25 Weeks

We're over halfway through the pregnancy which is all kinds of exciting and horrifying at the same time!

I definitely look pregnant now which is fun. I'm not too big, but just big enough to definitely not look fat or bloated.

Our last Bradley class is this Thursday, which is bittersweet. I'll miss class, but our teacher said I could come sit in on the next round of classes up until birth if I want to. I'm kind of wishing we had waited for the next round of classes but I was afraid I might go into labor before they were over. Now I'm afraid I'm going to forget everything by July. I'm sure it will all be fine, and our Bradley teacher is also our doula so all the knowledge will be right there with us.

I've started to feel Elizabeth move daily which is wonderful! After months of always wondering if she was still in there and doing okay, I love the reminders that's she's alive and well. Lee hasn't been able to feel her move yet but that should happen in the next few weeks.

We survived registering this weekend! It was fun but by the end of it we were both exhausted. I think we got to Target around 3:30 and left Babies R Us around 7. There were some follow-up hours of my questioning our decisions once we got home, but overall the day was a success.

All this March Madness has been rather stressful for me so I don't know how much Elizabeth has picked up on that. Lee has wisely recommended that jumping isn't the best way for me to express my joy at the moment so I've started bouncing a bit in place with my feet always on the ground. Or just biting my fist while fighting back tears of joy. FINAL FOUR!!!!!!!!

I have about seven fabric swatches lying around from which I hope to pick the fabric for the curtains, bumper and crib skirt. I think it's going to be pink and yellow in the end, although I'm not ready to commit 100%. There are still some blue and peach possibilities floating around.

Our next midwife appointment is Thursday. Yay for hearing Elizabeth's heart beat!

 

 

Now Open

After months of ... I don't even know. Hesitation? Procrastination? Distraction? Either way, my Etsy shop now has actual items in it. I would like to thank my dear friend who asked me to make the invites for a couples shower, which was the push I finally needed to actually make it happen. Be sure to check it out here and please send me any feedback!



 

My Four Rules of Bracketology

Note: Several of these rules are based on my personal team loves and hates, so you can adapt them to fit your team preferences. I will attempt to not judge you for you these preferences. Also, my bracket has never won, but I did come in third last year.



1. If remotely feasibly possible, always pick UK to win it all. (Yes, it is very feasible this year.)

2. Try to find a feasible, quick exit for Duke, Tennessee and Louisville, because they're evil.

3. If your husband is a Louisville fan, pick them to win at least one game (if plausible) as a kindness to him.

4. Pick the local under dog for at least one game. In my case, this is normally Western Kentucky, Murray State or Morehead State.

Unfortunately, rules 3 and 4 are going head-to-head in the first round this year. I'm think I'm going to have to pick Morehead. ;)

Welcome Spring

When we moved into our house last summer, I decided we would ignore the yard for the first year to focus on the sprucing up the inside. Sadly, this means our yard looks kind of poopy. I feel sorry for our neighbors who have to look at our yard. I feel sorry for the previous owners because I think I've killed most of the plants they spent so much time cultivating. (Although I was planning on digging them up and doing something different anyways.)

We have plans to clean it up this spring. Dig up some stuff, plant some stuff. Lee has declared war on the crab grass and will not rest (well, I'm sure he'll rest a bit) until it is all gone. I'm hoping to have an herb garden and maybe some berry bushes but I've heard those are tricksy.

But despite the way we've let the yard run amok, some flowers have managed to pop up. I have no idea what they are, but they're pretty and bring a smile to my face. Welcome Spring!

It's a Girl!!

Like so many other things, it began in November 1998 when I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. My love for Jane Austen, which began the previous year after reading Sense and Sensibility, was confirmed. I fell for Mr. Darcy, his breeches, his beautiful estate and his broodingly delicious combination of arrogance and gentleness. And I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet. She is my favorite of the Austen heroines. She is funny and smart, a winning combination that no other Austen heroine repeats. And at some point in all this falling in love, I knew when I had a daughter of my own, she would be Elizabeth.

Maybe it's because I'm such a girlie girl. Maybe it's because I've had my daughter named for over a decade and things seem so much more real once they're named. But I hoped that this baby would be a girl and I am so excited that she is. As I often reminded Lee, you can still have Nerf fights and throw footballs with Elizabeth, but I can't paint our son's toenails or put him in dresses. Well, at least I probably shouldn't. ;)

So after years of thinking about her and planning for her and hoping for her, in July I'll get to hold my Elizabeth. In the meantime, I felt the need to compile a brief list of some of the main reasons I love the name Elizabeth.