25 Weeks

It's hard to believe I am up to 25 weeks.  In fact, this whole week I was thinking I would just now hit 24 weeks today since I missed a post last week.  Sorry about the missed post.  I had a huge regional track meet this past weekend that takes just about everything I have to get it up and running.  Last week was very chaotic but one I am glad to have put behind me since it was the last time I have to run that meet!!

Grayson seems to be doing well.  He moves around alot more and you can now see my stomach move each time he kicks.  He is just over a pound now and the size of an eggplant.  My belly still seems small but the doctor has not expressed any concerns about my lack in weight gain.  Our phone app says my uterus is the size of a soccer ball...I am assuming it means a size 3!  I go back on July 30 for another check-up and then I start the 2 week check-up rotation.  I think my first August check-up will consist of the lovely glucose test. 

We did not opt to take any birth or breastfeeding classes.  After talking with my doctor and many of my friends, we felt they would not be that informative.  My doctor said everything I need to know to either get Grayson into the world or feed him once he arrives, will be taught at the hospital.  We are scheduled for a one hour hospital tour in August to get familiarized with the facility.  I have had many friends deliver at Plano Presby but things look alot different when you are just there to visit.

Not much has happened around the Bybee house.  The nursery still sits as we left it on the 4th of July but we hope to start purchasing more furniture items in the coming weeks.  My friend, Courtney, is going to help me register this Saturday.  It will be nice to have some help from an experienced mom!  :)  My other friend, Erin, let me borrow her book that outlines items to buy and what the experts recommend as far as safety ratings, etc.  It allowed me to already do some research on my own so I sort of have an idea going into the store what I want to get.  The list has started and it is quite overwhelming. 

I did pull out some fabric this weekend so I can begin sewing some things for baby Grayson.  I have made so many things for others in the past that I can't neglect my own son.  I plan on making some burp cloths and a taggy blanket plus a few pairs of shoes.  My mom makes the best baby blankets so I am headed to JoAnn's this week to get a few flannel fabrics for her to whip up a couple for me.  Luckily I have both Texas A&M and Texas Tech fabric for a few of these items.  I have to be fair and let Grayson choose but I know he will make the right choice in the end (Gig'em)! 

23 Weeks

I am a few days late getting this post up but the picture was taken on Tuesday at 23 weeks.  On Monday I went to the doctor for another check up and had only gained 5 pounds.  I feel like it's alot more and last week we really noticed my belly pop out.  His heartbeat sounded good and the doctor had no concerns.  Grayson weighs about 1 pound now.  He is really starting to move and you can finally feel him kick on the outside of my stomach.  Shane felt him move last week while we were gone and my mom felt him yesterday.

On Tuesday my parents came up and helped Shane paint the nursery.  My dad then helped him install a new fan and put the crib together.  We washed all of his bedding and got his crib all set up!

I absolutely love how it has turned out so far!  The picture is sort of dark but the walls are a light gray. It brightens up the room alittle.  As of now this is the only item in the nursery until we can purchase a dresser, bookshelf and chair with ottoman as well as some wall decor that I have in mind.  We know it is all going to quickly come together over the next month or two!

As for our vacation...I have no photos to post!  It is so unlike me but I did not take one single photo while we were gone.  We stayed at Lakeway Resort off Lake Travis.  It was a really nice place to get away for a few days if you don't want to go too far from home.  We spent our days hanging out by the pool reading and partaking in a few beverages (mine of the virgin variety of course).  At night we ventured out to some different restaurants that Austin is famous for (Oasis and Salt Lick).  On our way down we hit up some outlet malls but didn't get too much.  Just a couple of outfits for Grayson and his first pair of Adidas Sambas!  They are so cute and small!!  The trip was quick but it was nice to get some sun, relax and have some time to finally read!

22 Weeks

We finally picked a name!  We have actually had this name in mind since we found out I was pregnant.  Shortly thereafter, I had a dream that we had a girl named Grayson Ann.  I told Shane my name idea but he said it would be better for a boy.  After doing some research, we discovered that Grayson means "son of a gray haired man".  With Shane being so old (hee hee) we figured it was perfect!  Plus he did not have any former students and I did not have any staff that have worked for me with that name.  We went back and forth on the middle name between Neal and James.  We finally settled on Neal which is my dad, brother and first nephew's middle name.  Since he will be carrying on the Bybee name, we wanted to find a way to honor my family and Neal is a tradition for the male side.  It has been so fun calling him by his name the last few weeks!

Shane and I are looking forward to some R & R this week at a resort off Lake Travis.  Once we get back, the nursery will start coming together!  My parents are coming up before the 4th of July to help Shane paint the room and put the crib together.  Then we can start focusing on buying other furniture and finally getting registered.  I have a book to help me pick some things out that I plan to read this week along with a book on what to do once he finally arrives!  Shane and I realized we might need to read up on that!  :)

We hope you love his name as much as we do!  I am just glad I can start referring to him as Grayson instead of Baby Boy Bybee!!

21 Weeks

Today I am 21 weeks along.  It seems to be going by alot faster and I find myself sort of panicking when I realize how close we are to having a baby boy in the house.  It's a good panic though!  :)

Baby Boy Bybee is the length of a carrot this week.  I am baffled how big he seems to be getting when my belly still seems so small.  I have only gained 4lbs since we originally found out we were pregnant back in March.  In order to stay in shape, I started to swim for 30 minutes at the pool Monday - Thursday with the girl that runs my swim lesson program.  We can usually knock out about 550-600 meters in that short amount of time.  It's not alot, but it keeps us active.

I can feel baby boy moving all the time now.  He is quite the active one.  Shane has yet to really feel him but I know it will happen soon enough.  We went to Barnes & Noble the other day to buy a few books so he can start reading to him.  He wants his boy to enjoy reading as much as he does!  We decided to pass on the literary classics for now and go with your typical Dr. Seuss!

Saturday night Shane took me out for a nice dinner at Kenny's Italian Restaurant in Addison.  (Sidenote: If you have not tried any of the Kenny's Restaurants (Woodfire Grill or Burger Joint) you need to do so.  All 3 restaurants have really great food).  Shane had flowers waiting for me at the restaurant from the florist that did our wedding. We kept the evening pretty low key and opted for some couch time in front of the tv when we got home.  Naturally I snagged a quick photo of us before we left for the night.

As I mentioned last week, we already purchased a few things for the nursery so I thought I would share what I bought.  Some have asked about a color scheme so I thought I would post a picture of the bedding.

The crib was ordered site unseen, aside from seeing it on the web.  No stores seemed to carry it but it had really great reviews, and I know a girl that has it, so I felt comfortable buying it.

I found the bedding at Land of Nod.  I saw it about 2 months ago and absolutely loved it.  Last week I realized they were not selling the quilt online so I had to call some stores in Illinois to track it down.  I think they are about to discontinue it so I am glad I ordered it when I did.  The circles are a combination of blues, greens and some gray so it should match the gray walls pretty well.

I found an alphabet set on Etsy that was really cute and wanted to buy it to hang on the wall over the crib.  It takes about 2-3 months for them to make it so I ordered this last week.  If you know me, you know how much I love letters!

As you can see, we don't necessarily have a theme to the nursery.  I just wanted to create a clean, simple space for Baby Boy Bybee to spend his first year.  Next month we plan to start buying more of the furniture and hopefully get registered for things that we need.  Only 19 weeks to go!

6 Year Anniversary

Today is our 6 Year Anniversary!  I am so lucky that I get to spend the rest of my life with one of the greatest men on earth.  He is going to be an amazing father and I can't wait to see how much he grows as a person once his son is born in just 4 months!

We're going out to dinner tonight to celebrate and spending some time at home relaxing over the weekend.  In a couple of weeks we are headed down to Austin to spend a few days at a resort on Lake Travis.  We decided to cut back this year and not take an adventurous anniversary trip since I am 5 months pregnant.  We'll spend some time by the pool reading and relaxing, drive around alittle and try some different restaurants.  It may be our last vacation for quite awhile so we thought we should make the best of it!

Happy Anniversary, Shane!  I love you!!

20 Weeks

It is really hard for me to believe we are halfway there!  In just another 20 weeks we will be able to meet our baby boy!

I am feeling really good now.  No more nausea!  I still get tired from time to time, but I seem to have more energy and make it through the day more easily.  I have started to feel baby boy Bybee move around quite a bit.  He is definitely going to be a soccer player with all of the kicks I have been feeling.  Shane felt a little movement for the first time on Sunday.  He will start to feel him more regularly in the coming weeks though.

I finally started to get things for the nursery.  The crib (thanks mom & dad!), bedding and an alphabet set for the wall have all been ordered.  Over the next couple of months we'll work on getting furniture and a few other decorative items.  Shane hopes to have it painted after we get back from our vacation in early July.  Once some final decisions are made on everything, I'll post some pictures so you can see it coming together.

Aside from baby boy Bybee excitement this past week, we had a few other things that are worth talking about.

Casey
My cousin, Casey, came in town last Tuesday to stay the night with us.  Casey and I are merely 11 days apart (Shane and Casey both have the same birthday - with a 10 year difference).  Over the years we have become pretty close although I only get to see him a couple of times a year since he is stationed in various places.  He joined the Marines after college and has lived all over (San Diego, Corpus Christi, Alexandria, Afghanistan).  Casey even missed our wedding since he was about to ship out to Afghanistan for a 9 month tour.  This visit was great, although sad at the same time.  On Wednesday he left for Japan and we will not get to see him again until 2014.  It is a 2 year term and they will not allow him to come home during that time.  We really enjoyed getting to see him, talk, and catch up on things.  Luckily we'll be able to communicate via email and facebook so he'll get to see pictures of his "nephew" once he arrives.  We will miss him but are so proud of him for defending our country all these years!

Maggie
On Thursday, June 7, Maggie Elizabeth Bruce was born at 10:30am weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz!  Maggie is the daughter of my close friend, Courtney, and her husband Billy.  They already have one of the cutest little girls in the world, baby Emma, who just turned 18 months.  I was able to go up to the hospital and spend alittle time with the family and also see alot of Courtney's family (mom, dad, step-mom and sister) who I have become fairly close to over the years.  I am so happy for Courtney, Billy & Emma on the newest addition to their family!

Ellen
Thursday evening, my close friend, Ellen, and her husband and son came to stay with us for the weekend.  They came up to do some fun things with their son, Ty.  On Friday they went to an aquarium and Legoland in Grapevine, then over to the Dallas Zoo on Saturday.  Although I had to work while they were here, we were still able to spend some quality time together in the evening.  Ellen is due on August 9 with another little boy so the two of us really enjoyed our time on the couch.  We love just sitting around and catching up on life.  John and Shane have become good friends over the years as well.  John is also a teacher and high school soccer coach so they have similar experiences and stories to share.  Ty is the sweetest little boy and we always enjoy getting to see him and spend time with him.  It was sad to see them go on Sunday but we can't wait to meet their little one and have our two boys be so close in age!

Last week was a crazy week but so great at the same time!  I am definitely looking forward to some downtime this week and our 6 year anniversary on Saturday!

19 Weeks

Today I am 19 weeks.  I can start to tell that my belly is growing and even found myself wearing some maternity shorts and shirts over the last few days.

Our biggest news this week is that Baby Bybee is officially a BOY!  Shane and I are super excited!  We went to the doctor yesterday and finally had an in depth sonogram.  He is measuring at 10 ounces and right at 19 weeks.  He looks like he is developing properly and seems to be healthy, which is probably the best news to us.  Here are some pictures of Baby Boy Bybee!

Profile of Baby Boy Bybee

Already a thumb sucker!

Baby Bybee's soccer feet!  :)

Confirmation that he is for sure a boy!

We are looking forward to an exciting week of family and friends!  I plan to have more posted on that later this week/weekend.