17 Weeks

Hello 17 weeks! It's been a somewhat uneventful week, aside from the ice storm that hit. We are currently spending the weekend with Daniel's parents and our brother and sister-in-laws to celebrate a few family birthdays. These get togethers are so fun! The little cousins have such a blast playing together--it makes me so excited for our little one to join in one day soon! And of course us adults always love hanging out and catching up as well. 

Here we go:

How many weeks: 17 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Absolutely! I am loving maternity clothes.

Stretch Marks: Still doing good in this department. I've started putting Vitamin E Oil on my belly once every day, hopefully it will stay good and moisturized throughout this pregnancy.

Sleep: Absolutely wonderful--so thankful! I know I need to rest now to prepare for later. 

Best moment this week: Hmm...walking on the treadmill? Lame, I know. But honestly, nothing outstanding has happened this week. 

Miss anything: Myself without the pregnancy hormones. Y'all. This week was pretty rough in the hormonal-emotional department. 

Movement: Still nothing. I'm SO ready.

Food cravings: Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with extra pickles, Passion Tea Limeade, and new this week is Fettucine Alfredo.

Food Aversions: Baked/Grilled Chicken. I have no idea if it's a texture thing or a taste thing or a smell thing, but ugh. 

Have you started showing: Yes! I think the bump grew a little this week (although you can't tell in the above picture).

Gender prediction: Let the guesses begin! We find out in 2 WEEKS!

Labor signs: none

Belly button in/out: In

Happy/Moody: Definitely moody this week. Hormones have been WACKY. Poor Daniel--Monday was really rough and he was cooped up with me in the house. The Lord gave him extra grace towards me that day cause I was seriously out of control. 

Looking forward to: Ultrasound and Gender Reveal in 2 weeks!

Baby development: Baby's skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. Baby also weighs 5 ounces! And he/she can move elbow, knee and other joints. 

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!