Still here...Still Kicking

Here we are...one day away from October!! I'm super excited because I LOVE Fall! I mean love, love, love; but here in Mississippi, we don't get too many Fall days. One of my favorite things to do is decorate for the season. I have cute pumpkins and little metal bats that I put in the yard. However, this year in the mist of packing to move (which didn't happen) and storing things in our storage unit...the decorations are spread all over Prentiss and Lee counties. So here we are again wishing we were moved, kinda moved, but still not selling our house.

As you may remember, we took our house off the "official" market. We are now selling it by owner. I want to sell our house so we can move, but I dread leaving this cute home. We have done so much work and really made it our own so I hate to see that go. Blood, sweat, and yes...tears have been shed at this home. But please---someone buy this sucker!!!! I'd like to find another home before the baby gets here!!! I'd love to be able to see the house, close at the end of October and be in a new home by Thanksgiving. But that is really pushing it. So I just pray that our house sells before Christmas and we can find another home before January 24th (or whatever day she decides to make her appearance)!

And speaking of baby...she's definitely in there! I'm feeling her kick all the time and it is so funny (albeit a little strange). I had my 22 week check up last Tuesday and everything is going good. Her little heartbeat was at 146 and she was moving away. We didn't have an ultrasound, but by using the doppler, you could hear her rolling! I think we have decided on a name..but I may leave you in some suspense until we tell all our family first. Let's just say it's a great mixture of both of our families names. We couldn't be happier and we're excited to have some things monogrammed! Of course I'm worried that I will take one look at her and say...that's not her name!!! What would we do!!?? Ok, ok, I'm sure that won't happen...but have you met me!? Alas we have decided and that's one thing to check off my list!

Here's the latest update on Baby P:

How far along: 23 weeks 3 days

Baby is is size of: an eggplant (11.38 inches and 1.1 pound!)

Current symptoms: terrible, horrible, relentless heartburn/indigestion. Medication helps, but just for a bit!

Any cravings: Still Peppers Grill or a real Coca-Cola

Baby bump?: yes! 

Maternity clothes: Heck yeah, but I'm loving it!

Belly button in or out: in and I hope it stays that way!

Gender: baby GIRL!

Best thing this week: Picking a name and hearing her heartbeat, which was technically last week..but who cares!

Looking forward to: selling our house so I can decorate a nursery at a new one!

21 Weeks and Counting

Well here we are...past the half way point! Whoo!!! I'm so excited to be on this journey, but boy does pregnancy really play tricks on you. I mean one minute I'm great and the next I'm either exhausted or having some weird ailment, it's strange.

We have development in the nursery department!!! No, we don't have a house in Booneville yet, but we do have a crib! This past weekend was so nice, we decided to get out and enjoy the day. We called Charles' parents and met them in Woodland, MS. If you've never been to Woodland, you really need to go! There is nothing there except a furniture store- and man is it huge. This little town's school shut down and someone bought it, started selling furniture at wholesale prices, and it really took off. Now there are 4 buildings with anything from baby furniture, dining room furniture, to outdoor rugs. There's even a small diner that sells burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream! Ok, enough of the Woodland plug... We got there around lunch time so we all ate at the diner and then walked off the calories. I have been shopping around for a crib since we found out that we were expecting; and, once I found out it was a girl, I've really upped the search. Going into the furniture store I had in my mind what I wanted...boy was I wrong. We looked and we looked, we compared this one to that one, we walked in circles and finally...there it was. I am in love with this crib. It is gorgeous as a crib, but once it converts to a full size bed, it's really pretty. I hope that if we have another child (a big if) and if it's a boy, he won't mind sleeping in this baby:

As the crib

As a regular size bed

I have some nursery plans, but I'll share all of that with you a little later. On a different note, our house goes off the market Saturday. This means that we will be trying to sell it ourselves or decide to stay for a while. If you know of anyone that needs a cute, affordable place to live in Saltillo, give me a shout! I have a deal that people will not be able to refuse!

Here's the latest update on Baby P:

How far along: 21 weeks 4 days

Baby is is size of: a carrot (10.5 inches and 12 oz)

Current symptoms: not many! just some aches and pains that come and go

Any cravings: food!!!!! I'm so hungry

Baby bump?: yes! 

Maternity clothes: I'm there! And it is so roomy here!!!

Belly button in or out: in and I hope it stays that way!

Gender: baby GIRL!

Best thing this week: getting a crib

Looking forward to: picking a name! (yes that is the same as last time) We do have it narrowed down to 2 names now!

I hate taking pictures, but here is one from this week. You can totally see my bump in this one...well not the best, but kinda!!

He or She, We Shall See

How exciting is it to find out what you are having!? I mean I couldn't sleep the night before, the whole day at work I was antsy, and driving to the doctor's office all I could think was he or she, she or he, girl or boy, him or her!!! I had text all my friends and family to let them weigh in on what they thought the baby was. The score there was 15 for boy and 7 for girl. As for us, let me remind you that I'm thinking boy and Charles is thinking girl.

So, on Tuesday, August 26th, Charles and I went to have the anatomy ultrasound. It didn't take any time for the ultrasound tech to find baby p...and boy was he/she moving! She zoned in on the baby and wanted us to look and guess what gender we thought.  I don't know if you have ever seen an ultrasound of a 18 week old baby, it's not very clear. For one it's black and white, fuzzy, and a little cramped in there. I also wasn't wearing my glasses...so there's that. But of course, neither one of us had a clue! We looked at the sweet lady with confused looks on our faces and said, "I dunno!" She responded with a....

So there we sat, totally caught off guard with this huge announcement. A girl..a little bouncy, pink, ruffles, and tutus girl. I was so thinking boy that the news really shocked me! 

The rest of the scan was great. Her bladder, heart, and kidneys look good. And, might I add...her legs look really long. I know that at this stage I'm sure that all of the babies legs are approximately the same length, but you didn't see this child. She stretched her legs out and they went on for days. For me I'm thinking two things, one: great she will be tall and slender like her dad- two: that baby has got to get into the world some way and with long legs it's not gonna be easy! Charles was thinking that defending boys against long legs in 15 years will not be an easy feat! 

So there it is...a girl! I have gotten over the shock, spread the news, and started shopping. Did you know that baby bedding is so expensive! It's crazy! We are super excited to meet our daughter and hopefully she will have a name by then. Because right now....she doesn't! I'll keep you posted on that front. 

So here is the update for 19 weeks...

How far along: 19 weeks 4 days

Baby is is size of: a heirloom tomato (6 inches and 9 oz)

Current symptoms: still a little tired and some heartburn

Any cravings: not really this week

Baby bump?: yes, well it's starting to get noticed

Maternity clothes: some maternity stuff, but not all the way there yet. No pants, but I'm getting there!

Belly button in or out: in and I hope it stays that way!

Gender: baby GIRL!

Best thing this week: well last week...but finding out that she's a she!

Looking forward to: picking a name! Also, I may learn to sew (again)..so that should be fun!

Not Pregnant, Just Puffy

Well as you can see from my title...I'm not feeling very pregnant this week. I've started to notice that my pants are getting a little tight around the middle, but that isn't any different than my sad excuse for poor dieting in the past. Soo...I've decided I'm not pregnant just puffy. I'm happy that at almost halfway through this pregnancy (17 weeks), I am still able to wear my same clothes as before. However, I'm tired of getting the "looks".  You know what I'm talking about, "Has she gained weight?" "Is she swollen?" NO....I'm pregnant, my body just is slow to catch on!

We go next Tuesday to find out if our little baby squirrel (pollard family joke) or baby p is a boy or a girl! I'd planned to do a gender reveal party next weekend, but then remembered that it is Labor Day weekend and people probably have plans. But let me show you what I had planned...

I obviously blacked out the address...just in case there is a creeper on here ;)

That was the invitation I made. I love to fiddle around with Word and Photoshop...it wasn't the nicest invite, but I thought it turned out really cute.

I found these on pinterest and I thought I could make the cookies and the cake. Of course it wouldn't be exactly like these, I would've added my own flair, but you get the idea. The inside of the cake would be pink for a girl or blue for a boy.

I was also going to have an old wives tale chalkboard or poster set up so that people could see what it tells about the guess of the gender. Then everyone could vote and we would see who won. Here is an idea of the old wives tales chalkboard/poster....

so cute...right!?

Since I'm not doing this I thought I'd put what the Old Wives say about me....

Is baby's heartbeat: >140(girl) < 140(boy)--------------Girl

Cravings:  sweet (girl)  salty (boy)--------------both but maybe more sweet (girl)

Skin: acne/worse (girl) beautiful/no change (boy)--------Girl

Needle/String Test: circle (girl) back and forth (boy)----Girl

Ring/String Test: circle (girl)  back and forth (boy)-------Boy

Sickness: yes (girl)  no (boy----------------------------Girl

Chinese Gender Test: ---------------------------------Girl

Mayan Calendar Test---------------------------------Boy

Mother's feeling---------------------------------------Boy

Again, I'm not doing this, so you have just attended my Gender Reveal party (in my head)! I hope you had a great time! haha! 

I think what we are going to do is tell our parents on the day and then maybe try and go out to eat with our friends and share the news that way. We decided that we didn't need a big production, everyone that wants to know, we will tell.  

So here is the update for 17 weeks...

How far along: 17 weeks

Baby is is size of: an onion (about 6 ounces and 5.5 inches long)

Current symptoms: still a little tired, heartburn has continued, but no nausea in a couple days!

Any cravings: Peppers wraps for some reason

Baby bump?: not really, just feeling puffy

Maternity clothes: no maternity wear yet, my clothes still fit...kinda

Belly button in or out: in and I hope it stays that way!

Gender: no idea...as evidenced by the predictions above!

Best thing this week: nausea has subsided and I'm hungry A LOT!

Looking forward to: the Dr's appointment next week and finding out the gender!

Guess who's back....

Well hello! I haven't blogged in so long I feel that everyone has missed out on my life. Ok, ok so I'll admit that my life is not that exciting; and, let's face it, most people who read this blog do so just so when I ask, they don't have to lie to my face. (You know who you are) But, I have a very legit reason on why I haven't been in the blogosphere!

This is the announcement we used on Facebook. I thought it was a really cute idea. I have to say that I got it from Pinterest...of course!! So yes, we're having a baby!!!

It's scary and new and a little crazy. We're trying to sell our house, move back to my hometown, find a new house there, and have a baby in January. What a wild ride we're on right now. I thought I could use this blog to document all the stuff with baby squirrel (Charles' aunt came up with this little nickname...it's a long story).

So far I'm right at 15 weeks. Things are getting a bit better. I have been soooo sick that I luckily haven't gained any weight. And, if you know me...that's a good thing! I am getting over the sickness little by little and my energy is returning. Baby's heartbeat has been really strong- from 171 at the 7-10 week mark to just yesterday at 160! It was also moving around like crazy!! You could hear the little flips it was doing. So sweet! we find out in 4 small weeks if it is a boy or girl!! I'm beyond excited for that!

So that's it, the reason I haven't been on here to blog, I can't keep a secret! I knew that if I started a new blog entry it would end up being about how bad I felt, then I couldn't tell the reason. I just figure it's better to be silent than spill the beans! I hope I can keep a little update on here about everything, but I'm not gonna promise anything. I did see someone else do the cutest thing on her blog, it was a set of questions she answered every week (let's face it, mine will not be that often) so I thought I'd give it a go....

 I'll answer these same questions each time

How far along: 15 weeks

Baby is is size of: an apple

Current symptoms: nauseous, little tired, heartburn

Any cravings: fruit, mainly grapes and oranges..oh and sour candy

Baby bump?: not really, just feeling puffy

Maternity clothes: no maternity wear yet, my clothes still fit, thank goodness

Belly button in or out: in and I hope it stays that way!

Gender: no idea

Best thing this week: going to the Dr. and hearing a strong heartbeat and lots of movement

Looking forward to: getting back into the swing of work, I hope it peps me up some- to have to get dressed every day, sad I know! 

Have a great week!!

Em

Blessed

It's not everyday that you have the clarity to say, "I am so blessed beyond measure." Well today I had that.  Over the past few weeks my work family has been celebrating the birth of David Sacran, the child of my co-worker, Louis.  When David was born, he needed medical attention due to a heart defect. While getting him the help he needed, the doctors also discovered that David has Down Syndrome.  And today, after reading the latest update on baby David, I felt so blessed. Thankful of my life, my walk with Christ, and the relationships that we build every day.

If you know me, then you know that I love special needs children. I have always had a special place in my heart for any person that needed a little extra love to get through the day. I am also blessed that my job allows me to love these children as well.  I know that Louis and his family are going to be experiencing a lot of information overload and a lot of questions over the next few years. But, I also know that a Downs Syndrome child is truly a ray of light! I have never met a family that has a stronger faith in our God than the Sacrans.  I am so blessed to know Louis, but even more blessed that he now has a blog about David. As I said before, this child of God will truly be a ray of sunshine.  Well the family knows that and they are calling him Sunshine Sacran.

If you want to be blessed beyond measure and learn about this bundle of joy, I encourage you to visit and share their blog.  www.sunshinesacran.com  Start from the beginning and read how God has blessed and strengthened this family. You will not be sorry!

God bless,
Emily

I'm Gonna Knock your Socks Off!!!

Ok get ready. I am about to knock your socks off!!! Each year for Mother's Day I try to make a dessert that is tasty but also beautiful.  However, if you will remember from this post: http://ramblingsofrealcraziness.blogspot.com/2012/05/mothers-day.html my cake looked like a baby shower cake.

So....I decided to do simple this year. I found this recipe on Pinterest and unlike some recipes on there, this does not disappoint! It is phenomenal, easy to make, and again, will knock your socks off! Here it is:

First, gather all of your supplies

• Box of Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge)
• Can of Eagle Brand
• Jar of Caramel topping
• Heath Bar topping (I used the Bits 'O Brickle, but you can use the mix with chocolate in it too)
• 2 small tubs of Cool Whip (not pictured and the recipe called for 1 tub, but I LOVE Cool Whip!)

1. Bake your cake as directed on the box (you will obviously need the egg, water, and oil called for on the back of the box too)

2. Let it cool for about 10 minutes

3. Poke holes in the cake with a wooden spoon handle

4. Open your can of Eagle Brand and pour it on the cake. I really enjoy doing this part because you can take your time and make sure some of the ooey gooey goodness gets into every hole you poked!

5. Let this sit and soak for about 5-10 minutes.

6. Pour the jar of Caramel on top of the Eagle Brand goodness. Again, I like doing this slow because I want some caramel in every bite.

7. By this time your cake should be cooled enough to "frost" with Cool Whip. Here's a helpful tip...make sure your Cool Whip has thawed and is at room temperature. It will not spread if it is hard...don't even try.

8. Add your topping. In the picture below, I forgot to take a picture of the final project, so this is the half eaten version of a final project.

There you go...an easy and FABULOUS dessert.  I will add this: I made my dessert the night before and put the Cool Whip on, but didn't put the topping. Then before I served it, I added more Cool Whip and the Heath topping.

As well as this dessert, my family got together to celebrate on Sunday, here are some pictures from our Happy Mother's Day.....

 

I have the absolute BEST family in the world!!!!!!!! I am so thankful for my "other" family in West Point (my husband's family), even though I don't have any pictures of them, we had a Fantastic time Friday night! I sit here and realize how blessed I am to be surrounded by such amazing women. I was raised by wonderful women that taught me and molded me into who I am today. Thank you to every "mother" that I have had. I love you all with a whole heart!