21 weeks

How far along? 21 weeks and one day

Baby size: 10.5 inches and 12.7 ounces--the size of a banana

Maternity clothes? yup--and I am in love with my maternity jeans from Old Navy--I got some more this week!

Sleep: Friday night I couldn't sleep! I was up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night--ugh! But since then I've slept great.

Best moment this week: Um...not really sure! We have a doctors appointment Friday, so maybe that will be the best moment!

Movement: He is a little kicker! But it still only where I can feel it--hopefully Bech will fill him soon!

Food cravings: Pepperocinis, Flavor-pops, corn dogs

What I miss: Margaritas

What I am looking forward to: Ordering the crib--I think I'm going to order it this week!

Milestones: not sure?

Pregnancy Symptoms: I am still fairly moody!

Stretch Marks: None yet!

Things I love right now...

1. I unashamedly love Taylor Swift. I lover her so much (but not as much as Ansley) that I think I can call her Tswift for short. I have her new cd (Thanks, Holly!) and absolutely love it! Seriously, I listen to it every morning on the bus (well either her or Derek Webb--which is a weird mix, I know) and it makes me happy.

Now I know some of y'all are music snobs and want to be all about "cool" music. But really, she's just so fun. And she has some really good lyrics on this new cd.

My favorite:

"This is looking like a contest

Of who can look like they care less.

But I liked it better when we were on the same side.

The battles in your hands now,

But I would lay my armor down

If you would say you'd rather love than fight."

2. Bech and I love this show! We usually like most cooking shows, and this one is especially good. It's a competition of chefs from past seasons of "Top Chef." I am pulling for Richard Blaise, Angelo, or Tiffany from season 8. I really think Richard or Angelo is going to win.

3. Okay, I blame this all on Courtney. She wrote about "The Bachelor" on her blog, and it made me want to watch just one episode. And then I wanted to watch more. And now I am planning on watching the whole season. I am slightly embarrassed. But you know, when you are pregnant and a full time (well a little over full time) grad student plus you work almost 20 hours a week at the library, you deserve a little mindless drivel. And I have chosen this show to be my drivel.

4. Don't worry. I am not drinking these right now. But I want to be. But I'm not. Okay. But my friend Emily told me about a little something called the "Pump & Dump." So after Jack is born, I would like to have one of these. And I will enjoy every last drop of it. I can't wait.

5. Feeling Jack kick. For some reason, this is the week he has decided to make his presence known! He kicks a lot. It still just feels like little thumps in my stomach, so Bech hasn't been able to feel it yet. Maybe in the next week or two. He loves to kick during my Latin class--maybe he will be a little classicist! Actually, he is probably bored out of his mind and is trying to say, "Mom, get me out of here!"

I love this...

I am absolutely in love with this video right now...it makes me so happy!

20 weeks

How far along? 20 weeks and 2 days--halfway there!

Baby size: 6 1/2 inches and 10.6 oz---actually he's 11 ounces (we had an ultrasound yesterday so I can be exact!)

Maternity clothes? yup--and I am in love with my maternity jeans from Old Navy

Sleep: it's been great this week. I have been going to bed early and not really having to get up during the night.

Best moment this week: Kind of the ultrasound yesterday. But the doctor who did it wasn't very fun. She was so business like. But still, it was fun to see him!

Movement: I've been feeling him kick! The past couple of days, I have felt him several times throughout the day. Bech still hasn't been able to feel him yet, but I'm hoping he will soon!

Food cravings: Pepperocinis

What I miss: Margaritas

What I am looking forward to: Bech feeling him move

Milestones: everything looked great on the anatomy ultrasound, so that's good

Pregnancy Symptoms: I am so moody. We have been playing frisbee golf on the Wii, and I throw a fit if I don't do well. It's a little embarrassing.

Stretch Marks: None yet!

nursery update...

Last weekend, Bech and I spent a day or two switching everything around upstairs. We moved our ikea desk into our bedroom and the Danish desk (Bech's grandmother brought it over from Denmark) into Jack's room. We now are utilizing a lot more space in our room, and Jack's room isn't as cramped.

Here is a view of our room from the doorway. And I need to move the frames and such around for the new set up.

Our new desk area, and my getting ready area (sorry for the view of our dirty clothes!).

And Jack's room:

First of all, it's a mess right now! There are still random piles on the ground that we are trying to figure out what to do with. But this is to the left. Both of those pieces of furniture will have to stay in the room. I may move them around. Also, I've thought of putting a curtain divider up, so those won't be in Jack's room, at least sight wise.

This is straight on. See what I mean about piles! But I am going to be selling my guitar, and the wine cooler (which has a towel over it) may be going in our room. Right now it is holding a batch of home brewed beer.

The changing table, our first piece of baby furniture! We got it on sale at a local baby store for $50, brand new! The second row is holding Jack's diapers and the third has all of his goodies thus far. Plus, there's my cute houndstooth diaper bag!

We are going to be ordering a Jenny Lind crib to match the changing table. Bech actually picked out the furniture. I love Jenny Lind because it's so sweet and classic. But I thought Bech would want something more modern. But after looking at tons of different styles, he told me he loved this!

We will also be buying some sort of rocker or glider. I haven't seen anything yet that I really like. We also need some more sort of storage. I found a really cute childs dresser on sale on craigslist--let's hope I get an email back about it!

I used to want to do a sort of retro bright nursery, but now I think I just want to do something sweet and calm, with light blues and greens. And I really want to try to sew as much of the bedding as I can (I may need a little help with the bumpers!).

Here are some fabrics I have found so far:

The last one comes in light blue as well. It's probably the only one I really love. I just haven't found the perfect fabric yet! Any ideas?

my sister...

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner for her "Show Us Your Life" tour. The theme today is "Show Us Your Singles." Katy, my sister, might completely kill me for doing this, but oh well...here goes!

Katy is my older (by a year and a half) sister. She just turned 27 this week. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi, and is a lawyer. She graduated from Auburn in 2006, and then went to Ole Miss for law school.

(That's her on the right, New Years Eve this year.)

Things she loves:

1) The church--She goes to Highlands Pres in Ridgeland, MS, and volunteers with the youth group as well as teaches a Sunday school class. She loves this church (we actually used to go there as a family when we lived in Jackson) and the preacher, Joseph Wheat. She also loves Tim Keller and Marc Driscoll.

2) Football--Of course, by this I mean SEC, which is the best conference in the world. She loves Auburn football! In fact, the last few of these pictures are from the BCS National Championship game in Arizona. My dad and she went to it! She adores Auburn, but don't let that scare away any Georgia or Alabama fans. She is respectful of other teams, especially Ole Miss.

(her roommate and her)

3) Traveling--She loves to travel. She backpacked Europe by herself, which always amazes me (I still have trouble asking salespeople for dressing rooms in stores, and she was on her own in other countries!!!). She visited a friend in Europe last summer and they covered some of the Eastern European countries she had yet to see (and got a lengthened trip due to the volcano!). She also came to Malawi to visit me and has been to Belize on a mission trip.

4) Washington, D.C.--This is her all time favorite city. She has spent 3 summers there (1 interning for a representative, one at the National Council for Adoption, and one at the Heritage Foundation). We are actually going there again this spring on a girls trip.

(@ a party this Christmas break)

A couple of random facts:

* She loves C.S. Lewis (not as much as I do, but pretty darn close--and that's saying something!)

* She ran a half marathon this summer.

(@ BCS NC game with my dad)

* She loves kids and would love to find a way to use her legal skills to help with domestic/international adoptions.

* She loves holidays, especially Christmas.

(in Arizona, the morning of the game!)

* She is extremely loyal. She has amazing friendships, and a lot of that is because of how much she loves her friends and how great she is at keeping friendships going!

* She secretly loves the Disney Channel.

(@ the game, with my dad and a family friend--War Eagle!)

* She has been to 8 of the 12 SEC stadiums, but wants to see games in all of them!

* She loves going out. I don't mean she's wild, but she loves to go out to parties and events with friends. She loves to get events together! At the same time, though, she still loves movie and game nights with the family.

(My mom and her...as a side note, how cute is my mom?)

Okay, I think that about sums her up. Let me know if you are interested or know of the perfect guy for her!

Also, if you are Katy, forgive me! But 3 couples got together last time from this, so it's worth a shot, right?

(all my siblings, my older sister is on the right)

19 Weeks...!

How far along? 19 weeks yesterday! That means we are almost halfway there!

Baby size: 6 inches and 8.5 ounces, about the size of a mango

Total weight gain/loss: about 9 pounds...I don't want to gain more than 25, so I'm right on track

Maternity clothes? yup...I still wear a few regular shirts but my mom gave me such cute stuff that I have mostly been wearing them

Sleep: good...although I am so tired again and have been taking lots of naps!

Best moment this week: Buying diapers for Jack! When I picked up Bech from work, we went back to the store and got more diapers (and Bech got a 40% coupon, so we got the diapers for $12!!!). Also, yesterday, we switched our room around and moved our ikea desk/bookshelf into our room, so now Jack has TONS of room in his room!

Movement: Still only a little. Friday night I felt my first definite kiss but nothing since then. I know this is normal, cause I'm only 19 weeks and its my first time, but I want to feel him move more!

Food cravings: Flavor Pops

What I miss: Diet Dr. Pepper

What I am looking forward to: Picking out the fabric...we still have decided on anything.

Milestones: not sure?

Pregnancy Symptoms: Emotions. Last night I watched Extreme Home Makeover and just bawled.

Stretch Marks: None yet!

random...

A few random thoughts:

1) I got a Wii for Christmas, and we've got Netflix set up with it. This way I can wirelessly stream my new favorite show, Psych. I absolutely love this show!

2) I also like snow a lot. There is tons of snow here, and it really is beautiful!

3) School starts Tuesday...I am kind of excited and kind of still enjoying my break. I am taking Greek philosophers (we are reading Plato and a few others), Latin epic (we are reading lesser known epics), Greek composition (writing in Greek, so that you learn the grammar more carefully), and Greek history (yay, a class in English!).

4) My favorite thing to eat right now is Flavor Pops. I love those things! But my box (which I won at a Dirty Santa party) is getting low. I will have to find a store that stocks those things!

5) I got to eat at Little Tokyo 4 times while I was home! Which was wonderful. But which means I am not in serious sushi withdrawal.

6) While home over Christmas, I read the Hunger Games series--INCREDIBLE! I absolutely loved these books!

You should read this series, whoever you are. It is so good. I want to read them again, already. But the last few nights, I have dreamed that I am in the Hunger Games--scary.

7) Bech and I watched District 9 the other day. It was really good, really intense, and really thought provoking. It is supposed to be about the Apartheid.

8) I am done--that is all the randomness I have for today.

Cloth Diapers...

I've been interested in cloth diapering for a few years now. But there are very few people in Mississippi who cloth diaper, so I hadn't seen it in action before. In Malawi, our friends the Robbins cloth diapers Elijah, so we were able to see how you really do it. And it is not that intimidating! We've also met several families in Vermont who clothe diaper.

We've decided to go ahead with cloth diapering for Jack. There are several reasons behind our decision:

1) the Environment -

Bech and I both believe that Christians should be actively concerned about the condition of the Earth. Not to the point of freaking out about global warming (God is going to come again and redeem this earth!), but to the point of caring about our individual effect on the earth. One way we can do this is by limiting the amount of waste and trash we create. And disposable diapers create a LOT of waste! Abut 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used (and then thrown away) each year.

Clothe diapers do use water for washing, but the amount of water used is minimal compared with the lack of waste created.

2) Cost Effectiveness -

Clothe diapers are a lot cheaper in the long run! For two years in diapers, parents will spend about $1600 on disposable diapers. We will spend probably $400 total on cloth diapers. Factor in doing the laundry (we have to use coin machines) and the total cost should be $1000 or $1100 total! Already we have saved $500! Plus, cloth diapers are reusable from child to child, so with our next baby, we should only have to buy a few new inserts and pay for laundry, and we'll be set!

I have been pricing out diapers for a month or two now. There is a local kids store who had a huge sale today. I got a 20% coupon when I walked in the door this morning. I figured this would be a great day to stock up on some diapers. The best price I've found for FuzziBunz and Bumgenius diapers has been about $19. But with my coupon, I was able to get the diapers for $16! I went ahead and got 11 diapers. I know I will need more, but I wanted to just get a start on buying the diapers.

I got 7 FuzziBunz and 4 Bumgenius. I was going to get all FuzziBunz, but I couldn't pass up the really cute Bumgenius artist series. I have been eyeing them online for a while!

Here's my loot:

A close up of a FuzziBunz diaper:

The artist series:

Seriously, how cute is that pattern???

Jack's "layette"

Okay, first of all, let me just say that I will never again refer to Jack's baby clothes as his layette. I promise. It's really cheesy. But I am reading this book I'm reading, Baby Bargains (which is really good...it has lots of great advice about what you do and don't need for a baby, and where to find great deals), refers to layettes a lot.

Anyway, Baby Jack (who has several nicknames already, my favorite being Jack Attack) has lots of cute outfits already! I thought I would show them off, cause they are just too cute!

This first one is a newborn outfit that my parents sent me after we told them. It's yellow, so that its gender neutral. I think it's really cute. We had thought about getting it monogrammed, but I think I want to leave it plain (or just get an E). That way all of our babies can wear it home from the hospital!

Okay, how cute is this little bubble? Remember Nguyen had a big sale right after Christmas, so several of these outfits are from there. This will fit Jack next summer, and I think he'll look so cute in it!

A sweet day gown, for when he is an infant.

Another sweet outfit. Although this one might be a 9 month for next spring...I can't remember.

I just LOVE smocked outfits! This is for next spring/summer.

This one makes me think of my Nana--she loves roosters! Jack can wear this next spring/summer.

A corduroy smocked outfit for next winter. This will look sweet with a white turtleneck under it.

This is for next spring and summer--I think it needs his monogram on the collar.

And to support the national champions (WAR EAGLE!), here is an Auburn outfit. Okay, so it's not technically an Auburn outfit, but its Auburn colors. This is for this coming fall, on football Saturdays.

Another newborn day gown.

A jacket for next winter--it's so soft!

Katy got Jack this hat for Christmas. It's from Anthropologie--Jack is going to be stylish!

This was Blaise's favorite book when he was little (and everyone in my family loves it, as well). He gave us it as a present for Christmas.

I already have a diaper bag! Expectations, a maternity and baby store in Brookhaven, was having a 50% sale after Christmas. I got a great deal on this bag. Bech wasn't with me, but his one request was for it to not be too girly. Of course, when I came home with this he said, "That's your definition of not too girly?" But really, it was the least girly option, I promise! And I just LOVE houndstooth! (But not because of Alabama!)

Well there you go...just a few of the cute things Jack has. We've also bought a changing table, but I am still stumped for fabric. I have seen some cute stuff, but nothing that I just love. Everything that I think is cute has hippos or giraffes or elephants in it, and I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go in. Oh well, I will just keep looking!

How far along? 18 weeks

Baby Size: 5.6 inches, 6.7 ounces

Total weight gain/loss: I think about 8 or 9 pounds, which is normal according to my books

Maternity clothes? Yup. I got tons of maternity clothes for Christmas so I've been wearing them. My favorite are these jeans from Old Navy. I need another pair, but they don't have my size :(

Sleep: I think I'm sleeping fairly well?

Best moment this week: Figuring out what style crib we are going to get! Now we can start picking out the fabric!

Movement: A little, but I am always not sure if I'm imagining things or if it really is the baby.

Food cravings: Flavor-Pops

Gender: a boy...Jack Nolan!

What I miss: Margaritas

What I am looking forward to: deciding on the nursery fabric

Milestones: finding out the gender last week!

Pregnancy symptoms: a belly? I think thats about it

A few more pictures...

For Hunter's (Bech's younger brother) 21st birthday, we spent the two days after Christmas in New Orleans. Bech's mom grew up in New Orleans, and both his parents love to visit. In fact, they just bought a one bedroom condo down there (which we are excited to use).

I hadn't been to NOLA since freshman year of college, which is really quite crazy, because Brookhaven is two hours away. We ate too much (again, sorry OBGYN!) and had lots of fun. But of course I have very few pictures.

First of all, here is Bech's parents future grave. Is that morbid to say? Perhaps, but I don't mean it morbid at all, and neither do they! Bech's mom's parents (who I never got to meet) are buried there. Graves in New Orleans are above ground, because New Orleans is below sea level.

Raymond Augustus is Miss Karey's Dad, and Elvie is her mom. Her full name was Elveretta May--I think Elvie May is a pretty cute name! I met Bech in August of 2004, so I just missed Elvie by two years!

And what would a trip to NOLA be without Cafe du Monde? We stopped there for some beignets...yum!

Bech and I both enjoyed them! And I'm pretty sure that Jack did too!

On Christmas Day, after brunch, Ansley told me there was one more present for me--my wedding cake! Mom has been begging me to take my cake out of her freezer for two years. But I always forgot about it.

Here is the top of our cake, 3 years and 3 months later.

Bech humored me by trying some. The flavor was good, but it was definitely freezer burned!