3rd trimester here i come!!!

so, it's here...the 3rd trimester!!! and i'm ready!!!...i think ;)
i've taken a week off work. went to visit my fam in louisiana and had a great time. got to see one of my best friends in Little Rock which was great! and now, i'm home! and enjoying my week! got lots to do though.

1. get as much done on the nursery as possible!!! - so far we've painted the walls, the crib and the rocking chair. oh, and a mirror. i have someone working on my bedding so that should be done in the next few weeks hopefully. now we need a dresser. and i was working on a "shelving-type" unit but, got a little derailed tonight...bad paint stinch (i've painted in short bouts w/a mask so we can get some nursery stuff done, but the laquer!! BAD idea!! the fumes are terrible and i had no idea. well, about 10 min into it i decided to quit and then temporarily freaked out and had a meltdown. i was sure i had damaged my little ruby belle in some way. truly, i'm still a little freaked, but much calmer now...surely the 15 min of stinch didn't do any damage, right??? yeah, still a little freaked.

2. day care search - this was NOT fun. but i think i've narrowed it down to a few places. my husband is going to check them out again w/me this week so we can make a final decision! yea!! it's been frustrating and i only really looked for a few days. but really, i believe it now...no place is good enough to send your child. it's weird that those maternal instincts just start to take over!

3. hopefully some R&R is in store sometime during this break!! but i keep reminding myself that i'm not getting any skinnier or any more energy anytime soon, so i better get as much done as i can!

26 week belly shot and time off!!!!

well, yet another belly shot for your viewing pleasure! i just had my 26 week appt. everything is looking good...no gestational diabetes and not much else to worry about (except my low-lying placenta that i will have an ultrasound for at my next appt). i'm right on track w/weight gain but the doctor did tell me to cut back a little on exercise...not much though. this makes me kinda happy in a way cause i have an excuse now if i want to take it easy, but kinda not, b/c i love to exercise and i hate people telling me i can't :) typical!! really, though i'm perfectly fine w/the exercise i am and can do. i think little ruby belle is, too.

i am headed to shreveport this weekend to hang w/my fam! i was just there a month ago, but excited to be heading back. i'm sure my mom and i will find some more great stuff for the baby and it's always fun to hang out in my hometown. i'm looking forward to seeing my brother and his girlfriend, too!! THEN, i am headed to Little Rock for a few hours to drop by to see one of my best friends, Kenyon. she was one of my college swimming friends, but now she lives in Florida! i haven't seen her since my wedding, but i know it will be just like we saw each other yesterday! and she has a 1 1/2 yr old that i've never met (can't wait) and she's pregnant w/#2!!! always good to see another prego!! :) THEN...i have a WEEK off work!!! a WHOLE week!!! haven't had one of those since my honeymoon, and boy, am i looking forward to it!! gonna get some baby stuff done and some relaxing and catching up!!

24 weeks and growing!

here it is again, my growing belly...i'm 24 weeks along and starting to feel the bulge! it's getting a little harder to bend over and painting my toenails last night kinda took some effort...



and this is just for fun, thanks to my husband :) he thought we could get the FULL effect from a front angle...and he was right...looks pretty big!

ups and downs

this nursery thing is for the birds! well, at least today it is...and once a week or so. i get SO frustrated trying to decide what exactly i want! i hate decisions...and they are especially hard now for some reason...i guess pregnancy is not on my side on this one. i've decided on colors...black, white, and teal. we're having black furniture and 3 white walls and one teal wall. then comes the bedding...
i need help. and i've been working w/my mom and her dear friend, Carrie Jo, and love them and their help. just lately, i've been short. my attitude is short. i mean, they keep throwing more and more ideas out at me everytime i ask an opinion and then that leads to more dreaded decisions!!! then i get verbally frustrated. then i feel bad b/c i know i asked for their help. and the worst part is my mom gets the brunt of it. she's like the "go-between" between Carrie Jo and I. and that's not easy. for me, but probably especially for her. and i hate that for her :( she's my mom and i love her.

so what shall we call her???

after much thinking, debating, and discussion we finally reached a desicion for our new little girl...i really wanted a family name, but couldn't make any of them work or fit or we just both didn't agree. so family names went by the wayside...therefore, this post doesn't have much explanation except that we found a name we both liked and agreed on. (even though some of our family doesn't quite think as highly of it as we do :) so, we proudly announce to the world (or just those of you in my blog world) that our sweet little girl will be named:

Ruby Belle Smith

and that's that!! :) i guess it could change...we do have a little less than 3 months to change our minds, but i'm pretty sure they are made up. we fall in love with our little Ruby Belle more and more each day!