Starting to get things accomplished

Well life certianly has not slowed down around here. Actually been very busy. But The next month or so is full of tons of fun things! We can not wait.

Josh and I have been doing all sorts of research on all the "baby stuff" that we'll need to get. And are finally making some decisions on what we want to purchase our little "bean".

Crib
We have been looking for cribs since I think the day we found out we were expecting. But this weekend we finally agreed upon one and ordered asap! We knew we wanted white. We also prefer the look of stationary cribs instead of the popular convertible styles. We finally picked the Munire Morgan Safeside (in white)

It is a stunning crib in person. And I really liked the quality better than the popular pottery barn kids one that looks similar to this.  I can't wait to get it set up in the room.

Bedding
Well much less progress on this area. I think that we want to go with Teal (aqua), yellow, and white. I actually really like the bedding in the picture above. But we've opted to go custom. Thankfully I've got an amazingly talented mom and grandma who will be creating all of our textiles in the room! This week I'm going fabric shopping with my mom. So hopefully I'll find something I love.

Stroller
Josh and I have done a lot of "test driving" (not stroller shopping) and we've picked the Baby Jogger City Mini and a simple Snap and Go. I really prefer these options to a bulky travel system. My favorite thing is how light these 2 options are. I can literally pick up the City Mini with one hand and have it fold up to the size of a lawn chair. You can also get a lot of accessories to add to this stroller so that it can hold the infant seat, hold a mini cooler, cup holder, etc.  We had to have something with all-terrain capabilities so this one should work for us out at camp, beach, soccer fields, etc. We plan to get a BOB Revolution in the future. But hopefully I can find that one used, because it is quite costly.

Registries
Many people have been asking about this... So we are trying to get stared. We will register at Babies R Us, Target, and Amazon. Some of the places will have repeat items on it, but it's worth it since Amazon frequently runs specials on the baby items. And who can pass up a good deal :)

Pregnancy Updates

We are finally 1/2 way there!! 20 weeks. And I'm so excited to finally be feeling GREAT! The last 5 days have been amazing. Much more energy, sleeping through the night, and the best part- no more all-day-sickness! I currently have lost 15 lbs. But not to worry. Our little bean is doing GREAT. I've been able to feel him/her moving around for about 2 weeks. And this week I've been getting quite a few kicks. Josh is anxiously awaiting the outside kicks. Hopefully he will be able to feel baby kick soon. We have our anatomy scan next Monday, so that means another U/S for us. I love being able to see the baby. Tons of fun!! I'll get some pictures up soon. I'll be at my mom's house on Thursday, so I'll try to remember to scan some in.

That's all for now!

Life is Good

Lots of change. Lots of stress. Lots of work. Lots of Love. Life is Good!

Phew... I'm so ready for life to slow down just a little bit so that we can take it all in. These last 3 months have just been an incredible whirlwind! Josh and I have both been working like crazy!!! For me, this is TAKS Season and therefore Paperwork season. And for Josh- he's busier than ever now that he's been promoted to Manager of his shop! I am so proud of him. He has just worked his tush off and really making a name for himself in the industry. And we both love it every day (well... almost every day). But man... I am so ready for Spring Break. And Summer. And Fall.

But then I must remind myself to slow down. It's time to take it all in. We are exactly where we need to be.

Well I don't have a ton of baby updates- but I'll share what I've got.

- I'm loving trying to pick a nursery theme. I thought I had it all figured out. But in true Anna Style I've changed my mind. But typically my 2nd pick at things is really what I want. And I think I know what direction I want to go. I'm thinking of using Teal, White, and Yellow as the colors. Have maybe some green accents. Have a white tree painted on the wall. White furniture. Some bird/nature accents. Use fun prints- but nothing too matchy matchy. And I've got to find the perfect soft rug to sit and play on. I'm also thinking that I'd like to frame some artwork from Josh and I's childhood in white frames. I know I've got stuff at my parents house. But now the task of searching through Josh's parents house for some of his old stuff.  I'll share pictures once I find some good inspiration pics for you.

- I had no idea how many choices there were to make and research with baby "stuff" . It's sort of nuts really. Car seats, Pack-n-Plays, Chairs, Bottles, blah, blah, blah. But I'm sure as I just read magazines and such it won't seem like such a daunting task. I've already started figuring out which brands have the best safety ratings, consumer ratings, etc.

- I've been feeling pretty good. Very very tired. And having to sit a lot more than I would hope. But I hope that after a long week of rest and recovery I'll be ready to be up and moving around more. I also think that next week I'll find somewhere to get a prenatal massage. As far as food... Well I just really haven't been that interested in it. I've actually skipped a couple meals on accident this week simply because I wasn't hungry. I know I've got to do a better job of this. But things that I am loving are: Boston Market (especially the Mac-N-Cheese), Berries and Watermelon, BBQ Chips, and Bread (rolls, garlic bread, white bread... you name it- I'm loving it). So I'm really having to reach these days to find foods that I'm really hungry for- b/c all my old staple items just aren't working- including steak, bbq, seafood, etc. So I'm working on it for sure.

- Next week I've also got to start cleaning things up over at my mom's place. She informed me yesterday that there is no room for baby stuff because I've still got an entire room and closet full of my old stuff (including wedding things). So I've got to go through boxes, and clothes, and movies, and more boxes. And really just purge all that junk that I don't need. And then find a way to love and cherish the things that I insist on keeping.

That's all for now. Thanks again for all the love and messages you guys have been giving me. And sorry I don't have any good pictures to share this week. Hopefully I'll take some over the weekend with the beautiful weather.

Meet "Bean"

So the news is out! Josh and I are expecting an addition to our family. The news truly came at a wonderful time. With all that has been going on in our lives we are just so excited for our newest addition.

As of today we are 13 weeks and 2 days. At our appointment on Monday we found out little bean is measuring about 4 days ahead. Which is great news! So glad to hear we have a healthy grower in there.


Many of you have been asking me for the "details". I'm not sure we have a ton... but here's what I've got:

- Bean's due date has been changed a few times. Either Aug 30th or Sep 6th. So we'll just wait and see when bean decides to make its appearance.
- As of now we are not planning to find out the sex of our little darling. But most peoples guess has been it'll be a girl (unless you ask my dad, because he swears it's a boy).
- I do plan on going back to work after bean is born. My amazing mom will be watching baby once I go back. This is such a relief to us. It's so nice to know exactly whose hands your baby is in. And we have very similar parenting styles so it works out perfectly.
- I am no longer getting sick which is amazing! I'm so glad that "all day sickness" has passed.
- Currently I have lost 7 lbs. Which my Dr. has no problems with.
- I have no particular cravings- but do have a lot of aversions to smells. So that does end up limiting places we are going. Even if I like the food- some places just smell funny. haha

Well that is all for now. I plan to try and keep this a lot more up-to-date! Thank you all so much for all the comments, calls, messages you have left for me. I am so glad to know that our little bean is going to be so loved !!

It's Nice to be Noticed

A few weeks ago I was named New Teacher of the Year at my elementary school. I was completely shocked. And it was tons of fun to have family around to celebrate. This celebration didn't come with out it's drama though (which is funny to think back on now- but wasn't at the time).

I was busy working my morning duty unloading my students from their cars in a side driveway at the school. Out of no where I see Josh and his dad drive through my parking lot. I immediately start to panic. There have been some family issues going on so I instantly started thinking the worse. I tried and tried to get a hold of Josh, but he just wouldn't anwser. I eventually get a quick text that said "You're fine! Calm down.". Well that wasn't working for me, so I kept on calling. He eventually anwsered and told me to breath, relax, and to act suprised when I saw him.

Next thing I know there is a counselor around asking me to bring one of my students down to morning announcements (which are live! for the entire campus to see). I walk down there and the principal starts saying there was one more announcment they had to make, and then they announced me as new teacher of the year. Then out comes my mom, Josh, Jonny, and Mike. It was a lovely surpise. And as soon as the the camera went off I started crying. I was just so relieved that something bad hadn't happened.

Phew! So end of drama! Next up was lots of fun celebrating with flowers, a sash, and a parade around campus (which my family came on with me). We walked the halls giving high-fives, slapping hands, doing the pagent wave, and smiling real big :) 

It is really such an honor to be recognized while working with such wonderful teachers.

A Little Piece of Perfect

This is very late in sharing. But life has been a bit crazy these days and I'm just getting the opportunity to sit and write/post.
In December Josh and I went on the most wonderful trip to Chicago. We were surrounded by some of our favorite people, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Paul. And we had the opportunity to do some amazing things that just filled our hearts (and tummys) with all sorts of happiness.

We started our trip staying downtown in the new JW Marriot. Although our view wasn't the greatest (not for a lack of trying- the good view rooms just weren't available) everything else was perfect. The rooms were so comfy and relaxing, they have a cheese plate that was simply outstanding (strange thing to rave about... I know), the bar area was really nice, breakfast was simple yet very yummy, and the executive lounge had the best tasting pistachio french macaroons.

Of course we had to hit up the museums, aquarium, millennium park (very very quickly), and walking everywhere in the freezing cold.

Kathy and Paul treated us to AMAZING seats (we're talking 2nd row ) to see WICKED! The cast in Chicago is so good. The characters were perfect. And the theater was stunning. I can't tell you how cool it was to be that close to stage. You could see everything.

On top of our show, and walks, and lots of normal fun, we ate and ate and ate! I don't think we ever went more than 5 hours without eating. But Chicago has some drool worthy food that we just couldn't miss. We were able to hit Frontera Grill, Grahm Elliot (probably the best meal ever), Niche, some German Place (of course I can't remember the name now), and so many more! I don't think we ate one meal that isn't noteworthy. But I won't bore you all with foody details that will leave me wanting more (b/c heading back to Chicago right now isn't an option).