Pregnancy: 19 Weeks

 It's hard to believe that we are almost halfway through this pregnancy! It has flown by, but also strangely still seems like it is so far away. I'm sure that once the holidays hit, out little guy will be here in no time.

I am still feeling really good, and I feel sooo lucky to say that. I feel much less tired and moody than I did at the beginning of the pregnancy, which I know Eric is very grateful for. I think I may have felt our little guy move the other day, but hopefully will start to feel that more in these next few weeks. I think that is when all of this will start feeling really real. (Can you tell that I am still slightly in denial that all of this is happening?!)

It's hard to distinguish the oh so many different emotions I am feeling as we progress further down this road leading to parenthood. The most overwhelming emotion so far has been that of pure gratitude. There are few things I have ever been more grateful for in my life than bringing this little one into the world and starting a family with the person I love so much.

A feeling of being extremely overwhelmed is definitely a close second to that of being grateful. There are so many things to buy... so many options and reviews to read... and so many decisions to be made. I compiled a list of "baby necessities" at the beginning of my pregnancy, and I feel like that list just keeps growing a growing! If there is one thing that I love though, it is finding good deals on things. While Eric is busy studying, I have spent my nights searching for the cheapest prices on the things we need, and that's been really fun for me and gotten me even more excited for our little guy to come.

My favorite guilty pleasure has been searching for good deals on baby clothes at places like the D.I. and finding good sales. It takes some searching and patience, but I have been surprised at how many things I have been able to find that are either brand new or look barely worn. And you can't beat $1-$2 a pop.

This is such a fun and special time in life, and Eric and I are trying to do all we can to enjoy these last few months of complete freedom before we are hit with this heavy-duty responsibility of parenthood. One thing I know is that I already love this little guy so much, and I couldn't be any more excited to have him join our family.

We're Having a Boy!

I could not be more excited to announce that we are having a boy! Just hearing myself say those words feels a little bit funny. I truly feel so blessed to have this amazing little one come into our lives and did not feel even an ounce of disappointment when I found out we were having a boy, but I think I had to stop myself from panicking a few times the first few days after we found out. As the oldest of five girls in my family growing up, I know how girls work.. But then I realized that I was never really a girly girl. I rarely played with barbies or dolls, I didn't really play dress ups, I played sports every recess with the boys and I enjoyed movies like the 3 Ninjas. Not that I have any idea how little boys really work, but I am beginning to feel more hopeful that with the help of Eric (and a LOT of help from the man upstairs) I will be able to figure this out as I go.

Here's to this new and exciting adventure!

Boy or Girl?

 We are finding out what we are having on Tuesday!

I have been convinced from day one that we are having a girl. So convinced, in fact, that I put out all the girls clothes that I have collected throughout the last couple of years in our cute little baby's closet and put the little man clothes in a storage box for later use. But lately I must admit that I have been wavering a little bit and thinking it just might be a boy. Eric is of course convinced it is a boy.

Any guesses???

Baby Bump, 15 Weeks

Week 5

Week 15

 It's small, but we're getting there!

Baby's First Picture, Week 12

Not very clear yet :) But I love how it looks like the babes is just kicking it's feet up, relaxing and getting comfy!

There's A Bun In The Oven! First Trimester Report...

I am loving this T-shirt right now! haha

I am so excited to announce the we will be having a little one join our family in February 2012! 

I found out towards the end of June and I must say it is quite the relief to finally tell people. I felt like I was just living a giant lie for a while there! It still seems pretty surreal, but it really started to soak in yesterday when I had an ultrasound and saw what looked like an actual little person moving around inside of me. I cannot even begin to describe that feeling! Other than that it is wonderful.

I have been so excited about having kids since the day that Eric and I got married. I am so glad we waited as long as we did because have I treasured this time we have had together just him and me so very much. We had literally just started talking about starting to think about maybe really giving things a try when BAM! I was thinking it would take at least a few months, so I was so surprised when it happened in the first couple of weeks of simply not trying to prevent. (I apologize if that is TMI!)

I found out when I was about 6 weeks along that I was pregnant. I took a pregnancy test one day before work and just couldn't quite wrap my brain around the idea of it actually being positive, so I took two more that afternoon when I got home. At that point I figured three positive tests probably was enough for me to at least tell Eric. But then being my crazy self I took two more pregnancy tests that night that were different brands just so I could really prove to myself it was true. After 5 pregnancy tests I am ashamed to say that I still had my doubts! I know, I know. There was still part of me that was even shocked at the beginning of July when we had a mini ultrasound done at our first appointment and we could see a tiny blob in my stomach with a flickering heartbeat. It was a magical moment indeed, but literally the only thing that kept coming out of my mouth over and over again was "That is so weird. That is seriously so weird!"

I am so lucky to say that I have not been sick at all since I've been pregnant. I truly believe it is such a blessing because I have been working full time and don't even know what I would do if I'd been feeling sick these last three months. I definitely have waves of feeling nauseous multiple times a day, but in terms of actually getting sick I have been incredibly lucky. The biggest thing for me has been feeling incredibly tired alllll the time. I'll even fall asleep at 7:30 and sleep for 12 hours, then still be exhausted the next day! Poor Eric has been so kind and patient with the absence of his energetic wife. I have been feeling a little better the last couple of days, so I am hoping that is the start of positive things to come!

The other thing that I was not expecting was the wild mood swings I have been experiencing. I always heard that pregnancy created all sorts of fun emotions due to all of the hormones and such, but I always thought I'd be able to control those things, no big deal. But let me tell you... I have been taken for quite the surprising and wild ride. There will be moments of extreme emotion followed by feelings of very little emotion and feeling. I get irritated more easily than I used to and lose patience with things much more quickly. I am starting to think that these feelings are partly there to prepare me for the fun emotions of having a baby and kids. I am being pushed to learn increased patience (mostly with myself) and trying to temper these wild ups and downs. It has been the biggest challenge thus far, mostly just because I haven't felt like myself, but hopefully I will tackle this and become stronger for it!

As far as everything else goes, I am 13 weeks along today, which means I am pretty much through my first trimester! Its pretty wild to think that I am already a third of the way through this already, but February still seems like such a far way away. (I'm sure it will come MUCH more quickly than expected!) I feel like I have a little baby bump already... it mostly just feels like I am really full and have a bulging stomach from eating too much all the time! It will be fun once I am really beginning to show and people can tell I am pregnant instead of thinking I am just getting chubby! :)

I am just so grateful for a wonderfully supportive husband who has been so amazing. He has been so kind, loving and patient throughout this new adventure and I truly do not know what I would do without him as my rock. I feel so grateful every day for him and all he does for me. My family has also been so amazing and supportive. I love all of their excitement and the happiness that they feel for us. It means so much to have them all in our lives and to see what amazing grandparents and aunt's this lucky little one will have!

We have our next appointment in a week and a half and I am sure you will be getting an update on everything then! Thank you dear friends and family for all of your love. It means the world to me. Goodnight!

My Favorite Babies

One of my best friends and sister-in-law have both had babies in the last 5 months, and I have been one happy girl as I've had the chance to spend time with both of these incredibly adorable babes!

Baby Q

Grady boy!

I can't wait to watch these cute little ones grow up and get tips from their wonderful mommas in the future when I have my own kids.

Hilary's Baby Shower

Hilary is having a baby, so of course we all had to get together to celebrate! This is actually baby #2, but Hil had her first so early that none of us friends really knew what we were doing yet. :) We got together at Lindie's beautiful house, and she was such an awesome hostess as always. Brynn and Jenna did an incredible job making the quilt this time around, and the fabrics that everyone contributed ended up going together really well. We ended up just chatting for hours and had such a great time. I feel so grateful to have such a great group of girlfriends that has been able to stay in touch since high school.

Who will be next to have a babe??? Only time will tell...

Babysitting

We (really, more like I) had so much fun babysitting for our friends Sean-Paul and Jen while they went out for Jen's birthday a few weeks ago. I just love their kids! Cosette is the cutest little thing and I always have a blast with her, and Everette is such a content chill baby. I actually think Eric didn't mind it too much, mostly because the babes went to bed pretty early and then we got to watch their Netflix the rest of the night. :) Plus, he trained Cosette to say "Go Packers," much to the dismay of Sean-Paul who is an avid Vikings fan. It was great!

Oh Grady Boy

I got to meet Heather's sweet baby Grady yesterday, and I am absolutely in love. He is the most amazing baby. Not only is he so dang cute, but he is the best baby I have ever seen. He did not cry once in the 4 hours that I was there visiting. He just sits there and looks around, making funny faces and smiling. I can't wait to watch this little guy grow up!

It was so good seeing Heather and seeing how happy she is. She is already a fabulous mother and Grady boy is so lucky to have her in his life! Congrats Heather and Jerry!

Now, onto the photo shoot! I'm not so sure Grady loved having flash after flash go off in his face, but he was patient with me. :)

He looks JUST like Heather did when she was born!

It's a Baby Shower!

We had a really fun shower for one of my dearest friends Heather this weekend. I had a lot of fun talking and planning lots with my friend Jenna and getting to know her better in the process. It was at Jenna's new house, which is so nice and cute! Here is a little low down of how it all went down...

The invites:

These were so much fun to make! I have always noticed how many cute things there are for girls, but I came to realize that there are a lot of cute things for boys out there, too! I had a lot of fun making these up at my friend Jen's house one day - we had a little scrapbooking party while her kids were having their nap time. So fun!

 

The cute guests:

Missy, Jenna and Erin

Brynn, Madi, Katy, Cass and Melissa

Sara and Heather

 The presents:

The quilt:

It's become a tradition for baby showers with our friends (thanks to our lovely friend Brynn!) to each provide a square of fabric for someone to make a quilt to give to the mother-to-be. This one turned out particularly cute. Jenna did an amazing job!

 Me and the hot momma:

I cannot even express in words how excited I am for Heather to have her baby. I cannot WAIT to meet the little guy growing inside of her belly! And I especially can't wait for her tough pregnancy to be over. She has been through it all.... morning sickness, not only for the mornings and not even for only the beginning of her pregnancy, but for all day almost every day for practically her whole pregnancy... constant heartburn... lots of swelling... kidney stones... and now she has an inflamed kidney that has been causing her pretty much constant severe pain... Her body deserves a much-needed rest! Only a few more weeks to go!

Burp Cloths

I am so excited because there are two cute babies that are going to be born coming up in the next few months - one of my best friends, Heather, is having a cute boy in January, and my sister in law, Laura, is having a cute little girl in February. So... I decided to attempt to make some burp cloths that I found on a blog a few months ago. All I had to do was sew four straight lines a few times, so I thought that I could probably handle that!

The blog suggested using a chenille-type fabric for one side (which is sort of a rough towely fabric) but I couldn't resist using this minky fabric that was soooo soft. Then it was so much fun looking around a picking out cute boyish and girlish fabrics for the other side.  I really had tons of fun whipping out the old sewing machine and making these!

Heather's Preggers

My best friend Heather is pregnant, and I could not be more excited for her! I am living vicariously through her pregnancy and plan on using her as my main resource when I am pregnant one day. :) She is 28 weeks along, and she is still having problems with morning sickness! She has the cutest blog that you can read here, with her pregnancy journal and plans for the adorable nursery. She is having a boy, and I already know that he is going to be the cutest little guy I have ever met. Heather is such a wonderful person and I know that she is going to be the best mother!

I can't wait to meet the little guy at the beginning of January!

Brynn's Baby Shower

Lindie and Katy put on a wonderful baby shower for Brynn this weekend that was so much fun! It is always fun to have a reason to all get together, especially now that there are babies and husbands and other things in the picture that make it harder to all get together as often! Brynn started the fun tradition of making quilts for each baby shower- we all contribute our own fabric for the squares and then she has been putting them together, and they have turned out so dang cute! So luckily Lindie stepped up to the plate to make one for Brynn, and of course it turned out spectacular! Thanks for a fun night, girls! And good luck Brynn! Only a few weeks to go, girl!

Always good to see my BFF!