25 Weeks and 1st Baby Shower

Well- this was an eventful weekend- we went garage saleing- actually started on Friday afternoon, then woke up EARLY Saturday morning and ventured out. We found a ton of cute little girl outfits- and in VERY good condition and even some with the tags still attached! Me, my mom and Danielle all went one way and Taylor and Ben went the other so we covered a lot of ground on Saturday.

Sunday was my first baby shower and it was so much fun! My friend Stephanie even came down to surprise me at it- it was so exciting to see her!

This little girl got all kinds of wonderful gifts- tons of adorable outfits that I can't WAIT to dress her up in, her first books and cds, bottles, her bathtub, cozy blankets, pacifiers, bibs, her stroller and car seat and the list could go on and on.










And YES- you can call me a dork, but I just couldn't stand having the nursery look cluttered after I got home- so YES- I have already put everything away- I got all the clothes all washed up and hanging in the closet- the blankets nicely displayed in her blanket basket and all the "stuff" sitting nicely organized on the shelf of the changing table. I just needed to have it put away because I worked so hard on getting that room ready that it just made it feel more real now having all her things sitting out and ready to be used.

And of course- I made Taylor put the car seat and stroller together, I was too excited to see it and we need to make sure that the base of the car seat works well in our cars so we got it all put together and- it took a few tries- but we figured out how to make the thing work- so now we are pros at it. I was the most nervous on learning how the car seat, stroller, and them combined would work together- everyone else's that I've tried to do I haven't been able to figure out- so it was nice taking the time to push all the buttons and see all the neat tricks it can do, and now- we've got it all figured out!


I had a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful for all of the people who thought of our little angel and got her something nice- I think this little one is already loved by so many people and that is such a wonderful feeling to me to know that everyone is just as excited to meet her as Taylor and I are, she is going to be loved so much!

And- check this out--- me at 25 weeks--- can you say POP! I felt like I was getting bigger and bigger every single day last week-- and physically I noticed it- I was a LOT more tired last week then I have been in awhile- she really had a growth spurt!

Changes- OVER NIGHT.....

OK- I swear my tummy has grown over night! It even feels like its gotten bigger as the day has gone by.... They said that during week 24 she could put on as much as 6 ounces (bones and muscle weight)- and I think she did and offically today I'm 25 weeks. And she's finally shifted to, she isn't laying sideways in my pelvis anymore- I think she's now figured out how to be more up and down in my stomach- probably more room that way. But since she's moved my stomach really has changed quite a bit. My maternity pants are even fitting me differently-- and my precious pink polka dot pants that I take all my belly shots in--- well- it was a SAD night- I had to wear them lower on my waist because that's just where they fit- so that means the crotch was hanging lower then normal and I went to put my knee up on the chair downstairs and RIP-- I ripped a hole right down the front crotch and to the leg-- really weird rip- but I was very upset because those were my favorite pants (not to mention I had JUST put them on as I had knocked my piece of garlic toast that was covered in sauce off my plate and onto my shirt and pants I had already been wearing for the day) Taylor couldn't help but laugh a little- but was very sweet about it all and told me I could wear his baseball pj pants so they'd fit me a little better.

This weekend is a BIG weekend-- City Wide Garage Sales-- so call me if you are out and about and see something good that I might want for the baby- I've already got my map all marked up and ready- 22 sales for me and mom and I'm sending Ben and Taylor to 15 of them so they can look for house stuff, garage stuff and outdoor stuff!

Also this weekend is my first baby shower!! YEAH!!! I'm SOOO excited!! So be ready for a bunch of pictures to come on Monday--- and of course- a new belly shot- because I think I've gotten bigger since last week!

24 Weeks- 6 Months!!!

Alrighty- as requested-- Here is an updated belly shot and some updated photos from the nursery.....


Here I am- 24 weeks along... I feel like I'm going to be popping again soon- my tummy just feels tight- and the skin all the way around my belly button has a purple tint to it- Taylor said it kind of looks like my skin is just really stretching right there and my belly button is starting to come closer and closer to the surface-- so I keep up with the lotion and just hope that things stretch out nicely and don't leave me covered in stretch marks! I know- I don't have any control over it- but I figured I can do my best to help it.


We hung some things on the walls to make it a little more girly-- I got some hooks at Michaels (for $1!!) and I painted them myself--- then next to the crib is a poem I had hanging on my walls- Why God Made Little Girls.


Here you can see under the clock is my clown picture- you turn its nose and it plays Send in the Clowns-- whenever I got sent to my room or I wasn't feeling good I'd turn his nose and listen to the song and it always made me feel better-- Taylor thinks it's scary- but I love it-- and I'm not afraid of clowns- so I figured an early exposure to clowns will make our little girl not afraid of them either! LOL!
And above the closet is the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep prayer-- Taylor and I both had this same picture hanging in our rooms when we were younger-- must be fate!


And here you can see Taylor's alphabet poster-- My Angel Poem and two Angels I had in my room and above the light switch is another prayer I had hanging in my nursery. It's so fun to be able to share these special things with my daughter- and to make her room look a little more girly! Just simple touches are making that room feel cozier!

Once she arrives and we name her I am going to get her name in those wooden letters and paint those and hang those above her crib-- so that's why that wall is still left blank.

Up next is my first baby shower on Sunday! I'm so excited to be able to put baby supplies in the nursery- it will make it feel that much more real! So check back next week for photos!

OH--- and I think I'm in my nesting period-- I just want to be home- and when I'm home I'm cooking, cleaning, decorating, trying to get things ready-- it's such a weird feeling as I use to HATE doing these types of things-- but now I feel like I just can't get enough of it! I'm so thankful that my body is handling this pregnancy so well and I'm able to move around so easily. I just pray these last 16 weeks go as smoothly as well.

1st Anniversary

Well- we made it through our first year of marriage! We were talking over the weekend about all the things we've done in this past year- We moved into our new house, got a puppy, Taylor got a new car, I coached a dance team to a championship, Taylor coached baseball, He got his first teaching job, he taught summer school, he went to state for baseball, we fixed up our house, we got pregnant, and I finally found my passion for cooking.... these things along with many others-- but these were our biggest feats. What an exciting first year we have had- now this year will bring us a baby! Things are really getting exciting for us!

For our anniversary- I decided we should bring back an old memory and go to an apple orchard- so we went to the one in Jordan were we got to taste test apples and eat a yummy lunch and look around their cute little shop- buy some apples......

Here we are with our Macintosh apples- probably the BEST apples you could EVER eat!





Then, I thought it was going to be a good idea, but the apple orchard also had a corn maze-- I thought- well that sounds like a neat idea... so we went over to where the corn maze was- and we were the ONLY ONES there-- it cost us $7 each to walk around a field of corn for a half hour-- I thought it was going to be different with like a map or clues on how to get through the maze- you know- something a little more interactive-- but apparently not- this one wasn't that neat-- basically it was a waste of $14- but we tried to make the best of it- and I guess- Live and Learn....





Then on Sunday- our actual anniversary- some friends came over to watch the football game and fill up on a ton of yummy food- it was a perfect weekend-- spending time together and spending time with friends, we couldn't have asked for more! Bring it on Year 2! :)

23 Weeks

I was thinking to myself this morning as I was getting ready-- 'this pregnancy is going pretty darn good!' Besides the really bad morning sickness in the first trimester- this second one has just been great! I haven't gained weight anywhere else besides my tummy (but have still managed to put on 12 pounds total as of this morning- but that's a good thing!)- no swelling at all yet- I'm very mobile and can still do everything- within reason- and I'm just feeling good! My appetite is back to normal- I don't feel the need to HAVE to snack ALL DAY LONG anymore like I did when I was dealing with morning sickness. I still prefer my pasta and chicken over anything else- oh- and my mom bought me my first bag of the season of those little pumpkin candies-- I can't get enough of them!

This past weekend I worked my BUTT off! I finally finished putting away all the gifts we had gotten over the past year that I just hadn't found a home for- so in doing that I cleaned out and organized our under the stairs storage room- then finally got one of the closets in the nursery all cleaned out and ready to go for baby girl clothes, then I went to Michael's and got some coat hooks that you paint and then hang on the wall- I got a butterfly, flower and a heart- so I got those all painted and ready to be hung up- as soon as Taylor gets around to it! So we are working on getting the nursery a little more girly- I thought it was really leaning towards more boyish- so just with some simple touches and hanging the right things on the walls- WA LA! it's girlified! :) I'll post some pictures of it next week- we still have some things yet to hang up.

This up and coming weekend is our 1st Anniversary (September 16)- Taylor and I are switching off every other year on who comes up with what we will be doing- I decided to take the odd years- so I've got a fun day planned for us on Saturday- but it's a surprise- so I'll have to fill you in on it next week.