Baby Brown - Week 18

How ­­far along: 18 weeks

Due date: March 27, 2016

Baby Size: a delicious sweet potato and 5.5 inches long!

Weight gain: +5 pounds give or take. I saw 143 on the scale yesterday and have to realize that it's only going to get bigger and just have to embrace it :)

Maternity Clothes: yep! non-maternity shirts are definitely starting to fit tighter and show the belly more! have switched 100% to maternity pants now though!

Stretch Marks: nope. 

Sleep: is surprisingly been awesome lately.  I have been on my feet a lot for work lately and the bed has been calling my name like no other.  

Gender: sweet baby girl! See the gender reveal post here!

Name: Brynlee Rose Brown

Movement: nope, but hoping this starts soon!!!

Best moment this week: catching up on sleep, beginning to clean out Brynlee's nursery, pinteresting the crap out of nursery ideas (see my ideas here) and stalking other mom blogs for the go-to essentials - diaper bags, car seats, etc!

Looking forward to: getting things rolling in the nursery and starting to shop for the babe!

Husband is: kissing his baby girl before he gets up in the mornings - it's pretty cute.

Food cravings: nothing new...

Anything making you queasy or sick: pulled pork for sure.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: nothing I can't wait another 5 months for :)

Symptoms: terrible cough, but nothing pregnancy related.

Nursery: starting to get some good "pin"spiration.

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: Feeling great! Can't complain about anything!

Workouts: 2 body back workouts in the mornings.  Trying to find more preggo friends to get a Fit4Baby class together so I don't have to do Body Back - that can be after baby is here!

Questions for mamas: When did you register for stuff? Should I do it before the holidays? 

Baby Brown - Week 17

How ­­far along: 17 weeks

Due date: March 27, 2016

Baby Size: a pomegranate and about 5 inches long!

Weight gain: +5 pounds give or take. 

Maternity Clothes: I think winter is finally starting to set in and once the sun goes down it gets chillier.  D.J. surprised me yesterday with three new maternity shirts and they are perfect and classic for colder weather! My new boss is also 5 foot so she is able to share her pants with me and brought me two pairs of pants and a beautiful dress to borrow! Still throwing in non-maternity stuff, but obviously the pants are much more comfortable! 

Stretch Marks: nope.

Sleep: is not terrible, but not the best.  I am also coming down with a pretty bad cold, so sleep even if I wasn't baking Brynlee in there, I wouldn't be sleeping well!

Gender: sweet baby girl! See the gender reveal post here!

Name: Brynlee Rose Brown

Movement: haven't officially felt a kick, but definitely feel something weird going on in there every now and then.  Maybe flutters, but who knows!

Best moment this week: finding out that baby brown is a girl and sharing that moment with all of our family and friends! 

Looking forward to: brainstorming ideas for Brynlee's nursery! 

Husband is: awesome.  Loving on baby B and getting excited about his boy's weekend on Friday.  More on that later this week and how I am having major FOMO.

Food cravings: nothing new...

Anything making you queasy or sick: pulled pork for sure.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: nothing crazy this week.  We have a work event coming up on Friday and I would kill for a Bold Rock apple cider!

Symptoms: starting to have a harder time keeping up with the speed of my workouts and normal preggo stuff! 

Nursery: starting to pinterest some stuff! 

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Mood: Feeling great! A little sick this week and extremely busy at work, but could not be more thrilled to know that baby is officially a girl and Brynlee is growing and growing every week!

Workouts: Right now I've only been getting my morning workouts in at 5:45, but having volleyball practice after school is getting my moving, so thats counting for right now! 

Questions for mamas: Nursery must-haves and best places to shop for those! 

Brynlee Rose

Thank goodness we are having a girl, because we had absolutely no boy names picked out! But luckily, we had been set on a girls name from the beginning, so without further ado....

Baby Brown officially has a name! Brynlee Rose Brown it is :)

I have always known that I wanted my baby to have a unique name, solely because the way I spell my name is always a great conversation starter and makes me different than any other Katie.  Yes, in case you didn't know, Cayte is pronounced Katie! Brynlee was always at the top of our list and we have been calling this jelly bean Brynlee before we even knew it was a girl.

My mom's maiden middle name was Rose, so we decided that was a perfect way to use a family name.  We love that Rose is very classic and timeless and it goes perfectly with Brynlee!

We absolutely love her name and cannot wait to get her first monogrammed outfit.  She is already so loved and spoiled! Let the nursery planning and shopping begin!

It's A Girl!!

It's official - Baby B is a GIRL!

We decided that the best way to tell our family and closest friends would be to get everyone together for a party! We didn't want to go "all out", but wanted to make sure that everyone was together and found out at the same time - including us! 

So on Friday, October 9, DJ and I played ultrasound tech and tried to guess what the little jelly bean inside me was going to be.  And of course, we couldn't tell, but both had always suspected a girl from the beginning, so we were #teamgirl, if we had to guess (although we both would have been happy with either)!  

I was convinced it was a girl, but had that little part of me saying "we have a girls name already, we have tons of little cousins that are girls, we both think girl.......it's going to be a boy".   

DJ and I hosted the get together at our house and did some minimal decorations.  I borrowed the chalkboard from work, the blue mason jars from a friend and grabbed some plates and napkins from the store.  I already had the ribbon we decorated the mason jars with for the silverware and the cake stand.  And I grabbed some flowers from Harris Teeter.

A sweet mom-friend that I workout with wanted to make us a cake and THIS is what she made us - HOW AMAZING?! If I wanted to get this from a bakery, it would at least been $100 and she was so sweet (literally) to make us this amazingly decorated and delicious cake.  The inside had a strip of pink icing, since she looked at the envelope from the doctor's office to help with the reveal.

We couldn't have asked for more of a beautiful day.  The sun was shining, the windows were open and we were able to have an indoor/outdoor party!

D.J.'s family came down from Fredericksburg.  His one sister Amy and her family bought a puppy on the way down - how precious are Myla and pebbles?!

She is going to be the BEST big cousin EVER!

Bryce was having a ball, just walking everywhere and making his mama work!

Conner and Carleigh came down from Richmond for the night and were able to be there with us as we welcome this sweet babe into our lives.

So for the actual "reveal" I wanted to do something with confetti and "poppers".  I ordered these babies online and spray painted them gold.  Since one of my best friends Ryan wasn't able to make the party, she and her mom filled them with either pink or blue confetti! We all gathered outside for the big "pop" and see what color confetti was coming!

Grandma Gretchen, who decided she wants to be called GG (Grandma Gretchen) getting ready for the surprise!

The confetti went everywhere and had some people confused if it was a boy or a girl! Some of the confetti that filled the poppers was reflecting off the blue in the sky and people's jeans, so at first people were like boy! girl! TWINS! and since I knew what to look for, I obviously knew girl!

I think people thought DJ and I looked at the envelop first since we weren't surprised really, but honest we didn't! We just were SO confident it was going to be a girl, so we knew! If that confetti had been blue though, the faces in these pictures would be very very different!

Then since my sister couldn't be there with us, we FaceTimed her and used the cake as a surprise for her! It was perfect and she was crying - best auntie ever!

Overall, the party was a huge success and we cannot WAIT to start nursery planning, clothes buying and of course to share her name with you all TOMORROW! 

David and Julianna's Wedding Weekend

Last weekend D.J. and I made the trip up to Northern VA to see one of his JMU baseball teammates marry his dream girl.  The week leading up to the wedding I had found out that a dear friend I had known since I was 4 was tragically killed in a car accident.  I ended up having to choose between the wedding or the funeral.  Although it was an extremely difficult decision, going to the wedding was the best decision I could make.  It had me thinking a lot about life and the people you choose to put in your life, but maybe I will have to do another post on that soon. 

Julianna (extremely ironic that the friend that died name is Juliana as well!) and David had the most beautiful day for a wedding.  Perfect fall temps, amazing decorations and a stunning dress.  The wedding was so put together, but felt so laid back at the same time.  The navy with gold accents made the venue look beautiful without being overdone.  The wedding was in Warrenton, VA at the Airlie Center.  

I have to admit, I had to buy a maternity dress for this wedding.  Being outside I knew I would be freezing and I have no long sleeve dressed that fit!! 

The beautiful couple! Her bouquet was STUNNING! 

The JMU baseball boys and the beautiful bride.  I love this picture and I love the one I have from our wedding! 

I am so thankful for this guy right here.  Having him at weddings is so much fun.  Next wedding is coming up in Reno, NV for some of our Indians baseball friends! 

Baby Brown - 16 Weeks

How ­­far along: 16 weeks!

Due date: 3.27.16

Baby Size: dill pickle. 4-5 inches!

Weight gain: So, I did go to the doctors, but I am too short to see the numbers on the scale!!! It's digital, so all I see is the blank screen.... #shortpeopleprobs.  So according to the scale at home it looks like I've gained 4-5 pounds give or take.

Maternity Clothes: using the BellaBand with pants and still trying to get away with dresses while the warmer weather lasts!

Stretch Marks: nope.

Sleep: getting to sleep around 9 or so every day and sleeping much better. 

Gender: so our doctors appointment on Friday went awesome.  They were running late, so we didn't get to see babe too long, but long enough for the doctor to find the gender!!!! We decided to have her put the gender and picture in an envelope and seal it shut.  On Saturday our families are coming together to find out the sex at the same time.  However, if this babe is a boy I will be COMPLETELY shocked.  I'm not sure if its a mothers intuition or just "signs" but I guess next week we will all know!

Name: We will announce the babes name next week (if it's a girl!) but if it's a boy, we have no name yet! 

Movement: thinking it's going to be a while because of this anterior placenta thing going on, but whatevs, the doctor said babe was active in there! 

Best moment this week: seeing the babe at the doctors office and seeing good friends at the wedding this past weekend. 

Looking forward to: SATURDAY to find out if this mama will be getting bows or more baseballs!

Husband is: dealing with my mood swings, hormones, and non-touching policy extremely well.  He is seriously the best. <3

Food cravings: apple pie, pop-tarts, and I think thats about it...

Anything making you queasy or sick: definitely pulled pork and I think I am starting to have an aversion to chicken.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: hot yoga & laying on my stomach

Symptoms: still feeling lower back pain (any good heating pad recommendations?) and I think I experienced my first heart burn ever yesterday?! Still not sure I know how to explain that, but I think that's what it was! 

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: I saw some mood swings this week, but I've had a lot going on at work, to the loss of a longtime friend and lots of random things to do in the next coming weeks, but overall still loving this pregnancy!!

Workouts: Right now I've only been getting my morning workouts in at 5:45, but having volleyball practice after school is getting my moving, so thats counting for right now! 

Questions for mamas: I've been having a hard time getting protein in my system.  Any suggestions?!

Baby Brown - 15 weeks

How ­­far along: 15 weeks!

Due date: 3.27.16

Baby Size: an avacado (mmmmmm who is hungry for Mexican?!)

Weight gain: I go to the doctors on Friday, so we will see! 

Maternity Clothes: still wearing both, but non maternity shirts are definitely starting to show the babe a little more than flowy shirts would!

Stretch Marks: nope.

Sleep: still not sleeping well and tending to turn towards my belly, but trying not to.  Getting in bed around 9pm every day. 

Gender: doc appointment this week will tell us for sure, but we will wait till the entire family and some close friends are there to share in the excitement together soon!

Name: Girls name is good to go, but boys....not so much.

Movement: still nothing moving around in there that I can feel.

Best moment this week: well obviously it will be seeing the little bean on the screen this Friday, but so far best moment was this morning getting a bagel delivered to me at work from the hubs <3 and our trip to Athens, GA!

Looking forward to: getting the babe checked on!

Husband is: so sweet.  This week has been a rough one for other reasons, and he has been nothing but supportive and loving.  

Food cravings: I think it's safe to say my first LEGITIMATE craving has been apple pie!!! I have had it twice in the past couple days!

Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of pulled pork makes me want to vomit.

Labor Signs: .........

Missing Most: nothing worth complaining about for the next 25 weeks while I harbor this child!

Symptoms: lower back pain big time this week, dizziness when I stand up quickly and random, but bleeding gums when I brush my teeth?!

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: still pretty good, given some bad news at the start of this week.

Workouts: Still pushing through my 5:45AM workouts on Monday and Wednesday! It's getting harder, but it's still happening!

Questions for mamas: second trimester musts - must haves, must do's, must anything!