Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas!!! My parents flew in on Christmas Eve and the four of us went to dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant. Christmas morning started with Tim's great eggs and the traditional cinnamon rolls. Tim's big present was a grill, although it wasn't much of a surprise. My big present was a sewing machine! I've been wanting one for a long time, we just didn't have the space before. I can't wait to reteach myself how to sew! Little Miss' big gift was her crib and mattress from my folks. The rest of the day was spent in preparation for dinner. My aunt and cousins joined us for Tim's amazing prime rib roast dinner. The evening ended with cookies and a chocolate overload yule log :)

The rest of the time my folks were here was spent taking it easy. With the cold weather and very pregnant me, sightseeing was not the priority for this trip. The four of us enjoyed battling at various sports on Playstation Move, playing Monopoly, and watching movies. We did though spend the afternoon with my aunt at the National Botanical Garden and the National Gallery. We loved having them for the quick visit and look forward to hosting more guests in our new home. It is crazy to think that the next time I see my mom will be at the hospital :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This Christmas, Tim and I are VERY excited about not traveling! This will be the first Christmas in our new house and my wonderful parents are coming up to celebrate with us :) . We made an executive decision that all Christmases will be spent at our house. Since we will have a little one from now on, and I don't have siblings to compete with, both families agreed that this was ok. Not to worry Florida and Iowa friends! We will still see you, but in the summers.
So to kick off my favorite holiday, we went to Home Depot and bought a REAL tree. No fake trees for us! Tim had the genius idea to go Thursday night in hopes that no one would be there...and he was right. It was the easiest hunt for a tree I've ever had. We were one of two families there and picked our tree out in ten minutes. It is an adorable almost six ft tree with hearty branches.After a yummy burger dinner, we headed home to decorate the tree. I immediately started blasting Christmas music, got into my pj's, and unpacked the ornaments. Lights, tinsel, and ornaments were hung with ease. Little known fact: white lights help keep your tree fresher than multi-color or solid color lights. Apparently it mimics the affects of photosynthesis and prevents the tree from browning (same process as bananas). And for this reason, it is best to keep your tree lite for as long as possible, and away from fruit baskets (they release the hormone that browns fruit and trees). I learned this from a Christmas tree expert who was on Science Friday on NPR :)So now the tree and house are decked for the holiday, and evil grocery shopping awaits. My parents arrive Christmas Eve afternoon, so I still have plenty of time to clean, cook, and do some last minute shopping :)

PS- I just ordered our Christmas cards, so they'll be a little late this year.

A little update

I know I've been bad lately about updating this blog...but blame it on Christmas preparations...

I just got over a cold, although I'm still a little stuffed up. Of course the worst of it hit while my IA was on vacation, so I couldn't take any time off. Being sick and pregnant SUCKS! You feel crappy and can't do anything to help it. Medicine? No. Steaming hot bath? No. Long naps? No because you have to pee even more because of the increase of fluids.

My cold is gone, but the sciatica is back :( . It feels like someone stabs me in the butt and then slices down my leg. Ya, it's great. Tim has been wonderful helping me in/out of bed when it gets really bad. I'm hoping that I only have one or two bad days a week so I won't have to go to a doctor (pt, chiropractor, etc).

I had another appointment on Wednesday. I only gained 2 pounds, which is great because the previous months were a little high. Baby girl is doing well. The midwife even said that she was measuring a week early! They did the gestational diabetes test, and hopefully that comes back all clear. From now on, my appointments are every two weeks instead of four!

Tim and I have his office Christmas party this weekend coming up. Today I went to find a dress. Did you know that maternity clothes are crazy expensive? I did not want to spent $120 on a dress I would wear once, so I ventured to the regular women's department. I found a dress in a size 10!!! I am 7 months pregnant and fit in a size 10 dress! I was beaming in the dressing room, and immediately called Tim. Anyways, hopefully I'll have some good pictures to share from the event :)

Everything measures up!

Wednesday, I had another monthly dr appointment. I was afraid that I was running big, but after being weighed and measured everything was right on schedule. Tim is still convinced she's going to come mid February...we'll see. It was a pretty quite appointment because everything was good, which I like! In 3 weeks, I go in for the glucose test (test for gestational diabetes). And after that I start going every 2 weeks instead of 4! Crazy!

So the only issue I've been having is pain/knots in my butt and leg. If I'm sitting upright in a chair, or on my feet for too long, it starts acting up. Tim did some research and has come to the conclusion that I have sciatica. He has been a big help with the discomfort! At the end of the day, he volunteers to climb the stairs and get more water, massage my leg, and gives me ample couch space. On Thursday, he surprised me with a gigantic pregnancy pillow! It is a huge U shape with curves in the center. It supports both my belly and back, and eases the sciatica! After the first night I was hooked. I have an amazing husband!

Cool days, chilly nights

The beauty of fall has lasted longer than expected, and I'm soaking up every bit! Poor Tim is getting tired of me pointing out every splendid tree with vibrant red, orange, or yellow leaves. One of the trees in front of our house is finally changing colors to a burnt orange with yellow edges. Here are a couple of pics of my drive to work:
The nights and mornings defiantly require a jacket. The kids and I are getting used to putting on coats before we go outside for recess. Tim and I are trying out best to not turn on the heat. So far, we're doing well but I don't know if I can hold out through the next cold front. Until then, Brinkley and I snuggle up to stay warm :)
Today marks 25 weeks, although the below pictures were taken last week. Now Tim can feel Little Miss when she kicks and/or rolls around. Like the books say, she's especially active at night. This fun new activity means I'm more restless at night. The other night Tim said it felt like I was doing jumping jacks in bed trying to find a good position. I think a new firmer pillow might be in order. One thing that is easing my restlessness and aches is my prenatal yoga class. I love it! It is almost and hour and a half long with lots of challenging and relaxing moves. The instructor will even come around and rub your back and shoulders during some of the moves! Then we end each class will cookies a prenatal tea :) I go to my next dr appointment on Wednesday. I'm hoping to get measured, because I'm anxious to find out her growth from the sonogram a month ago. I'll update ya'll after the appointment. I really want to start moving furniture out of what will be the baby's room and into the guest room/office, but Tim says it's too early. I guess he's right, but I really really want to. Every day I walk past the room and think about where the furniture will go. Every other day I add more things to our registry and resist the urge to buy the crib and changing table. I think I'll hold out buying anything until December. Although yesterday I bought a purple newborn shirt that said in sparkles "All I need is love and my Daddy."

6 months

Today marks 6 months into the pregnancy. It is perfect that it falls on Halloween, because I'm freaking out! This whole time I've been thinking "Oh, I don't have to worry about that until 6 months." 6 months has been my marker of when things need to kick into gear and I need to start getting us prepared. And now it's here! Holy crap! So to mark this special time, and ease my nerves, Tim and I made the long awaited trip to Babies R Us. We test drove strollers, checked if play equipment was Tim-proof, tried on baby slings, and checked out pack and play sets. I felt a lot better when we left, and just updated our registries at Babies R Us and Target. Check them out :) I know we have a lot more to add, but at least the big stuff is accounted for.

Monthly Dr. Appt

On Wednesday, I went for my monthly checkup. So far so good! The midwife said all my blood work came out normal and the overview from the sonogram was perfect. They bumped up the due date up to February 27th, which is only two days sooner. Our little one's heartbeat was strong and high again. I told her about how I thought we were having a girl earlier, because the heart rate was consistently high (160s). She said she agrees that it tends to be the case. As Tim says "There's something to those old wives' tales." I am also much bigger this month. Most of it is belly, but also indulging my cravings doesn't help. So I'm hoping my new prenatal yoga classes will put me back on track, and the colder weather is also encouraging us to take longer walks.

I'm sad to report, that I think fall is on its way out :( The leaves have decided to stop changing, and I think with the next cold front, they'll all be gone. Hopefully, I can still get some last pictures of my favorite season.

Everything is starting to change...

I am finally looking like I'm pregnant! Last week, I told our friends John and Jess about how I wish I had a sign that said I was pregnant, not fat. So Jess found me this perfect shirt that says "I'm not fat I'm pregnant!" Tim and I thought it was only appropriate to take a picture while we went to McDonald's for lunch :)

In the fifth month of my pregnancy, I am starting to feel the little girl move! I don't know what she's doing, but it feels like somersaults. Unfortunately, Tim can't feel it yet outside of the belly. I can also feel myself getting a little more emotional. A few times when I'm frustrated (for example, obnoxious parents emails) I can feel the tears welling up. Normally, those things wouldn't affect me, so I blame it on baby hormones. I go to my monthly check up next week, and I'll find out my weight gain. So far, I can still fit into my regular pants but I can't zip or button them. That's where the amazing Belly Band comes in! It holds up my pants and looks like a white undershirt. I'm also have my appetite back, so we decided it was perfect timing to go to our favorite restaurant in the city, Fogo De Chao. It's a Brazilian steakhouse that has amazing food. It is pricey, but it's all you can eat and your meant to spend at least 2 hours there dining and enjoying company. Below are some pictures of the night:

John and Jess

Pete

It is finally looking like fall! My favorite time of year is here and I'm ecstatic! This means decaf pumpkin spice lattes, long sleeves, cool breezes, and beautiful leaves. God's best work is in fall. We are getting some much needed rain, so the leaves are starting to gracefully change color. For the Florida folks...if the tree is too dry, the leaves just turn brown and die and don't really change color. Here are some pics from my walk with Brinkley around the neighborhood:

IT'S A GIRL

Yesterday, we found out we're having a baby girl! I am so excited, and Tim's excited too. Although he was hoping for a boy, we both had a feeling it would be a girl (as mentioned before with the high heartbeat). This was our first ultrasound where the baby actually looked like a baby, not a peanut or tadpole. We were fascinated with the whole process. Our technician was really nice answering all my questions and informing us about what we were looking at. The baby kept her legs crossed during the whole show, she's such a lady. But she's also stubborn, it took about 15 minutes to take a good picture of her heart because she wouldn't flip over. So far though everything is going well!

Today after work, I went to Kohls and bought some cute pink baby clothes. I know I need to pace myself and account for gifts, but I can't help myself. Everything is so freakin' cute! I was so excited to finally by tiny baby shoes. I can't believe Tim and I are going to have an adorable little girl in a few months :)

Football and Friends

Today, Tim and I had a few friends over to watch the Redskins vs Eagles game. Unfortunately, the Eagles lost, but we had a lot of fun. Tim made his award-winning chili, while I prepared pigs in a blanket, cheesy dip, and a veggie platter. I ate so much yummy food I'm already getting sleepy. Here are a few pictures from the night...

Mike & Tim on our balcony

Mike, Kate, Jenny, and Sam
Pete, Jess, and JohnTim and John serving up beverages

Growing

Yesterday, Tim and I were getting ready for work. He looked over at me with an odd expression and said "Wow. You're getting big." To which I responded "Ya Babe. I'm pregnant."

It is now obvious that I'm not fat, just pregnant. Most people at my school and friends now know. And good news! I didn't receive any obnoxious emails from class parents! I guess my info sheet worked, and I've only received congratulatory emails. If you are a teacher, I highly recommend this. So anyways, my belly is growing bigger and bigger. Slowly my regular clothes aren't fitting and my eyes are wandering to the maternity section of Target. I tried taking a belly picture but it didn't turn out, so hopefully one this weekend will be better...

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

For those of you who don't already know... we're pregnant! Tim and I are finally moving past nervous and into excited! I thank God every day that this pregnancy has been so smooth and that he's given us another chance on becoming parents.

Tim and I found out we were pregnant in June and tried to keep it contained as long as possible. I can't believe my mom kept it a secret this long! Good job Mom! My first trimester was spent on the couch. Unfortunately, house projects were not top priority this summer. But on the bright side, I didn't have to work while being nauseous. I told Tim that if we could plan the second child, doing the first trimester during the summer is the way to go for a teacher.

So just after I started the second trimester school started. I am 17 weeks along now, and just told my class and their parents. I sent them a Q & A page hoping to avoid 25 emails and answer any questions ahead of time. I know they won't be too excited, but we'll see. I'm due March 1st, so I'll take off March and April. Then I'll be back for six weeks and finish up end of the year assessments.

I had a doctor appointment yesterday, and everything seems good! Tim and I are going to find out the sex of the baby in about 2 weeks. I'm so excited to finally see the baby actually look like a real baby! At my appointment, the baby's heartbeat was higher, so I think it will be a girl. We don't care either way, but I kinda want a girl and Tim kinda wants a boy (funny how that happens).

So I'll keep you update on everything and hopefully get a belly picture soon :)

Quick Update

Summer: The rest of our summer started to quickly pick up after I went to FL. Tim and I had a chaotic trip to IA. Between flight problems and staying at a no lake "lakehouse" we were happy to relax at home again, although we missed IA friends. Tim's job starting picking up with him training newbies to the FAA project. School meetings also became a weekly event.

House: I have had more energy lately, so I put more love and effort into the house. However it came back to bite me, because I wore down my system and got sick the second week of school :( We're hoping to have our Open House in two weeks!

School: The first day of school was September 7th. I have a cute and crazy crew this year. Tim says that I say that every year, but this group has some special challenges. Almost half my class is bilingual, which I love! However, some of those students didn't have preschool, so the first week was rough. My class this year is also very loud! Our poor new music teacher is I think overwhelmed with my class. We started out with 26 kids again, which makes me cringe because last year we had 6 new kids show up during the year. Every day gets a little better, and I'm looking forward to October when things are more settled.

Please continue to read our blog! More excitement soon!

Sun, sand, and alligators

On July 14th I flew to Orlando to spend a week in Florida. Most of my days were spent napping, in the pool, or with my mom. I only got to go the beach once, but it was still nice. I always forget how much I love the beach!

A couple of nights were spent with good friends! I met up with Alexis at a work happy hour and enjoyed catching up and meeting her new BF :) Everyone she works with was really nice and really enjoyed beer...

On Friday night, we met up with Kim at a seafood restaurant on the river (I forget the name). We were lucky enough to steal a table outside and enjoy the salty breezes that frizzed up my hair. Then we went back to Alexis' new condo to catch up. I hadn't seen Kim since my wedding! We all agreed that talking on the phone twice a month wasn't enough, and a trip to DC was in order! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from that night.

On Saturday, I headed up to St. Augustine to visit with college friends. Megan, Sarah, Brittany, and I all lived together sophomore year until Brittany got married. Then Megan, Sarah, and I lived together junior year. I love and miss these girls! They were such a wonderful support team in college, and continue to be through all life's ups and downs. We met up for lunch, including baby Ezra, at one of my favorite restaurants, A1A Ale Works. They have the best beer cheese soup!

Then we went to the Alligator Farm with Brittany's husband Steve, and their oldest son Gabe. I was really excited, because in the four years I lived in St. Augustine, I never got to go. It was especially nice getting in for free...thanks Sarah! Although I've seen real alligators before, I forgot how creepy they are!

That night we went to another great restaurant Harry's, and a new wine bar. The band of three guys was great, plays Bootylicious and Jackson 5 songs! Then we went back to the Rhode House. The Rhode House, owned by our church, is where the four of us lived for a couple weeks because we were homeless (the house we were supposed to move into wasn't built yet). Gardner, the amazing pastor, was kind enough to let Megan and I stay there for the night. So we caught up on Megan's trip to Hawaii and Sarah's mission trip to Haiti. On Sunday, I went to my old church, Coquina Community Church, which I miss terribly! Then I headed home to Satellite Beach. On they way, I met up with my grandfather and his wife for an early birthday lunch :)

Monday night, was an early birthday dinner with my folks. We had mac & cheese, salad, and ice cream cake...and yes I know it sounds like a five year old's birthday dinner.
I left Tuesday morning, but didn't get home until that night because of flight delays and cancellations. Although it was wonderful seeing my family and friends, I couldn't wait to see Tim waiting for me at the airport :)

We Have Moved!

Sorry for just now updating...we just got internet installed today!!

So we started moving Saturday! Jessica dog-sat Brinkley at her house, so he won't be in the way, and our friend Chris helped us move the furniture. After several short trips, we showered and watched the World Cup game (so sad). Then we started up again, and our friend Brian help us move a couple other things. Then we ordered pizza, watched a movie, and spent our first night in OUR new home :)

Now 4 days later, and we just finished moving all our crap! The stuff I was very careful to pack and carry gently on Saturday, is now being thrown into the trunk without a second look. I hate moving! But don't we all?! I really like unpacking, which thankfully I can do. We are currently living in the basement because the main level has not been newly painted and furnished. Our old bedroom furniture is the new guestroom furniture, and our old living room furniture is Tim's man cave furniture. I am hoping that we can get everything painted and at least have bedroom furniture before I leave for FL in 2 weeks.

Did you know...this is my first house EVER with stairs? Did you know....that stairs are really obnoxious when you forget something on the other floor? These are little things that I am discovering, along with the word "landing."

Brinkley is adjusting. I think he's kinda bored in the suburbs. He misses our walks passing restaurants of people telling him how cute he is and giving him food. He misses our balcony with all the people splashing in the pool below, our new one looks out to boring trees (which I love). He misses carpeted floors where he can run like a mad dog and not slide into walls. He misses all these things, but he has new loves. He loves chasing squirrels and fireflies, and he can't catch either. He loves running up and down the stairs. He loves our "backyard" are running around (on his leash). He still loves his favorite chair :)

All in all, we are doing well! It is starting to feel like home!

Painting!

We started prepping and painting this week! The first night we primed the hardest room. The will be office is a small room with blood red and gray rough walls. After priming, my feet and hands were covered with primer! After some scrubbing, my hands were clean but I forgot about my feet. Leave it to kindergartners to point out what you forgot. All day I heard, "Mrs. Reynolds, why do your feet have white spots?!" I had a good discussion with two of my girls about why we paint rooms. They are still convinced that we should have only pink and purple rooms!

As of yesterday, we have the downstairs bathroom, office, and basement done! This week we're planning to crank out the guest bedroom. We won't be too ambitious because this is Tim's first week at his new job, and I don't want to stress him out :)

My camera is officially dead, it won't even work with a charged battery! So pictures will have to wait...

Craziness!

So we had a great time with Jason & Laura! I wish I had pictures to post, but my camera is officially dead. The four of us went out to great restaurants, bars, and a show at DC Improve! We saw Jake Johannsen, and he was hilarious!!! I had never seen him before, but all of us were laughing the entire time. His opening comedians were funny too! So after a wonderful long weekend, we were all VERY tired on Monday (Memorial Day). I could barely keep my eyes open during lunch, which was a shame because we wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Thankfully Tim (and hopefully I) will see them this summer in IA!

Round two of crazy homeowner news: The sellers are moving out early! While this might sound great because we have almost a month to paint and move in. It is not too great because they want the difference in rent back (insert angry face). Our realtor is great and trying to work out some deals so that the chunk of money doesn't come out of our pocket. I will stop here before I get worked up again. So Tim is going to spend his week off (week between old job and new job) priming and taping off walls... bless his heart :)

Oh! And I booked my flight for FL!!! I will be in town July 14-20. It will the first time I've been back since the wedding last April! I am going to pack the week full of family, St. Augustine friends, and hometown friends time. I can't wait!

Here are some pictures from my Aunt Nancy's PhD graduation a couple weeks ago:

Nancy & Grandpa

Sam, Nancy, & Mike

Tim & I with Nancy's elementary school "Most Likely to Succeed" certificate

New Job!

Tim has accepted a new job!!! He will be an Enterprise Architecture consultant for Booze Allan Hamilton. I think that's right. This will be a big step financially and professionally. The most important thing is that this job offers a better ladder for Tim to climb and pursue. Although he'll be sad to leave some co workers, he's looks forward to a change. We celebrated the job and house with champagne at a wine bar and dinner at Carlyle's. The Lord has blessed us some much this month, it's hard to keep up with all the changes :)

Tomorrow Jason and Laura Paulson come up for a long weekend! This will be our 4th round our guests, but we're super excited! The last time we saw them was over Christmas, but this will be their first time visiting us :)

Colors Everywhere

Now that we have the house, I can finally allow myself to think about paint colors! This is a standard behavior with me, I don't let myself get worked up (or my hopes up) until I know something is for sure. So anyways, I borrowed my co worker's Sherwin Williams color flip book thingy (and yes that is the official name). I was like a 25 year old kid in a candy store! So many many colors to choose from! Now I know why the previous owners chose such crazy colors, they were overwhelmed with the options. So here is what I'm thinking of...

In order of rooms: living room, kitchen, master bedroom, master bathroom & downstairs bathroom, guestroom, and office. No decision yet on the basement.

As you can see, we're a fan of neutrals :)

Busy busy

We have had a very busy month, and it's not over yet! Not only did we buy a townhouse, but we had a lot of visitors! One of my best friends, and bridesmaid, Alexis came to visit over a long weekend. She stayed with Jessica, and the three of us had a fantastic weekend. We had a girls' night in Georgetown, Saturday in Old Town, and tourist activities on Sunday. We actually saw one of the Obama girls playing with their dog on the front lawn. Gotta love DC! I has such a great time hanging out with the girls, it makes me really excited to see everyone this summer!!
Last weekend, both moms were in town! Mary, Tim's mom, came into town on Wednesday and stayed in the guest apartments. We had a great time showing off our villages cafes and restaurants. Then my mom and grandfather arrived on Friday and stayed with my Aunt Nancy. Nancy graduated on Saturday with her PhD! Then we all (Grandpa, mom, Aunt Nancy, Sam, Mike, Jenny-Sam's girlfriend, Uncle Bob, Leslie, Dan-cousin, Andrew-cousin, me, Tim, and Mary) celebrated like true Morrisons at a restaurant for dinner. Although I love my family deeply, it's a little stressful having so many of them together for less than 24 hours. Tim and Mary were good sports through the whole evening :) Hopefully will have pictures soon from Jenny, our faithful photographer

Next up: Jason and Laura Paulson next weekend!

HOMEOWNERS!!!

Today at exactly 5:00pm we finished signing all the papers to close on our new home. I still think we're in shock :) Our relater, lender, and processors have all be so wonderful making this as painless as possible. We left the office with a house, champagne, papers, jelly beans (for me), and cigars (for Tim).

Notes about our new home..

• Ten minutes from the city
• Ten minute walk from where we already live in Shirlington Village
• 2 floors
• End unit
• 3 bedrooms, 2 full bath, 1 rec room (aka man cave)
• All wood floors
• All updated appliances (I'm particularly excited about the washer and dryer)
  
• We call it a townhouse, but technically it's a condo because we have a balcony and you can't walk our from the basement.

We don't move in until June 27th. This is so we don't have to pay rent and a mortgage. Also because they are being sent to Nebraska and would prefer not to move before then. This means that for we are landlords for a month! Tim is very excited this :) He keeps joking about surprise gas checks and walking around with his belly sticking our while smoking a cigar. Goodness! So our move will be a tight 4 days, especially since we have to paint. I love the house, but the room colors are AWFUL! We're still hoping we can hire someone...

With everything that's happened, we are so glad to have good news again to share with our family and friends! Thank you again for all your thoughts, prayers, and gifts. We could not have been so strong these past couple months without you :)