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!!