28 Weeks

Here is my belly at 28 weeks! 

I still feel pretty good!  I am thankful that even the symptoms I have experienced have not been all that bad or severe.  For my record, here are a list of symptoms I'm having in the third trimester so far:

Dry Eyes - This has been a problem the entire pregnancy and its so frustrating!  Usually, I wear my contacts for 6-8 weeks before I have to replace them, but these days, I have to replace my contacts about every 15 days.  It is expensive and frustrating.  It also makes me feel so tired even when I am not necessarily.

Cravings - Although I craved lemonade for about a week, I am not still craving it.  I let myself have a couple big glasses and that seemed to satisfy me.  I really have not craved much of anything this entire pregnancy.

Hunger - I am definitely hungry and can eat more than I used to except at dinner.  I still get so full so fast and have to eat a little bit at a time.

Tiredness - I am not as tired yet as I was in the first trimester, but I think because I am bigger, I just get worn out faster and easier.  It's hard to move around with a baby bump :)

Back Ache - My lower back has started to hurt and its no fun!  I guess the size of the belly is starting to strain my back as I go about my day.

Hip Pain - My hips still ache when I sleep but not nearly as bad as earlier on.  I think I have figured out a good use of pillows to help minimize the pain!

Leg Cramps - I have had two terrible Charlie Horses in my leg during sleep.  They hurt so bad!!

Braxton Hicks Contractions - I have definitely been feeling these.  It does not hurt but is a strange sensation of my belly tightening up.

We are about ready to announce the name.  I feel confident that it is her name, but for some reason every time I think about committing, I get cold feet :)  It's a really big deal to name a person for the rest of their life!

I have made some good progress on the nursery and will do a reveal of the crib bedding fabric, paint color, and a few details when I can pull the post together!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Easter 2011

Here are the Easter 2011 pictures of the Jones family plus our guests.

From Left to Right

Back Row: Brad, Alex, Elizabeth, Jeffrey, Elizabeth (TFA roommate), Dad, Mr. Flachsbart

Front Row: Me, Emily, Mom, Mrs. Flachsbart

Elizabeth & Alex

Joneses & Flachsbarts

I am 28 weeks pregnant and looking large in this dress! It is not maternity and very flowy so it did not give me any shape.

The Kids

Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures with Brad's family.  We have to do better!

Wild At Heart

For the past 12 weeks, Brad has been in a Men's Fellowship small group at our church.  They read the book Wild At Heart by John Eldredge and have a 4 day backpacking hike planned through the Great Smoky Mountains in May to wrap-up their study.

He has loved the study and especially the fellowship of men of all ages.  I am so thankful he has been a part of such a great group! 

In high school, Brad hiked and camped quite a bit with friends and even though it is something he loves to do, it has been a long time since he has done it.  So, in order to get ready for his trip in May, he has been out to Oak Mountain several times to hike with his backpack, and of course, his favorite sidekick, Layla.  I think it is fair to say that Brad and Layla are obsessed with each other!

Here she is riding in Brad's car!  She looks just like a human sitting in the front seat. 

Brad took some great pictures with his iPhone on each of his adventures. 

Layla loves the water and was so glad to finally cool off halfway through the hike the first day!

Also halfway through the hike on the first day was this gorgeous waterfall at Peavine Falls!  I can't wait to go out with them...maybe after baby!?!

Layla was completely worn out after her first day of hiking!  She couldn't even hold her head up on the way home!

Here are a few pictures from their second hike.

The second hike took them around this lake!

And the reward at the peak of mountain was this spectacular view of Birmingham!

I just started reading Wild At Heart myself and it is a great book!  I think Eldredge is absolutely right...men are made for adventure and the wild and women love to have a manly hero in their life!

I can't help but think of the song Cowboy Take Me Away by the Dixie Chicks:

"Cowboy take me away, fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue

Set me free oh I pray closer to heaven above and closer to you

I wanna look at the horizon, and not see a building standing tall

I wanna be the only one, for miles and miles

Except for maybe you, and your simple smile"

27 Weeks

Here is my belly at 27 weeks! 

I didn't get this up last week, but I will be back again this week with more posts and a 28 week update.

I Heart Turkey Burgers

Cheeseburgers are in my top 3 favorite foods of all time!  I can always eat a cheeseburger.  However, I have also come to love turkey burgers.  I think I even love them equally as much as a regular beef cheeseburger.

I have come up with a recipe that I love, but there are endless options for toppings that might suit you. 

Here is what I do:

Ingredients:

1 lb Jennie-O Ground Turkey (not turkey breast - its too lean)

Salt & Pepper

Lemon Juice

Smoked Gouda Cheese

Honey Crisp or Fuji Apple Slices

Jellied Cranberry Sauce (in the can)

Hamburger buns

Mayo

Directions:

Make four 1/4 lb patties by adding salt & pepper and lemon juice to the ground turkey. 

Cook patties over the stove in a skillett with a pat of butter on each pattie. The butter keeps these moist since they can get dry.  Keep the skillet covered at all times.

Let the patties cook on medium to medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes total.  At some point, you will want to flip the burgers to cook both sides.   A lot of juice will cook out of the burgers but don't drain it from your skillet.  Again, the burgers will re-absorb some of the juice and that will keep them nice and juicy.

You will know your burgers are done when the juice from inside the burger runs clear and there is no more pink in the center.  Don't over cook these or they will be very dry.

Finally, just as they are done, turn off the heat, add your Gouda cheese, cover, and let the cheese melt! 

If the burgers are too juicy at the end of cooking, I will put mine on a paper towel to absorb some of the extra grease off the bottom before I put it on my bun.

Serve with your desired choice of toppings.

I put mayo on the bun, a few very thinly sliced apple slices, and a little bit of cranberry sauce. 

I also serve with Sweet Potato Fries!

Hope you enjoy!!

26 Weeks

Here is my belly at the end of 26 weeks!

I am getting a little more comfortable in some ways and a little more uncomfortable in others.  My hip pain has seemed to lessen at night as well as the pain in my stomach when I go for walks.  I guess she may have changed positions or something!  Now, I just feel like I can hardly eat anything that does not either cause heartburn or major discomfort in my stomach.  I feel like we are just out of room and she is constantly pushing on my lungs trying to get out!  Emily found Apple Cider Vinegar in pill form (so that I don't have to drink it) that I am going to start taking to hopefully help with the heartburn!  The lady at the health foods store also recommended something else that I have a sample of to try.  I am afraid though that most of the heartburn is just because she is pushing anything I eat back up. 

In other news, I think I have identified my first real craving - lemonade!!  It just came to me one day that that's what I wanted and my mouth practically waters any time I think of it.  Usually, I drink only water and one cup of hot tea in the mornings so this is definitely a change for me.   I know it is full of sugar so I am trying to only have it in small amounts on some days, but man, it sounds so good all the time!

I think that's about it for now.  So glad its finally Friday!  Happy Weekend!

Finished Products

Here are the finished planting and sewing products from my weekend work!

Before Shot: Winter Pot Mix

After Shot: Summer Pot Mix

Yes, they are pink and white in anticipation of our little girl's arrival!  They should still be in bloom when we bring her home from the hospital!  It was my Mom's idea to plant all pink and white flowers and I loved it!

Fresh Basil

And since they yard is in full bloom right now, I took some pictures to record the beautiful flowers! I love this time of year and wish it would stay this way forever!

 Finally, here is the bubble I made for Rollins! I think his Mom really liked it :)

The Has Beens, Flowers, Sewing, & Baby Registry

Saturday, Brad and his best friends from high school, Wes, Blake, and Lance, played in the Rick & Bubba Connect 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the Met.  They named their team the "Has Beens" since they have been playing ball together since middle school!  Here are some fun shots of them in action taken by Lance's girlfriend.  

They did much better than they expected for being "has beens" and lost in the quarter-finals.  I think they were actually relieved to lose because they were all sunburned and sore from playing 6 games!   Also, they wanted to get home and watch the Masters!

I, however, was hoping they would go all the way because there was a $750 prize for the winning team!

While Brad was playing basketball, I worked on a few projects I have been meaning to do.  First, I went to Lowe's and picked out some Summer flowers for my front porch pots.  

Then, I worked on a bubble for one of my favorite almost-1-year-old little boys! His Mom, Kat and I shopped for the fabric back in January.  Better late than never, right? 

Finally, Brad and I finished up a long Saturday at Buy Buy Baby.  Registering has been weighing on me as something I must do in order to get ready for this baby so it felt great to finally make some progress!  We actually had fun doing it too!!
(Not our best shot :) but necessary for documentation)

25 Weeks

Here is my belly at the end of 25 weeks! 

Unfortunately, I missed a belly shot during week 24 because my belly grew a lot at the end of 24 weeks just before week 25 started. I knew it was growing which is kind of weird / cool to me!

I went to the doctor last week and had a good report.  I had gained 6 more pounds in 6 weeks for a total of 14 pounds.  He said I was on track to gain 30 which is okay with me.  I may stop telling my weight gain at any point, but I am doing this for my records so I am going to keep it up for now :)  I still feel good, but have had some really sharp pain when I go for walks which I try to do several times a week.  He said it was nothing serious probably just tight ligament or muscles and that I could keep walking which I was glad to hear!  He also told me that I could continue to sleep on my back some here and there until I get bigger.  I was so glad to hear this and it has helped relieve some of my hip pain!!  I feel like I am already running out of room - she is up in my ribs and making it very hard for me to eat meals because I get so full so fast.  Finally, next time, I will have the glucose test for diabetes.  I have read some very negative press about having this done.  If you are reading along and know of any helpful information about the glucose test or an alternative test for diabetes, I would love to hear it!

We need to sign up for child birthing classes as well.  Any tips? 

I am going to register this weekend and have had lots of friends give me great advice on each piece of baby gear so hopefully it will go quickly and won't be too overwhelming!

Still working on the nursery.  I never did locate my discontinued fabric so I have switched design ideas completely and am working on the bedding.  Hopefully, I can get it ordered and finalized soon!

Happy Weekend!

10 Year Reunion

This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion!  In some ways its seems like forever ago, but at the same time, I still feel like we are all young and haven't changed that much.  

We started the day off with a very casual lunch in the lunchroom at the high school.  The reason for this was so we could all tour the high school and see the renovations that have been done since we were there.  It really is such a nice school and looks great!  

The front has changed so much.  It used to look like this when I went there...

but has since been renovated and has a very modern entrance.

Saturday night, our class went to Otey's in Crestline Village.   Again, it was a very casual reunion which was so nice and made the atmosphere very laid back and friendly!  We enjoyed the beautiful night and time with old friends.

I love my high school friends and am so so thankful for old friends who know me, my family, and my history so well!  Here are the "good" pictures mixed in with the "outtakes!"  We were having so much fun just taking the pictures.

All of the husbands get along great too which makes getting together really fun!  They are so funny together!

And, as you can see on Robert's shirt, the guys had to wear name tags with their wives Senior pictures on them.  It was so funny to see how we had all changed!  I think we all agreed that we look better now!

Finally, the group shot!  Love this pic!