Out with the old, in with the New Year.

2012 has been an incredible year for me. I welcomed the year with being pregnant until Gracie May made her big debut on June 3rd and ever since then, time has just been flying at warp speed. She will be seven months old in three days and she always continues to amaze and awe me. Her big smile has melted my heart since the first time she flashed one at me and I still melt when she does. I always joke that when she smiles like that, she'll be able to get whatever she wants. Seriously.

While I was driving home earlier, I was thinking how much I have changed in just a year. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life. We have been so blessed this year with many things, from both of our businesses thriving to a new home to raise Gracie in and simply being happy and healthy.

Resolution is defined as a firm decision to do or not to do something. This is one of my resolutions for 2013.

Something else I am firmly deciding to do is to not apologize for how I am feeling about any particular situation. Over time, I have learned that I can't help how I feel and if you can't help something, why should you have to apologize? I'm also going to practice not comparing myself to others, whether it be in life or photography. I found a thing on Pinterest one time that said to compare yourself to the photographer you used to be and I like that idea and I think that it works on all aspects of life. And, I plan on supporting Josh 100% as he goes to college this semester and I will help him in every aspect that I can.

Now, here are some of my goals for 2013. If I meet them, yay. If not, no biggie.

Drink more water & try some new & healthy foods every now and then.
Book twice as many weddings as I did this year.
Make time to read more & write.
Not be on my phone so much.
Get rid of some of my old clothes....to make room for new ones. lol.
Update the Holly Belle website with my latest work.
Keeping the house nice and organized.
On warm days, take Gracie for a walk in her stroller at the park.
As soon as Gracie starts walking, take her to the zoo.
Complete some Pinterest projects.
Learn to cook something other than boxed dinner.

My favorite songs that I fell in love with and played like a broken record in 2012:
The Black Keys: Lonely Boy
Cake: Long Time
Collective Soul: Shine
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Home
Fun: We Are Young
Gloriana: Kissed You (Good Night)
Joshua Radin: Friend Like You
The Lumineers: Hey Ho
Of Monsters & Men: Little Talks
Miiike Snow: Animal
Mumford & Sons: I Will Wait, Ghosts That We Knew
Nicki Minaj: Starships
Rocky Votolato: White Daisy Passing
The Shins: Simple Song
Young the Giant: Cough Syrup

Favorite movies of 2012:
The Dark Knight Rises
The Vow
This Means War
Take Me Home
The Hunger Games
What To Expect When You're Expecting
The Avengers
Lawless
Pitch Perfect
21 Jump Street
Looper
Snow White and the Huntsman

And some of my favorite photos from 2012. :)

Thinking of winter...

Here in the last few days with the cold weather moving in and the scent of the heater kicking on the evening, I have been reminded of past winters and Christmases with our families. Sometimes there is a sadness in remembering the winters that have passed because I always think of Megan. I often wonder if it will always be like that when the warm fades to cold. In the same instance of being sad, though, I can find happy memories in the cold, too. Like how this Halloween will be my eight year anniversary with Josh. I remember clear as day our first date that night and exactly how I felt when he looked at me because I still get that same electric feeling. I was in love with him before I even realized it. Eight years have passed so quickly and so much has happened since that first date, so many other firsts, the best of them all, our beautiful Gracie. Fall weather also reminds me of when I got pregnant with Gracie and I'm sure when summer comes around, it will remind me of when she was born.

Adventures in Gracieland

 

She is our little morning baby.

Even in just a couple of weeks, Gracie went and changed on us again. She is officially the queen of rolling. At first, she could only roll from her back to her stomach and then she was stuck. Now, she can roll from her stomach to her back, but she can only roll in one direction since one of her arms is stronger than the other. It's quite comical. One minute, she's in the middle of the blanket and we look up briefly and then look back down to find her in between my chair and the recliner.

She thinks Daddy is the most hilarious and the most interesting. I love watching her watch him as he gets excited during a football game or when he plays games with her. Her favorite game right now is when he scares her; you would think she would cry, but she just laughs and laughs and she even giggles in anticipation of being scared.

I have really missed Gracie this weekend. Weekends are her time with Daddy because that's when I book the majority of my photo sessions. They just sit together in his chair and he plays video games, watches movies or just plays with her for a long time. He'll even get on the floor with her and play with her and roll and slide her around everywhere. She is definitely his little buddy. He thinks that she will love watching football with him because she'll be excited to see Daddy so worked up over the game. I completely envision them yelling at the TV together. 

I miss living in an actual house, especially the one on Pennsylvania because in that house was where we had our sweet talk about wanting to start trying to have a baby. That's where all of my visions of our children grew. I imagined a child running around the fenced in backyard, playing with bubbles and Bruno. I saw a blond child sitting on the steps of the porch in front of the house, reading a book or watching the cars go by or the sun flicker away. Don't get me wrong, we are incredibly blessed to be in this apartment and to have found it so quickly after the tornado. It's just never where I envisioned raising a child. But, at the same time, it is our home. I have "my" chair and Josh has "his" seat. I created Gracie's room in this apartment and she'll be able to look back on the photographs of her very first bedroom that was Alice in Wonderland themed. We spend all of our mornings cuddling and playing with Gracie in our king sized bed as the light tries to peek through our only bedroom window that we've shielded with a thick blanket. This apartment is where I was in labor for three days, standing in the dining room swaying through the pain or curling over the couch to try to find some relief and try to sleep for just a few minutes. We brought Gracie home to this apartment, scared and worried about our first night home. 

While we have all of these beautiful memories at the apartment, I can't wait to buy a house and make it our own. I want Gracie to have any kind of room she wants; maybe something with a little reading nook or a big chest with costumes and dresses so she can be a princess or anything she wants to be for the day. And I want a big back yard with a pool big enough for Gracie to love and enjoy and swim like a little fish. I also want to be those people that leave Christmas lights up all year. Josh seems to be under the impression that he would never put up Christmas lights on the house, but maybe it'll sound better if Gracie asks him with those eyes so that he can't say no. I also want lots of big windows to let all of the sunlight fill up the house.I know some of these things are not very luxurious; I just want some small simple things for Gracie to look back on when she's older and hopefully say what a fun childhood she had.

It amazes me how much I want for her. I find myself blowing through paychecks and being broke incredibly soon because I want Gracie to have everything. Everyone around me is the same way. Her Nana always brings her new clothes and stuffed animals. Her Grandma Gigi has a house full of toys, including a bouncy house, that she's not even big enough to use yet. If she is crying, Daddy will immediately pick her up, play with her or cuddle with her. He has said before that he knows she'll be able to get anything she wants and all it will take is her huge smile.

Every day has such new meaning to me these days. Gracie and I have what I call our girls days while Daddy is at work and we just hang out together. She watches cartoons long enough for me to eat a quick breakfast. We play and giggle and eat throughout the day. Most days, we do lunch with Grandma Gigi's work or somewhere in town. Sometimes we go shopping at thrift stores or the grocery stores. I love how she is when we are riding around in the car. One minute, she is alert and looking around and the next, she is passed out asleep. Sometimes she'll sleep through Wal Mart or whatever store I'm in and she just completely surprises me by that. As long as she has eaten something and doesn't have a dirty diaper, she loves to be out and about.

{InsMOMnia}

It's 6:30am. I heard Gracie rustling around and talking to herself around 5:30am. We did our usual routine; I said hiiiiiii to her in my soft silly voice, changed her diaper, laid her down with daddy while I prepared her early first breakfast, fed her and then put her back to sleep in her crib. She is developing such a personality in everything, even when she sleeps. Her new thing is to roll on her side immediately after we've put her on her back. For the past week, she has ended up on her stomach in the mornings. I think she might be a stomach sleeper like me. Although right now, she hates it because she doesn't have the arm strength to roll back over, so she gets a little Hulk angry when that happens.

After I put her back in her crib to go to sleep, I laid in bed and played on my phone for a bit, listening for Gracie to make sure she had fallen asleep. I know I shouldn't do this because then all the synapses start firing off in my brain and I can't stop thinking about EVERYTHING. It's like trying to wind down at the end of the night all over again and my brain goes off on all kinds of tangents. Some of those tangents include: what I want to make for breakfast in the morning, is the weather going to be cool enough for a cardigan today, is my truck going to be up and running, my face feels gross because I forgot to wash my makeup off before going to bed, backtracking throughout driving the last few days and trying to think if I saw any new & neat spots for photos, thinking it's been too long since I've had Hackett Hot Wings, wanting an iPhone, needing to get chalkboard paint and frames for Saturday, how ratty my hair feels from having it curled earlier, needing some new pillows and suspicious that Josh took one of my "good pillows," and then the one that got me out of bed this morning, "I haven't written anything in a long time. Why not write at 6:30am while everyone is asleep?"

I like to think my best thoughts usually come to me when I am going to bed late or in the wee hours of the morning around this time. I don't get to write weekly like I did when I was pregnant and I wish I could because I don't want to forget the pretty bitty baby years. I think that's why I take so many pictures because they can convey what I want to express without having to sit for thirty minutes or an hour to write out what going through this mind.

I have been awake to see the sunrise turn from blue to pink to red in the mornings after feeding Gracie, but I've only got to see it through slitted, blurry eyes. Now I am sitting her in "my" chair and watching the sunrise change through the closed blinds in the living room. I remember when I was working this time last year and driving to work into the sunrise. And now, here I sit a year later, enjoying it in the comfort of my own warm home. It's truly amazing how life can be so different in just a year, in nine months, in three and a half months, in three days.

Gracie is ever changing. Just when we think we have her figured out, she goes and changes, and again it takes us quite some time to try to "get" her. Each new stage makes me forget the last one. My favorite is all of the smiles and real reactions to people. I can vaguely remember what it was like when we would get a gassy, not so genuine smile. Now, she reacts with a smile and cooing to voices and faces, especially her daddy. When he gets off work, she is all smiles and he holds her and plays with her the rest of the night. I hear her talk with him more at night than I do the entire day.

Our tiny little 13ish, possibly 14ish pound creature has made us ever changing, too. I have exchanged a non-mom faux tan leather purse for a bulky green and brown diaper bag that has on occasion held clothes soaked in pee, diapers that can't be disposed of till a later moment, spit up covered blankies, teething tablets, tylenol, and hand sanitizer. Gone are the days of carrying anything I wanted in my monster purse, like my old iPod, a book to read if I am bored waiting somewhere, a journal for random thoughts, oodles and oodles of old Christmas/birthday cards, "important" mail or things I needed to keep/remember for later. A lot of these things would be forgotten about and rediscovered later. Now, everything in the diaper bag has a purpose and a need. When we prepare to go somewhere, even the store, it's like preparing for battle. Formula: check. Change of clothes for baby: check. Socks and pants in case it is cold at the house we go to: check. Sunscreen: check. Butt paste if bitty gets a stealthy diaper rash: check. At least TEN diapers: CHECK. That last one is a big one because one day, she went through five diapers in a matter of half an hour to forty five minutes. You learn (okay, I have learned) to get past poop with a quick glance and I move on with my life. Not my husband...poop and spit up still repulse him and get him gagging like a cat dealing with a hairball. Granted, yes, there are some not so great dirty diapers that are literally exploding out the sides, but that's the beauty of wipes: you can use as many as needed. At least Gracie is a lady about it and she crosses her legs when her "business" is happening.

Gracie is utterly beautiful and magnificent to me. Everything she does is fascinating. I cried yesterday morning when she put her hands around her bottle and held it herself. I got weepy about a week ago one morning when we found her sleeping on her stomach. She had rolled from her back to her stomach and we didn't get to see it because we were sleeping. Now, when we're awake and she's lying on one of us, she is always try to roll away. I look back at old pictures, I say old being three and a half months, and I am in awe at how much she has grown. Her skin isn't red and squishy anymore. Now she is porcelain with soft cheeks. Her hair has changed from almost jet black to strawberry curly blonde. And her eyes...wow. So blue. She is so aware of everything around her and if we are someplace new, she is absolutely awake and looking around at all of her unfamiliar surroundings.

I heard Josh's alarm go off about twenty minutes ago. Mornings are Gracie's happiest time and my favorite time. If Josh is still here when she wakes up in the morning, I get Gracie out of the crib and bring her in our bed with us to play. She sits on my stomach and smiles while I nibble on her toes. When she hears daddy's deep voice, she shakes with excitement and puts her hands to her face, hiding her big toothless smile. He'll hold her to his chest or high up in the air and she just coos and laughs at him. Morning are what I live for and what I love. I dream of the time when she can get out of bed herself and crawl into bed with us. Right now when she does occasionally sleep with us, we have her in between us. I bet when she's older and comes to our bed in the mornings, she will go to her daddy's side.

{Almost three months old}

Eleven weeks ago, Gracie rocked our world and completely changed our lives for the better. I had no idea that I would love her so much or that she would love us so much. I can't help but laugh when she cries to be held by one of us and as soon as we pick her up, she gives a gummy grin. Josh loves playing with her and doing whatever he can to make her smile. And she just talks up a storm to him. I can't get over how much she's changed in three months and she has so much personality.

Some of the nicknames we have come up with for her are:
Bubbles (Josh calls her that because of her spit bubbles that she creates)
Gracie May May
Punky Doodle
Pretty Bitty
Munchkin

Her favorite sounds are white noise and train sounds that are on the white noise app. She loves looking at the wall by her changing table, where all the teapots and "book" shelves sit. Her eyes wander to the colors and when I turn on the machine in her room that creates images on the ceiling. These are things I want to remember years from now when she's running all over the place and I'm trying to keep up with her changes everyday.

I was re-reading past blogs that I wrote during my pregnancy. Gracie is more magical than we could have ever imagined. I know it's cheesy to say, but she is our reason for everything. I simply want to give her everything the world has to offer and I want to give her all of my love. I think she makes me a better person and helps me grow. Not only would I give up anything and anyone for her, but I have sacrificed things for her and will do so for the rest of my life. If I have to choose, Gracie will always win and that's the way it should be; I'm just glad I realized it before she got shortchanged. She will get every little bit of me and I want every little bit of her; especially those cute little toesies that I love to kiss! I know someday, though, she won't let me kiss those toesies or hug her all the time, so I better get all the snuggles in while I can.

Gracie's Birth Story

At 2:30am on Thursday, May 31st, I was hit with my first hard, real contraction. I knew it wasn't a Braxton Hicks contraction because it woke me up from my slumber. They started coming every 20 minutes and throughout the day, progressed to every ten minutes. Around 1am on Friday, they were five minutes apart, and like anyone that has read What to Expect When You're Expecting, we knew what was coming: the trip to the hospital. So, with the suitcase already in the trunk, we drove to Freeman Health System hospital to the birthing center. They rushed me back right away and hooked me up to everything. I was giddy with excitement, thinking that we were going to be meeting our baby girl soon. They checked me and said that I was dilated to 4 centimeters. They kept me for an hour to see if I would progress more and to my dismay, I did not. The nurse told me that it was not active labor and sent us home, saying to come back when the contractions were three to five minutes apart. I went the entire next day with contractions coming every five minutes and they came hard every single time. I couldn't stand, sit, lie or do anything comfortably. The only thing that seemed to help even the slightest was standing with both my hands on a chair for support and swaying my hips during each contraction. Friday evening rolled around and my contractions started coming three to five minutes apart, so we made our way to the hospital, like the nurses instructed. The nurse that came in that night was pregnant as well and when she checked me and said  I was ONLY a four, I was flustered and just wanted to cry. She also kindly informed me, "Uh, your contractions are only going to get worse." Gee, thanks, like I didn't know that. *dirty stare paired up with the stink eye* Once again, we went home disappointed and anxious, wondering when we were supposed to go the hospital the next time and I worried I would be having a baby in our apartment.

I hadn't slept since Wednesday, so I finally took some Tylenol PM and got about three hours of surprisingly decent sleep. I woke up and my contractions calmed down enough to where I was able to eat and drink something and somewhat relax. But, it seemed as soon as I was completely relaxed, the contractions came full force again around five pm ish. I started writing down how far apart they were, starting from seven minutes, to five, to three...Josh left for the store at 6:30pm and was gone no more than twenty minutes and my contractions started coming one to two minutes apart. I was in complete panic when that happened. So, when he finally returned, I told him they were one minute apart and we booked it back up to the hospital. Josh became skeptical on the drive over because my contractions became sporadic as soon as we got in the car. He wouldn't say it out loud that he thought it was false again because he probably knew I would punch him in the face if he did. We did the routine check in that we had been used to the last three days and I think we were both expecting that I would still be dilated to 4cm when they checked me. The nurse came in at 7:30pm, checked me and declared that I was dilated SEVEN CENTIMETERS! I was so excited and asked the nurse if it would be alright if I cried from being so happy and she said yes! I looked over at Josh and he seemed a little bit shocked. When I told him to start making the phone calls to everyone, he said, "Are you sure?" I responded, "YES! This is the real thing! We are having a baby tonight!" I could tell from his demeanor that he was a mixture of emotions: shocked, scared, excited, unsure. And then the next thing I said to him, in a very demanding tone, "Oh! And go get my camera out of the car!"

My midwife, Susan Myers, came in and asked how I was feeling, complimenting how well I was doing breathing through my contractions. She asked, "So, you wanna just continue to breathe through them?" and I quickly responded, "NOPE! I want the epidural, please!" They moved me to the room where I would be birthing Gracie and started hooking me up to monitors and the IV. My mom and dad were the first to show up to the birthing room and I hugged my mom in excitement and anticipation for the miracle that was about to come into our lives. We all held hands as my dad prayed and at the end of the prayer, I was hit with one of the last hard contractions that I would feel before the anesthesiologist came in to give me my magnificent epidural. Josh asked me if I was scared about the pain of the epidural and I said, "If it feels like a bee sting like everyone says, then that's nothing compared to what I've felt in the last three days, so, no, I am not scared!" I must have been really ready for it and psyching myself out, because I asked the anesthesiologist, "Are my legs supposed to be numb already? I can't feel my toes," and he responded that he hadn't even inserted the epidural yet. That was my dumb blonde moment of the night.

Once the numbness took over my lower body, everything was smooth sailing. My mom and dad, Josh's mom, Brenda, and step dad, Marvin, and Kristin joined us while we waited. Many interesting things happened from 7cm to 10cm and I don't mean with my labor. At one point, my mom stole a wheelchair because there weren't enough chairs in the room for everyone. In an hour, I had progressed from 7cm to 9cm and was stuck at a nine for a while. When that happened, my mom said she would go grab a bag of pitocin herself and get things rolling without the nurse's help. At about 12:30am on June 3rd, I started getting tired and wanted to try to sleep, so we had the nurse ask everyone to step out for a little bit. I couldn't really sleep very well with my numb, dead legs, but apparently while Mom, Brenda and Kristin were out in the waiting room, they met up with some crazy lady that they just couldn't shake and just kept talking to them. We asked everyone to come back in and after a while, we started chatting and laughing about different things. I think everyone was feeling lethargic from the lack of sleep and giddyness from all the anticipation. At one point, while I had been turned on my side to help move the epidural, my mom said to me, "Well, I haven't put that much pressure on you, have I?" and I responded quickly with, "I BEG TO DIFFER!" My mom had me walking, bouncing on a ball and doing everything I could to get Gracie to come early the day it turned May 1st.

For hours, we all had watched the monitor like it was a thunderstorm forecast. I was glad that I didn't feel any sort of pain, only pressure, when I saw the red spike off the charts each contraction. Around the end, the I started feeling the pressure more and more and would hear reactions from everyone on what a major contraction that had been. I knew it was time to push when I felt a contraction that was so hard, it was pushing my catheter out. I paged for a nurse to come check me and had a feeling that it was the real deal. My midwife, Susan, came in and checked me for the first time since I was admitted and immediately said, "Yep! You are ready to push!" A mess of nurses came in and started prepping and preparing everything. Everyone came and hugged me and wished me luck and I remember my mom was the last hug and the final person to close the door behind them. I remember looking at Josh and seeing fear in his eyes, but he never showed it one time. He would just look at me and simply smile. At 4am, I began pushing. It felt completely natural to do what I felt my body had been built for and felt completely at ease as I pushed. The nurse, midwife and Josh were the best cheerleaders and were so supportive of me. I remember at one point, Susan asked, "Have you done this before? You're doing an incredible job!" I couldn't believe my midwife was making me laugh during delivery. She made me laugh again later in between contractions by saying, "Look at you go, mama, with your smoothly shaven legs!" I looked at Josh in between one of my contractions and asked if he was doing okay and Susan thought that was so sweet that I was concerned for him when I was the one delivering a baby. I responded, "Well, I just don't want him passing out on me! I need him!" After a few pushes, I nearly cried when I heard Susan say, "She's got a full head of dark hair!" Josh finally got brave at some point and looked down and I will never forget the indescribable look on his face. Before we knew it, they were lying me flat on my back for the final few pushes as a nurse and Josh held both of my legs. When I gave that final push at 4:38am and heard Gracie's first little whimper, I couldn't remember our lives before that very moment. As the bed was being reclined, it seemed to happen in super slow motion as the bed came up and I saw this beautiful creature that Josh and I had created together. They put her in my arms and I stared at her for a quiet second before bursting into tears with her. I looked at Josh and he was in complete awe of his daughter, Gracie May. He was in so much shock and awe, Susan had to remind him to take pictures. He snapped five perfect pictures of Gracie's first moments in this world. I watched as they cleaned Gracie off, completely distracted from whatever was going on around me and simply couldn't believe she was ours. Those chubby cheeks we saw in the ultrasound were finally here for us to kiss. She had dark hair like I did when I was a baby. Her lips were just like daddy's. That little nose was mine. But, she was equally ours and our new world to discover and love.

{40 WEEKS} Happy Due Date!

Well, today is my official due date and Gracie has yet to make her appearance in the world. While I am ready to have her in my arms, I am perfectly happy that she will be a healthy baby and made it the full forty weeks. I just can't believe how fast this month flew by, yet how long each day felt to get to her due date. Everyone made their predictions; the earliest prediction was May 12th and one has hoped that I would have her on June 12th. I am almost certain that she will be a June baby since there's only one day left in May, but she could have her own agenda and all we can do is wait and see.

The anticipations rises in the house with each passing day. With every contraction and moan follows the question from Josh, "Is this it? Is it time?" We've went through two false alarms at the birthing center, wondering if my water broke or not. Josh was so incredible and calm during our first false alarm at the birthing center. When I begin to get scared about labor and delivery, I feel completely at ease as soon as I remind myself that Josh will be at my side the entire time, casting his calm completely over me and sending me all of his strength and love.

Right now, I can only dream of what it's going to be like when she's here with us. I keep wondering what features she will get from Josh and I. Will she have his blonde hair, my dark hair or be a baldy baby? Are her lips going to be big and red like her dad's? Will her eyes stay blue like mine or turn hazel like his? I hope her little smile looks like his. I just can't wait to see him fall completely in love with her.

In these last few months of my pregnancy, I have felt more sure of myself and this change in our lives than any point in our lives before this. I want to be a better person and the best mother that I can be for Gracie. There have been emotional struggles during my pregnancy, but I have pushed them to the side for the ultimate happiness that I'll feel when Gracie is finally here with us.

How far along? 40 WEEKS!
Total weight gain: 15 pounds! Go me!
Maternity clothes? Yup, but I've been reminding myself when I shop that I won't be pregnant much longer and everything will fit better soon!
Stretch marks? Always.
Sleep: Sleep is great, minus waking up in the middle of the night to go pee!
Best moment this week: Spending time with my friends and family and waiting for Gracie to get here!
Miss Anything? Nothing in particular!
Movement: Her movements have turned into little nudges here lately with her due date being so close.
Food cravings: S'mores and Hackett's still!.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, I thought my water broke but I was wrong
Symptoms: Leg pain and swollen ankles and feet
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy!
Looking forward to: When Gracie finally arrives! :)

39 WEEKS!

{35 Weeks}

Oh goodness, I am such a bad blogger! It's been four weeks since I've done an actual blog update, but I am proud to say that I've been keeping up with my weekly belly updates pretty well. The two baby showers that followed the last blog update went very well and were incredibly beautiful. Gracie got so many things and has a lot of people that are looking forward to her arrival.

I also started seeing my midwife, Susan, every two weeks at the end of March and this Wednesday marks the beginning of our weekly appointments. The finish line is getting closer and I still can't believe it. Everything has been looking great at all of my appointments. I passed the three hour glucose test with flying colors (thank goodness). Other than some back and pelvic pain and being tired, I have been feeling pretty good. I get little spouts of energy and feel a desire to do dishes or laundry or just cleaning and organizing in general. At one of my previous appointments, Susan thought Gracie was measuring a little bigger than average, so I got to have a growth ultrasound scheduled for my next appointment. We found out that she was measuring perfectly at 5 pounds and we also finally got to see her face. She has the most beautiful big cheeks and her dad's big lips. Susan is guesstimating that Gracie will be about 8 pounds when she is born.

We've started packing the hospital bag and baby bag. I love all of the suggestions that I have received from friends and what I've researched on the internet. Mom got me a pretty little nightie to wear for while I'm in the hospital. My friend, Chelsi, strongly recommended Chapstick, so I grabbed three tubes at Target the other day. lol. I've still got a couple of things to get, like snacks for Josh so he doesn't pass out from malnutrition and some of the breastfeeding essentials, like nipple cream and pads. I've decided I'm going to give breastfeeding a try as long as my body cooperates with me and if Gracie cooperates, too. The only things we have left to pack are some extra clothes for Josh and I and the must have electronics, like my camera, chargers, laptop and such. Josh and I have been discussing a backup plan for when/if I go into labor and he's not here. We both have this eerie feeling that he will probably be in Miami or Grove for work. Thankfully, we've got a lot of people that have offered to come get me if I go into labor by myself. I've even heard from my mother in law that if need be, I can call my father in law, who used to be on the police force, and that he could probably get me an escort to the hospital. That would be a wild story to tell Gracie when she's older. :)

How far along? 35 weeks!
Total weight gain: 10 pounds, which I think is pretty good!
Maternity clothes? Of course. There's a lot more comfy clothes thrown in there, too. I love my pajama pants.
Sleep: I've had to resort to sleeping on my side and with a pillow between my knees to elevate my hips, but I get to sleep in, so that's a plus.
Best moment this week: Watching Josh put her bouncy looking toy together. He's gonna be such a sweet daddy.
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach.
Movement: Everyday.
Food cravings: Hackett Hot Wings! :D
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: A few braxton hicks every now and then.
Symptoms: Heartburn, pelvic/back pain, swelling fingers and fatigue.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? Officially off as of the last week or so. Swelling fingers are not happy fingers. lol.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: The arrival of our little girl!

{31 Weeks}

We are in the single digits now! Nine weeks or less until Gracie makes her appearance into the the world. Everything is becoming more real lately. Like on Friday, I went and bought so many clothes for her. I see how little all these clothes are and am in total awe of the idea of how little Gracie will be, too. And today, we found a stroller/carrier/carseat combo. I told my mom it was a new feeling pushing a stroller around when I was pushing it to her car.

I am so excited that I was able to get together with Emily last Sunday and do some of my maternity pictures. The theme for part one of my maternity series was Alice in Wonderland. We had all the essentials, such as lace, books and pretty things. The timing and everything was perfect. Here is a collage of a few of my favorites.



And, a special guest appeared in my belly update this week. :)



How far along? 31 weeks!
Total weight gain: My next appointment is coming up on Tuesday, so I'm gonna guess that I've gained two more pounds?
Maternity clothes? A good mix of maternity and normal. Although, I tried on a normal shirt today and it was not going over the belly very easily. Gotta stay positive and remember that I will not be pregnant forever! lol.
Sleep: When I do sleep, it is good. It's when I have to wake up two or three times in the middle of the night to visit the potty that messes with my sleep! BOO! lol.
Best moment this week: The quiet moments at the end of the night when we're winding down and lying in bed and Josh is waiting to feel her kick.
Miss Anything? Just being able to drink pop or tea without feeling blah later.
Movement: Everyday.
Food cravings: Pizza bagels and fudge covered oreos. :D
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, minimal ankle swelling and some finger swelling.
Symptoms: Heartburn, fatigue, endless hunger. The usual.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to say that. lol.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Part two of my maternity pictures, which will include Josh this time, my baby shower(s) NEXT WEEKEND and the weekend after and finishing nesting and getting things ready for our sweet baby girl.

{30 Weeks}

I am a little late on updating the blog. We had an appointment this past Tuesday, which went very well. I only gained a pound and a half, which is a total of 2.5 pounds for the entire pregnancy, with weight gain and loss fluctuation, of course. My blood pressure was good and the only major topic of discussion was how I failed the first glucose test. Susan was very nice about it and said that 140 was passing and my blood sugar was at 145 that day, so I barely failed. She is confident that I will pass the dreaded three hour diabetes test, which I knocked out today. Between the new game, Angry Birds Space, a book, Mad Men on Netflix, texting and walking around Vintage Stock for a little bit, I managed to make the time pass. Thankfully, I didn't pass out or get sick from the test. I just left with a bruised left arm since she couldn't find a good vein in my right arm. Yay for getting stabbed four times in the arm. Not. lol.

I can hardly believe that it's almost the end of March. Things have been quiet around here for the most part and I feel like the weeks are just flying by so fast. I feel like that's something that I say a lot about losing time.

The other day, I went over to Jessica and Justin's to do newborn portraits with Maddox. I loved seeing them both in awe over him and how they have transitioned into being parents. It's a beautiful glimpse into a world that I am ready to embrace with Gracie.



How far along? 30 weeks!
Total weight gain: 2.5 pounds! Score!
Maternity clothes? Yup. My normal shirts just seem to be getting more and more stretched, too.
Sleep: Sleep is good, minus the weird, violent and vivid dreams.
Best moment this week: Hearing Gracie's heartbeat at our appointment
Miss Anything? Nothing in particular.
Movement: All the time. She kicked Josh's back the other night when we were falling asleep the other night.
Food cravings: Cheezies pizza and lucky charms cereal
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, mostly. And I had a little swelling on my ankles the other day after an afternoon of pictures. Lol.
Symptoms: Heartburn, fatigue, endless hunger. The usual.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Part one of my maternity pictures this weekend, the two baby showers and lots of people flying in to visit in the next couple of weeks. :)

{29 Weeks}

How far along? 29 weeks and it feels like time is just flying by!
Total weight gain: Since my next appointment is Tuesday, I'm going to guestimate that I've gained two pounds.
Maternity clothes? Yup. Except my belly band has not been cooperating with me very well. My hips must be getting bigger or something.
Sleep: With warmer days comes the turning on of the AC in the evening, so sleep has been heavenly!
Best moment this week: Seeing Gracie at the ultrasound and her cousin, Maddox, being born on Josh's birthday!
Miss Anything? Being able to walk around the mall for two hours instead of being worn out after half an hour.
Movement: Every day and I've been counting kicks when I remember.
Food cravings: Choco tacos and Subway.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, mostly.
Symptoms: Becoming tired more easily and some hurting feet.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Our anniversary next week, doing our maternity pictures soon and taking more pictures of sweet little Maddox! :D

{28 Weeks}

I had my 28 week appointment with Susan on Wednesday. Everything looked really good and I only gained two pounds this time, which Susan was pleased about. Susan also informed me that because of the weight gain and loss fluctuation, I've only truly gained one pound during my pregnancy, so that made me feel like Mom of the Year! I found out that I have to do the gestational diabetes test AGAIN. She had me do it early the first time to check my thyroid levels. So, I have to knock that out by my next appointment, which is exciting because we have officially started doing appointments every two weeks. It makes me antsy and excited that Gracie's arrival is getting closer and closer. We discussed our birth plan and Susan was cracking Josh up about cutting the cord. She told him if he changes his mind and wants to cut the cord, he should refrain from doing it "Coneheads" style or she will probably pass out. That made him laugh a little.

The other day, Josh asked me if I was ready. When he said "ready," I thought he was talking about the birthing process, so I responded that I wasn't scared about birthing Gracie. He said he meant if I was ready for Gracie to be in our lives. I'm not usually at a loss for words, but I just couldn't form an answer. I can only imagine what it will be like when she is here and our whole lives change. I have so much confidence in Josh as a father and can't wait to see him in action. I sometimes have doubts in myself if I will be a good mother, but Josh makes all of those doubts disappear. He is so reassuring and supportive. All I know is that I'm glad that I get to share this little girl and love her with Josh.



How far along? 28 weeks! I'm in the third trimester!
Total weight gain: According to Susan, 1 pound, so all my rationalizing in the past blog was completely correct. :D
Maternity clothes? Indeed. I thank God everyday for mama jeans and mama leggings.
Stretch marks? Always.
Sleep: Sleep has been pretty good with the exception of going from hot to cold all night.
Best moment this week: Laughing with Josh after Gracie kicked so hard that she moved his arm and helping mom with baby shower invitations
Miss Anything? Being able to eat red meat without getting sickly.
Movement: All the time. And now her moves are getting higher, so I'm wondering if that means that she has made the great rotation.
Food cravings: Hot pockets and ice cream.
Gender: Little lady.
Labor Signs: Just a couple of Braxton Hicks, but nothing to be concerned about...yet.
Symptoms: Nothing too bad, except that I got sick on the evening that we made tacos. So, taco night is probably not going to be happening again until after Gracie gets here.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and anxious.
Looking forward to: My 3D4D appointment with my mom on my birthday, maternity pictures next weekend and the two baby showers.

{27 Weeks}

How far along? 27 weeks! (almost finished with the second trimester!)
Total weight gain: As far as I know, ten pounds. I'll find out next Wednesday if that has changed or not. ;)
Maternity clothes? Yup yup. Mom keeps reminding me that I'm not going to be pregnant forever and that I can start buying clothes for post pregnancy. lol.
Stretch marks? Always.
Sleep: Sleep has been good, except for last couple of nights. The night before, I had scary, zombie apocalypse dreams (thank you, Walking Dead and Josh). Last night, I was all wheezy and coughing and my jaw starting hurting in the middle of the night because I think I was clenching it for some reason?
Best moment this week: Being able to sit in Gracie's finished room and imagine what it'll be like when she is here.
Miss Anything? I've been missing living in the house on Pennsylvania since that was where we were living when we started talking about wanting to have a baby.
Movement: So much movement! I love it when she kicks multiple times in a row and I call it "double time!" :)
Food cravings: Chik fil a and french toast. Mmmmmmm.
Gender: Girly girl.
Labor Signs: I feel like I have had a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions, but I can't be too certain.
Symptoms: Some stomach pains, which I can't discern if they're growing pains or Braxton Hicks.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and getting excited about the next 13 weeks.
Looking forward to: My birthday, which is just 12 days away, Josh's birthday, our anniversary, maternity pictures and the baby showers. :)

{26 Weeks}

How far along? 26 weeks!
Total weight gain: 10 pounds, but hopefully by my appointment on March 7th, I will have lost a couple of pounds since I have been making an attempt to watch my sugar intake. :)
Maternity clothes? Of course.
Stretch marks? Ha! Yes.
Sleep: Sleep is fantastic. I am so glad that I can still sleep on my stomach at this point.
Best moment this week: Finishing Gracie's room and Mimi rubbing my belly and talking to Gracie.
Miss Anything? Drinking whatever I want and not having to drink a ton of water all day.
Movement: The majority of her movement is still in the morning and evening, but she has started becoming a little more active throughout the day, which is a pleasant surprise.
Food cravings: Biscuits and gravy and the craving for pizza has yet to cease. :)
Gender: Lady.
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: I had some leg cramps last night, but they felt better as soon as I went to bed.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So so so so so so happy. :)
Looking forward to: Doing my maternity pictures in the next couple of weeks, continuing to plan both of the baby showers and going to Jessica's baby shower this weekend.

Gracie in Wonderland

We finally completed her nursery this afternoon. After all of the dreaming of what her room will look like, now it's real and I can walk in there anytime I want. I found myself getting emotional as Josh put up the last flower in the corner of her room. There will probably be little variations made to the room, like a different bumper for the crib and little organizers for the changing table, but other than that, her room is completely finished and perfect. Only three more months till we get to show Gracie her whimsical Alice in Wonderland nursery.

{25 Weeks}

I really can't believe I am this far along in my pregnancy. We had our first prenatal class last Monday and it was quite...interesting. We learned lots of things that we thought we'd never need to know in our lifetime. For example, when I lose my mucus plus, we do not need to bring it to the hospital for them to examine it. When I heard this, I turned to Jessica and was like, "Who would actually fish that out of the toilet?" I mean, goodness, wouldn't a picture suffice? Ha! Josh, Justin, Jessica and I shared a lot of laughs during the whole class. Another funny piece of information was how women mistake peeing their pants for their water breaking. The teacher, with a serious tone, was talking about examining it and sniffing it to be sure. I looked at Josh and he immediately said, "I'm not sniffin' it." The breathing exercises were even more hilarious. My husband definitely knows how to breathe and he does it well. With every breath our teacher demonstrated, I could hear him beside me practicing it and mastering it, too. Then we had to break off with our partners and practice breathing with them. This was a hard task because Josh kept making me laugh and I could hear Justin and Jessica behind us laughing, too. My favorite part was when Justin said that Jessica failed at breathing. We missed out on the second part of the class this past Monday because of the lovely first snow of the winter season, so we missed out on the fun stuff. Hopefully we'll be able to get into another class later. The next available one is on my birthday and I really don't want to spend my birthday talking about epidurals and c-sections when I could be eating cake and enjoying the evening. :)

We went to my 25 week appointment yesterday, which went a little differently than I expected. My blood pressure was good, but my weight gain was a little much this time around. I gained ten pounds, which not only surprised me, but everyone. I was a little disappointed with myself the rest of the afternoon because I was doing so well and gaining minimal and good weight at all the appointments before. Susan was a little surprised, too, but was very nice and said to just watch what I eat and go walking, so that is my game plan. Thankfully, on a good note, I passed my gestational diabetes test, but she said I was borderline anemic, so I just need to get better about taking my little Flintstone vitamins with iron since I've been slacking on that a bit. We got to hear Gracie's heartbeat, which was 150 bmp, and she is measuring perfectly for 25 weeks. We talked a little bit about epidurals and my hesitance to have one and she was very reassuring that it would be fine if I did or didn't have one and that she wouldn't pressure me at all, so that made me feel good. At the next appointment, we'll be discussing warning signs of labor and an idea of our birthing plan.

At this point, we really don't have a "plan" plan. I have decided that I don't want to walk in there with a set in stone plan because anything could change. I just don't want to walk in there with expectations of a play by play and knowing exactly what will go down and then be set up for disappointment when something doesn't go as planned. The most that I know so far is that I want to give it the old college try and do it naturally for as long as I can, or ideally, for the whole birthing process. However, I'm not going to be contrary about pain medicine; if it is far too painful for me to handle, then I will not be turning drugs away. Another thing we've decided is that we would like it to just be Josh and I in the room. As much as I would love to be surrounded by people that I love, I really just want to share this experience with Josh and let it all soak in for just us. Plus, when it gets close to time for Gracie to make her grand appearance, I'm sure the room will be getting pretty crowded with us, Susan (or the doctor), nurses and whoever else has their designated "baby" job. We also learned at the prenatal class about having a back up coach. When I heard that term, I knew immediately that we would need a backup coach so Josh can collect himself outside throughout the birthing process (aka have a cigarette or two or five), so we decided that my mom is going to be the backup coach. That is all we really know about the "plan" so far and as for everything else, like c-sections, epidurals, breathing techniques and birthing positions, I am pretty much open to anything as long as Gracie is safely brought out into the world.

Gracie's room is almost finished and it looks so perfect. Josh finally put together her pink shelf and it was a lot bigger than I was expecting and planning with the blue print in my head. So, we rearranged the her room a little bit and I love the new layout. All that we have left to do (I say we, but I mean what Josh has left to do and what I have left to supervise) is to put up the wall shelves, get a curtain rod and one or two more little trinkets for the Alice in Wonderland theme and then it will be complete. I am so excited to do the big reveal soon. A few friends and family have already been in the room, but I am ready for it to be completely done. Here's a little preview of what I was working on this weekend.



And, my favorite, the weekly belly update. I'm feeling a lot more plump in the belly these last few weeks. :)



How far along? 25 weeks!
Total weight gain: 10 pounds (YIKES!) But, I lost two pounds at the last appointment, so in my crazy brain, I only count 8 pounds and Gracie is over a pound, so technically, that's only 7. Yes, that was me making myself feel better about the weight gain. :)
Maternity clothes? Of course. And I made my own preggo leggings using a belly band and some leggings from wal mart. I am awesome!
Stretch marks? Yup.
Sleep: Sleep is soooo good right now and Josh hates me for that because I am taking up the whole bed and he is losing sleep. Oopsie.
Best moment this week: Josh rolling over to cuddle with me and immediately putting his hand on my stomach to try to feel her. Then he put his face on my stomach and said, "Wake up, Gracie!"
Miss Anything? Sometimes I miss being able to eat a steak without feeling nauseous afterwards, but I've been getting by just fine without steak.
Movement: In the morning around seven, usually around one in the afternoon and around ten thirty at night.
Food cravings: Rice crispy treats, which I made when we were snowed in for the day.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Occasionally, the lunch at Leggett, but I think it has the same effect on my mom sometimes, too.
Gender: Pretty girl.
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: I've been taking afternoon naps, which I never did when I wasn't pregnant, so I have definitely learned the power of a good nap.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Other than briefly being down in the dumps after my appointment yesterday, I am very happy.
Looking forward to: More dancing and fluttering from Gracie Mae, finishing her room and our birthdays and anniversary coming up next month. ;)

{Week 24}

How far along? 24 weeks!
Total weight gain: We'll find out for sure on the 13th if I have gained any weight or not.
Maternity clothes? Yup. Except I ripped a monster hole in my maternity leggings, so now I'm wearing normal leggings. They are not as comfortable!
Stretch marks? Yup.
Sleep: It has been easy to come by...for now. :)
Best moment this week: Josh finally getting to feel Gracie kick.
Miss Anything? I miss having a caffeinated soda anytime I want.
Movement: Everyday.
Food cravings: Still craving pizza, cereal and Reese's.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The steak and fries that Josh burnt on the night of the Superbowl. :/
Gender: Girl.
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: Feeling tired sometimes.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy ho ho.
Looking forward to: The second part of the prenatal class, finishing her room *cough cough JOSH cough cough* and getting things prepared for the baby showers.

{23 Weeks}

At the beginning of this week, I finally completed the dreaded gestational diabetes test. I must admit that it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The two flavors I had to pick from were fruit punch and orange, so I went with the fruit punch since I had heard so many bad things about the orange. I was like, "WHOA!" after the first sip and then I just decided to chug it and did so in less than a minute. It was a proud moment, followed by a bad aftertaste in my mouth. Thankfully, I didn't feel sick or any side effects immediately afterwards, although I was starving since I hadn't eaten any breakfast yet. After the test, I went and rewarded myself with some Chik Fil A and went about my day. One of the things I noticed throughout the day was how much of a bottomless pit I was...I was just so hungry! Then, late in the evening, I started to not feel very well. Josh said it was probably the major rush of sugar from the test, so I went to bed and had the best sleep I've had in a very long time. It was heavenly!

In other news, I am 23 weeks along and we are now in the month of February. I feel like the month of January went by so fast. Now we are one month closer to the arrival of little Gracie. We've been having some discussion as to how we want to spell her middle name. Josh wants to spell it "May" while I love the way "Mae" looks. I suppose we'll see what we finally decide. I don't know why husbands have to be so contrary. :)



How far along? 23 weeks!
Total weight gain: I'm not sure. I certainly feel like I've gained some weight from all the hunger I've been feeling lately.
Maternity clothes? Yup. And the last few days have been nice, so I've been able to wear some dresses like I was wanting.
Stretch marks? Yup.
Sleep: Josh says he can tell I'm sleeping well because I am hogging the bed and covers, so yay for me!
Best moment this week: I still get butterflies when Josh touches my belly.
Miss Anything? I can't think of anything.
Movement: Everyday.
Food cravings: Frito chili pie wraps, which we are making tonight since stupid Sonic doesn't make them anymore. Take that, Sonic! Lol.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just felt queasy on the evening of the gestational diabeetus test.
Gender: Girl.
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: No leg cramps this week.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So blissful.
Looking forward to: More dancing from our little ballerina, finishing her room and when Josh can finally feel her move.

{22 Weeks}

It's been pretty quiet around here. I finished creating Gracie's letters for her room the other day and did my registry at Target. :)





How far along? 22 weeks!
Total weight gain: I am not sure yet, but my belly is starting to feel a little bigger, so we'll see on February 13th.
Maternity clothes? Of course. I'm still loving my preggo leggings and jeans. I'm ready for some warmer weather so I can wear dresses more often.
Stretch marks? Yup.
Sleep: Sleep and I are best friends right now. I love sleeping in!
Best moment this week: Creating Gracie's letters for her room and feeling her kick throughout the day.
Miss Anything? Nothing in particular.
Movement: Yup! Her kicks are getting stronger and I can't wait for Josh to be able to feel her.
Food cravings: Cereal and fudge rounds. YUM!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Gender: Girl.
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: Leg cramps, but it's not too bad.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: A happy mama.
Looking forward to: Going to the prenatal class with Justin and Jessica, doing maternity pictures with them and another couple and baby shower planning. :)

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks!
Total weight gain: I've lost two pounds, so now I can have all my guilty pleasures without feeling guilty for the next month. :)
Maternity clothes? Yup. Still loving my maternity leggings. I would like some more maternity shirts for my growing belly.
Stretch marks? Yup.
Sleep: I've been sleeping very well. Especially since I asked my midwife about sleeping with my arms above my head and her reassuring me that it won't cause the umbilical cord to wrap around Gracie's neck since that was just an old wives tale.
Best moment this week: Josh making me laugh so hard in the waiting room before my appointment.
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach comfortably
Movement: Yup! Especially when I listen to music.
Food cravings: Cheez Its and ice cream
Anything making you queasy or sick: The anticipation of doing my diabetes test and having to drink that nasty liquid.
Gender: Four weeks later, she's still a girl!
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: Some lower dull back pain, but it's not bad.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: A happy mama.
Looking forward to: Continuing to put her room together, our prenatal class date with Justin and Jessica, helping plan the baby showers and buying Gracie more cute outfits.

Ultrasound Update

We had our twenty week appointment this morning, which included an ultrasound. I love it when Josh is able to make it to my appointments with me, even though I know hospital settings give him the heebie jeebies. And he kept cracking me up while we were in the waiting room. For example, he looked at a very pregnant woman across the room and said, "Wow, she must be ready to pop any minute...her belly button is sticking out!" I laughed so hard that I thought I was going to pee my pants. He also admitted to me that he would be scared to death if he was me. I asked why and he said, "I wouldn't want to birth a baby if I were you. It sounds awful!"

I couldn't believe how long we were in there for the ultrasound. They were very meticulous about finding all of her parts and making sure everything looked good, which was the first twenty minutes of the ultrasound. After she finally finished, the fun part of the ultrasound started, where we got to see Gracie in 3D4D mode. And this is what our silly daughter was doing the whole time.



Josh and I couldn't stop laughing at how she was sitting. It was so incredible to get a peek into what her personality may be like. We also confirmed that Gracie is still a girl, which is great! The ultrasound was wonderful, but my stomach is hurting so badly this evening. Here's a video of our little gymnast. :)



Josh finally got to meet Susan Myers and his first reaction was, "She looks younger than me!" But, I could tell he was more comfortable with her than Dr. Chandler, so I couldn't be happier. My blood pressure was normal and I lost two and half pounds! Once again, Susan asked me if I was eating and there is no doubt in the world that I'm eating for two. I was so surprised when I saw that I had lost weight. I'll probably be eating my words (no pun intended) when I do finally start gaining the weight and keeping it. I also found out that I have to do my gestational diabetes test early to check on my thyroid levels, so I have to get it done between now and my next appointment on February 13th. I've heard good and bad stories about the mystery liquid that is the diabetes test. We shall see...I may try to knock out the test in the next few days.

In other good news, we got Gracie a crib today! It matches the changing table and it's completely perfect. :)

20 Weeks {Halfway there!}

Well, it's official: I think I am in the nesting stage. All I want to do is work on her room and hang everything up and get everything that we need for her. Okay, maybe I'm in the selective nesting stage because I don't feel the urge to do dishes or laundry. Baha. I've got a map in my head of where I want everything and how I want it to look. My poor husband...I've been harassing him about work and asking him when he's going to be finished with this current big job because he said once he gets paid from this, we can go get the crib. I can safely say I've never been so interested in any job that Josh has done till this week. He lost a day of work because he got a cold/flu/something ghastly and then, the inevitable, I caught the cold and am still recovering with the occasional cough and necessary nose blowing. I just have to say that being sick while pregnant is lame because the only thing I could take was Robitussin DM. I was definitely jealous of Josh being able to take Nyquil and sleep soundly through the night. But, as you can plainly see, I lived through it and I am okay. Here's a sneak peek at some of the things I've prepared for Gracie's Alice in Wonderland room:



Kristin and I had a nice conversation today about feeling baby movements. She said that when she was pregnant and started feeling movements from her babies, she couldn't remember what it felt like to not have them moving around in her stomach. I am at that point, too. I still get surprised and excited every time Gracie moves. I wish I could figure out what she's doing, like if she's rolling or doing a fist pump to my stomach. I really can't wait for Josh to feel her. She was moving around really early this morning after Josh's alarm went off and I moved his hand to where she was kicking. As soon as his hand was there, she stopped. We both laughed a little bit. My favorite movement of the day was when I was driving home from Joplin and listening to one of my favorite songs and singing with it. In the middle of the chorus, she kicked me and it was so low that it surprised me, especially since I was driving. She moved during the entire song and then when it was over, she became quiet.

Here's one of the recent purchases from Josh and I:
Yes, there are four little Green Bay onesies there. That bib makes for two GB bibs that she has now and the combo outfit on the right came with little green and gold booties. All of that plus the Green Bay blanket that Kristin made...I foresee a Green Bay themed photo session when Gracie Mae gets here. I can already anticipate Josh asking me if she can wear one of these for her announcement photo at the hospital.

We've got a lot to do in the next twenty weeks. My next appointment is Monday, January 16th at a very early time in the morning. I am very excited about this appointment because it's another ultrasound. Josh and I also need to start registering for things for Gracie. I've been trying to corner Josh to go, but I think he remembers how boring he thought our wedding registry was, so he's hard to convince at this point. The next major event we have planned is date night with Justin and Jessica to the Prenatal Class on Monday, February 6th. It's going to be a long three hour class and I'm sure we're all looking forward to watching some scary birthing videos and learning about all of the fun that we get to have soon. :)

How far along? 20 weeks! HALFWAY THERE!
Total weight gain: 1 pound. I think I may have gained another pound, but I always like to wait and find out at my appointments.
Maternity clothes? Yes and I'm still wearing most of my regular clothes.
Stretch marks? Duh.
Sleep: I didn't sleep well while I was sick, plus we have loud ghetto neighbors, so I have been napping a lot.
Best moment this week: When Josh was talking at my belly to Gracie when we were standing in the kitchen making dinner.
Miss Anything? Nyquil when I'm sick. Lol.
Movement: Everyday, usually early in the morning and at night when I'm in bed
Food cravings: Twix and mexican food (and not at the same time)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Missing a meal. I can definitely feel myself bottoming out when I do miss one.
Gender: A little lady
Labor Signs: No (thank goodness)
Symptoms: Nothing in particular.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Always happy.
Looking forward to: My 20 week ultrasound, the prenatal class and continuing to get more things for our little lady.

Yes, I am a bad, bad blogger.

I haven't updated my blog since December 12th, when we found out we were having a girl. I am so bad! But, c'mon, between Christmas with multiple families, the Megan anniversary and New Years, things have been pretty busy. But, I digress...

At my last appointment on December 19th, it was my first official appointment with Susan Myers. She is absolutely wonderful! Kristin came with me to that appointment and we got to hear Gracie's heartbeat again (eeek!). Everything looked really good, except that when they first took my blood pressure, it was a little high. Susan asked me if I was nervous or excited to see her and why my blood pressure was so high. So, we took it again at the end, this time I was sitting down, and it was back to normal, thank goodness. We also scheduled my twenty week ultrasound on January 16th. I absolutely can't wait to see how much you've grown since we saw you on the 12th in December. Hopefully you won't hide in the back and shield your face with your hands. There's no need to be shy considering how many thousands of pictures I'll be taking once you're here. :)

Christmas Eve and Christmas day were so busy. We enjoyed dinner on Christmas Eve with Josh's family, where Josh received another favorite gift of mine: a Green Bay Packers bib. Josh and I enjoyed Christmas morning together, opening presents while the fake fireplace crackled on the TV, thanks to Netflix. He got Gracie the pink shelf for her room and two pink drawers to go in the cubby holes that I really wanted. He's such a good daddy in training. Then, we went to my mom's to open presents and she got me a neat little First Year baby album to fill out and put pictures in and Gracie's first Halloween story book, since my mom knows how much I LOVE Halloween. After presents, breakfast and spending time with my mom, we ventured over to Josh's mom's for presents and dinner. Josh's mom, Brenda, got me two things that I've been wanting for a while: a crock pot and a toaster, since we lost both of those in the tornado. I was so excited and have already used both of them. We made chicken and noodles, thanks Pinterest, in the crock pot and my first order of business with the toaster and what I've been eating every morning since I got the toaster: BAGELS! I am in bagel and cream cheese heaven.

December 28th was a hard day for my family because that marked a year that my sister, Megan, has been gone. I spent the entire day with my mom and we also went with Megan's friends, Samantha, Edie and Hannah, to see Megan and also to Orange Leaf for some comfort froyo. As emotional as it was, everyone was so wonderful and comforting that day, especially Gracie. That day was the first day I had ever felt so much movement from her. I like to think that she was letting me know that she was here for me on the hardest day of the year. And she has been moving and shaking every day after that, especially after I drink a caffeine free Dr. Pepper or a sweet tea.

On New Years Eve, I supervised while Josh helped my mom and dad move to the new house. I didn't anticipate how hard that day would be till we were sitting in the empty house at the end of the day. I walked into Megan's room and sat there for a moment, letting everything sink in. Her room was the last place that I truly saw her, played with her and laughed with her on the Christmas morning of 2010. Then, I walked into the dining room and completely broke down. Josh held me for a bit and it was amazing that he completely understood and simply knew why I was sad. When Mom saw me crying, she came and hugged me, too. I felt a lot better after that and Josh and I headed home so I could get dolled up and ready for our New Years Eve date. We went to our favorite place, Red Onion, and then walked around Books a Million for a bit so that I could spend the gift card he got me. We came home, relaxed, and watched the ball drop in NY. After we shared a midnight kiss, we went to bed and woke up to the year 2012. I loved our little date night and wanted to do something nice since we'll have little Gracie with us next year.

I wanted to include belly updates for Week 17 & Week 18 since I am a fail blogger and missed a couple of weeks.


How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain: As of December 19th, ONE POUND! Whoo!
Maternity clothes? Yes! And I got some sweet preggo skinny jeans as a Christmas present to myself.
Stretch marks? Always.
Sleep: Currently, I'm trying to transition to my side because it feels like too much pressure when I sleep on my stomach.
Best moment this week: Feeling Gracie kick or move or dance or whatever it is that she's doing
Miss Anything? Not being limited on caffeinated beverages. Lol.
Movement: A lot everyday since December 28th.
Food cravings: Fruity pebbles and any form of pizza.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The burritos that Josh made the other night and the filets that we made sometime ago.
Gender: GIRL!!!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: A little heartburn, but nothing too ghastly.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY :)
Looking forward to: January 16th, when I get to see Gracie's little face again.