Our Gender Reveal

On November 8 we invited our family and close friends to join us and find out the gender of our nugget together.  We kept it small and simple but full of love.  We even got a bit emotional over how excited everyone is to meet our sweet baby!  On the menu - deviled eggs, cheeseball and crackers, chips and dip, ham sandwiches, vegetables and dip, and lemon cupcakes.  We had mimosas and lemonade for everyone to enjoy.  My friend Katie brought the box full 'o balloons to answer our burning question.  Is baby Johnson a boy?  Or a girl?

Bumpdate: Week 18

*playing catch up this week so two bumpdates will be posted!

Size of the baby:  Our little bit was 8 ounces at our 18 week ultrasound appointment.  My app says it's about the size of a boneless chicken breast.

Total weight gain:  up 6 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity Clothes: Yep.  They are just more comfortable.  As soon as I'm home though, I switch to loungewear.

Gender: Baby showed the goods at our appointment and the proof was delivered to my best friend for safe keeping.  She will keep the secret until our gender reveal on November 8.

Movement:  My flutters feel more like dull vibrations.  I was told at my ultrasound that my placenta is anterior so I may not feel strong movements until closer to 26 weeks.

Nursery:  Our ideas are ready to go, we just need to know if we are using shades of pink or shades of blue.

Sleep: Not going well.  I'm uncomfortable at night and I still get up a lot to use the bathroom.  I'm loving my bumpnest - which I'll probably do a quick review of soon. I'm also loving thin sleep shirts because I alternate hot and cold all night long.  Sometimes we use a fan and sometimes we have to use an extra quilt.

What I miss:  A more extensive wardrobe, my options are more limited these days -especially pants.

Cravings:  Clementines, orange juice, peanut m&ms.  I won't say no to a milkshake.

Other symptoms:  I have felt well overall.  I get headaches some afternoons but they are bearable, this isn't uncommon for me when the weather changes.

Best moments so far:  I've had more energy and we have started "deep cleaning" and organizing the house.  R has had a lot of projects to get ready for our gender reveal party.  We have planned our party food and purchased a few decorations so we can celebrate with family.  I was also able to participate in Halloween at work by wearing a festive shirt made using these instructions.  Cheap and easy!

The very best moment was our ultrasound on Halloween.  R was finally able to see the baby on the big screen which he has not been able to see since I was 8 weeks pregnant.  We got to see all the important "inner workings" of our darling - healthy heart, healthy spinal cord, healthy brain, and all organs are in the appropriate place.  It was the very best news!

Five on Friday

Kind of late today, we had our OB appointment and ran errands but I knew I'd get it linked up eventually.  Kicking it off...

1.  The great deep clean of 2014

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Because I've hit that second trimester nesting phase and I want to get this house organized and squeaky clean.  We have at least one project pretty much every weekend until the big event.  Oh and I'm trying to use natural cleaners, because that has suddenly become a huge priority for me.

2.  A Simple-fied makeup remover.

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I had to switch up my beauty regimen when I found out I was pregnant and I find that these wipes are perfect to remove my makeup and they don't sting like others I've tried.  I buy them in a twin pack at Ulta which is awesome.  No tugging required, they remove everything in one swipe and I follow up with my Mario Bedescu cleaner.

3.  This recipe.

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Creamy Tortellini - yum yum. I found this goodie via Pinterest, it takes about 20 minutes on a crazy weeknight for a decadent meal.  The sauce is made better with a punch of cayenne and red pepper flake.

4.  Sparkling water.

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It's the "new" soda.  I like Perrier and La Croix but I've been enjoying this Simply Balanced Citrus flavor from Target.  It tastes so similar to R's beloved Fresca, no caffeine or added sweeteners.  And it's yummy when you want something carbonated.

5.  Heeeere's Nugget...

I had my 18 week ultrasound on Halloween.  And the baby was active!  I found out that I have an anterior placenta so that's why I'm only feeling movements sporadically and why it feels more like vibrations than "flutters".  Since this was an anatomy scan we were able to see the brain, abdomen, heart, spinal cord and body in great detail.   Our tech was awesome and pointed out all the important bits to us.  We decided not to find out the gender today, so a dear friend is guarding it until our gender reveal party next weekend.  Thanks to the scan though we know that the baby appears to be healthy and energetic.  God is good!

Happy Halloween all!

National Cat Day

Happy National Cat Day to my very best friend....

Lilly and I logged 8 years together on October 5.  She was turned out of her home as a kitten and forced to beg for scraps and eat out of the dumpster.  It wasn't the life for her, a close friend found her and called me to come pick her up. I had to work extra shifts in college to pay for her shots and spay.  She was covered in fleas and ear mites and had to be treated for several months before her fur started to look normal.  And it hasn't been a treat dealing with her urinary cystitis.  But picking this stray off the street was one of the best decisions I ever made.  She is queen of cuddles and gives kisses freely.  She also shares my love of wine and never leaves my side if I don't feel well.  Cheers and chicken livers to my sweet girl!

Bumpdate: Week 17

Size of the baby:  A turnip and fun fact, baby's heart rate is regulated by his or her brain!

Total weight gain: about 5 pounds up from my pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity clothes: Oh yes, I'm much more comfortable in maternity wear, though I can still wear several of my "normal"  clothes.  I don't like anything too tight around my tummy though.

Gender: Our appointment is next week!  We are hoping to find out at a gender reveal in early November though.  The wait is torture!

Movement: I started feeling some "flutters".  It's very hard to describe though.  No kicks or anything like that but I can feel something moving around.

Nursery:  Waiting to find out the gender and then we can start clearing out the room.

Sleep:  It takes a while to fall asleep but then I'm gravy.  I'm so bored of only sleeping on my side though.  I have a pregnancy pillow and it has been a Godsend.

What I miss:  Bending over is getting uncomfortable and some foods still don't sound appealing to me.  But I really haven't missed anything.

Cravings:  Chocolate milk.  Chicken salad.  Skittles.

Other symptoms:  Headaches.  I get them in the afternoon mostly, sometimes they are dull and sometimes they are really painful.  I get tired pretty easily too.  I went shopping for several hours with my mom and I was wiped afterward.

Best moments so far:  People are noticing my bump.  The comments are not always so nice and some are just awkward with it but I try not to let it worry me.  R and I have started looking at registry items for our little nugget which has been incredibly exciting.  Oh and we are counting down to our gender reveal but the icing will be seeing our little cutie featured on the big screen next week.

Five on Friday

Woot!  It's Friday so it's time for another five on Friday.  And also a fun and fulfilled weekend...just as soon as I finish an 8 hour day.

1.  Pumpkin Picking.

Last weekend we went and selected our pumpkin.  No clue what we are carving this year but we will come up with something great this weekend!  We went to a new-to-us pumpkin patch, it was less a patch and more like a neatly organized farm - the pumpkins were beautiful though and we picked up a few whites ones to put around the house.  I like to go earlier in the month but I was impressed with the quality and selection of the ones they had left.  Most green and white pumpkins go fast and they had a ton left.

2.  Chocolate 5K.

After weeks of little physical activity, R convinced me to participate in a 5K WALK not run.  Oh heavens, I don't know if I could have ran it.  It's more difficult for me to breathe these days and I feel like my heart rate doesn't always want to cooperate.  I didn't eat any chocolate at the stations along the trail but I did indulge in a piece of toffee crunch chocolate and a chocolate drink afterward.  R was with his company sponsored team and he could have ran it but he hung back with me which was very sweet of him.  We started an an excellent pace but had to slow down a little over half way through so my heart rate could get in a "baby safe" range.
 
3.  Planning our Gender Reveal.

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I love the colors of this party and yellow is perfect for a gender reveal.  We aren't using bees though but I might work some stripes into the tablescape somehow.  I didn't want to do blue and pink since one of the colors is going to be heavily featured in our future :-).  I can't wait to find out the gender of my nugget, though in all seriousness there is so much more important information to get from an anatomy scan.  I'm nervous about it and excited all at the same time.  This time next week I'll be at my appointment!

4.  NC State Fair.

First thing on our agenda this weekend...an evening at the state fair!  We may go after work or if we are too tired it might wait for Saturday.  Either way I'm going to pig out on hushpuppies, apple cider, and fudge.  We don't usually participate in rides or games but we love looking at the exhibits.

5. Winner Winner!

The best part of the week, my husband participated at a competition at the fairgrounds on Wednesday and took home first place!  His gift was a very nice and apparently very big generator, along with a cash prize and a tool kit with some great stuff.  Since he won state he will get an opportunity to go to participate in the national competition - I'm so proud of him!

This was a great week, I love this time of year!  And R and I have created a plan to get our house overhauled, deep cleaned, and organized before our bambino arrives.  And it's prime baking season. And it's soup/stew weather.  And it's the season for scarves, boots, and layers.   Life is good y'all!

Two very cool weekly link ups, the more the merry!

Bumpdate: Week 16

sorry it's a bit dark - we took this one at sunset

Size of the baby: an avocado, about 5 inches.

Total weight gain: 3-4 pounds depending on the day.

Maternity clothes:  I've started purchasing my maternity wardrobe.  Gap was having a great sale last weekend and I bought a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, a pair of black slacks, and a knit long sleeve shirt.  This weekend I purchased a teal tunic from the clearance section at Target, a pair of full panel corduroys, and a pair of boyfriend jeans on sale from Old Navy.   It's amazing how comfortable maternity clothes are, even though it's a huge challenge to find things that are flattering. 

Gender:  What will it be?

Movement:  Nothing confirmed.  I feel movements down there but I'm not sure what I'm feeling. 

Nursery:  Ideas are pinned and we are waiting to know the sweet babe's gender.

Sleep:  I'm less tired in the afternoons which is awesome.  However I'm a bit of an insomniac by nature and it takes a while to fall asleep.  I'm up a few times throughout the night as well and I have to wake up every time I want to switch sides to make sure I don't roll over on my back.

What I miss: Sleeping on my back and not having to wake up several times a night.  For the first time I actually missed wine this week - it was fleeting though.  I've traded in my wine for milkshakes.

Cravings: M&Ms, buttered toast, homemade applesauce, and hot cocoa.

Other symptoms: Some motion sickness, dizziness, and round ligament pains. I've also had some problems getting to sleep.

Best moments so far:  A colleague asked if I was pregnant this week, it was a small moment but so exciting that someone could recognize my bump.  I also got my hair cut and colored which made me feel so much more human.  I've been holding off on a hair appointment until after my first trimester. Oh, and I've had more energy this week and I've been able to get more done at home and at work.  We even participated in a charity walk this weekend.