Nursery Reveal!

I officially started working on the nursery over my spring break - the first weekend of April. The first step? Clearing out all the guest room furniture, which also involved reorganizing the entire upstairs. Let's just say thank goodness for the help of Trey, his brother, and father for moving all of the furniture and then my mom for her help in painting, putting the crib together, and her ongoing help with covering the nursery chair/ottoman. There is definitely no way I could have done all this on my own! 

Here's the nursery in the beginning!

Painting with mom: love this shade!
"Cotton Candy" from Lowe's

Lots of organizing!

Since then, and several baby showers later (which I am SO grateful for. Victoria is spoiled already!), I've spent quite a few weekend hours setting up, organizing, sorting, hanging pictures, shopping (the best part!), and more organizing. Trey's huge contribution was putting together her new drawers (courtesy of Target) which was no easy task. They look awesome - thank you honey! I'll let pictures show you the details. There are a couple unfinished areas that I can't finish until I bring my changing table up from Roanoke (yes, the one I used when I was a baby! It's been used by my big sis the past few years and matches the crib) and Mom is also coming in June to finish covering the chair. Check it out:

Look at all her cute little socks! Lots of organizing clothes....

The drawers Trey put together & her hamper.
I love this diaper stacker! So cute - will go on
the changing table.

The bookshelf - spent the wee hours of Friday night organizing this and the closet (below)

I <3 organization!

A view of the bookshelf/closet together

A view of the room from the door (note: unfinished chair in the corner)

The crib and new matching jungle decals - love this look!

This corner will be for the changing table
(rocker will go in our room)

This big chair will be covered in the tan,suede material
you can see a swatch of on the top cushion.
The white frame picture collage above the chair
will have pictures of Victoria & baby photos of her
parents!

All these adorable containers will go on the changing table!


Well, as if you can't tell, I am so excited for her to get here! However, I'm trying to relax and enjoy my "quiet" time until then. Now that the nursery is pretty much ready, I can spend more time being lazy! Although that's not really my style so I guess I can tell myself good luck with that!

xoxo, 

Bumpdate: 32 Weeks! Yikes!

My new favorite attire: preggers comfy clothes!

What a cute phrase: "bumpdate" (get it? Update on the bump). I stole if off another expecting mommy's blog and thought it was adorable. I have been so bad at updating, but this pregnancy has been flying by! This past Thursday marked 32 weeks (aka) 8 months. Whoah! And a lot has changed since my last update at 20 weeks. Check it out:

• Total Weight Gain: 2 weeks ago it was about 22 pounds - tomorrow I'll find out my latest gain...my legs are definitely not used to holding up this much weight!
• Size of baby: Around 3.5 pounds and 17 inches long
• Sleep: Pretty soundly minus my frequent bathroom trips and sore mid-back. However I recently bought myself a "pregnancy wedge" pillow to help keep me on my side or to place under my bump for support - loving it!
• Best Moment This Week: Video-taping V while she kicked around in my belly like crazy.

• Movement: All the time. I love it when it's a big kick and it catches me off guard...I tend to yell out in surprise (eee!)
• Food Craving: Icees on my way home after school - cherry limeade is delish!
• What I Miss: being able to bend over in the shower and shave my legs like a normal person (don't worry...I'm still shaving...sometimes!). I also miss being able to walk quickly. I'm a super fast walker and these days I'm starting to waddle...ugh!
• What I'm looking forward to: V's arrival. I can't believe it's getting so close! I spend every extra minute working on her nursery: washing her new things, folding, sorting, organizing, etc. 
• Weekly Wisdom: I learned this from a coworker: I've started to lay awake after my mid-night  bathroom trips because I have so much on my mind that I need to do before V gets here (ex. finishing the nursery, maternity sub plans, finding a pediatrician, etc.) and my friend suggested putting a notepad next to my bed so I can write it all down...freeing up my mind again for sleep...going to give that a try! I'll let you know how it goes.
• Symptoms: Swollen ankles and feet on work days (and shopping days!), really itchy skin in certain "growing" areas, and I'm finding it next to impossible to stand up after being on the couch, in the bed, or any other "comfy" surface that sinks in. Thank goodness for my husband and his willingness to give me a hand every time I need to stand up! I've also had a lot of back pain in the last ten weeks - especially if I accidentally sleep on my back (which is my natural position) and I've been trying really hard to stay on my side! Hubby has also been a huge help with this and I'll feel him pushing me to my side if he sees me on my back. What a sweetheart :)

Until next time! Xoxo,

Gender Reveal Party!

I apologize for this post being so late, considering our "gender reveal party" was held over a month ago, but spring break is my first chance to finally do the things I want to do! Thank goodness for this week and how it has allowed me to check a million things off my list, while also letting me take time for me (and baby!). 


So here is the story of how we told our families that Baby Woolwine is either a boy or a girl!
I had heard about these gender reveal parties through friends and Facebook about a  year ago and thought, "what a cute idea!". Fortunately, many of those who have thrown them in the past couple years have posted about it on their blogs and I was able to pick and choose from ideas already planted. Thank you to those of you who shared! I also had the help of my mom and mother-n-law to do most of the work, which I am so grateful for. I told them what I wanted and they made it happen - amazing! 


Here's how it played out:


Most of our immediate family lives in Roanoke (our original home) so we decided to have the party there. We knew we would find out Baby Woolwine's gender from the doctor on Thursday, February 23rd (I counted down to this date for many weeks!) and decided to have our family reveal on Saturday, February 25th. It was incredibly hard keeping it a secret for 2 days! My older sister tried to bully it out of me, but I stayed strong and made her wait too. She was not pleased. (love you Nat!). We had considered being in on the surprise ourselves, but decided that we wanted to share that moment together where just the two of us (and the ultrasound technician) knew what we were having. We saved the surprise at the party for everyone else. 


Here are some pictures of the decorations and work our mother's put in:

Our color theme for the party: pink and blue

Ultrasound picture garland

There are multiple ways to share the surprise, as I found through my research, but we decided to go with a cake. The inside of the cake would be colored either pink or blue, but would be hidden by lots of icing and decorations that were gender neutral. I decided to have the cake made by Debbie Lucci in Salem (her cakes are to die for!) and I am so glad I did! The cake was adorable and made my life so much easier on the day of the party. 

The Reveal Cake

We also had snacks and decided to go with the theme of foods I have been craving while pregnant. Naturally, I was happy with this! :)

A menu of the snacks served (lots of chocolate and cheese!)

Mom bringing out more pizza

We played a game where each guest received a card with "old wives tales" on how to predict the gender of the baby. Everyone placed their vote (which they also did through the color shirt they chose to wear) and I tallied it up on the board. The majority voted girl!

7 Boy, 11 Girl

Boy Votes

Girl Votes

Finally, when it was time to cut the cake, we decided to let the grandmother's have the honor. Their faces were priceless. 

And the news the cake revealed?

We're having a .... GIRL!

Being a 5th grade teacher, I also have a class of 20 students who had been more than excited to learn the gender of Baby Woolwine. Literally every day since the day I told them I was expecting, at least two different students would ask "Do you know what you're having yet?" (and it didn't matter how many times I told them I wouldn't know until Feb. 23rd :)

  I decided to share the news with them creatively as well and made cupcakes which contained a pink center. Upon biting into the cupcake, our baby girl's gender would be revealed. 

 I made vanilla cupcakes and then created the center by mixing strawberry jam with cream cheese and adding a few drops of pink food coloring to brighten the shade. Then I used a knife to cut a circle around the top (and only cutting down halfway, I didn't want the pink to seep through to the bottom) and pulling out that piece. I filled it with a spoonful of the jam mixture and then put the top back in place.

 Then I sealed each of the cupcakes with a thin layer of icing to secure the top...

 And finally decorated them with more icing, a few sprinkles, and little baby bottles.

When the students took a bite, this is what they saw! They were incredibly excited. They also wore the color shirt for their vote and I took pictures of those who voted for a boy, and those who voted for a girl, but unfortunately due to privacy cannot post their pictures here (but you can imagine their sweet faces!)

Today marks Week 27 of my pregnancy and the start of the third trimester. I can't believe how fast time is flying by...and how much our love for Victoria Anne (yes, that's her name!) grows each and every day. We are so thankful that she continues to grow bigger and healthier and are praying for her safe arrival in July! 

xo, 

Pregnancy and Woolwine Family Update: Week 22

Lucky me! I got to see my baby girl again after only two weeks since I saw her last (and found out she was a girl)! She was in a strange position last time so they couldn't get a good look at her face and heart...which means, I got to go back sooner than expected! I certainly have never enjoyed going to the doctor as much as I do to see our baby. 


Here are some photos of our sweet Victoria:

Victoria's profile: I love how her little mouth is open!

Looks like she's waving hello! Check out the front of her face

Her mouth is wide open with her tongue sticking out - love it!

She is so adorable - and I continue to feel her kicking "hello" all day long! The technician commented on what an "active" baby she is -- should keep us busy once she gets here! She's comparable to the size of a papaya this week - between 10 and 11 inches and somewhere between 12 ounces and a pound. She's growing so fast! I can certainly tell as my belly stretches tighter and tighter. I'm waiting for my belly button to pop out any day now - eeek! 

Well, it's Friday night which means pizza and breadsticks on the couch with Daddy, Victoria, and Deano (the pups). We LOVE pizza Friday! Of course, I usually crash earlier than I do on a normal weeknight. It's like my body finally gets permission to relax after a week of work....and it takes that relaxation time seriously! Teaching 20 fifth graders is quite the exhausting job - but I still love it (minus the attitude of soon-to-be 6th graders)!

One more thing: my Dad came to visit this week when two of our hometown basketball teams had games in Richmond & he got to stay with us (lucky him)! He got to spend time bonding with our sweet pups, Dean, who is now 8 months old. He will be exactly 1 year when Victoria arrives. We basically go from raising one baby to another in this household! :) Here is an assortment of photos from their photo shoot Wednesday before school:

This one is my favorite :) 

Well that's all for now. Off to relax!

xoxo,

Week 20 Update

Pregnancy Highlights

20 Weeks!

• How Far Along: 20 weeks
• Total Weight Gain: 8 lbs.
• Size of baby: 12 ounces, and about 10.5 inches long - about the length of a carrot!
• Sleep: I sleep great until my bladder wakes me up, generally around 4-5 a.m. (and always 30 minutes to an hour before my alarm goes off...so of course I'm falling back asleep right when it's time to get up! Argh!)
• Best Moment This Week: Sharing the news of our baby's gender with friends, family, and my students. We're having a sweet, baby girl! (I will post again on the details of our "gender reveal")

Our parents are so excited to be grandparents!

• Gender: GIRL!
• Movement: As you probably read from my last entry - she's moving like crazy! In fact, she's moving right now. It's the best parts of my day when I feel her kick. I feel it the most when I'm not moving so much like when I get home from work or lay down to go to sleep.
• Food Craving: mac and cheese has been my latest favorite food
• What I Miss: having a glass of wine....oh well :)
• What I'm looking forward to: Baby showers! I'm so excited to start celebrating our baby girl's arrival with friends and family...and to start getting pink, girly baby items!
• Weekly Wisdom: eat small meals - it's really uncomfortable when you eat a lot! Baby and a full belly do not work out well!
• Symptoms: Minimal nausea (thank goodness), some cramping from those so-called "round ligaments" that are growing, feeling like I'm going to explode when I eat too much (sometimes I forget to stop! eek!!), and extreme forgetfulness (mostly when it comes to words and names...it's pretty hilarious the things I can't remember!)

We didn't get a great profile shot of our baby girl due to her strange positioning at our Week 20 appointment. I'll post one when I go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound for them to get a better look at her face and heart. 

Stay tuned for details on the Gender Reveal Party! It was a huge success and so much fun.

xoxo,

Alive and Kicking!

So I haven't written in awhile because it seemed like everything was pretty much the same for a couple weeks, but oh my how things are happening now!

We are officially in the midst of Week 19 (19 weeks and 3 days to be exact - but who's counting?) and on Thursday we will start the long awaited WEEK 20! We have our Week 20 appointment on that day as well, and we will hopefully (if Baby Woolwine is facing the camera) find out whether our little one is a boy or a girl. The suspense is killing us. I cannot imagine having to wait until July to find out. Fortunately, thanks to technology, we don't have to.

So what else has been going on besides the excitement for the arrival of February 23rd?

Drum roll, please........

Baby Woolwine has been KICKING and I've been feeling it! Finally! What a miraculous feeling it is. Not only is it reassuring when you haven't been to the doctor in 4 weeks, but it makes the bond between mom and baby (and dad! He felt it too!) even stronger. I felt the first movements around two weeks ago - and then it seemed like I didn't feel anything for days. It was driving me crazy! In the last couple days, I feel the baby all the time - randomly - and I love it. It's like he/she is saying "Hi, Mom!" and checking in from time to time. This morning, Trey got to feel it from the outside for the first time too. So magical!

Week 19 Photo - baby is growing like a weed!

Last night we had VCU's Winter Ball (our 3rd time going, so much fun!) and the baby got to get down on the dance floor with mom and dad. Of course, the heels didn't last for long and after awhile the bottom of my belly started to ache a little (not used to that extra weight!) but I think the baby enjoyed all that movement. I know he or she certainly felt the vibrations from the bass! As soon as I got home and got in bed I felt the baby start moving like crazy. I think he or she was wondering why we stopped dancing! 

after a night of dancing!

A week from today we are having a gender reveal party with our families in Roanoke. So even though we are finding out Feb. 23rd, the rest of the world will have to wait until our party...and of course, I will share the news, along with pictures of our reveal on my blog. Tune in next week!

xoxo, 

Week 16 Update!

I find myself counting down the days until my next baby check-up every month. I have never looked forward to going to the doctor so much in my life! And needless to say, I haven't ever been to the doctor this much in my life. Each month's visit holds the possibility of learning new information about my pregnancy and my little one - and also hearing that incredibly fast heartbeat coming from my uterus (crazy!). There's nothing like it. 

I was really hoping my week 16 appointment was going to include an ultrasound because my sister found out the gender of one of her boys at week 16. No such luck. The doctor I saw (who was different from my usual doc; mine had to be out at the last minute, unfortunately) said I would have my next ultrasound at week 20: also the BIG DAY. Week 20 is "the week" to find out if it's a boy or a girl! Trey and I can't stand the thought of waiting till the birth to find out, so we will be eager to hear the news at the end of February. Seems so long from now! Since I don't have a picture of baby for week 16, here is a picture of me with baby :)

A little bump!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 6 lbs.

Size of  Baby: 4.5 inches long, 3.5 oz (about the size of an avocado)

Sleep: sleeping well until I have to go to the bathroom (which is inevitable) and then I tend to have trouble falling back asleep. I'm also not supposed to sleep on my back anymore, which is a favorite for me, so I'm having more trouble getting comfortable :P

Best Moment This Week: hearing baby's heartbeat - I was a little nervous after Dean (our 50 lb. puppy) jumped on my uterus 2 weeks ago and hearing that heartbeat and the doctor's reassuring words was such a relief

Gender: unknown - we'll know in 4 weeks!

Movement: nothing yet - I am getting anxious though! Eager to feel something!

Food Craving: still loving my Minute Maid Grape Punch, cottage cheese, and apple sauce

What I Miss: my daily Coke at lunch (trying not to drink caffeine unless I'm really needing it!) 

What I'm looking Forward to: Valentine's Day with my husband and finding out if this baby is a boy or a girl on Feb. 23rd!

Weekly Wisdom: When you're pregnant and feeling tired - take a rest. Or a whole day of rest. It does wonders!

Symptoms: Nausea is definitely getting better (only visits once or twice a week) and as long as I get my 7-8 hours, not as tired as during the first trimester...nothing too new!