28.5 Weeks along

Well.. so far the third trimester is just like the first two.

Im still feeling awesome. Theres a little back pain every now and then but nothing too too bad. Im not crying about it at least. I had my 28 week appointment yesterday and it was one of my favorites. I met with the 4th of the Doctors that MAY or MAY not deliver Jack. He was my absolute favorite. I felt like he was a real person and cared, not just there cause he has to be but cause he wants to.. if that makes sense. All the same, I told him he's hired and I really hope he's on call the night I go into labor.. or day- whichever. My blood pressure was normal.. not that I remember the numbers but normal all the same. Im now 160 lbs (EEEEEEEK) but it only puts me up +14 lbs total. Which seems to be right on track weight wise. I dont really feel big so its ok. Apparently Jack is head down already. Which makes me think of that "Head On" commercial from a few years ago. Except it makes me want to change it to say, "Head down. Apply directly to the birth canal!" :)

I leave for WPPI in Las Vegas on Sunday and I couldnt be more excited. I AM a bit nervous about all the walking and how my joints are going to handle it. Hopefully Ill be ok and there wont be any hurting.. or aching.. well hopefully not TOO much. Its going to be awesome and I cant wait to see some of the people I met last year and met a TON of new folks this year. I only wish we knew where we were moving so I could start networking with folks where Ill be living soonish. Oh well. Less than a week away now :) CANT WAIT!

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Can you feel it growing?

This whole pregnancy thing is going by quite quickly. Next week ill start my third trimester! CRAZY! Its gone by so quickly! EEK! So excited to get that little man in my arms and feed him some boob! hah ;) Today I was feeling in the mood to shoot something fun and the sunset was pretty. Ive found that my new camera is TERRIBLE at the whole tripod/timer thing so most of my shots were hardly in focus. This was one of the better ones and im still not happy with it. And yes, I did intensify that sunset. It wasnt THAT pretty. But Im guessing for my selfies in the future Ill use my old camera. Cause.. it likes me better than my new one.

Next week we'll go back to the normal silhouettes. Deal?

• 27.4 Weeks along. 
• Jack is still a boy.
• He is getting his move on in my belly. Typically I feel him crazy amounts in the morning, he waits until its almost time to get up though. He knows not to wake me up YET. He'll be doing enough of that soon.
• No strange cravings though im still enjoying my Fruity Pebbles and Dr Pepper. Poor kid is def going to like sugar. 
• How am I feeling? PERFECT! Every now and then at a photosession I get some aching on and my back hurts but I sleep/shower it off. Im glad it still goes away. Still doing that Lindy Hop when I feel like driving to Durham. Its getting harder and harder to drive out there. Its just soo incredibly far for me all by myself.
• At my most recent ultrasound he was already 2 lbs! Which was 3 days ahead of schedule so he may come a bit early, or he'll be big.. either way, im scared.
• At my last appt I had gained +8 lbs, so im not officially up +10 pounds. Not too bad for ALMOST being 7 months pregnant.
• My every two week checkups start with my next appt and im not too too excited about going in THAT much.
• Thinking about trying to labor without drugs. Im not sure im strong enough, but I AM thinking about it all the same. Im a HUGE wimp but at least I know that about myself.
• While in Nashville we attended a dance and I was sitting on the ground for a few of the competitions they had. There had been music all night. Jack is used to loud, awesome Jazz from me going to dances so often. What he's not used to is clapping. I think he could feel the vibrations and every time there was a lot of clapping he was SUPER active and then the clapping would stop and so would he. Then it would start up again and so would be. It was weird and interesting. Hopefully he will get his rhythm and musicality from me and not his dad.

A few weekends ago I visited Nashville again. This time it was to celebrate my birthday. :) What better way to celebrate my birth than to get to see that alien growing inside me? Here are some of the best shots we got.

Its like he knew we were watching him.. I wonder what color his eyes will be

Apparently its quite rare to get a photo of a 4 Chamber heart in a baby this young. Aunt Leslie was super proud of this photo even though its not too too visible in the photo. Its exciting all the same.

He's got at least 5 toes, and apparently his daddies HUGE feet. Great.

And this is totally random a while back around when we got married there was a website going around where you put two faces together to see what youre kid will look like and .. obviously I saved what it came up with. It happens to be a boy so I figured Id post it and we'll see how right this website really was.

This little guy is cute isnt he? Jack has a lot to live up to.

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Twenty Four weeks

Well, its time for another belly shot. Its been a while. My goodness, taking a photo a week is hard work. How I ever completed my 365 in 08/09 Ill never know. I mean.. I know most of my photos were crap but I finished it! Recently there just isnt anything too too exciting to take photos of, plus ive been busy.

24.4 Weeks

How I feel: Not too different. I slept really bad the other night, I just couldnt get comfortable. I was quite frustrated as there seems there is no comfortable furniture in my house. I dont know what I was thinking before. But I do know im going to need a good comfy, chair to nurse LJ in. Cause the couch just aint gunna cut it I dont think. Other than that, its getting harder to get my shoes on. Im continuously out of breath, especially when talking on the phone. I tend to pace while on the phone so I suppose it can count as a workout.

At some point last week I felt a hand or something up at the top of my belly AND a kick at the bottom. Which means, there is ACTUALLY something inside me. Growing rapidly everyday. It was sorta neat because he's getting big and im excited about it. My goodness he moves a lot though. He either doesnt like hot chocolate or he loves it because if I ever want to make him squirm I drink it. Plus its so yummy right now since its cold out.

Cravings: Still nothing really. I still R E A L LY like fruity pebbles though. Dr Pepper is still up there though im drinking in moderation. Im trying to not drink soda more than once a week. So far I think Ive done pretty well- except for the first week of the new year.

Other changes: I was reading up on dry skin and I decided to give a go at dry brushing before my showers. The idea is that it helps get rid of all of the excess skin accumulating on the surface. Its also supposed to be a good stimulator and makes your skin less lazy so your cellulite will be less visible the more you use it. Im on day 2, so we'll see not that I really have cellulite. Well, not thats too too visible.

Ive also been cleaning and organizing the house. For those of you who I have let into the house you know Neil and I both are not the cleanest people in the world. Which makes living hard sometimes. Well not hard but more annoying since neither of us are OCD about anything. For almost 2 weeks Ive gone to bed with the dishes done AND Ive woken up and made my bed. Ive also been setting a timer for an hour a day and tackling something I thought was major before. Im on day 5 of this and its going super awesome so far. These HUGE messes have been able to be cleaned up in an hour. Here I was thinking it was going to take hours! So far, Ive tackled Neils hot spot in the kitchen(its not 100% done yet though), the pantry, I tackled most of the table tops in the house(side tables and living room table) and yesterday I defeated the dining room table. Mostly it was covered in photography stuff and I just wasnt sure where to put it. I found homes for everything and mopped and swept and it looks lovely now. Forgive the Iphone photo. Im quite sad I didnt take befores of anything. It would have made a bigger impact. Just know, there was a TON of crap on it before.

 

And yes, I know its not completely empty. I cant lift the rolls up by myself so they will stay there until someone nice comes over.

I feel a lot better about getting the house clean. Who knew it was so easy?! Just allotting a little time a day. Crazy, who knew!

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twenty two - hooty hoo!

So, on top of this being an adventurous year for me with the move and the baby I want to to continue to be creative. Or rather Ill rephrase, Im feeling a bit uninspired and lacking something. What im not sure of though. I feel like recently Ive just been living inside my house. Barely moving from my computer. Which.. is no fun. Its cold and I dont have that many sessions to get out and about with. A lot of my work now is working on albums and editing. So I want to start getting out more. Even if its just going around Pine Level and seeing whats up there. I need to get out. Im feeling a bit cramped. Ive started looking through photos over the past few years and what im finding is that now that im done with my 365 I BARELY ever take photos during the week. Or of things I see. Well, im pretty good with my iphone but I feel like im not documenting like I should. 

Anyway, in other news.

Im at 22 weeks!

It doesnt seem like I look all that different with my clothes off. But I look crazy different with clothes ON. See that sweet photo by my new friend Bobby Bonsey? That was taken New Years Eve right at 21 weeks.

How im feeling? (im still very tired of this question BTW)

Well, quite sad actually. The house is lonely again without Neil here. Id kinda just got used to being alone and now im lonely again. I miss being able to just look over and say 'hey, what do you think of this?" How I function when he's gone im not sure. 

Baby wise im feeling tons of movement! Everytime it happens I get a little freaked out. Its still hard to believe there is something living inside me. I imagine my belly to be a fish tank right now. Theres a tiny goldfish that just keeps on getting bigger bumping into the walls right now. It seems like its flying by quite quickly. In less then 5 months Ill have a baby. THATS SO SOON! oh my. So much is going to happen between then and now its nuts.

What im craving?

Well you may or may not know I gave up soda for 2 years as New Years resolutions. If I were to say I was craving anything it would have to be Dr. Pepper. I think I may have been craving it the entire time and now I can drink it again. Im really trying to take it easy because I do have the little one inside to think about. I also know im not eating as healthily as Id like. Its hard to eat healthy being just me. I do need to throw in some more veggies though. Im not 100% Ive even had one veggie this week minus a few pieces of lettuce which I dont count as it was iceberg. So yeah, craving dr Pepper and thats about it. 

Any other changes?

Other than my larger belly most everything else is normal. Well, everything except my skin. Its C R A Z Y dry. My forehead flakes like snow. My arms and legs are dry too. Its quite odd. But im moisturizing as much as possible. I dont notice my hair getting any thicker due to a lack in hair loss. I also notice my hair coming out more than the usual. Perhaps Ill have an absolutely normal pregnancy and nothing will change except my belly. Id be ok with my feet not growing too.

I had a Drs. appointment yesterday and everything seemed fine. Im measuring normal. apparently Im 22 inches..( i think inches at least) from top to bottom and he says thats good cause it coincides with my week. Odd. Ive also not gained any weight since my last appt which he says is ok since Im measuring normal and im not starving myself. So Im still only +2 and still under 150 lbs for the time being.

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You say goodbye, I say Hello!

Perhaps I started out 2010 a little TOO adventurous. I ended up being a W H O L E lot busier than I had ever anticipated. Part of what some people do at the beginning of a new year is reflect on the year past. These are my resolutions from last year.

1) Not to drink soda pop again this year (last years old resolution) CHECK!
2) Cook at least 10 things a month Does Mac & Cheese count?
3) Read at least 5 books, rereading the Twilight saga doesn't cut it. :(  I think I read three..
4) Obviously the crafts, hopefully 365 in the end. I definitely crafted when I had time.. though not merely enough
5) Shoot 15 weddings, I have 5 booked now I just need to find 10 more. Any takers? CHECK-ish. I ended up with 14 weddings under my belt this year. It was a fantastic year!
6) Shoot a model once a month. I'm no good when it comes to models, mainly because I don't know strobes the way I want to. Because of that it makes me think I'm less of a photographer. I know that sounds silly but I'm going to try. Ive already got January's lined up for when I'm in Orlando later on in the month. I started out well but when my weddings for more frequent I had to hold off a bit.
7) Ill also try to clean more but im not having that be a resolution Yeah, not so much.. I did buy myself a DYSON for Christmas though..
8) get creative with my 52 weeks I started today. You should check it out in a few weeks. I have a few awesome ideas. Again, I got super swamped. No time for excess things.. plus I was feeling quite uninspired for a while there. 

Yeah.. so I did end up holding out on the whole soda thing. But I must admit.. I sincerely missed Dr. Pepper. He and I have been reacquainted and it has been a lovely relationship. I just dont want to spend too much time with him. Water and I need to maintain our relationship too. I was quite surprised to shoot 14 weddings. Its hard to wish to do something you have no control over. Though.. technically with second shooting I shot 15 weddings.

As for this year, my goals are quite different as there are a lot of changes coming up in my life soon.

1) Im only allowed to eat Fast Food once a week. Subway doesnt count.

2) I will try not to bite my nails. Ive been trying since I was old enough to realize biting my nails is gross. Now im just worried my nails will be SUPER ugly when/ if they ever DO grow out. Anyone have any tips or hints to help with this?

3) I will have a baby. I know this one is a given but I think its a pretty big thing. Its a good goal. I mean.. it would be weird if Little Jack just hung out in my belly for the rest of my life.

4) I will not buy any new clothes maternity or other wise until my pregnancy weight is back to where it needs to be. 135 lbs. I am allowed to buy accessories and baby clothes of course.

5) I would like to photograph 5 weddings this year. Why 5 you ask? 1: Im due in May(terrible timing with it being right smack dab in the middle of wedding season) 2: We are moving. We don't know where or when but we probably wont be here in good ole NC when the second wedding season sets in. 3: Because of those 2 reasons I only have one wedding booked right now. Thats 9 away from last year at this time. Ugh. Its very frustrating and there's nothing I can do about it.

6) I still want to get my craft on this year and I know I will with the baby on the way.. but I dont want to set any expectations. The same with cooking, reading and cleaning. :)

7) This year I WILL do a 52 weeks and 8) start a 365 of Little Jack. The 52 weeks because I want to document this sweet, huge belly Im getting. Once I have the baby it will turn into a 365 with one photo a week being a family photo. I also of course want to document Jack and his growth and the best way to do that is with a 365. Its going to be fun even if I dont post everything I take.

9) Take more photos for me. For no reason at all. Id like to document North Carolina while im still here. I need to go and do some exploration. I guess I just need to be outside more often.

10) I really need to get some things on the wall. Canvas', prints, random thrift store findings. Just something so our next house feels more homey.

 A few weeks ago Neil came home for emergency leave and we hiked over to his hometown of Oak Harbor, Washington. To get out of the house we did a little hiking to the top of a hill and of course I had to have a few photos of the newly developed bump. Here I am at 20 weeks. Im even bigger now at 22!

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fourteen and a dream

I had my first baby dream and it was horrible. I dreamt that Neil was still gone and the baby came early. Before ALL my baby showers, before I was ready, before we had things. But there were no complications which was good. The baby was sized full term but was born in February and not May. I got the baby home and completely freaked out. No one was there to help, I didn't have much in the way of supplies, except my boobs. Pretty much what I already have is what I had. So, 4 diapers, some blankets, a crib, a dresser and some baby legs. That's not going to get you very far. I did however see the baby was taken out of the hospital with a blue diaper on. Which doesn't' help me out in my wanting a girl. I wont be too sad if our little one is a boy, I just be a little sad. Ive been a little depressed. Im worried about the baby. Nervous and excited for my appointment tomorrow. Hoping for good things. If all is well tomorrow in a few weeks we should know if Baby Embry is in fact a she or a he. My friend Leslie is going to be the one to spill the beans and i'm super excited about it. This morning I took another belly shot, Ive felt.. very much like not wanting to take photos of myself recently. I feel like if I would have take a photo a month ago I might be bigger than I am now, which still isn't that big but I have grown a little bit. No bump yet though. No cravings. No high belly or low belly. I dont want any food. It doesnt matter if its sweet or salty... well I think id be good with some potato chips and some powdered doughnuts but im trying to stay away from bad things so N O T H I N G sounds good. agh!

dude, look at how long my hair got in 7 weeks!! CRAZY

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