Week 31

Size of Baby: 16.25 in {4 navel oranges} 3.3 LB

The heart beat on the last visit: 157

Gender: Sweet Little Girl

Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: Pregnancy is getting a little uncomfortable. Sleeping is still ok because I'm so tired. I am still working out and stretching which helps with the back pain but it doesn't seem to help the hip pain very much.

Craving: Christmas was amazing being pregnant. Between Christmas Eve breakfast, snacks & Christmas dinner I enjoyed every minute of it. My granny made her famous mash potatoes. My sisters and I mix our food together and Granny's mash potatoes seem to be the "glue" that makes it taste better.

My mom makes this oyster dressing that used to be one of my favorites. This year I sadly stayed away hopefully my fish aversions will go away soon.

Maternity Clothes: Some maternity- some regular. This week it has been wind pants & yoga pants.

Movement: She has run out of room. She is moving like crazy!! I keep feeling random body parts. I'm not sure what part I'm feeling but it's cool.

Cool moments this week: Christmas!I got to see all my family. Here is Cash relaxing. He got to spend time with Nike, Bentley & Blackie {my parent's dog} They wore each other out.

Amy, Gian & Sam came to spend the night last night. Sam is getting so BIG! He has little kid teeth and was really entertaining. They got Chris and I a Baby Bjorn. I timed myself and can get that thing on in record time. We might let Pip try it. I can't wait to get to use it!!

Christmas Cheer

Christmas Eve Breakfast

Chris's family has some amazing traditions. They start off Christmas eve with breakfast. This happens to be my most favorite meal. The circle sausage swirls found in the middle of the pig plate are my favorite.

They call them Dog Mush because when Chris was

little he asked a lot of questions. He pointed and asked Mimi what was that? She replied dog mush. Chris thought that was incredible and had everyone call them that from then on.

After breakfast we got ready for the rest of the day.

By that I mean we took naps while watching football. In the mean time Beverly made Christmas snacks. They were like appetizer but better. She made "sweet pigs". They were pigs in a blanket with honey, brown sugar & pecans glaze. Chris felt the brown sugar defiled the pigs and boycotted them. {more for me!}

We went one at a time opening up presents. This is how Stephanie likes to open presents & since she and her sweet family couldn't be there this year we honored her in this way.

Mimi made Caroline 2 beautiful blankets. She is going to be so warm in February.

Kelley got tons of jackets and Alpha P swag. She also got an Ipad from Santa. It must have been those good grades he was most impressed with!

Christmas morning we woke up and drove to Andrews

to spend the day with my parents. We got a late start

because the roads were still a little icy.

Granny and Curtis got a lap top and have become quit impressive with email, checking the weather and looking up horse racing stats.

"what do you mean Christmas is over!"

Fail! She loaded everything up and the box broke. Poor Jacee...

Christmas was amazing! I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you to my amazing family for making 2011 a HUGE success. Caroline is so blessed to be born into a loving, caring family.

I know what you are thinking.....

It's already week 30!

Size of Baby: 15.7 in {cabbage} 2.75 LB

The heart beat on the last visit: 157

Gender: Sweet Little Girl

Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: I am missing my energy. I'm not getting around as quickly as I used to. I'm happy to report I passed my glucose test!! No gestational diabetes. They told me I had low blood sugar {which I already knew}

Craving: For sure the fruit- Apple, oranges, pineapples- all sound delicious. We have a huge bag of frozen fruit from Sams. I have put a nice dent in it. Also I'm really looking forward to Christmas eve breakfast. Mimi makes "dog mush" {that's what they call it in the Prather house} but it is tasty! Everyone in Chris's family knows how to cook!

Maternity Clothes: Some maternity- some regular.

Movement: Tons! She is actually almost vibrating my stomach right now. It is really strange to watch.

Cool moments this week: Harper Vaughne Sanders was born Monday! Chris and I got to see the Sanders and meet Harper. It was good practice. I know I looked like a rookie holding the new born baby. Chris is more of a natural. Back when I babysat I never watched kids under the age of 4. I liked them potty trained and speaking. Everyone says it will come naturally. I pray, pray, pray this happens to me.

Tech Game

Chris, Ricky, Bryan & I went to the Men's Tech game tonight. As you can see there was not much of a crowd. The men haven't been very good for a while but they did win last night! They beat Grambling State 87- 59. A walk on freshmen hit four 3 pointers in the first 4 minutes. I was pumped for him. I had to look up where Grambling State for anyone that is curious it is in Lousiana.

On a side note: I get to take the Gestational diabetes test again Tuesday. It’s three hrs this time which means 3X the fun. Also instead of a couple of swallows of the sugar stuff it’s like a Big Gulp size. I will have the result immediately which is good I don’t have to worry about it. The good news is Chris and I will get to eat lunch together right after. I’m already thinking Rosas….

29 Weeks

Size of Baby: 15.25 in {Butternut Squash} 2.5 LB

The heart beat on the last visit: 157

Gender: Sweet Little Girl

Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: The tiredness really hit me really hard this week. Growing a human from scratch is exhausting and this little girl is defiantly growing. Next appointment they will start checking up close and personal to track her growth.

Craving: fruit- but this week I might or might not have eaten a whole bag of crunchy Cheetos. Also all these Christmas parties have had lots of tasty treats.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants for sure. My shirts are getting short & I have to wear undershirts as to not expose my belly.

Movement: Tons! She is very active. I figure she is running out of room as I can see her move from one side to another. I am wondering if she has moved down because the kicks are coming from the top now.

Cool moments this week:

Dondi was here!! We got to meet her boyfriend Kyle. I am so happy she is home for Christmas.

2 wonderful Christmas parties.

We got to hear our little girl's strong heart today at our doctors appointment. She kicked the wand several times.

State Farm's Christmas Party

On Friday night we had Chris's State Farm Christmas party. It was at Rain Uptown. They are mainly known for their martinis. Being a milkshake person myself, I decided to abstain -Also Caroline isn't old enough. This was the first time I have eaten there. State Farm had a buffet set up. There was this delicious chicken & lemon appetizer. Chris ate a lemon thinking it was a grilled vegetable! He played it off where no one knew but I laughed pretty hard.

State Farm also gave out awards. I was just as surprised as Chris when they called his name. He didn't know he was getting one but I was so proud of him.

We didn't eat very much at Rain Uptown so after we left the party we went and ate at Fuzzy Taco with another agent and his wife. His wife went on & on about the queso & how she could drink it out of a straw- it was that good. She was right!! I mixed beans, rice and the queso up and made a kind of dip with tortilla chips. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Anyway it was a successful night!

Christmas With the Group

Our first Christmas party of 2011 was a huge success. The Bunyards hosted our life group Christmas party this year. Mina made Chili Blanco (or white Chili for those of you less fluent in Spanish)

She is an amazing cook! She put out a cookbook a couple of months ago to sell for Lubbock Impact. I got one for myself and one for someone on my Christmas list. Here is the super easy recipe from my cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 can(s) Campbell's family size cream of chicken soup
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 bx Swanson's chicken stock
4 can(s) bush's great northern beans
2 can(s) ro*tel Mexican tomatoes and green chilies
2 can(s) ro*tel original, mild tomatoes and green chilies

Empty the two cream soups, all rotel and mix well in the crock pot, add all the frozen chicken breasts whole.Start on high then lower to low after it starts to boil...but if you have this cooking while gone all day, place on low and leave it.When you get back, scoop out the chicken and put each one in a bowl.

Take one at a time out and chop to tiny bite size or use the Pampered chef chopper or Tupperware chopper to chop to the right consistency. When you get all the chicken chopped, place back into the crock pot.

Now open the 4 cans of great northern beans, rinse the goo off and put into the crock pot and stir. It should only take a few minutes for the beans to heat up.

After we ate, we played a version of the "Newly Wed" game. Randy gave us a heads up about a week ago so some of the couples said they had been drilling each other & training for the game. It was hilarious to hear some of the answers and watch the reaction of the other person.

"Joe do you even know me?!?"

Bryan trying to explain himself...

Sara & Andrew won almost with a perfect score. Andrew even knew the place he had first tooted in front of Sara. That's true love.

We also had a gift exchange. This was not your ordinary Chinese gift exchange. At this gift exchange we were given instructions to give away something that was meaningful to you & you couldn't buy it- you had to already own it. Chris and I walked around the house for days trying to find something to give. Chris decided on a book "The Riches Man in Babylon". Chris drew Michael's name.

This book meant a lot to Chris because his granddad read it, liked it and passed it to his dad. Who liked it and passed it to him. Chris also gave a bonus gift :His head on a stick {it was left over from the auction State Farm had} Michael assured us he would put Chris's head in his front yard next to his security sign.

"This house is protected by Century and Chris Prather State Farm"

Here is Adriene taking a bite out of Chris

The gift exchange was my favorite part of the evening. Everyone really put a lot of thought in what they wanted to give. It's a true blessing to get to meet with these guys. I look forward to meeting every Wednesday. Cathryn's baby is due any day now. I can't wait to meet baby Harper!

Week 28/ 7months/ 3rd trimester

12 More weeks and counting!!

Size of Baby: 14.8 in {Head of Cabbage} 2.25 LB

The heart beat on the last visit: 157

Gender: Sweet Little Girl

Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: A growing belly. Sleeping has become somewhat of a challenge. I am still having side pain and back pain.

Craving: Lots of fruit- Cutie Oranges are delicious. We are going to our first Christmas party tomorrow so I'm sure I will find something that will look good!

Maternity Clothes: In all my pictures you will notice the belly band- {Amy I will get you a new one- seeing as how I am wearing this one out} I need maternity pants for sure. Also some of my t-shirts are getting short.

Movement: Tons! She is very active. Which I love! I had to go to the dentist today. I couldn't get X-Rays but they did a teeth cleaning. They used a drill and apparently Caroline did not like it. She was kicking like crazy. She might have also been reacting to me in distress because my gums are so sensitive right now & it didn't feel very good.

Cool moments this week:

Christmas shopping is finished!! Everyone has a gift- They are wrapped and under my tree. The last person I had to shop for was my dad. He is hard to shop for because if her ever wants something he buys it right away. I finally found something for him.

It snowed Monday & Today. It took me an 1 1/2 hours to get to work. HWY114 to Levelland was crazy!! There were about 20 cars scattered in ditches. At one point I sat for 15 mins in "traffic" because of an eight car accident. When I got to school my shoulders & neck were strained. I didn't realize I was so tense. Levelland had to let school out early yesterday {Monday} because winter weather kept coming. It was delayed till 10:00 am this morning.

Dondi is coming tomorrow!! I can't wait to see her. She is bringing her Beau- Kyle. My grandparents and parents have met him and he has pasted their rigorous tests so I know he is a good guys.

Week 27

Size of Baby: 14.5in {Cauliflower} 2 lb

The heart beat on the last visit: 157

Gender: Sweet Little Girl

Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: Guess what arrived this week? Heartburn!!! Yeah.... It is only bad when I have gone longer then 4 hrs not eating. I try to snack on healthy things through out the day but the holiday through me off. I was popping Tums like it was candy this weekend

Craving: I was right- Thanksgiving was awesome during pregnancy. All my family brought AMAZING dishes to the lunch. The best thing about pot luck is everyone brings food that they know how to make. No experimenting on a crazy dish you saw Emerald make- NO, you bring foods that will impress people. I did not walk away disappointed! Ronna made this delicious blueberry salad- the main ingredient was cream cheese- but it had Blueberry and Salad in the name so I had thirds {for the baby}.

Maternity Clothes: Pants- anything with a forgiving waistline. When I come home I immediately put on my comfortable clothes.

Movement: Lots! She has started hiccuping this week. At first I wasn't sure what it was, I thought it might be a kick but then I was reading in one of my books about hiccuping. It feels like a spasm. It shakes her little home but doesn't seem to bother her too much- I'll ask her in 12 weeks when she gets here!

Cool moments this week: Thanksgiving with the family in Stratford TX. We went around the circle at Thanksgiving and told what we were thankful for this year. There were 36 of us there. It was a huge blessing to hear about the amazing things that God has done. Chris went before me-gave this amazing speech- then I had to follow it.

Dark Thursday / Black Friday

This is my 4Th year to participate in Black Friday. On Thursday night around 9:00pm Jacee, my mom and I made a game plan. We got out all the circulars, made lists & hit Amarillo TX for all the big deals. Here is the run down- 10:00pm-Walmart, 11:00 pm Toys R US, 12:00pm Target, 2:00 pm Kohls, 4:00am JC Penny, 5:00 am Home Depot, 5:15am Ultra, 5:20 am McDonald's, Bed bath & Beyond Academy. Caroline is NOT a black Friday shopper around Kohls she had had ENOUGH. Thank goodness Jacee was there to pick up my slack. She is now a seasoned vet.

When Chris and I got home on Friday we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend. I had a lot of energy before we left for Stratford so I put up all the Christmas decorations before we left.

Pip's favorite Christmas thing is the tree. That's why there is a huge gaping hole on the right side of the tree. That is her little nest. We tried to break of this habit in the beginning by using scare tactics {spray bottle} but last year we gave up and decided it wasn't worth the fight.

Week 26

Size of Baby: 14in {Egg Plant} 1.75 lb

The heart beat on the last visit: 157

Gender: Sweet Little Girl

Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: Just the same wierd side and back pain. I started sleeping with extra pillows under my belly which has helped.

Craving: Being pregnant this time of the year is going to be a problem. I can not wait for Thursday! We are heading up to Stratford with my mom's side of the family for Thanksgiving and they can COOK! I need to take it easy but if Caroline wants extra helpings of something I will not deprive her.

Maternity Clothes: Pants for sure- I can still get away with using the belly band but it is just more comfortable wearing maternity pants.

Movement: Lots! She is going to be a morning person I can tell. She is also really active right after lunch & diner.

Cool moments this last week:

Cash got to come to school today. He did so good and can't wait to go back. Soon we will have to call him Dr. Cash.

We also got out our Christmas decorations from the attic- {Chris got it down - I supervised} This is my favorite time of the year!!

Bath time

Cash has his first day of school tomorrow. He is not certified to be a therapy dog yet so he will not be seeing any "clients" but he does have to get use to the environment. Since this is only a half day I thought this would be a good opportunity. He will be staying in my testing closet for most of the morning. He has been needing a bath for awhile now. He HATES the bath. Hence the sad face - Lexi also needed one too. She loves them and jumped right in.

From Kelley along time ago but we still use it.

She is posing for the camera

So sad- You would think he belongs in that Sarah Mclachan video.

Build-A-Bed

Caroline officially has a place to sleep! Chris put the crib together on Tuesday night. He had some help from our pets.

Pip supervises and gives Chris tips on what to do next.

It is finished!

62.5% complete {according to Chris}

Week 25

Size of Baby: 13.5 in{Eggplant} 1.5 lb
The heart beat on the last visit: Today she was moving like crazy and was kicking the heartbeat wand- 157
Gender: Sweet Little Girl
Name: Caroline Grace Prather

Symptoms: My lower back is starting to take on more of the responsibility now that my abs are slacking off. This weekend I really started to feel it. I try to minimize my Tylenol intake but had to break down.

Craving: Oranges- they are out of season now so I need to find a new craving. I think Chris wants me to crave Wings. {I’ll work on that}

Maternity Clothes: Amy let me borrow all her maternity pants, a dress & a cute black shirt. The pants are comfortable especially the brown gaucho capris. Every store around here is VERY proud of their maternity clothes {all expensive}so it helps to have a friend the same size to share.
There was a wardrobe malfunction on the way to Fort Worth. I did not button my pants as I was driving. When I got out to put gas in the car I forgot to button them back up and gave the lady next to me a show. Sorry to women in Seymour you didn’t need to see that.

Movement: Defiantly- I love to feel her moving around during the day. She is getting more feisty, when I tried to sleep on my right side last night she kicked violently until I turned over to my left and then she stopped. So small yet has so much power…

Best moment of week: -Seeing Amy, Sam & Gian Falco. Watch him make cute dog noses {Sam not Gian}- Hanging with Christen.- Putting up baby furniture with Chris.