32.5 Week Bumpdate

It’s pretty surreal to think that I am already almost 33 weeks pregnant with John Robert. While I’ve been doing better at keeping up with ‘bumpdate’ pictures on my personal Instagram and Facebook, I have definitely fallen off the bumpdate wagon over here on the blog! (You can read my past bumpdate posts, HERE and HERE and HERE.) To be completely transparent, after 19 weeks (as we slowly approached that 26 week mark where things took a turn with Layne), it became too overwhelming and emotional to think about the weeks ahead.

God really has been working on me through this pregnancy.With Layne’s death and my later miscarriage, I really have learned that it takes a lot of faith to trust God while walking through grief after your babies go home to heaven too soon. Meanwhile, this pregnancy has taught me so much about daily surrender and how much more faith and trust it takes in Him to blindly walk through the unknowns of pregnancy again. But while it’s been scary at times, I can’t begin to describe how truly amazing and humbling it’s been to watch God’s hand with every step. His goodness and faithfulness have been never ending, even in the darkest days.

READ ALSO: Layne Thomas’s Birth Story

Meanwhile, these past few weeks, I have felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. There have been so many praises and prayers answered. With each passing day, I feel an overwhelming sense of comfort about the weeks ahead. I feel like I’ve been able to really breathe. I know in my heart that this baby is coming home with us.

Health wise, John Robert and I are doing amazing! God has completely blown us and our doctors away with how perfectly everything is going. He truly gets every ounce of praise and honor and glory for this little man. My blood pressure is stable. I’ve had minimal swelling. John Robert is growing like a weed, is right on track, and is constantly moving. A couple weeks ago at my last scan, he was already flipped head down, he showed off his practice breathing, and he was already about 3.5 pounds. There are no signs of the birth defect that Layne had in his windpipe. He looks just like a perfect and healthy baby boy! I go back for another scan in a week and a half. I can’t believe that I have just one more high risk appointment and two more regular OB appointments before he’s here.

Our csection date was also able to be pushed back to October 19th (instead of the 16th) – which means that John Robert will be born at exactly 37 weeks (and will officially be term!) After what I went through with Layne, I was told that I would never be able to have a term baby. But through the grace of God, it looks like that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

These past few weeks have also been exciting for us as we’re gearing up for the arrival of our sweet baby. We had our drive by baby shower a couple weeks ago. I was also able to take maternity pictures, and we’ve started getting the nursery filled and organized. It was the most surreal moment getting to take the tags off of everything and doing that first load of baby laundry. I’ve been an excited and emotional mess. I can’t wait to get his nursery completely finished in the next couple weeks. But more importantly, I can’t wait to bring him home to it.

Prayer Requests:

We ask that you’d continue to pray over John Robert and I as we head into these last 4.5 weeks of pregnancy. Please pray for continued stable blood pressure and minimal swelling for me. Pray for no surprise flare up of preeclampsia and no other complications. Pray for my upcoming csection, as they are no small feat to endure. Also, please continue to pray over my doctors. Pray that God would guide their hearts and hands for our care.

My Maternity Photos

A couple weeks ago was emotional in all the best ways with all the ‘baby events’ that I never got to experience when I was pregnant with Layne. A big one of those being my maternity photos. My best friend Linda is an amazingly talented photographer here in Georgia. She was one of my first friends when we moved here from Texas. Meanwhile, she also quickly became my partner in crime for all things weddings. I’m so thankful for her friendship and all that she has walked through with us, especially this past year. She was there to take photos of Layne in the hospital so we’d be able to preserve his memory. Now having her take our maternity photos of John Robert was such a sweet experience. I can’t wait for her to be able to also take his newborn photos when we come home from the hospital.

If you’re in need of a maternity, newborn, and family photographer in the Atlanta and West Georgia areas, Linda Threadgill Photography is your girl! Here’s a look at some of my favorite photos from our session when I was 30.5 weeks pregnant.

Shop My Outfit:

I’ve had a ton of compliments on the dress I wore for my maternity pictures, so I am linking it here! (affiliate links) You can easily shop my outfit by clicking on the picture of the product below to be directed to the retailers website to purchase.

We hope you’re praising God with us for all the amazing things that He’s doing through my pregnancy with John Robert. Thank you so much to everyone who has walked this journey with us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers in the upcoming weeks as we get closer and closer to his arrival.