20 Weeks!

Halfway there!  Hard to believe that in just a few short months we'll finally get to meet the newest member of our family :).  This week we have our big ultrasound and I'm anxious to see him again and make sure we have a healthy baby boy in there.  A few highlights of the past few weeks...

• I think it's safe to say "I've popped!"  I'm no longer able to hide this growing belly of mine and mostly wearing maternity clothes.  I still have some tops that I'm wearing that are "flowy" and some dresses that I can pull off but most pants/shorts are now maternity.
• Baby Rudy is kicking away! I felt him a few weeks ago for the first time but the kicks are getting much stronger now.  I can't see anything from the outside of my stomach but definitely on the inside.  It's such a crazy but great feeling.
• Ryan and I had our first trip to Babies R Us to start taking a look at things we like/need, etc. It was obvious we were first time parents as we strolled down every aisle questioning what everything was for and how it works.  I think we spent about 15 minutes trying to open and close one stroller...  We somehow managed to pick out a few things and called it a successful day.
• I've been looking at bedding and nursery furniture but we haven't been able to decide on anything.  As for a crib, I always thought I wanted white and Ryan is leaning more towards espresso.  We did find one we both really liked though and was a compromise for both of us.  I'm not sure we're going to go with it but it's in the running!

• On another stop on our baby shopping day we came across a life size Benny.  Wouldn't this be cute in the nursery??  Haha, I don't think we'll need another black lab hanging out at our house (even if it is stuffed) but I had to snap a picture since we had so much fun playing with him.  

20 weeks :)

Wedding in MA

This past weekend my cousin David married his high school sweetheart in their hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts.  I haven't been up there in years and I was excited to be able to spend a long weekend there with our family.  We flew up bright and early Thursday morning and had the rehearsal dinner at a cute restaurant in town that night.  The wedding was on Friday but we had several hours to explore around the town during the day.  Our first stop was actually a pizza place called Antonio's.  Antonio's originated in Amherst and their second location was actually in College Station.  Extreme ends of the country, I know.  Anyways, Ryan and his roommates visited this pizza place more times than I can count when they were at A&M so of course we  had to try the original out.  We actually tried it out twice while we were there and it did not disappoint :)

Later that afternoon we got ready for the wedding and headed over to the church.  The best thing about this weekend was that it was cool which was a nice break for us Houstonians.  They actually had the stained glass windows open in the church which made for a nice breeze.

Ryan and I after the ceremony

My cousin Sarah and I outside the church

Beautiful cake at the reception 

I didn't get many pictures of the bride and groom but this is right when they were about to enter.  Her dress was actually her mom's that they had updated and altered which was really special. 

My Mom and I 

Cousins Katie, Sarah and I 

The  next day we had a post wedding breakfast at my aunts house and then another party that evening with all of the wedding guests.  We had a great weekend overall and loved seeing everyone.  I'm looking forward to catching up with all them in October when they are down in Texas for my brother's wedding!

It's A .....

BOY!!!

We had a fun surprise yesterday and found out the gender earlier than expected.  I had an appointment scheduled for Wednesday morning and Ryan didn't come with me since it was just a regular check-up and we didn't think he would need to be there.  When I was talking to my doctor she asked if we knew what the gender was yet.  I told her no but that we were planning on finding out.  She asked if I wanted to find out.  Again, I said we were planning on knowing the gender but our ultrasound wasn't scheduled for three more weeks.  She then said, "No, do you want to find out today?"  I think I looked at her a little confused and said something along the lines of, YES!  The only problem was that Ryan wasn't there.  In the end I couldn't turn down an ultrasound since we haven't had a peak since I was 8 1/2 weeks along.  We decided that she would see if she could see anything and if so, she'd make me close my eyes and would print off a few pictures for us.  I got to see the sweet little face and then I shut me eyes as she said she was able to tell the gender.  Next thing I know she is handing me a sealed envelope that included two pictures with notes written on them and gave me a hug.

As soon as I left I called Ryan and told him I was picking him up for lunch and that I had a a fun surprise for him.  Luckily Ryan and I work together because there was no way I could have waited until the end of the day.  We drove to a nearby restaurant and opened up the envelope in the parking lot.  Sure enough, the pictures confirmed that it was a boy!

We couldn't stop smiling and walked right away to a Baby Gap that was nearby.  We picked up our first blue outfit and took a picture so we could send a text to all our family and friends to spread the exciting news.

Now, let the shopping and planning begin :)

Sold!

That's right folks.  Not only will Ryan and I be having a baby this year but we'll also be building our new home!  We can handle it all.... right??

This past Friday Ryan and I signed a contract to build a new home out in the suburbs.  We've been city folks ever since we've been married and absolutely loved our house and time we've spent in town.  However, now that a baby is on the way our priorities have shifted and we're looking for a house closer to where we work and with a little more space.  We are the weirdos that actually work in the suburbs and have been driving out of town these past couple of years to the office.  We're about to take our commute to 35+ minutes to about 10 minutes and we couldn't be more excited.

The only issue is that the house won't be done until January and the baby is due in November.... I'm hoping by that point we'll have sold our house and will be living in a rental which should be interesting but hopefully manageable.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Anyways, Ryan and I are thrilled about our decision and looking forward to this new chapter in our lives!

16 Weeks

Hard to believe I've hit the 16 week mark and I can't believe it's been three weeks since my last pregnancy update!  I will try to do a better job but I feel like there hasn't been much change.  I will say I've been feeling great and not as tired as I was in the first trimester.  Here's a few updates:

• I went out and bought quite a few maternity items this weekend.  I've been able to wear some regular clothes with the help of the belly band but I think it's time to switch to full on maternity pants.  They are much more comfortable.  I haven't really "popped" but I think we're getting pretty close!
• I'm still keeping up with exercising whether that is going for a jog, attended a cardio class at the gym or long walk.  I don't think I'll ever be able to cut this out and hope I can keep it up for quite some time.  I'm also looking into taking a prenatal yoga class here soon. 
• Weight gain is progressing....  I don't plan on sharing an actual number but I'll just keep it as I'm in the suggested range :)
• No cravings, still just find myself needing snacks more often throughout the day. 
• I have an obsession lately with strollers.  There are so many options out there and I have no idea where to start.  Any suggestions???
• Ryan and I plan on finding out the gender but we still have 4 weeks until we'll know.  The doctor likes to wait until the 20 week ultrasound and the wait is killing us!  Honestly, I'm more anxious to see the baby again and make sure everything looks good.  A boy or girl makes no difference to me but Ryan still thinks boy.  
• We have a few names in mind but at this point we are keeping that to ourselves.  
• In other news, Ryan and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary this past week!  We were pretty crazy and stayed home and ordered in a pizza.  It's not quite the same when you can't pop open a bottle of bubbly but we enjoyed our evening at home with each other and talking about the future.

16 weeks :)

Graduation Celebrations

This past Friday Ryan graduated with his MBA from Rice and we were able to celebrate this great occasion with both of our parents.  The investiture ceremony was held on campus Friday afternoon.  It was a great moment to see Ryan walk across the stage and it was an even better moment when they called Ryan's name to receive a Jones Scholar Award.  I definitely teared up when I saw him up there as I know how hard he's worked these last few years and he deserved this honor.

Ryan walking across the stage...

Ryan up front after he's received his award.  

After the ceremony we went to a favorite spot to enjoy a few colds ones (well, some of us did) and then we went to El Tiempo for dinner.  It was a great day and we are so thankful we were able to celebrate with our families!

The next day we continued on with the celebrations and had all of our friends over for a graduation party.  It was a beautiful day and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  We hung out in the backyard, grilled fajitas, toasted to Ryan and played a few games :)

Ali & Mark

Aaron & Nicole

Ryan & I

Sara & Kim (and Benny trying to sneak a bite....)

Leslie, Sara, Alison & I

Ryan & Tyler

Boys jamming out to some Jason Aldean...

We had a great time celebrating all weekend and then by Sunday we were exhausted!  It was nice to spend the day relaxing and just hanging out together.  Looking forward to many more weekends doing the same.  Well, at least until November... :)