Hello, Third Trimester!

Woop woop!  We're in the home stretch - I've officially entered the third (and final) trimester.  I only pray it goes as smoothly as the first two, but faster!  As I enter the last trimester, I can't help but think back to the very moment we found out we were pregnant, then back to our first doctor's appointment, and the anticipation in finding out Baby Peas' gender - in retrospect, the past 6 months have flown.  And I'm absolutely certain that once Avery has arrived, I will look back at this very moment and wonder how the last twelve weeks passed by us so quickly.  I also think about how much I've changed, grown, over the last two trimesters.  Six months ago Bobby and I were in Vegas without a care in the world, except which club we should go to each night.  Now, we're just a few short months away from having a daughter and contemplating where we should go on our first family vacation, which I can assure you WILL NOT be to Las Vegas.  I don't think, anyway :) (insert inappropriate joke about conceiving second child).  Our focus has completely changed from us to her.  I worry constantly about the health of our baby girl, or if I'll be a good mother.  I stress about going back to work after only six short weeks and how she'll adapt to me not being with her throughout the day.  Or if we'll have that special mother/baby bond since I won't have much time with her all to myself.  All genuine concerns that I'm sure every new mother faces.  As we near the end of this journey,  I'm certain I will only continue to have new fears and new worries.  But that is parenthood and I anticipate those worries and fears will only multiply over the years.  And for those of you who are already mothers, I wholeheartedly expect a support group :)

On a little lighter note, as we entered the FINAL trimester, I treated us (ok, myself) to a special dessert.  Of course it was a recipe I found on Pinterest - Mini Oreo Cheesecakes.  Oh my gosh.  In order for Mr. Peaslee to eat them, I had to cut calories where possible.  I used reduced fat Oreos, reduced fat cream cheese, and light sour cream.  They are pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.  Enjoy.

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

Oh, and it wouldn't be a post without a belly pic :)  Happy Third Trimester, Avery Jillayne - we can't wait to meet you!

Pregnancy Brain

Holy moly!  I'm 26.5 weeks pregnant.  Where did the time go?  There are days where I feel like I've been pregnant for 18 months (which would make for an interesting delivery), then there are the moments that I realize, "Oh my gosh, we're going to have a real baby in 13 weeks...holy &$%*!"  (Yes, we're still working on our profanity, or less usage of profanity.  So that's going well.  Good thing we never really started The Cuss Jar - Avery would have her college, wedding and first house paid for at the rate we're going.)  Now, I've certainly had my freak-out moments where I question how in the world we're going to care for another living being, or whether or not we're going to be good parents.  But this entire experience has been such a miracle and an incredible gift.  And I have the most wonderful man in the world to share this journey with - he keeps me sane.  For the most part :) The closer the big day gets, the more excited we become!

Now, I'm going to be brutally honest.  Don't judge me when I say this, but I don't love being pregnant.  Some women are probably cursing me six ways from Sunday right now, but I feel the need to be honest.  Don't get me wrong, we are truly blessed.  And I wholeheartedly mean it when I say that this has been an amazing journey.  I can appreciate the fact that some women love being pregnant.  There is a part of me that feels really guilty when other women rub my belly and ask, "Don't you just love being pregnant?"  I usually smile, lie and say, "Yeah...it's...great!"  But it's not.  I'm going to tell those of you who are still reading this (and haven't permanently written me off) what most people don't tell you about pregnancy.  You're welcome.

Exhaustion.  During the first trimester you are seriously so utterly exhausted, and it's sort of unexplainable.  You haven't gained any weight (in fact, some women lose weight).  Life really goes on as normal the first 12-14 weeks, but there are so many times that I could've fallen asleep at work, driving, cooking dinner, etc.  Thank goodness that passes fairly quickly.

Heartburn.  I started having heartburn around week 14 or 15 and have had it every single day since.  Thank goodness for Pepcid AC.  I don't particularly love the idea of taking a pill every morning, but you get over it when drinking a glass of water causes reflux.  You simply hit a breaking point.

Linea Nigra.  What in the H-E-double hockey sticks is this?  It is a darkish line that runs from your belly button down your belly.  It's really unattractive and I don't fully grasp the reason I have it.  Nor do I understand why some women are blessed enough not to have it at all.  It's also really upsetting to learn that it takes several months post pregnancy to go away.  Perfect - can't wait for swimsuit season!  Nothing says bikini ready like a dark line running down the middle of my stomach.

Weight Gain.  Being bikini ready for summer brings me to my next topic.  I won't be bikini ready this summer...or probably ever again.  Pregnancy changes your body and I just don't foresee my body ever going back to the way it was pre-pregnancy.  (Unless Victoria Beckham wants to send me her personal trainer for a few months.  Thanks, Posh!)  There is a fine line between healthy weight gain and not so healthy weight gain.  And it can go either way.  Some women use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever they want and unfortunately, it can have some pretty serious side effects.  On the flip side, you can not gain enough weight, which can also have very serious repercussions.  So pregnant women are in a constant state of questioning whether or not they are eating enough, too much, or eating the right things.

Hip Pain.  Now, this is just from my own personal experience, and a lot of women do not go through this.  Unfortunately, this has been one of my worst symptoms and it started pretty early on for me.  It's a sharp pain that radiates from my left hip, into my lower back and down my left leg.  It's so severe at times that if I stand up or change my weight too suddenly, my leg actually gives out on me.  It's excruciating.

Bathroom Breaks.  Another fun side effect that started very early on for me.  I remember being at my 12 week appointment and telling my doctor that I had pee all the time.  She just smiled and said, "It's only going to get worse."  And it did.  I wake up 3-4 times in the middle of the night.  My co-workers have threatened to keep a tally of how many times I use the restroom throughout the day.  Sometimes I go to the restroom, walk back to my office, and before I sit down I have to pee again.  I think Aves thinks my bladder is a trampoline :)

Memory Loss.  This is one symptom that I heard about, but didn't think much of it at first.  I have always prided myself in the fact that I have a decent memory.  However, pregnancy has changed all of that.  If I don't write down what I have to do or what I am thinking about, I will forget.  Bobby has affectionately named my memory loss PB (pregnancy brain).  What was I talking about? :)

Now that I've told you all of my not-so-fun pregnancy woes, there is absolutely nothing I would change.  There are moments that make every pain and discomfort completely worth it.  I love feeling Avery kick me all day long.  When I finally rest at night, we play a little game where I push on one side of my stomach and she kicks me on the opposite side (it's probably in my head, but fun all the same).  It's amazing to watch my stomach move as she kicks or moves her arms up and down.  I can't wait to hold her in my arms oh so soon :)

A start to the nursery.

I have no other reason for the excessive delay in sharing an updated post, other than Pinterest.  It is the most addicting website I've ever visited.  It all started one normal afternoon when Bobby was playing around on the Pinterest website to figure out what it was and why it's popularity had grown over night.  I took over the computer to see if I could shed any light on the situation and immediately became glued to the laptop for next three hours.  I have already made several of the recipes and DIY arts and crafts, completed several workouts, and, much to Bobby's dismay, have  purchased a couple of my pinned accessories.  Please see Exhibit A below (Bobby can't be mad about that, right?) :)  I suggest if you haven't already signed up for Pinterest, you do so immediately.  It will change your life...for the better.  Except you will lose all concept of time and certainly not have time to blog.

Exhibit A:  Etsy bracelet w/ Avery's initials.

Now that the holidays are over and we are experiencing some normalcy again, we've conquered one of the biggest tasks - the nursery.  Truthfully, I can take no credit whatsoever in completing the nursery.  Bobby picked out the bedding, painted the entire room (with the assistance of our brother-in-law), put up the chair rail, and assembled all of the furniture.  In fact, I went to our niece's birthday party in Warrenton on Saturday and came home to a completely finished nursery.  Avery and I are pretty lucky girls :)  I now have the sole responsibility of decorating.  It should be an easy task, but I've haven't the slightest idea what I want to hang on the walls.  It's like a blank canvas that I don't want to mess up.  Good thing I have 3.5 months to mull it over.

Oh, just my hero putting the crib together :)

"Zebs", a gift from The Seagles, is enjoying his new home!

Once the nursery is completely decorated, I will post more pictures.  I've got to get my creative wheels spinning!  I've already searched Pinterest and come up with several DIY crafts.  More on that later.

Ellie, our three year old niece, celebrated her 3rd birthday on New Year's Eve.  Her birthday party was this past weekend in Warrenton and the theme was Cowboys and Cowgirls.  It was such a cute idea and we celebrated in style - hot dogs, chili, buffalo dip and root beer. She looked so adorable in her little cowgirl hat :)

Happy Birthday, Ellie!

I'm attaching a 24 week belly picture.  Sorry, I had just gotten done working out - this seems to be a pattern for me.  Also, please note the shirt.  Bobby put the "Future Hokie" t-shirt in my stocking for Christmas - he's always so thoughtful!

She's growing...and so is the baby :)

It's a...

Santa brought The Graybills & Co a Christmas present :)

It's a girl!!!

We are so excited to learn that Baby Peas is a SHE!  We can stop referring to her as an "it" and now affectionately call her by her name, Avery Jillayne Peaslee.  Avery is a name that Bobby picked out the morning we found out we were pregnant.  If you remember from one of my first posts, we were driving to northern Virginia and I was hysterical (looking back that seems absurd - we couldn't be more excited to be parents now!).  In an attempt to calm me down, Bobby started thinking of baby names.  The boy name was easy (Bobby has a family name that we'll use), but the girl name was really tough.  He threw out different names for a solid three hours and I vetoed all of them.  Then he said, "Avery."  I absolutely loved it.  And there it was.  We had both baby names selected...and 20 weeks of waiting before we'd know which we'd be using. 

Christmas was such an exciting time for us this year.  My older sister and her family spent the holiday at my parents' house (they switch it up every other year); therefore, it was perfect timing to reveal the baby's gender to our families.  When my Mom started cutting and revealed the pink cake, Nora (my 4 year old niece) stood up on one of the chairs and yelled, "Guys!  Now we're going to have a boy cousin and a girl cousin!"  It was absolutely adorable and I got teary-eyed.  Of course, I get teary-eyed over not being able to find matching socks these days, so that shouldn't catch anyone off-guard.  Ah, hormonal breakdowns, they're so fun.  Avery racked up on gifts this Christmas; our families are incredibly thoughtful.  She is one lucky girl :)

Avery gave her Daddy a Christmas present this year, which Bobby said was his favorite gift of the season!  She picked out a few outfits for herself, ha, that say "Daddy's Sweetie" and "I Love Daddy" and also a picture frame with a 20 week ultrasound picture of herself.  She's so creative!

I love shopping for her already!

Our sweet baby girl :)

And I can't forget the belly pic!

22 weeks

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

love,
Bobby, Callie and Baby Avery

I think I can, I think I can...

Well, folks, today marks exactly 20 weeks, which is our halfway mark.  Finally!  I'm a little behind in posts - I'm really sorry.  Between work, Christmas shopping, and traveling out of town every weekend, I'm having a little difficulty finding time/energy to blog :)  Hopefully, things will be a little less crazy post holiday season!  I am once again combining two weeks, 19 & 20, in one post.  Unfortunately, I do not have a 19 week belly pic, but I do feel like it's growing!

We went to the ACC Championship game two weekends ago, and despite Virginia Tech getting blown out, we had a great time in Charlotte, NC.  We did a little Christmas shopping, visited with Granny Peaslee, Kim and Ron (Bobby's aunt and uncle), and we finally got to meet sweet Berkley (my friend Ashley's baby girl).  We were a little salty about the VT loss, but what a "sweet" surprise it was to learn our Hokies are heading to the Sugar Bowl on January 3rd.  Go Hokies!

Bobby and I at the ACC Championship

This past weekend we traveled to Wilmington, NC for Amber Graham's wedding.  It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding and of course Amber was stunning.  We couldn't be happier for Ryan and Amber as they start their journey together!

The beautiful bride, Amber, and I

 As I mentioned before, Baby Peas is 20 weeks and roughly the size of a cantaloupe (6.5 inches crown to rump).  Twenty weeks seemed like such a milestone, until we hit 20 weeks...now I still have 20 more to go.  I just keep telling myself, "I can make it 20 more weeks, I can make it 20 more weeks..."   He/she is still causing me quite a bit of heartburn, but I've had it pretty easy thus far, so I certainly won't complain!  We find out baby's gender a week from tomorrow - how exciting!  We will be revealing the gender to our families on Christmas Eve/Day, and plan to tell the rest of the world shortly after :)

Baby at 20 weeks

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and give thanks for all of the blessings in our lives.  On Thanksgiving morning I went for a run, turned off my ipod (JayZ and Lil Wayne had to wait), and just took a few moments to thank God for all He has blessed me with over the past year.  In addition to life, faith, friends and health, I am thankful for my family.  I am truly blessed with an incredibly loving husband, completely devoted and selfless parents and in-laws, and extremely supportive and caring siblings.  Baby Peas will be adding to our family next spring, and I pray he/she knows how much our family already loves him/her.  He/she is such a blessing to us and we can't wait to hold baby in our arms in just a few short months.  I am also thankful that we will be learning our baby's gender in about 3 weeks so I can stop typing "him/her, he/she" or calling our baby an "it."  All things that have been added to my "I'm thankful for..." list. 

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my parents' house with my cousins and their spouses, aunts and uncles, siblings and nephew.  It was a wonderful day filled with joy, laughter, food...and more food.  We just got home from our Thanksgiving festivities with my in-laws and we had so much fun spending time with Mom and Dad Peaslee, Zach, Heather and Karoline.  Karoline is growing up so fast - it's hard to believe she will be three next month.  Where does the time go?

Bobby and Trey on Thanksgiving Day (Trey reaching for my phone)

Black Friday - haha, we promised we were not going to participate in the madness this year.  Until we saw the Babies R Us ads on Thanksgiving morning, and realized one of the nursery sets we've been eyeballing (crib, dresser/changing table, and chest of drawers) was 50% off.  We were the crazies out at 5:30am.  Surprisingly, we were in and out of Babies R Us in 15 minutes.  And since we were up, we decided to head to the mall, Home Depot, and Gander Mountain.  I'm not sure if it was because the stores we were interested in weren't as popular this year, or because most of them opened at midnight on Black Friday, but we didn't wait in a single line.  We lucked out!  (something else I should add to my list of things I'm thankful for...)

Well, here's Baby Peas at 18wks (aka 4.5 months, which some would say is the halfway point!)  woop woop!

oh baby.

Friday wasn't as telling as we'd hoped it would be.  We had our 16 week appointment (actually, closer to 17 weeks), but they were unable to do an ultrasound.  Which we figured would happen as there wasn't an ultrasound scheduled to begin with -  a girl can dream.  Baby's heart rate has dropped a little from our 12 week appointment to about 150 bpm.  Bobby and I agree that our baby's heart beat is the most incredible sound in the world.  I could sit and listen to it all day, but then I wouldn't get anything else done.  Ha!  In other interesting news, I was wearing my 4" Jessica Simpson patent leather pumps during our appointment (in my defense, I was on my way to work...I'm not typically that big of a diva).  Our doctor told me that she adored my pumps, but I should consider something a little flatter as I start to put on more weight.  Of course Bobby laughed out loud.  Our next doctor's appointment will be December 19th, and assuming our child cooperates, we should find out the gender!  Yay!  We have been shopping around for baby furniture and we've picked out some paint swatches for the nursery for both genders.  Can you tell we're a little anxious to find out if we're having a baby boy or baby girl :) ?

Paint swatches for the nursery

We're also very excited for the holiday week and looking forward to spending time with our families for Thanksgiving.  And let's be honest, baby and I are pretty pumped for some turkey and pumpkin pie.

17 weeks

Bobby took me shopping for maternity clothes this weekend.  Yep, that went about as well as one could expect.  Most of my pants won't button without a fight anymore (just as an aside:  I do own two pairs of Selena Gomez jeggings, which are incredibly comfortable and STRETCHY.  These have been a lifesaver!).  Our shopping trip started and ended at Target.  I tried on maternity pants and they were just so awkward.  I feel like women have enough to worry and stress over during pregnancy - can't someone design adorable, trendy maternity clothes?  Oh, make that adorable, trendy maternity clothes that don't cost a fortune.  Please...and thank you.  So after a brief meltdown where I became physically angry about the maternity pants not fitting (ahem...hormonal much?), I put all items back on the rack and just decided to purchase a couple pairs of dress pants the next size up.  So that's that.  Until next week when those don't fit either.