Baby C: Oregon Shower & 3rd Trimester

It has been an eventful week or so! Austin is out of town (traveling for work in Africa) so I decided to fly home to Oregon/Washington. It is still weird to say that my parents no longer live in Oregon, even though it's just right over the river in Washington.

While I was home my dear friend Marci threw me a Baby Shower! Of course she went all out. It was such a fun evening. Thanks for all who attended! And a special thanks to Marci for hosting and planning... seriously it was SO FUN!

Testing baby food! haha

 So many gifts... thank you everyone!! & HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY!!!

Pregnant twins! Last photo before Baby Hunt arrives :)

 THANKS again Marci!!! :)

Now for a little pregnancy update...

How far along? 26 weeks and 4 days. Hello, 3rd trimester! 13 weeks left?? HOLY COW!

Baby growth and progress? 9.2 inches. Eggplant status... or so they say. And 2 pounds!

Body/Weight Gain? She has officially made her appearance. All my normal clothes are too tight. I've gained 13ish lbs so far. Right on track!

Sleep? Still getting it. So that's good.

Emotions? Maybe it was a bad idea to binge watch Parenthood while pregnant? Waterworks.

Food cravings? Nothing specific. I'm just so hungry haha. All. The. Time.

Maternity clothes? Are a DREAM. That and oversized t-shirts.

Stretch marks? Rubbing on that body butter veerrrrrry liberally. So far so good. It's only a matter of time though...

Anything make you queasy? Not much anymore. And thank goodness for that!

Movement? Every single time I lay down she decides to do gymnastics. It's still cute at this point. I still can't believe there is a human inside of me. It blows my mind!

Exercise? Walking is my go to. It's not running, but it's something!

Gender? Baby GIRRRRRRRRRRL.

Memorable pregnancy moments? Austin felt her kick for the first time and it was the most precious thing.

Favorite thing about being pregnant? The end result :)

Bought anything for the baby yet? We are on the ball! We have a crib, mattress, rocking chair, clothes, diapers... we are getting there! We got such nice things from our shower. We're getting excited!!

Looking forward to: AUGUST! 

Wedding Weekend 4.8.16

What a weekend! 

We came back to Oregon/Washington for my brother's wedding. It was quite the weekend filled with family and friends. 

I soon figured out that being on your feet all day in heels, drinking minimal water, while pregnant wasn't the most brilliant idea. Need a little R&R after the day!

Other than that though it was so fun to bring everyone together and celebrate a new family unit, Marcus and Olivia Russell. 

We were so busy making sure the day ran smoothly, we didn't take many pictures! I'm sure there will be more to come when the photographer gets the professional shots to the bride and groom :)

Olivia looking GORGEOUS! Hair done by Casey Russell and Makeup, Olivia did herself!

Side note: being pregnant at the same time as your friends is SO FUN!

Boy or Girl???

YAY!!! As we were leaving the appointment Austin said, "No makeup until she's 16." The Dad reflex is already kicking in!

And a little 20 week update...

How far along? Yesterday was 20 weeks. Half way there!

Baby growth and progress? 5.5-6.5 inches! She is growing like a little weed and it makes my heart so happy :)

Body/Weight Gain? I'm finally showing! Although Austin said it's hard to tell if I'm just getting chubby or am pregnant. I wasn't weighed at my ultra sound but I can for sure say I'm gaining weight. Yay for being hungry again!

Sleep? I'm peeing a lot during the night but I'm getting solid sleep still.

Emotions? Becoming more of a girl with every passing day... Hormones for the win!

Food cravings? Everything. And what a welcome change that it is!!! I am hungry again people, and I can actually eat without feeling like I have to hurl. 

Maternity clothes? I got a few things from friends and my dearest mother took me shopping. THANKS MOM!! Ps, why doesn't everyone wear maternity pants all the time? They are heavenly. 

Stretch marks? Nothing yet. It's early. Honestly though I'll take anything for this baby :)

Anything make you queasy? Some foods still sound nasty but it's night and day compared to the first trimester.

Movement? YES! It is the coolest thing! I feel her all the time now. She's not very strong yet so we're still trying to have Austin catch it from the outside. We'll get there I'm sure.

Exercise? Back at it! I'm not exactly running like I used to but I am at least trying to walk a few miles everyday. 

Gender? GIRL!!! I have to admit we kind of wanted a boy first, but we are so beyond ecstatic with a girl. Let the shopping commence!

Memorable pregnancy moments? Finding out initially, of course! And then finding out we are having a little girl :) She was moving live crazy at my 20 week scan. Everything about it was adorable. 

Favorite thing about being pregnant? It's still knowing that there is a human growing inside me! And she is  equal parts me and Aust. It really is an amazing thing...

Bought anything for the baby yet? We got a crib a few weeks ago! Slowly but surely we are getting there. 

Looking forward to: AUGUST!!!

Baby C: 1st Trimester

As you may have heard by our announcement we are expecting a little one in August of this year! We are quite honestly over the moon about it. I am also excited to finally start sharing some of my thoughts about this journey.

**Before I go on though, I know this is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people. Both people we know and plenty of others we don't. We have been wanting this baby for a little bit of time now, but I know many others who have waited/continue to wait much longer than we did. I remember the sting of what felt like a new pregnancy announcement every single day. Take heart, people. Love and prayers your way. 

How far along? Today I am 15 weeks. But who's counting, right? ;) I'll answer these questions about everything leading up to this point.

Baby growth and progress? Baby C is the size of my fist this week! 3.5-4.5 inches long with a strong and healthy heart beat. 

Body? Total weight gain?  It looks like I'm showing but I think it's 80% bloat and 20% baby. I lost weight in the first trimester and am now back to my original-ish weight. Maybe with a couple extra pounds? I'll let you know after my next appt.

Sleep? Waking up a ton and I have to pee most nights. I get to sleep in these days though. Embrace it while I can, I say!

Emotions? I'm not an extremely moody person in the first place, so I don't think much has changed? (Although Austin might have something to say about this...) I do find myself holding back tears quite a bit more though. "Touching" commercials. Cute pictures. You name it. 

Food cravings? Not much. Okay, actually nothing. The first trimester was a little rough on the food front. The last week or so though I've been able to eat more than carrots and lemon water. On the up and up??? I hope so! :)

Maternity clothes? I've bought one shirt so far. Lots of my clothes are baggy so I think I will be able to hold off for a while. Maybe? We'll see. 

Stretch marks? Nothing yet. It's early. Honestly though I'll take anything for this baby :)

Anything make you queasy? Like I mentioned earlier everything but carrots and lemon water for a while there. But hey... sick me means healthy baby and I couldn't ask for anything more!

Movement? Nope, not yet. Sometimes I think I feel something and then it's a gas bubble. TMI? Pretty typical these days.... haha

Exercise? I love how I feel when I'm active. I have been SLACKING so hard on this though. For a while there I was lucky to get outside and walk. People told me exercise would make the nausea fade but it honestly made it worse. I know how beneficial exercise is for baby, pregnancy, and labor so I'm getting back into it. It feels so good!

Gender? Truthfully, we kind of wanted a boy first because we have a killer name picked out. Is that bad? But we are more than thrilled either way! At my last appointment they said it looks like it could be a girl!! But not to quote them on it because it was still a little early. We will see. Don't you worry though, we have an adorable girls name picked out too :)

Memorable pregnancy moments? Finding out! We are so humbled and grateful. It's all just very exciting still. I don't think that really ever goes away? Also, hearing/seeing the heartbeat was both amazing and a huge relief.

Favorite thing about being pregnant? Knowing that there is a human growing inside me! And that human is equal parts me and Aust. It really is an amazing thing...

Bought anything for the baby yet? We have received a couple things from family members. I'm sure the purchases will increase once we know the gender. Talk about overwhelming though.... SO much the world tells us we "need" for that baby. I've got a few tips from friends but any other tips or advice would be MUCH appreciated!!

Looking forward to: Showing! (and not just bloat haha...) And finding out if Baby C is a boy or girl!!

We have something to say...

Still alive over here...

WOW. It has literally been 3 months since I posted a single thing on here. I guess I just didn't really have much to say for the last little while. Lots of wonderful things happened. Also, lots of prayer and worry for what would come next for us. It's easy to post when we were living in England or spending a summer in Africa. Those things are exciting! That's what the world tells us is worthy of writing about or reading. But to be honest, it was a wonderful 3 months. Not very eventful for the most part. A few exciting things here are there. Marcus got engaged! (Olivia... *In "She's the Man" Voice* ;)) My parents moved to Washington - RIP Bull Mtn house. Most of all we loved to spend time at home with our families. Sunday dinners. Game nights. Ping pong tournaments. Star Wars movie marathons. It was all so great. More than great actually. I cried when we left. I'm slowly been turning into an actual female that does that sort of thing.

So since the "transition" period is over it must mean we have found our next step. Right you are! Just a short month or so ago Austin was offered a job doing international development with an electronics company in Utah. I know, I know. As we were driving here Austin's literal words were, "I cannot believe we are moving back to Utah..." It's funny how the Lord's plan works. We're here though, and we are embracing it. We will have a home base here, but we will most likely be shipped overseas (so us, right?) in the coming months for extended periods of time.

Also, we got a new camera for Christmas! We still have no idea how to use it, but hey, we'll get there.