16 Weeks!

How far along: 16 weeks (AHH!)

Trimester: Second

Baby size: Avocado

Toes: I can still see them!

Gender: Find out in a couple of weeks!

Movement: I'm beginning to feel little flutters every once in a while! I can't wait to feel more! It's such an amazing feeling!

Cravings: Milk and cheese, lots of cheese

Aversions: They're slowly fading away, thank goodness!

Nausea/Morning sickness: It's going away! Thank goodness.  It'll hit at night once in a blue moon, but I'm thankful for the break!

Maternity clothes: Been wearing them for weeks and not ashamed, they are so comfortable!

Best moment of the week: Feeling those little flutters!

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing up that crib and doctor's visit next week! I can't wait to set up our ultrasound and to see the little guy/gal again!

I'm at 16 weeks! I can't believe it at all! It keeps hitting me about how far along I am and how each day brings us one step closer to meeting our baby. Every time I look down I smile. My belly keeps getting bigger and bigger and I love it! I'm getting more and more excited each and every day! All I know is God is good and I can't wait to meet the little one He has blessed us with!!

Olympic time!

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It's my last week of summer vacation before work starts up on Monday. So what am I going to be spending my time this week doing? Cleaning and getting the house ready for me to go back to work and watching the Olympics of course! Thank you NBC Olympics for showing the events live online for people like me who doesn't have cable to watch. Now I don't have to miss the US Women's Soccer Team play a single game, nor do I have to miss a gymnastics routine, nor Lochte and Phelps battle it out in the pool. I'm pretty excited about it all. 

Currently I've got on South Africa and Japan battling it out on the soccer field. 

The hubs and I joke about the Olympics. It was four years ago around this same time that he asked my dad if he could marry me. How do we remember this time so well? Well...mom and I went out to get our nails done leaving my then boyfriend and dad to talk. Dad is suspicious and does what any good dad would do when the Olympics are on...He turns on beach volleyball and promptly falls asleep. On purpose. He did everything in his power to avoid "that talk." So Mom calls and wakes him up and tells him to be on his best behavior. We all laugh at it now, but I know the hubs still shivers inwardly when thinking about it. But that's my dad. He has a very dry sense of humor that many people don't appreciate. I personally find him quite funny. But I guess that's because I grew up around it.

Anyway, here's to an AWESOME Olympics and GO TEAM USA!!!!


Also: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY POTTER!!

Friday's Letters

Here goes round 2 of Friday's letters. I'm hoping to keep this going, we'll see what happens once work starts back...

Dear Friday, You came too quickly. I like you for the fact that I get to spend the weekend with the hubs, but I'm not ready for work to start back! Dear Summer, Slow down! Don't leave me yet! I still haven't been to the beach! Dear Hubs, This being said, I really want to go to the beach. Is there any way we can make this happen? Dear School, I'm trying to prepare myself to go back to you. I'm hoping I'll be able to adjust to a new routine quickly. We'll see! Dear Baby, I love you! You're growing and growing, and as a result my stomach keeps growing and growing. I can't help but look down at my growing belly and smile. 5 months and 17 days until your due date!! Oh goodness. That means 5 months and 17 days to get ready for you! Dear House, I wish you would clean yourself because I'm still lacking the energy to do such a thing. Dear Hubs, Thanks for putting up with me and these random mood swings. You're amazing and I love you!!

Best advice ever. Thank you What To Expect Mobile App. 

Goodbye summer...

I went back to work yesterday, just for the day to help with registering new students. Boy did I come home tired. Working 9-6 for the first time in a couple of months was exhausting. But it was good to see coworkers and the new little kinders coming aboard. 

The whole thing though was a huge wake up call. I go back to work officially in a week and a half. Yes, you read that right. A week and a half. I thought I had more time to my summer, but no. Come August 6th I'm back to work. No more summertime. 

But that's okay. Going back to work means more things to fill up my time which hopefully means time will fly by until January. And we all know what happens in January...

We get to meet this little guy/girl :) 

Waving "hi" :)

What's it gonna bee?

The hubs and I always knew that we would find out as soon as possible what we were having. Boy or Girl. The thing was if we would just let the ultrasound technician tell us, or if we would hold a gender reveal party. For the longest time I just figured we'd let the ultrasound tech just tell us. But as I keep looking around, I see all these lovely ideas for a gender reveal party. So the hubs and I talked, and it was decided. We were going to have a gender reveal party. 

Let the research and planning begin...

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15 weeks :)

How far along: 15 weeks

Trimester: Second

Baby size: Navel Orange

Toes: I can still see them!

Gender: Find out in a month hopefully!

Movement: Maybe?! I don't know, but I think so!

Cravings: Milk and cheese, lots of cheese

Aversions: Depends on the day

Nausea/Morning sickness: It still hits me every once in a while, but it's not too bad. I've just gotta watch myself and not push myself or I get a headache, and worse a migraine.

Maternity clothes: Been wearing them for weeks and not ashamed, they are so comfortable!

Best moment of the week: I'm finally getting my energy back!

What I'm looking forward to: Spray painting that crib!

 

Friday's Letters

Here is my first time joining in on Friday's Letters! 

The hubs's lemon chiffon cake with lemon frosting that I made from scratch and gluten free. You can follow me on Instagram awood009

Dear hubs, Happy birthday week! You've been incredible this week, working overtime and taking care of me during my random bouts of nausea and a very long, and not at all welcome, migraine. You're incredible! Dear baby, Less than 6 months to go! I can't wait to meet you! And 3 more weeks until I get to hear your little heartbeat again. Maybe your daddy can go this time too :) Oh! And a month before we find out if you're a boy or girl! Dear Baby Registry, there are so many confusing items out there! Do we go with a travel system stroller? A jogging stroller? Or just a stroller? I'm so confused! Help! Dear Friday, Thank you for finally getting here! The week of crazy is almost over! Next week we go back to our normal schedule, for just a couple of weeks that is. Then it's back to work for me. Dear Summer, you're going by way too fast! I haven't even had a chance to get to the beach! Dear hubs, I hope you enjoyed your birthday and cake! I worked hard on that cake for you and you better like it ;) Haha

Looking in the mirror

I know full well that I am pregnant, and with pregnancy comes a change in my body. I know this. But still, sometimes when I catch a glimpse of my bare stomach in a mirror, my breath catches. All I can think in that second is "oh, the hubs isn't going to like me getting big!" and then in the next second I sigh and remember, "I'm pregnant, this is supposed to happen!" Now, not all the changes are all that bad. I've already outgrown my bra, and I'm still growing...Goodness gracious. I'm kinda over that. 

Is it normal to feel this way about my growing stomach? I love the fact my stomach is growing and making room for this baby. I love watching it grow. I just still catch myself for split seconds at a time worrying that I'm "getting fat" when I know, I know I'm not. I don't like thinking this way. I want to continually rejoice over the changes. A growing belly means a growing baby and that is a wonderful thing!!

Don't get me wrong, I love the fact my belly is growing. I just wish my breath would stop catching at times in that negative way. No more negative thoughts!

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Birthdays

Tomorrow is the hubs's birthday. He will turn a quarter of a century old (the old fart). Growing up, my family always made birthdays a special day, a day where we got to make all the decisions. So once the hubs and I started dating, I took that mindset into the relationship. 

The first birthday we celebrated together was his 21st birthday. As I wasn't quite 21 at the time, we decided to go a different route than club hopping (and we're not quite club hopping people). Instead, his best friends and I decided to throw him a kind of surprise party. We rented a boat and took it out on the lake and spent the day boating on the lake. It was his special day and I was going to do my best to make it extra special for him. 

The next year, we spent his birthday traveling. It was the same day as my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary party, so we were busy hanging out with them and celebrating them. We did make an effort to go eat at a place of his choosing. 

Over the next years, I continued to try to make each day special. His 23rd birthday, he spent his birthday starting a new job. It was a wonderful day. He had been out of work for a month, and the fact that his job started on his birthday was the best birthday present he could have asked for. Last year was low key. We had just bought our house, so there wasn't much we wanted to do and he was okay with that. He picked a place to go out to eat and we enjoyed a nice birthday dinner.

This year, it's another crazy year. He just started a new job, and is subbing, cleaning an extra location on top of his already two locations, and he has something else going on tomorrow night. It's just a crazy week and I'm starting to think he might actually just want to chill this weekend and recover from such a crazy week. But I still want to make it a special day for him. Every year I try to make him a dessert, and every year  he asks for something fruity. This year it's a lemon chiffon. So here's to making him his special dessert...

The point is, I try to make every year special for him. We argue about it. He never really had his special day growing up. His family never really made a big deal out of birthdays. They were just another day to get stuff done. As we prepare to have our own family, birthdays are going to be a big deal. Maybe not so much with presents, but it'll be a day about them. Their special day. A day with cake and balloons and their choice of food. It's just the way I was raised and the way I hope to raise our kids. 

No more w(h)ining...

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Ever since I found out that I'm pregnant I have been craving one certain thing...a glass of good red wine. I know some people give the "a-o.k." to have an occasional glass here and there, but I just don't know where I stand on the issue. I've read mixed reviews on the whole issue, and people can be so adamant about it one way or the other. I guess in the end, giving up a good drink for a few months isn't too much to ask, no matter how intense the craving may get. So no more wine for me...at least not until this little one has said hello to the world. 

Anybody else have feelings about this taboo subject?

Week 14!

How far along: 14 weeks

Trimester: Second

Baby size: Lemon

Toes: I can still see them!

Gender: Find out in a month hopefully!

Movement: Not yet, but hopefully sooner than later!

Cravings: Milk and cheese, lots of cheese

Aversions: Ground turkey

Nausea/Morning sickness: It still hits me every once in a while, but it's not too bad. I've just gotta watch myself and not push myself or I get a headache, and worse a migraine.

Maternity clothes: Been wearing them for weeks and not ashamed, they are so comfortable!

Best moment of the week: We got the crib! Now just to spray paint it red :)

What I'm looking forward to: Getting the crib ready and continuing to set up the nursery.

I know I said I'd get a week 13 picture and information on the blog, well you know how things get. Eventually I got enough gumption to take a picture of myself. I'm loving this whole being pregnant thing and the fact that people are beginning to tell that I am indeed pregnant! Well, the people who know that I'm pregnant are able to see the bump. I of course think I'm huge and getting bigger every minute. But that's a good thing. It means this baby is growing and I hope s/he keeps on growing! 

Big brother Hank wanted to join in on the picture taking.

Dreaming Away

As I sit here trying my best not to nod off (this baby making is exhausting work and this weather isn't helping), I'm looking at mobiles for our sweet baby to stare up at as s/he lays in their crib. Some are just absolutely dreamy. Others extremely expensive. I'm amazed at the prices some of these things cost! But they are beautiful and wonderful.

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I may just attempt to make something myself. It depends on how I crafty and thrifty I feel. Who knows, the perfect mobile may appear at the right time and the right price. What do you think?

Okay. I'm not able to fight this sleep for much longer. Nap time has never sounded so good.

Welcome Second Trimester and Crib Debacle

So far my first few days into the second trimester and here comes:

* back pain worthy of a whole bottle of Tylenol (of course I haven't had any)

* heartburn - thank you for not letting me sleep last night

* more energy

* and the feeling of getting bigger every second

Overall I'm feeling fine, as long as I have my back brace on and I've been able to cook a little more here and there. Until recently, I haven't really been able to spend much time in the kitchen which has put a lot of strain on the hubs. But he has taken it on like a champ. I have to say, I miss being in the kitchen cooking and doing dishes and creating. Hopefully as time continues I'll find myself back in there cooking. Oh nausea. What a wonderful thing...

So the hubs and recently have been having this debate on cribs. I've been scouring Craigslist for months in search for the perfect crib. Unfortunately ones that I found that I liked, the hubs didn't like. He's a picky one, that husband of mine. So then, we toyed with the idea of using the same crib my parents used for my brother and me. My brother got it out from under their stairs and the hubs and I brought it home. It's an old crib and we were worried that it didn't have all it's parts. We started playing and lo-and-behold, if we wanted to use it then we would have to rebuild the thing. The parts were missing. That sent me back to Craigslist, where I found a little gem. I knew the hubs wouldn't like it, so I had to form a plan of action. 

I love the Jenny Lind style crib. The hubs, however thinks it's either a)too fancy or b)too girly. I disagree.

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This is the crib I found on Craigslist. Not a full Jenny Lind, but I thought maybe it would be a good compromise between the hubs and me. He saw it, and kinda approved. His only deal was that the white was still too girly for his liking. I told him we don't yet know if we'll have a girl or a boy, but if it turns out we are having a boy we can paint it. No big deal.

So that's our new crib and we're going to pick it up this weekend. I'm super excited about it! Now for the ideas of paint. Here's what I think we'll do:

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I love the red paint! But then I'm also thinking:

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I like the idea of the blue. We have a really pretty blue that I could use. 

I don't know. I guess we'll see once we find out the sex of the baby. Just 5 more weeks!

Cravings and Aversions

There's one thing I can say about this pregnancy, it has come with it's fair share of food cravings and aversions. 

Before pregnancy I have always had a tendency to lean towards all things sweet. Especially ice cream, cookies, and the like. I would have taken a good candy bar anytime anywhere. But now...it is on a special occasion that I go for anything sweet, other than a peach. In fact the only thing sweet that I'm craving right now is my mom's special dessert, and lucky me, I get some tonight! 

Now, my big thing is milk. Before I knew I was pregnant I wanted glass of milk after glass of milk. Still I want milk. And cheese. Milk and cheese. I could eat cheese just by itself. I don't. Or I don't do it as much as I'd like...but I do occasionally indulge in some yummy cheese eating.

Aversions. I've noticed that my biggest aversion is to ground meat being cooked. I. Can't. Stand. It. And that's putting it lightly. I'm getting sick just thinking about it. The hubs cooked lasagna and enchiladas last week and I about died from the smell. It was awful. Also, chicken is out of the picture now for the most part. The only chicken I allow myself to eat can be found in the Zaxby's grilled Caesar salad. But that is it. The thought of chicken makes me want to gag. The thought of ground meat makes me want to run and hide and never return. 

I get random cravings for things like grilled veggies, sauteed onions, quinoa, a coke, pizza, Zaxby's fries, and salads. Oh and Waffle House. I love Waffle House. Last night was a Waffle House night and boy do I have the best husband in the whole world. He gets me just what I want. Well, pretty much what I want. 

I don't know what cravings and aversions say about a person, I personally think mine say that I'm absolutely insane. But that's just my personal opinion. 

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How I blabbed the news...

Well, the whole plan was originally to wait until after our Disney vacation. That plan was thrown out the window and I actually found out I was pregnant just 2 days before we were to leave for vacation. This posed a problem. I wanted to tell the hubs in a special and kinda cute way, but we had 2 days before vacation and the hubs was already at his stress limit. I was at a loss for ideas. Do I tell him before we leave? While we were on vacation? After vacation? I realized that the whole after vacation thing wouldn't work because there would now be some rides that I couldn't ride and he would get suspicious. So after was out of the question.

After talking with the best friend (yes, she knew before the hubs did...I couldn't keep the secret from everyone) I decided just to go simple and tell him before we leave. So Monday I wracked my brain for ideas to tell him Tuesday, before we left Wednesday. Simple. I knew I had to keep it simple. I ran to the grocery store for another pregnancy test, one that was easier to read, took it, and then wrapped it up in a little gift. 

Tuesday night is typically his small group night and so I kept bugging him to see if the guys were going to come over. He had no clue. Luckily for me, the guys all had other plans so no small group for the night. So when he got home I told him that I had a surprise for him, I couldn't wait any longer. Still clueless. I handed him the little present and he opened it. And stared at it. And stared at it. And stared at it. He stood there for a good five minutes before he did or said anything. Then he looked at me. "We're pregnant!" I said. I was kinda nervous by this point. His face paled completely and he looked like he was going to pass out. I just laughed. His reaction was priceless! I led him to the couch for him to sit down before he dropped down on the floor, and just sat there with him while he processed it all. 

In the end he was able to breathe a little bit. The whole stress of our pending vacation and now a pregnancy was just taking it's toll on my poor husband. When it actually sank in he couldn't be happier! He's so excited about every little thing that comes with having a baby. It's been a wonderful process so far and we thrilled for the journey God has sent us on!

I was still in shock that it came out positive! 

His little gift. Nothing too special, but he still had no idea what it was about!

I'm not fat, I'm pregnant.

DUE DATE: January 14, 2013

CURRENTLY at week 12.5

I joke around saying that I need a shirt stating that "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant." I definitely have a little pooch going on, but whether or not it actually looks like a baby bump can be determined by people's imaginations.  

The hubs and I are super excited about our growing family and I've been dying to talk about it! I'll start doing weekly updates and progress reports next week. As of now, I've had good days and bad days. Nausea seems to strike at any point in time, it's not really set on schedule. I do find myself getting sicker in the evening than anytime during the day. But I'm not complaining one bit! I am loving being pregnant! I have wanted this for quite some time and now that I actually am, I love it! Even when I'm sick. I like to think that being sick is okay, it means the baby is healthy (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). 

Oh. And don't worry, that's decaf tea in the cup. It helps my headaches :)

Well...The news is out...

In case you can't tell...Baby W is coming in January!

More on this little news later...

Happy 4th of July everyone! May your day be filled with American goodness!

RIP

The big news today is sad news, Andy Griffith has passed away at the age of 86. 

RIP Andy Griffith, may you find your way back to Mayberry in Heaven.