25 Weeks

First of all, CHECK OUT MY AWESOME DIAPER BAG!!! I am so excited. I love it and cannot wait to start using it. I might start early as a purse.... actually I have decided to use my "real" purses now because I probably won't see those for awhile! Second... the people and articles that tell you to wear extra sunscreen and a higher spf while pregnant ARE RIGHT. Listen to them. Listen to me... you burn easier while pregnant. I decided to learn that the hard way. Steven and I took our Babymoon trip during this week! We went down to our usual, Seagrove/Seaside, for 4 nights. It was glorious... I love me some sand between my toes. I decided to whip out this cute two piece bikini that I had been saving since I lost weight in college.... 

I lathered 60 on my face and 30 on my whole body, put on my hat & sunglasses and hit the boardwalk for some sun & beach time! We were out there for about 2 hours or so until we came back in the condo for lunch. I realized then that I was getting a little burnt so before heading back out I put 60 on my whole body. We were out for another maybe 2 hours. Luckily we bought aloe... a staple for our beach trips. I slathered that on after the shower and thought I was good to go. The next morning... I could barely move... physically. It hurt my stomach. My chest was just as red as my belly but because the skin was stretched it did some damage. I stayed in the condo ALL day and didn't come out until the sun had gone down that night for dinner. I kept soakin in aloe and cold towels...then Steven ran out and got me some special sunburn lotion. (note to self: wash everything else off your body first before putting it on or it won't penetrate and do its job... I didn't learn that until after my hot painful shower and right before heading to bed) Luckily that lotion gave me some relief. I just kept reapplying all throughout the night along with the cold towel on my belly and Sunday I woke up like brand new (or at least to compared to the day before). This time I put 60 all over my body, wore a tankini, and sat under the umbrella the entire day! Wow - that was an experience. 

Some other 25 weeks things... I got a little heartburn but nothing 2 Tums couldn't handle. My lower back has started to hurt and I am not ready to chill yet - I want to keep doing the things that I used to be able to do so I just power through it. I am up 17.5 lbs. You burn easy... have I said that? :) 

24 Weeks + Photoshoot

This week I have been nesting like crazy. I have cleaned out our kitchen to make room for bottles, I cleaned out closets and have been getting rid of stuff left and right! I am glad I did now before I got too big though... I literally thought at one point "I wouldn't be able to do this if I were much bigger." 
Don't buy clothes! I was told this but couldn't resist at some of the outfits... now I know... people love to give clothes and I love getting them! I have this idea in my mind that he is going to have blowouts everyday and I will have to change him all the time so my mentality right now is that we will never have enough clothes. :) Oh the joys of thinking something and it turning out to be so different... I am about to learn this first hand!  Speaking of clothes - here is where I am at...Maxi skirts rock my world at this stage. Basically I wear maxi skirts, yoga pants (which I only have 2 pair or I would wear these everyday), and one pair of linen pants. When I run out of those, I will try and fit into my maternity jeans that 1 pair is too small and 1 is too big! On the weekends I have 2 pair of shorts I wear. For tops I have the hook up... alot of my tops can still somewhat fit so I rock those. Plus I got some maternity tanks and a whole bag of maternity shirts from one of Wendi's friends. I have 2 pair of maternity leggings... I am just waiting for it to get a little cooler up in here to wear them with sweaters and boots! :) Pajamas are pretty hard...or should I say "pajamas that are neighbor walk/walmart run friendly"  - to sleep I wear my grannies and gaucho pants (remember those things.... somehow I still had a pair and they work like a champ!).  

23 Weeks

Ahhh twenty-three weeks... so much happened this week... well probably but I can't remember how I felt, what I did, if anything went on, or if there is anything worth sharing except for the fact that one of those days was National Lemonade Day (I just happened to run across it on google) and I made it National Lemonade Week! My choice of world's best lemonade is none other than Chick-fil-a! Yum! After this week I started jotting down a few notes in my phone as the weeks went on so I would remember. To me, this is a good thing. I feel him move more and more each day and I had my doctor appt and everything went great... I couldn't ask for anything better! I'll take no symptoms over bad ones any day! 

22 Weeks

This pic was taken at Callaway Gardens in the actual garden! My mom wanted to have a getaway trip just us 2 before Zaiah came and before I got too big to want to do anything! :) Ironically I was 22 weeks and as some apps say... the size of an eggplant. There just happened to be a fallen eggplant in the garden so of course a picture was needed! 

3 things about this week: 

• my hormones got the best of me...let's just say don't watch the Notebook and then during credits talk about your significant other getting sick like that. Steven says "you know ill never leave you... if anything happens, I'm not going anywhere" and I lost it! I told him we can't talk about this right now!

• realized my legs were full of cellulite. It could have been there all along but I finally just noticed it... I hear it gets back during pregnancy and goes away... we will see! :) Ew!

• On a better note... actually the best note - I love how much Steven loves me and takes care of me during this season of our life! I also love how much he loves Zaiah and talks to him. This week he said something so special I had to write it down. He got right up to my belly... he actually gets so close his lips touch :) and said "I love you so much son. I know I haven't met you, seen you, heard your, or touched you. I love you because you are mine." - It reminds me of something that God would say... so basically Steven is God! JK! but it is how God view us... as his children... he doesn't love us because we did anything, he loves us because we are his. [Romans 8:15-18]

Welcome July

16 weeks USA World Cup Style! #webelieve 

It's okay USA... we will be back for you and with you in 2018@ #futbol #proudtobeanamerican

USA played in the World Cup! 

Registry fun tonight with Steven and Wendi! #babiesrus #kidsatheart

Big shoutout and thank you to Wendi who helped us soooooo much with registering for baby Z! Steven and I would have been so lost without her help! A little heads up for first-moms-to-be... don't think you can go one time for a couple of hours to register... It takes forever! Well that is if you are anything like me... I had to make sure its perfect... i'm still working on it! :) 

I have the best boss ever and today is her birthday!! Happy birthday Kelly! Thank you for not only being an amazing leader professionally but someone I can look up to in all aspects of life! Here is to another year of cheesy Halloween costumes, girls night outs, successful conferences, outside meetings, long talks in towels, having backs, many laughs and learning from the best! You rock Queen Bee! love you! #mybossisbetterthanyourboss

Yup, that sums up my awesome boss and our great relationship! 

Who would have ever thought!! Went though a box of old high school handwritten notes a couple of nights ago and found 3 movie stubs from all my high school years... why I decided to keep this one I have no idea but sure glad I did! The other 2 were random with no writing #crossroads. @thecastardian I guess you made an impression on me! love you! 

That is exactly what happened. I took about 2 hours out of my night to read old letters and the 2nd to last thing I pulled out of the box was this.... unbelievable! So good! 

Just waiting on it to get dark....

At last minute on July 4 Steven decided that we should have our own firework show! Jessica and KK came over - we hung out in the driveway and put on an awesome, huge, mind-blowing puny little show for some neighborhood kids! :) We kept telling them that this one was gonna be big... none of them left the ground! We had 1 dud and 1 that wouldn't stop smoking...even after dumping water on it! 

Regram from Steven! He caught me pickin fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from JJ's garden! #lovemesomesummertime

Each year my mom plants an amazing garden in her backyard filled with yummy healthy veggies! She grows so much that when we go over, she tells us to go in there and pick whatever we want to keep! She knows how to grow 'em! 

17 weeks! #kennesawmountain with Erica

It was my first time up K Mt in a long time. I couldn't believe how out of breath I was but I made it! 

Going back to the beginning. Starting my study on Genesis this morning! Excited to shift my focus on God's power and majesty as he did when he created everything, to feel loved through the details of grace, mercy, and even wrath and judgement, and to be reminded of what it means to walk and have a personal relationship with Him, full of faith and forgiveness, like mankind once did, while relating to their mistakes and disobedience. #genesis #frombrokennesstorestoration

This is just a Monday Face for ya! Enjoy! 

Had lunch with this beautiful girl at Panera! Love me some Sydney! 

Let the nursery making begin! #paint #crib #121314 #zaiahcastardi

So you would think that the guy would want to put together the furniture and the girl would want to paint but not in this household! Funny story... I put together the entire crib in the arts & craft room right outside the nursery and  then we go to move it in and it won't fit....we had to take 1/2 of it apart, move it in, and then put it back together! Good spirits though! We are going with black, grey, and blues!

Stone Mountain with the family! #wehaveafirsttimerinthegang #funnelcakes #glowsticks #spinachdip

Kiley brought down her new boyfriend, Jake, to good ole GA! It was his first time so we took him to the Braves game and to Stone Mountain... 2 GA classics! We made sure he got some funnel cakes there too along with glowsticks on his neck! :) 

19 weeks Atlanta Style! #gobraves #zaiahcastardi

Go Braves! 

Jake's first Braves game! 

Good times at Turner Field! 

This gum. I haven't been wanting minty gum lately but I love me some gum and I saw this sucker like it had a spotlight on it... cotton candy and bubble gum mixed! Yum. 

For someone who is pregnant and has not only a growing belly but growing legs... 

I now know what the pregnancy waddle is... at this point, it's because you don't want your legs to rub, has nothing to do with your belly & back! :) 

#Riskonnect marketing team improvising and overcoming #ACisout #middleofsummer #gofigure

AC went out at work but Wendi and I knew where a fan was stashed... luckily we work right next to each other that we could put that sucker on rotate and we were golden! 

Pinterest fail for me this morning! Sorry about that Steven - hope your store bought granola bar tasted yummy! 

No more words needed. The pic says it all. 

Just a small gathering of friends tonight! #kidseverywhere Steven can't wait to hold a diaper bag! 

We all went out to Mellow Mushroom for Heathers bday/time to get together since we all live so far away and are in such different seasons of life! Always a good time... lots of kids this go around! 

Sunday morning homemade breakfast by my awesome and oh-so-handsome hubs! #beatscereal

Steven officially has a go-to homemade breakfast.... french toast! Yum! 

Baby shower for Amanda and Solomon! 

Skylee and I at the shower! She is such a cutie and going to make a great big sister! 

I'm back! (blonde)