20 Weeks Pic

[caption id="attachment_388" align="aligncenter" width="560"] 20 Weeks[/caption]

Well...... We know...... But we're not telling. :)

I actually have a Harry Potter maternity shirt that I was going to wear for this picture.... but it's still a little big, so look for that a little later. The skirt is excellent and I got it to wear to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter earlier this year. You can find it HERE as well as many other adorable geeky things.

I spent the last week in Oregon with my best friend and her family. It was a delightful trip, but I have to admit that I'm sad I couldn't eat more. This whole pregnancy thing has severely affected my ability to eat a whole meal. And also the ability to drink beer and caffeine. Sure would have liked one of those nice beers from those breweries we went to.... I stuck with root beer.

[caption id="attachment_389" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Oregon Coast[/caption]

Now that I'm back in Tennessee, I'm just trying to get caught up on some missed work and take it easy. Well, for at least a day or two.

We've picked out and ordered our nursery furniture and nearly have a paint color pick out for the walls. I'd tell you more about that but you'll all find out in due time. I will say, however, that you can expect that information within the next 2-2.5 weeks.

And now I'll leave you with a picture of a box of doughnuts I got from VooDoo Doughnut in Portland.

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="560"] VooDoo Doughtnut[/caption]

Baby's First Books

A friend of mine posted these books to Facebook a few days ago and I was so excited I thought I should share. As a graphic designer who deals mainly with web, you can imagine that these are right up my alley.

You can go to the Code Babies website to learn about or purchase these books! They're also available from Amazon.





[caption id="attachment_379" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Web Design for Babies[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_380" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Web Design for Babies[/caption]

And of course.... we'll probably need this one too:

Goodnight iPad.

17 weeks pic

Ahhh, the inevitable lull in communication. Sorry about that. I'm pretty proud of myself for posting every thing I have so far without being forced. Certainly a first for one of my blogs.

But to make up for the lack of posts, here's some pictures from today, 17 weeks and 6 days. I'll also make another post in a day or so about some pretty sweet books.



[caption id="attachment_372" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Rawr. Nom nom nom.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_373" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Mmm.[/caption]

 

 

Definitely showing now. I still don't have "cravings" for anything in particular, but here's a few things I enjoy at the moment. I know from these pictures it looks like I only eat junk food, but I promise that's not the case.

Breakfast generally consists of 2 eggs with a little cheese in a tortilla with a side or pear slices or plums.

Lunch varies. This week I've been eating baked potatoes with sour cream and bacon or a veggie tray with carrots, broccoli, a cheese slice and some almonds.

And dinner is even more varied than lunch. Tacos, pasta, etc.

All these snacks are just what I munch on occasionally in my spare time ;)

 

A few trips coming up in the next few weeks (Oregon,South Carolina, Florida...), I'll be sure to post about those as well.

 

Cheers!

Babymoon and Snoogles

I'm a vacationer. I love going anywhere at anytime. So, I've been thinking about the whole idea of a babymoon. I read a lot of articles that dog the idea (See: 5 Reasons Babymoons Are a Waste of Time and Money), and while I can't completely discredit their reasons, I can certainly see the other side of things. So below are their 5 reasons to not take a babymoon accompanied by reasons of why you should. (And clearly I'm basing my opinions on how I *think* it will be, as I have never been pregnant before.)

1. Your whole life has been one big babymoon.
You have yet to change diapers. You can go see a movie anytime you want. On weekends you can sleep all day. You don't desperately need relaxation and time alone together ... yet.

• Come August, I'll be 6 months pregnant. Baby showers will be happening, the nursery will need to be in order, the house will need to be in order and probably a million other things that will keep Cory and me plenty busy in the months prior. Taking a few days to ourselves to relax, eat, and mentally prepare for the crazy journey that lies just around the corner seems like an A-OK idea to me.

2. You will appreciate that vacation so much more in a couple of years.
You have never appreciated a nice, quiet night of sleep as much as you do when you're away from your kids who haven't given you a decent night's sleep ... ever. Even the hotel bathroom --with no one else in it or trying to barge in it -- will feel like a magical oasis after you've spent some time being a parent.

• I have no doubt in my mind that this is probably true. But.. as someone who likes to vacation and will probably love vacationing with my kid(s), I can't say this is any reason not to take a babymoon. At this point, I guess I should probably make it clear that by 'babymoon' or 'vacation' I certainly don't mean flying across the county or the world for some exotic location that will cost the balance of your life savings. I simply mean a getaway that would be relaxing and won't break the bank.

3. Traveling isn't that fun when you're pregnant.
What's a beach without a fruity umbrella drink? There's no horseback riding, no sushi, and no hot tubs. Sure you can still sight see (if you're feet aren't killing you) or lounge around (if you're not too nauseated), but wouldn't you rather wait until you can fully enjoy the vacation?

• You can't have any of those things when you're not at the beach either.. Well except the fruity umbrella drink, because who says you have to have alcohol in a frozen beverage with an umbrella for it to be drinkable? Again, I don't imagine that on a babymoon you'd want to do much other than relax and take a break. I can't speak for the nausea, but I'd say I could probably still enjoy a virgin pina coloda on a beach under an umbrella with a little nausea.

4. Things can happen.
If you're going to take one then go early on in your pregnancy, because I've seen far too many stories of women in airplanes lately. It's not to say that you should never travel while pregnant, but if you don't have to then the closer to home the better I say.

• I agree, things CAN happen. Planes are scary. I also agree that you should probably be as close to home as you can be and still get the sense of vacationing. If you can't get there by car in a single day, I'd probably rethink my location.

5. Save your money.
If money is no object then by all means, take all of the vacations you want. But if you're like most of us who have to pick and choose where to spend our pennies, I'd choose to save that cash for all of the things your kid will need ... and a real vacation (where you can drink and eat and do whatever you want) down the line when they're driving you crazy.

• I don't completely disagree here either. The baby is priority number one and will be for the rest of time. If you can't afford it and would rather play it safe, then by all means, no one is forcing you to do anything. But even penny pinchers can find a good deal on a getaway. With things like VRBO you can basically find somewhere/anywhere to go that's not too far away and for a reasonably cheap price.

Well there you have it. Asinine as I may be in my pre-motherhood perceptions, I think a babymoon is well worth a couple of pennies to take a moment with my husband before everything in our crazy spastic life changes. That said, Cory and I are spending Labor Day weekend on the beach in Garden City.... probably with fruity drinks and hot dogs from Sam's Corner and she crab soup from the Dead Dog Saloon.

[caption id="attachment_365" align="aligncenter" width="560"] At Sanibel Island, Florida for New Years 2012. We certainly love the beach.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_366" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Garden City July 2012[/caption]

 

I'd also like to take a moment and publicly thank Cory and the maker of Snoogles. I used to always sleep in the fetal position, but in the last year or so I stopped because it was killing my shoulders. Thanks to the Snoogle, I don't have that problem anymore. Cory will probably regret getting it for me one day after baby Taylor is born, but if he decides to toss it, I will likely end up like Jennifer Lopez in The Backup Plan, digging through the dumpster to get it back.