Tis The Season...

for forgetfulness and colds....oh wait...I think that's only me! I could have swore I posted right after Thanksgiving and then when I get on here today to see how big my baby is according to the little calender I noticed I never did...Ooops!!! Well anywho, Thanksgiving was great. We had tons of amazing food and we all ate too much...sound about right? But honestly, Thanksgiving did turn our great and it was beyond wonderful to have 4 entire days off of work with Brad. Since then it's been back to work :( Except the last few days I've been out with a cold or sinus infection one...either way...I can't breathe and it's making me miserable.

Baby update...I went last week for my regular check up and the doctor has now recommended another ultrasound, which is scheduled for next Thursday, to measure the baby and see how big she is. He's concerned a little with the size I'm measuring. I have consistently been right on track with my measurements except for this last time...I've jumped 3 cm more than I was supposed to...and it's all belly!!! He said most of the time when this happens it's just how the woman carries the baby and there is just extra fluid floating around in there and the baby is perfectly fine and the right size. But he said sometimes the babies just get ready faster than normal. That's why we're having the ultrasound...to see which it is. If she's measuring bigger than she's supposed to be then they will probably be inducing me a week or two early. If she's measuring normal and It's just my body then we're good to go. Either way, I'll know more next week after my ultrasound.

Christmas is getting closer and closer and while I'm always excited for Christmas it's a little different this year. I haven't really been able to get into the Christmas spirit yet, like normal. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that because Christmas is on a Saturday this year I will only get Christmas Eve off from work...so It's not the huge break I'm used to...kind of depressing when I know NOTHING will be going on at work. Maybe another reason is the fact that I have something so much bigger going on right around the corner from Christmas that I'm kinda overlooking the holiday. Avery will be here in no time and I'm still not ready...not that I think I'll ever be fully ready, but everything is seriously about to change...and change is a little scary. Not to mention the whole giving birth process....not excited about it...more worried than anything. We've almost got our tree decorated and Brad is in the process of hanging the lights outside...so hopefully that'll all help. A getaway from it all would be nice right about now....time to clear my head and focus on the important things right now. But that's just a distant dream...we definitely can't afford a getaway! I guess I'll just have to surround myself with Christmas movies and drive around to look at lights, like we did when I was a kid :)

I'll update again after the ultrasound and let everyone know what the plan is! Hopefully, everything will still be on schedule for her to arrive mid January!

Love,
LG

Ready for Thanksgiving

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything. The last couple of weeks have been a little busy. My mom & Steph threw me a baby shower 2 Saturday's ago, and it was so much fun! I loved that some old college friends were able to make it, along with my close friends here, and my family. Everyone really enjoyed themselves, and baby Avery got TONS of presents! I'll have to steal some pictures from my mom's and/or Steph's camera because I know there are some funny pictures from us playing games. Although I was a little worried about having the shower at my house (just because of seating and space), I'm really glad we did. It was nice not having to pack up all those presents in my car to just unload them again when I got home...Brad just simply toted them all to her room.

Since then Brad and I have really just been working. Brad came down with the flu a little over a week ago and missed a couple of days of work, but since he's gotten better he's been working non-stop. Thank goodness we both get FOUR whole days off together starting tomorrow :)

Yesterday we had our 3D/4D ultrasound and it was amazing. My mom and Brad's mom both got to be there and I know my mom was in amazement at how different ultrasounds are these days. Avery insisted on sleeping the entire time, but at least she was in a position where we could see her little face. She is absolutely the cutest little thing ever...if I do say so myself :)

She kept her hands by her face the entire time and she even tried to hide herself from us a few times with her little hands. I also had the ultrasound technician double check that she was still a girl and she most definitely is...no surprises...thank goodness! I am still in disbelief after seeing her. I've probably looked at the ultrasound pictures a hundred times now and I absolutely can't wait to meet her. I am 32 weeks today, which means I only have about 8 more weeks to go before that can happen!!!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and while I'm a little sad I can't travel to spend the holiday with my family in Ohio, like I've done almost every year since I can remember, it will be nice to be with everyone here and for Brad and I to start our own traditions. We're having an early dinner at our house which will include both sets of parents, our 4 siblings, their significant others, and their kids. One thing I am absolutely thankful for is the fact that my mom and dad are still married to each other, and so are Brad's parents. Makes things so much easier and causes no problems with the holiday's. After the dinner at our house we'll be heading up to Jefferson to enjoy another Thanksgiving dinner with Brad's extended family. I guess it works out that all of my extended family lives outside the state, or else we'd be having to juggle 3 dinners...shew.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, I promise to update after the long weekend and to actually include some pictures. I know it's easy to think of all the bad things going on in your lives, but try to remember this is the time of year to count all your blessings and be happy for what you have.

Happy Thanksgiving,
LG

30 down...10 to go

How far along? 30 weeks tomorrow

Maternity Clothes? Most definitely

Stretch Marks? I don't think I'm going to get away with NONE, but it's ok...I feel like they are my battle wounds :)

Sleep: That's when she seems to move around the most...when I lay down to go to sleep

Best moment this last month: Brad feeling her move more, so he's more included in this pregnancy

Movement: Her kicks and punches are getting stronger & some catch me a little off guard

Food Cravings: Still nothing specific

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In...but it's getting incredibly shallow, so I feel it would pop out any day now

Wedding Rings on or off? They're on and they're staying that way :)

What I miss: Not having to get up in the middle of the night to pee and not being so hot while I'm trying to sleep

What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower on Saturday :)

Weekly Wisdom: I can't believe she's going to be here in about 2 months!

Milestones: My gestational diabetes test came back negative...which is GREAT news!

Finally a Few Pics...and Preggo Update

I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend! Ours was good, minus Georgia getting beat in OT :( That did not make for a happy husband. Anywho, our Halloween weekend really started Thursday night when we went to Brads parents to have dinner and carve our pumpkins. Brad and I carved one and Kristan carved one....Rylan surprisingly wanted nothing to do with it and thought the pumpkin guts were disgusting...which they are! And I think they turned out wonderfully...if I do say so myself :)

I was a little concerned when I walked into the kitchen to this...



Kristan's Owl





Mine & Brad's Haunted House!



Friday I had a my 28 week Dr. appointment where I had to drink the sugar drink and then have my blood tested for gestational diabetes. The test results came back negative, which is wonderful, but my iron count was a little low, so I have to take an iron pill every day until I deliver and then they said they would check it again to make sure it's where it's supposed to be.

It was great to sleep in Saturday morning and then go to brunch with Brad. After that it was time for the big Georgia vs. Florida football game and what started out terrible ended up in a great battle the second half. Unfortunately, the dawgs lost it in overtime and I had one heartbroken husband . After the game we headed up to Fatsos for their Halloween party and stayed for a good bit of the night. When we got home around 1AM we realized we had one sick pup :( Not a good thing to come home to.

Sunday we ran some errands, and tried to take care of Max and his upset stomach before getting ready for our trick or treaters! Brad even finished painting Avery's room and I was very impressed. I was so excited about the tick or treaters and was expecting a bunch of little ones. Well...it started off slow and I got a little bummed, but by the end of the night we ended up with around 15 trick or treaters. Rylan ended up being our 16th and she was adorable...by far, the best of the night! She was dressed as Dorothy and even had a little Toto tied to her pumpkin :) Below is one of the only pictures we could manage since she wouldn't stand still for long enough to take a picture.

She had obviously had a few pieces of candy because she was wired and wanted to do nothing but run around and play with Max. After visiting for a little while, Brad's parents headed home, and we headed to bed. It was a wonderful weekend that of course went by way too quickly. At least it's already Wednesday, but unfortunately, I'm really not looking forward to this weekend. Brad has to close both Friday and Saturday night and that always stinks, and I have to go into work Saturday morning for some "cleaning day". Ridiculous, considering we have a guy come out and clean the office weekly. I guess I still have Sunday to look forward to. I have a feeling that it'll be an extremely lazy day for Brad and I, but I'm ok with that. Everyone have a great rest of the week and I'll update again soon.

Love,
LG



Third Trimester :)

Today is the beginning of the end! Sounds kind of cliche, but it's true. We've made it to the last trimester and now it's only a matter of time before we get to meet this active little baby that's been growing inside me. I can't wait to see what she looks like...that's by far the most exciting part. We FINALLY starting painting her room last night and I LOVE the color scheme. It's going to be super cute once it's done. Don't worry...I'll post pictures of the finished product once we get there. Mom came to the house today while Brad and I went to work to finish painting the main part of the walls and tonight I'll go home and do the bottom trim, and then Brad will have to do the top when he gets home! After we've finished the painting it'll be time to start decorating :) We have the furniture picked out and we plan on ordering that soon! Like I said, I'll post pictures when we get closer to the finished project and we have something to show! Sorry such a short post today. I'll post again after the weekend. Happy Halloween!

Love,
LG

Burts

Happy hump day everyone! I hope this week isn't dragging on for everyone like it is for me. Oh well, at least I'll have my weekends back again (for the most part) beginning this weekend! Last Saturday was super busy for us (work wise) and EVERYONE got dispersed to different events to help out and see that things ran smoothly. I got home around 5:30 Saturday afternoon and I was exhausted. I took a bath and got ready for Thomas and Tonya to come over for dinner! We made tacos and just chilled out the rest of the night.

Sunday, Brad and I got up and got ready to head to Burts Pumpkin Patch with my parents. I've been going to this place every year before Halloween since I can remember and each year it is more and more crowded. This year was no exception. People come from all over to see these huge pumpkins!



Not sure why I agreed to taking this picture....I'm getting way too big to be photographed



After leaving Burts we stopped at Five Guys for some lunch and then headed back home! We spent the rest of the day doing some laundry and pretty much being lazy :)

Now to completely change directions here...this is the last week of my second trimester! Holy cow...literally! Next Friday I have a doctors appointment to test for Gestational Diabetes, which is where I have to drink this extremely sugary drink within 5 minutes, and then have my blood tested exactly an hour later. At our last appointment Brad was asking the nurse all kinds of questions about it and we pretty much learned that it's a routine test they do now and that it effects 50% of pregnant women. It is not hereditary or genetic in any way and if caught early (which is why they do this test) it can easily be managed. 9 times out of 10 the gestational diabetes goes away after pregnancy, but it is not healthy for the baby. The baby can be born with diabetes and it can also cause the baby to grow at a faster rate, making it harder and more dangerous for delivery. I'm not too worried though. I kinda feel like I wouldn't be able to tolerate sugar at this point if I did have the diabetes...and we all know that's no where near the case :)

I'm not sure what to expect after this next appointment. I think they'll make me come back more frequently to just make sure everything is progressing correctly and to keep an eye on things. I feel like we're really down to the home stretch here and she's going to be here before we know it!

Have a great rest of the week!

LG

Less Than 100 Days

Ahhh...it's officially less than 100 days until my due date! Seriously, this has gone by much quicker than I ever imagined. Besides the fact that I can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like, I am no where near ready for her to be here. I haven't even finished registering! My mom & Steph are planning my shower for November 13th, and I am excited about that. I'm hoping to see some old friends, and just enjoy the day.

Lately I have been constantly walking around the house cleaning things....whether it be doing laundry, wiping down counters and tables, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping, vacuuming, etc., and for those of you who know me know that's very out of character for me. Don't get me wrong, I like for things to be put away, but I also don't mind my house looking "lived in". I'm usually fine with Max having his toys and chew sticks laying scattered about the house, or if mine and Brad's shoes are everywhere, or if there are some clothes laying in the floor of our room or bathroom. Even the other day when I got home from Chattanooga Brad told me to stop cleaning and sit down for a minute, because I literally don't think I sat down for the first hour after walking in the door. I have just had this overwhelming feeling lately that our house has to be spotless to bring a baby in to so she doesn't get sick or anything. At first I thought I was crazy, but coincidentally this morning I got my weekly e-mail from thebump.com and first thing it says is "Your nesting instinct may begin to kick in soon". After reading about this "nesting", it is exactly what I've been doing. Although the stories they described are much more insane to me than I've been (I mean, I haven't been scrubbing base boards or anything)...although, I did wipe down one wall the other day :/ But, it is reassuring to know I'm not completely crazy.

I will be excited to get through this Saturday. I have been working non-stop and I need a little rest. Unfortunately, for the second weekend in a row I have to work on Saturday. Last weekend I was at a trade show, and this Saturday is an "all hands on deck" day because we are so super busy. Sunday we plan on going with my parents and brother to Berts Pumpkin Patch. It'll be nice to get out and do something non work related. Then things should be back to normal for me working wise and I can look forward to my weekends again and actually begin to get things done and ready for Avery!

Alright, got to get back to work :( Have a great rest of the week!

Love,
LG

Brad's Birthday Weekend

Brad turned 24 yesterday, so of course, we had a busy weekend. Friday I only worked half a day because we had our 24 week pre-natal visit. This was a very simple visit...checked my weight, blood pressure, measured my belly, and listened for her heartbeat. Everytime the doctor found her heartbeat it was only for a few seconds before she moved around and the doctor had to find it again...I think we're going to have our hands full with a very active baby! After the doctors appointment we headed home to get ready to meet some friends up at Brad's bar, Fatsos, since one of Brad's co-workers shares a birthday with him they thought they would celebrate together up there. My friend from college, Katie, came into town to help celebrate! We spent Friday night hanging out on the patio at Fatsos listening to the band with a bunch of friends.  It was a late night and we were exhausted by the time we finally got home.

Saturday, Katie and I woke up to Chick-fil-a breakfast from Brad :) Katie and I then got dressed and headed out to run some errands before having people come over to cookout that night. Brad stayed behind to work on some stuff around the house. Kate and I went to Kohls and I actually had some luck finding some cute maternity tops :) Then we stopped by my parents house to say hello. We went grocery shopping to get all the food for the night and then went to carvel to get Brad's football ice cream cake! I was tired again from just that outing, but I still felt like I had tons to do. We showered and then began getting all the food together. Saturday night was a lot of fun. We had some friends over to watch football (too bad Georgia was not impressive again), grill out, and play cornhole. I finally got to bed again after 1AM and instantly fell asleep.

Sunday was Brad's (and Max) actual birthday. I bought Brad a red Jason Heyward jersey, which was perfect for the Braves game we were headed to. Brad, Brandon, Katie and I had brunch at Waffle House and then headed to Turner Field. It being the last regular season game (and at that point maybe the last game of the season) the traffic was awful...it didn't help that the Falcons had a home game that started about the same time too! We finally made it to Turner Field and what a great game it turned out to be. The Braves won and they made it to the playoffs...the perfect present for Brad :) Katie left from the game to head back to Henry County and after stopping by Brandon's house to drop him off and meet his adorable 7 month old nephew, Brad and I went out to dinner with his parents, sisters and niece. We finally make it home about 9:45 and it felt great to finally get into bed.

My body was more tired than I was today...surprisingly...but it was well worth it. It's not very often Brad gets an entire weekend off and it was great to have Katie visit too. I took maybe 2 pictures the entire weekend (shame on me) and I'll post those when I upload them. I'm trying to get better about taking pictures before Avery gets here, but so far I'm struggling. I hope everyone has a great week...I know I have a long one ahead of me.

Love,
LG

Preggo Update

How far along? 23 weeks, 1 day

Maternity Clothes? Yes

Stretch Marks? Still going strong with NONE ::fingers crossed it stays that way::

Sleep: I definitely don't know what it feels like to sleep throughout the whole night anymore :/

Best moment this last month: Brad got to feel her kick :)

Movement: She's a little wiggle worm

Food Cravings: nothing specific...just hungry all the time

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: none

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding Rings on or off? Depends on the day....but mostly on

What I miss: sleeping on my back

What I'm looking forward to: Getting her room ready

Weekly Wisdom: Feeling her move is so comforting, because I know she's doing well

Milestones: none

Time Flys

It's hard to believe September is almost over...this year has flown by. Tomorrow will be a year since Brad asked me to marry him!!! It's crazy to think that we've planned a wedding, gotten married, bought a house, and are expecting our first baby! Things are going wonderfully for us, but I am a little scared about this next journey we are about to take. We went to being registering Saturday evening at Babys R Us and I was instantly overwhelmed by all the things a baby needs and how many different choices there are for each thing. How are you supposed to know what's best? It was clear that Brad and I had no idea what we were doing :( Thank goodness our families are close enough to help us if we need it.

On a positive note, my pregnancy has been going pretty smooth and I'm excited to start setting up the nursery :) Brad even got to feel her kick for the first time last night! She was very active last night as I was trying to get comfy and go to sleep, but I've heard that's when she'll move around the most, but I don't mind, because as long as she's wiggling around in there I know she's ok!

I'm convinced the weekends are getting shorter and shorter. Sunday has easily turned into my favorite day, but I hate going to sleep Sunday night knowing I have to get up for work the next day. The house is slowly, but surely coming together and we love love love it. It'll be nice to get the fence built and patio furniture so we can hang out on our awesome deck with Max playing outside, but that takes a lot of extra money that we just don't have right now.

I hope that everyone is doing wonderfully. Have a great week!

Love,
LG

Pregnancy Update

How far along? 21 weeks

Maternity Clothes? Yes

Stretch Marks? None yet...Tane Ya keeps on me to moisturize

Sleep: Can't get comfy these days, and I definitely can't make it through the entire night without having to get up to pee

Best moment this last month: Sharing with our families the sex of the baby

Movement: She moves, but nothing too dramatic yet

Food Cravings: none really...just want food...all the time

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: none

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding Rings on or off? On

What I miss: getting a good nights sleep!

What I'm looking forward to: Getting her room ready

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy the 2nd trimester...It's the most comfortable one

Milestones: none

It's Football Season!

Fall is coming! Yay! This is by far my favorite season. I love love love grilling out and watching football. I'm always so burnt out with baseball by this time that I welcome football with open arms. Tomorrow is the first UGA game and while I wish we were going, I am kind of relieved we aren't since it's a 12 o'clock game and I am not handling the heat all that well these days. I definitely love spending Saturday's in Athens when it cools down, because that campus is beautiful, but tailgating this year is going to be A LOT different. Unfortunately I think I'm going to automatically be dubbed the DD.

The house is coming together nicely and we LOVE it. We still have a lot of work to do to prepare for Avery's arrival, but it'll be fun to put her room together...once I figure out exactly what it is that I want to do in there. We also need to get the last bit of stuff out of our apartment and get it cleaned...something I am dreading. Max has had a little bit of a difficult time adjusting to the new house and has been very skiddish about everything. Hopefully he'll settle down here soon and realize we're here to stay and we're not leaving him.

I'm really excited for the 3 day weekend! Hopefully I'll be able to get a lot done, but relax more than last weekend at the same time. I'll update more next week.

Love,
LG

The filling was PINK :)

It's hard to tell from the picture...but it was pink...so we're having a girl! (I also have ultrasound pictures to back it up) We're super excited and can't wait to meet our little princess. Her name will be Avery, but we still haven't settled on a middle name...so suggestions are always welcome.

This past weekend was crazy busy, but so much fun at the same time. Friday morning we had our ultrasound and found out that Avery is doing wonderfully and she has absolutely no heart issues. Then, after having lunch we closed on our house! Such an awesome day. We immediately began painting...since the living room & kitchen walls were green they wouldn't really go with our red couches. After staying up late Friday night and getting up early Saturday morning we finally finished the painting, while Brad and the guys packed up and got all the large items moved over to our new house. Katie came into town for the day and it was great to spend the day with her running around and shopping for the house. After another long and tiring day Saturday, we were right back up bright and early Sunday morning to finish making the house look presentable for our families to come over for our "reveal the sex" party.

My parents, my brothers, their significant others, Brad's parents, his sisters, his grandfather, his grandmother, his cousin & her fiance, and my best friend & her fiance all came over for the party. We had finger foods and "the cake". Before we cut the cake we had everyone who thought the baby was going to be a boy stand on one side of the room, and everyone who thought girl stand on the other. Out of our 16 guests I think we had only 2 people on the girl side. Steph, who has said since day 1 that it was a girl, and Kasey. Others wanted a girl, but thought it was still going to be a boy, so they were pleasantly surprised.

I was beyond tired by the time everyone left last night and I actually got to go to bed, from working so hard all weekend, but it was well worth it. I'll post pics of the house once it gets put together a little more. I hope everyone has a great week.

Love,
LG

Cute Questionnaire I Stole :)

How far along? 18 weeks, 5 days

Maternity Clothes? Yes

Stretch Marks? None yet...

Sleep: It's a little harder for me to get comfortable these days, and I'm waking up at least once in the middle of the night to pee

Best moment this last month: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at my last appointment

Movement: I'm still not sure if I've felt baby move or not yet...I've been told it'll feel like butterfly's or gas

Food Cravings: Milk

Gender: We'll know soon :)

Labor Signs: none

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding Rings on or off? On

What I miss: not being hungry all the time and being able to wear all my clothes

What I'm looking forward to:  Finally finding out if we're having a Boy or Girl!

Weekly Wisdom: Take things slower than normal...it's hard to remember my body is working double time these days

Milestones: none yet

Super excited

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks. We've been extremely busy trying to get everything ready to close NEXT FRIDAY...and with work. I cannot wait to move...and I hate moving...but I'm super excited to move into our own house! Also, we will find out the sex of the baby the same day we close on our house, so it'll be an awesome day!

I just wanted to give a little update...don't have much this time. I'm still waiting to feel the baby move...I'm supposed to be able to feel it anytime now...although I have no idea what it'll feel like :) I'm definitely starting to show more...I can only button one pair of my pants now. Maternity clothes here I come!

I hope everyone is doing well. I'll post after we move and I can reveal the sex of the baby!!!

Love,
LG

4 months

Yesterday I had my 16 week doctors appointment. They took some more blood, weighed me, measured my belly, and listened for the heartbeat. Everything is going exactly as it should. My belly measures exactly what it's supposed to for 16 weeks, which makes me feel better about gaining this weight, and the heartbeat is strong and healthy!

The next appointment we will have a specialized ultrasound to make sure baby doesn't have any heart problems (since Brad was born with an aortic stenosis) and we'll get to find out the answer to the big question...BOY or GIRL?!?! I can't wait!

Have a great weekend :)

Love,
LG

We're moving to Grayson :)

We are officially under contract to buy a house! If all goes well, we will be closing on August 27th and moving out to Grayson. We are both super excited to have a place of our own and be able to make it a home for our family! Everything has happend much quicker than we ever thought, but so far everything seems to be working out. Thanks for the support, we love y'all.

Love,

LG

P.S. We have our next doctor's appointment on Thursday so I'll update about the baby then!

Busy Busy

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I updated, but I've been super busy...and super tired still. I was hoping the constant tiredness would disappear, but that hasn't happened yet. Work is killing me, and unfortunately each day I get up and go in to work the more and more I hate my job and want to just turn right back around and go home :( This has unfortunately caused me to be a little down in the dumps lately and I really need to get out of this funk. I just feel like I have ZERO time to do anything for me. We work stupid hours (I'm here 8:30am-6pm) and then they still expect you to sign in and work over the weekend...unbelievable. I haven't even been able to make a hair appointment, so I'm currently looking a hot mess!

On the bright side of things, I do have some great things going on in my life right now...I just have to work a little harder to notice them! Brad and I have begun the hunt for a new home for our expanding family. It's a long and tiring process, but it is fun to go and see the different houses. Our lease is up in our apartment the beginning of October, so we have until then to find a new place to live. It'll be exciting to move into a house of our own and be able to do whatever we want with it and not have to worry about a landlord or anything.

Our next doctor's appointment isn't until August 5th...seems like forever away, but those are fun to look forward to. We still have 5 more weeks before we get to find out if we're having a boy or girl and that might kill Brad...he event tried to talk the lady into us coming in for a special ultrasound just to find out the sex of the baby early, but she wouldn't do it without doctors orders...so we're still waiting!

This past weekend was great. Brad had the entire weekend off and we actually got to spend a lot of time together. Saturday we went house hunting for a majority of the day, and then that night we went to dinner and a movie. It had been a while since we went on a date, and it was nice. We saw the very popular movie "Inception" and it definitely lived up to all the hype. I highly suggest seeing that one in the theater if you can. Sunday we went to church, did a little shopping, and then drove to Kennesaw to have dinner with Anna Banana for her birthday. It was great to see her and some other friends from college. I'm hoping this weekend is just as wonderful...since somehow Brad managed to get it off as well :)

I promise not to wait so long next time before updating. And I'll post a picture of my pregnant self soon...finally starting to look the part instead of just looking fat!

Love,
LG

Hello Second Trimester

We've officially made it through the first trimester of this pregnancy! Today we had our second ultrasound...it was amazing. S/he was moving around so much. We watched our baby stretch, kick it's legs, and move it's little arms and fingers around...we even watched as baby rolled over and stuck it's butt in the air :) already has a great personality! Everything is progressing as it should and the next ultrasound we have we'll be able to find out if we're having a boy or girl!

Now that I'm into my second trimester, I'm hoping I get some of my energy back. I've wanted to do nothing but sleep the last few months, and the littlest things make me tired. My first trimester went pretty smoothly, thank goodness, and I'm looking forward to what's to come. We have tons to do. First and foremost is figuring out where we're going to live. Our apartment is just too small for a family of 3, 4 with Max! Then, it'll be exciting to get the nursery put together and start preparing for baby :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I double hope that it doesn't go by too fast.

Love,
LG

Baby Update

As of today I am 12 weeks and 2 days pregnant....this is the last week of my first trimester! Yesterday Brad and I went to our second pre-natal appointment. So far everything is looking good, and we even got to hear the baby's heartbeat :) I didn't get to see my baby this time, but I have to go back next Friday for an ultrasound and some blood work, so hopefully I'll get an updated picture of the little one then. It was so awesome to hear the heartbeat...it was really strong, and made me feel better about how it's doing in there. I'll have more info next week about how he/she is developing once they measure the neck and I can see how much he/she has grown. I'm definitely ready to find out the sex...I hate calling the baby "it", and I just want to know if we're having a boy or girl.

We did find out yesterday that because Brad was born with an aortic stenosis that there's a small chance the baby could have the same heart problem, so at 20 weeks they are going to do a specialized ultrasound that will be able to detect that sort of thing. I'm not too worried about it though. After hearing the heartbeat yesterday everything sounded perfect, and if it does come back that the baby has the same condition then it can easily be fixed...we'll just have to wait until they are a little older can handle the surgery.

Next Friday I'll update more. I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm super excited Brad has the entire weekend off :)

Love,
LG

Slight change of heart

Lately, well ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've been doing a lot of thinking...and worrying. I know that after the baby is here I'm not going to want to go back to work...at all, but unfortunately for us we are not in a financial situation to where that's possible (I keep hoping to win the lottery!). I've thought a lot lately about going back towards the teaching route. I'm only 1 test away from being provisionally certified, and that's totally do-able. And, the more I think about it, the more the schedule and life style appeals to me. I love the idea of being able to go home at 3 in the afternoon, as opposed to 6 in the evening. And, I love the fact that I would have summers and holiday's off (more than just the actual day of the holiday). Teachers also have the ability to bring their school aged kids with them to their school and the school bus can pick them up and drop them off at your school! All of these things have definitely got me thinking that I'd rather stop dealing with the long hours of the event industry and focus on being a teacher...so that I can be a better mommy and spend more time with my baby. I've said numerous times that I want to get my Masters, I just have no idea what I wanted it in...but I'm thinking Education would be the best decision. I know schools are cutting budgets, but that can't last forever...our kids will always have to go to school, and we'll always need teachers to teach them. What do you think? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Love,
LG

P.S. We have our second doctors appointment tomorrow, so I'll update about the baby afterwards :)

Rylan's 1!

Last Thursday was Rylan's 1st birthday, so we celebrated yesterday with a pool party at Brad's parents house. I have never known so many people to show up to a 1 year old birthday party...that girl sure is loved...and spoiled :) Ry was a little overwhelmed at first, but after a good nap she was in the best mood and was ready to play with all of her new toys...especially her sand box and bubble maker...she even got upset when Kristan had to bring her in to clean her up for dinner.

I can't believe a whole year has passed since Rylan was born. It definitely doesn't seem like that long ago that we were all sitting in the waiting room waiting for Merek to come out and tell us if it was a boy or girl...ahhh the suspense...won't be like that with me...that drove me crazy! It's also crazy to think that this time next year I'll have my own little one to be taking care of, and if all goes well, he/she will be 5 months old!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was great....too short, as always, but still a lot of fun. Yesterday, before Ry's birthday party, I went with Steph, her mom, and Matt's mom to the bridal show at the Gwinnett Civic Center...it was packed! But Steph got tons of useful information and won 2 free wedding bands and $183.00 off her tuxedo rental from Savvy!

Here we are, it's Monday...again :( It seems like these days come by more and more frequently. I do have to say that I really enjoy having my weekends to look forward to...something I hadn't had in such a long time. Now, if Brad's schedule would stay more consistent on the weekends that would make me a very happy girl.

Love,
LG

Mr. & Mrs. Philip Reece Alenne

After too much drama and too much hassle, Reece and Rissa decided to go to the courthouse and get married! Grandma was very proud...she tried to convince me to do the same thing for 7 months, but I wanted my wedding and I'm so super happy mine turned out the way it did. I wasn't able to be there yesterday since I was given such short notice of the event, but mom and dad said it was short and sweet. Brad and I did, however, have dinner with them at my parents house afterwards.

I totally have mixed feelings about the elopement. I was really looking forward to seeing Reece get married and having my baby be either the cute little flower girl or the adorable ring bearer :) Besides, weddings are soo much fun. You get to see friends and family you haven't seen in a long time and it's fun to dance and hang out with everyone. BUT I'm glad they did what they wanted to do...I guess weddings aren't for everyone, and when it's all said and done you're married either way.

Reece told me they plan on having a reception for everyone to come celebrate in the near future and will be taking their honeymoon sometime next summer around their 1 year anniversary. I think them waiting to take their honeymoon is a smart move...since we all know what happens on honeymoons...you end up pregnant :)

So, in the span of 2 months I went from having only 2 brothers, to having a husband, 3 sister-in-laws, 1 niece, 1 nephew, and a baby on the way! Crazy how that all works :)

Love Always,
LG

All out in the open :)

I finally told my boss today, something I have been extremely nervous about. I wasn't sure how her reaction was going to be, especially with me being fairly new to the company. But, it turns out she loves kids and is super excited for me...thank god! I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that everyone knows. I hate keeping secrets, I feel so deceitful. That made my terrible morning (which is a whole other story) turn into a pretty good afternoon! That's all for now, I'll post more in the near future.

Love,
LG

Sometimes the best things are unexpected :)

Well, we can finally breathe a little easier and announce our big news. It looks like Brad and I will be expecting our first little one January 20! We found out a couple of weeks ago and after the shock wore off we decided to try and keep it under wraps, as much as possible, until we went to our first pre-natal visit and knew everything was ok. That day was today...as of right now, everything looks great and the little one's heart is beating super fast (which is good!). I'm 8 weeks pregnant, even though they guess that we conceived on or around May 6...I know, there aren't 8 weeks in between May 6th and now...but one thing I've learned so far is that pregnancy math is crazy and they consider you 2 to 3 weeks pregnant before you actually are!

It has taken me much longer than Brad to get excited about the baby, (he was ready to tell everyone the day we found out), but now that I've seen it and it's little heart beat and know that it's real, I'm definitely more excited. It happened a LOT sooner than we had planned, but oh well...like I said, sometimes the best things in life are unexpected! So, this also brings me to the real reason behind me creating this blog...I want to keep everyone updated about the pregnancy and the baby on here...just easier with having out of town family...so stay posted..I'll put a picture of the ultrasound up later.

Love Always,
LG

Grrr....

I'm going to vent for a minute...so be prepared! Ungrateful, unappreciative people who think they are above everyone else drive me crazy. The last three work days we have been understaffed because our owner is on vacation, which she 100% deserves, I've never known someone to work as hard as her, and because another person in my department was also out of town. So, when HALF of my specific department is missing then things get a little hectic for those of us still here. We have to do our jobs, plus help your clients because you are unavailable, which I have no problem doing. BUT, when you come back to work after being gone for three work days, don't let the first thing out of your mouth be "Y'all haven't done nearly enough tasks since I've been gone, and I would have done this another way and blah blah blah". URG! Are you kidding me? How about "Thanks for helping me with this and that, since I couldn't be here to do it"...is that too much to ask? Me and the other person that were here the whole time finally got to "vent" to each other and that made me feel better, but I still thought I'd say my last peace about the situation. Moral of the story...be grateful for what others do for you and don't talk down to other people. Next post will be much more happy...promise :)

Hello Weekend :)

Yay! It's Friday...this has been the longest 4 day week ever...and I'm finding it uber difficult to concentrate on actually working today...hence why I'm on here :) I should FINALLY be getting my wedding pictures this weekend!!! (thought I'd give a little sneak peak with this one) I'm meeting with my photographer Sunday afternoon to get my CD's and discuss layout for my album. BUT I'm going to ask him if I can give him some pictures that were taken by other people to be put in my album, because he missed a few shots I want (like a picture of Brad's grooms cake), and during all of the dances he was standing in the same place so they all have the same angle. I'm sure he wont have a problem with it...he's pretty laid back.

Other than that, I really just plan on laying low this weekend and sleeping...I have been so exhausted all week, and a lot of it has to do with Brad playing in this softball tournament and me not getting to bed at a decent time because of it. Starting next week Brad will finally be on a set schedule and he will have the weekends off (except on a UFC fight night)!!! It has been FOREVER since we have had weekends off together and I am super excited about it.

Alright well I guess I better get off here and actually get some work done. I'll let you know how the meeting with the photographer goes. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend :)

Love,

LG

Memorial Day

I hope everyone had a nice, long Memorial Day weekend...I know mine was not quite long enough. Brad and I spent the weekend at Ormond Beach with 29 of his family members...it was kinda hectic, but so relaxing at the same time. It was tough to leave yesterday, especially since 26 of those people are staying the entire week and I was incredibly jealous, but also because the beach is my most favorite place in the entire world. It is so relaxing to just lay on the beach with a good book and listen to the ocean and just chill out...not to mention, it is beautiful! So, needless to say, we had a great time.

It was so much fun to watch Rylan explore the beach for her first time...and she absolutely loved it. We laughed so hard the first afternoon there when Kristan brought Rylan down and she couldn't quite figure out what the sand was. She kept sticking her entire face in the sand and she even took a huge bite of it at one point...which resulted in a hilarious face. She spent the next few days climbing in and out of her little turtle swimming pool underneath her own personal umbrella. So spoiled, but so adorable.

I hope everyone remembered and appreciated our holiday we had yesterday and the reason behind it. Both of my Grandfathers served in the military, along with my cousin, my cousin's husband, my half brother, and numerous friends. I have so much gratitude toward them for what they do and I so much look up to their wives and families who are able to stand behind their soldier even when they are deployed for such a lengthy amount of time. I do have to say that I lost a huge amount of respect for our President yesterday, who was too busy on vacation, to do his duty and lay the wreath at Arlington. I know some say he had to cancel because of thunderstorms, but we have these things called umbrella's and they protect you from the rain. I think that is just a sad excuse and you should go above and beyond, especially as President, to honor the fallen soldiers, especially when we are in a time of war.
Well, I guess this is a long enough update for now. I hope everyone has a great day back to work :) Til next time...

Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times.

Romans 12:12

LG

A new beginning...

I tried this blogging thing once before, but for some reason stopped doing it...but I really love the idea of all of my family and friends being able to keep up with me and my life even if they live a million miles away, so I'm trying it again...determined to stick with it this time!

So...as most everyone knows, Brad and I got married on April 24! It was awesome...all of the planning and preparation was totally worth it because it turned out exactly how I had pictured it :) It was so much fun to see everyone, especially my family that live up north, that I definitely don't see as much as I'd like to.

Brad and I left the next morning for Miami where we boarded our home for the next week...the Carnival Valor! We had the best honeymoon ever and got to see some pretty neat places. We visited Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel. I most definitely wasn't ready to go home, but had plenty of exciting things to look forward to.

I started my new job the day after we returned from our honeymoon. After being "unemployed" for over a year it was a huge relief to know that I was coming home to a new job...a perfect way to start off my new marriage. Things finally seemed to be looking up for Brad and I. Brad had been promoted to assistant GM of Fatso's Sports Bar and was loving his new job.

Now, here we are....a whole month later (can't believe we've been married a month already) and things are going pretty great for us. We both like our new jobs, for now ;) and we have a lot to look forward to. Recently, my brother got engaged and is planning to get married in September of 2011, and Brad's cousin Tonya and her longtime boyfriend finally decided to tie the knot...so we have their wedding to look forward to next April! And of course, Steph and Matt will be getting married next May where I get to be the matron of honor...sounds so much older than maid of honor!

I hope everyone has a wonderful memorial day weekend...I know I'm super excited to spend 3 whole days at the beach with my love and his family.

Love Always,
LG