24 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 

24 weeks! 6 Months!! 

Baby size?

A cantaloupe. Ive got about a pound and a half of human life in me. How amazing is that?? And even though I decided not to do my weight gain (Do I reallllly want you to know how much weight I have to lose in 4 months??), Ive hit my 10-11 pound mark. Coming from a girl who has a little mental issue with weight gain, Im handling it pretty well!

Cravings?

Eh, just whatever. Food is good.

Aversions?

None. I feel normal. No more feeling so hungry that I could throw up.

Symptoms?

Back issues. A few headaches. On Wednesday I had to take the whole afternoon to rest. Like lay on the couch and watch tv until dinner. And then only put enough effort in to eat left over taco salad because Nick was gone until 12 PM. I was soo tired! We registered on Saturday and Sunday I didn't get much of a break either somehow. I. Was. Tired. My body shut down on me but I feel fine now!

Mood? 

I cried on the way to church Sunday. Couldn't tell you what it was about. Other than that happy and healthy! Have to be thankful for that!

Looking forward to?

Something next week. I can't say though! Im like realllllllly excited and can't wait to share! I know your like, you've already announced pregnancy and gender, what else? It's actually nothing life altering. Just something I am beyond ready for!

Mother's Day. Something about C in my belly on that day just makes me happy. I know that day will be so special in the next few years. 

Oh, a new blog design coming your way! Get ready for fresh new changes!

One more big one! One of my very best friends, Lauren, is due next week!!!!!! I love this girl so much. We met at a bible study in Destin and her friendship has become so, so special to me! We text everyday still and she always has an encouraging word for me. Also, her family is awesome. They have sent me encouraging notes in the past few months and I can't tell you how it has brightened my day! I only met them once! What a blessing! Anyways, go see her cute belly (seriously, she is the cutest preggo) and follow along her Alaskan Adventures as Eli enters this world. I can't wait to see her be Mama!!!!

What's new?

Rosie got a haircut. And a choke collar (I like the name pinch collar better). I know, aren't I the worst. She is a nightmare to walk with and this fixed the problem in literally 10 seconds. Hey, the moment she stops pulling, it stops pinching.

I love maternity shorts! Wish they were acceptable after pregnancy.

Carter is KICKING. All the time! He is still low so Im not hurting yet.

Nick this week?

Doing crazy Navy things. He comes home with fun stories all of the time. I love that he loves what he does. 

Nursery Update?

So since the beginning of looking at boy nurseries, I knew I had to have these prints I saw on a nursery blog. I somehow figured out what shop they were from and ordered the DAY I found them. I even scored a 40% off my order that day!

This is one of 4 I chose. I did 3 8x10s and 1 5x7. I love the whimsical old fashioned style. I can't wait to get them all framed and a shelf to put them on. They are so classy and remind me of old storybooks like the original Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo. It's all coming together very slowly, but I know exactly what I want to do. I just want a classy boy nursery that is soothing for the both of us. The only thing I might change is the frame for this print. I think its a bit to small. Please go check out Trafalgar's Square Etsy Shop. I am also going to purchase their new book Oliver's Tree at Barnes and Noble soon. All the sweet characters are in the book. I love love love it!

Have a great week!

Victoria

Day 1 of our Cross Country Trip- Almanac vs. Atlas

Day 1- MS-SD Almanac VS Atlas

What an adventure this military life has taken us on. Never did I imagine that I would be driving across the country with my husband to find our new home 2,000 miles away.

Yesterday was the beginning of our cross-country drive. Nick’s mom and Mammie drove me to Gulfport Thursday so Nick and I could start our trip on Friday. Nick has been training in Gulfport for the past month and finished yesterday around 11. We ate a yummy lunch at McAlister’s and said our sweet goodbyes to them. I was overflowing with excitement.

We drink lots of water on road trips so that means we normally have a pit stop every hour. It helps us stay sane as well. We decided on one of the first stops that we needed a paper map just in case our reliable (yeah right) GPS happened to steer us wrong. We ran into a Wal-Mart somewhere in Louisiana to grab a map and some fingernail polish remover. “You don’t know Jacque” had enough of my nails and was fading quickly.  We found the book section and as confident as I have ever been, picked up the Farmers Almanac and showed Nick that I had found the map we needed. I think that was the moment Nick realized what he was in for on this trip.

We passed the marshy bayous of Louisiana and of course had discussion of Duck Dynasty. We crossed the Mississippi River and headed toward Lake Charles. This was something I was really excited about for some reason. The scenery along the way has reminded us of how big God is. It’s amazing to see such small details in the way God created this earth.

We didn’t need a sign to tell us we had crossed over into Texas. Everything has “Texas” on it. It’s just so big. Everything is so spread out. Even the “small” towns. My favorite thing has been the swaying weed on the side of the road. It’s so corny, but it really is beautiful!

It was finally time to stop for dinner so I started looking up top restaurants around Beaumont, TX. We decided on The Black Eyed Pea. (We want to save our TexMex for deeper into Texas!). CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY A PHONE GPS IS SO TERRIBLE? It told us to U Turn ¼ of a mile before we got there.  We FINALLY found The Black Eyed Pea. Let’s just say we needed out of that truck by that point. Nick had yummy pot roast and I decided on a BLT salad. We had a good meal and went just a little further to Katy, TX to stay the night.

I’ll be honest. Just when we were pulling into the hotel, I started crying. All I could think of was how far away from home I was. And I wasn’t even a third of the way to our end point. Waves of anxiety, doubt, fear, and sadness washed over me. It was gone faster than it came though. I always remind myself that God is specifically placing me in this lifestyle for His will. He will equip me with what I need to do this. It’s hard. And sometimes, it just plain stinks. But the good always outweighs the bad. I’m still in the U.S. I’m still a plane ride away. Yes, I miss out on special moments and sometimes I just need my mama. I can’t get around that. But this is completely what you make it. We are on an adventure most people will never get to experience. It won’t be a lifetime. It’s going to be a long season, but not a lifetime.

So that was our first official travel day. We had a lot of fun, and only a few tears. Please pray that we find somewhere to live very soon! That would be SUCH an awesome answered prayer. 

Victoria