My Little Miracle: 22 Weeks

I haven't done one of these updates in a while, so I decided it was time!

How far along? 22 weeks

Baby's size? 8 inches, 1.2 lbs - about the size of a papaya

Weight gain? 14 lbs

Sleep? Sleep is fine! I have to get up about 2-3 times a night to use the restroom, but who's counting?

Foods I am loving? Orange juice, peanut butter crackers, hot chocolate

Foods I am hating? Nothing really, although I still choose not to eat bacon and coffee

Best moment this week? I am feeling baby boy move sooo much, and I LOVE IT!!! It is so amazing to know when he is sleeping and when he is awake. I think he appreciates food as much as his momma because he goes CRAZY after I eat. But my favorite moment this week was definitely when Patrick got to feel him kick. Usually he doesn't kick hard enough to feel from the outside, but one night I had a bad nightmare that must have gotten him really going (I'm guessing it was my heart rate). I woke up to him kicking like a soccer player and grabbed Patrick's hand really quickly. He was SO happy when he felt him! It was definitely one of the most amazing moments that I will always remember!

Symptoms? Just going to the bathroom a lot more. No complaints though! I absolutely LOVE being pregnant at this point, and my misery in the first trimester has almost been forgotten! Maybe I can do this again?!?!?!

Gender? A sweet baby boy. We are still "marinating" on his name and practicing using it, but it is such an important decision that I'm so nervous to make the final call! Once we are 100% I will announce his name!

What I miss? Alcohol. I want wine, beer, egg nog, bloody mary's, champagne. Jeez...I could go on and on!! And I don't even drink that much!

What I'm looking forward to? Seeing sweet baby boy on ultrasound next Friday!

Emotions: Like I already mentioned, I am absolutely LOVING being pregnant. I am on cloud 9!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

around our house!!!

{Our Christmas tree topper}

{Our Christmas tree}

{The fireplace - with room for one more stocking!}

{The wreath I made last year}

{Patrick surprised me with lights outside!!}

{Guess who made his blog debut!!}

-Alicia

A First Look at the Nursery!

We started working on Baby Boy's nursery over Thanksgiving break. It is going to be a super fun process that I am definitely looking forward to! I can't wait to decorate the perfect room for him - a room that is comfortable for both of us. Here are some pictures to show our progress so far:

{Patrick's mom begins the painting process}

{Old house = closet that needed an overhaul}

{The closet after the renovation!!! <3}

{Crib assembly begins}

{The crib is finished!}

{And of course, we had to make sure it was strong enough :) }

I love the progress so far. The closet is so wonderful, and all of his cute little stuff (what we have so far) looks adorable in there! The color of the room is the most perfect gray with a slight touch of blue. Now I just have to start getting stuff to fill the room. I will definitely be showing the finished product when we are all done!

-Alicia

Christmas cards!!

I LOVE Christmas! And I LOVE Christmas cards! So, I've been super excited that Shutterfly is offering 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers. Shutterfly always has the most adorable cards, and I am so excited to use them this year for our family Christmas card. Some of my favorites this year are:

The thing that I think is great about Shutterfly is that they have something for everyone - they have everything from super traditional to very modern. So whatever your taste, Shutterfly has something you will LOVE!

Another great option Shutterfly offers is their calendars. Ever since I was little, my grandmother has been making a family calendar to give to everyone in their stockings. Every Christmas morning, we all open our calendars together and flip through the pictures together. The calendar always has the best pictures of our family from the year. I hope to carry on this tradition, and I will definitely use Shutterfly to make the perfect calendar!

So visit Shutterfly to find your perfect Christmas card, and maybe even take a peek at their adorable calendars!

What's "It" going to be?

It's a BOY!!!

We are still in awe that our love for each other has brought us a precious son. We are so excited about bringing this little man into the world.

We found out Tuesday afternoon, and on Tuesday night we went to dinner with our immediate family to share the news. We had the "Grandmas" open a gift that had either boy clothes or girl clothes, and they were surprised at what they found!

{My mom is shocked!!}

{Jeanette, Patrick's mom, is thrilled!}

{My Grandma knew the whole time it was a boy!}

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, home happier, past forgotten, and the future worth living for"

My Miracle Monday (err Tuesday): 16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Baby's size? Baby is the size of a turnip - 5 inches

This, my friends, is a turnip:

Weight gain? 7 lbs

Sleep? Now that I'm working 6am - 6pm, 6 days a week, I am sleeping like a CHAMP! And I love it!

Foods I am loving? Lemonade, cold cheese, Dr. Pepper, cold fruit

Foods I am hating? Same old bacon, coffee, and fast food

Best moment this week? Hearing the heart beat today!!! It is such a relief to know that the bun is still baking in the oven! AND I think I may have FELT baby - I will update when it happens again!

Symptoms? I'm a broken record - nausea is still hanging on, but better with each day. Nasal congestion, although it's hard to tell if that is the pregnancy (which has been known to happen) or the weather change.

Gender? Getting closer! But EVERYTHING says it's a girl - so I already feel like I know!! I'm gonna add a poll in the next couple of days to see what YOU GUYS think it is!

What I miss? Nothing at the moment :)

What I'm looking forward to? Gender revealment! DEFINITELY feeling baby

Emotions: I'm so busy with work-school lately, it is really strange not to be completely consumed by this pregnancy. I spent 4 weeks sick on the couch thinking about the baby all the time, so I almost felt guilty going back to work and "forgetting" I was pregnant. It has made the time go by SO much faster, though! I can't believe that we are almost half-way there!

P.S. I am thinking about posting "bump pictures" on the blog. I will not be putting them on Facebook, but would love to let my far-away friends see the progression. If you think I should post them on here, let me know!!! Comment below!

My Miracle Monday: 14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks - 2nd trimester! Wooohooo!

Baby's size? Baby is the size of a navel orange - 4.5 inches

Weight gain? 4 lbs

Sleep? Insomnia has struck :( I just don't sleep anymore!

Foods I am loving? Lemonade (which I hated pre-pregnancy. Isn't that weird?), rainbow sherbert, Dr. Pepper (don't worry, my Dr. says I need the caffeine and calories), edamame, any kind of sugary candy (not chocolate - sprees, chewy jolly ranchers, sour skittles), fresh fruit

Foods I am hating? Still not eating bacon or coffee. Fast food really grosses me out too!

Best moment this week? Entering the 2nd trimester has been the best thing to happen this week!!!

Symptoms? Feeling even better!! Still take my nausea medicine 2x a day, but I can function like a normal human being. I've started experiencing some insomnia, stretching, headaches

Gender? We find out November 17th!!!

What I miss? When it started cooling off, I really wanted a glass of red wine. I'm starting to sound like an alcky!

What I'm looking forward to? Registering, getting the baby's room ready, finding out the sex, being able to feel baby in the next couple of weeks

Emotions: Starting to "enjoy" being pregnant is so exciting! It has been so difficult up to this point, so I'm so happy! I love this little nugget so much already, so I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when I finally meet him/her!