Hiking

I love being outside. Well, let me rephrase that. I love being outside when the weather is lovely and there is a nice breeze and not so many bugs. This weekend the weather was lovely, though I could have done without some of those pesky gnats. So taking full advantage of the weekend, the hubs and I decided to go hiking. I absolutely love a good hike, and this was going to be the first pregnant hike. So we found where we wanted to take our little adventure to and set off. 

 It was such a beautiful day.

Ready to tackle those 2 miles! I was good until I had to go uphill, then it took me a little while. But I was ready for more when it was over! 

The original plan was to hike around the lake, unfortunately we couldn't find that trail. The one we hiked though was nice and shaded for us. The best part, no one else was there! 

We traveled to a little park a little way from the trail head. This canal was beautiful.

A great day hiking with the hubs. 

I can't wait until the next weekend we can go hiking again! Hopefully though we'll find a more rigorous hike, or at least a longer one. Those two miles just weren't long enough for me. Instead they left me itching for more! Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't an easy hike by all means. Going uphill left me out of breath and I had to take my time, but it was a lot of fun and it felt good to get out and moving.

23 Weeks!

How far along: 23 weeks 

Trimester: Last month of the Second Trimester!!!

Baby size: Mango - 11 inches long and over a pound!

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

Gender: BABY GIRL!

Movement: Baby is wriggling around like crazy and getting stronger! We can now see her moving and kicking!

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: This fall weather! The leaves are changing and the breeze is cooling things off! Also, getting out and hiking. It felt good to go for a walk and just enjoy being outside. 

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's Letters

Little snippets of the little miss's nursery!

Dear Friday, Once again I am thankful you are here. It's been too long since I've last seen you. Dear Fall, You feel so good on my pregnant body! And the leaves are starting to change! I love this time of the year! Dear Hubs, I've missed you this week, but I'm glad it's the weekend and we get to spend time together! I'm just sorry neither of us are feeling very well. Let's hope we feel better so we can get out tomorrow and go hiking. Dear Baby Girl, I love feeling you kick! You've got some power behind those little moves. I've been obsessing over little girl clothes recently as well. You are going to be extra cute if I do say so myself! Dear Football, Again, I've missed you. Thank you for coming back in my life. Dear UGA Football Team,   Thank you for winning last weekend. Let's keep it up boys!

To Cloth or Not to Cloth, that is the question...

Whether 'tis nobler in mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them.

Okay, enough of my Shakespeare rant. But I couldn't resist David Tennant as Hamlet. Amazing. Purely amazing. 

But seriously, to cloth or not to cloth? That has been the biggest question of my pregnancy and one I have been wrestling with for a while. Do we take the step and attempt to use cloth diapers or do we stick with the traditional disposable diapers. The heaviest weighing factor is the cost effectiveness. Disposable diapers cost a lot of money, around $2000 or more per child. But that cost is spread out over months. The cost of cloth diapers depends on the style of diaper that you buy and how many you buy. This is more of an upfront cost. But you can reuse diapers for each child you have. So it's only a one-time fee depending on how well you care for the diapers.

With the idea of me being a stay-at-home mom after this school year (this is the goal, we'll see if we make it - please pray that we do!), it shouldn't be too much trouble for me to keep up with a stack of cloth diapers and caring for the diapers. The thing would be getting a routine down (which I think I could do).

Everyone of my family members, especially the hubs, is against the idea. But the whole cost thing is really getting to me. I am trying my hardest to save as much money as I can, another thing helping me to get home for good. Of course I know there are coupons and I could coupon for inexpensive diapers, but I just don't know. There's something tugging at my gut that just leans towards the cloth!

Help! Do you lovely moms out there have opinions for me?! Advice? If I do go with cloth diapers, what should we go with? (Side note: I won't start officially cloth diapering until probably around 2 months or after we've established life at home with a new baby)

Any advice will be well taken and would be very much appreciated!

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.