Are You Still There?

To the 4-5 of you out there who actually read this, I apologize. I somehow fell off the face of the blogosphere for about two months. I actually laughed to myself a bit when I saw that my last post was about me being 24 weeks along. I am now almost 34 weeks! And trust me, there has been much expanding. One day, if I can find one that I feel semi-comfortable with, I might post a picture again. But no promises.

So, what have I been doing during my 10 week absence? So glad you asked. Unfortunately, I don't have a great answer, but I do feel like I've been very busy. A couple of weeks ago I flew to Arkansas for my first baby shower. Herschel then drove from Florida to Arkansas to retrieve me and our loot. He was able to stay for a couple of days before we made the trek back to the Sunshine state. It was a long, hot, swollen drive, but it was nice for us to be able to sit and talk - a lot - with very few distractions. Something we don't get to do very often. And something that I'm sure will be even more allusive in the months to come.

One of the things we talked about on our drive was how blessed we are. I mean, here we were driving 1,000 miles back home with a car full of presents from family and friends who love us and want to help us celebrate this incredible miracle that is occurring in our lives. It's humbling to experience people loving on you in such a selfless way - and thankfully, that realization did not escape us. I hope Sophia grows up to know just how loved she is as well, not just by us, but by this amazing group of people we have surrounding us. Simply put, we are blessed.

Once we returned from Florida, I felt like I slept for about 3-4 days straight. I was wiped out, and somehow just could not bring myself to function like a semi-normal person for about a week. I tried, trust me. But my body just had other ideas. Once I did re-enter the real world, I had to catch up on life - the house needed to be cleaned, laundry need to be washed, groceries desperately needed to be purchased and combined into some form of sustenance. Just the everyday stuff. But each thing was at its most extreme.

Then, we started childbirth classes. Yep, I had nightmares after our last class. No. Joke. Can't wait until tomorrow night when we get to go back and learn more. Yikes! I just hope I can sleep through the night tomorrow. These classes definitely make me question the phrase "Knowledge is power." I'm becoming a huge advocate for the "Ignorance is bliss" movement. And for any of you who know Herschel, you won't be surprised to know that he is loving every moment of the classes. He's soaking it alllll in. Any excuse to learn something... I just sit there willing him not to ask any embarrassing questions or make any mortifying comments - both of which are very real possibilities with him. (Of course, he would disagree with this statement.) But so far, so good. Although we have two classes left, and that's plenty of time for him to come up with something.

Finally, nesting is in full effect around the Acosta household. I sort of had my doubts about that whole phenomenon, but that is the only thing that can explain the flurry of activity that has been going on around our house lately. And Herschel has not been spared. In fact, he may be almost worse than I am. Not kidding. And he will admit it. We are are cleaning/organizing/getting-stuff-done machines!

Almost all of Sophia's laundry is done, and I'm working on organizing and reorganizing her closet and dresser. Our garage is pretty much spotless. We cleaned out several garbage bags full of stuff last weekend from around the house. Things are happening! We even started a craft project last weekend for Sophia's room, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of ourselves. I found a couple of ideas online that I liked for her walls, but they were mucho dinero. So, my DIY'er husband convinced me that we could in fact DIY, or in this case DIO (do it ourselves). I have been shocked at how easy it's been - and how much money we've saved! I've been taking pictures of the whole process, and I'll definitely post some when we are finished. But now I feel like a whole new door has been opened. I'm not buying anything I could make ever again! At least that's how I feel this week. Check back in, oh, say, 6-7 weeks when I have a newborn.

I hope that's accounted for at least a little bit of the time I've slacked off from this blog. I'm going to try to be better in the coming weeks. I can't believe that we are down to only 6 more weeks from Wednesday until my due date. It seems as if I'm stuck in this weird in-between place where time is both speeding by and going in slow motion all at the same time. For most things, waiting 6 weeks, seems like an eternity, but when you start talking birth, the whole perspective shifts. And throw into the mix that that whole 6 week mark, isn't necessarily a firm date (it could be less!), and that will really mess with this pregnant lady's brain. Don't get me wrong, I can not wait. But with the excitement comes a bundle of other emotions. And list-making and organizing will only soothe so much.

So before I dwell on those emotions too much longer, I will leave you with a few photos from the shower. Enjoy!

Three of the five hostesses. All dear, dear friends who I am incredibly grateful for. They've each impacted my life in a great big way, and helped shape me into the person I am today. I love them!

Can you sense just how awkward we all feel about taking this picture?

Super cute, and maybe some of the most delicious cupcakes ever. I mean, really, they deserve their own post. So cute and so good. Seriously.

Me with some burp cloths. But not just any burp cloths. These were made by the sister of a friend of mine who has started her own business. She is so talented. You should check her out at: www.rocketshipsandelephants.com. You can even see Sophia's burp cloths on there. So cute!

24 Weeks

Well, here I am again. Although last time I posted a picture on here, the next day I found out I was three weeks behind my estimated due date. All I can say is, that better not happen again.

If it did, I'm pretty sure I would set some sort of record for world's longest pregnancy. But let's be honest, I'm not looking to set any records.

I'm getting bigger day by day, and also hotter (temperature, not looks...clearly). It is going to be a loooong summer. But I am thankful to have easy access to both a pool and a little thing called the Atlantic Ocean - two bodies of water I will be frequenting over the next few months.

So, anyone who's looking for a vacation in South Florida, feel free to join me and Sophia. But for now just bask in our beauty...ha.

The Name Game

I apologize for my long absence. To be honest, I'm not sure where I've been. But it feels like the weeks are really starting to fly by. I had to take a deep breath the day I saw the calendar flip from May to June. June??!!!? Really? That means it's summer, and summer means it's just about time to have this baby! Perhaps, that's a slight exaggeration, but that's definitely how I felt during my first few waking hours of June 1.

But, with the minor panic attack aside, our house has been full of excitement. Things are really starting to happen, and it's making this whole process seem so much more real. It's tough to deny the inevitable when you've got a crib sticking out of the room formerly known as the guest bedroom. Beautifully, it's now being called the nursery. And as soon as we move the queen-sized bed out of there, it will soon start looking like one - and I can't wait!

And, now for the 1-2 people who don't already know, I'd like to introduce this little girl by name....

Sophia Grace Acosta

It was actually a fairly easy process for us. For some reason, Herschel has always known that if he had a little girl, he wanted to name her Sophia. And, frankly, I have no objections to that. Another big plus, is that both of our families can pronounce Sophia. Laugh it up, but it's true. You have no idea what an ordeal that is. But yet it's important. In fact, we might just have to name any other kids we have Sophia also, just so we don't have to come up with any other pronunciation-neutral names. I kid....sort of.

Her middle name, Grace, is a name I've always loved. It was also my great-grandmother's name, which I just think is kind of cool. But when you put her name together it will mean "wisdom and grace." (Sophia means "wisdom.") And that is definitely our prayer for her - that she will grow into a woman full of wisdom and grace. No pressure, right?

We are so anxious to meet Sophia and learn all about her personality, her likes and dislikes, her strengths and weaknesses. But for now, we are enjoying feeling all of her kicks and punches. One thing that is already very evident about her is that she is definitely a squirmy little booger. The doctor mentioned that even before we'd ever seen an ultrasound of her. Even when they were trying to get her heartbeat the first time, she would barely hold still long enough to hear it for more than a couple of seconds. And that first prediction by the doctor has been confirmed in all of our ultrasounds. Every tech has commented on how much she moves around. And as she has gotten bigger and stronger I get to feel (and see!) evidence of that as well.

That has been by far one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. Being able to feel her move is absolutely amazing. And it's even more special now that Herschel can feel her, too. I love sitting in bed at night watching my belly bulge or twitch in one place or another as she moves around. It's funny, but it's also so reassuring, just knowing that there's life in there. So that makes me not mind when I get woken up by a swift kick in the side, because I know it's just Sophia saying, "Hey, mom, I'm still here!" As if my growing belly, sciatica, leg cramps and constantly full bladder would ever let me forget.

Looks Like Someone's Getting a Little Spoiled...

We were able to spend last weekend up in Orlando at Disney World, and we had such a great time! It was a wonderful - and much-needed - getaway. On Saturday, we spent the day with Herschel's college roommate and his family. It was so much fun to see Disney through his kids' eyes. It definitely made me very anxious to be able to take our baby girl there one day.

On a side note, the 4 year old son of Herschel's college roommate had the best line of the weekend. After questioning me about being pregnant, I told him that the baby was still in my belly. Immediately upon hearing this, his eyes got huge and concern spread over his face as he sternly told me, "You need to get married!" Ha! I love it! He's adorable!! Once I cleared up my marital status, we covered what hospital I would be going to and when. He was very concerned that I get this baby out of my belly in a timely and efficient manner.

Then on Sunday, another couple who went to college with Herschel was in town, and we were able to spend the afternoon with them. Apparently it was Texas A&M reunion weekend at Disney. So sorry for all those Aggies who didn't know. Maybe next year.

We spent Saturday at the Magic Kingdom and Sunday eating our way through Epcot. We have two more days left on our passes, and we are already plotting our return.

We bought nothing (besides a lot of very unhealthy food) for ourselves, and only gave in to one thing for baby girl Acosta. But over the past few weeks and months, she's already becoming quite spoiled. The one item we bought was our first "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. I just couldn't resist all of the cute pinkness and baby Minnie on top.

But lucky for us, we haven't had to do much spoiling of our own. We are fortunate to have friends and family to do that for us. Herschel's friends brought us a whole goody bag full of Disney-themed gifts that would make any baby girl smile. And my mom surprised me by ordering a really cute diaper bag that I'd had my eye on. It just arrived today, and I'm in love with it! Here are just a few pictures of some of our baby girl's loot.

Front of a onesie from Herschel's friends, along with a little rattle.

Back of the onesie - I just love this little bow!

Photo album

Diaper bag!

How Should I Put This...

First things, first - we're having a GIRL!!!

We couldn't be more excited! Herschel has wanted a little girl for forever, and with two grandsons already, his family is ready for a granddaughter/niece.

But here's where is gets a little weird...while I was having the ultrasound done today, the technician asked me how sure I was of my dates. I told her that I was pretty certain. And she responded, "Well, hmm, because you're way off." Let me tell ya, that's not exactly what I was expecting to hear.

As it turns out, based on the measurements they took today, it looks like I'm only 16 weeks pregnant - not 19. Yep, that's almost an entire month off. But, fortunately, everything looked good and healthy on the ultrasound. We will, however, be having another ultrasound done in three weeks, when I should actually be 19 weeks....not 16, like I apparently am now.

So that puts my new due date at September 29 instead of September 8. I told Herschel that I felt like I got tackled when I was almost halfway there and got pushed back a month. But it really doesn't matter to me, just as long as we have a healthy, happy baby. We are so blessed and we absolutely can not wait to meet our new little girl.

19 Weeks

Okay, so I've been hounded long enough that I finally gave in. Here I am in all my glory. It's actually a pretty horrible picture, but just look at the bump and ignore everything else. Also, we should have exciting news to report tomorrow!!! I have my ultrasound tomorrow afternoon, so we will soon know whether we're having a little girl or a little boy. I can't wait to find out. I have a feeling it will be a sleepless night.

It's Happening

So...as far as I'm concerned, I officially became pregnant last Friday. I'm serious. I had gone from numerous people questioning my due date/how far along I was (including the med student who helped out at my doctor's appointment on Thursday!), to waking up with a baby bump. I was so stunned, I just laid there and yelled for Herschel to come back into the bedroom.

He was amazed, too. But maybe for a slightly different reason. See, the past month or so, I've only been feeling pressure or flutters or anything really on the right side of my abdomen. I asked the doctor about it, and she said it was totally normal. And I had even been told that babies typically pick a side and favor that side throughout the majority of the pregnancy, or until they begin to run out of space. So, what we saw on Friday morning was indeed a baby bump, but it was a completely lopsided bump. It basically looked like somebody had stuffed a Nerf football into the right side of my stomach.

I thought it was pretty funny. I figured that was why I had only been feeling anything on that side; and sure enough, after some good, old-fashioned Googling, any questions I might've had were answered. From what I could tell, it's fairly typical. But I still find it kind of hilarious to lay on my back and see the right side of my belly sticking out about an inch farther than my left side.

But since Friday, I've had to find new and longer shirts, and yesterday, I was actually told that I finally looked pregnant. I'll consider that a compliment. :) It may not be a huge belly, but I'm glad to have more proof of a human residing in there.

And speaking of proof, we have our ultrasound exactly ONE WEEK from today!! So, hopefully I will be writing next week to tell all of you whether we're having a boy or a girl! We absolutely can not wait to find out! The time is flying by and we are getting more and more excited everyday. We're both so ready to make this new change in our lives more of a reality. And seeing more proof of it over the past few days has only made Herschel and I more anxious to meet this little one. He or she is already so loved!

And on a side note - thank you to everyone for your advice, support and encouragement, after my mini-meltdown during my last post. It's still overwhelming, just because it's going to be, but I am feeling better. I think I might just make it through after all!