14 weeks- Hello 2nd Trimester!

I have gone back and forth on whether I wanted to document this pregnancy through weekly blog updates and have decided to do so.  The main reason for my decision is so I can look back in the future and remember it along the way- the good, the bad, the emotions and the most importantly the joy of it all.  It seems that the weeks are already flying by so quickly and I know we will be welcoming our little bundle of joy before we know it!

14 weeks snuck up on us and we are finally welcoming the 2nd trimester with open arms.  The 1st trimester was rough with little to no energy and lots of sickness and mood swings.  I’ve been told the 2nd trimester is sure to treat me better and I am more than excited to get my energy back.

I haven’t been able to convince of the belly shots yet and John laughs at the idea every time I mention it.  So, the couple shots will have to do for now.  The bump is certainly visible in person although this picture is hard to tell.  13 weeks, 6 days

How far along?  14 weeks- only 26 to go!

Size of Baby T?  a lemon, measuring at approximately 1 1/2 ounces

Maternity Clothes?  Not yet.  I invested in a belly band this week b/c my pants are starting to fit snug.  After much whining, John gave me the go ahead to start stocking the closet with maternity clothes so I’m hoping to get into them soon!

Weight Gain?  3 lbs

Stretch Marks?  These weird me out!  I haven’t noticed any but I did notice my belly starting to itch over the past week.  I guess its time to start with the cocoa butter. 

Gender?  Mother’s intuition has told me GIRL from the very beginning.  John says girl as well and my mom says boy.  6 more weeks until we find out!

Sleep?  Not much different other than having to get up to go to the bathroom atleast 1-2 times in the middle of the night.  It has also become a little more uncomfortable to sleep on my side but not enough to affect my sleep. 

Cravings?  Junk food.  I am finally cravings fruits, veggies and salads but I eat my fair share of junk these days.  I also have been loving anything sour and egg and cheese english muffins for breakfast! 

What I miss?  Energy mainly.  Yesterday was my first tailgate of the season and while I haven't missed alcohol much until now, it was hard knowing I couldn’t grab a beer out of the cooler.  My sweet dad has been stocking up on cases of O’Douls with 3 preggo daughters so that usually suffices when the craving hits!

Symptoms?  Exhaustion and crankiness.  John has been more than patient with this and I have caught myself being extra snappy- I blame the hormones!

Best moment of the week?  Hitting the 14 weeks milestone and knowing we are 1 week closer!  My belly is also starting to grow which makes the reality of the pregnancy all the more exciting!!

Celebrating the Newmans!

Courtney and Whitney tied the knot this weekend in Charleston!  Courtney has been one of my very best friends from college and I was so honored to be a part of her special weekend!  We stayed at The Inn at Middleton Place for the weekend and the ceremony and reception took place at Runnymeade Plantation a few miles down the road.  The weather was perfect and the bride was absolutely gorgeous!

Friday night we rehearsed for the big day.  The Newmans threw a Rehearsal Dinner at Flowertown Bed & Breakfast with yummy food and great entertainment!Bridesmaids with our brideCourtney with her maid of honor and grandmaSaturday morning was the bridal luncheon where we relaxed and spent some time with the bride before the fun began!As we traditionally do, we presented Courtney with her book of memories from all us girls!  Addison came to celebrate her Aunt Courtney and uncle Whitneys big day!The it was time to get ready…the ceremony siteCongratulations Courtney and Whitney!  We love you and wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!!

VEGAS {via Instagram}

I am ashamed to admit I lugged my canon all the way to Vegas and did not take one single picture.  So, instagram will have to suffice!

Friday afternoon, John and I boarded the plane and headed West for a few days. We {read John} arrived at the airport early enough to enjoy a couple of drinks.  I am not a fan of flying and usually ease my fear with a drink or two.  This trip it was time to put on my big girl panties and conquer my fear… with O'Doul's only.  Thankfully our flights were short and easy with the exception of our 3 hours layover in Atlanta. We grabbed dinner and Starbucks, boarded the plane and arrived in Vegas safe and sound around 11:30 west coast time (2:30 our time- yikes!)

We checked in and were told our room was not available so they upgraded us to a suite- if you’ve ever stayed at Caesar’s Palace you know what a treat this was!  I think the room was bigger than our entire house!  John was ready to set his bets for the football games but I was able to talk him into waiting until the morning to do so.  We headed to bed finally but were up bright and early for breakfast.  I could get used to this view.  After we headed to the Casino.  I am not one to gamble really and hate losing money but I gave it a try and I’m glad I did!  I left John for the day in the Casino to watch football and ventured to The Forum Shops to spend my earnings! After a long day of shopping, gambling and football, we decided to grab a bite to eat and call it a night!The time difference really threw us off so we were pretty much in bed early and up early every day.  Sunday was no exception.  We  enjoyed our usual Starbucks and a bagel and then hit the Vegas Strip to explore. 

We started at the Bellagio for the fountain show.  We had been told to visit and watch if we had the chance and I highly recommend it now that we’ve seen it.  It was amazing! 

We shopped around town, people watched, took silly pictures with characters and the NFL then ate a yummy lunch!

I was finally feeling the wrath of Sin City so we ordered room service and caught up on some sleep that night.

John was in meeting Monday morning so I relaxed in bed all morning- as in until 12:00 when he forced me to get up and eat lunch.  We revisited the strip again and tried lunch at Mon Ami Gabi outside of the Paris hotel.  It was delicious- we had brie for an appetizer, John had a hamburger and fries and I tried to spinach salad with salmon.  We explored for a few more hours before we had to get ready for a New York Life dinner that night.

Tuesday was by far the absolute longest day EVER.  John was again in meetings for most of the day.  We were able to get a late check out for 2:00 and since we were catching the red eye at 11:30, it left me way to much time to find stuff to do.  I shopped, ate lunch, shopped and shopped some more.   Then wee had one last dinner before heading home! Our trip was a lot of fun and I’m so glad we were able to experience Vegas together for my first trip out there! I am glad to be home in the comfort of my own home though. 

Until next time!

Viva Las Vegas

A few months ago {pre baby} John was asked to attend a work conference in Vegas and lucky me- i get to tag along with him! I've never been so I'm excited to see what it's all about! And while our plans have changed a little and we won't be experiencing Vegas in the way we intended, I plan to use the next 5 days to relax and shop! My kind of party these days! We will be cheering on our Gamecocks from states away though!

And we may do a little of this, too..

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Go Cocks!

“For this child I prayed”

  We had our 2nd appointment with Dr. Holladay today!  We were so eager for this appointment because it meant we would get to hear our little beans heartbeat.  And we got to do just that- we heard a very strong healthy heartbeat right away!  Dr. H assured us that everything looked on track and our little one was growing and developing healthy!  It’s hard to believe that in just another 8 weeks we will get to find out what he or she is!  

Now on to the details:

Looking back, I probably should  have had more of a clue that I was pregnant than I did but I honestly did not at.all. July 14th, the girls and I threw a wedding shower for Courtney and Whitney with a Mexican Fiesta Theme. We indulged in tacos, chips and queso, margaritas, coronas, etc.  After we headed to the bar where I began feeling not so hot so I switched to water as soon as we got there.  {First clue should have been that I almost became sick to my stomach from the margaritas but I blamed it on the amount of sugar.}  The next morning I still did not feel right but I brushed it off and headed to church with the family.  As we normally do, we headed to brunch after where I enjoyed sipped on a mimosa that only made me feel worse.  {Second clue- your body is rejecting alcohol- listen!}  We spent the day at my parents and after Sunday night dinner we headed back to Camden.  At this point I was just not feeling like myself and I convinced John that we should run by CVS on the way into town.  {Third clue- I was late.  two days late}  While he was unpacking the car, I snuck inside to the bathroom.  I just knew that I was overreacting.  Or so I thought.  Sure enough it read “Pregnant” within {what felt like 15 minutes} a minute and I was not really sure what to do with my knowledge.  I ran to the back door and yelled for John to which he told me to hold on and then finally asked what I wanted.  After a few times I finally screamed “You probably want to come here, NOW”. I met him at the door with the test and I have never seen an ear to ear grin from him like I did in that moment.  I can remember repeating “what are we going to do” while he tried to calm me and remind me this was wonderful and just what we always wanted. I was still not convinced that we were pregnant and suggested we call my mom.  I asked her what the chances were that a test was false positive and what I needed to do.  She told me they were rare but to sleep on it and if I still had not gotten my monthly visit in a few days to take another one. All the while she was ecstatic- 3 babies born 5 months apart was a thought that made this grandma HAPPY!

These next 12 hours were interesting and quite an emotional roller coaster for us.  Monday morning I had just walked in to work when I got a phone call from John that he had been t-boned on his way to a meeting.  He assured me he was fine but that he was a little beaten up and was waiting on the cops.  Long story short, I ended up leaving and meeting him at the ER around 9:30 not to return to work.  While picking up his pain medicine, we grabbed a few more tests and 2 more later it was confirmed.  I was now convinced it was true and ecstatic… We are having a BABY!  

We had our first appointment at 8 weeks.  Everything checked out great and after some begging and pleading, we got our first sneak peek at what's inside! A very active baby that even decided to wiggle for us with a strong heartbeat of 174!   Music to our ears and tears in our eyes!

These past 11 weeks have been anything but easy.  I can’t say that anything could have prepared me for how I was going to feel during this pregnancy.  From about week 4 1/2 to now I have been exhausted around the clock with a constant headache. I am prone to sinus pressure/infections and this pregnancy has only magnified it.  I am so thankful for Zofran which has kept my nausea at bay for the most part and prevented me from actually getting sick! Hopefully we are almost over the worst and the second trimester will bring me some energy! 

Thank you for all your sweet messages, thoughts and prayers! It has always been in our plan to start a family soon and we feel so blessed that God made this so easy for us!

I can’t wait to document our journey to meeting Baby Thompson!

the secrets out...

John and I are happy to announce we are having a BABY!!!

Baby Thompson's expected arrival date is March 24, 2013!

We are over the moon excited as we begin this journey into parenthood together and are counting down the days until we get to meet our little blessing!  As you can imagine this has been the hardest secret for John and I to keep and we are so excited to finally be able to share the news! The love and support from those already has been overwhelming and we know this little one is going to be so loved!