The Torpedo

Okay, I said yesterday I would post some belly photos--aka, "my belly has started to torpedo out at a rate I didn't think was possible" photos.





Here's Ally Grace and her daddy.......so weird to say that! I tried to get her to give him a little love tap while he was down there, but I think she was snoozing.










This picture's kinda blurry, but I secretly just wanted you to see the cute new curtains we were hanging in our dining room.....actually, not so secretly now that I told you! The belly's got a definite watermelon point, vs. the rounded beach ball tummy.....nice!








Because we are totally THOSE people, I had to include a picture of our "son." He was only a puppy in this one, but I found it over the weekend, and needed to share. Jackson's still just as big of a snuggler, but about 70 lbs heavier than he was in this photo. Quite interesting when he tries to lay in your lap. (You other dog people totally understand, while you non-dog lovers think I'm a freak.)

Weekend Wrap-Up....Yes, on a Wednesday. (I am a procrastinator).

I know, I know, it's Wednesday, and I am terrible about updating this thing! I had all these good intentions of posting after a fun weekend at my parents house, but then I got wrapped up in some really crucial activities early in the week......you know, the Bachelorette finale and the After the Final Rose special. It truly was the MOST DRAMATIC finale in Bachelorette history, and after it was over, I was tasked with reading blogs about it, and venting about why in the world Jillian would choose a guy that wears a mankini, instead of Reid?!


ANNNYYYYWAY......I did have a great weekend relaxing with my parents up in Habersham. I got to spend lots of time in their pool, and I didn't have to subject any innocent eyes to my pregnant self in a bikini. Well, Jackson saw it, but I don't think he was too bothered......he was mainly concerned with whether I would continue throwing the noodle into the pool for him to fetch. I have some great pictures of Mr. Puppy-pants swimming (omg, did I really just write that....yes, yes I did--as long as I'm being embarrassing, you may also hear me call him Pupples or Mr. Velvet Ears. And now I will stop myself from typing.). Seriously, I'll try to post some photos later....he was too cute!


On Monday, John got back from a TEN DAY mission trip to the country of Moldova.....he took some of our high school students from Buckhead Church, and they had an amazing time! You can check out their blog (Moldova '09) under the Blogs I Follow section. Let me just tell you, 10 days is the longest we have ever been apart (by about a week), and it was tough. I really, really missed him, and can't even explain how excited I was to get him back home on Monday!


We immediately went to Mary Mac's, so he could stuff himself full of good, 'ol Southern food. Somehow, they didn't really have much of that in Moldova. Hmmmmmm.......


This week's a busy week in real estate for me, plus we're plugging away on that nursery....I promise to post some pictures SOON. I may just have to move into baby girl's room, since it will officially be the cutest room in our house.


By the way, have you ever noticed how some pregnant girls have a beach ball tummy, and others have a torpedo-style watermelon? I am pretty sure I'm starting to torpedo, which is hilarious! I will get John to take a picture of the tummy tonight, so you can see for yourselves. I did have a doctor's appointment this week, and everything's looking great....good heartbeat, good measurements, lots of weight gain.....no, seriously, I've now graduated to a whole new section of the scale at the dr's office. Good times.


My friend Jenny posted this survey on her blog today, and since I am a) procrastinating on my to-d0 list, and b) a big copycat, I will do the survey too:

1. What is your salad dressing of choice? Um, when I actually eat salad, it's probably something fatty like Ranch....I know I'm SUPPOSED to say balsamic vinigarette, but I just can't do it.

2. What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? Cereal, cupcakes, & marshmallows. Oh, and marshmallow fluff. Yes, I did say the marshmallow fluff.

3. What do you like to put on your toast? Butter & honey

4. How many televisions are in your house? Sadly, just one. I am pushing for one in our bedroom, because watching tv in bed makes me feel like I'm staying in a hotel. : )

5. What color cell phone do you have? Gray....boring.

6. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

7. What is the last heavy item you lifted? My body out of bed this morning. No, seriously, weights during my workout with Kristi (best trainer ever!) yesterday. She's tough!

8. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Shadynasty (Sha-dynasty, not shady nasty. About 2 of you know why this is funny).

9. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Doubtful, as it would probably lead to premature labor or the worst case of heartburn known to mankind.

10. Last person you talked to? My insanely good-looking husband.

11. Last person you hugged? Ditto number 10

12. Favorite Season? FALL! Too many reasons to name, but a few include our anniversary, baby D's arrival, GA football!, awesome weather, gorgeous leaves, best time ever to run outside.

13. Day of the week? Friday or Saturday (unless I have to work).

14. First place you went this morning? I'm pregnant, where do you think I went first this morning?

15. What's the last movie you saw? The Proposal...hilarious!

16. Do you smile often? Definitely.

17. Do you always answer your phone? I plead the fifth.

18. If you could change your eye color what would it be? John's color (blue, but the prettiest blue I've ever seen....sorry, babe, I meant the manliest blue I've ever seen).

19. What flavor drink do you get at Sonic? Honestly, I don't know if I've ever been to a Sonic?

20. Do you own a digital camera? Wait, this is 2009.....is this question for real?

21. Have you ever had a pet fish? Nope. I'm a dog person all the way!

22. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night

23. What's on your wish list for your birthday? John, are you reading this? :) Um, probably anything I wouldn't buy for myself right now--a new digital camera, anything involving a massage, clothes, jewelry.....girly stuff, I guess?

24. Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Very excited, sometimes a little nervous.

25. Ever been in a car wreck? Unfortunately.

26. Do you have an accent? Sure do. It used to be out of control southern, but has probably faded a little over time. Words that'll bring it out: July, ice cream, pill.

27. Plans tonight? Dinner with John and his mom?

28. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Nothing! Did you hear that, John? I didn't buy ANYTHING! Yay for me.

29. Have you ever been given roses? Absolutely....my sweet husband sends me roses when there's not even a reason.....yes, I'm totally bragging. I love them, and I REALLY love him! Quit gagging now, readers.

30. How did you ring in the New Year? Same answer as Jenny's: Bud and Alley's in Seaside with friends.

31. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Watching What Not to Wear with John's mom, and reading People magazine. I know, I'm really deep.

32. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? I love kissing John goodbye even though I'm still half-asleep.....and, oh, I have to pee.

We totally bonded while you were learning more about me, didn't we? I feel much closer to you already. Have a great Wednesday!

Intervention & Pregnancy Surprises

I think I need an intervention. Someone needs to help me stop eating strawberry cupcakes, as they are NOT an acceptable post-breakfast dessert! (And really, there's probably no such thing as an acceptable post-breakfast dessert). My mom made them though, and they are awesome. I have all these rationalizations for eating them....like, the "I must eat more of them so they are gone sooner" excuse. Or, the "they have fresh strawberries in the batter, so I'm getting some fruit" excuse. I mean, we all know I like dessert, but Little Miss Sweet Tooth has taken over my body entirely!


I was thinking yesterday of all the things that have surprised me about pregnancy. I just assumed it would be this amazing experience (sometimes it is), and that I would look (and feel) as cute as my other pregnant friends have looked (and felt). Hmmmm, not exactly. Here's a list, mainly for my benefit, so I have a realistic record when I experience the "holding my baby for the first time, so my bad memories of pregnancy are magically gone" phenomenon. Which I hear is inevitable. Also, for my not yet pregnant girlfriends....I want to make sure you really know what to expect!


Sherri's List of Pregnancy Surprises
1. One of your first symptoms of pregnancy may, in fact, be a case of adult acne so bad that you do not want to leave your house. Ever again. Ditto for 3 months of morning sickness.


2. You will probably start to feel pregnant and bloated almost immediately, and will believe you are growing a belly at 8-10 weeks....even though you are clearly not. Case in point: this photo that I made John take of me at 9 weeks, where I was CONVINCED that my belly had "popped". Really? Really, Sherri? You have no idea what your belly is capable of yet.....you just wait, girl.


3. Random strangers, and let's be honest, sometimes even people you know, will be compelled to make comments about your weight. The awesome ones will say things like, "oh you look so small," or "wow, your belly is tiny." And my personal favorite (so please tell me this if you see me out and about): "You don't even look pregnant from behind!" (If you have said this to me, I love you.) Unfortunately, the clueless ones will say things like, "oh my gosh, are you about to have the baby any minute?".....when you're only 28 weeks. Yeah.


4. Everyone in your life will now have a free pass to touch your belly. And honestly, in my opinion, it's not that weird....I always liked to touch pregnant bellies before too. There's something cool about them. BUT, just be ready for everyone to be touching you. And talking to your tummy. It makes me laugh, because when else in life would that be appropriate, or would your husband not FREAK OUT because another guy has his hand on your stomach? I'm just sayin'.


5. If you're active at all in your normal life, be prepared to feel super annoyed at the physical limitations that are coming your way. I'm just being honest, it is hard to have to scale back your mileage, if you're a runner. If you're into biking (which I'm not), you'll have to be careful, b/c anything where you could fall down and hurt your tummy is a big no-no. If you went to the world's most awesome bootcamp and frequently got to the point of wanting to vomit from the level of physical intensity BEFORE you were pregnant, you're probably gonna need to cut this one out entirely. You get my drift.


6. With that said, you'll probably get enough exercise from walking back and forth to the bathroom all day long.....hopefully you enjoy the decor in your bathroom, because you will see a LOT of it in the months to come.


7. Get ready to make friends with lots of ailments that you didn't expect to have until you were considerably older. I'm talking heartburn, acid reflux, and feeling out of breath when you walk up the stairs.


8. And oh the weird, weird dreams. It's true. I didn't really believe this, and thought it was a pregnant urban legend....but then, last night I dreamt that Tom Cruise (what?!) was making fun of how much weight I had gained, and John stepped in and punched him in the face. (I love you for dream-defending me, baby).


9. You will not feel cute, small, or "glowing" in any way, no matter what the amazing people you have in your life tell you. And the truth is, you'll probably look cute and pregnant to everyone else.....but (again with the honesty), it's totally normal if you feel the least attractive and self-confident that you ever have. You'll see. I think this is something that pregnant girls don't really talk about, because when people ask how you feel, the appropriate response is "great!," not "Well, I'm carting around 20-30 extra lbs, and I basically want to poke my eyes out with a fork when I have to be around skinny people." Bottom line, it's okay to feel how you're feeling....you will be much harder on yourself than anyone else, and you truly will be looking GREAT! And not at all pregnant from behind! : )


10. It's okay to be freaked out by nursing bras, or nursing paraphernalia in general.


11. Nighttime throat burps. That's right, the minute you lay down at night, your throat will start involuntarily making embarrassing burping noises, and you can do nothing about it. This is especially funny when you and your husband are trying to pray together.


12. Finally, you won't really be prepared for how amazing it is to hear your baby's heartbeat, see your baby on ultrasounds, and feel your baby kicking and jabbing you during the day....to think about who he/she will look like, what kind of personality they'll have, and what kind of parent you'll make. It's overwhelming for sure, and I have to remind myself not to get caught up in the "what ifs," but it is honestly awesome to be reminded of the little person inside of you.....which is clearly why moms go through the crazy parts. I'm not even there yet, but I can see how it's all worth it in the end.


If any mommies are reading this, what do you think? Did I miss anything? I'd love to hear some of your own little "surprises."


70 more days! AHHH!

Random Saturday Thoughts

1. Went to the Farmer's Market at Cathedral of St. Phillip this morning with my friend Eryn....why do I not do this every Saturday? And are farmer's market tomatoes really better than Kroger tomatoes.....we shall see!

2. Apparently the "it" dog to have these days in Buckhead is a labradoodle.....maybe I will give Jackson a perm, so we will fit in at the farmer's market next Saturday.
(Just to help you visualize, here's a photo of John and I torturing Jackson by making him wear an afro wig.....why do we have one, you ask? Another story, for a different time).

3. I wonder if you combined all of my bathroom breaks, how many hours it would total during a day?

4. Is Ally Grace sitting on my bladder? And why do I immediately need to pee the minute I leave the bathroom?

5. I am so glad we opted for the "comfort" toilet seats in our new house.

I might have an addiction.....

I mean, is it a problem if all I eat (or want to eat) all day long is cereal? I've pretty much always loved a bowl of cereal for breakfast, but now it's not limited to any particular time of day. Plus, the amount of milk I'm going through is out of control. Seriously. We went to the grocery store the other day and bought SIX big boxes of cereal.....and they are almost gone now! What in the world? I've managed to stay away from the Lucky Charms since my last little episode with those, and John was blocking my attempts to sneak some Reese's Puffs into the cart, so we ended up with Multi-Grain cheerios (2 boxes), Cinnamon Life (should've gotten multiple boxes, because I forgot how good it was), Raisin Bran, Fiber One w/ Honey Clusters (the honey clusters are crucial to making this one edible), and Honey Nut Cheerios. And a partridge in a pear tree. Okay, actually Kroger was out of those. But I'll bet you've never read a blog about cereal, right?

So we had our Baby Essentials class last weekend, and it was quite the experience. I actually enjoyed it, despite the fact that we had to hold a baby doll throughout the class so that we could "get used to it." I was also highly entertained by the guy who kept burping out loud during the "How to Burp the Baby" section (and no, it wasn't John!). I couldn't figure out if it was a total coincidence, or if he was trying to get his wife to practice her burping skills on him. Hmmmm..... John actually managed to look cute holding a fake baby, so I can't wait to see him holding his little girl!

This week, we've been doing Buckhead Church's Great Date Experiment. We're on date #4, and can I just say that I LOVE that our church does something like this for it's married couples? We've had so much fun on these dates, and this one involved 5 days of build-up to the actual date (which for us is tonight!). We were given little tasks to choose from each day to do for each other, based on your spouse's personality. It's too hard to really explain the whole thing, but some highlights were: John taking me shopping (w/ no complaining or rushing), me planning a "guys day" for John and a friend to go play golf and do whatever guys do, leaving sweet notes for each other in random places.....you get the idea! I love my husband and I love surprises, so it's been a REALLY fun week.

Next update, I MIGHT actually have some new nursery pictures......we just got our crib, and the curtains are being installed today. 11 weeks and counting.....

Third Trimester!

So yesterday marked the beginning of my 3rd trimester!! To celebrate, we had our official Northside Hospital Maternity Tour.....pretty exciting stuff, let me tell ya. We learned where to drop me off when I'm in labor, how it's VERY important for John to make sure I at least make it in to the admissions desk, that there's a "boom box" in every labor and delivery room (and yes, I immediately imagined John dancing around with it on his shoulder....you know, as every supportive labor coach should do), and how there's a "squatting bar" available to attach to every delivery bed. Excuse me? A squatting bar? I'm pretty sure that all I want to know is how quickly the anesthesiologist can arrive to give me an epidural. 'Cause then I'll be golden.

Also, is it weird that I'm more nervous about getting an epidural than about the actual delivery of the baby?

Anyway, we went with some friends, Kyle and Caroline, who are expecting a baby in early November. Caroline and I both noticed that our babies were kicking up a storm while we were on the tour....I personally believe that the babies KNEW where we were, and were excited to be there, but that's just my opinion. It was definitely fun to hang out with Kyle and Caroline, and turn the tour into a little double-date!

This week, I've been sucked into a show on TLC called "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant." It is seriously a train wreck that you probably SHOULD stop watching, but can't look away from. There are actually women who go to the hospital for stomach pain and find out that they're having a baby....right then! Or, even scarier, the ones who don't go to the hospital and have the baby in their toilets at home. I am not kidding. Some of these women have NO pregnancy symptoms, don't gain weight, and for at least a couple, actually LOSE weight. WHAT?! This show has now been added to the tivo, much to John's delight, I'm sure.

So, according to http://www.babyzone.com/, Ally Grace is weighing in around 2lbs and 7 oz., and is about 10 inches long......hmmm, so where does all the other weight come from? : ) She has definitely turned into the most active baby on the planet at this point.....wonder what that means about her little personality once she's here? I looked down at my belly button the other day, and I swear she gave me a little fist bump from the inside. I think she was telling me that she's cozy and happy in there. I do know this though: we are more and more excited to meet her every day! 12 more weeks.....

Ally Grace ran her first 5k this weekend: the Rabun Ramble! I actually managed to run the whole race, and there were a few factors that contributed to this success:

1. I ran the pace of a 95 year old.

2. I prayed constantly that God would allow my poor pregnant bladder to hold out until the end.

3. I pretty much HAD to run out of desperation to get back to the bathrooms as quickly as possible!

Honestly, it was a blast....the temperature was perfect, and it just felt great to run. I DID notice that when people would see me coming up to pass them, they would look over and speed up....I could literally see each one of them thinking "Oh heck no, I am not ABOUT to get beat by a pregnant girl." Glad I could provide some motivation for you people! Here's a shot of me blowing past some random slow guy:

He was cute though, so I let him beat me in the end! : ) Seriously, John was probably finished before I even started, he's so fast....placed 4th in his age group! So proud of him!

We had a great time up at Lake Rabun.....there were all the makings of a perfect holiday weekend: great friends, the 4th of July buffet catered by the Dillard house, Jenga tournaments, and let's not forget the ever popular greased watermelon contest...oh yes, instigated by MY husband. (I TOLD you guys there would be random competition!) Here's a shot of some greased watermelon action.....it was super entertaining to watch, but looks surprisingly violent from this picture.

Saturday night, we went out on the boat for Lake Rabun fireworks....I love fireworks, don't you? Somehow, I miraculously managed to not get seasick, although by the time we got back to the boat house, it was a pretty close call! Here I am with Haley and Jenny, on our way out to see the fireworks.

And here, with John and 2 crazy people in the background......oh wait, that's just Haley and Scouten.

Ally Grace was kicking up a storm this weekend....I think she was just anxious to be a part of all the festivities. Spending time with some of our other friends' babies made me even more excited for her to get here!

By the way, today John and I did a practice drive to Northside.....ok, REALLY it was because John cut his shin open to the bone and I had to take him to get stitches.....and don't worry, this isn't the first time (some of you will recall the staples incident of 2006, just before Memorial Day weekend). Anyway, the nurses were clearly confused when I came in, and I know were expecting me to be in labor.....not for a few more months! 12 weeks to be exact, because as of Thursday, I am in my THIRD TRIMESTER! I alternate between total excitement and complete freakout, as I realize that I know nothing about babies. That's okay....we're signed up for a Baby Essentials class at Northside on Saturday, where our afternoon will consist of diapering, burping, and bathing fake babies. As long as they're not creepy robot babies like in that movie License to Wed, we'll be good to go!

Jenga, Lucky Charms, and How the Heck Do Pregnant Women Put Their Tennis Shoes On?

This week has gotten away from me already...I can't believe it's Wednesday! Tomorrow, we're headed up to Lake Rabun with our small group for the 4th of July, which I'm super excited about! Our friends, Cole and Brooke, are so gracious and have invited us to their beautiful lake house for lots of holidays over the last few years....we always have a blast! This was the group over Memorial Day weekend, playing a game that was, of course, devised by boys who pretty much cannot sit still for 5 minutes without making up some kind of competition....a.k.a., our husbands.




Case in point, after this rousing game of "Keep the Balloon from Hitting the Floor With Your Fake Maraca, But No One Can Hit the Same Balloon Twice," (which was actually played with balloons we put out for Brooke's birthday party), the boys broke off for a rowdy Jenga competition....that's right, Jenga. Haven't seen anyone play that since about 1992, but it was a surprisingly nail-biting game. Nail-biting for the ladies, because it was decided that the wife of the husband who lost would have to pick up all 35,000 pieces....thanks for volunteering us, husbands!

(As you can see, the tower DID get really tall....tall enough that our husbands were looking up the World Record for Jenga Tower Height...I'm serious.)


Anyway, this weekend, I'm sure we're up for some other fun competitions....since some of our friends are bringing their little babies, these competitions might involve games like: "Who Can Diaper Baby Fastest?" Or, the ever popular "Which Guy Can Get Baby to Burp the Loudest?" Finally, my personal favorite (and this has actually been played in the past), "Who Can Throw the Lounge Chair the Farthest From the House?" In all honesty, the guys are hilarious and we love to watch them compete!

So about 3 months ago, I ambitiously signed up for the Peachtree Road Race, thinking, so what if I'm 7 months pregnant? I'll be able to run it! Ummmmm, yeeeeah......now, I've downscaled my plans to include the Rabun Ramble 5k, which I will likely have to walk. My doctor said it best when she told me that most of her runner patients kept running until they started peeing in their pants on their runs. Not really anxious to experience that one, so I might just keep it to a walk (or maybe a jog/walk....we'll see how it goes!).

I did finally have my glucose test on Monday, so hopefully my results will be normal.....I will tell you this, if they're not, I live with Mr. Sugar Police, and you won't see me with ANYTHING sugar-related for the rest of the pregnancy...he'll make sure of it! And speaking of sugar, I had one of my strongest cravings so far the other day....I was in our local Target, just minding my own business, when all of a sudden this JUMBO box of Lucky Charms basically just jumped into my cart. How did THAT happen? Now, I haven't had Lucky Charms since 11th grade cheerleading camp at GA Tech, so I thought, well this might be a nice little treat when I'm craving something sweet....you know, occasionally. Nope! I got the box home, and ate the ENTIRE THING within 24 hours. I am not kidding. I also went through a whole gallon of milk with it, which makes me feel marginally less guilty about all the sugar.

Ally Grace is totally going to come out with a little leprechaun outfit on, I know it.

Other pregnancy milestones this week:

1. It's getting MUCH more difficult to bend over and put my shoes on.....and I can't even imagine how it will be accomplished at all two months from now.

2. Went to spin class, and realized that my thighs now hit my belly when I peddle....fantastic.

3. Learned from my doctor that the lovely ache under my ribs is just my ribcage being pulled outward, as my ab muscles stretch out. Good times! I now take Tylenol AND Pepcid every night.

4. And the best one....she is becoming QUITE the little dancer/kickboxer/who the heck knows what she's doing in there! But I can actually see her movements now sometimes, which is so totally amazing. I love it! Although, I feel like the minute I try to show John, my mom, or anyone else who happens to be around, Ally decides to be sassy and stop doing it. She's gonna be a little stinker for sure! : )

Enjoy your holiday weekend! And if you get bored, there's always Jenga....