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.

24 Weeks

WOAH! Where has the time gone... I have been trying to get on here for WEEKS!

It has been a little more than a month since I have been on and SO much is changing. Let me go back a few weeks:

19 Weeks
This was the big week we found out we are having a baby girl! That was such a momentous moment that it's hard to remember if anything else happened that week. I can tell you that we have been so blessed to actually KNOW that we are having a baby girl. We call her by her name all the time and refer to things as hers, such as, "Alyssa's room." We wonder who SHE will be and how HER quirks are going to add to our family. It's funny how much changes when you know the gender and name. She is already HER unique self and we love HER to pieces.

This isn't to say we know 100% she is a girl... because there is always that chance we are really having a boy. But we are OK with that. We are actually expecting to ask "Is it a GIRL?" when she is just born. We would be surprised if we are really having a boy. But we wouldn't be shocked. The Lord knows and that's all that matters :)

20 Weeks
This week I noticed that Alyssa gets uncomfortable when I "push it". If I find myself going-going-going I can tell she gets fatigued by it. And she doesn't like it when I squat for gardening, she gets a little too squished. I have had to learn my limits with energy and with a growing belly. All such interesting and new things.

Also, she had one kicking spree this week that actually woke me up out of a dead sleep. She wouldn't stop and I actually had to get up, have a snack and go back to bed before she settled down. Overall I think she lasted an hour. What a funny girl.... hopefully not a sign of our future nights with her. :-/

21 Weeks
We had another Dr's appointment this week. He went over our ultrasound information from a few weeks ago and he said everything looks great! Alyssa is absolutely healthy and perfect!

22 Weeks
This is the week I discovered the sorrows of acid reflux. I had been noticing that I can't spend very much time bending over because of my belly getting in the way but then I began to notice I get acid reflux. At first it was barely noticeable. If I sensed it happening I would slow down and be fine. But within this week I realized that I really can't spend anytime bending over. I told my doctor about it at our last appointment and he warned me to take it easy. He said that it's happening because as Alyssa grows my stomach is being pushed out of the way and is actually turning sideways! The naturally gravity to keep things down is diminishing. FUN isn't it?? But overall my health has been great and I can't complain about any of the changes. I am just glad she keeps growing healthy and strong.

23 Weeks
Alyssa must be growing leeps and bounds because my tummy has hit a growth spurt. I feel like I woke up one day and there was a prego belly. I have gone maternity shopping a couple times now and have stocked up on all-things elastic-waisted.

24 Weeks - TODAY
Just the last 24 hours have been enough to write a whole separate blog entry on! Alyssa has been so interesting lately. She has been kicking up a STORM and has even (dare I say) gotten a little annoying about it sometimes :) Today she kept kicking in the same spot over and over, I'm pretty sure my insides are bruised. But I would rather her kick to constantly and know that she is so strong than to wonder how she is doing in there.

Yesterday was such a crazy day too! It was mother's day. After church we went to celebrate our brother-in-laws bday (it happened to be on Mother's day this year) and then went home to take a nap in the lawn. I set out our picnic sheet and laid down in the sun. Then Alyssa started kicking. I was laying on my back so her kicks were feeling very strong. I sometimes poke her back but never really feel like I am making any contact. But yesterday I felt her! There was a hard spot right where she was kicking and then it moved... so I started to poke around my belly and found it again! I think it was her foot or something. I had Matt touch my tummy and he felt it too. I began to poke all around my belly and found 2 other hard spots, one I think was her head and the other her butt... not sure what was what. But based on the foot we found I'm certain thats how she was laying. It was one of the coolest (and creepiest) moments with her so far. It made all this feel so real. I loved it. Sometimes it's hard to believe that she is REALLY IN THERE, but she certainly is!

Thank you all for keeping up with us. We love know that our friends and family are on this journey supporting us. We couldn't walk down this path with you. We also know with 100% certainty that our Lord has so intricately planned this path we are on, we are so grateful for his abundant grace and provision. Our faith is in Him and all we want is His will in our lives, and in Alyssa's too. Without Him we are nothing. Colossians 1:15-17 says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for how He has gone before us to pave a way and has held us together with each step we take.

"Lord, we love you and praise your name. Have your way in our lives as long as you are glorified."