Seasonal Changes

This is my favorite time of the year, when summer turns into fall. The weather cools down, the humidity goes away, and the breeze picks up. I love sitting by the window with it open and have the cool breeze blowing through. The air is officially off in this house. We are solely cooling this house with fresh air. I love it! The fresh air smells amazing. Before we know it, it'll be cold enough to have a fire in the fireplace. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but it'll be here sooner than later! 

Favorite things about fall:

The apple festival.

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Berry College in the fall and the changing leaves.

Boots and scarves with skinny jeans and comfy sweaters.

My pregnant body is also saying thanks for the cooler weather. Last week my metabolism kicked up and my body is a 24/7 heat source. Thank you cool breeze for cooling me down!! A couple more days of that Georgia humidity would have killed me!

Never Forget

I was in 8th grade and it was time for band. I had left my flute in my lit class and was on my way to grab it. My teacher's television was on and I caught the first sight of damage done by the planes. Immediately I asked what had happened. The image on the screen was from the Pentagon and I had family that lived near there, so I was worried. She ignored my question and instead berated me for being in her classroom, though I wasn't breaking any rules. Instead of answering and telling me what happened, I had to go through the day worried and confused about what was going on. My mom came to pick my brother and I up early from school and the first thing I asked was to call my family. They were safe. Mom then had to explain to me what had happened. Part of me is still mad at my 8th grade lit teacher for treating me the way she did and not explaining it. The even could have been handled so much better. 

I'll never forget that day. Nor will I forget the men and women who sacrificed so much for our country.

22 Weeks!

How far along: 22 weeks 

Trimester: Last month of the Second Trimester!!!

Baby size: Spaghetti Squash - 11 inches and I have a feeling she's well over a pound.

Toes: They're getting harder and harder to see every day.

Gender: BABY GIRL!

Movement: Baby is wriggling around like crazy! But I'm not complaining, I'm loving it! I just can't wait until I can start seeing her move! 

Cravings: Food. Please. Food. I just need food!

Aversions: I'm warming up to chicken, as long as it's fried. Good southern fried chicken does sound good at the moment.

Nausea/Morning sickness: No more! Just tired now, and constantly out of breath. Round ligament pain, itchy and stretchy skin, heartburn, some slight dizziness, and back pain, but nothing to complain about :)

Maternity clothes: Yes yes and yes. I love them. I'm definitely one of those women who is proud to wear my maternity pants. They're just too comfortable to pass up.

Best moment of the week: UGA FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!! But more seriously, the weather has officially cooled down! It's been so much easier on this pregnant and prone-to-being-incredibly-hot body. Fall is officially here and that means just one more season until this baby girl gets here!!

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the nursery! Now that I know what we're having, nesting has kicked in full force.  The crib is up, but that's about it. 

Friday Letters

Dear Friday, Thank you for finally showing up. Dear Nap time, I'm beginning to really appreciate our time together. I don't think I could get through the day without you. Dear Baby Jo, I love your little kicks! Your crib is all set up. Now we just need a mattress and other essentials. But I love you! You're amazing and I love feeling your movements. You also have a very special stuffed bear that your Great Aunt got you. I've been cuddling with it. But honestly, I'm ready for you to be here to cuddle with. Dear Hubs, I'm so thankful for all that you've done for our family! You're working so hard and I'm so proud to have you by my side on this journey! Also, I'm excited that it's the weekend so we can spend some time together! Dear Football, I don't think it was a good idea for me to get pregnant during football season. All of the raging hormones on top of the stress from football can't be good for me. Dear UGA Football, You better win tomorrow or I may have a coronary. 

A little bow for our little girl :)

Linking up with

What's in a name?

The hubs and I have always known that naming our children would be important. We both have a strong sense of family ties and wanting to carry on family traditions. It might just be a southern thing, but we love to carry on and honor namesakes. So when it came time to choose a name for our little girl, we didn't hesitate. We knew what we would be naming her. Johanna Mary, or Jo for short. Johanna honors my great-grandmother on my father's side, though she spelled her name slightly different. Mary honors about six people on both my husband's and my side, including my mother-in-law. The nickname Jo honors my maternal grandfather and his father. 

I personally just love the name. It sounds good when said aloud and it just feels right in my heart.

21 Weeks and Gender Reveal!

How far along: 21 weeks 

Trimester: Second

Baby size: Carrot - 10 1/2 inches long and according to the last ultrasound weighs 14 ounces (we've got a fat baby!)

Toes: They're getting harder and harder to see every day.

Gender: BABY GIRL!

Movement: Baby is wriggling around like crazy! But I'm not complaining, I'm loving it!

Cravings: Food. Please. Food. I just need food!

Aversions: I still don't like chicken, but really it doesn't matter. I just want food nowadays, maybe that's why we've got a little chunk! 

Nausea/Morning sickness: No more! Just tired now, and constantly out of breath. Round ligament pain, itchy and stretchy skin, heartburn, and some slight dizziness, but nothing to complain about :)

Maternity clothes: Yes yes and yes. I love them. I'm definitely one of those women who is proud to wear my maternity pants. They're just too comfortable to pass up.

Best moment of the week: Finding out the gender and sharing the news with our family! It was awesome having them all in one place when we told them our news. Now just for her to get here!

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the nursery! Now that I know what we're having, nesting has kicked in full force. My goal is to get the crib set up today so I can work on the smaller details and the cutesy stuff.

Here's a quick photo snapped at the reveal. Everyone was so excited and I was so nervous when we opened that box. Even though I knew what was inside, I still had butterflies. But everyone is so excited. I'll have more pictures documenting the day later. One of my best friends is an amazing photographer and so she captured it all for us. I can't wait to see the pictures and share them all!

The Big Day!

Today was the big day! The hubs and I found out what we're having! But shhh...It's still a secret. Tater Tot was so unruly! First, the legs were crossed, then fetal position. And every time we tried to get a face picture, up went the hands to cover up! But it was so fun to see our little one! We even got a dvd to watch and share. It's exciting to see our little one grow bigger. We still have a little while before we actually get to meet our little one, but we're so excited!!

So the gender is still a secret until Sunday when we have our gender reveal party and we're able to share it with our family and friends! Here are the invites that I created for the party. They're nothing special, but I'm proud of them.

Yesterday we spent the day shopping and getting things ready. Because it's fall (almost), there aren't many "bee" things out there. Plenty of butterfly and ducks, but no bees. So we had to improvise. One of my best friends (an awesome photographer) is bringing her camera to capture everything, so I'll post those and everything after Sunday when the big reveal happens!

I'm so excited and so in love with this little one inside of me. I just can't wait until they're in my arms and I can snuggle. It's going to be wonderful!