Double Digits

Today marks a new milestone for my pregnancy...double digits!  We are officially down to 99 days and I am 6 months along.  Tomorrow I will be 26 weeks, which means by next Sunday I will be entering the third and final trimester.  It's sort of bitter sweet.  As I get one step closer to having my sweet baby girl in my arms, the reality of it all sets in and I feel like I still have so much to do and so much to prepare.  Speaking of to-do's, Danny installed the chair molding in the nursery today.  It looks great! 

This weekend was busy but relaxing at the same time.  On Friday we went and saw Iron Man II at the new theater in town.  The movie was pretty good.  After the movie we headed home and climbed in bed.  Saturday morning came and we greeted the morning with laundry, hyper puppies and coffee, can't forget the coffee!!  Danny went to the lake with a friend and drove jet skis for the day.  I went yard sale hunting with no successful finds, but it was nice to have the morning with no real plans.  I finally got my hair trimmed for the first time in about 6 months, I just never make time for that sort of thing.  It's not on my radar of important things to do.  Saturday afternoon I went to Danny's cousins baby shower then headed home to relax for the evening.  Danny got home around 7:00 and was asleep on the couch by 7:30.  He finally had enough of the rustling of dogs feet and the TV so he went to bed.  Yep, he was in bed for the night by about 8:30.  Talk about a boring Saturday night!!!  I searched the web, got on my baby message board that I participate on and joined some ladies for a late night chat session.  Yes, this is what my life has become. 

Today has been a lazy day filled with staying in my PJ's, raiding the fridge far too often and napping pretty uneventful.  The floors could use a good cleaning, the windows need to be washed from wet nose and slobber marks, dusting for the third time this week wouldn't be a bad idea either, but I just didn't get the motivation to do any of the above.  Instead I ate bagels with too much cream cheese, sat on the front porch with my husband and drank up my morning coffee and gave myself a few hours to scrapbook.  And I didn't feel guilty about it. Sometimes life is just too short to worry about the dog hair on the floor, eating healthy or keeping up with my chores.  That's what Monday is for, right?  

My friend Mickey has let me borrow her at home doppler so I have gotten to listen to Marissa's heartbeat a few times this weekend.  I could sit and listen to her all day long.  Her heartbeat has been pretty steady, right around 145-150bpm.  Apparently Danny has been paying more attention at the Doctor's visits than I have because he had to "show me the ropes" on finding her heartbeat.  He looked like a pro as he took the little wand and honed in on our little girl's heartbeat.  Talk about adorable!  

I know that most old wives tales (OWT) don't hold true, but I'm hoping this next one has some validity...I have H.E.A.R.T.B.U.R.N!!!  The OWT goes that if you have heartburn while pregnant, your baby will be born with a head full of hair.  Now I don't get heartburn often, but tonight this little girl is killing me!  I have this terrible feeling that our little girl is going to be born with no hair, so maybe she is growing some now?  I guess time will tell.

Tomorrow embarks another work week, another Manic Monday and a day closer to August 23rd.  So goodnight blogger world, another day has come and gone!

~*104 Days to Go, 104 Days to Grow*~

My, the time sure is flying! I know I keep saying that but in 104 days (give or take a few) we will have a bright new star to fill our hearts and the empty space that I've been nesting in. Our sweet baby girl is growing and kicking and letting me know all is well. As each day passes and August grows nearer, my "to~do" list grows and I start to become slightly overwhelmed.


Though the past few days have been a bit chilly for my taste, I know the heat is coming which means fun in the sun and not wanting to be glued to the house for last minute projects and chores. We have so much to do before Marissa arrives but with summer also comes barbeques, the river, spending more time in my rocking chair on the front porch and taking in those dew filled mornings with a hot cup of coffee. Trips to visit friends and family, staying out too late to enjoy the heat of the night, watching the stars as the moon rises and soaking in every inch of sun light the day has to offer. This summer I will probably also find myself sitting pool side, trying my best to cool off while still getting to enjoy those hot summer days.

Just an example of how crazy and hectic the months to come will be; this past weekend gave us a little taste. It was Mother’s Day weekend so we decided to visit my mom, 2 hours away. Danny and I stayed home on Friday and got a few things done around the house, watched a movie together and snuggled before hitting the hay. Danny slept in on Saturday while I enjoyed my coffee, I got some peace and quiet while the dogs napped in sun spots and I sat in my new glider thinking of all the time to come that will be spent in that chair with our new little girl. After enjoying some time to myself, I decided it was time for the dogs to give Daddy a wakeup call. All I had to say was “go wake Daddy” and the pups were bouncing and wagging and jumping in bed, licking Daddy’s face, letting him know it was time to greet the day!

Here are some pictures of my new glider, thanks to my mom and dad.  It is so comfy and I can't believe that in just a few short months there will be a baby in my arms!

After packing up the car and dropping the dogs off for an overnight “sleepover” we hit the road for our two hour journey through the Shenandoah Mountains. The trees were in full bloom and the air was crisp and fresh.

We arrived at my parents early afternoon, around 2:00 and immediately left to go visit some family friends for their son’s 5th birthday party at the park. We talked and caught up with everyone for a few hours then headed home for mom and dad to make grilled asparagus, grilled rockfish, garlic toast and homemade mashed potatoes. I’m a pretty good cook, but it’s always nice having someone else cook for you. My mom also surprised me with a really great Mother’s Day present. I received the ‘Angel of Mine’ Willow Tree figurine which is a handmade carving of a mother and her child. It’s precious and couldn’t have been a better gift for a Mother-to-be!

We called it an early night around 10:00 pm because morning would come far too soon. I was up on Sunday before the alarm went off at 6:30 am and got ready for the day. We were out of the house and on the road for some 7-11 coffees by 7:00 and headed to my old hometown of Berryville for breakfast with my family. My grandma, grandpa, brother, his girlfriend, my parents, Danny and I as well as my uncle and his girlfriend all enjoyed a Mother’s Day breakfast buffet at the local VFW. After stuffing myself with chipped beef gravy and biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon and fried potatoes, we said our goodbye’s and hit the road once more to head home.

On the way home we stopped at the Blandy Garden Fair in hopes of seeing my old High School Horticulture teacher. We had no such luck but I was able to pick up some goodies! Danny bought me two hummingbird feeders that use wine bottles and are made out of copper to hang on the porch for my first Mother’s Day. I also got enough flowers to make two large flower pots for the front porch. I was a happy camper after our unexpected detour.

On our way home we picked up the dogs from the sitters (thanks Amanda & Bear) and boy were they TIRED! I think they were passed out in the back before we made it out of their community. We made it home in enough time to unload the car, run to the grocery store, and unpack our things and head over to Danny’s parents’ house to celebrate Mother’s Day with his mom. We grilled out steaks, I made broccoli salad, and we had potato salad and regular salad. Talk about a lot of salad! It was good though. It was nice to enjoy the family time together and we watched Danny’s three nephews and our dogs run around the back yard, playing on the swing set, chasing each other and driving their power wheels cars around.

The air was cooling and it was time to head home and wind down from the weekend. I fell asleep on Danny on the couch around 7:00 and didn’t wake up until 9:00. I checked a few emails and decided to hit the hay for the night, I was exhausted! I slept until 6:30 the next morning (with the exception of a few bathroom breaks in the night). A busy weekend takes a lot out of a pregnant girl!

Monday morning came and went, another work week started and I am now one week closer to August 23rd. I can’t believe that 25 weeks have gone by with the blink of an eye. Monday afternoon I dug my fingers into the dirt and gave my plants a new home. I hope that they flourish and bloom all summer long. There’s something about the bright pink and yellow blossoms of petunias that bring a smile to my face.

Here is my 25 Week Belly Picture and I figured I would throw in a bare belly pic (also 25 weeks) just because I'm too scared to post it on facebook. :)

Now that I’ve written a short novel, I have come to realize how much I truly miss and enjoy writing, even though I'm not that good at it and sometimes I'm not even sure what I write makes sense. In my High School days (*gasp* almost 6 years ago, now!) I wrote a lot of poetry and let words flow freely to ease my mind and get through some of those tough years of early love, relationships and finding myself. I should dig some of those journals out and see how much I have changed and grown into the person I am today. But that is for another day.

Nursery Update!

Remember those letters that spelled out MARISSA?  Well, they have finally found their home.  I am proud to present my finished product!  I'm not the craftiest person out there, but it is so rewarding making something that sets your baby's nursery apart from all the rest.  This isn't something you can buy in the store, it comes from hours of dedication and from all the love in my heart.   

And here's a few photos from our "24 Week Photo Session"  These look professional, right?  Lol, excuse my pajamas and crazy hair.  It was a long day (didn't get much sleep the night before) and I had JUST changed into my pajamas when I realized I hadn't taken my 24 week belly pictures yet.  My outfit was much better than the pj's in the picture, but I just didn't have the energy to look cute for the camera.  Hey, it is what it is!

Love you Baby Girl!!

Happy V~Day to Me (a day late)

What is V~Day you might ask? Well, really it doesn't mean much but according to some, it is the "viability" date, which is 24 weeks. The baby has the highest chance of surviving outside of the womb at 24 weeks and beyond. Ultimately, to me, it means I am one week closer to carrying Marissa to full term. I pray that we continue to progress through the pregnancy and that she does not decide to come anytime soon. It doesn't mean that my baby will survive if she decides to come now, but it does mean that her chances of survival have dramatically increased.




The nursery is coming along really well and I am so excited! The walls have been painted pink and brown and it looks GREAT! Danny still has some work to do and I've been pushing him to get it all done before I get too far along and I'm huge, uncomfortable, hot and tired. He says we have "plenty" of time, but we're almost down to the double digits! Oh my! To finish up Danny's portion of the nursery, he has to paint all of the trim, closet doors and the bedroom door white. He also needs to install chair molding to separate the pink and brown paint. The closet needs to be painted and a new closet organizer needs to be installed. We've ordered all of the nursery furniture and he will have to put all of it together. Over the weekend he put together the crib and I love, love, LOVE it!!! Now it just has to sit in the middle of the room until he is finished painting. We also received the combo dresser/changing table and he needs to put that together soon. The glider, ottoman and hutch to the dresser should be here within the next few weeks. So exciting! To say I've been nesting is an understatement. =)

Yesterday we had our 24 week appointment. Marissa's heartbeat was at 150, and the nurse said that Marissa doesn't like the doppler because she was moving around a lot. The doctor measured my stomach and I'm right on track, 24 centimeters; 16 centimeters to go. I don’t know if my stomach can grow that big! He said my weight, blood pressure and measurements are perfect and that he thinks I will continue to progress with no problems. It's such a relief going to the doctor's office and hearing her on the doppler. It eases my mind for a few weeks and lets me know she is doing just fine in there, even when I can't always feel her.

This was the inspriration for Marissa's middle name.  Irises are one of my favorite flowers and they have the sweetest smell and most delicate blooms. 

I go in about 3 weeks to have my gestational diabetes blood work done. Hopefully there will be no problems there! Our next appointment is June 1st and I will be 28 weeks and a day along. We will be having our last sonogram (providing everything is going well) to check my placenta. At our 20 week ultrasound the sonographer discovered that I have a low lying placenta. They want to make sure that it has moved up and out of the way of the cervix. They said about 99% of the time it is not a concern, but they want to double check just to make sure! My mom and Danny will be coming to see the sonogram. My mom has never seen one in person before (she didn’t have any when she had my brother and I) so she is excited to get to experience that and to get to see Marissa for the first time.


My friend Mickey had her baby last Wednesday, April 28th. I went and saw him in the hospital on Thursday and Danny and I went to visit them at home on Saturday. He is just so stinkin’ cute! I hope that Marissa and Hunter will have play dates in the future. It just amazes me at how little babies are. Even though Hunter was a whopping 8 pounds 9 ounces (I think that’s how much he weighed) he is still so tiny and delicate!



More updates on the nursery to come soon. I still haven’t had any wild cravings or outrageous pregnancy symptoms. I’ve been blessed with such an easy pregnancy and I’ve loved just about every minute of it. It’s such an amazing feeling knowing that I’m growing a person inside of me.

Nursery and Pregnancy Update

Lucky number 22 was on Monday!  18 Weeks to go!  Here's my favorite picture from our 22 week photo session (aka Danny snapping a few photos for me). 

I've been gearing up for the weekend and getting excited that my mom is coming to paint the nursery for me.  I went to Lowe's last weekend and picked out paint.  We've decided on a two tone color with chair molding in between.  We will be doing pink on the top and chocolate on the bottom with white chair molding.  I hope it turns out nice!  I also received Marissa's bedding set in the mail last weekend (see below).  It's so cute!  It's simple, but I love the colors and can't wait to see it all together with the crib.  My mother in law ordered the crib for us last week and it should arrive in about a week or two.  We're still in the beginning stages of the nursery but I think after this weekend we will be well on our way to the perfect room for our little girl! 

I've also been working on some craft projects for Marissa's room.  Remember that "M" from my last post?  Well, here's the finished product!  However, it won't be 100% finished until it is on the wall, behind the crib in the nursery and we have little Marissa here with us.  :)

I decided to make a lamp shade in coordinating fabric with the letters.  I L-O-V-E the outcome!  So stinkin' cute!  Have I mentioned that mod-podge is my new favorite craft supply (thanks, Kristin)?  I've already used half a bottle!

DIY Nursery Decor - Sneak Peek!!

Here's my first DIY project for the nursery.  It's been a bit time consuming but I think the end result will make it all worth while!  I'm really excited to see the final product. More pictures to come soon!

We also picked out the name for our little girl.  Her name is going to be:

Marissa Iris

Danny and I love the name.  Danny actually picked out Marissa and I picked Iris.  I love that you don't hear either name that often.  It's unique but not too out there.  We've had a few people kind of give us that look like "really, you're naming your kid that?"  It's kind of annoying all the (unwanted) opinions people feel they need to throw at you when you are pregnant.  I don't like people telling me how I'm going to feel when my child gets here, or what I will or will not do as a parent.  You don't know what I'm going to do and pushing your beliefs and views on me is very rude and frustrating.  Just smile and nod, right!?  I just wish people would be supportive!  I am grateful for those few people that have been supportive on my parenting decisions and have respected that this is my child and I need to learn and explore parenthood with my husband as a family. 

I'm 21 weeks along today, 19 to go.  Over the weekend a friend of ours gave us a ton of baby girl goodies!  We got a walker, a swing, a vibrating chair, a few toys, a large bag of clothes, a crib and a dresser.  We decided that we would let Danny's parents keep the crib and dresser at their house.  We have a nursery set that we want to purchase.  It was very, very generous of our friend to give us this stuff though.  It will all be put to good use and I can't wait to see Marissa in the adorable little outfits!

Well, it's getting late and my bed is calling my name.  If only my hubby was here to snuggle. :-(

Half Baked

Yesterday was the big day!  Danny and I had our 20 week ultrasound.  We got good news that the baby is growing and progressing on track, the baby looks healthy and we will continue to pray for our little one to grow healthy and strong.

We also found out that we are having a baby G-I-R-L!!!  I guess me wearing pink in all of my belly pictures really did have an underlying meaning.  Danny and I are both so excited.  I think Danny is a little nervous about having a little girl.  I think he is already scheming in the back of his mind how to chase boys off.  He's so funny.  I know time will fly, but lets at least let the little one make her appearance before Daddy goes running off every boy in town. 

It was amazing getting to see our little angel move around on the ultrasound.  She wasn't very active and the sonographer actually had no trouble getting any of the measurements.  We did get to see her moving her lips and sticking out her tongue.  It was so adorable!  Danny says she has a button nose.  I know she is our child and that we have to think she is the cutest thing ever, but really, she looks so darn cute on the sonogram.  I can't wait to meet that sweet face in August!  Perfection is only in the eye of the beholder.

After our appointment with the sonographer we met with the Doctor to discuss the results.  He said everything looked great, the only problem is I have a low-lying placenta.  Right now there is no need to worry, they have scheduled another sonogram for 28 weeks to check and see if it has gone up at all (the good part is I get another ultrasound, the 20 week one was supposed to be my last!).  I am hoping that my placenta begins to rise so that we can continue on with our natural birth plan.  If it hasn't, I guess we will deal with that when the time comes.

I'm really excited to start the nursery.  I plan to go shopping this weekend to start registering and to get ideas of what we like.  I hope that we can get the nursery furniture soon.  My mom and a few friends have offered to help paint the nursery when the time comes.  The good thing is that it is a small room.  I just want to have everything ready before she makes her arrival.  Daddy says his whole house is going to be pink!  :)  I can't promise that it won't be filled with barbies, dolls and dresses, but I can promise that the first time she bats her eye lashes at Daddy, his heart will melt.  I can just feel it, she's going to be a daddy's girl!

We have a few names that are in the running, we're about 99% sure which one we are going to pick.  We want to keep it a secret until we have it firmly in place though, just so we can avoid everyone's opinions and likes/dislikes.  I really like the name we have picked out though, I think it's really pretty.

Here's a few pictures of our little girl: