Ocean City Vacation

Just the two of us…but not for long! We took our last vacation alone (at least for a while!) this past weekend to Ocean City. We rented this really cute little condo that was one block from the beach and had a beautiful view of the bay and the sunset. We got in late Thursday night and got up Friday morning with no plans! We had a minor issue that first day - the electricity was out for about 6 hours so we had to pack up all of our food in the cooler, and we decided since we didn’t have AC we would go ahead and hit the beach. We spent a few hours there, enjoying the hot sun and cold ocean water. I had to sit under the umbrella a lot because I didn’t want to get burned, but despite my efforts I still got pink. After an afternoon nap, we hit the boardwalk and got some boardwalk fries. What a disappointment! The boardwalk wasn’t as cool as I remember it, and the fries sucked. I guess things just aren’t as you remember them, huh? Plus, the fries were so salty that I felt dehydrated for the rest of the night. :( We made it an early night and just enjoyed the evening on the couch watching tv, then got up early Saturday morning for another beach day! We spent most of the day on the beach…reading, chatting, taking dips in the water, and building a sand fortress. We even got to listen to the World Cup on our radio! Then we sought out an awesome all you can eat crabs place and had some delicious crabs and corn on the cob. I even got a “mocktail” - virgin strawberry daquiri. It was cute and fun.

stuffed from the crabs!!!

Enjoying some delicious Maryland Blue Crabs

Playing in the sand!

View from the top…

My bump at 27 weeks (almost 7 months!!)

He got sooo sunburned from this!!!

We had an absolutely wonderful trip and can’t wait to make it back to Ocean City again next year with our little family of three. Next Up: We are headed down to the Virginia Beach area to visit our friends Denie and Kristie in July, so we are looking forward to getting to hit the beach one more time this summer. After that, we’re pretty much just gearing up for the arrival of our little baby Falcon. Whooooo where did this time go???

I am 27 weeks right now and have an appointment this coming Thursday. Everything is pretty much smooth sailing lately, nothing new to report. I feel the baby moving around very often - in the morning, a little after lunch time, and then all evening. I think the baby must be in the head down position because it feels like she is trying to poke her way out of my uterus by way of my bladder. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but what I’m trying to say is that I feel a lot of movement down low. It kind of hurts a little, but it still makes me pause and smile every time I feel it. We are taking our tour of the hospital next Wednesday, and I can’t wait! I am so excited to see the rooms and ask all the questions I have. Then, we should be starting our Bradley Method birth classes the following day, which will last 10 weeks. In other news, I’m still not getting cravings!!! I was really looking forward to making Josh get out of bed to make me some crazy sandwich or something, but no. Nothing. Although, a friend did point out that I am eating two bowls of cereal a day, so maybe you could call that a craving. A craving I’ve had my whole life….

That is all for now, I suppose. I will update with anything new that happens at the doctor this week! Hopefully it will just be another routine appointment though. I had another dream that the baby is a girl - that is the third and none for boy. Unfortunately, this dream also had little Audrey being delivered 11 weeks (about 3 months) early. So that wasn’t a good part of the dream, but seeing my baby girl was. I can’t wait to see her again soon. In the meantime, I’ll be patient and settle for my dreams.

Moving Right Along!

Joshua’s belly - he isn’t growing so I don’t know why he has me take pictures of him! Although he isn’t getting a sympathy belly, he has started to get into a “nesting” phase. The other day we were on our way out the door to go to work and he was saying how he can’t wait to get started on the nursery and get the house clean and ready for the baby. I guess that is nesting. I don’t have it yet, really. I am very excited to start on the nursery and I totally feel like we are behind on things, but I don’t think I’m into the nesting and cleaning phase at all yet. I will get there soon, I hope.

Me, Josie, and Pussycat - Josie insists on sitting on my LAP when I’m on the floor, but that’s hard now that I don’t really have a lap. You may or may not be able to tell from the pictures, but my boobs have gotten big! Along with my rock hard bulging belly, I’m starting to feel like I really am pregnant. Lauren surprised me last week with some really cute maternity clothes, which was great. I have a wardrobe that should last me through the rest of the pregnancy, since I bought some things at Target and Old Navy, plus the stuff I got on Craigslist. I feel like I have done well budgeting a good amount of maternity clothes into our budget. :) That makes me happy (saving money always does!).

This is my bump at 24 weeks: It is getting bigger every day! I am 25 weeks now and I am having such a hard time believing that there are only 15 weeks left. I am getting more and more excited, especially since I can feel so much activity going on in there these days. He is really active at night after dinner and Josh and I have both gotten to see him bump and roll around. It is so crazy to see! I keep trying to catch it on video but I swear the baby knows when I’m trying to do that because he stops immediately.

I recently started having pain in my lower back/hip area that I think (from what I’ve read in my books and online) that it is my sciatic nerve. It is apparently somewhat common for the nerve to be pinched during pregnancy due to the extra weight and posture changes. It was really bad on Wednesday, but a warm bath made it feel better. Sitting down for too long makes it worse, I think.

I went to the doctor last week for my checkup, and everthing was great, except for my weight gain. I gained 10 pounds in 4 weeks!! Oops! That puts me at 11 pounds total weight gain at this point. When I weighed myself this week at the gym (one week after my appointment) I was 4 lbs less than at the doctor’s, so I don’t know if I lost weight or if the two scales are just a few pounds off. Either way, I am no longer indulging in ice cream sundaes every night. I’ve switched to Fudgesickles instead since they are only 40 calories each. I also drank a lot of sodas for a while, which I never did before I pregnant, so I went ahead and cut thoes out as well. Other than those two things, I don’t eat anything bad, so I should be able to stay on track by just stopping those two bad habits. Ice cream is hard though, I think about it all day, every day. I will only indulge every now and then though, I have to be strong! I am very focused on maintaining a healthy weight throughout the pregnancy so that once the baby is here, I can really be at my best, mentally and physically.

Frankie and DoJo, aren’t they cute?!

For the nursery, I found this glider on Craigslist and picked it up for $95! Great deal! It doesn’t have any stains or flaws that I have found, and it feels as though it has never even had anyone sit in it. It is very comfortable and I the wood color should be a perfect match for the crib, which should get here any day now.

We got the crib from Babies R Us and it is the convertible kind, so we can change it into a toddler bed when the baby is big enough, and then convert it again into a full size twin bed. You can see the crib here: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3427804&fromRegistryNumber=45308543&product_skn=205624

Josh and I both happen to get giftcards at work last month. I got $50 for filling out a health wellness survey, and he got $100 for performance (I think). So we used those towards the crib and only ended up having to pay out of pocket for less than half of it! This was the same weekend as we got the glider, so I felt like I had really had a great, money saving weekend!

We are headed to see our friends Paul and Angela tonight that had their third baby in March. I also got to visit my friend Brett this week, that just had her daughter 3 weeks ago. It was great to see such a sweet little baby, and it made me so excited (and scared) for what is to come. Talking to other moms of newborns is definitely is helpful though! It helps prepare me for the things that are coming, especially the things most people don’t tell you.

We are going to the beach in 2 weeks….stay tuned for updates and pictures!

Busy Bees!!!

It has been a while since the last blog update, so I apologize! Sometimes I feel like there is nothing new to report, then a week goes by and I have a ton! I will try to be better.

We traveled to Texas last week to celebrate Lexi’s graduation and her and Shawn’s wedding. What a week! Aside from the minor flight trouble we had at the beginning, the week was amazing. I love so much that Lexi and Shawn were able to have the wedding they wanted, exactly how they wanted it. It was great to see so much family at once and I wish we could do it more often! Josh and I got to meet Zach, my cousin Sarah and Doug’s little boy, for the first time and he was so sweet! He’s such a calm and serene baby, lucky parents! Josh also was able to meet more of my family that he’d never met before. After things with the wedding settled down, we headed down to the San Antonio area to spend a few days relaxing. We stayed at a really cute house in New Braunfels, which is a small, old town. We played games, made smores, rode bikes, and even ventured into San Antonio one day to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Of course, the highlight of that trip was that Joshua and I were able to meet Joshua’s father and his family for the first time, something that we have both been looking forward to since they first got in touch a year ago. We are so happy to say that it was wonderful to finally meet them (minus their older daughter, who lives in New York). They are a happy, warm, welcoming, Christian family that made Joshua and I both feel comfortable in thier home. We can’t wait to see them again, either here in VA or in TX. I feel like this was perfect timing for Josh, and I can’t wait to see he and Dave’s relationship continue to grow. So happy for them both…

In baby news, things are going great and FLYING BY!!!! TOO FAST! I am showing and love the feeling of resting my hands on my little belly. :) The baby has been moving quite a bit for a couple of weeks now, but just last week the movements became strong enough to feel from the outside. Mom, Lexi, and Josh were all able to feel some little kicks, and Josh has felt some more since we’ve been home. I love when the baby is active, it puts a huge smile on my face and I catch myself daydreaming about what the baby is doing in there. I wonder if s/he can hear me or what is going on around, or if s/he is just moving because she’s trying to get comfy. Either way, I love it! They kind of feel like these little punches, and they often catch me off guard and feel funny. I can’t explain what they feel like. We are at 22 weeks right now, and I am really beginning to feel some anxiety over the fact that there are only 18 weeks left. I know that is a lot, but I have so much to do and I want to have it all done early!!! As many of you know, we are possibly moving sometime in the next month, or we might be staying, but since we don’t exactly know yet, I can’t really start planning the nursery, and I certainly don’t want to buy anything for it yet - in case we do move, it will just be more stuff to have to pack! We will have this all figured out soon enough though, so I am remaining patient and taking things as they come, but still trying to plan ahead.

As for our pretty little family, the animals are all doing well! They spent 10 days at Maria’s house (Joshua’s mom) while we were in Texas, and they came back spoiled! Dora just climbs on the couch and bed when she wants to! We will break her of that quickly, she’s a good listener and very obedient. Frank is still keeping me up all night by trying to walk all over my body and sleep directly on my head, but Pussycat is still as sweet as can be. ALSO - after a very, very long 2 years, Josh finally cut his hair! I love it short and the long puffs are not missed….

Josh: “are you happy?” Me: “Very!!!”

Looking good!! I will write more soon, but for now, we are going to catch up on some episodes of LOST!!!!!!!

xoxoxo

Second Trimester Has Begun!!

16 weeks…almost 17! This is going by so sllloooowly, but way too fast the same time! I can’t decide which. I am eager to meet the little one, but at the same time I want to enjoy my pregnancy and not get ahead of myself. It is hard to believe I am close to halfway there. I had a doctor’s appointment last week and we listened to the heartbeat; it sounded loud and strong. I have another appointment on May 6 to do an ultrasound and I will definitely get to see the little one. I can’t wait for that! I was really hoping to see him or her at my appointment last week, but she said it wasn’t necessary since we’ve done one every other time I was there. I have been closely following the baby’s development and some of the fun things going on are “His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren’t recognizable yet. He’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.”. Yay! He is about the size of an avocado…pretty big!

My bump is growing and is becoming more noticable. Yesterday at the gym the instructor of the class asked if anyone in the class is pregnant and I was the only one. I guess she thought I was but didn’t want to come out and ask. It made me kind of uncomfortable because then she kept coming by me to check on me or something and telling me to be careful. I’ve been taking this class since September (not every week though), so I know how hard it is and I was doing it at a low-impact level. I think maybe she felt like I shouldn’t be taking the class, but since they don’t offer any pregnancy classes, I’ll keep taking this one and just do it at my own pace. This was the first week that I did notice that some of the exercises were a lot harder than they used to be, though.

The Bump: 16 weeks!

Josh and I have been staying busy and relaxing at the same time. We had a cookout at some friends’ house this weekend for a birthday, and that was fun. It is strange that the same friends we’ve been hanging out with for years now has 2 pregnant women in it! Times are a’changin! My girlfriends and I are having a girls day out picnic at Burke Lake Park this weekend, so I’m looking forward to that too. Food, Friends, and the Outdoors! Josh bought some rollerblades and has been taking Dora out every day after work. She loves it! They look so cute rolling around the neighborhood too. Josh is also enjoying his guitar lessons every week and is practicing just about every night. He’s getting good! Pretty soon he will be strumming away for our little one. Can’t wait for that. xoxoxo

Happy Birthday Maria!!!

12 weeks…almost 13! Our appointment went well last week, but unfortunately I don’t have a picture to post. :( We couldn’t see much on the screen, just the head and a couple of limbs here and there. So now we have to wait until April 8 to see the little one again, dang it! Four weeks seems like forever when I just want to know that everything is ok. Other than seeing the baby on the screen, the appointment was pretty uneventful. I gained three pounds which still puts me 4 less than when I first got pregnant, but I think that I am probably making that up now that I’m eating dinner again. Although my waist is definitely thicker, I don’t feel like I have a bump yet. I mean, I do right now because I just ate a whole bowl of cereal is 3 minutes, but when I’m not full, my tummy just has the normal pooch that it has always had. I don’t know…judge for yourself. This was on Saturday at 12 weeks and 2 days:

I told my work on Friday that I am pregnant and it was received well. Everyone was happy and congratulated me. It feels great to finally not have a huge secret! It was so hard not to tell my coworkers for the past couple of months, but I am glad I waited. Having the appointment on Thursday and knowing that everything looks good was reassuring before I told everyone at work. Also, I did really well in Office Olympics on Friday so it was overall a good week. :)

I’m definitely feeling more energized these days. I worked out yesterday and went on a walk today with Joshua and Dora. I can’t sleep still though. I have been going to bed before 10pm, but between the tossing and turning, getting up to go to the bathroom,and Frank taking over my pillow and stepping all over me, I’m having a hard time staying asleep.

It’s about time for dinner so I’m going to get to eating..xoxoxo!

A Little Lime

So I am 11 weeks and thee days today and the baby is about the size of a lime. That seems pretty big to me and I can’t picture a lime that is only 1.6 inches but whatever. I still don’t feel or see anything resembling a bump (aside from when I ate a chipotle burrito the other day) but I’m sure it will be here soon. I’m feeling a lot better and my appetite is returning to normal, although meat still looks and tastes kind of gross. Our 12 week checkup is on Thursday and I will make sure to put the picture of the baby up here. Yay!

Cereal!

I’ve always loved cereal. Mom likes to tell stories about how I used to get up in the morning and not speak or look at anyone until I’d had my cereal. That’s not the case anymore, I usually eat bagels or something less sugary in the mornings and I’m not that grouchy in the morning either. Lately, though, cereal is all that I want to eat!! My appetite has been pretty much shot since around week 5 or 6 so dinner time has been more of a hassle and chore than something I enjoy and look forward to. I’ve found that cereal is once again, like when I was a kid, something I cannot live without. I eat all day at work - a protein bar around 9:30, grapes or carrots around 11, lunch around 1, yogurt in the afternoon. Yet, when I got home from work today around 5, I found myself playing out a scene my mom must remember well. I came in the house, set down my purse and went straight for the pantry. I didn’t take off my jacket, didn’t acknowledge the dog, didn’t call hello to Joshua. I just grabbed a bowl and some milk and enjoyed a HUGE bowl of Smacks. It was perfect. It has been that good all week.

This week has been really good so far. I didn’t do much over the weekend because I was feeling really tired. We took Dora to the dog park on Saturday so she could run around and play with the other dogs; she had fun and wore herself out! We went to DC Saturday night for a friend’s birthday and that was fun. I feel like we never get to see our friends enough so it was good to catch up with everyone. This weekend I am going to two baby showers, and a “reunion” of a group of old friends, so it should be a pretty social (exhausting) weekend.

New updates this week: 1)I exercised two days in a row!! That’s quite an accomplishment since I have been majorly slacking. I hope to keep that going and make it to the gym again tomorrow. 2)Also - I am beginning to see a little bump. It could be just that I am retaining water, plus the fact that I’ve always had a pooch and tend to stick my belly out and my butt out. My belly band came in yesterday and it was great to use today! It has a bunch of adjustments so I had it on the smallest closure today, which just gave me the relief of having my top button unbuttoned without my pants slipping down. 3)I am spending much of my down time at work looking at baby things - cribs, car seats, etc. I am overwhelmed by it, but luckily there are tons of place to find product reviews and safety ratings. Yay for baby stuff!

Its about time for bed - its 9 o’clock. :) I gotta get my beauty rest!!! xoxo

Here is a picture of me on 2/6…I guess I would have been 7 weeks at that time. Pretty flat belly for the most part. Big butt though.