31 Weeks and two showers around the corner

Today marks my 31st week of being pregnant...which is a week away from 8 months! These past few weeks I have noticed a major difference in her kicking...Wow, what a punch she has! My belly has really started to stick out and take on some major movements as she plays around in there. I just can't explain the experience this has been.
So here we are at the end of September, with less than 2 months left to go, and this weekend I am getting showered with gifts! Saturday I have a shower at my house with all of my girlfriends. I am so excited about this one because I know that it's going to be a blast! Then Sunday, Don's Family is giving me a shower in the afternoon. I can't wait to see all the many gifts that everyone has gotten for our new little baby on the way! Don and I are so blessed to have such great friends and family willing to help out in our lives!
As many of you know that Don and I were not planning on having children for a few more years, so the news of us being pregnant really hit me hard. I have to admit, I really struggled. I struggled with the timing, with our finances, with the size of our home, just asking God why now. I even began to question God, but as we all know..He knows what he is doing. It really took me a while before I could say to myself, God is in control of this..not you Alison! So I stared to pray that God would change my attitude towards this situation. That he would replace my fears, questions, and doubts with excitement, joy, and love. And thank goodness he has started to answer my prayers!

Week 30

photo by: a.nation

Here we are at 30 weeks, only 10 more (or less) to go!!! WOW!!! Talk about a crazy feeling, to think that she will be here soon! Be praying for us as we quickly approach the end.

Week 29

Here I am again at my weekly post with another photo. Man how I am growing!!! This week, Baby Nation can be as tall as 17 inches and can weigh nearly 3 pounds. Though already coming pretty close of her ultimate birth length, she still has lots to gain. Over the next 11 weeks, Baby Nation comes close to tripling in her weight. Much of her weight will come from the fat accumulating under her skin, and as she plumps up, the room in my womb will start to fell a little cramped. Making it less likely that I'll feel hard kicks, and more likely that I'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows ad knees. By the end of this month, my baby's home can be felt around 4.5 inches above my belly button!
Due to my husband being a police officer and his crazy schedule, we are unable to attend any 6 week long classes. But, tomorrow at the hospital where I'm going to deliver, Erlanger Women's East, they offer an all day crash course in Lamaze. So, we have signed up for this class and I am excited to get there and learn all about this birthing stuff. Wish us luck as we tackle "going back to school."

7 months today!

Today marks the 7 month "milestone." With only 2 more months to go, I am finally starting to get a little excitement in my heart. "Thank you Lord!" I guess I am realizing that this is a situation that can not be changed, so I need to just make the best of it and enjoy it before the moment is gone.
This week Baby Nation graduates to a new growth chart, measuring head to toe in length. She is about 15 inches long (over a foot!!!) and is weighing a little over 2 pounds. She has been overly active the last few days and I am starting to think how I will miss her little tumbles in my belly once she gets here. What a crazy feeling being pregnant is!
My next appointment is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8th at 10am. At this visit I am having a sugar test done, along with a RhoGam shot. Needless to say that I am nervous about this one! For those of you who do not know what a RhoGam shot is; it is a shot that is given to a mother at 27 weeks and also at time of birth. This is done if the mother has a negative blood type and the father is a positive blood type, which could cause the baby to have a positive blood type. The shot is a precausion to the mother and any future baby to prevent the antibodies from treating the baby as an intruder and attacking it. So please pray for us as we go in for this appointment.
On a lighter note...I am approaching the point in my pregnancy where if I wanted to have a 3D Ultrasound done, we could schedule it within the next couple weeks. This is something that Don and I have discussed and decided not to do, due to insurance not paying for this procedure. A really good friend of mine, Jessica Winn Lillard, knew about the situation and wanted to be a DEAR friend. She has announced that she wants to take care of this ultrasound as a shower gift, so Don and I can experience this magical moment as parents!!!
Thank you so much Jess! You are such an amazing friend!!!