Thursday, April 23, 2015

Owning It | Claiming the Crazy

 A Little Bit of Everything

Friends! Y'all know how I feel about owning it. And guess what? This wonderful blog world connected me with someone who feels the saaaaaaame way about this life motto as I do. I just adore her for it!!! (And for many other reasons too!) If you don't know Erika, you should. Because she rocks. Plain and simple.

SO! Pop on over to Erika's blog. You just might recognize someone you know there. ;) I've claimed my crazy before (past posts here & here), but there is always more where that came from...

P.S. Yes, I'm still pregnant. :)


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Pregnancy | 40 Weeks



How Far Along: 40 weeks! Due date was 4/21. I made it.

Size of Baby: A watermelon/pumpkin/FULL GROWN BABY!...anywhere from 6-9lbs and 19-22"

Gender: Our little girl, Nancy Hope Houston

Movement: Still moving just not as much. She's crowded in there. When she sticks that booty out on my right side for a long period of time, it hurts.

Weight Gain: Much to my surprise (and delight, honestly), I lost a pound this week bringing me in at +38. 

Sleep: Snoring less (woohoo!) with the washing away of much of the pollen. Hubby is very thankful. I am up all the time at night for the tinkle breaks though. Still have zero trouble falling back asleep. (But my mama will tell you, I've always been her child that loves sleep the most.)


We woke up like this one morning. Not unusual, but love when Tina uses the pillow like a human. And the paw on her dad...we could not handle her cuteness. And today (4/21 as I'm writing this), my due date, is her birthday! Happy 6th birthday to our tiny little tina pup!!!!!! 

Workouts: Hilliard Studio Method x 7. I wanted to go out with a bang. (So come on, Nancy!)
I also went on a 3.5 mile walk yesterday and a shorter walk after dinner the night before that. Trying to "walk the baby out." (It's not working.)


HSM Instagram 
39w6d at HSM -- so thankful to be able to work out through my whole pregnancy. It seriously makes me feel sane. The endorphin release is real.

Maternity Clothes: Continued mixing and matching for spring. Trying to give my maternity clothes one last rendezvous though before I pack them away for a couple years! :)


Symptoms: Same things: The grunting when flipping from one side to the other at night. The urge to not want to pick up something off of the ground. Pressure on my pubic bone. And especially SO MANY bathroom breaks day and night. Oh, and I finally experienced my first Braxton Hicks. 

As of my last doctor's appointment on Friday, I was 1.5cm and 80-90% effaced.

Cravings/Aversions: No. I enjoyed an indulgent afternoon snack with my Mimi the other day though. We spent much of the day together just one-on-one. So special to soak up time with that precious woman!


Sunflour Baking Company - if you're in CLT, go here!
My blondie cupcake and dirty (1/2 dark choc 1/2 white choc syrup) half calf coffee were out of this world.

Also I had this for lunch and dinner yesterday.

Missing Most: ?! I'm ready to meet this girl!!! I know I'll miss our first baby when I'm in the hospital. We celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday with a trip to the toy store (AKA Pets Mart). Mark and I are anticipating the dynamic of the Tina/Nancy relationship...


Tiny tina the birthday beana!

Nursery: Nonexistent :)

Hubby: Installed the car seat bases. Treated me to a gorgeous push present. And for the past few days has left the house for work telling me to try to go into labor. (Ha!) He talks to her and says, "Come on, Nancy! We're all ready to meet you!!!"  I am enjoying the many texts throughout the day asking if anything is happening. All of the family is excited and ready to meet our Nancy, but no one is as pumped and ready as her daddy. 

Can't Wait For: My doctor's appointment tomorrow. Meeting our baby girl. Cannot wait to kiss that face!!!! So soon. Come on, baby!


Our Announcement | Weeks 4-12  | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Weeks 19 and 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 and 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 | Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Nancy's Fancy Tea Party | Week 34 | Week 35 | Moved + Nested |  Week 36 | Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39 | Week 40

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

April Sponsor Spotlight: Would You Rather...

Who doesn't love a good little game of Would You Rather? Enjoy getting to know these ladies a little better while reading their answers! Now: would you rather...?

 

Name: Elizabeth Burns
Blog: That's Mrs. Burns To You 
Go on a relaxing Caribbean vacay OR backpack across Europe? Caribbean vaca for sure! I think a vacation should be relaxing and I would love nothing more than the beach and fun in the sun!
Travel back in time OR travel to the future? I would go back in time as there are conversations I wish I would have had with loved ones that have passed. 
Have a rewind button on your life OR a pause button? Pause button - it seems like the great moments in life go by too fast!
Be able to talk with animals OR be able to speak every foreign language? Every foreign language! I might have to reconsider that previous answer about the Caribbean vs. Europe question....
Have mermaids be real OR unicorns? Mermaids for sure! I loved Little Mermaid as a child and was convinced Ariel was somewhere under the sea!
Eat a doughnut OR a cupcake? Cupcake - There is a local cupcake specialty store that has the best cupcakes around!
Wear only 80s clothes OR wear only 80s hairstyles? I will go with big hair over jeggings and unitards!

Connect with Elizabeth


Name: Lizzie
Go on a relaxing Caribbean vacay OR backpack across Europe? Relaxing holiday in the Caribbean! That would be a dream come true. I've backpacked around Oz & I've been to St Lucia on honeymoon, right now I could easily go back to Sandals with a cocktail. Yess.
Travel back in time OR travel to the future? I'd go back & spend more time with my grandparents
Have a rewind button on your life OR a pause button? Probably pause, I want to keep these babies a little bit longer
Be able to talk with animals OR be able to speak every foreign language? I'd love to speak French or Spanish, so I guess languages would be cool.
Have mermaids be real OR unicorns? Erm hard one for me can I choose fairies instead? Ha!
Eat a doughnut OR a cupcake? Both please (can you tell I'm indecisive)
Wear only 80s clothes OR wear only 80s hairstyles? Clothes for sure, I loved my bubble skirt fiercely 

Connect with Lizzie
Twitter // Instagram // Facebook

 
Name: Karen
Go on a relaxing Caribbean vacay OR backpack across Europe? Backpack across Europe, hands down. There's so much to see and do here and it's especially convenient from London! 
Travel back in time OR travel to the future? Back in time. I'm a nostalgic person and there are so many sweet moments I'd love to re-live! 
Have a rewind button on your life OR a pause button? Pause button for sure.
Be able to talk with animals OR be able to speak every foreign language? Speak every foreign language, the world is a beautiful place and I want to connect with everyone! 
Have mermaids be real OR unicorns? UNICORNS! 
Eat a doughnut OR a cupcake? Both. Buttt if I must pick, cupcake! 
Wear only 80s clothes OR wear only 80s hairstyles? Big hair all day, everyday. The higher the hair, the closer to God ;) 

Connect with Karen
Pinterest // Instagram // Twitter // Bloglovin'




Name: Laura
Go on a relaxing Caribbean vacay OR backpack across Europe? Europe! I'm a beach girl but also a history buff, so Europe is the best of both worlds. Greek islands, anyone?! I'm not sure the beaches get better than that.
Travel back in time OR travel to the future? History buff...back in time! Don't ask me to pick just one era. I couldn't do it. I want to meet all the people in the Bible I so admire, Constantine, Da Vinci, Elizabeth I, Churchill, the list is endless. 
Have a rewind button on your life OR a pause button? Pause button. Life is lovely right now. This stage that Man Cub is in is just perfection. 
Be able to talk with animals OR be able to speak every foreign language? Just call me Dr. Doolittle. Oh, how I'd love to speak with the animals. I have a knack for foreign languages ( I took both Spanish and German in high school at the same time), but to truly relate to God's animal kingdom? Bring it!
Have mermaids be real OR unicorns? Mermaids! I was a competitive swimmer as a kid. There was no keeping me out of the water. My parents still are avid scuba divers (the hubby and I are too), and my mom would come home from dive trips with wild tales of mermaids. I was convinced Ariel was real well into elementary school. 
Eat a doughnut OR a cupcake? Donuts! Specifically, a Bavarian filled long John. Why do they have to be so tasty and so horrible for me? I eat one maybe once a year, if that often, but every second is bliss. 
Wear only 80s clothes OR wear only 80s hairstyles? Oh, the 80s hair! I can rock a perm with the best of them. Well, ok, it was cute on me as a kid. Still, I'll take that over the clothes any day!

Connect with Laura


Now hop on over these girls' blogs and say hello!

Monday, April 20, 2015

(Maybe?) Our Last Weekend Pre-Nancy

Only the good Lord knows if this truly was our last weekend pre-Nancy or not. I very well could go 41+ weeks. Who knows! But just in case...we treated it as our last "just us" weekend. Regardless, I'm so glad we did because it sure was lovely!

FRIDAY
Marky got off work a little early, and I met him at Diamonds Direct to pick out a push present (and take advantage of their twice a year 20% off sale). Perfect timing, right?! The store was jam packed...straight up bumpin' before 5pm with catered food, drinks, decorations everywhere, and a 45 minute wait list. We wound up waiting over 45 minutes to be seen, but we just sat on the couch and happily chatted. Our patience paid off (literally) because we got an extra 5% off for it! Cheers to that!

I knew I wanted another band that looked completely different from my wedding band, as this one is for a different occasion. I wound up picking the same band Mark had chosen for me during his lunch break. I like that we both decided on the same thing without even meaning to do so -- that made it even more special. Also - diamonds are Nancy's birthstone, sooo... ;) Fancy Nancy indeed.

39 weeks 3 Days 
My sista snapped this family picture for us before we headed out on the town. I wore an old Susana Monaco dress of my mama's...Susana Monaco is great for pregnancy. Mark looked so handsome. Loved his outfit that he picked out by himself. Well done, hubby! Yow! :) Tina, per usual, looked quite pupalicous.

For dinner we headed to one of our most favorite Charlotte restaurants (that was also the venue of our rehearsal dinner!), Dressler's. We opted to sit outside and enjoy the band, crisp, cool air, and skyline view of our home. [CLT folks - There is an awesome Living Social deal going on there right now! Snag it!]

Jam band + Dressler's patio view

Home sweet home, Charlotte, North Carolina

The living social deal allowed us to order 2 apps, 1 shared salad, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert. We had every intention of eating all of the food, but we both made it home with to go boxes. There was just too much goodness. :) We ordered thai peanut calamari, crab dip, the "wedgie" salad, NY strip with fries, duck (random, but I went for it!) with the best mac & cheese I've ever tasted, and key lime pie. Man, oh man. 

Cheers to this hot Daddy-to-be!

SATURDAY
We didn't sleep most of that night. Mom's AC was out upstairs, and I was up almost every hour with a tiny puppy crying and scratching her ear (and prepping me for baby, I know). Our baby girl pup got her first ear infection. I took her to the vet as soon as it opened on Saturday morning. I was so thankful that this happened before Nancy's arrival so I could give our first baby all of the mama loving and snuggles she deserved. Apparently pups can grow into allergies? Amelia has never had them before, and now she has some medicine for hear ear and steroids. Bless her tinypup heart!

Sick puppy in the kitchen. Broke my heart!

 Sadpup snuggles with Daddy. She was pitiful. Our sweet first baby!

We spent much of the day with our sick little pup. Marky and I installed the car seat bases in our cars, so we are ready to bring Nancy home from the hospital. (Crazy! That was a very "this is real" feeling moment.) I also managed to make a mani-pedi date with my mommy and sissy happen. I'm not one to splurge on my nails--I'm the gal who prefers to save the bucks and paint them myself--but I decided that this was a pretty darn special occasion. :) Us three Davis girls had a grand time together. I chose neon pink for Nancy's arrival.


SUNDAY
Since we made it to church on Saturday night, Sunday was perfectly lazy. I did manage to squeeze in a 9:30 workout at Hilliard because it's my favorite class -- bands & gams. I just love it. And then the rain led me to Starbucks afterwards...

Cheers to a rainy, rainy, rainy day of rest and relaxation! Just what the Sabbath is for!!

And now, we wait. Tomorrow is my due date, but homegirl has consistently measured about 4 days behind through my entire pregnancy. Maybe she'll come sometime this week. Maybe next weekend. Maybe on Hopey's bday! And, goodness knows, maybe I'll hit 41 weeks. Time will tell. Stay tuned! Until then...we're bursting at the seams knowing we get to meet our baby girl face to face SO STINKIN' SOON!!! Mark keeps saying, "Hurry up, Nancy. We're all ready to meet you!" There is wonderful joy ahead indeed...God is good. He is so, so good!

Friday, April 17, 2015

Friday Five: CLT Love

ONE | LOVELY
Lovely. One of my favorite words. Just a little loveliness to kick off your day... :)


TWO | CHARLOTTE FIVE
I signed up to receive the Charlotte Five newsletter this week, and I'm hooked. Do any of you Charlotteans read it?! Local news presented in a fun and quirky way. Sold. I love it! Plus, I found out about important things this week like where Obama was headed uptown...and free cone day, duh.


THREE | THE END OF PREGNANCY
How fun is this stage? I'm loving it. I now get at least one text/email a day just making sure that I am, indeed, still pregnant. It makes me smile every time. Looking forward to going to the doc's this afternoon to check progress! But my gut says she'll still be snug, and I'll make it to 40 weeks (at least). And that's a-okay with me. :)


FOUR | LIFE GROUP
One thing I knew I wanted to throw us into post-move, pre-Nancy was getting plugged back into a Life Group at our church ASAP. I knew that if I waited till after Nancy's birth, I would let myself "get into a routine" for months. Anyway, we're now members of a wonderful married couples group and couldn't be more thankful to do life alongside new friends.

(P.S. This isn't life group. It's us listening to the sermon before our group meeting! ;))

FIVE | DRESSLER'S DEAL
One of our favorite restaurants in Charlotte is Dressler's. We had our rehearsal dinner there, we have mad respect for the owner (customer service king!), we love the CLT skyline view, and...the desserts. The owner's mama makes many of them. YUP! Divine. Marky and I are headed there tonight for our last fancy date night pre-baby girl! CHEERS to THAT! 

And guess what? More goodness for CLT folks: there's a Dressler's living social deal right now! (Y'all know I love a good deal.) And it's awesome.



Living Social Deal
Do you see that?! $65 for 1 shared salad, 2 apps, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert?! YES, PLEASE.
Can't wait to eat all of the food tonight.


  Cheers to Friday!

   
   
FRIDAY means I'm linking up with...5 on Friday:  DarciAprilChristina, + Natasha | Friday Favorites: A Little Bit of EverythingMomfessionals, + Grace and Love | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife

Thursday, April 16, 2015

2 Years and 8 Months of Just Us


The one who makes me laugh...

Isn't God's grace an amazing thing? Understatement of the world, I know. I've been thinking: in the days when I used to name the 5 "non-negotiables" that I would never settle on regarding a husband (yes, I did that), sense of humor was never one of them. Ever. I don't consider myself a funny person. And it's not that I don't like "funny" in others--it's just never been super important to me.  

But God. He blessed me with a bonus in my husband. God knew my every need and then blessed me with more. My Marky. The one who makes me laugh like no other. (Like you read about yesterday?) An undeserved gift. Grace.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Oh goodness, y'all. Does this happen to a lot of first time mamas? In the past weeks, I've found myself not necessarily nostalgic but super reminiscent of the past few years with my husband since we've become man and wife. Our 2 years and 8 months of just us are coming to a close. My thoughts of our adventures in that time have been running wild. We have grown so much individually; more importantly, we've grown exponentially as a couple.

In a world where marriage is hard and all too finite, I know I'm extremely blessed in my marriage with Mark. I was telling him this in the car last night, actually: Our marriage absolutely isn't perfect. And there are always things we can and will need to work on. But you know what? It's strong. Our marriage is strong. I believe so much in us, the ways we love and serve each other, in the family we're creating, and in the legacy we'll leave through it. How precious a gift I have been given to do life everyday with someone like Mark.

I know, I know. I'll cut the sap. But it has been on high gear these past few weeks, and--per usual--I'm owning it. The best part of all my reflections? The fact that 2 years and 8 months as The Houstons is still our beginning.  Let the adventures continue. With Mark by my side, I look forward to all that the future holds--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Just as the Bible states, it is a divine mystery how two lives absolutely become one.

Okay LAST THING (for real). What better to do when reflecting on your marriage thus far than rewatch your wedding video!?! I watched this last night and was either BIG cheese smiling, laughing, or crying throughout the whole thing. To remember how much I loved him on this day...to process how much more I love him now...and to imagine how much more deeply and intricately I will love him as I watch him become the father of our children (so soon!). God is good, y'all.


Feature Film
It's longer. So many of my favorite songs. And I was total mush listening to Mark, my sister, an our vows all over again. 
 
 Highlights Film
Short and sweet and the perfect little epitome of our day.
 
 
Videos by Life Stage Films. Thank y'all for your beautiful talent that still makes me giddy!
You can read more about our wedding right here. :)
 

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Pregnancy | Week 39


How Far Along: 39 weeks -- I have an inkling that I'll be writing one next week as well at 40 weeks. No Braxton Hicks, no contractions...just a satisfied Nancy that appears to want to stay put. :)

Size of Baby: Oh, ya know, just a WATERMELON!!!! 7-8 lbs and 19-21" long
 
Gender: Our little girl, Nancy Hope Houston

Movement: Did you SEE the video I put on Instagram? Phew! Yes. Movement. Lots. I love it, and I know I will miss it SO much SO soon.

Weight Gain: 39lbs in 39 weeks. Owning it. I've done it as healthily as I know how, so I'm just letting it be!

Sleep: Bless my sweet hubby. This morning he told me encouragingly, "You only woke me up 3x last night!" Eeek. The snoring, y'all. Never have I ever snored pre-pregnancy. But with CLT pollen + a watermelon baby on my organs, it's out of control. So hubby waking me up 3x a night minimally plus at least 3x a night bathroom breaks...which means a lot of broken up sleep. Good practice. And despite all that, I still am sleeping like a baby. Falling back asleep is no problem. Aaaand I might be finding myself taking a power nap in the afternoon hours. People keep saying to me, "Sleep! Because you never will again!" I'm like...okay! Twist my arm! Sign me up for that afternoon 30 min nap!

Workouts: Hilliard Studio Method x 6. Boom. 

Maternity Clothes: Same...still mixing and matching with flowy spring things! Favorite thing I wore this week? This dress of my mom's...before she gets it altered and I won't be able to wear it anymore without lookin' like a fool...#tallestdaughterprobs.

Speaking of #tallestdaughterprobs, I wore an old "dress" of my sister's as a shirt for our maternity shoot paired with the Hue jeggings I wrote about last week!



Symptoms: Still the need to have my feet up. Just feels so much better. The snoring. The grunting when flipping from one side to the other at night. The urge to not want to pick up something off of the ground. Pressure on my pubic bone. And tinkling Lord knows how many times a day/night.

Also I am still 1cm but now 60% effaced. The doc checks for progress again at my appointment on Friday!

Cravings/Aversions: Nope. Into my rhythm/routine here at mom's of lemon water + a banana before working out every morning. Then my green smoothie and a protein bar afterwards. My favorite lunch (as you might've read about on Friday's post!) is this:


Steve Sandwich (add cukes this time) from Laurel Market
Down it with a local Lenny Boy?! HEEEAAAVVEEENNNN.

Missing Most: Still going on walks. It's just not fun/worth it with all the downward pressure from baby and a softening and widening pubic bone (cute, right?! ;)). But I suppose with the current pollen and cankerworm downpours here in Charlotte (if you know CLT, you know these troubles...), it's actually a good time to miss out. Hello, silver lining.

Nursery: Is this precisely:


Our little family in Hope's room at mom's house. :)
I snapped this pic because we were hoping Tina was practicing watching over the baby.

Hubby: Has been making me laugh so much this week that there was a close call of me not making it to the bathroom. He bought a selfie stick for himself off of Amazon Prime. Why? He says it's for the delivery room...that he'll stay up by my head, and the selfie stick can capture everything else. He kills me. Oh, and the moment that almost caused an accident involved his selfie stick recreation of this vine video. (Also - great song. I love a good Mariah throwback.)

Practicing his selfie stick skillz...

Best Part of the Week: See hilarious hubby moments above. And, in general, the insane amount of family time is just a part of life now. We are so, so fortunate to be back here.

I also really enjoyed and appreciated meeting Nancy's pediatrician this week. Nancy will go to the same practice that my brother, sister, and I all grew up attending. It was a full circle moment when I walked in. My family has been going there for so long that one of the nurses recognized me and remembered exactly who I was! How cool and amazing is that?! (I was super impressed.) Feels so, so good to be back in my hometown.

Can't Wait For: Going on walks with Nancy in her stroller. Watching Mark and Nancy meet and interact.



Our Announcement | Weeks 4-12  | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Weeks 19 and 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 and 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 | Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Nancy's Fancy Tea Party | Week 34 | Week 35 | Moved + Nested |  Week 36 | Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39