{28 weeks, 2 days}

On Wednesday I had my

THIRD TRIMESTER

appointment.

I had to drink that nasty, very sugary drink in five minutes.

Then I had my check-up with my doctor.

I have gained 20 pounds since day one! Yikes!

I measured 28 cm.

And Emma's heart rate was in the 140's.

Then they drew my blood.

Blood work came back fine!

Thursday we had our first

PREPARED CHILDBIRTH CLASS.

There were ten other couples.

Our instructor was an RN who had been a

labor and delivery nurse for over nine years.

We played some games,

watched a video,

asked some questions,

and then

layed down and relaxed...literally!

We learned some breathing techniques.

Which were not so helpful at 2 am when I began to scream and cry in agony

of a MAJOR leg cramp!

 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am...

then I just couldn't go back to sleep so I propped up my head and feet and sat there.

Ate a banana, drank a full glass of water.

Nothing helped!

Called the doctor this AM

and she wanted me to come in immediately for testing for blood clot.

Went to the hosptital, got an ultra sound of the leg...

thankfully NO CLOT!

Just a very tight calf muscle from having so many cramps.

The technician has very sweet and actually did an ultra sound

on my belly too!

She whispered and told us we couldn't tell anyone :)

Saw Miss Wiggle Worm!

All curled up and had her hand by her face!

Since this was a "vein finder" ultra sound she showed us the umbilical cord!

So neat!!

Anyways...

HOORAY for the THIRD TRIMESTER,

but

BOO to the horrible leg cramps!

{Easter}

Last night JD and I went to the church we have been going to for several weeks

to their big Easter Pageant.

It has been in the bulletin every week leading up to Easter week.

Only a certain amount of tickets...

have to have tickets to get in...

waiting list...

etc.

Well a customer at my work invited us to go with her  

Sunday but she only had tickets for Thursday

night and I had to work.

So this week I kept saying to myself

"I will call to see if by any chance

 we can get tickets for Friday"

(my only night off this week)

Well,

my pregnant brain did not remember until after a long conversation

with my Great Uncle Bob (who just lost his mom).

We were talking about how Easter

was going to be different

for both of us this year.

We both agreed that it is not about Easter dresses,

Easter candy,

egg hunts,

or the Easter bunny...

like Bob said

"HE IS RISEN!"

And that IS the true meaning of Easter.

Let us not forget!

So I ended up calling at 6:30pm when the pageant started at 7:00pm!

Who answered?

The pastor that talks to JD every Sunday at church.

He must have known it was me because

he said he was going to run

out to the sanctuary to

see how full it was

then he would call me back...

but after waiting 10 minutes I thought he forgot.

NOPE!!!

He wrote my number down wrong and called JD's phone!!!

What a miracle!

The program was great!

My Grandparents would've LOVED it!!!

It really refocused my attention on

the TRUE meaning of Easter!

{6 months down!}

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant.

Which means only 4 more weeks and we will be saying

"HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!!"

Emma Grace

is about 8 1/2 inches long from head to rump!

Hold up a piece of paper and she is as long as it is wide!

Or next time you are in the grocery store look at an ear of corn!

She weighs over one pound,

approximately 1.5 lbs.

I just can't believe how big she is getting!

And BOY can I SURE feel her jabbing and kicking

ALL THE TIME!!!!

In fact, so can JD!

He thinks she is saying "Get me out of here!"

=)

My next doctor's appointment is next week,

 April 20th at 10:45am.

{Drum roll please......}

After MANY nights of

flipping through the pages and pages of baby names,

talking about the many many options,

and praying about a name

for our little baby...

My mind was done searching and stressing.

I told John David I was giving us a time limit.

6 months=no more searching!

He did not like that idea,

he said there should be no time limit...

but I needed one!

I was putting way too much pressure on myself to find

THE PERFECT NAME!

So, as most of you know, we have been narrowing it down
and narrowing it down.
Last night we had it narrowed down to three names,
and John David said "I just can't stop thinking about
______   ______  McCants!"
And I said OK, that is it!

Our baby's name is Emma Grace.
I had said from the beginning that I love two namers.
Like John David.
And we stuck with it.
Her name will be Emma Grace McCants!

Emma: One who is complete
Grace: Having God's favor


So she is going to be a little girl who is made complete
only by God's favor.

Our other top contenders were:
Libby
Paisley Kate
and Kaylee...
and just so you know I DO have boy names already lined up!
Just so it will make it eaiser the next go around! =)

I would love to have lots of comments on this post!!!

{Baby _____'s Bedding}

When my mom and Claire came out to Virginia,

we did quite a bit of shopping

(as you saw in the last post).

We were not planning on buying any of the big items:

for one, because we live in a one bedroom apartment

and

for two, we just wanted to get ideas.

BUT...

We did come across THE CUTEST bedroom set EVER!

(in our opinion)

It is a brand called Cocalo,

which now I see everywhere...

Target, Blessed Baby, and online several places.

But we got this one at Baby Depot....

It is made by Cocalo and the style name is Daniella.

What do you think?

....I personally fell in love with the details

So elegant...

with the tuffs and the lace overlay!

We got the whole bedding set which came with:

sheets, bumpers, quilt, diaper holder, and the window valance.

Then my mom got the hamper which we are staining the wood,

and Claire got the adorable mobile.

Of course we joked about what the baby is going to think about that.

"Really mom? Floating hearts? That's the best you could do?" =)

Then of course when the baby grows to be a big girl,

there is a twin set.



Some of the pieces were very cheapy looking, so we did not get them:

the lamp,

(we will find a better one)

the little princess pictures,

 (I plan to have Angela Lensing make her an adorable one with her name)

and the crown stuff,

(not really liking the princess theme, just love the bedding).

But I do love the chandelier!

Don't you think it adds a perfect feminine touch to the room?

SO FUN!!!

 We had such a good time debating and planning out her room!

I just can't wait for this little cupcake to get here!

Only 16 weeks and 5 days to go!!!

{One spoiled BABY!}

Let's just say working for Gymboree

is a lot different now that I have a baby girl on the way!

I find myself constantly looking for good deals

and cute outfits!

Before the "Grandmas-To-Be" left

we took inventory...

Each pile is a different size.

...Newborn

0-3 months...



3-6 months...

6-12 months...

Don't worry we aren't THAT bad,

some of it my mom got second hand from the Kid's Sale in Fort Smith.

But we still are pretty bad....

Gymboree is sure loving it!

We don't have enough closet and drawer space to share,

so baby gets these cute pink containers.

Every day I get more and more excited to see

our baby girl!

As far as names...

Jd and I are still talking about it every night,

but there is not a FOR SURE yet..

We still have time!

{baby girl bump}

Today I am 22 weeks.

That means 18 weeks to go.

And 2 weeks away from being 6 months pregnant.

I am not spending as much time in my bed.

I don't sleep until noon anymore.

If I can, I do love an afternoon nap before I go into work.

But I think the sunshine is giving me more energy  =)

Baby weighs a whole pound by now,

maybe even a few ounces more.

She is about 8 to 10 inches long,

approximately the length of a banana.

I am trying to stick my belly out as much as I can these days,

because otherwise

I just look like I am overeating.

I can't wait for people to actually notice I am pregnant.

Although most people that know I am pregnant tell me I am lucky.

My doctor told me by next appointment I should start to really get a

cantalope-shaped belly.

Woo hoo!