5 Months!

I can't believe it's been 5 months! (23 weeks)

Scale: has gone up a total of 14 lbs. (4 lbs this month)

Belly growth: Gained 8 inches total (2 this month)

Jonesin' for: I've recently started having cravings for healthier things like salads and carrots dipped in ranch (not that the ranch dressing is healthy). Of course I still dig me some Chick-fil-a nuggets and fries :)

Repulsed by: I'm really not having any unusual repulsions lately.

Symptoms:  I do have more energy in the second trimester and the constant trips to the bathroom have slowed some (at least I seem to make it through most nights which is awesome). But my skin has only gotten worse. Totally annoying since you can only use regular face wash when you're pregnant. The back pain still comes and goes, usually more prevalent at the end of the day.

Clothes: I'm only wearing maternity bottoms or bottoms with elastic waists. I've given up on the rubber band and belly band techniques with regular bottoms because my pants would always seem to slide down. I wear a combo of maternity tops and regular tops that are just longer.

Bedtime: I can stay up later but I still prefer to be in bed early.

*Hollyn Faith* is: about 8 inches long (head to rump, according to the book) and, at our last doctor's appointment, (March 21) she weighed 1 lb 1 oz!(The size of a small baby doll :)

Fun Fact: Hollyn is a very active baby. I feel her move all the time now... day and night! I'm starting to think she may never sleep! It is so amazing to feel the strong kicks but also so bizarre! Her movements are so strong now that I am starting to SEE them! Sometimes she pushes a foot or elbow or something against my stomach and you can see it sticking out! So funny! I wouldn't say her movements are strong enough to really hurt or anything but there are definitely times when she pushes just right and it takes my breath away. I guess it's just uncomfortable... but totally worth it!

A Sprinkle for Harper

This past Saturday was so much fun. I had mentioned that I had been working on some projects for Kelsey's baby shower... well, "Sprinkle." (She was concerned about having a baby shower with a second child... especially since it was so soon after Harrison. But myself, her friend Ashley, and her mom all insisted. so to ease Kelsey's worries we called it a Sprinkle :)

The Sprinkle was so fun and girly! We had it at the Texas Tea Room in Friendswood. The tearoom atmosphere combined with our added decor made it so beautiful.

The best part of the decorations is that they are multifunctional!

The pom-poms are actually tutus.

And the flowers are hair bows!

Kelsey's sister-in-law, Tracye, made the cake. Not only was it gorgeous but it was delicious too!

The guest of honor with the hostesses.

I had to take advantage of us being dressed up and get a double belly shot!

The food was very yummy.

After brunch and cake Kelsey opened her presents and I must say, Harper scored quite the loot! Girl stuff is so fun!

Here are the other homemade gifts I made for Harper.

A growth chart...

And a hair bow holder.

Once the shower was over we went to Kelsey's to organize all the goodies. Poor Harrison. Until the girls get here, he's our only baby to dress up so...

I must say, he was really interested in the tutu until I put it on him.

I'm sure these will be good blackmail pictures one day ;)

We relaxed the rest of the afternoon by watching a movie... which turned out to be horrible. One of those where you keep watching because you figure after investing an hour into it you need to see how it ends. But really, we didn't. It was dumb and pointless from beginning to end.

Still, it was nice to sit and do nothing.

Since Kelsey's MIL was staying with her we took advantage of the free babysitter and went and had a nice dinner at Birraporetti's and then went and had milkshakes for dessert. A great ending to a great day.

Time Well Wasted

Ok, so I haven't been doing the best job at blogging. I don't know how it is possible but somehow I feel more busy now than when I was working 50 hour weeks and commuting all over Houston (and further!). Let me assure you, this is a much better busy. I would say my time has been well wasted.

So here's what I've been up to... (another words, here's my list of excuses why I haven't been blogging regularly ;)

I'm actually not completely unemployed. I've been subbing at my church's preschool a couple days a week and I'm really enjoying it. Plus it's nice to feel like I'm still contributing to our finances... even if it is a tiny contribution.

Of course, a side affect of being around a bunch of snotty-nosed, under 5 year olds is germs! I can't entirely blame the kiddos, but I somehow caught the worst stomach virus ever and I'm not sure where else it could have come from. I woke up around 5:00 AM two Saturdays ago thinking I had eaten too many sweets or that my morning sickness was back but as it progressed, I quickly learned it was a virus. I'll leave out the details but it did get so bad that I had to call the doctor to get an anti-nausea medicine. (I have to include that I threw up 14 times in 9 hours because, well, it may be TMI but I still find it impressive!)

It took me a while to fully recover from the bug but thankfully last week was spring break which means my sister was off (she's a teacher). So we spent pretty much the whole week together. It was so nice to have that quality time together. We went shopping, had some lunch dates, and spent one day at the rodeo. (We went to the rodeo a lot as kids so it's very nostalgic for us). I've also been working on a lot of projects so it was so nice to have her help as well.

That brings me to my next thing, I've been juggling a ton of projects! So fun but a lot of work! Since my last growth chart post I've made 4 more (well a couple are still in progress. I'll post pics soon). I've also been working on the decorations and gifts for Kelsey's baby shower this weekend. But here's a few pics of projects for Hollyn's nursury that are completed:

I made Hollyn a hair bow holder...

And bows to go on it!

I just bought the flower, removed the stem, hot glued the gem on the front and the hair clip on the back with some ribbon to secure it.

I actually found this lamp at Garden Ridge and the shade at Marshall's (for $5!) and just bedazzled it a little bit :)

My biggest project so far (and the one I'm most proud of) is Hollyn's dresser. I found this solid wood dresser on Craigslist for $140.

It was a very beautiful dresser but once you took a closer look, it had its flaws.

So, I sanded it, painted it a greenish blue (spearmint from Sherwin Williams), and then antiqued it by painting a coat of brown paint and quickly wiping it off. Lastly, I added new hardware (for about $60) and twa-la!

So anyways, there's my excuses :)

Happy Birthday Bestie!!!

Today is a special day. I talk about my best friend Kelsey a lot (because she's a very important part of my life) and today is her birthday!!!

I can't say enough about Kelsey. We met about 3 1/2 years ago and our friendship has only continued to grow stronger. We hit it off from the beginning due to our very similar OCD, controlling Type A personalities.

She's passionate and intelligent.

She has a huge heart for people and animals.

She knows how to have fun.

She can be silly.

And she can be serious.

She loves the Lord.

And serves Him and His people.

She's a great wife.

And an amazing mother.

But most importantly to me, she's my best friend.

I love you Kels! Happy birthday bestie!!!

A Prayer for Hollyn

As we anxiously await the arrival of our baby girl we can't help but wonder what she will be like. Of course we ponder what she will look like but even more so, who she will be. What will her personality be like? What characteristics will she have? In what ways will God use her? Who will she marry? We have very little control over most of this however there is one very important thing we can do, starting now, that will help her for a life time. Pray. Jeff and I have composed the following prayer so we can be diligent in praying for her and we would love for our friends and family to join us in praying this prayer.

Lord, we pray for baby Hollyn growing in my womb. We pray first and foremost for her salvation. That you would save her and for her to have a strong relationship with you. And a heart to serve you.

Lord, we pray for Hollyn's health and safety, for a healthy pregnancy and for a safe delivery for both her and her mommy. We pray for the doctors and nurses caring for her (and mommy) while in the womb and during the delivery to be wise and skilled.

Lord, we pray for wisdom as parents to lead her in a Godly way. To model a relationship with you and a Godly marriage. To teach her to make wise choices. To be firm when we need to be firm and to show grace when we need to show grace.

Lord, we pray for her to be joyful always. Throughout her whole life; from infant through adulthood, because she finds her joy in you first.

Lord, we pray for her childhood. That she be blessed with good Godly friends from a young age. That she has the wisdom to know right from wrong and to make the right decisions. We pray for her schooling, that she has good teachers and excels in her classes.

Lord, we pray for her teenage years. That she is able to resist peer pressures and make choices that would honor you. We pray for her (and her future husband's) sexual purity. That she would honor you with her body and treat it as the temple it is.

Lord, we pray for her college years. We pray that she continues to honor you with her choices.And we pray that you guide her down the path you want her to take.

Lord, we pray for her future husband and her future marriage. We pray you bring her a husband who follows you first and then leads her. We pray he loves her with all his heart but loves you more. We pray he cherishes her. We pray their marriage honors you and you bless their marriage.

Lord, we pray for her future family and the generations to come. We pray for hearts that are on fire for you.

Lord, we feel so blessed that you have brought this baby girl to us. Thank you for this privilege. We love you!

Amen.

4 Months!

I'm four months (19 weeks) today. It's so hard to believe that in just one week I will be to the half way mark!

Here's a tiny sneak peak of the nursery. Jeff and my dad laid the laminate floor and my sis helped us paint.

Scale: has gone up a total of 10 lbs! (that means 7.5 lbs this month!)

Belly growth: Gained 6 inches total (2 in the fourth month)

Jonesin' for: French fries and milk (not together) have been two cravings that have really stuck with me. Vietnamese egg rolls have sounded good from the beginning but more recently I'd say I've had a stronger craving for them. Also, cheese enchiladas sound really good but I haven't really had any in a while.

Repulsed by: I'm doing better. I've actually started to cook a little. I would say my repulsions are now less towards food and more towards smells and gross things. My gag reflex is a lot more sensitive now that I'm pregnant. I started subbing in my church preschool and the snotty noses really get me. And this morning I almost lost it while de-clogging the shower.

Symptoms:  Still exhaustion, frequent urination, back pain, and increased appetite (even more so). Something that really started from the very beginning was terrible skin! My skin has broken out so badly and is only getting worse! I feel like a pre-teen going through puberty or something!

Clothes: I'm starting to wear more of my maternity bottoms but I can still wear some regular bottoms using the rubber band through the button hole technique. As far as tops, I can still wear non maternity but I have a few maternity tops already in the rotation.

Bedtime: I think I've been staying up a little later and it's more bearable but I prefer going to bed at a descent time. I normally wake up at least once to empty my bladder.

*Hollyn Faith* is: about 6 inches long (head to rump) and about 7 oz. I read today that they think babies can start hearing at this age. (Very cool :)

Fun Fact: Around 15 weeks I started to feel little flutters like tiny bubbles or something. I wanted it to be Hollyn but I really wasn't sure. When I read my book the next week (My Pregnancy Week by Week), it said you may start to feel movement now that is described as feeling like flutters or gas bubbles! Ha! To confirm, I asked the ultrasound tech when we went to the 4D ultrasound and she agreed that what I was feeling was more than likely the baby. It is so exciting to know that those little feelings are Hollyn moving around inside of me. More recently, I'm starting to feel little pokes. And they're getting stronger. They catch me off guard sometimes and I can't help but giggle.

Oh, and my belly button is starting to change! I have what I would call a super "inny" belly button. But now, somehow, the inside is kind of poking out. Very strange when you are used to the same belly button for 25 years!