25 Weeks!

I am 25 weeks today!! :) 105 DAYS LEFT. Holyyyyyyy crap. I'm getting so anxious and excited and impatient!

Life has been good lately. Just lots of working! I love my job, and the people I work with. We're starting to get busier and busier, and it's definitely exciting! Overwhelming at times, but I love it! J starts his new job on the 8th of May, and he found out what "team" he's on today, and if he calculated his schedule correctly he should be off on my birthday, and for the baby's due date weekend! Here's to hoping...

No pictures in this post...my last blog was of my "progressive bump". Super cool to look at! I remember when I was 10-11 weeks pregnant and I thought my belly looked soooo big :P That was NOTHING compared to now!! Everyone keeps asking me if there's more than one baby in there, and while that would be super exciting (!!!), I would hope the doctors would have noticed by now! I've had 3 ultrasounds, and there's never been a "hiding baby" (or two) :P

We move in a week and a half!!! Cannot WAIT to get my hands on this nursery!! :) :) I wish we had more things to put in his room, but I'm sure once we have the space for it, we'll get more of the things we need. We have zero idea IF we're having showers thrown for us, or when they'll be, so we're planning on getting most things ourselves. I'm too impatient to wait TOO long!!


How big is baby?: The size of a rutabaga (whatever that is)! About 13.5 inches (head to toe), and 1.5 lbs :) It's hard to think that something that large is in my belly!
Stretch marks?: you shut your mouth
Maternity clothes?: Oh yes.
Sleep: Still pretty decent. I haven't had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom lately. I do wake up between 7-8 every day though!
Best moment this week: Still the kicks :) My favorite are the ones early in the morning after I wake up. I feel like Elijah is saying "Good Morning mommy!" I started feeling his kicks on the outside this past week, and the little nudges are SO adorable!! J still hasn't felt them, though. He isn't patient or gentle enough...haha. He often shakes or hits my belly (lovingly, of course) and yells "WAKE UP BABY!!!!!" :P He's gonna be such a good daddy :) OH--and we bought a new car a couple weeks ago. We traded in my old Focus (that I had been making J drive), to get a baby-safe car that's MUCH nicer and man-lier. :P
Movement: all day, every day :) it doesn't wake me up at night, though, which I'm okay with! Maybe he's sleeping through the night already?? haha. Wishful thinking!
Food cravings: Do chocolate milkshakes still count???
Gender: still my little man!
Labor Signs: No thank you. But J did inform me today that at 27 weeks I might start feeling Braxton Hicks. Can't say I want those, but it was adorable that he even read about them!
Belly Button in or out?: Getting shallower and shallower! I giggle every morning when I feel my bellybutton and see how different it is every day :P
What I miss: Roller coasters :(( Every summer my little brothers and I always talk about roller coasters and what we want to ride that year...not me :( I want to see if there's a way I can go to Busch Gardens or something after August...not sure what the recovery time is for getting back on a coaster, though!
What I am looking forward to: Moving! I mean, I won't be doing any of the actual moving (haha), but I'm looking forward to being a Chesapeake resident!! All I can think about is how much gas we're going to be saving by living near everything we usually go to. My job will be the same distance away, and once J starts his new job, it'll be 5 mins closer than his current job is from our current house. His new job is right by my job, too! Buttttt his shifts are like 6am-6pm, so there will be no carpooling. Haha!

Belly Growth!

Created this today and thought I'd share! :) Watching my belly grow has been the coolest thing ever! And I *promise* to try and write a blog update this Friday or Saturday!

23 Weeks! :)

122 Days left! :) I can't believe how fast this is going now...I'm getting SO anxious! in 4 short months, I should have a mini-J in my arms :D It's gonna be very weird not going to work every day while I'm on maternity leave...but I will be taking as short of a leave as possible! My job is demanding, but I love it! And I love the money I make. haha. I won't be getting paid maternity leave because I haven't been full-time for very long, so we're praying that I have an easy delivery and can get back out there ASAP.

Speaking of work: I have been SO BUSY. It's literally kicking my butt. I have like 30 people to get trained in a short amount of time, and working with everyone's schedules is close to impossible. I'm not sure how Candy ever did it! OH YEAH--she had wayyyyyy more experience than me! haha. I'm still keeping my head above water, which is good, I just feel like I am always at work, and even when I'm not at work, I think about work. It comes with the job, though. This week I've had to come in on my days off to do training, and I don't recall getting very many days off last week, either. But it is what it is! And it'll be over soon. :) We've been short one other full-time manager, and I'm hoping my boss hires one sooner, rather than later. He knows we need it! It'd help me out a ton...

This week I have been ridiculously sick :( I started getting a sore throat Monday night, and by Tuesday when I was at work, I was a wreck. I was hot all over, but felt like I was freezing...my whole body hurt, and all I could think to do was drink more water, but my throat hurt too bad for that! I called my OB on Wednesday, and they said do NOT come in, because they didn't want me infecting everyone else. :( So I toughed it out with some tylenol... my fever is gone, and I think my sore throat is slowly getting better. Now I just have a terrible cough and headache! It sucks because I can't cough, or else my head hurts. It's a lose-lose situation. Meh. I'm hoping I feel better by tomorrow night, because I have to work from like 3pm-3am! I'm sleeping just thinking about that...

Since I skipped my 22 week picture, here are both:

 22 Weeks ^

And this one ^ was taken Wednesday! 

Both of my bosses have commented on how big my belly is, and no one believes I'm only having one baby! haha :) Makes me a little nervous about how gigantic I'm going to be come July, but I love it! I LOVE being noticed for my belly, and I love strangers asking about little Elijah :) Makes my day! I think I'm gonna miss my belly once it's gone...this has been the only time in my life where I haven't had to "suck in" for pictures!! :P

How big is baby?: The size of a pomegranate! About 10.5 inches, and 12-20 ounces :) It's hard to think that something that large is in my belly!

Stretch marks?: you shut your mouth

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes.

Sleep: Still pretty decent. I get up maybe once in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I do wake up between 7-8 every day though! 

Best moment this week: Still the kicks :) Every time I feel them I get all giddy :) :) He's getting stronger and stronger, so hopefully daddy will be able to feel him soon!

Movement: all day, every day :) this booger doesn't sleep!

Food cravings: Nothing really this week. I love chocolate milkshakes. And Elijah loves them, too! I only got them because my throat hurt. Really, that's the ONLY reason.

Gender: my little man!

Labor Signs: No thank you.

Belly Button in or out?: I've really noticed this past week or two that it's shallowing out! It's funny to me :)

What I miss: Not being sick!!! I am SUCH a baby when I get sick. And I can't BE a baby when I'm trying to GROW one!

What I am looking forward to: moving!! 3 weeks! :) And J gets off work at 6 tonight, so we're going down to NC to see my brothers in the school musical! They both have solos this year, and I can't wait!!! :D I LOVE seeing them on the same stage I used to be on :) I hope little man gets my talent, too...that's about all I'd want him to have from me. haha.

21 weeks!

Okay, maybe I'm 21 weeks and 4 days today. It's been busy around here!!

Biggest moment: I felt Elijah kick last Monday!!! (3.12) I was in the middle of an interview, and all of a sudden stopped talking to the girl and told her my baby must like her, because he kicked me!! :) (for the record, we did end up hiring her...haha) Elijah has been kicking me ever since, and every day gets a little stronger! There isn't really any "downtime", either. I am guessing he either kicks in his sleep, or just sleeps when I do! (which I wouldn't hate..!) I can't stop talking about his kicks, because it still takes me by surprise every time it happens. Now I really can't wait for J to be able to feel him!! Sometimes I feel like a liar when I tell him the baby's kicking me, because there really is no proof! I feel selfish that I have to keep these first kicks to myself...but I know it won't be long before John feels him; this sucker is a strong one!!

This past week, and these next few weeks, are going to be ridiculously busy for me. Because of our job fair, we've hired 30-40 new people, and I've got to get them all trained! It's a bit (okay, a LOT) overwhelming. Especially because I have never done anything like this before! I can't say I did't cry a little sitting at my desk yesterday thinking about all the stuff that needs to get done...but hey, I can still blame that on pregnancy hormones, right??

Speaking of crying...it's like I can't catch a break! haha. Yesterday when I left for work, J was sleeping peacefully in bed still (it was his day off), and I started tearing up as I was leaving! Those were happy tears, though. I looooooove spending time with him; it just never feels like enough. We could spend an entire week together, and I'd still want to spend more time with him. One day last week I just wanted to hug him, for no reason, and I started crying while I was hugging him! I'm a mess, I tell ya.

We did have our 20 week u/s last Wednesday! It was so awesome getting to see little man again :) we only got one good profile picture to take home. At the 20 week u/s, they're supposed to measure everything and let you know if your baby's on track or not. For whatever reason, my hospital doesn't do this. The tech took a bunch of pictures, and gave them to the doctor, who I see this Friday. So hopefully she'll tell me how perfect my baby is then. :P The tech did say that everything looked right on track, but us pregnant girls worry a ton!! Here's our baby: 

Look at that cute little nose!! :) 

And here are some outfits we bought for his this past week. I made J help me pick them out. :)

This first one is a set of 5 Hurley onesies. SO cute!!! J wasn't in love with them, but I couldn't leave the store without them...haha

 and J really liked this one:

I'm not too keen on onesies with words all over them, but this one was too cute to pass up :)

And here's my belly picture from last week! I'm pretty sure I grew overnight two nights ago; my belly has been getting in my way more than usual! But, since I am still in pajamas, you gotta wait for the next one for that picture! Suspenseful, I know :) Annnnnd my face looked horrid in this picture. So I cut it out. You are welcome!

How big is baby?: The size of a banana! Or an over-inflated football. haha

Stretch marks?: I have stopped looking for these. I am not "blessed" in this department!

Maternity clothes?: Someone seemed surprised yesterday when I told them I'd been wearing them since I was about 10-11 weeks pregnant. They're just so comfy!

Sleep: Comes and goes. Still going pretty well in this department, though. And luckily I don't wake up to pee in the middle of the night!

Best moment this week: The kicks!!!!

Movement: all day, every day :)

Food cravings: Still just sweets! I can't get enough hard candy, for whatever reason!

Gender: u/s tech confirmed he's still a boy!

Labor Signs: No thank you.

Belly Button in or out?: still in, but looking more off-centered every day! J thinks I'm delusional.

What I miss: Nothing right now! Life is great :)

What I am looking forward to: we move in about a month!!! The guy we're renting from let us pick out colors we'd like the walls painted, so that's been super fun :) We're both just SO anxious to get out of this city, and into the city that has EVERYTHING, and is much closer to my family! Right now we're about 5 mins from J's parents, and 45 mins from mine. But when we move, we'll be about 30 mins from both! And still the same distance to work :) And did I mention it's on the water??? It's GORGEOUS. And we're getting brand new appliances, freshly painted walls, ahhhh!! I'll definitely have to put up pictures once we're in...

Half-Way There!!

Ohhhh we're halfway there! Oh-ohhhhh living on a prayer!! :)

Today marks 20 weeks pregnant, and 20 weeks til my due date! I felt like this day would never come...my due date still feels super far away, but every day is another day closer. 5 months down, 5 to go! :))

Nothing baby-wise has happened lately. I do think Elijah has found my bladder, though. Every time I go to the bathroom,  5 minutes later I have to pee again! It got a little ridiculous today.

I had to work this morning, and I can't believe how worn out I am! Every day it gets a little harder to do my job (the physical aspects), and I'm getting worried that I won't be able to work right up until he comes out, which is the plan. I don't get paid maternity leave, so I'd really like to not waste my time by having to stop working early! J said I just need to take breaks more often and stop overdoing everything, but I'm a worker bee!! I don't like to sit down often, and try to always find something to do. By the time I got off today, and went to Walmart, my abdomen was cramping like crazy and I did not feel good. Yikes.

In other news, J got offered the job he's been trying to get for the past 2-3 months! :) We don't know when he'll start yet, but probably by the end of the month. I'm so happy for him!! He's super excited (as am I, of course!) to have a steady paycheck, and not have to work for commission anymore. It'll be such a relief!

OH! Forgot I hadn't mentioned our new condo! Last Friday morning, my mom called and said her coworker owns a condo that is going to be available in April if we wanted to go look at it. At first, I was hesitant because I'm not a fan of neighbors right next to you, but the price was right, so we went and looked at it anyway. We fell in love! It's in Chesapeake, where we've always wanted to move, and RIGHT on the water!! It has a boat dock out back, and even comes with our own "slit" (or whatever she called it..haha) to dock a boat of our own! Obviously we don't have one yet, but hopefully soon! People also go fishing right in our backyard (across the river), and I'm way excited for Elijah to be old enough to learn how to do that with his daddy!!! It has one more bedroom and bathroom than we have now, and a large dining room, and a huge master bedroom with a view of the water! We're moving in the end of April :) We're so impatient and wish we could move in NOW!

Here is my picture from this week:

I love looking at my belly!! :) People keep commenting on my belly and I love talking about my baby!! :) Today I had a guest tell me how gorgeous I was, and that I looked very good pregnant. Made my day! :) :)

How big is baby?: The size of a cantaloupe! Or as long as a beer bottle. 6.5 inches long, and about 10.2 ounces.
Stretch marks?: I have stopped looking for these. I am not "blessed" in this department!
Maternity clothes?: Gotta get a couple more work shirts...but they sure are comfy!
Sleep: My foot problems have gotten better, and I've been sleeping pretty well this week. I still wake up somewhere between 6:30-8:30 for the day, and want to go to bed by 9pm.
Best moment this week: Hmm...can't think of anything! J took his polygraph test Monday or Tuesday, and then they called him Wednesday to offer him the job! That was definitely exciting...just anxious for him to start working there now :)
Movement: Still nothing. :(( I feel like it's coming soon though!! I might have felt a nudge yesterday, but I have no idea, and don't wanna get excited yet!
Food cravings: Just sugar.
Gender: hopefully he's still a boy!
Labor Signs: No thank you.
Belly Button in or out?: In and looking normal. As normal as an off-center belly button can be :(
What I miss: having peace of mind about my baby :( I wish these appointments weren't so far apart!!
What I am looking forward to: Next Wednesday!!!!!!!!! We have our anatomy scan where we get to see Elijah again, and they measure his body and his heart and make sure everything is functioning correctly. J also has off almost all of next week, and I'm SO excited to get to spend time with him when I'm not at work! And Friday is his birthday!!!! I wish we could do something special :( But I can't take any time off right now (or ever this year...haha). I'm still excited, though, because I love birthdays!! He's already gotten himself everything he wants, so I reckon we'll just be doing a nice dinner somewhere. Love date nights! :)

Here are some fun pics I took today with my "half baked" purchase :P

(don't judge me!)

I think it's nap time now.

19 Weeks (almost)

I decided to write my weekly entry tonight, instead of tomorrow, because tomorrow is a super special day!
6 months ago, tomorrow, was the most wonderful day of my entire life! The whole day was like a dream, and I have never been happier :) To celebrate, John and I both have the day off, so we are going to spend a wonderful entire day together! Then for dinner, we have reservations at The Melting Pot!! We've never been there, but I've always wanted to. Very excited to go out like "fancy" people and get all dressed up :P

This week has been pretty standard. Lots of work for the both of us. My job has a Job Fair every March where we interview a ton of people and do a "mass hire" for the season. So, being the only full-time Restaurant Manager right now, I've been swamped with getting the word out and making sure we're prepared for it! And, of course, what comes with hiring a bunch of people, is training a bunch of people: my expertise. I have been prepping the training manuals for months to make sure they're perfect, and I can't wait to get all these new people in and trained! It was just 2 years ago that I moved back up here to live with my parents (and get away from a boy...haha), and I found this job description on Craigslist for a "singing server". Best. Decision. EVER. I rocked my interview and audition (obviously..haha), and started working there at the end of March. Of course, this is where J came in. :) He had the most amazing smile, and there was just something about him. I cannot believe how much my life has changed in the last 2 years, and I can't wait to be able to change someone else's life by giving them a chance to work for this incredible company! It really is an exciting time for me (the "mass hire")...probably mostly because I'm a dork like that and it doesn't take much to excite me. I LOVE all of the new personalities we get, and seeing everyone get along, and most act on their best behavior. It's wonderful!

Speaking of my husband, I have to brag on him for a little bit. He is the absolute most amazing man in the entire world. Best husband I've ever had! This pregnancy hasn't been the hardest one ever, but it sure hasn't been the easiest. I went into it very naive, and just wanted the baby, the end product. I haven't been the easiest person to get along with these past 4 months or so, but J doesn't think twice about it. He is SO super loving, caring, and all-around wonderful. The other night he asked me "What would you have done if you had married someone who didn't give you everything you wanted?" I simply told him I wouldn't have married them. Haha. I am not spoiled, by any means, but J is ridiculously selfless. If I'm craving something, and we can afford it, he gets it for me, or lets me get it when he's working. When I am exhausted and need to go to bed, he goes to bed with me, just to be with me, even if he's not tired. We are an awesome team together, and I am so confident that he is going to be the most amazing father to Elijah. I think he's a little scared of the "unknown" of having your first child, but I have no doubt that he's going to know exactly what to do, and that Elijah will not be a momma's boy, because his daddy is so incredible. Daddy is going to be the fun one (he is a good bit younger than me...so he has more pep in his step! haha), and mommy is going to be the rule enforcer. I'm okay with that, though, because I want nothing more than to watch Elijah grow up to be just like daddy. :) Gotta stop, the tears are coming...! haha

I can't WAIT for next Friday, when I'll be "half baked"! How does time fly by, but crawl slowly at the same time???


How big is baby?: The size of a mango, or a softball. Still about 6 inches long, he weighs about 8.5oz
Stretch marks?: found even more yesterday morning.
Maternity clothes?: love them! found some super cute shirts at Motherhood for work. I love the style and fit, they were just expensive, so I don't have many.
Sleep: This week it's been tough to fall asleep, because of my foot problems. I keep forgetting to ask my doctor, but it's getting really ridiculous. I have this constant urge to crack my toes on my left foot, and usually end up taking Tylenol PM to get some sleep. I wonder if this is a type of RLS (restless leg syndrome), and if there is anything a doctor could do about it...this crap isn't gonna fly for much longer, though!!!
Best moment this week: Tomorrow count? :) Monday was good, though, too. J finally got his electronics he's been wanting, and it's cute to see him get all giddy about showing me how everything works :)
Movement: Still nothing. :(( I feel like it's coming soon though!!
Food cravings: I was craving fruit really bad last night, so I went to get some. Lucky for me they were on sale! Un-lucky for me, I woke up feeling like crap; my stomach hurt (physical pain, not gas like usual! haha), and my abdomen was cramping (probably from stretching), but I wonder if the pain was from eating all that fruit. Maybe Elijah got used to the junk I usually feed him :P
Gender: hopefully he's still a boy!
Labor Signs: No thank you.
Belly Button in or out?: In and looking normal. As normal as an off-center belly button can be :(
What I miss: having peace of mind about my baby :( I wish these appointments weren't so far apart!!
What I am looking forward to: March! I love March. Everyone is happy for some reason! My a/s is in 13 days!! And J's 21st Birthday is 2 weeks from tomorrow!!! I'm hoping we are both able to get that day off, too, though I have no idea what we'd do. I just want it to be special :) I'm also, of course, looking forward to feeling this stubborn little boogar inside me! Last night J was shaking my stomach and telling Elijah to wake up...haha. Unfortunately it didn't work. Boo.

My next blog entry will be halfway! YAY ME! :) Here's a pic from this week of my ever-growing bump! It always looks bigger in pictures...guess the camera DOES add 10 pounds?? :)

18 Weeks!

I still can't believe I'm 18 weeks along today. In 2 more weeks I'll be halfway! Holy Cow!

Today has been super busy and productive. J got up early to work out (he took a test to get in the Police Dept last week and missed it by 6 stinking seconds. they're letting him retake it on the 27th of March, so he's gonna make sure he doesn't miss it this time!) and when he got back from his run, I was ready to wake up. Every Friday is payday for us, and we had bills to pay, and extra money to spend! J has been wanting a new tv and sound bar for the last few months, so I let him buy his sound bar today. The boy was so happy! :) His tv will come when our taxes do, which will hopefully be soon. We also bought our crib! This is the stock photo, obviously it won't have all that girly stuff on it:

It's our first big baby purchase! Then J had to go to work, and I had my monthly checkup. Baby is still doing great! I love hearing his heartbeat :) My doctor was busy, so I met one of the other doctor's. Any one of them could be delivering my baby, so I didn't mind, and he was nice. I just didn't feel like asking him all my questions because he's not a lady and doesn't have personal experience with things.. BUT I got to schedule my anatomy ultrasound! SO excited about that. They measure baby, make sure everything is functioning correctly, and confirm his gender :) I still worry that he's gonna become a girl all of a sudden (there are so many horror stories about people preparing for one gender, and having another!). But we shall see! 

I also got to get a manicure and my eyebrows done. Woot woot! :) They sure hurt more than they used to! I have concluded that I am a wuss, on all accounts of pain. I don't even wanna think about labor.

How big is baby?: The size of a sweet potato. Or a small electric shaver. Haha. around 6 inches, so about the size of my hand!
Stretch marks?: still stretching and marking away :-/
Maternity clothes?: Wear 'em every day. Especially pants. I can still wear some of my non-maternity tops, if they're long enough.
Sleep: About the same. I have been waking up less in the middle of the night this past week, which I appreciate! Still waking up around 6:30-7:30, though.
Best moment this week: J had three days off in a row! Of course I had office days for two of them, but I loved spending the evenings with him :) And all day yesterday! We went and saw "The Vow" on Wednesday (sweet movie, but would have liked it to be longer!), and "This Means War" on Thursday. It was SO funny! I highly recommend that one :)
Movement: Still nothing. I feel like it's coming soon though!!
Food cravings: nothing at all this week. except sugar :P
Gender: hopefully he's still a boy!
Labor Signs: No thank you.
Belly Button in or out?: In and looking normal. As normal as an off-center belly button can be :(
What I miss: nothing this week! i've been pretty happy all week :)
What I am looking forward to: My a/s in 2.5 weeks! And feeling baby move. And getting our taxes back :P Hopefully I can get my Coach diaper bag!! And hopefully J will find out something about his pending new job soon...I am impatient!