36 Weeks

How far along?  36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 32 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup!

Stretch marks? Just a few

Best moment this week: Going to the doctor and finding out some crazy news!

Miss Anything? Sushi. I'm pining for a dragon roll.

Movement: Oh yes.

Food cravings: Frozen fruit... weird I know.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: If someone looked at me at this point and couldn't tell I was pregnant...I would say they are a waste of a human. lol

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: Not yet...I wish. lol

Belly Button in or out? Out

Happy or Moody most of the time: So excited and nervous!

Looking forward to: Having little Eli in my arms...very soon.

Ok so, yesterday I typed up this blog post and decided I would wait and put it out Sunday like I normally do (look at me, being on time and stuff!), but I went to the doctor today and found out that this baby could come, like, now if he wanted. I'm already 3cm dilated and 70% effaced!!!! No wonder I had been feeling so much pressure down there lately! She wanted to do another ultrasound because she said my uterus was measuring about a week small but the ultrasound was fine and Eli is about 6lbs 1ounce at this point. Will he be the biggest baby in the nursery? No, but thank dear Jesus for mom that he won't be 10lbs like his daddy was! He's already taking after his momma! I told my mom and her prediction is that I will have this little man by Monday... holy...geez. That is insane to think about! So prepare yourself world! Little Ater will be making his debut very soon!

Luckily, I did get A LOT of stuff done in Elijah's room this week! My mom got us a shelf and some cardboard letters so we painted those and put them up. And I FINALLY finished Eli's baby blanket!

 Josh also taught me how to swaddle a baby on a teddy bear this week. lol Seems strange that the guy would be teaching the girl, right? Well, he actually works at a pediatric hospital so changing diapers and swaddling babies are things he does on a regular basis! That definitely takes a load off my shoulders! So it looks like he will actually be teaching me a lot...because I just work with old people. lol I mean, diapers are involved, but not like the ones Eli will be using!! ;-)

The best part about everything I accomplished this week = picking out what Elijah will be wearing home from the hospital... We're awesome...We know. 

I also have my hospital bag packed and ready to go! Now all Joshua has to do is remember to grab the camera and we're set!

35 Weeks

How far along?  35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 28 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup! My favorite store is Motherhood. They have the cutest clothes!

Stretch marks? Just a few

Best moment this week: Seeing all of my family!

Miss Anything? Ugh... I want to be able to get off the couch without help.

Movement: All of the time. He's a wild one!

Food cravings: Strawberries! It's been more like an addiction. And not just fresh strawberries. I crave frozen strawberries primarily. I think it has something to do with the ice craving thing.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: My belly looks like a balloon that's about to pop.

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: Not yet!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Happy or Moody most of the time: My mood-swings are actually getting worse. I think it has something to do with the stress of preparation.

Looking forward to: NOT BEING PREGNANT ANYMORE!!!!

This week my aunt, Rhonda, threw us the most adorable shower! I made Joshua come with me to this one (which he wasn't too happy about!). My Nanny made a super cute cake that my cousins decorated with EXTREMELY fat, sumo babies!! Haha!

All of the decorations were so cute! The popcorn filled buckets with "Rachelle's About to Pop!" on them definitely made me giggle and I especially loved the watermelon stroller filled with fruit!  

We played the ribbon game where everyone measures out what they think my belly size is and Joshua was nervous about getting that one way wrong! ;-) He didn't do too bad though. haha! We also played the bottle drinking game again which, as you can see, Josh cheated at and lost. Then I made Joshua open gifts with me (another task he wasn't too pleased about)! It was great having him there to share the attention with! lol

I was also able to see a lot of my family that I haven't seen in ages and Josh's mom, step-dad, and grandma all came down as well! 

Aunt Rhonda with her two daughters, Makayla and Gabby

Nanny and Papaw

Cousin Nathaniel. Look at those huge, blue eyes!

34 Weeks

How far along?  34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 28 lbs

Maternity clothes? Shirts, shorts, jeans, the whole 9 yards. Regular people clothes no longer fit this gal.

Stretch marks? A few on my hips.

Best moment this week: 2 More baby showers!!!

Miss Anything? Getting out of the car without having to grab the door and hoist myself out. #pregoprobs

Movement: Heck yes. More this week than last for sure. My belly looks like there is a small theme park taking place in there. 

Food cravings: Ice

Anything making you queasy or sick:Nope! Still just dealing with the heartburn.

Have you started to show yet: Yup!

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: Not yet!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, excited, stressed, nervous... all of the above.

Looking forward to: Meeting this little guy!

This week I had TWO baby showers!!! Talk about busy! I am so thankful to have so many friends and family that are willing to put on these showers for us! 

The first shower was with my work family. April and Karen were just wonderful and we had so much fun! Karen brought her little girl who was definitely the life of the party! She was so sweet and LOVED having an audience! Of course, we were all happy to oooh and awe at her adorableness! 

April made me the cutest gift ever! It was a basket filled with "diaper babies" she had fashioned out of diapers, socks, and wash cloths! I absolutely loved it!

Our next baby shower was huge and SO MUCH FUN! My church family from Berea also happens to be most of my Dad's side of the family so the turn-out was amazing! We decided to have it at our favorite Mexican restaurant and my mom and aunt Sherry brought cakes and cupcakes and punch! This baby shower was adorable! Mom's coconut duck cake was super sweet and Sherry made a baby cake with a blanket modeled after Eli's comforter!!! I couldn't believe it! She also made a tribute to my blog on it!

My cousin Kylie with my baby cousin Tiffany

Baby Eli got his first pair of cowboy boots!

My aunt Sherry made this blanket for Eli. I definitely teared up when she was showing me the patches on the quilt and told me they were all made from fabric my late grandmother had. Some of the pieces were actually from a quilt my grandma had already started.

This was one of my favorite parts of the shower! Two of my best friends and my little brother all raced to see who could finish drinking from the baby bottle first! Cody gave up and Stuart cheated by taking the bottle cap off and just drinking the juice! (Left to Right: Stuart, Josh, and Cody)

And my other favorite part: The baby foot tasting competition. Danny, Brandon, Andrew and Grady were all champs!

33 Weeks

How far along?  33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 28 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup - I realized I haven't put anything about what maternity clothes I've been wearing. I've been wearing the belly band since about 24 weeks which allowed me to wear my jeans for a while. Now, that is just impossible. My belly is way to big for skinny-girl jeans. I'm in love with the store Motherhood. Their clothes are super cute and they don't all look like I'm wearing a burqa! Plus I have some awesome friends who have loaned me their maternity clothes!

Stretch marks? A few on my hips.

Best moment this week: My first baby shower!!!

Miss Anything? Not feeling the need to be rolled around like a large log in order to move.

Movement: He's slowed down a little, but I think it's just because he's running out of room!

Food cravings: Ice and fruit...and fruity flavored ice! lol Like, I even want to put shaved ice in my yogurt and stuff like that. It's super weird.

Anything making you queasy or sick:Nope! Still just dealing with the heartburn.

Have you started to show yet: Heck yes.

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: Not yet!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Happy or Moody most of the time: This week has been a super-exciting-happy week for me! I have laughed and been giggly more than I have in a long time!!

Looking forward to: Getting everything organized and ready for little Mr. Ater!

I actually stole this picture from my friend Jenna!

This week I had my first baby shower and it was absolutely adorable!!! Like an idiot, I forgot my camera so the quality of the pictures aren't very good, but still adorable nonetheless. Chelsea Mullenex and Megan McGuire did an amazing job and this shower literally looked like something out of a magazine! I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends! 

 

This week was also Josh's sweet cousin, Lauren's, college graduation! We are so proud of her!! She has worked so hard and accomplished so much, and she already has a big-girl job too! haha! Naturally, since this is such a momentous occasion in her life where she will officially be transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, Josh and I bought her the perfect gift... 

 

a Hermit Crab.

Now she can officially begin her life free from the woes and angst of childhood, all thanks to this oh-so-proper gift. 

And speaking of amazing gifts! Lauren made Elijah this adorable, purple elephant! I know he will absolutely love it!

Now here are some more pictures from Lauren's graduation party!

Josh's dad and brother obviously love each other.

Not sure what was going on here, but I thought it was a funny picture of Joshua and I!

Josh's grandpa, Marty, and our wonderful friend, Michelle. These have been some amazing, influential people in our lives and we love them so much!

Typical Jill and Marty

Marty

 And for comic relief: (as if getting Lauren a hermit crab for her college graduation wasn't funny enough) Fender fits around my protruding belly just perfectly! And of course I have to include this wonderful moment of father/dog-daughter bonding time between Fender and Joshua.

 

32 Weeks

Happy Mother's Day

How far along?  32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 28 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup

Stretch marks? A few on my hips.

Best moment this week: Seeing my beautiful family!

Miss Anything? Easy movement capabilities

Movement: All of the time!

Food cravings: Ice, sweet tea, fruit, yogurt, and all things edible.

Anything making you queasy or sick:Nope! Still just dealing with the heartburn. Tums is my best friend right now.

Have you started to show yet: Absolutely.

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: Not yet!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I'm definitely a very weepy pregnant person. I cry over ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. Poor Joshua.

Looking forward to: First baby shower this Saturday!

(Left to right) Grandma, Aunt Tina, Me, Mom

 This Mother's Day was my pre-mother-mother's-day. lol I went to church with my Mom and visited all of my family I haven't seen in ages. They were all so wonderful and so amazed by my protruding baby bump! I don't think I have ever had more people ooh and ah over this little bun in my oven! Haha!

Me and Elijah with little Miss Kayla Gibson. Elijah takes up the whole picture almost!

The next day my cousins Kylie and Jenney came over to help us work on the yard at my Mom's house. Jenney brought her two little girls, Channa and Tiffany, who are just adorable! We had so much fun and worked really hard! Especially my little brother, Cody, who happened to be the only man around and so we used him for all of the hard labor. haha! Thanks little bro!

Tiffany

Channa

The sun was in our eyes! lol Kylie, Me, and Jenney

We were also able to visit my 92 year old, Great-Grand Mother, Helen Hill. She is so precious to me!

The girls loved feeling my belly and trying to get Elijah to move! They asked me what he was doing and I told them he was dancing! They said, "Does he have toys in there?!" Haha! Kids are just so precious. They also would not let me keep my shirt down. They wanted to get up close and personal with little mister Eli! 

31 Weeks

How far along?  31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 25 lbs... no, it did not jump from 17 to 25 in a week. I just haven't been on a scale in 3 weeks! lol

Maternity clothes? Yup

Stretch marks? A few on my hips.

Best moment this week: Bringing everything together to finish Elijah's room!

Miss Anything? Queso, sleep, sushi, sleep, and...did I mention sleep?

Movement:Yup!

Food cravings: Ice, sweet tea, fruit, yogurt, and all things edible.

Anything making you queasy or sick:Nope! Still just dealing with the lovely, pregnancy heartburn.

Have you started to show yet: A little ;-)

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: Nope! I'm starting to have Braxton Hicks contractions on a daily basis though. Those are no fun. Isn't real labor going to be enough?!?

Belly Button in or out? It has officially popped!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Baby showers are starting soon!

This week I spent my time working (as always), crafting, and enjoying the beauty of this wonderful spring weather! Elijah has no choice but to love the outdoors because his father and I both thrive in it. Joshua, although most of his pleasure is in taking the lives of the innocent creatures that roam the woods, also enjoys the tranquility of the outdoors. I can't live without it. I was the most nervous about moving to Louisville because I was afraid I would never get to go hiking or play in the creek or just walk through the woods like I did almost daily back home. But, I have discovered what I have dubbed "The Brushy Fork of Louisville." It is a lake with hiking trails all around and creeks everywhere and it's absolutely beautiful! Finally, I have found a place of serenity for this hippie-girl in the big city of L'ville and I am so, incredibly thankful!

I brought Joshua out to the lake after I discovered it and he was shocked that I remembered exactly how to get there after only having been once (Normally, I'm TERRIBLE with directions). I attribute it to the fact that I immediately fell in love with this place and I never want to forget where it is! 

Update on Elijah's room: Some of you know we wanted to do a forest animal theme because Joshua and I are so in love with nature. I loved the idea of foxes and deer in the baby's room, but we were having a really difficult time finding the right bedspread. Well, my mother found the perfect one! I absolutely LOVE it! Although, at first, I was dead-set against anything that involved "cartoon-ish" characters, I then realized that I am giving birth to a baby...not a full-grown adult. So these are the colors we will be using in Elijah's room and this is the theme. I am so excited!!

I also amped up my crafting skills and made us this sweet, simple door wreath. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of robin's egg blue. lol It is all over my house.