Mellow Yellow

This time around we decided to wait until birth to find out if little baby Smith is a he or a she. It seems like July is forever away and the thought of finding out in February is very tempting. As much as I would like to prepare for all things pink or all things blue the idea of not knowing is really intriguing to me. I truly think we can hold out as I only have to get through 1 ultra sound without peeking. I just need to keep imagining that magical moment in the delivery room when I will be introduced to my son or daughter. That joy and the fact that I am 99.9% sure that I picked out the most perfect gender neutral nursery color have only solidified my decision to wait.
After spending some time talking with Brian about what color he would like to go with we decided that yellow would be it. I took some time to look around the internet today and came across the most lovely shade. It's called Lemon Sorbet by Benjamin Moore. It's been names their 2013 Color of the Year and I am beyond excited to go check it out at the paint store. I am really hoping these online samples match it in real life and am able to get started on his or her room very soon! 

Benjamin Moore-Lemon Sorbet (2019-60)

                                         

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Plum

1. How far along?: 12 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Plum
3. Weight gain?: Down 4lbs total. I've been loading up on the Christmas cookies and delicious food!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: All things Christmas! 
7. Food cravings?: Fruit
8. Symptoms?: Starting to feel semi normal again
9. Exercise?: None lately but hoping to get back into it soon since I was given the green light
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out! 
11. Movement?: None yet. Can't wait to feel some kicks!
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Wine
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: My next ultra sound!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Family Tradition

This is the 4th year that we have attended Brian's company kid's holiday party. It is so much fun and there is so much to do with the kids. They have face painting, cookie decorating, crafts, music, balloon animals, and of course Santa! Everything was a huge success minus the Santa part. Cole wanted nothing to do with the jolly old man and didn't make it more than 2 seconds sitting on his lap. I guess I should consider a picture with at least one of them and him a win...

Lime

1. How far along?: 11 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Lime
3. Weight gain?: Down 5 lbs total. Not even trying.
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: The one in my picture today is maternity but that's about it
6. Best moment last week?: A great doctor's visit with a lot of questions answered and hearing baby's sweet heartbeat! 172bpm
7. Food cravings?: Strawberries and clementines
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous all day/night, exhaustion, and headaches
9. Exercise?: None lately but hoping to get back into it soon since I was given the green light
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out! I'm leaning towards girl right now if I had to guess
11. Movement?: None yet. Can't wait to feel some kicks!
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Sushi
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: All the Christmas festivities over the next week and spending lots of time with my family!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Change of Heart

I mentioned earlier this week that I've been anti Christmas this year. Little by little we've been decorating, baking, caroling, and slowly but surely adding some sparkle to our home. Besides the beauty that comes with this time of year, there is nothing more I love than experiencing it with our sweet little boys. The twinkle in their eyes, the excitement in their voices, and the happiness they get from the magic of this season. I'm beginning to think the closer we get to Christmas there could be a definite change around here, and just like that Grinch, my heart too will grow 3 sizes in one day!

1st Appointment

I had my first official OB appointment today. It went so much better than I could have possibly imagined. The doctor was someone who I had never met and she was so awesome. She thoroughly went through everything with me and answered all my questions. I didn't feel uncomfortable or rushed at all. It was a typical check up and all seemed well with my blood pressure, weight, etc...The highlight of the whole appointment was hearing baby's beautiful heartbeat. I couldn't believe it and may have even cried a little. When I was pregnant with Cole I didn't hear the heartbeat this early. I was genuinely surprised and in awe of the beautiful sound and couldn't believe she found it so quickly. That plus the reassurance that everything was going as it should be really put my mind at ease after all the stress of spotting for the past 2 weeks. Here's hoping that mom and baby stay healthy and happy for the next 30 weeks. Since I never put this on here when I had my ultrasound, here is a pic of #3 @ 8 weeks old! Isn't he/she so cute?!

Prune

1. How far along?: 10 weeks, double digits, 1/4 baked!
2. How big is baby?: Prune 
3. Weight gain?: None, I've actually lost about 3 pounds
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: Getting our lights, decorations, and tree set up.
7. Food cravings?: No cravings and mostly everything is seeming to make me sick
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous all day/night, exhaustion, and headaches
9. Exercise?: None lately. I've been spotting and was told to take it was told to take it easy for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to start back up soon
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out!
11. Movement?: None yet. Can't wait to feel some kicks!
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Holiday cocktails
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: My 1st real doctor appointment. Hoping to get some more answers about the spotting and hoping to hear baby's heartbeat!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Bah Humbug

Seriously call me The Grinch. I've been really trying hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year but haven't had much luck! Working full time, growing this baby, feeling sick all day/night, and taking care of the boys has left me drained physically and mentally. Brian has been so helpful and I really am so fortunate to have such a wonderful husband. He put up all the lights outside, set up the tree and put most of the decorations on it, and went out shopping and bought the kids their presents. I am really hoping some of my energy and excitement comes back soon because this USUALLY is my favorite time of the year! Till then...bah humbug!

It's a Wrap

Being this is our 3rd baby there really isn't much we need or want. Unless this baby is a girl, then there will be plenty of dresses, bows, and shoes to be bought! There are a few things on my list and these swaddle blankets are at the top! I've never used them before but have heard nothing but good things. Not to mention they just look so soft and cozy. I figure with having a summer baby, these wraps will make for the perfect cover whether in the hot outdoors or in the cold air conditioning. The only hard part is trying to figure out which pattern to choose for my little burrito!

Green Olive

1. How far along?: 9 weeks 
2. How big is baby?: Green Olive
3. Weight gain?: None, I've actually lost about 3 pounds
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: Seeign the little baby and his/her little beating heart
7. Food cravings?: No cravings and mostly everything is seeming to make me sick
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous all day/night, exhaustion, and headaches
9. Exercise?: None lately. I've been spotting and was told to take it was told to take it easy for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to start back up in a couple weeks.
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out!
11. Movement?: None
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Beer/wine
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: I have another appointment next week and I am going to be 10 weeks! Double digits, yay!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Raspberry

1. How far along?: 8 weeks 
2. How big is baby?: Raspberry
3. Weight gain?: None, even after our delicious Thanksgiving feast!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: Finished my 1st 5K pregnant!
7. Food cravings?: No cravings and mostly everything is seeming to make me sick
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous all day/night, moody, and dizzy
9. Exercise?: Ran my 5K on Thanksgiving. I've been spotting the past couple days so I'm trying to take it easy.
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out!
11. Movement?: None
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Beer/wine/sushi
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: I have an ultra sound tomorrow! I am very nervous and very excited all at the same time. When I was at the doctor yesterday I mentioned my spotting and they set my up for one to make sure everything is okay with the baby. Praying our little baby is safe and growing.
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Blueberry

1. How far along?: 7 weeks 
2. How big is baby?: Blueberry
3. Weight gain?: None, I've actually lost a little
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: Finally letting people know about the baby!
7. Food cravings?: No cravings and mostly everything is seeming to make me sick
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous all day/night, moody, and dizzy
9. Exercise?: Still running and weigh lifting. Gobble Wobble 5K is in 2 days and I am feeling so ready!
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out!
11. Movement?: None
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Beer/wine/sushi
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: 1st Thanksgiving at our place. Should be interesting!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea!

Mother's Intuition

So I was really excited about Thanksgiving this year...like grinning ear to ear, ready to burst excited. Not only will it be our 1st year ever hosting and cooking but we were also going to share the news of our new little addition with our family. I had it envisioned in my head. All of us sitting around the dinner table waiting to say prayers. Everyone with their I am thankful for card in hand ready to open up all at the same time. Everyone was going to read the little note from Baby S #3 saying how thankful he/she was to be joining our family in July. It was going to perfect. Well it was perfect up until yesterday.
I decided to stop by my parents on the way home from the mall. I just wanted to say hi and see what everyone was up to. Of course the Eagles game was on and dad was making a pot of soup. So I grabbed some food and sat down when my mom asked if I wanted a beer. I said no and went back to eating. She then asked again with a little more of a suspicious tone and I looked up at her and said no again. Then out of the blue she asked me if I had something I wanted to tell her. Right then and there I knew, she already knew. So I responded with "well, do you want me to tell you now or do you want to be surprised on Thanksgiving with everyone else"? She was so happy and of course told me that she knew I was pregnant. Not sure how but she had been suspicious for a few weeks. Call it mother's intuition I guess. All that time I thought I was doing a great job at keeping our little secret! Nothing stays secret for long so as soon as my mom asked, my sister who was sitting right there also found out. Then my other sister and her boyfriend walked in and found out, and then she ran and told my dad. 
I am happy they know and they I don't have to keep this secret anymore, though I am thoroughly bummed that my big reveal didn't get to happen. We still have Brian's family to tell and I am trying to come up with a last minute idea for a creative way to tell them. Most likely I am going to get both the boys big brother shirts to wear. I'll let ya know how it goes! 

Pregnant Lady Arm Candy

When I was pregnant with Braeden I had zero morning sickness. None at all. I don't even think I ever even gagged. With Cole things were a little different (which is why I truly thought he was going to be a girl) and the first 14-16 weeks I had occasional nausea mostly in the mornings. It wasn't horrible but it was there and it was constant. After that things went back to normal. So far this time around I feel like I'm going to throw up, ALL day long. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and run to the bathroom or I'll do the same while sitting at my desk at work. I can't shake this constant ready to vomit feeling and have tried, saltines, eating small portions, ginger ale, etc...Since nothing seems to be working I decided to invest in another remedy in hopes of some relief. I bought some Sea-Bands which are supposed to help with nausea. I'm really hoping they do because I'm not sure I can handle being sick 24/7 for the next 8-10 weeks! I'm giving them a try today and will let you know how it goes. I've just put them on and the only thing I feel so far is that I should be sweating to the oldies! I'll give it some time and see if it's a awesome buy and I'm miraculously cured or a total waist of 11 bucks! 

arm candy then

arm candy now

Sweet Pea

1. How far along?: 6 weeks 
2. How big is baby?: Sweet pea
3. Weight gain?: None...yet!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: Still keeping our secret and figuring out how we are going to tell everyone!
7. Food cravings?: No cravings but am starting to get some aversions, especially to my morning cup of coffee. 
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous, moody, and dizzy
9. Exercise?: Still running 10-15 miles a week and weigh lifting. I have a 5K scheduled on Thanksgiving so it's keeping me motivated.
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out!
11. Movement?: None
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Nothing yet but feel like I'm going to be missing that cup of joe very soon!
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Telling our family the good news! Less than 2 weeks to go!
16. Different this time: Nothing noticeable so far!

Catchin' some Zzz's

Fall Family Photo Shoot

I'll be the first to admit these pictures turned out way better than I had expected. I guess I should have had a little more faith in my photographer and in my family. Ericha did an amazing job and they are everything and more I wanted from our first fall family photo shoot. That picture of the boys on the bench...seriously they look so stinking cute!

Flurry

The snow started down around 10:00 this morning and is steadily falling. Fortunately for me it's not sticking because no one likes driving around in this crap. Unfortunately for 2 little boys who want to bundle up, go sledding, and build a snowman, today isn't going to be that day. It seems like just yesterday I was standing at that same door with my sisters, looking out at the falling snow in anticipation of a snow day. Praying school would be closed and we could spend the day in our hats and mittens. Begging our parents to take us out even if there was only a cm of white powder on the ground. 

Aunt Liz sent me this picture from earlier today. It's so amazing to know that a simple snapshot of my children can take me back to my own childhood. Bringing back memories of those feelings and times I spent with the ones I love. I am hoping they remember these times together as brothers. I am hoping that some day in the future one look at a picture will do the same for them as it has done for me.

5 weeks

This is the 3rd time around for me being pregnant but I still find it just as exciting as the first. I am going to try and keep weekly updates of the little bean growing in my belly. It's always nice to look back and see how things grow and change. 

1. How far along?: 5 weeks 
2. How big is baby?: Size of an apple seed!
3. Weight gain?: None...yet!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: Finding out our family is growing
7. Food cravings?: No cravings but I've been eating a lot of tomatoes!
8. Symptoms?: Starting to feel nauseous
9. Exercise?: Still running 10-15 miles a week and weigh lifting. I have a 5K scheduled on Thanksgiving so it's keeping me motivated.
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out!
11. Movement?: None
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Nothing yet. It's only been a week!
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Telling our family the good news! Less than 3 weeks to go!
16. Different this time: I think it's too early to tell.

Trick or Treat

Halloween was a wash out this year thanks to Hurricane Sandy so the township decided to move the festivities from Wednesday to Saturday to keep all the ghosts and goblins safe. Good thing because we didn't have power until late Friday evening. The boys dressed up and we took them out trick or treating. Braeden was Spiderman and Cole was the cutest little devil I have ever seen. They had so much fun and it was so cute to see Braeden go up to the houses by himself(while we stood back and watched), knock on the door, and get his goodies. He made sure to get extra for his little brother who waited patiently in the wagon. It wasn't the typical Halloween but kids had fun and made out with a bucket full of treats!

Picture Perfect

A few weekends ago on a beautiful October morning we had a family photo shoot. The colorful leaves and sun shining through the trees made for the perfect backdrop for our pictures. I pinned for weeks the perfect poses, shots, and coordinating outfits that I wanted our family memories to look like. I haven't seen any of the final results yet but I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we will NOT be looking like any of those happy families skipping through the meadow hand in hand. Little brother was a tough cookie that day and didn't want to cooperate in the least and the only thing big brother was interested in, was finding the playground. At first I was upset and felt like we wasted our money. But, the more I thought about it the less mad I became, and eventually started to laugh about the whole experience. What I came to realize is, we aren't the picture perfect family in the field, matching, and smiling. We are our family...The Smith's...you know the family with one kid throwing a tantrum and the other rolling around in the wet grass. The one with the husband who is gritting his teeth and smiling because he is hating every second of this but loves his wife and is trying to keep her happy. The one with the wife trying to wrangle her family into just 1 more picture because the 1000 before just weren't quite exactly what she wanted. That is us and that is what I should have expected all along. When I do finally get to see how those pictures turned out I know I am going to be so happy and no matter what they are getting hung on the walls of our home!

After the photo shoot we went home and spent the rest of the day playing in the backyard. It amazes me how the little monster that terrorized our morning turned back into his sweet, curious, fun loving self. Who knew all it took was a big pile of leaves?!