Week 14

How far along: 14 Weeks

Food Comparison: Lemon

Gender: 2 weeks until we find out!

Weight gain: +4 lbs

Maternity clothes: None yet. Pretty soon it's going to be time to invest in a belly band that holds up my unbuttoned pants. 

Stretch marks: No - doing everything I can to help them stay away!

Belly button in or out: In with belly button ring. 

Sleep: Still always super itchy when I get into bed - but sleep has been better. Especially if CT stays off my side. 

Best moment last week: My massage. I wish I could get one everyday but since I can't I'll settle for one monthly. 

Worst moment last week: Getting a cold sore. Acne all over your chin and a scabbed up blister on your lip isn't a very attractive site. What ever happened to all this talk about glowing when you are pregnant? I have yet to see any type of glow! 

Miss anything: Not really.   

Movement: When I was lying flat on the massage table with my belly squished - I could definitely feel a few movements here and there.  

Cravings: veggies - carrots and ranch, green beans, veggie chips! 

Queasy or sick: Nada. 

Looking forward to: Going to the KU game this Wednesday and then having Thursday off! 

(I had to get a new shirt for the occasion!)

Prayer Request: This week as Baby K starts to squint, frown, and grimace - I pray that these are qualities/characteristics that they don't do often. I pray that Baby K always wears a smile on their face and that they are truly a happy person. I also pray that by being a happy person other people can easily tell that they have a heart for God.   

Week 13

How far along: 13 Weeks

Food Comparison: Peach

Gender: 3 weeks until we find out!

 CT thinks girl, I think boy!

Weight gain: +4 lbs

Maternity clothes: None yet. I should probably start thinking about looking for a few pairs of work pants - the days are starting to get more uncomfortable. Plus I don't want to get caught with my pants unbuttoned (which I might do every now and then). I can't wait for spring to arrive so I can live in dresses! 

Stretch marks: No - doing everything I can to help them stay away!

Belly button in or out: In with belly button ring. 

Sleep: Lately sleep has gotten a lot better. It's hard to get comfortable right when I lay down because I get super itchy, but once I find that sweet spot I'm golden. 

Best moment this week: Taking CT out to some baby stores and agreeing on a lot of things: travel system, swing, crib style! 

Worst moment this week: CT getting pulled over yesterday for going 15mph over the speed limit in a construction zone. Luckily he got off with a warning but they then proceeded to give us a fix it ticket for my illegal window tint. As soon as the officer walked away I started crying saying... "I'm not going to be cool any more with legal tint. My car's going to look dumb now." Haha. Oh hormones! Gotta love them! 

Miss anything: Margaritas.  

Movement: No. 

Cravings: Sour straws and cherry coke iceys  from Quik Trip.

Queasy or sick: Nope!

Looking forward to: My massage on Wednesday. I will be 13.3 days = second trimester!! This mama to be needs my shoulders rubbed for a good hour. 

Prayer Request: This week as Baby K's vocal chords start forming - I pray that when they speak, they speak only kind things, I pray that they openly preach about their faith in Jesus Christ, and I pray that when they worship at church through singing - that they sound better than their mama. =)  

Nail Files [11]

So this week I received some super happy mail - the best Christmas gift! 

The complete Gelish starter kit ... light and all!  I liked this option because it came with 2 full size colors. I've been looking all over on the web for some the best deals on colors - and it looks like Amazon might be the best place for some new colors. $11 bucks a piece though ... yikes. Please let me know if you have seen them cheaper anywhere. 

Nails this week: 

Gelish: Gossip Girl

What I've learned from my first time doing this

1. It's a super long process - so make sure you have time

2. Make sure your coats aren't thick - or you will have to keep it under the light longer

3. Do NOT let it get on your skin - this is the number one cause for it to start peeling off 

4. To make sure it doesn't get on your skin - do work on your cuticles before

Recipe: Shepherd's Pie (My Version)

Let me let you in on one of CT's favorite meals that we just so happened to stumble upon. You know those times where all the food on your plate get's intermixed and you now have one big item instead of three separate items?  Well thankfully that happened when we were having corn bread, mashed potatoes, and stroganoff. I'd say it was a concoction gone right! 

Shepherd's Pie

(My Version)

Bottom Layer

A box of Jiffy corn bread mix. 

Bake as directed. 

(family secret: we add about 2 tbsp sugar prior to baking)

Middle Layer

A box of Stroganoff.

Cook as directed. 

Top Layer

A box of instant garlic mashed potatoes. 

Cook as directed. 

As you can see here, we don't mind the easy/delicious/bad-for-you processed foods. You could definitely make this same concoction with home made stroganoff and home made mashed potatoes. 

But really... who has time for that these days??

Week 12

How far along: 12 Weeks

Food Comparison: Plum

Gender: Unsure - we get to find out Feb. 10!!

 CT thinks girl, I think boy!

Weight gain: +3 lbs

Maternity clothes: None yet. Last week I talked about how I've had to start doing the pony tail holder trick with some of my jeans. Right now when I'm not in work clothes, I'm living in yoga pants and leggings. 

I can't wait till I actually look pregnant and not just like I'm getting a little chunky. 

Stretch marks: No - I've been slathering up with some palmers cocoa butter. 

Doing my best to help them stay away!

Belly button in or out: In with belly button ring. 

Sleep: I've had to break out the body pillow this week which has helped a lot. 

It's also a nice barrier between CT's knees and my back. 

Best moment this week: Being able to see Baby K on Thursday! HB = 175! 

I am so in love already! 

Worst moment this week: These headaches and this acne. 

I'm ready for these hormones to calm down.  

Miss anything: Jimmy John's unwich or any sandwich with deli meat. I just can't do the whole nuke it for a few seconds ...aka warm meat. No thanks. 

Movement: Call me crazy - but I swear I felt the babe once last week. I was sitting super funky on the couch and it felt like a fish was in my stomach. Weirdest thing ever! 

Cravings: Sour straws and ham and cheese hot pockets.

Queasy or sick: CT has one cologne - Sean Jean - I Am King that really messes with me. 

Other than that I'm good! 

Looking forward to: Baby K's rug coming this week! 

Rugsusa.com had a great deal going on.

 Black and white chevron rug -  5 ft x 8 ft - 70% off -  $37.50! 

You can't beat that!!

Prayer Request: This week as Baby K's eyes start moving to the front of it's face - I pray that as they grow older, they see the best in people...always. I pray that theirs views on the world are positive and that they are optimistic in all situations. 

It's Friday, Friday ... I'm gonna do 5 on Friday

A little Rebecca Black to start your Friday off right! 

1. We got to see our little babe yesterday and it was so surreal. I'm measuring ahead at 12 weeks instead of 11.4 and the heart beat was 175! It's crazy how just 4 weeks ago our little baby looked like a blob and yesterday you could see its arms, legs, hands, feet - it was moving all over the place. 

 Feet crossed, chillin' like a villain! 

Posing for us. I can't get over the details you can see already! 

The picture that had the hubby freaked out! Last appointment our babes HB was 178 and the Dr. said girls statistically have a higher heart rate. Then when the tech showed him this picture yesterday it confirmed it for him! Haha! I just think it's funny cause it's too early to tell and it has got him all flustered. 

2. Looking forward to our gender scan Feb. 10.
 I've decided I'm taking vacation the 11th so I can start shopping. =) 

3. I'm hoping KU pulls off another win tomorrow against K-State. It's sad that I even doubt them, but with the way they are playing this season ... you never know. 

4. Before I get too huge and can't travel, I want to plan a trip to Vegas for a long weekend. I'm thinking March. 
Any tips/tricks to make this trip super affordable? 

5. This weekend is jam packed - I don't know when I'm going to fit in my nap. #firstworldproblems 

Pregnancy/Parenting = Scary

For as long as I can remember, I have always longed to be a mother. More specifically a stay at home wife and mother. I'm great at working and I'm really good at my job, but ultimately I want to be the best at running my home and a family. Danielle at Butler Party of 3 wrote an awesome post about this the other day and after reading all the comments posted - it makes my heart happy to know that so many other women feel the same way. 

 As soon as I found out that I was pregnant things got really scary. For first time moms, you have not a clue of what to expect or what is normal. With every feeling and every symptom you are turning to google to see if it's 'normal'. After waiting so long and having prayed so hard for this blessing, the last thing you want is to lose it.  What I've learned is that the unknown is super scary and we shouldn't turn to google but to prayer.  

As the weeks pass by and the first trimester slips away, things get a little less scary. This is when you start thinking about all aspirations and goals you want to have as a mother: solely breast feeding, cloth diapers, homemade baby food - you know all the things the 'supermoms' do. 

The more I think about it, this is a whole different type of scary! There are so many options and these are such big decisions. That's the good and bad thing about parenting - you have so many choices - too many choices. I feel like all my time should be spent researching .. but even then how do you know your child is going to like what you choose? 

Those fears are during pregnancy ... then comes parenting. Teaching and shaping your child so they are successful in life... oh em gee. Then I can't even imagine how scary it'll be when your child starts driving. 

Basically I've come to the conclusion that I will be living the next 20 years of my life in fear. I never thought this would be the top emotion I'd have as a soon to be mother. 
 How do you cope? 

Week 11

How far along: 11 Weeks

Food Comparison: Lime

Gender: Unsure - will find out the week of Valentine's! 

Weight gain: 1.5 lbs

Maternity clothes: None yet. I've had to start doing the ponytail holder trick with my jeans. though. Tight clothes is a no go these days and this prolongs being able to wear my super cute/expensive jeans!

via

Stretch marks: No - I've been slathering up with some palmers cocoa butter. 

Praying they stay away. 

 Any other mamas have any other suggestions? 

Belly button in or out: In with belly button ring. 

Sleep: Good until I wake up at 3a to use the rest room. 

Then the remaining 2.5 hours till I my alarm goes off is brutal. 

Best moment this week: Our first OB appointment and being able to hear Baby K's HB = 178! Dr. freaked the hubby out when she said something along the lines of that typically being a girl heart rate.

Worst moment this week: Major tension headache on Saturday = being in bed all day. 

Miss anything: Margarita's and an appetite. Nothing sounds good these days. 

Movement: No but that's what I'm looking forward to most! 

Cravings: Most times I have to remind/force myself to eat. 

Main craving is juice - sunny d and white grape juice. 

Queasy or sick: Feeling good! I haven't been sick once and my queasiness has went away for the most part. I swear my nose can smell for miles. 

CT's smells use to make me the most queasy but thankfully that has went away. 

I can now give him hugs again! 

Looking forward to: seeing Baby K this week! 

I love that CT is so charming - because he asked and we received. 

I'm so excited for our ultrasound!

Prayer Request: This week as Baby K's ears start moving to the sides of its head - I pray that when they hear the word of God they will believe it.  

Most importantly, I pray that one day they will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. I don't only want to spend this life together with Baby K, but eventually I want to spend an eternity together in heaven. 

Baby K

CT and I have wanted children for far too long. If we could have had them 7 years ago when we started dating and it not have been looked down upon, we would have. Our number one goal has always been to grow our family. 

I am so thankful we are getting this opportunity now. 

Since we've been talking about children for so long, of course it's only natural to have baby names already fully decided on! Once we find out the sex of our babe (Valentines week) we will let everyone know, but on names we will most definitely keep that a secret. Too many people have too many opinions (mostly our parents) - and we don't want our names ruined by what other people may think. 

So on that note - blog wise I will be referring to Baby Trotter as Baby K. 

It's easy that way because all of our names start with K's. 

We got that idea from the Kardashian's! --- TOTES kidding. 

Anyways, that's as much of a hint as you're going to get into our names! 

We've Been Naughty!

CT and I are so excited to announce to the the world wide web that (Lord willing) we will become parents this July! God has truly blessed us with the absolute most perfect gift at the absolute most perfect time. We were able to tell our immediate family at Thanksgiving and our extended family/ close friends at Christmas. It made the holidays that much more special!

If you don't already know, CT and I had been struggling with getting pregnant. Nothing was working. We decide to take proactive measures and we started seeing a specialist. After countless hours of hoping and dreaming, and lots of dollars spent it just wasn't working. At that time we choose to take a break and leave it up to God. 

Why didn't we do that from the beginning?... because I'm impatient. 

During our break from fertility treatments, the Lord decided to bless us. 

His time is never early and never late... it's always perfect! 

We are so excited to see where our journey leads. 

Of course, with this being a lifestyle blog - be prepared for all things baby!

 I've waited so long for this, my mind is exploding with ideas for decor, recipes, fashion ... everything!

PS - Now you know what added to my month long hiatus from the blog! How could I write about what was going on in life and leave this secret out?! 

 PSS- These announcements were 100% handmade! Photo taken by my sister at our annualpick out the Christmas tree day, edited online adding the working a picmonkey.com and then ordered online at vistaprint.com 

Cheers!

Happy first day of the new year! 

If you've been following along, you know I took a well needed holiday break. Things got busy and I got overwhelmed. Anyways, I'm back and ready to bring you some super exciting content for 2014. 

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Did y'all check out the amazing new years day sale going on at Dillard's today? 

You better believe I did and I scored major! 

- 3 shirts for CT

- 1 work shirt for me 

- 2 pairs of flats (LOVING anything MK) 

- super cute Kate Landry over the shoulder bag 

Everything was an additional 50% off the clearance price... and my total ending up being only $83 bucks for all of this. I'd say I started 2014 off with a bang! Thankfully I wasn't one of those ladies that had to run and trample any and everyone to get some goods. 

Cheers to 2014!