I officially hit 19 weeks today! I'm almost halfway there! This freaks me out a bit as I feel like this is all just flying by! I remember having this huge plan, before I found out we were pregnant. It involved all these projects that I wanted to do once I found out we were expecting. You know--weekly photos, fun crafts to do in preparation for the little one, a whole house organization plan, etc. But now, I'm almost halfway through and I'm realizing that I have done very little of these things I swore I would do. 

You know what, I'm OK with that. Instead, I have been indulging in sleep--because I won't get it later. Enjoying time with my husband and by myself--allowing myself to really let this soak in and enjoy it while I can. I have been finding fun recipes to experiment with--in hopes of having a go to list once the baby arrives. And slowly making a list of things to accomplish before little one gets here--things like making a couple of quilts, crocheting cute baby clothing, and a small list of stuff to organize around the house. 

Other than that, 19 weeks has hit and I'm feeling great! I feel better than I did when I wasn't pregnant! I have a decent amount of energy now--though I do have my moments, hence the extra sleep. My cravings are still there, but are easily managed with a week full of fun recipes to try. I have officially outgrown my pre-pregnancy jeans and now am wandering into the world of maternity jeans (blech!). I find that Old Navy maternity clothes seem to fit the best, but if it were up to me, I would stay in yoga pants and a hoodie all day.

As far as baby goes, I think I have started to feel little bumps and kicks. I'm still not sure, but I don't know what else it would be. They are just so subtle, and sometimes so few and far between, that I doubt if it really is little one moving around. I guess time will tell! Other than that, according to our sonogram on Tuesday, everything is great! Baby's heartbeat is where it needs to be, he is measuring appropriately, and he is breathing, eating, and peeing well! A mom can't complain :)

Now to be as patient as possible as the next 21 weeks go by!

The Big Announcement

Dear Little One,

At 6:30 pm, last night, we had our ultrasound to find out if you are a healthy 19 week old baby. And the good news is that you are perfect. The ultrasound tech said that whatever I'm doing, I should keep up, because you look fantastic. Your heart was beating around 150 beats per minute, your head size was on par, and you weighed approximately eleven ounces. He said that he could see you breathing, eating, and peeing. This made me ecstatic. Our healthy little baby. That is all I could ever hope for. I want nothing more than a healthy little one to be growing inside of me. 

Then I ventured the much anticipated question. 

The question that we waited all day to have answered. 

"So, is it a boy or girl?" 

He replied by saying, "Well I'm trying to figure that out. If you look at the screen the view we have right now is of the baby's butt. See the two legs sticking out here and how they are attached to the rounded area." 

Your daddy and I both voiced our understanding. 

I waited very impatiently for him to go on. 

Then, after what seemed like forever, he said, "Well it looks like a boy! I'm having a hard time getting a really good view. But, from what I can see, it looks like a boy!"

He continued to explain to us that he was about 75% sure that you were a little boy, but to remember that there is a definite possibility that you could be a girl upon delivery. 

Little one, it doesn't truly matter. You are healthy. You are growing as you should be. You are such a gift from our Heavenly Father, that no matter what gender you are, we will welcome you with open arms. 

As your daddy and I walked into the doctor's office last night, we both shared that we were mostly excited to see you. To see your little arms, watch your legs move around, and check out that adorable profile again. 

You are ours.

You are an answer to so many prayers.  

We will never take that for granted. 

Your mommy loves you and cannot wait to hold you. Keep growing little one and know that we are (not very patiently) waiting for you. 

Love, 

me

Little One's Nursery: Boy Inspiration

In yesterday's post, you were able to see our ideas for a little girl's room. Today it's onto the boy side of things. I have to admit, designing a boy's room was a lot harder than I anticipated. I had a very distinct look that I was going for, but couldn't find the products to back me up. In the end, I'm not entirely happy with the overall look...I was going for a more vintage travel feel. But I think if we end-up having a boy, I may be able to pull it off with a few tweaks and DIY'd projects. 

Our Little Boy's Nursery

The main colors in our little boy's nursery would be palladian blue (the background color), a light tan color, and possibly accents of various bolder colors. Thankfully, like our little girl's wall color, we also have this blue paint on hand. My parent's had about two-and-a-half gallons of a darker blue paint (that they used in their living room), which they tried to lighten for use in another space.  Well they ended up going with a different color and thus, we were given the leftovers. The result of the lightened paint was something similar to palladian blue...a color that I had already picked out to use in our house, in the future. Score!

So our paint color, combined with a bunch of white accents, and still going for the vintage feel I mentioned yesterday, should bring out a very cute and dapper little boy's room. Again, I have so many ideas, it was just nice to get some of them out and put together. On Tuesday we will have an official "go" as far as which way we will be decorating. That is when all the real decision making will start to happen :)

Let's get down to the details:

1. Do you know how hard it is to find a neutral quilt for baby bedding? I really wanted something with a vintage feel in very muted colors, but couldn't find anything. This quilt from Pottery Barn Kids was the best that I could do for the moment. Honestly, I will probably end up making a quilt for our little boy based on the fact that I couldn't find something I like 100%.

2. Even though I had a hard time designing a little boy's nursery, this idea has me very excited. How fun would it be to find a bunch of vintage maps and lovely frames and create a whole wall covered in the beauty of our world. I think it would be the perfect combination of educational and decorative. Plus, I'm pretty sure my carpenter would love it too.

3. Just like yesterday, the plans for the ceiling are the same. Check out this post for more info.

4. I also decided to keep the same dresser for our little boy's room. I like the versatility of a basic white dresser and honestly, that is usually why I buy a piece of furniture. If I know that the piece I'm considering would work in multiple rooms of our house, it is a serious plus. That way, if I get tired of it being in one room, I can easily switch it out to another room without spending a thing!

5. This rug seems like the perfect addition to this room. It brings in the light tan color I was looking for and seems like it would be soft, yet durable enough, for little one's room. I love the idea of having an oval rug, so I decided to stick with that idea for both a little girl's nursery and little boy's.

6. Again, thank you to my aunt for the wonderful crib! It would blend in seamlessly in this space too.

So there is our little man's room! Not as exciting as I hoped it to be, but maybe y'all can get a bit of my vision. I'm just getting very, very excited about finding out what we are having and truly digging into decorating. Ahh! I can't wait!

Side note: You guys can all expect a post on Wednesday announcing the gender of our little one. Our sonogram isn't until 6:30 pm on Tuesday, so we will probably spend the rest of the evening celebrating and calling family. We will just plan on announcing it on the blog Wednesday morning, probably. 

Happy Thursday all!

Little One's Nursery: Girl Inspiration

I'm back today with a bit of inspiration for our little one's nursery (Wow! I posted three days in a row?! Yea, don't get too excited...I'm not making any promises :) ) . Y'all know I'm not patient enough to wait until February 26th, when we find out little one's gender, to decide on the look of our nursery. Plus, making a mood board is so much fun! It allows me to get the thoughts out of my head and see them in "real life." Then I can mull them over and decide if I like my ideas or not.

So let's dig in. Shall we?

My idea for both rooms is to keep things decently neutral, so that we can switch accessories in and out to change the theme, versus changing wall color, furniture, etc.  In general, I love the idea of accenting with old pieces and creating a vintage feel. I'm not one to buy all things new. And if I do buy something new, it usually feels old. So, with a combination of new things that have a vintage flair and actual vintage pieces, our little girl's room should come together nicely.

And without further ado:          

Our Little Girl's Nursery 

The main colors would be gray, white, pink, and green. The background color of the mood board is the paint choice we would use. It is Benjamin Moore's Marina Gray and we used it in both our kitchen and bathroom. We have another gallon-and-a-half left over and I thought it would make the perfect backdrop to little one's room. I might have it lightened a bit, but other than that, I think the color would work nicely.

To accent the gray, and help the room feel light and airy, I chose to bring in lots of white. You will notice that I did this by white washing the ceiling, bringing in a white dresser, and picking white window coverings. Let's get down to details though.

 *Oh disclaimer: most of the stuff in this post is very expensive/not exactly what I would purchase. The goal was to do this fast and get my ideas onto virtual paper. Inspiration people, inspiration*

1. The bedding is from pottery barn kids. I ended up loving the colors of the Savannah Nursery Bedding set.

2. Yesterday, I mentioned our ceiling idea. That will really balance the gray well. Plus it adds to the vintage shabby chic feel.

3. I chose a basic white dresser that will also serve as our changing station. I would love to find an old dresser already painted white, or one that we can easily paint white. Then I would find some beautiful knobs, like these from anthropologie,  to give the dresser a bit of color and make it look a bit shabby chic.

4. You can see that I picked basic white valances for the two windows. We will have blinds on them that match the rest of the house, but I thought these cute ruffled valances would soften them a bit. I may be able to DIY something like these.

5. This rug from Sears has the colors I'm going for, but isn't the right size...oh well. Love the idea of a braided oval rug though.

6. We actually already have a wood crib. Thank you Aunt Wrena! My aunt was selling some of her baby things that she didn't need anymore, and we snatched it up before we even knew we were pregnant! I'm still trying to decide if we will paint it white, but the wood tone might be a nice way to bring our wood floor color into the space in another way.

7. LOVE this idea. Once again, Young House Love hits the nail on the head! A couple of vintage bird cages would be a very cute, unexpected accessory to the room. I'm thinking pink, white, and mint green though.

8. Can't remember where I found this darling lamp shade, but I loved that it was white with the pink and green accents. I'm thinking it would be fun to DIY something with ribbon. My mom made me a lamp shade with ribbon when I was younger...I could carry on the tradition! ;)

So what do you think? I also plan on having a bookshelf full of the best kids books for our little one to delve into when s/he is a bit older. And I'm sure there will be other personal touches added, but for now, this is what I'm thinking. Coming up with a little girl's room was fun!

Stay tuned tomorrow for our ideas for a little boy's room!

Little One's Nursery: Part 2 -- Our Eye Catching Idea

Well, as I mentioned two weeks ago, the carpenter and I really wanted to add an eye catching moment into little one's nursery. We thought that it would be fun to do something different and add a bit of visual interest.

We contemplated many things--well I did at least. There was the burlap wall idea. The slatted wall idea. I thought of murals, fun wall paper, and a host of other "wall" options. But in the end, it was Jonathan who came up with the idea.

Actually, the real story is that he suggested this LOOOONNGGG before we even gutted the room. But I poo-pooed it based on the fact that I wasn't seeing 'his vision.'

I think, he secretly thinks, that I wanted it to be my idea ;)

I, however, was too busy in my own little world, to realize that there is a hidden designer somewhere deep inside this carpenter of mine!

Anyway, we thought it would be fun to do something like this. I would say that The Lettered Cottage is infamous for their paneled walls and ceilings...and I think that they add the perfect touch to any room! (I have been slowly getting the carpenter used to the idea of having one in our bedroom someday.) I'm wickedly excited about having one, in ceiling form, in little one's room.

Here is a glimpse of the room as it is now. The ceiling has been installed and Jonathan has been hard at work finishing the walls.

New windows will be coming in next week and then we can start the painting process! The ceiling will be white washed so that the wood grain will still be able to show through. I like the idea of the knots in the wood adding more texture. It will help to draw the eye up as you walk in the room. The walls will be painted accordingly once we find out if we are having a boy or girl. (Posts coming tomorrow and Thursday explaining our ideas!!!) And as for now, the floor will just get a good cleaning and remain as is. We will be putting down an area rug once we get to decorating the nursery. The plan is to have everything painted and trimmed by the beginning of March.

Then at that point, we will begin to work on decorating the nursery. We have a few pieces of furniture that we will need to find, some decorating ideas to finalize, and bunch of miscellaneous purchases to make.

I can't wait to see it all come together!! :) Every day that passes brings on more and more anticipation. Both the carpenter and I have started working on things that we have been putting off for months. We are just so excited and want as much to be completed as possible, before little one arrives. It's almost like some very famous person is coming to our house and we don't dare welcome them in, with the house's current state.

Is this what it feels like to be parents? ;)

Yum.

Ok.

I'm officially diagnosing myself with some kind of food-obsessed disorder.

I may or may not have watched Julie and Julia three times this weekend--the product of not having cable and this being the only movie we own that is food related.

In my defense I didn't just sit and watch it all three times--it was mostly in the background.

Yea, yea, yea.

I know.

Not a great defense.

Moving on. Back to my food-obsessed disorder.

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Maybe this is what it is like to be a foodie? But isn't that for someone with a sophisticated palate? I'm pretty sure mine is no different than anyone else's. Yet, here I am. My problem seems to be a desire for specific foods and various combinations of flavor. BBQ and red onions. Tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette. Pasta, sauce, and cheese. Beef and various herbs. All sound scrumptious and seem to be calling my name.

Last night as I worked on our weekly dinner menu I made sure to incorporate some of these flavors. I cannot wait. This Brussel Sprout Hash looks like a phenomenal breakfast option. I'm planning on making these easy cinnamon rolls for Jonathan. I made them for our Sunday School class this week and his only complaint was he didn't get to eat enough *oh goodness.*

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And just so you understand the depth of my madness, here is our dinner menu for the week:

Monday: BBQ Pulled Pork (we are hosting 15 people for our Bible study group, so they are responsible for the rest of the meal--but let me tell you, they all are wonderful cooks!) 

Tuesday: Homemade Bruschetta and French Onion Soup 

Wednesday: Spinach Lasagna Rolls 

Thursday and Friday: Out for dinner

Saturday: Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Sunday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza


Ok, so maybe it isn't that crazy, but this is just my dinner plans. Oh my stomach is growling in anticipation. I cannot tell you how long I have been having cravings for bruschetta...yum!

Well now that I've made you all hungry, I hope you have a fabulous Monday!

17 Weeks -- An Insatiable Desire For Food

As of February 14th (Happy Valentine's Day!) our little one reached 17 weeks of growth (and I think I may have officially 'popped'--though being my first, who is to know?!). According to my readings, s/he is approximately the size of a sweet potato...the sweet potatoes that are about 5 inches long. Isn't that crazy to think?! Our little sprout is a-growing!

I have been feeling fantastic physically, but I do have my off-days emotionally. Usually these days include me feeling very moody. I tend to alternate between wanting to cry and wanting to lash out at everything that gets in my way. When I look back on those days, I'm very thankful for my patient husband--he always helps me through them.  

My food cravings have been getting worse. I usually want to eat everything I don't have in our fridge/pantry. I'm working on trying to make a weekly menu that offers up a variety of things so that I can pick dinner based on how I feel. Yea, easier said than done :) Pinterest has me drooling on a regular basis and I have been working hard to stretch our budget to include unusual foods (in our house) such as bruschetta, black bean burgers, and pad Thai. Yet, my low-carb limitations have me working hard to limit these bad-bad cravings ;)

Other than my insatiable desire for various foods, the only other change that I have noticed is my constant running nose. Apparently, without getting too graphic, a symptom of pregnancy involves the constant movement of the mucus membranes in my sinuses. This has resulted in a constant need for tissues. Interesting huh? ;) And here I thought it was a cold that I couldn't kick. Oh well, at least I know I'm not sick! 

On Thursday we had a check-up. It was the first time that we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. That was a really cool experience. I wish we could have listened to it for hours. That quick little chuga-chuga was God's music for a mama's ears. It was all I could do to not grab the nurse's hands and make them keep the monitor on my abdomen all day. Oh to know that our little one is in there thriving away--I have dreamt of that moment forever. God is SO good. 

We also were able to talk to one of the doctors who may be delivering our little one. Dr. M and his wife both work at the practice that we go to--so that sort of excites me. I love the idea of having a married couple meet with us throughout this pregnancy.  We had a decently long conversation about his views on childbirth and what he allows/doesn't allow. I was encouraged to hear that he believes in doing everything as naturally as possible--his view being that a women's body knows what she it's doing. He doesn't do episiotomys-ever, he doesn't believe in C-sections unless completely necessary, and avoids inductions unless the baby seems to be in distress. All huge pluses in our book. He will allow me to go to 42 weeks, as long as things seem alright and the baby isn't too big. Both Jonathan and I were impressed and excited to meet his wife at our next appointment. An answer to prayers. 

We are also excited to share that we had our ultrasound moved up! We were supposed to see our little one again and find out if it's a he/she on March 5th, but due to scheduling issues on their end, we have been able to move up our appointment to Tuesday, February 26th!!! Ahh that is only 10 days away!!! We are ecstatic and can't wait to call our child by name. 

You can expect a post about the nursery next week :) I think we are overdue for a bit of an update and maybe a post, or two, about the ideas I have. Of course they are all based on the baby's gender to some degree. Oh the ideas are plentiful! 

And just for a little something at the end of this VERY long post, a way-too-cute picture of our puppers: 

She was desperate for some more attention...like she doesn't get enough already! ha! 

The Itch

Right around this time of the year, I get an itch. --no not the my-skin-is-so-dry-middle-of-winter itch. But rather one that comes from deep inside. When I see the morning sun filtering in through our windows, I get such an excitement that comes from deep, deep inside.

With the snow coming intermittently and a few other glimpses of spring: a bird chirping on occasion, temperatures that sometimes reach the mid 40's, and a few crocuses making an early appearance, I get an itch.

I don't know what I would call it exactly. Maybe it's the urge to do some spring cleaning. Maybe it's the desire to get out of the house and go on an adventure. Maybe it's the anticipation that has been building up all winter, to tackle our yard this summer.

I don't know exactly what it is, but it's there.

And this time around, I think it may be worse. Worse because my instinct to nest has been crazy!! 

Seriously, it's been pretty ridiculous.

Case in point: yesterday I sat down and started a list that consists of everything I hope to do before the baby comes. It will (when I'm done) be broken down into categories such as "House Things--Carpentry Style" "House Things--Cleaning/Decorating/Rearranging" "Organizing projects" "Crafting Projects" "Adventures with Jonathan" "Misc"

Let me tell you, I'm aware of my craziness and the probability that I have of completing said list.

YET, it felt SO good to write it all down. To get it onto paper. To see before my eyes everything that has been cluttering my mind for a few weeks. It made me even more excited about the arrival of our little one--speaking of which, I owe you guys a post...don't worry...maybe later today. :)

There is going to be a lot happening over the next few months as I prepare our house for the little one's debut. I'm very excited to start tackling projects big and small. And this whole it-feels-like-spring thing is making me even more anxious. Watch out people! Nothing in our house is safe! Yup, there may be some dramatic changes around here!

Today...

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...I'm loving the fact that I have plans to get out of the house for a few hours. Even if it is only to go to church, to work on the bulletin :)

...I can't wait for an afternoon "trapped" in the house (by storm Nemo). I have big, big plans for some organizing and cleaning.

...I'm excited to workout. I LOVE this DVD that a friend gave me. I feel amazing at the end of a workout. Thanks Bianca!

...is pizza-for-dinner day. Well night actually. But, I can't wait to whip up some dough and make our own homemade pizza. It always tastes better when its homemade.

...I'm going to look up painting techniques for the "wow" factor that I talked about in yesterday's post. Yes. Between yesterday and today, we made a decision and it is already installed. Stay tuned!

...I'm eagerly anticipating our next Dr's appointment. February 14th hurry up! I want to know how our little one is doing :)

...I'm very thankful for my life. I can't seem to get over the beauty that surrounds me on a daily basis. God has truly blessed every one of us. Even through the bad times, I am amazed by the God that I love. He has never let me go.

Little One's Nursery: Step 1

Well, I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my plans for the nursery. I'm flattered! :)

I have to admit, as of right now, they are just a bunch of crazy ideas that are floating around, waiting to be decided upon. I like to dream--and dream big. Then reality hits and I realize that a giant slide won't fit in our little one's nursery.

Wait, my baby won't come out wanting a slide within the first month? Oh. 

Thanks for being a kill-joy.

Anyways! Please ignore my craziness...let's talk about the realistic plans that I have. I only have a few ideas about how I want to nursery to feel--we are waiting to make any design decisions, until after we find out the sex of our little one. So once we have our ultrasound on March 6th, I will be able to give you a better idea of what we are going for. There may or may not be a mood board included. Now you have something to look forward to. :)

Ok, so down to the nitty gritty. Just in case you don't remember what our guestroom looked like before, here she be:

A few months ago, I cleared her all out (she was our storage room for a time being) and decided it was high time that we have a proper guestroom to welcome our, well, our guests to. I will miss having a designated guestroom, but you know what, I will enjoy having a nursery even more. Plus, next week I will show you the new arrangement we came up with, for our future visitors--because we definitely want them to be comfortable when they come. Hint: our new arrangement sort of resembles this again. 

So, first we emptied everything out of the guestroom. Right now, most of the stuff is stored on our porch or in our dining room. I'm currently working on designated places for everything that was in our guestroom, as none of it will be coming back in--but that has been a bit harder to figure out than expected.

After I cleared everything out, Jonathan proceeded to gut the entire space. We were anticipating a huge mess of plaster and lathe, but thankfully it turned out to be some-sort of thick cardboard that was on the wall. It made for an easy removal and quick cleanup. Plus, he also found this wonderful surprise during the process.

Not only was there a nice, old nest hiding behind the wall, but there are also 4 x 4's for studs. Definitely not necessary, but nice to know as we are putting the room back together.  (In this picture you can also see the cardboard...on the left there...see it?)

Jonathan then wired the room for better electric access. Before, the room had one outlet and a small wall light. (You can see the wall light in the picture above.) Now, the room has five outlets and an overhead light. Plus, Jonathan wired one of the outlets to a switch so that we can turn on a table lamp if need be. I thought this would be a good idea with the space being a nursery and possible future office. This way, if we just want a bit of light, to see what we are doing, without waking the baby, we have that option. Or in the future, the option of having a small table lamp and cozy chair would make the perfect little reading nook.

After a bit of wiring, up went plenty of insulation. The room had none before, but man can you tell the difference it has made! Our little one will be nice and cozy during the winter next year :)

And that is where things are currently. The carpenter said his goal is to have all the drywall up by this weekend. Then it's new windows, finishing the drywall, and we will be all set to paint! YAY! We probably won't get to that for a bit though. At least until we find out our little one's gender and are able to put together a better idea of what we would like to nursery to look like. 

So, in true Liz-has-to-talk-and-share-every-detail fashion, here are my simple ideas for what I'm looking for in the room. 

1) I want the space to be as simple as possible. I'm also looking for something that is gender neutral, in the sense that, we won't be picking out a paint color based on the sex of the baby. Rather, we will more than likely accessorize to reflect gender. 

2) I would love to have some kind of built ins. We have been discussing the idea of turning the one wall into a combination bookshelf/small closet/window seat area. Only time and availability of money will tell. We think it may be a great way to get the storage we need, without overwhelming the room. We would build something along the wall, with the window, in this picture: 

3.) Jonathan and I, both, want to do something special and eye-catching in this room. We aren't sure what that will look like yet, but we agreed that it would be fun to do something out of the ordinary. I'm thinking an accent wall with lots of texture. Maybe a burlap wall? Don't knock it till you've seen it. :)

So, what do you guys think? :) Are you as excited as I am???!!!! 

Oh You Know... :)

Note: I'm in a good, contemplative mood. This post may ramble and be a bit disjointed. I cannot be held responsible.  I blame it on the baby ;)


It's a beautiful morning here in Western NY. The sun is shining. I love when it is bright and cheery in the middle of a cold, cold winter. It reminds me that spring and summer are around the corner. For once, I'm looking forward to summer. Summer = baby, in my mind's eye. And that makes me super excited for summer, even though that means warm, sticky weather. Yes, for once, I'm wishing that winter would go away...it's been here too long already hasn't it? :)

This morning I was thinking about who I am and where God has me in life. I've been contemplating, a lot lately, about who I want to be as a mother. As a parent. Oh goodness, is that a scary thought. To think our child might someday look at me and think I'm "one of those crazy mom's" makes me ecstatic. Let me explain. I want to be the mom that loves with reckless abandon. The mom known for always having baked goods on hand. The mom known for dancing crazily when her favorite song is on the radio. The mom who takes her kids on crazy adventures and doesn't too often say, "Be careful!" I want my children to be able to be themselves. I want them to explore, know the true beauty of God's world, and be able to live everyday knowing that He loves them. I want to be that mom who is unconventional because I allow my kids to make messes, make mistakes, and am able to love them through all of it. Oh goodness...I want that so badly.

One of the many, many reasons why I truly am grateful for my parents is their ability to do this. They have loved all of us kids through EVERYTHING. They didn't let anything hold them back, even when it seemed a bit unconventional. When my youngest brother wanted to pursue his acting career, my dad took him to the audition and my mom moved to LA with him when he made it. People may have questioned their sanity, but my parents didn't care. My parent's relationship may be stretched a bit, by being so far away from each other, but they didn't worry too much--rather they focused on the dreams of my little brother.

When my oldest brother decided to open his own sunglass company, my parents were the first to support him. Last night my dad sent me a picture-text where he proudly was wearing his first pair of Lucid sunglasses and sporting the ever popular Lucid trucker hat. Mind you, he was still in his suit after spending a full day as the CEO of our local bank. On his face was a huge smile--he is SO proud of his son.

When my middle brother decided that he wanted to go to film school in LA, my parents, though hesitant about having him move out on his own, supported him. My mom helped him look for apartments and flew out to LA with him to look around. They helped him narrow down his focus and get into editing school. They have supported him by buying him all the equipment he needs and encouraging him as he does one project after another.

And they also support me. They supported me through college and my sudden decision to go from majoring in business to majoring in human development. They supported me when I met my husband and married him. They also supported us as we bought our first house, a complete fixer-upper, even though there was some questions about OUR sanity ;) And they have both been so excited about our announcement of their first grandchild. They cannot wait.

I want to be like my parents. I want to love my kids no matter what harebrained idea they come up with next. I want to make sure my focus is always on our loving God, my wonderful husband, and our beautiful kids. Nothing else should ever be more important.

Gah!!! I cannot wait till this little one arrives. I'm one happy momma!!! :D

15 Weeks--Update

As I wait for our breakfast to heat up, I figured y'all might enjoy a bit of an update. Would you like that?

Today I'm about fifteen weeks along and feeling fantastic. Things seem to be going on as usual and I honestly have no complaints. I have most of my energy back, the morning sickness is pretty much gone, and I feel like I can conquer anything--which is good because I have been extremely busy with church related stuff. Let's break things down a bit (sorry, I like to over-share, so be prepared for a long, wordy post :) )

Physical: Well, I'm definitely not showing yet. Though, if you ask me, I can tell a difference in my body. Last week I told Jonathan to feel my stomach and it was the first time that he was able to feel the "baby bump" that is there. We were both pretty excited about that. I want him to be able to experience this as much as possible. I have only regained the 5 lbs that I lost at the beginning of my pregnancy, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. My goal is to be in the best health that I can be as I progress. I have been working out, focusing on staying active in my day-to-day life, and trying to make smart food choices. I really don't want to end up with gestational diabetes--which I'm at a higher risk of getting because I have PCOS.

Food/Cravings: Speaking of trying to make smart choices, food and I have been having a hard time. Last week I bawled my eyes out as I tried to force myself to eat the salad I made for dinner--yes, after I got over myself, I then laughed hysterically. And predictably, all I want to eat is carbs. I have absolutely no desire for sweets, but would happily munch on carbs all day long if I could. I would say that I'm doing a decent job keeping this under control, though. I have been focusing on eating plenty of protein and veggies instead. Even if that means force feeding myself a salad every-once-in-awhile. ;)

Preparations: Well, today Jonathan is planning on gutting our guestroom. We are in full-baby-preparation mode around here (is it possible to nest this early?!) We want to make sure we aren't waiting till the last minute to ready our house for the new little one. As I have mentioned before in previous posts, we are planning on gutting our guestroom and doing a bit of other rearranging so that we have more space for the little one. I'm getting really excited about having another room in our house complete. It will be nice to have a cheery nursery to welcome the baby to. I will definitely keep you updated on the progress! I'm ecstatic!

We have also started accumulating a few things for the baby. Admittedly, this started all the way back during the summer, when our neighbors had a yard sale and were selling a beautiful wooden highchair. We had no idea of the plans that God had for us, but the price was right and we both jumped at the chance. Then later, sometime in November I believe, again before we knew of the little one, my aunt was selling her crib and pack-n-play for a good price. We also bought the both of those. We are thrilled to have a beautiful crib all ready and waiting.

Oh and we also finished off our kitchen counters and purchased a washer and dryer in preparation for all of the little cloth diapers that will need to be washed. I don't like the fact that the washer and dryer is taking over my valuable kitchen space, but I love the fact that I can do laundry whenever I want. Plus, I've learned to use the tops of the washer and dryer for added counter space--this is an unexpected bonus!

Also in anticipation, I have been trying to do as much reading as possible. I have started reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin and The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts by William Sears. Both have been very interesting reads and I love that I'm gaining an understanding of how my body is preparing for this little one. Our bodies are one amazing machine. 

Other than that, I can't think of much else to say! We are enjoying the anticipation of becoming parents, but also trying to hold on and enjoy every last minute of just the two of us. We have been going on dates (something we didn't really do before), have a week long vacation scheduled for before the little one arrives, and this whole becoming a parent thing has us talking about all sorts of new and fun things. This is definitely a beautifully sweet moment in our lives.