shipped.

Dear Lauren Bryant,

Thank you for ordering with ShopOrbitBaby.

Your order #14202 has shipped today via Ground.

It's on its way!!! Our Orbit Baby Travel Collection G2, that is. I am MUCHO excited. Beyond elated, really. After tons and tons of stroller research, I found "the one" and this past weekend my mom and I were able to see it in person.

It definitely lived up to my expectations.

A few things that I love about it:

• it has a soft carrier handle on the car seat, which makes it super easy and comfortable to hold close to your body instead of awkwardly holding it at bay.
• you can dock and rotate the stroller seat 360 degrees, as well as rotate the car seat. So instead of reaching into the car at an angle and placing the baby into the car seat, you can turn the car seat to face you. Once the baby is strapped in all you have to do is rotate and lock in place! Genius.
• the stoller seat features "3DRotation," so you can rotate-and-recline in one fluid motion. 
• it's eco-friendly.
• it has a "StrongArm" knob on the car seat base that makes installation super easy--all you have to do is turn the knob and in 60 seconds it is secured flush against the seat.
• you can fold the stroller frame with ONE hand and it can stand up on its own. 
• the fabric is washable, easy to remove, and gentle on baby's skin.
• it has a UV sunshade and "Paparazzi Shield" extension that completely protects the baby from rain, sun, and wind.
• it grows with your growing family by turning into a double stroller! WIN.
• it's not bad to look at. 

Who would have thought that two soon-to-be daddies could engineer something so fabulous?! Props to them. And, of course, thanks again to my wonderful, selfless parents for this amazing gift. John and I are blessed by your love!

Estimated arrival is September the 4th. It can't get here soon enough!

chuggin' along.

24 weeks, 3 days...we're moving right along.

This morning I had my routine 24 week appointment. Instead of seeing my regular OB/GYN, I saw another doctor in the practice. I can't believe that it is already time for me to start making the rounds. By the time I am full term, I will have met with all 4 of the other physicians just in case Dr. Stradtman can't be there to deliver Baby Bryant. I really liked Dr. Sparks; he is such a kind and sensitive man. I am sure that I will like the rest of the gang, too.

The appointment went well. I am not quite sure how much weight I have gained total, but I am pretty sure I almost fainted when I saw the number on the scale. We've reached the 130s, friends. I can't believe it. The good news is, Dr. Sparks called me skinny (Yes, skinny. What a JOKE) and said that I am all baby. My stomach is harder than Chuck Norris' abs. It wasn't hard for him to tell what position our little guy was in: head in the lower left region, feet in the upper right. I could have told him that. Those are mainly the two places that I feel strong kicks and jabs throughout the day. Baby boy also didn't want to cooperate when we were trying to hear his heartbeat. The second the doppler found it, he would move. Figures.

My next appointment will be at 28 weeks (THIRD TRIMESTER!!!) and will be a long one--lots of lab work and the dreaded RhoGAM shot (I am Rh-negative). Can't wait. Yes, I can.

I am so incredibly thankful that this pregnancy has been so great and problem-free, thus far. I honestly have no complaints and am trying not to take this fleeting time for granted. As much as I am ready to meet our precious baby boy, pregnancy is the most amazing thing that I have experienced in my lifetime and I don't think I'm quite ready to give it up.

Stand still, and consider the wonderful works of God. Job 37:14

bumpdate.

Here is a little bumpdate at 23 weeks:

Size of Baby Bryant:

More than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango).

What is Baby Bryant up to this week? 

With a sense of movement well developed by now, Baby Bryant can feel me dance (not that I do it often...John and I occasionally bust a move in the car). And now that he is more than 11 inches long and weighs over a pound, I may be able to see him squirm underneath my clothes! Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing and his hearing is becoming keener. In fact, his cochlea—the inner ear mechanism that houses all components of hearing—is fully formed. So he can hear what I hear, but not at the same level.

Movement:

Lots of it! It has been awesome. He is most active at night before bed, but I feel him a lot throughout the day too. A special moment for me was during worship at church this past Sunday—the worship team was singing my most favorite song at the moment, a Highlands original, and baby boy started kicking away! It made my heart happy.

Cravings and aversions:

Still craving sweets. No aversions, unfortunately...

Symptoms:

Still have indigestion every night when I lie down. Taking two TUMS before bedtime is now part of my nightly routine. I have also had an extremely itchy stomach this week. Mainly the lower belly region. Round ligament pain plagues me here and there. Typically when I get up too fast. My trips to the potty have definitely increased this week too!

Mood: 

HAPPY! But, emotionally sensitive at times. What made me cry this week of pregnancy? A bagpiper. 

What I am looking forward to?

Going to Atlanta this weekend to do some major shopping for Baby Bryant with my mom. My sweet parents want to bless John and I with the stroller and car seat so hopefully I will be coming home with those in tow and maybe some more baby goodness. I can't wait!

growing.

While perusing my closet last week I tried on a striped shirt that I had taken a picture of my bump in at about 13 weeks. Although I didn't end up wearing the top, I decided to reenact the same picture--this time at 22 weeks and whoa, what a difference 9 weeks of pregnancy makes! My feet have officially disappeared from bird's-eye view and my belly button is loud and proud...and slightly off centered?!

Clearly, the stripes have double in size too. Good to know I'm not the only one!

Happy weekend!

door closed.

Well, it's official. John and I are no longer residents at Hallman Hill. Wow, so surreal and bittersweet.

I have called #113 home for approximately 3 years now. It is where I made my first leap into "big girl status" by owning and not renting. It is where love was lost, but found again. It is where I spent time planning a wedding that would again change my status, this time from "miss" to "missus." It is where John carried me over the threshold and we started our new life together. It is where I first found out that I would no longer be just a wife, but now a mother, as well. It is where we established life-long friendships. It is where we have lived and loved.

I am not good at saying goodbyes. Really, I didn't have to. The memories made at Hallman Hill will stay with me for a lifetime. While we closed the door at #113, a new door has opened. One filled with opportunity and new memories. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for us and where the next place will be that we get to call home.

wet sand.

The Semanson family beach trip did not turn out quite as expected. What we thought was going to be a week of fun-in-the-sun, turned out to be a weekend of rain, rain, and more rain. We saw the sun twice during our stay and took full advantage--even on the extremely overcast days with glimpses of light or no rain. The good news is the little ones were able to last longer on the beach, as they didn't get too hot or too much sun while playing in the sand and water.

We still ate some pretty amazing seafood, spent time as a family, loved on the babies, and got our fill of the Olympics. YAY USA! Big thanks to the Bryants for letting us stay in their house and big thanks to mom and dad for treating us to such a wonderful time! Here's to hoping that the sun will shine on our next family vacation...

oops, i did it again.

I did it again...and I have a feeling that I'm not going to stop here. I made a couple more purchases for the still non-existent nursery. I say still non-existent because the unit that John and I were supposed to move into in ONE day fell through and here we are, back at square one, trying to scramble around and find somewhere to live. It's looking like the in-laws are going to be our roomies, temporarily. A good way to cope with this upheaval? Retail therapy.

I am so thankful for a husband who understands me and my nesting needs...

A little over a week ago I got an email from World Market introducing their latest eCatalog--very rustic and very much my style. Amidst this collection was a light, natural cowhide rug. I have been in search of a decently priced blonde cowhide rug for quite some time now and came to find that the closer you get to a neutral bleached tone, the higher the price. So you can only imagine how thrilled I was to stumble across this beaut with a price tag of only $329.99, PLUS a 10% off coupon.

While I am typically overeager to act on a great deal, I decided that it would be best to go see the rug in person. I am sure glad that I did. Of course, no cowhide is the same so of the two in the store, one was definitely darker than the other. In addition, they didn't quite look like the image online either. Still, I loved the rug so I bought it. If I change my mind or find another rug for a better deal, I can always return this one. WIN-WIN, if you ask me.

This week I got another email from World Market with a coupon for $10.00 off on an in store purchase of $40.00 or more (maybe I need to opt out of the emails...). I have had my eye on the Jillian Rectangle Baskets and Totes so thought this was the perfect opportunity to scoop them up. And that I am going to do on Friday, seeing that today and tomorrow will be spent moving. Blah. Welcome to Baby Bryant's nursery, baskets.

Next up: the most adorbs laundry hamper there ever was. And believe me, I know that I'll be getting A LOT of use out of this bad boy. Unfortunately, this hamper is backordered until October. Fortunately, our little one won't be here until December. So, here it is. The Land of Nod you do not disappoint...

And lastly, I finally ordered the test swatches from Spoonflower that I have been wanting to get my hands on for Baby Boy's bedding. Again, it's always best to see it in person!

Bumper fabric.

Crib Skirt fabric.

Piping on bumper and bumper ties. Also, on bottom of drapes. 

Pillows.

I can't wait to see this nursery come together...eventually. Better to be prepared than not, I always say! Happy Wednesday!

hi-ya.

At 17 weeks I started to feel a few twitches and flutters here and there. Of course, with it being so early in the game I wasn't sure if it was Baby Bryant or not. Gas? Could be. Stretching? Could be that too.

At 18 weeks I was about 97% sure I felt our little one kick. To me, it felt like a little tickle from the inside. I felt the flutters in the evening around dinner time when I was sitting down on the couch.

At 19 weeks I didn't feel much movement, but my doctor assured me that this was perfectly normal.

At 20 weeks I still wasn't feeling much movement. I kept thinking to myself, "Come on little nugget, KICK!"

At 21 weeks I started to feel a lot more movement. The kicker (no pun intended)? I could feel Baby Bryant's nudges and kicks from the outside! Best feeling ever. However, the kicks still weren't consistent.

I am currently 22 weeks and 4 days and am feeling much more movement, especially in the evenings. What makes this week of pregnancy especially memorable and special...John felt our baby boy kick for the first time Sunday evening! After about an hour of cleaning and packing I had to sit down on the couch to take a quick breather. I decided to place my hands on my belly and relax for a few minutes and the next thing I know, I am feeling strong kicks. I asked John to hurriedly come over and place his hands on my big belly. Give or take several seconds he felt Baby Bryant give me a forceful jab. The look on his face was PRICELESS. He was amazed--more so that the kick was so powerful than that he finally got to feel some movement! Gotta love him. We got one more kick out of our little one until he decided to go back into hibernation.

I am greatly looking forward to this bonding time with Baby Bryant. Not only for me, but for John too. What a miracle. 

back.

I'm back home from the beach--back to life, back to reality. I must admit, it was hard for me to relax last week knowing that I would be coming home to a huge to-do list and a lot of unknowns. I also came home to this...

...and boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. 

I spent the majority of the evening yesterday doing laundry (6 loads to be exact), cleaning, organizing, and packing. John helped out by patching holes and replacing original hardware. Progress. I feel pretty confidant that we will have the entire condo packed up, painted, and cleaned within the next couple of days. 

And while we still aren't 100% sure where we are going to move, it's looking like we will be able to occupy a 2 bedroom condo in Hallman Hill until the end of December. This will give us some time to decide on our next move and, oh yeah, have a baby. Slowly, but surely, the pieces are fitting together. God is so faithful.

the calm before the storm.

Today John and I are heading to Carillon to spend our annual beach weekend with the Dilworth family. Fortunately for me, my vacation won't end on Sunday when John and the rest of the gang will be homeward bound. You see, my family arrives Sunday afternoon so I will be staying the entire week until next Sunday. 9 long days to relax, recoup, and spend quality time with my family. Ahhhhh. I cannot wait.

This trip will be my calm before the storm. When I finally jump back to reality I will be spending 3 (only 3) days packing, packing, cleaning, painting, and packing some more. And at this point, John and I aren't quite sure where we will be moving our belongings to. Crazy, right? To sum it up: we are about to hit the ground running in a direction unknown.

So, no updates from me for a week. Hopefully after we are settled somewhere I can recap our time at the beach. Until then, keep on and carry on.

XOXO.

a first.

I am so excited to announce that we I made our very first nursery purchase! I completely ignored the fact that we don't have a room for the nursery. In fact, in 15 short days we won't have any rooms. We will officially be homeless for 2 months...or later. Our condo sold (such a blessing) and we don't have anywhere to go, yet. You would think that with a baby coming in 4 short months and nowhere to live I would be freaking out, but I'm not. Surprisingly. Don't get me wrong, I have my days, but we are trusting in the Lord 110%. We have a peace that it is all going to work out for the best in HIS timing.

But, back to the purchase! I have a hard time passing up great deals so you can only imagine the excitement that overcame me when I opened my inbox Monday morning and saw that One Kings Lane was having a killer sale! You see, several weeks ago I pinned an end table from One Kings Lane onto my "baby pad- boy" Pinterest board. With a hefty price tag, it was completely off limits, but a girl could dream--or at least draw inspiration from it. Lucky for me, the end table was still available on Monday morning with an additional 30% discount. SCORE. I called my mom to see if it was a good buy and after agreeing with me, it was mine. All mine. 

It is dainty enough that it won't take up too much room and I think that it will look perfect next to the non-existent glider. I am slowly, but surely, putting together an inspiration board for Baby BOY Bryant's nursery (I love saying boy...). I hope to share it soon!