Spaghetti Squash Girl

Do you ever wish you could make time stand still??  I find myself, these days, wishing for that very thing.  No matter how hard I wish though, time is definitely not standing still-it's flying by!!  I am starting to have waves of panic where I wonder how I will ever get everything done??  Ava Page is growing by the minute and so am I!  Today marks 22 weeks already!  22!!  I remember being 8 weeks like it was yesterday.  How in the world did we get here so fast??  Don't get me wrong, I am loving this, but I've waited so long for this baby girl that I don't want it to be over in a minute either.  Of course when it's over, that means I have her in my arms, so really it's a win-win, but I have loved being pregnant and I want so badly to take this all in and savor it along the way.  I'm trying, but falling so short of all the "things" I had planned to do!

Here is the latest "bump"shot :)  She is 11 inches long this week and almost 1 lb, about the size of a spaghetti squash ???  If you're like me, you might be wondering, what the heck is that??

Here, my friends, is a spaghetti squash.  I'm sad to say that I had to google it to find out what it was and what it looked like.  Obviously I'm not a big squash eater :)  There are however, all kinds of recipes out there if you are!  

This picture really helped me put her size in perspective.  I can't believe how big she would be already if I was giving her a bath in the sink!  You better believe that I'm going to claim every ounce she weighs the next time I go for my ob check-up.  Her ONE pound will make me feel so much better for the *** pounds that I currently weigh!  Good thing she's a lot cuter than this squash though :)  

People have been asking me a lot about how I feel right now.  For the most part, I feel really great.  I have my normal appetite, I have a reasonable amount of energy, and I'm sleeping pretty well.  My one and only complaint is my increasing back pain.  This sciatica thing is really bugging me every time I walk, stand, bend over, sit down or turn over.  I do have my first physical therapy appointment tomorrow, so I'm hoping for some relief.  I feel lots of pressure with every step I take, but the worst part by far is when I lie down at night.  There is no position I can find that doesn't hurt.  None.  I basically just wait to fall asleep.  Turning over makes me want to cry, so I find the best spot and beg the Lord to help me go to sleep quickly!   It's not so bad in the middle of the night, after I've been off my feet for several hours, but I think the strain from all day wears on that nerve and makes it so inflamed at night.  Heat helps and so do warm baths.  I'm willing to do it all these days if I think it will be better!  I have great hope in physical therapy though.  That made such a difference for me after my car accident.  

Now that we know we're having a little girl, the pink gifts are flowing in!  This is a sweet little lamb that my sister Jennie gave me and a darling little book to read to Ava.  I love the lamb and I'm thinking it will end up in the crib :)  It's so soft and looks like an old-fashioned toy.  So cute.  
My cousin Jenny gave me this outfit the morning that we found out girl or boy.  It's so sweet!  I can't wait to put her in this next summer!

When I called my Dad from the doctor's office, to tell him about his new granddaughter, he told me that he ran downstairs to the gift shop at work to buy the smallest pink thing he could find!  Obviously you can see that he works for John Deere.  Ava will look so cute in this someday :) 

Remember how I told  you that I hadn't bought anything for the baby yet until I knew boy or girl??  Well I caved one day and bought this....isn't it cute!!  I'll have to put a pink hair bow in Ava's hair or something when she wears it, but I just loved it.  I discovered that H&M has the cutest baby section and really great prices.  Plus she'll match the color scheme of her walls and furniture when she wears it!  Ridiculous I know, but it's true :) 

This is the first little girl thing I bought and they did not disappoint.  While we were in Utopia, I went to the one and only little gift shop they have and I spotted these.  They're called "snugs" and they had me at hello!!  I told Trav to walk away and not ask because I HAD to have them no matter what they cost!!  They are so soft they feel like fur.  

And this is what they look like from the back.  I mean seriously??  Have you ever seen these???  They are darling and because the Lord was good to me, they were also on sale :) 

  
I also purchased this little hat and Trav's mom bought the matching mary jane slippers....how sweet are they?  I was such a happy preggo when we left that store!

This is one of my all time favorite things and was such a cute little surprise.  Why, you might ask?  Because it was knit by an 8th grade BOY in Travis' d-group!!  Is that not the sweetest thing??  He makes these hats for big people and he's good at it.  He made one for Travis that Trav really liked, so when we got to church last week he surprised us with this for Ava!  He couldn't get over how tiny he had to make it.  I just wanted to cry over that.  The junior high girls are totally into this baby, but I wasn't aware that they boys even know or care.  I love this and will love bringing her to church with it on so this student can see her in it.  

Travis' sister Katy also surprised us with these pink and white gifts from baby gap.  I just love all of it.  That little sleeper is a newborn size and I just love to hold it and picture my tiny little Ava in it!  

Remember when I told you that Melissa went overboard by blessing us with the cutest gifts??  Well she made this bow holder to match our nursery and she also made all those tiny little boys for Ava to wear!  I think I squealed when I opened it!  I love them all.  What a sweet gift.  

She also gave us this darling little smocked outfit, a pink scrapbook with all kinds of accessories, and a bag of pink and white jelly bellies (which we ate).  Oh and when we found out we were pregnant, she sent me a little black onesie (and matching hair bow) that said, "this is my little black dress" because she just knew we were going to have a girl.  I guess she was right!!

And finally, the "creme de la creme" one of the best gifts my Mom found for me...This ADORABLE little night light for Ava's nursery!!  Isn't that amazing??  She and my sister Stacie found it while they were shopping in North Carolina over Thanksgiving.  I LOVE it and it will look darling in the nursery.  Plus, I love that it's from our beloved North Carolina :)  Great find Mom and Stace!!