Weeks 23, 24, 25

How far along: 25 weeks

Baby Size: A head of cauliflower
Weight gain: 15 pounds at my last appointment
Maternity clothes:  For sure. All my pants are maternity, but I’m still able to squeeze into some non-maternity tops. Now that it's gotten colder I'm on the hunt for some great vests and sweaters to incorporate into my rotation. 
Gender: A sweet little girl!
Movement: All the time! She’s especially active in the evenings after dinner, when I’m laying down. One of our dogs sleeps under our bed and has a habit of waking up around 5 AM and scratching her back on the bed’s boxspring, which causes the bed to shake. This seems to always startle the baby awake! And the other day in my office, while the cleaning lady was vacuuming, Kate would not stop wiggling around. Makes me think this child might have more in common with her fur siblings than we initially realized!
Best moment this week: Still loving the compliments I’ve been getting! A few of my coworkers have told me I’m glowing, and my chiropractor tells me he has several pregnant patients, and I seem to be one of the few who has been having such a smooth pregnancy! 
Looking forward to: Reaching the third trimester in a couple weeks! Sleep: Well, apparently the pregnancy insomnia thing is real. Most nights I sleep just fine, but there have been instances where I find myself awake for hours on end just staring at the ceiling. 

Food cravings: None, surprisingly! This week for some reason I've been dreaming of chocolate pretzels, but I don't find myself necessarily craving them enough to go out and buy them!
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm still hating burgers (especially the smell of them while they're cooking), and as of this week it feels like the morning nausea has made another appearance! From what I read it’s normal to have nausea come back in the third trimester, but I’m hoping it doesn’t last long.
Labor Signs: Way too early just yet! 
What I miss: I can’t wait for a big glass of red wine! Symptoms: The back pain has disappeared ever since I started seeing the chiropractor! Aside from the constant need to pee and the small bouts of nausea I’m feeling, everything is fine!
Nursery: The nursery is still a work in progress. We painted it a very light grey color a few weeks ago, and I’m loving how everything is slowly coming together! Most of our bigger pieces -- i.e. the crib, the dressers, the rocker, and the bookshelf are in place and ready to go.  The smaller things, such as the painting we've chosen to hang above the crib and the floating bookshelves I'd like to install next to the rocker, are still works in progress. Nonetheless, I’d say we’re slightly ahead of schedule!

Belly Button in or out? Way in. 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Stressed to the maximum. But I think that has a lot to do with the holidays coming up, finances being stretched pretty tight (oh hey, car repair and vet surgery bills), and a constant surge of hormones boarding through my body. This too shall pass. 
Workouts: Not really, but I’ve been doing hand weight exercises for my arms and squats for my legs in the evenings. We've made a couple of attempts to start walking around the neighborhood after dinner, but it's been so cold here and we've both had such hectic schedules lately that we haven't managed to get into a solid routine. Maybe once the holidays are done..

Hubby: Has been the best about talking me off the ledge and calming me down through my intense moments. He woke up early this morning to find me asleep on my back, so he quietly rolled me over to my side. He’s going to be an awesome dad!

Baby Shower

My mom threw me the sweetest baby shower for Baby Kate this weekend! It was so humbling to have so many of our friends and family show up to show their love and support for this little one who will be joining us in a few short months! My precious 2-year old niece was a huge help with opening my gifts, and everyone had such a great time joining in on the celebration. My sister-in-law, who helped put this whole thing together, was gracious enough to catch some wonderful shots from the day!

Weeks 21 & 22 Update

How far along: 22 weeks

Baby Size: A canteloupe.
Weight gain: 10 pounds at my last appointment, but I'm sure I've gained since then. Will see at my next appointment next Thursday!
Maternity clothes:  So many maternity clothes.  Still squeezing into a few non-maternity tops, but the bottoms are allll full panel.
Sleep: Lately I've been waking up at 4 a.m. Every morning.  Just to stare at the ceiling.
Gender: All pink!
Movement: Nothing definite.  I think I have an anterior placenta, which may be preventing me from feeling her move up to this point.  I'm going to check in with the doctor next week.
Best moment this week: When my husband told me my stomach looks pregnant, but my face doesnt. I couldn't have asked for a nicer compliment!
Looking forward to: My baby shower is tomorrow! I can't wait to see everyone and to soak in all the love so many people are showing for this sweet baby girl! It's really so humbling to see how many people are already crazy about her!

Food cravings: Trying to vary my whole foods a bit. I read somewhere that at this point, the baby can taste everything I eat, and she'll be more likely to eat things once she's born that she tasted in the womb. So, bring on the veggies! We want that girl to be healthy! I've also been on a bit of a green olive kick lately, so it's not unusual to find me at my desk in my office eating them straight from the jar!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really! Still trying to avoid beef, for whatever reason. I'm fine with chicken and pork, but beef seems to make me a little uneasy.
Labor Signs: Way too early just yet! The round ligament pains are definitely there, though, and I ended up calling the OB triage nurse last Friday because I was having really sharp pains in one specific spot in my lower abdomen.  She told me not to worry, that it sounded just like normal ligament pains, and to make sure to keep hydrated, as even the slightest degree to dehydration can exacerbate the pain.
What I miss: I miss the taste of a cold beer, but I don't quite crave it. I also miss being able to pick up things that I really can't these days -- everything from luggage to cases of water to helping my husband move furniture around.  It's annoying and frustrating to not be able to do such menial tasks that you really take for granted.

Symptoms: The back pain is starting to reside, thanks to my recent visits to the chiropractor. I'm going to keep going to see whether it cures the back pain for good.
Nursery: It's half-nursery, half-storage. My husband has embarked on a campaign to keep the small tv in the nursery after the baby is born, but there's no room to spare and I don't want any kind of overstimulation for Baby in her nursery.
Belly Button in or out? Way in.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Excited!
Workouts: Walking after dinner, sometimes.
Hubby: Is great at talking me down, and seems to be handling all these changes much better than I am. He's been reading the occasional baby articles I'm sending him too, which is a pleasant suprise! :)

Weeks 19 & 20 Update

How far along: 20 weeks

Baby Size: A mango
Weight gain: 10 pounds at my last appointment
Maternity clothes:  Ugh. Yes. All of them. Last weekend I switched out my summer clothes for my winter clothes, and ended up doing a complete overhaul of my closet. I ended up taking over half of my tops out of the closet that won't be able to fit me any longer (at least until long after girlfriend arrives in March). I knew this was coming, but to couple this with my growing belly, the nursery furniture fiasco (more on that to come in a bit) and a whole lot of over-the-top hormones coursing through my body, I was a weepy mess.
Sleep: Hit or miss. Most nights I sleep pretty well aside from the frequent potty breaks.
Gender: A sweet little girl!
Movement: I can feel what I believe to be Miss K twisting and turning sometimes, but I've yet to really feel any kicks. They say for a first pregnancy it's typical to not be able to truly feel much movement until a bit later.
Best moment this week: Realizing I've made it halfway through this pregnancy! And having more than one person comment on how pregnancy suits me! I couldn't think of a nicer compliment.
Looking forward to: My baby shower in a few weeks!
Food cravings: I've been eating more ice cream than usual, but I wouldn't call it a craving.  I'm just eating it because it happens to be in the freezer.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm still just, not currently a fan of burgers without buns.  My husband eats them for every other meal and always offers to make me one, but the thought of it really just makes me queasy.
Labor Signs: Way too early just yet! 
What I miss: Sushi, still.  I have dreams about it.

Symptoms: The back pain still reigns supreme. Headaches that come and go. Lots of delightful little gray hairs have been popping up around my hairline, which I chose to blame pregnancy for.
Nursery: The nursery furniture arrived!! This actually happened to be the best (and worst) moment, because while the furniture is absolutely beautiful and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out, I somehow misjudged the space we have available in the nursery. To be fair, I did use an app that measured out the furniture with the available space, but clearly that was a bit off, because we had to jam everything into the nursery.  And at the end of the day we decided that we don't in fact have room for the new twin bed in the nursery. So that bed was relocated to the office, which caused my husband's large dresser to be moved from the office to the master bedroom, which replaced my brand new nightstand that I'd recently bought at an estate sale. That gorgeous nighstand is now a side table in the living room, and the old side table will just have to find a new home.  So yeah. That was our weekend in a nutshell. It was full of measurements and moving parts and lots of tears coming from me.  But my husband handled it like a champ, and here we are on the other side of it.
Belly Button in or out? Way in.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Way stressed.
Workouts: No. I'm too lazy.
Hubby: Has been a real trooper, especially lately. I don't know how I'd do this without him.

Weeks 17 & 18 Update

How far along: 19 weeks

Baby Size: A grapefruit
Weight gain: 10 pounds
Maternity clothes:  Mostly full-panel maternity pants, and a few non-zip pants that hit just below my stomach.  Still working with the non-maternity tops, but I do have a few very plain long-sleeved shirts with the side ruching that I like to layer under vests or cardigans.
Sleep: Hit or miss. I'm either up all night staring at the ceiling or out like a light. My husband has discovered how much HE loves my pregnancy pillow, so I often wake up to him clinging to the thing like a life raft.
Gender: Girl!
Movement: I do have a lot of aches and pains happening in the stomach region, but I'm not sure I can distinguish the difference between baby's movements and just straight up ligament pain at this point.  The doctor says I should be able to feel her with certainty in the coming weeks.
Best moment this trimester: The 18 week scan! Girlfriend is perfectly healthy and is measuring four days ahead of schedule.  We were able to see close-ups of the heart, the brain, the ambilical cord, etc.  Everything looks good! She seems to be somewhat camera shy, because she kept wiggling her face away from the ultrasound camera.  At one point she even put her hand up in front of her face. The ultrasound tech couldn't quite get a look at her second eye due to her positioning, so for a minute I was convinced I had a one-eyed baby.  Luckily, she allowed the camera to catch a quick glimpse of her full face, and she does in fact have two perfect little eyes! The tech was cracking up the whole time because Baby Girl was moving her mouth so much -- I guess she's practicing her eating/breathing/talking movements.  I have a feeling she's going to be quite the talker.
Looking forward to: My baby shower in three weeks!!
Food cravings: Still none. I love a good sandwich, but that's not unusual for me.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still hating the strong smells.  Soap, perfume, and cleaning products expecially.
Labor Signs: Nope.
What I miss: Fitting into regular clothes. It's unbelievable how much stuff I've had to pack away already because it just doesn't work with a bump.
Symptoms: Still having the back pain some days. Ligament pain can be pretty intense. I'm finding lots more gray hairs than usual, too!
Nursery: Waiting to get a call that our furniture is being delivered -- a twin bed, dresser and rocker.  Once we receive that call we'll start de-constructing the desk, chair and double bed in the guest room to make room for the new stuff.
Belly Button in or out? Way in.  But I've noticed some scabbing inside my belly button, so I looked it up, and it seems that women with very deep belly buttons (me) tend to experience bleeding during the stretching process.  Very weird, and kind of gross.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Anxious but excited.
Workouts: Trying to get my walking routine back in place since the weather is starting to cool way down this week.

Hubby: Starting to get a little more interested in this process.  He's been reading books and articles about the pregnancy process and has been really good about being patient with me when my hormones spiral out of control!

Weeks 15 & 16 Update

How far along: 16 weeks

Baby Size: An avocado
Weight gain: 8 pounds
Maternity clothes:  Having to put away all the regular pants at this point.. it's maternity pants or bust. Still wearing very flowing, long tops that cover the bump. Sleep: No problem there. I am a little concerned about the fact that I keep going to sleep on my side, but waking up on my back. I guess some habits die hard. A friend of mine tells me that eventually I'll get so big that it will be physically painful to sleep on my back.
Gender: Pink!
Movement: None. The doctor said I should start feeling something in the coming weeks, but that woman during their first pregnancies take longer to recognize the feeling of movement. I told him I've been concentrating hard, and I feel no movement whatsoever just yet.
Best moment this trimester: Listening to the heartbeat again!
Looking forward to: Our 18 week scan!
Food cravings: Still loving sandwiches, but trying to cut back on the carbs. These days it's no breakfast during the week, a protein shake for lunch, a protein bar for an afternoon snack if needed, and just about anything for dinner. Eating mostly salads and cooked veggies at the moment.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week, luckily.
Labor Signs: Nope.
What I miss: Being able to lift heavy things. I feel utterly useless.

Symptoms: Still shooting pains in the abdomen, especially when I sneeze. Back pain that comes and goes. Mild headaches in the early evenings.
Nursery: Just purchased the dresser, twin bed and rocker last weekend! Can't wait for them to be shipped to the house so that the decorating can really begin!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Antsy. I really want to feel her move!
Workouts: Still waiting on the weather to cool off a bit before resuming my evening walks.

14 Week Update

How far along: 14 weeks


Baby Size: A nectarine


Weight gain: Still afraid of the scale.. I'll know for sure at my 16 week appointment!

Maternity clothes:  Yep. Still loving the maternity pants and my non-maternity tops.

Sleep: I'd been taking B6 and Unisom at night during my first trimester to take the edge off the nausea during the day, and while it may have worked some, I've decided to wean myself off of it.  When I was taking the Unisom I was sleeping like a baby, but now that I'm off of it I've noticed myself waking up more often during the night.

Gender: Bows all the way!

Movement: Not yet.

Best moment this week: Having a coworker ask if I'm pregnant! Her approach was a little suprising, since most people wouldn't dare assume (out loud) that a woman is pregnant until it's wildly obvious.  My bump is still small enough to pass as having maybe having just gained a few stress pounds, BUT it's nice to have someone random confirm my growing bump. 

Looking forward to: Seeing my parents tonight! They haven't seen me since I started to show, so I can't wait to see their reactions!

Food cravings: Chic-fil-a.  Like, all the time.  I'm not above eating multiple meals there a day.

Anything making you queasy or sick: After the hurricane hit late last week, everything in our laundry room and backyard AND at my office smells like mildew.  It turns my stomach big time.

Labor Signs: Way too early just yet! 

What I miss: Soft cheeses in my salads.

Symptoms: The back pain is still raging.  I tend to get headaches in the afternoon. Yesterday I freaked out for about an hour because I had (very very light) spotting.  My SIL assured me that it was completely normal and that she'd had it a few times during her pregnancy.  As of this morning there's no more spotting, so I'm chalking that up to one of the many weird occurences of a normal pregnancy.

Nursery: Shopping for the baby's dresser with my mom when I go to Raleigh this weekend.  Also looking at rockers..

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Excited and a little panicky at the same time.  In the past week things have started to feel even more real.  I caught myself staring at my profile in the reflection of my car window while I pumped gas yesterday, and began wondering if my baby will resemble me at all.

Workouts: Waiting for the weather to get a little cooler so I can resume my evening walks around the neighborhood.

Hurricane "Heroics"

I've been having a lot of people from out of town contact me to make sure we made it through Hurricane Florence okay.  The short answer is, yes, we're just fine.  We had no real damage to the house; no flooding or trees down in the yard and we only lost power for 24 hours. Riding out the storm here in Fayetteville was more of a headache than anything else, and unfortunately the hurricane hit right on my birthday.  So, suffice it to say, turning 32 on Saturday was a bit lackluster, as Will and I were basically stuck in a house with no power all day long. 

Except for that part where we drove over to his office to make sure the building hadn't had any damage.  And we walked in to find the power on, so we got right into the elevator to ride up to the third floor without thinking.  And of course, the elevator got stuck.  And we had to call the fire department to get us out.  And Will's call to the fire department included the line "I guess you should know my wife is pregnant.  She's not at all close to being due, but she is pregnant.  And angry with me.  Just as a forewarning."

About fifteen minutes later, before the firefighters had made their way into the building and up to us, Will had the brilliant idea to pry open the elevator doors, upon which we discovered that we had in fact reached the third floor, and the elevator had simply refused to open its doors. So we hurried out, ran down the stairs to meet the firefighters, and apologized profusely for having caused them such a headache.

So let that be a lesson us all -- even if the power is on in a building, it doesn't necessarily mean the elevator is safe to ride during a storm.

First Trimester Update

How far along: 13 weeks

Baby Size: A peach
Weight gain: 5 pounds at my last appointment
Maternity clothes:  So far I'm loving the maternity pants.  Might be wearing those even after I deliver! As for the tops, I'm just sticking with a size larger in tops and mostly flowy ones that help to disguise my growing bump. Sleep: Sleeping pretty well, but waking up at least once or twice a night to go to the bathroom.
Gender: A sweet little girl!
Movement: Still too early to feel anything just yet.
Best moment this trimester: Getting to see (and later hear) my babe's heart beating during the ultrasound; telling my husband and my family!
Looking forward to: Our 18 week scan!

Food cravings: None yet. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Yes.  I was fine until mid-way through Week 5, which is when the nausea hit. Until then I'd been eating a keto diet, but all of the sudden all I could manage to eat were carbs. Just the thought of meat and butter made my skin crawl.  There was one night for dinner  right around the beginning of the food aversions where I ordered lobster bisque. Bad idea.  Let's just say this baby is not a seafood fan.
Labor Signs: Way too early just yet! 
What I miss: Sushi. Eating deli meats without having to zap them in the microwave first. Goat cheese. Honestly, I'm not missing the alcohol at all.

Symptoms: Pulling/heaviness in abdomen, mild heartburn, short intense pains around my pelvis (apparently it's a common symptom of ligaments stretching out), thirsty all the time, feeling pretty fatigued during the day, more frequent pee breaks! Oh, and major lower back pain. 
Nursery: We'll need to start talking about how we want to convert the guest room..
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Excited!
Workouts: Taking a bit of a break.  I'll take a walk around the neighborhood or catch a yoga class on Saturday mornings if I'm feeling up to it, but since I've been feeling so poorly for the past few weeks I've decided to show myself some grace and put the exercise on the backburner.

The Gender Catch

I wrote this post before I found out we were having a girl, but reading back on it now I still stand by it all.  There's just something a little sad about knowing which gender you won't be having during a pregnancy.


***
Even before I became pregnant, Will and I often talked about our future children and what gender we'd prefer our firstborn be.  Now, of course I'm so blessed to be bringing a child into this world and I will be happy with either gender no matter what.  That being said, I think it's perfectly human to prefer one gender over the other.  Will and I both have the same slight preferance for our first child, but it's easy to see that there are pros and cons to either one.

With a boy, Will could have a golfing buddy. Boys tend to be more resilient, yet destructive. In a way it does seem like they're easier to raise during the early years. They are less likely to absorb the nuances of a situation the way a girl does. And they say there's no relationship like that of a mother and her son.

However, the cons with a son come later in life.  As the saying goes, "A son is a son until he gets a wife; a daughter is a daughter for life". From my own experiences I do believe that to be true.  I know men who still dote on their parents, but they're not the natural caregivers for aging parents that daughters are.

With a daughter, you have a built-in doll.  There are so many precious outfits and accessories for little girls these days, and they seem to have so much fun enjoying the "finer things" of life even from a very young age. But girls are highly maleable, and are often products of their environments.  Women are so much more likely to retain information and baggage from their experiences, which creates a more challenging upbringing. 

Not to mention the fact that girls are more likely to be catty and vicious with one another once they reach middle school.  Boys may be more prone to physical fights, but the more damaging emotional and verbal exchanges often happen with females. Teenage girls also seem to be more prone to dramatic tantrums, while boys are self-taught to repress their frustrations. Later in a girl's life, when she's busy planning a wedding or giving birth to her first child, she's much more likely to involve her mother in these experiences than a male would with his mother.


Even if we do end up with the gender we prefer, there are some characteristics of the other gender that I'd mourn.  Hearing the results of the gender test almost put to bed a whole litany of "what-ifs" that we pregnant women run through on a daily basis.  "If it's a girl, we'll get to decorate the nursery in pastels" or "If it's a boy, we'll have to buy him a little plastic golf bag to match my husband's". When the knowledge bubbles up to the surface, you're able to move forward with certainty, but there's always going to be that one part of you that mourns what you don't have.


Either way, that's not to say that I won't have a child of the opposite gender in the years to come.  But there's something innately special about that firstborn, that first child that teaches you how to be a parent. We'll be perfectly happy with a healthy child, no matter the gender.  And it's totally okay to have a moment of sadness for the gender that never was..

The Big Announcement

Alright, guys.  Things are getting real around here!  As of today I'm officially 13 weeks pregnant! Will and I could not be more thrilled to be introducing a little girl to our family in early March! 

We had decided long ago to start trying to expand our family once we hit our one year anniversary, but as it turns out we ended up getting started a month early. I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding on May 5th, and then again in my brother's wedding on May 19th. With all the commotion and excitement leading up to those two events, Will and I decided to keep all things baby on the backburner until after we'd gotten through both weddings.

In the meantime, I poured a great deal of time and energy into researching fertility and began taking supplements to help our chances from the outset.  More specifically I got off of birth control in January to regulate my cycles and around the same time began taking prenatal vitamins, N-acetyl-cysteine, and CoQ10 to improve egg quality and promote fertility. After further research, I also added daily supplements of Vitamin D, selenium (in the form of two Brazil Nuts per day), and iodine. In recent months I've gone in for my yearly gynocologist checkup, an endocrinologist checkup (I have an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which can negatively impact fertility and thyroid levels) and several weeks ago had my routine six-month dental cleaning (also a big factor in fertility, which was somewhat surprising to me).

The first cycle we began trying, my ovulation window actually fell during the week between the two weddings, but we decided to go for it anyway.  During my brother's wedding weekend, which took place during the first dreaded "two-week-wait", I ended up monitoring my alcohol intake big time just in case we'd been successful. Interestingly enough, I was full of symptoms during that time -- waking up with nausea, feeling strange cramps in my lower abdomen, experiencing wild mood swings, etc. All that being said, a week later my period appeared. From that point on I began worrying myself silly. I knew good and well that most people DON'T get pregnant the first time they try, but in my mind I was convinced that we'd failed because there was something medically wrong with us.

Now, I'm not one to do the "sit and wait" type of thing, so I decided to turn up the volume on my fertility preparation routine for Cycle #2.  I discovered fertility tea, a blend of red raspberry leaves, red clover, peppermint, and nettles, which I began drinking that at the end of my period through ovulation. I also began using an accupressure mat for 20 minutes every evening on my abdomen to increase blood flow to the reproductive system. After ovulation, I cut up a whole pineapple into five equal parts and ate one section per morning to help with implantation. Now this round I had absolutely no symptoms except for a slight heaviness/pulling in my abdomen, so I'd convinced myself that this cycle was also a bust.

Last Saturday morning I picked up a pack of pregnancy tests at Costco, telling myself that I would wait another few days to begin testing.  However, once I got home, I decided I couldn't wait. I took the first test, but nothing appeared.  I went off to my yoga class, leaving the test on the bathroom counter and trying my best to forget about it. 

By the time I got home, I set about gathering towels around the house to put in the wash, and when I walked back into the bathroom I found myself staring again at the pregnancy test from earlier that morning.  Barely -- JUST BARELY -- I could make out what seemed to be a second line.  I'd read in multiple places that the sign of a second line, no matter how faint, indicated pregnancy.  At that moment I burst into tears.  I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, trying to busy myself until my husband got home.  When he walked in that evening, I could barely hold it together. All the cute ways I'd come up with to tell him he was going to be a father just sort of fell out of my mind, and I blurted it out before he could even sit down. In true Will fashion, he beamed with pride and told me he knew it wouldn't take us long.

So, here we are, 13 weeks filled with nausea/fatigue/back pain later.. and we've (hopefully) made it through the worst of it! I hear the second trimester is much better than the first, so I'm looking forward to more energy and less nausea as this little one continues to grow!

My Brother’s Wedding

My younger brother got married to the love of his life a few months ago, and we could not have had a better time celebrating. From the bridal luncheon to the rehearsal dinner to the getting-ready, the ceremony and the reception, the entire weekend was a blast. 


Frank has been dating Betty for over six years, and she's honestly the best sister-in-law I could ask for. Had it been up to me to venture out and find a woman for my brother to spend the rest of his life with, I don't think I could have done a better job. The two of them suit each other perfectly, and I'm just so glad to finally be able to call Betty family!


Y'all will have to excuse the picture of me crying.  There are more of them out there than I'd like, but to be fair it was just such a lovely and emotional celebration for me. 

Back From Vacay

Well, here we are, with another vacation in the books.  As some of you may remember, each year my mom and her sister rent a house for a week at Figure Eight Island.  This is usually my favorite week of the year, because I love catching up with my family members and being able to unwind on the beach, far away from anything work-related. 


This year was no exception.  My cousin, Jack and his wife had their first baby in February this year, so I was looking foward to seeing them and meeting my new niece! Unfortunately, Jack's wife had to work and couldn't make it on the trip, but Jack brough the baby along for the entire week, so we had plenty of opportunities to get baby snuggles with Miss Evelyn. She was incredibly good the whole time, hardly ever crying, and was even up for spending her naptime under a tent on the beach.

On the last night of the trip, we were able to get a picture of the whole group. From left to right that's Will, me, my parents, my brother and his new wife Betty, my Uncle Rhode with Baby Evelyn, Aunt Hayden and my cousin Jack.

I love these trips and the memories they bring. I'm hoping in the couple of years my future children will have the privilege of participating in this tradition and will enjoy spending time with the family as much as I always have.

January Highs and Lows

Here we are, in 2018.  It's hard to believe time has been going by so quickly!  I have to admit to you guys that January is really my least favorite month. The weather is too cold and dreary, and everyone seems to be struggling to get back into the regular swing of things after the chaos of the holidays has died down. So, just to round our bases, let's recap (in quick fashion) on the holiday celebrations.

As usual, my parents threw their annual family Christmas party at their house on December 23rd. As is our tradition, the cousins (and their spouses) in attendance took the obligatory staircase picture.  We're missing several members of the family here, but that seems to be more and more common as we get older and families expand, making it a little more difficult to travel to these events.


Most of the cousins and their spouses

My brother, his fiancé Betty, Will and I all stayed with my parents until Christmas morning, when we all hit the road to celebrate the holiday with other sides of the family. Will and I went to his dad's house for brunch, then headed home for a quick nap before joining his mom's side of the family at her house for dinner that evening.



Beau and his best buddy Boomer (my parents' dog) in Raleigh.

All in all, the holidays were wonderful, but I can't say I'm not glad to have them over and done with. You forget how much work goes into shopping for gifts, cooking, decorating the house, etc. until the season is upon you yet again. Now, I'm just glad to be able to sort of wash my hands of it until next year. Don't get me wrong -- I love Christmas and everything it stands for.  But today the whole thing really just seems like such a huge production, don't you think?






Will and me with his dad and stepmom on Christmas morning.

Let's fast-forward to the New Year. Over the past few years I haven't really been one for resolutions, so I guess I decided to make up for it this year by instituting three big ones -- I started the HCG diet (with homeopathic drops, not the true injections), threw my hat in the ring for Dry January (no booze whatsoever) and decided to make January a "fiscal month" where I stop the relentless spending (I'm looking at you, Amazon) and allocate money towards gas, groceries and bills ONLY.  So far I'm doing really well with all three of these -- I've definitely lost weight on this diet (although I'd be worried if I didn't, because it's essentially 500 calories per day of nothing but vegetables and lean protein), I haven't had a drop of alcohol, and I've only bought one thing on Amazon (a baby shower gift for my cousin and his wife). So that in itself is reason to celebrate, seeing as how the month is almost halfway over!

Ground turkey and cauliflower rice with steamed asparagus.

Oh, and we got snow a couple weeks ago. Not quite even an inch, but it was enough to shut the whole city of Fayetteville down, which is typical.  Either way, I enjoyed the scenery.  And we're due for another storm tonight, so I'm sort of looking forward to that. Maybe after this snow storm we can finish up this winter business and head right into spring.  I do love snow, but I'm ready for the warm weather to reappear. 

I say that now, but it really is so much fun to watch the dogs out in the snow.  They're not quite sure what to make of it, but they sure do have a great time running around like lunatics in it.

Ok, so I guess that's really all I have for now.  I'll round up some of my favorite HCG recipes soon and share them with you guys.  The 500 calorie days last for 24 days total, and I'm on day 16.  So I'm almost there, you guys! Keep your fingers crossed for me!