33 weeks! Happy 4th of July!

I’m getting really huge! I keep saying I look like a house, and Joe likes to remind me that that is actually accurate because a person is living inside me. We had our birthing class/hospital tour this past Sunday. It was a very long class, a marathon day from 8 am to 5 pm. We were already pretty tired when the day started, but Joe was such a great partner and really payed attention! We learned breathing techniques and what to expect during labor. The best part for me was getting to tour L&D, we got to see exactly where to come in when I’m in labor and what will happen. The birthing rooms are all private and huge, and an hour or so after the baby is born we’ll move to a recovery room that is also really nice. My favorite piece of information was that Domino’s delivers to the hospital, so as soon as the baby is born Joe can get me a pizza. Ha.

Now that we’ve had our class, I really feel like the baby is going to be here soon! Not too soon hopefully, he or she better wait until at least August 1st to make an appearance. I’ve got bags packed for us to have in the birthing room and then a bag for things that we’ll need in recovery. I don’t want to go crazy and bring too much, but I definitely want to be comfortable! I had my first experience with Braxton Hicks contractions Tuesday night. Joe and I were going out to dinner and my stomach started feeling really weird and it hurt to breathe, and I couldn’t get in a comfortable position. They stopped after about 30 minutes. I could definitely tell that they weren’t anything real, but they weren’t fun!

I had my 33 week check up yesterday afternoon, it was the fastest appointment ever! The nurse weighed me and told me that I actually weigh exactly the same as I did at my last appointment 2 weeks ago. She said it in a very surprised voice and I was worried that that was a bad thing, but she said it was okay. I was sure I’d gained a few more pounds, especially since I’d had a whopper with onion rings for lunch. Ha.

Joe and I had a lazy 4th of July, it was very nice! I made us orange rolls for breakfast, finally got the apartment clean, worked on more nursery room organization, and Joe and I saw World War Z this afternoon. We had burgers for dinner and I made a pie for dessert! I took some pictures of the nursery, it’s still pretty empty but it’s ready enough for the baby!

The crib fits great in this nook in the corner! We’re going to use the dresser as a changing table, we have a super cute diaper caddy that we can move around the apartment as needed.

Joe has the stroller/car seat all put together, it’s super cute! I’m pretty excited to use our rock’n’play, it’ll be like a bassinet we can keep near our bed the first few weeks!

The closet is looking a little full with all of our bags at the bottom! Our diaper bag is already ready to go, not that we’ll need it for a while! Our hospital bags are 95% ready, just have to throw a few last minute things in the day of!

This is our smore’s pie that I made for dessert! It looked good and seemed pretty holiday appropriate! The marshmallows got a little more toasted on one side, but I think it will taste good! I got the recipe off of Pinterest, I changed it up a little but the original recipe was found here: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/smores-pie/

31 weeks! 2 months to go!

Joe and I have had a busy past couple of weeks! The first week of June we drove home to Nashville for vacation! I managed to get a speeding ticket halfway through Virginia (I didn’t even use pregnancy as an excuse!), but other than that the drive was easy. Molly graduated from high school on June 1st, and we made it to my parents house a few hours before graduation. She graduated at MTSU, where Joe and I graduated from college.

My family with the gradate! She had so many distinctions for grades and whatnot!

Joe and I with my baby sister! All done with high school! I look like a house when I stand sideways!

After the graduation we all went back to my parents house and hung out. My best friend Meghan and her boyfriend Bryan drove up from Arkansas, I was so excited to see them! My aunt Michele and cousin Saxon flew in and they got to the house as well.

Sunday we spent the day making the last of the food for the shower, getting favors ready, decorating, and hanging out.

Me, Meghan, and my big belly! I really wish I didn’t have to wear glasses all the time, I hate the way I look in them! Meghan spent all Saturday and Sunday trying to get the baby to kick so she could feel it, but had no luck!

The baby shower was a huge hit. We had about 30 people show up! The weather was great, not too hot and it didn’t rain! We ate inside the big empty farm house, but everyone milled around outside and around the house. We had games set up around the house, and corn hole in the front yard.

Our awesome cake that Joe’s mom had made for us! We had so much food and dessert!

It was a full house!

Joe and I are so lucky to have so many friends and family that came out! We got pretty much everything off our registry, and are basically set for this baby’s arrival! The shower was a lot of fun! Some of my favorite things we got from the shower are onesies decorated by friends and family, and we had everyone guess when they think the baby will be born! Everyone stayed until after it got dark out!

Meghan and Bryan left early Monday morning to head back to AR. Joe and I spent Monday with his parents out at a campground by Percy Priest lake. My dad, Callie, and Saxon came out and we all went out on the boat. Callie and Saxon tubed, Joe wake boarded, skied, and surfed, Callie skied, and we tried to teach Saxon to surf. Joe’s parents also got to ski! My favorite part of being out on the boat is just riding, and since I’m pregnant no one could try and pressure me to ski! So I was a happy camper. Ha. It was a fun day, but Joe and I let ourselves get super sun burnt!

This is what a really sun burnt 29 week pregnant lady looks like. So glamorous.

Tuesday we spent hanging out with Joe’s family, and Wednesday afternoon I took Joe to the airport so he could get back to Baltimore for work. I spent Wednesday afternoon and Thursday hanging out with my family in Lebanon. Callie and I drove back to Baltimore Friday. It was a marathon drive, we left at 8 am and got to the apartment at 8 pm! Luckily there were no speeding tickets this time. Callie hung out with us Saturday and Sunday, and I took her to the airport Monday morning. She flew out to San Antonio to spend time with Michele, Saxon, and our grandfather!

Joe’s parents came this weekend for a quick trip. His mom flew in Friday night, and his dad flew in Saturday afternoon. We went out to this cool burger place in Federal Hill Saturday night. His parents left this morning and Joe and I have been taking it easy! I got Joe a pair of sun glasses for Father’s Day because he lost his last pair a few weeks ago.

We only have 2 months and 1 day until our due date! The nursery/guest room is almost ready! The crib is up with clean sheets, and I’ve got most of the clothes and blankets washed. We have diapers and wipes and everything else organized. We picked up our travel system today, my aunt got it for us and it is adorable! I also set up our Rock and Play, which I’ve read is a life saver in the first few months! I’ve even got my hospital bag partially packed! I like to be prepared. The baby is kicking like crazy which is comforting. I feel pretty good still, I’ve only gained 19 pounds as of this morning, and my ankles are visible most of the time. We’re getting very excited!

25 weeks!

It seems like I just updated this, but it’s been 3 weeks! So here are some updates! This picture was taken at 23 weeks!I had my 24 week appointment last week, and everything is still going good! The doctor said me and the baby are doing great!

Last night Joe and I went to an Oriole’s game. It was supposed to be a group thing with people from my work, but it rained all day and almost everyone bailed out! Me and my friend Kendra were the only ones from work that showed, but I was okay with that! So our big group ended up only being 5 people. Joe and I didn’t mind! Luckily the rain paused for the game.I’m not really a big fan of any specific sport, but I was all about the food! First off we got awesome grilled hot dogs! Later we had pretzels!

We left during the 6th inning, because it was getting late! The Oriole’s were winning when we left though!

Today was my day off, and I had a bunch of errands to run! I have a limited selection of maternity shirts that I’m getting pretty tired of, so I put on one of my old shirts. It looks like I have a bowling ball under my shirt! But at 25 weeks it’s pretty obvious I’m pregnant!After my errands I was lying on the couch reading, and Uma decided to plop herself down on my chest. I guess she thought she was invisible and I would be able to read through her.

This month has been pretty calm so far, but next Saturday we get the keys to our 2 bedroom apartment across the hall! It will definitely be the easiest move ever, and I am so excited to have a nursery/guest room! The baby moves around and kicks pretty frequently, I’m really not sure when he or she sleeps! I was getting pretty worried that Joe and I would never agree on a girl name, but we are getting close to picking one! We’ve had our boy name picked out for a few weeks and we still feel really good about it! I’m just having a hard time keeping it secret! In 2 weeks I’ll be in the third trimester! Yikes.

21 weeks, piece of cake!

Joe and I have had a busy past couple of weeks! Molly came to visit, and then it was Easter weekend, and this weekend Gracie stopped by for a quick visit! All of the excitement is making time go by faster than usual! Last weekend we were lucky to make it home for Easter! We spent Saturday hanging out at my parents house. We dyed Easter eggs, had an Easter egg hunt, and went out to dinner. Joe and I got to see all my sisters and parents, my grandmothers, my grandfather, and one of my aunts! We went out to dinner and got to chat with everyone. My family was a little disappointed that I don’t have more of a baby bump to see! Ha.

Dying Easter eggs!

Me and my cutie!

Sunday morning we went to church with Joe’s mom, it was a packed house! After a really nice service we went home to have a big lunch! Joe’s aunt and uncle came over, as well as my sisters and dad. We had delicious homemade lasagna and played a board game (our families love to play board games).

Joe and I after church! I was trying to accentuate the little baby bump I have.

We had a great time visiting with our families. As usual, I was sad to have to leave! So now I am halfway done with the pregnancy! It’s hard to believe. At the last doctor visit we heard the usual good news, and got to hear a very loud heartbeat! I really think I’m starting to have more of a bump each day.

This weekend we were glad to have Gracie come see us! She had been in the area for a few days working, and got to visit with us once her work trip was done! Saturday afternoon she drove up from Bethesda and we went to the Inner Harbor for dinner. We ate at a place called Houlihan’s. The food was really good, service was a little dodgy. But we had a great time catching up! After dinner we came home and had the cake I’d made earlier in the day! I made a banana pudding poke cake, from a recipe I found on Pinterest! It was really simple but super delicious. You start off making a regular yellow cake, and then punch a bunch of holes once the cake comes out of the oven!

It looks really fancy with the holes in it. Then you mix up 2 small boxes of banana cream pudding with 4 cups of milk, and let it sit for a minute or two. Then you pour it over the cake, letting the pudding sink into the holes.

The cake pan was getting pretty full! You put the cake in the fridge to let the pudding set up, and once it is cold and not jiggly you ice the cake with a whole tub of cool whip! Put the cake back in the fridge until you are ready to eat. After we got back from dessert I pulled the cake out of the fridge (it had been sitting for about 6 hours at this point, but I read that it tastes even better the next day), and I put crushed vanilla wafer crumbs on top of our pieces before eating.

Looks pretty good right?

Joe and Gracie with their cake! It was a pretty big hit! I’m excited to eat a piece later today to see if it really tastes better after a day in the fridge. The original recipe can be found here: http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/06/banana-pudding-poke-cake.html

Gracie left for the airport this morning after breakfast, but we had a great little visit! Hopefully in a month or two Joe and I will be able to go visit her in Connecticut for a weekend! This afternoon Joe and I are driving out to West Virginia so Joe can drive a Lamborghini around a race track. It was a fun thing I bought for him a while back and he’s been looking forward to it! I don’t really have any more baby updates, aside from the fact that I really think I’m starting to feel the baby move. I’m never really sure if it’s the baby or my stomach growling, but I’ve definitely been more aware of something going on in there! So that is exciting. I can’t wait to feel some real kicks!

Almost 15 weeks, Valentine’s day, and our anniversary!

It’s been a busy past two weeks! Last Thursday was Valentine’s day, and Joe and I decided to go to D.C. to eat at Mellow Mushroom. Mellow Mushroom is our favorite pizza place ever, and we used to go all the time in Tennessee. The closest one to where we live in Baltimore is D.C., which isn’t too far of a drive. Usually. Unless you happen to get stuck in two hours of traffic. Which we did, of course. So we had me, the pregnant lady who was starving and always has to pee (and also suffers from crazy road rage), and Joe, who had worked all day and was also starving. By the time we parked the car I was ready to book it to the restaurant. Luckily there was no wait! I had my delicious Magical Mystery Tour pizza and Joe made his own pizza. We also ate an entire cheese bread appetizer. No big deal.

 

This Mellow Mushroom had a cool circus theme going on! My Iphone takes the grainiest pictures (it’s likely my fault).

I had made us a dessert from a recipe I’d found on Pinterest (because that’s what I do). It was a cake batter pudding bar thing, and I made it because Joe loves cake batter cookies, and I had cute Valentine themed M&Ms. It looked great coming out of the oven, it smelled great, and I had high hopes.

 

And then Joe and I tried it. It was no good. Like, I couldn’t even eat my piece, and I’ll eat pretty much any dessert. I was bummed, but it was a learning experience! It tasted like raw pudding mix and was not at all a good consistency. Oh well! Into the trash it went. It didn’t ruin our Valentine’s day though! We were married 5 days after Valentine’s day, and last year Joe and I were still doing the long distance relationship up until the wedding, so we didn’t get to spend the day together! This year was much better!

Our one year wedding anniversary was Tuesday night (the 19th). Joe and I decided to splurge (because next year we won’t be able to, ha) and went to our favorite steak place, Flemings. There are a few Flemings in different big cities, and Joe and I first went to the one in Nashville. It is pretty pricey, but the steak is amazing, and they have the best chocolate cake pretty much in the world. Seriously, if you go to a Flemings, save room for dessert and get the chocolate cake. Joe was super excited when we found out there was one in Baltimore, and we’ve been once or twice since we moved here.

When I made reservations, I said that it was our wedding anniversary in the comments section, which was the best idea ever. Not only did we have our usual excellent service and delicious food, but they gave us a complimentary dessert to take home and took a picture of us as a souvenir! Very nice. I couldn’t have my usual steak entree because of the baby, but my chicken dish was awesome. We came home and had slices from our wedding cake! We’d had it saved from the wedding day and it had been taking up a large amount of space in our freezer! It was actually really tasty!

 

Once again, a horrible quality Iphone picture. The cake kind of blends into the plate, but it was really good.

So now that we’ve been married for over a year, are we still allowed to call ourselves newlyweds? I can’t believe its been a year already, and I really can’t believe by this time next year we’ll have a 6 month old! It’s pretty exciting. Luckily Joe still puts up with me and my crazy self, and I love him more every day!

As far as baby Blackburn goes, we’re moving right along! I’ve gained a total of 3 or so pounds, look crazy bloated all the time, and feel huge. Still tired a lot, but I’m getting used to it. Also, I want to eat all the time. I’m trying to eat more healthy for the baby, but I seriously just want cookies and chips. Joe made us a ridiculously good healthy dinner the other night, I thought it was the best thing ever!

 

Joe made us grilled chicken shish kabobs with onion and red peppper, roasted buttery potatoes, and green beans. It was the bomb! I’m always impressed with how quickly Joe can get dinner ready! He just jumps right in and gets it done, whereas I take forever trying to be clean and organized. Ha. I’m a lucky girl to have a husband that fixes delicious meals for me! That’s all I know for now, our next baby appointment is 2 weeks away!

13 weeks!

13 weeks 1 day along! This was taken in the morning before going to the gym, so I look really pastey! I figure once the baby comes I won’t be putting on much mascara so I should get used to looking super washed out. Ha. I don’t have a belly yet, I just look bloated most of the time! According to different sources the baby is either the size of a peach or a lemon. Either way, I feel huge. Ha.

How far along? 13 weeks

Total weight gain: Nothing so far! I’d actually lost a pound between my 8 week and 12 week appointment.
Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I bought a belly band! I’ve only worn it once because it is so tight!
Stretch marks? Not yet, hopefully never.
Sleep: I sleep pretty well when I’m not waking up to go potty.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat out loud at the 12 week appointment. The doctor said the baby looks great! We also learned that our baby is very active! The doctor couldn’t find the heartbeat for a good minute, and I was starting to get really nervous! The baby was just moving around though!

Miss Anything? Being able to button my work pants, coffee.
Movement: Not yet! Hopefully in the next few weeks!
Food cravings: Cool Ranch doritos, dill pickle spears (go figure), oatmeal creme pies, blueberry pancakes (but that is always).
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still feel queasy randomly throughout the day, but certain smells make it worse! I’m a bank teller, and whenever people eat a red lollipop in front of me I want to knock it out of their mouth!
Gender: Not going to find out! Which is already driving me crazy.
Labor Signs: Way too soon for that!
Symptoms: Just the usual nauseau and exhaustion! But it’s not horrible.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On, but my fingers get swollen when I work out and it is not fun.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, moody, excited, nervous. Poor Joe has been really sweet dealing with all my crazy mood swings!
Looking forward to: Getting a real belly! Right now I’m just bloated looking!

We’re having a baby!

It has been a few months since I last posted, mainly because of laziness, but I could also blame a very busy holiday season! Let me go back a while and catch this all up!

November- Joe and I had a great Thanksgiving in our first apartment! I was a little bummed that due to my work schedule we would not be able to go home to TN, but luckily Joe’s mom and sister came to our place! I was able to make the entire Thanksgiving feast with a decent sized group to feed! I cooked a ten pound turkey (with stuffing inside the bird!), homemade cranberry apple sauce, twice baked cheesy mashed potatoes, green beans (from a can, I’m not overly ambitious), and rolls (Rhodes, they were amazing). Joe’s mom made the turkey gravy from scratch, which is something I still haven’t managed to figure out how to make! For dessert I baked a brown sugar pumpkin cheesecake, kind of a blend of a few recipes I’d found that all sounded amazing! I am proud to say that it all turned out amazing! It was a big hit.

It was also the first time I got to use our wedding china!

December: For about a week I’d been feeling like I was coming down with the flu. I very rarely get sick so I was not happy about it. Talking to my mom on the phone one day, she mentioned that whenever she thought she was getting the flu she turned out to be pregnant. I laughed it off saying no way! A few mornings later, December 13th, I took a pregnancy test when I woke up, and immediately I got a plus sign! I was half asleep and shocked, so I brought the test back to the bedroom and woke Joe up to look at the test. I asked him “What does that mean!!” and he very calmly told me it meant we were having a baby. I was surprised and happy and freaking out a little. I immediately downloaded the What to Expect When Expecting app on my phone and found out we were probably only 4 weeks along.

Joe and I were going home for Christmas soon, so we decided to keep it quiet and just tell family then! Christmas morning we were opening presents with my family, and Joe and I had ornaments made before the trip that said “Grandparent’s 1st ornament,” to give to both sets of our parents. The plan was, I was going to give my mom the ornament after all the other presents were opened, and she and my dad would read it together. Nothing goes according to plan with my family, and someone accidentally put the wrapped ornament in my mom’s stocking! So first thing in the morning we are opening each of our stockings and my mom just yells out, “ARE YOU PREGNANT!?!!” at me. I then realized she had opened the ornament! We all hugged and everyone was very excited. Later that night at Joe’s parents house, almost his entire family were having Christmas dinner, so we gave Joe’s parents their ornament after everyone finished eating. Joe’s mom said the same thing when she read the ornament! It was very sweet. We decided not to go public to friends until we had more news from the baby doctor.

January: We had our first prenatal appointment on January 9th, but it was too early to hear a heartbeat or get an ultrasound (I was about 8 weeks along). I was so nervous about everything being alright with the baby, but I also really wanted to spread the news. The doctor we met with said that we should be fine, so Joe and I decided to just tell everyone that night! We went Facebook public and it was really sweet to see all the congratulations! On January 24th (10 weeks along) we had our first ultrasound. I was sooo nervous that morning, and I had to drink a bottle of water and wasn’t allowed to use the restroom until after the ultrasound. Not an easy feat for a pregnant lady! We finally got to the ultrasound room and I was freaking out, but as soon as we saw the baby on the monitor I calmed down! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to see anything (like when Rachel was pregnant with Emma on Friends, and she kept saying she could see the baby even though she couldn’t), but I could definitely see the head and body! It was amazing to see the baby flipping around and moving, and to see the strong heartbeat! It was pretty surreal. I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom, and now it’s happening!

Our gummy bear sized baby!

I’ve had a really easy pregnancy so far, with just the usual symptoms. Before I was pregnant I could do a million things during the day and never get tired! Now I can barely get up in the mornings and I’m ready to fall asleep by 8! I’ve had nausea on and off for the past few weeks, but haven’t actually been sick so I’ve been lucky! I keep worrying I’m gaining too much weight, but just this morning I weighed myself and I’ve only gained 2 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. So I guess that isn’t horrible, especially with the amount of junk food I’ve been craving (Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, lots of pizza, and Chunky soup?) Joe has been really great, taking care of our little cat, vacuuming when I don’t have the energy, and waiting on me hand and foot when I can’t get off the couch. We are so excited about our growing family!

What does a pregnant woman bring to a football themed work potluck? I made brownies (from a box) and couldn’t find any purple or black icing (Raven’s colors) so I improvised with yellow tube icing. Isn’t it the most fancy dessert you’ve ever seen?