Out with the old!

I have had a wonderful day off! Since conferences were this week, today was a flex day. The only thing that would make it better would  be if Bran was home tonight. He is playing Jesus in our church’s Hell House production. Bran was on the front page of the newspaper today in the Heaven scene. He always makes the paper when he puts on that Jesus costume! He won’t be home until after 11:00 tonight, tomorrow night, and Monday night. It makes me so sad. Good thing I have my crazy dog to watch over Griffin and me.
Anyways, I had my doctor’s appointment this morning. Everything was great except I put on a ton of weight this month! I have to watch what I’m eating a little more closely. Then I went to a carpet store to look at some rugs for our living room and Griffin’s room, went to Hobby Lobby for a project, then to Lowes and Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. It was great to be able to actually have the time to get some stuff done. When I got home, I had to take a Statistics test. Gag. So glad today is my last day of this class. I only have one more test left then I am home-free!
After my test, I worked on transferring my clothes to my new closet! We have a weird alcove in our master bedroom that was a complete waste of space. I wanted my dad to turn it into a closet for me, but since I’m not his favorite, I just had to make do with whatever Bran and I could do on our own. We bought an organizer at Lowe’s, and Bran did a wonderful job installing it for me. It took him forever, but everything is nice and level and sturdy. And the best part, we did it together and didn’t argue at all! lol Usually projects like that can make our patience run thin with each other, but we did a good job.
Once I transferred all of my stuff, I worked on getting Bran’s stuff out of the nursery into my old closet. I really like how everything turned out! It’s much better use of space. It’s def not my “dream closet” but it most certainly does the job.

The picture makes the curtains look silver, but they’re really blue.

The shelves completely eliminated my need for a dresser. Woohoo!

     

Two bags of trash and a bed full of clothes to donate to Teen Challenge! It feels so good to get rid of the old stuff!

Bran’s new closet is nice and neat and organized! I give it a week before it’s destroyed!
And even with all my hard work, Griffin’s room still looks like this…

I can’t believe I just posted this… but that’s real life! lol It has actually come so far! We have removed a treadmill, bed frame, and a bunch of other junk. Now to find a place for all of Bran’s hunting gear…. *sigh*

Statistics and 22 Weeks

Let me start off by saying, I’m so over graduate school. I just submitted my Statistics Research paper. I put it off for four weeks, so I spend my Sunday afternoon typing eight pages. Thankfully, I only have one more week left of this class, then a week off, and then I will be in my very last class!! Woohoo! I will be so excited to have my free time back!
I could use some more free time this week. I have parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday until 9pm. That’s always such a long day. I have 15 essays to grade, report cards to finish, AIPs to update and print off, and a host of other things to get done before Tuesday. Tomorrow shall be a long day as well. Sigh…
On to the fun stuff! Well to me anyways…

How far along? 22 Weeks
Weight gain? 11 or 12. Not exactly sure. Too much though!
Maternity clothes? Just pants. However, my dresses and tights are so much more comfortable to teach in all day.
Sleep? Still good!
Best moment this week? We ordered Griffin’s furniture. I think we got a great deal. Since I found out we were expecting, I’ve searched everywhere for good furniture. I either found cheap furniture that wouldn’t last, or really nice furniture that was overpriced. I came across a sale last week at JC Penny’s online and ordered a three piece set: a convertible crib, changing station/dresser combo, and a dresser. It’s backordered, so we will get it at the end of next month. That works out perfectly because the nursery needs some major deep cleaning before then!

Movement? Lots! I love that Bran can feel him move so much now too. Griffin really starts to kick if the computer is sitting on him. He must not like that! Every time the laptop is on him, he will kick so hard that he moves it. I love it!
Gender? Boy! Griffin Blaine
Labor Signs? None
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss? Not having heartburn every.single.day.
Milestones? Buying his furniture after five months of searching!
Cravings? pizza, pizza, and more pizza

20 and 21 Weeks

             
How far along? I am currently 21 weeks!
Weight gain? Gag… I don’t even know now. I think I’m like at 10 pounds now. Makes me sad.
Maternity clothes? Pants for sure. That’s all for now.
Sleep? Still good.
Best moment this week? So many… but one that has nothing to do with Baby G is making a 100% on my dumb statistics test! I hate this class!!
Movement? He is moving a LOT! I love to feel his little kicks.
Gender? Boy! His name is Griffin Blaine. We refer to him as Baby G! lol
Labor Signs? None thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? In, but is stretching more and more.
What I miss? My skinner face. I am retaining water in my face, hands, and feet so bad. I think I make it out to be more than it really is, but my face is truly fat. My neck and chin feel HUGE. It’s really gross. You can really see it in pictures too.
Milestones? For 20 weeks, it was finally getting to go shopping for Baby G with my mom. We got some of his bedding and a few things for his nursery. I had a lot of fun with her. And of course 20 weeks marked half way in my pregnancy. For 21 weeks, Bran finally felt two really strong kicks for the first time. There was no doubting that they were from Griffin! We have figured out that ice water makes him go crazy!
Cravings? Nothing in particular. If anyone suggests something or I see a commercial, then that’s what I want. For example, the other night at Hog Wild, the waitress asks if we would like an appetizer. We never order an appetizer… let alone hot wings. But as soon as those two little words came out of her mouth, h-o-t.w-i-n-g-s, that’s what I had to have. I never, ever eat those. But they were so good that night!

Gender Reveal

Last Thursday I had my anatomy scan. Brandon and I were both so excited to finally find out what our little blessing would be. We both had a feeling that it would be a girl. We had the ultrasound tech put the gender revealing ultrasound pictures in an envelope instead of telling us. Bran and I even closed our eyes during that part of the ultrasound. We wanted to find out at a little get together we had with our friends that night.
My mom and sister came down to help get some decorations together for the party. I decorated in pink and blue of course. Brandon and his dad grilled burgers and hot dogs, my sister made some yummy baked beans, and my mother-in-law brought the potato salad. I was so grateful for all the help because I couldn’t have done it on my own!


My friend Dara and I made these centerpieces for the tables. They took FOREVER. The flowers are made of felt, stuck in a styrofoam ball, and placed on top of a glass that I painted white inside.

The cupcakes were ordered from a local bakery and were sooooo delicious! Half were vanilla and half were chocolate. All were dipped in ganache with a white question mark on top.



The guests that represented their guesses!

My fellow favorite teachers! After quickly stuffing our faces, it was cupcake time!!

So thankful that they came down!


Brandon’s face is PRICELESS!




It’s a boy!!!!!!!!!! We couldn’t be more excited!
And his name will be………..



TBA

18 and 19 Weeks

    
How far along? 19 Weeks – Almost halfway done!
Weight gain? I’m up to six pounds now, give or take a few depending on what time of day it is.
Maternity clothes? Still wearing my belly band when needed. I am also wearing maternity pants because they are so much more comfy! Shirts and dresses are still to big though.
Sleep? It’s great! I’ve had a lot on my mind since finding out the gender, so I’ve had some difficulty falling asleep. Too much to think about!
Best moment this week? I had my anatomy scan last Thursday. It’s a boy!!!! Bran and I were both shocked! Everyone, including us, thought it was going to be a girl. I’m so excited to have a son though!
Movement? I’ve been feeling a ton of movement since Thursday. It’s great to feel him kick and move around. It still is more of a tickle, so I’m grateful it’s not hurting… yet! Here’s a picture from Thursday:

He has his daddy’s feet! I bet in a few more weeks, I will feel some strong jabs.
Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? None!
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss? I miss not having these horrible headaches.
Milestones? Finding out the gender. We had a big gender reveal party last Thursday after the ultrasound. That’s another post for another day! Here’s a couple of photos from Thursday.
    
Cravings? S’more poptarts! They’re so good!!

And just so I don’t forget, my students are so funny. They have suggested names for Baby M which include The BFG and Gizmo. They also think that he will be extra smart because he gets to listen to me teach all day long. They want to talk nonstop about me being pregnant. I think it’s adorable, but it’s hard to get them to focus! I will have to start documenting all their thoughts about babies. Hysterical!

16 and 17 Weeks

Oops… I’m a little late.

      

Well here it is! My growing bump. Not sure what is going on in the 16 week picture… It’s huge!!
How far along? Currently, 17.5 weeks
Weight gain? still at just three pounds total
Maternity clothes? I have bought several tops and a dress from Old Navy on sale, but they are still too big to wear. I have worn a few pairs of pants. They are much more comfortable with their elastic waist band!
Sleep? Fantastic
Best moment this week? I heard the baby’s strong heartbeat at my last appointment again. It was wonderful! We also scheduled our big ultrasound to find out the gender!
Movement? I can feel flutters if something is resting on my stomach, but that’s about all.
Gender? We find out in one week!
Labor Signs? None
Belly button in or out? Still in, but stretching? I dunno… it’s weird.
What I miss? Nothing!
Milestones? Feeling flutters
Cravings? S’more Poptarts

15 Weeks

So I’m a little late, hence the bad photo. This is after a full days work and an afternoon nap. haha!

How far along? 15 Weeks
Weight gain? Well, this is the week I can no longer say none. I’ve gained about three pounds.
Maternity clothes? None yet. I’m still wearing my regular clothes.
Sleep? Good. I so love my Boppy.
Best moment this week? Spending time with Brandon discussing our baby plans. He is going to be the best daddy ever. I am cherishing these moments where it’s just the two of us.
Movement? I think I’ve felt some flutters this week. I’m ready to feel a good strong kick though.
Gender? Only a few more weeks until we find out!
Labor Signs? None TYJ!
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss? Nothing. I am really enjoying my pregnancy!
Milestones? Just making it this far!
Cravings? Cornbread dressing