Birthday Celebration/Babymoon

Last year when we went to Disney World, we were planning that it would be our last big vacation for at least a little while because we were hoping to have a little one coming in the next year or so and knew it would impact our traveling plans. However, I always hoped to take a small babymoon during my pregnancy to get one last vacation in before our family grew. With Matt's frequent traveling, we had difficulty finding a long weekend that would work for our mini vacation and decided to postpone it, and I was worried we wouldn't be able to come up with a time that worked. But Matt came through and for Christmas gave me a coupon for a long weekend getaway to Kansas City. We decided to combine celebrations and head to Kansas City for the weekend of my birthday. One of the benefits of Matt's traveling was that we were able to use his hotel points to pay for our hotel so we ended up not having to spend a lot of money. We both took off work last Friday and drove up to Kansas City that morning. We arrived just in time for lunch. I had gotten several recommendations for good restaurants in the area, and one of them was this place:

It is called the Webster House and used to be a school building that they have transformed into a restaurant/store. One of the great things about vacations is trying new restaurants (and getting a break from cooking). The food was pretty good. Matt had a burger and I had a chicken sandwich.

After lunch, we decided to check into our hotel. Matt splurged with his points (he has a lot) and booked reservations at the Embassy Suites. We were on the top floor.




We unpacked, relaxed and then took a walk down to the plaza and walked around for a few hours. We browsed several stores, spent some time in Barnes and Noble and stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel. One of our requirements for vacations is they always include large amounts of ice cream :). That evening we went back to the plaza for dinner and walked around some more until the stores starting closing down.

The next morning was my birthday, and I woke up to Matt giving me a sweet card from him and Nathan. We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and then drove out to Legends, a big outlet mall in Kansas City. We found some good deals. I got a few maternity clothes, Matt found a jacket, and Nathan got a couple of cute outfits. Matt reigns me in a lot when I'm shopping for Nathan. I would go wild if it weren't for him reminding me that we will most likely gets lots of adorable baby clothes at my showers. After spending a couple of hours at the outlets, we ventured off to the WWI museum in the city. We toured the museum for a little while. I don't have a huge tolerance for museums, and I'm usually done after an hour or two. I never learned much about WWI in high school or college, so I enjoyed learning some new things, although I almost think I learned more from talking to Matt about the war during and after we visited the museum than I learned from the museum itself.

One neat thing about the museum was the liberty tower. From the top we had a great view of the city





Union Station was just across the street from the museum so we stopped there on the way back to the hotel. We just spent a few minutes there since we were both very ready for lunch by that point, but Matt wanted me to see the architecture of the building.

The ceiling at the train station was really cool.

From the museum we drove back to the plaza for a late birthday lunch. We ate at Brio, a great Italian place that was recommended by a friend. It was delicious and since we ate about 3:00, it was practically empty. We had some great conversations and splurged on dessert since it was my birthday. Lunch that day was one of my favorite memories of the trip. After lunch we walked around the rest of the plaza that we hadn't seen. It started raining during the afternoon which cut our day out a little short, but thankfully we had seen most everything on the plaza before the rain started. That evening after spending a couple of hours relaxing at the hotel (This momma was ready for a break after a long day of walking and being 7 1/2 months pregnant), we decided to catch a movie. We saw The King's Speech and we both really enjoyed it. I hope it wins some Oscars. I thought Colin Firth was excellent in it. Ever since a new theater opened in Broken Arrow, and our favorite go to theater no longer has new movies or $2.00 Tuesdays, we rarely go to the movies. It's hard for us to justify spending almost $20 to see a movie especially when we have Netflix, so going to the movies is a fun treat for us.

The next morning we enjoyed a lazy morning and then hit the road to head back to Oklahoma. Matt was a little mopey that our vacation was ending. He kept making me reassure him that we would still be able to take vacations once Nathan is born, and that this wasn't our last vacation as a couple. We're definitely not planning anything big this year, but I told him that by our 6th anniversary, Nathan would be weaned, and I would probably feel comfortable enough to leave him for four or five days for a vacation. I'm so glad we got a chance to get away even if it was just for a couple of days. Matt and I had a chance to reconnect and spend lots of quality time together. We had some great conversations on the car ride and during the whole trip. A certain little guy frequently becomes the center of our conversations these days, but we also talked a lot about vacation memories, current events, history (the WWI museum and the movie sparked those conversations), and life in general. Living life with my husband everyday is great, but having the opportunity to get out of our normal routine and experience new things together is one of my all time favorite things.

Valentine's Celebration

We celebrated Valentine's Day this past Saturday. Since The 14th was a Monday and we have childbirth class that evening, we decided to celebrate a couple of days early. I planned our celebration last year, so Matt took charge of the planning this year. Saturday morning we went over to my parents' house for breakfast. My grandparents had planned to come visit that weekend, but they decided to stay home because of the snowy weather. My parents had planned to cook breakfast for everyone Saturday morning, and even though my grandparents weren't there, we still all had breakfast together. We stayed over and visited with them for a couple of hours and then headed home to start the official celebration. When we got home, Matt ran to the store. He came home later and made me stay in another room while he set this up:
I don't think I'll ever get tired of roses and chocolates and a super sweet card on Valentine's Day. After he got back from the store, we went on a walk around our neighborhood. We trudged through the snow and just had a good time chatting and laughing at Rhapsody try and run in the snow. When we got home, Matt decided we needed to make a cake to celebrate Valentine's Day. He even cut it into the shape of a heart. It was fun to do a little baking together.

Can you spot Rhapsody in the picture? She's never far away when food is involved.

While the cake cooled, Matt gave me some time off, and he prepared a romantic dinner for us. I really enjoyed having the night off and not having to cook dinner. It was a special treat. He even did the dishes too :).
During dinner we talked about some of our favorite Valentine's Day memories and some of our romantic memories throughout our relationship. Dinner that night was probably the best part of the day for me. It was nice to just relax, enjoy a meal together and talk about our relationship for awhile.
After dinner, Matt picked out a romantic movie for us to watch. He did some research and found a list of the top 30 romantic movies and picked a few that were available on Netflix and ones we hadn't seen before. He let me make the final decision. We watched The Fabulous Baker Boys. Honestly, we were both a little disappointed in the movie, but it didn't ruin our celebration. After our celebration we enjoyed cake and fresh strawberries for dessert.
We had a great night celebrating us and our marriage. I know a lot of people aren't big fans of Valentine's Day, but I always look forward to the day. It's nice to take time out of our busy lives and let each other know how much we love and appreciate each other.

Snow Days

Well, it's almost the middle of February, and the last day Tulsa had school was January 31. With the big thaw this weekend, it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll start back on Monday, but I've had a long vacation away from work. This last week during the days when the roads were mostly clear, I was able to get out and do a little work. I saw a few clients, had supervision and helped with some paperwork at Youth Services, but I've still had lots and lots of downtime. I've gone back and forth enjoying relaxing at home and being really bored.

Matt took a quick 3 day trip to Florida in the middle of the snow (It was supposed to be five days, but thanks to the blizzard his flights were canceled which delayed his departure. That was one of the good things about the blizzard). Those days weren't my favorite especially since we got another good amount of snow the day after he left when I had plans to get out of the house and have lunch with a friend. Those plans got canceled, and it was just me and Rhapsody alone in our house all day. That day was the hardest.

The first two snow days, the roads were so terrible that Matt stayed home from work which was really nice. We didn't do much at all but relax and enjoy the down time together especially since we knew he would be heading to Florida as soon as the airport reopened. While he was gone, I was able to clean the house and get a few closets cleaned out. I also spent time with my parents during the weekend he was gone. My mom and I went on what was hopefully my last maternity clothes shopping trip and I spent Saturday afternoon and evening with them. Matt made it home Sunday afternoon. We ate lunch at our favorite restaurant, hit up Walmart for a few things, and went to a Superbowl party that evening.

This last week, we got more snow on Wednesday, but other than Wednesday, the roads were mostly okay. Matt made it to work everyday last week, and I worked for all or part of the day on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I also had time to go in for my glucose test (fun, fun), spent an afternoon with a good friend, went to childbirth class, deep cleaned our shower (my least favorite chore), had friends over for dinner, watched some movies, read a couple of good books, and slept late. During the days off, I watched way too much local news, probably more in the last two weeks than since the entire time we've lived in Broken Arrow. One of the things that was nice bout the break was feeling caught up. I had plenty of time to clean, straighten, and stay caught up on all the housework and errands. Everything was finished by the time Matt made it home in the evenings, so we were able to enjoy stress free evenings without a huge to do list hanging over our heads.

Now, I 'm refreshed and ready to get back to work full time and get back into a routine. Most of our evening activities have been canceled too for the last couple of weeks, so it will be nice to have a little busier schedule again.

Third Trimester Here I Come

It's official. I'm now in my third trimester. When I first found out I was pregnant, the third trimester seemed so far away, and now its here, and we are just 12 weeks away from meeting our sweet little guy. I really couldn't have asked for an easier first 2/3 of my pregnancy, and I'm hoping the last third is as smooth and easy.

Symptoms:

I feel like I'm stretching here when I try and come up with symptoms, because rarely does anything I experience interfere with my normal daily life, but I have noticed a few unique things that are related to the pregnancy.

I have been having very vivid dreams for the last several months. Usually I rarely remember my dreams, but ever since I got pregnant, I dream a lot more, and there have been several times I've shared my wacky dreams with Matt, and he just laughs at me. Other than the dreaming though, sleep has still been really good, and I'm so thankful for that. I've always required a lot of sleep, and I know my nights of uninterrupted sleep are limited, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

I've noticed my hormones more lately too. There have been times when I freak out and get worked up about the smallest things, and then I just can't get them out of my head. Matt has been good about dealing with my freak outs. He has a good balance between comforting and being understanding and telling me to calm down and snap out of it. I also had a little breakdown before Matt went to Florida last week, which I attribute to pregnancy hormones. He was only going to be gone a very short amount of time, and I rarely had breakdowns like that even when he was gone for weeks this summer. I just couldn't stop crying and had a really hard time telling him goodbye.

Just in the last couple of weeks I've started to notice that I am hungry all the time. I wake up in the middle of the night and my stomach is growling. I think about food a lot more too. It takes a lot for me to feel full these days.

I'm starting to notice getting tired a little more easily now but still nothing like the tiredness I felt in the first trimester. I'm usually just ready for bed a little earlier than normal.

Every once in awhile I also feel a little lower back pain. Really, its more just inconvenient than painful and isn't constant. I'm expecting the fatigue and back pain to increase as I enter the last few weeks, but for now, I can't complain.

Maternity clothes:

I've been wearing solely maternity pants for the last few months. I can't remember the last time I actually buttoned a pair of pants. I wear a combination of regular shirts and maternity shirts. It's about half and half. My regular shirts are starting to get a little tight and are getting too short because of my growing belly, so I'm expecting to be moving into mainly maternity shirts in the next couple of weeks.

Favorite Moments:

Obviously finding out that we were having a boy was one of my favorite moments. I remember just sitting in the parking lot with Matt after our appointment, and I just kept talking because I was so excited. He eventually told me we had to leave because he had to get back to work, and I wasn't ready to go.

I LOVE feeling Nathan kick. He's much more active at night, and sometimes I just lay in bed and stare at my stomach watching him move. I love it even more when Matt gets to feel him. He just lies around and keeps his hand on my belly. I looked up at him once after Nathan kicked and his eyes just lit up. The other day, he told me that Nathan had been really active that morning. He had snuggled up with me that morning while I was asleep and felt Nathan kick several times. I thought it was precious because it was their first father son moment that didn't include me since I was sleeping.

Ever since we found out we were having boy, we've been able to start working on the nursery, and that's been really fun. Picking out bedding, paint colors, and cribs has been a special time for us. It's exciting to see it start to come together.


Baby Bump Pictures:

24 weeks

26 weeks

Blizzard Day

We've been snowed in since yesterday morning, and it's doubtful I'll work the rest of the week. When we got up yesterday morning, I told Matt that we shouldn't do any productive all day, and we mostly succeeded :)

We watched the snow fall and the weather reports, played Rockband, took warm baths and read

I baked some chocolate chip cookies (Snow days always put me in the mood for baking).

Matt played on the computer while I took a nap.

We went for a short walk outside. Matt carried Rhapsody in his coat, so she wouldn't get cold.

We cozied up by the fire and watched a movie

We drank hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows

We remained thankful all day for a warm, cozy home that protected us from the blizzard of 2011

A Typical Week

Lately, I've been thinking about how our lives are going to change in a few months and how our daily routines will be different. I wanted to be able and look back and remember how we spent our days and weeks before Nathan joined us, so I thought I would record how we spent a typical week as just the two of us.

Monday: Matt was actually in Florida last Monday, so I was on my own. I usually get home from work between 4 and 4:30. Once I got home I did a few things around the house and then headed over to my parents' house for dinner. After dinner, I had childbirth class. Since Matt couldn't go with me, my mom joined me so I didn't have to go by myself. The class lasts until 9:30 so by the time I got home it was after 10.

Tuesday: I left work a few minutes early on Tuesday so I could pick Matt up from the airport! He was only gone for one week this time, but I missed him a lot. I had gotten used to him being home and wasn't as well prepared as I had been when he was traveling more frequently.I usually have Bible study on Tuesday evenings and I leave right after dinner, but since Matt was just getting home, I decided to spend the evening with him instead of going to Bible study. When we got home, we took Rhapsody for a walk. After our walk, I cooked dinner and then we headed to the mall. I needed to pick up my wedding ring from the jewelery store at the mall (I had sent it off to be repaired). We walked around for a little while at the mall and stopped for ice cream on the way home. Once we got home I spent the rest of the evening talking Matt's ear off. I'm not a big phone person, so once I got Matt home and could talk to him in person, I had a lot to catch him up on.

Wednesday: We have a pretty standard routine once we get home from work on the weekdays. I get home about an hour before Matt, so I'm able to have a little bit of down time and get a few things done before he gets home. As soon as Matt gets home, we usually take Rhapsody for a walk. She loves walks and it's a great time for Matt and I to catch up and share about our days. When we get back, Matt usually enjoys some down time, while I cook dinner. We eat around 6:30, and then Matt does the dishes. After dinner on Wednesday, I did some laundry, we watched a little OSU basketball and had a lazy evening complete with a bath and good books to read.

Thursday: I had a doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon. Matt took off early and went with me, and then we ran a few errands. We got home, took Rhapsody for a walk, and then ate dinner. Thursday night, I went to a ladies prayer night with the girls in my Sunday school class. We get together once a month to share prayer requests and spend time praying for one another. It's such a special time to spend with some incredible ladies. We always stay and visit for awhile afterward and I didn't get home until almost 10. I think Matt was a little worried about me since I was gone so long. He just stayed home and played on the computer and read.

Friday: I was in the mood to bake on Friday when I got home from work. We had friends coming over that evening, so I decided it was a good excuse. I made a cake and also spent a little while straightening the house. When Matt got home, we continued our evening routine with Rhapsody's walk and then dinner. We sped up our routine a little since Jason and Andrea and Chloe were coming over at 7. They came over and we spent the evening playing Settlers of Catan and playing with Chloe. She is just a precious baby. Jason hands her to me as soon as they walk through the door, and I don't give her back until they need to put her back in her car seat to go home.

Saturday: The weather was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday. It felt like Spring. I slept in and after breakfast, we went over to my parents' house to help them install a dog door in their back door. I just watched Matt and Barry work and visited with my mom. We went out to lunch with them and then came home and took Rhapsody on a long walk since the weather was so pretty. Saturday afternoon, I spent some time cleaning out the closet in our guest room. We're running out of room in our house with preparing for a new baby, so I needed to clean some things out and move some stuff to the attic. We were pretty lazy on Saturday evening and just ate leftovers and watched Netflix.

Sunday: After church on Sunday, we had lunch with our Sunday school class and then came home. I ran a few errands Sunday afternoon and finished organizing the guest closet and guest room. Matt went to the grocery store with me Sunday after dinner to prepare for the winter weather we were anticipating. It was another lazy evening which included Netflix, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm sure once Nathan is here, our daily and evening routines will change and although we can't wait for him to get here, I'm trying to savor the last few weeks of our time together as a couple.