Last Post of the Year!

Well, it's kind of hard to believe the year is nearly over, it was a seriously crazy year. I moved into my own place, learned who my real friends were, started counting on them more than I ever imagined, got married to the love of my life, and found out that my family has started and I will get to meet him in April!
As far as I can tell, everything is still going very well with pregnancy. Nathan was finally able to feel Jace kick for the first time! It was adorable because he got kind of teary-eyed and emotional. But then looked at me and was like, "I cannot imagine how weird that feels for you." And truthfully, he can't. The stronger the kicks get, the more it sometimes feels like there is a little alien living in me. But at the same time I am completely and totally in love with it because it means that he's okay and still growing. Okay, well, I love it a little less when he manages to kick my bladder, but that's part of pregnancy and I'm getting used to it. Technically, I won't be at week 25 until tomorrow, but I know that I won't have time tomorrow to do pictures and post with all other chaos, but one day didn't seem like a huge deal. It's funny looking at the first picture from week 7, I look unbelievably skinny. But my transformation is nothing compared to Jace's. He was smaller than a blueberry that first week, now he's about 13 inches long and weighs about a pound and a half! It's hard to believe I have only 15 weeks left, I'm over halfway done and getting so close to meeting him!
I've spent a lot of time the last couple days on pinterest getting ideas for the nursery and baby shower. Some of the ideas are too cute, like a punch bowl of blue punch with rubber duckies. And doing a thumbprint tree of family members to hang in the nursery. Oh and I cannot wait to do a maternity photo shoot, I've found some really creative shots that I want to do when I get a little rounder. Speaking of photos, being home this week we got our wedding pictures back! They are adorable and I love them! I'm still looking through them because I need to figure out which ones to print to make our wedding album, which will be my next project.
Well, I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve and a great start to 2012! 

Nursery Craze!

So, for the last couple days I have been setting up the nursery and organizing as well as researching and shopping for furniture. I think it's because I know that if I set it up now I won't have to stress over it while also doing classes and homework and everything else. Nathan keeps telling me to chill out, that we have plenty of time still, which we do, but I know that the sooner I get it done to better I will feel and the more prepared.
I did get one piece of furniture, a bookshelf that I found for $10, and over Christmas while I'm home mom said I can have all the baby books that I read when I was little, so I can start filling the bookshelf with bedtime stories! I know we have a lot of Dr. Suess, but I don't remember what all else, so I think it'll be lots of fun to look through all of the old stories I grew up with and know that now I get to pass them on to Jace.

Here are some of the pictures I've taken of the nursery so far, as well of some of the things we've collected for him. 

Week 23 (The start of a kicking baby boy)

My belly keeps on expanding, but the best part is, I can finally feel Jace moving! I'd been unsure before, I'd feel weird sensations from my belly, but I couldn't be sure it was him. Then, the other night, I was laying on the couch, relaxing and playing angry birds, and I felt a definitive kick below my belly button. Followed quickly by another one. It was an amazing sensation because I knew it was him, not just my body being weird. So, of course, I tell Nathan to come feel his son, and I put his hand right where I felt the kicks and... nothing. Still as ever. Nathan sat there for about ten minutes and finally gave up and said that I was just crazy. So now I keep trying to have Nathan feel it, but Jace is a stinker and for some reason will not kick if anyone else touches my belly. I guess for now it's just for me to treasure, but before too long Jace will be too big to hide it, so soon enough Nathan will get to feel too.

Oh, and have I mentioned that I love my husband? With the ever expanding bump, my wardrobe keeps shrinking because, well, nothing fits me! So, as part of my Christmas present (that I got early) he ordered me adorable maternity clothes that fit, are comfy, have room to grow, and that make me feel pretty again. The sweater in this week's pictures is one of them, it's warm and fuzzy and spacious, which means it's pretty much perfect.
Tomorrow we have another appointment and ultrasound, so we'll get to see our baby boy and hopefully he'll be active again. I do like getting all the check ups, as much as I dislike doctors, because they really make me worry less. And I can't help but worry sometimes because I want my baby boy to be healthy and strong when he's born.
This week Jace is papaya sized, about 10 to 11 inches or so long and about a pound. So he's getting pretty big, and in the next four weeks his weight should double as he starts to store up fat. He's also getting more and more sound, so he definitely knows my voice by now, hopefully he knows Nathan's too. Of course, with my little fur babies, he probably also knows the sounds of a purring kitten because both Belle and Mischief like to sleep on or near my belly and purr. Loudly. But hey, at least that's a calming pleasant sound to get accustomed to!
I'll update again soon, now that finals are over and so is the wedding and a lot else, I will have more time and should be able to blog more often!

First Baby Pictures!

My Family <3 

Baby Jace!

His adorable little feets!

Our beautiful baby boy will be here in April, and I can't wait to meet him! He was very very active during the ultrasound, he kept punching and kicking and rolling. It's weird that I still can't feel all this movement, but I'm really glad it's happening and that he's already an active baby. Well, more updates as I know them, but my baby boy is healthy, developing very well, and I cannot wait to meet him in April! 

Week 19 (Only one day till the ultrasound!)

Well, in less than 24 hours Nathan and I will have gotten to see our baby for the first time. And, as long as baby wants to cooperate, we'll know a gender so I can be better prepared for the nursery and I can finally call baby by their name!

This week baby will be about mango-sized (all the food size references still crack me up) and they'll be developing more and getting cuter =) So, they'll be cute for the ultrasound pictures tomorrow!

Last night was my bachelorette and Nathan's bachelor party, which was a great time. The girls and I went to Mellow Mushroom for pizza, and to the movies to see Crazy Stupid Love, which was amusing. We didn't get back into Berea till about 1am, then Courtney and I started watching Bridesmaids, sadly I fell asleep partway through, and now today is a homework day. Well, mostly homework. I also need to do some cleaning, the boys bachelor party left my house a little messy. It's really not that bad (thankfully!) but it does need a little TLC.
Well, I may blog again tomorrow night complete with ultrasound pictures and a name, but it may also wait till after my giant history paper is due. 

18 Weeks (only 22 weeks to go!)

I finally got Nathan to take a picture so there's more than just my tummy, of course, I also took one of the belly. Baby is 5" long this week, and I'm almost halfway through pregnancy! Everything still seems to be on track, no real movement to report (sadly) and I'm still counting down the days till the ultrasound to know the gender!

Friday night I got to spend time with another soon-to-be mommy. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but one of my very good friends will be having a baby very close to the same time as me, she's due about 2 weeks after my due date, so we've been able to help each other with pregnancy symptoms, learning what to do, and just being there to support each other. I love it, I love having someone so close that I can relate to and get support from.

Of course, Nathan has been trying to be supportive too, but there really is only so much he can understand about it all.

This morning I started looking online for more baby stuff, it's all so stinkin' cute! Girl or boy all the baby stuff is adorable, and it's so so tiny! Whenever I think about how small the baby will actually be when it's born the more afraid I am that I might hurt it because it will be so itty biddy.

Well today I'm going to spend some time getting ahead on hw, cleaning the house, and getting things accomplished because the next three weekends will be completely insane. Next weekend are Nathan and I's bachelor and bachelorette parties, the following weekend we'll be in Ohio for Thanksgiving break, and the weekend after that is the wedding! Time is just flying by and there's still much to do, hopefully we can get it all done in time!

Week 17

Well if there were any doubts about my bump showing up, they've vanished. It's funny to have people come up to me at classes and around campus to try to rub my belly. Sometimes it's a little awkward, but most of the time it's just cute.

And since baby can hear, I now talk to her all the time. She's like a walking journal, she knows everything! I also sing to her a lot, hopefully she likes my singing voice, otherwise when she gets bigger she may let me know her dislike with little kicks!

Friday was another doctor visit, and everything checked out wonderfully. The doctor was happy with my blood tests, weight gain, blood pressure, and we were all thrilled about the very strong, easy to find heartbeat. Instead of making us wait until week 20 we're going to go in on November 21 to get the first ultrasound and (hopefully) find out the gender! Unless of course baby is hiding, which is possible. I really hope she doesn't though, because I would love to start calling her by her name. Or his name, if so appropriate lol.

The wedding plans are going wonderfully, there's not too awful much left to do! Right now I'm just trying to keep up with the RSVP list. I'm so blessed because so many of my friends are traveling down (or up) to come to the wedding to support us! And a lot of our friends have said they'd love to help up with set up and decoration and all the other things that will have to happen the day of! Sometimes I'm not really sure how I got so lucky, but I have some of the best support in the world, and some people that I know would do anything for me and Nathan and itty biddy.

Well, I don't think there's much else I wanted to update on, just that things are going well, Nathan and I are happy (he's excited the baby can hear too, at night he'll lay down beside me and talk to my belly so baby will know his voice too), baby is healthy and growing, and our little family is getting stronger every day <3

xoxo