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We Are Moving

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The Best Mother’s Day Gift

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Corinne’s Monthly Updates

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Corinne – Two Months

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Corinne – One Month

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Siblings

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Pregnancy Update

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Painted Easter Eggs

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Our Family is Growing!

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Weekly Update

28 Weeks

October 29, 2012

My baby bump at 28 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I gained about 2 1/2 lbs this week.  I think I ate too much cake.

Movement:  Cullen is one active little guy. His kicks are super strong and all over the place.

Boy or Girl? Boy!

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular.  I’m just hungry all the time now.

How I’m Feeling: Still good overall.  I have found that my back and hips are hurting more lately.  My afternoon commute is no fun at all…sitting in one spot in bumper to bumper traffic is killer on my hips.  And I am hungry all the time now.  I definitely feel like I am trying to eat for two, or three or four.  I have gotten some looks from Corey this week when I keep going to the fridge and pantry before dinner.  (This new habit probably explains my sudden weight gain.)

And in case you haven’t done the math, I only have about 12 weeks left before our little boy gets here.  That is crazy!  Time is flying by.  And we still have a ton to do!

Size of Baby: Head of Cauliflower (16 in, 2.5 lbs) 

Baby’s Development:  By now, baby has added blinking to his growing bag of tricks.  Other impressive new talents include coughing, more intense sucking, and perhaps most important, better breathing.

Best Part of this Week: Mom and I went apple picking again this week.  It was fun to get out in the orchard again and pick the few apples left.  And we, of course, got to enjoy some yummy apple cider doughnuts!

What I’m Looking Forward To: My first shower is next Sunday!  I am so excited!
Weekly Update

27 Weeks

October 23, 2012

My baby bump at 27 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: No change in weight this week.  Still at pre-pregnancy weight.

Movement:  Cullen’s little kicks keep getting stronger!  Sometimes he catches me by surprise with a sudden kick to my side or a sudden flurry of movements.

Boy or Girl? Boy!

Food Cravings: I still would like a Bloomin’ Onion…maybe this weekend.

How I’m Feeling: I feel great except for the cold I have developed over the last week.  Being sick while pregnant is no fun.  Tylenol, Sudafed, and Halls are just not cutting it.  I’m sure some honey & whiskey or just a shot of rock & rye would clear things right up…no such luck right now though.

Size of Baby: Cucumber (15 in, 2.2 lbs)  Really?  Never in my life have I seen a cucumber that long.  Where are they finding these fruits & veggies?

Baby’s Development:  Baby is now being measured from head to toe, which makes him nearly a full 15 inches now.  And at just over 2 pounds, he has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.  Baby’s auditory development is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures.  Even though the sounds he hears are muffled, he may recognize both his Mommy and Daddy’s voices.  Time to start singing and reading to him!  Baby’s taste buds are very developed now too, giving him the ability to taste differences in what I eat.

Best Part of this Week: Corey and I went thrift shopping for some things for the nursery this weekend.  We only ended up getting a lamp that we will repaint for the nursery, but we had a blast looking at baby things all over downtown Simpsonville.

What I’m Looking Forward To: Showers, finishing the nursery, and childbirth classes.  I feel like these next three months are going to fly by!
Letters to Baby

Dear Cullen,

October 21, 2012

This afternoon I went apple picking with your Sugar (Mommy’s mom).  We had such a good time. We were talking about how next year we will get to take you with us. And hopefully we can convince your Daddy, grandpa, and uncles to go with us.  We love these men, but they aren’t usually up for family outings. I think if you are there, we won’t have to do much convincing!

You will still be too young to really enjoy picking apples, but there are other fun things like seeing the animals and riding in a wagon! I can’t wait to include you in such a fun fall tradition!

On another note, I think your Uncle Travi is upset I haven’t written you lately. I will try to do better. (For you and for him!)

Keep growing healthy and strong in there Little One. I love feeling your little kicks and wiggles; I feel like I am already getting to know you.

Love,
Mommy

Weekly Update

26 Weeks

October 16, 2012

My baby bump at 26 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I gained 2 pounds this week.  Maybe I should cut back on the pasta. 🙂  At least I’m back up to my pre-pregnancy weight!

Movement:  I didn’t think I would, but I still get excited every time I feel Cullen move.  I am going to miss feeling those little kicks and wiggles when I have to share him with the world.

Boy or Girl? Boy!

Food Cravings: I have decided that I have not really been having any cravings; I just want to eat what I hear other people talking about.  And I would really like a Bloomin’ Onion.  Somebody needs to convince Corey to take me to Outback soon!

How I’m Feeling: It seems to change every day.  One day I will hardly feel pregnant at all with no limitations.  The next day I can feel like a beached whale and can’t get off the couch.  It is amazing how much I miss the little bit of core strength I used to have.  Sometimes I will wake up feeling great after a restful night sleep, and other mornings I wake up feeling like I just finished running a marathon and slept on a concrete floor.  Not that I know what running a marathon feels like, but I can imagine.   

Size of Baby: Eggplant (9 in, 2 lbs)  

Baby’s Development:  Baby’s eyes are beginning to open.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much of a view right now.  His brain wave activity is kicking in at this stage too.  Not only can he hear noises, but he can now also respond to them with an increase in pulse rate or activity.

Best Part of this Week: We started painting the nursery on Saturday!  (And by ‘we’ I mean Corey and my parents.)  

What I’m Looking Forward To: Showers, finishing the nursery, and childbirth classes.  I feel like these next three months are going to fly by!
Weekly Update

25 Weeks

October 8, 2012

My baby bump at 25 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I gained about .5 lbs this past week.  That means I’m only 2 lbs less than pre-pregnancy.

Movement:  Cullen is moving all over the place.  Sometimes I feel like he is kicking me in the bladder and the ribs at the same time

Boy or Girl? A sweet little Boy!!!

Food Cravings: Nothing this week.

How I’m Feeling: Very large! Haha…I do feel like I am growing very quickly these days.  I feel pretty much the same as last week.  Great over all with some minor hip and back pain.  I love being pregnant though!

Size of Baby: Eggplant (9 in, 1.7 lbs)  

Baby’s Development:  At nine inches and more than a pound and a half in weight, baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little juice boxes.  At this point, Baby’s skin is turning pinker because of capillaries forming under the skin.  Blood vessels are also developing in Baby’s lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity.  Baby’s nostrils have also started to open, allowing him to begin taking practice breaths.

Best Part of this Week: Both grandma’s got to feel Cullen kick for the first time this past week.  I love it!!!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Painting Cullen’s nursery and finishing his quilt.  Hopefully we can get those two things done in the next week or so.
Weekly Update

24 Weeks

October 2, 2012

My baby bump at 24 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I gained about 1.5 lbs this past week.  That means I’m only 2.5 lbs less than pre-pregnancy.

Movement:  Cullen moves all the time…especially when I’m trying to rest.  His kicks are getting stronger every day, too!

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: Nothing this week.

How I’m Feeling: Still pretty good.  Just the same ol’ hip and and back pain.  Nothing I can’t handle.  I think the nesting bug has hit as well.  We have gotten so much done at our house in the past week, and I haven’t dreaded it.

Size of Baby: Ear of Corn (8.5 in, 1.5 lbs)  

Baby’s Development:  Baby’s face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed.  What’s still missing is the fat that will be piled under baby’s skin.  That very tender skin is still very transparent until those fat deposits are made.  But that won’t last much longer.  At this stage, baby is gaining about 6 ounces each week.

Best Part of this Week: Corey and I had a fun mall date this week.  We did some shopping for ourselves and picked out Cullen’s going home outfit.

What I’m Looking Forward To: My 24 week appointment this next week.  I always love hearing our little one’s heartbeat!
Weekly Update

23 Weeks

September 26, 2012

My baby bump at 23 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: Gained one more pound this week!  That puts me back to being down only 4 lbs.  I feel like I am finally going in the right direction!

Movement:  Cullen moves all the time for me, especially early in the morning and later at night. I get to feel him kick all the time!  But, every time anyone else touches my belly, he stops moving.  Corey has only felt him twice.  Silly little Cullen, your grandmothers are ready to feel you move too!

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: We had our first late night run to get something to satisfy a craving.  Thursday afternoon, I all of a sudden really wanted a KFC biscuit.  Random.  I was able to hold off until after our hospital orientation that night, but Corey and I went through the KFC drive through on our way home to get two biscuits and a large side of mashed potatoes.  Not healthy at all, but it was delicious after dreaming about it all evening!

How I’m Feeling: Still pretty good.  Just the same ol’ hip and and back pain.  Nothing I can’t handle.  I think the nesting bug has hit as well.  We have gotten so much done at our house in the past week, and I haven’t dreaded it.

Size of Baby: Papaya (8 in, 1.2 lbs)  

Baby’s Development:  This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain.  Baby’s weight in the next four weeks alone should double.  We have heard baby’s heartbeat through a doppler several times, but by now we could also hear it through a standard stethoscope!

Best Part of this Week: Getting the house cleaned up and organized.  We have the nursery cleaned out, have put in our paint order, and should be able to start decorating soon!  It feels good to be working on preparing for this little one.

What I’m Looking Forward To: I am excited about all the things we have to do to get ready for Cullen’s arrival!
Weekly Update

22 Weeks

September 18, 2012

My baby bump at 22 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: Gained one pound this week!  That puts me back to being down only 5 lbs.

Movement:  Cullen is moving all the time and occasionally the movements are strong enough to feel on the outside.  My mom is anxiously waiting to feel him, but every time she puts her hand on my belly he stops moving.  Silly little boy!

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: Nothing really specific.  I just want to eat carbs and sweets though.  Definitely not a good thing.

How I’m Feeling: Other than the hip and lower back pain that seems to have permanently set in at this point, I’m feeling pretty great!

Size of Baby: Spaghetti Squash (8 in, 1 lb)  

Baby’s Development:  Baby is making more sense of the world as he develops the sense of touch.  In fact, his grip is quite developed by now – and since there’s nothing else to grab in utero, he may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord. Cullen is…we saw him holding onto and snuggling up to it at the last ultrasound.  So cute!  The sense of sight is also getting more developed.  He can now perceive light and dark much better than before.  The eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now, and hair is probably sprouting on his head.

Best Part of this Week: Getting to see our little boy again and finding out that everything is perfectly normal.  We had to go in for a level II ultrasound because the technician saw an EIF on his heart during the anatomy scan.  Everything measured normal at the follow-up ultrasound though, so no worries!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Getting Cullen’s nursery put together.  We almost have everything cleaned out, so we should be able to paint soon!
Letters to Baby

Dear Cullen,

September 17, 2012

I can call you by name now!  I am so excited that you are a little boy!  And Daddy and I have picked the perfect name for you.  Deciding on your name wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be.  As soon as we found out you are a boy and saw your sweet little face, we knew Cullen Todd was perfect.  I feel like it already suits you.

You are a wiggly little guy!  I feel your kicks, punches, and squirms all the time now.  And you would not be still at the ultrasound earlier this week.  They had a hard time getting a good picture of you because you wouldn’t stop moving; every time they would get to where we could see you, you moved again.  I don’t think you like having your picture taken.  You kept crossing your arms in front of your face and turning your face away from us…already just like your Daddy.  You better get used to it though; I will want to capture every moment once you get here.

I can’t believe you will be here in about four short months!  It is amazing how quickly time is passing.  Daddy and I have so much to do to get ready for you.  Right now we are working on getting every room in the house cleaned and organized so that we can really get started on your nursery.  I am excited about painting your room, setting up your furniture, and making your quilt.  It will all be uniquely you, and I can’t wait to see you in that room!

Keep growing healthy and strong, little one!  

Love,
Mommy

Weekly Update

21 Weeks

September 10, 2012

My baby bump at 21 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: No change this week.  I’m still down 6 lbs so far.

Movement:  Little Sprout has been really active lately, mostly in the afternoons and evenings.  And when I have on tighter pants…I don’t think he likes being squished.  Corey has even felt a kick already!

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: No real cravings at all.

How I’m Feeling: Wonderful except for being uncomfortable whenever I sit in the same spot for more than 10 minutes.  I was so squirmy during church yesterday…I thought Corey was going to kill me!

Size of Baby: Banana (7 in, 11 oz.)  Although our little boy weighed about 12 oz. at our ultrasound on Tuesday.

Baby’s Development:  Baby is now swallowing at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day (for hydration and nutrition as well as to practice swallowing and digesting.)  He also has very developed taste buds already.  With all the movement going on lately, its hard to believe it, but baby sleeps as much as 12 to 14 hours per day!

Best Part of this Week: Seeing our little boy!  It was so amazing to see that he is a boy and to see how much he has changed in the past 12 weeks.

What I’m Looking Forward To: We get to see our little boy again tomorrow.  There was something on our ultrasound last week that they want to follow up on.  I’m praying that everything is okay, but excited about the fact that we get to see him so soon.