Mom-to-Be Massage = Heaven on Earth

My wonderful husband gave me a gift card for a mom-to-be massage for Valentine's this year. I assume that he had the forethought that I would have some kind of aching pain that needed to be massage out. Well, boy was he right. I have been having this terrible pain in my lower back that sometimes makes it difficult to walk. Ugh!

With Chris out of town, I figured it would be the best time to spend a Saturday getting massaged and then relaxing. And that is just what I did yesterday. While I have missed Chris terribly the past week that he has been out of town, I have to admit that yesterday was just a great day. Not only was the weather beautiful, but I also got treated like a queen at the Edamame Spa in Natick, MA. I honestly did not want it to end! I guess I will have to try to treat myself to another before Baby J arrives.

Thanks Chris for getting me such a wonderful gift! It does make me come to expect things like this though, which is probably not the best thing for our budget, lol! Love you and can't wait to see you today!

Baby J gets showered....with lots of love!

My awesome friends here in Boston threw Baby J and I our first baby shower last night. The shower was extra special because we got to share it with my good friend Alisha Beltramini and Baby B. It is so exciting that our group has two bundles of joy on the way! The shower was hosted at the Carlock residence with lots of wonderful friends in attendance.

Alisha and I received lots of great gifts including a big gift that we had both registered for, the Chicco Lullaby Playard, which I am sure that Baby J will spend lots of time in. I don’t think Chris and I paid much attention to it when we registered for it, but it is such a great gift. It includes a changing table, quilted bassinet, an organizer for diapers and such, a toy gym that attaches to the bassinet or can be used as a playmate, and it also plays music, vibrates, and has a night light. Whoa! That’s one good gift!

Baby J also received a Boppy Tummy Time mat, hooded towels, a boppy pillow, onesies, books, and BabyLegs (I won’t go into detail about these, Chris might get mad!). We are off to a good start to being fully equipped for the arrival of Baby J and couldn’t be more appreciative of our great friends for giving us such wonderful gifts.

Thanks to all the ladies who got together last night to celebrate Baby J! We love you all and can’t wait for you to meet Baby J!

The pregnant ladies

Opening our gifts

Me, being extremely excited about the BabyLegs!

Inspecting everything the playard does, so cool!

The girls....Mary, Taryn, Erin J., Lauren, Ginny, Abbey, Erin H., Allison, myself, Alisha, Laren, and Nicole (not pictured: Leila)

There's Leila in the front (not pictured: Laren)! We needed a photographer for our event, so that we could could a picture with everyone! Thanks Laren and Leila for being our photographers!

Alisha and I with the yummy and cute cakes that Leila made! They say Baby Mamma! Too cute!

Baby Shower Belly Pics

Brooke: 27 Weeks

Alisha: 21 Weeks

And again, with Alisha looking a bit more pregnant!

27 Weeks!

As of today, Baby J is just a short 13 weeks from being introduced to the world! As of this week, he weighs about 2 pounds and is approximately 14 1/2 inches long. He's beginning sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. I have to admit that I am not that familiar with his sleeping and waking pattern yet. I guess I should start jotting down notes of when he is active and when is not.

More brain tissue is continuing to develop, so his brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning, with a lot of medical help, if he were to be born now. Let's hope he stays in there for the duration so we don't have to worry about him needing medical help. As I type this, I must assume that Baby J has the hiccups because I am feeling regular movements on his behalf. I believe that he has had them a few times before and Babycenter.com says that hiccups may be common from now on. Poor little guy, I hate the hiccups and I am sure that he isn't enjoying them either even though Babycenter.com says that they don't bother him at all.

So, I am thinking that I have now entered the third trimester, woohoo! Today marks the beginning of the 28th week of the pregnancy, which I believe is the start of the third trimester. You may ask why I am questioning myself, well, it is because every pregnancy website says something different. Oh well! I think I will go ahead and assume that Baby J and I have entered the third trimester and we are in the homestretch. Can you believe it?

Chris is out of town so I had to take the belly pic myself this week. As you can see, I am not nearly as good as he is but it will have to do.

A little blurry but you can still see the belly.

My sugar level, is it a concern?

After waiting eight days without hearing about my glucose screening test, I decided to call the doctor's office today to see if they had received my results. I know that no news is good news, but I like to have confirmation. Thoughts of the testing facility losing my test or my doctor's office forgetting to tell me bad news keep me from allowing the no news is good news procedure to suffice with me. I guess that's just me being paranoid! Anyway, I received a call back from one of the nurses about an hour later and she informed me that my tests came back normal. Woohoo! One less thing to worry about during pregnancy!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Salyers!

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Brandi Spivey and Tony Salyers! Brandi and Tony had been dating for approximately 8 and ½ years and finally tied the knot, which is about how much time Chris and I dated before tying the knot. We could definitely relate to their long awaited wedding! The bride and groom seemed extremely happy to be together and we were so excited that we got to spend the weekend honoring them!

I was a member of the bridal party, so my weekend was jam packed with fun events to celebrate the bride and groom. Friday started out with a bridal luncheon hosted by close family. It was a fun time to just relax and hang out with the other members of the bridal party. The luncheon concluded with us pulling strings out of a cake to find charms at the end. I got an anchor, which means stability. That is exactly what Chris and I need in our lives right now, so I thought it was absolutely perfect. Hayley, sister of the bride, got a baby boot, which was pretty funny considering she has a 4 month old little boy. It might be a little too early for her to be having another baby anytime soon, lol!

All of the bridesmaids with our charms.

Chesney, Brandi, and Hayley (Sisters)

Hayley and I with the Bride.

After a short break, we made our way to the church in our tropical attire to practice for the wedding. The wedding director had printed out sheets for all of us that detailed when we would enter and exit the church and where we would stand. I thought it was a great idea! I just wish the lady had had a better attitude. She was a little too bossy for my taste! After practicing for about 45 minutes, we agreed that we had it down and could head to the rehearsal dinner.

Hayley and I getting ready to rehearse.

Hagan, Hayley's daughter and a flower girl

Everyone in their position

Just a preview of the happiness the following day!

The rehearsal dinner was a tropical themed event with yummy food and a very casual atmosphere. We ate and mingled and danced and listened to toasts from various people. It was the perfect way to lead up to the ceremony and reception the next day. Everyone had a great time!

Tony and Brandi

Andy and Hayley

Chris and his new buddy Hagan!

Chris and I

My mom and I

Hagan and Brandi dancing

The Electric Slide

The Wedding Party in our Tropical Attire

The next morning, I headed over to the salon with Hayley where we spent the day getting ready. After everyone was finished with hair and makeup we made our way to the church. We spent a few hours relaxing and getting ready and then the all important time was upon us. Brandi looked beautiful walking down the aisle and you could tell that she and Tony were so happy to be getting married. After the ceremony, we spent some time getting pictures taken with Brandi and Tony and then we headed over the reception site. The reception was so much fun with a band that played lots of 60s and 70s songs. The food was also fun as it was all food that one might find at a tailgate, which is exactly what Brandi was going for. Overall, Brandi and Tony's wedding day was a big hit and I think they enjoyed their day! After the wedding, the bride and groom headed off to St. Thomas for their honeymoon. I am sure they are having a great time relaxing in the sun this week. Congrats again Brandi and Tony! We love you both!

The Bride with her do in process.

Brandi modeling her completed do.

Pretty Flowers

Wedding Program

Hagan and Morgan, two of the flower girls.

Hayley and I, ready to go.

The Bride, almost ready, just have to figure out the bussel before walking down the aisle.

First Dance

With a twirl

Brandi and I

My Brother, Marc, and I

Chris and I

The cake was gorgeous!

Getting ready to cut the cake!

I think Brandi ended up smearing the cake on Tony's face but he was nice enough not to mess up her makeup.

Groom's Cake

Yummy, yummy!

The bouquet toss, Brandi's good friend Becky was the lucky girl.

Chris, Marc, and I with my grandmother Jo.

My Fam

Saying Goodbye

Congratulations again! We wish the two of you all the happiness in the world!