Pictures of Our Sweet Little One

Our appointment Friday was nothing short of amazing. 

We're sending out small tokens to our families as none of them live close by so I hope you'll forgive me for leaving you in suspense for a few more days as to the sex our our beautiful little baby.  A few of them read this blog and I don't want to give away the surprise. 

But I will tell you that everything is just perfect.  Baby is measuring right on schedule and all of the organs are looking fab.  We do have a little stinker on our hands...as we were unable to get a picture of the face!  Baby was doing a headstand the entire visit and refused to move.  

So you know what that means??

We earned ourselves another ultrasound!  They need to check out the little face to make sure everything looks good in the nose and mouth region...so in 4 weeks we'll be back to see our little bundle of joy again! 

Here's a little something to hold you over...

Our little gymnast!  So big!!

And a sweet little wave goodbye!

Boy or Girl? I Find Out Today!

It's here!!

Today's the day Matty and I will find out if we're having a little girl or a little boy!  Fingers crossed our little one is not shy!

The funny thing is, I'm not overly excited or nervous for the big reveal.  Maybe I will be when I finally know...but it's not something I've been dying to know from the beginning.  I just can't wait for the chance to see our little baby again.  The last time we saw him/her it was just a little peanut!  Remember??

So little!  And now our baby is a a huge mango and can hear us.  Isn't that just amazing? 

But with this knowledge comes great responsibility.  Now I have to start, you know, doing things.  We've been putting off a lot such as registering, picking out nursery furniture, even talking about names...all until we found out the sex.  Which is today.  Which means today...I can no longer put things off.  Today...I shall make...decisions!!  Eek!  Well, maybe tomorrow.

How Far Along:  19 weeks!  I still can't feel the little booger move...but I know it is.  I'm excited to see all the movement today.  And I haven't mentioned this for fear of jinxing myself...but I haven't gotten sick in over a week!  Yeah!  And no more meds!  I think 18 weeks was my magic number :)  Thank goodness.

Maternity Clothes:  Still a little of both.  But with the cooler temperatures on the horizon, I see the need for a pair of black pants in my future.  And some more shirts!  Let's go shopping, shall we?

Sleep:  I really can't complain.  I still don't get up to pee which I see as a major blessing.  I wake up a lot...but I just roll over and fall back asleep.  I am remembering way more of my dreams lately though.  Last night, for instance, I dreamt I had a baby boy...at 19 weeks...and he came out so small but perfectly fine.  Like, I didn't have to keep him in the hospital at all.  And we were staying at my grandma's house (?) and the baby looked EXACTLY like Matt and had his exact hair already.  It was weird.

Food:   I've still been eating really well during the day.  But we perhaps made a cheesecake last Sunday....of which I have had a piece or two every single day this week when I get home from work.  Dairy = good right?

Best Moment of the Week:  We signed up for all of our childbirth classes!  We aren't taking them until December, but apparently they fill up super quickly so we're good to go there.  Also, although this has really nothing to do with the baby, I have gotten some major packing completed this week and it feels fabulous!

What I'm Looking Forward to:   Finding out the sex of our beautiful baby...and seeing his or her little face TODAY!!!  I'm also looking forward to spreading the news!  My mama completely stole my thunder with my pregnancy announcement so I've learned my lesson.  She is going to find out when everyone else I want to tell does.  Through the mail!  Ha, ha, ha!

I did take a belly pic today...but we ran out of time in the morning to post it...so perhaps I will do that next week!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  Some friends of Matt's invited us to dinner and a movie tonight, much to my chagrin...is Piranha 3D.  I cannot believe I have to pay money to see this.

I feel like my blog is ultra boring these days.

The only material I can come up with is my weekly baby updates...and I didn't really invent those...so clearly I've got nothing.

How can a girl who is building a house and having a baby all at the same time have nothing to blog about?

Who knows.  But it's the truth.

So perhaps you would like to hear about my weekend? 

We spent Friday night out with dear friends and their 16 month old little boy.  He is so cute, he makes the thought of having a boy seem okay to me.  Even though my body aches for a girl.  This just shows how precious he truly is.  We were sitting on the floor together and he picked up a book, handed it to me, and then proceeded to plop himself down right on my lap.  I felt my heart melt and I almost started crying it was so cute.  

FYI:  I'm going to have one of those!!

And to my surprise, Matt actually PICKED HIM UP!  I have never in my life seen Matt touch a child.  He's just that guy.  He has no interest in babies or other people's kids.  It was so sweet to see him play with their little one, read to him, and let him sit on his lap.  Oh I just cannot wait until we get to hold our little baby in our arms!!

Anywho....Saturday I spent 9 hours at a Junior League meeting, earning one measly training credit, but had a fairly pleasant day with two of my friends.  Too bad it was whilst listening to a lecture.  Oh well.  Free food.

Sunday I spent some time packing up the house.  I have over 30 boxes packed so far...but I feel like there is no end in site.  Thank goodness I started early.  We also made a delicious toffee cheesecake!  You know what I hate about cheesecake?  You have to let it refrigerate overnight.  Who thought of that rule?  Someone I hate.  That's who.  Don't worry.  I made up for it yesterday by eating about a 1/4.of it when I got home from work. 

And then went to my first prenatal yoga class.

Not the smartest idea I've ever had. 

I Have a House...and a Huge Belly!

I spent Wednesday evening with several girlfriends at Melt in Lakewood.  Melt specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches...but has seriously crazy varieties.  It is always super busy so I've only ever eaten there once before....and this time was just as yummy.

I decided on The Godfather.   Here's the description:
3 cheese lasagna, fresh fennel-oregano pasta sheets, spicy red sauce, provolone, garlic spiked bread

Dude.

It was insanely good.

Yesterday, Matt and I were invited to walk through our new house for a pre-drywall inspection.  Oh ladies, I could not be happier with how everything is coming along.  It almost makes me want to cry looking at how everything we chose is coming together so beautifully and perfect.  I snapped a picture of the outside which is almost completely done.  I'm in love...and those trees....they're staying :)

Now, onto the babies!

How Far Along:  18 weeks! Apparently my baby is moving like crazy; however, I cannot feel it yet!  Honestly, it's driving me nuts.  I went in for a checkup last week and the doctor listened to the heartbeat and said she could hear the baby moving a lot.  It's completely surreal to not be able to feel it yet.  I just can't wait!!

Maternity Clothes:  Oh yeah.  I still wear mostly normal shirts...but the baby is even poking out of t-shirts now.  I'm thinking the days of wearing my normal clothes are almost behind me.

Sleep:  Mostly not bad...but last night I could not fall asleep to save my life.  But overall...no complaints.

Food:   I've really stepped up my eating healthy routine this week. I stocked up on strawberries, grapes, and pineapple and have been eating chicken wraps for lunch.  The only bad part of my day is when I get home from work.  I have no control and keep making myself nachos.  I cannot stop! 

Best Moment of the Week:  Getting to hear my little one's heartbeat again.  150 and going strong!  We also chose where we are going to deliver our sweet baby...and having started investigating child birth classes.

What I'm Looking Forward to:   In one week we have the ultrasound to find out what we're having!  I just can't wait to see our little baby again and see how much he or she has grown!  I'm hoping everything looks just perfect :)  Also, I'm attending my first pre-natal yoga class on Monday with a friend of Matt's who is due one day before me!  Can't wait!

Yummy Gummy

The day I got home from the 3-Day, this little guy was waiting for me on my porch.

If you can't tell, it's a 5 lb. gummy bear. 

And we all know how much the baby loves gummy bears.

He's huge.  And I love him. 

He was a gift from my BIL...my dear, sweet BIL...

I haven't had the heart to bite into him yet...but the time is fast approaching.  He's cute.  But not that cute.


Also...I had my first official belly pat today.  Hm.  I'm hoping this isn't a trend....

The Most Painful/Memorable Experience of my Life AKA The 3-Day

I traveled to Chicago on a Wednesday night, so the Thursday before the 3-day I got to relax a little bit.  So what did I do?  I went into the city, met a friend for breakfast, did some shopping, met my sister and her husband for lunch, shopped some more, and then watched my sister's volleyball game.  Yep.  Didn't relax one bit.

But I did get some of these little beauties.

 

And took the baby's first picture at the bean.

Clearly, Friday morning came early, early, early for us.  We were up by 3:45 (yikes!) and arrived at Opening Ceremonies around 5:30 a.m.  We took some time to walk around and explore and take a few photos before the event started.

This was our favorite saying of the walk.

It fit well.

Let me just tell you, the crew was amazing.  They were so enthusiastic and supportive...always there to give you a push when you needed it.  Or, you know, candy.

My goal for the walk:  Stay healthy for baby R!  Success.

Jessi's goal = Enjoy!  Hm.  That one's debatable :)  Ha!

The Opening Ceremonies were unbelievable. I can't even begin to describe to you how emotional it was to hear more about what Susan G. Komen actually does and what they stand for.

And to see actual breast cancer survivors participating in this event, unreal.  What kind of person goes through chemo and then says, hey, you know what sounds fun?  Walking 60 miles.  Amazing, inspirational people.  That's who.

Day 1 started off with a bang.  We were fresh, optimistic, and the weather was really nice.  It was hot, for sure, but not too bad.  We enjoyed pit stops along the way with yummy food, water, and Gatorade.  And of course...those blue port-a-potties.  Who could forget those?

We finished the day at 15 miles and decided to call it quits.  Our feet were killing us.  And unfortunately I had developed a major blister on the ball of my right foot which was very painful.  So we headed back to camp, showered up, and ate dinner.  All before the last walker came in.

We even had time to set up camp.  Check out the sea of pink!

 

This was also the day we learned to never, ever trust a crew member who says, "You're almost there!"  You're never almost there.  Two miles is NOT almost there.  Not even close.

Day 2.  We were up early again, deciding to get out on the route as soon as possible to spend the least amount of time in the sun as possible.  I expertly taped up my blister and we were on our way.  Two miles into the walk, squirt!  Blister = popped!  Jenny = pain!

I got the medical team to fix me up at the pit stop and I was good to go.  So we soldiered on.  Plus, Little Caesar's stopped over and gave us free pizza.  I wouldn't have wanted to miss that!  It was practically the highlight of my walk!  And the police and firemen of Mt. Prospect dressed in PINK!  Yummy!

We made it 11 miles on Day 2 before we keeled over.  How we made it 15 the first day, I will never know.  Plus, my blister started growing another blister on top of itself?  Didn't know that was possible.

Day 3 was the day we had been looking forward to the most.  It was when we finally got to walk in downtown Chicago!  We were up bright and early again (4:45!) to pack up our tent and gear and hit the road.  Again, we were optimistic about being able to make it the full day!

We were stupid.

We made it to the lake and got to walk all along the beach.  Then, it started to rain.  We ate lunch in a drizzle and debated catching the bus to the end.  But we thought, NO!  We'll just start walking and if we can't make it...we'll take a sweep van to the next pit stop and be done. 

Again,  we were stupid.

This leg consisted of trails where there was no sweep access.  AND, it started pouring a monsoon type rain that was so windy and cold we had to laugh at how awful we felt. 

I have no idea how we made it to the pit stop, but we did.  And we were finished!  12.2 miles for Day 3 put us in at just under 40 miles for the walk.  We were ridiculously proud of ourselves.  I mean, 40 miles?  Insane.  There is definitely a part of me that is disappointed I didn't finish the entire 60 miles, but I'm pretty sure the two months prior to the walk that baby R forced me to lay on the couch instead of train did me in.  So in reality, I couldn't be happier.

We took the bus to Soldier Field and took the baby's first pictures there!

The finish line was inside the stadium so everyone got to cross it which was such an amazing feeling!  We were done!!!

Want to take a little gander at how many people walked this event?

Any ideas yet?

Give up?

1600 walkers.  Isn't that incredible!?!

And we raised over 4.2 million dollars!!

The Closing Ceremonies were just as fabulous as the Opening ones.  And we got to celebrate with the family and friends of all the participants.

The survivors were again acknowledged which was so touching.

Overall, participating in the 3-Day was an incredible, life changing experience for me.  It was so hard.  Much harder than I thought.  And my feet hurt more than I ever thought possible.  But it was amazing.

People poured out love for us all along the walk and thanked us for doing it.  At first, I thought, why the heck are they thanking me?  All I'm doing is walking.  But then I realized....I'm doing more than that.  I raised money.  And I'm out here with thousands of people raising awareness for a devastating disease.  And it's working!  So many people are saved each year because of this organization and their donations...and I got to be a small part of that.

So will I ever do it again?

Hm.  Not next year!

I think I'll give crewing a try!

But talk to me in maybe 5 years or so.  When the pain finally goes away :)

17 Weeks...and Cakes!

Alrighty!

Before we see my ever growing belly, how about we see some cakes, shall we?

The Glee cake was due this week...and the customer went with the square cake and a dozen cupcakes.  I think they turned out great!

Yes, I have two Kitchen aid Stand Mixers.  And yes, I need them both.

=

Now.  Onto all things baby!

How Far Along:  17 weeks!  Apparently our baby is an onion.  That just seems so big to me!  Our little one is a-growin' :) And my belly, she's a-itchin'.

Maternity Clothes:  Mostly.  I wear maternity jeans and I have a few shirts now...but I mostly still wear my pre-pregnancy shirts.  They're starting to get a little tight in the bust area though.  Great.

Sleep:  Not too bad!  I still don't get up to pee at all!

Food:   I heart food.  But I heart crappy food.  I'm determined to be healthier with this pregnancy starting....NOW!  Doritos = out...fruit smoothies = in!

Best Moment of the Week:  Baby walked.  And walked.  And walked.  And then we got to come home to Daddy which was amazingly lovely.

What I'm Looking Forward to:   My third appointment is today!  And in two weeks...finding out what our precious baby is!

I'm Alive!

Hey y'all!

I accidentally stayed away a little longer than promised.  Apologies! 

So many of you have asked me about the 3-day and I am so grateful for your continued interest and support.  It was nothing short of amazing and I cannot wait to recap it for you. 

Highlights:

• lots of laughs
• some intense mosquito bites
• the worst pain my feet have ever felt
• blisters spawning more blisters
• an amazing peanut butter, jelly, and graham cracker concoction
• inspiration to last a lifetime

And to top off the trip, I got to visit with a long lost college friend on Thursday AND take the baby's first picture at the bean.  I mean, this child has already been to the bean AND Solider Field.  Talk about spoiled....

I'll try to prep all the pictures for a recap next week.  But up tomorrow....

I'm 17 weeks!  My third appointment is tomorrow....and then in only two short weeks we will find out if we're having a little girl or a little boy! 

Oh....and our house....it has a roof.  An actual roof people.  It's absolutely beautiful and so far the most gorgeous house on the block.  You know.  Out of the three that have been started.  And I'm not biased at all.

The Time Has Come

Well ladies.  It's finally here.

Remember a few months ago when I told you I was going to walk 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Chicago?

It's this weekend.

Somehow the 3-Day got lost in the shuffle of this pregnancy.  Between puking my guts out and napping on the couch, training to walk 20 miles a day for 3 days has definitely not topped my list of "things I want to do today." 

But, I'm gonna try!  My doctor's given me the okay so I'm going to go into this thing and do as much as I can.  But I'm also going to let little Baby R lead the way.  If baby is tired, I'll rest.  If baby is hungry, I'll eat.  And if baby feels like puking...hey I'll do that too.  But this time I'll do it all in front of over 1,000 people.  Because I committed to this event and I want to see it through to the finish. 

So I'm heading to Chicago tonight to stay with my sister.  Tomorrow will be spent prepping for the big day...and then Friday morning, bright and early (well, come to think of it, it won't even be bright yet...) we'll be off! 

Although I'm nervous because of the whole carrying a child thing, I am really excited to have the opportunity to participate in this event.  The whole experience has been incredibly eye opening thus far and I have been so moved by the generosity of my friends and family.  And to be in the presence of so many woman committed to ending such a devestating disease, well, I'm sure inspiring is not even close to summarizing how it's going to feel.

I'm using Monday as a travel day...so I'll be back on Tuesday with a full report!  Hope everyone has a lovely weekend....and send some good vibes my way if you think about it, okay?  Babes and I could really use them!

Cookies for Dinner?

Good afternoon my friends! 

I had such a delightful and productive weekend!  I hope you did too!

Well, besides Friday.  When Matt came home from work early (5 p.m. baby!) and we proceeded to fall asleep on the couch at 7 p.m., completely sleep through dinner, and wake up only to move into the bedroom.  That, my friends, is not how I saw my Friday evening going....

We did, however, pound out a major kitchen cleaning on Saturday...and when I say we, I mean mostly Matt.  I did, however, take all of the mail, receipts, and any other pieces of junk from the counter tops and promptly sit my butt down on the floor to organize it all.  So, you know, I helped.

We drove by our new house, which now has all of the foundation down...and our garage is up!  Yippee!!  And we stopped by Dick's to pick up some 3-Day supplies for this weekend.  Ah...and then had Chick-fil-a for dinner :)  Delicious!

Sunday I was finally able to get up and go to church.  It was the most wonderful service!  Honestly, there really wasn't anything super special about it....but I was just so glad to be there.  I was even able to fit in a whole grocery trip and lunch afterward without dying!  I did sleep for a few hours when we got home, but it was worth it :)

And then to top off our fantastic weekend, we made Oatmeal Scotchies for dessert!  Well, technically I had them for dinner because I had two and then got too full to eat dinner.  But who really cares about that, right?