It was a wonderful Christmas!

It really was "the most wonderful time of the year". I was able to take a few days off of work to spend some extra time with Chet, Holly, and Lauran this year. I can't believe how big Lauran is getting and how much she talks! :) She is adorable, and absolutely hilarious. We had the whole entire family together, too. Mom, Dad, Luke, Kahlen, Holly, Chet, Lauran, Sean, myself, and of course Baby Peanut. Christmas Eve we spent playing games together and I enjoyed a small glass of red wine.....delicious! Got lots of fun new gifts for Peanut as well as some gift cards, books, clothes, and kitchen items for myself. I did get one present that I'm NOT fond of--A COLD. Ugh. And there's not a lot I can take while pregnant so I guess hot tea and Tylenol it is! We cannot wait for next year when we have an actual BABY to spoil as well, not just one growing in my tummy. We have our next sonogram on January 4th and I'm hoping we will get the confirmation on whether Peanut really is a girl or not. If so.....I think we've picked out her name for sure. I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it a secret until she is born or not. I think that would be fun, but not sure if we would be able to go without slipping up! Hope everyone had a blessed holiday as well.

A little inconclusive but.....

Today we had a sonogram at 16 weeks. The technician wasn't able to tell for sure, but she did say that if she had to guess, she'd say we're having a girl! :) She kept going back to the "three lines" and also said that if it was a boy, it might be more obvious. So, I don't want to get my hopes up and wont go out and buy a whole new wardrobe for a baby girl, but I have a little feeling it might just be a girl.....

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes.....

As you can see, some changes are taking place! From 9 weeks to 12 weeks to 15 weeks.....the baby bump is growing! :) We have a sonogram on Tuesday--I will be 16 weeks--so I'm really hoping little Baby Peanut decides to show us what it is. It may be a bit too early, but I hope Peanut cooperates because that would just be an amazing Christmas gift to Sean and I.....

The start of a little baby bump.....

Well, it's happened. I have the beginnings of a baby bump! This picture was taken on Thanksgiving and I was 12 weeks and 2 days along. One thing is for sure.....my pants are getting tight around the waist! Thank goodness for the BellaBand. You wear it around your waist and it conceals the fact that your pants aren't buttoned. I feel like it's too early to start looking for maternity pants, so for now--this will do! :)

Who's in there? And other things.....

So I'm already dying to know who's in there--a boy or girl?! We get to find out the sex of the baby on January 19th--less than two months away now. But I'm just so curious. I have had 4 dreams that it's a boy and 1 dream that it's a girl. I'm not sure why I feel like it's a boy, but that's just my gut feeling. I just hope Peanut cooperates on that day so we know! Thanksgiving is two days away and boy am I excited! I think I'm most excited for some hot turkey and mashed potatoes. Yum! Because it is almost Thanksgiving, here are a few things I'm thankful for this year:
-A nice roof over our heads
-A healthy pregnancy
-Healthy families
-Loving, caring families
-Steady jobs
-Savings
-Good friends
-Adding a new member to our family in 6 months

Also.....because Thursday is Thanksgiving and I have Friday off work, that means it's Christmas decorating time!!!!! I can't wait to get the tree up and decorated, the stockings hanging from the fireplace, evergreen strewn about the banisters, a nice big wreath on the door, some pretty poinsettias for the table, and some yummy smelling Christmas candles. I know everyone is different, but I don't believe in putting up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. There's just something about the day or two afterwards--you have one holiday out of the way, and it's time to move on to the next one. Otherwise I feel like it's kind of skipping out on poor little Thanksgiving. :)

More later!

What's in a name?

Names. What an important aspect of your life. Think about it: the name you are given at birth defines you for the rest of your life. It is what you will always respond to and even possibly get a nickname out of. So why is it so hard to choose the "right" name?! As for boys names, I think we're set. Sean and I decided a few years ago that we liked the name Brody for a boy. It's stuck with us, so that's what it will be. My maiden name is Mitchell, so his name will be Brody Mitchell. If it's a girl.....wow. There are just so many girls names I like! The top one on my list is Harper. Now I just need to get Sean sold on that one. We've also liked Brynnly for the past few years, and call her Brynn. However, it seems suddenly out of nowhere everyone is naming their girl that! I have three friends on facebook who have used that name in the past two months. And Betheny Frankel from the Real Housewives of NY named her daughter Bryn. I thought I was the only one for all these years! Sean also likes the name Brecklyn for a girl. I guess maybe it's growing on me. :) I think maybe Breckyn would be better. Decisions, decisions.....We find out on January 19th if we are having a boy or a girl!! We had a sono last week at 8 and a half weeks and got the most precious picture from the sono. You can actually see a head, a little hand waving, and a little foot. It's just so amazing. I feel so blessed and lucky.

That can of Spaghettios was de-lish!

Today when I got home from work, I was starving! So at 4:30 I proceeded to pound a can of Spaghettios. Normally the thought of that wouldn't sit very well with me, but today they were spectacular!
Today has been a good day. Though I was pretty nauseous from about 10:00-2:00, I haven't had any stomach cramping today. That may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I had literally gone 17 days in a row where on and off I got the most horrendous cramps. I can live with the nausea, so if this is the trade-off, I will take it!
I can't believe tomorrow I will be 7 weeks pregnant. It's not that long in the scheme of things, but it's hard to imagine that I found out exactly 2 weeks ago that I was pregnant. In some ways, it still doesn't seem real. Is there really a little blueberry sized baby growing inside of me? Will I really get big? Do I really have to deliver this thing? But most importantly, do I really get to sit in a rocking chair and give kisses and sing lullabies to my baby in 7 months? Wow, I honestly can't wait for that moment.
Well, now it's time to find more food to eat. Hey--I have an appetite right now, I'm gonna take advantage of it. :)

Preparing for Baby Peanut

We're going to have a little June Bug! My husband Sean and I found out almost two weeks ago that we're expecting our first little baby in June. We had our first appointment on Thursday, October 14th and found out that our due date is June 7, 2011. We are both so excited!! I can't believe how much longer I have, but I've heard it honestly flies by.
We were able to see little Peanut's heartbeat at our appointment and it was truly amazing. What a range of emotions finding out your pregnant is, especially with number 1! The emotion that I've been feeling the most is complete excitement and joy. I'm only 6 and a half weeks along and I already find myself rubbing my tummy and talking to Peanut. :) It's crazy how much love I already feel. But on top of that also come these things called hormones. I'd say I'm already a pretty emotional person, so I've already gotten a little taste of what it's like to suddenly feel.....annoyed! Or angry! Or sad! And for really no reason at all. Well, maybe because I work with the public all day (why are people so rude?! And smelly?!). Today I decided my dream job is to just work in a cubicle all by myself, with no human interaction. Okay, okay, maybe that's a tad bit dramatic, but when you already feel a little emotional, working with all different kinds of people all day long starts to take a toll on you. I've also found that when I find something funny, I find it funny! I just can't stop laughing. :) Which I'll go ahead and say is a pretty great thing.
So I'm a planner. My husband has nicknamed me Planny McPlanerson. I just tell him I like to be prepared. So is it crazy if I'm already thinking budgets, names, paint colors, daycare, savings accounts, etc.? I can't help it though, it's just how my mind works. Some people may call that "being in control", but I think being prepared and ready for anything is the only way to be!! I guess I'm not a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda girl.
Here's what I've noticed so far in changes in my body and/or appetite. For starters, my uterus is growing. Apparently this is very normal, but also very painful! It's almost like pre-menstrual cramps x 100. It comes and goes, but boy when it comes--it makes it known that it's stretching and growing! When I wake up in the morning, I'm okay. I have no appetite for breakfast (which is bizarre because up until now, I've always been a big breakfast girl). And my morning coffee no longer sounds good, either. I honestly never thought that day would come! But I guess it's a good thing, for both baby Peanut and myself. I wonder if I can wean my husband off the coffee too so I don't have to take the time to make it in the mornings? Hmmmmm. As the day progresses though, I'm H U NG R Y. I'm a beast! A ravenous beast at that. However, my taste buds vary from what really sounds good. For instance, I brought a sandwich to work on Thursday for lunch. When lunch time rolled around, I wasn't hungry for my sandwich, so I went to Mr. Goodcents and got a sandwich there! :) And believe me, it was much better than the one I had brought from home.
Oh, and have I mentioned I'm suddenly sooooo tired? A week or so ago, my mom said, "Just wait, pretty soon you'll start feeling tired on a whole new level from anything you ever felt before." She was right! For example, I went to bed last night at 9:45, woke up at 7:00 this morning, went to work until 12:30, and then napped from 1:45-4:00. And I'm still tired right now! Little Peanut in there makes mommy sleepy!
Well, it's time for some dinner, Peanut is hungry and mommy is on a quest for what sounds good.....until next time!