Today is Vday!

I have to say it: I've never had a Valentine. I'm always been single on this day. And since it was on this day in 1999 that I found out my Beer Pap passed away, I've never been too fond of the day.

Today is COMPLETELY different from all those other days. Today I have an amazing boyfriend and a baby bump. Two Valentines!?!?! Wow! Today I got to wake up and look at the man who has made me happier than I can remember being in a long time. Maybe ever. I look at him and wonder if he is my gift for waiting so long, for being patient. He's more than I thought possible and every day with him reminds me that I am sooo lucky.

Then I looked down and saw my big ole belly. Emma's in there. And late last night she was fluttering away. It was only the 2nd time I have felt her. The first time was a random bubble and that was it. Last night though it was like a cup full of soda, all the bubbles going. She was having a ball in there! lol

I had to take a picture of my baby girl on Valentine's. Then I remembered I took one sometime last week too. So I could clearly see the difference in the last 10 days.

 This was taken today. 19w4d. 

Can you see the difference?? WOW!!

So this morning's post is just a quick reflection on the gifts I have already been given. No chocolates, balloons, or flowers will ever compare to the sight of my little family this morning.  

Glad it's Thursday. Because that means tomorrow is Friday, and a short day, and the weekend! LOL

Valentine's Day?!?!? Already?

I can't believe what a "busy" weekend this is going to be.

Thursday is Valentine's Day. It'll be my very first year to have a Valentine on the actual day. Of course it has to fall during the week when neither of us can really do anything. No late dinner/movie. No going out just because. We'll just have to wait until the weekend to do anything fun.

Friday is the 15th...which is our monthly anniversary. We're not that couple that has to go out and celebrate or buy each other things just because it's "__ month" for us. I will say that this month, like almost every other month, the 15th has fallen around an important day and we end up "celebrating." My birthday is June 15th. I did get him something in September but it was because I saw it and thought it was something he'd like. October we went to lunch the Sunday before as a date day mainly because we hadn't had too many of those in a while. (It was also right after my cousin's wedding.) His bday is November 17th, so his bday gift was almost like a "month-i-versary" gift. Christmas was close to our December marker. We found out we were having a daughter on January 26th so that was a celebration, even if it was a little late. And then this month Valentine's Day is right before.

Sunday, the 17th, is the 20 week marker! I will be halfway through this pregnancy as of SUNDAY! That still blows my mind a little bit.

All that being said, I have NO IDEA what in the world to get him for Valentine's Day. I have all these ideas, but can't figure out how to get them done. And some of them are so small, they seem sort of silly to do for a day as special as that. :(

I really wish I could afford to give him everything. I wish money weren't an option and I could just buy all the things he's mentioned in passing that he likes. I wish I could find the all elusive "PERFECT GIFT." I want something that means something, but since I have been focusing on so many other things, this holiday sort of snuck up on me.

Any ideas?

Countdowns and such

I was looking at one of the registries I started when I noticed something pretty cool: There's a countdown on there!!

Know what else is cool? It said there's 148 days until Emma's due date! Holy cow!! Less than 150 days. I can't believe it. It's starting to feel more and more real now.

There's been a ton going on in the house lately, which may explain why I haven't blogged as much. First off: We've been making serious progress on Emma's room. About a week ago, my bf went out to pick up a few things we needed around the house. It was getting a little late and I got a call. He asked if I liked these certain colors. I said yeah. He then said "Good, because they're mixing it up now for Emma's room." HAHA It was soo cute!

He came home and ended up spending the whole next day taping, priming, and starting to paint her room. My stepdad came over to help and they really knocked out a lot. They finished up a majority of the painting the following day. We both had a crazy work week, so the finishing touches took a while. But as of yesterday, her room is completely painted. You should see how proud my bf is when he looks around at the colors he chose for his daughter's room. I think that, more than anything else, makes them the PERFECT colors.

We are now working on figuring out the layout and trying to find some of the little details that will make her room girly and fun and fit into our theme. This seemed a lot easier before. Before I realized I'm not going to get most of her things for the nursery until the shower, which isn't for a while.

I don't know why I didn't think about that before. I mean, like I mentioned in a previous blog, I have been to several baby showers. So I know there are always a lot of "nursery things" given at them. I guess the planner in me managed to overlook that aspect though. For some reason I really thought we would have a lot of her nursery done closer to the 20 week mark....

And BAM... this just hit me. Tomorrow is 19 weeks. I am seriously almost halfway through this pregnancy already! WHAT?? That's crazy!! I knew the time would fly by and go slow at the same time, but this is insane.

Oh, and I figured out the best way to sleep. See everyone was telling me to go buy an adult boppy/pregnancy pillow. But those things are like $70!! So I was trying to maneuver pillows around and try to get comfy. One night I happened to take the king-sized super-soft throw blanket we had folded up at the end of the bed. It was folded in quarters, hot-dog style. Then I folded it in half. And it works EXACTLY like a boppy!! We just saved $70 and I'm sleeping so comfortably now. Well, when Jax isn't kicking me! lol

Today's little snip-its

Soo...
Sleeping is getting to be kind of difficult. I mean, if I sleep for more than 3 hours consecutively, it's a miracle. Lately I've been waking up around 12:30am every night with this... Ball... kind of like a ball of pressure in my way-lower back. Does anyone understand? It's weird. No maneuvering, no adjusting, nothing will alleviate that ache. I don't know what to do. I sleep about 3 hours, wake up with this knot in my back, and am up for the next 3 hours. Makes getting up and going at 4:30am very difficult.

Then today I just had a total id-jut moment. I was driving home and talking to my grandmother on my cell. I started thinking and remember that my cell was really low on battery last I looked. So I found my car charger, plugged it in...and proceeded to search (frantically) for my "lost" cell phone. You know... the one I was still on talking to my grandmother!?!? Wow...

I'm either more tired than I thought or this baby brain is starting to kick in! LOL

What a Day (part 2)

Sorry. Yesterday was an incredible day and didn't end until after 11:30, so by the time I was able to post anything, I was already exhausted!! Here's the rest of the day.

After we found out we were having a girl, I started freaking out again. I mean, we had gone into this thinking we were having a boy and didn't consider girl names. But I think I knew I was having a girl, because I had been freaking out about not having a girl name already picked out. I ended up bringing my baby name book with me, just in case. We were driving away and I said, "Well, we're back at square one with her name." My boyfriend's mom, who went with us for the u/s said her name was Emily. (It's the name she and her husband had seen in a Christmas commercial and they really loved it. Since my bf and I thought "boy," we hadn't really thought about it again.)

We ended up going to see my guy's maternal grandma (I'll call her GW) and telling her the news. She was sooo happy!! This will be her first great-granddaughter. We stayed there for a little bit, playing Skip-Bo while my bf and GW's bf were out in the garage doing "manly things." lol While we were there I was going through the baby name book, trying to see if there were any other names we liked. Middle names, other first names and Emily be the middle name, names we might like more... just throwing names out there because it's fun! lol My bf said he really liked 2 names: Emily and Avery. He even said he wanted to name her Emily Rose and call her Em. (His first initial is M, my middle name is Rose. Kind of like a combo of both our names...)

It was in the car after dropping his mom off that he said he really liked the name Emily. I asked if he would be okay with me spelling it differently. He said as long as it's not "weird." I told him I wanted to spell it "Emmaleigh." Like two names, but one. He agreed. (He doesn't realize she still gets the literary name I was hoping for: Emma by Jane Austen!!)

Then I had to go buy a bday present for my stepdad that would let him know he was having a granddaughter. I went to Things Remembered and bought a snow globe. It had a pink base with a little name plate and a little girl praying inside it. Snow globes mean a lot to him; he used to buy HIS MOM one every year for Christmas. She passed away about a month ago and I knew this would mean a lot to him. I ended up having the baby's name engraved on the name plate.

We went to my mom's house for dinner, hung out with my sisters, stepsister, and stepbrothers for a while. I was BURSTING with the news, so I kind of told people individually. Not as a group. My baby sister started crying... then said "I KNEW IT!" When I told my middle sister, her first words were "I KNEW IT!" (Think there was a conspiracy? lol) My stepsister was thrilled. Especially when I gave her a card and asked her to be the godmother. I gave her a bracelet/bangle with Emma's name engraved on it. My stepbrothers kept patting my belly and making jokes about calling her "LaFonda." LOL

Well, right before we ate, I told my stepdad he had to open his present from my bf and I now. Everyone who knew was dying to say something. My mom and stepdad were the only people who didn't know. So he opened the box and pulled out the snowglobe. The light was hitting the name plate to where he couldn't read it, so my mom held it and read the name. She just kept looking at me. I said "Yeah, that's her name." My mom actually started screaming! and jumping! and dancing! lol It was hilarious!! My stepdad said "We're having a girl??"

The rest of the night is kind of a blur. Between the birthday celebration and the news of the baby, everyone was just having a great night. We played poker for a few hours, the guys played pool and went ice fishing on the pond behind the house... It was just a really great night.

Okay, so here are a few pictures of baby Emmaleigh:

 Just like her mommy, she doesn't want to be in front of the camera!

Mommy and Daddy both sleep just like this!

Profile shot. This was the first image we saw when we got there.

 

 Took a while, but we FINALLY got the shot letting us know she's a GIRL!

Sorry if any of these are blurry. Some are pics of pics. And some are pics I took as the DVD played on the TV. I'd pause it and take a pic of the screen. lol

So there she is. my DAUGHTER! I'm having a little girl. Amazing. I didn't have a preference before I went in there. But now that I know, I am ecstatic! My bf is getting used to the idea of being a daddy to a little girl. This is completely new for him. There haven't been too many girls in his family on either side. And he's such a manly man!! But I have these images of father-daughter dances. Him walking her down the aisle at her wedding. Him coaching her softball teams and sitting there (albeit uncomfortably) at her dance competitions. I just see him being like the dad in Father of the Bride. Totally protective of his baby girl, even when she's 25 and starting her own life/family.

Now I have to start thinking about the nursery!! Good thing the theme I wanted was gender neutral and had things in blue AND pink. :)

What a Day!!

You may have noticed some (very) obvious changes to the blog today. That's because we officially know what we are having: IT'S A GIRL!! This was seriously one of the most amazing days! I've known since Tuesday we were going today to find out what we were having, but I didn't want to write anything since it was going to be a total surprise for my whole family. Here's how it all happened, from the beginning until now.

Well, on Monday or Tuesday, I tried calling my dr.'s office. I wanted to get the order for my 20w u/s early, so we would be able to schedule it right on the 20w, on the day and time we needed. Since my boyfriend works in the city and I get off work early on Fridays only, we have a very limited option on times. My dr.'s office didn't get back to me by Tuesday. So on my way home Tuesday night, I drove right by the Lab where the u/s would be done. I walked in and figured I'd ask them a few questions.

When I walked in, I told them I would be in there in a few weeks and just wanted to know what to expect; would I be able to walk out of there with a pic? They said they don't print pics, but they would give me a CD that same day with all the pics on it. I said, "So I'll be able to go to CVS, Walgreens, where ever and print the pic that shows I'm having a boy or girl?" The lady said "Maybe." I asked what she meant. She said the tech wouldn't be looking for a pic like that, so she couldn't say it would be on there. I was really confused. I mean, if I'm waiting until 20w for this u/s, what else are they looking for? So I said, "But the tech *will* tell me if I'm having a boy or girl right?" She said "No." She said because of liability reasons, they don't give that information out. That's when I got upset. I left there knowing I would be finding an elective office to get this major u/s done.

As I was driving, I found this place close by, and set up an appointment for Saturday, January 26th @ 12:30. I came home and told my bf what I had done. He was really excited about it. He didn't want to wait the full 20w anyways! lol

So there I sat for the next few days. Keeping this really big secret from my family because I wanted it to be a huge surprise. My stepdad's bday is this weekend and I knew my stepsister and stepbrothers would all be in town for his bday dinner. So I didn't say a word. Not in any phone calls. Nothing on my facebook page. Nada.

Fast forward to today. We showed up a little early. Try half an hour early! lol The lady at the front desk was really nice. She offered us a few things we could purchase, but didn't push anything. We didn't have to wait too long either to be seen.

I laid done one the table which was in this really comfy, cozy room. My bf sat in the rocking chair next to me. The tech put some warm goop on my belly. I was surprised because you always hear stories about the cold jelly  Anyways, she starts looking and finds the baby almost immediately. There's this perfect  profile shot on the screen in front of me. As she's moving the wand around, she asked if we had any ideas. I told her our families are split 50/50 on if it's a boy or girl.

Suddenly my boyfriend says, "I have a feeling it's a girl." I said "Why do you think that? All you see is a face! lol" Took a little bit of maneuvering to find out. First the ankles were crossed. Then the tech had me go to my side to get an "underneath shot." The baby pulled its legs up to its body! Little stinker! Suddenly we were looking and I didn't see the "I'm a boy!" parts. The tech moved around a little to be sure, but yep...

We're having a little girl!!!!

I still can't believe it! We've decided on Emmaleigh Rose. Em or Emma for short. I'm already sooo in love with my baby. I can't even describe it.

It's really late though too. So tomorrow (or later today rather), I'll finish up how today went. How we chose the name  What everyone's reactions were. Everything I can think of. Oh and I'll try to figure out how to put the u/s pics on here.

She's beautiful though. And big! I did ask the tech if she was measuring big. The tech asked how far along I am. I said 17w (16w6d). The tech said she is probably measuring a week farther along. So Emma is measuring 18w right now!!! She's going to get her daddy's height I think!!!! lol

The luckiest girl!!

So, before my boyfriend and I started dating, I invited him to my house for homemade pizza. While I was making dinner, he went to get a glass for his drink and saw the Medieval Times glass in the cupboard. He asked if it was mine and I told him no. I thought it was my mom's but I wasn't sure. I had never been there but always wanted to go.

Like I said in Surprise Date Day, he asked me on Monday if we had plans and, when I told him I didn't think so, he told me not to make any. So I was in suspense all week long, waiting for Saturday. Saturday morning came and we relaxed some. Did some laundry. Watched some TV. Just being happy. Then came the LONG AWAITED 3pm. We got in the car and he still wouldn't tell me where we were going!!

After about 45 minutes or so, he said we were almost there. He was really excited too. Or maybe anxious to see if I would like my surprise. Since I could tell he really wanted to surprise me, I closed my eyes and waited until he told me I could open them. He parked facing away from the "place," so when I got out of the car, I still didn't know where we were. When I turned around I saw the CASTLE!! I was like a little kid!! I was soo happy! 1) Because I really had wanted to go there for years. 2) Because he remembered something I told him such a long time ago.

We got there about half an hour early so we could walk around and see all the fun things. We went to an early show, so there were a ton of kids there. I think I fit right in with them though, because I was just as excited as they were. He asked if I wanted to get a picture taken, get tickets to tour the dungeon, buy a souvenir..? And normally before I would be all about that. But not this time. I was just so happy to be there with him. So happy he cared enough to remember this small tidbit I mentioned in passing. I didn't want anything else.

DINNER: The waiter brought the soup around and we sipped the "dragon's blood" (tomato soup) from bowls with handles. We then got some amazing bread to dip in the soup. Then we had this HUGE piece of "dragon" (chicken). It was cooked so good. My guy said I got really lucky because there weren't that many bones in mine. The meat was tender, the seasoning was perfect. Ahhh. Then there were the seasoned potato fries. and a rib. Not a slab, but just one huge piece. Every bite was perfect.

THE SHOW: We were seated in the yellow section. Which was actually more like the yellow and black section (STEELERS COLORS! lol). We were in the 3rd row up. AND we were seated directly across from the opening. We could see everything! No nets were dropped in front of us. Nothing was hidden from us. We couldn't have had it better if we planned it.

Overall, this was one of the best nights ever. I loved every minute of it. Once again, my guy proves that he is the most amazing person. I still can't believe he did that for me!

I hope everyone I know is as happy as I am. Because I can't imagine anything better than time with my guy. :)