31 WEEKS

So once again sorry for the lack of posts. I have had kind of an off week. Kenny and I got home from an amazing but very quick Christmas holiday and then Kenny went out of town for the rest of the week for work. Normally I enjoy the time spent alone when he is away for business but this week I was just antsy without him. I think it is because we had some stuff that needed to get done like a HUGE grocery shopping trip because we have ZERO food in the house and the Christmas decorations needed to get taken down and I just can't do that stuff by myself or at all these days. Which leaves me feeling helpless and frustrated.

But never fear he is conquering that ginormous grocery list for me today and we both have opted to order take in tonight and watch movies which sounds perfect to me. I am making a big lunch for the Gator Bowl tomorrow. Go Dawgs!!

But we did have a great Christmas full of family, food and lots of gifts. We got a new camera so hopefully the pictures I post on here will get better in quality. And Elle even got some Christmas presents to!!

So here is the belated update for this week!

31 WEEKS

How far along? 31 weeks and 5 days. The baby weighs 3.9 lbs is 19 inches long and is still the size of a head of lettuce according to my app.

Total weight gain/loss? UNKNOWN. Does it really matter at this point. I think to avoid the stress and pressure I am going to start doing my weigh ins facing away from the scale. It is not so much the total gained as it is the numbers I am reaching that I have never seen before in my life!

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Sleep? What is that? Not sleeping much at all. In fact last night I would say I got about two hours after getting up every few minutes to pee or walk off a muscle spasm because I did not want it to turn into an actual cramp. These leg cramps y'all are the WORST symptom of pregnancy for me. So painful and don't let up. I get so nervous that I am about to have one that it kind of sends me into a panic attack. Yikes.

On a side note at some point last night I started watching this movie with Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallon...it was so random...called Rhinestone. Have yall ever seen this movie? I might have been kind of delirious.

Best moment last week? Spending time with our families for Christmas, eating lots of good food, Christmas Eve candle light service, presents. It was all fun.

Movement? Lots and lots of movement. Not sure if she is always so awake at night but last night while I was up alllllllllll night she was going crazy. We will have to nip that in the bud when she gets here.

Food cravings? No real cravings. Love food just the same as I always have!

Gender? It's a girl! Elting Caroline!

Labor signs? Lots of Braxton Hicks but no true labor signs.

Belly button in/out? I think it might officially be on its way out.

What I miss: At this point I miss a lot and I have a lot of symptoms that are making me uncomfortable but I hate being a complainer and I am doing it to much these days. I am so happy we are having this baby girl and despite how I feel I don't want to keep complaining because it seems ungrateful. So not going to list these things this week.

What I am looking forward to: Watching my Bulldogs win the Gator Bowl tomorrow and a big New Years Day lunch with my family. Getting back into a routine after the holidays and hopefully finding some time to relax before delivery although I'm beginning to think this is NOT going to happen before Elting gets here.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!!! AND LET'S GO DAWGS!!!!!

30 WEEKS

Sorry for my lack of blogging this week. Haven't had to much to say and I have been trying to soak up the holiday spirit and trying to relax.

I have felt very reflective and maybe a little sad at times as we go through this season because I know it is the last one where things will be the way they are. Do you get what I am saying? DO NOT GET ME WRONG!! We are beyond thrilled and know we are so blessed to have our little girl on the way. But it has been Kenny and me for so long. And with our lives about to change so much I am just really appreciating the time we took together as a couple to just be a couple. Next Christmas will not be anything like this Christmas and I cannot wait. But until then I am just trying to enjoy every moment.

Last night Kenny and I opened our gifts to each other after a little dinner out. It was so much fun and he put so much thought into the gifts. There were even some gifts for Elle from Daddy. And we got Lena one of these from Target. Have any of yall seen these? She freaking loved it. Loved it! And this morning she was carrying around her corn on the cob. It was so cute!

Anyway, looking forward to the next few days spent with family. So here is your weekly update!!

30 Weeks

How far along? 30 weeks and 4 days. The baby weighs 3.2 lbs is 18 inches long and is the size of a head of lettuce.

Total weight gain/loss? NOT TALKING ABOUT IT! Ha! Things are fine and nothing is extreme. My doctor reassures me that I am freaking out for no reason. But...let's just say hormones making everything a little bit more dramatic and drastic feeling.

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Not great. Waking up every hour and a half to go to the bathroom. Then it takes so much effort to get back into bed and then re-adjust Mr. Snoogle. I was telling Kenny that I seriously cannot believe that he does not even budge during all of this moving around. Because he has not woken up once from all the flouncing. Crazy.

Best moment last week? Just enjoying Christmas and spending more time with friends. And we got to hear Elle's strong heartbeat yesterday. She is doing great.

Movement? Lots and lots of movement.

Food cravings? No food cravings really. Have enjoyed a cup or two of eggnog.

Gender? It's a girl! Elting Caroline!

Labor signs? Lots of Braxton Hicks but no true labor signs.

Belly button in/out? I think it might officially be on its way out.

What I miss: What I miss...basically it sums up to being able to do anything without triple the effort and huffing and puffing. Everything wears me out. And we won't even get into how much it wears me out to put on tights for work everyday. It is kind of comical. Yesterday I came home from getting a manicure and had to have Kenny help me put on my maternity skinny jeans. The effort and trying not to mess up my nails made Kenny say "I think this might be a low point in our relationship." Ha! It was kind of funny.

What I am looking forward to: Spending time with family over the holidays and hopefully RELAXING!!

29 WEEKS

FOR COMPARISONS SAKE
20 Week Picture in LBD
29 Week Picture in LBD (and please excuse the cropping) Decided to take this picture as I was leaving work for the day. I looked tired and already had my uggs on to walk to the car because it is so cold. So I am only sharing the belly. What a difference though right? I would say I am uuuuuhhh a little fuller EVERYWHERE!

29 WEEKS- 3rd Trimester WHOO- HOO!

How far along? 29 weeks and 4 days. The baby weighs 3.1 lbs is 17 inches long and is the size of a butternut squash.

Total weight gain/loss? Not sure yet. I have a doctors appointment coming up so maybe I will update you after that. Getting antsy to start losing the weight already though! Can't wait to hear about Weight Watchers new program. Someone told me that fruit is 0 points and that is very exciting to this girl!

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Meh. First, it is 18 degrees here and I am sleeping with no covers. I am burning up all the time. And then I feel like I am halfway asleep most of the time. Not sleeping hard but not fully awake either. Maybe it is all the bathroom trips. Not sure. But the good thing is I don't feel to tired during the day. Still have my energy.

Best moment last week? Spending time with friends. We went to dinner and to see Starry Nights with some friends and then had dinner with a group of people on Friday night. It was nice to just hang out and relax during this busy season.

And thanks to the internets I have been done with my Christmas shopping for at least a week. Obsessed with Amazon this year and my Amazon Mom Prime Free Shipping. My sister and I had a wrapping party so she could help me wrap and we drank hot cocoa and listened to Christmas music. I was totally worn out from all the hard work but now I have so many pretty packages under my tree.

Movement? Just a ton of movement and these days she is kicking HARD! She moves my whole belly and it is so funny to watch.

Food cravings? None really. Anything is pretty good. Chicken is still weird and still haven't eaten Chinese food since our trip to Chicago.

Gender? It's a girl! Elting Caroline!

Labor signs? No. But I do notice at least several Braxton Hicks contractions a day.

Belly button in/out? I think it might officially be on its way out.

What I miss: Being able to lean over. Being able to lift my legs. Being able to get dressed or do anything without huffing and puffing. Not having my back hurt all the time!

These are the same as last week because I still concur.

What I am looking forward to: Spending more time with Kenny as Christmas gets closer. We are in the process of deciding what night we are going to exchange our gifts for each other. We always do it by ourselves instead of with family. I am excited to give him his gifts, he has a few surprises!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From the Laceys!

(Christmas Card designed and printed by J Press Designs)

And had to share our Christmas tree now that we have all of our gifts wrapped and ready to be given to our family.

(Wrapping courtesy of my lovely sister and I)

28 WEEKS AND A JPRESS DESIGNS GIVEAWAY

Before I give you my weekly update I thought I would let you know that my good friend Susan with JPress Designs is giving away one of her desk calendars of your choice. She has three to choose from. They are so cute. My favorite is her newest design "Eclectic" (pictured above) but she also has a floral set and a very classy black and white version.

So head on over to her blog to enter. And if you want to buy some. They really are the perfect stocking stuffer or gift where you want to get someone something small for only $10-$15 dollars each!

28 WEEKS

How far along? 28 weeks and 4 days. The baby weighs 2.9 lbs is 17 inches long and is the size of a small cabbage.

Total weight gain/loss? Don't know. I will have a doctors appointment in a couple of weeks. My clothes aren't fitting any different so I don't feel like I have gained to much outside of normal baby stuff.

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Is still just okay. Literally getting up to go to the bathroom at least 5 times a night. And I don't even talk about the effort it takes to sit up and then get out of bed. And yes I know I still have a pretty good ways to go.

Best moment last week? I really enjoyed getting away with Kenny last weekend. I have to say even though I already talked about it earlier this week; that the best moment was sitting in the Loveless Cafe over a delicious breakfast(nom food!) with Kenny, watching the snow fall outside the window, Christmas music playing and just being grateful for everything we have been given this holiday season.

Movement? Lots and lots of movement. And I am starting to see and feel elbows, knees, feet, who knows what it is poking and jutting out in different places.

Food cravings? Not really having to many cravings. Just enjoying not to have to worry so much about what I am eating over this holiday season. I know I will pay for it later.

Gender? It's a girl! Elting Caroline!

Labor signs? No. But I do notice at least several Braxton Hicks contractions a day.

Belly button in/out? Not out per say. But def not it. This is a weird question by the way...

What I miss: Being able to wear my shoes and boots. Was getting ready to go out to eat the other night and none of my shoes or boots would go over my poor swollen feet and ankles. Kenny found it rather comical and so did I to a point.

What I am looking forward to: Christmas of course!! And I am in my third trimester. It is so crazy to watch the days and weeks countdown. They are flying by. Kenny and I have lots of Christmas-y dates and double dates planned for the next couple weeks. Tonight we are going to dinner with friends and then to see Starry Nights and next week we are going to Zoo lights and ice skating with some other friends. Love doing these things with the people we care about!

A GREAT WINTER MEAL

VEGETABLE RAVIOLI SOUP

(Click above for link to recipe)

Last night I made this homemade ravioli vegetable soup along with some grilled cheese sandwiches. It was extremely simple and very delicious! Kenny gave it rave reviews.

It is also seemingly healthy at 264 calories for two cups of soup. And it was very filling with all the zucchini and the raviolis. I doubled the recipe and froze half of it for another night's meal.

Once we had our bowls full of warm soup on a very cold night we settled in(or at least I did) to watch Glee's Christmas episode. I thought it was a fantastic episode. I continue to be amazed at that shows ability to make me laugh the whole time and then ugly cry five seconds later.

A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

Saturday morning Kenny and I got up and made our way to Nashville for a little weekend getaway. We had reservations at the Opryland Hotel. The hotel is a fun place to stay during the holidays with all the lights and decorations. It is always a little bit crazy because there are soooo many people there. But as long as we have a room to go to to unwind we are fine.

When we got there we grabbed some lunch at Solario. The hotel's Mexican restaurant. We took a self portrait while we waited.Had to include a picture of a nearby elephant. They are my favorite animal. Anyway Solario had the BEST guacamole that they made fresh to order. And we absolutely stuffed ourselves. And now I am craving Mexican food!

After we were finished eating we went back to our room to watch the SEC Championship and relax. Then we got ready for dinner. We went on the General Jackson riverboat and they had a Christmas show where they sang Christmas music while you ate. It was all very fun and festive.

Once we were off the boat we walked around for a little while and looked at all the lights. By the time we got back to the room I was wiped and to be honest having some swelling issues. So we decided I needed to elevate. This was the result!

Cute right?? We take pictures of these situations for memory purposes to show Elting. Aren't you so glad I am sharing with you to?

On Sunday we got up to head back to Memphis and opened our window to find snow flurries outside of our window. For a Christmas cheeseball like myself this was so exciting. At one point we were listening to Let It Snow on the iPod while it was really snowing. Being a southern girl this was a first and I loved it!

I wanted to eat at Loveless Cafe for breakfast so we packed up and made our way to the Natchez Trace for some of the best down home brunch I have EVER had! If you have never been you must go. By the time we got to Loveless the snow was really coming down. So while we ate breakfast the diner was playing Christmas music and the snow was coming down outside...it was all so cozy.

Once we were back to Memphis we just rested and watched football. Kenny decided he wanted to make sure Elle's stroller was in working order so he pulled that out to play with.

It was. And we pushed it empty around the house for a little bit like complete nerds.

It was such a good holiday weekend and put us both in the Christmas spirit!

SANTA...

So there isn't a whole lot I am asking for for Christmas this year. Kenny and I are doing a smaller Christmas for each other and the same with our families. But if Santa existed in more than just spirit there is just one thing that I would ask for...

EOS Rebel XSi

We plan on getting a point and shoot in the very near future but I feel like you need both types of cameras when you have a baby. One for on the go moments and this big mama for when you want quality pictures for keepsakes. This is actually one of the more affordable ones that I have researched. Start saving our dollas!

27 WEEKS

27 WEEKS

How far along? 27 weeks and 4 days. The baby weighs 2.5 lbs is 16 inches long and is the size of a head of cauliflower. She is getting so big.

Total weight gain/loss? I only gained a few lbs at my last doctor appointment. I am right around 19-20 lbs gained. This is in the normal range and while it is still a hard pill to swallow it is just part of it and I am not complaining.

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Mr. Snoogle is now our road companion. He goes everywhere with us now. I showed him to my family over Thanksgiving and they all wanted Mr. Snoogles of their own. Otherwise...sleep is just okay.

Best moment last week? Last week was Thanksgiving week and I was so grateful to be able to relax and spend some time with my family and Kenny. My sister and my aunt both got to feel Elle kick while we were at the cabin and I was happy that I got to see everyone during my pregnancy.

I also passed my glucose test with flying colors the nurse said. So I was so happy about that. She did say my iron was pretty low so I am on a new iron supplement now plus my prenatals.

Movement? Just a ton of movement and these days she is kicking HARD! She moves my whole belly and it is so funny to watch.

Food cravings? Normally I wouldn't have had anything to say but on my way to work I was hit in the face with an intense craving for CHEESE STICKS! Must have them now. I am trying to figure out where I can get them for lunch!

Gender? It's a girl! Elting Caroline!

Labor signs? No. But I do notice at least several Braxton Hicks contractions a day.

Belly button in/out? I think it might officially be on its way out.

What I miss: Being able to lean over. Being able to lift my legs. Being able to get dressed or do anything without huffing and puffing. Not having my back hurt all the time!

What I am looking forward to: Starting my third trimester next week! Cannot believe it! Kenny and I have a little weekend planned in Nashville this weekend. A short little baby moon. We are going to stay at the Opryland Hotel and go to a nice dinner. Go see all the pretty lights. And don't worry we have the SEC Championship worked into our little getaway also. So romantic I know. But we have to eat lunch so might as well do it while we watch the game! And of course I am looking forward to all the things that go along with the holidays and this being the last time that it is just Kenny and I. Next year will be a totally different ballgame.

MY LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE

Monday night we continued with our annual tradition of "night of tree decoration." For as long as I can remember to kick off the Christmas season we order take out, decorate the tree while listening to Christmas music and then watch Christmas Vacation. Kenny loves the movie and I enjoy it too. We treat it as a little date night together at home. I love it.

This year seemed especially surreal because we were both so aware that this would be the LAST time that it would just be he and I decorating the tree. Next year, while she might not be able to help all that much, Elting will be here. We will be a family of four (don't forget about Lena!)

The way we choose to decorate the tree is using ornaments that we are given and that we buy for each other each year that mean something to us. No themes, or fru fru-ness. To me it makes decorating the tree so much more fun because we talk about each ornament as we pull it out. Where we got it, who gave it to us, when we got it. My mom gives us a box of ornaments that she buys every Christmas that she buys throughout the year and this year along with the ones she bought she had included some that usually hang on her tree from my childhood. You know you are getting old when these types of things have such sentimental value.

Here is the before shot of our little tree. And yes we do artificial. We are both allergic. So I buy lots of Christmas tree scented candles to make it smell more authentic because everyone knows that is the best part of a real tree anyway.

Mom's annual gift of ornaments waiting to be opened.

Some of our ornaments.

1. An elephant ornament Kenny gave me the first year we were married because it is my favorite animal. I love them.

2. Kenny's favorite baseball team is the Red Sox and I found this for a steal brand new at our Junior League's second hand store and snatched it up. Couldn't believe my luck.

3. A little clay crawfish from an art show my mom went to. So random and I love it.

4. Ballet Slippers from my mom's tree. I got these from the dance studio that I took lessons from when I was little and I have always loved them. So fun to have them on our tree now.

5. Couldn't resist this cheesy goodness. Got this for Kenny our first year we were married. And yes it has our names on it. Ha!

6. And we couldn't ignore this guy this year. He got a front row spot representing all of Mississippi State's hard work this season! We have so many State ornaments we are contemplating doing a small themed State tree in our office.

Me in all my pregnant glory and Lena decorating the tree together.

And our finished tree. Isn't she pretty. I still need a tree skirt. I have never been able to find one that I felt was right or that I liked. So I just shop for gifts and wrap them quickly and get them under the tree!