3rd Trimester!!

Excited to announce… I am officially in the 3^rd trimester!! Hooray!  How does that make me feel?  I am soooo excited and yet nervous at the same time.  Mainly nervous because… uhh… have you seen the world we live in?  There are a bunch of crazies in it! Long gone are the days we can let our kids play around the neighborhood for hours at a time without worrying about a creeper trying to kidnap them or stalk them. Granted, we live in a good area, but these days call for us having to have our guard up at all times.  Also, working with the youth in our church, I get to hear stories of the things they see and experience at schools. It’s shocking to me.  There is so much pressure on parents to make sure their children are raised to be strong enough to stand against things and not join in simply because it’s the ‘thing to do’.  Luckily, I also get to see the youth do just that and so that gives me hope that even though it will be tough, it can be done.  Christian and I will work hard to make sure Aria is taught the necessary things to help her get through the trials she will face.  And I also just have to come to terms with the fact that we will fail at times and she will fail at times and it’s… ok. J 

Ok… sorry.  Didn’t mean to get so serious there.  Let’s go back to 3^rd trimester talk!  So with only 12 weeks to go, there are lots of fun ‘to do’ items.  We will be meeting with Aria’s pediatrician, taking a child birth class, getting hospital bags ready, creating any birthing plans we may have, finishing up the nursery (more on this in a minute), getting things set up for maternity leave, mastering a waddle and a few other things.  Home stretch people!  I continue to keep super busy with things so time is just flying by. My bump isn’t really a ‘bump’ anymore.  It’s just a big belly.  Lots of people are commenting on how big it’s getting too.  I promise that doesn’t hurt my feelings.  It’s a part of the process and I proudly own the belly growth.  It just means my little one is growing and getting ready for her debut.   

Aria should be close to 2.5 pounds by now and about 14.5 inches.  Said to be about the size of an eggplant.  She LOVES to push on my bladder.  I try to tell her it’s not a trampoline but she isn’t convinced.  She moves around a lot too. Some days more than others. Probably starting to get cramped in there for her.  The cutest thing to date is feeling her hiccups!  Oh I love it.  It is possible she may have a lot of hair because I am getting lots of heartburn.  According to those wives tales, the more heartburn, the more hair they have.  Who knows if that’s really a contributing factor or not.  The chances of her having a lot of hair are probably high anyway.  I would almost be shocked if she didn’t.  I mean my brother, Axel and I came out looking like monkeys we had so much hair! Ha!

Her room is at a complete stand still right now.  Which is now more than frustrating.  Allow me to go on a rant about this process with the dresser.  I was trying to be really patient, but now I am just over it.  Alright… here we go.  From the beginning.  I ordered the crib and dresser from 2 different sites.  The crib site (Baby Supermall) didn’t have the dresser we wanted and the dresser site (Wayfair) didn’t have the crib available until end of August.  The crib came in just fine and we absolutely love the choice we made.  The dresser came in completely damaged.  (The bottom of the dresser was cracked, there was a small crack in the wood at the top and the side of it had come off of it.)  That’s ok though.  Things happen.  Wayfair was great with customer service and sent out a replacement dresser that same week and 2 weeks later we got the new one.  That one was damaged too! The damage on this one was much less (2 drawers broken and the back panel cracked) and totally fixable. The problem is… do I want to take the time to fix something that I paid $500 for? Not really.  If I paid that much for it, I want it in great condition.  I think that’s fair.  So I called Wayfair immediately and told them about the new damage.  They gave me an option of sending us parts and having a furniture medic come out to repair it.  I agreed to both and was told I would receive the parts by this week.  Great! Things are looking up… right?! Nope.  On Monday, I received an email stating that my order is on hold until I provide the part numbers.  I have a few problems with this: 1. Why did you wait until the week I was supposed to receive the parts to tell me you need more information? 2. Why didn’t you try to gather this information on the first call?  3. How am I supposed to give you a part number when I didn’t even get instructions because it came assembled?  I spent Monday and Tuesday going back and forth with someone letting them know I don’t have part numbers.  Eventually, after the 2 days, she realized what I was saying and said she would have to call their warehouse to see if they could find the instruction manual and get the part numbers for me.  This morning I received an email from the same lady saying they found the part numbers and I should get the parts in a week.  Finally!  Ok, so what about the furniture medic to come make the repair?  “Oh. We don’t know if we have one available in your area so you may have to make the repairs on your own.”  Umm… what?  I want it done the right way which is why I wanted someone to come and do it.  Also, if for any reason something else breaks in the process or turns out not to be fixable, I don’t want that coming back being our fault.  I work in the corporate world… C.Y.A. always.  She understood my concern and offered me a $100 credit on their site in lieu of the furniture medic.  Pass.  At this point I have no interest in purchasing things from them.  I understand it’s more the delivery services fault but this entire process has been a mess and I have been dealing with it for 2 months.  I’m just disappointed.  I can’t really figure out the rest of the room until I have the furniture pieces in there.  Luckily, I do still have time to get all this sorted out, but I am just not pleased with the process I have had to go through with this.

Alright, rant over.  On to happier things! Last Saturday, we had some family pictures done!!  Though it’s still too soon to get all our pics back, the Facebook sneak peeks were posted and I am so excited.  Here is a cute picture that sums us up pretty nicely.

Right now I am getting ready for family coming to visit next week, our 4D ultrasound next Friday and the baby shower which is just 8 days away.  Before all of that excitement, I will have a special upcoming post for you.  I am doing a Q&A with Axel!  He will tell us all about how he feels about becoming a big brother (which is sometimes good and sometimes not so good), what is he most looking forward to and what is he most likely going to be annoyed with.  It’s fun to hear other’s perspective and with a 9 year old… well… you just never know what he will say.  Love you all and thanks for letting me vent out my frustrations with you.

"What's in a name..."

Last week of the 2^nd trimester now.  Wow!  Home stretch time.  Aria is continuing to grow, kick and get all fattened up.  My cravings still consist of those darn egg rolls and anything sweet that I can get my hands on.  I will admit that I have been guilty of not eating so well these past couple weeks.  I indulge in cookies, candy and all things containing chocolate.  I will pretend my growing bump is ALL baby though. Lol.  Here it is at 27 weeks.

 

So we got dresser #2 yesterday and guess what?!  It was damaged too… *sigh*.  At least this one wasn’t as bad so they are sending replacement parts and hopefully we will be done dealing with this mess.  The parts are being delivered by the same service though so who knows if they can manage to get those here in one piece.  I’m trying to be patient but it’s hard.  3^rd times the charm though right? Fingers crossed.  Should get them by the end of the month.

Alright, so it’s time to give some good news AND also get a little sentimental.  We have officially chosen her middle name!  We have been bouncing back and forth between 2 different names and ultimately decided on this because of the “meaning” behind it.  Since I already told you how we came up with her first name in an earlier post, allow me to give you some insight into how we got this one.

About 4 years ago, I was lucky enough to travel to Utah to meet a few of Christian’s family members.  Among those were two very special women. 

 

One of them was Kay, Christian’s Grandmother (On the left in picture above).  So let’s start off by saying that she didn’t look like a grandmother.  She looked young, fashionable, and fun!  In the short time that I was there with her, she was full of kind acts of service and I come to find out, that’s how she always was.  She was the type of person that would go out of her way to fill a need.  Christian often tells me that some of his fondest memories were the annual birthday dates… which is probably true for most of her grandchildren.  She was optimistic and would see the inner beauty within people.  Truly, she was someone I instantly fell in love with when I met her.  Sadly, her life was cut short a few months later leaving a void in the lives of those who knew her.  One of those people being Christian’s mom, Carolee (On the right in the picture above).

Carolee was…. SO many things!  Beautiful, funny, loving, outspoken, spunky, service oriented, accepting, loyal and insightful.  Not to mention extremely unfiltered.  Sometimes to the point of irreverence.  There was never a dull moment with her.  Her laughs were soooo contagious!!  I remember her starting to tell us a story one day and she kept laughing so hard she couldn’t get it out.  Christian and I started laughing because of her laughing without even knowing the story yet.  5 minutes later, we were STILL laughing and still in the dark.  Apparently this was very common because Christian remembers many times his mom being on the phone laughing with someone and he would join in not even knowing what was being laughed at.  It was truly an infectious laugh.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to spend more time with her when she moved to Houston and really get to meet the women that raised such an amazing man despite the trials that being a single mom brought on.  I would hear the most entertaining stories from her all the time.  But always she mentioned how proud she was that she was able to teach all the small children how to drink from straws.  She also was proud that she made her niece vacuum perfect lines in the carpet… “as it should be done.” (And FYI – Christian vacuums this way still.)  As we got to know each other, we realized we were pretty similar.  We enjoyed a lot of the same things and could talk about almost anything and share the same opinions.  We had funny times, serious times and sad times while she lived with us.  The saddest time being 3 years ago when she suddenly and unexpectedly passed away.  It was devastating to say the least.  The joy and laughter she brought with her was going to be missed and hard to replace.  We miss her every day but am so grateful that we will be with her again.

So now you know a little about these 2 women that we love so much, but unfortunately aren’t here to celebrate in the joy of our new family addition.  I know for sure Carolee would be just beside herself at this news.  She would have bought everything in sight for our little girl and be completely wrapped around her little finger.  She would also be purchasing straw cups getting ready for that big day! Haha! Anyway, we knew we wanted them to be a part of this new life event for us, so we thought of the perfect way.  A name!  Though it’s not much, it’s something that Aria will have with her for her entire life and can always know about the 2 women that played such an essential role of making her dad who he is.  The women that though she will never meet here on earth, will get to know through memories we have and will share with her. 

We merged both of their names together and came up with:

 

Aria Kaylee Eagleston

 “Kay” and “Lee” are two common names throughout both mine and Christian’s family so there is a lot of additional meaning behind them; however, the main influence behind “Kaylee” is Grandma Kay and Carolee.

I promise it wasn’t my intention to make anyone cry or get teary eyed with this post… including myself (as I sit here crying like a baby) but we chose names that have a meaning behind them and felt this one in particular was important to give detail on.

Still many things coming up.  Family pictures, 4D ultrasound and have I mentioned the baby shower? Haha!! But seriously… I want you there… so be there! J  Love you all and I am excited to know that you enjoy reading these as much as I like sharing.

Nursery Prep

Hello everyone!  Let me start off by saying this has been one of the best weeks ever and I am so thrilled to tell you all about it!  Frist things first though, Miss Aria’s update.  Over the next few weeks she will range anywhere from 13.6-14.8 inches long and weighs anywhere from 1.5-2.5 pounds.  She now knows which way is up and which is down, is starting to take breaths (of amniotic fluid not air) for practice and her eyes will soon start to open.  She is also staying super active.  Her kicks are definitely growing harder and you can even see my belly do a little jump when she kicks.  How is it possible to love someone so much before you even meet them?

Some of the more annoying pregnancy symptoms are rearing their ugly head, but I am honestly loving every minute of it!  Like I mentioned before, I absolutely love being pregnant.  I feel like even when it’s unpleasant, the reasoning behind it all is SO worth it.  I sometimes think about how sad we were during the years we weren’t able to conceive and I feel like it would be almost hypocritical to now complain about it all.  AND our bodies go through so much to grow another person, we are lucky we only have a handful of symptoms to deal with anyway.

Alright, let’s get to my exciting week.  Why was it exciting you ask?  Well for starters, we have officially started working on the nursery!!  Last weekend, I worked my butt off (with my Christian’s help of course) to finally get Aria’s room cleared out.  I don’t know why I decided last weekend I just HAD to get it done but I am so glad that I did.   Remember when I said we ordered the furniture and it was on backorder for a while?  Well apparently it wasn’t!  We received the crib last Monday and the dresser on Tuesday.  I was pleasantly surprised and grateful I had cleared out the space for it all over the weekend.  Unfortunately, the dresser was damaged pretty badly so we had to have a replacement sent to us which will take some time.  We know it’s coming soon though, so I am totally ok with it.  Last Monday, I also received another surprise… my dad came to visit for a few days!  I just love that man.  I am a daddy’s girl at heart and have a severe soft spot for him, so getting to enjoy his company is always so amazing.  

On Monday when my dad arrived, we headed home where we received delivery #1.  My dad was eager to open up the crib package and put it together, but I really wanted to paint the room before the furniture was set up.  My parents are all about serving others so I shouldn’t have been surprised when my dad said “well, do you have the paint?  I am going to be here a few days so if you have the paint or can get it this week, I can get it done for you.”  What a great idea!  Christian and I got the paint that night so my dad could start the next day.  Within a few days, we had 3 gray walls, an accent yellow wall and subtle stripes added to the accent wall.  This man!! AMAZING!  We are so grateful for my dad coming and doing us that huge favor while he was here.  I paid him in love, kisses and lots of goodies to eat.  Aria paid him in big kicks which he loved.

 

Once the paint was dry and dad had made his way back to Massachusetts, (that was a sad day), the crib was just begging to be put together. J  The two men of the house got right on it!  Axel was beyond excited to help build it so we had him hand Christian the proper screws and tools needed.  He also helped hold up pieces to make it ‘easier’ for Christian. Haha.

Slowly things are coming together.  We are giddy with excitement and nervous at the same time.  Seeing the crib set up makes this all even more real.  Now each night when we walk to our bedroom, we catch a glimpse of it and know the next 14 weeks are just right around the corner.  Before we know it, Aria will be in there all snuggled up. 

This month will be packed full of great things.  We have Christian’s birthday, family pictures, a 4D ultrasound and baby shower finalizing.  Speaking of the baby shower, most of you should have received an invite by now.  If you haven’t, please let me know and I make sure you get one asap.  Again, it will take place on August 1^st from 12:30-2:30 at the Cypresswood Clubhouse.  PLEASE come and join us.  We will have a light lunch and a couple fun games.  Men are more than welcome to join in the fun as well. 

I believe my work is either currently in denial that I will be going out on leave soon or they are trying to make up for when I do because they have me buried in A LOT of things to do this week! Yuck!  This means I most likely won’t post anything for a little while.  Know that I will update you all as soon as I can.

Father's Day!

Today was my 24 week appointment and here is what I learned:  I have gained a total of 9 pounds from the beginning.  Dr says that is a good amount and at a steady pace.  Phew!  Now if I can just put this chocolate bar down, I might keep that pace up.  I also have a bladder infection that I didn’t notice at all.  But guess what?! I found out why I am so extra tired all the time!  Yep! Low red blood cell count.  Now I just need to pump myself full of iron and I should be A-ok.  Baby looks great!  My Dr did decide to play with his ultrasound machine after all so I got to see her tiny little heart beating.

Speaking of my Dr, I just have to say: He is AWESOME!  I know a lot of women don’t choose a male Ob-gyn because they feel weird, uncomfortable or think they just won’t understand certain things, but this one is just the greatest.  I am a little biased though because it’s not like I have gone to different ones.  He is the Dr that delivered my brother, Axel and hopefully all my future kids (all 10 of them! HA! Totally kidding!).  His office moved and is now 45 mins away from me which can be a little hectic when I get down to the weekly appointments, but it’s worth it.  Him and his staff are laid back, fun, informative, organized and just know their stuff. I love them!

Ok.. ok… enough about the Dr.  I sound like an advertisement.  Let’s talk about this past week and all the fun things that happened!!!

**crickets**

Oh yeah… nothing big really happened. Ha!  The only thing I can really think of is Father’s Day.  Though this is Christian’s first child, it’s not his first Father’s Day celebration.  He has been the best step-dad and role model to Axel that I could have ever asked for.  Though it took a little work at the beginning, they now have a special bond with one another.  I wanted to get something for Christian this year that would scream “I’m a new dad!!”  This one should be a little more special I think.  I decided to get him scrubs! Not just any scrubs, but ones that will make him look like the coolest dad at the hospital when I deliver.

 

Aren’t they awesome!?  He loved them and can’t wait to wear them.  Back when my brother was born, I remember the hospital giving my dad scrubs that said “Coach” on them.  They don’t do that anymore though.  Haven’t in a while.  Guess they had to cut them out of the budget.  I think they should bring them back.

Some good news this week about Aria is that she is currently at the stage where if she were born today, with modern day technology, she could be ok.  That’s always reassuring when you get to that point.  One less thing to worry about.  Of course we, both Aria and myself, have no intention of letting that happen.  I have had that talk with her and she kicked me hard letting me know she was onboard with being fully baked.  Glad we are on the same page. J  She is also getting some color to her skin.  No longer see-through.  Her room is also almost ready for paint! My goal was to have that done by the time I got to my 3^rd trimester, which happens to only be a month away.

Upcoming things:  The baby shower of course! So excited about that. If you are out of state, you most likely have received your invite or will be receiving it soon.  If you are local, you should be getting it within the next couple weeks.  If you don’t get one, please let me know.  These are being assigned to others to give out so they may not know you or know how to find you.  Regardless, know that I probably want you there if you care enough to read my blog.  It’s August 1^st.  Mark your calendar now.

My next appointment is towards the end of July and I am beyond giddy about that one.  Why?  Because we get to do our 4D ultrasound!  I get to see her little face if she cooperates and that makes me happy.  Don’t worry, I will post lots of pictures of those so you can all see her.

Upcoming decisions: We need to decide on a middle name.  I said this before, but we are in between 2 and both have sentimental meaning behind them which makes it harder to choose.  Luckily, we still have time. I also have been putting thought into who I want to visit at the hospital and even better… in the delivery room.  As of right now, 2 people are on my list for delivery.  I mean it’s a private, intimate, special and very errr… revealing moment.  Don’t really want to have an entourage present.  Hospital visits are a little different but I am always focused on making sure others are ok and comfortable and entertained… I can’t help it.  Even if I just gave birth, I would be worried about if the people visiting needed something and I am not sure that’s a good idea.  I may have to play it by ear.  As of right now, that list is mainly immediate family but subject to change.  Again, still have time to make these decisions but I am a super planner so these are things that are on my mind already.

Alright, I am leaving you with bump pictures that were taken over the last few days.  For some reason the pics make the bump look smaller than it is.  I assure you, it’s getting big.  I feel it.  Another post should be up in the next couple weeks.

 

 

23 weeks!

23 weeks! 17 more to go!  So even though October seems far away, I look at my calendars and realize it’s going to fly by.  Especially since my next two months seem to be booked solid already.  

Aria is continuing to grow.  Her face is fully formed now – she just needs a little extra fat to fill it out.  She will stay within the same range of expected growth for the next couple of weeks.  Anywhere from 10.5-11.8 inches long and 12.7-20.8 ounces in weight.  According to the website I use, she is about the size of a grapefruit.  Except I don’t know of any grapefruits that are 10.5 inches so that doesn’t seem right.  I can definitely tell she is growing in there because the bump is getting bigger.

This week, we nailed down the nursery furniture and have decided on this set:

 

Christian gets all the credit for finding this one.  What an exciting big step!  Furniture is picked out… except… it’s on back-order until August. Boo!! I am not very patient so having to wait is not going to be so much fun.  The good things is we do have time so it’s ok.  Meanwhile I am clearing out her room in our house to get ready for paint. 

Clearing out a room doesn’t sound fun at all does it?  Well, it’s not. Lol.  The room we are going to use for Aria is currently a baking supply storage room, craft room, guest room, and the ‘throw your junk in here because you can’t find another place for it’ room.  This means I actually have to organize and rearrange other parts of my house to accommodate for these items.  I am SO excited for the day I can say I completed that project.  Hmm… maybe I should reward myself with extra food that day!  Food is a good motivator right now.

I am trying really hard to not go overboard eating or eating too unhealthy.  No, I am not being one of those nuts about weight gain and I do allow myself to indulge, but I am trying to avoid going crazy with eating.  The past couple weeks, I am guilty of not doing such a good job.  I feel like I want chocolate all day, every day and I have given in probably more than I should.  Egg rolls also seem to be the new love for me.  I have always liked them, but it’s just a little enhanced right now.  I may or may not have dreams about them.

Speaking of dreams… let’s talk sleep.  I love it, if I could list it on my resume as a skill, I would.  Lately, I have been going to bed pretty early.  I sleep like a baby… literally! I wake up every few hours, stay awake for just a bit and then fall back asleep.  I really can’t complain though because I fall back into a coma like sleep.  So can someone tell me why I am so gosh darn tired all day long anyway?  I get it, there is a human growing in me, but I thought 2^nd trimester meant energy, energy and more energy.  Maybe I had expectations of not feeling like a zombie throughout the day and shouldn’t have.  Usually, I try to hide it since I don’t want to be the whiney pregnant lady, but people are catching on. “How are you?  You look tired!”  “Everything ok?  You look a little exhausted” or my favorite “You look tired!” (I appreciate when people are blunt).  But then it’s awkward… what do I say to that?  “Thanks!  I sleep great at night but I wish I were a bear so I can get even more.”?  Even my makeup can’t help me… I just have the tired eyes.  Perhaps I should get those awesome glasses with the eyes on the front of them so that I can secretly take naps throughout the day to cure me of this. Hmm… that’s actually a great idea.  Let me add that to the registry. lol

 

OH! So…. Christian’s cousin Kristy gets an award this week!  She sent me the coolest gift.  It’s a shirt that say “I can grow a human, what’s your super power?”  It’s so cute and awesome!  Not only that, I got the MOST compliments on that shirt ever!  Even the teenage checker guy at the grocery store loved it!  By the end of the day, I was feeling pretty dang good about myself. I mean who doesn’t like a compliment?  J It’s my new favorite and I might wear it everywhere.  (It’s actually the white shirt in the top picture but I forgot to take a pic of the front… I will get it next time). 

Alright last thing, Christian is officially not the only one that has felt the baby kick!  My co-worker, Jazmine, got to feel a little bump and was so excited she had to rub it in a bit to some of the others. Haha!  They will get their chance though because she is an active little one.

So next week is my 24 week appointment and I will give you an update on what he tells me.  I am secretly hoping he wants to play with his ultrasound machine… but I am not counting on it.

Daddy Time

There has been a little gap in posts, but lucky for you that means things have happened!  ☺  So let’s start off with our little girl.  She is now 22 weeks!  At this point, there isn’t a set “your baby should measure ‘x’ and weigh about ‘x’ ounces”.  It’s now a range.  Pretty cool I guess.  So based on that, Aria is about the size of a Papaya measuring anywhere from 10.5-11.8 inches and weighing anywhere from 12.7-20.8 ounces.  She is starting to look more like a newborn and is sleeping in cycles - about 12-14 hours per day.  Now that I can feel her kicking, I can pick up on her little routines.  For example, she is usually pretty still (probably sleeping) in the evening time… but from about 9:30-10:15pm… she is SUPER active.  That’s the time where she is non-stop moving.  It’s actually pretty funny.  I always wonder what the heck she does.  Maybe she has a daily workout routine. Haha!

Ok so last post I mentioned that Christian hadn’t felt anything yet.  That has now changed!!  So during one of Aria’s active moments on Friday, May 29th I noticed she wasn’t kicking her usual little kicks.  She was like body slamming my belly. Lol!  They were some of the hardest kicks that I had felt.  I decided to have Christian put his hand on my belly to see if maybe… just maybe… he could feel something.  And guess what?! HE DID!! At first, he was like “I think that was something…” and then she laid one on him and it changed to “Oh yeah… that was definitely a kick!”  What an awesome moment!  Christian was so excited!!  He got to feel a few more and then she must have worn herself out because she completely stopped.  Maybe she noticed we were spying on her. Hmm… Regardless, we know he can now feel her when she kicks hard (Usually around the same time of day).  He has been able to enjoy it more and more every day.  I am so blessed to have a husband that wants to be involved in all these special moments.

Another fun thing that happened was my dad came to visit.  Only for a day, but I will take it!  My parents live in Massachusetts and I am super bummed that they aren’t able to be more a part of this pregnancy.  While my dad was here, he talked to my belly and tried to feel a kick but she was being stubborn.  He did get to hear her heartbeat though!  We have a fetal doppler at home so I pulled it out and let him listen to her.  Those were definitely special moments between Father/Daughter and Grandfather/Granddaughter.  

Now that I am bumping, a lot of people ask me the same question… “Don’t you hate when people just come up to you and touch your belly?”  My answer to that is: No, I don’t.  In my opinion, if I know you and am friends with you, go for it.  I probably hug you anyway because I am an affectionate person.  If I don’t know you (like a complete stranger), then it will be awkward and I will most likely step away.  For those people, I mean… I get it, it’s a bump… it’s out there… staring at you.  It’s tempting!  But just try to hold that urge back. I have always asked others before touching because there are so many women that actually don’t like it at all.  Weird.  Anyway, you know my take on it so chances are if you read this, you know me and you are on the list of people allowed to touch the bump. Lol.  So far only a few people have touched my belly and it hasn’t bothered me one bit.  Actually, I work with the Young Women in our ward at church and some of those girls absolutely love rubbing my belly.  It’s great and I love it!  Then again… they do have me wrapped around their finger. ☺

So far things continue to be good with the pregnancy.  Sure there are unpleasant things to deal with, but I am just so darn happy to be pregnant, grow my little family and have such a wonderful husband to support me through it all… I can’t complain.  Only 18 weeks to go after I complete this one…. CUH-RAZY!! Time is flying by right now.  Before I know it, I will have less sleep, smelly diapers to change and new memories to make.  I know around the last month or so when I am huge and waddling around, time will seem to stop.  For now I am just trying to keep up with everything.

Halfway There!!

I feel like it’s been forever since I have written a post!  Mainly because Christian is the one that wrote the last one. Isn’t it great hearing from him?  He is wonderful and probably gave me way more credit than I deserve.  Also, I wrote this one a few days ago but due to our wonderful weather here in Houston, our internet service was down for a little bit.

So guess what?!  I have reached the halfway point!!  20 weeks!!! Woot woot!!  I just can’t believe it.  In just 20 more weeks we are going to meet little Aria and put her in a bubble so she never gets hurt.  That’s how it works right? J

Last Friday, I had my ultrasound and Aria was measuring right on track.  Except for her legs.  Her long legs were measuring over a week ahead.  This must mean she is going to be tall which totally comes from her Dad and NOT me.  I am a shorty.  She is currently weighing 11oz. and had a strong heartbeat at 144bpm. She was SUPER active during the ultrasound and was very open about being a girl. Lol.  Carrie, the ultrasound tech, tried once again to get a cute profile pic, but of course Aria as usual was looking right at the camera.  She did turn her head one time and Carrie caught a quick picture but it’s a little blurry.  Here it is.  Isn’t she cute?  Always has a hand by her face or in her mouth.

 

And here are her cute little feet.  She was literally doing flips in there.  Perhaps we have a little gymnast on our hands.

As she continues to grow, her kicks are getting harder, more noticeable and more frequent.  Christian and Axel have tried to feel her, but still nothing.  I’m not really sure when they will start being able to feel her, but we will keep trying until they can.  Both of these guys are already in love with her.  They kiss my belly and talk to her every day. <3  Here is a my growing bump at the halfway point.

 

There are only two symptoms that are bothering me a bit right now and they are: crazy hormones and pregnancy brain.  I seem to get grumpy and moody so easily which is a bit frustrating.  Noticing it and being aware of it only seems to make me even grumpier.  Ugh.  I try to push through it and not bite anyone’s head off.  I am not always successful in that area so I have learned to apologize… a lot.  Now let’s talk about pregnancy brain.  First, if you don’t know me super well, allow me to share some insight…  I am over the top organized and very on top of things.  I do forget things sometimes, but for the most part I do things way ahead of time and have charts and lists for it all.   In the past few weeks I have become beyond frustrated with my newly developed spaciness and forgetfulness.  Let me give you some examples of these…

I was late to work a couple weeks ago because I couldn’t find my phone anywhere!  I mean anywhere!  And I am not usually misplacing things.  I am frequently reminding Christian where his things are because he is the forgetful one.  After 15mins of looking, I finally gave up and out of frustration began to text Christian that I just couldn’t find my phone and he would have to call me at work if he needed me.  Now take a second and re-read that last sentence.  Yes, I was mid-text when I realized the phone was in my hand the entire time! 

Monday, I was working on the mailing envelopes for the upcoming baby shower (see! I told you I do things way ahead of time) and thought, I should go get labels so I can go ahead and get them printed.  By the time I made it from the living room to the extra room where we keep our printer paper and labels, I had completely forgotten what I was doing.  Came back to the living room and a few minutes later remembered.  I slowly got up and walked back… except I walked into my bedroom and sat in there for a few minutes trying to remember what I had just remembered I was going to do.  Seriously!?  It finally came to me and I was able to get to the correct room and grab the labels before forgetting again.  My goodness!  This is like a real thing.  I used to think women just made up “pregnancy brain” as an excuse… I totally get it now.

The last story I was going to share with you… I completely forgot so there you have it!  The forgetfulness at its finest. Ha!

Speaking of the baby shower, we were able to get our registrations complete!  Another thing done super early but hey it was way more fun than I thought.  It was all going smooth and we were doing so good scanning all the needed items… until… Christian got a hold of the scanner.  He got a little scanner happy and we had to go back and take some things out. LOL.  I did; however, leave his favorite item that he found.  I will let you guys guess what that is.  If you know Christian well you will know it when you see it.  If you want to check out the registries, have a look at BuyBuy Baby, Target and www.babyeagleston.mydagsite.com.  Hopefully you guys will have as much fun looking at these things as we had scanning them. 

Other than shower planning, I would say there is nothing else going on, but that is just false.  I have been keeping busy with a few other tasks and some days I just want to cry cause I feel so overwhelmed, but somehow I survive.  The good part about that is time seems to go a little faster getting me closer to meeting this little girl.  My next appointment will be in a month.  I will definitely try to post something between now and then so hopefully something exciting and good happens so I can share.