22 Weeks!

Happy Easter!  Yay!!  22 weeks!  This is an especially exciting week since we have our mid pregnancy anatomy scan scheduled for this Friday afternoon :)  I'm so anxious to see our little baby boy again.  Hard to believe that if all goes well, this will be the last time we see him until he decides he's ready to come into the world!  August 4th is quickly approaching and I feel happier and more excited all the time!  We are hopeful that everything looks good on this ultrasound and that he is developing and growing like he should.  According to my weekly tracker, he is the size of a papaya this week and weighs a little over a pound.  What a heavyweight!  :)

22 weeks

Not my favorite picture, but Cali is so adorable I had to include it, ha ha!

We also have a busy weekend planned!  I work part of the day on Saturday, then it's off to Lexington for a 1st birthday party :)  Should be fun!  Would be nice to have Sunday to relax, but instead we are going to try to paint the nursery.  Chris is hoping to finish the wainscoting this week so we can paint our little hearts out on Sunday.  Hopefully I'll be posting finished pictures of the nursery soon and we can start furnishing and decorating!! 

Wainscoting & Nursery Inspiration!

Here are some progress pics of our DIY wainscoting!  It's really coming along but turned out to be a much slower process than either of us anticipated!  Our house is SO old, built in the 1860's, so that means floor boards that aren't total level and a LOT of measuring!!  And of course no home improvement project is complete without a spontaneous trip to Lowe's to buy a much needed new tool.  Chris is so excited over his new table saw!  And it has actually been really helpful when cutting the wainscoting for the corners.

 

I swear I really do work but I am always behind the camera!  I also wanted to share some of my favorite "Pinterest" nurseries.  I can get lost on there oohing and aahing over all the great color schemes and design ideas.  I hope Baby E's nursery will be "Pinterest worthy!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 Weeks and I Can Feel Baby Move!

Geez how is time going so fast!?  Already 21 weeks :)  It seems like it's crunch time now because I really want to be finished with the nursery in time to start working outside in the yard!  That's a hefty goal considering we have only just begun!  And our to do list is only getting longer, ha ha!  Oh well, I know it will all get done!

The highlight of this week has already come!  This morning I was sitting at my desk checking emails and getting ready for the week.  It was about 10am when I felt a little flip in my stomach!  I sat quietly for a few minutes hoping this time I was right and I was really feeling him move around!  Sure enough it happened a couple more times.  I called Chris and shared the good news with him.  He was so excited and I know will be over the moon when he can feel him move too!  We are so excited and it's feeling more real everyday!! 

21 weeks

   

Let the Sanding Begin!

SO excited to share that we have really started working on the nursery!!  Here is our progress so far!  The bottom half of the room was textured with a thick paint so we have sanded it off to prepare for the wainscoting. 

Dad hard at work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Elie's First Flight!

Last year I started getting Chris gift certificates for flight lessons.  It's something he has always talked about wanting to do.  I've gone up with him each time and wanted this flight to be no different.  So, up we went today!  It's been somewhat of an extended birthday for him this year which I think he's pretty happy about.  Hopefully Baby Elie likes to fly because I see many trip in his future :)

 

Before Pics of the Nursery

I wanted to post some before pictures of the nursery.  I have high hopes for this sweet little room!  Our plan is to cover the bottom half of the room in wainscoting and then paint it a crisp clean white.  The top half of the room will be painted light gray.  We have just barely started working on the room but it is cleaned out.  We plan to really get started this coming weekend!  I'll post pictures of our progress.  I'm so excited to decorate and start selecting the furnishings for his room.  I want it to be a calming, soothing room that he will be able to grow into for a few years. 

The left wall is where his crib will be!

 

20 Weeks!

How are we already half way there?!  Seems like we just found out we were pregnant and now I'm already 5 months!  Now I'm sure this has been the easier half of the pregnancy, but I have been so lucky and am so grateful that I haven't had any problems!  I am going to remain hopeful that the 2nd half will follow suit!  I have yet to gain any weight, thank GOODNESS!  I have actually gone down a few pounds so I'm good in that department.  I haven't had any real food aversions.  As far as cravings go it seems sporadic.  I was on a kick for awhile that all I wanted to eat were coney's, fortunately that is over and now I can't get enough fruit!  Coney's everyday can't be good for anyone.  The only thing that I want on a regular basis are Frosted Mini Wheats for my evening snack!  When I don't have them, I wake up at 2 in the morning ready to raid the fridge and end up laying in bed trying to ignore my growling stomach and go back to sleep.  With no morning sickness, nausea, or any real "pregnancy" symptoms to complain about, I consider myself fortunate!  I make several trips to the bathroom throughout the night and sometimes have problems going back to sleep but that's about it.  So...kudos to all you moms and preggo's that deal with sickness in the beginning or throughout your pregnancy.  I don't know how you do it, but I know it must be really hard, and you are all CHAMPS!

20 weeks

     

Chris's Birthday!

Happy birthday to Chris!  We had so much fun last week and managed to celebrate his birthday all week long!  On his actual birthday we had a couple friends over for jambalaya.  It was really good if I do say so myself!  If you get a hankering, try this recipe.

In true Elie style, we decided last minute to make a trip to Cincinnati on Friday night to go see one of Chris's favorite comedians.  It was pure luck that Chris happened to be listening to the Bob and Tom show on the radio Friday morning and learned he was going to be there.  Chris has seen him before and loved him!  If you ever have the chance, Tommy Johnagin is a riot!  For the first time in a long time I laughed so hard my make up was smeared above and below my eyes!

At Go Banana's

Birthday fun continued the rest of the weekend.  This year I got him a smoker for our grill and a flying lesson.  We were supposed to go flying on Saturday afternoon but high winds took care of that.  We have rescheduled for next weekend so fingers crossed!

Saturday night we had more friends over!  Per Mr. Man's request, we had garbage plates for dinner.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this dish, it is native to Rochester, New York, which is where my husband is originally from.  It is not for the faint of heart, or stomach!  But it's one of his favorites so he was excited to introduce some of our friends to his beloved garbage plate!  Hopefully they enjoyed it as much as he did!   

The infamous Garbage Plate

Birthday gifts!

Happy birthday Chris!

19 Weeks!

Ahh!  Almost half way there!  It doesn't seem like that's possible!  I think I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm pregnant :) 

We have had a productive week when it comes to preparing for baby.  On Sunday we spent the day in Lexington working on our baby registry.  To say that I was overwhelmed by the thought of this is an understatement!  I don't usually worry so much over decisions, but I felt incapable of picking out anything that baby will need. Luckily, my sister Patricia met us there and made it much easier and more fun!  Once I picked a few things I felt more confident in making decisions and it turned out to be a great day!  We still have a few things to add, but the registry is mostly finished!  We went with Babies R Us and Walmart.   Between the two places, we were totally happy with all of our choices.

 In addition to the baby registry, I finally broke down and got a few maternity clothes on Sunday.  For whatever reason, I thought I would be able to make it without buying any.  Because I haven't gained any weight yet I have been convinced I'd be able to wear my regular clothes at least until summer and then just get a few extra maxi dresses.  WRONG!  With or without weight gain, apparently your body just changes.  Maybe mine is redistributing!?  Either way, I'm loving these new clothes!  I got 4 new pairs of pants and 3 shirts.  Thank you Kohl's and Motherhood Maternity for helping me to enjoy getting ready for work this week!

One of my new outfits!

My current addiction :)

   The rest of the week will be spent celebrating Chris's birthday!  He turns 37 on March 13th!  I plan on staying busy spoiling him and making all of his favorite things!  Since this will be his last birthday before baby, I want it to be great!  
   

18 Weeks

Finally I think I'm actually noticing some changes in my stomach!  I can feel it getting harder and for a lack of a better word, my abdomen is feeling "fuller."  Because all the books, articles, iPhone apps, ect. I read keep telling me to take pictures, I finally gave in.  They all swear that later on I will want to look back and reminisce on my growing stomach.  I'm not totally sold on that idea, but I though I'd give it a shot.  I'm now 18 weeks and thought if I'm going to do this, we better start now!  So, my sweet hubby snapped a couple shots of me last night. 

18 Weeks