Weekend Wrap up and animal photos

This weekend we had no concrete plans and it was quite lovely!  

Friday night we went to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law at our favorite wing joint and headed back to their house to hang out.  I thought it would be fun to get in the pool at 8pm until we were all eaten alive by mosquitoes and made an exit about 30 minutes later.  Oh well!  We didn't get home until 11:30pm and then were woken up by the cat and dog at 5:30am, needless to say I was rather crabby!

Saturday morning I headed out to do some maternity clothes shopping with one of my good friends from college who is also pregnant.  We met for lunch and then headed over to a wonderful maternity consignment store I had found where we scored some great deals.  We also went to Macy's to check out their maternity section and I indulged in some more clothes.  I think Andrew is about ready to shut off my bank card, but I promised him that I wouldn't buy anything else for a while.  All I honestly need is a pair of black dress pants and some tights and I will be set!  Saturday night Andrew and I went to visit my mom, dad and grandma, got a pizza on the way home and vegged out together on the couch.

Sunday we did our typical things, laying around watching the news, making the grocery list and going to the store.  In the afternoon we headed up to visit with his family and do a little target shooting.  It was super hot though and I did not want to be outside for very long.  We headed home and Andrew cooked steaks for dinner (which were AMAZING) and I was in bed at 10pm only to wake up about 10 times in an hour because my eyes would not stop watering and I was drooling everywhere.....pregnancy symptom?!?  I'm not sure but my lack of sleep is really affecting me today. 

Here are some photos from the weekend as well:

The cat does not like me to wake him from an afternoon nap.

My brothers dog likes to sit weird on the ottoman.

Bessie would like it if I dropped my pizza on the floor.

We got our first two baby gifts this week!

My dahlias started to bloom, replanted from our wedding.

A much needed vacation

I am so incredibly happy that Andrew and I FINALLY decided on a destination for our vacation this year.  We have been going back and forth for about a month trying to figure out where to go.  I knew I would have to take some days unpaid if we took and entire week off work, but I was willing to make the sacrifice knowing that next summer it might be hard to get away with a 6 month old baby. 

We narrowed it down to.....

• Gatlinburg, TN
• Northern Michigan (sleeping bear dunes area)
• Niagara Falls
• Kelley's Island

In my deepest heart, I really wanted to go to the beach but knew that we didn't have the time to drive the 10 hours it would take to get to Ocean City, MD and that finding a hotel would be next to impossible.  Then it suddenly dawned on me this past Monday, duh my grandma has a condo in Florida about 30 minutes from the beach!!!!  Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

I quickly got onto every travel website on earth checking ticket prices and managed to get us two round trip tickets with one stop in Atlanta for $500 and Andrew can get a cheap rental car through work.  Plus our lodging is free so how could we go wrong?!  My grandma's sister also lives close by so we will be able to visit with her as well, even if she was just up on Ohio about a month ago visiting everyone. 

Our only other major vacation (our last minute honeymoon) was cut short last year due to my grandpa passing away, so I'm hoping that this will make up for that trip.  We will be gone for 7 lovely days of Florida sun and fun on the gulf coast about 1 hour north of Fort Myers.  I'm so excited to spend some time together before the baby comes.  Now my mission is to find a maternity swim suit and a few more pairs of shorts before we leave next month.  And for once in my life I'm not worried about loosing weight to be seen on the beach, how lovely pregnancy can be!!!

I can't wait for a full week of sun, the beach, the lovely condo pool that no one uses, sea food, walks and fishing!!!!

Week 18 bumpdate

I can't say there is anything different so far from week 16 to week 17 or from week 17 to week 18.  I am also sorry again that I don't have a photo to post, something is wrong with the memory card in my camera and I've been slacking on asking the hubby to take some pics with my phone.  I promise to put up photos next week!  I "feel" more pregnant now and I have been peeing in the middle of the night sometimes twice instead of once, my appetite is increasing by the day and I for sure look pregnant now.

• How far along? 18 weeks and 2 days
• How big is baby? According to my What to Expect App, the baby is as big as a mango, about 6 inches long and half a pound.
• Weight gain? I still need to gain more weight and have been trying to snack in between meals.  I stocked up on different snacks for work last week so I don't have to choose from the very limited selection in the gift shop at work.
• Stretch Marks? No more than I had before.  I have been slathering on the cocoa butter however because I don't want to scratch and create more stretch marks.  
• Maternity Clothes: I am wearing them pretty much every day.  I can still get into a few pairs of pre-pregnancy pants but they make me look like I have an exploding muffin top and I can still wear a good deal of my tshirts as well.  I think I am pretty well stocked up on maternity clothes at the moment but I'm waiting for more fall and winter items to be available.  I need some comfy sweaters!
• Sleep: Well, it's been a little rough this last week.  I now get really hot at night (normally I am freezing) and cannot get comfortable. I know your supposed to sleep on your left side but most nights I end up on my right.
• Cravings: Blueberry pancakes (which I made for dinner last night), cheese, apple slices with peanut butter, fruit snacks, Chipotle/Mexican food
• Food Aversions: I FINALLY ate eggs last night!  And I didn't want to puke!  I would say that is progress
• What do I miss: Sleeping through the night
• Movement: I think I have felt a little of the gas bubble/flutter feeling but it's only at night and I'm not 100% sure.
• Doctor Appointments: I don't have another one until September 4th and that is the anatomy scan!!!  So excited to confirm my feelings that the little one is a boy!
• Symptoms: Mega mood swings or just generally being in a bad mood, back aches when I get home from work and awful heartburn.
• Anything else? My mood is still very erratic and I'm very easily annoyed these days especially at night.  I keep going to be earlier and earlier because I cannot get comfortable on the couch and would much rather be in bed.  

Fall

The weather in Ohio for the last few weeks has really felt like fall and it's getting me pretty excited for all of the amazing fall things that I love!!!!

1. Football - I mean really I'm a hardcore OSU and Pittsburgh Steelers fan so this is my favorite time of year.  And being pregnant means I can eat more buffalo chicken dip, my dad's amazing chicken wings, plenty of carrots with dill dip and velveta dip!  YUM!!!!
   
   
2. Halloween movies - If you don't love 13 Nights of Halloween on ABC family or the constant running of Halloween Town and Hocus Pocus then we cannot be friends.
   
   
3.  Apple and Pumpkin EVERYTHING - Apple pies, apple cobblers, pumpkin spice latte's, fall scented candles - oh I'm so ready for your return!  I also love apple and pumpkin picking!  We didn't pick pumpkins the last few years but I am determined to restart that tradition.
   
   
4. Halloween/Fall Decorations - I love decorating our house for the holidays and can't wait to pull my black and orange bins out of the basement here soon.
5. Hoodies and Jeans - Who doesn't love wearing comfy clothes and taking a nice walk outside!?  
6. Bonfires - I'm glad my brother lives 10 minutes away and has a nice fire pit!
7. My wedding anniversary/husbands birthday - They are only two weeks apart and I cannot believe that we will be married for one year in just a month!  We got married on the Autumnal Equinox if that say's anything about my love for fall.
   
   
8. The first frost - I love seeing the flowers and plants die but there is something magical about the first time there is frost on the ground in the morning, it's pretty. 
   
   
9. Dressing my dog up for Halloween - I will probably still do this after the baby is born.  She's been a witch and a jail dog.  So cute!
   
   
   
   
10. The changing colors - Spring and summer have their own beauty but there is just something so amazing about the colors of fall.
    
    
    
    
    What is your favorite season?  What are your favorite things about fall?

How quickly life can change

My mom called me last week with some awful news about a very dear friend of our family.  She had a rare brain disorder and would pass away within four weeks.  Up until this point, she was fairly healthy but was experiencing issues with her balance which they thought might be vertigo.  My heart exploded with sadness and I couldn't stop the tears from coming.  I kept thinking about seeing her at my brothers wedding, at my wedding and how full of life she was when behind her eyes her brain was slowly fading away until one day she didn't know her own husband and then slipped into a coma just day later.  She didn't last the four weeks they had predicted and passed away this Tuesday.

This morning I ordered flowers on behalf of our family to send to the funeral home and as I clicked on the FTD website, so many feelings overwhelmed me.  I thought about how I would feel if that was my own mother, if I knew that out there so many people were sending condolences and flowers to a funeral home for her.  Then the smells of those flowers suddenly overtook me and I was transported back to this fall at my own grandfathers funeral, how we read each card and carefully looked at each arrangement.  I can't imagine doing that for my own mother like our dear friends three children.  I just pray there her family is able to find peace knowing that she is watching over them and will be waiting to meet them again someday.

It's moments like this that make me realize that living with bitterness in my heart or harsh words on my tongue is just not worth it.  I find myself becoming increasingly annoyed these days and though I blame it on my pregnancy I know it's still possible for me to control my emotions.  Life really is much too short.  We all get too wrapped up in the drama and the fast paced way of life but we should all take a moment to step back and see what is really important.  We should take the time to watch a sunrise, call someone we haven't talked to in a while, give someone a hug, tell someone we love them and to live life to the fullest.

I know I'm just as guilty as anyone in "saying one thing and doing another" but watching my dad loose his best friend really puts things into perspective.  When we heard the news of her passing, my dad immediately mentioned the song "Lightening Crashes" and how with each death there is a new life and that I am carrying that new life right now.  I'm sure that brings him some peace to know that life will go on though it will be hard without someone there to share those moments.

My hope is that I can find the time to quiet out the world more and spend more time focusing on the beauty of life.  I hope that I can spend less time being better and upset about trivial things and spend more time being loving and caring.  I think becoming a mother will surely help my cause.