{34 weeks} and Happy New Year!!

Here is my obligatory "I can't believe it's the end of the year, it's gone by so fast!" post.

It really has. And we all say that every year, but this one has flown by! I knew the end of the year would because I would be in my third trimester when we were celebrating the holidays. But then sometimes I think about the day I found out I was pregnant, which was in June, and it seems like so long ago. Then I quickly remind myself to shut up, because we only have 6 weeks left!

People keep asking me if we have everything ready for the baby and I always think in my head "No!!!" but when I look at the nursery, we are pretty much ready. I mean, if Cade came tomorrow, we could bring him home and not have to make a trip out to get anything immediately. I think I hear that panic in my head because really, who is totally prepared to bring a new baby home. If you are (and it's your first one) you're my hero.

At this point, I'm officially exhausted a zombie. These nights of sleeping 5 hours and going to work for 13 are getting old. And thank you in advance to all those people who will comment on this and day "it's just preparing you for when the baby comes." We're going to add that to the list of "Shit you shouldn't say to a pregnant woman." It's right up there with "I can tell you're getting close to the end, your face is all puffy" (and yes, that happened this week).

On a happier note =) we had a wonderful Christmas. It was tiring running around for 2 days straight, but it's always so nice to see everyone that we don't see that often. And what kind of presents do you get a pregnant girl? Shoes, jewelry, an iPad, a new camera, and new video camera. My family is awesome! I think I literally squealed when I opened the Tiffany bracelet and Frye boots from my sweet husband on Christmas morning. Too bad my cankles won't allow me to wear my gorgeous boots yet :( but I can wear the new Hunter rain boots from my in-laws!

Can't wait for my ankles to be normal again so I can wear these beauties!

I will be ringing the New Year in (hopefully) by being sound asleep in my bed. I have to work New Years' Eve and Day, which is a small trade-off for being off all of Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. The hospital never closes :(

Who are kidding, I'd probably be asleep by 9 anyway.

Happy New Year!

It will be the best one yet!

{A Letter to Cade}

I'm sitting here on Christmas night, watching old movies and enjoying sitting down and relaxing for what feels like the first time in 3 days. I'm also thinking about all the reasons I (we) are blessed and about the wonderful year that has passed. I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and so most of my time lying awake in bed is spent thinking about Cade coming into this world and how truly amazing that is. I started thinking last night about all the things I want to tell him one day, and I don't want to forget anything. I thought I'd write a letter here where it will be when I need it.

Cade Alexander Roberts

It's Christmas Day 2012, and in just 7 short weeks you are due to join us here in this world. This fills me with many scary emotions and anxiety, but mostly joy. Your daddy and I have been married for 3 years now, and together for 6 years before that. We always knew we wanted to have children, and we can't wait to meet you. We've loved you from the moment we found out you were in my belly, before you were even big enough to see. Nothing will ever compare to my feeling of shock and pure joy when I found out I was pregnant with you, except for the look on your daddy's face when I told him the news. We were so excited!

You will know one day that your daddy doesn't often show his emotions. However, nothing has ever made him more excited that to learn that we were having you and that you were a little boy that he could raise to be his own. My love for your dad grew exponentially while I was pregnant, because he already loved you so much before he even met you. They say that nothing compares to a mother's love for her child (which I believe), but your daddy has a very special love for you too. He would sit on the couch at night while you were in my belly and wait to feel you kick. If you were sleeping in there, he would want me to move around and try to wake you up. I think it was his way of playing with you before you were even born.

We are very different people, your dad and I. However, we go together perfectly and have a love that will only be made stronger by you being with us. I can't wait to hold you and see if you have my dark hair, or his blue eyes. You will have parts of each of us in you, which will make you special and unlike anyone else in this world. I hope you are blessed with all of our best traits. 

From your dad, I hope you get his unwavering determination. He's never met a challenge he wasn't willing to face head on. There is no task too big or small for him, whether it's work or hunting. I hope you get his sense of humor. He tells me all the time that I am too serious, because he can find humor in anything. I also hope you get his big heart. Like I said before, your dad doesn't like to show emotion. Never let that fool you into thinking he doesn't care. People who truly know him know that he will do and give anything to help someone who needs it. He will never let you down, and he will teach you so much about life.

It's harder to tell you what I hope you take from me, because I'm critical of myself. I could easily tell you all the things I hope you don't get from me, like my anxiety or tendency to worry about small things, but I'll try to be positive. I hope you get my nurturing personality. I'm by nature a caring person (which is why I became a nurse). By this I mean I want you to always know there are people that need you, and there is always a way you can help. I also hope you get my patience and faith. Things will not always happen when and how you want them to, but they will work out how they're meant to. God will always take care of you.

You are so lucky to be born into this family. Besides me and your dad, you have two uncles who will always take care of you and probably let you get away with anything! You also have 4 grandparents who want nothing more than to see you happy and healthy. You're  the first grandchild, and that will always make you special to them. Between all of us, you will always be taken care of and never do without.

Cade, this world is a scary place. Because of that, sometimes we will drive you crazy. We will get on your nerves, embarrass you, and make you mad. Sometimes you won't get to do things you want to, and you won't think that's fair. Just remember, we do all these things out of nothing but pure love for you. We will do our best to be good parents to you, and give you everything you need and most of what you want. We will protect you and teach you and help you grow. And one day when you're older, you will look back on all these things we did and understand why we did them. We know this because we've experienced all of these things from our parents. And you will do the same for your children.

Until then, we want nothing more than for you to be a kid. We want you to have fun, get dirty, make mistakes, and learn how to always do your best. Life won't always be what you want, and you'll get hurt sometimes. Always remember that we are here for you and we will never let you down. 

We will take care of you always. 

We love you.

{33 weeks} and Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

I love love love the holidays =)

Mostly because you get to bake, eat, drink, and open presents!

But in all seriousness, the true reason for the season is never lost to me. And I enjoy the happiness that comes with Christmas. I wish people kept these warm, cheery moods year-round!

My kitchen has been filled with goodies and candy all week. Hooray for being pregnant through the holidays...because who will hate on the pregnant girl for eating too much? No one!

My doctors' appointment last week went well. There's not much to write about there. I'm just happy to know Cade is still hanging out in there, enjoying himself no doubt while I waddle around! My 32 pounds heavier self does not even want to think about taking down all these Christmas decorations and cleaning afterwards.

My clumsiness + OCD = potential for disaster.

So now we're 7 weeks (give or take) and counting until Cade's big arrival. My husband is predicting he will make his appearance February 2nd. Guess will see!

{32 weeks}

Another week gone by (and only 1 more til Christmas....yikes!)

These 12-13 hour shifts at work are not friends with my cankles...the swelling is definitely getting worse! My back is feeling about the same, but now sweet Cade is also on another nerve (literally) which causes random numbness in my right hand. Sigh. 

I can definitely tell he's growing in there....because my lungs are running out of room. It's especially bad during/immediately after I eat or when I'm sitting down. He's quite the wiggle worm here lately. What used to be little kicks on the sides of my belly have turned into big waves of movement as he rolls around in there. And he seems to get the hiccups daily now, which took me a good 3 days to figure out what they were. But he has spells of tiny little repetitive movements and I think that's the only thing it can be.

Wrapping presents and baking for Christmas has made me even more excited for this little guy to be here. I know time will fly and before we know it, it'll be Christmas next year and he'll be almost one! I can't wait to see him crawling around the living room and trying to rip ornaments off the tree (a job that currently belongs to our cat).

Pet Peeve

This week, it has to be my clumsiness. Now I've never been the queen of grace, but this is getting ridiculous. I mean, I drop everything. EVERYTHING. I know that's a small thing to be annoyed about, but when you have a big belly that doesn't allow you to bend over all the way (and certainly not without holding your breath) you'd be annoyed too. My husband just laughs at my frustration, which annoys me more.

Things I Miss

Approximately 78% of my closet

The tanning bed

Bending over without holding my breath

Sleeping on my back/stomach

Wearing my wedding rings

Shoes not being too tight

Margaritas!

Now with all that being said, I've had a wonderful pregnancy and by no means am I complaining about it at all. I'm truly blessed to be carrying this little guy around and in no way take that for granted. However, I'm entitled to my feelings, so there they are!

{Maternity Pictures}

Much to my excitement, I got an email today from our photographer this morning telling me our pictures were finished. Eek!! Props to her for the turn-around time! She sent me a ton, and I've posted almost all of them to Facebook but I'll post a few of my favorites on here too :)

nicole gagliano photography

Makes me smile! Only 8 1/2 weeks to go!

I know I haven't officially posted the name on here until now, but this seemed to be a fitting way.

Now I have to decide which of the pictures I want to hang in the nursery!

I worked in the nursery all day today, so hopefully soon I will be able to post pictures. It's looking mighty cute :)

Have a good week!

{31 weeks}

What a busy busy week! I thought I'd update now in my 30 minutes of free time today or it won't get done until Wednesday. Not that anyone's life is hinging on my blog posts, but I like to be consistent.

My 30 week check-up went well. If by well I mean I almost flipped my shit when I saw the weight on the scale, then yes it went well. But seriously, baby is good and we're measuring more "normal" now. I also met with our new pediatrician this week. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I'm happy with our choice =)

We finally had maternity pictures made and I cannot wait to get them back! I was so bummed when it rained all day Tuesday, but the wonderful Nicole came through and fit us in on Wednesday afternoon. It was sunny and 60 outside...in December. Normally I would complain about this because I don't believe winter should be warm but hey, I didn't have to wear a parka so it's all good! Cody even cooperated and didn't complain (too much) about having to smile for the camera.

Once again I'll say that I cannot wait to get this nursery organized! It was all good until Christmas hit, and I turned it into a temporary wrapping room/storage space. I'm thinking next week the wrapping paper will go back up in the attic and I can sort through this madness. I had another wonderful baby shower today and got tons of adorable goodies! I have massive amounts of sorting and baby laundry to do now!

I think the nesting is kicking in. I woke up this morning and wanted to do nothing more than clean and mop floor. Who am I?? Unfortunately, my schedule won't allow that to happen until Wednesday when I'm off work again. So until then I'll try to keep my sanity.

Pet Peeve

I'd like to dedicate a section to my pet peeve every week =)

I know when you're pregnant you're supposed to be glowing and happy, but lets face it...we're hormonal and sometimes things are annoying (you already all know how I feel about belly touching). I don't blog to gripe, but sometimes I just need to speak my mind.

So why is it that when you're pregnant people ask you how far along you are, to which you appropriately respond and they follow with "Are you excited?!"

Really?

Am I excited?

Am I going to say no?

It just seems like a silly question.

I swear this exact conversation happens on a daily basis.

{30 weeks}

30 Weeks!

I can definitely tell this belly is getting bigger now! And bless the woman I ran into shopping this weekend who told me she thought I was around 20 weeks pregnant. I love you.

It's been a busy week between work and traveling, so I feel like this is the first time I've sat down. I left (with my mom) Friday morning and we drove 4 hours away to shop in East TN, and returned Saturday night at about 7 pm. Let me just say, while I love to shop, I was totally worn out.  Hopefully we walked enough to burn off the sweets and pancakes I ate while we were there =)

We normally travel to East TN or Atlanta after Christmas every year and shop for a weekend, but I didn't want to risk being 4 hours away from home when I'm 35 weeks pregnant. So we went before Christmas this year while I can still see my feet!

This week will be another busy one (and judging by the look of my calendar, so will every week from now until....February). Thank goodness I only work 3 days a week right now, or I'd be in panic mode I think. I'm looking forward to our maternity pictures on Tuesday with the fabulous Nicole Gagliano. I just hope the rain that's expected holds off. Then Wednesday starts my bi-weekly doctor appointments, which means we're getting serious! I'm also meeting with a pediatrician on Tuesday.

I'm waiting on one more Christmas present to arrive in the mail and once it's wrapped I can finally clear all my junk out of the floor in there. And then when I get all my goodies sorted through after my shower coming up on Sunday, it will be more organized! Definitely looking forward to that.

I'll leave you with some cuteness from my furbaby =)

Don't let her deceive you. She's silently plotting ways to rip ornaments off the tree.

{29 weeks}

Hooray for my glucose test being negative and finding out I didn't have gestational diabetes 2 days before Thanksgiving!

The belly grew a lot this week, probably due to all the food I've eaten over the holiday! I like to think I counter-acted some of that shopping all day on Black Friday =)

Really though, I feel like it's doubled in size over the last couple of weeks. And I'm starting to carry a little bit lower, which makes me have to pee all the time.

I still feel pretty good. Minus waking up with sore hips sometimes, my sleeping has improved a little. The ankle swelling is getting worse though, as is the sciatic pain. And besides that and my patience running thin with pretty much everything, I'm doing alright. Oh well. 11 more weeks.

11 more weeks?!

That's exactly what the text from my husband said the other day when I reminded him that's all we have left (if I go full term). Apparently "11 weeks to go" sounds way more intimidating than "29 weeks down" and he was momentarily freaked out.  But he's so excited about this little guy getting here he wouldn't care if it was tomorrow.

My mom and I did major damage on Black Friday, and other than ordering one present offline (because my husband procrastinates) I am officially done Christmas shopping. In November. 

This never happens.

I think the thought of having to sit in the floor and wrap presents when I'm much bigger than what I am now has motivated me to get my shit together this year. Yay me =)

And I FINALLY bought letters for the nursery to spell out this boy's name! An investment for sure, but they were too perfect to pass up. So they'll get hung after our maternity pictures next week and then hopefully right after Christmas when the wrapping paper is cleaned out of the nursery, I'll post pictures of it all. I must say, it looks adorable!

Speaking of maternity pictures, I'm super excited about those too. Well, in between temporary panic attacks where I'm convinced I have nothing to wear that will look cute. I'm sure I have something  I can wear. But just in case, I ordered a new dress yesterday :). I just hope the weather cooperates.

Oh Christmas Tree!

I'm looking forward to a weekend shopping trip with my mom this weekend, 25 Days of Christmas (Elf!) on TV, and started my bi-weekly doctor appointments next week. We're getting so close!

{28 weeks} and Thanksgiving!

When I first found out I was pregnant, I didn't think I'd EVER get this far!

I mean really, I'm a worrier. So I worried a lot about all the what-ifs that could happen early on in pregnancy. I'm so thankful that everything has gone so well and Baby R is still healthy and growing. I get sappy and a little emotional thinking about it sometimes, but I'm pretty excited to see his little face and hold him. Although not yet, because I'm not near ready and we need lots more stuff for him, so he can hang out in there for a good 10-12 more weeks. Now, instead of worrying about all those first trimester things, I'm worried about early labor!

My doctors' appointment this week went good. I took my glucose test, so I should know the results tomorrow. Fingers crossed it was fine and I can be totally ridiculous on Thanksgiving. We're still measuring a little ahead...big baby =)

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm ready to eat! I'm in charge of desserts, and I'm pumped. There will be Banana Pudding, Double Chocolate Chip cookies, and Brown-Bottom Butterscotch Cashew Cream Pie! All this will put me in a food-induced coma so I will be rested for some Black Friday Madness, which I'm totally ready for. Bring on the swollen ankles!

I've also marked some more things off my to-do lists =)

I have approximately half of my Christmas shopping done. On top of that, I pretty much know what the other half is getting, it just has to be bought. I've also made an appointment with a pediatrician, and our hospital tour is scheduled for January 14th. Hopefully Baby R won't make his arrival before then ;)

I figured I'd wrap things up with some Thankfulness. I'm truly blessed with so many wonderful things in my life that I figured I'd give some shout-outs...

I've been blessed with a wonderful husband. He often drives me crazy, but he is truly my best friend and understands me like no one else does. We always have fun together, which makes life so much more enjoyable. With that, we are both thankful for my health and this sweet baby :) and everything that will come with him!

I (we) also have a wonderful family and support system. This little guy will have the best grandparents and uncles! He will always be spoiled and taken care of, which is all I could ever ask for him and for us as well. I'm also thankful our families get along so well (no in-law drama)!

We also have some of the best friends anyone could ask for! It's nice to know if you ever needed anything, one phone call would have someone by your side. They too will love our little guy like he's their own.

I'm thankful to have a job I enjoy. Critical care nursing is not everyone's forte, but I "fell" into something that I very much enjoy doing. It's a blessing to help people and their families every day. It's not always easy (and certainly not glamorous), but it's what I was meant to do.

I'm very much thankful to have the wonderful life I have. I went shopping for two different angel tree children today (something Cody and I do every year) and it was a reminder of how blessed I've always been to have everything I needed and most of what I wanted. I've never known what it was like to be in need of basic necessities, so I'm glad to help those who are.

With all that out of my system, I'm also thankful for:

Cream cheese frosting

Peppermint

Caramel apples

Anything leopard-print

Yoga pants and leggings

My husband's size large t-shirts

Heating pads

Starbucks

Dr. Pepper

Mexican food

My iPhone

My furbaby Chloe :)

Have a good Thanksgiving!

{27 weeks}

27 weeks and I love yoga pants more and more each day.

It's hard to get dressed up nice when you're pregnant and the closet is limited. I'm pretty glad at this point I have a job where I have to wear scrubs every day.

The wedding rings are officially OFF. No more squeezing them on my swollen fingers every morning. Sigh.

I am looking forward to the doctors appointment this week. According to my scale at home I haven't gained any weight in the last 4 weeks. Trust me, I'm certainly not trying to lose weight. I snack all the time. I think the baby is gaining it all =) So unless my scale is wrong I'll probably get scolded...

Baby R is officially due in 3 months. After this week I'll be in my 3rd trimester (geez!) and I'll be going to the doctor every 2 weeks until January, when I start going weekly.

Definitely looking forward to Thanksgiving this year! Mainly because I'm in charge of desserts =) but I'm always happy for family gatherings. And Black Friday shopping. I still need to come up with gift ideas for about half of the people on my (our) list.

Short post, but here's to a good week!

{26 weeks}

A large, very active zucchini.

I had to look up how to spell zucchini, it's one of those words that never looks right to me.

Baby R is a busy thing in there, kicking all the time. He's still very active late at night and early in the morning, which I'm sure is a preview of what's to come. He's fairly quiet during the day until late afternoon. It's strange that now I can notice his patterns. And when he isn't moving much, my sweet husband likes to poke and jostle my stomach to try to "wake" him. He's going to be that parent. But really, it's cute seeing Cody excited. Those of you that know him know he doesn't show a lot of emotion about anything. So I let him get away with it.

He's the only one I let get away with it. Truly, when you are pregnant your stomach becomes community property. I never understood random people touching pregnant peoples' bellies but apparently they do. And it's weird. So don't be that person. It's uncomfortable having someone who doesn't normally touch you rubbing on your belly. (I never really understood the belly rub anyway, because you can't feel the baby. It's just a stomach.)

Beyond the unwanted touching, pregnancy is still going good although this week has been emotional. Hormonal emotional. Because I get mad/impatient/frustrated very easily these days over little things and I'm not that person. Most of that frustration seems to be stemming from the fact that I can't seem to hold on to anything, I trip over my own 2 feet, my clothes don't fit good. And what's worse than clothes shopping when you're pregnant? Shoe shopping. Because even though your feet and ankles might not look swollen, they're bigger than they were. All the extra fluid circulating in your body increases the size everything on you. And when you go to put on cute boots with the outfit you finally decided on and the boots won't zip, you just might cry.

I've not managed to really get much done on my to-do lists from last week. I still don't know what people want for Christmas =( but I did finish a quilt and 2 people's shopping. Progress.

I want to post pictures of the nursery so bad but it's just not done. Other than being messy, I still decorations for the walls. I have one picture that needs to be hung, but I'm also going to hang a maternity picture (which obviously hasn't been taken yet) and I'm trying to find letters I like to  spell out his name above the crib. I don't want wooden or acrylic, so we're leaning towards metal which are expensive. We may have to splurge =)

November {a month of to-do's}

Holy crap it's November. Like I didn't see that one coming. But really, you wait all of October for Halloween =) and then when it's over it's suddenly the month of Thanksgiving. How does that happen??

And then I pretend like it doesn't happen every year, which it does. But this year it's so much worse because I (we) have so much more to do. At the beginning of the pregnancy, I was thinking "9 months is forever long....look at how much time I have to get all these things done!"

Wrong. So wrong.

So now it's November, and Baby R will be here in approximately 101-ish days (or sooner if he continues growing the way he is). What the hell have I been doing all this time?! Okay, I've been doing plenty and I'm actually being slightly over-dramatic. But this is how my brain works. I do much better under pressure and after small moments of panic. Kicks me into gear. Those of you that know me know I'm a list-maker. One of those "I already did it, but I'll write it down anyway just so I can cross it off my list" list makers. So I think by posting my to-do lists on here, I will be hereby publicly accountable.

Baby Roberts To-Do List

Find a pediatrician

Wall art for the nursery

Wash baby clothes

Open baby items and organize nursery

Find kitchen space for bottles

Re-do bathroom?

Hospital tour/pre-admission paperwork

So when I write them out, not so bad right? 

Finding a pediatrician is my top priority right now. I have suggestions from many of my friends, and think I have an idea of who I want to see in my mind, I just need to schedule an appointment. Now that we've decided on a name, I can get some wall art for the nursery! I want metal letters, I just need to find some that I like that are reasonable.

Washing baby clothes is actually going to have to wait. I've washed blankets, white onesies, and socks. Everything else I'm waiting on because Baby R is measuring big, and who knows what clothes he'll fit into? Is that silly? Should I go ahead and wash the newborn clothes I have?

I'm waiting to organize the nursery too, because I still have 3(!) more showers. Once those are done I'll be able to sort and see what I'm working with.

Finding cabinet space for bottles and things will be a little difficult since we're a little limited on space anyway. Maybe I should wait until I'm nesting??

I can't decided if I'm going to re-do our hall bathroom yet. I guess if I find a shower curtain I fall in love with, I will. But this is our guest bathroom and really, is the baby going to care that the curtain isn't animal print? Doubtful. So it's low on the priority list.

As for the hospital tour, that can be taken care of easily. Probably some time in December. We will deliver at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, which does tours of their L&D units on Wednesday nights. Super helpful because they show you exactly where to park and sign in. And during your tour you fill out paperwork so when you get there and you're actually in labor you have less to do.

Personal To-Do List

Nursing class

Christmas shopping!!

Finish home-made Christmas presents

Maternity pictures (scheduled!)

Pack hospital bags

This one, luckily, is much shorter. Although I feel like I'm leaving about half of it off. I just can't remember what else should be there!

The husband and I decided to opt out of childbirth classes. They're expensive at the hospital where we'll deliver, carried over several weeks, and he will just whine through them. He's already mentally preparing himself for passing out and missing the delivery of our firstborn child. Because of our jobs, we're both certified in adult/infant CPR which makes me feel better about it. However, I talked to a couple of friends who said the most valuable part (or part they wished they'd gone to) was about nursing. So I've signed up for the nursing class at the hospital where I work, and I think that will help me out without causing him distress :)

Christmas shopping. Enough said. I've started and finished one person, and that is all. So we still have approximately 10-ish people to buy for. I love Christmas shopping for people but no one will tell me what they want this year! My other problem is on my days off (like yesterday) I go out to get some of it done, realize I don't know what they want, and buy stuff for myself (like yesterday). So I need to get serious about it.

A couple of people are getting homemade presents (remember I said I was crafty?) so I have a quilt and several scarves to finish. Those are easy things though, and the quilt will probably get done today or this weekend.

Maternity pictures are scheduled! Super excited to be working with Nicole Gagliano for the next year since she's doing our maternity and newborn-1 year pictures! Hope it's not freezing or raining on December 4th!

Ok last but not least, the hospital bag. I know it's waaayyyy to early to pack a back. But I'm a planner, so I already have a list of things typed out that need to be put in my bag and the baby's bag. I've done my homework because clearly I've never done this before and I would have packed entirely too much unnecessary crap, causing my husband to say "Really Rheanne??" as he attempted to drag both bags to the car while I'm in labor. So now that my super-organized (and seriously reduced) lists are made, and that's left to do is pack. That will occur sometime in January. And it does give me the opportunity to find a couple of little luxury items I want, cute new slippers, a new robe, and some button front nightgowns =)

Phew! Ever feel better after you write something out? I think that's why I started blogging to begin with. Is there anything I should be adding to my lists??

Happy November!

{25 Weeks}

Yes, I'm in pajamas. My very favorite leopard pajama pants =)

Happy Halloween!

25 weeks now and not much has changed, although my back pain is starting to ease (I hope). Wedding rings continue to get tighter :( so I have a feeling that in the next couple of weeks, they will be off for good. Boo. Same with clothes. Not that they'll be off for good, but all the non-maternity clothes I could fit in to are slowly becoming too tight as well. Just an excuse to buy cute new things. I'm wearing out Target's maternity sweater dress section =)

I'm still trying to be good about what I eat (well, at least until my glucose test in 3 weeks. Then it's game on!) but all of these yummy holiday foods are making it super hard. And my salt cravings have turned into a wicked sweet tooth. I actually ate a (full size) candy bar the other day, which I haven't done in a couple of years probably. Thank goodness the closest Starbucks to me is 30 minutes away, or I'd be in BIG trouble.

I had a dream this week that our boy was here and Cody and I were calling him Goose (for some unknown reason). Possible future nickname?

He's kicking like crazy, mostly in the mornings when I first wake up or in the afternoons. It was a little strange at first, thinking of another person moving around inside of you. But now, it's sweet and comforting whenever he moves. It makes me happy. As ready as I am to meet this little guy, I think I'll miss feeling him wiggle around in my tummy.

We've FINALLY decided on a name! And I immediately got a burp cloth embroidered, so it's truly official!

I also walked a 5K this weekend. Woop! I stress the word walk, because even the people pushing strollers passed Kaeli and I. Don't judge, you try walking 4 miles carrying 20 extra pounds! But we finished and had fun! I need to keep walking more so this post-baby weight loss will happen quickly.

And now, I need to wrap this up so I can finish cleaning my house! I've got my Leaves candle from Bath & Body burning (trying to use up my fall scents so I can bust out the Christmas candles!) and my windows open. Santa Fe soup is in the crock-pot, so the husband will be super happy when he gets home from work! I'll be happy when this "nesting" kicks in and I'm actually happy about cleaning instead of procrastinating half of my day off.

24 Weeks and a Baby Party!

24 weeks! Woohoo! Sorry for another lazy "I didn't take time to change out of my work clothes" picture.

Well, it's officially week 24, and I'm still feeling good. I hope I stay this blessed the entire time =)
Downside: Scrubs and other non-maternity items of clothing I was managing to pull off are getting too small to wear in public. I've now gained 18 pounds, so all things considered I guess I'm doing good to still be wearing some of them. But I have a feeling the maternity scrubs will get busted out next week. The wedding rings are also getting tight. I can no longer sleep in them or I can't get them off when I wake up in the morning :(

We also had the baby party this past weekend! Our sweet friends Jason and Lacy hosted it, and we had so many friends there it was overwhelming. It was a nice reminder of how much this little guy will be loved, and how even though the thought of raising a kid is super scary, we aren't in it alone! We got tons of cute goodies, which I'm still sorting through in my free time. Since I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to organize the nursery yet, most of it is on the floor still. But I'm getting there!

Here are most of the cool stuff we got =)

Lots of bath stuff!

Chicco KeyFit Infant Carseat and Cortina Stroller

Lamp: Pottery Barn Kids


And for the record, we've been hanging on to the same name for 2 weeks now...so this one could be the winner!!

Name That Baby

Exactly what we've been trying to do since we found out this little nugget was indeed a boy (my husband's not-so-silent prayers were answered). I had an early ultrasound at 17 weeks to find out the gender. It was an anniversary surprise for Cody since our doctor wouldn't schedule our appointment until I was 20 weeks.

The biggest problem in picking a name was the fact that we already had a name picked out. When we started talking about trying for a baby (sometime last year) we had a boy and girl name picked out. Our boy name was Liam. So for months and months I grew attached to these 2 names. The day after we found out Baby R was a boy, my husband came home from work and said, "I don't like the name Liam anymore."

Really? Since when?!

Thus began our perfect baby boy name search. Of course we had an endless stream of suggestions from everyone who knew I was pregnant. I read books, searched websites, and made multiple lists of possible names. 

Liam

Blake

Nathan

Jase

Bryson

Cale

Ethan

Mason

Owen

Heath

...and the list goes on. And on. And on.

This week we may have finally come to an agreement. Can you hear angels singing in the background? I can! Hopefully the name we're mulling over will stick. Until then, I'm not posting it. Although I can hardly wait to because it will end the continuous stream of "well if you don't have a name how will I ever monogram the adorable ______ I'm going to get you??" comments from everyone I know. Remember, we live in the south. We put an initial on EVERYTHING.

23 Weeks

Today makes 23 weeks =)

Let me tell you, pregnancy flies by!

And please excuse my exhausted looking self in the photo, and the scrubs. I literally walked in from work and had Cody take my picture. We always do the pictures on Sunday. He doesn't even complain about it anymore ;)

I'm feeling pretty good still, other than the sciatic nerve pain that won't go away and the swollen ankles every day when I get off work. My husband thinks those are cute. 

Ok, not really. Nothing swollen is cute.

But really, I have nothing to complain about. I am in a pretty good mood most of the time (although I occasionally tear up for no reason). I'm not totally exhausted like I was the whole first 16 weeks I was pregnant. And now that I'm very visibly pregnant and people aren't afraid to ask me about it for fear of being wrong, this whole deal is much more fun!

We're making progress on the nursery. The walls have been painted and furniture put together for at least a week now. Tomorrow the husband will start his project of installing recessed lighting and a dimmer switch. This was his idea, because he didn't want either of us to have to get up in the middle of the night and switch the bright ceiling fan light on in the baby's face. It's funny what men start to think about when their own baby is involved. So once the lighting is in and drywall dust cleaned up, I will get the bedding into place and hopefully post some pictures as it comes together. I'm excited!

We're also having our first shower this week. I say "we" because this is a couple's cookout/party. I think the boys have just as much fun as the girls do at these. Any excuse for them to grill out and us all get together is always welcome! We have wonderful friends, to say the least. Hopefully I'll have some pictures from the shower too!

How adorable are the invites??

Lastly, I'm looking forward to the doctor this week for my monthly check-up. I never thought I'd look forward to a doctor's visit, but it's exciting checking in on the baby every few weeks and hearing good news. My last visit was my 20 week ultrasound, and my placenta was low. Not low enough to cause me to need a c-section, but they want to recheck it again this time. My doctor said she was fairly confident that it would be fine by my scan this week, so basically this is just another opportunity to see my cute little nugget =)

So fingers crossed for another good visit!

Small Victories.

Let's talk about maternity clothes for a minute. {Cue to leave now if you are not female, or just not interested}

Maternity clothes kind of suck, but they're kind of awesome at the same time. Don't worry, I'll elaborate. But first, my small victory for the day. I went shopping today and nothing (well, except for the undershirt) I wore was maternity. I managed to squeeze into a pair of AE jeans and my favorite Under Armour pullover and still look socially acceptable. Could you tell I'm pregnant? Absolutely. But I could STILL WEAR THEM! My excitement over this stems from the fact that I gained 8 pounds the minute those 2 little pink lines showed up on the 3 (or 4) pregnancy tests I took. I swear.

Back to maternity clothes.
Who decided that all pregnant women needed to wear tops long enough to cover their butts, and they needed to have a cute little bow at the waist? Someone's grandmother surely, who thinks that because you are pregnant you should look matronly. Gag. Now I'm sure that these articles of clothing have been drastically improved from what our mothers wore, but they still have a long way to go. You want some cute things to wear when that baby bump really pokes out? You can find them here, but you'll pay dearly. Unless you just have $45 to spend on a black t-shirt, and then shop yourself silly.

That being said, I've found some really cute things at Old Navy, Gap, and Target. Downside: (most) Old Navy and Gap stores do not carry maternity clothes, therefore they have to be returned through the mail. Target is a good choice for basic things, and they have more of a selection online, which can be returned to any store. The bad part is they basically only get one size run of everything in the store, so if you see something cute there you better snatch it up!

Now here's the truly awesome part about maternity clothes. Ready? They are super-comfy and if you find the right fit, super-flattering =)
Well, most of them. Tops that actually give you appropriate room in the mid-section? Awesome. I know several people I could suggest these to. And let's just say that it is {nearly} impossible to get a muffin-top in maternity pants. Again, several people I know should wear these all the time. The "below the belly" maternity pants from Old Navy have been a huge lifesaver.

If you are lucky like some people (people I hate) then you won't gain enough weight during your pregnancy to require you to wear maternity clothes until you are 6-ish months along. I was not blessed with those genes. Again, + pregnancy test = 8 pounds. Boom. Just like that. Whoever discovered looping a hair tie through your jeans' button hole to give you extra room, I bow down to you.

My tips to you:
Buy maternity basics that will work with what you already own. By that I mean a few pairs of jeans in different styles, a couple of pairs of dress pants, basic tops (t-shirts, tanks, etc), and a few dressy tops. Also, get some maternity leggings/yoga pants (again, why do people not wear these all the time?? You'll see what I mean) as well as maternity tights. You can always use things in your closet to layer, like cardigans, vests, etc. Winter pregnant girls are lucky because we can get by with sweats and no one cares. Summer girls are lucky because you get to rock cute dresses all the time!

Show your bump off! Trust me, hiding it (why would you want to?) only makes it worse. It's hard at first, but once you get past the "Is-she-pregnant-or-is-that-a-Mexican-food-and-beer-gut" stomach, you'll be ready to flaunt it just so people won't think you're fat anymore. At least that's how I felt.

Accessorize! You'll get to a point where your closet is boring you, because you've worn all your maternity stuff/regular items that still fit multiple times, but can't seem to find anything else you like. Scarves, shoes, and jewelry are your friends =) or at least they're mine. I treated myself today with a super cute new pair of pajama pants and a gold giraffe necklace that I fell in love with. 

{I can hear my husband rolling his eyes}

Pajama pants and necklace from J.Crew Factory Store

Playing Catch-Up

Being the Pinterest addict/junkie that I am, I found a blog on there one day that gave me a super cute idea for posting pregnancy pictures without looking...inappropriate. Apparently, the day that you conceive, people want you to either post or send them pictures of your pregnant stomach. I'm self-conscious on a good day, so posting naked-belly pictures all over Facebook simply wasn't an option. So I decided on the "cute descriptive chalkboard" method originally found here. She looks adorable in her pictures! I'll use this post to show my pictures up until this point:

How did I manage to not look pregnant at all here? I should wear this shirt more often.

Those are the last few months of my life in a nutshell.

My pregnancy has been fairly easy so far...hopefully it continues this way. Notice my first picture is at 10 weeks, which is when we announced "Baby R" to the world (outside of our parents and brothers). Someone said "Thank goodness you had sense enough not to tell everyone the minute you peed on a stick!" and I say, to each his own. We just felt better after going to the doctor and knowing everything was going well. And apparently I was feeling rough at 12 weeks, because there is no picture of me =)

I've been blessed not to be sick {much} during this adventure. During my first trimester, the only thing that sent me running for the bathroom was tomato sauce. Of course, I craved tomato soup. I got over that around 16 weeks, only to have the same ill feeling return this week. Sigh. 

My other issue is this little nugget sitting on my sciatic nerve, where he has been comfortable positioned since about week 15 or 16. My OB said hopefully as I get bigger my uterus will "tilt" forward and off my sciatic nerve. No luck yet. It's also not helpful that I'm a nurse and when I'm at work, I'm on my feet 13+ hours a day. My advice: stretching and a maternity pillow. I have the Boppy Maternity Pillow and it has been wonderful. My husband would beg to differ, stating that it feels like there's a third person in the bed with "that thing in here," but he can occasionally be dramatic. I feel like it will definitely come in handy in my later months too when I'm rolling around in bed like a beached walrus.

We are currently working on putting the nursery together, so there will be pictures coming soon. As I previously mentioned, Chloe is not very happy about her room being remodeled. But if we're being honest, she's a cat so every room in the house belongs to her.

The Beginning

So...I've never written a blog before. In fact, I've never written anything before other than in a journal when I was in middle school (your welcome for not posting THAT on here). But being the sentimental, hormonal, pregnant person that  I am, I have the sudden urge to document everything. I decided this would be a good way to keep up with things going on in my life and pregnancy, and one day I can look back on this and laugh hysterically. Until then, I'll just write what I think.

In hindsight, I probably should have started this blog when I found out I was pregnant, or even when we started trying. Those of you that know me know that I am a procrastinator, so better late than never ;)

A little background info for someone who might stumble upon this randomly:
I'm a critical care nurse in a small hospital just outside Nashville. I've been married for 3 years now to my sweet husband (who will probably be called various names throughout this blog!), and I am 22 weeks pregnant with our first baby!

We're having a little boy, due in February 2013. And before you ask, no he does not have a name yet. That's a whole post in itself. We have a furchild, a sweet cat named Chloe who doesn't understand why we took the bed out of her room and replaced it with nursery furniture.

I like to craft (when I have time), and bake. Cooking, not so much. I leave that to the husband mostly. But I can throw down on some desserts!

So with the basics out of the way, I guess I'll just blog myself silly now!