Pumpkin Patch Fun

A couple of weeks ago we took Charlie Beth to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin and spend a few hours playing. Alabama hadn't quite gotten the hint that it was Fall, so as noted by her rosy red cheeks, it was hot outside. Nothing like picking out a pumpkin in the 90 degree heat! Charlie Beth didn't seem to mind the temperature though. She had an absolute blast! We rode the choo-choo train, played in the bouncy house, rode on the tire swings, went down the big slide, and even visited with some animals at the petting zoo. When it came time to pick out a pumpkin she had to look around for just the right one! She was so proud of the pumpkin she chose and wanted to carry it back to the car herself (even though she could barely pick it up it was so heavy). After our pumpkin patch adventures we decided to cool off with an ice cream treat. We had such a fun family day together and baby girl was more than worn out after all that excitement!

Baby Sparks #2 Bumpdate || 21 Weeks

How far along: 21 Weeks, 2 days

Due Date: March 5, 2018 

Baby is the size of: an Endive! Baby's digestive system is preparing for the outside world, and he's begun manufacturing meconium.

Gender: a precious little BOY!!

Name: Tucker Donald Sparks

Symptoms: Just the aches that come along with a growing belly.

Weight Gain: up 4 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

Movement: Oh, yes! He moves so much and is already so strong. It's so different than my pregnancy with Charlie Beth. Little Miss was a very chill baby in the womb (saving all that energy until she was born, I suppose). I actually had to have weekly NSTs during my third trimester because of her lack of movement. This little boy though, he is all over the place! Steven felt him kick for the first time over the weekend (something that didn't happen until I was 27 weeks along with Charlie Beth).

Cravings/Aversions: I really wanted Firehouse last week, but that's about it.

Missing anything: Tailgating in Tuscaloosa isn't the same without a beer in hand. ;)



Sleep: Some nights are better than others. The past couple of nights I've had to prop myself up on pillows so I could sleep on my back in a semi-sitting position. It was the only way I could get comfortable. I've also been staying up much later than usual. I feel exhausted during the day, but once the sun goes down I'm wide awake, which is not like me at all!

Mood: The emotions are high and the mood swings are strong.

Maternity Clothes: Leggings and maternity tops are basically all I'm wearing and probably all I'll continue to wear for the rest of this pregnancy.

Nursery: I picked out paint swatches over the weekend, so that counts as some sort of progress. Right?!

Best moment this week: Spending some one on one time with my husband in Tuscaloosa on Saturday tailgating and watching the Tennessee v Bama game.  

Looking forward to: Celebrating Halloween and my baby girl turning TWO years old in the coming weeks. I can't believe she's almost two! Seriously, where does the time go?!

21 Week Bumpdate with Charlie Beth

Baby Sparks #2 Bumpdate || 20 Weeks

How far along: 20 Weeks, 3 days < --- HALFWAY THERE!!

Due Date: March 5, 2018 

Baby is the size of: A Banana! He was measuring right at 11 oz during last week's ultrasound. He's taste buds are working now, and he is gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day.

Gender: a precious little BOY!!

Name: Tucker Donald Sparks

Symptoms: Nothing really to note this week. It's been a good week! :)

Weight Gain: up 3 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

Movement: YES and I love every second of it. He's kicks are definitely getting stronger, and I'm feeling him a lot more often during the day. I've felt him several times from the outside. I tried getting his kicks on camera last night, but apparently he was camera shy.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing particular.

Missing anything: Take a guess...



Sleep: Back to normal, thankfully! Charlie Beth has been back to her normal sleeping schedule. This weekend she actually slept in past 7 both mornings, and it was glorious.

Mood: Definitely not as irritable as I was last week. Let's just blame those mood swings on the lack of sleep.

Maternity Clothes: Fall FINALLY arrived in Alabama earlier this week, so I was able to break out some cute fall maternity clothes my mom bought me last month.

Nursery: About that... I have the perfect vision of his room in my head. Now I just need to get started on making it a reality. First up, new paint on the walls. Any volunteers to come paint?!

Best moment this week: Taking Charlie Beth to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. She LOVES pumpkins and was in heaven at the pumpkin patch. It was about a million degrees outside, but we had such a fun day.

Looking forward to: All the things. I feel like the rest of this year is going to fly by and Tucker will be here before we know it. We have Halloween, then Charlie Beth's birthday, then Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas. Things aren't going to be slowing down anytime soon!

20 week Bumpdate with Charlie Beth

Baby Sparks #2 Bumpdate || 18 & 19 Weeks

How far along: 19 Weeks, 4 days

Due Date: March 5, 2018 < --- Due date was changed yesterday back to my original due date because baby boy is still measuring over a week ahead.

Baby is the size of: A Mango. Yesterday at my ultrasound he was weighing in at exactly 11oz.

Gender: a precious little BOY!!

Name: Tucker Donald Sparks

Symptoms: Heartburn here and there and exhaustion (although I can probably contribute that to chasing around a toddler all day more than anything).

Weight Gain: up 3 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

Movement: So much movement, and I love every second of it! Last night Steven and I went to a concert and when we got home and in bed baby boy started kicking me and moving around. I put my hand on my stomach where he was moving and for the first time I was able to feel him from the outside. It was so exciting!

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing particular.

Missing anything: Let's just leave wine and sushi right here permanently.



Sleep: It could be better. Charlie Beth is getting her second set of molars in and they are giving her the hardest time. My baby girl has been such a great sleeper for a few months now, but she has started fighting bedtime and waking up a few times at night. It seems like she just can't get herself into a good deep sleep.

Mood: I won't lie, I've been irritable.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. Have you seen this big ole' bump? I bought a ton of cute fall and winter maternity clothes (thanks, mom!) a few weeks ago, but it's been too hot to wear most of it. I'm ready for cool weather!

Nursery: I should probably get on that..

Best moment this week: Celebrating my birthday and seeing our big boy on ultrasound yesterday for my anatomy scan. He spent nearly the entire ultrasound curled up sleeping on his stomach with that booty sticking straight up in the air, which is exactly how his sister sleeps. No matter how much the tech poked and prodded he would no roll over for us.  

Looking forward to: Cooler weather. Fingers crossed things are supposed to start cooling down around here next week. We'll see!

Husband Is: The best daddy and husband. :)

18 Weeks Bumpdate with Charlie Beth

19 Week Bumpdate with Charlie Beth

Baby Sparks #2 Bumpdate || 17 Weeks

How far along: 17 weeks, 3 days

Due Date: March 10, 2018 <---- This has already been changed once and could very well change again. Baby is still measuring almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

Baby is the size of: a game console controller or a pomegranate. He's over 5 inches long and weighing close to 6 oz (according to my pregnancy app at least. This big boy is probably a bit bigger than those measurements).

Gender: a precious little BOY!!

Name: Tucker Donald Sparks

Symptoms: Heartburn

Weight Gain: up 2 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

Movement: Yes!! The movements are still quick and light, but they are there. I absolutely love feeling him moving around in my belly.

Cravings/Aversions: A salad bar salad. Possibly the strangest pregnancy craving ever, especially considering I usually avoid buffets at all costs.

Missing anything: Wine, sushi, runny eggs (my husband ordered eggs in a basket at breakfast on Sunday and it looked so delicious), and deli meat. I did cave and eat an Italian sub from Firehouse last week. They steam the meat there, so hopefully that makes it safe enough to eat.



Sleep: Sleeping well and savoring every bit of it! 

Mood: Happy as can be for the most part! Steven would probably tell you that I've been a bit of a grump lately. I will admit that I'm running on a shorter fuse most days and simple things can set me off.

Maternity Clothes: Oh, yes. This bump is already large and in charge.

Nursery: It still strongly resembles a junk room at the moment. I do want to go ahead and get it painted before the business of the holiday season though.

Best moment this week: We had a wonderful and fun family filled weekend complete with a trip to a fall festival and the state fair.

Looking forward to: A girls weekend at the beach this coming weekend with two of my best friends from college. I can't wait!

Husband Is: Such a good daddy to our sweet Charlie Beth. I can't wait to watch him grow into his role as a daddy to two.

17 week Bumpdate with Charlie Beth