13 Weeks 3 Days

Hi Ya'll! I hope you are staying warm and well-fed. I'm loving slipper weather {more specifically, slipper-socks.... best invention ever!!!}

We made it to the 2nd Trimester!!!Whew!

I'm ready to regain my energy, which, I think is in the works. Saturday night I was not a hermit and got my bootay off the lazy-boy for a night on the town with my girls. What else are White Tail Widows supposed to do when their men are in the woods?

I volunteered to be the DD for Karaoke Night {wonder why!}. This seemed like a good idea until I had my first episode that many refer to as "pregnancy brain." I think it should be called "pregnancy black-out" as I felt like I was having an out of mind experience. Of course, the moment we pull in I'm ready to twerk and siiiiiing for all the townies at the bar. All I have to do is remove the glasses from my face, clip my keys to my purse, and lock the door using the door buttons. That's my fool-proof system... and I literally think about it every time I'm in the works. NoPe! Not this time! I took 6 steps from the car when it hit me that my glasses were still on my face and my keys were MIA. I walked to the car mumbling to myself. I began to curse, loudly, when I realized my fate! Long of the short... there were other drivers who were sober {Thanks Amanda!!} Sidenote: I was in bed after 1:45 a.m.!!Be proud!

The magic energy burst continued into Sunday. After we took a family trip to rescue Mr. Bob Brown{my vehicle} we did a little yard work. It started out as little. We took a break for lunch and then I turned into an OCD 78 year old man out in his yard, aside from pruning every branch and leaf I could see. Eric remained inside because a 1:45 bedtime turns pregnant ladies, or maybe just me, into a version of Dracula... fangs and all. It was best that we were in different areas of the home........Then I vacuumed the house {OCD style also - brush, handle, extender, ever nook and cranny}, re-organized the kitchen {Which is when Eric realized I was crazy and decided to go hunting}, baked 2 batches of muffins, and headed to watch the Packer's spank the Vikings. If this continues I will catch up on all of my laundry and then some! I'm just glad that I was able to enjoy a day doing "Allison" things. MARTHA STEWART IS BACK!! {Hopefully}

Apparently preggo selfies are harder than they look....What a cute lil bumperoo!!!... Should be popping soon! 
{I just realized I haven't changed my calendar all October. And, November is this week. HA!}

How Far Along: 13 weeks 3days

Size of Baby: This week our baby is the size of a peach or lemon.




Fingerprints!!! {Creepy: If it's a girl it already has 2 million eggs..... ew}. 3 inches in length :)

Weight Gain: Back to where I started. I'm not complaining.

Belly: I can feel the top of my uterus {per my doc's direction} :) And I've got a "full" feeling all the time... Not to mention that my muffin-top has relocated to about 2 inches above it's normal habitat. Whose body is this?

Sleep: I could use a nap... but I'd rather catch up on life.
 
Movement: This little swimmeroo has been moving more this week. Flutters after dinner and sometimes in the morning. Not gas - I'm sure. The term flutter is pretty accurate but sometimes its more like a quiver {that's a gross word}

Symptoms: Seldom - gut pains and headaches. Whoop!! Otherwise just hormonal... ask my husband.
 
Food Cravings: Meatloaf, gushers, broccoli {We'll see how long I can hold out on the gushers}

Gender: That's a whole other blog/post... I'm going to lose this battle. I'm a people pleaser!  
 
What I Miss: My clothes. I need a wardrobe with loose wastes and more sweater/cardigans! Salvation Army I'll be visiting soon.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Adding pictures to the scrap book!!

Milestones: Begin phase 2!!! 

Go ahead! Put on your slippers :)

I Couldn't Resist!! Baby Purchase #1

That moment when its snow/raining and all of the sudden you find yourself inside of Michaels on your way home from work.... It's like retail therapy on autopilot. Oops!

Yup, THAT just happened.

And, let me preface... This "happened" to me three TOO MANY times during wedding planning season. I would walk into Michaels with $20, do "the loop," and cash-out with $70 worth of useless items.

Today, I strategically brought in $9 hoping that my years of practicing self control would somehow come in handy. My mission today: Find a little chalkboard for weekly baby picture updates. Not hard, right?

I'm in. It looks like Christmas and Halloween are throwing a bad party. The smells are awesome! There is glitter, shimmer, and enticing items in every direction. I head for the $2 kids chalkboards {by now I'm a Michael's expert. I could help you find just about anything}. They don't have the one I'm looking for but I grab one anyway. I surf around a little bit. I cruise quickly through the clearance aisle when I remember that they have a wood section. ::Lightbulb!:: I have chalkboard paint at home! Sure enough, they have the shape I'm looking for. $3. Winning! {And, yes, I walked all the way back to the previous aisle to put the other item in its proper habitat}.

Then.... Out of curiosity I head toward scrapbooking {the beginning of what could be loop #2}. I would be nice to document all of the baby happenings in the form of a book, no? I dabble, unimpressed. THEN... THEN I see it! I must have it!!!! It's fate.....

 

 

It will go perfect with the woodland animals themed room I'm hoping to do. Critters, trees, mushrooms, nature - like a little hippie baby raised by mother nature and God himself!

 

Clearly my remaining $6 was not going to cover this, so I headed to the car for more cash. A $35 scrapbook 40% off. About $20, right? Here's the kicker! It rang up at $11... WINNING!!!

 

That's all :)

 

 

Hey all you snow haters! The sun is out now and its all melting away!! Smile with your teeth! 

12 Weeks 5 Days! Heart Beat Week!

I'm catching up - this will be lengthy. Life is busy. That will always be my excuse! Busy Busy Busy!!! But, that's how it goes when your are blessed with friends and family whose energy and company is contagious!

~*~

We recently enjoyed a trip to Crane's Orchard to get some apples for snacking and baking. It's always a joy  to spend time with our friends and their babies! Not to mention fresh apples and apple cider donuts!

These little cuties were great sports! They love apples!

Ashley was sneaking around, but she caught us in a great moment :)

I also learned that my husband is a natural born meteorologist. Our trip the Crane's ended with full bellies. I wanted to visit the horse farm that I volunteer at around the corner but Eric wasn't so sure we'd have time based on the clouds. Tut Tut! Looks like rain!  But, we went anyway just so I could pet some of my four legged babies and give them apple treats!

Our visit was short until Cory noticed a pig out of the pen. What to do? The owners weren't home? My pig experience consisted of collecting pig items between the ages of 8 and 12. After meeting Mr. Bacon and wasting apples trying to coax him into submission, we ended up leaving the noble neighbor up to the task. He's a chef and a farm hand. He has to have more pork experience, right? Then... just as we were leaving.... downpour!!!! I guess my loving husband has another talent :)

~*~

This past weekend we enjoyed a trip to WI to visit my homeland. I was sicky icky for a good few days and Eric suggested that I could probably use some Mama time. He was right!!

It was a great trip. Spontaneous! I really do love mini-road-trips with my best friend. We had great conversations and jammed to some Journey while in Chicago. Once we hit WI, my allergies (terrible for the last 6 weeks) turned into a full-blown cold. It was disappointing not to be able to taste Mom's good cooking! But, what's better than your mom waking your up in the morning with tea, honey, and pretzels. That is what I was needing for weeks! I love her so much.

We also had a gem of a time playing with my beautiful nieces. Those little girls are so silly and spunky. I can't imagine where they get that from!?! I love watching their little personalities develop over time. Mom put it best: Hadley will be the class clown and Aida will be the teacher's pet. We'll see!! 

~*~ 

Our 12 week visit was yesterday! We heard the heart beat!!! A whopping 158! Of course, our OBGYN made a joke about it being a girl which put Eric in a "mood" for about 20 minutes. I suggested we do some grocery shopping therapy afterward! 

158! Healthy and alive! The little "alien invader" has been promoted to jelly bean, gummie bear, and button. :) I'm feeling a lot more at ease. I had a lot of anxiety regarding the "M" word. I've seen people's worlds torn apart. Hopefully our "less that 2% chance" of losing this little bundle hold true. Either way, it's His plan. 

~*~

How Far Along: 12 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby: This week our baby is the size of a lime or a plum. MMmm!
Reflexes! Fingers, toes, and eyes! Mouth is making sucking movements. 2 inches in length :)

Weight Gain: Still not much change. Maybe a pound or 2.

Belly: Doc said that it's beginning! Right under my muffin top and getting harder. I think I'll start to "pop" sooner than some because I have such a short torso.

Sleep: Less needed naps. Although, I could sleep. Having a hard time getting out of bed.
 
Movement: Big ole ??  -- I thought I felt something a couple weeks ago. I must have been wrong. I'm just unsure.

Symptoms: 24/7 nausea is gone! Now just some gut aches and head aches. Still tired.
 
Food Cravings: Gushers, steamed carrots

Gender: Eric brought it to my attention that he is very interesting in knowing. I might have to compromise. We'll see.... 
 
What I Miss: I still miss cooking. I miss energy for playing  in my kitchen. It's fall! I should be baking!!!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Finding a home, getting a bump, announcing at work

Milestones: 1st trimester over!!! 
 

Until next time, friends. Shine on. Do something nice for someone you don't know today :)

10 Weeks 5 Days Picture ( a little late!)

Here we are :) The first of many pictures to come. Please excuse the resolution and the creeper in the background!

This "Belly" is made of carbs and starches, a gathered shirt, and my previous muffin top. Note to self... a more flattering ensemble for future comparisons.

There's a baby in there!!!

10 Weeks: Just when you think you've got it all figured out...

Finally, the cat is out of the bag! Keeping secrets is just too hard. We have thoroughly enjoyed telling our family and friends about our little nugget of love! Due Date: May 2, 2013.

This was the public announcement that we sent out via FB yesterday. It was a hit!

Eric and I officially got a positive pregger test on August 26th {Although, I had my suspicions since I was tracking symptoms on Aug11th -- some people just "know" they've conceived. Freaky!}. I was the 3rd test {all of which were positive, but my level of de-Nile was bigger than the river itself}. In fact, it was Eric that called me out on 2 previous tests and his observations regarding Porter's love for snuggling with me. Yup, it appears that our post-wedding love was strong enough to conceive a week after the "I Dos." No surprise since I'm from a line of fertile myrtles. We should have known better. But, God has a funny sense of timing and we are going to take this all in stride! 

Our first ultrasound was on 9/11/13 - what a joy! Either our technician had the personality of a wet blanket or she wasn't having a good day. She didn't give us first timers a lot of feedback. Our bebe measured 6w3d {A surprise to us since we thought we were 8 1/2 weeks and due April 20}. A couple conversations with friends later... totally normal to ovulate late. Good news... Heart beat of 120!! 

4 weeks since, everything is going fairly well. Eric is trying his best to keep up with the house since all I ever do is sleep. I finally got over the 24/7 nausea bug... which was enough to make a tough girl swim across Lake Michigan to her mommy! Ginger, lemons, tea,.. nothing was working long-term. Now, I've been graced with spontaneous and abrupt tossing of my cookies. But, a girl's got to just tough it out, wipe her face, and move on!

How Far Along: 10 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby: This week our baby is the size of a kumquat. What is that anyway? Ok, a prune. 

Bending limbs, tiny fingernails, no more nubs... real fingers! Half the length of the body is the ginormous head!

Weight Gain: At the first appointment I was up 6lbs. What? I blame it on bloating and constipation. Weighed in this morning and I've only gained 1.5lbs. Whew!

Belly: Might take a pic this week for a baseline. Not looking preg yet but my pants aren't as comfy.

Sleep: Not falling asleep at my desk anymore {it never happened, but it was close!}. I am tired in the morning but I sluggishly get up. I miss a few weeks ago when I was suddenly a morning person.
 
Movement: I think I've felt a few flutters in the last week. Kind of like a little tickle. I blamed it on gas until a friend confirmed the feeling for me {Thanks Brooke}. Still, I could totally be wrong - but, let's face it... I basically felt it when I conceived. I think I'm on to something.

Symptoms: Oye! This is no cake-walk. Bloating, nausea, constipation, lethargy, allergies, vomiting... just to name a few. But I'd say the most specific to week 10 is the surprise vomits and VERY light sensitive head-aches. Yes, I watched 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy with sunglasses on. Sacrifice!
 
Food Cravings: McIntosh Apples and garlic bread!

Gender: Sorry dears... we are planning to torture everyone {even my dear Eric} - C'mon life has so few surprises. I-phone's rule the world and we have answers to all our questions at our fingertips. Maybe for the next kiddling, but not this one!
 
What I Miss: I miss cooking dinner. I have no energy to play Martha Stewart anymore. My home misses the smells. And, I MISS BACON! Dear baby Jesus, please turn my new-found disgust for bacon around!

What I'm Looking Forward to: A new house! We are working on finding a more suitable abode for our growing family.

Milestones: I'm going to count "using a rubber-band to secure my pants" as a milestone. My tum-tum just does not like the extra pressure
 
Until next time, friends. Look for a pic soon {If I'm feeling motivated}. Otherwise, stay tuned :)