Christmas 2016

Well, it's over halfway through January and I'm just getting around to posting about our Christmas. Maybe one of these days I'll get caught up on all the things that happened in 2016 {Hawaii, two little beach trips, a trip to the aquarium, etc...}!

This Christmas was a good one! We said several times that we felt like Emery was just at the perfect age! She understood so much more and really got into all of the fun stuff we did! We decorate early and she was so, so excited about it! She even put some ornaments on the tree!

We had a nice day in the middle of November so we went to take our Christmas card pictures. I loved how they turned out!

We went to the Christmas tree lighting at the Summit and Emery *loved* the giant Christmas tree!! We had to walk and drive by it several times.

We finished our Christmas decorating the day after Thanksgiving and put a Christmas tree in Emery's room. To say she loved it would be an understatement. She said "good morning" and "good night" to it every day and even gave it hugs and kisses! I think it's safe to say she loves Christmas just as much as I do! We had her Christmas lights connected to a little button and ended up having to move the cord because she pulled it up into her bed one night and kept turning her tree on and off! 

We baked lots of Christmas goodies, too! She loves to bake and always wants to help in the kitchen!

We did some fun crafts, too! Anything with glue is a big hit!

Emery has also gotten really into coloring lately! I printed off some Christmas coloring pages from Pinterest and she loved it! She's getting pretty good, too. She colored the baby Jesus and the sheep in the bottom left of this picture.

Emery got to see Santa for the first time this season with Vanna! Emery is super shy around people {I cringe when people talk to her in places like the grocery store because she usually freaks out}, but she has no fear of any character that's dressed up! She would love Disney World! So, she was a big fan of Santa! She doesn't always get super smiley, but she never hesitated to go and sit on his lap.

She spent some time at my sister's house the night they went to see Santa and had a great time with Vanna's dress up clothes! I adore this picture!!

Our Chick-fil-A had a Santa and cookie decorating night and we went to that with Vanna, too. We picked her up from school, went to Starbucks for a treat and some hot chocolate, and then went to see Santa at Chick-fil-A that night!

We happened to see this Veggie Tales Christmas book at Publix one afternoon and ended up getting it. It was her favorite Christmas bedtime story and we read it so many times! She would always point out Baby Jesus, "Mommy Mary", and "Daddy Joseph".

After reading the book a few times, she started doing this with her blankets and calling herself "Mommy Mary".

Another Santa visit! She was pretty smiley for this one!

Daniel and I celebrated Christmas with our church friends one night at a Tacky Christmas party. That's seriously my favorite Christmas party theme! It never gets old! Emery didn't look tacky at all, though...just cute! This was one of my favorite Christmas outfits of hers!

We had several really cold days, so we made lots of trips for hot chocolate! I learned to take a cup for Emery with us so I could pour some of mine into it. I love how she bundled herself up here. The {backwards} hat plus her hood, which she calls her "shade". And as always, she's riding with several friends. 

Daniel and I made a quick trip to Atlanta to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra to celebrate 8 years of dating.  I'm so thankful for him!

Once Christmas Break started and our nieces were out of school, we had our annual Cookie Baking Day! Emery was all about the rolling!

Using the cookie cutters!

She did a lot of this!

And you can never have enough sprinkles!

She really didn't even eat that many. She just liked to sit and look at them!

We saw Santa again when he drove through our neighborhood! She loved it! Especially the fact that he threw us some candy!

Daniel had a few days off before Christmas {that was so nice!!}, so we went to brunch and then Bass Pro one morning. We had definitely seen Santa plenty of times, but they have so much fun stuff to see and do at Christmas that we wanted to go again. We got there right when they opened and it was already crazy! We rode the carousel *tons* of times! She loved it, but nothing will compare to the first year we took her to Bass Pro!

Checking out the fish...

Had to have a picture with the bear!

Killing a little time on the four wheelers while we waited in line for Santa.

She's never seen a stuffed animal she didn't like!

I love this sweet face!

We finally got to see Santa!

We even got a smile!! 

The next day we decided to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and to share with our friends and family. We used Pioneer Woman's recipe and they were good, but I wished they were a little more fluffy. They sure were pretty, though!

That night, we went on our annual Jammy Cocoa Christmas night! {2013 | 2014 | 2015} Vanna got to go with us this year! We had two excited girls!! Emery loved all the Christmas lights this year and was so excited when we were driving around!! It was the cutest!

We got some pizza for dinner first!

Then we were off to get our treats and hot chocolate!

Emery picked a mitten cookie from Panera.

And Vanna got a donut from Starbucks.

For breakfast the next morning, we went to Krispy Kreme for some Christmasy donuts!

That night, we had my family over for a little pre-Christmas party. Emery was so excited to finally get to open a couple of presents. She'd been singing "It's very, very, very hard to wait" {from Daniel Tiger} for weeks about the presents that were under the tree.

Bob and Larry were a big hit!! One of them usually goes everywhere with us...usually Larry!

She loved the dress up clothes from Nana and Poppa, too. She almost always has one dress up thing on!

And this cute cat and mouse flip-a-zoo from Aunt Allie, Uncle DJ, and Vanna is so sweet. She figured out how to flip it super fast!

The next morning was Christmas Eve! Possibly my favorite day of the year!

We did her new puzzle from Nana and Poppa and she was so excited about it!

And then we started a new tradition this year...we made a birthday cake for Jesus {in a dress up outfit, of course}.

She helped bake and decorate the whole thing!

That afternoon was the Christmas Eve service at church. I love this service! Emery even held a candle at the end...with my help, of course. She tried blowing it out, but she just did the "f" sound. 

We took a few pictures by the Christmas tree at church and then headed home for Christmas PJs and one present before bedtime!

She *loves* her drum! And so far it hasn't driven us crazy. 

Once she was in bed, we got to work setting everything up for the morning. This part is so fun!

Emery loved opening presents and gasped every time she opened one...even if it was an Amazon box! 

Digging for the last present...

She loves to be cozy so the robe was a hit!

She wore it to open a few more presents. This one was a Mr. Potato Head set and she calls it "head atato". 

Trying to say "cheese" but not wanting to take her eyes off her stocking. 

Loving her cozy kitty sleeping bag, too!

Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year, we went to church and then headed back home for a nap and to play some more!

Nana and Poppa came over for dinner that night and we had our "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake for dessert! Emery had been asking all day, "Is it cake time yet?" She put the candles in, blew them out {sort of}, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus!

I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake until right before we cut it! I got the decorating idea from Pinterest.

The next day we had our last Christmas celebration with our entire family and I only took two pictures! Love this one of Emery in the t-shirt we got from the Dirty Santa gift exchange. 

And my nieces taught me how to use Snapchat! {I'm old...} Emery loves it and calls it "chapstack". 

It was a whirlwind there for several weeks, but we had so much fun together! 

  

20 Weeks

How Far Along: 20 weeks and 2 days, I can't believe I'm halfway there already! 

Size of Baby: According to The Bump, the baby is about 6.5 inches long and weighs about 10.2 ounces.

Gender: It's a girl!! Her name is Sadie! Still working on a middle name...

Maternity Clothes: Definitely! For tops, I've bought several non-maternity tunics that go with leggings (because they're my favorite) and I like that I'll be able to wear them next winter, too. Even though I found a pair of maternity jeans that I like, they're definitely not my favorite. After having them a few weeks, they stretch out way too much.  If I'm at home, I'm most likely in pajama pants and big t-shirts like my 20 week picture. That was on a Sunday, but I changed out of my church clothes so fast once we got home and totally forgot to take my picture! 

Wedding Rings On/Off: On

Stretch Marks: None yet...still using the belly butter. My skin is super dry (it was when I pregnant with Emery, too) so I'm using lots of moisturizers!

Sleep: It's been pretty inconsistent these last couple of weeks. Some nights it takes me 2-3 hours to fall asleep, or I'll fall right to sleep and wake up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. This morning I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't get back to sleep.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm not really craving anything specific. I've wanted Mexican food a lot this past week, but that's actually pretty normal. 

Symptoms: For the most part, I'm still feeling good! I still have the stuffy nose and randomly plugged ears, but I know it could be worse. I feel like I've had a *little* bit of heartburn, but nothing major. I do get short of breath so fast right now, though...especially when I'm eating, which is just lovely. The nausea is a lot better. I've started taking half of the minimum dose of my nausea medicine just every other night, and I've been okay. I might get a little nauseated late at night, but usually if I eat some Wheat Thins or something, I'm okay.

Movement: I'm feeling her little kicks more and more, usually once I get still. It used to be just when I'd lay down in bed, but now I'm starting to notice them when I'm sitting playing with Emery or doing something like that. Daniel still can't feel her move, so I'm looking forward to that!

Mood: I'm feeling happy! I get a little overwhelmed when I think of everything we need to do, but I'm feeling happy most of the time!

What I Miss: I miss sleeping well consistently!! And I'd really like a steak, but that will have to wait!

Looking Forward To: We have our next doctor's appointment on Thursday and I'm excited about that because we'll have another ultrasound! I can't wait to see her moving around and hopefully get a glimpse of her sweet little profile. We're also taking Emery to the circus soon and I'm so excited for that! She loves animals, so I think she's going to love it!!

Best Moment This Week: We had a snow day last Friday, so Daniel got to stay home with us! It was so fun to get to stay home in our PJs all day with a cozy fire going. Emery loved the fire so much! She's been watching Frozen a lot lately, and she got close to the fire and said "This is heat. I love it!" like Olaf does. We died laughing!  We didn't actually get any snow, just lots of ice and sleet, but it was still nice to spend the weekend at home with my favorite people!

  

18 Weeks

How Far Along: 18 weeks and 3 days

Size of Baby: According to The Bump, the baby is about 5.6 inches long and weighs about 6.7 ounces. It's crazy that she's gained over 5 ounces in just four weeks! 

Gender: It's a girl!! Her name is Sadie! Still working on a middle name...

Maternity Clothes: Leggings are still my favorite, but after a ridiculously long search, I found a decent pair of maternity jeans. They are the Luxe brand from Destination Maternity and I love them!

Wedding Rings On/Off: On

Stretch Marks: None yet...I started using the belly butter a couple of weeks ago. I'm using the Mama Bee belly butter by Burt's Bees and I really like it. It's not nearly as greasy as the Palmer's brand I used last time.

Sleep: I'm sleeping great! I'm still taking the minimum dose of the nausea medicine which makes me sleepy, so that helps. I tried skipping the medicine a couple of weeks ago and was nauseated for a couple of days, so I started taking it again. I'm going to try to stop again soon, but I wanted to get through the holidays. Nobody wants to deal with nausea during Christmas! 

Cravings/Aversions: I'm definitely enjoying food again which is wonderful! I don't always know what I want, though. I'll get hungry, but just don't really know what sounds good to me. I can't eat nearly as many sweets as I can when I'm not pregnant which is disappointing. Of course, when I can eat with abandon, sweets don't sound as good as they usually do. 

Symptoms: I'm still feeling pretty good. I had some pretty bad ligament pain consistently for a couple of days, but that's gotten better. I still have it when I get up too quickly, but it's nothing like it was. The only other things going on right now is some congestion (my nose almost always feels stuffy) and my ears plug. I noticed that a few weeks ago and was afraid I was getting sick. It kept happening randomly every day so I looked it up. It's a pregnancy symptom! Who knew?! 

Movement: I've definitely felt her move. It's nothing super strong yet, but it's pretty undeniable. Usually it happens once I lay down in bed for the night. 

Mood: I'm feeling happy! 

What I Miss: I'm missing some of my cute pre-pregnancy clothes. I really haven't bought much new stuff, so I'm getting a little bored with my wardrobe. Other than that, nothing! :)

Looking Forward To: Our next appointment in a couple of weeks! We will have another ultrasound! Can't wait to see this little girl again! 

Best Moment This Week: Hearing Emery talk about "Baby Sadie" is so sweet. We were taking down our Christmas decorations and telling her that Sadie would be here next Christmas and she's been talking about that. I've also been telling her that Sadie loves her already and she's been repeating that. We were talking the other day about Sadie and Emery said, "She loves me." 

  

14 Weeks

Click here to see my other weekly pregnancy update posts.

How Far Along: 14 weeks and 2 days

Size of Baby: According to The Bump, the baby is about 3.4 inches long and weighs about 1.5 ounces.

Gender: It's a girl!! We even have a first name picked...Sadie! We put it on our Christmas card, so it's pretty official. :) We're still working on a middle name, though. It took us forever to pick Emery's middle name, too.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. I can get away with several of my pre-pregnancy shirts, but maternity jeans and leggings are a must.

Wedding Rings On/Off: On

Stretch Marks: None yet...I've got to start using the belly butter again!

Sleep: I'm sleeping great! I'm still taking the minimum dose of the nausea medicine which makes me sleepy, so that helps.

Cravings/Aversions: Food is finally sounding good again! Yay!!! I haven't really had any super specific cravings or aversions lately. Lots of things are sounding good to me!

Symptoms: I'm honestly feeling pretty normal compared to the first 10 weeks. I was worried for a while because the first trimester was so hard. The only symptoms I'm really noticing right now is that I get short of breath very quickly and I get tired if I stand too long. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good!

Movement: I feel like I *might* have felt a little something about a week or so ago. It felt like a little worm wiggling around. I'm not sure if it was really her or not, but I think it was. I can't wait for those undeniable kicks and wiggles! 

Mood: I'm feeling happy! And emotional...of course. We were watching the Iron Bowl over the weekend and they did a little tribute to one of the announcers who was retiring. I don't even like this announcer, and I found myself getting teary eyed! 

What I Miss: I have had random thoughts that I'd like a steak, but I don't really like them well done, so I'll have to wait. But it's not like a crazy craving, so I can't say I'm really missing anything too much!

Looking Forward To: Feeling the first "official" kicks!

Best Moment This Week: Starting to feel like myself again has been wonderful!

  

12 Weeks

Click here to see my other weekly pregnancy update posts.

How Far Along: 12 weeks and 3 days

Size of Baby: According to The Bump, the baby is the size of a plum, 2.1 inches long, and weighs about half an ounce.

Gender: It's a girl!! We did the genetic testing which also tests for gender, and we got the results a few days ago. We're so excited to have another sweet girl! And also that we have so much of what we'll need already! Emery said all along that she wanted a baby "bruver", but she seems perfectly fine with having a baby "sisser". :)

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. My pre-pregnancy clothes are pretty much a thing of the past already. Maternity leggings are my favorite right now.

Wedding Rings On/Off: On

Stretch Marks: None yet

Sleep: My sleep was terrible for a while. A few days before I found out I was pregnant, I started waking up in the middle of the night and it would take me forever to go back to sleep. I'd be wide awake and yet so tired. It was so frustrating!! That pretty much continued until 10 weeks when I had to start taking medicine for nausea. I take the medicine at night and it makes me really sleepy, so that's been helping a lot with my sleep!

Cravings/Aversions: I was dealing with some really bad nausea from about 6-10 weeks (when I started medicine) and hardly anything sounded good at all. Some days I could barely eat toast. I went through a phase around 9 weeks where Arby's roast beef sandwiches were pretty much the only thing I wanted...and I ate them quite often! So weird! I'm normally a big chocolate person and I haven't really cared anything about it...which is disappointing because we had a ton of Halloween candy left. Sour candy is what I've been wanting--Sweet Tarts, Spree, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Starburst are all favorites right now.

Symptoms: I had terrible fatigue and nausea for a while, but the medicine helped both of those. I'm still tired, but not like a few weeks ago. I get out breath quicker, even though it seems way too early for that. I also had ligament pain a few days ago, but that hasn't been consistent. I'm definitely starting to get to the point where I'm feeling more normal!

Movement: Nothing yet!

Mood: I'm feeling pretty happy! More emotional than normal, but I feel like that's starting to even out, too.

What I Miss: Nothing really right now!

Looking Forward To: We have our next doctor's appointment this Thursday. I'm looking forward to hearing our sweet girl's heartbeat again! We've also ordered a few things for her room, so I'm excited for those things to start coming in.

Best Moment This Week: Finding out that we were having another girl! Listening to that voice mail saying we are having a "happy, healthy girl" was so fun and exciting!