Half way there!!

20 weeks!! I can hardly believe it when I say it out loud but we are halfway through this pregnancy. The first half of this pregnancy has been absolutely amazing. My belly is becoming so round and my belly button is slowing disappearing.

This picture just does not do my belly justice. I swear it is much larger in person.

According to our baby books Sadie is now the size of a cantaloupe. That is huge! She has also developed taste buds meaning she is tasting what I am eating now. So I have been attempting to cut back on the cookies and eat more veggies. But honestly just mentioning cookies makes me want them. Like now.

Also this week we started registering. We went to Target totally unprepared and registered for maybe fifteen items. It was fun and exciting but made me realize I have no idea what I am doing. So, if you know me at all you know what happened next. I went home and googled, searched sites, and asked my mommy friends/co-workers and made a very long, organized list of all of the many things we need. We are now prepared for our trip to Babies R Us next week!

But just because we are just starting to register doesn't mean Sadie has received gifts yet. My mom is out of control! She ordered Sadie her first doll/toy and it should be in later this week. I will be sure to post about it because it is pretty awesome. Other things she has purchased include the nursery furniture, maternity clothes for me, and lots of clothes for our little lady. We received our first box of diapers as well from my moms boyfriend (that's right. my mom has a boyfriend now). I have got to start taking pictures of some of the adorableness that is filling our guest room.

Now, at 4pm, I am going to go shower and change out of my pj's before the hubs comes home :)

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ETA:

Better belly picture. Told you it was bigger :)

Already testing my nerves.

Being pregnant makes you paranoid. Period. Every funny little feeling makes you question yourself.

"Oh my goodness I just got a little cramp, I bet it's because I drank a soda earlier. Oh, I knew I should have had water instead. I bet my baby just grew a third leg!" - Thoughts of a pregnant woman... or just me??

Add a few miscarriages to the mix and the paranoia reaches an unhealthy level of insanity. And although I am doing my best to keep all of that under control, it does slip out from time to time.

When my abdominal pain didn't let up I started seeking advice from the ladies at work (two of which are also pregnant). They all agreed that if I am stressing out about it than I should go see the doctor. Just making the appointment made me feel a little better.

I started getting nervous the night before but once we got there my nerves really kicked in and I was sick to my stomach. As much as I try to stay positive I couldn't help but imagine the worst. Once the ultrasound started and I saw my little Sadie and her perfect little heart beating away I felt a little better.

My cervix is nice and long and my placenta (which was right next to my cervix) has moved 1cm away from my cervix. This doesn't put us in the clear quite yet but it is a good sign that it will continue to move further away. The doctor also confirmed that my pain was due to round ligament pain. He said some women get it so bad that they can't walk! I'm glad that's not the case with me and that everything checked out just fine.

One bonus of a little scare is that we got to see our baby girl a little sooner than we expected. If only we had unlimited funds I would totally invest in an ultrasound machine just so I could see her every day!

She has gotten so big! And apparently she has been practicing her contortionist skills because this little lady was in the strangest position....

Yes. that is her knee in her face and her foot above her head....

She stayed in that position the whole time. Silly girl.

A little closer view of Sadie kissing her knees.

Project Nursery, Part 1: Paint

First of all I can't make a nursery post without saying how awesome the hubs is. He has been doing all of the work and everything looks just as I imagined so far. Seriously. He is beyond awesome.

If you are wondering what the room looked like before it was a nursery check out my post, Where the magic happens, there are a few pictures of it there from when it was my sewing room.

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Part 1: Paint

The hubs painted high and he painted low.

Two lovely shades of pink for our lovely little girl.

All painted and ready for the next step!

The finishing touch was the chair rail.

I really love how the colors turned out together and the chair rail really pulls it together and makes the room look bigger. I am so exited to get all of the furniture in there and decorate! Ah! SO excited!

Stay tuned for "Part 2: Furniture" as soon as we decide on a glider....

Details

Paint on top: Southern Beauty by Behr

Paint on bottom: Colonial Rose by Behr

Chair rail: Home Depot

19 week update

The first trimester dragged on for what felt like an eternity. And here we are at nineteen weeks with the time just flying by.

A couple of nights ago I got a little scare when I woke up with some pretty sharp pain in my lower abdomen. It kept me awake for a while and returned again the next morning only less severe. At first I passed it off as gas pains but my paranoia got the best of me so I called the doctor just in case. The nurse said not to worry and it just sounds like round ligament pain. Whew. It's not that I mind the pain or discomfort, I can deal with that no problem, it is the fear of something being wrong with my Sadie that scares me.

The discomfort is still there but no more pain. It also helps that I have felt Sadie kicking like crazy the whole time. She is so good at reassuring me :)

Other than that I have been feeling pretty great. I still have the occasional dose of morning sickness but it is becoming less and less. My belly is growing bigger by the minute and I can't help but smile when I catch my shadow or reflection. I just love being pregnant.

As you can see from the picture on the right as well as my Steppin' Out picture this week, I have a new shadow. Wentworth has always been a mamma's boy but lately he wont let me out of his site. He is always on my lap or at my feet. Poor guy doesn't know what he's in for come December.

I will have to write another post later on about the things we are doing to prepare the pups for Sadie's arrival. We want to make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone. If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them! My biggest concerns at the moment are jumping, barking, and toy snatching. But I have a lot of faith that they are all going to love each other.

And just for fun I thought I would share some of my latest cravings (which are getting stronger!):

- Captain Crunch

- Popcorn

- Chocolate chip cookies

- Peanut butter (spoon fulls!)

- Slim jims

Steppin' Out Sunday 7.17.11

top: H&M Maternity

capris: Old Navy Maternity

shoes: Payless (yes, the same ones from the past two Saturdays!)

Saturday we put together the nursery furniture! And by "we" I really mean the hubs put it together while I fell asleep in the chair watching. But either way Sadie's crib and dresser are assembled and looking fantastic!

After furniture assembly the hubs and I stepped out to a yummy italian dinner with our favorite couple. It was nice to put on something other than sweats (even though I love my sweats) and spending time with great friends.

Now on to the good stuff:

19 week belly bump <3

My belly is getting so big and I love it! We are almost to the halfway point, which is really exciting and also means that we are getting closer to our next ultrasound. I get so excited and anxious to see her. Luckily her tiny little karate skills keep me reassured and calm until our next glimpse.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Reality.

This weekend the hubs finished painting the walls of our baby's nursery. Not only does our baby have a room of her own but also a name. And ten perfect little fingers that I have counted a thousand times in our ultrasound picture. I can feel her kick on a regular basis and two nights ago the hubs felt her for the first time. We have seen her heart beat, her chest rise and fall with each breath, and her arms and legs extend and wiggle around. My belly is constantly growing and I am very visibly pregnant to the outside world.

This is real.

Sometimes that is still a difficult concept to grasp. Because for a while there we weren't sure if it ever would be.

Today Sadie is 18 weeks. I realize we are not quite half way there and the journey ahead of us is still long but I am so happy to be where we are today. Each week feels like a giant milestone and every new thing we experience is a tremendous accomplishment. My husband tells me daily what a great job I am doing growing this baby and I remind him it's because he takes care of me so well. We will not let a single moment of this go unappreciated.

As I stand in Sadie's empty room and stare at her precious pink walls I am overwhelmed with happiness and anticipation. We cannot wait to meet you Sadie.

Baseball!

As I have mentioned before, the hubs and I are huge baseball fans (well sports in general but baseball holds a special place in my heart). The only problem is that we are both big fans of different teams who just happen to be in the same division. And for the first time in our relationship I went over to the dark side and put on a Reds shirt for my first Reds game.

The hubs would probably say that this is long overdue since he has worn Cardinals gear on many occasions but he also agreed it was worth the wait.

I got the hubs tickets to the game for his birthday and the little surprise was that his parents and one of his brothers would be joining us. We had such a great time and I did my best to cheer for the Reds.

At the game we kept noticing all of the little girls there to cheer on their favorite team. We started to get really excited about taking Sadie to games to experience the things we both loved growing up. We already have spring training game locations picked out based on which fields have shaded grassy areas.

There is just so much we are looking forward to! And of course, I have already searched etsy to find some adorable outfits for her to wear to the games :)

Adorable ruffle butt onsie

and of course a matching headband!

Nursery Ideas

As soon as we found out we were having a girl I started picking out things for the nursery. The hubs finished painting today and the bedding and furniture has been ordered. Some may say I am crazy but I like to think of it as well prepared :)

Here are some purchases/ideas for Sadie's Nursery so far:

1. Delta Eclipse 4-in-1 convertible crib in white. After much research and many trips to the store we finally decided on this crib. It seemed sturdy and solid and had great reviews but was still very affordable. We purchased it online from Target because it was much cheaper there than anywhere else.

2. Print from Trafalgar's Square etsy shop. I fell in love with several of these whimsical prints and paintings a long time ago and knew we would use them in our nursery some day. Right now the plan in to go with a few from the crown collection. This little fox is one of my faves!

3. Behr paint. Southern Beauty & Colonial Rose. Even brighter on the walls and I love it!

4. Lily nursery bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. No longer found on the website but I was able to snag the quilt and some accessories before it disappeared. I love the color combo.

5. Another print from Trafalgar's Square. So cute!

6. Delta Eclipse 6 Drawer Dresser. Also purchased from Target, with rave reviews. We plan on using the top as a changing table.

I can't wait to get everything in and start decorating and organizing!

Steppin' Out Sunday 7.3.11

henley top & capris: Target maternity

shoes: Payless

baby bump: 17 weeks

I look a bit of a mess but that's because we were only steppin' out to Home Depot to get some things for miss Sadie's room.

Last night I stepped out to a movie with some very lovely ladies but I went straight from work so I was still in my scrubs. We went to see Monte Carlo, and no none of us are 13 year old girls. It was very cheesy but right up my alley. I am such a sucker for those kinds of movies :)

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In Sadie news we had another appointment on Friday with my OB. It was just to get more blood (my favorite thing), a tummy check, and to have a little chat. Sadie seems settled pretty nicely in my ute in right in place. My OB gave me the all clear to attend one of my dear friends wedding in Georgia Labor Day weekend (so excited)! And he answered all of my silly little questions including the fact that pregnancy has made my eyes swell. Yes my flippin' eyes. Therefore I cannot wear my contacts... Have I mentioned I loathe my glasses? Crazyness.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July and enjoy watching fireworks with your non-swollen eyes (I'm jealous!).