An afternoon at the sunflower farm!

Michael and I decided somewhat on a whim to go visit a sunflower farm on Saturday afternoon. We saw a friend post about it on Facebook and I had never seen a huge field of them before....just kind of scattered on the sides of highways. They were stunning! It was only about a 20 min drive outside of Lawrence and it was free to go and take pictures. Here's a few Michael captured that I thought turned out pretty well:

If you live in the area, go check them out while they're in full bloom! So, so pretty in person. We had fun taking pictures and just taking in the sights of such a great big field of flowers. I'm impressed with myself I didn't freak out with the bees right next to my head. ;)

As I approach week 28 in pregnancy, I'm starting to really "feel" pregnant. It appears as though my belly has finally "popped" in the last couple of weeks. At my last doctor's appointment, I had mentioned having some pretty consistent hip/pelvic pain, and she suggested getting a pregnancy support belt. She said everything is starting to get heavier as my uterus and baby girl continue to grow and that puts pressure on those areas so I may find relief. So I may look into that as some days it gets rather sore!

How far along: 27 weeks 5 days

Baby is the size of a: head of cauliflower

Movement: tons! She loves to kick at night and after having something sweet. Normally she kicks pretty low but in the last day or two I've started to feel them higher. Not sure I'm ready for rib pain!

Cravings: Milk! Plain, in cereal, chocolate...I want it all. We're going through a lot more milk than we have in the past few months because of me. One of my healthier cravings, at least? Also really into caramel and sea salt & vinegar potato chips (though only with lunch, and only when accompanied by some sort of fruit and a sandwich).

Symptoms: Hip and pelvic soreness, increasing heartburn. It's manageable for the most part with zantac and tums. Taking a cue from my good friend and fellow pregnant lady, Emily, and stashing bottles in multiple places so I don't have to worry about being empty handed. Starting to slow down a bit from the energy high I had in second trimester. I'm much better than I was in first trimester, at least! The bump is starting to get more in the way. Bending over...shaving my legs...breathing...all things you kind of take for granted!

Best moment this week: It's a tie between a good check up at the dr's office and going out to take the sunflower pictures. I love that Michael got a couple good shots with my belly and that I finally look pregnant to most people, even outside of family and good friends, and not just "Did she have too many cheeseburgers or....?" 

Dad is: Ready to hold his baby girl! I told him he has to wait a few more weeks so she can continue to grow and be healthy. Most major stuff in the nursery is done-he did a great job yesterday organizing a big shipment of clothes his mom sent over earlier this week. SO many sweet handmade jumpers, dresses, and blankets for this baby girl! We're truly blessed with amazing family and friends who are helping us get ready for her arrival. 

Coming up: Michael's mom visits next weekend, and we're going to a 3d/4d ultrasound studio in Olathe so she can "see" her granddaughter live! What's really cool is that the studio has a link to the viewing so our family in NC can watch it too. I haven't seen a 4d image of her so I'm pretty excited to get a little bit better idea of what she looks like. I hope the weekend will also include some time hanging out with Michael's uncle and his family, good food, church, maybe some shopping, and rest. We also start a 5 week childbirth class at the hospital on Sept. 5th. This is getting really real!!

hi there!

So, it's been a while! Whoops. Life's been a little crazy this past month. At the end of June, we found out...

We are both extremely excited that we'll be welcoming our DAUGHTER to the world in November! I'm really looking forward to seeing her relationship with Michael develop. I love my dad to pieces and the father/daughter relationship is so special, so I'm thrilled for Michael that he gets the chance to have a daddy's girl. :) I'm finally getting adjusted to referring to her as a her. I can't wait to meet her! We're pretty sure we've decided on a name, but we're keeping it private just in case we change our minds. 

A few days after that, we moved to the other side of Lawrence. We love it out here! We moved in order to gain some more space-we now have three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a garage, and a basement. The basement isn't finished so we're using that for storage and Michael's arranged an extra couch and recliner down there for his man cave. Laundry is down there too, which is nice when I just want to dump it and run without it making a ton of noise where I am! Penny adjusted super quick to going upstairs to go to bed. The only slight downside is the lack of a fenced yard for her. We could put one in if we wanted to, but it would be small, she'd have to climb over rocks to get into it, and right now it just seems like a hassle. We'll re-evaluate after this winter. Right now we're just taking her on walks so she can do her business. She's a princess who doesn't like to "go" in her own yard, haha.

So the past month has been spent moving, unpacking, decorating, picking up some needed items for our new place (lawn mower, tv mount for the living room) and basically just adjusting to being in a new place. We've gotten a good start to baby girl's nursery, which is really exciting to see it come together! Michael painted an accent wall (below) and we've got the crib, changing table, and glider set up now. The bulk of what's left is to get some shelving for books we want to display, hang art work, get a dresser for her closet, and organize and find a home for all the smaller baby things. Not super worried, we'll get it done!

We moved on June 29th. The following Wednesday, Michael and I went to an EastLake staff retreat in KC. It was so much fun! My only regret was that I had to work the next day, July 4th, so we couldn't stay overnight. It was a much-needed chance to laugh and bond over yummy food (Drunken Fish!) and gear up for what was to come in the next week. My July 4th was pretty mild. I worked 7-3, then we had a neighborhood cook out in our driveway/our neighbor's driveway (we moved to a duplex). So.much.fun! We got to meet the couple across the street, who are really nice and TAR HEEL FANS!! WHAAAAT?! That was awesome. Pigged out on hamburgers, corn on the cob, Tiff's "pool" dip, Amanda's fourth of July berry kabobs, and then waddled inside after watching the boys launch their fire works.

July 6th was my friend Anna's wedding. We lucked out and had a mild Kansas summer day-those don't happen too often! She was married at the home of her now husband, outside by their pond. The ceremony was sweet and she was a beautiful bride. Anna was pretty sick leading up to and on her wedding day-one of the bridesmaids, Jessie, is a nurse and came to the rescue with an IV for her the morning of the wedding! I hope in a few years she can look back and laugh-that girl was determined to get married! ;) I'm so glad I got to be a part of her day and love seeing how happy she is. The only part that stinks is that she moved 40 minutes outside of Lawrence...but we'll make time to see each other.

The week after that, EastLake moved into its new home at the brand new Theater Lawrence building on the west side of town in front of Free State High School. The week leading up to that was intense with meetings, an open house, and finally, our debut on Sunday. It already feels like home and I can't WAIT to see this next chapter of our history unfold! Finally, a permanent space to call our home! It's an amazing feeling. An answered prayer. I also had a fun growth group that I led with my buddy Belinda over the summer. A group of gals got together on Tuesday nights and watched all the Twilight movies together. Lots of laughing, good snacks, good friends...what could be better? 

The week after we launched at Theater Lawrence, my dad and Vicky came to visit! We had SO much fun, it was great to see them! Last time we saw them was Christmas of 2012, and I left that visit with a stomach bug so this trip definitely made up for that. While they were here, they enjoyed the sights of Mass St by staying at the Eldridge Hotel. That was my first time in an actual room there and it was beautiful! Great views and opportunities for people watching. They took us shopping and generously purchased our stroller and car seat, some crib sheets, baby girl's first teddy bear, a swaddle blanket, a print for the nursery, and some adorable clothes. We felt really spoiled and lucky! They stayed for a few days and we went to see White House Down and Red 2 in the comfy theater in Olathe with recliners. There was lots of great food (The Roost downtown on Mass St has a great breakfast!) and good conversation. Michael grilled out one night and that was a lot of fun too. We were sad to see them go but hopefully they'll be back sometime this winter to see their new granddaughter! ;)

So I think that catches you up pretty much to the present day. My sweet friend Emily had a baby shower last Saturday that was hosted by our friends Pam and Amanda at the Lawrence arboretum. It was gorgeous-those girls REALLY know how to throw a party! Em is about 7 ish (I think?) weeks ahead of me and is just a stunningly beautiful pregnant woman. She has a heart of gold-the shower asked for donations so there was a nice sized pile of diapers and wipes to be donated to a local organization who needs them. So awesome! 

Michael has been at a conference in Santa Fe since Wednesday. It's been nice to have a little alone time but I'm ready for him to be back home! It's definitely made me appreciate how much he helps around the house. Taking Penny on walks 3-4x per day, keeping up with general cleaning, etc is a lot more tiring while 6 months pregnant. Today I went grocery shopping, did laundry, made a sauce for a honey mustard pork chop freezer meal I'm trying, took care of the animals, and I am spent! Tomorrow I'm going to a freezer swap and really excited to exchange meals! That will be so nice to have some things ready to go in the freezer for an easy supper. The pork chops I made are a crock pot meal and I really hope they turn out well. The sauce tasted decent to me so here's hoping!

Annnnd I think that's all for now, folks! For those keeping track, I'm now 25 weeks pregnant. Feeling pretty good overall. More energy and less nausea are really great things. Starting to get a little more heartburn and sore, pelvic aches, but nothing extreme. A hot shower, heating pad, and my snoogle (ridiculously awesome pregnancy pillow) are my best friends. Been craving caramel lately...sea salt caramels and caramel frappuccinos in particular. Also strawberry yogurt, which is nice because for the longest time even the thought of yogurt made me sick. Plugging right along and almost in third trimester...holy crap! :)