a new zip code and other random happenings, part 1

wow. it's been way too long. i know i promise to blog more and i keep failing at that! let me just say that moving during tax season while pregnant was a bad idea. since so much has happened, i'll start with all things baby related in this post and follow up with the rest of our life in another post later today!

so what's been going on with the Rhodens?! i'm glad you asked...

first of all, i'm so excited to share that baby Rhoden will have FOUR friends so close to his or her age. we found out in the past 6 weeks that four of our friends are pregnant and having their second child. how crazy is that?! i'm so glad that we will be close(ER) for play dates and such. i don't think any of them have announced it yet, so i won't share who, but baby Rhoden is lucky because these friends are so dear and special to us and i know their children will be just as awesome as their parents are!

i have had my eye on a particular style of a petunia pickle bottom diaper bag for a while now. i have several friends who have a PPB bag and swear by it. i knew i wanted the sashay satchel style and i had originally planned to purchase one off of ebay, since i wasn't about to pay over $100 for a diaper bag. i registered my email address on their outlet website over 6 months ago (yes, before we even decided to start a family) and kind of forgot about it. well, in early march i received an email about their upcoming outlet sale. they only do this twice a year and it took me 4 hours to finally place the order and then another two days before i got confirmation that i did in fact get my order placed in time to get the bag before they sold out of the style i wanted, but lo and behold! friday, march 16th this gal came in the mail! i got her 50% off and could not be happier! i was hoping i would find out the gender of baby Rhoden before they had an outlet sale but that didn't happen. i almost decided not to get anything since i wasn't sure if we were having a girl or boy, but later decided this would be replacing my purse and it really didn't need to match the baby, only me :) i am so happy i decided to go for it! i'm in LOVE!

i got her 50% off and could not be happier! i was hoping i would find out the gender of baby Rhoden before they had an outlet sale but that didn't happen. i almost decided not to get anything since i wasn't sure if we were having a girl or boy, but later decided this would be replacing my purse and it really didn't need to match the baby, only me :) i am so happy i decided to go for it! i'm in LOVE! unfortunately, it's an addiction and i now want an wistful weekender. if only i could find the same one to match my (discontinued) diaper bag...wah waaah.

on march 17th, i went with my parents and stan's mom to a huge consignment sale in plano. my brother and his wife and children are coming in town (TODAY!) to visit for a couple weeks and go to brandy's sister's wedding in VEGAS and their new baby Grayson is going to be staying with my mom for FIVE DAYS! my mom has not kept an infant for five days in at least twelve years! yikes! all that to say, she needed some baby gear...and fast! she managed to find a highchair, an umbrella stroller, a few toys, some puzzles and games on the cheap at this place. stan's mom scored an umbrella stroller, some toys/puzzles, and a johnny jumper for an amazing deal.and i scored a cute tummy time mat and a baby carrier for stan (and me--but mostly stan). i found the same carrier brand new at buy buy baby for $129! i scored this bad boy for $18. well, my dad scored it for $18. i subsequently got it for free :) thanks dad!

afterwards, we stopped by buy buy baby so i could show them the crib stan and i decided on. i had originally though i wanted a simple clean lined, modern crib such as this:

 

but while browsing buy buy baby one day for gliders, we came across this brand new style crib from bassett baby.

 

i love the simple style while still being a little different. you can't tell from the pictures, but it almost looks like a gray wash over white paint. it would work well for a boy or a girl. it is also convertible. it goes from a crib to a toddler bed with rails:

 

to a toddler day-ish bed:

 

to a full size bed:

 

and it's from a quality furniture company so i know it will last a long time. and best of all, with a 20% off coupon (thanks buy buy baby) it is only $40 more than the simple, cheap crib from target i had been looking at! score!!

on march 29th, we had our 18-22 week appointment with our perinatologist. we actually saw one of his partners and she was so sweet. she asked us ahead of time if we wanted to know the gender and we told her we'd like it in an envelope and what our plans were and she was so nice to accommodate our request! baby Rhoden was being extra stubborn that day and WOULD. NOT. MOVE. we couldn't get baby to stay still during the first appointment and this time we needed him/her to flip over and baby would just not cooperate.the doctor needed a different view of the heart and cross-section of the stomach and we tried just about everything. she jiggled my belly with the want, she had me roll to one side and then to the other. NOTHING. in the end she was able to get what she needed i guess because she let us know we needed to look away from the screen because she was going to check out the gender of baby Rhoden. i was originally thinking we could go home later that night and watch the recorded sono and make our guesses (because let's be honest, neither of us could pick out anything except the beating heart!) but she was able to tell without a doubt after just a few seconds so i decided it was a bad idea to watch it, in case it really was THAT obvious.

as soon as i got home i hid the envelope but pretended to keep it with me at all times. when we left the appointment i put it in my planner/life binder and didn't let that sucker out of my sight so stan would think it was still in there. i know my husband and he is sneaky and this is the only way i knew i could keep him from searching the apartment for it! fast forward a week and i get a phone call from stan saying he had a confession to make. i immediately thought he found the envelope and opened it. instead he took the dvd out of my planner and watched it! the little turd...

lucky for me, the doctor picked up on the fact that i have a sneaky husband and she cut off the recording just before she checked the gender! crisis averted!!

a few weeks back living social was running a great deal. pay $25 and get $50 to spend at a local cloth diaper shop, called the nappy shoppe. even better, if you purchase the deal and then get 3 other people to purchase it also, yours is free! so i had stan purchase it, as well as my mom and dad. so in the end, i got $200 to spend at the nappy shoppe and only paid $75! we are planning to cloth diaper baby Rhoden. but before you think i'm CRAZY--know that they have come A LONG way since the days of folding and pinning and covering! it is expensive to get started (between $15 and $20 PER DIAPER) but when you compare that to how much you would spend in just the first 3 months ALONE it is so worth it! when all is said and done, i will have a pretty good start to my collection. i will have 12 cloth diapers for roughly $100. i would like to have between two to three dozen. if i were staying home with baby Rhoden, i could probably get away with only two dozen, but i would like to have a dozen that could stay at my mom's house so i wouldn't have to cart them back and forth so often. but hey--that's what a registry is for, right?! well, wednesday night my mom took me out to get an outfit for the gender reveal party and we decided to stop by and use two of our vouchers. here's a picture of two (of the six) that i purchased:

contrary to what it appears, one is black and the other is bright blue (not brown and baby blue). it was dark already when i took this picture, but i was so excited i couldn't wait until the morning when the sun was out! they are the pocket style, meaning there is an opening in the back between the inner and outer layer for a "soaker layer" to fit inside and when the diaper is wet or soiled you pull the soaker out and throw them in the washer. it is also a one-size style. all those snaps allow it to fit all the way from 6 pounds to 35 pounds! meaning one set of diapers will last until baby Rhoden is potty trained! hooray! i purchased 4 of the same style in the picture, and then i purchased two of another brand because the associate said it was especially good to last throughout the night = less diaper changes while i'm barely awake.

in WAY more exciting news, the gender reveal party is less than 36 hours away and i could not be more excited! some super AWESOME friends of ours opened up their home to host the party. how amazing is that?! another sweet friend, Elyse is going to photograph the event. i don't want to give away too much, but it will be a good time! i'll have a separate post after the event to detail everything from the party. i also have some great family members contributing food. i could not have done this without them! I CANNOT WAIT!!! 

well, i think that's everything baby related for now. i'll FINALLY do a separate recap post of my pregnancy so far after the party. stay tuned for the rest of the crazy, under construction life we are currently living...

our first trimester screening

february 15th was our appointment with the perinatologist for our first trimester screening. while all my friends were going through pregnancies, we talked a lot about (what i referred to at the time) the testing to find out the chances of your baby having down syndrome. i always felt like i wouldn't do the test because it wouldn't matter if my little baby growing inside me had three eyes and a tail: i would love it the same. 

however, my OB threw out the option for a first trimester screening and i accepted. my reasoning was three-fold. ONE - if it showed the possibility of my child having a chromosomal disorder (such as down syndrome) we could start learning and researching as much as possible so we could be prepared for what that future looks like. TWO - my insurance covers it with just a $25 lab/sono co-pay. THREE - it was an excuse to see my little one on a machine that is 3 times as expensive as the cheap sono machine my OB has at his gynecology office (i have yet to see him at his OB office). and let's be honest here...the only part of my pregnancy i've enjoyed is when i'm seeing my baby inside my tummy. so i'll take what i can get!

i am so glad we decided on the screening! basically, the first trimester screening tests the thickness on an area on the back of the neck and checks for the nasal bone. two signs of the possibility of a chromosomal disorder are a think nuchal fold (skin on the back of the neck) and the lack of formation of the nasal bone around week 12. then they plug those factors into a statistical formula along with data from your bloodwork and let you know the statistic of your baby having a chromosomal disorder. we met with a geneticist first and she went over everything that will be looked at and how we would move forward if there was a likelihood that my child has chromosomal disorder. she also informed me of other tests that could be done through a blood sample to test for other genetic disorders.


then we went back to the sono room and had a belly ultrasound performed. the u/s tech was super nice. she offered to record the session and put it on a dvd for us. of course we obliged, but only after stan made sure it was free! she also answered all of our crazy questions and showed us all the crazy stuff those machines can do. we finally got to hear baby Rhoden's heartbeat! it was probably the most exciting time so far in my pregnancy. while the u/s tech was trying to get measurements and check for developmental aspects, baby R would NOT.STOP.MOVING. it was hilarious. baby would spring up to the top of his bubble and float down and then spring up again. it was super cute. however, as soon as the doctor came in baby was as still as could be. he/she must know who's in charge! 


i watched the DVD for the first time and will try to isolate a few clips on iMovie this weekend so i can post snippets for you to see. translate: stan will try to isolate a few clips on iMovie since i have no clue how it works. hopefully i can get those posted monday or tuesday. i know this post has been mostly facts and pretty emotionless, but it's hard for me to separate emotions from that day and i am still working through a lot of things--it was a hard day (for reasons other than our pregnancy).


on another note: tonight our sweet friends Carli & Braden are coming over for dinner and a packing party! stan is officiating their wedding in june and we could not be more excited for them! we have been needing to meet up with them to talk about the wedding and they so graciously offered to help us pack since we have so many crazy things going on! they are also moving into the same complex we are moving in to and we are so excited to have some good friends so close. we have started making plans for decorating the new place. i am so excited to change the look of our home to reflect our style more. once i find a program or website to make some "mood boards" of the plans for our rooms i will make them and post them here, along with pictures of the finished product (aka the rooms). we have never "finished" decorating anywhere we have lived before, so i am DETERMINED to "finish" this next place. we have some awesome ideas and i can't wait to see how they come out! anyway, that's all for my lunch break! catch up soon...

preggo progress - remainder of the lost weeks

it's hard to write about something that is an absolutely miserable experience. my apologies. here's a recap of what i hope to be the remainder of the lost weeks. i do have a lot to update on the blog (like our first trimester screening) but that was a really hard week due to other circumstances and then i got sick and i just haven't gotten around to processing everything. i plan on doing that this weekend. something to look forward to, i guess...

The Details

How far along? 13 weeks on february25th - and what a better way to wrap up the first trimester than with a virus? because i really couldn't have though of a better way. might as well end it with a bang!

Weight gain: +2 pounds - finally some weight gain

Maternity clothes? belly bands are my new bff. i can still comfortably button my pants fine (obvs since i've been losing weight) but why would i want to do that when i could throw on a belly band and call it a day?!

Stretch marks? nope. although there has been some stretchage of the stomach. i can tell my uterus is larger. most people probably just think i've been drinking too much beer.
Sleep: still loving my snoogle. no sleep issues due to pregnancy, however i did decide to watch the entire twilight saga (to date anyway) on saturday night since i couldn't sleep due to my nose being ON FIRE!
Best moment during the remainder of the lost weeks: morning sickness has ended! just in time for me to catch a virus...
Miss Anything? being able to breathe.
Movement: not for a while.
Food cravings: pickles. and then i am immediately nauseous. pretty awesome, huh?!
Anything making you queasy or sick: pickles.
Gender Prediction: i always seem to refer to baby R as "he" so a boy i guess. although, i seem to refer to EVERYTHING as a he since all i've had my whole life are boy pets. so it's probably more habit than anything, but stan says girl so i guess there has to be someone rooting for the other team.
Labor Signs: not for a while.
Symptoms: a crappy immune system at the moment.
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? all three rings fit great, but i'm sure once summer hits i'll be down to just my engagement ring...
Happy or Moody most of the time: pretty emotionless.
Looking forward to: not being sick. and planning the gender reveal party. 

Quick Recap

Total weight gain: -3 pounds, 6.4 ounces

Belly Circumference: 36"

Stretch marks: none

Belly Button: in

Swelling: none

Heartburn: gone!

Varicose veins/skin tags/other horrors: none

Overall comfort level: terrible

i'll spare you the details...

...but oh my goodness i feel like a new woman. hopefully i don't ever have to experience that again. EVER. i have definitely learned a thing or two about pregnancy and if i ever decide to do this again, hopefully i can recall that tidbit of information. 

if you could allow me a selfish moment that would be awesome. can i draw a quick parallel between pregnancy and church attendance? growing up church was always this place where you have to be perfect (which no one is) so you put on a facade and everything is always "great" ... except when it's not. and it left me feeling inadequate because things were not "great" a lot of the time. i have felt the same inadequacy throughout my pregnancy so far. i have over a dozen friends with children and no one talks about the struggles and it left me feeling alone and like my body was not made for this. thankfully, i have a Jesus who is bigger than my struggles. i have a Jesus who reminds me that my identity is in Him and Him alone. i have a Jesus who is my strength when i feel like i have none. i have a Jesus who reminds my that my Father created me and He does not make mistakes. and i have a husband who loves me and leads me and always knows exactly what i need--usually before i do. i am blessed.

43 days

mornings like i experienced today make it seem like we are still light years away from moving. we finally found a place to live IN DALLAS and scheduled with the movers yesterday! march 24th. 43 days away. in 43 days we will be residents of dallas. in 43 days i will no longer fight traffic or wonder whether my drive will take 45 minutes or an hour and 45 minutes. in 43 days i will be a mere 17 miles from my job. i.am.stoked.

we found some pretty nice apartments on cedar springs with a huge dog park. we're about a mile away from the katy trail and close to some really nice parks. it's a two-bedroom, two-bath with a separate dining room and a huge corner balcony! more than anything though, i am excited because our soon-to-be-married friends, carli & braden, are moving in to the same complex! they also have a rather large dog and we are so excited for our furr-babies to play together. 

it will also be nice to have such a good friend so close during the summer while stan is away so much. in june, he has two weeks of camps in tyler, tx and will be home for a mere 7 days and then leaves again to washington, d.c. for a youth choir tour. he gets home and a week and a half later is off to a college retreat and then 4 days after that is the student ministry all nighter. and somewhere in between all of that, they still have a senior trip to plan and execute during the summer months. i'm not even sure when they will find time to schedule it. last year i had some flexibility and was able to attend some of the functions, but between our trip to italy in may and needing to save as much vacation/overtime for maternity leave i need to be stingy with time taken off. not to mention the fact that i will have a basketball growing from my midsection.

as much as i have LOVED living near downtown fort worth and exploring a new city--i am thrilled to be coming home. i have always lived in the dallas area, but never IN DALLAS so this will still be a new adventure. the only sad thing to be leaving behind is our old place. stan's dad lived with us for 9 months and once he moved out we took over the third bedroom. it's going to be sad to be giving that space up and challenging to fit everything we have PLUS a baby (and all the things that come with it) into just two bedrooms. however, i am confident that we can make it happen. stan's desk will live against a wall behind the couch in the living room and all of my sewing/craft stuff will be organized in the baby's closet--ya know, since their clothes will only hang about 2 feet down and all. i love woodworking and building things (like stan's desk) and i am hoping we can fit the must-have-handy tools in the storage off the patio and still have some space to work since it is so large. of course this all works out in my head, but it's quite different when you are actually putting everything away so we'll see. i AM excited about downsizing and simplifying. i only want things i LOVE in the new place and i want everything to have it's place. so if i don't have anywhere to put it--it's outta here! someone please keep me accountable to that! haha. and i am COMMITTED to actually FINISHING bedrooms here. i'll give you five dollars for every time you come over and i haven't decorated a room yet. well, after tax season ends anyway...

 

for your viewing pleasure

...because who doesn't love a dancing baby?!

preggo progress - the lost weeks

why, hello there. sorry i've been gone so long. i think i have a pretty good excuse though. it's called morning all.the.damn.time. sickness. i'm still nauseous most of the time but i am determined not to let it get me down anymore. so, here's a recap - or at least as much as i can remember - of the past few weeks. oh yeah. and sans picture. since my chalkboard still reads 6 weeks. oops.

The Details

How far along? 10 weeks on february4th - although it could be debated since my doc measured me at 9w6d on january 31st - but for consistency's sake i'm going to stick with the date from my last period

Weight gain: -5 pounds - did you know that you lose weight when you don't eat?!

Maternity clothes? belly bands are my new bff. i can still comfortably button my pants fine (obvs since i've been losing weight) but why would i want to do that when i could throw on a belly band and call it a day?!

Stretch marks? nope. although there has been some stretchage of the stomach. i can tell my uterus is larger. most people probably just think i've been drinking too much beer.
Sleep: still loving my snoogle.
Best moment during the lost weeks: getting to see the baby's heartbeat during our first sono and see baby dancing during the second sono. video coming soon. i promise...
Miss Anything? food.
Movement: not for a while.
Food cravings: i wish. i would give my left arm just to crave food again.
Anything making you queasy or sick: food.
Gender Prediction: I don't have a feeling either way yet - Stan however has had two dreams about a daughter
Labor Signs: not for a while.
Symptoms: nausea and constipation - quite the duo if you ask me.
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? all three rings fit great, but i'm sure once summer hits i'll be down to just my engagement ring...
Happy or Moody most of the time: umm. i pretty much feel like crying all.the.time. so i do. mostly at night after a long day of feeling like crap.
Looking forward to: the second trimester. really just this nausea to go away. hopefully that occurs in the second trimester. no one told me sometimes pregnancy can be not so fun.

Quick Recap

Total weight gain: -5 pounds, 6.4 ounces

Belly Circumference: 35"

Stretch marks: none

Belly Button: in

Swelling: none

Heartburn: did i forget to mention that?

Varicose veins/skin tags/other horrors: none

Overall comfort level: terrible