An Evening Stroll

We got a new camera! So we took it with us this evening as we went for a walk. The baby is now eight days past his/her due date and Fable is getting pretty excited to be a big brother.

A lot happens in nine months...

Isn't that crazy?! The first picture was taken on New Year's Day, the day after we found out we were pregnant. The second picture was taken today, August 28th. I'm just about 41 weeks pregnant. Obviously my clothes no longer fit, but I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes, so I just look foolish most of the time. :)

We'll be meeting this big baby any day now!

Waiting patiently for Baby Hines...

all pictures by Elise Hines

Showered with LOVE

Thank you so much to my wonderful family and friends for such a great baby shower! Kat and Danielle (in the pic to the left), some of my closest friends, planned a shower for me. They had all the guests bring some money to help us buy our car seat! (Such a great idea) Also, each person brought a children's book for us to read to the little one when he or she arrives. I am truly blessed to have these people as friends. Oh, and we plan to buy the car seat within the next two days. :)

The most hilarious gift of the evening... "denim" diapers from my bossy friend Sarah.

Aren't these owl cupcakes adorable? My friend Lindsey made them out of Oreos. Very creative!

This is the lovely lady who gave me the stylish denim diapers :)

This is the delicious spread. They worked hard to make it so that I could eat/drink just about all of it. Hanging in the background are baby pictures of me and Austin.

Some of my dearest friends in the world all came together to celebrate with me. One traveled all the way from New York City. I am amazingly blessed.

Celebrate!

Austin's cousin=Erin Hines

Austin's best friend=Michael "Flu" Flusche

On June 18th, Erin and Flu got hitched! Now Austin's best friend is officially a family member.

Here are a few pics from the wedding weekend...

Austin and the rest of the Curtis Needs a Ride troupe serenading Erin at the rehearsal dinner at Joe T's

Austin's sister Kristin with Bride Barbie

It's official! They are Mr. and Mrs. Michael Flusche!

The new and improved Hines family :)

Third Trimester :)

I am officially into the 3^rd trimester of the pregnancy! That means that the baby is due in just three months. One of the most common questions that we are asked now is if the nursery is ready. The answer is… we haven’t even started! I have two more weeks of work, and the plan is to get to work on nursery things this summer. However, we did buy a crib. It is still sitting in its box in the garage though. As we begin to progress on the nursery, I’ll post pics. Promise.

At 27 weeks pregnant, these are some updates on baby Hines...

• Weighs a little more than 2 lbs.
• Total length (from head to toe) is about 15 ¼ inches
• Eyelids have been fused shut since week 12 of pregnancy, but they start to open this week. The retina is starting to receive light, so the baby is using his/her eyesight for the first time
• I am finally feeling the baby move A LOT.
• The baby has more taste buds now than he or she will have at birth (or ever)

This is a current picture of me. And yes, I'm sure I'm not having twins.

Nursery update

Lots of people have been asking me if we're working on the nursery yet. Mostly, the answer is no. The room we plan to use for the nursery is currently Austin's office, so until he has a new office, our nursery plans are on hold. But we do have an idea of what it will look like eventually. Because we don't know if the baby will be a boy or a girl, the room has lots of neutral colors. Probably forest themed, with reds, greens, browns, oranges, yellows, etc.

Our good friend Erin Rambo made us an amazing pregnancy scrapbook. Each page in the book has a different theme, and I am obsessed with the page in the picture below. It has pretty much become my inspiration for the nursery.

Also, here is a current pregnancy pic at 24 weeks. I think I have officially reached "bowling ball in the shirt" stage.

My Best Friend's Wedding

What a beautiful wedding! Last weekend, I had the privilege of being the matron of honor in my dear friend Katelin's wedding. The ceremony was at a beautiful cathedral in downtown Kansas City, and the reception was held in one of the most unique venues I've ever been to. These are just a few pictures from the weekend. Can you believe that the bride chose those bridesmaid dresses BEFORE I found out I was pregnant?? It is just such a reminder that God is in control, even of the little things.

21 week update

I am 21 weeks pregnant, which means I am more than halfway there! A few updates on me and baby:

• baby is about 7 inches long (length of a banana)
• baby weighs between 10 and 11 ounces (not quite a pound)
• I have had numerous women tell me that I am "pretty big" or "huge" or something of that nature for only being 21 weeks. How lovely. However, when our midwife measured me at 19 weeks, she said the size of my belly was 19 centimeters (exactly on mark!) So take that everyone who thinks I'm "probably having twins."
• the baby begins to start swallowing amniotic fluid around week 21, so it becomes increasingly important to eat the right foods. If I eat a salad, the baby eats salad. If I eat an entire box of sour watermelon candies, well... you get the picture.
• the baby's heartbeat is getting stronger and we should be able to hear it soon using just a stethoscope
• the pretty green shirt in this picture was a surprise gift that my mom and sister mailed to me from St. Louis. I've already received lots of compliments. Thanks mom and Colleen!

SOUTH BEACH

Thanks to my wonderful parents, Austin and I got to spend the last five days of spring break with my family in South Beach, Florida. It was the first time that my mom, dad, Colleen and Fes got to see me as a pregnant lady! (well, I was pregnant at Christmas, but I didn't know it then).

The vacation was filled with laying on the beach, swimming in the pool, playing "30 Seconds" (a fun board game), eating delicious food, going on long walks/runs, watching a lot of basketball, and telling vendors that we were not interested in henna tattoos.

Colleen is so certain that our baby is going to be a girl that she purchased a pink bib souvenir. She also commented, "So do you think I'll have a girl niece or a boy niece?"

Even with the Jayhawks' heartbreaking loss, we were still able to have fun our last night of the trip. My mom was of course in good spirits because she picked St. Mary's to go to the final four! My dad and Fes gave her a hard time, but she figured they have the Virgin Mary cheering for them, so they'd probably do well in the tournament. Pretty great.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This is the baby and me on St. Patrick's Day, 17 weeks pregnant.

15 weeks and counting...

We had our 15 week checkup today with our midwife. It was the second time we got to hear our baby's heartbeat. Pretty awesome. Here are a few updates:

• The baby is about 4 inches long (or the size of a softball) and weighs around 2.4 oz.
• My belly is definitely growing! I'm sure it won't be long until I need to be wearing strictly maternity clothes. But for now, my "normal" clothes are still holding up.
• I have lots more energy than I did a couple of weeks ago. I don't feel the need to nap every day after work, which is nice.
• I've been ultra-sensitive to smells: spicy smelling foods, school cafeteria food, and even the smell of the dishwasher running can make my eyes water. Austin thinks it's hilarious.
• No weird cravings yet! Just the normal things, like mozzarella sticks. If I ever start craving mozzarella sticks dipped in ice cream, I will let you know.

We will have our first sonogram done at 22 weeks. So in seven more weeks, we will get to SEE this baby for the first time. That is normally when people find out if they are having a boy or a girl, but Austin and I have decided that we are going to wait. We won't know the baby's gender until he/she is born. This is making some people a bit hostile, but I'm pretty sure we're going to stick with our decision. :) Until next time!

Growing baby

Baby is certainly growing quickly. The first picture was taken on New Year's day The second picture was taken Feb. 8 at 12 weeks pregnant. That's right. As of today, I am 12 weeks and 1 day pregnant, which means I have officially entered the second trimester!

I still haven't battled the dreaded morning sickness. I've had a few bouts of nausea, and plenty of exhaustion. But that is all supposed to subside during the 2nd trimester.

There will be plenty more belly pics to come!