Baby Brown - Week 14

14 weeks

How ­­far along: 14 weeks and 3 days! hellloooo second trimester! 

Due date: 3.27.16

Baby Size: a beet, about 3.5 inches long

Weight gain: haven't seen anything different on the scale at home yet. 

Maternity Clothes: still mixing and matching.  All my tops are still non-maternity and I plan to try and keep it that way.  With winter coming, I'm hoping to go with the loose shirts and maternity pants! Maternity jeans though are my jam! 

Stretch Marks: nope.

Sleep: I totally hit a wall this week with sleep.  I have been sleeping TERRIBLE. I finally tracked my sleep with my FitBit last night and was "restless" over 45 minutes! Anyone have suggestions?!

Gender: cannot wait to find out.  I'm leaning more towards girl, simply because I can picture life with a little baby girl! Obviously a little hunk wouldn't be too bad either :).

Name: Nope, didn't find a boy's name.  Still up in the air.

Movement: just wishing and hoping and praying that these will start soon! 

Best moment this week: Celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary! I have the best baby daddy in the whole world, y'all.  Flowers, a preggers shirt, and a massage - he's a keeper. 

Looking forward to: Seeing the babe at our doctors appointment next week!

Husband is: not enjoying my restless sleeping, but still loving on baby b growing. 

Food cravings: eh, nothing special still.  Loving carbs and sweets, but that's typical!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing specific, but just getting a good healthy meal in seems to be challenging.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: Still trying to get my energy back and fall ciders!

Symptoms: a little lower back pain when working out and tightness sometimes when i sneeze! 

Nursery: Not thinking of anything for nursery until we find out the gender!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: haven't been the preggers that has mood swings, so I am feeling happy (also because today is payday!)

Workouts: Great morning workouts this week.  Getting up at 5 is becoming easier with more energy, but still a challenge.  It's been wet and raining here for the past week, so extra workouts have been challenging.  

Questions for mamas: Favorite places to register??

25 During 25 Update || August 2015

Oops... this got a little pushed to the back burner with all the baby stuff going on, but I am determined to still get these done! 

1. Run a 10k - DONE! Boom.
2. Do a blog give-a-way
3. Write a guest post - YES!! Read more about Hannah and Cy Sneed right here! (Since this post, Cy and Hannah have started their next adventure in Florida at the High A level!)
4. Shoot a gun
5. Go on a spontaneous trip  
6. See sunsets in 10 different cities - Athens, GA from inside Sanford Stadium |  Lynchburg, VA from the skyboxes at City Stadium | Myrtle Beach, SC from TicketReturn.com Field | Salem, VA | 
7. Do a girls weekend trip
8. Have a house party
9. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity - still working on this one... 
10. Buy a camera and learn how to use it
11. Go to a new state - A while ago, I did this post and had Maryland crossed off, but I honestly can't tell you what I did in Maryland that I was quick to cross it off. But with our trip to the Frederick Keys stadium a couple weekends ago, I can confidently say I crossed this one off this month! If not, we are heading to Nevada in November for a wedding, so that will 100% be the new state of the year for me as well! Crossed Connecticut off the list this month!
12. Host a shower for someone  Loved being able to shower one of my best friends! Hope more showers happen in the future - wedding or baby!
13. Run a 5k in every month of the year, at least 5 of them being a race - runs- Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July (awesome running trails in Lynchburg, so I took full advantage of this! Probably not gonna happen while pregnant, but I can promise a 5k walking!!
14. Buy a new computer
15. Write 5 thank you letters to companies that I use their products
16. Cash in a whole milk jar of coins to savings - this will happen in Jan 2016 when the jar is nice and full!
17. Tip 100% of my bill - DONE! A few weeks back, a coworker and I went to Zinburger in Charlottesville, VA for dinner.  We had the absolute best waiter.  I'm assuming he was a college kid, but he had the best attitude, gave great information on the food and what Zinburger was all about and even offered his favorite meals to us. 
18. Become CPR certified
19. Learn how to drive stick shift
20. Go to an NFL game
21. Do a 7-day smartphone detox 
22. Mail care packages to each of my siblings
23. Send my nana flowers out of the blue. 
24. Take professional photographs with D.J. and Stryker
25. Save $20 for every one of these that I complete - $140 in the milk jar with coins. 

Baby Brown - Week 13 Bumpdate

Week 13

How ­­far along: 13 weeks! Getting close to the second trimester - CRAZY!

Due date: 3.27.16

Baby Size: a hot jalepeno - spicy!

Weight gain: staying the same right now - 135.

Maternity Clothes: finally found a few key pieces over the weekend.  Got three pairs of pants (two work pants and a pair of jeans) and a cute shirt that will be perfect for layering.  Also let me just be clear, there is NO holding it in for these bumpdate photos... I'm letting it all hang out y'all! So I'm not 100% sure if I'm showing thattttt much or its just some extra belly fat. :)

Stretch Marks: nope.

Sleep: I've been staying extremely busy this past week, and I'm sure for the next few weeks to come, so the bed has been great and I've been falling asleep before 10 most nights, so I can't complain.  I've yet to get a pregnancy pillow or anything like that - are they worth it moms out there?

Gender: trying to figure out a cute way to announce when we find out! DJ is leaning towards boy, I have no gut feeling, but am thinking girl for some reason.

Name: We may have found a boys name, but not 100% confident. 

Movement: nope! But cannot WAIT! 

Best moment this week: Seeing the Blue Angels over the weekend! The first ever woman pilot, Katie Higgins, was my babysitter when we lived in Japan.  It was one of the coolest things to see her flying one of the planes!

Looking forward to: Celebrating our 2 year anniversary this weekend!

Husband is: So sweet.  He had the whole house cleaned to a tee when I arrived back from my work trip this week.  He is starting back up work this week, so his honey-do list is not so pressing right now :)

Food cravings: Pop tarts! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: I still haven't had a great appetite.  My family is getting on my case for not eating enough healthy food.  It's still hard to wrap my head around healthy food sometimes.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: Having the energy I used to. Some say this comes back soon, others say "get used to it!"

Symptoms: nothing - however most of my pre-teen acne has gone back to 2003 - thank god!

Nursery: Starting to clean the junk room - more so for my own peace of mind - not to get started on the nursery! 

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: woohoo! Busy week, but feeling great!

Workouts: two hard working Monday and today and plan on getting some evening walks in since the temp has dropped. Also got out there and mowed the grass and did some work on my flowers.

Questions for mamas: When you found out the gender, did you keep that something for only you and your husband to experience? Or share with family immediately? Gender reveal party? Let me know! 

BabyBrown - How Aunt Julie Found Out

I knew since my sister wasn't going to be home to find out with the family that I had to do something special for her.  Being obsessed with coffee, I knew this mug would be perfect.

When she got the package in the mail, she texted me and said " IS THIS IS PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT?!" before she even opened it up!! Of course, when she opened it, she was beyond excited and could not believe it! She is going to be the BEST aunt ever :)

Baby Brown - How We Found Out

Thank you all so incredibly much for the kind, sweet words and blessings you gave our family over the past few days.  D.J. and I are beyond thankful and appreciative of your support and cannot wait to experience everything that comes with pregnancy and parenthood!

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These past couple months have been a whirlwind of emotions for us.  The day we found out I was expecting, I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when that test popped up positive.  So here's the whole story. 

February 2015

Back in February, we decided that I would stop taking birth control.  We weren't trying to get pregnant then, but figured it would be a good idea to let my body adjust to life without birth control.  Good thing we did, because from February until July I got my sweet visit from mother nature only once.  I figured my body was just taking its time to adjust.  Come April I found out I was going to be able to work remotely for the summer in Lynchburg with D.J., so I wanted to make sure everything was normal before I left for the summer. 

I had my annual exam on June 11th and when I was there, they ran a pregnancy test, just to be sure, since I hadn't gotten a period.  Obviously, since I hadn't seen D.J. in a few months, I knew this was impossible.  So, duh - it came back negative.  The midwife I saw suggested some herbal pills that would help get my body back in line and having a cycle regularly.  I took the Vitex pills every now and then when I remembered and just hoped it would get back to normal.  

Wednesday, July 29th, 2015

My coworker and I were in Charlottesville for a conference for a few days.  After the conference ended on Wednesday, we decided to grab some drinks and dinner.  We ate dinner at The Whisky Kitchen and honestly, to this day I still cannot even think about the meal I had - it makes me sick to my stomach.  I woke up the next morning feeling like a bus hit me.  Terrible nausea (which I chalked up to wine in bed before I went to sleep), headache, tired - pregnancy signs in the making.  I put my big girl pants on and sucked it up for Thursday and Friday until I was on my way back to Lynchburg to head down to Winston-Salem. The weekend got a little better, but I was still complaining to Maria about how I was feeling. Praise the Lord for friends that are moms, y'all.  I don't know what I would have done without that woman.  

Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

Before the game on Sunday in Winston-Salem, I was feeling so terrible.  Maria's motherly instincts knew something was off.  She held me hostage in the hotel room before the game until I took the test she bought me.  My plan was to take a test when we got back from the road trip, but mother Maria couldn't wait any longer. 

So in the 30 seconds it took for the test to appear positive, I was still trying to figure out which line was supposed to pop blue by the time it had already proved true! I seriously couldn't believe it when Maria was jumping up and down on me! I was convinced that I needed to take another test when we got back from Winston-Salem....only a mere 12 hours later in the day!!! HOW in the world was I supposed to wait that long?! And keep it from the girls?! AND KEEP IT FROM DJ!?!?! 

So we got back from W-S about 40 minutes before the guys got back on the bus. I ran into Target, got a few more tests, and a card to give to D.J. We made it back to Maria's with a few minutes to spare before the guys got back. 

I decided to write DJ a little love poem and put the test inside and he loved it.  It was so "us".  I also got him a bunch of his favorite candy and said "if I'm going to get fat, then so are you!" And here was his reaction...

This truly is one of the most special times in our lives and I am trying to take it all in and enjoy it. This weekend was a crazy busy one and I think I need to start limiting myself, but I am loving every minute of being pregnant! 

Baby Brown Bumpdate - Weeks 9-12

Week 9

How ­­far along: 9 weeks.

Due date: March 27, 2016, which I just realized this week is EASTER!!!!

Baby Size: a sweet cherry (yum)

Weight gain: Down a few this week, 133. 

Maternity Clothes: nothing.

Stretch Marks: none to be seen yet.

Sleep: I started using my FitBit sleep tracking and I love seeing how much I move around at night.  Sleep has been better this week, but still not the best. 

Gender: eeek! D.J. is convinced I'm baking a baby girl in there.

Name: Gathering a few more ideas for boys names, but nothing yet!!

Movement: cannot wait till this starts happening.

Best moment this week: just day dreaming about the bun in the oven.

Looking forward too: having DJ home every day.

Husband is: convinced baby is a girl, got his first AA win in Akron this year, and cannot wait to be home with us.

Food cravings: nothing really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: feeling on and off with morning sickness.

Labor Signs: nothingggggg

Missing Most: deli meat! I am craving a good Taste Unlimited sandwich!!

Symptoms: same as last week.

Nursery: still a junk room

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On, but I have a feeling these babies aren't making it 9 months.

Mood: happy happy happy!

Workouts: getting a few evening bike rides and walks in and hopefully a few workouts in the morning the next few weeks.

Questions for mamas: Best store for Maternity clothes??!

Week 10

How ­­far along: 10 weeks.  

Due date: Our Easter Baby - March 27!

Baby Size: a prune

Weight gain: 135.

Maternity Clothes: nothing, but this week was the first time that I had to use the hair tie trick on a pair of work pants.  I also had to use a paper clip since I couldn't button it :)

Stretch Marks: still non existent. Praise!

Sleep: still getting up a few time in the night to pee.  I never seem to be able to get comfortable either. 

Gender: cannot wait to find out.  

Name: Good for girls - nothing for boys. 

Movement: nothing, obviously, but I cannot wait to feel something in there.

Best moment this week: hearing from my husband while he is in Ohio for baseball that he checks the What To Expect app daily!!

Looking forward too: seeing my baby daddy this weekend!

Husband is: on the final countdown for the season! Only one more start. 

Food cravings: nothing really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing in particular, but I'm still not out of the woods with morning sickness yet.

Labor Signs: should I take this out for now??!

Missing Most: energy - and being able to stay up past 9pm.

Symptoms: having a little more soreness this week simply because I am trying to get some workouts in, but nothing I can't handle.

Nursery: still a junk room

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: baby growing inside me?! How can I not be loving life!?

Workouts: two great workouts and I am feeling it big time!

Questions for mamas: nothing right now.



Week 11

How ­­far along: 11 weeks.  

Due date: 3.27.16

Baby Size: a plum

Weight gain: nothing has changed here yet, but a bump is definitely coming.

Maternity Clothes: trying to find a day to go shopping, because it's getting to be a necessity. 

Stretch Marks: the verdict is still out on this - I think I'm going to start seeing some soon.

Sleep: not terrible, but not ever 100% comfortable either.

Gender: cannot wait to find out.  

Name: still up in the air for a boys name.

Movement: nada.

Best moment this week: even though it meant not being able to take a bump photo this week, having the boy back full time (and all of his baseball junk in the junk room where I take my pictures)

Looking forward too: our doctors appointment on Monday! 

Husband is: HOME!! And in full daddy mode and I'm loving it.

Food cravings: nothing in particular 

Anything making you queasy or sick: pulled pork and surprisingly alcohol.

Labor Signs: keep on cooking away in there little one.

Missing Most: energy, my clothes that fit, bras that fit....

Symptoms: nothing special.

Nursery: still a junk room

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: beyond excited!

Workouts: only 1 this week... just enjoying the hubs being home.

Questions for mamas: favorite places to get maternity clothes?

Week 12

How ­­far along: 12 weeks!

Due date: EASTER 2016 - March 27!

Baby Size: a large plum

Weight gain: staying the same right now - 135.

Maternity Clothes: in desperate need for some shopping.. I tried Target yesterday, but all the pants give me baggy crotch... hoping to get some pants for the upcoming colder weather soon.

Stretch Marks: none, but I'm not convinced they are staying away.

Sleep: getting about 9 hours each night, which is great.  I started my workout class back up again this week and Monday and Wednesday mornings are hard at 5am, but I am making it work! 

Gender: now that we know a date of when we will find out, I am anxiously counting down the days! I'm also trying to figure out what to do for gender reveal. Lots of our friends are all over, so having a party may be hard, but we will figure it out.

Name: After our last ultrasound, D.J. is now convinced (I'm not quite sure why...) that it's a boy, so we are working harder on boy names!

Movement: nothing that I can feel yet, but having our ultrasound this past Monday was surreal.  The first ultrasound at 8 weeks was cool, but when I saw what this one was like, I was blown away.  That tiny babe inside me has all its limbs, organs, and so much more! Little one was all bundled up and sleeping so the tech told me to cough, and when I did, it was the most beautiful thing in the world.  Baby woke up and did a big stretch.  We got to see pea cross their sweet legs, stretch the legs fully out, move their tiny little arms and so much more.  This is such a miracle!!!! 

Best moment this week: Seeing DJ watch the ultrasound for the first time and seeing our healthy, perfectly growing baby on Monday.

We also took a stroll through the baby section at Target and attempted to close a stroller... it was quite a scene. Once we figured it out, it was easy, but still hilarious to watch us newbies test out strollers.  Oh, what we have in store!

And of course, sharing our news! 

Looking forward too: Gender appointment, obviously! But finding some maternity clothes, a great weekend full of friends, family, and celebrating the life of someone we lost too early. 

Husband is: Enjoying the week off before he starts off season work next week. He is doing so much for me at home - watering plants, organizing junk room, doing dishes, and more.  I am so thankful to have him home! He also is loving the fact that I am actually starting to show.

Food cravings: Nothing still.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing that is too terrible.  Some things every now and then.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: Sleeping on my belly is out the window.... also missing the thought of a good fall cider. Being up at JMU this past weekend reminded me how much I love ciders!

Symptoms: not sure if this is a symptom, but curious to see if anyone else has had an anterior placenta? That was more news to us at the appointment this week, but curious to see what number of people have this as well??

Nursery: Now that the new is public, starting to pin some ideas! 

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: AMAZING

Workouts: Got a great workout in Wednesday! 

Questions for mamas: Baby necessities... car seat, stroller, etc...GO! 

Baby Brown Bumpdate - Week 6-8

After finding out we were expecting, I knew I would want to remember everything I am feeling right now, so bear with me as I catch you all up on the last few weeks of my pregnancy! If baby posts aren't for you, feel free to come back in a few days  for regular scheduled blogging.

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Bumpdate || Week 6

How ­­far along: 6 weeks.  First doctor visit is schedule for 8 weeks on August 20!

Due date: We are thinking somewhere along the lines of late March or early April.

Baby Size: Lentil bean?? 

Weight gain: I've been around 136-138 for a while now, so lets go with 138 as my starting point.

Maternity Clothes: Nope. Haven't even thought about them other than the fact that this gives me a reason to shop, which the hubs isn't too happy about!

Stretch Marks: lathering up already with lotion - I can't imagine they will stay away forever though.

Sleep: Not sleeping the best.  I have already started to wake up in the middle of the night having to pee, continuously trying to get comfortable, etc.

Gender: wayyyy to early to tell, and I am still in disbelief this is happening to think about having a baby girl or boy right now! 

Name: We've been talking about names forever, but always end the conversation with "we will talk about this when the time comes" and now its here! We have names for a girl, but boy names are up in the air.

Movement: nada.

Best moment this week: sharing the news with D.J. - it was a sweet moment that had us in complete shock! I'll let you all in on how I told him in another post.

Looking forward too: being able to share our secret with the rest of our family and friends!

Husband is: loving his baby mama.  He's always telling me how beautiful I look, giving my belly kisses, and decided he has "quit" clubhouse casino so he doesn't loose anymore money. 

Food cravings: nothing in particular.  I did by Poptarts at the store yesterday because they were totally calling my name sitting on the shelf.

Anything making you queasy or sick: everything.  The first sign of pregnancy was nausea.  It has been a tad bit better lately, and I've been trying to make sure I eat enough, but nothing sounds good and I've noticed I already can't eat as much as I could a few weeks ago.

Labor Signs: ha - that's a joke.

Missing Most: being able to see D.J. everyday.  I'm back at home now as he finishes out the season.

Symptoms: nausea, sore ladies, a little spotting, and a constant nervous feeling when anyone I haven't told comes around or talks to me longer than one minute! Keeping this a secret is super hard!

Nursery: been thinking about things, but obviously still digesting the news.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On, but I have a feeling these babies aren't making it 9 months.

Mood: loving this little life growing inside me!

Workouts: not happening.  My energy has gone out the door, but I'm hoping that next week I can get back in the swing of things and feeling better.

Questions for mamas: Best app for tracking pregnancy?

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Bumpdate || Week 7

How ­­far along: 7 weeks.  Getting antsy for this doctors appointment next week!

Due date: Hoping for an official date next week

Baby Size: a cute little blueberry

Weight gain: staying constant between 136-138.

Maternity Clothes: Doing some blog stalking of other mamas out there and what they bought first.  We have a few weddings coming up, so I will need something to wear for those!

Stretch Marks: Loving the Palmer's lotion to prevent these babies.

Sleep: Meh. Not the best.  Having very vivid dreams and still waking up to pee. 

Gender: having a little baby girl intuition in my mama heart. 

Name: thinking hard on boys names still.

Movement: tummy is turning upside down still with nausea.

Best moment this week: the hubs got moved up to the next level in baseball this week! He is officially an Akron Rubberduck!

Looking forward too: our doctors appointment next week and making a spontaneous trip to MAINE this weekend.

Husband is: so excited about his promotion and be able to continue to chase his dream.  Mama and baby are so so proud of him!

Food cravings: nothing crazy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: everything in the mornings. 

Labor Signs: maybe I'll delete this question for now??

Missing Most: deli meat.  Turkey sandwiches are my go-to!

Symptoms: nausea, nausea and more nausea. Low energy and already getting up in the nights running to the bathroom to pee.

Nursery: we know what room the nursery will be, but still it's a junk room for now.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On, but I have a feeling these babies aren't making it 9 months.

Mood: happy happy happy!

Workouts: a gym? hah.  maybe next week.

Questions for mamas: I can't even think about questions for other mama's right now! I'm sure they will start coming.  Please share anythings you feel is necessary for me to know!

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Bumpdate || Week 8

How ­­far along: 8 weeks and 4 days!

Due date: MARCH 27, 2016!!!

Baby Size: delicious raspberry according to my app

Weight gain: doctors scale said 139

Maternity Clothes: nothing so far.

Stretch Marks: not that I know of.

Sleep: sleeping a little bit better, but not the best still. 

Gender: cannot WAIT to find this out!

Name: still no boys names set in stone.

Movement: nothing - still too early.

Best moment this week: by far the doctors appointment! It was a little sad that D.J. couldn't be there with me, but it was truly amazing.  There is a little baby baking away in my belly.  I heard the heart beat. It was one of the most amazing moments in my life. 

Looking forward too: D.J. being able to see the next ultrasound.

Husband is: loving the pictures from the ultrasound and still working hard the rest of the season.

Food cravings: nothing crazy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: feeling a little better and not so much morning sickness.

Labor Signs: nada

Missing Most: hmm. nothing crazy. enjoying being pregnant!

Symptoms: nausea, low energy and already getting up in the nights running to the bathroom to pee.

Nursery: still a junk room

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: happy happy happy!

Workouts: getting a little more energy and looking forward to staying in shape with my workouts.

Questions for mamas: 

Baby Brown - The Details

Thank you all so much for the sweet comment about our addition to the family! We could not be more over the moon about finally sharing our news with all of our friends and family! Here's some answers to most of the questions I've been asked as we continue to tell more people...

How far along are you?
12 weeks and 2 days! We had our second doctors appointment yesterday and D.J. finally got to see the baby, it was such an amazing moment. Compared to the first visit, this ultrasound was so surreal.  Little babe was sound asleep and the ultrasound tech said "go ahead and cough for me" and sure enough, babe woke up and did a big stretch!!

When is your due date?
March 27, 2016 - EASTER!!

How did you find out?
Check back tomorrow for a special post about how we found out!

How have you been feeling?
I have been feeling OK - not my normal self, but that is to be expected considering there is another human life growing inside me! I've had some morning sickness, but no throwing up.  Energy has gone out the door though, so I'm hoping that some of that starts to come back soon.

Is that why you haven't been blogging?
Yes, and I am so sorry, but literally all I have been doing is sleeping and watching Scandal.  Nothing to exciting to blog about - please bear with me!

Are you going to find out the gender?
Absolutely. I've thought about how cool and what a special moment that would be if we didn't find out, but I can't do it!!

How did you tell D.J. and your family?
I'll do another post on this too later this week!

Are you going to do pregnancy bumpdates?
Yes!! Once I get you all caught up on the details of how we found out and that fun stuff, I will let you know how the first 12 weeks have gone.

Baby Brown - Coming Soon!

Yep, you read that right!

 WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!

More details to follow tomorrow!!!