Christmas Craziness & yes...another Baby Shower

Woohoo, traveling season is now done for us!  I love seeing family and going on vacation but I am starting to realize that I love being home and having my routine just as much. =)  The end of summer and beginning of winter is when we travel the most so come the New Year we are usual back into the swing of things.  

We just got home from California which is where we spent Christmas this year.  Kyle and I both love going home to California so much because that is where most of our friends are, along with my amazing family!  We were able to be in California for a little over a week and we had a blast.  We always go to our favorite eateries...In N Out, Round Table, Mongolian BBQ and of course Villa Corona (Kyle’s all time favorite).  I was able to spend a good amount of time with my little nephew who I don’t get to see all that much! Kids grow up way too fast! ;) 

Sleep over time!  There was a lot of jewelery making and car building going on.

Bed time!

Christmas was great as always!  Presents, family, food and love…perfect combo (not in that order, haha.)  

My parents beautiful tree!

Let the present opening begin...

and Christmas night coming to an end.

We also had baby shower #2 with my family which was awesome!  My Mom picked out the cutest theme for the baby shower which was Dr. Seuss.  It was very whimsical, fun and colorful.  Again, Parker got spoiled more than ever and he isn’t even here yet!  

Decor.

Good eats!

Thank you again to everyone for coming to the baby shower and spoiling Parker like crazy!!

Merry Christmas!!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone is making awesome memories with there families!

Love, 

The Anthony's

Our Baby Moon & 23 week update

     
     We are just cruising along over here…23 weeks…crazy how times flies!   

Kyle and I went on a weekend getaway…or as I call it, our “baby moon”.  Kyle had to be at a seminar in Knoxville for one night so we decided to make a long weekend out of it.  We stayed one night in downtown Knoxville and the rest of our weekend in Gatlinburg.  Knoxville was surprisingly fun!  We enjoyed a great little dinner downtown after Kyle’s work seminar.  It was a local little spot that was near the University so there was a good amount of college students there…made it fun.  I fit right in with my big ol’ belly! ;)

The next morning we drove up to Gatlinburg (the mountains) and that is where we spent the rest of the weekend.  We ate at a lot of great little places and did a lot of the touristy activities.  Over the 2 full days that we were there we visited a bunch of the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not attractions…aquarium, car museum, haunted house mini golf and a magic show.  We had a lot of fun and it was great to be able to spend time together. 

On our way to the mountains.

 Dollywood!!

The view from our room.

The Aquarium.

Sunset from our room.

Magic Show!

Yeah..I made him get in! ;)

Stud.

And...we got stuck for 45 minutes in a parade of the way home.  Traffic both ways were just stopped totally...only in Tennessee!

•  How far along? 23 1/2 weeks.
• Total weight gain: Up 10ish lbs.
• Maternity clothes?  Yes.
• Stretch marks? Nope.
• Sleep: Great.
• Miss Anything? Nope…not yet.
• Movement: Yes, a lot!!
• Food cravings: Any sweets.
• Food aversions: Nothing!
• Gender: BOY.
• Labor Signs: Nope.
• Symptoms: Nothing at all.
• Belly Button in or out? In.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Going to CA for Christmas.

                    

   

 Fun baby fact (from pregnancy journal):

     

  This week your baby's eyelids will open, although he won't be able to see much because the womb is dark - it will get lighter as the skin stretches - and his visual range is limited until a few weeks after birth.

 

Happy Thanksgiving & Our 1st Baby Shower

This year Kyle and I spent Thanksgiving in Utah with family and friends.  Our flights weren’t bad at all, thankfully.  Now that we live in Nashville there aren’t any direct flights to see family so we get to have a layover every time! ;) That’s what we get for moving so far from everyone! 

It is always great going to Utah because there is so much family that lives close together.  It makes it real easy to get together for games, food, movies, baking and catching up…perfect little vacation.  

This year I am thankful for so many things, I don't even know where to begin.  

Just a few:

Our Heavenly Father whom I receive blessings from every single day...

A wonderful caring husband that supports and loves me...

Our families and there unconditional love for both Kyle and I...

Baby Parker - he has blessed our lives so much and he isn't even hear yet

We were also blessed enough to have our first baby shower!  We planned on having our baby showers a little early just so I don’t have to fly all over when I am huge and uncomfortable.  Kyle’s Mom and Aunt’s did an AMAZING job planning the shower and getting everything together.  I was so impressed.  Kyle’s Aunt Karen had the shower at her house and really went above and beyond with all of the little details.  She is so crafty and creative!  Everything turned out perfect.  It was great seeing all the family and friends and being able to catch up.  

Thank you to everyone who came to the shower!  Baby Parker is already so very spoiled!!

So...I have a new love in my life...

besides this bouncing baby boy that never let's me forget about him. ;)

It's name?

PINTEREST!

If you haven't heard about it then you better get with it!

Check me out here:

http://pinterest.com/valmarant/

P.S. It's slightly addicting!

20 weeks - half way!

It has been a big week over here! We had our 20 week ultrasound which is also sometimes called an Anatomy Scan.  This is a big scan that provides a lot of information about the baby.  We left the doctors office with a bunch of pictures and we were also told that baby is FOR SURE a boy! YAY!

     NOTE: He now looks human! =)

The ultrasound took about 30 minutes and the ultrasound technician measured everything! Baby boy’s head, heart, kidneys, arms, legs, feet, hands and chest all measured perfectly! He is in the 75^th percentile and is estimated to weigh 13 ounces already!

Fun fact from my pregnancy journal:

At 20 weeks your baby’s first teeth will have developed in his gums.

Let’s hope he doesn’t have 6 wisdom teeth like his Momma! =)

• How far along? 20 weeks, half way!! Yikes!
• Total weight gain: Up 4 lbs.
• Maternity clothes?  All of my clothes are now maternity except sweats.
• Stretch marks? Nope.
• Sleep: Great.
• Miss Anything? Nope.
• Movement: Yes, he is an active one! =)
• Food cravings: Chocolate…yum.
• Food aversions: Nothing!
• Gender: BOY…for sure!
• Labor Signs: Nope.
• Symptoms: Nothing much besides my belly starting to itch.
• Belly Button in or out? In.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Seeing all of our Utah family is less than a week!

18 weeks

IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT: 

I feel human again!!  =)

I am not having any symptoms which I am loving!  I am eating what I want, sleeping like a baby and not falling asleep the second I walk in the door.  Life is good! 

Although this blog is helping me keep track of what is going on with my pregnancy I also have a pregnancy journal that I picked up from Barnes and Nobles.  I write down what I am feeling like week to week, if there is anything new and there are some spots where I can add pictures of ultrasounds.  One of the things that I love the most about the pregnancy journal is that there are little updates of what is going on with the baby and what he is up too.  

Here is this weeks:

Your baby’s eyes are now sensitive to light and his eye muscles are strong enough to move from side to side while looking down.  He will also be able to hear loud noises, though he will be unable to interpret them until the third trimester.

It is so crazy to me that he is already so far along in his development! Grow baby boy, grow!

• How far along? 18 weeks
• Total weight gain: Down still.
• Maternity clothes?  Yes, all of my jeans are now maternity but I can still get away with regular shirts and sweats.
• Stretch marks? Nope.
• Sleep: Great.
• Miss Anything? Nope.
• Movement: Yes, our little man is moving around like crazy!
• Food cravings: Not anything particular this week.
• Food aversions: Nothing!
• Gender: BOY!!!!
• Labor Signs: Nope.
• Symptoms: Not much...odd.  I am feeling normal again.
• Belly Button in or out? In.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Visiting family in Utah later this month.