6 months already!

 {Blink!} 6 months gone! Summer seems to be speeding past as our little one grows and grows. It's been a busy July for our little family. Starting off with an amazing trip to Palm Springs, this little bump and I continued our travels together to Lake Tahoe to spend a week with Matt's family. As a novice at this whole mothering-thing, I learned so much from Aileen, Cya, and Patty. I am so grateful I haven't been sick during this pregnancy- that way I can enjoy every moment of these family vacations.

Palm Springs

Lake Tahoe

Although I am noticing many other changes in my body. Like...it's getting harder and harder to bend down to tie my shoes (just another reason flip flops are amazing!) and needing to move/sit down more strategically (no more shooting straight up out of bed...I like to call my new move the side tuck and roll- ha!) Definitely feeling more pregnant by the end of the day- but I'm absolutely in love with the fact that I ACTUALLY look pregnant now. And unlike a lot of moms- I don't mind friends & family touching my sweet baby belly. Maybe it's pride that I'm building a HUMAN inside me- but it's such a fun experience.

Matt continues to be an incredible support. He is always looking out for me- whether it's a "I've got it Babe" or "Remember to..." or my personal favorite snuggling my belly with kisses. While we were in Sunriver, we experimented with playing soft music for the baby at night. It was so fun to have Matt's hand on my side and mine on the other while our little one responded to the sound. As soon as I took the phone away- BUMP! It was like "Hey out there! I was listening to that!" Or at least that's what we imagined.

Baby DeFrancisco officially their name picked out too! Matt and I decided on our perfect girl and boy name. I understand some people deliver with a few names in mind and when they first hold their baby then the "magic" name appears- buuutttt this Type A Mom and Dad (still adjusting to calling us that) like to be prepared. We both LOVE each name and feel really good about our choices. Now it's all up to this bump to keep growing healthily and make their appearance in November.

Voila! A Nursery!

Matt and I are absolutely in LOVE with how our nursery turned out. He has spent many hours redesigning Memere's old dresser into the beautiful, modern one seen in the picture. The color from my phone makes the colors look a little 'off'- but our baby's room is mint (Sherwin Williams Breakside to be exact), grey and white. A huge thank you to Cara for her impeccable talent at drawing straight lines to help me set up all the triangles. This was definitely a project in patience, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome. We're also using Memere's old rocking chair, but having brand new cushions made- those won't arrive until early September. All we need now are some curtains (eventually), a beautiful hand-painted tree next to the crib, a few totes for the dresser, and a baby to make this complete! I love the calming feeling I get when sitting back and imagining the many hours I'll spend loving on our little one in this room.

Baby DeFran's 3rd PhotoShoot

We spent an hour with an awesome ultrasound technician today cooing over our wiggly little one while she took measurements and photos. The moment we walked in we shared with her that we're not finding out the gender- so she promised to turn the monitor off when she documented Baby DeFran's gender (they have to for medical purposes). There's something purely magical about seeing the little baby we've made on that screen come to life. Baby DeFran put on quite a show by moving around A LOT and our sweet tech just laughed and kept saying "I'm chasing him!" (FYI she clearly told us when couples aren't finding out gender then she refers to the baby as 'him' as a general statement). Sharing sweet smiles with Matt as we watched our baby on the screen will forever be a memory I'll treasure.

So 3rd ultrasound (maybe our last?) shows all great stats (~1 lb already!). It was fascinating to see Baby DeFran's brain and each spinal cord bone through the ultrasound. Crazy stuff is happening in me! With an increase in wiggle movements being felt from both Matt and I- we're in for an active baby!

Without further adieu, Baby DeFran at 21 weeks and 3 days old:

20 Weeks + Half Way!

Half way!?! Are you kidding me? There is still so much to do and figure out- thank goodness Matt's here to help me out. It's been a busy 2-weeks since our last update. Since 18 weeks, Baby DeFran has grown even more and at 21 weeks (even though this post and picture are a week late) our little one is now roughly the size of a carrot or bak choy (~7 inches). At our check up last week- Baby DeFran + my belly were measuring right on schedule with a strong heartbeat.

With school officially over and summer vacation in full swing, Baby DeFran and I enjoyed a week together in Palm Springs. When I imagined what 5 months pregnant would look like this for this trip, I imagined myself being MUCH bigger. Our little bump was the perfect companion for poolside relaxation, healthy treats, and LOTS of water (with temperatures peaking at 120 degrees!).

An amazing new milestone happened while in Palm Springs, I finally felt the first real movements of our baby with my hand! I had my hand resting on my stomach while sitting in the car and BOOM no more little ripples- this was a full on movement! I was so excited! Suddenly I've become very aware of how often and when I feel Baby DeFran moving about. Seems he/she doesn't like when I sit for too long (especially in the car!) but usually moves when music is playing. Matt was so excited to be a part of this new milestone when I was home. But it wasn't until watching Aria's "Bippety Boppity Boop"performance that our little one made an appearance! The look on Matt's face made my whole day! Plus this kiddo already shares a love for Disney- you can influence that this early, right? Ha!

So while we're busy growing a healthy bump, Matt's been renovating the nursery dresser and it's looking amazing!  I can't wait to start to paint the nursery tomorrow and see it come together. So cheers to 21 weeks, lots of beautiful sunshine, and time to grow our family.