Stillwagon Christmas Party 2012

We held our annual Christmas Party on Saturday, December 15th.  Every year we spend the day cooking and preparing for our friends to come over and then have a blast with them.  This year was no different, well, except that I felt like it was more of a mad dash to get everything done. :)  We spent Friday night grocery shopping for everything we needed.  Saturday at 9am we woke up and started prepping everything.  We didn't sit down except for a half hour to eat lunch.  It was non-stop until the last guest left.  We are SO thankful to all of our friends who came.  (Especially to the Whitworths who showed up a few minutes early to help us get ready.  Franklin helped Bryan move around some furniture that I couldn't assist with and Elizabeth helped me prep the last of the appetizers.  They're always a lifesaver!)

As is now tradition, we set up the photo booth!  This is always such a blast!!!  Here are just a few of the pics from that!  We definitely hope to keep this tradition going in the future - though, I'm not going to lie - next year may be a pot luck. :)

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19 weeks

Nineteen weeks!  This little boy sure does seem to be growing a lot lately.  There have been a few outfits I've put on and thought "that didn't use to fit like that"!  HA!  I couldn't be happier though - to know that he's growing big and strong.

We have been busy this week getting ready for the holidays, wrapping things up at work, and getting ready for our big Christmas trip!  We're headed out of the country again with the Whitworths, and couldn't be more thrilled about it.  We're going to spend a week exploring Vienna and Budapest - Eastern Europe here we come!

I'll post more later on our Christmas party, but for now here's a week 19 recap!

Symptoms:  I have started to experience some hip pain - mainly at night.  I knew this was coming, but I didn't anticipate it bothering me so much at night.  I've tried sleeping with a pillow in between my knees, but I may need to upgrade to the body pillow.  The irony of the body pillow - when Bryan and I first got married he was used to sleeping with a body pillow.  I insisted that he stop.  Two reason: 1. we have a queen bed and there isn't enough room and 2. I wanted him to cuddle with me instead. :)  I'm sure I will have to come up with some type of compromise when I pull that sucker out of the closet.

Best part of the week:  I've been feeling babywagon move a lot more lately.  For a few weeks now, I've felt tiny movements off and on, but it's becoming much more regular. It's still not huge movements as he's still very small, but I can definitely feel him moving.  This is by far the best part of being pregnant!!  There really aren't words to describe how wonderful it is!

Excited about:  Other than being obviously excited about the upcoming holidays, family coming into town, and our trip, I'm also excited about our Dr.'s appointment on Monday.  We have our last regularly scheduled ultrasound.  They'll (hopefully) confirm that babywagon in fact a little guy, as well as check to make sure everything is developing as it should.  I'm anxious to hear that he's healthy and growing, and I of course can't wait to see him again!

Nervous about:  I am a little bit nervous about the eating situation abroad.  There are a number of things that I can't eat, and need to learn how to say that in two other languages, and there are also a number of things that I'd just rather not eat. :) Needless to say, I'm going to pack a lot of pregnancy friendly snacks!

Current household obsession:  Bryan and I are both amazed at my belly button.  That's right - we are constantly assessing the state of my semi-innie belly button.  A few weeks ago I noticed that it was becoming flatter.  This was a huge shock to me.  For some reason I assumed the belly button wouldn't change for a long time.  I'm not sure why I thought that - clearly my belly is growing a lot.  Well, more recently we've noticed that the top part of it is starting to poke out a little bit.  We have a constant joke going on in our house regarding which next meal will make my belly button officially pop out.  Don't worry - I'll keep you updated. :)

Now for a 19 week pic!

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17 & 18 weeks

Time is flying by now.  I'm sure it has a lot to do with the holidays and the fact that we've been super busy with parties, trip planning, spending time with friends, and of course getting ready for this little one in any free time that we do have.  Things are still going great.  I feel very guilty when other pregnant women ask me how I'm feeling.  Other than the occasional exhaustion (saying tired is a true understatement - it's more like bone tired) I really feel great.  Believe me, I have not taken this for granted.  I am also fully aware that this could all very easily change in the third trimester, so I'm living it up now.  I've made a concerted effort to see friends as much as possible, stay up late, and do things like we've always done (case in point: our annual Christmas party - a whole post on that later).  So here's a quick recap of weeks 17 & 18. :)

Excited about: I'm so excited about the nursery and all the baby boy planning we get to do now.  Our little guy has already gotten some very thoughtful and adorable presents from some of our friends.  Every little thing we receive makes me all the more excited and makes it all feel more real!

Best moment:  Strangers have started to comment on my pregnancy.  I have decided this brings about the end of the chubby phase and beginning of the "I finally look pregnant phase".  :)  To me, this phase has been in the works for awhile, but it is of course much easier for me to see changes than it is for others.  I figure if a stranger will ask me when my due date is, then I must look fairly obviously pregnant.  This is a big moment people. I almost hugged the first poor woman who dared ask me this question.

Symptoms: Like I said, I really haven't had a whole lot so far.  Let's keep that streak going! 

Cravings: I get this question a ton.  I feel like everyone asks how I'm feeling and what I'm craving.  I don't know that I would necessarily say I'm craving a whole lot.  I definitely love pizza more than the average person, and I LOVE sweets - which is a little abnormal for me.  But as I said - that's just a clear indication that this little guy is taking after his dad. :)

Most dreaded question:   Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I do have a really hard time when people ask me if my parents are excited.  This question can come in so many different forms.  "Is this the first grandchild on your side?", "Are your parents so excited?"  "I'm sure your parents are so excited!"  I struggle with how to react to this.  I try and judge if it's someone who I should tell.  Normally, if it's someone that I don't know well (and likely won't know well), or if we're in a very public group setting, then I'll just roll with it and try desperately to change the subject.  On the other hand, if it's a friend who I've just never shared the story of my parents with, then I'll certainly tell them.  It's not that I mind talking or thinking about it.  My parents are always on my mind, so it's not necessarily  upsetting to me.  It's more that I feel badly that the person will feel uncomfortable or bad for me.  It's not normal to ask someone my age about her parents and have them respond by saying both of their parents have passed away.

Anyway, enough Debbie Downer for today!  Here's some pictures for your enjoyment!!!  Full disclosure: we forgot to take my 18 week pic over the weekend, so this was on Monday after work. :)

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15 & 16 weeks - it's a.......

Since I'm behind I decided to save time and combine posts. :)  First of all, Thanksgiving was awesome.  I love that we have a close-knit family that can survive 4 days of 12 people in one house and actually enjoy it! My favorite thing was just sitting around and talking.  We spent hours throwing out baby names (some good, some not so good), solving each other's life problems, catching up, and of course eating, eating, and more eating.  Oh, and you better bet I'm keeping a pair or two of maternity pants out for future Thanksgivings.  Elastic in your jeans on turkey day = genius.  Enough said.

As far as pregnancy updates - everything is going great!  I feel good, and have definitely gotten a lot of my energy back.  Which has been amazing!  A few weeks ago, right when I turned 15 weeks, we actually found out the baby's gender!!!  We had originally really wanted to be able to tell the family the gender at Thanksgiving, but my dr's office won't do an anatomy scan until 18-20 weeks.  After Bryan talked to some friends though, we found out that for not much money at all you can go to an independent ultrasound company and they will tell you the gender.  SCORE!  So we made an appointment for the day I turned 15 weeks - (Nov 15).  It took her awhile to get the baby in the right position.  She kept having me cough to get the baby to move around.  It was crazy to see how much the baby moved!! :)  After a few attempts she got the shot and it was very apparently a BOY!! :) We are just thrilled!

It's kind of funny, b/c most of the people who guessed said girl.  The people who were adamant though - were CERTAIN it was a boy.  Teresa, Matt, and Andy were all positive it was a boy.  As soon as Teresa and Matt saw the ultrasound they both separately were determined it was a boy.  I thought they were crazy, but they were very right.  As soon as Andy saw me for Thanksgiving he announced it was a boy.  He said he could tell by the way I was carrying it.  He also was right.  I had my hunches it was a girl; however, my main reason for thinking this was b/c of my insane appetite for sweets.  I have now realized this is because I am having a Stillwagon (with strong Keddington genes).  Have you met my husband??  Do you know anyone else who routinely orders dessert with lunch.  :)

It was so much fun telling family and friends our news!  We first got to tell a group of friends when we got together the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  We made some cupcakes with blue frosting in the middle and surprised them with them after lunch.  Everyone was very excited!  With family, we first told them on Wednesday that we knew the gender and kept them guessing until after our Thanksgiving meal.  I called it guessing, they called it torturing.  Same thing.  We ended up doing the same cupcake surprise with them after a couple other of our ideas fell through.  Jerene had carved out a hole in the bottom of her cupcake before anyone else could bite into theirs and announced that it was a boy!

Now we are busy planning the nursery and picking out names.  I'm so excited about the ideas we have and the direction we're going with the nursery.  Stay tuned - it's gonna be pretty awesome!

Here are a few Thanksgiving pictures:

On Wednesday we went on a five mile hike.  There was a little time spent hanging on trees.  Jessica was a little better than John at this particular activity. :) 

The dogs went with us too.  Tippy may have gotten into the water a time or two.  :)

At the end of the hike there was a big cliff to climb.  These were the brave few who made it to the top.  The rest of us hung out at the bottom. :)

The trip down was a little trickier than the trip up. 

Fried turkey anyone?  Mmmm

The annual tradition of ensuring no one has shrunk since last year. 

Grandpa Stillwagon needed to ensure he still had some height on David.

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!! 

YAY!!!! 

 And now for the weekly belly shots:

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Need a laugh?

I haven't forgotten about my 15 and 16 week posts.  I have it drafted, but I just haven't gotten around to getting the picture onto here.  In the meantime, I thought I should share one of my least favorite pregnancy symptoms: pregnancy brain (aka - pregnancy insanity).  It's no joke, folks.  Bryan can attest to this.  The following string of thoughts just literally went through my  head and I feel it necessary to share.

An example of how my brain works now:

I should take a break from this work and go to the bathroom - I think I just drank a gallon of water.
Did I remember to register for swaddles?  The velcro kind like Heather said.  What was that brand again?
That bill was high at my dr's appt today - I should double check it against my health insurance on-line thingy - what's that called again?
I really need to finish auditing this accrued tax liability rollforward.
Summary of benefits - that's the on-line health thingy
I haven't heard back from Rhonda about cleaning the Habersham house.  I should follow-up.
Didn't I order some maternity clothes recently - I wonder when they'll come in?
Crap - I think I just printed something 45 minutes ago and left it on the printer.
I'm hungry.


If you say something to me and I appear to not be paying attention, it's b/c there's a whole lot going on up there right now.  And I will almost definitely forget whatever you're telling me.  I sincerely apologize.  I really hate it when people don't appear to be paying me attention when I'm telling them something or if they don't remember what I told them.  It doesn't mean I don't care about you - it just means I have a lot on my mind.  Bryan and I like to joke that this is going to be one very smart baby b/c it sure is taking away all of my brain!

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14 Weeks!

Now that I'm all caught up on posting all the drafts I had written, we can now jump right into the present. :) 14 weeks!!!  I can now say that time is flying.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and I dare say May will be here before we know it.  That's terrifying.

Excited about:  I'm super excited (and slightly impatient) to find out the gender!  As I've said, I really don't care either way, but it will be so exciting to buy things and plan the nursery, etc!!!  I'm also really excited about seeing family over Thanksgiving.  I just love this time of year.  Thanksgiving and then Christmas time?!? What more could a girl ask for? 

Anxious about:  I don't feel anxious about too much right now to be honest.  I do occasionally feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done (hormones much?).  But in general, I know we have plenty of time to get it all completed. 

Pregnancy Symptoms:  Being tired exhausted is probably my number one symptom.  I was experiencing headaches and congestion, but I think that drinking more water and sleeping with a humidifier at night have made both of these MUCH better!  Oh, and I have this symptom where my tummy pokes out....I'm getting used to it. :)

Current gender prediction:  I'm still thinking girl, but as I told Bryan - I wouldn't be surprised if it's a boy.  You know, 50/50 shot, right? :)  We definitely have a few friends weighing in on their predictions.  So far it's family/friends - 2 boy, 1 girl.

Currently Reading: In addition to my Pregnancy Journal, I'm also reading Mommy IQ by Rosie Pope and trying to find time to read the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy.  I may need to take some time off work just to read all these books.  Oh, and in my spare time I keep up with What to Expect When You're Expecting.

And now for a few pictures:

Think the 12 week picture looks bigger?  That my friends is the result of a good old pregnancy friend: bloat.  The 12 week picture was taken on a day that started at 4:30am.  We drove from Brunswick to Atlanta in order to make it back to Atlanta in time for Will's baptism.  So that picture was after a very early morning, and basically a whole day's worth of food.  So that's bloat for you (and exhaustion - look tired much?). :)  The 14 week picture is much more true to size as of now.  Can't wait to see what it looks like after Thanksgiving!! haha

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10 weeks

Originally written 10/15/12

Technically today is 10 weeks 4 days, but who's counting?!!? Oh, right - I am.  I have to report that (today, at least) I am feeling pretty darn good.  This past Saturday I learned a very important lesson - I can actually overdo it.  I had a very fun shower from about 12-3pm, drove home and immediately changed and went to Jazzoo (a fundraiser for the zoo that Bryan was shooting).  I was there until about 10:30pm when Rusty and Kirsten were kind enough to drive me home.  I woke up the next morning feeling pretty sick and had a terrible headache.  Thankfully though, yesterday was very lowkey and I was able to rest back up.  I actually ended up meal planning (with the help of Bryan of course), going to the grocery store and making chocolate chip cookies after dinner.  I seem to be finding some of my energy finally returning to me. 

I figure I can now start doing a little Q&A section to get some of my thoughts out.  So here goes:

Weeks: 10

Most excited about: There are so many things I'm excited about.  Right now, I'm really looking forward to seeing the little bebe at our next ultrasound on the 29th.  I'm also eagerly anticipating hearing that all is well, and maybe, just maybe talking the ultrasound tech into guessing the gender. :)

Currently Reading: My pregnancy journal that Bonney bought me.  Every night I can read about how the baby has grown that day.  I'll normally read it to Bryan too.  He actually puts his book down and listens. :)

Current gender prediction: Growing up, I always thought I'd have a girl first.  I'm fairly certain that's what all little girls think.  A few years ago, I was convinced that Bryan and I would have a boy first.  When I got pregnant, I just knew it was a girl.  Two nights ago I dreamed it was a boy.  So honestly, I have no idea - and I really have no preference.  There are things I would be really excited about with either gender, and also things that terrify me.  What I really want is a healthy, happy baby.  The gender is of no real consequence.  But don't worry - we're totally finding out.  I need to be able to pick out a name, decorate a nursery, and buy a ridiculous amount of baby items. :)

Current name choices: There's a list, but I'm not sharing....how's that for keeping you guessing?

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Spreading the news

Originially written 10/2/12

Let me just say that one of the most fun parts of this pregnancy so far has been sharing the news with our family and closest friends.  After our ultrasound last Wednesday, we finally felt comfortable enough to talk specifics about how we wanted to share the news.  We had already invited Bryan's parents and sister up to the mountains for the weekend in hopes that we would get great news at our ultrasound and be able to tell them that weekend.  It was so much fun surprising them!!!  We've done our very best to try and share the news face to face as much as possible.  If not in person, than at least through Skype or FaceTime - the wonders of modern technology!  There were a few people that we had to call on the phone though, which was still really exciting.  But for those that were on Facetime, we caught some pretty great reactions.  I'll share a few superlatives with you as well as some great pictures!

Most priceless delayed reaction: Andy and Jerene

This was as we were telling them.  Bryan said "Everybody smile", and I said "because we're having a BABY!!"  (I'm mid "baby" here)

Amy immediately got it.  Andy and Jerene however were still posing for the picture.  They later informed us they thought we were just joking to get them to smile. :) 

Wait - what? 

Are you serious???

NOW they get it! :) 

Hugs and tears all around! 

Loudest scream: Anissa

Most tears: Grandpa Keddington

Best 70's throwback Skype session: Grandma and Grandpa Stillwagon

Longest staredown of the midsection BEFORE we even shared the news: Andrea Watson

Apparently thought on multiple occasions we were going to break the news: Franklin Whitworth.  His assumptions included one time when we passed him on their road (total coincidence) and he thought we had just left their house after delivering balloons to tell them we were pregnant. ;)  Quite the imagination Mr Whitworth.

Best accusation that the spouse already knew (for the record - he did not already know): Bonney

Most difficult to get in touch with to tell:  I'm going to say it's a tie between Kris and Susan.  I ended up just having to tell Kris on the phone.

Last to know because they were in a foreign country: Rusty and Kirsten (who travel the world to cool places like South Africa)

update:  Most sympathetic reaction:  Teresa (she actually had sympathy morning sickness after hanging up the phone) :)

update: I didn't even have to say a word: Nipa.  (Backstory - I texted her to see if she was going to be at work tomorrow.  When she said no I asked if she was free b/c she has two little ones at home and I didn't want to disturb her, but I did want to tell her on the phone.  This was her response.  Priceless.  (I did call her before sending her the ultrasound pic :) )

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Heartbeat

Originally written 9/26/12

I've heard people say before that hearing their baby's heartbeat for the first time is the most beautiful sound in the world.  Can I please just go ahead and say a big ole' amen to that one?  Today was our pregnancy confirmation appointment.  I picked Bryan up outside of his office at 10:30 and we made our way to the doctor's office for our 11:00 ultrasound appointment followed by an 11:30 doctor's appointment.  I was nervous, yet I felt a reassuring sense of peace.  I reminded myself that I have been in the room when doctors have delivered life altering news.  The worst thing that I could find out today was that I wasn't going to have a baby this May.  We had gotten pregnant in the first place, so I wasn't going to hear that we could never have a baby.  Whatever they had to say, I could take it.  I may not like it, but God's plan is always so much better than ours. 

So there we were.  In the waiting room of the ultrasound office.  My doctor's office had given me a ton of paperwork to fill out, so I got busy doing that and Bryan played around on his phone.  We ended up waiting an excrutiating 50 minutes - they were having some sort of issue with someone.  So I did my best to wait patiently, realizing that someone else was likely  having a much worse day than mine.  We finally got called back and I got all situated.  She was very gracious in not making us wait for the good news.  Almost as soon as she started, she said a little congratulatory "oh yay!", and then flipped the switch so we could hear the heartbeat.  It was CRAZY.  Completely crazy.  This little person growing inside of me that is almost the size of a green olive has a HEARTBEAT.  That blows my mind.  And a very strong heartbeat at that - 167 bpm.  Then she turned the monitor around and let us see what she was seeing.  It's really just a blob on the screen - but you could see the heartbeat flickering.  It was amazing.  I looked over at Bryan and the amount of love I felt at that moment was intense.  I was pretty sure I would start ugly crying right there.  Everything measured perfectly and after quite a few tears and congratulations, I got dressed and we headed over to the doctor's office (just across the hall). 

Once we got over to the doctor's office, my nurse immediately asked to see the picture of our little peanut.  She's so sweet, and has been so kind to me each time I'm in the office.  She weighed me, took my blood pressure and explained what our doctor's visit would be like.  Mainly just talking and asking questions.  Dr. Lawson then came and got us with a big smile on her face.  I felt like both Dr. Lawson and Kimberly were genuinely happy for us!  Dr. Lawson explained that everything on the ultrasound looked perfect and told us that after a strong heartbeat the chance of miscarriage decreases from 25% to only 3%.  Of course things can still happen, but they are much less likely.  I felt a HUGE sense of relief and peace.  We talked a lot more about what I can and cannot do, she explained how my appointments will go, and what kinds of screenings I can get.  I then asked her my list of questions, and she walked us up to the front to make our next appointment.  I think I literally skipped out of the office.  Bryan and I just gave each other big goofy smiles.  And then we ate mexican for lunch.  Typical.

Now comes the really fun part.  The part I've been thinking about and waiting for ever since we started talking about having a baby.  Telling people.  I literally wanted to call every single person I know on the way from the doctor's office to lunch.  Which was only approximately 2 minutes.  Instead, we crafted our plans.  We want it to be special.  We've waited five years to have a baby, and our family and friends have waited with us.  Never bugging us. Never asking questions.  So we will do our very best to make this a special memory for them as well. 

And to end on a good note - a picture for you.  First an ultrasound pic, then a belly pic.  We'll take these weekly from now on.

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6 Weeks

Originally written 9/13/12

My blood results came back last week and in the words of my nurse (I knew it was good news when the nurse called and not the doctor) "everything looks GREAT!" Whew!  Mark that one off the list.  I have to say though, it has been nervewracking thus far.  I'm doing my very darndest to be in the moment, thankful, and happy.  90% of the time I'm successful.  The other 10% of the time I'm paranoid and terrified of a miscarriage.  I don't know why though - I've been through worse.  I know we can get pregnant.  And all along I've had this overwhelming peace that no matter what happens in terms of fertiility - we will have children.  But I guess this is just what you do.  You worry. 

I've always thought 6 weeks would feel different.  Well, today is officially 6 weeks, and it has felt different.  I do feel a certain sense of calm now.  I feel more confident.  I also feel nauseated and exhausted.  Let me be clear though - it hasn't been terrible. Last night was pretty rough though.  I needed to clean out the fridge b/c Bryan's out of town and he's coming home tonight as well as we have family coming into town.  When we had the Andersons over to watch the Mizzou game I made a 7 layer greek dip.  Let me tell you - I devoured that stuff.  It has set in the fridge ever since though b/c I just didn't think it sounded very appetizing.  So last night I needed to put the rest down the disposal.  Okay - clearly food aversion has become my new friend.  I literally stood over the sink gagging from the smell of it.  I thought I was going to lose my cookies.  I had to cover my mouth and nose up with my shirt while I disposed of the leftovers.  If they wouldn't have been in my very favorite serving dish I would have thrown the whole thing away.  I had to evacuate the downstairs for the rest of the night after that.  I then proceeded to go to bed at 9:00 and then have the most messed up dream I've ever had.  I woke up half crying half gasping for air and Bailey was looking at me with serious concern on his face.  So I chilled out, went to the bathroom (of course b/c I can't sleep through the night without getting up to pee anymore) and then spent the next 2 hours trying to fall back asleep.

Today has been much better.  I haven't almost lost my lunch yet, and other than being tired, I feel okay.  I've heard symptoms tend to come in waves.  Bring it on.  Now I just eagerly await my first real appointment on the 26th!

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Two lines

Originally written 9/4/12

It didn't happen how I had planned.  Does it ever?  First of all, I was out of town.  It was the day before I flew home from Denver and we left work early that day.  Since we weren't able to fly home early we decided to reward ourselves by leaving the facility early (don't worry - we were done with all of our work).  I went back to the hotel room and took a nap.  I don't normally nap.  So when I woke up I thought....hmmm...this is kinda crazy, but maybe I'll take a pregnancy test.  I had packed one with me to take the morning I flew home.  I figured whether I was or wasn't, maybe it was best to find out when I had some time to digest the news instead of jumping in a car to head to the airport.  So I peed on a stick.  Almost immediately two pink lines showed up.  I double checked it.  I re-read to ensure that two lines in fact meant I was pregnant (as if I could possibly have it wrong after months of taking these ridiculously frustrating tests).  I then checked it again.  Then I started crying.  Ugly cry - right there in the bathroom of the Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver.  And I was praying.  Thanking God for this miracle of life.  I was shocked, excited, happy, but mostly at peace.  I cried, prayed, and continued to re-check it.  Then I took a picture so I could remember that moment. 

My next thought was how in the world to tell Bryan.  I wanted so badly to tell him in person.  The problem was that once I got home on Friday we had about a half an hour for me to unpack/repack before we left for the lake with the Whitworths.  I didn't want to spring it on him before a three day trip where we couldn't even talk about it.  So I decided to tell him on the phone.  I know, not ideal at all....but sometimes you work with what you're given.  So I decided that I would FaceTime him.  It was about 6:00 eastern time when I tried to get in touch with him.  He didn't answer, so I sent him a text to call me when he could.  He called back about an hour later and we talked to a bit before I flipped the camera around to show him the test.  He was so excited!!!

We also told Bailey who immediately ran out of the room b/c I said something about Will and so he went downstairs to see if he was there...haha!

I know it didn't really hit him at the time, but he was very excited.  We're both quite guarded about this news.  We spent the whole weekend with the Whitworths and didn't say a word. We just don't want to say a word until we hear the baby's heartbeat.  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to have my blood drawn.  They want to check my progesterone levels and do a beta HCG test.  My confirmation appointment has been made for Sept 26. 

Right now, I just feel beyond blessed.  No matter what happens, I know that God has given us this experience for a reason. So for now I'm drinking tons of water and trying to get lots of rest.  And smiling.  A lot. 

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Our little pumpkin

The news is finally out!!  Most of you have known for quite a while, but I didn't want to put anything on the internet until after our 12 week appointment (which was on Monday).  Thankfully, all went very well at our appointment on Monday and now we can tell the world!  Monday was so great - we got to spend a lot of time looking at the baby on the ultrasound monitor.  It was crazy how much he/she has grown since the 8 week appointment.  Check it out!  The top picture is from our 8 week appointment (technically 7 weeks 6 days) and the bottom if from our 12 week appointment (12 weeks 4 days).

I was feeling great before the ultrasound, but of course in that .5 second between when she starts the ultrasound and says something you hold your breath.  Thankfully, she immediately said, "well, there's definitely a baby in there!"  And then she showed us and I immediately said a prayer of thanks and shared a smile with Bryan.  The baby is doing great! All the measurements they took came back fine, and though we don't know the results of all my blood tests yet, we have no reason to think anything is abnormal.  The baby was definitely moving around a lot and kind of doing the worm with its little body.  A couple of times it kind of catapulted itself up and then bounced around for a bit.  It was hilarious!  When we got back over to our regular nurse and she looked at the ultrasound pictures she said "That baby is BIG!!  Is it sucking it's thumb?!?"  Hahah - I think it was just a zoomed in and very clear picture. :)

I should also say that I apologize for completely ignoring the blog.  I was afraid I would say something so I just didn't say anything at all. :)  BUT I have been writing lots of blog posts and leaving them in draft form to hopefully post later.  So I'll start sharing some of those (hopefully) tomorrow.  I wanted to be sure to document lots of my thoughts and the things we've been experiencing.  Both for us and for the baby as he/she grows up!

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Home Sweet Home!

I got home from Denver last Friday and have been enjoying knowing I don't have any more big work trips in my future!!!  WOOHOO!  I am going to Florida for a night or two at the end of October, but I don't really feel like that counts.  Funny what a little change in perspective can do.  It has been so nice being home.  Even better is that I came home to a BEAUTIFUL porch remodel that my hubby (along with the help of some of our wonderful friends) put together.  It looks absolutely beautiful and we've been enjoying many nights swinging on the new porch swing.  I'll post pictures soon.

Other than enjoying being home, we've been busy seeing friends and making the most of these last few days of summer.  We went to the lake and UGA game with the Whitworths last weekend, and we're having the Andersons over tomorrow to watch this week's game.  I do love football season!  Now I'm just ready for that crisp fall weather.  It's getting close - you can feel it at night.  Bryan's actually going out of town for work next week - what a change, huh?  He's leaving for LA on Sunday and comes back on Thursday.  I'm excited that he gets the opportunity to not sit behind his desk for a little bit.  A touch of work travel is never a bad thing - it's fun to mix things up.  So while he's gone I'll do my best to put together a few picture filled blog posts.  Until then - enjoy the weekend!

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Mile High Girls' Weekend

I have the coolest sister-in-law ever!  That's right.  She flew all the way out to Denver to meet me for a girl's weekend and let me tell you - we had a BLAST!  I'm out here for two weeks for work, and a few months ago we started talking about the possibility of her flying out here the weekend in between. We went to see a Beatles Tribute Band (1964) Friday night at Red Rocks Amphitheater.  The amphitheater was absolutely beautiful, and it turns out I know pretty much every single word to every Beatles song.  And Amy knows almost none.  Oops - we went for the view anyway. :)  The next morning we slept in, and then had a delicious breakfast at a local creperie before spending the entire day shopping!  The hotel is right next to an amazing shopping area, so you know we went in every single store.  We even took in a movie before heading to our 9:00 reservations at an amazing restaurant.  We had so much fun.  I feel very fortunate to have a sister-in-law that I'm so close too.  We talked almost non-stop all weekend, and covered pretty much every single topic under the sun.  Hopefully we'll get the chance to have many more girls' weekends in the future.  Here are a few pictures from my iPhone:

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Bedroom Remodel

This time last year I was on my "sabbatical" and my numero uno project was redoing our bedroom.  Though I finished it in my two week time period, I did not blog about it...until now.  There's no reason aside from laziness, but when I was talking to Anissa while we were in Wheaton it occurred to me that she hadn't seen it.  It also occurred to me there are lots of other family members who haven't seen it - so without further adieu here you go!

I failed to take before pictures of our room, but I have scrounged up a few examples of what the room looked like when the old owner lived here.  Our room looked virtually the same.  We had the same furniture layout, and very similar wood furniture.  As you can see below, this room had a strong theme before the remodel: dark.

Brown walls + wood furniture + wood blinds = way too much darkness.  Granted, when we first moved in I was fine with it.  The brown walls went well with our brown and white bedding and given all the other changes we wanted to make in the house this seemed like the least of our worries.  It worked just fine, and it functioned great right up until I realized we needed a change.  Then I couldn't work fast enough to change things around.  I wanted to brighten up the room and make it to where you could actually enjoy the windows.  So I changed a few things, and voila!

 

Okay, so maybe I changed pretty much everything....  The wall color actually came from the fabric that I was originally going to use to make the duvet cover.  I decided to purchase one instead of make it b/c the fabric was expensive and it would cost the same to buy the one I liked.....and I didn't have the time to make it in my two week time period.  I'm not superwoman.  Yet.  The swatch of the fabric I originally planned to use is actually framed in our room (you can see it in the second picture).

I did this whole room in two weeks and on a budget.  And yes, I painted it all by myself....while Bryan was at work....without telling him.  I'm such a rebel.  The movement of the bed was actually on accident.  While I was painting, I moved it to the middle of the room.  That night we pushed it up against the wall to go to bed and realized that it opened the room up and also highlighted the windows. Score!

We made the headboard ourselves.  It was actually really easy, and I'm so happy with the results.  Buying a fabric headboard is crazy expensive, so I'm pretty impressed with our $100 version.  All the remaining furniture is either a Craigslist purchase (the dresser) or a great find from antique shopping (the side tables).  The most expensive part by far was the purchase of the curtains.  We needed 7 curtains for our room and those puppies aren't cheap.  Thankfully we saved enough money on everything else that we still came in on budget.  Overall, I'm incredibly happy with the changes we made.  The room feels very peaceful now, and is actually a nice place to be.

So there you have it - our bedroom remodel!  I can now mark one thing off the blogging to-do list.

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