Thanksgiving weekend!

I am so thankful for my 4 weekend. It was wonderful and spent with loved ones and friends. I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow, but all good things must come to an end. Here's my recap from these last four wonderful, wonderful days off.


Thursday morning Dakota and I got up and painted the outside of our garage. Don't worry the paint fumes didn't get to me. It was super windy outside and I was in the fresh air. It actually only took us an hour and a half to paint it and once it was done I let him do the final touches and I headed inside to get ready and cook my green bean casserole. By cooking, I mean just putting everything together and heating it up, lol. We got to Dakota's parents house at 1:45 & ate at 2:00. It was a good crowd and everyone brought lots of food. I usually don't care for Thanksgiving food and I don't like turkey so I kept to my rolls, Green bean casserole, and potato salad! SO good!!!!!! After eating we looked at the Black Friday ads and talked at the table with the girls while the boys watched football on the couch. I really wanted a new washer and dryer to put in the new house and with a baby on the way I wanted something that was reliable and would wash all of the 100 million onesies.  We left his parents and headed to our first stop at Sears. Our mission was to get the washer and dryer for a really good price. We got the bundle pack with free delivery for 1200! It's really nice and big. I seriously can't wait to get this house ready and wash my clothes in my new washer/dryer. (Housewife status for real though). After Sears I headed with my sister in law to Target. I didn't need anything so I just went to hang out with her. I grabbed a few things while I was there, but nothing for Christmas. After Target I went home with my hubs because we had a big day tomorrow.... our gender ultrasound!

"Post meal pictures of the kiddos"



"So in love with him"

"My new washer/dryer"

Friday morning I tossed and turned and just couldn't get to sleep. I was so nervous/excited/worried/anxious. It was the day of the 16 week ultrasound. We haven't seen the baby since our very first appointment where we heard the HB and saw a tiny little ball of cells that was cooking into a baby. Now we get to see the hands, feet, head, nose, etc. I just hoped and prayed all of the development was on track and baby had all 10 fingers and toes. I invited some family and friends to the appointment and they all got to watch on the big screen baby Ward moving all around and even saw him/her get the hiccups. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. Before they all came in the room it was just me and my friend Chandler. I closed my eyes while the ultrasound tech looked for the parts and wrote it down in an envelope. Chandler cried when she saw it & I started to choke up. It was such an amazing experience and I wish I could do it all over again. When everyone got to come in we focused on the side profile and the hands and feet. Dakota sat right beside me and was silent the whole time. My husband is a talker and for him to sit quite for an hour just looking at the screen was such a beautiful moment. He couldn't take his eyes off of his son or daughter and couldn't believe how much the baby has developed at 16 weeks. After the ultrasound the tech gave me a CD of the pictures she took (not the gender ones) so I could print them out. After the appointment all of us went to Olive Garden for lunch. Olive Garden is seriously delicious and you can never go wrong with their salad and breadsticks. After lunch we all went out separate ways and Dakota and I headed for the mall to do some Christmas shopping. That night we went to my parents house to show my mom the pictures since she wasn't able to go to the ultrasound. I was craving hot wings like something serious. My dad ordered all of us some extra crispy HOT wings and we ate dinner over there and watched a movie. I hate spicy food... like I can't even handle medium taco sauce. But something about hot wings just sounded delicious to me. I didn't even get heartburn after, so it was just meant to be. It's what the baby wanted.


"Everyone at the appointment minus Dakota (he was picture taker)"



"Me & Chandler. Both pregnant and 2.5 weeks apart"

"My sweet little baby"

"So in love"

Saturday I met Chandler and her daughter Oakleigh for lunch at the Shark Fin. We were both craving Sushi & it was soooo good. After lunch we went to Hobby Lobby for some gender reveal decorations. We got some fabric and made a banner and I got some frames that I am going to put the ultrasound pictures in around the diaper raffle table. It is seriously going to be so cute and I can't wait for this Saturday! That afternoon we went to the mall to find Christmas presents for Oaks and me a gender reveal outfit. I found this adorable dress & I am so excited I finally found something to wear. Seriously it was starting to stress me out. I couldn't find anything blue and was about to resort to team pink even though this momma is 100% confident that it's a BOY! That night I met my husband at Chilis after he got off of work. We both got Mexican and it hurt our tummies so we went to bed early.

"The banner we made for the party"

"Oaks decided she wanted to drive to the mall"

"Such a diva"

"Dirty mirror selfie before heading out to lunch"

 Sunday I went to breakfast with my grandparents at Waffle House. I always crave some hash browns and it was heaven in my mouth. When we got back from breakfast I got ready and met my friend Jessica at the mall to get a pedicure and to help her find a Christmas dress for a party she is going to for the Navy with her husband. Unfortunately we couldn't find anything, but we did get some yummy sushi for lunch at 2 Stix. Seriously, their black dragon roll is the bomb.com! I've had it twice this week and I'm not even ashamed. After parting ways with Jessica I tried to meet up with my husband and meet him at one of the posts, but he got a call 10 minutes after I got there. I'm glad I got to see him, but I hate how you never know when he is going to get a call. Now to finish off this Sunday night cuddling with my hubby and watching TWD! :)

"Black dragon roll"

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving & long weekend! Now to get done with this week so I can start buying blue and getting nursery ideas together.
Until next time, Lexi :)

Weekend recap// 16 week bumpdate!

Friday after work I went to get my hair done. I was going to go back dark brown since my hair hasn't been done since July, but my husband really wanted me to get it red. So of course I had to please my hubby and I went with the red! I actually really like it, but I know it isn't going to last long. Red fades so fast, but that just means I have to go sooner to get pampered ;)

Saturday Dakota had the day of and we went to Whataburger for our Saturday morning tradition. Their Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit is seriously the Cats Pajamas. Seriously, it's amazing. After breakfast we ran a couple of errands for the house. We bought a house back in October and we are renovating the entire thing! It's super stressful, but going to be so worth it once we get everything done! After we picked up a few items from Lowes Dakota and I got ready and headed to the mall. We were on the hunt for me a blue sweater and him a pink shirt for the gender reveal party. We literally went into every store in the mall..... blue is just not the color right now apparently. The last store we stopped in was American Eagle. I finally found a blue sweater and didn't even try it on. I just grabbed it because I was so happy I found one. Of course we couldn't find a shirt for Dakota, but hey at least we got me done and he scored a pair of pants while in the process. After the mall we headed to the Bonefish grill to meet my friend Jessica and her husband for dinner. We all have never been before, and honestly I wasn't missing out on much. The food is over priced and I wasn't impressed with it. I would rather get dinner at Chili's and do the 2 for $20! After dinner we all went to the movie to see the new Hunger Games movie. It was really good & I'm looking forward to the next one.

"The house we bought back in October"

"At the mall with my bebe"

"Me & Jessica"

"This picture cracks me up"

Sunday we woke up early and got ready for church. We have been attending the same one for about a month now and I really like it. I would like to visit other churches still, but for right now I am content with Plainview. After church we got some supplies for the gender reveal party which is coming up soon!!!! We stocked up on blue and pink plates, cups, napkins, etc. After some shopping we met Dakotas dad for lunch at one my favorite restaurants, Founaris brothers! I have been craving their vegetarian pizza and oh my gosh it was delicious. I'm sure I will be back soon! After lunch Dakota and I made a quick trip to Target so I could get some more maternity jeans and to find a pink shirt. No such luck, but I did find some cute maternity jeggings. Finally we headed home and I just did laundry and cleaned while Dakota made his deer jerky (gross). The entire house smelled and honestly made me a little nauseous. That night we watched TWD and Dakota gave the kitties their manicures.

"Daddy giving Willow a Mani"

& Now for my 16 week bumpdate! Little Baby Ward is the size of a Pickle and

• Measures at 4.5 Inches and 4 ounces
• Ears are developed enough that he/she can hear all the sounds that mommy can
• Should start feeling some kicks, an event known as " quickening"
• Growing hair, eyelashes, and brows
• Forming taste buds

"16 weeks with my growing little one"

I am SO excited because this Friday we get to have an ultrasound where we found out the gender. I am bringing family and close friends to the ultrasound, but when they find the parts we are going to turn our heads because I don't want to ruin the surprise for the gender reveal! Eeeeek, I'm so ready to find out what we are having. I'm ready to start buying everything and getting nursery items together. I am still team BLUE I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Until next time, Lexi!

15 week update!

So yesterday I had my 15 week checkup with my OB. It was the usual checkup just like all the others where they listen to the HB with the Doppler and ask me questions about how I am feeling and so on. Also, this time I had to give blood to take the Quad test. The conditions it screens for are Down syndrome and trisomy 18, which are chromosomal abnormalities, as well as neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. The quad screen is done in the second trimester, usually between 15 and 18 weeks of pregnancy. They told me if anything were to come back that they questioned then they would call. Or if everything comes back normal then they won't call me at all. My husband is a Paramedic and he says a no call is a good call! During my appointment I told the Doctor how much pain I have been having.. especially at night. It wakes me up in the middle of the night and I am literally clenching and holding my breath it hurts so bad. Usually once I wake up it's an all niter because I just cannot get comfortable. He reassured me that this is normal and its my ligaments stretching because the baby is growing every week.

On a happier note here's an update on me and my sweet little avocado (because that's how big he is now)

How far along: 15 weeks & 2 days

 

Gender: We still have not found out yet, but the main development of the genitalia, whether boy or girl is now complete! & We have an appointment to find out the gender NEXT FRIDAY!!!!! Of course we can't find out, but our gender reveal party is on the 6th of December. Fingers crossed for a baby BOY. I already have his nursery picked out.

 

Weight gain: Only 1 pound. I lost 10 pounds during my first trimester because I just couldn't eat anything.

 

Maternity clothes: Jeans & a couple of shirts. 

 

Stretch marks: Still on my booty cheeks.

 

Belly button in or out: IN!!!

 

Sleep: Really good except for waking up with growing pains

 

Best moment this week: Going to my 15 week checkup and hearing our babies HB! It was 148 and it has gotten drastically lower from our last appointment when it was in the mid 160's. So that makes me think even more that it's a little boy!

 

Worst moment this week: Monday at work was a painful and tiring one. I had been up since 12 that morning with pain and just rolled out of bed. It was horrible.

 

Miss anything: Honestly, I miss deli meat. I would love a turkey sandwich right about now.

 

Movement: I started feeling flutters last week & I love that feeling. I can't wait until I can start feeling kicks.

 

Cravings: Recently my cravings have been Mexican food, Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits, and HOT WINGS!!!!!!!!!

 

Queasy or sick: Not really either. I get a little queasy after dinner sometimes, but I usually just pop in a Zofran.

 

Looking forward to: Next FRIDAY!!! Our 16 week ultrasound where they will determine the gender. I am so excited. My family and a few close friends will be there to see our little one on the big screen.

 

 

Well that's all for now folks.

Until next time, Lexi! :)

Weekend recap full of babies!

Friday night I went to the movies with two of my co-workers to watch Dumb & Dumber Two and ate dinner at steak n shake! The movie was hilarious, but of course wasn't as good as the first one. It was nice talking to my friends at dinner and talk about life and laugh until our stomachs hurt. It was so much better than being at work and trying to be quiet while snickering back and forth without getting in trouble. Don't get me wrong... we do our work, but are rarely all three together in the same room. I think our supervisor is catching on to us! I didn't take any pictures but I promise I'll make up for it later in the post.

Saturday Dakota had to work and I woke up around 10:30 and got ready to go to the mall to pick up a few items from Old Navy & Target. My goal was to find a BLUE sweater for my gender reveal party but didn't manage to find it. I did however end up spending over 100 dollars in Old Navy (oops) lol. I met my sister in law for lunch and ate some yummy Chinese food. That afternoon I headed over to my friend Chandler's mommas house for her gender reveal. It's actually pretty cool because I am the only one who knows Chandler's baby gender. So it was up to me and her daughter Oakleigh to pin the bow tie or bow on turkey number 2 (thanksgiving themed). It was so much fun and everyone was excited that it was a girl even though most everyone was team blue. I loved seeing Oak's reaction when she pinned the bow on her mommas shirt and everyone started screaming and cheering. She had the biggest smile on her face and so did I. I love that little girl and I am so happy that I got to be apart of that with her! After the reveal we all ate some chili and talked until it was to go. The close friends all headed back to Chandler and Ben's house for a bonfire! Dakota met us at the bonfire and we all had an awesome time. We wanted to watch the FSU game, but they didn't have cable which I'm kind of glad now that they didn't. It was nice for everyone to talk and have a few drinks (water for me) and just socialize. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life.

"pinning the bow on her shirt"

"Oaks was so excited she wanted to do the other one too"

"love this family"

"Me, Chandler, & EllaRynn ;)"

"My Moe!"

 

 

Sunday Dakota had to get up and go back to work and I got ready for my sweet little cousins birthday party. I got him the cutest little outfit from Target that I had gotten the day before and a cute pair of pj's! His party was SOOOOOO cute. I can't believe he is already one. The birthday theme was Tractors and his mom had cute props and names for everything. For example, she had the long pretzels on the table and called them "logs" and had drinks called "tractor fuel". It was the cutest thing. However, nothing was as adorable as watching that little stinker dig into his cake and get it all over his face! That night I went home to do homework and watched the walking dead with my sweet hubby and called it a night! I hope everyone else had a great weekend. I go to my 15 week checkup
tomorrow & then after that we get to find out the gender!!!!! :)

"15 weeks"

"Love this little guy"

"His super cute cake!"

"Singing Happy Birthday"

"Not wasting any time"

"Getting messy"

"Seeing if he would share"

"Giving that messy boy a bath"

"Ending the night watching TWD with my bebe"

 

 

 

Until next time, Lexi!

Weekend recap// 14 week bumpdate!

Friday was a long day at work! Me and my friend Jessica who is also my co-worker got some Fuji Sushi for lunch. It was good going down, but coming back up not so much. By coming back up I mean burping it ALL day. It was terrible. I don't think I'll be eating sushi for a while. That night Dakota had to work a soccer tournament and I brought us some Little Caesars pizza. It was absolutely delicious. Their Hot N Ready is SO much better than Pizza Hut. After hanging out with my hubs for a while and watching some soccer I had to head to my friend Chandlers house so her hubby and I could work on a mid-term together. We are enrolled in the same class so it was nice to have a study buddy. By the time we got finished it was 11:00 and I was pooped. I came home and crashed.

"Jessica's face cracks me up"

"Hanging out with my honey"

 

Saturday Dakota was off and we got to sleep in for a bit. Every time Dakota is off from work on the weekends we always get Whataburger for breakfast. I am always craving the honeybutter chicken biscuit so I am one happy girl. After breakfast we got ready and headed to NAS for the Blues homecoming show. It was terrible and not even worth watching. We had to park far away and walk 2.5 miles there just to watch a show for 30 minutes and had to walk allllllll the way back. It was cold outside but boy was I sweating my butt off in my sweater and boots. After the blues we headed to the mall to meet my family at the Macaroni grill for my moms birthday! Dakota and I shared the chicken alfredo and it was alright. I was not that impressed, but really the restaurant never does. I'm not a big fan. After eating we all went to the movies to see Fury. It was an awesome movie.

"Blue Angels"

"Finally found a spot"

"<3"

"At Macaroni grill"

"Movies with my parents to see Fury"

 

 

Sunday Dakota and I got up and went to church. We are trying out this new place called Plainview and so far I really like it. The pastor is great and knows our family well so that's a bonus. Also, I really like his preaching. He is very soft spoken and gets to the point. At my old church I would leave with headaches because the Pastor would scream and turn red. After church we had a lunch date and Chili's and it was soooooooo yummy. We were both craving their Mexican food. After eating lunch we had a lot of errands to run for the house and we bought our cabinets for the kitchen! I am SO ready to move in this house. It should be ready for us by January! I just gotta keep telling myself two more months. That night my parents came over to my grandparents house for another birthday celebration. It was a good time getting to catch up with everyone and talking about the baby, the house, and the future plans we have!


Now for my baby bumpdate!!! Little baby Ward is 14 weeks! He/she is the size of a lemon. ( & I also still really think it's a BOY)

• He/she is 3/4 Inches & 1.5 ounces
• Can squint, frown, and even suck its own thumb
• The fur-like lanugo is covering most of the body to keep warm before the baby fat comes in
• Has doubled in weight since last week
• Producing white blood cells, which will come in handy when needed to fight infection after birth
• Kidneys are making urine, and the liver and spleen are doing their jobs, too.

 I'm not going to do a Q&A since I just did one last week, but in just two weeks we will be able to find out the gender and you better believe I'll be doing one then.

"So in love with my sweet little one"

Until next time, Lexi!!!

Pregnancy up(bump)date! {13 weeks}

Holy cow, I can't believe I am already 13 weeks along and already in my second trimester! I wanted to post a quick update on me and the baby with my first bumpdate picture (eeeek)!

Update on Momma

 

How far along: 13 weeks

 

Gender: Still don't know yet, but I have scheduled an appointment to find out on Black Friday! Of course we won't know the day of but our gender reveal party is going to be December 6th!

 

Weight gain: Only about 5 pounds.

 

Maternity clothes: Rocking the maternity jeans. None of my other jeans fit.

 

Stretch marks: Oh yeah. On both my butt cheeks. Sorry for the TMI, but they're bad. They literally came out of nowhere.

Belly button in or out: IN!!!

 

Sleep: Really good. The bed is my best friend right now.

 

Best moment this week: Dakota and I bought a Doppler and we listened to the HB earlier today. We found it right away and it always brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. Also, hearing the baby kick is pretty awesome. I can't wait to start feeling it.

 

Worst moment this week: These horrible headaches. Like seriously, I can't even think straight.

 

Miss anything: SODA. I miss drinking Dr.Pepper.

 

Movement: Nothing that I can feel, but oh we can hear it!

 

Cravings: Recently my cravings have been Mexican, Steak N Shake, & Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit from Whataburger.

 

Queasy or sick: Still feeling pretty good. Thanking the good lord I haven't thrown up one time since being pregnant. A little tidbit about me is one of my fears is throwing up. I hate it so much that I cry and freak myself out if I have to throw up. I'm so scared of it. So I am seriously so thankful I didn't have morning sickness.

 

Looking forward to: Our next appointment which is on the 18th! It's my 15 week checkup!

 

 

Update on Baby

At Week 13 Baby Ward

• Is as big as a peach!
• Forming vocal cords and teeth
• Bones are getting more and more solid
• Has fingerprints
• Intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their permanent place
• 2.9 inches long and weighs about .81 ounce, and proportion wise his/her head is about 1/3 the size of his/her body!
• Tiny hairs called lanugo are about to appear all over baby's body, although these will fall off after delivery

 

& now for my first picture bumpdate! I am so excited to finally be doing these now!! I just love seeing my baby grow. I still have a feeling it's a BOY :)

"12 weeks"

 

 

Until next time, Lexi!

Oh & side note- I edited my picture with the Rhonna designs app! I absolutely love it. Especially when tracking my bi-weekly bumpdate.