Some disjointed thoughts on a Thursday.

I decided to go ahead and change the blog layout to Fall from Halloween. I don't know if I will be able to post tomorrow, and I will be in Grand Jury all next week, so this may be the last post for a while. My apologies to those of you who use this as your entertainment during work (Lauren).

I mistakenly said yesterday that Avery is 12 inches long. I was going on old data. She is 14 inches long at this point and just under 2 pounds! She is the weight of a large rutabaga and the length of an English hothouse cucumber (whatever that is). I think the people at babycenter.com are getting desperate for vegetables as large as my growing fetus.

After another Sunday of work on Avery's room, I am starting to feel like it is coming together. We have a bed (complete with mattress pad, sheets, and bedding), a rocking chair with pillow and blanket, a chaise lounge for Mommy, a rug and rug pad, a changing table with changing pad and cover, one drawer full of baby clothes and socks, and two lamps. We are still waiting on some items to be hung (I knew hunting would get in the way). Her bulletin board and shelf are leaning against the wall, and paintings(by Aunt Searcy that aren't here yet) have a place reserved for them. In fact, the mirrors and curtain tie backs were done by none other than Jane Ann! That is all that is on the walls, except for the lovely stripes, of course.

TJ had a great idea that I make Avery a book with all of these posts and pictures so she will have a record of how I felt about her every step of the way. I think she will probably come away with a sense that I am a terribly impatient person, who is slightly egotistical, but more importantly, I hope she will know how much she is loved (and we haven't even met her yet!). I do believe I am beginning to understand the unconditional love of a parent. I am sure it only gets stronger and deeper. Now all I have to do is birth her and teach her to read. :)

Lastly, Allison posted that a stranger touched her belly not too long ago, and I have had a similar experience. In Jury Duty on Monday, "Brenda" touched my belly. While realizing that I had been sitting next to her for 7.5 hours, and she had asked the normal "when are you due?" questions, I probably should have known the belly touch was inevitable. Now, I don't want anyone to think it bothers me. In fact, just the opposite, I enjoy letting others touch the belly in hopes that they might get to feel her kick. However, up to this point, it has been TJ, Mom, Searcy, and a few other scattered friends who have asked. I suppose I should get used to it, I do have three more months.

14 weeks 1 day to go.

It is amazing how fast my body has gone from slightly robust to OMG huge! My belly is now busting out of my torso, and I feel like I am going to fall over any moment now. Seriously, I have to live like this for 3 more months (and it continually gets worse)? I might not make it. Avery has been quite the acrobat the last few days. She now weighs 2 pounds and is 12 inches long. I am more than ready for her to be here! I am so impatient.

Friday begins the third trimester, which seems crazy. The 2nd has gone by much quicker than the first. TJ and I start our birth preparation classes on the 10th of November, which is also the day of my next doctor's appointment. The glucose test is on that day. We will then have them every 2 weeks after the that. We have breastfeeding class on December 10th.

TJ has been hunting all the time, so I thought I would include a picture of his and Heidi's latest kill.

My latest issue is whether or not to get a larger vehicle. After some research on safety (i.e. a chat with Safety Greg) and little internet fun, I have decided that a Volvo XC90 is exactly what I need. I think there is no feasible way to get a baby (in a car seat) and a jogging stroller in the same backseat. Which really means that there is no reason to carry a jogging stroller if I cannot get my baby in the car as well. And I am quite confident that my trunk (which is more often that not filled to them brim with junk anyway) wont hold one either. Hopefully, I will begin to feel like the soccer mom that I am destined to be.

Fabreeze Ninja

Tomorrow begins the last week of the 6th month. That means that next Friday will start the 7th month, and the third trimester. I cant believe it. Little Avery will be here in 104 days. At that point, I am sure I will be begging to pull her out!

Here is the last picture of the Fabreeze Ninja shed. It will be getting painted over soon! I still don't know what it means, but I laugh every time I see it. Here is the picture.

Avery's lungs are developing capillaries, and her nostrils are open. Soon her eyes will be, too! She is around 1.75 lbs now and gaining steadily. Babycenter.com says she is about the weight of a rutabaga. Eww.

Jane Ann found a great rug place on the way to Wetumpka and I went yesterday and found a cute rug for Avery's room. Pictures of that to come.

Sorry it has been so long Searcy

I have been very busy at work and haven't had a free moment to blog since last Wednesday! Sorry! So hear are my latest thoughts...

1. It is getting increasingly difficult to bend over, put on shoes, squat, walk up stairs, etc.


2. I had a doctor's appointment today, and everything is normal. (which is relative at this point, since true normalcy is a thing of the past) All levels are good, my uterus is measuring at 21 centimeters, and weight gain is right on track.


3. I found out we go back in 6 weeks for the 4-D ultrasound to see her little cute face!


4. Next appointment is the "glucose test" appointment. I have to drink this un-Godly stuff one hour before my appointment and then have blood drawn.


5. Third Trimester starts next Friday.


6. TJ carved our pumpkin last night. It looks like it was done by a professional! I was very impressed! See the picture!
7. Hank, Maggie, and Partner had quite an adventure this weekend, and thus, we now have an invisible fence so that they will not take themselves on walks or get arrested anymore.
Hank went to doggy jail, and we actually have to go to court for it. (yes, that's right- Judge Joe Brown style.) Everyone is now safe at home with new collars!

23 weeks 5 days/the creepy dream

It seems crazy that Avery should be here in 16 weeks and 2 days. In a dream I had last night, I saw her face, creepy as it is, sticking out through my belly. I couldn't quite see details, but I could see the outline, and she looked like an alien. Then I saw her foot, which seemed oddly large compared to her baseball sized head. I read that pregnancy dreams could be weird, but I didn't really prepare for that. Luckily, it was just a dream.

an evening with the camera and my thoughts.

Hank wanted to have his picture made. So gladly, I obliged.

While I was at it, I took some pictures of the progress on Avery's room. Then I took some pictures of Partner who has not gotten his fair share of face time on the blog. (BTW, we are keeping the name Partner. We got used to it, and found that changing it might damage his self confidence.)

I am not terribly concerned about the actual care I will give little Avery. I think I have a pretty good handle on the feeding, bathing, diapering, rocking, sleeping aspects of raising a child. I am more concerned about discipline that comes later. Let me explain. Lately, I have had some "Come to Jesus" moments about being thrown into the parental circuit.

Incident #1: Last week my friend Sheryl, who has three sons, was telling me her role in alerting her oldest son's school of some off campus lunch issues. Apparently, some of the students who were co-oping would "leave for their job" and bring lunch back to the students who had to stay at school all day. I'm thinking, "So What? They leave and come back then leave again." When I should have been thinking about their safety, and the problems it could cause should one of them get in an accident. Uhh. Must start thinking like an adult.

Incident #2: As Mom and I sat in the nail place getting our pedicures yesterday, there were two young women with a very cute/slightly active four year old little boy. He wasn't really misbehaving, considering he had no toys, and was there for at least and hour and a half. He was just bouncing, like little boys do. One of the women started thumping him in the forehead to get him to sit down and be quiet. Ummm, Thumping him? Seriously? What are you teaching him with that? When the other girl was done with her manicure, he went to sit by her. He was still having trouble sitting still, and the other girl told him she was going to "Kick you in the head," if he didn't shut up. Wow, I know I am not a parent yet, but it was a great lesson in what not to do to discipline a 4 year old. (Jane Ann was about to blow a gasket and start parenting classes right in the middle of Nails by Ly.) And, if you were wondering, the kid did not settle down with his "discipline". In fact, if anything, it made him more disobedient. Lesson learned (for me at least).

"Babymoon" given two thumbs up by TJ and Tracy

Yeah for a relaxing weekend with the dear husband. We rode north and stayed at Gavin and Amber's lake house on Lake Guntersville. It was a beautiful drive and I almost finished my book! We ate dinner at this Bed and Breakfast called Gorham's Bluff, and were practically the only ones there. The food was incredible and the view was even better! We drank sparkling cider, and I almost felt like a grown up again! It was a great little get-away before Baby Avery gets here!

Speaking of the little one, she is the size of a large mango, weighing in at almost one and a half pounds, 11 1/2 inches long, and gaining about an ounce a day. (That is a lot!) Mom and I worked on her room yesterday when TJ and I got home from our trip. We rearranged the furniture that we have, and got rid of the junk that had piled up since we moved in. We put the bedding on the bed, because the mattress made it here over the weekend! It is so cute! Pictures of that tomorrow! I have been agonizing over a changing table for weeks now, and I finally found one that I am in love with! This only proves that a little persistence and some prayer go a long way! Here is the picture. It should be here in a few weeks!

The Fair is in October

When I taught at McInnis, my students were obsessed with Fair day. Reggie would sing the Fair theme song everyday regardless if it was April or October. He would draw the big top of the circus tent, and the happy smiling faces of all McInnis students in front. I embodied Reggie yesterday, as my excitement for the fair overflowed into my work time.
The fair was as wonderful as I remembered, or at least, as wonderful as a carney filled, fried food fest can be. Since I am growing another person, I could not ride any of the rides, but I did manage to waddle onto the Ferris Wheel. I ate a corn dog and a piece of pizza, and even a bite or two of funnel cake. Oh, delicious funnel cake. TJ and I had a caricature drawn of us while Lacey and Justin rode the "Zero Gravity". In the end, the sweet man who drew it turned a blind eye to my rotund body and gave me a very tiny waist and giant boobs. TJ, of course, has a six pack and a Partner's Realty visor on.

I hope she likes it!

The walls have stripes!!! Justin did a great job on them! I am really impressed! My ideas are starting to come to fruition. I am still looking for a comfy rocking chair and a rug, though. Now we need to clean the room out of all the junk that is piling up, and get organized. I really enjoy organizing and being organized, but the thought of doing it is so overwhelming. Once it is done, I will feel like I have accomplished something! Yeah for progress!

TJ & Tracy's One Year Anniversary

Justin is painting Avery's stripes today! I am very excited to check out the progress when I get home today! The chandelier shades are finished, and the bedding should be here tomorrow! It is starting to come together.
Today is our first wedding anniversary, and we are celebrating by taking a trip to a secluded cabin on a lake near Guntersville. Some people call this a "babymoon"(because we are pregnant, and having really nothing to do with our anniversary, although the timing in impeccable). Regardless, I am looking forward to some relaxation and whatever else TJ has planned!
Grandma is in town, and we are working on our Muscadine Jelly! It will be ready tonight. I hope it is as good as I remember. Avery is kicking the crap out me right now, so I will mention her progress. Today is 22 weeks and 4 days. 17 weeks 3 days left till her due date! I am so ready for her to be here! I will post pictures tomorrow!

Massage = Happy Me

I had a pre-natal massage yesterday after work. It was wonderful! I think I will need another one soon! My back feels great, and I slept like a rock last night. Avery liked it too! She kicked and rolled around the whole time I was on the table. Last night before I fell asleep, I felt her move her hands and feet at the same time. It was a very strange sensation. Before it had been mostly on one side or the other, but last night, it was both sides at the same time. It gave me a much better idea of how big she really is. She is one pound and gaining steadily. She is now as long as a spaghetti squash (11 inches).

Avery weighs 1 pound!

I bought a mattress! Yeah for me being decisive! I went with the organic, and I found one on sale!!! It should be here by next week! The bedding probably won't be in til mid-October, but at least I will have a bed and mattress to put them on!
Last night I had my first calf cramp. At four AM I shoot straight up in bed, but I was so sleepy I couldn't remember which way to flex it to make it go away! Finally, I figure it out, and the pain subsides. Strangely, instead of being my normal pissed off mood that I was awakened, I felt a sense of motherhood and pride at the prospect of having a baby. Like the pregnancy was real because I was having calf cramps. Who am I? I feel like I say that at least once a day. I look in the mirror, and my body appears foreign (see belly photos). My belly button is no longer my own. And who exactly is invading my brain and giving me all these crazy emotions that fluctuate so rapidly?
I hope my old self returns when Avery gets here (mind and body, preferably).