Halfway There! 20 Weeks!

How far along? 20 Weeks!  I can't believe we're on the downhill slope of this pregnancy now! 
Baby Size: She's the size of a cantelope! 
Total weight gain/loss: 12 pounds.  And judging from this picture I've gained it all in my...elbow?  I do NOT remember that giant elbow dimple.
Maternity clothes?  Let's just say...don't be fooled by the fact that I'm still wearing pre-pregnancy jeans in the picture.  They are certainly not buttoned.
Stretch marks? Still in the clear!
Sleep:  The other day I made the mistake of sleeping in and drinking coffee and tea throughout the day.  After not having any caffeine in months (I'm not even drinking green tea anymore), that much pumping through my veins made me not be able to fall asleep until 1 AM.  Other than that, sleep has been absolutely great.
Best moment this week:  Finding out that our Gap now carries babyGap!  I could not be more excited!!!  Also, I bought my first baby thing!! I got 2 little onesie thingys that are adorable!  Also, I discovered that our hotel in Seattle is walking distance from the hugest Gap in Washington.  Jackpot.
Have you told family and friends: Yep!
Miss Anything? Running.  I probably could still run, but I would feel much better about it if I wasn't completely sedentary for the first 3 months.
Movement: All the time these days.  I love feeling it.  I am feeling kicks on my bladder though now which don't feel as great.
Food cravings: SODA.  I never thought the day would come, but I'm SICK of drinking water.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I think I overate again on Saturday night and ended up puking everything up just like the week before.
Have you started to show yet: My clothes are saying yes...
Labor Signs:  None
Belly Button in or out? In but it's definitely starting to get a little shallow...
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy!  I feel like everything is funnier, things are more beautiful and life is just fantastic.  Not sure if that's because it's almost spring and the days are staying light longer or because I'm pregnant.  I'll say both!
Looking forward to:  Our trip to Seattle today!!  It's only 30-40% chance of rain for all the days we're there so we're keeping our fingers crossed that it won't rain.  Too much.  Or at all.  

BooksBooksBooks!

One of my goals this year was to read at least 10 books.  I'm happy to say that it's not even March and I've already finished 4 books!  I'm always looking for new books to read so if you are too, you might like this post!  If anyone has any ideas on what I should read next, I'm definitely open to suggestions!

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This was the first book I read this year.  It was a great way to start the year.  The book was well written and I would definitely read it again.  It reads really fast so when I read it again, I might take it a little slower just to be able to apply more of the ideas.  It's nothing mind-blowing, just some average ideas on how to be happier.  I might have just really been into it because of the time of the year.  I've implemented two things because of this book:  clean up before I go to bed every night and make the bed...Every...Day.  My mom will be absolutely shocked when she reads that.  Unfortunately, between the dogs and my husband, I have never been able to experience the joy of peeling back the made sheets at night.  But someone does!  And making it in the morning really makes me feel more accomplished.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I'm still on the fence about this book.  I didn't love it.  I absolutely hated the male character.  I don't want to spoil anything for you but he was a terrible person.  And the wife was a terrible person too, for that matter.  I didn't feel like it was a major page turner.  I finished it just because I started.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

This was just like ANY other dumb Nicholas Sparks book until the last 5 pages when it became the DUMBEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN.  Other than that...it was okay.  

Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees

I only bought this because it was free on Amazon.  I read some of it to Carson last night and all he could say was, "I understand why it was free now."  Drew should stick to football.  His writing is repetitive and annoying at times.  I will admit...when he was talking about his wife being pregnant and his son being born, I got a little teary.  We can blame the pregnancy hormones on that though.


Today, I started reading a book that Carson's grandfather sent him.  I'm hoping I'll like it!  I've struck out more often than not so far...but at least I'm reading!

Anniversaries

A year ago this week, I packed my bags, grabbed my one-way ticket to California and set out on my way to start my favorite adventure ever--MARRIAGE!

When we got engaged in December, we agreed we wanted an October wedding.  We were sitting in an empty restaurant and our centerpiece was a gold painted pine cone and we absolutely loved it.  It was so natural and reminded us of fall.  I don't know if Carson cared at all, but it immediately made me want an outdoor wedding in the fall.

At that point, we had been dating long distance for a full year.  So many things are blown out of proportion when your relationship is long distance.  It was getting to be a little exhausting.  I'm not sure when we decided, or how we decided, but we ultimately agreed that there was no way we wanted to wait another 10 months to be together.

So, we decided that I would pack up, join Carson in California, and we would start our lives sort of in secret so we could still celebrate with our friends and family in the fall at our perfect wedding.

Looking back, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

We were married in the San Francisco Courthouse on March 2 by the SPITTING image of Reverend Lovejoy from The Simpsons.  We were nervous and we were alone but it was one of the happiest moments of my life.  

Our closest friends knew and our immediate family knew.  It's not that we intentionally wanted to keep it from people, we just wanted everyone to still be as excited as we were to celebrate in October.  

Living in California away from all of our family and friends--our entire support group--has been very bittersweet.  We have learned to lean on each other for everything and I believe our relationship is so much stronger because of it.  On the other hand, it's so much harder making friends as adults.  Occasionally, I do wish we could be in Houston so we could be with our best friends that were there for us through college and high school and beyond, but we've made California our home now and we love it.  

Besides...if we lived Houston, we couldn't take a day trip to Los Angeles or drive to Las Vegas in a matter of hours.  We couldn't ski and surf in the same day (like that's ever happened...BUT IT COULD!).  And we couldn't see the mountains from our front yard.  There's not a thing I would change about where our paths have led us.

I'm so excited that everything in our lives have brought us to this moment and I can't wait to see what Year 2 has in store for us!

Happy (almost) Anniversary, Carson!!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Baby Noble: 19 Weeks!

How far along? 19 Weeks 
Baby Size: She's 11 inches head to toe!  I'm having the hardest time wrapping my brain around the fact that she's that big!!
Total weight gain/loss: 11 pounds
Maternity clothes?  I might have purchased 4 of the same kind of shirt because I'm absolutely in love with the flowiness and stretchiness of one I already own.  Now I have 5 different colors!  I don't really count them as "maternity" wear since I've had my first one since before I was pregnant but they will definitely come in handy for the next couple of months.
Stretch marks? Still lookin good!
Sleep:  Due to never-ending nose congestion, sleep has been rough the past couple of nights.  Not sure if I should get a humidifier or something to help with that.  I've gone through more boxes of Kleenex in 3 months than I have in an entire lifetime!
Best moment this week:  We got to see our little baby today!  We had our full body scan and the doctor was very positive and had lots of great things to say about how she's growing.  He said she's right on track and weighs 11 ounces now!
Have you told family and friends: Yep!
Miss Anything?  I had a pretty rough week at work last week and I'll admit, a drink of any sort of alcoholic beverage would have been nice.
Movement: She moves so much! I asked the ultrasound technician during our sneak peak where her head was and where her feet were so I like to pretend I know what body part she's poking me with.  There's a lot of repetitive motion these days so if I feel a few kicks or headbutts, I'll have Carson put his hand on my belly so he can join in on the fun.
Food cravings: I've been getting really grossed out with packaged and processed food lately.  All I want is fresh fruit and vegetables.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm pretty sure I ate too many M&M's on Saturday night and ended up spending a few hours on the bathroom floor.  Thankfully, I have a very sweet husband who will force feed me Tums and bring me water and pillows. 
Have you started to show yet: I still feel like I'm pretty small considering I'm almost halfway done.
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!...except for when I get mad at inanimate objects, like our blender, and break them.  Sorry for sticking a knife in you, blender...
Looking forward to:  Our trip to Seattle next week!!!

Our body scan was more educational than a show and tell but we did get a cute picture of baby feet!

Baby Noble:: 18 Weeks!

How far along? 18 Weeks 
Baby Size: She's 5.5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces!
Total weight gain/loss: 10 pounds
Maternity clothes?  I feel a LOT better this week than I did last week.  I guess you can have fat weeks while being pregnant too.  I've been wearing normal jeans all week and have been totally comfortable.
Stretch marks? None yet but I can definitely more veins under my skin than ever before around my ribs
Sleep: I've been sleeping SO good lately.  Our dogs are finally sleeping through the night again.  I'm pretty sure there was a solid 6 months that they woke up at least once each night needing to go outside.
Best moment this week: This week has been absolutely fantastic.  I feel great.  My back doesn't hurt.  My face isn't sore from sinus pressure.  I just love everything about this week.  Oh, and at Awana's when we were playing Simon Says, one of the girls told us to touch our toes but I didn't have to.  She said "There's a baby in your belly, you don't have to touch your toes."  Mercy from a 5 year old.  
Have you told family and friends: Yep!
Miss Anything?  I'm loving being pregnant this week...On the radio tonight, a man was talking about how his wife had 10 kids and I actually caught myself thinking, "That wouldn't be half bad...100 months of pregnancy..."  So no, I don't miss anything this week. 
Movement: Sometimes it feels like she's scraping me with her hands and that's a little weird.  But I do love feeling her kicks and punches and headbutts.  Whatever it is.  I love feeling it.
Food cravings: Nothing really.  Just loving all food.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet: I would say so  
Labor Signs: No 
Belly Button in or out? In 
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy all the time around Carson.  But I've been unbelievably impatient around anyone at work...I don't feel sorry though, they waste too much time.
Looking forward to:  Our full body scan is next Tuesday so I'm excited to see her again soon!  I have yet to actually purchase anything baby related...I look and then second guess whether we even need it or we'll want it in 6 months or a year.  But I'm SO excited to buy my first baby thing...soon...maybe...

House Tour: Dining Room, Living Room and Kitchen

Carson's parents were in town for a few days last week and they were able to basically paint our entire house.  We couldn't be happier with the way everything looks.  Carson and I like to be dreamers.  We talk a lot about doing things but sometimes when it comes to actually making things happen, we like to wait.  Carson's parents are pretty much the exact opposite.  If something's not working right, they try to fix the problem immediately and I love that about them.

We could not have done this without their help.  As first time home buyers, there are so many things that we just don't know about.  I feel like we had such menial problems that we just never thought through but Laurie and Scott were able to figure out a solution right away.  Our living room light has always been really dim.  Our thinking was, "We really need to get a bigger light...something that gives off some more light."  Carson's parents suggestion was "Why don't you see if you can put a second or better bulb in."  Duh.  It makes perfect sense...we just couldn't get there.  Turns out there was a 45 watt bulb in.  Now, with a 95 watt bulb we can actually see!

Here are some pictures of our work in progress.  We're still hanging a few things here and there and there are some things we want to add/fix.  We want to add a mantle.  And replace the microwave over the stove that doesn't work (so we can get rid of the second microwave obviously). 

And then one of the main reasons why we were so interested in this area...the view from our front yard

Weekend Happenings

Over the weekend, Carson and I were super productive!  We went garage sale hopping on Saturday and I found an almost brand new pair of Citizens of Humanity maternity jeans for $35.  They were originally $190!  And aside from needing to be hemmed, they fit like a glove.  I seriously can't wait to wear them.  There's no button or zipper...they have the most glorious stretchy blue thing that goes all the way over my belly...and they're incredibly soft.  Seriously, check that out.

Once we got home, we got to work on some yard work.  I pruned all of our peach trees and we filled 4 contractor bags with the trimmings.  Carson built a little extension for our back "porch" while I pruned.  Then Sunday after church, we bought and assembled a file cabinet.  It's finally time to get organized!

 It's difficult to tell because there's not much left to them but here's our peach trees!

It rained a couple of days ago so we get to enjoy this gorgeous view on our way home now.  Much better than the smog we had last week when Carson's parents were in town.  We much prefer this kind of Bakersfield!

Baby Noble: 17 Weeks!

How far along? 17 Weeks 
Baby Size: She's as big as my palm!
Total weight gain/loss: 9 pounds gained so far...which is pretty much right on track with what I'm supposed to be gaining according to my book.  I keep having to tell myself that so I don't just feel fat.
Maternity clothes?  Seriously considering going shopping this weekend.  It's too cold to wear my dresses still and my pants are getting to be pretty uncomfortable.
Stretch marks? Still none...I'm a totally paranoid though.  Still slathering body butter on after every shower.
Sleep: I've actually been sleeping really great this week.
Best moment this week: Carson's parents were here Sunday-Wednesday and they painted our entire house!  We'll be forever grateful.  Our house really feels like home now.  
Have you told family and friends: Yep!
Miss Anything?  Being skinny.  
Movement: All the time these days!  I love feeling it during the day at work.  No matter how stressed I am, it always seems to calm me down.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope...  
Have you started to show yet: I wore a pretty tight shirt to work yesterday and my boss about had a cow.  
Labor Signs: No 
Belly Button in or out? In 
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to:  I'm trying to convince Carson that we need to go garage sale hopping this weekend to look for baby furniture.  Hopefully I'll be successful...I feel like we're going to run out of time!