Happy Fall, Y'all! 31 Weeks!

This past weekend we enjoyed the brief warm up in the weather and headed to pick out pumpkins, gourds and mums to start our fall decorating. And, since this is the first year we actually have a front porch, I was especially looking forward to decorating our porch to match the season. Trick-or-treating will be here before you know it! 

As the belly grows (and moves!), we are quickly realizing that our "us" time will soon be coming to a close. Therefore, we have to squeeze in all of the little dates, as just the two of us, while we can! We had a great day, and topped it off with a picnic lunch and a walk in the Metroparks to soak in all of the gorgeous fall colors. 

31 Weeks!

Phil & I with our "pumpkins"!

Updates this week:

• We visited the doctor on Friday: All clear on the glucose testing front! Results are in, and I do not have gestational diabetes. Whew!
• Our little guy is already positioned "head down" and seems to be hanging out on the right side of my belly most often. Heartbeat is strong. Lots of little stretches, flexes, kicks and punches are happening more frequently now - and more forcefully! Although it still surprises me at times, it's always reassuring to know he is healthy and active. He sure is a strong one - and he only weighs about 3 lbs right now (about 16 inches long)! Can't even imagine what it will feel like when he is 6 or 7 lbs! 
• Doctors appointments have now moved from once a month, to every 2 weeks in this next month, and every week in the last month. We walked out of the visit with all future appointments booked through my due date... only 6 more to go?!?!
• My "innie" belly button has been holding on strong and has not yet "popped" out like a timer on a turkey that I keep reading about. However, today I noticed the belly is growing by the day, and now it has assumed an almost "flat" position. At this rate, I think it might pop before Thanksgiving turkey dinner is done! :)
• We've registered for childbirth, baby care, breastfeeding and CPR classes at the hospital, as well as a hospital tour. First class is next Saturday, and the rest are in the beginning of November. We should be more educated and feel a little bit more prepared for our winter bundle by Thanksgiving!

Cheers to 3 Years!

Happy Anniversary, to my wonderful husband!!

Three years ago today I married my best friend, and the best man a girl could ever hope for. We make a great team, and I am so lucky and thankful to have you by my side. Cheers to all of the wonderful memories we have made so far and all of the many more in years to come!

From high school / college sweethearts, to newlyweds to parents-to-be, life just keeps getting sweeter!

I love you, always + forever!



30 Weeks!

October 6, 2012

...and body pillow makes three!

30 Weeks!

(and, sneak peek of the nursery paint color behind me)

7 months! How is it already October?! This pregnancy sure seems to be flying by. The leaves are starting to change color, and it's getting chilly outside! Fall, my favorite time of the year, is now in full swing, and December seems to be rapidly approaching! Cravings for pumpkin bread, pumpkin spiced steamers (my pregnant substitute for a latte) and spiced apple cider have begun (well, let's be honest, I crave those things every fall!). Our little guy is now about 16 inches long from head to toe, and weighs almost 3 pounds (about the size of a cabbage or butternut squash)! And, he sure is active! I am now beginning to see a pattern in his daily routine. His kicks, twists, pokes, stretches and even hiccups are not only becoming stronger by the day, but are now visible to see from the outside! Although at times it makes me squirm, I love the reassurance of feeling him move around. Phil and I have entertained ourselves nightly watching my belly wiggle and jerk on it's own. Baby boy seems to be having a great time in there! Phil is now able to feel him kick and move around on a regular basis, which he loves and I can tell is making this pregnancy seem that much more real to him now! There really is a little boy in there, and he and Daddy are already ganging up on Mommy!

I read somewhere that the 3 trimesters of pregnancy can be summarized as weary, cheery and dreary. Well, weary accurately described the first for me, and I was definitely cheery through the second. So, now I'm getting a little nervous about these "dreary" next few months ahead! So far, I have been feeling pretty good - tired, of course, but overall happy. However, the back is getting a little bit more of a workout these days with that basketball of a belly I have hidden under my shirt! And, sleeping has definitely taken on a chore of its own. However, I have finally made the $9.99 splurge on a body pillow (thanks Target!) who now joins us in the bed every night. Yes, Phil even jokes that Mr. Body Pillow is my new boyfriend. Phil has named him Thaddeus. Thanks to my boyfriend Thad, sleeping is much more supportive and restful now! ;)

Looking forward to my next doctor's appointment, this Friday. At my last appointment a few weeks ago, I took the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes, where you drink a sugary orange flavored "cola" concoction, let your system process it for an hour, and then they take a blood sample to see how well your body processes the sugar overload. I was told no news was good news, and haven't heard back since, so I'm hoping that means I passed the test! Confirmation to come soon. Also, time to sign up for some parenting classes at the hospital!

50 Shades of Gray

The nursery has been painted!

After a few weeks of staring and comparing at what felt like every shade of gray paint sample imaginable, we finally made a decision! The nursery is now a pretty handsome soft light gray color. Very soothing and relaxing. Although we haven't decided on crib bedding just yet, our idea for the room is to accent with pops of soft yellow, blue, green, orange and nuetrals (pretty much all colors go with gray!) using curtains, blankets, pillows, rugs, pictures, etc. We aren't huge fans of having "themey" nursery bedding, but are just trying to make the nursery a room that is relaxing and cozy, has bits of nature and elements of travel. Then as he grows, we can keep tailoring the room to his interests. We will see what we come up with - stay tunned! Let the decorating and nesting process begin!!

Let's take a moment to remember what the room looked like before (well, after the crib arrived! but before the paint makeover). A bright periwinkle-type blue (appropriate color for a boy, yes, but, definitely in need of a new paint job and not exactly relaxing. Our previous homeowners sure loved their blue!):

Nursery paint color "before"

(complete with a closet painted pink!)

Not anymore!

Our "50 Shades of Gray" paint swatches... Which one did we choose???

("After" picture to come!)

28 Weeks - Registering Begins!

September 23, 2012

This weekend we finally started the registry process! At 28 weeks, and a little more than a month until my baby shower, I think it's about time. However, we didn't really realize how overwhelming it all would be! We kicked it off by heading to Pottery Barn Kids first, to browse the shelves and get ideas. We even tested out every nursery chair available to see which one passed the "comfy" test. Let's just say we found "the one" and are actually looking forward to late night rockings, cuddles and story time in this chair... it's just that comfortable. Then there was Babies R Us. After spending a few hours in the store we maybe covered 2 aisles before Phil quickly declared us "done for the day." Baby steps? Maybe it was the breast pumps that scared him away?! Or, maybe that Sunday night football was quickly approaching. Either way, we knew it would take multiple trips to the store and lots of online shopping to complete our registries. Also, a big thanks to all my mom friends out there for giving me long lists of ideas and explanations of items to register for! So many awesome recommendations. I think we finally have a great list!

Our love at first "sit." 

Looking forward to its arrival in a few weeks!

Phil @ Babies R Us, modeling the strollers

(He looks pretty good behind those wheels! ;)