Out takes

This is the picture we used to announce on Facebook:

There were a TON of other photos we took, and here are some of the out takes:

Que Whiskey roll, and LEG flailing!

Butt!! and nose marks on my chalkboard

Butt and corgi pants

The best for last! This is my favorite!! And a Mackie photobomb

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 8-10 pounds (my weight hasn't changed much since the first appointment)
Maternity clothes? No
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: Still tired in the afternoons, and going to bed early.
Best moment this week: telling my close friends
Have you told family and friends: yes
Miss Anything?  Especially for my bday weekend, I really wish I had a cocktail
Movement: Nope, but I know its moving around in there, I went for just a basic checkup and it moved around while listening to the heartbeat
Food cravings: junk food
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet: Mom and Josh said I have a "gut" now, but no discernible "bump"
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody, very moody
Looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender in 20 weeks (although we are not sharing, just for Josh and I to know) sorry, I'm not sorry

PS: I foresee yoga pants and sleep shirts in pictures from now on!

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 8-ish pounds (haven't been weight since last appointment)
Maternity clothes? No
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: In the late afternoon I get pretty tired, especially after lunch.
Best moment this week: I bought something on etsy (gender neutral) first real purchase
Have you told family and friends: yes, family only
Miss Anything?  Same as before...BEER
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Nothing major
Anything making you queasy or sick: still just a nagging queasy feeling
Have you started to show yet: A little stomach pooch, it looks like I ate too many cupcakes
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On, but it's hard to get them off for showers
Happy or Moody most of the time: A little of both, more moody I think. I legit got cranky about throwing out (an almost full) box of cheerio's because sugar ants had gotten into it.
Looking forward to: Getting a bigger bump, instead of just looking like I'm gaining weird weight. 

12 Weeks

I've been stockpiling the updates as they happen, until we have finally told everyone.

Whiskey photobomb

How far along? 11 Weeks, 5 Days
Total weight gain/loss: 6-8 pounds
Maternity clothes? No
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: In the late afternoon I get pretty tired. trying to go to bed early, already up peeing once-twice per night
Best moment this week: finally figured out a way to tell me parents, now to just wait to do it! Also seeing that there actually is a baby in there at the ultrasound
Have you told family and friends: no!
Miss Anything? Alcohol, a nice cold beer, or mixed drink!
Movement: Not yet, or not that I know of
Food cravings: very influential to food commercials, or other things people are eating. Example: if a kid at works walks in with McDonald’s, I WANT IT, but I (un) happily eat my packed lunch
Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing in particular, just a nagging queasy feeling
Have you started to show yet: A little stomach pooch.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: A little of both and nervous.
Looking forward to: Getting a bigger bump & finding out the gender! :)

Big News

We are expecting a little trouble-maker February 2015. We brought back the ultimate honeymoon souvenir. Things finally clicked that I may be when "aunt flow" didn't show up. I stopped by Walgreen's on my way home one Friday and took the test. Those 2 little lines couldn't have shown up any quicker. I took a picture of the test and tried to figure out my next move. I saw Josh's phone on the charger, I quickly sent him the picture and changed his phone background to that, put it back on the charger, went back out to the living room and waited. A while later he got up to check something and all I hear from the bedroom is "babe.....??? babe....???" I'm sitting on the sofa laughing my butt off.  We had our moment, but I wanted to be absolutely positive so I sent Josh to the store to get one of the digital read ones (aka: idiot proof). That one too came up positive. It looks like there was a baby on board. I was about 4-6 weeks when I took the test, went in for my first appointment at 9 weeks.  We have had our baby girl and boy names picked out FOREVER, they both begin with "L", so baby is being called "Baby L" for now. (IF you are one of the people that know the names we have picked out, PLEASE keep it to yourself and do NOT share.) We are also playing with the idea, of keeping the gender a secret. (Josh and I will know, but no one else)

We told my parents at 12 weeks, while their family friends were down for a quick visit. I wanted to do something fun and unique. The fact that Mother's Day, Father's Day, were gone, and their birthdays and Christmas were too far away, I felt screwed. I did a little research and came up with a few ideas. Here are some of them to help anyone else in the same boat:

1. Order personalized fortune cookies with the message, order Chinese food and swap the cookies
2. Get 2 white mugs, at the inside bottom of them write "grandma" & "grandpa" fill with coffee and wait...
3. Get a white place and write a cute message on it, fill with cookies, muffins, or cupcakes, or bread and serve.

Ideas 2 & 3 include the DIY project of a white porcelain/ceramic dish being drawn on with Sharpie and oven baked to "cure" it. For instructions see this post from a fellow blogger. We opted for idea 3.

This was my plate design, I loaded it up with red velvet cake slices and waited. We all went to dinner that night (which may have been a mistake, because we all ate too much to eat dessert), and when we got back to the house watched some of dad's old dead tree slides. Mom, Josh and I were the only ones to eat cake. Josh had 3 slices, and still barely 1/2 the plate was seen. Mom saw some sort of writing but didn't connect the dots. Josh got a glad container and put the remainder in that to reveal the plate. Mom still didn't get it. "Was this someone else's plate? Why are you using someone else's plate?"

"Why would I be announcing someone else?" was my response.

Then the dots started to connect... "You're pregnant?" 

Dad and his buddy Mac were in the TV room so Josh took the plate in there to show them. Mac got it first. 

Finally the shock wore off, I got a text message from mom the next morning saying "I'm over the shock, when can we go shopping?"

Dining Table DIY: To paint or not to paint

We are slowly working on the house. I am done with all the "fix-ups" I'm ready to decorate!! I was painting the spare bath, when I got (not even) half way through, found Josh, handed him the brush and said "I'm done".
We have the corner bedroom painted and basically done, just need to hang the new bedroom door. The spare bath is done. The guest room is 1/2 done. The master bedroom is primed, the bath is still as is.
Those are the updates. Now to what I've been getting yelled at for:
We got a nice 6-seater dining room table set from my dad's family friend. Its an old table from probably the 70's. Solid wood, scroll work on the drop "skirt" of it, and on the backs of the chairs. Its a great table, that need needs an update!
Josh has yelled at me to leave it alone, the wood grain makes a "star burst" pattern in the center of the table when its a circle (it also has a leaf to add to make it oval for more people).
My mom has yelled at me because I'm not listening to Josh about not painting it, and that his opinion counts.
We had our old apartment neighbors over for dinner over the weekend, I told them my plans and they yelled at me because the table is true "Americana work" and that I would ruin it.

Go ahead people keep yelling at me to NOT paint it, that just makes me want to paint it even more! It's old. I knew the lady that owned it. I needs an update. It doesn't go with our decor. It needs a simple update. I'm not painting it pink or anything. I want to paint the top of it white. Then the scroll pattern is being plastered over and sanded smooth, on the table "skirt" part it will be painted gold. The chairs, the top piece with the scroll will be painting white, then the bottom part under the "rods" will be gold, and the legs of the chair will be white and gold "dipped".
I'm not taking a saw to it! (not that I wouldn't like to). There is still plenty of the original wood being untouched.
I will let you know about the progress, this isn't something that is going to happen tomorrow. It's a planned project for the next few months.
We'll see if it grows on me during that time span (doubtful)

Liz and Lex Post

Check out the amazing blog post recap of our wedding from my awesome wedding planners Liz and Lex!

Married, Katie & Josh

Totally brought tears to my eyes and makes me want to relive it again. They captured Josh and my and our wedding day perfectly with their kind words and picks of the amazing pictures from McCarrdell Photography