Maternity leave.

This mama has been busy!! Let me start by saying maternity leave is pretty much the best thing ever invented. I am so enjoying my free time while I wait for this little girl to arrive. You would think that all I've been doing is laying around right? HA. I've learned this nesting stuff is serious business. I have the concentration and motivation to get things done I would have never given a second glance before pregnancy. Basically I've been working through a room each day/every few days and totally re-organizing and cleaning it. I get such a huge sense of accomplishment when I finish one! This house is starting to shine and we have had a LOT of garbage the past few weeks. It feels awesome.

I'm still having contractions, and lately I've had periods of more intense spurts...but they never muster up to anything or start real labor, so it really is a tease. Trying to be patient waiting for the one little being that will completely change your life is difficult! But we've got our hospital bags packed and last minute items done so now we just wait. Here are a few pictures, they are random because we've been bad at taking them. Here I am at 35 weeks.And here I am at 37.5 weeks...full term! I am HUGE! I've been able to meet Jay for lunches on his break here and there and that totally makes my day...it's so fun to have a mid-afternoon date, and we look forward to doing that once bean makes her arrival too so she can see daddy! Alright, back to work...so much to do!

Labor.

On Wednesday of last week I started having consistent, time-able contractions around 9 am. I've never been in labor before so I thought they were braxton hicks and really didn't think twice about it. Around lunchtime I told my mom I was having contractions and when I told her how long I'd been having them and how long they were lasting, she told me to call my doctor right away. I still thought it was no big deal. After a call into my doctor, I was sent immediately to the hospital around 2:30 pm. Upon admittance they hooked me up to the fetal monitors and told me I was in labor.

What?? Labor? I was embarrassed to even go to the hospital because I was sure I would be sent home with false labor pains! Meanwhile my husband was on his way to Denver for a ski trip with a friend. Perfect timing. Since I was only 35 weeks my doctor would not let me have her {and I didn't want to with Jay out of town!} so I was given 3 shots of medication to stop the contractions and to ease me out of labor. They eventually found out I had an infection which was causing me to go into labor to protect the baby and get her out. The nurse told me had I not come in when I did, we'd have a little baby girl in the world. Crazy. I was monitored for 5 hours until the contractions lessened and then given antibiotics and sent home. I tried to relax and rest for the evening but the contractions kept coming and never went away, so at 11:30 pm my mom made me go back to the hospital.

This time I was given another dose of shots and hooked up to an IV with more medication. We stayed until 3 am and I was so exhausted....I just couldn't get rid of the contractions! We got home by 3:30 and I slept for most of the next day. I ended up going back to the hospital on New Years Eve because they were growing in intensity and I was very sick. They switched my antibiotics thinking that the first medication was not working to fight the infection. This time my Mom was prepared and brought us a bag full of goodies and we had a feast in the hospital while I was monitored :) Now I've been home and out of the hospital for a few days but I continue to have contractions, and I am so exhausted. After 36 weeks they most likely will let me continue into active labor, so as early as next week we could be meeting our little girl! They sent me home with the medication they were giving me through shots in pill form so that I can take it at home and not have to go back in. So who knows, we may be welcoming her into our world sooner than we thought!

I would not have been scared had Jay been there, but I was so afraid something would happen while he was out of town! I felt terrible because I know he was very worried while on vacation and he wanted to come home right away. I tried to reassure him that I was fine and that our doctor had everything under control and wouldn't let me go into active labor, so it was only a matter of getting medication to stop the contractions. Anyways, I was never happier to see him when he got home on Sunday and I have no fear he won't be leaving my side until she arrives now :)

Thanks for all your prayers and concern for our family. I'm very tired from lack of sleep and continuous contractions, but it's all worth it for the end result when we can finally meet bean-whenever she decide it's time!

2010

When I reflect back on our 2010, I find it hard to appreciate or put into words all of our accomplishments. I think it's safe to say, for obvious reasons, that this has been the biggest year of our life so far. Clearly, there are big things to come in 2011, but not without the events that took place in 2010. Jay and I were able to really focus on each other and enjoy each other as a couple, secretly knowing that in the coming months/year we'd be adding to our little family. We've always been good at making a point to get out and have date nights, but we also wanted to travel as much as possible in our last year as a family of 2. We visited Seattle, Boston, France, Florida, and Colorado all in one year. We also snuck in a few trips to our favorite bed & breakfast for relaxation together, and of course our annual trip up north over the 4th of July.

In the late spring we decided it was time for some tiny footsteps in our house, and just a short while later {may 22nd to be exact} we learned we were expecting our first baby. We made the announcement a few months later when we returned from France.

For our second Anniversary we decided not to exchange gifts, but instead get away for the weekend together. I remember rushing home from work so we could get on the road and get our vacation started. When I arrived home I walked upstairs to gather my things when something caught my eye on the nursery door. There was a card taped to it. The card read:

Someday, many years from now, we'll look back on this crazy time in our life together and wonder how we did it all...and then, those ordinary, everyday moments that we often take for granted will shimmer like stars as we recount them...I'll sit close beside you, you'll take my hand in your. We'll look at each other and say: I'd do it all again and I wouldn't change a thing. There's no one I'd rather go through life with than you.

I stepped inside to find the entire nursery {which was empty that morning} completely filled and set-up....crib, changing table, everything. Instant tears. It was such a special moment for me and one that I will cherish forever. I love my husband.

In August we packed up and sent my baby sister to college in Tallahassee, Florida. She is doing well in the school of biology and on track to become a dentist with honors. Go Noles!

I'd be foolish not to recognize that September 7th was a day that changed our life. It was the day we found out we were having a baby girl. I am still in awe that we are blessed with a little girl.

2010 was also a fantastic year for us financially. I was blessed with a thriving photography business and a solid year of bookings which allowed us to pay off almost all of our student debt. We have a few measly thousand left until we are debt-free, and we plan to finish paying that off in early 2011.

2010 was a year of growth for us, in more ways than one. We are so thankful for our Creator and all the amazing things he has blessed us with, but most of all-a solid relationship with Him. My prayer is that we stay focused on him in 2011. Through Him our blessings overflow.

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Overwhelmed and thankful.

I'll admit it, I'm totally slacking at work this morning. I can't help it-there are white flurries whirling outside my window and I'm counting down the minutes until my mom, sister & brother arrive to go view the Macy's Christmas display and then have a fancy lunch together. It's days like these that I LOVE working downtown. Work has been so crazy lately that I'm starting to get very distracted and just tired of working. That or the nesting stage is kicking in where I can only focus on one thing at a time ;) I can't believe this week is Christmas!

This weekend was full of blessings! We hosted Christmas at our house for the first time and had Jay's mom stay with us. His brother and girlfriend came too. We cooked our very first big holiday meal and we even decorated gingerbread houses. We mainly just stayed home and visited together, played games, and watched Christmas movies. It was fun and we love spending time with family.

We also had our last shower, and this baby girl is sooooo lucky and loved. We got a lot of the major items left on our registry plus some very thoughtful and fun extras {we got TWO handmade knit/crochet blankets, so awesome!}. Among the larger items were our carseat, stroller, diaper genie, boppy, and a play gym. I feel really good about where we are at and am starting to feel prepared, which is always a good thing! I think there were around 25 people there and I felt like I got to visit with each guest {even for a short time} which was nice-I was very thankful that they could make it so close to the holidays. My sister took pictures so when I get them from her I will share some!

This is just the most magical time of the year! Cheesy, I know...but there is just something in the air. I have really enjoyed just being able to spend time with the ones I love while it's so cold outside. We are lucky to have everyone live so close. We'll get a chance to see Jay's family before Christmas and then head to Bunny and Papa's on Christmas Eve morning. I am feeling so overwhelmed with generosity in my life lately-and I honestly would not care if I didn't get one present this Christmas. Christmas is not about presents and lights and holly to us, it's about celebrating the birth of Jesus and just being with those we love dearly. We've been given so much and have so much love and support surrounding us that we are eternally grateful and thankful. It just so happens that this baby's arrival coincides with the holiday season so we are extra blessed, and also very spoiled. We could never truly express the gratitute we feel for those in our lives! I also have to share my gratitude for my precious husband. He's so kind and loving and has been so amazing throughout my pregnancy. I really cherish coming home each night and being able to have quality alone time with him, because I know that things will get crazy once bean is born. The love I have for him has completely changed and only gotten stronger since we've become parents. I can't wait to share this holiday season with him!

I'm working until Wednesday and then am off until the 29th...have a safe and blessed Christmas with your loved ones!

32 weeks.

Since we were stuck inside all weekend, we managed to get a few pictures this week! It was an interesting weekend to say the least.

My sister was supposed to fly in from Florida this weekend from her first semester at college, and we were so excited to spend it with her. 2 cancelled and re-booked flights later she arrived Sunday night at midnight. My Mom and I picked her up from the airport, stayed up til 2 am, and then spent the day together on Monday-which I took off of work. We put up the Christmas tree and baked all day long. I think we made 6 different kinds of cookies! Later that night Jay and Bunny and Papa joined us for dinner because everyone wanted to see Aly. It definetly made up for our disappointing weekend.

Rewind to Friday night. We thought we'd be spending the next day with my family so we decided to have a low key night at home. It was getting cold and it started to snow later in the night. We woke up Saturday morning and my heart literally sank-darn those weather people...so many times they are wrong or off with their forecasts {or just plain dramatic!} but this time it was for real. White out, crazy blizzard conditions. I quickly got online to check my sister's flight and saw that it was cancelled. Instant tears. Poor Jay, he was stuck inside with his over emotional pregnant wife all. day. long. He immediately tried to make me feel better by getting on Tampa's airport website, and then later Delta's website where it said her flight had just been delayed. We quickly checked MSP's website again and this time her flight wasn't even showing up anymore. It was crazy and we had no idea what was going on.

After a few hours it eventually showed up as cancelled on all sites-so we knew that it was final. She re-scheduled a 7am flight detouring her through New York and eventually getting to MN around noon on Sunday. So Saturday we spent the day cleaning and organizing the house, since we were not prepared to literally be stuck inside, and had nothing else planned. Usually when there is a snow storm we're brave enough to still venture out, but being pregnant we didn't think it was a good idea this time. So at home we stayed. Our house has never been so clean or organized! We had about 15 bags of garbage ready to go on Sunday morning. It was fun just being together, although it took me a little while to get over my disappointment from not seeing my sister. I really had a stressful week at work and I was so ready for some fun family time. Turns out we did have some fun family time, just our little family of 3 :) We did everything we could think of to entertain ourselves. Jay helped me practice my squats and other labor preparation techniques. By Saturday afternoon I was a little stir crazy! We watched the Chronicles of Narnia Saturday night with plans to get up and go to Church Sunday morning and then head to the airport with my Mom afterwards to get Al.

Sunday morning, 9 am. Flight number 2 cancelled. There were just too many flights trying to get into Minneapolis. We didn't even get the warning of "delayed" it just straight up cancelled. Her next scheduled flight was to be Monday morning. By this time we were all desperate. So she cancelled her Delta flight completely and re-booked with Southwest, but the earliest flight they had left at 8:50 pm, arriving in MN at 11:50 pm so we had lost the whole day together. We were on edge all day, but she finally made it home, and what a sweet homecoming it was!

It was a weekend filled with ups and downs but she made it home safely and all is well.

31 weeks.

I am all over the place today, with good updates and bad...let's start with the good. I'm almost 32 weeks now and time is still flying. We are getting so close to meeting our little girl! We've still been making it to the gym about 3 times per week so I'm getting in a lot of exercise and I feel great. We've been spending a lot of time at home and it's been really nice-I love my nights with Jay where we just stay in and relax or get things done around the house. We've gone to a bunch of great free classes at the non-profit I mentioned before. We've been to Medications & Interventions, Comfort Measures, Breastfeeding and Postpartum, and Preparing Your Mind and Body For Birth. Tonight we are going to Your Amazing Newborn. Class nights are super fun for us because we usually get dinner together beforehand {usually at the Wild Onion-where we got engaged...we're nerds} and we make it into a date night. We always have great conversation on the way home too. We still have a few left to attend and we look forward to them. We also found our doula! Her name is Mandi and she is awesome. She's a mother of 2 with another baby on the way so she has a lot of experience and expertise with labor and birth. She's actually still getting certified as a doula-she's done with all the schooling but needs a few more births to complete her certification. So we were lucky to get her for free! I think she's still looking for another couple if anyone is due before March and wants her contact information let me know. She has attended many other births as she worked her way through schooling.

And now onto the not so good news...bare with me now this will be a bit of a rant. I received an e-mail this morning from my maternity leave fill-in notifying me that she has taken a full time position and will no longer be able to cover for me. She was supposed to start training in 5 days. Awesome, right? This is after extensive interviewing and being clear that we were looking for someone who needed something temporary and part-time-not full time. I specifically asked her if she would be needing a full time position before I had her in for an interview, because clearly this wouldn't be the right position for her. She confirmed she couldn't take on anything full time because she has kids at home and wanted to be off with them in the summer and just work part time while they were at school. I replied that was great because we were looking for someone that our position would be a perfect fit for, and that we didn't want to hire someone who would continue looking for something full time and fall through if something better {full time} came around.....weird. This particular woman was in her late 40's and a stay at home mom {who had previous accounting/admin jobs}....she just wanted the "extra" pay, it's not like she was coming from a full time position to working part time, she wasn't working at all and hadn't for many years {by choice}.

So now I'm back at square one and am still dealing with getting everything ready for the move and my leave on top of this. This whole situation really is becoming a joke, and I am so overwhelmed with everything I can't help but just laugh. I'm really not sure where to go from here with so little time. Prayers for patience and direction would be appreciated!

Thank goodness I have a date tonight.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

It's a winter wonderland here today!!!! Snow has been coming down consistently since about 1 pm today, and it's just beautiful outside. We went out for dinner and then came home for a lazy night at home and it was just perfect. I got to leave work at 1 pm....one of the many perks of snowy winters, everyone takes off early to beat the traffic and enjoy the weather. If only I fit into my snow pants this time of year ;) We started a movie tonight and Jay fell asleep....and I was really tired until I started thinking about my day tomorrow and then I got a ton of energy because I'm so excited so I decided to get up and do some shopping/blogging.

We did some last minute decorating and organizing in bean's nursery and I think it's pretty much done, minus a book holder Papa is making us for Christmas...so tomorrow I'm going to try and take some pictures of it and share them on here, so get excited!! I'm sitting in her room blogging right now as the snow is falling down. It really is starting to look and feel like Christmas around here! Only a few more days until my sister is home and life is perfect again :)

Tomorrow Jay might be headed to the ski slopes with Keith which means I have the day to myself. I think I decided tonight that I need to start scrapbooking again-at least for bean. I used to scrapbook all the time but haven't in years-but I'm getting excited to start that again. My Mom gave me the cutest baby girl scrap pack so I think I'll start with that and scrap her nursery. I have a coupon for 50 free prints, so after I take nursery pictures tomorrow I'm going to order some of those and some of our maternity session to start with. I think a trip to Archiver's is in store! After such a stressful week, I think this will be just what I need...some time to get creative.

I spent the afternoon at our local library picking up some books I had on hold (pregnancy/labor/deliver awesomeness) so I'm also hoping to get some quality reading time in too. Maybe I'll make a trip to caribou tomorrow after I run my errands!

I went a little crazy tonight online shopping at the Disney store. I have this new obsession over these new vintage plush Disney characters called Pook-a-Looz. They are 12 inch plushies that are so adorable. I grew up absolutely loving all things Disney, so I hope this is something fun that we can start collecting for bean. We already have most of our favorite Disney movies on dvd {well, the ones that are not in the vault!} I started collecting those around the time we got married, knowing that one day we'd have kids to share them with. Anyways, they are running a holiday special on their site until Sunday-buy one get one free! And at only $12.50 a piece, how could I resist? I purchased her 3 at and got 3 free plus a code for free shipping. They came out to about $6.25 a piece. I figure I can save them until Christmas next year and give them to her when she's almost a year old. I hope she likes them. They look so snuggly and fun. We ordered Minnie, Mickey, Pooh, Eeyore, Dumbo and Alice. Here is a picture of a few of them.

After a long week I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and just getting to do what I want without the stress! And now it's time for this mama to get some shut eye so I can prepare for tomorrow! goodnight friends xxoo.

30 weeks.

Here I am at almost 31 weeks! Only about 9.5 to go...crazy. I have about 5 minutes to write this post so I better make this quick.
Thanksgiving was awesome and I can't believe how much I fit inside my already full belly :) My Mom makes the best food in the world and it was really great to be with family. We had a skype date with Al so we were able to see her sweet face too. Bunny made a yummy birthday cake for Andrew and we had fun celebrating with him. Once things died down a little we looked through our old baby books. My Mom did a great job of journaling and saving precious mementos for us to look back on and we laughed at a lot of the things she wrote (especially about me!). It was weird to see how much bean looks like I did as a baby from her 3d ultra sound! My Grandma gave us an awesome baby book for her and we can't wait to start writing in it, although I think we're saving that for one of our labor projects. More on that later.

Jenni did an amazing job with my shower! She had everything planned out perfectly and it was so nice to see all my friends who gathered together in my honor. I just can't wait until they start having babies too :) She made some delicious food-a baked caramel french toast, egg dish, lemon crumble muffins, punch, fruit salad, and yellow cake! Thank you Jenni for all the hard work and preparation you put into showering me with baby love :) Here are some pictures. I stole most of these from Jenni.
I've been a little stressed lately due to work. To make a long, painful story short- our firm is moving offices. We sublease with another firm who is expanding, and notified us that they need some of the offices we occupy by January 1. We've known for about 2 weeks now, but it still only gives us a little over a month to find a solution. So, we're building an office space in another building downtown (fingers crossed, pending a meeting today). For now we're moving one lawyer out by January 1 to work from home until we can move entirely. We won't actually be moving until sometime this late winter/spring, but a lot of stuff needs to get accomplished before I am on maternity leave because I take care of well, everything! I won't go in to details but let's just say its been a challenging few weeks. So now I am working like crazy to try and get a list of items done that I want to complete before I leave (things that don't need to be done until mid-leave but I don't want my fill-in to have to worry about), compiling training materials, actually training Katie, and now all the moving arrangements. I'm in charge of everything-from furniture to light switches to paint colors to purchasing a copier, fax, entire phone system, internet and server procedures, etc. That's all on top of the things I need to get done every day like invoicing/billing, engagement letters, schedulings, etc. Whew! I am so glad I am off until July....now if I could only start my leave! I'll write more when I have time. Pray for me!

My holiday score.

How cute is this card? So on Friday tiny prints was having a sale on their Thanksgiving cards. They advertised free personalized cards from their Thanksgiving line {no limit} and free shipping. We don't usually send out Thanksgiving cards, but I thought I would take a look and see if I could find anything we could use. When I saw this design, I knew I had hit the jackpot. I love the modern, sleek look to it and the festive holiday colors. So I simply deleted the Thanksgiving message on the inside and inserted my own personal thank you message, and we plan on using these as thank-you's for all of bean's baby showers. When I went to check out I entered a quantity of 100, and I thought there is no way this is a real deal, 100 free personalized thank you cards AND envelopes? I submitted the order and thought there's no way this will be fulfilled. That is until I saw the package at my doorstep last night! I couldn't believe my eyes. We didn't pay a penny and they showed up in 3 days! They are even prettier in person. So there you have it- a steal of a deal on thank you cards that are trendy, modern, personalized, and free! score! Last night Jay and I were just talking about how you really can live comfortably inside a budget without a lot of sacrifice if you do a little bit of researching and use your resources around you. I know we've been really lucky this pregnancy, but we've also tried to be really smart because we know we have a budget to stay under. So far we have not compromised anything due to our planning and budgeting and looking for alternative resources {and a lot of love and support and giving people!}. I'm pretty proud of us! Life really doesn't have to make you go broke, even if you desire to live fancy...you just need to get a little creative ;)

Vintage baby shower.

I have the most amazing amazing friends. My shower was so much fun and everything was so beautiful and so me! Megan did a great job as hostess with some help from Krystal. The decorations were adorable-vintage baby girl, and they matched the invitations so well. Of course everything was hand made and so special. I loved the bunting flags and the clothes-pinned onesies {which I got to take home!}. And take a look at that adorable cupcake tower below! Oh and the food! Don't even get me started on the food-so delicious. I am still drooling over 2 inch thick chewy brownies :) Here I am at 29 weeks and on my way to my first baby shower!!

Party favors and game prizes. We played Baby Price is Right (so fun!) and name that baby tune. Each girl wrote down something naughty they had done as a little girl and I had to guess who had done what, and when I guessed the right person I opened their gift...I think I got everyone's right!

Megan took some group shots so when I get them from her I'll post a few. I really had a fantastic time. Other than my shower this weekend was really low key and nice. Last weekend we put up our Christmas tree and decorations, so this weekend we finished wrapping our presents and getting them under it! Our house is so festive and fun and I just love this time of year.

We spent a good part of the weekend tidying up and cleaning. I'm in total nesting mode, and my energy level is surprisingly very good. I definitely have to take advantage of a day where I'm in the mood to clean and have the energy to go along with it. Our house is so sparkling clean. I got a huge bin full of baby clothes from my friend Dalenna so we went through that today and did a few loads of baby laundry. Oh my goodness our little girl is SO lucky! Everything is super trendy and adorable and like new. Most of it is baby Gap. We have so much clothing, socks, and bibs now and I feel really good about having enough until she's over a year old. What a relief and a blessing!! Some of the items still had the tags on them too. I am feeling a little overwhelmed about how to organize her clothes so my Mom and Bunny are going to come over next weekend and help me arrange and put everything away. I am just so excited to have her here to dress in all these adorable outfits!! Thank you Dalenna!

Jay and I are cuddled up watching Sunday night football and waiting for the storm to start! I think I'll whip up some homemade hot chocolate....

Tallahassee.

Mama + I had so much fun visiting Al last week! We were able to do so many fun things, but mainly just relax and visit with her. We stayed in a nice hotel suite that had a kitchen, so we were able to prepare some home cooked meals for her which she loved!! She stayed with us at the hotel so we could be together the whole time. We were able to watch her best friend Kassey play in the NCAA soccer tournament, and we also went to a football game vs. Clemson. We went shopping, out for yummy seafood, and to the movies...pretty much a perfect weekend! We walked a ton during the day and were constantly on the move, so bean slept pretty much all day, but when we settled down at night they were both able to feel her kick and move around in my belly :) Aly bought her the cutest little long sleeved onsie and matching socks from baby Gap. She will be the best dressed little girl! We didn't take many pictures but here are a couple.
It was a little hot for my liking, so I was actually excited to get home and see the snow. I love snow this time of year, and I can't wait for all of the flurries this weekend. I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already!

Tomorrow is my first shower! I am sooooo excited to get together and see all of my friends. I'm hoping we get some of the necessities off of our registry that we'll need on a daily basis. Most of this shower is a surprise so I don't have a clue what to expect, and I hope I remember my camera in the morning so I can capture it all! Other than that we don't have anything planned this weekend. We are supposed to get a lot of snow and I am excited to cozy up at home with Jay and watch the beautiful flurries with some creamy hot chocolate in hand! I'm going to miss ice skating and sledding and all of the winter activities we usually take part in this year....but next year will make up for it ;) Have a happy weekend everyone!!

28 weeks.

Here I am at 28 weeks. Well, it's certainly how I feel most days anyways!
This is actually a little over 28.5 weeks so it's closer to 29 but hey, I have a picture people!

I have gotten into a bad habit of not wearing eyeliner. This is originally because I would water it off my eyes when I was sick and throwing up so much at work that it wasn't even worth it to wear. Now it's just because I've gotten lazy and I like my sleep in the mornings! I tend to sleep best a few hours before I have to get up when bean finally settles down for mama. So now I just look tired in all these early morning shots, and I think I prefer just the belly and not the face images!

I'll post more on Tallahassee later tonight. For now this is all my energy and attention span will allow ;)

27.5 weeks

Here I am this morning! Bean is about 2 pounds now and 14.5 inches long. Don't mind my crazy hair, it was an early morning. I am still reveling the fact that we are having a girl. There is a little tiny, precious baby girl in there! I am seriously so in awe of our creator.

Some other good news to share: I was editing our contract agreement for my maternity leave fill-in to sign today {my dad typed it up but wanted me to fill in duties and arrange training dates, etc.} and as I was reading through it I noticed he had requested her to start the first of January. We had never spoke about the specific start date of my leave, and I always just assumed I'd work up until I either went into labor or until something stopped me from working {bedrest, etc.} In the back of my mind I thought I'd stop working a week before my estimated due date....but, I'll gladly take it! I certainly did not edit that part of the agreement ;) So after the holidays are over I'm officially on maternity leave!!!!!

I'm off in a few hours. Goodbye work, hello third trimester, Tallahassee, and mother/sister/baby bonding time!!!

Back to reality.

Being at Bunny's is so much more fun though! We had a wonderful, relaxing weekend and were sad to come home-although it was so nice to sleep in our own big, comfy bed. It was fun to be with family and not really have an agenda or a to-do list. We went shopping, made cookies, made delicious food, tackled a few projects, planned our vacation, and did a lot of daydreaming about little bean...everyone is so excited for her arrival. Bunny was able to feel her kick and she was just tickled...and that was really special for me!

I can tell that today will be the last day wearing non-maternity pants. My pre-pregnancy jeans are feeling snug and I think it's about time to switch over to the maternity jeans....third trimester is ok with me :) I am surprised I made it this long actually! Jay took me shopping this weekend for some clothes because I was feeling a little uncomfortable. Up until this point I've been making due with what I have, but I'm getting to the point where I need some bigger items. Saturday I will officially be into my third trimester, holy crap!

I have a lot of exciting things going on this week. Tonight I am getting a free pre-natal massage after work and I am sooooooo ready for it! There is a college near our home that offers free massages once every few months so their students can get hands-on experience, and you better believe I signed up for the hour long pre-natal appointment slot! I was planning on getting a massage after wedding season was finished up anyways, so it was perfect timing and of course, budget friendly!! Woohoo! Then I am having dinner with a girlfriend who I haven't seen in awhile, I can't wait to catch up!

I work tomorrow and Wednesday and then I am off to Florida to visit my sister!!!!!! I have been waiting for this day for months! I have not seen her since August and she has not been able to see my baby bump or anything pregnancy related, so I can't wait to spend some time with her and share everything together. She's of course seen pictures and we've skyped, but it's not the same :( I hate having her away. Mama and I fly out very early Thursday morning and I am off work until Tuesday. It's been pretty warm there so I am hoping it cools off a bit while we are there...I am hot all the time lately and I have really been enjoying the nice fall weather here.

Besides a few shelves that Papa is making, the nursery is almost complete. We won't be getting them for awhile so we'll probably post some images of everything soon. Stay tuned for a sneak peek!!

26.5 weeks.

Here is my belly picture from yesterday morning! I finally got one with my head in it, but I look super tired :)Going on 7 months and I feel great! Oh and we thought it would be appropriate to finally add some PINK to the blog! :)

Fabulous.

Today I feel fabulous. I have to cherish moments like these because they are inter-spersed between moments of not so fabulous-ness. I finally am starting to feel like myself again {besides the giant round belly that hides my toes from my eyes} I have not been continually sick in weeks, can you believe it? I feel better than I did before pregnancy and my energy level is amazing. Since I've been feeling so great, I made a personal goal of getting to the gym at least 2x per week to work out, and so far so good for the past few weeks. This week I might even make it 3x. I don't do much-usually the elliptical for 30 or 40 minutes, and then some upper body weight machines, but I feel soooo good when I'm done. And it helps to even out those cravings and periodic not so healthy snacking ;)

Beyond feeling physically healthy, I feel emotionally awesome as well. Today I was gifted with a year end bonus at work that is larger than I've ever received or expected. I am so grateful for my flexible job, happy work environment, and continuous benefits. Although we'll probably use it for something practical like paying off our last measely loan payments or for bean's birth, it still is so exciting. Jay wants to save it for our big vacation this summer or do something fun, so we'll see what we decide. On top of that, Jay got a little promotion/extra responsibility at work as well, so starting this paycheck {today} he'll be receiving an extra chunk of money each month too. He's such a hard worker and I am so proud of him! God has continually blessed our little family and we could not be more grateful. I can't wait to celebrate this weekend!

Tonight Jay has a coaching clinic so I have the night to myself. We have a busy weekend coming up so I have a small list of things to get done tonight, but most of it will be low key and hanging out at home. On the way home from work I'll be stopping at my very favorite place, The Nook after work to get some dinner to go and then heading home. If you have yet to experience The Nook's amazingness-you must go. The most delicious burgers and fries in the world, I promise. They've won awards.

Tomorrow is Jay's 5k and afterwards we are heading to his Dad's for a game day with the family. It will be so nice to catch up and visit with everyone who we don't get to see that often. We'll both be dressing up and getting a little festive for Halloween. We had to get a little creative for this year's costume for myself, so we'll see how it turns out. Sunday I'm shooting my last family session, and then we have our belly session with Meg! I just hope she can get a few images where I don't look like a huge beluga whale :) Then we are coming home to watch the Vikes and I'm hoping to bake some apple crisp. We made caramel apples last week and it's been fun to be so festive. Fall sure is passing quickly! Phew! That's a lot isn't it? I am cherishing and reveling in the fact that I don't work all day long on Saturday which is a first for me in a long time.

I'm headed to lunch with my cousin and I can't help but think, I'm a lucky girl today. Smile.

Eggplant.

Here I am at 25.5 weeks. She's about the size of an eggplant and around 1.5 pounds. We can see her kick from the outside now and it's so cool! It's fun to put something on my stomach and watch it dance up and down when she moves. She's VERY active!
We went back and fourth about a 4d ultrasound due to the price because they can get really expensive. I found a place near our home that offers them and inquired to see if they had any specials or promotions going on for the month of October, and I think the guy could tell we really wanted to come in but it was just too much money so he offered us almost 50% off! We jumped at the opportunity and scheduled it about a month ago.

Yesterday was the big day! It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. Seriously so cool. We were able to watch little bean wiggle around live on screen for about 45 minutes. Usually when we have an ultra sound it's at our doctor and it's all about business-they are looking for measurements or checking up on her so it's usually fast and efficient. We really liked this because the whole purpose was to be able to just look at bean-no hurried appointments, no measurements, nothing. The guy was very patient and showed us everything-the placenta, umbilical cord, blood supply, etc. He showed us all her body parts and the positions she was laying in. And he confirmed she was a girl right away! It was so cool to see her move on screen and simultaneously feel that movement in my belly. She is absolutely amazing. To see her little face was just the most unbelievable thing. My Mom was able to make this appointment with us and I was so happy she got to be there to see her. The tech said she has really long legs, arms and fingers, so mama is hoping she is blessed with thin genes! At certain points she would make coordinated movement (reaching out and grabbing the umbilical cord) and I joked that she's already got good hand coordination {daddy hopes she will be a star athelete!}. She is so tiny and precious and we love her so much already! Here are some of our favorite pictures. In the last one you can see a little smile {and some nice plump lips!!} :)

My friend Megan is hosting a shower for me in November and she sent me an invitation last week that I just have to share. She's so creative and talented and made them by hand! I have no doubt the shower will be amazing. She put so much time into these and I just can't wait to see what the rest will be like (it's a secret!) I can't wait! How cute are they? This will be my first shower and I am really looking forward to it.

Pop!

That little bean is growing !! Here I am past v-day and getting rounder by the day. 24.5 weeks. Tomorrow I have my glucose test to test for gestational diabetes so I would appreciate any prayers that you can spare because I am nervous! But then I get to enjoy a day off and hopefully relax, work has been really stressful and super busy preparing for my leave. I can't wait to have a day to do whatever I feel like! Hopefully I'll get some blogging in. Tonight was our first pre-natal class and I have a lot to share, but right now a foot rub sounds better than story time ;) Goodnight!

Approved.

I have so much to update! Here is bean at 23.5 weeks, almost to v-day!! She is taking over all the space in my stomach and wiggles all day long. Jay got to feel her kick for the first time on Saturday :) Still wearing my regular jeans but not for much longer I'm afraid. I am noticing I am getting a little more uncomfortable moving around and sleeping at night, and I know it is just the start of things to come. Good thing I am almost done working on weekends. I am sooooo looking forward to this weekend because it's the first in a long while that I don't have a wedding. I do have some work on Saturday, but I won't be working until 9 or 10 pm and I can't wait. We are excited for Friday to get here.

Today I'm making appointments to get my hair foiled, mani/pedi, and a massage for the end of the month...all my rewards for working hard this season and to celebrate the end of wedding season this year. I am super excited I get to be pampered AND be finished working at the same time. Almost there, I can do it!!
Here are a few pictures of the things my Mom has been making Bean. Burp cloths + receiving blankets!
Last week I took advantage of Old Navy's super clearance and additional e-mail coupons and purchased a few sweaters for Jay to wear for our family session. They were $9 a piece with all the discounts, score! He really needed some new dress clothes to wear for the holidays and to weddings so now he'll be all decked out, and we killed a few birds with one stone. I made him branch out and try some new colors and he wasn't so sure about them at first, but after getting his package and trying them on and getting adoring comments from me, I think he sort of likes them ;) He's a blue man. Always loves blue and gray and anything else that is muted, but this time we went with something fun...so you'll just have to wait and see what he'll be wearing in a few weeks! I got the cutest top and dress and am looking forward to the shoot {even if I feel like a huge ball of butter}.

And lastly, our most exciting news is that we got approved and accepted for the loan repayment plan that we applied for!!! So now they are paying for a portion of our loans just because Jay works at a low income school. You can imagine how excited we were when we opened that letter. I think I squealed like a small child! Between that and the rest of my photography money, we are set for paying those babies off. I'm going to toot my own horn right now and share that in one short year we've paid off over $25,000 in student loan debt. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and the end is in sight! I cannot believe our student loan debt is almost paid off. Just in time for baby to arrive too. Thank you Jesus !! I'm not even going to start with my thoughts on where that money could have gone had we not had to use it for that specific purpose. Sigh. Oh well, soon it will be directed towards another means of savings and we will be DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!

22 weeks.

Here I am at 22.5 weeks, and I feel HUGE! Touring the hospital last night got us so excited. I was a little apprehensive, but Jay took me to a cute little place for dinner and we talked through everything. I was feeling anxious-excited, because I feel like it is all going to happen before we know it and this little girl is going to be here! I'm in total denial of laboring/giving birth still and I have a feeling I'm about to pop out of that bubble soon. It made it all so real last night, and after talking me through some of my fears last night, Jay got me super excited! We are going to bring a baby into this world in less than 4 months! The hospital was amazing, and the staff was so great. Some of our favorite perks are; 24 hour visiting hours-so family won't be restricted, lactation consultant, large bathtub in every room, acupuncture/massage at any time, and 24 hour room service with a delicious looking menu ;) All of that is free for me/us as a patient. Everything was so clean and spacious and calming, which I really liked, and they made sure to mention several times that if we ever need anything just to ask, because no request is too large or too small. They are pretty hollistic which is really sweet. We are all registered and set to go now! We came home from dinner to a package from Gina, a friend from Etsy! She is so amazing. We wanted to special order a baby blanket that would coordinate with her nursery and lay on the top of our rocker. We decided a yellow buttercream color would add a happy, fun vibe to that corner of the room. Gina worked with me to combine a few patterns/edges that I loved to create the perfect blanket for bean. I just love the ruffled edge. She was so patient and it turned out so great! It is so soft + beautiful, and she even made us a little yellow beanie hat to match. If you are ever in need of a high quality, affordable handmade blanket, please check out Gina's shop. Make sure to tell her I sent you. Gina, we love our blanket, it is perfect!