pregnancy update: 21 weeks

we are over halfway there!  i find it hard to believe that in the same amount of time, weeks from now, we could have a baby to snuggle.  it's somewhat poetic that time has a way of flying by yet standing still.  suffice it to say pregnancy is in full swing and pregnancy brain is a real thing.  i can't tell you how many times i've been embarrassed at my lack of memory over the past few weeks - like when i was presenting to a leadership group and forgot what i was talking about mid-sentence.

july was a big one for baby sobo.  we ordered our baby furniture, registered for baby things (talk about being overwhelmed!), got a breast pump, took a peek at our growing bundle, found out we are having a boy, starting thinking about names (and have nearly settled on one), and at 18 weeks and 6 days i felt our little guy kick.  since that time he has been one busy baby!  he moves constantly, most frequently in the early morning.  i love feeling the movement. 

the whole experience has really been equal parts unnerving and exhilarating.

here's what else:

feeling:

-excited!!

-relieved - the baby is moving, everything appears to be normal, and we've starting crossing some big items off our to-do list

-kind of lazy - some days getting to the gym for even 30 minutes seems like a feat but,i'm still making it happen

craving:

-tomatoes

-recently intense cravings for pizza hut cheese sticks (yes, i paid $9 for a small delivery)

avoiding:

-coffee

-calcium chews (i started taking these early on when i realized i needed more calcium now the thought of chewing them makes me feel queasy - i'm instead eating more yogurt)

daddy update:

-has been trying to feel the baby move - hopefully within a couple of weeks

-didn't find registering for baby things particularly 'fun' but did enjoy scanning

-finished reading his dad baby books

-ultimately though he's been preoccupied with boating season and work - can't really blame him! 

living in:

-this month's work MO was all about the belly band

-dresses continue to be in constant rotation

-i'm still in between comfortable maternity wear and my normal clothes....

longing for:

-a mixed drink
-time to work on our massive to-do list (maybe this fall/has to be this fall)
-running sounds less appealing the farther along i get....it's hard to breathe and the constant urge to go just makes it sound miserable

a baby-q

for as much of a planner as i am it's almost unfathomable that i would put off the gender reveal of our first child any longer than possible.  i guess i thought i'd have some intense intuition about what the baby's sex would be and it wouldn't make a difference.  
not the case. 

we did it though.  all in part to a request my step-sister made a few months prior.  she thought early on that we should have a gender reveal party and given that we would be able to know the sex by the time she we would be back  from texas we went with it.  she won't be able to attend either of the baby showers and may not be back for the birth so i figured this would be an opportunity to keep aunt brandea and uncle jordan involved. 

at our 19 week ultrasound we looked away as the tech took measurements and determined if we were having a little guy or gal.  not peeking was difficult.  we locked eyes and held each other accountable.  we wanted our reaction on the day of the bbq to be 100% authentic and it was.

after we left the office i immediately drove the envelope to one of my girlfriends who was in charge of getting the revealing supplies.  naturally she wasted no time looking ;o) our secret was safe. 

despite knowing i could find out the sex if i really wanted to, i patiently waited.  by the time saturday rolled around the anticipation was more than i could bare.

we invited our closest friends and family and had nearly two dozen people show for the 'baby-q' reveal.  my best friend (who came a day early to help out- love you!) and i prepared all the bbq fixins and decorated the sunroom.  we asked everyone to cast their vote and shortly after eating our burgers (like, within minutes) we congregated in the yard with cans of silly string for the reveal.  

the food! a pregnant lady loves food! 

mary sue's handy work :) pulling it all together

shake and spray!!

'it's a girl' voters  (cody and i each went with one sex so that at least one of us would be right)

'it's a boy' voters 

waiting to be sprayed - i was so incredibly nervous...

 

this was by far the best surprise i've ever experience in my life! 

we are having a boy!! 

right this minute

each month this series gives me reason to reflect on the highlights of the last 30 or so days.  it’s this introspection that makes me feel appreciative for the things in my life that make it so great – big and small.  i’ve needed this since the months seem to be getting blurred as i find that we are busier than ever for a summer that we had planned to ‘keep open’.  we certainly have a full life in so many ways! 

july is an all-american month so naturally we hit up a local baseball game

this recent stella & dot purchase has to be one of my all time favorites (the rebel pendant found here) i wear it all the time

laundered suits – an indication that we’ve been fortunate to be on the water several days

allie’s favorite toy  - we’re impressed it hasn’t been torn to shreds and find it super cute that it goes to bed with her every night

be a lady...

write a thank you

when i was little i had to write thank yous for nearly everything.  in fact, i think it was my mother's way of keeping me grounded.  today i find myself doing it far less frequently.  instead of hand written notes i've unfortunately adopted the quick text method (sometimes to the masses - shameful!). texts are honestly much more lazy and far less personal yet they seem to be the way of the world.  in my opinion a thank you note is something that a classy lady writes and i would like to consider myself a classy lady so recently i've gotten back in the habit of writing notes. even for my closest of friends.

writing while working - check out these cute cards i found at target!

here are a few pointers that i use to craft simple, yet personal, thank yous: 
  

1. write it by hand 

        hand written thank yous ,because they are so rare, carry more weight.  they mean more because they took time to write and time is a commodity none of us have enough of these days. 

2. add a little you 

        whether it's your stationary, signature, handwriting or choice of words keep it personal and make it a reflection of yourself and your personality.   

3. be sincere         

        put a little emotion into it, but be true to yourself.  if you didn't like a specific gift or gesture focus on something else that was positive like someone's presence and don't use a template.  this is simple stuff!   

4. be timely 

        waiting any more than 2 months to send a thank you is simply unacceptable and relatively meaningless.  at any point beyond 2 months your only sending it out to meet some illogical expectation. 

5. say thanks         

this one may seem obvious.  i typically start my thank you notes with a sentence or two about the event, gift, etc. and then write about how much it is appreciated leading up to the thank you.  sometimes i forget to actually write the words 'thank you' - nobody's perfect. 

beautiful ordinary days

 when cody and i started dating seven years ago i knew that i was going to marry him.  i knew that we were going to buy a house, travel, have babies, raise our family and be together.  simple as that.  it’s hard to explain but, i knew without a doubt that’s what was going to happen.  now seven years later we are expecting our first baby and life as we know it is going to change forever.  seven years seems like such a long time.   at nearly the halfway point in this pregnancy journey it’s dawning on me just how little ‘alone/us’ time we actually have left.  selfishly i’d like to shut ourselves off to the rest of the world for the next 21 weeks and enjoy each other’s company.  the reality though is that it’s the people around us – our family and friends – who are making this an even more exciting and joyous time and i certainly couldn’t imagine my life right now without them.  we’re rounding this corner and moving in a new direction.  i won’t be taking for granted our lazy mornings on the couch, wasted weeknights, simple dinners, and busy weekends.  in fact, i’ll work to remind myself of just how sacred they are and how very soon it will all change.    

xoxo

pregnancy update: 17 weeks

note: i actually wrote this post a week ago and had every intention of posting it then but decided to wait.  today i had another doctor appointment and now that i know everything is ‘a-ok’ i’ll share this update.  the truth is i waited because i have known two women now to have gone to this very appointment, at this stage, only to discover their baby had passed.  my heart ached for them and if that were to be the case for me i didn’t want another post to remind me of what could have been.  that aside…

four months in and i’m feeling more like myself.  although i’m still getting sick a couple times a week i consider it an improvement over all of the first trimester.  having more energy has allowed me to keep working out five or six times a week but, i’m now ravenously hungry.  go figure!  the good news is that all of the eating i’ve been doing has paid off and at some point in the last week i think this bump of mine ‘popped’. personally i'm excited and encouraged by my growing belly and can’t wait to update my wardrobe!  this is the best excuse i’ve ever had to shop!!  according to the doctor everything is normal and my weight gain is ‘perfect’.

this month also means that we are nearly out of garage sale season.  yikes! why is this relevant?!  garage sales have been our primary source for purchasing baby things, especially clothes, for several weeks now.  no, we don’t know the sex of the baby – yet. (although i had a dream the other night about what we were having, we'll see in a few weeks if it was right.) we’ve simply been buying whatever we like regardless of the gender because let’s face it, there’s a 50/50 chance it’ll be a girl or a boy.  those are odds worth spending a few bucks on.  the stuff we have found is in great condition and SUPER cheap.  after the summer we’ll have to cough up a little more for baby clothes and other things.  in the meantime even cody is getting into it.  see the onesie he found below.  anyone who knows my husband and his family knows how much they love rocky. 

feeling:

-incredibly hungry

-anxious…still – once i can feel the baby move i’m hoping this goes away

craving:

-orange juice (i'm sure this is a craving so much as it's a habit now)

-tomatoes

-swiss cake rolls (i blame it on a billboard i saw sometime last week)

avoiding:

-coffee

-chicken – on occasion

daddy update:

-he’s reading up on this whole pregnancy thing and shared an interesting tidbit with me the other day about brushing the baby’s teeth early (apparently this can help avoid injury…?)

-i catch him staring at my belly more frequently– it’s sweet

living in:

-most of my work pants are snug; it may be time to give belly bands try

-dresses will be a summer favorite - i just bought two more maxis at target yesterday :) 

longing for:

-a distance run (like 8 or 9 miles)

-a palmer’s deli market turkey

-uninterrupted sleep