Easter Weekend 2017 | Part 1

There are some weekends when I spend the majority of my time just living in the moment with my favorite people that I rarely dust off my camera for a few shots of our shenanigans but typically holiday weekends are just not one of those times. I was still very much present but most of the time with a camera around my neck! Which I am so grateful for because I feel like I captured so many fun memories this weekend and am so excited to share them all with you. As I mentioned in yesterday's post though, I transferred what felt like a billion pictures from my camera to my computer, hence the PART 1. In hopes to not overwhelm you with too many photos in one post, I want to start by sharing our fun-filled FRIDAY ...

Liam woke up at his usually 7:00 A.M. early bird hour so we were able to hit the road fairly early in the morning and make it to Boise by noon. My mom made us all sandwiches for lunch and then we cleared the table for Easter egg decorating! We gave Liam a white crayon to draw on the eggs with before we dropped them into the dye and he was super excited about it at first ...

But that lasted all of two seconds when he realized that his art work wasn't showing up before his eyes like a crayon does when you draw with it on paper. ;) MOVING ON!

Next I saw this genius idea on Pinterest to put an egg in a whisk for little kids to dip into the food coloring and keep their hands out of the dye so we gave that a go ...

Daddy tickling his back. :)

It too lasted two seconds because he began dunking it in, pulling it out, repeat, repeat, repeat and sloshing colored water everywhere. haha 

After that we left the rest of the coloring up to the adults. ;) And by adults I mean everyone except for my brother who spilled the ENTIRE cup of blue all over the table. hahaha

When the eggs were dry we let Liam decorate them with bunny face and bunny ear stickers that came with the kit my mom bought. They turned out pretty adorable!

We still had some time to spare before nap time so we took Liam out front to play for a while. Everyones' trees in the whole neighborhood were in bloom and absolutely gorgeous against that pale blue sky!

Some of my favorite pictures of Liam playing outside ...

I was cracking up that he was shoveling underneath his own leg. haha

The many piles of sand that he shoveled up and down the sidewalk haha ...

Along with the trees, all of my mom's spring flowers in her yard were blooming! Tulips are always my favorite!!

Confusing a tulip with a dandelion?!?!

See what I mean?? So beautiful!

On Friday night we went over to my dad and stepmom's house for dinner. Her brother and his wife were in town from North Dakota for the long weekend,and my stepbrothers, sister-in-laws, and nieces and nephews were all there too! Grandma did an Easter egg hunt for all the grandkids and this was Liam's first one this year. It was so much fun to watch him because he got so much more into than he did last year! 

Hunting for eggs with cousins ...

After all the eggs were found the cousins gathered around the table to count their coins and eat one too many pieces of candy in true Easter fashion. ;)

Sixlets are one of my FAVORITE candies ever but they are pretty hard to find these days. I got so excited as Liam emptied his eggs to find some inside and may have eaten them from his candy stash!

My dad attempted to start a poll where everyone could place their bets on the day, time, and weight of our baby while we were there but I don't know what actually ended up happening with that. haha We had pizza for dinner and it was so fun to have everyone together! Thanks to Edie and my dad for hosting this big crazy bunch! 

Stay tuned for our trip to the Boise Zoo and Easter Weekend 2017 PART 2 coming at you over the next couple of days. :) XO

second baby bump | gender predictions

Happy Tuesday!! We just got back from a fun holiday weekend spent with my family in Boise and I have a billion Easter pictures to transfer from my camera and post over the next couple of days. Until then, I thought it would be fun to share some gender predictions today!

image via Rifle Paper Co.

In just a little less than two weeks we will have our first ultrasound for this baby and find if Liam is having a little brother or sister. During my pregnancy with Liam, both Nic and I were pretty certain I was having a boy. Maybe because there are a lot of boys on both sides of our family?? With this pregnancy we honestly do not have a clue. I was a lot sicker this time around than I was with Liam so I feel like everyone has said to me at one point or another, "Well you must be having girl!" but who knows!

Honestly rather than gender I've had to convince myself for quite some time that we weren't having twins. haha I have had a friend tell me she had a dream about me having twins, I myself have had a couple dreams about having twins. In fact I woke up from a twin dream two Saturday mornings ago and went to crack my first egg while making us breakfast and it was a twin yolk. haha Such a bizarre coincidence. The two big things that had me questioning for so long were that I showed so much faster this time around (I'm talking 8 weeks along!) and when we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time at my 12 week appointment she placed the doppler on the very far right side and immediately heard a heartbeat and didn't move it anywhere else. That rumor has since been put to rest when it took her about 4 very terrifying minutes at my 17 week appointment to find the baby's heartbeat and she ran the doppler all over my tummy.

We would be thrilled with having either gender and have had fun looking at some silly ways of predicting whether we are having a boy or a girl ...

Nausea ...

Lots (girl) None (boy) | GIRL

Baby's Heart Rate ... 

Above 140 bpm (girl) or Under 140 bpm (boy) | GIRL

So far baby's heartbeat was 156 bpm at 12 weeks and 142 bpm at 17 weeks.

Chinese Gender Calendar ... 

Based on age and month of conception | GIRL

Mayan Predictor ...

Based on age and year of conception, both even or odd (girl) or one even and one odd (boy) | GIRL 

Carrying Baby ...
High (girl) or Low (boy) | GIRL

Cravings ...

Fruit & sweets (girl) or Meat & cheese & salty (boy) | GIRL

Chest ...

Not grown (girl) or Has grown (boy) | BOY

Ask a Little Boy ...

If a little boy (ahem, Liam) shows interest in my pregnant belly (girl) or Not interested (boy) | BOY

Observe Your Curves ...

Face is rounder (girl) or Bum is rounder (boy) | BOY

Ring on a String ...

Swings in a circle (girl) or Swings side to side (boy) | BOY

Some fun and hilarious articles I found with gender prediction tests here and here, some of which I used in this post! Out of the 10 different tests, 6 predicted baby girl and 4 predicted baby boy. We will just have to wait and see in a couple weeks which ones were right! ;)

second baby bumpdate | 17 weeks

Happy Monday & Easter Week!! I am welcoming Monday afternoon with open arms after the crazy amount of stress I've experienced over the last three days. Saturday did not start off well when I discovered I accidentally hadn't checked my mail in a few weeks and found jury duty paperwork that was late to say the least. Nothing like mulling over a piece of paper that states in all caps that you could be fined $300 and/or spend up to 3 days in jail all weekend long! (In our defense, what kind of archaic system sends that kind of important information by mail only!? Especially to a generation where we pay all of our bills online and typically only receive junk in our mail.) Lesson learned. Then after a very nerve-wracking apology I gave in person at the court house this morning I followed it up with a terrifyingly silent four minutes in a doctor's office listening for our baby's heartbeat. The nurse looked worried, I was almost in tears, and I was cursing my long torso after it was all said and done! Thankfully, baby's heartbeat was found and I've been feeling fluttering kicks ever since throughout the afternoon. 

 Speaking of this baby, I'm already quickly discovering what I've heard from several moms to be true, that any pregnancy after you first just doesn't get documented quite as often. :) Please forgive me baby Williamson #2! Your brother keeps me from taking very many pictures of your growth and having an opportunity to sit down and write but it doesn't mean I love you any less! Here's where we are together at 17 weeks ...

How Far Along ...

17 weeks

Gender ...

We find out in a few weeks and I honestly don't have a clue if it will be pink or blue. ;) I took some quirky gender prediction tests just for fun and will share them with you later on in the week. We are excited for either gender!!!

Maternity Clothes ...

I found myself embracing maternity clothes so much sooner with this pregnancy than I did with my first. There is no reason I should suffer through trying to fit in uncomfortable clothes when pregnancy can already be uncomfortable as it is, am I right?! ;) haha So far these jeans have been my lifesaver!

Belly Button & Wedding Ring ...

Belly button in and already growing more narrow by the minute just like it did with my first pregnancy. Still holding out for the elusive outie that I think is so adorable. ;) Wedding ring is still on but I had it resized after that horrible morning when I lost it! It is a whole size and half smaller than it was during my pregnancy with Liam so I highly doubt I will get away with it fitting the whole pregnancy this time.

Sleep ...

I seem to be in a pattern of about 3 not so great nights of sleep and then finally crashing on the fourth. That doesn't stop me from having to wake up to use the bathroom like clockwork about every two hours though. haha Up until now I have been getting by with a blanket along my side and in-between my legs but I finally pulled out my body pillow this week and I forgot what a lifesaver that thing is!!

Best Moment(s) this Week ...

Next to baby kicks, my second favorite moment was our doctor's visit this morning when we got to hear the baby's heart beat for the second time. I never feel more relief than I do in that moment!

Miss Anything ...

Life before acid reflux! Sometimes it makes eating anything the worst but I just got the medication I was taking changed so I'm hopeful that the new brand will work better.

Movement ...

Feeling tiny baby flutters starting around 15 1/2 weeks. It was during the dreaded 4:00 - 5:00 hour when nap time is over and we anxiously await daddy coming home from work. I was resting on the couch, the bee movie was playing in the background, and Liam was serenading me with his beloved drum set ... all of a sudden I felt these tiny flutters coming from the right side and it completely caught me off guard. ESPECIALLY because I was 21 weeks before I ever felt/recognized Liam's kicks. I almost didn't believe it but then it happened again a few moments later and it made the whole rest of my day! Since then, I usually feel baby kick every day between 3 - 7 at night. 

Cravings ...

Other than a random night when I wanted sour gummy worms (SO strange!) back when I was about 9 weeks I haven't craved anything. In fact, I'm just thankful I am able to eat more foods now and not live with constant nausea. 

Feelings & Emotions ...

Thankful that we heard a steady heartbeat this morning and that this baby is growing away.

Looking Forward to ... 

So many things! Nic and Liam feeling the baby kick. Finding out the baby's gender in just a few weeks. Brainstorming ideas for the baby's nursery. And definitely Easter this weekend! I think Liam is going to love hunting for eggs so much this year!!

Liam's Big Boy Room & a video

I'm so excited to FINALLY reveal Liam's big boy room with you today! His room has been finished for a few months now but nausea and a lack of energy from this pregnancy has kept me from getting my act together to photograph the room and finish the post.

We are so happy with the way it all turned out and most of all, happy that Liam loves it so much! You can find a list of sources and a link to the video of Liam's reaction when he saw his new room for the first time at the end of this post! All he could say over and over again was "WOW! WOW! WOW!" It was so adorable!

With that said, Liam's camping and adventure theme room ...

The colors we chose for the room were black, emerald green, gold, and mustard. Liam's teepee, the house bed, and his love for everything outdoors were the inspiration behind the theme!

Gallery walls are my very favorite and I love the way this one turned out above his dresser. The "Liam" letters are a DIY from his nursery. Just simple paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby spray painted in the color zine to get the look of the popular and much more expensive zinc metal letters from Anthro. 

These sweet bear figurines came from a big collection that was gifted to Liam for his first birthday from his Grandma and Grandpa West. I love the cute woodsy vibe they bring to the camping room!

I love that picture of Liam on his bike for the first time and this print that says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a sing step" so much!

The dresser is old from IKEA. I tried to find it on their website but it doesn't look like they carry this size anymore?

I made the tassel garland for Liam's first birthday party and have kept it hung up ever since! That and a strand of edison string lights, his room his bound to be a party all year! ;) 

My favorite Happy Camper print (I adore all of Garvin & Co.'s chalkboard prints!!!) and book shelf hung above his teepee. 

That sweet handy husband of mine built Liam's house bed and it is one of my favorite parts of the whole room!! He followed this tutorial and modified it slightly so that the bed sat on the ground and didn't have a chimney.

I got the inspiration to whitewash (tutorial I followed here) and paint the bed with a herringbone pattern from a frame that I love by Minted.

His nightstands are two old power poles that my mom gifted me from her work! We covered them in a couple coats of sealant so there wouldn't be any raw edges to get splinters from but other than that, we wanted to leave them in their unique original state as much as possible. That little lantern makes the perfect lamp for reading bedtime stories.

This cute boy sure loves his big boy room! Especially jumping on the bed so it's a good thing it is close to the ground!

Most days his room looks like this ...

It is so sweet watching him play in there though. He is finally starting to be old enough to build things with daddy rather than just knock them all down and Nic is loving it! 

... S O U R C E S ...

Rug

Teepee

Tree Wall Decals

Mustard Duvet Cover & Camper Sheets

Lion Print | Happy Camper Print | A Single Step Print

Gingham Throw Blanket

Light Fixture | Lantern (sold out from Modcloth)

Monogram Wall Hooks

You can watch the video with Liam's reaction to his new room HERE!!!

If you have any other questions about where we got things feel free to message me or leave them in the comments below and I'd be happy to answer them. XO

the first trimester

I can't tell you how happy I am to be 14 weeks today and welcoming the second trimester with open arms! Being on the other side of the first trimester, it seems easier to say that this pregnancy feels like it is going by quickly so far but if you would have asked me that a few weeks ago I would have had a very different answer. For the sake of truly documenting this journey I need to go back several months ... 11 to be exact. 

The Journey to Another Baby ... 

Last April we were beginning to feel ready to grow our family again. We had anticipated to start trying in May but due to a neck injury that landed me in the ER in April, it was important that I finished my physical therapy and got my body to a healthy place where I no longer needed to rely on any form of pain medication. June was that time. My body was healed and our hearts were ready. Without getting too specific (haha), it only took us one time to conceive Liam. With that being said, our expectations were that we would get pregnant again very quickly. As you can tell by the fact that I am only a few months along right now, that wasn't the case after all. Because many of those days, months, and weeks in-between held some of the darkest times in our lives and some that we hold very close, I feel it is important to keep that piece of the story to ourselves. Instead I want to jump ahead to December ... I remember early on that month just falling to my knees in prayer. Truly all I wanted for Christmas this year was to find out that we were expecting and that the baby was growing healthy strong. A couple weeks before Christmas that dreaded time of the month hit, my heart sunk and with it, the idea of a baby being part of my Christmas gift. I still enjoyed every second of the holidays with my two favorite boys by my side and went into the new year hopeful. 

Finding Out ...

Just a few short weeks after Christmas on the morning of January 15th I learned that my Christmas wish did in fact come true! I was a week late and dreading taking a test simply because I had been "late" before with signs that I felt like I was pregnant only to discover I was wrong with another single line staring back at me. But I couldn't sleep and I tossed and turned all night long until finally giving in during the early hours of the morning. I quietly closed the bathroom door behind me in hopes not to wake my sleeping husband. I set this timer and waited for what always feels like an absolute eternity ...

THREE WHOLE MINUTES of pure torture! I spent those moments praying for peace no matter the outcome held while simultaneously shaking with nerves. Then I looked ...

SO much joy filled my heart and the biggest grin spread across my face when I realized we had gotten pregnant at Christmas time!! I quietly crept back to bed and spent the next couple hours in an equal amount of torture waiting for my sweet husband to wake up so I could tell him the news! When he finally did, I whispered the words I had waited hours to share, "Guess what?! We're pregnant!" With the biggest smile on his face and joy filling both of our hearts he said, "We did it!" and hugged me for a long time. It was one of the greatest moments of my life!

How I've Been Feeling ...

Besides the very sore boobs that I did not experience with Liam, I had one blissful week of feeling completely normal after I found out I was pregnant before the downhill spiral began. haha At 6 weeks the nausea started and lasted 24 hours a day. SO much different and SO much worse than my pregnancy with Liam. My stomach was in knots, I couldn't sleep, and 99% of foods and smells made me sick. I dry heaved constantly (honestly wishing to throw up in hopes that it would make me feel better, even if it was only for a brief moment, but never did). I joked with Nic several times that I would much rather go through labor than this nauseous period because with labor it is one day of your life with an end in sight but with this nausea it was constant and I had no idea how long it would last. My doctor put me on medications for both nausea and acid reflux. With the nausea medication came a whole host of other side effects (headaches, drowsiness, and constipation). Needless to say, weeks 6 - 12 were a FUN time. I honestly spent them on our couch in the fetal position while Liam and I watched a whole lot of Netflix. Even in the midst of all of that though, what I was feeling the most was so so grateful and blessed! I knew that feeling sick meant that there was likely a healthy baby growing away!! The last two weeks the nausea has began to subside. I expected the nausea to be gone the moment I hit 12 weeks like it did with Liam but I knew with how bad it was this time that it likely wouldn't be the case. While it isn't completely gone it is much more manageable. In fact, I was able to survive off the medication the last couple of days which means no more side effects! My energy is beginning to come back and I am able to eat more things. Still no peanut butter though (which was a daily staple in my diet before)!

What I've Been Surprised By ... 

How all around different this pregnancy has been than my pregnancy with Liam! Everyone jokes that it must mean it's a girl but my doctor confirmed that not only is every pregnancy different but also harder on my body than the last! haha Thanks Dr. B for that great news! ;) The gender doesn't matter to us, we would be so happy with either! Something else I've been surprised by ... I've heard a million times but didn't quite believe without experiencing it myself is how much quicker I'm showing this pregnancy than I did with Liam. My 8 week bump this time was about the size of my 15 week bump with Liam. haha Thankyouverymuch over achieving uterus!

Best Moment So Far ...

Two weeks ago we had our very first doctor's appointment and heard baby's heartbeat for the first time. The anticipation of that moment was what got me through those hard weeks and it was worth every second of the wait! 156 beats per minute and the BEST sound in the whole world!!!

Can't wait to share this journey and more bumpdates in the weeks to come! XO

Big Brother!

My heart could burst sharing this news with you!!! 

Our family is growing and we are so excited to see Liam become a big brother! We can hardly wait to meet this sweet baby in September!! 

I wish I could show you the "behind the scenes" of this photoshoot. It would look something like this ... Nic jumping up and down like a crazy person, chasing Liam, dancing in the middle of a street (no cars in sight) all to make Liam giggle and smile for these pictures! So entertaining to watch! ;) Nic Williamson, you are my hero.

I have so much I want to share about the first trimester so far but if it hasn't been obvious, morning (ALL DAY & NIGHT) sickness hit me about 6 1/2 weeks ago and I've been surviving in the fetal position day in and day out ever since. It is getting a little better each day but is still very much present. I promise to update again soon as I'm feeling more like myself. Until then, thank you for sharing in our joy! XO