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Snowy Window Christmas Card

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Stationery card

Snowy Window Christmas Card

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A Letter to Baby

Dear my Sweet Baby,

I am writing this because you are coming to join us so soon, and there are things I want you to know. I want you to know how much you have changed my life, and in every way for the better. I want you to know how much you are loved. I want you to know how proud I am that you chose me to be your mom. I also want you to know how there is no baby in this world that could make me more proud.

It has been a long and scary pregnancy for your mom. When I was about 20 weeks pregnant with you, I took a little fall and ended up experiencing contractions. We ended up in Labor & Delivery and things were not looking good. At 20 weeks the doctors wouldn’t do anything to help you because babies are considered too small to live outside at that time. Listening to what they had to say that night was killing your Dad and I. We were so scared and felt helpless. But, here is the thing that we didn’t know; your mom was pregnant with the strongest baby in this world. That night was the first of a long and scary journey and with as much strife and fear as we underwent you continued to grow and grow and it is amazing.  

I write this with tears in my eyes and pride in my heart because I still can’t believe we have made it this far. You taught your Daddy and I about faith in God, faith in his timing, and the power of love. You are the strongest person I know, because before you even breathed for the first time you had fought so hard and so many times to stay with us, and I couldn’t thank you more. I want you to go through life with the same fight that you have had the last 16 weeks. Always be courageous, never give up, and know that your parents couldn’t possible have any more love for you.

Endless Love,

Mom

I'm Dating Again!

I like my husband, I really do. I love him of course and all that, but I also like him, and therefore spending time with. Our life together has been fast, crazy, and beautiful (with a lot of emphasis on fast.) Of course I expect things to change with being married and now expecting our first baby, but I refuse to accept that our;  open and honest conversations, endless nightly laughs over ridiculous things, and "us" time are a thing of the past.

This pregnancy has presented its challenges; on our strength, faith, and ability to manage as a team, and I couldn't be more proud of how we have handled it all. However, with endless doctor appointments and ultrasounds, we haven't had a lot of couple time, which I think has been an awakening as to how life will be with a baby!

So, we have been implementing a new plan, and it is going great. Planners are being utilized again, Droid calenders are synched up, and we scheduled a nice dinner out every other week until closer to my due date. Also, on Wednesdays I wake up with him earlier in the morning and we make (and actually sit down for) breakfast together. Today is a Wednesday, and that 20 minutes together has brought so much more happiness to my day. I don't think either of us realized how much we missed each other!

Special Savings Today (Ends July 31st!):

Okay, I have a deal to share with you all. If you go to http://www.restaurant.com/ and search for restaurants near you, you will see that a lot of the $25 gift certificates are only $10,$15, or $20. Select as many as you want for different restaurants, and then type in promo code "save" this will bring the price down to only $2,$3 or $4 for EACH $25 certificate. Also they don't expire. I bought SEVEN $25 ($175 total) certificates (to a variety of restaurants near us) for only $18!! Enjoy!!

Double Double Bonus:

 Boyce Avenue and DeStorm on youtube.

Absolutely amazing. Here is there cover of "Coming Home"

Viability Day!!

We are officially 24 weeks along in the pregnancy and that means... Viability! The standard practice is that a baby is not considered capable of surviving outside the womb until 24 weeks. When we went through everything a month ago, we were constantly reminded that we would have to get to 24 weeks, or that the worst would occur. Since then Brandon and I have been super aware of the magic that 24 weeks brings, and it is nothing short of what we hoped for.

 Between the appointment earlier this week going so well, the 3D ultrasound, and now being 24 weeks, I can honestly say this has been the best week of my pregnancy since we first found out.

This one is for you little Hokie:

A Really Good Day!

My parents came down from NH for the day to visit with, and also come to an ultrasound with us. Due to our "high-risk" label we have a level II anatomy scan (ultrasound) every 4 weeks. While the extra ultrasounds are nice to be able to see our little one, they have not always been the source of the best news, so we anticipate each appointment with cautious excitement.

Our ultrasound technicians name was Wendy and is definitely the best technician we have had so far. A lot of time the tech's we end up with are not very personable, or are annoyed that we don't want to find out the sex. Anyways, Wendy was awesome, and she totally thought my Dad was funny, which could have been hit or miss, since he is a total jokester that could completely be misinterpreted.

She started the scan and was going through each tiny part, in complete detail, gathering the measurements and we all just stared at the screen in total amazement of the little life in there kicking and moving all around. Wendy even confirmed that baby's feet were kicking right into my bladder, which made me feel better about almost peeing my pants a few times recently.  She was explaining it all to my parents as she went along and they were completely blown away. My dad showed his age by continually saying how "they never had anything like this back when..."

After a few minutes she switched wands, and was just scanning like normal until she pushed a button and BAM - the awesome happened - she had turned the ultrasound into 3D! We were all just open-jawed for a while. I have seen a ton of 3D ultrasound pics, but to see OUR baby, his/her little nose, eyes, and lips, was just beyond words. I still cannot believe it as a type!

This picture is our favorite. Just looking at all the tiny details make my heart explode with so much love, and the fact that his/his little head is resting on what looks like a pillow is just beyond adorable.

But it gets even better still! The Dr. looked at the pictures and measurements and said everything was going so well that we could move the ultrasounds to about 6 weeks apart now. Baby is 1lb and 6 ounces, and measuring right on track! Knowing that our little one is growing so well just fills Brandon & I with happiness and joy!

Today is Brandon's birthday, and I don't think anything could be a greater gift then to have these precious pictures to obsess over and the knowing that our baby is doing just perfect.

Bonus Photo of My Two Loves:

(FYI, Brandon sleeps through anything, and may not know that this picture even exists until he reads this blog post ;)

A "tough question, get to know me" Q&A

Q.) How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
A.) I would say 26.

Q.) If  life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
A.) I think in order to embrace positives we would first have to experience negatives. If we only engaged in things that made us happy, we would never be grateful for the happy moments.

Q.) What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
A.) I wish everyone could learn more about the realities of the world around them. I don't think enough people educate themselves on important political/social issues. I think if people were more aware of these things, it would bring about more acceptance.

Q.) If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
A.) My degree is in education for a reason, I love working with young children. But for this part of my life, being a full time wife and mommy-to-be  is what brings me the most joy.

Q.) To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
A.) Maybe 1% haha. Really, It blows my mind how things turn out. The things I thought were the worst moments of my life that were out of my control, eventually lead me to this, so I guess not having control can be a beautiful thing.

Q.) If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
A.) Live for and love every moment of your life, don't take a second for granted.

Q.) If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
A.) The DC area. I know Brandon would like to be back near VT and his friends there, it has a decent industry for his career, and I would be content with raising my children there (in the burbs of course.)

Q.) What are you most grateful for?
A.) Hands-down, that our baby is happy and healthy right now - nothing could make me more grateful.

Q.) Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now?
A.) That's the thing about life; what I though was the end of the world then, is minor in the grand scheme of things now. The hard part of life is really realizing that moments can be hard, but not end all.

Q.) What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special?
A.) Summer time and camping. Sleeping in tents, and then ending up in hotels when the crazy New England weather would be terrible. Fishing, canoeing, and having my whole family relaxed and together.

Q.) At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
A.) The last 1 and 1/2 years has been filled with an abundance of passion. I met Brandon, we fell in love so naturally and fast, moved in together, got engaged, had the most beautiful wedding, and are now having our blessed baby. Brandon has brought out a more relaxed and adventurous side of me, and our journey together has ignited a passion inside of me, and I truly feel alive.

Q.) When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
A.) When we first met (and immediately began dating) no one understood Brandon & I "rushing" into anything, but we were so sure of ourselves and the love we have for each other. We were right ;)

Q.) If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
A.) No one, I wouldn't want to focus on the end. That's why I end every phone call with an "I Love You" because no one knows when the end will come.