Seven Months

As of last Thursday, I am officially 7 months pregnant! I can not believe how fast time is flying!

How far along: 29 weeks
Maternity Clothes: Of course! I'm going to have to find a maternity burnt orange shirt because I realized last weekend none of my old ones fit around the belly!
Sleeping: Once I can fall asleep it is great! I'm really tired again like in the first trimester...
Best Moment of last Week: Having my first shower hosted by Jenny, Jessica and Christi! (Abbey and Zoey were great hostesses as well!!)
Second Best Moment: Yesterday Emily was over and I got to use some of Hadley's things on her! She broke in the changing table, swing and crib- so fun!
Movement: Oh yes!
What I miss this week: Z-Pack. I started off my 7th month with a sinus infection and the only thing I could take was Tylenol Cold or Benedryl. I tried to take as little medicine as possible and it took about a week to get over. If I could of had some Z-Pack I could have knocked it out in a day =)
What I am looking forward to: Counting down these last 11 weeks!
Milestones: I'm starting to have Braxton Hicks contractions...they don't hurt (yet) but I can sure feel them!

Here are some pictures from my shower:

]

The cake

Caroline, me and Nanny

Jessica, Mimi and Jenny

With Abbey and Zoey

I got so many wonderful gifts and the shower was so much fun. I am so overwhelmed with how many people already love Hadley! We are so blessed!

This is the most recent picture of us! 

Back to School

Today is a bittersweet day. Today marks the day where the teachers go back to school to prepare for the students next week. It is a week of excitement and renewed energy and is usually one of my favorite weeks of the first semester at school. However, I am not there this year. After Derek and I found out I was pregnant we made the decision I would stay home for this first year. It was a hard decision to make, but I think it will work out best for our family. My teaching co-workers and my principal were more than supportive of my decision and I will be forever grateful for their support. Fisher was my home away from home this year and I will miss everything about it.  I know I am not done teaching and I will be back :)

People have been asking what I will do since I'm not teaching.  I plan on subbing at the school I taught at, preparing our house for a new family member, spoiling my niece and learning a lot from my sister ( a new mom) and being thankful that Derek has such a great job!  As soon as November comes I know I will have plenty to do! I wish it was November now but I know I will never have these three months back!

For all my teacher friends, I hope your back to school week is great! Your students are lucky to have you :) And even though none of my students read my blog, I wish each and every one of them a wonderful year- they will always be my "first children"! Hopefully Hadley won't be as big a handful as 22 rowdy 9 year olds!

6 Months and Nursery Updates

This week marks the beginning of my 6th month of pregnancy! This is a fun milestone to reach as it makes it feel like our baby will be here SOON!

How far along: 24 weeks

Sleeping: Falling asleep is getting harder and harder
Best Moment of the Week: Picking up the nursery bedding!!
Movement: Yes! Her little kicks are getting stronger and stronger each day!
Cravings: Still craving anything and everything sweet...cupcakes, cookies, pies!! I told Derek that this must mean Hadley is going to be sweet since I'm craving so many sweets =)
What I am looking forward to: Painting the nursery
Milestones: Reaching 24 weeks. 24 weeks is a big week to reach. I am now at the "viability" stage of pregnancy which means Hadley has a 60% chance to survive outside the womb with several medical interventions. Obviously we want her to stay until November!!
This week was also so fun because Bedazzled called to say her bedding was ready. I think the owner was shocked that I hung up the phone and was at their store in under 30 minutes! I was really excited! I came home and put it all together. I just love it! Everything is coming together in her room. Here are a few pictures:

    The chair will go where the bassinet is! Here is the crib and dresser/changing table.

                                  A close-up of the bedding. I love all of the sweet details!

Last night, I babysat Emily while Mark and Caroline went to a FC Dallas soccer game. Jessica brought  Abbey and Zoey over to meet Emily. I can already tell what good cousins they are going to be to Hadley. They had so many sweet questions and comments about the baby and it just made me even more excited for November. At one point (when Emily wasn't screaming!) she was sitting in the swing and was just staring at Abbey and Zoey with these wide eyes. They were so good talking to her softly and trying to make her giggle. Emily showed off all of her tricks (screaming, eating and making a dirty diaper) and the girls loved every minute! It was fun to have all of my nieces together!

Abbey and Emily

I had so much fun with Emily and she is growing right before my eyes. We were cuddling on my bed together and she rolled over! Such a big girl! I was laughing and cheering her on and Maverick thought all that attention was for her. She jumped up on the bed and put her nose about 2 inches from Em's face and Emily froze. She smiled and thought Mavy was so silly. Her mom wouldn't appreciate this because she was mortified that Mav was licking Emily earlier!

Here are some other summer pictures I haven't posted yet. Its gone by so fast and I'm ready for fall!

In Destin, 21 weeks

Emily and her Uncle Bear- so sweet!!

We went to San Antonio a few weeks ago to visit Momu and Popu and to see Papa's new place. We had a wonderful dinner Saturday night with Momu and Popu (I didn't have my camera) and then went to visit Papa on Sunday morning. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go back. Here is Emily and her great-grandfather, Papa.

Her Name

Choosing a name for your baby is a fun experience. I have always played the "name game" with friends and family, and the names I like have changed many times! When Derek and I found out we were pregnant, names didn't come as easily as I once thought it would. Naming a child is an important responsibility, and we realized we wanted to make a decision before we shared so that we didn't get too many opinions and inputs on our ideas ;) Once we found out we were having a girl, we knew we both wanted a strong and feminine name for our sweetie. We think we've chosen the perfect name for our daughter. Our baby girl's name will be Hadley Carol Johnson.

Hadley is from English origin and means Fields of Heather. I first heard of the name in a book and thought it was beautiful. I put it on the back burner for a while until I started teaching at my new school. There was a sweet teacher named Hadley, and two staff members had close family members named Hadley. As soon as I was pregnant this name kept coming back. I did some research on it, and Ernest Hemingway's wife was named Hadley, and the name Hadley was most popular in 1908. We know our sweet Hadley will make her own special mark on this world. We've been calling her Hadley for months, but just recently told our families her name. We told my family in Destin at one of our favorite restaurants. There was a guest book there and the last person to sign in was named Hadley! What a fun coincidence! Carol is after my mom and I can't imagine a better middle name for our daughter. We hope she is kind, loving and fun just like her Nanny.

                                          
                                                                     A field of Heather

Only a few short months until Hadley is here and we are trying to enjoy these last few months as a family of three (Mav included)! The nursery is on its way to being finished and I have three showers to look forward to! What an exciting fall we have ahead. Thank you God for our Hadley, we will take good care of her.

Three Years

Three years ago, on July 28th, 2007, Derek and I were married. It was a perfect night and each year of  marriage brings new adventures. I think our 4th year of marriage will  be our biggest adventure yet! Our little family of 2 will grow and we can't wait.

Happy Anniversary! Each day gets better and better!

I am also 23 weeks today! In one short week I will be 6 months along! I just can't believe how fast this pregnancy is flying along! I went to the doctor today and everything still looks great! Can't wait until November!

22 Weeks

How far along: 22 weeks 

Maternity Clothes: Being pregnant in the summer is perfect, because you can wear dresses everyday! I have three or four that I rotate through during the week; I am about sick of them!! 

Sleeping: Going really good! I'm still getting a lot of it =)

Best Moment of the Week: Getting the crib and dresser in the nursery and finalizing the bedding!
Movement: YES! It is so surreal to feel her kicking around in there. She kicks the most when I'm in water, maybe she will love baths like her mom!
What I miss this week: Being able to do chores in the house for an hour at a time! Lately I have to take short breaks because I get light-headed. This makes simple chores take forever!
What I am looking forward to: Finishing organizing the closets in the nursery and in the guest room! I made a lot of progress today!
Weekly Wisdom: Drink lots of water and stay cool
Milestones: Sharing the name with our families and starting to feel her kicks from the outside. Derek felt a small tap last night- I can't wait until he feels a great big kick!

Here's a terrible picture! But I know I will forget if I don't just do it today!

22 weeks

It's A Girl!

At our NT scan back in May the doctor gave us a 95% guess that baby J was a girl. We wanted to wait until our 19 week appointment for the big gender scan before we shared our news. First and most importantly, baby J was very healthy! The doctor looked at her heart chambers, kidneys, spine, legs and even her brain. Every check point the doctor looks for was perfect. What a blessing!

The doctor also confirmed baby J is a girl. I am so excited to have a daughter. It is such a wonderful gift that God has trusted Derek and I with.

There are so many things that I want for my daughter.

 I want her to have a good relationship with me, like I have with my mom. My relationship with my mom is one of the most special relationships I have. I have so much to learn from her and I'm thankful for her everyday. I pray daily that I will be as good as a mom as she is.

I want her to be a daddy's girl. Most people that know me know I am a huge daddy's girl. I always tell Derek that no one will love him like a little girl does. I remember running down the stairs every night when my dad got home to give him a big hug and kiss. I have the best relationship with my dad and I can't wait to see Derek and the baby together.

I want her to know and love Jesus like we do. Derek and I met at church youth group and I have been praying that our daughter will feel at home at church like Derek and I do. I can't wait to do mommy/daughter bible studies together, take her to VBS and see her grow up in our Church. She will have so many spiritual role models in her life, and for that we are so blessed.

For my sanity, I want her and Maverick to be best buds! We will never forget our first "baby" and we hope she will love the baby as much as we do! We've started preparing her for the baby by kicking her off our bed! We did buy her a fancy new dog bed though, so she's not too deprived of a good sleep! She is such a good dog and we know the baby will love her too! How could you not?

Most importantly, I want her to grow up safe, loved and happy. We love you little girl, more than you will ever know.