We did it AGAIN....

Ryan and I had our Catholic Marriage Blessing yesterday at St. Mary' in LaPorte with Father Gary. It was a nice intimate mass with just us and my dad as our witness. We were surprised that it was a full mass & pretty much a full Catholic Wedding. Now we have 2 anniversary dates, October 18th we were legally married & October 30th we were married by the church.

I'm so glad our marriage is now recognized by the Catholic Church. I look forward to Ava having a strong upbringing in the church, just as I did.

We are in our 3rd trimester!!!

How far along: 28 weeks 2 days
Weigh gained: 16 lbs but feels like so much more. Finally realized I shouldn't be wearing my wedding rings. Some days it's harder then others to slide them on, so I have tucked them away in a safe place until after Ava is here.
Sleep: No problem here ;)
Maternity Clothes: Probably the only thing I'm wearing these days. I have a favorite pair of maternity pants I LOVE to put on when I get home from work. I think Ryan is getting sick of seeing me in them so much, but they are so comfortable.
Movement: oh ya & I just LOVE it. She hasn’t had the hiccups yet (that I have noticed). I hear that is a pretty cool feeling.
Belly button in or out: starting to look a little flat.
What I miss: today looking down at my hand & seeing my wedding rings :(

Craving/favorite foods: craving Mexican! My favs are the same. I snack on veggies & ranch dip, cheese & crackers, and I still love warm chocolate chip cookies with milk.

Milestones: Other then in our 3rd trimester…..paid Ava's deposit for daycare & took maternity pictures (I know a tad early, but we wanted a couple for my Moms Baby Shower. I plan to take some @ 8 months of pregnancy too). I will post them when I get them back.
Best moment last week: My work baby shower. It was nice to spend time with co workers just chatting & enjoying yummy food. Ava also got some pretty great gifts.

Looking forward to: A LOT! Our last trimester, our marriage blessing this weekend, 3d ultra sound scheduled for next Tuesday, Baby Shower on 11/13, finishing up last minute touches on Ava's room, the holidays, riding out the last few weeks, & meeting our baby girl.

We are now at 2 week check ups

I had a check up with my OB GYN yesterday & everything went well. I actually went in not knowing what to expect, I mean I just saw her 2 weeks ago. I basically did the usual: urinalysis, weigh in (I'm up 1 lb from last appointment, so 16 lbs so far), blood pressure, checked Ava's little heart rate (at 152), measured my bump & chatted with the doctor. She said everything is moving along great & right on scheduled. I informed her we picked a pediatrician & have 2 classes scheduled for early November (breastfeeding & newborn care).

Our next visit is in 2 weeks on Tuesday, November 2nd for a check up & 3d ultra sounds (I'll be 29 weeks 2 days). I can't wait! I'm so EXCITED to see our little girl. Ryan, however, thinks its pretty creepy. Then we'll have one last ultra sound at 32 weeks. As of now, I continue to see my OB GYN every 2 weeks until I'm 36 weeks & then start going weekly.

Mama Update

How far along: 27 weeks 2 days! 5 more days & I'll be in my 3rd trimester.
Weight gained: 15 lbs
Sleep: just GREAT! Ryan says I'm sleeping harder & breathing heavier. I told him that’s what happens when you carry around an extra 15 lbs…oh & you're welcome. Hahaha!
Maternity Clothes: oh yes! The belly is definitely protruded. I've also pulled the pregnancy card & only wear flats to work now. Bye, Bye cute high heels...
Movement: Ava is just a little wiggle worm in there. She is very active after a full meal. I tend to feel her move more when I'm laying down or sitting at my work desk.
Belly button in or out: still in, just not as deep as before
What I miss: the small things. I miss being able to shave & paint my toes with ease, or reach for something high/low. Even getting out of bed is a little different down. I cant pop up in the morning anymore & get out of bed.
Cravings/favorite foods: I'm hooked on Starbucks Oatmeal for breakfast. So delicious, it has dried fruit & nuts. I really enjoy eating cauliflower, carrots, & broccoli dipped in home made Hidden Valley Ranch. It has been my new after work snack. I still have a sweet tooth too. I like cookies fresh from the oven with a cold glass of milk. I have been craving my dads Chicken & Dumplings .
Milestones: last week we picked a pediatrician. Fabulous lady who is part of the Texas Children's Pediatric Association. We also finished the aesthetics of Ava's room.
Best moment last week: by far our 1st baby shower. It was so nice to visit with all our good friends & Ava got lots of GREAT stuff
Looking forward to: hopefully finalizing her daycare & my work baby shower on Friday 10/22.

And......today is our 2 year anniversary. I'm so blessed to have Ryan in my life. I cant wait to start our little family & see him with Ava. He is going to be a wonderful dad.

Ta Da....

We have made significant progress on Ava’s room. Ryan has really impressed me & has been on the ball with her room. He picked out her paint color, had his guys put up the chair rail & paint. Then he put the crib together & moved the changing table/chest in all by himself. Kudos to my hubby! Once everything was moved in I added a few touches with the decorations I had so far. I must admit I LOVE the way it has turned out, but it’s a work in progress.

Here is a sneak peak at Ava’s room. I will post more pictures once her room in DONE.

Background on room color: When we 1st found out we were having a girl, Ryan asked I don’t go overboard with the pink. So we were going with Pink & Green or Purple & Green bedding, but all I kept looking at was pink, pink, pink and more pink bedding. I mean what if Ava is our only girl. I couldn’t help it, so Ryan gave in to PINK & just asked that her room not be “Hooker Pink” aka bright bubble gum pink.

1st Baby Shower

This past Saturday was our 1st Couples Baby Shower hosted by my college best friends/sorority sisters in Richmond, TX. It was a beautiful fall afternoon. We had a wonderful time with good friends, enjoyed some delicious food, & Ava got LOTS of great stuff.

Below are a couple pictures from Saturday:

Amazing hostesses

Courtney, Kelsie, Me, Nicole, Stephanie, & Ashley

Over 10 years of friendship Hanging out - Jennifer, Melissa, Me, Ashley, & Nicole Hanging out - Mike, Matt, Sammy, Larry, & ShellyA few of Ava's Gifts....

And.........Proud Dad! We didnt get any pictures together :(

Glucose Screening

My doctor appointment went well Tuesday. I knew what to expect & heard all about the nasty glucose drink, but I didn’t think it was all the bad. It tasted like a REALLY sweet Fanta minus the carbonation. I had to drink it in 3 minutes & wait an hour to have my blood checked.

While I waited, I had a check up with my doctor. 1st was the dreaded scale……..but good news, I only gained 4 lbs since my last appointment (I was scared it would be more due to the sweet tooth I have developed lately). Next I got to hear Ava’s heart beat. It was strong at 145. Then we basically chatted about my progress & she answered all my questions. This time I asked if I should get the flu shot (yes), if I need to get the Rhogam shot (no because I’m 0 positive), & about holiday travel (she doesn’t think I should travel far from the hospital @ Christmas since I’ll be full term & we’ll see how I’m progressing @ Thanksgiving). I informed her that I’m in the progress of looking for a pediatrician & I will be scheduling our 3d/4d ultra sound soon.

Hour had pasted, time was up! I was sent to the lab to be pricked & have my blood level checked for gestational diabetes. Lucky for me, my screening came back at 136. Any score between 140 and 200 means that you'll have to take the three-hour glucose tolerance test for a definite diagnosis. So I'm in the clear (whew)!

My next appointment is in 2 weeks on Tuesday October 19th (just 4 days shy of 28 weeks & in my 3rd trimester) for a regular check up. WOW....I can't believe I'm starting to go every 2 weeks now.

25 weeks 2 days

How far along?: 25 weeks 2 days
Weight gained: 11lbs….I have doc appointment tomorrow, so we'll see (eek…kind of nervous because I've developed a sweet tooth lately)
Sleep: Great
Maternity clothes: my favorite store to buy maternity clothes is Target
Movement: She is a VERY active little girl. Ryan felt her for the 1st time Wednesday night while we were laying in bed. He had his hand on my belly & I kept asking him if he felt that, then all of a sudden he did. He immediately took his hand off my belly then looked at me in shock & said that was so weird. Hahaha…I thought it was weird at 1st too, but now I just LOVE it.
Gender: GIRL
Name: is…………Ava Rebecca Nixon. Ryan actually suggested the name Ava & Rebecca is after Ryan's mother.
Belly button in or out?: Still in and applying plenty of lotion to my belly (morning, after work, & evening). My mom didn’t get stretch marks, so I'm banking on the theory that it is hereditary.

What I miss: with all the nice weather we have been having, I really do miss LONG runs. This time last year I would get home from work, strap up Boudreaux and we would go running for 2 to 4 miles. Now the family (Ryan & I plus 2 fur babies) go on evening walks about 3 or 4 times a week. I just want to stay in some sort of shape, Teddy needs to loose weight, Boudreaux is just a crazy lab who needs out of the house, & Ryan is along to keep me company.
Cravings/favorite foods: Sweets! Sweets! Sweets! I have NEVER been a baker, but lately I'll bake muffins in the evening to take to work for breakfast (oh and eat one fresh from the oven).
Milestones: finalized our baby girls name & Ryan feeling her for the 1st time
Best moment this week: Ryan feeling her & getting her furniture in.
Side note from this week: we found out that we are not the only pregnant couple on our street. Oh NO….there are 2 more pregnant couples! ALL 3 of us are having GIRLS & ALL due in January. 1 is due Jan. 4th, I'm due Jan. 15th, & 1 is due Jan 19th………just CRAZY! Other neighbors are joking that April was a busy month on our street. Hahaha!
Looking forward to: Our 1st Baby Shower Saturday Oct. 6th hosted by my college best friends. I can't believe we are at the point of Baby Showers!!! I'm excited, yet nervous just thinking about how much closer we are getting to the arrival of our baby girl. We have 2 other showers planned as well. My work is hosting a shower on Friday October 22nd & my mom is hosting an all Girls Family/LaPorte girlfriends shower Saturday November 13th.