We're having a GIRL! {Our Gender Reveal}

I guess my mom instinct isn't right on yet, because every part of me thought we were having a baby boy. In fact, everyone thought we were having a boy - except Alex! He had been saying girl all along until we got to the week of our reveal - then he flip-flopped to Boy, so I guess he was technically wrong, too!

Our gender reveal was a small affair, with just our parents and my best friend Lesley -- who surprised me by driving almost 6 hours to Columbia the night before! It was SO special to have her here for this big moment. And I really needed my bestie!

With all that had come to light in the days preceding the reveal (namely, the results of our 20-week anatomy scan), we were not feeling very festive or much like celebrating. The fact is that there are still a lot of unknowns. But after being sad and scared for a few days, Alex and I said, You know what? No matter what happens, this baby will be celebrated. Baby deserves a gender reveal and has a lot of people who loves him or her! So on we went with our little gender reveal celebration and I'm so glad we did.

Two days before the reveal, Alex and I went to a local boutique and picked out a baby boy and a baby girl outfit. We handed over the envelope with the gender result, the outfits and our credit card and came back in 15 minutes to pick up the package that would tell us if we were having a boy or a girl! (And then I had to stare at that little blue box for 2 days...)

Since the party was small and in the middle of the afternoon (in between football games), we kept it pretty simple and mostly used decorations I had on hand. But I did want to include some festive balloons and pink and blue candy to make it very "baby"!

The outfits that Alex and I came home from the hospital in many moons ago :)

After stalling for awhile (because I wasn't in a hurry to find out: I just KNEW I already knew it was a boy!), our moms told us they were anxious and had to know! So we took a deep breath and unwrapped...

The box!

Shocked. Totally shocked. 

And here's the video so you can see the reaction in action and hear my dad's awesome commentary :)

It's a GIRL!!!

My stepdad was the only one who thought it was a girl - so the rest of the group was totally surprised!

After the reveal, with all of our parents!

Parents, Lesley, Alex and I (and baby girl's sweet little outfit)

Me and Baby Girl at 20 weeks, 5 days

The girls are getting a baby sister! 

We are feeling so, so blessed by this little girl and the things she's already teaching us. Parenting really does start before the baby even arrives! We continue to pray for good results from our amnio test, and ask for your prayers for her and for us. For now, it's all pink over here as we pray for good news and think positively, and know God has it all under control!

xo
KH

20 weeks | 21 weeks

20 WEEKS 

How far along: 20 weeks

Baby Size: the baby is the size of a small banana

Weight gain: up .2 pounds from last week, up .4 pounds overall

Maternity clothes: most of the time! Still have a few tops I'm wearing that are not maternity.

Stretch marks: not yet

Sleep: mostly okay

Best moment this week: On Saturday, finding out our baby is a baby ______! (gender reveal post coming soon!)

Looking forward to: nursery decorating

What I miss: bread and wine

Movement: yes!!

Food cravings: not much of anything

Anything making you queasy or sick: not really, but haven't attempted to eat chicken breast again yet

Gender: Yes, we know! Will tell soon!

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: tired, round ligament pain off and on 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: feeling anxious about our not 100% perfect anatomy scan. Will have another check-up at 21 weeks to hopefully learn more. 

Nursery: Still Pinning away!



21 WEEKS

How far along: 21 weeks

Baby Size: the baby is the size of a carrot

Weight gain: up 0 pounds from last week, up .4 pounds overall

Maternity clothes: yep! I think the window for wearing some of my remaining normal clothes is closing. 

Stretch marks: nope

Sleep: pretty well, but man I miss melatonin on the occasional night! 

Best moment this week: seeing Baby H on our second ultrasound in 8 days at the specialist. He/she was a lot more active this week and we got a better glimpse at their personality! We had an overall positive specialist visit and are feeling hopeful and thankful. More on Baby's health later. 

Looking forward to: (with hopefulness) - the results of our amniocentesis in the next 2 weeks

What I miss: wine! 

Movement: more and more every day! I love it so much! 

Food cravings: candy corn (finding a gluten free variety is a little challenging)

Anything making you queasy or sick: not really

Gender: Yep! Can't wait to share! 

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: emotionally exhausted, but physically okay 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: anxious but know that our Creator holds us in His hands! 

Nursery: See our nursery plans here!

Prayer for Baby: Dear little baby H - seeing you twice in the last two weeks has been amazing. Even though we are not sure what your future holds, we know that God made you perfect just the way you are and you are already teaching us some important parenting lessons! We pray every day, throughout the day, for you and the life ahead of you. We cannot wait to meet you and know you are already a very special child. God has blessed us with you in more ways than we could have imagined, and you're only 21.5 weeks along! You are truly a miracle child and a blessing through and through. We love you with our whole hearts. Love, Mommy and Daddy

Nursery Planning: Boy and Girl nursery themes

We find out on SATURDAY if our little babe is a handsome boy or a darling girl. I am kind of in disbelief that I'm already 20 weeks and will soon know if I'll have a son or a daughter. The fact that the envelope with the verdict is in my purse right now is really, super, extra tempting.

Our 20-week ultrasound was yesterday and to be honest, it was tough. I am not quite ready to share the details but we will be seeing a specialist next week to learn more. I covet your prayers as we find out more about our baby's health in the coming weeks.

For now, I'm going to focus on the good  and the fun, and what's more fun than nursery planning?!

To get myself geared up for our reveal on Saturday with our parents, I put the nursery plans that I've had in my head down on "paper" to get a visual. And to, oh I don't know, show the hubs how our kid's room might will be decorated. And I am so excited! I don't know which one is my favorite.

Baby boy nursery: Vintage Golf
I mean, this theme might be a little obvious for a golf coach's baby boy. But I couldn't resist! And Alex is on board. I plan to use some vintage golf posters, as well as pictures of Alex and his dad playing golf when they were young.

Golf-inspired baby boy nursery by klhamilton featuring a weave basket

Baby girl nursery: Lilly Pulitzer-inspired Chinoiserie 
Okay, so a Lilly-themed nursery might also be a little obvious for a girl from South Florida - ha! While pastels are sweet, I love bright colors in a baby's room. I want to get some vintage Lilly fabric scraps to make some wall hangings and pillows, and include some chinoiserie elements in the room as well.

Lilly Pulitzer-inspired Chinoiserie baby girl nursery by klhamilton featuring a pink rug

Notice that I used a gray glider in both mocks. I'm thinking I need to stay neutral with the glider, since they are such an investment and we plan on having more than one child, God-willing. But we might go the slip-covered route, which is more $ up front - but I can more easily change the look later. Any thoughts on a glider?

Let me know what you think! And again - please, please remember Baby H in your prayers.  

xo

KH

Five on Friday!

Another week bites the dust! Here are a few things making me SMILE this Friday:

ONE.
If you need a good happy cry, watch this video. 9/11 remembrance + old Golden + pregnancy hormones = I'm sobbing. Where are the tissues??


TWO.
I just bought this cradle/bassinet, Pottery Barn bedding, mobile and rug off a local Facebook page for $45! This is the first real purchase for baby, so it's a big deal! Can't wait to pick it up this afternoon. It might need a new paint job but for $45, I'm up for it!

THREE.
Sometimes, I drive by Goodwill and it calls my name. You just never know what you can find in there, and that's what happened last weekend. On a whim, I popped in and found these vintage bronze Chinoiserie sconces that I think I'm going to paint. I also randomly found the exact doormat insert that I needed to replace the one we had that the H had faded off it! I love cheap thrills.

FOUR.
This is a little late, but we had a yard sale two weekends ago to get rid of the stuff that had been occupying the two closets that are in the soon-to-be nursery. I was super proud of A for parting with a lot of old golf stuff, his PlayStation, and a lot of clothes. The sale was so successful: we sold nearly everything and made almost $900!! That's a great chunk of change for the nursery, plus we ousted a ton of junk!

FIVE.
Tomorrow is game day #2 for the Gators. I was impressed with the big win last weekend, but it was over NM State, so who knows how we'll fare against SEC opponents beginning next weekend. All I know is that we only had ONE penalty the whole game: a marked improvement over a typical Muschamp-era game. Excited that the new Coach Mac era is here!

Happy weekending!
xo
KH

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

19 weeks

How far along: 19 weeks

Baby Size: the baby is the size of a mango (6 inches and half a pound!)

Weight gain: up 1.5 pounds from last week, up .2 pounds overall

Maternity clothes: wearing them most of the time but can still wear a few normal tops and dresses. Normal pants have pretty much been phased out (not a fan of belly bands!).  I bought 4 pairs of maternity pants from a local Facebook trading page for a total of $21: score!

Stretch marks: not yet

Sleep: some night it's okay, some nights I toss and turn

Best moment this week: feeling our baby kick, kick, kick! Not only from the inside - but from the outside a few times, too! Even Alex was able to feel him/her! I also got my first prenatal massage on Saturday which was heavenly. 

Looking forward to: our anatomy scan next Tuesday, and our gender reveal next weekend!

What I miss: having a drink with dinner

Movement: yes! Sometimes I have to lie still, and sometimes I can even feel it while sitting at my desk working. L-O-V-E feeling these tiny baby kicks!

Food cravings: pasta, pizza, candy

Anything making you queasy or sick: still not really digging chicken but it doesn't make me gag anymore 

Gender: don't know yet - we'll find out September 19!

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: tired, and round ligament pain will come outta nowhere 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: feeling happy and grateful - but I'm not without moments of ugly! And yesterday I cried at something someone posted on Facebook about a dog for adoption because his owner had died. Alex said, "Are you crying?? Wait, is this one of those emotional pregnancy moments?" Yes, dear. It was. 

Nursery: Still Pinning away!

Prayer for Baby: Sweet baby H - we are so grateful to feel your little kicks and movements that make you seem so much more real to us! Your movement reminds me every day that there is a tiny, living person inside whom God has entrusted to US while here on this earth. We're so happy to be your parents! We pray for continued development and good health. Amen.

Five on Friday: Birthday Edition

Happy Friday!! So many things to be happy about today, one of which is of course that we're heading into a long weekend! And another is that it's SEPTEMBER: my favorite month. September brings my birthday, college football, all things pumpkin and fall, and (fingers crossed) slightly cooler weather. What's not to love?

Yesterday was my 31st birthday and even though I had to work, it was a great day! Hubby made it extra special for me and I went to sleep last last thinking about how good life is.

ONE.

I started my birthday yesterday morning with a quick photo shoot with my bump and my pups. Yesterday was a weird day, since I had to work and then it was game day for the Gamecocks and everything in Cola shuts down! But it was still a great birthday spent with thoughtful coworkers, festive friends and a sweet husband. Alex took me out to lunch and then I got off work a teeny bit early to run home and throw together an app for a football watching party at some friends' house. 

TWO.
When I got home from work, Alex surprised me with flowers and a sweet little birthday set-up in the kitchen (note the sweet potato, representing baby!). He also wowed me by swiffering, vacuuming and mopping the floors: acts of service is my love language, y'all. Best gift ever!

THREE. 
As quick as we could get there, we headed over to watch the Gamecocks with some friends (6pm kickoff on a Thursday is tough to make!). I brought some de-alcoholized wine so I at least felt like I was part of the festivities! And A had picked up some seriously delicious Gluten Free chocolate cupcakes from Whole Foods to share with the gang. 

FOUR.
When we got home late after the game, I opened my gift from Alex: these gorgeous Pandora stacking rings! I love that I can wear them alone or a few at a time. Guess I need to get a manicure now!

FIVE. 
The best part of the day was falling asleep and feeling Baby H moving around in there! The last 3 days, I have finally felt the baby and known for sure that it's the baby (not food digesting or gas, ha!). He or she has been so active and it's amazing to feel that little babe from the inside! Life is so good and we are  so blessed.


Happy Labor Day weekend!
xo
Kristin  

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

17 weeks | 18 weeks

17 WEEKS

How far along: 17 weeks

Baby Size: the baby is the size of an onion (5 inches)

Weight gain: up .5 pound from last week, down 1.5 pounds overall

Maternity clothes: about 75% of the time

Stretch marks: not yet

Sleep: ehhhh...it's become harder this week. Waking up around 2am to tinkle and then I am awake for at least an hour before I can fall asleep again!

Best moment this week: hearing our baby's heartbeat at our 17 week appointment - and Alex getting to hear it for the first time since he missed the 13 week appointment!

Looking forward to: knowing if Baby H is a boy or a girl

What I miss: Wine!

Movement: possibly...I just don't know!

Food cravings: hot dogs, pizza (GF pizza is so not good), root beer

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still saying no to chicken breast and a lot of veggies

Gender: don't know yet!

Labor Signs: Not for a long time I hope!

Symptoms: still tired, hungry often, sleep is getting harder

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: kinda cranky this week, to be honest!

Nursery: I've been Pinning away :)

18 WEEKS

How far along: 18 weeks

Baby Size: the baby is the size of a sweet potato (5.5 inches)

Weight gain: up .2 pound from last week, down 1.3 pounds overall

Maternity clothes: wearing them most of the time. I ordered two dresses, a top and a pair of work pants from Old Navy over the weekend and paid $48 for all of it!

Stretch marks: not yet

Sleep: in an effort to try to sleep through the night (or be able to go back to sleep once I wake up to potty), we put Penny in the crate with Ellie last night and it WORKED! Turns out, having that little 5 pounder in the bed was not helping matters. 

Best moment this week: openly talking about maternity leave at work during planning sessions - gets me excited and feeling like this is real! 

Looking forward to: our gender reveal in 2.5 weeks!

What I miss: Wine! But Alex found me some alcohol-removed wine over the weekend and it's getting the job done. 

Movement: I *think* I have been feeling a few little flutters. It's amazing to think that could be my baby moving around in there! 

Food cravings: pasta and big, fresh salads

Anything making you queasy or sick: warming up a tiny bit to chicken but still not embracing it. 

Gender: don't know yet - we'll find out September 19!

Labor Signs: nada

Symptoms: still tired, sleep is getting harder

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: I have a short fuse at times, and at other times I'm superrrr sweet :)

Nursery: I've been Pinning away :)

Prayer for Baby: This week, we pray for your growth as you continue to develop in there! It is so amazing to think you are already yawning and hiccuping and preparing for life outside the womb. We can't wait to see meet you sweet babe!