20 Weeks...halfway there!

This week I have hit a pretty big milestone....I'm 20 weeks pregnant!  I thought I would never hit 20 weeks and now that it's here, I really can't believe I'm halfway through the pregnancy.  People ask me all the time how I'm feeling and I never really know what to say.  I'm actually feeling great!  This has been an extremely easy pregnancy so far and have hardly felt much different besides the early exhaustion and nausea that wasn't even too severe.  I know, I know...all you moms out there are thinking to yourself "oh just wait"  but who knows?  We'll see what the 3rd trimester is like but I honestly can't wait!  I hear most people enjoy their 2nd trimester the best but I love looking and feeling pregnancy and I'm still not quite there yet.  I know it's coming and I'm really looking forward to the 2nd half!

Justin and I went to our 20 week big ultrasound on Tuesday where they examine the anatomy of the baby.  I was a little nervous about this appointment since I have heard many sad stories of what parents find out during this ultrasound.  I'm so thankful Justin took the day off work to go with me.  Thankfully baby Cooper's heartbeat was strong and was measuring great along with his heart, brain, and everything else they were able to see.  The only problem is sweet Cooper was just so content and happy in his mommy's womb that he wasn't moving and was not in a good position.  Actually she kept saying he was "lazy" but as his mom, I would rather say he is just content and chilled :) She couldn't get a look at his face at all and also 2 other areas she couldn't see so I will have to go back another day to complete that ultrasound.  A part of me is glad I get to have another ultrasound to see my baby again but I was also ready for this particular ultrasound to be over with.  It's still a continued daily battle to trust the Lord and I'm pretty sure it will be like that for the rest of my life as a mom.  I also found out that the placenta is at the top, which is acting as a pillow and cushioning his kick and is why I haven't felt Cooper move yet.  I was getting a little anxious to feel him move since most people have told me they felt their 1st baby move at 18-20 weeks.  She told me that since the placenta on top,  and the fact that he just doesn't move a lot, it could be awhile until I feel him.....bummer!  I was relieved in a way that that was why I haven't felt him move, but also sad that it could be awhile before I feel him.  Everyone asks me if I have felt him kick yet and I was getting discouraged when I just kept saying no.  I am more than ready to feel him move but also just thankful that he is doing so well right now.

Here are a couple of pics of our sweet boy.  She couldn't get any good profile shots since he wasn't cooperating so this was the best she could do.  You can see his hands sticking up

Here is a cute one as he was holding his hands together.  I told Justin he was already praying...that's my boy!

First week with Bella

We have official adopted a dog...meet Bella

Is this not the cutest face you've ever seen (besides babies of course).  I seriously can't get over how stinkin cute she is!  And I know exactly what you're thinking right now.  Are you crazy for getting a dog right before you have a baby?  And my answer is, yes, we are crazy!  We like to do things not the typical way in our family but we love it.  Justin has been talking about wanting to get a dog since we first got married.  We knew we wanted to wait until we had a house and of course right when we moved to a house, Justin was talking about how we need to get a dog.  I was a little more hesitant on the timing since we have a brand new home, and a baby on the way.  But my sweet husband did put up with an emotional, hormonal pregnant wife on and off over a year now so I thought it was the least I could do not to fight it.  :)  We decided we did not want to get a puppy since we really didn't want a puppy to chew up the house and wake us up all the time.   We will soon not be getting sleep and would rather not start that process earlier than we need to.   Justin started looking up different adoption agencies online to see what was available.  He has been looking for a LONG time it seems and also had to fill out a long application.  I really had no idea what can go into adopting a dog...it was quite amusing to me as they even came over for a "house visit" (I'm not kidding).   I understand more now since they did nurse Bella back to health, pay for all her shots and took care of her and doesn't want her to be left abandoned again if we have an issue with her.  Then one day Justin found Bella online and showed me her bio and picture.  I really liked her right away.  We were mainly looking for a dog that was already house trained and good with kids.  She had been in a foster home with 2 small children so that made me feel at ease.  She is also a lab mix and labs are great with kids as well.  So the day after we get back from vacation we are going to Petsmart to meet Bella to see if we want to adopt her.  We met her and just loved her right away.  Then a week later, we were able to take her home with us!  We have had her a whole week now and I can honestly say, I could not have asked for a better dog. Maybe I'm in the honeymoon stage, but she has been perfect so far.  She hasn't had one accident, hasn't chewed anything she isn't supposed to, she sleeps through the entire night without whining or barking, and she hasn't even tried to get on the furniture.  She is a great mix of being playful but also calm.  She loves to play with her blue seahorse that she came with:

What I liked about the adoption agency is that they were very honest about what the dog was like.  They have on the bios if the dog is not good with kids or needs a lot of patience etc.  With Bella, they told us she likes to chase cats so she can't be at a house with cats.  We never plan to get a cat so that doesn't bother us!  They also told us when we adopted her that she has some separation anxiety.  I really didn't know what she meant by that and thought they were just over analyzing her.  But now I get it.  She follows Justin and I around everywhere we go.  I have accidentally stepped on her a dozen times because I didn't know she was right behind me.  She doesn't really know what personal space is.  Poor girl was found abandoned in a trailer park and has been at a few different fosters homes so she hasn't had a steady home.  She follows me to the bathroom and I have to shut the door to get some privacy!  I then open the door and she is right there.  She is a cutie!   I'm hoping that will pass with time.

It's surprising how attached Justin and I are to her after just a week....we have turned into those crazy dog people...something I thought I'd never be!  I actually forgot how much joy a dog can bring to a home.  Here she is learning how to fetch....

I have a feeling that there is another girl fighting for my husband's attention ;)

Okay I'm done talking about the dog....only 4 short months until we add another little addition into the family....I can't wait!

The Big 3-0

Yes it's true, I turned 30 last week and I'm not ashamed!  I not one of those girls who dreads turning 30 or is ashamed of her age, and I'm actually really looking forward to my 30's!  The 20's were obviously a great decade for me and filled with lots of change, including graduating from college, moving overseas for 2 years, living on my own, getting a job and then getting married!  But now I enter in my 30's with great anticipation and really looking forward to this new decade of marriage and parenthood! I have no doubt it will be filled with ups and downs, trials and triumphs, and tears and excitement.  I am truly thankful to walk through this journey with my life partner and best friend!

Okay so back to my birthday.  We realized awhile back that Justin was going to have a couple of weeks off of school the same time as my 30th birthday, so we knew we needed to do something outside of Houston to getaway.  We decided to go to New Orleans since we had never been there before together and my best friend Staci lives there now with her husband and I have been wanting to visit her.  It was a great trip that I hope to share more about in another post.  Here are some pictures from my birthday:

The day started out with breakfast beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde....so good!!

We then walked around Jackson Square and the French Quarter and did some sight seeing and shopping!  

We met some interesting people on the street....

And bought some cute NOLA hats to fit in...

We then went to lunch at a wonderful seafood restaurant, did some more walking, shopping and sight seeing and then went back to our hotel to clean up for dinner.  

The 4 of us went to dinner at a fun restaurant on Magazine that was really good!  

The night ended with what else but dessert!  We went to a cute little gelato place for birthday dessert

It was a wonderful birthday for sure and I'm so thankful for my hubby and Staci for making is so fun and special!  Of course I have to end my birthday post with a funny story about what my sweet and thoughtful hubby gave me for my birthday.  I must start with saying that it is very hard for my husband to surprise me.  My sweet man can not lie to save his life (which is a great quality) and I always know when he is trying to trick me or surprise me.  I can read him very well.  Anyway, the day before we left for our trip Justin asked me to get out the wrapping paper and tissue paper, etc so he could wrap my birthday gift.  He had told me a few times to not have high expectations since we are on a budget and this trip is a part of my bday present.  Of course I knew that and wasn't expecting anything big.  I did notice he spent a VERY long time wrapping my gift, but being that my hubby is a perfectionist, I didn't think much of it.  So on my birthday he gives me my gift perfectly wrapped in the hotel

At this point I have absolutely no idea what it is.  So I open up the gift and this is what I saw:

For those of you who don't know, this is a board game that we already own!  My heart literally sank when I opened up.  My first thought was "you gave your wife a board game we already own for her 30th birthday?" He then tells me in this exciting voice, "I know how much you like games!" He then tells me that he asked my mom for her input about what to give me and she told him that I like this game.  I am seriously falling for his entire gig.  I then sweetly say, "we actually already have this game....but that's okay."  And of course Justin is acting so upset with himself that he bought me a game that we already own.  I am telling him it's okay though I was secretly disappointed.  I don't remember exactly what I was thinking at this point, but something in me made me open up the box.  And this is what I saw in the box:

It's an iPad!!!  I couldn't believe it!  I was in such shock that my husband had bought me an iPad.  We are not the most techy couple and usually the last to get into the newest gadgets.  But I was SO excited and relieved that he didn't get me a board game!  I couldn't stop laughing as he definitely surprised me.  He was so thoughtful as we only have one computer that actually works well (our other computer is so slow there is no point to even get on it) and now I can get on the iPad when he's doing his school work.  I must say, my husband did good and it was definitely a memorable 30th birthday!