SURPRISE!

This weekend our VA friends (and Darren) held a surprise baby shower for me! Darren and Amanda did a great job at keeping it from me b/c I never suspected a thing!

Thank You to everyone for coming and THANK YOU to Kristie and those who helped her!!!

*To see more pics, visit my facebook page!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We went to Pennsylvania for Christmas. It will be the last time we'll be traveling anywhere until after Baby Sharp is born b/c I can't leave Northern VA after 34 weeks in case I go into labor. A 3 hour car ride from PA to VA would not be fun while your in labor! This year we were only there for the weekend instead of the entire week because we're trying to save our vacation for February.

A pic with my brother and sister...

I met up with the girls for our annual Christmas luncheon! I think it was our best turnout ever! I'm so happy I got to see everyone before I am confined to VA. :)

A pic from New Year's weekend (34 weeks!)

Snowed in at 32 weeks

This weekend we had a snow storm that closed down most of the DC metro area for 2 days. We received 20" of snow in Ashburn, which is more than we've had since we moved here 5 years ago. Darren spent most of the day shoveling, but I don't think he minded. I think he actually enjoyed being outside in the snow. Plus, the plow truck (or should I say the crappy landscaping truck with a plow on it) got stuck in the snow and he got to pull it out with his truck.
While he was out playing in the snow, I was inside putting things away in the baby's room. I'm getting bigger and more uncomfortable as I'm dealing with more and more acid reflux, backaches, and night time potty breaks. After the holidays come and go, it won't be too long before it's all over!

While we were out Christmas shopping, I found a t-shirt that says it all...
I am proud to say that we finished all of our Christmas shopping already so there will be no December 24th runs to the store for last minute gifts!

It's Christmas time!

Our first snow fall in Northern VA put us in the Christmas decorating mood this weekend.

Snow on the golf course... Darren's mom and my sister came to visit and we put them to work, but first Darren had to go get the tree...

Then we had to put it up. Pre-lit trees are the best! Yes, I know I already look like a mom!

The finished product...

We can't wait until next year when we'll be waiting for Santa to come! :)

~Jess

Black Friday+Baby Shower+CyberMonday = Baby Gear Galore!

This weekend we went to PA for Thanksgiving and our baby shower/party. We were so happy that so many people were able to celebrate with us!

My sister, Amanda, worked so hard to throw us an amazing party!
Our baby received so many nice gifts from so many generous people!

and so many wonderful books to start her library...

OK, this one will have to wait... :)

The day before the shower was Black Friday and Darren and Amanda waited in line at Toys 'R Us for an hour to buy the baby an excersaucer. What a wonderful daddy and auntie :)
Monday aka "CyberMonday" was a great day to buy a lot of the items we need. I had never heard of Cyber Monday before but I'm so glad I found out about it this year. So many things were on sale and UPS and FedEx are going to know our address well by the time the baby is born :)

Oh yeah, I received the results for the Glucose test and I am diabetes free! Bring on the candy! ;-)

~Jess

28 Week Sonogram

I had a 28 week sonogram today and Baby Sharp is perfectly fine! Her heart beat was 148 bpm, she's supposedly 2lbs 8oz, and her due date was once again calculated as Feb 14, so she's right on track! Oh yeah, and she is still definitely a "SHE" :)

The technician took a lot of pictures, but the 3-D pics didn't come out as well as the 20 week ones. Baby is running out of room in there and she was all smooshed. Plus there was a bunch of stuff in the way.

Can you make out her face?

The technician said she has a "big" head. She's already taking after her daddy! First the nose and lips and now the head! :) We wouldn't be surprised if she looks exactly like Darren but with brown hair. Darren said he hopes he makes a pretty girl! :)

I love her little legs and feet!

The reason I had to have another sonogram was to see if a C-section would be needed, but everything looks normal now so a CS is not in the plan at this point.

Last Tuesday I had a glucose tolerance test and the results came back saying I had high blood sugar so I had to take a second (much longer) test on Friday. I had to fast overnight and then drink an orange drink that tasted like a melted orange popsicle. It wasn't as bad as what I thought it would be. Not being able to drink for over 8 hours makes you really thirsty. Plus, I've had to drink worse for stomach tests. Then they drew my blood every hour for three hours to see how my body was processing the sugar. I haven't received the results yet, but hopefully I don't have gestational diabetes. That would not be fun. They also said I was anemic so I have to take an extra iron supplement, but that's not a big deal. I hear it is quite common for pregnant ladies.

On Saturday, Darren finished putting up the polka dots in the baby's room. He worked so hard at cutting each of them out! All I did was sit on my butt and offer placement suggestions...

26 Weeks and Backaches...

It's been a fairly quiet week. My belly seems to be getting bigger and bigger every day, and my back/pelvis is suffering. Warm compresses, warm (not hot!) baths, and lounging with my feet up seem to temporary relieve the pain, but it hurts to walk or lay on my sides for too long.

The funny thing about an ever growing baby is that we can actually see her move! I'll lay on my back and one side of my stomach will be higher than the other. Then all of a sudden the "lump" will disappear and one will appear on the other side. It's pretty cool.

We're decorating the nursery and Darren bought stick-on appliques for the walls...

We're trying to decide on a name for our little girl, but it's hard to find one that we both agree on. We have it narrowed down to four, but I have a feeling that we won't be able to pick one until we see her. Even if we did choose one, we aren't telling anyone what it is. It'll be a surprise!

~Jess