16 Weeks

We celebrated 16 weeks by going in for another baby appointment! It was absolutely fantastic--completely reaffirmed how much I love my doctor, we got to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time (I totally cried) which was such a surreal moment, ANNNNDDDD.....drum roll please. Our doctor is going to be out of town in 4 weeks (which was when we were supposed to have our 20 week appointment and find out the gender) so he suggested we come and find out a week earlier! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! So, now we get to go back on Thursday, March 20th and we will find out at our gender reveal party on Friday the 21st. I did not stop smiling all day. BEST NEWS EVER!!

Ok, here are the updates for the week:

How far along: 16 weeks

Maternity clothes: Definitely maternity pants! Loving the panel--man it is comfy. Still wearing pre-pregnancy shirts. Like my friend (who is also pregnant) said, "pregnancy rules."

Stretch Marks: None. I also just got in the Vitamin E oil I ordered from Amazon and I'm so excited to start trying it. All the research I've done suggests Vitamin E oil is wonderful for moisturizing the skin and reproduction of cells. So we will see!

Sleep: Still blissful at this point

Best moment this week: Definitely the baby appointment! 

Miss anything: Nothing!

Movement: None yet. Crossing my fingers for something SOON!

Food cravings: Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with EXTRA pickles. Y'all, seriously life changing. I just had one for lunch and I already want another one. Also, I've been making Passion Tea Limeades. I LOVE anything tart and sour, so this is absolutely divine! Tazo Passion Tea mixed with Simply Limeade--try it!

Food aversions: Baked/Grilled chicken--poor chicken. I really try to to like you, but for some reason, baby just doesn't. 

Have you started showing: Yes! I am so proud of it. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks it will really pop out and I'll be unmistakably pregnant.

Gender prediction: WE FIND OUT IN 3 WEEKS! Oh my goodness, I can't stand it. 

Labor signs: None

Belly button in/out: In

Happy/Moody: Happy for the most part, although I'll admit I'm definitely cranky today.

Looking forward to: March 20th and the 21st! I'm busting at the seams to find out whether it's a boy or girl!

Baby development: Baby weighs 3.5 ounces and is 4.5 inches long--the size of an avocado. The patterning of the scalp has begun and it has started growing toenails, plus the heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood. 

House Remodel

Here it is. The post you (and I) have all been waiting for! I FINALLY found my computer cord for my camera, so I immediately set to work creating this post. We absolutely love our house...now. Beforehand, not so much. But, thanks to many people, it has become a home. So without further ado:


Background story: We looked at this house last November. It was a foreclosure listing, which I was kind of skeptical about since those typically have some serious issues, but we decided to have a look anyway. We pulled into our neighborhood and I was immediately impressed. The location is fantastic and the houses in the area are relatively new and in great condition--very family friendly. We walk in to the house and I instantly think I have walked in to a Mexican restaurant ( I promise you'll agree). But aside from needing new paint, some shower work in the Master, new carpet, and some issues with the fence, everything else was in great condition. The light fixtures were really nice, no issues structurally, nothing wrong with plumbing or electrical, it had a split floor plan with an open living and kitchen area. And the kitchen. Oh. My. Lots of cabinets, an island, AND a pantry. We really liked this house. We went home, discussed everything with our parents, ran some numbers, and just prayed. For a week. The next weekend, my parents drove up to check it out (my mom grew up with her dad as a home builder and my dad has been around carpentry and home remodel his entire life) and they instantly loved it as well. A few days later our Realtor called telling us the bank holding the house had just dropped the price $18,000! If we wanted it, we needed to make an offer now. So, we had our Realtor draw up an offer on a Saturday and by Monday afternoon they accepted. Whoa! We are gonna be homeowners!  We closed on January 6, 2014 and we started the remodel work January 8th. We had the entire house repainted, got new carpet put in the bedrooms, tore out the existing master shower and had it tiled (which I LOVE), and we had the kitchen island re-tiled with granite tile. Plus, Daniel and some of the guys in my family built part of the fence with a gate. We moved in on February 1st and we absolutely love it! OK--I won't make you wait any longer!

Foyer--BEFORE

Foyer--AFTER

Master Bedroom BEFORE

Master Bedroom AFTER

Master Bathroom--BEFORE (and yes, the closet wraps all the way behind the shower. A-MAZING)

Master Bathroom--AFTER

Living Room--BEFORE

Living Room--AFTER

Kitchen--BEFORE

Kitchen--AFTER

Previous Island Countertop Tile

New Island Countertop Tile

Guest Bathroom--BEFORE

Guest Bathroom--AFTER

Nursery--BEFORE (Yes, that is purple carpet!)

Nursery--AFTER

Guest Bedroom-BEFORE (Red walls and black carpet)

Guest Bedroom--AFTER

Another view from the front door looking through the LR to the Kitchen (Remodeled)

There you have it! Pretty dramatic huh? We absolutely are in love with it now and feel so blessed that the Lord brought us this opportunity. There is no way we could have afforded a home like this without it being foreclosed and as always, the Lord's timing is perfect. I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our home! 

15 Weeks

I know I'm a few days late on this post, but hey 15 weeks! (Excuse the nappy hair and clothing attire--we were in the middle of unpacking a few more boxes and cleaning and hanging things on the walls when it hit me, we hadn't taken a picture yet! So, we quickly remedied that...although I look a little worse for wear). It kind of hit me this week that we are getting really close to being halfway through this pregnancy--ALREADY! Whoa. Ladies, it is no joke that pregnancy really does fly by--even when you feel like crap! Also, we are only about 10 weeks out from my sister's wedding--yay! By that time we will know whether we are having a Baby Girl Lowery or a Baby Boy Lowery (triple yay) and the bump should be quite a bit larger. Not to mention, some serious fun in the sun for 2 whole weeks! It's gonna be so fun! 

And I PROMISE I will post about the house! However, I can't seem to find the connection cord for my camera to the computer. Funny how we misplace things in a move. BUT, I will continue the search this week and hopefully post pics soon cause I want y'all to see the amazing transformation this house went under! 

Alrighty, on to business:

How far along:  15 weeks, 3 days

Maternity clothes: Why yes ma'm! I'm wearing some fabulous maternity jeans in the above picture, but I think I've completed my maternity wardrobe--aside from purchasing a couple of swimsuits for summer. Y'all, maternity clothes are SO. COMFORTABLE. It's a shame I can't just wear them 24/7 even when I'm not pregnant. 

Stretch marks: Nada.

Sleep: Has pretty much been amazing this week. Probably due to the body pillow. 

Best moment this week: The weather Friday and Saturday were absolutely divine! Also, I got to go down to Conway for my sister's lingerie shower. SUCH. A. BLAST. Seriously, I laughed til I cried. More than once. 

Miss anything: Nope. I've been sleeping good and my energy is back! 

Movement: No, but I am extremely hopeful that this will change in the very near future! Come on baby!

Food cravings: Y'all. Chick-fil-A has got my heart on this one. Still. Although, yesterday I was really craving some donuts. Didn't give in to that one though--probably cause I was too lazy to leave the house and Daniel wasn't home.

Food aversions: Still baked/grilled chicken. It's really sad. I thought I was doing better this week cause I made chicken fried rice at home, but nope. I had to pick around it and give it to the hubs. 

Have you started showing: Yep! I'm still waiting for it to really pop out though. I feel like I'm stuck at the point where it still looks like I ate one too many Spicy Chicken Sandwiches. 

Gender prediction: This will probably stay the same until I FINALLY get to reveal it after April 4th (can we say hurry up please?). Although I will say, I've quite a few boy predictions the past few days. 

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in/out: In

Rings on/off: On

Happy or Moody: I would say happy as an overall average for the week

Looking forward to: Our appointment THIS Thursday morning! I am so excited and my mom and grandmother are coming up so they can hear the heartbeat. :)

Baby development:  Baby weighs 2.5 oz and is about 4 inches long--they say about the size of an apple. Also, the lungs are starting to develop and even though the eyelids are fused shut, the baby can sense light! 

14 Weeks

Ta Da! Our first bump picture in our new home (and baby's nursery to be exact)! Isn't the lighting SO much better??? I mean, I look pale, but that's because it's winter. Hopefully with warmer weather coming soon (I hope) I can sit outside and let the sun make me less pale. Anywho, we made it to 14 weeks--yay! It's been kind of a confusing week for me and it never felt like the day it was supposed to be. So needless to say, this past week just flew by. I also had a freak-out-yet-oh-my-goodness-that-is-so-amazing moment this week. A lot of you have probably seen this already, as I immediately posted to FB, but I got out the cranberry juice yesterday and looked at the lid (where the "best buy" date is) and it said "Best Buy August 14, 2014"! I think time stood still for a second as it hit me. We are to the point that some groceries (not very many) already have best buy dates of Baby Lowery's due date! My second freak-out-yet-oh-my-goodness-that-is-so-amazing moment came earlier in the week when it hit me that ONE year from right now, I will have a 6 month old child. WHOA. Is it crazy that I'm already not ok with how fast that time is going? Geez. Baby isn't even here yet people! 

Ok. I got a grip. Now here we go:

How far along: 14 weeks

Maternity clothes: Yep. Pretty much exclsuively. Well, I say that. At least pants-wise I am. I bought a few maternity tanks that I can layer with, but I'm still wearing pre-maternity shirts and dresses for the most part--which I hope to do for the majority of my pregnancy. 

Stretch marks: Nope. I've been moisturizing with Eucerin Smooth Intensive Repair, but I am about to order some Vitamin E oil off of Amazon to use as well. All my research says Vitamin E oil helps cells reproduce which promotes better elasticity and hopefully a lower risk of stretch marks. So we will see. 

Sleep: Pretty good this week! I love, love, love my body pillow! And I'm sure it will be even more amazing as my belly gets bigger. 

Best moment this week: Feeling more like myself. I have only had one episode of pretty extreme nausea (yay!) and I had my first (decaf) coffee yesterday since I found out I was pregnant! It was so yummy--that Caramel Flan Latte from Starbucks. Oh. My. It's as good as it sounds. I have also started back exercising this week since I no longer feel like I'm going to faint or throw up (sorry, TMI for some of you). Our good friends gave us their treadmill (SCORE) and so far I have walked for an hour two different times this week. It helps to have the iPad and watch a show--time goes by so much faster and I feel so much better when I exercise! Hopefully in the next week or two, I can start to incorporate some moderate weight lifting. 

Miss anything: I can't really think of anything this week

Movement: *sigh* No. 

Food cravings: Still stuck on Chick-fil-a Spicy Chicken Sandwiches. And salad. And tonight for our Valentine's date, I'm craving diner breakfast food, so my hubby is being my hero and taking me to Waffle House. 

Food aversions: Raw meat. Baked/grilled chicken. And sometimes just random things won't sound good in the moment. But an overall improvement! 

Have you started showing: You tell me? ;)

Gender prediction: I'm actually really glad I don't have a clue. I absolutely LOVE surprises and I feel like baby gender is one of life's biggest ones! Let me just say I've got April 4th triple starred and circled on my calendar! 7 weeks from tomorrow! 

Labor signs: No

Belly button in/out: In

Rings on/off: On

Happy or Moody: Mostly happy this week. Yesterday was kind of a rough day, but other than that, I'm doing great!

Looking forward to: April 4th. Decorating the nursery. Telling y'all the names we picked out! 

Baby development: Baby can squint, grimace, frown, and potentially suck his or her thumb! Also, the kidneys are working, so baby can pee (TMI--sorry)! Baby measures 3.5 inches and weighs 1.5 ounces too! Grow baby grow! 

Week 13

Sorry I'm a little late on this post! On Thursday (when I change over weeks), I hurried to Conway for the weekend (my sister had her first bridal shower on Saturday--yay!) so I could beat the weather and forgot to bring the laptop with me. Oh well.  But hey! I made it to the 2nd trimester! And let me tell you, I could almost tell a difference overnight. It's so exciting to be at this point already--if feeling bad has gone by so fast, I can't imagine how the rest of this pregnancy will go since I'll feel so much better! 

Thursday afternoon, my mom and I ran by Target (naturally) and we had to look in the baby section--duh. Well, I found the most adorable pack of Razorback jersey onesies and it was 70% OFF!! So, of course I had to buy them! Especially since the baby should be here right before football season. My first baby purchase. *sigh*

Here we go:

How far along: 13.5 weeks

Maternity clothes: I bought some maternity jeggings, a maternity tank top, and a dress at Target (same day as I bought the baby outfit). And I bought a few things (non-maternity, but can work as maternity) at TJ Maxx. I only have 3 or 4 more things on my list and I think I'll be set!

Stretch marks: None, but I need to buy some type of oil to moisturize my belly with--especially now since the growing has started.

Sleep: Been up and down this week. I definitely get up once per night to go to the bathroom. Plus, the heat runs extremely well in our new room--so I get stuffy and sweaty even with fans on. (I'm going to make Daniel close the vent I think). BUT, my mom bought me a body pillow and so far it has helped me sleep much more comfortably! 

Best moment this week: There is so many! Starting the second trimester, feeling better, buying the Razorback onesies, being in our new house.....it was a good week!

Miss anything: sleeping through the night! I know, I know. I know that you don't sleep well when you are pregnant and it just gets worse from here. But I can still miss it!

Movement: Nada

Food cravings: Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwiches. YUM. And a couple of times this week, I craved home cooking--like Dixie Cafe type. Also, I'm starting to really want salad--I ate at Ruby Tuesday in Conway because I wanted the salad bar. Hey, at least it's a healthy craving! 

Food aversions: Raw meat (disgusting). Baked or grilled chicken. Veggies--although it's getting a little better. And I'm happy to say I no longer have an aversion to sweets (I had a donut this week for the first time since I found out I was pregnant). 

Have you started showing: Y'all, I just thought I had a bump last week. Nuh-uh. It definitely popped this week! It's still teeny tiny, and again, if you saw me on the street you would have no idea I was pregnant. But I am so proud of it! 

Gender prediction: I'm still oblivious. But I kind of like it that way. Then I'll be super surprised at our gender reveal party! Daniel says he is thinking it's probably a girl (whoa!), but that he is still determined it's a boy. My family all say girl, and are even calling it by the girl's name we have picked out! Haha--I love it! (I'll let y'all know the names we have picked and the meaning behind why we chose them probably the week before we find out gender).

Labor signs: No

Belly button in/out: In

Rings on/off: On

Happy or Moody: Happy this week! We are in our house, unpacking everything, Daniel was off work for 2 days due to snow, Sophie loves her new backyard, I hit the second trimester, I bought my first thing for the baby, my sister had a bridal shower--man, this week was great! 

Looking forward to: Nesting in my new home and our next doctor appointment at 16 weeks!

Baby development: The baby has fingerprints! If it is a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries, and baby is almost 3 inches long. Baby also weighs one whole ounce! Isn't that amazing?