Baby Dove is here!

Benjamin Curtis Dove was born on March 5, 2014 at 3:33 pm. He weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 21 inches long. He is beyond perfect and we are more in love than we ever thought possible! 

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 1 Samuel 1:27–28

The Last Bumpdate~ 39 Weeks

Baby's Growth: He is measuring at 40 weeks and the size of a watermelon! Because they think he's anywhere from 7 to 8 pounds I am going tonight to the hospital! We are hoping to be holding sweet Ben Curtis by tomorrow sometime!

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis.

Cravings: I still crave breakfast food and love drinking big glasses of milk!

How I'm Feeling: I can tell he's ready to come out! We are running out of room for sure! I am so ready to meet this little man. I am feeling nervous but ready now that the time is here!

Movement: He is definitely active! I love it though. Even if it's not always comfortable. It makes me feel good that he is moving around in there!

Favorite Moment this Week: Josh's brother is home for a couple weeks from Norway. We are so happy to have him here to help out and meet BC! It has been so nice having him here. He's a great big brother!

Sleeping: Sleeping is getting a little more uncomfortable. Both sides are not the comfortable to sleep on, but lots of pillows help with that. I never cover up with covers either. I guess my body is preparing itself for the lack of sleep I'm about to experience. 

Clothes: Clothes are getting on my nerves. I prefer to wear big t-shirts and sweatpants when I can. That's the first thing I do when I get home in the afternoons. 

Most looking forward to: Going to the hospital tonight!

Thankful for: I am so thankful for my amazing doctors! They have been so encouraging the whole pregnancy! I go to an amazing practice, and they always make me feel important and special. I know we are in wonderful hand over the next few days.

Bumpdate~ 38 Weeks

Baby's Growth: We went to the doctor this past Wednesday and from the ultrasound, we think he weighs around 7 pounds! It's hard to believe he will be here anytime!

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis.

Cravings: My cereal craving has been consistent the entire time. I bought some Golden Grahams for this week!

How I'm Feeling: Everything is so swollen. I had to take my rings off last week and most of my shoes are no longer comfortable. I think I'm having some Braxton Hicks too!

Movement: He is definitely active! I love it though. Even if it's not always comfortable. It makes me feel good that he is moving around in there!

Favorite Moment this Week: We had the last of our baby showers this week. Josh's coworkers surprised him Monday by decorating his office and bringing lots of wonderful gifts. On Friday, the other managers took him to lunch and gave him more presents! Wednesday was my baby shower at school. I received so many great things too! We are both so blessed with wonderful jobs and wonderful coworkers that care about us.

Sleeping: Sleeping is getting a little more uncomfortable. Both sides are not the comfortable to sleep on, but lots of pillows help with that. I never cover up with covers either. I guess my body is preparing itself for the lack of sleep I'm about to experience. 

Clothes: Clothes are getting on my nerves. I prefer to wear big t-shirts and sweatpants when I can. That's the first thing I do when I get home in the afternoons. 

Most looking forward to: My next doctors appointment on Thursday!

Thankful for: Days like today. We had the best Sunday! We went to church, grabbed some lunch, and then headed out on the boat. Josh fished a little and I just relaxed. It was so nice to spend a peaceful afternoon together, just the two of us. That was the last lake day with Ben Curtis, but he is going to make it even better! We ended the day today with the delicious dinner at PF Changs! I'm very thankful for these last few days.

Bumpdate~ 37 Weeks

Baby's Growth: This week he is around the size of a watermelon! We are at about 20-22 inches long and around 6.5 pounds. It's crazy to me that he could really come any time now.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis.

Cravings: I have loved breakfast food the entire pregnancy. Also, this weekend I was craving birthday cake ice cream from Brusters. Craving satisfied!

How I'm Feeling: I am feeling pretty good. I am more tired these days and my back is hurting more and more. I can also tell that I am swelling. My rings no longer fit, so I have them on a necklace. My feet and ankles are also always so swollen after a day of teaching.

Movement: He is definitely active! I love it though. Even if it's not always comfortable. It makes me feel good that he is moving around in there!

Favorite Moment this Week: Friday was Valentines day and I enjoyed every second. Although Josh is always doing sweet and special things, it's fun to have a day like Vaentines day. We were able to go out to lunch to one of our favorite places, Mellow Mushroom. We said we didn't want to fight the crowd for dinner so we planned to stay in. However, Josh called me that afternoon and told me we had reservations at our favorite place of all time, Stoney River. It was so nice to have a nice delicious dinner together. We enjoyed every second!

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: Clothes are getting on my nerves. I prefer to wear big t-shirts and sweatpants when I can. That's the first thing I do when I get home in the afternoons. 

Most looking forward to: Since we had a big ice storm last week I was not able to go to the doctor. We will be going this Wednesday for our ultrasound. I can't wait to see his sweet little self!

Thankful for: I am so thankful for having a low key easy pregnancy. I have not been sick at all and I have felt good the whole time. Besides the whole gaining a lot of weight thing, I have enjoyed it! I am also so excited to meet BC soon. Many people have told me I'm going to miss being pregnant, but I think I'm going to be so thrilled to have him in my arms. 

My Baby Showers~

This past weekend I was blessed with two baby showers!

The first one was given by my four aunts, Aunt Susan, Aunt Jan, Sissy and Amy. It was so great to see all of our family and friends in my mom and dads home town. There were even some sweet friends that drove in for the shower. It was a wonderful time, and we received so many great gifts!

Sunday, Amelia and Baileigh, my best friend from college, hosted a shower at Macaroni Grill. They invited all of my close friends, and it was so great catching up with everyone. Again, we got so many cute things! I am thankful for all of the sweet people in our life.

Thanks mom for all of the wonderful pictures!

Bumpdate~ 36 Weeks

Baby's Growth: This week he is about the size of head of romaine lettuce. We are at about 19 inches long and around 6 pounds. I have been told a lot this week that it looks like I've dropped some. I can't really tell, though.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: Nothing new this week. We had some delicious cake this weekend at my baby showers!

How I'm Feeling: I am feeling pretty good. I am more tired these days and my back is hurting more and more. 

Movement: He is definitely active! I love it though. Even if it's not always comfortable. It makes me feel good that he is moving around in there!

Favorite Moment this Week: I had two baby showers this past weekend. My family gave me one on Saturday, and my sister and best friend gave me one on Sunday. It was a wonderful weekend filled with sweet people who love me and already love Ben Curtis! We are so blessed! I will be posting more about the weekend later this week!

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: Clothes are getting on my nerves. I prefer to wear big t-shirts and sweatpants when I can. That's the first thing I do when I get home in the afternoons.  

Most looking forward to: As long as the weather cooperates (no snow), I have an ultrasound on Wednesday to see how big BC is! I can't wait to see his sweet self again. We haven't seen him since he was 20 weeks. I know he has changed a lot!

Thankful for: All of the wonderful gifts we received this weekend! We are pretty much set, and we still each have a baby shower at work. His room is flooded with stuff that needs to be organized and put away. I'm so excited to work on that this week. We are ready for him to be here!

Bumpdate~ 35 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a honeydew melon. We are at about 18.5 inches long and a little over 5 pounds. I'm still growing for sure! Everyone keeps telling me I'm going to believe how big I get. That's fun.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: We had a little snow storm this week. The roads were bad with ice so we didn't go anywhere for two days. We couldn't really go out and get anything, but of course I craved stuff we didn't have. First thing I went to get when it was safe was pizza!

How I'm Feeling: I am feeling pretty good. I am more tired these days and my back is hurting more and more. 

Movement: He is definitely active! I love it though. Even if it's not always comfortable. It makes me feel good that he is moving around in there!

Favorite Moment this Week: Wednesday was one of the snow days we had, and Josh was also home. I loved spending the day with him in the middle of the week! Our change in scenery from week 34 to week 35 was quite something!

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: Clothes are getting on my nerves. I prefer to wear big t-shirts and sweatpants when I can. That's the first thing I do when I get home in the afternoons.  

Most looking forward to: I have two baby showers this weekend. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. I am so excited to celebrate BC!

Thankful for: A couple days of rest. The snow allowed me to be home two days this week. Even though they will have to be made up, I enjoyed laying low. Being up all day at school makes for one tired soon to be mama! BC and I loved it!

Be sure to read about our babymoon here!

Bumpdate and a Babymoon~ 34 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a cantaloupe. We are at about 19 inches long and around 5 pounds. I can't believe how much more weight he is going to gain before all is said and done. I feel like there is already no more room for him to grow.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: Not really anything new this week.

How I'm Feeling: I am feeling pretty good. I am more tired these days and my back is hurting more and more. 

Movement: I am feeling him move almost all the time. It used to be mostly at night when I would lay down, but now he makes himself known all day long. I will be teaching and get kicked in the side daily.

Favorite Moment this Week: Our babymoon! Josh planned a surprise weekend away to Hilton Head. He told me on Thursday night to pack a bag for the weekend away. We left Friday after school and I had no idea where we were going. I thought it was going to be downtown Atlanta. To my surprise, we kept driving and driving. About an hour away, he finally told me we were headed to Hilton Head. I was so excited to spend the weekend at the beach! We rested a lot, Josh swam in the outdoor heated pool (so cool!), walked on the beach, did some shopping, enjoyed delicious meals together, and he scheduled a "Pea in the Pod" massage to end the weekend. It was perfect. I loved every second with him. We dreamed about being parents, and we even started planning our next trip. It's so exciting to think we will be a party 3! 

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: My baby showers! I have three within one week, so we are going to be very ready for BC. I can't wait to get all of the little things. 

Thankful for: My sweet husband who planned our little getaway weekend. I will always remember our "last getaway" before we became parents. 

Bumpdate~ 33 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a pineapple. We are at about 18 inches long and a little over 4 pounds. I can't believe how much more weight he is going to gain before all is said and done. I feel like there is already no more room for him to grow.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: I think I have made it to "hot" stage of being pregnant so I have been drinking lots of water and have been craving milkshakes :)

How I'm Feeling: I am feeling pretty good. I am more tired these days and my back is hurting more and more. 

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. I also think he keeps his feet up by my ribs. That's not so comfortable. 

Favorite Moment this Week: I found out the details of three baby showers people are giving me this week! I am so excited for all of them!

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: My doctors appointment tomorrow. I love getting to hear his heartbeat and also being measured. I'm always curious if I'm measuring big. I haven't so far, but we will see tomorrow!

Thankful for: These last few weeks with Josh. We talk about BC all the time and dream what it's going to be like to have a baby. However, we are also enjoying the time together, just the two of us. It will never be just us again. Soaking it up for sure! 

Bumpdate~ 32 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a large jicama??? I have never heard to this thing before. I looked it up and placed a picture below. I know you were curious too! We are at about 17 inches long and a about 3 3/4 pounds. I can't believe how much more weight he is going to gain before all is said and done. I feel like there is already no more room for him to grow.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: Not anything unusual this week. This cold weather has once again brought on my love for soup.

How I'm Feeling: I am becoming more tired. I think it may be from going back to school after Christmas break. I had more than 2 weeks of not doing much, and to go back running is a lot. I am sitting when I can! 

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. I also think he keeps his feet up by my ribs. That's not so comfortable. 

Favorite Moment this Week: Seeing my kids reactions when we came back from the break. I didn't realize how much my stomach grew, but they let me know quickly that I was bigger ;)

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: The big day! We are at most, 8 weeks away. It's crazy to think he could be here in as little as 4 weeks! Josh was born 4 weeks early and weighed 8 pounds, so you never know!

Thankful for: The love and support from Josh and my friends and family. Everyone is so helpful and so kind. Ben Curtis is so blessed already by all those that love him. I can't wait to be his mommy! 

Bumpdate~ 31 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a head of coconut! We are at about 16 inches long and a about 3.5 pounds. I can't believe how much more weight he is going to gain before all is said and done. I feel like there is already no more room for him to grow.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: The other night at dinner I ordered a side salad with ranch and a side of fries. It was weird but was what I was in the mood for. I am also loving pancakes!

How I'm Feeling: I am still feeling really great. I am tired by 9ish every night, but I have always been a person to go to bed early. My back has been a little sore lately, but that's about it! I'm wondering when the exhaustion will come back. I have heard around 32 weeks you start feeling tired again. 

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. I also think he keeps his feet up by my ribs. That's not so comfortable. 

Favorite Moment this Week: We have been working like crazy to finish the nursery. We almost have everything complete. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: The nursery glider coming. We ordered it and it should be here this week!

Thankful for: I am so thankful for the new year! 2014 is going to be filled with many new experiences, and I am so thankful for all of them! I can't wait to hold Ben Curtis in my arms and watch Josh become a father.

Bumpdate~ 30 Weeks

                                                

Baby's Growth: Size of a head of cabbage! We are at about 15.8 inches long and a about 3 pounds. I can't believe how much more weight he is going to gain before all is said and done. I feel like there is already no more room for him to grow.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: Hoping for homemade pancakes soon!

How I'm Feeling: I am still feeling really great. I am tired by 9ish every night, but I have always been a person to go to bed early. My back has been a little sore lately, but that's about it! I'm wondering when the exhaustion will come back. I have heard around 32 weeks you start feeling tired again. 

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. I also think he keeps his feet up by my ribs. That's not so comfortable.

Favorite Moment this Week: Getting all of our new baby gear and clothes for Ben Curtis! We have his crib, a cradle to put in our room, his stroller and carseat, and the pack n play!

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: Getting his nursery done! The paint is almost complete, and then we can start the decorating.

Thankful for: Our sweet family and everything they gave us for Christmas. Ben Curtis is already one loved little boy!

Bumpdate~ 29 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a butternut squash! We are at about 15 inches long and a little over 2 1/2 pounds. I can really tell he's getting bigger! He likes to kick me in the side on a regular basis. 

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: Hoping for homemade pancakes soon!

How I'm Feeling: I am still feeling really great. I am tired by 9ish every night, but I have always been a person to go to bed early. My back has been a little sore lately, but that's about it! I'm wondering when the exhaustion will come back. I have heard around 32 weeks you start feeling tired again. 

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. I also think he keeps his feet up by my ribs. That's not so comfortable.

Favorite Moment this Week: I found out that I passed my glucose test! What a relief to not worry about that.

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: We are having his room painted this weekend! I can't wait because it's going to freshen up the space.

Thankful for: The memories that were made during this last Christmas season as just the 2 of us. So sweet!

Bumpdate~ 28 Weeks

It's so hard to believe that I am headed into my third trimester. In just a couple months, we will be meeting our sweet baby and our lives will be changed forever. I don't think it has still sunk in that we are going to have a baby. I have loved babies since I was little, and I am actually going to have my own! That is so surreal to me.

Baby's Growth: Size of a large eggplant! I think we are at about 15 inches long and a little over 2 pounds. I can really tell he's getting bigger! He likes to kick me in the side on a regular basis. 

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: It seems like when I crave something and then have that, I don't want to eat it for a while after that. Make sense? I enjoy it at the time, and then after I don't want to see it for a long time...Weird.

How I'm Feeling: I am still feeling really great. I am tired by 9ish every night, but I have always been a person to go to bed early. My back has been a little sore lately, but that's about it! I'm wondering when the exhaustion will come back. I have heard around 32 weeks you start feeling tired again. 

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. 

Favorite Moment this Week: We are finally starting to plan his nursery. We are not planning to live where we live now for a long time, but I still want to make his nursery special. We have been trying to figure out where to buy a crib from and how we want to decorate. Thanks to Pinterest, I have lots of ideas. I love dreaming about this with Josh and planning his sweet space. 

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I feel like all of my pants with the bands are getting tighter and tighter...I am wondering if I will have to get another pair before all is said and done. 

Most looking forward to: Baby Showers! We don't have any dates set yet, but I know some are in the works. I can't wait to have stuff for BC. Emotionally I am SO READY for him to be here, but we physically do not have much for him. Hopefully soon we will be all prepared!

Thankful for: The time off for Christmas break. I have 3 more days and I am off for 2 weeks. That is definitely a perk about being a teacher. I love teaching and love my students, but I need a break and so do they. I can't wait for family time and the lazy days ahead. I hope we get some of BC's nursery done over the break. We are planning to paint for sure!

Bumpdate~ 27 Weeks

Baby's Growth: Size of a head of cauliflower! I think we are at about 14.5 inches long and 2 pounds.

Boy or Girl: Boy! We are naming him Benjamin Curtis Dove after his grandfather, Ben, Josh's dad, and his great-grandfather, Curtis, my dad's dad. We will call him Ben Curtis. 

Cravings: Nothing crazy this week but with all the rainy weather I am still loving soup!

How I'm Feeling: Since I am now in the 2nd trimester, I have so much more energy. I am still tired by 9:30 every night, but I feel a lot better during the day. I'm very thankful that I haven't really been sick throughout the pregnancy, but I was very tired for a while. For now, I'm great!

Movement: I am feeling lots of kicks these days. I feel him kicking all the time now. My stomach will just start moving and it is the coolest feeling. This weekend I got my first rib kick. 

Favorite Moment this Week: This past weekend was filled with relaxation and lots of time with friends. We celebrated a friend's birthday Saturday night and went out Sunday night for a friend Christmas date. We are blessed with so many wonderful friends who are all excited about the arrival of Ben Curtis.

Sleeping: I average about eight hours a night, give or take. I have always slept at least eight hours at night, and I'm thankful that has not changed! I do get up a couple times to use the bathroom, but I usually can fall back asleep pretty quickly. I am very thankful for sleep right now!

Clothes: My leggings are definitely the most comfortable things right now. I also got this sweater in off-white  this weekend from Target and I LOVE it! I'm thinking I may need the grey one too :)

Most looking forward to: 2 more weeks off for Christmas! The countdown is on!

Thankful for: The time Josh and I have together. We are spending lots of time on the weekends just us and it is so good. I love that man more everyday, and God blessed me big time by making him my husband. He is going to be the best dad, and I can't wait!