Evidence of Maddie's Nesting

This is what I came home to today...

Side note: This tissue box has been in the exact same place for three years and she has never even paid it attention. It has even been covered by a hard, decorative box. Today she obviously was drawn to it. Parker....this one's for you...literally.

Evidence #1

Evidence #2

Evidence #3

Maddie is nesting....literally.

For the past three months, I have been coming home almost daily to a mess made by Maddie. Basically, throughout the day, Maddie gets into anything made out of paper and tears it to shreds, leaving us piles around the house for when we get home. We can close every door in the house and lift every trash can off of the floor, but somehow she manages to find paper somewhere to tear up (receipts, packaging, mail, newspaper, tissues, etc.) We have crated her, punished her, ignored the behavior, etc. and have been very frustrated as to what to do to stop this behavior. She's been out of the crate for over a year and just started this behavior about three months ago. Since Aaron and I were out of ideas as to what to do with her to stop this behavior, we called the vet to get some advice.

I explained to the vet what was going on. She asked if Maddie was tearing anything else up (furniture, shoes, clothing, etc.) and I said not at all. In fact, she'll tear up paper food packing, and leave the food alone. I also explained to the vet that I was pregnant and had heard that dogs were very sensitive to their owner's change in hormones and chemicals. I asked if this behavior could be a reaction to being anxious about my changes and this was how she was taking out her anxiety. She stated that it could be, but after listening to more of my description of what was happening she told me her conclusion:

Maddie has sensed that there is a change in my body's chemicals and has sensed that I am pregnant. Since she is a female dog, she is feeling the need to get her "nest" ready for the arrival of a baby. As female dogs do when they are pregnant themselves, she is using materials around the house to build a bed for "her puppies" (aka baby Parker). She waits to do this while we are not home for the same reason that breeders build beds for their pregnant dogs in a dark corner of a secluded room....dogs prepare for birth in private. My sweet little Maddie girl is helping her mommy build a bed for baby Parker when he arrives. I have to admit...I teared up a bit when the vet told me this because I thought it was the sweetest thing. Isn't it amazing the natural tendencies of animals? God is incredible...

Needless to say...Maddie is no longer punished when we come home and find torn up paper around the house. How can I not just think that she is so cute and being so helpful and nurturing? Look at that face...

She is going to be a great big sister!

26 Weeks and Counting...

This week marked 26 weeks. CRAZY! I had a doctor's appt on Wednesday and everything is looking great. Parker's heartbeat sounded wonderful, I am measuring exactly at 26 weeks, and the doctor told me that I have gained 7 lbs. since the beginning of my pregnancy (which made me happy to hear). I have joined the "Two-Weeker Club", which basically means that from here until I reach 36 weeks, I will be going in for check-ups every 2 weeks to get measured and to get Parker's heartbeat checked. My baby boy is growing and I no longer have a "baby bump." I am into the obvious baby belly stage. Here is a picture of me at 26 weeks.

I am on Spring Break this week and I am taking the time to relax, cross things off of my "To Do" list, and pamper myself. I went to Ocean Isle this past weekend with my family to have a family vacation. It was wonderful and relaxing! We stayed in a beautiful house on the beach and had a chance to sit back and relax. It was a much needed break from reality. We went to a winery and took a tour, hung out at an outdoor festival/concert, went to a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, went shopping, walked on the beach, played games, read, and laughed a lot. It was so refreshing for me to spend time with my family for a long weekend. My mom and sister spent some time on Sunday helping me shop for maternity clothing. My sister was not happy with the fact that I was wearing my regular pants unbuttoned and unzipped instead of having proper clothing that fit :) She told me that I needed to be comfortable and not walk around with open pants HAHA. They were such a HUGE help to me and I am now fully stocked and ready to go out on the town with CUTE and COMFY clothes.

Picnic Lunch at the winery with the family

Outdoor music festival at the winery

Stacey, Alan, and Aaron enjoying the food and music

I have also had a chance to pamper myself this week. I got a haircut, a massage (courtesy of a gift from my wonderful Aunt Gail), and a pedicure (courtesy of my wonderful sister Stacey). It's been so nice being able to treat myself and feel relaxed. Parker likes the fact that his mommy is nice and chill...

Aaron and I are heading to Myrtle Beach this weekend with his mom to start renovations and decorating in our NEW BEACH CONDO! Aaron and I will be the new owners of a beach condo at the end of April and we are very excited to have a vacation home to use throughout the year. It's a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo that is located in a wonderful community in Myrtle Beach. Pictures to come later...

Those are the latest updates here with the Chappell Family. We are getting more and more excited as the days pass...

Parker's New Room

This weekend my family came up to help prepare Parker's nursery. They were such a HUGE help. We got a lot more done than we thought we would in a short amount of time. My brother-in-law, Alan, and his friend, Dan, started Saturday morning by installing chair railing around the room. Then Alan helped us install a new fan. After that, the painting began. My dad, Aaron, and my mom helped paint the walls, doors, and moulding. We touched up the paint in the room on Sunday morning and began moving the furniture into the room. The nursery looks awesome! It came out exactly how I was picturing it in my head. It's bright, happy, classy, and modern. Parker is going to be sleeping in style. I'm excited about getting to spend a lot of time in this room. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to my family for all of their help this weekend. We couldn't have done it without you! Below are some pictures to document our journey this weekend...

Getting started on the chair railing...

Alan hard at work...

Dan and Alan checking measurements...

Taking some time to goof off...

Dad couldn't wait to get started on his part of the job...

Alan being a life saver and helping us get the new fan up...

Mom and Dad admiring their finished work...

Maddie kept us company all day and wondered what in the world was going on..

Aaron starting on the crib assembly...

Trying to use my good spatial/visual skills to figure out wrong instructions that came with the crib...

The finished walls and crib...It's a good start...

Our dresser on the opposite wall of the crib...

Our two bedding options...still trying to make a decision...

1.5 is the Magic Number

It hit me today that 1.5 seems to be a recurring number...

1) I have Spring Break in 1.5 weeks...WAHOO!!

2) I get to go to the beach with my whole entire family for a nice relaxing vacation in 1.5 weeks!

3) The baby is now "supposed" to be 1.5 lbs.

4) I have only gained 1.5 lbs so far. Which means if you subtract the weight of the baby(1.5 +), boob weight, uterus expansion weight, amniotic fluid weight, etc I am still under where I started when I got pregnant. This makes me happy because I did not want to gain more than 15 lbs (the magic 1 and 5 again) during the course of my pregnancy (which I am currently on track to do). They say to expect to gain a pound a week starting at 24 weeks, which is this week. Being overweight to begin with scared me about getting pregnant because I did not want to turn in to a cow after the baby...I am hoping this will not be too much of an issue. Keep your fingers crossed for me that the warmer months don't bring a ton of "poundage" due to swelling and water retention :(

5) I no longer fit in regular clothes, and maternity clothes are too big. So I am about 1.5 on the scale of clothing. (Ok this one is stretching it...take it easy on me ;) )

6) I am hoping that I don't reach 40 weeks (that is if Parker is fully developed) and can have him at 39 weeks. Which is 15 weeks away....(Ok another stretch :) )

I'm all out...

Baby Belly

There is no hiding of the baby belly anymore. As much as I try, it just isn't happening. I'm getting more OK with the belly everyday. I just have to get over the fact that no matter how many shirts I try on, my baby belly will show in all of them. I also have to get over the fact that pants are no longer meant to button or zip all the way. (Hence the occasional open fly in public places without my knowing until hours later.) I also noticed last night, unfortunately, that I am growing a permanent shelf. I will spare you the embarrassing picture that Aaron took of me as I was resting my ice cream on my belly so I could type on the computer. Sad day, but true fact.

Overall, I'm feeling great. Except for that whole sleep thing. Averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night is not supposed to happen until after the baby comes, not 4 months before. I'm super tired, and will fall asleep, only to wake 45 minutes later. This is not good for someone who has to be at a job where you have to be "on" all day. It's not like I can go into work tired and just take things easy and slack a bit. Having to be energetic, and patient, and happy, and "on" for 23 5 year olds for 8 hours a day is a daily test for me. My TA and my bestest teacher neighbor have been incredible!!! I couldn't do it without the daily laughs and support they give. I'm going to purchase a body pillow this weekend and see if that helps. Many people are telling me this is the way to go with discomfort. It's not so much that my belly is uncomfortable or extra large, but the fact that I can't scrunch up, face down, on my tummy, which is how I've always slept. I don't know what the body pillow will do to fix that, but I'm willing to try anything. Stay tuned...

Until next time...

Parker Will Be His Name...Growing Is His Game

Aaron and I have decided (at least for now) that Lil Chapps' name is going to be Parker. It's the only name we really have been rolling around for the past few months and it's a name we have both decided we liked. (If you have known Aaron and I's tendency to disagree on names, you know that it's a big step that we actually found a name that we both agree on! We've been working on this for three years...no joke!) Aaron has started calling him Parker...so I guess he's pretty set on that being his son's name.

I went today for my 22 week check up. Parker's heart beat sounded great and his heart rate had dropped to 135, which is normal. My stomach growth is measuring just right as well. No news is good news at this point I guess! I was told by my doctor today that we needed to start doing research on pediatricians. She suggested we make a choice by 28 weeks. So that is the next big thing that we'll be working on.

I just need to share how excited Aaron has been the past few weeks during the pregnancy. I truly never thought that husbands would get into the pregnancy as much as Aaron has. When Aaron gets home from work, Parker now gets a hug and kiss before Maddie and I do. I can be OK with that! :) He can't keep his hands off of his baby boy. Every night before bed, Aaron talks to him so that he can get to know his daddy's voice. Aaron told me the other night that it's not fair that I get to carry our son around all day because he misses him too much. How cute is that? Every night Aaron looks forward to the time when he can lay his head on my belly, talk to his son, and feel his son moving like a machine in my belly. Lil Chapps has even kicked his daddy in the face a few times. Aaron told him that it's not very nice to kick people. He's already learning lessons from his daddy haha. Aaron went to the Carolina Hurricanes hockey game tonight and told me that he bought Lil Chapps a present. He sent me these pictures from the game.

Our son will definitely be a sports fan! We are very excited to open him up to the world of basketball, football, baseball, hockey, etc. Aaron and I spend a lot of time at different sporting events and we are so excited to have our son be a part of that in a few months (starting with his first State football game in September).

We love our little boy so much and we can't wait to meet him! The time has gone by so fast already. I don't want to rush anything...I want to enjoy every minute of being pregnant and letting my son develop...but I can't help and be so anxious to meet him!

MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE YOU BEYOND WORDS LITTLE MAN!!