Life as we know it!

Lately Mike and I have started thinking of all the things that will be changing in our lives in the next 6 months. Therefore we've been sleeping in extra long and taking naps at noon on the weekends, just because we can. We are going out to eat for most meals on the weekends while we don't have to prep a diaper bag, coordinate around feedings and worry about any infant outbursts that may happen during dinner. I only make 3 dinners per week after work but in the coming years I'm sure leftovers won't cut it on the other days for a kiddo. At this point in my life I do laundry once every 4-5 weeks (seriously). That'll have to change once spit-up, blowouts, etc arrive in our daily lives. Mike has graciously offered to do the baby laundry for us but I can't put that all on him, although he does do laundry every 3 days so it would make sense for him to take it over. ;) We currently don't combine our laundry for many reasons. I run all kinds of random errands on a whim while I don't have to lug in a heavy baby carrier and pray he/she stays asleep while I rush through the store. I'm a little worried about the whole baby carrier thing considering my arm strength is nothing short of lousy.  I try my best to plan ahead and only go to Target once every other month and the grocery store once every two weeks. I have a feeling I'll be frequenting those places much more once I'm a mom.  We are going to the movies as much as possible (even on week nights) before our nights are packed with dinners, baths, laundry, feedings and going to bed early. I'm not trying to be negative but rather realistic because one thing is for sure, life as we know it is going to change... dramatically!

The reality is that we'll still nap sometimes when the baby is sleeping, we'll laugh when the loud infant outbursts at restaurants/stores happen (and they will), the laundry will get done eventually, my arm muscles will adjust as needed, I will embrace more trips to Target/grocery store and we'll still go see movies on date nights. I'm sure it won't be as overwhelming as I think it will be but one of my theories in life is to prepare for the worst so you are pleasantly surprised in the end. It won't be that hectic, right?? I know a lot of it is your frame of mind as a parent and if you're flexible/laid back than your baby will feed off of that energy and go with the flow more often than not (positive thinking). I'm sure the first few months will be rocky but we'll get into a groove soon enough. No matter what, it will all be worth it to me.

Although becoming parents is going to be a change beyond what we can prepare for mentally or physically, we both feel really blessed to have lived the "single life" for the last 10+ years to the fullest. We've graduated college, built stable careers, owned our own homes, traveled many places, made many memories with great friends and spent lots of quality time with our families. We are more than ready for the next phase in our life but yet we're trying to cherish these last few months as just Mike and Jill.

I went out and bought maternity clothes this past week. Why so early you ask? Well...my pants officially won't button (comfortably) any longer. I read recently that you are supposed to gain between 1-5 pounds during your first trimester. Although I technically gained 4 pounds total, it doesn't feel like it! I tried the whole rubber band trick for a couple of weeks but it wasn't cutting it once I sat down. The maternity jeans I bought are so comfy that I'm tempted to wear them now. I'm not sure when I'm supposed to make the transition into maternity pants but I'm thinking there is no better time than now.  Thanks to LeAnn, Raina, Kari, Brooke and Laura for lending me some of their maternity clothes. I appreciate it! I've quickly realized that fashion will not be a priority for the remaining months of my pregnancy. I'm all about comfort baby!

13 weeks

Boone is excited about the baby!

14 weeks