Merry Christmas!

So it's a few days after Christmas and I am just starting to feel back to normal. I had a very bad cold for the days leading up to Christmas. In fact, it wasn't until Christmas day that I felt better. But it was a wonderful Christmas, even if we had no power! We think a transformer blew out because the sky turned pink, purple, blue and green. We had everyone over here - my mom and brother, Chris's parents and his brother's family (including my adorable niece and nephew!). The power went out completely right after we ate (it had flickered all night) and we had a 6 year old who NEEDED to open presents, so we built a fire in the fireplace, broke out the flashlight and that was that! :)

I'm very much looking forward to next Christmas and have already started thinking about the things we will have and do for Baby Jackson. When Stephen and I were little, mom had these wonderful stocking made for us, so of course, I want one made for Jackson. I keep seeing all these adorable outfits for Baby's First Christmas, but just in case he's not true to size, I refrain...that doesn't necessarily mean I refrain from buying other things. ;)

It's a BOY!

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew it was a boy. I just knew. And I was right! :) Baby Neighbours is now Baby Jackson! Yesterday, we went for our big ultrasound and, after a little poking, he showed us the "goods"! There was no mistaken it! Chris should be proud! :)

Last night, I had dinner with some of my closest friends at Buca di Beppo and (stealing Lisa's sister's idea), I asked them all to wear a pink shirt if they thought it was a girl and a blue shirt if they thought it was a boy. Turns out Heather, Lori, Anne Marie and April were right and Lisa was half right since she wore a pink sweater with a blue jacket! :)

So, now the fun begins - the shopping, decorating the nursery, a baby shower, and then of course, the main event - little Jackson's arrival! :) I can't wait!!!

I pretty much think 2010 is going to rock!

Honestly, I don't normally care much about the new year. I do love Christmas and the holidays in general, but the fact that another year is approaching doesn't really do much for me. People look at the new year as a fresh start, but I've always thought if you really need a fresh start, you don't need a year to pass to get it. A year passing is just another year; however, my opinion has definitely changed because I am really looking forward to 2010...for much more than the obvious reason! :)

There are so many things going on for myself, my family and my friends that makes me so excited! First of all - I turn 30. And for the first time, I'm not really scared of it. I'm really happy where my life is - a great husband, a beautiful home, a wonderful group of family and friends and an awesome job! PLUS A BABY! That rocks! My BFF's Jessica and Lori also turn 30! So you know what that means - TONS of AWESOME birthday parties! My BFF Anne Marie is getting MARRIED! I am so very happy for her and cannot wait to see her walk down the aisle! I know she is going to be beautiful bride! That means there's also bridal showers and a bachelorette party coming up! WOO HOO! I also know that there will be many other celebrations, as friends find new jobs, graduate school, buy homes and start their families. And that's just what I know about - think of the great surprises to come!

The main event (at least in my life) will be the birth of our baby. But there are also so many family and friends that are also expecting right now - including my cousin, a couple of my sorority sisters, and several of my friends - that 2010 will be the year of the babies!

I feel we have all been so blessed in our lives, even though there have been hardships and trying times. When I think about all the good going on right, I just feel so much happiness and joy. I cannot wait for Baby Neighbours' arrival and I know, for me and Chris, that is the biggest blessing of all.

My first craving

I haven't had any real cravings in this pregnancy. Oh, occasionally, I'd see something on TV and want it for a bit. And there are definitely foods I prefer to eat. But there hasn't been anything that I just really WANT - until now. In the past four days, I've drank two gallons of orange juice and ate maybe 10 oranges (probably more). So, it seems that that my first real pregnancy craving are oranges. I finished off the OJ this morning and ate my last two oranges for breakfast, so now I'm kind of bummed. :( But that's okay - Chris will be up soon and I think his first stop of the day will be Publix! :)

And the countdown is on...

I am 17 weeks today - at 18 weeks and 3 days, we are finding out what we are having. So, naturally, the next week and a half is going to go by incredibly slowly. But the good news is that there are things going on that create milestones towards that day. For example, this Sunday, Jess and Em and I are going to see a movie. Next Tuesday, my mom is coming into town. Next Wednesday is our holiday office party. See, small steps...

But I totally think it's a boy. We'll see, though! :)

The List

When people find out I'm pregnant, they often ask me what I'm craving and really, it hasn't been too much. Fruit, especially berries and watermelon, occasionally something crazy (like the night I had to have a cheeseburger and an orange Fanta), but all and all, it's been pretty mild.

There is, however, a list of foods that I cannot eat. This list makes me sad because it's some of my favorite foods, however, I'll take not eating them over not being sick, thank you very much. The most updated list is as follows:

Peanut Butter: Okay, I love peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But peanut butter, hands down, the nastiest thing I have ever thrown up, therefore, until this baby is born, I am not risking it again.

Pumpkin: This one just makes me sad. It's FALL! My favorite time of year! Time for pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies! But nope, anytime I try even a bite or sip of something with pumpkin, Baby Neighbours says, "No way, mom. No way." Sigh. Maybe next year.

Milk: Drinking plain white milk was never my favorite, but now, it's downright nasty. I can still do it in cereal, but that's it.

Yogurt: Every morning, I used to take a yogurt and chocolate milk to work. Now, the thought of yogurt and it's creamy, thick texture is just too much. Chocolate milk was on the bad list for a while, too, but I have overcome that one!

Mexican: See previous posts. :(

Rice: Anything with rice, in general, makes me sick. This includes Chinese food, chicken and rice, broccoli casserole, Tin Drum, etc. Again, don't know why, exactly, but it just does.

Chicken from Chick-fil-A or Zaxby's: Something about the smell...however a chicken sandwich from Wendy's is a-okay.

Time Flies...

I’m now into my 14th week of pregnancy and so far, everything with the baby looks great! About three weeks ago, I stopped throwing up, which is the best thing ever! I still get tired easily and nap quite a bit, but other than that, my symptoms are pretty mild. I have been having back and butt pain, which apparently is caused by the baby being close to a nerve. Who knew something the size of a lemon could cause back pain?

We had the NT scan about two weeks ago and the results from that came back great for the baby! I got some not-so-great news, but we’re handling that well. The bottom line is the baby will be okay and so will I. I’m being treated at the Perinatal Center and with my OB…the sad news is I won’t be able to see Kerianne as much for the rest of the pregnancy and I don’t know what I will do without her! But Dr. Nix is amazing and I feel very lucky to have a team of great medical professionals looking out for me and our baby!

The next big thing is the gender ultrasound, which is scheduled for 12/18. That seems like forever away! Every time I go to the doctor, I hope they tell us, but they always say it’s “too soon”. But it will be a great Christmas present to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl! What do I think? I think we’re having a boy – but we’ll find out pretty soon!