I've never loved a belly more.

not too much longer until this little guy won't be in my belly anymore, but in my arms instead.
it's bittersweet.
i feel positive that holding his soft little body is going to be the most wonderful feeling ever, and much better than holding my belly in my hands ha, but still bittersweet.
I love my little belly. I think I'll probably miss it some.
it's been amazing having this time. MY time with him. just him & i. i truly cherish it & am really trying to soak it up & focus on how special & how short lived it is, and not on the lack of sleep i have been getting the past few nights due to my little belly feeling not so little & not being able to get very comfortable.
only a few more weeks.
it's been insanely wonderful & there will never be a time like it, but i can't wait to meet him & see all of the people i love the most holding him & loving on him.
... aaaand as much as I think I'm going to miss my little pregnant belly, it will be simply divine to fit through normal spaces & wear anything I want again, ha! only this time around, with the best accessory!
life is good. I feel so blessed, & it's only getting better. thank you Jesus.
now I'm off to spend the evening with my better half & get some stuff done around the house before our little arrives! happy monday!! xoxo

plaid for days.

happy friday to you! we've got a baby on the way...

helloooooo!

friday, friday… fridays have become particularly special to me, because every friday marks one weeks closer to baby. we are down to five weeks people.

FIVE WEEKS.

THIRTY FIVE DAYS!

my eyes are about as big as saucers when i think about it. NOT quite as big as when i read a few things about labor and delivery yesterday (oh boy) but big. today, i was going through posts on this blog from the past year & just thinking about what a miracle this whole “growing a little baby human” thing is! me… my body... i have nurtured & grown a miracle. it honestly is SO big, and i am amazed by it. it was also fun to see posts & remember times where husband and i knew that we had a little life getting started in my belly, but YOU all didn’t know! crazyyy y’all.

being pregnant has been so wonderful for me. aside from the whole emergency abdominal surgery thing, it really has been such a great experience. AND that shouldn’t happen with my next pregnancy, or ever for that matter, so we will just count it as a hiccup. part of the journey. i’m a hero… no big deal (i kid, i kid).  but really… i love feeling our little boy move around, i never feel alone & with every little move, i am constantly reminded that i am part of something bigger. i can’t even imagine what it will be like to NOT have him in there! i’m assuming strange, but i hear having him in your arms is even better.

so, five weeks folks.

maybe a little more, maybe a little less… this mama has felt that he’ll come early from the start, and people are starting to place their bets on arrival dates! what do you think???

6 weeks… left.

what?

yea, we are so close now that counting what’s left of this pregnancy takes less time than counting the weeks that i have had this little bundle in my belly. && ooooweeee, look at that belly! came out of no where it seems! for real… this week, i recycled an outfit a few days after it’s original debut (yea, it gets that way when your outfit choices are limited :)) and literally 4 days later it looked different. crazy. our boy is growing in there & it’s a good thing!

anyhow, i love him so much. he’s a cutie. i really hope he’s a mama’s boy… i hear that’s one of the best things about little boys… they usually are :)

… i won’t express that hope to husband though, we’ll keep it just between us.

happy friday!

xoxo

dear baby...

baby boy, 

i've loved you for 32 weeks & a couple days now...

i can't believe how big you are getting & how soon you are going to be here!

the way time has flown by so far, i can only imagine how quickly these next 7 & a half weeks are going to go.

then we meet you!

you'll actually be in our arms.

warm, soft, with a fuzzy little head... smelling soooo good, perfect in every way.

me & daddy canNOT wait! we talk about it every night before bed :)

you are going to change our lives forever.

i'm going to go ahead and thank you ahead of time for making them THAT much better.

i love you, 

mommy

being sick & then being in the hospital... having surgery... 

if i didn't already know that i loved our little guy SO much, our experience over the past two weeks definitely made it known. 

worrying about HIM before ME.

thinking, 'no... that isn't okay with me' when the doctors told us that both baby and i were their priority, but that i would take rank over him if it came down to it...

it was a feeling i had never experienced before. 

i can't really even describe it, only that he was everything to me in that moment and MY first priority.

he's so sweet & perfect in there. i am so thankful for how strong he is, how lively. gah!

i also REEEALLY can't wait to see what he looks like! as of now, i picture a miniature, bald, old man version of husband. hahaha! just sayin'...

xoxo

is this real life?

 

i still sometimes most times can’t believe there is a tiny person in my belly. fully alive, with an entire life ahead of him, laid out by God.

perfect.

not yet tampered with by ‘the world’. a little life who is changing mine & chris’ in a BIG way. i am experiencing one of God’s greatest miracles daily & i am so thankful that He chose me for this task. what a blessing it is, having part in MAKING ANOTHER PERSON, & what a privilege and blessing it is going to be being a mom. wow.

i am so happy & excited.

i love you little wiggle worm. i can’t wait to meet you & know what you look like, smell your sweet skin & give you little baby massages before bedtime. i also can’t wait to see your daddy & all of our family love on you… my fat little heart is going to leap out of my chest & melt into a puddle on the floor… love, mommy

oh hey there again monday.

you guys.

as of this past friday, i am officially 27 weeks pregnant.

how can we be to the third trimester?!

time slow down!!!

i love being pregnant, and i know there will never be another time like the first time. each special in their own way yes... but nothing like the FIRST time. i truly am trying to savor every minute of it. i dream of the day we meet our little man, but am also just trying to BE in each day, while he is still in my tum. he is getting so big & moving around all the time. it feels like an earthquake in my belly! i love every little kick, jab & smudge (this is what i call the movements that are slow & span about 3-4 inches and you can SEE THEM!). it makes me smile, thinking that it is him saying hi, special for me... kinda like, 'hey mommy, i already love you.' i already love him & so does husband. i CANNOT wait to see chris as a daddy. just yesterday, i got all teary just thinking about how much i love chris & how blessed i am to have him as a husband & person in my life. he is my best friend in this world, & this whole journey with him has been so beautiful & wonderful in every way. i am thankful.

anyways... not to sap out on a monday, but we can't wait to meet you baby, you're so special & perfect already!

hope your week is already started right!

xoxo

my bump, my bump, my bump... check it out!

happy monday to you!

people are starting to notice my baby bump! While it may have been slow to show up in the beginning, I think it's making up for lost time now & I couldn't be more thrilled. Someone I didn't even know told me I had a cute baby bump going on this week! Never did I ever think that someone telling me my stomach was anything other than flat would make my day, but the bump is beaming, loud & proud, & I'm feeling more beautiful than ever. What is more beautiful than the little life that is inside of me?! These days, I can think of nothing. I love him so much, and I can't believe that in a few short months, we are going to meet our little blessing in person!

 

Also, today, i felt one of the biggest kicks ever, & could feel either the heel, elbow or fist that it came from! weird! aaaaaand, i think we are getting closer to a name... But THAT is a secret my friends :)

just some real talk.

how can it be friday again? 

the days/weeks are just flying by! gah! slow down.

honest truth you guys.

the closer i get to february & the more baby boy grows, i can’t help but feel a little nervous about the idea that at some point, he has to come out of me.

i am NOT going to be all gross right now or talk about the details of delivering a baby, because quite honestly i don’t know them all & i also think that is just eww to talk about… but for real. the bigger my belly gets, the more this whole thing becomes REAL & my anxiety starts to kick in a little.

from the first time husband and i even THOUGHT about having babies, i had decided that i wanted to go into the labor/delivery process blindly. i didn’t want to hear anyone’s “birth story”, their nightmare of labor even though it is “so worth it in the end”, the pain, the details, the good, the bad, what to expect… nothin’.

i didn’t want to know.

… i still stand by that.

because here’s the thing. educated in all the ways of child birthing or not, i’m going to do it either way. after alllll this time of women having babies, no one has figured out a magically, pleasant & painless way to do it (although i hear the epidural seriously helps). so why in the world would i freak myself out & get myself worked up over something that is going to happen whether i like it or not. nothing anyone told me would have kept me from doing it, but it sure as heck would create some meeeeean anxiety. which, as mentioned… i’m already having all on my own, without knowing all the gory details.

so as planned, i’m going in blind. hey! maybe my hero will come up with a new, painless & fun way to have a baby before my time comes… maybe? ha.

but in case they don’t, i will try to focus on this:

“Anxiety is a result of envisioning the future without Me. So the best defense against worry is staying in communication with Me. When you turn your thoughts towards Me, you can think more positively. Remember to listen, as well as speak, making your thoughts a dialogue with Me.

If you must consider upcoming events, follow these rules: 1) Do not linger in the future, because anxieties sprout up like mushrooms when you wander there. 2) Remember the promise of My continual Presence; include Me in any imagery that comes to mind. This mental discipline does not come easily, because you are accustomed to being god of your fantasies. However, the reality of My Presence with you, now & forevermore, outshines any fantasy you could ever imagine.”

-- Jesus Calling

i am a worrier. i wish that i wasn’t, but it’s part of me. this devotional speaks directly to me. because it is true, worry/stress/anxiety = not fully trusting God. trusting that He has got this, He’s got YOU.

i want to FULLY trust God, in every way & in every area of my life. delivering & having our little baby boy, (which let me just go ahead and say, i am excited about WAY more things than i am worried about or scared of) is a perfect test for me, designed perfectly by God. women HAVE to give birth to their littles. there is no way around it, no going back. trusting that God will give me the strength to do what my body was designed by Him to do is a must. so every day i am choosing to give that worry over to Him little by little. He’s got this.

i can’t wait to meet our boy. our SON! i’m 24 weeks today, HOW CAN I BE 24 WEEKS ALREADY?!?! for the non-pregnant peeps out there that is about 5 & 1/2 months! baby’s home is the size of a soccer ball & he is as long as an eggplant, say whaaaa?! he weighs over a pound and a half & makes me smile EVERYDAY, throughout the day with all his little kicks & flips. i really am cherishing this time of having him all to myself. soon enough he will be here & everyone will be loving him & holding him & i am going to LOVE every second of that! but for now, it’s just me & him. no one else can experience this time with him, and i think that’s pretty cool.

so here’s to a worry free friday! full of my little ponies & rainbows, perfect baby boys, crisp fall air & looking forward to a night spent with ones you love! enjoy it :)

xoxo

please, please, hold your applause!

a baby update ACTUALLY up on friday?!

whaaaa?!?!

yes, it’s true. our little baby is thankfully still growing inside his comfy little home, aka MY belly. he really is getting so big, and i love it. his growth HAS made the task of getting dressed a bit daunting at times…

you wake up with an outfit in mind… one that you’ve worn pretty recently, yet when you put it on this time… your belly sticks out too far for your shirt to reach, giving you the lovely crop top/hillbilly beer belly look. it’s reeeeeeeeeeal cute, as i’m sure you can imagine! however, leggings & dresses are SO convenient & comfortable right now, and at the current time, i can still button my jeggings y’all! so we have some options!

our little mister LOVES pizza about as much as i do, which is understandably one of my favorite traits of his. he dances all around doing flips & flops whenever i have any… so i make sure to have some ATLEAST once a week… you know, for him.

his crown to cutie little rump measurement is just over 8 inches now, about the length of an ear of corn! & he is expected to double in size over the next 4 weeks! does this mean i will too?! here’s hoping it’s just in the belly department :) i’m ALLLL about belly growth.

my new theme song is my humps. i usually have a belly dance-a-thon to the tune of it once, sometimes twice a week. the fam & husband pretty much love it. my personal favorite section of lyrics is when i get to the ‘drive these fellas crazzzzy’ part. just the thought of guys checkin’ out & lovin’ the sight of my baby bump is well, let’s just be honest… TOTALLY realistic.

in all seriousness though, it’s kind of crazy to see your husband love you even more than he did without the bump. i think he’s pretty amazed that i’m housing a tiny human. OUR tiny human. a SON. he is so good at making me feel special & beautiful at any given time throughout the day. i love him. being pregnant has honestly been wonderful for me. if a few pretty awful nights of reflux and the not so occasional anymore aka once a day emotional break down are really the worst problems i’ve had so far… i’ve got it good. thank you, thank you Lord!

on that note, we’re off! tonight we are going to a haunted corn maze! oooooo! i’m so excited about it! fall is here, we’ve broken out harlow’s sweaters, and it’s pretttyyyyy chilly out there! i hope you’re loving it as much as i am!

happy weekend!

wednesday late post.

I had the whoooollle day off of work today, man I love Wednesdays. Not that I don't enjoy my job at the shop, it really makes my heart smile... But to have a full day to yourself, to do only what's on your to do list, or simply nothing at all? I'm just sayin', it's something I look forward to. Today's off day was especially heart filling, because it was spent doing all housewifey things... Just the way I like it. 

Simple. 

I seriously DO NOT like when people complain about how life is soooo crazy and yada yada, but lately I have felt a little overwhelmed myself, so today was super nice :)  

A clean house, fresh baked pumpkin bread & Christmas music all before noon? ... Yes, today was a day in need of some Christmas music, don't judge. Pure magic! Now I'm off to enjoy some homemade enchiladas & some Kung Fu Panda 2.

Happy Wednesday!
Oh! And little boy bump, in case you missed it yesterday :) he's weighing in over a pound now & about 8.5 inches long, not including his little legs! Woohoo!

half way there!

aaand we’re back with a weekly update!

baby boy salvaggione is the size of a banana, and i am officially 20 weeks, which is HALFWAY through my very first pregnancy! i can’t believe how fast the time has flown by. when i realized, i almost got sad for a minute… this is my FIRST pregnancy. there will never be another FIRST. hopefully there will be a few more!! but never a first. time just flies & flies. LIFE flies by. do NOT get me wrong. the actual baby boy in my arms is what i am most excited for! but honestly, i wish time would slow down just a little bit. i love life, my family, my friends, being pregnant, EVERYTHING so much! i know that it is only going to seem quicker once our baby is here and he grows up! gah! be still my heart. stay calm. one day at a time.

it’s all so exciting! the quickness just makes me realize even more that i should enjoy every minute, and every day of not only being pregnant, but also LIFE. it doesn’t stop & wait for you, and you can’t go back. SUCH a good reminder to be grateful, to be content, to love the ones you’re with, to love the place you’re at :)

happy weekend!

seven.

one: the prettiest pillows you ever did see.

two: the sweetest vintage overalls for our future baby girl, even if it isn’t this time around!

three: a cutesy little pumpkin mug, my new fave.

four: my pride & joy puppy all snuggly in the sun.

five: this pregnant girl’s new best friend.

six: banana nut muffins from scratch.

seven: a bump in my tummy & a lazy sunday.

happy tuesday!

sweet potato pie.

       

i won’t lie, when my mom said it’d be cute to draw a little face on a veggie, i was not 100% convinced… but then when i saw how happy the little face was that she drew, i thought about how happy our little sweet potato must be all cozy in there & that made me very happy, so what the hey! our little is now the size of a SWEET potato! yummm. i’m officially 18 weeks & can’t believe i am only TWO weeks away from being halfway through this pregnancy! can this be real? bumping out, was just as everyone said, OVERNIGHT, and at 18 weeks, i am finally starting to feel or atleast look like i’m pregnant. i am really trying to enjoy all sides of pregnancy because i am SO thankful that i have been blessed with it, and also because though we hope to have a large family, you really don’t know what God has in store for you, and so i think it is really important to be grateful and joyful wherever you are.

 

i have seen these floatin’ around the blogging community & haven’t participated yet, so i decided today was the day! a few updates…

How far along? 18 weeks TODAY!
Baby is the size of? a SWEET potato!

Total weight gain/loss: still hadn’t gained at my last doctors appointment! but since then, i’ve bumped out a little, so hopefully i will be on track at the next weigh in :)

Maternity clothes? none so far, but it’s about time for a belly band!
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep: still sleeping great - minus a few trips to the bathroom and the occasional wacky dream
Best moment this week: feeling what i am almost positive are the first signs of movement in my tummy!
Miss Anything? strangely, wine. i wasn’t a huge wine-o before, but it smells soooo good. can’t wait to have a glass of sweet red :)
Movement: just starting to feel some!
Food cravings: none.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nada.
Have you started to show yet: yep! still a bit of an awkward bump, but we love it anyway around here :)
Gender: we find out in 9 days!!!
Labor Signs: i sure hope not! ha.
Belly Button in or out? in, but on the way out.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy! with the occasional cry baby moment, as mentioned earlier this week.
Looking forward to: our ultrasound! what are you baby?! seriously couldn’t even pretend to know what we are having, so i am VERY excited!

have a great weekend!

here & there.

just some pretty pictures for your wednesday.