Catch Up- part 2

I am an awful blogger so far! I have not had time (or made the time) to work on this or my new business, which also involves the computer. I could blame my husband for getting me an ipad! Now I never have to leave the couch! ;) I feel like I don't do much during the week, but I am actually constantly going. This week it's supposed to be over 100 degrees every day..Hello Summer! So, we will spend the majority of time indoors. I want to do monthly updates from here on out. I can't believe my baby girl is almost half of a year old! Time goes so so fast.

Five months has been so exciting! Harper can roll over, giggle, and sit up. She eats meals twice a day, consisting of rice cereal and a couple spoonfuls of a fruit or veggie. Still breastfeeding. She had her first restaurant high chair and first grocery cart seat experience. She loves her exersaucer and watching "Sprout" TV, especially Chica. She likes touching faces and arms, but cries when she only sees a stranger and not mommy or daddy. She loves cell phones and remote controls. We visited Stephanie's first grade classroom, lots of fun and colorful things to look at there. She loves to look at kitties! She reaches out to pet them, they run away. She totally relaxes and enjoys the pool, even splashes water and doesn't mind it getting on her. She is starting to fight naps. Finally growing lots of hair!

Catch up

Wow I'm a MOM!
I'll start by saying... it's a GIRL!!!

The at-home test predictions and mommy and daddy's feelings were right on-100% girl! I was sooo happy, I think God definitely knows what he is doing up there. She's our little angel and Dad was thrilled, even though it's not his football star..yet. She's become his little princess. And yes, I had a gender reveal party with the family. We surprised them by finding out the Friday before, rather than the next Monday. It was nothing extravagant or too cute, but when Mother-In-Law Dee cut into the pink cake, it was smiles all around! The first grandchild, first great-grandchild, and first little girl. Not sure Kyle's family will know what to do with all the dresses, bows, and pink, but they are sure excited. First thing we did was go shopping for little girl clothes. Guess that's what everyone else did, too..because at my shower, that was by far the most popular gift.

This blog is finally going to get some attention. I haven't written in five months and tons has been happening. I guess I had writer's block? Loss of direction and inspiration? Too busy and too lazy at the same time? All of the above! September I got married. December was Christmas. And my baby is 8 days old today. What happened in between has been a bit of a blur because I could only focus on the end result: baby Harper. I have been feeling like my life is just on hold..waiting for something.. but not sure what.

When I found out in May I was pregnant, besides the excitement of having a baby with the man I love and finally fulfilling the dream of becoming a parent, I was a nervous wreck thinking of my future. I just turned 21, completed my first half marathon, and was days away from graduating college. I had planned on being a wedding planner/event coordinator, and just landed a fantastic internship with my dream job. I didn't have real job prospects yet but was excited to start looking.

Unfortunately, I never published this and it is now March 15. Remember the Ides of March! I suppose I've had the same writer's block..but have made some progress in the direction I want this blog to go. Mostly as a journal for my daughter's first years. Although I have a written journal, photo memory book, baby's first milestones memorabilia book, baby's first year photography package, a new canon rebel t3i, thousands of iPhone pictures, and this blog..I still don't know it would be enough to capture all the feelings of being a new mom and having a new baby. I don't want to forget any single moment! (Except the painful, sad, teary, etc. ones!) I don't want her to grow up or get any bigger! But I can't wait for her to grow, talk, learn, laugh, walk, have a head full of pretty hair, say she loves me, and everything in between. I guess I have just been too darn busy enjoying my little 10 week old baby to be able to write. I still haven't even written in my journal since we left the hospital! I have a lot of catching up to do...

Discovery--20 Week Milestone

Tomorrow morning at approximately 8:45, I will be waiting for an ultrasound to find out if I am expecting a baby girl or boy. I just can't wait! The date was set for the following Monday, but I'm very anxious and actually turn 20 weeks this Friday. We have several names we like and are throwing around, but now it seems silly until we know for sure. I wanted to have a "Gender Reveal Party" for our families, but Kyle's cousin has a football game that night and no one was able to come. So, I opted for Thursday. The family doesn't know that we are getting to find out early, so it will definitely be a suprise and we are thinking up a creative way to tell them! I wanted to make it a big ordeal, but since time does not permit..I'll have to brainstorm a cute way to let everyone know. Of course, as long as baby is healthy, I will be sooo happy! But by this time tomorrow, I will no longer wonder pink or blue, dresses and bows or football and dirt! I also can't believe I've already been prego 20 weeks. It goes by so quick, and I've finally felt baby move/kick..I think.

Now.. I think I should experiment with some Old Wives Tells and Baby Prediction Quizzes! :)

Chinese Baby Gender Chart:
Girl

However, this chart is a little confusing, especially for me.. because we conceived around my birthday. If that is the case, and I was still technicially "20".. the prediction would be a boy. But, the chart says to go by Chinese lunar age, which is calculated by subtracting your birth year from this year and adding one. This would give me "22", which is girl. And, if both are those are wrong, and I go by my real age of "21," the prediction is also Girl!

Old Wives Tales Gender Predictor- babygenderprediction.com
Girl

After the first 5 questions, I was 60% likely for a boy, next 5..60% for girl. For carrying the baby "high" or "low" I can't really decide, but chose high. I think it's right in the middle! The test doesn't allow that as an option. I went with "watermelon" versus "beach ball" for the belly, and realize that high kicks would be in the ribs..it said.. so I went with the kicks being low. Ended up with..53% chance of girl, 47% boy.

Quiz- justmommies.com/quizzes/getgenderpredict.php
Girl - 67% the first time I took it and 75%

Quiz- parents.com
"It's a toss up!"

wedding bliss. and mile marker 19.

A few days ago marked one month until our wedding. I still have SO much to do! To think.. I went to school to be a wedding planner and then end up doing mine in less than four months. I've made a lot of progress this week, though, and can't wait until everything is finallyy finished. Crunch time! I can't believe in less than a month I will be a married woman, Mrs. Kyle Herndon, and forever committed to my best friend. Bring on the honeymooon!

Also, today marks 19 weeks! And of course, I'm bigger than ever. I can't stop eating! I am craving the typical (for me) potatoes and macaroni and cheese, but I don't get the latter very often. I have a hard time limiting my tuna intake to about twice a week, since I don't like deli meat that much. I still have not felt baby move :( Well, I might have and just not noticed. Kyle said that women with stronger stomach muscles don't feel it as soon, so maybe that's it. I hope it happens soon, I'm so anxious! I'm still in between regular clothes and maternity clothes (for jeans..at least) because pants are way too tight and my maternity ones are still a little baggy. Oh well, I wear them because I want to be comfortable!

We got 2 new couches and a recliner this week..the house in coming together!

pregnant brain?

Not sure if I can blame this on pregnant brain..being so forgetful.. or just bad luck in the kitchen. See, after finally making it through 3 bridal showers, I now have an extremely stocked kitchen with pots, pans, 3 crock pots, silverware, utensils, mixing bowls, you name it.. But my first meal was not fit to eat.. Kyle said it had everything but flavor. I blame this on the slow-cook recipe book I found, since I followed it directly! Then I decided to make cookies that night. Apparently I had the wrong flour, because they did not stick together, nor taste delicious like Oreo cookies surrounded by chocolate chip ones should taste. However, today was the most epic fail. Last night we went grocery shopping for things that Kyle could take in his lunch, and he picked out two things of roast beef. Since the only lunch meat left in the fridge in bologna (ew), this roast beef was important. I go to make his lunch..no roast beef. It's still in the grocery bag..in the living room.. where I left it. The only bags I brought in..did not make it to the kitchen, much less the refrigerator. He offered to still eat it, but I explained that lunch meat can grow bacteria and he could get food poisoning! So I apologized one for wasting meat and two because now he had to spend money and buy his lunch. He said, "Do I at least get breakfast?" And I said, "Yes of course".. And he said, "make sure it's a croissant, I don't like biscuits." (on the little frozen ham, egg, cheese things..) So I was like yeah, yeah of course, I know that by now.. and what did I do.. grab the top box, stick it in the microwave.. and it's a biscuit. He didn't have time to wait for another, so poor hubby ate that one. Fail #4! It's cause I'm pregnant, right..! Or maybe he should be in charge of cooking..

Oops.. take that back, I just broke a glass, sticking it in the dishwasher! #5! Thank goodness it was not one of my new ones!