Craving of the week!!

Oops... I forgot to post a craving of the week last week.. I must have been busy shopping or something!! hehe!! Last week I really didn't have a craving because my stomach was in knots the whole week from the anxiety of our ultrasound!! I did however make it to Target where I purchased my popcorn and drink combo and it was oh so yummy.. The popcorn was full of salt and the Mountain Dew was full of sugar so that made me one happy girl!!!

this really is scrumptious!! You must get it the next time you go to Target!!

This week I have found 2 things that really taste delicious.. I don't eat them together but when I have a salty craving I go for these!!

yum!!

When I have a sweet craving I go for these!!

so good!!!

On another food note, I have been meat free completely for almost 6 weeks and I have to say that I feel much better!!! I don't have the urge to get chicken or turkey on anything so I have found that I am eating healthier because fast food places don't offer a vegetarian menu.. Subway does have a veggie patty and I must say that it tastes quite good... so when I get the urge to splurge I guess the Veggie Patty is what I will go get... I am sure Miss Livy won't mind that at all!!! (along with the pounds of Skittles that I still consume on a weekly basis!!)

So until next week's craving, Happy Eating Everyone!!

19 weeks!!!

Oops.. I am posting this a day late but to my credit I have been a very busy gal over the past few days... I have had so much to take in and so much to think about.. Now that we know we are going to have a pretty little girl I have to be on top of things... Her room has to be perfect and everything that goes along with it has to be just as perfect..So.. with that said I am so anxious to getting her room started... There are however a few things that have to happen first..

1-the sleeper couch has to be taken out of her room along with the little clutter that still remains in there.
2-Aaron's clothes have to be taken out of her closet.. He was so cute the other day.. He walked into "Livy's" closet and said, "Why are there pink dresses in my closet?" My response was, "because it is no longer your closet dear!!" He just looked at me, smiled, and shook his head... I think he knows that she already has him wrapped around her little finger... and I LOVE it!!

Her room will be painted next weekend when my mom comes into town... She is the painter in this family.. Aaron is not allowed to be anywhere near a paint brush... I mean NO WHERE near a paint brush.. He gets paint on the floor, ceiling, windows, and everywhere else except the walls... It is pitiful... which is why we hired a painter a few months back to paint our house!! Once the paint gets on the walls I think it will become more real to us all.. I still have the fear that her "girl parts" will somehow turn into "boy parts." Aaron thinks I am crazy but that has actually crossed my mind... I just can't help it.

In other news, my belly is getting bigger and little Miss is moving ALL the time now. I am beginning to think that Evan will be able to feel her move soon.. She actually prefers to kick my left side more than my right side and every morning around 5:15 she decides it is time to do jumping jacks on my bladder....It is cute now but I am sure that in a few more months it won't be so cute... It will hurt and be uncomfy!!

There was no weight gain this week so that is a plus... We are still at the 7 pound mark so far!!

Here are a few pics from this week along with that our little girl is up to this week!!
Enjoy!!

19 weeks 1 day!!

19 weeks belly!! She is growing!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

she is beginning to look a little squished!!

I don't know where to start!

As all of you know by now we are having a GIRL!!! I keep wanting to pinch myself because lets face it.. After having two boys it seemed only fitting that there would be a third little boy to join his brothers.... but nope.... that's not what happened here.... I will finally have more estrogen to accompany me in this house full of testosterone!!!

For the past four years I have dreamed of the day that I would be able to zoom over to the little girl section of a department store and just go crazy.... Well that day happened on Friday.... After our ultrasound Aaron, Evan, Landon, and myself went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then we dropped Evan off at preschool.... The next stop was to Target of course!!! That is after all my "happy place!" Aaron had to leave early to get to work so I finished the "damage" there and headed home....

When he got home from work that afternoon the boys and I were already ready to walk out of the door. We headed to the mall... Belk... oh my goodness.... I could have spent hours in that store and could have emptied Aaron's wallet more than I already did... How do you pick from all the adorable stuff??

I LOVE the color pink but I don't want Livy to look like Pepto Bismol every time we walk out of the house so trying to find clothes in different girly colors was a bit of a task... I did however manage to get some cute stuff... I bought tons of outfits, two pair of shoes, a bathing suit, some bibs, hairbows, and two little rattle toys!! I guess you could say shopping was a success!!

I have noticed that girl stuff is way MORE expensive than boy stuff but I guess that's just how it is.... I have to calm down for many reason now.....just to name a few!!
1-we are going to Disney World in 6 weeks and I don't want my boys to be eating homemade pbj's all week when we are there
2-I have to leave other people room to buy her stuff...
3-we still have to buy a crib and crib furniture since our other furniture is gone.... (it was old and after two boys.. pretty worn out!!)
4-My boys need spring clothes and I don't think they will fit into newborn clothes... and pink ones at that!!

So until I get the urge to shop again I will surf the internet looking at things that she "must" have.. I will then write them down and email the list to "grammy" so that she will feel obligated to purchase them.. Hehe!!

Happy Shopping everyone!!

Here are a few pictures of my marvelous weekend full of shopping!!!

Don't judge me... hehe!!

It was just too much fun.. I couldn't resist!!

her first bathing suit!

cute little shoes

Here is the crib and bedding that I want to get... We haven't gotten either yet... Holding off as long as we can!!!

Love it!!

I just fell in love with this as soon as I saw it!!!

Dear Grandma,

I know you have known this all along but IT'S A GIRL!!! I am over the moon excited about this and my mother's intuition was right!! I really wish you were here so I could have heard your reaction over the phone this morning but I know you were doing the happy dance for me this morning as we found out!
Over the past couple of weeks I have felt a sense of peace when it has come to this pregnancy and whether this little one was a girl or boy. I really feel like you have given me that peace and you have allowed me to enjoy this pregnancy.
My daily visitor has already come to visit me today and I know you know what I am talking about. You see, I know how much we both used to love sitting by your window watching the birds come and eat food and how you would just gasp when a cardinal would take a little rest. Well now, I have a cardinal that comes to our bird feeder every day at the same time whether there is food in there or not and she just sits and looks around for a few minutes. Then she is off again until the next day. It just reminds me of you and it makes me smile... so thank you for that.
When I look back on my childhood as a little girl the things I remember the most are with you. You were always my best friend and I want my little girl to grow up calling me her best friend too. I know that I want my little girl to have the same precious memories that I had so I have made a list of promises to her that I hope she will cherish as much as I did with youl! She will have you to thank for all of these memories one day!

~I promise to look into her eyes on the day she is born and say, "Hello Pretty Girl!" I never got tired of hearing you call me that!!
~I promise to sing "You Are My Sunshine" to her everyday.
~I promise to cook grits with her in the same green grits bowl that we used every weekend.
~I promise to take her shopping for the "perfect" dress and the matching accessories to make her feel like a princess.
~I promise to let her destroy my makeup in an attempt to play dress up just to go into the kitchen to have some hot tea out of our little tea cups.
~I promise to take her to plays and then go to K & W afterwards!! (one of my best memories)
~I promise to wipe her tears when a boy breaks her heart... you did that often!
~I promise to play hopscotch with her in the driveway (even when it's 100 degrees outside)
~I promise to teach her about the Lord and how he is our perfect God!
~I promise we will watch Lifetime movies on endless amounts of weekends curled up on the couch beside one another eating popcorn, pizza, and drinking coke!
~But most importantly I promise to always make her feel as beautiful and special as you always made me feel. I always knew I could call you no matter what time of day it was and you had a way of making everything okay. You were never too busy for me and I was never too busy for you! What a great relationship we always had.

When it came time for Aaron and I to pick out names I knew that if it was a girl I wanted to keep your legacy going somehow. I didn't know how at first but then it came to me. I said the name over and over and it made me smile. Aaron loved the name too so that was a plus.

Our little priss will be named Olivia Rebecca Hughes. If this name is any indication that she will turn out to be half the woman that you were I will be one blessed mommy!!

Thank you for allowing me to keep your legacy going! I hope I make you proud!
Sweet Dreams pretty girl!!

here she is Grandma!!

It's a GIRL!!!

 

 

 

You were so anxious to meet little Evan!

and little Landon too!!

Love you bunches!!

Why do I do this to myself?!?!?!?

Yeap.. I am at it again... Researching the internet to try and convince myself that I am either having a boy or girl..... I don't know why I am so obsessed over this.. It has to be one or the other right?!?! And after all, I will know in less than 48 hours...

The newest research that I have looked up is on the Ramzi method... Have any of you heard of this? His research suggests that if your ultrasound (at 6-8 weeks) shows your placenta or yolk sac to the left of the baby then you are having a girl and if it is to the right of the baby then you are having a boy. If your ultrasound was done on your abdomen then you flip the results. If it was a transvaginal ultrasound then you don't flip it.
So what did I do all night last night?? Looked online to see how accurate this study really is...
According to the study it is 97.5 % accurate out of 5,000 women.

Here is my issue with this though... When I looked at Evan and Landon's first ultrasound pics their yolk sac's seemed to be on the left... and this time it was on the right.. So.... I am confused!!!

If this method is correct it looks like there will be THREE little boys running around my house.... Oh my goodness!! The more I think about it the more ok I am with it. After all, I could have three momma's boys!!
Don't get me wrong, I am still holding out hope for that little girl... but if God wants me to have three boys, then three boys it will be!!

Here are the ultrasound pics from all three pregnancies.. Tell me what you think.. If you can understand these ultrasounds at all!!
Thanks!!!

Evan is to the right of my uterus(I think) and I believe that little circle to the left is the yolk sac... The picture doesn't get flipped because it wasn't an abdominal ultrasound.

Landon's ultrasound.. He is the little thing on the right of the screen and on the other side of the screen you see barely see a little circle... That is the yolk sac.. I remember this to the tee because at first glance I thought there were two babies in there and I about fainted....  This one doesn't get flipped either..

Our newest little one.... The yolk sac is at the back of the baby's neck.. (the little speck) which puts it on the right of the baby. This one doesn't get flipped either....

Do you see why I am SO confused over this whole thing.... This is crazy.....
Okay... enough with the obsessing.. Off to get things done today... Maybe buy some more diapers for this little one until I can go SHOPPING on Friday!!! Oh what a fun day that will be!!! Yippee!!

18 week appointment!!!

Today was doctor day...... Yah!!! Besides never knowing what kind of mood Landon will be in as soon as we hit the doctor's office doors!! Thankfully today he was in a pretty good mood... We had just a few meltdowns compared to the hundred we had 4 weeks ago... Here are the stats from today!!

Blood Pressure: 122/78- this makes me SO happy!!! No needle pricking for me.....
Weight Gain: 2 pounds since my last visit bringing the total to 7.8 pounds so far!! (Don't ask me how I lost the 2.4 pounds I gained on vacation.... All I know is I'm happy with the 7.8 pound gain so far..)
Baby's heartbeat: seemed to stay around 154 today!!

Overall, the doctor's visit seemed to go pretty good.. I am still trying to get used to this new doctor's office and I have to say they aren't nearly as good as my one in Wilmington.. I guess I need to get over it and make the best of it but they just don't seem to be as friendly... I see a new doctor in 4 weeks so hopefully he will be nicer than the one I saw today...

On a brighter note..... My ultrasound was scheduled for April 4th BUT with a little fib (all my mom's fault) I somehow managed to get it pushed up to this Friday at 7:30 in the morning....

Here is the fib... You tell me what you think.... My mom told me to tell the doctor that she was coming into town this weekend(she lives in Florida) and that she wasn't going to be able to come back until the baby was born.... Hence why we needed to go baby shopping this weekend..... With MUCH hesitation the grouchy doctor FINALLY agreed to see if we could get it pushed up... the only opening they had was this Friday at 7:30 in the morning... (Wow that is early... especially when I am the only one in my house who wakes up happy.... Landon does too but he quickly switches moods...) But I took it because we really want to know the sex of this precious baby!!!

So this Friday at 7:30 our family will know if we are having a baby girl or a baby boy!!! I am excited and I really hope that this week goes by REALLY fast!! 
I need all of your PINK prayers but more importantly prayers for a healthy baby..... regardless girl or boy!!

So until Friday let the guessing begin... Girl or Boy????


Here are a few belly shots this week along with what our precious little one is up to!!

18 week bump... Not much different than last week!

somewhat of a belly shot but more of Landon already proving to be jealous of the baby!

 

 

18 week belly shot!!

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

what our little one looks like this week!!

Everything happens faster the third time around!!!

This pregnancy is all happening way too fast for me... I know I have said that a thousand times now but honest to goodness everything is happening so much faster this time...
Let's start with time- How in the world can this pregnancy possibly be half way over? I know that I am much busier this go around... between having a little boy in preschool, t-ball and soccer and being a team mom, I also have an almost 2 year old boy (enough said) and I still have to cook, clean, and do all other mommy/wife duties on a daily basis.. I don't know how I manage it all but I somehow do it and it makes me proud to say that I am a stay at home mommy and I wouldn't have it any other way... (besides having my occasional meltdown to where I wish I was able to escape for hours at a time!) I guess being this busy has shifted my focus off of my growing belly a bit....
Growing belly- When this pregnancy first began I didn't know what to expect... Would I be sick?? When would I start to gain weight?? Would I just look "fat" forever and not pregnant??? Thank goodness I was never sick and I got a pouch and not just weight in unflattering places.... At around 11 weeks my pants got really tight and I purchased a belly band... Each week following then my belly has grown a little.. Some weeks more than others and a few weeks I  seemed to stay the same.... But overall this little belly of mine has pouched out faster than it did the first two times... (probably because my uterus is really pissed off at me for putting her through this marathon of a task 3 times in less than 4 years....)
Pee Breaks- oh my goodness..... I don't remember peeing this much with my boys.. I swear that I take pee breaks every 30 minutes if not more... and at night when I am just getting comfy enough to be snuggled up tight to my blankets and my amazing prego pillow mother nature strikes.... and just like that I have to get up, go tinkle, get back in bed, and prepare myself to let this process repeat itself several times throughout the night.... I sometimes wish it was appropriate for pregnant women to wear diapers at night so that I wouldn't be interrupted by my bladder so many times.... (I would never actually do that but the thought of it makes me feel better somehow!)
Flutters- I have to say that I don't mind this coming faster.... I love feeling this precious gift move around I can't believe how much faster it happened this time.. I remember feeling this little one "flutter" for the first time around 13-14 weeks... Just little flutters and it didn't happen often. It was when I would lay down in bed at night.... Now that I am right at 18 weeks I feel this little one all of the time. Aaron felt the baby for the first time 2 weeks ago and this past Thursday night we actually saw my belly jump up one time... This little one is going to be active I am sure..... It is so sweet to feel and unless you have gone through it, you just can't explain it.... It is simply amazing!!

I am sure many other things will happen faster this time and I will try my best to write them down.. For now, I am just going to try and soak it all in because this mommy is stopping at three babies.......

Here is a pic or two of my belly this week when I layed down flat on the bed.... It looks so funny and it is as hard as a rock... A sure sign that this precious little one is growing too fast already!!

such a sweet miracle!!!

a closer shot!!!