23 weeks

I need to stop writing my blog posts on Sunday evening... I am exhausted! The week itself was pretty uneventful but this weekend was busy and lots of fun! :)

On Saturday afternoon, I helped throw a baby shower for my wonderful friend Angela and her husband Brent. Brent's mom had it at her home in Dublin and we had a beautiful day for an outdoor BabyQ! It was a casual couple's shower and turned out to be a great time.

Idea found here: http://pinterest.com/pin/283586107758491534

Idea found here: http://www.iheartnaptime.net/hair-bows-for-baby/

Idea found here: http://www.best-babysites.com/storage/5-bbq-080712.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1344085712048

Idea found here: http://pinterest.com/pin/32721534765165084/

Idea found here: http://pinterest.com/pin/283586107758601076/

Idea found here: http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2012/10/free-printable-whole-alphabet-banner.html

It was such a beautiful day and Angela and Brent are truly a wonderful couple. I am so happy for them and can't wait to meet baby Ava! (One of baby boy's future girlfriends :) )

Today was fairly low key since I had the shower yesterday and Matt had an all day fishing tournament and we were both tired! But, we mustered up the energy to put the crib together. Yes, we! I don't know how he could've done it himself... I was mostly the project manager but had to help Matt hold a few pieces while he screwed them in. I'm pretty proud of us because this is the fist furniture project where there were no curse words! It really wasn't too hard.

Callie helped...

I put the sheets on too... love how it looks! I'm really glad the crib is put together... now I can work on decorating baby boy's room! :)

In pregnancy news, I'm still feeling pretty great (*knock on wood*). I know my mom is going to be mad at me for bringing this up again, but I have to say with it being Cinco de Mayo today, I could really go for a Corono or a margarita. My mom said I sound like a raging alcoholic with all the complaining I do, but this not drinking thing is hard with all the socializing I've been doing lately! Plus, who doesn't enjoy a nice glass of wine after a long day of work? Ok, done complaining mom! :)

Baby boy has been sooo active. His kicks and punches are feeling stronger and stronger and I just love feeling him squirm around. He does seem to enjoy kicking my bladder a lot and that is not the best feeling, especially when it's full! I've started to even notice his movements on the top of my belly...it's so cool! It looks like I have a little alien moving around in there!

I had my doctor's appointment on Thursday and it was just a check up with the doctor. Baby boy is still doing great and his measurements and my weight gain (12 lbs... :/) are all normal. We talked about classes I can look into and he gave me the lovely gestational diabetes juice I have to drink for my next appointment in 4 weeks.

How far along? 23 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep, and pretty comfy in them
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Still pretty good at this point, hope it stays that way!
Best moment of the week: Hearing baby boy's heartbeat on Thursday, love that sound :)
Miss anything? In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo... margaritas :)
Movement: Yes! Soo active
Food cravings: Fruit
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, still lucky
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None
Belly button in our out? In
Rings on or off? On but fingers (& feet) are definitely swollen
Looking forward to: Working on the nursery

Have a great week!!

22 weeks

Well another week has gone by and a lot has happened! The biggest news is that baby boy is kicking so often and so hard that I've been able to feel him externally (on my belly)... and just now, Matt did too! I have to say, feeling him move is pretty much the most amazing feeling in the world... and I love that now Matt will be able to experience it, too.

We got a "new" treadmill this week and put it in the basement (and I quit my gym!). I'm looking forward to working out at home and not wasting money on a membership. I really wasn't going as often as I should have been (whoops!) and I know that once baby comes I will have zero motivation to hit the gym, so the treadmill will *hopefully* help me get back in shape!

We also got some used baby items from our neighbors. They were having a garage sale and were nice enough to let us look through their things before they got picked over. They have 3 small kids and are not having any more so they had a lot to get rid of! I got some cute clothes but also scored some major deals on non-clothing items. Mindy will be very proud of me for getting something other than clothes!! :)

Clockwise: Cool mist humidifier, bouncer, pack 'n play, floor activity mat

On Saturday morning, I took a photography class with this lady with a great Groupon deal. I got a new camera for my birthday and even after online research, I didn't feel like I knew the basics of the camera.

My camera

This class was pretty awesome! I learned about shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, etc... it was overwhelming but super helpful. All in all I have an okay handle on what features to use for which situations. We took some photos in the conservatory to try out what we learned. Afterwards, we learned a bit about how to edit photos. I purchased Corel X5, which is super amazing because it's basically just as good as Photoshop but much, much cheaper! Anyway, here are some of the photos...

I'm pretty impressed with myself! I'm excited to continue to experiment with my camera and see what else I can learn.

Today I went to IKEA in Cincinnati with my friend Melissa. I got some really cute stuff for the nursery and also some random house items. I may have gone a little overboard, but I'm really happy with everything I got! Matt is hopefully working on the crib this weekend (he's been really busy getting his boat ready for his upcoming fishing tournament) and I'll be able to start getting the nursery together.

Sorry, I'm not sorry.

Also, let's talk about how people that tell you dogs are great preparation for babies are so right. Can Callie make any bigger of a mess?!

My belly keeps getting bigger and my feet and hands keep swelling from time to time. I don't even want to think about what the summer months are going to be like... I've also been feeling some major heartburn in the evenings so if what they say is true, baby boy could be growing a head of hair!

Sorry for Matt's shadow, I didn't get a chance to take my picture until the end of the day!

How far along? 22 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep, and pretty comfy in them
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Matt says I started snoring!
Best moment of the week: Matt feeling baby kick
Miss anything? Queso sounds so good right now... wish I could have it
Movement: Yes!
Food cravings: Mexican
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, still lucky
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None
Belly button in our out? In
Rings on or off? On but fingers are definitely swollen
Looking forward to: Doctor's appointment this week

I have a doctor's appointment Thursday morning. I really have no idea what I'll be doing; probably just the usual urine test and heartbeat check. I will let you know how that goes - have a wonderful week!

21 weeks

Hi! It's been a pretty un-eventful week, so I thought since I'm more than halfway through the pregnancy, I'll update you on the things that I miss, and the things that I'm loving.

What I miss...

- ALCOHOL. So.much. I think I have a problem. Now that nice weather is upon us I've really been wanting a beer on a patio... Summer is going to be rough!

I tried making a non-alcoholic Summer Shandy. It was a bust :(

- Turkey sandwiches. I didn't eat a lot of them pre-pregnancy, but the fact that I can't have lunchmeat is killing me.

MMM turkey tom from Jimmy John's

- Sushi. I would looooove a California roll!

- Raw eggs. You might be thinking, who misses that??? But have you ever tried baking cookies and not licking the spoon after mixing the raw dough?!? It's near impossible.

What I love....

- Getting baby's room ready! I've already updated you on his crib sheets and curtains; and this week Matt took on the project of painting my old dresser for the nursery! Next up - the crib!

Before...

...and after! Great job hubby. We decided against colored drawers because we already have so much color going on in the nursery.

- Replacing beer calories with ice cream calories. :) I know not to eat it every day (I don't want to wind up like Jessica Simpson in her first pregnancy) but a little indulging doesn't hurt, right?

I <3 peanut buster parfaits

- Waking up on the weekends and NOT being hungover! It's so nice to get stuff done and not lay around all day, because let's face it, I have THEE worst hangovers ever.

- And of course, feeling baby kick. :) I've been noticing it more and more recently and am trying to figure out his patterns. I notice it most after eating and before bedtime. He's quite the mover and shaker! Matt won't be able to feel his kicks for another few weeks.

Baby at 21 weeks

I'm still feeling pretty great recently. Baby now has eyebrows and lids and is starting to hiccup as a means to practice breathing.

Feeling large and in charge

I'm going to start taking bump pictures every week now since my belly will be growing more rapidly.... so, please excuse the mess on top of my head. It's hard to get motivated to look cute for a picture on Sunday morning :)

How far along? 21 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep! I'm getting pretty tired of long shirts and pants and am getting anxious for warmer weather, skirts and tank tops!
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Always interrupted by 1-2 potty breaks
Best moment of the week: Kicks from baby boy :)
Miss anything? Drinking a beer on the deck...
Movement: Yes!
Food cravings: Soft pretzels - had one today!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope - lucky!
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None
Belly button in our out? In
Rings on or off? On but fingers are definitely swollen
Looking forward to: Putting the crib together- Matt's excited ;)

That's all - see you next week!

20 weeks

Umm... let's talk about how I am already halfway through my pregnancy somehow {!!!!!!!} and am kind of freaking out. I know we still have plenty of time to prepare, but the fact that I am halfway along to meeting little man makes me have a minor panic attack just thinking about it. EEK!

So, I'll recap the majorly busy week I had. On Tuesday, I was able to get free tickets to the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game as it was a Nationwide associate night. We somehow scored club seats so we were very comfy! The music at the game was super loud and I could feel little man kicking... so I'm not sure if he liked the noise or hated it!

Jackets won!

On Friday night we went to dinner with some friends at a newer restaurant I've been wanting to try out, the Grass Skirt Tiki Room. It's a really small restaurant so we had to wait a bit for a table. They have an amazing drink list which I was drooling over, but luckily the server was able to throw together a yummy, pretty virgin drink! The food was just meh, so I'm not sure if I'll be going back. I was happy to try a new place, though!

Tasted like a pina colada!

After dinner we decided to go bowling (which is safe at this point so don't worry!) and went to a bowling alley I've never been to before in Hilliard. It was the fanciest bowling alley I've ever seen! It was very clean and had a really nice bar. They even had leather couches instead of the cheapy plastic chairs! It felt luxurious :) Matt and I won both games, btw. :)

Saturday morning I headed to a baby resale event in Pickerington. I had to sort through a lot of really worn/dirty things but found some pretty good deals! I was hoping to find more than just clothes, but ended up with just 1 toy. There is another resale event in a few weeks I'll be trying out to see if I have more luck!

I got all this for $13!

Saturday evening one of my good friends from home, Julie, came to visit with her boyfriend Anthony. It was so nice to see them!! We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Matt the Miller's, in Grandview - where we used to live. I love that city. We somehow were not full from the boatload of food we ate, so after dinner we went to Jeni's ice cream, a Columbus staple. They have a lot of weird flavors (like pistachio, riesling pear, and goat cheese with red cherries) so I usually stick to the basics.

Matt and Anthony

Julie and I

Dark chocolate, the Buckeye state, and salty caramel! Yum

In pregnancy news, I've been having some food cravings this week. On Thursday, I totally wanted an egg salad sandwich out of the blue, so made one for dinner! I've been eating watermelon almost every day too - I can't get enough of it!!

We have been looking at cribs lately and stopped at Babies R Us to check some out. I totally took advantage of the expectant mothers parking... I'm not even sure if I qualify for it yet technically but I don't really care!! :)

I've really been feeling baby boy kick and I love it. It's great to know he's alive and kicking, if you know what I mean! I've had some swelling this week too. Partially I think because of the humidity and heat we had this week but I know it's pretty normal. Either way, I hate having cankles and hope that this goes away quick! I haven't had any other problems so I guess I really don't have much to complain about.

20 weeks, getting big!

How far along? 20 weeks
Maternity clothes? I broke out my maternity shirts from Old Navy. I want to get as much use out of them as I can and they are super comfy!
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: I still LOVE the pregnancy pillow
Best moment of the week: Kicks from baby boy :)
Miss anything? I could really go for a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy! 
Movement: Yes!
Food cravings: Watermelon
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope - lucky!
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None
Belly button in our out? In
Rings on or off? On but fingers are definitely swollen!
Looking forward to: Getting a crib and getting the nursery together

That's all I've got for now! Have a wonderful week :)

19 weeks

Hi! I don't have a whole lot of updates since my last post. I did want to share my exciting finds from the outlet mall in Jeffersonville this weekend. They had a Pottery Barn Kids outlet which I was SUPER excited about, but I was kind of disappointed by the "sales" they had {isn't an outlet mall supposed to be a lot cheaper?!}. They did have the sheet set I've been eyeing for a while now and some cute curtains to match!

They don't look as cute packaged... so this is what they will look like on the crib {sans bumper} and on the wall!

All in all I saved about $45 as compared to the regular Pottery Barn store, so the trip was worth it. Especially because I also got this SUPER cute outfit from Carter's outlet for only $2!!, among a few other things.

Santa on the butt!! :)

Saturday night we watched the Louisville/Wichita St. game. Matt and I were a bundle of nerves because both of our brackets depended on Louisville winning... even Callie was stressed!

Thankfully Louisville pulled through and won... and in turn, both Matt and I won our brackets! Thank goodness, because I was worried Matt was going to have a conniption if they lost!

My cravings kicked in after the game and I was really wanting some hush puppies... so we headed to one of my favorite restaurants, City BBQ, for some yummy barbecue.

It was bee-yoo-tee-ful outside today and I felt guilty that Milo was stuck inside while Callie was in the backyard playing fetch... so we let him sunbathe on the deck for a moment. :)

In pregnancy news, I think I've started feeling baby boy kick! I'm not 100% sure, but it sure feels like what they describe as the fluttering feeling in your belly, similar to gas bubbles. Last night we were trying to decide between watching 'Lincoln' or 'This is 40', and I swear baby boy kicked during the preview for 'This is 40' so that's what we decided to watch. :)

Overall I've still been feeling pretty good. My back has been starting to hurt after lying down for a while and I started feeling round ligament pain when I get up fast or laugh or sneeze. Not fun! I guess I've been pretty lucky so I don't have much to complain about.

I'm excited to keep working on the nursery. We are going to refurbish my old dresser for baby's room and make it look something like this....

I like the ombre-ness of the second one but feel like it'd be a lot of work. We will see! I'll be back next week with 20 week updates {Holy COW did I just say 20 weeks, meaning halfway through?!? Let's not go there}.

Have a great week! :)

18 weeks and gender reveal

Hi! The time has finally come to find out if we are having a boy or girl!! :) I have been a bundle of nerves pretty much the last week (thank you Baby Center message boards for your horror pregnancy stories that led to said nerves!!). We started the morning off by touring a daycare nearby. We were not impressed... so the search will continue. I have a feeling this will be a stressful/frustrating search.

Our doctors appointment was at 1:00 today. We told the doctor up front we didn't want to know the gender and for him to write it down when the appointment was over (and put it inside an envelope). The doctor said all of the quad screen results (from my last appt.) were negative and our risk was very, very low for any birth defects. That was good news to start off with! I was so relieved {once again} to hear baby's heartbeat. Phew. The doctor was able to show us baby's head, legs, arms... and the little one was super wiggly! It was still hard for me to distinguish what was what, but much easier to tell it is a baby and not a blob, compared to the first ultrasound. At one point he said "ok, look away" and it felt like 2 minutes passed while he was looking at the baby... he finally said "Ok! We're good" and moved on with the ultrasound. We set our next appointment for 4 weeks out and left the doctor.

We headed straight for Babies R Us (the closest baby clothing store to the doctor!) to pick out a girl outfit and boy outfit. The trick was to find outfits with the same price... and cute ones of course too :). When we had the outfits picked out we handed both to the cashier along with the envelope from the doctor. I explained to her that we were doing our gender reveal and wanted her to open the envelope and wrap up the outfit that corresponds. She had never done it before and was very excited to be revealing our big news! We waited outside for about 5 minutes then went back in to ring out and take our package. We couldn't wait another minute so opened the package as soon as we got in the car! Drumroll please....

It's a boy!! :) We were both so surprised. We were almost POSITIVE it was a girl! No disappointment, though... we are soo happy! It proves that the old wive's tales are not always true, though! I had a sweet tooth, acne, high heart rate {baby}, seemed to be carrying high and my boobs grew!

(Clockwise) BRU visit, outfit!, doctor's gender note, Matt pondering gender

After work I was anxious to finally start looking at boy clothes (I only bought one unisex outfit up until this point!) so stopped at baby Gap and H&M... a few outfits later....

Baby D will be well dressed

I could not help myself! Everything was on sale/super cheap and SUPER cute. The moose outfit from H&M with the moose ears on the hat?!? Umm hello, dying of cuteness. I had thought girl clothes were so much cuter...but I was wrong!

The funniest thing about today is that this morning we both put on blue shirts and did not even realize it until we got home from work!

Team blue!

I know you're probably thinking "oh right Dana, suuuure you both wore those shirts!" but I SWEAR! We must've had an instinct when we got dressed this morning. I took a bump photo at the end of the day... so please excuse my tired/makeup worn off/shiny face.

How far along? 18 weeks
Maternity clothes? Still just maternity jeans and wearing my belly band with work pants.  I feel like the belly band won't last much longer.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: I LOVE the pregnancy pillow.
Best moment of the week: Finding out we are having a BOY! :)
Miss anything? I am really craving a turkey sandwich!
Movement: Maybe. It's so hard to tell if it's baby moving or gas bubbles!
Food cravings: Sweets
Anything making you queasy or sick: No!
Have you started to show yet: In tighter tops
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None
Belly button in our out? In
Rings on or off? On 
Looking forward to: Starting to decorate baby's nursery!

That's all for now! See you soon :)