GENDER REVEAL PARTY & 20 WEEKS

A BIG thank you to all the friends and family who helped make this day so special! It means the world to us that you were able to join in such a wonderful celebration! <3
A BIG thank you to Marina and J.C. for hosting the shower and Danni for being such a wonderful helper to Marina.
We love you all!

How far along? 20 Weeks

Total weight gain? I have officially gained 10 lbs on the nose as of my appointment a week ago. 

Maternity Clothes? I am alternating between Motherhood Maternity tops and Target tanks. I did find this amazing website for maternity clothes in the UK! I ordered two dresses from there hoping they would arrive before the reveal party because all maternity clothing stores here SUCK. BIG. BALLS. I mean seriously, have you seen the things they are selling!?

Stretch Marks? None.

Sleep: Sleep was good, until halfway through the week. Our baby enjoys doing acrobats and tap dances all around my belly...particularly on my bladder. 

Best moment this week: Finding out the Baby's Gender!!!

Miss Anything? Missing alcohol, particularly rum, and sushi. However, we did stop at Naked Fish in College Station on the way home. I was able to order two rolls with cooked salmon, not the same as raw, but good enough!

Movement: YES!! Refer to Week 17 for my first experiences with movements. Then week 18 for Henry's. Also, our baby officially has a gender! Although, we don't find out until week 20 at the Gender Reveal Party! Whoop!

Food cravings: Fruit, Thai food and Kit-Kats! I have probably eaten 10 kit-kat bars this week. Don't judge. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Textures of things are making me queasy. If they are too gummy or taffy, I can't eat it. Also, Orange Juice. I have had multiple episodes where I have thrown up rather soon after drinking orange juice. Too sugary?

Gender RESULTS: BABY GIRL!!! My gut feeling was right all along!

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: Decreasing belly button, baby bump, nails and hair growing like weeds, baby movements (the best!) and my boobs have drastically increased - oh and the lovely frequent bathroom breaks have begun!

Belly Button in or out? Innie - barely.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy! Especially because I know what to buy for now! 

Looking forward to: More baby movements and finally finishing out the nursery since we know it's a girl!

Baby Names? Well boy names are scratched. haha We are torn between Claire, Hayden and Coraline (Cora/Coral). Why do girl names have to be so cute and difficult?

Thoughts: I have to admit, I was upset when I saw those pink balloons peeking out of the reveal box. Now don't go judging and hating me - I am beyond excited to have a little girl - but I wanted so badly to give my Father-In-Law his first true grandson - since the other 3 are step-grandsons and the other 13-16 are girls. Not to mention, Henry insists we try until we have a son so he can have someone take over the family business like he did for his dad. However Henry really did want a little girl, and I am happy knowing that now I will have someone to take shopping and get pedicures with. I can buy all those adorable baby girl outfits and accessories, future ballet recitals or even barrel racing or track meets! I am terrified of meeting our little girl, yet overwhelmed with joy all at the same time. Wondering if she will have my nose or Henry's, hoping she gets Henry's lighter blue eyes and either way she will have rockin' hair because Henry has amazingly soft hair for a dude and my hair is perfect. HAHA

**NEW** About the Board: I wet the board down with a damp rag and then wrote with Walmart brand skinny chalk. 

I chose to alternate between blue and pink since it is Gender Reveal Week! I used our Gender Reveal Invitation as inspiration for the design. 

When editing I increase the "saturation" to make the colors even more bold.

The fonts this week is:  Harrington (my favorite)

I pull up word, type what I want in the fonts chosen, then eyeball it onto the chalkboard. :-)

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: I am wearing a navy blue eyelet dress from Motherhood Maternity (there were absolutely no cute blue dresses ANYWHERE! The color of the season right now is Coral and I really wanted a blue dress). The wedges are Gianni Bini - Very comfy!

GENDER REVEAL PARTY PHOTOS

19 WEEKS

How far along? 19 Weeks

Total weight gain? I have officially gained 10 lbs on the nose. 

Maternity Clothes? Still rocking the Target tank tops I bought, with the belly belt or a big blingy belt to hide my unbuttoned/unzipped pants. haha!

Stretch Marks? None. Thank goodness! I asked my Great Grandma and Mom if they had any from pregnancy and both luckily are stretch mark free. Hope I got those genes!

Sleep: Sleep is GREAT! I have been sleeping like a rock. Usually when Henry get's up I at least acknowledge his movement, but not lately.

Best moment this week: These last two weeks have been AMAZING with me being able to feel movements, then Henry, but this week was pretty awesome too. We got to not only see the baby via our 19 Week Sono, but we also got to SEE movement OUTSIDE my belly! I was sitting at my desk at work and felt some pretty strong "kicks" in the middle of my stomach. I raised my tank top up to see if I could see it and sure enough! There were the little kicks! I yelled over to Henry, "Henry! I can see the kicks! Come look at this!" He thought I was joking and said, "Heather, the baby is only 10 oz, I don't think it would be strong enough to see." I told him to, "Look here!" as I pointed to the exact spot I kept seeing movement and within a second there was a movement. Henry laughed and said, "You did that." "No! No I didn't! Keep looking!" Then immediately there were two more! Then another and another. Henry rolled back in his chair with a huge smile on his face and said, "That is so crazy!! I can't believe we can see the movements!" Then he began searching around the office to find something around 10 oz - which was a 12 oz coke. We were in awe and so excited! We sat there watching my belly and the little flutters, being completely un-productive, until it was lunch time. I am sure our employees thought we were crazy. HAHA

Miss Anything? Take a wild guess.....ALCOHOL! I have also begun to miss Sushi! Salmon and Tuna in particular. 

Movement: YES!! Refer to Week 17 for my first experiences with movements. Then week 18 for Henry's. Also, our baby officially has a gender! Although, we don't find out until week 20 at the Gender Reveal Party! Whoop!

Food cravings: Fruit. Fruit. Oh, and Fruit. Anything lemon is still my addiction and Thai food is my go-to for almost every meal. The Thai sisters at the local restaurant joke that my baby will come out speaking Thai. I literally eat there at least 4 times a week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: So I have noticed lately when I eat red meat, it makes me sick later. The sight or thought doesn't make me queasy or sick, but EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I eat it, I get nauseous later in the day. Also textures have started to get to me. I can not for the life of me remember what it was this week, but it was something I eat all the time and the moment it touched my tongue I had to spit it out. 

Gender Prediction: I am torn. I have had gut feelings of a baby girl the whole pregnancy, but lately been thinking baby boy. I don't know if those are true feelings or wishful thinking. I want so badly to give my Father-in-law his first true grandson, but Henry does want his little girl and it would be fun to always have someone to go shopping with or get pedicures with. Whichever the gender, I just really pray they aren't picky eaters. We will both be devastated!

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: Baby bump is the most obvious. The best symptom ever, baby movements! My nails and hair continue to grow like weeds, and my belly button has become extremely shallow, almost level with my belly. It freaks me out. I have always had a tiny, small belly button and now it's huge! Not the most attractive feature I can tell you that!

Belly Button in or out? Innie - barely.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Extremely on edge happy to find out the baby gender!

Looking forward to: Reveal Party and more baby movements!!!

Baby Names? Still have to be Henry the 3rd for a boy. Ok Adaleine, the one we thought we were settled on has officially been scratched off the list. No way, Jose. We are torn between Hayden and Coraline. Why do girl names have to be so difficult?

Thoughts: I really can't think of anything other than the reveal party!!! I can barely sleep at night because I am soooo excited! 

**NEW** About the Board: I always use Crayolas Sidewalk Chalk for big lettering, then Staples brand writing chalk for finer lettering or outlining. Plus, sidewalk chalk has SO MANY COLORS! I did go buy Walmarts brand of finer chalk since it had more color options for this weeks board.  I wet the board down with a damp rag, and then write away. It makes the colors go on bolder/thicker when it's a bit wet.

I chose to alternate between blue and pink since it is Gender Reveal Week!

Then when editing I increase the "saturation" to make the colors even more bold.

The fonts this week are: Academy Engraved LET and Harrington.

I pull up word, type what I want in the fonts chosen, then eyeball it onto the chalkboard. :-)

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: I am wearing colored Skinnies from Express with a belly belt (I would highly recommend investing in one of these), then an actual maternity tank from Motherhood Maternity.

Target tank top with the big blingy Ariat belt to hide the unzipped and unbottoned pants. Yea buddy!

19 WEEK SONO

Week 19 began on Saturday/Sunday for me. On Monday we had our 2nd doctor sono, 3rd overall, to see the baby, get measurements and determine the gender!! Even though they would be finding the gender, Henry and I would not find out. Our Gender Reveal Party is scheduled for this Saturday, April 13, 2013, so the only person who would know would be the party host, Marina. :-)

Our sonographer did a great job in ensuring we did not find out. She referred to "the baby" the entire time. We got to see the skull, the four chambers of it's heart and the adorable face! When we went to look at the spine and legs she made sure to tell us to look away, even though we weren't looking she talked us through everything she was doing. "I am measuring the legs right now. Looking at the spine, everything looks great. 10 toes are present." She did a few more things where we could watch and at the perfect moment our baby from the profile did a slight karate chop/intense wave on the sono! It was hilarious. She snapped a few photos for us to keep, then told us to look away one last time so she could determine the gender. I really had to practice self control not to peek - I mean REALLY try! If Henry weren't there ensuring I didn't cheat I would've been telling her, "Just tell me, I promise I will act surprised!". HA! I even tried listening for her to type "B-O-Y" or "G-I-R-L" and she was so silent on the keyboard I baaaarely heard her hit one key. Hell, she probably just typed "B" or "G". LOL

Sweet baby yawn! What do you think? Boy or Girl?

When we went to the examining room to see Dr. English, she informed us that she would just talk more about it with us at our next visit. She told the sonographer not to enter it into our chart because she didn't want to slip up and ruin the surprise, so bring photos of the reveal and we would talk about it next time. haha

We left them Marina's phone number and waited until we had confirmation from Marina they had called. Sure enough, they called and Marina did not hesitate to post on FB: "I know something you don't know!" My sister - Stefanie - was cracking me up with her responses! Both her and my sister-in-law were having major jealously issues. At lunch my sister-in-law threw a joking, pity-party, "It's not fair that she gets to know before us! She isn't even family." I had to remind her that we didn't tell family, especially Henry's, because no one on that side knows how to keep a secret. If I would've told her, all of the world would know. Punk. :-P (Love you Audrey)

Love my edit job?

Needless to say, I am posting constant countdown updates and am beyond anxious! Marina has apparently phenomenally decorated a box which will be filled with pink or blue balloons. I haven't seen said box, but my girlfriend Danni has re-assured me that everything Marina has done is perfection. Which I don't doubt one bit. 

I really thought this week would have dragged on, but I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday and we will be on our way to Houston, one day closer to knowing if Baby J will be a boy or girl. I won't be able to sleep a wink Friday night, I just know it!

If you don't already follow me on Instagram, be sure to go check it out! The gender reveal announcement won't be posted on the blog for another week, but will be posted on Instagram this weekend. 

Which team are you? Team Beau or Team Bow?

WEEK 18

I know the photos overlap the sidebar, but oh well!

How far along? 18 Weeks

Total weight gain? 4 lbs as of my last appointment - we have another appointment week 19.

Maternity Clothes? I am not necessarily wearing maternity clothes. If you look at most, they are frumpy and ugly. I mean who designs these things? Even Jessica Simpson and Heidi Klum's maternity lines are slightly awful and seem geared toward mid-30s. Luckily, I love Target! Target has a whole line of really cute ribbed tanks and regular tanks, and fitted shirts that are all SUPER LONG and comfy! Needless to say, I bought about 20 some odd shirts from Target. Their tanks even have cute designs too, long enough to cover my growing bump and unbuttoned pants. hehe

Stretch Marks? None. Thank goodness!

Sleep: Sleep is GREAT! I have been sleeping like a rock.

Best moment this week: Well last week I got to feel the baby and this week Henry got to feel the baby!!! It is wonderful every night us laying together, trying to be as quiet as possible, Henry's hand pressed against my belly and feeling the little movements and flutters. It's my favorite part of the day. <3

Miss Anything? Take a wild guess.....ALCOHOL! And ordering my steaks and prime rib medium-rare. I have actually stopped ordering most red meat, other than burgers, because I can't stand them well-done. Takes all the flavor out and feels like I am eating rubber. 

Movement: YES!! Refer to Week 17 for my first experiences with movements. This week Henry got to feel the baby move, as stated in the "Best moment of this week". I feel subtle little flutters, mostly on the left side, especially at night. 

Food cravings: Fruit. Fruit. Oh, and Fruit. Anything lemon this week is my addiction. I have made two batches now of homemade strawberry infused lemonade. YUM! Henry loves it too.

Anything making you queasy or sick: So I have noticed lately when I eat red meat, it makes me sick later. The sight or thought doesn't make me queasy or sick, but EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I eat it, I get nauseous later in the day. Pork and Chicken it is. 

Gender Prediction: Baby Boy. However, for the first time I really started accepting the fun ideas of having a baby girl. I don't mean to sound awful, but I am team blue all the way. This week though, I saw two little girls riding around in this Barbie Corvette my sister and I use to have, and then Instagram photos of all these little ballet recitals. Oh how I would love to have a little ballerina princess! haha

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: Baby bump is the most obvious. The best symptom ever, baby movements! Then there is the hair and nails growing like crazy. 

Belly Button in or out? Innie

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. This has been an amazing preggo week!

Looking forward to: Reveal Party and more baby movements!!!

Baby Names? Still have to be Henry the 3rd for a boy. Ok Adaleine, the one we thought we were settled on has officially been scratched off the list. No way, Jose. The new names, as seen on the board, are Coraline, Heidi, Claire, Adelaide, and Hayden (couldn't fit this one on there).  Thinking about having friends and family vote at the Reveal Party. 

Thoughts: It is an amazing bonding experience getting to feel the baby move with Henry. I am thankful the time between me feeling it and him feeling it was so short. He is really "involved" with this pregnancy, which sounds odd to say. You read all these things about how the dad doesn't really get to bond or get involved until the baby is born. Henry is rare I guess? He loves talking to the baby, putting his hand on my belly whether it's laying in bed together, driving in the car, sitting watching TV or just walking around town. He gives the baby and my belly a lot of attention that I don't hear a lot of other women admit to or talk about. The best is laying there together and hearing him say, "I felt that!.....And that!". He is going to be such an amazing dad. I can't wait until we get to kiss all those little fingers and toes!

**NEW** About the Board: I have a lot of people asking me how I get my board the way I do, inspiration, chalk, font, etc. So, I decided to add this section each week. I always use Crayolas Sidewalk Chalk for big lettering, then Staples brand writing chalk for finer lettering or outlining. Plus, sidewalk chalk has SO MANY COLORS! However, this week was 100% sidewalk chalk. I wet the board down with a damp rag, and then write away. It makes the colors go on bolder/thicker when it's a bit wet.
Then when editing I increase the "saturation" to make the colors even more bold.
The fonts this week are: Desdemona, Academy Engraved LET, and Harrington.
I pull up word, type what I want in the fonts chosen, then eyeball it onto the chalkboard. :-)

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: Again, another question I keep getting.
This is post-working out so forgive the outfit. The fold-over yoga pants are Victorias Secret, and then the tank top is a regular tank top from Target. Their tank tops are UH-MAZING! Super long, super cheap too!

Gender Reveal: How To Announce Baby J As A Boy Or Girl

If you ever browse Pinterest, then you will see the Gender Reveal Party ideas taking over people's baby boards. Some old fashion folks prefer the idea of waiting until the baby pop's out, but the latest generation trend is the Reveal Party/Shower. Henry and I have decided we would like to jump on this bandwagon, but don't know exactly which of the many fabulous ideas to use! That is why I have listed some of our favorite ideas. We need your help in voting, or suggesting alternatives, to help us decide how to reveal Baby J's gender to family and friends.

We find out the gender in just under 8 weeks, with the reveal shower to follow shortly after the doctor puts the gender in a sealed envelope where even we won't know until the shower.

This means we need to come up with an idea, so the shower planning and theme can begin!

Ideas:

1) Gender Reveal Scratch Off:

Etsy Source

If we chose this idea everyone would receive a scratch off, but only ONE would have 3 bows or 3 mustaches (or feet or anchors or bees, whatever the theme may be). This way everyone gets to be involved. We can either buy them pre-made off Etsy, or use one of the many How-Tos that can be found online.

2) Fizzy Drink Gender Reveal:

Pinterest Baby Board

The science nerd in me loves this idea!

Henry suggested as a way to prevent some party-pooper from spoiling the surprise before everyone is ready by being an eager beaver, was to get a pretty vase in the center of the room, fill it with water, and everyone toss the fizzy into the vase at once.

Wishing Well Style. 

We could opt to give everyone a fizzy or a select few. Or hell, just Henry and I could drop one in together in the front of the room.

3) Box of Balloons Gender Reveal:

Pinterest Baby Board

Etsy Source: Balloon Reveal Box Vinyl Decor

 This is a pretty common reveal along with the cake/baked good reveal.

You take a decorated box, have the balloon place fill the box with the correct color, then release the balloons in front of family and friends. Simple and sweet! You could opt to do regular latex balloons, get different shaped balloons in the correct color, have streamers attached to the balloons, etc. All different ways to dress it up!

4) Confetti Balloon Gender Reveal:

GreyLikesBaby Blog

 This idea could get messy, but I love it! I do not know exactly how this couple had the confetti release, but this is what I have pictured in my head.

You get some pink balloons, some blue balloons, then two black balloons.

Have the balloon store fill the two nice sized black balloons with the correct color confetti.

When it is time to reveal, you each pop the two black balloons and down rains beautiful gender colored confetti! Partay!

5) Bubble Gum Gender Reveal:

Frosted Petti Coat Blog

 For this one, the photographer was the only one who knew. Everyone closed their eyes, photographer placed the correct color gumball in the parents-to-be mouths, and then everyone opened their eyes.

My sister also had the idea of instead of revealing the gum-ball, you could blow a bubble. 

Super Cute! 

6) Cake/Cupcake/Cake Pop Gender Reveal:

Pinterest Baby Board

 This idea you could do one whole cake, where Henry and I would slice into the cake and the cake or filling would be pink or blue. You could do cupcakes, everyone bites into it to reveal pink or blue. You could do filled cupcakes, where the filling is pink or blue. Cake pops, cake balls, etc. Lots of yummy edible options here. This is also the most traditional way people have done it.

7) Party Popper Gender Reveal:

Pinterest Baby Board

This is a new idea I haven't seen used yet.

Everyone gets a party popper filled with the correct color, count 1,2,3 and POP!

Out comes pink or blue!

8) Gender Reveal Pinata:

Etsy Source

Who doesn't know how a Pinata works?

Hang piñata in a tree, everyone takes a whack at it, colored candy/confetti/glitter, etc. falls out!

Gender revealed! Voila!