already pretty large so that way we will get to meet her even earlier! I know it's unlikely but a girl can dream can't she!?! I am glad my appointment is this week also because I have been having some dizzy spells and I even think I had some Braxton Hicks contractions going on Friday night. I know all the signs of a Braxton Hicks and the real thing and who knows if it really was but all I know is the feeling I was having has never happened before and it was weird! Luckily it went away though after soaking in a warm bath which is what they recommend doing if you are uncomfortable and it really did make all the weirdness go away and I felt like a new woman! I sometimes question myself though on the feelings I have on whether they are really happening or not. You read so much stuff when you are pregnant and people tell you so much stuff that sometimes I wonder if I am just imagining it all or that it is really happening. So I try not to freak out but luckily I have my sister that I just call and ask first before I call my Doctor on the weekend freaking out.

I can really tell Mary-Ross has gotten bigger because her sweet little kicks and jolts are no longer sweet and fun. They are starting to hurt and be quite uncomfortable when she decides to shake her entire body and do who knows what in there! I swear it literally feels sometimes she really is shaking her entire body. It is so strange! Whatever she was doing one night last week felt like she had a rubber band stretched out really far and then was letting one end go and letting it pop the inside of my belly. I can take pain but I really was almost in tears after it happened about 3 times! Luckily she moved on to the next thing and I was very thankful! Last night I was exhausted and up way later than my normal bed time and was trying really hard to get comfortable and fall asleep. Every time I got situated she would start moving around so much and it was so hard to fall asleep with her moving her entire body around so after about 10 minutes of her having a party in the womb I decided to blast some classical music out of my belly buds (earphones that stick onto your belly that connect to you iPod or iPhone that are made to play music to your baby while in the womb but have covers that block the music so you do not have to listen to it unless you want to. They are very cool!) to see if it would help her settle down and put her to sleep and thankfully it worked like a charm! Every time I have used my belly buds and played her cool baby music (all the Rockabye Baby soundtracks that include artists like Guns N' Roses, Journey, DMB, Nirvana, No Doubt, The Rolling Stones, etc.) she rocks out and moves all around. But, when I play the classical baby music she goes still and to sleep! Hehe. It's really funny! So I now know what to do when she is making mommy uncomfortable!

I will write another post after the appointment on Thursday and post the 4D ultrasound pictures! Can not wait!

Until then...