19 Weeks

What a week!!!  So many changes took place over the past week.  Monday was a holiday for school so I enjoyed the day off at home relaxing. Tuesday was a teacher work day which was MUCH needed and Wednesday was the day we'd been waiting for all of these weeks.

Wednesday, my 26th birthday, we went in for our 19 week anatomy sonogram and after some hopping up and down and jiggling of my belly, Baby M cooperated and we got to see what we were having.  The sonographer sat staring at the screen for what seemed like ten minutes then finally pointed and said these six little words that changed my world forever... "You see those three little dots?"  I knew exactly what that meant, we were having a little baby GIRL!!!!  Now, I would've been very happy regardless of the outcome, but that girly side of me deep down was secretly hoping for a girl.  The instant she said those words tears were streaming down my face.

{Callie Marie}

We had to keep a secret for the next two days in order to keep the big news a surprise for our gender reveal / my birthday party. :)  We had friends and family over for dessert and had fun teasing everyone with our little secret.  Guests got to sign their guess on a scrapbook page for Callie's baby book and then pick a mustache or lips to use in pictures!  When everyone had finally arrived we handed gifts to our parents.  They opened them together and a big pink balloon popped out!  The reactions were priceless...

{BOY GUESSERS}

{GIRL GUESSERS}

{Everyone}

{The big reveal!}

how far along? 19 weeks
how are you measuring? She's measuring right on schedule
size of baby? Around 6 inches - the size of a mango 
heartbeat? 137 bpm
total weight gain/loss? 8 lbs
stretch marks? Not yet, hoping never!
sleep? Can't seem to get enough.
best moment this week? Finding out that we're having a baby girl.  I felt her kick on the outside for the first time AND Josh felt her kick for the first time.  What a week!
movement? Yes
food cravings? CARBS
what i'm looking forward to: Continuing to decorate her nursery.
how are you feeling? Feeling pretty good this week.  VERY exhausted even after full nights of rest.  She is sitting very low so I'm having a lot of pelvic pain but she is SO worth it. :)

Week 18

This past week was quite uneventful.  I finished up the first semester of teaching with some extra long work hours and attempting to catch up on sleep and time with family.  Here's an updated pregnancy questionnaire. :)

how far along? 18 weeks
how are you measuring? Last we checked the baby was measuring a week ahead
size of baby? Around 5.6 inches - the size of a sweet potato 
heartbeat? The last time we checked it was 144bmp
total weight gain/loss? Still around 6 lbs
stretch marks? Not yet, hoping never!
sleep? Can't seem to get enough.
best moment this week? Still loving all of the movements from the baby.
movement? Yes
food cravings? Sweet and salty this week.
gender predictions? Still think it's a boy... We'll find out 1.18!
what i miss: My body...
what i'm looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a he or a she.
how are you feeling? still having a lot of dizziness, I was diagnosed with pregnancy anemia this past week.  Add to that the intense pain in my pelvic bone {apparently due to my hips spreading out} ahhh the joys of pregnancy! 

17 Weeks

This past week flew by!  Monday was my first day back to school after Christmas break.  On Tuesday my lightheadedness and dizzy spells got the best of me when I nearly passed out during a lesson.  Doctor's orders sent me home to rest.  On Wednesday I drove up to the hospital for some blood work, they're testing for anemia at this point in time.  This sweet little bundle of joy sure has brought a lot of interesting difficulties!  Luckily it will all be worth it in the  end.  


Only 10 more days until we find out what we're having!  


I borrowed this pregnancy update from a friend... It's a fun way to keep y'all updated without having to bore you with all of my blabbing. :) 


how far along? 17 weeks 
how are you measuring? Last we checked the baby was measuring a week ahead
size of baby? around 5.1 inches or the size of an onion
heartbeat? The last time we checked it was 144bmp
total weight gain/loss? So far I have gained 6 pounds.
stretch marks? No
sleep? I LOVE being pregnant because I am tired all of the time which  makes sleep that much easier {minus the midnight potty trips}
best moment this week? Feeling Baby M moving around!
movement? Yes!!!  I was holding a friend's baby one evening and my little one kicked it! 
food cravings? No cravings at all.
gender predictions? Currently I am convinced that we're having a boy.
what i miss: Red WINE!
what i'm looking forward to: Getting through this week so we can finally know if we're having a boy or a girl!
how are you feeling? Not terrible, but the headaches and lightheadedness have been pretty brutal.

16 Weeks

What a busy, wonderful week!  This week started on Christmas day.  We spent the morning opening gifts with the Morgans.  We both were blessed with some incredible gifts this year, but hands down the best gift we received was that of sweet Baby M.  After spending time with his side of the family we came home to exchange gifts to each other and make breakfast.  Around noon my family showed up!  We had quite the full house with Mom, Mel (and baby andrew baking away), Matty, Athena, Grandma and Grandpa Chandler, Gary, Nathan and his girlfriend!  It was wonderful spending the day with those we love most and a great kick off to our 16th week of pregnancy.

Since I was still stuck in bed (with my back) for most of the week I decided to start working on some crafts.  I guess you could say that I am nesting. :)  I successfully created two sweet lovebirds {previous posts} and got some antique shopping done.

After several phone calls to my doctor we decided to try and see a chiropractor for my back.  Bed rest and pain meds were only masking the issue and I needed a solution before going back to school this week.  This chiropractor has saved my life!  After only three visits I am walking and experiencing little to no pain!  Praise the Lord.  Now if only his services were free. ;)

We finished off the week by brining in the new year!  Over the weekend we traveled to the Hawkins' ranch where we did some hunting, relaxing and spent time with close friends.  I'm so excited to finally be able to say our baby will be here this year!

Just for fun here are a few pregnancy questions I get asked often with answers. :)

*When is your due date?  As of our most recent measurement, June 5, 2012

*What week are you in? Just finished week 16, into week 17 now.

*What was your weight pre-pregnancy? 118

*What is your current weight? 124 (gaining weight is one of the hardest parts of pregnancy for me!)

*Have you had an ultrasound? Yes, two!  It's so exciting 

*Do you know the gender of your baby? Not yet but we will in 16 days.

*Do you have a name picked out? Yes we have names for both boy and girl but are keeping them secret (at least from the internet) until we know what we are having. 

*Is the child being named after someone?  Middle names are family names or variations of family names

*Who is going to be with you during delivery?  As of right now Josh and my mom.

*Natural or medicared childbirth?  Are you kidding, definitely MEDICATED!  

*How are you feeling right about now?  Excited, the baby has been moving quite a bit today.

*What was the first thing you bought for baby? A sock monkey deer. :)  

*Do you feel you are ready to have a baby? Definitely... I think.

*Are you excited or scared about delivery?  Super nervous.  Excited once the baby is out!

*Any food cravings? No, more like food aversions.  I used to love meat, now I don't care for it.

*Anything you loved before that you absolutely cannot eat anymore? Meat!

* Anything else you'd like to share or vent about?  I've been having really bad dizzy spells and low blood pressure... Something to look into at our next appointment. 

Projects galore...

Josh and I went antique shopping yesterday.  We kept passing the Benbrook Antique Mall thinking, we should probably check that out sometime, and after two years we finally did.  Our mission consisted of two things; one: locating unique pieces of cobalt blue glass (for the collection inspired by my dad) and two: find antique picture frames to be refinished for the baby's room.

I was SO overwhelmed by how awesome this place was.  We've been to our fair share of antique stores and this one topped the cake.  The prices were a little high, but lucky for us we went right when they were having an end of the year sale.  We found several picture frames of varying sizes and textures all at really reasonable prices and splurged a bit {if you can call $29 a splurge} on an amazing mirror with shutters attached!  We also found three beautiful blue glass pieces to add to the collection.  I'd call the day a huge success.

Add to that, I was able to be out of bed all day waking around with little to no back pain!  We can thank my new chiropractor for that.  I've seen him twice now and he has really started working miracles on me.  It's amazing how out of whack my entire body was... I have a long way to go and am still experiencing back pain but I am thankful that at least now I'm able to get around!  I'll show that spondylosis who's boss yet!

Here are a few pictures of our treasures...  The picture frames are going to be hung on the wall above the dresser/changing table {which has still yet to be purchased} and will all be painted white!  I am SO excited to start this project!

Last night I was feeling artsy so I did a little water coloring.  That stuff is NOT as easy as it looks! Anyway, I came up with this little bird and hopefully it will be hung in one of the newly purchased frames! 

Sweet Love Birds

With the week off and no sign of any improvement in my back I've been bound to the house.  Let the projects begin!  Today I tackled the bird decoration from Pinterest.  I think it turned out quite well!!  Here's a few pictures from my endeavor.  

Everything BABY!

Yes, I am going a little crazy.  But to my credit I haven't had ANY time to browse the web and get excited about baby "stuff."  I'm taking full advantage of this break and trying to explore as much as possible! :)

During my browsing I've found some things that I want to keep in mind as we think about registering and furnishing baby M's nursery.  We've already finished painting the room {for the most part} and have the crib {thanks to my sweet Momma!} and crib mattress.  At this point we are at a standstill to do much more until we know if we're having a he or a she.  :)

Here is the bedding we've chosen.  Pink is clearly for a girl and blue for a boy.  

Baby M's nursery (minus the mattress).  I guess if we HAD to decide on a theme it would be soft and cheek with a touch of whimsy.  

{We will be adding two birds, either pink or blue, and a nest w/ eggs once we know the gender}

I've found a diaper bag that I'm semi in love with.  Still browsing so if any of you experienced mommas have any advice I'd love to hear your thoughts!  

Next week I'll be borrowing my sweet momma's sewing machine to work on a few Pinterest projects for the nursery.  Since we're going to be painting birds on the wall with the tree mural I wanted to get more birds to put on shelves as decor.  Saw these beauties and HAVE to have them! 

This will also be one of the first projects I work on when we find out the gender of baby M.  

{Hint on names... The letter will either be a pink C or a blue N}

There is so much more buzzing around in my busy little brain, but this will do for now.  :)  My next projects include organizing the nursery closet!  Josh is really looking forward to me tackling that job.