Week 28 and growing!

Wow! So it's been a few weeks since I've taken a belly picture. We've been busy and I guess after 28 weeks of being pregnant is life now so I've slacked a little on documenting every single change. But never fear....just when you start to let things slide your dear husband can remind you of them quickly. This week I was getting ready one morning in the bathroom in just a bra and panties. Sorry for those of you who are freaked out by that image but it's the only way I can bear to dry my hair these days. It's just too much dang heat for a pregnant girl to handle.


So there I am drying my hair and Jared comes in and says "Babe, turn sideways". I guess I thought he was showing me something was on me or something. I don't know. Anyway, I turned sideways and sat the dryer down. Before I could ask questions Jared said "Wow, you've gotten big this week!" It was at that point that I realized maybe I hadn't turned sideways in a while. And as much as I wanted to argue with him, I could clearly see...he was RIGHT! OMG...how did I miss that? And to make things even better I mumbled "Well, at least you didn't say my butt has gotten bigger" to which he laughed and replied "no way babe...it's always been that big". WHAT? I swung at him but of course he was already out of the room by then. The only thing that saved him was that I convinced myself he was just joking....surely he was right? haha


his prompted me to weigh myself which I also hadn't done in a while. Currently at plus 15 pounds. Yeppers...but my doctor and all of the books say I can be at 17-22 lbs at this point and still be good. Honestly though, I don't know how I'm not a freakin whale. I eat whatever I want. I just didn't want to become consumed with every single bite I take. I've never been into eating tree bark and I didn't think being pregnant was the time to try and find the willpower to do so. However, there are times I rethink this method after I've pigged out....like last night after we ate Mexican food and I was miserable. But dang it was good! So here is a picture of me...full of Mexican food, 28 weeks pregnant and carrying around 15 extra pounds:
As you can see I still need to finish the nursery. We've been working outside, building shutters and watering 24/7 to keep everything we've planted alive but I swear this weekend I will finish the painting. I just need to touch things up. And then I can start buying stuff to put on her walls! Only 11 more weeks....

July 4th

What a great weekend. I love July 4th! Summer is my favorite time of year and the 4th always means friends, family, and food! What more could a girl want? Especially a pregnant girl. Friday I ran errands because Jared had to work so Saturday and Sunday were our fun days. Saturday Mom, Sara and her kids, me and my sweet little Grandpa went to the Bennington, OK Homecoming parade. Yes it was 102 degrees but it was still fun! And it's tradition. My Grandpa used to take Sara and I and we even rode our horses in the parade for years. However, now that he's 90 years old we have resorted to just watching.


The kids loved the parade even though Amarah thought the "Po Po's noise was too loud!" The city police blew their sirens to start the parade and Amarah was not excited about that. Once that passed, and the floats started throwing candy....it was all okay. This picture is Gavin and Amarah waiting on the parade to start. As usual Gavin is smiling while Amarah was saying "I dont want my picture taken!".
To pass time I decided to let Gavin attempt taking a picture of me and Sara. Which was a new task to him. And to my amazement after only three tries he snapped this one. He was a quick study...our biggest obstacle was his fingers over the lens. I actually think this is a pretty good picture and I love that Gavin took it. Even though he's not as snuggly as he used to be he's still my little buddy!

Here's a picture of my 90 year old Grandpa and my mom while we were waiting on the BBQ to get served. Don't let the cane fool you. He was working his social skills. He knew practically everyone there and their kids and grandkids. I love to watch him in action!

I also insisted Sara pose for a full body sister pic with me. My mom has one in my baby book of her pregnant when she was pregnant with me standing beside my aunt. I look twice Sara's size in this pic but I know how cool I think the pic is of my mom and aunt in my babybook. So...baby Hicks this is for you to look at one day.

Saturday night Jared and I went to our friend's - The Trainor's - and had a super great time. There were hamburgers, volleyball games, slip and slide entertainment by the kids, fireworks, and a ton of fun all night long. They are great friends and we always enjoy getting to spend time with them. I don't have any pics from then probably because I had food in my hand the entire time! Amber you are a great host!

Sunday Jared and I took advantage of the cloudy drizzly morning we were blessed with and slept late. It was super nice. I can't remember the last morning we had like that. As a result we didn't get much done the rest of the day. I cleaned the house, we went and got groceries and then grilled and ended the night with a movie. So all in all it turned out to be a great weekend. I know Jared always has a project to do and hates to "waste a weekend" but I really enjoyed spendind the day with him. He doesn't know how much it helps a pregnant girl to have someone go grocery shopping with her!

Week 26

26 weeks...and I've been feeling super great. Yeah, I fall asleep every time I sit down on the couch but as long as I stay up and keep moving I'm good. I have noticed that I don't sleep quiet as good at night but it's not too bad. Really no explanation but I'll chalk part of it up to the baby that kicks me constantly! Other than that, a pretty routine week. I did take the glucose test last Wednesday and passed it, but only with a B+ according to my Dr. It was not pleasant and I felt like I was drinking a gallon of bitter cough syrup. But I survived and I passed…those were my two goals! I’m a little anemic but not severely so no iron pills for me. Thank you Jesus...I hear those are rough on the tummy.

And I'm at plus 12 lbs now! It’s so weird how you can get bigger in such a short amount of time. It blows my mind. Some days I look in the mirror and think yeah I’m bigger and then I look in the mirror again a few days later and I’m like “Woah! When did I get so big?” How can your own body can change so much and you don’t even realize it?

And then the funny thing is even though I look at myself and can see how much my body has changed, at my Dr appointment this week, the nurse asked me what symptoms I was having once she got to me back into the room. Not thinking about it I said….“No symptoms I’ve been feeling great”. She looked at me with a weird face and then said “Oh…are you pregnant?” Ummm….yes! I’ve been coming here every month since January. I laughed at her mistake and then listened to her tell me about how she gained 60 lbs with both of her babies. I haven’t obsessed about my weight but I do get on the scale every week. I’ve felt good and haven’t had any problems so I pretty much have continued to eat what I feel like….which sometimes is everything!

So far, I can still wear most of my pre-pregnancy shirts. But as you can see in this pic...they are getting a little snug! On the other hand, I've been in stretchy pants since week 14 and I love them. It's sad yes, but they are soooo comfy.

I really like this picture and am so glad we took it. We were headed to a family reunion Sat so we took a quick picture on our back porch. Jared has been super good about taking pictures since I’ve been pregnant. Before he hated a photo shoot but apparently he’s already wrapped around her little finger so all I have to do is say that I want a picture for her baby book. Dang, the things a little girl can get her Daddy to do! And check out my palm tree behind us. I’ve managed to keep it alive and kicking for about 2 months now. I love being outside and even though I sweat when I'm doing it I still love working in the yard. We've nearly gotten the yard whipped into shape. I'll post pictures of our progress soon!

Girl Time with Amarah

This post is random but I loved these pictures. Sunday my dad and stepmom, Sara and Jesse and their kids came over for a "Father's Day" cookout. We ate and played outside and when the boys decided to go fishing, Sara and I bribed Amarah to stay at the house and do "girl things". Well of course this meant some finger and toe nail painting!

I love this picture of me and Amarah. She has always been Ms Independent so any time she climbs up in my lap I soak it up. This picture is one of the few I have with her. She sat perfectly still and let me paint her nails and then said "do my toes too!". She also was cracking me up because she kept saying "I am sitting on baby cousin" the whole time because she was sitting in my lap. HA!

This is a picture of the drying process....I told her to sit still and not touch anything...which she did a great job of. And we had been outside all afternoon so pardon the sweaty, dirty little face here.

And here Amarah is checking to see if they are dry...and about 2 seconds after this picture she was off to play again.

I can't wait for "Baby Cousin" to get here so Amarah can do girlie things with her when she's big enough. Although I'm already nervous about what they will be like as teenagers!!

Family Pictures

We had family pictures done last week with Jared's parents and siblings. I am soooo glad we did it and they turned out great! I know these are only proofs that I copied from the website but I will replace them with the real ones once we place an order. I just couldn't wait to get them up to share. We did them at a friend's house who has an amazing yard....and he provided plenty of entertainment to make sure we were smiling during the shoot. Thanks Mark! Here are my favorites and there are many more but I'll post them in a week or so when I get my order in! I can't wait...

Week 24 - Decorating the Baby Room

Things keep getting more exciting! Yesterday after church we took a nap and I woke up to Baby Girl Hicks doing what felt like kick boxing in my stomach. So even though Jared has felt her move before, I pulled his hand over to my stomach. Finally...perfect timing! She punched super hard several times and his face was priceless. When she stopped with wide eyes he said "Wow, that was hard!" Before he had felt her move but it was my whole stomach but this past week I have noticed that I can feel sharper jabs/kicks so it feels way more intense. And it's in a specific area instead of my entire stomach moving. I'm so glad he finally felt his little girl moving around in there. He was super excited and I love that he told everyone we saw the rest of the day. I can't wait to see his face once she is finally here! Only 15 1/2 more weeks!!

And the earlier part of the week was just as good....The bedding we picked out came so Jared and I worked on picking out paint colors and decided on how we wanted to paint the nursery. I was unaware that Lowe's had 5 million shades of pink! Luckily after looking at what seemed like every single shade, we decided on Magic Wand Pink, Cosmic Pink and Chocolate Milk....and yes, I probably chose them because of their names. But Jared likes them too so we started working on the nursery this weekend....

Should have warned you...it's bright! And after we painted this first wall Jared commented that he thinks it looks like we are about to give birth to Barbie. HAHA! Don't worry...I've warned him that the pink is just begining! And he was right there beside me helping the entire time so I know he likes it too. And more good news, Amarah was over Sunday night and she approves of "Baby Cousin's" room...although she didn't quiet understand why there were no toys for baby cousin in the closet.

Week 23 - June 3, 2009

This week has been a great one. I'm feeling really good and am not near as tired as I have been. Every night this week Jared and I worked in the yard. We planted shrubs, put out mulch and worked on landscaping around the house. The back porch is our favorite place right now and we grill and eat out there pretty regular. It hasn't been too hot in the evenings and the hummingbirds have been out in full force. I'm soaking it up because I know later this summer when I'm a good 8 or 9 months pregnant, I'll probably die at the thought of having to be outside. So far....this is what the yard looks like! It's a work in progress. Notice the sod around the house and the dirt we have for the rest of the yard!

The best part of this week was Jared and I picked out the baby bedding! I'm so excited. We looked online and we both agreed on the same one in no time. Way easier than I thought it was going to be! I love the colors and Jared likes that it's not too frilly. It was torture waiting on it to arrive in the mail and Jared was at home when they delivered it but he was super sweet and waited for me to get home to open it. We love it and can't wait to decorate the rest of the room to match it!

Oh and the email that I get each week says this week the baby is the size of a mango so Marla has been calling her baby Mango. I have not weighed this week...I'm holding out. But I do know each time I look in the mirror baby mango looks like she's taking up more and more room in there. And she still moves around like crazy. I can feel her kicking all during the day now. But that's alright...I like knowing she's okay!