I love parties

I do. I really love parties. I love planning them, making menus, preparing the house, sending out invites, and reading R.S.V.P.'s. Have I mentioned that I've always wanted to be an event planner?

We had been working hard to make our house presentable over the past couple of months. I love how we've added great personal touches to our home. It's our first home together and I couldn't have been more excited to show it off and host a party.

Yesterday we finally hosted our housewarming party and we had a fantastic turn out! I made a ton of food (mostly Pinterest inspired) and got to spend the day with the most fun people I know. I made pizza dip, guacamole, corn dog muffins, BBQ sliders, "football" peanut butter dip, and set out a veggie-and-ranch-dip tray. We set up a TV in the backyard and also got to use our cornhole boards. I mostly stayed inside and ate...surprise, surprise.

It was also the first time some of my friends got to see and feel my little baby bump. It was definitely an enjoyable day. I'm only sorry I didn't take any photos!

Today Taylor got up before I did and finished cleaning the kitchen. Love that man! We took the Jeep out with the top down and had brunch at J. Christopher's. I had the BEST specialty coffee drink there! It was a turtle latte. Now I know which coffee drink I'll be craving for the next four months. Lol.
Unfortunately this is one of Taylor's travel weeks, and it's the longest one of the year. He left this afternoon and won't be back until Friday. While I already miss him terribly it makes me happy knowing that he'll get to spend some time with his grandmother on her farm on Thursday and Friday.

When he gets back we will begin booking travel for our "babymoon." I told him from the beginning that I really wanted a fall babymoon in the mountains for a few reasons. Number one, in 2010 we took a fall trip to Gatlinburg, TN and had such a fantastic time. Number two, I will still be in my second trimester (I think...I'll have to check a calendar) and will still be feeling pretty good and be able to indulge in some delicious food. Number three, I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!!

I have been continuously updating my baby registries with things numerous friends and family have suggested. I feel like there's a lot on there but I have to keep telling myself that a lot of it is fun stuff, too. Did I mention that I registered for pretty much every giraffe item I could find?
I had a lot more trouble with my second registry. All of the "big" items are on the Babies-R-Us list and I didn't want to add duplicates so I tried to find different things, but it was harder. I'm pretty content with both of them though.

Also want to send out two huge congratulations! One to Amanda Jones on the birth of her first baby, Persephone Layne, earlier this week! And the second to Danielle Bauer, my friend and co-worker, who just found out the she is expecting her second! Yay babies!

Weekly photo:

How far along: 23 weeks

Trimester: Second

Total weight gain/loss: Down ten pounds.

Maternity clothes: Yes.

Sleep: No complaints.

Stretch marks: Nothing new.

Best moment of the week: Our party!

Movement: Yup, now people can see my stomach move when the baby moves.

Food Cravings: Still having lots of cravings. Mostly cake and desserts this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing notable. Still dislike bathrooms. Lol.

Miss anything? No.

Other symptoms: Back pain has been bad this week. I may have to break down and think about seeing a chiropractor. I'll talk to my doc about it (again) at my next appointment.

Have you started to show yet? Yes.

Sex: It will be a surprise.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In and looks so weird!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Moody or not moody? Moody for sure. This week it's worrying too much and crying spells. Lol.  

Looking forward to: Taylor comes home from his business trip Friday! Five days and nights is too long!

Giraffes everywhere!

Well, we decided on a nursery color. I had been holding out for a nice light shade of teal while Taylor wanted a sage green. I gave in. Sage green it is! We have also pretty much settled on a nursery furniture set. It's adorable, affordable, and the crib is a 4-in-1 so it can be used beyond baby years. I won't post a photo until it's all ordered and a done deal, but it is dark wood. The only big piece I have left to choose is a rocking chair.
I have also finally chosen an affordable photograph to use in baby's room for artwork. See the photo to the left? (On my background.) THAT will be the photo! I'm so excited to have found an already framed, affordable print of it. Gotta ask the person doing it if he can frame a second different giraffe photograph to compliment it.
Over the weekend I ordered fabric swatches so I can finally a.) design and place our custom baby bedding order (www.babybedding.com) and b.) so I can register for crib sheets which will match our colors. Can't wait to get those in!
Monday my co-worker brought me the cutest giraffe bib!

And today I received the items from my first Zulily order. 

Nothing noteworthy to report except that I started drinking Ensure. I chose butter pecan flavor, which isn't terrible. Luckily they're pretty small shakes. And they're expensive! Almost $12 for six shakes. We'll see what happens with that.

Our housewarming party is this weekend! We have worked hard to add a lot of personal touches to make our house feel like a home. We never really had the desire to do that while we were renters, but now that we have a space we can call our own it's really nice to be able to put some time and effort into it. The biggest project, by far, is the yard. At this point it will be nothing but damage control, i.e. lots of roundup, rock/pinestraw removal, aeration, and seeding. Oh, and stump removal. It's nothing but a big pile of...jungle. Lol.

Ahhhh and I tried out a pregnancy pillow. Love it! I'm going to have to buy one of my own for sure. It really helped my back pain and helped me stay asleep longer. 

Mom and I picked out a baby shower invitation. You won't get a sneak peak until much later, but the colors are green and tan and here's a photo of the custom stamps we also ordered:

Weekly photo:

How far along: 22 weeks

Trimester: Second

Total weight gain/loss: Still down ten pounds as far as I know.

Maternity clothes: Yes.

Sleep: Wonderful with a pregnancy pillow.

Stretch marks: Nothing new.

Best moment of the week: Settling on more ideas for the nursery! And planning for the shower.

Movement: Constant!

Food Cravings: Anything cheesy. And cheesecake.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Still the smell of bathrooms. Ugh.

Miss anything? No.

Other symptoms: Heartburn is back. I'm not taking Zantac right now since I overdid it a couple of weeks ago. Gotta stick with Prevacid and whole milk.

Have you started to show yet? Yes.

Sex: Won't know til delivery. SO STOP ASKING.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In, and all stretched out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Moody or not moody? Both. Lol.  

Looking forward to: Our party on Saturday!

What's in a name?

Names. Everyone wants to know if we have names picked out. The answer is...sort of. We have a list of boy names and a list of girl names, some we like more than others. Picking a name for your baby is a huge deal! I mean, you could scar your child for life with a bad name (like these winners in Alaska.) We don't want to use a particularly common or popular name, but we will be using at least one family name for each gender.

Friday night we registered at Babies R Us. It was fun using that little scanner gun on everything. There was a TON of giraffe stuff! I was feeling fine up until we got around to the bottles, nursing, bibs and pacifier sections. Talk about overwhelming. There are so many different features and brands, it's impossible to know what to get. Some people tell you to get one brand and avoid another, yet the next friend you chat with will say the opposite. After a few days of mulling it over I just decided to register for two or three different brands. Still holding out on adding a breast pump. I have one pretty much picked out, but do any of you have any suggestions?

I FINALLY got to park here!

This past weekend we decided to join a church - Roswell United Methodist Church. It's only 1.5 miles from our house, it's a larger church family, and I've already been invited to join the church choir. All big pluses for us! We are excited to be members and get the chance to have baby bear baptized in a church that we belong to.

Last Friday I had my 20 week check up. I had another cervical length check (normal) which meant we got to see how big baby bear has gotten via ultrasound. We got to see legs, arms, hands, feet (waaaay up over his or her head!), ribs, head, and all four chambers of his or her heart. The tech was kind enough to not go near its private parts so we're still in the dark regarding gender so STOP ASKING when we're finding out. We're not finding out until he or she is born.
I still have not gained any weight back at all. I asked the doctor about it and she said if I'm concerned I can start drinking Ensure or Boost in addition to eating four to six small meals each day, but that they really won't worry about it unless I still haven't gained any by my next appointment in October. The baby was measuring just fine so that's why she wasn't too worried. I have to admit that I'm slightly annoyed that most baby websites and books (and my What to Expect app) put so much emphasis on healthy weight gain because apparently there's a huge epidemic of pregnant moms putting on way too much weight nowadays. I fully understand that the average goal is about a pound a week during the second trimester. I get constant reminders about how I shouldn't take the phrase "eating for two" literally. The daily facts on my app hammer this home two or three times per week. But none of these informative sources talk about what to do (or when to be concerned or talk to a doctor) if you haven't put any weight on at all. Not everyone gains weight so quickly. So I worry. I'm not purposely not gaining weight, which is what people tend to assume. I hate getting that question, by the way. It's awkward, plus you wouldn't just ask a non-pregnant person about how much weight they've put on. I haven't changed my eating habits, aside from breaking three meals a day into four to six smaller meals. So I guess I'll just do what my doctor suggested and add some Boost or Ensure to my diet. And I'll quit being so grumpy.

Leg!

Tonight my mom came over and we picked out the invitations for my baby shower. It's giraffe themed, of course. I can't wait to see the final mark-up! I'm currently working on collecting everyone's address so we can mail them out within the next two weeks. I'm so excited!

Weekly photo:

It says Mom's cravings: spring rolls, green olives, cheese, Butterfingers, Cap'n Crunch, Rainbow chip icing

How far along: 21 weeks

Trimester: Second

Total weight gain/loss: Still down ten pounds.

Maternity clothes: Yes.

Sleep: Great!

Stretch marks: Yup.

Best moment of the week: Getting new ultrasound photos! 

Movement: Constant!

Food Cravings: See my weekly photo. Lol.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Same answer as last week.

Miss anything? I miss not having back pain.

Other symptoms: Yeah, some that aren't so pleasant. I won't relive them here.

Have you started to show yet? Yes.

Gender: Won't know til delivery.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In, but it'll definitely turn into an outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Moody or not moody? Both. Lol.  

Looking forward to: Taylor comes home from his business trip tomorrow!

Future NASCAR fan

This past weekend we had a very full agenda!
Saturday we went to a pot luck type house party in Grant Park to watch the UGA game with friends and family. It was really nice to see some people I hadn't seen in a while and gorge myself on game day food. The strangest thing? All I wanted was the buffalo chicken dip. Everyone who knows me knows I HATE anything buffalo or hot sauce flavored...so I'm counting that feat as a pregnancy hormone win! I brought Asian coleslaw and Funfetti cupcakes with the BEST FROSTING EVER: Rainbow Chip. (My co-workers and I have been looking for Rainbow Chip for SO long and finally found it!) I'm a five year-old at heart. Plus, those cupcakes are always a crowd pleaser.

Best ever. Don't even try to argue.

Sunday we went to church and as soon as we got home we packed an overnight bag and headed down to Locust Grove to visit with Taylor's mom before the NASCAR race. She only lives about ten minutes from AMS and we get to use back roads to get there (totally terrific Teamon Taxi) so we never have to worry about traffic or a tedious trip home after the race. This year I got to be the DD. Subsequently, this was also the first sober NASCAR race I've experienced. In hindsight, a sober NASCAR race at 20 weeks pregnant probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had. I still had a great time and am very glad we decided to go! Hopefully we will have a future NASCAR fan on our hands!

Our group

Rednecks for a day

Pork rinds and beer. YUM.

Future NASCAR fan.

Monday we came home early in the morning and laid around the house for a few hours. Then it was off to Home Depot to (finally) buy blinds for our house. When we bought the house we realized there were no blinds at all - not even those cheap, temporary paper blinds. We would have bought blinds a month ago, however, most of our extra money has gone toward fixing the plumbing issue in the basement and our yard. So yes, up until now we had been living in a fish bowl. Hope the neighbors enjoyed the show!

Taylor's dad and his girlfriend came over and pretty much did all the hanging for us. I am forever grateful to them for helping out with that! Also, we had a minor issue when connecting the fridge to the water line - we stopped the leak and successfully connected the line (after saturating a few towels) but the water still won't pump through the ice maker and water dispenser. When I'm less exhausted I'll get out the instruction manual and troubleshoot it. 

Hopefully one night this week we can go to Target or Babies R Us to start a registry. That will be so fun! I can't wait to actually walk into a baby superstore and see everything there is. The last (and only) time I went to Babies R Us I felt extremely overwhelmed...and that was nearly three years ago, well before having babies really entered my mind.

Friday is our next baby appointment - it will include another ultrasound and cervical length check. Not sure what else it will entail, but I'll be sure to give a good rundown. I'm going to actually have a list of questions prepared this time since my body is going through more noticeable changes and I'm noticing things I hadn't before. I'm a hypochondriac, so I tend to worry about things way more than I should.

***If you want to stop reading here, feel free. I'm about to list some slightly "gross" changes I've noticed.***

So far my list includes:
-Weight gain (If I still haven't gained any since my last visit.)
-Back pain relief
-"Normal" nipple changes - mine are large, sore, dry, and itchy.
-Chia seeds - Can I eat them? (High in Omega-3, fiber and other minerals.)
-Normal sugar and salt intake - I tend to eat (and crave) either really salty or really sweet foods

My back pain has taken over my whole back (not just lumbago anymore) and I feel that the only relief I get is laying down. I'll be looking into purchasing an at home prenatal stretch and/or yoga DVD.

Weekly photo:

How far along: 20 weeks

Trimester: Second

Total weight gain/loss: Still assuming I'm down ten pounds, according to the scale in the office.

Maternity clothes: Right now I definitely can't wear regular pants or shorts.

Sleep: Seems to be better than normal.

Stretch marks: Yup.

Best moment of the week: The long weekend! 

Movement: You would not believe how much this baby moves. I can actually watch my stomach move!

Food Cravings: I crave so many different things in a week. I can usually indulge, too. Yay!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really. Appetite is back for the most part and I really only feel a little nauseous first thing in the morning. Nothing a little ice cold water can't fix. I still keep a bottle of Zofran around just in case, though.

Miss anything? I'll leave this one blank this week.

Other symptoms: Back and hip pain.

Have you started to show yet? Yes.

Gender: Won't know til delivery.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In, but it'll definitely turn into an outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Moody or not moody? Mostly normal, but I have my moments.  

Looking forward to: Seeing the baby on the ultrasound screen on Friday!