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!

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!

The decorations are hung...

Today was a busy day! When the dogs woke us up at 7:30am I quickly told Matt that it was not yet time to get up...Unfortunately he had other plans than I and was up and at em'.  Needless to say, we got an early start on putting up our Christmas decorations today.

We picked up our tree this afternoon and finished putting everything up by 1:00! I think everything turned out great and I can't help but get excited now about the best holiday ever, Christmas!!

Here's a peek at some of our decorations....

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm home with a stuffed (and much bigger looking than this morning) belly thinking back on what a great Thanksgiving we had this year! I am overwhelmed with how many things in my life God has blessed me with which I am thankful for: my wonderful husband, this amazing miracle growing inside of me, my family, friends, a fulfilling job, and so much more. I most importantly recognize that these have all been given to me by our Lord, and all good things come through him.

We were busy and had 2 different places to go to. We started off with Matt's fathers side of the family in a land far, far away (seriously, it was!) where his aunt and uncle live. It was a new house they recently built which is on the Warrior River, which was beautiful, but in the middle of nowhere. 

From left to right: Michael, Ryan, Kristen, me, Matt, Nick, Megan, and below: Debbie and Bob

me and as Matt says "my poofy hair"

 After leaving Matt's fathers side of the family, we headed to his mothers house where we had Thanksgiving Meal #2. Early on, I gave the baby a pep talk that we would have a great food day and would eat tons, so get ready! And it was all soo good. Both baby and I were happy campers.

A serious game...of UNO

Ryan and I comparing our bellies....who's bigger?!

Matt's sweet mom Debbie, and her pumpkin pie

Family pic: me, Cayden, Matt, Amari, Leslie, Ryan, Debbie, Megan, and Nick

The boys and their momma

Matt and me....and seriously, my belly is not this big (well, for now). It grows as I eat more and more!! haha!

We really had a great Thanksgiving. And now I'm thankful for my pjs. And that I am wearing them right now.

Tomorrow is Christmas decorating day! I have somehow convinced Matt to go buy a tree and put up our decorations tomorrow. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I hope you counted your blessings this year and had a wonderful Thanksgiving!



Finding My Mommy Style

Last night Megan, Amanda, and I went to see Rosie Pope talk about "Finding Your Mommy Style". Rosie is a famous pregnancy concierge (which means she caters to pregnant women for literally whatever they may need prior to giving birth) and also owns a maternity clothing store. She has a show on Bravo called "Pregnant in Heels". I honestly have only seen it once or twice, but she is hilarious and I will most definitely watch it from now on!

The event was held at Workplay which was a really nice venue. They had snacks and complimentary drinks (and non-alcoholic ones!) which always is an easy convicing for me to attend. Oh yeah, and the tickets were free! Score! You had me at free. Anyways, there was an initial cocktail hour and then Rosie and a couple young women sat on stage and just had open discussion about any and everything. Audience members could ask questions also but I was feeling shy so I didn't. It was really fun, hilarious, and I honestly learned a lot! I think it was neat that so many women could get together and talk about many subjects that we often don't talk about like the bad side of pregnancy, conflicts in marriage after baby, and other difficult situations we may face as mothers or mothers-to-be.

Afterwards, we got to go down and actually talk with Rosie and the other panelists, and we got our picture taken with her. OH, and she is pregnant! I asked her when she was due and she said May. Is it weird I got really excited that I am due before someone else!? lol!

Here are a few photo's from the night:

The stage and VIP area (which we were not cool enough to be in) before the show got started.

A glimpse of some of the tables and set up

My non-alcoholic beverage which tasted like a Shirley Temple = Yummy!

Megan and I

Megan, Amanda, and I

Rosie!

The panelists and Rosie, Rosie is in the white.

Yes I pinky promise to wear an undershirt with that sweater from now on....And this is us with Rosie Pope! She was so sweet!

Week 16

Okay, so I must admit I have a few (thin) layers on here so I don't really believe I am this big but Matt says it's pretty accurate

How Far Along: 16 weeks, 5 days
Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained total of 4lbs....though I think it looks like more!
Maternity Clothes: Not yet, but I feel it happening reallll soon. I am getting pretty sick of this Bella Band and it is not comfortable to have your pants undone poking you. And it rides up and down and all around. Ugh. I think I am going to start shopping soon. I must admit I have been really reluctant to do this because I don't want to buy a lot of maternity clothes that fit now and have to buy bigger ones in a few month. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do though!
Stretch Marks: none, and I hope this trend continues!
Sleep: once week 16 starts you are no longer allowed to sleep on your back (so says my books). I didn't realize I liked to sleep on my back until I couldn't! I am having trouble adjusting to only sleeping on my sides. Better get used to it, right??
Best moment this week: last night was a great time with Megan and Amanda (more details to come)
Food Cravings: sweets, sweets, and more sweets.
Belly Button in or out: wayyy to early to be out
Movement: I believe I have felt he/she move a few times, but it comes and goes so quick I second guess it!
What I miss: Apparently sleeping on my back!
What I am looking forward to: Angela having her baby! She's in labor as I write this!!
Milestones: We went to the doctor this week and everything was great. We go back Dec 7 for the body scan and gender reveal ultrasound! So exciting! :)

Birthday and Baby news

Yesterday was my father-in-law Bob's 60th Birthday! The whole family surprised him on Sunday with lunch at his parents house which was really fun and then our immediate family went to eat last night on his actual birthday at Brio to continue the celebration. The food was great and so was the company! Hopefully Bob had a wonderful birthday--as he deserves it!

I didn't get a group picture but here are a couple that we took:



The birthday boy!




Me and my hot hubby



In other news, we went to the doctor today and the baby is doing great. We got to hear he or she's heartbeat which was pretty fast at 168. The doctor and I both suspect the baby is a girl!

I must admit though, that I am spoiled because my mother purchased for us, several weeks after finding out we were pregnant, a Fetal Doppler to keep at the house. I had some trouble finding the heartbeat early on (started trying around 7 weeks) but since about week 10 I have been able to hear the baby's heartbeat daily. It's amazing how much has changed since week 10--at first it would take awhile to find the heartbeat and you could not move the wand at all or you would lose the heartbeat, now the baby is so much bigger, I can immediately find it and move it around for several inches up, down, and all around, and still hear it! If you are pregnant or get pregnant, I highly recommend getting one of these! There is nothing better than being able to hear your baby's heartbeat whenever you want!

We will go back to the doctor for the baby's anatomy scan and gender reveal (yes, finally!!) in a few weeks, so stay posted! Please keep baby C in your prayers that he or she is healthy and strong and continues doing so well! :) We are so blessed!

Bump, bump, bump

Since I saw those two lines on the pregnancy test, I have anxiously thought about how I would look and what it would feel like to have a "baby bump". For weeks I would take a weekly picture hoping to see the change....only to realize that nothing was really happening. Everyone said "oh it just will pop out overnight!" and "once you start getting big you will re-think this"....but I still couldn't help wish for the one thing that every pregnant woman gets at some point--the baby bump.  The pregnancy books I read would say things like "you probably aren't fitting in your pants anymore" or "your thickening waist must be obvious by now" but the truth is, up until this week I have fit in my clothes just fine. By the end of the first trimester I only gained 2lbs, and I wasn't even sick!

Fast forward to this Sunday. As I walked by the mirror I noticed a little area on my stomach that protruded more than normal.  Not just as if I ate something (my belly would get bigger at night--most likely bloating, so says my books) because it was first thing in the morning. My pants this week were increasingly tight and most of the days this week I had to wear my Bella Band which lets you wear your pants undone and holds them up while hiding the fact that your pants aren't buttoned...or zipped up. I had co-workers asking behind my back if I was pregnant, and even strangers smiling at me more while looking at my mid-section. 

I think since Sunday my "bump" has increasingly gotten bigger. I am surprised at how quickly it has grown already and know this is just the beginning. But I like it. And not only do I feel pregnant but I am starting to look it. It's an exciting feeling for a first-time mother-to-be!

So without further ado....here's my little bump at 15 weeks:

Baby Wilder's Here!!

Yesterday afternoon, my best friend Maria and Chad welcomed their sweet baby Wilder into the world. I was super eager to go meet him and got the chance today.  I didn't have my camera, but did have my phone so I took a few pictures...of course my grainy camera phone doesn't do this beautiful baby justice--he really is so precious! I am soo happy for Maria and Chad and know they will be great parents. Congrats you two!

I could eat this baby up!!

Amanda, Maria (and Wilder), and I

The Arrington Family :)

Practicing!

I must admit I was somewhat of a baby hog and didn't want to share and/or put him down. Of course at one point they had to pry my hands off him and I had to leave.  Okay, so maybe it wasn't that serious, but I really didn't want to leave this sweet guy.  Good thing Maria lives near my work and I can get long lunch breaks to visit ;).....