Surprise!

I went away for one night to visit my parents in Boone and do some work at Operation Christmas Child.  While I was away, Hils and the Mr. painted the nursery! I was completely surprised.  It looks so bright and cheery ready for furniture, wall hangings and more toys! This picture was taken with my phone... so it may be difficult to see. But we have started fixing up the nursery!
Thanks to my wonderful husband and fabulous sister (aka- the best painter I know! her painting services are available for others.)  Everything is slowly coming together. xo

10 Weeks To Go!

In my last blog I mentioned I would be busy... and here I am a month later updating. Sorry!  I'm finishing up with the last fall semester of my grad school life and so looking forward to a pleasant Christmas holiday break!! I can't believe this time is here already.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break- spent in Virginia and North Carolina.  My internship is wrapping up for the semester. My assignments are being completed... right now I have one big paper and a final exam left. Woo Hoo!! May 2012 never sounded so sweet!!

We are gearing up for a very busy 10 weeks. Can you believe it? In approximately 10 weeks Miss Olivia will be making her appearance in the world! And in 7 weeks my fabulous twin sister will be getting hitched... look out! I will be an attractive Matron of Honor at 37 weeks pregnant! A memorable event for sure. So much to do in so little time.  I'm co-hosting a bridal shower, attending a baby shower for a sweet pregnant friend, attending a few baby showers for myself and the biggest adventure of our Christmas holiday... setting up the nursery.  We have done nothing to decorate the room but once we start getting things together I will post some pictures. I'm excited for it to come together. Right now there are just ideas floating around in my head. 

I'm going to the doctor every 2 weeks now. When  I went last week I felt like I had just been there... because I had!  I'm happy to report that everything is "PERFECT" with the baby.  I'm measuring right where I need to be.  Her heart rate was 136 at the last appointment.  My blood pressure was 100/62 (my normal numbers). The only bummer is the weight I've gained... but my doctor thinks its mostly water weight.  I sure do hope so!! I'm getting bigger everyday and doing the "normal" things in life tends to be a bit difficult... like breathing or tying my shoes! But I have managed to shave my legs up until this point... a task many women told me I wouldn't be doing.  Before I got pregnant I shaved everyday and now that I'm pregnant I am determined to continue to shave everyday! So many things have changed during this time ... I just want to keep one thing from my routine the same.

Since we have just 10 short weeks to go, the Mr. and I are determined to spend as much quality time together as possible.  Ten weeks until our "us" time is gone for a while. This can be difficult to think about because we have such a wonderful life together.  But how much more wonderful can it get with an expanded family?  This Christmas will be just us at home... our last Christmas before our titles change to Mommy & Daddy. We have 10 weeks before the next chapter begins in our life & God has some adventures planned for us... that is for sure! I will try to update pictures on my next blog... promise! xo

26 weeks

Things are incredibly busy here but I wanted to put an updated picture.  We are now six and a half months in. Crazy! November will be busy, busy in the Hite household- mainly for me.  There are 4 more class days left for the fall semester and all of the school work is piled in during this month. To break it down- I have 6 papers, 3 presentations & 1 final exam... for just one month! So if there are no updates for a while, this is why. We did manage to make some time for a long session of registering for gifts at Babies R Us. Registering for gifts is nice but tedious. The Mr took the reigns on the scanner and I just pointed out things and kept up with a checklist of things we "need" according to the staff of Babies R Us.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving holiday this year... split between Virginia & North Carolina. It will certainly be here before we know it!  And of course we are getting closer to the arrival of Miss Olivia Kay. No nursery yet. No decorating yet. This will all take place during my winter holiday.

Happy November to you! xo



a glance at the baby bump.



2001: The Beginning of Something Great

October 24, 2001 changed my life forever. Today marks 10 years with the Mr.
Ten years of ups, downs, great times & bad times. We have been through so much in these last 10 years and we are definitely not the same people we were when I gave him a thumbs up in the cafeteria (meaning YES I would date him). I wish I could describe how much I absolutely love and adore my husband.. but there aren't enough words....

Here are some pictures from the last 10 years.... words by JJ Heller- Until You Came Along.

I tried to live this life on my own. But emptiness was beating down the door.

Yeah, it rose up like a flood until my dying days were done...They are no more.

Nothing makes sense without you. It's like waking up in the dark.

I didn't have a song, until you came along.

Falling in love with you was easy. You were always meant to have my heart.
I was broken all to pieces. You were there to be the missing part.

Nothing makes sense without you. It's like waking up in the dark
I didn't have a song, until you came...

And I never want to go back to the way things were before.
You saved me and you made me yours.

Now nothing makes sense without you. It's like waking up in the dark
I didn't have a song, until you came along.

 

 

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
-Romans 12:10

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
- Romans 15:7

 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
- Galatians 6:2

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
-1 Thessalonians 5:11

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Ephesians 4:32


 

23 weeks and 6 days

Today I had a doctors appointment.  It was for a glucose test and ob check. I made sure to schedule a morning appointment because I had to fast, drink the glucose stuff then go get my blood work done.  I should be getting my results tomorrow. They are testing for diabetes. There is no immediate concern, I am not showing signs for diabetes, but they test all of the patients around the 24 week appointment just to be sure. They only had orange flavor, which is my least favorite (both in taste and color).  It wasn't terrible awful. It tasted like the liquid part of an ice pop- the flavored sugar water part that melted and was left at the bottom of your ice pop. 

Breakfast of Champions!



Color Palette for the Nursery



I have had some questions about the nursery.  We don't have our nursery set up yet.  I have a sister currently living in the space that will soon be the nursery... so these are just some of the ideas/thoughts we are having so far.  We have not registered for anything at the present moment (just in case you are wondering).  The color palette is something I'm excited about... especially the pink part! 



Nursery Bedding: Jungle Jill from Carters



After Hilary brought back things from Africa we wanted to do a jungle/safari theme for a girl.  We found this bedding that has jungle animals and is girly.  I'm pretty sure that is the bedding we are going to get.  I'm probably not going to get the whole set- I'm not a big "sets" type of person- matching sheets, bumber, curtains, wall hangings, etc....  I just really like the quilt & the bumper.. but I don't know how this particular set is sold (each item sold separately?) I don't want the room to be matchy-matchy. We will see. I'm sure things will change when we get everything started and painted. 





 

Dresser/Changing Table (before future revamp)

This is the only piece of furniture we have for the nursery.  We found this dresser at a consignment shop for an amazing deal.  We plan on painting it white and I have purchased some pink glass knobs from Hobby Lobby to change the dresser pulls. It looks a little beat up now but with a little TLC this will be a fabulous dresser/changing table for Miss Olivia's nursery. We wanted something that would function as both a dresser and a changing table- so we had to make sure it was the perfect height, lengths & width.  It is much bigger than it looks in the pictures... believe me.  But the perfect height for the Mr. or myself to change some diapers.





Updates & Surprises

This week the Mr. is out of town in business (Louisiana to be exact). Although I have my sisters around it just doesn't make up for my husband. I miss him terribly when he is away. Last night when I was in bed tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, I had a little surprise. Once I found my comfortable position surrounded by pillows I felt something and it surprised me. I didn't know what it was but it was in my belly.  Then it happened again and again.  Miss Olivia was kicking me! I guess my constant tossing and turning was getting on her nerves. I imagined her telling me to quit moving and just get comfy so she could relax too.  I hate that the Mr. wasn't home to experience this with me. I sent him a text message (because he was on an airplane when this all happened) and he responded when he landed.  Thankfully it wasn't a visable kick but something I could feel going on in my body.  So maybe he will be around when it is a visible kick!

Other updates:  My next doctor's appointment is next week. It is my glucose test so I am just thrilled about drinking the lovely orange drink that has been sitting in the fridge since our last appointment. I heard it isn't awful but I just don't like having to drink things for medical reasons... previous experiences have been awful! Also, we are getting bigger (me and the baby). My stomach is getting out there and it continues to be a joy doing the same old things and feeling so uncomfortable.  Some ladies in my bible study made a positive out of this.  Enjoy the uncomfortable now because for the next baby I won't have the luxury of just sitting and relaxing.. I'll be chasing Miss Olivia around! So true and a great perspective from the ladies who have been there and done that. I appreciate their guidance, prayers and tips. I appreciate all of them... sometimes I'm just not excited to be going through this but I do appreciate being grounded in my emotions.  I'm not the only one who has ever gone through this and I'm certainly not the last one to experience all this. Other aches and pains... my hands and feet are swollen. I am not wearing my wedding rings because I don't want them to get stuck on my finger and have to be cut off. My little toesies are literally piggies. My closet is full of shoes that I really don't find comfortable to put on my feet.  Thankfully the winter is coming and my Uggs are calling my name!!!

Things have been busy with school and midterm week so I'll try to update next week after my appointment. xo

PS- Happy Birthday to my sweet and fabulous sister-in-law Madison!!! XOXO

It's all downhill from here!

We are at 21 weeks. My doctor said "It's all downhill from here".. not in a negative way. He said it more like we start counting down until the baby arrives instead of counting up to get to the half way point.  According to a thebump.com we have 130 days to go (give or take). That is crazy! I feel like I just found out I was expecting and now we are half way there!!

This journey has been very challenging for me.  I have lived my life one way for 26 years (especially the way I sleep every night) and now with this growing bump I have to change the way I do things.  It's very uncomfortable and I'm only 21 weeks.  As everyone tells me- I haven't seen anything yet.  Here is a picture of me at 21 weeks.  I think I went to bed Saturday and then woke up Sunday with a bigger baby bump.

On another note, since we are going downhill with this pregnancy it is time we start thinking about the nursery.  Hilary just got back from Uganda and brought a few things back for the baby.  We are doing a girly safari/jungle theme.  We have a giraffe and elephant, a mobile with animals, a zebra mask, a lion & a star made with different fabrics- all from Uganda! What a lucky little girl already. Presents from another country! That is all for now.  Our next appointment is in October. It will be the glucose test to check for diabetes.  I have this great looking orange drink chilling in the fridge for th day of my appointment! Oh joy! xo

It's a ........

We went to the doctor last week for an appointment with my doctor and a second attempt to find out the sex of the baby. Again, we tried the ultrasound twice- moving in between each one- because the baby wasn't moving around.  The baby was on it's stomach and side again and I needed to flip it somehow... so I was to lay on my side, walk around, drink some water, etc.  I went to see my OB doctor and just ask some questions and he made sure everything was fine with me.  Then we went back to the ultrasound room one more time. And we FINALLY found out that we are having a GIRL! We are soooo excited!!

Her head & hand

Her name will be Olivia Kay Hite.  My mother's maiden name is Oliver, which my sister has claimed if she has a child, so I decided to change it to Olivia for a girl. Kay is for my twin sister and Jason's grandmother- they both have the middle name Kay/Kaye.  We are very excited and can't wait to meet our baby girl.  She will be so loved by so many people!  xo

Happy Birthday!

Friday September 9th was Jason's birthday.  As requested by the Mr., we had a quiet evening at home to celebrate.  We made pastellios (which is like a meat filled turnover or an empanada) and I was given the task of baking a pie.  I love baking but for some reason I was skeptical that I could make a pie- even if there were only 5 ingredients.  Thankfully it was delicious! Birthday treat was warm apple pie & vanilla ice cream. YUM!

the Mr. with his birthday apple pie



Happy, Happy Birthday to my sweet husband.  We have been able to celebrate quite a few birthdays together and I'm very thankful for that. Here are just a few words to describe how I feel about you!

Hardworking. Devoted. Hilarious. Witty. Handsome. Godly. Courageous. Amazing. Intelligent.

For kicks & giggles

There are a number of ways to "predict" the sex of a baby and you can look online and take a number of quizzes.  So that is what I did... just for fun!  I tried out a number of different things to see what old wives tales say the Mr & I should be expecting. Here are my results:

Parents.com quiz- BOY

Chinese Fortune Calendar- BOY

Babygenderprediction.com- GIRL

Heart Rate Test- BOY

My Daily Moment quiz- BOY

Ring Test- BOY


There have been a number of people who tell me I'm having a boy because of the way I'm carrying.  One of the ultrasound techs from previous visits suggested a boy because of the heart rate.  Most of my good friends think it is a girl. I have had dreams about having a baby girl.  I have not had a definite feeling about one gender over the other like some people do. We really do not know what we are having at this point in time.  It could go either way.  The Mr has 3 brothers and a sister. I have 3 sisters. Our parents were in families that are pretty even- boys vs. girls.  (2 girls & a boy or 2 boys & a girl).  I think that is part of the suspense of it all... because we really don't know either way. In all honesty though, we seriously don't know and our little baby tricked us.  I guess from our scheming backgrounds some people think we are lying.. but we seriously aren't.  I wish I was playing a trick and basking in the new information of what we are having- girl or boy- but no... we are still waiting.  Will the old wives tales and predictions be correct? There is a common theme of a boy...  so we will have to wait and see! xo

Keep us guessing!

Ultrasound: baby bump covered in ultrasound goop.

Last night I was so anxious about our appointment today that I barely slept (good anxious not bad). Today was our third ultrasound.  It was a wonderful experience to see the baby and all of the changes since the 11 week ultrasound.  This ultrasound COULD have been the one to tell us what we are having- boy or girl.... but little baby decided it did not want to cooperate.  Baby was relaxing on its stomach.  It reminded me of how I like to sleep- on my stomach. The ultrasound tech was so understanding and gracious. I'm sure this happens all of the time.  She was showing us different things with the baby- spine, ribs, brain, lips, nose, legs, feet- all while trying to get the baby to turn around so we could get a good shot at the girl or boy parts.  We tried three different times.  After the first attempt, she brought me some Sprite, asked me to walk around, etc. to see if we could get the baby flipped.  The second attempt was not a big difference from the first... he/she was still on it's stomach & did not flip.  In fact, it was moving and kicking like we were bothering it.  So again, I tried different things to see if the baby would flip.  I went to the bathroom, walked around, turned on my side on the table... but this time it worked! HOWEVER, the legs were now above the head and the ankles were crossed.  He/she was very adamant that we were not going to see their girl/boy parts today. The Mr. and I were so disappointed because the suspense is killing us! We want to know what we are having and today should have been the day.  All I can do is laugh.  I think it is quite hilarious that no matter what we did, he/she was staying put. Reminds me a little of myself and my stubborn ways.  :)  I have posted some picture from our experience today.  We received a DVD of 2 of the attempts.  The technician tried so hard to get us that answer- a boy or girl!?  She said she thought it was a certain sex but didn't want to say for sure... she's been doing this a long time and so she recognized some things she felt were distinct for one sex.  Jason and I popped in the DVD when we got home and watched it on a bigger screen and we THINK we saw something distinct but we aren't sure.  Let's just say we aren't going out and buying anything gender specific.  We want to be 100% sure so we will just have to wait patiently for a few more weeks!!! xo

Here is a picture from when the baby flipped... just a little profile picture. I am 17 weeks and 6 days but the baby is measuring 18 weeks and 2 days so they moved my due date from February 8th to February 6th. Not too much of a difference.

  

Individuality

Happy September! I can't believe it's already September... that just seems crazy! Great things happening this month:  The Mr. is celebrating a birthday, Gamecock football starts again, we find out the sex of the baby & Hils returns from Uganda!!! I can't wait for all the excitement!
So after admitting that I have not really read up on anything pregnancy related, I went to the bookstore and bought something simple that I know I could make time for.  I bought this book that is sort of a devotional.  Each week, there is a bible verse, a prayer for the baby & a little description of what is going on with the baby and with me that week.  This week (week 17) is about individuality and uniqueness.  The bible verse that goes along with it is:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Psalm 139:14

It is crazy to think that this baby, a mixture of the Mr. and myself, is still going to be its own person and have traits from us both.  There will be no other baby like this baby... there will be no other person like this person. My prayer this week is for this baby to love his or her qualities, traits and uniqueness.  I'm excited to get another ultrasound done next week.  I hope we will find out the sex but you never know... sometimes it just doesn't happen because the baby wants to keep it a secret.  The amazing part for me is just seeing the changes after a few short weeks.  The first ultrasound we had, at week 6, was not much of anything.  You could see a circular object in the midst of the black and white picture.  The second ultrasound we had was definitely a change from week 6.  The biggest thing we noticed was arms! The baby appeared to be resting its head on one arm and resting the other arm on its body (like when you rest on your side and rest your head on your arm.. you know?). 

As for me, I started this pregnancy with some bad morning sickness but it seems to have settled down a bit.  It went from everyday being sick to my stomach or physically sick to every couple of days... still not 100% gone though.  Something new is feeling sick after going to the gym.  I do about 30-45 minutes of cardio and then some weights (either arms or legs).  It's always after I do some cardio that I feel ill.  I may calm that down for a while and try prenatal yoga.  We'll see how that goes.  I hope it gets completely better soon. I just hate the feeling of being sick to my stomach. Crackers and ginger ale are the last thing I want now because I've had SO much of that combination.  That is all for now.  I posted a picture from Bump Day.. I don't see much difference from week 16 but I'm happy about that.. I don't want to get too large too fast. I hope your September is amazing & full of wonderful memories!
Go Gamecocks!!!!!! xo

A very new adventure

The Mr. and I have been together for almost 10 years now and we have been married for 3 1/2 of those years.  The next adventure for our lives will be parenthood and we are thrilled.  As of today, I am 16 weeks pregnant. This next year is sure to be one great adventure.  The Mr. has started a new job. I have started a new internship for school and I have one more year of graduate school left (May 2012 sounds so sweet to me). And of course, the baby will be born in or around February. Life certainly doesn't slow down when you throw a baby in the mix.  Maybe it's just me but things seem to get more chaotic.  Sometimes I think I need the chaos of life to keep me going and I run more smoothly when my calendar is full of tasks and events.  It certainly makes for a nice nap when I crash from it all.

So far, we have done little to prepare for this big life change but we have plenty of time, right?  All of the bedrooms in our house are occupied by my sisters (two of the three).  We have plans for them to move out by the end of this year so we can convert one of the bedrooms into a nursery.  I'm lucky that my amazing twin loves interior decorating and has jumped all over helping me with the nursery.  I love her ideas so this should be fun! Other than the information I receive on the approximate size of the baby (sent from The Bump) I have not really read up on pregnancy.  We received a number of books about parenthood and what to expect and the Mr. has taken up some reading but I have yet to crack open a book about the subject.  I normally just ask the doctor my questions or my "Bump Buddy" who is currently 3 weeks ahead of me in her due date. I tend not to read too much about symptoms because I will self diagnose myself with 17 different ailments that have nothing to do with my actual condition. We have received some gifts from sweet friends and family for the baby (clothes, diapers, wipes, teething rings) and gifts for me (new maternity clothes!!).  Thank you to those who have been so thoughtful and purchased things for us. It means so much. Personally, I have not purchased anything for the baby at all. I'm sure when we find out the gender of the baby that will change.  Will we be buying a Gamecock  jersey or a Gamecock cheerleader outfit?? That is the big question! We find out in two weeks but we will be keeping it secret for a while.

I will try to post updates about our life so you can keep track of what is going on.  I do have to mention that I'm not the best with providing detailed information about every step of this adventure.  I do share what I'm comfortable with but I'm not someone who will divulge tons of information just because.  With this being our first baby we like to keep things between us to enjoy.  The Mr. and I are sharing, embracing and savoring every moment of this new adventure.  xo