Baby Shower Fun

This past weekend, baby Jameston and I were showered with gifts and good times at a get-together hosted by some friends from church. It was a lovely morning shower filled with great food, beautiful decor, good conversations (plus tips for this mother-to-be), and wonderful gifts of course!

Hostesses: Sharon, Allison, Lauren, me, Haylee, Cari, and Amy

Thank y'all!Look at those options! What a beautiful (and scrumptious) arrangement!

Plate full o' sugar cookies made by Allison...so cute!

I could eat way too many (pregnant or not :)

My younger sisters made the trek so they could be there. They have been great supporters throughout several milestones in my life (uh-hum...maid of honors three years ago :) just to name one example). And I know the birth of their first nephew will be no exception!

Me and Maggie take a pic...she's gotta update her facebook page!

The Stewart gals: Lynnlee, Maggie, Me, and my mom

My middle sister, Lynnlee, is expecting a little one of her own with hubby Thomas in January! We CANNOT wait to find out what they are having and to meet him or her. Counsin Jameston is moving around with excitement as I type this! Is it going to be a little girl or boy cousin for him to play with? We'll find out next month! Also, my mom, step-mom, and Brett's mom all joined in on the fun. What a great family I have!

L to R: Brett's mom Cynthia (Granny), my step-mom Glenda (GG), and my mom, Donna (Mimi)

The crew at our house, before we headed to the shower

We received lots of sweet, sweet goodies!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church family, too!

West Texas Wedding

Two weekends ago we headed to San Angelo for Brett's cousin, Josh's, wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception. We learned about Josh and Jessica's courtship, our niece Riley is a dancing machine (especially with her second cousin, Gage), and that Brett's sister, Kayla, is the favorite aunt of the bunch!

Jared and Brett, what are you up to?

Being silly

The Winters gals posing for a group shot...we missed you Bryn!

I wish we had taken more pictures from the actual wedding. I did take some family shots the next morning that I thought I would post.

Aww...the siblings

Aunt Kayla with Ruby and Riley

Brett getting some practice in with our niece, Ruby...so sweet!

Got belly?

I sure do! After having been told time and time again over the last several months (if I had a penny for every time someone said it...) by family and friends and patients at work (it's the lab coat I tell ya!) that I don't look very pregnant, I now have to say "I told you so!" I know, I know...I'm tall, and he's got lots of room to stretch out, but this girl is feeling mucho preggo, and now it's time I received a little recognition :) Let me explain...

The latest side shot :)

I went in for my 30-week appointment last week, and my doc said that I am measuring big for where I should be right now. At first I was worried, but she reassured me that it's nothing to fret about. She said it could be due to one of several causes: our due date is off (it's been changed two times now), little Jameston is sitting high up (and they want to make sure he repositions, so that he's not breech), an amniotic fluid issue, or that our baby boy is a BIG boy. I am hoping it's either the first or the last possible causes. We go in for a sonogram in early August (selfishly, I was hoping for another sonogram to capture the development and growth of our little guy over the last three months, but not by doctor's orders!). Until then, here is a humorous picture of my recent state...

Story behind this picture: I have been painting door frames and doors throughout the house (with a latex/acrylic paint in a well-ventilated area, no worries), and Brett thinks my outfit and changing physique are picture-worthy. Luckily, the picture was taken from the side, because I can barely fit into my "painting pants," much more zip them up!

So, as you can see, my belly popped WAAY out there...I am lovin' it; it just makes some everyday chores and tasks a little more awkward. Here's to 8 more weeks of belly growth!

30...and some fun pictures!

So, here we are at the 30-week mark. These last few months seemed to have gone by quickly, I guess because we've been so busy preparing for our little guy and with life in general. But I have heard from numerous friends and family members that the last couple months, especially the last four weeks, drag on. Here's to that "light at the end of the tunnel!" Speaking of baby preparation activities, we had our childbirth class this past weekend...it was interesting (and I thought informative), but if you want a humorous account of the material, please ask Brett for the details :)

I am still feeling great, just getting bigger by the day and a little more tired here and there. I have gained about almost 25 pounds, so that means I'll probably gain about 30-35 pounds overall (another reason for the title of this post :)

Pop goes the belly! The stripes are not deceiving :)

Our little Jameston is definitely a mover! He's been an active fella over the last few weeks. I'll feel him move on one side of my belly, and then, low and behold, on the other side I'll get a kick or a punch. It's amazing! I think he's gonna be a big boy (maybe long in the legs, too, or so we've been told). We watch in amazement as our little guy moves around, causing my belly to contort in the funniest directions!

It's awesome to think that our baby boy will be here in a little over two months!

Here are some fun, random pictures that I thought I'd include in this post:

Rangers game and fireworks with my dad, stepmom, and Brett...we had a blast (even though it was a scorcher of a day)!

Can you see our dogs? Who knew they had chameleon characteristics. Haha! As soon as they come in from outside, they like to lay on the cool tile or wood floor.

I helped watch our nieces, Riley and Ruby, last week. Aren't they precious?!Here is a picture of Marlie in awe of Ruby. I was worried how our dog would handle being around babies...but not anymore! They entertained each other, that's for sure!

3 years: 2 dogs, 1 house, and a baby on the way!

Three years ago today I married the man of my dreams!

It was the perfect wedding and celebration that we still talk about often.

It brings a smile to my face when I reminisce on our lives together since we started dating back in 2001.

Look how young we look! Times flies when you're having fun :)

Here's a little run-down of what's been going on in "The Winters' World" over the last three years. We bought our first home in December of 2006 after living in an apartment near the Galleria (where Brett works) for six months.The house, although only fifteen years old, has definitely kept us busy with repairs and renovations (as seen as a common topic throughout our blog :) We love our home and plan on being here for a little while longer, because we need to enjoy those updates and get our money's worth out of them!

Before we got married, I had a dog named Boomer I adopted in the summer of 2005. Brett took to him as quickly as I did, not only because Boomer stayed at Brett's house in Lubbock and not at my apartment, but also because Boomer is simply the best dog in the world! Around Easter of last year we adopted Marlie, a yellow lab puppy rescued by a local shelter. She has definitely tested our patience, but we love her nonetheless. They love each other, and they constantly provide us with laughs!Since 2006 and 2007 were spent mostly saving up for our house and all the demolition we have taken out on it, we were able to do a little traveling last year.

Chicago in June

Central America in July:

Guatemala

Belize

California in October

As we gear up for our first child, I can say we have been truly blessed in these last three years.

28 weeks...12 and counting!!

Brett, you are the most wonderful husband/best friend/partner in life that one could ask for, and I love you so much. I thank God every day for you, and I can't wait to see what our future years have in store for us! 

"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be."

Pregnancy Observations, for the Lighthearted

As of late, with my body slowly morphing before my eyes, I have been reflective on some of the funnier and surprising happenings that go along with pregnancy. Not only am I noticing them in myself, but also with other people as well. Here's a short list:

• My belly button has a new home...OUT! WAY out there (as with the rest of my mid-section). Lovin' it! I would post a picture, but some might find it disturbing. HA!
• It is getting more difficult to conduct activities that require me to bend over (e.g., paint my toenails, tie my shoes, help patients get up/down, feed/wash the dogs, etc.) with my ever-expanding belly acting as a barrier between me and the object(s) within my reach. I guess this means that I'm going to have to invest in some pedicures and pet grooming in the next several months :)
• Some of my friends/family members/co-workers think I should be refraining from physical exercise (e.g., volleyball, climbing a step-ladder, lifting boxes, etc.) because of the"condition" I'm in. People, pregnant women can still walk/run (if they want)/move just as we did before...it just may take us a little longer to get there and we may be a little out of breath! I know, I know...I need to be cautious, but I don't want to be lazy! But at least I get out of picking up heavier things, so Brett has taken over the chore of getting our 40-50 lb. dog food bags lately.
• Persons feel compelled to touch pregnant women's bellies...I've heard this for quite some time, but I could not believe that random strangers would actually do this. Now I can say that this is very true. Of course, I don't mind the attention, just not when I don't know the person that well!
• Oh, and I think this even more now than EVER before...swimwear is overrated! I think I will stick with muu-muu's this summer thank you very much! Oh, and I'm diggin' the maternity duds (no zippers is ingenious)!

Of course, with all these amusing observations, there are some serious ones, too (not too serious, don't get worried)...

• Baby bedding is expensive! If you compare it yard for yard, cute animal print by print, it costs so much more than other bedding (even at 20% off)! But, it is cute, and that's justification enough I guess.
• Registering for a baby is somewhat of a daunting task...there are SOOO many items and "necessities" that we found to be unnecessary and somewhat hilarious, too (the "Pee-pee Teepee" and the "Hooter Hider" for instance). Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun picking out the big and small items, and it made us even more excited for our little guy to get here! But, as we walked from aisle to aisle at both stores, we kept asking ourselves two questions: "Our parents didn't have this stuff for us growing up, and we turned out okay. Right?" AND "Where on earth are we going to put all of this stuff?!"

And then there are the oh-so wonderful things that I've really enjoyed about being pregnant :)

• Buying baby items for Jameston and preparing his room
• Seeing Brett excited and so involved in getting ready for our little guy. I know he is going to make a great dad!
• Eating whenever, whatever I want (the recent faves are Italian food (I'm still on the cheese kick), ice cream, and the very random tootsie rolls (who would've thought)
• Sonograms are the best invention ever!
• Oh, and people are very courteous once they see you are preggers. Strangers give kind smiles, open doors, start up conversations and ask questions like they've known you forever. It's a wonderful world!
• Feeling your baby move is the COOLEST, most awesome feeling in the world! Knowing that he's thriving and kicking (and grooving to music...we've been to some great concerts lately) is so incredible! Words can't describe it well enough...

To celebrate my "Ode to Pregnancy" post, here is a pic of me at 26 weeks:

As mentioned earlier, my belly has really popped over the last month or so. I have gained about 20 pounds so far, and we still have a little over 12 weeks to go. Goodness--I think we may have a big boy on our hands!

Oh, and the nursery is getting closer and closer to completion. Brett has painted the walls, chair rail, base boards, etc., we replaced the door handles/stoppers and wall plates, and he put together the crib and dresser last weekend. It's taking shape, and I love it! I'll be sure to post pics as soon as it's all done.

Passin' on the savings

To those of you who follow our blog, I wanted to let you know about a great deal on makeup that a friend recently blogged about (shout out to Kimberlee). I usually don't look into these things, but I had to (makeup isn't cheap)! I just placed an order this morning, and it is legit.

Nordstrom is renaming their makeup line, so they are selling a lot of goodies online for as little as $1. One particular line called EyesLipsFace (e.l.f.) is being repackaged, so their current products are selling for super-duper cheap on their website: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/shop.asp.

When you go to check out, you can enter coupon code"CAROLINA" and save an additional $7.50 if you order over $15 worth of products (those savings pay for shipping :) OR you can get a free makeup kit (worth $15 I think) if you enter the coupon code FREEMINI instead.

WHAT A DEAL!

Dog days of summer...

Here is a little film roll of their loungin': 

Marlie on the floor

Although it's not officially the summer season yet, it felt like it a couple of weeks ago when our AC was out! In honor of the title, I thought I would post some of the latest pics we have of our canines.

Boomer getting the special treatment with Brett on the couch 

(before AC went kaput)

We think the dogs know something is up (i.e., baby on the way) because they have been acting differently lately. Marlie has been going into the room that will be Jameston's nursery to scope it out a lot more recently. We currently just have little odds and ends in there, and we've noticed that she definitely wants to be in the know.

Marlie gets jealous and wants up on the couch, too!

Also, Boomer has been vying for more attention lately. Maybe it's because he is tired of Marlie butting in and trying to steal his spotlight! He is definitely more attached than he has been. So sweet!

Making themselves comfortable (we have recently broke them of their habit

of jumping up on the couch, in preparation for baby)

Boomer and Marlie may be realizing that they will be "taking a back seat" when our little boy gets here, so they are trying to soak up all the attention they can right now.

Poor guy gets ousted and makes his bed on the floor/bookshelf. 

Is that really comfy, Boomer?!

Family Time

Last weekend we went up to Oklahoma to visit Brett's younger brother, Jared, and his wife, Bryn. They are expecting a girl in July, and we were so excited to be able to make the trek to get to see their new home and to shower them with gifts.

Also there were Brett's mom, his two other siblings, and our two nieces. Altough we wish we could have stayed longer, we had a fun trip!

The Winters Crew: Kayla, Brett, Mom, Jared, and Cade

The girls: Riley, Kayla, Jessica, Bryn, and Me

Aunt Bryn and Ruby

Bellies: Bryn 33 weeks and me at 25 weeks:)

Jared and Bryn, we can't wait to meet your baby girl!

24

weeks...wow, time seems to be flying by. Of course, I might not feeling these same sentiments when my third trimester and 100+ degree heat coincide. It's really hard to believe we're six months along already, and that our little guy is growing so much (one of my books says he's the size of a half-gallon of milk. Really?). What I find even more incredible and hard to wrap my mind around is that in less than 16 weeks he'll be here! Whoa, we have lots of preparing to do!

My growin' belly: our little fella is sure moving around a lot lately!

It's so cool to feel him kick, twist, etc...we may have a little boxer or soccer player on our hands :)

We bought Jameston's crib and dresser, his bedding (it's called "Monkey Bars" by Carter's...love it!), and paint for the nursery this past weekend. We are painting an armoire and cedar chest that we currently have to match the furniture pieces. I plan on finding some artwork or wall decals of my own (I didn't break down and get the ones from the bedding set!). I feel like we are a little closer to gettin' ready for his arrival in September.I say that because I kinda had a mini panic attack last week. In the midst of what seems like the hundreds of renovations taking place in every other room throughout our house, I was worried we would barely finish those up in time to get started on our baby boy's room.

But I have the best husband in the world!! He knows me all too well and sensed my worrying. We hunkered down and got a lot done throughout the house (and for the nursery) this past weekend. Now, all we need to do is paint, assemble furniture, wash and put away our son's already quickly-growing wardrobe (thanks, Jessica, for the hand-me-downs!), and the list could go on and on.

In other house news, Brett is getting the master bathroom closer to completion. He tiled the shower (again, like the guest shower, I think he did an AWESOME job), and he is putting wood floors in our closet. We repainted the walk-in closet to make it "pop" a little more (it was a drab ivory-yellowish color, ugh!) for when we add the saloon doors to the entrance. You know, renovating has been fun, but it has literally consumed every free weekend we have had. We are ready to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor (before I go into labor!).