Pictures!

Here are some of my favorite pictures that we have taken of Elise lately. Every new face that she makes is so magical to us.

Elise in her Christmas Pajamas. On this particular day, we both stayed in our jammies all day and she helped me decorate the house for Christmas. Man I loved maternity leave!

I was trying to take some cute pictures of Elise under the tree. caught her yawning and think it's the cutest thing ever!

Our little Aggie. This is her asleep in her car seat while we were at a friend's house watching the Aggies BTHO Alabama. She slept through all the cheering

"Mommy, why am I in this box?"

Her 1st Thanksgiving! Just thought her little onesie was too cute

"Mommy you are so silly!"

Our New Life

Note: I know you are excited there is a new blog post, but I want to warn you upfront that there are no cute baby pictures associated with this particular post. Having an annoying time getting the pics loaded to the blog so I have forgone that venture currently. Adorable pictures will be coming soon. Stay tuned! Or just check out my facebook page.

Now on to the post....

Sooooooooo they weren't kidding when they said "your whole life will change after you have a baby". I couldn't fathom what that meant. I knew I would get a little less sleep and I knew we would have a kid, but I didn't really get the part about your "whole life". The Whole Thing?

Really??

Yes. Really.
Every single aspect that you can think of.
You name it, it will change.
Your routine, your sanity level, your level of confidence, your sleep (or lack thereof), your priorities, your emotions, your marriage, your friendships, your respect for the rest of humanity.... should I keep going?

It's almost as if I feel like a completely new person who is evolving every day. The things I concerned myself with before are 100 % different from what I think about now. In the span of 9 short weeks - A TON has changed. I have a whole new set of things to stress about. On any given day, these are the random assortment of things I worry about: (In no particular order) :

Am I the worst mom for going back to work and putting my kid in daycare?
If I eat this <insert food here>  will it upset my babies stomach?
Should I have her on a schedule already? Are we the only family with a newborn living in complete chaos?
Will she remember me tomorrow?
Am I going to accidentally drop her?
Should I be giving her less or more baths?
If I forget to put Desitin on her bottom, will she get a diaper rash?
I wonder what a diaper rash feels like...
How can I get into bed at 7pm tonight so that I can get some SLEEP?
I haven't called any of my friends since Elise has arrived - will they forgive me eventually?
I need to remember to tell my mom "thank you" more often. I get what a hard job she had.
Will Casey and I ever go on a date again?
I should buy stock in diapers...
When the heck am I ever going to find time to workout?
I wonder what she is thinking...
Am I doing the right thing by breastfeeding - wouldn't formula be easier?
How long until I know what color her eyes are going to be?

Yeah, I thought the transition from college to my first real job was huge, but this blows that out of the water. And in a good way. I'm so glad these are the thoughts that consume me. I'm so glad I have this beautiful little creature to focus my attention on. I'm so blessed that I'm not having to worry over any health issues that she could have. I'm so filled with joy when I see that little face. I'm so full of love when I think of my little family of three.
What in the world was I living for before? THIS. THIS. is what life is all about. That precious child has really rocked my world. Every single part of my world. And I'm glad for it. Can't wait to continue to share all of our life-altering moments we have in store for us.


P.S. Heads up for all of you who have not yet had kids : YOUR.WHOLE.LIFE.WILL.CHANGE.
And it will be more amazing than you ever thought possible!!!!

Elise Faith Zimmerman

We are proud to announce the arrival of our daughter: Elise Faith Zimmerman. Elise was born Monday, October 8th at 5:41pm at St. Joseph Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds even and was 19 1/2 inches long. She also came with a full head of hair!

There is no way to type this without sounding cliche but parenthood is amazing! The amount of love that is pouring out of our hearts towards this little girl is indescribable. I said this when I was pregnant, but it resounds truer now: Our faith in God is strengthened by going through this life event. The bible tells us that the amount of love that we have for Elise as parents is so tiny compared to what God feels for us. (too lazy to get up and look for verse I'm thinking of) And by knowing how over the moon in love we are for her, it is astonishing to realize just how much God loves us. Like you "know" how much He loves you, but then when your own capacity for love gets doubled in such a way as this, it's just mind-blowing. If I feel this way towards her, and I know that God feels like that towards me.... the whole concept just brings a huge smile to your heart. Ok, I'm not going to keep dwelling on this point as I'm not doing it justice. Bottom line: Our capacity for love just increased exponentially in ways we could not even have imagined. Our love for her  equals less than God's love for us... thus God's love is seeming even more real and huge now.

I look forward to sharing our birth story soon, but as for now I will just provide some of our favorite pictures thus far.

Once we get caught up on sleep, I'll be back ! :)

Mommy's first time to meet her. Such an unforgettable moment

Her first few minutes in the world

Proud papa looking on as the hospital staff weighed her and cleaned her in the nursery

Such a calm natured baby - she barely even cried during all of her initial exams

1st family picture!

Life just got more complete

She definitely loves to sleep with her hands by her face - just like her daddy

Getting ready to leave the hospital. Little Bright Eyes is what we call her when she's so alert like this

We love all of her elusive grins. More pictures like this to come. She blesses us with little smiles like this all the time!

So peaceful

Our Angel

Final Pregnancy Reflections

Ok, we go in tomorrow for the induction. It appears that our daughter likes change as much as her daddy does (none) so she's not coming out without some "encouragement". As we sit here and watch the Aggie football game and attempt to act normal, I thought I would do one final blog on the ending statistics of this pregnancy. Now that tomorrow is D-day, I can confidently say, that it went by pretty fast. I'm mostly just writing that to encourage my future-self as I'm sure I'll be pregnant again down the road and be in misery wondering how I did this the first time  :)

How far along? 39 Weeks and 6 days 

Total weight gain: 39 lbs. It was close, but I made it to the end and didn't pass the 40 mark. I know they will weigh me one more time when we go to the hospital tomorrow but I refuse to accept any weight other than what my doctor told me on Thursday. Let's be clear: I don't care if this makes me a baby, a cheater, or a crazy pregnant lady in denial. "I gained less than 40 lbs" will be the story that I will tell. The ONLY story.

Maternity clothes? I think we are past maternity clothes... just huge t-shirts and basketball shorts have been the attire for the weekend.

Stretch marks?  As of this afternoon, I have 4 short stretch marks on each side of my hips. Poop

Sleep Been sleeping surprisingly great lately. Didn't ever get the insomnia that most pregnant women get at the end. I count this as an early Christmas present from the Lord because He KNOWS how much I treasure sleep

Best moment this week: Everytime I had Braxton Hicks contractions. It was so exciting thinking that the process was starting.

Miss Anything? Being able to watch TV without being distracted the entire time with what is going on in my head. It's like I'm trying to relax but my brain won't turn off long enough for me to enjoy a 30 minute show. I'll be honest with you: sometimes I just laugh when Casey laughs b/c I haven't been paying attention to the sitcom.

Heartburn: only when I make really stupid decisions like eating wings right before I go to bed. I mean, at some point I just have to take some personal responsibility, you know?

Food cravings: This is crazy to even write, but I haven't had one piece of watermelon in the last month. The craving just stopped. I will never forget all the good times we had together, but watermelon has just not been apart of my life during these final few weeks of pregnancy. I've just been eating rich foods (lots of sweets due the amazing girls I work with and their participation in my cravings)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nada   

Anything make you scared: That I've made a horrible decision in going forward with an induction and my labor will go on for four days and I'll regret it forever.

Belly Button in or out? still 1/2 in, 1/2 out. Never had it pop out!

Wedding rings on or off? Off and have been for a while.On a happy note, they are sparkling clean and ready to get back on my hands once the swelling goes down. Took them to the jeweler this week to have the professionals do a good cleaning job.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Both? I can't say moody b/c that implies I'm being a butt or unreasonable...but Happy doesn't quite tell the honest truth. I'm anxious, scared, restless AND Happy

Looking forward to: Feeling my daughter on my chest. 

Thirty Nine Weeks

Tired of picking outfits so I just wore the dress I got for my shower. Fits a little different now!! I'm standing in front of a wreath that my very creative friend, Kelly made for one of our shower gifts. This will be the wreath we put on the hospital room door and then on the door at our house once we get home. Instead of putting a stork in the yard or something, we'll just have a super cute wreath on the door letting our guests know they are at the right house to meet little Miss Elise!

Sticker on the belly says "Ready or not, here I come!" Expression on the face says "Let's get this over with!"

 

 

Well here we are. At the end of the road. We are going in to be induced on Sunday night (October 7th) if Elise hasn't made her way out yet. This would put her birthday on October 8th which was our due date from the very beginning. Kinda neat. The plan is to go in Sunday night, stay at the hospital over night as they "prime" my uterus overnight. If my water hasn't broken by morning, my doctor will be there at 8:00am to break my water. Does that sound painful to anyone else? Do they have to use the word "break"? They should call it something magical like "pop my blessing bag holding my sweet baby"... or something like that...

 

There are no words for this time. I know I will be able to articulate it better once we've been through it but as for now, there are no words that seem appropriate. For all the mom's out there that have been through this, I know you are just grinning with your "knowing" smile and perhaps chuckling at my novice-ness. For all my friends who have never been through this before, I'm sure you are reading this hoping I will give some insight into this crazy experience... but you are out of luck. I'm just as lost as you are. I feel like there are not enough braincells in my head to possibly comprehend what's about to happen. Or maybe my brain is protecting me from going into shock by not allowing me to really "get it"

 

So there is a lot that we DON'T know right now. But here is what I do know:

1. We are ready to meet Miss Elise
2. We trust in God
3. We have prayers and support galore pouring in to Jesus' Inbox on our behalf
4. I can't be pregnant forever 

All those things combined tells me we are going to be fine. So for now, I'll distract myself with more nesting and other remedial tasks.

The next update we give will be introducing our daughter. Whoop!

Thirty Eight Weeks

Thirty Seven Weeks

37 Weeks - Baby Girl is FULL TERM!

Thirty Six Weeks

Baby Elise is the size of a 6 lb. Watermelon!

Dear Sweet, Sweet Daughter:

I feel like it is only appropriate to start off by telling you that the word 'excitement' is an understatement in our house right now. Because your daddy and I are so head over heels in love with you - the anticipation of getting to see your face is almost too much to bear. In addition, mommy is being a little selfish with her body and would like it back so she is EXTRA excited for you to make your way here! Just so you know : your due date is October 8th. Which gives us less than a month of waiting left. I just wanted to bring that to your attention incase you hadn't started to pack your bags. Don't worry about bringing any clothes - we've been given PLENTY so your wardrobe is already taken care of. And let me tell you girl - you are going to be so stinking cute!

I wanted to re-assure you of some things so you felt comfortable making your way to this side of the womb. If you are anything like your mom, you like a little planning so I thought you would appreciate some of this:

• Your room is D.O.N.E. It would have been done a little sooner but mommy had a little meltdown last week and took everything out of the drawers, but dad swooped in and saved the day and now your room is back to normal. All clothes are washed, diaper pail is ready to go, bed is made and the decorations are hung perfectly. We know you aren't going to really sleep in there for the first few months, but I just thought I'd let you know it was ready incase you were scared to come home to a construction zone.
• Your dad and I have completed all of our child-prep classes and we are starting to feel like little smarty pants. You will certainly throw us for some loops, but atleast we have a tiny grasp on what to expect.
• The car seat and stroller have arrived. Not put in the car yet, but we'll get that done this weekend.  Don't let that hold you up because I'm sure it won't take that long.
• Our "go" bags are lying out and pretty much ready to go. Well, your dad only has pajamas packed but he says he can finish the rest in a hurry
• Your entire extended family is ready to drop their schedule at a drop of a hat when you say you are ready. Everyone will be here so get excited!!!

Thirty Five Weeks



35 Weeks. Baby and Mommy are both running out of room!



How far along? 35 Weeks and 3 days  (An ETERNITY)

Total weight gain: 33 lbs (the Weight of a 3 year old hanging on me all.day.long)

Maternity clothes? Is it possible to grow out of maternity clothes?

Stretch marks?  SO SAD to report that yes, I do in fact have one stretch mark on each side of my hips. OHHHH THE HORROR!!!!

Sleep: Let me level with you: Sleep is not the greatest. Hard to get comfy, hard to stay comfy. Haven't slept through the night once since at least June. Oh to have one blissful night where I don't wake up for 8 hours.

Best moment this week: Seeing the calender turn to September. We have waited for this month for so long. This month starts the baby preparation classes and the light at the end of the tunnel is near.

Miss Anything? Being able to sleep on my stomach, feeling attractive, and running. (in that order)

Heartburn: Much better than the first 3 quarters of the pregnancy. Now that I've got that new prescription, my life has gotten a lot better! (said the girl headed to rehab)

Food cravings: The usual suspects: Watermelon, sweets and anything cold. But let's be real - I'll eat anything.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Never have really gotten back to pulled pork.  

Anything make you scared: The thought of going into labor without Casey or my mom around. If either of them get more than 2 hours away from me, I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.

Belly Button in or out? 1/2 in, 1/2 out

Wedding rings on or off? Off. As of two days ago, I had to take off the wedding rings because they are cutting off circulation. A cool front is supposed to hit our area this weekend so I'm hoping maybe my fingers go back down and I can get them on again. Crossing my chubby little fingers on that one.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody. I'm not proud to report it, but those are the facts.

Looking forward to: THE DELIVERY! This baby can start her evacuation plan as soon as she would like as far as I'm concerned. The room is mostly ready and I'm ready to have my baby in my arms, instead of in my ribs. Can I get an AMEN?

Thirty Four Weeks



Our BIG girls is as big as a Cantaloupe!

 PHYSICAL CHANGES: I know I've probably said this before, but I'm really starting to feel LARGE. Not all over, but definitely in the belly area. I can't just squat down anymore and grab things I've dropped, Putting on my shoes is pretty annoying, rolling over in bed seems like quite a chore, and I keep opening doors and hitting my belly b/c I'm not used to it poking out so far.
On a positive note: my doctor finally listened to me whine enough that she gave me a prescription to stop my heartburn and it worked like magic! Within two days, my Tums consumption had dropped significantly. I wanted to send my doctor flowers (for helping relieve my pain) but on the note I wanted to say: "WHY didn't you give this to me a long time ago - stupid head!!!"
Other than that, most things have stayed the same: Still use a heating bag a night for back relief. I try to put up my feet for at least an hour in the evening to curb the swelling, but by morning my feet are always back to normal though. Hormones fluctuate, but are staying in-line currently. Rib pain is still a constant battle. Baby is still active and kicks alot (which we LOVE) think she is working on kicking out my belly button currently - talk about a weird combo of ticklish and painful at the same time!

CRAVINGS: Watermelon, Grilled Onions & Peppers and Wine. I really haven't craved wine at all this whole pregnancy, but as I sit here and write this, I can't stop drooling over the idea of a cold glass of Pinot Grigio in my hand. MMMMM

SWEET BABY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Our shower in Winnsboro was this past weekend !!(Pictures coming soon) and getting to be in the church parlor with all the women of the church being surrounded by pink was so fun! We were reminded over and over again how lucky we are to be the parents of this little blessing. Thank you Lord for allowing us to be able to have children and for trusting us with this one!

Thirty Three Weeks



33 Weeks. Baby Girl is the size of a Pineapple


Feeling a little frisky today, So I'm doing something a little different this week. Ladies and Gentleman, I present :

Things I wish I had known BEFORE I got pregnant:
These are probably not things that pertain to ALL girls. But for me, and for what I had read in books prior to being pregnant versus what information I personally needed to know... this would have been a good list to have next to by bed side table to review every night.

1. Gross things will in fact happen to your body, but you really won't care. I scared myself silly reading all the ways my body would morph and I would say childish things like "gross". I would even obsess over how "un-hot" my body is going to look after. It was like my last chance to get out all the little highschooler insecurities. Now I feel like saying : I'm a woman! Check out what my body can withstand. This should be an Olympic Sport!
2. Fear of the unknown is the worst part. Every time I read in a book that something was going to happen, I would freak out about it until it happened and then once it did, I always thought "Oh, that's not that bad" Also, I should have not read so many books in advance. Only read the chapter in the book that pertains to where you are in your pregnancy. Reading ahead is pointless because it might not happen to you like they describe and then you've got yourself all worked up for nothing.
3. You can ALWAYS get MORE Uncomfortable. Just when you think you have peaked on foot soreness, back aches, and indigestion, etc. - another week roles around and it gets worse. I wish I could go back and tell myself at 20 weeks pregnant to STOP complaining and be thankful.
4. The first 1/2 of pregnancy you will be upset about people not noticing you are pregnant, the second half you will be upset because they DO notice your pregnant you and wonder if that means you are too big for the number of weeks you are pregnant.
5. Being pregnant is an extremely spiritual experience. Once you take the time to think of what is forming in your womb and how intricate of a system the human body is, you really get blown away. How could a person NOT believe in God when you think of what a fetus is made from and what it becomes. On top of that,when you think of the love you have for your child already and think about having to give that child up to die for other people's sin --- wow, talk about bringing the Jesus Crucifixion to an extremely real and personal moment...
6. You will not forget everything or lose your mind or get fired from work because of having "pregnancy brain". They are called hormones - not "brain-eating" amoebas. And even if you are absent minded - it's totally cool - the whole world gives you a free pass.
7. Start wearing maternity clothes sooner rather than later. Don't fight it - you are only making yourself miserable by trying to squeeze into those tight jeans. Let loose and let that belly flow! You'll be much more comfortable, thus much less moody.
8. Pregnancy brings out the best in your husband. If you ever doubted his sensitivity, you will not after this experience.
9. You will not get a sonogram every time you go to the doctor. Don't be disappointed - this is normal.
10. No, you can not shave the dogs or give them away. They are apart of your family and your husband will not tolerate it. Just embrace their dog hair and get over it. They are here to stay - even if your baby does have to crawl through dog hair to get to her toys.
11. You really wont care what gender they say you are going to have. You THINK you want a certain one, but you'll fall so hard in love with that baby regardless of genitals, you might as well not waste any time wishing one way or the other.
12. If you have an emotional day, don't worry about it - it will pass. You are not going to be sad, worried or anxious your entire pregnancy. Each just feels like that b/c your hungry and need a snack. If a snack doesn't work - just wait it out. Your hormones will balance themselves out in a few days and you'll be fine. Sheesh - quit freaking out     : )

Thirty Two Weeks

This week we decided to take the picture in her room! It's really starting to come together. Here you can see a sneak peak of the bed and bedding. More pictures are coming, we are just finalizing a few things around the room first. I'm way too OCD to show the world a "work in progress" Finalized pictures only :)

Thirty One Weeks

How far along? 31 Weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain: Enough to make me feel gross if I'm not wearing the perfect thing. I think sometimes even my hair makes me look fat. Appointment this Tuesday to confirm exactly how much has really been gained. My guess? 30 lbs.

Maternity clothes? All day, Every day

Stretch marks? Still happy to report the answer is No
 

Sleep: Good. It is interrupted 2-3 times a night for a restroom break or to grab some Tums (which is now a staple on the bedside table). But while I am asleep, it is good, hard sleep.

Best moment this week: As much as I am inclined to voice my pregnancy complaints, there really are tons of things to be thankful this week :Decorating the baby room, getting lots of good hand me-downs from my sister, food stored in my freezer for when baby arrives, co-workers who give me grace when I lose my mind and a husband who is incredibly sweet when I'm moody. All blessings I've received just this week! 

Miss Anything? Giving my husband a big bear hug without anything getting in our way :)

Heartburn: Every. Single. Day.

Food cravings: Watermelon, Grilled onions and peppers, Milk, strawberry sauce on ice cream

Swelling?: Yes, at night the feet must go up or my toes look like little vienna sausages. Hard to tell if this is all pregnancy related or if the August heat is playing a role...

Favorite thing about pregnancy so far: Feeling my sweet little girl kick and move. The kind smiles of strangers is pretty cool too!

Least favorite thing about pregnancy so far: Constant heartburn, the uncertainty of ever thing that is to come

Belly Button in or out? It's in an awkward stage. I think the top has started to pop out, but not the bottom. I think it's going to be inevitable that soon I'll be wearing a band aid over my belly button to try and hide it through my shirts

 Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody :(  I'm in a good mood as I write this, but if the truth be told: The last week has been hot and cold. Hormones seems to be really fluctuating these days.

Looking forward to: Getting lots of rest over the next 8 weeks until our little Elise is here.

Thirty Weeks

30 Weeks. Baby Girl Z stats:
Length: 15 1/2 inches
Weight: ~ 3 Lbs
Fruit: Head of Cabbage

I keep saying this, but it feels like we are in the home stretch. I mean, TECHNICALLY baby will be considered full term at 37 weeks so we could potentially have a healthy baby on September 17th - and that doesn't sound very far away!

Twenty Nine Weeks

Baby is 29 Weeks. Just in time for daddy's 29th birthday!

PHYSICAL CHANGES: Started waking up more frequently in the middle of the night. Sometimes to use the ladies room and sometimes because I'm in a desperate need of Tums. Either way, it's annoying, but I get back to sleep pretty quickly. Back pain has increased a little bit. Thankfully when we were visiting Bridgeport in June, Ash gave me this awesome rice bag that heats up in the microwave. I use that sucker every single day - brings sweet relief pretty much instantaneously. After all the things I could complain about-I do have one positive physical note : we are able to feel baby move pretty much anytime we want. She is so active that we are already constantly engaged with her. She hasn't taken any sharp jabs to my internal organs so that's nice too. When the family was in for our baby shower last weekend, I think everyone who wanted to got to feel her squirm around in my belly. It's so fun already sharing her with our family.

CRAVINGS: Watermelon and ice cold water have been the main cravings of the week (again). As the heat continues to increase, I'm sticking to those cold items to satisfy my appetite. I realize how healthy that must sound, but I must confess that fast food fries have been very hard to avoid lately :)

SWEET BABY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: We've graciously been given lots of little girl clothes from friends and family. After going through the loot and organizing it all- we finally got around to washing all the clothes this week. You should have seen how cute our laundry was! An entire washer full of pink clothes and they smelled OOOOOO soooo good. Got the 'Baby Magic' brand of laundry detergent. That stuff is like baby crack. When I pulled the load out of the dryer we both let out a sigh at how cute our laundry had become. Turns out if you add some cute baby clothes to laundry, that chore gets a little more fun!

Twenty Eight Weeks

Hello 3rd Trimester! Baby is the size of a Chinese Cabbage

Ok, I'm not that wild about this picture.When I envisioned doing these weekly pictures, I never thought I would stoop so low as to take one in workout clothes. These were supposed to be beautifully orchestrated pictures that made me look "barely" pregnant and always glowing : )  BUT It was Monday night, we were in the living room with pieces of the changing table all around us - just waiting to be assembled and we remembered it was Picture day! What's a girl to do? Hurry up, take the picture and get back to assembling baby furniture before her husband loses motivation! Thus, Week 28 is not mommy's most proud pic - but hey - the nursery now has all assembled furniture! Plus Elise might as well realize already that mommy is often in sweats and a t-shirt at home. We'll call this picture our "reality" pregnant photo.

So here we are in the 3rd trimester. What better way to start off the third trimester than with a baby shower!?!?!?!?

This Saturday we had our first baby shower. Talk about a surreal moment!  I was getting dressed in my bathroom with my sister and I just couldn't believe we were actually getting ready for my BABY shower. Weren't we just getting my wedding dress on a few weeks ago? Sheesh - time flies when you are having fun!
Our fabulous friends put on a "shower" that was different from what you usually think about as a baby shower.And I should really use that phrase lightly. It was mostly college and local friends with a few of our closest couple friends. There was beer, BOYS came, and the food was heavy and delicious. Nothing like what you usually think about when you hear the words "baby shower". AND WE LOVED IT!

I picked some of my favorite pictures to re-cap the event :

Although delicious tacos and Mexican food was our main meal, we still got indulge with some pink cupcakes and lemonade!

Check it out! Boys at a baby shower!!

Our beautiful hosts





Plenty of pink and clothes to see for miles and miles



The mastermind behind it all. My bfffffffff Crystal

The Varner girls made a special trip in, so sweet

Parents to be and the Grandparents

Twenty Seven Weeks

27 Weeks. Our little sunshine tips the scale at over 2 pounds

How far along? 27 weeks, 4 days. Some books count the third trimester starting at 27 weeks and some count it at 28 weeks. I'm officially in the middle so I say that we are in the third trimester. WHOOP!!
Wait... that means this baby is going to come out soon...

Total weight gain: A lady never tells. Especially a lady who has gained 24 lbs in 27 weeks. (hypothetically speaking of course)

Maternity clothes? 100% of the time. Is it possible to outgrow maternity clothes?

Stretch marks? No. Thank you mom for that great hereditary trait!

Sleep: I need more of it - know where I can get some?

Best moment this week: Laying on the couch with Casey and "playing" with Elise through my stomach. She responds to her daddy's voice intensely - so sweet

Miss Anything? Maybe one day I will be able to put something BESIDES beer, but I'm sticking with that for now.

Heartburn: My esophagus is constantly on fire. I think we've moved past heartburn

Food cravings: Watermelon.

Anything making you queasy or sick: None whatsoever at this point

Favorite thing about pregnancy so far: The anticipation of meeting my daughter

Least favorite thing about pregnancy so far: constantly grunting when I move :)

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Our shower this weekend