WHW {#69}:Crazy Preggo Dreams

For today's edition of What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday, we're talking about my weirdo pregnancy dreams, since these seem to be happening on a nightly basis.

Everyone told me that when I got pregnant I'd have really weird dreams. For the first trimester I didn't have weird dreams, but in my second trimester oh my word! It is just about every night, and sometimes I have multiple coo-coo dreams in one night. And they are VIVID!

Here are some gems thus far:

~I had a dream that I was part of a Mexican family who performed at different events like weddings and the like in traditional festive Mexican garments. In the same dream my "sisters" were on stage at a highschool or something, performing a song (and not singing well, might I add). I woke up with the song stuck in my head and it is NOT a song I've ever heard before.

{via}  think a dress like this...except more gaudy

~I had a dream that my best friend's boyfriend was a middle-aged overweight mountain man (not at ALL what her boyfriend is like)

~I had a dream that MG and I were on an island vacation and he told me he no longer loved me anymore. Except the person in my dream wasn't MG, but I thought that it was?

I woke up from that one and told him I was a little mad at him for it lol

~I dreamt that I was a high school or college student taking a theater class and Katy Perry was in my class, and Andy Cohen was my theater teacher. I was also pregnant, and a girl that I worked with more than 5 years ago and haven't seen since then was also in my class.

{via}

{via}  See? Even Andy is confused by my dream lol

~I had a dream that I was driving home from work, but in a 4-wheeler (which we don't have, nor have I ridden other than when we were in Greece), and my helmet was dented at the top. I was also pregnant in my dream, riding around on the 4-wheeler on windy back roads. There was more to the dream but I couldn't remember the details once I'd woken up.

{via}

I'll leave you with those gems for today. My pregnant/mom friends...do you remember any of your crazy dreams from pregnancy? If so, share so that I feel normal :)
Now it's your turn to link up and share what's hap-"pinning" with you (whether it be crazy preggo dreams or otherwise!)

Thanksgiving Weekending

Oh man is it hard to come back to a Monday, and a full week of work, after having 4 awesome days off to celebrate and spend with family!

Luckily my Thanksgiving weekend was filled with highlights to get me through the Monday blues:

~Up and on the road early to pick up my mom and drive up to PA

~Had Thanksgiving at my SIL's house with 28 other people (it was massive!)

There were literally over 10 options for dessert!

~My other SIL and her family came over for dessert so we got to see them, too

~Got 3 bags of maternity clothes from my SIL's sister-in-law to go through and took home 1 bag full of clothes which included my first pair of maternity jeans and holy cow...love!

~The next morning I'm pretty sure my baby bump had popped...not sure if it was that extra helping of stuffing, but the bump was definitely out! 

~Did a little online shopping Friday morning: got some maternity things from Old Navy and Loft, along with some birthday presents for MG. My Under Armour order arrived the next day!

~Saturday we went to the movies and saw Allied with my mom, in-laws and BIL and SIL--the movie was really good! Definitely recommend it!

~Went out to dinner with everyone for MG's birthday to one of his favorite places locally

~Sunday morning it was up and on the road by 9 to beat the traffic

~Once we got home, we unpacked and got the Christmas decor out, and set up

~We had also picked up a new rug for the living room while we were up in PA

~We rearranged the basement to bring the couches closer to the tv, and create a play/storage area in the back of the room

~Had some time in the afternoon to relax and finally get started on Gilmore Girls. I'm only one episode in so NO spoilers please!!! I've avoided them twice so far

~Grabbed burgers out for dinner since we didn't have any groceries and didn't feel like going out to get them

~Came home and took advantage of the cool weather to have our first fire of the season while we watched Bad Moms from Redbox (Bad Moms was meh....)

~Sunday involved meal prep, and errands where I picked up this adorable maternity top from Target 

~Did some Kindle reading, had puppy snuggles, and got in a 3.5 mile walk to work off some of that stuffing! :)

It was a fantastic long weekend, and a wonderful holiday with family. It was bittersweet not having my dad there, but it was nice to be surrounded by the love of our family.

Hoping you can ease into your Monday today :)

WHW {#68}: Thankfulness

Happy what's hap-"pinning" Wednesday, A.K.A. Thanksgiving-Eve!

Every year I take the time to document the things that I'm thankful for, and wanted to continue that tradition. Likely, not a lot of it has changed, but I still like taking this time to reflect and appreciate the goodness (and greatness) that I have in my life.

{MG} 

He's at the top of my list because, as cliche as it sounds, without him, I'm not sure how I would have gotten through this past year. Having him by my side as my dad fought through his final days, and in the days following losing my dad, I found so much love and comfort from just being wrapped in his arms. Then to go through more of our fertility struggles, and have him be my shot-giver through our IVF process, to my nurse after my egg retrieval and egg transfer. And then getting to celebrate the fact that we would be parents, and knowing that the baby that's growing every day inside of me is equal parts him and me....it literally makes me tear up thinking about it. And then he goes and melts my heart even more when he talks about how excited he is for this baby...

Did I ever want to get married at 31? No. But was it worth the wait to find this man who is so perfect for me? Absolutely 100%. I'm SO thankful that MG is my life partner.

{Our Baby}

It's probably of no surprise to you that this is on the list. For the past two years, I've hoped and wanted so desperately to be at Thanksgiving saying "I'm thankful for this baby" and it feels surreal to be able to say that this year. It's been a journey to get us here, but that journey has only made me appreciate every single part of this process that much more. Seeing, and hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time, seeing little baby arms and legs kicking and punching on an ultrasound....they make me tear up every time. I can hardly believe that this is real sometimes, but I'm so thankful that it is. This baby is already loved beyond measure and I know that that love will only grow bigger and bigger.

{Family}

This year is different in that we're going to be marking every holiday and special occasion by the absence of my dad. In years past I always spoke about how thankful I was that my dad was still here to celebrate with. And this year, I'm forced to look at things from another angle and be thankful that I have my dad looking out for me in a different way now. But I'm still thankful that I had a dad who showed me what it was to be strong, how important education was, what it means to possess good morals and act on them, and what it means to be loved unconditionally by a man.

I'm thankful for my mom for being so strong through everything with my dad. I'm thankful for her phone calls and visits, and how excited she is about "pumpkin" as she calls the baby. I'm thankful for the love and support she's given to me through all of our ups and downs, and am glad I can be there for her when she's needed it, too.

I'm thankful for my extended family, my in-laws, who I only refer to as my in-laws for confusion purposes, because to me, they ARE my family. I have two sisters who I love, and a mom and dad who didn't give birth to me, but treat me just like one of their own. I'm not lucky, I'm blessed. I know my dad said at one point that it comforted him to know that I had such a wonderful family to take care of me when/if I needed it, if anything happened to him. And I take those words to heart, knowing my dad knows that we're supported, even in his absence. I know not everyone has this kind of relationship with their in-laws which makes me that much more grateful for the ones I have.

And I can't forget Cooper, the furry love of my life. Coop and I have been together since I was a single girl, until now when he's going to be a big furry brother to our little one. Looking into Cooper's eyes while I pet him makes my heart happy, not to mention the nightly cuddles he gives...I know he was made for me and meant to be a part of my life. It's been the best 8 years together and I'm hoping for many many many more!

{Friends}

My IRL and blog friends are my heart. I'm lucky to have so many friends in my life who I can count on through anything. When my dad died, I saw a whole other side of the friendships that I had--how people really reached out and supported me. They say you know what a true friend is, not during the good times, but during the hard times. And this year I'm thankful that I had so many friends who lifted me up during the hard and dark times. I've also made friends with others who have struggled through fertility like we have, and we've helped each other through the process. I can truly say that the friendships that I have in my life right now make me feel truly blessed, and give a new meaning to "richness."

{Our Home}

I'm so thankful that MG have our house that we've made into a home in the last 2.5 years. It's been fun to take on home projects together since moving in, sometimes learning the hard way how to do something (or NOT do something lol), but learning nonetheless. I'm so thankful that we have a big house that holds enough space for our families to come and stay, where we've already made tons of memories, and where we are sure to make more in the coming year when we bring our baby home.

There are tons of other things I'm thankful for, but these are the big ones I wanted to share here today.

I hope that your list of things to be thankful for this year is ever-growing! 
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

The First Bump-Date!

I'm so excited to be sharing my first bump-date on the blog! I've been taking weekly photos (well, almost every week) since I was 4 weeks pregnant when we first found out, and the progression has been so cool to see! I look back at my first photos and then where I'm at now and it's already SO different! I can only imagine how I'll feel in another 20 weeks!

How Far Along: 4 months (16 weeks)

Size of Baby: The size of an Avocado

Gender: To Be Determined but OH how I wish I knew already!!! I have 3 other friends due around the same time as me and they already know! (I'm thinking girl though)

Weight Gain: About 6 pounds

Food Cravings: Recently it was pancakes, but in the beginning it was cheese. Like seriously, one day, I could have ran someone over with my car for a grilled cheese! (the same day we made pesto grilled cheese at home haha)

Food Aversions: Thankfully nothing overall. Last week the idea of shrimp grossed me out so I subbed that out of a recipe for chicken and all was well.

Movement: I haven't felt anything yet!

Sleep: Ummm, like all the time! I'm not passing out on the couch as soon as I get home from work like I was the first trimester (especially the first 2 months), but I can definitely pass out around 9-9:30 on the couch and then go up to sleep solidly through the night for 8-9 more hours.

Clothing: I've not worn any maternity pants yet, but that's because my belly band has been helping me get some extra use out of my pants that I already have (hello, unbuttoned pants all day long!) but I just wore my first maternity top this weekend (see above)

Other Pregnancy Symptoms: Some random acne which is annoying.

What I Miss: Up until this past week, the only thing I really missed was turkey sandwiches from a local deli that I love. Then last week when I had a horrible meeting with parents and their lawyer, afterwards I really wanted a glass (or 5) of wine, but that's really the first time I've missed alcohol. That might be harder with the holidays coming up, but totally worth it!

Best Moment: This week it was getting a steal of a deal on our glider/recliner for the baby's room, and getting that room cleared out more, making plans for what we'll do in there.

Looking Forward To: Finding out the gender! I have an appointment today, but I don't think an ultrasound is involved (much to my dismay and attempts at nudging of the doctor), so I'll have to wait a few more weeks to find out. I just really had hoped we'd find out this week so we could do the reveal with our whole family at Thanksgiving since everyone would be together. But alas, we plan, and God laughs!

Can't wait to share more in the coming weeks!

Windy Weekending

Happy Monday, friends! I'm going into this week excited that it's a short week and at the end of it is lots of food and family!

This weekend was filled with the best kind of relaxation and low key-ness :)

My weekend highlights included:

~starting my Friday off with a decaf peppermint mocha #fridaytreat

~a little date night with MG to one of our favorite Mexican spots where we stuffed ourselves on chips and salsa and burritos. 

~Watched one of the most ridiculous Dateline episodes (did anyone else see it? insane!) and actually stayed up almost to the end (which is quite the feat for me lately, making it anytime past 9:30 without passing out, let alone close to 11)

~Started Saturday morning early, and wearing my first maternity shirt (the bump is more obvious from the side--bump-date coming soon!)

~After breakfast, MG and I went to Buy Buy Baby again to check out the strollers we've had our eyes on, but got side tracked in the glider section since we saw a floor model of the one we'd wanted. It was a custom order that was cancelled and had just been put out the day before. We ended up getting it for $300 off the regular price!

for my preggo friends: stalk the Buy Buy Baby by you (if there is one) for the floor models--you can get a phenomenal deal, AND you can use the 20% off coupon from Bed Bath and Beyond!

~Luckily our friend was willing to come by with his truck (and happened to be in the area when MG texted him), so he helped us bring it home and get it upstairs.

He joked that he was the Raj in our relationship (Big Bang Theory fans will understand that reference)

~Took a long afternoon walk around the lake near our house since it was in the 70s. Toward the end of the walk, the clouds and wind rolled in and brought with it some really chilly temps!

~MG and I had another little date night where we grabbed dinner and saw Arrival which we both thought was really good!

{via}

~Did some early morning errands since I was craving pancakes and we didn't have any, so we got the grocery run out of the way, and MG was a saint and made me blueberry pancakes for breakfast!

~It was such a chilly and windy day that it was perfect for lounging the whole day in sweats, reading my Kindle, napping on the couch, and watching the Harry Potter marathon on Freeform. MG went to grab lunch and watch the 1pm games with a friend and I was more than content on the comfy couch, cozy and warm!

~Our power went out for about 2 minutes in the afternoon because the winds were so strong, but luckily it was short lived.

~Made my one pot lasagna soup for dinner since what's better on a cold and windy night than some yummy soup?

~Watched some more of The Crown (only one more episode to go!) and got ready for the short week ahead!

So, like I said, it was pretty low key and I was 100% ok with it!

Hoping yours was restful before the festivities of the week begin!

Faves This Week

Sorry for my absence yesterday. I had a doozy of a parent meeting on Wednesday afternoon and when I got home, a lot of time was spent on the phone with my supervisor, and even more time thinking about drinking an entire bottle of wine but restraining myself :)

But it's Friday which means the end of the week is here and a nice weekend to relax is ahead!

Despite the crummy meeting in the middle of the week (with a follow up coming the week after Thanksgiving--lucky me!), I still have some favorites from the week!

{1} Christmas Cards are Ordered

{via}

I realized that by Thanksgiving time last year I'd had my cards ordered addressed, and sent out already, and this year it totally snuck up on me. I used SimplytoImpress.com again and they have an awesome deal going on right now through the 21st, so if you haven't ordered yet, do it (plus, their prices overall are cheaper than tinyprints and minted, and their sale price is better than both right now too). I'll be sharing the card with you once I get my hands on it, but it feels good to get one more item checked off the box!

{2}Volunteering

MG and I signed up to help at a food bank in a couple of weeks. It's been a while since we volunteered, and we finally found one that's close to the house, so we're jazzed about getting the opportunity to give back to the community by packing up bags of food and delivering them to people who need it.

In addition to that, MG and I are going to participate in the Wreaths Across America again, but this year, instead of going to Arlington Cemetery, we'll be going to Quantico National Cemetery to lay a wreath on my dad's grave. It had meaning to me last year, but this year it holds that much more meaning and emotion.

from last year at Arlington Cemetery

{3} Joe Biden Memes

The memes of Joe Biden have made me giggle all week long. I love seeing new ones pop up every day, especially on days that I need a good laugh.

{via}

Here's the link to more....enjoy! 

{4} Surprise Gifts

My friends continue to surprise me and Baby G with the package arrivals at our front door (making me think that I've been doing online shopping in my sleep haha). My bestie sent me a little gift earlier this week which was a super sweet surprise at the end of the day! This t-shirt is not only adorable (and I'm assuming true, although I can't speak to the full on "mom life" quite yet), but it's also SUPER soft and comfy, perfect for those days I'll be at home, snuggling my new little bundle of cuteness. Thank you, Genna, for being my best friend and being so stinking thoughtful! Love you girl!

{5} Funnies--because after this week, I need some chuckles!

When you're at the end of a horrible meeting and they propose meeting again to continue the discussion

{via}

How it feels when a parent gives you a compliment on the work you do with their kid:

{via}

What I'd like to do in the middle of meetings when parents are rude

{via}

When you're pregnant and the grocery store doesn't have the one snack you've been craving

{via}

How I'm going to feel next week when there's still food on my plate that I want to eat, but I'm super full

{via}

That's it for me today! Hoping the end of your week goes off without a hitch!

WHW {#67}

Happy What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday, and the start of the week long countdown to Thanksgiving! 

I'm still kind of in shock that it's just 8 days away!

This is the first time in probably 4 years that MG and I aren't hosting his parents and my parents (and last year we had my SIL and her family down). Instead, we're going with my mom up to PA to my SIL's house to celebrate. It'll be nice to not have the pressure of cooking and hosting, but I've enjoyed having people over, cooking, and decorating.

I thought it would be fun to do a little Thanksgiving Questionnaire since I always like getting to see people's ideas and preferences!

Favorite Part of Thanksgiving Meal: the sides are hands down my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I could take or leave the turkey, but give me ALLLLLLL the sides!

Favorite Side(s): sweet potatoes and stuffing are definitely in my top, and then the squash casserole that my mom and I make from my aunt's recipe is always a favorite as well

{via}

Have You Hosted Before? Yes, several times!

Favorite Decor for Thanksgiving: I love cute and unique place settings like these

{via}                                           {via}                                          {via}

Tree Up Before or After Thanksgiving (if you celebrate)? After! I'm a big proponent of celebrating each holiday as they come. When I see Christmas trees and decor up in stores in early October it makes me twitchy

Gravy or No Gravy? I used to be a no gravy person until I had my brother-in-law's home made gravy. So, I might be a convert

Smooth or Chunky Cranberry Sauce? Smooth 100%. Chunks are ew! Give me the stuff from the can any day!

Pumpkin Pie or Another Kind? Again, the texture of pumpkin pie always gets me, so I'd choose an apple pie with vanilla ice cream every day! (my mouth is watering thinking about all of this food!)

Biggest Thing You're Thankful For This Year: I'm sure it's no surprise that MG and I are incredibly thankful that we have a baby on the way. It's been a long time coming, and something that I've wished for for two years now, and wanted so badly to celebrate during Thanksgiving. We are so grateful and feel so blessed. This year it's a bit bittersweet, though, because I would have loved to be able to share this celebration this Thanksgiving with my dad. It makes me tear up a bit remembering him say last year "I don't know if I'll be at Thanksgiving next year" and now realize that he was right. As much as my heart is still broken from losing him, I take comfort in knowing that he'll be with us on Thanksgiving, even if it's not the way we had hoped, and I also know that he's had a hand in our baby blessing, and for that, I'm truly grateful. 

What are you looking forward to most this Thanksgiving? Most thankful for?

Now it's your turn to link up with Jessi and I and share what's hap-"pinning" with you!