Thankful

Sometimes we need a reminder of how good we really have it, to put things in perspective....to really appreciate how much we have to be thankful for.

I've been feeling emotional, stressed, and mentally drained for awhile now. I suppose pregnancy is taking a toll, along with some other personal things that have me feeling helpless and just....tired. Thank God I have an amazing husband who listens to me rant and cry and cuss and cry some more about anything and everything. He truly is so good to me, and for that I am incredibly thankful.

I've talked before about my issues with fear and worry. Now that I'm pregnant, things have multiplied times a million. I feel so relieved every single time I go in and hear that precious little heartbeat at my doctor's office each month, and literally one or two days later I'm back to worrying that things aren't OK...which lasts right up until the next time I hear that same sweet heartbeat. I constantly convince myself that I'm not really pregnant, that something has gone wrong, that my belly should be bigger, that I should be feeling kicks...it goes on and on. I try to relax, but it's tough when you feel completely responsible for keeping a teeny, tiny little thing safe and sound inside of you. It's exhausting. 

On top of that, I had a rough day today and really let myself get insanely, incredibly angry about something that is 100% out of my control. The most infuriating thing to me is to see someone you love hurting and to know that you can't do anything to help. So I let myself get frustrated and yell and cry frustrated tears, and feel like the world wasn't fair.

And then I stumbled upon this blog post by one of my favorite bloggers, Erin from Living in Yellow. And I was quickly reminded how absolutely wonderful my life really is, and that the issue that my loved one is dealing with will quickly pass and could be much, much worse.

Please, take a moment to read Isaac's story, and if you can, spare $5 or a send him an encouraging note. I literally cannot fathom what this sweet boy is going through. And to imagine the pain and horror and anger and frustration and hopelessness that his parents must be facing? Gut wrenching. Just reading their entries on his Caring Bridge page had me bawling my eyes out for this family I'll never know. I literally cannot imagine.

So now I sit here, feeling humbled and thankful and appreciative of the life I have. A sweet husband, a healthy little pup, and a baby growing inside me. I hope and pray I'm never faced with a challenge like Issac's family...and I am so incredibly heartbroken that they, and millions of others, are facing something so truly horrifying. Please, take a minute to read Erin's post, to visit Isaac's page, and if you're a praying person, offer up a prayer for peace and comfort for that sweet little boy and his family. And take a look around and feel grateful for all that you have.

A Semi-Productive Weekend

This past weekend was a good one. My mom came to visit from Wednesday until Monday, so we had some good mother/daughter time. And her husband came down Thursday and was a HUGE help! We've been wanting to get started on the nursery for awhile, and a couple weekends ago we got one wall painted...and that was it. Well, he was down here for a day and got the entire room painted, the new blinds hung up, and the new ceiling fan installed! I seriously don't know how he did it all so quickly. I mean, my mom helped, but I think he probably did most of the heavy lifting.

If you're wondering, Arsen was at work and I was working from home on Friday when they did all of this work, we weren't just being the most terrible, lazy people ever. But I'm pretty sure Arsen was quite relieved that Basil decided to do all the work on Friday when he conveniently couldn't participate...

Our practically new hand-me-downs from Arsen's sister! 

We decided to go neutral with gray walls so it will work boy or girl. Also, I'm thinking we most likely won't space our kids out too far, so if the next one is the opposite of whatever this one happens to be I didn't want to have to re-do everything. I really like how it turned out! I'm planning on going pretty bright with the bedding and everything, so I think it will look great!

On Saturday we went and picked out a crib and dresser to go in our beautiful new nursery, although we didn't make the purchase yet. Umm, baby furniture is expensive! Who knew? Luckily, Nana Vicki (my mom) plans on buying the crib for us, so that will be a huge help. She and I also went shopping that day to get me a few maternity tops. As you may have noticed if you saw my 16 week update, I've got a bit of a belly now. Since all I've been wearing is leggings, I needed more long shirts to go with those. So that was kind of fun. Although I felt like I had some sort of weird identity crisis when I saw the "Motherhood" tags in my new clothes...like, I'm actually going to be someone's mother? It made me feel old, what can I say. Happy-old, but still old.

We also had our first fire of the year! It wasn't even really all that cold, but it was fun. I made Addie pose with me for a photo....I tried to get Arsen in on a family photo, but he wasn't having it.

 Could I be any creepier?

Demon Eyes!

I must say, it was a pretty nice little weekend. Arsen and I have both been super overwhelmed and stressed at our jobs lately, so a good weekend was much needed. I hope we're just going through a little trial in our lives for some reason, cause it's getting old. But thankfully, this week is a short one! Two more work days, then off Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving! I'm excited to head to Oklahoma for a few days and visit family. If I'm not back before then, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

16 Weeks

Well, I'm back with another update....definitely not as quickly as I would have liked to be back. Guys, I don't know what it is, but I seriously can't find the motivation to do anything right now. I try, really I do...sigh.

I have had some fun things going on lately. Probably the most entertaining has been my lack of control over my emotions. But I've gone from weepy, sad preggo lady to annoyed, angry preggo lady. And even when I know I'm being insane, I just really can't control it. Case in point: yesterday Arsen was watching some football game, and one of the teams had on some type of "throwback" uniform. It was seriously the dumbest looking thing I've ever seen, and I couldn't let it go. He actually ended up getting annoyed with me because of my extreme anger at their stupidity.

Later on, we were watching the American Music Awards, or whatever was on last night, and I literally was disgusted by everything going on. The performances, the outfits...I just couldn't take it. Justin Beiber's clothing choices really infuriated me for some reason...have you seen the ridiculous pants he wears now? Where they're skinny in the leg and super long in the crotch? I mean, come on.

And with those stories of my insanity, let's get to the weekly update...

 Wowza! Am I right?

Due Date

May 1, 2013

This Week Baby A....

Is about the size of an avocado (my favorite). His (or her!) legs are more developed,  head is more erect, and he's even growing toenails :)

Symptoms

Started getting some awesome new hip pain...so much so that I was limping around for days. My mom said I was waddling like I'm 9 months pregnant. Luckily, I had a chiropractor appointment last week, and I plan on going on a regular basis from here on out, so hopefully that we'll get me fixed up :)

Weight Gain

4 pounds

Gender (prediction)

Still have no idea...my cousin found out last week she is having a girl (due April 4!), and I thought somehow that would give me intuition on little Baby A, but it didn't give me a feeling one way or the other...except excitement about her little girl!

Food Cravings/Aversions

This week I've been back on the blah, nothing sounds good kick. I did make some lemon bars this weekend and I definitely enjoyed those. This sweets thing is killing me!

Movements

I thought I felt something on Saturday, but I think it was a false alarm...

Sleep

OMG, with the hip pain sleep has been not wonderful. I toss and turn most of the night, then wake up about 4:30 to pee (every night), and then don't ever really fall back asleep for more than a few minutes here and there. Hopefully this is temporary?

What I Miss

Jeans. I now feel like my jeans are cutting off my circulation, and to be honest I'm not a big fan of the belly band thing that allows you to unbutton your pants...it's such a hassle. So I've worn nothing but leggings for about a week. And I'm sure that will be the case for a bit. My maternity jeans are still a bit baggy through the hips, so leggings it is :)

Daddy's Thoughts

Still just ready for baby to be here...most impatient man in the world.

Fun Moments

I officially "popped" this week. Getting dressed has been a challenge. I finally just had to let the bump show and realize that hiding it might not be an option from here on out. When my mom showed up last week she said she was definitely not expecting me to look so pregnant. So I guess it's official! We have a bump!

Looking Forward To

December 6th! I cannot WAIT to find out if Baby A is a boy or girl!

14 Weeks (Catching Up)

I decided that in an effort to get my blogging mojo back I'm going to start doing weekly (or bi-weekly) updates on how the whole pregnancy thing is going. I've seen several other preggo bloggers doing this, and I think it's a fun way to update people. Plus, it should be fun to look back and see how I was feeling at different stages.

I'm 15 weeks and 4 days today, but I think I'll start with last week. So here we go with 14 weeks!

 Can you tell I hate taking solo pictures? So awkward...

Due Date

May 1, 2013

This Week Baby A....

Can now squint, grimace, frown, pee (awesome) and maybe suck it's thumb! Baby is about the size of a lemon, around 3 1/2 inches and weighing in at about 1 1/2 ounces. 

Symptoms

Oh-so-very tired. Thankfully I'm feeling much better in pretty much all other areas, so I can deal with the sleepiness. 

Weight Gain

About 3 pounds 

Gender (prediction)

I've really been thinking boy since day one, but everyone else is predicting girl. Can't wait to know for sure!

Food Cravings/Aversions

Amazingly, not having any crazy cravings. The only big thing is sweets, which I'm trying to get a handle on. Oh, and deep dish black olive and mushroom pizza from the new place right around the corner...it's just way too convenient.

Movements

Not feeling anything yet

Sleep

Not great. Still getting up to visit the bathroom a couple times a night, and tossing and turning a lot. Having a lot of back pain, so finding a comfy spot is difficult. 

What I Miss

Martinis! And sushi! I guess maybe this should go under cravings, because I would do anything for an extra dirty martini and a TDF roll from our favorite sushi place. Sigh.

Daddy's Thoughts

Excited! I hear "I can't wait until the baby's here" pretty frequently these days :)

Fun Moments

A tiny bump is starting to pop out! It's not much, but I'm still excited. 

Looking Forward To

Hearing the little heartbeat at our appointment next week!

I was going to take a pic and do my 15 week update today, but Arsen was kind enough to suggest that I wait until tomorrow. I haven't showered yet today and we've been painting the nursery and cleaning, so needless to say I'm not looking my best. Gotta love a brutally honest man.

Weekends

Weekends around our little household are a bit different these days. Less cocktails with friends, more movies on the couch in our sweatpants. But, a weekend is a weekend, and they are still my very favorite thing around.

Last weekend was actually a busy one for us. We went to Oklahoma for a Halloween party and an OSU game, and got to see friends and family while we were at it. It was more activity than I've participated in recently, and it was quite exhausting to be honest. But fun!

The Halloween party was at the home of my mom's husband's daughter...which technically would be my stepsister I suppose, but when you gain five step-siblings at the age of 27 calling someone your stepsister is just a bit strange. Anyhow, it was a super fun party and I'm glad we got to go this year. I think she said something like 150 people RSVP'd, so it wasn't a small party by any means. I spent most of the time hanging out in the kitchen with all the moms with tiny kids who didn't want to be out in the cold. Since I can't drink to warm myself up hanging out in freezing weather didn't sound all that enjoyable.

It was a costume party, so Arsen and I went last minute and got something to wear the night before we left town. I tried on several things and couldn't find anything I liked....why is everything so freaking tiny? Since I don't really have a belly yet I'm just at that starting to look a little chunky stage, and trust me, that is not cute in a skin tight costume. So I found a nice flowy Greek goddess outfit and Arsen was happy to be Casear since the costume was ridiculous.

My mom and her hubby went all out on their costumes...no surprise. My mom is pretty creative and very much an attention-to-details kind of lady...wish I was more like that. She even sewed extra ribbons and feathers and stuff onto their costumes and made little lacey things to go around her boots. Crazy lady. But it paid off! They looked great.

The next day we went to the OSU game. Tailgating is just one more thing that isn't quite the same when you're growing a tiny human, but it's still fun to get together and see everyone. We actually ended up going to the game for the first half, so we're considering it the baby's first OSU game. Yay! I got a little too tired (and hungry) to stay for the whole thing...the bag of popcorn in the picture below just wasn't cutting it.

This weekend won't be quite so eventful. I'm predicting a lot of lounging-in-sweats action. I'm hoping to be somewhat productive, since I've been such a huge slacker lately. I've already done most of the laundry, swept the floors, and loaded the dishwasher today...which is more than I've done in a week lately. So I think the rest of the night I deserve to eat several pieces of pizza, treat myself to the tiny amount of coke or pepsi I've been allowing myself, and watch all our DVR'd shows. Tomorrow we're planning on buying a few things for the house and meeting up with friends around 7 to watch the OSU game at Buffalo Wild Wings. Which means I get to be the DD for my slightly intoxicated hubby....lucky me!

Hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing weekend! I know I plan on it :)