TEAM BOY MOM

In case you are having "one of those Monday's", this will be a good blog post for you to read.....

Remember when we posted about our sweet baby girl, Brynlee? Yea, well.....

BRYNLEE IS A BOY!

....... I cannot believe I am even typing that.  So here's the story.

Back in October we had all our family together for a sweet gender reveal and both D.J. and I were 100% confident leaving the doctors office on 15w5d that it was girl.  This appointment was with the doctor - not the ultrasound tech - and she said the only way she would write it on the card and seal the envelope was if she was 100% sure. Well, she sealed the envelope shut and we gave it to a friend to make the reveal party poppers and she filled them with pink confetti. The gender reveal party was on October 17th and with everyone there, we confirmed our baby girl!

The first thing we did was go to the store and browse the baby girl aisles! Mom was obsessed with all the cute patterns and we ended up getting a few things for Brynlee Rose and called it a day - didn't want to go overboard on the first day shopping!  Over the past two weeks, we have received gifts, bought more clothes, picked out paint colors, purchased nursery items, and been talking to the growing bump and calling her Brynlee.....

Well this past Thursday (19w4d) that all changed. I had my 20 week anatomy scan at 11:30 a.m. - right in the busiest time of the day for D.J.  With us heading to Reno on Friday, he was already going to be off two days and didn't want to take a third day.  But we decided that this is our first baby and last ultrasound, so he should come.  He picked me up at school, which is only 2 miles away from the doctors office and we arrived around 11:15 a.m.  When we were walking in we both were saying "time to confirm baby Brynlee"! And in the back of his mind he swears he was thinking "what if it's a boy".  I was to, honestly.  But I just thought, no way the doctor would have wrote it down the last visit if she wasn't right.  Even my cousin who works at the office saw the ultrasound last time and knew it was girl at the gender reveal - it's definitely a girl - just here to confirm and get measurements.

We went back to the room at around 11:40 and the sweet ultrasound tech Katherine asked if we were going to find out the gender.  We told her that we were confirming a girl and at the last appointment the doctor told us so we could have a gender reveal party with our family and close friends. She proceeded to ask us if we bought anything big and honestly (and thank goodness) had not bought anything big and pink...yet! We were getting closer to a final paint color for the nursery, that was not gender neutral and had some outfits purchased, but nothing monogrammed or big and pink! She said "ok good because I never tell people to trust the doctors - that's like asking me to do a c-section - something I'm not trained how to do!"

So she proceeded to put the warm goo on my belly and take a peek at our precious babe growing inside me. First thing she did was look at the gender.  Except baby B was being stubborn. The hand was conveniently right over the area she needed to see and we could not get a good look at it.  So she moved on to a few other measurements and everything was measuring right on track for 19w4d except the arms were long (wonder why that could be?? Maybe the fact that my husband is 6'6?) So after 30 minutes, she had me cough, walk around, go to the bathroom and hopefully then we could confirm baby girl parts.

Little bean was laying transverse (like a hammock across my body) and breech, so it was making everything more complicated. Finally - baby was cooperating.  After a few minutes of her looking between the legs, she put the wand down and looked at us and said "honey, this baby is a boy".

WHAT? A BOY? NO WAY? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? IT WAS A GIRL A MONTH AGO! IS THIS APRIL FOOLS? SHUT THE ... UP!!! WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE TO CALL!! WE ARE BACK AT SQUARE ONE! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO NAME HIM?!

Lots of those statements were said in that moment and running through my mind - I don't even remember exactly what she said. But she did confirm over and over again with a 3D image that little baby Brown is most definitely a BOY. She then said "that's why he had his hand over his butt - he was holding his wee wee!"

So we left the office in complete shock.  All in all, baby B is looking like a perfectly healthy little boy and we are so thrilled. A little shocked and overwhelmed, but beyond thrilled! We called everyone and texted our friends and everyone had a pretty good laugh.  Total amateur first mom move on my part!!!

Looks like I have a lot to re-think! Paint color, nursery theme, clothes....

TEAM BOY MOM it is :)

Weekending in Reno

Today D.J. and I start our crazy weekend trip tot Reno, Nevada! To make our Friday morning a later, we are driving up to my in-laws house to spend the night before our 4:30 a.m. departure time on Friday! My brother-in-law is driving us to the airport in DC on his way to work for our 7:30 flight time.  We arrive in Reno around 11:30 a.m. local time and we cannot wait to explore a new city and cross another state off the list!

As I was googling "things to do in Reno" lots of exciting things came up, but the most important think we will be doing in Reno is celebrating the love of two of our best baseball friends - Dylan and Mikaela! D.J. and Dylan have been roommates a few times throughout their careers and Mikay, Maria and I were the only baseball ladies together a few years back and it was the best time.  My first experience with other baseball "wags" and it was so much fun with them!

So we did make the weekend a little longer and are heading out tomorrow and coming back on Monday, so we plan to make the most out of our time in Nevada and plan to check a few things off our list:

South Lake Tahoe

Only about and hour south of Reno is South Lake Tahoe in California and right when we arrive tomorrow, we plan to make the drive south and see the beautiful sights of Lake Tahoe. D.J. has never been to California, so we will cross two states off his list! We don't have any plans other than just go, so if you have any suggestions on places to eat or things we must do in the few hours we will be there, let me know!

Casino
We obviously will be hitting up the casino, but since we have little B on the way, we can't go too hard! I have only been the casino one other time in my life and lost, so anything other than a negative would be a good day for me!

And obviously see lots of friends and try a few local places in Reno! Please share any places we need to stop by if you are from the area or have visited Reno before!

Baby Brown - Week 19

How far along: 19 weeks - almost halfway!!

Due date: March 27, 2016

Baby Size: a zucchini measuring at about 8 1/2 oz and 6 inches long!

Weight gain: +5 pounds and going up! Still lathering up with lotion though!

Maternity Clothes: oh yeah! Now that the weather is starting to get colder, I'm in desperate need of some long-sleeve maternity shirts. Any suggestions?

Stretch Marks: nope. 

Sleep: has been great lately.  Going to bed anytime between 9 and 10 p.m. and waking up normally around 7:30.

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

Name: Brynlee Rose Brown

Movement: oh goodness, YES! I finally have been starting to feel a little movement in there! Crazy to see the different weeks that mamas feel their babies move.  With the anterior placenta, I guess it made the wait a little longer, but I can most certainly feel it now.  I was laying on the bed the other day and put my hand on my bell and oh my gosh, it was the sweetest feeling in the world! To know that my body is able to produce another human being and I can feel it all happening is truly amazing.  Each new thing with pregnancy makes me so amazed by how much of a miracle giving birth is! I can't wait for the movement to get bigger and stronger!

Best moment this week: feeling B move, getting paint samples and a few items for the nursery, (see my ideas here) and receiving Brynlee's first gift in the mail! A sweet family friend, Sabrena, sent me this precious outfit and perfect little bibs! I'm sure I will be using them all the time!! We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and family that love Brynlee as much as we do already!

Looking forward to: 20 week anatomy scan on Thursday and heading to Reno for some of our baseball friends to get married! 

Husband is: trying his hardest to feel the baby move! And although I am not 100% positive he can feel it, he reacts when I feel it, so who knows, he probably does feel her! 

Food cravings: bagels, pop tarts, fruit, water!! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: ugh, don't even like to think of pulled pork!

Labor Signs: .........

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

Symptoms: starting to feel some more lower back pain and noticing that my skin is actually starting to stretch - I can feel it! 

Nursery: coming along! Making paint decisions, carpet decisions and then getting the ball rolling is the next steps! 

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, but this is the last week of that! They are trying to find more preggo friends to get a Fit4Baby class together, but nothing is official yet.  May have to start hitting up Planet Fitness again!

Questions for mamas: Any feedback on the Ju-Ju-Be Be Right Back diaper bag??? I looked at it in the store and feel like a backpack would be great for me with the amount of baseball games this babe and I will be heading to. Thoughts?

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!