22 Weeks Pregnant

Here I am! And there's little Cooper!

I thought it was finally time to start documenting the size of my belly. It is just now really starting to poke out there! It's pretty neat to watch my belly grow and to know that he's getting bigger. I don't know if this is a universal pregnancy feeling- but sometimes in early pregnancy I had a hard time believing I was actually pregnant. I mean, I know what the tests said, but I just found it hard to fathom that there was a little growing human in there. I can remember an early doctor's appointment in which I had a blood test performed and the doctor came in and said, "well, it is negative". For some reason my first thought was she was telling me I wasn't pregnant anymore. My heart skipped a beat and then I realized that was not what she meant! Now, with a growing belly to prove it, I can hardly deny I am pregnant. So, for all my friends and family out there that don't get to see this thing growing- here it is!

Bryan and I are gearing up for our trip which starts on Sunday. I went out on Monday to try to find a swimsuit that fits my gigantic baby boobs and I found a killer deal. I think my thrifty cousin, Sara, will appreciate the price of this swimsuit: $3.97. I haven't found many deals such as this in my entire shopping career- especially not on maternity clothing! For anyone who has ever been pregnant, you understand my excitement at finding an inexpensive maternity item. I was pretty excited, as this suit was not only cheap, but cute as well. Hopefully, I won't look too much like a moose on vacation and I'll post some pics in my cheap and cute suit! :) For those curious as to where one would find such a deal, it was Old Navy Clearance CLARENCE Clearance (as my sis-in-law says). Actually, for you bargain hunters, I've found this same type of sale at many other stores this past week: 50% off original price and then 50% off the clearance price. Go check your favorite stores for a great deal! And, in the spirit of sharing a good deal, check out this awesome website that is dedicated to finding great deals for baby and kid necessities. I'll never pay too much for a diaper or a wipe thanks to this site!

I hope all of my readers are well. I miss you out of state chickens and hope to see you soon.

January Update

So, not a lot of stuff going on lately but I just wanted to write a general entry. I seem to be very good at writing when there are big events but not so good at just writing down the small stuff. Sometimes it is the day-to-day life entries that I like going back and reading the most.

We had a bit of bad luck this past weekend. We both had spent most of the weekend away from the house with work and visiting family and came home to a burglarized home on Sunday night. Bummer. According to a neighbor, it happened in broad daylight Sunday afternoon. They kicked in our back door which shattered a mirror on our closet door. Thankfully, they didn't take too much and didn't trash our house. They took our flat screen TV in the living room and a pair of expensive speakers that Bryan uses for work. We were surprised to find that our laptops were snug in their spots as well as our cameras and camcorder. I kinda feel like they must have been in a hurry and didn't have time to look around. Thanks to our out-of-town company, we had the house all spic and span- laptops and other valuables put away out of sight. Who knew keeping a clean house could have such money saving benefits? We have been in our house for over six years now and this is the only break in we have experienced. I guess that is not too bad considering the transitional nature of our 'hood.

Anyway, on to better moments...The pregnancy is going great. I am still feeling pretty good, though I have felt a slight tinge of tiredness creeping back. I get halfway through the day and kinda feel like sitting down and not thinking about anything. Not good for being a hairstylist! :) Friday I go in for a 22 week checkup-probably will be as uneventful as the other quick visits. Blood pressure, urine, any questions? Though, we do get to hear his heartbeat on the doppler every time we go and I really look forward to that. This little guy is really moving around in there lately. I can feel a lot of kicks and punches. I am really anxious for Bryan to be able to feel him on the outside. I have grown to love feeling the baby in there and just enjoy his little movements more than I can explain. It is just so neat and amazing. He's also really growing and is consequently making my belly poke out undeniably. I like it but it can be embarrassing for some reason. People stare, ya know? :)

I have been really focusing a lot on the baby lately and trying to prepare for his arrival. I accomplished a major task this past weekend- ordering the crib and his furniture! Woohooo! I finally saw something that I really liked and more importantly, Bryan liked also. My Dad and Linda went with me to look for it and generously offered to buy the glider for us. Thanks! Mom and I have been equally obsessing about the crib bedding and we hope to have a design nailed down soon. I'm horrible at committing to a room scheme so she kinda has to prod me along. So far, we are thinking pastels of blue and green with some white mixed in. My Mom is a wonderful seamstress and I have no doubt that this crib bedding is going to be beautiful. We have also spent a lot of time in the baby clearance sections and are stocking up on irresistible sale items. We hit the jackpot last night at Kohl's (thanks to a tip from www.babycheapskate.blogspot.com ) and found some really cute outfits for him. It is hard to imagine him fitting into some of the bigger things. I mean, he's less than a pound right now! Bryan can't believe how much clothing I am buying but I don't think he realizes he will be wearing a different size so often as he grows.

Here's the crib and low dresser:



Bryan and I are getting ready to take a vacation the first week in February. We are flying down to Miami and renting a car to drive down to Key West. We are staying a couple of nights in Marathon Key (halfway down) and then 5 nights in a beautiful B&B in Key West. We are so excited and looking forward to some R&R. Bryan has been working his behind off lately- 80 hour weeks- so he really needs a break. I might take my laptop to blog a little on the trip-so stay tuned!

One last thing: we got two days of snow here in the sunny south last week. I was thrilled. I love snow and I love the giddiness that it brings out in everyone. I was at work both days but it was still really great to see it coming down. So fluffy and white! I called Bryan one day to make sure he was seeing it and so he stepped outside while I was on the phone with him. I cracked up when I heard all the kids in the background from the daycare next door screaming with delight at the snow. So cute! To see some really cute photos of my friend's son in the Georgia snow, click here:http://www.kellybyrom.typepad.com/i_like_my_typography_bold/ He's a m-m-m-model if you know what I mean. And his Momma is an amazing photographer.

Also, for anyone who reads www.coolmompicks.com I found out that she lives here in Atlanta and is a neighbor of one of my clients. I thought that was neat.

If you can't tell, I just learned how to insert a link into my blog. Enjoy the reading! :)

PS- If anyone wants to email me and tell me how to link to other blogs on my homepage- I'd be grateful.

The Son of a Videographer

He's gonna be in film a lot. We thought we'd start early. Here's a sweet little video his proud papa put together after we went for the ultrasound. It makes me smile (huge) when I think about it. Hope you enjoy...