First Trip to Ezell's and Checking out the 'Hood

2.1 weeks old

 Today MG had her first trip to Ezell's for lunch. Judging by the little smile on her face, I'd say she liked it!

Afterwards, I took MG on her first stroll around the little lake. During the ride, she met a few of our sweet neighbors.

2nd Doctor's Appointment

We saw Dr. Elliot again today to have MG's weight rechecked. She met her goal and weighed 7 lbs. 10 ounces ( one ounce more than her birth weight).

Makes me a little sad that she's already bigger than she was when she came into this world.

Happy Birthday Poppy John

1st Doctor's Appointment

Mary Grace had her first doctor's appointment today. This was also our first 'outing'- if you'd call it that. We were so nervous about getting out of the house with her.

Everything looked great and sweet Mary Grace is the picture of health. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 ounces, which means she lost 6 ounces since birth. However, we were told at the hospital to expect a little weight loss the first week. Her jaundice looked much better and Dr. Elliot didn't even see the need to recheck her billirubin. Which made this Mommy happy because I was dreading having to see her get pricked! She measured 19.5 inches, so she's grown half an inch since birth.

 

 Mommy and Mary Grace getting ready to leave for the doctor's office.

Our pediatrician is Dr. Elliot and we absolutely love him! Everyone at his office is super sweet and really took the time to answer all our questions and give us tips and advice. Another plus of seeing Dr. Elliot is that the lactation nurse we met in the hospital shares his office too. We were able to meet with her for some breastfeeding tips after we saw the doctor.

We will see the pediatrician again next week to recheck her weight. The goal is for her to be at, or above, her birth weight. If I were to make a prediction based on her eating habits, I'd say she's not going to have a problem reaching that goal! 

Mary Grace James

Our sweet Mary Grace made her debut into the world today at 2:16 pm. She was 7lbs 9 oz and 19 inches long. She is a spitting image of her daddy. We have been in heaven since she arrived.

We are head over heels in love with her.

New Toy

One of our baby gifts we received was a new camera. I am horrible about taking pictures and creating photo albums. I think we may have about 3 or so pictures of my husband and I during the first 4 years we were dating! Terrible, I know!

We had been eyeing the Canon Rebel EOS t3i for a few weeks. With the baby coming, we wanted to upgrade- we are hoping this will help us do better at capturing those sweet moments as MG grows up! We love this camera! It has so many functions and we will probably never figure out how to use them all! Along with the camera, we were given two other lenses and all the accessories would could ever need.

Thanks, Mima!

God is in Control

The specialist said we wouldn't make it to April, and yet here we are! We are proof that with God, all things are possible! We are praising him today for this blessing he has showered on us.

All things happen in HIS time!

Feeling Like A Goldfish

Everyone has been super sweet and supportive during this pregnancy- especially during the last few months. We have felt so loved and cared for by so many people and we are so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family.

However, lately I've been feeling like a goldfish. It started when the doctor took me off the medication for preterm labor. We were told we'd go into labor within a few days, but here we are, two weeks later and we're still hanging in there. I'm thankful we've made it this far and will not have to deal with the issues that come with a premie. These days I'm getting multiple calls, texts, and  messages daily- and they are all wanting to know the same thing- "Are we going to have a baby today?" I haven't been sleeping good lately, so I've been napping a lot throughout the day- this coupled with headaches and a general yucky feeling { hey, I'm 9 months pregnant, this is expected }. Thus, I'm just not up to all the calls. I know people are calling because they care, but it's been a bit overwhelming. My husband has even started getting calls/texts wanting to know the same thing. I've had my phones on silent lately, but then a whole new issue arises when I don't answer a call- they think we're in labor. I don't know what to do other than to thank everyone for their love and support, ask for a few days outside of the 'fish bowl',  and to promise that when the time comes everyone will know.

As the saying goes: A watched pot never boils!

38 Weeks

How Far Along? 38 weeks

Size of Mary Grace? According to thebump.com, sweet MG is weighing 6.2-9.2 lbs and is about the size of a pumpkin.

Maternity Clothes? Still with the yes and no…it’s whatever covers my belly these days. 

Weight Gain? At our appointment on Wednesday, I'd gained exactly 30 pounds.
Stretch Marks? None that I can see!
Gender? A sweet baby girl!   

Sleep? I've realized that you don't have to wait until the baby is here to experience a lack of sleep.

Food Cravings? Cherry Coke, cantaloupe, those chocolate covered marshmallow eggs that only come around at Easter, and cherry vanilla Blue Bell ice cream. I haven't had many cravings throughout this pregnancy, but for the last week or so my appetite has been making up for lost time!

What I Miss? Being able to do “normal” activities without getting tired,  coffee, running, and just feeling 'human'.

Symptoms? Loads of contractions (what else is new), swollen feet that at times resemble elephant feet, headaches, a few dizzy spells, and overall just exhausted.

Belly Button? Definitely an outie.

Best Moment of the Week? Hmm.... does the lack of heartburn the last few days count? 

 

 

In other news, I've had several people calling and checking on us after our little 'adventure' on Wednesday. I thought updating everyone on here would be easier than going through it over and over via phone/facebook.  At my appointment, my blood pressure was elevated- something I've never had an issue with. This, along with the swelling and headaches, was enough for us to be sent to Labor and Delivery for observation and lab work. The doctor wanted to make sure everything was fine, and it was! Our lab work came back good- no preeclampsia for me! We were told to just take it easy and rest to try and manage my blood pressure. So, that's what I'm doing these days- that and working on developing patience! I wish she'd hurry up and make her debut! 

I'm Pregnant and I Know It

 I came across this cute video this morning and thought I'd share it for all the pregnant women out there. If you're pregnant, or have ever been pregnant, you'll definitely relate to the lyrics. I know the "Tums by the nightstand" part is totally me right now {thanks to some lovely heartburn }. Anyways, it made this 37 week pregnant lady laugh.

Happy Friday! Enjoy :)

Catching Up

I have been such a slacker on the blogging front. I thought a new blog design would help motivate me to journal more- and it worked like a charm.

I posted some new entries, including the nursery reveal, but have backdated them for the sake of my journal. The links to these new posts are below.

Enjoy!

Babyland: The Nursery Reveal
Heirlooms
36 Week Update
Baby Bump: 34 Weeks
Maternity Photos

Babyland: The Nursery Reveal

I could not be happier with how the nursery turned out. We decided to keep the gray walls and go for a more neutral, soothing nursery. I know pink is part of having a little girl, but I'm not a big fan of it, so I went with more grays and creams.  We purchased the furniture, bedding, and a few of the decorative pieces from Woodstock Kids, located in Meridian, MS. Woodstock has always been our go-to place for furniture and accent pieces, and as usual they were unbelievably helpful when it came to outfitting the nursery.

 One of our sweet church friends brought us this cute wreath to hang on the front door.

 Looking in from the doorway.

 Close up of the bedding- the Grace collection from Bananafish.

 Her coming home gown I made for her!

 Looking toward her bathroom. { Notice the bellycast on the floor? :) }

 Her bathroom / linen closet.

 I stumbled upon some cute initial pictures made from button on Etsy. Rather than spending $60+ on one, I made my own for less than $8!

I know it's hard to see, but these are the curtains I made for her.

I am always in her room. I love to go and just sit in there, read stories to her, and dream of the day when she will finally be here!