Nursery Planning

Planning the nursery is one of the things I am most excited to do!  Initially, one of the reasons that I was nervous about waiting until the birth to find out the gender was because I wanted to plan the nursery accordingly.  However, all the research I did for girls and boys rooms left me, well, rather unimpressed.  I don't do pink walls.  I don't do blue walls.  I love pink, but only as an accent.  I don't like the color blue, period.  So, I tried to find "gender neutral."  All I found was gray, yellow, more gray and, well, gray.  Ugh.  I also don't like gray.  I do think it looks classic and chic, however, in my own house, it feels very drab and a bit depressing.  So... favorite color is gold, and my house is done completely in shades of gold.  Maybe I just do the nursery in gold and cream?  While I loved that idea, Bryce wasn't completely sold.  I get it, the babes room needs to be a little different.  Enter, the all white room.  White?  Why didn't I think of it earlier?  It actually took a picture of Molly Mesnick's nursery (while looking for a nursery glider) to get the wheels a turnin'.  

Yes, it's partially gray, but mostly white.  Love!  It looks so fresh, and so clean!  I did briefly flirt with the idea of using some gray because it does look sharp!

I love the glider!  Although I'm not sure that I can convince Bryce to spend that sort of money on a glider for the nursery.  Its the Empire glider by Nurseryworks, and it is b-e-a-utiful!

Photos courtesy of Very Rosenberry 

More white... But maybe a little too white.  I love how airy and dreamy it feels, though!

Photo via Pinterest

Another beaut with a little more color to the wall paint.

Photo via Pinterest

And then, as luck would have it, my sister-in-law enlisted an interior decorator friend of hers and sent me this dream come true!  It's the perfect balance of white with a touch of neutral colors.... And that Empire glider!  My heart be still!  For the rest of the pictures of this dreamboat nursery, check out 

Me Oh My Blog. 

Photo courtesy of meohmymama.blogspot.com

I still can't decide if I want to go with a white crib or brown crib...  I guess it depends what I find when I start my search!

So much more to come!!

A Little Friday Funny

What am I getting myself into??  Hilarious.

Everything Parents Really Want to Say to People With No Kids
Enjoy!

To find out, or not to find out? That is the question.

Hello handsome, or shall I say, gorgeous?

In my head, I had determined that once we were expecting, we would find out if we were having a boy or girl.  A momma's gotta plan, right?!  Or just ease her ever curious, obsessive little mind...

However, I've always known that Bryce preferred to wait until the baby was born to find out if we were having a son or daughter.  I also knew that I could convince him otherwise.  What I didn't realize, was that he could convince me otherwise. 

We have had in-depth debates as to what we should do over the past two months.  Naturally, we outlined all the pros and cons.  I would say they're pretty obvious, but it really helped us put things into perspective:

Pros to Finding Out

• Planning.  We can plan the nursery colors and decorations accordingly, and buy all the proper clothes.  Gender neutral clothes are not all that exciting...
• Stronger bond?  Some women/couples feel that knowing the gender makes them feel closer or more connected to the baby.
• The name game.  You only need to determine names you like for one gender vs. two.
• Gender.  Reveal.  Party.

Pros to Waiting

• Labor assist?  Some women say that waiting to find out makes labor a little more tolerable due to excitement of wanting to know if you're having a little man or little miss.  
• Surprise! I read a comment by one dad that said finding out early is like opening your Christmas presents before Christmas day.  Word.
• Guessing game.  Some sources report that not knowing can turn pregnancy into a fun guessing game for friends, family, and even strangers.

Our final decision?

We will be waiting until Baby H is born to find out if it is a he or she!  Crazy.  I absolutely never in a million years thought that I would agree to waiting.  Here's why:

• We have our names picked out.  We picked them out two years ago.  No need for us to be scouring lists for names we love. 
• The nursery would be neutral, regardless of gender.  This momma loves all things white, cream and gold.  There wasn't a chance in the world that this nursery would be done in blue or pink.  Not at all.  
• It's a lot of fun for us to sit and chat about and guess what we are having... Especially because we both think we're having something different.  I'm still on the boy train, and Bryce isn't wavering from girl. 
• I love surprises.  I hate surprises.  I love to hate surprises.  I have no patience.  I will talk and think about something endlessly if I don't know what it is.  The anticipation will add another level of excitement, and I can't wait.  

I am desperately looking forward to May, 2014 and meeting our little prince or princess!

My Lovely Baby Bumps

So I really wouldn't call what I have a "baby bump," per se.  It's more like bloating on top of 2 months worth of mashed potatoes, saltine crackers and limeade.  Here's the before.... 

4 weeks

Right after I had received my two bright pink lines.  :)  This was immediately before what was supposed to be a marathon weekend of partying, starting with Saturday tailgating and watching the Iowa game with friends at the Iowa bar, followed by tailgating and heading to the Chief's game on Sunday.  Le sigh.

Not a bump.  Just enough bloating to make my fat pants fit niiiiice and snug.

Finally, up to date!

How far along: 13 weeks, 3 days

Gender:  Momma says boy!  Dad is still standing strong with girl!

Weight gain: About 2 lbs.  I will know for sure next week at my next doctor's appointment.

Maternity clothes:  Not yet!  Still wearing the pre-pregnancy clothes... Although some are tight.  There are a couple I can't even button any more.  For those, I rock the Bella Band. 

Stretch marks: Nope.  Hoping and praying that I don't.... If anyone has suggestions for prevention, I'm all for it!

Belly button in or out:  In

Sleep:  Sleeping pretty well, actually!  I do get up every night around 3:00am to pee... Which got real old, real fast.

Best moment this week:  Getting a great deal on our stroller and car seat!

Worst moment this week:  Constant headaches.  Hoping this is just a phase!  I also started with some sinus congestion and have religiously been using my Niel Med Sinus rinse... The last thing I want/need is a sinus infection.

Miss anything:  Beer.  Sushi.  Beer.  Jimmy John's italian night club sandwich.  Did I say beer?  It's hard being pregnant during football season.  I do also miss long-distance running.  And I really miss my energy.

Movement:  Nope.  Not yet.  Very impatiently waiting for it!

Cravings:  Crackers of all flavors and all citrus juices (limeade, lemonade and orange juice!)

Queasy or sick:  I was queasy/sick until week 12.  It went away for a few days, but today I was feeling awfully queasy.  

Looking forward to:  Our next doctor's appointment and hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time!!!  We saw it during our first ultrasound  (~160 beats per minute), but have yet to hear it!  We can't wait!

Yes, I'm absolutely positive.

Tuesday, September 10.  I will never forget it.  It's my mom's birthday... and it also happens to be the day we found out we were pregnant!  Let me give you a little background information....

Bryce and I never do anything major "on whim."  Everything is carefully talked about and planned prior to doing anything.  We spent the summer of 2013 carefully debating (poolside, with beers, of course) when we were going to plan trying to have a family.  We initially decided that we would start trying at the end of October, after I ran my first marathon.  Well, after further discussion and my incessant worry that it would take several months to become pregnant, we decided to start trying in August.  I figured that if we did get pregnant right away, no big deal, right?  I could still continue to run and train, right?

Wrong.  

More on that, later. 

Back to September 10.  I was feeling sort of "different" several days before that.  Not like I normally do before I start my period.  To top it off, I ran a half marathon September 8, and yes, it was crazy hot (85 degrees, sunny and not a cloud in the sky), but it took me almost an extra 30 MINUTES to complete the race than it usually does.  And I'm supposed to be mid-marathon training?  I tried not to think anything of it, but a small part of me couldn't help but wonder.... I just didn't want to get my hopes up.  Who gets pregnant on the first try?!  That day, after work, I was supposed to go pick up a new pair of running shoes.  Instead, I high-tailed it to CVS and picked up two different pregnancy tests (just in case.)  

I took the first test, the one with the two pink lines.  I waited the 5 minutes, and tried not to look at the test as I waited.  One pink line.  Not pregnant.  No biggie, right?  OK, maybe it was a biggie.  I was seriously bummed.  I gave myself a few seconds, then took the test to the trash can.... As I was getting ready to drop it, I noticed the most faint pink line.  I mean, so faint that the light had to hit it at just the right angle in order for me to see it.  Oh shit.  Is this a joke?  Is that pink line supposed to be there?  Is it always there, and when it's positive, does it show up bright pink?  I run to the box, and read the disclaimer that states something to the effect of "two pink lines is a positive result, even if one line is faint."

I immediately rip open the second test (digital read, THANK GOD).  I wait an eternity (okay, a few minutes), and there, in plain, written English:  PREGNANT.

I honestly didn't think there was even the slightest chance that I was pregnant, so I took the test while Bryce was working a night shift... So I only had a mere 5 HOURS to wait and tell him our good news. I about went nuts.  Seriously.  

He didn't believe me at first.  Even after I showed him the positive tests.  I've never seen him so happy.... and the look on his face was PRICELESS.  

If you look reallllllly close and squint your eyes *just* right, you might be able to see the second pink line.

Several days later, I took the pink line test again, and two very bright pink lines popped up within seconds!  Officially.  Pregnant. :)

And there you have it!

Then about two weeks later, nausea and fatigue set in fast and furious.  That's a whole other story....