We are on team....

PINK!! Our little girl was not shy at the ultrasound on Friday...she was wiggling all around it was pretty difficult for the u/s tech to even see the "goods" at first. But, eventually she got a good look & is 100% sure that we are having a little girl in November! Here's the "money" shot from the u/s on Friday:


I loved the ultrasound, but of course, I always love seeing Baby J. And by doing this (non-medical) u/s instead of attempting to move up my official anatomy scan, I still get to see her again in a couple weeks, woot! Best $75 ever spent & we got to find out what we are having a few weeks early, which has enabled me to get started on my crafting (I've already been to Michaels for the supplies for 2 of my planned projects - more on them lata :o). As you all know, I'm really into DIY crafts & decorating, so my baby girl's room will be no exception! And although I didn't pay for a 3D/4D scan, the nice tech did a few for us anyways, here's the best one - it's a top view looking down on the baby, so you can see her head, nose & a little bit of her body:


As for the hubbs - he's really excited about his little girl. I think he was in shock at first - because literally EVERYONE we knew thought it was a boy, including me. And all men want at least one son, but there's (God willing) always a next time & we are both absolutely thrilled as long as she's happy & healthy. He calls her by her name now when he rubs my belly & tells her he loves her - it literally melts my heart! She's so gonna have her daddy wrapped around her little finger & I can't wait to see him hold her for the first time. We told the rest of my family (my sisters that is; already told my dad, mom & my MIL because we knew they wouldn't be at the BBQ) today during our cookout. I baked a 2-layer cake with pink frosting inside & had my sister cut it to reveal the gender! She was so happy for us:

Wasn't my cake pretty? I was pretty proud of myself considering the fact that I'm not a baker...at all.

None of our parents could make it to the BBQ, but they are all very excited too - especially my mom who had been hoping for a granddaughter! After our 20 week anatomy scan, we'll likely go & register...I'll probably start working on a wish list of sorts soon, so please let me know if any of you mamas out there have product recommendations. My sister & a few close friends have already started planning my shower, which is set for October 2nd! I feel like everything is starting to happen so quickly & we can't wait to meet our beautiful little girl in November!

And consequently - this BIG news post happens to be my 100th! I can't believe I have made it to 100 posts already - thanks so much to all my readers for the support & for actually caring what I have to say! Time flies, haha. 'Till next time!

I love it when...

Target's stuff goes on clearance! LOVE. After finding out the baby's sex on Friday, the hubbs & I ran past Target to pick up some t-shirts for him & we walked out with the t-shirts + my awesome new lightweight bedding: 

So here's the deal - I had been in the market for new lightweight bedding to use in the spring & summer for a while now & while browsing aimlessly doing some essential shopping at Target a couple months ago, I saw this Dwell Studio birdie bedding & knew it would be absolutely perfect for our birdie-themed (but still very adult) Master Bedroom. But, pump 'ya brakes woman...the quilt was $70 & each sham (I'd want two total) was $25 - that's $120 total. A cost the hubbs would surely deny for an unplanned purchase. So I sadly walked away from my perfect lightweight bedding, thinking that I'd find something else...some day. Le sigh.

But on Friday, I just so happened to be back in that very same Target - this time with my hubby - and decided to take him over by the bedding to show him my perfect lightweight bedding. JUST to show him & to my pleasant surprise, those lovely red & white Target clearance stickers were on the only remaining queen-size quilt (on clearance for $48.98) & last two shams (on clearance for $17.48/each)!! Holler!

::bats big eyes at hubby, makes sad face & pleads for said bedding because it's such a good price::

So, after several minutes of deep consideration on the part of my awesome husband, he approved the purchase! Yaay! About $84 (before tax) & a quick machine washing/drying when we got home, I put my lovely bedding on our bed:

And a little closer...

So what do you think? I absolutely love the bedding & sleeping under that, rather than our heavier bedding, felt amazing last night. I can't wait to go lay in my bed again tonight! Tomorrow is Memorial Day (well I guess today now, huh?) & we are telling my family the sex at our BBQ, then I'll tell all of you! We already told the hubby's mama since she does not live around here & I told my dad because he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to the BBQ tomorrow since he was admitted to the hospital on Friday (he got released today btw...yaaay!).  I accidentally slipped & told a friend already over the phone today, sheesh. I'm no good at keeping exciting news under wraps - or maybe I am? I'm actually a lock box of lots of interesting secrets that no one will ever know, bwahahahaha....okay, sorry for the evil laugh. Welp, hope everyone has a good one tomorrow - I am excited to have an extra day off & to remember all the heroes that have valiantly fought for our country. Project Nursery + big gender reveal coming lata this week! 'Till next time!

Quick 5QF + weekly recap - 5/28

Hey there everyone! Well, I did it again...I was totally planning on doing my 5QF weekly post last night, but then the hubby offered to take me shopping for maternity clothes & who turns down shopping? Then I was hungry, so we tried this yummy new (to us anyways, we had never been before) Italian place near our house - YUMMY! And then when I got home I was pooped, but I was determined to do this post, so I opened up my lap top...and passed out on the couch. LOL. I guess that's a pregnant woman for ya! But I digress, now I am here & ready to give you what you've all been waiting for (in my my mind) - this week's 5QF & weekly recap.

Well for the recap, there's not much to tell - this week was pretty uneventful. Work, home, sleep. I got Dizzle {my puppy big dog who thinks he's a baby} a much needed grooming, so that made me happy because he was a stinkin'! I also got back in the gym this week; I am determined to walk/swim at least 2-3 times per week. we pay $60 a month for my part of that membership & I'm sick of wasting money, so I'm back! Got a bunch of maternity shirts from Gap last night courtesy of my hubby {it was a birthday gift} & I even tried on the fake big belleh they provide to women trying on maternity clothes! I tried to get Dennis to take a pic of me with it on, but he refused, hahaha. But it was sooo weird seeing that big 'ol belly under my clothes, lol. I guess there will be a real one soon! The biggest news from this week is that this morning we will be going to find out what Baby J is! I scheduled an early appointment at one of those 3D/4D places...impatience is a disease. Hopefully Baby J will not take after his/her mama in that respect! I am so excited though because I haven't even told my family that we are finding out today & they are coming over for a Memorial Day BBQ this weekend, so we will tell them then! I do have one bit of bad news from this week - my dad was admitted to the hospital last night. He'll be fine, but they are saying he has diabetes - type 2. My papa is overweight & does not eat healthy or exercise...so I'm hoping he takes this as a wake up call to get healthier & lose some weight. I love him & I want him to be around for a long, long time! I hope he can make it to the BBQ on Monday because he is sooooo excited about his newest grandbaby & I know he'll wanna be there when we tell everyone the news. If he can't make it, then he'll get a phone call before the BBQ with the news. Now, let's just hope Baby J cooperates this morning!!

So, on to 5QF! If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my reader's answers)!

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?

Yes...either bungee jumping or sky diving! I'm too much of a scardy cat to do those things & especially now since we have a little one to think about. I guess a roller coaster, jet skiing, or  para sailing will be how I get my thrills, lol. I'd also like to eventually go hot air ballooning, but that will eventually get accomplished. 

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?

Right now?! Probably nursery stuff, haha. But I'd tell the hubbs about it. He wouldn't try to stop me, not successfully anyways, lol. He knows how excited I am about the babe so he generally just goes along with it. I have sooo many thing on my wish list for the nursery, so I could definitely spend $100 quick. After we find out what we are having we may have to take a trip back to Baby Gap too because we saw some ADORABLE things there last night (Gap Maternity is inside Baby Gap - clever buggers).

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?

What's that thingy called that that looked like a dome that you climbed on? The jungle gym? Oh, I LOVED that thing at the playground back in my day, lol.  We would spend hours at the playground when we were children - that's the problem with some of today's kids...they play video games & watch too much TV, they need to get out! My mom used to have to make us come in from playing outside. I definitely want my kid to be more active than some of the video game/TV-obsessed kids nowadays.

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?

I like both kinds, but even with hearty I need a little something sweet even if it's just jam/jelly on toast. :)

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?

I try to be a Neat Freak, but it sometimes my house looks closer to Messy Bessy-style. I try to find a happy medium really. I know everything can't always be perfectly organized, all the time. So I don't freak out from clutter, but I do try to keep my house presentable. Lived in, but presentable. We'll see if any of that changes (I have been told it will), when the babe gets here!

I have to run off to my u/s now, then I have a graduation party later tonight, so I'll check in again later this weekend with my first Project Nursery post + Baby J's gender reveal {please cooperate today little one}!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!  'Till next time! 

My 27th birthday + 16 weeks

As usual, I'm pretty late posting my 16 week pregnancy post, but again, work has been crazy. Before I get to baby stuff though, I wanted to share some pics from my 27th birthday last weekend!

One of my BFF's happens to have a birthday the day after mine & we have a lot of friends in common (from college & what not), so we decided to have a joint birthday weekend celebration. The event on my birthday was a BBQ at my house & the "event" the next day was a low-key lunch with a bunch of friends at this Mexican place in DC! There was  A LOT of food & drinks and lots of our friends came out:

The Birthday girls!! <3

 Me & my co-worker friends :o)

 Me & my line sisters (we pledged our sorority together & remain close friends/sister today :o)

The hubbs & I...he wanted to put his hand really spread out on my belleh, lol.

 I couldn't leave this baby out - my friend Sarah brought my this cutie from Coldstone b/c I LOVE ice cream cake! It's my new lover favorite cake, ahhhh-mazing! And I still have one little piece left waiting for me in the freezer. :o)

And from lunch the next day - me & one of my other BFF's

All in all, it was a great weekend....with lots of good friends & family. And the weather was perfect on my birthday (Friday) for the BBQ, but it was a little crappy the rest of the weekend - raining & stuff.So I had fun, but I was happy when it ended & so was my poor husband. He had been hard at work trying to finish up getting the nursery painted, cleared out & the crib put together so all my friends could see it. He knew I was excited to show it off, so even though I told him it was no rush to get the crib together, he did for me. :o) And I'll have those pics for you guys soon too. We were literally pooped though because after we got home from lunch on Saturday, we both fell asleep from about 6PM until 9AM'ish the next morning, lol.

As far as Baby J goes - I'm 16 weeks 5 days today, but I never updated when I officially hit 16 weeks. It has been a good week baby-wise. We have actually started looking into a lot of the stuff we need to think about - like day care, strollers, bedding, etc. etc. I also had my 16 week appointment with my OB. There are 3 different doctors (2 women, 1 man) at my practice & pregnant patients are required to see all three throughout their pregnancies in order to get to know them all b/c whoever is on-call when you go into labor - that's who's delivering you. We met the guy doctor this week - Dr. W & I really like him! He's cool, very laid back & funny. He asked me if I had any questions & I had two - one about childbirth classes & the other about when I could schedule my BIG ultrasound (to find out the baby's sex & for the Dr.'s to make sure baby is doing good & growing normally in there). My OB allows patients to get it done between 18-20 weeks & I asked if I could do it at 17 weeks 6 days since I turned exactly 18 weeks on Saturdays & he said yeah! I was sooo excited. We also heard Baby J's sweet heartbeat for the first time, woot! It was a strong 155 bpm (greatest birthday present ever) & based on that, Dr. W says he thinks it's a girl, lol. He said, "hey, I have a 50% chance of being right." My hubby looked worried when he said that, lol - he wants a boy first - I think he's just nervous about having a girl & dealing with boys later on in her life, tee hee. 

So back to my ultrasound - I called on Monday to schedule the appointment, but the u/s scheduling lady tried talking me out of doing it at 18 weeks. She basically didn't even give me the option - annoying!  She said she'd compromise with me at 19 weeks, but I just went ahead and did 20 since I'm off the day before I officially hit 20 weeks. Buuuuuuuuut, since I'm extremely impatient, I am going to one of those 3D/4D ultrasound places to find out what the babe is this Saturday!! Please pray that Baby J cooperates for his momma...I'm soooo excited to find what s/he is so I can start buying stuff. :oP

According to The Bump, this week our little one is the size of an avocado. Tiny bones are forming in his/her ears now, so s/he can definitely hear the two of us talking to him/her all the time! His eyebrows lashes & hair are all also starting to fill in & his taste buds are forming. I think there's definitely some sorta growth going on in my uterus this week because I can definitely feel it. I am still feeling good overall though - just random aches & pains here & there, sore boobs, going to sleep much earlier than normal, but besides that I'm feeling great. I think my shirts are getting a little shorter, so I may need to look into maternity shirts soon. 

Here are this week's bump shots, taken at 16 weeks exactly on Saturday, May 22, 2010:

 Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

The first of my Project Nursery series coming later this week (likely Saturday or Sunday, but perhaps tomorrow)!!! I am so looking forward to this holiday weekend - we are having another BBQ with family with all the food we had left oevr from my Brithday BBQ! I heart BBQs....they are definitely one of my favorite things about the summer.

I'm being featured on Craftaholoics Anonymous this week!

Hey there everyone! I hope everyone had an great weekend! Mine was good...very fun, but LOOONG. As I mentioned on Thursday, my 27th Birthday was Friday & we had a big BBQ to celebrate with lots of friends, food & drinks (the non-alchy type for me ;o)!! I have lots of pics to share from my birthday weekend, my 16 week pregnancy update + some exciting baby news & the first of my Project Nursery series posts.

Besides all that exciting awesomeness, my DIY Spring (but-keeping-it-up-for-summer) Initial Wreath is being featured on Linda's fab blog Craftaholics Anonymous this week as a part of her reader's tutorial week!!





I know there were several very talented bloggers who submitted their projects & I am SO honored that my wreath was chosen to be featured. Head on over to Craftaholics Anonymous this week to check out my feature + all the other cool DIY projects from other talented bloggers - all with tutorials, so you can DIY them too! If you do decide to DIY a project featured this week, please leave the link to your post in a comment, so I can check it out! I love showing support for my readers! And stay tuned for all the exciting stuff I have coming up this week!!

Spring Cleaning - Part Deux

Finally right?! OMG, life has been so busy the last few weeks & I have been procrastinating on actually putting this list in writing. Don't ask me why, but I feel like if I blog it, I must DO IT, lol. But, I got a lot done at work today, so I'm taking my last 30'sih minutes at the office to put up this list...finally. This list will be for the main & upper levels of our townhouse (Parts II & III if you are following along form my first Spring Cleaning post). I'll do the basement list separately, but I need input from the hubbs on that b/c that's his "man cave" & I'm not to make plans for down there unless he approves them first, hahaha. That's so changing when Baby J gets here! After I get all the lists up, then I'll post updates on how we are doing on everything.

As I mentioned before, these have turned more into spring/summer/getting-ready-for-Baby-J lists, so everything won't be done before the spring is over (in just a bout a month...eeek!).  Anywho, here goes....

Main Level To Do's:

Living Room

Powder Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

We actually don't have too much to do on this level for the time being, or at least anything we anticipate having done before Baby J gets here. We are absolutely going to be either painting or replacing our cabinets (you can see how sun damaged some of the sides are in the above photos - boo to the sun for that one) & getting new counter tops in the kitchen at some point & we'd also like to add a back splash. I'm looking at a few options, but our main D&R priority right now is the baby's room. Eventually we will also replace our old @ss fridge & oven with new appliances that are a bit more energy efficient (read: not original to the house - like our fridge is & the oven is just crappy). I'm also trying to beg persuade my husband into some DIY crown molding, which I think will make our little joint kitchen/dining room look 10 million times better. Oh & I'd also like to replace ALL of the white, aluminum horizontal blind in the house with the shades we got for our bedroom, which are these fabricky {I realize that's not a word, lol}, light-blocking, honeycomb shades - I LOVE them!  So the list for this level will be short, but here goes:

• Replace all remaining brass/old light fixtures in all three areas - there are a total of 4 left, including the powder room light fixture.
• Get ceiling painted in all 3 rooms, but especially the living room.
• Buy new rug for living room.
• Mop hardwoods in all areas; I usually do only a few good moppings a year - I spot clean with our steam mop in between time.
• Replace powder room brass fixtures - everything in this house was brass when we bought it, so we are slowly, but surely switching out everything for brushed nickle fixtures.
• Find & install valance over sliding glass door.

Upper Level To Do's:

Master Bedroom

Master/Upstairs Bath

Guest Room...being turned into Nursery!!

This level has already gone thru many many changes this year between our Master Bedroom re-do & the Master Bathroom re-do & now the currently in progress Guest Room/Nursery re-do! Because of our newest edition, we have lots of things to do on this level:

• Remove all the furniture & other misc. stuff from the guest room, go thru it, get rid of what we don't need, recycle anything that can be recycled, sell/give away furniture, pack up our personal items that we are keeping for storage in the attic.
• Clean out guest room closet; buy additional storage drawers for extra storage (something like this).
• Paint, buy furniture for, replace all outlet covers, replace blinds & decorate nursery.
• Find fillers for master bedroom apothecary jars/vase.
• Purchase lightweight bedding for the master bed for use during the hotter months.
• Go thru clothes & pull out items to donate.
• Buy same type of storage drawers for extra clothing space in my closet.
• Decorate master bath over toilet storage nook.
• Go thru boxes in attic & get rid of anything we don't need any more.
• Get carpets steam cleaned.
• Replace any remaining brass light fixtures in hallway.

I think that's it. The list for the upper level doesn't look that big, but it's a lot of work. The first item, which is done (yaaay!), took us like two weeks to complete. But all the stuff (minus the stuff in the closet) is gone or put in a new location. :)

Stay tuned for the lower level of the house portion of this list & updates on how far we've come since starting spring/summer/getting ready for Baby J cleaning! Tomorrow is my 27th Birthday, woot! And we are having a big summer BBQ @ my casa {complete with my fav mocktails}, so I'm not sure I'll be participating in 5QF this week, but I'll post some pics from the BBQ on Saturday or Sunday. 'Till next time!

15 weeks - 25 more to go!

My title my be a bit misleading...I say "25 more to go" because so far pregnancy has been such a waiting game for me. Don't get me wrong - I am SO excited about our little one, but I always feel like I'm waiting for the next appointment, for my bump to come in (I actually think I'm growing thru a growth spurt right now!!), for the next ultrasound, to feel the baby move, to find out the sex, etc. etc. I'd say that the first few months of pregnancy, especially for a first time momma like ma'self, are so full of worry about the "what if's" that you don't get to fully enjoy your pregnancy. I have started to try & just enjoy everything we have to come with this little one, but I am far from being completely worry-free. I think it's natural for any mom - I once read a quote that basically said that having a child was like having your heart walking around outside of your body. So true already & my LO isn't even here yet! Because I'm starting to really see & feel my bump forming, I think it's hitting me more that I am already a mama...my baby isn't here yet, but s/he will be soon enough. God-willing, s/he will be born healthy & happy & strong!

My 16 week appointment is this Friday & I'm pretty excited, but I always get a little nervous before the appointments. Do all first time mamas feel like this? It's like nervous excitement. This will be the first with a doctor - I have seen nurses & the nurse practitioner in my previous appointments, but never one of
the OBs. My OB's office has three doctors - 2 women, 1 man. I think my appointment on Friday is with the guy doctor. I have a few questions for this next appointment, like when should I schedule childbirth & breastfeeding classes and most importantly - when can I schedule the BIG u/s?!?!?! The one where we find out what little Baby J is. So exciting!

According to The Bump, this week baby is as big as an an orange - about 4 inches long & 2.5 ounces! All of his joints are fully functional & he/she is moving around like crazy in there! Hopefully I'll be able to feel his/her movement soon can't wait! If I were to have an ultrasound, I'd likely see the baby yawning or sucking it's thumb! The baby's skin is very thin & transparent and his/her bones are getting harder & harder every day!

Today I am 15 weeks 3 days pregnant, and although I'm just now posting my weekly update, I take my "bump" pics on time every week (Saturdays)...so here is the 15 week shots:

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

See it? See my little bump forming? I can't wait till it's a noticeable bump & people don't have to guess whether I'm pregnant or not, lol. We have been SO busy this week getting our house cleaned up for my birthday BBQ on Friday & getting the nursery cleared out. I have pictures to share soon & the first of my Project Nursery series also coming soon. But tomorrow - the Spring Cleaning/Summer Cleaning/Getting Ready for Baby J To Do list for the main & upstairs levels of the house! 'Till next time!

5 Question Friday + weekly recap - 5/14

What the hey? Two posts in one day?! <--- side note: I originally started this post last night, then fell asleep, lol. I was working from home today, so it was a little more chill than it is in the office. It's been freezing in my house today - we only have the A/C on 76 degrees, but for some reason, I am FREEZING...brrr. Maybe I'll turn it up a little higher.

This week went pretty well. I have been sooo busy @ work & getting stuff done for my sorority meeting tomorrow. Speaking of sorority, I have decided to step down from the office I hold in my local chapter & become inactive next year. I am the graduate advisor for the undergrad girls in the sorority that go to my Alma Mater. I'll miss them, but we will stay in touch - I don't live far. I won't, however, miss the drama that comes along with being a grad member of the sorority - it's always SOMETHING with SOMEONE. And people complain too much, but don't ever try to help with what they complain about. It stresses me out, I don't have fun any more, it blows me & I'm basically so DONE. Tomorrow is my last grad chapter meeting. I am sooo happy to be taking a break. I need it. I joined the sorority in 2004 & have not taken a break since then. As soon as I graduated, I joined a graduate chapter & got more & more involved as time went on. Resigning has been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders - I just want to focus on my marriage, my family, our new little addition, finishing some house projects, etc. 

Speaking of our new addition, the nursery furniture we ordered last weekend arrived today!!! I'm so excited! And since hubby knew it was coming this week, he went ahead & got started on the painting, so that's done too! It looks awesome & I can't wait to decorate it. I have sooo many great ideas that I am going to be posting in a feature called "Project Nursery," and I'll include progress pics. Because we had to clear everything out of the nursery, we now have loads of junk in our room & in the basement that we need to go through. We made a dent on the basement stuff, but need to get started on the stuff in our room.


We also attended an HOA meeting on Tuesday night, which was a b!tchfest as normal, lol. But, the good news is, they voted to activate our neighborhood watch - the hubbs & I are volunteering for that group and they also approved the stain colors for the decks on the homes. We have been waiting for so long to get those stain colors approved, so now we need to pick one & get our deck stained & sealed.

************************

Now for this week's 5QF! If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my follower's answers)!

1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?

It honestly depends on the day - I enjoy all three...except on my nights alone, I prefer to stay in the house, cuddle up on the couch & catch up on my DVR'ed shows.

2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

LOL, just tried it. I swear, I used to be able to, but now....nope. :o(

3. What is your favorite flower and why?

I love "fluffy" flowers like ranunculas, peonies, hydrangeas. I think they are so beautiful & full, so I guess that's what draws me to them. I like most flowers, but those three have got to be my favorite!

4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?

Probably ENJOY high school, don't let one guy (my ex boyfriend of 5.5 years - on & off of course) ruin it for you by being tied down & isolated & cheated on, etc. Long story, but he was crazy. Looking back, I think the only times I enjoyed myself in high school was when he & I were broken up...should have told me something right?? You'd think. Ahh, but I was young & thought I was in love, yada yada. I should have realized my full potential - I really wanted to be on the dance team or be a cheerleader; instead I was a football manager/trainer, wrote for the newspaper & took photos for the yearbook (both of which I thoroughly enjoyed). I also compromised my college choices for him - I only applied to the places HE wanted to go, even though I wanted to apply to VA Tech & some other bigger schools. In the end, it worked out for me & he lost out b/c I met Dennis (the hubbs) in college & he didn't even complete one semester...good thing I didn't go down that path with him. But, I hold no grudges & have no regrets, being in & getting out of that relationship taught me soooooooooooooo many things about what I am & not willing to accept from a relationship, so I'm happy about it in the end & have my wonderful husband!

5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?

Quit my job, then (although it doesn't ask in the question for a 2nd & 3rd thing)  I'd buy a big house in my choice of neighborhoods & pay off all our bills. :) Don't get me wrong, I like my job - but I do it to make money, lol. If I had my choice of a perfect job, I'd probably be a party planner, to include weddings!

That's all I got this week! Hope you enjoyed my 5QF...and have a great weekend!

14...almost 15 weeks!

Sooo, I've been a wee bit of a blog slacker this week. I apologize. Work has been INSANE. We have a new employee, I'm training a lady who transferred into my office from another part of my agency on how to do something she has never done & on top of all that, I am still playing catch up from being in training for the last two weeks in April. Then @ home, we have been doing some spring {more like early summer now :o/} cleaning - and I know I still owe you those to do lists. It has turned more from spring cleaning thing into a getting-our-house-ready-for-baby thing, so I'll re-name that list. *smiles*

I'll have sooo many more updates to tell you guys about, but I'll save that recap for this week's 5QF/weekly recap post a little later this evening, but I wanted to get up my 14 week post BEFORE tomorrow b/c then I'll be 15 weeks. Tee hee hee...yeah, I know - I'm late. So, without further adieu...here is my 14 week Baby J update:

Today I am 14 weeks 6 days pregnant & feeling pretty good overall. I still get random aches & pains in my sides, hips & ute area, but I have come to expect them daily & they don't worry me any more. It's essentially soreness in that entire area & I actually get a little paranoid when I don't feel it for too long of a time period. Yesterday though, it was a little more frequent & intense, but not severe. I'm chalking it up to growing pains &/or round ligament/sciatic nerve pain. My boobs are also still slightly sore to the touch & I get daily headaches. I have not stopped going to sleep waaay earlier than I used to; they say the tiredness *~*magically*~* goes away in the 2nd tri & I'm here to tell you - they lie, LOL.

In other news, we got the final results from our NT Scan last week & everything looks great! The geneticist said that Baby J has a 1 in 10,000 chance of being born with Downs Syndrome, Trisomy 13 or 18 - she said that was the lowest possible risk factor based on their standards. I wasn't necessarily worried about the results, since my pregnancy was considered relatively low risk for any of those genetic disorders based on my age & absence of history of any such genetic issues in either of our families, but it still feels great to hear our little one is (based on this test) healthy in there! Thank God!

According to The Bump, this week Baby J is the size of a lemon or a fist!! S/he is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, making urine & breathing in amniotic fluid as his liver, kidney & spleen continue to develop. S/he is also covered in lanugo, which is a thin hair, that grows all over a developing baby's body for warmth - stay warm in there Baby J! I have my 16 week appointment next Friday & hopefully the baby will cooperate this time b/c I can't wait to hear his/her heartbeat for the first time (we have seen it on u/s several times, but never heard it). So far, I have resisted buying one of those at-home Doppler thingys for 2 reasons: 1) I know, if for some reason, I have trouble finding the h/b, I would freaking lose my mind & demand that I be taken to the emergency room (when my inability to find the h/b is related more likely than not to my ignorance in operating medical equipment & not b/c anything would be wrong with the babe), and 2) I'm trying to avoid spending money on unnecessary baby things. I hear 1st time parents make that mistake a lot & I'd rather "waste" my money on cute nursery stuff or baby clothes or toys, rather than on stuff that will make me more paranoid, lol. Oh & also, I'm hoping my OB will give me the go ahead to schedule the BIG ultrasound for sometime in early June! ::squeee:: Can't wait to find out if Baby J is a he or she!

And, here is my 14 week "bump"  (taken on time), which I actually think is starting to develop, woot!

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

Look out for this week's 5QF & weekly recap in a few hours! And coming {hopefully} next week...nursery update; the hubbs painted, we have the glider/ottoman & the furniture is being delivered today!! I'm so excited & I have soooo many ideas for our LO's nursery - I'll NEED your very expert opinions on my plans for the nursery! And of course, the infamous Spring/Summer/Getting Ready for Baby J to do lists! 'Till next time.  ::smooches::

Happy Mother's Day!!

Sorry I missed 5QF this past week, but we were running around getting some errands done on Friday. I have a weekly recap to post & an update on the nursery furniture & other selections we made! I'm so excited to have my hubby get started on it. I also promise promise, promise to get the other sections of my spring & now semi-early summer to do list posted. You guys probably don't care, haha...it's more me needing to ge it written down for myself, so that we get to it all - especially before the baby comes, but hopefully sooner than that. ;o)

Just wanted to do a quick post wishing all my mama & mama-to-be blog friends a very Happy Mother's Day!! My sister & I took my mom out for lunch for Mother's Day on Friday. We both just gave her cards with cash inside so that she can buy whatever she wants - it's REALLY hard to shop for my mom, lol. We had a great lunch & my sister even got me a mommy-to-be Mother's day card! It was so sweet!

My MIL lives about 4 hours away, so we sent her a card, a Visa gift card & a Grandma photo frame with our latest u/s pic! She called today thanking us - she was crying, lol...she always cries. But she thought it was so sweet & we are happy she liked her gift. She even said she's taking it to work to show everyone tomorrow, hahaha.


I went to my one of my really close girlfriend's bridal shower & bachlorette party on Saturday & had a blast (pics to come on my weekly recap post tomorrow)!! Being a pregnant, sober woman, I left a bit early & got home around midnight, which is late for me now! I'm usually in bed by 9:30pm now, lol. My hubby plays flag football on Sundays, so he's usually gone when I wake up, no difference today, but when I woke up & walked down stairs (after accidentally setting off the alarm & Brinks/Broadview calling me), I saw this:

And inside:

Soo sweet - it was from the baby says my hubby. Inside the card, it says: "PS: Who's that guy who's always patting you on the stomach and saying 'Hello in There!?' What a weirdo!!" Then my husband signed, " Love, the baby & that other guy."

It was such a sweet surprise & totally unexpected! Now he's cooking me some yummy BBQ ribs, baked potatoes & green beans! Hope every mama & mama-to-be out there enjoys their Mother's Day!!

13 weeks pregnant w/ belly pics!

Today I am actually 13 weeks 4 days pregnant, which means I'm in the 2nd trimester, woo hoo!! To celebrate, my hubby & I are going nursery furniture shopping this weekend & I just got a coupon in the mail that Babies 'R Us (BRU) has a 20% off nursery furniture sale going on in-store with a shopping pass. I assume you get said pass if you go in & present the mailing you got from BRU & that entitles you to the 20% off? I hope so anyways.

So, according to thebump.com, the babe is the size of a peach this week! His head is more proportionate to his body & he's forming teeth & vocal chords. I also read in some "your pregnancy week by week" email I signed up for that s/he can hear you talk or sing by now in there! I have been feeling pretty good - still always hungry, getting constant headaches, sore boobs, sore lower belly/pelvic area, going to sleep waaay earlier than my pre-pregnancy bed time. But I really can't complain at all, just hoping the little one is doing well in there! I also "came out"/announced the pregnancy on facebook today. It's like a rite of passage or something, bwahahaha....but seriously, it was exciting to share our news & everyone was so happy for us. Okay, okay...now on to the fun stuff - belly pics (at least fun to me, lol)! Here I am at 13 weeks on Saturday:

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

Can't wait till the bump gets bigger & people actually start to notice it! I told both of my bosses this week, so now people at work know as well. I have a co-worker who's actually due like a week before me, so we have had a lot of fun talking about the babies. She's not finding out the sex! I don't think I can do that, I'm too much of a planner & I need to know, lol. Okay, that's it for now - I'm starving, so I need to cook dinner. I'll be posting the other pieces of my spring cleaning lists this week/weekend & updating you on our progress so far. I have been majorly slacking on posting those, sorry! Till next time. :)