30 weeks and pregnancy thoughts

30 Weeks

30 weeks and 4 days.

It was far too cold to take the belly picture outside this week. Thus, we are moving them indoors to the nursery. What happened to our 60 degree winter days? Thankful for my extra layers this winter, but still dreading the ice and snow they are calling for this week. 

Baby Size: cucumber or butternut squash. Roughly 17 inches and 3.1lbs. We go to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully will get a better idea of how big he actually is. 

Movement: all the time! I am sure I have mentioned this before but this is hands down my favorite part of being pregnant. I absolutely love feeling him move inside of me. It is something that can't be explained until you experience it. I also love that this little daddy's boy responds with lots of kicks and jabs to Jared playing the guitar and rapping his favorite Notorious rhymes.  These boys are going to have so much fun together. 

Cravings: still loving my sweets! I swear I could eat just dessert and be one happy mama. However, our birth class instructor scared me to death and said we are in the most important stage of development, the brain. So it is even more important to eat healthy, nutrient-rich and brain building foods (aka everything baby and I don't like). I balance my broccoli with cookies. It is a win-win. 

Symptoms: starting to get lower back pain frequently but changing positions usually helps with that. The newest and possibly the most uncomfortable symptom yet is this pelvic pain. I feel like I took a 4 hour spin class. Other than that I continue to feel great and sleep soundly.  

Thoughts/Feelings: I love being pregnant! Honestly, I do. It is seriously amazing! I know that I have been really fortunate to have an "easy" pregnancy [I don't like saying this because every woman and mother are different and will have different experiences]. I remember telling someone around 18 weeks how great I was feeling. They scoffed and said, "wait, until 30 plus weeks honey, you won't be singing the same tune." I beg to differ. 

Pregnancy is the coolest and most wonderful thing I have ever done. I would take the back acne, hourly bathroom trips, swollen ankles, heavy breathing/snoring, waddling in place of walking, forgetting I can only bend down so far, not ever seeing my toes, congestion, rolly-polly maneuver to get out bed and off the couch, pregnancy brain, dessert cravings, weight gain, anxiety, crying for no apparent reason, bottomless pit of a stomach, and the ever so lovely gas, a thousand times over. Because the feelings I have had throughout this outweigh all the negative/not so attractive things about being pregnant. 

I have loved watching my stomach grow, seeing my body change to accomodate this new life inside of me, feeling our baby boy move and wiggle, falling more in love with my husband as he falls more in love with our unborn child, feeling and hearing his giddiness everytime he feels the baby move, prepping for birth of our son with Jared, daydreaming about what he will look like, hearing that precious heartbeat at every doctor visit, knowing that our lives will never be the same again, and so much more to love about this season of life.

It makes me sad that I only have a short time left in my first pregnancy. I will never get to experience these "firsts" again. But I am so excited for what is to come, the challenges, victoires, and changes that will rock our world. I would do this all over in a heartbeat.  

27, 28, 29 surprise!

27 Weeks

Baby size: rutabaga! I had never seen one of these before or really noticed them before. But while in the grocery store with my mom I picked one up. That's when it became very surreal how big our little one has grown. No wonder those kicks and jabs are feeling stronger than ever.

Week Recap: phew, this was by far the roughest week for me and it was not pregnancy related. We woke up on Christmas morning to fly home to be with my family, but I had the worst pain on the right side of my face and my tooth felt like it was being stabbed. We made it to my mom's house and enjoyed opening gifts and eating (of course) but I still felt like death. I slept most of the day and the whole thing is really a blur. The next morning I woke up with a swollen right side of my face. Well, 3 hours at urgent care, a call to my OB, a sinus infection diagnosis and a trip to the pharmacy later I was on hooked up on antibiotics and baby-safe pain medication. It took a nearly a week to recover which meant spending New Year's Eve and Day in bed. Oh the joys of a pregnant immune system.

28 Weeks

Woohoo, hello third trimester!! We hit 28 weeks on New Year's Day. I could not think of better way to welcome 2016 than hitting this pregnancy milestone :) Bonus, we now get to say, "we get to meet Baby Rice this year!" aka, less than twelve weeks (insert shocked emjoi face).

Baby Size: he is as big as an eggplant. Fun fact, eggplant is my least favorite vegetable. 

Weight Gain: I had my doctors appointment this week where I got to meet the dreaded scale. I am up 27.5 pounds total! Phew, yes, still embracing the weight gain. 

Doctor Appointment Update: this was the one I was not looking forward to at all, the glucose test. I was worried all those frostys and cookies would catch up with me. Luckily though I do not have gestaional diabetes! The cut off is 139 and I was 79 (yay)! Baby Boy's heartbeat was 150 and doctor says we are growing great! I still feel wonerful and beyond thankful to continue to have a positive experience. Now we start going for visits every 2 weeks. 

Best Moment This Week: there are two of course. 

Jared and I went to our first child brith class. Of course I loved it but I think Jared is a little skeptical about it. The first class was introductions, a really quick "this is what happens in birth," and some relaxation techniques. I like the teacher a lot. I am excited to see what she can share with us about the birth experience and our options during the delivery process. I will also enjoy seeing all these dads squirm everrytime the teacher mentions details about birth. 

My favorite part of this week was celebrating Jared's 30th birthday. In true Jared fashion he requested nothing fancy. He just wanted a relaxing night of wings and to watch the NC State basketball game. That is exactly what we did.  

After dinner we opened gifts. I got him a universal remote, new pair of sunglasses and a mandolin. He was by far most excited about the mandolin. He had mentioned it a few months back and all I could picture was him playing our sweet boy tunes. I knew he had to have one :)

Of course, chocolate mousse cake followed presents. A very low key 30th birthday for my sweet man. Well, at least so he thought...

29 Weeks:

SURPRISE!!! 

The Saturday after Jared's actual birthday I threw him a surprise 30th birthday party at the bar that we used to go to all the time in college, East Village. This place holds a lot of memories for us. We even took some engagement pictures there. I knew this was the perfect location for such an eventful occasion. 

Wonderful friends from near and far came to help us celebrate The Jared turning 30. He was so surprised to see so many people there for him. He is a humble man ;)

I made these party props that were all these different pictures of Jared making his crazy faces. They were so much fun to play with and have in pictures. Plus, I can't lie, I love seeing at his cute face everywhere! 

He broke down the party into top three favorite moments: 1. the surprise and all those people that were there, 2. the fact it was at East Village and, 3. the ice cream cake. Thank you so much to all our family and friends (not all pictured) that made this surprise possible and helped celebrate my favorite person! He claims this was the best birthday ever. He deserrves it :) 

Most Looking Forward To: this week has just begun, but I am most looking forward to our second child birth class, ripping up the carpets in the bedrooms upstairs (especially the soon to be nursery), laying new floors, and picking a paint color. Yeah, it is going to be a long one. 

24..25...26...

Ahh yes, there is a trend here. I keep forgetting to blog. Honestly, all the weeks are running together. I am currently in my last week days of the second trimester which is really hard for me to wrap my head around.

24 weeks

Baby Size: baby is as big as a cantaloupe

This was our first week at home just the two of us. We took full advantge. We decorated the house and put up the tree.

We also filled out our baby registries. I must say I am not a fan of registering. I hated doing it for our wedding and still wasn't very fond of it for our baby. But, it was fun to imagine getting to use all that stuff with our little guy in a few months. Who knew something so tiny would need so many things to survive. Don't even get me started on the things I learned that I personally will need post-baby. Ever heard of nipple butter? Yeah, I don't think it is used for fun.

25 weeks

Forgot to take a belly picture this week so the picture of us at Laura and Pen's wedding will have to do :)

Baby size: Cauliflower, about 13.5-14.8 inches and 1.5-2.5 pounds!

This week we celebrated our last wedding of 2015 and last one before Baby Rice arrives! It was for the final Boddie boy, Pen, and his new wife Laura. We had so much fun dancing the night away to an awesome band, The Janitors, and taking in the gorgeous views of Rose Hill Plantation. As always, a blast getting all our friends together under one roof and playing the cow bell ;)

This was also the week I broke down and admitted I was not sleeping well to Jared. His response, "I know, I noticed it a couple days ago so I ordered you a pregnancy pilliow from Amazon and should be here soon." Hello, husband and baby daddy of the year! He seriously is the greatest. This pregnancy pillow is ahh-mazing! It took me a few nights of shifting, finding the right position and getting over the fact that it felt like pillow jail but it has made a world of difference.

26 weeks

Baby size: head of lettuce. Which, I should probably eat more of but Baby Rice is just not a fan of vegetables, just like his daddy.

This week we are in Texas celebrating Christmas with Jared's side of the family. It has been busy since the minute we landed but I love every second of it!

I especially love all the time with this sweet sister-in-law aka built in friend of mine!

Day one was kids' Christmas. Our sweet family got us gifts for baby boy even though he's not technically here yet. He will certainly be decked out in Texas/Rice Man gear :) We had our annual meet up with Jared's old friends and went to see Star Wars.

Day two Jared's cousin got married. It was just a small civil ceremony followed by a family lunch. Then we met up with Gwyn and Neil at their new house for dinner.

Day three was shopping day which is Jared's favorite. Spending 2 hours in Best Buy is my nightmare but he loves it.

Day four (today) was Christmas Eve Eve where we did our immediate family gift exchange. My in laws got me set with a new fitbit and kindle. Jared also made me the sweetest most thoughtful gift, a mama coupon book for after Baby Rice's arrival. I'm telling you, Baby Daddy of the year.

Tomorrow is our traditional marathon Christmas Eve. The morning will be with my mother-in-laws side of the family. The evening is church and Christmas with my father-in-laws side of the family. It is a super long day but always so great to see all the family!

Then early Christmas morning we fly home to be with my family in Wilmington.

It is a whirlwind of a week but totally worth it. Can't believe our sweet little boy will be here next year for all the Christmas festivities!

21..22..23 weeks..oh my!

It has been pretty busy since we got back from Arizona and we have been playing catch up.

21 Weeks 

Unfortunately, we have been so busy since getting back from Arizona that we kept foretting to get the picture outside before the sun went down. Thus, we must settle for an indoor shot for the 21 week belly picture.

Baby Size: pomegranate or 10.5 inches and 12.7 ounces

Week Recap: nothing interesting happened this week. It was a lot of catching up at work and getting back in the swing of a routine. Baby boy is still moving a lot. Mama is still loving her sweets and will soon be regretting that at the doctor's appointment next week. A mix of maternity and pre-pregnancy clothes are making up my wardrobe.

22 Weeks

Baby Size: Papaya! Honestly, couldn't tell you what in the world a papaya tastes like, but baby boy is 10.5-11.8 inches and 12.7-20.8 ounces.

Total Weight Gain: brace yourself...16 pounds. Yes, SIXTEEN pounds. I gained 10 in just 4 weeks (insert shocked-face-emjoi here). For me, a person who has struggled with weight and body issues her entire life, this was a hard pill to swallow. I was quickly reassured by my husband and doctor that this is totally normal. Still it was difficuly for me to grasp especially since my plan was to only gain 25 total. I don't feel like I look 16 pounds heavier. Most of my gain has been belly and obviously my chest. I understand you gain weight with pregnancy however, this was a scale shock for me. I feel amazing and I am grateful that I get to experience such a beautiful thing. Quickly learning to love the weight while decreasing my ice cream intake and increasing pilates...

Maternity clothes: duh.

Best Moment This Week: of course nothing beats hearing our sweet baby's heart beat at our check up, but we also got to spend a weekend in Topsail Island with some of our best friends! 

We celebrated this guys 30th birthday! Hillman and I have been friends since high school and over 10 years. Well, now we are both married, one is 30 and one is pregnant. Oh life, you move so fast. 

Spent the weekend with these lovely folks eating oysters, enjoying Friendsgiving, and celebrating the birthday boy! 

The views from the house were unreal. I'm talking 360 degree water views. Hello dream vacation home. But let's be real, the picture is mainly to show off my cute husband and sweet Lillie bug.

Thanksgiving: 

Jared and I hosted at our home again this year for the third time. It was very low key and perfect for us. Very thankful for all the people above and the little turkey in my belly that will be joining us next year!

Sweet hubs with his turkey day set up outside

23 Weeks

Baby Size: Grapefruit! About 10.5-11.8 inches and 12.7-20.8 ounces

Sleep: still great! Having some crazy vivid dreams still.

Symptoms: I don't know if this is really a symptom or if I should attribute it to my increase in hormones. Well, I think I love my husband more everyday since I have been pregnant. I am literally bursting with love for him. I know it sounds weird (and cheesy) but knowing he helped/played a major role in giving me the greatest gift ever makes me just melt. I can't imagine what kind of puddle of love I will be be once I see my boys together.

Movement: all the time! I LOVE it! I think it is one of my favorite things about being pregnant. Plus I am way less anxious because his movement reassures me everything is ok.

Best Moment This Week: got my very first funny pregnancy comment from one of my patients. She said, "girl, did you swallow a watermelon?" Haha.

I survived being pregnant for an entire football season! Woohoo! We capped off tailgating/football season this weekend. Unfortunately, we had a sorry loss against the Tarholes but still had fun at the final tailgate of the year!

Now, on to basketball season...

20 weeks (in Arizona and Meixco)

Woohoo! Halfway there!

We hit 20 weeks last Friday while in Arizona and it has been an amazing week so far! 

It started with my beautiful cousin's wedding on Saturday. The ceremony was in this cute old little church in the middle of nowhere in Florence, Arizona. A very traditional Catholic ceremony and the first wedding I have ever been to where the groom actually fainted. Yes, fainted. He went stark white then...plop. He hadn't eaten anything that day from being so nervous (and they always worry about the brides). Passing out aside, the wedding was beautiful! The reception was held at this sweet little winery and  was Pinterest-perfect. Serisously, it looked like something straight from a magazine. Including the bride, she was stunning! 

Unfortunately, Jared had to leave on Sunday to go back to work. He has to save his PTO to be home with Baby Rice, so I guess I undertstand. Just stinks he will miss the family trip to Mexico, again. We will get him there one day. 

We got to Mexico on Monday evening and went straight to LaCurva for dinner. My Mexician food aversion is still there but the cheese quesadilla was just perfect to keep mama and Baby Rice content. The rest of the time here has been spent soaking up sun and catching up with family. It has been nice to unplug and relax. 

All the girl cousins at La Casa Del Capitan with a gorgeous view! 

Preggo on the beach. Embrace the bump!

All the cousins wearing (and holding) wedding swag. Sunglasses from mine & Jared's wedding and sandals from Katilin's wedding. 

Baby Size: Banana! About 6.5 inches and 10.2 ounces!

Total weight gain: last I checked it was only 7 pounds. However, with all this travel and eating I have been doing, I suspect more. Too afraid to weigh myself though haha 

Maternity clothes: still loving the maternity jeans and have a few staple items that fit great. This weather is so nice and easy to layer. Getting in a bathing suit was not easy. Luckily, my mom had a suit that fit me perfectly! 

Sleep: still great! Crazy dreams are common. I still have the 7am wake up call for the bathroom which didn't get the time change notice so that means I am up at 5am Arizona time... 

Symptoms: none really. Just loving feeling great still. Headaches are far and few between now! 

Movement: all the time!! I love it!! He is a movin' and a groovin' in my belly! What I love even more, Jared got to feel him and my brother too. I have felt him everyday since we got here. It has been amazing. 

Gender: Baby BOY!!!!! 

Best Moment This Week: my sweet wonderful gracious family threw me a surprise baby shower in Mexico!! I was so shocked. They showered me, Jared and baby boy with so many fun goodies. He is stocked up boooks and is already so loved :) Very thankful for my amazing family! 

Looking Forward To: speding another day in Mexico and a few more days with family in Arizona. Enjoying the time off of work. Trying to relax and not check my work email, too much...Also looking forward to seeing my hubby on Sunday evening! 

Baby Rice Gender Reveal!

When we first started planning this I pictured a balloon or a piñata, maybe a cake. However, my visions were totally blown out of the water. It started one weekend at a tailgate when I was joking with Jared and friends that we should do our gender reveal at half time at an NC State football game. Jared had always joked about proposing at half time so I thought it would be cool to do something like that for the baby. But what happened was so.much.better. A friend of a friend works for the Wolfpack club and she suggested having mr and/or ms Wuf come to our tailgate to reveal the gender. I was sold and totally in love with the idea!

Thus, the best gender reveal ever was born. Thanks to my wonderful friend Emily who coordinated most of it :) we knew that either mr or ms Wuf would be coming to our tailgate! Obviously, mr Wuf meant boy and ms Wuf meant girl. I mean, is there a better way for two alumni to find out the sex of their future Wolfpacker? I think not.

We decorated the tailgate area to make it feel like a traditional gender reveal. Just no baby blue (aka Carolina blue). 

So Baby Rice is a...

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!

I was beyond (happily) surprised! I was almost 100% sure it was going to be a girl. Not that I wanted a girl or that there were signs pointing to girl. Just a feeling. I don't think I have seen a more proud moment on my sweet husband's face. He yelled "ITS A BOY" so loud I think the entire tailgate knew we were having a boy! I was so happy to see him so so SO excited. It was a really special :)

Getting to share that intial moment of surprise with our family and friends was so much fun!

To even more of our surprise, Mr. And Ms. Wuf both came to the tailgate!! They made sure only Mr. Wuf was a part of the reveal but pulled Ms. Wuf in for lots of fun photo ops. They are truly like celebrities to me so it was such an honor to have them be a part of this. 

We have decided to keep the name to ourselves until his birthday. But I am so thrilled to be having a sweet Baby Boy Rice!

Side Note: today marks the exact halfway point in this pregnancy! Woohoo to 20 weeks down! Best moment so far of 20 weeks, Jared finally got to feel our sweet baby boy kicking! His face was priceless!