pregnancy dreams

Ok, I seriously had one of the WEIRDEST dreams last night. I will spare you all the details (believe me, you don't want to know) and get straight to the weird part. . .

Our baby came out of me in a box - like a box a doll would come in, with a window screen and everything. And apparently we were blessed with a "Deluxe Version" baby...or so it said on the box. This "Deluxe Version" included a little hat, pierced ears (what??), socks & shoes, and an ID bracelet. No clothes... but, whatever.

Chalk it up as weird pregnancy dream #3. In the first one, I gave birth to our baby at 14 weeks and she was fine...very small, but fine. And yes, I said "she." Because when I had that dream, we didn't yet know we were having a boy. The second one included me giving birth to a baby whale.

Sweet dreams, everyone. Sweet dreams.

ducks

and no, not the Oregon Ducks. The Civil War is over, people!

I'm now 23 weeks pregnant and realizing how quickly this little boy is going to be out of my belly and in my waiting arms. With that thought comes the realization that I better get moving on preparing for his sweet arrival. So. . .

My brain has been consumed with all things baby! I have done a self diagnosis and seem to have come down with a case of mommy madness. Seriously - I don't think there is a baby website, book, or magazine I haven't looked at. I have browsed through cribs, changing tables, strollers, carseats, and bedding, like there is no tomorrow. Funny thing is, I still haven't made a single decision on anything we want/need. I tend to be pretty picky and particular about what I want, and on top of that, I find myself thinking, "What if I find something better?" Which brings me to the next issue: the naming of this child. What a huge responsibility! Brett and I go in circle after circle discussing names and seem to get no closer to making a decision. Good thing we have a few months left, right?

I remember being like this when Brett and I were engaged. I'm such a planner and organizer and like to be totally prepared ahead of time - so much so that I end up STRESSING myself OUT! It's absolutely ridiculous.

Earlier today, my mom posted on my sister's CaringBridge website about having all her "ducks in a row." She wrote the following: "I really like to have all my ducks in a row. I like to have a plan and be able to stick to the plan. I recognize that God is showing me that maybe HE wants my ducks in a circle. . . or maybe HE doesn't even want me to know where my ducks are. . . OR maybe it doesn't even MATTER where my ducks are!! What a thought! "

This was a great reminder to me. I would love to have all my "ducks in a row" way before our little guy gets here so I can feel like a super prepared and organized mommy. But all in all, does it really matter? We are SO BLESSED and SO THANKFUL for this baby and shouldn't that be my focus? Thank you, Mom - for passing on your somewhat crazy, obsessive, organizational trait. But more so, for reminding me that sometimes "it doesn't even matter where my ducks are."

Oh and why not add a recent baby bump picture. Here I am at 23 weeks -

momma & baby...20 weeks

...

and we're so excited.

seeing him move around was the most incredible sight i've ever seen.
i've fallen in love with the little guy already!

our little timmer weighs right around 10 oz. and is about 8 inches long - which apparently means that we are measuring right on track with our due date.

oh and i'm totally okay with the fact that i was wrong and brett (and pretty much everyone else) was right. i'll try to scan the ultrasound pictures and post some within the next couple days.

A Busy November

I can't believe it's already November. I'm just about halfway through my pregnancy (what...already!?!), the holidays are right around the corner, and so much is going on this month.

I just got back from a 10-day trip to Hawaii with my 2 best friends, Sarah and Lyndsey, and it was such a great time. I'm sure I could take up quite a bit of this blog post with all the fun, relaxing and crazy times we had, but instead, I'll just post a couple of pictures.

The pictures include:

* a hike into Green Sands Beach

* snorkeling at Snorkel Beach

* dinner in our Halloween costumes, provided by Sarah

* and a day at the Hilton

I just returned from Hawaii on Friday night and I'm only home for a week before heading out again to go be with my family. I'll spend a week in San Francsico, helping out with my sister's chemo treatment in the hospital, and then home to Nevada for the week of Thanksgiving. It will be really good to see my family, but my poor husband...he is having to survive without me for 3 out of the 4 weeks this month.

So...in this week that I am actually home...

We get to find out if our little one is a he or a she, and we can't wait. As I've mentioned before, Brett thinks it's a boy, and I think it's a girl. Our ultrasound is on Tuesday afternoon at 4, so come back on Wednesday to find out who's right.

Here is my 19 week baby belly: