Ryan starts his new job on Monday! We're ecstatic about that. :)
Townhouse hunting: We're searching for a place to live.. have toured 3 places so far, and will see 3 tonight. Kinda stressful, but I'm ready to move.
Move-out date is June 27th.
Brooke is now 21 months, and is truly fascinating. She's very independent, but super cuddly, lives for being outdoors or playing in the water, (both? even better!) and is absolutely hilarious when she'll repeat a word you just said. She does that a lot. She'll point to my belly when we ask where the baby is, (and usually wants to lift up my shirt to point to my belly button.) and FINALLY will smile and nod at us when we ask if she's going to have a baby brother. She was in denial for a while. :) Though, she took to the term "big sister" immediately.
Baby boy is moving around a LOT, so much so that I now believe he's rivaling his big sister in the 'in utero activity' department. Clearly the anterior placenta factor is no longer a hindrance, as I feel him whenever he's awake.
Name? Baby boy is currently still nameless. Feel free to offer suggestions. :) Really. I suggested a new one, which Ryan says tops his list, but he won't fully commit yet. :) He says we have 'a lot of time'... *sigh*
Clothes for baby boys, I'm discovering, aren't exactly as squeal-worthy as baby girl clothes. Is it just me? There are some cute things, but what can I say, I love pink. I love "girlie." Trying to embrace the boyness of them.
Money: Given we will have moving expenses next month anyway, (and we've been paying things off while I've been pregnant) I haven't bought a single thing for our child yet. Is that bad? Besides, we'd have to MOVE whatever I buy. :) I guess we're good.
Bedding: I found crib bedding I like, but... refer to the above bullet. :) I will say, I like the idea of a nautical themed nursery...
Birthday: Ryan's birthday is Saturday! He still hasn't really told me what he wants to do during the day, but I do know at least that we'll be going out for dinner, (hooray for gift cards!) and I'll be making a special surprise as well. Hopefully that turns out.. I've never made it before!
Well, I'm back, and I have to say, I had the most AMAZING time with my wonderful girls. It was a little surreal to be all together in the same place for the first time, yet somehow seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I did catch myself looking at Tiff or Amanda, and thinking, "wow, you're REAL!" Yet we all clicked, and it definitely felt like we had been together before. You'd think, since we've been talking on a daily basis for the past SIX years that we may not have much to talk about.. right? Uh, no. We had some hilarious conversations, shared some wonderful new experiences, and honestly just enjoyed being together!
I'm just hoping that the memories will hold me over until we get together NEXT year in.... PHILLY! Megan drew a name out of a bag on Saturday night, so we'll be visiting BECKY'S town next fall. :)
Obviously I can't post ALL of the pictures.. Amanda alone took over 300! But we all traded our pictures, and I've picked 30 to share. :) Enjoy!
Friday morning in Car #1, on the way to Starbucks!
In line for the 3-D Show @ Hershey's Chocolate World ~
All of us (minus Megan) @ Hershey's Chocolate World!
Tiff, Eli & I in the back row of the ride @ Hershey
Front row ladies! (Megan, Amanda, Becky)
Eli + Chocolate = Love
Megan, Me & Amanda at Houlihan's for lunch!
All of us in Lewistown ~
Posing together on Tiff's relatives' bridge ~
Bridge Shot #2
Our FAVORITE group picture from our trip!
All of us plus Tiff's relatives :)
Megan & Jake @ the Red Rabbit drive-in (the white specks are the BUGS!)
All of us in Gettysburg on Saturday morning ~
Becky, Eli & I in the visitor's center
How cute is he... seriously!
Afterwards, we drove the auto tour..
Had the opportunity to take a SCENIC 20 week belly pic!
I know Amanda took this one because of the funky angle ;-)
Today's the day! The day we've been counting down to for longer than I can remember. I'll be heading out around 2:30, and driving up to PA to meet up with my girls.. the girls I've known for years and years, and yet have only managed to meet two of them! Looking forward to making lots of memories. Not sure who "my girls" are? Well, I'm glad you asked...
Amanda ~ (From Texas!)
Becky~ (in PA!)
Megan ~ (in PA!)
Tiff & Eli ~ (in Georgia!)
You can rest assured that I will have many pictures to share when I return! :) I'll be getting back Sunday sometime, but given Monday's a holiday, expect me around on Tuesday! Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week, and a great weekend!
A BIG thank you to everyone who congratulated us on our little boy! :) We really, really appreciate all of the wonderful notes. I know I've taken my sweet time uploading ultrasound pictures, but I finally have a few to share! Unlike with Brooke, our tech mainly only gave us profile pictures of our little man. He had his hands up by his face for the majority of the time, and was trying to move away from the ultrasound wand. :) We saw his precious little feet, which I jokingly said were "huge." (I was only kidding, but the technician measured them, and she told us that they were a whopping inch long. ;-)) We did get to see him in 3-D, which was amazing! Due to my anterior placenta, though, we could really only see half of his face and body, sometimes a little more, because he was essentially hiding behind the placenta. :) She didn't print off any of the 3-D pics, but I assure you, he's such a cutie! He'll start putting on some baby fat soon, too, and will look even more adorable. It was really special to get that little glimpse, though.
Baby boy's profile ~
"The proof"--clearly a little boy ~
Profile, upper body, arm :) Exciting stuff!
It's still pretty surreal that we're having a boy. Hearing Ryan tell everyone he's having a son is just an amazing thing. We haven't gotten over the shock of it yet. :) We're still amazed! We're still completely unsure about a name... Ryan's taking it very seriously, because, in his words, "this may be our only son!" So, he wants us to take our time and pick with extreme caution! :) I have no idea if we're keeping the name a secret till birth this time, or not.
I have to say, my husband is pretty amazing. The other night, he brought home flowers for me.. just because. :) That's a pretty big deal for him! Of course, in addition to the news of our son, we've also had some other news to be thanking God for...
RYAN WAS OFFERED (and accepted) A NEW JOB!!!!!!
I haven't been at liberty to write anything about it until now, but we've honestly been searching job listings for him since AUGUST. Thankfully he has had a job through all of this, but it has not been providing nearly enough for us, and the company has left plenty to be desired. His new job, also in sales, (but a completely different market) offers incredible benefits, extensive training, monthly auto allowance, unlimited company cell phone that he can also use personally, and a company laptop, amongst other things. The interview process took 2 long months and 4 interviews, but ultimately turned out to be well worth the effort. The list goes on and on as to why this is such an answer to prayer, but it is just that: an enormous answer to prayers we've (us, along with our families and close friends) been praying for nearly a year now. We don't always know when God will answer, or how He will answer, but He has taught us to rely on Him so much more over this time, and has been with us all the way while we waited. We entrusted Him with our worries and fears, and He has taken care of us through it all. We are just so incredibly thankful for His provision!
In addition to that excitement, (wait! there's more!) I'll be leaving tomorrow for my 1st Annual Girls' Trip! It's not a long drive to PA for me, but once there I'll be meeting up with Becky, Megan, Amanda, and Tiffany, where we'll all be together in the same place (Megan's) for the very first time! We've all known each other online for, what, 5 years? But I've only met Becky and Megan so far--Tiffany will be flying from Georgia, and Amanda will be flying in from Texas! We're all ecstatic to finally be together in one place! :) We've shared so much with each other over the years--weddings, babies, relationships, and all of the everyday things--so it'll be amazing to be together. I'll leave tomorrow after work, and will be returning home sometime Sunday. :) You can be sure I'll have plenty of pics when I return!
Hope you all are doing well, and enjoy the rest of your week and weekend! :)
Healthy, perfectly normal, absolutely adorable BABY BOY! We are ecstatic, and couldn't be more thrilled to be having a little boy! The perfect addition to our family. :) We are so blessed!
Well, it's that time again... when ya'll are able to VOTE! Our appointment is tomorrow at 2:30, and I honestly have no idea how I'm going to make it through this day, and the next! I'm so terrible with surprises, it's ridiculous.
Of course I'll update tomorrow after we find out, but in the meantime, I'd love to know what you all are predicting for this baby. :) Enjoy!
The Seinfeld episode about "The Summer of George" was all I could think about when titling my entry for the day. :) (If you figured that out before I mentioned it, I'm impressed.) Needless to say, this weekend was WONDERFUL! I was able to thoroughly enjoy my husband doting on me, and really, who wouldn't love that? I've also got a wonderful family, and great friends.. I really do.
Friday after work, I picked Brooke up and we headed off to Kohl's--my wonderful boss had given me a gift card! On the way home, I talked with my Mom, who gave me the heads up that... they were taking us out for a surprise birthday dinner! I had about an hour's notice to get myself and Brooke prettied up before Ryan got home, and we met up at the restaurant with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, Joanie. (who shares the same birthday as mine!) Ryan had made the reservations, and they gave us a private room, which was so very nice! And the meal... oh my gosh, lets just say, it was the best I've had there, ever, and they're always great!
My hubby & I at dinner ~
Miss Brooke!
Brooke and her Granddad ~
After we left the restaurant, we came over to my parents' house to open gifts, where I was given a $20 gift card to Victoria's Secret from Joanie, $25 to Blockbuster from my brother, as well as a $50 gift card to Outback, and an AMAZING sheet set, both from my parents. I felt pretty spoiled! I washed the sheets the next day, and literally felt like I was sleeping in a luxury hotel bed!
Joanie & I with our birthday cupcakes!
Laughing at my card which basically said how old I am ;-)
Feeding Brooke my cupcake ~
Almost everyone, minus Daniel and Dad ~
Saturday they were calling for scattered thunderstorms, but we headed off to the National Zoo anyway. We arrived when they opened, and were able to see everything we wanted to without much of a crowd at all, or a single rain drop. It was even sunny! By the time we were heading back home, the rain started, so we really had good timing. :) While on the way home, I mentioned that I would love some really great BBQ chicken, but had no idea where to actually get really great BBQ chicken. So, Ryan called a friend of his who had a great recommendation, and we brought home Carolina Brothers Pit BBQ for lunch. True to his word, it was AMAZING! Here are our pictures from the Zoo~
At the Zoo! First stop, the lions ~
We called him Alex ~
Red Panda! I love these little guys..
Brooke was a good sport, in spite of her lack of a morning nap!
Checking out the elephant ~
Figures, I got GREAT video footage of this panda.. As soon as I grabbed my camera, he turned around!
Zebras!
Brooke & Daddy watching the sea lion trainers ~
Demonstrating how they train the sea lions ~
One particularly photogenic seal ~
While Brooke napped after we got home, I also napped, which was so needed. The Zoo is comprised of 8-10 miles of trails, and is mostly on a hill, so I was tuckered out. Brooke hadn't had her morning nap, so she slept a long time as well. I woke up to Ryan coming in the room with Brooke, and Brooke handing me my birthday card! (as well as a hand-written certificate for a certain amount to go towards some new maternity clothes!)
I ran out a little later to grab a movie from Blockbuster, and pick up a couple small frozen pizzas. (California Pizza Kitchen!) Short story, we had a minor Pizza Catastrophe after Ryan tried to take his pizza out of the oven, and burned his hand, as we both watched his pizza flip over, face down into the oven. Smoke, a pepperoni burning smell, and 30 minutes of two fans going and the windows open later, we were able to relax with our dinner. Once Brooke was tucked away into bed that night, we nestled down to watch a movie, Seven Pounds, which I absolutely would not recommend, but still was glad I was able to watch a movie! (wouldn't be Ryan's first choice, but it was my day :)) Very long story summed up: A GREAT DAY.
Sunday was Mother's Day, and I specifically told Ryan I didn't need any gifts. I'd just had a birthday, and really, I just wanted to know I was appreciated, which does not require gifts! He got me a card, which Brooke was able to draw on, (awww) and told me that he would be changing all of Brooke's dirty diapers that day! (and he did!) It's a pretty big deal for the man who very rarely changes diapers without expecting some sort of accolades, and I was impressed and thankful.
We had lunch at my parents' house, relaxed outside in the sun, and just enjoyed the special day. I am so very blessed!
Ready for lunch!
18 1/2 week belly ~
Okay, so while that dress (non-maternity, Victoria's Secret) is extremely comfortable, it's not very flattering.. in fact, it's rather shapeless, so it makes me look much bigger than I am. Whatever, it's all I've got!
Aaaaaaand, my friends.......... only THREE MORE DAYS till we find out whether it's a baby girl or boy hiding in there... Stay tuned.
