Our First Baby Shower!

We had our first shower this past weekend! It was so wonderful and all of the hostesses made it very special for Chappell and I! It took place at the Magnolia House in Lexington and it was an all-girls luncheon. Chappell and I were showered with so many incredible gifts and the day was just perfect! It was so nice having everyone in town and getting to spend time with them!

We played some fun baby games like guessing how big my belly was and baby word jumble. My aunt MaryBeth guessed my tummy size almost perfectly! The shower was very girlie and perfect for us! Jenny made the cake topper which was adorable along with my "BOOTIENEER" and the Baby Bib cookies that she personalized for each guest. She is always creative like that.

Chappell and I are just so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends and this past weekend really meant a lot to us. Brian and I have to update her room now and put away all of her new items. :) This coming weekend, Stacey and Dave are coming to spend the weekend with us to paint the nursery. I can't wait to see the finished product...I know it's going to be so perfect! Stacey made us a beautiful canvas to go on the wall to match the birdie theme that we have chosen so I can't wait to see the rest of her designs...until then...

7 month baby bump

Here are some pics from the other night at HA's WELCOME HOME PARTY!

Ingram and Adrianne give Chappell some love :)

28 week visit...let the 3rd trimester begin!

Today Brian and I got to go and see Chappell at the doctor's office. :) It was mommy's 28 week appt. which means I have officially entered my 3rd trimester! We were able to see some images of Chappell in 4D instead of just the standard 2D ultrasound. It was such a neat experience and we were able to see more of her features this way. She is so beautiful and we still think she may have her daddy's nose :) They told us that her legs are measuring 30 weeks which is an indication that she may be a tall supermodel. (once again taking after her daddy with the long legs). LOL But the most important factor is that everything looked good and she is measuring right on time which is such a blessing.

Last night Brian and I arranged all of her clothes in the closet and realized that we have gone a little crazy with the clothes-buying considering her closet is FULL and we haven't even had one shower yet! But we have enjoyed every minute of spoiling our little pumpkin! ;) Prepping for the weekend company continues ... as our first shower approaches on Saturday! TTFN!

Belly Flutters :)

Chappell kicks all the time now. She is the sweetest lil thing ever. She nudges me all day long at my desk and at night before going to bed especially. Brian is able to feel them as well. We read to her at night sometimes and talk to her everyday. We tell her that mommy and daddy love her so much and can't wait for her to get here! Sometimes I can see my stomach move when she kicks which is really cool. I love every minute of it!

We are now at 27 and a half weeks...almost the the 3rd trimester! YEEEEEEY! Brian painted the nursery this past week (pale pink of course) and we got the furniture as well! We decided to go with the birdie theme from Pottery Barn Kids (the Penelope Nursery) and absolutely love it! Our friend Stacey is coming in a few weeks to paint a mural on the wall. So the colors will be pink and green :) We can't wait to see the finished product!

My mom and I have been going kind of crazy with the baby clothes shopping...we can't help ourselves! We have gotten her a ton of cute lil onesies, sleepers, and other lil outfits that she is going to look absolutely precious in. :) My favorite thing I've gotten so far though is her "coming home from the hospital" outfit :) It's a pink lil gown (long-sleeved b/c it will be Oct most likely) and has her monogram on the collar in white. We also have her some pink shoes to wear as well. She is going to look like an angel :) She just kicked as I was typing this so I think she is excited about the outfit too! :)

Brian and I could seriously spend an entire day in Babies R Us...we did recently and bought our first item--- a stroller and car seat travel system. It's supposed to be one of the top rated (of course Brian researched everything before we bought) LOL It was exciting though to buy something like that. Our showers are coming up...the first one is next weekend and I can't WAIT! It's an all-girls shower and Chappell and I are thrilled about it! :)

20 week Ultrasound and 24 week Visit

well it's offiically A GIRL! We had our 20 week Ultrasound and they told us again that it was. We are naming her Chappell Harling Lackore :) Both are family names. Chappell is my great-grandmother's maiden name and Harling is Brian's mom's maiden name. We love the name b/c it is special to us and it is very unique. We are so excited to meet her! We have some great Ultrasound pics...her profile pic is my favorite. She already has her daddy's nose :)

I also had my 24 week Gestational Diabetes test...it was far from pleasant but everything came back normal so YEY! They made me chug this nasty cherry-orange drink and then you couldn't eat or drink anything so it was tough. But I was so glad that I made it through and that everything was A- OK :)

Being Prego at the beach

We went to the Outerbanks, NC (our yearly family vacation). I was 18 weeks at this pt. This year was very special b/c not only did we go with Brian's family and their friends, but my family was able to go as well! It was my parents, gpa, brother and his fiancee, Brian and I and our doggie Daisy Mae in one house, and Brian's family and their friends in another house. We had a BLAST! I must say though, it is certainly different going to the beach for a week when you're pregnant. I didn't stay in the sun as much that's for sure. It was such a great week though and it was the first time Daisy Mae had ever seen the ocean...she absolutely LOVED it! I'm so glad we brought her this year. :)

Morning Sickness and Dr Visits

well I've definitely been feeling what they call morning sickness...but what it really should be called is "all day sickness." But overall it hasn't been too bad. My body is just getting used to all of the hormone changes. I have had to take medication to help me get through this and since I've been on that, I feel like a new woman! :)

We got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time at 12 weeks. Our doctor waits longer to do that than most I think. It was very emotional and overwhelming...it really made it a reality for us. The heartbeat was fast...in the 150s. They warned us that sometimes it can take a while to find the actual heartbeat and to not get discouraged if that happened, but the minute the doctor put the monitor on my belly she found the heartbeat immediately! It was so exciting! I don't think I've smiled this much in a long time :) I have like permagrin :)

Because I am high risk, I had to go in at 16 weeks for my first ultrasound (my doc usually waits until 20 weeks). My sister had her little boy at 25 and a half weeks so they needed to check me early to make sure everything looked good. They said that everything was measuring great and that IT'S A GIRL!! They were able to go ahead and tell us...we were sooo thrilled! My mom has been saying all along it was a girl and I had the same feeling...Im very girlie so it's fitting :) We would have been happy either way, b/c we would like one of each ideally, but having a little girl is just so exciting! We didn't go crazy with the pink or anything at first b/c we wanted to wait on the 20 week ultrasound to get another confirmation. You never know...something could "pop up".

First Tri-mester Feelings

Brian and I found out we were expecting our first child on February 13, 2008! There were 2 lines instead of one and we were so excited to find out we were going to be parents. The next day just to be sure...we took another one. This one was digital and said YES+! So there was the confirmation we needed. On Vday 2008, Brian and I made a video to share with our parents and family the following night. (we were celebrating my 29th bday at Johnny's). I already could feel some changes in my body. I couldn't hardly button any of my pants and sat at my office desk uncomfortably all day. When it was time to show the DVD my heart was beating out of my chest in a good way but mostly from anticipation of how our family would react. We told them it was Brian's bday/vday gift to me so they didn't see it coming. At the end of the video it showed us looking at the test with excitement and the next picture was us with a thumbs up and Brian holding my belly :) We ended the video with a picture of baby feet and it said "The Lackores are expecting a new addition...8 months and counting!" Our family was sooo ecstatic. There were lots of tears and just happiness beyond words all around us. At this pt, I was almost 6 weeks! Needless to say this was the best birthday present I've ever gotten! Here is a link to the video we showed our family and friends to tell them the good news!

http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m207/ashelylackore/?action=view&current=Valentineof2008.flv

That weekend we went to Charlotte for a planned shopping spree for my bday that turned into more of a mommy-spree considering I couldn't fit into any of my pants. I got some new maternity clothes that I can wear now or later so that was exciting and with the style being babydoll, I can wear things I already have too. Our first doctor's appt was on February 20, 2008. They confirmed that we were pregnant so that was triple confirmation! This visit was mostly just a consultation but it was neat to hear all about everything and the different changes I will be experiencing. Brian was right there with me so that was great. We confirmed that our due date is October 12, 2008! (a week before Lance and Michelle (my brother and his fiancee tie the knot LOL) On February 24, 2008(dad's bday) I turned 7 weeks pregnant. My morning sickness has really picked up and the exhaustion that my body feels is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I have been trying to take naps at Johnny's at lunch and Ive been eating a lot of little meals throughout the day to help with the nausea. It's very hard to work when I am feeling this way and on the weekends all I want to do is sleep. I went to bed last night at 8 and it made a world of difference so I guess that is my new bedtime! :) No more shows for me except on the weekends. On a website I looked at yesterday I found out that our baby is now the size of a blueberry! I thought that was so cute. Our baby has a heartbeat, it's forming limbs, and the lungs are beginning to form. It's so exciting...Im just beyond words! :)