11 Weeks.

How far along: 11 weeks.

Size of Baby: A lime.

Weight Gain: +3 lbs steady. 

Symptoms: I'm mostly just tired. Though, some of my energy is coming back. I've been sick a little, but not much. 

Exercise: This is one of the busiest weeks of the year at work, so it's definitely keeping on my feet. 

Clothes: Baby decided that it wasn't hiding anymore, and I definitely have a bump this week. My pants pretty much stopped fitting, and the BellaBand is my best friend right now. 

Cravings/Aversions: Fruit is awesome right now. And garlic foods - I have garlic cheese bread in the oven for dinner right now! 

Movement: Nope. 

Worries: Of course. We have our heartbeat appointment tomorrow (SO late with this post!), and I'm super nervous. I don't think I should be, but I am. 

Boy/Girl: I'm adding this one this week, because for whatever reason I'm having a strong inkling it's a boy. Neither of us are really partial, so it doesn't matter either way. But knowing me? I'm probably wrong! 

Milestones: The kiddo's ears are moving to the side of its head. Where were they before that? Did my baby look like a drunk Mr. Potato head?

Best moment of the week: I'm going to visit my friends this weekend! My besties and I are going to Madison, WI - hopefully it doesn't bother them that I have to pee every 2-3 hours! 

10 Weeks.

How far along: 10 weeks.

Size of Baby: A cotton ball.

Weight Gain: +3 lbs. I told you some of that was bloat!!

Symptoms: Honestly, I'm not that sick anymore. I do, however, have ridiculous heartburn. Sean has started sympathy eating too ;)

Exercise: Though I've had a seriously lack of gym time, we've been walking outside and packing - that's exercise too!

Clothes: Normal clothes, though one of my pairs of skinny jeans is out. 

Cravings/Aversions: Pretty much the same as before - love fruit and fried chicken! Also, now that the heat is picking up in the midwest, I'm freezing blueberries to munch on. They're perfect! 

Movement: Nope. 

Worries: Always. But it seems like every time I get worried, I get a round of sickness or heartburn. 

Milestones: I've reached Juno stage - in other words - my baby has fingernails! 

Best moment of the week: We put an offer in on a house - and they accepted!! We're gonna be homeowners! 

A little House Tour.

This weekend we were back at the new house - this time, we were here for the inspection. We almost passed scott-free too! The only thing that must be addressed before we move in is a temporary support post - it should be permanent. Hopefully we'll be able to get the current owners to cover that, or even split the cost. The electrical needs some grounds put in, and will eventually need updating. The plumbing will also need to be upgraded down the line, but neither of those are immediate things. Awesomely enough, the inspector (from Holmes Inspection,who we were totally impressed with!) said this was one of the best maintained homes from 1947 that he has ever seen. *fist pump*

Anyway.

Let's share some photos of the lovely home we're going to move into in less than 2 months!

The front of the house

The living room - look at that huge front window! That corner with the curio cabinet? We're planning on a book case and bench - kind of a drop zone for things. 

The other side of the living room. The room is painted an awkward peach color - but we're looking to switch the room to a light gray with a white fireplace. 

Super awesome staircase. 

Dining room! We're thinking of a dark slate blue, with the molding square a bright white. Love the chandelier already though! 

We love this part of the kitchen. One day we'll add a back splash and nicer countertops. 

This area of the kitchen? Yikes. We'd love to move the stove to the right (and add a vent hood), and create a breakfast bar under the windows (eventually). For now, we'll buy a few fruit baskets to hang between the windows, an island on wheels for under the windows, and a new fridge (the current one doesn't stay)

The main floor office (love the wood wall, the wallpaper not so much)

Main floor bedroom.

The master bedroom. 

The nursery. 

The 3rd bedroom upstairs (this is where the parents will stay when they visit)

 We have a partially finished basement! Sean has claimed this as his man cave (unless a friend of ours moves in for a year or two). 

Our gorgeous covered, screened in porch. We'll need to rip up the brick and relay it eventually. But again, that an eventually project. 

Some of the things we're not showing in these? Our super tiny bathrooms (including one that's completely blue. No joke. At least we have 3!). The unfinished half of the basement which has the laundry in it. Our tiny closets. The backyard, which includes a veggie garden. The garage and carport (we have both!). All in all, we're smitten. We love that it has just enough work that needs to be done. We love that it's livable. We're excited to make this place our own, that's for sure. 

The Offer is On the Table.

So Sean and I do this things...where we plunge right into things head first. So yes, we've recently discovered we're having a baby. You think that'd be enough on our plate for a while right?

Nope.

Today, we put an offer in on a house.

And they accepted.

We're going to be homeowners.

Words cannot even describe my excitement!!! 

We're going to be owners of a 2100 sq ft colonial (4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths), just a 10 blocks south of where we live now. She was built in 1947, but there's only been 2 owners so far. It has a brand new roof, water heater, and HVAC system, which means no ridiculously expensive things to buy for a few years. Everything is outdated in it, but it still has gorgeous charm and beauty and this way we can leave our own mark on the home - we're smitten. Plus, it has a partially finished basement too! Here's our new love:

Somethings we'll have to tackle? It has knob and tube electrical, so we'll have to replace that along the line (though it has the recommended amps, which is good). The hardwoods (which are almost the whole house) need to be refinished (but they're livable). Paint. Lots of paint. The downstairs half bath is blue. Like, royal blue tile. And we'll eventually need new windows. All things that can be lived with and saved up for.

Now. The countdown begins until August 6th. Our earnest money is down,

It'll be an adventure.

9 Weeks.

Like so many pregnant women before me, I'm doing a blog a week about the little one. I love that I keep track of things, and maybe turn it into a baby book in the future. So here we go!

How far along: 9 weeks.

Size of Baby: A grape!

Weight Gain: +4 lbs. I'm going to try to attribute this to bloat, but I know in reality it's because I'm eating enough to feed a small elephant.

Symptoms: You know that feeling you get after riding one to many roller coasters? Yeah. I feel like that all the time.

Exercise: Yup! I've been to the gym twice, I've gone on like 3-4 walks with Sean and Bowser, and I even played a game of soccer this week (though I was careful!).

Clothes: I'm definitely bloated, and my work pants are getting tight (as well as a couple of my pairs of jeans). I bought a BellaBand, but I haven't had to use it yet. Though, I'm sure I will in the next couple of weeks.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm loving fruit. And fried chicken. I cannot touch boiled/baked chicken in any way. Just thinking about it disgusts me. Oh, and I can't enter the kitchen after I've eaten dinner.

Movement: Nope.

Worries: I'm such a worrier. Really, I am. I love that I'm sick actually, because it means that something is making me sick. I makes me feel more secure I guess. I really can't wait until I get to hear the heartbeat at the end of June :)

Milestones: The baby is officially a fetus. The tail is gone, facial features are starting to develop, and the heart has four chambers. Baby also has arms and legs, but they are literally as big as this number 1. Crazy!!

Best moment of the week: We got pre-approved for a mortgage! We're going to several open houses today, and hopefully we'll find (at the very lease) a realtor who we're comfortable with to find our future home.

Nervous.

(May 29th)

Our first appointment is tomorrow. Nervous does not begin to entail how I'm feeling.

Why?

I'm nervous because of the possibility of things not being there.

I'm nervous something is there but not in the right place.

But I'm also excited. I'm almost 8 weeks. I think. I'm excited to learn how far I really am. I really hope they do an ultrasound. I want to see this little nugget I'm growing. I want to hear a flickering little heartbeat. I want to see Sean's face when he sees that.

I want to announce it to the world. And I've vowed to not tell anyone else (I've kind of told a few too many people already) until I have a doctor's affirmation.

I want to tell our families. I'm SO excited to tell our families.

Now please, just let this all be real. Let it work out. Let it be perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a smart ass kid who will give us hell one day. 

One Week Later.

(May 15)

Dear Baby,

We found out about you a week ago, and it still seems so surreal. We haven't gone to a doctor - finding out about you during finals for Sean (daddy? that's weird) is kind of keeping us from being overly excited. He's busy studying, and I feel like if I get to overly excited he's going to miss out or I'm going to jinx things.

I'm planning on doing weekly photos after our first doctor's appointment (when we know how far along I officially am). I'm making a chalkboard to make those on, and I'm super excited for it.

I'm between 4 and 5 weeks pregnant, I think. Which means you're a poppy seed. A POPPY SEED. That's this big.

I'm cramping a lot right now. It's not painful, but definitely uncomfortable. I've also been every so slightly nauseous in the mornings at work. It's actually pretty strange, because I wake up so early that I'm not sick until like an hour after I get there. I've yet to actually be sick, and I would be totally okay if things stayed like this.

I don't know how long we're going to be able to keep you quiet. I'm super excited. Sharing with a few friends is definitely helping, but I just want to scream about it on the rooftop!!

Love,
Me

First Comes Love...Then Comes Marriage...Then Comes...

(this is the first post I wrote when I found out I was pregnant - there will be a few more of these to come in the next couple of days as I play catch up!)

I honestly can't believe it. I'm pregnant.

 Pregnant.

Pregnant. 

It's crazy folks!

I tested today, May 8th. It's Sean and I's 8th anniversary together, and I'm a week late. I was going to test yesterday, but I figured I might as well be cheesy and try today instead. And lo and behold, 4:00 am brought be this lovely image:

Wow.

I've been beaming all day. I can't even describe the shock that I'm in.

I'm joyful, because I'm going to be a mom. I'm afraid this pregnancy won't stick. I'm thankful that we've been blessed with this - after only trying for 2 months. I'm worried because now there's so much to do - buy a house, get to the doctor, save for maternity leave (which is 60% paid!) - it's just crazy to me. Plus, I have to figure out how to hide being pregnant for a few weeks - a few weeks which include Sean's graduation and graduation party. Both of which are going to be highly family centered and highly alcohol centered.

  

 (Me, beaming with the test) (Sean, his first reaction)

I've got my work cut out for me!

Baby Questions. Baby Answers.

A blogger friend of mine recently had a baby, and she did some pretty awesome blog posts. So I'm shamelessly copying the format. The first? A baby FAQ post. :D

Due date?
January 12, 2014

How far along are you?
I am exactly 8 weeks and 1 day today (June 3, 2013)

When did you find out?
May 8th. We stopped taking BC in March, and we were in the not-trying-not-preventing stage. We weren't tracking days or anything, but things just happened. Strangely enough - it was our 8th anniversary of being together :)

How did you tell Sean?
He asked about it on Sunday (May 5th). I knew I was a week late, but was planning on surprising him. Well, I was getting ready, and said, "When you find out you're pregnant, are you going to surprise me or kind of let me in on the details?" Shocked that he knew my schedule that well, my only response was, "Well, since you apparently already know, I'm gonna take a test on Wednesday." And that was that. I wanted to make it extra cheesy, and wait until our anniversary.

Was it planned?
Yes. Like I said before, we weren't trying, but we weren't preventing. And we were kind of hoping for sooner rather than later ;)

How did you tell family and friends? 
We told people in different ways...there were two inventive ones though.
My 3 besties from college: Every Mother's Day, we send each other "Happy Not-A-Mother's Day" texts. After I received one, this was my response:

The family: We went home for Sean and his sister Katie's graduation parties. We pulled Katie aside before the party to tell her (to make sure she was okay with it!) and she jumped up and down and literally into my arms (like, feet off the ground wrapped around me). For the rest of the family, we waited until present time. Before Sean started opening his presents, this is what I said: "So, how would everyone feel about Christmas in Kansas City? *questioning looks* Because I'm due January 12th"
Screams ensued.
With FB we just used a cute little photo:

Will you find out the sex?
Yup. But we're not telling right away. We want to do a gender reveal at the baby shower.

What sex would you rather? 
Honestly, we don't care. There are awesome pros (and cons) about each - so we don't really mind which we have, as long as it's healthy.

Do you have names picked out? 
Yes. But again, we're not telling yet.

How are you feeling? 
In a word, not the hottest. That pregnancy glow thing? It's a lie. I constantly feel like I've ridden too many roller coasters. I've yet to get sick, but I've come close a couple of times. I drive most of the time now, because Sean driving makes me sick. My face is breaking out like I'm 13. I have heartburn almost constantly. I'm either burning up alive or freezing to death. My boobs have already grown a cup size, and they're definitely tender. Oh, and my skin is super sensitive - Sean can barely touch me and I freak.

But. I'm so incredibly happy that it really doesn't matter (most of the time). And so far I haven't hit the extreme nausea that seems to be so common, so I'm grateful for that too.

Cravings/aversions?
Cravings: Wine. ohmygod I want wine (and I smelled tequila on Friday and my mouth literally watered). Also, salty things. I feel like nothing has flavor right now, so anything that has strong flavors (peanut butter, fries, strong cheese) is definitely a go for me.

Aversions: Lots of different meats. Any chicken that isn't fried. Lunch meat (which is good, because I'm not supposed to eat it). Anything super spicy too, because I know the heartburn is coming later.

Weight gain?
I'm counting my weight gain as of the day I found out. Which means that so far, in the 3 weeks, I'm up 2 lbs. However, I'm also super bloated, so hopefully that will even out a little.

How are you decorating the nursery?
Actually. We kind of have to buy a house first. Guess this kicks our butts in gear!!

A Short Announcement to Interupt Y'all's Night.

I'm 8 weeks pregnant!!