Gender Reveal Party and 18 Weeks

Boy? or Girl? That has been the never ending question since the day we found out we were expecting.  I have long anticipated this post and could not wait for the day to arrive! 

I was super excited that my appointment was so close to Christmas when the majority of our family would all be in town.  I thought what a perfect opportunity to have a Gender reveal party. We went to Raleigh for Christmas and came back home for our appointment in hopes to have the answer and head back to Raleigh for a reveal party.  Our appointment was on Friday morning and I had planned the party for Saturday.  I had been ok up until Thursday night...then wham....overwhelming concerns of what if she can't see the gender at our scan....what if we get bad news and don't feel like having a party.  I tried to pray my concerns away knowing that God is in control of the baby's future as well as the cooperation of our ultrasound.  Although I knew all would be well I woke up at 4 a.m. and did not go back to sleep!  I was way too pumped about my appointment!!!  Once Brent woke up to go to work I had to get my mind off of all of the nagging questions.  I got up ate breakfast ( 2 times lol) washed dishes, laundry, packed our bags for Raleigh....took an eternally long shower....got ready and still had time to drive to McDonalds and Target before 11:00!  Finally Brent was home and we headed to the docs office.  I got soooo excited I was shaking! 

Once she took us back I prayed please cooperate baby!  As soon as she waved the wand over my belly WHAM I saw it....there it was a very obvious gender!  She told me not to get carried away that we need to make sure and there are many tricky things to look at and we would come back to it after she did some measurements.  I was 100% confident I had seen correctly but then said ok...maybe not and was happy to see a healthy baby being measured.  After she did her measurements she tried to go back and wiggle around....and once again I said see I told you...It is a boy!  She said you are right no denying it we are 100% confident you cannot mistake him for a girl!  I was so thrilled that he cooperated ( for the most part)  He refused to give us a good profile view seeing that he was facing my back with his arms and legs tucked up....but we did get some good shots none the less! 

Dawson Job Little

 

I love those sweet feet!!!

After a wonderful appointment we learned that he measures a tad ahead ...nothing too large and weighs around 1/2 lb. at this point.  I didn't hear a length or I was too excited to notice when she told me.  We are so grateful to have seen a healthy baby with no indication of any problems!

 

 

Once we got done I came home and made cupcakes for the party and hit the road.  I was soooo nervous about spilling the beans but I did a pretty good job!  YAY for me :)  The preparation was so fun knowing what was inside when no one else did!  Once our family arrived we had them vote.  I knew what the verdict would be....girl...all along most people have said girl that we have known, but I have always had a feeling it was a boy.  Funny thing was both Brent and I had dreams the night before the ultrasound....I told him it IS a boy I cannot quit dreaming that and he said he dreamed girl...making things interesting, but mama knew best ;)  !  We had a great time with the reveal and I would not change a thing about it!  I am so glad we got to announce our baby boy in such a fun way. We already love our Dawson Job Little so incredibly much and cannot wait to watch him grow!

I am standing on the boy side...Brent is on the girl vote side!

Girl?....Boy???

The mothers  are digging in!!!

Oh the shock and excitement!

Yippeee!

Excited about meeting Dawson in June!!!!

We had such an awesome time and I cannot wait to dress up baby boy like his daddy :) Oh yes...blue jeans and button ups will be on Dawson quite frequently!

 

We love you Dawson! See you in June.

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: .really not sure at this point….I will see when I go to the doctor next week!
Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity pants
Stretch marks? No
Sleep:  This week was tough…seem to wake up at 3:00 and lie there for an hour or two! God knows I need extra preparation for being awake at night I guess!
Best moment this week: Date night at Panera!  
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything?  Being able to sleep so deeply I have no clue what is going on
Movement: Still difficult to distinguish if it is movement or gas bubbles
Food cravings:  Still sour candy and subway/chik-fil-a!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: yes

Gender prediction:  50% Boy 50% Girl ;)
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In- and praying it stays that way!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy..Happy…Happy!
Looking forward to: Finding out if Baby L is a boy or girl!  12 days YAY!

 

Not really much to say this week....pretty good week!  I got my flu shot in hopes to prevent myself from getting this wicked bug that is going around.  My class has been quite out of control these past two weeks knowing Christmas break is around the  corner; so I have been a little extra tired trying to keep them under control each day, but K5 is K5!!!  I am looking forward to our Kindergarten Polar Express day Thursday.  #1 Perk I get to wear my P.J's to school, #2 Perk having fun watching the kiddos get so excited about hot chocolate...our make believe train....and of course watching the movie!  And then how can I not be excited about our half day friday and then heading back to Raleigh for Christmas!!! WOOOHOOOO Yay for week 16 :)

15 Weeks

 

How far along? 15 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: .4 lbs
Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity pants
Stretch marks? No
Sleep:  Some days good some days bad….I can’t seem to eat enough to make it through the night!
Best moment this week: Getting my crib!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything?  Being able to sleep so deeply I have no clue what is going on
Movement: Still difficult to distinguish if it is movement or gas bubbles
Food cravings:  New one…Pasta salad!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Seem to be doing pretty well these days
Have you started to show yet: yes

Gender prediction:  Everyone is saying girl…I say who really knows???
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In- and praying it stays that way!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy..Happy…Happy!
Looking forward to: Finding out if Baby L is a boy or girl!  (Dec. 28^th) YAY!

 

Sorry about the bad pic this week...I had a migraine this day and a redo was not an option!  So for week 15 I would say that everything is going well as far as I know....my weight seems to have hit a slow down and I seem to burn every calorie I eat.  No matter how much I consume I stay hungry these days which is a good sign for baby!  I guess with the amount of food I have been eating I should be grateful that the pounds aren't stacking on quickly!  I seem to have hit a new hormone high this week also....I have been so tired again just like the beginning and my hair and face are greasy :/ and of course the headaches have started.  Even though these are not the most enjoyable things I am grateful to have bodily signs that baby is growing and I am still so very thankful that I did not have to suffer morning sickness! 

Exciting news of week 15 was getting our crib!  Some may say ...wow you got a crib this soon?!?!?  BUT #1 I am a first time super excited mommy and # 2 while brousing I found a deal we could not pass up!  So I got the style I wanted, the color I wanted and even matress included for way less than I had anticipated. That is all for this week! In just 18 days we will find out what we are having! :)

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: .4 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? No
Sleep:  Better
Best moment this week: Hearing my sweet baby’s heart beat of 166!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything?  Cold deli meat!  I love subway but wish I didn’t have to toast everything!
Movement: Felt an awkward “flutter” feeling…so maybe?!
Food cravings:  Anything sour…skittles….sour patch kids…lemonade!
Anything making you queasy or sick: well hot chocolate did!
Have you started to show yet: yes

Gender prediction:  Everyone is saying girl…I say who really knows???
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In- and praying it stays that way!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy..Happy…Happy!
Looking forward to: Finding out if Baby L is a boy or girl!  (Dec. 28^th) YAY!

 

Ahhh I cannot believe I have made it this far already....Hard to think in just 6 little weeks this pregnancy will be halfway over!  I am so excited about Christmas week getting here not only for our visit with family but because we get to find out if our little babe is a boy or girl.  Apparently only a handful of people are calling boy and the rest of the world thinks girl.  I am so interested to see who is right! 

Our appointment was good this past week and I was so glad to talk to the OB about all of my breathing problems.  So glad Brent got to go with me and help emphasize how truly out of control this congestion had gotten.  After talking for a few minutes she made me a little upset.  We decided I most likely have Pregnancy Rhinitis...swelling of the mucus membranes due to excess pregnancy hormones (good for baby tough on mama).  At first she said this will most likely last the whole pregnancy...what a downer...and then Brent stepped in and said we have to do something, she literally cannot breathe and sometimes even swallow...thank you so much hubby to the rescue!  The immediate answer was NOT what I wanted to hear....she said, unfortunately there are not many drugs proven safe to help this problem and that taking sudafed more than just every now and then could harm the baby's spinal cord.  UMMM NO THANK YOU!  But my wonderful husband and I had done some researching before going to my appointment.  We had found an article by a woman diagnosed with the same severe case of rhinitis.  She had been given rhinocourt aqua to help ease the symptoms.  Immediately Brent and I both told the doctor about this and she said...well I will go research and be right back.  (Thank you google for helping! )  After she came back she told us we were right and that it is safe during pregnancy, but still she tried to say there are some side affects.  I got a sad feeling once again waiting to hear the doom....then she says you may develop a cough or dry vocal chords.  UMMM OK! GIVE ME !  I can handle a dry cough and scratchy voice but I cannot handle suffocating!  I have now been on the spray for 4 days and as of today my nose has opened up! Thank the Lord! 

 

Now that I have written about the stinky part of our appointment I can say hearing Baby L's heartbeat was amazing and gave us such a peace!  At first the doctor moved around and we didn't hear a thing...we both got a little nervous but then she moved waaaay over to my right side and out of no where there was that sweet little heartbeat!  Our baby decided to do the wiggles and move around making her follow but I loved knowing that the baby was so active.  She told us the heartbeat was 166 which made us both so happy.  At our very first appointment we got to watch the heartbeat be  measured via ultrasound and it was at 148....I was not expecting her to say 166!  Now that I have gotten to hear the heartbeat I wish I could go in every week just to listen, but watching my belly get bigger is fun too!  So for this week lots of good news! :)

13 Weeks

How far along? 13 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: .3.5 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes! Thanks to a wonderful person for loaning them…I love maternity jeans…why don’t they make these for non-pregnant women???
Stretch marks? No
Sleep:  Been a rough week…I have had major sinus issues!
Best moment this week: Being loved on by family!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything?  Sleeping on my tummy…it is not so comfy these days!
Movement: No
Food cravings:  Thanksgiving dinner this week !
Anything making you queasy or sick: Sinus congestion
Have you started to show yet: I would say yes!

Gender prediction:  Hmmmm???
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In- and praying it stays that way!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy..Happy…Happy!
Looking forward to: hearing Baby L’s heartbeat Wednesday!!!! J

 

 

So happy to be in the second trimester!  So far pregnancy has been relatively easy to me until last week.  I have had sinus issues since I became pregnant but nothing more than a sniffle and a little stuffy nose here and there...very liveable.  It seems like as soon as 12 weeks hit BAM my whole sinus cavity swoll and closed completely.  It has been so super tough.  After 2 nights of not being able to breathe or sleep I was convinced I had a sinus infection.  I have had no fever and had felt fine up until those two nights.  I finally went to the doctor a week ago to get antibiotics to treat it.  She noticed alot of swelling and since I said well I have had lots of mucus (sorry) she said sounds like your cold may have turned into an infection (duh..I thought).  Well not being my OB she was very uncomfortable with giving me anything other than Amoxicillan.  She thought I needed a steroid for my nasal passages...but was too scared to prescribe one with me being 12 weeks preganant.  So I thought....ok I'll take these meds and be better by Thanksgiving.  Well not the case....I have no more signs of "infection" but it is as if my nose wants to produce enough mucus for an army and swell so that I cannot blow any out!  At that point my ears shut, my throat swells, and of course my nose is just locked up.  Finally I started looking up any pregnancy related causes...and BAM 1/3 of women suffer from Pregnancy rhinitis!  I told Brent this is a wierd form of sinus infection that won't heal if that is the case.  So I kept on going until last night at my moms house.  Finally someone other than me or Brent witnessed the total clogging until I choked on my tongue and started hyperventilating and of course throwing up from gagging.  My mom said...that is NOT a sinus infection you are having major swelling .  So with all of that being said it has been a miserable time trying to sleep for this week.  I cannot wait to ask the OB her opinion and hopefully sort this out.  Please pray that I can get some releif for this and that she does not think it is all in my head! :)  I am very hopeful that she will get things under control. I think that the congestion and swelling just got so out of control in my first trimester until it just magnified to this point.  So for week 13 my prayer is healing of my sinuses! :)

The Big 12 Weeks!

 

How far along? 12 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Just a belly band for my hard to zip pants
Stretch marks? No
Sleep:  Sleeping ok…wake up in the middle of the night quite often
Best moment this week: Knowing the second trimester is a few days away!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything?  My morning coffee!  (although when I try to drink it I have no desire for the taste…so sad!)
Movement: No
Food cravings: Cheeze Its…when I get a little queasy they are the cure all! And any type of fruit...I cannot get enough!
Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee and this head cold I can't seem to shake!
Have you started to show yet: I think so...at first it would disappear but now it pretty much stays!

Gender prediction:  really unsure…but I have an inkling it is a boy!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In- and praying it stays that way!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: hearing Baby L’s heartbeat next week J

I am so happy to have made it to the 12 week mark.  This is the week you hear all women talk about...just get to 12 weeks and things get easier.  I have been so lucky to not really have to deal with real morning sickness.  I have had some days where I am nauseated, but nothing too severe and it does seem to be fading.  The main thing I have struggled with is sinus problems galore!  I have been miserable all weekend trying to manage breathing through my nose.  I guess it is the common cold and no matter what I try I cannot breathe.  Saline rinse, vicks vapor rub, robitussin, breathe rights and a humidifier and I still find myself clogged up.  I am really struggling not to give in and get hooked on Afrin, BUT I know that baby is more important!  Everyone please pray that this cold will disappear ASAP! I would love to enjoy the holidays and not feel so out of it!   Also pray that our next appointment goes super smoothly.  I am so excited/nervous about our appointment November 28th.  This will be the first time trying to listen to the heartbeat and I am beyond excited, but also nervous and praying they will find it quickly and ease this mommy's mind!  Well that is about all for week 12!  I am curious to see how much I can gain over Thanksgiving.  I am sure I will have no problem packing the calories on! 

I am laughing at this photo right now of me at 6 weeks....I thought that the bloating that day made me show so I wore a baggy shirt to hide it...I now see that bloating and baby look waaay different!

 

Big News in the Little Household!

                    WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!

We are so thrilled to announce that we are expecting baby #1.  I have been itching to make this blog post and the time is finally here!  After much prayer throughout the three years of our marriage and patiently waiting for the time to be right....We are so excited to say that yes....we are having a baby!
God's timing is so amazing.  I had been worried that being my first year teaching at my new school somehow I would end up missing part of the year or the beginning of the next year whenever we became pregnant....but why doubt our amazing God....we are due JUNE 2,2013 (3 days after my school year ends ) so if you do the math I will be 12 weeks on Sunday!  I'm also so excited that our little blessing is due just 4 days before our anniversary.  I could not ask for a more perfect anniversary gift!  I am so overjoyed at the thought of what our "Little" family is going to be like roughly 6 months from now! 

Baby L's 1st photoshoot at 7 weeks 4 days

 

Announcing to our families was something I was soooooo anticipating.... so of course I wanted to come up with something that may throw them for a bit of a loop....although I was a little worried that cat was already out of the bag with my mom and sis considering I had to lie as to why I would not go ride rollercosters with my nephew ( I LOVE rollercoasters) and why when we went shopping I could barely stay awake long enough to get through 3 stores....but somehow I played it off!  So here is how we spilled the beans to the family!

If you know me...you know my Phoebe is my oldest child :)

 

Well with all that being said...my "goal" is to do a weekly post with a cute little form I found on the ever-so-famous pinterest.  My sister-in-law will tell you ( shout out KC ) that I am not good with keeping up my blog....BUT I am going to do my best to keep it up from now on since I feel that I actually have someting worth blogging about :) Here's to future blogging :)

A little bitty bump at 9 weeks!

 

 

 

 

Hola from MEXICO!

Well.....after daydreaming for months about going on a cruise to Mexico I was ready to plan.   We both had jobs now and we had been saving since we got married to take another trip!  After searching we chose to take a Carnival cruise from New Orleans, LA to Progreso, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico.  I was soooo excited!!!  (By the way...from the day Brent got the job to the day we flew out was only 5 days...lol...told you I had been planning)  So here are some pics from our cruise!

                                   It was an EARLY flight...had to be at the airport at 4:30 a.m. ! 

 

                                                     Beautiful sights from the plane!

 

Always love "Elegant night"

My favorite :)

Beautiful views in Progreso, Mexico

Shopping in the markets

 

Our ship docked for the day

This is where we snorkeled in Cozumel....It was AMAZING!!!!

We saw so many fish and a HUUUGEEE hermit crab!  It was so nice to get to swim out so far without any life vest or rules!  Before we went snorkeling we went on an ATV excursion through the jungle....CRAZY FUN!  So muddy and bumpy and huge holes filled with water....definitely a favorite moment of our trip!

Beautiful Cozumel

I loved all of the parrots...I even got to hold one!

This dude scared me so badly! 

I ended up in the Carnival Legend show as Shania Twain...I never thought I would...so much for just having fun...you end up in a show!

I LOOOVVEDDD New Orleans...and all of the masks :)

Brent kinda creeped me out!

The Catholic Church was a sight worth seeing...beautiful!

View from the Mississippi River. 

 

They were awesome!

Of course, we had to stroll down the famous Bourbon St.  (Beads galore!) 

Classic New Orleans!

So thankful I got to take this trip with the love of my life! 

Cannot wait until we get to go on another one!

 

 

 

Long Overdue Updates ! Sorry I'm a lazy blogger :/

Well....Since we have moved back to Gastonia ALOT has taken place.  The first month or so was quite stressful...no jobs, no church, one car, and the boredom of sitting around waiting to find the right jobs!   Luckily our awesome friends Josh and Hannah are always great to cure our boredom and stress by letting us come over and eat dinner, play with their baby Cameron, and of course the men enjoy watching sports together.  Although we knew that we had made the right  move, there is always that worry that comes when you have NO CLUE what you are going to be doing. 

I had several interview calls, but nothing had worked out for a month or so.   One day while Brent and I were watching "Lost" (our summer addiction on netflix)  he got a call.  A local Christian school had called him about coming to teach in their middle school.  Brent really knew this was not the career he was looking for so he kindly turned them down.  Crazy I know, but God always has a plan and way of working things out.  I am sitting in the recliner waving my hands and pointing "ME, ME, ME...tell him about me!"  So after my comotion Brent says..."Well, my wife is a teacher and she is also looking for a job, and she really wants to teach."  He asked what grade I had taught and Brent told him Kindergarten.  Well amazingly he says, "We have a Kindergarten opening, have her call me".  In my excitement I call ASAP!  I had an interview that day and waited to hear back.  I interviewd against two seasoned teachers and was quite worried about that scenario.  A few days later I got the call back and the job was mine!  I was so amazed at God's timing and mysterious ways.  He brought the job to me without even looking. 

Brent still had been looking everywhere for the right job.  He had applied at an energy company a couple of months earlier and never heard anything back, so he figured that was not an option.  The beginning of July he got a phone call from the manager at the company. They had a freeze on their hiring process, which was why they had not called him back.  After reviewing his resume they were calling for an interview...YAY!  Well we were sooo nervous because this was the only promising lead he had gotten so far.  After a great interview...we waited.  One morning the manager calls and asks if he can pick Brent up for lunch to discuss the position.  Of course you can!!! I thought, "You got the job babe!"  Well after a LONG lunch...and me sitting at home pacing...Brent comes back in the door.  His first statement..."well that didn't really help".  UGGHH I thought ...WHAT???  (Brent loves to scare me)  Turns out he got the job.  So after we found this out we were super excited that in this crazy economy we both had found jobs withing 2 months of being back!  The company is GREAT to work for and exactly what we need for this phase of life.  God is good! 

Even though we were super excited, we were bummed that he may have to start and it would be another year before we could go on a vacation for just the two of us.  We had been saving and really wanting to go on a big vacation this year, but knew it might not happen.  Brent's manager called to let him know his start date, and said that he would be gone for two weeks so if we wanted to go on vacation now was the time to do so.  I was thrilled!! I knew exactly what I wanted to do sooo I said let the planning begin!!!! 

New News in the Little Household!

Well...many people are already aware of what this blog is going to be about...but several are not!  Brent and I moved to New Bern last June to take a position at Pleasant Acres Church.   I have been teaching at the school and Brent has served as the music minister.  Throughout the course of this year there have been so many things on our mind.  What does God have in store?  What are we learning from this experience?  What is our future going to be like here?  As we started our ministry we still had butterflies and a little bit of "homesickness".  As we started our journey we prayed that God would make us comfortable and help us to love our new home and ministry.  After a few months we were still praying to feel at home.   Over time we adjusted and continued to pray that we would know exactly God's plan for our lives.  As we began to pray and search our hearts the Lord revealed so much more than we could have ever imagined.  We had really been praying for God to guide and direct our path and we had believed we would be in New Bern for several years.  The more we prayed a lack of peace began to overwhelm our hearts.  Brent and I would discuss things EVERY night...and I mean EVERY night...how we were feeling, why were we feeling this way, and what in the world was God doing.  We started to think about small things that had been on our hearts and began to realize that some of these things were God's still, small voice.  Over time we had been thinking about these desires of our heart, but not really giving any significant thought to them.  We knew God was trying to get our attention, but what exactly are we to do?  Well after much prayer and discussion we beleive that God was ready for us to really begin fully relying and trusting in Him.  I am thinking....HELLO we are in the ministry, we do rely on God.  But we began to express how we have never had a time of just stepping out on faith and trusting the Lord to work and direct our paths.  We truly believe that after looking for direction and what path to take that God is leading us to move back to our home in Gastonia.  Once we return, Brent will begin pursuing his masters degree. 
Here is where the leap of faith comes in.  We are super excited about what God is going to do, but are still praying for God to open the right door of employment in HIS timing.  We are very grateful that God did not allow our home in Gastonia to sell, and not only did He allow it to not sell; He provided us with the most amazing tenants to rent it who happened to need out of their lease 2 weeks before our move date!  Can you say God's timing is AMAZING!  We have been so pleased with the way our house was taken care of , as well as, how amazing this couple was in making their payments.  I have heard so many horror stories of renting out your home, but I can truly say after looking at my property...Me (MISS PICKY, CLEAN NUT)  cannot find ONE problem!  Not only did this couple take great care of our home, they had the carpets cleaned and hired a professional cleaner without us asking!  As of now, our plans are to move back home and continue to pursue our career options.  Once the right doors open we are excited for Brent to begin studying his masters.  We know this is the beginning to a long journey, but we are SO grateful about what the Lord is going to do. 
Although New Bern did not end up like we thought it would, God always knows what He is doing.  We have learned so much over the span of time we have lived here.  From "how to move" to the important issues in life such as truly living a life of faith.  We came here following God, and we leave here stronger and continuing to follow His leading.  We covet your prayers over the next few weeks as we will be moving and continue to search for the right doors to continue walking through!