34 Weeks

34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 weeks
Size of baby: Baby A is the size of a large cantaloupe...19-22 inches long and between 5 and 5 1/2 pounds...woah!
Maternity Clothes: Absolutely!
Gender: Surprise!  Some people can't believe we are actually doing this, but I just think it adds to the anticipation! 
Movement: All the time!  This is what I will miss most about pregnancy.
Sleep: Sleep has been better and what a world of difference it makes!  I'm still having to get up on average 3 times a night to go to the bathroom, but thankfully I've been able to fall right back to sleep.  And lately I've been going back to sleep when Trent leaves for work and not waking up until 9 or 9:30...so nice!!
What I miss: getting off the couch or out of bed easily, being comfortable, sleeping on my back!
Cravings: two new things that I've been really good this past week are lemonade and chocolate poptarts..not together of course!  
Symptoms: The heartburn wasn't near as bad this week, thank goodness!  I am hot ALL OF THE TIME...just can't get cool in this summer heat!  I wish I could just live in a pool!  My back hurts pretty much constantly.  And the clumsiness is just awful!  I've run into a few things lately, like a stop sign...
Best moment of the week: I had another great doctor's appointment today!  My blood pressure is low, I'm measuring right on track, and I got to hear the baby's strong heartbeat!  So thankful for uneventful appointments!  Also Trent and I are really enjoying the time we have just the 2 of us before Baby A comes along.  We haven't done anything out of the ordinary, but we are just seeing our time together differently and it has been so sweet!  He has been such a help lately around the house keeping it clean for showings and everything else.  I'm so thankful for him, and it has been so fun sharing all of this together!
Looking forward to: seeing progress on the house!  Here is a pic of what was under the wood paneling in the breakfast nook...think we should go with the yellow flowered wall paper?! :)

Summer Fun

Happy Friday!  Who's excited to watch the Olympics nonstop for the next 2 1/2 weeks?!  I've been looking forward to this all summer!

We have done a ton of fun things this summer and I wanted to be sure to blog about all of them!

First up...Kaki's 1st birthday party!  It worked out perfectly for Katie and Justin to host our niece's birthday party the same weekend as the baby shower for Baby A.  We all met up at Katie's parents house in Kingwood on Sunday morning and had a blast celebrating sweet Miss Kaki!  They don't come any sweeter than her!

 Kaki and her sweet uncles!

 So pretty!

 Had to get a pic with the cute big brother!

 Ree Ree and Uncle Tag with the birthday girl!

 The cutest niece and nephew EVER!!

 The Cox fam! 

 Ready to dig in!

She LOVED it!  Caden had to get in on the action too!  At one point Kaki put her face down in the cake!

Next up, we were ready to be patriotic and celebrate the 4th!  This year we were able to go with our good friends Chris and Summers to his parents' lake house again on Lake Travis!  We absolutely love relaxing and being on the lake!  I couldn't go on any boat rides or ski this year, but I was perfectly content floating (my float was tied to the dock!), reading, and just hanging out!

 The girls!  Me, Summers, and Sara...love them!

 Trent was in charge of taking Colton down to the dock one morning!  I thought he looked great with the baby carrier and got in some good practice! :)

 Colton and me in our Baylor gear!  He is such a happy baby!

Just hanging out!

The week after we got back from Port Aransas, I volunteered to work at VBS at our church!  This sounded like a great idea back in March when I first said I would be happy to help, but then I wasn't so sure when it came time for it!  Oh, did I forget to say that I was working in a kindergarten classroom?!?  A little different from my 4th graders that I'm used to!  However, I had a blast with the little ones and working with good friends!  It was an exhausting week, but I'm so glad I did it!

 Loved working with these girls!  Nancy, Summers, Cassie, and me!

 Our cute cowboy themed room!

Cowboy Ken over there was only partially hanging on when we came in each morning!  He had a rough week! :)

And the last bit of summer fun to catch up on is our new house!  We closed last Friday, and demo started this week.  It is exciting to finally start the work that we've been talking about for 2 months now, and I can't wait to see all of the progress along the way!  We have a crew working 7 days a week to try and finish before Baby A gets here...I'm not getting my hopes up!  We bought the house from the original owners who lived there for 43 years...there is a lot of updating to be done!  I took a lot of before shots to compare the after ones to when it is all complete!  Here is a picture of the front...we are so excited to be in our new neighborhood and so close to so many of our good friends!

I hope you all have a great weekend!  We will be busy picking out paint colors, granite, and bathroom fixtures...there are too many choices!

And go USA!!!!

33 Weeks

 33 Weeks!

How Far Along: 33 weeks
Size of baby: Baby A is the size of a pineapple...about 19-20 inches long and 4.5 pounds...it is crazy how much growing is going on each week at this point!
Maternity Clothes: Yes, so comfy, although I feel like I wear the same 4-5 tops over and over again!
Gender: Surprise!  It has been fun to hear what everybody thinks I'm having!  Now total strangers are even giving their predictions.  According to my pedicure lady today, I'm having a boy!
Movement: A lot!  Some of the movements have been quite painful lately and make me gasp.
Sleep: Sleep was not my friend this week.  I was worn out from VBS, but I haven't been sleeping well at all the past week.  Several nights I've had to get up a couple of times to take more TUMS and then try and fall back asleep sitting propped up because the heartburn has been so bad.  And then the last couple of days I've had a really bad sore throat, and now that is keeping me up at night too!  Thankfully I've been able to take some good naps.
What I miss: being comfortable, putting my tennis shoes on easily...they are the most comfortable to wear but of course the hardest to put on!  I really miss being able to do a full day of activities like I used to.  Now I get out to run a few errands and am completely exhausted after just a couple.
Cravings: nothing out of the ordinary...I haven't been near as hungry lately.
Symptoms: Like I said, the heartburn was back this week with a vengeance.  The swelling at the beginning of last week only lasted a couple of days, and my feet and ankles have been looking great ever since!  Generally, just achy and sore in the afternoons and evenings.
Best moment of the week: Trent and I closed on our new house on Friday!  It is so exciting to think about it being the house where we raise our family and bring Baby A and future babies home to!  There is still a long ways to go before we move in, probably right at the time that Baby A makes his/her appearance!  I also got to hold some good friends newborn little girls this past week!  Jennifer had Ella Jewel, and Lana had Libby Shea...they are both so tiny and precious!  I'm up next...I always had them 7 weeks ahead of me, and now it's crazy to think that it's my turn!
Looking forward to: renovations being started on our house this week.  I'm hoping these next 6 or 7 weeks go by quickly as progress is made, but I also want them to go by slowly until Baby A is here!  Can't I have it both ways?! :)  I'm also excited to see my niece and nephew and sis-in-law on Thursday!!

Port Aransas 2012

So last week it was that time of year again...time for the annual Cox family vaca to Port A!  We have been doing this for 5 years now, and it is one of the best weeks of the year for all of us!  It is a time of relaxing on the beach, playing in the ocean, and making lots of fun family memories!  I have lots of pictures to share!

 Caden loved playing all kinds of games on the beach!  He wore himself out every single day!

 Trent and me enjoying the sunshine!  And loving my maternity swimsuit! :)

 Onto the next game with Caden...ladder ball!

 We dug for lots of seashells and built lots of sand castles!

 Bocce ball was a favorite of all of ours!

 Kaki and Uncle Tag chillin' in the pool!

 Coming in from jumping the waves!

 Justin and his mini-me!

 Uncle Tag and Caden sharing a snack on the beach!

 Miss Kaki LOVED the water and crawling into the waves!

 Caden loved running in the water!

Kaki checking things out!

One evening we got all dressed up in our coordinating outfits for family pics and went out to dinner!  I won't share everybody's in case they are using them for Christmas cards or something! 

 Just the 2 of us for now! :)

 Nana and Bop and their 2 precious grands!

We kept talking about what it would be like next year adding another little one to the mix and trying to get all 3 to smile for the camera! :)

 LOVE!!!  So thankful for our sweet family!

Around the table, eating some yummy seafood...

 We always found fun games to play at the house in the evenings before the kids crashed!  Caden was always asking somebody to play a game with him, and, most of the time, it ended up being his favorite...Uncle Tag!  This picture sums it all up perfectly...playing Caden's game of choice for the night, football, and Uncle Tag sharing goldfish with Kaki amid the chaos!  I believe Uncle Tag is getting hit in the back of the head with the football at this point!  Caden's vocabulary was expanded this week by Trent as well! :)

Uncle Tag and Kaki just playing!  She is the sweetest girl EVER!

I promise she really does like me!  Not sure what's with the face she's making in this pic! :)

After the little ones went to bed each evening was when the real fun began!  We all learned how to play LCR and Texas Hold 'Em...let's just say we can get pretty competitive!  

What a great trip, once again, to Port A!  Looking forward to next year when Trent and I have our own little one to play with on the beach!  Thanks Mom and Dad for another great trip and all of the fun memories!  Love y'all!

32 Weeks

How Far Along: 32 weeks
Size of baby: Baby A is the size of a honeydew...about 18-19 inches long and 4 pounds...woah!
Maternity Clothes: Yes, so comfy!
Gender: Surprise!  It has been fun to hear what everybody thinks I'm having!
Movement: Constantly!  Baby is most active in the afternoons and evenings.  I've definitely had a few jabs and kicks lately that are a little uncomfortable and borderline painful!  I can feel the hiccups 2-3 times a day...such a cool feeling!
Sleep: Sleep has still been decent.  Lately I've been waking up between 1 and 3 with really bad heartburn.  After taking a couple of Tums and propping myself up in bed, I'm usually able to fall back asleep pretty easily, thankfully!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, being able to reach things on the ground, leaning forward at a table, being able to get off a couch or out of bed easily!
Cravings: no major cravings still...
Symptoms: I felt better this past week than the week before, but I'm still pretty achy and sore in the afternoons and evenings.  My heartburn has definitely gotten worse in the past week, and I have had a little bit of swelling in my ankles and feet.  The Braxton Hicks contractions I had been having have tapered off a lot, thankfully!
Best moment of the week: We got back yesterday from an awesome family vacation in Port Aransas!  It was so nice to sit on the beach and relax.  We had a lot of good family time and made so many fun memories!  I got a good report at the Dr. today!  My blood pressure is still really good, and she said things are right on track!  And I heard Baby A's heartbeat...never gets old! :)
Looking forward to: working at VBS with some good friends this week!  We are in a kindergarten classroom...a little crazy!  I miss my 4th graders! :)  We are closing on our new house on Friday!  There are about 6 weeks of renovations to do starting next Monday...that puts us at moving in Labor Day weekend, a week before I'm due!  Nothing like cutting it close, huh?!  I'm anxious to get started and see a lot of progress very quickly! :)  I am so ready to be able to work on the nursery!

31 Weeks

31 Weeks

How Far Along: 31 weeks
Size of baby: Baby A is the size of a head of lettuce...about 19 inches long and weighs more than 3 1/2 pounds!  I feel like I'm looking huge, and I am kind of overwhelmed when I think that I still have 9 more weeks to grow!
Maternity Clothes: Absolutely!  Some shirts that I thought would never fit, are now a bit snug!  And some are starting to get too short for me to wear.  I'm hoping I have enough to last me another 9 weeks or so!
Gender: Surprise!  It has been fun to hear what everybody thinks I'm having!
Movement: Constantly!  Baby is most active in the afternoons and evenings.  I've definitely had a few jabs and kicks lately that are a little uncomfortable and borderline painful!  I can feel the hiccups 2-3 times a day...such a cool feeling!
Sleep: Sleep has been good lately!  I'm getting up about 2-3 times a night, and it is so nice to be able to go back to sleep after Trent leaves for work! 
What I miss: sleeping on my back, bending over, being able to get off a couch or out of bed easily!
Cravings: no major cravings still...
Symptoms: I definitely felt a lot of growing and stretching going on this week.  I feel great in the mornings, but by the time late afternoons and evenings hit, I'm pretty achy and tired.
Best moment of the week: We had an awesome weekend at Lake Travis with some of our best friends!  We had a great time, and it felt so great to float in the lake!  I had my float tied to the dock and just relaxed!  Today I held my good friend Jennifer's 2 day old baby girl, Ella!  She was so tiny and precious!  
Looking forward to: going to Port A for the Annual Cox Family Vacation!  It will be a fun week on the beach with the fam, and I can't wait to spend time with the two cutest beach bums...Caden and Kaki! :)

30 down...10 to go!

30 Weeks

How Far Along: 30 weeks
Size of baby: Baby A is the size of a cucumber...about 18 inches long and weighs a little more than 3 pounds!
Maternity Clothes: Absolutely!
Gender: Surprise!  It has been fun to hear what everybody thinks I'm having!
Movement: Constantly!  Baby is most active in the afternoons and evenings.  I've definitely had a few jabs and kicks lately that are a little uncomfortable and borderline painful! 
Sleep: Sleep is still pretty good.  I'm getting up about 2-3 times a night, and it is so nice to be able to go back to sleep after Trent leaves for work! 
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not getting winded, being able to bend over easily and comfortably
Cravings: no major cravings still...I definitely haven't been near as hungry as I had been.
Symptoms: just the expected growing aches and pains with a little bit of heartburn, but nothing major!  
Best moment of the week: Trent and I attended a Life With Baby class at the hospital on Saturday!  We learned a lot...from diapering, bathing, swaddling, to the 5 s's.  It was great!  I also got a good report at the Dr. on Thursday...she said everything is still looking great!
Looking forward to: a relaxing week at home and then spending a fun weekend at Lake Travis with friends for the 4th!