32 Weeks

This week has been so very interesting. I am beginning to feel more pregnant and have started to do a lot of waddling. But at the same I still don't feel as pregnant as I though I should at 8 months.
Every night for the past 3 nights Matt and I have gone for some good walks and I am really thankful for that. First, it gives us a chance to chat about life. Second, it gets me off my rump :) Its getting harder to feel motivated to move around a lot and these walks help keep me going. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable in a variety of ways but walking really has been helping.
Alyssa is still moving a lot and getting hiccups every day. We think we can now tell which direction she is laying based on where the kicks and hiccups come from. Also, my tummy gets really lopsided sometimes and we can almost tell which bump is her head and which one is her body. That's a very recent thing for us and it is really exciting! But even through all this its still hard to believe there really is our baby in there. Can't wait to meet her and see her face!!
Stay tubed for more updates.
Less than 8 weeks!!!

Alyssa's Room - In Progress

We have already done a lot already in preparing Alyssa's room. Here is a peek at our progress...

Check list:

Walls painted

Curtains up

Shelves up

Dresser remodeled

Bed built

Blanket-crib (family heirloom) cleaned and decor'ed

Bassinet built

Bouncer built

Paper lanterns hung

Closet remodeled

Bed made

Mobile set

Baby Showers

Here are some pics from our first 2 showers

Rimkus-Bussell Shower (Mary's Mom's side)

The lovely ladies who blessed us! 

Sister-Love :) This is my older sister Katie 

Praying for Alyssa!

Till-Houston Shower (Matt's Side)

Adorable decor/gifts!

Diapers and wipes... what more do we need???

Almost lost it with this precious gift; a blanket made by Matt's Grandma Marilyn. Alyssa's middle name will be Marilyn (which is also Matt's mom's middle name). While battling cancer Grandma Marilyn made this blanket to give to her coming grandchild (Matt). Now her great-granddaughter and namesake will get to enjoy it!

The fun bunch! So thankful for their love. 

The amazing hosts!!

Baby Bumps

Finally updated some of those belly shots... she is getting big! :)

Review: February 20 // 12 Weeks // 3 Months



Review: March 20 // 16 Weeks // 4 Months



Review: April 3 // 18 Weeks // 4.5 Months



May 6 // 23 Weeks // 6 Months



June 10 // 28 Weeks // 7 Months



July 8 // 32 Weeks // 8 MONTHS

25 - 31 Weeks

What a whirl wind! I can't believe our last post was 7 weeks ago. It doesn't feel like time has flown but I guess it has!

25 // Bussell-Rimkus Baby Shower!
We had our first shower with my mom's side of the family and it was simply delightful. We had delicious food, great company and SOOO many cute little outfits, books and gifts for Alyssa. We were floored by the generosity and can't wait to see our little girl dressed up in all those cute things :) It was held at Illinois Beach State Park and the weather was amazing. We got to go outside for some beach pics which was perfect. Thanks to my mom, sister and aunts who made the day so special!

26- 28 Weeks

These weeks are slowly beginning to blur together. Mainly because I felt like there wasn't anything monumental going on. I felt like I had a great amount of energy... and so did Alyssa (so much kicking and rolling).
I truly have no huge complaints about being pregnant. My feet hurt (but not unbearable), I go to the bathroom all the time (but it reminds me to hydrate), I get leg cramps while sleeping (but I usually sleep well otherwise) and I get winded more easily (but it helps me to slow down and rest, which we all need a little more of). The only stand-out health issue I have had is getting colds/sinus infections. By 28 weeks I was on my 3rd cold and was getting tired of not being able to do much about it. I let it linger for about 2 weeks before getting on a RX, which cleared it up. But my sinuses were killing me, I felt like I was punched in the face. Can't wait to have my immune system back. That was about the extent of these weeks, we were really getting into a good routine of being pregnant and getting ready for a baby.

29 Weeks // THIRD TRIMESTER

This was a big week for us. First, we entered our 3rd trimester! It came without us realizing it was already here. I'm glad for the surprise entry into this new milestone because that means I am keeping busy enough to not feel like the days are so slowly ticking by. But it did give me a reality check that Alyssa will be coming soon. 

Second, we had our Dr appointment and found out we are moving our appointments to every 2 weeks. The appointment itself was smooth, Alyssa is healthy and I'm holding up pretty well :) Our Dr. did tell us that we need to start "counting kicks". Meaning we need to make sure she is kicking at least 6 times every 2 hours. He doesn't want us to take literal notes on it but just to make sure she is kicking more and more. 

And third, this was the week of Summer Day Camp (VBS) at our church. I had an absolutely amazing team to work with but it was still a very busy week! Overall it was a great week though; I had loads of energy, never felt very ill or uncomfortable and Alyssa seemed to not miss a beat with her moving and kicking. The only thing was that I was on my feet walking around a lot and was starting to really waddle and feel large... but otherwise I felt great! 

30 // Till-Houston Baby Shower! 

All this week I spent doing Alyssa's laundry, remodeling her dresser and buying stuff at Ikea for her room :) I thought after camp I would be SO wiped but the opposite happened. I had SOO much energy, I was waking up at 5:45 consistently and couldn't explain it. I know, I know... it's called nesting. But after a whole week at camp I was shocked I had that kind of energy and ambition. I praise the Lord for it because I was feeling very caught up with preparing for her. 

And to top it all off we had our 2nd shower! I had such a great time and felt so totally blessed by all the love. Colleen (mom-in-law) & Amanda (sis-in-law) did a fantastic job making everything so cute and meaningful. After spending so much time preparing and running camp I was so looking forward to a week focused on preparing for Alyssa. And this shower was the icing on the cake!! So so so blessed and thankful!

31 Weeks
Ever since our Dr. told us to start counting kicks Alyssa has been kicking up a storm! And it has been such different kicks then what we were experiencing. Dr. told us we would notice a change, that her kicks would seem more calculated and on more of a schedule. And like clock-work BAM she is moving in all different ways than before. There is less jabbing and more stretching, pushing and shoving. Sometimes she will really get rocking and jabby but mostly its pretty calculated movements it seems. She has also started to get hiccups regularly. I didn't realize what they were at first. But there is no denying those cute little bump-bump-bumps. I love them because they let me know she is doing ok.
I have also been noticing braxtin hicks contractions. They don't come frequent but I definitely notice them now. Apparently I have had them all along but haven't been able to notice them until now... at least thats what the experts say. They have been a friendly reminder that labor and delivery are just around the corner, which sometimes scares me but mainly pushes me to prayer :)

Well, thats all for now. Soon I will post new prego belly shots, room updates and I have a few things that have been floating in my mind that I would love to share with you all.

Thanks again for your love, support and prayers! We so appreciate all of you!!!

Grace and Peace.

New updates coming soon

Hey friends.
I just downloaded an app on my phone that allows me to post new entries to the blog! This is very handy.
I am currently writing a massive update spanning many weeks and can't wait to share it with you. Check back soon for the new post.