Babies need lots of stuff!

So here we are embarking on 24 weeks tomorrow. Yes, that means I am 6 months pregnant. Since I most likely will give birth early, this starts my third trimester. Anthony and I have been doing a lot more prep work since figuring out that we are in the home stretch. Since we have been so focused on the present, we really did not see this third trimester sneak up on us. The pregnancy has seemed to fly by.

This last week we focused on a few tasks that needed to get completed in order to have a successful baby shower. Baby showers are far more necessary than I ever imagined they were. From now on, when I am invited to a baby shower there are a few things that I have decided.

1. I will either go to the baby shower or at least send a gift.

These things are the answer to all parent's needs. It is so expensive and overwhelming to shop for a new baby. They need so much more than you ever imagined when you didn't have one or were planning on becoming parents. They need so many items that add up in your pocket and in your to-do list.

2. I will use the registry list.

I have registered so far at Kohl's and Target and at both stores I was incredibly meticulous about picking things out for Max. I tried to pick clothes according to the seasons and what age he would be, toys that were appropriate for his age for bath time, and all of the necessary toiletries for his mixed skin. Yes, I am that mom. In saying that, my sister quickly told me that when she had her baby shower, no one bought from the registry! I could not believe that was true. I have been pretty good over the years at buying wedding gifts and baby gifts from the registry because I was too clueless most of the time to pick something that the baby or couple would actually need. This awed me that people do not shop from the registry. I think that we spent about an hour and a half in Target yesterday picking out things for Max and although it was fun, it would be great to see him get some of those items from people that love him in his family. I have decided that I am going to stick with what I have always done...buying from the registry. I know we did it for a reason!

3. I will talk with the parents!

I think that it would be helpful to ask the parents from now on if they used a registry and if they did, how serious they were about it. Most of the items that Anthony and I registered for were in the $0-$10 range because those are the things that add up on our budget. We are obviously happy to buy those big ticket items like crib, stroller, car seat, high chair, etc....ourselves but it would be so helpful to be able to overlook some of the smaller items like wash cloths, socks, bibs, wipes, etc... with the help of friends and family. I can now see why these baby showers are so imperative to a set of new parents. We are doing our very best to plan well but man...who knew these little miracles needed so much!??!!!

We had a great time registering last night and enjoying our dinner out to celebrate 6 months with our little Max and we will cherish this time either way. I am looking forward to my baby shower in January to get together with those that love Max, have prayed for him, and watched us yearn for him. We know that it will be a blast being able to have our first real celebration about his life.

Another thing we have been diligently working on is the nursery. We have this great room in our place right by our room that is spacious and awesome for our little guy. It has (in the past) been filled with things we wanted to go through and possibly give to Goodwill, put away in different areas, and things we just didn't feel we had a space for. It is our time to find places for these items, give the things away that are no longer necessary, and get working on making this Max's room. We have decided to go with a Jungle Animal theme for his room in light blues, browns, and light greens. I picked up a few items at Michael's to do a few projects for his room and of course he already has all of the Scentsy Buddies and a warmer of his very own for his bedroom. We are excited to do this new room in our house and make a place for him to call his own and put all of these awesome things we have acquired over the months. For sure as we make progress, pictures will be posted on this blog! :)

As far as the pregnancy goes, we are in the process of doing a new test on my kidneys for the third trimester. This is a little more detail than you all probably want but I have to collect 24 hrs of urine and give it to the hospital and then get blood work immediately after to make sure my kidneys are functioning well for the delivery and rest of the pregnancy. In the morning, we will turn in this glorious sample and also go to my OB's office to get my blood pressure checked again. I have also noticed for the last couple of days that my sugars are starting to elevate. I will be contacting Maternal Fetal Medicine in Louisville to possibly make changes on my pump that will help have tighter control over this last three months. Please continue to pray for us in these areas!

I hope you are all doing well and I will do my best to continue to update especially since I start my maternity leave on December 21st! I am looking forward to some down time to be honest in order to get ready for my little dude!

Thanks for stopping in,

Erica & Anthony

The clock is ticking, 8 weeks down

Well here we are at 8 weeks pregnant! It has been a very interesting journey and some pretty amazing things and tragic things have already happened in my first trimester. My nephew Johnny was born on June 29th and we had no idea we were pregnant yet, but we sure were. Then, a few days ago my best friend from California was told by her husband that he wanted a divorce. It was something that really made me stop and think about parenting and how that looks in a marriage. Anthony and I are very strong in our marriage for sure and we work very hard on it by having weekly time set apart for us, great communication, and a deep and thriving friendship/intimacy. Even though that is true, I started to realize how much more is at stake once you have this little person that depends on both of you to have a life that is fruitful and wonderful. It was a very scary realization as I did not see my friend going through a divorce although I was aware of problems. I feel like giving up was not an option and he clearly disagreed with my dear friend who did not want this for her life.

Yesterday, we learned that one of our friends was in a motorcycle accident with her new husband of two weeks. They were hit by a truck and the person driving the truck did not stop at all. She only had minor injuries but her husband lost his life in this tragic accident. It completely floored us and again had me reflecting on what it looks like to create this little life and then possibly leave them behind or have our spouse die and they lose that part of their childhood. Yesterday, my sister also had an emergency C-section and my sweet niece Everleigh was born. It has been an emotionally overwhelming week. I haven't been able to really think about the pregnancy or prepare in any way. On top of all of that, my other sister (who has 4 week old baby) had a terrible week as her husband lost his job. This was an unexpected loss and not one that they were prepared financially for so there is a lot of stress and trauma going on in our lives.

Even though that is true, I still feel incredibly grateful to have made it to this point of 8 weeks and still be pregnant. My symptoms are relatively mild in that I get nausea here and there, heartburn at times, and the main symptom is exhaustion. I take more than one nap a day so that is pretty heavy. Yesterday I received my first two maternity tops in the mail that I found online on clearance at a great store for plus size maternity called Motherhood Plus. I love them and they fit so well. My clothes are all starting to be very tight fitting and my jeans are the worst. Another symptom I have had a lot of which isn't necessarily typical this early is swelling. I am retaining a lot of water in my legs/feet so it is uncomfortable after a day of work/sitting around.

One thing that is weighing pretty heavy on my mind is the nursery. We have an extra room right by our bedroom that is the perfect size for a child and really has so much potential. The problem: It is full of things we haven't moved into our apartment yet. It is disorganized, messy, and full of junk. I want to get rid of 80% of the items that are in there and I want to organize the other 20% of it and put it in the appropriate rooms so that room is empty and ready to be a blank canvas for our little sweetie! I really can't make any progress on the nursery until we know a gender but things like the crib, car seat, high chair, pack & play, changing table, dressers, etc... can be purchased gender neutral so I have to get crackin' on that nursery! That being said, refer back to my pregnancy symptom of being exhausted. I will spend about 20 minutes straightening the house and have to lay down and nap it off. It is crazy how tired I have been. I relate it to having a diabetic high. It makes you feel stuck to the bed. I have experienced that so many times so this does not feel foreign but always has me checking my sugar just to make sure I am okay!

Overall, this week has been a very difficult week but it has flown by which is helpful when you are trying hard to keep yourself occupied through the first trimester to not worry yourself sick. This experience has so far been pleasant and I feel fine. This is a great place for me to talk since we aren't really telling people that we are pregnant yet. By the way, we have a great idea I found on Pinterest to tell everyone that we are pregnant. I can't wait to share the idea on here and see how it turns out!

I am really looking forward to my first ultrasound coming up this next Tuesday and seeing my little cupcake for the first time. I really hope to hear a heartbeat heavy and strong as well and really have that moment that we did not get to experience with our first angel. We are looking forward and grateful to every experience that parenting holds! Thank you Jesus once again for our little miracle after 3 years of feeling hopeless.

Erica