Friday, December 30, 2011

22 weeks


We just got back from a long trip to Atlanta for Christmas and New York! We had a blast, and don't worry you will be sick of hearing about it, but first I must update you on this week in pregnancy terms, since it will be ending really soon (week 22 that is).

How far along: 22 weeks, 5 days
Weight Gain: not sure since I've been out of town, therefore couldn't weigh myself. Which honestly may be a good thing after all the food I have eaten this week!
Maternity Clothes: Got a lot of new cute maternity clothes for Christmas! Thanks Santa, aka my mom!
Sleep: I didn't sleep great this week, could be pregnancy related or not being in my own bed related
Best moment this week: Seeing Phantom of the Opera!! And coming home to our house today to find that our parents pitched in together to buy and surprise us with Baylor's crib! It's all set up in his room!!!
Food Cravings: still pretty much want sweets. A lot.
Movement: A lot! And I can't get enough of it!
What I miss: currently, my own bed. But I get to sleep there tonight!
What I am looking forward to: My doctors appointment this week. That's always fun.
Milestones: Getting the nursery started--thanks to the grandparents-to-be!



Thursday, December 22, 2011

21


How Far Along: 21 weeks, 4 days
Weight Gain: 10lbs
Maternity Clothes: I am excited because Ang B. just gave me some hand me down maternity shirts--feels like I have a new wardrobe! I kinda do...
Sleep: wasn't great last night, but overall still good
Best moment this week: Since I guess this doesn't always have to be maternity related...probably having dinner with Matt's parents (dad, step-mom on Sunday and mom last night) and having our early Christmas with them
Food Cravings: burger and fries
Movement: Still feeling a lot. I am feeling him move more and more, and it's not just kicks, it feels like flipping and flopping.?
What I miss: my family
What I am looking forward to: Going home to Atlanta tomorrow to see the family and spend Christmas together with them! And our New York trip next week!
Milestones: Just feeling him move more and more, which is such a reassuring feeling!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Catching up in Photos

Like I previously mentioned, we have been really pretty busy lately.
Here are some pics from the past few weeks that I have been too lazy busy to put up.

We visited baby Mattox again and saw Matt and Angela. It's amazing how quickly babies grow and change. I am going to see them this week and am already eager to see how much he has grown since we took these pictures!

Looks pretty comfy
How sweet!
I also mentioned we went to Matt's work Christmas party. This is what we looked like when we went.  It was a little over a week ago. Speaking of growing, I can't believe how quickly my own belly has been growing.




And then we had the family parties this Saturday.
This is Matt's mother's side of the family

And now we have Matt's father's side of the family...which is a bit (a lot) larger!
This is (maybe) half of everyone that was there....we didn't get a group photo because that would be impossible very difficult.

Matt got this playing White Elephant, too bad his little cousin stole it. I really thought it would look good while walking around the streets of New York.

The Coleman men...some handsome guys if I do say so myself

Paw Paw being silly...he got a new hat!

What a cute couple! Oh wait...that's us! ;)
So see, photographic evidence that we really have been busy! It has definitely been fun though. I can't wait to get home to see my family this weekend for Christmas--I haven't been home since October and that was so long ago I could wear my old jeans--I miss them (both my jeans and family, but especially my family). Stay tuned for more updates and pictures as we go this holiday season.
Hope you all are having a wonderful CHRISTmas season!

Jess and Matt take New York

(Still sticking with the Kardashian shout outs...)

Remember how I said we were going to New York after Christmas?
Umm, we are really going to New York. Like going to be doing it up in New York. Like big timers.  

We have never been to New York before, so when Matt's dad and Step-mom offered to take the family to New York as Christmas gifts for a family fun get away we couldn't say yes quick enough. Unfortunately, due to some people's lack of interest, others' scheduling conflicts, and others' fears of flying, no one wanted to go but Matt and I. So guess what, Matt and I are going to New York next week!

The whole trip has been being planned for us by his parents, but all the details have been a secret...until last night. And now we can not wait to go knowing how much fun stuff we have in store! Matt's parents definitely are spoiling us!

Here's a sneak peak:

We are going to the Phantom of the Opera and The Rockettes!

We are staying here:
source
The W Hotel in Times Square!!

We have a tour on Wednesday and will see the 9/11 Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, and a bunch of other awesome touristy sights.

Since we have never been before, I am sure we will be overwhelmed and amazed by the city and the sights.  We really don't have any other plans other than these, anyone have any suggestions? Places we should eat at??

We definitely want to stress how freaking amazing this trip is and how thankful we are to Matt's parents for giving us this once in a lifetime gift!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Griswold Christmas

Saturday was a day of parties for us! We went to Matt's mothers house to have Christmas lunch with his family, Matt's father's side of the family for a crazy fun game of White Elephant, and finished up at our friends Ben and Mere's for a Griswold Christmas.

If you haven't seen the movie Christmas Vacation then, A.) you must--it is hilarious and B.) you may be a little confused looking at these pictures!

Nevertheless, we had a blast and of course Mere and Ben as always know how to throw a really fun Christmas Party!

The Squirrel and the Tree--costume contest winners

The kidnapped boss and cousin Eddie

Margo and Clark

I do believe Andrea and I had the right idea being the kidnapped boss-getting to wear pjs!

All the cousin Eddie's and Clark

All of the Clarks

Where's that squirrel?!

Margo and Aunt Bethany

The Griswold's--Ellen and Sparky

me, Amanda, and Mere..aka boss, Margo, and Ellen

Playing Dirty Santa--Red Rider bb gun was a very popular gift



Phoenix doesn't like to dress up...

What's a Christmas party without karaokee?

The Margo's and Todd's streching

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Week 20

I still can not get over how much bigger I look in these pics than I think I look like in real life. Plus I swear I got bigger over the night last night. My co-workers kept even commenting that today!

Every time I think week 20 Bon Jovi comes to mind..."woahhh we're halfway there..."

Okay here are the deets (that means details, dad):

How Far Along: 20 weeks, 4 days
Weight Gain: 9 lbs
Maternity clothes: are comfortable. And all I fit in.
Sleep: Still sleeping good. Starting to feel more tired again (like I was in first trimester) so I have been napping a bit.
Best moment this week: Feeling him move more and more. Just can't get over how wonderful of a feeling that is!
Food Cravings: none, really
Movement: The little guy is kicking and moving daily, I feel him in the mornings, afternoons, and at night! He likes the nightlife baby (anyone get it?)--he's most awake at night!
What I miss: nothing... I am trying to just enjoy this time. I feel like I'm always eager for another milestone: a positive test, hearing the heartbeat, getting out of the first trimester, finding out what gender he is, etc. I'm trying to just slow down and enjoy it....which is difficult because I am impatient!
What I am looking forward to: Ha! The next milestone I am eager for (and trying not to be so eager for), is that what you are asking?? I guess to be out of the second trimester, because I know it gets more uncomfortable but I want to feel better about the odds if something bad were to happen....which won't! but still, you know what I mean.
Milestones: I just love knowing he is a boy and calling him by name. I love his kicking and being able to call Matt and say 'your son has been kicking all day long!!'




Keeping up with the Colemans

Oh that would have been a good blog name! Never mind that I stole it from a reality show that I may or may not be obsessed with....

So yes, I know I've been kinda slacking lately (ahem, no 19 week pregnancy update....I know ya'll were at the edge of your seat waiting for this right?)...but I've been pretty busy lately (napping daily counts right?!).

We have and will continue to be busy for the next few weeks. Last Saturday Matt and I attended his work Christmas party (pics to come) which was fun. Last night we had a girls night at my friend Mere's house to hang out and watch "Christmas Vacation" which is the theme of her Christmas party this year ("you serious Clark?"). We have 2 other family parties this Saturday (total of 3). And oh yeah, and we are going out of town to Atlanta for Christmas with my family the 23-26, and then Matt and I are taking out first trip to New York the 26-30 (recommendations??).  So in between all that, we still have to see Matt's family to exchange gifts as well as finish shopping for family and friends. We have done a pretty good job on the shopping and wrapping so far though....


 Speaking of presents, you should have a kid...people are so nice they just start giving you stuff. So I'm kind of kidding, but really my amazing friends and family have surprised us with several sweet things for baby Baylor. 

Amanda and Mitch gave us this super cute Auburn onesie...and it is a polo with a collar, just like daddy loves to wear.


Phoenix gave us this beautiful frame, and I quickly changed out the generic baby ultrasound picture for the ultrsound pic of the next Brad Pitt (I may be a little biased).


And my amazing sister-in-law Megan gave me this gorgeous baby boy Brighton charm for my charm bracelet.  How cute is that?!

And Gracie has been giving me lots of extra kisses lately.  Oh wait, she just likes to lick.


Serioulsy though, thank you all for the sweet comments on this blog, if I could figure out how to reply to them I definitely would..... I can not get over how much love and support we, along with our baby, have received. It is overwhelming and so wonderful.  What a perfect time of the year to realize how blessed and thankful we are!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

It's A....


 It's a boy!!

We had a wonderful doctors appointment today and got to see our sweet little angel.


I really thought I was having a girl....until I saw his penis sticking straight up in the air! Ha!! No doubt I am having a baby boy!! :)
We were thrilled to see how big he has grown and that he is doing well and is healthy. We were able to see the 4 chambers of the heart, the brain, spine, and all the details of this sweet little guy. He was even sucking his thumb at one point.  My heart has swelled knowing I have a healthy baby boy growing inside of me (still so weird to imagine!).
The doctor said we are measuring right at 19-20 weeks so we are just about halfway there! Our next 2 appointments will be spaced 4 weeks apart and then we will begin to go every 2 weeks and then weekly when we get closer to time.
I am so excited to start planning and picking baby stuff out now knowing that in April we will be meeting our son, who we have decided to name....
Baylor Iverson Coleman

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers, it means a lot! Please continue to keep Baylor and us in them as we continue in this journey.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Working on my Fitness....while pregnant

Prior to getting pregnant, I would say all these things about how I would act and things I would do when I did become pregnant. Well, since I have become pregnant I must admit that things really do change.

I would say that once I was pregnant I was going to work out all the time (I think I may have told someone I would walk 5 miles daily....bahahaha!!) to stay trim and healthy....then the exhaustion of the 1st trimester hit and I couldn't help but nap every.single.afternoon. after getting home from work. 

I said I would eat healthy and organic for the health benefits for the baby....now the thought of a vegetable makes me want to puke and I am trying to save our money for the baby instead of blowing it all on organic food.

I said we would do a gender reveal party....and now all I want to do is find out the gender, and I don't have the energy or patience to plan a big reveal party, plus its a busy time of the year and my family is out of town making it very difficult to arrange.

When I set these 'goals' per se, my intentions were well. But once you become pregnant, things just change. I do however, try to eat healthy (though the thought of eating vegetables really does make me want to vomit and I used to love them...), I try to buy the important things organic (ones that have the most pesticides), and I have worked out at least a few times weekly since the 2nd trimester hit and my energy began to increase.

The whole "I will work out every single day" thing is pretty funny though, looking back on it. Though my energy has increased it is still not as it was before I was pregnant. So I changed my goals in order to fit how I now feel and set ones that are more realistic for myself during this time of my life.

My current goal is to usually work out 3-4 times per week. I think I average about 3 days per week. I would like to increase this, but sometimes life and lack of energy gets in the way. 

When I do work out I like to switch things up. After researching lots of prenatal workout videos I found Summer Sanders' Prenatal Workout video and I love it! It has a different workout catered to each trimester (ie. you can't lay flat on your back once you hit 2nd trimester) and they have a long and short version. The long is close to an hour and the short version is about 30 mins. It involves using a resistance band, but I just use 3lb weights and it works out fine. Summer is 7 months pregnant in the video and looks great! She is very laid back and just talks to you like your her friend. It keeps me entertained and motivated.

source
On days I don't do the video or on days I'm feeling extra energy after doing the video, I will walk on the treadmill for about 30-45 mins. I try to put the incline up as I walk so I feel like I am doing more (ha). It's a good, low impact workout that gives me time to catch up on the important shows I have on my DVR, like Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (I mean, did anyone see the episode last night!? crazy.).

So even though I may not be as great and healthy as I once thought I would be once I became pregnant, I am still trying.  And that's what counts most, right?! 

Friday, December 2, 2011

Week 18


How far along: 18 weeks 5 days
Weight gain: 7lb total
Maternity Clothes: I need more!
Sleep: Sleeping great lately
Best Moment this week: feeling the baby kick now! It's such a neat feeling!
Food Cravings: nothing really comes to mind
Belly Button in or out: I may take this question out-- until it pops out! I have noticed my belly button is getting a little more shallow and shaped differently. weird. But makes sense.
Movement: I'm feeling a kick or two (or three) each day. They come and go so quick! It's the best feeling!
What I miss: Dancing. Which I totally could do now, but I'd like to go out dancing late night with my girlfriends....and that just won't work. ha!
What I am looking forward to: My ultrasound NEXT week!! I am so nervous and excited! Will baby be blue or pink!?!
Milestones: I'm pretty much all in maternity clothes now. And I love that I feel baby kick now. :)

Please pray for us and the baby as we go to the doctor this week--and stay tuned to find out the gender!!!!!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

17 weeks

 Okay, so technically today I am 18 weeks, but here is the pics and stats from this past week:
How far along: This picture was taken yesterday, at 17 weeks 6 days
Weight gain/loss: I have gained 6lbs total
Maternity Clothes: Yep, got some of these this week. I figured out how hard it is to find good fitting maternity clothes at a good price, oh and that most stores either have a very, very, small selection or zero selection of maternity clothes. Ugh.
Sleep: Slept pretty good this week. I keep waking up around 3am and have a little difficulty going back to sleep, but it's not too bad.
Best moment this week: I'm feeling baby move more! I was actually listening to the heartbeat on the doppler the other day and heard the baby move and felt it at the same time! Crazy!
Food cravings: still sweets
Belly Button in or out: still in
Movement: yes, and feeling the baby move more and more now!
What I miss: wine....and a cold beer
What I am looking forward to: In a week and half we have our ultrasound where we get to find out the gender and check to make sure baby is growing healthy
Milestones: I think a big milestone is feeling baby move more and also moving into maternity clothes!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Christmas Card Time

One of the best parts of Christmas is opening your mailbox around Christmas and getting cards from friends, family members, and other loved ones. It not only is fun to see the different cards (I especially like the photo ones) but to also know that others are thinking of you during this time of the year.

Since I enjoy receiving cards so much, I think it's important that we also send out cards so that our loved ones know that we are also thinking of them!

I think the hardest part is deciding what Christmas card design we want to use! This year, we are going to use Tiny Prints to design our Christmas cards. They have tons of cute designs to choose from at great prices (some of those companies can be so expensive!).

Here are a few designs that we really like:

I like the design on this one...the light blue and swirly-accent is so cute

This one is so colorful and bright!

Very classic and classy.

Who knows which one we will decide on, like I said, that's the hardest part! But seriously, you can check them all out here at Tiny Prints!

Welcome Baby Mattox

Last Friday morning I woke up to my phone ringing. It was a call I had been anxiously waiting for--my best friend Angela was going into labor!!

That evening, Angela and Matt welcomed Liam Mattox into this world. Matt (my Matt) and I had the privilege to arrive at the hospital early enough to got to meet him for the first time within an hour after his birth.

He was the sweetest thing and both Mattox and mommy were doing great!

A big baby for little Ang!

Matt putting his swaddling skills to use

Matt and Matt: best friends since they were in cribs...hopefully Mattox and Baby Coleman will soon be best friends in cribs!


Okay seriously, who looks this great after just giving birth!?
 Matt and I wanted to let things calm down before we visited again and we got the chance to hang out with them this afternoon. It amazes me how much babies change and grow in just one week! He sure is a cutie though. It seems that they are all adjusting well and doing great. I forgot my camera (I know, what kind of blogger am I?!) but I made Matt take one with his phone. 

This photo doesn't even do this precious guy justice! I must get more ASAP!! 

Congrats again to Matt and Ang on their wonderful new addition. We can't wait to watch him grow!