Over Half Way... Hooray!

I cannot believe baby boy Weaver will be here in four months or less, as I am predicting. It is sneaking up on us fast, which I find a bit stressful, but also a relief at the same time. To say that I have not enjoyed being pregnant this time around is an understatement. I was expecting a big reprieve from all the yuckies associated with pregnancy in the 1^st trimester, but that hasn’t really been my luck. The nausea is pretty much gone, but has been replaced by terrible reflux. I cannot bend over or lay flat at night without my food coming up and it burns like fire. Tums don’t really help, but I am still chewing them like crazy. I am still soooo tired, probably from a mixture of pregnancy and insomnia. My skin is a wreck and I have breakouts like crazy! Baby is sitting incredibly low in my belly, smacking me in the bladder constantly and requiring upwards of 15-20 bathroom breaks a day! Last but not least, a new symptom has arrived… this time I am having terrible lower back pain and cramping in my lower abdomen, all a source of this baby sitting so low in my uterus. It feels like constant pulling and aching and I have a hard time being on my feet too long, it kills to go on a walk, etc… Not to mention, as my belly is growing, my daily injections are getting more painful and I am bruising more.



22 weeks preggers and growing!

Geez, enough with the complaining! J Hard part aside, we are very excited for baby boy’s arrival and have picked a beautiful, classic name for our sweet boy… David Victor. David was one of the only names we could come up with when I was pregnant with Margo that we both agreed upon. That made it an easy choice for us this time, plus David is an amazing figure in the Bible, his name has beautiful meaning and not to mention, Dave Matthews is one of my idols! As Cary says, it is not trendy, it is very gender specific and the name David could always pass for a lawyer or CEO. Victor was chosen to honor both Cary (his middle name) and his late Grandfather, a family name that is strong and representative of one of the best men I ever knew. The meaning… Beloved Conqueror. I am pretty sure our little David will be beloved and hopefully will be a winner and conqueror of life’s many obstacles!

 

At my 20 week scan, we saw definite boy parts which was a relief and David looks fantastic! He is developing beautifully and weighed in at 13 oz. which is perfectly average. I can feel him moving a lot, although I am pretty sure he is going to be more mellow than Margo… he sleeps a lot more that she did in the womb and hopefully will more than she does now. We are busy planning his nursery and I am trying to use some pieces we have now, so I have narrowed a color scheme down to navy and white with green and aqua accents. I found an elephant picture I loved a while back, so we will be incorporating elephants as well. I have already purchased and received lots of new baby boy clothes and am receiving lovely hand-me-downs from two family members.

See two legs and a surprise in between!

Our beautiful boy!

Lots of changes are upon us in the coming New Year. The next few months will be busy with holidays, room transitions and lots of preparation. Please pray that David continues to develop in a healthy way and that I can get some relief from this pregnancy hell I have been in. I know in a few short months, it will all be so worth it!

Lazy Afternoons on our Babymoon!

To say that I have the most generous, thoughtful sisters on earth is an understatement! Knowing that Cary and I had not been on a real vacation alone together since our honeymoon, they graciously gifted us with a trip of our choice! In the early planning stages, we talked about going to Mexico and even tossed around a trip to the mountains, but when my body decided to be fertile myrtle, I knew I wanted nothing more than to sit on the beach--the perfect babymoon! You can’t get much more beautiful than the Emerald Coast and although we had been there with our family before, it was an easy choice. We wanted some place that we could get to quickly, was safe and most importantly, relaxing. The details were left up to my sisters and our trip was very much a big surprise!

The night before we were supposed to leave, disaster struck! Margo started vomiting at midnight and was sick all night long. I held her all night not sleeping even five minutes, let her throw-up all over me and prayed this was the short lived virus that had been going around. The last time she got sick was 5 am and although she had had a few bouts of diarrhea, she was eating and happy with no fever, so we made the decision to go ahead and leave her. I even went so far as to call the doctor for advice and make sure we were not being irresponsible parents for leaving Margo. Despite missing us, she did great for my sister throughout our trip, but did infect my sweet niece with her nasty bug and left my poor sister with a few leaky diaper messes to clean up. This was our first stomach bug and it was awful… I hope we don’t have many of those!

Back to our trip… It was AMAZING, relaxing, rejuvenating and wonderful across the board. The morning we dropped off Margo, my sister had a sweet little gift bag for us with directions and instructions on where we were going with several generous little gifts included. Destination… Rosemary Beach, and we were exhausted from a rough night but beyond excited! I had been shopping in Rosemary Beach before, but had forgotten how beautiful and romantic it was with the amazing little streets, beautiful architecture, landscaping, white beaches and more! Our little carriage house was so perfect! It was decorated so beautifully, I wish I could have taken all of the contents home with me. The bed was so comfy, the shower was wonderful and it was the best location. The main house was beach front right next to a walkover, so we could go out the door, through the court yard and were on the beach in a matter of a minute. We didn’t even need to really pack a bag with our awesome umbrella covered chairs that awaited us each day!

The neat architecture--every house is different!

We did not have the best weather, but our time on the beach was wonderful and I found the best seashells ever! I think Cary thought I was nuts spending all that time hunting seashells with my preggo belly sticking out and my ridiculous cleavage staring down at everyone! The shells were just too good to ignore and I found a few that were like something you could buy in a store! I can’t wait to clean-up my little collection and put it in a pretty dish as a memory. I went to bed early being the lame-o pregnant girl I am and woke up early for walks on the beach. I loved spending the afternoons resting on the beach and then taking all the time in the world to shower and get ready. I sure did miss Margo, but the break was so refreshing and peaceful!

19 Weeks Pregnant= One hot mama!

 



Cary swimming!

Still in love after 11 beautiful years!

Day One Seashells

My sweet sisters also gifted us with gift certificates to several yummy restaurants! We ate so many amazing things, fresh seafood and decadent desserts, I thought I was going to pop everyday! Good thing I have a great excuse in eating for two. Our favorite restaurants were a little tapas and chocolate place called La Crema that was exotic and fun to try. Our food was incredible, but OMG the chocolate desserts were beyond my imagination! We had a hot molten cake with a peanut butter center and warm chocolate cookies with an amazing espresso cream in the middle. I wish I could go back right now just talking about it! Our last night was also at a tiny little place called George’s at Alys Beach that we had heard a couple raving about on the beach and boy were they right! I had the surf and turf with an expertly cooked and seasoned filet, fried lobster tails and a perfect crab cake! There was not one meal on our trip we didn’t thoroughly enjoy from fried shrimp and cheesy grits to the nachos and pizza we ordered in for the Texas game on Saturday night. I had a beautifully grilled grouper, a fried green tomato BLT to die for and an amazing raspberry, almond tart among many other things. Can you tell I appreciate good food???

We enjoyed shopping at our leisure, reading our books and I think Cary loved watching football without me nagging him to turn it off. Most of all, we enjoyed each other and getting to talk without interruption or being too exhausted to talk at all. We woke up slowly in the morning and enjoyed coffee together, we had long walks up and down the beach and just really soaked in the moment. It is easy to get lost in the shuffle of life and kids, especially where marriage is concerned, so this little trip and break was wonderful for us. The fabulous accommodations, beaches, food and shopping were all over the top, but the gift my sisters gave us in our time together and the ability to forget about it all and relax was absolutely invaluable! We are blessed beyond measure and there are no words that could ever thank them enough for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

A trip to the beach with my little peach!‏

Back in August (yes, I am that behind), my mom rented a little beach house in Galveston and I was so excited to give the beach another shot with Margo! Last Thanksgiving we went to Florida and to say Margo hated the beach was an understatement! She could not stand to have one grain of sand on her body! This time was much more successful and fun!

First of all, the beach house had a huge covered area with a warm shower, toys, a swing and such, which was great for playing! We had several rain storms and I think playing in the rain was the highlight of her little trip. She would dance, jump around and sing for a solid hour in the rain—her energy is boundless! It tickled me so much and I loved watching her experience something new. I think a rain coat and galoshes will be on the Christmas list, although I think she actually enjoys getting wet!

The first day at the beach was a failure. Once again, Margo hated the sand and while she was fascinated with the water, she refused to get her feet anywhere near the ground. I actually pulled my back trying to wrangle her around and suffered for it the rest of the trip. I was so disappointed. That night, I was brainstorming and thought of water shoes—why not try. We stopped at a little local grocery in Galveston and sure enough they had perfectly sized pink water shoes that she seemed excited about when she tried them on! My mom also realized that we had a Dora book about the beach and she was wearing water shoes, so of course we made a big deal about it.

The next day when we ventured out to the beach, she refused to walk to the water in her shoes. Then, Grannie decided to just take her and sit in the ocean whether she liked it or not and it only took her a few minutes to realize that it was awesome! She loved the waves splashing on her and as time passed got more and more brave. By the end of our beach visit that day, she was running and splashing in the water elated like I had never seen her before. Her innocence and excitement over the magic of the ocean was so heartwarming!

I am so glad Margo was given the experience and gift of the beach—one of my favorite places on earth! We also had fun at the aquarium and another fun day at the beach where Margo was equally as excited to play in the surf until she fell face first into the water. I would call the little trip a true blessing and a breakthrough for our sweet, cautious girl who now asks about the “ocean” every day. She now says, “ocean far away”, which is the explanation we keep giving her. Until next year, my love… we promise to take you back!