Weeks 34, 35, 36, and 37

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of an average cantaloupe.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, some dresses still fit but I have made the decision to only wear maternity the rest of the pregnancy since I want to wear my normal stuff later on and not have people wonder if I am still wearing maternity clothes. :-)
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! I usually feel her rolling around more than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Some nights are great; most are up and down then toss and turn.
What I Miss: Not being hot a majority of the time!
Cravings: Nothing in particular but seemed like if it was food… I wanted it!
Best Moment this week: This week I had two showers for me and went to a shower for Emmalyn’s cousin on the way Makenna! I had so much fun at both showers; we are so blessed to be loved by so many and have them want to participate in celebrating our little one’s arrival!

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a honeydew melon.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, some dresses still fit but I have made the decision to only wear maternity the rest of the pregnancy since I want to wear my normal stuff later on and not have people wonder if I am still wearing maternity clothes. :-)
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! Her movements are a lot higher than they have been and usually feel more like her rolling around than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Most of the time I am awake more than I am asleep for several days in a row. Then I guess my body gets so tired I just pass out for a night. Then it starts all over again…
What I Miss: Not being hot a majority of the time!
Cravings: Nothing in particular but seemed like if it was food… I wanted it!
Best Moment this week: This week started with a trip to Birmingham for GrandBee and me to attend the BabyPalooza presented by St. Vincent’s Hospital. We had a great time getting free stuff and then headed to pick up the car seat and stroller! Sunday, Justin and I celebrated with our nephew for his third birthday.

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a Crenshaw melon.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, some dresses still fit but I have made the decision to only wear maternity the rest of the pregnancy since I want to wear my normal stuff later on and not have people wonder if I am still wearing maternity clothes. :-)
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! I usually feel her rolling around more than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Most of the time I am awake more than I am asleep for several days in a row. Then I guess my body gets so tired I just pass out for a night. Then it starts all over again…
What I Miss: Normal clothes!!! If I get another email of the fall clothes coming out this month I am going to scream!!!
Cravings: Nothing in particular but seemed like if it was food… I wanted it!
Best Moment this week: Girl’s weekend with GrandBee and my last shower!

How Far Along: 37 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a stalk of Swiss chard.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, some dresses still fit but I have made the decision to only wear maternity the rest of the pregnancy since I want to wear my normal stuff later on and not have people wonder if I am still wearing maternity clothes. :-)
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl has started her movement down! She is constantly on my bladder and I go to the bathroom all the time.
Sleep: What is that? I faintly remember this thing called sleep but it has been to long since I had much of it I don’t remember it very well.
What I Miss: Normal clothes!!! If I get another email of the fall clothes coming out this month I am going to scream!!!
Cravings: Nothing in particular but seemed like if it was food… I wanted it!
Best Moment this week: Hearing GrandBee speak at our church’s women’s conference and attending the shower for another of Emmalyn’s cousins on her way, Chole!

Weeks 32 and 33

This picture is copyrighted by our photographer please check out their website http://hishandsphotographs.com.

How Far Along: 32 Weeks
Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a jicama… whatever that is.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, some dresses still fit but I have made the decision to only wear maternity the rest of the pregnancy since I want to wear my normal stuff later on and not have people wonder if I am still wearing maternity clothes. :-)
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! Her movements are a lot higher than they have been and usually feel more like her rolling around than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Some nights are great; most are up and down then toss and turn.
What I Miss: Not being hot a majority of the time!
Cravings: Nothing in particular but seemed like if it was food… I wanted it!
Best Moment this week: This week was full of great moments. We started the weekend with a doctor’s appointment at which we had an ultrasound and got to see our sweet girl. Then we spent the afternoon having our maternity pictures made! That night we stayed in Birmingham and went to the hunting expo (this was Justin’s compromise for having to do pictures). We had a great time!

How Far Along: 33 Weeks
Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a large pineapple.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity, some dresses still fit but I have made the decision to only wear maternity the rest of the pregnancy since I want to wear my normal stuff later on and not have people wonder if I am still wearing maternity clothes. :-)
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! Her movements are a lot higher than they have been and usually feel more like her rolling around than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Most of the time I am awake more than I am asleep for several days in a row. Then I guess my body gets so tired I just pass out for a night. Then it starts all over again…
What I Miss: Not being hot a majority of the time!
Cravings: Taco Bell! I had seen a commercial and couldn’t get it out of my head. I did give in and eat it one time this week and it seemed to curb the craving.
Best Moment this week: This was a big week for moments much like last week. We started this week with a trip to Atlanta. The first event of the weekend was a Braves game with family and friends. This was our nephew’s first game and he had a blast! We stayed downtown that night and got up the next morning headed to Lake Lanier. We spent the day with family, had some awesome food, and spent the night. That Sunday morning Justin and I got up early and headed home. I had my first shower in the afternoon and wanted to be home in plenty of time to rest a little before it started. We had a great time and got so many cute things!

Weeks 28, 29, 30, & 31

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of an average head of Chinese cabbage.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! She is starting to do what I call elephant movements (big and strong). These have gotten more often and Justin says that she is already a baseball fan because when we watch the Braves or I watch his softball games she moves even more. :-)
Sleep: Not so great… I wake up with leg cramps and then have to get up and go to the bathroom because I am awake. Guess I am just being prepared for having a newborn.
What I Miss: Not sure that I really missed anything this week.
Cravings: Thursday my plans changed and I was not able to have a decaf caramel frappe for breakfast I had been looking forward to all week. So the entire day all I could think about was coffee!
Best Moment this week: Going to the preparing for parenthood class at the hospital where I will deliver. It was great to get a tour of the rooms and to talk about the process of delivering at the hospital. Talking about labor made me both excited and overwhelmed because although I am ready to meet our little girl, once she is fully baked; I have so much to finish before she gets here.

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of an average butternut squash.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity/some dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! She is starting to do what I call elephant movements (big and strong).
Sleep: Some nights are great but most are up and down then toss and turn.
What I Miss: Not sure that I really missed anything this week.
Cravings: homemade chocolate Oreo ice cream
Best Moment this week: 4th of July with family and friends! We went swimming, cooked out, and made homemade chocolate Oreo ice cream!

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of an average head of cabbage.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity/some dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! Her movements are a lot higher than they have been and usually feel more like her rolling around than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Some nights are great but most are up and down then toss and turn.
What I Miss: Not sure that I really missed anything this week.
Cravings: Not any that I can remember.
Best Moment this week: Going to Birmingham with GrandBee for a shopping day!

How Far Along: 31 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of four navel oranges.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity/some dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! Her movements are a lot higher than they have been and usually feel more like her rolling around than kicks or punches.
Sleep: Some nights are great but most are up and down then toss and turn.
What I Miss: Not being hot a majority of the time!
Cravings: Nothing in particular but seemed like if it was food… I wanted it!
Best Moment this week: 26th Annual Chandler Family Reunion! It was great to see family and visit with my other cousins who are expecting as well. The picture below is of the pregnant ladies.

Weeks 25, 26, & 27

How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of an average rutabaga.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time!
Sleep: Depends on the night. Sometimes I wake up multiple times and some nights I do not wake up until I feel like my bladder will burst.
What I Miss: Shrimp! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over! Especially this week; the family went to Red Lobster after decoration and I was tortured as I smelled it and watched others eat it. :-)
Cravings: Ice cream again!
Symptoms: Tiredness and a catch in my hip and butt. Baby girl loves to hang out on my nerve.
Best Moment this week: Going to camp meeting and hearing Grandbee pray at the women’s service!

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is about the length of an English hothouse cucumber.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! She also got the hiccups for the first time this week; watching my belly move as she was hiccupping was hilarious.
Sleep: Depends on the night. Sometimes I wake up multiple times and some nights I do not wake up until I feel like my bladder will burst.
What I Miss: Shrimp! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over!
Cravings: Sweet tea! I limit myself to one or two glasses a day but always want more.
Symptoms: Catch in my hip and butt. I think baby girl may be hanging out on a nerve. It happens most often, after sitting or lying down for an extended period.
Best Moment this week: Celebrating Grandbee’s birthday in Birmingham and finally agreeing on the stroller and car seat to register for.

How Far Along: 27 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of an average head of cauliflower.
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Baby girl moves all the time! She is starting to do what I call elephant movements (big and strong).
Sleep: Not so great… I wake up with leg cramps and then have to get up and go to the bathroom because I am awake. Guess I am just being prepared for having an infant. :-)
What I Miss: This week was shellfish of all kinds. Justin got a craving for Wintzell’s so I had to watch him eat shrimp and crab soup while I ate white fish. It is so funny to me that I am now a girl who misses seafood since for so many years I would not even touch it. Oh and don’t give him a hard time about eating the good stuff in front of me; I told him that someone should get to enjoy it!
Cravings: Everything sweet! It was VBS and a family at church donated the most amazing treats and I felt compelled to try all of them multiple times.
Symptoms: Tiredness!!! I had no idea VBS, while pregnant, was such an exhausting ordeal until this week!
Best Moment this week: Couldn’t pick just one; celebrating Justin’s first father’s day, seeing Papa open his father’s day gift (I will post pictures soon), and VBS!!!

Nursery Update

We have been working on the nursery the past few weeks and although it is nowhere near finished, we are getting things accomplished slowly but surely. I thought I would post a few pictures to show the things we have completed.

This is a picture of the crib. It is probably my favorite part of the nursery! When Justin and I first started trying to have a baby he decided he wanted to build the crib. I was happy with his decision since he has built several pieces of furniture in our house and each one has exceeded my expectations. He did such a great job and it is beautiful!


The letters in the crib will eventually be covered in fabric matching baby girl’s bedding and framed over her crib.


This picture is of the changing table (minus the drawer pulls). The changing table was originally a desk that came from my great aunt’s house. When I was in high school, I refinished it to match my bedroom at mom and dad’s. I recently, sanded down and painted it once again to give it new life as a changing table. I am happy with the way it turned out and happy to have a piece of family heritage in the room as well.



I will post more about the nursery as we get things accomplished!

Week 23 & 24

How Far Along: 23 Weeks


Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a large mango.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained about 14 lbs
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: This week she is starting to move all the time! She has found my bladder and is using it as a trampoline.
Sleep: Depends on the night. Sometimes I wake up multiple times and some nights I do not wake up until I feel like my bladder will burst.
What I Miss: Shrimp! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over!
Cravings: Honestly, it was two weeks ago and I can’t remember. :-)
Symptoms: Tiredness and a catch in my hip and butt. I think baby girl may be hanging out on a nerve.
Best Moment this week: Going to the doctor and hearing that everything with my sweet girl and me are going well!

How Far Along: 24 Weeks


For fun this is a picture of me in the same dress at 18 weeks!


Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is just over a pound and probably just over the length of an ear of corn.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained about 14 lbs
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: She is still moving a lot. I felt her do a karate kick and flip for the first time. At least that is what it felt like she did!
Sleep: Depends on the night. Sometimes I wake up multiple times and some nights I do not wake up until I feel like my bladder will burst.
What I Miss: Shrimp and tuna! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over!
Cravings: It depended on the day! This week it seemed like if it was food, I wanted it!
Symptoms: Tiredness but that was due to the crazy week I had.
Best Moment this week: I can’t pick just one; since it is my blog I can put as many as I like! This week Grandbee and I went to register and spend a girls day shopping. Justin, Michael, and I went to the braves’ game. We spent time with family and went out with friends on the lake for Memorial Day!

Weeks 20, 21, & 22!

This is a post for weeks 20, 21, and 22!
I am so far behind. My hope was to update everyone each week so that family and friends who do not see me every day would be able to share in my pregnancy experience.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a banana.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained a little over 10 lbs
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Feeling her move more and more. Justin felt her move for the first time this week.
Sleep: Sleeping has been pretty normal this week.
What I miss: Shrimp! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over!
Cravings: Ice Cream; I was unable to eat it for so many weeks I guess I felt like I had to catch up on all I missed.
Symptoms: Tiredness is the main one this week.
Best Moment this week: Seeing Justin’s face after feeling her the first time. We had been to his Granny Wilkins’s Funeral and it had been a rough week. It was wonderful to see him have something to brighten his sad day.

How Far Along: 21 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Wilkins is the length of a carrot.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained about 12 lbs
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: Feeling her move more and more.
Sleep: Sleeping has been pretty normal this week.
What I miss: Shrimp and spicy tuna rolls! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over!
Cravings: Ice Cream; I was unable to eat it for so many weeks I guess I felt like I had to catch up on all I missed.
Symptoms: Tiredness is the main one this week.
Best Moment this week: Grandbee feeling Emmalyn move for the first time and Papa deciding to nickname her M&M after his favorite candy.

How Far Along: 22 Weeks
Size of Baby: Baby Wilkins is the size of a naval orange.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained about 12 lbs
Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity; some regular shirts and dresses still fit
Gender: It's a girl!!! Emmalyn Caroline Wilkins
Movement: This week she is starting to move all the time! She has found my bladder and is using it as a trampoline.
Sleep: Terrible; the dreams that I am having have been vivid and horror movie like. I will wake up sweating and not be able to get back to sleep.
What I Miss: Shrimp! That will probably be my answer until this pregnancy is over!
Cravings: Homemade trail mix: craisins, banana chips, cheerios, and chocolate covered raisins.
Symptoms: Tiredness and a catch in my hip and butt. I think baby girl may be hanging out on a nerve.
Best Moment this week: Enjoying a much needed date night with my hubby! We saw What to Expect When You are Expecting; it was a great movie that really hit home in my current situation!

Positively Expecting

This is a very detailed account of the events of January 16th, 2012. I will warn you that it will probably be boring to most but I am putting it here so that I can treasure the memory for my self and my family.

January 16th, 2012. I had been felling weird for a couple of days and noticed that when I would eat my daily serving of ice cream I would get very nauseas to the point of throwing up. This seemed peculiar to me since I love ice cream and have eaten it almost everyday of my life. I had an appointment set the next morning to finish a root canal so I ultimately made the decision that I might want to take a pregnancy test just to be sure. I waited for Justin to leave for work and then headed in the bathroom to take care of business. I waited the 3 minutes and then looked. I was a bit disappointed because only seeing the one line; I decided the test was negative. As I finished getting ready to leave the house, I suddenly thought… that line was different this time. Sure enough I looked back at the test and the line that I saw was the bright pink positive line with a much lighter line beside it. I was excited but still was not sure so I made the decision to go buy another test. Of course it ended up being a crazy day at my internship; by the time I got to buy a test I was on my way home. Justin had beaten me home so I had to sneak in the guest bathroom and take the test before he could figure out what I was doing. It had been hard not to say anything to him all day but I didn’t want to get his hopes up unless I was sure. I bought the type of test that reads out “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant”, that way I would not be confused by the lines again. Haha… For the second time, I waited the 3 minutes, even though the test started to beep before then to tell me it had the results. It said “Pregnant”. I had already known that when I got a positive test I would want to tell Justin in a creative way, so during my lunch hour I had put together a power point just in case. While he was in the shower, I added a picture of both tests at the end of the presentation and then told him I had an early anniversary gift. We sat down and started the power point and I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest! I knew this was something we both had wanted for some time but now that the reality was hitting I sat there in a panic. When it got to the last slide I was so over whelmed I started to cry; he looked at me and asked if I was serious. It was such a sweet moment. We had discussed before we were married that we wanted to wait and have children until I finished school or, if school took longer than expected, when we had been married 3 years. I got to tell the love of my life that we were expecting on the eve of our third anniversary! What a way to be reminded that God has our every step ordered and if we follow in the path he has set before us then we are always a part of his perfect timing.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:15

Has it been a year already???

Each year I make out a list of goals for the coming year. I have always believed that if you do not know where you are headed, it is very hard to get anywhere; hence my need to make a list of goals I want to accomplish each year. One of the goals I made for myself is to blog more. I know I have said it time and time again but I really feel like this time I am going to stick to it. I need an outlet for my rants... LOL! Just kidding, however I do need to get things off my chest from time to time and a blog seems to be a reasonable form of getting things out in the open. So for now I am setting my goal to simply blog more than I did last year. I believe this is obtainable, since this post will ensure that the goal is met because last year’s blog total was a big whopping ZERO! Stay tuned to see if I can do better than my original goal and post more than this once during 2012.