35 Weeks on NYE

Preston is the size of a honeydew melon!

He is over 18 inches long and weighs around 5 and 1/4 lbs. His kidneys and liver are fully developed and working like they will outside of my belly. Most of his physical developments are complete. Now it's all about gaining weight. Here is what he looks like in there:

I had a great week and am feeling good. My blood pressure is still in the low-normal range, still haven't felt any contractions (false or real), still a little anemic, and still not getting a solid night's sleep. I am up about every 3 hours. My heartburn is not as bad (thank goodness - hope that keeps up!) Just feeling big, clumsy and awkward, but that is to be expected. From here on out, I am at the doctor every week getting "checked". This pregnancy is just flying by! We spent some of Christmas day with my family watching him move around in my belly. His movements are so big now, you can see little elbows, hands, knees and feet jabbing out just by looking at my stomach.

Speaking of Christmas day, for a child that is not even here yet, Preston was seriously spoiled by his family. Everyone from grandparents, great-grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles got him stuff. I didn't really think about this until this past weekend, but Preston is the first boy born in Brian's family since Brian! I think all the little girl cousins are excited :)

Here I am at 35 weeks:

35 down, 5 to go!

Merry Christmas from the Fields Fam

As we prepare to welcome
our little blessing in early February,
we wish you many blessings for the Christmas season
and 2011.

Thanks to Candice Tate for the beautiful photos :)

34 Weeks on Christmas Eve

Preston is the size of a cantaloupe at 34 weeks!

This week, he is weighing in at 4 and 3/4 lbs and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers are filling out, making him rounder. His nervous system and lungs are maturing. He is still sooo active! I went to the doctor this week and he is measuring right on track and had a heartbeat in the 150s! The BEST part of the appointment was when she went to hear his heartbeat, she put the wand on my belly and suddenly, Preston got the hiccups! So we heard WOMP, WOMP, HICCUP! WOMP, WOMP, HICCUP! You could actually HEAR him hiccup. It was so cool and made us all laugh. I was so glad Brian was there to hear it. Preston feels so big in my stomach, like he has absolutely no room in there at all. I even had the doctor double check that he was normal size... haha! I am sure that is a total first-time mom thing. All his jabs and pokes to my ribs really made me think he was bigger in there. I was happy to hear he is right on track though :)

This week, I'm feeling pretty good. Just growing! Still doing well with the weight gain at 22 lbs so far. Also, no stretch marks at all so far (thank goodness!) Putting on socks and shoes is hard! I envy summer pregnancies where women get to wear flip flops everyday! But then you would have to deal with the heat, which would be no fun (especially with my swelling issues!) People always ask me, "Are you ready for him to be here???" I am excited to meet him, but am perfectly happy if he stays in there a little while longer :) It would be nice for him to grow a little bit bigger and for Brian and I to prepare a little bit more.

Here I am at 34 weeks:

34 down, 6 to go!! (Wow, only 6?!?!)

Christmas Wedding

One of Brian's best friends for pretty much his whole life got married this past weekend. I absolutely LOVE Christmas weddings. This time of year is so beautiful and there is so much celebrating going on that I think it's a great time to get married. All of the decorations, the church, the reception... everything had a beautiful Christmas feel to it. At the reception, the favor for guests was a special ornament to remember their wedding. So cool!

Here are some of the CBHS guys at the rehearsal dinner... this is one tight group of friends! Brian is so fortunate to have known these guys for so long and for them to have stayed close, even though they all went to different colleges.

The rehearsal dinner was at the Dixon... the food was really good and we had a fun group at our table :)

A few of the guys.... the groom, Blake, is sitting and has on a red tie.

Girlfriends and wives at the rehearsal dinner... Mary Hall, Ashley, me and Ashlea

The next day was the wedding. Brian looked so cute in his tuxedo. I always think he is handsome though :) Here are the bride and groom dancing their first dance. It was great!

Brian's family was invited to the wedding as well. Here's his dad and little sister having fun on the dance floor!

Brian and Robert loved the suspenders that came with their tuxedos :)

Towards the end of the wedding, CBHS class of 2001 took a group picture of all the guys that came to the wedding. There are even a few guys missing in this photo that were there, but had already left. Brian was pretty sure that it was the largest gathering of his class since they graduated. It was great to see so many people after such a long time!

It was a great wedding and we are so happy for Blake and Christina. They are an awesome couple! They are leaving for their honeymoon Christmas afternoon... hope you have a great time!

Nicknames & Getting Closer

Do you come from a nickname family?

I don't. Brian does. Brian has lots of nicknames for me. I just call him Brian.
Somehow, our little Preston has already acquired multiple nicknames. Some from us, some from friends, some from family.

Our favorite nickname for him is Master P. Runner up is Mr. P. We use Master P and Mr. P a lot these days. I have a feeling that when he comes and we get to know his personality, we will think of more for him.

Brian and I are starting to get really excited about meeting him. As his due date approaches, it seems like he is the only thing we can talk and think about. I think he will look exactly like Brian (dimples and all), but act like me. Brian thinks he will look and act like me.

I think he is going to be crazy... bouncing off the walls and constantly getting into stuff. Maybe I just think that because of how ACTIVE he is all the time. My doctor told me that his movements will become less and less the bigger he gets in my belly, but they have yet to slow down. Brian put his hand on my belly the other night for a solid minute and felt him move 20 times.

While attending a wedding recently, we had someone tell us that you can't even begin to understand how much you can love someone until you have a child. She said what struck her the most was here is this person who has never been in your life before and suddenly IS your life. Brian and I both looked at each other and I think we were both thinking the same thing. While we already love Preston, we can't wait to feel that kind of love for him that only comes when you first lay eyes on your child.

Hurry up February 4!

33 Weeks

Preston is the size of a pineapple.... whoa!


He is still super active and seems to be happy in there. He has passed the 17 inch mark and weighs over 4 lbs. Here is what he looks like:

I haven't felt any contractions or discomfort this week. Swelling has gone down, and I am back to my "normal" pregnant self! What's funny is that I have taken on the pregnancy waddle.. no more smooth strides for me. But my belly is just SO big that waddling is the only way I can walk! Still not sleeping much at night, but glad my body is preparing for sleepless nights :) Unfortunately, Brian is also experiencing some of my pregnancy symptoms - not sleeping, hungry all the time, anxiety over when P will decide to come. It's funny how it's all part of God's plan to get us both ready for our world's to turn upside down when P comes.

Here is what I look like at 33 weeks:

33 down, 7 to go!

Life Right Now

Two weeks ago, we moved out of our starter home and into our family home. It's bittersweet. On two separate occasions I burst into tears over the loss of our little house on Whitewater Road.

Some things we will miss:

• It is totally updated
• We were so proud of the backyard and all our hard work out there
• The garage is connected to the house and gave us easy access off of the kitchen
• It was our first home - Brian proposed to me in that house, we came home from our honeymoon to that house, found out we were going to be parents in that house, held countless get-togethers and made tons of memories there

While we will always love our first home, we had to say goodbye and embrace the next step in our lives.

We have officially moved into our new home. We had help from both our families who loaded up a U-haul and moved us just a few miles away. We really can't thank them enough for helping us move and clean the place up. We also can't thank some of our friends enough for the meals! That has been awesome to not have to cook :)

Unfortunately, when we got the keys to our house, we were a little overwhelmed over the amount of work our new house needs. Every room needs paint... not just on the wall, but also the mustard-colored trim that seems to cover every square inch of the house and the yellow-y ceilings and closets. Of course, we knew this going in, but on moving day, the work became a reality. To paint most of the rooms, we will have to remove roll after roll of wallpaper. And I won't even get into the amount of work in the kitchen. We know it has loads of potential, but in the beginning it's hard to accept the fact that it will take years to get to that point. We look forward to the day when our friends and family want to drop by and we do not have to preface with "Please excuse the boxes... the ugly wallpaper... the half painted room...."

Currently, we are living amongst boxes, drop cloths, paint cans, and cleaning products. There is constantly something to do. Not a lot of relaxing going on over here. The first week in our new home we were sore, tired, cranky, and overall, just exhausted. We FINALLY moved into our master bedroom this past week, and we love it. It really helped us to have some feeling of accomplishment with our new house, and one room out of the way. Speaking of which, I am so proud of Brian. He has remained patient and always encourages me to rest, drink water and take breaks from unpacking. He constantly is watching out for me and I appreciate that more than he knows.

The next house post, I'll show you before and after pics of our master bedroom and bathroom and a break down of what we did. Let's just say it is turning into my DREAM bedroom!!! I love it so much and love having a grown up retreat at the end of the day :)

32 Weeks, Doc Appt & Maternity Pics

Sorry I'm a little late, but the baby is the size of a large jicama!

This week, he weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long. I'm supposed to gain about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth. Here is what he looks like:

As for me, this has probably been one of the toughest weeks of pregnancy. I just haven't felt great. I'm super uncomfortable, not getting any sleep at night, I feel huge, and I have an insane amount of swelling. My legs and ankles are gross. Gone are the days of pregnancy being fun :( But at least that means I am closer to meeting my little boy!

I don't have a pic to post this week, because we actually had my friend Candice take some professional pics of us downtown at the Peabody this weekend :) I may take one with my camera tonight and post one that matches the others for Preston's baby book. When I get the photos from Candice, I'll post a link to them so you can see.

32 down, 8 to go!

Christmas List

This year, we are kind of skipping Christmas. Of course we'll celebrate with family and friends, but we are not putting up decorations in the new house because there is so much other stuff to do in getting ready for little Preston. Since there isn't much holiday celebrating going on at our home, I decided to follow in the footsteps of a few of my friends who blog and put together a Christmas wish list. Maybe I could even get Brian to do the same? ;)

1. A brushed nickel Hunter fan for our new master bedroom

Kensington by Hunter

2. fresh citron de vigne

3. Anything breastfeeding related. Okay, this one is a little weird, but truthfully if I am going to do this, I feel like I need the gear. A nursing cover, pump, storage bags, etc. There is a lot of gear that comes with breastfeeding!

nursing cover from Giggle

4. Pandora "P" charm for me to add on to my bracelet

5. The gift that keeps on giving.... gift cards! Since we have so much work to do on the house, it would be nice to have a few from select retailers like Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Ace Hardware. All those expenses you don't always plan for ADD UP.

31 Weeks

So after the craziest week ever (more on that later) we are finally able to take and post a belly pic :) Here we are at 31 weeks! Preston is the size of four naval oranges.

Here is what he looks like in there:

This week, he is having a major growth spurt. He is now over 16 inches long, and weighs about 3.3 pounds. He can move his head from side to side and his body is beginning to fatten up. He moves like crazy and keeps me up at night. While it's pretty uncomfortable, I like knowing that he is fine and happy moving and kicking around.

As for me, I am definitely experiencing a lot more swelling. Most days I can't wear my engagement ring :( Thankfully, my wedding band still fits. I am feeling some small BH contractions every now and then, but nothing major.

Here I am at 31 weeks and 2 days:

31 down, 9 to go!

30 Weeks

We're 30 weeks... what a milestone! This week, the baby is the size of a head of cabbage, weighing in at almost 3 pounds.

And here is what he looks like:

This week, his eyes continue to develop. When he's born, his vision will be 20/400 which means he will only be able to make out objects a few inches from his face.

As for me, I am starting to feel much more pregnant. A few of those 1st trimester symptoms are coming back and my heartburn is awful. I wake up at 3 a.m. barely able to breathe it is so bad. I don't like taking medicine while pregnant, but my doctor urged me to start a more powerful anti-acid and that seems to be helping. I have also been pretty fortunate so far to not have any crazy mood swings, but here lately, I am finding myself becoming more hormonal. I don't knowif it's stress related with everything we have going on as well, but I know that stress + 3rd trimester hormones = poor Brian. I hope he realizes I love him and am just not always myself lately. I am also starting to have some fears about labor and delivery. We have our class coming up soon, so hopefully that will ease them. Actually, it will probably make me more scared to know ALL the details!

Here I am at 30 weeks:


30 down, 10 to go!

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is my husband's favorite holiday. I love being with him on Thanksgiving because he is so funny to watch! The food, the football, the family... he loves every minute of it. This year, we have so much to be thankful for it is overwhelming! God blessing us with a healthy pregnancy and baby, a new home for him to grow up in, our jobs and successes at work, and family and friends who couldn't be more supportive and happy for us. I have been looking forward to this Thanksgiving for a few reasons... it is the last Thanksgiving with just us and Brother, it marks 30 weeks of pregnancy, and we were able to spend it with both our families.

Wednesday we drove down to Alabama to my family's farmhouse where my family has always spent Thanksgiving. It was so great to spend some quality time with my grandparents, aunt, my parents, and my brother Joe. We missed Mark, because he was stuck in Memphis working. Here we are on the dirt road that leads to the house.

We were lucky this year because we got to eat two Thanksgiving meals! The first at about 11 a.m. on Thursday at the farm. We drove back to Memphis and ate with the entire Fields clan around 5 p.m. Needless to say, we were totally stuffed. Here with are with the Brian's immediate family.

We are so thankful for the blessings in our life!

Preston's Nursery: Chapter 2

Once we get moved in to the new house, I'll post a floor plan of his room and closet for you to see. But just because we are moving, doesn't mean that work on his room has stalled :) Here's what we have been up to.

I blogged a while back about a trip to Atlanta we took in September. We went to Ikea and found some GREAT stuff for Preston's nursery, including his crib! We went with the Sniglar, found here. I read up on it before our trip and the crib had good reviews. I wanted something simple and didn't want to spend a lot of money for something he will sleep in a couple years. Obviously, safety was a priority too, and it received good reviews on safety. Our plan was to paint it white. When we got home to Memphis, Brian got to work.

Ikea directions are pretty interesting. No words, just pictures. Hopefully we aren't idiots and can figure this out.

Here's my cute husband unloading the box in the backyard.

For the crib paint, I read up on the safest, low-odor spray paint for cribs and all signs pointed to Krylon H2O Latex paint. As Brian began to apply the first coat, we realized that this stuff was not going to work. It was sooo runny... not substantial enough for what we needed. Cribs are hard to paint because of all the small spindles. Brian had to go back and sand down some of the run marks and then we went with a safe paint applied with a paint brush to cover the crib. It looks much better now!

Did I mention that we got all this stuff at our most favorite hardware store, Ace? We have one down the street from our house and it is seriously the best store ever. While we were there picking up the stuff for the crib, we decided to go ahead and grab the paint color for P's room. We went with Gray Horse by Benjamin Moore.

Ben Moore has a whole line of low-VOC and VOC free paints and because we are first-time parents and probably a little over the top, we went with VOC free. Of course, anytime you add paint color in with the original paint it adds a small amount of VOCs, but this is the best we can do. Plus, using this paint, I can help paint his nursery too! And, since we will be painting very soon before Preston is set to arrive, we wanted to make sure there was no paint smell when we brought him home from the hospital.

Sorry, no "after" pictures. Those will have to wait!!!! ;)

Nashville Baby Shower

Last weekend, my mom and I headed to Nashville for my baby shower with my college friends and immediate family. We got there Saturday around dinnertime and immediately went to Home Goods. We do not have one of these amazing stores in Memphis, so we were excited about what we could find for the new house. I got a rug for the family room and two lamps for our master bedroom. Then we went to Joanne's next door to Home Goods to look for fabric to recover my dining room chair seats. Thankfully they were having a sale, and we got all the fabric we needed for $8!

Sunday morning we got up and went to the outlets in Lebanon. Preston racked up. We kind of went a little crazy buying stuff for him, but they have a Carter's outlet, Gymboree outlet, Gap outlet with kids stuff, and a Polo outlet with kids stuff. It was fun to just spend some one-on-one time with my mom.

Then we headed over to Hurt's parents house for the shower. Meg and Hurt through such a sweet shower for me and Preston! Thank you so much girls!

Hurt made the cutest banner ever for the shower. I plan on hanging it over Preston's crib.

The hostesses and me

My mom and me

We played a cute game where they had to guess the size of my belly with a ribbon. My mom and mother-in-law won and guessed it perfectly!

Here they are, very focused :)

Natasha helping my mom

It was so great to see so many of my college friends. They got Preston the cutest stuff ever! I know Candice has more pictures of opening gifts and everything, so hopefully I can share those on the blog one day.

From L to R: Adrianne, Natasha, Hurt, Me, Meg, Candice, Jocelyn

Lauren and Amber had to leave early and unfortunately, I didn't get a picture with them!

The family that was there, L to R:

Marley (Brian's cousin), Mom, Mallory & Brittany (Brian's sisters), Debbie (Brian's mom)

Now to the food! They had quite a spread.... it was awesome! Cute cupcakes with a "P" on them. Meg found the cute toppers :)

Here's the whole spread of food... so much good stuff!

For the centerpiece, they had pretty flowers with the invitation to the shower framed. Hurt painted the cute little magnetic train that has his initials in it.

Cutest favors ever! They got popcorn bags and on the front it says "Cami's about to POP!" I think they found them on Etsy.

It was so great to see everyone and I had such a great time. I got home with all the stuff and Brian helped me take it all out of the car. When I was telling him about it, I kind of got choked up because it just meant so much to me and was so sweet. I am so fortunate to have the friends I have :)

Also, I forgot to post this picture from my work shower. This is the diaper cake Julie made me... how cool is that?

Preston is one very spoiled child :) Thanks everyone for doing all this for our little family. We are really looking forward to meeting him and can't believe he will be here so soon! This Thanksgiving, we have the most to be thankful for!