Halloween PJs

I've decided that there is absolutely nothing more precious than a sweet little babe in some festive pjs! Poor daddy. We may or may not already have the next two holidays set for festive sleepwear! No worries.... Calla already has an envelope!

Here is our sweet baby in her first Halloween pj set! I'm linking up with other blogs to show off our sweet babies in the first fall season! 

Being 10 weeks old is hard work, but she makes the sweetest model! 

These pjs were a gift from a sweet friend in Jefferson. They were given to us as a shower gift! Hey... gender neutral = My First Halloween pjs! 

Happy 1st Halloween, Callahan! We sure do think you are the perfect little pumpkin! 

Calla's Birth Story Part Three

Here are the first two parts of the greatest adventure of our lives if you are playing catch up.

One.

Two.

I thought in my head I would have this story out in three parts. I think I am actually going to do four.

Let's get started: 

On Wednesday morning we decided to stay put. My favorite doctor (haha so far! I had a new favorite each day!) came in and decided I could eat while on mag, but he wanted another bag ordered just to be safe. I guess if I have to be on medicine that I absolutely hate then it's a plus that I get to eat! The downside... the food I get to eat.... hospital food for the win!

When your parents don't quite believe you are fine... they drop everything and come visit! They also bring the necessities like face wipes and the other wipes that are needed! :)

I had my mom take this picture to send everyone because believe it our not, I really was feeling fine.

(Well, as fine as could be on that horrible medicine.) I was going to try to document each and every moment. Here is my first IV... it was the terrible IV that would eventually cause issues.

I was not allowed to take a bath and if you know me at all: You know I MUST take two showers a day. So this was pretty much cruel and unusual punishment. My mom did actually help me take a sponge bath and braided my hair out of my face. I will forever be thankful for that!

When you are now considered "high risk" you do get some pretty great services. The best was that I was hooked up to monitors that were tracking movement and the baby C's heartbeat. That was the best sound ever. I told Coach that I wanted a noise maker that made that heartbeat sound. We could hear her move, have the hiccups, and her precious perfect heart. Sometimes we would just sit and listen. Oh, and different doctors want to come in and measure different parts of the baby's body. One doctor came in to look at the brain. He was performing an ultrasound and accidentally said, 'He looks great!' My MIL heard him and instantly screamed. Poor doctor looked like he saw a ghost. We told him we didn't know the gender and he said "he." His response, "Oh! No! I don't look at at that! I am seriously only looking at the brain development! That is just habit I guess!" I suppose now that I have been holding my sweet angel baby GIRL for two months I guess I believe him and his bad habits!

Once their visit was over and we assured them that we were both fine... they went home to try to wait out the two weeks we would sit and grow a baby. Coach and I then had time to chat about our long term plan. (You know I love a good plan!) We decided that it made more sense that he camped out with me for the remainder of the week, then went home and back to work. That way he could be off when we came home. (In two weeks!)

We were moved from one end of the hall to the other end. We moved from Labor and Delivery to Recovery. The room was much nicer, but the bed was still a chair. I hated that Coach was going to have to attempt sleep in that thing. It was horrible.

Coach did what Coach does... he sets out to find some snacks. We lived outside of Augusta for a short time right after we were married and we fell in love with a HUGE bookstore. Coach did take a little visit because he refuses to get an e-reader. He needed something to read to take up time.

 I also needed a brush. Side story: For ten years I have only used ONE huge round brush. I assumed that in the nearly five years of our marriage that Coach knew what brush I used. No. He came in fussing about how much a brush cost! He said, "Do you know how expensive brushes are? I'm glad I shave my head!" Sheesh....So he bought me a cheap flat brush. I hate that thing. Luckily my BFF brought me my real brush later on in our stay.

We hung out in our new room and just read/ watched TV/ watched Ric Flair videos a hundred times/ made friends with the nurses/ listened to Baby Cain on the monitor. Wednesday night was pretty good and Thursday we just hung out. We were getting pretty hungry and the canned carrots were just annoying

so Coach said he would go get something good for us as takeout. I LOVE Olive Garden and it breaks my heart that we don't have one close by. So I suggested my favorite salad, bread sticks, and chicken dish. Coach set out to get dinner. When he made it back we had a romantic dinner in the hospital room.

 I didn't eat much because I really started to feel like I was full and uncomfortable. At 10pm I said, "I am going to try to go to sleep. I think that dinner gave me indigestion."

Oh how I wish it was just indigestion! 

Calla's Birth Story Part Two

If you missed part one of what happened on our little adventure, you can catch up here.

My first ride in an ambulance was a bumpy one. Literally. It was not worth the $1800 they charged me for my ride to Augusta. However, we did make it there in record time. I was pretty nervous and my legs just kept shaking. I was trying to have a conversation with the EMT. We talked about our lives, she showed me pictures of her children, and I showed her pictures of Dub. I was really just trying to keep my mind off of the HUGE fact that I was so VERY uncomfortable because I really had to use the bathroom! Again, this had them worried. I could tell by the look on the EMT's face each time the blood pressure cuff would come on that my BP was rising. I couldn't see the numbers, but she had it scheduled to take my BP every 5 minutes. It was rising each time and not decreasing despite the mag I was on.

Once in Augusta we had a bit of trouble finding the correct elevator to get to labor and delivery. If you visited GRU then this is no surprise AT all! Once in labor and delivery the first team came in to do a work up. GRU is a teaching hospital. This means there will be about 2 doctors and 10 student doctors and they all want a turn working on you and questioning you. As a teacher and once student teacher I was totally fine with this. I just made conversation with everyone and asked about where they were from and such. (If you are in the hospital, make friends with everyone. You will get the hook up!) I really can't remember much at this point of the evening other than the sweet angel that cured my need to go to the bathroom. She was the hero of the night. They also asked if I wanted or needed any pain medicine. I informed them of my wishes that I didn't want any medicine that I did not absolutely have to have. Sadly I HAD to have the mag, so that was it.

The head of the NICU came up to discuss some options with me. She informed me that any baby born at 33 weeks would go to the NICU, but really had great odds of not needing to stay long. She wasn't saying I was going to deliver, she was just informing me of how things at GRU worked. She was very young, pretty, and very nice. I told her my plan was to NOT have a baby at 33 weeks and I appreciated her informing me because I hated not knowing what was going on.

Then about 15 students came in to ask their million and one questions. I prayed that I could help them and never get frustrated with them. I was once a student and had great student teaching experiences so I wanted to remember that.

The nurses were amazing. My favorite from that room was Amanda. She was great and always so nice! I'm telling you... make friends with the nurses!

Then around 1am Coach FINALLY made it up to the room. He was ILL. Apparently he had some issues with the elevator. Bless. He was grumpy. I remember him snapping at a nurse, and me apologizing over and over. Ha! I am the nice one in this marriage!

The nurses asked if I needed anything to help me sleep or anything before we tried to get some sleep. I declined and just tried to get some rest. We didn't get much because apparently when your BP is at seizure level, you have to have an examination every 2 hours. Plus. I was on a 24 hour urine test, so there's that...

Coach didn't sleep at ALL. Along with the million other reasons I wanted to deliver in Vidalia there was one major reason... the rooms are very nice in Vidalia and offer great sleeping accommodations for the spouses. Augusta.. not so much. The rooms are very small and the "chair" that turns into a bed is pitiful. (Since returning home I have had to fill out three surveys. I have mentioned the sleeping arrangements in all of them.)

Doctors do their rounds at 6am in Augusta. ( I feel so Grey's Anatomy with my knowledge of the words!) The head of OBGYN came in Wednesday morning at 6am to inform me of my current situation as well as options and a plan. Up until now I had been praying that I could go home on this day. I thought they would let me go home on bed rest and I could sneak up to the school in the afternoons to work on cross country.

This was when I was informed that I indeed had pre-eclampsia and it was pretty intense. I had two options. (A) I could deliver Baby Cain at 33 weeks and 4 days . This would mean I would send Baby Cain to the NICU for an unknown amount of time or (B) I could sit in Augusta for 2 weeks and then deliver at 36 weeks. Which this choice would most likely eliminate a NICU visit entirely.

This was the first time ever we had to make a decision as parents. I did what any person would do. I called my mom. Then I called my BFF. Then I called another great friend (who was a true life saver) that works in a NICU.

Here is what we decided: I would sit in Augusta for 2 weeks and try to cook Baby C a little while longer. The justification was simple. I could not knowingly send a precious baby to the NICU. I honestly had never seen (in person) a NICU baby. However my dear friend told me it was not a choice I would WANT to make. If I HAD to make it without an option.. that was one case. However knowing I sent a baby down there would be hard on me. It would be hard to properly recover if I was going back to the NICU daily.

I can never thank this sweet friend enough for her help and guidance throughout this WHOLE process. Coach was on the phone with her on HIS way to Augusta as well. She was so helpful and talked me out of every emotional catastrophe in this whole journey. She really was our rock in this situation.

Our decision was made on Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at 8am. I would wait.

Or..... so we thought.

Calla's Birth Story Part One

Now that Calla is a month old, we are home, and she is on a great schedule, I have a moment to sit down and get her birth story here on the blog.

To start this off I want to say Calla's birth was a journey. Literally, a journey. I have learned so so so much in the last 5 weeks. I will TRY to put all of these lessons in words, but really.... it would be impossible.

On Tuesday, August 11th I went in for my normal check up.

Flashback: I should add that I went in the week before. Technically I was still on a two week appointment schedule. However, when I went in the Tuesday before Dr. C (not my regular doctor, but another fave) noticed that my blood pressure was a bit higher than normal. One problem of having perfect blood pressure and being pretty dang healthy is when one little stat slides, doctors tend to raise an eyebrow. I can't remember what my blood pressure was exactly, but it was just slightly higher than normal. I explained to her that we had just gone back to school (preplanning) and I was actually up and moving rather than taking it easy at home like I had the majority of the summer. I was just a little frazzled trying to get my CC schedule worked out.  She agreed that the change could be the reason, but she wanted to see me come back next week for a check and also ordered a 24 hour urine test. (Keeping up with your urine in a jug for 24 hours was just as much fun as it sounds. Especially when you drink 2 gallons of water a day.)

Week 33 was the first week of school. I have always said that there is no tired like teacher tired after the first day of school. Well, really... there is no tired like teacher tired at 33 weeks pregnant. I was beginning to swell, and just feel super super pregnant for really the first time all pregnancy. I TRY really hard not to complain and be negative. Looking back, I was just ughhhh. Not myself at all. My feet and hands just hurt. Nothing out of control bad, but they just hurt and I was HOT. I couldn't get cool. (But I need to give a shout out to my amazing husband who agreed that we needed a new AC unit and this was installed this week!)  I spent the weekend on the couch. I went ahead and packed our hospital bags because nothing makes my stomach hurt quite like being unprepared. (Lesson #1)

This brings us back to August 11th. We have officially had our new students three days. I asked Coach to go to the doctor with me this day. I scheduled my appointment at 4pm because I don't like missing school. The whole time I was just praying. I just KNEW in my head that the doctor would say, "You look great! Carry on and you will birth this baby in 7 weeks or so!" Although I knew my body was off. I was off. When I looked in the mirror I looked about 56 weeks pregnant. People were sure to tell me as well. I had the "look." (Which now I associate the "look" with looking miserable and HUGE.)

First Day of School 2015: 33 Weeks Pregnant 

The Last Cain, Party of 3 Photo 

The first thing the nurse did was check my blood pressure. I am horrible with understanding what the numbers mean. However, I could tell by my husband's eyes that the numbers were high. The decided to hook me up to the monitors to hear Baby Cain and just check the baby. All was healthy and great with her. She was doing great. It was me they were concerned about. Doctor C came in and said, "Carley, we want you to spend 24 hours at the hospital. They will monitor you and the baby." My response, "Ok. But I can go back to work after that, right?" Her, "No. You are done with work."
At this moment my blood pressure went even higher. I was having cross country tryouts the next day. I did not have my lesson plans ready. I did not have my names written in my grade book!!!! I had some coaches that I was trying to reach that had yet to contact me.  I instantly started sobbing.  (Lesson #2)

We went to have an ultrasound to check the growth of Baby Cain and to see if she passed all of the development tests. Was she practicing her breathing? How much did she weigh? How were her lungs?  She was looking great and healthy, just weighing around 4 pounds. (Just an estimation.) She passed all of the development tests. Once we finished with the ultrasound, we went directly across the street to the hospital where I had the real breakdown. Nothing but sobbing in the car. Why? I knew my baby was healthy. I THOUGHT I was healthy. I just wasn't ready to leave my jobs. (Lesson #3)


We went in and I decided that I was going to smile the whole time and pray. I read Supernatural Childbirth and I knew that if I had the smallest amount of doubt at all I was allowing Satin to steal my joy and I was doubting God. My goal from that moment on was to not doubt. God was in total control. (Lesson #4)

I checked in, got in bed, and waited for the labs and tests. I had never spent the night in the hospital before. Never had an IV. Never had internal monitors. This was all really really new.

The first item up for business was the need for a steroid shot to help develop lungs. That thing was pretty painful in my back. It confirmed that I would be horrible at an epidural.

Then the IVs and FIRST round (of ten after everything was said and done...) of a medicine that we will call MAG. Or the horrible terrible no good very bad medicine. Somewhere I called my mom, Coach called his mom, and we called the BFFs for backup and dinner.

I think the whole time my goal was to a) smile b) not think about what all had to be finished at work and home and c) pray for Baby Cain.

The doctor came in with a nurse and their faces were just... off. That is when I was told that I was going to need to be sent to Savannah because there was a large chance that my body was DONE being pregnant and I would have to deliver. Here are the smiles and more tears. I was crying and smiling. I had too many thoughts going through my head to even remember what I was thinking.

In come the BFFs with dinner, and in come more doctors. "Savannah is full. We are going to send you to Augusta or Albany."

Here come more tears. And more smiles.

Coach requested Augusta because a) that is closer to our family. b) we lived there and had friends near.

No dinner for me... no water.... nothing. More medicine. Then Coach left to head home to get our bags, take Dub out, and then rush to Augusta.

About 30 minutes of doctors rushing in and nurses rushing around went by and the next thing I knew I was on a bumpy ride... in an ambulance... headed to Augusta. It was around 8pm.

I called my mom and informed her that Baby Cain was never moving away from me. I mean, how horrible was it that I had to call my mom 4 hours away and tell her I was in an ambulance? I can't even imagine. I then text my prayer friends and asked for prayers. How insane was it to get a text from me saying, "Hey! Please pray for baby Cain and me. We are in an ambulance headed to Augusta. I have high blood pressure and they are really worried!" I think my texts sounded like I was crying and smiling.

I was chatting with the EMT, making friends with her... when I told her I needed to REALLY go to the bathroom. She looked at some bags.. and told the driver, "Turn on the lights. We need to get there soon."

Apparently they were worried about my kidneys... and a seizure.

More to come... 

Callahan Ryan

Now that sweet Baby Cain is here, I feel like I need to leave an explanation of her precious name. Not only did we not know the gender,(I must admit... I did buy some bows. I just had a feeling) we really didn't discuss names with anyone. Unless you were very very lucky and I trusted you with my life did I mention possible names. Reason: sometimes people can be hurtful with their words/ opinions, as well as their facial expressions. We had very unique names picked out because let's face it... I like different... and Coach is really good at remembering names so any and every name I said, he was able to link it to something or someone and was impossible to satisfy. In fact, it was very very very rare to hear even "It isn't that bad." or "I don't hate that."  Since February we had a solid boys name picked out. I won't share it here, because (sorry family) if there's a Baby Boy Cain in the future at all... That will be the name. Let's just say some know it. Many aren't fans... :)  We had one boy name picked out and two girl names. I had it in my head that I would know when I saw the baby.


So as many know (and if you don't I'm sure I'll do a  whole birth story before 2020.) I ended up having an emergency delivery at 34 weeks. It had absolutely nothing to do with Baby Cain's health, it was all me and my body.  With this being said, once baby Cain was born, Daddy was given full permission to officially pick the name. Thankfully I 100% trust my husband (and knew I would fill out all legal documents) so I wasn't at all worried that he would use Ric Flair Cain. So, one boy name, and two girl names.

I knew which one he would pick if we were blessed with a baby girl. I knew because it was the one that I've been saying for the past two months was my favorite. So when I woke up (officially) late Friday night, my husband said probably my favorite words of my entire life: She's a girl. She's perfect, and tiny. Her name is Callahan Ryan. She has brown hair.

Callahan is not necessarily a family name. (But it is now!) However. we were thinking of family and how we could justify it as having family meaning. Coach had an uncle pass away right before we began dating. His name was Allan. Do you (kinda) see Allan in Callahan?

I also adore longer unique names that are strong and then they go by something shorter. So Callahan will be called Calla. I think it fits her perfectly.

Ryan is my middle name. It's also my dad's first name.

We actually call her Calla. I love longer names that are different, and they go by shorter names.

I also should admit: Her monogram is slightly perfect. :) That's really always the deciding factor.

So there you have it.

Meet out sweet Callahan "Calla" Ryan Cain

Born August 14, 2015

5:34pm

3 pounds 12 oz 

Side note: I should add that my initials are CC. My daughter's initials are CC. My favorite sport is CC. Just think sweet Calla, if you grow up to be a runner... all the shirts will have your initials on it. :) Just sayin' 

30 Weeks

How Far

30 Weeks 

This week I drove to Atlanta to celebrate a friend's sweet addition to the family. (The Bff's sister.) I drove to Atlanta alone and only spent $30 at Hobby Lobby which was my ONLY stop on the way home. I only had one meltdown on the way because my AC was acting crazy and not really working. Turns out it was an operator error. Also, I decided that if a store does not let a pouring sweat super pregnant lady use their bathrooms because 'They are for workers only!" Then I will NOT EVER purchase a single item from you again. I almost burst into tears when I left my buggy sitting there while I walked our. Sorry Dollar General. I will NOT be walking in your doors again. 

#hormones

How I Feel

I feel pregnant. I also feel like I have 10 weeks of being pregnant remaining. I also feel that I love being home for the summer. I praise God for giving me the opportunity to become a mother. I never want to say anything negative about being pregnant because it really is a gift that I am so so so grateful for. So with that being said: go kiss a pregnant lady that is pregnant in the summer. I am POSITIVE that it is HOTTTTTT when you are carrying an extra 30 or so pounds around. Oh, you're not carrying an extra 30 pounds around? Well.... I AM! 

I had a doctor's appointment this week and all was great. My blood pressure was a tad higher than it normally is, but the doctor had no concerns. I need to up the water drinking. 

Maternity Clothing: 

I live in tanks and yoga pants. 

I may wear a dress if I have to leave the house and look presentable. 

Even if I need to look presentable, I still may be in yoga pants and tanks. 

The good news is that my shoes still fit! 

Cravings: 

Just food. 

All the food. 

Nursery: 

This is my favorite room in the house. 

I was hanging pictures and things on the walls at 10pm one night. 

I adore sitting in this chair. 

Sweet Baby Dub: 

He loves curling up on the couch with Baby Cain. 

He also loves looking at me while I eat food. Which I should add is quite frequently.

How we have spent Summer 2015

  

Running.

I promise there are three drafts sitting in the blog box right now and here I am starting a new one. I WILL post this tonight. It is on my heart and needed posting.

I wanted to post several posts that had nothing to do with pregnancy. I promise this one won't.
 But it kinda will. You shall see.

I have ten amazing weeks left of carrying sweet Baby C with me all the time. Each time I run into someone during the day they always ask how I am doing. Their kindness is amazing and folks being so supportive is probably one of my favorite parts of being pregnant. But then there are the little things that I miss so much!

• My brain.... 
• My thinking ability.... 
• Rolling over in the bed without grunts that make my husband think I am in labor which cause him to freak out which cause me to freak out which I am sure will one day indeed send me into labor... 
• A text from someone that is quite possibly as friendly as could be but I think that it is them being mad at me and then hurting my feelings then causing me to cry for hours...
• Dreams about people being mad at me and then waking up crying... 
• Sushi

and lastly... the biggest thing I miss so so so much. I miss it so much that I don't talk about it because I may cry... even more than normal... 

Running. 

after a 10 mile run. Probably my fave distance to run on a cool Saturday morning. 

5K with Baby Cain at 21 weeks pregnant. 

Coach said I had to run 2 half marathons before I got a sticker. so I did. 

Running for two! 

I am going to go ahead and say that I have been running up to this point of my pregnancy. I have done a great job of staying active because that is important to me. Supplements, nutrition, health, and value of life is VERY important to me. 

However, since finding out I was pregnant back in January, I have not ran more than 4 miles at one time. At 30 weeks in the dead of July I am only "running/ walking" a mile then walking two miles. 

I. miss. LONG. RUNS. 

I miss them so much that I have almost unfollowed my running inspiration on Instagram. Pure jealousy. 

As I type this Baby C is literally running in my stomach making my dinner feel like it is in my throat. Reminders that taking months off from running is FINE. It is 100% SO SO SO WORTH it. With the words above I would never ever want anyone to think that I was complaining. I am just saying... I miss it. 

If you  are still around... the real reason for this post:

This week I have been really reading and focusing/ praying on my upcoming Cross Country season. I have read several coaching books and tips while trying to build the perfect season training plan that will lead to success. With this being our third full year of having a varsity program it is time that my runners hit the high spots of success. I want them to starting thinking, "I could run at the next level." So, I wanted to compile a list of why YOU should run and LOVE it! No matter the age, ability level, or sport that you are involved in. 

• Running helps you improve in all other sports. All sports have a "conditioning" phase of their practice. You usually have to run. Running is a part of training for ANY physical activity. It really is true, "Our sport is your sport's punishment." 
• Running is cheap. I am married to a baseball coach. I know what gear can cost. Now, Coach is rolling his eyes at me because I LOVE my Garmin. But hey... I ran for three  years before I HAD to have one. Plus, you know it is totally worth it to open an app on your phone and know where I am. Is it necessary? No. You really can run for free. 
• Your heart. Heart disease is killing people. I could quote some crazy insane facts... but that's not the point. Take care of your body. Exercise. Run. 
• Your friends can do it. Running with a group is my absolute favorite. I was really really terrified but group runs pushed me to actually get up, go, and run faster. 
• Therapy. Having a hormonal day? Having a moment where you wanna punch someone? Go run. I promise it solves all the world's problems. I have written the best lesson plans, prayed the best prayers, and left a million of my worries on the road while running. It is cheaper and better for you than medicine... or a therapist. 
• Make you happy.  When I started running at 5am, I was a better wife. No. Really. I swear. I was once the absolute MONSTER in the mornings. When I started running I had time to cook breakfast for our family, pray, get my mind right, and I was ALWAYS on time to work. These factors set me up for an amazing day. Every. single. day. 
• Eat the carbs. When you are exercising, your body NEEDS the carbs. Go ahead... eat the bread. Call it carb loading. (Yes, I 100% understand the science behind carb loading. Eating bread is NOT carb loading.) Whatever. You can then say, "It is fine! I ran today!" Have the bread. 
• Learn how amazing your human body really is. There is something amazing about pushing your body to the extreme and then finishing saying, "God is so amazing! He made THIS body to do amazing things!" 
• I'm on top of the world!  You really do get that feeling at the end of a good, long run. 
• Set an example for your kids. I honestly never remember my family exercising. They absolutely supported me in my love for sports... But when I entered the racing world, I met families that ran races together. HOW COOL? Coach may be praying for a lineman/baseball star... but this mama is praying for a runner. I want my child to see me running and want to be a part of such a great exercise. Do it for your family! 

I could add to this list for days... it is just making me want to go run... at 10:30pm. On a Saturday. 

I LOVE sharing running plans with people. Want to start running? There are a TON of amazing resources out there to help guide you! I won't lie, if you think my pregnancy updates are annoying... Just wait until I start posting my post pregnancy running updates. 

Love love, 

C^2 

29 Weeks

How Far
29 Weeks 

and going strong... 

And by going I totally mean sweating. 

Yes. Sweating strong. 

How I Feel:

 I can be sitting and not moving in the AC house and just start pouring sweat. I am usually taking 3 showers a day from the sweating. 

I can't really complain about anything unless I sit for too long and then my feet hurt. I try to stay really active and wear my tennis shoes all day.

I really didn't leave the house much this week. I went to the doctor and to birthing class. You know it is summer when you do a load of laundry that only consists of gym clothes and bathing suits. 

 Last Saturday I handed the grocery shopping duties to Coach. All of them. Meal planning, shopping, unloading, and cooking. It was a very successful trip and he only came home with one thing I have never ever purchased in my entire life: Berry PopTarts. Who knew they even made those?

So this week's meals have consisted of lots of meat and veggies on the grill that I have not had to prepare. And 675 cups of Greek yogurt.  Really... win. win. 

Yes, it is true. I officially now do nothing around here.. for those of you keeping track. 

I went to the doctor for my first of several every two week appointments. 

My iron was rechecked and actually came back perfect. No medicine needed. 

I asked about the weight gain and she said that and my blood pressure was wonderful. 

She did say that 30 weeks pregnant in the dead of a hot hot summer was a wonderful time to start walking and chill on the running. 

We also had our first birthing class at the hospital. We have two more. I am so thankful that the teaching has given me exact things to pray for. I needed that information. I need exact things to think about. 

I did have one crazy meltdown and panic attack one night. It kept me up all night. I was doing so so so well keeping those in check. 

I need to add that pregnancy for me so far has been like a text book. If the book says, "This is about to happen..." Then usually it does happen. I am thankful for that. It has kept my worries down. 

Also, Baby Cain has gained some weight. (The apps say babies put on fat from here on.) I can tell because the movements are more like belly moving movements. Up until now they have been more jabs and quick punches that really only I see and feel unless I tell people to watch so that they can see. Well, now we like to move from side to side and make my belly move. I LOVE the feeling and I LOVE being reminded that a big healthy baby is moving around, but sometimes it takes my breath away. I have to stop, let BC get situated, and then keep going. 

Maternity Clothing: 

Ha. 

Cravings: 

This juice.

BLTs. 

Veggies cooked just right. 

Baked potato. 

Some steak from our favorite Mexican restaurant. 

Oh, and a cherry slurpee which are now called Blast that came to mind at 4am. I had to wait until 6pm to go get one. 

Nursery:
I've been working and just have a few things to hang. I ordered the LAST touch this morning. The remainder of things I need to get happen to be the necessities.
Sweet Mama Bette sent Baby Cain a mattress and mattress cover. It makes the nursery look like a baby could live there!
I won't be sharing pictures until Baby Cain arrives so that when I share the room there will be bedding in there. We have to wait until September for that.
Pink? Red?

I did spend LOTS of time this week finalizing my cross country schedule and finishing class assignments.(Can I get a whoop whoop!)  Now I need to shift my attention to unit plans and curriculum maps.

Sweet Baby Dub: 

We are enjoying our time together at 4am. He also loves my pillow.

28 Weeks

How Far: 

28 Weeks

Oh! Hey, third and final trimester! 

Do you see how Dub just kicks off my pillows to claim his spot on the coach. Worthless. 

How I feel: 

Pedicures get better with each visit. 

It is officially getting holy moly cow hot here in south Ga. 

My belly is getting heavy and causing me to walk more than run. The heat is also just so suffocating that walking and indoor yoga is the best. (I consider being active at almost 30 weeks in the dead of summer a win. I mean, so many people told me I wouldn't stay active. Not that I am trying to impress anyone by any means, I just know what makes my body feel better. Being active is best for me.) 

I am trying really hard to break the habit of getting up at 4am, working on school stuff or Internet browsing, and then napping from 7am-10am. I have been doing this lately. I really like to get up early and get big things accomplished before 10am or so. ( I am actually up at 5:30am typing this. We like to have dance parties and get the hiccups really early in the morning. Baby Cain may be a morning person.)  

I am really thankful for pools and friends. They are making this summer the best. 

I was struggling with my iron count and I wanted to have that taken care of so I have been eating lots and lots of steak. A good burger is good too. Coach is not complaining too much. 

My feet are swelling. It really helps to wear my shoes all day. So if you see me walking around the house in my Nikes... no big deal. 

I still have to drink two gallons of water a day to feel normal. This should be fun when August comes. 

Fruit and veggies are great. 

Carbs are my bff too. 

I am anxious to go to the doctor next week to check blood pressure, weight gain, and iron. We also start birthing classes next week.

Maternity Clothing: 

Ha. Yes. Living in swim suits if I can help it! 

Cravings: 

Steak. 

Oh, and while visiting my mom while in Jefferson, she convinced me to drive out of the way to get an Innbetween sandwich. It didn't take much to convince me. Oh. Em. Gee. Just as good as always. Turkey on a roll was perfect. 

Nursery: 

No big projects this week since we were out of town. However, I did finally complete my baby registry at Babies R Us. I loved the store and my mom was the biggest help ever. She would research brands and fix things that I broke while trying them out. She also kept my meltdowns under control when I was close to having a break down when I saw the amount of STUFF that was needed. 

I did go ahead a purchase a baby book that I plan to start filling out next week when my classes are over. I also purchased a hospital gown that was on sale. I am working on our hospital bags. I need to add nurse treats to the list of things to do. (insert small panic attack) 

I should go ahead and confess that if Baby Cain is a girl... I have changed her name twenty times. Really. Our boy name... solid as a rock. (No. That's not the name. Although don't think something like 'Rock Cain' wouldn't work for Coach. He is all about the nickname.) 

Girl name(s) change daily. I am going with the "I gotta see what Baby Cain looks like!" excuse. 

Here is the painful part... Baby C has NOTHING with a monogram on it. What in the world?! The struggle is so so so real. 

Sweet Baby Dub: 

We are having some major bonding time from the hours of 4am-6am. 

He struggles with the heat as well.

Funny Story:
Well, funny now that it is over.

When we were leaving for our final lap of the BabyMoon on Wednesday I most likely fixed my famous 1/2 Spark for the road. I love to put a handful of ice in my cup AFTER I mix it. I must have done this on the way out and did not close the freezer door all the way. I left it open about 6 inches. Just enough to over run the thing, causing everything in the freezer and fridge to melt and STINK. On Sunday when we walked in the house it was smelling like death. We spent about two minutes investigating and noticed what it was. Now, luckily not much was spoiled because I had pretty much emptied the fridge since we were traveling. I only had a few packs of fish and veggies in the fridge. My Zaycon chicken is in our garage freezer. WOW! Talk about death smell. It was horrible. I couldn't clean it. Coach was so mad! So he cleaned everything out and I began to Clorox and clean everything down in hopes of getting rid of the smell. Fast forward a week later: We have completely cleaned out and clean the fridge down daily and you can still get a strong smell every now and then. We have done everything. It is getting less and less each day and with each cleaning. I just want Baby Cain to look back when he/she is in Med school and think, "I am so smart because I took all of my mama's brains back in summer 2015!" Because legit kid, you have! 

True Love: Clarisonic

Today I am taking a small break from all talk Baby Cain and going to discuss a true love. 

Sorry Coach, this ain't about you either. 

Since last May my skin has been breaking out. I was struggling with adult acne in a bad way! I believe it was running, hormones, and the heat that just made my skin an absolute mess. I only use Bare Minerals powder on my face. I wash my face each day and night. It just was not helping at all. I even went to Bare Minerals and bought some liquid foundation to add more coverage to hide the mess that was my skin. I should also add that I never had skin issues when I was younger. So this was a new thing for me. I tried ProActive and I liked it, but after a week or two of using it, it was burning my face. Then I looked at the ingredients and it kinda made me nervous. I'm a pretty "natural" person and just no longer felt great about adding all the chemicals to my face.

Then in January.... Baby Cain joined the picture and the hormone struggle I was dealing with. Looking back, acne was my biggest pregnancy symptom. It was so bad that one morning Coach asked if I thought it could be chicken pox. I had really bad acne all over my face, neck, and back.  I have NEVER had to deal with this. I asked the doctor what I should use and she suggested a MILD face wash ONLY, and a good scrub. I went home and did some research.

I had thought about a Clarisonic in the past, but spending more than ummmm..... $20 on a "beauty tool" is so so so not my style. Really. I just needed some relief so I asked for one for my birthday. Coach agreed and surprised me with The Mia Two. Really, it was a surprise because I just mentioned it one day and how I thought I was just going to have to bite the bullet buy one.

After the first night of using it, I was so in love! I LOVED the smell of the mild face wash. I LOVED the way the wash made my skin feel. The scrub was amazing and made my skin feel so soft and smooth. I was able to use it on my neck and face. I actually looked forward to the one minute of scrubbing that I was doing each night.

Once I used the Clarisonic for one week, I could 100% tell a difference. Now that I have been using the Clarisonic for 5 months, I can tell the biggest difference. My skin is so soft, clear, and smooth. I really hate that I did not make this purchase sooner. In fact, it is my favorite beauty product.

The tool came with a small bottle of face wash. I used it daily and just ran out last month. I bought a bigger bottle and the sales lady said it should last about a year. It was $25.00. I am ordering some replacement brushes today. It is suggested to change them every 3-5 months. You will start to tell a difference and be able to tell when you need to change them.


I suggest reading the recommended usage directions. It will keep your face from getting "too much scrub."

Coach ordered mine from Amazon because we get EVERYTHING from there. However, Ulta sometimes runs deals on them.

**I was not paid for my opinion. These are my REAL LIFE thoughts. 

27 Weeks

How Far

27 Weeks

The last week of the 2nd trimester. Is it really? Time is flying! 

This has been the BEST week so far. Let's start from the beginning: 

I finished my Master's Degree!

Two friends and teacher pals started with me last June. It really was a great year and we can now mark that off the bucket list. 

Whoop! That is done and behind me! Now I have four days to relax before the next degree starts. Here is  Coach editing my last paper for this degree. He gets a break for a few days before his editing starts again.

Don't worry about the 'Good Luck, America' balloon that we had to celebrate the Women's World Cup. 

Also, we decided that this would be the best time to schedule a BabyMoon since it technically is Coach's only week off this summer. So we left Wednesday night to finish out the family vacation lasting until Saturday then planned to have ZERO plan and hit some new beaches and towns that we haven't visited until Tuesday. Then Wednesday we planned drive to Jefferson to see as much family as possible since our trips north will soon be limited in the next few months.

How I Feel:
Laying on the beach all day has me feeling 100% amazing. As long as I eat real food every hour and not just junk, then I feel great. I have to drink around 2 gallons of water a day to keep the swelling down, but really I feel awesome. (Spoiler alert... the really fun... "I'm ready for this baby to come" doesn't hit for two more weeks.)
It was super amazing to have Coach at the beach finally. I love a good trip with the gals, and I love our time apart, but him being there was the best. It also gave him so reading time to catch up on the important things...

Maternity Clothing:
Are you kidding? Yes. For sure.
Just for fun: We left for the beach Wednesday night and I packed ALL of my bathing suits, cover ups, and towels in one separate bag. Well, I left that bag on the bed. I went to the beach for a week with no bathing suits.

Good thing Target was having a sale! Good thing beach stores always have more of a selection.
So I had to buy two new swim suits. Funny how that worked out.

Cravings:
A good, cold, wedge salad.

And really any food.
Here is a small fact about my FIL: If you go out to eat with him, he WILL ALWAYS order a dessert with five spoons. No harm here. It was so so so delish.

Nursery:
Saturday morning we left pretty early to head out to our first unknown destination. The TJ MAX in Daytona is legit the best HomeGoods EVER. Somehow I convinced Coach that I needed an hour of time in this store. The good news is I racked up on some nursery decor. The bad news is: We had my car packed down. It was loaded from top to bottom. With this being said, nursery decor is finally complete. I have to purchase four baskets for the changing table and then I am literally 100% finished. I need to dust, polish the floors, and hang the gallery wall. My goal is to be completed by August 1st.

Now, as far as baby necessities... I should probably get busy on buying those. Like diapers. Stocking up on needs will begin soon.

I also have a goal of getting our bags for the hospital packed and ready to go. I plan to stock up on travel size products, gowns, and random essentials and go ahead and have the bags ready to go. I know some people think that I am starting this too early... But I just know how crazy insane our house is in August and September. Well really August- December. Wait, August- May. Ugh... I have the desire to go clean something now.

Sweet Baby Dub:
Poor Dub had to have his yearly reminder that he is indeed a dog. He spent the week with the vet enjoying some much needed time with his peers. No worries, we picked him up in time to travel to Jefferson with him. It also made me aware that traveling with a baby and a Weimaraner will be a treat!

26 Weeks

How Far
26 Weeks

I guess I could also use these pictures as a "Hair Growth" journal. I am also growing out my hair. 

Baby Cain will have hair growing. This week was the first week that I really thought, "Coach and I are having a baby!" It may seem odd but the hair color and texture made me really really excited. I guess I am just pumped to see what a combination of the two most opposite people ever will LOOK like. I have always dreamed about how Baby Cain will ACT... seeing as how again, we are the exact opposites. Now we are adding looks.... Will Baby Cain have thin blonde hair? Thick dark hair? Possibilities are endless.


How I Feel:
My feet and hands hurt and swell. It is kinda difficult to get out of the bed. However, I sleep like a rock. I don't normally get up to go to the bathroom once I am sleeping. I try to drink a TON of water during the day, but this has me going to the bathroom a lot during class. Sorry, Professor. My diet has been super poor this week. Mainly because I have been in class, working on class work, or traveling.

Let's get to the travel details:

My last class for the week was on Wednesday. We had a great idea to drive down to the beach Wednesday evening. (Hey, when you live in South Ga, you are half way there!) Mama Bette got to come! It was her first time back at the beach in FOREVER. So, Penny, Mama Bette, and I made the journey down to Daytona. It was full of MEMORIES! Mama Bette finally got to see our house. Penny finally got to see the nursery and the work done so far. Then we got to head down to the sand of Daytona Beach.  They also got to see Baby Cain move for the first time. This means when my stomach starts jumping... all eyes are on me... Or Baby Cain... In my stomach. It was lots of... Memories and laughs. That is for sure!

I have to say I did a pretty amazing job of working hard to have all of my assignments done before I left. This meant some all night work sessions but who wants to leave the beach to write a paper? I only had to leave the beach early once! We were on the beach from Thursday morning til Sunday afternoon. I had to leave Sunday to head home to prepare for my last week of my Master's Degree. I was so close I could feel it!


I was doing some praying while on the trip. Although I could feel movement, Baby Cain was not moving as much as normal. Baby Cain can be a wee bit wild at times. When I called Coach he said not to worry... the waves were putting Baby Cain on vacation mode too. Sure enough... once I got home Sunday night the kicks and flips were back up to speed. I guess it was Coach's voice that did the trick. Don't tell him. He's already convinced he's the favorite.
 
Maternity Clothing:
Oh yes. (ONE of the MANY stories) I come walking out of the room in a maxi dress. Mama Bette whispers to Penny: Is that a gown?
Bless.

Cravings:
My food intake was not great. Again, with school and travel... it was rather poor. I mostly ate carbs. As far as cravings: I just crave food. I love love love to eat.

Nursery:
Nothing major since last week.


Sweet Baby Dub:
I think lots of people are worried about Dub. I mean, I guess I'm just NOT. I mean... I was once worried about how we would transition, as well as he would feel and act towards the new addition. I just started hardcore praying about it. Now I have no fears at all. I just feel that he will just LOVE the new Cain sibling. Although, I am trying realllllly hard to convince Coach to adopt a Weim in need....