fourth of July {2014}

Thinking back to last summer's 4th of July, Nic and I spent the evening laying under the stars at the fair grounds, just the two of us, waiting for the firework show to begin and reminiscing about finally searching for our first house and the likeliness that we would be pregnant next year on the fourth. Well, here we are a year later... a beautiful new house to come home to after the firework show and a little one on the way. Life is definitely wonderful! :)  

And to make it even more wonderful, there is nothing like starting the festivities with yummy fruit pizza in the shape of a flag. Boom!

In the morning, we headed to the Pocatello Parade and found the perfect spot in the shade. This year's theme for the floats was past, present, and future. There were so many great ones but probably one of my favorites was a big wood panel flag on one side with black and white pictures of local community members from the past and present on the other side. I didn't manage to get a picture of that one, the kids in the front were going too crazy for the candy haha, so you will just have to take my word for it. 

The one bummer about moving from our apartment is that we no longer live right up by the fairgrounds within walking distance like we had for the last three years so rather than battling the crowds of cars at the end of the night, we decided to find a remote little street on the edge of town that practically had a straight shot view of the whole show. We sat in our car and listened to the presentation and songs that go along with the show and watched it with the windows rolled down. It turned out great! And this year of course we talked about what it will be like to be witnessing the 4th through the eyes of an 8 month old little boy next year. ;)

And to top it all off, this little boy sort of stole the firework show when he I felt tiny little flutters for the first time! ;) Pure magic!

Hope you all had a safe, happy, and fun Fourth! xo

21 weeks

I just wanted to start off by saying that I can't thank you all enough for all of the sweet messages and congrats we have received over the last week!! I just want to give everyone I hear from a big hug! Nic and I couldn't be more excited to welcome a little boy into our family. I shared a few thoughts about our ultrasound last week in the reveal post but just had a couple more that I left out and wanted to write down now.

One thing our ultrasound taught me is that I never realized how iffy a due date really is. I mean, I knew that the chances of the baby coming RIGHT on the exact date the doctor gave us was pretty unlikely but I didn't realize how up in the air it can be (at least that has been my experience anyway). Our doctor is set on going off of the date based on my last period which I believe is inaccurate and too soon because we didn't start trying until a couple of weeks later than that. My ultrasound however, showed the baby's measurements matching up with right about 20 weeks last week which would put me about 3 weeks off from the doctor's date. So we asked the doctor at our 5 month appointment the day after the ultrasound and he said that he doesn't trust those measurements to be completely accurate and that it would be better to stick with the original date and go off of my last period. So WHO KNOWS! haha Basically that little explanation was to clarify the fact of why I decided to skip last week's update and make this 21 weeks instead. :) Somewhere right in the middle of the doctor and the ultrasound and then maaaaaybe, just maybe my updates will be somewhat on track with when this little babe will actually grace us with his presence. 

Since it has been a couple weeks since my last update I just have to say those 14 or however many days have been complete bliss. I feel like I am riding this emotional high after finally getting to see our baby boy and know for a fact that this is definitely all real! It was so fun to have some of his ultrasound pictures printed and putting them up on fridge to look at each day. I about died at his little foot picture when she told us it is measuring in at a little over 3 centimeters. 3 CM! Even though he is still teeny, it makes me so happy to know that he is growing healthy and strong by the day!

How Far Along :: 21 weeks
Gender :: Boy!
Belly Growth ::  40.5 in.
Maternity Clothes :: This belly is mostly in maternity shirts now but I still have several pants that fit! Don't get me wrong though, I do have a pair of maternity leggings that are on repeat if I spend the day at home. They are SO comfortable!   
Belly Button In or Out :: In
Sleep :: Depends on the day but finding myself using and loving the snoogle pillow more and more! 
Best Moment this Week :: Ultrasound!
Miss Anything :: Sleeping on my tummy...
Movement :: Still haven't felt anything yet. I have been especially surprised about this after seeing our little boy wiggling and squirming all over the place on the ultrasound.
Cravings :: Swirl ice cream cone!
Feeling :: Some back pain which I believe is a result of wonky sleeping. I can't get comfortable on my back anymore, haven't ever been much of a side sleeper, and can't sleep on my stomach anymore so I think I contort myself around that snoogle pillow and end up in some funky positions to get comfortable. 
Emotions :: Happy :)
Looking Forward to :: Celebrating the fourth of July tomorrow! Nic has the day off work and we don't have a ton of plans so we get to just have fun together and play the day by ear, just how I like it! Bring on the parade, flag fruit pizza I made this afternoon, yummy chicken burgers for dinner, and lots of fireworks! Oh and the sparklers too, they are my favorite! :)

my golden birthday + a gender reveal

Yesterday was my birthday and a very special one in fact. I turned 24 on the 24th therefore it made it my golden birthday. I have looked forward to this birthday for several years and always hoped I would do something special/memorable for it. I never imagined I would be pregnant, finding out the gender of our baby, and crossing something off my bucket list all in the same day!

We had our first ultrasound in the afternoon and holy heavens I about peed my pants right there on their waiting room couch. It turns out 32 ounces of water, 45 minutes before an ultrasound for a pregnant lady is total torcher! Luckily they let me use the bathroom right before going back otherwise I don't think it would have been as comfortable of an experience. haha The moment the ultrasound tech squirted the gel on my tummy and our baby showed up on the screen I was completely mesmerized. I will admit, the majority of the time I didn't quite understand what I was looking at because she kept switching angles and the baby kept moving positions but it didn't matter because all I could see was this sweet little squirming baby that Nic and I had been dying to see.

She began walking us through each body part and had both of us nervous at times when she would pause for long periods of time to zoom in or take measurements without saying anything. We found relief in the moments that would follow with "everything is looking healthy and perfect". When she got to the gender she asked us if we wanted to guess and while it seemed SO obvious, we were both still afraid to guess wrong because seriously, what I thought was the head a moment ago now appeared to be on the other side and was now the heart. haha So we left the deciphering up to her.

It was 45 minutes of heaven getting to see wiggles and hear that healthy little heartbeat again. I also beamed when she said the little hand was being laid on under the head... just like how I sleep. :) We walked on cloud 9 the rest of the day!!

As for the bucket list part of the day... I have always wanted to send a floating lantern into the sky and make a wish. It not only was a special moment for the two of us to share as we sent that little lantern into the sky with our wishes but it made for the perfect gender reveal. A big thank you to my father-in-law for being our videographer!

becoming a mom

From the time I could carry something around with me in my arms, a baby doll was my toy of choice. I remember a couple months before Christmas, we would get a big Christmas edition of the JCPenney catalog in the mail and my mom would offer it up to my brother and I to peruse through for a couple ideas to give Santa. :) Well, the joke would always be on her because every year, she would come back to find every last baby doll circled with a pen. Hello, I wanted all of them!  She would have to make me go back through and put a star next to my top two or three so she had some semblance of a clue as to which one she should pick, but truth be told, I probably would have been happy with any of them because I was a little mom at heart who loved every baby!

When we were kids, I would also coerse my brother into playing "house" with me where I inherently became the "mom" and had a cheaper by the dozen family size because only having one or two babies was totally outrageous to me. ;) Fast forward about 18 years later and 12 babies now sounds like the outrageous choice but c'est la vie! Maybe I'd change my mind if I were still paying for everything using Monopoly money and driving my tricycle around for a car. ;) 

Now that I am preparing to become a real mom, I can't even tell you how much I feel like this is my dream coming true! A dream I had loooong ago, that one day I would hold a real baby in my arms, one that looked a little like me and call me momma. Becoming a mom is a special gift and I am so thankful this baby chose me. 

happy list

I usually stick to sharing 5 things that are making it onto my happy list but I couldn't narrow it to any less than 10 right now. :)

1 :: We have worked on several house projects in the last couple weeks. The biggest one of course is tackling the sprinkler system outside but on the nights we take a break, we have gotten a few things done on the inside too. One of them being this big roman numeral clock. Little miss observant Rue has discovered that there has been something added to the wall above her cage so she spent quite a bit of time the first few days hopping on top of her cage and scaling the wall with her feet figure out what the darn thing is! It is very entertaining to watch!

2 :: Speaking of Rue, I set down a glass of water I had been drinking on the couch for just a minute and she decided to dunk her face in it and have few licks too. See what I mean, always providing entertainment around here!

3 :: My friend Alli took the day away from her boys to drive down from Idaho Falls to have lunch with me. With this crazy busy school year, I hadn't seen her since last summer. It was SO great to catch up and ask her lots of baby advice too since she has had 3 cute ones of her own. Her visit made me think how grateful I am for the beautiful friends I have in my life.

4 :: We also finally got my Ballard Design inspired shelves we built last year hung in our new home. I had some fun this week decorating them for the Fourth of July. I used a lot of the same decor from last year but rearranged a bit.










5 :: I hit the halfway mark in this pregnancy and part of me could hardly believe I am already halfway and the other part of me hopes that the second half goes a little faster because I am pretty anxious to meet this little one. I definitely am not wishing away the time though because I have loved being pregnant so far and I am also not wanting this baby to come any sooner than he/she is supposed. Keep growing!

6 :: My mom is coming to visit me this weekend and I can hardly wait! I am already scrounging around for things to do during the work day while Nic is away aside from my weekly house cleaning and grocery shopping trips so it will be so fun having a visitor on Friday and someone to go shopping with!

7 :: On one of our nights off from the sprinkler system project last week, Nic offered to take my poor neglected and filthy car to get washed. He is SO good to me!

8 :: This is proooobably the 50th time I have mentioned this on here but this wouldn't be my happy list without it considering it has been on my mind 24/7... we are going in for our first ultrasound on Tuesday. What I am most excited for is to see the baby! I still haven't felt any movement so aside from a bump, it still doesn't completely feel like there is a real human life growing inside of me. Also, expect a bucket list type of a gender reveal coming your way next week!

9 :: I am not usually one to wish for rain, especially in June, but I have got to say that I am so grateful it did this week. There is nothing like trying to dig 12" deep trenches into rock hard clay. Here's to hoping that project is finished in the next week or so. Not many women can say, "I put in a sprinkler system over the summer I was pregnant." ha

10 :: I just finished the Divergent series this morning and was totally in tears by the end. That could be part sensitive in nature and a larger part hormones. haha Without giving away any spoilers, I didn't expect a tragic ending but somehow it was beautiful and heartwarming all the same. I struggled with the love story line in the second book and the plot story line in the third, but the bittersweet words that filled the last several chapters of the trilogy made me forget all of those other things and have character withdrawals just like I do with every other book or series when I finish.

20 weeks

Funny side story about that cute umbrella you see in this picture... I got it a few weeks ago from JCrew but haven't had the chance to use it because it is well... summer! But June in Pocatello is totally carazy at times and it has been in the 40's and 50's this week with a fair share of wind and rain to boot. As I was getting ready for the picture, I slid the metal extender up to open the umbrella but it would not click and hold at the top. I tried and tried again with no luck thinking lovely, I got a faulty umbrella. So I had Nic try... and he did the same thing. No luck! As I look away to turn the camera on and get it ready, BOOM! Out of the corner of my eye, I see the umbrella fly open, Nic yelp out in pain and then a fit of giggles followed from both of us. I practically peed my pants I was laughing so hard! Apparently we have never used a "modern" umbrella... ya know, one that flies open and closed at the simple push of a button on the handle. HELLO! One ripped up nail later and 2 people who felt stupid, we got that thing open don't worry. ;)

And on that note, the bump update for the week ... 

How Far Along :: 20 weeks
Gender :: We find out on Tuesday!!!!!!
Belly Growth :: 39 in.
Maternity Clothes :: Lots of skirts with elastic waistbands and still rocking the undone button held together with a hair tie. I have discovered I lalalove button up shirts considering my closet consists of 78% of them and none of them fit. womp womp.  
Belly Button In or Out :: In
Sleep :: Not too shabby.  
Best Moment this Week :: Hitting the halfway mark! Here's to hoping the last half goes as quickly as the first. Not because I'm not loving being pregnant, but because I can't wait to see what baby Williamson looks like. 
Miss Anything :: Apparently button up shirts...
Movement :: Not yet... and I'll admit, I am having a hard time being patient on this one. My pregnancy apps kept saying between 18-20 weeks I should begin to feel flutters as a first time mom, same with other moms we have experienced this before but it seems the 20th week is passing me by without anything at all. Hello baby, are you in there??
Cravings :: Nothing really specific this week??
Feeling :: Thrilled last week's tail bone pain went away. 
Emotions :: The hormone roller coaster continues.... cheers! My week has been filled with lots of happy little moments which I will be sharing more about tomorrow. :)
Looking Forward to :: My birthday!! for a few reasons :: 1. It is my "golden" birthday, I am turning 24 on the 24th and as silly as it may sound, I've been excited for this birthday my whole life! 2. Seeing our baby for the first time at our ultrasound! 3. Finding out if we are having a little boy or little girl!

to the fathers in my life...

I know Father's Day was Sunday and I am a couple of days late, but I just couldn't let it slip by without mentioning how much I love the fathers in my life...

To my own Father...
I have your eyes. I am also sensitive just like you are. We share the same immune system {something I am not fond of by the way thankyouverymuch haha}! While there are things we have in common, we have many differences too. The older I get, the more I have learned that differences among people make for rich relationships and serve to help us see the world from someone else's point of view. Our differences are no different for me. They help me to see the world through your eyes and gain a new appreciation. I hope you know that I love you and that you mean so much to me!

To my Father-In-Law...
You and I share something in common too... a deep love for that son of yours. I will forever be indebted to you for bringing him into this world. You are so thoughtful. A perfect example of this is that, on many occasions with Nic on the phone, I have overhead you ask how I am doing. You treat me just as you do any other family member even though you didn't get to pick me. ;) You are so funny, although sometimes I don't always get your humor because it typically comes in the form of you teasing me. Thank you for all you do for us. You are loved!

To my Grandfathers...
While I have lived far away from you for most of my life, you both have made a mark on my heart in your own way. I gained a love and passion for music from my harmonica-playing, National Anthem singing Grandpa Reidar. "I Love My Rooster" will forever be my favorite song because of you. I gained a strong work ethic from my Grandpa Dell whose weathered hands alone show how hard he has worked for those he loves in his life. He also gives the BEST hugs. I love and admire you both so very much!

To my Baby's Father...
You are my whole world and I know just months from now, you will also mean the world to another little somebody who I can already tell, will have you wrapped around their little finger. When you pray for him/her my heart melts. There is no one else in this world I would rather be taking on this adventure of parenthood with than you. You are strong, silly, smart, and the most kind person I have ever known. Our baby will be so lucky to have you for a father, just as much as I am lucky to have you for a husband. We love you!

And to All Other Men Out There...
Whether you have children of your own or not, you make a difference! You are celebrated and thanked this day too! xo