I've been MIA

So so sorry it's been WEEKS since I've updated! So....we've found out the best news ever!
It's a.....


We are so ecstatic about our baby girl, Penelope Mae! Hubby was hoping for a baby girl first and I was just hoping for a healthy baby and we got both! We cannot wait to meet her!

So since I'm WEEKS behind on the weekly photos, I'll post them now.







So that's our journey thus far in pictures. You can see the whole thing on the Pregnancy Journey page (link at the top).

I've been feeling really great actually. I'm still tired a lot, but I certainly have more energy than I did during the first trimester. I'm eating more and slowly gaining the weight I lost back. I lost 10 lbs in the first trimester and I've gained back 8 since then. I feel huge though! I know my belly's big! I can't zip my pants anymore and have switched to using the Bella Band, which is an amazing creation! I wouldn't even consider getting maternity pants now that I have the Bella Band! I can still wear my cute jeans and my pants stay up even though they aren't zipped. Loves it!

And now, onto fun maternity and baby things that I love:

This is a totally adorable dress that would probably make a better shirt since it's kinda short.

This is also a totally cute dress. I love the halter and the buttons.

These are too flippin' cute. I can just see my baby girl with a ladybug barrette in her hair!

WHO ARE YOU?

On Wednesday, we'll find out!

15 weeks

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated! I feel like I blinked and that last two weeks have just gone by!

So last week we had our monthly appointment with the midwife, Janet. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, and Hubby took a video of it. Here's the video! The goofy noise is me laughing and making the doppler go crazy!


We also made the date for our gender anatomy ultrasound, May 19th! I cannot wait to find out what we're having!

Today, Hubby and I went to a park near our house to take my 15 week photo and we saw a ladybug on our car. I think it's a sign that we're having a girl since I want to do her room in a Ladybug theme. So we'll see!!

Here are my 15 week photos:
Me and Hubby

Just me, the forest nymph. haha!



OK OK, enough of that, now it's time for more Things that I Love!

First, this baby pop art is SO awesome.


This baby bib is too cute, and it's gender neutral which is a plus. :)


This headband is beautiful! I love the dark blue/teal flower and how adorable it looks on this little girl!


This hat for a little boy is so darn cute. I know I could probably make it but I also just love this picture, look at his blue eyes!


I really think the whole Mama Bird idea is really beautiful. This necklace is gorgeous and I think once I have a few babies I just might make one like this.


So Mother's Day is coming up. I hate that I won't be in MI to give the women in my life who are momma's the hugs and love they deserve. Also, I'm curious, were any of you preggo during Mother's Day? Should we celebrate it? Should we not? I have no idea...

I hope all is well! Me and baby are doing great and will continue to do so! :-)

All the love I have,
M.

The Wonderful World of Michigan

Have you ever been to Michigan?

I love it, but I think I'm a little biased being that I was lucky enough to grow up there.

I cannot stress enough how much I love Michigan. And the sad part is that I never knew how much I loved it until I left it. I guess I needed to get out for awhile to really appreciate what I had there.

I never knew that by leaving everyone I love behind (except Hubby of course) that it would create a massive hole in my heart. I should have known, but I didn't really. I thought we'd be ok. That it would be fine being away from family on holidays and on important occasions.

But honestly, even not being there on any random day of the week is ridiculously hard. I miss being able to go to my parents' house to have dinner with them. I miss being there to talk with Hubby's parents about anything because we could.

I hate the fact that I've missed my goddaughter's first steps, words, everything. That I've missed my nephew growing into a little boy. These things that we're missing aren't things that can be replaced or made-up. These are things that happen in a brief instant of time and when you're not there, you've missed it. That's it. It's gone.

I miss Kensington. I miss going on 8 mile hikes a few times a week with Mik. I miss having my closest friends within an hour drive from me. I took that for granted when I lived there.

I miss being able to go to Pentwater during the summer.

I miss being able to go to the restaurant where I met my husband.

I miss being able to make plans on the fly with friends and not having to get time off work and buy a plane ticket.

I miss my best friends.

I miss my parents.

I miss everything about Michigan, even the frickin' snow.

I hate that it's the beginning of April and it's averaging 80+ degrees here. It's springtime. This is summer in MI.

I hate it here. I really do. It's not home, and to be honest, it's never going to feel like home. I know why the Texans love it, because it's THEIR home. It's not mine.

I of course don't mean to offend anyone who lives in TX, I've loved exploring it and being able to go to the ocean.

But honestly, I need to be at least near MI. I'm a midwesterner, and I'm damn proud of it.

Hubby and I have been SO homesick lately. It's easy to say, "oh you'll get used to it, it'll grow on you." But really, with a baby on the way, I can't imagine my child's life so far away from the rest of our family. I don't want to raise my child not really knowing their grandparents.

Like I said, we want to at least be near MI, so we're considering Indiana, but eventually, we WILL be back in MI. Once the economy turns around and we can actually get jobs there, we will be back there as soon as we can.

Michigan is OUR HOME.



Sorry if this is depressing, but I needed to get this out of my head.

I'm 13 weeks now. Here's my weekly pic:


We had to switch our birthing center again. The one we were going to wasn't covered by our insurance, but thankfully this one is, and it's basically the same, except another 20 minutes away from home. I'll have a natural water birth with midwives, and a hospital is literally right next door in case the baby is breech or something. I'm glad we finally have it figured out!

We wont' find out for another 7 weeks what we're having, and that is driving me insane! I want to know so bad!

I've been talking a lot to family this week about our upcoming MI trip. Both our moms are planning baby showers for us. All I know is, we are so loved and I am so grateful for all these people in my life. We are endlessly lucky.

I love our family and friends.

xo
mere

12 weeks

GUESS WHO HAS SOME ENERGY!? Yep, me! The morning sickness is GONE! My appetite is BACK! I'm even using the CAPS LOCK! AHHHH!

So, I'm 12 weeks along now! I've successfully surpassed the first trimester! BAM!

Check me out:

I don't have much to update at the moment. Maybe tomorrow.

xo
M.

crafty things as of late...

Having two days off in a row is weird, but I like it!

I found a really cute pregnancy memory book online and decided to make my own. This is what I've done so far, it's not finished though. I plan on adding more pages like, designs for the nursery, and when we find out what we're having I'll make an announcement page and maybe a few others.







I mentioned in an earlier post that I've been working on some book art. This is one of them. I hate the pics though, they don't do it justice.

11 weeks

I'm now 11 weeks along. One more week and I'll officially be done with the first trimester! yay! Check me out:


What's weird about taking these photos, is that I look a lot bigger at night than I do in the daytime. In the daytime I don't look like I have a bump, but in this pic it sure looks like I do! Right?

I'm really hoping once I start showing more I can do something better for my weekly photos. Something more artsy and cute. We'll see. Hubby and I have to come up with something. :)

So, how is everyone today? I'm feeling pretty darn good actually. I'm still kinda wiped out, but I'm feeling better mentally. I'm feeling really excited and finally feeling happier. Not that I wasn't happy or something, but my doc took me off my anti-depressants so I was feeling kind of down in the dumps for a few weeks. I think I'm finally on the up and up!

Work is going well. I really love my job. I go to work every day and I love being there. I was talking to my friend Dori today and was telling her how excited we are about going to MI this summer. We talked about how hard it is to leave your family and pick up your life and start somewhere new. It got me thinking that we're really lucky that our coworkers are (for the most part) awesome people. Without knowing them, we wouldn't know anyone and we'd be really unhappy. I truly believe that some of these folks will be in our lives for a loooooong time. I feel lucky to know them, they've opened their hearts to us and I'm so grateful for that.

Especially since getting pregnant, it's really shown me that some of them truly care about us and our well being and our future. It means a lot to us, seriously.

Something funny about pregnancy, I've never loved drinking orange juice so much. I seriously can't get enough. Specifically, Tropicana Tangerine Orange. OMG it's so tasty.

Tomorrow, Hubby and I both have the day off. Who knows what we'll do, but I know we've gotta send out some mail. I've got a birthday present to send and two Easter gifts! Maybe we'll clean this pigsty of an apartment. haha!

I think I need this shirt:

I think Jim needs this, hehe:



goodnight!
xo.
M