We hit another pregnancy milestone right on a holiday again this week - 25 weeks on New Year's Day! Since we traditionally spend the day at home taking down holiday decorations, cleaning and making our annual seafood bisque, I thought I'd get this up a day early. 

A few weeks ago when my emotions started getting the better of me we decided to keep a mental list of all the silly stuff I was getting teary-eyed over. Even in the heat of the moment I can recognize it's crazy, but it's hard to control and it's always funny to look back on and laugh about. Ben's list (so far) had me cracking up:  

• Any pet commercials
• Old guy car commercial (he's referring to this one)
• too many pickles in the fridge
• not knowing what to eat
• every gift you open, especially baby gifts
• feeling the baby
• not feeling the baby
• me not sitting on the couch with you*
• me sitting on the couch with you*
• Ivy**

*I want to cuddle but then I'm hot but then why aren't you sitting with me?? Haha it's musical chairs every night. 

**She has been such a cuddle bug lately and she definitely "knows" which makes it even harder on me. I cannot smother her enough with kisses and love. I cry at least once a week letting her know she'll always be my first baby and stressing over whether she is feeling loved enough. Ridiculous, I know but I can't help it. Look at that face.

One of the most tear-inducing Christmas presents we got was this handmade sign from my brother and SIL for the baby's nursery! I can't wait to hang it over the changing table this weekend.

Some belly pics from this week....

work bathroom lighting is the best lighting!

Ben snapped this one this morning since he's working from home today and I want to try and get one of all of us tonight as well. I really want to try and take more family pictures in 2016 which I don't think will be too hard with a new, cute addition :)  

Happy New Year!

Merry (belated) Christmas! This year felt pretty relaxed compared to years' past, mostly due to the fact that we had four (!) days off together which we spent spreading out visits with family, spending downtime at home, and seeing some out of town friends. It went way too fast as it always does, but we've got another short one this week which I plan to fully embrace by starting some new books and working on a few photo craft projects.

Christmas Eve started out nice and slow with some much needed pre-natal yoga in the morning, puzzling and putting away Christmas gifts from his dad's gift exchange which we did the previous weekend. Late afternoon we headed to his mom's for our annual Christmas Eve cousin get together. It wasn't the same without Josh and Jen there but they were snuggled up at home with a newborn so you can't blame them too much ;) Next year! Babies!

Nana's annual Christmas brunch was taken over this year by another family member on a separate day, so we were able to sleep in, exchange gifts and just hang at home eating cinnamon buns until we headed out for the day. Although it's hard watching traditions change, as families grow it's a blessing to be able to start our own traditions. We really spoiled Ivy this year and she surprised both of us by actually ripping apart her wrapped gifts. Needless to say, both cheapie toys are already demolished but she was also interested in her new harness, trying to put her head through it because she knows it means the park or a walk is coming. This harness is sturdier and will allow more control which will come in handy when I'm also trying to navigate a stroller. She doesn't pull too much but you can never be too prepared.

We kept our gifts to each other pretty light and practical this year but we both ended up getting each other 1-2 baby-related gifts and it started the water works per usual on my end. This little one is already so loved! 

Christmas Day also marked marked 24 weeks of pregnancy. I didn't think about it too much besides taking a quick wet-haired snap in the morning  but it sunk in more and more that we have just over three months left as we saw family and repeated our April due date. 

At 6 months:

• I'm excited for my January checkup next week. I feel like I say this every time but the month long wait between appointments in excruciating, while the pregnancy overall seems to fly. Everyone keeps telling me that it might seem like it's going fast now but near the end it will drag. I'm looking forward to spending the last bit of my pregnancy at home preparing for baby. Part of me thinks I'm nuts and will go stir crazy but I also think it will be good to adjust to my new schedule and catch up with friends who are already home and get some practice in on their babies ;)
• Finalizing my freezer meal plan. Since the baby will be born right when the weather is starting to turn warm, I am not doing anything too heavy (which unfortunately freezer meals seem to be based around) so I've had to get a little creative with healthier options. The plan is to start making them at the end of February/early March so they'll be ready in time but will still last us without getting freezer burnt. 
• I'm still feeling really good overall. I've had some rib pain that I want to ask the doctor about but my SIL is passing along her pregnancy pillow to me which I think will help immensely. I've also been incorporating more yoga and walking into my routine which helps both my body and mind relax a bit.  

Happy short week!

I'm in my 23rd week and it's crazy to think I'll be done my sixth month on Christmas Day. When I got pregnant over the summer I remember counting forward and thinking that 24 weeks was so far along. Now that I'm here and just starting to really feel pregnant, I totally get it now when women told me that pregnancy is loooong. With that being said, I really have been super lucky with an easy pregnancy. And my belly definitely pops more and more every day which I'm happy for so I look a little more pregnant and a little less beer gut ;) 

I've slowly been buying some maternity tops to tide me over but it's been super warm the last few weeks so I've held off on getting any cute sweaters or cardigans and I've pretty much been wearing the same 3-4 shirts over and over to work and stealing husband's sweatshirts on the weekends for bumming at home. Speaking of Ben, he finally felt AND saw the baby move last week which was amazing! We talk to it every day (he sings mostly ;)) and the little one continues to swim around and kick, regularly reassuring me that he/she is doing just fine.  

B finished up hanging the closet doors in the nursery and we got the changing table back in there too so are officially DONE until my shower in March. I'll probably be on the lookout for a rug and some art but other than that, it feels good to be finished with such a big part of baby prep so we can sit back and enjoy a relaxing winter together....when winter decides to get here. Where the heck is the snow?? I wanted a hibernation pregnancy but I'm thinking that's not going to happen until January/February!

I've been going through phases with reading the pregnancy/baby books and since right now nothing too exciting is happening, I decided to take some books out on meditation and breathing exercises for when I go into labor. The books are pretty dated but I like the overall concept and we're still debating if we want to dive headfirst into classes or not. I figure I still have time since you typically don't start them until the third trimester. 

We’re looking forward to seeing some out of town friends this weekend and then we have two short work weeks before diving into the New Year! This is the first year that I don’t have any set goals or resolutions aside from our garden and getting back into running post-baby. It's such a stark contrast from years’ past, but it feels really nice to be so relaxed over the whole thing and solely focused on finishing up my pregnancy and having our baby before diving into anything else. Time is flying and he/she will be here before we know it!

We had the perfect laid back Sunday yesterday complete with my favorite Christmas tradition -- cutting down our tree! We took Ivy for the first time this year and it had us laughing the whole time envisioning what next year will look like when I've got an 8 month old strapped to me, trying to keep Ivy on track all while B is trying to navigate the cart around the crowds. It's all part of the fun though and I love seeing all the families out in full force looking for their perfect tree.

At 21 weeks:

• Baby is weighing in at 14 oz and it's hard for me to believe there's almost a lb of baby in there! Although, usually by the end of the day my bladder and back definitely believe it ;)
• Yesterday at our scan, the technician said he/she is right on track growth-wise and it was really reassuring to see the linear chart with our baby's line smack dab in the middle.  We also got to see all the organs, chambers of the heart, parts of the brain and my favorite part -- watching the baby's sucking motion and cuddling it's arm up to it's head. A champion of sleep already, just like mom!
• Speaking of sleep, I'm officially off my back and belly and onto side sleeping which results in me building a pillow fort around myself every night. It's weird  how your body just tells you that it's uncomfortable and unsafe, something I questioned from the beginning with a "but how do you know?" but, like all other things pregnancy-related, it just comes naturally.
• Making it past our midway ultrasound solidified in me that we can make it to the end without finding out the sex. I had a week or two of weakness leading up to this appointment but seeing the baby all over again made me realize I truly want to wait and be surprised. I can't wait to hold him/her in my arms for the first time!
• We are starting to research different birth classes to start in the third trimester and I've also been reading and writing a lot lately. I've been loving this devotional I bought and it's a nice way to decompress at the end of the day and spend time just thinking about our family and praying for the baby. 

This weekend we are cutting down our Christmas tree and hopefully knocking out some shopping too. I've been procrastinating this year but getting the tree set up will definitely help light a fire under me because I know I'll be itching to get all the gifts wrapped and under the tree. Happy almost weekend!

Some before pictures . . .

We had a lot of room prep/construction type things that felt like they took forever in the nursery but we're past the bulk of it now which means we can get started on the fun part - actually decorating! We really wanted to knock out as much as possible before the holidays so we could just relax and, barring the closet doors (which will hopefully be put in this week), we're officially done for a while!

After about 15 different paint samples, we decided to paint the nursery the same neutral gray we have in the main living area of our house because we love it so much (Benjamin Moore Abalone) and then add one dark accent wall (Behr Dark Ash) which we're going to do some sort of mural on. I initially was going to do a beige/cream in there but it just sucked the brightness out of the room and made it feel really dingy. I definitely tend to lean towards more cool and clean tones.

The grays pick up whatever color the decor in the room is, so while I was initially nervous the walls would look too "masculine" I love how they're reflecting the teal accent we decided on. I figure if it's a girl I'll get more than enough pink stuff to balance it out too ;)

The changing table is finished and living in our office until the closet doors are in and the floors are cleaned up. Instead of a traditional rug, which didn't feel warm or thick enough for a baby to me, I decided to get a plush carpet remnant bound from a local place. Ben's step-mom had that done in her living room and it's so, so soft without covering up all the beautiful hardwood. 

Ivy knows something is going on, but she's definitely not 100% aware yet. I've been folding baby clothes on the floor with her nearby, letting her sniff everything, and giving her extra cuddles every night (read: smothering her, crying and telling her she'll always be my first baby while B looks on and laughs). 

I know it will be a huge learning curve, but I keep reminding myself that it's a new schedule for everyone in the house and it's such a huge blessing that I'll be home with no real timeline to manage it all and make sure everyone gets the attention they need. It sounds so over the top but I'm thankful for the two years we had to really train her and get her on a schedule because she's really mellowed out and I think she is going to be great with the baby. And I know I'll feel even safer having her there with us at home, not that she's much of a guard dog, but that bark is pretty intimidating ;) 

That's probably it for nursery updates until my shower this spring but we have our big halfway appointment tomorrow so, like I said yesterday (posting twice in one week?!), pictures to come!

Like most first timers, going into pregnancy I had no idea what to expect. Being a naturally high-strung person, throwing pregnancy into the mix (which is known for it's huge hormonal changes) had me feeling extra apprehensive. Now that we're at the halfway point, I'm happy to report I am as mellow as can be. It's weird. And a huge relief. And also, sort of amazing. Sure, I still have my moments (mostly related to thinking about life after the baby is here), but overall pregnancy has fit me like a glove -- something I hands down did not expect.

I know every pregnancy is different, both among women and between each of your pregnancies, but this unexpected happy and easy pregnancy has me wishing for time to slow down. How are we at 20 weeks already? Everyone keeps telling me "just wait" and of course, near the end when you're huge and over it, I'm sure that's true, but right now I feel like we're in the sweet spot.

At 20 weeks:

• Baby is kicking up a storm and I've even seen movement from the outside once. B has yet to feel or see the baby but I've been praying for that to change soon. Most nights we're all hands on belly in hopes the little one will perk up for dad. He talks to it every night when he gets home from work which makes my heart explode with happiness. He is going to be the best dad!  
• I've had a few more predictions that we're having a girl mostly from friends, but also including the lady at the nail salon who immediately pointed to my 37 week pregnant SIL and said "you're have a boy, yes?" (yes!) and proceeded to me and said "you're having a girl". Well, then! We'll see, oh oracle of infants.
• I've concluded that this is the craving-less pregnancy. With that being said, when I'm hungry, I'm hungry NOW. We stopped to grab snacks on the way down to the shore this past weekend and since I wasn't super hungry, I grabbed a greek yogurt and a kind bar. Ben practically forced his breakfast sandwich on me which was sort of weird until we hit the halfway point and I was hungry again (and where I ate my own snacks). Good call, Dad ;) 
• Some days I feel like I look super pregnant and other days it feels like my belly practically deflated overnight. I think it all depends on where the little one is laying and how active it is. With that being said, my shirt selection is getting slimmer by the day and it's definitely time to start buying some maternity tops and sweaters to tide me over this winter. 

We have our halfway scan this Thursday and I cannot wait! This is the last time we'll see the baby for a while so I want to completely absorb the appointment and take in everything. Pictures to come!