{week 30}

Week 30 (Dec 22 – Dec 28)

This week started off nice and festive with some Christmas cookie decorating:

Then came lots of wrapping, last minute shopping, and more wrapping, and all the sudden it was Christmas!  It came and went so fast this year, but it was a great time.  We spent time with family on all sides, were blessed with more presents than we know what to do with, and enjoyed the last Christmas as just the two of us. :)  Although baby girl was also blessed with a ton of presents...I can only imagine how ridiculous that's going to get when she's, you know, on the outside. :)  She's one lucky lady, I'll tell you that much.

Speaking of the lucky lady...I felt her get the hiccups for the first time on Sunday!  It was actually her daddy's fault...we were all sleeping when the dog started growling and he startled us awake by yelling at her.  The next thing I know, I'm feeling tiny hiccups in my belly, and Matt even could feel them from the outside.  It was quite possibly the cutest thing I could ever imagine. :)  Since then, I've felt them almost every day, and it just keeps getting cuter. :)  I just keep imagining her tiny little self in there hiccuping away. 

Anyway...the rest of the week was back to work - boring - our home inspection, and generalized freaking out over the list of things to be done over the next 3 weeks.  "To-do list" is my new middle name.  And on the top of the list: find a new place to live! 

Size of baby: Cucumber {I don't get it.  Maybe we're just talking length?}

Total weight gain/loss:  34 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Are still awesome.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: I'm just hoping that one day I will again be able to sleep like I used to... oh how I miss my ability to sleep through anything, and sleep all day. sigh.

Symptoms: still fighting this carpal tunnel junk.  I know I am one lucky pregnant lady for how few symptoms I've had, and how generally great I've felt the past 30 weeks.  However, this SUCKS.  Fat fingers, hands constantly falling asleep, tingling fingers, wrist pain - thanks but no thanks.  I have an acupuncture appointment this week, which I'm crossing my (numb) fingers will help.

Best moment this week: Christmas!!  And thinking about how different, but amazing, next Christmas will be in a new house with our little bundle of joy running around. :)

Movement: lots of it, plus the hiccups!  She is starting to wiggle her way into my ribs, which is less than enjoyable, but not horrible (yet).

Food cravings: yummy Christmas food and goodies.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? Still hanging in there.

Wedding rings on or off? Off.  But my darling husband got me a "placeholder" for Christmas, to wear until I can get the real thing back on.  I guess he doesn't want me walking around looking like an unmarried pregnant girl... ;)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and stressed.  Christmas was lovely and wonderful and happy, but once we got back to real life the reality of all the stuff to be done and the short amount of time to do it has set in.  Enter: stress.

Looking forward to:  New Year's Eve!  I must say it will be an interesting one, being sober and all, but it's still exciting to ring in 2013 which is sure to be a big year for us!

{ho ho ho}

Merry Christmas! I hope you are having a wonderful day full of love and memories. :)
 
{photos and card by the amazing Sarah Maxey Photo}

{week 29}

 

Week 29 (Dec 15 – Dec 21)

Week 29…the week this pregnancy tried to beat me.  Ok, it wasn’t really that bad, but I seem to have developed every possible pregnancy symptom possible this week.  More on that awesomeness later. :)

As I mentioned last week, I came down with a lovely cold, and this week the husband decided it would be a good idea to get it as well.  So there was a lot of sleeping, nose-blowing, and general yuckiness in our house over the weekend.  I managed to squeeze in one last photo shoot on Saturday, and drag Matt out of bed to our birth class, and then on Sunday I finished up some shopping and spent the afternoon baking away in the kitchen.  The work week started off pretty uneventful and then mid-way through things got crazy!  Tuesday night we found out we had a showing on Wednesday morning, so we scrambled to clean and I made arrangements to work from home.  A few hours after the showing, our realtor called and said the potential buyers wanted to come back.  That night.  And that they were probably going to make an offer. (Eek!)  So we left for the evening showing, and came home and went about our business.  About 9:00 that night our realtor calls again to inform us they officially made an offer!  (woo hoo!)  On Thursday I was pretty much just on the phone all day, but long story short: we countered, they accepted, OUR HOUSE IS SOLD.  Finally!  We had literally just emailed the realtor saying we were giving up and ready to take it off the market.  Ah, irony.  So now we just have a home inspection to get through, and if all goes well we are officially out of this house as of the end of January!  Yes, that means we’ll be moving when I’m right around 33-34 weeks pregnant.  Should be fun. ;)  So now we have less than a month to find a new place to live, pack up our entire house, move, unpack, oh and set up a nursery.  Guess this is a good time for that “nesting” to set in, huh…

Size of baby: Acorn Squash

Total weight gain/loss:  34 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Are still awesome.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: no such thing.  Between getting over the cold, my newest symptoms and the excitement/stress/general anxiety over our living situation – there’s not a lot of sleeping going on these days.

Symptoms: so, as I said, this week I seem to have come down with all sorts of wonderful symptoms.  First, is the lovely cold hanging on. At this point I don’t know if it’s still around or if I’m just back to that pregnancy congestion, but I am a sniffle machine that’s for sure. The heartburn has popped back up, so that’s nice (thankfully still not too horrible, but it’s certainly not enjoyable).  And to top it off, I woke up on Monday with serious sausage fingers (had to wrangle my wedding ring off before it got stuck!) and aching fingers and wrists.  As the week has gone on, I’ve had more pain in my fingers and wrists (it hurts to write!), and as I “sleep” I find that my hands and arms are falling asleep constantly.  According to Dr. Google, all of this adds up to pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel.  Say what?!?  I didn’t even know such a thing existed.  But apparently it does, is common in the 3^rd trimester, and should go away after delivery when the swelling all goes down.  So, I guess I get to enjoy this for the next 2+ months.  Hooray.  I will be asking the doctor at our next appointment for any remedies I can try, but it doesn’t sound like there’s much I can do.

Best moment this week: getting the call that we sold our house!

Movement: same story – and now she apparently is turning into a morning person??  All week I have woken up between the hours of 5 and 7am and she has just been dancing away in there.  It also seems like whenever Matt gets out of bed she wakes up.  I can’t imagine how she knows that he has gotten up, but it seems like she does.  All I know is this is not going to fly when she is on the outside.

Food cravings: cookies, fudge, candy, hot chocolate, more cookies… all of the goodies that come along with Christmas.  I may have had cookies for lunch the other day.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? Seems to be disappearing.  And I’m not too happy about it.

Wedding rings on or off? Officially off.  Sausage fingers and toes have arrived. Boo.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week with all of the exciting news!  Although I will admit, the night we got the offer on the house I laid in bed and went through just about every emotion possible – I was happy all our work finally paid off, then I was sad that we were leaving this house where Matt and my life together started, then I was excited we get to bring our baby home to a house with more space, then I was nervous that we wouldn’t be able to find a place in time, then I was stressed thinking of all the work ahead of us, and then I was back to happy imagining things once everything is all said and done.  Whew!  Pregnancy does a number on your emotions, that’s all I’m saying. 

Looking forward to:  CHRISTMAS!! I can’t believe it’s only a few days away.  It will be our last Christmas as a family of 2 (insert rollercoaster of emotions again).  Also looking forward to our annual Cousins Cookie Decorating Saturday, and of course all of the glorious food that I will be consuming over the next few days. Good thing I have an extra week before stepping on the scale at my next doctor’s appointment… :)

a monkey birthday

 
Little miss Lexi {who you have probably seen all over this blog, turned 3 recently.  THREE!  When I think about it, this little girl is pretty much my photography journey in a nutshell.  When she was first born, I was just getting my feet wet learning how to use my camera.  Now, three years later, I like to think I’ve come a pretty long way.  And so has this girl!  She is SO much fun at this age…I love every minute I get to spend with her.  So of course, her birthday party was no different!

She was ready to go, monkey in hand. :)  Once everyone arrived, it was play time.

Even the adults joined in on the fun…

(yes, I know that is the world's blurriest picture, but it's still hilarious if you ask me!)


The birthday girl even turned into a monkey herself!

After playtime was over, it was party time. :)  Lexi’s mom and I spent lots of time planning the perfect monkey party for this special 3-year-old…and I think it came out wonderfully!
 

Lexi came over the night before her party, and helped me bake up a storm.  We had so much fun, and she is such a good little helper!  We made: banana muffins, strawberry cupcakes, & chocolate cupcakes (all from scratch!).




What’s a monkey party without a monkey cake?!





I must say, I never thought I would be one to enjoy a 3-year-old’s birthday party :)  But Matt and I both had a great time!  There is just something about watching little kids run around playing and laughing that you can’t help but enjoy. I can’t wait to experience this with our own little girl!

{week 28}

 

Week 28 (Dec 8 – Dec 14)

{Welcome to the 3^rd Trimester}  HOLY COW.  I’m already in the 3^rd trimester??? When did that happen???? 

Anyway, this week started off wonderfully with our 3D ultrasound on Saturday.  We got to see our girl, and watch her on a big screen TV for 45 minutes, and our families got to see her as well.  She tried to be a booger and had her face buried for the first 15 minutes or so, making it hard to get a good clear picture, but after lots of repositioning, jabbing and poking, she finally came out of hiding.  She gave us quite a show too, sucking her thumb, and even smiling a couple times!  It is still amazing to me that there is a little person growing inside of me, and to see her like that just makes it that much more real.  The ultrasound tech says she has big lips, big eyes, and a button nose.  Sounds like the recipe for adorable if you ask me. :)  I definitely think the “elective” 3D ultrasound was a worthwhile investment, and I’m glad Matt talked me into it!!  Now for your viewing pleasure…

  

   

Later that day we had a somewhat last minute house showing (only minutes after I emailed the realtor with our decision to take the house off the market does this request come in…), and Sunday I had a fun ladies day with my BFF and our moms, and then Matt and I knocked out most of our Christmas shopping.  Overall, a great weekend!  The week was pretty run-of-the-mill, with some more Christmas shopping and plenty of hot-chocolate-drinking.  We did have another doctor’s appointment on Monday (I have graduated to bi-weekly appointments), which was also very run of the mill.  Baby is measuring great, and momma is holding up as best as possible.  It finally happened – I came down with a cold.  I have heard horror stories of getting sick while pregnant, and I must admit, it’s no walk in the park!  Not being able to take any medicine, combined with already feeling stuffy most of the time, does not make handling a cold any easier! I think I’m finally on the upside of it though, my throat is no longer on fire, but my head is still pretty much a block of concrete.  I have been drinking water like it’s my job, so here’s to hoping that helps flush this junk out of my system!

Size of baby: Eggplant

Total weight gain/loss:  34 lbs. {only gained 2 lbs in the past 2 weeks – woot!}

Maternity clothes? Are awesome.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: pregnancy + head cold = no such thing as sleep.  I finally got a decent night’s sleep on Thursday night (decent in that I only got up once to go to the bathroom, and maybe 2 times other than that.  every other night I’ve been up about every hour, gone to the bathroom at least 2-3 times, and chugged anywhere from 2-4 giant glasses of water.  Fun stuff!)

Symptoms: nothing really pregnancy related this week, just a big fat head cold.

Best moment this week: seeing our girl smile at us on the big-screen at the 3D ultrasound.  And seeing her suck her thumb.  Ok, just seeing her. :)

Movement: she is still my little mover and shaker!  I’ve noticed a lot more activity in the middle of the night this week, though…probably just because I have been up more.  Let’s hope this child isn’t a night owl… but who am I kidding, if she’s anything like her mother we’re all doomed (at least those of us who value our sleep anyway)

Food cravings: nothing exciting.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but looks different to me every day.  Matt thinks I’m just imagining things.

Wedding rings on or off? Right hand rings are still off (and unable to be put back on) :(  Wedding ring is holding on for now, but not sure how much longer it will last. :( 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Still pretty happy for the most part…no crazy pregnant lady outbursts this week. :)

Looking forward to:  a Sunday with absolutely nothing planned, and hopefully lots of baking, shopping, present-wrapping, and general holiday cheer :)

{week 27}

 

Week 27 (Dec 1 – Dec 7)

We had a non-stop weekend full of party preparations and our usual Bradley class, and then the party of the year on Sunday!  It turned out great, and I had so much fun watching Lexi play with her friends and open her presents.  I have a billion pictures, and of course will share them as soon as I’ve had time to go through them all.  For now, here’s a quick sneak peak of the little monkey and her party…

 

After the hectic weekend, luckily the work week proved to be much quieter.  We didn’t have anything major going on, which was nice for a change!  This weekend we have a 3D ultrasound on Saturday, which we are all sorts of excited for.  I’ll admit, I’ve always been one of those people who think those 3D pictures are sort of creepy, but being that it’s my own child I don’t see how I could possibly think it’s creepy when we see her.  Plus, we get to see her again!!  Hopefully she will stick to her daily routine of dancing and flipping around all day, so we can get some good pictures.  Other than that we don’t have any major plans this weekend…hoping to knock a big chunk out of the Christmas shopping!

Size of baby: Rutabaga (I don’t have the slightest clue what this is)

Total weight gain/loss:  32 lbs.

Maternity clothes? How did I ever live without them? 

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: not really much new here… I am still waking up at least 1-2 times to hit the bathroom, and another 3-4 times to chug water.  But I am usually able to get back to sleep pretty easily, and the vaporizer has really helped with the congestion.  So, it could be worse!

Symptoms: still the lovely pregnancy congestion, but nothing to add to the list this week (thank goodness).  I did get a killer headache on Monday, but I’m pretty sure that was due to me not drinking enough water that day.  Lesson learned! 

Best moment this week: Lexi’s 3^rd birthday party – 3 year olds are just so stinkin cute, and watching her run around with her friends and play with her Uncle Matt was just a blast.  It’s even more fun thinking that we’ll get to watch our own kid do all of this in the future. :)

Movement: lots of it!  Can we all just collectively send out some good vibes into the universe that she doesn’t freeze up or decide to take a nap during our 3D ultrasound?  Thank you!

Food cravings: I’m still sad to report I haven’t had any crazy pregnant lady cravings.  Sigh.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: ha!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? It seems to be morphing, but is still most definitely in.  Stay in, belly button, stay in!

Wedding rings on or off? The wedding ring is still on, but rings on my right hand have come off.  The other day I was playing with them and realized I almost couldn’t get them off – I am terrified of getting my rings stuck on my fingers, so I am playing it safe and took them off for the time being.  Strangely, though, my wedding ring still has plenty of wiggle room.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy ~ I feel the occasional wave of moodiness, but I think I control it well.  And that’s all that matters, right?!

Looking forward to:  seeing my beautiful baby girl tomorrow!! And getting to share the experience with our families.  Someone better be bringing Kleenex, that’s all I’m saying.

{week 26}

 

oohff.  Between the bad lighting (picture was taken after dark), and the fact that I did not put myself together that day, this picture is definitely not the best.

Week 26 (Nov 24 – Nov 30)

After all of the turkey time, we enjoyed the rest of our long weekend, and had a nice and somewhat less busy week.  Sunday was an unseasonably nice day, which was perfect for us to take our maternity photos! {spoiler: I already got the proofs back, and LOVE them.  I will share our Christmas card after they go out, and then the final pictures once I have them.} 

Monday was another doctor’s appointment – and I was lucky enough to get to do the Gestational Diabetes screen.  It actually wasn’t that bad… I had heard horror stories about this drink you have to chug, and the resulting tummy ache.  I personally thought the drink just tasted like a flat orange soda, and there was no tummy ache to speak of afterwards.  Now I’m just waiting on the results…hopefully I passed!  {If not, I get to do another longer test, and if I don’t pass that then I officially get diagnosed with GD.  Let’s not go down that road, though…}  Otherwise the appointment was a success – saw the Nurse Practitioner as Dr. C was busy delivering babies, and again everything is measuring great and baby girl’s heartbeat is still going strong!

The rest of the week was busy at work, busy running errands, and busy helping plan little Miss Lexi’s 3^rd birthday party.  It’s going to be a busy weekend as well, but I am most definitely looking forward to the party of the year happening on Sunday. :)

Size of baby: head of lettuce

Total weight gain/loss:  32 lbs. {this month I gained 6 lbs… I’m considering that a win since I’ve gained 10 the last 2 months in a row. And once again, no scolding by the doctor, so I’m still on track!}

Maternity clothes? Love them.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: my darling husband got me a vaporizer {at the suggestion of the doctor} to help with my clogged-nose-can’t-sleep problem, and it’s making things a bit better.  Although I still wake up at least 3 times to chug water, and like clockwork I’m in the bathroom around 3am every morning.  I’ve recently discovered that I can pretty much only sleep on my left side if I want to be comfortable.  As someone who moves non-stop while I sleep, this isn’t ideal, but at least when I wake up I know to just roll over to the left side to get back to sleep.  So, I guess we’re making progress??

Symptoms: stuffy stuffy nose.  I asked the doctor, and was told this is common in pregnancy and there really isn’t much I can do about it.  Hooray.  It’s not the worst symptom in the world, but it isn’t very pleasant either.  I’m just thankful I don’t have a full blown cold or the flu.

Best moment this week: Taking our maternity pictures.  Matt probably won’t agree {why do all men HATE having their picture taken??}, but it was fun to run around Loose park, and focus on my belly for a good 45 minutes. :)

Movement: still all day every day.  Just last night, we discovered that our girl is already a music lover {surprise, surprise}.  Matt had a song playing on his phone, and the girl was kicking like nobody’s business.  Then he turned it off and she stopped.  So, she’s already a fan of good music {The Dirty Heads was her artist of choice…have no fear, we will be giving her some good 311 experience very soon :)}

Food cravings: nothing in particular this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: most definitely.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? still holding on as an innie.

Wedding rings on or off? Off at this very moment, but hoping to go back on very soon.  My hands don’t look swollen, I swear!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy ~ of course that is subject to change at the drop of a hat.

Looking forward to: this fabulous party Sarah and I are planning for Sunday, and maybe just maybe a calm week. :)

baby girl’s nursery {the plan}

so, I’m a little behind schedule in getting this nursery put together.  {part of that is due to my inability to decide on a color scheme.}  but I finally got my butt in gear and nailed down somewhat of a plan.  I can’t say we’ve gotten much farther than this, but it’s a start, right?!

as you can see, the color scheme will involve lavender, gray, white, and a touch of plum as well.  the crib is from wal-mart, and I’m planning to copy an idea from my decorating obsessed friend Ashley, and paint the wood part at the bottom to coordinate with the room.  the fabric shown behind the crib is what I’m planning for curtains, and the other gray fabrics will be accents – a crib skirt, pillows, etc.  I probably won’t get the exact chair pictured, but something similar and definitely in gray with white piping.  the walls will be some combination of gray and lavender – I just haven’t decided what that combination will be yet.  there could be an accent wall involved, maybe in a chevron or stripe pattern…we’ll see how brave Matt is feeling when the time comes to paint.  my original plan for the dresser/changing table was the IKEA expedit shelf, modified like in the picture with legs and drawers, but I have since changed my mind.  my parents have an old dresser {that I actually used when I was in high school} that we will be revamping to use in the nursery.  it will definitely be getting a coat of white paint to match the dresser, and new hardware as well, and once again if I {ok, Matt} is feeling brave, we may try adding some color to the drawers.  Here’s what will be the “before” shot of this project… complete with Grandma-to-be and a pup :)

 

so, there you have it.  the plan.  things are still a bit up in the air as we aren’t entirely sure if we’ll be living in this house or somewhere else at the time of baby girl’s arrival, but I’m realizing that time is slipping away and I need to get moving one way or another!

of course I’ll share our progress as we get this puppy going – we’ll see how close to the plan the final product comes out to be :)

{week 25}

 

Week 25 (Nov 17 – Nov 23)

This week was a nice short work-week, followed by probably the best holiday ever for a pregnant girl: Thanksgiving!  I must say I thoroughly enjoyed spending the entire day eating, and not feeling bad about it one bit.  YUM.  Oh, and it was also nice to have some quality family time. :)  As usual I also went Black Friday shopping {which now involves staying up super late on Thanksgiving as opposed to waking up super early on Friday…and I’m not too terribly fond of that change, just for the record}.  This year was a bit of a dud for me, and I actually didn’t end up buying anything!  I know, crazy isn’t it?!  I still had fun running around with the cousins, in what is becoming our yearly shopping tradition. :)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I have to say that this year we have a lot to be thankful for.  We are so blessed that our family is about to grow by one, and that so far everything has gone smoothly. I am SO thankful for this little girl, and it’s pretty crazy how much I love her already, even though I have yet to meet her. Ok, ok, enough mushy stuff.

Size of baby: cauliflower (like, the whole head of cauliflower – woah)

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  until I’m told otherwise. :)

Maternity clothes? my order from Old Navy came in, and totally made my day!  I have still been trying to squeeze into a few non-maternity things here and there, but those days are quickly coming to an end. 

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: what’s that?

Symptoms: still going strong with the back pain, and a constantly stuffy nose.  I’m quite thankful that I sit in a chair all day at my job, there is just no way I could be on my feet all that time. 

Best moment this week: Thanksgiving!  Everything about it was great ~ the turkey, the family time, daydreaming about how different it will be next year with our additional family member :)

Movement: all day every day it seems like.  Baby girl gave her Grandma and Grandpa Henry an early Christmas present and let them both feel her kick on Thanksgiving.

Food cravings: it was turkey and everything Thanksgiving related, but I satisfied that one a few times over. :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: most definitely.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? still holding on as an innie.

Wedding rings on or off? back on, and haven’t had to come off again yet…

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy ~ of course that is subject to change at the drop of a hat.

Looking forward to: having our maternity pictures taken this weekend ~ normally these would be done later in pregnancy {with a bigger belly}, but I wanted to use them for our holiday cards, so we’re just doing them a bit early.  with all of the photos I’ve been taking lately, I’m incredibly excited to be on the other side of the camera for once!

{week 24}

 

Week 24 (Nov 10 – Nov 16)

We started off this week with the best day ever – my birthday!  It turned out to be a super busy day, full of family, presents, CHEESECAKE, birth class, a cat in a tree, more family, and more celebrating with friends!  Whew.  I am exhausted just thinking about it.  But I had lots of fun celebrating with my family, and eating more than my share of fried chicken.  We had our first Bradley class that afternoon, where we learned a ton.  Matt seemed to enjoy it as well, and retained even more information than I did I think, so that’s a good sign. :)  We also had a house showing during our class, so my birthday twin Ash was kind enough to watch our cats for us since they had to be out of the house – well, that didn’t work out so well.  One of our cats apparently didn’t like the idea of staying at her house, and instead decided to run up a tree and stay there for 2 hours.  Once we got over there Matt was able to climb the tree and rescue her, though, so all was well again.  After all of that drama we had a lovely family dinner and then met with friends to celebrate Ash and my birthdays.  I was totally the pregnant chick in a bar.  I must admit, it was actually quite fun. :)  Jessica, the awesome best friend that she is, even managed to get the bartender to make a “shot” for me (pineapple juice, grenadine & sprite) so I could take a birthday shot with everyone.  I know that got some weird looks from other people at the bar. ;)

Sunday rolled around and we had yet another house showing, and then went to Buy Buy Baby to start the grand journey of registering.  Holy cow.  There is just way too much baby stuff out there.  We made a good dent, and will be going back at some point this weekend hopefully to finish it up.  Before I knew it my birthday weekend was over, and it was another Monday.  I kept this week nice and full though with birthday dinners, a happy hour with my 2 favorite also-pregnant-chicks, and – you guessed it – another house showing.  It has been a busy week to say the least, and now that my birthday week is officially in the books, I’m ready to rest. Not sure how much of that I’ll be doing this weekend, but a girl can hope!

In other news, I’ve officially been baking this baby for 6 months.  6 months?!?!  When did that happen?!  Time is really flying.  I am starting to get antsy about getting her nursery put together - I finally decided on a color scheme and a few key things… if I ever catch my breath I’ll post about that separately.

Size of baby: cantaloupe (WHAT!  Ok, that is significantly bigger than a grapefruit people!)

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  until I’m told otherwise. :)

Maternity clothes? Yes and yes.  Old Navy had another sale this week, so I went ahead and spent my birthday gift card and ordered 2 more tops and a pair of work pants.  I am really loving maternity pants these days… they are just so darn comfy.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: blah.  Nothing new to say here… it still isn’t great.  And it’s not getting any better.

Symptoms: hello, back pain!  This belly seems to be growing exponentially lately, and my poor back isn’t too happy about it.  It’s not the worst back pain ever, but it certainly isn’t comfortable.  I guess I should get used to it, though, I’m certainly not getting any smaller.

Best moment this week: My BIRTHDAY!!  To be more specific – my present from the husband: a new point and shoot camera, but more adorable: a Christmas ornament for our baby girl with her name on it. :) Daddy wanted to make his first official purchase for his little girl. (cue collective AWWWWWW!)

Movement: All the time still.  I’ve now started feeling her move in the middle of the night…I sure hope that’s just a phase.  I cannot figure out this kid’s schedule for the life of me – some days she moves all morning, some days it’s only the evening, then there was the middle of the night dance-off… who knows.  Hopefully she has more of a schedule when she comes out!

Food cravings: right now: a home cooked meal.  Due to all of the birthday celebrating, I have eaten out waaaaay too much this week.  I’m ready for some real food.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Ha!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? In, but I think it’s on its way out.  Ugh.

Wedding rings on or off? OFF! :(  Yesterday I noticed all of my rings feeling quite tight, so I removed them just to be safe.  Well then I forgot to put them back on.  I don’t think I quite have sausage fingers, but there has definitely been some swelling/water retention happening.  (and I am not the least bit happy about it!!!!!!)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy this week.

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving (aka – FOOOOOOOD!!!!) and Black Friday! :)

{week 23}

I know, I know, I’m behind on these again.  What can I say, I’ve been busy! 

Week 23 (Nov 3 – Nov 9)

This week was a busy week of taking/editing/blogging photos, followed by the start of my birthday week!  We started the weekend off with a surprise party for a friend’s birthday (side note: going to a party where there is free alcohol while you are pregnant = complete torture), and finally had a day to rest and hang out on Sunday – started off by some chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP (best way to start a Sunday ever!).  Beginning on Wednesday the week got hectic, but since it was mostly birthday celebrations I won’t complain. :)

Size of baby: grapefruit

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  Yeah, I don’t step on the scale anymore. So this only changes on weeks I have a doctor’s appointment. :)

Maternity clothes? Yep – went shopping on Saturday for some jeans and a coat.  Happy Birthday to me!

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: not terrible.  Sleeping with the Snoogle regularly, and although I still do wake up quite a bit, I can usually stay comfortable for a few hours at a time.

Symptoms: new to the list: stuffy nose!  I keep thinking I’m getting a cold, but it’s pretty much just anytime I lay down, my nose goes from perfect clear to a block of concrete.  I don’t get it.  It doesn’t help the sleep department very much, but it seems to go away after being up for a couple hours so I guess it could be worse.

Best moment this week: Daylight savings ending therefore allowing me an extra hour of sleep Saturday night :)  Also: the first birthday celebration (dinner with Ashley – who shares a birthday with me), and getting my hair chopped off and colored.  Guess it was a good week :)

Movement: Lots of it!  She hasn’t seemed to figure out a real schedule yet…for a while she was always moving in the evenings, but lately I’ve felt her wiggling around right when I wake up in the morning.  Maybe Daylight Savings has her confused. :)  Matt has felt it several more times now, which is always exciting!

Food cravings: I feel like a sham of a pregnant chick because I still haven’t really had any crazy cravings.  I’m certainly eating everything in sight though (see above – this is why I refuse to step on the scale), so that has to count for something.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? In, and still looking odd.  I’m still hoping it stays in as long as possible…

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Well.  I have officially had a crazy-pregnant-lady-crying-moment (or 4). We watched What to Expect When You’re Expecting over the weekend.  I innocently expected to just laugh my way through the flick, but no such luck.  A couple of serious parts, a sad part, and even the happy parts at the end – all sent me into a blubbering mess.  And just for the record:  I am not usually a movie-crier.  Maybe a tear in the corner of my eye, but this was serious hysterical I-have-to-walk-out-of-the-room crying.  Matt wasn’t sure what to do.  In the end, I made it through the movie (and a box of Kleenex), and I now know that the pregnant loss of control over emotions is in full effect.  Yay?

Looking forward to: My birthday!  A whole weekend full of celebrations (even a few dragged into the week)!

{week 22}

 

Week 22 (Oct 27 – Nov 2)

Big milestone this week…daddy felt  baby girl move for the first time!!  I’ve obviously been feeling her for quite a while now, and have been trying to get Matt to feel it too, but the timing just hadn’t worked out.  Until Tuesday night. :)  We were just sitting on the couch, and she was giving some pretty hefty kicks so I had him put his hand on my belly and he looked right at me with big wide eyes and said “was that it?!?!”  Yes it sure was!  So that was all sorts of exciting. :)

In other news, I had another doctor’s appointment this week.  It was a pretty uneventful one, but I did get to hear her heartbeat again, and now they measure my belly (which I’m not sure I understand, but Dr. C said that it was right where it should be, so I’ll take it!).  I also found out I get to do the Gestational Diabetes test next time – SO not looking forward to that.  I’m hoping that my previous PCOS condition and sugar filled diet for the past 5 months aren’t going to cause me to fail.  *fingers crossed*

We had a busy and fun weekend, attended a Halloween party on Saturday night {as HGTV’s Mike Holmes – if you know Matt you know this is perfect -  and a skeleton pregnant chick that was too lazy to wear an actual costume…see pictures below :) }, and on Sunday I had yet another photo session and then we had another house showing in the afternoon.  The week has pretty much flown by, with a short pause on Wednesday for Halloween!  We spent the evening with our favorite almost-3-year-old, who was quite possibly the cutest bumble bee I’ve ever seen.  She had a blast trick-or-treating, and we probably had just as much fun (if not more) watching.  We are now super excited for Halloween next year, knowing that we will have our own little pumpkin to dress up!

Size of baby: papaya (yet another fruit that I know nothing about. I read somewhere though that a non-fruit equivalent for this week is a football. A FOOTBALL.  That can’t be right.  HOLY COW)

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  Yes, you read that right, I have gained another 10 lbs.  Let’s just say I am an overachiever when it comes to gaining weight during pregnancy :) (and just for the record, the doctor has no concerns about it, so neither do I. thankyouverymuch)

Maternity clothes? Absolutely – and thinking about going shopping for some more, actually.

Stretch marks? Not yet (I have started putting cocoa butter lotion on my belly religiously in hopes of preventing them :) )

Sleep: the snoogle and I are starting to get along better (yes, the thing is really called a snoogle.  Who names these things??)  Although, I have now found that Daisy is a fan of it, and enjoys sleeping right between my belly and the pillow.  Lovely.

Symptoms: still a little heartburn here and there, along with some new back pain and leg cramps!  Yay for pregnancy?  But really, none of it is that horrible and I still consider myself VERY lucky to have had such an easy pregnancy so far (KNOCKING ON WOOD)

Best moment this week: Matt feeling baby girl kick! 

Movement: I think we’ve already discussed this in quite a bit of detail... but yes, I get kicked and punched all day long.  It’s getting to be a lot stronger, and somewhat regular – this child is definitely mine, because she’s not active until the afternoon and evenings most days.

Food cravings: I still haven’t had any crazy, I MUST HAVE IT NOW type of cravings.  Today I really wanted Chinese food…does that count?

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? In, but starting to look a little strange.  I don’t really know how to describe it, but it definitely looks funny.  Matt thinks it’s going to pop soon, I am hoping it doesn’t.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: feeling a few more mood swings, but I still think I’m keeping control of the crazy.  For now. :)

Looking forward to: the start of my birthday week!  Yes, I claim an entire week. :)  My birthday is a week from Saturday, so it’s officially on.  Something tells me the celebrations will be a bit more tame than usual, but that’s ok.  It’s still my birthday!!

{week 21}

hi there!  yes, I know I am getting behind in these.  oops!  I’ve been so busy taking pictures of other people, I haven’t had time to get these posted.  But I’m catching up now! 

 

so, I totally intended on Photoshopping the dog nose out of this week’s picture, but then I decided it was just too cute.  she was obviously very concerned with what I was doing {and to explain, I take the pictures in our bedroom, and she is standing on the bed.  she’s not actually that tall. :) }

Week 21 (Oct 20 – Oct 27)

This week we started off by showing our house {never heard any feedback though, so who knows what they thought…}, and then on Saturday while the boys finished some last minute painting I joined the family on a trip to the corn maze in Liberty.  We had a blast!  Who knew wandering through corn for 2 hours could be so much fun. :)

Sunday I was left to fend for myself while Matt went to the NASCAR race with his dad and brother in law.  I actually had quite a nice relaxing morning, and day of productivity, followed by a photo shoot in the evening.  The work week was pretty typical, although Matt ditched me (AGAIN!) on Wednesday and Thursday to go to St. Louis for work.  I spent my free time this week looking for rental houses, and researching baby stuff so that we can go register one of these days.  This weekend we have a Halloween party to attend, and hopefully a relatively quiet day at home on Sunday.  We also have a few home showings scheduled in the mix, so fingers crossed!

a couple of Instagram photos from the weekend:

 corn maze!!

 what happens when we have a showing, and have to remove all 3 pets from the house ~ let me tell you, they just love car rides together ;)

Size of baby: pomegranate (I really have no idea how big one of these is.  My cousins and I Googled it so I could see what the heck it even was, but I still have no concept of the size…oh well, guess I’m just not well versed in fruits!)

Total weight gain/loss:  16 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Yes, loving them.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: still not fabulous.  I finally started using the pregnancy pillow, but I’m not sure I really know how to work the thing.  I know, it’s just a pillow right, but it’s quite a strange contraption and between the Mister, a dog and a cat that also occupy our bed, I just haven’t quite figured out the best strategy for using it yet.  Although Wednesday night when I had the bed to myself – snuggled right up with it and actually slept pretty well.

Symptoms: finally something new: heartburn!  Hooray?  Not so much.  It isn’t horrible, but I’ve never really had heartburn before so this is all new to me.  Apparently very common during pregnancy though, so I guess I’ll just get used to it (and stock up on smoothie flavored Tums…)

Best moment this week: Matt coming home from St. Louis – we missed him!  He wasn’t gone that long, but still.  I think he may have been more excited to see Daisy than me when he got home, but whatever. 

Movement: more and more every day!  And I’m still loving every minute of it.  Also still waiting for Matt to be able to feel it.

Food cravings: I’m going with candy again.  Probably just because I’m a bad influence on myself and always keep it around when Halloween gets close, but I’ve definitely been eating my fair share.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy – like, really happy.  I now laugh so hard I cry at least once a week…and usually over something not all that funny.  But I’ll take it over crazy pregnant-lady rage!  I definitely feel the mood shifts every now and then, but I think I still have a pretty good handle on them.  (I don’t know though, I should probably ask Matt and see if he agreesJ)  I do cry at the drop of a hat now, which is just lovely.  Warning: do not cry in front of this pregnant chick!

Looking forward to: next doctor’s appointment is Tuesday!  It will be a pretty boring one (no ultrasound again for a while L) but I always love hearing her heartbeat and having the doctor tell me that all is well.  {Not looking forward to: stepping on the scale!!}

{week 20}

 

Week 20 (Oct 13 – Oct 19)

This baby is officially half-baked!

First of all, I realized this week that I’m actually off by a week, and really this was week 21.  Yes starting on the 13^th I was 20 weeks, but technically speaking it was my 21^st week being pregnant.  Pregnancy math is just complicated. But I’m too lazy to go back and change it, so we’re just going to go with it. :)  This was an exciting week, though!  On Saturday of course was my It’s A Baby party, which was just FABULOUS!  I had so much fun.  And although it was not a shower, and gifts were not supposed to be given, I got lots of cute things for the little one. :) It really was just a fun afternoon of girl time, and I had such a great time!  Not to mention my BFF is quite the hostess!  Pictures coming soon, I promise.  Sunday I went to a baby shower (and took some photos you can see here), and then had a photo shoot afterwards (which you can see here).  That was also tons of fun…just a baby-filled weekend! Then the week flew buy with more busy days at work, and evenings working on our house.  Thursday was the big day, and our house officially went on the market!!  We have our fingers crossed that it sells soon-ish, although that means we need to get out and find where we want to move to!  Needless to say, nothing but busy times ahead for this family. ;)

Size of baby: banana

Total weight gain/loss:  16 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Yes, and lots of them.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: not horrible, but still not great.

Symptoms: nothing really to report!  The headaches have gotten much better, just a little back pain now and iffy sleep.  Otherwise, feeling a-ok!

Best moment this week: my party!  Feeling lots of love by all the women in my life and getting to celebrate the little girl joining our family. ;)  (at a close second, was our house going on the market on Thursday!) 

Movement: yes, I have quite a wiggle worm in there (and once again, kicking me as I type this)!  Matt still hasn’t felt it from the outside yet, but I know it’s coming soon.  I love the little reminders that she’s still growing in there. :)

Food cravings: candy.  Happy Halloween?

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: I think it’s pretty obvious now, because more and more people at work are starting to say something to me.  This question is probably getting the boot soon, because there’s really no denying it anymore!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: some family time on Saturday, and hopefully a relatively quiet Sunday to get things done at home.  Also, getting to start looking at places to live!! :)

our humble abode

as I’ve mentioned, we have decided to put our house on the market, in hopes of selling it quickly and moving to a home with more space before the little bambino arrives.  crazy? probably.  but hopefully 100% worth it in the end.  {key word: hopefully}

anyway, we’ve done a LOT of work on our house in the past couple of months, so I thought it would be fun to give you a little “before & after”.   the area that has seen the most improvement is the front of the house ~ as you will see in the before picture, we had zero curb appeal.  but one weekend and a little elbow grease, and we {by we I mean Matt} fixed that right up!

so here was the view of the front of our house before:

{as if I have to point out the flaws…} note the never-painted door, mis-matched window trim, paint-peeling-shutters, dirt-pile of a garden bed…. you get the point.

and after:

pretty big difference, wouldn’t you say??   Matt did a superb job of fixing this puppy up, I must say.  He and a friend spent an entire Sunday re-painting the entire front, removing the shutters and putting up new trim, painting said new trim, and landscaping that front little garden bed.  I planted the mums, thankyouverymuch. Matt also re-painted our door {brown, after a solid hour in the paint store of me trying to decide what color to choose}, and replaced our porch light and house numbers.  Oh, and he also mowed the grass while he was at it. :)  GO HUSBAND!

and now a few more pictures, just for fun. {by the way, these are just cell phone pictures, so don’t get too excited}

front window and garden bed before:

and after {with a bonus doggy in the window}

and the front door {yes, I even purchased a new welcome mat for the occasion}:

          

so, now that we’ve spruced up the place, we just have to put it on the market {happening TOMORROW!}, and cross our fingers that someone actually wants to buy it.

fingers officially crossed.

{week 19}

 

Week 19 (Oct 6 – Oct 12)

We had a busy (and tiring!) weekend and week working around the house.  Saturday I supervised as all of the “extra things” (or as Matt would say: JUNK) got moved into storage, and then Sunday Matt and a friend worked on fixing up the outside of our house pretty much all day long.  I worked inside with more organizing, de-cluttering, re-arranging, all that good stuff.  (I paused for a photo session, which was lots of fun!)  The work continued into the week, and we pretty much spent all of our evenings working on more projects.  I didn’t realize how many little things needed to be done to get our house ready for sale, holy cow!  But we are getting closer to the bottom of the to-do list, so the end is in sight.  Thankfully this weekend should be a little less work-ish and a little more fun-ish.  My “It’s A Baby!” party is Saturday, and Sunday I have a baby shower and another photo session with one cute 9 month-old.  It’s just going to be a baby sort of weekend, and I couldn’t be happier! 

Size of baby: mango

Total weight gain/loss:  16 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Yep!  I got my order from Old Navy this week, and love pretty much all of it.  Some are a little big in the belly to wear just yet, but they will be perfect for this fall/winter.  Everything is super comfy and super cute though, and at a great price!  Go Old Navy! :)

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: Not getting much of that these days.

Symptoms: Not much to report other than trouble sleeping and having to pee all. the. time.  Feeling lots of movement, but no complaints about that!

Best moment this week: seeing the MAJOR improvement in the front of our house.  It is so cute now!  I think Matt definitely nailed the “curb appeal” concept. 

Movement: yes, and lots of it!  She’s moving around right now, as I type this actually. :)  She’s been very active at night this week…clearly a night owl like her mama.  It’s still cute and fun right now, I’m hoping it stays that way and doesn’t get painful/annoying too soon.

Food cravings: fast food this week.  Maybe just out of laziness but it has just sounded delicious. Along with all of my sweet treats. :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.  I definitely feel like the belly is growing, and getting a little more round.  I can still dress strategically to hide it, but I don’t usually have the energy to care. :)

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: my party tomorrow!  I can’t wait to see all of the crafty decorations my BFF came up with, and to spend the afternoon with all of my favorite girlies.  I will be sure to take a bazillion pictures to share. :)

{week 18}

 

Week 18 (Sep 29 – Oct 5)

This was easily the best, and most memorable week of my pregnancy so far.  On Tuesday, we found out that

WE ARE HAVING A BABY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only that, but we got to watch our little darling on the ultrasound screen for a good 30 minutes.  Boy does she move and shake in there!  We saw her sit Indian-style on my bladder, followed by a karate-kick to my gut, and then she decided to just stand on my bladder.  Great to know she has already found how to test her mama…  Really, though, seeing her on that screen was just amazing.  Matt and I both sat in awe as we watched, grins plastered on both of our faces. The ultrasound tech looked our girl up and down and said that she looks completely healthy, had a strong heartbeat of 146, and is definitely a SHE!  Best. Day. Ever.  I could have cared less if the little one was a boy or a girl, just knowing is awesome.  Hello……shopping!!!!  Not to mention, finding out that so far she is healthy and measuring right on track was fantastic. I’m in love. :)

So, yeah…I don’t really even remember what happened the rest of this week, the only thing I can think about is those 30 minutes. 

Size of baby: sweet potato

Total weight gain/loss:  another doctor’s appointment means another look at the scale…  I’m now up a whopping 16 lbs. (yikes!)  BUT!  The doctor confirmed that because I was underweight to begin with, that number is totally ok, and I’m right on track.  (PHEW!) 

Maternity clothes? It has officially happened, I’m wearing maternity clothes.  Well, not at the moment, but more days than not this week at work. :)  I also ordered some more things from Old Navy online (sale + free shipping? yes please!).  I’m not fighting it anymore… this belly is getting harder to stuff into pre-pregnancy clothes.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: same story.

Symptoms: fewer headaches, and more baby flutters!

Best moment this week: hands down… hearing IT’S A GIRL!

Movement: more and more every day.  And so far, I love it.  I know it will get to a point where it is either painful or annoying…or both…but for now it’s fantastic.  Usually sometime around 2:00 every afternoon I get a little reminder that she’s still wiggling around in there.  Definitely brightens up my work day :)

Food cravings: still just sweets.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: I think I somehow look less pregnant in this week’s picture than I did last week…not sure what that’s all about.  Either way, though, I think we have definitely moved into “showing” territory.  Still waiting for the nice round belly though!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: getting our house on the market!  this weekend and this week we are finishing the last bit of preparations, and then this bad boy will officially be for sale!

 

And, just for good measure… the first pictures of our baby girl:

 

and yes, the next one is a picture of her butt.  with an arrow pointing to her crotch.  just in case that wasn’t clear :)