Four favorite pins: Christmas presents

With Christmas just days away, I'm thinking about one thing: toys. Between all the searching for the perfect nursery furniture, car seats, strollers, etc., I forgot one of the only things kids care about. Undoubtedly, my little boy will have more than he can ever play with piled under the tree for many Christmases to come, but these are of a few of the things that have caught my eye.

1. Melissa and Doug toolbox: When I worked at The Parent Teacher Store in Nashville, I learned of the wonders of Melissa and Doug. I like their classic toy approach, relying on the child's imagination over electronic bells and whistles. This little tool set is perfect because he'll be able to hammer and drill to his heart's content, without scratching the furniture.

2. DIY fabric roads: Little boys come with little cars, and those cars need a place to drive. With these fabric streets, anywhere can be the open road. Plus, they'd be really easy to take places.

3. Books (like My Daddy and Me): One thing I know for sure is that I want to instill a love for reading in my son early on. What better way than with bright, fun books — especially ones that depict a little bear cub's adventures with daddy?

4. Wooden blocks: Whether they're building a tall tower or knocking that tower to the ground, babies love blocks. I love the vintage look to this set and the letters and numbers on them. They're pretty enough that I might not mind seeing them strewn across the floor.

(Psst! You can always follow me on Pinterest!)

Christmas cards past

I love Christmas cards. When Scott and I celebrated our second Christmas, I was giddy at the prospect of sending out Christmas cards. (Our first Christmas came 10 days after we got married. There was no time for cards then.) Since then, I've enjoyed getting our cards together as well as looking back over the past years' cards. In our 2009 card, we were in front of the fireplace of our new house. This year, I'm pregnant with our first child, and next year we'll get to have three names on the card (I'm thinking it will be very baby-centric, too). It's a nice little walk down memory lane.

2008

2009

2010

2011

Life lately, according to Instagram

With Christmas almost a week away and all of the get-togethers that come with the holidays, Scott and I have had a lot of very busy weeknights. Here's a little of what we've been up to lately.

1. Our Christmas tree and wreaths all a-glow. 

2. At work, we all decorated an ornament for the office tree. I made a little penguin man.

3. A view of last week's snow from our front door.

4. More snow!

5. We got our little boy's crib assembled without too much difficulty.

6. Scott also got him his first book — Marcel the Shell!

7. Tacky Christmas Bunco bump

8. We ordered a pizza for dinner last night and used the "romantic" tracker since it was our anniversary.

Now I'm looking forward to a lazy weekend, since all the presents are wrapped and all of my finals are done. The couch is calling my name — along with a pretty tall pile of laundry.

First comes love, then comes marriage ...

Four years ago I was incredibly blessed to say "I do" to the love of my life. Marriage has been a crazy journey with ups and downs, ultimately falling more in love with the person I pledged forever to in the beginning. I know in April when "then comes baby in the baby carriage" will change it all the more, but I am so excited about what parenting holds and am glad to have Scott as my baby daddy. 

As a fun little walk down memory lane, here are a few pictures of Scott and me and our years together. 

Left: Scott meets the parents. (2006) / Right: My social club ring ceremony. We're engaged! (2006)

Left: Engagement photo (2007) / Right: We finally said "I do!" (2007)

Left: Honeymooning in Jamaica (2007) / Right: We graduated! (2008)

Left: Our first house (2009) / Right: Scott is now a master of business (2011)

Left: We'd just found out a couple of weeks before that we were going to be parents (2011) / Right: Now we're anxiously awaiting our little boy's arrival!

I can't wait to see what the next years bring, and I look forward to a lifetime of standing next to this man in all of those pictures!

(P.S. Last year's anniversary post.)

River Market rendezvous

This Thursday is Scott and my fourth anniversary. To celebrate, Scott surprised me this past Friday with a one-night getaway to Little Rock for dinner with "none other than your dashing husband," as my email invitation read. The invitation also told me that my gray Toyota "limo" was leaving at 5:45 and that I was to be packed and ready to go by then. 

My handsome date for the evening//The Christmas tree in the lobby of the Capitol Hotel

When we arrived in Little Rock, we checked in to our hotel and walked down the block to dinner at Ashley's in the Capitol Hotel. Everything we ate was delicious, especially the steak I got, which had to be well done. (As a former medium rare girl whose major pregnancy craving is red meat, I'm always overjoyed to find a place that can cook it to my pregnancy-required temperature and not having it eat like shoe leather.) The next morning, we slept in, went to lunch at the Flying Fish, then did some shopping before we headed home.

It was a great escape to galavant downtown, linked arm-in-arm with my favorite person, and feel like we were city dwellers for a day.

Ashley's window decked out for Christmas//River Market view

Week 20: Breathless

If week 20 had a song, it would either be Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" (you know, because "we're half way the-re!") or the Corrs' "Breathless." 

On the one hand, we're at the half way point and (hopefully) have more weeks behind us than ahead of us to meet our son. We've been slowly getting the nursery ready (the crib and bookshelf are assembled, and we have bedding just no mattress) and making other plans for his arrival, like when to start taking the birthing classes at the hospital, etc. I'm hoping that, in all the preparation, April will sneak up on us. 

And then there's the matter of breathing. The stairs I climb every morning to get to my office have become my Everest. When I get to the top, I'm huffing and puffing like I'm about to blow some unsuspecting pig's house down. Also, the joint task of standing and singing at church has become a little more difficult. 

This week I learned that our little guy is a night owl. After a few days of not feeling him fluttering around, I was surprised and relieved to find him kicking around at 3 a.m. Saturday morning. He was having a grand old time kicking and flipping. I told Scott that it probably didn't bode well for our future nights' sleep. 

Four favorite pins: Christmas crafts and baby boy wishes

My Pinterest has been dominated by two things this week: Christmas and my baby boy. Here are four of my favorites from this week.

1. Burlap Christmas wreath: I keep saying "I'm going to make a burlap wreath!" and have yet to accomplish it. I love how it is so interchangeable with the seasons, like with the addition of the Christmas colored flowers on this one. Plus, I would look really cute with some Razorback decorations next fall.

2. Baby cardigan — with elbow patches! I've found that little boy clothes are either emblazoned with monsters and dump trucks, kind of frilly looking, or have some kind of ironic statement on them. I just want a little boy, you know? This cardigan fits the bill. It's not too grandpa and still has a cute boy look about it.

3. Name pennant: I love these personalized name pennants for the baby's room. It would be so cute in a little frame collage over his crib or changing table. Plus you can pick the colors so they coordinate with the space.

4. Pinwheel baby mobile: Another thing I've been on the hunt for is a simple mobile for over the baby's crib. All of the ones I had seen prior to this one were over-the-top cutesy stuffed animals or ultra modern. I think this one provides visual interest both the baby and his parents can appreciate.

Maybe this weekend I'll finally get around to making that wreath. Probably not, but it never hurts to have a positive attitude about it.

I've been Tebowed

If you had asked me a couple of years ago to share my thoughts on Tim Tebow, I would've said I didn't like him. I don't really think it was any fault of his own; he just so happened to be wearing the wrong color jersey.

Since I was little, I was taught that we did not like the Florida Gators, and it is a banner I still carry to this day. Tebow was the guy throwing their touchdowns, causing his team to be ranked over mine, and winning the Heisman trophy over Arkansas' Darren McFadden. Therefore he was to be disliked. 

Lately, Tebow has been in the news — less for his performance as quarterback for the Denver Broncos and more for his outspokenness regarding his faith. Most are speaking out against his displays of faith on the field, mocking him and ridiculing him for his beliefs.

It's made me reassess my former opinions of number 15, realizing they were incredibly petty in the first place. Tebow is an incredibly genuine person, in my opinion. He doesn't point his finger to the sky in feigned gratitude on Sunday only to get pulled over for a DUI on Tuesday. When he was at the University of Florida, he took his coach, Urban Meyer, and his family on a mission trip with him, an event Meyer notes as a life-changing event for his family.

With Tebow at the helm, the Broncos have be on an inexplicable winning streak, causing his critics to turn up the volume. In our Sunday morning class yesterday, someone noted that it's not because Tebow has been setting throwing records or making incredible plays. I'm not saying that, if Jesus is on your side that you will suddenly be Super Bowl bound, but I think it has given him another avenue to show Christ. He never takes the credit for himself. He's always giving praise to his team, for their skills and persistence, not show-boating like a lot of big name quarterbacks.

This quote from Tebow when faced with the voice of his critics — one of his own teammates — is one of the things I want to work on in my life.

That's an incredible attitude to have, one we should strive to have in our daily lives. Are we telling Christ we love him as much as we should? Are we giving him the glory in good times and in bad? Look for opportunities to shout out your love for Christ this week.

Life lately, according to Instagram

Recently, I've become obsessed with the Instagram app. It's a fun way of snapping little shots throughout the day I might feel silly pulling out the camera for. Here's a little of what has been going on lately. 

1. Baby Santa hat and booties for next year's Christmas card 

2. Scott had the Sleep Sheep set up like this when I got home a few weeks ago. He said that the sheep knew the baby would be a boy. He was right!

3. The crib is here! Now for the assembly part. 

4. Apple cider on a cold night.

5. Scott surprised me with a new Christmas tree Tuesday night. He's definitely a keeper. 

6. My feet are slowly being eclipsed. 

Have a great weekend! We're finishing up decorating for Christmas and getting started on the nursery.

P.S. Be sure to follow me on Instagram!

Last night's dinner: Loaded baked potato soup

I'm not the cook in the Hannigan household; that's no secret. Lately, though, I've been itching to get in the kitchen, and not just to raid the pantry and eat peanut butter out of the jar. I don't know if it's my maternal instincts kicking in, but I've been pinning lots of dinner ideas on Pinterest.

At the top of my "to eat" list was this loaded baked potato soup made in the crockpot. With my Tuesday night classes, dinner is a bit of a balancing act. Sometimes Scott will eat then make something for me when I get home, sometimes he'll wait, and sometimes it's a "grab whatever you can out of the fridge and make due" kind of night. I decided that this soup would be a good Tuesday night dish because Scott could eat it when he got home, I could eat it later, and it would still be warm and ready either way. Plus we have leftovers for Wednesday night before church.

Plus it incorporated my favorite kitchen tool: the crockpot. I love the crockpot. You dump all the ingredients inside that morning, turn it on and go. It's like fairies are making your dinner while you're at work.

This soup is perfect for those who are fans of O'Charley's version. We topped ours with cheese, ham (we didn't have bacon bits), and sour cream. I ate two bowls without shame. I knew I'd done well when Scott said, "Wow, honey, this is really good." It's a keeper!

Here's the recipe if you're interested!

Ingredients:
1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns (I used Ore Ida)
3 14oz. cans of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 pkg. cream cheese (This can't be fat free. It won't melt.)

Combine everything except the cream cheese in the pot. Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat (I did 10 because of timing, and it was just as good). An hour before you're ready to serve, add the cream cheese and maintain heat until completely melted. Serve with whatever baked potato fixings you'd like.

(Recipe source here.)

It's a ....

BOY!!

Here is our precious baby boy! Have you ever seen anything cuter in your life? I know I haven't.

We found out Monday that our sweet little one is a boy, and we're thrilled! Everyone in our families (except for Scott and his grandmother) thought it was going to be a girl. The only word I think accurately describes how I felt when the ultrasound nurse told us it was a boy is flabbergasted. I was completely shocked in the very best way. I would let out a crazy laugh every now and then. While I never had specific leaning one way or another, I always thought it would be a girl but was thinking boy closer to time. I'm just so eager to meet our son!

I was amazed at how much our little peanut had grown from the last time we saw him. He was only 2.5 centimeters total at nine weeks, and now his little calf bone is that long. He's got the cutest froggy legs. He's a whopping 6 ounces! During the ultrasound, he even waved at us with his little pointer finger, his fist up by his mouth. And look at that little foot! Even as tiny as he is, he's got toenails on that foot. Our God is amazing!

Now knowing that he is a he, I can't wait for him to get here. I find myself unable to go to sleep, just laying there thinking about once he's here, tickling that foot and kissing his cheeks. April needs to hurry up!

Now we get to start preparing for the dapper gentleman nursery!

Week 17 and the great gender debate

Today is the day — the day every woman counts down to after she finds out she's pregnant. This afternoon we find out if our little one is a he or a she, no longer relegated to the awful "it" pronoun. I'm so excited!

According to the poll, it's all tied up — 25 think it's a boy, while 25 think it's a girl. The Chinese gender calendar says girl, the unscientific picking of a color-coded Hershey's kiss at Bible study said girl, and the pencil test Scott and I partook in during Intersession 2006 says girl.

"What is the pencil test?" you might ask. Well, let me enlighten you. Take a good old pencil, not these fancy mechanical kinds, and stick a threaded needle into the eraser. Now you have a swinging pencil pendulum. When placed over the wrist of a man or woman, the pencil takes on a mind of its own and begins to move in a circular motion. Hang tight, because some fortune telling is about to commence. This first circle is baby number one. Then the pencil, on its own accord, breaks free from the circle, and makes one of two lines — an up and down (toward the person and over the hand) or a side-to-side (across the wrist). Up and down is boy; side to side, girl. The pencil will continue this pattern of circles and lines until the number and sex of each of your children is predicted. It will then eerily stop, completely still.

Scott and I, still a young dating couple at the time, each took this pencil test at a cookout during Intersession. We each got the same result: one girl. (It always bodes well when the object of your affection matches up in children number.) Since then, I've always kind of expected that to be the case.

So, at 3:30 p.m., we'll see if the pencil is right or not! Then the clothes shopping can commence!

Thankful Thursday

Tuesday nights, I usually get home around 7:15 because of my hour-and-a-half long school law class after work. I'm pretty worn out at the end of those days and definitely hungry for dinner (I'm an early bird 5:30 eater). When I walked in the house this past Tuesday, my sweet husband had dinner cooked and ready to go and had cleaned the bathtub, vacuumed the house, and washed and dried two loads of clothes — even though he had had a rough day at work. I am incredibly thankful to have such a caring man to make the night I dread the most that much easier. He definitely wins the award for best husband in my book.

In addition to Scott, I'm thankful that Thanksgiving is next week, and Scott and I are taking the week off. A week of no alarm clocks, no school (although I have a project I have to complete), no responsibilities other than wearing pjs all day and eating turkey sounds positively heavenly. The glass-half-full look at being pregnant during the holidays is that you can get seconds and thirds (maybe fourths), and no one will think ill of you. The half-empty approach, though, is that by the end of these nine months, I might look like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. I choose to be an optimist, though.

I always think of the song "Count Your Blessings" when I write these, and it's wonderful to be reminded that I have far too many blessing to count. And that is a blessing all by itself.

Marcel the Shell returns!

Usually people dread Mondays (OK, people and Garfield), but for me it's Tuesdays. In addition to work, I have two classes on Tuesdays, making for a non-stop day of blah. But today, on this rainy Tuesday, there's something sure to lift my spirits — the return of Marcel the Shell with shoes on!



(Click here to see the first Marcel.)

One last Razorback weekend

This weekend was our last Arkansas football game of the season. It was bittersweet for a number of reasons: one because it is also our last as season ticket holders (babies have to have tickets, too, and we think it's silly to pay for a seat for someone who won't even be able to sit up) and because Arkansas played my original home team, Tennessee.

Much like our baby's first piece of clothing was an Arkansas onesie, mine was a Tennessee shirt. Before I learned to talk and eventually shout "Go big orange," when asked "What's Tennessee?" I would hold up my chubby little pointer finger for "number one!" Needless to say, I got a couple of text messages from my family on Saturday asking who I was rooting for. I cheered for both, though, but I knew things weren't looking good for Tennessee.

Sunday before we left, we went and walked around campus to see the changing leaves and the University of Arkansas' major landmark, Old Main. It served as a hospital during the Civil War, but I like it because it's pretty.

The peaks of Old Main

Scott and I pose in front of Old Main.

Left: U of A chisels all of its grads names into the sidewalks around campus. These are the first years leading up to Old Main. Right: A breezeway leading up to the library's entrance.

We've had a great time each fall going to the Razorback games and enjoying Fayetteville, but we're looking forward to next year, curled up on the couch with our little one, trying to get his or her little fingers wiggling to call the hogs. Soon enough we'll be toting him or her up there to see it all firsthand. There's a lot to look forward to!

Thankful Thursday

Mackenzie, a student worker in my office, took this lovely picture on campus. Who doesn't love fall colors?

This week, I'm thankful for the changing leaves. I was driving last night under a canopy of color on the curvy road home, and I thought, "This looks like a car commercial," which is to say it was quite picturesque and could probably sell you a Lexus.

I'm also thankful for feeling the first little baby pops in my stomach last night. It felt like Pop Rocks or popcorn poking around in there. I like to think my little baby is trying to tell its first knock-knock joke, only it can't get past the knock-knocking on my stomach part. That's OK. There's plenty of time to learn the rest.

In our impatience, we've moved the ultrasound up one week so we can stop calling our baby "it." So I'm thankful that a week from Monday we'll know if our little one is a boy or a girl! (The votes in the right side bar are all tied up right now!)

Lastly, I'm thankful that I'm taking the day off tomorrow, making today my Friday! I hate for Scott to have those banking holidays off all by himself. We've got one last Fayetteville road trip this season, and we've decided to make the most of it!

What are you thankful for this week?

Fayetteville looks gorgeous during the fall as well. I love Old Main in the background. 

Week 15 and the cry baby

My red pre-pregnancy skirt's last hoorah. 

So, it's been a little while since I last did one of these. But now that I have a replacement camera charger, I hope there will be no more shenanigans from my camera for the duration of this pregnancy. Otherwise, it might meet its fate against a brick wall.

Anyway, between the last post and this one, I've entered the second trimester. I'm hoping there's less narcolepsy and nausea now. There's one thing that I know won't be going away soon, and that's my constant crying.

I've always been a crier. In happiness, sadness, tiredness, excitement, and sickness, weeping has always been what I lean on to convey my feelings. Needless to say, pregnancy has exponentially increased the number of my tears.

The best (and also most embarrassing) was in my Writing Non-Fiction class when I got choked up during a peer critiquing session. My classmate had written about the death of her uncle in such a moving way that it had caused me to cry while reading it, and then cry while talking about it in class. And then, to top it all off, I made her cry.

Add that to the growing list of other tear-jerking moments I've experienced, like "The X-Factor" auditions; an ESPN special on high school football in tornado ravaged Joplin, Mo.; the "Branden's Proposal" YouTube video (It's ridiculously sweet. Go watch it. Ignore the choreography at the end, though); Project Runway; anything and everything with a child on it; editing the deaths section for the magazine; a story about Kate Middleton visiting children with cancer; and the fervent, silent shaking of pompoms at the Ole Miss game. These are just some of the things that have me sniffling on the sofa. I think Scott has taken it as his personal mission to seek out things that will make me cry just to see what my limit is.

I'll take crying over heartburn any day, though.

Thankful Thursday

It's November, and before you know it Thanksgiving will be here, and we'll all be passed out in a turkey coma on our relatives couches. But before it's lights out and pass the gravy, I thought I'd record all the many blessings I have to be thankful for each Thursday leading up to Thanksgiving.

Today I'm thankful that God made Scott and I have different personalities, so that when he's fretting over something small, I can help him relax and see the big picture, and when I need a little motivational push, he's there to help me out.

I'm thankful for a healthy, growing baby as well as the fact there's a Taco Bell downstairs from my office for when burrito cravings strike — like today.

And I'm thankful for cold evenings with nothing to do other than curl up on the couch with Scott and some hot chocolate and watch TV.

What are you thankful for?

What's in a name?

I went to the doctor yesterday for a baby check up. Hearing my little one's heartbeat never gets old, but my main excitement in going to this appointment was getting to set the next one, which is our second ultrasound and gender reveal time!

My doctor asked if we were going to find out, and without hesitation I said yes. I mean, back in the day, Courtney and I would tell what Mom and Dad were getting the other for Christmas. We couldn't stand not knowing. (Incidentally, when Scott and I got married I was shocked that he wouldn't participate in this game and insisted on keeping gifts secret until Christmas day. Some people...) So of course, between my hatred of secrets and Scott's type A personality, we'll hopefully find out on Nov. 29.

Now that the day is set, though, I'm feeling the crunch of figuring out the name situation for boy and girl. How do you even go about giving a kid a name? I mean, so what if Scott and I like it; our child is the one who will have to answer to it, learn to spell it, bubble it in on a Scantron, and so much more. It's a daunting task.

While we have our front runners, there's still a little indecision lurking there. It's a pretty permanent thing.

For those who have named a child, how did you go about it? Did both of you love the name equally going about it, or was it ultimately decided in a grand rock/paper/scissors battle? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. You now have 27 days to cast your vote in the right sidebar as to what you think Baby Hannigan's gender is. Get to it!

Nursery brainstorming

While we're still a month or more away from finding out the gender of the baby, I have been planning nursery possibilities from the beginning. I've never been a fan of the cartoon sheets and over the top primary colors of most nurseries and want this room to be a welcome and soothing space for baby as well as be appealing to mom and dad. I've been pinning a lot of ideas and have recently landed on the top two contenders.

For a little boy ...

The theme title Scott and I have decided on for a boy is "The Dapper Gentleman." The room has a preppy vibe to it, but he's still a boy's boy. I wanted to steer away from baby blues and pastels because that doesn't seem boyish to me. But I didn't want dump trucks or an all out football motif, either. (I mean, I'm an Arkansas fan, but this is just too much!) This nursery takes that English hunting lodge feel and adds a bookish spin to it. 

For a little girl ...

For a girl, the theme has been harder to pinpoint. I wasn't a big pink girl growing up, and I'm not looking to swathe my daughter in cotton candy, rainbows and unicorns. The overall vibe I'm going for is vintage girly. It's warm and friendly but not SPARKLES and BARBIE!!! I want it to have handmade, crafty touches as well as lots of older, weathered looking pieces. I didn't run completely away from pink, but it's definitely not an 80s hot pink-a-palooza. 

Now that Scott and I are united on a nursery theme, we've got larger hurdles to jump — like agreeing on a name. 

Week 11 and ironies

Week 11 belly

Cravings. In my nearly three months of pregnancy, I've had a few that really stuck out. Number one being carbs. I've always loved them, but in the depths of morning sickness, carbs were the one thing I could eat and not feel ill afterward. Lemon and tomato cravings surfaced around this time too, and I made a giant portion of Pioneer Woman's lemon pasta bake to feed this need with a side of baby tomatoes. I lived off that for a week.

One Saturday early on, I found myself in need of a Coke — badly. I had been doing really well and not having any caffeine, but I figured half a Coke was nowhere near my daily limit, and I was going to treat myself. The bubbles popped and fizzed like fireworks as I poured my drink over ice. My taste buds were eager for its sweet, refreshing jolt. Three big gulps later, and I felt it. Nausea. Again. I spent the rest of my day curled up on the couch angry at the Coke and my body for craving something that made it sick. Scott felt bad for me and finished my Coke for me. He's all about sacrifice.

This week, I've been all about a cheeseburger. It's all I want. Friday Scott took me out to get my fix. Let me tell you, that was the most delicious cheeseburger I've ever eaten. It was perfect. However, on the way home I turned into a fire breathing dragon as the heartburn kicked in. A couple of Tums and a glass of milk later, the blaze had yet to subside. But did I learn? No. While in Fayetteville for the game, I gave in to the siren call of a cheeseburger again, with the same results. I still don't regret the cheeseburger, though.

P.S. Don't forget you can vote on Baby Hannigan's gender in the right side bar!

Dealing with distractions

This week is midterm week — the first midterm week I've had in three years that actually brought stress upon me. I have a take-home test due tomorrow night, my nonfiction essay due tomorrow (with full class critique on Thursday — eep!) and school law annotated bibilography due next week.

I think this is the only way I'll get it all done.



Happy Monday!

Lean, mean cleaning machine

In March, I wrote this post about my "grown-up chore chart" and how I hoped it would help keep me organized and my house clean. Well, that chart crashed and burned — and I've yet to clean up that mess, too. I realized it'd gotten bad when the dust bunnies were packing up to move somewhere cleaner.

Some how I've completely lost all semblance of control when it comes to keeping my house clean. I blame our weekends away, but it's really more because of this ...

I've gotten so behind that the house is a monumental task, and I can't leave my poor couch all alone without me. I know in a few months idea of what being tired is will drastically change — between the baby, work, school, and the house — so I want to find a successful method before then.

So where do I turn, but to Pinterest. I found this cleaning chart designating each day a job. And while I turned my nose up at the idea of cleaning every day, I'm willing to give it a try and see if it is as terrible as I think it is. If it works, then I'll have a clean house and a happy husband.

I'm going to start this next week and then I'll report back and let you know how it goes. If it doesn't, then we're going to Plan B, which is buying this sign and calling it a day.

Week 10 and my spelling is trashed

I thought pregnancy brain was a slightly blown out of proportion ailment. I mean, as a non-pregnant person, I was forgetful and scatterbrained at times. That's just being ditzy. However, in the past week and a half, I've felt like an 80 year old in need of some ginkgo biloba. There are little brain fuzzies clogging up my thought process.

Conversations have been difficult as my vocabulary has seriously dwindled. Yesterday I couldn't summon the words "cookie sheet," "cooling rack" or "couch." (Maybe it's a C-words thing?) These things by themselves wouldn't be so bad, but now I can't spell either. Today alone I have racked up two glaring spelling errors on Facebook — and I'm a copy editor! What does this say about my reliability at work? I'm an occupational hazard.

I stand before you declaring that pregnancy brain is not a myth and that it had greatly affected my verbal/written capacity. I'm not responsible for any typos in this post. 

Drum roll please!

I've tossed around a million ways of doing this, but I decided that simplicity is the best route. With that being said ...

We're having a baby!!!

That's right! Little baby Hannigan will be making his or her way into the world in April! Scott and I are overjoyed and have been bursting at the seams wanting to tell everyone. It's such a difficult secret to keep! I'm currently 9 weeks along and have felt pretty nauseous and very sleepy for the most part. (The first sign that something was amiss was my dozing off at work.)

We found out in the best possible way. We were in Nashville for my birthday weekend. I didn't think I was, but Scott kept telling me, "I think you are. I think you are. I've always said I'd know when you were." I was floored when I saw that little plus sign. After months of only negative results, I was shocked to see that those things could actually make a plus sign, too! It was definitely the best birthday present I've ever received!

I am so amazed at God's timing and so thankful for this blessing. I know he will guide us on the journey ahead. I marvel at His power when I think about how we come into this world. He’s stitched each of us together and made you uniquely, wonderfully, specially you. He has given this little olive-sized individual growing inside of me such careful thought and planning. His love is truly breathtaking.

Our first ultrasound was Monday when we got our first peek at our little one and that beautiful heartbeat!

Our little peanut! 

The top part is baby's head. The bottom part, the booty. The dark spot is the heart. We could see little arm nubbies waving, too.

Our family is quite excited as well. My sister found shirts for everyone and, as you can see, she's taking her promotion very seriously.

We still have a few weeks to find out the gender, so take a moment to venture a guess in the right side bar. Winner gets diaper duty!

Scott and I are thrilled about what the next seven months hold and can't wait to share them with you!