34 & 35 weeks

what's cooking? [new baby things]: in the past two weeks babe has gone from about 4+ pounds to over 5 pounds [most likley].  she also went from about 17" long to 18" or so.  she's lost most of those hairs that were helping her stay warm because she's getting big enough to warm herself.  she is also developing her own mini-immune system instead of solely relying on mine.  her finger nails and toe nails are growing a lot right now [and i'm terrified to trim them one day - they are just so little!]

gender: teeny tiny little girl! our mini, emmie collins.


movement: i'm still utterly enjoying and in awe of all her little [and BIG] movements.  about 80% make me feel excited and so joyful and the other 20% kind of hurt [picture big kicks to the ribs and her curling up into a tight ball on my side] -sometimes i wish those would quit.  but i'd never, ever trade in those 80 for the 20, so i'll suck it up.  babe, you still move at all hours and i would consider you 'very active'.  almost all your friends and family have been able to feel you or even see you move, now that you jiggle my whole belly.  i'm pretty sure that you were upside down for a while but have since done flips over and over so i'm not sure when you'll settle down into your little exit posture.

momma developments:  my uterus is the size of a watermelon and i'm pretty sure no one would argue with that.  this babe has completely taken over the upper half of my body.  since i like her so much i don't really mind sharing though.  i do get lightheaded every now and then still.  i always think it would be when i'm really active or something but it generally happens when i'm just sitting still, working etc.  i'm still loving being pregnant but it does physically feel more difficult now.  it is hard to carry so much extra around when you're a weakling like me!

total weight gain: 32-34 pounds

maternity clothes: all the time. even my maternity shirts from the beginning are starting to get too short in the front.  :(  i don't want everyone to see my spandex topped pants!

cravings: nothing really.

anything hard? 

the planner in me is really struggling not knowing when this babe is going to make her debut.  i love to have a deadline, a goal, a time that i know i can get things done.  i like to make plans.  i like to control what's going on with our lives even just a little bit and i find myself constantly saying "well, that's the plan...unless we have the baby."  "i think we can do that...we'll just have to see when she comes."  and even things post-delivery feel so up in the air to me.  even though i've had lots of helpful friends try to prepare me for what's to come i still feel completely unprepared for what to expect.  i really just need to adopt a go-with-the-flow personality but i don't know how to engineer one of those!

we are going to young life camp very soon and i couldn't be more thrilled that i've been cleared to go as a 9 months pregnant momma.  but i do have a little bit of anxiety.  just about what the week will be like, how i'll be able to get around or keep up with girls.  i know i'll be so much more limited than in years past, and theoretically i'm ok with that but i don't know, when it actually happens how i'll feel.  i just hope that no matter what, God will use that time there for His glory.  that's my prayer.  that, and that we wouldn't have a baby 4 hours away from home.

still really struggling with the to-do lists!  so many things to do, buy, make, write, read to get ready for this.  i feel like i'll just never have the time.  so i basically need to get off here and go be a busy little bee.

never forget:

emmie, you and i are officially waddling now.  we waddle everywhere we go.  i thought i started waddling a few months ago, but no.  this is it.  your dad thinks so too.

last week we got to celebrate father's day for the first time with your poppa!  he needs a special post all his own.  you're momma is slacking on this online baby book of yours.  we've just been so busy visiting, celebrating, renovating the house, planning for ministry and planning for you!  we cannot wait to have you be part of our family, part of our everyday life out here.  you have one amazing man as your father and i know you'll celebrate him daily with me.

we also got to have our final baby shower with your granna [stephanie's] and grandpa norm's families.  it was so special and sweet.  they showered you with all kinds of goodies that i can't wait to show you when you get here.  it was such a blessing just to get to be surrounded by such wonderful women.

i didn't think about taking a bump picture of 34 weeks [i forget almost everything] so this is one of the only ones i have.  you can see her enjoying her shower.  yay bump.

i finally made a decision for your baby bedding.  only about 3 months after i planned to.  i hope you and your future siblings will enjoy it.  your talented future friend kari is making them for you and will undoubtedly do a fantastic job.

oh and one final thought, your momma has nine more work days before she 'retires' to stay home with you!  we cannot wait!  ahhhhh!

baby bump

coming soon...baby bump pics. 

and a real baby.  :)

p.s. this pic wasn't staged.  my husband was really trying to take bump pictures by himself. 

and that's really how i look at him when he's taking bump pictures by himself.  is this real life? bahaha

oh, and i will post on something non-baby related soon.  i think.

33 weeks

33 WEEKS
what's cooking? [new baby things]: babe is a little over 4 pounds probably and is over 17 inches long.  she is beefing up and becoming less wrinkly - which i'm excited about.  i'm giving her antibodies so that she'll have a baby immune system when she comes on the scene.

gender: teeny tiny little girl! our mini, emmie collins.

movement: she is kicking the crud out of me.  i can't think of any better way to say it.  she moves so much and i'm pretty sure she flips around a few times a day.  i get lots of jabs and sweeping motions.  my belly bounces around all over the place and people from across the room can notice her moving.

momma developments: little nugget is taking up so much room.  i kind of can't imagine how she's going to get even bigger.  baby's apartment needs an up-grade and i don't think we have room for a remodel.  my belly button is now an innie-outtie.  you can see it through my shirt a little now.  it's not a full-blown outtie but i think it won't be long.  i may be getting stretch marks but it's hard to say.  i thought i had two stretch marks or icky purple veins on my leg but after driving to work they disappeared so maybe they were sleep creases - weird.  now i think i have a few on my belly but i can't tell because my belly is so tight and has all kinds of discoloration anyway.  we'll have to see how that works out after the baby comes.

total weight gain: 32-34 pounds

maternity clothes:  all the time.  my old t-shirts that are normally my "comfy" and "baggy" tees are now belly shirts.  like crop tops.  i've reverted to wearing benny's tees just so i'm not vulgar.

cravings: nothing really.  maybe oreos :)

anything hard? 


at 32 weeks we [emmie & i] went bathing suit shopping.  i forgot to mention it.  a woman in her 8th month of pregnancy trying on "small" spandex suits is not the most enjoyable experience.  no one warned me.  let me warn you - it is at least 3 times worse than the normal "first-suit-of-the-season-i'm-too-pale-for-this" of unpregnant life.



having a vertical driveway.  getting in and out of the car is hard enough without a hill working against you.  thank the Lord for those pull-down handles.

never forget:

emmie collins, this week we took you to the hospital.  i was a little concerned that maybe my water broke.  i didn't really think that it did but i wasn't sure.  things were just different & more than normal down there.  {sorry for the t.m.i}.  a woman at work made a comment when i walked in "wow, it looks like your baby's dropped."  which only freaked me out more.  i tried to wait a few hours to see if there was more coming but after being urged i went ahead and called my baby dr.'s office.  they said that i needed to go to labor and delivery right away.  i cried in the parking lot when i had to call and tell your dad.  i didn't want it to be nothing and feel all dramatic for going to the hospital.  i didn't want it to be something because i knew you needed to be in there a little longer.  i just didn't feel ready, although i know with God's perfect provision we would have been fine.  i was just scared.  it turns out that every test they ran came back perfect.  you're normal and perfect.  we felt so blessed by the reminder that things may not go according to our plans but that the Lord is always good.

ben told me "you don't get around like you used to" this week bahahah

this weekend we had a little babymoon.  i'm going to write about it soon but it was oh so very sweet.  i loved the time with your dad.  i think you liked it too.  i don't think that you like to sit in movie theaters however.  maybe you don't like when i sit straight up in down in general.

i went to a breastfeeding class this week.  i feel like i learned all kinds of things since i was really starting from scratch - no prior knowledge.  i brought all the literature home so i can remind myself when the time gets closer.  it is definitely something i'm going to try and do, but i also hope [as with lots of aspects of parenting] that i can be flexible if it doesn't work out for some reason.

itty bitty, this week we are praying for your health and safety.  we're praying that every little piece of you would be perfectly knit together.  we're praying that you'd stay in my belly a few more weeks.  that with all your moving around you don't do anything that will hurt you.    we're praying for your little personality and heart - that you'd be kind and caring to all people around you - regardless of who they are or how they treat you.  we pray that you'd have a heart for people who are left out or hurting.

happy weekend

happy friday friends! 

it's almost sad how greatly i look forward to the weekends.  this weekend is a little bit special because ben & i will be having a stay-cation babymoon.  i whined a little bit about going out of town together for a 'last hoorah' pre-baby but since i can't take extra time off work, going very far away in 50-some hours seemed like a little more trouble than it's worth to the hubs.  so our comprise is that we're going to go adventuring.  mainly just around central kentucky and our own little town.  but i hope to be outside, go places we've never been, see sights we've never seen and just be together.  enjoying time just the two of us.  well, just the three of us.  i'm gonna be waddling all over town.  watch out!

last, but not least, we got to see little emmie collins this week on a little surprise visit to the hospital.  we got a few hurried 3D pics before the doctor came in.  i didn't label the parts but if you're confused at what you're looking at, just ask...i'll try and explain a little above each shot.

 profile of her face with her arm snuggled up to her.  its up and down like she's standing up

arms up covering her face but you can see her little button nose and big ol' lips.  much needed for all those little kisses i'm expecting to steal.

 her profile but this time laying down.  from left to right you're looking at her...

chest / belly -- chin -- lips -- nose -- eyes -- forehead

hope your weekend is full of all kinds of joy - regardless of your plans or circumstances.  take heart!

32 weeks

what's cooking? [new baby things]: babe weighs between 3.75 to 4 pounds this week.  she's somewhere near 17" long.  things are still moving right along, she's fattening up and fine-tuning all of her little systems.

gender: teeny tiny little girl! our mini, emmie collins.

movement: still moving a lot and all over.  she did seem to have longer periods of wake and sleep as 'they' predicted.  she's been kicking all our friends, family, benny and of course, me.  we know that she was head down but has since flipped back and forth several times.  she doesn't like to stay in one place apparently. 

momma developments: growing, growing, growing.  breathing has become a little harder from time to time & i've had some weird times of light-headedness, which i really hate.   those make me feel really sicky and out of control.  i still have forever nosebleeds but it's ok - no biggie.

total weight gain: 30 pounds dum.dum.dum.

maternity clothes: i'm loving maternity clothes and dresses of any kind.

cravings: nothing new.

anything hard?  wanting everything to be done but feeling too tired to actually do it.
never forget:
we had monday of this week off for memorial day, to remember all the brave people who have served and protected us.  it was great to be at home with your dad, little babe.  i kind of wish we could all be home together, all the time.  but i guess that makes our time together all the more special.

on saturday morning our sweeter than sweet friend jenna came by the house to take a few bump pics of us around the abode.  our home isn't real fancy but it's home and as we build a little family here i want to remember things like that.  we took some pics snuggled in bed and on the couch - me, benny & the babe.  i think some of my favorite memories have been and will be made just that way.  spending time in mundane places, free from distractions, just enjoying each other's company.  those are the kinds of things i want to remember.  when i thinking about bringing emmie collins into our room in the mornings to hangout with us i am just...filled.  i don't know the right word.  but i cannot wait for her little rolly polly self to play in the morning between me and her pop.

later that day, i got to have blessed time with two of my favorite people in the world, cory & rach.  we didn't really have plans so of course we ate and then went on a thrifting adventure through nicholasville [a town right next door].  we found lots of awesome treasures - it was a success.

on sunday you had a baby shower thrown by all your friends!  you loved it.  every single bit of it was absolutely precious [i'll be back to post on that soon].  your friends and family take such good care of you.  you were showered will all kinds of love and presents and books.  i'll remember it always!