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FAQs About My Pregnancy

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Yes, I have an unlimited supply of pregnancy photos taken at 24 weeks. ;) (Thanks to Samantha!)

I have been pretty intentional about not being a crazy pregnant lady on Facebook. I didn't really think 1,000 people were interested in how far along I was or what symptoms I've been having. But apparently some inquiring minds want to know a few things. :) So I thought I'd throw together a blog post answering the most common questions I am asked for those of you who are interested.

So here we go... FAQs About My Pregnancy:

How far along are you? 33 weeks and 3 days

When are you due? November 15th. But I like to say the whole month of November since that last month is totally up in the air.

Are you taking a maternity leave from photography? I am. I have one wedding scheduled shortly after the baby is due... but after that wedding I will be on official maternity leave through April 2012. When I return to work, I will be working only part time (exactly half of the jobs I worked this year).

What made you decide to not find out the sex of the baby? A lot of things... some of the big things were: I'm not a huge fan of pink or baby blue... so I wanted to avoid the influx of the colors as long as possible. ;) I also thought it would be wise to go with mostly gender-neutral items in the beginning so that we can use them for another baby in the future, regardless of the sex. There are some other private reasons that you can ask me through email if you feel so inclined!

Do you have mommy-intuition about the sex of the baby? I do not. I keep having dreams that it's a baby girl... and I keep imagining the name of the baby as a girl... but I keep also imagining dressing the baby in boy clothes and little boy hair cuts. So... I'm totally in the middle as far as what sex I think it may be. Our whole family is rooting for a boy so I do feel a little responsible for being ready to welcome a girl... since no one else seems to be. ;)

What are you craving? Ice cubes. Hah. (And before you mention it, I've had my iron checked and I am good to go.That and cereal, pasta, other high-carb sweets. The stuff that's good for me (not).

Do you have names picked out? We do have a few names picked out but we've decided that we want to meet this little person first before deciding on a final girl and boy name.

How are you feeling? Ahhh... I can't complain. Yes, it's uncomfortable... in ways I never thought possible. But I'm healthy and am having a healthy, normal pregnancy and the baby is healthy... so all in all, I am feeling good. I am also feeling swollen, and cranky, and pretty tired. And HOT. (I cannot cool off.) But... seriously. It's pregnancy... and this is what it all entails. And it's worth it. :)

Are you going to get an epidural or go all natural? At this point... I am planning to have a natural birth with the help and encouragement of my husband and our doula. I do not plan on having an epidural (or any medication) but I am open to whatever type of birth the Lord has in store for us... and you know, if that means a c-section, then that means an epi. :)

What made you decide to cloth diaper? First, the money we will save. Second, how stinkin cute the little diapers are! And third, because my husband is all about going against the norm. Tommy was surprisingly supportive of the idea and that was all I needed to make the final decision to just go for it! It'll be an adventure I am sure... and I'll be sure to report all my findings here on the blog.

I plan on writing about our birth experience and of course more about parenthood and the lessons we will be learning in the years to come. I'm kind of an open book (in case you haven't noticed)... so if you have any questions shoot me an email or leave a comment here and I'll respond!

gratituesday: the non-cranky version

photo credit

Emotions are running high... I'm irritable... cranky... exhausted... and physically uncomfortable.

What better reason to write a gratituesday post? :) I miss these things...

On this dreary, dark and rainy morning, I am so very grateful for my husband. All marriages have their ebbs and flows and I am thoroughly enjoying the high-life that we are living right now. I am more in love with him today than I ever have been.

On a more grounded note... Tommy is not the handiest of men. And that is totally fine by me. We make-do around here just fine. :)

But! Last week our AC unit sprung a leak and caused us to be without AC for a few days. A few rainy, humid days. (And for added dramatics: Let us not forget that I'm pregnant. And my body temperature is really high right now.) Instead of calling an electrician (I had already called the plumber and paid him $94 to tell me I needed to call the electrician) for help, Tommy spent Sunday evening googling, shopping for shop-vacs, sucking up water, towel drying the floor, and generally enjoying a fun game of trial and error. And he fixed our AC. He fixed it for the total cost of $48.

I am so stinkin proud of him. And so grateful... because it was probably going to be another few days before we got an electrician out here to fix it.

So this week... I am grateful for my hard-working, adorable and kind husband... and for AC. :)

What are you grateful for? Join us for Gratituesday at heavenly homemakers!

checks on the list | 101 in 1001

This morning while browsing Facebook I was super inspired by all the people sharing mobile uploads of snapshops from the Ragnar Relay. I thought "That looks like SO much fun!" So much so, I decided to add it to my 101 in 1001 list. You forgot about that, didn't you? I'll admit... I sort of did, too. But reviewing and adding to the list helped me to realize that I have been making way on it without even knowing it! That said, I thought it was about time for a little 101 in 1001 list update. Since I have completed a number of the business-related goals, I thought I'd list them out for a business themed update. :) I've completed a couple of the other person goals as well, so I'll update them soon!

#7. Change portfolio site to no longer be flash based. I did this a few months ago and blogged about it over on my business blog.

#19. Improve my business website search optimization. I have accomplished this slowly over the past few months (although it is always a work in progress) by adding tags to my blog posts and updating the SEO terms on my new non-flash-based website. I will continue to strive for better SEO as I continue blogging and updating my portfolio.

#25. Participate in the creation of a style-shoot for a blog or magazine. I did this back in January with the Hill City Bride style shoot. Blogged here.

#44. Make the switch from PC to Mac. I did this earlier this year when my PC kept showing me a blue screen and shutting itself off. After 3 trips to the PC repair place, I decided to go ahead and invest in a MacBookPro. SO glad I did.... it has changed the entire way I do business!

#45. Make my office as mobile as possible so that I can travel often without it interrupting my work. Killing two birds with one stone, I purchased the MacBookPro earlier this year to replace my desktop PC. So I made the operating system switch and became mobile at the same time! I love it!

#49. Tap into commercial photography (to be published). I have been on a journey this year of playing with some commercial projects. I have been published in the regional women's magazine, Bella, and the national women's magazine, Oprah. So very cool!

It really feels good to cross those things off the list. I love having goals and completing them!

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my baby shower, pt 1

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A week ago my sister threw me a beautiful baby shower across the state in Fredericksburg. I was so excited to have a shower in Fredericksburg because it enabled a lot of my lifelong friends to be able to attend that otherwise probably couldn't drive all the way to Lynchburg. It was so beautiful and I really felt honored during the whole shower. My sister also blogged about the shower. You can hop over there to read about her decor choices and planning process... she had a lot of fun planning the shower. (Which makes me feel SO good because sometimes I think people can get overwhelmed by planning parties so it was a relief to know she enjoyed the process. :))

Look at these adorable mini pancake stacks! Perfect for a brunch!

The beautiful cake:

 The dining room set up:She set up a mini candy bar for party favors. So sweet!

She went with a daisies & polka dots theme - very "Liz" if I do say so myself! 

The coffee bar, complete with a "how to" keurig tutorial (my sister kicked off the shower with an instructional piece. haha.)You can never have enough daisies!

Oh it was such a treat! Baby received LOTS of essentials and we are oh-so-grateful for the helpful gifts received! I came home immediately and spent the first day doing laundry and finding a place for everything in the nursery.

Today is my second shower here in Lynchburg. I am so excited! Have I mentioned how stinking grateful I feel that I am having TWO showers? Even just one is awesome. :D

While I am at the shower, my dad is actually going to be working around my house - helping put up some final touches in the nursery (as final as we're getting before we know the gender) and finish some other construction-type jobs around the house. It is so awesome seeing everything come together and working on the final baby preparations! Makes me so giddy!

“Liz Cook is an incredibly talented and attentive professional. Her sweet and gentle countenance is paired with her ability to capture the most tender and joyful moments of the births that she photographs. Liz’s photos will bring you years of enjoyment as they draw you back to the delight and bliss of your birth experience.”
— Laurie Flower, CLD, ALC, CBC, CLC, CPD