Half Way There!

Today marks the 20 week point in my pregnancy! HALF WAY THERE!!!! If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram then it's not shocking news. Pretty sure this is the first even slightest mention of being pregnant on the blog so it might come as a little bit of a surprise for some of you though...

 

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!

I'm having a precious baby boy at the end of November!

 

There were days in the wee early weeks of this pregnancy thing that I thought these would be the longest 9 months of my life. Probably because the sickness would just never end. But here we are, smack dab in the middle of this beautiful journey. I'm no longer sick, and the days are starting to go by much faster.

 

Also, I'm basically a failed blogger since I keep making promises that I can't keep in regards to pretending like I'm going to come back and do this blogging thing again. I have no idea how I ever found the time to make it happen so frequently in years past!!!! But I did want to have some sort of documentation while I'm pregnant so I felt a post was warranted.

 

Being pregnant is just like any other life experience, meaning that you cannot fully appreciate or understand it until you go through it yourself firsthand. It's a fine line with being sensitive to friends for whom pregnancy is a painful topic, which I totally understand - but also needing to vent about these crazy, weird things happening to you! I heard friends talk about this infamous "morning sickness". (Liars. No one ever told me about all day sickness.) You hear people make jokes about how emotional pregnant  women can be. (I never realized that I would sometimes feel ALL THE EMOTIONS at once. One cannot even prepare for this because how in the hell would you be able to???) You're sick, you're exhausted, you can't drink alcohol or caffeine (even though I do have a Coke every now and then), and you're a hangry emotional roller coaster - basically you're a blast to be around! HAHA!

On a serious note, most of that stuff has calmed down quite a bit since I'm well into my 2nd trimester now. It's completely insane to think that I only have about a month left in this 2nd trimester! Now is the time when being pregnant has suddenly become very real. I felt my baby move last weekend y'all!!!! It does not get more real than that! Every single moment of sickness was absolutely worth it to feel my tiny human move inside my belly. Probably not even a full on a kick, but just a hint of a movement from him and I was sobbing. I just cannot seem to fully grasp the fact that this is MY CHILD. (Yeah yeah, I know technically he's my husband's child too, but really this little guy will be a mama's boy. I just know it!) It's THE most exciting, terrifying, humbling experience I've ever been through. And there's so much more to go through as we get closer to November.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything right now. Everybody says to take it all in because it goes by so fast. Most days I do feel overly excited. There are moments of fear, naturally. I'm trying my hardest to trust that God has me in this position to become a mother for a reason. He knows that I can handle this journey. It can be too easy - not just in being pregnant, but in any season of life - to allow ourselves to be overcome with self pity when we are lonely, or frustration when other people push their opinions on us, or even hateful for not really any good reason at all. I've had plenty of those moments that sometimes have turned into full days of emotions. The important thing for me right now is to try and remain overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to be my little boy's mama. A child is the biggest blessing! No matter how anyone else feels about it. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world these days, and I want to live out that feeling every single day.

Now help me to remember these words when I'm feeling hormonal! :)
 

 

I got the fever...

The baby fever that is, and it ain't no joke! I am totally and completely blaming this on all my girlfriends who have kids. ALL YOUR FAULT! I have developed from this person who used to ditch my friends with kids into this person who wants you to bring your baby when we hang out. It's such a strange thing for me!  Stop having the cutest kids ever and maybe that will solve it. Or maybe if I could stop getting older that would help? I don't know but it's got to stop!!

Except pretend this is Peeta from the book, not Peeta from the movie

It's been sloooowly creeping up on me over the past couple of years though. I found this post I did back in October 2011, first one from my Baby Fever label. Kinda makes me laugh now to think I felt "behind everyone" then and I was only 5 months away from getting engaged and just one year out from being single. Nice plot twist there...

 

So this is how it works when you're in your late 20's and single:

-You will date guys with kids now

-You have a cut off age for when you want to have kids

-You have a  guy friend who you have already contracted his sperm, should you still find yourself single around that cut off age

-You realize that by your age, your parents already had multiple kids

-Your family starts skipping the "when are you getting married" and go straight to the "when are you having kids" questions

-You have researched freezing your eggs

-You definitely have your baby names picked out so things can proceed quickly, if necessary

 

I hope you are laughing right now because that is the straight up truth and you know it!! I only have 6 years until my cut off age y'all. That is some scary business!! I hate that I even think of these things and can't just be patient during this season of waiting. No wonder men think all women are crazy.... let's face it, we are.

 

Weekend Update

This weekend went by waaaaay too fast! And let me just say that for the record I do not like starting off my Monday morning with rain. Did ya hear that Mother Nature??

 

I got to spend yesterday with Skye, which was so nice when we haven't had a day off together in weeks. While having some minor wedding chat yesterday I realized that we need to get our asses in gear with planning. I am sooooo behind! Only 222 days y'all!!! EEEEK! Hopefully we will be getting the rest of our engagement pictures back this week because I am dying to see them!

 

Even though I am still in major denial and grief over the Vols horrific loss on Saturday night....I still managed to have a great weekend. I GOT A NEW CAR! I think that totally trumps a major football loss - well that's what I'm telling myself anyhow...

My new "key" which is not really a key, but the cover is PINK! It's one of those deals where you just keep it in your purse and the car will unlock and start as long as you have this close. There are two of them so the dealership gave me this pink cover so I knew which one was mine!

I'm the proud mama of a Nissan Rogue! Window tint coming soon, I can't stand riding around with untinted windows. I'm just gangsta like that.

Dinner with Baby Gunner - I can't get enough of his sweetness. He's 2 months old already!

Saw this over the weekend and it instantly reminded me of my brother and I. I'm the only one who can pick on my baby.

On a positive note to this rainy Monday, you still have time to enter my birthday giveaway to win a bubble necklace in your choice of color. I'm choosing the winner on my birthday so you only have until tomorrow! Go Enter NOW!

Workout Motivation & A New Baby

One of my very best friends had her baby yesterday!! This is her 2nd kiddo, so she's basically an old pro now. She found out she was pregnant within a 2 weeks of conception so we feel like this girl has been with child FORVER! They are like family to us and I can't wait to be a special part of this baby's life. If he's half as fun and cute as his older brother then he'll fit right in. He has my heart already! There's nothing like the feeling of holding a precious little new born baby.

I already told Skye that I will probably get baby fever for a couple of weeks...scary, I know.

Gunner Gaines 7 lbs. 6oz. 19.5 inches long born 7/16/12

I'm sure you will see all kinds of cute little baby pictures of Gunner in the days to come.

And moving right along...I told you yesterday about my renewed workout efforts that are taking place. I wanted to share with you some of my updated running playlist. I'm the kind of girl who has to have very fast paced rap-style music to run to. I need something with a fast beat to keep me going when I'm running. (If I'm just doing strength training then I can listen to just about anything that's semi-fast paced). So here's what I am listening to currently when I run:

 

 And of course I have to end it with Like A Boss because that's just how I roll! haha

Just as a side note here too, some of these songs have offensive lyrics, I don't mind because I'm pretty gangsta like that, but if you don't like cussing, etc. then some of these just won't work for you. Just had to warn you! Music is a huge part of keeping me going when I run, so I hope that this helps you if you're struggling with some motivational music.

I need a new pair of running shoes too, and I want these! Love the hot pink. Does anybody actually own these and run in them - do you love them? Usually I'm not a Nike girl when it comes to running shoes, I stick more with Asics. But for these cuties, I might make an exception.

Pinterest Source: melissa ochoa via theskinnyconfidential.com



 Also, if you want more of mini updates about my day-to-day progress with eating healthy & working out then you can find that on my Twitter.

Trending #Awesome

Do you see a trend in this statement? Apparently so! I posted this picture of Neil Patrick Harris on my Facebook probably 2 months ago. I think every single person on my friends like "liked" it.
It's not that there is anything wrong with being single, or dating someone for years before getting married - like myself, or having kids. I aspire to get married and have kids in the next 5 years for sure. It just seems like right now there is an incredibly rapid influx of wedding and baby showers surrounding me. That makes me feel the pressure! One of my good friends told us about 2 weeks ago that she is pregnant with her second child. (It's Cayson's mama for those of you who have followed my blog and seen sweet Cayson on here.) TWO girls I know got engaged over the weekend! I'm drowning in a sea of princess cut diamonds (oh I wish!) and diapers over here!

I don't mean this hateful so I hope that no one takes offense to it. But usually what happens is, my unmarried non-parent friends are on my side about these things. Then, BAM! they up and get engaged and then they pressure me to do the same. What these folks don't get is that Skye and I have an equation right now that works for us. Next week will be our 7 year anniversary of dating (8 years of knowing each other). We aren't the perfect couple and we do fight. But I can honestly say that anyone who's been around us for any length of time knows the love we have for each other. We have seen some friends' marriages come and go already, we have some friends who are now single parents. Rushing to get married and grow up just isn't in the cards for us. People say "when you know, you know". I almost take offense to that -I know that I love him dearly, but I also know that he's not going anywhere anytime soon. I feel a little sorry for people who rush to get married and then spit out a baby within a year. They don't really take the time to get to know each other and just have that important couple time. Again, no offense is meant by this it's just the way I feel right now.

I'm truly happy for the people in my life who are making the big moves and getting what they want! I love being involved in my best friend's weddings and baby planning processes. I can't decide what's the right timing for them, just for myself.

I'm only 27...and down here in God's Country that's old hag status. But at least I'm an awesome old hag!

Adventures in Babysitting

Tonight I am embarking on a babysitting adventure. Takes me back to my 16 year old days of watching kids for $8 an hour. Also reminds me of the days that I used to be obsessed with reading The Babysitters Club books. I wanted to start my own babysitters club until I realized that some kids are crazy! Anyhow, babysitting is an excellent form of birth control for me. And since I've had the ultimate baby fever lately, I gladly accepted the responsibility to babysit Cayson. I've mentioned him before, but in case you missed it, Cayson will be 3 years old in just a few weeks. He's a precious little boy that belongs to some of our best friends right now. Cayson's dad is in the police academy with Skye. He's a lil' puddin' face doll!

As much as I have been wishin' my life away these days, I feel confident that this babysitting gig tonight will clear that up for a while. Children tend to gravitate towards me and I'm not sure why. It's not that I don't like kids, it's just I feel like I have a low tolerance for their behavior sometimes. I have never been on my own with Cayson, so he has yet to try my patience. He's a cool kid so I'm looking forward to getting some time with him, away from his parents so we can bond :) He calls me "My Mouse" because he can't pronounce Nikki. He hears Nikki, thinks Mickey - like the mouse, hence my mouse was born. He's potty training too....so wish me luck!

On another note, here's a shot of my 2 babies last night just lounging with mom on the couch. Tilly always has demon eyes in pictures...hmmm...wonder why that could be.

Happy Weekend!

Baby Fever

OMG I'M ABOUT TO ADMIT IT-
Maybe it's my age and my biological clock taking over my body like a ravaging alien, but I have baby fever. Everywhere I look I am surrounded by people around my age who are reproducing like rabbits. Facebook constantly slaps me with engagement pictures, wedding pictures and baby pictures. I'm all for let's all grow up and be mature responsible adults, but when did everyone get SO FAR AHEAD OF ME? If you read this tiny lil' blog o'mine, I'm sure you are starting to see a trend about my fear that I am lagging behind the other women I know. My status in life is nothing to brush off, by any means. I have a wonderful FABULOUS boyfriend of almost 7 years. I could not ask for a more loving and equal partner in my life. We are just starting to get in the grooves of our adult life and things are falling into place for us. Up until this point, we've just been having ourselves a good ole time and not worrying about what the future might hold. Now I feel like I'm playing catch up and I have to wrap speed ahead to my engagement, rush through that joyous time and fly through my wedding to hurry up and (get fat) have a baby. Why is this bothering me so much lately???

We have been spending a lot of time lately with a sweet little 2 (almost 3 year old) named Cayson. One of Skye's best friends in his academy right now is Cayson's dad. So for the last couple of months we've spent some quality time getting to know his classmates and their families. Cayson and his family live the closest to us, so naturally it's easiest for us to spend more time with them. We've developed "family dinner night" which is an on going weekly dinner date with me, Skye, TJ (Cayson's dad), AB (Cayson's mom) and of course Cayson, and occasionally another friend from the academy. Basically the moral of this little story is that he's an absolute doll baby! Not only is he the cutest little blond hair, blue eyed toddler, but he's also quite well behaved. I have heard Skye say quite a few times recently that he would love to have a kid, if it would turn out like Cayson. Which kind of gets my hopes up that maybe we are getting closer to moving down that "adult" path of settling down together. I honestly feel like it's more a matter of when than if. I have no doubts that we will make the move, just when the timing is right for us. We wanted to buy our house first and get settled in there - We've lived there for about 3 years now. We wanted Skye to get through the police academy and be stable with a career vs. just a job - he graduates in December, then faces only 4 mere months of training left before he's out on his own. Spending time with other couples who have kids is pretty new to us. Until now, most of our friends have been single, dating or married - no kids. We've had a pretty strict no kids policy in our lives. In fact, we were down right anti-kid. My best friend has 2 kids, but she lives in Nashville so we do not get to spend time with her and the kids on the regular basis. She moved there when her first kid was 1 and the 2nd kid hadn't even been born yet. She is the last person on Earth you would have ever expected to have kids (sort of like myself), and turns out she's a terrific mom. It makes me oh so proud to see her with the kids and see the mom that she's evolved into.

Having kids in the next couple years...or ever...is a terrifying thought. But also, it's kind of neat to picture a mini-me or mini-Skye running around. I know I'm wearing this topic out so I won't post about it again for a little bit, but we spent yesterday with Cayson so of course my heart is fresh with toddler love.