It's Her Birthday - Meet my BESTIE Lia

Happy Birthday Princess Lia!!!

I love you so so so soooo much! I wish we could be together to celebrate your bday, but I am thinking of you and honoring you by eating a frosted cookie...they didn't have cupcakes :(

You have been my Bestie for years now and you are more like a sister to me than a best friend. You are always there for me and you always have the right words to say. I thank you sooo much for being such an amazing friend and for being that shoulder to cry on, the ear to vent to and the girl I can always go to to have a laugh.

We have so many memories over the years from wine nights to you being my MOH (the best MOH at that!). I cherish every time I get to see you...especially since you are thousands of miles away and I can't wait till I get to see you next! I hope your birthday was super this year and full of fun and sparkles (the Lia way...we must have Sparkles!).

I look forward to seeing you in January for the arrival of the Little Miss...she is going to love her Tia Lia!

Love you Bestie!!!

생일 축하 해요 (saeng-il chugha haeyo)

Apparently that is how you say Happy Birthday Korean style!

My Birthday Cookie in celebration of YOU!!! 

Questions and Quotes

Questions:

1. Why does Heartburn and Acid Reflux have to be a part of pregnancy? This is one thing I could do without. There are some other things too, but this is the newest of the bunch...it is all for cute little nugget we get to meet in 12.5 weeks so that makes it better...I just have to remind myself of that!

2. Why do I wake up every morning with all the intention to do some form of a workout (walk, lift weights, do 5 or so squats to make me feel better) and the majority of the time it comes to the end of the evening and I am getting ready for bed. Without a workout for the day.

3. How come I keep packing the same apple in my lunch everyday? It gets put in my lunch bag in the morning, goes to work with me, comes home with me and gets put right back in the fridge. This has been a repeat for a while. I vow to eat it tomorrow...but I have been saying that since last week too.

4. Why is it so much easier to sit at the computer or watch TV or read anything else, but to read my devotional? We always seem to have extra time to do other things and the most important time (time with God) is left for later. I fall to this all too often...this morning being an example. I had extra time before work and instead of picking up my devotional and doing it in the morning, I decided to read my favorite blog. One area I definitely need work on!

Quotes:

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughter is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe tomorrow is another day. And I believe in miracles." -Audrey Hepburn

Our Halloween Costume (I am a pumpkin and the hubby is a Pumpkin Farmer)...

Creative...I know

Awkward and Awesome

So I'm stealing this idea of the Awkward and Awesome of the week from another blog...I just thought it was so fun! Here goes it!

Awkward...
1. Apparently I can no longer fit into spaces and places I once was able to. Like when there is a passage way in the garage to maneuver around that my brain tells me I can fit through...oh but wait my belly tells me I can't!
2. Iron is not my good friend. I have low iron and I am taking supplements (love the stomach aches from it...that is sarcastic) and it is still low. Now onto taking extra Vitamin C to absorb it better and bring on the cheeseburgers!
3. Trying to be fashionable with the ever expanding belly and thighs...lets just say I have had to do some research.
4. It is honestly getting harder to bend over, but I can still touch my toes and see them too!!!
5. The love hate relationship with sleep...I toss and turn all night one night, wake up wide awake at 4:45am and then the next night feel like I could sleep all night and all day.
6. Itchy belly and boobs...how do you discretely itch your boobs in public? I'm not talking the itch that goes away or that you can ignore...no, this is the kind of itch that gets worse if you try to ignore it and it just keeps saying "Scratch me Please!!!"
7. Getting my Rogan shot (for RH Negative blood) in the butt! Not pleasant!

Awesome...
1. CHEESE BURGERS!!! Can I say I love them right now and have so far during this whole pregnancy! I guess it's my body's way of telling me about my iron...I'm not going to complain!
2. I am in love with sweats. I am so thankful that the nights are getting cooler and I can put on my comfy over sized sweats. For some reason over sized sweats makes me feel smaller...mental thing? I think so.
3. The nursery is painted and we are just waiting on her dresser/hutch and her bedding to come (both being made at the moment)
4. She continues to move and kick around. I love that feeling! Sometimes in awkward places (such as bladder or ribs) but I still love it!
5. Spending time with my niece Sam this week. She is four and makes me so excited for a girl and the fun to come with my daughter and with cousins.
6. My ever expanding belly...that is an Awkward and an Awesome!

So that is what is happening in a short story sense!

Here is some of my research of cute maternity fashion that I may have to copy!

Just had to throw the next pic in 'cause I love it and want this pic for our little lady!

Have a HAPPY Day!!!! ;)

Our Fetal Echocardiogram - For Precautionary Purposes

So as many of you know, I am an only child. But I did have a younger sister. Her name was Lindsay and she was born November 2, 1987. My sister was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome in which the left chamber of her heart didn't fully develop and was unable to pump blood efficiently. They did not know this before she was born because nothing abnormal showed up on the ultrasounds and my mom had a completely normal pregnancy.

At the time when she was born the 4 step surgery was still fairly new and only done in Boston. My mom and nana were about to board the air plane to go to Boston to be there for her surgery, when my mom heard her name over the intercom. She approached the front desk of the terminal and was told she had a phone call. It was CHOC hospital saying Lindsay couldn't make the flight to Boston. The altitude would be too difficult on her heart.

My sister passed a few weeks after she was born.  I was only four at the time and I didn't attend her funeral because my parents didn't think it was fair for me to go through that. I do remember visiting CHOC hospital and seeing Lindsay in the incubator and being able to put my hands in the rubber gloves of the incubator and touch her. I also remember going with my dad to pick out something for her. I chose a fuzzy little bunny rabbit stuffed animal that had a rattle inside of it...to this day I still have that bunny and it has her hospital name band on it. I will forever keep that close to me. I did not get to grow up with my sister, get to know her, or do the sisterly things, but I still think about her all the time and know that she is in the best place and I will one day get to see her again.

So, when I told the doc about this she said that Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is not something that is passed through the genes so our child is about 95% not going to have it. But she stated that it didn't mean that other heart conditions may not be genetic. For precautionary purposes she wanted to do a fetal echo to take a closer look at the heart. I went today for that and everything looks great!!! She has a great heartbeat and the heart looks like it is developing just right with no abnormalities!! Praise be to God!!!

It was such great news to hear that today and to get to see her again...she has grown so much since our 20 week ultrasound. She has a pretty good sized belly by the looks of it already! So it turned out great, but I left really thinking about my sister...but I know she is looking down on us and will be looking down upon our little girl as she grows! I love knowing that!

Here is a picture from todays ultrasound:

I have to say she has a cute profile!!! Love her already!!!

Update on Life and 25 Weeks

So, it has been a while since my last post. Life has just been super busy, but in a completely good way. I am in love with the weather lately and just hope that it continues to stay cool so I can wear comfy sweaters and boots. I love fall...pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, sweats, beanies, scarves, pumpkin spice muffins, Uggs, the crisp mornings and cools evenings, pumpkin spice candles...well pretty much all parts of fall (especially anything pumpkin spiced!).

We continue to get everything ready for our little girl to make her arrival in 15 weeks (Wow! That will be here before we know it!)...we are remodeling our breeze way room of our house. This is the room we like to call the "Country Room" because of the wood beamed ceiling and it has this sort of country feel to it. Darin has been hard at work knocking down a wall, building a new one, dry walling, mudding, ripping up carpet, electrical...and more! It is what I would say half way done! Ya! Once the dry wall is complete and mudded then we get to paint and put in our new flooring and of course the fun part...go shopping!!!! Oh and get our storage cabinets put in our now enlarged size laundry room! Maybe it will get me more excited to do laundry...doubt it, but hey I can be hopeful right?

Here are some pics of the remodel...

This is the room before. The little laundry room was where the door was.

Wall is down.

I am helping tear down the wall (mostly just posing for a picture!)

Our new wall and dry wall is up! Oh, and that is not the flooring we are doing...

that was under the carpet. The enlarged laundry room is behind "Door Number One"!

Our new laundry room with dry walled ceilings and can lights!

Lucy's usual spot in front of the lights...

Once that project is done then we can start working on the nursery...right now her room is a storage facility for all that was in the "Country Room" and laundry room and garage sale items. Thankfully I know how I want her nursery to be done so it will just be a matter of putting it all together.

We are at week 25 now...I am feeling great! She is kicking more and more, but Darin has yet to feel her. Every time he goes to do so she either stops kicking hard or stops kicking all together...already joking with her Daddy!

I have my first shower next weekend that I am very excited about! Time just feels like it is flying by...I have a feeling that once it hits Halloween the time will just fly by even faster...we have such a busy November and then December is full of holiday stuff and then it will be New Year's and then BOOM! we are two weeks away from meeting our little girl! Crazy to think about how fast it all comes. I can't even begin to fathom what it will be like when we finally get to meet her and how much life is going to change...for the better of course! I have my days where I am totally nervous about the future and all that comes with being a new mom, but I just feel so blessed! God truly is amazing! I just can't wait to snuggle with her on the couch on cold winter days to come....to go on morning walks...to go on playdates with friends...for her to play with her cousins...and so much more! There is so much to look forward to!

Well, here is an updated "Bump" pic for y'all!

We are growing daily!

Happy fall!!! ;)