Thursday, December 31, 2009

Keagan Gabriel

Written by Shannon Leigh

Take a look at this sweet little boy.
His baby blues make me melt!
I might be a little partial since this little guy is in my blood line:)
His aunt brought back this adorable hat from Peru and we just had to photograph him in it.
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

31 weeks

Written by Shannon Leigh

Due to the Christmas holiday, week 31 flew! I wish there was a major holiday every week for the next 8...that would really make things go fast. At least this week we have New Years to celebrate.
I am still feeling pretty good. If i'm not trying to tie my shoes or put socks on, I can even forget that I'm pregnant, although my belly is really protruding now. It really gets in the way. :)
Peanut weighed about 3.4 pounds and was about 16 inches long last week. She's rolling around like crazy and wakes me up at night. I'm hoping she'll be head down at the next appointment but I'm skeptical since I am pretty sure I can feel her head in my ribs. Hopefully I'm wrong.
We celebrated Christmas at my parents this week and Peanut got lots of sweet little gifts. My mom made her a girlie sock monkey out of Grandad's socks. I can't wait to display her in the babies room.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas!!

Written by Shannon Leigh

Matt and I are headed out of town for the holiday to a place that doesn't have internet (or at least the kind that works).
But before I leave... just wanted to say...
Merry Christmas!
Hope your day is magical!
Christmas, 1956
Grandma Dudley 8 days before giving birth to my dad.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Week 30

Written by Shannon Leigh

Last week was week 30 and let me tell you... I am starting to feel LARGE and in charge.
She has really gone through a growth spurt recently and all of that growing has made me tired!
In fact, I feel almost as tired as I did in the first trimester. Around 9 pm my eyes start rolling back in my head and on most nights I am in bed by 9:30. Pathetic, I know.
Even though I am getting to bed much earlier than usual, the amount of quality sleep I am getting is slim. I wake up every couple of hours to an aching back and sore belly. I can't really complain because as long as I pee and switch sides I can usually go back to sleep pretty quickly. I hear this gets far worse as the pregnancy progresses. Oh joy.
According to babycenter.com, Peanut was 3 pounds and 15.7 inches long last week. She's running out of room in there and her movements have changed quite a bit. Instead of kicks I am feeling more "nudges" and rolls.
I had another doctor's appointment this week and everything still looks good. We are measuring right on track with no foreseeable problems! She said the baby is laying sideways, which is still fine at this point. She expects her to turn head-down in the next few weeks and isn't at all concerned.
All of the books warned me that clumsiness starts to take over in these last weeks. I didn't really believe them until last week. Holy cow, I didn't think it was possible for me to get MORE clumsy, but me at 30 weeks pregnant is just plain ridiculous. I feel like I am walking on a tight rope all day long. I guess it's true that my center of gravity is just off. Here's to hoping I don't seriously injure myself in the next 9 weeks.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Week 29

Written by Shannon Leigh

Well I am officially out of the 20s and into the 30s (weeks that is) and boy does that feel good. I can't decide if that is a really LONG time or if that is a really SHORT time. I change my mind about it every other minute. Knowing all that I have to get done before the baby arrives makes me panic a little. The nice thing is (and the thing I'm trying to remember) is that the baby doesn't care if her room isn't ready and things aren't in order so maybe I shouldn't either. I'm running out of free weekends in the next 10 weeks so the chances I get everything finished before Peanut comes is unlikely.
Originally my contract with the University was up on December 31st which meant that I would be staying home for 8 weeks before the baby came. I knew 8 weeks was a long time but I was kind of looking forward to the break. Anyway, they decided to extend me all the way to my due date. I was pretty excited since that was 2 extra months of paychecks that we weren't counting on. It enabled us to buy a new car since mine was... janky. At this point though I really wish I had a few weeks off before the baby's arrival. Sitting at a desk for an extra 8 weeks doesn't sound too appealing to me. Bleh. Oh well, I am very grateful and thankful since we now have a safe vehicle to tote around Peanut.
Anyway, last week was week 29. Peanut weighed approximately 2 3/4 pounds and was over 15 inches long. She's getting pretty hefty these days and I can't imagine that she could gain 4 or 5 more pounds in the next 10 weeks. Oh my aching belly. They say she could be having dreams in the womb at this point which would explain the periodic kicks to the ribs. My doctor said she was head down at the last appointment which is good but could change.

After PAINSTAKING research, we finally ordered and received a bunch of cloth diapers this week. Hopefully it's enough to get started. We aren't really concerned about trying them out the first few weeks but after about a month I would like to be mostly cloth diapering. A decent goal but we'll see. I am now on the search for detergent/water combinations that will work in our high efficiency washer. I will let you know what I find...
1/4 of the pregnancy left to go...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

A MUST See....

Written by Shannon Leigh

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Christmas in St. Charles

Written by Shannon Leigh

Last weekend the "sisters" and I had Christmas in St. Charles, MO.

My cousin Lesley and her husband, Chris, bought a fantastic house there a few months ago and we shacked up there for the weekend.

We shopped downtown, listened to carolers, ate chestnuts fresh off of an open fire, talked with Christmas characters, and mostly enjoyed each others company.

We ate at a sweet little restaurant called the The Mother In-Law House which apparently has the best chicken salad around.

I love these girls, I just wish we lived closer.

Thanks for hosting us Lilly Anne!

Karalee Grace (my latest session)

Written by Shannon Leigh
Trust me... she's worth the viewing. Click HERE to see more.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Week 28

Written by Shannon Leigh

Last week was week 28. Can you believe Peanut and I made it through the first week of the final trimester? It feels good but we still have a long way to go!
She was about 15 inches long and weighed approximately 2 and a quarter pounds. From here on out babies gain weight at their own pace so the poundage is truly just an estimate. I am hoping she ends up in the 7 pound range but it's really not up to me.
{Sorry, I couldn't leave Izzy out. She always wants her picture taken. What a diva.}

I'm still feeling good but she is definitely all up in my lungs. After I eat lunch at work I can barely sit up straight at my desk. I just feel like I can't breath. I am looking forward to the "dropping" that takes place in the 3rd trimester. Unfortunately I think I'm a long way away from that.
I had my 28 week appointment and everything looks great! I gained 2 more pounds and I am measuring right on track. I passed the glucose screening test with flying colors so I don't have to drink any more of that sugary goo. I have to go every 2 weeks now so I may have more news come week 30.

Friday, December 4, 2009

A Few Things on my Christmas List

Written by Shannon Leigh



Found here.


Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Week 27

Written by Shannon Leigh


So Peanut and I have officially made it through the 2nd trimester and hopefully it's smooth sailing from here on out.

Last week, Peanut was 2 pounds and 14 1/2 inches long! Each week she is gaining strength and if she were to be born now, her chances of survival are getting better.
Time is really flying these days and I'm still feeling good at this point. Bending over to put socks on is rather hard, but not unbearable. My ab muscles seem to complain the most. I don't think they like being stretched in such a way.

Peanut is really making herself comfortable in my belly, usually making me especially UNconfortable. She has officially found my bladder and thinks it's really fun to sucker punch it.
I personally find it rude, but at least I know she's healthy and active.

I have my 28 week appointment on Monday and I'll have appointments every 2 weeks from here on out. I can't believe we are getting this close and we still have a LOT of work to do before she makes her grand appearance. Let's hope the next 12 weeks are rather uneventful.
Check back, we'll keep you posted.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A Date With Mr. Anderson

Written by Shannon Leigh

How lucky am I?
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Matt and I went to the Champaign/Urbana Festival of Trees for a little date...
These were some of my favorite trees (I'm not going to lie, this little festival paled in comparison to the one in Springfield).
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We then ventured to Merry Ann's for some hot cocoa.
Of course Matt's became a chocolate shake instead.
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Overall... a very nice night.
Thanks for the date, Mr. Anderson.