Week 21 and a Wedding!!!

How Far Along? 21 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Honestly, I don't even want to look at the scale right now. I'll update next week after my doctor's appointment this Friday when I have no choice about getting weighed.
   

Baby Related Purchases: The grandmothers have been busy getting things. I will get the occasional text from them with pictures of their most recent purchases. Carol calls it "The Claudia Collection". Doesn't that sound like a fancy fashion line? :-)

Last week, we were so busy after getting back from Atlanta on Monday evening and getting ready to go to Birmingham on Thursday evening for Cassidy's wedding we didn't really do or buy anything baby related. A project for this week is picking out paint (pink, of course!) for Claudia's nursery! 

Sleep: The same. My new normal is getting about 4 hours (if its a good night) of uninterrupted sleep before waking up. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to go back to sleep and sometimes it takes longer. Sunday night after getting back from Birmingham, I slept 9 hours straight! It was heavenly!!!!
  

Movement: Claudia loves moving around right as I lay down to go to sleep. I've heard that babies in the womb sleep more during the day because the baby is soothed by the mother's movement and the sound of her voice. So, at night, they tend to move around more. I think this is proving to be the case with our little girl. She is also reacting to touch and the sound of Austin's voice. It is so sweet! 

What I miss: This will probably sound vain, but I miss having a waist! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my growing belly because it means that my little girl is growing, but at the wedding I looked at my friend's little waists and missed mine (not that it was that little a few months ago!)

  

Cravings: I think the Zaxby's craving is wearing off. I had it for lunch yesterday and could just taste the oil used to fry the chicken and french fries. It wasn't a bad batch of food, it just didn't taste as good to me as it usually does. Now that summer is here, I've been craving fresh fruits and vegetables! I'm not complaining about that :-) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, thankfully. 

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: No!

Symptoms: Quickening, Round Ligament Pain, Tiredness, Hip pain. And, I'm just slower getting in and out of the car, chairs, bed, etc. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: This week was a very very happy one! 

Worries: For some reason, as doctor's appointments approach, I get nervous. I'm so excited that I get to hear Claudia's heartbeat on Friday but I also want everything to be normal and right on track! 

Best moments this week: Oh my goodness, it was a wonderful week! We went to Birmingham for Cassidy's wedding and all the fun that went along with it!

We drove down to Birmingham on Thursday night and Dad surprised us (again!) by getting us a hotel room at the Hyatt Wynfrey Hotel. It was such a blessing!

Friday morning was Cassidy's bridesmaid's luncheon at an adorable cafe in Mountain Brook Village called Olexa's. Everything was delicious and it was so good to visit with everyone! Cassidy gave us really cute gray and white clutches as our bridesmaid's gifts! They were perfect!

In the afternoon, we went to the church to help set up for the reception then the rehearsal dinner was that evening at the Gaslight House in Pelham. The house was the perfect space and everything was decorated so cute! They served Jim N'Nicks barbeque (always a winner!!) and all sorts of delicious sides and desserts. Everyone was so excited for Cassidy and Eric- I loved hearing the toasts and just getting to celebrate them!

The next day (wedding day!) we got to the church by 12:15, hair and makeup (mostly) done and Becca steamed our dresses. She is officially the steaming queen. I'm not good at it whatsoever!

Cassidy was an absolutely STUNNING bride! The day was very relaxed and we enjoyed taking pictures with the wedding party (while making sure our bangs weren't getting greasy in the humidity during the outdoor pictures- haha).

The ceremony was beautiful and so Christ-centered. It was truly a joy and a privilege to stand beside Cassidy as she entered into the covenant of marriage with Eric. I know that the Lord is going to do wonderful things in and through them as a married couple! It will be so fun to see it all unfold!

The reception was beautiful and the food was delicious. My favorite thing, however, was the joyous Samford reunion that took place! Nearly all of my dear friends from Samford were there, along with some of their parents! It was so happy!!! I loved introducing Austin to those who he hadn't met and meeting Luke's wife, Sarah! They came all the way from Colorado for the wedding!

Sunday morning, we went to a brunch at Emily and Theron's home to spend time with everyone and meet their new baby, Abby Grace! Emily is a wonderful hostess and we had a great time! Before heading back to Jackson, we had lunch with Luke and Sarah, Becca and Dad. It was so hard to leave, but it was truly a wonderful weekend!