32 Weeks - Erika's Tummy

Today I had my routine doctor's appointment at 8:45 am. Everything went well, as usual. My blood pressure was 106/60 again and Mason's heartbeat was perfect. I measured right at 32" and this is my 32nd week. I mentioned to the doctor about my swollen feet and how much they hurt when I walk lately. He said I could have slight tendinitis or it could just be that I've been on my feet too much and the extra weight doesn't help. YES, HE BROUGHT UP THE WEIGHT AGAIN! I need to "be careful" he says. I gained 4 lbs since the last visit. Everyone else tells me to not worry about it since I look fine. Here's a front shot of my belly after eating dinner tonight with my mom for her 53rd birthday! Looks like I'm smuggling a basketball or a medicine ball. Haha! Thank goodness our pool opens this weekend so I can relax and work on my tan!
Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Mason's Bookshelf

Today I worked on Mason's bookshelf. I took an old one that we had,
primed and painted it. It looks great!

This is where all of the books Mason has received so far will go. Erika and I
are looking forward to reading to him everynight.

Erika has been cleaning up all day long. We almost have the house
ready for our little man. I would think we will be completely done in
a week or two.

Erika's Tummy-2 More Months!!!

This is our 31st week and today is April 23rd, so you know what that means... 2 more months exactly! It is really starting to go by fast. The aches and pains I felt weeks ago are NOTHING compared to what I'm going through now. My back hurts, my feet are achy and swollen, my stomach is heavy and tight and Mason's kicking and moving in every direction. I get up twice in the middle of the night to use the restroom. Lawton says it's like clockwork.... right at midnight and again at 4:30 am. I've even been experiencing nose bleeds! I haven't had a nose bleed since I was in daycare! My mom would pick me up after work and I'd go home with a bloody nose and this boy Brad would go home with a black eye and bite marks all over him. Haha! Feisty indeed. Let's just hope Mason behaves better than his mother!

Today, Lawton brought some books home for Mason that he bought at the school book fair. We are going to enjoy reading to him every day. Right now we're trying to figure out what to do about a book shelf and where to put it. Just another fun project in the making!
Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Rock-a-bye Baby

My grandmparents bought us Mason's very first glider for the nursery! It has finally been processed and ordered from Babies R Us. We ended up going with the Rock-A-Bye Micro Fiber Upholstered Glider. This picture shows the tan one but we special ordered the chocolate one so that it will match better. The good news is it's VERY COMFORTABLE and roomy, which I like, especially if I have a boppy around me. It twists, turns, rocks and glides. The bad news is it takes 12 weeks to get here and I only have 9 weeks left! So we will just use our regular recliner until this glider arrives around July 13th. It will definitely be worth the wait. We're very excited about the last few touches on the nursery. This will surely complete it!

Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Our First Baby Shower - 4/19/09

Today was the perfect day for a baby shower! We had gorgeous weather, about 75 degrees and sunny! I was up early, as usual, and was told to leave my house so Amanda and Sarah (my hostesses) could decorate and get the food ready. Everything was a surprise for me! They bought me flowers and sent me off to get a mani/pedi at 10am. When I returned, I was blindfolded and sent upstairs until they were finished. The only thing I could see was the cute diaper wreath on the front door that Amanda made.
About 12:30, I came down and was shocked at what all was done! They did such an amazing job and I was so excited for everyone to see it too! Balloons, streamers, confetti, lollipops, snacks, everything was blue, even the punch! I was stunned to see the table full of presents and no one had arrived yet. You should have seen it when it was full top and bottom, covered in gifts for Mason! He's spoiled already!
There were all kinds of snacks/food: meatballs, chicken fingers, chips, brownies, veggies, fruit, chicken salad sandwiches, quiches, even my favorite TEDDY GRAHAMS!!! The cake was awesome too! It was a storybook.... half vanilla, half marble cake with chocolate filling on the inside. YUM!
I can't thank Amanda and Sarah enough for all of their hard work and thought that they put into this shower...every little detail. I started to realize there was a theme to this shower. Everyone brought a book with their gift for Mason and wrote a little note inside. What a great idea to start his library! Amanda even made an ABC scrapbook for him with all kinds of pictures and memories.
Everyone had such a great time. Lawton, Mason and I enjoyed and appreciated all the gifts! There were about 16 guests, including me & my hostesses and 5 children. We got a variety of goodies: diapers, wipes, gift sets, formula, blankets, clothes, bibs, bottles, toys, hooded bath towels/wash clothes, cups/bowls/spoons, the list goes on.... but the part we loved the most was spending time with friends and neighbors. We are so lucky and grateful to have a wonderful group of people in our lives who are able to share this special time with us. I just wish there were more hours in the day. I felt like I didn't get to talk to everyone as much as I wanted to. It was so overwhelming, exhausting (in a good way) and FUN!!! We ended the day with some funny pictures and we said farewell to our guests!Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Doctor's Visit - 30 Weeks

The doctor's appointment I had at 9am this morning went very well! Our little Tiger is doing so good! Today at the OB, I got to meet Dr. Mark Salley. He's definitely my favorite so far. The first thing he said to me when he walked in the room was, "Are you an aerobics instructor? You look so fit for being pregnant!" Hardly, but thanks! He also said my weight looked great, only gained 2 lbs!!! I told him I was shocked since I had a HUGE Easter dinner and tons of candy the last few days. Haha! My blood pressure was great, 106/60 and the baby's heartbeat was normal. He measured my stomach and said I had great skin and a perfect pregnant belly. I love him! He said his wife was also a graphic designer and a Clemson alumni. It's so meant to be! He said the main thing I need to focus on from now on is to make sure Mason is moving every day. But overall, we're right where we should be, everything's on schedule and I'm feeling GREAT! Dr. Salley said I got an A today!!! He also reminded me to sign up for their free Child Birth classes next month. Lawton and I will be going May 19th and 26th. He said they mostly focus on what to expect (monitors, epidural, anxiety issues, etc.), more so than breathing techniques. Who remembers all that when you're in labor anyway?!

Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Baby Showers - Schedule of Events

I'm getting very excited about the upcoming baby showers!!!! Just another step closer to motherhood! My two friends, Amanda Almond and Sarah Longshore are hosting the first shower at my house for me this Saturday afternoon, April 18th, for close friends and neighbors. I'm anxious for everyone to see the nursery in person! It's going to be amazing. Everyone has been hard at work!

The next baby shower will be for immediate family and a few friends that couldn't make the first one. My girls, Sarah Cox, Heather Falzetta and Jennifer Thomas are hosting at Heather's house in Lugoff on the morning of May 9th....Mother's Day weekend, how perfect!!! I'm so grateful to have such wonderful friends to host this special shower for me and the family!

My mom and aunts are having a shower for us with their friends in May. I'll be glad when the weather gets warmer so I can work on my tan since I won't have time this summer/fall. Although the hot flashes have already started! Lawton is going to freeze!

The weekend of May 29th, I'll be headed up to Baxter for a mini shower/gathering with Lawton's sister, Ouida, and the Fort Mill girls! They are a great group of women! I enjoy any time I get to spend with them and I'm very lucky to have them in my life!

Also, Lawton and I will both be having baby showers at each other's work next month! We've already been receiving gifts in the mail from out of towners and family! I'm keeping track of it all, so I can get the Thank You cards in the mail soon. It seems like from now until June, we have something planned every weekend! I'm definitely loving the attention but looking forward to being at home this summer with the baby. We are also talking about having a "Sip and See" after the baby is born (especially for those who didn't get to make it to any showers) to enjoy some refreshments and meet Mason outside of my belly!We have also managed to finish registering at Babies R Us and Target!!! It was hard to tell Lawton that Best Buy wasn't an option....
We will be sure to post pictures of the baby showers as they happen. Thank you all for being a part of this exciting adventure in our lives. We love you all!

Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Erika's Tummy - 30 Weeks!!!

We are getting close to 7 months!!!! April 23rd can't get here fast enough. I feel like I'm ready to pop. Everything is very tight and Mason barely has any room to move around, so he's kicking a lot more now....especially at night when I have to lay on my side. As I've mentioned before, I have 7 pillows surrounding me but that still doesn't seem to work. I'm hanging in there though. I feel great! Just get winded easily and can't hardly move after I eat. Haha!

My stomach is starting to get the linea negra or "black line" down the middle, which they say is caused by increases in estrogen and progesterone that results in the production of melanin. As you can see below it's visible, especially since I'm so pale right now. Recently, I've been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, which the doctor warned me about. It's totally normal for anyone over 27 weeks pregnant. It's to prepare you for pregnancy. I didn't realize what it was till after I explained the symptoms to the family. It's not really painful, just very uncomfortable. It occurs more when I don't drink as much water as I should. They just come and go randomly. I'll have to mention it to my doctor on Wednesday when I go back for my next appointment.

Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Mason's Dresser Arrives!!!

Today, Lawton and I went to Babies R Us to pick up the Baby Italia Pinehurst dresser combo unit that we bought a couple weeks ago. We chose this as our changing table as well since it matches the crib and takes up less room in the nursery. Here's a picture of it that Lawton took with his iPhone. He's on Spring Break now so he'll finish caulking this week. It's all coming together!

Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason

Doctor's Visit - 28 Weeks

On April 1st, I had my routine doctor's visit. This time; however, I had to drink my PSS:50 Glucose beverage before the appointment so they could test to see if I was at risk for diabetes. I heard horror stories about the taste of this drink. I actually didn't mind it. I thought it tasted like a flat orange soda or a gatorade with fizz. When they pricked my finger, my numbers read 103 and 11.2. I think the nurse said that had to do with my hemoglobin/iron, which was good. So I passed with flying colors. She said I have NO SUGA' in me! I beg to differ. Lately I've been craving jelly beans all month!

My blood pressure was only 104/60 which was shocking since I came straight from work. The baby's heartbeat was 148 and my belly measured 28" which the doctor said was great! Since it was April Fool's Day, I thought about callling Lawton and telling him that the doctor heard a second heartbeat... but I couldn't do it. I was actually depressed when I left since they told me I had gained 8 lbs since the last visit a month ago. Ugggh! As long as I have a healthy baby, I don't mind the extra weight. I will be on a mission after he's born to drop those pounds! As you can tell by the photo above, he's growing fast. My next appointment is scheduled for April 15th. YES, that's 2 weeks away. Now I'll be going twice a month!

Other exciting news, we got a call from Babies R Us today and our LAST PIECE OF FURNITURE is in! The Pinehurst Espresso dresser combo unit. Since it's too big to fit in the 4Runner, we'll have to find a truck this weekend to pick it up. I'm looking forward to going back to the store so I can test out the rockers/gliders again. I have to make my final decision soon! We're only 11 weeks away!!!!!! I also just mailed my form for Admission into the hospital. Now it feels real....

Love,
Erika, Lawton, and Baby Mason