Growing Belly 21-28 weeks

Whew! A lot has happened in the last 8 weeks! Mr. Raleigh has grown quite a bit... and apparently so have I! So here is the recap:

Late night shot in my pjs! 

After a delicious sushi dinner! (Don't worry... I stuck with tempura!)

This week Nathan was out of town... He had the opportunity to go to a huge church planting conference! Also, I NEVER show my bare belly but I was shocked how much my body had changed! Pardon my pasty whiteness! ;)

Feeling good and clearly rocking a preggo belly! Yay. 

25 weeks and wearing my $12 maternity dress from Kohl's! Love that place. 

Tired but thankfully not sick! 

Not sure what I was doing with my face..... but this was the best one! Lol

Annnnnnnd 28 weeks! Officially in my third trimester! How did that happen so quickly!? 

I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is wrapping up. I'm just praying that I continue to feel well and that this heat/humidity will be nice to me! Raleigh is a big boy and we're grateful he is growing and is healthy! With our last ultrasound at 28 weeks we were told he is in the 89% for growth and is estimated to weigh 3lbs already! Crazy. 

Next time I'd better not wait 8 weeks to post my growth... I may just have a baby by then!!! Holy moly, what a thought!

 

A Simple Gesture

My husband is in no way the most affectionate man. Many times he has to work at showing me love the way I need it. It's been something that he has continued to work on throughout our marriage because he knows how much a kiss or hug means to me! 

Tonight he out did himself. The sweetest thing this pregnant wife needed was some simple reassurance about this incredibly different yet amazing time in my life. I've realized more and more these last 29 weeks that my body is no longer "mine". I have no control over how it grows! I can't control this baby growing in me! I can't control how my body reacts to these changes. In the last few days I have gotten serious stretch marks. They aren't pretty. They certainly don't make me feel pretty! My sweet, sweet husband without thought just leaned over and kissed my growing belly. This time not because our son is in there, but this time because he can see the outward toll my body is taking! He asked me, "do they hurt?" Which thankfully they do not. He gently rubbed the bio oil (which I've been using, apparently in vain) & made me feel like I was pretty again. They didn't scare him or turn him away. They represent something bigger... something he can't do without me! The are my battle scars. In the end they will be worth it and to know that my husband loves me regardless is the best part. 

Sometimes I'm just a silly girl and I guess I just need to be reminded of such things! 

What's in a name?

People have asked us where we came up with the name Raleigh James. Honestly it just came to us! We knew we wanted to carry on the name "James"... that's Nathan's first name, it was his dad's name and his dad's. 

As for Raleigh, it's the place where we had our first home together. It's in the state where we met, fell in love & got married! After some research I am even more pleased with his name. 

The name Raleigh originates from Old English, it's literal meaning is "from the deer meadow" (kind of appropriate for the son of an outdoorsmen!) and its spiritual connotation is "excellent worth"! I love that. James is Hebrew for "supplanter" and the spiritual connotation is "nurtured". A fun fact? Sir Walter Raleigh was known as Queen Elizabeth's favorite! No pressure for naming our future kids, right!? 

We can't wait to meet our baby boy, Raleigh James Price. 

True Life: Pregnancy has turned me into a toddler...

I have acted like a child! I blame the hormones.
Here's what happened...

It's 10:50pm on a Saturday night:
I turned to Nathan and said, I need french fries!
He looked at me like I was crazy.
I seriously needed them.
He said, "No... it's too late and it's raining. I'm not getting you french fries! You have plenty of food here!"
This is when I proceeded to burst into tears and reply with something like........ "WHY does everyone else's husband get them food when their pregnant wife wants something except YOU!?!"  
Yeah. I'm not proud of the way I behaved... but that's real life my friends!
Thank goodness that Nathan dug through our freezer & found some french fries. He is baking them for me now!

Pregnancy is a funny thing... I'm pretty sure motherhood will come with plenty of embarrassing stories too! Please laugh with me. It's all I can do!

Growing Belly! 17-20 weeks

Well, I don't exactly feel adorable in these pictures... but I think it's important to mark little mister's growth! Soooooo here it is!

I'm not sure why I looked so big this particular evening! BUT I sure did.

Whew. Sorry about my posture! Clearly I was tired. 

A guest appearance by Twix Hux! We're loving dog sitting for him.

Whoohoo! Half way mark! Feeling good & loving the 2nd trimester!

I am understanding why they call the 2nd trimester the "honeymoon period". I'm feeling Raleigh move everyday. I'm not super uncomfortable. I have more energy and I'm not sick! I'm savoring these moments and realizing... this is quickly coming to an end & soon we'll get to meet our little boy. Amazing.
Just for fun... look how 10 weeks can make a difference!

Thanks prenatal vitamins, my hair has grown a lot in ten weeks!! 

Daddy's Hand Me Downs!

It's been an eventful week! We celebrated the 20 week mark on Thursday! It was a special Thursday, because that night Raleigh let his Daddy feel him kick!! I've been feeling his little thumps for almost 2 weeks now and it's always incredible! I loved watching Nathan feel it. Melted my heart. Of course my husband being who he is... compared this little thump to the thud of a bass hitting the rig! Oh I how love that man! (He is ALL man!)

Friday night my mother in law, Carol, arrived. It's been such a great weekend just resting with her and having outings! Being the wonderful grandma she is, she brought a few gifts for baby Raleigh! I love them so much because they are Nathan's sweet baby clothes!! I love love love the idea of our little boy wearing his Daddy's clothes!

How sweet is this onesie? It's almost 31 years old. Thank goodness for bleach! 

 

I love the sweet details.

The little snap buttons! 

 

Here is a bib that one of Carol's coworkers made her.

Hand stitched with love! How many people have these?!

Seersucker overalls!! Be still my heart!

I can't believe my hubby once wore this!

This pillow hung in Nathan's nursery...

Now it hangs in Raleigh's!

One other thing Carol brought was new. I LOVE it! When Nathan and I got engaged she gave me Nathan's baby bonnet which came with a poem.

  "A tiny square of linen,
And a dainty edge of lace,
Designed into a bonnet
To frame a Baby's face.
   After Baby's worn it
Fold and tuck away.
It will become a hanky
For Baby's Wedding Day.
   If the Baby is a boy,
On the day he should marry,
This will be "something old "
For his joyful Bride to carry."

This is Nathan's baby bonnet. I had it wrapped around my bouquet...

& I proudly carried it on my wedding day.

She bought our Raleigh his very own baby bonnet! It is incredible to think that one day this little boy growing inside of me will one day grow up and lead a family of his own! Amazing. I will be proud to have my daughter in law carry his bonnet one day!

Raleigh's sweet baby bonnet!

The more the days pass by and turns to weeks, the reality that settles in! The weight of our responsibility is sinking in. We pray for Raleigh daily and not just that he is being knitted together in my womb and will be a healthy baby boy. No, but for the more important aspect of his little life. That he would come to know the Lord. That he would grow up to be a Godly man who loves the Lord and honors Him. That he would love and lead his family well. That is our prayer!

Popcorn & Progress

Mr. Raleigh is growing everyday. I can feel him moving more and more. It's usually when I'm still... which this past weekend wasn't very much!! It feels like popcorn popping... or a little thump thump thump from the inside out! I love it. It's pretty bizarre and awesome!

In other news we finally got Raleigh's crib out of our living room! Consequently we have a desk in our living room now. One step at a time! I must admit... I had a bit of inspiration for working on Mr. Raleigh's room...

You see, my sweet friend Melodie has been preggo friend down here. I've loved every minute of it!! BUT she is no longer pregnant. Her sweet baby girl decided to grace the world with her presence today! She had us all fooled... considering she wasn't due for another 3.5 weeks! Just yesterday Mel was telling me she thought Honor would arrive late. I said, "Oh! You think you'll have a May baby!?" little did we know! I guess I realized today how quickly pregnancy flies by! I feel like just yesterday Mel was telling me she was pregnant... now she's a mommy of a beautiful baby girl! Before I know it, I'll have a baby boy in my arms and my life will forever be changed too. Happy Birthday Honor Adele Hux, I can't wait to introduce you to your sure to be friend Raleigh James Price!