24 (and a half) weeks!

One thing is for sure. I cannot seem to take the "week" bump pictures on the day I turn that week. So here I am posting about 24 weeks. I took the picture at 24 and a half weeks and am blogging at 25 week. At least there's a post, right? 

 

And the comparison photo:

 

What a difference right?! That belly is getting huge! Currently, my belly measure a 22 centimeters. (It is supposed to be equal to your weeks, so we are just a little behind). Brylee is in the 53rd percentile for growth. Her heart rate remains a consistent 150 beats per minute. She enjoys kickboxing and punching. She does not enjoy Mommy laying on her left side or having a full bladder. At 25 weeks, she is supposed to weigh 1.5 pounds and be the size of a rutabaga. Wow! 

At the moment, she is having her first case of hiccups that I can feel! How do I know they are hiccups? Well, this sweet, small movement in my belly is not the normal Brylee kick/punch. Plus, the movement happens consistently every 10-15 seconds. Any movement from her is just the coolest feeling in the world!

We finally think I have a craving. I have wanted buffalo chicken dip twice! I know, it's not much but other than that I haven't had any cravings. You'll be happy to know that both times I've had the craving I have given in and made the dip :)

My next project is to make Brylee's coming home dress! I took an heirloom sewing class on Friday and am ready to whip something up! Stay tuned!

Niagara Falls

On Saturday, we spent the day with a lovely family named Gino, Karla and their 12 year old son Michael. They showed us around Burlington before heading to Niagara Falls. The area around the falls was tourist central! There were so many people. We did get some great photos! 

American falls to the left and Canadian falls to the right!

Rainbow over the Canadian falls 

Rainbow over the American falls

We are dinner at a great family Italian restaurant. I wish I had taken a photo on my pizza! 

Toronto!

Day 2 in Canada was spent in Toronto. We had a lovely family (Mike, Natalie and their 2 year old son, Owen) pick us up in Burlington and take us to Toronto. The weather was beautiful! Mid 70s and no humidity! We started off at the CN Tower, the tallest free standing structure in the world. I conquered my fears and rode a 60 second elevator up 115 stories to the viewing deck.....perhaps I did squeeze Matt the whole way to the top and back down to the bottom.

 

 

There is a glass floor that you can stand on and see all the way to the ground. Matt was the brave one who stood on it. I just looked over :)

Once back to Burlington, we walked across the street from our hotel to a Belgium chocolatier. The smell was overwhelmingly wonderful as soon as you got near the building. The nice lady from Belgium who owns the place let us sample a few chocolates and then of course we had to buy a few for the road. They didn't last more than a few minutes after we purchased them :)

That night the sweet family who took us to Toronto picked Map (this is what Owen called Matt....he kept saying "Map. Map. Map. Over and over again. I was laughing hysterically) and I up for dinner at Spencer's on the lake. All the food and meat was from local farmers in the Burlington area and the meat had been aged at least 45 days. We had steaks and they were delicious!! This restaurant also overlooked the motorized boat pool. There were two guys who had boats that night. 

That's all for now. Stay tuned for an update on our trip to Niagara Falls!

Brylee Kicked Daddy in Canada!

We have been waiting for the moment when Matt would feel Brylee kick! We are currently on a four day trip in Canada! We woke up yesterday morning at 2:30 am to catch an early flight. We arrived in Canada a little before 10 a.m. and had a wonderful day exploring the Burlington downtown area. Our hotel is right in Lake Ontario. 

The Village Square pictures in the two photographs above is is this cute area that looks like an English village. There are many unique shops and restaurants there. 

 Of course we had to get Gelato!

In the afternoon, we were so exhausted that we laid down for an hour power nap. I always fall asleep laying on my left side with my head on Matt's chest. Well, my daughter did NOT like this position yesterday. She was punching and kicking me very hard. I grabbed Matt's hand and put it on my belly. And then it happened. Brylee finally kicked Matt!! We were so thrilled!! And she kept kicking him! It was such a wonderful moment. Of course I eventually had to roll on my other side so I could actually sleep :)

Brylee's Nursery Part 2

Matt and I had a busy weekend leading a kids camp for Mt. Hebron Baptist Church. The children were so precious and on fire on God. They truly understood what it meant to have a relationship with Him and desired to learn more about their Father. It was such a blessing to hang out with them at camp Hargis. We enjoyed beautiful weather while we hiked, swam played games and studied how we learn from the past, love in the now and look to the future. Here is the only picture I took from the weekend. 

The night before we left for camp, I whipped up some curtains for Brylee's room. I originally wanted the curtains to be the bottom two fabrics in the picture, but preggo brain appeared at the fabric store and I got a 1/3 yard too short. Matt saved the day by suggesting I use the left over grey material and add a panel to the top. The curtains were definitely a group effort. 

I am still working on the bumper pads, so stay tuned for the full shot of the nursery! 

Update on Brylee: Currently Brylee's favorite thing to do is to kick Mommy when her bladder is full. This girl does not like to be squished. Anything that cramps her style makes her throw a full forced punch or kick. Do I mind? Absolutely not! I love every kick and punch! I make sure to put my hand on my belly and chat with her any time I feel her move. I still can't feel it from the outside because every time I put my hand on my stomach she stops moving. I know it will happen soon, and I can't wait! I am dying for Matt to feel his sweet daughter! In other news, I call her Brylee girl. I have had the tune of "Spider Pig" from the movie the Simpson's in my head and keep singing Brylee a little song to that tune. It goes like this:

Brylee girl, Brylee girl. We love our, Brylee girl. 

Sidenote: I cannot believe I just shared that! :)

20 {and a half} week Brylee Bump

So I have been the worst at taking my 8,12,16 and 20 week bump pictures on the actual day I turn the next week. It is always on a Sunday, and for us Sunday means church and selah. Rest. Sunday afternoon nap. Oh we love Sunday afternoon naps! And really, whose hair looks good enough after a nap to take a bump picture ;). So here we are at 20.5 weeks! 

For comparison's sake, here you go:

Brylee's Nursery Part 1

As soon as I knew I was pregnant, I decided I would attempt to make our child's bedding. Before I knew the gender of Baby Franklin, I looked and looked for fabrics I liked for a boy or girl. It wasn't until today that I found exactly what I want for Brylee girl! Here is the fabric:

I hurried home from work today and threw the fabric in the washer, made dinner, put the fabric in the dryer, ate dinner and wallah! The fabric was ready to be cut and sewed! I made the crib sheet first, which took no time at all, maybe 30 minutes max. I then started the crib skirt. Although the four side pieces are not yet connected, I did finish the pieces. Here is a sneak peak:  

I used Riley Blake fabric for the bedding and incorporated all three fabrics in the "Remember" collection into the crib skirt.  I used the white material with grey circles to make a small line of piping. I love the way it looks so far! Stay tuned for more updates!