Monday, December 31, 2012

Goodnight 2012.

Wow, this year has flown by. Our family has seen it's fair share of ups and downs but we've made it through and are ready for a new year. Both Will and I experienced exciting moments in our careers. Will received a promotion at work while I was able to find a job doing something I feel very passionate about. We also were successful in getting pregnant this year (which brings about a world of excitement on its own). We found out that we were PCSing to Germany and began preparing to move thousands of miles away from home).

Now we're closing out our year but spending time with Will's family before we head off for our first adventure of 2013. There are tons of things that people pledge to do when deciding New Year's Resolutions. I never do resolutions since I know that eventually I'm going to break them (especially those about eating healthy or exercising) but this year, I've decided to make one resolution.

My New Year's Resolution for 2013 is to be a better person/wife/mother/friend than I was in 2012. 2012 was hard year for me in a lot of ways but I've realized that I didn't put a 100% effort in when it came to my relationships and personal development. This year, I pledge to make a change. Now, I'm not saying that I'll turn into the perfect mother/wife but I hope (and pray) that at the end of 2013, I will know that I made an effort.

So, as we bring in the New Year, I'll leave you guys with some of my favorite pictures from 2012 (including Liam's two year pictures taken by our fabulous photographer, Melissa Bradfield). Cheers everyone!

A few snapshots of our 2012

Melissa Bradfield Photography

Sunday, December 30, 2012

21 Weeks Pregnant!

 

How far along? 21 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure again but I'm scared to look, lol

Maternity clothes? Just shirts but I'm going to start looking for pants on Ebay soon

Stretch marks? Not that I've noticed

Best moment this week: Will feeling the baby move


Complaints: Ughh...random nausea, breathlessness, heartburn

Movement: Yes!

Food cravings: Nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yep

Gender: Not yet

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Outie

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Christmas!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Texas: Fort Worth Zoo

I've always loved zoos but I am really picky when it comes to visiting/sightseeing. We have zoos in Kansas but they aren't very big and I just didn't see the purpose in going if I wasn't going to enjoy myself. So when Will's mom (Nana Shanna) and stepdad (Papa Chill) told us that they had tickets to the Fort Worth Zoo, we got excited.
After a week or so of planning, we decided on a Friday trip to the zoo. Well, this Friday turned out to be the first rainy day in 34 days. It actually worked out in our favor since the zoo was practically empty. We had an amazing time and I loved seeing Liam's reaction to the different animals.
Here are some pictures from our adventure!
















20 Weeks Pregnant!

Please ignore the messy bed in the background


How far along? 20 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: +6 lbs

Maternity clothes? Definitely need maternity shirts now just for the length but I'm still rocking my pre-preggo jeans

Stretch marks? Not that I've noticed (I do have a few from my pregnancy with Liam though)

Best moment this week: Lots of baby movement this week


Complaints: A little bit of nausea but hip/lower back pain and still a bit breathless at times

Movement: Yes!

Food cravings: Nothing really

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope and I even had a bit of cake on Liam's birthday

Have you started to show yet: Yep

Gender: Not yet

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Outie

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but I must admit that I had a few moody moments this week

Looking forward to: Meeting Liam's great grandparents, another zoo visit and hopefully some exploring!

19 Weeks Pregnant!



How far along? 19 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs according to the scale at the doctor's office 

Maternity clothes? Still wearing most of my clothes although my jeans are getting a little tight and my shirts are getting a little short (thank goodness for hair ties and maternity tanks)

Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Calling the baby "they", lol. I guess all the twin comments are starting to get to me


Complaints: Return of morning sickness (so far, just a nausea), tiredness and breathlessness

Movement: Yes! I'm pretty sure this baby is trying to escape
 
Food cravings: Steak

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really
 
Have you started to show yet: Yes, I'm pretty sure my bump has doubled in size
 
Gender: Nope
 
Labor Signs: Nope
 
Belly Button in or out? Outie
 
Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy for the most part
 
Looking forward to: The zoo, hopefully we can make it this week and Liam's second birthday

Monday, December 17, 2012

Hi Everyone!

We're still alive and in Texas. I am currently without a computer (my in-laws were nice enough to let me use theirs) since my Macbook Pro charger died on me. I hope to have a new one soon and will be updating the blog with lots of pictures from our trips to the Dallas and Ft. Worth zoos, visit with great grandparents and lots more. Hope everyone is well and staying safe!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

18 Weeks Pregnant!



How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +1 lbs
 
Maternity clothes? Not yet (although I have started to buy a few pieces...still looking for a coat though)

Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Felt the baby move on the outside for the first time


Complaints: Tired!

Movement: Yes!
 
Food cravings: Nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still cake/cupcakes (except for Starbucks Iced Lemon Pound Cake...mmmm)
 
Have you started to show yet: Yes
 
Gender: Not sure yet
 
Labor Signs: No!
 
Belly Button in or out? Outie
 
Wedding rings on or off? On! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: More happy (especially with frequent trips to Starbucks)
 
Looking forward to: Relaxing and spending time with family before leaving for Germany

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Our Texas and Germany Adventure: Part I

We have arrived in Texas! After a long (long) car ride and some terrifying Dallas highway driving, we made our way to the first stop of our overseas adventure. We will be here for over a month and have lots of plans so far. I'm trying to remind Will that we don't need to cram everything in right away. We have plenty of time to get out and enjoy time with family.

So far, we've spent a lot of time with Will's mom and stepdad. Will also has a much younger sister who has become the perfect companion for Liam. Over the past couple days I have started to feel a little under the weather. It started as a bit of a stomachache then turned into a full-blown cold (and sore throat). I am feeling a lot better now so we plan to hang out with Will's dad and stepmom. I'm planning to keep my camera nearby to capture lots of pictures while we are out. Here are a couple pictures of our trip so far!



Sunday, November 25, 2012

17 Weeks Pregnant!


How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure. The movers took my scale :(
 
Maternity clothes? Not yet

Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: All the baby movement


Complaints: Still pain in my hips....booo!

Movement: Yes!
 
Food cravings: Since my appetite has returned, I haven't been craving anything but food sounds good, lol 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still cake/cupcakes
 
Have you started to show yet: Yes
 
Gender: Not sure yet
 
Labor Signs: No!
 
Belly Button in or out? In-between
 
Wedding rings on or off? On! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody but it may be the stress of moving
 
Looking forward to: Cleaning our house and heading to Texas

16 Weeks Pregnant!



How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: -5.2 lbs
 
Maternity clothes? Not yet

Stretch marks? Nope 


Best moment this week: The return of my appetite! 

Complaints: Pain in hips 

Movement: A little...just little flutters right now though 

Food cravings: Nothing yet 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Haha, lots of things (certain smells, the thought of eating cake or cupcakes, etc.) 

Have you started to show yet: Yes, Will and my sister are convinced I'm having twins 

Gender: Not sure yet 


Labor Signs: No! 

Belly Button in or out? In-between 

Wedding rings on or off? On!  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody....I'll admit it  

Looking forward to: Getting our house packed up, cleaned and starting our vacation in Texas. Oh, and of course, Germany

15 Weeks Pregnant!

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: -5.2 lbs
 
Maternity clothes? Not yet

Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat and feeling some movement


Complaints: Sleeplessness, loss of appetite,
Movement: A little...just little flutters right now though
 
Food cravings: Nothing yet
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Haha, lots of things (certain smells, the thought of eating cake or cupcakes, etc.)
 
Have you started to show yet: Yes, Will and my sister are convinced I'm having twins
 
Gender: Not sure yet
 
Labor Signs: No!
 
Belly Button in or out? In-between
 

Wedding rings on or off? On! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody....I'll admit it 
 
Looking forward to: Getting our house packed up, cleaned and starting our vacation in Texas. Oh, and of course, Germany

Saturday, November 10, 2012

It's Been Awhile (A much overdue update)

Hello everyone! I'm alive! We're alive!
I apologize to anyone who regularly reads my blog and hasn't heard from us in awhile. I don't want to say that I got burned out but things have been a little crazy here.

Germany: We are still set to head to Germany. Will had planned to go to Ranger School which would have pushed our arrival date to Germany to the spring. Once I heard this news, I kind of decided that we would still be in Kansas and I had plenty of time to prepare. Well, Will decided that Ranger School was not going to happen and we had to do lots of planning in a smaller amount of time. Although we are still a couple months away from leaving for Germany, everything takes a lot of time when dealing with the military and overseas moves. Passports take six to eight weeks, furniture shipment takes 60-70 days and vehicle shipment takes six to eight weeks as well.
Even with all the craziness and briefings, we are excited for this journey to begin. We will be heading to Texas to visit Will's family during the month of December before heading off to Germany. This will truly be a journey and I am glad I won't be doing it alone. We have a three hour flight to Baltimore followed by a four hour layover before our flight to Germany. Once we arrive there, we have a four hour bus ride to our base (thank goodness we won't have to do that again for three more years). I'm crossing my fingers for an easy trip and plan to bring you guys along with us on our journey.

Camera: Another reason for the lack of blogging is the untimely demise of my camera. I can't even tell you what happened to it and to be honest, I don't think I tried very hard to figure out the issue. I knew that this new time in our life would require lots of pictures. We plan to do lots of traveling and definitely want to keep our family and friends updated on the growth of Liam and our new little baby (more on my pregnancy in a bit) so yesterday I became the proud new owner of a brand new Nikon Coolpix P510 camera. This is not the fanciest camera out there. I know people with far more advanced cameras but this is the fanciest camera I have ever owned. This camera will come in so handy while in Germany (especially the crazy/awesome zoom).

Liam: Liam is doing awesome! He's growing and learning more every day and I am constantly impressed by his personality (especially his sense of humor). He really is a sweet and loving little guy. I will do an update complete with pictures from the last two months this weekend.

Pregnancy: If I could make a guess on this baby's sex based on my pregnancy so far, I would say girl hands down. This has been the complete opposite of my pregnancy with Liam. I have experienced nausea, vomiting and weight loss this time around and even had a scare early on. Things are better now and I am currently 15 weeks pregnant. I haven't had an ultrasound yet but Will is convinced that I am having twins (and so is my sister). We'll have to wait and see since I will hit my 20 week mark while we are in Texas. Also, I will be doing baby bump updates since I now have a new camera.

I hope this update wasn't too boring for everyone. It is so hard to catch up with the amount of time that has passed. I promise to do my best to keep up to date especially once we are in Germany. Please forgive me guys and I will be back this weekend with a few more post.

Happy Veteran's Day everyone!!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

TMI Series: End of Month Three aka We're Pregnant!

That's right! Month three was a successful month for us and we couldn't be happier. Yay!!

I kind of knew I was pregnant before I even tested. I used Fertility Friend to chart my cycle and was also able to access the charts of other TTC women. I had a VIP trial on the site so I was able to chart my symptoms as well. I think this helped a lot and gave me a visual, which helped me keep track of everything.


I test on cycle day 25 and got a faint positive! So of course, I kept testing (just to be completely sure) and kept getting positive tests. This is definitely an exciting time for us but it is also a little scary. We are planning a move to Germany and our new baby will be born while we're living overseas. I'm sure things will be great but I wouldn't be me if I didn't worry just a bit. Thanks to everyone who sent us some baby dust. Now here's to a healthy pregnancy!


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow (Maybe)

I am contemplating a huge hair change tomorrow. This change has been in the making for a few months now but I think the time has come to finally take this huge step.
Since I was about 14 years old, I have been chemically straightening, or relaxing, my hair. Over the last couple of years, I have tried to take better care of my hair. I became a YouTube junkie, bought tons of hair products and spent hours upon hours in the hair salon (literally). Now, I never had an issue with my naturally curly hair. Mostly I kept relaxing it because that's what I had to do. Relaxed hair doesn't revert back to curly so once you make the decision to use chemicals to change the texture of your hair, you are making a commitment to the upkeep that comes along with straighter hair.
One of the main reasons I decided to "go natural" is that I am trying to live a healthier life. I want to eat better, live better and limit my families exposure to harsh chemicals. I had to admit that the chemicals I was putting on my hair every 6-8 weeks was not healthy at all. I frequently suffered from burns on my scalp, headaches and to be honest, my hair suffered at times. The final straw came when I realized that I had severe breakage in the center of my head. I knew that it was time for me to make a change and try something different.
It has now been about four months since my last relaxer. I have about two inches of "natural" growth which doesn't look like much when your hair is tightly coiled. After talking things over with Will and my mom (who actually just cut all her hair off recently), I plan to cut all my hair off tomorrow. I plan to go to a barber shop and explain my situation to them. I want to keep my little two inches of growth but the rest of it can go. I am not the type of person who likes to hang on to something I no longer feel I need (or want). Besides, it's only hair. It will eventually grow back (and hopefully be better than ever). Although this is a big move, I'm excited to make this change. Plus, I think this will make doing my hair much easier while in Germany. Wish me luck!