~*7 Days*~

This week I am 19 weeks along!  We have 7 days left until we find out what we are having.  I can't believe I'm almost half way through my pregnancy.  I have a feeling the second half of my pregnancy is going to be a lot different than the first half.  I'm so excited to start feeling the baby more, to pick out a name, nursery colors and start buying baby stuff.  I can't wait to know what we are having!  I just hope the baby cooperates next week or we will be in big trouble!

I'm getting really excited for this weekend!  It's Easter and my family is coming to visit us.  I haven't seen my dad or my brother since January so it will be really nice to see them.  We plan on grilling out since it is supposed to be in the 80's all weekend.  Danny might bring out the smoker and do a few things up too.   I don't have much going on this week except getting ready for everyone to show up on Friday.  Danny will be coming home from New York so I'll have to get everything ready by myself.  Hopefully I get some energy because right now I am feeling super lazy.  It's only 6:30 and I'm ready for bed. :)

Well, here I am at 19 weeks.  It has to be a close up because Danny is in New York.  I don't even want to know how big I'm going to get!

I really need to take a picture in something other than pink!  Everyone thinks that I want a girl because I wear so much pink.  I just put my Jammie Jams on as soon as I get home from work and I always grab for the pink ones first.  I'll try to take a picture with blue next week, but by then we will *hopefully* know what we are having so it really won't matter.  ...til next time!

*18 Weeks*

I am 18 weeks and 1 day today, which means only 13 (yes, THIRTEEN!!!) days until we find out boy or girl!  Wow, time is flying!  I only have 22 weeks left!

I've been feeling the baby more and more these past few days.  I mostly feel him/her when sitting at my desk at work or sitting on the couch.  They have been getting more and more noticeable, but the baby is still really, really low.  It brings a smile to my face each time I feel the baby move, so if you see me randomly smiling off into space, you know why.

Danny and I had a great weekend, but it was too short as always.  Friday we went to a friend's house for a cook-out, Eli ran off, we chased him, played some games, hung out then went home to hit the hay.  I was exhausted!  Saturday was a busy day as well.  We went to town to pick up a few things, got the patio furniture out of the shed (can I say Hello Spring!) and then my good friend Cierra and her boyfriend came to visit.  We hung out, caught up on my growing belly and other things in our lives and then we had a cook-out.  Later that night I had the girls over to watch New Moon, eat candy, popcorn and relax in our "Jammie Jams."  The guys played beer pong in the basement and kept the dogs entertained.  Then on Sunday we said fairwell to Cierra and Stephen after a big breakfast and I started preparing for Danny's parents to come over for dinner.  Danny smoked a boston butt on the smoker that was delicious!  We ate outside on the deck and then came inside for coffee and oreo pie - YuM! 

Like I said, it was a busy, busy weekend and come Monday morning I felt like I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep.  As much as I enjoy entertaining and visiting with friends and family, it's definitely harder on me than my pre-pregnancy days.  I still got it, but it's a lot harder to bounce back after a busy weekend.  I'm hoping that this upcoming weekend will be low key and relaxing.  Other than a baby shower I have to attend for my friend Mickey, I have no other plans and I intend to keep it that way!

Boy/Girl Poll Update

Okay, I've been getting a few more guesses in on the sex of the baby.  Here they are:

Cierra S.- EDD August 6th - Boy
Ardra J. - EDD August 15th - Girl
My Brother - EDD August 17th - Girl but hoping for a boy
Liz C. - EDD August 18th - Girl
My Hubby - EDD August 21st - Boy
My Dad - EDD August 22nd - Undecided boy or girl
Kristin P. - EDD August 25th - Girl
My FIL - Girl
My SIL - Girl
My MIL - Girl
My BIL - Boy
Linda M. - Girl
Jen M. - Boy
Amy A. - Boy
Cathy T. - Boy
Tina I. - Girl
Matt R. - Boy
Dorsey F. - Boy
Jared E. - Boy
My Boss - A Leprechaun (I surely hope he is wrong, I guess that was his St. Patty's Day joke!)
My Mom - No EDD - Just wants him or her to be healthy!
 
Boys are ahead by just a few!
 
To spice things up a little, Danny and I are going to write our name and our guess on a piece of paper right before the ultrasound and not tell each other what we think.  Then we'll stick them in an envelope, and *if* the ultrasound tech or Dr. will play along, we are going to have them open the envelope and announce who is right!  The suspense is literally making me jump out of my seat!  This is going to be soooo much fun! :)
 

**18 Days until we find out**

 

Note: I will not be using one of these.

4 Months Down

I had my 17 week 1 day check up today.  Today also marked my 4th month of pregnancy!  The heart beat was 147 beats per minute.  I was so nervous sitting in the waiting room to be called, I heard women talking about miscarriages and all of these horror stories that got me a little worked up.  After waiting for an hour after my scheduled appointment, they finally called me back.  The nurse came in and put the doppler on my stomach and I got to hear that sweet sound again.  There was a quick "swish" sound and she started laughing and said, well, "you've got a mover!"  Apparently the baby doesn't like the doppler because he or she was running from it.  I guess these little flutters I've been feeling this past week or two have in fact been the baby.  :)  What a relief!

We are scheduled for our big ultrasound on April 5th at 2:00.  I have to drink 32 oz. of water an hour before the appointment.  That's going to be a loooooooong hour to hold in all that water.  I swear I feel like I pee every 5 minutes some days.  I hope they don't make me wait an additional hour to call me back next time or they might have a mess on their hands.  I really can't wait to find out what we are having.  So much I'll finally get to do!  Pick out furniture, start the nursery, register for items and start buying cute boy or girl things!  Whoo~hoo!!

Danny is in NY again this week (what's new?).  Tomorrow I'm going to this Wee-Cycled Consignment sale in hopes to find some maternity clothes and a few gender neutral baby items.

This weekend I'm having a girls night!  I'm inviting a few friends over to watch "New Moon" and eat popcorn, candy, have a few drinks (okay, I will stick to milk) and of course you can't forget your most comfy pj's!  I haven't had a pajama party in YEARS!!  Cheesy, I know...but I'm really excited for this and my perception of "fun" is a little skewed these days. 

So much is changing in my life and I couldn't be happier!  I'm finding that some things that used to be really important to me, I could care less about now.  I feel like I'm just on a different page than before (well, DUH!) but it's just different, maybe it's because I'm pregnant but I can't explain it.  It's weird.  I guess all of these hormones are changing me and I feel like I'm really starting to grow up and look at things in a different light.  I thought pregnancy would keep me from doing things that I love to do, but I'm finding more and more that the things that I love are rapidly changing and I in fact love being pregnant.  I'm still me, I still like hanging out with friends, cooking, spending time with my husband, going to different outings, but something is just different.  I'm falling more and more in love with this little being growing inside of me each day and there's times where my entire thought process revolves around our baby.  I know so many people look back on their life and say they should have waited to have children.  I don't feel that way though, at least not now and I hope not ever.  It's going to be a lot of sacrifices and I think I'm ready to accept that, I'm ready for this journey, even though caring for a baby is scary and unknown, I'm ready.  I guess time will tell how things work out...

As Kenny Chesney once said..."I've done some livin', yeah, I've had fun."  I think this is what livin' is about.  :-D

**Butterflies**

Dear Baby Mudd,

I *think* I may be feeling little flutters from you but I just don't know. It felt like you did a somersault the other day while I was sitting at my desk. I got so excited but then you stopped so I thought maybe I had just made it up. I can't wait to feel you moving around and I know it should be soon! I also can't wait to see your face on the ultrasound in a few weeks and find out if you are a little boy or a little girl. Just know that we love you already and are so excited for this journey together. Love you Baby Mudd!

Here's a picture of mom and dad when you were 15 weeks and 5 days old.  We went bowling and I think you had a lot of fun.  :)

Love,

Mommy <3

Avocado

I am 16 weeks along today and the baby is about the size of an avocado! MmmmMmmM...I love guacamole (okay, so maybe I shouldn't be comparing my baby to my favorite Mexican condiment)! :) I have 168 days to go. I have an appointment next Tuesday for my 17 week check up. Danny will be in New York so he will miss it but hopefully he won't miss much.



Over the weekend we hung out with friends, went out to dinner and went bowling. We also went to the in-laws to visit for a few hours and let the dogs run around. Danny took them down to the pond and let them swim. Sadie still hasn't gotten the hang of swimming yet. She just likes to jump in the water when Eli gets close and grabs the stick from him so it looks like she retrieved it. Lol, silly girl! That's not how it is supposed to work!

I also spent several hours researching baby furniture. UGH! I never knew it would be SOO hard. I seem to be very picky and when I find one I like it either costs too much or the reviews aren't that great. Hopefully I will narrow it down to a few and once we find out what we are having we'll make a final decision. I'm just so ready to get started on the nursery.

I did get a really good deal over the weekend on Craigslist. I got a Graco Pack N Play for $35.00. It regularly retails for $110.00 so I thought that was a steal of a deal! I'm going to let my mom keep it at her house so that we don't have to tote ours back and forth when we go visit. That way she also doesn't have to go buy a crib.

Not much else is going on. I'm so happy to have Danny back home for the week. I'm just ready for another work week to be over!!

Thursday Thirteen

My husband went to high school with someone who is now one of the best photographers I've ever seen! A friend of mine, Kristin, had her wedding photos done by Liz and they were fantastic! Anyway, in response to the "Thursday Thirteen"...I thought this would be fun! :)

1) If money or skill-set was no issue, what would you love to do for a living?

A: I would love to work in the flower business again. I loved working with fresh flowers and doing weddings. Though certain times of the year get stressful and hectic it was always nice to put a smile on other people's faces.


2) If you could fix or put an end to one problem in the world what would it be?

A: I would put an end to poverty. That would take care of hunger, a lot of violence and would make the world a better place.

3) What is one of your favorite traits about yourself?

A: Hmmm...this is tough, I guess my favorite trait is that I love with all of my heart and I give everything to someone that I care about.

4) Share with me the name of one person who inspires you.

A: My aunt Norma who passed away three years ago. She was like Superwoman. Organized, well rounded, creative, smart, family oriented, open minded and as I got older I grew to love and respect the decisions she made in her life. I could sit and talk with her for hours about life, love or nothing in particular.

5) If you could get rid of one type of music forever, what would it be? Band, genre, artist?

A: Nickel Back (all of their songs sound the same to me)

6) If you could choose your talent, what talent would you give to yourself? Why?

A: I would want to have more patience. It really is a talent that I think takes a lot of self dedication and practice.

7) What sort of vacation do you enjoy most?

A: Anything with white sand and beautiful water, my husband by my side and music in my ears. Also, a cold drink in hand but that's not feasible with my current "condition" :)

8) Reach out your arm to your left. What is closest at hand? To your right?

A: Left - Three of my wedding pictures
A: Right - My daily planner and my mouse

9) If you took a six month sabbatical from your work / life situation, what would you do?

A: If money were no issue, I would travel the world with my husband.

10) If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to?

A: Probably Brooke or Melanie, since those are names we are considering if we have a girl.

11) If you were stranded on an island and could take ONE person with you, who would it be?

A: Well, that's easy, Danny of course!

12) What is your favorite (encouraging) quote?

A: A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it.

13) What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

A: My husband, Danny, accepted me for who I am from day one. He knows me inside and out and has forgiven me for my mistakes, loved me during my worst of days and always been a shoulder to lean on. He balances me and is the piece in my life that was always missing.