How Far Along: 27 weeks. OH MY GOSH, in 12 weeks or less this baby will be in my arms! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, I'll calm down now.
Baby is the size of: Supposedly, a rutabaga, but I really think that's already been used a few weeks before. Obviously, I need to use the same website from week to week for the sake of consistency. Anywho, Baby J is a little more than 2 pounds and around 15 inches long. I keep thinking this baby will be a big one, so each week I kind of err on the side of the bigger measurements when looking at the averages. Macey was 7 pounds even, and Easton was 8 pounds 6 ounces, so I feel like this one will be over 9 pounds. Not really sure if that's scientific, but it makes sense to me.
Sleep: Hip pain is definitely rearing it's ugly head making it tough to fall asleep some nights, but overall I can't complain.
Total Weight Gain: Right at 20 pounds. And I think I'm officially don't answering this question for the remainder of the pregnancy. Everyone OK with that? Cool.
Symptoms: Just my old lady, achy hips. :-)
Movement: While there are days with more activity than others, the movements are very, very easily felt. He's already an active thing!
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite
clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes.
Go-to eats: Pizza always sounds like an amazing idea. This week BBQ has been on my mind a lot. Memphis babies have to have their fair share of BBQ while in utero, right?
Best moment of the week: One night recently, I was laying down reading and it, was as if Baby J was doing the worm. The movements were crazy over the top and easily seen with my eyes. Greg was even able to watch it all.
Gender: Still don't know, but I have now officially dreamed of a baby boy twice...
What I’m looking forward to: The third trimester, of course! Just one week away!
September 25, 2013
Being a "Grown-Up" and a Mom...
Being an adult (and I use that term loosely) and a mom has taught be a thing or two. Because I've been an official grown-up for almost 11 years and a mother for 4, I'm really, really wise.
Some things I now know...
Some things I now know...
- Being a mom means figuring out how to gracefully exit a Target when your child pukes in the diaper aisle. (I cleaned everything up first. Really Target should thank me because the floor was probably cleaner than it had been in the first place.)
- Being a mom means learning the fine line between needing stitches and needing a hearty Band-Aid. (For the record, we've only had stitches once. Waiting on the broken bone any moment now.)
- Being a mom means knowing how to politely tell your child, "Quit faking, you're not hurt." But you know, in a sweeter way than that.
- Being a mom of three (almost) has most definitely taught me how to keep my mouth shut when others seems catty or self-righteous about the only way to parent. And, by the way, makes me very, very thankful that I decided long ago (pre-kids) to literally never say never. I knew I'd end up eating my words when I had kids, so I thought it'd be best to bypass that completely.
- Being a mom means reminding a smaller person to say, "I need to use the restroom" instead of "I need to go poop right now!" on a daily basis.
- Being a mom means being right by their side when they want to see if the family fish will allow them to be pet. (Woody seemed OK with it; Sofia, not so much.)
- Being a mom means playing in the mud, running in the rain, dumping out every toy in the toy box and letting kids help cook dinner is kind of amazing. Messy, but amazing. I mean, really...is there much of anything that truly can't be cleaned up later?
- Being a mom means ironing is so overrated. Unless it's picture day, a holiday or a Sunday morning when my mom will see the kids at church, I don't care about wrinkles. (Maybe this one just applies to me.)
- Being a mom means you're the best mom you can be for your child. Give yourself a break, you're doing everything right...even if you mess up every once in a while.
September 19, 2013
The Name Game
With poor Easton, we didn't have a name picked out until the third trimester. For some people, that's completely normal, but I'm a planner, and it was nearing a totally unacceptable time frame to still have a nameless child in my womb. We found a compromise and agreed on Easton (Greg's favorite) Paul (my dad's name).
Before we were even pregnant this time, I was determined to have at least a narrow list of name possibilities. I could sit and talk about baby names for hours, but Greg thinks it's the most boring thing ever--especially when we're not even expecting a child! But one day we were on a quick road trip, just the two of us, and we decided to make a baby name game like a basketball tournament bracket until we found our favorites.
We came up with some great ideas, which was perfect for when we found out we were expecting bambino numero tres.
And now, I think we've officially decided on the name possibilities:
Before we were even pregnant this time, I was determined to have at least a narrow list of name possibilities. I could sit and talk about baby names for hours, but Greg thinks it's the most boring thing ever--especially when we're not even expecting a child! But one day we were on a quick road trip, just the two of us, and we decided to make a baby name game like a basketball tournament bracket until we found our favorites.
We came up with some great ideas, which was perfect for when we found out we were expecting bambino numero tres.
And now, I think we've officially decided on the name possibilities:
Hayden Gregory Joyner
Sadie Marie Joyner
Hayden is a name we both really love, and Gregory is (duh) Greg's full name. Sadie is just a sweet little name (in our opinion), and it just so happens to be the name of two of my great-grandmothers.
Marie is the most special because my amazing, awesome, wonderful Nana was named Margaret Marie, and she thought every girl in the world should have the middle name of Marie. She was a big fan. Also, it's my Aunt Lee's middle name, and she'll try to convince you that we'd be naming a girl after her. :-) Marie is also special because Greg had a precious, precious Aunt Marie who passed away not too long ago. She was a spitfire who everyone loved, and she has a special place in all of our hearts.
Dream, Dream, Dream
I'm sure most people have heard about women experiencing vivid, crazy, weird or scary dreams during pregnancy. Although, I can't remember any super crazy things happening while I was in dream land with any pregnancy, I've definitely had baby-related dreams. When I was pregnant with Macey, I remember dreaming that Greg and I were walking through the mall with a toddler-aged girl. That was before we knew she was indeed a girl!
When I was in my first trimester this time around, I had a dream that my precious Nana (who passed away last year) was rocking this sweet baby, and it was a boy.
Last night, I also dreamed of a baby boy...but...this dream wasn't as precious. Terrifying was more like it.
Background info: Keep in mind, I've had two scheduled c-sections and have never even felt a real, labor contraction. My body's never dilated, I've never been effaced...shoot, I still don't even really understand what effaced means. At this point, a c-section is about 99% likely this time around, too.
So...last night, I dreamed that I not only went into full blown labor, BUT it was so fast that baby boy was delivered right in our house. And he was TEN POUNDS, 2 OUNCES. I basically dreamed that I gave birth to a freakin' toddler. The old fashioned way!
Ay yi yi.
Still...it's kind of interesting that I dreamed of a boy once more, especially because lately I haven't really had any strong feelings either way about the gender.
When I was in my first trimester this time around, I had a dream that my precious Nana (who passed away last year) was rocking this sweet baby, and it was a boy.
Last night, I also dreamed of a baby boy...but...this dream wasn't as precious. Terrifying was more like it.
Background info: Keep in mind, I've had two scheduled c-sections and have never even felt a real, labor contraction. My body's never dilated, I've never been effaced...shoot, I still don't even really understand what effaced means. At this point, a c-section is about 99% likely this time around, too.
So...last night, I dreamed that I not only went into full blown labor, BUT it was so fast that baby boy was delivered right in our house. And he was TEN POUNDS, 2 OUNCES. I basically dreamed that I gave birth to a freakin' toddler. The old fashioned way!
Ay yi yi.
Still...it's kind of interesting that I dreamed of a boy once more, especially because lately I haven't really had any strong feelings either way about the gender.
September 18, 2013
26 Weeks!
How Far Along: 26 weeks. I cannot believe I'm just two weeks away from the third trimester!
Baby is the size of: A head of lettuce. Around 2 pounds and 12 inches (give or take).
Sleep: Even though the hip pain is coming back, I've been getting good, solid rest once I fall asleep.
Total Weight Gain: At this point, I'm really not sure because I haven't weighed this week. Oops!
Symptoms: Today, I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable...just an achy back and belly. I guess it's just par for the course until Baby J arrives.
Movement: Some days are more active than others, but I love feeling this precious thing move all around.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes. None of those are maternity, they're just stretching out with me. :-)
Go-to eats: Pizza always sounds like an amazing idea.
Best moment of the week: Hmmm...I ordered my first baby-related item! So very excited!
Gender: Still no idea. I used to feel pretty confident that it was a boy, but now I don't really have a strong feeling either way.
What I’m looking forward to: I'm really looking forward to my next check up. I think they start bi-weekly check-ups in the third trimester to lessen moms' stress levels more than anything. At this point, I can get anxious about something and my mind can wander. It'll be so nice when I get an official doctor's report every two weeks!
Baby is the size of: A head of lettuce. Around 2 pounds and 12 inches (give or take).
Sleep: Even though the hip pain is coming back, I've been getting good, solid rest once I fall asleep.
Total Weight Gain: At this point, I'm really not sure because I haven't weighed this week. Oops!
Symptoms: Today, I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable...just an achy back and belly. I guess it's just par for the course until Baby J arrives.
Movement: Some days are more active than others, but I love feeling this precious thing move all around.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes. None of those are maternity, they're just stretching out with me. :-)
Go-to eats: Pizza always sounds like an amazing idea.
Best moment of the week: Hmmm...I ordered my first baby-related item! So very excited!
Gender: Still no idea. I used to feel pretty confident that it was a boy, but now I don't really have a strong feeling either way.
What I’m looking forward to: I'm really looking forward to my next check up. I think they start bi-weekly check-ups in the third trimester to lessen moms' stress levels more than anything. At this point, I can get anxious about something and my mind can wander. It'll be so nice when I get an official doctor's report every two weeks!
September 12, 2013
25 Weeks
How Far Along: 25 weeks and one day. We'll hold this sweet baby in our arms in 14 weeks or less!
Baby is the size of: A rutabaga. I sincerely have no idea what that is, but the baby's approximately 13.5 inches and a pound and a half.
Sleep: I don't know what has changed, but I've been sleeping GREAT lately! Never long enough, of course, but getting really solid sleep, which is amazingly wonderful.
Total Weight Gain: Oh, around 15 pounds or so now...I'm determined to sloooow that down!
Symptoms: Nothing major...just growing.
Movement: Still a lot of movement, which I love!
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes. None of those are maternity, they're just stretching out with me. :-)
Go-to eats: I basically shouldn't keep sweets in the house anymore because they disappear really quickly...it's weird.
Best moment of the week: Hearing his/her sweet heart beat last (163 bpm) Thursday at my check-up. AND realizing that I'll enter my third trimester the week of my next appointment, which means I'll start having check-ups every other week after that. Yay! (Worst moment...realizing that at my next check-up, I'll have the glucose test, flu shot and TDAP shot...horrific.)
Gender: No idea. I used to feel pretty confident that it was a boy, but now I don't really have a strong feeling either way.
What I’m looking forward to: Of course, the next big milestone is the third trimester, which is just three weeks away! I'm also looking forward to getting to work on the "nursery." This little one won't be in his/her own room until he's a bit older. Well actually, it'll share a room with brother or sister. Macey and Easton have their own room, and we have a playroom upstairs. I'm not ready to give up the playroom to make another bedroom, so for a while baby #3 will be in our room. We have a sitting area in our master bedroom that's the perfect size for a crib and chair, so I'm going to decorate that area and make it look as precious as possible for this sweet baby! I have some ideas that I'm excited about, but I probably won't really work on that until October...or November. Yeah, probably November.
Baby is the size of: A rutabaga. I sincerely have no idea what that is, but the baby's approximately 13.5 inches and a pound and a half.
Sleep: I don't know what has changed, but I've been sleeping GREAT lately! Never long enough, of course, but getting really solid sleep, which is amazingly wonderful.
Total Weight Gain: Oh, around 15 pounds or so now...I'm determined to sloooow that down!
Symptoms: Nothing major...just growing.
Movement: Still a lot of movement, which I love!
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes. None of those are maternity, they're just stretching out with me. :-)
Go-to eats: I basically shouldn't keep sweets in the house anymore because they disappear really quickly...it's weird.
Best moment of the week: Hearing his/her sweet heart beat last (163 bpm) Thursday at my check-up. AND realizing that I'll enter my third trimester the week of my next appointment, which means I'll start having check-ups every other week after that. Yay! (Worst moment...realizing that at my next check-up, I'll have the glucose test, flu shot and TDAP shot...horrific.)
Gender: No idea. I used to feel pretty confident that it was a boy, but now I don't really have a strong feeling either way.
What I’m looking forward to: Of course, the next big milestone is the third trimester, which is just three weeks away! I'm also looking forward to getting to work on the "nursery." This little one won't be in his/her own room until he's a bit older. Well actually, it'll share a room with brother or sister. Macey and Easton have their own room, and we have a playroom upstairs. I'm not ready to give up the playroom to make another bedroom, so for a while baby #3 will be in our room. We have a sitting area in our master bedroom that's the perfect size for a crib and chair, so I'm going to decorate that area and make it look as precious as possible for this sweet baby! I have some ideas that I'm excited about, but I probably won't really work on that until October...or November. Yeah, probably November.
September 6, 2013
Celebrities I've Met (Because I'm So Cool)
Since I was the tender age of about 12, when I purchased (well, my mom probably bought it) my first Teen Beat magazine (JTT on the cover, what what!), I've been obsessed with celebrity culture. Yes, yes, yes--I know, I could be into deeper, more meaningful things, but I am who I am.
I love me some celebrity gossip, even if I am getting old enough to say, "Who the crap is that?" when I watch the VMAs.
So, without further ado, I present...celebrities I've met, along with some photos.
I love me some celebrity gossip, even if I am getting old enough to say, "Who the crap is that?" when I watch the VMAs.
So, without further ado, I present...celebrities I've met, along with some photos.
- 'NSync--Yes, all of them. And it was amazing. I was about 14, and my great-uncle owned a club in Memphis they were playing. It was before they were super famous in the U.S. (I have a picture of this encounter somewhere...)
- The Backstreet Boys--I was 20, and it was just as amazing as when I was 14 and meeting 'N Sync.
- Chris Brown--I was 20 and in an elevator with him. He was super sweet (pre-Rihanna scandal) even though we chatted, I didn't recognize him until he got off the elevator. Oops.
- Mike Tyson--True story. He and his posse came into Finish Line when I was working there in high school. We had to shut down the place because within minutes (maybe seconds?) there was a sea of people trying to come in an meet him. My manager told me not to talk to him. I totally did. He even said, "Hi, Emily." (That's MY name!)
- Blake Griffin--Possibly the only celebrity encounter where I was less than cool. I was seven months pregnant with my first baby, and Greg and I had traveled to Kansas City for the first or second round of the NCAA tournament to watch our beloved Tigers play. The whole ride up there I obsessively talked about, "What if I meet Blake Griffin?" Then, walking through a hotel, I saw him. I might have yelled "Blake!" as he was trying to go into a team meeting. Then ran/waddled to him for a picture, but not before I told him, "I'm pregnant, not fat and ignore my Memphis shirt for now." (He played for the University of Oklahoma at the time.)
- Andy Katz--Saw him on the same trip. For some reason, I don't think he was as excited to meet me as I was to meet him. Whatevs.
- Mike Wolfe from American Pickers--He was sitting in front of us at a Tennessee Titans game last season. Super nice guy.
- Peyton Manning--OK, I didn't actually meet him. When he was still in college, I saw him in the airport and I called out to him hoping he'd like run over to me and give me a hug or something. He didn't. But he did look at me and wave. I ran to my parents to find a pen and paper to get an autograph, but I never saw him again.
- Memphis Grizzlies players--Although, like most Memphians, I've seen some around town here and there, I actually got to meet some at a luncheon for work last year. Super fun for a basketball fan like me!
- Lots of Memphis Tigers basketball players--Maybe not "celebrity status" famous, but basketball gods in Memphis.
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| I wasn't supposed to take pictures with the Backstreet Boys (my boss' rule, not theirs), but I snuck this one with AJ during some downtime after a performance. Such a rebel, right? |
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| Blake Griffin. Looking pumped up to see me. |
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| Andy, faking his excitement. Please remember, I'm 7 months pregnant... |
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| Mike Wolfe. So handsome. |
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| My friend Annalisa and me with Memphis Tigers coach, Josh Pastner. |
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| Joey Dorsey! Ahhh...look how skinny I was. Sad face. |
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| Rudy Gay |
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| Zach Randolph. I hate this picture of me, but ZBo looks adorable, as always. |
September 4, 2013
24 Weeks
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| TERRIBLE picture of me, but with Macey feeling under the weather and Greg trying to run out of the house to meet a friend for dinner, I didn't have time for many options. Yuck. |
Baby is the size of: An ear of corn (About 12 inches long and a little more than a pound)
Sleep: Over the nice, long Labor Day weekend, I got lots of great rest! So this week, I've felt very good. It still can take some time to find a comfortable position to fall asleep, but all in all--not bad.
Total Weight Gain: I've been avoiding getting on the scale this week, but I'll have to break down and do it tomorrow morning before my check-up. I like to be prepared before I hop on the scale in front of others at the doctor's office!
Symptoms: Nothing major...but a rapidly expanding mid-section. However, in the past week I did start experiencing good ol' Braxton Hicks contractions. Some have been worse than others.
Movement: Lots of movement! He/she is a busy little thing.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes. None of those are maternity, they're just stretching out with me. :-)
Go-to eats: Pizza still always sounds delicious, which was true when I was pregnant with Easton, too. Sweets have been a big weakness, which has been disappointing because they weren't very tempting before week 20!
Best moment of the week: Greg feeling the baby move for the first time, and officially starting September! I feel like we're really getting close now; 15 weeks or less, and we'll be meeting our precious new baby.
Gender: No idea. I used to feel pretty confident that it was a boy, now I don't really have a strong feeling either way.
What I’m looking forward to: Hmmm...let's see. October because of my birthday, but I guess that's a selfish thing to look forward to and not exactly baby-related. Because of my weekend of Braxton Hicks, I'm slightly more anxious to get farther along to a point where the baby would be OK if I went into labor. With my first two, they were perfectly snug in my belly for the long haul, and I'm hopeful this one is, too! However, the logical part of me knows that the more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions are probably just a result of being busy and not taking enough time to rest. AND they still haven't even been that frequent compared to what I'm sure other people experience, just different for me. Thankfully, I have a check-up tomorrow, so I can chat about it with my doctor.
September 3, 2013
Baseball Stud
Lately, most afternoons when we get home, Easton wants to go outside and play baseball. He's graduated from the tee and won't even use that anymore, and he's particular about which bat he'll use. He apparently feels that he's moved on from the plastic bats and will only use this MLB bat. It's definitely not a real baseball bat, but it's pretty heavy for a 2 year old his size!
Here are a couple videos showing off his skills!
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