31 weeks. wowza!

A little hard for me to believe, but I've got 9 weeks to go. Hopefully only 9, maybe a little less:) Found this questionnaire on a couple of people's blogs so I thought I'd give it a shot...

How far along? 31 weeks today. Crazy.

Total weight gain? As of 1 week ago I had gained 30 pounds, but I’m pretty sure that number will have increased 5 lbs by my appointment next Wednesday. It’s incredible how much I’ve been eating these past couple of weeks!

Sleep? Pretty good I must say. Only have to get up once or twice at the most to go to the bathroom. I usually wake up when I have to roll onto my other side, but it doesn’t interrupt me enough to make me feel like I’m not sleeping well.

Best moment of the week? Just one? Probably hearing Seth tell me (again) that he’s ready for our little girl to be here. I love comments like that from him. Another favorite moment is anytime she’s moving and kicking like crazy – and Seth can see/feel her.

Movement? Lots. I love every minute of it – even if it does feel weird. Sometimes I feel like she could just bust straight out of my belly on her own. But obviously that would be gross and we don’t want that to happen…

Gender? A little chica named Lilly Jo Apple. Joe was my dad’s name and after he died I always knew I’d want to name one of my children after him. He was the most wonderful father in the whole world and to say that I miss him would be the understatement of my life. But I think he’d be pretty proud to have a granddaughter named after him:)

Food cravings? Food. Lots of it. Especially anything with protein in it.

Belly button? Started popping out about a week or so ago…it’s half and half I’d say. Strange.

Maternity clothes? Most definitely. I’m actually at that stage where the stretchy part on some of my pants doesn’t fit over my belly, so I just scoot it down below the belly.

What I miss the most? Laying flat on my back to sleep. Mmm. Yep, miss it a lot.

What I’m looking forward to? Meeting Lilly Jo and seeing what she looks like. Looking her in the eyes for the first time and smiling at her:) Telling her “I love you” in person:)

A Surprise Baby Shower!

A couple weekends ago, our new church family (Harvest Bible Chapel North Raleigh) threw a baby shower for Seth and I. It was actually a surprise shower for me - Seth had me thinking he was taking me out somewhere on Saturday for a few hours. I had no idea this was what we would be doing that day!!

It was so evident how hard everyone worked to make this shower so special. The theme was the Wolfpack (they know us all too well!) and all the party decorations, food and games displayed the theme so well.

Julie Kennedy, our church baker, made us some delicious red and white cupcakes.

Whitney made us a Wolfpack diaper cake - complete with a Wolfpack sippy cup and some Wolfpack pacifiers. Sooo cute!

The food we had was very similar to the tailgating cuisine we're used to - BBQ, chips and cheese, wings, etc. It was absolutely delicious - I only wish Seth hadn't let me eat lunch 2 hours before:)

And here Seth is trying one of 4 baby foods to guess what it is...whatever it is, it must not be that bad:)

During the shower we played quite a few games...some having to do with animal babies, some having to do with baby food, but my favorite by far was the one with the 'poopy' diapers.

CJ looks on in shock at what he's just been asked to do - taste his 'poopy diaper' and guess what 2 types of chocolate it is comprised of.

Mike Walters has no fear and digs right in...yuuuum city!

Seth delicately tries his 'poopy diaper'...in case Carol has tricked them all:)

Jason Kennedy looking to his wife Julie to tell him he doesn't have to participate in this game:)

Granny Apple was able to come into town for our shower, and it was very special for both of us to have her there!

Lilly Jo's other "grandma" was there, however, we've yet to finalize her title...not too much longer to choose a name!

I'm currently looking for some "Apple Bottom Jeans" to go with Lilly's "Boots with the fur". If you find any, let me know:)

We've got a lot to learn when it comes to babies and baby products:)

Our pastor, Mike Willis, and his cutie pie - Miss Maddie.

Another lovely lady at our new church - Miss Loreli. She's just enjoyed one of Julie Kennedy's famous Wolfpack cupcakes:)

We were so blessed by all the wonderful gifts the people gave us. We received things like a Boppy, diapers, blankets, pacifiers, Butt Paste (lots! apparently it's very useful!), changing table pad, lots of clothes, and much much more! Lilly Jo, you are loved already!

Seth has gotten quite used to what having a daughter will be like, having gotten to know Maddie Willis from church:)

Waiting in expectation to meet our little daughter...

Until then, we are so grateful for our friends and church family at HBCNR - THANK YOU SO MUCH for your love and generosity toward us!!

A Bun in the Oven

Thanks to a couple at my work, Seth and I had a very creative halloween costume:)
Meet Seth, the chef; Rebecca, the oven; and Lilly Jo, the bun in my oven.
She's still cookin' and we can't wait to meet her!