Chicago - Sarah's Wedding

Imagine my excitement at the thought of getting to escape the heat spell we were having in Houston to go to Chicago for my friend's (Sarah) wedding! After an intense week at work it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered and Ty I had the very best time. Oh, and the weather, the weather was just glorious. We seriously dropped almost 40 degrees flying from Houston to Chicago - and this pregnant lady was NOT complaining!

The trip was marked by good food, visiting with friends, and lots and lots and lots of walking. Seriously, I think I got in my walking for the next month! But the whole heart of the trip was centered around Chris and Sarah's big day - we are SO happy to have been there to celebrate with them! And now, I'll just let the pictures do the talking...

The beautiful bride and handsome groom

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah and her awesome bridal party - these gals are awesome!

A close-up of all their gorgeous bouquets - I LOVED Sarah's colors!

Oh hi - there's pregnant JuliAnna with the gorgeous bride. Note to self - do not take pregnant pictures next to Sarah.

There are no words for how fabulous every person in this photo is - I adore Sarah's parents!

Sweet first dance...

I wish I had actually gotten video of this father-daughter dance instead of the photo, it was one of the best I've seen;)

Me and my favorite dance partner

And to those of you who are wondering as to whether my dance skillz carried over being five months pregnant...I'm proud to say HECK YES. The moves have changed a little, and these feet of mine had to take a break more often than usual, but I stayed out there with the best of 'em:) Now, let's hope they just didn't catch me on video!

Congratulations again to Chris and Sarah - we had the best time ever!!!

Update and plans...

Hey there!

So yeah, it's the last day of September I managed to skip an entire month of blogging. Oops. Rather than list all the reasons that kept me away, I'll just jump into the update:

Things are great! I'm feeling really good and at most times don't feel pregnant - that is till I catch myself in a mirror or feel the little dear (ps that's our nickname for him right now, that and fat kid) try to make an escape for it out the side of my right ribs. Neato! Honestly, it really cracks me up - he's done it way more than once and it's always the right side. He's convinced that's the exit and he kind of just propels himself up right towards under my ribs and tries to keep moving forward. The first time it happened I pushed back and am pretty sure I felt his little head, SO crazy! So let's all start praying the kid learns a sense of direction and come four months from now realizes ribs do not equal exit:)

We had our big ultrasound (anatomy scan) last week and he was still very much a he - so no doubts there:) And he is as healthy as can be - praise God! We have to have another one because the stinker was sleeping and wouldn't move to get some of the final heart measurements they need, but the sonographer said everything she could see looked perfect, but they'll have to have us in regardless to make sure they can complete "their checklist." So keep praying that the next time we go in all will continue to be well! As for how he's doing - apparently he's already showing that he's bigger than average and at the time he was already over ten inches and a little over a pound - that's our fat kid:) He also gave us a thumbs up which was pretty funny:) See below:

We had held off on any MAJOR nursery plans till we got the second ultrasound to confirm that he is still a boy:) So now plans are in full swing - and oh boy, are we having fun! I can't wait to show you guys the final product but right now here's a bit of inspiration of where we're headed:

And yes, I discovered Piknik. Between Piknik and Pinterest planning will have never been so much fun!

More pictures to come, including belly shots that aren't taken with my phone:)

Meet...

Our son!!!! That's right, it's a boy!!!

Place Your Bets...

Hey there- so yeah, I needed to update and I really wanted to include a "real" belly shot, but apparently this will be the pregnancy that was captured on my phone and not on camera. I really DO plan to fix that soon, but in the meantime pics snapped on the fly with my phone will have to suffice.

In light of the gender reveal (hopefully!) in less than one week (holy cow, can't believe it!), I'm doing the good ol' 21 old wives tales and sharing my results. If you remember, I sent this to Kelley when she was pregnant with Nolan and she documented her answers in a post here. So here's my take on the whole thang:

Sleep Position - Pay attention to which way you lay down in bed tonight. If you prefer sleeping on your left side, you’ll have a boy. Right side? You’re pregnant with a girl.
GIRL – I have to force myself to fall asleep on my left side – and pretty naturally fall to my right. And I KNOW they say not to sleep on your stomach (duh, that's not comfortable anymore) or to lay on your
back, but sometimes if I can't fall asleep I find myself sleeping on my back.

Upset Stomach - Little girls aren’t always sweet. Extreme nausea means you are having a daughter.
GIRL- delightfully nauseated from 3.5 - roughly 12.5. I've been better since 13, SO MUCH BETTER, but I wouldn't say my stomach has been back to normal by any means. But I will take how I'm feeling these days without a complaint!!

Soft or Dry Hands - If your hands are dry during pregnancy, you are having a boy; soft—expect a girl.
GIRL - my hands are really soft. THOUGH I did get Melasma on my hands (the"mask") thankfully not on my face, but on the back of my hands. So I've been rubbing Bio Oil on my hands quite liberally (which, seems to be helping a lot!), so who knows if that's it. And I drink so much water - isn't that an added perk of hydration?

Food Cravings - Your favorite pregnancy foods may tell you what sex the baby is. If you’re craving citrus while pregnant, you’re having a girl.
Boy – No citrus cravings, well actually I take that back - maybe it is a GIRL - because I WANT orange juice, orangina, lemonade, etc... like no other. But, oh the acid! What it does to my stomach. Remember the
peeing/throwing up bit I mentioned earlier?? Thank you, orange juice.

Adult Acne - If altering hormones makes your skin break out, expect a girl.
BOY - thank heavens. Excellent skin so far. But I was feeling extra greasy and gross quite early on in the skin department so I went out and bought the poor man's version of the Clarisonic face scrubber dealy – by Olay and I tell you the sky broke and the angels sang hallelujah because that thing is the BEST. I am smitten. My skin loves me for it.

Graceful or Clumsy Pregnancy - If you feel as though you’re gliding through the day, you’ll have a girl. Stumbling? It’s a boy.
Ugh - really? What a dumb "insight." I guess I'm neither? I'll have to go with it's an "it" on this one, because I'm no more graceful or clumsy since finding out I was pregnant.

Face Weight Gain - If your face gets fuller, it means you’re having a girl.
GIRL – All of a sudden my face has exploded. I originally started drafting this last week, and from last week to this week my chin grew a friend and my cheeks feel like they’ve expanded. Delightful!

Sugar and Spice Food Cravings - Craving salt during pregnancy? Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn means a boy is on the way. Need a little something sweet? Ice cream, chocolate, and candy means you’re having a girl.
BOY - I have eaten little to no sweets throughout the pregnancy and don’t really have a craving for them…what do cravings for breakfast tacos mean? Hmmm…

Mood Changes  - If you’re experiencing pregnant mood-swings, expect a baby girl to arrive soon.
Okay, this one is hard. Mood swings I’m not having…but pretty much since week 14 I’ve been a bucket of sentimental emotions. When my mom showed up with a picture from the thrift store that had a baby deer and a mommy deer laser cut from a piece of wood, I cried. When we're singing praise songs at church, I cry. When I get a nice text from my little sister, I cry. And it's not sobbing or anything - but the tears...they are just there under the surface at all times. Pretty funny. So what does that mean? I’ll guess I’ll give this one a blank.

High or Low Pregnant Belly - If you’re carrying the baby low on your stomach, expect a boy. If it’s high, you’re having a girl.
BOY–I'm convinced I'm carrying low. BUT the disclaimer here is that other people have remarked I’m carrying low and WIDE…and they think that means girl. But who really knows, right?

Baby Weight - If you’re carrying baby in front, it’s a boy. Is the baby weight spaced all around your middle? It’s a girl.
GIRL – See above, I'm carrying low and wide - yay me! I’m not pregnant, I've just taken beer drinking to a professional level!

Pendulum Test - Dangle a chain with a charm over your palm. If it swings back and forth: boy. In a circle: girl.
GIRL - but I’ve done this with mixed results.
Model Your Hands - “Show me your hands.” If you would hold your hands palms up it’s a girl. Down? You’re having a boy.
HAHAHAHA – really this might be the dumbest one yet. And I knew the outcome, so I just didn’t do this test. We won’t count this one!

Toddler Advice -Get baby advice from a nephew or friend’s little boy. If a toddler boy shows interest in your belly, you’ll have a girl. If he ignores you, it’s a boy.
Couldn't do this one - boo!

Eat Garlic - Guess the baby’s sex by eating garlic. If the smell seeps out of your pores it’s a boy. If there’s no scent it’s a little girl.
GIRL (at least… I think), maybe I smell worse than I think I do;)?

Key to Pregnancy - If you pick up a key by the round end, you’re having a boy. If it’s by the long end? A girl.
I knew outcome of this too, so no result is fair!
Even and Odd Numbers - If your age and year of conception are both even or odd, it’s girl. One even, one odd means a boy.
BOY

Baby’s Heartbeat - If the baby’s heart beats more than 150 times per minute, you’re pregnant with a girl. Less than 150, it’s a boy.
GIRL – 150 at last appointment.

Stress Test - A child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is less stressed at the time of conception.
BOY - This would be Ty - he's always less stressed than I am. It's why I married him...or one reason I did:) So does that mean we’ll only have boys? I better start taking some zen classes so I can improve my chances for at least one girl!
Dream Meanings -If you dream about having a girl while pregnant, you will wind up having a boy and vice versa.
GIRL – I’ve dreamed only of having a boy. Only two dreams, so I'm no sage by any means. But no girl dreams yet.

Breast Size - If your right breast is larger than the left while pregnant, you are having a girl. If the left is larger, it’s a baby boy.
Why do boobs have to be uneven? Mine are the same…so guess we don’t count this one either.
Drumroll please…..

A Child Called It = 6
It’s a Boy = 5
It’s a Girl = 10

Alright...so now for the comparison pictures, and we'll just let the belly do the talking from here, though there's really not that much of a belly yet...really.

About 11 weeks, blurry and slightly cross-eyed looking and thinking to myself "self-portraits are hard!":

And yesterday morning 16 weeks, conveniently in the same tank top, but looking clearly like I just woke up. So please excuse the mess of leftover mascara and greasy hair. I am HAWT.

Okay so there you have it - place your bets now!! T-minus 6 days till we know:)

An exchange...

So, remember last year when we were moving Becky into her first apartment in Austin? Well, this year Matthew moved into the top floor of her same little apartment - we like to keep things in the family over here. As you might imagine, record Texas summer temperatures plus pregnancy, means no moving duties for me this year. This year, the honor fell to my Mom, Danny, and Emily. And all was well, till...(there is always a till in my family) my sister's headboard, which is being transferred to Matthew, fell on my Mom's head. Now this headboard is an intense piece of wood, sturdy and definitely able to inflict some serious damage.

Now, before we go any further - my mom is fine and dandy. Just bruised up. BUT that evening she calls me and asks me "google when I should go to the hospital if something falls on my head?" Ummm, what? I told her to proceed immediately to the ER or Urgent Care and gain some peace of mind to know she was fine and wasn't about to pull a Natasha Richardson. So now to the real part of this blog post, Emily and my mom head to Urgent Care while Danny and Matthew continue the move. Throughout their time at the hospital, Emily is texting me updates and letting me know where things stand - what follows is part of our exchange, and it was just too hysterical not to share...

Me: Mom still having head pain? Tell her its good she went to doctor. It will give her peace of mind. Glad she's there.

Emily: No more random pains so far but I just left to find a vending machine and saw a woman in a wheel chair about to give birth...sh** you better not look that scary

Me: ROFL. That just made me laugh so hard...I'm crying.

Emily: Haha. I'm serious.

Me: Hahahahaha. I know. What was so scary?

Emily: She was screaming like it was a damn demon not a baby, and she was sweating like a whore, and had time to look me in the eye like , "you just wait!"

And that is where I about died from laughter...Oh, Emily...I can't promise you I won't be as scary but you do make me smile:)

A step of faith...

I've been holding out on you all with some big news but have been too scared to let it "be known" till now...and now as I type it out it freaks me out a WHOLE lot, so here it goes:

We're three months pregnant with a baby due the first week of February!

We saw the baby again this morning for our "12 week" appointment (I'm officially 11 weeks and 5 days), and saw the little one do a little flutter kick and then - no joke - the baby waved to Ty when he got to look at the screen, it was pretty awesome. This baby and its Dad have something really special going on already, very E.T. and Elliot given that Ty was the first one to know I was pregnant. Ty had been telling me for nearly two weeks that I was pregnant, and when I asked him why he thought that all he would say is "I don't know, I just KNOW." Great answer, huh? He was so persistent about it all that I actually broke down and bought a test before my period was even due...and seriously 30 seconds after I took the test it was a VERY clear positive. 

Now, here's the thing, having a baby at any time is a big head-trip. Getting pregnant so close to the miscarriage is a freaky thing. You have to do it if you want to move forward but to tell you the truth, when I saw that positive reading on the pregnancy test I wanted to throw up a little. Looking back on this now, perhaps this was the start of "morning sickness." At the time I figured it was just nerves, you just don't know if you can do it all over again, but you do and it works out. 

And thank heavens for a very supportive husband who never once admonished my question of "Are you praying today for the baby?" EVERY. SINGLE.DAY. And for a very patient mother who let me constantly barrage her with all my negative and scared thoughts. And for a certain friend who was let in on the news early as my prayer partner who never failed to remind me that I was pregnant NOW and that NOW was good. Thank you.

But now, phew! The news is out. And it feels so good....which is the opposite of how I've felt these past couple months. So now to bring you all up to speed:

How I'm feeling: Now, much better (knock on wood.) Weeks 3.5 to 10, pretty miserable. Let's just say there was an instance of me throwing up and peeing my pants at the same time. That was neato! Also, please imagine Margot standing up against the toilet and trying to put her head in the bowl of it as if she was trying to copy what I was doing as I was throwing up. Raleigh was standing there scared in the doorway. We were quite a sight:)

Cravings: Nothing. Ever. I hate most food. Except my precious bowl of cereal. Oh wait, I think I had my first craving this past weekend, I could not stop thinking about a bean and cheese burro, enchilada style from Carolina's in Phoenix. But clearly a burrito that's 2,000 miles away was not about to happen.

Weight gain/showing: No weight gain at all thanks to hatred of food in general. I'm guessing as I start to feel better this will soon be in the past. But I am definitely starting to show a little, nothing much, but I can see the difference.

What else is there that you want to know? I can't think of anything....except the exciting news that we find out if the baby is a boy or girl NEXT month! Woo-hoo. August 24th will be the big reveal if all goes well, any guesses? IF you want to know anything else, ask away and I can do a follow-up post!

The Greeting Committee...

So it's not a video of Margot swimming, but it's still a funny little clip of our craziest addition. She is definitely the social chair of the household and is beyond excited to greet each and everyone of our visitors. Emily and I thought it would be funny to see what would happen if we just ignored her...as you can see she nearly explodes...

And is it just me, or does everyone hate hearing themselves on video? I sound like I have a cold of epic proportions, I'm so nasal-y. Ick If you can ignore me, the video is funny!

We're working on a video of her swimming, hopefully I'll get to that soon. I swear she's part otter!