12 Week Bumpdate

I'm a day behind on blogging..

We were out of town visiting my family this weekend (we had such a wonderful time--story and pictures coming tomorrow!) and didn't get home until late Sunday night due to inclement weather and only being able to drive 35mph on the interstate.. We almost died you guys (not really.. but saying that makes for a more interesting story tease).

It's been a very busy week for baby so I'll get going on the bumpdate!

How far along: 12 weeks, 2 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I discovered at our doctors appointment that I've lost 2 pounds, which means I weigh less than I did pre-pregnancy.. what?!

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but my pants are starting to feel a little snug in the waist..

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: I have been sleeping great lately! I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to be able to sleep at my parents house because it wasn't my bed and because Bitsy wasn't sleeping on me, but I slept better there than I have in months! It was wonderful!

Best moment last week: Our first doctors appointment and hearing the babies heartbeat for the first time.. I had nightmares leading up to our appointment that something was wrong with the baby so hearing that strong and steady little heartbeat was all I needed (I only cried a little bit.. okay, that's a lie.. I cried a lot. And still tear up every time I think about it). It was also wonderful to see my Aunt Judy and Aunt Nancy on Friday, who I haven't seen since finding out I was pregnant (my family is really close and my aunt's are more like sisters to me).

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings/aversions: I had to have steak on Saturday.. if you know me, you know this is bizarre. I HATE steak. But my mom made chicken and steak kabobs on Saturday night and I couldn't get enough.. I also had to have a turkey burger with a side of pancakes at Denny's on Sunday (which I'm saying is the best decision I've made since marrying Brandon).

Gender: I've had a hunch this whole time but I've been having dreams where I'm wrong.. so we'll see.

Labor signs: Nooo!

Belly button - in or out? Innie.

What I miss: The big thing I miss right now is being able to go on walks without getting so dang winded. I want to stay active but it's hard to do when I have to stop every few minutes to catch my breath (I'm not even walking that fast).

What I am looking forward to: One of my best friends is getting married next June and I've been thinking a lot about how fun it'll be to take our baby on his/her first road trip (to St. Louis). My mom has even mentioned how fun it'll be to have our little baby there.

Milestones: First doctors appointment and my "little pooch" is beginning to grow.

Friday Funnies

Another week has come to a close! Where it went, nobody knows (yes, I am a poet and you didn't even know it)!

Happy Father's Day to the tallest, hippest, funniest and best dad around--love you and I'm so excited to be spending a few days with you!

I have actually had a very good week and look forward to a fabulous weekend with family! I hope you all have a fun and restful weekend.. and don't forget to do something special for dad!!

I always have to have my feet covered with a blanket or socks for this same reason.

A Giveaway with a lot of "Hart"

Well friends, we had our first doctors appointment yesterday.. and it couldn't have gone any better!

Brandon and I were able to ask questions, get tons of reading material and hear the strongest, most perfect heartbeat there ever was (I cried.. and I'm starting to tear up over it again so I'll come back to that on Monday's post); it was a wonderful half hour!

Today we're headed back to Colorado to visit my family for Father's Day weekend and we're so excited! We'll be seeing my Rockies play on Friday night, golfing all day Saturday and then just relaxing Sunday--it should be a good time!

We love our Rockies!

I also wanted to let you all in on a fabulous giveaway that my friend (and blogging girl crush) Ruthie is having! She's giving away all sorts of fun gift cards (including a Starbucks card from yours truly), ad space and baby swag--go check it out!

P.S. Sorry for the super corny title, Ruthie.. I wish I had a cool last name that I could play off of!

Summer is Here (and I'm Thankful)

I don't know how things are looking in your neck of the woods but summer has reared its hot little head here in Kansas.

Kinda hard to read.. it's 105 :/

As I was driving to the grocery store yesterday, I was thinking about how brutal the summers are here (you have to tack on high winds and humidity to the already scorching temps) and how I can't wait for fall. Then it dawned on me: why am I thinking this way? Why do I always wish for something different (because come fall, I'll be wanting spring.. I know how this works)? I need to learn to be grateful for the here and now.

So I started making a list of all the things I am thankful for right now.

• I'm thankful for a comfortable, air-conditioned home to come home to after a long day.

• I'm thankful for cool and comfortable sundresses (especially when they are loose and forgiving in the stomach, which is exactly what I need right now!); they make me feel pretty and I feel much cooler at work. 
• I'm thankful for all the beautiful, fresh produce at the grocery store--I stocked up on blueberries and peaches yesterday!

• I'm thankful for this furball who shows me unconditional love everyday (even at 4am when I can't sleep).
• I'm thankful for such wonderful family and in-laws; I really couldn't have picked a nicer crew to be apart of!

• I'm thankful for this stud muffin who works hard everyday to help provide for our growing family.
• I'm thankful that God has chosen us to be parents; what a wonderful gift we have been given! We are truly blessed. 

• I'm thankful to have the opportunity to go on a girls trip with my mamma in September (we're going back to Vegas)! We always have the best time together and I'm looking forward to sitting around the pool, shopping and just taking it easy!

I encourage you all to sit down and count your blessings; God is so good!

You Know You're From a Small Town When..

..you call the florist to order flowers for your parents wedding anniversary and you don't need to give a last name or address because she already knows who they are and where they live, work, and volunteer.

These two never age--happy 24th anniversary to the greatest parents ever (and soon-to-be best Mimi and Papa)!

Yes, I had this happen to me yesterday and it put things into perspective for me.

I have always been a self proclaimed "city girl"--I've had a big love for the tall buildings and bright lights of the big city for as long as I can remember. I wanted needed to be there.

Fast forward almost 10 years and I'm living in a city of nearly 20,000 (which is still 10x bigger than the town I grew up in but smaller than what I had planned) and love it. I really never thought I'd say that but now that I'm married and have a little one on the way, I realize how perfect small town life was for my family.

My class was very tight knit (I graduated from a class of 40), our parents all knew each other, and the community helped in raising us. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm from a town of 2,000 and I pray that my kids will feel the same way (except in a town of 20K).

Anyway, that's my two cents on growing up in a small town. To wrap this up, here are a few more pictures of my hottie parents:

 

11 Week Bumpdate (The End is Near, Right?)

This has been a really emotional and hard week for me.

I've been sick, have nearly passed out three different times and just feel down.. we have our first doctors appt. on Wednesday so I'm looking forward to seeing our babe and getting to ask questions (I have A LOT of questions!). I believe that seeing the doctor will also make everything seem a little more real (right now, I don't feel pregnant because I'm not showing and I haven't heard the heartbeat.. I just feel sick and tired!). I'll keep you all posted!

Brandon and I are going to visit my family in CO this weekend and I can't wait! It'll be nice to get out of town for a few days and spend Father's Day weekend golfing and cheering on our Rockies!

How far along: 11 weeks, 1 day

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I gained one pound.

Maternity clothes: No and hopefully not for awhile still.

Stretch marks: Nope.. And I should really start applying cream to hopefully prevent them down the road.

Sleep: I actually slept through the night (10:30pm-ish to 7am-ish) twice last week! It was heaven! I typically have to get up at about 1:30 to go potty and then again at 4:30 (and then I don't fall back asleep until around 6:30--ugh!). I've stopped drinking water after 10pm and that has seemed to help.

Best moment last week: Being able to cook for the first time since becoming pregnant (I made lasagna.. I got queasy a few times and had to sit down but I got through it--and it was delish)!

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings/aversions: I've been really turned off by fruit this week (I was afraid this day would come..) but I still love my yogurt.. and pretzels with organic peanut butter--yum!!

Gender: Not for a few more weeks.

Labor signs: Nooo!

Belly button - in or out? Innie.

What I miss: Having a glass of wine with dinner.. any sort of alcohol sounded terrible at first but now a glass of wine here and there sounds divine.. only 6 1/2 more months!

What I am looking forward to: Our first doctors appointment (on Wed.)! I'm looking forward to hearing the heartbeat and hopefully seeing our little baby--it'll make everything seem more real. I also think that I may be anemic (I keep getting lightheaded to the point of almost passing out) so I'm ready to talk to my doctor about that and find out what I can do to curb/prevent it.

Milestones: A tiny pooch appeared under my bellybutton this week--this made me happy!

Friday Funnies

It looks like we've made it to yet another Friday!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous week--I have had a little bit appetite this week so I've been able to eat more (still mostly protein bars, Ensure shakes and yogurt.. but we're making progress!). I still get really light headed from time to time (so much so that I started to pass out during an interview Wednesday night--lovely) and I woke up really sick yesterday morning (again, lovely) but it seems like I'm getting my energy back and I've been able to go on 2+ mile walks every other day. Woot.

Anyway, enough about that--lets wrap up our week with some unadulterated hilarity!

This reminds me soooo much of our old family Christmas card photo shoots.

This actually happened to me a few months ago.. it's one of the occurrences that prompted me to take a pregnancy test.

And finally, I saw this video on a friends FB the other day and had to share it--the whole video is Bitsy to a T.

Have a great weekend!