Weekend celebrations

Each year we head to the lake to celebrate the trio of birthdays. Mine is July 23rd, Marc's is the 27th, and Matt's is the 29th. So we always have a joint b-day party! My mom likes to go all out and make it special for each one of us, which we all appreciate! Friday night we got there in time for dinner and went by boat to a nice restaurant, then the boys got to go on a nice ski run with a new ski my dad just bought.

When we got back, we had cakes waiting on us. This cake is hilarious. When we were there on the 4th, Marc and Matt skied together so we thought this cake was perfect. Plus they both love strawberry cake which makes it look even more interesting...

Then mom got me my own, which was super cute and my fave with cream cheese icing and white cake.

All the presents, complete with a banner.

This defines their friendship of 10 years. Clearly.

I turned 28, Marc turned 29, and Matt turned the big 3-0! Glad i'm the youngest of the group!

Hottest day ever, but still very fun.

Met up w/ some fun friends and took a nice, long swim break.

We had a great week and weekend of celebrating our birthdays! Thanks Mom and dad for making it wonderful once again and hosting all of us!

Last Trimester

I can't believe we have now entered the downhill slope of everything. It still seems surreal, it is still very exciting and I can't believe how fast it is going by. We had two dr appointments this week. One with the high risk doctor and one with my regular OB. The high risk doctor said everything is measuring perfect, her spine still looks good along with her brain and heart. They are having to keep an eye on my placenta because there are some "lakes" in it, which can cause a build up of blood and restrict blood flow to the baby which would cause decreased growth. Right now it looks fine, but we will have to go back in 4 weeks to have that checked. In other news, I only gained 1 lb in the last month, although it looks as if it were way more... Oh well thats just how it goes. My belly is measuring perfect too. We also go back to see my OB doctor in 4 weeks and at that appt we will schedule the c-section so she will actually have a birthdate, which is hard to believe. She currently weighs 2lb.1oz and everything is on track.
I'm so very thankful for a good report. I really feel like I'm living out a miracle and can't believe God chose us for such a blessing.



Marc bought Maren a little present for my b-day. Its the 1st time he has ever gone shopping for her, and it about made me cry when I opened it. Sweetest, most thoughtful present ever.



This was the best picture we could get of her. She would not turn her face to us the whole time but this is sort of her profile. The bubble (by her nose) is the umbilical chord and next to that she was throwing up the peace sign! This is the 3rd time we have seen her throw up that peace sign. So maybe we will have a hippie child?! I'd love that.



My sweet mother-in-law found us the stroller I had my eye on and got it for us for our birthday, baby and anniversary present! :). I'm so excited, I love this thing. Mainly because it turns so easy and its super lightweight. Oh and I love it b/c it is also orange!!! I had to find a super light one that would be easy to lift in and out of the car for my back. I think this one is perfect and it folds super easy.

Tomorrow is Marc's b-day and we are headed to the lake to celebrate! Then the next weekend I have my very first shower, which is unbelievable!

Golden Birthday Week

Well its not really my golden b-day, but yesterday I turned 28 and I will be turning 28 weeks pregnant! Although most people consider that to be young, I feel like I'm aging at a rapid pace. I know I'm not, I just feel like I lost a couple of years from infertility. This years birthday was much better than last. Last year I experienced some serious birthday blues... I even wrote a post on it HERE. I did get to spend it at the beach last year which helped a ton. This year was more low key, but I had so much more joy in my heart. Its an amazing feeling to have excitement and less anxiousness and fear.

Yesterday I celebrated with some of my closest friends by going out to eat. It is a tradition we have had for years now! We always get together and pick a fun place to go. I always look forward to it. This year we went to Noodles and it was delicious. I unfortunately did not remember to get a group pic and I'm so mad at myself. Not sure how that happened. Oh well, I guess it happens.
I did get a hilarious card from my friend, Rachael. It made me laugh really hard.

My sweet hubby got me some awesome new perfume! I absolutely love it.

Obviously I was straight up out of all my perfumes. He also thinks 

I need a different hobby instead of shopping and smelling good :)

Here I am. 28 years and 28 weeks. Hard to believe. {Oh And I'm massive now :)}

We have a couple appointments this week so I will do an big update at the end of the week! It is also Marc's bday on Friday so this is always a fun week for us. Plus our 7yr anni is right around the corner!

Productive weekend

This past weekend we had a super productive one! We haven't been home much so we maximized our "getting stuff done" time. When I got home thursday the room was all painted and my mom was at my house ready to do whatever. I went with a cream color. I will have a lot of white in there and I wanted it to feel bright and fresh. I'm usually a color person, so this was kind of hard for me to get excited about. I have a grand vision, it just isn't quite complete yet. I will be adding some turquoise and coral all throughout, so it won't look too bland. when I got home from dinner thursday night, my sweet hubby had set the crib up which was such a delight to see! Seeing this made it much more real. And I kept saying, "are we really doing this people?" It was for sure a surreal moment, but also a true moment of JOY!

Auntie Meg organizing her closet full of clothes.

I think we may be in a bit of trouble thanks to Nana Jan. Don't worry, we have a tutu.

Marc hung this beautiful, old chandy my mom found at an old flea market. Mom was making it perfect.

And here is the beginning of the cozy nook in her room! I go sit in that chair about once a day just trying to imagine what she will be like and praying over her.

 

 

 

 

I also experienced my first garage sale. I have been going through rooms and closets the past several months to get rid of things we no longer have space for. We got together with 4 other people from our neighborhood and had a huge garage sale on Saturday. It was very successful and we donated what was left. It feels great to get rid of so much stuff we did not need or use!After all of that, I was completely exhausted and got to rest a little on Sunday. I'm pretty sure I did too much and may need to take it easier from here on out.      

A fabulous product

I have found a fabulous, new favorite product that I absolutely love. Well this is one brand I have always loved, but it is new and improved and has made a huge difference in this preggo  girls skin. I have always loved Dove body wash, so when they came out with the new Visible Care line I was so excited. Plus I have super dry skin and really rough, bumpy arms {I know, all so lovely} so when I started using this new product and it started helping me immediately, I was so happy! I have hated my arms literally my whole entire life and now they truly are softer than ever.  I was offered to review this product for Dove by Blogher and in less than 2 weeks I promise you my skin was dramatically changed. My arms and legs are silky smooth, when they used to be ashy and nasty. I was not really thinking it would do much for me, and I was a bit skeptical about the tagline, “visibly more beautiful skin in just one week” but I truly am a believer now. Even when my legs are starting to get hairy, they aren’t even prickly, my legs still feel smooth (really, I swear).

The NutriumMoisture  that is in there feels almost like a mousse that lathers instead of just the normal, runny body washes.  It also feels super moisturizing in the shower and smells absolutely wonderful. Not too much fragrance just very pleasant and subtle.  There are three different kinds of the new Dove body wash that all have the NutriumMoisture technology. They have options that have renewing, Toning, and softening. After I have this baby, I’m immediately going to buy the Toning crème.  Maybe it will help with some of the new dimples that have formed on my legs and hiney ;). Although you may not be inclined to buy this since it is a little more, I promise you it is worth it. I know I will continue to buy it, even if it is a few bucks more than I normally would spend because it is worth it to me to have smooth legs and arms.

You can check our more of Dove’s products at: http://www.dove.us/ .

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24-25.5 weeks

I know I don't post weekly updates every week, but I don't want to ever be too annoying and want to stay respectful for those that are still waiting. However, I do intend to print this blog into a book for my child one day so it is my life and my journal of whats happening with us. Oh and Marc and I can't ever remember things, so we consistently look back at things on here.

I had my glucose test a couple of weeks ago and i'm assuming I passed because I never heard from anyone. I guess no news is good news. I feel very relieved because I just assumed I would fail just like in most other areas such as the AFP test, getting pregnant, etc...;)
In the past 2 weeks I have grown a ton. I mean she just popped out there. I'm also feeling her way more these days, like lots of rolls and thumps. She is super active at nights and in the mornings when I start flopping around. I think I make her mad by tossing and turning so much in the morning. It doesn't keep me up at night, but I love waking up feeling her. I will never get tired of that feeling (and yes i'm aware she will kick me in my ribs and other places) but I'm grateful for each flutter, kick, punch, roll and whatever else she does in there. I tell Marc each day how much I love feeling her and I love when he gets to feel her. These are moments I will never take for granted. I'm truly soaking up each day of this pregnancy as if I may never get to experience it again because it really may be our only time to be pregnant. We have 1 embryo left, but will probably not do another fresh cycle of ivf again, so if that embryo doesn't take, this is really it for us. I know that is looking ahead a ton, but it is a great reminder for me to embrace the present and not worry about the future.
I can't wait to meet her in just 3 short months, but shocked at how fast it is going by. I continue to feel great. My energy level is consistently high and my back is still staying strong. Maybe the metal is helping me!?

Growing...

24 weeks
and growing...

25 weeks

The other night we took dinner to some friends that had a baby 3 weeks ago. It was surreal to me that this will be us in 3 months. I asked many of my questions and even got a diaper changing tutorial while we were there. I realized I couldn't remember the last time I changed a diaper and if I even knew how. (yikes) I've done it before, its just been awhile! They were great to talk us through what reality is after she gets here. Sometimes I live in la-la land and forget the actual reality that will soon be happening.

Marc and Rooney.

This guy will make one fantastic father!

Still no progress or updates on her room, but I'm so very excited because today her room is getting painted! I'm hoping to get the bed set up in there this weekend and give my fabric to my friend that will be making it! So slowly, but surely we are making progress. Last night as we were moving things out of her room, I almost got teary eyed just thinking about how we finally get to start this new chapter. I was cleaning out tons of photo albums and old pics in frames of Marc and I and just feel so grateful that we get to experience this together. I know how much of a miracle it is and it makes everyday that much sweeter. (sorry, cheesy I know)
 

Celebrating the 4th

We had a fantastic time celebrating the 4th with some of our friends that came in from Austin and some of our other good friends from Fayetteville. We went to Greers Ferry and stayed at my parents lakehouse (which is in Central AR) for several days. I was able to have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off which gave me a ton of time there. I absolutely love the lake and appreciate any time I get there!
 I grew up with Jennie and we have remained really good friends throughout our college/adult life amidst all the long distance over the years.It was great getting to catch up with them. She is always the life of the party, so there is never a dull moment when she is around. We love how she makes us all laugh. 



Marc and Matt decided to be hilarious and ski together. It definitely became more of a competition about who could go the furthest.

The 2 favorite men in my life!

This is what happens when we make them take a picture...

It was such a great Holiday and a great time with our friends and family. We are thankful for all those who serve our country. Hope you all had some great time off as well.

Painting Day

This past weekend we decided to tackle a big painting project and it actually had nothing to do with the nursery. I have been wanting to re-do our coffee tables for quite sometime. I just felt like I had too much dark stuff in our living room and it always felt dark so i was more than ready to lighten things up. One of my friends did this to her table and assured me that I could do it. Please not: I have never painted anything in my life! Ha!
So first we started with sanding it. Sanded it enough (by hand) to take the top layer of gloss off.

We then primed it. I would suggest 2 coats of white primer if you have a dark table.

(please excuse my nastiness :)

And don't worry, I didn't inhale any fumes, I just suffocated instead.

We used Behr paint from Home Depot. The color is called Putnam Ivory.

Here is the first coat. I already was liking it better.

End table! (this one did not need 2 coats of paint)

Lastly, we used "antiquing glaze" from Lowes for the finishing touches. We watched a youtube video on how to apply so we didn't mess it up. Marc did most of it because I was taking forever. Thanks honey!

Ta-Da! Here is the finished product.

I really love how it lightened everything up and really changed the whole look of the living room. 

This was our side painting project! I took a break and went with Katie to some antique/flea markets stores on Saturday and I found these 2 chairs at a random flea market in prairie grove. I knew they would perfect for the nursery. $20 each is hard to beat these days so I snatched them up. Can't wait to recover them in turquoise fabric!

I primed them and then used a high gloss white.

(well actually Marc did!). He didn't want me to inhale those fumes.

It took us all weekend but I love how everything turned out. I'm super excited to get started on the nursery now! Let me know what you think!