Random Thoughts

I. am. stuffed. Brad and I just went out to dinner and I feel so full, but it was soooo good, worth every bite! We went to Cold Stone too, we haven't had that in forever. Yummy!

So I have decided I am not very good at coming up with new, interesting blog topics. My friends with blogs always have such cute entries with catchy titles, and I am sitting here trying to think what I want to update, and it is really a lot of nothing! All I can really seem to think about is the baby, what type of stroller/travel system to get, and our big ultrasound appointment coming up! So sorry for all of the pregnancy talk, but it is really what is on my mind lately!

Let's see though, what else is new, non baby related? I went with my sister last weekend to our friend Lisa's bachelorette party at a casino downtown, which was fun. Her wedding is in two weeks, so I am looking forward to an evening of getting dressed up, going out with Brad,and perhaps some dancing. I am getting a hair cut tomorrow, and I really want to be daring and do something new and fun, but I always end up with my same old look. So, we'll see how I feel tomorrow :)

Brad and I are going to Babies R Us tomorrow to start picking things out, which is fun. This will be his 3rd time there now, so he is improving. The first time I made him go with me, I don't think he talked for the rest of the day. He kept saying, "We need ALL that?" and then he spend the rest of the day looking at our bank account :)

Hopefully I will get to spend some time with Libby this weekend too. I saw her for a little bit this past week, she is getting bigger and bigger. Her smiles are more and more frequent, which are the cutest thing ever.

Well, that about sums up my non exciting post! I think I will let my stomach settle for a little bit now, maybe catch up on some Project Runway! Good night!

3 Weeks, 4 Days...But Who's Counting?!

We had our 16 week appt this past Wednesday and got to schedule our big ultrasound for October 21st! I am SO excited! Brad and I are definitely in agreement that we want to find out the sex of the baby (as long as he/she is cooperative!). I am just as excited to actually see the baby. At our last appointment, the heartbeat was 164, so Brad is convinced it is a girl. I am still thinking boy...one of us will be right!

I have been feeling great lately, other than a nasty cold I had last week. I have a lot of energy, have been exercising, and feel pretty normal. Here is a 16 week picture I took this morning...definitely the start of something!



My latest obsession has been searching for furniture and bedding for the baby's room. I love to decorate and plan decor, so I am very anxious to get started on a new project. We have decided to leave the room the color it is now. When we moved here two years ago, the previous owners had recently turned the room into a nursery. It is painted a light green on the bottom with chair molding in the middle, and then white on top. My friend Jamie and I went out to dinner at Somerset last week, and stopped at Pottery Barn Kids afterwards. I am absolutely in love with their bedding. I know it is on the pricey side, but I think I will have to splurge on this. I am planning on looking on Ebay to see if I can find some of it cheaper as well. Here is what I like so far:



This is the furniture I like (this is not from PBK, it is from Babies R Us). I think I would only get the crib and the dresser that doubles as a changing table. I still am going back and forth between espresso and white furniture. I like white, but the room is not a "white" white, so I am worried about it looking funny. Hmmm, decisions :)

This is the girl bedding I LOVE! You can't see it great in this picture, but the bumper is double sided and the other side is this gorgeous paisley print with pinks, greens, and purples. You can see it on the quilt if you look closely:



I have two boy bedding sets that I like...What do you think? My friend Rachel had this set for her boys, and it was adorable!



But, I also like...



What do you think???

Back in the swing of things...

So I have been at work with kids for almost two weeks now, and it is going great! I feel like I have a very good group this year, so I am hoping that doesn't change. My morning classes are so small, I only have 16 kids in each! Crazy! I'm not going to lie, it is nice!

We have had a pretty busy few weeks. Brad had class last weekend, so I went to my grandma's house in Canada for her b-day with my sister and Libby and we (sort of) helped with some yard work. Mostly we just played with Libby and I took a little nap...oops. It was fun though. This week Brad is traveling and I have been getting ready for our big bathroom remodel! I am SO excited. My dad and brother-in-law, Doug, are starting on it this weekend while we are in South Bend. I was cleaning out the cabinets tonight and it amazes me how much JUNK we have and how gross it is under there! It will be so nice to have a fresh, clean, new bathrooom. That has been the one room in our house I couldn't stand when we moved here. I'll post before and after pictures when things get started!

This weekend Brad and I are headed to South Bend for the Notre Dame/MSU game. I am excited to see his family and some of his old high school friends. We are planning on tailgating Saturday and then going to the game. I just hope we get to hang out with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law while we are there too!

Other than that, things are pretty good. I have my next dr appt next week, so that will be exciting as usual. I am feeling really good, just tired, but I am always tired when I go back to work and get back into the school routine. My pants are getting tighter and tighter and it is making me a little self conscious, but I keep telling myself to not worry about it. This in between stage is hard though! I was at the gym today and I walked by a mirror and happened to see my reflection...my stomach looked so wierd in my t-shirt. But, soon enough it will turn into a "bump," so that will be exciting. At least pretty much everyone knows that I am pregnant. Everyone at my work has been so great about my pregnancy. I feel very fortunate!

Well, not a very exciting post, but there is an update on what we have been up to. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Out in the Open!

So, I am officially 13 weeks and off to the 2nd trimester! Whooo Hooo! This past week I went back to work and told everyone, announced it on Facebook, and made my blog public...Big steps! It was fun to tell everyone, and it is especially fun to talk openly about it now.

Let's see, not too much new going on around here. It was nice to get back into the swing of things at work, I am looking forward to meeting my new students on Tuesday. The first day of school is so much fun, they are so nervous and cute! We have a pretty busy weekend here. I am procrastinating right now, the room I am sitting in is FULL of my clothes. I started cleaning out closets a few weeks ago, and I took everything out, made 9 bags for Goodwill, but have yet to really put everything back in. You know those chores that you dread so much, but when you actually do it, it doesn't even really take that long? Well, this is one of them. And yes, I have already today come up with excuses to put it off longer. After I type this, I am going to go to Target and then the gym, THEN I will come back and do it...I promise!!!

Tomorrow Brad and I are going to the EMU/Army game. Brad's work is sponsoring a tailgate and Brad has to present a check to Eastern Michigan on the field between the 1st and 2nd quarter. Hehe, I am excited to take pictures. Then, on Sunday, Allie and I are heading to my parents b/c Brad is hosting a Fantasy Football Live Draft party with a bunch of guys here. So, another reason to get cleaning, because I know some guys are staying over and will appreciate a bed that is not full of clothes!

We have a busy September, but I am looking forward to it. I love the fall. Libby is doing great, she is getting sooo big! Here are some recent pics:





And I will also include a belly shot from this week. I apologize for the bare stomach, I promise this won't be an ongoing thing, its just the only way you can really tell for now...at least I hope! I bought a pair of maternity jeans at Meijer for $5! They are actually cute too! My mom bought me some cute work pants from there too. So here I am, sporting my new jeans. My stomach is definitely feeling bigger...my pants are getting a little tight! This picture quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea!




Okay, I am off to the gym. I gotta keep this belly in check! HA! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

2nd Appointment!

We just got home from our second dr appointment...all is well! Yay, I am so relieved! I think I was more nervous for this one than the last appt! I finally feel like this pregnancy is "a go" and I can relax about it a little! And, I didn't gain any weight yet, according to their scale, I was nervous about that as well! :) I feel like I've gained about 10 pounds!!!

We got to hear the heartbeat on the doppler, 170 bpm! It was a very cool sound, I wish we could have listened to it longer. I ALMOST got another ultrasound, but no such luck :) I have been having some pain on my right side which might be a cyst, but they are going to wait until my next appt to see how it feels, and if it is still there, we will do another u/s then. So, not that I want there to be anything wrong, it would just be cool to see the baby again! If it is a cyst, it really isn't a big deal, they just monitor it.

I have been feeling soooo much better this week, almost back to normal, just in time for work which is good. I can't wait to tell everyone I work with!!! Then it will FINALLY be out in the open!

10 Week Update

So I haven't been great at updating this, but the past two weeks really have been pretty much the same. I am still feeling the same, but I am getting more used to it, so it doesn't seem as bothersome. I am excited to be at the 10 week mark though, getting very anxious for our next appointment on the 25th!

I went back to work this week, which turned out to be very productive. I am trying to be super organized to make this year run a little smoother and make the transition for my sub easier. Which, speaking of, I did tell my principal this week that I am pregnant. It wasn't too bad, he is so supportive and nice, but it is a little awkward telling a man that you don't really know that well that you are pregnant! But at least he knows now, so that is one big relief! I am very lucky to have such a supportive boss.

Other than that, let's see what's new...we are heading to the lake this weekend with my parents, Jenny, Doug, and Libby, which will be fun. I am excited to get some sun hopefully, I am so pale for the summer! Next week I am flying to Boston to see Angie, I can't wait!! Then the following week I will be back in my classroom trying to get everything set before we have to report back. So, my summer is quickly coming to an end!

Okay, I know you probably all don't really want to see my stomach, and I promise I won't do this weekly, but I figured I would take a picture of my (bloated) stomach at week 10, just to look back on. So here it is:



Speaking of bloat and pregnancy hormones, Brad and I got into a fight last night about being bloated. He was trying to tell me that "bloat" doesn't show, it's just an excuse people make when they feel fat. Hello, you are not a girl! Hehe, I don't think he expected me to react so strongly, but he wouldn't just give in! He was so insistent and kept arguing, finally I got so mad and then he got mad, and stormed out of the room! Geez! Then again, he insists "caramelized" is pronounced as "care-a-malized," so what does he know, right? :) I guess we will agree to disagree on that!

Well, that's about all I can think of. Please pray for Brad's grandpa who had a stroke last week. Also, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law are competing in the Louisville Ironman in a few weeks, GOOD LUCK!!!! It is so amazing how hard they work! They will do great, I wish we could go!

I'll post after this week, hopefully with some new pics of Libby! She is also doing great, gaining weight and getting so big already! Love her!

8 weeks!

So, when we went to the doctor last week, I thought I was 7 weeks, 5 days. Turns out I was only 7 weeks, so I felt like I was stuck there forever! I am so excited to finally be at the 8 week mark! It's crazy how much I worry about everything already. Of course I am trying to stay positive, but you hear of so many people who experience losses in their first trimester and there is always this underlying fear that something like that could happen. But, I am feeling pretty optimistic and excited overall.

I am definately feeling the symptoms, let me tell you! Right about the middle of my 6th week, I started feeling queasy. I haven't gotten sick yet, but the mornings and nights are the worst. I am also noticing how tired I am getting. My chest hurts, I'm cranky, emotional, and just feel yucky about 50% of the time. But at the same time, I am so glad I feel this way because I know it is for a very good reason!

I have been spending a lot of time at my sister's this past week with Libby. She is sooo cute! It makes it even more exciting, especially when I hold her or give her a bottle. I give parents so much credit though. I can't imagine being so sleep deprived and still functioning. Jenny and Doug are doing such a great job though, Libby is growing and getting bigger and bigger each day. It's amazing to see even the changes of her face filling out and learning her different expressions and noises. She is so cute, I just love her so much! Here are some recent pictures from the last week.

I am so happy to have a job where I can be home in the summer. It has been so nice to relax, spend time with family, and just be lazy! I am starting to get ready to go back to work though. I think the next month is going to fly by, which I am excited for. I can't wait to be out of this first trimester, mainly so I can finally tell everyone!!