15 Weeks to Go

Well, give or take depending on how Baby Hami cooperates! So far at twenty five weeks I'd say he's doing great and I have really enjoyed these last couple of weeks. I've felt an even deeper connection with him now that I can feel him rolling around and karate chopping me from the inside. Obviously I knew I was pregnant, but now it feels even more real!! I also told Linc last night that at this moment I love how I look pregnant. I love my belly (despite the continued off-comments from thoughtless people), my hair has never looked better, and I am noticing the "glow" that so many people have told me about. I am sure all this will change as I continue to grow bigger, but for now I am enjoying it!

Entering our sixth month, Baby H measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight is probably between 1 to 2 pounds and he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin is beginning to smooth out and he's starting to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if we could see it, we'd be able to discern its color and texture! I'm hoping he's a little blondie like his daddy! Baby H is also practicing blinking and very soon Linc should be able to hear his heartbeat just by pressing his ear to my stomach!

Thanksgiving Part II

For the past few years we have spent the weekend after Thanksgiving with my in laws. They have a few places they call home, one of which is a large farm near Barnesville, Ga. It is a much easier drive for us than going to Kiawah and so we meet here to celebrate, eat yummy food, and do the kind of farm things that you can't in the big city! I had to sit out of hunting this year since Baby H is sensitive to noise now, but I still had fun hanging out, cooking, and meeting all the new additions to the farm!

No farm is complete without the John Deere tractor!

View from the front yard

Lunch at the farmhouse tables!

Family Shot- that's farm dog Roxy on the ground!

The boys warmed up by shooting down some mistletoe!

Looks like I have a turkey under my shirt ;)

Bo's cows were having babies and out of the mostly
black herd came a little "silver" calf!

This baby was giving me the evil eye all afternoon!

Our nephew Ethan after helping stock the fireplace!

Posing with SIL Leslie

All of the newly pregnant mommas enjoying the sunset!

Thanksgiving Part I

This Thanksgiving began with a little tennis and a few hours later we all got ready to go to my aunt's house. We are very lucky to live within a few miles of my parents and one aunt and uncle so we always get together to celebrate Thanksgiving each year. My uncle Greg always fries a turkey and I have to say his is the best hands down! We spent many hours eating, laughing, watching football, and more eating! I also took a nice nap in there while everyone else was playing cards! Let's blame it on the tryptophan. haha

I hope you had a great day too. We're off to the farm this afternoon to celebrate with Linc's side of the family. No guns for me this year though...In the meantime, here are a few photos from our Turkey day!

Testing out my appetizers- Cranberry Celebration!

My sweet family!
And somehow none of the girls had a clue what the
others were wearing, yet we all showed up in shades of burgundy!

Dad and his Daughters!

My awesome parents!

The Nathan Girls

Mom, Kris, Aunt Cin, Grammy, Me, and Alex

Link (the pup) and Linc (the husband) snuggling on the couch.

My adorable husband-
who dressed as if we live in Palm Springs or something!

What Thanksgiving would be complete without fried pickles?!
A new tradition in the Trotta house!

Dad and Uncle Greg carving up our feast!

A tiny view of our delicious meal!
Thanks to all the cooks and helpers- best meal ever!!

Sweet Grammy brought Baby H a new blankie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving wishes from our family to yours!
We hope you have a great day filled with yummy food, time with family, and reflection on the many blessings God has provided this year.

Family Horoscope

A Sweet and Gentle Parental Bond

Pisces

Taurus

This is a delightful combination for a parenting team. Both of you are gentle, affectionate, and kind. You want the best for your children. They will be quite indulged and never in doubt of your love for them. Of the two of you, the Taurus parent (Lincoln) is the more grounded and practical. You work long and hard to provide for your family, whether yours is a paying job or not. You're stable and dependable, with an earthiness and slow pace that kids appreciate. Of course, you're quite stubborn, and this is where the Pisces parent (Kelly) can step in to help.

The Pisces mom is sensitive, with a strong intuitive and emotional connection to the children that operates even at a distance. Yes, you may be somewhat spaced out, forgetful, or disorganized at times, but your children see right through that to your heart of gold. You're less bound than some to the demands of "real life," and you're imaginative and creative in the extreme. You'll happily spend hours playing make-believe with your kids, and you'll be as wide-eyed and fascinated as they are with the wonders of the world.

You'll teach your children the importance of dreams -- of letting their minds wander, of tapping into their intuition, of trusting their perception of energies and forces that exist beyond the tangible world. You'll pass along your own sensitivity toward life's subtleties, and instill in your children a reverence for life itself. As a Pisces parent, you're incredibly nurturing, compassionate, and tuned in to your children's needs. From the time they're infants, you feel their pain acutely, and you experience joy at every discovery they make in this bright new world they inhabit.

He Kicks!

"Twas the Monday 'fore Thanksgiving in the Hamilton house,

and something was moving underneath the blouse..."

Just a few hours after posting about Linc not feeling any kicks yet, Baby H decided it was time to put on a show and perform for his father. We were all laying on the couch watching SYTYCD when I felt the familiar rumbles of Baby H shifting around. I quietly grabbed Linc's hand and rested it where I was feeling movement. Not two seconds later, Baby H delivered a fierce punch to where Linc's hand was resting!! What an amazing moment to see Linc's reaction to feeling his son say hello! This went on for a good five minutes while Baby H squirmed around and got comfy. I am so glad Linc was able to feel him moving about and for us to reach another milestone in the little one's development!

Trucking Along at Week 24

Baby Hami is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. BabyCenter says that puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

I am gaining a pound a week and thanks to playing tennis and walking every once and a while I am feeling pretty good physically. My appetite hasn't changed too much...(I have always loved eating!! haha!) but I think I have been able to keep most of my cravings in check. I got a nice compliment from Linc's friend on Sunday night who said I was looking really good and he was glad I wasn't like other pregnant women he knew and had let myself go! For him to comment on my looks in a positive way is a huge compliment in itself so I was feeling pretty proud afterward! hahaha

So far, the hardest part about being pregnant is definitely sleeping and I find that my legs go numb after laying on my sides all night. Linc still finds me on my back occasionally when he comes to bed and forces me to roll over but I have enough pillows on the bed that even when it happens I am sort of propped up. I also get leg cramps from pointing my toes under the covers and wake up every once in a while with a nasty Charlie Horse. I have been sleeping for longer periods at night though, and can usually make it til morning before having to go to the bathroom. It probably doesn't hurt that I get up at 5am!

Week 24 Highlights:

• It's V-Day/Week! Baby H has a 40-70% chance of survival now if he decided to come early. But don't get any ideas here little man...we're not quite ready for you yet and I would love for you to keep cooking a while longer!
  
• Baby H is much stronger now and I have been feeling his punches and kicks more regularly. Just today I saw him move from the outside! It was really neat. Sorry hus! Your time will come! Poor Linc still hasn't even gotten to feel him move. The baby seems to settle down every time I grab Linc's hand.
  
• I clocked internal movement one day and found that Baby H was wiggling around every four hours. I wonder if he is already on his own little schedule in there?
  
• I had my glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes today. She had to take a second vial of blood to check my iron levels...something about my low blood pressure, but I am not sure how those two correlate. My midwife said I am looking awesome though, everything is measuring right on track, and Baby H's heartbeat was nice and strong. Our next two appointments will be pretty routine and unfortunately there won't be anymore ultrasounds unless something goes wrong.
  
• I am coming to terms that my "innie" will soon be an "outie." It's gotten more and more shallow as the weeks have gone by!
  

The Beginnings of a Nursery

After weeks of waiting, our nursery furniture was delivered this morning! We have had it in storage for a month or two and were finally able to have it brought over! For only $25 the delivery guys set everything up and cleaned when they were done. I am so excited to see the furniture since we actually picked it out at the end of the summer and I haven't seen it in person again! The room is coming together and the next step will be to make the crib skirt, bumpers, and start adding some decorations! Baby H is one lucky little man!

View from the hallway

A little more of an angle from the doorway to see the dresser!

Looking at the furniture from the closet.

Close up of the crib!

Can't wait to see the crib with all the fabric!

The dresser will also serve as the changing table.
We'll add a piece of glass to the top and put the changing pad on.

A Little Nesting, A Little Tennis

Friday morning I got to school and decided my entire classroom needed to be cleaned and organized. I spent a good part of the day ignoring my students and tackling what seemed to be the most important job I could think of at that moment. Don't worry...I wasn't really ignoring them...my student intern was teaching. I joked to her before lunch that I wish this "nesting" desire would carry over into my actual house so I would organize all of our closets. Thankfully my sweet husband got the ball rolling for me while I was gone!

When I got home from work Linc had taken everything out of our guest room closet and laid it out in the nursery so we could go through it. I spent a few minutes poking around in there alone and as soon as I mentioned giving the old Nintendo 64 to Goodwill, Linc became a huge help! We went through boxes upon boxes of crap stuff that had traveled with us to California and back, and managed to fit everything he really wanted to keep into one big box- and yes he kept the Nintendo...and the Super Nintendo...and the Nintendo 64...and all the Gameboy stuff. As if one day those things would be useful. We moved that box into the office closest which houses all the rest of his personal items. The few clothes I had in the nursery are tucked neatly away in the guest room closet and the last thing we need to do is go through Linc's clothes that he has on the top shelf of the baby's room. That was for another day though, because a few hours later we were both exhausted and he had a tennis match to get to!

Speaking of tennis...I had a match this afternoon against a team we see every winter season. Turns out my opponent was one of the same girls I had played a year ago in the freezing cold for 3 long and grueling hours! For a doubles match that has to be some record! We joked about there being a Montvale curse (her neighborhood) and wondered aloud how long our singles match would last this time. Well...2 hours and 45 minutes later we were finished! For those of you who don't play, that is some seriously long tennis-- especially for someone who is six months pregnant and playing singles!! I told the girl I wouldn't make it easy for her and she was really going to have to fight for a win-- and boy did she! We made it to a tie breaker in the first set and she got me 7-2. Then we matched each other game for game in the second set until she finally got two in a row to end the match. There was absolutely no way I was going to three sets and probably could have tried a bit harder in the end, but we had a great time and she really deserved it! Hopefully I won't have to see her again next winter season but it was probably some of the best tennis I have ever played!

In other news, our crib and dresser are being delivered tomorrow morning!! I can't wait to show you! Happy weekend everyone! I am headed to the couch and not getting up again until bed time!

A Time for Thanksgiving

With one of my favorite holidays right around the corner, it's nice to take time and really think about how blessed we have been this year. One of the blessings I have been focused on the most lately is my sweet mother and how lucky I am that she is such a major component of my life. She has been going through a lot these last few weeks, but I am so thankful for her courageous spirit and tough personality.

The next few weeks will be especially hard on her as the doctor's have scheduled her surgery for November 30th. How lucky though, to be able to fit her in before the holidays so she has plenty of time to recuperate before the new year. I asked a few days ago for prayers for this situation and I would ask that you all continue praying with me as she takes the next steps and faces the difficult road ahead.

As we join our friends and families next week to enjoy each other's company, good food, and football, let us not forget to give thanks to God for all our many blessings-- whether it is something as big as a new life coming into the world, a skilled and knowledgeable doctor, or just the people around us!

Carriage Tour of Charleston

Before heading back to Atlanta after the wedding, Linc and I got to spend the day with Leslie, Cole, and Sherry. We went out to lunch and then took in the sights of downtown Charleston on a relaxing carriage ride through the city. We got to see some amazing old homes and had a great time listening to the history of the neighborhoods.

Me and Linc in the barn before heading out.

The teeny tiny petting zoo with teeny tiny donkeys

Our mule team- Bud and Sassy

One of Charleston's 185 churches!

This house was so beautiful with its many porches!

This (now) B&B was built and given to a daughter for her wedding.
It cost only $70,000 to build many, many, many years ago!

The court house where Linc and I got our marriage license (after the second try)!
It was the day after my bachelorette party...I forgot my driver's license!

Not wanting to take a pic with me...stinker!

Thanks Sherry for a fun filled afternoon! We loved the carriage ride and can't wait to see you again in a few days!

A Low Country Wedding

This past weekend Linc and I flew over to Charleston for his brother Cole's wedding. We arrived on Friday afternoon and attended the rehearsal so Cole, Linc, and youngest brother Madison could practice for the big day. After rehearsing, Sherry and Bo brought us to a cute little Italian restaurant they had rented out where we had some yummy food, spent time with all of the extended family and friends, and enjoyed Cole's 1 hour and 22 minute toast!! We ended up going to bed pretty early to prepare for the big day and called it a night after the dinner.

Me and the Groom

Cousin Lindsay and I before heading to bed!
Can you tell I was exhausted?

Saturday morning we woke up and had breakfast in the hotel with fellow groomsman and long time friend Alex. We met up in the lobby with a few of Cole's friends from high school and spent time catching up. After showering, Linc and I headed over to The Pavilion where Alex was enjoying the rooftop views of the harbor. We stuck around for a delicious lunch and finally tore ourselves away from the beautiful scenery and amazing weather to get ready for the wedding! We took a cab to north Charleston where the boys got in their tuxes and I helped bride Leslie get in her dress!

Sherry, me, and Bo before the wedding!

The ceremony began at 2:30pm and was very lovely. Aunt Jane sang Amazing Grace and Ave Maria and Cole and Leslie exchanged vows, rings, and sealed the deal with a kiss! We stuck around for a few pictures and then drove out to a country club for the reception. We had such a good time and it was nice to be able to spend the weekend with family and old friends.

Waiting patiently for his bride.

Saying their vows!

Exchanging rings

Mr. and Mrs. Cole and Leslie Hamilton

Both sides of the family- The Baileys and the Childs/Hamiltons

Her Cake- a tradition red velvet with butter cream icing

His Cake- a two layer cookie cake

My sweet hubby during the reception

Cousin ("aunt") Lindsay lovin' on Baby H at the party!

Groom Cole, FIL Bo, Best Man Alex, and hubby Linc

Finally- a picture with the bride!
2 out of 3 Hamilton Girls

Me, BIL Madison, and the other Hamilton Girl- Aunt Jane!

Lindsay, me, Baby H, and Leslie!

Linc must have missed the memo on this one...
Linc, Me, Cousin Sara, Cousin Lindsay, and Davo

Lindsay and MIL Sherry after dancing up a storm!

This was their first dance as husband and wife!
Sorry for the horrible blurriness!

End of the reception-- waiting to ride off into the moonlight!

Sherry got some amazing pictures of the wedding, so I might have to repost this once she sends them to me! After the reception we all went back to our hotels, changed into comfy clothes, and headed to Coast for dinner. Leslie and Cole met up with us a little later and we all spent the rest of the night dining on seafood and telling stories. Linc and I walked back to our hotel with long time friend of the family Clay and crashed for the night around midnight.

Leslie- welcome to the family sister! It's nice to finally have another girl after 9 1/2 years of fending for myself! Cole- I love you bro-ther. Linc and I are so proud of you! We wish you guys the best and many many years of happiness together! Can't wait to see you soon!