36 weeks

How Far Along:

36 weeks 2 Days

Size of Baby:

At 34 weeks she weighted only 4lbs 6oz which was 20th percentile, so hopefully she is gaining some weight. I am going to guess that she weighs about 5lbs 6oz now.

Maternity Clothes:

Ha is that a joke? 

I am ready to get back to my normal clothes and I am super excited to go shopping for some new fall clothes after she gets here.

Next Appointment:

August 26th

Gender:

GIRL!

Food Cravings:

Still love Asian food, but I don't really crave food anymore. 

I just eat pretty much anything.

How I'm Feeling: 

I feel good. I have had painful contractions that are 4-5 minutes apart and could last for a day or two, I go in and get checked and nothing has happened. I jokingly told the nurses I wasn't going to the hospital until her head is hanging out from now on. 

I spent the night in the hospital just to be monitored about 1 week ago. No Fun :(

What I Miss:

I miss my shapeliness, energy, ability to use my abs fully, sushi, and a normal sized bladder.

Favorite Moment this Week:

The Babymoon!

Babymooning

This weekend we headed off to the O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro, NC to celebrate a few things actually.

Our 3 year anniversary which was on July 17th

Our last time as just us two before baby joins us really any day now

and

My 23rd Birthday which is the 28th of this month!

So many fun things going on and we really enjoyed our little bit of luxury.

 We had an early check in so we got to check out our really cool suite with an amazing bathroom and then do some browsing in stores near by. 

Now that we are about to be parents you know, we just had to go in the toy store.

It was awesome! We lost track of time in there and I am pretty sure people thought we were crazy. 

Our favorite section, the stuffed animals. If it is an animal they had it in there!

Dinner reservations were at 6 at the Green Valley Grill!

Delicious! You may notice I order a hamburger, but it was seriously one of the best I have ever had!

Ryan on the other had order rotisserie steak!

It was quite delicious too.

The next morning we had breakfast in bed! YES PLEASE!

Seeing as how I am pregnant and can basically eat all day we order pretty much everything.

I was a happy camper.

Not a drop left :)

 This is a flash back picture to our honeymoon where we had breakfast delivered every morning and Ryan would take my picture.

Babymoon complete, now we just need us a baby!

It's Raining PINK: Our first Shower

This past Sunday we were so fortunate to be showered with so much Love and lots of goodies for our little Girl! Here are a few highlights from the day.

balancing worry with trust

I think one of the things nobody tells you about pregnancy is that that little girl or boy will have you worried from the minute you find out they are in there. You realize that you never worried about one thing so much in your life. You worry when there seems to be no justification for your worry. 

I am 22 weeks now, but about 3 weeks ago I went for the routine anatomy scan. Everything seemed to be going great, but when she got to the heart, she just kept looking at it. Of course I am not trained to be able to see what you would expect to see but I could tell that something was not right because she kept studying it. My mom was with me since Ryan could be there, and she asked her: "is everything o.k. with the heart?" She said,"no." I was immediately terrified. She went on to explain that she saw a right arching aorta [when the aorta leaves the heart it arches left and then goes down the center of the body]. She didn't see any other defects, but I was sent to a medical university to see specialists and a geneticist, to discuss the possibility of genetic syndromes. They confirmed the finding and just last week I had one more scan with a pediatric cardiologist. We weren't what all this would mean until we saw him. He said that the heart seemed to be function normally despite the slight abnormality and that in her case it should cause her no problems.

I was so relieved. To hear those words.

Pregnancy, I am learning is such a fun, wonderful, and exciting time; but also a scary time that can be plagued with worry if we don't just trust that God has it under-control and we do all in our power to be healthy.

Boy did I remind my self of that these past weeks. I told my self no matter the outcome God wont give me more that I can handle. My love for little Nora is so great that I would do anything for her health. 

So for now little girl

Grow Healthy 

&

Grow Strong

&

We will see you in 18 weeks!

IT'S A GIRL!

I was hoping for a girl so badly!

She already has loads of clothes... opps ;)

We are 100% sure about her first name, but can't quite decide on her middle name. 

Ryan jokes that he will decide when he writes it on her birth certificate, but I tell him that that is not an option. haha 

14 & 15 week bump date

This bump date is a few weeks behind, but I wanted to try to catch them up.

How Far Along:

14/15 week

Size of Baby:

Avacado

Maternity Clothes:

Yes. I was not showing that much and could still fit into regular pants, but it was quite uncomfortable. So we have gone maternity 100% thanks to a little shopping spree from my husband.

Next Appointment:

April 10th

Gender:

We don't know yet, but I have a feeling its a girl.

We will see.

Food Cravings:

I have been craving Asian food, Chick-fil-A, OJ, and cold water.

How I'm Feeling: 

Feeling GREAT! I'll have a headache every now and then but that is pretty much all.

Just don't let me go more than three hours without eating. 

What I Miss:

I don't miss too much. I like coffee again which is a nice pick me up every now and then.

I would love some sushi right about now. 

We know what the first date night will be...

Favorite Moment this Week:

I got an ultrasound at my dad's office and ... we know what baby H is!

Post to come tomorrow...

Also it's official no gender reveal party haha

Things No One Tells You...

{10 1/2 weeks, last Friday}

This whole growing a baby business is well quite different from the movies.
I mean, don't get me wrong, in my mind I am a glowing pregnant woman, but in real life, I am discovering more a more things that well no one will tell you about.

Baby Hair. I mean in just 11 short weeks, my body can produce these wispy little hairs all around my face that take me back to when I was well 8. I've never used hairspray but I am getting the feeling that that is all that could control these new short little hairs.

"You will feel fat and bloated before you feel pregnant." I mean really, why does no one tell you that?! A little warning would do lots to help a girl out!

Your boobs will grow to the size of small watermelons!  TMI? maybe but still it is so true. I mean I am not exactly complaining seeing how I was part of the IBTC {itty bitty titty comitty}. But still, I wasn't expecting it.

You will wake up to pee more than an 80 year old woman. I never had sleep interrupted for a bathroom break before, but it is predictable every night at 3 and 6.

And while sometimes you wish you had been told these things, there are other times you wish people would just stop talking...

When holding someone else's baby: "You need all the practice you can get." As if I have never held a baby before in my almost 23 years. And anyway doesn't a motherly instinct kick in when the baby comes? That's what I thought.

Or how about: "I used cloth diapers with my first child and I just don't think you understand how hard it is." Sometimes I just want to tell them that cloth dipers from the 60's are quite different from those of this era, and I will make that decision on my own, but thanks.

Pregnancy is fun and I am truly loving it!
I just think it is funny that there are things that you are never told.
Are people just embarrassed to talk about it?

Nursery Planning

I guess it is only natural to start planning your nursery the moment you find out you are expecting. 

Some people wait until they know if they are having a girl or a boy, but figured why not plan for both!

I envision the nursery being versatile for babies in the future, so many of the pieces with be more neutral. I was thinking that we would use gender specific colors as accent colors in different wall decor, lamps, rugs, or pillows. 

 

 

I like Navy and Grey as base colors and then for a BOY we would use Red and Orange as accent colors and for a GIRL we would use Pink and Purple as accent colors.

I love the dog prints from Walfry for a girls room or a boys room.

Another thing I want to incorporate are Sock Monkeys. They are just so cute and classic.

I want the room to feel classic and somewhat eclectic. 

I don't really want a theme but more just different fun pieces to make up a unique nursery.

This is the type of crib and the bedding we chose from Pottery Barn Kids!

I love it because it will work with our next baby too!

There are so many wonderful ideas out there it can get overwhelming.

It is still surreal at times that we will have a little one with us in September!

7 Weeks... 33 To Go

On Wednesday I was 7 weeks Prego with baby H!

It is so surreal yet very exciting.

Right now there are no real "baby bump" pictures to report.

Well except for when I have a food baby and a real baby. 

Which seems to happen mosts nights after dinner.

We saw the little guy or gal on Monday.

We saw the heart beat.

Right now it is the size of a blueberry!

Let's talk cravings, should I just start listing.

I dont just want one thing all the time, but if I think of something good then I pretty much need to eat it within 24 hours.

Like PF Changs has been on my mind all day.

Dinner tomorrow?

Krispy Kreme Donuts... yes Please!

We're getting ready for you little baby H!

We are praying for you

learning how to teach you new things

reading all kinds of books to be the best parents we can be

making you quilts and hats.

Oh Baby! We're Having a BABY!

On January 2nd, Ryan and I found out that I was pregnant!

We were both ecstatic, and I literally took 4 test to make sure it was real!

We kept the news top secret, until this past Saturday when we had planned a dinner with both of our parents.

Jeff, Ryan's Dad, had just had a birthday so we gave him a "gift", but really it was just a platform for us to tell them they were going to be grandparents!

In the box were three NCSU wolfpack baby bibs!

We got the exact reaction we had expected from each parent.

My Mom was shocked and looked right at us to see our faces, then she flipped.

My Dad just laughed and cried at the same time.

Ryan's Dad laughed and started to take pictures, and

Ryan's Mom started squealing and hugging us.

It was perfect!

I don't even remember eating; there was so much excitement. 

We then took the picture we had planned, and announced it to the Facebook and IG world, where it spread like wildfire!

I am so excited to be a mom to be and Ryan is really, really excited to be a dad.

He texts me name ideas all day long.

It makes my heart melt to think about how life will be in just a few short months.

I am just truly thankful to God for this gift and am praying for a healthy pregnancy and healthy little one.

I had my first appointment yesterday, and they think I am about 7-8 weeks, but we will know for sure on January 28th, when I have my first ultrasound!!