Maryland Baby Shower

It is crazy how quickly the last month has gone!  I feel like so much has been happening and I haven’t blogged any of it!  Early in November I traveled up to the Great Northeast to help out with some new-hire training in Taneytown, MD and Gettysburg, PA.  Since my doctor told me that at the end of November I would be “grounded”, (as in no more flying around the continent), my Mom thought it might be a good time to plan my Maryland Baby Shower.  So we set the date for November 13^th and I pretty much relaxed while my wonderful mom, mother-in-law, sister, and sister-in-law set up plans for the guest list, food, decorations, games, prizes…the list goes on and  on.  It was an absolutely beautiful day in mid-November with warm temperatures and tons of sunshine; it felt like the perfect day to celebrate Brady’s upcoming arrival in our lives. 

My sis-in-law Leslie made most of the decorations (yes, I said MADE…she’s so crafty and cute and impossible not to love) and they were beautiful!  I didn’t get to take pictures of the room all set up before guests arrived, but here are some of the highlights:

Adorable diaper cake made by Les 

Diaper cake with cake pops made by my Aunt Donna (and assembled by Toddy)

Super cute Letter B for the door (and Chris and I posing in front of course!) 

Amazing cake pop display made by Aunt Donna...everyone LOVED these sweet treats!!

OK, so that gives you a little idea of the décor.  The food was delicious, but once again I did not get a picture of the table all decked out with yummy creations before everyone started digging in!  We did get a few good shots of the cake though.  My mom had the stripes matched perfectly to the napkins and table cloths so everything would coordinate…

Besides the decorations, cake, and food, the day also involved us being showered with tons of beautiful, thoughtful, and useful gifts.  Brady, Chris and I all made out like bandits, and we are so thankful to our family and friends for their generosity.  Brady is sure to be the hippest baby in all of Houston with his super cool gear!  More important for us, though, was the opportunity to see and spend some quality time with our family and friends!  Having so many of our loved ones all gathered in one place is an amazing thing, and a few times during  the shower I caught myself staring around the room at all the people I love and miss so much.  Living 1500 miles away in Houston has really taught me to appreciate every minute we get to spend with them, but it’s never enough.  Still, Chris and I did our very best to soak up as much time with everyone as possible!  Here are some fun pictures of all the cool people we know and love!

Nessticle and Dirty D

Toddy and Leslie checking things out

Pretty Lisa Gail :0)

Sissy recording the gifts...we didn't get any posed photos of us before she had to leave :0(

Love of my life...Sophie Elle!

BFFs since 3rd Grade!

Junel & me...btw, she had twins 10 weeks before this and is lookin' fabulous!

Carrie & Dani...FSU Volleyball Loves!

Chris' Aunt Melanie, Cousin Leslie, and me

The Grandmas and me...don't they look excited?!?!

Me with my lovely hostesses (except Taryn...she had to get to the airport to catch her flight to Orlando)

The one-and-only Toddy drove all the way up from Charlotte to be there for this special day!  Love him so much!

Pops & Granna are stoked to meet Brady!

Unckie B is pretty excited too!

All in all, my baby shower was a huge success.  Mom, Brenda, Taryn, and Leslie did a fantastic job with the planning and I am so grateful for them and everyone else who helped out!  Chris and I are truly lucky to be bringing our baby boy into such a loving group of people.  As I was reading the sweet messages in all the cards and the wishes for Brady and our family, I wanted to cry but for some reason I just couldn’t stop smiling. Our little angel is going to be showered with love and nothing could make us happier. 

Until next time, please enjoy this corny image of Chris and me kissing under the Letter B!

 

24 Weeks and Uninvited "Guests"

Well, I admit that I've fallen a little behind in my blogging...it's been a crazy few weeks around here in the Baugher house!  First things first, we'll back up to November 2nd; I was officially 24 weeks along and Chris and I were feeling refreshed after spending a night away the previous weekend at The Lost Pines resort in Bastrop.  It was a typical Wednesday morning at work when around 9:20 I got a call from an 800 number on my cell phone.  The call was from an ADT operator explaining that our alarm was going off at home and asking if everything was okay.  After I told her I was not home, she said she would alert the police and asked me to meet them at our house.  I immediately left the office and hurried home, all the while hoping (and partially believing) that it was a false alarm.  We had one once before during a storm when we were at home, so I kept telling myself not to worry.  When I pulled up in front of the house, the front door was hanging wide open but did not appear damaged.  "OK", I thought, officially freaked out but still naive enough to hope that maybe we'd left it unlocked and the wind had blown it open.  I circled my car around and parked across the street, staring at the house with uncertainty.  I knew I shouldn't go inside because someone could still be there, but I was worried about Camden.  In spite of myself, I started to cry and panic like a typical girl.  (Blame it on the pregnancy hormones!)  About that time, a neighbor came around the corner walking his two dogs, and I flagged him down.  He walked to the door with me while I went inside to survey the situation and get Camden out.  Luckily, Cammie was safe and sound in his crate, looking like he was just waiting for me to get home.  Unluckily, our back door was not safe and sound...

Neither were the televisions in our family room and master bedroom.  Well, I guess they were fine, but they were no longer in our house.  So, long story short, we got robbed.  I called Chris and blubbered the news to him through shocked tears.  I put Cam on his leash and got out of the house to wait for the police and for Chris.  The rest of the day was spent filing the police report, talking to concerned neighbors, and calling handyman after handyman until one finally agreed to fix our door the same day.  Needless to say, we've felt a little insecure in the house ever since.  Apparently 1out of 3 people will be a victim of home theft in their lifetime, but it feels absolutely terrible when it's you.  The fact that someone was in our house, in our BEDROOM, really made me feel violated.  And the fact that someone broke our door down to take things that do not belong to them, that they didn't work for, really made me feel angry. Anger paired with pregnant hormones makes for a crazy, crazy girl.  So, we now have taken extra precautions and are better prepared for this type of situation...I truly hope it never happens again, but if it does, we will be ready!  All in all, we were lucky.  The house was not wrecked and we really only lost two TVs and one door frame.  No one was hurt and that is by far the most important thing. 

On a much lighter note, my 24 week doctor's appointment went great.  I had my first tummy measurement and the doctor said I was exactly the right size for 24 weeks.  Other than that I just got to hear Brady's heartbeat again, which never, ever gets old.  That steady "whoosh whoosh whoosh" is the most beautiful sound in the whole world :0)  Picture and stats for Week 24:

Baby Bump at 24 Weeks...almost finished the 2nd Trimester!

How Far Along:  24 weeks
Size of Baby:  Approximately 12 inches & 1 1/4 pounds
Gender:  Still boy :0)
Maternity Clothes:  I had to make another run to the store to get some colder weather maternity clothes this week in preparation for a trip to Maryland and Pennsylvania.  I got two new pairs of jeans and a couple new tops, one of which is for my MD Baby Shower!!

Movement:  Lots of gentle kicks and punches now, mostly noticeable at night when we settle down to watch TV or head up to bed.  Chris can feel him about half the time now, which makes me smile.
Sleep:  I am still waking up pretty often to use the bathroom or to switch to a more comfy position, though I don't feel too tired most of the time.  We've been going to bed pretty early to make up for a lot of waking up throughout the night.
Symptoms:  More and more movement, a little swelling in my ankles after a long day at work, and of course an ever-expanding belly!  I'm also already feeling like I might be "nesting"...I feel the urge to tidy up every night before bed and I have been really anal about putting things away and getting going on the nursery, etc.
What I Miss:  Getting up from bed without needing momentum...hahaha!
Cravings:  Nothing really strange lately.  Still very into cheese of course, but no odd food cravings.
Best Moment This Week:  Sharing Brady's movements with Chris...our family of three feels so connected when he kicks and Chris and I can both feel it!

My next post will be of my MD Baby Shower and I hope to get it done this week.  I cannot wait to share all the pictures!

Random Updates from the Baugher Household (20-22.5 weeks)

Fall is in the air...which in Houston means that the temperature has dropped below 95 degrees and people start cautiously venturing out of their air-conditioned homes and offices (after 5 months of hibernation) to enjoy the great outdoors again.  It's a really exciting time here, with folks buzzing about the outdoor eateries and exercising in Memorial Park instead of at the gym.  It seems that our little bun-in-the-oven is also rejuvenated by the cooler temperatures and has been doing some in-utero exercising of his own.  I can't quite establish a pattern to his movements yet, but I am really enjoying the frequent reminders that our little guy is growing bigger and stronger in there!  My favorite time of the day is first thing in the morning when I wake up...I lay still and try to feel if Brady is awake yet.  When I do feel a little flutter, I think it's him saying "Good morning, Mom", and there could not be a better way to start my day!  I can't wait for the time when I can open his bedroom door in the morning and see that smiling face!

Even more exciting than my own early morning "chats" with Brady is that he's starting to communicate with others as well :0)  On October 13th, we had spicy jambalaya for dinner and then settled down on the couch to watch some TV.  Apparently, that spicy food lit Brady up, because it felt like he was doing kick-boxing in my belly!  At 21 weeks and 1 day, I didn't think it was really possible for Chris to feel movement from the outside, but I put his hand on my tummy to see if he could feel it just in case.  Much to my amazement, Chris picked up on every little punch/kick for a good 5 minute period of time!  It was such an awesome moment and I was so thrilled that Daddy and Boogie got to spend some time together.  I also suspect that Camden and Brady are already bonding.  Cam's favorite place to snuggle up nowadays is right on Mommy's hip with his head resting on my lower tummy.  I'm sure those two will be best buddies, and Cammie is already showing that he enjoys "talking" with his little brother too!

In other news, we spent most of last weekend registering for our soon-to-be new arrival.  I'll admit that after our first attempt at Babies R Us, I was in a bit of a panic.  If you have ever been to the back of a Babies R Us store, then you know that section is filled with dozens of choices for car seats, strollers, high chairs, pack n plays, swings...the list goes on and on.  To say that the task of choosing the "right" baby gear is daunting is a huge understatement.  Over and over again, I would stand in front of all these options with no idea what I was doing.  Chris was there, registry scanner gun in hand (cocked and loaded), but each time I would shake my head and walk to the next aisle I could hear a little whimper of defeat escape his lips.  I know he was frustrated with my indecision, but like a very smart husband of a pregnant woman, he did not make any rude comments.  When we left there on Saturday night, I think we had registered for a total of 15 items.  The lady at the registry counter actually laughed at us.  Chris assured me on the way home that a good night's sleep would bring clarity for the morning and we'd go back.  Well, after that good night's sleep, a TON of online research, and a phone call to my super knowledgeable sister, we did have a much more successful Sunday.  Here are some of the exciting items we decided on:

Chicco Key Fit car seat/stroller combo...I'm totally loving the yellow and gray circle motif!

Awesome Jungle ExerSaucer...seriously, how happy is that baby in the picture?!?!

Ergo Baby Carrier - Chris is so excited for all the journeys he and Brady will take together with this!

Portable Duck Swing...seriously, could this be any cuter???

All in all, I would say that we got our act together pretty well and are feeling better about all the picks we made for our little boogie bear.

Our 2-year wedding anniversary is tomorrow, and we're hoping to get away for a night next weekend at the Hyatt Regency at Lost Pines.  One of my girlfriends described the resort as a modern-day "Kellerman's" (the club where the Dirty Dancing movie takes place) so what could be better than that?  I think we're both looking forward to a little romantic getaway.  We really don't take many vacations together, and since this will be our last anniversary without little one(s), we feel like we'd better take advantage.  Although we don't take fancy trips, my hubby does know how to remind me how much he loves me.  Just last week I received these at the office:

Not only is the blue hydrangea our wedding flower, it also symbolized our baby boy on the way!  I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful man to share my life with and Brady is so lucky to have such an awesome Dad!!

Until next time, hope everyone is having a fabulous start to the fall!

20 Weeks...We're Halfway Done, Little One!

What is the value of 20 weeks?  Approximately five months?  Six weeks shy of half a year?  Slightly longer than a college semester?  Well, if you're a first-time expectant parent, 20 weeks is a huge milestone!  It means your baby-to-be is "half-baked".  It means you've made it through the scary first trimester and halfway through the second.  It means in about another 20 weeks, you will finally get to meet the little angel you've been dreaming of everyday.  All in all, it's a pretty exciting time! 

It also means that at your doctor's appointment this week, you will have the opportunity to learn whether you're carrying a little angel boy or a little angel girl.  This decision was much debated in our household, and we sought advice from both our friends and family.  After some hesitation, we finally decided that we would find out.  So, we headed to the doctor's office on the morning of October 4th, anxiously awaiting the moment when the ultrasound technician would let us in on Boogie's biggest secret.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, if you're reading this blog, chances are you already know.  But for effect, drum roll please.....................







IT'S A BOY!!!!!!

The debate is officially over.  Baby Boogie is a Baby Boy...and so begins the quest for the perfect baby gear.  I have been obsessing over nursery patterns for more than a week.  It's tough to find the perfect balance of color with a theme that you like.  It's even tougher when a husband and wife have to agree on this perfect balance of color and theme.  I'm lucky in that Chris is the opposite of argumentative, and I think we may have found a pattern that we both really like:  Eli's Elephants from PB Kids.  What do you think?

I really love the combination of the green and pale blue.  It's masculine enough to be "boy", but not in a tough guy kind of way.  I already imagine my baby boy to be sweet and kind like his Daddy, and this adorable pattern just seems to fit.  Plus, when I was a little girl, I couldn't pronounce the word elephants properly and instead said "evidence", so it makes me smile to think of Boogie and how he might describe the animals on his blankie one day. 

OK, that's enough excitement for now.  More news coming soon...so check back in the next couple days and I promise to have a new update!  Here's a few 20 weeks pregnant pics and statistics:

It's definitely a boy...the arrow points to the evidence!!

Proud of my boyish bump!

How Far Along:  20 weeks
Size of Baby:  7 inches & 13 ounces (about the size of a cantaloupe)  Gotta love all the references to fruit!
Gender:  Boogie = Boy!  Can't wait to meet my handsome little guy!
Maternity Clothes:  I am wearing a lot of maternity clothes now, though I can still wear my old jeans unbuttoned with the Belly Band over top.  My sister brought me a ton of hand-me-down maternity clothes when they came to visit a couple weeks ago, so I'm pretty well stocked now!

Movement:  Boogie has been making his presence known to Mommy quite a bit lately.  His movement became pretty noticeable at around 18-19 weeks, and now his kicks and punches are a regular part of my day.  I love that little reminder that I am carrying around precious cargo.
Sleep:  I am waking up usually between 3-5 times per night to pee, and with my growing belly, it's hard to keep myself in a comfortable position for very long.  I guess this is the body's way of getting me used to a lot of interrupted sleep.  I haven't felt well rested in about 2 weeks now with all the waking up and tossing and turning.
Symptoms:  Lots of quickening, frequent urination, pain in my hips and occasionally the lower back
What I Miss:  Sleeping through the night
Cravings:  I'm still craving cheese, but this month I've also added milk (or any dairy for that matter) and eggs.  For about a week, I was also craving raw veggies like carrots, cucumbers, and celery.
Best Moment This Week:  Seeing the look on Chris' face when the technician told us it's a boy.  Shock, pride, and excitement all in an instant, and then he just looked at me with a huge amount of love.  It doesn't get any better than that!

Rewind to 16 Weeks

So a lot happened between 13 and 16 weeks.  I think I was most shocked by the growth of my bump.  All of a sudden my regular work pants were no longer an option and only a few of my tops could conceal my belly.  This is kind of an "in-between" phase where my belly is growing and noticeable, but people probably don't realize that I'm pregnant.  I went through a rough time dealing with the fact that people might look at me and just think I was a girl with a big gut.  After a while though, it hit me that it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks.  My growing belly is a great reminder that our little Boogie B is growing stronger and healthier everyday and that I'm doing a good job making him/her happy in there! 

Boogie and I also traveled by airplane a few times this month!  We trekked to Canada for work (Baby's first time out of the country) and then to Virginia/Maryland two weeks later for a little work and fun combo.  While I was home in MD, I got to spend some much needed quality time with my parents and my brother.  We also arranged to meet up with my in-laws for breakfast and it was so great to see them!  We chatted for about an hour after breakfast and took lots of pictures in the Denny's parking lot, so I'm sure the other patrons thought we were crazy people.

With both Sets of Proud Grandparents

With Uncle Brian, Aunt Leslie, Nana, & Pappy :0)

Long Lost Brothers (according to our waiter) Brian and Bobby

In more exciting news, Chris and I were honored to become Averie Elizabeth's godparents on August 28th.  We are so blessed to have Brittany, Austin and Averie in our lives!

Us at Averie's Baptism

A better pic of Avie...seriously, how do you not love that face??

OK, I guess that's enough for now.  Later this week I'll update with a 20 week post, so we're just about all caught up!  Here's a pic from 16 weeks and the stats to go along with it:

Bump-a-licious at 16 weeks ;0)

How Far Along:  16 weeks
Size of Baby:  4-5 inches & 3 ounces (about the size of a navel orange)
Gender:  Still no news...we find out on October 4th!!
Maternity Clothes:  I definitely needed some dress pants and had a little shopping spree with Mom while in MD.  I don't want to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes, but they are much more comfortable!
Movement:  Thought I felt a little flutter this week, but it was just once and then nothing, so I'm not too sure
Sleep:  Still sleeping pretty well, but I'm beginning to stay up a little later at night with renewed energy
Symptoms:  Mostly just the baby bump and a little more frequent urination
What I Miss:  Fitting into my "little" clothes
Cravings:  CHEESE!!!  Anything stuffed with, sprinkled, or made of cheese is on my cravings list.  I cannot get enough! 
Best Moment This Week:  At my 16 week doctor's appointment, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler for the first time.  Since we didn't have an ultrasound that time, it was definitely the highlight!

1st Trimester Recap (May 25th - August 24th 2011)

Since I've let myself fall behind on blogging, I'll have to back up a little and update everyone on the first 13 weeks.  My first trimester, relative to those of some of my friends, was a breeze.  I had no real morning sickness to speak of, and I'm sure everyone reading this blog knows me well enough to know that's a very, very good thing!  I act like a huge baby when I'm sick to my stomach, and I think Chris was actually more relieved than I was when that dreaded 8-10 week time frame came and went without me running to the toilet. 

I did have a few of the tell-tale symptoms of pregnancy in the first three months, though.  First was the heightened sense of smell.  I actually noticed it about a week and a half before I took a pregnancy test, which was really only about two weeks into the pregnancy.  I'm sure some people think that's impossible, but I swear my sniffer was stronger than Camden's, our Beagle/Lab mix!  I initially noticed a change in the way our detergent smelled while doing the laundry one day...even though I hadn't switched types or even opened a new bottle.  The liquid soap at the office smelled totally different to me as well, but when I asked around, no one else seemed to notice.  Other than the Super Sniffer, I also had some serious irregularity (sorry if that's too much information), but my doctor said that it was totally normal for early pregnancy.  Apparently Mommy's digestive tract slows waaaaay down to allow Baby to absorb as many nutrients as possible, which resulted in a bit of a "back-up" for me.  And finally, probably the most noticeable symptom was fatigue.  By the 5th week, I was passing out at 8:00 and sleeping for 10 hours with no problem.  Chris would laugh at me when I got home from work and immediately headed upstairs to change into PJs and slippers.  It got worse until about Week 12, when I slowly started feeling more alert in the evenings.

But, the first trimester wasn't only about symptoms and annoyances either.  We had three very exciting doctor's appointments at Weeks 7, 9 and 13.  At 7 weeks we could just see a little "caterpillar" in there with a flickering heartbeat, but that was the first time we ever laid eyes (albeit with the help of ultrasound equipment) on our sweet Baby Boogie.  At 9 weeks we had a second ultrasound and were shocked at how different Boog looked!  The head, torso, and legs were all distinguishable, and we watched in awe as Baby's little legs kicked back and forth non-stop.  And last but not least, our 13 week appointment was all about the 1st Trimester Health Screening, where we had the Nuchal Translucency Test and got to see our little one for a full 20 minutes on the screen. By the way, all tests came back great with low risk of disease!

Finally, after that appointment, we were able to share our news with family and friends.  The supportive response was tremendous, and it was an amazing feeling to tell other people that we are about to be parents!  I also started documenting the Baby Bump with photos at 13 weeks, so here it is in its early days of glory :0)

From now on, I will try to post every couple of weeks and include the following things along with tummy pics:

How Far Along:  13 weeks
Size of Baby:  About 3 inches & 1 ounce (Roughly the size of a peach)
Gender:  Unknown for now ;0)
Maternity Clothes:  None yet; I lived in comfy dresses for all of the first trimester
Movement:  Nothing yet; A little too soon
Sleep:  Tons of sleep!  I couldn't get enough of my bed during the first three months
Symptoms:  Exhaustion, strong sense of smell, irregularity
What I Miss:  Sushi (sigh), staying up past 9 pm
Cravings:  Rather than cravings at this stage, I was just a really picky eater.  I would only "feel like" eating a few things and Chris would have to live with those choices (which he did without complaint and was such an awesome husband!)
Best Moment This Week:  Since we actually have 13 weeks to choose from, I'll go with our first doctor's appointment when the doctor said "We've got a little critter with a heartbeat in there!"  Even though the tests said yes and I was excited before, that was the moment that I knew it was real...the moment that I relished in the fact that I was going to be a Mommy!!!

Welcome Family & Friends!!

As all of you probably know by now, Chris and I were blessed this summer with the fantastic news that we are expecting Baby #1!!  We are due February 22nd and cannot wait to meet our little one.  While we feel incredibly blessed to be growing our family, it has been difficult experiencing all this excitement so far away from our loved ones back in Maryland (and Florida, Pennsylvania, etc).  We are lucky to have a truly supportive and loving group of friends here in Houston, but we also understand that it's hard for our family and friends back home missing out on all the details of this pregnancy.  At the suggestion of my very favorite sister-in-law, Leslie, I am starting this blog so Chris and I can share photos, cravings, baby stats, and just general thoughts with those people we love most.  I can't promise that our thoughts will always be the most insightful (particularly mine since I have pregnancy brain and often forget my thoughts mid-sentence), but we will try to at least keep them entertaining!

I will try to update every couple of weeks with photos so everyone can see just how "large and in charge" I am becoming.  We do ask that you please refrain from making comments which refer to whether or not I might be carrying twins :0) 

Until next time, we'll leave you with this fun photo of Baby Boogie from our last ultrasound at 13 weeks.  He/she is facing the camera in this shot and looks more Alien than Baby, but whatever, it's the cutest alien we've ever seen! 

Love always,
Carly, Chris, Camden & Baby Boogie