Second Trimester...Oh my!

Friday, April 26, 2013 - 14 weeks, 1 day

You know what's really creepy??  The old wive's tale about the wedding ring on a string over the tummy.  Nick & I did it today just to see what would happen.  I held the string at first.  I let the slack out, made the ring stop moving with my other hand, then let it go to see what would happen.  After a few seconds, it started moving in clear circles!  Nick said I must be moving my hand, so he came and took it from me.  Same result!  That means I'm having a girl.  We'll see.

The other test we did was the baking soda and urine test.  My friend, Megan, told me to try it.  It resulted in boy.  So, who knows what we're having?!

Monday, April 29, 2013 - 14 weeks, 4 days

This weekend, I found my food.  The food that I can eat at any time, and eat until I'm full.  Shogun fried rice and chicken.  My pregnancy food is expensive.  Whoops.  :)  Sister & I went to see our favorite band, NEEDTOBREATHE, this past weekend in Dallas.  She asked what sounded good for lunch on Saturday.  I said, "Well, there's a Shogun at exit 93 in Greenville I've wanted to stop at recently, but I've never been there."  Every time we've been through DFW since I've been pregnant, I see this billboard for Shogun at exit 93.  I've memorized it, so that's why I knew exactly where it was.  So we stopped.  We may or may not have taken our own stash of yum yum sauce in case the restuarant was stingy like the Longview Shogun (who refused to give me yum yum sauce because I didn't order sushi).  But, no need to fear, Greenville is nice and gives their customers what they ask for.  Pure heaven on a plate.  I ate about half of it then said, "This is so good!  I don't want to quit eating, but I'm full."  Sister suggested I take the leftovers with me for later.  I did.  I got the ill feeling of nausea later that evening at dinner and didn't eat much other than a sopapilla (sweet tooth!).  So, we went to our concert and got back to the hotel around 12:30.  I was famished, warmed up the leftovers, and devoured it!  Needless to say, I've been perusing Pinterest since then in hopes of finding a good hibachi style recipe for chicken and fried rice.  I found one on food.com and plan on trying it out tomorrow.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Speaking of concerts, this child is going to be quite the concert goer!  So far, gummy bear has gone to concerts featuring: The Gaither Vocal Band, Kari Jobe/Chris Tomlin, Ben Rector, and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors/NEEDTOBREATHE.  I have realized that "standing room only" concerts will have to be put on the back burner until after gummy bear makes his/her appearance.  NTB was standing room only, and it was brutal.  Thank the good Lord that Sister had priority access, and we were able to go in before the crowds.  I was able to find us a good spot that I could lean somewhere or sit on the floor when standing got too much for me.  We arrived there around 7:30 and didn't leave until almost midnight.  Long time for a pregger woman to stand.  But, it was an amazing concert, and I'm glad I went.

Sister & I talked about the baby a lot.  I'm ready to know if we're having a boy or girl.  It's hard to plan without knowing that.  Nick & I have emersed ourselves in talks about childcare, carseats, cribs, names, and any other topic that can go with a kid.  It's quite overwhelming, but that's why God gives you a full nine months to figure things out.  Of course, we're down to about five and a half months now.  Eek!  When put like that, it's closer than it seems!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - 14 weeks, 5 days

Gummy bear got his/her first present today!  A sweet coworker of mine is moving with her family to the far away land of Arkansas.  She has no clue if she'll be able to make it back for one of my showers, so she went ahead and gave me a present.  It was her favorite books that she read to her children. :)  Too sweet.  She said she has all three memorized, and doesn't even have to look at the pages.  I can't wait to get to read them to our little one.  Thanks Renee!  It means a lot to us.

This was sitting on my desk when I got to work this morning.

Books for our baby!

Thursday, May 2, 2013 - 15 weeks

So the at home hibachi food wasn't nearly as good as the Shogun/Fugi food.  :(  The chicken was pretty close, but the rice was just wrong.  Even with copius amounts of yum yum sauce, it just wasn't the same.  Side Note: Thank you Kims of Fugi in Texarkana for selling yum yum sauce by the bottle now.  That is all.

I'm still nauseous a lot.  I'll feel like eating (which is definitely an upgrade from the past 9 weeks), but once I start eating, I immediately loose my appetite.  I told Nick last night that I just want to eat again, not just because I have to.

My Sister, Mom, and Sister's friend, Sarah, are coming to spend the night tomorrow night then we're headed to Canton on Saturday.  I sent a text to Nick that said, "Would it be wrong of me to ask my sister to bring some Fugi's with her tomorrow. I could eat it later, but I want it so bad."  His response, "LOL."  My response, "I'm not joking!  I'm thinking she can bring me two take outs of the fried rice and chicken.  I may gorge myself!"  I'm still debating on whether or not I'm going to ask her.  It would be heaven if she did.

A great side effect of being pregnant, my nails are glorious!  Could I keep these once gummy bear arrives?  Another side effect, my hair is growing like crazy!  I think I'm going to let it grow out a little bit (around my shoulders) but keep the current shape (inverted bob), this way, I can throw it all back in a ponytail when I'm ready to pull my hair out as a new mother.  I love my current cut, but I have to fix it every day.  This would give me more possibilities.  Then, once I'm not so exhausted, I can cut it off again.

UPDATE: Sister is bringing me Fugi's, happy dance!

Monday, May 6, 2013 - 15 weeks, 4 days

We have an appointment today.  I asked the nurse at my doctor's office if I'd be getting an ultrasound, and she said probably not.  When I told Casey & Kelley this last night, they said, "Just ask Dr. Slovak.  She'll do it!"  I really want to know if gummy bear is a boy or girl, so I can use the proper pronoun (I just keep saying "she/he" because I cannot call the baby an "it").  Funnily enough, Nick said that Bill said we could use his horse ultrasound in the barn if we wanted too. :)  I'd have to take Casey with me to decipher what the gender is though. :)  I'm excited to go today.  If we don't get the ultrasound, we'll at least get to hear the heartbeat.

Nick & I were told this weekend of another friend that is pregnant!  Yay!  We know someone who will be in our little one's class at school.  So very excited. :)  (I can reveal that this is Kelley Fink.  I didn't want to post anything on here until she let it out on facebook.)

We went to Canton this weekend, and I saw sooo many cute items for baby.  If only I would have known boy/girl.  I found a mounted, metal, duck head that would be oh-so-cute in a boy's nursery.  I saw lots of really cute clothes if this is a girl.  Someone hold my wallet once we know for sure.  I may go a little bit crazy!

UPDATE: Dr. Slovak is 90% sure this is a BOY!!!  I'm completely blown away, and very excited!  Looks like we'll be welcoming little Brayden Dale in October.  I just knew this was a little girl (and so did many others), but God had other plans. :)  We're over the moon.  He was quite the wiggle worm, but she was able to get a few good shots.

The third one is a good shot for deciphering him as a boy.

The first one is good in this line-up.

Today, I also had blood drawn for the quad-screening.  The quad screening will test for certain things like possibility of Down syndrome or spina bifida.  Since I had a first cousin that had spina bifida, I've been concerned about this.  I was really back and forth on this topic.  This testing has a high risk of resulting in a false-positive.  I didn't want to do the testing, only for it to come back positive, worry for a few weeks, then be told everything was actually fine and the test was actually false.  On the other hand, what if he does have something wrong with him?  I want to be fully prepared and have the best doctors on hand to take care of him.  After talking with Casey and Dr. Slovak, Nick & I praying over it, we decided it was best to be prepared.  Dr. Slovak said that if the test came back positive, to not get worked up over it.  She'd schedule an ultrasound in Dallas that would be better than the ones they offer here.  At that ultrasound, the tech would be able to determine if there was anything actually wrong with the baby.  I will love Brayden no matter what, and I just pray for him to be healthy as can be.  The Lord will guide Nick & I through this pregnancy.  I'm supposed to call the office on Thursday to get the test results back.  I'll update then.

So far, I've lost 12 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy.  I was quite concerned about this, but Dr. Slovak said it was completely normal.  I've really started to feel like a human again, and I've even been eating three full meals a day for the past few days.  She said I'll start to gain the weight back in no time.

We set up our next appointment on Monday, June 3rd.  It will be an afternoon appointment followed by "the big ultrasound".  We have to go to Open Imaging in MP for that one.  Apparently, they measure the size of the baby, really give you a good look at your baby, and we should know 100% that this little one is a Brayden. :)

I wanted to give a small background on the name we chose.  It's funny actually because we've had Brayden Dale chosen from day one.  We both liked it, but neither of us could agree for sure on a girl's name.  I guess that should have been some foreshadowing.  We'd thrown around and thrown out many ideas, but none were sticking with us.  Nick said, "I don't want to go through all this hastle of picking out a girl name, only for it to be a boy."  So, we temporarily decided to not worry about the girl name until we knew the gender.  BUT, we found out the gummy bear was a bouncing (quite literally) baby boy!  So Brayden Dale it was.  Bray is my maiden name, and Dale is both my Dad's and Nick's middle name.  Was the easiest name to pick out.  I gave the idea to Nick, and he said, "I like it!"  And that put paid to it.  He chose how to spell it, and we have our baby boy's name.  Yay!

Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 16 weeks

Praise the Lord!  I talked with the nurse at Dr. Slovak's office and the blood work for the quad screen came back normal!  I was shaking, and I could literally feel my heart beating.  I'm very thankful that the nurse just straight up said, "Everything came back normal."  Didn't beat around the bush or tell me all the details.  I wanted to know the clear answer.  Thank you Lord for answering our prayers!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - 16 weeks, 5 days

I think I felt Brayden move this morning while laying in bed.  It felt like little wings beating the inside of my stomach really fast, then it would stop, then it would start again.  It didn't last long, so I'm not sure if it was him or not.  Once I was up and moving, I didn't feel it again.

I've really gotten my appetite back the past couple of days.  I still don't eat as much as I did before the pregnancy, but I've definitely been eating more than what I've normally consumed over the past 9-ish weeks.  However, just when you think you're done with all that morning sickness junk ("morning" being used lightly), BAM!! You're having a nice dinner with friends at your house when you need to excuse yourself. At least I was still hungry after the incident, that hasn't happened before.

A coworker of mine brought us a book yesterday for Brayden. :)  It's one that my Mom read to me, and Melanie read to Nick growing up, Love You Forever.  I don't need to be reading that right now because I cry like a big baby.  But it was very sweet.  Thanks Sandy!

I talked to Mom tonight.  I have a friend from high school that is having a garage sale this weekend.  She has a little boy and is selling lots of the clothes he's outgrown.  I told Mom she should call Tristen and go shopping.  Tristen actually let her come over tonight to preshop.  Mom called me later to tell me that she hit the mother-load.  I can't wait to see all she got him.  I know there will be some Carhart, Wrangler, and little cowboy boots coming Brayden's way.  Let's hope that 90% turns into 100%!

Saturday, May 18, 2013 - 17 weeks, 2 days

So, I had a "pregnancy" moment today.  I did/said something I would have never said before.  But, I think the young worker at McDonald's may have gotten the drift after my little talk with her.

Let me tell the background on this story. Nick & four of his workers had to work today.  I offered to go get lunch for all of them.  I was already going to be in Mount Pleasant, so I figured I'd get Whataburger.  I took all of their orders and went to town.  After doing my rat killing, I went to Whataburger.  I made my order, got all of my food, and headed to Pittsburg to deliver the food to the guys.  I got to the job site, and they'd left the chicken bites meal out of the bag.  I was upset, but Nick just suggested I run to McDonald's and get a chicken selects meal.  So, that's what I did. 

I'm in the drive through, and I ask, "Could I please get a chicken selects meal?"  The lady replied, "We don't offer chicken selects anymore."  I said, "Oh, then I guess get me the nugget meal."  As I pulled forward, I thought, "I don't think this worker actually likes chicken nuggets."  So, I decided to pull forward and tell the cashier I had changed my mind, cancel my order, and go somewhere else.  I waited, got to the window, and the cashier said, "That will be $7.12."  I said, "I just wanted to let you know that I didn't need that order any more.  I'm sorry."  The cashier proceeded to huff, slam her finger on a button to delete the meal, looked back at me and rolled her eyes.  I couldn't handle that.  Before I knew what I was saying, I told her, "No ma'am!  I said I was sorry, and you do not roll your eyes at a customer.  That was very rude.  I could have just driven off, but I waited in line to tell you I no longer wanted that order.  You do not treat someone that way.  That was rude."  She just stared at me.  When she didn't respond, I pulled off.  She better be glad I didn't go in to talk to her manager, but that just crawled all over me!

I've worked in the food industry before.  Two and a half years to be exact.  I understand that customers will get on your nerves.  I understand that sometimes, you highly dislike your job.  But you do NOT take your frustration out on customers.  You wait until they leave, then roll your eyes.  I'm not oblivious, I know servers and workers talk about customers after they leave, but the key word there is AFTER!  You do not do that to someone's face.    It seemed to me that that worker was probably not reprimanded at home when they talked back to their momma.  My Mom would have grounded me if I were to have acted like that to her.  I hope she got an etiquette lesson and doesn't do that to a customer again.

On a good note, Mom delivered all of the clothes she got from Tristen last night.  I'm so excited for all of them!  Brayden is going to be so cute in them!  We loaded up!

Monday, May 20, 2013 - 17 weeks, 4 days

Oy with the poodles already.  I had my worst case of sickness this evening.  I don't want to complain, I want a healthy baby.  But I'm concerned over not wanting to eat.  And once I do eat, I get sick.  This baby needs nutrition, and I don't know how to get it to him!  I guess I'll start drinking homemade smoothies.  Maybe I can handle those.

Monday, June 3, 2013 - 19 weeks, 4 days

Well, we are certainly welcoming Brayden Dale into the world!  I'm supposed to call Dr. Slovak tomorrow to get the results of all the measuring and what not, but I believe everything looks perfect.  His heart beat was 147 when she listened with the doppler and 150 at the actual sonogram.  We got to see lots of pictures (he still looks like an alien, though), and the sono tech had to point a lot of the body parts out to us.  But everything looks great!  Update: I called and everything is perfect!

For anyone new to the blog, click on the photo, and it will enlarge.

I dropped two more pounds after my last appointment, but I've gained it back by today.  Good sign.  Dr. Slovak thinks I'll be on the upswing now.  I haven't been sick since the last post.  Praise the Lord!  I did try the homemade smoothie route.  I've found a couple that I really like; however, the first, was a DISASTER.  It was bright green and contained peaches, honey, water, and spinach.  I was assured, "Oh, you won't taste the spinach at all!"  Liars!  It tasted like straight up dirt.  It almost caused me to get sick in the car on the way to work.  The second one was much better and contained banana, pineapple, yogurt and ice. 

I've really started to feel him move a lot over the past week.  Friday night, Nick felt him move for the first time.  He thought it was cool/weird. :)  I've also realized that when Nick is near me and talks, Brayden responds.  He'll start moving a lot.  Nick thinks it's crazy that he's already responding to his voice.  These moments will be some of my most precious memories of my life.  Brayden also likes to "dance" during worship at church.  Sunday morning, I could feel him wiggling around in there while we worshipped God.  I love it!

So, now we're going to start working on his nursery.  I've been holding off really buying/doing anything really concrete for the room, but I can go crazy now!  I'm so excited. :)

Oh, and my parents had dinner with my aunts and uncle (Dad's sisters and brother-in-law) this past week in Texarkana.  Mom was telling them that we were pretty sure it was a boy.  Aunt Gena asked the name, and Mom told her.  Aunt Gena said, "No way!  Granny (my paternal grandmother) always wanted me or Renee to have a boy and name him Brayden!"  I never knew this!  I think it is so cool that we picked that name without knowing.  It makes it even more precious.

Thursday, June 6, 2013 - 20 weeks

I have officially reached the half way point and today is mine & Nick's fourth anniversary!  Yay!  I went back and forth on taking any "baby bump" pictures, and I finally decided I'll do some.  I've not done any before now because I really didn't look pregnant, just a little thicker around the middle.  I actually look like I'm pregnant now, so I'm going to start taking some.  I don't know if I'll do one every week or every month, but I'm going to try and get some. :) 

Nick had a laughing fit last night. We had run to MP to look at a job, and he decided we needed to stop and get Braum's. We got our ice cream and were standing outside the truck. Apparently, the way I was standing (hand on hip with my stomach pushed out further than it normally is) plus me chowing down on my peanut butter cup waffle cone was a funny site to see. I love that this can make him laugh. :)

Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 21 weeks, 3 days

Today, I should have been 40 weeks.  Today was my due date with my first pregnancy.  Wow.  God, I'm so thankful you've given us this blessed and healthy pregnancy to help me with my emotions right now.  Of course, being pregnant, I'm already hormonal, but knowing that I'm growing a healthy baby boy right now helps heal the ache of not having a little baby at this very moment. 

I've been so excited to see a lot of our friends havnig babies recently (7 in the past week!), but it has also been hard.  I'm enjoying getting to love on and see pictures of these little miracles.  Nick has had to remind me that, in due time, our's will be here too.

Nick & I attended a beautiful wedding last night, and we decided a while back that we were going to make a short trip out of it.  The wedding was only in Tyler which is about an hour from home, so we could have easily driven back home.  But, knowing that the next day was our first due date, we decided to stay the night and just enjoy our time with each other instead. 

Thank you Lord for whatever your plan is.  I'm ecstatic to have Brayden on his way, and I'm looking forward to meeting our first one in heaven one day.  Everything is for Your glory.

We did take a picture at the wedding we attended last night, so I wanted to include it for those who want to see the "baby bump." :)

I was 21 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture.

Sunday, June 23, 2013 - 22 weeks, 3 days

We went to Nick's cousin's wedding yesterday.  Here's this week's "baby bump."

I was 22 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture.

We visited with Nick's Memaw while we were in Waco today.  She is moving to an assisted living facility, so she had asked us if there was anything in the house we wanted.  I was able to get some pictures and a few items for Brayden's nursery.  I'm really excited to get to use these items.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 - 22 weeks, 5 days

Brayden's Oma, Nick's mom, has started spoiling her new grandson already.  She had pinned this onsie on Pinterest early last week that says "Happy Camper".  We are planning on going camping for Thanksgiving this year.  This is something that Melanie has always wanted to do.  So, I commented on her pin of the onsie and said, "Brayden needs this for Thanksgiving!"  She agreed and told me later that she bought it and a pair of little sweat pants to go with it.  The pants came in yesterday, and the onsie came in today.  She sent me a picture.  It's so cute, and I can't wait for him to wear it. :)

Let's hope Brayden is, indeed, a "Happy Camper!"

Monday, July 1, 2013 - 23 weeks, 4 days

Had a good appointment today.  Brayden's heartbeat was holding steady at 147-148 which is good.  I've started putting on about a pound a week, and Dr. Slovak said that was exactly what she wanted from me.  I've got my next appointment on August 5th, and I'll have to do the dreaded glucose test to test for gestational diabetes, and she'll also test for anemia.  I'm not really looking forward to that appointment.  After that, I'll have another ultrasound two weeks later. 

I'm going to really start working on nursery things this weekend.  Nick is having to make a day trip to Waco on Saturday, so I thought I'd finally start working on a few things.  I can't wait!

I was 23 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture.

Family picture.

Friday, July 5, 2013 - 24 weeks, 1 day

I am not in full "nesting" mode, but I'm getting there.  Wednesday night, Nick had a thing with some guys planned.  I knew I'd have the night to myself.  I didn't want to do too much, but just relax.  However, there is one thing I've been needing to do for quite some time... clean my oven.  I always remembered when I was cooking/baking something.  Therefore, I couldn't clean it beacuse it was hot.  Then, once it was cool enough, I didn't want to clean.  Well, I actually remembered BEFORE I preheated the oven to make the brownies on Wednesday.  I scrubbed, vaccummed, then really deep cleaned the oven.  Once I finished, I felt like I had accomplished so much! :)  Of course, the rest of the night was spent painting my nails and watching Les Miserables, but I felt accomplished.

We celebrated the Fourth with family.  I didn't take a "baby bump" picture, but Sister took this cute picture of us. :)

I was 24 weeks in this picture.

Monday, July 8, 2013 - 24 weeks, 4 days

Last night, I was worried as I lay in bed.  Normally, Brayden's most active time (that I notice) is when I fully relax at night to go to sleep.  He wasn't moving at all.  Nick asked me, "Is he kicking you?"  This has become a nightly ritual.  Nick'll reach over and feel him moving around or sometimes he can even see Brayden's movements.  I said, "No, and it has me worried."  We talked to Brayden, I hummed a song, I drank cold water (this has caused him to jump around before), we even poked my belly to see if that would get him to move around.  FINALLY, Brayden started moving around.  I could feel myself relax again.  I have to get up in the night every night to use the restroom, and when I laid back down last night, he was being a little wiggle worm.  I just laid there and thanked God, and said, "Thank you, Brayden.  You can kick me all night if you want."

A few weeks ago, I had told Nick about these little at-home devices called dopplers (like the ones at the doctor's office but not as high-tech) that can hear the baby's heartbeat that I've found on Amazon.  I didn't see a reason to buy one, but last night, Nick said, "How much are those at-home dopplers again?"  I looked it up and told him.  He said, "Buy one tomorrow.  It would make me feel a lot better."  So, that's what I did today.  I'm hoping it will come in quickly, and we'll be able to hear Brayden's little heartbeat and movements any time we want.

Thursday, July 11, 2013 - 25 weeks

Wowza!  We're 15 weeks away from my due date!

I was 25 weeks in this picture.

And we received the doppler in the mail today.  I tried it at first, but was having a hard time finding a heartbeat.  I knew Brayden was fine because he was moving around, I just didn't know where to place the device.  Nick said, "She always does this with it."  I let him handle it, and he found Brayden's heartbeat no problem.  Since Nick has been able to watch Dr. Slovak, he knew better what to do than me.  We had fun listening.  I'll use it when I'm worried for sure. :)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - 25 weeks, 6 days

I am in full nesting mode.  And my nesting-style seems to be "if it's not nailed down, it's being thrown away/sold/donated."  I took my first load of clothing and shoes to Goodwill today.  I'm going to take some clothes to the consignment store here in town and see if I can make any money off of them.  Then I'm going to take the next load of clothing (some of Nick's this time) to SAFE-T Shelter Store in MP.  I may actually get the garage cleaned out before Brayden arrives because I'm in the mood to get rid of stuff.  I made a long list yesterday of things I want to get done soon.  The list includes but is not limited to:

• organize laundry room/pantry cabinets
• paint furniture for Brayden's room
• put full-size bed into guest bedroom
• clean-out and organize all closets
• put linen box into guest room closet (store quilts and sheets here)
• organize craft/wrapping corner in garage
• shampoo carpets

And that all came off the top of my head.  If I were to actually list out every single item I want to accomplish before Bray gets here, I'd have a spreadsheet a mile long.  Poor Nick.  Many of the things I can't help with (such as moving beds from one room to another).  He either has to bribe a friend to come over, or wait until family is over to help him. 

Speaking of which, I kinda bribed my family to come into town this week with an invitation from Nick to come have dinner.  Nick wants to grill/smoke some food this weekend and mentioned inviting my parents and sister over for dinner.  I sent them a facebook message inviting them and included, "Oh, and if y'all would want to come spend the day, I've got tons of stuff that I need to work on for Brayden's nursery."  Nick said later that evening, "I didn't mean for them to come work for food!"  I said, "I know, but my Dad, Mom & Sister are good and helping me get things done."  :)  I'm sure we'll mark some of these items off the list.

Tonight, I ended up having to stay late at work for something.  Then I had to go grocery shopping.  Once I finally made it home, I made a cake for some friends who just had a baby then made dinner.  By the time I got done with the dishes, I was exhausted.  I had such high hopes for getting stuff done around the house other than just laundry.  Any ways.  Nick & I sat down and watched about an hour of TV.  Then, I got my second spurt of energy.  Nick comes into the bedroom at 9:45, and I have all of the contents of my bookshelf lying across our bed or laying in the floor.  Nick said, "What are you doing?" I said, "Getting rid of some old books."  He just turned around and went back to the living room. :)  I was able to fill up an entire box with old books.  I'll be taking them somewhere soon to donate.

Monday, July 22, 2013 - 26 weeks, 4 days

This evening, I met with someone who will be painting our nursery and scraping the old popcorn ceilings.  Nick & I are perfectly capable of painting, but there's just not enough time in the work week.  When Nick gets a day off, the last thing he wants to do is spend the entire day painting.  He'll be starting next week.  Yay!

After he left, I decided to put together the play yard a friend of our's bought for us and Brayden (thank you Looby's!!).  I had planned on keeping it in the box, but I really wanted to put it together last night.  For one thing,  I was about to fall asleep sitting on the couch.  I've gotten to a point where I want to take a nap when I get home from work, but if I do, I can't fall asleep at night.  So I try to stay busy until bed time.  I had fun putting it together.  The dogs are really confused as to what it is, but maybe it's best they be acclimated to these items gradually.  :)

And nursery planning is in full swing!  But that's a whole blog post in and of itself.  I can't wait to share it!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - 26 weeks, 6 days

I'm at the end of the second trimester!  WHOO HOO!  13 weeks and 1 day until my due date.  Eek!

An Update...Oh My!

I've been fairly quite on the blog front as of late.  That's all because we haven't really done much.  We had such a busy June, that Nick & I decided we needed a few weekends downtime. 

The weekend of the 13th, we did absolutely nothing.  We vegged out, watched TV, and we may have ventured out of the house to eat hot links at some point during the day, but other than that, we didn't do much.

I've had a super cute wreath hanging on our front door since March.  I've been meaning to make a new one to hang, but I've not had the energy.  I finally decided that it was time for the Easter/Spring wreath to come down on July 15th. :)  I really like the way it turned out.  The picture doesn't show the colors too well, but it's white and Tarleton purple on burlap.  I free handed an "R" onto burlap.  Cut out two, painted one, sewed them together, and stuffed it with old Wal-Mart sacks.  I've had three people request me to make them one, but I've had to decline.  It took me almost 3 months to get up enough energy to do this one.  I don't think I'll have time since I'm starting to really work on nursery items.

Nick's parents and aunt left for vacation on Friday.  We went and had dinner with them Thursday before they left.  I, being the pregnant one, got to choose where we ate.  We had IHOP, visited lots, then all headed back home.  Even though I'm jealous, I hope they have a great time in Creede.

This past weekend, my parents, Sister, and Ranger came to visit.  They spent Friday night with us, we had breakfast at the hot link joint, then we all hung-out at the house all day.  Again, we didn't do much but watch TV and visit.  Nick smoked some ribs and pork loin.  He did a great job and all was really yummy!  Sister took some furniture back with her, and we are slowly getting Brayden's room ready.  I had originally asked if they would help paint some furniture and do some projects for the nursery, but I decided it was better for us to just all relax.  The pups were worn smooth out after everyone left.  They slept the rest of the evening Saturday and most of Sunday.

They were useless.

I got this super cute picture of Tex though.  He used his paws and pulled the blanket up under his head for a pillow.

How can such a tiny puppy take up so much room??

We hung out with the Maybens, Finks, and Borums Sunday night.  And now, we're back full swing into another work week.  I may actually work on getting some things accomplished this upcoming weekend, but we shall see. :)

Refinished Dresser...Oh MY!

On July 6th, I embarked on refinishing a dresser.  Here's the before & after.

My coworker, Melanie, saw it on facebook, and knew I was looking for something similar for our bedroom.  I am moving a dresser and nightstand from our bedroom to the nursery, so I needed something to replace those items.  I didn't care what color it was because I knew I wanted to paint it.  I just wanted a certain style.  She saw this, and it was exactly what I wanted.  We went and picked it up Memorial Day weekend, but I didn't get around to refinishing it until now.

I don't know who introduced me to Wonderland & Company's facebook page, but I'm sure glad they did.  W&C is run by a lady that lives in Pittsburg and sells a paint called plaster paint.  This paint is made by The Plaster Paint Company out of Claremore, Oklahoma.  (Side Note: Every time I say "Claremore" I think of Roger & Hammerstein's Oklahoma.  Random.)  I did some research before I used it.  The paint is made in the U.S.A., has no VOCs, and is completely green.  All of this means that pregnant women can safely use it.  To make everything even better, you do not have to sand or strip the existing finish.  Yay!  Sign me up!  I had perused Pinterest looking for my inspiration for the color scheme of this piece.  I found this photo and knew it was the color scheme I wanted to do.

I bought a pint of the Espresso and a quart of the Seaside.  I also bought the Liquid Wax sealer.  You have to seal the paint otherwise it scratches off very easily.  I also got two natural bristle brushes at B&S.  The FAQ said to use non-nylon, bristle brushes, so that's what I got.

I can say, I should have finished this project in a day, but I was not as prepared as I should have been.  

I started the morning off by taking off the hardware.  The bottom drawers had these pulls that I knew I wanted to replace.  When I took them off, I realized they were 2-inch holes...not good.  I've bought lots of hardware since buying our house, and I never see 2-inch hardware, it's all 3-inch.  After using Amazon and Google and the trusty Jim's Discount Cabinet Hardware, I thought I'd have to just refinish the existing hardware and make it work.  However, my husband is awesome and said, "Just go get some wood filler and fill in one of the holes.  We can either drill new holes to use 3-inch handles, or you can just use knobs."  Perfect!  However, I then had to go get wood filler.  I ran up to B&S, got the wood filler, went home and filled in the holes, and had to wait two hours to paint the drawers because the filler had to dry completely.  I went ahead and started painting the top of the dresser while those dried though.  If it hadn't been for this step, I believe I could have finished this project in one day.

This paint is awesome and dries very quickly!  I accidentally got some of the Espresso paint on the part of the dresser I was going to paint Seaside.  I didn't notice until it was already dry.  But, it was removed very simply by using a flat head screw driver and scratching the paint off.  It came off and didn't leave any residue. :)  The paint dried so quickly that I was able to do three coats back to back.  I painted in one direction the first time, the opposite direction the second time, and the original direction the third time.  I had read during my research that doing it that way would help minimize brush marks.  This was after three coats of Espresso paint.

Once the wood filler had completely dried, I brought the drawers outside and started painting the Seaside.  This is after one coat of Seaside.

This is after the second coat of Seaside.  This also dried quickly enough that I was able to paint them back to back.  I painted this in the same order I painted the Espresso.  First coat I painted one direction and the second coat I painted the opposite direction.  I didn't paint a third coat because I didn't think it needed it.

Husband dropped by the house and said that the top looked too perfect and that I needed to rough it up a bit.  After doing some more research, I read that you can distress this paint using a wet Scotch sponge.  I used the green side and just rubbed in random spots to remove some of the paint.  It worked perfectly, and I didn't have to go find sandpaper!

This is after one coat of the Liquid Wax sealer.  I knew I wanted to add a "wash" over the Seaside portion of the dresser with some stain I had, but I was worried about applying it directly to the paint.  The paint has almost a chalkboard type finish before you seal it.  I was afraid it would absorb the stain right up.  I decided I'd do a layer of sealer, stain then seal it once more.

The instructions on W&C facebook page says to let the sealer dry one hour before applying a second coat.  It was dinner time, and we were headed to Longview.  I had to finish the project the next day.

I took a rag, dipped it in some leftover Rustoleum stain I had from a different project, and just rubbed it directly on top of the wax.  I wiped off as much as I could until I got the desired effect.  I wore my kitchen rubber gloves during this part so I wouldn't get any of the stain on my hands.  It was so hot, my hands were completely wet once I took the gloves off.  Ick.  As soon as I was done with stain, I sealed it once more.  I replaced the old hardware with knobs I found at Wal-Mart.  And voila!  The new dresser in our bedroom is complete!

I'll definitely be using Plater Paint again.  As long as this dresser holds up well over the next month, I'll be buying at least 2 quarts of "Old Red" to do the dressers for Brayden's nursery.  Nick's chest of drawers could use a fresh coat of paint, and I'm thinking the rest of the Seaside may go to use there.  It would help tie the pieces together.  We'll see!

Fourth of July, New Friends, and Furniture...Oh My!

We celebrated the Fourth of July by heading to New Boston for lunch.  My Dad's family came to my parents' house to eat lunch.  It was such a pleasant day, we ate outside, and spent the entire time out there.  Sister & I took one picture together, and other than that, I didn't get any.

Nick & I headed back to Pittsburg that afternoon.  We visited with some of Nick's high school friends for just a bit, then watched the fireworks in Pittsburg from the back of our car parked at Broach Park.  The Fourth is one of my favorite holidays!

Friday night, Nick & I attended a fish fry at the Mayben's cabin.  They had invited all of the new coaches and their wives over, and we got to meet all of them.  I'm so excited for this upcoming football season.  This group of coaches seem like they are really going to give it their all.  We enjoyed getting to visit with all of them, and I can't wait to get to know each of them better.  One of the coach's wives, Devon, is going to have a little boy any day now.  So Brayden will have a little playmate!

Saturday, Nick had to work all day long.  I painted a dresser a coworker of mine found on facebook for me.  I'm going to do one whole blog devoted to that project, but here's a little teaser...  This is what the dresser looked like when I bought it.

That evening, Nick & I ate dinner with the Maybens at Shogun in Longview.  It was DELICIOUS!  Then they dropped us off at Alan & Tovah's house.  Nick's grandmother has moved into an assisted living place.  Alan & Melanie went to Waco on Saturday to load up a lot of furniture and knick-knacks that we all wanted to keep in the family.  Since Nick & I weren't able to go to Waco to help load-up everything, we wanted to help them unload the U-Haul.  Nick & I got there before Alan & Melanie, so we played with Owen and visited with Tovah.  Owen was super sweet and "kissed" Brayden goodnight before he went to bed.  We unloaded the items Alan & Tovah were keeping, then got on the road to go back to Pittsburg.  Sunday, we unloaded our items at our house, and then helped unload Melanie's items at their house.

I hate that Memaw is no longer living at her home, but I believe this will be a great move for her.  She is quite the social bug, and her memory is sharp as a tack!  She'll know everyone's name and story before long (and be able to tell you in detail about everything that is going on there).  We received some pieces that we will always treasure.  We got a mirror that belonged to Memaw's mother, a Singer sewing machine & stand, a linen box that belonged to Melanie's grandfather, and a set of dishes I once told Memaw I liked.  She's always remembered me saying that I liked those dishes, and my name has been on them ever since. :)  We already have a few pieces that we brought home with us when we were there for Gavin & Lindzie's wedding a few weeks back.  She also gave us her glider two years ago.  I'm going to put the glider in Brayden's nursery after I recover the cushions.  I don't have pictures of the items except for the Singer machine and stand.  Don't ask me why, but I have always wanted one of these.  The belt is long gone, but I'm hoping we can possibly repair that.  I don't know if I'd ever use it, but I absolutely love the way it looks.

Sunday, Nick worked again most of the day, then we went over to the Maybens' to eat dinner.  Casey had made spaghetti, and it was so good.  That is one of my all time favorite meals.  She and the kids also made an AWESOME dessert.  It was a sugar cookie "pizza" complete with cream cheese icing, strawberries, and blueberries.  I said I only wanted a small slice...but I ended up eating Keyton's too. :)  We all then loaded up to go with Mitchell to take pictures of a property he is listing.  I've missed the Maybens.  This summer has been crazy for us all, and I feel like we haven't seen them in ages until this weekend.  Keyton asked me on Friday, "Nana, where's your baby?"  I said, "He's still in my tummy Keyton, right here (pointing to my stomach)."  He said, "Oh, ok."  Nick said, "Well, they haven't seen us in about a month.  He's just curious as to when this kid is coming." :)

Puppies, Family Reunion, and Fishing...Oh My!

As I mentioned in my last post, we kept Ranger, my Sister's pup, for most of the week last week while she and my parents went on vacation.  He was funny and our puppies were worn out after he left.  Satchel has started tolerating him.  Hopefully things will just keep getting better on that end. :)

Ranger licking my eyelashes.  I was trying to take a good picture to send to Sister.  And that's what happened.

Satchel was jealous and needed to feel love too.

Friday night, the Nicholson family reunion kicked-off with dinner at Vaughan's on Lake Bob Sandlin.  It was very yummy.  We then all headed out to Camp Shiloh for some visiting.  Saturday morning was the actual reunion.  Nick got up early to do some work, and I worked on a few dishes for the potluck lunch.  He finished up a little after 10:00, and we headed out to the camp.  We had our big group picture at noon then ate until I could pop!  We participated in the silent auction then played Bingo.  I headed back into town in the afternoon to meet up with my parents and sister who needed to pick-up Ranger.  I visited with them a bit, then headed back out to the reunion for leftovers for dinner.  A lot of people had already left, but we still got to visit with lots of people.  We were sitting out in our lawn chairs, and I was exhausted.  A good thing about being pregnant is when you take an hour long nap in your lounger outside, no one looks at you crazy when you wake up. :)  I felt very refreshed after that nap.

Dinner at Vaughan's.

Dinner at Vaughan's.

Dinner at Vaughan's.

Dinner at Vaughan's.

Good lounging weather. :)

Waiting on the husband to come take a picture with me, and my mother-in-love says, "Turn sideways!"

I literally had to beg him to take this with me.  We were relaxed in the lounge chairs, and he did not want to get up.  He said, "We'll be out here again next year."  I said, "But I won't be pregnant with Brayden then."  He said, "But Brayden will be with us for the picture."  I said, "Get over it.  I want a picture of me pregnant with Brayden and a picture next year with Brayden.  Get up."  Pregnant lady won.

Then we took a photo of my wonderful father- and mother-in-love.

Everyone in attendance at this year's reunion.  I believe we had 62 in all, that's a record!

Nick & I took his cousin, Troy, and Troy's girlfriend Katy out to fish at Highland Club Lake on Sunday afternoon.  Troy and Nick went out to fish for the big fish in the boat.  Katy and I stayed on the floating dock, but enjoyed ourselves just the same.  Troy caught a good sized bass, and Katy and I were able to catch lots of bream then had some time to get to know one another.  This was my first time to meet Katy.  After a few hours of fishing, we went to Efurd's to get ice cream.  We had a great time with them both!

It was so pleasant!  I did have to apply sun screen all day, but we had a nice breeze and the temp was not too terribly hot.

Troy's bass!