8 months!

I can not believe we are now 8 MONTHS!!!! I have truely enjoyed this pregnancy, but ready to meet our baby girl!!! I have been super busy with school and volleyball this week, but I think being busy helps the time go by faster. Volleyball will be over next week, I am so excited about getting home hours earlier and get more involved with Young Life now that I will have a much more open schedule!

I had my 32 week appointment on Friday- everything is great (my weight, my blood pressure, Ellie's heartbeat and my uterus size). I am starting to realize how much more I need to slow down and rest...my belly is helping me limit how much I can do. I am slowly starting to get everything organized in Eliie's room. I washed all the clothes we have so far and sorted them into sizes- we have a good amount of clothes for newborn, 0-3, 3-6 and even some 6-12 month sizes.



Thought it was time to do the survey again...

How far along? 32 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain? almost 40 pounds

Stretch marks? thankfully, none!!

Sleep? I LOVE sleep! I have no trouble falling asleep and I usually only wake up once to use the bathroom. Esteban goes to bed after me and I rarely wake up when he comes in, although he says I usually talk to him! LOL

Best moment this week? Baby Shower and being surprised by my aunt and cousin!!

Movement? YES! Ellie might be a volleyball player because she moves like crazy during practices and games. Other then that, I usually only feel her move when I am laying down or sitting still. The doctor said my placenta is on the front side of my uterine wall, which is like a little pillow or buffer...which is why i dont feel her movement as strong. I still feel enough to know everything is good and she's having fun in there!

Food cravings? Lately I have been craving breakfast food- especially from Cracker Barrel or Papa Jacks. I also crave big meals- Mexican and Italian...trying to eat "good," but with such a busy schedule it is way too hard to plan and cook meals at home! Eating out will for sure be stopping once Ellie is here!

Labor signs? Not yet, hopefully not for a little bit longer

Belly button in or out? In between...not really "out" but pretty close to it...

Wedding rings on or off? I had to stop wearing them a few months ago so I bought a fake silver band so I would have a "wedding ring" on...I can't wait to wearing my pretty ring again!

What I miss eating? Publix turkey sub...,my mom knows this is the first thing I want at the hospital :)

What I am looking forward to? Working out!!!!!!!!!! I have always enjoyed working out and being active, but I have even more motivation to get back into it now!!

Weekly wisdom? Continue eating well throughout the entire pregnancy...I can tell a BIG difference on the days I eat good amounts of proteins and when I don't. I am trying to soak up the end of the pregnancy and not get too anxious!

Baby Shower for Ellie!

This past Sunday, I was "showered" with gifts for Ellie! My mom, my sister (Krissy), and 3 of my good friends (Amber, Britney, Lauren) all worked together to plan the best baby shower! I am so thankful for all the time and energy they put into it! Britney was in Atlanta for the weekend so she came over Sunday morning and we went over to my mom's house together. On the way over I was telling her how I really wanted to visit my family in New York...we walked into my mom's house to find my Aunt Gail and cousin, Liz, standing in the kitchen!!!! They had surprised us all and flew in for the shower! I know it sounds cheesey, but it was the best gift I could of asked for! It was soo good to see them and get some pregnant pictures together with Liz!

Diaper Cake with home-made candy pacifiers by Britney!!

Amazingly yummy cake from Publix!

Cookies Amber made as the party favor- they were sooo good!

She used the recipe from kitchengifts.com

Center piece basket my mom put together.

Aunt Gail, Liz, me and Mom

The girls on the St. George side (minus Danielle)

Liz almost 16 weeks and me almost 32 weeks!

I was overjoyed with EVERYONE that was able to come! Before we played the games Amber and Lauren organized, they had everyone go around the room and say their name and how they knew me. I just love having so many special people in my life all together in one place! We had lots of good food (Britney's mom, Debbie, even brought chicken salad from the Apple Cake Tea Room in Knoxville, TN- my favorite!)

Britney and her mom, Debbie

Wonderful hostess, Amber and Lauren

Life long friends-Natalie, Amber and Lauren

My cousin Keelin, Aunt Kelly, mom, & Aunt Gail eating on the deck

Some of the ladies

Amber and Lauren explaining game #1- guessing the "diameter" of my belly

Passing the string around...making guesses (Mrs. Scates in the white sweater won!)

Britney making her prediction...

Julie Scott and Christy Howard guessing baby foods- game #2

Liz went the safe route smelling before tasting!

Haley "sampling" the baby foods.

Christa (AJ's girlfriend) showing how yummy that baby food is!

I can't thank everyone enough for all the love and support Esteban and I have received! We can't wait for Ellie to be loved by everyone!

Sweet (and VERY soft) blanket my Grandma made- the tag said "Made with Love by Great Grandma"

Everyone said "AWW" when I opened it :)

*The invitation asked everyone to bring their favorite children's book...this was one of my favorite things about the shower! It is so neat how everyone has their family's favorite book and now they are all a part of Ellie's first book collection! Many of the books have personal notes to Ellie inside, something we will always treasure!

Jamie and Caitlin Raines drove in from Clemson for the day to be at the shower! I started "babysitting" these awesome girls when I was 12!

Joannie, Kelly, Jamie and Caitlin Raines with Krissy, mom and I. So happy they came!!

My sister, Krissy, and her good friend Erin Miller

Sherry Miller- dear friend of my mom and also great family friend to Esteban and I as part of our Young Life committee.

Aunt Gail, mom, and Aunt Kelly

Esteban came by at the end to see everyone and help gather up all the wonderful gifts!

**THANK YOU to EVERYONE**

We are so blessed and thankful for all the love and wonderful gifts!

**My sweet mother-in-law, Grandma, Aunt Mary and dear friend, Lisa, all sent wonderful gifts although they were not able to be there in person**

The Big 3-0

30 weeks (7 1/2 months) today! Very exciting to hit the 30s now! I can't say enough how thankful I am to continue to have such a great pregnancy! The baby has started to move so much more and it is so fun to watch my stomach move all over the place! My biggest craving lately has been breakfast food! I haven't been able to wear my wedding ring since this summer and I miss it!!! My fingers aren't too big in the mornings, but by the time I end volleyball practice in a hot gym they are huge!


I realized that although it has never been a secret, we haven't officially announced what our daughter's name is! As soon as the tech told us we are having a GIRL, Esteban said "Ellie" was the first name that came to mind. We both liked that name from the beginning so I said "Sounds good to me!" and that was it! Her full name is Elizabeth Mackenzie Lopez. Elizabeth was my great-grandmother's name (on my mom's side), my mom's middle name and my cousin's name (Liz). To add to the fun family connections, Esteban's mom's middle name is Isabel, which is the Spanish version of Elizabeth. I really wanted to use a family name so it was a perfect fit! We originally liked Rhyan or Mackenzie as the middle name...I really wanted to use Rhyan, but Esteban and I have decided to go with Mackenzie. We both went to The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Esteban really wanted to use Mackeznie because of the Mackenzie Arena on UTC's campus (the Mackenzie Arena is also where Este worked as an academic advisor his first year out of college). Decision is officially made, no more changes! :)


Today was our 30 week doctor's appointment, which went great! The doctor said my weight, blood pressure, uterus size and baby's heart beat are all perfect! Can't get better news then that! Got to love short and sweet doctor's appointments!


Thanks for all your love and prayers. It has been so much fun to share this experience with everyone!

Baby Bump- 7 months

I have been bad about taking "belly pictures," but here is one of this past weekend. Esteban and I took kids to Sharp Top (Young Life camp in North Georgia) to serve for Family Camp. We had so much fun with our kids...so thankful for how hard they worked! Below is me with Lauren Governale during the 50s night...

Exciting Family Events

It has been so much fun sharing this pregnancy with friends and family...but it makes it even more special to go through something together! My cousin Liz and I were married within a month of each other and it was so special to share that time together. I have always wished we lived closer to our family and I think it was God's way of connecting and bonding us! Last week I was telling Esteban how I really want to get up to New York to see my mom's side of the family (after the baby is born) and then we found out my cousin Billy and his girlfriend got engaged! It was such an answered prayer because now we WILL be getting up there soon!

To make things even more exciting, my cousin Liz (Billy's sister) called today to tell me that her and her husband, Brian, are expecting!!!!! I am sooo excited for them and so excited to share this time together as well! She is around 12 weeks, due March 16! As she said it, now we will have two babies to pass around at Billy's wedding! I am so thankful for God's perfect timing on this as well and looking forward to walking through this major life changing event together!

7 MONTHS!

I will be 7 months (28 weeks) on Friday!! I am happy to say this pregnancy has continued to be such a blessing and great experience, which makes it all the better! Last Friday I had a doctor's appointment and took my glucose test. Drinking that little bit of really "syrup-y, non-carbonated, spirite tasting" drink was a little harder then I thought it would be, but I did it in the right amount of time. While waiting an hour to get my blood drawn, I saw the doctor. Everything is great with my blood pressure and the baby's heart beat and size! Amen! My results from my glucose test came in the mail yesterday- I passed with flying colors! I am so thankful I don't have any of that to worry about! I am really trying to be better about walking more and continuing to eat well...getting done with school and volleyball by 5:30 pm makes it hard to be a good girl though!

School is in full swing (we gave our 3 week grade report last week) and I am really enjoying my classes this year! I have a really fun group of students (all girls this year!) in each class. I have selfishly been a little distracted trying to get as much pre-planning done as possible so am prepared for when the baby arrives. It would be such a nightmare to have to be sending emails to the sub from the hospital! :) I would of never imagined teaching at Meadowcreek, but it is so cool to really know and believe that this is where the Lord wants me to be during this season of my life. When students come to me needing advice or just need to talk about stuff going on in their personal life, I am reminded that I truly can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...I know the words coming out of my mouth are not from me, but from the Lord.

Esteban and I were talking this past week about how fast this pregnancy NOW seems to have gone by! We are really enjoying this time together and getting so excited about becoming parents in a few short months! I know that Esteban is going to be such a great dad. I love hearing him get excited and talking about our baby girl!

We are headed to Sharp Top (Young Life camp in North Georgia) to do work crew for family camp with 15+ of our high school kids! I am really excited and know we are going to have so much fun serving together. Hopefully I will take some pictures so I can post some updated belly pictures soon :) Thanks for all your love and prayers!

Jenn