A much anticipated moment

Just last Friday I was telling Mike that I couldn't wait until Addison was strong enough for him to feel her kick. Him being the patient person that he is, he said that he was okay to wait a little longer. He didn't have to wait long! Last night we were sitting on the couch while I was watching the Bachelor and Addison was really kicking away. I waited for a couple of minutes before telling Mike to try to feel. At first he didn't feel anything, but after second he was able to feel her kick for the first time! She not only kicked for him one time, but two! His face was priceless...he was really excited. What a fun moment for us both!

19 weeks

Didn't I just do an update? Oh yea, I did...yesterday! After today though I am going to be back on track with the updates on Addison. Here we are today...19 weeks!

Addison is now the size of a large tomato or a 6 inch sub from Subway (depending on which app or book you read for this week). She is weighing in at about 8 1/2 ounces and measuring around 6 inches. I would say a little longer since she is a Fogle :)

She's definitely growing quickly each week, but she has a long way to go before delivery. When I googled a tomato to put on the blog I saw this picture...

Just reminds me that we still have a lot of growing to do before we are ready to enter the world! This is crazy to think about really. It puts things into a different perspective for me. I think, "Wow! She's getting so big...we started out as being compared the size of an orange seed!" Then I see this and I think, "Wow, we still have a lot of work to do!" I know God will continue to be with us throughout this pregnancy and help Addison grow into the perfect person that he's created her to be :)

Addison's arms and legs are now in proportion to the rest of her body and she is starting to have an explosion of sensory development this week. Her brain is working on developing specific areas that will help her taste, smell, hear, see and touch. Also, her kidneys are fully developed and functioning this week. She can also swallow and digest fluid and her little head is starting to grow some hair (good thing little girl...we have LOTS of bows waiting for you!!)

I think that is about it for the update this week. I continue to feel blessed and grateful for this experience we are going through right now, but say a little prayer for me as well. I think reality has it me about becoming a mother and I am becoming a little more nervous. I know God will be with Mike and I as we embark on the journey to parenthood, but I just get a little nervous that I won't meet the expectations of a mother. I know it's silly, but I could use some prayer :)

18 weeks...a little late!

I am getting horrible at taking pictures each week to document Addison's growth. I have been taking pictures on my phone of my belly each week, but I don't think those will make an appearance on the blog :) I sat down this morning to do the 18 week update and realized that tomorrow we will be 19 weeks...oops! Note to self: I've got to get better at making sure I ask Mike to take pictures when I come home from work!!

Even though we don't have a picture this week, I can still share the updates on Addison right?! She is now the size of a bell pepper, about 5 1/2 to 6 inches long. Her weight this week is about 7 ounces.

The app on my phone says that by now I should be feeling little kicks and movements. They are very right! We have an active little girl on our hands. Yesterday while I was teaching she was having a dance party in my stomach. The more she moved, I started to get a little tickled at her, but there I stood in front of 25 third graders so I couldn't really make a big deal about it. The app also said that Addison has mastered the skill of yawning in the past week. We are so proud of her!

I've had lots of fun shopping for her these past couple of weeks as well. I feel like I've gotten some really good deals on her clothes! Mike and I went out for our weekly date night on Friday night and in between dinner and the movie we wanted to catch, we had about 30 minutes to spare. We stopped by the TJ Maxx/Home Goods on Taylorsville Road and scored a really cute little outfit and some Disney books. I have to share one other thing that I found for her. It has not been purchased yet, but it might be one of the ones that she will HAVE to have!

Is this not the most precious thing you have ever seen?! I LOVE it!!

Addison also has her car seat, running stroller (for when she gets a little bigger), boppy pillow and most of her room furniture...thanks to her daddy, Mimi and Pap. I say Pap, but I don't know if my dad has decided on a name yet. Her mommy also ordered her baby bedding last week. Here is the one we ended up ordering...

I got the sample fabrics in the mail a few days ago and they are cuter in person than in this picture. I am really excited to see the finished product! The owner of the shop said that it would take about 8 weeks to have it all finished...not too bad if you ask me! Now the question is: What color should we paint the walls? I am having a lot of trouble with this. I don't want it to look too busy with the walls and all the colors in the fabric. We were thinking a REALLY, REALLY light pink. You can't see it in the picture, but the bumper bad fabric has a really light, heather gray color in it. I was also thinking that could be a possibility. Thoughts?

I'll leave you with a little update. Next week there will be a picture: SCOUTS HONOR!

Maternity clothes: I have a few. Still fitting into my jeans pretty nicely and I did manage to find a pair of black pants that I really liked. It looks like the khaki pants will be retiring very soon!

Movement: A wild woman is living in my stomach!

Sleep: the body pillow has been a life saver. I pack that thing around the house with me now. It's so comfortable. Mine is actually the adult version of the boppy pillow. I now see why infants love those things so much!!

Cravings: I actually got a good laugh out of myself the other day...I would say that my mother did too! In college there was a restaurant called Pita Pit. It's like a subway, but for pitas. Delicious!! I kid you not, my room mates and I would eat there about 3 times a week. Well... Pita Pit in Lexington went out of business about a year and a half ago and I was really bummed. The other day I was getting ready and I was thinking about the chicken cesar pita that I used to order and the more I thought about it, the more I had to have one! I spent a good 30-45 minutes tracking down a Pita Pit, BUT I FOUND ONE!!! Who knew there was one in Louisville?! I've been twice since last week! To make it funnier, I texted Hannah and told her I found one. Her response: "OH. MY. GOSH. Where?! I'm going!" It's fun being pregnant together!

Symptoms: I've been having some pain in my lower back. Yesterday I got a massage and that helped a lot. The massage therapist suggested that I move my computer from the left side of my desk to the middle and that should help. I will be doing that Monday morning!

A few things I have learned...

Since we found out that we were expecting a little one a few months ago, I been reading, reading, and doing some more reading so that I can familiarize myself with the pregnancy. The books are so helpful in explaining the development of the baby and the changes that I am seeing in my body, but there are just some things that the book doesn't hit. Here are some things that I've learned over the past few months...

1. Every child or baby you see, you will start to think," Will ours look like ___________? Will she be funny like ______? Will she have curly hair like ______?" (insert almost any question, I am sure I've wondered it)

2. You experience a hunger like you've never known before. I tell Mike all the time that Addison is like him. I kid you not, every three hours on the dot I am STARVING! This is not a normal type of hungry either. It's like I haven't eaten in two days type of hungry. I am trying to stay healthy about it though. I usually pack a banana, veggies or other type of healthy little snack.

3. You actually want to throw up. When I was in the first trimester I wasn't sick and throwing up all the time, but I felt like I wanted to. I would always think if I could throw up, I would feel so much better.

4. You have a special connection with the baby in the first place because, well, you are carrying her inside you for 9 months, but you get an extra special gift because you get to feel the baby kick long before anyone else. I have been feeling Addison kick for about 4 weeks now, but she still isn't strong enough for anyone else to feel. She is kind of on a "schedule" (HA! Who am I kidding!) Every night around 9:30 she is really active. I also feel her in the afternoon on most days. I look forward to 9:30 each night :)

5. You pray more than you have ever prayed in your life! I think I started praying the night we found out we were expecting and I haven't stopped since. I pray about everything...obviously the ones like let her be healthy, let everything develop properly, help me sleep in a position that I will not harm her, don't let the cord get wrapped around her neck, etc. etc. etc. Some of my prayers are so much more in depth. I want  NEED God to help Mike and I be the parents that Addison needs us to be and  have the marriage that she needs to see. I want him to help me be the kind of mother that is approachable, fun, open minded but also sets a good example and disciplines in a healthy way. One prayer I pray a lot is that Addison will form a relationship with Jesus Christ and accept him as her Savior. Oh, how I want that so badly for her!

6. Your wants and needs don't seem so important anymore. Addison isn't even here yet and all I want is for her to have the things that she needs and things that she wants. I am constantly thinking of her and what we can do to prepare for her...I know that as long as she is happy and Michael is happy, I don't need much else.

7. You respect your mother more than you did before. I am the first to say that I am both a daddy and a momma's girl. I think that my parents are great! My mom is caring, selfless, a good friend, listener. etc. I have always wanted to be just like her, but now more than ever. I am thankful for what she went through to get me here!

8. You love someone that you've never even met before. I can't wait for the day when I get to hold her in my arms. I am sure that the love that I am feeling right now won't even compare to that day, but it is amazing how much you can already love someone!

9. You see your husband in a whole new light. I love Mike for so many reasons, but in November I added another reason to why I think he's just great...he's the father of our baby. It's a whole new level of love that you feel for your spouse and I've learned you feel connected in a different way as well.

And those my friends...are things that the pregnancy books can't teach you!

The gender reveal

I finally got the pictures from the gender reveal that were on my mom's camera. I didn't bring a camera the night we had the party, so I was waiting on her to upload them to Facebook before I could do the blog post. Mike and I had so much fun on Valentine's day. It's a special day for us anyway because it's when we got engaged, so it only seemed fitting that we find out the gender of our baby on the same day three years later. My family was so funny when we got to the house. Brittany was still on her way and we wanted to wait on her to eat the cupcakes mom had made (she bad pre-baked two batches of cupcakes. One with blue in the middle and the other with pink in the middle.) When we got to the party, we simply had to pick either the pink or blue, no one knew which we had picked because they were decorated the same. Since Brit was still on her way, we waited for her. When we finally brought out the cupcakes, Fonda was the first to grab one. She went ahead and bit into it and started jumping up and down and screaming. The funny part was the she was the only one that could see the color that was on the inside.  I thought my mother was going to have a heart attack because she still didn't know the gender of the baby. After Fonda showed the crowd the cupcake, the celebrations began! We are so excited to be having a little girl. Mike and I have chosen a name for her...Addison Dawn (I'm in love!)  Addison reminds us of my little sister, Madison, and also my papaw, who's middle name was Edison. Her middle name, Dawn, is my middle name and my mom's middle name. And...here are pictures from the party last Tuesday...

My little family. Me and the hubby with the ultrasound picture of our baby girl, Addison. 

Addison's family, who is VERY excited to meet her in July. We are missing her pawpaw, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Chris in this picture. Her pawpaw was out of town for work and Aunt Rachel had to work night shift the night of Valentine's Day. They were there in spirit :)

 Some of the decorations that my mom set up for the party. The doll carriage was my dad's aunt's that she pushed her baby dolls in. Isn't it precious?! I want Addison's newborn pictures taken in it. 

 My dad and Papaw

 My dad, Mike and my Papaw with Addison's ultrasound picture. They look just a little proud and excited, don't ya think?

 Aunt BB and Al 

 Me with my momma. She did a great job at getting the party together!

Mom and dad's welcome mat the Congleton's gave them for Christmas. I think it's funny.

I'm not really sure why Madison is only in one of these pictures. She was there, I swear. Maybe there are some other pictures that I don't have yet!

What a fun night of celebrations! We are SO excited to be welcoming our baby girl in July!!!

Tickled Pink

IT'S 

A

LITTLE

BABY

GIRL!

We are so excited and THRILLED that we will be welcoming a little baby girl into our family. I think we were both shocked because we were certain that it was a boy, but we couldn't be happier that our little one is made of sugar and spice and everything nice. We have the money shot to prove it's a girl, but our baby is modest and won't be posting her lady parts on the blog :) I have already started planning the nursery and thinking in bows and ruffles!!

Yesterday was an amazing day. We were able to see our little girl moving all around and then we celebrated the news with our family and friends. More to come on the celebration of our sweet girl , but for now here are some videos of our little miracle moving around yesterday. 

Patience is a Virtue

I am NO GOOD WITH SECRETS! I was that kid on Christmas Eve that would be in tears because there were presents under the tree and I had to wait to open them. My parents would be ready to kill me on Christmas because I would beg and beg and beg just to open one present. In fact to this day, I like opening gifts on Christmas Eve although I know almost everything I am getting. I'm ridiculous, I know! The element of surprise is no fun for me. Don't get me wrong, I love surprises when they just show up and I don't know they are coming, but if I know I have to wait, I can't stand it. To say that I am so excited that we find out the gender of the baby tomorrow and the surprise will be reveled is the understatement of the year!

Mike on the other hand might be one of the most patient people I know. He doesn't get worked up about much. He can wait and wait and wait. It makes me want to scream. From the night that I took the first pregnancy test and saw that it was positive, I have thought about nothing else but who this little one inside me is. My colleagues laugh at me because we have names for both genders and bedding for both genders, just waiting on tomorrow to come when I know if I will be shopping for baby girl Fogle or baby boy Fogle. I have tried all of the old wives' tales. I think they are silly and most of the time untrue, but it's still fun to guess. It's funny how God works. I have done all of the little tricks and some say it's a girl and some say boy. 50/50. Of course it would be! I think it's God's way of telling me that I still need to be patient. Him saying, "Take a deep breath, I'm in control!" And thank goodness he is. I am absolutely amazed at this little life that is growing inside of me. From each little flutter that I am feeling these past couple of weeks, I'm amazed at how great God is. It's truly a miracle that is growing in me!

Here is baby and me this afternoon after work...17 weeks today! The picture is a little blurry, but you can see the belly!

The baby is now the size of an open hand or a turnip and weighing in at about 5 ounces. Although the baby's eyes are still closed they are starting to make little movements from side to side. They are also becoming more sensitive to light. 

Practice makes perfect! Little baby Fogle is now practicing his or her sucking and swallowing skills. In facts, most all of the survival reflects that the baby will have when born are already in place and being practiced daily. There's a lot going on in there right now! 

We can't wait until tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we will be able to share the news tomorrow. If not, definitely Wednesday!