The Best Sound Ever.

I got to hear my little one's heartbeat today! It was a long time coming so I anxiously crawled up on the table and lay flat anticipating the dishwasher swishing sound. The nurse started on the left and slowly started moving to the right across my low belly. For some reason I just knew peanut was on the right side all along! It started off quiet, and then she found it right on and oh! it was so loud and so strong. 160 beats per minute - I'm just so proud.

The doctor came in (one I've never met since I have to meet all of them in case they're on call in February!) and looked over my charts and said everything was great! He said we're both right where we need to be and that he was at a loss because he didn't have anything to yell at me about. haha. Nate immediately approved this doctor because he was wearing cowboy boots. Oh the standards of a man.

Even more exciting news - I get to have my first ultrasound and find out what my peanut is on September 4th! My "mother's instinct" on the sex of the baby is severely lacking. One minute I'll swear it's a boy and the next minute it's totally a girl. The Chinese Calendar says it's a boy, but the Chinese needle gender test screamed that it was a girl.

Nate thinks it's a boy AND a girl. Twins do run in both of our families. Bless. Guess we'll just have to wait 4 more weeks to know!

Things I've Learned

..since finding out I was pregnant.

1. Always eat every 3 hours - even if you don't want to. This, believe it or not, has kept me from full days of nausea. Took me about 2 weeks to figure this out.

2. Everyone is a pregnancy/child expert - though I have not had anyone be rude (yet!) everyone likes to tell me (especially MEN!!) what I can and can't do while I'm pregnant. I laugh at it now, but I'm sure it will get old.

3. Throwing up isn't fun sober either - the first few times I got sick I would sit in the floor and cry for like 15 minutes. Nate can testify. While I don't enjoy it now, I have learned to cope and maybe only feel like crying.

4. Always ask what's in the lemonade - at week 4 I went to a child's birthday party where no one knew I was pregnant. After skimming through all the beer and wine (my friends really like to drink, okay) I settled for a nice refreshing glass of lemonade. After consuming about an 6oz glass someone said, "boy that vodka lemonade was delicious!" Shoot me now. I know, I know I'm fine - and I didn't even worry because clearly there wasn't that much in it if I didn't taste it - it just taught me a lesson. Always know what you're sippin' on!

5. If you choose to wait and tell everyone, tell a friend at work if possible- I told my cubemate at work at 6 weeks and it was the best decision ever. (Most trustworthy person ever, lucky me!) This was my best decision because she was able to cover for me while I died in the other room.

6. Don't worry what others will say - the anticipation of waiting until week 12 got my mind wandering, "oh how will she react" "what will he say" "will they talk about me being only 24" etc. When I broke the news to everyone I got nothing but congratulations and happiness and love - and those that told me previously "to WAIT to have kids" were the most encouraging about how great parenthood really is. (Pretty sure I predicted that one in a previous blog, too).

7. Babymoons are a pretty cool story - though we didn't plan it this way, Baby Edwards has about 98% possibility of having been conceived in London. We hope to get peanut a "Made in London" onesie!

8. Dogs are smarter than we are - Looking back, there is absolutely no question that Bailey knew I was pregnant before I did. From the second we got back from our trip she treated me differently. Bailey LOVES Nate - he is her best friend, but since June she sits in front of me at night, waits patiently for me to get out of the shower and even waits outside the bathroom door when I'm dealing with nausea. Nevermind that she sniffs my belly, too. She is going to be the best big sister ever.

Well look at all I've learned in my first trimester! I'm sure that I will learn more than one thing new everyday, and now I'm just excited for our little one to get here!

Too Cute Not to Share.

I made these cakes for a friend at work's daughter over the weekend and I am just so happy with how they turned out that I had to share (and do a little advertising!) You can see all of my cakes at http://thecakeboutiquecharlotte.blogspot.com/

Thank you for all of the sweet comments about my news! I can't tell you how happy we are - and how much of a relief it is to be able to talk about it and not worry who is listening! I am due February 13th - sorry I left that out on the last post!

Show and Tell.

You may have noticed that over the course of the past two months I haven't been blogging much. In fact, I would be surprised if I have posted over ten entries since June. Well that's because I have been hiding a really, really big secret...a secret I can not hide for much longer because, well - my pants are getting snug.

Yes, you read right! I'm going to be a mommy!!! I am 12 weeks and doing just fine. I have struggled with the morning (more like all day) sickness, but luckily that's beginning to subside. My books and websites tell me that peanut [which is what we call the baby] is about the size of a plum or a lime, has all functioning systems, and basically looks like a really tiny baby with a really big head.

Nate and I are so very excited. I have wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but my neighbors may have thought I was insane.

I have suffered from writer's block because every time I would go to write a blog I would want to say something about being "the crazy pregnant lady who cries over commercials" or "the crazy preggers chick that makes her boss leave his office so she can throw up in his trash can" - oh yeah, been there - done that.

I promise not to make this a totally baby related blog, but I'm sure it will come up from time to time :) Having that huge elephant sitting in my room while writing was causing some serious issues - it should be free flowing henceforth.

Yay blogger friends, you now share my secret!

I just wanted to take a second to remember my good friend Joey Houck. Some of you may or may not have known him, but he was killed in a car accident the summer after we graduated high school. Six years ago today.

He was just one of those special people that could make anyone smile for just about no reason. He had the goofiest grin and was about as thugged out as a white boy can be - but he had a heart of gold.

Not to mention him today would be a disgrace, so whether you knew him or not, please say a prayer for his family and friends today who are still dealing with the loss of their son, brother, cousin, boyfriend, or best friend. Thanks.

Obsessed Much?

Yesterday, Nate and I made the seemingly short trip home from a great weekend in Charleston with friends (pictures to come later). Having had a few too many drinks and a little too much sun the day before (thanks to a wife who apparently doesn't know how to apply sunscreen evenly,) Nate asked that we switch right around Columbia and I drive the rest of the way home.

He promptly fell asleep in all of about 4.2 seconds and I was left to my thoughts. Driving long distance is calming to me, I don't mind it at all - heck I don't even mind riding in the car long distance. As I came up I-26 I people watched, or should I say car-watched, and found travelers from Ontario, Florida, Texas and all over the States. Almost every car I passed had some sort of memorabilia on it, whether it be a college sticker or license plate frame (saw about 4,000 for Clemson) or a random sticker from somewhere they like to vacation.

Along the drive I started to notice that there are just a few obsessions that I don't get.

Betty Boop - Okay she was a cute cartoony pinup girl, but WTF do you really need 3 stickers a license plate and a steering wheel cover that display your love for Miss Boop? I don't think so.

Flip Flops - what the heck man. There are flip flops on bags, shirts, earrings, stickers on cars and about any beachy item you can think of. I think I am going to start putting pictures of belts on things...same concept, right?

Stick People - You know the ones. Nate jokingly asked me if I wanted to get a Dad, a Mom and a dog to put on the back of my car. Heck to the N-O. Someone is making millions off of these things because every yuppy in Charlotte has them, and I'll admit that some of them are cute - but I don't really need to know your family tree. Thanks.

Tweety Bird - Of all the fantastic Looney Toons characters, you're going to pick one that's only line was "I tawt I taw a puddy tat?" I love cartoons...love.love.love. cartoons, but I'm not going to plaster a ginormous Spongebob on the back of the car. No thank you.

Now, I think with all this one point can be kept in mind: moderation is key. If you like Clemson, or flip flops or even Tweety Bird that's fine - one little sticker on the back of your car and I won't make fun of you (too much) but when your whole car is decked out in a shrine to an old cartoon, I'm going to make a lot of fun of you.

p.s. if any of my readers happen to have one of these things on your car, I'm sorry. I don't think you're a loser - I would just like to know why?

Strange Dreams.

Since Nate and I got married I started having crazy dreams. It's not that I think our marriage is related to it - it's just that is when I remember the really weird stuff beginning.

When we lived in our apartment, I distinctly remember several occasions where we would wake up and have been talking to each other - asleep. Several occasions. Many times it was about something I just told Nate I saw, and he was asking me where it was etc. etc.

Nate talks in his sleep. He talks about cars - a lot, yells at employees, and on one specific occasion he yelled at me because I was being mean to him in his dream (go figure, right!) I talk in my sleep - I've done that since I was little. Just ask my sister. No one ever remembers what I say, just that I talk.

Back in the apartment I started a new wave of sleepytime weirdness where I would "hallucinate" and see whatever I was just dreaming about standing in my room. (Hence I would tell Nate what I just saw). So in that room I saw a giraffe, a UFO, a person and many other objects. As soon as I wake up I realize that it's a dream, don't get frightened and just go right back to sleep. That stopped for a while, but now it's back in full force.

Every. Single. Night for weeks I have seen something in our room. (Creepy, I know.) And believe me, while I don't like seeing this stuff, it doesn't really scare me. I wake up - realize it wasn't real and go back to sleep.

Only this week I have seen people standing beside me. Yes, weird creepy men that I DON'T know watching me sleep. And, my most horrifying one was for two nights I saw dementors (Azkaban guards in Harry Potter) standing at the foot of my bed. One was covered in Cheetos.

I wake up with an "ahh" or "NATE" or ya know some sort of alert, realize I'm retarded and go back to sleep. I would say that I think Nate doesn't appreciate it, but he never remembers it happening and rarely wakes up anyway. (My protector sleeps like a rock.)

I was telling a few girls at lunch about it yesterday and someone said that I'm having "night terrors." Now - the only occasion I've ever heard of night terrors is with Travis Pastrana who screams and sees horrible things all night long to the point that none of his motorcross friends will even sleep in the same room as him. - He sees dead babies in fireplaces and dreams people are trying to kill him. THAT my friends, is a night terror.

Though I don't know what to call my "specialness" it doesn't seem to be a terror to me. I've started to notice that it mainly (or possibly only) happens when I'm awoken from a dead sleep. Like if Bailey moves at the foot of the bed or if Nate turns over. They say that you only remember your dreams that you wake up during so maybe my tired little brain can't decipher between sleep and awake when I'm startled and therefore I see whatever I was just dreaming about in my room. That's fine. I can deal with that, but what does that say about my dreams though?! Why can't I see happy things? Puppies. Babies. Family Members. Anything.

Does anyone else have weird dream/sleep time issues? Or am I totally alone and really weird on this one!?

I love birthdays!

Another year has come and gone, and I am now the ripe young age of 24! Nate and I spent all day yesterday with our families at my parents house. We laid out, got in the pool, my daddy made some ahhmazing steaks and mama made me a strawberry cobbler. It's my favorite birthday in recent memory...or maybe ever. I've never been one to party-hardy, so it was nice to just sit back, relax and enjoy my day.

I don't fret about age and turning a year older because well, it beats the alternative. Of course, when I'm turning 54 I might take it a little harder than 24, but right now my goal is just to appreciate every year as it comes!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

I just don't know what it is, but when Nate leaves the house at night Bailey-dog goes crazy on me. Everything she sees or hears positively terrifies her. Not to mention, she will stand at the foot of my bed and lower her head and grrroooowwwwllll really low while staring at my bedroom door.

Anyone else feel safe?

I guess Nate really is the Alpha in our house, and without him Bailey is lost without confidence. I do feel that she would protect me should the need arise, but mere moments ago I was sitting in the bathtub with her hazel puppy dog eyes watching my every move (you're jealous) and we both heard a noise (probably the TV in the other room) and rather than protecting me she looks like she just saw a ghost and needs to jump IN the bath tub with me for safety. (Okay, all of that happened except for her actually jumping in - I stopped that one this time).

This is my "I'm about to jump in" face. (She was moving so it's a little distorted)

I promptly sent a message to Nate informing him of these events, and he beamed - I could actually feel his pride come through my phone. Bailey is Nate's dog. Nate is Bailey's best friend. They are in love, and I swear Nate likes her better than me sometimes! Just kiddin' but seriously there is nothing like a man and his dog!

This is her completely wiped out after a long day of playing with her 7 cousins down on the farm. She was lethargic for about 30 hours.

Luckily, Nate will be home shortly and life as we know it can go back to normal!

Hello, July!

Umm is time flying, or what? Luckily, I'm not a student anymore, but I feel like I would be majorly depressed if I knew school would be starting in about a month again. It's like every day the clock ticks a little faster and before you know it bam! a whole week (or month) is gone.

I don't have a whole lot to update on - the Fourth was great, though! We spent the day out at Nate's cousin's at Lake Wylie! It was super nice, and a good time was had by all!

I am, however, in desperate need of a vacation. Sure London was about 2 months ago, but that friends, was not a vacation. I walked about 10 miles a day and couldn't even move when we got back to the room at the end of the day. London was work. I need a sit-on-my-butt-and-read-on-the-beach vacation. Not to mention, I am seriously disappointed in my tan this year. I'm usually a pretty bronzed babe, but not so much right now!

We are hoping to do a mini-cation the last weekend in July with some friends at Garden City. Fingers crossed! If not, I'm going to have to wait all the way until Labor Day to get my seaside fix. It depresses me that I can't quickly think of the last time I was at the beach. Here's hoping!