Weekend Fun and a Bump Update

We had a pretty low-key weekend, though it was productive (for the first time in several weeks!). Saturday, one of my teammates from AmeriCorps, Leah, was in town with her husband Matt. They came into KC for the Royals game so we took them to a famous BBQ restaurant, Arthur Bryant's. It was the first time Jason and I had been there, and it was pretty tasty.  It was so crazy to see Leah after more than 11 years, especially because she looks exactly the same! Her husband was so great, and it was awesome to see her so happy. 

Saturday night, I was not feeling great so we had a night in, complete with a high class dinner (thank you McDonald's) and Netflix. I haven't had any crazy cravings, though I do love fries and pickles more than usual! 

This weekend was also a big deal in that I finally "popped" and now definitely look pregnant. It must have started last week, and on Friday, I got my first unsolicited congratulations from a trainer at the gym. It is fun to start to feel pregnant and see some obvious signs of Little Peanut. I'm trying to enjoy it while I can because I keep hearing I'll be miserable at some point (though I'm hoping I can be the exception to that!)

On Sunday, Jas went to the Royals game and I decided to start to tackle my part of the to-do list. I cleaned out three closets, and my dresser (I still have Jason's dresser and the closet in the nursery). It took way longer than I expected, but it was nice to finally cross something off of the do list. And I threw a lot away and we have two large trash bags of clothes to donate so it was obviously something that needed to be done! We still have workers at our house finishing the paint job and repairing our back deck, but they are scheduled to be finished sometime this week and I'm hoping we can keep the momentum going inside the house as well! 

Today marks the beginning of the second trimester! I can't believe it's already been more than 3 months. I am so grateful to be feeling so good and I have really enjoyed being pregnant. Jas has been even more amazing than normal - continuing as my own personal chef, but taking on additional cleaning duties as well. He dotes on me and I am sure he will do the same thing for Peanut! 

"You are the Father"....the Godfather

From early on in our relationship, Jason and I talked about our desire to have a family. We continue to debate how many kids we ultimately want, but we figure we'll see how it goes with the first one before making any decisions! I grew up in a large, close-knit family with three siblings. All four of us have a unique set of godparents - close friends of my parents who served as a "second set" of parents often times throughout our lives. I am blessed to have my dad's best friend from high school, David, and wife Johnnie Lynn, as my godparents. They have always been actively involved in my life and I value the relationship we have to this day. My godfather was actually the officiant at our wedding, and I cherish that day more so because of that fact.

Even before learning we were pregnant, we discussed the importance of choosing godparents for our children. We have so many amazing family members and friends to choose from that the issue may be that we need multiple children so that we can use everyone we want (I can hear Jason panicking as I type this...). For me, the decision as to who to have as my first child's godmother was a no-brainer. I have been best friends with Robyn since we were infants (from cradle to grave is our friendship motto!) and I can't imagine my life without her. The two of us could not be more different from one another, but that is one of the beautiful things about our relationship. She is one of the most loving, caring and generous people that I know. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is an eternal optimist when it comes to chasing your dreams and believing in true love. I cannot wait to see her relationship with Peanut through the years - and if Peanut is a girl, she'll have the best hair on the block! 

The Preschool Years

"Great Besties Get Promoted to Godmother"

For the godfather, we chose Jason's childhood friend, Conor, who I finally got to meet at his recent wedding. He was just as kind and patient at Jason always described. There was no doubt in meeting him why the two of them were best friends, and why Jason always speaks so highly of him. Since Jason and I first started dating, I have heard countless stories of teenage debauchery (Jas was what my mom would call "a rascal"). Most of those stories involved Conor as the voice of reason....or at least the reason Jason didn't get into more trouble! We are so excited to have the same loyal guidance for our first baby.

Conor was married in May, and Robyn is getting married in October. Though we chose the two of them to be godparents, Peanut will be lucky to have four amazing people looking out for him/her throughout life. I pray Peanut develops a relationship with Robyn and Conor the way I have with David and Johnnie Lynn. What a blessing to have our two best friends fulfill this important role! 

12 Weeks

We are 12 weeks today! I cannot believe it's already been 3 months! Like I've always heard, the time does go fast which means we really should get on top of our to do list. Maybe this weekend we will find some motivation. I keep waiting for the infamous need to "nest" to kick in, but so far that has been eclipsed by my need to nap and eat carbs. 

According to the scale at the gym, I have not gained weight (though I'm beginning to think the scale is broken). My clothes are definitely not fitting the same way and even the belly band only works for some of my pants. I am still trying to avoid breaking out the maternity clothes, but I may need to give in soon. Last night, Jas looked at me and said "holy cow, you look really pregnant!" I'm sure what he meant was "I've never seen you so beautiful and glowing." Isn't he the sweetest? 

Since announcing our pregnancy to our friends and family, I have been so excited when I have come home to a package at the door. It is always so fun to see what people send. Early on, my mom sent me a pregnancy book with sticky notes, highlighters and pens so I could mark the book along the way. Can you tell she is a teacher? I love the book because I can just read one chapter each week to update me on what is going on and that prevents me from getting too overwhelmed (Have you looked at "What to Expect When You're Expecting"? It's terrifying).

Right after my birthday, my best friend Robyn sent us our first box of diapers and helped to inspire us to start our collection. A few weeks ago my in-laws sent me a package with the Snoogle, a pregnancy pillow that my sister swears is the greatest invention ever. They also sent some "belly butter" and a picture frame for our first sonogram. I won't lie....I cried when I opened the frame! Yesterday I came home to a package from my friend Mellisa. She had told me she was sending a shirt, but I didn't know anything else. "Feed me and tell me I'm Pretty" is the perfect shirt for any girl, especially when pregnant. I will be wearing that often until my belly gets too big!

Ice, Ice, Baby

As we all know these days, if something hasn't been posted on social media - it hasn't happened, right? We have been waiting to post any news about our pregnancy to Facebook for a few reasons. One, we wanted to get in the "safe zone" and get the all clear from our doctor that things are progressing normally. Two, we wanted to be sure we had told our family and friends prior to the news becoming public (nothing worse than finding out big news about someone you love on the internet!)

My little sister, Celeste, sent us a few ideas of a cute announcement and we liked this play on the Vanilla Ice song from the nineties...reminded me of elementary school! We found that people either immediately understood the joke ("Ice, Ice, Baby"), or they were super confused (which we had not anticipated). We also had several people ask if we are having twins! For the record, there is only one Peanut in there! 

We are happy for the news to be public so that we can talk openly about our excitement, and even more so perhaps that I can start wearing comfortable clothes! 

Sweet Heartbeat

Yesterday afternoon, we had our first appointment with the OB. It was a fairly quick appointment (after a long wait) and it was so amazing to hear Peanut's little heartbeat. It was very fast - rate of 159 - which made everyone tell us "it's a girl.!" We still have a few months before finding out the gender, but hopefully that time will go quickly because we are anxious to know whether we're Peanut will be a Prince or a Princess. My dad has a knack for guessing the gender of the kids in the family - so far he is 5 for 5, which he never lets anyone forget. He has told us we are having a girl, so we'll see if we can get his record up to 6 for 6!

Jason and I before the appointment - obviously, I was a bit excited. I purposely took a picture before because I assumed I would cry and the splotchy, red-eyed look was not what I was going for!

I have had so much fun looking at baby furniture and dreaming of the nursery since I found out I was pregnant. We are planning to paint the nursery gray and we are buying white furniture. The color will come when we know the gender! Unfortunately, I tend to have what my dad would call "champagne taste on a beer budget" and most of what I picked out was far out of our budget. Luckily, Amazon came to the rescue and we were able to pick out a crib and glider to get us started. Jason found a dresser on Craigslist that he brought home last night. It is solid wood, and already painted white. At 100 dollars, it was quite a steal! I'm excited to start getting everything together. It will take us a while to finish up our to do list, but now that my energy is coming back, I should be more help to Jason. He hopes at least!

After our appointment yesterday, Jason and I discussed telling the rest of the family that we are expecting, I am really close with my family, particularly my cousins (one of them, Renee, is the inspiration behind this blog) and it was important to me that they all hear the news from me before it hit social media. So, with only 3 large treats, I was able to bribe Gracen into the picture below. I sent this out to my aunts, uncles and cousins to share the news. What an awesome family little Peanut is coming into - he/she has no idea how lucky they are!

Belly Bands and Smoothies

Peanut is 11 weeks today and Mama and baby are doing well. I'm starting to get my energy back and feeling much better than I did a few weeks ago. I'm also starting to not fit into my clothes, but that's all part of the fun, right? I don't have a scale at home (on purpose) but I usually weigh myself twice a week at the gym. So far I haven't gained any weight and I'm telling myself that scale is completely accurate! Despite weighing the same, my body is definitely different and, yesterday for the first time, I busted out the Belly Band (thanks Aunt Alison!). That is the best invention ever. Nothing like keeping your pants undone all day and having no one be the wiser. I may implement the bands as part of my regular wardrobe post Peanut...

                                               

I've had a fairly good appetite the past several weeks, but it is definitely ramping up to new heights lately! I am a big fan of vegetables, but not typically a lover of fruit. My sweet husband made me a strawberry, banana smoothie with Greek yogurt this morning and I may have found my new obsession. It was delicious! He is actually home sick today and made this for me anyway - he is so great to take care of me and always make sure Peanut is eating healthy. Good thing, because if it was up to me, the little nugget would subsist off of Taco Bell and McDonald's!    

                                                       

We have our next doctor's appointment this Thursday. It will be our first time meeting with the OB and we should get to hear the heartbeat. I can't wait! We are planning to make the public announcement sometime after that appointment, but we are waiting on a few things to ship from Etsy first. Fingers crossed our package gets here soon and we can share our exciting news with the world!

Wedding Showers and Babies

On June 25, I traveled to Atlanta to co-host the wedding shower of my best friend, Robyn. She will be marrying her fiance, Paul, in October. I am honored to be her Maid of Honor, along with her cousin, Nanci. It was quite an ordeal trying to plan a shower from two different states (Nanci lives in New Hampshire) but Nanci was great to work with and it all ended up coming together beautifully. One of Robyn's bridesmaids, Stephanie, graciously offered her house as the venue for the shower. Luckily her home is beautiful and required very little additions on our part. Nanci's mother Deb also joined us to help set up for the shower and my aunt, mother and grandmother helped us to clean after the shower. I was so grateful for all they did. It was the first week that I felt really crummy, even getting sick on the planes to and from Atlanta. I was very tired throughout the weekend but did my best to push through and I was lucky to have so many wonderful ladies to help me!

Here are a few pictures from the shower:

Nanci, Robyn and Me

The Bridal Party - what a fun group of ladies!

The shower was held on Saturday afternoon and I think Robyn had a great time. She got so many wonderful gifts - all of her family and friends were so generous! That night, she hosted her Bachelorette Party at a club in Atlanta. This preggo was too tired to imagine dancing the night away, so I sent her off with a hug and a kiss while I gratefully passed out in her comfy bed at home!

On Sunday afternoon, I met my parents for lunch at Pizza Cafe, one of my favorite restaurants back home. I was pleasantly surprised that my godparents came along with my brother, niece and nephew. It was so nice to spend a few hours catching up with everyone. One of my closest childhood friends, Meghan, also came to meet us. She had her first child, Elliana, in November of last year and I was so excited to meet her. It was so fun to talk motherhood with Meghan and see a little glimpse into my future! 

Loved getting to spend some time with my niece, Rowan 

Elliana is just precious. She looks so much like Meghan! She wasn't too sure about me, but I loved holding her for the minute she let me! 

It was a whirlwind weekend but nice to be home for a bit. The next time I see my parents will be at Robyn's wedding. By then, the baby bump will be on full display!

My Dirty Thirty...that wasn't so dirty

On June 12, I turned the dreaded 3-0. In all honesty, I had not been looking forward to leaving my twenties and entering a new decade, but news of expecting Peanut helped to soften the blow. Prior to learning I was pregnant, Jason had made reservations at my favorite restaurant on the Plaza, Coopers Hawk, where we would be able to enjoy a wine tasting prior to dinner. Once we learned about Peanut, that no longer sounded like a fun night so Jason changed our reservations to Gram and Dun, another of our favorite restaurants in the city.

My birthday fell on a Friday this year and I took the day off to enjoy some time off. I got a manicure and pedicure and enjoyed lunch with two great friends, Shannon and Mandi.

Flowers from Meghan - the martini glass was a perfect touch! 

Lunch with these lovely ladies - Mandi and Shannon

Jas came home after work and we headed to our reservations. I was shocked when I arrived and found my family and friends had flown in to surprise me. I could not believe that Jason had pulled off such a surprise and I was thrilled that my parents, aunt, sister and best friend had made the trip. Prior to this dinner, Jas and I had only told our parents that we were pregnant. Once we were at the dinner, I realized we would need to make an impromptu announcement to explain why I wasn't drinking my beloved white wine in celebration.

My Dirty Thirty drink...don't worry...#mocktail 

Once we had settled in, I made the announcement and everyone's reaction was great. Everyone was so happy and excited for us and we enjoyed telling the story of Patrick from Stony Creek and how we found out. It was so great to be able to tell loved ones in person!

My lifelong best friend, Robyn

My little sister, Celeste 

The Denmark Girls

We enjoyed a delicious dinner, some yummy mocktails and great conversation. So my Dirty Thirty was anything but dirty....however, it was the best birthday yet!

A group shot following my surprise birthday dinner - some of my favorite people!

I have the best husband ever to pull off this great surprise - and he has given me the greatest birthday gift ever!

A Quick Recap

At the end of May, Jas and I attended the wedding of his childhood best friend, Conor. The wedding was held in upstate New York and I was able to spend time in the town where Jason was raised. Jason was traveling that week in Brooklyn and I flew into the city to meet him there. We were able to turn the weekend into a mini-vacation and we had a great time. The night I arrived in Brooklyn, we had date night and enjoyed one of the most delicious meals I have ever had.

The following day we took the train upstate to Camp Woodhaven where the wedding would be held. It was my first time meeting Conor and he is just as great as Jason always said. His new wife, Natalie, is very sweet and the wedding was beautiful. We enjoyed spending a few nights on the campground (despite it being freezing at night!).

On Sunday after the wedding festivities, we traveled to the small town of Stony Creek where Jas was raised. Since our first date, I have heard countless stories of his time in the "Crick" and all the hell he raised with his friends. It was so neat to finally see it in person! I may be a small town southern girl, but this took small town to a new level!

Jason took me on a tour of his hometown and I loved seeing his childhood home and meeting his friends. We had decided to stay at the local hot spot, the Stony Creek Inn. Sunday at the Inn is "Mexican Night" and people come from surrounding towns to enjoy the live music. We were befriended by a biker, Patrick, and his girlfriend Kelly. The Inn is known for their cheap drinks, and Patrick was taking full advantage of this fact. At one point, he and Kelly joined us on the front porch. After looking at me intently, he declared "Hey, you're pregnant." I was taken aback to say the least and digested this news with a healthy swallow of the white wine I was drinking. Patrick went on to say that he has a "gift" for knowing these things and his girlfriend, who was equally enamored with the inexpensive adult beverages, began to sing his praises. Patrick also told me that his aunt has a gift as well - hers is for determining the gender of the unborn child. I thanked him for the information and went on to enjoy the evening. Later that night, Patrick's aunt met him at the Inn and she confirmed his suspicion that I was pregnant. After taking both of my hands into hers, she announced to the bar I was having a girl. I toasted this declaration with a freshly poured glass of Pinot Grigio...

Following our fun, if somewhat bizarre, evening in the Crick, Jason flew to Montreal for work and I returned to the office in Kansas City. That Friday, the night Jason was to fly home, I was not feeling well at work. The words of a drunk biker from New York entered my head and I decided to take a pregnancy test if only so I could enjoy a glass of wine over the weekend in peace. I was shocked - and thrilled - when the test came back positive. I went on to take another test, followed by four more, before I decided the positive result was accurate. Maybe we should consider Patrick or Kelly as names? 

That afternoon, I picked Jason up from the airport and was proud of myself for making it all the way home without spilling the beans. Once he was settled in, I gave him a wrapped gift, much to his confusion. Once he opened it, he saw onesies that I had bought, including a sleeper set that says "I Love Daddy." He was shocked to say the least, but his reaction was priceless and I loved him more in that moment than ever before.

A New Adventure...

I have decided to try my hand at blogging as we prepare for the next great adventure of our lives...Parenthood! We are thrilled to be expecting our first child in February 2016 and I am hoping the blog is a good way for our family and friends to keep up with all the excitement and chime in with tips and tricks as we begin Raising Whittaker!