Halloween 2010

There are so few times in an adult's life

when one gets to dress up in a silly costume

and eat ridiculous amounts of candy.

Seeing as how I love both of those things,

it makes perfect sense that Halloween

never fails to bring out the little kid in me.

Can I also just say that everything tastes better

when you're pregnant (or at least in the second trimester)?!

So... yeah. Halloween + pregnancy = awesomeness.

On Friday, I dressed up for our annual Halloween party

at work, complete with a costume contest.

Can you guess what I was?

If you guessed Juno, then you're right!

I was a little bummed when I showed up at work in costume

only to realize that a huge majority of my coworkers

have never seen the movie Juno,

and had no idea who I was supposed to be.

The first person I came in contact with actually said,

"so you didn't dress up this year?"

Um, hello! It was a great movie, people.

Get thee to Netflix (or Blockbuster, whatever) and watch it! Now!

But, I digress.

I didn't win the costume contest, but I had fun participating.

When it was my turn to show off my costume,

someone shouted "are you Bristol Palin?" Ha... good one.

The people who did get my costume, thought it was pretty clever.

I mean, I didn't even need a fake belly. That's all me, baby!

This was, by far, the most comfortable costume I've ever worn. :)

Saturday, many of the kids in our county went trick-or-treating.

Even though Today (Sunday) is actually Halloween,

it's pretty common here in the South (and perhaps in some other places, too)

to trick-or-treat on Saturday when the 31st falls on a Sunday.

So, we armed ourselves with a huge bowl full of candy

and prepared for the onslaught of ghouls and goblins.

Well.. onslaught is a strong word.

 We did see a good number of kids,

but they came in waves. We wouldn't see anybody

for 20 minutes, and then suddenly 10 kids would show up.

Of course, I was especially partial to one little trick-or-treater.

Our two year old niece, Emily, stopped by for some candy,

and to show off her adorable Little Bo Peep costume.

Here she is, taking a break from all the action:

My sister-in-law's sister came by, too,

with her insanely adorable almost 6 month old son, Gage.

He was dressed as Little Bo Peep's sheep,

and he was by far the cutest sheep I've ever seen!

I wish I had taken more pictures,

but as soon as the kiddos came in,

costumes started coming off.

Everyone was pretty exhausted!

We had a great time hanging out with everyone;

they are a wonderful bunch of people!

So, here we are today -- Halloween, the 31st,

and I'm sitting here being a lazy bum.

Justin's getting checked in to a hotel in Alabama

right now for his job, so it's just me and the dogs.

Since we gave out all our candy last night,

our outside lights are off - sorry, trick-or-treaters

who may be out and about tonight!

I can't wait to dress up my little one next Halloween

and participate in all the fun as a parent.

He's pretty much all I think about these days.

It's hard not to think about him --

he's constantly kicking and punching me from the inside.

And I love it!

Speaking of which, stay tuned -- my 26 week update

is coming soon! More to come.

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25 Weeks!

How far along? 25 weeks!

Due Date: February 3, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: +11 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Most of the time.

Sleep: I've been sleeping very well this week,

but my little man likes to start kicking me

pretty early in the morning. It's okay, though. I don't mind. :)

Best moment this week: Justin was finally able to

feel a kick from the outside. It was a great moment!

Movement: He seems most active early in the morning

and late at night. I definitely feel him every day now.

Food cravings: Pumpkin spice soy chai lattes. YUMMY!

Food aversions: I used to love coconut..

but lately, I've been pretty turned off

by the idea of it.

 
Gender: It's a beautiful, wiggly boy!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Not having the occasional heartburn/indigestion.

Tomato products almost always set me off lately.

What I am looking forward to: Baby showers! And,

unrelated to baby, I'm excited for Halloween.. because I'm silly like that.

Milestones: I'd say Justin being able to feel him is a milestone :)

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Thankful Thursday

Almost every time I start to pray,

I begin by saying something along the lines of,

"God, thank you for Your love,

thank you for my husband, and my baby boy;

thank you for all You've done for me,

and for all that You're going to do."

If you've read some of my Thankful Thursday posts,

you'll see that there's a theme.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband,

and to have been given the gift

of being able to carry our healthy, beautiful son

inside my body. What a miraculous thing!

These are the thoughts that dwell at the forefront of my mind

on this Thankful Thursday.

Of course, I am thankful for more than just these things,

but whenever I sit down to write a Thankful Thursday post,

these are the thoughts that come flooding out first.

Aside from the obvious though,

here are some things I am thankful for today:

Cool autumn mornings...

The bright pops of color that are slowly emerging

from the masses of trees that stubbornly hold on

to their summery green leaves...

Spontaneous trips to the movies on a Tuesday...

All things pumpkin...

My hilarious, amazing, incredible parents and siblings...

Finding great bargains on eBay...

and cheesy Halloween movies on TV.

These are a few of my favorite things right now.

And for all of them, and so much more, I am thankful.

What are you thankful for?

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The big reveal!

Well, dear readers, here it is...

the long awaited nursery post!

Here is Colin's beautiful cherry crib,

and the cute little submarine his Daddy and I

(but mostly his Daddy) made for him.

 

The furniture set is "Canton" by Delta

(thank you, Wal-Mart!)

and the bedding is Nojo's "Sea Babies."

Here's another angle of Colin's room.

Those awesome decals are from Fathead.com.

And of course, his way cool dresser.

The Diaper Genie beside it is the same one we bought

for our niece, Emily, when she joined the family.

Oh -- and that lamp is from Target.

We haven't bought curtains yet, but

I do love this big window.

Once we get a glider, it will go in that corner.

So there you have it! Our son's nursery. :)

I can't wait to start using it!

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24 Week Update

I had a doctor's appointment this morning

which included the 1 hour glucose test

and a follow-up ultrasound.

I passed the glucose test. (Yay!)

I also got a flu shot, at my OB's recommendation.

My son looked great on ultrasound.

He's 1 lb, 9 oz right now - right on track.

The little spot on his heart is still there,

but the doctor isn't concerned.

She said that it isn't going to affect how his heart works,

and so it isn't considered an abnormality.

It is likely a thicker piece of muscle.

They were also concerned about placenta previa

at the last appointment.

My placenta has moved out of the way,

so there isn't a risk of previa anymore. Good news all around!

 

Here are some pictures from today:

 

Colin sucking his thumb!

Hi Mom!

Sweet little baby feet.. his legs were crossed. :)

And now for the weekly survey:

How far along? 24 weeks.

Due Date: February 3, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: +10 lbs.

The OB I saw today was very happy with that.

Maternity clothes? Pants: Always,

Tops: Sometimes.

Sleep: I sleep well until I wake up to pee...

after that, all bets are off.

Best moment this week: Getting the good news

at today's appointment, seeing Colin on ultrasound,

hearing his heartbeat (145 bpm), etc etc.

Movement: I feel him every day, but some days
he seems more active than others.

He is almost always more active at night, too.

Food cravings: Pumpkin things,

and sopapillas.. haven't fulfilled

that one yet. I'll probably make some soon.

Food aversions: I used to love coconut..

but lately, I've been pretty turned off

by the idea of it.

 
Gender: It's a beautiful, wiggly boy!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Sleeping through the night.

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!

Milestones: I am now in my sixth month. Wow!

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Ode to fall, tree sap and a sneak peek

Second only to the Christmas season,

fall is my absolute favorite time of year.

I usually try to hold off on decorating

for Halloween until it's October,

but once it's time, I get so excited

about pulling out my silly little decorations.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

  

***

 I also happen to think

that there aren't many little people

cuter than my niece.

And, what's better than fall decorations

AND the cutest two year old ever?!

Not much, let me tell you.

***

Apparently, the trees in our backyard

are also very excited about this time of year.

They have suddenly started pouring out tree sap

in large quantities.

I don't know what it is, but there's something so pretty

about golden sap. It reminds me of fresh honey,

which also holds a special place in my heart.

When the now-dried sap catches the light

in just the right way, it sparkles like amber.

***

And just as the trees in my backyard

are bursting forth with golden goodness,

I'm doing some bursting forth of my own. :)
And the preparations for the fruit of my labor,
so to speak, are in full swing.

Justin and I have started working on Colin's room,

and I promise I'll share pictures once it's finished.

But for now, here's a little sneak peek

into his way cool under-the-sea themed nursery.

 

The wall decals we chose are from Fathead.com.

We highly recommend them; their products are great!

I am really excited about how this little project

is shaping up.. I can't wait to show off the finished product!

More to come...

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23 weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks!

Due Date: February 3, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: I haven't weighed this week.

Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively, but not quite.

Sleep: I sleep well until I wake up to pee...

after that, all bets are off.

Best moment this week: Getting to feel baby kick

from the outside for the first time!

Also, getting to Skype

with both Justin and my sister.

Movement: I feel him every day, but some days

he seems more active than others.

Food cravings: Strawberries again!

Food aversions: Nothing really.

Gender: It's a boy!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: My daily cup of coffee.

I know, I still technically could have one..

but I've chosen to go without most of the time.

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!

Milestones: According to the What to Expect

app on my iPhone, my little Colin is

about the size of an ear of corn this week. :)

I can't believe how fast my little man is growing!

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Thankful Thursday

Lately I feel like

there isn't much to talk about

except for baby-related things.

I mean, I work every day

from 8-4:30, but who wants

to hear about that?

***

Yesterday, I had my first

crazy pregnant lady cry fest.

I'm honestly not even sure

why I was crying so hard,

but I almost had to pull over

on the way home from work.

Thank you, hormones!

By the time I got home,

made some Kraft mac & cheese,

and watched a couple episodes

of Man vs. Food,

I felt much better.

***

I don't think it helps

that my darling husband

has to be out of town until the 15th.

The project he's doing now

has him gone for two weeks at a time,

which can be pretty frustrating sometimes.

We Skype often though, and that helps a lot.

I can't wait for him to come home,

so we can put together some nursery furniture

and get Colin's room (mostly) finished!

***

But, enough about the crazy side of my life. :)

On to Thankful Thursday!

Today, I am thankful

for the beautiful fall weather

we have been having lately.

Here in South Carolina,

it has been in the high 40s or early 50s

in the morning, and in the mid-70s

throughout the afternoon.

Just beautiful.

I am thankful

for the technology

that helps me keep in touch

with my husband and family,

so that even when I'm miles away

from the people I love,

I can still see and talk to them

whenever I feel the need.

I am thankful

for my sweet little boy

who I will get to see on ultrasound

again next Thursday,

and for the kicks I feel every day

that remind me he's doing well in there.

I really do have so much to be thankful for.

What are you thankful for

on this Thankful Thursday?

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22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks!

Due Date: February 3, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: +1 this week, for a total of 7 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Pants - all the time,

shirts - sometimes. I can still fit into some of my

looser fitting pre-pregnancy tops.

Sleep: Some nights are great, others are awful.

Last night was not a good sleep night,

thanks to a leg cramp at 3 am (OW),

having to get up and pee, and tossing and turning.

Best moment this week: Getting started

on the nursery... pictures to come

once we are finally finished!

Movement: I feel him quite a bit now.

Food cravings: French fries & ketchup.

Food aversions: Nothing really.

Gender: It's a boy!

Labor Signs: I'm starting to wonder

if I've had a few Braxton Hicks contractions..

but it feels more like pressure, and not so much like

the tightness I've heard other ladies describe.

Maybe Colin's head is on my cervix or something.

We will find out what position he's in

at our next ultrasound, which is in 2 weeks!

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Not having to pee at night.

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!

Milestones: My belly is finally rounding out,

and I feel really cute and love to show it off. :)

Read More