A little catching up (Weeks 22-23)

To say we have a little catching up to do would be an understatement.  What a busy and exciting 2 weeks it's been!

For starters, on Friday 11/16, Brad's sweet Leadership class threw us a surprise baby shower.  I was asked to come to Sprayberry so the student news team could interview Brad and I as they were doing a study on student couples and teachers and their spouses.  When I arrived, they had us review some questions in the hallway and then brought us into his room where we were surprise with this...



We were blown away by the thoughfulness in these kids!  They even had games set up for the shower.  The first one was a matching game.  Each of his kids brought in a baby picture of themself and we had to match their name to their picture:

 

Then they had us race to see who could dress a baby the fastest.  I'll let you guess who won.  ;) 

Brad was baffled by putting on the diaper.  Looks like a little training will be in store.  :)

 

 

 

 

Such a thoughtful, sweet surprise from the Leadership kids at SHS!

 

Next up was our ONE YEAR anniversay celebration!!  I can hardly believe it's already been a year since we were doing this...

Brad was such a sweet hubby and surprised me with a getaway to downtown Atlanta.  We stayed at the Loew's hotel where we relaxed and reflected on how AWESOME this past year has been.  We went to lunch at Park Tavern (where we had our rehearsal dinner) and then went to dinner at South City Kitchen...a southern delight.  :)  The next morning, we woke up to breakfast in bed...



YUM-O!!  Was it ever delicious!!  And yes, we did the tradition of eating the top tier of our wedding cake that had been frozen for the past year and it was DELICOUS!!

 

We have SOOOO much to be thankful for over the past year!  God has blessed us incredibly and we're so excited to see what the future holds.  For starters...a growing family in March!!  :)  Sooo exciting!!!

 

Now for the baby updates.  :)  While we're pretty good about taking the weekly picture, I sometimes get behind on updating the blog (like this week).  Here are the pictures from the last two weeks along with some updates from week 23.  :)

 

A little side note on week 22... it was a very exciting week as Brad finally started feeling baby boy move!  Now he feels him all the time...especially in the morning.  We love feeling him move as it makes it even more real that there's a little person growing in there!  :)

 

 

*Special thanks to our guest board decorator this week:  Aunt Lauren  :)





How far along? 23 weeks
Week 23 highlights: Baby's sense of movement is well developed now and can feel my movements.  He's about 11 inches and weights just over a pound.  Beginning this week, he apparently starts packing on the pounds...oh boy!

Maternity clothes?  Yes...had a melt down this week because the non-maternity clothes I was wearing before are now too tight.  :(  And so it begins...

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Best moment this week:  Feeling baby boy move!  In other exciting news, we now have a name!  I'm not going to share on here yet because I'm still telling people.  I want to wait a bit longer before announcing it here.  :)

Miss Anything?  Vino!  Thanksgiving was fabulous, but not the same without a glass of wine.  But it's worth it for sure to ensure the little guy is developing healthy.
Movement:  All the time!  :)

Food cravings:   Peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chick-fil-a!  YUM!!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Belly Button in or out?  Still in, but stretched out and looking quite different.  :(
Wedding rings on or off?  Broke down this week and purchased a fake one from Target in a bigger size.  Mine was getting too tight and didn't want to get to the point of having to cut it off.  I miss it and can't wait to wear it once things aren't so swollen.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Meeting our sweet boy.  We had the pleasure of visiting sweet Kellen last night.  Seeing a baby boy that little makes me SO excited to meet our little man.  :)

Baby Kellen and 21 Week Update :)

WOW!!!  What an exciting week this has been!!  We had the excitement of welcoming sweet baby Kellen into the world on Monday, November 12th!  There was so much anticipation and excitement in the waiting area at Northside Hospital.  :)  Here are a few of the highlights:

Some of the Blackman's waiting patiently.  ;)

Two of Chuck's sisters:

Aunt Rachel, Cousin Baby Blackman, and Grandpa  :)

Starring down the hallway with excitement waiting for Chuck to arrive with the good news!

Grandma and Grandpa ...ready to meet their grandson!

And finally!!  Just after 7pm, Chuck comes strolling down the hallway with the exciting news!!

Sweet baby Kellen was born at 7:09pm on Monday, November 12th and weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 inches long.  :) 

 To say he's absolutely precious would be a complete understatement. See for yourself...

Momma and baby  :)

We also got the privilage of being there for his first bath.  :)

 Not exactly a happy camper, but...

 I think he liked the end result as he fell right asleep.  ;)

Here's a video of Kellen's first bath:

 

Sweet baby  ;) 



 



Brad and I couldn't help but get SOO excited thinking we're going to have one of our own in just 4 short months!  It's so fun to think that our little guy will have a life-long buddy in Kellen.  I can only imagine all the experiences they'll have together!  So, of course, the weekly photo for Week 21 is dedicated to cousin Kellen...

 



How far along?  21 weeks
Week 21 highlights: Baby boy's about the size of a banana  :)  He's starting to develop his taste buds and may be tasting what I'm eating.  Time to establish those good eating habits now.  Brussel sprouts here we come!  :)

Maternity clothes?  You bet!

Stretch marks?  Not yet...let's hope it stays that way!  :)

Sleep:  Slept like a baby this week!

Best moment this week:  Meeting cousin Kellen!  Baby Blackman was especially active that night.  I seriously think he heard his buddy crying because he's never moved that much before...ever!

Miss Anything?  Take a wild guess!
Movement:  Absolutely!  Baby boy is definitely on the move these days!

Food cravings:   Not really this week...

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out?  Still in, but looking increasingly flattened. 
Wedding rings on or off?  I think it's time to get a fake one...I seriously thought mine were stuck one day.  :(
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Meeting our baby boy!!  Seeing Kellen made us SO excited and anxious to see what our little guy's going to look like.  We CANNOT wait!!

What a blessed week this has been!!!  SO much to be thankful for leading into Thanksgiving.  And so much more excitement still to come in the coming months!!  :)

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 week (halfway there!!!)

Maternity clothes?  You bet!  Still able to squeeze into some of my old tops (like the one above), but things are starting to get tight.

Stretch marks? Not yet...and hopefully never!

Sleep:  Sleep has definitely improved this week compared to last.  Thank goodness!

Best moment this week:  Feeling baby boy move more and more is pretty priceless.  Also had some fun shopping for him...I am now officially spending more time shopping for clothes for him than me.  Momma's love, I suppose.  ;)

Miss Anything?  I'll let you fill this one in...  :)
Movement:  More and more!  Brad's dying to feel him, but everything has been internal so far.  Soon, I suppose.  :)

Food cravings:  Nothing crazy this week...so far. 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out?  Still in, but starting to look different.
Wedding rings on or off?  Really trying to keep them on, but they're getting tight.  Might be time to get a fake one for the next few months.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy most of the time.  Anxiety is starting to set in from time to time...so much to think about and figure out!  I know it will all work out, but it's a bit scary looking in at the long 'to do' list...

Looking forward to:  Meeting baby boy!!  The first 20 weeks have flown by pretty fast...here's to hoping the next 20 do as well!  =)

 

Today was also Baby Blackman's first voting experience.  We lucked out and made it through the polls in less than 15 minutes!  I suppose one of the perks of working from home on Election Day is getting to vote when most people are at the office.  :)

 

In other news, we've started making progress on the nursery!  It's so fun and exciting!!  :)  Brad painted the walls a couple of weeks ago.  We went with a dark grey color.  The crib arrived last Friday and we put it together this past weekend.  Here's a sneak preview:

 

We're going grey walls with white trim and furniture to create a 'crisp' look.  I found a bed skirt as well and CAN'T WAIT for it to arrive!!!  More on that in the future...

 

We've also started our list of names.  Picking a name is quite a task and huge responsibility!  It's fun, but also stressful.  We'll have more on that when we eventually reach a decision...it could be awhile.  ;)







17-19 Weeks and Gender Reveal Party highlights





As you can tell, I'm a little behind on my blogging.  It's been a busy couple of weeks with work, Jennifer's wedding, and the day to day grind.  Things are moving right along and baby boy is growing strong.  Here are a few updates, followed by some highlights from the gender reveal party.  :)

How far along? 19 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yep.  Still wearing my old tops, but definitely wearing maternity pants.

Stretch marks? Not yet!  Hopefully never!

Sleep:  Getting a bit restless at night...woke up this morning wide awake at 4:30am and couldn't go back to sleep.

Best moment this week:  Feeling baby boy's kicks/movement getting stronger and starting to purchase things for the nursery!

Miss Anything?  Still missing wine.  Also, made some cupcakes on Halloween and REALLY miss licking the bowl!  It's not safe because of the raw egg, but it took every ounce of self control not to indulge!
Movement:  He is moving and shaking!  I think baby boy also thinks momma's bladder is a squeeze toy!

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular this week...been a bit of a problem having a ton of left-over Halloween candy in the house.  :)

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!

Belly Button in or out?  In, but starting to look different...perhaps not as deep as before.
Wedding rings on or off?  On most of the time, but definitely tight sometimes.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy for the most part with a few mood swings here and there.  ;)

Looking forward to:  Putting the nursery together!  The crib arrives tomorrow, bed skirt sometime in the next 4 weeks, and then the shopping begins for other fun pieces.  :)

 

Many of you know we had a super fun gender reveal party with our family a few weeks ago.  It was an absolute blast!  It was such an exciting and special time to be surrounded by our loved ones.  We even felt the love of those that are miles away.  Here are a few of the highlights...

 

Here's a picture of th cake with our baby pictures on each side.

 



 

Mom did such a great job picking out the perfect flowers for the event:

 

Here are a few pictures of the proud momma's with their 'babies' and Brad and I next to our baby photos.  So fun to picture what our sweet baby will look like.  :)

 

 

We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many family and friends and love us and our new addition.  We had everyone make a prediction as to whether they thought Baby 'B' is a boy or girl. 

Here's 'Team Pink':

 

And here's 'Team Blue':

 

Finally, it was time to cut the cake!!!  And it's a.....

 

BOY!!!!!

 

We are SOOOOOOOO excited!!!

 

Seems like just yesterday we were doing this at our wedding...

 

There's no doubt that baby boy is already loved so much.  Here are just a few of the precious gifts he got that night:

 

 

 

We are so in love with this little guy!!  Cannot wait to meet him in March!!