Halloween Party: The Food

Seriously, I think everyone outdid themselves when it came to the food this year. Everything was Halloween themed and turned out really cute! I made the pumpkin cake which was on my last post, and everything else was made by the hosts or other party guests. You can definitely tell who has been on Pinterest lately!

Pumpkin cheeseball (was actually a chicken cheeseball)

ghost cookies

Mummy pigs n blanket

Pumpkin throwing up some guacamole

Mummy pizza's

Alcoholic Jello brain mold complete with worms!

Pumpkin cheese dip (nothing was pumpkin flavored, don't worry)

My personal favorite, the brain and eye fruit tray

I can't believe how great everything looked! It tasted just as good!

Eat, Drink, and Be Scary

Last night was our annual friends Halloween Party at Shane and Andrea's house. We had such a great time and it was hilarious to see everyone dressed up. I will let the pictures tell the story...

The pumpkin cake I made

Nascar Fans....Yep thats Matt and I

Me and The Sugar Skull

Ang, Baby Mattox, and Matt: The pumpkin patch and farmer...Yes that is her real pregnant belly!!

Phoenix loves her Blistex...only fitting she would go dressed as Blistex...Mel was the lips (duh)

Bob Barker and contestant on the The Price is Right

Bunch of the girls

Osama Bin Laden and the American Soldier

Besties

Spoiled Already...

Not only will Baby C have 4 sets of grandparents (yes, you read that correctly), 5 uncles, 3 aunts, 3 great grandmothers, and 1 great grandfather, but Baby C will be the first grandchild born on both sides of mine and Matt's family.  I think that means Baby C may have a pretty lush life, as there are so many family (and friends) who are very excited to meet (and possibly spoil) him/her.

Not only have we already gotten several sweet cards from family and friends, but we have already received a few presents for us/and the baby! I think this baby will be living the good life...;)

How cute! Matt's Dad and Debbie got us a wreath with an Auburn and Bama Bibb. Guess that Bama bibb will have to be used when they are at the grandparents house! ;)

My mom bought Baby C some Auburn Pacifiers- Can't wait to deck baby out in Auburn gear!

A blanket my mom knitted with a very cute and gender neutral duck hood. I can't wait to see this on the little one!

It has been so much fun to see how excited our family and friends have been over the baby.  It makes it more special for us. 

 *However, on a side note-- you can see a lot of the focus is on what team the baby will wear. Matt's dad, step-mom, mom, and brother Ryan love The University of Alabama.

My dad and brothers love the University of Georgia.

And Matt and I, along with his brother Nick, went to Auburn University. 

My mom roots for Auburn also.

It's gonna be very very interesting to see what team baby C ends up pulling for.

Obviously Matt and I will do our best to show our baby how amazing Auburn is. 
But really, how funny would it be if we had a child who didn't care at all about football??! Ha!*

How I have been feeling

First of all, I want to thank all the sweet people who have commented on my blog and congratulated me/us on our latest news. It really means a lot to hear the kind comments and support, and means more than you know! I love getting comments on my blog, it is exciting! :)

Secondly, since I am about out of the first trimester I figured I'd give a little run down of how I have been feeling. Mostly I think I have been a little spoiled as this pregnancy has been pretty dang easy so far. I joke that I could be on the show "I didn't know I was pregnant"...except I did know I was pregnant...super early on (oh yeah, and haven't had a period in almost 14 weeks). There still have been some signs and symptoms but nothing really significant. Dad, some of this may be TMI (too much info) so you may want to stop reading now. Here are some:

-Cramping- the first few weeks after finding out I was pregnant I felt lots of cramping in my stomach. It felt like menstrual cramps and it scared me. I did some research and found out this is very normal and I may experience it off and on as the pregnancy progresses.

-Tender breasts-seriously, this has been oftentimes my only symptom.  They hurt to touch and are really tender. However, it hasn't been as bad as I have heard others complain of, it didn't affect me wearing bra's or sleeping.

-Fatigue-I have felt tired especially in the afternoon and at night. I often take a long nap after work and go to bed early. Like really early. I passed out last night at 8:30. This is getting to be the norm.

-Black out/dizziness- This was one of the first signs to alrert me that I may be pregnant. I stood up too quickly and blacked out for a second. This happens a lot to me if I stand too quickly; and I have read it has to do with the increased blood supply when you are pregnant.

-Stomach issues- Yeah, its a problem. And that's about all I will say about that.
-Hormones-What??! You think I'm hormonal!?! Ha, yes, yes I really am. I find myself very irritated easily and have no patience for people and situations that in the past I would have been okay with. My poor parents and Matt are pretty much the only ones who have gotten the wrath of Jessica and thankfully they are super understanding. But seriously, one minute I'm crying at something stupid, the next snapping on my husband for not cooking the pizza on the rack (Don't you know if you cook it on the pizza stone it doesn't get as crispy, gah!?)

 -Pregnancy brain-I'm not sure if this is a real thing or not, but I have heard tons of women complain of this and have read things online about this. I forget everything and am super spacey. I feel like I can never remember simple words as I am talking and forget things I do every single day (i.e. get the mail). It can be really frustrating but I try to laugh it off as it goes with the territory.

-Headaches- I have been experiencing a lot more headaches than ever. Usually in the afternoon and evening.

So basically that is it. And most of these things are very mild so it's not been bad at all. I really haven't had any nausea or morning sickness. I'd say maybe 4 times I felt a little uneasy but it went away quickly and I have never gotten sick. I'd honestly take all of these things over nausea and am so thankful that I haven't been sick. I'm hoping karma won't get me later on in this pregnancy for that one! ;)  I do believe a lot of these symptoms should subside soon since I am entering the 2nd trimester, which I am very excited about!

Honestly I feel so blessed and thankful that I am pregnant and can't complain at all. It has been a great experience and I pray it continues to be and that baby is growing strong and healthy!

Happy Halloween!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I love the traditions that go with the season. There is nothing better than cool Fall days with the windows open, the leaves popping with beautiful colors, Fall Festivals, and especially Halloween.

With Halloween comes a few traditions that Matt and I always do. One of those is carving pumpkins. I have loved doing this since I was a young child and it has been fun doing it as an adult with Matt. It is a fun activity we can do while spending time together.  Here are some of our pumpkins from a few past years.

2005-Our first year in Birmingham together

2009

2010

And this year's.....(drum roll please).....



Changes

Ever since the pregnancy test showed 2 pink little lines things have really changed for us, and I am sure they will continue to do so.  There have been changes for me (more on that on another post), changes for our relationship, lifestyle changes, changes in the baby growing inside of me (wow that sounds weird), and many, many more changes to come. Some of those changes will probably be in this blog. This blog really is all over the place, but it is mostly focused on my life and what is going on with it, whether it be the half marathon I ran in the spring, my random opinions on topics, or just what is going on in my life on a day to day (lately more like week to week) basis. So inevitably, with these huge changes in our lives they will most likely be reflected in this blog. I will try not to be all about baby, but truth be told that's what most of my life is about right now and a lot of what is on my mind. So if you have me stored as your favorite (haha, yeah right, who am I kidding?!) and no longer want to visit my blog as I become a blabbering pregnant lady I understand.

Okay, I digress....

We found our super early that we were pregnant (like 3 weeks pregnant) and were very hesitant to share the news since it was so soon. We scheduled a doctors appointment and nervously waited another 3 weeks for it.  Thankfully, everything went great and we were lucky enough to see the little flicker of the heartbeat.  The doctor gave us great odds for everything working out, as it is good to see the heartbeat so soon (so he says). At that point we decided to tell only immediate family.  This is how we told:

We took these pictures (see below) and emailed them to moms, dads, brothers, and sister-in-laws. We then called them and made them check their email while on the phone. Everyone was soo excited and shocked! It was such a wonderful night as we received calls and texts all night from our family asking all different types of questions and wanting to talk about the baby. It was great to already feel such support and love for our little one.

Surprise family! We are having a baby!

We then were still really cautious and decided to continue to keep the pregnancy a secret, until our next appointment at 9 1/2 weeks. At that appointment we had another ultrasound and saw the baby was healthy, still had a strong heartbeat, and was growing right on track.  We decided that we would finally spill the beans with our friends (who had been very, very suspicious already) that weekend. We went to a football party and I wore this shirt which said "Future Tiger" with an arrow pointing to my belly.  Our friends were very excited and not very surprised! ha! But it was still a fun way to come out of the 'baby closet'. 

Future Auburn Tiger!

We recently had our 3rd visit to the doctor last week and surprisingly had yet another ultrasound. I think we weren't supposed to (doctor said we would just hear the heartbeat on the doppler) but the doctor's office was very busy, so we somehow slipped through the cracks to get another ultrasound. Whatever the reasoning, we were definitely excited and up to see the baby again! It is amazing how much they change in just a few weeks.  

6 weeks...basically a blob

9 weeks...looks like a teddy bear to me! haha! We saw the baby kicking and moving a lot though so it was exciting to see that the baby was beginning to look more human-like.

12 weeks...holy cow! It looks just like a baby(--which it is, I know!) And how cute are his/her little legs crossed?? So sweet.

We feel so blessed and grateful for this baby and ask for your prayers for a safe and healthy pregnancy and baby. And of course, I will keep you all posted on updates!

Surprise!

Or it may not be a surprise to most of you.....

We are having a baby!!

Baby Coleman will be here around April 29, 2012.

I am currently 13 weeks pregnant and feel great!

Matt and I are soooo thrilled and excited to take this journey and begin our lives as parents.

How we revealed to our friends, who by the way had already figured it out!

12 week ultrasound

'I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.'

                           ~ 1 Samuel 1:27

Football Saturdays

Every Saturday since football season has started the big questions are not only who Auburn is playing and will we win but where we will go to watch the games. It seems we like to rotate friends houses and everyone always bring tons of great food and drinks. Since the weather has been wonderful lately, it's been really fun to sit outside and watch the game and we got to do that this weekend at Ben and Mere's.

Thankfully, Auburn pulled out a victory against Florida! War Eagle!

Amanda, Mere, and Phoenix

Boys playin Bocce Ball...Jay, Ryan, Mitch and my hot husband Matt ;)

Matt and I

Matt and Mitch

Me and Amanda

Amanda, Phoenix, Ang, Mere, and me

It was a great weekend and a wonderful Saturday. Hope you all had a good weekend!

Baby Wilder's Baby Shower

Babies, babies everywhere! This past weekend I helped host Maria's baby shower for her soon to be here son, Wilder.  Wilder is not due until November 5, but I have a hunch this sweet baby will be here sooner than later!

The shower turned out great and I think Maria had a good time. She sure racked up on the gifts, which is what it is all about right!? (I kid, I kid!)

This was some of the spread

 Look at this monkey dip! I didn't want to eat him, but I did and he was yummy!

 Another one of Phoenix's awesome diaper cakes. I mean, seriously she should start a business! Please check out the cute little monkey poking out from behind the tree.

 Me and the mom-to-be!

Maria posing by the delicious banana punch. It was so good, I want some right now. 

Dessert table and another diaper cake

 Some (not all) of the loot

Maria opening presents

I think the baby shower turned out really well and I hope Maria and baby Wilder enjoy all of  the great stuff !!

Now let's hope he is here soon! I can't wait to meet this sweet little boy!  

Baby Mattox's Baby Shower

Today I had the honor to help host Angela's baby shower. She is currently 8 weeks away (but hey, who's counting!?) from having her beautiful baby boy, Mattox.  The shower was held at baby daddy (aka her husbands) grandmother's house and in all I think it was a great success. Baby Mattox received lots of cute stuff and they should have everything they need for his arrival. And lots more. Cause thats what you are supposed to do right?! Spoil him rotten!! 

The spread: lots of yummy food

Angela and me-I mean seriously, you can't even tell she is pregnant here!! How cute is she?!

The sign-in table

Mattox's door hanger that Meredith made! It turned out awesome!!!

Of course tons of cute onesies

The happy couple!

Best diaper cake ever thanks to Phoenix who made this!

The hostessess and Ang: Mere, me, Ashley, Angela, Ansley, Teresa, and Christi

Now we just have to anxiously patiently wait for Mattox to come! I can't wait to meet this sweet little guy!