Baby Update

Just some updates on me and Baby Christian ! 

My girlfriends and I have been anticipating the week of the watermelon! Haha we always talk about what fruit our baby's are the size of and when we mentioned a watermelon I remember thinking how huge that's going to be !! Well... I'm there folks! 

Paisley cuddling with the watermelon-sized Christian during a nap sesh. 

We went in for our 36 week appointment this past Friday . Josh and I were betting on whether or not I was dilated. He guessed 2 cm and I said 1cm. Well... We both lost because I have not yet dilated ! Which I hear is fine and normal at this point. Some women don't dilate until they are ready to go into labor, others can be not dilated at all then the next day dilated a couple centimeters. All I know is that I was a little bummed I hadn't dilated ! I was hoping to hear about some progress !  Hopefully we will know more come Wednesday at our 37 week appointment so not much to update you all on . 

Here's my 36 week photo ( not really a belly shot) . We celebrated the wedding of our good friends / cousins Shelly and Keith Cherry! It was such a beautiful wedding and fun reception ...but I must say it's totally different attending as a 9 month pregnant woman ...;) it was nice to have some fellow preggos (my best friend Danielle and sister-n-law Halee) there with me to sit and chat with. Halee and I noticed how we were posted up at the table most of the night discussing which flavor of wedding cake was the best ! Haha 

That's all I got today, I'll have updates after our appointment Wednesday! This week is going to be a busy one ! My birthday is Tuesday (the big 2-7!) , Dr. Appt. Wednesday, 4th of July Thursday, and a fourth party to attend on Saturday ! I love having things to look forward to! Hoping it makes this week fly by and one week closer to meeting our man!

We are blessed!

Well, I'm almost done with teaching until the end of September ! That sounds crazy! I find myself on Pinterest pinning such cute ideas for my classroom , but I know I can't actually start or try any of it out until I'm back in the classroom and back into the swing of things ! I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately   with school lesson plans that need to be made and taking the role of mom here in a few weeks! I know I will figure it out , but I can't help but stress!! 

So I think this belly that's growing daily, even hourly ( as it seems to me) , needs to go . Haha I am just tired of the weight and the uncomfortable sleep that comes with it! But every time Christian moves, I can't help but smile because it makes it all better! :) 

This is my view most afternoons. Meet my cuddle-buddy Paisley! You can find us both posted up on the chair and a half watching awful daytime tv and napping off and on! She's been so lovey lately and I hope we can keep showing her the love and attention once the lil man is here ! 

Last night, Josh and I hosted our church small group at our house. We truly have been blessed with an awesome group of people to talk and share about our everyday lives with!  After josh and I found out we were expecting, we announced it to the group and after we did...2 other couples announced that they were expecting as well! A few weeks later, yet another couple found out that they were expecting ! I just can't get over that 4 of us women in the group are having babies! God definitely knew we were going to need support and we nailed it big time! :) anywho, two wonderful ladies in the group showered us with gifts last night and it was too cute !! Here's a pic of all the adorable diaper cakes that were made for each of us! How awesome, right ?!

There are so many goodies that I can't wait to use ! 

I've been showered with gifts lately and I have one more that I just had to share! A very crafty friend at school knitted little Christian this blanket and hat!!

How adorable!!! Perfect for tailgating , of course!! I cannot wait to get some newborn pics in that sweet thing! 

Nesting101

We are patiently awaiting Christian's arrival and until he arrives, why not do a few projects around the house?! I actually have to give all the credit to the hubbster on this one...I just helped pick out paint color (but, hey! That's the most important part !)

Our basement is a pretty decent size and half of it is finished. We have mounted a flatscreen on the wall (thanks to my handy-man father-in-law!) and have found ourselves not EVER hanging out down there. My excuse was that it had an old, musty smell down there and wasn't really inviting. After much discussing, we decided to update a little! I have some before and after pics , but it still isn't completely done down there!

Before

 The top half of the walls were a notty pine and very "retro" but I am told that they are very nostalgic. My dad wasn't too sure about our idea of painting over them... ;)

 To me, the all wood walls just made it dark and dingy down there! I wanted sometime bright and inviting that would make hanging out down there enjoyable!

After

 Ignore the mess that we still have to organize, BUT we decided to do white on from the chair railing down, then grey from the chair railing up. Josh still has to finish painting the chair railing and baseboards white, but I am so happy with how it turned out! Josh is a pretty awesome painter!

 This is what you see as your walk down the basement stairs...we are going to make the back left corner Chrsitian's play area. We have a toy chest  and want to get an area rug for the corner. Since I do the laundry down here, it will be nice to have him down here to hangout/sleep while I do laundry during the day!  In the back right corner we plan on putting his pack n' play. It came with a napper and changing table on top of it for when he's a newby so that will be nice to use down here!

 Check out that retro stove and frig! Frig works better than ours upstairs! ha We are going to keep the bar the notty pine color (for now, atleast).

One last view ! We want to get a large area rug to cover alot of the tile down there because it is so cold! I am getting really excited about what we have done! I can't wait to hang up all the sports decor we have on the walls. Looking forward to using this space more often. I will post more pics once we decorate and organize some more! 

As far as pregnancy goes, I am hanging in there! Sleep is getting more and more difficult each night it seems...I woke up at 5 this morning and could NOT go back to sleep. Josh had to be at work at 7, so we decided to go to Panera for breakfast. It has been so hot out here lately that I have been hiding out indoors! I have definitely been more tired recently . Yesterday I got home from teaching summer school at 1 and slept til 3. I hate feeling lazy and not being productive , but Hey! I think what's been going on in my belly has been PRETTY darn productive ! :) We have our next doctor's appointment a week from today and I can't wait! I will definitely be keeping everyone posted on how Christian's doing! But by the constant kicking and pounding of my stomach, I think he's ready to come out!! 

 

Til next time!

My Pregnancy : currently!

Fun post today. My pregnancy to-date!

Total Weight Gained:  I have always been one to fluctuate hourly in weight it seems. I have weighed myself a few times the past few weeks and I can go back and fourth 3 pounds within a few hours! Overall, I have gained  about 35 pounds! With that said, I am ready to get back to running! I have kept up walking throughout the entire pregnancy because I couldn't NOT do any physical activity. Only walking 2-3 miles 3-4 times a week mostly with my mom and/ or Paisley! I lifted light weights for arms and squats/lunges up until the past few months. Every once in awhile if I feel up to it I do some squats and lunges while watching TV.

alright and I have to share that Josh just walked in with a treadmill that he bought for $25 at a garage sale...he is determined to create a "gym" in the unfinished side of the basement. He also informed me that the motor isn't covered. This should be interesting...but if it actually works like he says it does that will come in handy when Christian is sleeping and I want to get a walk/run in!

Maternity Clothes: Definitely! I have been wearing maternity pants since I was about 20 weeks, only because I am carrying Christian so low that the buttons were nowhere near buttoning and NOT comfortable at all! I got a pair of  black pants for school , 2 maxi dresses for school and summer weddings, regular t shirts, tank tops, and one pair of jean shorts! I also like wearing leggings. I am just the type that if I'm not comfortable in what I am wearing , I will not be in a good mood. :)

Stretch Marks: none so far! I definitely have what looks like "road maps" on my stomach that are veins! I thought this was so weird but found out that with not only the stretching, my blood went from pumping 20 percent to 40 percent to keep Mr. Christian a truckin'!

Sleep: I have actually been sleeping almost completely through the night. Every once in awhile I'll wake up to go to the bathroom. I find myself turning and switching sides throughout the night as well. We recently have moved from our bedroom upstairs, to the guest room downstairs. For a few reasons, we chose to do this. 1. There is very poor air flow upstairs and it doesn't get as cold as the rest of the house and with the heat picking up this summer, I need as much air conditioning as possible! 2. We are going to start sleeping downstairs for the first few months that Christian will be in the room with us at night. We have his bassinet ready to go in there and when he switches to his crib, we will move back upstairs and use our video monitor. I would love to move our room down there permanently, but the room is almost too small for the full size bed, let alone our queen. And, there is NO closet space. We shall see!

Best Moment This Week: Josh and I decided to go out for a last "romantic" and quiet , nice dinner last night (Friday). We went to Harry and Izzy's and it was ahhhmazing! The rest of June has us crazy busy on the weekends so we thought this would be a good time to go. I treated myself to an 8oz. filet and we walked to the circle after for ice-cream! It was so nice and a perfect night for it. I got asked about 5 times on our walk by homeless men what we were having and one guy playing the drums sang to me, which was awkward...especially when he asked me to make my baby shake. hahaha Josh and I couldn't stop cracking up!

Miss Anything: I have definitely been missing my wine! Sounds selfish, but I do!

Movement: ALL THE TIME! This little guy will keep me on my feet for sure! I love just watching my belly and his feet/hands pushing around and being able to see it! Pretty cool.

Cravings: I was craving Mexican all day everyday during my second trimester! I have not been craving it as much this third trimester and nothing seems to stand out to me in particular. I definitely have been craving sweets! Not candy like I used to pre-pregnancy, but actual dessert and ice-cream...especially chocolate chip cookie dough! mmmmmm! We have also made lots of trips to Orange leaf for frozen yogurt.


Labor Signs:  Not sure if I have experienced any Braxton Hicks because I'm not sure exactly what they are supposed to feel like! But I have experienced some cramping pains in my side when I walk sometimes....also plenty of lower back pain ! I can't wait to find out if he's in the head down position yet!



Wedding Ring On or Off: Still on and going strong! I haven't experienced any swelling what-so-ever which is pretty nice! I'll probably be swelling up this last month though!

Belly Button In or Out: It's still in , but looks like it's about to come poppin' out any day!

Happy or Moody Most of the Time: for sure, Happy! I can't stop talking about Christian Clancy! I'm in love and can't stay away from his room!

Looking Forward To: our next appointment , a week from this Friday when I'll be 36 weeks! :)

Baby Boom

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I have blogged. I used to be so good at it! Boy, oh , Boy has a lot happened in both Josh and I's lives since my last post! Speaking of boys...we were pleasantly surprised to discover we were pregnant at the end of November this past year. I had been pregnant since October and didn't actually take a pregnancy test until the end of November. The whole month of October I had been so tired and not feeling like doing ANYTHING. I was getting so frustrated that after teaching all day, I couldn't come home and run like I used to always do! Josh and I joked around al ot about picking up pregnancy tests while at the grocery , but one trip to Target after feeling just not myself, I told Josh we should "try one of these out"...After going home and taking 4 tests, it was confirmed. The Clancy's were about to add on to their team. At first, I have to admit, I was completely shocked and scared. I mean, taking care of another human being along with myself? I found this hard to take. It's not that I didn't love the fact that we were going to be having a baby, I just didn't realize it would happen so quickly! It was like one of those things you've always talked about wanting to do, but once it actually happens, you are sorta taken back and overwhelmed. After the initial shock and calling of my mom to come over immediately to tell the news to, I have been so extremely excited! I cannot wait to become a mom. I have no doubt that Josh and I will do whatever it takes to raise this little man to the best of our ability!  I have lots of pictures to share of the past 8 months of pregnancy , so I'm sorry for the picture overload...but I'm sure this is ONLY the beginning of many many photos to come. :)

        I , of course, told my mom the news right away and called her over in a hurry. While crying and saying "I'm pregnant!" she was so relieved that I hadn't called her over to discuss problems with our marriage or wanting a change in occupation like she thought.  We told Josh's family the next night and had a power point slide up on the computer saying that we were having a baby. We turned the laptop screen toward them during a casual conversation to see their reactions and it was awesome. I told my close friends soon after and Josh did the same.  The picture above is of our "social media" baby announcement.

            Here I am at  17 Weeks! Hard to believe my belly was ever that little... :)

                       

                               Here I am at 19 Weeks. Paisley knows exactly what's going on...

 At 20 weeks and our gender reveal party! We had the ultrasound technician write the sex of the baby on the ultrasound and put it in an envelope. We then went to the mall and picked out one girl outfit and one boy outfit. We took the two outfits to the cashier and told her to open and see if it was a boy or a girl. If it was a boy, wrap the boy outfit , and same if it was a girl. We walked away while she put the right outfit in the box along with the ultrasound. We took the box to be gift-wrapped. My parents had both sides of the family over for dinner and we unwrapped the gift! I had a feeling it was going to be a boy, and Josh was thrilled when we unwrapped the awesome Polo outfit. :)

   Here I am at 23weeks..getting bigger!

 24 weeks

 26 weeks and this was taken at our first baby shower with both sides of the family. It was so awesome to see everyone and receive such thoughtful gifts for our little man!

 30 weeks and in the nursery

 32 weeks!

 33 weeks and this was taken at my shower thrown by my friends! Yes, Baby Clancy's name will be Christian Michael Clancy! Josh and I have always both loved the name and had talked about naming our first boy Christian since before we were married.  There is actually a pretty cool story to go along with this choice. Some of the things that happened to be coincidental were pretty cool too. When Josh and I were not together (this was back in '09) , my mom and I went to a juvenile diabetes walk for one of her favorite students named Christian. Before the walk started, my mom spotted Josh from a distance. At that time he was interning with the Colts and was in charge of a "colts in motion" trailer that he would take to different events. He just so happened to be assigned that race that we were at.  That day we saw/talked to eachother, which  was the first time in a couple years and led to us getting back together/married! So it's pretty ironic that the name Christian was chosen, which was technically "who" brought us back together, and we just so happened to both be at a diabetes walk which Josh didn't know he would be diagnosed with 3 years later. Crazy how God works, but I gotta say I like the way he made it all happen! :)

 34 weeks! The hospital bag is halfway packed and the car seat is ready to go! This pregnancy has seriously flown by but I know I have a pretty exhausting month still ahead of me! My next appointment I will be 36 weeks , and they will be able to tell me if I have dilated and the position of Christian...I am so anxious I can hardly stand it!

This was a 4D ultrasound we got (without asking-SCORE!) It was so freaky to see his facial features that clear! I hope those chubby cheeks stay just the way they are here...how cute, right?!

 Christian's nursery is pretty much complete. Thanks to my parents for our beautiful bed! We were able to use what we already had for the rest of the furniture which was awesome. Nothing that a little spray paint can't fix! Josh may or may not be obsessed with spray painting anything these days! Our theme for the room is elephants. My mamaw who passed away in 2004 loved elephants and collected them (not the real thing, but you know what I mean ) :) . I feel like she will be watching over Christian. His room's colors are grey, blue, and some green.

Here's another side of this room. We hangout in here a lot these days. We have read a few stories from his bookshelf to him in here (not excited parents AT ALL) . 

Well, that's enough catching up for today! I will be filling you in as the delivery gets closer!