August 30, 2012 - 30 weeks tomorrow!

30 weeks already! Time is flying by and we are starting to gear up for little Cloud. Last weekend we went to a birth class that lasted all day. It was a lot of information but we learned a lot about the stages of labor, when to go to the hospital, etc. Brandon learned some massage techniques that I am sure he will be happy to practice often.

This week we set up the crib (it is weird to have a crib in our house!) and I hope to get things a little more organized this weekend.

Here is dad setting up the crib

Baby Cloud is 3 lbs now, but I feel like he is much bigger with his powerful kicks and punches, and the amount of pain I have in my back! The heartburn is also getting worse, but I know I have a lot to be grateful for.

Things I am grateful for:
- Baby is healthy so far
- I don't wake up in the night at all (to  go to the bathroom or anything)
- My belly button hasn't popped out (I know that is weird but I don't know how I feel about an outie)
- I am not throwing up
- A sweet hubby

We also love spending time with our nephew, and he is loving on his cousin already. Here is a photo of him touching the baby, and then giving him a kiss. He will be such a good cousin!

August 22 - 28.5 weeks

We are officially in the third trimester! I have been feeling the little guy kick a lot more consistently - he even responds to a flashlight (he obviously has my genes in intelligence- just kidding!) I have been feeling pretty good overall. I am still tired and hungry all the time... something I can't imagine will get any better as he is growing at such a rapid rate now. And my heartburn is still lingering, along with back pain, but I know overall I am lucky.

I spent the weekend in Montana with Baby Cloud's grandparents and Aunt Amanda. We had a wonderful time together - enjoying some great meals, good laughs and baby Cloud is already getting spoiled by his grandparents.... They even surprised Amanda and I with a double shower! (Well I thought I was planning a surprise for Amanda and she thought she was planning one for me!) It was so much fun and makes everything feel more real. It was so special to share this with Amanda who is due only six weeks after me!

We are excited to get the nursery a little more situated this month as our crib and dresser should be arriving in the next week or so, and Grandma Cari is making some fun items for the room (I picked out some fabric this weekend!)

We feel so blessed and overwhelmed that people love our little son so much already, and can't wait for you to meet him! Thank you for loving us.

August 8, 26.5 weeks- Dad Special Guest Author

Hey everyone, Brandon here. Thanks to everyone for following along our joyous time on here. We are glad we can keep you all in the loop.

Things are going really well with us and the pregnancy. Rachel has been amazing. She is such a natural and takes everything in stride. There are some struggles though as she has started to get heartburn quite often and is staring at her closet for great lengths of time in the morning, seemingly waiting for her tummy to recede before dressing.

We are 93 days from our due date. The first 6 months have flown by (again don't forget this is Brandon writing) and have been some of the best days, weeks, and months of our marriage. We are enjoying our time with each other even more than ever it seems. We know the hard parts are ahead of us as the baby who is bouncing all around right now will soon run out of space and I will be working long hours away from my family, however our excitement and expectation is wonderful. We know we have been so blessed and we cannot wait to meet our little guy.

Baby (who has already been to Las Vegas, Hawaii, and North Carolina) will soon be traveling to Boston and Montana in the coming weeks, so pray for Rachel to be comfortable and enjoy her last adventures for a few months.

Thank you all for your love and support. We are blessed to have such a great family and wonderful friends to lean on. We love you all and cant wait for you to meet little Mr. Cloud in a few short months.

Brandon, Rachel, and Baby