Dear Baby (21 weeks, 5 days)

Dear Little Lady,

That's what I've been calling you ever since we found out you are a girl.  Your dad and I already know what your name is but we plan to keep it a secret.  Your dad likes to use your nickname when he talks about you which is just too cute. 

I bought what I think will be your coming home outfit this past weekend.  Of course it is pink with little pink elephants on it.  I just can't get over how cute you will look in the onesie and hat all wrapped up in the matching blanket.  I sure hope you love elephants because your nursery will be covered in them.  Your dad and I have been collecting elephants for years... it's kinda our thing.

We are going to focus on resting for the next couple weeks, ok?  I have been really exhausted and on the verge of getting a cold so I think it is time to slow down just a bit.  Do you get tired in there when I don't rest enough?  Do you feel yucky when I feel yucky?  I often wonder if you feel what I am feeling or if you are just blissfully floating around in there.  You usually get pretty active when I lie down at the end of the day so maybe that is your way of saying "woohoo, resting makes me happy mama!"  I am definitely making more of an effort to take it easy and be kind to my body.

Keep kicking and punching and growing!  Your dad and I treasure every single movement we feel.  We love you so much!

Love,
Mom     

Pregnancy Update (21 weeks)

(our little lady at 20 weeks, 1 day)

How far along: 21 weeks today.

Baby's size: Baby weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is approximately 10.5 inches long.

Boy or girl: It's a GIRL!

How am I feeling: Really tired.  I just feel tired all the time.  I cannot tell if I am not getting enough sleep or if it is just normal pregnancy tiredness.  I've taken the last couple weeks off from working out because we have been so busy and I know I need to give my body a break because it is working hard growing our little lady.  It is definitely hard letting go of the guilt of not working out... this is something I have always struggled with.  I will get back into working out soon and hopefully this tired phase will lift a little. 

Maternity clothes: I cannot wear anything that isn't stretchy.  It is certainly convenient that I can wear dresses and stretchy skirts all summer though the heat is not so pleasant (and I assume it will only feel worse as I get bigger).

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well but obviously getting up a couple times a night to use the bathroom. 

Baby movement: I am feeling her kick all the time now.  I can feel her moving around before she gets a good kick in too.  It is so cool to feel the movement building into a kick.  She definitely is most active after I eat and in the evening, especially before I go to bed.  Her kicks can be felt from the outside and I have even seen a couple kicks.

Food cravings: Absolutely noting.  I've actually been having a really hard time coming up with stuff I want to eat.  I just don't seem to be interested in food at all.  It isn't that I have any aversions to foods its just that NOTHING sounds appealing.  I just need someone else to tell me what to eat.  This is driving Kevin crazy!

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Not much actually... I am feeling pretty content these days.

Best moment: Finding out that Baby Fournie is a girl, obviously!  Also having my parents feel her kick.  It was really special that my dad got to feel her kick for the first time on Father's Day.

What I am looking forward to: Getting to spend time with lots of friends in the next couple months and sharing this little lady (and her kicks) with everyone.  I also cannot wait to get in a bikini on the beach and soak up some rays... hmmm not so sure I am looking forward to everyone seeing me in a bikini but the sun will be nice!

(picking her nose)

to the Dads in my life...

Yesterday was Father's Day and I wanted to give a little shout out to all the Dads in my life...

Kevin - you are going to be the best, most loving and FUN dad ever.  Our little girl is so lucky.  I cannot wait to meet her with you for the very first time.  I am so blessed to be on this journey to parenthood with such an incredible man.  I love you!

Dad - I can't even write a couple sentences about how much you mean to me without getting teary.  You have been my biggest cheerleader, always believing in me.  I find it really hard to put into words just how much you (and mom) mean to me.  When I think about my family I can't help but smile because I am so blessed.  I have to most loving, most supportive and coolest Dad ever!  I cannot wait to watch you become a Grandpa to my little girl.  I love you so much!

Big Tom (my FIL) - Thank you so much for raising Kevin to be the man he is today.  I know he will be the best father because of you.  Our little girl is so lucky to have you as a Grandpa.  I love you!

Happy Father's Day!

It's a...

It's a...

(20 weeks, 1 day)

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are thrilled and a perhaps a little in shock because we both went into the appointment thinking she would be a he.  I cannot wait to watch Kev bond with his little lady.  She is gonna have him wrapped around her finger in no time.

(wearing pink for my little lady)

More Asheville photos!

I just wanted to post some more photos from our trip to Asheville.

Photos from our hike up Craggy Gardens...

(Merrick and Will)

(Naomi... so beautiful!)

Portraits and candids from our Saturday night BBQ...

(Tom)

  

(love these two!)

 

(Nick)

(Will)

(Kev)

(Seriously I could not love these two more!!!  I am such a lucky big sister and this baby will have the coolest uncles!!!)

(p.s. don't pay attention to how super preggo my face looks in the photo...)

 Photos from our walk at the bird sanctuary...

 (Me and Naomi)

 (Will)

(Third Nature... in nature)

We had the best visit and we miss everyone already!  Getting to spend time with family is something I really treasure and will never take for granted.  I have been blessed with the best family I could have asked for (and married into an incredible family as well).  This little baby is going to be so loved by the greatest aunts and uncles... eek I am so happy I could cry!

Baby's first Cardinals game

Last night Kev, Josh and I went to see the Cardinals play the Mets.  It was Baby's first Cardinal's game.  I know Kev is really looking forward to taking our little munchkin to many games in the future. 

Kev thinks Baby is a good luck charm because the Cards kicked ass, beating the Mets 9-2!

(19 weeks, 6 days)

I gave Kevin his Father's Day present after the game since it seemed like the perfect way to cap off a Cards win.  He is gonna be one cool dad with his Cardinals diaper bag from Diaper Dude.

Halfway there!

 

(19 weeks, 3 days at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC) 

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant... halfway through this pregnancy (assuming baby comes on his/her due date... yeah right).  Tomorrow we find out if this baby is a boy or a girl and we can't wait!

Dear Baby (19 weeks, 6 days): our Asheville adventure

 

(family photo at the Biltmore - 19 weeks, 3 days)

Dear Baby,

Tomorrow we will be half way to meeting you (if you arrive on time) and guess what... your Dad felt you move last night!  I have been feeling you move around so much and it was so special for him to feel it too.  You gave him a nice little jab.

This past weekend your Dad and I went down to Asheville, NC to visit your Uncle Nick, Aunt Naomi, Uncle Merrick and Will, Will and Tom... we had quite the crew!  The whole weekend was filled with great food, beautiful scenery and tons of laughter.  Getting together with these guys is always so much fun.  I know you are just going to LOVE being around them. 

We did a little hike at Craggy Gardens up into the clouds... so much wispy air!

 (this is how I felt during the hike, hehe)

(Uncle Merrick)

We did a little summer house shopping by checking out the Biltmore.

 (family photo... what a view!)

 (Uncle Nick and Aunt Naomi)

We ate at Mela (awesome Indian food with the best mango lassi ever!), White Duck Taco (crazy delicious tacos!), Limones (Mexican brunch!) and the CHOCOLATE LOUNGE (no explanation necessary).  The Chocolate Lounge = heaven... I would probably be there every day if I lived in Asheville... I sure hope you enjoyed the chocolate too.  All the yummy food made me one happy preggo mama! 

Saturday night we grilled burgers, sausages, corn and asparagus at Uncle Merrick, Will, Will and Tom's house.  It was a feast.  Nick and Naomi made the most delicious potato salad... I must steal the recipe.  I will post some photos from that night when I get them from Uncle Nick.  We spent that whole evening laughing hysterically... especially when Vanessa made her debut.

We plan on taking you back to Asheville next year for some adventures.  I know you will love it!

Love,
Mom

19 week baby bump

(19 weeks, 1 day)

I have been feeling the baby move almost every day since Monday.  It is the best feeling ever!

Maternity clothes

I am found myself in this in-between stage right now.  I am too big for most of my regular clothes (mostly my pants) but I am not yet big enough for maternity clothes.  My baby bump isn't even close to filling out the cute maternity dresses and tops.  Of course this doesn't stop me from trolling the online maternity sections from my favorite stores.  I've found that the Gap and Old Navy seems to have the best selection of basic and not too expensive maternity clothes... I may have placed 3 separate Gap orders in the last couple weeks... 

Then there are the stores that I can only dream about shopping at because they are so far out of my price-range it isn't even funny.  Case in point... Hatch.  Hatch has some of the most beautiful maternity clothes.  The one item I have been eyeing for years (seriously) is the jumper.

How cute is that?!?  You can add a colorful belt to accentuate the top of your bump too.  I can't decide between the black, capri green, navy or poppy... I guess I would lean towards navy... oh to dream.  The awesome part is that these clothes can be worn post-pregnancy as well which it nice considering the hefty price-tag.  I am a little skeptical of this though because I don't think most of the super drapey silhouettes will be terribly flattering on my regular body.

Dressing this new and ever-changing body of mine is certianly a challenge.  Though I am definitely not complaining about letting my stomach stick out... so liberating.  A few of the staples in my closet at the moment are:
1. Stretchy tanks (these Gap ones are amazing and definitely have lots of stretch in them)
2. Skirts with stretchy tops
3. Maternity shorts or pants with a demi panel (good for the just growing bump, I imagine a full panel would feel better on a bigger belly)

(tank, shorts, skirt)

Let's not forget about dresses either.  I see a lot of dresses of the short and maxi variety in my future!  Dresses seem to be the best article of clothing to transition seamlessly between regular body and bump body.  Anything with a empire waist will last a long long time.

To be honest it isn't easy to spend money on clothes you will only need for a short amount of time.  I am trying to focus on pieces that can be worn post-pregnancy and that aren't too expensive.  Seriously though the maternity shorts I just bought... I might wear these for the rest of my life.  They are like wearing real pants on the bottom and sweatpants on top, heaven!

Anyone have any maternity clothes wisdom they would like to share?

Dear Baby (18 weeks, 5 days)

Dear Baby,

I think I am feeling you move right now!  I am sitting at my desk at work and I swear I feel you moving.  Eek, is this it?  Am I finally starting to feel you?  This is so exciting!

We have been having a pretty exhausting time lately, haven't we?  Or maybe it's just me.  You must be going through a growth spurt and zapping all my energy.  I don't think the 90 degree heat wave we just had helped my energy levels at all either.  I am working on getting better at listening to my body and resting when I need to.  It is a hard adjustment though.  As your dad will say I am a "futzer."  I constantly move around the apartment cleaning things and putting things away.  For some reason I can't seem to sit still.  You are definitely making me slow down which is a good thing.  I've gotta be a little bit more respectful of my body's need to rest and relaxation... maybe I'll just make your dad do all the chores...

Only a week and a half till we find out if you are a he or a she and we can't wait!

I love you so much.

Love,
Mom

P.S.  Check out the new bed your dad and I just got... it's kinda awesome in all its king-sized glory.