Food and 25 Weeks

Hello all,

I am now 25 weeks along and still having a very easy pregnancy. We went to the doctor at 24 weeks and everything is still going great. I'm measuring and weighing exactly what I should be at this point, so that's a huge blessing. My next appointment at 28 weeks will be my glucose/diabetes test. Yuck! Hopefully I'll pass:)

Lucas had the hiccups the other day and it was hilarious! My entire stomach jumped in constant intervals. Last night, Nick got to feel him with the hiccups. It's such a neat thing to bond over.

We've got the nursery painted and the rocker and we're starting to set some more dates for showers. My LG shower will be November 28th and my Miami church shower will be December 5th. I'm so excited for these:) What a blessing to be showered with gifts for my son who isn't even born yet! He is loved so much already:)

Week 23, he was the size of an ear of corn. We cut it in half and grilled it for dinner that week. It was so yummy.



Week 24 and 25, he's the size of an eggplant. This has been my favorite meal-to-date of the fruits and vegetables he's been the size of. We made eggplant parmesan with it.

Here's the picture of me with the eggplant. We matched the day I took this picture:) Forgive me if I look huge!



Here's the eggplant sliced and ready to make. Along with the egg mixture and the Italian seasoned bread crumbs.




Here's a picture of me with the spaghetti sauce. Get it! Prego:)



Here's the final meal! It was so yummy! You serve it over noodles with salad and bread (Oh, my salad dressing spilled. I don't usually use that much). It was delicious! We both cleaned our plates. Thanks, Lucas, for already introducing us to a new meal. We will definitely eat this again and again:)





This weekend was a little bit crazy or I would've updated then. Nick's 10-year reunion was this weekend. We had such a great time with all his friends. Most of them he still keeps up with, but it was hilarious to me to see people come in and he couldn't remember if they even graduated with him, let alone their names. We made a bet that I will remember more people that I graduated with. I hope I win:) It was so sad!

Friday night, the reunion festivities started with the Miami high school football game. It was homecoming, so it made it extra special. Saturday was a family picnic and the banquet dinner that evening. It was fun to hear old stories. So many times we talked about if we'd went to school together, whether in high school or college, if we would've dated. Do you think there's one perfect person out there for everyone? That remains unanswered...

During the weekend and the beginning of this week, I got a sinus infection. So, this turned into an improptu visit to my OB, which didn't bother me because I got to hear Lucas' heartbeat again! He prescribed me some medicine and I'm feeling much better. That's the first time I've been sick with this pregnancy and it wasn't even the pregnancy's fault.

Still have been very lucky and continue to be very blessed!!!!

23 Weeks

Dear Friends,

I want to start off by saying Nick has now felt Lucas move and I've now seen Lucas move! What an amazing miracle I'm witnessing. He moves a whole bunch after I eat chocolate (as I've mentioned before), but it's literally like 2 minutes after I take a small bite of chocolate. It's nuts! The kid is a chocaholic:) I don't mind, though, because anytime I want to feel him move, I just slip a mini Reeses Peanut Butter cup in my mouth, and he goes to town. Well, I did this the other night and lifted up my shirt and I watched my stomach move!It was like a little something jutting out. I couldn't tell what body part it was, but it was amazing!

Nick loves to lay his hand on my stomach while we're watching TV at night. It's so sweet to see their little relationship growing already. This week, Lucas can hear our voices and Jovie barking. And it says that if we talk to him a lot, he'll recognize our voices when he's born! How amazing is that?! So, we talk to him all the time, even though we feel a little silly! It's also so cute because he moves right when I wake up and before I go to sleep like he's saying "Good Morning, Mommy" and "Goodnight, Mommy". Oh, I just love him like crazy ALREADY!!!

Also, some sad news....I couldn't find a papaya anywhere this week! Nick and I searched three different towns for one for my belly pic and couldn't find one anywhere! So, they must not be in season, so you'll have to wait til later this week to get another picture! We'll just skip Week 22!

Another little progress on the nursery...we got rid of the old lady gold fan in there and put up a new one. We're painting this weekend...so look at my Facebook album to see updated pictures! I love that it's starting to come together;)

Bye for now, but be sure to check out my beautiful cousin's blog to enter her giveaway! Caked

22 Weeks on Monday

I can't believe I'm more than half way through with this pregnancy! It has flown by, but then it seems like forever ago that we found out. Why does it always feel that way?

Not long after my last post, we found out it was a boy:) Lucas Rial Maxson will join us at the end of January. At least I hope, because his Uncle Cal and Aunt Cassie are getting married January 1st and I hope to be there!

Let me explain a little about his name. We've liked Lucas for a long time and there's been no contest as to what we would name our child if it was a boy. Rial is his middle name, which is my maiden name. This is sooo special. My daddy died when I was a senior in high school and he had no boys, just my sister and me. There are two boys on my dad's side to carry on the Rial last name, but none of them are Doug Rial's kids. I wanted him to have a piece of his Grandpa Doug with him forever. It's extra special now, too, because my dad's little brother died this summer, so now he's carrying on the name for him, as well. Oh, how those men would've loved my little Lucas!

He began to move right at 18 weeks and it's so exciting. He loves when I eat pasta (my kind of boy) and he loves when I sing, which is so sweet! I can't wait for his daddy to feel him move.

Speaking of his daddy, he is beyond thrilled that we're having a boy. It's what I wanted to, but there's just no relationship like the relationship between a father and son. Nick has so many plans for Lucas and I can't wait to see them all come to life.

My mom, Mimi, ordered his bedding last week and it came in and we put it on and it's so cute:) We are taking pictures of the progress of the room and I have a facebook photo album dedicated to this. I will make a blog about it when it's all done! We also registered last weekend and it was so fun. I can't wait for my showers to begin. I only have one scheduled so far and it's my school shower on December 9th. So fun!!!

I've talked your ears off now, so I'll just leave with you with my 19, 20, and 21 week pictures! Remember, whichever fruit it is, is because of the length. My baby at 20 weeks was not as big as a cantaloupe, it was the length of a cantaloupe.


Week 19! A cantaloupe:) On this day, just a few hours after this picture was taken, I found out it was a boy cantaloupe:)


Week 20! A large banana:)


Week 21! A spaghetti squash:)


Oh, and I'll leave you with our first little picture of Lucas! He's just so cute and I can't wait to kiss those lips!

1st Week of School

My first full week of school is over and it was anything but normal. The second day of school, as most of you know because of my facebook, a 4th grader died on the playground. It was as awful as you can imagine. It was sad, scary and so out of the ordinary, it was hard to know what to do. The third day of school, on Friday the 20th, we had a huge faculty meeting where everyone cried and prayed and figured out how to talk to kids. Maybe you missed that, the entire faculty prayed together! It was amazing. Never have I been a part of a place that would pray all together like that. It was so comforting. We all united and felt all the prayers of everyone around us those next few days. The funeral was last Wednesday, so hopefully things will return to a little bit of normal now. As normal as can be, anyway.

Also, last week I started my final college class. To get my alternative certification to teach, I had to take 12 hours of college classes. Classes I would've taken if I would have been an education major. So, I'm taking Child Development this semester and I know I'm going to love it. It will make things a little crazy, but that's alright.

I also finally broke down and bought maternity pants. Well, I had no other choice. All my other pants didn't fit. I just bought the basics: khakis, black, gray, and two pair of jeans. That should hold me over for awhile. I'm excited about them and they are pretty comfortable.

In all this craziness, the most amazing thing started happening this week....I'm feeling the baby move;) It's wonderful. It's hard to describe what that feels like, but I love it and I want it to happen all the time. It is still amazing to me that something is actually in there and that something will have a name this Thursday. We finally get to have an ultrasound and we finally get to find out what it is. I'm so ready for this baby to have a name and an identity. What wonderful things that will start happening after Thursday! The two I'm most excited about right now are buying baby clothes and getting the nursery ready.

Please continue to pray for this nervous pregnant woman, though. Pray that the ultrasound goes well and that everything is healthy and wonderful with this miracle in my tummy:)

I can't wait to shout to the rooftops what we're having and it's name, but for now, I'll leave you with my two latest belly pictures.

Week 17...a sweet potato
*I'm usually dressed up cute and nice for these belly pictures, but that's not real life. This picture was taken on a Sunday and this is what I look like on a Sunday after church. I come home and get in my comfies and take a good long nap:)
**Also, when I cut open this "sweet potato", it was really a regular potato. I was so upset. I went to the store a few days later and looked at the bin where I found this "sweet potato" and it was the right bin. It was just the one regular potato in the bin of sweet potatoes. Oh well. But, that's why it looks a little bigger than the mango:)



Week 18...a mango

First Day

My first day of school 2010 has officially come and gone. It was a breeze. Last year was terrible. I cried all the way home and cried some more when I got here. However, I didn't shed one tear today:)

I said I would post pictures of my classroom yesterday, but since I didn't get my class list until Monday evening and we had Open House Monday evening, I didn't get everything ready until yesterday. Then, as I was about to take pictures, my camera battery died. So, I took them this morning before the kids got there.

I went with frogs this year. I always have a theme:)

This is on my front door:) It says "Hop Into Pre-K". Clever, I know! All my students' names are on the dragonflies or worms.



This is the view of my classroom as you walk in the door.



As you turn left after you walk in, you see the cubbies. I decorated this bulletin board "Froggy Friends". I love these cubbies. I was able to order them last year and they came with a place for all their folders at the top. I also have my box of Kleenex and hand sanitizer. Can't get swine flu and strep throat this year;)




Next, is my "Hoppy Helpers" where I assign their "jobs" everyday. Jobs like: line leader, door holder, turn lights off/on, pass out snacks, clean tables, pass out folders, calendar helper, and change the "where are we?" sign on the door.



This next spot is my calendar section. I have a book shelf with music instruments on top. My birthday cakes, calendar and CD player. This is where we meet every morning and I do all my teaching here. We read stories, learn letters, numbers, etc.



Here is an upclose picture of the birthday cakes and calendar area.



This is new this year. It's called "Dress the Frog for the Weather". It's so cute:) He comes with all sorts of different clothes. He has items for rainy days, items for fall, and winter. It's awesome and the kids will love it.



This is a picture of our toy area. Blocks, puzzles, puppets, cash register and money, Mr. Potato Heads, dinosaurs, dolls, kitchen items, and a dress up area are all over here.



Last, but not least, is my tables, teacher desk, and storage area. Today, I had puzzles set up on the tables. This changes everyday. It's set up for when they first get here, because that's usually not at the same time. I pick up kids from the gym at 8:05a. Then, there are those that are still eating breakfast in the cafeteria at that time, or those brought by the parents a little later. They are not tardy until 8:15a. HOWEVER, on the first day of school, kids are dropped off in my room at about 7:45a. It's a little hectic, but I had no criers today, so it was just fine:)



So, there you have it. A little tour of my Pre-K classroom. It's a lot of fun, but stressful at times, too. It's going to be even crazier this year b/c my aid is pregnant, as well. She's due at the end of September. She'll come back in October or November, then I leave her in January for a few months. It will be nuts, but so much fun:) I can't wait for both of our babies to be here.

So, this is where I spend the majority of my day from now until May. I love it and I couldn't ask for a better job!

17 Weeks

Hi,

Summer is officially over for me today. I go back for meetings today, we have Open House, and school starts Wednesday. I am sad. I have so enjoyed this summer. It's been busy, but really fun.

However, I'm sort of looking forward to being back in a routine and once school starts, this pregnancy will fly by! I have figured out that I'm a nervous pregnant woman. I love being pregnant and growing and learning new things about my body, my husband, and this baby inside of me, but I'm a nervous wreck all of the time! I'll give you an example.

Last Monday, was my 16 week appointment. As soon as we walked back there, the nurse asked, "So, have you felt the baby move yet?" and I answered, "No, I heard that usually wasn't until 18-20 weeks." "Hmmm....", she said. So, immediately I was nervous. She seemed so matter of fact and thought it was almost strange that I hadn't yet, which scared me. Well, then it was time to hear the heartbeat. The first time we heard it at 12 weeks, as soon as she put it on my stomach, there it was loud and clear. This time, she had to move it around for about 30-45 seconds before she found it. I know this doesn't sound like a long time, but it felt to me like an hour. I was bawling by the end. Then, she only let me listen to it for like 3 seconds! Oh my goodness. I was scared to death. So relieved that they found the heartbeat, but just so...I don't know. I guess I'm already a mom.

I've mentioned before that I really love my doctor and he's just the doctor I need. Well, as soon as he came in, he assured me that I won't feel it move until 18-20 weeks and even if I come in for my next appointment and haven't felt it, that's okay too. My next appointment, if you've kept up the dates, I will be 3 days shy of 20weeks, which means I get to find out the sex!!!! The BIG ultrasound is scheduled for September 2nd! It's going to be amazing and I'm so excited!

So, I'm 17 weeks today and I'm ready for school to start so we can get to September 2nd!

In the meantime, here's my 15 week and 16 week pictures.

15 weeks....an avocado!




16 weeks...a turnip!



*P.S. My site says an onion and I wish I would've seen that. I get my updates on my phone and it said turnip and I had the hardest time finding one b/c I didn't really know what to look for. I've never bought one and I don't even know what they're for. I'm going to have to try and find a way to cook them b/c they come two to a package:)

Okay, so also this week, I threw a baby shower. It was for a dear friend in our Sunday School class. She's due August 31st, so I was a nervous wreck that she was going to go into labor during the shower or call 5 minutes before it started and tell us she was on her way to the hospital. I didn't want that to happen. Showers are a lot of work and they're expensive and there were 60 people there! But, all was well and she showed up and it was wonderful:)

Here are a few pictures. Because it was held at the church and we were expecting 60-70 people, I bought no favors. Everyone in the Sunday School class helped make food (which I forgot to get a picture of), but I did the decorations and Nick's mom did the cake. It was so cute!

Here's the gift table.



Then, here's the main focus of the room...the cake table!



Here's the cake close up and from other angles.







It was a great week and a scary one, but everything's going great and I think I'm finally ready for school to start. I'll post pictures of my classroom tomorrow:)

Fruit Tart: A Recipe

Hi Friends!

While Mom, Cass, Cal, and I were in Texas at his parents, his mom made fruit tarts:) They were amazing and I ate at least 3 while we were there, maybe more:) We were only there for a day and half! Haha;)

Anyway, they are delicious, so I had to have the recipe. I made them last night and they were a success. The best part is, Nick loves them too:) He's eaten 2 1/2 today!


Here's the pic:



You can use whatever fruit you want on top. I used a peach, strawberry, kiwi, and blueberries. Oh, and I halved this recipe and it made enough dough for 12-14 pastries.

Here's the recipe:

Bottom-Pastry
-Box of real butter (unsalted) 4 sticks
-2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened to room temp
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
-4 cups all purpose flour

-Soften the butter and cream cheese several hours or overnight.
-Cream both together til fluffy.
-Add the salt, powdered sugar, then the flour. Mix well.
-Divide in half.
-Roll out 1/4 inch thick between parchment paper. Repeat with other half. Use small amount of flour to do this.
-Chill til cold.
-Cut out 4 inch circles.
-Bake 400 degrees til edges start to brown. Don't over bake.
-Cool.
-Transfer to freezer. Freeze for easier handling and to keep fruit cold. (I didn't do this b/c I just kept mine refrigerated overnight.)
-When very cold, take out and spread on cream cheese filling. Top with fresh fruit.

Cream Cheese Filling
-2 8oz pks cream cheese
-1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

-Beat above til light and fluffy.
-Refrigerate til thick, firm and cold.


Enjoy:)

Summertime

When this summer began, I just knew I would have tons of time. Tons of time to blog, cook, travel back and forth to Pryor, have dates with my husband, prepare for the baby, and just enjoy.

I have done all these things, but not as often as I wish because I haven't had "tons of time". I don't know what it is about summer, but the days just fly by!

I'm almost 15 weeks pregnant! What?! When the summer began (well, Memorial Day), I was 5 weeks pregnant. I can't believe how fast it's gone. It seems like we were just telling everyone. Now, we're 5 weeks from finding out what the sex is! I'm 2 weeks from school starting! I have thoroughly enjoyed this summer, but I wish time would slow down for the next few weeks.

Well, I wish the next 5 weeks would hurry a little so we can find out the sex, but I wish school would take just a little while longer to get here. I love my job, but it's hard starting all over every year. I have to get my classroom ready all over again, meet a whole new set of students and memorize their names, begin teaching the routine all over again! It's hard.

Nonetheless, a lot has happened this past week that's allowed me to enjoy summer all the more! Last Friday, we had a big Rial family get-together. My Uncle Charlie was down to help my Aunt Rhonda with a few things, so we all gathered at my mom's house to eat dinner and fellowship. The last time he was here, just a few short weeks ago, it was under different circumstances. This time, we laughed, talked about old times, and looked through a lot of Locust Grove high school yearbooks from the late 70s. It was so fun! I was in charge of dessert that night, so I made apple pie and oatmeal raisin cookies. They were definitely a hit:)



I also took my 13 week preggo picture. The size of a lemon:)



P.S. It is hilarious to watch Heidi eat a lemon! Can you believe she does that?!

Anyway, then Mom, Cassie, Cal, and I headed to Dallas this week so Cassie could get have her first dress alteration fitting. It looks amazing, I just love it! I can't wait until it fits perfect and she can bring it home:) We also met Callen's sister and she and I got fitted for the bridesmaid dresses.

*Sidenote, I normally wear a size 2 or 4 in dresses, but since I'll be 37 weeks when I wear Cassie's bridesmaid dress, I had to order a 16! Isn't that hilarious?! I couldn't believe it:)

Anyway, we also bought Cassie's birdcage veil and hung out in Meridian, TX, at Callen's parents house. It is a gorgeous house:)



His mom decorates amazing and cooks and we had a great time antiquing with her. We also had a great time hanging out with her miniature donkeys. Aren't they cute?



They all have names and they do tricks like "shake hands" and "kiss". It's awesome! We had a great week and I'm looking to fill my next few before school starts with many more like it!

Oh, and here's my 14 week preggo picture. The size of an orange. It's definitely getting bigger::) I have to wear my bella band pretty much all the time now!

Porcupine Meatballs

Since my lovely friend posted her porcupine meatballs recipe this morning, I started craving it so I knew what we were going to have for dinner!

I wrote down her recipe and made a great meal.



I then went to copy the recipe into my book and found I already had the recipe! I got it from my mom who got it from her mom! Haha:) Nick even said I'd made it before, but I didn't remember! Oh well, it was yummy and I thank her, anyway:)

Also, here's the latest baby bump pic. This is at 12 weeks. I'll be 14 on Monday:) I'll take another pic at 16 weeks. I think every week is too often, don't you think? If not, let me know!

Random

Hi! Today, I'm not posting something huge. I'm posting what's on my mind. Which, I usually try to do anyway, but today it's nothing too exciting.

First, why does my widget not update properly?! It should say that my baby's the size of a peach this week, but on my screen it still shows plum from last week! Why is this? What is everyone else seeing? Are you seeing peach? If so, then it must be something to do with my computer.

Second, go here to enter my friend's wonderful giveaway!

Why Did It Have to Happen Twice?

At the end of June, my mind was racing and filled with exciting events. Alabama trip, Kansas City trip, Kern cousin get-together, girls night out in Fayetteville, Pilgrim/Rial cousin get-together in Miami, July 4th! Wow! Such fun things. Time to reminisce with family and laugh and eat good food. I was only focused on happy things and couldn't wait to get my pictures up from these said events. Well, 13 days have gone by. What happened? Life happened.

On July 4th, we got the horrible news that my Uncle Mike, my dad's little brother, was killed in a Ranger accident. Go here to see pictures of a Ranger like the one he was driving.

What?! My dad's little brother died in a vehicle accident on a Sunday in the summer with a child about to be a senior in high school? That's the same thing that happened to my dad! What? My grandma has to bury another son? You should never have to bury your child? What? His daughter is in Spain? Who's going to tell her? When will she be home? She'll be all alone!!!

So many questions and so many left unanswered. It was terrible. Nick and I left Miami immediately on Sunday night and I didn't come back to Miami until Saturday morning. Mom, Cassie and I have been through this before. We had to relive it. Only this time, it wasn't happening to us. It was like we were watching it on TV.

I hope we were able to share some wisdom, comforting words, and shoulders to cry on. Even though it felt like we'd been there before, every situation is different! There are never the right words to say or easy explanations. Just that the Lord is in control. He grants peace and understanding. He grants strength just when you think you'll never be able to handle the situation. He is our Father. No matter how much our daddys on earth love us, how much more does our Heavenly Father love us?

These are the only things I can say that might help a little. They might not help right now and they might not help for a long time, but what we can do right now is be there. Be present at birthday parties, anniversaries, holidays, and vacations. Be there when they need us. We will always do that.

Quickie

We have had the craziest, busiest, exciting last 10 days!

We had a great time in Alabama. We shopped, ate good food, laid out at the pool, toured the University of Alabama campus, played games, and enjoyed each other's company!

We were home for 2 days and headed to Kansas City for our anniversary weekend! It was filled with great food, wonderful Michael Buble (he was amazing!), and a hot baseball game where the Cardinals lost:( We absolutely loved our time together, but we couldn't help but notice that is our last anniversary as just the two of us. Our family is about to grow and we couldn't be more happy about that!

On the actual date of our anniversary, we got to hang out with the Kern cousins! It was amazing! All 11 of us were there together with our spouses. No kids (except beautiful Emery) and no parents! It was so fun:) I don't know the last time the 11 of us were together in one place. And it's never happened without parents. We lauged, sang, ate good food, watched home videos, and cherished this rare time to be together.

We've had a wonderful ten days, but the reason this is a quick recap: we left our battery charger and battery at Becky's when we had a cousin get-together, so I have no picture proof of the weekend:( I'll get it soon and very soon and I'll have a picture post!

Until then...a little update with the pregnancy. I still have had no morning sickness (continuing to praise the Lord for that), but I have had to start wearing the Bella Band. Not all the time, just with certain pants or shorts. Apparently, I have no where for my stomach to go, but straight out! This is okay with me. I'd rather be showing in my stomach than anywhere else:) We have our next doctor's appointment on July 9 where we'll finally get to hear the heartbeat and have our first ultrasound:) I'm so excited! It's starting to feel a little real because my stomach is sticking out more than it ever has in my life, but it will really feel real when we hear the heartbeat. I know I've said this a million times, but I'm so ready for that!

I'm so sad I don't get to post any pictures today, but we are back safe and sound and we finally get to stay home for a while without travelling:) I love vacations and road trips with my husband, but it's true what they say; "There's no place like home."

Headin' Out

Tomorrow, Nick, his mom, his sister, and I are heading to Alabama to visit Nick's brother and his wife.

We're driving...in the car...for 11-12 hours!!! We are leaving at 7a tomorrow morning and won't be there until dinner tomorrow night!

I have lots of magazines (of the pregnancy kind and others), books (of the pregnancy kind and others), puzzles, candy, and am going to make chocolate chip cookies, as well:)

We won't be back until Thursday of next week and Saturday of next week, Nick and I are heading to Kansas City for our 2nd anniversary! We're seeing Michael Buble (his present to me) and the Cardinals vs. Royals (my present to him). I'm so excited, but that means I won't be here to post until about June 29th or so!

I should have lots of pictures and lots of stories by then and I'll be 10 weeks pregnant! So far, I still haven't had any morning sickness, so for that I'm so thankful. Hopefully it won't start on our roadtrip tomorrow! Please pray;)

Until then...I'll leave you with my 8 week pregnant shot. It's not much, but I've never had a belly AT ALL! So, this is significant to me:) Enjoy and have a fantastic Father's Day weeekend! We visited all three "dads" in our lives this week. Monday night, dinner with Nick's dad...Wednesday night, dinner with Nick's step-dad...last night, dinner with my step-dad! We love each and everyone of them so much and I'm excited to see how my own husband becomes a dad in the coming months:)

P.S. I'm copying my lovely cousin-in-law, Erin, and will be taking all my pics in front of my fireplace:)

My Ever Changing House

When Nick and I first got married, I had no idea how handy he was. Since we moved into our home two years ago, he has taken on many projects.



He has learned how to hang fans and light fixtures. A few months ago, I posted about how he was going to take on replacing our interior doors. To turn them from this...



to this...



He has now finished this project. He also has learned how to install laminate flooring. He turned our "office" from this...



to this...



This past weekend, he took on another new project. Tiling my bathroom. It had linoleum in it. It was a very light color and when we moved in, the finish was already coming off. Since we've lived here and I've gotten ready in this bathroom everyday and used hairspray, the finish had all come off! It was sticky, sticky, sticky. What was worse, it wouldn't clean. If you tried to sweep up hair, the bristles on the broom would come off and stick to the floor. You couldn't mop or scrub. It looked dirty all the time. I tried many times getting on my hands and knees and cleaning it, but the grime wouldn't budge. So, this weekend, Nick took my bathroom from this...



to this...





Obviously, I painted the first few weeks we lived here, the trim is still not one, and my rugs and basket for towels are not in there yet, but it's finished! I absolutely can't wait to begin using it. Tomorrow, it will be all back tomorrow because the grout has to dry overnight tonight, but it's finished!

I'm so proud of my little handy man!!!

Now our next project is to turn this...



into a nursery! Oh, where to begin?!!!

Come and Gone

So, my first OB has come and gone.

I was so nervous! Of course, I had a ton of paperwork to fill out, but we waited in that waiting room for an hour before they called me back! I thought it would never end.

When we finally went back there, we met my OB for the first time. He was so nice! I prayed for an OB that I could relate to and would make me feel very reassured, and the Lord answers prayer! He was so calm, cool and level-headed. Just the doctor I need. He answered all my questions and eased all my nerves and fears.

We didn't get to hear the heartbeat today...still too early. My next appointment is July 9 and I'll hear it then. I did have some blood work done and he gave me tons of books and pamphlets to look over. There's so much to fill out.

One thing that is insane to fill out is the Advanced Medical Directive. It's strange signing a form saying what should happen to me if I die or am too sick to live. It's a little scary, but I have faith that the Lord will take care of me and my new little family during this entire pregnancy.

My First OB

So, tomorrow is the big day...my first OB appointment!

I went to my gynecologist the day after I took my first positive pregnancy test and did a blood test just to confirm this whole crazy thing, but tomorrow is the big day!

I am a nervous wreck, but I am excited beyond words! I will hear a heartbeat and not my own! A new tiny heartbeat coming from my body! The tiny heartbeat that means that my husband and I (along with the Lord, of course) created a baby! An amazing baby. A tiny heartbeat that means all this is real!

I have a million questions for my OB, but I want help from all you mom's out there. Were there any questions you wish someone would've told you to ask at your OB appointments? I feel I know nothing about having a baby or being pregnant, which technically I don't. However, I have been around pregnant women before and a million moms, but when you are faced with the actual job, you all the sudden feel clueless.

So, help me out! Give me some questions I should ask my OB when I see him tomorrow!!!

The Telling of the Parents

So, since we found out the week before Memorial Day, we decided Memorial Day weekend would be the perfect time to tell the parents.

Nick's mom hosts a family reunion at her house every year. It's just a little barbecue with about 15-20 relatives there. This year, Nick's great-aunt invited my parents to join in. When we found out we were pregnant, we thought this would be a perfect opportunity. So, I began talking my mom into coming. They never do anything exciting on Memorial Day weekend and Mom, Cassie and I were all wanting to watch Sex and the City 2 together, anyway. So, when I mentioned the idea to Cassie of them coming up here, going to the reunion, staying the night, spending Monday at our house, and going to the movie, she was hooked. So, Mom was now convinced, as well:)

Nick had been researching all week on creative ways to tell your parents, and we finally decided on the winner.

Sunday night, everyone had eaten and we were all just hanging out in Nick's mom's backyard and Nick started taking candid pictures of everyone. Then, we decided to take one of my whole family. You can see it at the top of my blog.

Then, Nick decides to take one of just the girls. He says, "Say Cheese!"



Then, he says, "Say Audra's pregnant!" and we got a whole series of pictures:)











It was so much fun telling them like this, because we will have these pictures forever and they are a great reminder of that special day:)

Then, Monday evening, we had to go tell Nick's dad. We couldn't figure out what to do. We went to Wal-Mart thinking they had a grandpa bib we could put on Jovie and see how long it would take him to notice it and figure it out. Then, we looked for onesies to give him or just anything. Then, we decided to go look at picture frames. We found one that says somthing about grandkids on it and we decided to put a picture of the pregnancy test in there. We aren't going to be here for Father's Day, so we told him we were giving him an early Father's Day present. He didn't understand at first. He asked, "What's Clear Blue?", then he saw the Grandkids quote on the frame, and then he saw where it said "Pregnant". He was thrilled! Here is a picture of Rock and his fiance Mary Ellen. They are pretty excited! This is the first grandkid on both sides of our family. Well, Mary Ellen has some, but she's not technically in the family, YET!!



All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and a wonderful celebration! We are very excited to get this show on the road:) I'm ready for our first doctor's appointment where we get to hear the heartbeat and I'm ready to start looking (a little bit) like I'm pregnant, so this will all start to feel real. Right now, it just feels like I'm living a dream:)

That is the case, however. My dream come true:)