When's that baby due?

When the pregnancy app on your phone informs you that if you were to go into labor your baby would technically be born full term; you know you're getting close!  When the guys at work don't just offer to refill the printer with paper, they insist and move you out of the way; you know you're getting close!  When you're normally easy going and are starting to freak out a little about the nursery; you know you're getting close!

Can't believe we are under a month away from Sawyer's due date!  Doctor appointments start every week tomorrow.  Crazy.  There is so much going on between now and the end of the month I think it is going to go by pretty fast.  Well, I hope it goes by fast.  Drew's parents are coming in town Friday for a family baby shower this weekend.  There is a lot that needs to get done around the house before they get here, so that will keep me busy for sure.  Plus work and regular stuff going on.  I'm excited about the family shower, it will be fun to have one last shebang before Sawyer gets here.

Drew, my dad, and I have been working hard to get the nursery and other baby things ready.  Last weekend they put together the crib; however we are missing the mattress.  We do have a bassinet for Sawyer to sleep in when he first gets here, but a mattress is still pretty important!  The changing table is supposed to get here sometime this week, hopefully we can get it up and put together soon.  Also, cushions for the rocking chair should be here this week. Then it's just organizing everything and storing things where I want them and putting together the finishing touches.

Here are some pictures of what we've done over the past week:

35 weeks!!

5 weeks to go!!  Cannot believe we are so close to meeting little Sawyer!  The pregnancy books/websites recommend packing at 35 weeks, so we must be getting close!

Our nursery furniture came in last weekend, so my dad and Drew have been working on putting it together and getting it arranged in the room.  So far, we have the dresser up, and I worked this past week on washing clothes to put away.  I know it will be a chore to do in a month or so, but right now it is fun to wash the itty bitty clothes and get everything put away.  Tomorrow night they are tackling the crib.  Unfortunately the changing table had some gauges in it, so we have to return it and wait for a replacement.

On the pregnancy front, I think I have hit the wall.  Up until about a week ago I was feeling pretty great.  No real complaints, just ready to have Sawyer in my arms.  This past week I have felt absolutely drained, like when I had mono a few years ago.  It doesn't seem to matter how much sleep I get, I am still exhausted.  I have also developed some serious heartburn.  It doesn't really seem to matter what I eat, I can feel the heartburn start creeping up my chest a few times a day.  Hopefully it means Sawyer comes out with some hair on his head!

Last, but not least, here are some pictures:

33 Weeks!

Under 50 days to go!  Cannot believe how close we are to meeting little Sawyer!

The last week or so has really flown by.  Thursday a week ago we went in for a doctor's appointment and our last ultrasound.  It's only the second one that we've done at the doctor, and it was the regular ultrasound, not the 3D, but we still got a great look at Sawyer.  Unfortunately though he had the hiccups the whole time so all the pictures of his sweet face he's pouting.  Still cute though.  Can't wait to see that precious face in person though!

Last Monday the church staff threw Drew and me a baby shower lunch.  It was super nice of them, and it was the first shower I've had.  We received some cute outfits and much needed baby supplies (ie diaper pail).  Also got a lot of advice.

On Sunday, I was thrown a shower at the church my the moms of the friends I grew up with.  Friends I've had at DBC since I was in first grade!  20 years, and now most of us are married and having babies, crazy!  It was a super cute jungle theme and a lot of of people from church were able to come.  Even my aunt from Connecticut happened to be in town and was able to make it.  It was such a blessing to have so many caring people think of me as I prepare to have a baby.  Sawyer will definitely be spoiled!  :)

While I am still feeling pretty great, I am starting to get to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy.  Finding a comfortable position to sleep, or sometimes even sit is getting difficult.  Sawyer has turned head down for the most part...his head seems to rest on my hip, and his feet up in my rib cage.  If I am able to stretch out my torso it's not too bad, but sitting for long periods of times seems to scrunch everything up.  Oh well, since the rest of my pregnancy has been pretty easy, I can't complain too much!  And the prize at the end of it is a great one!

Here is an updated bump shot, and some pictures from the ultrasound:

2 MONTHS!!!

Cannot believe that it is February already!  Which means 2 months until Sawyer makes his arrival!  Whoa!

The last week or so has been especially crazy.  Last week I think I had something every single day.  Which is nice, but I needed a day where  I could just sleep after work without having to worry about setting an alarm to get up and go.

Pregnancy is still going great, tired a lot, but other then that no complaints.  Went to a prenatal chiropractor yesterday because I have been experiencing some lower back/hip pain as my body continues to prepare for birth.  She came to our childbirth class and offered a free assessment, and I figured why not.  I go back next week to get the results of the assessment and see what she says.  Drew has raved about going to see a chiropractor since we met, and other women I've talked to who went while preggers have nothing but great things to say.  So, we'll see.

Tomorrow we have a doctors appointment and our second/last ultrasound.  It will be interesting to see how big Sawyer's gotten and what all the doctor has to say.  Love getting to hear the heartbeat, and am excited to get one more little peak before he gets here.

Monday, the staff at church threw a little baby shower/lunch for Drew and I.  My parents were able to come too, and it was a nice time.  Drew and I got some super cute/needed baby supplies, and now the nursery has become the baby stuff storage unit.  Haha.  Definitely need to get some furniture so we can get it set up and ready!  I keep telling myself I have time, but I really want to go get a crib and dresser so everything is just how I want it.


Finally, my good friend Amber had her baby, two weeks ago today!  Jackson is one stinkin cute little fella.  And he and Sawyer will be besties, it's decided.

San Antonio, Glucose, and Bedding!

Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated this thing.  It's been a busy last couple of weeks, being out of town and then recovering from being out of town.  Drew and I were able to enjoy a week in San Antonio for an early three year anniversary trip and babymoon.  As the plane landed back in Jacksonville, Drew looked over at me and said "well, that's the last vacation just the two of us for a long time".  Yes, I'm sure we'll be able to get a weekend away here and there, but it will be the last time where we can go away without a kid, and without worrying about a kid we're leaving behind.

It was a great week; we were able to relax, enjoy the River Walk, catch a Spurs game, take a day trip to Austin, and hit up the zoo.  And eat some really good food.  The last couple of weeks we had kind of become Food Network addicts, and when we realized we could hit up two things we saw on FN while in Texas we had to make it happen.  The first was The Cove, a restaurant/car wash/launder mat combo serving up all natural and local food featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.  Then when we went to Austin we took in the food truck scene and ate some super spicy Korean-Mexican Bbq.  It was fantastic.  Our favorite part was probably the San Antonio zoo, even though it doesn't come close to comparing to the Jacksonville zoo (didn't realize how nice ours was!) it was still a lot of fun and since it was a random Tuesday in January, we had the place to ourselves.

Unfortunately, while on vacation I got the results from my one hour glucose test.  Fail.  So I had to make an appointment for a three hour test which I took on Wednesday.  I had to fast for 12 hours, then get stuck 4 times during the test.  Since I loathe getting my blood drawn, I was not looking forward to it at all, but my mom went with me in case I got woozy and then took me to a delicious brunch at First Watch when it was over.  It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be.  Fasting then drinking that nasty glucose drink on an empty stomach was the worst part.  I was supposed to get back the results by Friday, but the lab was running slow so Monday morning first thing I should hear back.  Hopefully with a pass!

Then the best part of the week so far - Sawyer's bedding came in yesterday!!  I am saving showing off a lot of pictures because it is a gift from my mother in law, so I'm going to wrap it up to take to a shower in a couple of weeks, and again when she comes for the family shower.  There will be pictures eventually though, promise!  It is super cute though, and I can't wait to have a crib so I can get it all set up!

Pregnancy is still going well.  I haven't hit the miserable uncomfortable phase yet.  Sleeping is hard because I've always slept on my stomach, but other then that, feel pretty good!  Just can't wait till Sawyer is here.  One of my good friends just had her little boy and holding him when we went to visit them in the hospital made me want Sawyer here so bad!

Here are a couple of pictures from the vacation, the one of just me at the state capital isn't the best (it was freezing that day) but it does show off the bump!

Hello 2012! Hello 3rd Trimester!

2012 came in and I entered my third trimester.  90 days until Sawyer!  Woohoo!  The home stretch, but probably the longest as I wait to hold my sweet baby boy in my arms.  Pregnancy is still going great, I have developed a new symptom - leg cramps!  I figured they would come as I am prone to cramps.  In high school I would get the worst charlie horses during soccer season.  So I've upped my water intake even more; I feel like a fish!  Sawyer is still kicking here and there, unfortunately though for my mom and others who want to feel him move, it's still mainly late at night.  Stubborn little guy - don't you know you have adoring fans who want to feel a kick or two?

In other pregnancy news, we've completed the first step to getting the nursery ready.  Friday afternoon my dad, brother, and some youth came and moved all the guest room furniture to the spare room.  So now our guest room is empty and ready to be transformed into a nursery.  Next week while we are babymooning/anniversary tripping in San Antonio, the nursery will get painted.  Yay!!

I promised pictures, so here are some from Christmas.  We tried to get some shots that showed off the basketball I'm smuggling: 

Double Digits!

That's right the countdown to Sawyer is under 100 days!!  99 and counting til we see his sweet face.  Realizing how close us becoming a family of three is to being a reality is crazy.  Next Christmas we will have an almost 9 month old opening presents and crawling around and that is insane to think about.  Insane, but I can't wait!

Still been feeling good overall, but sleep is getting worse.  Sawyer is on my crazy work schedule which is great when I'm at work.  He will sleep most of the morning and then start his kicking and moving around at night.  Usually around 10:00.  Perfect when I am working nights.  This week though I took a couple of nights off for Christmas and Sawyer is still on the night work routine.  So Wednesday night, my first night off and just as I was getting asleep, he started up.  Kick, kick, flip, jab, etc.  Until about 2 something in the morning.  Then he relaxed for a bit and around 4:00 started back up.  It's hard to complain though when the reason you're not getting sleep is because there is a little miracle growing inside you.

Third trimester will be here before we know it!  We have picked out paint colors for the nursery and Drew bought an early Christmas gift for Sawyer (for me really!) to go in the nursery.  Once paint is on the walls, I'll have to take some pictures of the progress.  And yes, more pictures of the bump are coming!

She's Gotta Bump!!

24 1/2 weeks and feeling fine.  Belly bump is definitely here.  No question as to whether I'm pregnant or not.  I need to get some better bump pictures up, but I do have one from a couple of weeks ago:

Start of a bump.

My dad took some more in front of the Christmas tree over the weekend, but they are on his camera, so hopefully I can get those up soon.  My bump is a lot bigger in those pictures.  Basically it looks like I'm smuggling a soccer ball around.

Sawyer is kicking and moving around like no other.  He sometimes hits my schedule perfectly; moving around at work when I need to be awake and calming down when I'm asleep.  Every now and then though he get's confused and the kicking starts just as I'm good and asleep.  Oh well, it's still amazing that he is moving around and growing in there.  Pregnancy has really been good to me so far - something I know is a blessing!  I have started getting leg cramps, so I'm trying to up my fluid intake even more and adding bananas to the grocery list every time we go.  Other then that I've been just getting used to carrying around the belly - not being able to bend over as easily, using handrails when going up and down stairs, etc.

In other big news, I ordered some custom crib bedding on Etsy and the fabric swatches came in so I can start matching paint and other decor.  Here are the swatches:

To give you an idea of what the final piece will look like, the outside of the crib bumper will be the animal print, the inside of the bumper will be the bicycle print.  The crib skirt will be the little multicolored dot print, and the sheet is the large blue dots.  There will also be a personalized quilt with all these fabrics, and some other coordinating fabrics with Sawyer's name on it.  Can't wait till it's finished - which should be the end of the month/beginning of January.  So exciting!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Well Jack Frost brought December in with a cold blast. Maybe not cold to people living a little further north, but cold for this Florida girl! And December means we're that much closer to Sawyer time! Some friends have generously offered to paint the nursery while we are in San Antonio for a little "baby-moon" in January. So I have one month from now to move the guest bedroom furniture into the spare room. Which means I have to clear out the spare room since it has been a catch all for everything since we got married. A lot to do especially around Christmas!

Pregnancy has continued to be good to me. After a couple of weeks of questioning is that me or is that Sawyer moving around I have definitely identified his kicks. And these kicks are pretty strong now, it's like he said "ok Mom, you don't know who's moving? Feel this!". The last couple of days especially I've been really able to identify where he is and even feel his little kicks with my hand on my stomach. Drew felt one this morning! So yes, while not real hard, they are definitely noticeable. Which is amazing!

Other baby related things are coming together as well. I have picked out bedding, just need to get it ordered, and in so I can pick out some paint. We also registered for baby things. Babies R Us is slightly overwhelming and deciding what is actually needed for a baby is kind of crazy. But I think we might be set. We also registered for some cloth diapers at Sweet Bottoms Baby online. Yes, we have decided to cloth diaper. But that is another topic for another post. More bump shots next time!

Babies everywhere

My good friend Jennifer is expecting in February and on Saturday we threw her a shower. Her little girl will sure be loved and possibly a little spoiled. Can't wait to meet little Hailey in a couple of months!

It was also a good chance to take some baby bump shots.

Halfway there!

Psalm 127:3 says Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.

In this whole process of pregnancy, the excitement, the anticipation, it's easy to lose sight of what a blessing it is. A blessing to have a healthy pregnancy, to see Sawyer moving around, to hear the doctor say everything looks great. It's all blessings from God, and with Thanksgiving around the corner there is so much to be thankful for.

It's been so much fun sharing the good news of a baby boy with all of our family and friends this past week. Watching the DVD of the ultrasound is still so special. Drew's parents came in town for the weekend so we got to share that joy with them and look at more baby stuff. So fun now that we know what we're having! Even bought Sawyer his first onesie when we were browsing through Babies R Us. I can't pass up on moose, so I bought a couple sizes up so he can hopefully be wearing it this time next year. Yay!

Sawyer Knox Pilkenton

Yesterday was the big day! Could hardly wait to get to the doctor's office and get the ultrasound done! I mean this was big news that was about to be revealed, plus another chance to see my baby growing and getting big.

The big news is...IT'S A BOY!!! The ultrasound went great and everything looks healthy. We counted ten fingers and ten toes. Saw his heart beating, the umbilical cord, and his brain. The nurse then went in between the legs and asked what we thought we saw. Drew and I looked at each other and said "it's a boy, or something is really wrong if it's a girl!". The nurse laughed and confirmed that it was a boy. Now it's just a countdown until little Sawyer Knox makes his debut. Yay!!

It was amazing to be able to see him move around, move his little hands and feet, even turn around and stick his tiny little hiney in front of the camera. He is not camera shy, that's for sure! The nurse estimated he weighed about 9 ounces and was 10 inches long. Or about the weight of a good sized mango, and the length of banana.

We got to take home a strip of cute pictures and she burned us a DVD so we could watch it and take stills from the whole visit. She even made an arrow pointing to his little man parts.

Here are some pictures from the day:

He's all boy!

Sawyer's foot

Head down, sucking his thumb

Legs crossed

18 weeks baby!

18 weeks means exactly one week from right now we will know if baby peanut is a boy or girl.  I couldn't be more excited!  Seriously.  Hopefully within the week I will get some preggo pictures up, but right now I'll just give a little update.

I have broke down and purchased two maternity clothing items.  A Bella band to extend the life of some of my pants and some maternity jeans from Old Navy.  Not the full panel maternity jeans, but I am saying no to zippers, buttons, and belts.  Who needs those anyways?  And even though the Gators are causing undue stress in my life right now, I do have my eye on one of these:

Because let's face it, I love Drew, and love that he loves NC State, but baby Pilkenton will be a Gator!  :)

I've still been feeling pretty good.  Having a little indigestion here and there, but that's normal and I'm sure will only get worse over time.  Right now I'm just looking forward to finding out if it's a boy or girl and being able to feel some kicks!  And I'm sure those kicks I'm dying to feel now will be keeping me up at night (day), but for now I can't wait.  Each milestone around the corner is something to look forward to, and I'm trying to enjoy every moment of being pregnant.  

Avocado!

I love some avocado, probably my favorite "superfood".  Making guacamole one of my favorite dips.  So when I saw that this week little baby Pilkenton is about the size of a avocado this week, I must say I was excited.  And of course excited that baby was growing :).

Three weeks until we find out if little Pilkenton is a boy or girl, and I can't wait!  Over the weekend I went to Babies R Us for the first time since being pregnant to shop for my friend's baby shower.  I couldn't help but look around a little.  Granted Drew didn't especially enjoy being taken all over to "just look", but it was cool to get some ideas.  Can't wait till we are actually doing some shopping and registering for baby!

Everything pregnancy related is still going great.  Been feeling well, and slowly starting to get used to sleeping during the day after work.  Still haven't been able to find the most comfortable sleeping position, so buying some sort of pregnancy or body pillow is definitely in the immediate future.  Other then that though, getting more excited everyday.  Looked at the calender and Christmas Eve puts us at under 100 days!  Yay!

15 weeks!

Last week was absolutely crazy, so I wasn't able to do a 14 week post, but I am slowly getting used to 3rd shift, so hopefully I can get on a better routine.
Yesterday I had one of my regular 4 week appointments and everything is great.  It is so neat to hear the heartbeat and know that is your child you're listening to.  About a week ago we were able to have a special sonogram done my a friend.  Amazing!  Words cannot describe how special it is!

My gender sonogram is scheduled for November and I can't wait to find out if peanut is a boy or girl.  I am also looking forward to feeling him/her move and Drew being able to feel it too.  I think all the "wow" parts of pregnancy are just around the corner.  Which makes it even more real - and the need to get the house ready more imminent.

Right now though, clothes are starting to feel a little snug.  Maternity shopping is definitely on the horizon.  I also need to figure out sleeping.  Up until now, sleeping on my stomach was still comfortable, but now it's starting to feel like I'm lying on a baseball.  Sleeping on my side is not the most comfortable.  I fee like I'm in a flamingo position with one leg curled up trying to get my hips and back to be as comfortable as possible.  Buying a pregnancy pillow is probably in the near future.

For the most part though; so far so good.  No weird cravings or aversions.  Just enjoying being pregnant.

Savannah

We were able to spend last weekend in Savannah taking some time to relax and have a mini-vacation before I started the craziness of third shift.  While in Savannah we also had the realization that it won't be long until we are taking vacations as a family of three!  I have still been feeling good, I go back to the doctor in about a week and a half for a four-week checkup.  Each week that passes makes it a little more real and more exciting.  I can hardly wait the six weeks till we find out what we're having!

While in Savannah I did take a sideways picture to show off the little bump.  Ok, it looks more like I had too much steak or brownies or something, but it's getting there.

13 1/2 weeks along, and little peanut is about the size of a peach.  Or according to Drew's Caveman Pregnancy book about the size of a gulf club head or baseball.  Even though I really haven't begun to show at all, I think I will need to start updating the wardrobe, work clothes are starting to feel a little tight.  Can't wait until it's clear that I'm pregnant and not just putting on weight!

12/13 Weeks

Sunday is my reference day to how far along I am in my pregnancy.  So I am right at 12 1/2 weeks along.  My plan is to update this about once a week, more so for me to be able to look back on then necessarily creating a great following of me being preggers.

So far I have been very blessed/fortunate.  I have been feeling pretty great, no morning sickness, just exhaustion and frequent trips to the bathroom.  I know many of my friends haven't been so lucky, so I definitely count my blessings.  Of course, everyone you talk to, no morning sickness means something...I've had just about equal ladies come up and tell me it's sign I'm having a boy as it is I'm having a girl.  Definitely having a baby, so we'll just wait until November when the doc gives the official word before we start painting the nursery blue or pink!  No real food aversions or cravings.  I did crave chocolate milk a couple of weeks ago, and for someone who probably hasn't had a glass of milk in 16+ years, that is definitely the baby!!

Other pregnancy news...it's been really great to be able to tell friends and people at the church the exciting news.  It's also been especially great to converse with my pregnant friends-swap stories and glean advise.  And the excitement of one of my best friends growing up, Ansley, having her little girl Monday made everything that much more real.  Like, oh my goodness, in 6 months, that's going to be me!!  Just the thought when I was holding little Emily made my heart swell.  The youth knowing has also made it special, the older girls I think are the most excited.  Most of them I have been working with in youth for 5 or 6 years!

Not much else pregnancy related.  Just getting adjusted to the  new job and slowly starting to clean the house and prepare for the baby.

Preggers - Finding out

It's facebook official so it must be true!  Drew and I are expecting our first baby April 1, give or take a couple of weeks.  Since I've had to be tight lipped for about a month and half, I figured I would write down the details of us finding out about the pregnancy, then I will try to keep regular updates about pregnancy and pregnancy related topics until I can turn this into a baby update blog.  I'll probably throw unrelated happenings in as well just to mix it up.

We officially found out via the good ole home pregnancy test on Wednesday July 27th.  The Sunday before I had a strong gut feeling that I was pregnant, but Drew refused to let me take the test.  Everyone is a day late every now and then he said.  By Monday morning I would say I was 95% positive I was pregnant, and by Tuesday I had raised that up to 99%.  So early (4 am) Wednesday morning I took the test and almost instantaneously it read pregnant.  I withheld from waking Drew up - wanted to tell wide-awake Drew not him half-asleep.  So I made it through eight hours at work, stopped by the bookstore on the way home and picked up a copy of Caveman's Guide to Pregnancy.

When I got home Drew was in the yard with the dogs.  I hid the book and test behind my back, made my way outside and gave him the best surprise.  He was excited.  I was excited.  We were excited.  Still excited. Then we kept our mouths shut until the weekend when we told our parents.  Who were excited.  Seems to be a theme...

Then we waited the longest month and a half of my life to spread the news to everyone else.  We heard the heart beat for the first time on Monday September 12th, then called a select group of friends, we still wanted it to be a surprise on Wednesday night when we announced it to the youth, and then finally made it facebook official.

It has been amazing to finally be able to talk about my pregnancy with family and friends in the open...especially since several of my friends are expecting as well.  By next April there will be a lot of little ones crawling around the church - which is awesome!

This pregnancy adventure has been amazing thus far, and I can't wait until the baby adventure begins!