32 Weeks: Month 8 Begins

I'm 32 weeks now, and thus begins month 8 of pregnancy. Still on bed rest, but I go back to the OB January 2nd. We'll see what she says!


Here's my 32 week belly shot.

Here's the new changing table/dresser.

And here's the new stroller/car seat combo.

And Rob being a crying baby in the stroller.

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas!

I'm still on bed rest, but all is well. The little one is getting bigger every day, and his kicks are even starting to hurt a bit sometimes! I was able to go to Conway for Christmas, which was so nice. I'd been stuck in our house for 19 days, so the change of scenery was wonderful. We had a great Christmas with Rob's family!

Bed Rest and a Baby Crib

We had a bit of a scare last Friday, but all is well now. I had some early contractions that were too close together, so my OB admitted me to Labor and Delivery for one night. But, by Saturday morning, the contractions were well spaced and everything seemed OK. So, now I'm home on bed rest until further notice (It's been a week so far). Bed rest is a pain in the rear, but I'll do whatever they tell me to keep this little boy healthy and safe in my uterus! I think everything is going to be just fine.

We have some fun news, too.....the baby's crib came in! Woohoo! Rob put it together yesterday, and we LOVE it. It's so cute. Check out the photos below.

And this is my view of the world while on bed rest.....my laptop and my belly!

And here I am on the couch, as always.

Charleston, SC Thanksgiving

Rob and I spent Thanskgiving in Charleston with my family, and it was so nice. We got to spend plenty of time with my fam, friends and each other. Check out these photos of mom and I, grandma and I, and a cloudy day at the beach for Rob and I. The last pic was taken at the Lonestar BBQ in Santee, SC - a century-old post office converted into a restaurant and bluegrass venue. Warren stumbled upon it somehow and took us one night. It was so much fun. Oh how I miss SC and my wonderful family!

27 Week Belly Pic

Here I am in the middle of my 27th week.

Fabulous Weekends: Philly, the Girls, and Paradise View

We had three fabulous weekends in a row. First we went to Philly, our old stomping ground, to see friends, explore the city, and, well, eat. We went to all of our favorite restaurants from when we lived there, and we found some new faves. We had dinner with Bridget and John twice, which was great. Bridget is having twin girls and is due just 2 weeks after me. She looked wonderful, and it was so nice spending time with her and John. We also had dinner with Vanessa and Mike, and it was so fun to hang out with them again. We also went with them and their beautiful children, Ellie and Joe, to the zoo. We saw the most amazing gorilla and so many other fun animals. The kids got to experience some of them up close in the petting zoo section. We actually ended up spending a little time with Ellie and Joe each day we were in Philly - which was such a wonderful surprise. Joe even remembered me! He was so sweet, and little Ellie got quite attached to Rob. As you'll see in the picture below, she insisted that Rob carry her!









The next weekend, I was in for a big surprise. I was expecting Caroline and her two children, Gabby and Owen, to spend the weekend with me. They arrived around 5ish Thursday evening, and I was so happy to see them. Owen is so big! And Gabby has grown into such a lovely, beautiful young lady. I miss the little Gabby who used to jump on my dorm bed, but I love this amazing, intelligent teenager Gabby, too. She's so precious.


So, we were all hanging out, enjoying each other's company, when around 9ish that night there was frantic knocking at our front door. I was actually a little alarmed! But when I got to the door I saw Bridget, Julie and Lindsay! They had driven from Atlanta to spend the weekend with us! It was such a great surprise. And I was very impressed that Rob and his mom had kept this secret so well.


It was such a fun reunion for us girls. We hadn't all 5 been together since summer 2006. This reunion was long overdue! Check out our photos from the weekend below. I love my girls!









Bridgie is due two weeks before me, and she's having a little girl. Compare this photo to our original photo last June!

Rob very generously offered to stay home with Owen and Gab while the girls went out to dinner. His mom also came over to help entertain the little one. Rob said Gabby was so helpful with the little guy, too. Looks like they all had fun. In the picture below, Rob and Owen are being vikings.

Me and Gab being silly. (I'm actually trying to make my face look less fat!)

Rob and I.

And finally, Rob and I headed off for a relaxing time at Paradise View Cabin (where we were married in summer 2007). We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We missed the peak of the fall leaves, but the winter landscape was breathtaking.

Here's a picture of the Buffalo and Steele Creek joining.

Here I am at 25.5 weeks along standing on the same rock that I stood on for my bridal portrait.

And here's a cool picture of the view from the cabin front porch. This was taken as the fog was rolling out of the valley in the early morning.

Month 6 and Hiking the Goat Trail

I'm now 23 weeks along, which puts me in my 6th month of pregnancy according to all the books. I didn't think the 6th month started until week 24, but apparently pregnancy timing is weird.

I'm feeling great these days. I'm still scatter-brained, and I tire easily, but no major complaints. Our little boy is kicking more and more, and his kicks (or punches - not sure which) are becoming more powerful. Now you can watch my belly to see when he kicks! It's so strange to watch these little protrusions from your own belly. It's all so weird but so amazing.

Rob and I went to a cabin just outside of Eureka Springs this past weekend, hoping to see some fall leaf color. The leaves haven't peaked quite yet, but we saw some brilliant reds and yellows. We had a nice hike Saturday on the Goat Trail up to Big Bluff. We did this hike last fall, and I remembered it being fairly easy. I didn't remember that is was almost 8 miles and mostly uphill on the way out! I had to take many little rests on the way back, but the view was so beautiful - it was totally worth it. It was so nice to be outdoors in this perfect weather. Check out a few photos below from the trip, and also, I've uploaded my 23 week belly pic.

Rob on the trail.

My belly on the trail.

The View.

23 Week Belly.

20 Weeks

Yay! I'm officially more than halfway through my pregnancy. We had our 20 week scan on Friday, and our little boy is perfect. It was so amazing to watch him moving around in there! I haven't yet figured out how to upload the video, but if I do, I'll post it. For now, here are some photos from the ultrasound, and one of me and my big belly. I can't wait to meet our precious boy. Rob and I are so, so excited.

Little Feet

Little Legs and Boy Parts

Precious Foot


3D View of Face

And, my favorite, his little profile!

A Century Ride and Baby's Kicks

It was a great weekend here in Little Rock. We had two big events this weekend. First, on Friday afternoon, Rob and I were sitting on our front porch, relaxing and reading. I was resting my hand on my belly (it's a good spot for that), and I felt a kick through my belly on my hand. Up until that point, I had only felt the little kicks from inside. So, Rob placed his hand on my belly and waited....and waited...then, after a few minutes of nothing, we both quickly looked at each other in amazement. I had felt the kick from inside, and he had felt it from the outside. It was so neat. Such a great moment!

Then, on Saturday, Rob participated in his first ever century ride, the Big Dam Bridge 100. He and his friend Jeff started from North Little Rock around 7:30 AM and cycled a loop through Little Rock, Conway, Satillo, and back. Rob only got into road cycling about 2 months ago, so he hasn't been training very long. I was so proud of him for finishing, and I never imagined that he'd finish in such good time. I was at the finish line waiting for him, and he finished the whole 100 miles in 6 hours and 12 minutes. It's such a huge accomplishment, and I'm so very proud of him. Check out the photos below.


Rob is on the left in the black jersey; Jeff is on the right in red.
This pic was taken as they approached the finish line.


Here's Rob immediately after finshing. He's so happy, as you can tell.



And here's Rob and Jeff with celebratory beers.

Rob and I are pictured below. I'm SO proud of him.

18 Weeks and a New Friend

I'm now 18 weeks along and really feeling our little boy move around. His little kicks and movements feel kind of like tiny bubbles popping in my abdomen. It's a very vague feeling still, but it's reassuring nonetheless. I love knowing he's being active in there.

My mom and Warren sent Baby Boy Baker his very first stuffed animal last week - a monkey! For those of you who don't know, Rob and I have been calling our little one Monkey as a nickname for a few months now. So now our little Monkey has his own monkey! It's too cute.

And here's my big 18 week belly...

My next appointment is October 10th. I'm hoping to have some fun ultrasound photos to post at that time, and maybe I'll even have a video clip of our little one! :)

It's a....

Baby Boy!!!!

We had a great appointment today! I was finally within the normal range for weight gain, blood pressure good, labs good, heartbeat sounding strong, and we had a wonderful ultrasound! Our little boy was moving his little hands all around. It was so amazing when we first saw him. I had no idea the picture would be so clear.

I've posted the ultrasound pictures below. The first is the bottom shot! This shows you his two little leg bones, his rear, and his penis! It's definitely a boy! You can also see his little hand in the distance, beyond his rear end. Too funny.

The next photo shows you the side view. You can see his head on the right, his little spine along the top, and a little arm stretched up over the side of his head. We are so excited about this precious little boy. It's really so wonderfully strange that this little guy is inside of me right now!