33 Weeks

This past week was a ton of fun. I had another dr. appt and we got to hear Jackson's heartbeat (140 bpm) again, which is always wonderful. The dr. estimates that he probably weighs approx. 4 to 4 1/2 lbs by now. I can definitely tell that he is growing, and some of his movements can be so powerful that it makes my toes curl. It almost feels like he's pushing outward for more space! Time seems to have slowed down as the due date is getting closer and closer, and I know that is pretty normal. We have less than seven weeks to go now, and things are starting to really come together. Justin has painted the nursery, which turned out wonderfully. Tonight we just got finished putting together the crib and it looks great! We now have our bedding which is the next thing we will set up and will really bring the nursery together. Other than that, Justin still has to put together the travel system, pack n play, etc. But at least we are making some serious progress! I will post pictures soon.

Friday night we went to see Jerry Seinfeld, and he was hilarious! His opening act was a guy named Tom Papa and he was just as funny. I really was so impressed with how quick-witted and sarcastic Jerry Seinfeld is. He doesn't miss a beat. Usually it takes something really funny to make me laugh out loud, and we were honestly laughing for 2 hours straight. It was Justin's graduation gift to me and we had a blast!

Saturday, Justin and I woke up early and drove to Durham, NC for our nieces' 1st birthday. I can't believe that the girls are a year old already...time flies! They were as cute as can be, and I could just watch them all day. They certainly have their own personalities now, and that is so neat to see. I loved watching them eat cake for the first time. Emma dug in (in true Atchley form), whereas Olivia wasnt too sure what to think about it. Olivia wasnt too fond of all of the sticky cake all over her hands either. Too cute!! Here are a few pictures of our beautiful neices!! I can't wait for Jackson to meet them!

After the party, Justin and I headed back to Charleston so that we could get all of our errands done on Sunday. So that was our week in a nutshell.

This past week was also sad, as Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson passed away. MJ's death is the most shocking for me. Justin and I were talking about how weird it will be when Jackson sees MJ on tv one day and we have to say "he died before you were born". I guess it is so odd to think that he is gone, since he was such an icon in the 80's. At any rate, on our way to Durham, we were listening to satellite radio and found a channel playing all MJ songs as a tribute. We got to hear all of the hits, including my personal faves, "Smooth Criminal" and "Scream".

I was looking back over my blog and found the internet prediction that I got early in the pregnancy. I thought I'd post it again, since so far it has been acccurate. It will be fun to see if the rest comes true (although I think the blue eyes will turn to green eventually)!

The day you deliver, outside will be cloudy. Your baby will arrive in the afternoon. After a labor lasting approximately 17 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and will be 19 inches long. This child will have light blue eyes and a lot of hair.

32 Weeks

This past week was a whirlwind and was tons of fun. Lets see, Tuesday was our last lamaze class and Justin did better than expected. He did look at the ceiling during the graphic parts of the vaginal delivery videos, but we were on our best behavior during the breathing exercises. We also got to take a tour of the hospital's labor and delivery floor, which was fun. It was crazy to see the nursery where little Jackson will be and the rooms where he may be delivered. We also got to see the OR in the event of a c-section. It feels good to be familiar with where we are going to be for such an important day. Now the only classes that we have left are infant CPR and newborn class. Those will both be in July.

Friday the festivities began in preparation for my first baby shower on Saturday. I got my hair cut (as you can see!) and also colored. It is just slightly darker than before, but there is no more gray...YAY! I noticed my first gray hair the day after my 25th birthday, and I have been slowly noticing more and more as the years go on. (BOO!) My hair is slightly shorter now than I wanted, but it is much healthier and feels more lightweight. This is really nice since Charleston has been getting some majorly hot weather lately!

On Saturday morning, Justin and I went to get maternity portraits taken. Our photographer was great and took almost 500 shots. I will hopefully get to see the proofs soon! Then it was time for the baby shower. While I was at the shower, Justin went out on the boat with his friends. Meri, Brooke, and Becca threw the shower at a beautiful house on IOP. Lauren made the cake, and I LOVED it!! My favorite part is the baby butt hanging out of the present. :) And of course, the cake was not only hilarious, but tasted delicious! The food, games, etc. were great and I enjoyed seeing and spending time with my friends and family. THANK YOU Meri, Brooke, and Becca for throwing me such a wonderful shower. Justin and I are also SO thankful for all of the wonderful gifts that Jackson received, and we can't wait to get the nursery set up. Here are a few pictures from the shower. Becca also got some really great shots with her camera, and I can't wait until I get those as well. As for the rest of the weekend, we stayed out at the house and just enjoyed relaxing and spending time with friends. It was truly a wonderful weekend! Here are just a few pictures for now. I will try and post more later!

Today, Justin broke down the bed that was in the nursery and put it away. The painting will begin tomorrow and then Justin will get the baby furniture all set up. It is hard to believe that there are less than 8 weeks to go before we get to meet our precious little baby. He reminds me that he is a strong little guy with his movements that get bigger and more powerful by the day!

31 Weeks

This past week was not as eventful as the last, and I spent a lot of time taking it easy. On Tuesday, we had our 2nd baby class, which went better than the first. Justin was on his best behavior, and we only started laughing at the beginning of the breathing exercises. At least this time, we were able to control ourselves and get serious about it! :) During the class, we watched videos on c-sections and epidurals. Tomorrow will be our last lamaze class and we will watch a vaginal delivery....wish us luck on that one!! We will also get the hospital tour, which we are both really looking forward to.

Lets see, this past weekend we went out to dinner at Wild Wings with some friends, which was a good time. Afterwards, we all went to a bar called Squeeze on East Bay. Yes, I was the pregnant chick sipping water at the bar. I felt a little silly, but it was nice to be able to still hang at almost 8 months pregnant! Then on Saturday, Justin wrote a paper for school while I went shopping for a new purse. I was only out for 2 hours, and when I got home, my feet were throbbing! On Sunday, we went to church and Jackson was a wild man the whole time. He started moving when the organ started playing and continued non-stop all through the sermon. Then he got the hiccups and it seemed like they went on forever! Poor little guy!

Last week I forgot to add that I am no longer car-less. YAY! We made a goal to try and wait 2 months to try and find the best deal possible on a new car. Justin put in countless hours of car research and we narrowed it down to a few. We made an offer on one (Ford Explorer), but the dealer wouldnt accept it. One thing that surprised me during our car shopping is how unmotivated and beat-down the car dealers that we dealt with seemed. It was rare that one actually called us back and followed through. I guess the economy has them down in the dumps, but nobody really went after the sale with us. Anyway, its funny how things work out because we were beginning to get frustrated and then the DEAL of the YEAR fell into our laps. It really pays to have a good friend who is a BMW dealer...thanks Dan! We have taken over a lease for about a year and a half on a 2008 BMW X3 and we love it!

Justin is rocking and rolling in grad school. He has been writing a 5 page paper for school every week (ugh!), attending online classes for 4 hours a week, and making online postings throughout the week....all while working full time. He will be done with his first semester next week, so he is looking forward to a few weeks without papers to write!

My first baby shower is this Saturday, which Meri, Brooke, and Becca are throwing. I will be sure to post pictures next week, and I am SO looking forward it. I also keep hearing about some amazing cake that Lauren is making for it. I have no idea what it is, but it is sure to be awesome! So thats really it for 31 weeks...less than 9 weeks left to go!

30 WEEKS!!

YAY for 30 weeks! This past week was a fun and eventful one. We started our baby classes last Tuesday and Thursday night. Tuesday was the first of three classes where we learn all about the delivery process and get a tour of the labor unit in the hospital. Thursday was a one-time class on breastfeeding. The delivery class was fun UNTIL Justin started trying to be funny. We had to practice breathing (lamaze) and our husbands were supposed to count our breaths. Well, Justin started making all of these faces at me when we were supposed to be relaxing and I started busting out laughing. Then he started laughing and we couldnt stop. I was laughing so hard, I was crying! Of course, the rest of the class was taking it seriously while we looked like two immature kids. It did make me feel better when one other couple started chuckling, though! Then, the teacher had the moms lie on our side and had the dads try and practice massaging. She wanted the dads to massage our foreheads, and Justin knows that I dont like being touched in the face, so he started massaging my scalp instead, which made me laugh again. Only it was not relaxing because as soon as I laid down, I started getting the worst heartburn ever. I just wanted the "relaxation" part of the class to end!! Overall, it was a lot of fun and we learned some new stuff. I hope we are able to behave better at tonight's class :) As for the breastfeeding class, Justin wasnt going to come, but when he walked me to the door, 80% of the dads were in the class so he didnt want me to be there all alone. It was mainly just videos that we watched and slideshows, but by the end, we were ready to get the heck out of there! I've never seen so many nipples in my life, and to be honest, it was kind of nipple overkill. Justin was on his best behavior, though, and only laughed a few times! :)

Lets see, other bit things that happened this week: My coworker was due with a baby boy 6 days before Jackson is due, and the baby came a little under 10 weeks early last Thursday night! He was 3 lbs, 7 oz, and from what I know, he and mom are doing well. He was born at 30 1/2 weeks and I can't wait to see pictures of the little guy. I was shocked when I found out that he was born, because it made me realize that our day is getting closer and closer. Anyway, I am so happy for Kristen and Pete and I can't wait to meet their little bundle. Also, I found out more exciting news on Friday. One of my good friends from waaay back in the day (who also happens to be one of my favorite people) is pregnant....with twins!! I couldnt be happier for Whitnei and Damian on their news and I know they will make fantastic parents!

Lastly, Justin and I went on our "babymoon" this past weekend to Savannah and Tybee Island. We had a wonderful time and stayed at a great bed and breakfast called The Tybee Island Inn. Some of the highlights from our trip:

-We walked to the Tybee Island Lighthouse and toured the area. I wanted to climb to the top of the lighthouse, but Justin thought that wasnt the best idea. In the end, I won out and I am happy to say that I climbed the spiral steps to the top of the lighthouse in just a few minutes at 7 1/2 months pregnant! Justin was behind me the whole time like a mother hen, just in case I was to fall backward, and he made me hold onto the rails the whole way up! In case you are wondering, the lighthouse is 154 feet tall, and has 178 stairs. I attached a picture for your viewing pleasure :) I didnt hang out too long at the top, however, because the railing was very low and the wind was howling. I kept picturing myself flying off the side, and that kept me clinging to the side of the lighthouse....sooooo, down we went. One thing that has been important to me is that I stay in decent shape during this pregnancy, and I was proud of myself for being able to do that!

-We walked/shopped along River Street in Savannah, and had lunch at Paula Deen's Lady and Sons Restaurant. Let me just say that it was fabulous and we both thought we were gonna pop when we walked out of the restaurant. The mashed potatoes there were some of the best that I have ever had. I am quite sure that those potatoes contained my daily fat intake in one serving due to all of the BUTTER!

-We went down and took a walk on the beach at Tybee.

-It was raining on Friday night, so we went into Savannah to see the movie "The Hangover". This is HANDS DOWN the funniest movie of the year. I loved everything about it and we laughed the entire time. If you like movies like wedding crashers, old school, superbad, etc, you will LOVE it too. So don't miss it!

-We ate at several local restaurants on Tybee, and enjoyed delicious breakfasts at our inn. We had some interesting fellow guests at the Inn, one lady who grew up in South Africa. She had the coolest accent. You never know who you are going to meet at a B&B!

-We visited Fort Pulaski, which was overtaken by the Yankees during the Civil war. (BOO!) My favorite part was standing on the ramparts overlooking Tybee Island, which is the same place that Robert E. Lee stood when he gave personal instructions to strengthen the defenses of Fort Pulaski.

-From all of our walking/climbing, we were both like two old and busted people on Sunday. Both of our legs were really sore! Yet we still hit the gym that afternoon (because we're strong like that!). Yesterday morning, I paid for it because I had this weird tingling/aching/weakness in my wrists, arms, back, and shoulders. We called the dr. and she thinks it is pregnancy induced carpal tunnel, caused by extra swelling which compresses the medial nerve. It really cramped my style yesterday and I felt pretty bad in the morning, although I am feeling back 100% today. Justin has banned me from the gym until at least Friday, and I am ok with that!

I think these are all of the big things from last week. My first baby shower is coming up in two weeks, and I can't wait! Baby shower # 2 will be the second weekend in July, and invites are going out for that soon. I am also excited for June 26th, which is when I get to cash in my graduation gift from Justin....3rd Row, center seats to see Jerry Seinfeld!! Woo hoo.

One last thing: I did get some devastating (ok, maybe not devastating) news this week! The Counting Crows are playing at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach on Aug. 20th. Jackson's due date is Aug 16th. Adam Duritz has said that this tour will be really special for CC fans, because the sets will be long and the venues will be more intimate. As someone who LOVES (and I mean LOVES) Adam and the Counting Crows, this news makes me feel sick. Even if Jackson comes early, I won't leave him for the concert, and if he comes late, theres no way Mr. Whaley would be ok with possibly going into labor at a concert, almost 2 hours away from our hospital. (Secretly I think it would be awesome to go into labor at my favorite band's concert. I mean, wouldn't that be such a cool story to tell Jackson later?) SOooooooo, I have to sit this one out. I have decided to try my best to live in denial about this. It sounds silly, but it makes me sad every time I think about it. Justin keeps teasing me that he is going to go and get to meet Adam...how mean! I told him that if that happens, I will throw up. So, Adam, here's to you. I'll hopefully catch you on the next trip through!

***I would like to add, however, that I wouldnt trade having this little baby for anything in the world, and I count my blessings every single day. I would miss a million Counting Crows concerts in a heartbeat if it meant having little Jackson here. So don't feel TOO sorry for me :)

29 Weeks

Wow, I can't believe that we are almost at 30 weeks...time is flying by! Here are the pictures from 29 weeks, and I also added a picture of our other baby, Annabelle so that she is not left out :) She has been kinda out of sorts lately, and I think she knows that something is up. We have been really trying to spend some extra time with her. This past week was great because it was a short work week from Memorial Day. Over the weekend, we had a garage sale and it was a success-we made a little over $150!! We also hit up the beach with Lauren (shout out!) and Will on Sunday and I am finally working on the start of a decent tan.

Jackson is still moving a lot, and he is most active around 8 pm or so. I have also noticed that he always seems to respond to Justin's laugh. Anytime Justin is laughing at something or is having a loud phone conversation, Jackson starts moving. I think he is learning Daddy's voice! Aside from that, it is getting harder to tie my shoes and getting up from sitting/laying down is getting more difficult. Sometimes I feel like a weeble wobble! HA! Just 11 more weeks (or sooner) until we get to meet our little boy!